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GUN SMUGGLERS

AT MIAMI A CBS4 I-Team investigation into your safety has discovered that South Florida is quickly becoming known for more than just sun, surf and sand.

ALSO INSIDE I-Team: Airport Insecurity I-Team: Target Coupons Don’t Always Add Up No Hurricanes? Prepare For Wildfires Instead Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Controversy John Malkovich Back In The Saddle In Secretariat ‘Fins Ronnie Brown Takes On Teen Violence

October 15, 2010

The Adtimes Newspaper October 15, 2010 Edition

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October 15, 2010

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I-Team: Gun Smugglers Take Aim At Miami Reporting Stephen Stock MIAMI (CBS4) — A CBS4 IT e a m investigation into your safety has discovered that South Florida is quickly becoming known for more than just sun, surf and sand.

For years, Miami and South Florida were known as the center of the drug smuggling trade into the United States.

They were known as the days of the Cocaine Cowboys.

Now, federal agents say South Florida is fast becoming one of the hottest areas for the smuggling of guns and other weapons out of the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents say the weapons are illegally shipped to international criminal groups overseas.

U.S. ATF agents took I-Team investigator Stephen Stock inside this growing smuggling trade to get a closer look.

The store surveillance tape showed what would normally be a typical sale at a gun store. But instead of a typical, legal gun sale, it’s what federal agents say is at the heart of a growing trade in illegal international weapons sales.

Agents say South Florida has become the launching pad for thousands of guns, explosives and other weapons. The weapons and explosives are shipped to gangs, drug cartels and other criminal groups from Central and South America to Europe and the Middle East.

“It (South Florida) is the gateway to the Americas,” said Anarumo. “We have ports. We have international airports. The opportunity presents itself here. The ATF national tracing center has probably traced in excess of 380 thousand firearms (in the last year alone.)”

While not all those traces are from illegal guns seized by agents or used in crimes the vast majority are used by the criminal element according to the ATF. And while Texas and Arizona remain the number one area for gun supplies to be smuggled over the border to Mexico, agents here in South Florida report more and more international weapons smuggling originating here in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area.

“They bought a substantial number of weapons,” Anarumo said of one local group that shipped weapons to Central America before ATF broke up the ring.

To demonstrate, Anarumo showed more undercover video shot by ATF agents outside a motel near Miami International Airport. The undercover video shows suspects loading up eight different boxes with various guns and accessories hidden inside.

ATF intercepted the weapons before they were smuggled out of the country.

“A legally purchased firearm could be, let’s say, for instance $250 in the gun store,” said Anarumo. “You bring it out on the street you could get $500 (or) a thousand (dollars) for that same gun.”

I-Team investigator Stephen Stock asked, “So the markup is great?”

“It’s tremendous,” said Anarumo.

“This is surveillance video from the security camera in the store,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Miami Field Division of ATF Joseph “Joe Anarumo as he played the surveillance video.

Anarumo has led the Miami Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for years. And he’s seen Miami and Fort Lauderdale become more and more central to the illegal international weapons trade.

“There’s a lot of money to be had?” asked Stock.

“Oh there’s big money. It’s a big money maker. Yes sir,” said Anarumo.

As surveillance video shows, many of these sales originate with legal purchases by what’s known as ‘straw buyers.’

“They boxed up their weapons and took them with the intention of shipping them

off to Grand Caymans,” said of the suspects in the surveillance video.

Agents say a straw buyer typically purchases several guns legally before turning them over to a dealer. In the surveillance video shown to the I-Team the dealer was standing next to the female straw buyer in a white shirt.

The gun store worker selling the guns apparently did not realize what was going on. Both the straw buyer and the dealer were later convicted after the illegal shipment of guns heading overseas was intercepted by ATF in Miami.

“Again the salesman has no idea,” said Anarumo. “She (the straw buyer) has the legal ability to make these purchases. She provides the money she provides the identification.”

On the videotape, the money between straw buyer and store worker changes hands and the straw buyer and gun dealer walk out of the store with several weapons and a basket full of ammunition.

“They (straw buyers) purchase the guns at the direction of members of this organization at a profit generally they’re paid some sort of money for doing it,” said Anarumo.

I-Team investigator Stephen Stock asked, “And they, the straw buyers, get a cut?”

“They get a cut absolutely,” said Anarumo. “And then those weapons are turned over to the folks that they are going to distribute them illegally.”

And there’s the case of Broward County businessman, Victor Needleman, who two years ago owned a gun shop in a warehouse in Pembroke Park.

Later, according to Federal Court records, dozens of handguns sold by Needleman were intercepted by ATF agents at Miami International Airport. The weapons were headed out of the country.

The seizure included nearly 50 Glock and FN 5.7 automatic pistols sold by Needleman to an international arms dealer, according to the U.S. District Court records.

The records show that Needleman later plead guilty in federal court to conspiracy and selling firearms to a convicted felon.

According to court documents, the dealer, Osmar Mejia, planned to transport the guns in the airplane’s carry-on luggage with his wife’s help to resell them on the streets of Guatemala.

“To me yes it’s serious, because if we can save one person from being killed with an illegal firearm well then we’ve had a good day,” said the ATF’s Joe Anarumo.

But other guns, explosives, grenades, bomb materials and even parts for I-E-D’s (improvised explosive devices) get through and get shipped overseas.

Some federal agents told the I-Team they worry that some arms being sent from South Florida may end up in the hands of terrorists.

“Anything for money,” said one federal source who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the record. “They (the dealers) don’t care who they sell to as long as they have cash.”

Recently, ATF traced back guns used by rival drug gangs in a huge shoot out in Guatemala to a buyer here in South Florida.

In fact, experts say the United States has become the largest supplier of illegal guns in the Mexican drug war between rival cartels.

Recognizing this problem the ATF just received $37 million dollars from Congress to establish permanent 10 member teams set up in 7 different cities to exclusively fight international arms smuggling.

In addition to Dallas, Las Vegas and Atlanta, one of those specialized gun interdiction teams is being set up here in Miami. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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October 15, 2010

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I-Team: Airport Insecurity Reporting Stephen Stock MIAMI (CBS4) — In the nine years since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, the f e d e r a l government has spent billions of your tax dollars supposedly to create better security and aviation safety.

But a six month I-Team investigation into security at our airports raises serious questions about how much safer we really are.

I-Team investigator Stephen Stock digs up the truth behind what critics call “Security Theater” at our airports.

When police surrounded Miami International Airport, evacuating passengers and shutting it down last month because security teams found what they thought was a pipe bomb in luggage coming in from London, top Transportation Security Administration officials trumpeted the seizure as evidence the system works. And they said the incident was proof that American TSA screeners were more vigilant in discovering a threat than their counterparts overseas in other countries.

Critics, many of them former and even current TSA and FAA officials say the opposite is true. The critics said that this incident along with the underwear wouldbe bomber in Detroit last Christmas demonstrates that he current this bag checking, screening, restricting liquids and jells and forcing passengers to take off their shoes at American airports is actually a façade, smoke and mirrors, or as several put it “security theater.”

“Absolutely it’s security theater,” said Bogdan Dzakovich, a current TSA employee.

