THE DAY IN PICTURES
Nicosia, Cyprus: Police officers set up a tarpaulin during their investigation at suburban Strovolos cemetery, where the corpse of Cyprus' ex-President Tassos Papadopoulos was found. Three men have be |
Protesters back health bill
-In a reverse twist on the old protester tactic of getting arrested to make a point, union leaders and other backers of President Barack Obama's health care plan issued "citizen's arrest" warrants f |
Bill would limit 911 access
Lawmakers are getting ready to debate a bill that would curtail public access to 911 emergency calls. Supporters say the measure would protect a victim's right to privacy . Opponents call it a th |
Stiffer penalties sought
Florida lawmakers are considering longer jail terms for teachers who take sexual advantage of underage students. A House committee approved a measure (HB 819) Tuesday that would toughen penalties im |
Anti-noose rule advances
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee approved an anti-noose bill Tuesday that would prohibit placing a noose in a public place or on private property without permission. The offense would be a firs |
Pa. woman, 46, worked to wage jihad, FBI says
Using e-mail, You Tube videos and phony travel documents and boasting of a burning desire to kill "or die trying," an American woman from Pennsylvania helped recruit a network for suicide attacks and |
Class-action suits may cost Toyota $3 billion
Toyota owners claiming that massive safety recalls are causing the value of their vehicles to plummet have filed at least 89 class-action lawsuits that could cost the Japanese auto giant $3 billion or |
Rybolt project voted down
Orange County commissioners voted 6-1 Tuesday night to reject a plan to build 5,000 residences east of the sensitive Econlockhatchee River. The majority feared the impacts that could result fro |
Will Google pick Orlando?
High-speed testing Numerous cities are jumping into the fray in hopes of getting high-speed Internet service by Google. Here are just a few: In Florida Orlando: Used a bigger-than-life Google Maps mar |
YOUR LAWMAKERS AREN'T TIGHTENING THEIR BELTS
Job losses, home foreclosures and the worst economy in decades have forced many Americans to cut back or do without.But not members of Congress, who voted themselves a 5 percent increase in their |
New `flip' unlikely but Orange will look at school options
Could Orange's students be facing another school-schedule flip?The word from School Board members: No. But could the district's 172,000 pupils be facing other, new start times? Maybe. |
Women drinkers found to gain less
Women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol don't gain as much weight in midlife as those who abstain, according to a new study. However, the authors as well as alcohol-abuse experts were quick |
Meyer: Was he really `gone'?
As UF football coach Urban Meyer's leave of absence approaches its conclusion, questions remain about how much time he spent relaxing and how much he kept his head in game mode. |
Blood-bank board will meet today - Chairman standing by Chinoda
The chairman of Metro Orlando's main blood bank may urge the agency's board today to keep top executive Anne Chinoda, even though a recent survey found little or no backing for her in the community .< |
Aaron L. Davidson Jr. - He lived life of service to others
Aaron Langley Davidson Jr. was not a CEO or captain of industry . Instead, Davidson's daughters said, he was a "common man" like many who came of age during World War II and learned the valu |
Jerusalem project blasted by Biden
In the midst of a high-profile visit by Vice President Joe Biden, Israel unveiled plans for new housing in disputed Jerusalem on Tuesday , a surprise step that embarrassed and angered the highest- |
SPOTLIGHT - Inaugural gown dances into history
-Michelle Obama said Tuesday that she'll always cherish the moment she slipped into her inaugural ball gown, a oneshouldered, white chiffon design she wore for her first spins on the dance floor a |
SPOTLIGHT - Kidney donors lead long lives after operation, researchers find
-People who donate a kidney to a sick friend or relative live at least as long as others in the general population and may , in fact, live somewhat longer because they tend to take better care of th |
Orange County - Pedestrian struck, killed in east Orange
A 31-year-old Oviedo man was killed Tuesday night when he was hit by a car while crossing Colonial Drive in east Orange County , the Florida Highway Patrol said. The man, whose name was not released, |
Orange County - Attempted-murder suspect arrested
A suspect in a Feb. 28 attemptedmurder case was arrested Tuesday when he crashed his car on the Western Beltway , the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies tried to stop Joshua Walker, 23, |
Lake authorities say caregiver fondled young disabled woman
A state-paid caregiver is charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a disabled woman he was supposed to care for, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.William Brian Bellamy , 53, inappropr |
Head's up -- way up -- on zoo addition
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Osceola meeting prayer isn't likely to change
Despite threat of a lawsuit, Osceola County Commission Chairman Fred Hawkins said the commission is not likely to change anytime soon how it prays before a meeting."To me, this is where I draw th |
Deputies arrest pair in parking-lot crimes
Three months of car burglaries at The Loop shopping center ended last week with the arrests of two Orlando men who admitting breaking into so many vehicles they couldn't remember the exact number, |
Pope's brother knew of physical abuse charges
-The pope's brother said in a newspaper interview published Tuesday that he slapped pupils as punishment after he took over a renowned German boys choir in the 1960s. He also said he was aware of al |
Ruse finds security gap
-Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport -the departure site for the alleged underwear bomber -tightened security Tuesday after journalists orchestrated a sting operation that smuggled bottles of liqui |
Roberts faults Obama's State of the Union jab
Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday that the scene at President Barack Obama's State of the Union address was "very troubling" and that the annual speech has "degenerated to a political pep rally. |
U.S. official apologizes for joke about Gadhafi
A senior State Department official said Tuesday he was sorry for a joking remark he made about Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi that prompted Libya to threaten diplomatic retaliation unless he apologized |
OSU janitor kills 1, self
An Ohio State COLUMBUS, Ohio -An Ohio State University janitor who was about to lose his job walked into a maintenance building for his early-morning shift Tuesday and shot two supervisors, killin |
American-born panda makes his China debut
Tai Shan, an American-born panda, went on display in his new home for the first time Tuesday since his much-anticipated arrival in China. Visitors and staff cheered and waved as they watched the 41/2- |
Alert coming on baby slings
The U.S. government is preparing a safety warning about baby slings, the carriers that parents can wear around their chests to carry their baby. The concern: Infants can suffocate, and at least a f |
Orange County - Court clerk decides Anthony is indigent
Casey Anthony , 23, is considered indigent by the Orange County Clerk of Courts, documents filed Tuesday show. It was the first step needed for Anthony to get state financial help for her defense on m |
Abuse leads to prison -- 24 years later
-A Tampa Bay-area man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his daughter's death -nearly 25 years after inflicting the abuse that prosecutors say killed her.Christopher Michael Wells p |
After slow start, tornado season arrives
-Forecasters say a wetter-than-usual winter and a jet stream ripping over the part of the country known as "Tornado Alley" could lead to an active spring -perhaps starting with the strong twister |
VA hopes new system will battle claims backlog
Faced with a crushing influx of disability claims from Vietnam War veterans exposed to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange, the Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday it would automate part of t |
Celebrities - Lohan slaps E-Trade with $100 million suit
Is it a case of suing over spilt milk? A lawsuit filed Monday in New York on behalf of Lindsay Lohan claims online broker E-Trade hurt and defamed the actress in an ad that includes a joke about a "mi |
Apopka cop released from jail, may lose job
An Apopka police officer may lose her job after being charged with firing a gun at her new husband during an argument Sunday .Officer Tanya Culver, who married her third husband, Justin Farr, last |
Kissimmee adding domestic-partner insurance soon
The Kissimmee City Commission on Monday became the first government body in Osceola to offer health insurance to employees' domestic partners. The initiative, which was approved 4-1, will become |
Orlando - Man with ladder facing charges
A sex offender awaiting trial on burglary charges remained in jail without bail after Orlando police said he used a ladder to try to break into his neighbors' secondfloor apartment. Justin Patrick |
Orlando - Autopsy: Gunman had been drinking
A Cocoa Beach man who gunned down a 23-year-old newlywed at a business park and then committed suicide had alcohol in his system when he died, an autopsy report said. Roger Troy , 61, shot himself Feb |
New nuclear plans
Bitter rivals Israel and Syria both announced Tuesday that they want to pursue atomic power plants.The statements at a nuclear energy conference in Paris could complicate the diplomatic storm over |
SPOTLIGHT - Old treasures found in Baltic
-A dozen centuries-old shipwrecks -some unusually well-preserved -have been found in the Baltic Sea by a gas company building an underwater pipeline between Russia and Germany .The oldest w |
Ex-Gov. Jerry Brown set to reinvent himself
When Jerry Brown told Californians last week that he wanted to be their governor again, he reached to the past to explain why they should elect him. His opponents invoked the past to explain why they |
Tickled? Tousled? Sure. But groped? He says no
-A day after resigning his seat in the face of a House ethics investigation, former U.S. Rep. Eric Massa took to the airwaves Tuesday to deny that he had ever touched a male office staffer in a sexu |
Afghan suicide blast kills 2 NATO troops
A suicide attack Tuesday at a joint NATO-Afghan base in eastern Afghanistan killed two international service members and wounded several others, the military alliance said. The attack in remote K |
D.C. gays capitalize on marriage
-There were the bottles of champagne sitting in buckets of ice, the yellow roses on pedestals at the end of the aisle and Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are" played by a cellist as the couple marche |
6 steps to implementing healthier diet
Changing your diet habits isn't easy , but here are some tips from Sharon Salsman, a dietitian with Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System in Virginia, on taking the first steps: 1. Adopt an "80:20" |
Home on the Range - HEALTHFUL EATING - The beet generation
The ancient art of tie-dye was once practiced as a coming-ofage ritual. The child preparing to spring himself from the bonds of the buttoned-down, eat-your-beets culture stripped down, tied up and d |
THE QUOTE - "A foolish act of banging their heads on a rock."
