North Port Sun

NORTH PORT — Should Warm Mineral Springs’ 81 acres be developed commercially, or should it remain as park lands? That’s the question a group wants placed on the Aug. 26 ballot so voters can decide. Warm Mineral Springs, which is owned by the city and Sarasota County, has been closed … Find out how to read more online.

LATEST LOCAL NEWS

Friends, family celebrate Chris Hays’ life
Sat Mar 8 2014 07:18PM

NORTH PORT — A photo of Chris Hayes playfully puckering his lips along with his heart-stealing, blonde-haired, 5-year-old girl Jade appeared on the screen Friday night. A graphic of a … Find out how to read more online.

A passion for training CNAs
Sat Mar 8 2014 07:18PM

NORTH PORT — Justin Willis said his main purpose in life is doing all he can to help preserve the lives of others. Willis’ company, Imagine Medical Prep, offers training and … Find out how to read more online.

No details on police investigation
Sat Mar 8 2014 08:00AM

NORTH PORT — The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating a complaint launched by North Port Police Chief Kevin Vespia against two of his officers for alleged sexual misconduct … Find out how to read more online.

Save Our Springs leader posts bid
Sat Mar 8 2014 08:00AM

NORTH PORT — When it comes to the list of five bidders vying to take over the short-term operations of the Warm Mineral Springs Day Spa, one has perhaps the … Find out how to read more online.

State, National and World News

Mom accused of driving into surf goes before judge
Sat Mar 8 2014 09:04PM

ORLANDO(AP) — A pregnant South Carolina woman pointed to the ocean, locked the doors and rolled up the windows, telling her three children she was “trying to take them to a better place” as she drove her minivan into the … read more.

Malaysian jet vanishes
Sat Mar 8 2014 09:02PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Two large oil slicks spotted Saturday by the Vietnamese air force offered the first sign that a jetliner carrying 239 people had crashed into the ocean after vanishing from radar without sending a single distress call. … read more.

Russia reinforces military presence in Crimea
Sat Mar 8 2014 09:00PM

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine — Dozens of military trucks transporting heavily armed soldiers rumbled over Crimea’s rutted roads Saturday as Russia reinforced its armed presence on the disputed peninsula in the Black Sea. Moscow’s foreign minister ruled out any dialogue with Ukraine’s … read more.

Libel case echoes for Love
Sat Mar 8 2014 09:00PM

WASHINGTON — Singer Courtney Love hadn’t been born and tweeting was reserved for birds when The New York Times won a landmark libel case at the Supreme Court in 1964. But when a California jury decided recently that Love shouldn’t … read more.

Ukraine tension muddles US stocks
Sat Mar 8 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — One positive report on the economy was not enough to make investors more confident. The stock market ended mixed Friday after a day of muddled trading. Among the three main U.S. stock indexes, one edged higher, … read more.

Russia sparks patriotic fervor
Sat Mar 8 2014 01:19AM

MOSCOW — Russia was swept up in patriotic fervor Friday in anticipation of bringing Crimea back into its territory, with tens of thousands of people thronging Red Square chanting “Crimea is Russia!” as a parliamentary leader declared the peninsula would … read more.

Kids rescued from surf: ‘Mom tried to kill us’
Sat Mar 8 2014 01:19AM

ORLANDO — After she drove her minivan into the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean, authorities say a pregnant South Carolina woman tried to call off bystanders hustling to rescue her three screaming children from the water that was rushing … read more.

Return to ‘Cosmos’ happens Sunday
Sat Mar 8 2014 01:19AM

When astronomer Carl Sagan’s landmark PBS series “Cosmos” first aired in the fall of 1980, the Voyager 1 spacecraft was flying past Saturn and its moons, sending back astonishing images of worlds never seen up close. Some 33 years later, … read more.

’Tsunami’ of store closings predicted
Sat Mar 8 2014 05:26PM

Hackensack, N.J. (The Record) — The experts who keep track of store openings and closings have been forecasting for more than a decade that the day was coming when American retailers would have to pay for building way too many … read more.

2 years later, Congress poised to undo flood law
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than two years after Congress approved a landmark bill to overhaul the federal flood insurance program, lawmakers are poised to undo many of the changes after homeowners in flood-prone areas complained about sharp increases in premiums. … read more.

