Top Miami Area Local News Stories
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<p> A Miami Beach police officer shot and killed a man suspected of stealing an SUV in Palm Beach County Wednesday evening .</p><p> "I looked out the window and saw a man in a white T-shirt running from in front of my house to the house next door," said Yvette Stevenson.</p><p> The shooting happened right next door to Stevenson's home on the 7500 block of NW 7th Ave in NW Miami-Dade County.</p><p> "I told everybody to get down," she said.</p><p> As the investigation got underway into this police involved shooting, Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus came to the crime scene. Investigators could be seen searching the area for evidence as the stolen car suspect's body lay on a driveway.</p><p> The Miami Beach officer who pulled the trigger was working with the Miami-Dade County Police "robbery intervention detail," also called "RID." The unit is made up of county and municipal plainclothes officers who track down violent offenders.</p><p> "It's all around here. It's all around me. Once a month. Once a month," Stevenson sighed and told Local 10's Baron James.</p><p> Police had not release the suspected car thief's identity Wednesday night.</p><p> </p>
Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:38:09 GMT
<p> The powerball jackpot is once again on the rise.</p><p> No one matched all of the numbers on Wednesday night's $250 million drawing.</p><p> The numbers were 17-28-38-39-51. </p><p> The powerball was 33.</p><p> The jackpot is now up to $310 million.</p><p> The next drawing will be Saturday night.</p>
Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:39:13 GMT
<p> A man and a woman were shot Wednesday night.</p><p> The shooting occurred at 1632 NW 15 Terr. in Fort Lauderdale.</p><p> One of the people was shot in the wrist and the other in the abdomen area. Neither injury is life-threatening.</p><p> The immediate area around the scene was blocked off.</p>
Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:47:39 GMT
<p> What looked like a promising job perspective for an unemployed, single mother of two, turned out to be nothing more than a scam that almost cost her big bucks. </p><p> Carla Roundtree, of Pompano Beach, spotted an online ad for a mystery shopper and quickly signed up. </p><p> The job was to go to a business, use their services and then rate the experience. </p><p> "The next day, overnight UPS, I get an envelope telling me to open up the letter, then follow the instructions for the money order," Roundtree told Local 10's Jeff Weinsier. </p><p> The U.S. Postal service money order she received was for $990. According to the attached instructions, Roundtree was to head to her bank, deposit the money order, and keep $200 for herself, then wire the rest through Western Union to an address in California. </p><p> As a mystery shopper, Roundtree was to rate her experience with Western Union. </p><p> But, Roundtree took the money order to the Post Office in Oakland Park instead of her bank. </p><p> "The postal employee said this is not valid. I said are you serious, it says U.S. Post Office right here," said Roundtree. </p><p> U.S. Postal Inspector Blanca Alvarez said then money order Roundtree received does look close to a real money order. </p><p> "We do have agents that investigate counterfeit money orders. It is something that we would look into," said Alvarez said. </p><p> Roundtree is one of the lucky ones. Had she taken the money order to her bank and deposited it into her account, things could have been costly. </p><p> "They may have not caught it right away and I would have owed the bank $1,000 plus fees," she said. </p><p> Ultimately the person who deposits the bad checks is responsible for the loss amount. </p><p> Alvarez said there are security features in place on legitimate money orders. </p><p> CLICK: Don't be a victim of mail fraud.</p><p> "The Ben Franklin is only visible when you hold the order up to the light, and on this one the numbers overlap," Alvarez said, comparing the fake money order to a real one. </p><p> The counterfeiting is a federal offense. Alvarez says the fact that you are receiving money from someone you don't know should be a clear indication something is wrong. </p><p> The U.S. Postal Service has now launched an investigation. </p>
Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:20:49 GMT
