Cops hunt pair who shot teen in face
Residents of an east Orange County apartment complex are in shock after two shooters opened fire on a 16-year-old boy Wednesday night, hitting him in the face. The teenager was recovering Thursday |
3rd time is waste, say peeved census workers
As the 2010 census winds down, three Volusia County census takers couldn't wait for the latest phase of the head count to end. They walked off the job three days after they started, adding to the comp |
CAMPAIGN 2010
Poll: Big bucks get voters' attention
The two wealthy, self
funded newcomers vying for Florida's open governor's office and U.S. Senate seat are teaching the veteran politicians a thing or two, according to yet another statewide poll. |
NEW PLACE TO PLAY
La' Zaria Lino and her friends stood together on a small stage in the courtyard of the Windsor Cove Apartments and rapped a thank-you song to the hundreds of volunteers who gathered there Thursday to |
Taking Names
Blame employers for immigration woes
Craig Miller made a surprisingly candid admission last week: He has hired illegal immigrants. Probably a lot of them. It's not the kind of thing you would expect someone to say loudly in public -es |
Clean energy program gets $36 million boost
The Florida Energy and Climate Commission has tapped the Florida Opportunity Fund for $36 million in federal stimulus dollars to launch the Clean Energy Investment Program promoting energy technology |
Google says it's blocked again
Google says people in mainland China are being blocked from using its Internet search engine. The company posted a Thursday notice about the new barrier without any other details.
|
Director sees revived KSC in long term
As Con
gress fights with itself and the White House over the future direction of the U.S. human spaceflight program, the top NASA official in Florida told local leaders Thursday that the Kennedy Spac |
MARKETING
Waldorf shows off its Christmas presence
`Twas five months before Christmas and all through the place, the hotel was decked out, a winter wonderland space. The pastry chef planned treats that looked heaven-sent, in hopes that the guests |
Unemployment, excess homes could spur douple dip in prices
Orlando's double whammy of high unemployment coupled with a mounting inventory of foreclosed homes has left real estate prices poised for another drop, according to economists who released new housing |
WOFL boss leaving job in mid-August
As July ratings came in Thursday -WFTV-Ch. 9 was the big winner again -the boss at Fox station WOFL-Ch. 35 confirmed he will leave in mid-August. Stan Knott has been the general manager at WOFL an |
"Less money" could slow back-to-school sales
While the National Retail Federation predicts stronger back-to-school-sales this year, Orlando retail researcher Britt Beemer says many parents still will spend less.
While Beemer estimates a sligh |
Toyota recalls Avalon sedans
Toyota Motor Corp. announced another large recall of autos in the U.S. on Thursday, this time for a steering problem in 373,000 Avalon sedans built for the 2000-2004 model years. The automaker said |
Investors sue Old Southern Bank founder
A group of investors in the failed Old Southern Bank of Orlando has sued bank founder John G. Squires and a group of former directors, accusing them of illegally hiding the bank's financial woes while |
GOP blocks aid for small firms
U.S. Senate Repub licans blocked a $30 billion plan to help community banks boost lending to small businesses, dealing a blow to President Barack Obama's election-year battle to reduce unemploymen |
Citigroup settles SEC case for $75 million
Citigroup Inc. will pay $75 million to settle charges that it failed to disclose to investors $40 billion in subprime exposure in 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday . The |
This Bud's for you and you; trademark falls flat
The European Union's top court ruled on Thursday that Anheuser-Busch InBev may not register "Budweiser" as a trademark in the bloc, ending a 14-year legal battle over the name with a Czech brewer. |
Profit soars, revenue stabilizes at Motorola
Motorola Inc.'s second-quarter earnings showed that momentum is building behind its smart-phone strategy . Now the trick is sustaining that pace through what's expected to be an intense holiday s |
Cops: Man stole car, sold it, stole it back, tried to sell it again
A car-theft suspect who used Craigslist to peddle stolen vehicles was jailed after greed got the best of his get-rich-quick scheme, police said. Orlando police said Anthony Parkhurst didn't o |
CAVE DIVER, AQUIFER CHAMPION WES SKILES: 1958-2010 Friends recall photographer's love for underwa
A round the crystal-blue spring waters that inspired his adventurous life, trailblazing cave diver, deepwater cinematographer and aquifer advocate Wes Skiles was eulogized Wednesday as a Flori |
Shootings trouble street's neighbors
A shooting on Hope Circle on Tuesday -the third on that street since March -could be linked to the shooting of a teenager who died Monday , records show. Orange County deputies said someone |
Winn-Dixie will close 9 stores in Central Florida
Nine Central Florida stores are among the 30 that Winn-Dixie is closing throughout the Southeast, the Jacksonville-based grocery chain said Wednesday night. The shuttered stores include both Winn-D |
$300M in bonds set for roadwork
By Dan Tracy ORLANDO SENTINEL
The Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority board decided Wednesday to borrow about $300 million to add five miles to its 105-mile system and begin early design of t |
The Last Resort
Pound for pound, a fair resolution
Dear Greg: In May 2008, I opened a home-equity loan account with SunTrust.
