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SOME FEAR THE NEXT ‘BIG ONE’ WILL BANKRUPT FLORIDA Reporting Michael Williams mwilliams3@cbs .com

MONEY • CONSUMERS BURNED BY “FREE CREDIT” REPORT WEBSITES • STIMULUS MONEY COMING BUT JOBS STILL NOT PLENTIFUL Section Page 14

AUTOMOTIVE • EXPERT ON REPAIRING OR REPLACING YOUR CLUNKER

Florida lawmakers thought they had a partial answer. They sent a bill to Governor Charlie Crist’s desk that would have allowed insurers far more leeway to sharply raise their homeowner policy premiums. Those insurers say they needed those big rate hikes to cover massive liability exposure.

Crist said, “I understand if we have a 100 year storm it will cost a lot of money, but the position this administration has taken is people should not be required to pay for a 100 year storm when we don’t have one, only when it does happen, and then we will respond appropriately.”

LOCAL • TEACHERS NOT GIVING UP FIGHT AFTER LAYOFFS • MEDICARE FRAUD RING BROKEN UP IN MIAMI Section Page 2

MIAMI (CBS4) —Hurricane season is here and the worries are in the air.

At issue –again—is the prospect of a state battered and possibly bankrupted when the next “Big One” hits.

Governor Crist vetoed the bill, and on a swing through Miami Monday he defended that choice.

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HEALTH • ALLERGENS IN YOUR HOME MAY BE MAKING YOU SICK • STUDY: WATER-RICH FRUITS, VEGETABLES HELP SHED FAT Section Page 40

As it stands now Florida’s Hurricane Catastrophe Fund has—depending on the estimate—a shortfall of up to $15 billion. The governor’s veto, critics say, could make matters far worse. It may further hasten the departure of giants like State Farm, which had already said it would be phasing out homeowner policies in the state.

Even so, Crist had a defender Monday in Miami Beach

Democratic State Senator Dan Gelber. He told CBS4’s Michael Williams, “The truth is you can’t give people such high premiums that they are forced out of their homes anyway.”

SPORTS • FREE MARLINS GROUNDBREAKING EVENTS ANNOUNCED

Gelber--and indeed many lawmakers—says the only answer is to spread the risk and the costs nationally.

They’re hopeful President Obama will follow continued on page 26

REAL ESTATE • TAXABLE HOME VALUES DROP IN DADE & BROWARD • NEXT WAVE OF CONDO FLIPPERS MAY BE HITTING MIAMI

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I-Team: Teachers Not Giving Up Fight After Layoffs

Local News

“You just wish something else could have happened”, she muses with a hurting heart, who wants her students not to be troubled, but to remain optimistic. “We love you we care about you and you will make it. Keep going.”

Reporting Michele Gillen mgillen@wfor. cbs.com

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4 ITEAM) — Gretchen Marfisi is an award winning and beloved art teacher who is now out of a job.

“There are just not jobs out there, so it makes me scared that I am thrown back out there when I thought I was a career lady, safe and sound in the classroom doing my job,” an emotionally charged Marfisi told Chief I-Team investigator Michele Gillen on the heels of hundreds of pink slips being sent out to Broward County teachers.

“Nobody knew this last step was coming with the layoffs,” the renowned teacher and current director of the Art Department at the new West Broward High School explained.

The unemployment nightmare hit home in a multitude of ways: Marfisi spent more than a quarter century teaching in Miami-Dade County Schools before embarking on pioneering the program at West Broward High.

“When they start firing teachers, all those things society thinks is safe seems not to be safe anymore, it starts turning your world upside down,” Marfisi added, as she joined nearly 400 other shellshocked Broward County teachers who have been laid off. The cuts were determined by lack of seniority and certification.

“It’s a very sad day. Our hearts are very heavy, very weighted, we have shed tears here,” Dane Ramson, Chief Negotiator for the Broward Teachers Union told Gillen.

At union headquarters leaders are not giving up their fight, but the weight of having so many teachers cut was resonating across the board Wednesday night. Some teachers are still not aware because they are on vacation—that the letter cutting them loose, awaits them.

“Isn’t that sad? That’s the way I tell you, you are unemployed? I go to the mailbox and get a certified letter?’’ decried Ramson. “I do not feel this was the only option at this juncture. The cost of the loss of a primary income...the cost of a loss of an excellent teacher it’s immeasurable.”

Union leaders say they are not convinced teacher cuts were the only option to dwindling school enrollment and a reported budget crisis. In Miami-Dade hundreds of teachers have been laid off or reassigned over the past year.

Paying the ultimate cost are the students. The football stars of Plantation High School, which just lost three teachers, say each instructor represents a world of difference in their world, often even paying for their school supplies.

According to Jermone Howard, linebacker for the team, “I just feel that now is a great portion of my life and my education has been taken away from me.”

“Does it make you scared?” Gillen asked. “Not scared, but worried,” he shared.

Meanwhile, Marfisi says she worries about all the kids,

including her own two who are in college, and the faces and dreams of the children she already misses in the classroom.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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I-Team: Fired, Retired, But Still Working The AdTimes NEWS PUBLICATION

PUBLISHER Tony Gambirazio ART DIRECTOR Tammy Kukic DIRECTOR OF SALES Hector Collado ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES John Alexander Zoe Ashlar Mike Campos Ines Collado Martinez Francisco Orduz Cesar Rodriguez Emy Rozas Cleo Saenz Nancy Schoen

Reporting Gary Nelson gnelson@wfor. cbs.com

Sweet Deal For Terminated Bureaucrat Gets Even Sweeter Dismissed Director Still Gets Salary Plus Pension Payments

INSIDE SALES Ileana Patuto

Shirley Richardson Used To Head The CIP

OFFICE MANAGER Montserrat Surroca

MIAMI (CBS4) — The vote was unanimous last January when Miami’s Civilian Investigative Panel fired its executive director, Shirley Richardson, alleging that she was, among other things, incompetent.

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But more than five months after her dismissal Richardson is not only still on the city’s payroll, she is receiving more compensation than ever before. It’s thanks to a generous city manager, and a generous retirement policy that allows some employees to “retire” but keep working, receiving salary and pension payments.

When Richardson was sacked by the CIP, City Manager Pete Hernandez took her in as an assistant to an assistant in his office, but continued to pay her the full salary and perks she was paid as executive director of the CIP: $168,000 year salary, $800 a month car allowance, and $200 a month cell phone allowance. Hernandez called the largess a type of “severance” and added that it “took

us longer than anticipated” to find her a new position at a lower salary.

where we are being told that we have a huge deficit that we need to fill.”

While Richardson was given a new job title and a reduced salary earlier this month, the CBS4 ITeam has learned she is enjoying a net gain in compensation, because she opted to participate in a deferred retirement, or “drop” program, that permits her to continue to draw a salary and, at the same time, receive monthly payments into a pension account she will receive in a lump sum when she stops working.

Commission chairman Joe Sanchez said personnel matters are the purview of the city manager, but “I don’t agree with the manager’s decision on this one.”

Under the combined salary plus pension package, the former CIP executive director is being compensated at an annual rate of nearly $218,000. That amount includes a salary of $100,000 and pension payments of $9,394 a month, or nearly $118,000 a year.

There is nothing illegal about the pay-plus-pension plan Richardson is enjoying. More than a hundred employees are currently in the program.

Richardson’s new job is coordinator of a yet to be formally established “department of strategic management.”

Some city commissioners are slack jawed.

“I hope that the city manager would see that this is so far afield from anything the taxpayers could possibly fathom,” Commissioner Marc Sarnoff told the CBS4 I-Team Monday. “This employee was fired for not being competent, and she’s now the head of something called ‘strategic planning?’”

“She couldn’t plan her own department before,” Sarnoff said, “and now she’s going to plan for the entire city of Miami?”

Commissioner Tomas Regalado said, “This is not about her (Richardson). This is about the administration not having a grip on the city’s finances. This is a total mess,” Regalado said. “The worse thing is we’re in a budget process

Hernandez has defended his treatment of Richardson, calling it “fair.” He also says the new department of strategic planning won’t cost the city any additional money because it is being staffed with existing employees.

“But this particular employee was fired for incompetence,” said commissioner Sarnoff. “Fired, retired and still on the payroll?”

Richardson did not return CBS4’s calls seeking comment.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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I-Team: Students Unaware of Gunmen On FIU Campus the campus library early Monday morning.

Veronica Uquire was one of those students.

“I think I’m concered about my safety, a lot,” said Uquiere. “That’s kind of shocking. I didn’t know that.”

Reporting Natalia Zea nzea@cbs.com

WEST MIAMI-DADE (CBS4 ITEAM) — The CBS4 I-Team has uncovered the armed robbery of a student inside FIU’s Green Library, and the shock students received when they found out they hadn’t been notified of the crime.

They were floored when CBS 4 ITeam Reporter Natalia Zea told them a student was robbed at gunpoint at

In fact, none of the students Zea spoke with knew about the armed robbery. They also didn’t know that a month and a half ago FIU police arrested a student after finding a semi-automatic weapon and 110 rounds of ammunition in his trunk.

“We had to figure out from you guys that something did actually happen at school instead of the school telling us,” complained Uquire.

FIU has had an extensive alert system in place for years, in classrooms, dorms, even through texts and emails. But they didn’t send

out an alert about either incident. In fact they’ve never even used the system, except for testing.

