Top Miami Area Local News Stories
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<p> Police have made an arrest in connection with a hit-and-run crash on the Rickenbacker Causeway Wednesday morning that injured two bicyclists.</p><p> According to investigators, Michele Traverso, 25, turned himself in to police early Thursday morning.</p><p> He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and driving with a suspended license.</p><p> Enda Welsh and Aaron Cohen were struck by a vehicle as they rode their bicycles on the Causeway at about 6 a.m. Wednesday. Police said the driver drove away, leaving Welsh and Cohen injured in the road.</p><p> Welsh fractured his ankle in the accident, but Cohen had more serious injuries. He remains in critical condition with severe head trauma at Jackson Memorial Hospital.</p><p> Cohen's wife said he is an avid cyclist. He has two children, 3-year-old Lilly and 1-year-old Aiden.</p><p> Cohen's father, Stephan Cohen, spoke to Local 10 News about his son. </p><p> "We were a family all the time. His cousins, aunts and uncles -- everybody loved him so much. He was the kind of son that every father dreams about," Stephan Cohen said. </p><p> Traverso is expected to appear in Miami-Dade bond court Thursday afternoon.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:09:10 GMT
<p> A man accused of bringing a gun into the Broward County Courthouse collapsed in court Thursday morning while being sentenced. </p><p> Marin Stroia appeared in court Thursday morning, more than a year after police said he entered the Broward County Courthouse through the exit doors, pulled a gun and threatened to kill himself. </p><p> There was more drama in the courthouse Thursday moments after the clerk polled the jury and Stroia was found guilty of armed trespassing and reckless display of a firearm. Stroia pulled an aspirin bottle from his pocket and drank the clear liquid inside, which he told a deputy was poison, and then collapsed on the courtroom floor. </p><p> Bailiffs cleared the courtroom and the hallway as Stroia was carted out on a gurney on his way to Broward Medical Center. He was in good condition Thursday afternoon. </p><p> Investigators said Stroia's anger over his divorce proceedings prompted the January 2011 incident in which he was charged. Judge Joel Lazarus heard the commotion that day and put his life on the line, convincing Stroia not to pull the trigger. </p><p> "He said, 'I only have one bullet in the gun.' I said, 'I don't want that bullet in me,'" Lazarus said. </p><p> Stroia faces a year in prison on one charge, and five years on the other, but the sentencing hearing did not finish after his collapse.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:09:58 GMT
<p> A former Miami-Dade police officer was sentenced to prison Thursday as part of a plea deal in a rip-off conspiracy.</p><p> John Villar pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of strong-arm robbery and burglary of a vehicle in connection with the April 2010 incident on the Palmetto Expressway. </p><p> The eight-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department used his badge and police vehicle to stage a traffic stop on a man who was carrying $131,000 in cash from gambling winnings, then steal that bag of money, investigators said.</p><p> Investigators believe a bookie and Villar's cousin were in on the conspiracy.</p><p> Villar was sentenced to eight years in prison and an additional three years on probation. He will not be allowed any future career in law enforcement.</p><p> "Nobody likes to go to prison, but this ended up being something that now he can put this matter behind him, get on with this life," said Roy Kahn, Villar's attorney.</p><p> Villar is expected to testify against his cousin, Fausto Villar.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:12:31 GMT
<p> A Wisconsin man has put his kidney up for sale on Craigslist.</p><p> The man, identified only as Mark, told Local 10's Jeff Weinsier the highest bid he's gotten is $38,000.</p><p> "Right now, I'm at $38,000, the highest one. The other bid is $36,000," Mark told Weinsier by phone.</p><p> Mark, who said he is a 49-year-old male, said he's willing to travel to South Florida to have the surgery done.</p><p> When Weinsier asked Mark if it was legal to pay for a body organ in the United States, Mark said, "It could be done in the States, but no one can know I'm getting paid. I could just be a donor."</p><p> In fact, Local 10 found plenty of people online willing to do the same, and it's illegal.</p><p> "It is becoming more of an issue," said Dr. Giselle Guerra, a transplant nephrologist at the University of Miami and the director of the Living Kidney Program in South Florida.</p><p> "In the United States, you cannot sell your organs, whether it be heart, lung, kidney or liver. That is the law," said Guerra.</p><p> This offense is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.</p><p> Guerra said the donor/recipient relationship is investigated, in some cases for months, to make sure there is no money exchanged or material gain on the donor's part.</p><p> "You can't just show up and say, 'I'm John Doe. This is my friend. He's giving me his kidney. When can we start?' It doesn't work that way," said Guerra.</p><p> Kathy Ecklond, who has Stage 5 renal disease and spends five hours a day, three days a week on dialysis, placed an ad on Craigslist looking for a donor. She is on the transplant list, which is now 900 names long in South Florida.</p><p> Many of the responses have been from people looking for money.</p><p> One of them said, "Willing to donate my kidney for a sum." Another said, "Shouldn't be a problem if my needs are met."</p><p> Knowing it's against the law, Ecklond declined.</p><p> "They said, 'Well, I guess you don’t need a kidney bad enough.' I was very upset. I think it's despicable that they would prey on someone who is ill," she said.</p><p> Transplant centers like UM have measures in place to make it difficult to pull one over on the system.</p><p> Recipients and donors go through a series of interviews, evaluations and counseling that in many cases takes months.</p><p> "We have stopped donors. It won’t be the first time or last time it will happen," said Guerra.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:59:17 GMT