Korea, in response to annual joint military exercises by U.S. and South Korean forces that began Monday. According to the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command, the 11-day drill is a routine tra |
Haiti releases 1 of 2 missionaries from jail
-One of two missionaries still held on kidnapping charges in Haiti was released and flew to Miami on Monday , but the U.S. group's leader remained in custody . Charisa Coulter, 24, was taken |
Myanmar sets vote rules
Myanmar's ruling junta will appoint the commission that will have final say over the country's first elections in two decades, state-run newspapers announced Tuesday as the country's military rulers b |
Anthony's defense wants party pictures barred at trial
Casey Anthony's defense team doesn't want jurors to see "party-girl" pictures of the 23-year-old, fearing they would unfairly "inflame the jury" against her.This was among new requests filed Mond |
NASA to repair desert antenna
-The deep space antenna that relayed Neil Armstrong's famous "one giant leap for mankind" declaration from the moon to a rapt American audience will be offline for eight months for repair. Work |
Jerry Ward Totman - Outdoorsman was hunter and artist
Jerry Ward Totman was drawn to the outdoors. He chose a job that allowed him to be outside part of the time; he was a devoted hunter; and, when he expressed himself artistically, the subject w |
`Barriers' in education civil rights enforcement
-The Obama administration plans to toughen civil rights enforcement in the nation's schools with a broad review touching on everything from academics to discipline.Department of Education Secreta |
2 of world's oldest die
. -Two of the oldest people in the world have died on the same day . Mary Josephine Ray, who was certified as the oldest person living in the United States, died Sunday at age 114 years, 294 da |
Death row inmate ODs 2 days before execution
-Gov. Ted Strickland on Monday postponed the execution of a convicted killer who managed to take an overdose of pills in his death row cell and was found unconscious just hours before he was to be d |
After lull, fatal attack hits Punjab province
-A suicide car bombing at a Lahore building that houses terrorism investigators killed at least 13 people and wounded 80 others Monday , the first terrorist strike to hit a major city in Pakistan's |
International Women's Day
Jazmin Miranda celebrates in a march to commemorate International Women's Day in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Monday. At the White House, President Barack Obama pledged to work on empowering women bo |
Palm Bay - Teenager accused of setting fires
A 14-year-old boy is accused of setting five wildfires in Palm Bay , police said Monday. The boy admitted to setting the fires because he was mad at people who live nearby , Palm Bay police said. O |
Orange County - Gun in backpack sends student to jail
A Full Sail University student was jailed Monday after a handgun was found in his backpack, the Sheriff's Office said. Acting on complaints from students, who said a gun fell out of the student's back |
Lake County - Youth at cop's home charged with porn
A 17-year-old living in the home of an Orlando police officer was arrested on 24 counts of possession of child pornography Monday , the Lake County Sheriff's Office said. Investigators had searched |
Volusia County - Man fatally injured crossing I-4 at night
An Orlando man was killed while crossing Interstate 4 in Volusia County late Sunday . William Adams, 63, was struck just before 10 p.m. near mile marker 123, the Florida Highway Patrol said. It was |
A long road to recovery
In December, teenage gymnast Dounia Bendris suffered a devastating fall. She was paralyzed from the waist down and would never walk again. In an occasional series starting today, columnist George D |
Turkey quake kills dozens
-Hundreds huddled in aid tents and around bonfires Monday in eastern Turkey , seeking relief from the cold after a strong earthquake knocked down stone and mud-brick houses in five villages, killing |
Huge Chilean quake shifted city 10 feet west
The massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile last month moved the entire city of Concepcion -the closest urban area to the quake's epicenter -at least 10 feet west, Amer |
UCF bans making of weaponlike props
Theater-class assignments at the University of Central Florida no longer will include the production of props that look like weapons, school officials said Monday."The Theatre Department and |
2.5 million Floridians rely on food stamps
There are now 2.56 million Floridians on food stamps, a reflection that the state is still mired in a deep and painful economic malaise. That means more than one out of every eight residents, 13. |
School districts react differently to Internet threats by students
Trashing someone on a bathroom wall is old school. Blasting people on social-media sites such as Facebook and MySpace is in. Today's students are using those platforms for high-tech name calling an |
Arts-center bonds win Orlando's OK
Orlando commissioners voted 6-1 Monday to sell bonds to help finance the construction of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Bonds issued next month will provide another $69 millio |
Planned rail systems get link proposal
A metro Atlanta company that's struggled in the past is offering to raise and spend $223 million to build a magnetically levitated train that would link two other mass-transit systems headed to Cent |
Python hunting season starts with no sightings
Hunter Shawn Meiman pilots his airboat through the Everglades on Monday, the first day of Florida's python hunting season, which closes April 17. He had no luck finding any of the invasive snakes; no |
Winter Park mailers fly before voters hit polls
Orange ballot lineups Elections will be held in several Orange County cities today. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. APOPKA Seat 1 Billie L. Dean, incumbent, faces Barb Zakszewski. Sea |
911 calls recount horror of slaying at Publix
The flood of calls came from workers and customers, men and women, eyewitnesses and people who heard a shot ring out and just wanted to help.There was gunfire inside the Publix supermarket at Ora |
Deal possible on abortion
Prospects are good for resolving a dispute over abortion that has led some House Democrats to threaten to withhold support for the health care overhaul, said Rep. Bart Stupak, a key Michigan Democra |
Seized al-Qaida suspect not top U.S. target after all
The suspected al-Qaida operative arrested over the weekend in Karachi, Pakistan, was not the Southern California native wanted by the U.S. on treason charges for his involvement in the terrorist netwo |
Turnout more than expected
Iraq achieved a respectable turnout at the polls over the weekend as 62 percent of registered voters cast ballots, according to the country's electoral commission. The figure exceeded expectation |
SLOW, STEADY GROWTH PAYS OFF FOR DARDEN
Like the tortoise in Aesop's fable, Orlando-based Darden Restaurants for several years has taken a slow, steady approach to opening new Olive Gardens and Red Lobsters as its competitors built at the |
Daytona spring break starts with balcony fall
Spring break opened Monday with a small crowd of sun-seeking college students and an ominous start: a hotel-balcony fall by a 19-year-old South Carolina man.Christopher Grasso of Charleston, S. |
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY - Pain reliever ibuprofen may ease prostate problem
QHave you ever heard of ibuprofen helping men with prostate problems? I am a runner and frequently use ibuprofen after a long run. I discovered that on the days that I took ibuprofen, I didn't have to |
Aging and driving
We all remember when we got our driver's license. It's one of life's great moments, a giant step toward adulthood. Decades later comes a related rite of passage that generates considerably less e |
GOOD FORM -Try this stretch to keep hips flexible
Active people's hips tend to be tight. Perform this stretch on a regular basis and you'll keep those strong gluteal muscles flexible. -Karen Voight, Special to Tribune Newspapers 1 t Sit in a cross- |
SPOTLIGHT HEPATITIS - Fight quiet killer with vaccine, tests, report urges
-They're the overlooked WASHINGTON -They're the overlooked viruses: Hepatitis B and C together infect three to five times more Americans than the AIDS virus, and most don't know it. In the next |
Healthy candy just as dandy?
