Charlotte County, Punta Gorda | featured news

(LA Times) — King Richard III may have suffered from a parasite as nasty as his reputation. The remains of the medieval monarch — villainized by William Shakespeare as a tyrant who killed his nephews in order to seize the throne — show signs of roundworm ...

NEW YORK (AP) — A jump in U.S. auto sales and other good news on the economy helped drive the stock market higher Wednesday.
General Motors and other carmakers surged after posting strong sales in August, giving the industry its best month in six years.
“...

About half the births in the United States are paid for by Medicaid — a figure higher than previous estimates — and the numbers could increase as the state-federal health insurance program expands under the Affordable Care Act, according to a study releas...

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s request for speedy congressional backing of a military strike in Syria advanced Wednesday toward a showdown Senate vote, while the commander in chief left open the possibility he would order retaliation for a deadly c...

CLEVELAND — Residents in the tough Cleveland neighborhood where three women were secretly imprisoned for a decade reacted with scorn and grim satisfaction Wednesday after Ariel Castro hanged himself in his cell barely a month into a life sentence.
Even th...

PARKSIDE — Principal Gina Goch, who signed on with St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in January, found herself in the unusual situation of having money to spend after receiving a donation to upgrade the school’s technology.
The result?
St. Charles, a ...

To staff, it seemed like a good idea to brainstorm about a proposed sales tax extension — and the possible projects the additional revenue might fund — during the two-day Charlotte Assembly.
After all, it’s rare to get more than 100 people representing di...

PUNTA GORDA — While city officials rejoiced Wednesday morning after hearing a tentative agreement on a new contract with Punta Gorda police had been reached, a police spokesman said the celebration may be premature.
Phil Wickstrom, human resources manager...

NORTH PORT — The hours leading up to the shooting of 32-year-old Todd Lafoy were tense for the Lafoy family.
North Port police reports show that Todd, his wife Katie and their children went to Roy Lafoy’s home in the 3900 block of Caballero Ave. around 1...

In 1913, American poet Joyce Kilmer famously extolled the virtues of trees.
A century later, folks still laud them for their benefits, albeit not in the sacred sense Kilmer alluded to.
“People don’t realize this but trees increase the value of their prope...