Former federal prosecutor turns to private investigations
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:07 EST
Andrew Levi, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Miami, has turned from public to private investigation as head of the Miami office of a global firm.
Enter the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:00 EST
Find the contest rules and all you need to get started on your entry, but first let’s look back on the progress of last year’s winners.
Share haiku on an economic theme
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:00 EST
Two years ago, Business Monday asked readers to use the Japanese poetry form haiku to express themselves. Now we’re asking for new submissions.
Locally based accounting firms build success in a field of heavy hitters
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:00 EST
Three of the biggest South Florida-based accounting firms have built national reputations as a hometown alternative to the top financial players.
Is Facebook advertising right for your small business?
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:20 EST
BizBytes 101 shares tips for navigating the issues of social media advertising.
Franchising a viable alternative in a tough economy
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:00 EST
You are a successful mid-level executive or high-level corporate officer and have suddenly fallen victim to corporate down-sizing due to the economic crisis. Or you are moderately successful in your present employment or small business, but your daily routine is no longer exciting. What are your options if you choose to change jobs or even careers in order to pursue The American Dream?
Stalker accused of bizarre plot to woo doctor — by kidnapping her
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:57 EST
Convicted stalker Felix Velazquez hoped the plan to kidnap his former girlfriend would have a happy ending — winning back her affections and bringing about a reconciliation.
Who gets the engagement ring if the marriage is called off
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:32 EST
Engagement ring ownership disputes are often hotly contested due to the emotional aspect of a failed relationship and the ring’s sentimental and economic value.
Advice from the judges on business plans, entrepreneurship
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:46 EST
Here is advice on writing a business plan from the 2012 Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge judges:
Brush Fire Near Card Sound Road Controlled
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:36 EST
Continuing dry conditions helped the spread of a brush fire near Card Sound Road and US1 south of Florida City, but late Saturday afternoon, firefighters who worked all day on the blaze believed they had it mostly contained.
For Challenge’s teen winners, the world is their oyster
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:00 EST
Team behind First Place Kit Korp prepares for life’s next chapter — there’s no kit for that.
Lessons learned: Be nimble, stay focused, dont give up
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:41 EST
Challenge Champion Raw Apps found ways to execute its strategy in the mobile market.
Meet the judges: Community Track
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:00 EST
<span class="leadin">Susan Amat </span>is co-founder and executive director of The Launch Pad at Toppel, an entrepreneurial career center at the University of Miami that has helped hundreds of startups. Amat ventured into the music business as a concert promoter at age 15. A serial entrepreneur, she started and ran a successful record label and developed a television show that aired on the E! Network as well as the first CD-Rom magazine. She teaches business strategy, entrepreneurship and organizational behavior at UM and leads Startup Florida.
Meet the judges: FIU Track
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:00 EST
<span class="leadin">John C. Fleming</span>, a serial entrepreneur, is the technology practice lead at Biztegra Partners, a social web agency based in West Palm Beach. He started his career as a software developer in 1979 and has worked nationally and internationally in engineering, sales, marketing, services and general management in industries ranging from high tech to real estate. Fleming has started companies, raised money and has been part of teams that built products that became market leaders in their space.
Business Plan Challenge launches new features, opportunities for entrepreneurs
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:00 EST
At an event last week, an audience member gave an elevator pitch for his company called Sweat EquiTees, which sells t-shirts with slogans like Run LLC and Kiss me, Im an Entrepreneur.
Passion, persistence, partnerships mark winners’ year
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:00 EST
First Place winner DonorCommunity is building a name in the nonprofit industry.
Meet the judges: High School Track
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:00 EST
<span class="leadin">Felipe F. Basulto </span>is the retail market manager for TD Bank, overseeing the Miami-Dade locations and responsible for growth, profitability and continued expansion of TD Banks retail network in the local market. Basulto held similar positions with Regions Bank and Bank of America. He serves on the board for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, is chair-elect of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber, serves as a trustee with United Way, is chair for the March of Dimes Walk for 2012 and serves on Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) South Floridas board.
