Jesse Jackson Jr. signs plea deal, may face jail time: report

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has signed a plea deal regarding the inappropriate use of official funds, according to a Fox News report.

Details of the deal are unclear, but the network says the deal also pertains to a "social acquaintance" of the former Illinois Democratic congressman.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the deal -- at least one being considered earlier in the week -- includes "significant jail time."

Jackson resigned last November shortly after being reelected to the House. The son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson Sr. had been treated for bipolar disorder, but also has been the subject of an ongoing federal investigation over campaign funds.

AP

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2011 file photo, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., is seen during the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. A spokesman at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota said Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012, Jackson has left the clinic, where he was being treated for bipolar disorder for the second time since taking a leave of absence in June. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

The Sun-Times reported that the probe has split into two separate investigations, with one into Jackson's wife Sandi. Sandi recently resigned as a Chicago city alderman.

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Sign up for Feb. 21 Miami Herald Small Business Forum

Prepare your best pitch for the Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum, Feb. 21 at the south campus of our sponsor, Florida International University.

In addition to how-to panels and inspirational stories from successful entrepreneurs, our annual small business forum will include interactive opportunities with experts to learn about financing options and polish your personal and business brands.

During our finance panel, audience volunteers will be invited to explain their financing needs to the group. During our box-lunch session, they will be invited to pitch their business or personal brand to our coaches.

Those who prefer just to listen will be treated to a keynote address by Alberto Perlman, co-founder of the global fitness craze Zumba. Panels include success stories from the local entrepreneurs who founded Sedano’s, Jennifer’s Homemade and ReStockIt.com; finance tips from experts in small business loans, venture capital, angel investments and traditional bank loans; and insiders in the burgeoning South Florida tech start-up scene.

Plus, it’s a real bargain. $25 includes the half-day seminar, continental breakfast and a box lunch.

Register here.

Program

8 a.m.

Registration and continental breakfast, provided by Bill Hansen Catering

8:30 a.m. Welcome

Host: David Suarez, president and CEO, Interactive Training Solutions, LLC

•  Jerry Haar, PhD, associate dean & director, FIU Eugenio Pino and Family Global

Entrepreneurship Center

•  Alice Horn, executive director, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE South Florida)

•  Jane Wooldridge, Business editor, The Miami Herald

Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge Overview:

•  Nancy Dahlberg, Business Plan Challenge coordinator, The Miami Herald

8:45 a.m. Session I – Success Stories

Moderator: Jerry Haar, PhD, associate dean & director, FIU Eugenio Pino and Family Global

Entrepreneurship Center

Speakers:

•  Jennifer Behar, founder, Jennifer’s Homemade

•  Matt Kuttler, co-president of ReStockIt.com

•  Javier Herrán, chief marketing officer, Sedano’s Supermarkets

10 a.m. Session II – All about Tech

Moderator: Jane Wooldridge, Business editor, The Miami Herald

Speakers

•  Susan Amat, founder, Launch Pad Tech

•  Nancy Borkowski, executive director, Health Management Programs, Chapman Graduate School of

Business, Florida International University

•  Mark Slaughter, CEO, Cohealo.com

•  Chris Fleck, vice president of mobility solutions at Citrix and a director of the South Florida Tech Alliance

11:15 a.m. Keynote

Speaker: Alberto Perlman, CEO and co-founder of Zumba® Fitness

Introduction: Jane Wooldridge, business editor, The Miami Herald

11:45 a.m. Session III – Show me the money: Financing your small business

An interactive session featuring audience volunteers who will be invited to make a short investment pitch before a panel, including experts in microlending, SBA loans, traditional bank loans, venture capital and angel investing. Audience volunteers should come prepared with a two-minute presentation that includes details about current backing, how much money they are seeking and a brief synosis of ow that money would be used.

Moderator: Melissa Krinzman, founder and managing director, Venture Architects

Panelists:

•  Marjorie Weber, chairman, SCORE of Miami-Dade

•  Cornell Crews, Jr., program director, Partners for Self Employment

•  Darius G. Nevin, co-founder, G3 Capital Partners, a mid-market and early-stage investment company

•  Boris Hirmas Said, chairman of the board, Tres Mares S.A. (Santiago, Chile) and entrepreneur in

residence at the Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center

1 p.m. Lunch session - Polish your Pitch, Brighten Your Personal Brand

An interactive session featuring audience volunteers who will be invited to make short pitches about their businesses and themselves. Audience volunteers should come prepared with a two-minute presentation.

Coaches: Melissa Krinzman of Venture Architects and Michelle Villalobos of Mivista Consulting

advise audience volunteers on how to best pitch themselves and their products.

Box lunch provided by Bill Hansen Catering

All speakers confirmed unless otherwise noted. Agenda is subject to change without notice .

