Clemency board grants full pardon to wrongfully convicted man




















After a wrongful murder conviction that put him behind bars for 27 years, William Michael Dillon received formal forgiveness from the state Thursday.

Dillon, who was awarded a $1.3 million settlement by the state in March, stood before Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet and recounted how far his life has come since he was released from a maximum security prison four years ago, exonerated by DNA evidence.

Clemency hearings, in which elected officials grant pardons and rule on whether to restore civil rights for convicted felons, are usually somber, even tearful. But Dillon’s testimony was upbeat, drawing smiles from an audience of freed felons waiting for their own opportunity to ask for the legal system’s fullest measure of forgiveness.





In Dillon’s case, his civil rights — the ability to sit on a jury, own guns, hold public office and vote — were returned after he was exonerated. But for him, the pardon he was granted Thursday was the real vindication.

“It’s a great, great, great day to be here...” Dillon said, a silver necklace of a soaring bald eagle draped over his blue tie. “Now my life is good, I’m moving on, and I’m definitely going to make a positive impact from here on out.”

Dillon was 21 years old in 1981 when law enforcement officers approached him at a Brevard County gas station to ask him about James Dvorak, who had been beaten to death in a wooded area nearby.

Dillon worked two jobs — as a bowling alley mechanic and construction worker. And he spent his free time chasing pretty girls and trying to figure out what to do with his life. Innocent and unconcerned, he answered officers’ questions.

But the interrogation resulted in an arrest and a deeply flawed investigation that was later discredited.

Dillon’s full pardon Thursday was a foregone conclusion.

Scott apologized on behalf of the state when he signed a claims bill during an emotional March ceremony. Attorney General Pam Bondi, after Thursday’s hearing, said she was pleased to give the pardon.

“I hope he can go on with his life and be a productive citizen,” she said.

Dillon has big plans for the rest of his life, many of them colored by his desire to fix a flawed justice system.

He the focus of a documentary on the Discovery Channel’s I Didn’t Do It, which first aired Monday and is scheduled for another run Sunday.

He’s written 600 pages for a book about his life. And he performs in an all-exoneree band.

He recently joined the board of the Innocence Project of Florida, which advocates for the exoneration of wrongfully convicted inmates.





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Look How Much of the World Doesn’t Use Social Media (or the Internet)






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Anne Hathaway Fashion Time Warp

Anne Hathaway is having quite a year. 

Pics: Anne Hathaway's Stunning 'Les Mis' Premiere Looks

Not only is the 30-year-old beauty receiving major critical acclaim for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Les Miserables, the newlywed recently underwent a dramatic makeover and now looks better than ever!

Join us as we look back at Anne's best and worst looks of red carpets past.

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Wynwood co-working center funded by Knight Foundation, angel investors




















The LAB Miami announced Thursday it will open a 10,000-square-foot co-working center in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and local angel investors are investing $650,000.

As Miami’s startup community continues to grow, The LAB Miami said its “work-learn campus” will offer an in-house mentor network that will include investors and serial entrepreneurs, said Wifredo Fernandez, co-founder of The LAB Miami with Danny Lafuente and Elisa Rodriguez-Vila.

The LAB Miami, now in a 720-square-foot space in the same neighborhood, turned a Goldman building at 400 NW 26th Street into an artsy, modern space that can support 300 members, including tech startups, programmers, designers, investors, nonprofits, artists and academics.





In addition to offering space to work, the new co-working space plans to offer courses and workshops in business and technology — including a startup school and code school — as well as art, design and education, Fernandez said. It will be a welcoming space for traveling Latin Americans, too. “We want this to be a community center for entrepreneurs,” said Fernandez, explaining that the mix of activities and workshops will be structured by the needs of the LAB’s members.

While the Knight Foundation’s Miami office has sponsored many entrepreneurship events in the past four months, this is the foundation’s largest investment announced so far in its efforts to help accelerate entrepreneurship in Miami, said the Knight Foundation’s Miami program director, Matt Haggman. The Knight Foundation’s Miami office, which made accelerating entrepreneurship one of its key areas of focus this year, is investing $250,000 with the rest of the funding coming from a group of investors lead by Marco Giberti, Faquiry Diaz-Cala, Boris Hirmas Said and Daniel Echavarria.

“This is an important part of our strategy,” said Haggman. “Entrepreneurs need places to gather, connect and learn.”

The LAB Miami has already hosted several events, including HackDay and Wayra DemoDay earlier this week, and the co-working space plans to open for membership in January.

Co-working space will start at $200 a month to use the communal tables, and private offices that will accommodate up to six are also available. The LAB will also offer “Connect” memberships for $40 a month, which allows members who do not need co-working space to participate in events. In addition, there will be phone booths, classrooms, flexible meeting spaces, a lounge area, a kitchen, a “pop-up shop” for local fashion, art or technology products, a shower for those who bike to work and an outside garden with native landscaping.





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‘Jewish Spirituality’ lecture series to start Dec. 16




















Temple Israel of Greater Miami will kick off its Jewish Spirituality Series on Sunday with Rabbi Arthur Green, who was named one of the "top 50 rabbis in America for 2012," by Newsweek Magazine.

Green will speak on the topic, "Spirituality for a New Era."

A highly respected scholar, teacher and expert in the field of contemporary Jewish spirituality, Green is rector of Hebrew College Rabbinical School and professor emeritus at Brandeis University. He also is the author of several books, including Radical Judaism: Rethinking god and Tradition. His most recent book is titled Hasidic Spirituality for a New Era.





The event will start at 9:30 a.m. with a light breakfast followed at 10 a.m. by the program, at which time Green will engage participants in an open conversation about the future and how each person can play a more active role shaping it.

The series will continue on Jan 22, when Nathan Katz, who arranged for the Dalai Lama to come to Miami three times, will speak on "Contemporary Global Spirituality."

According to a press release from the temple, more and more Americans describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious." In his lecture, Katz will focus on the question, "What is spirituality, and can it truly be separated from religion?"

The author of 15 books, including Who Are the Jews of India, a National Jewish Book Award finalist, and his recent memoir, Spiritual Journey Home, Katz is a Florida International University research professor in the School of International and Public Affairs, the Bhagwan Mahavir professor of Jain Studies, academic director of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, and director of the Program in the Study of Spirituality, which is a co-sponsor of the series.

Rabbi Rami Shapiro, an award-wining author, poet, educator and the founding rabbi of Temple Beth Or in Miami, will close out the series on March 1, with the topic, "Amazing Chesed."

According to the press release, many Jews do not believe that grace is a central concept in Judaism, and an essential element in living "Jewishly." Shapiro disagrees and will draw from many facets of Jewish wisdom to answer that question in the affirmative.

Shapiro is recognized as one of the most creative figures in contemporary American Judaism and his prayers are included in worship services across the denominational spectrum of American congregations.

Admission to the series is free and open the public, and will be held in the Wolfson Auditorium at Temple Israel, 137 NE 19th St.

For more information call the temple at 305-573-5900 or email info@templeisrael.net.

New dean

Warm congratulations to the Very Rev. Douglas Wm. McCaleb, who recently was elected the new dean of the Episcopal North Dade Deanery.

McCaleb, the spiritual leader at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral at 464 NE 16th St., was elected at the 43rd Annual Diocesan Convention.

The Diocese of Southeast Florida is composed of six deaneries, divided geographically for both administrative purposes and for representation on the diocese’s Executive Board. McCaleb is the executive head of the deanery, which is responsible for the planning and financial aspects of the deanery, as well as being responsible for the study of the needs and opportunities of the church and to evaluate diocesan programs. In his position of leadership, McCaleb will also delegate the necessary authority and responsibility to carry out such work.





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Google Maps makes its way back to the iPhone






(Reuters) – Google‘s navigation tool has returned to the iPhone, months after Apple‘s home-grown mapping service flopped, prompting user complaints, the firing of an executive and a public apology from Apple’s CEO.


The Google Maps app will be compatible with any iPhone or iPod Touch that runs iOS 5.1 or higher, the company said in a blog post. (http://link.reuters.com/jek64t)






Apple launched its own service in early September, and dropped Google Maps, when it launched the iPhone 5 and rolled out iOS 6, an upgrade to its mobile software platform.