Stock and housing gains put US net worth at record
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — A surging stock market and rebounding home prices boosted Americans’ wealth to a record in the final three months of last year, though both trends have slowed so far in 2014. Household net worth jumped nearly $3 … read more.

Conservatives: GOP needs to stand on principle
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Republican leaders implored conservatives to offer a stark contrast to President Barack Obama’s policies and stand firm on principles as a way to win back Senate control in the fall elections and prepare for the … read more.

Environmentalists appeal Florida water ruling
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Environmentalists are appealing a federal judge’s approval of Florida’s water pollution rules. In January, a federal judge in Tallahassee ruled that state and federal authorities could move ahead with an agreement that allows Florida to take … read more.

Skeletons uncovered in mass graves in Somalia
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

HARGEISA, Somalia (AP) — An American volunteer gently brushes away dirt to reveal the bones of a Somali victim buried in a mass grave some 30 years ago. Tens of thousands of skeletons may lie in mass graves here, on … read more.

A Gadhafi son is extradited to Libya
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — One of Moammar Gadhafi’s sons, al-Saadi, was extradited on Thursday to Libya from Niger, where he had taken refuge as his father’s regime crumbled in 2011, bringing cheers from Libyans as the government prepares to prosecute … read more.

Mother who drove into ocean of Fla. hospitalized
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A pregnant South Carolina woman who drove a minivan carrying her three young children into the ocean surf off Florida is hospitalized for mental evaluation. A Volusia County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said Thursday that Ebony … read more.

Deal to recover sunken gold approved
Thu Mar 6 2014 09:46PM

CINCINNATI (AP) — Deep-sea explorers can now recover the remaining gold from a ship that sank off the South Carolina coast in 1857 and more recently has been embroiled in legal fights involving a fugitive treasure hunter, an Ohio judge … read more.

Bombings, clashes in Iraq kill at least 42
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombings targeting shoppers across central Iraq and clashes near the militant-held city of Fallujah killed at least 42 people Thursday, authorities said. No one claimed responsibility for the string of bombings that began Thursday afternoon, mostly from … read more.

Netanyahu speaks about Iran at Los Angeles museum
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Jewish community leaders on Thursday that he was determined to contain Iran’s nuclear program and protect the state of Israel from Iran. The prime minister spoke at the Museum of … read more.

China takes aim at pollution after years of growth
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

PINGSHAN COUNTY, China (AP) — Huge chunks of concrete and broken machinery are all that is left of a cement plant that once spewed clouds of pollution over China’s most polluted province, Hebei. Demolished in December, the factory was one … read more.

Girl Scouts asked to end partnership with Barbie
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — A few weeks after her foray into the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, Barbie is entangled in controversy again, this time over her ties with the Girl Scouts. Two advocacy groups often critical of corporate advertising tactics … read more.

Insurance discrimination bills ready for floor
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A House and Senate committee both approved a bill that would prevent insurance companies from discriminating against gun owners. The bill flew through the Senate Appropriations committee, but did meet some resistance in the House. Some … read more.

Fla. Capitol security rules stop overnight sit-ins
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — New Capitol security rules approved by Gov. Rick Scott and Senate and House leaders will prevent overnight protests like the monthlong sit-in after George Zimmerman’s acquittal on murder charges. The new rules went into place this … read more.

Fla. sues BP over oil spill environmental damage
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

MIAMI (AP) — Florida has joined a multistate lawsuit stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, seeking to hold British oil company BP accountable for damage to the state’s natural resources. The complaint was filed Wednesday in Panama City … read more.

Police: Man urinated on people near UF campus
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Police are searching for a man who has been urinating on people near the University of Florida campus. The Gainesville Sun reports the victims told police they were standing with their backs turned to the man … read more.

Bill would give nurse practitioners more authority
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

MIAMI (AP) — With a massive shortage of primary care physicians across Florida, state lawmakers are pushing a bill to expand the powers of nurse practitioners, allowing them to prescribe controlled substances like painkillers and work without supervision from a … read more.

Judge: Texas man can be tried in childhood crime
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

CONROE, Texas (AP) — In the years that followed the 1998 attack that horribly burned her then-8-year-old son, Colleen Middleton felt fear and frustration over the possibility that the person she believed was responsible would never be taken to trial. … read more.

