Our waters continue to be in the headlines as algae and brown water take over Southwest Florida"s coasts and canals. Some people now say a smell is coming from the water in certain parts of Fort Myers Beach. With no reported closures or high levels of bacteria, that leaves people along the beach to believe the smell is coming from dredging in Matanzas Pass. It"s a stench people describe vividly.
RNC HEATS UP
Ted Cruz sensationally withheld an endorsement of Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention, earning a chorus of boos from the floor before he was upstaged in a power play by the GOP nominee himself. In a dramatic development, as Cruz wrapped up his speech, Trump suddenly appeared in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. He walked to join his family in a VIP area and flashed a thumbs-up -- a gesture that transmitted clear anger at the Texas senator"s behavior.
FLORIDA POLICE SHOOTING
Authorities say a Florida police officer shot and wounded an autistic man"s caretaker following reports of a man threatening to shoot himself. The Miami Herald reports that the North Miami Assistant Police Chief says officers responded to the scene Monday and began giving orders to Charles Kinsey and his patient to lie on the ground. Kinsey lies down and tries to get his patient to comply. Cuevas says an officer then fired three times, striking Kinsey in the leg.
LEE COUNTY CRIME REPORT
Reports of violent crime in Lee County are lower for the first half of 2016 compared to the same time last year. The Lee County Sheriff"s Office released its semi-annual crime report Wednesday. The report goes district by district, even subdistricts, to show how deputies and investigators have spent 2016.
RAIN AND STORMS TODAY
An east wind this morning will carry over a few clouds and the possibility for a few isolated showers from the Florida east coast. Temperatures are in the 70"s this morning with plenty of humidity. Through the afternoon more clouds will build and east winds will continue to push in rain, first to inland areas, and then to coastal areas.
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Gwen Stefani may be crazy in love with Blake Shelton, but the singer still gets emotional when talking about her former flames.The pop star sat down with Howard Stern on Wednesday and chatted about her past relationships with her No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal whom she started dating when they were teenagers and ex-husband Gavin Rossdale.
I was in love and obsessed with Tony Kanal, and he knows that, she recalled. As soon as he opened the car door I was like, I love him. I dont know why."
The two were together for seven years before Tony called it off. That was a really huge part and long part of my life, the 46-year-old singer noted, adding that she still wonders what her life would have been like had they stayed together.
Shortly after the breakup, she met Gavin.
"When I met him and looked up at him, I was like, "Whoa. It was different, she told Howard. I was in quite a rebellious place because I was feeling really rejected Somehow he got my phone number, and that was that. He stalked me, I think. I was only 26, and I only had the one relationship. I still lived at home when I met Gavin."
The two dated for seven years before tying the knot in 2002 and they became parents to three sons: Kingston, 10; Zuma, 7; and Apollo, 2. However, the couple announced their divorce in 2015 with rumors swirling of his infidelity
"Its been an unbelievable journey. You cant even imagine. It did rock [my world]. My parents were totally helping me through the whole thing, she said of the split. I was in a panic. I was in h**l. Tearing up, she continued, "I think, for me, I feel like I always wondered: Why did I get so unlucky in love? I have so much love in me. [Howard,] you are making me cry."
Check out the video to hear what else Gwen had to say about her early days with Gavin, and tune in to The Insider With Yahoo on TV tonight for the latest in entertainment news.
Oneof the darlings of theLos Angeles start-up scene is cashing in on a$1-billion payday a rise fueled by a disruptive business model and a series ofoffbeat viral ads.
But this company doesnot traffic in virtual reality headsets, video games or disappearing messages. Its business, instead, focuses on one of mankinds oldest gadgets: razors.
Dollar Shave Clubs sale to consumer products titanUnilever, announced Tuesday, is the biggest acquisitionever of a venture-backed start-up in Los Angeles. And its a vote of confidence inthe citys start-up scene one that has quietly emerged as a hub for e-commerce.
Neither Dollar Shave Club nor Unilever disclosed terms of the deal, but two sources familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to discuss it publicly,said the privately held start-ups shareholders will divvy up the sumin cash.
Born out of a holiday party conversationin 2010, founder Mike Dubin launchedDollar Shave Club a year later.Since then, the subscription razor servicehas amassed 3.2 million customers and expanded witha line of mens hair and skin products as well as wet wipes.
