Tropical Storm Claudette Soaks Fla. Panhandle

Region could see 20 inches of rain

(NEWSER) - A tropical depression heading toward the Gulf Coast could soak the area in as much as 20 inches of rain, prompting concerns about flash floods in Louisiana, whose governor declared a state of emergency yesterday. What could become Tropical Storm Lee prompted warnings from Mississippi to Texas, the AP reports, with heavy rain expected over southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama through Sunday. More»

Expected to affect Florida, could hit Georgia, Carolinas

(NEWSER) - The first hurricane of the Atlantic season has officially developed. Irene is currently moving over Puerto Rico; it could eventually rattle Florida and skim Georgia and the Carolinas later this week. First, though, it’s headed toward Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The storm has maximum sustained wins of 75mph and is pushing west-northwest at 12mph, the AP reports. More»

Authorities are 'winging it' on water safety

(NEWSER) - Just when they thought it was safe to go back in the water, hundreds of swimmers reported feeling ill after braving the waves when Pensacola authorities lifted the "no swimming" flag. Local officials rejected EPA advice to close beaches and are instead relying on lifeguards to spot oil and on bathers to use common sense and not swim where they see oil, the Christian Science Monitor reports. More»

Parents of 13 special needs kids 'hated' by businessman

(NEWSER) - The murder of Bud Billings and his wife Melanie is looking more like a contract hit than an In Cold Blood-style robbery gone wrong, Tim Padgett writes in Time. The tale centers on a boastful ex-Karate instructor in Pensacola, Fla., Leonard Gonzalez, who tells police he turned down the murder-for-hire job offered an angry used-car salesman. But prosecutors say Gonzalez took the job and brought six others with him. More»

(AP) - Tropical Storm Claudette made landfall on the Florida Panhandle near Fort Walton Beach early this morning after dumping heavy rains on the area. The storm has been weakening as it moves farther inland, with winds at around 40mph, and forecasters said it would probably become a tropical depression later in the day. But in the Caribbean, Hurricane Bill became the first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic season. More»