Florida

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

Stories 3101 - 3120 | << Prev   Next >>

Medicare Paid Out $28K in Penis Pumps, Many for Girls

Phony claims didn't even change names

(Newser) - It's no wonder Medicare loses billions to fraud: fooling the health care program is really, really easy. Just ask Emilio Lopez and Orlando Estevez, two Florida businessmen accused of bilking Medicare for $28,600 in penis pumps to combat impotence, even though the supposed patients included women. Yes, Medicare regulators...

Gulf Still Choked With 79% of Oil: New Studies

Optimistic fed report missed plumes on sea floor

(Newser) - A recent federal report that only 26% of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill remains in the Gulf was far too optimistic, two new reports claim. University of Georgia researchers who've been assessing the Gulf said yesterday that in fact up to 79% of the oil and its toxic...

Florida Tries to Outdo Arizona on Immigration

AG/gubernatorial candidate proposes even tougher law

(Newser) - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has proposed a sweeping new immigration bill that makes Arizona’s look tame. The bill would require immigrants to carry documentation at all times, or risk 20 days in jail, and would allow judges to more harshly punish illegal immigrants accused of the same crimes...

Vogue Oil Spread Ignites Uproar
 Vogue Oil Spread Ignites Uproar 
Aug 11, 2010 1:41 AM CDT

Vogue Oil Spread Ignites Uproar

Gross photos too slick for some

(Newser) - Is an arresting Vogue Italia cover and fashion spread evidence of environmental sensitivity or a heartless ploy to boost magazine sales with horrific images of a disaster? Depends on whom you ask. The spread, shot in Los Angeles by renowned photographer Steven Meisel, features be-feathered model Kristen McMenamy and her...

Al-Qaeda's New Leader Lived in US for 15 Years

Adnan Shukrijumah grew up in Florida: FBI

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda has selected a new chief of global operations, and he’s intimately familiar with the US. Adnan Shukrijumah, a 35-year-old who spent 15 years growing up in the Florida and Brooklyn, has taken over the job once held by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the FBI tells the AP . He’s...

Hidden Camera Catches Political Foe Stealing Signs

Sheriff is investigating late-night pilfering

(Newser) - Geez, if you're going to steal your political opponent's campaign signs in the age of YouTube, at least wear a mask. A hidden camera caught one candidate for a state House seat in Florida stealing his rival's signs at night, reports the Pensacola News Journal . The sheriff's department is investigating...

Porn Stars Killed Tattooist: Cops
 Porn Stars Killed Tattooist: Cops
Jul 16, 2010 4:55 PM CDT

Porn Stars Killed Tattooist: Cops

Adult film stars arrested in grisly scheme to kill, rob tattoo artist

(Newser) - Two porn actors have been arrested and charged with the murder of a Florida tattoo artist, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Police say Amanda Logue, 28, and Jason Andrews, 27, executed Dennis Abrahamsen, 41. Abrahamsen was found stabbed and beaten to death on May 16, one night after hiring Logue...

Dengue Fever Reaches Florida
 Dengue Fever Reaches Florida 
Jul 14, 2010 4:25 AM CDT

Dengue Fever Reaches Florida

Tropical disease threatens to spread north

(Newser) - Dengue fever, the most prevalent virus spread by mosquitoes globally, poses a growing threat across the world's tropical zones, from Southeast Asia to Central America—and now, Florida. Dengue virus is showing up in the Florida Keys, the CDC reported yesterday, with 5 percent of Key West residents exposed to...

Gulf Oil Sickens Hundreds of Florida Swimmers

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...

Florida GOP Crafting Arizona-Like Law

It would crack down on illegal immigrants

(Newser) - The controversy over Arizona's immigration law may be coming to the East Coast. Florida Republicans are writing a law based on Arizona's that would give police expanded authority to demand proof of residence from suspects, reports the Miami Herald . "We have significant components from the Arizona bill that I...

