Florida

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Irma Regains Category 4, Bears Down on South Fla.

Winds at 130mph as massive storm shifts slightly west, throwing forecasters curveball

(Newser) - Hurricane Irma regained strength as it closed in on the Florida Keys early Sunday and forecasters monitored a crucial shift in its trajectory—just a few miles to the west—that could keep its ferocious eye off the southwest Florida coast and over warm Gulf water. The hurricane re-strengthened to...

First Hurricane-Force Wind Reaches Florida

Irma remains a Category 3 and headed toward Tampa area

(Newser) - Irma is getting closer to Florida: As of about 11pm Eastern, the hurricane was roughly 90 miles southeast of Key West, per the AP . More than 170,000 homes and businesses in Florida already have lost power, and more than half of those outages were in the Miami-Dade area, where...

Amid Florida Exodus, FEMA Busts Some Myths

Misinformation is flying about everything from pets to home inspections

(Newser) - Given that Florida is in the midst of a massive evacuation ahead of Hurricane Irma, it's not surprising that false rumors and misinformation are flying. FEMA has heard so many it is clearing up several, including:
  • Pets: Yes, emergency shelters must accept pets and service animals of evacuees. No,
...

Irma's Predicted March Through Florida Is Unusual, Dangerous

Hurricane predicted to go straight up the state to the Georgia border

(Newser) - Current predictions show Hurricane Irma moving straight up Florida from the Keys to the Georgia border "like a giant buzzsaw," USA Today reports. And that's not normal and could be devastating. Historically, hurricanes have approached the state at an angle. And the two recorded Category 5 hurricanes...

Trump Warns of Irma, Backs Fundraising of Predecessors

'Be safe and get out of its way,' he says of hurricane

(Newser) - President Trump is telling Americans to follow the advice of government and law enforcement officials and get out of the path of Hurricane Irma, which could hit Florida late Saturday or early Sunday before making its way to Georgia. "Nothing is more important than the safety and security of...

Irma Worry: Hemingway Home, Its Caretaker, and Lots of Cats

Mariel Hemingway urges 72-year-old to flee Key West before it's too late

(Newser) - While Hurricane Irma's exact landfall and path is up in the air, one thing seems like a sure bet: Florida's Key West is going to get blasted. Key West happens to be the site of Ernest Hemingway's old home, which is why granddaughter Mariel Hemingway is making...

Irma Prompts Largest Ever Evacuation of Miami-Dade County

Meanwhile, the impact of the Category 5 hurricane depends on a right turn

(Newser) - "If you live in any evacuation zones and you're still at home, LEAVE!" the AP quotes Florida Gov. Rick Scott as saying. "We can't save you once the storm hits." With Hurricane Irma continuing its path toward Florida, Miami-Dade County expanded evacuation orders Thursday...

A 1935 Florida Hurricane 'Sandblasted' People to Death

Inside the Great Labor Day Hurricane

(Newser) - The strongest landfall in US history was the Great Labor Day Hurricane, whose 185mph winds walloped Florida's Upper Keys in 1935. The Sun Sentinel in August 2015 took a look back at the deadly storm on its 80th anniversary, opening with this ominous line: It "was so powerful...

SpaceX Sends Mysterious Air Force Minishuttle Into Orbit

It's the 5th minishuttle flight, but their missions remain a secret

(Newser) - SpaceX launched the Air Force's super-secret space shuttle on Thursday, a technology tester capable of spending years in orbit, the AP reports. The unmanned Falcon rocket blasted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, as schools and businesses boarded up for Hurricane Irma. It's the fifth flight for...

'This Is a Buzz Saw': Florida Braces for Irma

But it's still days away, and forecast for landfall is uncertain

(Newser) - Florida residents picked store shelves clean and long lines formed at gas pumps Wednesday as Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 monster with potentially catastrophic winds of 185 mph, steamed toward the Sunshine State and a possible direct hit on the Miami metropolitan area of nearly 6 million people, per the...

