mega millions

5 Florida players become Mega Milllions millionaires

While the jackpot-winning ticket in last Friday’s Mega Millions drawing was sold in the Chicago area, five lucky people in Florida also hit it big. Two lucky players each won $1 million and three lucky players each won $2 million. The winning tickets matched all five of the white ball numbers but did not match […]

Congresswoman calls for federal probe into Florida utility

A U.S. congresswoman is asking the Department of Justice to investigate Florida Power & Light over claims that the utility used “dark money” to disguise sources of political funding and sway elections in Florida, as well as other allegations documented in recent news reports. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said in a letter to Attorney […]

Weighing the costs, benefits of burying power lines in SWFL

In this Gulfshore Business report, Florida Power & Light is kicking off a new project that will make it easier to flip the power back on after a powerful storm. Five months ago, at Hernando Avenue and Claude Court in Port Charlotte looked a bit different. At the time, there was a Ditch Witch digging […]

Biden: Killing of al-Qaida leader is long-sought ‘justice’

President Joe Biden announced Monday that al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, an operation he said delivered justice and hopefully “one more measure of closure” to families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The president said in an evening address from […]

Week 3: Parkland gunman Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial, prosecution continues case

Week three of the sentencing trial for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz resumes Monday. Last week the jury heard testimony from a variety of people, including the victims themselves as well as the person who sold him the weapon. This week, more details about the horrific event will be revealed. “Moving into this upcoming week […]

Harris to announce $1B to states, including Florida, for floods and extreme heat

The White House is making more than $1 billion available to states to address flooding and extreme heat exacerbated by climate change. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to announce the grant programs Monday at an event in Miami with the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other officials. The competitive grants will […]

child care

States boost child care money as congressional effort stalls

Difficulties in finding affordable child care cost Enoshja Ruffin her job three years ago. The mother of six was let go from her position as a counselor for kids with cerebral palsy after she missed three shifts because she had trouble finding babysitters. After three months on a waiting list, though, she placed her children […]

lottery

Winning lottery jackpot is lucky for some, tragic for others

Dave and Erica Harrig stayed true to their values when they won a lottery jackpot of more than $61 million in 2013. It made all the difference. The couple from Gretna, Nebraska, a community on the outskirts of Omaha where Dave Harrig now is a volunteer firefighter, allowed themselves to buy a new home, some […]

wildfires

Heat, wind threaten to whip up growing Western wildfires

Crews battling major wildfires in California and Montana worked to protect remote communities on Sunday as hot, windy weather across the tinder-dry U.S. West created the potential for even more spread. The McKinney Fire was burning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest as erratic lightning storms swept through the region just south […]

Parkland trial a rare, curtailed look at mass shooting gore

Few Americans outside law enforcement and government ever see the most graphic videos or photos from the nation’s worst mass shootings — in most states, such evidence is only displayed at trial and most such killers die during or immediately after their attacks. They never make it to court. That has made the penalty trial […]