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Florida police are seeking a warrant to search the house of golfer Tiger Woods and may plan to lay charges of domestic abuse against his wife, Elin Nordegren, according to a report on TMZ.com. Woods and Nordegren have been at the centre of a global media maelstrom since it was revealed that he had been injured in a one-car accident on his Orlando property Friday. Early reports portrayed Nordegren as a hero who freed the injured Woods from his SUV by using a golf club to smash out the windows. Since that first report, a number of problems have emerged...

So, what could police be investigating? Domestic Violence: The sometimes-reliable -- and sometimes very unreliable -- TMZ reported that Woods told a friend Nordegren caused the injuries to his face. Police told CNN this weekend neither party mentioned an argument and that they did not believe it was a "domestic issue." But, considering the possibility that Woods' injuries were caused by his wife is all over the news, police are probably now at least looking into it. If both Woods and Nordegren continue to decline to talk, police and prosecutors would only have whatever evidence they can pull together, such...

Even as Florida struggled with massive budget shortfalls, lawmakers and top state employees have received health-insurance perks costing taxpayers $45 million a year. Top Florida lawmakers are balking at Congress' plans to help more poor people get healthcare, though they've protected an entitlement of their own: free insurance premiums. Taxpayers have been stuck with covering the premiums -- at a cost of about $45 million a year -- even while lawmakers pledged to scrimp as they grappled with three straight years of budget shortfalls. Florida doesn't limit the subsidies to statewide officeholders like Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer...

"Tourist Arrested In Disney Bomb Threat German Man Claimed He Was Joking, Deputies Say" ORLANDO, Fla. - SNIPPET: "According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Naumann was going through a security checkpoint at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom at about 10:22 a.m. and told a worker that he had two bombs in his backpack. The Disney cast member questioned Naumann, of Leipzig, Germany, and he again stated that there were two bombs in his backpack, deputies said."

Medical identity theft is on the rise and expected to worsen. The problem has grown during the recession as more uninsured people use the coverage of a friend, relative or even a stranger to get care. Of particular concern is the fact that most of the fraud is committed by people who pay medical workers for patients' information. In one case, a front-desk clerk at a medical clinic in Weston, Fla., downloaded the personal information of more than 1,100 Medicare patients and gave it to a cousin, who made $2.8 million in false Medicare claims.

End of an era: Aircraft depart Brunswick Naval Air Station as Maine base readies for closing. The two last planes at Maine's Brunswick Naval Air Station lifted off Saturday in blustery winds, ending nearly 60 years of maritime patrol operations at New England's last active-duty military air base. The P-3 Orions of the VP-26 squadron lumbered down an 8,000-foot runway before heading off to a six-month deployment in Central America. After that, they fly to their new home at Florida's Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The planes took off without any speeches or fanfare ... Brunswick, once home to 4,000 sailors...

Like many home owners, hotels are starting to drown in debt. They have been enticing travelers all year with sweet deals: credits for in-house spas and restaurants, up to 50 percent off five-star rooms, even free nights. But all that discounting hasn't stopped occupancy from dropping an average of 10 percent. The result? Hotel loans have begun falling into delinquency faster than any other kind of commercial real estate debt. The rising defaults paint a grim picture... The oversupply means room rates should stay low for at least another year, good news for consumers but not so great for hotel...

<p>WINDERMERE, Fla. -- Golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured when he hit a fire hydrant and then a tree outside of his Isleworth home early on Friday morning, officials said.</p> <p>The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods was seriously injured and taken to Health Central Hospital. The Orange County Fire Department confirmed that a patient was taken to Health Central, but would not confirm that the patient was Woods.</p>

AP story. Link only.

Killer Hunted After Thanksgiving Party Rampage Cops: Man with ‘ongoing resentment’ toward family kills 4 female relatives Makayla Sitton, 6, was shot dead in her bed on Thursday, police said. JUPITER, Fla. - Three women and a child in bed were shot to death during a family Thanksgiving gathering in South Florida and a male relative was being sought Friday. Police said 17 relatives were in the house when the shootings were reported around 10 p.m. Thursday in Jupiter, a small coastal town about 90 miles north of Miami. Jupiter Police Sgt. Scott Pascarella said officers were looking for Paul...

