Preservation board to decide on Herald building




















The city of Miami’s historic preservation office has compiled a lengthy, detailed report that substantially bolsters the case for designation of The Miami Herald’s “monumental’’ bayfront building as a protected landmark based on both its architectural merits and its historic significance.

Somewhat unusually, the 40-page report by city preservation officer Megan McLaughlin, which is supplemented by 30 pages of bibliography, plans and photographs, carries no explicit recommendation to the city’s preservation board, which is scheduled to decide the matter on Monday.

But her analysis gathers extensive evidence that the building’s history, the influential executives and editors associated with it, and its fusion of Mid-Century Modern and tropical Miami Modern (MiMo) design meet several of the legal criteria for designation set out in the city’s preservation ordinance and federal guidelines. A building has to meet just one of eight criteria to merit designation.





A spokeswoman for the city’s historic preservation office said there is no obligation to make a recommendation and the city’s preservation board didn’t ask for one.

Supporters of designation, including officials at Dade Heritage Trust, the preservation group that has received sometimes withering criticism from business and civic leaders for requesting designation, said they felt vindicated by the report, even as they concede that persuading a board majority to support it remains an uphill battle.

“It’s important that an objective expert is saying basically the same thing we’ve been saying, particularly in an environment where there is so much pressure,’’ said DHT chief executive Becky Roper Matkov. “It’s very hard to refute. When you look at the building’s architecture and history, it’s so blatantly historic, what else can you say?’’

The report also rebuts key pieces of criticism of the designation effort leveled by opponents of designation, including architects and a prominent local preservation historian hired by Genting, the Malaysian casino operator that purchased the Herald property last year for $236 million with plans to build a massive destination resort on its 10 acres. The newspaper remains in the building rent-free until April, when it will move to suburban Doral.

Citing federal rules, McLaughlin concluded that the building dates to its construction in 1960 and 1961, and not to its formal dedication in 1963. That’s significant because it makes the building legally older than 50 years. Buildings newer than that must be “exceptionally significant’’ to merit designation under city regulations. Opponents of designation have claimed the building does not qualify because it’s several months short of 50 years if dated from its ’63 opening.

The property also has a “minimal’’ baywalk at the rear but there is room to expand it, the report indicates. The building is considerably set back from the edge of Biscayne Bay, between 68 feet at the widest point and 23 feet at its narrowest, the report says. That’s comparable to what many new buildings provide, thanks in part to variances granted by the city, and could blunt criticism that the Herald building “blocks’’ public access to the bay.





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Are Online Degrees as Valuable as Traditional College Diplomas?












Millennials are the first generation to grow up with constant technology and personal computers. That might explain why they see such a value in online education.


A recent poll by Northeastern University showed that 18 to 29 year olds had a more negative view about attending college because of the high cost, and a more positive opinion about online classes than their older counterparts. The survey also showed more than half of the millennials had taken an online course.












Online education is attracting hundreds of thousands of students a year. Perhaps this is why more brick-and-mortar universities are searching for an online identity.


This week Wellesley College announced that it will offer free online classes to anyone with an Internet connection as part of the nonprofit project edX. Earlier this year, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology teamed up to fund and launch the online platform.


More: Harvard and MIT Want to Educate You for Free


Online education was even the talk in Washington this week when a group of panelists convened to discuss Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), which is an open source network like edX. These courses are very much like correspondence classes in the early 20th century.


But there are still those universities that only exist in a virtual world and students pay to attend. Are they as beneficial to students as attending a two- or four-year college?


“It depends at what level and what subject,” says Isabelle Frank, dean of Fordham College of Liberal Studies. “In general, fully online degrees are not valued as highly as degrees from brick-and-mortar institutions. This is because online-only universities do not have the faculty quality and interaction that occurs with full-time faculty and secure positions.”


She says that Fordham has online master programs and some online courses, but the model is “that of a small seminar style class with a lot of faculty feedback and involvement.”


Just like a physical college, a quality online education depends on the institution.


For example, students at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business take online classes and communicate with other students around the world—something students 25 years ago couldn’t have dreamed of doing.


“This affords the opportunity to learn leadership, team-building and managerial skills by solving problems and coordinating efforts for projects through the process of establishing real-time meetings, coordinating time zones and dealing with potential language issues,” Sher Downing, executive director of online academic services at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, said. “This value cannot be mirrored as easily in a traditional classroom, and for many companies with offices located around the world, this is a valuable skill, when the workforce is required to handle these types of situations.”


Downing said that students can save money by taking online classes because they no longer have to commute, live on or near a campus or relocate.


The millennials surveyed by Northeastern University are keen to take online courses. In fact, nine in 10 said online classes should be used as a tool and mixed with other teaching methods. The poll also found that students want flex­i­bility, which is exactly what online colleges offer.


Employers may not yet see an online degree in the same light as a traditional university but that is likely to change in the near future. It may just be that millennials, who don’t want to go in debt for an education like some of their parents did, are just a bit ahead of educators and employers.


Related Stories on TakePart:


• Top Universities Want You to Take Free Online Classes in Your Pajamas


• Military Gives ‘F’ to Online Diplomas


• 2012 List: The Most Expensive Colleges in America



Suzi Parker is an Arkansas-based political and cultural journalist whose work frequently appears in The Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor. She is the author of two books. @SuziParker | TakePart.com 


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How They Pulled Off 'The Impossible'

The true story of the devastating 2004 tsunami that consumed the coast of Phuket, Thailand -- and how one family survived it -- is reenacted by Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in The Impossible. Watch the video to go behind the scenes...

Video: Tsunami Survivor Petra Nemcova Reacts to Latest Disaster in Japan

In theaters December 21, The Impossible finds Naomi as Maria and Ewan as her husband Henry, who are enjoying their winter vacation in Thailand with their three sons. On the day after Christmas, their relaxing holiday in paradise becomes an exercise in terror and survival when their beachside hotel is pummeled by an extraordinary, unexpected tsunami.

Video: Watch the Trailer for 'The Impossible'

The Impossible tracks just what happens when this close family and tens of thousands of strangers must come together to grapple with the mayhem and aftermath of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time.

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DJs who pulled Middleton prank, leading one of the nurses to kill herself, are victims, too: boss








EPA


DJs Michael Christian (left) and Mel Greig, who pulled the Middleton baby prank call that led a nurse to kill herself, won't be fired, their boss said.



The DJs who tricked a London nurse into patching through a prank phone call to her colleague caring for Kate Middleton won’t be fired — and their boss even painted them as victims.

“This is a tragic event that could not have been reasonably foreseen and we’re deeply saddened by it,” said Rhys Holleran, the CEO of Southern Cross Austereo, which owns 2Day FM.

“I spoke to both presenters early this morning and it’s fair to say they’re completely shattered,” he said yesterday in Melbourne, adding that the pair had been offered counseling.







Nurse Jacintha Saldanha killed herself after falling for prank





“These people aren’t machines, they’re human beings. We’re all affected by this,” he said.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found dead yesterday after she transferred the call from the shock jocks posing as the Queen and Prince Charles, to the nurse attending to the Kate Middleton, the Dutchess of Cambridge, who was being treated for morning sickness.

That nurse — who has not been identified — gave up sensitive information about Middleton’s state to the snickering jockeys.

Scotland Yard has reached out to Aussie cops, who want to interview DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian over the death, which was classified as “unexplained.”

Greig and Christian were in hiding as the King Edward VII hospital ripped into the pair, saying the prank resulted in “the humiliation of two dedicated and caring nurses who were simply doing their job tending to their patients. The longer term consequence has been reported around the world and is, frankly, tragic beyond words.”