-If the healthful benefits of broccoli could be distilled into a pill, veggie haters worldwide would rejoice. But who would choose to get their chocolate fix by gulping a tablet? The r |
Fitness Center - How many days should we exercise?
If it's not riding a bike or taking a class, it's stretching or jumping rope. However you slice it, I exercise every day and I think that's a good thing. But what if I'm overdoing it? The information |
Your body -- ouch! -- may love it
Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Shirt off, I ease myself down onto a cotton foam mat with hundreds of quarter-inch plastic spikes attached. Ow. Ow. Ow. Maybe, like entering a cold pool, it's better t |
THE DAY IN PICTURES
Constituci�n, Chile: Nancy Mavaboli and her children -Juan Carlos, 9, and Luis, 12 -live in a tent in the wake of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that destroyed their home Feb. 27. Food, water and su |
HOW TO - Pick the right exercise class
The lengthy menu of group fitness programs at most gyms can be overwhelming. Here is advice from personal trainers on finding one suited for you: Observe it first. Ask the instructor if you can stand |
Grant money could help to speed stem cell cures
-Dr. Karen Aboody estimates that she has cured several hundred mice of a cancer of the central nervous system called neuroblastoma. First she injected them with specialized neural stem cells th |
SPOTLIGHT - OBESITY STUDY - Babies: Plump's OK, fat is not
A growing body of scientific research suggests that babies can, indeed, be too fat.In a study published last , researchweek, recently ers looked at 111 children whose body mass index exceeded 85 |
HIV may hide in marrow of bones
-The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the dise |
Mideast talks get early jolt
-Israel and the Palestinians agreed to begin indirect, Americanbrokered talks, the U.S. Mideast envoy announced Monday -ending a 14-month deadlock in peacemaking and representing the Obama adm |
7 decades later, women get medals for WWII
When World War II beckoned, she was a 24-year-old mother of two daughters, ages 4 and 2. Her husband was a draftsman for Lockheed in Southern California, and her brother became an Army Air Forces pilo |
Colleges can't meet demand
Navid Saint and thousands of other students at Florida's cash-strapped community colleges have learned a vital lesson about signing up for classes during the state's budget crisis: Don't procrastinate |
Can new tech guy bolster NASA?
The man who may determine the future of America's manned-space program -where it goes, when and how it gets there -is a 44-year-old aerospace engineer whose first project for NASA was landing a |
Obama stumps for health bill
Reverting to campaign form, President Barack Obama on Monday left what he called the Washington "echo chamber" and urged voters to knock on doors and make phone calls in the final leg of the health ca |
Democratic conspiracy?
Rep. Eric Massa, D-N.Y., is now blaming his resignation on a conspiracy by House Democratic leaders to force him out before a crucial vote on health care, his third explanation for leaving office afte |
Orange schools' `flip' saved $5.8 million
The results of an independent audit of Orange County's transportation department show that the deeply unpopular schedule "flip" was not a financial flop. It saved the cash-strapped district $5. |
Teachers blast plan to overhaul pay, testing
Florida's largest teachers union lashed out Monday at a proposal to overhaul teacher-pay plans, saying it would force experienced teachers out of the classroom and lead to even more standardized tests |
SPOTLIGHT - Frogs chill out before mating
Some like it hot. Apparently , the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog is not among them. The 3-inch-long amphibians much prefer it cold, like melting snow. So conservationists at the San Di |
Biden's Israel mission: Boost boss's popularity
Vice President Joe Biden was due to arrive in Israel on Monday on a mission to mend U.S.-Israeli relations after a rocky first year for new administrations in both countries. Biden is expected to c |
Magic take off over the Lakers
Howard, team hold on to win physical game as Kobe misses at buzzer |
Bridge over Econ to span a crucial juncture soon
Apivotal moment in Central Florida growthregulation will come Tuesday when Orange County considers a plan to put a city's worth of homes near an environmental icon called "the Econ."The site of the |
Despite violence, Iraqis vote
Bombs and mortar shells pounded Baghdad on Sunday morning, killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens more, as Iraqis, desperate for a brighter future, sought to cast their ballots in a crucial na |
Obama hails `milestone'
President Barack Obama praised the Iraqi people for passing "an important milestone" Sunday, when millions voted despite deadly insurgent attacks."Today's voting makes it clear that the future of I |
A quick look at some of Iraq's major players in the election
Nouri al-Maliki -The prime minister is seeking a second, four-year term, running as the head of his State of Law Coalition. AlMaliki took ofMaliki took office in May 2006 after winning the p |
Muslims massacre scores of Christians in Nigeria
-The attacks came in the night, as the villagers slept. Hundreds of Muslim herdsmen armed with guns and machetes swept down on three Christian villages outside Jos in central Nigeria, killing more t |
Afghan village elders give Karzai an earful
Elders in former Taliban stronghold berated and challenged Afghanistan's president Sunday, delivering complaints about government corruption and NATO's military operations on the Afghan leader's f |
Homosassa - UCF student drowns in cave
A University of Central Florida student diving in an underwater cave on the state's west coast was found dead Saturday night, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office said. Joseph Michael Kelly , 21, of |
Picture-perfect weather
Jeff Riggan of Eustis puts just the right touches on a painting Sunday at the 33rd annual Leesburg Fine Arts Festival. Thousands strolled down the town's Main Street, taking in both a beautiful day an |
More violence in Osceola rocks what's 'like a small-town USA'
Lindsay "Bud" Peeples Sr. is an old mountain man who lived in the flatlands east of Holopaw. He raised deer, talked about fishing, and, on Saturday night, he shot his two sons, killing one and woundin |
Widow who's suing 'Judge Larry' can't recall how he wronged her
A wealthy, elderly widow is suing her neighbors, former Broward Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin and his wife, but doesn't seem to know why , according to a deposition transcript. Barbara Kasler, 84, |
THE QUOTE
-Cheryl Palmer, of Club Quarters Inc., which recently opened the World Center Hotel and is using its location on the edge of the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York as a selling p |
U.S. troops returning from mission in Haiti
-U.S. troops are withdrawing from the shattered capital, leaving many Haitians anxious that the most visible portion of international assistance is ending even as the city is still mired in misery |
No lawyers for animals
The result was emphatic: Swiss voters don't think abused animals need to have their own lawyers.The measure's defeat Sunday disappointed animal-rights advocates, who say Switzerland's elaborate a |
Pope's brother willing to testify in abuse scandal
The brother of Pope Benedict XVI has told a newspaper he is willing to testify in the sex scandal rocking Germany's Catholic Church, even though he says he knows nothing about the alleged abuse of b |
Looters return booty
-The officers came with bullhorns to impoverished neighborhoods near the epicenter of Chile's devastating earthquake, warning looters to return what they stole or face police raids. And so they d |
NATION - Obama hails 'heroes' of '65 'Bloody Sunday' trek
President Barack Obama is marking the 45th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" by praising "these heroes" who marched into history and endured beatings by Alabama state troopers at the start of their landm |
Protesters in Spain denounce abortion law
Anti-abortion marchers attend a demonstration Sunday against a new law that allows abortions without restrictions up to 14 weeks into pregnancy. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the capital |
Olive branch on terror trials?
