Oliphant gets a new warning
State election monitors assigned to Broward County have warned Supervisor of Elections Miriam Oliphant that her office has inadequate plans for testing ballots and voting machines before the Feb. 11 primaries.
( BY ERIKA BOLSTAD, ebolstad@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Elections clerk ignored subpoena
A mailroom clerk in the Supervisor of Elections office who told his boss he was leaving work early to testify before state prosecutors never showed up at the deposition.
( BY BETH REINHARD, breinhard@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Police: Auto shop a cover for bookies
Miramar Auto Body, investigators say, was more about setting point spreads than repairing cars. The Broward Sheriff's Office announced 21 arrests Friday to break up an organized crime ring linked to bookmaking, cargo theft and drug trafficking under the alleged leadership of a 39-year-old Pembroke Pines man.
( By DANIEL de VISE AND WANDA J. DeMARZO, ddevise@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Teen accused as molester gets bail
A judge decided Friday to let a popular high school football player leave jail so he can return to Western High School while he awaits trial on child-molesting charges.
( BY NOAH BIERMAN, nbierman@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Driver in Lauderhill drowns after car plunges into lake
A woman drowned Friday night when she drove her car into a lake in a Lauderhill condominium complex. Lauderhill police responded to a 911 call placed by a witness just after 7 p.m. They arrived at 6951 Environ Blvd. and found a dark four-door car partially submerged in water that is alongside a road that leads to a cul-de-sac.
( 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Sistrunk Festival Parade today kicks off Black History Month
One of Fort Lauderdale's biggest festivals, the 23rd Annual Sistrunk Historical Festival Parade and Celebration, will kick off Black History Month today.
( BY ANA RHODES, arhodes@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Drums, cymbals welcome Chinese New Year today
Awakened by beating drums and clashing cymbals, a 50-foot dragon will scare the evil spirits out of South Florida today. The Chinese Dragon Dance and Lion Dance Team has been rehearsing for today's ''Lion Awakening Ceremony,'' the first in a series of performances ringing in the Chinese New Year, said Hong Kong-born John Wai, director of the team and owner of the Kung Fu Academy of Florida.
( BY EVAN HESSEL, ehessel@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

FAA report flawed, consultant says
Meeting separately with friends and foes of expansion plans at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a Broward County consultant Friday highlighted flaws in a Federal Aviation Administration report he said must be corrected.
( BY ELENA CABRAL, ecabral@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

11-year-old boy from Sunrise ices the competition
Jared Bruno is in the limelight. ''I used to be a regular old kid,'' the easy-going 11-year-old said. But that was before his fellow students made a fuss and his name was mentioned during morning announcements at Davie's Indian Ridge Middle School.
( BY JERRY BERRIOS, jberrios@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

State concludes Behan inquiry
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has concluded its 10-month independent investigation into the 1990 slaying of Broward Sheriff's Deputy Patrick Behan, but officials would not say Friday whether it found evidence of police misconduct.
( BY WANDA J. DeMARZO AND DANIEL de VISE, wdemarzo@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Coming in summer? Signs to pinpoint accident sites
Transportation agencies in Broward and Miami-Dade counties may install a new network of location reference signs on expressways as early as this summer.
( BY EVAN HESSEL, ehessel@herald.com, 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Black paper backs Naugle
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle has received an endorsement from The Broward Times, a weekly newspaper that focuses on black issues.
( 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Around Broward County
Man arrested on drug charges faces murder rap SUTHERLAND A man who was arrested on federal drug charges faces another charge, this time from the Broward Sheriff's Office: murder.
( 02/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

The puck stops here: It's a very nice ice party
Armed with a hockey stick, young Max Cohen fixed his eye on his targets: one of four bull's-eye discs set on each corner of the hockey net 20 feet away.
( BY JASMINE KRIPALANI, jkripalani@herald.com, 01/31/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Broward school planners fear a fiasco
A desperately needed new high school that was expected to open in Miramar this fall might not be ready, according to e-mails flying among Broward school district building officials.
( BY SONJI JACOBS and STEVE HARRISON, sharrison@herald.com, 01/31/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Sex-trial teacher has certificate revoked
Beth Friedman, a former North Lauderdale middle-school instructor who was convicted of giving a student alcohol and drugs, had her teaching certificate permanently revoked Thursday at a hearing she didn't attend.
( BY KATHLEEN COOPER AND WANDA DeMARZO, kcooper@herald.com, 01/31/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Brawl at Plantation High results in injury and arrest
Violence erupted between two Plantation High School students, leaving one so badly beaten that he needed surgery to repair his fractured face.
( BY WANDA J. DeMARZO AND SONJI JACOBS, wdemarzo@herald.com, 01/31/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Bandits eyeball the Ray-Bans
The thieves are in and out in minutes, hauling away tens of thousands of dollars in stolen goods. And sometimes, after the store owner restocks, they come back for seconds.
( By KATHLEEN COOPER, kcooper@herald.com, 01/31/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Giving Guardsmen a hand
A Lighthouse Point accountant woke up with an idea, and a week later he has corporate help, a website and a plan: $25 gift certificates for the children of National Guardsmen and reservists for every month their caregiver is called up for active duty.
( By KATHLEEN COOPER, kcooper@herald.com, 01/31/2003 03:01 AM EST)