Lieutenant Ricardo Torres says he didn’t send out an alert about the armed robbery because he was confident the gunmen left the campus, and he says he knew he would catch them. He said, “It was our decision that there was no immediate threat to anyone on campus to the community members, and it was a split-second decision that we made, and I feel we conducted ourselves properly and made the right decision.”

Lt. Torres promises to send out an alert when he feels it’s necessary.

“An individual who we believe is still on campus and would do harm to any student or faculty staff or member of our community, of course we would activate the emergency system at that time,” said Torres.

Still, student Judyne Lubin says she would rather receive numerous alerts, than be kept in the dark when gunmen make their way to campus.

“Small or big we want to know,” said Lubin.

FIU Police keep a daily log of all crimes that happen on campus so students can look after the fact to see what’s happened. But Zea found out that the online version of that log has not been updated since late May. Lt. Torres says if students are worried, they should stop by the police station.

To learn more about FIU’s alert system go to: http:// w w w. f i u o e m . c o m / e m m a n / escallationchart.html (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Possible Cancer Cluster Gets National Attention Reporting Michele Gillen mgillen@wfor. cbs.com Jennifer Dunsford is a mother desperate to find out why her six-yearold son Garrett developed a brain tumor. She also wants to know why neighbors have been coming up ill as well.

Most of her son’s tumor has been surgically removed. The root of surgery runs from her child’s ear to the tip-top of his head.

“It was such a nightmare because he began to deteriorate so quickly,” she told CBS4 Chief I-Team Investigator Michele Gillen from her Palm Beach home.

“The question is, is there a cluster? We just want to know.” She’s worried about a potential cluster of cancer cases; Wednesday, her questions

received national attention from US Senator Bill Nelson, who flew to South Florida.

making things more hectic, she has been asked by the state to note all cancer cases.

It all began with Garrett’s treatment at Miami Children’s Hospital. The visit ultimately led his mom to discover that four other children living within minutes of her house were also suffering from brain tumors, even brain cancer. Frighteningly, that was just the beginning.

Speaking before some two hundred family members today gathered at Wellington Regional Medical Center, a concerned Senator Nelson told the crowd he has alerted the President to concerns of the neighborhood and asked that that resources from the Centers for Disease Control be tapped if necessary.

“The hair on my hair would stand on edge every time I learned of another case,” she explained to Gillen.

Dunsford took on the role of investigator along with a devoted family.

Within months, the worried mom compiled a list of some 40 families potentially affected. Now, she is calling upon the Florida Department of Health to initiate a health study. “It’s been crazy.” Dunsford described having to quickly compile data on all residents who have brain tumors or brain cancer;

“Thank you for alerting us to your concerns,” the Senator expressed to the worried parents, promising to assist in whatever way possible to see if there is a causal connection or some clue as to why so many children and adults may indeed be getting sick.

“It’s gut wrenching. It tears your heart out,” Nelson said, of listening to the families affected. “Eighteen families came to the table all have some form of cancer and most of the cases were brain cancer and all of these families live

within a two mile radius. That is no coincidence.”

Jennifer Dunsford suspects water might be to blame. She said all residents in the Acreage own their own wells. Other suspicions focus on pesticides sprayed at nearby orange groves.

Dunsford is praying the cancer cases cease and her son, Garrett, continues to recover.

“Every day we wonder is Garrett’s tumor gonna grow?” she said. “Cause it’s still in there. Is it gonna grow?

Could it turn cancerous? Is there something he’s being exposed to here that could make that happen?”

CBS4’s Carey Codd Contributed To This Report (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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I-Team: Officer Abuses Badge At Miami Airport you know you’re dealing with a police officer. It’s totally bizarre.

(It’s) frightening to tell the truth.”

According to the disciplinary action report and three sources, including two in law enforcement and one at Air France, Officer Lormestoir didn’t exactly smuggle the bug repellant on board.

Reporting Stephen Stock sstock@cbs.com

MIAMI (CBS4 I-TEAM) — The CBS4 I-Team uncovered a security breach at Miami International Airport that potentially put dozens of international air passengers at risk. And wait until you hear who caused the breach.

CBS4 I-Team investigator Stephen Stock spent weeks uncovering who did it and why.

A Miami-Dade police Disciplinary Action Report says Miami-Dade Police Canine Officer Farah Lormestoir improperly got onto international Air France flight #3959 going to Haiti on April 14th carrying insect repellant.

The I-Team found Officer Lormestoir leaving for work, after six weeks of unsuccessfully trying to find her on the job at Miami International Airport.

What’s the problem with insect repellant?

“They’ve proven in they can explode improperly stored,” security consultant Butler.

the past that if they are said aviation James “Jim”

“That was a security issue,” security consultant Butler told the I-Team. “I mean, first of all, the bizarre, crazy behavior, how do

Those sources say she forced the repellant on board the plane using her badge and her uniform to hold up the flight.

“It’s extremely obnoxious,” said Jim Butler. “It’s threatening, it’s coercion, you name it. And (it is) misuse of a uniform.”

Most of us are banned from carrying onto airplanes aerosol cans and liquid containers with more than 3.5 ounces in them without going through security.

And several aviation security experts tell us these seemingly harmless items had the potential to put everyone on that flight at risk.

“They cause quite an explosion,” Jim Bulter said of aerosol cans and other containers. “(There is) a lot of compressed air inside those containers. It can be deadly.”

Jim Butler has put in more than 40 years in law enforcement.

“It’s a misuse of the badge, you could lose your job,” said security consultant Butler.

Butler now serves as a security consultant at Wayne Black Associates, serving international law firms, corporations and financial institutions.

“What happens if, God forbid, that person was an imposter and the canister used deadly force,” Jim Butler said.

The report and our sources tell the I-Team that Lormestoir carried the mosquito repellant on board literally as the plane was about to pull away from the gate. Officer Lormestoir then gave the repellant to a fellow police officer who was already seated on the plane traveling to Haiti.

Then our sources say Lormestoir threatened both an Air France crew member and pilot if they didn’t get out of her way.

“I’d be very interested in the discipline problem,” said Jim Butler.

But two different law enforcement sources tell the I-Team that the disciplinary action report was not completed until after we began asking questions and investigating the incident.

Though Officer Lormestoir refused our offers to tell her side of the story, she did give a written statement to her police superiors on May 21st. In the statement Lormestoir said she carried hand sanitizer and Off Woods wipes, not aerosol cans of repellant to the door of the plane. She denies being rude or threatening the Air France crew.

Even so, aviation security consultant Butler as well as two high placed law enforcement sources tell the I-Team that it really doesn’t matter exactly what it was that officer Lormestoir forced on board that aircraft. It was the way she did it, as well as the abuse of her position that troubles them the most.

“I’m really surprised with the captain of the airplane tolerating that,” Butler said. “It was nothing to get on his radio and communicate to the terminal, ‘Send the police, I’ve got a situation.’”

I-Team investigator Stephen Stock replied “But she was the police.”

“I understand what you’re saying,” Butler said. “But there is no excuse for it.”

In fact, despite her story, officer Lormestoir’s superiors at MiamiDade Police department found her in violation of 4 department rules: 1) Conduct unbecoming an officer 2) Failing to file an accurate police report 3) Discourteous conduct to the public and 4) Abuse of her position as a police officer.

TSA investigated this incident but determined no federal laws were violated.

After more than a month of back and forth investigation, Lormestoir’s superiors gave her a written reprimand. The report said other, progressive discipline would follow similar incidents in the future.

Several aviation experts the federal government private industry tell the they are surprised Lormestoir still works airport.

both in and in I-Team Officer at the

Her supervisors did not return our requests for comment about the incident. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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I-Team: Medicare Fraud Ring Broken Up In Miami 38, Ramon Fonseca, 45,Vicente Gonzalez, 38, Alyd Dazza, 45, Monika Blacio, 41, Ricco Dazza, 41, Orlin Tamayo Quinonez, 35, and Juan Carralero, 56, used 29 different storefronts in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana.

MIAMI (CBS4) — Federal officials said on Tuesday they have broken up a Miami-based Medicare fraud ring that covered five states and billed the national system for around $100 million.

The group billed Medicare and Medicare Advantage for drugs that patients didn’t require. The medications were for patients suffering from cancer, HIV, AIDS, chronic pain, and varicose veins.

“This case is remarkable, not only in terms of the amounts stolen from Medicare, but also in terms of its sophistication and geographic breadth.

These defendants attempted to steal approximately $100 million from the elderly, blind and disabled by using multiple store-front clinics in five different states and then laundered their profits through local check cashing stores,” Acting Miami U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sloman said.

The group, which had eight members; Michel De Jesus Huarte,

Sloman said the group utilized check cashing stores to turn the

Medicare checks into quick cash.

The indictment revealed the group netted around $30 million, the bulk of which the authorities are still looking for. The suspects have been charged with conspiracy to commit Medicare fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.

imprisonment on each count of aggravated identity theft. (© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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Two suspects from the group remain at large and may be in Cuba.

If convicted, the defendants face a possible maximum statutory sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment on each count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and each count of substantive health care fraud, 10 years imprisonment on each count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and substantive money laundering, and 2 years’

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DeFede: Long Road Back For Juvenile Jail Guard Federal Stimulus In the meantime, Mixon did everything he could to help Paisley.

He had other kids in the unit help him change Paisley’s soiled sheets and clothing.