Saldanha’s husband mourned her loss on Facebook.

“I am devastated with the tragic loss of my beloved wife Jacintha in tragic circumstances, She will be laid to rest in Shirva, India.”

Their 14-year-old daughter Lisha also posted, ‘I miss you, I loveeee you,” on Facebook.

Saldanha’s inlaws in Mangalore, India said she did not say anything about the pranks.

“Benedict used to call every day but he nor Jacintha said anything about what had happened. Everything seemed normal,” said her mother-in-law Carmine Saldanha, 69, according to Indian media.

“We got a call last night from Benedict informing us that Jacintha had died. He was crying and couldn’t speak much. We don’t know whether we’ll be able to bring her dead body back to India but we desperately hope so.”

Benedict’s sister said he was shattered.

“He was totally broken, sobbing uncontrollably,” said Irene, 63.

Greigs and Christian are unlikely to face prosecution, but the radio station is taking a financial hit after several sponsors cut their advertising over the flap. The station is not running any commercials this weekend.

Greig called the hospital around 5:30 on Tuesday, posing as the Queen Mother, and asked to speak to Middleton, who was hospitalized with severe morning sickness.

Saldahna patched her through to the nurse, who told Greig that Middleton was resting comfortably and had stopped vomiting.

The radio station initially apologized for the prank, but continued to advertise it on its website as the “biggest royal hoax ever” — even after Saldanha’s death was reported.

Prince Charles even joked about the prank on Thursday.

“How do you know I’m not a radio station?” he quipped when a reporter asked about Middleton’s pregnancy.










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Events showcase Miami’s growth as tech center




















One by one, representatives from six startup companies walked onto the wooden stage and presented their products or services to a full house of about 200 investors, mentors, and other supporters Thursday at Incubate Miami’s DemoDay in the loft-like Grand Central in downtown Miami. With a large screen behind them projecting their graphs and charts, they set out to persuade the funders in the room to part with some of their green and support the tech community.

Just 24 hours later, from an elaborate “dojo stage,” a drummer warmed up the crowd of several hundred before a “Council of Elders” entered the ring to share wisdom as the all-day free event opened. Called TekFight, part education, part inspiration, and part entertainment, the tournament-style program challenged entrepreneurs to earn points to “belt up” throughout the day to meet with the “masters” of the tech community.

The two events, which kicked off Innovate MIA week, couldn’t be more different. But in their own ways, like a one-two punch, they exuded the spirit and energy growing in the startup community.





One of the goals of the TekFight event was to introduce young entrepreneurs and students to the tech community, because not everyone has found it yet and it’s hard to know where to start, said Saif Ishoof, the executive director of City Year Miami who co-founded TekFight as a personal project. And throughout the event, he and co-founder Jose Antonio Hernandez-Solaun, as well as Binsen J. Gonzalez and Jeff Goudie, wanted to find creative, engaging ways to offer participants access to some of the community’s most successful leaders.

That would include Alberto Dosal, chairman of CompuQuip Technologies; Albert Santalo, founder and CEO of CareCloud; Jorge Plasencia, chairman and CEO of Republica; Jaret Davis, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig; and more than two dozen other business and community leaders who shared their war stories and offered advice. Throughout the day, the event was live-streamed on the Web, a TekFight app created by local entrepreneur and UM student Tyler McIntyre kept everyone involved in the tournament and tweets were flying — with #TekFight trending No. 1 in the Miami area for parts of the day. “Next time Art Basel will know not to try to compete with TekFight,” Ishoof quipped.

‘Miami is a hotbed’

After a pair of Chinese dragons danced through the audience, Andre J. Gudger, director for the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs, entered the ring. “I’ve never experienced an event like this,” Gudger remarked. “Miami is a hotbed for technology but nobody knew it.”

Gudger shared humorous stories and practical advice on ways to get technology ideas heard at the highest levels of the federal government. “Every federal agency has a director over small business — find out who they are,” he said. He has had plenty of experience in the private sector: Gudger, who wrote his first computer program on his neighbor’s computer at the age of 12, took one of his former companies from one to 1,300 employees.

There were several rounds that pitted an entrepreneur against an investor, such as Richard Grundy, of the tech startup Flomio, vs. Jonathan Kislak, of Antares Capital, who asked Grundy, “why should I give you money?”





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Senate President Don Gaetz cancels on governor to avoid rule violation




















Gov. Rick Scott invited Senate President Don Gaetz to dinner Thursday and the senator gladly accepted, before realizing that going might violate Senate rules and the Florida Constitution.

Scott invited legislators to a holiday reception at the Mansion and Gaetz said he and his wife were invited to stay for dinner.

“They’ve asked Vicki and I to stay afterwards,” Gaetz said. “I guess he wants to talk to me.”





Scott often favors substantive discussions over small talk, and the success of his agenda in the second half of his term will depend in large part on Gaetz’s support.

Gaetz said the two men have not spoken since he became Senate president Nov. 20.

Reminded that Senate rules and the Constitution prohibit the Senate president and governor from discussing official business in private, Gaetz said: “I’ll try not to.”

But soon after,Gaetz canceled.

It may have looked like an innocent get-together at the most festive time of the year, and a spokeswoman for Scott said the event was “purely social.”

But under rules re-enacted by the Senate two weeks ago, the Senate president cannot meet privately with the governor without first issuing a four-hour notice to the public and news media.

No notice was given before Thursday’s event.

The Senate counsel, George Levesque, interprets the rule to cover social occasions between the two leaders, according to Gaetz’s spokeswoman.

“It was definitely our fault,” spokeswoman Katherine Betta said. “Next time, we will notice it.”

The Constitution contains a provision, approved by Florida voters, that says discussions of official business between the governor and Senate president or House speaker must be “reasonably open to the public.”

House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, was also invited to the reception, but said he could not attend.

Gaetz, a Niceville Republican, has set a tone different from his predecessors by calling for higher ethical standards for elected officials in Florida — especially legislators.

In his Nov. 20 acceptance speech as Senate president, he told the Senate: “You and I will be judged ... by what we do to reform the way we run elections and raise the standards of ethical conduct from the courthouse to the state house.”

Barbara Petersen of the First Amendment Foundation, a group that monitors government compliance with open meetings and public records laws, praised Gaetz for cancelling on the governor.

“I think this is the appropriate response and hopefully it sets the tone for the upcoming legislative session,” Petersen said. “Even though this meeting may have been less formal than others, clearly Sen. Gaetz takes the responsibilities of his office very seriously.”





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iPad mini fails to draw crowds for China launch












Either Apple’s (AAPL) reservation-only system works better than anyone could have expected, or consumers in China have little interest in the company’s new iPad mini. Apple’s tiny tablet launched on schedule on Friday but according to IDG News Service, the turnout for Apple’s new slate was minimal. At Apple’s new flagship store in the well-trafficked Wangfujing district in Beijing, for example, turnout was “nearly nonexistent” according to the report, with no lines forming at all on Friday.


We’ve seen Apple rack up big numbers despite small launch-day turnouts in the past, but Apple’s reservation system does not appear to be responsible for the seemingly slow launch — according to IDG, many consumers who did turn up at Apple stores looking to purchase an iPad mini were unable to do so because they weren’t even aware that the reservation-only system existed.












Apple’s iPhone 5, which will presumably draw more of a crowd, launches in China next Friday.


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Jennifer Hudson House of Blues Performance

Jennifer Hudson was the guest of honor at Michigan Avenue magazine's December Holiday issue party on December 4, turning the evening into "A Hudson Holiday" extravaganza with the Grammy winner staging a sublime concert at House of Blues Chicago.


