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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Is the Christmas card dead?

Author Nina Burleigh says the holiday photo is dead — and the internet killed itEvery year around the holidays, countless Americans sit down at their dining room tables to thoughtfully scribble pen-and-paper updates about how they are and what they’ve been doing with their lives to a select number of friends. These messages are usually written on the back of a recent family photograph (sometimes with...

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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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Ashton Kutcher Files for Divorce from Demi

Ashton Kutcher has filed for divorce from wife Demi Moore more than a year after the couple's high-profile split.Pics: A Relationship In Photos - Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore Through The Years Divorce papers were filed Friday Los Angeles Superior Court, according to People.com, with the 34-year-old Kutcher checking the ever-popular irreconcilable differences box. According to the documents, Kutcher...

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VIDEO SHOCKER: Brute attacks woman in elevator

Police released shocking video today of a woman being pummeled in a Bronx robbery.A suspect followed the 57-year-old victim into an elevator of a Washington Avenue building in Claremont about 9:25 a.m. yesterday, then got out one floor before the victim's floor, cops said.When the door opened opened, she was face to face with the brute, who began punching...

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Pawn shops enter holiday-shopping fray

As retailers like Tiffany & Co., Saks Inc., Best Buy Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. vie for last-minute holiday sales, customers are being drawn away by a growing crop of competitors: pawn shops. From Las Vegas and Los Angeles to Miami andOrlando, pawn shops appear to have shed their stigma and become a holiday-shopping destination.“It’s crazy. Our stores are just packed...

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Sentencing for scam artist rescheduled

The sentencing for Jorge Alberto Gonzalez, the scam artist who offered false investment opportunities backed by a fake painting, was rescheduled Thursday because he was in the hospital. Defense attorney Robert Perez said his client had been admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital for unspecified medical problems and asked the judge for permission to visit him. Miami-Dade Circuit...

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Huge Savings With MyBatua Season’s Sale

The online Islamic clothing store MyBatua.com brings more reasons to smile. The Store announces huge discounts and assured gifts on every purchase of women Abayas, kurtis and Jibabs.(PRWEB) December 21, 2012MyBatua.com has extended its seasonal sale on Islamic clothing range for a fortnight to appreciate the huge response of buyers. Being one of the most renowned stores for a vibrant range of Islamic...

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Exclusive: Arsenio on His Late Night TV Return

Break out the Woof! Woof! fist pump: Arsenio Hall is coming back to late night TV in the Fall of 2013 after a 17-year break from the game, and only ET is behind the scenes with the timeless talk show host as he shoots his first-ever promo for The Arsenio Hall Show!Video: Arsenio Hall Talks Returning to Late Night "[This is] the first time America will see anything on television about the show," says...

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Disgraced ex-cop Kenneth Moreno turns self in to serve year sentence

Disgraced East Village ex-cop Kenneth Moreno -- the lead officer in last year's notorious "Rape Cops" trial -- finally turned himself in this afternoon to serve a year sentence for official misconduct."The defendant will now begin to serve his sentence, and sentence is executed," Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro said in ordering the cuffs go...

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November brings tourism boost for Broward, dip for Dade and Keys

Miami hoteliers saw occupancy fall slightly in November compared to the previous year, though rates remained stable. A spokeswoman for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau attributed the drop to the timing of Art Basel Miami Beach and satellite fairs, some of which started in late November last year. This year, all of the fairs began in December.Hotels in Miami-Dade...

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Miami federal jury close to verdicts involving men behind ‘bar girls’ club ring

Like an addictive soap opera, the federal trial of a South Beach ring accused of directing a gaggle of girls to swindle tourists at Russian-style clubs zigged and zagged for more than 10 weeks.On Wednesday afternoon, the Miami jury said it is close to delivering verdicts on four men charged with fleecing hundreds of thousands of dollars from dozens of male visitors by racking...

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Google launches ‘scan and match’ music service

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Google is turning on a “scan and match” service for Google Music users to store copies of their songs online, offering for free what Apple charges $ 25 a year for.The service, which launched Tuesday, cuts uploading time for those who want to save their music libraries online. It scans a user’s computer and gives them online access to the songs it finds, as long as they match the...

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Mom left school gunman Adam Lanza alone for days before school massacre: report

APA police cruiser sits in the driveway as crime scene tape surrounds the home of Nancy and Adam Lanza.Mass murderer Adam Lanza spent two and half days home alone with his mom’s arsenal of weapons, giving him plenty of time to hatch one of America’s worst school shootings, according to broadcast report today. Before Lanza slaughtered 20 kids and six educators...

