The Cooler

Lots of interesting news this Tuesday morning. Here we go with the Cooler.

A- Herald: Sheesh. No one has a sense of humor anymore.

A man at Miami International Airport who said he had dynamite in his luggage — because he thought it would be funny — was arrested Monday, according to Miami-Dade police.

[...]

Alejandro Leon Hurtado, 63, of Guatemala, was at the TACA Airlines ticket counter shortly after noon, checking in for his flight, when a ticket agent asked if he had any hazardous materials in luggage, according to an arrest affidavit. Hurtado answered that he had dynamite.

The agent asked Hurtado again, the affidavit said, and a second time he said he had dynamite, then laughed.

“Once the defendant was told that the police were going to be called, the defendant stated that he was joking,” the affidavit said.

B- Herald: Looking for a sucker.

The Miami Heat, which won a second championship this year but has yet to pay Miami-Dade a dime in profits after 12 years at its bayfront arena, wants to extend its 30-year agreement with the county for another decade.

The existing agreement doesn’t expire until 18 years from now, in 2030. But, as permitted in the contract, Eric Woolworth, the team’s president of business operations, sent Mayor Carlos Gimenez a letter last week asking the county to begin negotiations on two five-year extensions.

[...]

As part the county’s 1997 accord with the Heat, the team owned by Micky Arison financed construction on county land of the $213 million arena, which the team says ended up costing $239 million, after it bonded out a state sales-tax rebate. Miami-Dade agreed to let the arena keep profits up to $14 million a year, with the county set to receive 40 percent of any additional profits. The team has yet to reach that number since it debuted at the arena 12 years ago, essentially remaining at the facility rent-free.

C- Herald: This is exactly the reason why I try to stay away from anthropod body parts.

The South Florida man who died after winning a roach-eating contest choked on “anthropod body parts” and his own vomit, according to a report released Monday by the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office.

D- Herald: Cool.

The crew of a research submarine studying artificial reefs off Miami-Dade County has discovered the mostly intact wreck of a U.S. Navy World War II fighter plane lying upside down 240 feet deep off Miami Beach.

[...]

Officials of the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C., identified it as a Hellcat — rolled out starting in 1943 to counter the Japanese Zero.

E- Palm Beach Post: Don't cry for him.

STUART — A defeated but upbeat U.S. Rep. Allen West told hundreds of supporters that he’ll continue to be a “voice” in politics during a gathering Monday night.

[...]

“We will overcome this fiscal crisis. We will overcome this energy independence crisis. We will defeat the enemies that want to destroy us and our best ally in the world that is Israel. We will be triumphant. The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph will be,” West said.

“So don’t come here tonight crying over your barbecue. Come here tonight and understand that at this place at this time there will be an awakening that will go forth all across the United States of America and you can tell your children that on the 26th of November 2012 that you stood here right where it began.”

F- TC Palm: Assault, Florida style.

VERO BEACH — Three people were injured after a man attacked them Saturday night with a golf club along Ocean Drive, Vero Beach police said.

Detectives said they have an arrest warrant for Danny Morgan, 60, of the 7900 block of U.S. 1, Vero Beach, for the attacks.

Morgan's ex-girlfriend and one man, 49, arrived in the 1600 block of Ocean to have dinner about 6:49 p.m. Saturday, police said. Morgan, who had been stalking the 64-year-old woman, followed the two to the area armed with the golf club, police said.

G- CBS4: Will Fort Lauderdale Beach ever be the same again?

On Monday, engineers with the Florida Department of Transportation assessed the newly placed barriers and had some concerns since some had already begun to sink into the sand.

“This was only a counter measure to protect A1A as it is right now,” said operations engineer Cleo Marsh. “We know that we need to do an actual permanent repair out here.”

Over the next two days, state workers will add more barriers to prevent additional damage to A1A.

[...]

Chances are, we’re going to see a lot more beach erosion troubles. Dr. Stephen Leatherman, from FIU, known as Dr. Beach, says global warming is to blame for these troubles. “That’s caused by the melting of glaciers, land based glaciers and also as you warm water it expands, that’s called thermal expansion.” says Dr. Leatherman. “So both of those things are causing the sea level to go up as the earth warms up.”

H- NBC Miami: Is it art?

A mystery bathtub has ended up on the south jetty of Government Cut in waters off of South Beach.

The tub is visible from South Pointe Park.

"I'll take swimming in the ocean!" beachgoer Chrisanthi Voukatidislamboglou said.

Many people speculated the tub may have been dumped there as some kind of art installation. It was hard to find anyone who was impressed at South Pointe Park on Monday, however.

I- WPLG: Pembroke Pines is leading the war on cell phone cancer.

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. - The city of Pembroke Pines wants its residents to know that cell phones could be dangerous and linked to cancer. A newly-passed resolution was inspired by a resident who believes his brain tumor was caused by his mobile device.

"A lot of scientific data has to be done with it and the ordinance is kind of generic but it makes people aware," said Pines mayor Frank Ortis.

Pines resident Jimmy Gonzalez had tumors removed in his brain above his left ear, his left hand, and near his hip. All places where he said his phone was pressed for long periods of time.

"I kept getting headaches," Gonzalez said. "One day I realized I hold my cell phone with the same hand, up against this ear and when I was done, I would put it in to these pockets."

Gonzalez spoke before the Pines City commission last month to encourage them to consider the resolution, which passed unanimously.

.