VIDEO - Jennifer Hudson's Secret To A Happy Marriage

ETonline scored exclusive video of J.Hud slaying Night of Life -- and let me tell you, this opening number will absolutely have you asking Santa for a time machine, a ticket to Chicago and some comfortable shoes!


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Hudson, who is Michigan Avenue magazine's December covergirl, will next be seen on Smash season two, potentially sending her into E.G.O.T. territory come 2013!

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Retired cop to save Chirstmas for Sandy victims








Thirty years ago, a rookie cop saved Christmas by reaching into his own pocket to help a Brooklyn burglary victim whose kids’ presents were stolen by a heartless Grinch.

That simple act of kindness by Don Costello, a now retired detective, has morphed into the city’s biggest toy give-away, one that will be celebrated tonight at the 30th Annual Children’s Christmas Benefit, at Our Lady of Lourdes, in Middle Village Queens.

Six hundred guests, including many local movers and shakers, are expected to appear with new toys or games, comprising a haul large enough to make Santa jealous that will be destined for Hurricane Sandy victims.




In 1982, Costello was a new cop assigned to the 69th Precinct, which covers Canarsie and East Flatbush, where he took a burglary report from a devastated Brooklyn bus driver whose apartment had been ransacked two days before Christmas.

The recently divorced victim had purchased two bicycles he hoped to give to his 5-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, but the bikes were gone, leaving the impoverished dad crestfallen.

“I took the report and went back to the precinct and called Catholic Charities,” Costello recalled, referring to the charitable arm of the New York Archdiocese.

There were some clothes available, but no toys, Costello recalled.

Unable to buy new bikes, Costello did buy presents for both children, telling the surprised bus driver they were donated by fellow cops -- a white lie that left the bus driver tearful with gratitude.

The heart-warming experience made a powerful impression upon Costello, who later became a detective assigned to the NYPD the Intelligence Division, where he helped guard Rudy Giuliani ‘s family at Gracie Mansion.

The following year, he and 10 pals rented a small hall for a Yule party and about 80 people showed up with donated toys -- and the event has snowballed from there.

He’s received contributions from the Durst family and Jack Rudin, both noted New York realtors, as well as Fred Wilpon, owner of the Mets and Dick Grasso, former head of the New York Stock Exchange.

The toy collection for this year is so huge, Costello and Catholic Charities will need a 17-foot trailer to pick them up and re-distribute them, a joyous task that will take place Monday.

Most of the presents are destined for hard-hit residents of the Rockaway peninsula and elsewhere in Queens, said Sheldon Peters, community project director for Catholic Charities Brooklyn/Queens.

Costello, a resident of Garden City, noted how several local politicians have slyly approached him in years past, trying to wrest control of his feel-good extravaganza, with promises of a top patronage post if he agrees to step aside.

Despite the overtures, Costello says he’s always politely demurred, insisting it’s all about the kids.

Those with new wrapped or unwrapped gifts or toys can present them at Our Lady of Lurdes’ school basement , at Springfield Blvd. and 93rd Avenue, from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m., and enjoy the free food and refreshments.










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VA, Jewish system reach deal to keep vets at home




















The Veterans and Miami Jewish health systems announced a partnership Friday to lower government costs in a way that many experts say is needed for the feds to avoid the approaching fiscal cliff.

The arrangement by the Miami Veterans Healthcare System is intended to keep aging vets out of expensive nursing homes and keep them living at home with the support of a coordinated care network provided by Miami Jewish Health Systems.

The cost difference: Instead of $80,000 a year for a nursing home, the Jewish system will provide care that will keep the vets living at home for not more than $30,000 a year.





Jeffrey Freimark, chief executive of the Jewish system, said the partnership is “absolutely” an example of new strategies that can help lower the nation’s healthcare costs, which are the highest in the world — almost twice as high per capita as most European countries.

“There’s no doubt this program is a triple win,” said Freimark because it cuts costs, provides better coordinated care and makes vets happy because they don’t have to abandon their homes.

The program is open to Miami area vets who qualify for Medicare and are classified as needing nursing home care. They will be enrolled in the Jewish system’s Florida Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which serves patients through centers in Northeast Miami and Hialeah. A third PACE center is scheduled to open early next year in the Westchester area.

Nurses will visit patients in their homes — and even doctors if necessary, said Cliff Bauer, the Jewish system’s executive director of community services. But most of the treatment focuses on vans transporting patients to the PACE centers. There, patients get primary care — with a full-time doctor, nurse practitioner, dietician and social worker. Rehabilitation, dental care and podiatry care are also available, along with adult day-care social activities.

Most patients go the centers about three times a week. “We believe very strongly in the need to continue socialization,” to keep the elderly active in mind and body, Bauer said.

The PACE model emphasizes the importance of a “medical home” that offers “highly coordinated care,” said Bauer. The Affordable Care Act emphasizes the need for such models as a way to avoid duplication of services and unnecessary care. Veterans will continue to see specialists at the VA Medical Center in Miami.





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Brownsville Christmas concert is next Sunday




















The Third Annual Community Concert in the Liberty City/Brownsville area will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 16 at Bethany Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2500 NW 50th St.

Presented by the Historic Hampton House Community Trust, Inc., the free concert will be conducted by Dr. Nelson Hall and is entitled Bridging Classics of the Past with Classics of the Future. A highlight will be jazz great Melton Mustafa and the 2012 Community Mass Choir and Orchestra performing Handel’s Messiah

Miami’s own Mustafa has recorded three CDs and has performed with some of the top names in jazz, including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman. He teaches at Florida Memorial University.





High school choirs and members of the community with the Messiah in their repertoire are welcome to sing along with the 2012 Community Mass Choir. If your youth group is planning to attend, please email trust@historichampton.net, so they can be acknowledged at the concert.

Christmas concert at Curley

The Archbishop Curley Notre Dame Prep School’s Troubadours Band and the school’s choral group, "The Knightingales," will perform at the school’s annual Christmas Concert, Keep Christ in Christmas at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at the school, 4949 NE Second Ave.

A donation of $5 is requested. For a donation of $20, attendees can purchase a ticket to enter a drawing for a 55’’ Westinghouse flat-screen television. Proceeds will benefit the school’s Technology Fund. The winning ticket will be drawn during intermission. Ticketholders must be present at the concert. For information call the school at 305-751-8367 or visit www.acnd.net

A serene holiday

The Miami Woman’s Club will present Shirlee Fernandez in a program, "Holiday Fitness and Serenity Tips."

Networking will begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 11, followed by the program at noon on the RG Level of the Doubletree Hotel, 1717 N. Bayshore Dr., near the Omni. Hernandez has been in the fitness industry for over 20 years, and is a certified instructor. The program will be followed at 12:40 by lunch. The cost is $25 for members and $35 for non-members.

If you go, please bring a gift for a child, which the club will donate to different charities. To make reservations, send an email to nsmith2686@att.net or call 305-891-3789.

Vintage cocktails

The Hoxton at 111 SW First Ave, downtown Miami’s Hampton-style beach house, will host a "Vintage Cocktail Soiree" to benefit St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center in Coconut Grove.

The party will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 13. Guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres, live jazz from "glg," an ensemble of five renowned musicians from Miami Arts Charter, and a performance by Tony Wilson.

The cost is $25 per person and all proceeds will benefit St. Alban’s new early childhood literacy technology, engineering, math and science programs. You may purchase tickets at http//stalbanscocktail.eventbrite.com or call 305-677-8466.

