Sep 3, 2010 6:30 am
A government official said Friday that a scientist has been detained in Miami after screeners found a metal canister in his luggage that looked like a pipe bomb. read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 10:49 am
Three people have died after two cars collided at a dangerous Tampa intersection. Tampa Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said 67-year-old Walter Givens and his 46-year-old wife Dione crashed Thursday night with a Dodge. A 58-year-old passenger in the Givens' Buick was ejected from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at a hospital. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 10:02 pm
Hurricane Earl brushes past North Carolina coast, bringing minor flooding and knocking out power before heading up Eastern Seaboard read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 9:32 am
Private employers hired more workers over the past three month than first thought, lifting hopes for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend. But the unemployment rate rose in August for the first time in four months as more people entered the market looking for work. read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 9:22 am
Japanese fishermen herded dolphins into a cove made famous by an Oscar-winning documentary about the hunt but did not kill any Friday, as conservationist groups ramped up scrutiny of the annual slaughter. read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 9:15 am
Detectives are investigating an apparent double murder-suicide in southwest Florida. Lee County sheriff's investigators say the victims found in the Lehigh Acres home Thursday include a baby boy and a man and a woman. No identies and few details have been released. read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 8:52 am
Indonesia's smoking toddler has kicked the habit. Footage of 2-year-old Aldi Rizal — who smoked up to two packs a day — puffing away circulated the Internet in May and sparked an international outcry. His parents said he'd throw tantrums every time they tried to stop him from lighting up. read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 6:49 am
A central Florida judge has overturned a jury's guilty verdict and acquitted a Lakeland man in the fatal hit-and-run death of a 14-year-old boy. Circuit Judge Beth Harlan ruled Thursday that there was insufficient evidence to convict 56-year-old Joseph Nobles. read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 6:45 am
A southwest Florida woman who lived with her dead mother's body for more than a year is fighting authorities' attempts to raze her rundown house. read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 6:39 am
Cammie King Conlon, the former child actress who portrayed the doomed daughter of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind," has died at the age of 76. She died of lung cancer Wednesday morning at her Fort Bragg home on California's north coast, said friend Bruce Lewis. Her son, Matthew Ned Conlon, was by her side. read more. . .
Sep 3, 2010 6:36 am
Soldiers killed at least 25 suspected cartel members Thursday in a raid and gunbattle in a Mexican state near the U.S. border that has become one of the most dangerous battlegrounds in the country's drug war. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:44 pm
Abbott Laboratories' weight loss pill Meridia increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with existing heart disease, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:41 pm
Rudy Carpenter threw two touchdown passes to Arrelious Benn, Corey Lynch returned one of his two interceptions 91 yards for another score and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Houston Texans 24-17 on Thursday night. Carpenter completed 15 of 22 passes for 203 yards and played into the fourth quarter. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:40 pm
Bears emerge from months of hibernation with their muscles largely intact. Not so for people, who, if bedridden that long, would lose so much muscle they would have trouble standing. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:40 pm
As employers struggle with rising health care costs and a sour economy, U.S. workers for the first time in at least a decade are being asked to shoulder the entire cost of rising health benefits on their own. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:39 pm
Denver rookie Tim Tebow outplayed Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson in the backup quarterback comparison, but the Vikings forced four first-half turnovers and beat the Broncos 31-24 on Thursday night in the preseason finale for both teams. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:32 pm
SARASOTA The call came late, 1 a.m. late, but even had it arrived at noon, Don Guercio still would have doubted the identity of the caller. Michael Jordan. It was 1994. His Airness had just arrived in Sarasota for spring training with the Chicago White Sox. But before swinging a bat, Jordan wanted to swing a golf club. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:32 pm
Residents of the Palm-Aire community in southern Manatee County have fought for an entire year to keep a cell tower out of their neighborhood. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:31 pm
