CUBA

Cuba won't let kids leave, ex-workers say

Former Cuban doctors are contemplating taking their quest to get their kids out of Cuba to an international...

THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

Auto dealers push aid for carmakers

Local dealers have headed to Washington to press Congress to approve a rescue plan for ailing U.S. carmakers.

MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS

Layoffs, pay cuts loom for district

Facing a $125 million deficit, the Miami-Dade School Board will vote on where to make cuts at Tuesday's mee...

BROWARD SCHOOLS

Weston drops plan to take over schools

Weston abandoned the idea of running nine public schools itself.

CRIME

Man fatally shot after his birthday

A West Miami-Dade man was found shot to death outside his car not long after celebrating his 45th birthday ...

MIRAMAR

Gun brought to Miramar High

A Miramar High School student was arrested after he brought a handgun to campus, the third time in as many ...

KEY LARGO

Captain flees boat crash

A Key Largo man drove his boat into a channel marker, fleeing the scene with his injured dog without helpin...

ELECTION 2008

Obama's Florida victory official, state panel rules

The Florida Elections Canvassing Commission needed just 13 days to certify the presidential election results.

LAKE WORTH

Sex offender killed outside game arcade

A registered sex offender from North Miami was shot and killed outside a video game arcade in Lake Worth.

EDUCATION

Southwest Miami-Dade magnet school mixes digital music, learning

A GROUP OF TECH-SAVVY PRETEENS AT RIVIERA MIDDLE ARE MIXING THEIR OWN MUSIC, CREATING DIGITAL MOVIES AND BR...

HURRICANE RELIEF

Last Brothers to Rescue plane sold for hurricane relief

25 states compensate the wrongfully convicted

Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have laws that provide compensation for the wrongfully conv...

Nebraska not obligated to pay exonerated inmates

Three people recently freed after spending nearly 20 years in prison for a murder they didn't commit face m...

Spacewalkers prepare for in-orbit cleaning job

Two astronauts face a tedious cleaning and lube job Tuesday, the first of a series of spacewalks to resurre...

Suspect arrested in July California wildfire

Authorities say they have arrested a 16-year-old on suspicion of starting a wildfire in California's Santa ...

Transient ordered to pay $101M for setting fires

A homeless man has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison and ordered to pay more than $101 million ...

Yellowstone keeps snowmobiles capped at 720 daily

Yellowstone National Park will let in 720 snowmobiles a day - the same as the past three winters - while of...

Evaluation finds Pakistani woman unfit in NY trial

A Pakistani woman accused of trying to kill a U.S. soldier and FBI agents while she was in custody in Afgha...

FBI probes foreclosure scam targeting Hawaiians

The FBI is investigating several companies that allegedly bilked Native Hawaiian homeowners out of more tha...

Withheld evidence frees Texas man jailed for life

A man serving a life sentence for two sexual assault convictions while he was in high school was freed Mond...

Government delays decision on killing wild horses

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will round up fewer wild horses and try to shuffle funds within the agen...

Calif. high court asked to hear gay marriage cases

The state attorney general and sponsors of the ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in Californi...

Afghan returnees huddle in tent camps

Ajab Khan's five children were born in a refugee camp in Pakistan. Now the 48-year-old has brought his fami...

NATO fires at insurgents in Pakistan

NATO says its troops have fired 20 artillery rounds at insurgents inside Pakistan after coordinating with t...

China stance on Tibet clouds exile talks in India

China has put a cloud over talks in India by exiled Tibetan leaders on the future of the Himalayan region, ...

Taliban siege of Pakistan elders leaves 7 dead

Taliban militants attacked Pakistani tribal leaders near the Afghan border, triggering a gunbattle and an e...

China rejects sending troops to Afghanistan

China said Tuesday it would not send any troops to Afghanistan - rejecting recent speculation that Beijing ...

Australia temporarily shuts down navy

Most of Australia's navy will take two months paid leave over Christmas as part of a new strategy to cope w...

