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<p> The owner of a court reporting business who failed to deliver trial-necessary transcripts told a judge she ran out of money to deliver.</p><p> "Absolutely. I was never, ever, ever missing. I've been a member of this community 25 years helping the indigent," Roseann McMahon told Local10 in the courthouse hallway Monday.</p><p> In court on the witness stand, she told the judge that her client, the state's Office of Regional Counsel that defends the indigent, wasn't paying her on time. She said the loss of income led to her inability to pay employees and her bills, and that her phone and power were cut off. </p><p> "I would never, ever hold back a transcript unless I absolutely, positively didn't have the means to produce it," she said. "I made a promise I would use every dime I could till I was completely depleted of all funds."</p><p> The attorney representing the Office of Regional Counsel declined to comment.</p><p> McMahon's company has failed to deliver documents for more than a dozen criminal cases, holding up the case schedules. At least two are death penalty cases.</p><p> An attorney for one of the defendants, awaiting trial for armed carjacking, said cases would not likely be compromised.</p><p> "The courts would allow individuals to be re-disposed if they are still available," said defense attorney Sheldon Zipkin. </p><p> That will not likely be necessary. McMahon told the court she has all the audio depositions on a server, and promised to transcribe, print and provide it all this week.</p>
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:41:39 GMT
<p> How many disciplinary actions does it take for a Broward County Public Schools teacher to be dismissed? </p><p> It looks like the answer is at least more than three. </p><p> Blanche Ely High School teacher Leslie Rainer will go before the Broward County Public School Board on Tuesday morning to face claims of inappropriate conduct toward a Haitian student. </p><p> But Local 10 has learned this is the third time she's been reprimanded for actions and conduct, particularly toward students of Haitian descent, that the superintendent has labeled immoral, incompetent and even, "sufficiently notorious to bring the Respondent and/or the education profession into public disgrace." </p><p> The superintendent is recommending Rainer be suspended without pay for three days and participate in diversity training. </p><p> Local 10's Christina Vazquez has requested information on what the Broward County Public School's policy or guidelines are regarding the criteria the Board uses in deciding when to dismiss a teacher. </p><p> How many strikes does a teacher get? Do they even have a policy? </p><p> A spokeswoman for the District said they will only respond to Vazquez’s questions in writing and that no on-camera interviews will be granted. They said there was no one available, even though as of 12:30 p.m., Vazquez had been sitting in the lobby, just a short elevator ride away. </p><p> According to the School Board's agenda, the latest incident involving Rainer was caught on video. Local 10 is also waiting on a copy of that video. </p><p> In his Petition for Formal Proceedings, Superintendent Robert Runcie wrote that in May, Rainer "engaged in inappropriate conduct by pointing a pointer in a Haitian student's face in a threatening manner and making the statement, ‘look little chocolate boy.’ Rainer also told the student, P.S., that he was ‘chocolate that nobody wanted.’ Rainer has also screamed at P.S. to ‘shut up.’ P.S. recorded Rainer on video pointing the pointer at him and making the statement, ‘You got one time, chocolate,’ with the classroom subsequently erupting in laughter." </p><p> Rainer told Local 10's Sasha Andrade that this is all a misunderstanding, that she was referring to actual chocolate candies on her desk. </p><p> But as the superintendent pointed out, this is not the first time Rainer has been in trouble for making comments the administration felt were inappropriate. </p><p> In fact, Runcie wrote, "By way of background, Respondent has had a history of inappropriate conduct towards her part-Haitian, minority descent students. Respondent made a statement to a student that, ‘I wish they would put you in a boat and send you back where you came from,’” and that she “told a student to stand in a corner near the garbage can because, ‘that's where he belongs’ and entertained inappropriate discuss of a religious nature with students." </p><p> Those incidents happened in December 2008 and April 2011. </p><p> In a disciplinary letter sent to Rainer in April, the language is stern. She was told, “Let this correspondence serve as a reprimand that any future violation of the Code of Ethics ... will result in a recommendation for further disciplinary action up to and including termination." </p><p> But at Tuesday's meeting, the superintendent is only asking the Board to consider a three-day unpaid suspension. </p><p> Jean-Robert Lafortune, president of the Haitian-American Grassroots Organization, fears Rainer may be an example of a broader issue. He feels there is a rift between African-Americans and Haitian-Americans and said he's seen this sort of discrimination before. He said he has requested a meeting with a school board member and the superintendent's office "to discuss the matter."