Piano performance at Coral Gables Museum

The Coral Gables Museum Music Series will present Italy’s Ragazzoni Sisters performing Nutcracker for II Piano at 5 p.m. Dec. 15. Tickets are $40 for non-members, $30 for museum members and Dranoff members, and $10 for children. The museum is at 285 Aragon Ave. in Coral Gables. Call 305-603-8067.

Murder Mystery

Local actress Barbara Fox will be featured in the one-woman interactive murder mystery, "A Very Merry Murder," at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 the Cafe in Knights Inn, 26 Diplomat Pkwy. in Hallandale.





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Facebook might buy Microsoft’s Atlas Ad platform to compete with Google












Is Facebook (FB) preparing to compete with Google (GOOG) in online advertising? According to AllThingsD and BusinessInsider’s sources Facebook might be taking steps to build its own advertising network for online websites. AllThingsD says that rather than build a new advertising network from scratch, Facebook could just buy Microsoft’s (MSFT) Atlas Solutions platform “that already delivers billions of ad impressions a day.”


BusinessInsider reports that Facebook will reportedly pay a lower price than the $ 6 billion that Microsoft paid for aQuantive in 2007 that included Atlas Solutions. It’s estimated that Atlas is worth more than $ 30 million — a small price to pay to compete with Google’s DoubleClick ad network.












So why is Facebook interested in advertising now? Well, it’s got over 1 billion active users with emails, phone numbers, and unprecedented amounts of “likes.” As BusinessInsider puts itFacebook has so much data it could “tell marketers whether or not a Facebook user saw, on Facebook.com, an ad for a product before going to the store and buying it.”


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Stephen Baldwin Arrested

Stephen Baldwin was arrested and arraigned today on one count of repeated failure to file personal income tax returns, ET has learned.

RELATED: Stephen Baldwin Helps Epileptic Woman

According to a press release from the Rockland County D.A.'s office, Baldwin, 46, allegedly owes more than $350,000 in taxes to the State of New York, including penalties and interests for years 2008, 2009 and 2010.

"At a time when Rockland County and New York State face severe fiscal shortfalls, we cannot afford to allow wealthy residents to break the law by cheating on their taxes," said District Attorney Zugibe. "The defendant's repetitive failure to file returns and pay taxes over a period of several years contributes to the sweeping cutbacks and closures in local government and in our schools. My Office will continue to investigate and prosecute those who cheat our tax system for their personal gain."

The actor, who filed for bankruptcy in 2009, is due back in court on February 5, 2013 and faces up to four years in state prison if convicted, according to the Rockland County D.A.'s office.

RELATED: Stephen Baldwin Files for Bankruptcy

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Jurors reach verdict in trial of casino bus driver involved in fatal March 2011 crash








Jurors have reached a verdict in the trial of a casino bus driver who crashed in the Bronx, killing 15 passengers.

The verdict in the trial of Ophadell Williams was reached around 3:40 p.m. today, but Judge Troy Webber had the sheet sealed because Juror No.9 needed to leave in order to attend a medical appointment.

The verdict will be unsealed and read on Friday.

The trial began in September and the Bronx District Attorney’s office said that because of the considerable length that this particular case has gone on for, it wanted to be as accommodating as possible to jurors’ needs.





Robert Kalfus



Ophadell Williams.





Williams, 42, was driving a World Wide Travel bus on the morning of March 12, 2011 when it crashed on I-95 and killed 15 passengers who were returning from a trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.

Williams, who allegedly had only a few hours of sleep and was speeding prior to the crash, faces manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges.

“He knew the risk of driving while fatigued, and he ignored it,” Bronx assistant DA Gary Weil said during the trial’s openings.

“His sleep deprivation was so severe it affected his reflexes as if he were driving while intoxicated.”

An ex-con with a history of driving offenses on his record, Williams tested clean for drugs and alcohol after the accident and his lawyer Patrick Bruno denied any sort of wrongdoing on his client’s part.

“I see no criminality here,” Bruno said when the trial began. “I look forward to trying the case and walking out of the front door with my client.”










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Scott names counsel to head jobless agency




















— Gov. Rick Scott turned to his top lawyer to take over the state’s jobs agency after the executive director abruptly resigned amid questions about jobless benefits he received before he was hired.

Scott on Thursday named Jesse Panuccio, the governor’s general counsel, to replace Hunting Deutsch. Deutsch quit earlier this week after about eight months on the job.

Panuccio becomes the third person to take over the Department of Economic Opportunity, which was created a year ago at the urging of Scott. The agency — which was formed from parts of several former agencies — handles economic development and runs the state’s unemployment compensation system.





Scott’s decision to turn to another administration official to lead the agency marks a dramatic shift from the governor’s first year in office, when he tried to attract people outside of government to take top posts.

Panuccio has been involved in many high-profile battles of the Scott administration, including appearing in court to argue in favor of Scott’s push to drug-test welfare recipients. Panuccio also recently unsuccessfully tried to get a judge to shield Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll from being questioned in a criminal case involving one of her former aides.

“Jesse’s unparalleled work ethic and intellectual capacity will be a much-needed catalyst for progress,” Scott said in a statement. “Jesse has skillfully represented our office and the people of Florida in important legal cases over the last two years, and we are excited to have him devote his energy and skill to another vital part of state government.”

Scott, just back from a trade mission to Colombia, also appointed outgoing State Attorney Peter Antonacci of West Palm Beach to replace Panuccio as his general counsel. Antonacci is a former statewide prosecutor and deputy attorney general. He also represented former governors in impeachment trials against local election supervisors.

Panuccio will start his new position on Jan. 8.

The changes follow Deutsch’s decision to resign on Tuesday after questions were raised about unemployment compensation he received from September 2009 through May 2011. That period included a time he was traveling in Europe and presumably unavailable to work in Florida as required.

Deutsch maintained he had met eligibility requirements, but some Republican state senators raised questions about how he could get benefits while traveling abroad. Deutsch could have had a rough time getting confirmed by the state Senate if he had remained in the job.

He had spent more than 30 years in the banking industry up to 2009. But the bank that employed him failed and was seized by federal regulators that year.

Deutsch has acknowledged he received a severance payment from the bank, but he has said he cannot discuss it due to a confidentiality agreement. He was out of work until he was hired this past April to his $140,000-a-year post. Despite a gap in Deutsch’s rĂ©sumĂ©, a spokeswoman for Scott said that the governor was unaware that Deutsch had applied for and received jobless benefits.

The maximum amount of benefits that Deutsch would have been eligible to receive was $275 a week.

Deutsch himself replaced the first head of the agency, Doug Darling, who was forced to resign by the Scott administration right before he was scheduled to have his first confirmation hearing.





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State ethics commission: State Rep. Erik Fresen may have failed to disclose personal finances




















The Florida Ethics Commission announced Wednesday it has found probable cause that state Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, failed to properly disclose his annual net worth, assets, and liabilities from 2008 to 2011.

Fresen called the allegations “baseless and pointless.”

The commission’s next step is to determine whether Fresen violated state ethics laws by failing to properly report his income and liabilities on his annual state disclosure forms. That process could take several weeks.





Fresen’s finances have been the subject of several reports, including in the Miami Herald, and became an issue in his successful primary campaign against opponent Amory Bodin.

Fresen said Wednesday the charges were filed against him by an aide to Bodin and he considers them "nothing but a textbook political attack" and he expects to fight the charges. He said the probable cause findings "deal with technicalities and not substantive issues."

"I’m confident that it will be dismissed and we will be responding to it as the process dictates,’’ Fresen said. "It’s baseless and pointless."

