Pence visits Venezuelan exiles in Miami amid uproar

MIAMI (AP) Vice President Mike Pence is visiting the Venezuelan diaspora in South Florida after traveling to Latin America to win over allies unnerved by a possible U.S. military intervention in the socialist nation. Pence will meet Wednesday with Venezuelan community leaders and activists who say President Nicolas Maduro’s increasingly authoritarian regime is to blame […]

Trump preaches unity to vets after fiery political speech

WASHINGTON (AP) One day after a searing speech tearing into the media and some Republicans, President Donald Trump returned Wednesday to calls for unity and love as he spoke to veterans Wednesday at an American Legion conference. “We are here to hold you up as an example of strength, courage and resolve that our country […]

Crash blocks westbound State Road 776 near El Jobean

EL JOBEAN, Fla. Westbound State Road 776 was closed at Biscayne Drive on Monday afternoon because of a crash, a Charlotte County EMS spokeswoman said. One person was injured and flown to Sarasota Memorial Emergency Room in North Port after the two-vehicle wreck, spokeswoman Dee Hawkins-Garland said. No further information was immediately available.

Florida: White man who killed black person to be executed

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) For the first time in state history, Florida is expecting to execute a white man Thursday for killing a black person – and it plans to do so with the help of a drug that has never been used before in any U.S. execution. Barring a stay, Mark Asay, 53, is scheduled […]

Florida veterinarian, husband accused of animal cruelty

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) A Florida veterinarian and her husband have been arrested on felony animal cruelty charges. Polk County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Hortsman said in a news release that 66-year-old Gail Anne Nichols and 74-year-old Paul Craig Smith investigators followed up on a tip about animals not being properly cared for and arrested the couple […]

Punta Gorda armed robbery suspect arrested in California

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. A man accused of an armed convenience store robbery in May was arrested Tuesday in California. A tip led U.S. Marshals to an area outside Irving, California, where Dickman was taken in custody, the Punta Gorda Police Department. He’s suspected of taking an undisclosed amount of cash from a Circle K on 3035 […]

Port Charlotte man arrested after shooting that wounded woman

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. A 22-year-old woman was hospitalized after she was shot Tuesday night, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said. Durante Bernard Clark, 22, of the 21500 block of Glendale Avenue, was arrested at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, the sheriff’s office said. Clark is the woman’s boyfriend, according to a sheriff’s office report. The victim […]

9 Lakeland officers suspended after speeding to dog competition

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) Nine Lakeland police officers have been suspended after driving at very high speeds during a trip to a police dog competition. Chief Larry Giddens read a statement saying he’s embarrassed and disappointed in the conduct of his K9 officers, who were suspended Tuesday for a day or two. Acting on a tip, […]

State Department issues travel warning for Mexico over violence, crime

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) The U.S. State Department issued a new travel warning Tuesday for people planning to visit certain parts of Mexico. The State Department said U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes – including kidnapping, carjacking, robbery and even homicide in certain Mexican states. As CBS2’s Valerie Castro reported, the travel warning raised […]