The man behind the camera: legendary Miami photog Tim Chapman retires

Here is a Tim Chapman story, one of many concerning the Herald photographer who worked his last day this past Friday after 40 years on the job.It was a frigid morning in South Florida. Tim, our roving a.m. shooter/newsgatherer, was out performing a humdrum chore: looking for a “weather photo.”The call came in to the news desk around 9. It was Tim checking in from Bill Baggs...

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Massive PC, Console Game Discounts Ring in Holiday Season

Black Friday, the day right after Thanksgiving, is normally the day associated with electronics sales. And while the proponents of “Cyber Monday” and “Small Business Saturday” have tried to get in on the action, it’s still common knowledge that Thanksgiving weekend is the best time to upgrade your PC or console game arsenal. Right?Not according to online game retailers. Discounts of up to 80 percent...

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Buzzmakers: New X Factor and Miss Universe Winners

What had ET readers buzzing this week?1. 'The X Factor' Crowns A Winner!And the $5 million recording contract goes to…Tate Stevens! The 37-year-old country crooner beat out runner-up 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar for the top prize Thursday night. 35 million votes were cast Wednesday to determine victory for L.A. Reid's mentee.Near tears, the Raymore, Missouri native thanked his fans for their overwhelming...

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Staten Island man killed in early-morning house fire

A Staten Island man was killed when an early-morning fire swept through his home, police and relatives said.Jameek Champagne, 23, died in the third-floor attic of the home on Osgood Avenue in Clifton. His brother and grandfather escaped the blaze uninjured.A neighbor reported the blaze after seeing flames erupt from the house at about 5:40 a.m. He banged on the door in a frantic effort to awaken its...

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Time’s up for holiday shopping procrastinators

Last minute shoppers like Josette Tyne are in luck this year.With a long weekend before Christmas, retailers want to make it easier for procrastinators to finish their gift buying. Macy’s for the first time is keeping all its stores open around the clock from Friday until Sunday at midnight. Toys “R” Us and Walmart Supercenters will be open non-stop until Christmas Eve.Even...

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Stand Your Ground motion denied in Janepsy Carballo case

It will be up to a jury to decide if Janepsy Carballo was justified in the killing of the man she said killed her husband. The Stand Your Ground motion filed by her defense was denied on Friday, based largely on Carballo’s inadvertent confession to a confidential informant who was wearing a police wire to investigate an unrelated drug charge at the pain management clinic...

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RIM shares dive as fee changes catch market off guard

(Reuters) – Shares of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd dropped 20 percent on Friday on fears that a new fee structure for its high-margin services segment could put pressure on the business that has set the company apart from its competitors.The shares were still more than 80 percent above the year’s low, which was hit in September. They started to rally in November as investors began to bet...

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Dexter Season Seven Finale Must Rewatch Moment of The Week

Every week, ETonline selects a scene that is so magical, it demands watching, and re-watching, from fans and non-fans alike. This week, that honor goes to Dexter! SPOILER ALERT!!! All season long, Jennifer Carpenter has been delivering career-best work as her character, Debra Morgan, grappled with the internal conflicts that arose from learning her brother was a serial killer. She was not only forced...

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WATCH: Celebs 'demand' plan to end gun violence in YouTube vid

While the NRA takes aim at Hollywood for promoting violence, more than two-dozen A-list celebs fired back today with a new YouTube video demanding a plan to reign in gun crime.Actors and musicians from Beyonce to John Hamm and Jennifer Anniston star in the 80-second black and white clip titled “Demand A Plan,” that is sure to go viral. Stars list the scenes...

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After its sale to South Beach neighbors, Raleigh brand to grow

The Raleigh hotel, an Art Deco gem famous for its curlicue black-framed pool, has sold to new owners with plans to turn the hotel into a national brand.But before Raleigh siblings pop up in locales around the country, new owners David Edelstein and Sam Nazarian will pour $2-$5 million into the 1940 property at 1775 Collins Ave.They certainly have experience in that area....