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Survey shows better lending climate

Most Miami-Dade businesses believe they have easier access to borrowed money amid a slowly improving economy.That’s one result from a recent survey of executives by Miami’s Bilzin Sumberg law firm. The online survey of about 200 top executives was conducted during the second half of 2012. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they thought the financing environment had improved...

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NRA issues first statement after Newtown school massacre

After several days of silence following the Newtown school massacre by a heavily armed shooter, the National Rifle Association of America on Tuesday issued a statement.“The NRA is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters — and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown,” the statement said.“Out...

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New Android botnet discovered across all major networks

A new Android spam botnet has been discovered across all major networks that sends thousands of text messages without a user’s permission, TheNextWeb reported. The threat, which is known at SpamSoldier, was detected on December 3rd by Lookout Security in cooperation with an unnamed carrier partner. The malware is said to spread through a collection of infected phones that send text messages, which...

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'Burn Notice' Star Jeffrey Donovan Is a Dad!

Burn Notice actor Jeffrey Donovan and his wife Michelle Woods have welcomed their first child -- a baby girl!A rep for the 44-year-old star confirmed the news Tuesday to People magazine. PICS: Adorable Tots - Celebs and Their Cute Kids!"She is a healthy and happy baby girl, and we are incredibly blessed to have her in our lives," the couple told the magazine, without providing additional details....

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Unspecified threats close Newtown elementary school

NEWTOWN, Conn. — A school principal at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school says it has been locked down due to unspecified threats.Most schools in Newtown opened on Tuesday, four days after a gunman fatally shot 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.But in a letter to parents published by WFSB-TV, the principal says students at Head O'Meadow Elementary School should stay home...

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Mango’s opening in Orlando

One of South Beach’s liveliest clubs is heading to Orlando.Mango’s Tropical Cafe, where bartop dancers routinely draw a crowd on Ocean Drive, plans to open the new location on Orando’s International Drive at the end of 2014. “Mango’s is a natural fit for this market, and we have an incredible location,’’ Mango’s owner David Wallack said in a press release. “We look forward...

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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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Cannibalization concerns ‘overblown’ as half of iPad mini sales go to new buyers

It has been widely reported that Apple’s (AAPL) iPad mini is cannibalizing sales of the company’s full-sized iPad. According to a new survey, however, nearly half of all recent iPad mini buyers are new to the platform, AppleInsider reported. The data comes from Katy Huberty of Morgan Stanley, who said that while the smaller tablet is clearly cannibalizing some sales of the larger iPad, concerns...

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The Fabulous Flubs of 'Pitch Perfect'

The vocal stylings of Pitch Perfect create a near-perfect fit for the eardrums, but as with all movies, sometimes it took several takes to get it just right. The stars of the musical-mash-up movie clearly had plenty of fun on the set trying to hit the right notes in the songs and performances, and we have an exclusive clip of outtakes from the Blu-ray/DVD, out tomorrow!Video: 'Pitch Perfect' Premiere...

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Hollywood postpones violent shows and movies after Newtown shooting

NEW YORK — Movie studios and television programmers have postponed or canceled violent films and TV shows after a shooting left 20 children and six adults dead in a Connecticut elementary school last week.Viacom Inc.'s Paramount studios delayed the premiere of "Jack Reacher," an action-thriller based on the Lee Child novels starring Tom Cruise that was...

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Miami Herald digital subscriptions start Tuesday

Starting Tuesday, unlimited use of websites and mobile apps for The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald will require a subscription.The “Miami Herald Plus+” program allows readers to have free access to a certain number of stories every month: initially, 15 on the websites, 20 on mobile web and 60 on mobile apps. After reaching that limit, users will get a notice that they need...

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

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- 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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Art for Wealth’s Sake: Art Basel Paints a Picture of Miami’s Separate and Unequal Worlds

It’s 10 p.m. on a Friday night. A naked girl is splashing about in the swimming pool at the Standard Hotel Miami. She is from New York and runs a nonprofit for homeless teens. We’ll call her Liz: “You’re so boring!” she yells from the middle of the pool.It was a common refrain here during Art Basel Miami Beach—now the world’s largest contemporary art fair—where many of earth’s most privileged humans...

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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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President Obama heads to grieving Newtown, as Dems talk gun control

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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