Last Top Stories: Miami Facebook killer found guilty of second-degree murder | Miami Herald

• Miami Facebook killer found guilty of second-degree murder | Miami Herald

  His 15 minutes of fame — or rather, infamy — are definitely up.In the end, Facebook killer Derek Medina will probably spend the rest of his life in the obscurity of a state prison cell.On Wednesday, a Miami-Dade Circuit Court jury convicted Medina, 33, of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his 26-year-old wife, Jennifer Alfonso.Medina, who did not testify at trial, killed her during a heated argument in their South Miami townhome in 2013 before posting a photo of her bullet-riddled bo..

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  The scene is all too familiar in South Florida. A car pulls up to a group of people and someone starts shooting. Blood spatters a sidewalk. Friends gather at the ER.This time the wounded included a wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams who grew up in South Florida and played football at Miramar High.Stedman Bailey, 25, was shot twice in the head, and relative Antwan Reeves, 38, also was injured. Despite their wounds, they drove themselves to a nearby hospital, police said. Bailey underwent betwee..

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• Developer sues Miami Parking Authority over downtown land deal | Miami Herald

  

  Developer Moishe Mana is suing the Miami Parking Authority over a deal it made to lease downtown Miami land to a rival company.In a civil suit filed Wednesday, Mana alleges that the semi-autonomous city agency didn’t properly notify his firm and others interested in the land about the bidding process. In addition, the suit claims that MPA chief Art Noriega awarded the project to Grand Station Partners because he is friends with one of its executives, Oscar Rodriguez. Mana is asking a Miami-Dade ..

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• Proposal aims to deter, punish identity thieves using gas pump...

  

  With the simple swipe of a credit card at a gas station pump, it’s become easier for identity thieves to steal customers’ information and rack up fraudulent charges in their names.State Sen. Anitere Flores’ family knows this all too well; a close family member’s credit card information was stolen from a gas station “skimmer” two years ago in Miami, she said.Skimmers are devices that illegally capture and steal credit- and debit-card information, often at gas station pumps.“Within hours, hundreds..

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• Quinton Coples happy to be with Miami Dolphins - and to be a defensive end again | Miami Herald

  Signed Tuesday then sealed and delivered to the Dolphins on Wednesday morning, Quinton Coples barely knows his coaches’ names, let alone the Dolphins’ playbook.But he knows the broad strokes. Miami runs the 4-3. And Coples, a failed standup linebacker with the Jets, will play with his hands in the dirt.“It makes me happy,” Coples said Wednesday. “A lot.”If Coples can come close to realizing the great promise that convinced then-Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum to draft him 16th overall in 20..

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• Miami-Dade courthouse debate extends to task-force report | Miami Herald

  

  A county task force studyingwhat to dowith downtown Miami’s 87-year-old courthouse recommended building a $360 million replacement — but the suggestion came with a dissenting opinion.A draft version of the Miam-Dade Court Capital Infrastructure Task Force’s report declares that the county’s 1928 civil courthouse is no longer able to support the judiciary in a “dignified and technologically current” way. It urged construction of a new facility in downtown Miami with double the courtrooms and enou..

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• North Miami votes to hire new city attorney | Miami Herald

  At Tuesday’s meeting, North Miami’s council voted to hire a new city attorney and agreed to allocate a portion of SoLe Mia funds to park improvements.The main itemAfter about four months of searching, North Miami has a new permanent city attorney.The City Council voted 3-2 to hire Valria Screen to the position at the suggestion of Councilman Scott Galvin. Mayor Smith Joseph, Councilman Alix Desulme and Galvin cast the yes votes. Vice Mayor Carol Keys and Councilman Philippe Bien-Aime voted again..

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• Chicago officer who shot teen amassed 18 civilian complaints

  

  The white Chicago police officer charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a black teenager was the subject of 18 civilian complaints over 14 years, including allegations that he used racial epithets and excessive force, police and court records show.Complaints against police are not uncommon. But the number filed against Jason Van Dyke was high, and at least one was linked to a civil trial where jurors awarded damages to someone he arrested.Van Dyke's lawyer, Daniel Herbert, did..

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• Hamstring finally takes Luol Deng out of Heat lineup

  It's not inLuol Deng's nature to take his foot off the gas. So when he had to do it late in Monday night's victory over theNew York Knicks, it became apparent that sitting out Wednesday night's game against theDetroit Pistonsat thePalace of Auburn Hillswas the logical next step.For now, Deng said his focus is on Friday's rematch with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, although by skipping that game as well, it would leave him six days to deal with his balky left hamstring before theMiami Heatr..

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• Frank Gifford suffered from brain disease, possibly football-related...

  

  NFL great Frank Gifford, who died in August of reported natural causes, had a brain disease that may have stemmed from his Hall of Fame football career, his family said in a statement released Wednesday.The family revealed that it had medical researchers study Gifford's brain after he died at age 84, and that those pathologists found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive degenerative brain disease."We decided to disclose our loved one's condition to honor Frank's legacy of ..

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