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Miami-Dade animal shelters reduce adoption fees for the holidays

To make sure that every animal at the shelter gets a home for the holidays, Miami-Dade Animal Services, the Humane Society of Greater Miami Adopt-a-Pet and The Cat Network are offering deep discounts on adoption fees through Dec. 31. Hundreds of cats, dogs, kittens and puppies are available, as are adoption gift certificates, so that the recipient can select the perfect pet.Adopters...

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Downton Abbey Cast Talk Shirley MacLaine

On January 6, Shirley MacLaine comes to Downton Abbey when the Oscar-winner joins the cast as Lady Cora's mother, Martha Levinson. And today, the cast stopped by Anderson Live to reveal what it was like working alongside another (props to original H.B.I.C. Dame Maggie Smith) living legend! PHOTOS - Inside Downton Abbey Season Three"We didn't know what to expect because this is a Hollywood legend,"...

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Bernie Madoff's brother Peter to face Ponzi scheme victims in Manhattan court

The suspense surrounding the sentencing of the brother of Ponzi king Bernard Madoff will largely be absent because a plea agreement makes a 10-year prison term all but certain.But drama will likely fill the courtroom Thursday in US District Court in Manhattan anyway as 67-year-old Peter Madoff faces some of the heartbroken investors who lost their savings...

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Miami-Dade existing home sales, prices up again

Resales of Miami-Dade county homes are red hot.Sales of existing homes rose 23 percent in Miami-Dade in November from a year earlier, even as the inventory of residential property on the market remained tight, the Miami Association of Realtors said. The median price of an existing condominium in Miami-Dade surged 31.7 percent to $158,000 in November from a year earlier, while...

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New party, new outlook on gun control for Charlie Crist

WASHINGTON -- Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who throughout his long political career has been staunchly pro-gun rights, said Wednesday that after the Connecticut school slayings, he now backs controls.He expressed support for a renewed assault weapons ban, a size limit on ammunition clips and tougher background checks.“We need to have some restrictions, that’s pretty...

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Wii U finally gets Nintendo’s TVii service on December 20th

After a month-long delay, Nintendo (NTDOY) will launch its Nintendo TVii service for the Wii U on December 20th in the U.S. and Canada. Nintendo TVii is the company’s take on organizing all of the various video streaming and DVR services a user might subscribe to and then displaying them in an easy-to-navigate touchscreen-based interface on the Wii U GamePad. With Nintendo...

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Obama on fiscal cliff: He and Boehner 'pretty close' to a deal

WASHINGTON — Optimistic despite a tightening deadline, President Obama says he and Speaker John Boehner are "pretty close" to a grand fiscal deal that would avoid a first-of-the-year shock to the economy, but says congressional Republicans "keep on finding ways to say no as opposed to finding ways to say yes."Obama cast a resolution to the "fiscal cliff"...

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Broad and Cassel team joins Holland & Knight

Holland & Knight said Wednesday that a five-lawyer team from Broad and Cassel has joined its firm. Vivian de las Cuevas-Diaz and Barbara Ferrer are now partners in the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group, and will be based in Miami.Others joining the firm are Anna Marie Hernandez as senior counsel (and the sole litigator of the team); Isabel Diaz as senior counsel; and...

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If Friday is really the end of the world...

Have you heard? According to the Mayan calendar, the end of the world, as we know it, is Friday.True or not, the possibility gives us the chance to gauge what’s really important to us.So, if the end was near, who would you want to be with when it happened? Who would you quickly send your last email or text to? What would be your final meal?For the rest...

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EU’s Almunia sets deadline for Google antitrust plan

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union set Google an ultimatum on Tuesday, giving it a month to come up with detailed proposals to resolve a two-year investigation into complaints that it used its power to block rivals, including Microsoft.The EU’s antitrust chief, Joaquin Almunia, delivered the deadline in a meeting with Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt in Brussels.If it fails to address the...

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Oscars Flashback '06: Weisz's Oscar and Baby Bump

Actress Rachel Weisz may now be married to the reincarnation of 007 himself, but back at the 2006 Oscars she was pregnant with her beautiful baby boy, Henry.ET spoke to Weisz, who seven months along, ran into some issues getting a dress ready for the big night.Other stars talk red carpet maternity fashion: Claire Danes "My friend Narciso Rodriguez... he made me two different dresses."Luckily for Rachel,...

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School gunman spent hours in windowless basement playing violent video games: report

APCrime scene tape surrounds the home of Nancy Lanza, where school gunman Adam Lanza lived.Before crazed gunman Adam Lanza slaughtered two dozen young kids and educators, he lived out bloodthirsty fantasies in his windowless bunker dedicated violent video games and gun worship, according to published reports.Lanza killed countless hours playing “Call Of...

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Pipeline Brickell, a new co-working space, reaches 70% occupancy

Pipeline Brickell, the shared workspace at 1101 Brickell Avenue that opened last month, announced it has reached 70 percent occupancy and is now home to dozens of startups, established companies and professionals. Company founders Todd Oretsky and Philippe Houdard said members of the 14,000-square-foot high-design co-working center include The Founder’s Institute, the world's...

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Narcy Novack gets life in prison for killing her hotel heir husband

An epic family murder saga ended Monday when Narcy Novack, wife of Fontainebleau hotel heir Ben Novack Jr., was sentenced to life in prison.Three years after she and her brother, Cristobal Veliz, planned and helped execute Ben Novack and his mother Bernice, the convicted killers, who had remained loyal to each other throughout the trial, made it clear their family ties would...

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Massachusetts fines Morgan Stanley over Facebook research

BOSTON (Reuters) – Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter for Facebook Inc’s initial public offering, will pay a $ 5 million fine to Massachusetts to settle charges that its bankers improperly influenced its research analysts when the Internet company went public.Massachusetts’ top securities regulator, William Galvin, charged that Morgan Stanley improperly helped Facebook disclose sensitive financial...

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Diet Pepsi adds new fake sweetener to formula

Diet Pepsi secretly added a new artificial sweetener to its formula, in a desperate flavor-saving move to can declining sales.The Purchase, NY, beverage maker quietly added acesulfame potassium to Diet Pepsi, to boost its base sweetener aspartame -- which is sensitive to heat and is susceptible to breaking down. Cans of the newly formulated Diet Pepsi were...

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Ryder CEO Greg Swienton retiring, COO getting promoted

Trucking giant Ryder will get a new CEO in two weeks, as the Miami-Dade company announces the retirement of Gregory Swienton and the promotion of current COO Robert Sanchez to the top job. Ryder, which leases commercial trucks and manages supply operations for companies around the world, saw revenues and profits increase this year, but has also been cutting costs and selling...

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Narcy Novack to be sentenced Monday in killing of Fontainebleau Hotel heir husband, mother-in-law

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) – Fort Lauderdale resident Narcy Novack, convicted of arranging the killings of her millionaire husband and mother-in-law will hear her sentence Monday – if she's in the courtroom. A disgusted Novack, apparently certain she'd be found guilty, decided not to attend in June when a federal jury's verdict was read. “We all wondered, `Where's Narcy?“’ one...

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Riveting Details Emerge from CT School Rampage

As morning turned to afternoon on Friday, further details continued to emerge from Newtown, CT, a tight-knit community shaken by a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took the lives of innocent students and teachers, in addition to the gunman, reportedly identified as Adam Lanza.RELATED: President Fights Tears as He Addresses NationAs President Barack Obama touched on in his tear-jerking...

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Another sorrowful trip for Obama to grieving town

WASHINGTON — For President Barack Obama, it was another sorrowful visit to another grieving community full of broken hearts from unimaginable violence.The spot, this time, was Newtown, Conn., where on Friday a man opened fire inside Sandy Hook Elementary School. The toll: 26 dead, including 20 boys and girls just 6- or 7-years-old.The president planned...

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Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events

Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues...

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