A Republican senator is offering the White House a deal on terror trials. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that if the president agrees to try alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik |
Orange County - 4th suspect arrested in killing
Orange County sheriff's investigators have made a fourth arrest in connection with a January homicide at an east Orange apartment complex. Devinson Weeks, 31, is accused of first-degree murder. He ap- |
A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY
When the crowd is good at the Central Florida Racing Complex in south Orlando, owner Pete Madison knows that means there isn't much illegal street racing going on. "That's why we're here," Madison say |
The 82nd annual Academy Awards - The Oscar goes to ...
Historic win: Kathryn Bigelow (right) became the first woman to win an Oscar as a director, taking it for her Iraq war drama, `The Hurt Locker,' which also was named as the best picture of the year. |
Ocala - Classwork puts student in jail
A class project prompted the evacuation of businesses Saturday in Ocala and landed a University of Central Florida student in jail, police said. Matthew Pye, 19, of Ocala faces a charge of manufacture |
How will Shamu brand go on?
Consider the predicament SeaWorld managers find themselves in nearly two weeks after the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau -the third human fatality linked to a killer whale synonymous with the them |
Feds: Jobs agency not working as it should
The state office charged with ensuring that jobless Floridians get their benefits in a timely way is failing to meet federal performance standards in at least three key areas. The Agency for Work |
THE DAY IN PICTURES
Mumbai, India: Models display designer Swapnil Shinde's creations during a show at Lakme Fashion Week. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: A Mongolian family looks out from a frosty window on a city bus. Mongolia |
Report: U.S. al-Qaida agent caught
-Pakistani intelligence sources in Karachi said Sunday that security forces in the southern port city have arrested Adam Gadahn, a Southern California native who became a top propagandist for |
Ray Santana - Builder had dreams, but time ran out
There was a bit of the untamed hippie in Ray Santana. Born Rafael Santana in the Bronx in 1951, he wore his long hair down to his waist, hitchhiked around the country and lulled his daughter to sleep |
Former head of Johnson Space Center dies in Texas
Aaron Cohen, the former director of NASA's Johnson Space Center who helped create the space-shuttle program, has died in College Station, Texas, after a long fight with cancer. He was 79. Coh |
Mobile modern-slavery display is a moving testament on cruelty
The white truck's cargo space is dark, cluttered and hot -walls lined with stained plywood, cardboard boxes stacked head-high, a clanking steel roll-down door that locks from outside. This is |
Central Florida - Separate wrecks kill 2 bikers
Two motorcyclists died during the weekend in unrelated accidents in Seminole and Volusia counties, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Michael Suciu, 67, of Orlando died Sunday when he crashed on State |
Marion Ellis - `Fashionista' found beauty in everyone
Marion Ellis was a true fashionista and "diva." She lived to shop. She stocked up on jewelry , purses and shoes -all of which she coordinated with her many outfits.The family had built her a se |
World's oldest floating steel warship sinks into disrepair
-During the SpanishAmerican War, Navy Commodore George Dewey stood on the bridge of the ship and uttered the words that became famous: "You may fire when you are ready , Gridley." The vessel's |
Colleges can't ban discrimination against gays, Virginia AG says
-Virginia's attorney general has advised the state's public colleges that they don't have the authority to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, saying only the General Assembly ha |
Early results: Iceland voters reject debt deal
Voters Saturday resoundingly rejected a $5.3 billion plan to pay off Britain and the Netherlands for debts spawned by the collapse of an Icelandic Internet bank, according to initial results.Result |
Mental health experts split on sex addiction disorder
Tiger Woods, who recently admitted to multiple extramarital affairs, said he is receiving treatment. David Duchovny, who plays a sex-obsessed professor on the TV show "Californication," underwent reha |
'09 wildlife protections scarce
During his first year in office, President Barack Obama won praise from environmental groups for a wide range of decisions, from toughening gas mileage rules to spending billions on renewable energy |
THE NUMBER - 1 million
The pot in euros -equal to about $1.3 million -of a poker tournament at a German luxury hotel, before a heavily armed group stormed the event Saturday afternoon and made off with a jackpot, a poli |
NATION - Toyota disputes critic who blames electronics
Toyota Motor Corp. plans Monday to rebut allegations that its electronics systems caused the sudden acceleration problems that led to the recall of more than 8 million vehicles. The automaker pla |
Girl, 6, killed on freeway
-The Minnesota State Patrol says a 6-year-old girl wandered into freeway traffic near Minneapolis, where she was struck and killed by an SUV .State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske says Kallie Palmer had |
WORLD - Dictator's son named winner of Togo election
Togo's election commission on Saturday declared the son of the country's late dictator winner of the presidential race, extending the family's rule into a fifth decade in a deep blow to Togo's opposit |
SCOUTS TRY TO TIE UP ROPE RECORD
Nearly 300 Boy Scouts and adult leaders from the Orlando area who tied knots for about five minutes Saturday may have broken a Guinness World Record. For the Little Econ District spring camporee at Ca |
Sunnis' hopes high for change
-In the once-turbulent Sunni enclave of Adhamiyah, hope that the elections Sunday will herald a dramatic change in Iraq's leadership mingles ominously with fear that it won't. There's none |
IRAQ POLITICS - They have numbers, but power?
-The minute Friday prayers are over, a crowd of female worshippers swarm around Parliament member Maha al-Douri, peppering her with questions. She is their access to power.Under a U.S.-backed quo |
Utah to U.S.: This land is our land
-Long frustrated by Washington's control of much of their state, Utah legislators are proposing a novel way to deal with federal land -seize it and develop it.The Utah House of Representatives |
Volunteers renovate home for wounded vet
The house on Enclave Drive south of Orlando looks just like any other suburban home, but hundreds of people gathered Saturday to begin the process of making it special. The five-bedroom, three ba |
Taliban commander believed dead in strike
-A top Pakistani Taliban commander close to al-Qaida is believed to have been killed in an army airstrike, officials said Saturday, in apparently the latest blow to insurgents who have attacked |
WILL RIVER'S WATER EVER FLOW FROM TAPS?
The sounds of earth movers and the stacks of giant pipes in northwest Seminole County signal that work has begun on Central Florida's most controversial water project: drawing water from the St. Johns |
NASA's future - Obama to announce April 15 space summit
-In the latest sign that his NASA vision is in peril, President Barack Obama will announce today his plans to host a space summit in Florida on April 15.The move follows weeks of criticism from C |
Palm Bay - Clues sought in arsons
Investigators are looking for answers to a series of arsons. The Palm Bay Fire Marshal's Office, the Police Department and the Department of Agriculture have several leads. The investigative team th |
Orange County - Brush fire contained
Orange County fire crews on Saturday contained a brush fire near International Drive. The fire, in the general area of International Drive and Vineland Road, quickly grew from 2 acres to 10. No buil |
Orange County - 2 pharmacies robbed
Two men held up a clerk in an Orlando drugstore Friday night -then did it again at another pharmacy as authorities investigated the first incident, Orange County deputies said. The first robbery |
Volusia County - Motorcyclist killed on I-4
A 32-year-old Tampa-area man was killed Saturday when he lost control of his motorcycle on Interstate 4, hit a guardrail and overturned, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Edgar Javier Gonzalez of Riv |
Sheriff's wife calls deputies when ex is near; he calls it unfair
On Jan. 14, Mark Todd arrived at his former wife's home to pick up his children for their weekend visit, following a schedule the couple agreed on in their divorce eight years earlier. When |
Election 2010 - Spring schedule in Orange is costly
In many Florida counties, municipal elections piggyback onto fall county , state and federal ballots at little or no additional cost. Not in Orange County , where six cities will have elections |
Sentinel columnist - Reforms will break mold for teachers' jobs
Tallahassee is sticking a load of dynamite under the old schoolhouse. the old schoolhouse.The public-education model in Florida is about to go ka-boom. All it will take is for legislators to |
Tea for 2: Interests converge
-For most of a year, the small-government advocates of the tea party movement have stolen the spotlight from the GOP's veteran performers: the Christian conservatives that have long driven voters to |
Quake is tough 1st test for Chile's new leader
A week before he takes office, Chilean President-elect Sebastian Pinera is already operating like a man in charge as his nation reels from one of history's strongest earthquakes. He is directing |
Iran's Ahmadinejad: Sept. 11 attacks a `big lie'
Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a "big lie" used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported. |
2 peacekeepers missing
Two international peacekeepers have gone missing in south Darfur along with half a dozen vehicles and equipment after an ambush on their patrol, the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in the re |
Thousands march in Jerusalem protest
Thousands of demonstrators marched through an east Jerusalem neighborhood Saturday to protest the eviction of Palestinians from their homes there in favor of Jewish settlers. Around 2,000 people, most |
Tanker hijacked off Africa
A chemical tanker with 21 crew members has been hijacked by Somali pirates near Madagascar, the Norwegian owner said Saturday .It was not clear whether anyone in the crew, all from Myanmar, had bee |
Many Hispanic kids struggle - KEVIN'S BATTLE: ENGLISH, FCAT
Kevin Alonzo slings his red messenger bag into a cubby at Jackson Middle School's media center, shuffles through crowd of seventh-graders to a computer carrel and slouches into a seat. It's the las |
Notorious `Malibu Rapist' - Orlando rape victim fights to keep suspect behind bars
For nearly two decades, Mary lived with an overwhelming fear that the man who raped her at knifepoint would attack again.Some nights, she slept in a bedroom closet. Other times, she sat up in be |
KILLER WHALES - HOW SMART?
