Author: Broward County Public Schools

Four people required treatment after being overcome by fumes in a building at Nova Southeastern University, fire officials said. It was reported about 10:15 Friday at 7500 S.W 36th St. in Davie, said Robert Taylor, fire marshal for Davie Fire Rescue “We haven’t confirmed what the substance is that caused the building to be evacuated,” he said. “We suspect it may have been pepper spray.” None of the four patients were taken to the hospital, he said. The building remained evacuated... Read More

Dillard High School was on lockdown while a 12-year-old was being detained for bringing a BB gun on campus, Fort Lauderdale police said. It happened about 9 a.m. Friday at 2501 N.W. 11th St., investigators said. No injuries were reported and the lockdown was lifted a short time later, police said. Broward County School District officials confirmed the lockdown was in effect while officers looked for the student. This is a developing story. Check back later for more... Read More

The answer to South Florida’s affordable-housing crisis could be right in your backyard or garage. Florida approved legislation 15 years ago that encouraged cities to allow single-family homeowners to build a second dwelling on their properties that could be rented out to very low- to moderate-income wage earners. Few communities — Key West was one — pursued the idea, but now Broward County is giving it a fresh look. Recent studies have shown South Florida has the nation’s highest... Read More

A former Miramar city employee is facing up to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to mail fraud charges in a cellphone peddling scheme, federal prosecutors said. Brian M. Chen, 39, of Weston, was an Information Technology Analyst with the Miramar Police Department since 2007. He used his position to order and sell more than 1,000 illegally obtained cellphones over a five year period and pocketed about $800,000, according to federal court documents. Police discovered fluctuations in... Read More

There were reports of multiple injuries before dawn Friday in a crash involving a Broward Transit bus and a car. The crash involving the bus and a white BMW happened about 6 a.m. in the northbound lanes of State Road 7 just north of Broward Boulevard in Plantation. Details about the crash and the extent of the injuries were not immediately known. The northbound lanes of State Road 7 through the crash scene were closed as rescue crews were on the scene. This story will be updated. Check back... Read More

Eight people were hurt in a collision between a Broward County Transit bus and a car during the Friday morning rush hour, Plantation Fire Rescue said. A white BMW appeared to rear-end the bus shortly after 6 a.m. in the northbound lanes of State Road 7 just north of Broward Boulevard in Plantation, said fire rescue spokeswoman Robin Russell. “There were a total of seven patients,” she said. “One was transported to a local trauma center, six transported to a local hospital, and one... Read More

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation is taking over management of the historic Bonnet House, ousting the nonprofit that has operated the beachfront estate for nearly three decades. The two entities clashed over the vision for the property’s future, said Executive Director Melissa Wyllie of the Florida Trust, which owns the 35-acre expanse. It’s unclear how current operations will be affected. The Trust’s decision starts a 180-day period in which management of the community... Read More

A man was found guilty Thursday of killing Taco Bell manager Tikkitress Johnson in 2009 as she begged for her life. The same jury that convicted Karari Ritchie will be back in court in April to decide whether he should pay for the crime with his life. Deliberations in the capital murder case took more than 10 hours over two days. No one testified for the defense, and attorney Joseph Burke focused his closing argument Wednesday on perceived lapses in the investigation that brought Ritchie and... Read More

A Margate man suspected in a fatal shooting in Miami Beach turned himself in Thursday, authorities said. He surrendered two days after police released surveillance video of a shooter firing a gun on a Miami Beach street moments before a man was shot and killed nearby. Alan Michael Alt, 32, has a history of arrests in Florida for DUI, reckless driving, theft and marijuana and has lived in Fort Lauderdale, North Miami Beach and Virginia Beach, Va., records show. Alt turned himself in at the... Read More