Mo. lawmaker wants tax on violent video games

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Republican lawmaker from rural Missouri bucked her party’s anti-tax bent on Tuesday and called for a sales tax on violent video games in response to a deadly Connecticut school shooting.Rep. Diane Franklin, of Camdenton, said the proposed 1 percent sales tax would help pay for mental health programs and law enforcement measures aimed at preventing mass shootings. The tax...

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Catfish Creator Talks Manti Teo and Kekua

The story of Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Te'o, and the hoax he reportedly perpetuated, has captivated both sports-lovers and novices alike. In short, Te'o had started an online relationship with a woman who used the phony name Lennay Kekua, and fooled the athlete into believing she died of leukemia in September. Te'o was vocal about Kekua's battle, further endearing him to the Football...

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Japan probe suspects excess voltage in Boeing 787 battery

TOKYO — The burned insides of a battery in the Boeing 787 at the center of a worldwide grounding of the aircraft indicate it operated at a voltage above its design limit, a Japanese investigator said Friday, as US officials joined Japan's probe into the incident.The All Nippon Airways plane made an emergency landing Wednesday morning in western Japan after...

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Prices for Miami Beach luxury condos soar to records

Ultra-luxury condominiums on South Beach are fetching nosebleed prices.On Tuesday, a penthouse at the Setai Resort at 2001 Collins Avenue closed for $27 million — the highest price ever for a South Florida condominium, according to real estate agents. “We’re definitely seeing the market turning upward,” said Jeff Miller, of Zilbert International Realty in Miami, who represented...

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Weather alert: Cold front moving in today; lows dipping into the 50s at night

After the sun goes down Thursday night, open the windows. Forecasters say South Florida will cool down overnight to the mid-50s. The heat relief will be spiced with a breeze.According to the National Weather Service, Friday’s daytime temperatures will snap up to the low-70s before cooling down again at night to the low-60s. “We may have a hard time getting...

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Missouri Lawmaker Wants Violent Video Games Taxed

A rural Missouri lawmaker wants her state to tax certain video games to help curb gun violence. The Associated Press reports state Rep. Diane Franklin, R-Camdenton, believes a 1 percent sales tax on video games rated teen, mature and adults only would help finance mental health programs aimed at reducing gun violence such as the recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.What...

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SAG Awards Flashback: Javier Bardem 2008

Javier Bardem made an immediate impact on the film world when he began undertaking roles in wide-release American films; however, he didn't experience the reward of his American film success until undertaking ruthless hit-man "Anton Chigurh" in No Country for Old Men.The Spanish actor had received plenty of accolades in his native country but had yet to receive any tangible reward for his American...

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Bloomberg calls NRA ad 'dumb PR'

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a new NRA Web video that labels President Barack Obama an "elitist hypocrite" is "dumb PR."In an appearance Thursday on "CBS This Morning," the mayor said: "You have to be stupid to do that."The video's narrator asks why Obama is skeptical of putting armed security in schools when his daughters are protected by...

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Jackson Health System asks Kendall trauma center be shut down

Ratcheting up the stakes in Miami-Dade’s hospital wars, Jackson Health System has filed two petitions with the state demanding a hearing to consider its belief that the license for trauma operations at Kendall Regional Medical Center was granted illegally and should be revoked.Jackson, which for years has had the county’s only trauma center, has been complaining loudly since...

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Closing arguments on tap today in Miami police sergeant’s drug-corruption trial

A brawling federal trial in which a Miami police sergeant has fought against accusations by fellow officers that he’s corrupt will wrap up Wednesday with closing arguments followed by jury deliberations.Miami police Sgt. Raul Iglesias, who ran a drug-fighting squad, testified earlier this week that a string of government witnesses — including four detectives from his unit...

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