Neuroscientist Lori Marino and a team of researchers explored the brain of a dead killer whale with an MRI and found an astounding potential for intelligence. Killer whales, or orcas, have the second- |
Nigeria seethes in chief's silence
-Nigeria's ailing president may still be flat on his back in the ambulance that rushed him from the airport to his residence after his secretive return last Wednesday from Saudi Arabia, where he w |
Election near, Brown goes to Afghanistan
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised British troops 200 new patrol vehicles that can resist roadside bombs more effectively during an unannounced visit Saturday to southern Afghanistan. B |
Operation Pedro Pan reunion: 55 gather to catch up on life
They started out as frightened children in a foreign country where they didn't speak the language. Five decades later, the children of Operation Pedro Pan are proud Americans with a shared past tha |
This Just In Central Florida government news
March 26 ride will promote bicycle use The city is hosting its second annual "Bike from Park to Park" at 8 a.m. March 26, beginning at Mead Garden, 1300 S. Denning Drive. Cyclists will travel throu |
Orlando volunteers spread word about 2010 census
Central Floridians will receive the 2010 census forms in their mailboxes in about a week. To urge wary residents in significantly undercounted areas to return their forms by the deadline on April |
DeBary - Bicyclist hit by car dies
A 15-year-old bicyclist was killed when a car driven by another teen struck him Friday night in DeBary . Brian Wentwood was riding his bicycle on his street in DeBary at 11:34 p.m. when he was struc |
SeaWorld death - Ex-worker criticizes training oversight
For many years, SeaWorld singled out animal training -- the department responsible for the company's trainer-safe- ty protocols -- from the rest of its animal disciplines. The company had a corpo- |
Sentinel exclusive - Blood-board member quits over Chinoda
A senior administrator at Universal Orlando quit the board of Florida's Blood Centers on Friday in an ap- parent dispute over whether the nonprofit's top executive, Anne Chinoda, should step down. |
State taxpayers' tab in bingo-hall battle tops $6M
A legal battle that began 15 years ago over bingo halls in the Orlando area now has a major bill wait- ing for Florida taxpayers: more than $6 million. And the company that is owed the millions -- |
Ocoee kids get library makeover - READING VIDEO THRILLS OPRAH
Students and faculty at Ocoee Middle School who made a music video to promote reading -- changing the lyrics to a song by the Black-Eyed Peas -- shared the spotlight with Diane Sawyer on The Oprah Sho |
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SALMONELLA SCARE - Expansive food recall leaves consumers asking: What is HVP?
Before this week most Americans never gave much thought to hydrolyzed vegetable protein. But when the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that certain lots of the common flavor enhancer we |
Ocoee - Sex-offender son nabbed at dad's
Ocoee police on Friday arrested a 34-year-old regis- tered sex offender at the home of his father, also a registered sex offender. The son, Joseph Burgess Jr., is accused of moving from Michigan to Fl |
St. Cloud - Disney janitor held in child-porn case
A St. Cloud man arrested Friday on child-pornography charges is a Walt Disney World employee, a Florida Department of Law En- forcement arrest affidavit says. Patrick McKenzie, 62, faces eight coun |
Kissimmee - Osceola jail captains seek reassignment
Osceola County removed two of the county jail's top four supervi- sors, but a county leader said last week's demotions were not tied to an inmate's recent escape from a maximum-security area. Captains |
Daytona Beach - Boy, 2, thrown into wall - man charged
A 21/2-year-old boy was severely injured in Daytona Beach after his mother's boyfriend threw him against a wall when the boy would not go to bed, a report says. Benja- min Edward Ahr, 34, was arrested |
U.S. consumers raise borrowing
Consumer borrowing broke a record stretch of declines with a small increase in January as a boost in auto loans offset continued weakness in credit card bor- rowing. The small gain, the first in ab |
GM dealers get reprieve
General Motors Co. will reinstate more than half the dealerships it targeted to drop from its network. Company executives said Friday that about 600 dealerships out of the 1,100 seeking to stay wit |
Launch of iPad delayed
The much-anticipated iPad tablet com- puter from Apple Inc. will start hitting U.S. store shelves April 3, slightly later than planned.When Apple unveiled the touch-screen device Jan. 27, the compa |
N.Y. representative quits amid ethics allegations
-- Rep. Eric Massa, an upstate New York Democrat, will resign his House seat amid reports that he is under an ethics investigation. Earlier this week, Massa, a freshman congressman, announced he wo |
Governor not giving up
New York Gov. David Paterson waits to give a speech Friday, when he vowed to clear his name in scandals involving a domestic abuse case and New York Yankees tickets. A poll found Friday that 46 percen |
Corporate logos on license plates?