Reporting Jim Defede jdefede@wfor. cbs.com

MIAMI (CBS4 I-TEAM) — Terry Mixon walked out of the MiamiDade Regional Juvenile Detention Center Monday morning for the last time.

“It’s a real good feeling realizing it’s behind me,” he said standing in the parking lot. “I can move on now.”

Six years ago, Mixon was the guard on duty when 17-year-old Omar Paisley died. Paisley had writhed in pain from a ruptured appendix for three days. Nurses ignored his condition. And most of the guards and supervisors did little to help.

Mixon was one of the few exceptions.

When he arrived for work back in June 2003, he found Paisley lying in his bed, holding his stomach in obvious pain. He immediately contacted the nurse and his bosses, but they showed little interest, believing Paisley was either faking his illness or, at worst, had a stomach flu.

Mixon knew there was something more serious going on.

“I’m telling them that this young man cannot walk,” he recalled.

“This man is really ill and someone needs to come down here to see about him.”

“To see something like that take place when you realize you did everything within yourself to call for assistance, to call for help to no avail,” he said. “No help ever came.”

Mixon’s pleas eventually prompted officials to call paramedics. When they finally arrived, Paisley collapsed. He died on the floor outside his cell.

His death hit Mixon hard. Mixon had looked out for Paisley during the teen’s brief stay at the detention center.

“He was one of those kids you could have easily adopted as your son and say, `You are my child,’” he said.

In the wake of Paisley’s death more than three dozen employees were either fired or forced to resign and the nurses were indicted for manslaughter.

But Mixon’s efforts to help Paisley were actually used against him.

They said he shouldn’t have used the other teens to help him clean Paisley’s room. They said he failed to note every call he made to supervisors in the log book. And they said he threw Paisley’s sheets away in the wrong colored bag.

“Well I was made a scapegoat,” he said.

It took him more than five years, but last month an arbitrator ruled he was wrongfully terminated. He was reinstated with back pay The arbitrator found Mixon showed compassion to Paisley in his final hours. “HE TOOK TIME TO SIT WITH HIM IN AN EFFORT TO

LIFT HIS SPIRITS.” And the arbitrator concluded: “HE PERFORMED HIS DUTIES AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL POSSIBLE UNDER THE CIRCMSTANCE.” Last month he walked back in to the detention center for the first time since his firing.

The first thing he did was visit the cell block where Paisley died.

Creating Jobs For Local Teens MIAMI (CBS4) — The stimulus bill passed by Congress earlier in 2009 has been derided by some critics as not having produced any jobs. But in South Florida, a group of 430 young people beg to disagree. The 430 youngsters have all received new summer jobs which are credited to the federal stimulus act.

“I stood right on the spot where he lay and just meditated a little,” he said. “It wasn’t easy, but I managed to do it.”

“I was actually getting down, because everywhere I went, I was told they were not hiring, or they were cutting jobs, or wanted older people. It was hard,” said 16-yearold Sandra Meneces.

Monday morning he went back inside the detention center for the last time to submit his resignation.

Two years ago he found a new job working with foster kids. But he still wanted to return to the detention center so he could leave on his own terms.

18-year-old Tiffany Barkley was beaming. She’ll now make $8 to $10 an hour over the next few weeks in her new summer job. “I actually got the job I wanted, working in the medical examiner’s office. I love bodies, “she explained.

“I was pushed out the door on behalf of the State of Florida and now on this note I am able to walk out on my own,” he said.

He says Paisley’s spirit is still with him.

“He lives down deep within me because he was a wonderful young man,” he said. “And there ain’t a week that goes by that you don’t feel some type of spirit some type of tugging that says fight it, you done nothing wrong Terry.” (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Job placement experts decided the best place to put local stimulus dollars was in the hands of young people. “Kids spend money they don’t think like older people who are trying to save. They are looking to buy the latest gadget, and that is good in terms of things to generate the economy,” explained Rick Beasley, executive director of South Florida workforce.

In Miami-Dade County, without the injection of federal stimulus dollars, officials said there would likely have not been any summer jobs. Since the cash did come through, local officials hope the young people pick up some lasting employment traits.

“We want them to be strong and ask questions and learn what it takes to take advantage of future employment opportunities,” said Rhoda Shirley of Miami-Dade Public Schools. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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M Money / Consumer SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) — There are Web sites all over the Internet promising free credit reports.

Kristine Lee knew she was entitled to one free report a year so she picked the first Web site that popped up on Google, Freecreditreport.com. Kristine was surprised when she received her credit card statement a couple of weeks later, CBS station KPIX-TV reported.

“I saw a bill for 14.95 from a company called Triple Advantage, and I thought what is Triple Advantage?” said Kristine.

MONEY / CONSUMER

David Newman of the Federal Trade Commission said that Kristine did what many people have mistakenly done and that is to sign up for a credit monitoring service that sends you a credit report every month for a fee.

Kristine realized she was charged because she missed the 9-day cancellation window. But she did manage to get her money back through her credit card company. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

“It will continue and continue and continue until you cancel it,” said Newman.

He said the marketing tactic is legal and not considered deceptive as long as the Web site discloses what the consumer is buying in a clear and conspicuous manner.

Although Freecreditreport.com does disclose this on its homepage, the Better Business Bureau reports thousands of complaints from consumers. The BBB also reports the company does respond and resolves consumer complaints.

property held in Florida, since the program’s inception 48 years ago.

Last year CBS4 brought you the story of Madeline Elsevyf, a makeup artist who got hundreds of dollars back.

“It was sending me a notice saying I had $389 unclaimed,” said Elsevyf.

According to the state, the Bureau of Unclaimed property has successfully reunited owners or relatives of deceased owners with more than $1.4 billion in unclaimed

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Consumers Burned By ‘Free’ Credit Report Web Sites

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The FTC says to get a truly free report and avoid problems such as Kristine’s, consumers should go to the FTC sponsored website at http:/ /annualcreditreport.com The FTC said if consumers are asked for their credit card, that’s a red flag.

“You have to assume that if you are giving them your credit card you are paying for something,” said Newman.

Florida’s “Treasure Hunt” Is Still Online

MIAMI (CBS4) — Last year alone the State of Florida returned more than $173 million in unclaimed property to citizens, according to Florida CFO Alex Sink, and the state wants to remind you that you can still log on check to see if treasure awaits you too.

JULY 2009

The South Florida make-up artist who works at CBS4 told consumer reporter Al Sunshine she didn’t believe it, so she threw it out.

“I saw it first, but I didn’t believe it and I kind of put it away. I got a second notice and that’s when I asked you about it,” said Elsevyf.

It turns out, Madeline forgot about an old escrow account.

The forgotten $389.00 went into

the state’s unclaimed money fund.

It’s a billion dollar program with unclaimed cash like Madeline’s escrow money. It’s also a repository for gold coins, jewelry and other valuables from abandoned safety deposit boxes statewide. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Florida Begins Paying Extended Unemployment are eligible for the extended benefits, which are available through the end of 2009. Payments will be retroactive to February 22 for those eligible. Initial retroactive payments could be as high as $5,100 for some. The Agency for Workforce Innovation reports more than 73,000 applications have been received for Extended Benefits.

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) — The Agency for Workforce Innovation, which handles unemployment for the state of Florida, announced the first Extended Unemployment Compensation Benefits have started to be paid out by Florida.

The Extended Unemployment was made available by a change in state law and was paid for with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the Stimulus Package.

An estimated 250,000 Floridians

To receive Extended individuals must:

Benefits

* Be totally or partially unemployed * Not be eligible for unemployment compensation benefits in any other state (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) or Canada * Be actively seeking work and provide work search documentation for each week claimed * Not refuse an offer of suitable

work or fail to apply for suitable work * Exhaust all entitlement to regular and Emergency Unemployment Compensation after February 22, 2009 * Exhaust all entitlement to regular and Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits prior to February 22, 2009, and have established a claim benefit year that ends after February 22, 2009 Eligible unemployed can apply online at FloridaJobs.org. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Biltmore Seeks Renegotiation With Coral Gables is simple. The weak economy and the expense of keeping a 1926 grand hotel in peak condition have taken their toll, according to the executives from Seaway Corp., which has run the hotel for the city since 1992.

MIAMI (CBS4) — With its grandeur and timelessness, it’s no big surprise that the Biltmore Hotel was recently ranked by Celebrated Living as one of the top 20 hotels in the U.S. While operators of the historic city-owned property would love nothing more than to celebrate the honor, they’re instead stuck facing $2.4 million in payments owed to their landlord, the city of Coral Gables.

The reason for the payment pile-up

They contend that about $1 million of the payments due should be credited back to them for golf course repairs. In addition, Seaway contends other costs related to course restoration in 2007 and 2008 should be included in the credits.

The other $1.4 million should be reinvested in the hotel’s upkeep, Seaway said.

Due to the economic downturn, Seaway wants to renegotiate the terms of their revenue-sharing deal with the city, last modified in 1999.

Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick told CBS4 news partner the Miami

Herald he had ‘’conflicted feelings’’ about the debt, but also said it might be time for a new deal. ‘’It’s all been wonderful and milk and honey over the past 17 years, but we have challenges and the hotel has challenges,’’ Slesnick told the Herald, adding he was going to hear the operators’ case. ``But it comes at a very, very, hard time for us.’’ (© MMIX CBS Television Stations.