<p> A pedestrian was hit by a box truck and trapped underneath it in Miami on Thursday.</p><p> Police said the box truck hit the pedestrian at Northwest 36th Street and 17th Avenue. </p><p> The man was trapped under the truck, but firefighters got him out. </p><p> The victim was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. </p><p> The cause of the crash is under investigation.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:20:36 GMT
<p> Four people have been arrested in what Hialeah police called a large-scale automobile insurance fraud investigation. </p><p> Hialeah police said Edwin Rodriguez, Rafael Rico, Eduardo Valdes-Murguido and Janet Alonso-Rico were arrested on multiple counts of grand theft and insurance fraud. </p><p> Investigators said they have identified 50 victims so far. </p><p> "Their crimes would begin at an accident scene and end up at one of their own auto body repair shops," Hialeah police spokesman Carl Zogby said in a news release Thursday. "They would collect thousands of dollars from the insurance companies while never repairing the damaged vehicles." </p><p> Hialeah police said the suspects took hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance companies and drivers.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:56:21 GMT
<p> Hundreds of boats and multimillion-dollar yachts dropped anchor at the Miami Beach Convention Center Thursday for the Miami International Boat Show. </p><p> "There is such a huge audience here with people coming from 80 countries and all 50 states," said Cathy Rick-Joule, of the Miami International Boat Show. </p><p> Visitors can check out the latest gizmos and gadgets, come face to face with a real shark and meet the stars from "Sharkmen" on National Geographic. </p><p> "Florida's been great," said expedition leader Chris Fischer. "You've seen shark population rise here. They are teeming in the waters and a healthy ocean is full, full of sharks." </p><p> Visitors can also see an engine from the inside and learn how it works. </p><p> The event showcases an affordability tent, where visitors can pick up a boat for a great deal. </p><p> "I think people sometimes can't imagine that it is really affordable, that it can be financed for less than $250 a month," said Rick-Joule. </p><p> The show, a one-stop shop for boaters, kicks off Thursday and ends Monday. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Monday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's being held at the Miami Beach Convention Center at 1901 Convention Center Dr.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:08:21 GMT
Which South Florida city is #1 in the Top 10 list of most restaurant violations? Find out inside. Plus check out how your favorite restaurant did in its last inspection.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:50:03 GMT
<p> A traffic stop led to a big drug bust in the Florida Keys, according to deputies.</p><p> Monroe County Sheriff's deputies said it all started when a car did not stop at an intersection in Marathon around 10 p.m. on Wednesday. Deputy Nicholis Whiteman pulled over the SUV. When the driver rolled down his window, Whiteman said he smelled a strong odor of marijuana.</p><p> Deputies said Giuseppe Melia, 22, and John Kornetti, 20, then admitted having marijuana in the car.</p><p> Deputies then found two plastic bags, containing 472 grams of marijuana. That is just more than a pound. A digital scale was also found in the truck.</p><p> Melia was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Kornetti was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. They were both taken to jail.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:42:55 GMT
<p> An electronic cigarette exploded in a Florida man's mouth, blowing out his teeth and part of his tongue and setting a room in his house on fire.</p><p> Tom Holloway, 57, of Niceville, Fla., was smoking the e-cigarette Monday night when his wife heard what sounded like a firecracker exploding and her husband scream in their study, neighbor Wendy Jensen told Pensacola, Fla., TV station WEAR.</p><p> Chief Butch Parker of the North Bay Fire District said he believes a faulty battery is to blame, describing the explosion as if Holloway was holding a "bottle rocket in his mouth."</p><p> "I have never heard of or seen anything like this before," he told ABC News.</p><p> The debris that flew around the room was so hot, it melted everything it touched.</p><p> Holloway, meanwhile, is now recovering at a Florida burn center.</p><p> The Vietnam veteran, photographer and father of three stopped smoking two years ago and had turned to e-cigarettes to kick the habit.</p><p> E-cigarettes are battery-operated smoking-cessation devices that simulate the act of tobacco smoking through physical sensation, appearance and even flavor. They are currently not regulated by the FDA.</p>
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:26:01 GMT
These people have absolutely no problem turning their bodies into pin-cushions... but you may have a problem looking at them. Don't say you weren't warned.
Published: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:39:37 GMT
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