Prior to 9-11, Dzakovich served as a federal air marshal, a leader of an FAA red team. He currently works for TSA in Washington, D.C. The conclusions that TSA should have

reached by now nine years later (after 911) is that whatever they think they are doing clearly does not work,” Dzakovich said. “And there’s something else that you need to do. And we identified this same issue before 9-11.”

“As bad it was back then, it’s worse now,” said Dzakovich.

“In terms of security, in the TSA we are increasing the odds of terrorist success,” said for FAA inspector Steve Elson.

Elson quit the FAA in 1999 in disgust after serving on same red team that tested security as Dzakovich.

“We had about a 100% success rate. In other words they failed about 100%. We the terrorists were successful about 100%,” said Elson.

I-Team investigator Stephen Stock asked Elson “All over the country?”

“All over the country,” Elson said. “(At) every airport?” Stock asked.

inconvenience to the flying public,” said Sullivan. “And it’s all intended to make us feel more secure. It’s kind of like a facade of security.”

Sullivan now lives near Boston and continues to work in aviation security. He serves as an expert consultant to the families of 9-11 victims who’ve filed lawsuits over failures in aviation security.

Sullivan points to recent Congressional General Accountability Reports and DHS Inspector General reports showing TSA screeners consistently failing to catch test weapons and bomb materials that then get onto airplanes.

“In 2007, the GAO tested at 19 airports and what they tested was can we get IED or improvised explosive devices broken down into separate components either on the person or in the bag or on multiple people onto the plane,” said Sullivan.

“Out of 19 airports 19 failed.”

“The failure rate from end of Bush administration to beginning of Obama administration was off the charts,” said US Representative John Mica.

asked Mica “I’ve been told that it ranges anywhere from 75 to 90 percent failure rate?”

“Again, I can’t quote on that but the failure rates is way off the charts,” replied Mica.

“There is a failure rate that is higher than it should be,” said US Representative James Oberstar. “I don’t think it’s 75% 80%.”

Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat who chairs that same US House Transportation Committee and sees those same classified report cards on TSA security as Mica.

“But it’s still higher than you want?” asked I-Team investigator Stock.

“It’s higher than it should be,” said Congressman Oberstar. “That is why there needs to be more recurrent training they have to be at peak efficiency all throughout their shift.”

“Is this failure rate acceptable in your mind the way it is the way it is now?” asked Stock.

“Every single airport,” replied Elson.

Elson and Dzakovich maintain the failure rate on testing today mirrors those failures before 9-11.

A Republican Congressman from Daytona Beach and Orlando, Mica also is the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee which oversees TSA and the FAA.

“I used to say FAA security was zero security to put a numerical indicator on it,” said Dzakovick, “Meaning there wasn’t any security. You could do pretty much what you wanted to do. It was all illusion. But under TSA it’s actually worse than zero security.”

As such, Mica sees classified inspection reports on TSA failure rates. While the contents of those reports are classified, Mica confirms the failure rates for TSA screeners continue to be troubling.

“They’ve bought a lot of bells and whistles and they continue to try to make us feel safe and secure and unfortunately that’s probably the main purpose of all,” said Brian Sullivan, who retired from the FAA just before 9-11 but maintains contacts within the aviation security community.

For nine years Sullivan served as an FAA special agent working inside the nation’s security apparatus before he retired in January, 2001.

“We’ve gotten a lot of money spent, a lot of bells and whistles, a lot of

“We should be able to do a better job in detecting people who pose a risk,” Mica told the CBS4 I-Team.

Congressman Mica says TSA failure rates have even gotten worse recently.

“We test the system. So I know how the system works and it doesn’t work. That’s classified information but I can tell you publicly that the results that I’ve gotten even of late with this huge bureaucracy this huge number of employees even with this advanced technology, the results are not good,” said Mica.

CBS4 I-Team investigator Stephen Stock

“No. No. they need to improve vastly improve the detection rate there should be way fewer false positives and way fewer negatives,” said Chairman Oberstar.

“It’s all a big façade,” said former FAA red team member Steve Elson. “So you (the traveling public) should be worried, because somebody is going to hit us again.”

Officials at TSA in Washington, D.C. and in South Florida turned down our invitation for a spokesperson to sit down in front of our cameras to talk about these issues.

However, a high ranking TSA official who asked not to be identified did admit that TSA has been in disarray for years.

But the same official source insists “things are getting better.” (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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October 15, 2010

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Congress Passes Law After I-Team Investigation Reporting Stephen Stock MIAMI (CBS4) — A CBS4 IT e a m investigation into Medicare fraud is now prompting Congress to create new law to stop the fraud. As the ITeam first reported a year ago in a joint investigation with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Medicare fraud costs American taxpayers $60 billion every year.

Now, I-Team investigator Stephen Stock’s report is getting results and is one step closer to creating new federal law.

Undercover video, showing a CBS4 ITeam photographer and an assistant, separately selling Medicare names and numbers to clinic staffers, caught the attention of Congress.

“It wasn’t 20 dollar bills (that we got from the clinics for showing up),” said one

former fraud perpetrator who asked to remain anonymous because the source is now an FBI informant. “lt wasn’t Washingtons. It was Benjamins baby!”

“Benjamins” is a term used on the street for one hundred dollar bills.

After the I-Team investigation aired, uncovering just how easy Medicare fraud can be, South Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Democrat Ron Klein joined forces to propose changes in federal law to try to prevent some of this theft of tax payer Medicare dollars.

“What this (proposed law) does is it creates the beginning of the process with a much stronger screening of who gets the Medicare number in the first place,” said Klein who represents parts of Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

about and bringing to us. This is serious,” said Congressman Klein.

Federal sources say $1,5578,700,529 of that $6 Billion national fraud originates in Miami-Dade County, much of it fraud in Little Havana.

“We have more work to do. So I’m real pleased. But this is a good down payment,” said Klein. “We’re talking about saving literally millions and possibly more as we progress.”

Now Klein and Ros-Lehtinen’s bill has passed the US House of Representatives and is headed to the Senate where he predicts it will also pass and become law.

“Every crook should be on the lookout now,” said Klein. “This bill is coming.

And we’re coming after you.”

Ever since the I-Team’s investigation first aired Congressman Klein said he has been on a mission to change things.

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen was unavailable for comment for this story because of a family health situation.

“We’re talking about $60 Billion that you and your colleagues have been talking

Earlier she told I-Team investigator Stephen Stock that this new law will

make a big difference because it will hold both Medicare and clinics more accountable before they get paid.

Both Ros-Lehtinen and Klein expect the bill to pass the United States Senate soon.

President Obama has said he will sign it into law as soon as it passes. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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Braman Opens Locations To Sign Recall Petition handful of signatures from citizens who agreed that Alvarez should be recalled after the Miami-Dade County Commission voted to increase property taxes by double-digits in the county.

“The issue is 174 million dollars of tax increases on a community that’s hurting,” Braman said.

Five commissioners also voted in favor of the proposed budget and a separate recall effort will be launched targeting them.

MIAMI (CBS4) — Monday, billionaire businessman Norman Braman opened his first two locations where citizens can sign onto his recall of Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. Braman has less than 60 days to collect more than 50,000 signatures for his petition to recall Alvarez.

Braman’s two locations to sign the petition are located at: * 2020 NE 163rd Street, Suite 201, North Miami Beach * 1673 SW 27th Avenue, Miami, Fl. Braman has already collected his first

Alvarez isn’t backing down from Braman, who also unsuccessfully sued to stop the pact that started construction of the new Marlins Ballpark in Little Havana.

attempt by Alvarez to keep the recall question from going before the voters at all.