Fresen, a land-use consultant, has been dogged by questions about his personal finances since 2008, when a lender filed a foreclosure suit against him, his wife and his mother. He reported a $357,000 net worth in 2011, according to documents posted on the web site of Integrity Florida, a Tallahassee-based government watchdog group.

Prior to the Republican primary in August, the Herald reported that a mortgage company filed suit against Fresen after he failed to make payments in May 2008.

Fresen says the lender tried to double-bill him for $14,000 in property taxes on the house, taxes he said he paid at closing when he bought the house in 2006. (The home was actually purchased by Fresen’s mother, who transferred the deed to Fresen and his wife a month later, records show.) He says the bank sued after he refused to pay the extra amount.

“They would not accept anything but the total amount,” said Fresen, who calls the lawsuit a “legal nightmare.” Fresen said in court papers that he tried to “cure” the default before the foreclosure suit was filed in 2008.

In 2009, a judge ordered the sale of Fresen’s house to pay off a $641,000 judgment, court records show. But in February 2010 — only days before the scheduled sale — the judge rescinded the order because the bank had failed to notify other parties with claims against Fresen and his mother, records show.

No new sale date was ever set, though the foreclosure suit is still pending, court records show.

Fresen said the case has been slowed because the mortgage has been transferred among several banks, but he’s confident the case will be settled soon.

“I can more than cover my mortgage,” Fresen said. “I’m willing to pay whatever must be paid.”

The mortgage, however, does not appear as a debt listed in Fresen’s financial disclosure forms filed with the state. A Miami woman has filed an ethics complaint against Fresen saying he failed to disclose both the mortgage and the foreclosure suit, records show.

Fresen said he doesn’t believe he’s obligated to list the mortgage among his debts because it’s effectively suspended — he says he hasn’t paid the mortgage company in months. “They’re not billing anything,” he said.

Property records and court records show that the mortgage on Fresen’s home is in his mother’s name, not his own. But Fresen says he is responsible for the mortgage, and it appears on his credit report.

Fresen is also facing a $29,199 lien filed by the IRS in May 2011 for taxes owed from 2004 and 2007, records show. Fresen said the 2007 portion of the lien also stems from taxes levied on the money at the heart of the mortgage dispute, and said his accountant is still trying to learn the source of the 2004 tax bill.

In addition, Fresen is trying to remove a $10,000 lien filed on his house by the Miami-Dade Building Department for a code-enforcement violation. The lien was filed over a pool fence erected without obtaining a final permit. Fresen said the contractor was supposed to obtain the final permit and never did; the contractor called the county last week to renew the permit, records show.





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'In Vogue' Fashionistas Buzz About Kate Middleton's Baby

The world's most influential fashion magazine and the creative forces behind it took center stage at The Met in New York Tuesday night for the premiere of HBO's In Vogue: The Editor's Eye, and the stars and fashion's top designers were buzzing about the pregnant Kate Middleton and her maternity fashion possibilities. Watch the video!

Pics: Vogue's Best-Dressed Stars

Joining Vogue commander Anna Wintour were fashionable celebs Sarah Jessica Parker, Dianna Agron and Christina Ricci alongside former model Carol Alt and such fashion icons as Vera Wang, Donna Karan, Marchesa's Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, Derek Lam and Zac Posen.

Video: Inside Vera Wang's Star-Studded Fashion Show

Coinciding with the 120th anniversary of the trendsetting publication, In Vogue: The Editor's Eye -- from filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato -- mines the fashion mag's extensive archives to study some of the world's most influential fashion images as conceived by the magazine's iconic fashion editors. The documentary features behind-the-scenes interviews with celebrated Vogue subjects, industry icons and designers.

In Vogue: The Editor's Eye debuts Thursday, December 6 at 9pm on HBO.

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Gov. Cuomo unveils leading contender for Tappan Zee Bridge replacement










The leading contender to replace the aging Tappan Zee Bridge is a futuristic, $3.142 billion design that came in over one billion dollars under budget.

Gov. Cuomo unveiled the bridge — which was selected as the best choice by his Tappan Zee replacement committee — at a cabinet meeting this afternoon along with two other proposals.

Not only was the selection committee’s top choice the cheapest option of the three, it also was the quickest, with a construction time of five years and two and a half months.

Another design — which looked similar to the Golden Gate Bridge — cost $3.99 billion and a completion date of just under six years.




SEE ALL THREE PROPOSALS HERE

The most expensive option cost $4.059 billion. That bridge would likely take five years and 11 months.

Another $600 to $800 million is expected to be added to the cost of whatever bridge is chosen for extra costs, like project management, contingencies, and oversight.

The expected cost to replace the Tappan Zee had been pegged at $5.2 billion, far more than any of the estimated.

The Thruway Authorority’s board will vote on Dec. 17 on the final design.

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com










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Innovate MIA puts spotlight on startup community




















If you think the next week is all about art, you may be surprised to learn there are also six entrepreneurship events vying for your time.

And that is all by design.

In much the way that Art Basel helped put Miami’s arts community on the international map, organizers of the first Innovate MIA hope their weeklong grouping of events will shine a light on the city’s growing tech startup community and its position as the gateway to Latin America.





Many of the events — ending with Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference — are after Art Basel. That’s also why the third annual AVCC was moved to Dec. 13-14 from its previous mid-November dates.

“Our message is come for Art Basel, and stay for AVCC,” said Juan Pablo Cappello, a lawyer, entrepreneur and investor who is on the steering committee of the venture capital conference and several other Innovate MIA events. And all week, there will be plenty of opportunities for Miami’s entrepreneurs, creatives and investors to mingle with their counterparts from all over the Americas and beyond.

In addition to the AVCC, there’s Incubate Miami’s DemoDay, where its class of startups present their companies, the martial arts-inspired TekFight and HackDay, which dangles a $50,000 cash prize. Endeavor, the global nonprofit that promotes high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging economies, is bringing its two-day International Selection Panel to Miami, and Wayra, an international accelerator, is holding a one-day event to showcase its promising startups from Latin America and Spain. It’s all part of Innovate MIA week: “I don’t think anything like it has ever been organized here in South Florida,” Cappello said.

The AVCC will be the big draw, with about 300 people expected to attend the two-day event at the JW Marriott Brickell. The conference, themed “Data, Design & Dollars,” will feature thought leaders from all over the world, particularly Latin America, and presentations by 29 selected companies. This year, the format has been overhauled and energized, with lots of short talks and more time for question-and-answer sessions and networking, said Jerry Haar, associate dean of FIU’s College of Business, director of the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center and AVCC co-chair.

The AVCC’s 36 speakers include Martin Varsavsky, Argentine tech entrepreneur, investor and founder of Viatel, Ya.com, Jazztel and FON; Hernan J. Kazah, co-founder and managing partner at Kaszek Ventures and co-founder of Mercadolibre; and Jason L. Baptiste, CEO and co-founder of Onswipe. There’s also Michael Jackson, former COO of Skype and now a venture capitalist; Albert Santalo, founder and CEO of Miami-based CareCloud; and Bedy Yang of 500 Startups.

Chosen from more than 100 applicants, the 29 presenting companies hailing from all over the Americas will be giving either two-minute or five-minute pitches, fielding questions from a panel of judges and competing for prize packages valued at about $50,000. Eight of the startups are from South Florida: itMD, Kairos, Trapezoid Digital Security, Esenem, LiveNinja, OnTrade, Rokk3r Labs and Zavee.

The presenting companies have “proven innovation, proven management teams and the ability to scale well and be a pan-regional player,” said Faquiry Diaz Cala, president of Tres Mares Group and co-chair of AVCC. “The word is out this is a great place to come and pitch to great investors in addition to potentially being one of the prize winners.”