SD House panel endorses balanced budget amendment
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:55 EST
A legislative committee has endorsed Gov. Dennis Daugaard's plan to amend the South Dakota Constitution to make it clear that the state budget must be balanced.
K-Swiss shares jump on upgrade
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:35 EST
Shares of K-Swiss Inc., which makes casual and athletic footwear and accessories, jumped Monday after a Sterne Agee analyst upgraded its rating on the shoe company's stock.
Citi gets approval to issue credit card in China
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:35 EST
Citigroup Inc.'s Chinese subsidiary is set to become the first U.S.-based bank to issue its own credit cards in China.
Swiss bank Julius Baer expects fine in US tax case
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:35 EST
Swiss bank Julius Baer Group said Monday that it might have to pay a fine to settle allegations it helped American clients cheat on their taxes, but cautioned investors that the final outcome of the case was still uncertain.
NH Senarot: Drop labor order for NH center
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:25 EST
New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte has asked President Barack Obama to drop a requirement that union labor be considered to build a Job Corps center in Manchester.
Honeywell to expand Va operation, add 50 jobs
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:20 EST
Honeywell plans to spend $27.5 million to increase its production capability at Virginia operation.
Smith & Nephew to pay $22.2M in US settlements
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:20 EST
British orthopedics maker Smith & Nephew PLC has agreed to pay $22.2 million to settle U.S. criminal and civil allegations that it bribed doctors employed by the Greek government for more than a decade to win business, U.S. authorities say.
Dollar rises against euro on Greek debt worries
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:20 EST
The dollar rose against the euro Monday as talks between Greek leaders and lenders for a new cost-cutting plan drag on.
UK police: over 800 may be phone hacking victims
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00 EST
British police say more than 800 people may have had their phones hacked by a tabloid newspaper.
Massachusetts gas prices edge up another 2 cents
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00 EST
Massachusetts residents are paying two more cents a gallon at the gas pump, the seventh consecutive week of increases.
Armour Group builds bullet-proof business
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:09 EST
A Fort Lauderdale company sells armored vehicles to military clients and companies with employees overseas.
Is oil drilling in Cuban waters safe?
Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00 EST
With Scarabeo 9, a Spanish company’s leased oil rig, in place for exploratory drilling off the Cuban coast, response plans are being firmed up in case a spill reaches the United States.
Brazil offers visas to Haitians drawn by prospect of jobs
Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:50 EST
The Brazilian government created a special visa program after thousands of Haitians were stranded in remote Amazon towns. It will also issue work visas to Haitians at its embassy in Port-au-Prince.
U.S. still tops for entrepreneurs
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:47 EST
This week’s roundup includes news on Brazilian banking and upcoming international trade events in Florida
Ecuador conservation effort gets dragged into legal fight
Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:00 EST
Ecuadoran plaintiffs in an $18 billion lawsuit against Chevron said the company has been trying to bribe its way out of the case by offering to support an innovative conservation effort.
Ecuador court upholds historic environmental case against Chevron
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:16 EST
An Ecuadoran court has upheld a ruling against Chevron for polluting the environment. Chevron says the ruling is illegitimate.
Cuba stacks up the building blocks of a new economy
Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:05 EST
The pace of economic reforms has picked up as Cuba seeks to move more people off government payrolls in an effort to boost its economy.
Argentine media site attracts viewers and lawsuits
Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:32 EST
Cuevana, an Argentine website that streams the latest Hollywood blockbusters and TV series, started off as a dorm-room project that has attracted millions of viewers. Now, it has attracted lawsuits from HBO and Turner, among others.
Judge turns down InnoVida’s plan to reorganize
Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:45 EST
A bankruptcy judge converted Claudio Osorio’s personal and corporate bankruptcy cases to Chapter 7
Brazil’s economy slows
Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00 EST
However, recent measures could put the economy of South Florida’s largest trading partner back on the growth track by the second quarter of 2012.
French ambassador highlights ties with Florida
Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:00 EST
François Delattre focused on investment and trade during a recent visit to Miami.
