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Today's Top Stories

News Alerts:

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Helicopter crew finds missing woman

PUNTA GORDA — Deputies in a helicopter found a Tampa woman who had been missing since Thursday, sheriff’s officials reported late Sunday night. Officers spotted Ellen Anne Quinlan at 9:20 p.m. in a wooded area off Riverside Drive, near Roy and Wilson streets, east of Punta Gorda and south of … Find out how to read more online.

LATEST LOCAL NEWS

Plant lovers find beauty, variety at Hibiscus Festival
Sun May 20 2012 07:30PM

PUNTA GORDA — Most people come to the Hibiscus Festival just to soak in the beauty of the flowers. Once they get to the festival, which was held this weekend … Find out how to read more online.

Bread of Life Mission’s hope in resident’s hands
Sun May 20 2012 07:30PM

PUNTA GORDA — Judy Jones, the founder of the Bread of Life Mission, is once again hoping for a miracle to save her mission from a foreclosure auction. Whether that … Find out how to read more online.

Battle of the brews
Sun May 20 2012 07:30PM

In television, we have the big three networks — ABC, NBC and CBS. As we’ve seen, lots of other programming has diversified what we watch, with specialty channels covering everything … Find out how to read more online.

Academy grads reap rewards of perseverance
Sat May 19 2012 04:40PM

The Academy at Charlotte Technical Center held its graduation Friday afternoon at The Center for Performing Arts & Education in Punta Gorda. … Find out how to read more online.

State, National and World News

Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb dies at age 62
Sun May 20 2012 09:38PM

LONDON (AP) — Robin Gibb, a founding member of the Bee Gees who helped propel the group to international stardom, has died. He was 62. Gibb’s representative Doug Wright announced in a statement that Gibb passed away Sunday “following his … read more.

Egypt prepares to choose a president
Sun May 20 2012 09:36PM

CAIRO — Sixty years after their country came under military dictatorship, Egyptians are for the first time freely electing their president. The voting that begins Wednesday is the greatest prize won by the multitudes who took to the streets to … read more.

Thousands begin Chicago NATO protest
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

CHICAGO (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators upset with the war in Afghanistan, climate change and the erosion of union rights marched through downtown Chicago on Sunday, taking their discontent on a wide range of world issues to leaders assembled for … read more.

Black undercount in 1940 US census
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

BC-US--1940 Census-Undercount, 1st Ld-Writethru,1095 New 1940 US census records show black undercount AP Photo NYR402, NYR403, NYR401, NYR404 %reldate(2012-05-20T17:57:04 (Eds: Rewrites throughout with background, comments, quotes. With AP Photos. A video explainer that shows how to navigate the 1940 Census … read more.

US party leaders refuse to budge on debt positions
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats are refusing to budge when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation’s debt. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, … read more.

Activists accused of NATO summit plots
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors charged two more activists Sunday with crimes tied to the two-day NATO summit, accusing one of saying he wanted to blow up a downtown Chicago bridge and a second with seeking to build pipe bombs. The … read more.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg weds
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A day after the historic Facebook IPO, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his status Saturday to “married.” Zuckerberg wed 27-year-old Priscilla Chan, his girlfriend of nearly a decade, according to a guest authorized to speak … read more.

NATO shifts to help Afghan peace
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

CHICAGO — The NATO alliance that has fought for a decade in Afghanistan is helping that nation shift toward stability and peace, but there will be “hard days ahead,” President Barack Obama said Sunday as alliance leaders insisted the fighting … read more.

Scott looks past ’12 election to ’14 re-election
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

JACKSONVILLE — Republican Gov. Rick Scott is already getting ready for the 2014 election. So are the Democrats who hope to challenge him. The Republican Party of Florida is buying television ads to promote Scott’s policy successes in hopes of … read more.

Report: Mom shot her 4 children 18 times
Sun May 20 2012 09:32PM

PORT ST. JOHN (AP) — A Florida mother who killed her four children fired a revolver against the chest of at least two of them, shooting 18 rounds before turning the gun on herself, according to a medical examiner’s report. … read more.

Ancient skulls found in Florida puzzle experts
Sun May 20 2012 09:28PM

ORLANDO (Orlando Sentinel) — At first, it appeared to be a discovery with sinister implications: Two skulls unearthed by a swimming pool contractor in a Winter Garden, Fla., neighborhood. Now, the human remains are the focus of an archaeological mystery. … read more.