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Miami-Dade Commission postpones Jackson Health System decision




















Miami-Dade County Commissioners postponed Tuesday voting on a resolution concerning the future shape of the governing board of the Jackson Health System.

Commissioner Rebeca Sosa asked for the delay and no one opposed the move.

In October, the commission voted 6-5 to make permanent a seven-member Jackson board, selected by a nominating committee of nine persons, five of whom would be board members. The commission would then approve the nominees.





That resolution was pushed hard by Commission Chairman Joe Martinez. Martinez, who lost the mayoral race, left the board in November, and Commissioner Barbara Jordan led an effort to reconsider.





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Adriana Lima Reveals Kick-Butt Fitness Secrets

Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima is one of the Angels starring in tonight's much-anticipated televised fashion show and we caught up with this supermodel/mom in the gym, where she demonstrates how intense boxing workouts helped get her back in to shape after giving birth to her second child in September.

"The doctor gave me the okay about three weeks after I gave birth and literally two days after that I started working out -- every single day, two times a day," Adriana said, adding that she kept up the same vigorous pace right up until the taping of the fashion show, which airs tonight at 10 p.m. on CBS.

VIDEO: Inside Victoria's Secret's Fashion Show Casting

We also spoke with Adriana's trainer, former professional boxer Michael Olajide, who co-founded the AeroSpace fitness studio in New York where she and other celebrities work out. Michael said his unconventional approach to exercise can produce the perfect all-round results for his clients.

"A lot of other exercises, especially cardio exercises, teach you how to run, dance and cycle, so you're using your legs. With aero boxing, you're using your core and your arms," said Michael. "So you're using your upper body to get a great cardio workout, but you also get the great abs, and the beautiful arms, and everything else to go with it."

RELATED: Adriana Lima Gives Birth to Baby Girl 

Adriana said her trainer has been a great motivator. "You need to sacrifice to get the best results and I always got the greatest results with him." For his part, Michael said Adriana's commitment makes his job a lot easier. "Adriana has the mind of a fighter. She's extremely competitive, she always likes to be at the best of her game. So I don't feel that it's a challenge for me at all. I put the challenge out there and she always accepts it."

Watch the video to see Adriana kick some serious butt in the boxing ring and to also hear her advice for Kate Middleton as she prepares for motherhood.

VIDEO: Adriana Lima: How My Husband 'Got Me'

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Singer loses bid to wrest $250M from Argentina








Paul Singer’s last-ditch attempt to get cash from Argentina this year has failed.

A motion by Singer’s hedge fund, Elliott Management, requesting that the South American country put up a security deposit of $250 million by Dec. 10 was denied by a federal appeals court today.

“Since we will not have a big payment for ages (if ever), this looks like a huge blow to [Elliott’s] strategy,” said sovereign-debt expert Anna Gelpern,

The appellate slap-down of the billionaire hedgie is the second in a week. Last week, the same panel overturned a decision by a District Court judge that would have required Argentina to put $1.3 billion in escrow to pay Elliott by Dec. 15, pending further appeals in a court battle that has dragged on for a decade.




Argentina is scheduled to pay $3 billion on Dec. 15 to exchange bondholders who agreed to big write downs on their debt. Elliott and other so-called holdouts did not agree to the restructuring and are demanding full repayment.

District Judge Thomas Griesa ruled Singer and his band of holdout bondholders are entitled to get paid in full when Argentina made payments to the others.

Argentina President Cristina Kirchner has repeatedly said that the country would never pay Singer and the other holdouts.

In the wake of Griesa’s ruling, when it appeared Argentina might make no payment in order to avoid paying Singer — which could have caused the restructured bonds to default — the price of those bonds went into a tailspin while the price of insuring the country’s debt skyrocketed.

The prices of both returned to more normal levels this week.

The concerns of exchange bondholders — as well as other third parties involved in making the payments, such as Bank of New York — were ignored by Griesa.

But the appeals court decided to give them time to make their case. It allowed the other bondholders — led by hedge funds Gramercy, Brevan Howard and Alliance Bernstein — to intervene in the case.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Manhattan also set up a schedule for a fuller hearing of the argument, which stretches into late February.

Elliott tried to amend the process via its emergency motion requesting a security deposit as a “good faith” effort by Argentina. Singer’s $20 billion hedge fund argued that if its motion wasn’t granted by Dec. 15, it might get nothing.

“Argentina is . . . actively planning to evade the [court order] by attempting to move offshore its payment structure under the exchange bonds and will use the time to implement such plans,” said lawyer Ted Olsen in Elliott’s motion.

The hedge fund had made such arguments before, citing speculation in the Argentine press. However, a source close to Elliott told The Post it was “highly unlikely” that such work-arounds would be successful.

While Elliott’s emergency motion was a long shot, its demand for $250 million so incensed the exchange bondholders that they quickly shot back at Singer — asking the appeals court to force the billionaire to post $2 billion to an escrow account to help cover losses they might incur if it granted Elliott’s request and Argentina refused to post the security deposit.

Previously, Argentina broached the notion of reopening its debt exchange just days before the appeals court reinstituted its stay. Bondholders who had feared default were encouraged by that, believing it signaled Argentina that was open to negotiating with Elliott behind closed doors.

Those plans are believed to be on ice now, as the country works on its new brief.

mcelarier@nypost.com










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The business behind the artist: Miami’s art gallery scene still evolving




















This week, thousands of art collectors, museum trustees, artists, journalists and hipsters from around the globe will arrive for the phenomenon known as Art Basel Miami Beach. The centerpiece of the week: works shown at the convention center by more than 260 of the world’s top galleries.

Only two of those are from Miami.

While Art Basel has helped transform the city’s reputation from beach-and-party scene to arts destination in the years since its 2002 Miami Beach debut, the region’s gallery identity is still coming into its own.





“Certainly Miami as an art town registers mightily because of the foundations, the collectors who have done an extraordinary job,” said Linda Blumberg, executive director of the Art Dealers Association of America. “I think there’s a definite international awareness there. But the gallery scene probably has a bit of a ways to go. That doesn’t mean it’s not really fascinating and interesting.”

The gallery business, especially where newer artists are concerned, is a game of risk, faith and passion. Once a gallery takes on an artist who shows promise, they become an evangelist on their behalf, showing their work in-house and at fairs, presenting it to museums and curators and potential collectors and bearing the cost of that promotion.

For contemporary artists, most galleries take work on consignment, meaning they get a cut of as much as 50 percent when works sell. While local art galleries have been growing in number and popularity in the last several years — just try to find parking during the monthly art walk in Miami’s hot Wynwood neighborhood — even some of the area’s top art dealers say that while business overall is good, they struggle in the local marketplace.

“Our problem is that we have to do lots of art fairs in order to connect with the market that we need to connect with to sell the work that we have,” said Fredric Snitzer, a Miami-Dade gallery owner for 35 years. “The better the work is, the harder it is to sell in Miami. And that ain’t good.”

A handful of serious collectors call Miami home and store their own collections in Miami, including the Braman, Rubell, Margulies and de la Cruz families. But outside a relatively small local group, many gallerists say, their clients come from other parts of the country and world.

And some gallerists point out the troubling reality that even the powerhouse Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin could not stay open in Miami for more than a few years.

“The fact that big galleries have not been able to sustain their business models in South Florida tells you we’re obviously not at this high established point,” said gallery owner David Castillo. “It’s not like we’ve arrived, let’s sit back and watch Hauser & Wirth open down the street.”