<p> The search for a missing Miramar teenager ended Wednesday morning, and police said the girl admitted to running away from home. </p><p> Naketa Leiba, 17, was found unharmed and safe in an apartment in the 8400 block of Sherman Circle in Miramar. </p><p> Blog: Turchin's Take</p><p> Special Section: Crime Specialist</p><p> Leiba’s face was plastered all over town as her parents searched for her since her disappearance Feb. 1. Her parents insisted she was kidnapped after getting off a school bus and that she was held against her will. </p><p> "She's a shell of herself," said her father, Michael Leiba. "She hasn’t said anything, and we’re not going to pressure her at this point in time." </p><p> “All we can say is thank God that we have her back alive, and thank God for the media because they put pressure on whoever had her out there,” said her mother, Sharon Leiba. </p><p> But detectives insisted there was no pressure. They said she was staying with an 18-year-old friend and the friend’s male cousin, Mario McCurvin, a convicted felon. </p><p> “She was found hiding under a bunk bed,” said Tania Rues, of the Miramar Police Department. “She, at that point, said, ‘I don’t want to be found,’ -- did not want to return home.” </p><p> A cellphone led investigators to the apartment. </p><p> “She called her mother the day after she was reported missing and told her, ‘Do not look for me. I’m on the road.’ She didn’t want to be found,” Rues said. </p><p> Police said that while her parents told the media and the community their daughter was missing and in danger, they knew she had run away. </p><p> Police said they also were following the teen’s Twitter account. </p><p> “We had gotten information that there were some posts that were unusual, to say the least -- things alluding to drinking, to blowing off college, using foul language,” Rues said. “In the end, the picture that the parents painted, that wasn’t the case.”</p><p> Detectives said they found three guns and 211 rounds of ammunition in the apartment where Naketa Leiba was found, and they said the items belonged to McCurvin. Convicted felons cannot possess guns because it is a violation of their probation, police said.</p>
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:33:02 GMT
<p> With no formal application filed yet, Walmart is already facing mounting opposition to its plan to build a 160,000-square-foot store in Miami's Midtown district. </p><p> The district is located between Northeast 29th and 31st streets, from North Miami Avenue to Northeast Avenue. </p><p> "Walmart is looking to place a giant loading zone into a pedestrian zone," said Miami resident Grant Stern, who has started an online petition against the plan. </p><p> The only drawing officially submitted is for the garage entrance and loading dock area, for which Walmart will ask the city of Miami for a design variance. </p><p> On Wednesday afternoon, people questioned in Midtown had not yet heard of the plan, and had mixed reactions. </p><p> "I love Walmart, the convenience, the prices, everything," said resident Natalie Alvarez. </p><p> "I think it will ruin small business around us, and this is just growing," said Raul, who was having lunch at a sidewalk cafe. </p><p> The company contracted for a Traffic Impact Analysis that predicts 470 more cars and another 650 people at the site during peak hours. </p><p> "The area is already very congested," said Rushell Greaves, who frequently sees clients in Midtown. "It's kind of an artsy, touristy area. That's what they're trying to promote, and I think that would be ideal." </p><p> Whether Walmart will be a welcome employer in a mixed-use, mixed-demographic neighborhood or a big box bully that will ruin a burgeoning urban arts community may not matter. The company and land developer, Cleveland-based Developers Diversified Realty, which owns the vacant land, have the right to build. </p><p> The question before city of Miami leaders will involve design standards. </p><p> In an emailed statement, a Walmart spokesman said, "We already employ more than 4,000 associates in Miami-Dade County while serving tens of thousands of customers and are always looking for opportunities to make access to our stores more convenient.”</p>
Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:04:01 GMT
<p> A Broward County judge is facing backlash after issuing a ruling ordering a husband who was jailed on domestic violence charges to take his wife on a dinner date. </p><p> Judge John Hurley ordered Joseph Bray, 47, of Plantation, to take his wife to a belated birthday dinner after a domestic violence arrest Monday. </p><p> "He's going to get flowers, and then he's going to go home, pick up his wife, get dressed, take her to Red Lobster, and then after they go to Red Lobster, they're going to go bowling," Hurley said.</p><p> In Bray’s first court appearance, his wife pleaded for clemency. Bray was released on his own recognizance because he had no criminal past. </p><p> Still, Plantation police said when they went to the couple’s apartment Monday, things were heated. </p><p> "The victim indicated she wasn’t wished a happy birthday, and because of that, as a result, she got upset with him, and in turn, he apparently pushed her over the back of the couch, grabbed her around the neck and cocked his fist back as if to punch her," said Detective Robert Rettig, of the Plantation Police Department. </p><p> Bray was charged with one count of simple battery. Hurley ordered him to take his wife to dinner as a condition of his bond. </p><p> Bray did not want to comment.</p><p> Hurley is going to get a letter from Mary Reidel, of Women in Distress. Reidel gave a statement to Local 10 saying, "I am very disappointed at Judge Hurley's ruling and the frivolous nature; to trivialize this is disturbing. Strangulation is one of the strongest indicators for lethality in a relationship. A push today can be deadly tomorrow." </p><p> Hurley is not allowed to comment on an open case, but his supporters said he did not take this lightly, even if his unorthodox bond makes it seem like he does. </p><p> "I need to make sure that we're not going to have any repeat incidents here," Hurley said.</p><p> Women in Distress said there were six domestic violence murders in Broward County in the first three weeks of 2012.</p>
Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:13:31 GMT
<p> The Miami Beach City Commission has deferred a vote on whether it will cost drivers more money to get their cars after they have been towed. </p><p> On the agenda Wednesday afternoon was a proposal that would hike current public tow rates to close to $300 in Miami Beach. The Commission decided to defer a vote on the towing issue until June 6.</p><p> The city contracts with two companies for what it calls "public tows." </p><p> Right now, if someone parks illegally and Tremont or Beach Towing hooks up their car and hauls it away, it can cost about $205. That includes an administration fee, an after-hours fee, a mileage fee and a city fee. </p><p> Now, the two companies that contract with the city, Tremont and Beach Towing, plan to ask city commissioners to ink a new deal that would increase the current average tow fee by 31 percent to $269 over a three-year period. That would mean it would cost $241 this year, $259 next year and $269 in 2014. </p><p> The companies argue it is needed, claiming the current fee structure is "inadequate" since it hasn't been updated since 2004. </p><p> The proposed permit terms would also include a 20 percent discount for Miami Beach residents, with a limit of two discounts per permit period. </p><p> Wednesday’s agenda items states that, "74% of residents and 72% of businesses rate the availability of parking across the City as too little or much too little. Availability of parking was one of the changes residents identified to make Miami Beach a better to live, work or play." </p><p> That may explain why most people Local 10 spoke with in Miami Beach on Sunday night didn't direct their ire about the unpopular proposal to the towing companies but rather the city, stating it should do more to provide adequate public parking. </p><p> In response to the statements made by visitors in Local 10's Sunday newscast, city spokeswoman Nannette Rodriguez said, "The City of Miami Beach has added 2,281 new parking spaces over the last two years in the south district. New parking facilities at Pennsylvania Avenue Garage, adjacent to Lincoln Rd (550 spots), City Hall Garage, adjacent to Convention Center/Lincoln Road (650 spots), Fifth & Alton Garage (1,081 spots). We have more parking garages underway too (Sunset Harbour and Collins Park) and private garages have also popped up throughout the South Beach area. People complain about parking because they want to park in front of where they are going and that is just not an urban island reality." </p><p> In addition to the expense of fetching a car from a tow lot, a "public tow" may also come with a parking citation with fines ranging from $23-$250. </p><p> It is unclear if the city will discuss mandating that Tremont and Beach Towing be required to accept credit cards as payment. </p><p> According the city's "Towing Bill of Rights" the companies are only required to accept two payment options -- "cash, money orders, travelers' checks or personal checks" -- but not credit cards. </p><p> The proposal does commit the companies to agree "to develop a form 'internal review' process to address citizen complaints." </p><p> According to the agenda packet, the City Commission has been talking about "the issue of towing permits on several occasions during the last year." </p><p> The permits have been on a month-to-month basis during this time. </p><p> The Commission and the Committee have discussed audits for public and private operations, establishing criteria for determining when a tow should be directed, booting as an alternative to towing to diminish the impact to the surrounding neighborhood, conditional use-type limitations to mitigate impact of towing operations. </p><p> Here a breakdown of the proposed individual fee increases: </p><p> Tow Rate Class "A" Tow Truck and Class "A" Car Carrier: $115 to $140 effective March 1 Per mile mileage charges: $5 to $6 effective March 1 Administrative Fee: $30 to $35 effective March 1 Dollies or Flatbed Services: $35 to $40 effective March 1 Labor Fee: $25 to $30 effective March 1 After-Hours Fee: $30 </p><p> Click here to find out where you can park legally. </p>
Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:03:00 GMT
One look at these signs and you'll be wondering what exactly are these people trying to sell.
Published: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:02:25 GMT
This week's furry friends are awaiting forever homes!
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:56:09 GMT
Local 10 Crime Specialist John Turchin takes a look at crime in S. Fla.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:14:35 GMT
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