Keys stabbing suspect surrenders in Miami-Dade

A 33-year-old Islamorada man wanted in connection with a stabbing earlier this week has surrendered to law enforcement authorities in Miami-Dade.

Alexander Flores told police he stabbed his ex-girlfriend after breaking into her Plantation Key house.

She was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami on Tuesday. Her condition is listed as stable.

Monroe County Sheriff’s detectives drove to Miami Wednesday and picked up Flores, who was charged with aggravated battery, burglary, criminal mischief and resisting arrest. He was booked into the Monroe County jail.

The arrest report says Flores entered the victim’s bedroom and stabbed her in the chest. Flores reportedly told police he became angry when he learned his ex was seeing someone else. He also told police he got drunk, broke into her house and attacked the victim.

The 33-year-old Plantation Key woman told police that Flores held the knife to her throat after the stabbing and forced her to leave the house with him. As they walked out the door, a friend of the victim was outside and Flores ran northbound on the old highway.

The friend then drove the victim to Mariner’s Hospital, where she was later airlifted for treatment in Miami.

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Lohan Attends Bieber Show Pre-Arrest

Prior to hitting the club and getting arrested, Lindsay Lohan started out having a pretty wholesome night on Wednesday at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

RELATED: Lohan Arrested After Bar Brawl

The Liz & Dick actress, 26, attended Justin Bieber's show with opening acts The Wanted and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Lohan has praised Bieber in the past, even comparing their mothers. She tweeted on Sept. 28, writing: "I think @justinbieber's mom Pattie Mallette & my mom @dinalohan are so strong for speaking out about their stories. It's women like this... who make a difference in the world.. They encourage us to be strong. Thank you to @dinalohan & pattie mallette for being such strong women."

RELATED: Michael Lohan Reacts to Daughter's Recent Arrest

From the looks of a photo taken by Twitter user HarpoK21 on Wednesday night, the actress had pretty good seats for the show, perhaps even V.I.P.

Hours later at 4 a.m. on Thursday morning, Lohan was arrested after allegedly punching a woman at Club Avenue. She has since been released and is facing third degree assault charges.

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Superstorm Sandy victims to receive aid and higher taxes

Superstorm Sandy may have one more nasty surprise still to come: higher taxes.

The math is simple and cruel. The storm left fewer properties standing, often wrecking waterfront communities that paid the highest taxes because of the desirability of living near the water.

Unless shore towns from Rhode Island to New Jersey get a big influx of aid from the state and federal governments, which are themselves strapped for cash, they will have no choice but to raise taxes on homes and businesses that survived to make up for the loss. Even with federal reimbursement of 75 percent, the towns — many of which were already struggling before the storm — could still be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars.

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Communities like Seaside Heights, New Jersey face higher taxes as a result of their destruction during Superstorm Sandy.

"Hopefully taxes won't go up; we all have individual bills that we're going to have to worry about," said Ralph Isaacs, a 71-year-old retired teacher whose home in Long Beach, N.Y., was flooded with 18 inches of water, knocking out the electricity and heat and forcing him and his wife into a rented recreational vehicle for 17 days. "We're pretty sure the insurance money is not going to cover everything."

Toms River, where 5,000 residents are still out of their homes, recently passed a $35 million emergency appropriation; debris removal alone is costing it $1 million a week. The township's Ortley Beach section, where property values and taxes were highest, saw 225 homes destroyed. Administrator Paul Shives asked state officials this week for three to five years of extra state aid.

Right now, he said, it is impossible for towns like his to even consider formulating a budget without knowing how much tax money will be coming in. Shore towns especially are expecting a wave of tax appeals from storm-damaged or destroyed homes that will lower the towns' tax bases, though that doesn't appear to have begun in earnest yet.

The realities have touched off an intense push to get the federal government to assume the largest share of the cost. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week upped his state's reimbursement request from $30 billion to $42 billion; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie asked Wednesday for $36.8 billion.

Cuomo said most of the recovery should be paid for by the federal government.

"To try to finance (recovery costs) through taxes would incapacitate this state," said Cuomo, who noted the cost of repairing just one subway station in lower Manhattan will be $600 million.

Christie — who this week announced his campaign for a second term amid high poll ratings for his handling of the storm and who is considered a leading potential Republican presidential candidate in 2016 — has told residents in storm-damaged areas to expect to pay higher taxes. This month, he told communities they can exempt storm recovery costs from a state-imposed 2 percent limit on property tax increases.

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City National Bank of Florida and its Spanish parent have four years to evaluate the Miami bank’s future ownership

City National Bank of Florida, the Miami bank purchased by Bankia (formerly Caja Madrid) of Spain in November 2008, said Wednesday that its parent has a “four-year window to evaluate alternatives” for the bank’s future ownership and will work closely with management in Miami during the process.

The Spanish government has reached and agreement with the European Union related to Spain’s financial system problems, which will result in a recapitalization of Bankia and other institutions, the bank said. The agreement calls for Bankia to sell non-core assets and its holdings outside of Spain so that Bankia will emerge with a solid capital position and be more focused on its core domestic business.