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Deals Lure Locals To SoBe Hotels MIAMI BEACH (CBS4) — South Beach is a world destination, but at places like the Sagamore Hotel they are promoting hometown flavor this summer with staycation packages.

Sandi Plotnick and Josh Rose drove down from Weston to grab one of the deals. Plotnick told me, “We actually stayed two nights and got the third one for free. We were only going to stay two nights, so why not make it a long weekend.”

Hotels and other attractions looking for business in a slow economy are dialing up plenty of special offers to keep the locals home. In Greater Miami, they have what they are calling a “443 campaign.” Some hotels are offering a four night stay for the price of three. Some golf courses entice customers with the promise of four rounds of golf for the price of three and the list goes on and on.

Back at the Sagamore they are offering their own lures. One is a “girls night out” and promises a four-bed bungalow at cut-rate prices that will include champagne and discounts on other amenities.

Sagamore publicist Carol Bell said, “Take advantage of the deals now. I can promise we will not offer $75 a night during the Super Bowl.”

So, a bit of sizzle is mixed with a chance to stretch your dollar and a shot in the arm for the local tourism driven economy. All sides hope it turns into a winning combination for hoteliers during the sultry South Florida summer. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Drivers Ticketed For Not Buckling Up passenger 18-years old or older in the front seat is not wearing a seat belt.

Reporting John Maclaughlan jmaclaughlan @cbs.com Police Can Now Ticket Drivers For Not Wearing A Seat Belt TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) — Drivers hitting the road Wednesday morning were warned to buckle up or face a fine.

A new law went into effect June 30th that now allows law enforcement to pull over vehicles where the driver or a

“Anyone under 18 in the vehicle must be in a seat belt no matter where they sit in the vehicle, front or back seat,” said Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Pat Santangelo. “If the passengers in the vehicle are under 18 and not buckled up, the driver will get a ticket for each person under 18 in that vehicle who is not buckled up.”

Under the previous law, drivers could only get a seat belt citation if they were pulled over for another violation.

“We know that the number one cause of traffic fatalities is people not wearing their seat belt,” said Santangelo. “Last year there were three thousand traffic fatalities in the state of Florida. Over two thousand of those people who died in traffic crashes were not wearing their seat belts.”

On the first day of enforcement of the new law, some drivers said they were

unaware of it.

“I don’t like it,” said 19-year-old Juan Carlos Buitrago who was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt. “I don’t feel comfortable wearing it, I don’t know.”

Tuesday to meet a federal grant deadline. As a result, Florida will qualify for up to $35 million in federal highway safety money.

Some drivers who were pulled over said their seat belts were broken. They received a warning and instructed to have it fixed.

Florida is one of 30 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and four other U.S. territories that have passed primary enforcement laws, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Drivers pulled over for violating the law in Miami-Dade County will be fined $114, in Broward the ticket is $100. No points will be applied to a driver’s record.

The Florida statute is known as the Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Law in memory of two young women killed in accidents while not wearing their seat belts.

The National Highway Safety Administration has estimated the new law will save 124 lives and prevent 1,733 serious injuries in Florida every year. Most state laws go into effect on July 1, the first day of the new budget year, or on Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year for the federal government and many cities and counties. The seat belt law, though, is going into effect

CBS4 reporter Lisa Cilli contributed to this report (© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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Time Is Now To Find Personal Savings What does it mean to you and me? If you haven’t doubled checked your bills lately, now’s the perfect time to cut back all un-needed spending as we go into the 2nd half of the year.

Reporting Al Sunshine sunshia@wfor. cbs.com MIAMI (CBS4) — It’s the latest sign our recession’s cut deep and is still hurting a lot of us. The latest numbers from the American Bankers Association show for the first few months of 2009, late payments on consumer loans like credit cards, mortgages and home equity loans are now at their worst levels in more than 30 years.

With record unemployment, consumers are being forced to take out more loans and dip deeper into their savings than last year. And with less money coming into their families, they’re having a harder time keeping up with their bills. All of this led to consumer debt exploding to $939 billion dollars.

Coral Gables’ Financial Planner Matt McGrath says as we get further into the 2nd half of the year, it’s even more critical to “grow” your emergency savings. “The most important thing to focus on now is saving and growing your cash reserves, your money you’ll need in case of an emergency,” McGrath said.

He recommends double checking

your credit cards and home loans right now. Fight for the cheapest interest rates you can find.

Another good place to check is mortgage rates. Across the board rates have dropped to near record lows, from about 5 to 6 percent if you can qualify. According to bankrate.com, a 30-year-fixed mortgage rate is going from anywhere between 4.8 percent to 6.05 percent.

Cheapest Mortgages 30 year Fixed: 4.8-6.05% 15 year Fixed: 4.7-6.09% Variable: 4.7-6.09% Source: bankrate.com Cheaper credit cards are still hard to find although there are special transfer promotions as low as seven and a quarter percent.

Cheapest Credit Cards Simmons First Visa Platinum: 7.25% Iberia Bank Visa Classic: 8.75%

Iberia Bank Visa Gold: 9.75% Source: lowcards.com Another key to cutting back, use cash as much as possible and fight for cash discounts wherever you shop.

You’ll not only get a better price, you’ll cut back on your monthly credit card bills and tame those growing interest rates and extra fees.

And here’s another July tip for cutting your holiday bills. We’re in “Prime Time” for retailers to cut prices and offer summer bargains.

Start your holiday shopping right now and by the time the holidays roll around, you’ll have your shopping done. And hopefully, avoid those New Years’ credit card bills that take months to pay off. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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A Automotive Ray Martin Discussed Benefits Of Buying New With Cash For Clunkers, Gives Checklist On Whether You Should Repair Or Replace NEW YORK (CBS) — Americans are keeping their cars longer than ever before. The median age for passenger cars hit a record high of 9.4 years at the end of 2008. Drivers are loathe to take on more debt right now, while others are underwater with their car loans.

But eventually, everyone who drives an aging car will be faced with a major repair. At that point, you have to decide: repair, or replace?

Before deciding, Early Show financial adviser Ray Martin suggested running through a checklist on Thursday’s The Early Show: Safety: Older cars built before the early 1990’s lack important safety features like airbags and antilock breaks. While you can repair an older car, it’s usually not practical to retrofit it with new safety features. You might reconsider your plan to hand down the old car without safety features to your teen driver as teen drivers have the greatest incidence of accidents and fatalities.

Reliability: If your car is susceptible to chronic problems and you rely on it for regular transportation, it may be best to cut your losses and get rid of it. Better to fork over the money for a newer more reliable car than to lose your job for being continuously late.

Estimate of Repair Costs: Ask for an estimate from a qualified auto

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Expert On Repairing Or Replacing Your Clunker mechanic before you agree to any repairs. Look for a mechanic certified by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (or Automotive Service Excellence certified).

Value and Useful Life: It’s important to get an assessment of both the value of the car and the expected useful life once it’s repaired. In other words, once you cough up the cash for the repair, how much longer will you be able to drive the car? Ray says if you pay $1,000 (or less) and are then able to keep the car for another year (or pay $2,000 and drive for 2 years, etc) then the repair is worthwhile.

Average $1,000 out over 12 months and the repair will cost you about $83 a month - that’s much cheaper than a car payment! If the repair costs will significantly outstrip the value of the car or will not extend its useful life, then the repair may not be worth it.

If, after going through the above checklist, you decide it’s time for a new vehicle you’re faced with another choice: buy new, or used?

In the past, Martin always advocated buying a newer used car. By doing so you avoid the depreciation that occurs in a car’s first year -- a car typically loses 15 to 20 percent when you drive it off the lot, according to Martin. You’ll also avoid a lot of financing costs, he says, associated with a new car.

But for the first time, Martin says it may make sense for some folks to consider buying a new car.

“The Cash for Clunkers bill is a game changer,” he said.

The bill offers car owners a credit of $3,500 to $4,500 towards a new car if they turn in an old gas guzzler.

But why exactly is Martin so excited about it?

Because, he said, if you buy a car that costs $22,500 to $30,000, the

credit will offset the depreciation that occurs in a new car’s first year.

That means, 20 percent of $22,500 is $4,500; 15 percent of $30,000 is $4,500. By taking advantage of Cash for Clunkers, Martin said you can eliminate the major problem of buying a new car.

So, how do you figure out if you should take advantage of the Cash for Clunkers bill?

Another checklist: Does your car qualify?

Both your old and potential new cars must meet some pretty strict requirements; the biggie is fuel economy. If you drive an old SUV or truck there’s an excellent chance that you’ll qualify.

Sales values?

Used cars are in high demand these days. If you could get more that $3500-$4500 for your car in a private sale, you’re probably better off doing that instead.

New car costs $22,500 to $30,000?

Again, you want the Cash for Clunkers credit to equal 15 to 20 percent of a car’s value.

Can you afford car loan?

At the end of the day this may be the most important question of all.

Even if Cash for Clunkers is a good fit for you, you’ll still need to make a monthly car payment. If you find that you have to use most, or all of your emergency fund, or have to budget too tightly to make the payments, then start looking for a used car instead. (© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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2009 HURRICANE GUIDE

(CBS4) Florida Keys emergency managers are torn between when to issue evacuation orders during hurricane season.

Like the boy who cried wolf, managers and city leaders lose credibility if they order evacuations too soon or if the storm makes a sharp turn away from the island chain on Florida’s southern coast.

Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay emptied the island chain of guests due to two visitor evacuations and one storm falling on a holiday weekend. Though there was little damage, business owners saw their profits tumble. At least $29 million in tourist revenue was lost because of the August and early September storms.

They also drive tourists away and Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson said that adds up to about $1.5 million a day every time an evacuation is ordered, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.

‘’If we have the exact same year, the exact same storms coming from the same exact directions, this year we’d probably have one less evacuation,’’ Roman Gastesi Jr., Monroe’s top administrator told The Herald.

That’s why Monroe county officials say this year they may not issue evacuation orders right away.

Money isn’t the main concern, managers say. They say improved technology, more communications with other managers and stronger construction codes have increased the safety for residents and tourists.

Last year’s hurricane season served as a lesson for leaders. That’s when

Some Fear The Next “Big One” Will Bankrupt Florida Reporting Michael Williams mwilliams3@cbs .com

continued from page 1 through on his repeated campaign promise to push for a national catastrophic insurance fund.

Without it, hard pressed Floridians and their insurers continue to take a huge gamble.

Gelber put it bluntly when he said, “If we don’t get a national catastrophic fund we are in a lot of trouble. The state of Florida right now has an insurance policy that is a faith based policy. We hope there is

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Florida Keys Managers To Relax Evacuation Policies

Hurricane Guide Reporting Jasmine Kripalani jkripalani@cbs .com

JULY 2009

not a hurricane because if there is we are in a lot of trouble.” (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

‘’We’re not saying we’re not going to ask them to leave,’’ Irene Toner, the county’s director of emergency management. ``What we’re just saying is we may be more flexible.

We will look at it a little closer before we make the final call to go.’’ (© MMIX CBS Television Stations.

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I-Team: Foreclosed Homes FEMA’s Storm Solution?

Although this is JUST part of a drill, part of an exercise that FEMA is currently running in Florida, some past critics of the emergency management agency said it was just the kind of idea FEMA needs to consider.

Reporting Stephen Stock sstock@cbs.com

WASHINGTON (CBS4 I-TEAM) — Hurricane season is here, and as the CBS4 I-Team first told you two years ago, there are not enough FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) trailers for victims in case of a major storm.

Even after two years of charges and countercharges by Congressional leaders over the issue, the situation has remained the same. There aren’t enough temporary homes in case of a major storm in FEMA’s inventory.

CBS4 I-Team investigator Stephen Stock first broke the story of troubles within FEMA’s long-term, temporary housing inventory.

Wednesday, during a six-day drill being conducted by FEMA officials in Florida, planners tried out a new and controversial plan that would help solve that long-term, temporary housing shortage problem.

As part of a big role playing exercise, FEMA disaster planners floated the idea of putting storm victims in vacant, foreclosed homes in an area after a major hurricane strikes. One of the idea’s goals would be to keep Florida cities which are hit by a major storm from turning into ghost towns similar to what happened to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Tent cities as far as the eye could see were a common site around Homestead and Florida City after Hurricane Andrew hit. The Congressional critics of FEMA have been fighting to prevent a repeat for more than two years.

Now Congressional critics are worried that storm victims, after a major hurricane like an Andrew or a Katrina, could be living these tent cities for months or even years.

“If a category four or five hurricane hits a major population center, it’s ‘Katy, bar the door,’” said US Senator Bill Nelson, of Orlando.

“Not only do you have economic devastation. You have tens of thousands maybe hundreds of thousands of people that are without a place to live.”

But now, because of this plan, storm victims could end up in foreclosed homes if a drill becomes reality.

During part of a large statewide drill for training for future hurricanes Wednesday, FEMA officials, in some of the most outof-the-box thinking from Washington in years, floated the idea of putting hurricane evacuees in foreclosed homes in the event of a devastating storm.

“This is a very innovative approach,” US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said.

“I commend FEMA for looking at innovative ways to deal with the issue of not having enough homes; not enough temporary housing after a big storm comes.”

But Florida’s Senior US Senator warned there could be serious

problems with the idea. “I don’t think that’s a plan for alternate housing for hurricane victims,” Senator Bill Nelson said. “This plan could be fraught with a lot of peril.”

The idea of putting storm victims into foreclosed homes raises many questions, such as maintaining property, mowing the grass, convincing banks which own the mortgage to allow it, convincing neighbors worried about property values as well as figuring out how to get storm victims to leave once they move in.

But the idea is also drawing praise from both sides of the political aisle for its creativity. “This is the kind of innovative thing that FEMA needs to be doing,” Republican Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart said.

perhaps the idea should get serious discussion because it shows “outof-the-box” thinking and a creative approach to solving a serious housing shortage problem.

Meantime, FEMA still does not have a concrete and comprehensive written-out plan to provide massive, long-term, temporary housing in the event of a large hurricane anywhere in the United States.

There simply aren’t enough mobile homes, trailers or safe mobile units available in staging areas around the country right now. Both Senator Nelson and Representative DiazBalart, along with other critics, say they hope that changes soon. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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“I give FEMA an “A” for creativity,” said Democratic Senator Nelson.

Again, this is just a drill and FEMA officials insisted in a late e-mail sent Wednesday evening just before 6:00pm to Senator Nelson’s office that this idea was not under serious consideration. According to the email “There’s no FEMA policy to put disaster victims in foreclosed homes.”

The e-mail explained that this idea was part of a “big role-playing exercise going on in Florida now.”

And “the idea to use foreclosed homes to house disaster victims was put on the table as a ‘what if’ (if) a giant hurricane hit Florida.”

The e-mail to Senator Nelson said this idea of using foreclosed homes “has been done in the past in extreme circumstances before.” But “FEMA is not exploring it as a policy option.”

Even so, Representative DiazBalart and Senator Nelson say

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I-Team: GAO Insists FEMA Is Still Unprepared thereof of the federal government – especially FEMA – to fully respond adequately to another hurricane Andrew or Katrina.

Reporting Stephen Stock sstock@cbs.com

WASHINGTON (CBS4 I-TEAM) — Congress’ Investigating Arm confirms that FEMA is woefully unprepared to adequately handle a major hurricane if it were to hit the southeast United States.

“It scares me immensely,” Republican US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, of West MiamiDade, recently told the I-Team. “It scares me immensely, (as it does) all of us who lived through Hurricane Andrew.”

“We wanted a plan and we haven’t been able to get the administration for the last several years to come up with a plan,” said Florida Democratic US Senator Bill Nelson.

Now, the GAO confirms, in its report released last month, FEMA’s critics’ biggest fears.

CBS4 I-Team Investigator Stephen Stock first broke the story of FEMA’s unpreparedness more than two years ago. Stock reported that FEMA doesn’t have a plan to provide mass numbers of long-term temporary housing units in the event of a massive storm. And Stock reported FEMA lacked the ability to coordinate aid for victims in many other instances.

Years after being warned that there is no long term plan, no clear definition of responsibilities and coordination between federal, state, and local governments to better serve hurricane victims, the GAO says FEMA still falls short of being fully prepared to handle coordination of relief should another large hurricane hit anywhere in the United States.

Now, in a 123 page report from the General Accountability Office, the GAO says FEMA needs to complete and integrate planning and assessment efforts for the next big storm. While the report says FEMA has made some progress since Hurricane Katrina, the GAO also believes FEMA is not fully prepared for when the next big hurricane hits.

The GAO says FEMA has made progress towards these goals, but, “FEMA has not established a program management plan, “to help define roles and responsibilities...” on national state and local levels.

For more than two years South Florida congressmen, on both sides of the political aisle, have been warning us about another Hurricane Andrew or Katrina hitting the Sunshine state or anywhere else.

It’s not the winds and the rains of a major hurricane that worry critics.

Rather it is the ability, or lack

“We’re not where we should be,” Senator Nelson said. “And if the big one hits in the next two months, we’re going to be in big trouble on housing (storm victims over the long term). But that’s going to change.”

The GAO’s report backs Senator Nelson up. The report reads “FEMA lacks reasonable assurance that entities (such as local and state governments) have taken actions aimed at improving preparedness.”

However, the GAO concedes that FEMA lacks the authority to compel other agencies to act, and critics say that’s part of the problem.

FEMA critics such as Diaz-Balart and Nelson applaud the new FEMA director, Craig Fugate, because they say he can make the proper changes to make the agency better prepared. Fugate was Florida’s emergency director until last month when he took over FEMA. The critics expect that with Fugate in charge some of these problems will get fixed. They just worry it’s a matter of whether a big hurricane hits before Fugate can fix the problems. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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H Health Reporting Cynthia Demos cdemos@cbs.com

MIAMI (CBS4) — As we enter the “dog days of summer” many people will find their eyes are itching more, their nose is running and they can’t seem to stop sneezing.

Doctors say the most likely culprit is outdoor allergies. But another factor that could be what setting off the allergic reactions is indoors allergens. Looking room by room, potential problems are everywhere.

For example in the living room, the

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Allergens In Your Home May Be Making You Sick sofa, pillows and the kids’ stuffed toys all can harbor dust mites and pet hair.

“The idea is that it’s carried on guests who come to the home and gets deposited,” said allergist David Nash.

Another factor is the damp soil around house plants which is a recipe for mold.

“There’s probably moisture underneath that flower pot, and there may be mold growth,” said allergist David Skoner.

People who are susceptible to indoor allergens should vacuum the furniture at least once a week.

Tumble toys and throws in the dryer for 15 minutes because the hot, dry air kills the mites. Also, keep plants off the carpets and away from curtains.

