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Half of Fla. high school students fail FCAT

State education officials say about half of Florida's ninth- and 10th-grade students failed the reading portion of the new, more rigorous Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. High school students must pass the 10th grade FCAT 2.0 reading exam to graduate. Those who failed can retake it. Results released Friday show 52 percent of 9th graders and 50 percent of 10th graders were reading at or above grade level. The Department of Education also released writing scores showing about 80 percent of students passing, almost the same as last year. That's due to an emergency rule the State Board of Education approved this week to lower the passing score. The board acted after preliminary results showed that otherwise only about a third of the students would have passed the tougher test.

Published: Fri, 18 May 2012 15:57:09 GMT

Man killed by police identified

Miami-Dade police have released the identity of a robbery suspect shot and killed by an officer Thursday. Police said undercover detectives tried pulling over a car carrying Sergio Azcuy, 46, and another suspect near Southwest 120th Street and 137th Avenue. The driver, whom police identified as Azcuy, ignored them, and an officer fatally shot him, police said. Police said Azcuy had a long criminal history in Miami-Dade County, including charges of drug possession and grad theft. The other suspect was not injured and is now being questioned.

Published: Fri, 18 May 2012 16:13:24 GMT

George Zimmerman evidence released

The public got its first look Thursday at potential evidence in the case against George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February. More than 180 pages of evidence and several audio recordings were released by Angela Corey, the special prosecutor in the case. One photo shows Zimmerman with a bloody nose. Included in the document is a request by the Sanford Police Department for a “capias” – or arrest warrant – that would have charged Zimmerman with manslaughter. The investigator said the altercation could have been avoided if Zimmerman hadn’t approached Martin. SLIDESHOW: Evidence Photos READ: Discovery documents AUDIO: Witness hears person yell 'help' 15 times The investigator wrote, "Zimmerman can be heard in the background crying for help." The investigator also writes that "the encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of the law enforcement." The investigator also said Zimmerman could have identified himself to Martin as a "concerned citizen." Photos of Zimmerman with visible injuries were also included, showing what appears to be a broken nose and dried blood. A paramedic report says Zimmerman also had a 1-inch laceration on his head and forehead abrasion. Witness audio statements were also included, with one of the most controversial witness audio statements released was from “witness 9” in an undated interview. “I just would hate to see that be the case here, cause I know that about him. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know it all, who this kid was or anything else, but I know George,” the witness said. “And I know that he does not like black people and he would start something. He’s a very confrontational person. It’s in his blood. Let’s just say that and I don’t want this poor kid and their family to just be overlooked.” In another audio witness statement, Martin’s girlfriend, who was on the phone with Martin, said she heard Trayvon Martin say, “Get off, get off” before the phone went dead. She also described him as sounding “scared” and told him to run. FBI audio specialists couldn’t identify who was screaming in the background of one 911 call because of the quality of the audio. The audio analysts also couldn’t conclude if Zimmerman said a racial slur or not. But Zimmerman’s father, Robert, said that the voice calling for help was his son. “That is absolutely, positively George Zimmerman. Myself, my wife, family members and friends know that is George Zimmerman, there’s no doubt who’s yelling for help.” An autopsy report shows Martin had THC in his system the night of the shooting. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The autopsy was conducted the day after the teenager was shot dead. Toxicology tests found elements of the drug in the teenager's chest blood -- 1.5 nanograms per milliliter of one type (THC), as well as 7.3 nanograms of another type (THC-COOH) -- according to the medical examiner's report. There was also a presumed positive test of cannabinoids in Martin's urine. It was not immediately clear how significant these amounts were. Martin had $40.15, Skittles candy, a red lighter, headphones and a photo pin in his pocket, according to the police report. He had been shot once in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. Zimmerman fatally shot Martin last February during a confrontation in a gated community of townhomes in Sanford. Martin was walking home from a 7-Eleven store and Zimmerman called police to report him as suspicious. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense and has entered a not guilty plea. The lack of an arrest in Martin's death for 44 days inspired protests nationwide.

Published: Fri, 18 May 2012 12:51:52 GMT

Goodman released on $7M bond

Polo mogul John Goodman leaves the Palm Beach County Jail, pending an appeal of his DUI manslaughter conviction, after posting $7 million bond. Goodman was sentenced to 16 years in prison last week after being convicted in March of charges of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the 2010 crash that killed Scott Wilson, 23. A judge granted Goodman $7 million bond pending the outcome of an appeal. Under the conditions of his bond, Goodman will be placed on house arrest, can only leave his home to go to his office, must wear an electronic monitoring device and will undergo random drug and alcohol testing. He must pay $42 an hour for an off-duty Palm Beach County law enforcement officer to stay within 100 feet of him at all times. Goodman pleaded not guilty to the charges filed in connection with the crash, which sent Wilson's car into a canal, where he died.

Published: Fri, 18 May 2012 15:03:18 GMT

Florida's jobless rate drops in April

State officials say Florida's unemployment rate dropped to 8.7 percent in April, but that was largely due to people leaving the labor force. The Department of Economic Opportunity on Friday announced the jobless rate was the lowest it's been since January 2009. It was a decline of 0.3 percentage points from March's 9 percent rate. That's still higher than the national jobless figure. In Broward County, the unemployment rate dropped from 7.5 percent in March to 7.2 percent in April, and declined from 8.8 percent in April 2011. In Miami-Dade County, the rate held steady at 9 percent from March to April, a 3.2 percent decline from April the previous year. Federal officials earlier this month announced the national unemployment rate dropped from 8.2 percent to 8.1 percent in April. But that was mainly because more people gave up looking for work. That's also what happened in Florida, where the civilian labor force declined by 28,000 workers in April. Gov. Rick Scott, though, hailed the unemployment figures as good news.