ACLU denounces Gitmo judge's replacement

The American Civil Liberties Union is criticizing a decision by the U.S. military to assign a new judge to ...

Georgia calls for independent war probe

Georgia's U.N. ambassador Monday called for an international investigation to determine whether Georgia or ...

Vigil over Iran shifts from UN to the White House

Iranian demonstrators ended a 65-day vigil outside U.N. headquarters Monday and headed to Washington to see...

UN resolution would increase Congo force

A proposed U.N. resolution would increase the 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in conflict-wracked Con...

U.S.-Afghan rift builds around Karzai's overture to Taliban

Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents rejected an offer of talks from Kabul Monday and threatened for the first ...

The Grocery Game

FITNESS

'Biggest Loser' lesson: Don't try it at home

On The Biggest Loser, contestants arrive fat and leave thin. And in between, they go through an intense fit...

Supermarket Sleuth

For this Thanksgiving-prep edition of Supermarket Sleuth, we're looking at products that will give you a he...

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND

Boyfriend vs. best friend

Q: I'm 16 and I have a boyfriend whom I love. My best friend doesn't like him. She says he's abusive becaus...

CHEW ON THIS

Still looking for no-cal sweetener

I found a sweet trend wandering around the exhibit hall of the recent American Dietetic Association meeting...

DOCTOR G ON SEXUAL HEALTH

Women's problems get short shrift

Q: I read your column regularly to learn what I can about real sexual issues. But none of my doctors have e...

JOCK DOC

More than a nagging sprain

Q: I am 14 and twisted my right ankle playing soccer. I had X-rays in the emergency room and was told that ...

GIVERS AMONG US

Delray woman putting genetic diseases to the test

Supermarkets designed for the runaround

A lot of things have changed in the past 80 years, but the design of your local supermarket isn't one of th...

PERFORMING ARTS

Carbonell Awards for theater take intermission

Coming up on the 33rd annual ceremony, the Carbonell Awards board votes to suspend the program in 2009 to r...

NUTRITION

Better diet may help cancer survivors

There are about 10 million cancer survivors in the United States -- the largest group of people living with...

Miami Dolphins amped up for New England

With a path to the playoffs on the line, the Dolphins are working overtime to find a way to get past the Pa...

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade might miss Tuesday's game

Miami's scoring sensation has a tender ankle, but he hopes he will be able to play Tuesday night against th...

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

UM's Reggie Youngblood succeeds despite pain

Two years ago, his mother was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. UM tackle Reggie Youngblood will leave this...

Miami Hurricanes duo honored by ACC

Florida Panthers are desperate for wins

The Panthers have won two of the past three, but they still have the fewest points in the NHL, and their si...

DOLPHINS NOTEBOOK

Miami Dolphins coach defends play of special teams

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano sounded skeptical about an increased use of starters on special teams and even ...

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Ely guard has old-school game

With an attitude and a throwback game, senior guard Joanna Harden has lifted the Ely girls' basketball team...

Florida Gators' coordinators might get head coaching looks

On Sept. 27, the day of Florida's 31-30 loss to Mississippi, the website Fire DanMullen.com put up its firs...

FIU

FIU basketball makes quick work of Monmouth

Florida International went on a 13-0 run early in the first half against Monmouth to power its second conse...

Florida State WR Bert Reed shocked he was suspended

Freshman Bert Reed, one of five FSU receivers forced to miss last Saturday's game against Boston College, s...

SPOTLIGHT | ON BOXING

Telefutura drops its Friday boxing broadcasts

With Telefutura canceling its popular weekly boxing series, Spanish-language broadcasts will be limited To ...

The Calendar

SushiSamba Dromo's Cosplay Tuesdays have had fans pasting on the fake eyelashes and spraying on the purple ...

SCENE IN THE TROPICS

Highlight at Fontainebleau: Gwyneth

Friday night's Fontainebleau re-opening was a cocktail soaked, Manolo-heeled fun house of sorts, a wedding,...