The mayor may challenge Braman saying that the billionaire can’t mount a recall because a separate recall failed earlier in 2010. Last December, Lazaro Gonzalez launched a recall effort that failed by February because he didn’t receive enough signatures.

If Braman is successful, the issue will be put to a vote in a special election. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

Alvarez has formed a political action committee (PAC), Citizens for Truth that gives him the ability to raise unlimited financial donations to help him fund his defense and any possible recall.

Alvarez also hired attorney Bruce Rogow, who helped Alvarez win strong-mayor powers on a 2007 ballot initiative.

Part of the strategy will include a legal

October 15, 2010

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Moms For Soldiers Send Care Packages Reporting Jorge Estevez

there and know they are fighting for us,” Hatch said.

MIAMI (CBS4) — A group of women are doing more than sending care packages, they are making sure certain soldiers are getting the attention they deserve.

These women are volunteering for the nonprofit that sends monthly care packages to troops overseas.

For them, another box packed, means another soldier served.

Some soldiers don’t receive packages or mail for various reasons sometimes because they have no family at home.

“I was so excited. It was such a good cause,” said Sue Hatch, a volunteer for the group, America’s Moms for Soldiers.

The group from South Florida are sending more than just supplies, they are sending a reminder that people have not forgotten our troops.

“I couldn’t believe there are soldiers not getting mail,” Hatch told CBS4’s Jorge Estevez.

“What they want is to know is that we, here in the United States, know they are

CBS4 cameras were there as they collected supplies from more than 60 companies at the Miramar Park of Commerce. These businesses donated goods to make sure soldiers overseas receive care packages.

“They go into the service and they sign their next of kin in their paperwork, they put none and that is just sad. That is just too sad and they are fighting for us,” Hatch said.

The troops are appreciative, not just for the actual items, but for what it means to know someone cares.

The feeling is mutual.

“Hearing from our military and hearing what they go through has really made a

difference in my life,” said Judy Smith, President for America’s Mom’s for Soldiers.

The organization started less than two years ago serving 40 soldiers and now, for the holidays, they expect to have 1,400 soldiers. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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I-Team: Reclining Seat In Car May Be Deadly Reporting Al Sunshine MIAMI (CBS4) — People who spend a long time in the car are likely to recline the front passenger seat.

But when that happens their seat belt may not protect them.

One family found out the hard way.

“I got a phone call from Rebecca. She’s crying, frantic,” explained Lisa Goodner.

It was a phone call that turned into a nightmare for the Goodner family.

“I can’t find her. We were in an accident, and I can’t find Sarah,” said Goodner recalling her daughter’s words to her the night of the accident.

Sarah was in the passenger seat. Her sister Rebecca was driving. They on their way home wearing their seatbelts when Rebecca fell asleep and crashed into a tree.

“When the car began to spin, the seatbelt didn’t hold Sarah in, and she was ejected out the back window of the Hyundai,” said Stu Goodner, the girls’ father.

What they later learned stunned them.

Because Sarah’s seat was in the reclined position her safety belt did not protect her.

You may not have known belts might not protect you when the seat is reclined. But government agencies have known that for more than 20 years.

The National Transportation Safety Board in 1988 wrote “the protection offered by a lap/shoulder belt can be compromised if its user has the seatback reclined while the vehicle is in motion.” But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declined to act.

Car manufacturers do put warnings in owner’s manuals, but the Goodner’s who sued Hyundai and won $1.8 million are hoping auto makers will do even more.

They’d like to see warning signs posted inside the car.

Florida International Student Chris Zagales sees his friends reclining their passenger seats all the time while driving around South Florida and he doubts any of them know about the danger.

It wasn’t difficult for Chris to see problem for himself when he reclined car seat and that’s exactly what Goodner’s have been worrying about the past 3 years.

the his the for

“It’s been almost three years and it still seems like yesterday. But I don’t want anyone to have to go through this, so whatever we can do to stop that is important to me,” admitted Lisa Goodner.

Hyundai told CBS News it believes the accident was the driver’s fault, but the jury’s verdict amounted to a finding that nearly every car on the road is defective and dangerous for allowing front passengers to recline their seats.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns the safest position for a seat is upright. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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I-Team: Home Insurance Discounts Harder To Get Reporting Al Sunshine MIAMI (CBS4) — Like so many other South F l o r i d a homeowners, Country Walks’ Alina Blanco wages war with her budget every month. When her homeowner’s insurance bill recently went up to more than $5-thousand dollars a year, she found cheaper coverage.

The health insurance executive changed companies and fought for every insurance discount she was entitled to, including her storm shutters. Alina said the discounts were very important to her and if she had to pay more on here bill, “I’m not going to be able to afford my home”.

Most families have several different kinds of storm shutters protecting their homes like older storm panels or the newer accordion style shutters. But it turns out they may not qualify anymore for the insurance discounts. That’s because after complaints from the industry, state insurance regulators changed Florida’s residential inspection program.

Why the issue?

Allegations of fraud.

“The industry’s concern was a lot of unqualified people were certifying that homes were eligible for discounts when

they weren’t. So they looked for a more uniform way of certifying inspectors, but it worked the other way around,” said Dulce Suarez-Resnick of Doral’s NCF Insurance.

For some homeowners, “worked the other way around” means that they’ll lose the discounts they counted on because of the way homes are now being inspected.

Insurance insiders said homeowners could see as much as an 80% rate hike on the windstorm portion of their premiums when their homes are re-inspected under the new guidelines.

“I have a customer who lost their mitigation discounts and the new bill went all the way up $10,000 a year from the increased windstorm portion of his premium,” said Suarez-Resnick.

So what actually changed?

CBS4 Chief Consumer Investigator Al Sunshine said when his home was last inspected in 2007 it qualified for a series of storm shutter and roof bracing discounts.

But under the current inspection guidelines, the very same shutters didn’t meet the requirements and the inspector, hired by the insurance company, couldn’t verify the roof qualified for any discounts at all. That, despite the fact the original inspector three years ago found the shutters and extra roof bracing did qualify for discounts.

Sunshine said some of the new requirements are actually impossible to meet, because in some cases, a portion of the roof would have to be torn open to verify that it included a water-penetration

barrier that can’t be seen once the roof is completed.

Professor Jose Mitrani is a construction management expert and Professional Engineer who teaches at Florida International University.

When Sunshine asked him “What chance do most homeowners have under the current guidelines to get a discount, he answered “Not Much.”

The building code expert said the new inspection program is based on Florida’s tougher building codes that most of the state’s older homes can’t meet without expensive modifications and upgrades like entire new roofing systems.

“Since the majority of homes were built prior to 2002 when the new statewide code came about, or after Hurricane Andrew in 1993, and the code changed down here in 1994, a majority of the homes statewide will not meet the new requirement or most of the requirements,” said Mitrani.

Blanco said she didn’t know about the changes in the state’s inspection program.

“I’m surprised they didn’t let people know about this. It almost sounds like a trick to me to get higher rates. Something sounds funny to me,” said Blanco.

