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DAMASCUS, Syria — President Bashar Assad vowed Thursday that “Syria will defend itself” against Western military strikes over a suspected chemical weapons attack, and the U.N. said inspectors will leave within 48 hours carrying information that could be c...

NEW YORK — Fast-food workers and their supporters beat drums, blew whistles and chanted slogans Thursday on picket lines in dozens of U.S. cities, marking the largest protests yet in their quest for higher wages.
The nationwide day of demonstrations came...

FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida had the nation’s second-highest rate of residents without health insurance with almost 1 out of 4 Floridians lacking it, according to new U.S. Census figures released Thursday.
Only Texas surpassed Florida’s rate of 24.8 percent...

TALLAHASSEE — Enforcement of the state’s environmental laws has plummeted under Gov. Rick Scott and the private company attorney he picked to lead the Department of Environmental Protection, according to a report to be released Thursday by a group that re...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday prepared for the possibility of launching unilateral American military action against Syria within days as Britain opted out in a stunning vote by Parliament. Facing skepticism at home, too, the adminis...

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. banks earned more from April through June than during any quarter on record, aided by a steep drop in losses from bad loans.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says the banking industry earned $42.2 billion in the second quarter, ...

BOCA GRANDE — The Gasparilla Inn & Club is hoping to hire up to 50 people for the coming winter season at a job fair from 4-7 p.m. on Sept. 11 at 500 Palm Ave., Boca Grande.
The inn’s president and general manager Jack Damioli said he doesn’t discriminate...

ENGLEWOOD — Bart Tracy hopes for a flotilla of cardboard boats Saturday.
“This is a fun spectator event,” Tracy said of the cardboard boat race at Indian Mound Park that has become an Englewood tradition for more than 15 years. He’s hoping for 25 to 35 pa...

Within Charlotte County Public Schools, teachers and officials are, with some exceptions, skeptical of the education summit that took place in Clearwater earlier this week.
According to Superintendent Doug Whittaker, the summit probably won’t introduce mu...

In the wake of national news concerning fatal shootings in schools, government buildings and public places across the nation, Charlotte County has begun to take steps to heighten security at the county administration building in Murdock.
In recent months,...