I was approved for a credit line of only $25,000 due to the short time I had owned my home. I never accessed the credit li |
Board backs bank with own money
First National Bank of Central Florida said Wednesday it has raised $3.2 million in fresh capital to shore up its cash reserves, amid the bank's ongoing efforts to navigate the shaky economy. The W |
International passengers boost airport traffic
Air traffic continued its slight move upward at Orlando International Airport in June, which saw a 2.1 percent increase in passengers compared with the same month last year. The boost, reported Wednes |
Takeover drags on Comcast earnings
Comcast Corp. reported lower second-quarter earnings Wednesday partly because of costs related to its pending takeover of NBC Universal. Comcast earned $884 million, down 8.6 percent from $967 million |
AGRICULTURE
HOME ON THE GRANGE
Brandon Page is banking that his goats will do more than keep his pasture trimmed - they will make him money, too. At Page Farms in Apopka he has 21 goats on a 6.75-acre tract that wasn't suitable |
Most large metro areas see unemployment rise
The unemployment rate in about three-quarters of the nation's
largest metro areas rose last month as nearly 1 million teenagers entered the work force looking for summer jobs.
The Labor Departmen |
Car sales drive away with most gripes
In a sign of the economic
times, consumers' biggest gripes were about car sales and credit and debt grievances, according to a survey of complaints made to consumer agencies last year. The fastest-g |
Airfares up 5% in first quarter
If you think
airfares have been rising, it's not your imagination. Figures just released from the government, while a bit dated, show that airline prices in the first three months of this year r |
Budget czar: Timing's key
White House budget chief Peter Orszag said Wednesday it would be "foolish" to cut the U.S. deficit while growth was still frail, but reckless not to significantly shrink the budget gap over the next f |
Fed report sees rocky rebound
The U.S. economy kept growing overall in recent weeks, but unevenly, and it actually slowed in a few regions as housing markets softened after the end of a popular tax break, the Federal Reserve said |
Oil firms' profits soar
Oil and gas producers ConocoPhillips, ENI and BG Group reported big jumps in second-quarter profits on Wednesday thanks to higher oil and gas prices and firmer refining margins. Conoco, the third-l |
Money guru backs blue chips, mocks `loony' gold
Jeremy Grantham, the renowned money manager who reluctantly bought gold while "officially scared" at the beginning of the financial crisis a couple of years ago, wants nothing to do with gold now. |
Boeing mulls painful layoffs and cost cuts
As the Obama administration pares military spending, Boeing Co. is mulling layoffs and other cost cuts to shore up its defense business, company CEO James McNerney told analysts Wednesday. The larg |
Apple makes computers, too?