Backed by more than $160 million in venture capital funding,Dollar Shave Club had been valued at about$630 million prior to the sale.
Dubin, who is to remain at Dollar Shave Club as chief executive, said the two sides had been talking for months about an investment. Those talks evolved into discussions about an acquisition after Dubin acknowledged how Unilever could help Dollar Shave Club grow into a global brand, beyond its current operations in U.S., Canada and Australia.
It was a flight we didnt want to miss, Dubin said.
Dollar Shave Club will remain largely independent to build its brand, which was made famous by a series of tongue-in-cheek viral videos starring Dubin. The companyalso will get to retain all 190 of its employees, Dubin said.
Though Dollar Shave Club has yet to turn a profit, thecompany had revenueof $152 million last year and was on track to exceed $200 million this year. It invests heavily in marketing, including paying for a commercial during the Super Bowl this year.
Unileverhad nearly $60 billion in sales last year in 190 countries. Among its best known stable of brands are Dove, Axe, Lipton and Ben & Jerrys.
Dollar Shave Club is an innovative and disruptive male grooming brand with incredibly deep connections to its diverse and highly engaged consumers, Kees Kruythoff, president of Unilever North America, said in a statement. We plan to leverage the global strength of Unilever to support Dollar Shave Club in achieving its full potential in terms of offering and reach.
The massive deal helps bolster Southern Californias reputation as a rising hub for venture-backed companies, with Silicon Beach home to hundreds of start-ups.
Its a bit of a wake-up call for whats happening in L.A., said Jim Mills, a Deloitte partner who leads the consumer business practice in Los Angeles. Silicon Valley obviously gets a lot of attention, but this highlights the fact that L.A. can hold its own.
Although tech firmssuch as Snapchat get most of the buzz, analysts said there is huge potential in firms such as Dollar Shave Club, which have stripped much of the hassle and a chunk of the costs by sellingconsumer products online.
Los Angeles has carved out a niche for companies injecting technology into shopping, said Greg Bettinelli, a partner at Upfront Ventures, which has invested in local e-commerce companies such as Loot Crate, trading incollectibles,and Combatant Gentlemen, sellingmenswear.
L.A. is arguably at the center of retail innovation, Bettinelli said. The region has built out unique skill sets in marketing, technology and product design for next-generation commerce.
Dollar Shave Club is one of the most prominent subscription-based start-ups, in which members receivea box of products every month. Hundreds have popped up in recent years,but many are now struggling amid a downturn in venture capital investment. Makeup service Birchbox has gone through two rounds of layoffs this year.
But Dollar Shave Club has thrived by solving an especially bothersome shopping experience. Traditional grooming brands like Gillette operate by giving away razor handles, sometimesfor free, but charging high markups for the blades themselves. At many drug and grocery stores, razor blades are kept under lock and key.
By mailing razors directly to consumers at a lower cost,Dollar Shave Club managed to capture more than 10% of the razor market in just a short time, said Sucharita Mulpuru, a retail analyst at Forrester.
When you sell directly to consumers, you get much better margins, she said. Its appealing but hard to do.
David Pakman, a partner at Venrock Partners, which led severalearly fundraising rounds, said Dollar Shave Club has "been a company of fascination for many in the consumer products industry.
Traditional consumer-products companies and retailers are hungry to get into thedirect-to-consumer business. Acquiring a company that already has provedsuccessful, Mulpuru said, allows a business like Unilever, which has no major razor brand, to skip over years of product development and marketing costs.
It would take a billion dollars for them to get to a 10% share anyway, she said. They are essentially buying it.
Dollar Share Clubremains enmeshed in a lawsuit with rival Gillette, which started its own online subscription service in 2014. Gillette, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, alleges Dollar Shave Clubstole one of its patents to reduce wear and tear on its razor blades.
Dubin declined to comment on the lawsuit and whether it had an effect on the sale to Unilever. Investors in Dollar Shave Club said the sale would help in the fight withProcter & Gamble.
Dubin started his business after complaining about the hassles of shaving with eventual co-founder Mark Levine, father of a friends fiancee, at a holiday party. The two later partnered with Santa Monica start-up accelerator Science Inc.
During those early days,Dubin would staff the printers at Science, printingpostage labels and affixing them to boxes filled with blades.
