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Friday, May 24, 2013

Wilmots meet the press

In an effort to let the public see and “get to know” the Wilmots, Kiera’s attorney Larry Hardaway had a press conference Wednesday in Lakeland to do that. And while Kiera, a 16-year-old high school junior said she has spent the last month in fear of her future and concerned, … read more.

LATEST LOCAL NEWS

Kathryn LeRoy chosen as next school superintendent
Wed May 22 2013 04:00PM

Kathryn LeRoy, currently the Director of High School Programs with Duval County Public Schools, in Jacksonville, will be the new superintendent for Polk County Public Schools. In two rounds of … read more.

Downtown business plan in the works
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

There is a focus on trying to improve people visiting Main Street and strengthening not only the living environment, but also the economy of Bartow. And officials with different agencies … read more.

Help from hometown hero
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

This is the chain of command in the NFL: All-time great player. Owner. Head coach. Rookie. That was how Auburn rookie and Fort Meade High graduate Onterio McCalebb’s phone conversation … read more.

Season of storms
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

Batten down the hatches. Experts predict a busy hurricane season beginning June 1 through Nov. 30. Polk County Fire Rescue’s Emergency Management Bureau, along with Tourism and Sports Marketing, want … read more.

More Local News

Dantzler’s comments cooly received
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

If Polk County Commissioner R. Todd Dantzler had entertained any ideas the Friday, May 17, Bartow Kiwanis luncheon would be a “hale and well met” appearance, that notion was quickly dissuaded under a blistering barrage of questions posed him by … read more.

Osprey outs electricity to about 700
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

If you sweated in the early evening humidity Sunday night, it was due to an osprey flying into a pole and damaging a fault current. Power went out to an estimated 700 places in the southwest part of Bartow, from … read more.

Park picnic party was a full house
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

The back area of Mary Holland Park Saturday there was a full house … a party as they go … bringing together children who are up for adoption and families invited to meet them. Those people and members of the … read more.

Lane closures on Van Fleet, U.S. 27, S.R. 37
Tue May 21 2013 03:32PM

Drivers should expect temporary northbound and/or southbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from 6:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. from 540A to State Road 540. Crews continue to work on grading, paving, improving drainage and temporary widening activities at Banana Creek … read more.

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State, National and World News

Jurors deadlock on Jodi Arias penalty
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

PHOENIX (AP) — Jurors have deadlocked on a verdict of life or death for Jodi Arias in the 2008 killing of her one-time boyfriend. The judge declared a mistrial in the penalty phase. Another panel will be seated and the … read more.

Tea party vs. old guard in GOP Senate rift
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and tea partyers broke into full view Thursday, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minority party. … read more.

Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen, where a leadership upheaval has improved the country’s security but not eliminated a terrorist organization trying to recruit jihadists. Lifting the ban … read more.

Obama defends drone strikes but says no cure-all
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday defended America’s controversial drone attacks as legal, effective and a necessary linchpin in an evolving U.S. counterterrorism policy. But he acknowledged the targeted strikes are no “cure-all” and said he is haunted … read more.

Report: Nation’s kids need to get more physical
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reading, writing, arithmetic — and PE? The prestigious Institute of Medicine is recommending that schools provide opportunities for at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day for students and that PE become a core subject. The … read more.

Nixon library hosts 40th reunion for Vietnam POWs
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

YORBA LINDA, Calif. (AP) — U.S. Navy Lt. Mike McGrath was just 27 years old, with a wife and two toddler sons in the U.S., when he was shot down and taken prisoner on his 179th bombing mission during the … read more.

Mutant cockroaches learn to avoid sugar to outsmart sticky traps
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

(Bloomberg) — Roaches that have been hard to trap may be a variety that find sugar doesn’t taste quite so sweet as bait anymore, a study suggests. Most cockroach baits cover poison in a layer of glucose, a sugar. Some … read more.

Obama: Policy in leaks investigations under review
Thu May 23 2013 09:26PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Thursday that the Justice Department will review the policy under which it obtains journalists’ records in investigations of the leak of government secrets. Obama acknowledged he is “troubled by the possibility that leaks … read more.

Stocks edge lower as investors reassess Fed fears
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — Investors recovered their poise after a shaky start to trading on Wall Street that sent stocks sharply lower. U.S. markets plummeted immediately after the opening bell Thursday following a global slump prompted in part by an … read more.

Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — In one of their most dramatic choices in a century, local leaders of the Boy Scouts of America voted Thursday to ease a divisive ban and allow openly gay boys to be accepted into the nation’s … read more.