Published: Fri, 18 May 2012 14:50:36 GMT

Police search for missing woman, son

Hollywood Police are asking for the public's help in locating and elderly woman and her special needs son who have not been since Tuesday morning. According to investigators, Minh Nguyen contacted police on Thursday, saying that his mother, Bien Nguyen, 81, and brother Tuan, 42, had not been seen or heard from since 10 a.m. Tuesday. Tuan was last seen driving a 2003 red Honda CRV -- tag number 458-VKA -- from the family's home, 6701 Douglas Street. Relatives say Bien Nguyen suffers from dementia and Tuan has special needs. Anyone who has seen them, or has information that may help detectives locate them, is asked to call the Hollywood Police Department at 954-967-HELP (4357).

Published: Fri, 18 May 2012 11:53:06 GMT

Pacers pound Heat 94-75

Roy Hibbert had 19 points and 18 rebounds, George Hill scored 20 and Danny Granger 17 as the Indiana Pacers, showing more balance, toughness and togetherness than Miami, throttled the Heat 94-75 on Thursday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Overlooked during the regular season and given little chance to upset the reigning East champions, the Pacers took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday at raucous Bankers Life Fieldhouse. You can see that game on Local 10 at 3:30 p.m. LeBron James scored 22 -- 16 in the first half before wearing down -- and Mario Chalmers added 25 for Miami. However, Dwyane Wade scored only 5 on 2-of-13 shooting for the Heat, already missing forward Chris Bosh because of a strained abdominal muscle and not expected to return for this series. Wade also got into a heated discussion with head coach Erik Spoelstra during a timeout. Wade walked away visibly upset. He was then held back by teammates. Both Wade and Spoelstra downplayed the moment after the game.

Published: Fri, 18 May 2012 08:29:21 GMT

Gratigny Plateau Park concepts revealed

Renderings of what the new Gratigny Plateau Park could look like were released Thursday, amid growing excitement and concern for the project. PHOTOS: Gratigny Plateau Park design concepts Eleven-year-old Joseph Lamothe said he would love to trade his toy basketball for the real thing and play on a court. He also said he would like to see a playground for his younger sister, Rebecca. "When she heard there would be a park here, she was so happy," Joseph said. "She was jumping and jumping and jumping. She said 'I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait!" But some adults who live nearby said they are worried about the noise generated by children at play and wondered if the neighborhood was safe enough to support a park. Community leaders working with Local 10 on the park project heard from neighbors last week, and the opinions were mixed. "Later in the evening there's heavy traffic here back and forth," Marjorie Smith, who lives next door to the park, said. "There's drug dealing and gunfire in my neighborhood," said Sean Smith. Others were just as excited as Joseph Lamothe, and overall, the consensus was a desire to transform a vacant lot into a safe spot for families. "I'd love to see grass here," one woman said. "I want to see my grandkids also have the same opportunity as I did, to play outside instead of being inside," another man said. "I wish I had it when I was growing up," Smith said. Landscape architect Kona Gray came up with three ideas based on ideas and suggestions from neighbors. "We've heard it before, many neighborhoods transform their neighborhoods by taking back their open spaces," Gray said. "The most important thing about what we do is listening first, once we understand what people need then we can design." Now, the exciting next step in the park project will allow the community to get a chance to see their ideas transformed into artwork, as Gray's first renderings showcase both promise and possibility.

Published: Thu, 17 May 2012 22:22:14 GMT

South Florida rents skyrocket

The price of renting an apartment in South Florida is going sky high. Marcel Luiss and his sister, Natasha pay a little more than $2,000 a month for their two bedroom Brickell apartment, and they think they are still getting a good deal. "It's been going up $50 to $100 more a month per year," Luiss said. Real estate analyst Craig Werley says the real estate game has shifted from condos to rentals with rents continuing to rise an average of 10 percent each year. "The game has changed completely," Werley said. "Rents will continue to increase in the foreseeable term." Mark McCann with Miami Apartment Locators said his rental clients face fierce competition with each other, so a renter needs to know value when they see it. "Here on Brickell you are talking about units back in 2009 that were renting for maybe $1,800 are now renting for $22 or $2,300," McCann said. "Be ready to commit if you like a place. Jump on it right away." The reason for this rental run-up is largely due in part to the housing crash. "The reason they are going to be increasing is people are losing their homes out in the suburbs and now that they are losing their homes they are moving and becoming renters," Peter Zalewski with Condo Vultures LLC said. Michael and David Adler plan to build two, 20-story rental towers on 79th Street and Biscayne Bay where a former condo project was scrapped. "We are excited that we can now again afford to buy land with a beautiful view on the bay and build rental apartment buildings," Michael Adler said. "It's 460 units and we hope to be in the $2,000 a month range." Critics are concerned, however, new rental projects will one day become a victim of the condo conversion craze and South Florida will see a housing déjà vu.

Published: Thu, 17 May 2012 21:47:55 GMT

Famous TV talent show judges

Howard Stern is now a judge on "America's Got Talent" and Demi Lovato and Britney Spears recently signed a deal to be the new female judges on "The X Factor." See which other famous musicians, models and chefs have brought their famous faces to judging panels.

Published: Thu, 17 May 2012 20:37:42 GMT

Cameron Diaz through the years

Cameron Diaz stars in "What To Expect When You're Expecting," which hits theaters May 18. Take a look at her life and career in our slideshow.

Published: Fri, 18 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

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