Suarez-Resnick said consumers need to start getting all their old permits and inspection records together to prove to their insurance companies their homes do meet current codes and to contest a bad inspection.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation recently held a workshop on its inspection program and is studying ways of improving it. The state’s biggest Insurer, Citizen’s Property and Casualty, temporarily suspended inspection on its business policies to evaluate its findings. It’s also adding more inspection companies to manage them.

Citizens’ officials insist most of its customers will still qualify for some of their earlier discounts. But as the program stands right now, insurance companies can require policyholders to get their homes reevaluated by building inspectors picked and paid for by them, to decide i a home qualifies for any discounts.

Under current insurance regulations, consumers can still hire their own certified inspectors to check out their homes. But with no independent mediation process in place and no way arbitrate disputes, consumers have no way of getting a discount on their insurance bills if their insurance company decides it’s own inspectors came to the proper conclusion.

And the all comes at a time when Florida remains one of the worst states in the nation for foreclosures and faces double-digit unemployment in many of its largest residential areas. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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I-Team: Target Coupons Don’t Always Add Up Reporting Al Sunshine MIAMI (CBS4) — Coupon clippers beware!

Depending on where you shop, you may be shortchanged at the register. One of the nation’s biggest retailers is having problems processing coupons and shoppers may not even realize it.

Back in June, Amy Gunderson started noticing something strange when she shopped at Target. The mother of four was getting short-changed when using coupons at checkout.

“At first I thought, ‘what the heck?’” said Gunderson.

When she used a coupon for $4 off 10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones, Target only took $1.99 off her bill.

And on another trip, she used a different coupon.

“At Target I should have gotten $5 off, I got

$2.04 off,” said Gunderson.

one can, shorting us 23 cents.

When CBS News checked four Target stores using hidden cameras, the registers didn’t ring up those coupons properly either.

When we visited another store in Miami, our $1.00 off four cans of Progresso Soup rang up correct. The register also took 75 cents off two Scotch Brite sponges, the correct amount of our coupon.

We were short-changed at several different locations and brought it to their attention.

In two other stores, the cashiers fortunately caught the register’s mistake.

The problem seems to affect manufacturer’s coupons where you have to purchase multiple items.

When we shopped, the register only took off the value of one item, not the full value of the coupon.

For example, when purchasing Smart Ones priced at 1.80 a piece, we had a coupon for $3.00 off six.

At checkout, the register took off $1.80 the price of one meal — but didn’t roll over the remaining 1.20 savings to the others.

When using a coupon for $1.50 off three cans of Campbell’s soup, the Target registers took off just $1.27, the price of

Some Target shoppers are surprised.

“I usually watch to make sure I get everything,” said coupon user, Eileen Brusco.

“I would have said something because I really watch my money,” said coupon user Jacquelyn Tillery.

When Amy brought it to the attention of customer service, she got her money. But getting Target to fix the register problem is easier said than done.

Amy wants to warn other consumers so they don’t get shortchanged.

“If you are not paying attention, you’re not getting the value of the coupon you’re submitting,” said Gunderson.

Target tells CBS News it has been aware of this problem for at least a month. The

company is working on a fix, but can’t say when this will be resolved.

Meantime, if you use coupons at Target, be sure check your receipt before leaving the store and if you find a discrepancy, go to guest services for a full refund. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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Taxpayers With Chinese Drywall Can Claim Losses Taxpayers who have or had the bad drywall in their homes between 2001 and 2009 are eligible for a break from the IRS. They can file an amended tax return claiming repairs to homes and household appliances as casualty losses.

MIAMI (CBS4) — Homeowners whose residences were damaged by tainted Chinese drywall are getting a break from Uncle Sam.

The Chinese made drywall in question has been found by state and federal agencies to emit “volatile sulfur compounds.”

Researchers also found traces of strontium sulfide, which can produce a rotten-egg odor, along with organic compounds not found in American-made drywall.

Homeowners complain the fumes have corroded copper pipes, destroyed TVs and air conditioners, blackened jewelry and silverware.

An analysis of shipping records found that more than 500 million pounds of Chinese gypsum board was imported between 2004 and 2008, enough to have built tens of thousands of homes.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received more than 33 hundred homeowner complaints from 32 states including Florida, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, in one of its largest consumer product investigations in U.S. history. (© 2010 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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HURRICANE SECTION 2010 Everything You Need To Know To Be Prepared This Hurricane Season.

• Tracking Map • Emergency Phone Numbers • Safety Information • Important Articles

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No Hurricanes? Prepare For Wildfires Instead Reporting Dave Game Ta l l a h a s s e e (CBS4) - While there’s still a m o n t h remaining in Hurricane season, Florida has been lucky to avoid a major storm during the 2010 season. However, state officials are warning that luck comes with a price: a lack of tropical rainstorms this year could mean a higher danger of wildfires next year.

Florida Agricultural Charles Bronson is predicting, “a tough wildfire season ahead.” The lack of rainfall normally brought by tropical systems is one reason.

The other is abnormally cold sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean - a

condition known as “La Niña.”

The weather phenomenon affects weather patterns across North America. For Florida it will mean a warmer, drier winter.

Bronson said the Florida Division of Forestry has tried to minimize the potential hazard with a record level of controlled burns on state and private timberlands in the last fiscal year. They reduce brush, fallen limbs and other potential wildfire fuel. (© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.) news powered by

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Phone Numbers & Web Links TDD number (305) 468-5402

Professional Regulation: (850) 487-1395

State Farm: (800) 732-5246

Monroe County Office of Emergency Management (305) 289-6018

Miami-Dade: (305) 468-5790

Allstate: (800) 547-8676

Broward: (954) 765-5108

Nationwide: (800) 421-3535

Special Needs Registry: (305) 292-4591 National Flood Insurance: (800) 638-6620 Emergency Information: 1-800-955-5504

Insurance

Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management: (561) 712-6400

Florida Department of Financial Services (Insurance): (800) 342-2762

OTHER IMPORTANT NUMBERS: CBS4 Hurricane Hotline (877) 419-2274 NEIGHBORS 4 NEIGHBORS PHONE BANK: (305) 597-4404

American Red Cross Broward: (954) 797-3800 Miami-Dade: (305) 644-1200

SPECIAL NEEDS REGISTRY: Upper Keys: (305) 852-9612 Miami-Dade County (305) 513-7700 Lower Keys: (305) 296-4033 Broward County (954) 537-2888 Palm Beach County: (561) 833-7711 Monroe County (305) 292-4591 Palm Beach County (561) 712-6400

Cooperative Extension Service for questions about saving trees after a storm:

DURING THE EMERGENCY:

Broward: 954-370-3725

Broward County Hurricane Hotline: (954) 831-4000

Miami-Dade: (305) 248-3311 The Keys: (305) 292-4501

Miami-Dade Team Metro Hotline: (305) 468-5900

BellSouth Repair: 611

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:

To Report Electric Trouble:

Broward County Emergency Management Division: (954) 831-3900

FP&L Call 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) to report an outage or a downed power line that is sparking or appears to be energized. Have your FPL account number for faster service.

