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Today's Top Stories

News Alerts:

Friday, May 24, 2013

Phys ed on the ropes

Physical education classes will be eliminated from Charlotte County Public Schools at the elementary level for the 2013-14 school year, according to district officials. All five physical education teaching positions that were serving the district’s 10 elementary schools are part of the “unit loss pool” for next school year, according … Find out how to read more online.

LATEST LOCAL NEWS

Sewer project to go back before commission
Fri May 24 2013 01:15AM

A resolution establishing a wastewater taxing unit in the East West Spring Lake area will go before the Charlotte County Commission for a vote again on Tuesday. The resolution, which … Find out how to read more online.

To PE or not to PE?
Fri May 24 2013 01:15AM

Heather Graham says it seems her son, Hunter, has been receiving fewer and fewer physical education classes over the last few years as an elementary school student in Charlotte County. … Find out how to read more online.

Team Punta Gorda launches marketing campaign
Fri May 24 2013 01:15AM

PUNTA GORDA — Team Punta Gorda has enlisted the aid of Fishermen’s Village to launch a marketing campaign aimed at promoting Punta Gorda as a tourist and boating destination through … Find out how to read more online.

Budget cuts threaten respite care facility
Fri May 24 2013 01:15AM

PORT CHARLOTTE — Sharon Hartzell knows what it’s like to care for a severely disabled person. Her son, John, was born with cerebral palsy, and she has had to do … Find out how to read more online.

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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More Local News

New orchestra maestro reaching for baton
Fri May 24 2013 01:15AM

When Raffaele Ponti says he’s excited about the upcoming season of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, his eyes flash and he can hardly contain himself. “I’m very excited,” he said in an interview Thursday. “It will be very different. There will … Find out how to read more online.

Man finds, turns in narcotics
Thu May 23 2013 01:38PM

PORT CHARLOTTE — A Port Charlotte man called the Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning when he found an unlocked safe containing what he suspected to be drugs in front of his house. Rodney Hobbs of the 23000 block of Midway … Find out how to read more online.

Convicted stalker gets prison time
Fri May 24 2013 01:15AM

PUNTA GORDA — A man convicted three years ago of stalking of a Charlotte High School student in 2009 was sentenced to 18 months in prison Thursday after he violated his community control/probation for the second time. Ronald Paul Baker, … Find out how to read more online.

Small Punta Gorda firm realizes big vision
Thu May 23 2013 08:04AM

Matt Crumbaugh, 35, sat in the small office of his five-person firm, tucked indistinctly off Tamiami Trail in downtown Punta Gorda, and said, “My father had this vision. It was his dream.” His father is James Allison Crumbaugh, retired now … Find out how to read more online.

What a sunny day!
Fri May 24 2013 01:15AM

Residents and visitors spent Wednesday enjoying themselves and finding ways to beat the heat around Charlotte County, from playing miniature golf to cooling off in the fountain at Laishley Park. … Find out how to read more online.

Invalid driver’s license results in drug arrest
Wed May 22 2013 03:32PM

PORT CHARLOTTE — A Port Charlotte man who was found to be driving with an invalid driver’s license was arrested Tuesday for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. A deputy noticed that Ian Christopher Wichmann, 37, of the … Find out how to read more online.

Police remember their fallen
Thu May 23 2013 08:04AM

CHARLOTTE COUNTY — “I never miss one of these ceremonies,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said. “It gives us time to stop and reflect.” Prummell was referring to the 16th annual Fallen Officer Memorial ceremony held Tuesday at the Fraternal … Find out how to read more online.

Tranquility
Fri May 24 2013 01:15AM

Find out how to read more online.

School district pleased with legislative session
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

Charlotte County Public Schools will benefit from a slew of laws passed during Florida’s legislative session, which ended this month, according to district legislative liaison Vern Pickup-Crawford. “I think we’ve had a better year than I’ve seen in a quite … Find out how to read more online.

Report: Employee showed up to school drunk
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

PUNTA GORDA — A school employee was charged with DUI Tuesday after she allegedly showed up to work so intoxicated she could barely get out of her car, according to the Punta Gorda Police Department. Noreen Patricia Freeman, 57, 1300 … Find out how to read more online.

Home sales climb again
Thu May 23 2013 12:03PM

Home sales in Southwest Florida are making a comeback. Across Charlotte and Sarasota counties, the number of closed condo and single-family home sales surged in April with year-over-year median home prices jumping by as much as 24 percent, according to … Find out how to read more online.

Arcadia’s marshal quits
Wed May 22 2013 08:03AM

ARCADIA — Marshal Charles J. Lee turned in his resignation suddenly on Monday, saying only his resignation was “effective immediately.” His resignation was so sudden, in fact, that some of his closest colleagues and friends said they had no idea … Find out how to read more online.

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