In the kitchen, the refrigerator door seal and cooking steam are easy to

over look. A bleach and water solution will keep mold at bay on the cupboards, walls, ceiling, and door seal. The exhaust fan will also get the moisture out.

In the laundry room, mold can grow in damp, unwashed clothes as well as clean ones left in the washer for more than a few hours.

In the bathroom, pick a bath mat that can be washed. Bath mats should be picked up every time they’re used, and hung over an area where there’s air circulating all around them on both sides, to dry off.

In the bedroom dust mites love those warm pillows “What people are allergic to is actually not the mite, but their waste matter,” said Skoner.

Frequent dusting and vacuuming, getting shelves out of the bedroom all together, and using tight woven allergy-proof pillow covers can help.

And even hairless pets can pose an allergy threat.

“We’ve been telling people maybe if you have allergies it might not be good to have a furry pet.

Well, many of them do go out and get fish tanks. And I think fish tanks can certainly serve as a source of excess humidity and mold growth,” said Nash.

But before you go overboard chasing mold and dust bunnies, cleaning may not eliminate it all.

To control symptoms, some people may also need medications or allergy shots. Combining treatments and cleaning, most people will see improvement in a few weeks. For some, however, it may take 6 months or longer to feel any better. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Study: Coffee May Lower Alzheimer’s Risk NEW YORK (CBS News) — Two new studies have found that your morning cup of coffee might help treat or even prevent memory loss.

CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton say that the studies were done on mice.

“Researchers gave the equivalent of 500 milligrams of caffeine per day to little lab mice, who have been induced to have the same kind of memory changes we see in Alzheimer’s disease, and they found a very positive effect on their memory and thinking actions over a two-month period. So put another one in the column of a good effect of caffeine,” she explained.

The human equivalent (how much a human being would have to drink to have a similar effect) would be about five medium-sized cups of coffee.

“It looks like a lot, but it’s important to realize that now, when we go to a

deli or a Starbucks, this could actually be just the equivalent of 2 1/ 2 large or Grande cups of coffee a day. While it’s a little bit more than most people have in the morning, it’s actually not such an excessive amount,” she said.

Asked how quickly this effect was detected in these mice and how long it lasted, Ashton said, “They saw it over a two-month time period, and they’re still following them. It’s not yet known whether the changes appear to be permanent or not.

“Their thinking is that actually the caffeine worked by decreasing the inflammation in the brain, cuts down on the buildup of protein we see in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s disease.”

The studies appeared in the July 5 online edition of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Ashton said the findings are very

encouraging. “People are affected by Alzheimer’s. While it’s important to remember that caffeine is a drug, this is something that’s readily accessible in our environment practically. It’s in people’s day-to-day, and something that can have an effect like this is very important and very encouraging.”

Ashton notes that some caution is advised. Caffeine is a drug, and can be associated with increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, jitteriness, palpitations and dehydration.

“For people who have irregular heart beats, hypertension, women who are pregnant or those who are sensitive to the effects of caffeine, coffee, tea or soda should be consumed in moderation.”

These people should also discuss caffeine consumption with their health care provider.

Asked if she’d encourage people to drink more coffee, Ashton said, “It’s important to see the coffee didn’t have a healing effect but more of a therapeutic effect. More studies are on the way.” (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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H1N1 (swine flu) Virus Hits Baby in Neonatal ICU entire life inside Jackson Memorial. No one seems to know how she got the virus.

Reporting Natalia Zea nzea@cbs.com

MIAMI (CBS4 I-TEAM) —At least one baby in the neonatal intensive care unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital has contracted the H1N1 flu.

A source close to the incident told CBS4 Reporter Natalia Zea that the baby is a girl, who has spent her

Hospital officials refused to go on camera, but they released a statement saying in part, “One patient in our neonatal intensive care unit tested positive for the H1N1 virus. The child was in isolation prior to the diagnosis and remains in isolation. The baby was treated appropriately and is recovering.”

The child is in a room with other babies, but is being kept at a distance to try to contain the infection.

However, Jackson Health officials told the I-Team, “Another baby, who was located nearby, has also been tested and treated for precautionary reasons. Test results are pending.”

No one seems to know how the baby was infected but Jackson officials seem to lean toward an outsider, not medical staff bringing the virus in.

spread of the virus. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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They wrote, “We do not know how the child contracted H1N1 but it’s important to point out that patients in our neonatal intensive care unit are allowed visitations. It’s also important to remember our staff follows all regulatory guidelines on disease prevention and treatment.”

The question is, are other babies at risk? For now there is no clear answer. Zea tried to get test results and confirm how many babies have been tested from the Miami-Dade Health Department, but they will not release that information.

Jackson Memorial Hospital officials say they are doing everything possible to prevent the

Pillow Talk - Do You Have The Right Stuff?

“Initially, I thought it was because of how I slept. But as time progressed I realized it is getting worse rather than improving.”

Reporting Cynthia Demos cdemos@cbs.com

MIAMI (CBS4) — Do you ever wake up with neck or back pain and figure you just slept wrong?

Unfortunately, it could be more serious than that. You could be sleeping on the wrong pillow, which could lead to chronic pain.

Karen Rigg is like many Americans; she often wakes up with a stiff neck.

can help you avoid these symptoms.

The most common are cervical neck pillows.

“I think having the proper pillow can definitely help people particularly with neck pain,” said Dr. Christopher Brown with Orthopaedic Associates USA in Plantation.

“In general, what they do is support spinal alignment in the cervical spine. So whether you sleep on your back or on your side it’s going to keep the natural curve of your cervical spine supported,” said Richard Jordan, Regional Manager of Relax the Back.

He said the wrong pillow could certainly be part of the reason for neck and back pain.

“Some people have underlying conditions and depending upon what type of pillow they use, it may actually aggravate it,” explained Dr. Brown.

Then there’s the J pillow for side sleepers. “This helps to separate the hips and take the pressure of the hips and allow for spinal alignment, when you’re sleeping on your side,” said Jordan.

Beyond pain, other symptoms of a neck or back problem include numbness or tingling down the arms or in the hands or pain in your legs.

There are a number of pillows that

And there are wedges for the legs to take pressure off the lumbar spine and wedges for the back for certain medical conditions. “Some people have other reasons why they need to be propped up. Maybe they have acid reflux or respiratory problems,”

Jordan explained.

If you’re waking up with neck pain, it might be worth getting evaluated so that you can get a good night’s sleep.

“We sleep one third of our lives, so if you are sleeping in a poor position while your body is trying to heal, you won’t be able to get rid of the neck pain you’re waking up with,” warned Jordan.

The pillows discussed above can cost between $80 and $200 but you can find memory foam pillows for less. The only downside is you won’t get a custom fit if you don’t go to a specialty store.

To reach Dr. Brown at Orthopaedic Associates USA, visit his website. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Jenna’s Journey: Family Wants Answers On Cancer

Reporting Carey Codd cdcodd@wfor .cbs.com

THE ACREAGE (CBS4) — For three years, Kaye McCann believed her daughter Jenna’s death at the age of 4 from brain cancer was “bad luck.”

Her opinion changed two weeks ago.

That’s when residents from McCann’s neighborhood of The Acreage in Palm Beach County began realizing that a number of children and adults suffered from brain tumors and brain cancer within the past five years.

“To think there’s something that caused this, you want to get so angry,” McCann told CBS4’s Carey Codd. “First of all at the (government) agencies because you want them to move faster but also for whatever is causing this.”

The McCann family recently joined a growing chorus of Acreage residents demanding an investigation into why people in this community are ill.

“I don’t want anybody else to go through that,” said David McCann, Jenna’s father. “It’s not just 50 families. It’s 50-thousand families or however many are out here. We need answers. That’s all we’re asking for.”

There is no evidence that the cases are connected, but the suspicions are rampant. There are fears over the well water, pesticides from nearby orange groves or some substance in the soil.

Wednesday, Senator Bill Nelson convened a meeting of the community and the Florida Department of Health to share stories and solutions. Nelson told CBS4 he does not believe these cases are a coincidence.

“Losing a child is the worst thing a parent can ever go through.”

“Eighteen families came to the table and all have some form of cancer and most of the cases were brain cancer and all of these families live within a two mile radius,” Nelson said. “That is no coincidence.”

Little brother Jacob barely remembers his older sister. “If you ask Jacob where is Jenna? He says she’s up in the sky,” Kaye McCann said. “And that’s all he knows about her. He’ll never know the person she was.”

The Florida Department of Health is compiling data to see if there is a higher incidence of cancer in the area but the process is too slow for David McCann. He wants the Florida Health Department to thoroughly test the blood and tissue of several of the families living with cancer and determine what’s causing their illnesses.

“To take a wait and see attitude?

That doesn’t cut it,” he said. “How many people are gonna die? How many more children are gonna be affected? And now we have to worry about this for the rest of our lives.”

The McCann family already has a lifetime of pain to live with.

In February 2005, 3-year-old Jenna McCann began complaining of headaches. The diagnosis would change the McCann family in ways they never imagined: Jenna had brain cancer.

After surgery and treatment, a doctor told the McCann family Jenna would make a full recovery.

The doctor was wrong.

In December 2005, Jenna’s tumor returned. After surgery, countless rounds of chemo and radiation treatments, the doctor told her parents Jenna would not survive. She died on May 19, 2006.

