Tigers' Cabrera pleads no contest
Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera pleaded no contest Thursday in Florida to drunken driving.
Cabrera accepted a deal that spares him jail time. Charges of resisting an officer without violence and having an open container in a vehicle were dropped. The first baseman was arrested in Fort Pierce in February after refusing to take a field sobriety test.
"Miguel Cabrera is determined not to allow this to go on any further," said his attorney, Michael Kessler. "He wants this behind him before the start of Spring Training. For that reason, and for that reason only, Miguel Cabrera asked me to settle this case today."
Cabrera received a year of probation but will be eligible for early termination after six months. His license will be suspended for six months, and he must pay more than $1,400 in fines. He also must attend DUI school and go to a victim-impact panel.
Kessler said the player had been planning to fight the DUI charge, but St. Lucie County prosecutors were causing delays in the case. He says it appeared the case was going to drag into baseball season and the player wanted to put it all behind him.
"Miguel Cabrera and I have great faith in the justice and fairness of the court system," Kessler said. "His name and reputation are important to me. Together, we intended to take all available steps to clear his name."
With a trial set to start Monday, Kessler said prosecutors gave him an additional 100 pages of discovery materials on Thursday, meaning he would have had to ask for a continuance. Kessler said he wasn't sure why he hadn't been given the documents earlier.
AP
Spider-Man musical makes Broadway history
The musical has beaten the previous record set by Wicked in 2011, which took $2.2m (£1.4m) over an eight-show run in January last year.
Over Christmas and New Year many productions added a ninth show to their regular eight-show week, which helped boost total ticket takings this year.
Head-to-head last week, over nine shows, Wicked took $2.7m (£1.7m).
However, Wicked which is performed at the Gershwin Theatre, has about 100 seats less than the 1,930-seat Foxwoods Theatre, home of the superhero musical.
The Lion King recorded takings of $2.4m (£1.5m) and Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway took a total of $2m (£1.2m)
Harris insisted they still had a long way to go.
"The time to crow is when we have sustained longevity and we've returned the money to our investors."
Not all shows enjoyed healthy ticket sales over the festive period, with producers of the musical Lysistrata Jones announcing the comedy will close on Sunday.
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, written by U2's Bono and The Edge, has taken the highest single-week takings of any show in Broadway history.
The musical, which was plagued with problems from its inception, took $2.9m (£1.8m) over nine performances last week, according to The Broadway League.
The Edge said it was a "proud day" for everyone who has been involved.
The show, which cost $75m (£48m) to make, is the most expensive Broadway show to be produced.
Initially the production was beset with problems, which included injuries to some of the cast members, opening night delays, poor reviews and unpaid royalty claims.
"For all the problems, there was magic on the stage," Bono said.
"Things did get chaotic and messy after our producer Tony Adams died. But this week's news has us all giddy again and we are raising our glasses to Tony, to our indefatigable cast, crew, creative - and production team."
Co-producer Jeremiah Harris admitted he and his colleague, fellow producer Michael Cohl, "came into a very difficult situation" when they signed up.
"We've changed the team. We added players when we needed to. We've moved some players around to different positions. And the success we've had here is the culmination of all those people working hard to get done what we've gotten done," he said.
According to figures collected by Cohl and Harris, it is thought that half of all attendees to Spider-Man had never been to a Broadway show before.
They claim the production has been seen by more than 600,000 people during the past year.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel Engaged
Jessica Biel may have said only last year, "I was never one of those girls who dreamt of my wedding and my Prince Charming," but it looks like she's about to have both.
Biel and Justin Timberlake are engaged to be married, a source tells PEOPLE.
The big moment happened while the on-again couple were in Big Sky Country, on their annual vacation to Montana, according to the source, who reveals Justin proposed with a "custom-designed" ring.Timberlake, who turns 31 later this month, and Biel, 29, celebrated the happy news with friends.
Only a few weeks ago, unconfirmed reports said the longtime romantic couple were altar-bound, but the rumors proved premature.
Last year, the couple spent time apart for several months after being together for four years, since May. They made their split official in March 2011.