He"s humble and just gets it done,Peter Pham, co-founder of Science,said of Dubin. He had a vision, he executed it and he won . It shows L.A. can compete and build great companies.
Dubin has hopped around in his career, starting his career as a page at NBC, before eventually moving into marketing for publications such as Life and Sports Illustrated. In the mid-2000s, he founded astart-up that was a social network for travelers.
In 2012, Dubin started making a name for himself and Dollar Shave Club with YouTube videos that gained an audience thanks tooddball humor and the co-founders off-kilter charm.
The first video featured Dubinwielding a machete and atoddler shavinga man"s head.
Do you think your razor needs a vibrating handle, a flashlight, a back-scratcher and 10 blades, Dubin demanded at one point. Your handsome grandfather had one blade and polio.
Largest mergers and acquisitions of L.A. County start-ups
Dollar Shave Clubs acquisition is topped in Southern California by Facebooks $2-billion purchase of then-Irvine-based virtual reality company Oculus in 2014, but its the largest deal ever in Los Angeles.
Mens grooming brand Dollar Shave Club;$1 billion by Unilever in 2016
Social network Bebo;$850 million by Aol in 2008
Online video company Maker Studios;$675 million by Walt Disney in 2014
Social network MySpace;$580 million by News Corp. in 2005
Computer game developer Riot Games;$400 million by Tencent in 2011 (for a majority stake)
Content delivery network EdgeCast Networks;$390 million by Verizon in 2013
Ad technology maker AdColony;$350 million by Opera in 2013
IT software vendor ServiceMesh;$300 million by CSC in 2013
Ad technology maker Adconion Media Group;$209 million by Amobee in 2014
Manufacturing software maker Apriso;$205 million by Dassault Systmes in 2013
Source: PitchBook
Top mergers and acquisitions of venturecapital-backed e-commerce companies worldwide
Online classifieds service Avito;$2.7 billion by Naspers in 2015
Online retailer Lazada;$1.5 billion by Alibaba Group in 2016
Shoe-shopping service Zappos; $1.2 billion by Amazon in 2009
Online loyalty program Ebates; $1 billion by Rakuten in 2014
Mens grooming brand Dollar Shave Club; $1 billion by Unilever in 2016
Online retail operator Bluestem Brands; $565 million by Capmark Financial Group in 2014
Online fashion outlet Privalia $560 million; by Vente Privee in 2016
Online clothing shop Net-A-Porter; $530 million by Richemont in 2010
Quidsi (Soap.com, Diapers.com); $500 million by Amazon in 2011
Comparison service Buscape; $376 million by Naspers in 2009
Online retailer Netretail Holdings; $360 million by Naspers in 2012
Styling service Trunk Club; $350 million by Nordstrom in 2014
Online fashion shop RueLaLa.com; $350 million by GSI Commerce in 2009
Online clothing retailer Myntra; $343 million by Flipkart in 2014
Online stationery service Tiny Prints; $333 million by Shutterfly in 2011
Note: Only includes deals since 2009 with a disclosed valuation
Source: CB Insights
Times staff writer Paresh Dave contributed to this report.
david.pierson@latimes.com
Twitter:@dhpierson
shan.li@latimes.com
Twitter: @ByShanLi
UPDATES:
July 20, 4:30p.m.:This article was updated to add charts.
July 20, 3:20 p.m.:This article was updated to include additional context and reporting.
July 20, 1:15 p.m.:This article was updated to include additional context and reporting.
July 20, 9:40 a.m.:This article was updated to add a graphic.
July 20, 9:05 a.m.:This article was updated with additional details.
9:40 p.m.:This article was updated with additional details.
This article was originally published July 19 at 7:40 p.m.
Shannen Doherty documented shaving her head as she battles breast cancer.
The actress went public with her diagnosis last August when she filed a lawsuit against her former business manager. In the claim, the "Charmed" and "90210" star accused her manager of not paying health insurance premiums, causing coverage for the actress to lapse.
On Wednesday, Doherty posted images on her Instagram account. In one, she is being hugged by her mother, Rosa Doherty. In another, friend and model Anne Marie Kortright takes a photo as the actress cuts her hair.