Still, Miami’s gallery business has come a long way since the early 1970s, when a few dealers on Bay Harbor Island’s Kane Concourse were selling high-end pieces but the local scene was hardly embraced.

Virginia Miller, who owns ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables, first opened in 1974 to showcase Florida artists, though her focus soon added an international scope. She and other longtime observers credit several factors for Miami’s transformation, including the community’s diversity, the establishment of important museums, the Art Miami fair that started 23 years ago, the presence of major collections and, of course, Art Basel Miami Beach.





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Lesbian bride who married partner at West Point is ’still processing all of the emotions’




















As Brenda Sue Fulton stood in the back of West Point’s Cadet Chapel on Saturday, about to marry longtime partner Penelope Gnesin, an old friend said to her, "Well roomie, did you ever think this would happen?"

“No, not in a million years,’ ” said Fulton, originally of Stuart, Fla., as she and Gnesin became the first same-sex couple to marry at West Point’s Cadet Chapel.

“It was amazing,” Fulton told The Miami Herald on Sunday. “I’m still processing all of the emotions. There were so many of our friends from the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, straight and gay. Family and friends. We had 250 people there and it was just overwhelming.”





Nadine Smith, a friend of Fulton’s and executive director of Equality Florida, the state’s largest gay-rights group, described the Fulton-Gnesin nuptials as “a big deal.”

“And yet despite her service to our country and this historic wedding at West Point, her marriage will not be recognized when she returns to her home state of Florida,” Smith said.

Fulton graduated from Martin County High School and attended West Point from 1976-80. She was among the first class of women to graduate from West Point.

“That was the the place where I first said the Cadet Prayer. That includes the language, ‘Make me choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong. And never settle for a half-truth when the whole can be won.’ That inspired us when we formed the LGBT West Point alumni, we assumed that as our motto.”

Fulton served five-and-a-half years in the Army. She served for five years in the Signal Corps in Germany, as a platoon leader, staff officer, and company commander.

In January 1986, Fulton left the Army. She didn’t want to continue hiding her sexual orientation.

“My obligation was complete,” Fulton said. “I just couldn’t continue to tell the white-lies and half-truths knowing I was gay. I left the Army as a captain.”

After leaving the military, Fulton went into the pharmaceuticals business.

Fulton, 53, and Gnesin, 52, have been together for 17 years.

“We met at a community sing at the local Presbyterian church,” Fulton said. “Penny was a choral director in her free time. I had been singing a long time. I saw her smile and I was done for. She heard my voice and came right over.”

Gnesin retired from AT&T after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The couple lives in Asbury Park, N.J.

Fulton was active in the movement to end ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ She is executive director of Knights Out, West Point’s LGBT group for alumni, staff and faculty. Also, she is a founder and communications director of OutServe, an association of active LGBT military personnel.

She’s a bit overwhelmed by how quickly the gay-rights movement seems to be advancing. When ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ ended in September 2011, it didn’t occur to Fulton that she would soon marry Gnesin at West Point. (New York State began allowing same-sex marriages two months before DADT ended.)

“Marriage seemed a lot farther away than service,” she said.





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Jamie Foxx & Kerry Washington's Confidential 'Django Unchained'

The countdown is on for Quentin Tarantino's highly anticipated Django Unchained, and its stars Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington were excited to talk about the Christmas Day release at the 10th anniversary celebration of Los Angeles Confidential magazine, with Jamie saying, "It's just a ride."

Pics: Jamie & Leo Smolder in 'Django'

"Everybody [in the cast] was fantastic," says Jamie, who just days ago saw the final cut of the film. "Kerry Washington, Christoph Waltz is amazing, Leonardo DiCaprio blows your mind, Samuel Jackson -- I'm just humbled to be in it."

The duo have united for the cover of Los Angeles Confidential magazine's December/January issue, and the Django co-stars partied it up over the weekend at the Supperclub Los Angeles. Many of Kerry's Scandal co-stars came out to support their good friend at the star-studded event, and entertainment included DJ Benjamin Walker and Verve Recording artists The Tenors. At one point Jamie became an impromptu emcee while Kerry danced by his side until he introduced the multi-platinum selling Tenors, who performed at the end of the event to send guests off into the night.

Pics: Jamie Foxx Kills It in 'Django' Trailer

During the chic party presented by Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and sponsored by Burgess Yachts, Group Publisher Alison Miller and Editor in Chief Spencer Beck, along with L.A. tastemakers, watched an aerialist perform and sipped on specialty cocktails by Chambord Flavored Vodka.

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R train to Whitehall resumes for first time since Sandy








AP


Service on the R train to the Whitehall Street Station resume today for the first time since Sandy.



The MTA resumed R train service today to Whitehall Street station in Manhattan for the first time since the system was shuttered for monster storm Sandy.

Trains had been stopping at 34th Street because of serious damage to the Lower Manhattan station and the line’s signals system.

“The resumption of service to the Whitehall Street station will restore a vital link to Midtown’s West Side for Staten Islanders and also ease crowding along the Lexington Avenue Line,” said Governor Cuomo.




There is still no Brooklyn-Manhattan R train service because of flooding damage to the Montague Tube, which carries the trains under the East River.

Service between the two boroughs is expected to resume by the end of the month.

“Transit workers continue to work around the clock to bring the Montague Tube back online, which will complete the R Line link from lower Manhattan to Downtown Brooklyn,” said MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota.

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com










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The business behind the artist: Miami’s art gallery scene still evolving




















This week, thousands of art collectors, museum trustees, artists, journalists and hipsters from around the globe will arrive for the phenomenon known as Art Basel Miami Beach. The centerpiece of the week: works shown at the convention center by more than 260 of the world’s top galleries.

Only two of those are from Miami.

While Art Basel has helped transform the city’s reputation from beach-and-party scene to arts destination in the years since its 2002 Miami Beach debut, the region’s gallery identity is still coming into its own.





“Certainly Miami as an art town registers mightily because of the foundations, the collectors who have done an extraordinary job,” said Linda Blumberg, executive director of the Art Dealers Association of America. “I think there’s a definite international awareness there. But the gallery scene probably has a bit of a ways to go. That doesn’t mean it’s not really fascinating and interesting.”

The gallery business, especially where newer artists are concerned, is a game of risk, faith and passion. Once a gallery takes on an artist who shows promise, they become an evangelist on their behalf, showing their work in-house and at fairs, presenting it to museums and curators and potential collectors and bearing the cost of that promotion.

For contemporary artists, most galleries take work on consignment, meaning they get a cut of as much as 50 percent when works sell. While local art galleries have been growing in number and popularity in the last several years — just try to find parking during the monthly art walk in Miami’s hot Wynwood neighborhood — even some of the area’s top art dealers say that while business overall is good, they struggle in the local marketplace.

“Our problem is that we have to do lots of art fairs in order to connect with the market that we need to connect with to sell the work that we have,” said Fredric Snitzer, a Miami-Dade gallery owner for 35 years. “The better the work is, the harder it is to sell in Miami. And that ain’t good.”

A handful of serious collectors call Miami home and store their own collections in Miami, including the Braman, Rubell, Margulies and de la Cruz families. But outside a relatively small local group, many gallerists say, their clients come from other parts of the country and world.

And some gallerists point out the troubling reality that even the powerhouse Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin could not stay open in Miami for more than a few years.

“The fact that big galleries have not been able to sustain their business models in South Florida tells you we’re obviously not at this high established point,” said gallery owner David Castillo. “It’s not like we’ve arrived, let’s sit back and watch Hauser & Wirth open down the street.”