Cops: Couple Flew 8K Miles to Beat Son's Wife in Florida

Police say Silky Gaind was found covered in bruises

(Newser) - Police in Florida say a couple from Punjab, India, flew what the BBC reports was 8,000 miles to Florida in order to help their son "counsel and discipline" his wife. The woman, Silky Gaind, was allegedly held captive—along with her 1-year-old daughter—and beaten by the trio....

Irma Now a &#39;Dangerous Major Hurricane&#39;
Irma Now a
'Dangerous
Major Hurricane'
UPDATED
Sep 5, 2017 7:05 AM CDT

Irma Now a 'Dangerous Major Hurricane'

Florida, Puerto Rico brace as storm reaches Category 5

(Newser) - Hurricane Irma is now a Category 5 storm as it barrels toward Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. The National Hurricane Center, which describes Irma as a "dangerous major hurricane," says islands could start feeling hurricane conditions later Tuesday and it could make landfall in Anguilla early...

'Legendary' Con Artist Accused of New Scam ... From Prison

Authorities say Jimmy Sabatino conned stores out of luxury goods over the phone

(Newser) - Prison appears to be doing nothing to change serial con man Jimmy Sabatino. The Miami Herald reports the "legendary" con artist pleaded guilty Friday to running a lucrative scam out of his cell at a federal facility in Florida. Authorities say Sabatino bought cellphones from corrections officers then used...

Man Says Nothing as Florida Executes Him With New Drug

Mark Asay is first white man state has executed for killing a black man

(Newser) - Florida on Thursday put a man to death with an anesthetic never used before in a US lethal injection , carrying out its first execution in more than 18 months on an inmate convicted of two racially motivated murders. Authorities said 53-year-old Mark Asay—the first white man executed in Florida...

Man to Be Executed in a Way Unlike Any Other US Inmate

Etomidate has never been used before in a lethal injection here

(Newser) - Florida hasn't put anyone to death since January 2016. That's slated to change Thursday, along with one other thing: the drug cocktail used to do so. Mark James Asay, 53, is scheduled to die by lethal injection, with the increasingly difficult to obtain anesthetic midazolam being replaced by...

After Kid's School Backpack Reeks of Pot, Parents Arrested

11-year-old tells police his dad used his backpack to transport marijuana

(Newser) - A student's backpack that smelled like marijuana led police in Florida to his house, where they found a small grow house run by his parents, per the AP . Now, 41-year-old Rolando Naranjo and Betsy Espinoza (said to be 32 or 33) are in jail, charged with multiple drug and...

2nd Officer Dies in Florida Shooting

Sgt. Sam Howard was shot during scuffle with suspect

(Newser) - Authorities in Florida say a second officer has died, a day after he and a colleague were shot during a scuffle with a suspect. The Kissimmee Police Department says Sgt. Sam Howard died Saturday from his injuries. His colleague, Officer Matthew Baxter, died Friday night after the attack in a...

Face-Biting Murder Suspect Won't Face Death

Prosecutor says decision comes after 'careful review of the case'

(Newser) - Austin Harrouff, the Florida man accused of eating the face of one of his two alleged murder victims during what his lawyer calls "a psychological break," will not face the death penalty if convicted. Assistant state attorney Jeff Hendriks says the decision not to seek the death penalty...

Florida Fisherman Got a Nibble. It Was a Drunk Woman

Police say the woman swam away with the man's lure

(Newser) - A Florida fisherman may have let a big one get away, but local sheriff's deputies sure didn't. Action News Jax reports a man says he was fishing Tuesday evening in St. Augustine when a drunk woman swam up, cursed at him, bit his fishing line, and swam away...

Thinking About Retirement? Here's the Best State for It

Surprise, surprise, it's Florida

(Newser) - If you have the luxury of deciding where to retire, consider WalletHub's list of 2017's best and worst states in which to do so. The site investigated which states "[let] you keep more money in your pocket without requiring a drastic lifestyle change," looking at factors...

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