Man guilty in shooting at spring break house party

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) – An Alabama man has been convicted of numerous counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting and wounding of seven people at a Florida house party during spring break last year. The Panama City News Herald (bit.ly/1QHnky5) reports that jurors deliberated for less than an hour Thursday before […]

Trump looks to grab attention as GOP rivals debate

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Donald Trump won’t be onstage when Republican presidential candidates make their final appeals to Iowa voters in Thursday night’s debate, and that gives the rest of the field a rare opportunity to frame the election in their own terms, at least for one night. Trump is boycotting the debate in […]

Open carry bill heading to Florida House floor

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – A bill allowing licensed gun owners in Florida to openly carry in public is heading to the House floor. The Judiciary Committee approved Rep. Matt Gaetz’s bill Thursday after nearly two hours of debate. The Fort Walton Beach Republican added an amendment that loaded or unloaded guns openly carried have to […]

Naples Zoo takes in orphaned male panther kitten

NAPLES, Fla.- The Naples Zoo is now home to a male panther kitten found in an agricultural area near Lehigh Acres. The 2 to 3-month-old male was found after two mothers with kittens appeared to cross paths and somehow the kitten got separated from his family, the Naples Zoo said. Naples Zoo will take care of the male kitten until Florida […]

Iconoclastic presidential hopefuls worry Dems, GOP in House

WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders are energizing voters as the first balloting of the 2016 presidential race nears. The maverick contenders also are alarming political operatives, fearing the damage each could wreak on House candidates come November. The worry is that each man’s take-no-prisoners appeals would alienate moderate voters in […]

Police: Baby found alive in car where man, woman found dead

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Officials have identified a baby girl who was found alive inside a crashed car with a dead man and woman inside. Jacksonville Sheriff’s Chief Tom Hackney says the agency is working with the Department of Children and Families to reunite the child with relatives. She didn’t appear to have suffered any […]

Health czar cancels visit as insurance deadline nears

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Obama’s chief health official has cancelled her visit to South Florida as the deadline to sign up for health insurance nears. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell was planning to visit a West Palm Beach enrollment location Thursday along with the mayor and local officials, but federal […]

Florida legislators promise to keep death penalty, fix law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Saying it’s time to put the “death penalty” debate to rest, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature began taking its first steps Wednesday to find a way to preserve executions in the state. State senators spent hours with prosecutors, former judges, and defenders to come up with a way to respond to a […]

Florida Democrats have clear choice in race to replace Rubio

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida Democrats must decide whether their best shot at winning the Senate seat now held by Marco Rubio is a liberal firebrand who has said the GOP health plan was to hope people die quickly, or a moderate Democrat who often votes with Republicans. Rubio is giving up his seat to […]

Woman who sued Casey Anthony accused of credit card theft

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) – The Florida woman who sued Casey Anthony for defamation has been accused of stealing a cancer patient’s credit card and using it to spend $850 at stores around Kissimmee and Orlando. Osceola County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain tells news outlets that 45-year-old Zenaida Gonzalez and 26-year-old Jonattan E. Acevedo were […]