Florida

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City Punishes Store Owner for Too Many Patriotic Flags

Linda Downey flies six, but Florida city only allows three

(Newser) - Apparently, in Crystal River, Florida, it’s possible to be too patriotic. Linda Downey, owner of Taste of Philly Cheesesteak and Hoagie Shoppe, was notified by the city of a “violation” because there are too many flags flying in front of her store. Downey, who has two sons in...

Florida Cracks Down on Bestiality, Saggy Pants

Bills go to governor's desk

(Newser) - Two bills of note have been sent by Florida lawmakers to the desk of Governor Rick Scott: One makes kids who wear droopy pants at school subject to suspension, and the other makes bestiality a misdemeanor. The latter is the work of a state legislator upset about publicized cases of...

Fla. to Ban Doctors From Asking About Guns

'Docs vs Glocks' bill passes state senate

(Newser) - Doctors in Florida will be restricted from asking patients about gun ownership under a bill headed for Gov. Rick Scott's desk. The so-called "Docs versus Glocks" bill passed by the state Senate yesterday was introduced after a woman complained that her pediatrician told her to find another doctor...

States Suspect Life Insurers Are Screwing the Dead

Some ignoring information showing policy holders are dead

(Newser) - Dozens of states are investigating the possibility that major insurance companies have been less than conscientious about paying out life insurance benefits for their dead customers. The investigations began when 35 states signed up for an auditing firm’s offer to look for unclaimed life insurance benefits that could be...

Tot Shoots Mom Dead, Dad Questioned

Father says 2-year-old son picked up gun from table

(Newser) - Police in Florida are questioning a father who says his 2-year-old son accidentally shot and killed his mother. Troy Bailey Jr. says he left the handgun unattended on a table while visiting the victim, ABC News reports. "My son picked it up, and I tried to grab it,"...

Supreme Court: We Won't Fast-Track ObamaCare Suit

Matter will move through appeals courts

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has denied Virginia’s request to fast-track the state’s case against the health care law, MSNBC reports. Virginia’s attorney general had sought to take the case—which calls the law’s requirement that almost all Americans purchase health care unconstitutional—straight to the high court,...

Teen Love Triangle Ends in 'Depraved' Murder

6 charged in murder of 15-year-old Florida boy

(Newser) - Five Floridians between the ages of 15 and 20 have been charged with first-degree murder in a slaying that one of the suspects' lawyers admits is "pretty damn depraved." The killing was apparently triggered by a love triangle and an ugly Facebook feud in which the victim called...

Tot Plunges 4 Stories—Into Tourist's Arms

'Not a scratch' on her after Orlando fall: mom

(Newser) - A 16-month-old girl who plummeted from a fourth-story balcony at an Econo Lodge in Orlando was caught midair by a bystander—a British tourist who saw her dangling from a railing, the BBC reports. Doctors say baby Jah-Nea Myles is doing fine, though she was taken to a hospital after...

Plan for Florida's Jobless: Let Them Wear Capes

Shockingly, jobless not impressed with the $14K move

(Newser) - File under "questionable ways to tackle the topic of unemployment": A Florida group wants to fight crushing unemployment with a "Cape-A-Bility Challenge" that would bestow 6,000 red superhero capes on the area's jobless. Unfortunately, would-be recipients aren't thrilled with the idea of Workforce Central Florida...

STDs Soar Among Seniors
 STDs Soar 
 Among Seniors 

STDs Soar Among Seniors

Chlamydia and syphilis rise faster than national average

(Newser) - Maybe it’s longer lives; maybe it’s Viagra. Either way, STDs are soaring among seniors—and climbing faster among older adults than within the population as a whole. Reportings of syphilis and chlamydia among those 55 and older jumped 43% between 2005 and 2009, the Orlando Sentinel finds in...

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 

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...

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