“You never forget,” Kaye McCann said. “We do our best to live like normal people but we have part of us missing. A part of our heart is gone.”

The McCann family is heartbroken that Jenna will never again play with big sister Tara. “They were so close,” Kaye McCann said.

The entire McCann family lives differently than they did two weeks ago. They no longer drink from the tap and only use bottled water. The children are not allowed to play in the dirt. And the family is preparing to sell the home they’ve lived in for nearly 20 years.

“To not know that my family is safe living right here, I can’t have that,” David McCann said. “I cannot afford

to have one of my other children end up with a brain tumor. I couldn’t live with myself.”

Many other families in this rural community of expansive homes and multi-acre lots, feel the same fears.

They, like the McCann’s, are awaiting answers.

While they wait, the McCann family is forced to relive the most painful memories of their lives. Kaye McCann wonders if the purpose of Jenna’s short life was to warn the community of hidden dangers.

“I don’t want my daughter’s death to be in vain,” Kaye McCann said. “As hard as it is to think that was our daughter and to think that her purpose was to be here for such a short time, it’s hard.” (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Study: Water-Rich Fruits, Vegetables Help Shed Fat the body. And to add insult to injury, a new study says tummy fat creates more fat.

“What your belly fat does is create a hormone that sends a signal to your brain that tells your brain it’s hungry,” says Samantha Cassetty, nutrition director at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute.

Whole Grains, Water Rich Foods Can Help Trim Belly Fat Faster NEW YORK (CBS) — As beach season heats up, many are worried about their bellies, but it’s not just appearance that matters, CBS station WCBS-TV reported.

More than any other part of the body, belly fat is especially dangerous because it’s close to the heart.

It leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses at higher rates than fat elsewhere in

But new research from The Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows whole grains and water-rich foods can help you lose belly fat faster.

“Barley, bulgur, quinoa, oats, as well as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, oranges, berries will help keep you full and will reduce the fat around your middle,” says Cassetty.

Water-rich fruits and vegetables, like spinach, broccoli, apples, and blueberries, are thought to take more energy to break down in the stomach than their caloric worth, resulting in negative calories.

Americans can measure their waists to see if they’re at risk. Studies show women with waistlines more than 35 inches double their chances of dying from cardiovascular disease.

To combat an increasing waistline, there are a variety of foods to help.

Eggs, skim milk, and other low fat dairy products can keep you full for longer and provide you with needed energy.

In addition to eating healthy, exercise is crucial when trimming down the tummy. Exercises that focus on the core are guaranteed to tighten the abdominal muscles. Personal trainer Carlos Davila says the key is creating a routine.

“When you get up in the morning, roll out of bed, roll out the mat, do your ab exercises before you get started,” says Davila. “So it’s just finding the time during the day where it becomes habitual.”

The accumulation of fat in the belly is also linked to stress. Even though motivation to exercise may be at an all-time low during periods of high stress, nothing has been proven to reduce it faster and keep pounds at bay.

Belly fat is also the first kind of fat you tend to lose when you lose weight. Whether you’re an “apple” shape with excess belly fat, or a “pear” with wide hips and thighs, when you lose you’ll most likely lose more from the abdominal region than elsewhere.

In addition to being happier with a smaller waistline, shedding belly fat may also decrease your risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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S Sports Reporting Jasmine Kripalani jkripalani@cbs .com LITTLE HAVANA (CBS4) — The groundbreaking for the new Marlins stadium is less than two weeks away and Major League Baseball has announced a slew of free public events to encourage fans to attend.

The events will begin at 10 a.m. on July 18th on the grounds of the former Orange Bowl in Little Havana. The first 1,000 fans to arrive will receive a voucher for food, free of charge.

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Free Marlins Groundbreaking Events Announced “People will be able to see renderings, and there will be the release of new renderings,” team president David Samson said. “There will be videos shown that day. There will be opportunities to take pictures and an opportunity to get yourself in a groundbreaking picture.”

Bleacher seating will be available and the public can also watch the festivities from the live webcam that will remain operating throughout the construction of the stadium, which is expected to be completed in 2012.

Although it’s being billed as a groundbreaking, construction crews have already begun preparing the site for construction on July 1st, according to MLB.com.

That was hours after Miami-Dade Commissioners approved the sale of bonds to fund the stadium. The bulldozers peeled back the old sod to make way for all the workers,

concrete and steel to come. The estimated construction cost is at $515 million.

Exactly $300 million in Miami-Dade County tourism tax dollars are being used as collateral for the bonds to pay for the stadium. The Marlins

have agreed to pay just under $200 million with the rest coming from the City of Miami.

Source: MLB.com (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Tribune Company Reaches Deal To Sell Cubs sources said.

A court must also approve the sale, since the Tribune Company is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The sources said that the sale price is near the $900 million that Ricketts offered.

Sale To Ricketts Family Must Be Approved by MLB, Court CHICAGO (CBS) — The Tribune Company has reached a deal to sell off the Cubs and Wrigley Field, , sources tell CBS station WBBM-TV reports.

The Tribune reached a final sales agreement with the Ricketts family over the weekend, which will now be submitted to Major League Baseball for approval, the

Tom Ricketts, the point man in his family’s bid, said he will not issue a comment until the deal is approved by Major League Baseball, but a release is expected later in the day, the sources said.

MLB’s approval process is expected to take a few weeks, and more than likely will come in early August.

The Ricketts family founded a brokerage firm that became investment giant TD Ameritrade.

Report: Miami Least Sports Obsessed City MIAMI (CBS4) — Much has been made of the need to keep the Marlins in South Florida, with many claiming a new stadium will bring in more attendance. But, that may not necessarily be the case according to a new survey from Men’s Health magazine. The magazine ranked America’s “Top Sports Towns,” and Miami came in dead last.

Men’s Health tallied up the attendance for baseball, basketball, and football games (both college and pro), as well as attendance at high-school sporting events. In addition, the numbers included NASCAR attendance, number of people trying to get tickets, memorabilia sales.

The city of Arlington, Texas came in first, which probably comes from

the fan buildup for the new Cowboys stadium and the Texas Rangers baseball team. Texas also has a deep love of high school and college football, along with NASCAR races, and the Dallas Mavericks are just down the road in Dallas.

Aurora and Colorado Springs, Colorado; Indianapolis, IN; Columbus, Ohio; Jacksonville, FL; Fort Worth, TX; Dallas, TX; Charlotte, NC; and Anchorage, AK rounded out the top ten.

Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida were the highest rated sportsobsessed cities in the Sunshine State, coming in at 87 and 89 respectively. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

The deal includes a 25 percent stake of the Ricketts family in Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Negotiations were held up because the two sides had been arguing about the value of television rights for the team.

Now more than a century removed from their last World Series title, the Cubs were purchased by Tribune Co. from Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. for $20.5 million in June 1981. Tribune Co. put the team on the market on opening day 2007, when real estate mogul Sam Zell agreed to buy the corporation.

Tom Ricketts grew up watching the Cubs and once lived in an apartment above a bar across the street from Wrigley Field. His father, J. Joe Ricketts, helped

found the retail brokerage that became Ameritrade.

Tom Ricketts never worked as an Ameritrade executive, but he does serve on the Omaha, Neb.-based company’s board with his father and brother, Peter Ricketts. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Heat Go Luke Warm During Summer Free Agency MIAMI (CBS4) — Already over the National Basketball Association’s projected luxury tax, the Miami Heat have adopted a ‘wait and see’ approach to upgrade their roster this summer.

According to CBS4 news partners The Miami Herald, Team President Pat Riley has reportedly said he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the $40 million they would have next year to resign star guard Dwyane Wade and another free agent. Any major moves made this season would have to be accompanied by a commitment from Wade to sign an extension.

Wade becomes eligible for a contract extension on July 12. But he has suggested he would bypass that option to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Speaking on sports radio 790 The

Ticket on Monday, Wade expressed concern over the Heat’s lack of activity during the summer free agency but also expressed confidence in Riley. In the last two weeks, Cleveland, Boston, Atlanta and Orlando all made trades or received commitments from key free agents. Wade said although he felt a little as if Miami was being left behind, he’s learned never to count Riley out and planned to be patient and let him do his job. He also countered that Riley should not use his contract situation as a reason to delay roster upgrades.

Last season, the Heat finished 4339 but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Atlanta. (© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved.

This material may not be

Marlins Offering Unemployed New Jobs MIAMI (CBS4) —If you’re one of the thousands of unemployed South Floridians looking for a job, the Florida Marlins may have a plan that may help you get some money back in your pocket. As part of their “Economic Relief” programs, the team will allow out-of-work fans to sell tickets for the team.

Registrants must be at least 18years-old and will work in conjunction with sales executives from the team. The team indicated workers could earn commissions of up to 10 percent and bonuses.

The new program follows other Marlins “Economic Relief,” programs including: giving away mortgage payments at Saturday games and giving away free tickets to unemployed South Floridians on Monday.

If you’re interested, you can register at marlins.com or in person at Land Shark Stadium. source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)

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R Real Estate Reporting David Sutta dsutta@cbs.com

MIAMI (CBS4) — Last year Miami-Dade voters elected Pedro Garcia to be their property appraiser. Many thought he would realistically price their homes. Well be careful what you ask for--both Miami-Dade and Broward county property assessments are down roughly 13 percent. And in some cities it’s far worse.

