Florida

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

Stories 1561 - 1580 | << Prev   Next >>

GOP Candidate's Diploma Looks All Wrong: School

Melissa Howard may be in hot water

(Newser) - A Florida GOP candidate appears to be in trouble after producing a university diploma that doesn't look quite right, the Herald-Tribune reports. Melissa Howard, running in the state House District 73 primary, showed reporters a bachelor's diploma from Miami University in Ohio after Florida News Online claimed she...

Police Told Not to Buy Miami Dolphins Tickets

"This organization obviously DOES NOT honor First Responders

(Newser) - Now cops are getting in on the NFL's national anthem spat, Sports Illustrated reports. Two Florida police unions, in Palm Beach County and Broward County, posted Facebook notices urging officers to not buy or refund tickets to a Miami Dolphins game after two players kneeled and one raised a...

Catastrophic Algae Bloom Devastates Gulf Coast

Dead fish are washing up by the ton

(Newser) - Tons of dead fish. A smell so awful you gag with one inhale. Empty beaches, empty roads, empty restaurants. A toxic algae bloom has overrun Florida's southern Gulf Coast this summer, devastating sea life and driving people from the water. Red tide—toxic algae bloom that can be harmful...

Suspect Runs Into Pasture. The Cows Weren't Having It

Florida woman arrested, thanks to a crime-fighting herd of cattle

(Newser) - It's one of the strangest and most spectacular lines ever uttered during a police chase: "If you see the large group of cows, they're literally following her and chasing her." You'll need to watch the video from Florida's Seminole County Sheriff's Office to...

At Peace Rally Shooting, a Bystander Stops a Gunman

Cops call it a 'miracle,' credit him with saving lives

(Newser) - It started with an argument during a basketball game—a game that took place at a crowded park that was hosting a rally to condemn violence. Police in Titusville, Fla., say a man left Saturday's Peace in the City gathering at Isaac Campbell Park, got a gun, then returned...

Mom Says She Heard From Daughter Who Vanished in 2013

'The ball is in her court still'

(Newser) - A Florida mother says she has finally heard from missing daughter Emily Paul, who left a note and vanished from the family home five years ago, when she was 14. "To all our friends and extended family, we want to let you know that we have heard from Emily,...

$82K Raised for Gay Teen's Tuition After Parents Spurn Him

Seth Owen, co-valedictorian of his senior class, got in to Georgetown, couldn't afford to go

(Newser) - Seth Owen was over the moon when he received what appeared to be the path to his "life goal" of going to college: an acceptance letter from Georgetown University. But the Florida 18-year-old, who was the co-valedictorian of his senior class, had his hopes dashed when he later received...

Trying to Push Voter ID, Trump Makes Odd Claim on Groceries

No, you don't usually need ID to buy groceries

(Newser) - More than a quarter-century after former President George HW Bush's grocery store scanner moment , President Trump has stumbled into a similar supermarket-themed slip. While championing the concept of voter ID to prevent noncitizen voting, Trump told a rally in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday that ID is required virtually everywhere...

Medics Assumed Dying Woman Couldn't Afford Ambulance: Mom

Mom drove the woman to the hospital herself, she died 5 days later

(Newser) - On the morning of July 4, just days after Crystle Galloway gave birth via C-section, her mother found the 30-year-old Florida woman slumped over her bathtub, lips swollen and drooling. Nicole Black called 911, but when four paramedics arrived, she says they assumed Galloway—who is black—couldn't afford...

Parking Lot Shooting Raises &#39;Stand Your Ground&#39; Questions
Parking Lot Death: No Arrest,
Lots of Controversy
the rundown
Jul 24, 2018 9:30 AM CDT

Parking Lot Death: No Arrest, Lots of Controversy

Florida shooting raises questions about state's 'stand your ground' law

(Newser) - A controversy is brewing in Florida over a fatal shooting in a parking lot, one that involves renewed scrutiny of the state's "stand your ground" law. The basics:
  • The dispute: On Thursday, 47-year-old Michael Drejka shot 28-year-old Markeis McGlockton in a dispute over a handicapped parking space at
...

