Florida, Punta Gorda | featured news

A barbecue fundraiser for the family of fallen Sgt. Michael Wilson will be held by the Walmart on Kings Highway from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kings Highway Walmart management has donated food products and use of the parking lot for the Walmart Distribution Cente...

PUNTA GORDA — Keith Wilson, 42 — the man accused of killing 3-year-old Pilar Rodriguez in February 1999 in Punta Gorda — officially has been charged with second-degree murder, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
The announcement came Friday morning ...

The culinary course at the Charlotte Technical Center prepares future chefs for employment in the food industry. In addition to learning through lectures, classroom demonstrations, field trips and more, the training includes daily lunch preparation in a ...

SARASOTA COUNTY — For those thinking about drinking and getting behind the wheel, over the next couple of weeks, area law enforcement officials are putting out a message that you may want to think twice — or just hand over your keys.
The Sarasota County S...

JUPITER — The Charlotte Stone Crabs started the game on the right foot Thursday against Jupiter, but things went downhill quickly in a 7-2 loss at Roger Dean Stadium.
Willie Argo led off the game with a double and scored on a Drew Vettleson double as the ...

In all the time he spent as a baseball player at Lemon Bay High School, it never occurred to Casey Hanrahan that he might coach there someday. It never dawned on him he might even want to do so.
But a little more than seven years after graduating from the...

VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Federal wildlife officials have proposed listing two butterflies found only in South Florida as endangered species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday that the Florida leafwing and Bartram’s scrub-hairstreak should b...

TOKYO (AP) — In the steamy heat of mid-August, the cherry-tree shaded grounds of Yasukuni Shrine in the heart of Tokyo seem an unlikely hotbed of provocation.
But visits by senior Japanese government officials to the shrine, whose grounds also house a war...

VERO BEACH (AP) — Prosecutors have offered a plea deal to a Florida teen accused of having sex with her underage girlfriend.
The deal would spare 19-year-old Kaitlyn Hunt jail time and registration as a sex offender but adds a felony count to her charges....

VIERA (AP) — The former Clerk of the Court for Brevard County was arrested Thursday on charges of bribery and bid tampering.
Mitch Needelman, who is a former state lawmaker, was also charged with official misconduct and conspiracy in what prosecutors desc...