</p><p> The superintendent also wrote in his petition that Rainer's actions "constitute repeated failure on the part of Respondent to communicate with and relate to children in the classroom, to such an extent that pupils are deprived of minimum educational experience."</p>
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:05:04 GMT
<p> A man fatally shot a pit bull Monday after the dog attacked a boxer he was walking, Coral Springs police said. </p><p> Police said a man was walking his friend’s boxer at about 2:30 p.m. in the 9700 block of Northwest 47th Drive when a pit bull that had escaped from a nearby house attacked the boxer. </p><p> "They were going at it. The guy's kicking him and trying to get him to stop. He's kicking and kicking and kicking, and they weren't releasing," said witness Rick Karp.</p><p> The pit bull’s owner came and pulled it off the boxer, but the pit bull broke away and jumped on the boxer again, police said. </p><p> Coral Springs police said the man walking the boxer pulled out a gun and shot the pit bull, which died. </p><p> "I feel sorry for both the families because it shouldn't have happened," said witness Melody Karp.</p><p> The man had a concealed weapons permit, police said. </p><p> The boxer has puncture wounds and cuts and was taken to Coral Springs Animal Hospital. It is expected to recover.</p><p> The pit bull’s owner is being cited for having the pit bull off a leash, Coral Springs police said. </p>
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:14:22 GMT
<p> A truck carrying raw sewage crashed Monday in a Pembroke Pines neighborhood, fire officials said. </p><p> PHOTOS: Ground-level sewage spill pictures</p><p> The Pembroke Pines Fire Department said the crash happened at 1441 NW 92nd Ave.</p><p> Officials said the truck rolled over, spilling most about 100 gallons of sewage material. </p><p> "It's a single-vehicle accident just involving the truck. The truck rolled over at least one time following striking a light pole that was right there on the scene," said Tom Gallagher, of the Pembroke Pines Fire Department.</p><p> Pembroke Pines firefighters built a dirt wall around the spill to prevent it from contaminating a nearby canal, officials said. </p><p> The owner of the truck, All Star Toilet, based in Lantana, will clean up the spill. Pembroke Pines firefighters are standing by to help. </p><p> "It was a pretty potent situation when they got there," Gallagher said. "It's been cleaned up, and the odor that was emitted from the scene is just about dissipated."</p><p> Fire officials said there is no danger to the environment. </p><p> "All of the chemicals that are used are biodegradable, so there's no health hazard or environmental hazard," Gallagher said.</p><p> No injuries were reported.</p>
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:12:24 GMT
<p> The family of a teenage girl who has been missing since Wednesday is offering a reward for information as they continue to search for her.</p><p> Nekita Leiba, 17, was last seen Wednesday afternoon. Her school bus dropped her off in the 6800 block of Southwest 34th Avenue in Miramar, near where her mother, Sharon Leiba, works as a teacher. Sharon Leiba was delayed for a few minutes, and Nekita told her she would walk. </p><p> When Sharon Leiba called to check up on her daughter at about 4 p.m., the call dropped. Her mother kept trying to call her back.</p><p> “Did it again, nothing. Did it again, nothing. That was the last time I heard from my baby,” Leiba said.</p><p> No one has seen or heard from Nekita Leiba since that afternoon. </p><p> "No texts, no tweets, nothing – it’s like she just fell off the face of the earth," Leiba said.</p><p> On Monday, the search moved to the area of Pembroke Road and 52nd Avenue in Hollywood, the last spot where her cellphone was tracked. </p><p> The teen's parents are adamant that Nekita, an honor student, didn't just walk away.</p><p> "She's not this runaway that the first impression was," Sharon Leiba said. </p><p> "She tweeted that, 'I'm on my way home.' She called me and asked me to pick her up from the bus stop," Sharon Leiba said. "That would not be someone that would want to not come home."