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Murder charge dropped in Miami Gardens self-defense case

Prosecutors on Thursday dropped a murder charge against a man who claimed self-defense in fatally shooting an armed teen during a June 2010 brawl in Miami Gardens.

Travis Cooper, 28, had been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Gregory Gant, 16.

The men were part of two groups of fighting men. Cooper claimed Gant pistol-whipped a friend of his, then “pointed the gun in his direction.”

Cooper, a security guard who had a concealed weapons permit, shot and killed Gant. He later called police.

“It’s a relief. They charged me with second-degree murder for no reason,” Cooper said Thursday, flanked by lawyers Andrew Rier and Jonathan Jordan.

Prosecutors decided they could not defend a request for immunity filed under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which gave judges greater leeway to throw out criminal cases.

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Heidi Klum Fashion Week amfAR Kickoff Party

Fashion Week kicked off Wednesday night in New York at a black-tie gala in support of amfAR's efforts to end the AIDS epidemic, and ET was there! Watch the highlights as the stars share their fashion enthusiasm and remember where they were one year ago when Whitney Houston unexpectedly passed away before the Grammys…

Pics: Who Wore What

Held at Cipriani Wall Street, the event honored the Chairman of the Board of amfAR, designer Kenneth Cole, legendary performer and amfAR Ambassador Janet Jackson, and supermodel Heidi Klum. The night also featured performances by CeeLo Green, Santigold and others.

Video: Heidi Klum Dances of Leno's Desk

Since 1998, the amfAR New York Gala has become one of New York City's most successful and high-profile AIDS benefits and has raised nearly $13 million to date for essential AIDS research, prevention, and education. For more on amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, go to www.amfar.org.

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Lawmaker: Subway deaths a 'wake-up call'

A lawmaker says a spate of recent deaths on New York City subway tracks should be "a wake-up call to our transit system."

City Council Transportation Committee Chairman James Vacca made the remark at a hearing Thursday on safety in the nation's busiest subway network.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority runs the subways that carry 5 million riders on an average weekday. Officials say they're working toward testing barriers on platform edges and technology that sounds alarms when someone or something is on the tracks.

The subway drivers' union has suggested lower speed limits for trains entering stations. The MTA says that would lengthen commutes and make platforms more crowded.

Fifty-five people died last year after falling, jumping or being pushed onto the tracks. Two recent pushing deaths have drawn attention.

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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding

Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed funding from investors including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. The Knight Foundation is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture fund, the Knight Enterprise Fund.

Led by CEO and founder Freddie Laker and COO Leslie Bradshaw, Guide’s team of seven is focused on turning online news, social streams and blogs into video for users who may be cooking, exercising, commuting or getting ready in the morning. The free application offers consumers a selection of about 20 “anchors” — including a dog, a robot and an anime character — that will read the article and present the accompanying photos, pull-out information and video clips in its video presentation. Revenue drivers for Guide could include in-app purchases, advertising-based anchors and customizations from publishers, said Laker, a former vice president at SapientNitro.

Laker and his team plan to launch a public beta next month, which they plan to do with a splash at the huge technology conference South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.

Read more about Guide here on the Starting Gate blog. Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg

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Sen. Marco Rubio will deliver Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address

Adding to his growing political influence in Washington, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is scheduled to deliver — in English and in Spanish — the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address next Tuesday night.

The announcement was made Wednesday by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell R-Kentucky.

“Marco Rubio is one of our party’s most dynamic and inspiring leaders. He carries our party’s banner of freedom, opportunity and prosperity in a way few others can. His family’s story is a testament to the promise and greatness of America,” said Boehner in a statement.

“Marco Rubio embodies the optimism that lies at the heart of the Republican vision for America. On Tuesday, he will contrast the Republican approach to the challenges we face with President Obama’s vision of an ever-bigger government and the higher taxes that would be needed to pay for it,” said McConnell in a joint statement with Boehner. “Marco’s own experience as the child of immigrants has always informed his belief in limited government and free enterprise, which is why he has helped lead the fight against out-of-control spending and job-destroying tax hikes that continue to hold our economy back and stifle opportunity for millions. He was a natural choice to deliver the Republicans’ alternative to the administration’s reliance on government and debt.”

Said Rubio in a statement: “I’m honored to have this opportunity to discuss how limited government and free enterprise have helped make my family’s dreams come true in America.”

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Grammy Awards Host LL Cool J Promises Plenty of 'Surprises' During Sunday's Show

LL Cool J takes the stage again this year to host the Grammy Awards and we caught up with the rapper/actor to get an update on his preparations for music's biggest night!

The NCIS: Los Angeles star was praised for his handling of last year's Grammy Awards -- which came just one day after Whitney Houston's death -- and he's back this year for Sunday's show, airing Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS.