World leaders confront Afghan withdrawal strategy
Sat May 19 2012 09:44PM

KABUL, Afghanistan — It was what President Barack Obama called a “war of necessity,” a conflict thrust upon America by the 9/11 attacks. As NATO’s mission here winds down nearly 11 years later, the insurgents remain undefeated, corruption runs rife … read more.

Tropical storm forms off SC
Sat May 19 2012 09:44PM

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The first tropical storm of the season formed Saturday off the coast of South Carolina with top winds of 45 mph, but it wasn’t threatening land. Forecasters say tropical storm Alberto was centered about 140 miles … read more.

Debate grows over DNA disclosure
Sat May 19 2012 09:44PM

Camilla Grondahl asked genetics researcher Gholson Lyon a simple, heartbreaking question: Was she carrying a lethal gene that might kill her unborn baby? Grondahl, 29, didn’t want to terminate her pregnancy, which began in 2010. She just wanted to know … read more.

Woman gets 20 years for firing warning shot
Sat May 19 2012 09:44PM

TAMPA, Fla. — Marissa Alexander had never been arrested before she fired a bullet at a wall one day in 2010 to scare off her husband when she felt he was threatening her. Nobody got hurt, but this month a … read more.

SpaceX rocket launch aborted in last half-second
Sat May 19 2012 09:42PM

CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) — A new private supply ship for the International Space Station remained stuck on the ground Saturday after rocket engine trouble led to a last-second abort of the historic flight. All nine engines for the SpaceX Falcon … read more.

Skeletons in Sen. Rubio’s closet?
Sat May 19 2012 09:42PM

MIAMI — For freshman Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising GOP figure seen as a possible Mitt Romney running mate, there are questions about whether potential vulnerabilities in his personal and political background might hold him back. The 40-year-old Florida lawmaker … read more.

UK surveillance program could bare private lives
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

LONDON — British officials have given their word: “We won’t read your emails.” But experts say the government’s proposed new surveillance program will gather so much data that spooks won’t have to read your messages to guess what you’re up … read more.

Fla. to scrutinize 182,000 voters
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

TALLAHASSEE — Florida officials, responding to skeptical comments this week from county election supervisors, said they are now going to double-check whether 182,000 registered voters are U.S. citizens. State officials announced late Thursday that the Florida agency that handles driver’s … read more.

Stocks fall on Europe worries
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s going to take more than Facebook’s initial public offering to push the stock market higher. Facebook shares rose 23 cents above their $38 offering price. It seemed like everything else fell. The Dow Jones industrial … read more.

CDC to baby boomers: Test for hepatitis C
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

ATLANTA — For the first time, the government is proposing that all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C. Anyone born from 1945 to 1965 should get a one-time blood test to see if they have the liver-destroying virus, the … read more.

Facebook’s big day
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

NEW YORK — Facebook updated its status to “public company” on Friday. After an anxiety-filled half-hour delay, its stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time as investors were finally able to put a dollar value … read more.

200-year-old shipwreck found in Gulf
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

NEW ORLEANS — An oil company exploration crew’s chance discovery of a 200-year-old shipwreck in a little-charted stretch of the Gulf of Mexico is yielding a trove of new information to scientists who say it’s one of the most well-preserved … read more.

Fla. mom who killed self, 4 kids endured violence
Fri May 18 2012 10:00PM

MIAMI (AP) — A child welfare investigator who spoke with Tonya Thomas in the weeks before she fatally shot herself and her four children said there were no signs that the children were in distress or felt unsafe. But hundreds … read more.

Self-defense evidence mixed for Zimmerman
Fri May 18 2012 10:00PM

ORLANDO (AP) — When George Zimmerman tries to convince a judge or jury that he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense, the evidence he’ll be able to call on appears to be a mixed bag. More than 200 pages of photos … read more.

Rocket, weather look good on eve of new space era
Fri May 18 2012 10:00PM

CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) — NASA hasn’t seen this much prelaunch jitters since the space shuttle program ended last summer. On Saturday, a private company is set to make history by launching a supply ship to the International Space Station. The … read more.