Cuban nationals land at Florida nuclear plant: NRC Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:38am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A group of Cuban nationals who fled their country by boat landed in the cooling canal of a nuclear power plant along Florida's coast on Thanksgiving Day, according to a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission event report issued Friday. The plant's operations were not disrupted by the incident, according to the report. The Turkey Point nuclear power plant control room received a call from an individual stating that he was a member of a group of 33 Cuban nationals that had landed in...

With a rapidly changing political atmosphere, the 36 Senate seats up for election in 2010 are drawing a big field of office seekers. But before Republicans can try their luck after eight years of Democratic gains, both parties have to settle their own internal struggles. A look at three key primaries: Florida Republican primary Aug. 24, 2010 The combatants Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio is a conservative darling and the face of a possible new generation of Republicans. He's 38, the son of Cuban immigrants and a strong retail politician. His campaign to take the seat formerly held by...

<p>"The Palin that I know is a man who loves his children," said Mariah Martir, who cannot understand why he walked out of his home with a gun after a hostage standoff, only to be killed by a sharpshooter.</p> <p>"He was strong in his faith, he loved his family and he loved his wife," she said, while acknowledging that Perez Jackson was in a troubled relationship.</p>

A retired Minneapolis police sergeant leaped onto a burning boat in a Florida harbor north of Fort Myers, picked up and moved one badly injured woman, and then another, onto other boats, then got off the distressed vessel seconds before it was rocked by the second of two explosions. Just as Harry Baltzer finished moving the two women from the blazing boat last Friday in an Englewood, Fla., gated community, he could sense that time was running short. "I put one foot on one bow, and I had my other foot on the other bow," said Baltzer, who turns 68...

CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Fla., Nov. 25, 2009 – In the midst of a nondescript Middle Eastern-style village, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team soldiers interact with the local inhabitants the same as they have done day in and day out on routine patrols. A soldier from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, secures an insurgent after finding a bomb in a vehicle during an exercise at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., Nov. 17, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Paul O'Leary  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Today, however, something feels different. You can describe all...

3 Trees Said to Prove Warming! --snip-- That's another thing, folks. People said, "I don't get why you believe in God, Rush. Your belief in God, how does that tell you that global warming is a hoax?" Well, belief in God is a very personal thing, but I happen to believe in a loving God of creation -- and I just intellectually cannot accept the fact that a loving God which has created all this beauty and has blessed this country -- I cannot believe that a God like that -- would punish the human being he created for progress,...

Why is Sarah Palin’s “Going Rogue” book tour stopping at The Villages, a Florida retirement center, on Nov. 24? Here’s a thought – maybe it’s because The Villages is mentioned in the book. On page 265, Ms. Palin describes the place at some length as she writes about stopping there for a rally. She is particularly taken by the fact that the main mode of transportation in this retiree-heavy community is the golf cart, decorated and jacked up to fit the owner’s personality. “My family and I had never seen anything like this and thought it was the Florida version...

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fl.) is now urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to propose a revision to the Senate's cloture rules so that only 55 votes, instead of 60, would be required to end floor debate. His effort -- spearheaded with the help of an online campaign at StopSenateStalling.com -- takes special aim at the healthcare debate, which Grayson said has fallen victim to countless overused and unfair filibuster threats over the past few months. "Why should launching wars and cutting taxes for the rich require only 50 votes while saving lives requires 60?" asked Grayson, who listed a...

ORLANDO -- Sarah Palin is making a pair of stops in Central Florida today as part of her nationwide book tour for her newly released autobiography, “Going Rogue: An American Life.” The former Alaska governor is scheduled to make stops in The Villages and Orlando Tuesday afternoon, but fans eager to meet her started lining up 12 hours early Tuesday morning.

Against a backdrop of recent shootings of innocent bystanders, including a 13-year-old boy from Queens and a 15-year-old girl from the Bronx, city officials and activists each did their part on Monday in their fight against gun violence, albeit in different ways and at different venues. At City Hall, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other city officials announced the takedown of an illegal gun sales operation in Brooklyn, while the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network gathered supporters for a “day of outrage” in cities across the country. Mayor Bloomberg blamed “extremists in the pro-gun movement” for lax gun laws,...

LEE COUNTY: A unique court battle is shaping up in Lee County. A man is facing third degree felony charges for shooting an endangered black bear in his back yard and wants to use the "Stand Your Ground" law as his defense. Kevin Doerr and his attorney were in a Lee County courtroom Monday trying to get all charges against him dropped. Doerr, who lives in San Carlos Park, shot the bear in May and says he was just protecting his family and his property. His attorney, Joe Viacava, says the charges should be dismissed under the unique defense of...

(snip) "It's hard to be more concervative than I am on issues - though there are different ways stylistically to communicate that - I'm pro-life, I'm pro-gun, I'm pro-family, and I''m anti tax. (Critics will note he voted against abortion restrictions as a legislator and used to call himself "pro-choice," that he supported higher cigarette taxes) I don't know what else you're supposed to be, except maybe angry too," Crist said, noting a Daily Kos poll that found Rubio leading among Florida Republicans who doubt President Obama was born in America. (snip)

ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- Two days before former vice-presidential candidate and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is to stop in northeast Florida to promote her new book, "Going Rogue," dozens of people were already in line to get autographs

Showdown is playing out across the country in blogs, on the editorial pages of newspapers, and at countless gun clubs NEW YORK, NY November 23, 2009 —Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a known gun control advocate, and has built a national platform to stem the flow of illegal guns into cities and towns. The group he co-founded in 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, has grown from 15 to 526 mayors. Its success has raised the ire of gun rights groups, most notably the National Rifle Association. The showdown between the NRA and Mayors Against Illegal Guns is playing out across the...

. The Ford 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway SPEED Pre-race show at 11:30 EasternABC Pre-race show at 2:30 Eastern Green Flag 3:30 Please visit the FR Canteen - Dedicated to our troops, veterans, and their families: The FR Canteen God Bless Our Troops

THE VILLAGES - During a massive rally here that capped off a whirlwind three-day book tour, Fox News television host Glenn Beck, fast becoming one of the right's most visible icons, addressed an adoring crowd and lay the seedlings for a burgeoning grassroots conservative movement. Beck's speech, delivered in 45 minutes under gathering clouds in the downtown square of this retirement community, was much-anticipated for its promised reveal of "a plan" the television personality had been heavily promoting on his weekly show, his Web page and in media interviews leading up to Saturday's rally. Laying to rest rumors of a...

Nov. 20--For former Officer Michael Brown, the police credo "to serve and protect" includes two free scoops of strawberry cheesecake ice cream. "We protect you, why can't you hook me up?" Brown told a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop employee April 20 after the store closed for the day, according to internal affair's documents released Friday. Feeling intimidated, the employee gave Brown two scoops of his flavor of choice for which he did not pay. He shared it with his then girlfriend about 10:45 p.m. outside the shop in the 1100 block of East Atlantic Avenue. Police Chief Tony...

Gov. Charlie Crist’s office is “looking into” the possibility of removing embattled attorney Scott Rothstein from the state’s Judicial Nominating Committee. Rothstein has offered to surrender his license to practice law. But, he may remain a member of JNC unless, or until, he’s charged with a felony crime. Gov. Charlie Crist named Rothstein to the JNC in August 2008. “Typically, the governor would only step in when felony charges are filed against a public official,” said Sterling Ivey, Crist’s spokesman. “Whether we will act before that point in this case is not clear yet. Our legal office is looking into...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- An attorney who was a major fundraiser for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist allegedly conducted an investment scam that cost investors millions, a lawsuit alleges. A group of investors said in a suit filed against Scott Rothstein that the co-partner of the Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler law firm took part in a scheme that cost the plaintiffs more than $100 million, The Miami Herald reported Friday.

A crowd that had to be several thousand strong came out to Borders bookstore on South Dale Mabry in Tampa this morning to meet and greet (quickly) conservative icon Glenn Beck. The radio and cable television personality sandwiched Tampa in between two other Florida stops on Saturday. He began the day in Lee County, came (late) to Tampa, arriving at about 12:15 p.m., and then went to the Villages, where he made his much hyped announcement that he had been teasing his listeners and viewers about in recent days. According to Orlando television station WOFL: He also said he plans...

SHALIMAR, Fla. (AP) -- A Panhandle man has fatally shot a black bear known to roam a neighborhood, leaving behind two cubs. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Stan Kirkland says the man who shot the bear told officers he was afraid the animal would charge him in his yard Thursday night. An investigation into the shooting began Friday. The shooter has not been charged. The female bear had two cubs. Kirkland says the cubs are old enough and can live on their own. He says with acorns in the area now for fall, this is the best time...

As Americans we are facing the most challenging era in the history of our country. Perhaps more challenging than the Great Wars and the Great Depression. The ultimate government intrusion into all of our lives and the loss of human freedoms will be the replacement of the American Medical Association (AMA) by the Obama Medical Association (OMA). This was initiated in the 1990's by Hiliary Clinton with the advent of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO's) and the other alphabetical nightmares that followed. More and more physicians are employees of hospitals and other large entities whose bottom lines have nothing to do...

The line looked like a conservative's worst socialized-medicine nightmare, a thousand or more people assigned letters of the alphabet and following commands to snake through multiple turns. But the crowd didn't seem to mind. And when the first glimpse of spiky gray hair emerged through a back entrance by the magazine section, a huge cheer erupted. Conservative media star Glenn Beck spent about 90 minutes signing copies of his latest bestseller, Arguing With Idiots, at the Books-A-Million store in Chasewood Plaza this evening. The stop was part of a two-day, seven-city swing through Florida, the kind of tour political candidates...

The movie Pretty Woman is about the fairy tale life of a prostitute who finds who true love with a wealthy businessman played by Richard Gere. In Palm Beach such a saga appeared to be playing out with the marriage of Michael Dippolito to an escort that he met name Dalia. What happened was Dippolito had ordered an escort named Dailia for an evening. After spending the night together the two began to date seriously and after a brief four month of courtship the couple wed. Now a surprising turn of events has taken place with this so called fairy...

Just called my Senators, Lemieux and Bill Nelson Re: healthcare. Lemieux will vote no and Nelson's office says he has not decided. Keep calling.

After arresting a young black man last night in Sara Sims Park, two white Boynton Beach Police officers faced down an angry crowd threatening violence. Cooney, who authored the incident report, noted here that there were some 100 people in the park and the surrounding area. He wrote: The crowd was also yelling loudly and closing in on officers. Kelley was still screaming obscenities. Kelley was then approximately five feet from officers (Connor) Haugh and (Jeffrey) Williams when he was advised again to leave the area or be placed under arrest. Kelley then stated, 'F

TAMPA -- Men who live as women, women living as men, clergy members, mothers and grandparents packed the Tampa City Council chambers Thursday to debate a new ordinance that would protect transgender people from discrimination. Some argued that it was good for business and simply right to approve the law. Others spoke of religion and contended that the rule would give a stamp of approval to sexual deviants. Donna Kuntz read Bible passages about God abandoning people who do "shameful things," and said sexual predators are probably celebrating. "They can have access to whichever gender of children they choose," she...

TAMPA - Business owners in Florida are about to get hit with a big tax hike: starting January 1st, all Florida businesses will have to pay skyrocketing unemployment compensation taxes to replenish the unemployment compensation trust fund.

<p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p>

Attorneys at Scott Rothstein's firm landed a highly privileged meeting with the executive leadership of the North Broward Hospital District in September 2008, the month after Rothstein was appointed by his friend, Gov. Charlie Crist, to the nominating committee for Florida's 4th District Court of Appeals, according to documents that were part of an internal investigation at the district.

In my interview with Governor Palin yesterday evening, we touched briefly on some current events, including President Obama's trip to Asia and the place of the tea-party movement in the Republican party. Some highlights: 1) I asked Palin about the anti-tax-and-spending tea parties. "I love the tea party movement," she said. "It's beautiful, it's healthy. It's part of that good healthy competition that's needed in a political party." She contrasted the somewhat tumultuous state of the GOP to what's going on in the Democratic party today. "It seems like the Democratic party is filled with more sheep-like individuals, who go...

Supporters of President Obama's Amnesty plans attacked Tea Party Against Amnesty & Illegal Immigration demonstrators in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Sat. November 14, 2009. One of the men attacked is 62 years old. Dave Caulkett of FLIMEN (Floridians for Immigration Enforcement) is assaulted and then kicked in the face while he is down. The other camera man from the Tea Party is hit with several signs. Those attacking the Americans that oppose Amnesty for illegal aliens were organized by ANSWER Florida.

The city council of Tampa, Fla., voted unanimously last week to include "gender identity and expression" as a protected class under the city's human rights ordinance, leading some to fear the council has opened the city's public bathroom doors to sexual predators masquerading as protected transsexuals.

Darwinizing Everything --snip-- The Darwinians, who took over biology in the 19th century, are still busily engaged in mythmaking, comforting the feebleminded who accept their explanations as wisdom, denouncing the heretics who call their bluff. They wear S on their chests: Science, the equivalent of Superman in intellectual circles. They are phonies. Bring out the kryptonite of critical analysis. It scares them to death, even though they never had special powers to begin with...

A big chunk of the money that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger collected last year to finance a political reform ballot measure came from a man now being accused of running a massive Ponzi-style fraud in Florida. When federal investigators raided the offices of Fort Lauderdale, FL, attorney Scott Rothstein, looking for evidence to bolster civil and potentially criminal charges of running a huge Ponzi-style fraud, they found many pictures of Rothstein with prominent politicians. The Wall Street Journal reported that Rothstein appeared to be particularly close to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist but among other political figures in the photos were former...

Dear Mrs. ####### Thank you for contacting me and sharing your thoughts on this issue. Your views are important to me as they play a key role in helping me determine the best direction for our nation and for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District. As you may know, H.R. 3962, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, was recently passed by the House of Representatives by a vote 220-215. I, along with 38 other Democrats, opposed this legislation. While this bill took some positive steps forward, such as increasing coverage and reforming insurance regulations, I felt that it did not do...

(snip) There’s a list of issues being hammered out, but at the top is finding money for South Florida’s cash-strapped Tri-Rail. Republicans are targeting a $2 fee on rental cars as the source and discussing whether to let county commissions approve the charge or require a referendum.“That’s sort of one of the issues we’re dealing with,” Crist said. Florida’s Republican leaders believe they need to settle funding issues for Tri-Rail and a host of insurance and money issues for a proposed Central Florida line known as SunRail before the state has any chance at securing $2.5 billion in federal stimulus...

(snip) Dickinson posted the transcript of that question and answer yesterday at Rolling Stone: Rolling Stone: Just a final question: Had you been in the Senate, would you have voted with the other Republicans for the stimulus package? Crist: Absolutely. (snip)

It was a moment of unintentional comedy earlier this year when newly appointed U.S. Sen. George LeMieux called himself a " Charlie Crist Republican." No doubt LeMieux spoke in earnest about the man who appointed him to the Senate, and who is now running to succeed him in it. But the joke was that nobody knew what he meant. What is a "Charlie Crist Republican" anyway? Honestly, do you know how Charlie Crist would vote on a federal takeover of health care, on a cap-and-trade energy tax, on massive new spending bills, or on another stimulus boondoggle?

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