“Because City National Bank is so well capitalized, profitable and well positioned in the marketplace, we are going to take our time to fully evaluate all of our strategic alternatives,” City National Bank President and CEO Jorge Gonzalez said in a statement. “This does not impact our ongoing strategy of profitable growth and diversification or our commitment to the markets we serve. Our focus continues to be taking excellent care of our clients and employees. ”

City National, founded 65 years ago, has $4.32 billion in assets and 26 branches from Miami-Dade County to the greater Orlando area.

INA PAIVA CORDLE

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Man shot and killed in police-involved shooting identified

The man shot and killed by police Tuesday afternoon in a West Miami-Dade apartment complex has been identified as Alexis Suarez Reyes, Miami-Dade police said Wednesday.

Reyes, 47, lived at the apartment complex at 1907 SW 107th Ave. Miami-Dade police detectives had gone to the complex to follow up on an investigation of a case from Miami International Airport when they encountered Reyes in the apartment.

According to a news release issued Wednesday, Reyes was armed when police confronted him. He was shot multiple times and subsequently transported to the Trauma Center at Kendall Regional Medical Center, where he died.

Reyes is the second person to be shot and killed by Miami-Dade police in the past week. It is unclear why police were investigating Reyes, and the circumstances that led to his shooting are under investigation.

Police said they found a ballistics vest in Reyes’s possession, though it is unclear if he was wearing it at the time of the shooting.

John Rivera, president of the Miami-Dade chapter of the Police Benevolent Association, said two police officers were involved in the shooting.

“They’ll take a couple of days off administratively,’’ he said. “When you shoot somebody, regardless of whether you kill them or not, it’s always a very traumatic situation.’’

Rivera, an advocate for the police, said he spoke with the two officers shortly after the shooting. Though he declined to divulge their conversation, Rivera said that he believes “the evidence” will prove their actions were justified.

“It was a clean shoot,’’ he said.

WPLG-ABC 10 reported that Reyes’s family said he was a security guard at Miami International Airport. Miami-Dade police said late Tuesday they also had received that information and were trying to determine whether it was true.

It was the second police-involved shooting this week. On Sunday, one man was killed and a second was hurt at Flea Market USA, 3015 NW 79th St.

In that shooting, Miami-Dade police believed the men may have been connected to a home invasion robbery earlier in the day.

When officers approached the van the men were in, police said the driver hit the gas and rammed a police vehicle. Officers fired, and the van tried to get away, hitting other parked cars before it came to a stop, police said.

Miami Herald staff writer Diana Moskovitz contributed to this report.

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Gabby Douglas on 'The Vampire Diaries'

As if the thrill and pride of winning two gold medals at the London Olympics weren't enough, Entertainment Tonight invited Gabby Douglas to the set of her favorite show, The Vampire Diaries, where she got to meet the cast and even made a cameo.

While the 16-year-old gymnast was star-struck to meet the cast of her favorite show in person, the cast revealed that they were just as star-struck to meet her, an Olympic gold medalist, after watching her and the USA women's gymnastics team make their name in history in London this past summer as the Fierce Five.

VIDEO: Gabby Douglas Surprised by 'Vampire Diaries' Cast

"It was really cool," said Nina Dobrev ("Elena Gilbert"), who competed in rhythmic gymnastics when she was younger. "We're such a big family and everyone [on the show] was invested in her story and in her success, and...everyone was just really excited to meet her."

Ian Somerhalder ("Damon Salvatore"), whom Douglas revealed to be her favorite actor on the show, echoed Dobrev's excitement to have the Olympian on the set and also expressed his pride in her accomplishments.

VIDEO: Exclusive: Gabby Douglas 'Shakes Up' Dance Floor

"It really is incredible to have her here," he said. "She's done extraordinary work out in the world, and what's she's accomplished is just incredible and we're all extremely proud of her. She brought home the gold for the USA, and it's pretty incredible to have her here."

Just as Gabby keeps up on all the Vampire Diaries episodes, the cast revealed that they were glued to the television during the Olympic gymnastic events this summer. Candice Accola ("Caroline Forbes") said that the suspense from watching the events brought out a nervous habit.

RELATED: Mrs. Obama Scolds Gabby D. For Fast Food Splurge

"I watched the women's gymnastics and I watched her take [the] all-around and the team [gold medals]... I was on the edge of my couch. I bit all of my fingernails off," Accola said. "I only bite my fingernails during scary movies--and apparently, the Olympics. So, [there's a] fun fact."

Gabby Douglas' cameo on The Vampire Diaries airs tomorrow (Nov. 29) at 8 p.m. on the CW.

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Off-duty NYPD Sergeant arrested on aggravated harassment charges

An off-duty NYPD sergeant was arrested last night in the Gramercy area of Manhattan, authorities said.

John Randazzo, who works for the 115th precinct in Queens, was busted on aggravated harassment charges at 5:50 p.m., police said

The victim alleges that the 44-year-old sergeant made a series of harassing phone calls as well as sent her several text messages, police said.

The nature of the calls and texts is unknown.