Special Needs Registry: (954) 537-2888 Hurricane Hotline during a storm: (954) 831-4000

Florida Keys Electric Cooperative Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management: (305) 468-5400 Emergency Evacuation Assistance: (305) 513-7700

Tavernier: (305) 852-2431 Marathon: (305) 743-5344 Keys Energy Services

TDD number (305) 468-5402 (To register if you have special needs)

South of Marathon to Key West: (305) 295-1010

Miami-Dade County Answer Center:

To find out if a contractor is licensed:

(305) 468-5900 (English and Spanish)

Florida

Department

of

Business

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I-Team: Mortgage Foreclosure Nightmare Reporting Stephen Stock MIAMI (CBS4) — A CBS4 IT e a m investigation into your money is now following r i p p l e s throughout the nation’s home mortgage industry and experts say every homeowner could be affected before it’s over.

On Friday the nation’s largest mortgage holder, Bank of America joined GMAC and JP Morgan Chase in stopping or suspending foreclosure proceeding in 23 states, including Florida, because of questions about forged, false and possible fraudulent documents used to foreclose against homeowners. Also on Friday a major home title insurance company signaled it would not provide title insurance on homes foreclosed on by GMAC mortgage. While it later backed away from that statement, several title companies were gathering to discuss whether to quit backing questionable foreclosure proceedings.

Earlier, CBS 4 I-Team investigator Stephen Stock uncovered forged and fraudulent documents that may have been used in thousands of foreclosure cases in Florida. And now the entire real estate industry could be impacted—even those who did not have a direct hand in the foreclosure document mess.

“I felt as if like everything was coming down,” said Bradenton homeowner Xavier Bracco.

Bracco has battled his mortgage lender for nearly a year ever since a cut in pay at work forced him to miss one payment by thirty days.

“I came in and starting seeing my doors opened (after being gone on business for several weeks),” said Bracco.

It turns out that on seven different occasions, workers sent by the bank broke into Bracco’s home, signing a log on his kitchen counter and changing the locks in an apparent attempt to take possession and foreclose.

“This is a system that is run amok,” said

Bracco’s attorney Roy Oppenheim.

“Institutions (such as the banks) think they are higher than the law.”

It’s a system that now threatens to descend into chaos after officials with mortgage lenders G-M-A-C and J-P Morgan Chase admitted that they can’t verify the authenticity of thousands of documents used in court. The unverified documents were used to foreclose against homeowners such as Xavier Bracco.

Now title insurance companies are backing away from the entire process because of the uncertainty.

“The title companies are going to have to stand up and bat for those homeowners and investors that bought foreclosed properties that were illegally and improperly foreclosed. And they’re going to have huge claims,” said Oppenheim, who is one of the foremost foreclosure defense attorneys in the country.

Oppenheim said he has witnessed firsthand forged and fraudulent documents used by banks to try to foreclose against his clients.

Oppenheim regularly gives live lectures on the web and writes his own blog.

“We anticipate that as much as 10% of all foreclosures in the state of Florida will be infected (with questionable documents),” said Oppenheim.

That uncertainty will impact special foreclosure courts around the state of Florida such as the one in Broward County where the I-Team found attorneys for banks and homeowners in a line stretching out the door. In the Broward County special foreclosure court, in August judges cleared as many as sixty cases an hour and as many as 600 to 700 a week.

“In South Florida and the rest of Florida that’s going to lead to serious significant problems,” said another foreclosure defense attorney Robert Puzio.

Attorney Robert “Bob” Puzio also represents dozens of homeowners facing foreclosure in front of these special courts, what’s become known and the “Rocket Docket”

“It (the process) absolutely has to slow down,” said Puzio. “The court has to have the proper documentation in front of it.

The court has to look at every document that is submitted pre-foreclosure.”

So why should you care?

Experts’ answer to that is this: because this could top up the entire home buying system through legal uncertainty. Experts say it could create a crisis in confidence in the home mortgage system and thus keep you from buying or selling a house for years even if you have nothing to do with this foreclosure crisis. This problem on unverified documents is so bad that Florida’s Attorney General is now investigating.

And foreclosure proceedings involving both GMAC and JP Morgan Chase have been suspended or halted in 23 different states including Florida.

And late Friday afternoon, the Associated Press reported that a Bank of America—

the nation’s largest mortgage holder— joined it was joining the group and halting foreclosure proceedings in 23 states including Florida. This came after a Bank of America official admitted in a legal proceeding that she signed up to 8,000 foreclosure documents a month and typically did not read them.

Defense attorneys Roy Oppenheim and Robert Puzio say that from the documents they’ve seen in court, as many as a half dozen mortgage banks could also be involved.

Oppenheim will give a lecture on the web on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, on the topic of faulty documents and problems with title insurance. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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Downtown Miami To Get First Supermarket Reporting Dave Game Developer Says It Will Build A Shopping Center Anchored By A Publix MIAMI (CBS4) — You can shop for a lot of things in the heart downtown Miami, but you can’t visit the supermarket.

That’s about to change, with Tuesday’s announcement by a developer that it will build a Publix-anchored shopping center right on Biscayne Boulevard, just a stones throw from the Adrienne Arsht center and in the shadow of a host of brand new condos. The developer is crediting the decision on the growing number of people who are calling downtown Miami home.

“Downtown Miami is one of South Florida’s fastestgrowing residential areas, and the arrival of a new Publix in the legendary Omni neighborhood will undoubtedly spark interest from other national and local retailers,” said Robert Breslau, President of Stiles Real Estate Investment Services Group. “We are proud to have the opportunity to be a part of this much-needed project and look forward to helping reenergize this prime location for potential businesses, restaurants and offices.”

The 57 thousand square foot shopping center will be three stories tall and will be anchored by the 49 thousand square foot Publix store, which will include a bakery and pharmacy. A Publix liquor store will be located in one of the other stores in the center.

The developer didn’t announce the names of any other tenants, but said the space is available for lease. The center will be located between NE 17th Terrace and NE 18th Street, just down the street from the former Omni Mall.

The project is set to open in 2012.

The Miami Downtown Development Authority released a study claiming that of the 22 thousand condos built between Brickell and SR 112 since 2003, 74% are occupied. That brings an increased demand for services found in other residential areas, like suburbs, which have been lacking in downtown Miami.

Currently, the closest supermarkets serving downtown residents are in the Baypoint area 30 blocks north of the new shopping center, and three stores to the South of the Miami River serving the fast growing Brickell area. There are no stores in the heart of downtown Miami. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Controversy Reporting Cynthia Demos MIAMI (CBS4) — It’s been nearly a year since a U.S. government task force recommended some pretty drastic changes to breast cancer screening guidelines. And all the controversy it stirred up hasn’t let up one bit since then.

There are plenty of people who are saying you shouldn’t be following the recommendations from that study, including Deborah Bussel.

“I just had been feeling ill, call it out of sorts, I couldn’t put my finger on it, explained Bussel.

Deborah the news.

“There was significant change from the previous year. And there was a little cancer,” said Dr. Kallos.

Deborah’s husband Steve and 3-year old daughter Lily depend on her. But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said she wasn’t even a candidate for a mammogram.

“She had no family history, she was below age 50. Therefore, as far as the task force, she shouldn’t have a mammogram,” said Dr. Kallos.

Deborah’s had two surgeries. Dr. Kallos believes she’ll have a healthy future but she’s furious about what she says is bad advice from the task force.

Bussel is a wife and a mom and has a busy schedule. But when the 49-year old woman started feeling a bit off, she went in early for her annual mammogram.

“There was no oncologist, no radiologist, and no breast surgeon. They came with this recommendation that could put the effort of the whole nation for 30 years down the drain,” said Dr. Kallos.