</p><p> Fliers have been posted in restaurants, tax offices and on the Leiba family car, and an Internet radio show spoke about the missing teen.</p><p> Nekita Leiba's parents joined volunteers Monday morning to hand out fliers on Pembroke Road. </p><p> "I just want to bring awareness to the public that this is a child that is abducted. This is a child that’s being held against her will."</p><p> Sharon Leiba traced her daughter's footsteps on Monday, with the bus stop as a priority.</p><p> "Someone must have seen something when she got off the bus, so I just want to target the direct area where she walked all the way down to the main street," she said.</p><p> Nekita Leiba is 5 feet 2 inches tall and about 135 pounds. She was last seen wearing a short-sleeved red shirt from Abercrombie & Fitch and blue jeans. </p><p> "I will never, ever lose hope. We're bringing her home," Sharon Leiba said. "We are bringing her home."</p><p> In addition to the $1,000 Crime Stoppers reward, Nekita Leiba's family is offering an additional $2,000 reward for information.</p>
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:13:47 GMT
<p> After Super Bowl XLVI’s distinction as the most-watched TV show in history, according to ratings reports released Monday, tourism and sports officials in South Florida hope to once again host the big game. </p><p> When the confetti fell on a cheering crowd of thousands in Indianapolis, with a record 111.3 million viewers watching on TV, Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens was more like a ghost town. </p><p> PHOTOS: South Florida Super Bowl history</p><p> The 25-year-old facility hasn’t hosted a Super Bowl game in two years, and no games are on the horizon. </p><p> Nicki Grossman, the president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, is part of the team working behind the scenes in hopes of bring the next available game here in 2016. </p><p> No other community has hosted as many Super Bowl games as South Florida’s record 10 times. But the NFL has warned that the aging stadium is falling out of favor unless a major facelift happens. A new retractable roof, HD lighting and new video screens are needed, and they could cost about $200 million. </p><p> Dolphins management still believes that public dollars should be used for the improvements. The NFL, though, doesn't care who pays for it. It just thinks it should happen soon.</p>
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:29:09 GMT
<p> Some are calling it the best kept secret in Miami. Others make it a monthly event. It's tasting night at Happy Wine.</p><p> More than 100 people attended the January tasting, trying new wines, meeting new friends and eating good food. </p><p> Added together, that might make Happy Wine the best place in Miami, where aficionados practice the five S's of sampling: see, swirl, sniff, sip and savor.</p><p> “We open every day bottles to show the people that they don't need to buy a whole bottle. They can have a glass," said Happy Wine owner Juan Restrepo. "We are here for the experience."</p><p> For $20, wine lovers can taste vintages from all over the world and have a plate of paella.</p><p> "It's just a nice, cozy place to come for a drink after work that a lot of people don't know about, so it's kind of like a hidden gem," said first-time guest Victoria Labarta. </p><p> She came for the music, paella and to expand her wine horizons. </p><p> "You find out a lot about other brands that outside of the tasting you would never know existed," she said.</p><p> Alicia Saffe is a regular, coming almost every month. </p><p> “You get to taste different wines, and for next time you come here on a regular day, you know which wine you can drink and enjoy with friends," said Saffe.</p><p> The mixer is a mix of first-timers and those who come every month. </p><p> Happy Wine is located at 5792 SW Eighth St. in Miami.</p><p> For information on the next wine tasting event, click here or call 305-262-2465.</p>
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:01:04 GMT
Everyone is talking about Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show, putting it among the most buzzworthy entertainment performances in Super Bowl history. Check out some of the others.
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:12:44 GMT
Nothing's really funny at the gas pump these days; but thanks to these fuel-challenged folks, you'll be able to fill up your face with smiles.
Published: Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:33:50 GMT
Enter for your chance to win a Valentine's Day romance package at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:25:58 GMT
Click to see the latest mugshots from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.
Published: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:06:28 GMT
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