Still, over that summer, Timberlake told Vanity Fair about Biel, saying, "She is the single-handedly most significant person in my life. In my 30 years, she is the most special person, okay? ... I don't want to say much more, because I have to protect things that are dear to me – for instance, her."
By the following September, the two were back on and publicly affectionate together again.
When they were spotted having brunch last fall in a Colorado mountaintop bar, an onlooker told PEOPLE, "There was plenty of P.D.A., and they seemed happy." Other sightings soon followed in Las Vegas, in New York and in Hollywood.
Nick Cannon's Friend 'Shocked' By Kidney Failure
Nick Cannon's health scare has stunned his friends, family and fans alike.
"I was beyond shocked when I learned Nick had a kidney issue," DJ Irie, a close friend of Cannon, tells PEOPLE.
"Of all the people, he is healthy beyond belief. He does not drink, he eats healthy, and he works out regularly."
The America's Got Talent host, 31, was hospitalized with what wife Mariah Carey called "mild kidney failure" on Wednesday.
"Nick practices all of these healthy habits every day of his life," the Miami-based DJ added. "But he is rational and smart and taking care of it by being in the hospital where he belongs now."
Carey told PEOPLE that her husband is stable but "in a lot of pain."
Kirstie Alley plans to date 'ugly men'
Talk about a strange New Year's resolution.
Kirstie Alley said she's going to start dating "butt-ugly men" on an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" airing Friday.
When asked about her dating life by Ellen, Alley, 60, admitted she usually goes for "psychos" and "players," so the host suggested she try going with the opposite of what she's attracted to.
"I'm thinking ugly men might be the solution," the "Dancing with the Stars" alum responded. "I'm talking about butt ugly. Because I go for really handsome men and I think butt ugly would be appreciative."
Alley, who's twice divorced, recently told PEOPLE she's looking for love. What else would she like for her upcoming 61st birthday?
"I want an Aston Martin and a tattoo," she said.
While DeGeneres didn't get the actress a new car, she did help her out with some new ink. The host, who had a tattoo artist waiting backstage, joked that they would play a game to determine Alley's tat. If she lost, the star would have to get a tattoo of DeGeneres.
Luckily, Alley won and was inked with the initials of her two children.
PEOPLE
Residents in Providenciales have been alerted on the upsurge in crime.
Residents in Providenciales have been alerted on the upsurge in crime on that island.
A circulated bbm from a concerned resident, is imploring residents to be extremely vigilant as houses are being broken into in the Leeward Palms Area of Providenciales!!!!
'Please take necessary precautions to remove or secure all electronics.' the meassage read.
'There have been a number of homes that have been ransacked and valuables have been stolen!!! Please this is not a hoax this has just happened to me! the concerned resident wrote on his message board.
'Let us pray that whoever is responsible for this is caught! Home owners it is time we be our brothers keeper, if you see something strange in your neighbors yard call your neighbor or please report it to the Police!!!
Please Pass This On!!!! the bbm added. This outcry by the concerned resident, himself on the receiving end of thieves, comes as Police on Providenciales are finding themselves hard-pressed to deal with the spate of crime that continues to rise on a daily basis, with Police recently reporting as much as 23 crimes in a day.
Person of the Year 2011, 'Dr.Rufus Ewing'
An on-line news paper article has named Director of Health Services and President of the Civil Service Association, Dr. Rufus Ewing, as their 'Person of the Year'.
The very popular TCI Post in bestowing this honor on the goodly doc,credits him for quote: 'displaying bold and decisive leadership of the CSA on the issue of civil service redundancy and the rights of civil servants to be treated fairly and equitably by the interim regime, puts him ahead and shoulders above any other,' end quote.
The TCI Post also credits him for speaking out on wider issues such as taxation, rising cost of living, state of the economy and the British policies, which it says are pushing TC Islanders below the poverty line.
Of significance to the TCI Post in awarding this honor to the CSA President, was Dr. Ewings one-man-stance - on a day the Advisory Council met in protest against the Interim Administrations policies.
But Dr. Ewing in accepting this honor, says civil servants and residents alike deserve to share the person of the year award.
