COST OF LIVING

Southwest Ranches teen swaps 4 wheels for 4 hooves to save gas

Teen swaps 4 wheels for 4 hooves to save gas Emily Menendez rides a horse to work. Seriously. Since gasoline prices spiked to more than $3, Menendez, 18, of Southwest Ranches has exchanged wheels for hooves to get to her cashier's job at a Chinese restaurant.

FAMILY CARE

Special-needs families can get extra care during Hurricane Ike

When hurricanes approach, Dr. Daniel Armstrong, director of the University of Miami's Mailman Center for Child Development, worries about the children -- and adults -- with special needs.

DAVIE

A condo con gets 20 years for $920,00 board theft

A Broward County man who stole nearly $1 million from a condominium community made up primarily of senior citizens will spend the next 20 years in prison and will have to pay the money back with interest, a judge ruled Friday.

S. Floridians urged to prepare, not panic as Hurricane Ike looms

Hurricane Ike spun on course Friday toward the Keys and South Florida, and forecasters projected it could hit the Keys on Tuesday as a vicious Category 4 storm.

GAS STATIONS

Florida has plenty of gas to weather Hurricane Ike

Memories of Hurricane Wilma, when massive power outages wreaked havoc on gas supplies, sent many South Floridians to the gas pumps. But as Hurricane Ike approaches, the state and fuel distributors say Florida has plenty of gas to make it through the storm.

With Hurricane Ike nearing, follow these steps to prepare

Bryan Norcross, the former WFOR-TV hurricane analyst whose soothing tones got so many of us through 1992's Hurricane Andrew, had this observation Friday about the potential arrival of Hurricane Ike:

HOMELESS BEATING CASE

Defense: Killing unintentional

A group of Broward County teens were drunk, high and purposely aiming for their victims' heads when they attacked three homeless men in 2006, beating one of them to death with a baseball bat, prosecutors told a jury Thursday during opening statements in the highly anticipated trial in Fort Lauderdale.

HURRICANE SEASON

S. Florida keeps close eye on Hurricane Ike

Almost as soon as Florida fell out of Hanna's forecast cone, it slipped into Ike's, and that mighty, major hurricane could be on our doorstep Tuesday.

HURRICANE GUSTAV | THE AFTERMATH

S. Florida launches effort to aid islanders

Several South Florida organizations mobilized Thursday to ship money and supplies to the victims of Hurricane Gustav in Cuba, Haiti, and other Caribbean points.

BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOLS

Broward schools budget passes despite `unmet needs'

Broward School Board members somberly approved this year's budget Thursday night, lamenting cutbacks in many areas, including school-bus rides, middle-school sports, and tree-trimming.

HOLLYWOOD

Crime-weary Hollywood neighborhood contemplates arming

Tired of worrying that it's unsafe to walk at night or let children play outside by day, some residents in Hollywood's Royal Poinciana neighborhood are calling for residents to take up arms in the area north of downtown.

BROWARD COUNTY | DEATH OF DEPUTY TODD FATTA

Slain deputy's parents settle suit

Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti acknowledged to the parents of a murdered deputy Thursday that his agency's failure to follow its own policies set the stage for the ambush slaying of their son, Todd Fatta.

CRIME

Man killed in shooting ID'd

Investigators Thursday identified the two men who were shot -- one fatally -- in one of two deputy-involved shootings the night before.

PEMBROKE PINES

Wife: Man whom police shot was troubled

Alejandro Figueroa, the man shot to death in a confrontation with police at a Pembroke Pines apartment complex Tuesday, was a jealous man, according to his wife.

MIAMI DADE COLLEGE

Miami Dade College honors Mexican contributions with festival

South Florida's Mexican community has grown in size and influence in recent years, as a new wave of immigrants from both the agricultural and business fields have chosen to make their home here.

Man shot in Hollywood parking lot

Hollywood police searched late Thursday for the person who shot a man in a parking lot. The shooting took place about 8:15 p.m. in a parking lot in the 2400 block of Sheridan Street, just east of Interstate 95, Hollywood police spokesman Lt. Manny Marino said.

BROWARD COUNTY

Broward teachers bare their soles, will work less

Frustrated at the stalemate in negotiations about their raises, Broward County teachers vowed Wednesday to paralyze the school system by working less.

BROWARD COURTS

Parents in vodka death to be freed

Two parents accused of poisoning their infant daughter with vodka won't face further jail time after being convicted of aggravated child abuse, a Broward County judge ruled Wednesday.

LAUDERHILL

Lauderhill baby girl rescued from fire is back in hospital

From the first time they strap on gear, firefighters often think about what, for them, would be the thrill of a lifetime: emerging from a burning home, clutching an infant on death's door and saving the child's life.

PEMBROKE PINES

Pembroke Pines police identify gunman firing on passing cars

Pembroke Pines police on Wednesday identified the man who died in a police-involved shooting at an apartment complex. Alejandro Figueroa, 37, of Dania Beach, was shot to death Tuesday in the Archstone Harbour Cove complex near Pembroke and Hiatus roads.

Fashion designer Mila Schoen dies in Italy

Mila Schoen, an Italian designer of elegant, impeccably tailored clothes, died early Friday at her villa in northern Italy at the age of 91.