Greece, Spain issues test eurozone
Fri May 18 2012 09:58PM

MADRID (AP) — Chaos in Greek politics and Spanish banking combined this week to underscore just how fragile Europe’s economy remains after an eviscerating austerity regime that has spawned unemployment, desperation and misery. And there is no respite in sight, … read more.

Facebook stock up slightly in public debut
Fri May 18 2012 04:26PM

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook updated its status to “public company” on Friday. After an anxiety-filled half-hour delay, its stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time as investors were finally able to put a dollar … read more.

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More Local News

Academy grads reap rewards of perseverance
Sun May 20 2012 08:01AM

The Academy at Charlotte Technical Center held its graduation Friday afternoon at The Center for Performing Arts & Education in Punta Gorda. … Find out how to read more online.

Ordinance changes anger residents
Sun May 20 2012 08:01AM

After publicly and repeatedly expressing their disdain for Municipal Service Benefit Units, Charlotte County commissioners are under fire for unanimously approving sweeping changes to an ordinance that expands the use of the taxing arms’ authority to assess property owners for … Find out how to read more online.

30-year staffer sees airport progress
Sun May 20 2012 09:10AM

PUNTA GORDA — When Gary Queior, 63, started working as a lineman at what was then the Charlotte County Airport in 1982, its only commercial airline used a twin-engine Cessna, and airport grounds workers were based in a rusty steel … Find out how to read more online.

Volunteers replace worn flags on veterans’ graves
Sun May 20 2012 08:01AM

ENGLEWOOD — Members of the Rotonda West VFW Ladies Auxiliary invited volunteers to spend some time replacing worn flags on veterans’ graves at the Lemon Bay Historical Cemetery Saturday, in celebration of Armed Forces Day. About a dozen members of … Find out how to read more online.

With a flower in her hair ...
Sun May 20 2012 08:01AM

The seventh annual Hibiscus Festival started out with the return of the Lil’ Miss Hibiscus Pageant, held Saturday morning in Laishley Park in Punta Gorda. Crowned Precious Miss for the ages 4-7 division was 6-year-old Ameri Smith; the ages 8-11 … Find out how to read more online.

Charlotte Harbor holds 2012 commencement
Sun May 20 2012 08:01AM

Eight of nine graduates were present at the Charlotte Harbor School’s 2012 commencement exercises Friday morning in the school’s gymnasium. … Find out how to read more online.

Lawmakers aim to stop Crossroads closure
Sat May 19 2012 08:00AM

Residents are gathering forces to petition Gov. Rick Scott to reverse a decision by the Department of Juvenile Justice to close the AMIKids Crossroads Wilderness Institute, a residential rehabilitation center for troubled teenage boys. However their efforts may be for … Find out how to read more online.

Officials fight Crossroads closure
Sat May 19 2012 08:00AM

PUNTA GORDA — Residents are gathering forces to petition Gov. Rick Scott to reverse a decision by the Department of Juvenile Justice to close the AMIKids Crossroads Wilderness Institute, a residential rehabilitation center for troubled teenage boys. However their efforts … Find out how to read more online.

Predators lurk among us
Sun May 20 2012 07:30PM

When Darrion Rashard Hart emailed the man he thought was the father of a 12-year-old boy he wanted to have sex with, little did the 24-year-old know he was actually writing to a female North Port police detective. Hart, who … Find out how to read more online.

United Way celebrates partnerships
Sun May 20 2012 08:01AM

PUNTA GORDA — It’s been a year of changes for the United Way of Charlotte County. The agency opened a new Senior Resource Center at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County in March. It welcomed a new CEO, Carrie Blackwell … Find out how to read more online.

Jobless numbers improve
Sat May 19 2012 08:00AM

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity released its April unemployment numbers Friday, showing the jobless rate dipped once again across the state and Southwest Florida, and prompting officials to say the economy is gaining momentum steadily. But economists and local … Find out how to read more online.

Experts ‘tweet’ storm warnings
Sun May 20 2012 08:01AM

PUNTA GORDA — Over the past 25 years that he’s served as Charlotte County’s Emergency Management director, Wayne Sallade, 57, has worked with newspapers, lectured to elementary school kids, and networked with radio and TV stations to warn residents to … Find out how to read more online.

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