Users complained that Apple’s new map service, based on Dutch navigation equipment and digital map maker TomTom’s data, contained errors and lacked features that made Google Maps popular.


In October, Scott Forstall, a long-time lieutenant of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, was asked to leave the company partly because of his refusal to take responsibility for the mishandling of the mapping software.


While Apple Maps offered soaring ‘flyover’ views of major cities, it had no public transit directions, limited traffic information, and obvious mistakes such as putting one city in the middle of the ocean.


This led to Apple chief executive Tim Cook apologizing to customers frustrated with the service and, in an unusual move for the U.S. consumer group, directed them to rival services such as Google’s Maps instead.


(Reporting by Tej Sapru and Ankur Banerjee in Bangalore; Editing by Chris Gallagher and Dan Lalor)


Gadgets News Headlines – Yahoo! News


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EXCLUSIVE: Brandi Glanville Releases Book Cover

Brandi Glanville's upcoming book, Drinking and Tweeting: And Other Brandi Blunders, is picking up buzz in the Twittersphere what with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star's notorious back-and-forths with LeAnn Rimes, and ET has an exclusive first look at the cover art of the hardcover.

RELATED: Brandi Says Her Son Got Sick Eating LeAnn's Laxatives

The book supposedly details Brandi's split from ex-husband Eddie Cibrian (who's now married to LeAnn Rimes), telling the story from her point of view.

In an interview with Fox 411, Brandi described the book, saying, "It's a cautionary tale about breaking up and making sure that before you become part of a 'we' you have to become an 'I' and I wasn't. It's just a tale of what I went through, the mistakes I made, what I'd do differently, the things that I did that I'm proud of. There's a lot of embarrassing detail. I want people to not be embarrassed going through breakups and divorces, to know what to do before they get involved in a relationship."

Drinking and Tweeting will be released February 12.

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Up to bat









headshot

Jennifer Gould Keil






Derek Jeter is looking for a massive bachelor pad, and he’s willing to pay a heavy rent after selling his gargantuan Trump World Tower home for $15.5 million in October.

The Yankee captain recently checked out a $25,000-a-month, 4,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom duplex rental at 129 W. 20th St. That’s less indoor space than the 5,425 square feet he had at Trump but more than enough room to stretch out. It also comes with 2,000 square feet of outdoor space. And Jeter still, of course, has his oversized 30,000-square-foot Tampa mansion, famously dubbed St. Jetersburg.





Getty Images



Derek Jeter





The Chelsea pad Jeter visited “is like a private home on top of a loft building,” our spy says. Jeter arrived at the listing looking sharp and well-rested in jeans and a blazer. Over the years, the unit has been eyed by other celebrities known for, um, playing the field — from Jude Law, who had an affair with his nanny, to Russell Brand, who was once married to Katy Perry.

Citi Habitats’ Jason Saft has the listing.

Marcus moving

Marcus Samuelsson, fresh off a (fully clothed) Playboy shoot for a feature about hot NYC chefs, has put his 2,250-square-foot, three-bedroom condo on West 118th Street on the market for $1.65 million.

The Harlem duplex, listed by Angela Holton of Brown Harris Stevens, includes a windowed chef’s kitchen and a terrace with a high-end barbecue grill.

We hear that Samuelsson, who added heat to the area with his Red Rooster restaurant, is upgrading his digs to a historic Harlem townhouse that he’s in the process of purchasing.

Model ‘shows’ all

Trish Goff, a former model who has appeared in Victoria’s Secret shows and international editions of Vogue, got her real estate license in July. The Douglas Elliman broker now has a hot property on the market — a 20-foot-wide Greek Revival townhouse owned by fashion stylist Alessandra Gambaccini, CEO of Sciascia Gambaccini. It is on the market for $5.495 million.

The four-story townhouse, in the Gold Coast of Greenwich Village at 45 W. 12th St., dates back to 1846 and has been renovated by Milan architect Roberto Gerosa. The home includes hand-painted walls by Italian decorator Marina Spinola.

