Charlotte County, Punta Gorda | featured news

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Gabrielle was downgraded to a depression Thursday as it lashed the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico with heavy rains and swirled toward the Dominican Republic.
The storm was located about 55 miles south of Punta C...

TALLAHASSEE (AP) — A month-long protest at the Florida Capitol following the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial is resulting in overtime expenses of nearly $173,000.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Wednesday released a final breakdown of s...

KEY WEST (AP) — A woman from Sweden is recovering from jelly fish stings she suffered while swimming near Key West.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it sent a crew Wednesday night to pick up the woman who experienced nausea and paralysis after being stung by je...

CRESTVIEW (AP) — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is resubmitting evidence to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement 32 years after a man’s body was found near some picnic tables at a Florida Panhandle rest stop.
Sheriff’s investigator Randall Join...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal efforts to rebuild depleted fish populations have largely been successful, but pressure to overfish some species remains high, and some fish stocks have not rebounded as quickly as projected, according to a new report by a scient...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 9,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 323,000, near the lowest level since June 2008. The figure shows employers are laying off fewer and fewer workers, an encouraging sign...

NEW YORK (AP) — Prices for crude oil and natural gas moved in opposite directions after the U.S. government issued weekly supply reports for both fuels.
Benchmark oil for October delivery was up 87 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $108.10 a barrel in afternoon t...

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — Yahoo has refreshed its logo for the first time since shortly after the Internet company’s founding 18 years ago.
The new look unveiled late Wednesday is part of a makeover that Yahoo Inc. has been undergoing since the Sunnyvale,...

WILLISTON, Vt. (AP) — Defense contractor General Dynamics has announced it is cutting its Vermont workforce by 35 employees.
Spokesman Karl Johnson says the company is consolidating two divisions in St. Petersburg, Fla.
General Dynamics’ Vermont workforce...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A gigantic wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park was caused by an illegal fire set by a hunter, the U.S. Forest Service said Thursday.
The agency said there is no indication the hunter was involved with illega...