This was the second NYPD sergeant arrested yesterday. Besemah Rogers, 42, was busted on assault charges after getting into a fight while boarding a charter bus on the Lower East Side.

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Gift ideas for the techie on your list

The holidays are coming fast, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably gotten very little of your gift shopping done.

Here are suggestions for a variety of gifts for the techie and the not-so-techie people on your list.

Some of these items can be found in stores and some are only available online, but you should be able to order them in time for Christmas or Hanukkah.

IOMEGA EZ MEDIA & BACKUP CENTER

What is it? A hard drive that lives on your home network so you can share files, store all your photos and music and back up your home computers. Works on Macintosh, Windows and Linux computers.

The EZ Media & Backup Center is available in 1-, 2- and 3-terabyte capacities. It is simple to set up. It lives next to your home router and plugs into the network via Ethernet.

Major features include a built-in iTunes server so your music is available to all connected computers, Time Machine support for easy Macintosh backups and Iomega’s Personal Cloud to access your data from any Internet connection.

It can also stream your video files to your TV if you’ve got a compatible streaming box or an Internet-connected TV.

Software for backing up Windows PCs is also included.

Who’s it for? Any family that wants central storage for their digital lives. This is a great home for your digital photo, music or video library.

What does it cost? One terabyte for $169.99, two terabytes for $209.99, three terabytes for $279.99.

Where can you get it? Online at www.iomega.com, Amazon, Best Buy, Apple store, Fry’s.

NETATMO URBAN WEATHER STATION

What is it? A wireless indoor/outdoor weather station that displays through an application on your Apple or Android mobile device.

There are two parts, one that lives in your house and one you place outside.

The indoor component plugs into the wall and monitors the temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, carbon dioxide level and even the sound level in decibels.

The outdoor module is battery-powered and measures temperature and humidity.

Once you connect the Netatmo to your home Wi-Fi network, you can download the free app and see your weather stats from anywhere.

Setup was easy enough, and you can set the app to notify you when carbon dioxide rises to levels that you should be warned about — which is great.

Who’s it for? Weather geeks and people who like to know what the temperature is without having to fire up a browser.

What does it cost? $179

Where can you get it? www.netatmo.com

3M LED ADVANCED LIGHT

What is it? 3M’s first foray into the home light bulb market is with the LED Advanced Light, which uses light-emitting diodes (LED) to produce 800 lumens (the light of a 60-watt bulb).

The Advanced Light has a life span of 25 years and costs just $1.63 per year if it’s turned on for three hours per day.

The bulb lights instantly and is dimmable.

It’s a little intimidating to start buying light bulbs that might outlive me, but my wallet approves.

Who’s it for? Anyone who wants to save money or wants a bulb that might not have to be changed until 2035.

What does it cost? $25

Where can you get it? Select Wal-Mart stores. For more information, go to www.3mlighting.com/LED.

STEM IZON 2.0 WI-FI VIDEO MONITOR

What is it? A small, wireless video camera that you can monitor remotely with an iOS device.

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Three people wounded in drive-by shooting in Miami Gardens

An apparent drive-by shooting late Monday night in Miami Gardens has left three people in the hospital and neighbors wondering whether the wrong house was targeted.

The shooting happened in the 20800 block of Northwest 30th Court. Air rescue took the victims, two men and a woman, to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where at least one remains in serious condition.

Neighbors said three people were outside a house when bullets started flying from a passing car. Three people in the group were hit.

According to Miami Gardens police, the shooting happened around 11 Monday night.

“An unknown individual driving eastbound on Northwest 208 Terrace fired several shots from their vehicle striking a male in the leg and a female in the arm,” said Sgt. Bill Bamford, a police spokesman.

Police do not have a description of the car, except that it has tinted windows, Bamford said.

Audrey Roberts, 73, said his 37-year-old son was wounded in the shooting. He said his son and friends often spend time outside talking near the garage.

“They don’t know” who did the shooting, Roberts said.

He said he heard “a lot of shots,” possibly from more than one gun. “Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.”

On Tuesday morning, he pointed to a home garage door pocked with bullet holes.

Miami Herald photojournalist Walter Michot and Miami Herald staff writer Nadege Green contributed to this report. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Brad Pitt Says His Wedding Will Happen 'Soon'

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been silent about any wedding plans since getting engaged last spring. But at last night's premiere of his film Killing Then Softly, Brad opened up for the first time about the much-anticipated event, which he revealed is not that far off. 

"I am getting more pressure from my kids, and it is something I want to do within their lifetime, but I also feel like the time has come," Pitt told People magazine at the New York premiere. "The time is nigh," he added. "It's soon. I got a good feeling about it." 

RELATED: Jolie-Pitt Kids Send Letters to Santa Claus

Pitt, 48, has been with Jolie, 37, for seven years and the couple have six children -- Maddox, 11, Pax, 8, Zahara, 7, Shiloh, 6, and 4-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

The star told the magazine that the kids were absolutely the driving force in his desire to tie the knot with Jolie. "We've had a family, we've raised the kids. I am surprised
how much [marriage] meant to me once you had that."

VIDEO: Jon Voight Awaits Angelina Jolie's Wedding Call

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