Florida

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Note to iPhone Thieves: Do Not Answer FaceTime Calls

Deputy called stolen phone, alleged perp answered, got his picture taken

(Newser) - The latest gleeful Facebook post from law enforcement comes to us by way of, why yes, Florida: Specifically, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, which titled its post , "Smile - Thanks to a Quick Thinking OCSO Deputy - You're Being Facetimed Using a Stolen Phone!" Which brings...

Hack Exposes Florida Owners of Concealed Guns

About 16K of those with permits may have been compromised

(Newser) - Thousands of people who carry concealed weapons in Florida just got some bad news: Hackers broke into the state registry and may have gotten information about them, reports WBBH . The news is worst for 469 of those affected: They received notices that their Social Security numbers may now be vulnerable....

Sinkhole Opens Up in Front of Trump's Mar-a-Lago

And the internet is amused

(Newser) - It's an otherwise ho-hum traffic alert from the town of Palm Beach, Fla., warning drivers that a new 4-by-4-foot sinkhole on Southern Boulevard might cause some headaches. Except that the sinkhole just happens to be in front of President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, aka the "Winter White House,...

Woman Bugged by Cops' Reaction to Thermos of Semen

Felicia Nevins called cops fearing it might explode, isn't happy about the publicity

(Newser) - A Florida woman trying to get pregnant via artificial insemination called police because she feared the thermos she was using to store sperm and dry ice might explode. Felicia Nevins sought the Pasco County Sheriff's Office's help after she forgot to remove a rubber O-ring from the container,...

Failed Financial Adviser Robs Banks in Old-Man Mask: Cops

Abraham Maghen allegedly stole nearly $12K before being caught

(Newser) - Perhaps hoping to blend into Florida's geriatric population, a 24-year-old man allegedly robbed two banks in the Sunshine State this week while disguised as an old man. Authorities say Abraham Maghen brandished a gun while wearing an old-person mask at a bank in Pembroke Pines on May 2 and...

Man Hits Hydrant With Car. He Was Dead Minutes Later

Witnesses say he was sucked into a hole under his car and drowned

(Newser) - A Florida man drowned when he crashed into a fire hydrant and was pulled into a hole under his car by the resulting flood of water, WESH reports. It was his 89th birthday. According to News 13 , Robert Dreyer hit the hydrant in Viera around 10am Wednesday. He got out...

Former Congresswoman Guilty on 18 Fraud Charges

Ex-Florida Rep. Corinne Brown's charity misused almost everything it raised

(Newser) - Former US Rep. Corrine Brown's "One Door for Education" charity raised $833,000 between 2012 and 2016 to award scholarships to disadvantaged students—but prosecutors say only $1,200 was spent on a total of two scholarships. Brown, a Democrat who represented a Florida district in Congress for...

Angry Students Drown Out DeVos During Graduation Speech

The education secretary was speaking at a historically black university in Florida

(Newser) - Betsy DeVos was drowned out by boos when the education secretary attempted to deliver the commencement speech Wednesday at Florida's Bethune-Cookman University, Politico reports. According to Business Insider , students and audience members at the historically black university booed DeVos for nearly the entirety of her speech, even continuing to...

Florida Deputy Does Denzel Washington Impression, Is Fired

'I am not a rogue, reckless, dangerous, insane guy'

(Newser) - A Florida deputy was fired last month for impersonating one of the most famous corrupt cops in movie history. The Orlando Sentinel reports Deputy Dean Zipes was outside a sheriff's substation in Lake County around 4am last February with a police trainee and other deputies when he started quoting...

Girl, 10, Frees Herself From Gator's Jaws

Dad says she learned self-defense move at Gatorland

(Newser) - A 10-year-old girl in Florida managed to avoid becoming a statistic—and a meal—when she was attacked by an alligator around twice her size. Authorities say the girl was sitting in shallow water about 10 feet from shore in the Orlando-area Lake Mary Jane on Saturday afternoon when the...