Jacory Harris and the Miami Hurricanes have been trying to not think too much about their long-awaited trip to Ohio State. It’s all they’ll think about for the next week — and Harris might be ready for the challenge. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:12 pm
State wildlife regulators on Thursday extended a ban on snook fishing along the state's Gulf coast for another year, hoping that will give the species enough time to rebound from last winter's cold snap that killed thousands of the fish. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:07 pm
Most government buildings — such as schools, courthouses, post offices and city halls — will be closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 11:05 pm
By most accounts, Englewood's skate park is the best in this region -- better than Cape Coral's, Punta Gorda's, North Port's, even better than Sarasota's, where skateboarders and inline skaters have to pay $8. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 10:45 pm
The New York Times GAINESVILLE -- He has a budget of almost $95 million, growing fast, and command of three private planes. He oversees a newly renovated and certified green building as well as nearly a dozen other tricked-out facilities that are among the most prized on campus. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 10:44 pm
Kristen Batt had two words for Emili Cicora, after the Cardinal Mooney volleyball team won the right to serve. Be aggressive. Cicora served the first nine points of the match, setting the tone emphatically for the Cougars' 25-10, 25-15, 25-20 victory over visiting Sarasota on Thursday night. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 10:39 pm
An unnamed TV production company with several pilots in the pipeline has reached a deal with the county to build a $14 to $16 million television and film production operation in Lakewood Ranch. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 10:39 pm
An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire Thursday morning, forcing its 13 crew members overboard and sending waves of anxiety along a coast that has just begun to recover from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:55 pm
After declining three months, Charlotte County tourism showed a slight rebound in July as reflected in hotel bed-tax revenues. The county collected $118,109 on the 5 percent tourist tax in July, according to the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau. That is an 8.3 percent increase over the same period in 2009. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:50 pm
BP is warning Congress that if lawmakers pass legislation that bars the company from getting new offshore drilling permits, it may not have the money to pay for all the damages caused by its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:48 pm
Linda Bruno called her Pennsylvania cat rescue the land of milk and tuna. It thrived for years as people sent pets they could not care for from hundreds of miles away -- unaware it was a death camp for cats. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:46 pm
Italian teenager Matteo Manassero shot a 7-under 64 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the European Masters. "The perfect round of golf," the 17-year-old Manassero said of his bogey-free round. "I didn't miss many greens and when I did I got up and down each time." read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:40 pm
HONOLULU Six are accused of forced labor Federal authorities are accusing six people of luring 400 laborers from Thailand to the United States and forcing them to work in what the FBI calls the largest human-trafficking case ever charged in U.S. history. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:30 pm
Flo the chimpanzee bounds about her enclosure, hurls a rubber ball then stares quizzically at the New Mexico green chili pepper that will be her morning snack. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:12 pm
Rick Scott, again bucking conventional political wisdom, turned Thursday to state Rep. Jennifer Carroll, a seasoned politician from the Jacksonville area, to join him on the GOP ticket. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:08 pm
David Klement, a former editorial writer and head of a public policy think tank, will assume a newly created position in Manatee County government as of Sept. 13. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:07 pm
Tribune News Service WASHINGTON -- Israeli and Palestinian leaders formally reopened peace talks Thursday by setting a work plan for the next year, but adjourned without progress on the key issue of Israeli housing construction, which threatens to quickly undermine the negotiations. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 9:00 pm
We think of the NFL as the league without problems. Compared to other professional leagues, which tend to struggle with falling TV ratings or financial woes, the NFL is where the fans just keep coming and the owners just keep printing money. This year, more than any in recent decades, we are seeing that is not the case. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:55 pm