Making the comments as part of his New Years Day message, Dr. Ewing said much was accomplished by the Civil Service Association, but much still needs to be done.
Another male arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary in the stabbing and beating of Oswaldo Ariza
In his 24 hour crime recap, Detective Inspector Calvin Chase said the two males who had been assisting the Police in Grand Turk in connection with that report of Aggravated Burglary on 4th January 2012 in which well known senior citizen and businessman Oswalda Ariza was brutally attacked in his home, were released from custody pending further investigations.
Chase says another male has been arrested on suspicion of Aggravated Burglary in connection with that same incident. This male has also been arrested for Possession of Cannabis.
Police in Providenciales responded to four (4) reports of burglaries in Turtle Cove, Leeward Highway and South Dock Road and one report of wounding in South Dock
Also in Provo, Chase reported that Luther Lightbourne, a 51 year old male was charged for Possession of Cannabis and he appeared in the Providenciales Magistrates Court # 2 today Thursday 5th January, where he plead guilty. He was fined $750.00 to be paid in one month or spend an alternative of three months in prison.
Neal Rigby, a 40 year old male was charged for Burglary in connection with a report made on Tuesday 3rd January 2012. He also appeared in the Providenciales Magistrates Court # 2 today Thursday 5th January and pleaded guilty.
He was sentenced to eighteen months in prison.
National Trust extend the registration period for photo and film competition
The National Trust in line with its national bio-diversity and heritage awareness project under the theme loss of bio-diversity means loss of identity has decided to extend the registration period for photo and film competition entries by two weeks the new deadline will now be the Wednesday 18th of January.
Registration is free and prizes are $250 for Best photo and $300 for best film.
Justin Missick, TCI National Trust Biodiversity Awareness Co-ordinator,said the TCI National Trust is inviting anyone with an eye for photography and film, if you are a professional photographer or just an amateur with a camera-phone and are passionate about the beauty that our Turks & Caicos has to offer, to enter the competition.
The deadline for the competition which commenced on 10th December 2011,has been extended to 5:00PM on 18 January, with judging scheduled the following day, 19 January 2012. The winners will be announced on 21 January during the 2012 Film & Photo Exhibition.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
1. All entries must be submitted by 5 pm on or before Wednesday the 18 January 2012 to:- tc.nattrust@yahoo.com
There are no entry charges.
2. Submissions can be emailed or sent in on CD/flash drive of the image, with captions detailing where the shot was taken and what it is about.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
1. All entries must Reflect Turks & Caicos Bio-Diversity or Cultural Heritage.
2. Each entry must be and is deemed to be, personally shot by the participant.
There is a limit to the numbers of entries - a maximum of 2 photos for photo competition entries and a maximum of one film for film competition entries
3. All photos and film entries must be emailed to email: tc.nattrust@yahoo.com or dropped to the national trust office on a CD Address:- Town Centre Mall, Butterfield Square, Downtown, Providenciales.
A retired senior citizen viciously accosted in his own home by a knife wielding assailant
Police in Grand Turk have begun investigations into an incident in which an elderly resident was viciously accosted in his own home on Duncombe Alley by a knife wielding assailant/s during the early hours of this morning.
Media Relations Officer, Detective Inspector Calvin Chase in his 24 hour crime update, said the victim in this aggravated burglary, Mr. Oswaldo Ariza, received serious but non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Cockburn Town Medical Centre Grand Turk for medical attention.
A close family member told RTC News that Mr. Ariza said he felt the presence of someone in his room. The attacker allegedly busted a reading lamp on Mr. Arizas forehead, stabbed him on the left side of his chest with a knife and proceeded to pummel him about his body.
Mr. Ariza is a retired senior citizen, a competent electrician/businessman and a well known historian.
Detective Inspector Chase said two males are currently assisting the Police with their investigations into this incident.
Also as part of his 24 Hour Crime Recap in Providenciales, Chase said Police there responded to eleven (11) reports of serious nature - Nine Burglaries in Central Square, Lower Bight, Stammers Run, Leeward Gates and Leeward, (2) Blue Hills and (2) in Leeward Palms; and two Attempted Burglaries one in Blue Hills and one on Leeward Highway.