A Mickey Mouse license plate courtesy of Walt Disney World? How about a tag emblazoned with McDonald's golden arches, Nike's swoosh, or maybe a Coke or Pepsi logo? That's the latest money- making i |
Hoops showdown
Dr. Phillips, Winter Park battle tonight for state 6A title. Also: Oak Ridge tries for 4A victory. |
Panel seeks Toyota data
Unsatisfied with Toyota Motor Corp.'s statements that internal testing has ruled out electronics problems as the cause for sudden acceleration, two top lawmakers Friday asked the company to provide re |
Steady 9.7% jobless rate lifts hope for economy
-- In a pinch of bright news for the economy , the snowstorms that paralyzed transportation and shut down thousands of businesses on the East Coast last month did far less damage than expected to the |
Family: Pentagon gunman was mentally ill
Authorities spent Friday trying to determine why a Northern California man drove across the country , armed himself with two handguns and tried to blast his way into the Pentagon. The anguished wor |
Anthony lawyers tell state: Pay trial costs
Casey Anthony's defense team wants the state to pay costs associated with her upcom- ing death-penalty case, saying it's the only way to ensure they'll have the resources to fight to save the young mo |
Urban Think! bookstore to shut at month's end
Urban Think! bookstore, which became an institution in Orlando's trendy Thornton Park area, is closing at the end of this month after nine years in operation."We've never been able to make it profi |
Judge: Beach driving is public right
A New Smyrna Beach property owner lost his bid Thursday to halt beach driving behind his beachfront houses when a judge ruled that the prac- tice doesn't infringe on his private-prop- erty rights. |
Injured war veteran will get new home
A wounded Iraq war veteran and his family are getting a new home in Orlando, thanks to the New York-based charity Building Homes for Heroes. The group, along with help from Winder- mere Country Clu |
Prosecutors want judge off case of agent involved in sex sting
Prosecutors want a judge removed from a case in which an undercover agent touched the breast of a suspect during a prostitution sting, saying she already thinks that the offi- cer behaved improperly . |
With medicines scarce, Chileans fear disease
Chile launched a hepatitis and tetanus vacci- nation campaign Friday and doctors warned of outbreaks of diarrhea and infection among thousands of people displaced by the earthquake and the tsunami tha |
Quake rocks Indonesia
A magnitude-6.5 undersea earthquake shook the western shore of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Friday , causing panic but no casualties or damage, an official said. The quake struck late at night 74 |
Blast kills 5 in Pakistan
A suicide bomber targeted a group of Shiite Muslims on two buses in northwestern Pakistan on Friday , killing at least five people and wounding 25 others in the latest violence in the Afghan border re |
Brown faults U.S. on Iraq
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted Friday the deci- sion to invade Iraq was justified, but told a major inquiry into the war that the U.S. dismissed warnings of chaos and violence once Sa |
Bus in fatal Arizona crash was operating illegally
Federal transportation officials say the bus involved in an accident near Phoenix that left six people dead and 16 others injured was operating illegally. The bus was traveling from the central Mexica |
Pair face charges of snatching boy from dad at motel
Two men are facing charges after police said they snatched an 8-year old Orlando child from his father at an International Drive-area motel overnight Friday -- then called po lice to ask if what they |
Troubled Green Isle Ranch in south Lake shuts down
Green Isle Ranch, a longtime south Lake County residential treatment fa- cility for "at-risk" boys, is closed, ac- cording to nonprofit parent organiza- tion Bridges of America.The closing comes as |
Hundreds defend student who made Facebook threat
Hundreds of Brevard County students and others are flocking to join a new Facebook page to show their support for a classmate ac- cused of threatening to kill his teacher in a posting on the social-ne |
Up next: Legislature to focus on budget and gambling
-- On the agenda in week two in the Florida Legislature: gambling and the budget. Less than a week old, the annual lawmaking session already has a big focus on the budget. A new revenue estimate fo |
Military: Oil drilling can affect training
Military backers told a House panel in no uncertain terms Friday that any talk of oil drilling the east- ern Gulf of Mexico had better not hamper military operations in the region. Lawmakers would be |
New representative gets busy, files 6 bills
New Rep. Janet Cruz, just elected in a special election for a Tampa- area seat Feb. 23, has filed her allot- ment of bills for the session. Cruz, D-Tampa, filed HB 925, which cre- ates a breast-cancer |
Democrats: GOP's financials are faulty
Florida Democratic Party Chair- woman Karen Thurman filed a complaint Friday with the state's Election Commission, accusing the Florida Republican Party of failing to file accurate finance reports wit |
Khalid Jermoune - Moroccan immigrant loved airport
Khalid Jermoune, a Muslim born in Morocco, worked at Orlando Interna- tional Airport for more than a decade, directing motorists and keeping watch for suspicious vehi- cles, people and packages.Aft |
Clash erupts over shrines
A Palestinian walks through Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound as Israeli police take position during clashes there after Friday prayers. Fighting broke out over Israeli plans to put two West Bank sh |
Assassination site yields some DNA, fingerprints
Dubai investigators have collected crime scene DNA samples and fingerprints of some of the suspects in the high-profile slaying of a Hamas operative, a senior official said Friday. In an interview |
Scientists: Dinosaur extinction is settled
It's official: The extinc- tion of dinosaurs and a host of other species 65.5 million years ago was caused by a massive asteroid that struck the Gulf of Mexico, creating worldwide havoc, an internatio |
U.S., Japan still at odds on new site for Marines
-- Located smack in the center of a crowded city , the Marine base on Okinawa is at the epicenter of a yawning rift between Tokyo and Washing- ton -- challenging the United States' most important alli |
Dyer: Borrow, start building
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will defy the down econ- omy Monday and pitch a $69 million bond sale to city leaders that would allow construction to start on a new -- albeit pared-back -- downtown performi |
Trial shift might aid Gitmo closing
The White House is considering an end to its effort to prosecute the Sept. 11 plotters in a civilian court and send them instead before military commissions, a possible major retreat from President Ba |
THE NEWSMAKER - Navy captain relieved, but not for drag race
Navy Capt. Holly Graf was demoted because she berated and assaulted her crew, not because she led her guided missile cruiser on a drag race with another U.S. warship in the Pacific, a Navy investig |
Texas judge says death penalty unconstitutional
A Texas judge in the county that sends more inmates to death row than any other in the nation is apparently taking a stand. Saying he could assume that innocent people have been executed, state Dis |
McCain enlists GOP star
Facing the toughest re-election battle of his career, Arizona Sen. John McCain enlisted a rising GOP star in a bid Friday to lock down support among conservative primary voters. Just two years afte |
Change bloc challenges Kurdish parties in Iraq
-- The party machine of the Patriotic Union of Kurdi- stan is pulling out all the stops. On-duty security forces string up PUK banners, and young men break curfew to hang out of cars waving ivy-colore |
Corrections & clarifications
Because of a production error, an article on Friday's front page about a reunion of Cuban refugees involved in "Operation Pedro Pan" omitted information about the progression of refugee Susy Rodr�guez |
Q&A: Income taxes - Overlooked tax credit could pay off for you
If there's a bright spot in the recession, it's that more people will get money back from the IRS this year through an often- overlooked tax credit. If you were laid off during 2009, worked for min |
Volusia County - Deputies: Man ran chop shop
A New York man in Flori- da for Bike Week is accused of stealing a motorcycle to get parts for his own machine, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. Richard Cintron was charged with grand theft o |
Daytona Beach - Mom accused of abusing son, 6
A Daytona Beach mother was arrested Wednesday on a charge of aggravated child abuse after her son, 6, told child-care workers and police "Mommy hit" him, Daytona Beach police said. Teachers noticed th |
Winter Haven - Scratch-off ticket earns winner jail time
A man who tried to cash in a winning $50 lottery ticket Sunday instead ended up under arrest after a clerk told Polk deputies that he had ripped off $70 worth of tickets the day before. Deputies said |
THE NUMBER - $1 billion
Under a contract with the company formerly known as Blackwater to train Afghan police should be reconsidered because of "serious questions" about the contractor's conduct, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., sa |
Arctic methane called global warming threat
Methane, a potent global warming gas, is bubbling out of the Arctic faster than had been expected. Methane had become trapped in the permafrost over time and a warming climate is now resulting in i |
GOP strategy revealed
President Barack Obama is The Joker, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is portrayed as Cruella De Vil, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is Scooby-Doo in a Republican Party pitch to top fundraisers. T |
U.S. will restore aid to Honduras, Clinton says
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday the Obama administration will resume aid to Honduras that was suspended after a coup last year and urged Latin American nations to recog- n |
Italian judges sum up American's murder trial
The 2007 murder of a British college student in Italy by American Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend was not premeditated, the judges who convicted them said in a document released Thursday |
4 jailed for terror plot
Two German converts to Islam and two Turkish men were convicted Thursday for a foiled 2007 plot to attack U.S. targets in Ger- many and given prison sentences rang- ing up to 12 years.The four men |
THE DAY IN PICTURES
Concepci�n, Chile: A collapsed building lies in ruins after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Saturday. Touring an aid-distribution center in the heavily damaged city, President Michelle Bac |
'Big Mike' stays alive on 'Idol'
Michael Lynche, a former University of Central Flori- da football player, was safe for another week. "Big Mike" smiled broadly be- fore the announcement. He knew he wasn't in trouble after earning rav |
'I thought I would end up in the sea, drowned'
-- The Mediterranean was heaving as Anna Lita, 68, stood in the cruise ship lounge. A moment later a monstrous wave shattered the windows and sent shards into her head, leaving her bleeding on the flo |