Mom Leaves Baby in Hot Car. This Time, a Happy Ending

A passerby noticed in Orange City, Fla., and alerted police

(Newser) - Police in Florida say there would have been yet another headline about a child dying in a hot car if not for an alert passerby. Officers credit Jessica Kaiser with spotting the 8-month-old boy in a vehicle with the windows rolled up on a 93-degree day in Orange City, reports...

A Jury Awarded Them 4 Cents. Mike Evans Gave Them $11K

Pro NFL player Mike Evans is helping people out

(Newser) - A wide receiver who just scored an $82 million contract extension is helping a family that was recently awarded 4 cents, ESPN reports. Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers donated $11,000 Saturday to the family of a man who was shot dead by a Florida sheriff's deputy...

Conch Harvesting Gets Tourist Over 2 Weeks Jail Time

The Texas woman said she didn't know it was illegal to harvest the threatened mollusks

(Newser) - A tourist in Florida has been sentenced to 15 days jail time after she says she thought she was simply collecting sea shells. Per the Miami Herald , Diana Fiscal-Gonzalez was caught after harvesting dozens of queen conchs from the coast of Key West. Fiscal-Gonzalez, who was visiting from Texas, was...

He Ate a Bad Oyster, Died 2 Days Later

Saltwater bacteria Vibrio vulnificus claims life in Florida

(Newser) - A man dined on oyster at an unnamed restaurant in Florida's Sarasota County, only to die two days later from a deadly bacteria. The 71-year-old died July 10 from a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel . Though such infections are rare—only...

Fla. Couple Wins Fight With City Over Starry Night House

Mount Dora cited pair, told them they had to paint over Van Gogh tribute

(Newser) - A Florida mayor must apologize to a couple fined thousands of dollars for having their home's exterior painted to emulate a Vincent van Gogh masterpiece. The Mount Dora City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday that Lubomir Jastrzebski and Nancy Nemhauser can keep the blue-and-yellow paint swirled on their walls in...

Mom Blames 15-Year-Old's Death on Cookie Packaging

Florida teen missed peanut mention in Chips Ahoy made with with Reese's

(Newser) - A Florida mother blames the death of her 15-year-old daughter on what she calls confusing packaging for Reese's Chips Ahoy cookies, reports the AP . In a July 12 Facebook post , Kelli Travers-Stafford wrote that her daughter Alexi mistakenly ate one of the cookies at a friend's house despite...

Beach Closed After 2 People Bitten by Sharks

Fernandina Beach shuts down for a day

(Newser) - Once is happenstance—twice, you close the darn beach. That's what officials did at Fernandina Beach near Jacksonville on Friday after two people suffered shark bites, My Fox 8 reports. First up was a 30-year-old man surfing with his son, then came a 17-year-old boy, but luckily neither attack...

Police Told to Arrest Innocent Blacks: Probe

Former Florida police chief faces federal charges

(Newser) - Need to pin a crime on someone? Just pick up a black person. That was allegedly the unwritten policy of Miami-area police who have been accused of civil-rights violations, the Miami Herald reports. According to charges in federal court, former chief Raimundo Atesiano and two officers of the Biscayne Park...

He Was Having a Heart Attack. He Really Wanted to Finish His Sod

First responders stepped in for Gene Work and finished his chore while he had surgery

(Newser) - It was a hot, humid day in Pasco County, Fla., on Saturday, and Gene Work was trying to beat the clock to lay down sod in his yard so he wouldn't face a fine from his homeowners association. But the 40-year-old, who was working with his brother-in-law Mark Rouco,...

Kidnapped to Impersonate Aretha, She Became a Star
'I Was Scared': Kidnapped
Singer Becomes a Star
longform
Jul 7, 2018 5:30 PM CDT

'I Was Scared': Kidnapped Singer Becomes a Star

Vickie Jones took an unexpected road to success

(Newser) - She started as Mary Jane Jones, became Vickie Jones, performed as Aretha Franklin, and returned to the life of Mary Jane Jones—with a kidnapping, an arrest, and a spell of stardom in between, the Smithsonian reports. Jones was a standout gospel singer in ramshackle West Petersburg, Virginia, in the...

Stories 1561 - 1580 | << Prev   Next >>