Birth control coverage up for federal appeal
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

DENVER (AP) — In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is asking a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health … read more.

26 killed in 2 simultaneous car bombs in Niger
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Suicide bombers in Niger detonated two car bombs simultaneously on Thursday, one inside a military camp in the city of Agadez and another in the remote town of Arlit at a French-operated uranium mine, killing a … read more.

Israel says Iran unaffected by world pressure
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister says a new report by the U.N. atomic agency shows that international pressure is having no effect on halting Iran’s suspect nuclear program. In a confidential report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said this … read more.

Muslim hardliners ID London terror suspect
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

LONDON (AP) — Two Muslim hardliners say the man seen wielding a bloody butcher’s knife after the killing of a British soldier is a Muslim convert who took part in demonstrations with the banned radical group al-Muhajiroun. Meanwhile, British police … read more.

Clashes in Lebanon feed fear of Syria spillover
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad fired heavy machine guns and lobbed mortar shells at each other Thursday in some of the worst fighting in the port city of Tripoli in years. The battles … read more.

House backs variable rate student loans
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation that links student loan rates to the ups and downs of the financial markets in spite of a veto threat from President Barack Obama. The Republican-backed the bill would allow students … read more.

Thunderstorms slow Oklahoma tornado cleanup
Thu May 23 2013 09:26PM

MOORE, Okla. (AP) — A band of thunderstorms battered the Oklahoma City area Thursday, slowing cleanup operations in the suburb where a tornado killed 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes this week. The first of the funerals, for a … read more.

8th person pleads in $30M NASA contract fraud
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — An eighth person has pleaded guilty to his role in a $30 million fraud and bribery scheme that duped NASA into awarding contracts to companies that falsely claimed eligibility for preferences granted to minority-owned businesses. On … read more.

Man charged with selling African elephant tusks
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A New Mexico man is facing federal charges in the Florida Panhandle after authorities say he sold two African elephant tusks. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that a grand jury in Pensacola indicted Charles Kokesh … read more.

Photographer will reopen Everglades Wonder Gardens
Thu May 23 2013 09:26PM

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — A photographer is planning to reopen former animal attraction in southwest Florida as a botanical garden. Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs closed its doors last month after 77 years. Its remaining alligators, crocodiles, snakes, … read more.

Bollinger delivers 6th cutter to Coast Guard
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

LOCKPORT, La. (AP) — Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has delivered the sixth fast response cutter to the U.S. Coast Guard. Executive vice president of new construction Chris Bollinger says the 154-foot Paul Clark was delivered to the 7th Coast Guard District … read more.

Man who caused fatal crash loses driver’s license
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A man who caused a crash that killed four family members near Fort Lauderdale must give up his driver’s license. A Broward County judge ruled Wednesday that 37-year-old Romial Romeus must pay a $4,000 fine … read more.

Deputies find 40 animals abandoned in Pasco home
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

HOLIDAY, Fla. (AP) — A strong odor coming from a nearby home prompted a neighbor to call authorities. It turned out someone had abandoned 40 animals inside the Pasco County home. Sheriff’s deputies found dogs, cats, rabbits, a snake and … read more.

Fla. Supreme Court sides with public defenders
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Supreme Court is siding with public defenders who believe they should be able to reject cases if they don’t have the budget and lawyers to adequately represent poor people charged with crimes. Thursday’s ruling … read more.

Fla. mom breaks into home with machete
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

DELAND, Fla. (AP) — A woman is being held without bond after authorities say she broke into her ex-boyfriend’s central Florida home and threatened to cut off the heads of their three small children. Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies say 32-year-old … read more.

Florida man killed in NJ crash
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A Florida man died and his wife was critically injured after their vehicle was struck by a dump truck in New Jersey. Officials say 81-year-old Robert Sauer of Fort Myers, Fla., was trying to turn … read more.

Fla. sailor charged in 2010 death of 2-year-old
Fri May 24 2013 01:19AM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A sailor has been charged with murder in the 2010 death of his girlfriend’s son at an off-base military housing unit. The Florida Times-Union reports 35-year-old Nicholas James Rivet was arrested Wednesday. An arrest report says … read more.

N. Fla. man arrested in death of plum-eating bird
Thu May 23 2013 09:26PM

OCKLAWAHA, Fla. (AP) — A north Florida man faces charges after fatally shooting a red-bellied woodpecker that was eating the plums from his trees. State wildlife officials say 51-year-old John Wayne Miller shot the bird with a pellet rifle. He … read more.

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