CELEBRITY ROUNDUP

Oh boy, that's baby No. 2

The transgender man who made headlines by having a baby earlier this year is pregnant again -- and this tim...

Stars come out for the Fontainebleau

The place to be in the universe around 10:15 Friday night: The Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Star watchers got...

THE MUSIC SCENE

Beyonce is fierce -- sometimes

Beyonce Knowles has an alter ego and her name is Sasha Fierce. ''She's the party girl, she's Bootylicious,'...

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Now it's a party of 3

SCOTT WOLF: The former Party of Five star, 40, is expecting a baby with his wife of four years, Kelley. The...

'IT' ITEM

A new makeup line -- by the makers of glitzy urban jeans brand Rock & Republic -- is being scooped up by Ho...

COMING TO TOWN

The Suntan Man dishes

There's more to George Hamilton than having a perpetual suntan. In his highly entertaining memoir, Don't Mi...

SCENE IN THE TROPICS

See 'Top Chef' on TV or at the Ritz-Carlton

Jeff McInnis, chef de cuisine at The DiLido Beach Club at The Ritz-Carlton South Beach, is one of the conte...

Martha Stewart takes us back to `Cooking School'

KISS frontman Paul Stanley rocks the art world

You wouldn't know it by seeing him dressed up in his full rock regalia on stage, but Paul Stanley has a qui...

COLOMBIA

Colombia taking aim at investment scams

Colombian officials vowed to repay the poorest of the millions who were lured into illegal investment schem...

VENEZUELA

Immigrants back Chávez

Venezuela's large number of immigrants, most of them Colombians, generally support President Hugo Ch&aacute...

CUBA

Teacher convicted in death of student

A teacher with relatively little experience has been convicted of killing a 12-year-old student by throwing...

HAITI

Haiti's lax regulation yields unsafe buildings

The lack of enforcement of laws and bureaucratic bickering have Haitians living, working and studying on vi...

School collapse reveals Haiti's lack of building oversight

The rusty pickup trucks groan and sway as they make their way up the rugged mountain road, puffing toward a...

Slowdown doesn't shrink China's Latam ambitions

China isn't letting the global financial crisis shrink its ambitions in Latin America, where it has sunk bi...

CUBA | HURRICANES

Amid serious shortages in Cuba, there's plenty of humor

Shortages of food and building supplies in Cuba after three hurricanes have brought out some residents' sen...

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

U.S.-Colombia ties turning to human rights

Spare a thought for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in these waning days of the Bush administration. Few f...

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Ecuador keeps up oil cleanup fight against Chevron

Oil giant Chevron says it already cleaned up its share of a mess in the Amazon region, but peasant farmers ...

Election a test for Chavez family in home state

THE WASHINGTON POST

Peru Economy Grows, But Problems Abound

These should be good times for president Alan García. His country posted 9.9 percent economic growth in Sep...

THE PRESIDENCY

Obama White House team has Chicago political touch

New presidents have brought hometown aides, but this is the first leader from Chicago, a city famed for bar...

NEW ADMINISTRATION

Hispanics hope to play big role in Obama administration

With thousands of jobs needing to be filled, Hispanics are hoping to be well represented in the Obama admin...

Human rights groups seek detainee truth commission

Human rights groups want next White House to order a subpoena-powered probe of Bush administration detentio...

GOVERNMENT | MIAMI MAYOR

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz 'in the mix' for Obama post

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz could be appointed to a high-level position in the new president's administration.

Bush, Obama discuss economy, foreign policy

All smiles and compliments, President-elect Obama and his wife, Michelle, called on President Bush and firs...

In key states, Latino vote fueled Obama's victory

AP Sources: Obama planning US trials for Gitmo detainees

President-elect Obama's advisers are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of impris...

ACLU urges Obama to quickly close Guantánamo camps, court

Seeking to forestall any plans to appease the center, the ACLU puts pressure on the coming Obama administra...