Trayvon Martin About to Receive College Degree

Florida Memorial University to honor him with posthumous aeronautical science bachelor's

(Newser) - If Trayvon Martin were alive today, he would be 22 and perhaps preparing this month for his college commencement. One Florida school is giving his parents the honor of accepting a degree for him. CNN reports that Florida Memorial University will bestow a posthumous bachelor's degree in aeronautical science...

One State Dominates in Healthy Eating

California claims 4 of top 10 metro areas with healthiest diets

(Newser) - All the hype about California healthy living appears to be well founded—at least when it comes to mealtime. A new report by Gallup and Sharecare, a digital health firm, looked at eating habits in 189 metropolitan areas across the US with one simple question: "Did you eat healthy...

Ex-Cop on Suicide Watch After Deadly DUI Crash

Police say he hit 5 kids, killed 1

(Newser) - An ex-cop in Florida is on suicide watch in jail after allegedly hitting five children at a school bus stop , killing a 13-year-old boy, while driving drunk. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says John Camfield, who is being held on $600,000 bond on charges including DUI manslaughter and vehicular...

Good Samaritan Who Lost Legs Gets Fitting Gift

Company wants to pay for her prosthetics

(Newser) - A Good Samaritan who lost both her legs while helping a crashed motorist now has one less expense to worry about. Certified prosthetist Joshua Ryder of Island Coast Orthopedics in Lee County, Fla., has offered to donate two prosthetic legs to 30-year-old Danielle Hagmann as soon as she's ready,...

Good Samaritan Who Lost Legs Has 5 Kids, No Health Insurance

Now Danielle Hagmann is hoping for some Good Samaritans of her own

(Newser) - A Good Samaritan who lost both her legs while helping a crashed motorist is now hoping for a few Good Samaritans of her own. A woman lost control of her car on the interstate shortly before 3am Sunday in Florida, crashing into a guardrail, WFTX reports. Danielle Hagmann of Fort...

State Dept. Blog Promoting Trump's Club Makes Waves

Blog post appears to be promoting Mar-a-Lago

(Newser) - A State Department blog post is making waves—because it appears to be promoting Mar-a-Lago, the private Florida club President Trump owns. The post was published April 4, but gained attention Monday after people realized it had been shared on the US Embassy in London's website, and started making...

The One Call Between Shooter and Victim That Changed It All

Debbie Baigrie forgave Ian Manuel, who served 26 years in prison after shooting her when he was 13

(Newser) - A July night in 1990 changed both of their lives for the worse, but one phone call and the power of forgiveness then changed both their lives for the better. People details the story of Ian Manuel, who was just 13 when he was egged on to rob someone in...

Their Plane Crashed at the Airport, but No One Noticed

Crash at Williston Municipal Airport wasn't reported for 22 hours

(Newser) - A family aboard a 1948 Cessna 170 attempted a takeoff from Florida's Williston Municipal Airport around 3pm Saturday. Instead, they crashed 150 feet before a tree line at the taxiway's north side, reports the Gainsville Sun . But though some 20 to 30 planes took off from the airport...

He Handed Over Some Rope, Spent 40 Years in Prison

David Goodwin to walk free on May 2

(Newser) - David Goodwin has been in prison in Florida for 40 years for his role in the 1977 quadruple homicide known as the "Sandy Creek murders." For 32 of those years, his fiancée has been patiently waiting for his release. The day is finally about to arrive. Goodwin,...

Black Fla. Lawmakers Say Senator Swore, Used N-Word

They say he tried to excuse use of racial slur

(Newser) - Two black state senators in Florida accuse colleague Sen. Frank Artiles of using racist language—and offering an excuse nearly as shameful. Democratic Sens. Audrey Gibson and Perry Thurston says they were approached by the Cuban-American Republican over drinks at the Governor's Club in Tallahassee Monday night. They say...

Stories 1861 - 1880 | << Prev   Next >>