Dr. Nilza Kallos was the one who gave

Now Deborah has some advice.

“Don’t wait until you’re 50. If I had waited until I was 50 I would be in a very different situation now,” said Deborah.

Ask your doctor what’s best for you. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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Your Marriage Or Your Kids - What Comes First?

Reporting Shannon Hori MIAMI (CBS4) — Your marriage or your kids, which is at the top of your priority list? In many of today’s busy families, it’s the children who most often get top billing. But, one expert believes that could spell trouble for the whole family.

It is 7:15 on a Wednesday evening and Kelly Guagenty’s two daughters are fed, bathed and almost ready for bed.

Kelly has put in six hours at her job as an attorney, shuttled the kids to their activities and helped with school work.

It’s been a busy day and she hasn’t seen her husband since he left for work at 7 a.m.

Chances are she won’t see much of him at all. “I would love to spend more time with him at night; it’s just not going to happen.

We’re just too tired,” Kelly explained.

That’s a problem according to David Code, family counselor and author of “To Raise Happy Kids, Put Your Marriage First.”

“For most parents these days, their children are priority number one and their marriage is maybe priority number 10,” Code said.

In his book, Code explains that no one wins when parents are hyper-focused on their kids.

“Today’s parents are breaking their backs trying to create the perfect trauma-free childhood so little Johnny can grow up to be the perfect adult. It’s anxiety-producing.

It’s exhausting. And it isn’t working,” he said.

Code has counseled many families and has seen this type of anxiety lead to all kinds of emotional and learning problems in

children.

parents,” Kelly remembered.

“It’s an epidemic,” he said.

Children of the 50’s and 60’s stayed under the radar, while the adults were the priority.

Kelly’s two girls are happy and healthy, but she does worry that too much attention could lead to a sense of entitlement.

According to Code, there is reason for concern.

“We have to start training our children from zero to 13 rather than just coddling them and bailing them out of every problem,” he said.

“Then they end up like mush when they’re 18 and going off to college on their own.”

Kelly and her husband have plenty of company.

Families that revolve around the needs of the children is a cultural shift from previous generations.

“It absolutely wasn’t like this with our

Code says we don’t need to turn the clock back, but we should be more aware of the health of our relationships or face the consequences.

“We look up one day and realize we’re living like roommates with the person that’s supposed to be our spouse and that’s when people file for divorce or have an affair.”

So the next time you’re feeling guilty about leaving the kids with a babysitter, remember you may actually be doing them a favor. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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New Knee Brace Could Help You Avoid Surgery Reporting Cynthia Demos MIAMI (CBS4) — Most patients who undergo k n e e replacement surgery have about 6 months of recovery following the procedure. But what if you could avoid surgery as well as all that recovery time simply by wearing a knee brace? There is a new device that helps rebuild cartilage and repair arthritic knees.

Three decades of golf, tennis and softball has taken a toll on Brenda Difiore’s right knee. The 65-year-old doesn’t participate in sports anymore because simply walking left her in excruciating pain.

“It’s been 30 years and now a lot of that has turned into arthritis and some degeneration,” explained Difiore.

Difiore was a sure bet for knee replacement surgery. However, her doctor Orthopedic Surgeon Joseph Perita suggested she try something else. A noninvasive brace called BioniCare.

“What it does it uses an electrical current around the joint and what this current does is it affects things called condrasites which are the cells inside your knee that produce cartilage,” explained Dr. Joseph Perita.

Amazingly, the electrical stimulation makes dormant cell membranes receptive to more nutrients according to Dr. Perita.

Ultimately rebuilding cartilage in areas where it had worn away over time.

“This is the only thing I’m aware of that can actually make an arthritic problem better. There’s a lot of things out there that can make it feel better this can actually make your arthritis better,” said Dr. Perita.

Patients must wear the brace for 750 to 1,000 hours to get the full benefits of the device. If it doesn’t work, there’s no harm

no foul, patients can still have surgery if they need it.

After just 3 months of wearing the Bionicare brace, Difiore is amazed at the results.

“I’ve noticed a lot more flexibility, less pain of course the biggest thing is pain,” said Difiore. “Between family, children and grandchildren and their games their sports activities I wasn’t able to walk to those things now I am.”

Dr. Perita says stem cell injections would have the same results as far as rebuilding cartilage but they are expensive and often not covered by insurance.

The FDA approved Bonicare is covered by insurance. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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Burned Teen Celebrates Birthday & Recovery Reporting Tiffani Helberg

three teenagers threw alcohol on him and struck a match, engulfing Michael in flames.

He eventually extinguished the blaze on his body by jumping into a nearby pool.

For months afterwards, his family crowded around him as doctors graphed skin to his young body and put him through intensive rehabilitation treatments.

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) — Michael Brewer blew out the candles on his sweet sixteenth birthday cake as a crowd cheered and the media crowded around the young man. The celebration came just one day before the one year anniversary of the day he nearly died.

“I think about it all of the time,” said Michael Brewer Senior, the teen’s dad.

“But I’m just glad he’s still with me.”

Brewer is lucky to be alive. Police say

Today, the scars are visible on his arms.

But the majority of them are hidden under his clothing.

“I’m pretty good I feel wonderful, I have energy,” said Michael Brewer. He said the pain is now gone and he is done with medication and therapy sessions.

Now, like most teenage boys he’s itching to start driving and looking forward to one day attending college. Ultimately, he said he wants to become an FBI agent. His parents looked on at times with tears in

their eyes, thinking about the son they almost lost.

“I’m just amazed at the strength from him that he’s had. I’m grateful.” said Brewer’s dad.

It is a strength that the Brewer family said comes in part because of the community’s support. CBS4 News’ Neighbors 4 Neighbors presented Michael with a huge banner signed by hundreds of students all wishing the teenager well.

Brewer accepted the gift with a smile on his face promising to hang it in his bedroom. “Its wonderful; I love it,” he said. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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New Vaccine Offers Hope For Brain Cancer Victims

DURHAM, NC (CBS4) — A new vaccine appears to be extending the lives of patients with a deadly type of brain cancer. The vaccine, when added to standard therapy, was able to double the average life expectancy of people suffering from glioblastoma.

“When you get a diagnosis of glioblastoma, a lot of bad things go through your mind,” said Lee Sullivan who was diagnosed with it last year.

Now he’s in a study at Duke University where he is given an experimental vaccine along with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Researchers found that adding the vaccine to the regular therapy extended the average person’s survival time from 15 months to 26 months.

the cancer with that genetic mutation.

While the study has been small, researchers say the findings are significant.

“It educates the immune system to produce antibodies, or magic bullets, to find the tumor and helps the immune system target the tumor very specifically,” said Dr. John Sampson a Professor of Neurosurgery at Duke University Medical Center.

Sullivan has heard that some people who have taken the vaccine are still alive five and six years later.

Patients at Duke who took the vaccine saw their tumors stop growing for an average of 14 months compared to 6 months for those who did not receive the vaccine.

A phase three clinical trial is planned for the vaccine before it is made available to the public.

Glioblastoma is the most common form of brain cancer, with roughly 10-thousand new cases of it diagnosed in the U.S. every year. A very aggressive cancer gene fuels about a third of all gliobastomas. This experimental vaccine is people who have

“It shifts how we’re looking at vaccines a little bit by targeting very specifically the tumors themselves,” said Sampson.