INSIDE THE CAMPAIGN

Inside story: How Obama won Florida

It took passion, precision and a little bit a luck for the Obama team to turn Florida from red to blue

Pelosi gets more clout, big test of leadership

On Capitol Hill, the elections produced one clear winner: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the San Francisco lib...

From Bush to Obama, anatomy of White House change

Nearly 8,000 jobs waiting to be filled. Empty file drawers. Missing computer hard drives. Even furniture pi...

THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

Auto dealers push aid for carmakers

Local dealers have headed to Washington to press Congress to approve a rescue plan for ailing U.S. carmakers.

PENSIONS

Florida's pension fund takes hit, but it's still above water

Even though the state's public employee pension fund decreased 27 percent over the past 13 months, plan adm...

LABOR RELATIONS

Nova U. on trial in labor action

Nova Southeastern University is facing charges that it interfered with workers' rights to form a union.

From field waste to raw energy?

From sugar on the table to fuel in cars -- U.S. Sugar eyes stalks and leaves as an alternative energy source.

Supermarkets designed for the runaround

A lot of things have changed in the past 80 years, but the design of your local supermarket isn't one of th...

The Grocery Game

UTILITIES

Expect FPL savings, then a jolt

FPL customers will save $1.57 a month starting in January but are likely to get a rate hike in 2010 that wo...

COVER STORY

MIA's South Terminal still under repair

RESTAURANTS

Café Bustelo opens cafe in South Beach

In South Florida, sipping a tiny cup of strong espresso isn't just a luxury after a nice dinner out. It's a...

5 QUESTIONS WITH RICK QUALMAN

Big Blue's still big in Boca

Years ago, IBM's labs in Boca Raton developed the first personal computer. Now the company's 1,600 South Fl...

EDITOR'S NOTE

Even venture funds are avoiding risk

With loans from banks drying up, businesses can turn to venture funds for capital, right? Not according to ...

EDWARD R.F. SHEEHAN, 78

Writer drawn to war zones

Edward R.F. Sheehan, an author and foreign correspondent whose perceptive, literate dispatches from the Mid...

I. BERNARD WEINSTEIN, 78

Researcher linked pollutants, cancer

Dr. I. Bernard Weinstein, a researcher and top administrator at Columbia University who advanced the study ...

CARL D. KEITH, 88

Invention cut car pollution

Carl D. Keith, a co-inventor of the three-way automotive catalytic converter -- a major advance in eliminat...

ROSETTA REITZ, 84

Championed women of jazz

Rosetta Reitz, a feminist who scavenged through the early history of jazz and blues to resurrect the music'...

LYNN BAUMEL, 86

Singer starred in Latin combo

In the 1950s, vocalist Lynn Baumel dazzled Miami club-goers with her bandleader husband's Latin combo -- a ...

ABRAHAM L. WOODS JR., 80

Longtime civil rights worker

The Rev. Abraham L. Woods Jr., a civil rights campaigner who in the days of crowd-throttling fire hosings a...

DEATHS | RYAN ALLEN, 40

BSO detention lieutenant

Detention Lt. Ryan Allen, right-hand-man to the leader of Broward County's jails, has died. Allen was 40. H...

NITA ROUS MANITZAS, 74

Activist fought status quo in Latin America

Nita Rous Manitzas, a Ford Foundation Latin America expert, died Nov. 6 at her Coral Gables home. She was 7...

WILLIAM DOYLE, 75

Vietnam vet bragged of killing civilians

William Doyle, a tough-talking Vietnam War veteran who helped lead a decorated platoon that killed hundreds...

DEATHS | MIRIAM MAKEBA, 76

'Mama Africa' fought apartheid with songs

She died just how she wanted to -- singing on stage for a good cause. And her songs wafted out of taxis and...

BRUCE V. REAGAN, 63

Boat builder made industrial vessels

Bruce V. Reagan, who in a 30-year career founded and operated a series of Puget Sound-region companies that...