Celebrities - Renner cool under pressure
Just as his bomb technician character in "The Hurt Locker" keeps his cool amid harrowing war scenarios, Jeremy Renner seems unfazed by the impending spec- tacle of the Oscars, where he and the movie a |
63 killed in stampede during scramble for donations
A man mourns Thursday after a stampede among poor villagers vying for free food and clothes killed 63 people and injured 44 at a commemorative event at a Hindu temple in this northern town. Nearly all |
In China budget, a message
China announced Thursday the smallest increase in its defense budget in years, possibly in an attempt to assuage international fears that its military is growing too powerful. Coming after almost t |
Under the sea 'like another world for him'
Charles D. Wil- liams loved the ocean so much that he tried to go scuba diving on his wedding day . His bride, Eliza- beth Williams, would have none of that. "I looked at him, and I said, `N |
SPOTLIGHT ASSASSINATION - Shirt display riles RFK's son
A son of Robert Kennedy is criticizing the Los Angeles Police Department for displaying items in a homicide exhibit in Las Vegas that in- cluded the dress shirt worn by the senator when he was assassi |
Taiwan quake stuns area hit by typhoon
A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake rocked southern Taiwan on Thursday , terrifying residents, disrupting communications and triggering at least one large fire. Sixty-four people were injured, the Nat |
House skips seniority in pick for Rangel fill-in
In a twist, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., will replace Rep. Charles Rangel as acting chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee rather than Rep. Pete St |
Activists amp up pressure
As President Barack Obama began pushing for a prompt up-or-down vote on his health care initiative, lobbyists and activist groups launched high-dollar advertising and grass- roots pressure campaigns o |
Democrats unsure of March vote
Cranking up the pressure on law- makers, congressional lead- ers say they are hoping for votes on the health care legis- lation in two or three weeks. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told report |
Citigroup chief thanks taxpayers for bailout
Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Vikram Pandit on Thursday publicly thanked U.S. taxpayers for the $45 billion bailout that saved the company during the financial crisis in 2008, as a congressional w |
Sentinel exclusive: `I want to kill Mrs. Bowen' - Student's online threat causes stir
Brevard County school officials are trying to decide what action to take af- ter a student threatened to kill a Merritt Island teacher in a Facebook posting. The student at Edgewood Junior/ Senior |
Limit `dangerous dogs'? Senate panel likes idea
Legislators found a sure way to rile up a crowd: Go after pit bulls.The Florida Senate is advanc- ing a bill that could lead to tougher municipal laws for own- ers of pit bulls and other "dan- gero |
The big dig: Removing quake rubble across Haiti
-- When a city crashes to the ground, how do you dispose of it? Seven weeks after an earthquake re- duced Port-au-Prince to ruins, Haitian and foreign officials who hope to build a new capital firs |
Panel OKs immunity for ER doctors
A Senate committee advanced a controver- sial bill Thursday that would give emergency- room doctors immuni- ty from major lawsuits, even in cases of gross negligence. Approved 5-2 in the Health Regu- |
Bill to boost class sizes advancing
A ballot proposal that would ask voters to loosen class-size lim- its is headed for a floor vote in the Florida Sen- ate. It received final committee approval there Thursday . The Ways and Means Com- |
Chamber: Find money to save land
The Florida Cham- ber of Commerce on Thursday signed on to a coalition of environ- mental groups urging lawmakers to set aside $4.8 million in funds during a tight budget year to levy $50 million in b |
Pot bust: 31 arrests, California link
Drug investigators arrested nearly three dozen people across Central Florida on Thurs- day in a sweep of area pot dealers whose businesses appeared to be built on medical-marijuana sup- pliers in Cali |
Obama job-creation bill scrapes by in House, faces Senate vote
The White House will have to wait a little longer to cross off the first item on its job-creation agenda. The House of Representatives on Thurs- day passed a $15 billion bill aimed at jump-starting |
14 killed in Baghdad as Iraqis cast early ballots
-- Three polling stations in Baghdad were struck by explosions Thursday that killed at least 14 people, appar- ently in an attempt to sow fear ahead of elections Sunday that Iraqis hope will stabilize |
Chileans pin recovery hopes on president-elect
Chile's earthquake and tsunami smashed this tourist town into splinters, leaving little more than immense piles of wreckage and an awful stench. Rooting through the remains Thursday , Dichato's reside |
SPOTLIGHT HAITIANS IN CHILE - No refuge for quake refugees
The Desarmes family left their native Haiti two weeks after the devastating Jan. 12 earth- quake, joining the eldest son in Chile for what seemed a refuge from the fear and chaos of Port-au-Prince. |
Obama renewing effort to overhaul immigration law
-- Despite steep odds, the White House is considering a series of new steps in coming weeks aimed at reviv- ing prospects for a major over- haul of the nation's immigration laws, a commitment that Pre |
2 Pentagon police shot - suspect wounded
A gunman coolly drew a weapon from his pocket and opened fire at the teeming subway entrance to the Pentagon complex Thursday evening, wounding two police offi- cers before being shot and critically w |
NASA launches weather satellite
NASA launched the nation's newest weather satellite Thursday. The $500 million Geosta- tionary Operational Envi- ronmental Satellite-P (GOES-P) lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 6:57 p.m. on a Unit |
$1 billion or more at stake - FLORIDA ON SHORT LIST FOR `RACE TO TOP' CASH
F l $ Florida is one of 15 states, as well as the District of Columbia, to make the first-round cut from among 41 applica- tions. Finalist leaders will present their applications -- as well as answer |
Giant bank, giant struggle in providing mortgage help
Two years after swallowing the troubled mortgage giant Countrywide Financial, Bank of America trails other major U.S. lenders in resolving troubled home loans through short sales or modified loan term |
Reunion will reflect on 'Operation Pedro Pan'
Susy Rodr�guez was 10 years old in Havana when she was awakened by her mother on an early March morning in 1962 and was told that she and her 9-year- old twin brothers had won schol- arships to a scho |
Kissimmee - Man back in jail same day he's released
An Osceola County Jail inmate released Wednesday morning spent less than 12 hours free before his arrest the same day on 10 child- pornography charges, sheriff's reports show. Michael Kimberlin, 43, w |
Turns out `fake FBI agent' really was undercover, Osceola admits
-- A week after alerting residents about a fake FBI agent roaming around Kis- simmee, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that the suspect turned out to be a real agent with U.S. Immigra |
High court puts execution of man in Orlando killing on hold
The Florida Supreme Court delayed Tuesday's scheduled execution of David Johnston, 49, who was convicted in the 1983 slaying of an 84-year-old Orlando woman.The stay of execution an- nounced Thursd |
`Pep rally' seeks out mentors
National radio host Michael Baisden rallied a standing-room-only crowd in Orlando on Thursday night in support of adult mentoring for black youth.Citing high incarceration rates and other social pr |
Local - Rossmeyer clan carries on Harley mogul's legacy
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Senate passes PSC ethics bill
-- The Senate on Wednesday passed a measure changing the way the Public Service Commis- sion operates, including a four-year ban on lobbying the agency by people who leave the commission. Sen. Gary Si |
Measure forbids raids of gun fund
-- Florida senators have passed a bill that will force lawmakers to keep their hands off a trust fund that covers the costs of the state's concealed-weap- ons permitting program. The bill (SB 1158), a |
Committee OKs business tax cut
-- A centerpiece of Gov. Charlie Crist's pro-business legisla- tive package was derided Wednesday before clearing the Senate Commerce Com- mittee. The legislation would reduce the 5.5 percent corpo- r |
Sunshine State Slowdown - Florida's population inching up
Florida's future of slow growth may already be under way, with new estimates that the state grew by 23,000 in the past year. The University of Florida's Bu- reau of Economic and Business Research s |
Florida Supreme Court will hear appeal for man set to be executed
David Johnston, who was convicted of kill- ing an Orlando woman in 1983, is scheduled to die Tuesday .Today , his attorney will appear before the Florida Supreme Court to argue Johnston should not |
Obama: Fast track health bill
-- Making an impassioned demand for swift action on health care, President Barack Obama called Wednesday on Congress to vote on sweep- ing legislation "in the next few weeks," even if that requires De |
SPOTLIGHT CURRENCY - Change for $50? Maybe Reagan
Ronald Reagan is honored by , among other things, an airport, a highway , an aircraft carrier and -- ironically for a critic of big government -- one of the biggest federal buildings in Washington. |
Reconciliation used by both parties
President Barack Obama indicated Wednesday that he supports the idea of passing a health care bill through a legislative process known as budget reconciliation. Republicans argue that reconciliation h |
Zoo bids Mary adieu
The elephant died at Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, likely of old age. |
FAA not kidding around when it comes to safety
As planes waited to take off from Kennedy International Airport, the jargon-packed radio chatter between controllers and pilots was interrupted by a young boy's voice: "JetBlue 171, cleared for takeof |
House chairman steps aside amid ethics woes
-- Rep. WASHINGTON -- Rep. Charles Rangel, the chair- man of the House Ways and Means Committee who has been dogged by ethics ques- tions, stepped down at least temporarily from the pow- erful post |
Democrat quits after 1st term
-- Rep. Eric Massa, a freshman Democrat from New York, said Wednesday he will not seek a second term after a recurrence of cancer late last year, dismissing a re- port that he had been ac- cused of ha |
THE DAY IN PICTURES
Bras�lia, Brazil: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Brazilian Senate President Jos� Sarney (center), President of the Chamber of Deputies Michel Temer (right) and others. She failed to |
Some Toyota owners say surges persist
Some Toyota owners have begun to complain that their vehicles suddenly accelerated even after dealerships made repairs to fix the problem, according to reports filed with federal safety regu- lators.< |
As public schools face cuts . . . - VOUCHERS MAY GET BIG BOOST
Atate-financed program that gives tuition vouchrs to thousands of low-income Florida students to attend religious schools may get a boost in unding while cash-strapped public schools face more cuts.