Rollin’ in Greene

The Fugees’ resident real estate aficionado, Pras, has rented a stunning apartment at the 60 Greene St. condo building after a lengthy search.

The full-floor, 3,900-square-foot unit, with just one bedroom and two bathrooms, is designed for entertaining. It was listed for $30,000 a month.

An elevator opens into the apartment, which has cast-iron columns and 13-foot ceilings. It iss furnished in all white, with a dining area that seats 12 at a table cut from a single slab of white marble.

We also bet Pras loves the high-tech sound system and the bedroom area with a 72-inch drop-down TV screen separated by floor-to-ceiling translucent drapes.

Meier buys Meier pad

Good taste runs in the family.

Furniture designer Ana Meier has plunked down $6.5 million for an apartment at 165 Charles St. That’s one of the West Village buildings designed by her starchitect father, Richard Meier.

Ana Meier now has the condo, which was sold by gallery owner Barbara Gladstone, available for rent at $27,500 a month.

Town Residential listing broker Bill Kowalczuk declined to comment.

The glassy building suffered damage during Hurricane Sandy, but the lobby is restored and amenities will be back up and running by February, we’re told. Meier’s two nearby towers on Perry Street did not fare as well. Celebrity residents there, including Calvin Klein and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, won’t be able to move back in for several months.

Chalk up another One

One Fifth Avenue, the subject of a Candace Bushnell novel, is still going strong. A unit in the stately, 27-story landmarked building was snapped up for its full $1.39 million asking price shortly after it was put on the market. The seller, Weill Cornell Medical’s
Larry Schafer, is unloading the 930-square-foot co-op to insurance exec Richard
Press and his wife, Jeanne, who worked with broker Carol Staab of Douglas Elliman. The deal is expected to close next week.

The listing broker is the Corcoran Group’s Laurie Karpowich. Building residents have included Blythe Danner and Jessica Lange.

We hear . . .

That Elizabeth Ann Stribling-Kivlan is the new president of Stribling and Associates as her mom, Elizabeth Stribling, becomes chairman. Superbroker Kirk Henckels becomes vice chairman . . . That Joseph Sitt and Joseph Moinian hit Town Residential’s holiday party.










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Lennar to borrow $1.7 billion from Chinese bank




















Miami-based Lennar Corp. has gotten approval on $1.7 billion in loans from China Development Bank to fund the development and construction of two major projects in San Francisco, according to a person familiar with the transaction.

The contract, set to close by Dec. 31 subject to various conditions, would mark the first U.S. loan by the big state-owned Chinese bank. One condition — tagged the “Chinese component”— is that China Railway Construction Corp. be included as a general contracting partner in the project, the person said.

Closing by year’s end is crucial because of new tax rules set to take effect, the person added.





The agreement, first reported in The Wall Street Journal, would provide funding for the first six years of what is envisioned to be a 20-year project.

The loan agreement, reached Dec. 7 after Lennar officials met in China with bank officials, provides for $1 billion in financing to a partnership led by Lennar to redevelop Hunters Point Shipyard-Candlestick Point, a site in southeast San Francisco spanning more than 700 acres, the person said. Plans for the mixed-use community call for nearly 12,000 residential units on the site. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2013.

Under the pact, the Chinese bank would provide another $700 million to a partnership of Lennar, Stockbridge Capital Group and Wilson Meany, a real estate investment and development firm, to redevelop Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Islands in San Francisco Bay. Some 8,000 units of housing are planned for the mixed-use project on 535 acres. The U.S. Navy is set to turn over the first parcel of land to the development company in late 2013.





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Parents of students at Broward school warned of Legionnaires’ Disease exposure




















Parents of students at Olsen Middle School in Dania Beach were being informed on Tuesday that their children may have been exposed to someone diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease, Broward School District officials said.

The person with Legionnaires’ Disease was not a student, district spokeswoman Nadine Drew said. They did not say if the infected person was a teacher.

Automated ‘robo-calls’ were made to the telephones of Olsen Middle School parents that explained how the district was working with the Broward Health Department





To read the entire Sun Sentinel story click here.





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