SWINE FLU

Florida, U.S. brace for marathon fight against swine flu

Swine flu isn't going away anytime soon. So states must prepare to vaccinate against it and cope with its consequences. State and local officials say they are getting prepared.

DRIVING

Florida's worst drivers will have to retake driving test

Rack up three crash-related tickets in three years and you'll be back behind the wheel -- for a driving test -- under a new Florida law that becomes effective Jan. 1.

MIAMI

Sex offenders sue over Julia Tuttle bridge colony

A lawsuit claims that Miami-Dade's sex-offender ordinance is creating a public safety crisis.

HONDURAS

Honduras' Micheletti is both admired and reviled

A kingpin of Honduran politics for 30 years, Roberto Micheletti is a 'stubborn mule' who has become an international political figure overnight.

Zo's Summer Groove golf tournament

MIAMI HEAT

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade tries to clear the air

Dwyane Wade, who has been critical of the Heat's lack of offseason moves, said team president Pat Riley 'opened up the wound' by saying Wade needed to first commit to a contract extension.

FLORIDA ENVIRONMENT

South Florida's killer pythons capture U.S. attention

Sen. Bill Nelson told a congressional panel that the Burmese python, a killer pet thriving in the Everglades, tops a long list of invasive species spreading across the country.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Felon in fatal silicone 'pumping party' arrested again

Six years after her conviction in the death of a woman at an illegal Miramar silicone 'pumping party,' Donnie Hendrix is accused of setting up shop again.

MEDICARE FRAUD

Miami-Dade man accused in Medicare scheme ruled a flight risk

A federal magistrate judge put a Medicare-fraud suspect behind bars before trial after learning of his wealth, travels and fleet of luxury cars.

PINECREST

Gulliver Prep students show their smarts -- and compassion

Students at Gulliver Prep in Pinecrest are developing ways to provide clean drinking water to storm-ravaged Haiti.

OVERTOWN SHOOTINGS

'Outraged' residents help officials in Overtown shootings case

Officials despaired about the state of the community that led to Monday's mass shootings in Overtown, but recognized that residents have been more cooperative than after a similar incident in January.

FLORIDA MARLINS

Florida Marlins stadium's cost is steeper down the road

As work begins on the new Marlins ballpark, the full cost of financing is coming into focus: $2.4 billion for the stadium and other costs.

WEATHER

South Florida heat wave may ease Thursday

Record-breaking heat is expected to continue Wednesday. By Thursday, the weather should be back to what passes for normal.

MIAMI BEACH

Donte' Stallworth: I partied with tequila before fatal crash

Cleveland Browns receiver Donte' Stallworth said he partied and drank tequila shots before a crash that killed a pedestrian on Miami Beach.

MEDICARE

Medicare fraud suspect from Miami-Dade flees country

Two Miami-Dade men were charged in one of the region's biggest Medicare fraud cases. One was arrested; the other fled the country.

MIAMI HEAT

Allen Iverson: Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade make Miami Heat 'great situation'

Dwyane Wade's public campaign for the Heat to soon add play-making help to the roster resonated up the Atlantic on Tuesday, when free agent guard Allen Iverson placed Miami atop his wish list of potential destinations.

THE CARIBBEAN

Caribbean islands at odds over alliances with Hugo Chávez

A budding alliance between Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and several small, English-speaking island nations is creating waves in the Caribbean.

FORT LAUDERDALE

Fort Lauderdale air-sea show returning in 2010

Military planes and ships will be returning to Fort Lauderdale's beach in April, promoters said.

LEMON CITY HISTORY

Mystery of Miami construction site cemetery grows

A long-forgotten cemetery may have been the final resting place for hundreds of black Miamians, but preliminary findings suggest the burial ground was not that large.