Associated Press - page 616

A team of journalists, coders and a financial expert pored over local real estate records online Saturday looking for South Florida property purchased by Venezuelan public officials. The hunt was part of a hemisphere-wide hackathon called “The Money Trail” — a daylong attempt to work across borders to track the flow of public money through the Americas. Team member and investment manager Dave Dorr believes that part of the recent housing boom in South Florida may have been driven by…

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Sure, living in the White House has its perks. But a clothing allowance is not one of them. First ladies feel all sorts of pressure to project a fashionable look, and over the decades they have tried a range of cash-saving strategies to pull it off without going broke. Seven frugal do’s and don’ts that first ladies have tried over the years: 1. TROT OUT RETREADS: Even first ladies recycle their clothes. Michelle Obama recently welcomed military moms to a…

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Two Democratic candidates for Florida governor are seeking union support. Both former Gov. Charlie Crist and former state Sen. Nan Rich are scheduled to speak at the convention of the Florida AFL-CIO on Saturday. The union organization is scheduled to vote Sunday on which candidates to endorse in statewide races. George Sheldon and State Rep. Perry Thurston are also scheduled to appear. The two men are running in the Democratic primary for attorney general. Rich has pressed Crist to debate…

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Private elevators, personal shopping assistants, six-bedroom suites with their own postal codes. Even helipads. This is what the super-rich have come to expect from hotels. For others, vacation now means renting someone’s apartment, a spare room, maybe just a couch — anything to save on the cost of a hotel. As the gap between the wealthiest travelers and everyone else has widened, so has the way people are experiencing vacations. The wealthy are looking for ever-more pampering. Many others are…

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Slightly over half of Florida students have passed the state’s standardized math and reading exams, according to results released Friday. Fifty-eight percent of third through eighth-grade students passed the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in reading, up one percent from the previous year, the Department of Education announced. Fifty-six percent of third through eighth-grade students passed the math test, the same as in 2013. In science, fifty-four percent of fifth-grade students passed, up one percent from last year. Forty-nine percent…

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Gone are the screaming shells, seasick soldiers and bloodied waters of 1944. On Friday, a sun-splattered Normandy celebrated peace, with silent salutes, tears and international friendship marking 70 years since the D-Day invasion helped change the course of World War II and modern history. Not many of the 150,000 Allied soldiers who slogged onto storm-torn beaches or parachuted into Normandy remain alive to pass on the legacy of that “longest day.” Some survivors stood, somber-faced and proud, alongside President Barack…

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California Chrome became the 3-5 early favorite on Wednesday to win the Belmont Stakes and become horse racing’s 12th Triple Crown champion. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner will break from the No. 2 post under Victor Espinoza on Saturday at Belmont Park. Eleven Belmont winners have come out of that post, the last being Tabasco Cat in 1994. California Chrome will be listed No. 2 in the betting program, the same number as 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, who…

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