Florida

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Driver Flicks Cigarette, 6 Horses Burn to Death

Motorist ignites hay in trailer transporting young thoroughbreds

(Newser) - Six racehorses burned to death when a passing driver flicked a still-burning cigarette butt into their trailer as it traveled down a North Carolina highway on Friday night. The hay was ignited, and quickly killed the frantic thoroughbreds on their way to New York's Belmont racetrack. The trailer's...

Tomato Thieves Nab 6 Truckloads

'Smooth as silk' crooks created fake trucking firm

(Newser) - With produce prices soaring, thieves decided the time was ripe for a major operation—and they got away with $300,000 worth of Florida produce, including six truckloads of tomatoes, the New York Times reports. “I’ve never experienced people targeting produce loads before,” said one trucking broker....

Baggy Pants Ban Zips Though Florida Senate

Saggy pants bill passes state Senate

(Newser) - Florida State Sen. Gary Siplin's long quest to get the law behind baggy pants bans is nearing fruition. Siplin's bill to make it illegal for students on campuses to wear clothes exposing their underwear has passed the state Senate, and a similar bill is making its way through...

Another Toddler Served Booze
 Another Toddler Served Booze 
Apr 15, 2011 8:40 AM CDT

Another Toddler Served Booze

This time, Olive Garden is to blame

(Newser) - After learning that Applebee's served a 15-month-old boy a margarita last week, a Florida mother reveals Olive Garden served her 2-year-old son sangria last month. Jill VanHeest says she ordered orange juice for son Nikolai on March 31. When he started acting up and his eyes turned red and...

Homeless Paid $50 to Get Beat Up in Fetish Videos

Dominatrix films violate Florida hate crime laws, suit charges

(Newser) - Owners of a Florida Internet company are being sued for paying homeless men $50 to be filmed while women punched and kicked them in dominatrix fetish videos, according to court documents. The company sells "beatdown videos" of women attacking men for up to $900 on its site at Shefights....

Pliers-Wielding Mom Nabs Kidnap Suspect

Mother gives chase after drifter tries to snatch daughter

(Newser) - After her 8-year-old daughter came running home to report that a man had tried to kidnap her, a Florida mom jumped in her car to find the suspect and ended up chasing him while brandishing a heavy set of pliers, ABC News reports. The man was detained by a clerk...

Gen. Petraeus Blasts 'Hateful' Koran Burning

Florida church action triggers third day of violence in Afghanistan

(Newser) - An angry Gen. David Petraeus yesterday condemned a Florida church's burning of the Koran as "hateful, intolerant and extremely disrespectful." The head of the allied forces in Afghanistan and other officials spoke out as clashes again broke out between Afghan security forces and protesters over the burning of...

Fla. Homeowners Want Ban on Kids Playing Outside

Supporters tired of parents turning their kids loose

(Newser) - Ahh, childhood: that magical time when you can be slapped with a $100 fine for playing tag on the street outside your house. At least, that’s what will happen if a certain group of Edgewater, Fla., homeowners get their way. The Persimmon Place homeowners association will vote later this...

Florida Lawmaker Scolded for Saying 'Uterus'

State leaders say kids and young pages might hear floor debate

(Newser) - Lessons in political decorum, Florida-style: During floor debate in the state House, Democrat Scott Randolph joked that his wife should "incorporate her uterus" if she wanted to avoid abortion restrictions, reports the St. Petersburg Times . His point was that Republicans are so reluctant to regulate businesses, they would steer...

300-Pound Ray Slams Woman in Boat

Fla. tourist survives bodyslam without a scratch

(Newser) - An Illinois woman ended up a lot closer to nature than planned during a sightseeing trip in the Florida Keys when an eagle ray leaped right into her tour boat, pinning her to the floor. "It happened so fast, in a split second," Jenny Hausch, who had been...

Cops: Would-Be Ivy Leaguer Pistol-Whips Mom for Car

Now mom doesn't want to jeopardize daughter's scholarships

(Newser) - Don't mess with a wound-up teen obsessed with a car. A Florida high school honors student accepted into Ivy League schools pistol-whipped her mom when the mother refused to sign a car loan for her, according to cops. Rachel Hachero, 17, called her mom from a Fort Myers car dealership...

Parents to School: Boot Girl With Peanut Allergy

Floridians angered by regulations to keep 6-year-old alive

(Newser) - A 6-year-old in Florida suffers from a peanut allergy so severe and life-threatening it's considered a disability—but the parents of her classmates aren’t exactly showering her with sympathy. Instead, they’re demanding she be booted from the class and home-schooled because of the nuisance she’s causing to...

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez
 Miami-Dade Mayor Ousted  
Mar 15, 2011 10:44 PM CDT

Miami-Dade Mayor Ousted

Carlos Alvarez recalled by huge margin

(Newser) - An overwhelming majority of voters in Miami-Dade county have decided to chuck their mayor out of office before the end of his term. Almost 90% of voters chose to oust Carlos Alvarez in the biggest recall of a local politician in American history, the Miami Herald reports. Alvarez, a Republican,...

Obama Joins Forces With... Bush?

Jeb Bush, that is, in education push

(Newser) - Barack Obama got a little help from an unlikely ally today in Florida, when Jeb Bush appeared with him at a speech promoting the administration's education agenda at Miami Central High School, the AP reports. Bush introduced Obama, saying that education shouldn't be a partisan issue. Obama shook his hand,...

Kids' Bodies Stuffed in Luggage, Dumped in Canal

Florida police trying to identify children's bodies

(Newser) - The bodies of two children have been found stuffed in luggage in a South Florida canal and police divers are searching the area in case there are more. A girl aged between 6 and 12 was found in a duffel bag in the canal near Boca Raton, and a boy...

Florida Politician's Deal: 1 Book, 1 Copy, $152K

Florida Senate president was well paid for (very) obscure book

(Newser) - Florida Democrats are having fun with an AP story noting that the Republican president of the state senate got the princely sum of $152,000 to write a book on politics for Brevard Community College. The kicker is that only one copy of Florida Legislative History and Processes exists—at...

Florida Town Reverses, Courts Spring-Breakers

Panama City Beach is looking to rev up tourism after BP spill

(Newser) - A year and a half ago, Panama City Beach in Florida decided to try to shift its image from party central for college students on spring break to a more family-friendly destination, reports the Wall Street Journal . The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has brought a quick change of heart. With...

Ex-MADD Honcho Arrested for Drunk Driving
Ex-MADD Honcho Arrested for Drunk Driving
Irony alert
Feb 25, 2011 8:31 AM CST

Ex-MADD Honcho Arrested for Drunk Driving

Debra Oberlin, head of Gainesville chapter in the '90s, blew .239

(Newser) - Pro tip: If you’re going to crusade against drunk driving, you should probably avoid doing it yourself. Actually, you should probably avoid doing it regardless. But these lessons were lost on Debra Oberlin, the former head of the Gainesville, Fla., chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The 48-year-old was...

3rd St. Pete Officer Shot to Death in Month

Florida city lost another as he was confronting suspect

(Newser) - Less than a month after two Florida police officers were killed in a St. Petersburg shootout , another officer was shot to death in the city, CNN reports. Police today formed a tight perimeter around the area where Officer David Crawford was shot only moments after leaving his police cruiser to...

Florida Law Firm Won't Take Women Clients

Firm says it's fighting for 'men's rights'

(Newser) - Florida’s Bar prohibits discrimination based on gender, but Kenny Leigh doesn’t care. He’s built a bustling firm on the slogan “Men Only. Family Law Only,” and though he’s since changed it, he says he’d still never take a female client. “The only...

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