On Saturday, Bay of Pigs invasion veterans mark 50 years since their release

In the days before Christmas 50 years ago this weekend, 1,113 Bay of Pigs fighters captured by Fidel Castro’s forces and imprisoned for 20 months were finally released to a heroes’ welcome in Miami.The first planeload of POWs arrived at Homestead Air Force Base on Dec. 23, 1962. Gaunt and betrayed by the John F. Kennedy administration, members of the proud Brigade 2506 were...

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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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The Words Exclusive DVD Bonus Features Clip

Bradley Cooper has built his career on playing men stuck between a rock and a hard place -- from The Hangover to Limitless, audiences simply adore watching the actor wriggle out of sticky situations. RELATED - Bradley Cooper Talks The Words The Words promises to elate his fans once again as Cooper plays Rory Jansen, a struggling writer who finally achieves literary success after publishing what is...

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DOJ seeks injunction against peanut butter plant linked to salmonella outbreak

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Department of Justice is seeking a permanent injunction against the nation's largest organic peanut butter plant, an eastern New Mexico facility that has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 42 people in 20 states this fall.The request filed Thursday in federal court in Albuquerque seeks to prohibit Sunland Inc....

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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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'Scammers' steal from Sandy Hook victim Noah Pozner's family: uncle

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The family of Noah Pozner was mourning the 6-year-old, killed in the Newtown school massacre, when outrage compounded their sorrow.Someone they didn't know was soliciting donations in Noah's memory, claiming that they'd send any cards, packages and money collected to his parents and siblings. An official-looking website had been set up,...

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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 poll: Many Florida voters say they wouldn’t re-elect Scott as governor

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott continues to suffer from poor approval ratings despite an improving economy and lowering unemployment, and a majority of voters say they wouldn’t vote to re-elect him, a new poll shows.The poll found, among other things, that many voters are crediting the Obama administration with an improving economy, rather than Scott. A Quinnipiac University...

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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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Victoria Beckham to Launch Online Shopping Site

Victoria Beckham, who's become a style icon thanks to her celebrity favorite clothing line, is taking her fashion career to the next level. The 38-year-old mother of four is set to launch her own e-commerce website next spring.The site will sell her accessories, eyewear, denim, her Victoria Beckham collection as well as its sister label Victoria, Victoria Beckham.Video: Tom & Katie's Friends --...

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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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South Florida startup .CO Internet to star in Super Bowl lineup

.CO Internet, the fast-growing Miami company behind the .CO domain name, will be featured in a 2013 Super Bowl commercial, through a partnership with leading Web hosting and domain name provider Go Daddy, the companies said Wednesday. The 30-second spot is set to feature Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick. The story will revolve around how easy it is to create your own business...

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Miami-Dade commissioner proposes six gun-control measures for Congress, Legislature

Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Jordan made a late addition to Tuesday’s board meeting: six gun-control proposals, following last week’s mass shooting in Connecticut.Jordan, a Democrat in a non-partisan post, sponsored six resolutions urging Congress and the Florida Legislature to take a variety of steps, ranging from reinstating a federal assault-weapons ban to allowing...

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Inside Hailee Steinfeld's Sweet Sixteen

Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld recently celebrated her sweet 16 with pals like Victoria Justice and Willow Smith, and ET is taking you inside the fun-filled Sally Hansen and vitaminwater-sponsored bash."It's my sweet 16, I'm so excited -- I'm so happy," a giddy Hailee said. "You know, to be honest, I've been away from home for a long time, so to just have all my friends and family here together...

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Utah boy brings gun to school, cites Newtown fears

KEARNS, Utah — Authorities say a Utah sixth-grader caught with a gun at school told administrators he brought the weapon to defend himself in case of an attack similar to the mass shooting last week in Newtown, Conn.The Salt Lake Tribune reports that two classmates at West Kearns Elementary School reported the gun to a teacher toward the end of the school...

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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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Romeo Beckham Burberry Campaign

At only 10 years old, Romeo Beckham has been chosen as the new face of Burberry's Spring/Summer 2013 campaign, which just launched today. VIDEO - Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Takes Up ModelingAccording to The Daily Mail, Beckham was hand-picked by the label's Chief Creative Officer, Christopher Bailey. "This season's campaign lights up with the infectious energy of an amazing young cast of old and...

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Senator's daughter pleads guilty to harassment

The NYPD daughter of state Sen. Ruben Diaz -- sister of the Bronx Borough President -- pled guilty today to harassment for keying her ex-boyfriend’s car in August when he wanted to end the relationship.Sgt. Damaris Diaz, 43, who has been with the Police Department since 1993, also agreed to pay fellow cop Edward Vasquez $841.14 for the damage and spend...

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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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Child dies from injuries after being hit by car

A 7-year-old struck by a vehicle in a Lauderhill neighborhood street Saturday night has died, police said on Sunday.The child was struck at around 7 p.m. on the 5700 block of Northwest 27th Court.No names have been released. The driver has been identified only as a 20-year-old female. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, said police spokesman...

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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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Fuel spill in Staten Island waters confined: Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard says a fuel spill from a cargo tank on a barge has been "pretty much confined" to the Staten Island waters where it originally occurred.Spokesman Charles Rowe says cleanup of the spill is continuing, with thousands of gallons of oil-tainted water removed.The spill from a leaking tank occurred Friday at about 11:20 p.m. It's unclear how...

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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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