Google, Facebook remove content on India's order
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:25 EST
Google India has removed web pages deemed offensive to Indian political and religious leaders to comply with a court case that has raised censorship fears in the world's largest democracy, media reported Monday.
Verizon to set up streaming service with Redbox
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:15 EST
Phone company Verizon Communications Inc. will challenge Netflix and start a video streaming service this year with Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks.
Bigger US role against companies' cyberthreats?
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:55 EST
A developing Senate plan that would bolster the government's ability to regulate the computer security of companies that run critical industries is drawing strong opposition from businesses that say it goes too far and security experts who believe it should have even more teeth.
Love gone wrong? Go digital to get over an ex
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:45 EST
You thought you found your one true love online, but now you've been dumped by text or defriended on Facebook without a peep of explanation. Hours of bad TV in your bathrobe haven't helped. Your friends are tired of your whining.
For Facebook 'Hacker Way' is way of life
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:11 EST
Facebook's billionaire CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls himself a hacker.
Law enforcement websites under attack by hackers
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:26 EST
Saboteurs stole passwords and sensitive information on tipsters while hacking into the websites of several law enforcement agencies worldwide in attacks attributed to the collective known as Anonymous.
Poland halts copyright law after mass protests
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:46 EST
Poland's prime minister says he is suspending the ratification process for an international copyright treaty after widespread protests and attacks on government websites.
Hackers apparently hit Swedish government site
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:01 EST
A group linked to the hacker network Anonymous says it has attacked the Swedish government's website and shut it down by overloading it.
Hackers intercept FBI, Scotland Yard call
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:07 EST
Trading jokes and swapping leads, investigators from the FBI and Scotland Yard spent the conference call strategizing about how to bring down the hacking collective known as Anonymous, responsible for a string of embarrassing attacks across the Internet.
Motorola: Some refurbished tablets weren't wiped
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:26 EST
Motorola Mobility says about 100 Xoom tablet computers that it refurbished for sale on Woot.com may not have been properly wiped of the previous owners' data.
HP awards new CEO Whitman with $16.5M pay package
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:41 EST
Hewlett-Packard Co. ushered in Meg Whitman as its CEO with a $16.5 million compensation package that hinges on the one-time politician's ability to lift the stumbling technology company's stock price during the next two years.
Two South Florida-bound cruise ships hit by norovirus
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:09 EST
Two cruise ships have been hit by norovirus, a gastro-intestinal bug that spreads fast and leaves misery behind.
Ship with sick passengers arrives in Fort Lauderdale
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:14 EST
Princess Cruises has confirmed the stomach illness that affected almost 100 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess is norovirus.
Carnival: Bookings dropped fleetwide after Costa Concordia wreck
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:53 EST
Carnival Corp. said in a regulatory filing that it expects full-year profits to take a $155 million to $175 million hit from the Costa Concordia grounding.
Bahamas police investigate cruise ship death
Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:02 EST
Authorities in the Bahamas say a 26-year-old U.S. tourist has died aboard a Carnival cruise ship and the cruise has been delayed pending the investigation.
Settlement offered to Costa Concordia shipwreck survivors
Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:59 EST
Passengers who suffered no physical injury from the grounding of the Costa Concordia are being offered a settlement of about $14,500. Lawsuits filed Friday put that figure in the shadows.
Disney Cruise Line coming to Miami
Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:19 EST
The Disney Wonder will set sail from Miami beginning in December, drawing more tourists here.
Carnival Cruise Lines faces a hostile PR tide
Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:33 EST
Reports of a 30-percent discount for shipwreck survivors on future cruises sparks global outrage as Carnival and Costa try to contain the damage to their brands in wake of Concordia crisis.
Carnival too big to let Concordia sink profits
Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:05 EST
On an average day, about 50,000 people around the world board cruise ships to start their vacations. Half of them set to sea on a vessel owned by Carnival Corp, the industry leader based in Doral.
Cops thought Novack murder might be sexcapade gone awry
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:29 EST
In the hours after her husband’s murder, investigators grilled Narcy Novack on her husband’s temper, their marital ups and downs and his sexual peccadilloes.