Mom Lets Kid Play on Oily Beach

 Mom Lets Kid 
 Play on Oily 
 Beach 
'mommy, get it off!'
Jun 25, 2010 10:35 AM CDT

Mom Lets Kid Play on Oily Beach

They even brought along 'Goo Gone' to deal with oil

(Newser) - The “Mother of the Year” award goes to the mom in the above video, who appears relatively unconcerned that her kid is frolicking on a beach soaked with oil from the BP spill, Matt Cherette writes for Gawker . Worse, her daughter gets oil on her feet and freaks out...

Democrats May Back Crist
 Democrats May Back Crist 
Jun 16, 2010 1:41 PM CDT

Democrats May Back Crist

They're afraid Jeff Greene will win their primary

(Newser) - Top Democrats are now publicly considering supporting newly-minted independent Charlie Crist in Florida’s Senate race if self-made subprime billionaire Jeff Greene wins their party’s primary. Greene has a conveyor belt-worth of baggage , but he’s promised to drop $40 million on the primary alone. That probably gives him...

Armed Pair Busted at Florida Air Force Base

Weapons, uniforms found in couple's SUV

(Newser) - A heavily armed man and woman were taken into custody last night after trying to gain unauthorized access to the Florida base that houses US Central Command. The pair were stopped at a gate at MacDill Air Force Base after they failed to show the proper ID, CNN reports. A...

Spirit Cancels More Flights As Strike Continues

Pilots hold their ground in dispute, flyers stuck

(Newser) - Spirit Airlines canceled all flights scheduled for today and tomorrow as its pilots continue to strike, the Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The job action is causing mass misery at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where Spirit handles 20% of flights and some 10,000 passengers a day. Being an ultra-discount carrier,...

After 15 Years, Mom Finds Kidnapped Kids on Facebook

Dad charged with kidnapping; daughter breaks off contact

(Newser) - Fifteen years after her husband ran off with their two children, a California woman has located her daughter—on Facebook. The father, who the woman says vowed she'd never see the kids again, has been arrested in Florida, but the story doesn't have a happy ending, reports the San Bernardino ...

Florida Ads Scrap Promise of 'Clear' Coasts

State has to retool pitch to tourists

(Newser) - Up until this week, the state of Florida tried to lure tourists with ads that promised pristine beaches under a logo of "Our Coast is Clear." Then the tarballs came. The state has scrapped the logo and retooled the message to something along the lines of: We have...

Tar Balls Hit Fla. Beaches as Obama Returns to Gulf

Residents plan 'last swim' before more oil arrives

(Newser) - Beachgoers in Florida got their first taste of the Gulf oil spill today as tar balls—some as large as hubcaps—washed up on Panhandle beaches. BP crews at some locations swept up the refuse, instructing visitors not to touch the balls. Although Florida has yet to declare swimming in...

BP's Diamond Saw Is Stuck in Pipe

 BP's Diamond Saw 
 Is Stuck in Pipe 
oil nears florida
Jun 2, 2010 9:18 AM CDT

BP's Diamond Saw Is Stuck in Pipe

Coast Guard says it will have to be freed before the cut can be completed

(Newser) - The saw being used to cut through the pipe on the damaged oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has become stuck, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said at a press conference this morning, stalling the latest attempt to contain the BP oil gusher. The goal is now to free...

Atheist Teacher Claims 'Holy Water Attack' by Colleagues

Teachers say it was perfume—and a joke

(Newser) - In another case of teachers donning the dunce cap, a pair of Florida women have been relegated to desk duty after they were accused of spritzing a fellow teacher who's an atheist with holy water. An atheist apparently without a sense of humor. In front of her class. The two...

Tiger's Den: 4 Pools, Golf Course...

 Tiger's Den: 
 4 Pools, Golf Course... 
oxygen-therapy room...
May 26, 2010 8:09 AM CDT

Tiger's Den: 4 Pools, Golf Course...

Woods plans posh additions to Florida property

(Newser) - One way to find peace after your cheating scandal and golf struggles: Build an oxygen-therapy room. Tiger Woods is including one in the renovations to his 9,000-square-foot Florida mansion, although no official word yet on whether he’s actually moving in. In addition to the oxygen-therapy room, which helps...

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