MiamiHerald.com: Today's Top Stories
'I'm so thankful': Mom, 2 kids escape house fire
Two statues depicting angels flanked the bed where Mylissa Williams and her two young children slept early Tuesday while a fire was blazing in her daughter's room. To Williams, the angels helped keep them all from harm.
Biking from Illinois starts freshman on the right foot
The first thing incoming freshman Jamshed Jehangir did when he made it to his new home at the University of Miami Tuesday evening was call his mom in Illinois to let her know he'd safely arrived.
Fay's rains bring relief to Lake Okeechobee
For Lake Okeechobee, low on water for nearly two years, Tropical Storm Fay was the gift that will keep on giving. Between the rain dumped directly on the lake and runoff that will flow down from the north in the coming weeks, Fay could end up raising the big lake by a foot or more.
Trail of spaghetti helps solve hit-and-run fatality
After Ana Iris Perez-Hernandez was run over and killed in front of her young son, Miami police needed to find the driver. The victim's pasta pointed the way.
Mission: not so `Impossible' for Michael Symon
Scandal rocked The Food Network in May -- and it had nothing to do with overcooked crème brlée. Robert Irvine was fired from his gig as host of Dinner: Impossible, in which he executed a large meal under tough time constraints. Apparently, the muscular Brit had cooked up some stuff on his overblown résumé. Oh, little ''embellishments and inaccuracies'' like he helped bake Di and Charles' wedding cake. The cookies really started crumbling for the vociferous...
Haiti PM's future on hold
The political fate of Haiti's newly ratified prime minister, Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, was put on hold Tuesday after the president of the lower house of parliament was forced to postpone Phase 2 of her ratification vote.
Bickering over political spoils keeps Haitians in limbo
Bickering over political spoils keeps Haiti, Haitians in limbo When it comes to the political fate of Haiti's newly ratified prime minister, the only thing everyone agrees on is this: No one is sure how things will end up.
Housing starts dip to lowest level since March '91
Construction of homes and apartments fell in July to the lowest level in more than 17 years, the government reported Tuesday.
Hispanic births drive growth of U.S. population
If it weren't for Hispanic births, the United States could be confronting long-term population declines similar to those in Germany, Japan and other industrialized countries.
Miami Dolphins list Ricky Williams as starter
Entering the third preseason game -- traditionally the dress rehearsal for the regular season -- the Dolphins' depth chart, for the most part, reflects the way the team lined up in its exhibition win Saturday against Jacksonville.
U.S. passport cards offer travelers a choice
Travelers crossing U.S. land and sea borders can now replace their passport book with a new passport card. Federal passport officials started issuing the wallet-size cards on July 14.
ION Tape 2 PC may not be worth the time
What: ION Tape 2 PC, a USB cassette archiving machine. Features: Using a USB connection, it records music from your tapes into MP3 files. It has a dual-dubbing cassette deck and comes with stereo RCA cables. Audacity software is included for editing audio files.
Money, primaries cool races for Miami-Dade bench
Miami-Dade's judicial races are more subdued -- and stingier -- this election than in the past, with fewer candidates raising less money.
Pakistan upheaval clouds future for U.S.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf bowed to domestic and international pressure and quit Monday, but his departure could trigger further instability for the nuclear-armed U.S. ally if the country's fractious coalition government can't hold together without its common enemy.
Mom stays in jail despite bond effort
A bail bondsman says the mother of a missing Florida girl will likely be spending another night in jail. Tony Padilla said Casey Anthony would ''probably not'' be released from the Orange County jail on Monday, because of concerns about proposed home confinement conditions.
26 domestic-partner couples sign up for recognition
The ceremony had all the romance of renewing a license plate -- which can be done a few floors down in the same, drab government building -- but it had powerful meaning on Monday for the first couples to register under Miami-Dade's new domestic-partnership law.
Traffic is warming up for the winter
Public schools open this week -- Fay willing -- in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and with it comes the pain cave that is the unofficial opening to peak driving season in South Florida.
Technology could decide who's next Dade clerk of courts
Online public records are the center of a school library director's challenge to Miami-Dade's longtime clerk of courts. Incumbent Harvey Ruvin has already made traffic court paperless and has similar plans for family court later this year, but challenger David Nelson said progress is too slow.
Broward sheriff hopeful shows up wearing a gun
Broward sheriff candidate Scott Israel drew some stares at a candidate forum at a Deerfield Beach clubhouse last week when he showed up wearing a gun and police uniform.
D-Wade scores memory at Great Wall
There's chaos atop the Great Wall of China, and it's all Dwyane Wade's fault. Well, maybe not all his fault. But the Heat's international superstar is among the more impatient in his group as a painfully slow line for the final segment of the tour -- a dicey toboggan ride that certainly wouldn't pass Disney safety standards -- is threatening to turn a once-in-a-lifetime afternoon into a near-torturous experience.