PICS: The Glam Styles of Last Year's Grammys

While LL admitted that he does get nervous about hosting due to high expectations for the star-studded event, he says he also attempts to take a light approach. "I just want to be myself and have fun. I'm clear that I'm not Billy Crystal, I'm not delusional," he said. "So for me it's a matter of just going out there and having a good time, being myself, getting out of the way, and just helping the night flow smoothly."

Watch the video to also hear LL reveal what fans can expect to see from their favorite music stars during Sunday's show!

LL Cool J Previews the Grammy Nominations Concert

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Internet pal of slain Sarai Sierra claims he slept with Staten Island mom

An Istanbul Internet pal of Sarai Sierra claims he had a tryst with the murdered Staten Island mother of two in Turkey, according to published reports.

“Taylan K” – who has been interviewed at length by Istanbul police in the disappearance and killing of Sarai Sierra, 33 – admitted he had consensual sex with the married photographer the day before she went missing, Turkey’s daily Vatan reported today.

He is one of 22 people that Turkish police have taken sperm and/or blood samples from as they hunt Sierra’s killer.

Sierra was found dead of a single blow to the head in a seedy area of Istanbul Feb. 2, weeks after she failed to show up for a Jan. 21 flight home to New York.

EPA

Sarai Sierra.

Taylan has previously told police he and Sierra first met in person Jan. 13 but initially insisted they were just friends. The pair met online several months ago, when he commented on a photograph Sierra posted on Instagram, authorities have said.

Taylan has denied any role in her disappearance or murder.

Police said Taylan sent Sierra a message the day she vanished, asking her to meet at an Istanbul tourist area. Taylan has said the meeting never happened because Sarai never responded.

US authorities told The Post yesterday that Sierra had kept company with a “criminal element” on her overseas trip, which began Jan. 7 in Istanbul and also included side trips to Amsterdam and Munich.

A tipster has told Istanbul police that Sierra was spotted with a group of rogue hustlers known for harassing women and tourists.

Sierra’s casket is scheduled to be flown home tomorrow on a Turkish Airlines flight.

Sierra’s family and friends have said repeatedly that she would not have run off with anyone and made the trip to indulge her love of photography.

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Can’t find time for play? Try scheduling it

If your resolutions for 2013 include achieving a better work-life balance, your calendar holds the key to your success.

But, to pull off your goals, you’re going to need to turn the traditional way of thinking upside down.

Most people schedule their work commitments on their calendars and squeeze in family, friends and fun around it. Instead, schedule your work around your personal life, say Michelle Villalobos and Jessica Kizorek, speakers, personal branding consultants and co-creators of Make Them Beg, a professional self development program. For example, they suggest you block out gym time, reading for pleasure time, coaching your kid time and date night. Even a person with almost no flexibility in his or her work schedule can block out 15 minutes for a walk rather than eating lunch at their desks.

“You have to plan for play. Otherwise work expands and there’s no time for play,” Kizorek says. Today, it’s easy to stay a little later at the office or work through lunch because there’s always more to do. Using your calendar effectively can help you with boundaries.

Villalobos says once you put “play” into your schedule, it helps to get people who are important in your life to keep you committed. For example, she blocks out three hours twice a week on her calendar to paint. She has asked her boyfriend to help her stick to that schedule.

Realistically, there will be times when you have to reschedule a fun activity because of work demands. “At least you know what you missed so if you don’t do it, you move it to another day,” Villalobos says.

If you’re in a relationship, experts advise letting your partner participate in creating your calendar. A friend of mine sends his spouse an electronic invite to his poker night signaling that she has the night free to schedule her own fun activity.

Scheduling everything may seem rigid. “That’s the opposite,” Villalobos insists. “By putting things on your calendar, you can focus on what you need to do in the moment. It allows you to be far more present.”

With more people converting to electronic calendars or hovering between paper and online options, how we coordinate our schedules is in flux. But for balance, it’s often better to track personal and professional in one place.

Sharon Teitelbaum, a Boston-based work-life coach, says to calendar all important life events including birthdays. It may sound like common sense to calendar your son’s birthday, but people forget and schedule business travel, she has found. She also advises putting work events in your calendar as far in advance as possible and tasks that lead up to them. “You don’t want to agree to host a dinner party the weekend before a work retreat.”

For many busy people, the traditional way of scheduling needs to change from calendaring a due date to creating a timeline. If you have a big project you need to have completed by Feb. 15, Teitelbaum says break it into weekly tasks leading up to that date. “People vastly underestimate how long things take and the number of interruptions they have to contend with,” she says.

Julie Morgenstern, who created the Balanced Life Planner for Delray Beach-based specialty retailer Levenger, says that even on a daily basis people don’t plan realistically. “By bravely recognizing the limits of each day and how long each to-do on your list will take, we can see in advance what will or won’t fit into our calendar, and become more strategic,” she said.

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