Inmate sues DOC, claiming guard did nothing during attack

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A 17-year-old former inmate has filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections, claiming he was raped with a broom handle, stabbed with barbed wire and brutally beaten by other inmates while a guard stood by and did nothing. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Ocala is asking […]

Game on? Fantasy sports could become legal in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida lawmakers are moving closer to making fantasy sports legal in the state. House and Senate panels on Wednesday voted in favor of bills to allow and regulate fantasy sports contests. The legislation would cover both season-long fantasy baseball or football leagues, as well as daily fantasy leagues. Florida’s attorney general […]

Florida House passes bill to study, regulate fracking

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida would have to establish regulations for fracking under a bill passed by the House, despite arguments that the oil and gas drilling practice could contaminate groundwater. The House voted 73-45 on Wednesday for a bill that would require the state Department of Environmental Protection to study the impact of fracking […]

Drug abuse bill raises hopes for election-year achievement

WASHINGTON (AP) – In a testy election year likely to see scant collaboration between Republicans and Democrats, there’s a glint of hope in Congress for a bipartisan bill aimed at fighting heroin and opioid addiction – a deadly, growing problem that afflicts states both red and blue. Senate and House bills establishing grants to combat […]

Renderings re-imagine entrance to Naples along Davis Blvd.

NAPLES, Fla.- A new plan to change the entrance to the City of Naples at Davis Boulevard and U.S. 41 could revitalize the area and bring in more business. The project boasts residences, retail shops, a boutique movie theater and a hotel. The developer, Real Estate Partners International, offered $6.4 million for the property, matching what the county […]

Nonprofit raising money to build safe haven for trafficking victims

NAPLES, Fla.- A nonprofit is raising money to build a safe haven in Southwest Florida for victims of human trafficking. “Ninety-percent of human trafficking victims, prostituted individuals, were sexually violated as children, and I was one of them,” said Dr. Brook Parker Bello. “This issue does not care whether you’re rich, poor, black, white, Latin, or whatever status your family comes from. It is […]

Wife of Illinois officer who staged suicide indicted

FOX LAKE, Ill. (AP) – The wife of an Illinois policeman who staged his suicide to look like homicide and prompted an intense manhunt for suspects was indicted Wednesday for assisting her husband in embezzling money from a youth program. Melodie Gliniewicz turned herself in at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office when she learned of […]

Study hints at biology of schizophrenia, may aid treatment

NEW YORK (AP) – Scientists pursuing the biological roots of schizophrenia have zeroed in on a potential factor – a normal brain process that gets kicked into overdrive. The finding could someday lead to ways to treat the disease or even prevent it. The result – accomplished by analysis of genetics, autopsy brain tissue and […]

Justice Dept. targeting collusion in heir-tracing industry

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department is investigating an industry that seeks out heirs to the recently deceased and is looking into whether price-fixing and other anti-competitive practices have ripped off relatives who have enlisted the companies’ services, law enforcement officials said. Federal prosecutors have announced plea agreements in the last month with two industry […]

Man caught smuggling live birds in pants

(CNN)- U.S. Customs arrested a man they say tried smuggling live birds in his pants. The man was a passenger on a flight from Cuba to Florida. Customs and Border Patrol agents took the man into custody on January 9 at Miami International Airport. Officials say the passenger was concealing six exotic birds in a fanny pack […]