“My hope is this will extend my life considerably,” said Sullivan.

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New Treatment Helps Asthmatics Breathe Easier relief whatsoever,” explained Cook.

In May, Tony underwent a new FDA approved treatment called bronchial thermoplasty. Doctors put a tiny catheter down his breathing tubes to melt away the smooth muscle that can tighten during an asthma attack. By increasing airflow, patients can respond better to inhalers and oral medications.

LOS ANGELES (CBS4) — About 22 million Americans have asthma. Most are able to control it with medication, but about15-percent of asthma patients have cases so severe they require frequent trips to the hospital. Now there’s a new treatment to help those people breathe easier.

Tony Cook runs 6 to 7 miles a day. But until recently, his severe asthma made it too painful for him to work out for any length of time.

“It feels like a coil is just tightening around your lungs and you can’t get any

“We’re not curing asthma with this therapy. These patients will still have a diagnosis of asthma. What we’re hoping to do is bring them down a notch,” explained Dr. David Duhamel, Director of Pulmonary Procedures at Virginia Hospital.

Bronchial thermoplasty isn’t for people with mild or moderate asthma. It’s for people whose attacks are so severe that they make regular visits to the emergency room and need to use rescue inhalers constantly .

“Right after the procedure I felt that coil loosen. To me, it was amazing,” said Cook.

Tony felt better immediately, but typically, the patients’ asthma gets worse the first few days after treatment then improves.

“I’m not coughing I’m not wheezing. It’s just the quality of life that I’ve always dreamed of having,” said Tony.

Because it’s so new, Tony’s procedure wasn’t covered by his insurance, but patients should check with their own carriers.

The FDA is requiring asthmatx, the company behind bronchial thermoplasty, to conduct a five-year study to determine the long-term effects of the treatment. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

Bronchial thermoplasty takes three outpatient treatments that last about a half hour each.

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Youths Adding A New Wrinkle To Botox Trend Reporting Cynthia Demos MIAMI (CBS4) — A group that wouldn’t be suspected of becoming obsessed with wrinkles is worrying about just that.

Botox use has increased by 46 percent in the last ten years, according to the makers of the product. But now more and more young people are hopping onto the facefreezing trend.

Last year alone, 1.6 million people received Botox injections and an increasing percentage of those are young women.

A 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Miami is one of the trend followers.

“I decided to do it because I have

wrinkles in my forehead already and it’s not the best case scenario for someone my age,” Morgan Prosido said.

Young woman feel constant pressure to look like the often airbrushed magazine covers.

“Anyone in Hollywood is getting it done and they already have like perfect bodies and everything else,” Prosido said. “It definitely influences girls my age that don’t have perfect bodies that feel the need to do it.”

Dermatologist Diane Walder said she is seeing the growing trend of younger girls, like Prosido, getting the beauty treatment.

“Usually they come in with their mothers and they’re like, ‘How about me?’” she said.

Walder is not completely against young girls getting Botox.

“What I usually recommend is when they start getting lines at rest, those etched in lines, that’s the time to start considering

Botox,” she said.

By attacking the fine lines when they first appear, the idea is that it prevents deep wrinkles from ever setting in.

“I think it’s a choice,” Walder said. “If it bothers you; you can fix it and if you can afford it, why not?”

On the other side is Dr. Eva Ritvo, psychiatrist and co-author of the book “The Beauty Prescription.” She suggests achieving real beauty has nothing to do with Botox.

“Where the real power is, is in taking care of your health,” Ritvo said. “To be beautiful at that age should be getting enough sleep, which they don’t do, eating properly, exercising, using sun block and taking care of acne that might disfigure their face.”

Dr. Ritvo says young women can’t strive to look like magazine cover girls; because if they do, they’re always going to feel that they fall short.

And that, she says, can lead to all sorts of problems, like excessive cosmetic surgeries, eating disorders, depression and social isolation. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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John Malkovich Back In The Saddle In Secretariat Reporting Lisa Petrillo MIAMI (CBS4) — Actor John Malkovich is back in the saddle this weekend in the new film “Secretariat”.

Based on the remarkable true story, “Secretariat” chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.

To his friends and family, Secretariat, was known as Big Red. The film, released by Walt Disney Studios, is a story about heart, the heart of a 4-legged winner and the woman who owned him.

The film chronicles the journey of the 1973 Triple Crown Winner and the housewife, Penny Chenery Tweedy, played by Diane Lane, who was his owner and most importantly his champion.

“Ellen Chenery banked everything on the success of this horse, everything,” said actor John Malkovich.

Malkovich plays veteran trainer Lucien Laurin, brought on by Chenery to help get Secretariat in top form.

When Disney first sent Malkovich the script, he didn’t know much about his character but knew a lot about the horse.

“Mostly I knew about Secretariat because I am a huge fan of Secretariat,” said Malkovich. “I didn’t know a lot of Lucien

Laurin, because mostly I focused on the horse of course but he’s a very good character and I’m happy to do him.”

Malkovich, who also moonlights as a fashion designer and has his own men’s clothing line, was also quite fashionable in the film; dressed as this colorful horse trainer.

“He was kind of nattily dressed. I wouldn’t of thought he was so superfly but he was a natty dresser, French Canadian., he kind of never won the big race and certainly not the Triple Crown though he was thought of highly as a trainer.”

The film looks closely at what it took for this super horse and the people behind him to win the holy grail of racing and when it comes to the holy grail of acting, John

Malkovich can go head to head with anyone.

“Once you become known, they’ll be a group of people who like you, maybe.

They’ll be a group of people who dislike you certainly, and a massive amount of people who don’t know anything about you,” explained Malkovich. “You better get used to it.”

“Secretariat” is in theatres now. It’s rated PG. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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Feds Shutdown So Called “Tax Relief” Company company’s ads included a toll-free number for consumers to call for a “free consultation.”

After speaking briefly with commissionbased sales people who are supposedly “tax consultants,” virtually all consumers were told that they “qualified” for a tax relief program, and that American Tax Relief can help them significantly reduce their tax debts, according to the FTC complaint.

CHICAGO (CBS4) — A California based company which promised it could reduce people’s tax debts to pennies on the dollar has been shut down by the Federal Trade Commission for bilking its customers out of more than $60 million and not paying its own taxes.

“We’ve made it a top priority to go after scammers who try to exploit the financial hardship of others,” said David C. Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection in a written statement. “For people having a tough time paying their taxes, the last thing they need is to lose more money to a fraud.”

The federal agency said in TV, radio and Internet ads, American Tax Relief LLC claimed it could settle consumers’ delinquent federal and state taxes for a fraction of the amount they owe. The company also falsely claimed that it could remove tax liens and stop wage garnishments, bank and tax levies, property seizures, and “unbearable monthly payments.”

American Tax Relief charged up-front fees ranging from about $3,200 to $25,000 for the purported tax relief services. The

In reality, very few of the company’s customers qualified for the promised tax relief programs, which are available only in very limited circumstances. Most people who paid for services were only qualified for the IRS installment payment plans, which require payment of the full amount owed and which many taxpayers can easily arrange by themselves.

The FTC claims many consumers were told that they qualifed for an “Offer in Compromise,” which is the IRS’ only program that allows people to avoid paying the full amount of back taxes. Taxpayers are eligible only after other payment options have been exhausted and the person’s ability to pay has been reviewed.