President Felipe Calderon tried to rally frustrated Mexicans behind his increasingly bloody drug war Thursday, saying he knows violence has surged under his watch, but arguing that it is the price of confronting powerful and brutal cartels. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:50 pm
PENSACOLA BEACH Artificial reef found clear of oil A team of divers with Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says an aircraft carrier sunk of Pensacola as an artificial reef is free of oil from BP's massive spill. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:50 pm
It was built on a hillside in the middle of town. The bleachers were made of stone. Westinghouse held its union meetings there. It is the Wolvarena, home of the Woodland Hills High football team -- voted as "the most intimidating stadium in Pennsylvania." read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:40 pm
Thanks to Tim Tebow, Florida's short-yardage and goal-line offense the last four years was predictable and prolific. Everyone knew Tebow was keeping it. Everyone knew he was probably running it. No one really stopped it. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:38 pm
Failed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene sued the St. Petersburg Times and The Miami Herald on Wednesday, claiming they published knowingly false articles timed to damage his chances of winning. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:34 pm
Former Hofstra co-captain Luke Bonus lives in a house just a short walk from the stadium where he played college football. "I'm reminded by it 50 times a day, and that's not an exaggeration," the former linebacker says. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:30 pm
Trent Richardson isn't new to the spotlight. Top-ranked Alabama's new starting tailback was among the country's top recruits last year, a star in the BCS championship game and a key presence in Alabama's backfield during the national title run. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:28 pm
In its 54th year, Englewood's Pioneer Days celebration blends cutting-edge trends with old-fashioned entertainment. The theme for the Labor Day parade and festival is "We're Going Green!" "Everything green is in style right now," said Erick Phelps, one of the organizers. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:18 pm
Florida's population grew slightly in 2009 after a one-year decline broke a steady string of growth dating to the end of World War II, according to preliminary estimates released Thursday. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 8:08 pm
There will be no easy path to re-election for the two men who represent the bulk of Sarasota County in the Legislature. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 7:58 pm
Independent candidate Lawton "Bud" Chiles formally dropped out of the governor's race Thursday, throwing his support to Democrat Alex Sink. But almost everything else about the pairing of these two one-time rivals remains unknown. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 7:34 pm
Sarasota's interim police chief made the city manager's job easier Tuesday. City Manager Robert Bartolotta had faced the task of selecting a new police chief from a list of 143 applicants. But, at the deadline for applications, Mikel Hollaway -- the interim chief since late May -- applied for the position, bringing the total to 144. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 7:34 pm
The School Board attorney usually doesn't assist the equipment manager for a high school football team. Yet John Bowen, the Manatee school district's lawyer, said yesterday he will ensure the Southeast High Seminoles wear helmets adorned with a spear and feather when the team plays at Palmetto High tonight. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 7:19 pm
Online job advertisements during August continued to track ahead of a year ago in Southwest Florida and statewide. There were 12,283 position being advertised online in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties last month, up nearly 17 percent from a year ago, according to data from the New York-based Conference Board. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 7:19 pm
A weak economy got a little lift Thursday with new data suggesting companies aren't pursuing mass layoffs and stores are a little busier. New applications for unemployment benefits declined for a second straight week after rising in the previous three. Retailers reported surprisingly strong sales in August. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 7:00 pm
A Port Charlotte couple is accused of abusing their newborn girl, after an investigation found the baby had two leg fractures. Charlston Heston Duncan, 26, and Shemayah Nicole Duncan, 24, both of the 2500 block of Luther Road, were charged Wednesday with child neglect. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 6:42 pm AutoNation Inc. -- The Fort Lauderdale-based car dealer said its new vehicle sales fell 17 percent in August compared with the previous year when the industry benefited from the federal Cash for Clunkers rebate program. The company sold 18,669 in August. But the company said excluding the impact of Cash for Clunkers, new vehicle sales... read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 6:26 pm