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Ruth Faulkner Preston - Family always was priority for `Big R'
Ruth Faulkner Preston's own wants and needs were last on her list.Nicknamed "Big R," Preston was the one always taking care of her family and everyone else in her Riverside Acres neighborhood, said |
Great white sharks trade Cape Cod for Florida
The great white shark seems to be a fan of Florida winters.Electronic tracking tags placed last sum- mer on three sharks off Cape Cod in Massa- chusetts have surfaced near Jacksonville. The f |
Orlando puts hold on makeover for Church Street walking area
Orlando's plans to shrink a sidewalk and do away with parking spots in the heart of downtown have been put on hold, at least for now. Mayor Buddy Dyer, in an e-mail message to critics of the propos |
Central Florida - ACLU chief will lead Orlando-Tampa region
The head of the Central Florida regional office of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida now oversees efforts in a larger, 17-county region in the Orlando and Tampa areas, the group said. Joyc |
Fruitland Park - Richardson wins runoff election for commission
Candidate Jim Richardson was named the winner in Tuesday night's runoff election for city commissioner. Richardson earned more than half of the 239 total votes cast against opponent Linda Rodrick. Vot |
Brevard County - Shoplifting ring targets TurboTax
A shoplifting ring has stolen thousands of dollars worth of TurboTax software from the shelves of Target stores in Melbourne Village, Viera, Merritt Island and Titusville, police said. "We don't know |
Seminole County - Contractor checks yield no violations
State officials went looking for unlicensed contractors Tuesday in Seminole County and came up empty . In tandem with the Division of Workers' Compensation investi- gators, the state Department of Bus |
Flagler County - Lake man arrested in kidnap-robbery
A Leesburg man was jailed Wednesday in an armed robbery and kidnapping at a Flagler County nursery , the Sheriff's Office said. The victim, Anthony Sorrentino, 42, told deputies that 19-year-old St |
No ethical breaches at X-way, state says
One current and two former leaders of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Author- ity did not run afoul of Florida ethics laws, state officials have ruled. Orlando resident Dennis Warren filed the |
Panel: Space worker likely broke ethics law
The Florida Commission on Ethics has found a former employee in Gov. Charlie Crist's office likely violated a state ethics law when he helped set up a Pan- handle space-tourist program and then left t |
Discovery heads for April launch
Space shuttle Discovery rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday for its 6-hour crawl to Launch Pad 39A. Discovery is set to blast off April 5 to the International Space Station. It |
Cancer Society casts doubt on prostate tests
-- Months after experts discounted the importance of routine mammograms and Pap smears for many women, the American Cancer Society is warning more explicitly than ever that regular testing for prostat |
Zoo of bacteria seen in our guts
The human digestive tract is a virtual zoo, full of a wide variety of bacteria, a new study found. And scientists say that is a good thing. The first results of an international effort to catalog t |
Israel, Palestinians may resume talks -- separately
-- A year after peace talks collapsed, Israelis and Palestinians appear headed back to the negotiating table -- just not the same table.A U.S.-backed proposal to launch so- called proximity talks m |
Facebook tip cancels Israeli raid
Israel's military has "unfriended" one of its own after a combat soldier potentially updated Israel's ene- mies on Facebook.The military said Wednesday that a planned raid on a West Bank village wa |
D.C. issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples
Jonathan Howard, left, kisses his partner, Gregory Jones, after they applied for a marriage license Wednesday. More than 100 couples waited in line for hours to apply on the first day same-sex marriag |
2 killed on cruise ship
Greek and Cypriot officials said 26-foot waves crashed into a cruise ship with nearly 2,000 people aboard off France, smashing glass wind- shields and killing two passengers. An- other six people suff |
Brazil rejects U.S. push for new Iran sanctions
Brazil rebuffed a U.S. appeal for new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, vowing during a visit from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton not to "bow down" to gathering international |
Ukraine premier ousted
Parliament ousted Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a no-confidence motion Wednesday that could end a political deadlock that has forced Ukraine to cope with a severe economic crisis without a budget |
Military alters its approach
-- The U.S. military must use measured and precise strikes, not overwhelming force, in the wars it is likely to face in the future, the nation's top uniformed officer said Wednesday in out- lining a r |
THE NEWSMAKER - Hero on the Hudson hangs up his wings
Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has flown his final commercial flight. The pilot who landed a US Airways plane safely on the Hudson River last year said Wednesday he is retiring after 30 years. Jus |
FDA warns companies about misleading labels
-- In a crackdown on dubious food package claims, the Food and Drug Administration has sent warn- ing letters to 17 producers for making what it said were misleading claims about nutrition and health |
Study: Bullying declines
There's been a sharp drop in the percentage of America's children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who believe anti- bullying programs are havin |
Sex offender charged in death of Calif. girl, 17
A 30-yearold sex offender has been charged with murdering a 17-year-old San Diego County girl who vanished after heading off for a run. Prosecutors say John Al- bert Gardner III also faces a specia |
SPOTLIGHT BATTLEFIELDS - U.S. vets return to Iwo Jima
The 97-year-old IWO JIMA, Japan -- The 97-year-old American's memories of comrades blown away on either side of him on Iwo Jima are a world away from his vision of the island after returning to commem |
Tavares to run seaplane base, marina
City officials decided Wednesday against contracting out the operations of a $4.26 million seaplane base and marina they hope will turn this small Lake County city into a tourist destination, opting i |
Sentinel exclusive - Blood-bank board split on Chinoda
The board that will decide the fate of em- battled blood-bank executive Anne Chinoda is divided on how the nonprofit agency is be- ing run, a confidential study shows. The depth of that division pl |
Global fliers will get hassle relief at OIA
Orlando International Airport is about to spend an estimated $11 million to make life easier for pas- sengers arriving on international flights, who have complained for years about a roundabout system |
Home, sweat home
A few years ago, in January , Barb Lito and her husband de- cided to bite the bullet and buy some home exercise equipment. "We both had gym member- ships, but with demanding jobs and family commitm |
Suicide bombers strike Iraq days before voting
-- Suicide bombers attacked two police stations and a hospital Wednesday in the volatile city of Baqouba, killing at least 31 people just days before Iraq holds a national election.Bombings had bee |
Celebrities - Isn't it ironic?
Sometimes the news coming out of the celebrity world can only be described as ironic. Three such items Wednesday can be filed in the "Oh, the irony" basket: I Apparently Justin Timberlake and Cameron |