2 more Texas clinics close amid new abortion law
Fri Mar 7 2014 01:19AM

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The last abortion clinic in the vast, impoverished Rio Grande Valley closed Thursday, along with the sole remaining clinic in the 400-mile stretch between Houston and the Louisiana border, posing a tall obstacle to women seeking … read more.

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More Local News

Dump truck driver gets probation for overpass crash
Sat Mar 8 2014 08:00AM

SARASOTA COUNTY — The man who crashed a dump truck into the Ponce De Leon overpass last year on Interstate 75 pleaded no contest to one count each of leaving the scene of an accident and operating a vehicle without … Find out how to read more online.

Grocery-store employee charged with grand theft
Sat Mar 8 2014 08:00AM

NORTH PORT — A Winn-Dixie employee was accused Thursday of stealing more than $36,000 from the store over a three-month period, according to the North Port Police Department. Cassandra Michelle Vowell, 24, of the 3000 block of Upland St., North Port, was … Find out how to read more online.

Helping students swim
Fri Mar 7 2014 03:04PM

SARASOTA COUNTY — North Port second-graders will be among many in Sarasota County to take free swim lessons this year, thanks to a donor to the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Last year, Keith Monda and his wife, Linda, of Sarasota, heard about … Find out how to read more online.

Student’s art raises big money
Fri Mar 7 2014 08:00AM

SARASOTA — The painting that raised the most money at the recent Evening of Excellence fundraiser for the Education Foundation of Sarasota County almost didn’t make it there. North Port High School junior Olga Gasanova, 17, had two paintings place … Find out how to read more online.

Group to host informational meeting on Springs cleanup
Fri Mar 7 2014 02:59PM

The Friends of Warm Mineral Springs have scheduled a program Saturday in Venice designed to raise the local consciousness of the future of the North Port day spa. Juliette Jones, a board member of the Friends, said the program’s purpose … Find out how to read more online.

Judges rule against foreclosure backlog
Thu Mar 6 2014 04:56PM

With foreclosure filings finally stabilizing at a manageable level, judicial efforts to reduce the backlog of home defaults in Charlotte County are gaining traction, clearing the way for more settlements and homes going on the market. For the eighth straight … Find out how to read more online.

Police name shooter
Fri Mar 7 2014 02:58PM

NORTH PORT — Five days after a 27-year-old man was killed in a Deming Avenue home, investigators have identified the shooter. North Port police said Thursday they “received information” that Joseph Catalioti, 27, of Venice, shot Christopher Hays just after … Find out how to read more online.

Police ID North Port shooting victim
Thu Mar 6 2014 08:00AM

NORTH PORT — Authorities have released the name of the man shot and killed on Saturday at a North Port home. According to North Port Assistant Police Chief Tony Sirianni, Christopher L. Hays, 27, of Venice, was shot at a … Find out how to read more online.

SCAT to cut some North Port express runs
Sat Mar 8 2014 08:00AM

SARASOTA COUNTY — A new SCAT route through Lakewood Ranch that’s scheduled to begin in July is coming partly at the expense of the two express routes that take riders from North Port to downtown Sarasota without making stops along … Find out how to read more online.

School district replacing buses
Fri Mar 7 2014 08:00AM

SARASOTA COUNTY — On Tuesday, the Sarasota County School Board approved the purchase of 28 new school buses. The buses, which will replace older models, are being changed out as part of the school district’s policy of replacing its aging … Find out how to read more online.

Cheney breaks ground
Thu Mar 6 2014 08:00AM

PUNTA GORDA — With Florida Gov. Rick Scott and local dignitaries looking on, food-distribution giant Cheney Brothers Inc. broke ground Wednesday on a new, state-of-the-art distribution facility that promises to galvanize Charlotte County’s sluggish economy. Close to 200 people attended … Find out how to read more online.

Sarasota to work on new panhandling ordinance
Fri Mar 7 2014 02:50PM

SARASOTA COUNTY — Sarasota County commissioners asked legal staff to work on what could become an entirely new rights-of-way ordinance that could still allow for programs like the “Fill the Boot” drives to return to areas of unincorporated Sarasota County. … Find out how to read more online.

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