The number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase previously occupied homes increased in July but remained well below last year's levels, a sign that demand for housing remains weak. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday its seasonally adjusted index rose 5.2 percent from a month earlier to a reading of 79.4. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 6:18 pm
This year's back-to-school season is not as big a bust for retailers as they feared -- or as last year's -- but it is not great, either. Americans are spending only when the item and price are just right, according to August reports from major chains released Thursday that showed shoppers bought a little more than a year ago. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 6:02 pm
Columbia Records is wrapping up a trove of early Bob Dylan recordings that will surface in time for the holidays, among them 47 early demo recordings by the fabled singer-songwriter that previously had never been officially released. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 6:02 pm
For those of us who grew up in the United States in the '60s, there were three places that held our fascination because of their inaccessibility: the moon, Maoist China and Castro's Cuba. Even today, Cuba remains so close and yet so far away. It's complex. Confusing. Tragic. Yet it seems to have such potential, if only it weren't held captive to a... read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 4:42 pm
In the '60s and '70s, people talked about urban renewal. Older cities, especially industrial centers, were beginning to show their age and sparkling new suburbs with fancy shopping malls were attracting people and dollars. Planners talked about reinventing the American city. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 4:20 pm
Before we delve into this week's topic, I would like to take a moment to extend a sincere heartfelt note of thanks to everyone who sent e-mails, letters and cards wishing me a speedy recovery from my recent knee-replacement surgery. The surgery was successful and the road to recovery, while painful, should be uneventful. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 4:14 pm
In March 1943, John Smith, a 20-year-old from Fort Devens, Mass., was drafted into the Army Air Corps. Mid-World War II, he was assigned to the 322nd bomb group, 449th bomb squadron of the Ninth Air Force -- a unit nicknamed "Nye's Annihilators." As a radio operator and waist gunner, Smith was stationed in Great Saling, England, and flew 55... read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 10:54 am
In addition to spawning passionate debates in the public, the news media and the political class, the proposal to build a Muslim community center near ground zero in New York has revealed widespread misconceptions about the practice of Islam in this country -- and the role of mosques in particular. 1) Mosques are new to this country. read more. . .
Sep 2, 2010 10:54 am
Sarah Palin is going to Iowa to be the headliner at a Republican fundraiser. In the state that will be the first to hold a contest in the 2012 presidential campaign, even if it has to do it in 2011. read more. . .
Sep 1, 2010 4:58 pm
Anyone reading this newspaper might come to the conclusion that there are a lot of problems to be solved in the world. And anyone reading this letters column would see that most people seem to suggest that solving these problems means, as a first step, fixing something outside themselves. read more. . .
Sep 1, 2010 4:57 pm
Here is my job-creating idea: Four guys should carry two old-fashioned bathtubs to Siesta Key Beach. Arrange them so pictures of locals and tourists holding hands could be taken with the Gulf of Mexico as a backdrop, just like in the TV commercial. The picture-taking enterprise would need a photographer, a greeter, a hawker and a cashier. This... read more. . .
Sep 1, 2010 4:57 pm
If you "walk in the shoes" of an immigrant, you realize that it takes immense courage to sever all that you're leaving behind --your family, culture and heritage. The primary reason to immigrate is to secure employment/better one's life. Historically, the second and third generations of immigrants have made significant contributions to every... read more. . .
Sep 1, 2010 4:54 pm
It was with great delight that I read of the new program for trash collection and recycling in our fair city. I am a nature lover and world traveler, and believe the only way to truly save our planet for our descendents is to make great strides today. Congratulations, Sarasota! Way to go! Now how about hybrid garbage trucks? read more. . .
Sep 1, 2010 4:53 pm
Regarding the letter "Homeowner Hubris," there is another way of looking at it. For instance: The home buyer needed a mortgage. The bank made a decision to invest in a profitable deal (i.e. interest on the mortgage). read more. . .
Sep 1, 2010 3:56 pm
As someone with arthritis whose knees and back constantly ache, I would like to recommend something to others who have similar pain. I go to Sarasota's Arlington Park pool twice a week. The water is so soft and clean, and you don't feel an ache or pain when you're in it. Every time I go, I think "this is the best $2 I ever spent." While in the... read more. . .
76° CLEAR,