Spokesman leaves state GOP after dodging questions about Gov. Rick Scott’s dog

TALLAHASSEE -- Brian Burgess, the combative communications director for the Republican Party of Florida, is returning to the private sector less than five months after taking over as the party’s top communicator.Burgess would not return emails or telephone calls, but was shown the door at the party after he did not answer questions from the Tampa Bay Times about a rescued...

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Survey shows strong consumer interest in BlackBerry 10, but few are willing to buy just yet

The good news for RIM (RIMM): Lots of people are interested in checking out its upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform. The bad news: Few are willing to commit to buying a BlackBerry 10 device at the moment. According to a new online survey of more than 1,100 Americans commissioned by mobile application specialist BiTE interactive and conducted by reputable pollster YouGov, 47% of Americans find “at least...

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Sneak Peek: Johnny Depp Super Bowl Teaser for 'The Lone Ranger'

Super Bowl ad spots garner just as much -- if not more -- attention as the NFL finale itself, and this year viewers will be treated to a new clip from Johnny Depp's action movie The Lone Ranger.Disney released a short teaser from the clip on Tuesday that shows Depp -- who plays Native American spirit warrior Tonto -- cavorting with his famous partner The Long Ranger -- played by Armie Hammer -- amid...

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Obama praises bipartisan Senate immigration reform plan in campaign style speech

LAS VEGAS — Declaring "now is the time" to fix broken immigration laws, President Barack Obama on Tuesday heralded a rare show of bipartisanship between the White House and Senate lawmakers on basic plans for putting millions of illegal immigrants on a pathway to citizenship, cracking down on businesses that employ people illegally and tightening security...

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Remodel behavior

Beth Mumby has been remodeling her 30-year-old Cooper City home for years. She has replaced kitchen cabinets and retiled floors, and now the married mom of two is in the midst of a bathroom makeover. Known for her meticulous research of materials and labor, Mumby said she’s learned a few things along the way about picking the right contractor. Doing your homework is the...

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Driver in tow-truck fatality sued

The widow of the college dean killed when his car, being towed form his Lauderhill driveway, ran him over, has amended the wrongful death lawsuit she filed on Thursday against the towing company and a “John Doe’’ driver, to name the driver.He is Kenneth Jay Schraff, according to papers filed Monday in Broward Circuit Court. Public records identify him as a 48-year-old Lauderdale...

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TSX little changed, RIM positioning offsets banks

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada‘s main stock index finished little changed on Monday, as gains in the financial group were partially offset by Research In Motion Ltd shares, which sagged ahead of its critical BlackBerry 10 launch this week.The Toronto Stock Exchange‘s S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> was down 0.72 of a point at 12,815.91. Half of the index’s 10 key sectors climbed higher.</.gsptse>(Reporting...

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Diablo Cody Sweet Valley High Interview Athena Film Festival

Since bursting onto the scene with 2007's Oscar-winning Juno, writer Diablo Cody has dabbled in a wide array of genres, but every film she's written has given voice to one uniquely engaging woman after another, cementing her as a writer steadfastly dedicated to capturing the female experience on-screen.That's why she's the perfect person to serve as co-chair for the Athena Film Festival, a four-day...

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Frank Ocean wants to press charges against Chris Brown after brawl

R&B singer Frank Ocean intends to press charges against bully boy Chris Brown for punching him and starting an all-out brawl outside Westlake Studios in West Hollywood on Sunday night. Police want to talk to Brown, who is still on probation for beating up Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammy Awards. Ocean, who publically came out in July as a bisexual,...

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FIU offers free online courses

Florida International University is offering five online courses that anyone can take, for free.The courses, which make up FIU’s initial offering of “Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC),” include entrepreneurship, real estate and a class on project management in English and Spanish.Each course is a self-directed, condensed version of a college-level course and takes about...

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