Still, Miami’s gallery business has come a long way since the early 1970s, when a few dealers on Bay Harbor Island’s Kane Concourse were selling high-end pieces but the local scene was hardly embraced.

Virginia Miller, who owns ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables, first opened in 1974 to showcase Florida artists, though her focus soon added an international scope. She and other longtime observers credit several factors for Miami’s transformation, including the community’s diversity, the establishment of important museums, the Art Miami fair that started 23 years ago, the presence of major collections and, of course, Art Basel Miami Beach.





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Two dead after bus crash at Miami International Airport




















What began as a day of prayer and fellowship turned into a surreal scene of stunned, bloodied passengers and twisted metal.

There was the sickening sound of crunching metal early Saturday as a busload of Jehovah’s Witnesses was low-bridged by a concrete overpass at Miami International Airport, peeling back the top of the vehicle “like a can of sardines.”

Airport workers running to the scene found shocked passengers thrown into the aisle or trapped in their seats by the wreckage.





Riders in the front rows were crushed — two of them killed, others seriously injured.

The driver of the bus, 47-year-old Ramon Ferreiro, took a wrong turn off LeJeune Road, entering the airport by mistake, then rolled past multiple yellow signs warning tall vehicles. He drove on, approaching an overpass whose sign said “8ft-6in”. The driver either didn’t see it, couldn’t read it, or realized it too late.

The bus stood 11 feet tall.

“The last thing he should have done is to keep going,” said Greg Chin, airport spokesman. “That goes against all logic.”

Ferreiro, whose driver’s seat was lower than those of the passengers, was not injured.

One passenger, 86-year-old Miami resident Serfin Castillo, was killed on impact, and all 31 others were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. Thirteen ended up at Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center, where one of them, 56-year-old Francisco Urana of Miami, died shortly after arriving.

Three remained in critical condition Saturday night, and three had been released.

Luis Jimenez, 72, got a few stitches on his lip and hurt his hand. He said the group left the Sweetwater Kingdom Hall about 7 a.m., bound for West Palm Beach.

“I was sitting in the back when it happened,” Jimenez said. “We were on our way to an assembly and lost a brother today. I’m very sad.”

Delvis Lazo, 15, a neighbor and member of the same congregation, described Castillo as a “nice, old man.” He often saw Castillo at religious gatherings, and their families have known each other for more than 15 years.

The last time Lazo saw him was about two months ago, as he prepped for a talk before his congregation.

“He gave me a thumbs up, told me that everything was going to be all right,” he said.

The bus, one of three traveling to the Spanish-language general assembly on Saturday, had been contracted by the congregation, which has fewer than 150 members.

According to public records, the bus belongs to Miami Bus Service Corporation, a Miami company owned by Mayling and Alberto Hernandez that offers regularly scheduled service between South Florida and Gainesville, often used by University of Florida students. At the home address listed for the company and the owners, Mayling Hernandez told The Miami Herald that passenger safety is her primary concern.

“At this time I’m worried about the driver and the families of the victims. I’m praying for them,” she said. “My job is to worry about the safety of the passengers who are our clients. What we do requires a lot of responsibility. I didn’t know the passengers but that doesn’t mean I’m not suffering.”

Neighbor Armando Bacigalupi described the owners as “caring people” and said he had seen buses park briefly in front of the house.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the company has two drivers for its three passenger motor coaches.





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Bachelorette Ashley Hebert and JP Rosenbaum are Married

Ashley Hebert is a bachelorette no more!

The 28-year-old dentist and her construction manager fiancé J.P. Rosenbaum, 35, walked down the aisle on Saturday in Pasadena, California, reports People Magazine.

The ceremony, officiated by Bachelor and Bachelorette host Chris Harrison, was attended by familiar faces from the series including Ali Fedotowsky, Emily Maynard, and Jason and Molly Mesnick.

Video: 'Bachelorette' Ashley Hebert and Fiance J.P.'s Passionate PDA

Ashley and J.P.'s exchanging of vows will be televised December 16 on a two-hour special on ABC.

The season seven sweeties will be the second Bachelorette couple ever to televise their walk down the aisle, following in the footsteps of Trista and Ryan Sutter, who married in December 2003.

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Grisly find in Brooklyn: Man, apparently beaten to death, found inside shopping cart








Theodore Parisienne


This body was found inside a tipped-over shopping cart and covered by a bag in Bed-Stuy today.



A man was found dead inside a tipped-over shopping cart in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, this morning, police said.

The unidentified victim, who appeared to have been beaten to death, was discovered around 4:30 a.m. in front of 750 Madison St., cops said. His body was partially covered by a camouflage bag.

He had trauma to the torso and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

No arrests have been made, and cops are waiting for the medical examiner to determine a cause of death.



Investigators believe the victim died nearby and was abandoned by someone who tried to move him in the shopping cart and gave up after it tipped on its side, sources said.










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Boat Show may block Miami’s 2016 Super Bowl bid




















This winter, the biggest NFL match-up in South Florida might be Super Bowl versus Boat Show.

As South Florida readies a bid for the 2016 Super Bowl, it must contend with a major potential conflict on the tourism calendar. The National Football League may move the Super Bowl to Presidents’ Day weekend, already home to the five-day Miami International Boat Show since the 1940s.

It’s a significant enough conflict that, in the past, local tourism officials have declined to pursue a Super Bowl if it fell on boat show weekend. But this time around they may have no choice. For the first time, the NFL is requiring that potential host cities agree to a Presidents’ Day weekend Super Bowl if they want to pursue the big game at all, said two people who have seen the NFL request for Super Bowl bids.





The NFL “invited South Florida [to bid] knowing there was going to be an issue with Presidents’ Day weekend and the boat show,” said Nicki Grossman, Broward’s tourism director. “In the past, South Florida has not responded to a Super Bowl date that included Presidents’ Day weekend. This package is different.”

South Florida vies with New Orleans as the top Super Bowl host, with government and tourism leaders touting the game as both a boon to the economy and a publicity bonanza. But the notion of accommodating both Super Bowl and boat show — not to mention a major arts festival in Coconut Grove — strikes some top tourism officials as a bad idea.

“There is not sufficient hotel inventory available in Miami that weekend to host a Super Bowl,” said William Talbert, president of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have taken a close look at that weekend, and it’s not physically possible in Miami to host Super Bowl during the Presidents’ Day weekend because of the boat show and the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. The hotel inventory is all being used for these two great events.”

His comments are at odds with the region’s top Super Bowl organizer and reflect the burden that the boat show may be to South Florida’s Super Bowl hopes for 2016 and 2017. The NFL invited Miami and San Francisco to bid for the 2016 Super Bowl by April 1, with the loser vying with Houston for the 2017 game. Talbert said the bid package states both decisions will be made in May.

For now, South Florida’s Super Bowl organizers face a largely hypothetical challenge, because the current NFL schedule has the Super Bowl occurring two weeks before Presidents’ Day weekend. The bid requirements for the ’16 and ’17 Super Bowls include three consecutive weekends as possibilities for the game, with the latest falling on the Presidents’ Day holiday.

Still, possible logistical hurdles may combine with political obstacles if the Miami Dolphins resume their push for a tax-funded renovation of Sun Life Stadium, the Super Bowl’s South Florida home.

Last year, the Dolphins proposed that Broward and Miami-Dade counties subsidize a $225 million renovation at Sun Life as a way to keep the region competitive for Super Bowls and other large events. The renovation includes a partial roof that would prevent the kind of drenching Super Bowl spectators suffered in 2007 when a rare February downpour hit Miami Gardens.





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