Apple's gadget fans got plenty of new toys recently , with the launch of the iPad and iPhone 4. Now, it's the power users' turn. Apple on Tuesday unveiled new a Mac Pro model, adding quad-core and |
Volt gets a price: $41K
General Motors on Tues
day set a price of $41,000 for its electric Chevrolet Volt, $5,000 more than the top-selling sedan from its luxury Cadillac brand and $8,000 more than its nearest competitor, |
Examiner: Tribune Co. buyout 'marred'
The court-appointed exam
iner in Tribune Co.'s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case determined that the company's 2007 leveraged buyout was "marred" by the "dishonesty and lack of candor" of its then-senior |
Disney adding monorail spur
Walt Disney World is preparing to expand its iconic monorail system - at least a little bit. Disney said Tuesday it will build a 62foot maintenance spur off of the system's Epcot line to serve as a |
Companies hiring part-timers for jobs at Amway Center
Employers will be looking for parttime workers for the new Amway Center arena at a job fair on Saturday , city officials say. Job-seekers can apply for work with the companies that will staff the |
ENTREPRENEURS
VENTURE CAPITAL FREEZE THAWING
After a long cold spell, Central Florida's prospects for attracting new venture capital may be thawing out. For much of the past year, the region's entrepreneurial companies in high-tech, energy an |
Florida consumers' outlook worst since 1985
Florida consumers have the worst outlook on what's ahead for their personal finances in 25 years, according to a survey released Tuesday . That dismal report is part of the state's monthly consumer |
Disney acquiring social-gaming site Playdom
The Walt Disney Co. is buying online social-gaming company Playdom for $563.2 million, the latest sign the company is becoming a formidable player in the video-game industry. The purchase will help br |
Sales, profit up strongly at Lockheed
Lockheed Martin Corp. rolled out higher quarterly profit and revenue Tuesday , beating or matching the consensus Wall Street forecast. The nation's largest defense company and largest in Florida |
SWIM COACH HARRY MEISEL, 1922-2010
He taught Orlando kids swimming, perseverance
U.S. Olympic swimmer Jilen Siroky Bouwer was 5 years old, growing up in Casselberry , when she started swimming for Coach Harry Meisel at the Rollins College pool. "He watched me and gave me the ch |
Wekiva Parkway step closer to reality?
Metro Orlando's main road-building agency is expected to approve today the first steps toward building the final leg of a longsought Central Florida beltway. The board likely will decide |
Taking Names
Sick of nasty ads?
Tough. You paid for 'em
There's only one thing more annoying than the constant barrage of ugly ads you see each campaign season -and that's knowing you helped pay for them. That's right. You may be sick of watching |
Democrats unhappy with another walkin' Lawton
In a state with no mountains, Lawton "Bud" Chiles III spends every day walking uphill. Chiles, the 57-year-old son of a Florida political icon, is waging a low-budget, grassroots campaign for gove |
Orange school taxes rising more possible
Orange County school leaders, strapped for money after years of cutbacks, passed a
small tax increase Tuesday night and decided to ask Orange voters for even more money when they go to the polls in |
Aetna profits up 42 percent
Aetna
says its second-quarter profit rose 42 percent, as the percentage of premiums the health insurer spent on medical care fell. The Hartford, Conn., insurer says it earned $491 million, or $1.14 a |
Gulf disaster puts record loss on BP's bottom line
As it posted a record $17.1 billion loss stemming from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, British giant BP moved quickly to change management, propose the sale of up to $30 billion in assets and refocus th |
OIL SPILL DIGEST
DELAYED: U.S. senators postponed a hearing on whether British oil giant BP PLC influenced the release of the Lockerbie bomber, saying Tuesday that key witnesses had "stonewalled" the investigation by |
Osceola looks at bumping sales tax to 8% for roads
Osceola County voters could decide in November whether they want to pay another penny in sales tax to fund local bridges and road projects. If approved, Osceola's total sales-tax rate would be 8 pe |
Cashing in on copper might get harder
Eager to stop a rash of copper thefts plaguing area
businesses, the Orlando City Council is close to passing
new regulations for scrap-metal centers that would be
among the toughest in the state.
|
Sports complex on ice: Osceola to test water for backers
Osceola County's plans for an amateur-sports complex seemed out of reach Monday as County Manager Don Fisher told commissioners less money is available than anticipated. But commissioners weren't r |
Citizens insurance board will seek rate increase
The board of governors of the state-created property insurance pool on Monday approved rate increase requests of up to 10.2 percent for homeowners. The Citizens Property Insurance Corp. board voted un |
United Technologies plans more cuts
United Technologies will cut another 1,500 jobs this year and next on top of the 900 positions it has already eliminated in 2010, the company said Monday .
-The Associated Press
|
Timeshare resellers questioned
For years, Gary Fieldsend and his family traveled to their timeshare apartment near Walt Disney World to escape the New Hampshire winters.