The FTC’s complaint names Alexander Seung Hahn, Joo Hyun Park, and American Tax Relief LLC. Park’s parents, Young Soon Park and Il Kon Park, are named because they are allegedly holding funds obtained from the defendants’ customers.

On September 24, a federal judge in Chicago entered a temporary restraining order prohibiting deceptive claims, freezing the defendants’ assets, and

appointing a receiver to manage the company.

The FTC is seeking to make the defendants pay restitution to victims. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) news powered by

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‘Fins Ronnie Brown Takes On Teen Violence Reporting N i c o l e Maristany DEERFIELD BEACH (CBS4) — It’s not something usually seen at a middle school assembly.

Students who cheered, paid attention and hung on to every word. But this wasn’t your typical assembly either. That’s because Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown was the host of the recent event.

“It’s exciting, I think that’s one of the

fortunate things as a professional athlete, you get an avenue to relate to the kids a little bit,” Brown shared with CBS4’s Nicole Maristany.

He created the Ronnie Brown Project to stop youth violence in schools.

“Looking at the TV and seeing some of the things going on here in the school campus and in the classrooms I feel like it was a great opportunity for me to get involved,” Brown explained.

Playing off his jersey number 23, he shared with the students his 23 ways they can stop violence.

“It’s pretty cool to having Ronnie Brown

here, I watch him on TV all the time ‘cause I’m a Dolphins fan,” said 12-year- old 6th grader Marcus Jorge.

spotlight the hard work that we’ve done thus far. It feels really good and I’m certainly a proud principal.”

Brown spent the day spreading his message to Deerfield Beach Middle, a school that’s experienced its share of student violence, like last year’s incidents with Michael Brewer and Josie Ratley. But they’re making strides in changing their reputation.

The students say it’s one message they needed to hear.

“We had many incidents and we don’t want anymore and no one wants anymore because we just kinda want to change how the impression of the school is,” 6th grader Desiree Daniel explained.

For more information on the Ronnie Brown Project, visit www.theronniebrownproject.org.

The school’s principal, Christine Flynn, agreed. “To be able to showcase and

“This makes it easier for kids to relate to see how bullying is a major problem at this school and everywhere,” said Daniel.

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New System For Crash Test Ratings that simulates a car striking a pole.

The new crash tests will also be performed with female dummies, for the first time ever, so that they are better able to see how crashes impact women whose smaller frames and weight are affected differently than bigger, heavier males in crashes.

WASHINGTON (CBS4) — The government’s 5-Star Safety Rating System for new cars and trucks is getting tougher.

Only two of the first 34 vehicles tested under the new program have received a top score. They are the 2011 BMW 5 Series and a version of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata.

The Transportation Department is outlining changes to the ratings system beginning with the 2011 model year.

The new system takes into account crashprevention technologies and a new test

“We have now tested female dummies so that we can learn the affect of crashes on women not just men. We’ll include an additional side impact test and it will recognize and reward vehicles with advanced safety technology like electronic stability control, lane departure warnings and forward collision warning systems,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

“We know that car manufacturers are putting new technologies in their cars and we want consumers to know how those technologies work, how affective they are and that’s why they’ve been included in our ratings system.”

The so-called “Stars on Cars” system is getting revamped because the old system was confusing and allowed too many

vehicles to get inflated ratings, according to LaHood.

“The problem is that more and more vehicles have received four and five star ratings, shoppers are having a harder time differentiating vehicles with truly exceptional safety performance,” said LaHood. “We also want automakers to push the frontier of safety even further. To think about safety measures like crash avoidance, and prevention in addition to crash worthiness.”

The ratings range from one to five stars, with five stars being the highest.

A new website www.safercar.gov was created to help consumers sort through the ratings before they go to the dealership in search of a new car. (© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.) news powered by

October 15, 2010

53

The Adtimes Newspaper October 15, 2010 Edition

The Adtimes Newspaper

October 15, 2010

55

Horoscopes provided by www.starlightastrology.com

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Aries (Mar. 21-Apr. 20)

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Do not lend money or belongings to friends. Be aggressive and colorful, and you will get your way. Set aside any decisions regarding your personal life this month. Resist any idle chatter. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Friday.

This will not be the day to start new business ventures or make drastic changes in your career.

You are best to look into investments that will grow in value over an extended period of time. Work diligently and you will get ahead this month. Stomach problems could prevail if you haven’t been watching your diet. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday.

You will be viewed as a sensitive, compassionate individual and others will ask you for advice. Try to keep to yourself; work diligently on domestic chores and responsibilities. You may interest some of them in a service you have to offer. Keep your thoughts to yourself for the time being.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Wednesday.

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Sagitarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

Gemini (May 22-June 21)

You can find out important information if you listen to friends and relatives. Keep on your toes when dealing with others. Take care when dealing with older relatives. A need to express yourself may come out in creative ways.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Friday.

Your attitudes at work will open new avenues for you. You may find yourself in a predicament with family members. You could experience unusual circumstances and meet eccentric individuals. Try to calm down emotionally about personal financial matters.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

You’ve been in a rut and you need to do something that will help you break the pattern you’ve fallen into. Your irritability will lead to family squabbles. Your intellectual wit will bring greater popularity with your peers. Losses are evident.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday.

Taurus (Apr. 21-May 21)

Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 18)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)

You should be in business for yourself. Someone you live with may feel totally neglected.

Your determination and stamina will make your work look flaw less and effortless.

Before you proceed be sure to talk your plans over with those they will affect.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

Don’t be too hard on your mate. You may find your self in a romantic situation. You may find your mate somewhat perturbed. Not everyone will be pleased with your plans.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday.

Small business ventures can earn you extra cash. Don’t let domestic problems interfere with your objectives. You will want to take off and have some recreation. Make sure to arrange in advance to spend quality time together.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday.

Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)

Virgo (Aug. 24-Sept. 22)

Cancer (June 22-July 22)

It’s time to reevaluate your motives. Put your energy into behind the scenes activities. You can make gains if you work in conjunction with others.

Problems with gas, oil, or water in your home may disrupt your routine.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Wednesday.

Overindulgence will be a problem if you are out in a social setting. Sudden changes will occur through communications with friends or in-laws. Don’t overreact if your partner has a poor attitude. Take a different approach; make an offer they just can’t refuse.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday.

Don’t let others put unreasonable demands on you. Ideas may sound good, but be careful if people are just looking for handouts. Be careful; your ideas are good but make sure that you’re realistic and start off on solid ground. You will not impress others by being foolishly generous. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3x3 box Iin black borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

October 1st Solution

5 6 8 2 1 9 7 4 3

2 3 9 8 4 7 5 6 1

7 1 4 6 5 3 9 2 8

4 5 6 7 9 8 1 3 2

9 7 3 4 2 1 8 5 6

1 8 2 3 6 5 4 7 9

6 2 1 9 7 4 3 8 5

8 9 7 5 3 2 6 1 4

3 4 5 1 8 6 2 9 7

1 6 2 2 5 3 7 6 9 1 8

2 7

6 7

9 1

5 3 9 1 8 4 4 3 9

Look For Our Next Edition: NOVEMBER 5, 2010

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THE ADTIMES

Leo (July 23-Aug. 23)