Doherty had earlier Instagrammed a photo with the caption "Cupcake pan, chocolates and a razor.... Stay tuned. @annemkortright has got this. #cancersucks #thankgodforfriends," to tease that she would be shaving her head.
Doherty"s social media followers responded with well wishes.
"Still as beautiful as when I watched you on 90210. Keep fighting the fight. You got this girl," read one comment.
Step 6
A photo posted by ShannenDoherty (@theshando) on Jul 19, 2016 at 9:05pm PDT
A crane collapsed across the span of New Yorks Tappan Zee Bridge today, blocking traffic and wreaking havoc on the states longest bridge.
Image: WABC via NY Daily News
The crane collapsed just after noon near mile marker 15, NBC reported. Rockland County Executive Ed Day said three motorists and two bridge workers were injured, according to Lohud.
The collapse brought traffic to a standstill. Authorities had said earlier today the bridge would be closed indefinitely until the crane was removed, though according to Governor Andrew Cuomo, some lanes on the bridge were set to re-open this evening. The reason for the collapse is still unclear.
Two cars had minor accidents in avoiding the falling crane, but miraculously there were no serious injuries whatsoever, Cuomo told reporters. No vehicle actually hit the crane. The traffic wasnt that heavy. We were very, very fortunate that the situation wasnt worse.
Some damage to the bridge has been reported; Ed Day told Lohud that there was a punch through hole on one side of the bridge, as well as a hole in the guard rail.
The crane was being used to build a replacement bridge for the Tappan Zee Bridge, construction of which is slated for completion in 2018 and estimated to cost roughly $US4 ($5) billion. The current Tappan Zee Bridge, which opened in 1955 and was only intended to last 50 years, is something of an infrastructure nightmare.
According to a 2015 piece in the Atlantic, New York had to spend $US300 ($400) million to fix the bridges deck because five-foot-wide holes started opening up along the span. Meanwhile, the ongoing construction to replace the bridge was delayed for more than three decades in bureaucratic red tape and hand wringing.
Photos and video from the scene show the extent of the collapse:
Please enable JavaScript to watch this video.
This post has been updated to reflect new information about the number of injuries and lane re-openings.
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Honest Trailers - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
By now, it has become fairly well established that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice divided fans and critics right down the middle. The Ultimate Edition release has somewhat softened opinions on the overall movie, but plenty of people still consider Dawn of Justice a substantial disappointment compared to what we were promised. This particular superhero smackdown never had a chance of living up to our sky high expectations, and that"s exactly what the Honest Trailer for the Batman V Superman Ultimate Edition endeavors to get across. Check it out below.
Most of you have likely become familiar with the overall format of a Screen Junkies Honest Trailer, which means you know that this one"s pretty d**n brutal. Easily the biggest criticism that they have with this film is the way in which it completely mishandles Superman (Henry Cavill). Although Kal-El has developed a reputation for being one of the (literally) sunnier superheroes in all of comics, Zack Snyder"s version does little outside of brood, doubt himself, and listen to really bad pep talks from his loved ones. In their own words, it feels like a good Batman movie stuffed inside a bad Superman movie.
They additionally point out that Jesse Eisenberg"s Lex Luthor absolutely sucks throughout this movie, acting less like the super villain we all know and love, and more like a cartoon character who simply doesn"t belong in this take on the DC mythos. A good 15-20 seconds of the entire video is simply devoted to highlighting the odd, twitchy noises he continuously makes whenever he"s on screen.
Of course, despite how brutal this Honest Trailer is for Batman V Superman, the Screen Junkies have a reputation for even-handed criticism, and as such they still manage to point out the strengths of the film. In particular, they are quick to note that Ben Affleck completely shines as The Dark Knight, and easily represents the highlight of the movie by stealing whatever scene he happens to be in. They even go so far as to remark that every critic who assumed he would do a terrible job as Batman has been definitively proven wrong. Additionally, they take a quick moment to also address how awesome Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is in the film, but her contributions seem somewhat diminished by how tacked on she feels to the whole affair.
At the end of the day this Honest Trailer pretty much echoes the sentiment of most people who saw the movie -- there"s some good ideas and performances, but it"s all largely undercooked. We will have to wait and see if the DCEU can correct course when Suicide Squad hits theaters next month on August 5.
For now, make sure to pick up the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition, which is currently available on Digital HD, Blu-Ray, and DVD.