Still, he was hooked when in January , he received an uns |
360 Software wins contract in Egypt
Orlando-based 360 Software Corp.
has won a contract to produce simulation-training technology for an Egyptian naval training institute, the company said. Terms call for 360 Software to develop |
The Last Resort
Princess has a change of heart over credit
Dear Greg: Last October, I purchased a cruise on Princess Cruise Lines as gift for my (then) lady friend at Christmastime. I bought "platinum cruise protection" which the agent stated guaranteed a ref |
Allstate subsidiaries to defend rate request
State regulators will grill Allstate Insurance Co.'s Florida subsidiaries Tuesday on their request for a 33 percent and 17 percent average statewide rate hike.
The Allstate Floridian Insurance comp |
HOSPITALITY
DARDEN SHEDS 5,000 BUT AVOIDS LAYOFFS
In another sign of the economy's toll on Orlando-based Darden Restaurants, the company has about 5,000 fewer employees than it did a year ago. Darden had 174,000 workers at the end of May , down f |
Sales of new homes move higher in June
Sales of newly built houses in the U.S.
rebounded overall in June from May's record low, led by a surge in sales in the Northeast. The Commerce Department said Monday that new homes sold at a se |
IPhone jailbreak is legal, U.S. says
IPhone users can now legally hack their phones to download applications that aren't in Apple Inc.'s App Store. The U.S. Copyright Office has authorized several new exemptions to the Digital Millen |
Tribune trims bonuses
Under pressure from its creditors and unions, bankrupt Tribune Co. agreed to cut back on the bonuses it would pay under its proposed 2010 management incentive plan. The move comes as Chicago-based Tri |
IBM faces Europe probe
The European Union on Monday said that it has launched an antitrust probe against IBM Corp. related to allegations that the technology giant abused its dominant position in the mainframe computer mark |
3RD DROWNING VICTIM FOUND
CONCERNS RISE IN WAKE OF DEATHS ON LAKES
Three weekend deaths in Lake County lakes prompted authorities Monday to issue water-safety reminders to boaters, swimmers and would-be rescuers as investigators tried to determine what happened. L |
ORANGE MAYOR'S RACE Segal buys big into TV, radio ads
Orange County Commissioner Bill Segal purchased
$225,000 in TV and radio ads leading up to the
Aug. 24 county mayor's primary, a sum that surpasses
what any other candidate in the race has raised i |
American executive on tap to lead BP
The man widely expected to take the helm of oil giant BP as early as Tuesday would be the first American to become chief executive of the 101-year-old British company . But Robert Dudley has a l |
Annual entrepreneur fair has seminars, networking
It's that time of year again: The 5th annual Entrepreneur Fair hosted by the Disney Entrepreneur Center is set for Aug. 26. If you've never been to the center -or even if you're a tried-and-true |
Insider Trading
Insider Trading is a weekly report of stock transactions involving officers, directors and owners of 10 percent or more of a publicly held company. Corporate insiders historically make more economical |
Secondhand shop has first-class style
|
Greene's assets may be as high as $2.8B
Financial disclosure forms filed Friday show that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene, a wealthy investor, has assets valued between $827 million and $2.8 billion -mostly in stocks, bond |
Suit: Take class-size amendment off ballot
Florida's statewide teachers union filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to keep a vote on the state's class-size amend ment off the November ballot. The Florida Education Association says the ballot |
Tourism cash looks iffy for Osceola sports plan
Osceola County's plans for an amateur-sports complex are ambitious, but tourism officials say the pot of money being considered for the facility is waning and mostly committed to other projects. M |
CAN TRASH COMPACTOR SQUEEZE OUT SAVINGS?
It sits there in the sun, looking like the covered trash can that it is. But this receptacle is more than it seems. Costing $5,500, the "BigBelly" is a computerized, solar-powered compactor th |
Tire cap trains officers to skid safely
The Ford Crown
Victoria powered into a turn, fishtailing a little and then skidding into a spin. The driver fought the steering wheel, trying to gain control of the Volusia County sheriff's patrol c |
Lipizzaner stallion show files bankruptcy
For decades, Lipizzaner stallions from Central Florida have toured the world, charming audiences with their equine ballet. But now the Oviedobased company that produces the World Famous Lipizzaner |