Homeowners hit the hardest by depressed prices in Broward County include Parkland, Tamarac and Hallandale Beach. In MiamiDade the numbers are even more alarming. Homestead leads the county in values taking a nosedive down more than 25% in just one year.

Surprisingly North Bay village and Cutler Bay are not far behind.

Octavio Lopez, a North Bay Village resident, couldn’t make sense of the number.

“I really don’t understand how they came to those conclusions,” said Lopez. “Again, it’s a shock. It’s a total shock.”

Lopez lives and works in North Bay Village. He cannot make sense of why almost every other city is faring better than his neighborhood.

“We have waterfront properties and views that exclusive residential areas, that the houses go for five ten times what they do here, don’t enjoy our view.” said Lopez.

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Taxable Home Values Drop In Dade & Broward Garcia, the newly elected property appraiser told CBS4 News that the new values he’s come out with reflect reality.

“The prices that we had before like 2006-2007 were way above reality, and now those prices are coming down, well becoming reality,” said Garcia.

Last year 70,000 homeowners contested the property appraiser’s assessments. Garcia said he’s pushing his team to be as accurate as possible this time around.

“At my age I’m not looking to be 20 years as a politician,” he said. “I am going to spend as much time as I feel to do the right thing for that taxpayers.”

Lower assessments could mean homeowners pay fewer taxes. That is as long as no one raises rates. It may be possible because of billions of dollars in new construction is now complete. Developers who are holding onto thousands of empty units are now on the tax rolls. 2010 though could be a year of reckoning.

“There is a lot of areas that need a lot of help. My main concern is for next year. Prices are still going down and we have no new construction,” Garcia said.

While some homeowners may be expressing relief to see their tax bill come down. Lopez is growing increasingly concerned, watching his investment disappear.

“It’s a total shock. I don’t think any of the residents here would expect that much of a drop,” said Lopez.

The recession resistant neighborhoods in Broward County include: Sea Ranch Lakes, Pembroke Park, and Cooper City.

Values in those cities have dropped less than vie percent. And in Miami Dade: Golden Beach, Medley and

Opa-Locka are doing the best.

Golden Beach property values have dropped less than 3%.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Basketball Stars Focus On Homes Off The Court group because, “We all know about the tough economic times and people losing their homes and we want to lend our names to help the cause.”

Reporting Al Sunshine sunshia@wfor .cbs.com

MIAMI (CBS4) — Miami Heat Superstars Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning hit the road Thursday with an important message: If you’re at risk of losing your home because you can’t keep up with all your bills, there’s affordable help to fight foreclosure.

Dwyane Wade says he joined the

They brought their “Bringing Hope Home Motorcade” to MiamiGardens to meet Flora Johnson. She risked losing her home when she couldn’t keep up with her almost $1,700 a month mortgage.

She paid a local community group just $12 to negotiate temporary monthly payments down to about $900 a month. She still has to stay current for three months.

Johnson smiled as she added, “Through Neighborhood Services I just paid $12 to have them help me renegotiate a lower rate. Other businesses charge hundreds or more for the same thing. I got my loan reduced almost in half, but I have to

stay current for three months before I can get a permanent reduction for the life of the loan.”

The group also warned about the growing scams charging local residents hundreds of dollars for help they can get almost free to keep their homes.

While Flora Johnson is happy to get her loan payments reduced, she was almost speechless about being tagteamed by the Miami Heat for an afternoon she’ll never forget.

The nationwide campaign will reach residents through a bus tour as part of the Hope Now Alliance’s “Bringing Hope Home.” The bus has already stopped in Atlanta and Newark. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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“Mr. Alonzo Mourning, Mr. Dwyane Wade in my neighborhood visiting me and my family, it’s amazing,” said Johnson.

While volunteer groups are helping families keep their homes, remember to never sign any paperwork without first having it checked out by your local bank, financial advisor or close friend.

Next Wave Of Condo Flippers May Be Hitting Miami as he pointed to some of Miami’s hottest condo towers.

Many of these buildings haven’t been able to sell their units because of the economy. Rodrigo is eager to spend an incredible amount of money on them.

MIAMI (CBS4) — Some might say this is sign that the real estate market is bottoming out in South Florida. CBS4 News has learned that a large investment group is now in the area and is looking to spend half a billion dollars to scoop up steals and flip them.

Approximately 50,000 condos are for sale right now in South Florida, and 10,000 of those are in Downtown Miami.

“This is Mint, Ivy,” said Nino Rodrigo, of the Prodigy Network,

“We anticipate we are going to be buying about $500 million dollars in the next 12 months,” said Rodrigo, “starting with $100 million dollars within the next 90 days.”

The Prodigy Network is a group of overseas investors who are looking to put their cash into South Florida Real Estate, where others have been slow to.

“We believe the prices are hitting bottom,” said Rodrigo.

The group started shopping this

week, looking for newly constructed, but semi-occupied condos. Typically investors like him fly under the radar, not broadcasting they are scooping up deals. He agreed to speak to CBS4 because he, “want(s) every developer or every owner to know that we are interested in properties as long as they make sense.”

The group could buy entire floors, even entire buildings, depending on the developers. It has every intention of renting the units for a few years and then selling them, but Rodrigo was quick to point out this isn’t the kind of flipping that fueled the housing crash.

“The thing is that they are buying into something different now,” he said. “We are not giving 20% down to see what happens when the developer finishes the project or not. Now they are looking for

certainty.”

He has already started making offers in some well-known downtown buildings. You could be hearing of his first few deals fairly soon. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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New Lighting Can Make A New Home According to Dearborn, there are four types of lighting home decorators think about. The first is ambient lighting, which is general lighting in a room. This sort of lighting usually comes from overhead fixtures or a table or floor lamp.

MIAMI (CBS4) — Are you trying to freshen up your home without breaking the bank? It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. In fact, you can change the way your home looks with the flip of a switch!

Lighting can be an inexpensive and quick way to transform your décor.

“It’s really just a way to accent all of your other beautiful things and really just create an artful look,” explained lighting expert Lucy Dearborn.

Task lighting is more like spotlighting. It can be as simple as a halogen desk lamp or as complicated as under-cabinet lighting in a kitchen.

Accent lighting involves focusing on something specific, like a painting. Last is decorative, a form that doesn’t give a lot of light but provides something beautiful to look at, like candles and sconces.

You probably have more options to change your lighting than you realize. It could be as simple as changing your pendants, or adding

Florida Home and Condo Sales Rise While Prices Plunge TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) — The real estate market in Florida is yeilding mixed results for many. In a good news/bad news announcement, the Florida Association of Realtors reported Tuesday that home and condo sales were up by 16 percent in May over the same month in 2008. However, the average price had fallen nearly a third from almost $204,000 a year ago to a little more than $144,000 this year.

Condos have become particularly attractive for buyers, with the average price down by 38 percent from a year ago. The average sales price of a condo sold in Florida last month was $113,400 compared to the national average of $173,900 in April.

While Florida’s home-buying

situation is beginning to improve, its housing price declines still exceed those of the national average, which was 14.9 percent. (© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

pendants over peninsula.

an

island

or

If you have recessed lights and you are using incandescent bulbs, you may want to upgrade to a halogen bulb. It will give the lighting a bit more “pop”. Using dimmers to reduce the amount of power by just ten percent can double the life of your light bulbs. If you don’t need a lot of light at the end of the day, dimming the lights can help put you in a more serene state.

Adding track lighting or sconces can be a little more expensive, but according to Dearborn, there are other options, including compact fluorescents and LED lights.

Familiar and well-loved table and floors lamps can easily get a new lampshade.

If you’re trying something more ambitious, however, Dearborn

recommends you ask an electrician, especially if you are changing a fixture in an older home. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Man With Junk-Filled Yard Almost Done Cleaning Up three bedroom home in the 95hundred block of Sunset Strip in 1988 for $83-thousand, was sued by the city to clean up his property.

Reporting Kimberley Chapin kchapin@cbs.com

Three city code officers showed up at the house Monday morning armed with cameras. Daeder has done so well that he may get an extra day to finish the clean-up job.

He still has to remove dozens of cinder blocks and clean up his jacuzzi and pool.

The officers will return Tuesday to check things out.

SUNRISE (CBS4) — A man wellknown for filling his yard with all manner of bits and pieces of junk will have to find a new hobby; a Broward judge gave the Sunrise homeowner with the messy yard a week to clean up and the deadline is Monday, July 6, 2009.

Neighbors say Daeder didn’t always keep his house and yard cluttered with junk. It all started in 2005 when Hurricane Wilma damaged his roof. Daeder says his mortgage company, which went bankrupt, kept his insurance check.

William Daeder, who bought the

“I put a new roof on,” Daeder said.

“I did it within their time frame and they still liened me anyway.”

He said after that, he started receiving the fines from the city.

The first was in December 2005 for an overgrown tree that needed to be removed. He was then cited for his damaged roof, rotting fencing, several broken down vehicles in his yard and eventually for all the junk in his yard – which now includes a flatbed truck, which is piled high with junk.

In the last four years, Daeder has racked up more than $200-thousand in fines, roughly the assessed value of his home. The city has also placed a two hundred dollar a day lien on the property, which they won’t be able to collect until the house is sold.

Daeder told CBS4 News that the junk was actually his way of

protesting. “The only reason this stuff is here and the only reason this truck is here and all this stuff and debris, is because the city liened my house.”

Daeder, who used to work as a photographer, says selling the junk in his yard for scrap has helped him get by.

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