Tales emerge of the missing and dead in Costa Concordia cruise disaster
Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:33 EST
As details about some victims of the ill-fated ship were released, the captain said hadnt abandoned ship but had slipped on deck and tumbled overboard into a lifeboat.
Passengers on Costa Atlantica cruise undeterred by shipwreck
Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:06 EST
Travel experts say it’s difficult to tell how many potential passengers have been scared away from taking cruises.
Uninsured woman’s search for surgery shows challenges faced at Jackson Health System
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:57 EST
The case of a Hialeah single mother illustrates key issues — uninsured patients with complicated cases — facing Miami-Dade’s beleaguered public health system.
Jackson Health System will announce “significant” layoffs in about two weeks
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:26 EST
Jackson Health System is restructuring in response to lower patient volume and budget problems.
Bascom Palmer plans major expansion
Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:33 EST
UMs eye institute announced plans for a three-year expansion as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
UM patient data stolen
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:37 EST
Limited data on 1,219 University of Miami patients was stolen in November when someone broke the back window of a pathologist’s car and took a briefcase that contained a flash drive.
High-tech proton cancer therapy center planned for Palm Beach County
Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:53 EST
Backers of the controversial, and expensive, procedure say it can zap tumors with such accuracy that surrounding tissue is unharmed.
Jackson Health System, UM headed toward “a completely new relationship”
Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:55 EST
Jackson Health System and the University of Miami are planning a new arrangement that would have some UM doctors practicing only at UM, while opening the way for FIU doctors.
Hospitals hiring doctors to get ready for reform
Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:00 EST
Hospitals made disastrous decisions in the 1990s in hiring doctors. Now, they’re again buying physician practices — saying better management will make the difference this time.
Jackson Health System projects that it could run out of cash this summer
Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:11 EST
Jackson Health System executives projected for the second straight year that the system might run out of cash this summer unless major steps are taken.
Floridians could get $140 million in rebates
Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:15 EST
Federal authorities have rejected a request from Florida to get a waiver on a crucial reform requirement -- a move that could clear the way for state consumers to get more than $170 million in refunds on their health insurance.
Washington ruling could mean $145 million rebate to Floridians for health insurance
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:17 EST
A little-known part of the federal healthcare reform act could get Floridians $145 million in insurance rebates and perhaps put many insurance agents out of business.
Jackson Health System shows a small surplus in December
Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:19 EST
Jackson Health System, which has lost $423 million the past three years, reported Wednesday that it had a $348,000 surplus in December.
Hotel comeback hits a December plateau
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:57 EST
December brought another record for hotel tax collections in Miami-Dade, but the roaring growth of 2011 may be tapering off.
Super Bowl spending in South Florida: the highlight reel
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:38 EST
A look at taxable sales when the Big Game to South Florida shows no big bump in spending. Super Bowl did score some touchdowns with hotel taxes, though.
Stocks slip on Wall Street as Greek talks drag on
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:35 EST
Stocks are edging lower in midday trading Monday as talks drag on between Greek political leaders over a fresh austerity package required for the country to get more bailout loans.
Greece debt level spikes, but Italy's dips
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:35 EST
Debt levels in bailed-out countries Greece, Portugal and Ireland continued to rise in the third quarter of last year, but they fell for Italy and the 17-nation eurozone as a whole, official statistics showed Monday.
Citi gets approval to issue credit card in China
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:35 EST
Citigroup Inc.'s Chinese subsidiary is set to become the first U.S.-based bank to issue its own credit cards in China.
Massachusetts gas prices edge up another 2 cents
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00 EST
Massachusetts residents are paying two more cents a gallon at the gas pump, the seventh consecutive week of increases.
France, Germany want closer control of Greek funds
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:35 EST
France and Germany on Monday sought to impose tighter controls on Greece's finances and warned political leaders in Athens to agree on new austerity measures soon if they didn't want to see their country go bankrupt.
US oil prices fall below $97
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:20 EST
The price of U.S. oil is falling as supplies continue to rise.