Florida

Read recent news stories and current events about Florida on Newser.com

Stories 3121 - 3140 | << Prev   Next >>

Cops: Florida Mom Kills Her 4 Kids, Herself

Friend got a warning text from Tonya Thomas, didn't see it

(Newser) - A 33-year-old mother shot and killed her four kids, ages 12 to 17, before killing herself as police closed in on her home today, reports MSNBC . Police say they don't have a motive, but they say Tonya Thomas sent a text to a friend about 3am declaring that she...

Skulls Buried in Florida Backyard Date to 1200 AD

Investigators have no idea how Inca skulls got there

(Newser) - Police in Florida investigating two skulls found in a backyard say that while they definitely have a mystery on their hands, they're not looking for a killer. That's because investigators have determined that the skulls belong to a man and a 10-year-old boy who died in Peru as...

236K Lose Jobless Benefits
 236K Lose Jobless Benefits 
May 14, 2012 9:53 AM CDT

236K Lose Jobless Benefits

Some of country's hardest hit states see benefits expire

(Newser) - Unemployment benefits abruptly dried up for 236,300 people this weekend, as federal support for the long-term unemployed expired in some of the country's hardest-hit states. Thanks to a law Congress passed in February, long-term benefits are being scaled back from 99 weeks to 79 weeks, the Hill explains....

Woman Gets 20 Years for Firing Warning Shot

Florida's Marissa Alexander was fending off husband

(Newser) - A Florida woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for firing what she says was a warning shot to scare away her attacking husband. In the intensely controversial case, Marissa Alexander claims she was fleeing from her abusive husband when she fired a gun into the wall of...

Child Porn Suspect Wields Samurai Sword on Computer

He strikes as police enter his apartment

(Newser) - Yesterday's line of the day from the crime blotter involved a disassembled gun hidden inside a bunny, a bear, and Mickey Mouse. The Miami Herald may have topped it today with a lede spotted by BoingBoing .
  • "A Florida man stabbed his computer with a Samurai sword after being
...

Florida Teacher Made Teens Wear 'Cone of Shame'

Yep, the kind of cone that dogs wear

(Newser) - Some teachers work their students like dogs—but in Florida, one science teacher apparently treated her students like canines. Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp, 47, made at least eight of her ninth-graders wear a "cone of shame" last month, reports the Tampa Bay Times . And this particular cone isn't a dunce...

Obama Has a Gay-Marriage Headache in 7 States

Decision could cause problems during election in key states

(Newser) - President Obama’s official embrace of gay marriage will certainly energize some of his supporters, but it’s also sure to give him grief in these seven states, as rounded up by Politico :
  • North Carolina: As evidenced by the recently-passed constitutional amendment banning it, gay marriage is not very popular
...

White Supremacists Busted Near Disney World

'American Front' was preparing for a race war: Police

(Newser) - Ten hard-core white supremacists have been arrested in Florida, where they were training for a race war in America, reports Reuters . Those arrested were members of the American Front neo-Nazi group, and the suspects include local leader Marcus Faella, 39. They trained on his property in St. Cloud—about 10...

Florida County's Libraries Ban 50 Shades of Grey

Cite concern over 'pornographic' EL James books

(Newser) - A Florida county's library system has banned the erotic-fiction 50 Shades of Grey trilogy in light of its "perceived pornographic nature," a spokesman tells NBC Miami . Brevard County's 17 libraries had ordered 19 copies of the three EL James books, and there was a waiting list...

Hispanics Key to 2012 Electoral Map

And things aren't looking good for Mitt Romney

(Newser) - If he wants to win in November, Mitt Romney will need to make giant strides among Hispanics, and he knows it. A failure to do so "spells doom for us," he was caught saying at a fundraiser. President Obama already appears to have a large electoral-vote lead—247...

Florida Band Players Face Charges in Hazing Death

Music profs resign in separate incident

(Newser) - Florida A&M band members will be hit with criminal charges today following a six-month investigation into the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion . The charges come as two music professors at the school have had to resign over alleged involvement in another hazing incident, their lawyer says. A...

Drunk Grandparents Busted for Towing Girl in Toy Car

Florida couple told cops they were just having fun

(Newser) - It's probably going to be a long time before Paul and Belinda Berloni will be allowed to be in charge of a motor vehicle—or their granddaughter. The couple were arrested after Florida police spotted them in their SUV, driving at speeds of up to 10mph while towing the...

Terry Jones Burns Korans
 Terry Jones Again Burns Korans
Apr 30, 2012 12:36 AM CDT

Terry Jones Again Burns Korans

He's slapped with $300 fire fine

(Newser) - Controversial right-wing pastor Terry Jones has defiantly torched copies of the Koran outside his Florida church. Jones also set aflame an image of the prophet Muhammad in front of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville. Pentagon officials had urged Jones to refrain from the action out of fear it...

In Florida, Get Limo Rides, Botox, Booze at ... Dentist

Or get a massage with your teeth cleaning

(Newser) - Who said going to the dentist had to be boring and/or terrifying? A dental office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has turned getting your teeth inspected into a luxurious event, complete with champagne, massages, and a personal concierge who will make you limo and dinner reservations, reports the Sun Sentinel . Dr....

Judge to Florida: You Can't Drug-Test State Workers

Governor Rick Scott's directive called unconstitutional

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott's plan to give random drug tests to state workers just ran into a big problem: the Fourth Amendment. A federal judge ruled that Scott's directive to have the state's 85,000 employees submit to surprise tests violates the Constitution's protection against unreasonable...

Man Faces 5 Years for Stealing McDonald's Soda

Mark Adaire charged with felony for $1 theft

(Newser) - A Florida man has been charged with a felony for swiping a soda from McDonald's. Police say Mark Adaire, 52, walked into a McDonald's restaurant, asked for a cup of water, and then filled the cup with soda and left without paying. Adaire, who swore at the manager...

Sanford to Trayvon Police Chief: You're Not Quitting

Bill Lee had tendered resignation

(Newser) - Sanford refused to accept its police chief's resignation today despite his handling of the George Zimmerman case, CBS News reports. The Florida city's commissioners voted 3-2 to reject Bll Lee's resignation, and most of them blamed tumult surrounding the Trayvon Martin shooting on outsiders. "The city...

Zimmerman Apologizes, Can Go Free on Bail

Tells Trayvon's parents he's sorry; judge sets bond at $150K

(Newser) - George Zimmerman could be out on bail as early as tomorrow. The judge at his bond hearing today set the amount at $150,000, reports the Orlando Sentinel . Zimmerman, who will have to wear a GPS monitor, took the stand himself before the ruling and apologized to Trayvon Martin's...

Small Plane Sinks into Gulf; No Sign of Pilot

Windshield was iced over, and he was flying in circles

(Newser) - Coast Guard crews saw no signs today that the pilot of a small plane survived when it went down in the Gulf of Mexico about three hours after two F-15 fighter jets tried to make contact with him. The plane landed right-side up on the ocean surface and had been...

The Truth About &#39;Stand Your Ground&#39;
 The Truth About 
 'Stand Your Ground' 
OPINION
Apr 18, 2012 1:09 PM CDT

The Truth About 'Stand Your Ground'

Florida's law isn't as crazy as it's being made out to be, Robert Leider argues

(Newser) - A lot of misinformation is flying around about Florida's Stand Your Ground law in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting, but the truth is, it's "neither extreme nor an outlier," argues Robert Leider of the Wall Street Journal . Even under Stand Your Ground, to claim...

Stories 3121 - 3140 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser