Free Republic

Jill Kelley, the Florida housewife whose complaint over threatening emails revealed David Petraeus´ affair, has visited the White House three times in the past three months, it has emerged. In by far the most astonishing example of her determination to reach the top, the shrewd socialite and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, were invited to two ´courtesy´ meals in the Executive Mansion mess hall as a guest of a White House aide, an Obama administration official has revealed. She met the mid-level aide through her work with MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, where she also rubbed shoulders with the

Woman, 54, severely injured after being mauled by caged BEAR she was trying to pet at wildlife center. Here is the link. But what can you say? Who in any state of mind sticks their arm in a cage with a 400 pound bear? This would be like going to your local zoo and attempting to pet a panther or cougar through the 4x4 inch cage gaps.

Newspapers across the country are afraid to run this comic strip penned by outspoken conservative cartoonist Jim Davis. But we here at the Spring Hill Courier aren’t afraid of controversy. Je suis Charlie!

Florida Girl, 5, Was Alive Before Being Thrown From Bridge: Police Dad Allegedly Throws 5-Year-Old Daughter Off a Bridge NBC NEWS CHANNEL The Florida toddler found dead after she was tossed from a St. Petersburg bridge was still alive before the fatal 60-foot plunge, police said Friday based on preliminary evidence. At a news conference following Thursday's horrific act, investigators didn't immediately know whether 5-year-old Phoebe Jonchuck was initially alive, and were awaiting the results of a medical examiner's report. A police officer who witnessed the crime — allegedly committed by her father, John Jonchuck Jr. — said he may...

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba has allowed construction of the country's first new Catholic church in 55 years, the church said Monday. Experts said it's a sign of improving relations between the Vatican and Cuba's communist government. The church, funded by donations from Catholics in Tampa, Florida, will be built in Sandino, a citrus and coffee-growing town in the far-western province of Pinar del Rio. The church publication "Christian Life" said it will have space for 200 people.

A man calls in to a radio show, claiming his future son-in-law was seated next to the vomiting man on the airliner that was recently in the news. Audio only, 5 minutes, 45 seconds.

In the next decade, Florida’s biggest cities will add toll lanes to the state’s busiest highways. Nobody knows exactly how much it will cost. Maybe as little as $3 billion. Maybe double that. What’s clear is that when the toll lanes across the state are complete, they will become one of the largest infrastructure projects in state history. There’s little debate that the toll lanes, also called express lanes or managed lanes, make commutes quicker for those willing to pay as much as $10 to use them. But there has been little debate about the need for the projects —...

Richard McTear showed no emotion as the jury in his trial found him guilty on all counts, including first degree murder. Prosecutors say McTear threw his ex-girlfriend's 4-month-old boy out of a car while driving down I-275 in 2009. The jury also found him guilty of aggravated child abuse, kidnapping, assault and battery, and burglary. No date has been set for his sentencing. McTear is eligible for the death penalty.

Location of Till Dawn Bottle Club at 8205 Dale Mabry Highway In this unusual case in Tampa, Florida, little is reported about possible motivations; but we can make informed speculations.  The facts are this.   A patron of the Till Dawn Bottle Club was thrown out of the club at about 3:30 a.m. He drove off in a Dodge Challenger, and subsequently rear ended a GMC Yukon that was being driven by a visitor from Pennsylvannia, Alexander Sierra, 27.  Alexander was accompanied by his brother and girl friend. They followed the Challenger until its driver lost control and hit a...

The family of Tariq Abu Khdeir, the 15-year-old Tampa boy whose brutal beating at the hands of Israeli police has made global headlines, was relieved to learn Sunday that he was released from jail. Tariq was sentenced to nine days of home detention while police investigate his involvement in violent protests that started after his cousin, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, was abducted and burned alive last week in Jerusalem. Tariq’s aunt, Sanah Abu Khdeir, of Tampa, said Sunday she hopes that the boy and his parents will be home by July 16. Tariq is an American citizen of Palestinian descent....

On first glance, this may look like the kind of vertical ride you find at your average amusement park. But it's not - it is a whopping 335ft tall. Busch Gardens' new giant Falcon's Fury ride, the tallest freestanding drop tower in north America, is open to the public at the theme park in Tampa, Florida. When riders get to the top - as many as 32 at one time - their seats are tilted forward 90 degrees so that they're directly facing the ground when released.

Steven Wilkerson spends long hours working alone at three restaurants in a Hess gas station in Tampa – a Dunkin’ Donuts, a Quiznos and a Godfathers Pizza – all for just $8.50 (U.S.) per hour. Three years ago he made just $7.50. The 28-year-old former U.S. Marine tried to find a role in communications, and later security, after his tour of duty in Iraq. He went to more than 30 interviews, but was told repeatedly that he didn’t have enough experience for jobs he wanted. “You know, everybody tells you when you’re in the military you’ll get any job you...

A Florida Islamic group is accusing some Republican Party lawmakers and local party organizations of fostering anti-Muslim sentiment. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, sent letters to almost every Republican Club or party extension in the state, asking the groups to stop bringing speakers who espouse anti-Islamic views. The letter said it represented the interests of more than 150,000 registered Florida Muslim voters. Hassan Shibly, executive director for CAIR, based in Tampa, said such speakers not only inflame anti-Islam tensions but have also led to discriminatory legislation: namely Senate Bill 386, which would ban foreign laws from being enacted...

As of Sunday, more than 122,000 votes had been cast in the special election for Congressional District 13 in Pinellas County. The Republican advantage in votes cast to date has grown to more 4,623 votes. Presumably, a lot of ballots come in today and tomorrow. We had been arguing that the Republican lead in mail-in votes cast was below where Republican nominee David Jolly needed it to be, but there's no question after the past five days he heads into election day with the momentum and with some wind at his back (Just as Obama had in 2012 when early...

This happened to me on SR 41 in Tampa on Monday March 24th. This pathetic excuse for a human being tailgated me for about three minutes. After about a minute, and me shaking my head, I pulled out my phone and started recording. I couldn't move over because there were trucks in the right lane, and I sure as heck wasn't going to speed on a rainy day with the roads being as slick as they were. I was turning left in about a half-mile when this happened. Now bear in mind, that this guy had already passed a truck...

Bucs' wide receiver Vincent Jackson is a well-known supporter of deployed troops and military families, particularly through his "Jackson in Action 83" Foundation. He extended that charitable reach even further on Monday night by inviting 400 military members and their families to the Tampa Bay Lightning game on his dime. Jackson, who was acting as the Bolts' "Social Captain" of the evening, purchased 400 tickets and donated them all to military members for the second year in a row. Supporting the troops is a mission dear to Jackson's heart as both of his parents served in the Armed Forces.

Sami Osmakac toyed with the idea of blowing up Tampa Bay bridges or the sheriff’s office. The defense is arguing that Sami suffers from mental illness. The Tampa Tribune reportedL Sami Osmakac toyed with the idea of blowing up the bridges crossing Tampa Bay or detonating bombs at the sheriff’s office and police departments before settling on a plan to plant explosives in Tampa’s Hyde Park party district and then spraying first responders with automatic gunfire, according to recently released court documents. The planned January 2012 attack, Osmakac said in a “martyrdom video,” would be “payback for Sheikh Osama Bin...

Authorities say a Florida woman who was 9 months pregnant and her family became ill after eating meat tainted with LSD. […] Police say the bottom round steak was purchased from a Wal-Mart in Tampa. The store has turned over all its meat to police for testing. …

The Tampa Bay area seems to be a fertile breeding ground for an exotic lizard that wildlife officials want to keep from becoming the state's next invasive species problem. More than 100 black-and-white tegu lizards have been spotted in Hillsborough County, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The area is now considered home to one of three tegu breeding populations in the state. Wildlife officials have spotted more than 100 of them between Riverview and Gibsonton. The animals, which are native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, do not belong in the habitat in southwest Florida, and...

Do you ever wonder at people's amazing propensity to do totally stupid things when they have had a few too many drinks? This video is a case in point. Released by the Tampa Police Department on Friday on its YouTube channel, the 911 call was made from a Village Inn in Tampa. The emergency: uncooked waffles. The part about the half being just as uncooked as the uncooked one is priceless!