Hillsborough County, FL

Florida State

School board races have been getting a lot attention lately from state political parties and Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is endorsing Republicans. These primaries are non-partisan, so all registered voters can cast a ballot. But political journalist William March says partisanship has made them a lot more heated. "That has...

Tampa-area school board primaries reflect the culture wars going on nationwide

Polk County, FL

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Fort Meade, FL

Uncovering Florida

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest after conducting an investigation into a case of credit card fraud involving 28-year-old Burger King employee, Kellyn Miley. The incident was discussed in detail during this morning's briefing with Sheriff Grady Judd.

Burger King Employee Caught Using Customer's Credit Card for Food at Former Job

Miami-dade County, FL

Naomi Simmons, an Air Force veteran, said she’s “still having nightmares” following an encounter with Miami-Dade Police officers who came to her home in search of a suspect who was already in custody. daughter. She said a loud banging left her feeling alarmed. “Heard a loud bam...

Veteran says Miami-Dade Police came to her home in search of a man already incarcerated

A day after a Marion County circuit judge rejected their arguments, attorneys for Death Row inmate Loran Cole on Friday appealed to the Florida Supreme Court as they try to prevent his scheduled Aug. 29 execution. A notice of appeal, as is common, did not detail arguments that Cole’s attorneys...

Condemned killer appeals to Florida Supreme Court

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A former Jacksonville police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Josue Garriga III, 34, faces a mandatory penalty of 10 years to life in federal prison and must register as a sex offender. A sentencing date has not been set.

Former cop pleads guilty to enticing 17-year-old girl

Lakewood Ranch, FL

New York Post

A Florida ballerina is on trial for murder after prosecutors say she brutally executed her wealthy GOP donor husband because she wanted to be a single mom to their young daughter. 

Ashley Benefield, 32, admits she killed 59-year-old Douglas Benefield in the middle of a contentious custody battle in September 2020 — but she contends that she feared for her life following years of abuse.  

“She was in fear for her life when she was forced to shoot him,” Benefield’s attorney Neil Taylor told the jurors during opening statements Tuesday. 



Prosecutors say Doug was shot while facing away from his...

Prosecutors say ballerina executed wealthy GOP donor husband because she wanted to be a single mom — she says it was self-defense

More than three years after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a law to place restrictions on social-media platforms, Florida says a First Amendment fight about the law should go back to a federal district judge for a closer look. Attorneys for the state, in a document filed...

Florida says a tech law needs a closer look

Lake County, FL

Groveland, FL

A White woman who falsely accused four Black men of rape in the Jim Crow-era South in 1949 has died at the age of 92.

White woman who wrongfully accused ‘Groveland Four’ of rape in Jim Crow-era South dies at 92

Republican Donald Trump has a 7-point lead over Democrat Kamala Harris among Florida voters, 49% to 42%, according to a new poll from the University of North Florida. Four percent are backing another candidate, and 6% are undecided or didn’t answer.

New Florida poll: Trump leads; support strong for abortion and recreational weed

Wyoming State

WyoFile

The Wyoming Democratic Party is calling on U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman to apologize for calling Vice President Kamala Harris a diversity, equity and inclusion hire. “It took only three days for Harriet Hageman to disgrace herself on national television by launching a reprehensible and racist attack on Vice President Kamala Harris,” the WDP wrote in a statement .

Wyoming Dems demand Hageman apologize for calling Harris a ‘DEI hire’

A Virginia man is demanding a political action committee stop using his photograph to promote a Wyoming legislative candidate of the same name — or face legal action. Make Liberty Win, a Virginia-based PAC , has been sending text messages and mailers to Wyoming voters, and knocking on doors in support of various legislative candidates, but has failed to provide accurate information. Many of the candidates the PAC is supporting are either members of, or ideologically aligned with, the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

Cease and desist: Virginia man threatens legal action after group uses his photo to portray Wyoming candidate

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Georgia State

The Current GA

The nonprofit government watchdog group that sued to overturn votes taken at a Georgia State Election Board meeting earlier this month, held despite warnings from the Georgia Attorney General, says it will continue to monitor the board’s actions after the panel rescinded its earlier vote during a virtual meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Georgia election board walks back rules approved at meeting flagged by state AG

A federal judge has denied the state’s end-around attempt to gain back time lost during the Biden administration’s unsuccessful bid to block the governor’s limited Medicaid expansion program.

Federal judge rejects Georgia’s request to extend length of time for state’s limited Medicaid plan

South Carolina State

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Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Denver, CO

No, pallet shelters for people experiencing homelessness don’t fold into caskets. It’s a question a reader posed one of the first times I wrote about pallet shelters. I find the pallet shelters to be more palatable than ice fishing tents. The Colorado Village Collaborative operates both micro-communities and the so-called Safe Outdoor Spaces with the tents. We all learned the tents are not safe when a fire roared through a CVC Safe Outdoor Space, destroying the compound quickly. Officials never disclosed a cause of the fire.

Opinion: No, pallet shelters for homeless in Denver, Aurora don’t fold into caskets

PASS-A-GRILLE, Fla. – A nourishment project on Pass-a-Grille Beach is on pause after Hurricane Debby, leaving the south end of the beach closed. The summer season is almost over so business owners in the area hope the project will resume soon. The project — which includes taking the sand...

Part of Pass-a-Grille Beach closed, nourishment project paused after Hurricane Debby

Santa Rosa County, FL

About two weeks after Sandra Maddox qualified to run for county commission in Santa Rosa County, a campaign sign for the frontrunner in her own race — incumbent and fellow Republican James Calkins — oddly popped up in her own yard. “The sign was right in front of...

Analysis: Two million Florida voters are being disenfranchised by write-in and ghost candidates

Kentucky State

Northern Kentucky Tribune

The Kentucky Secretary of State on Friday announced 14,502 Kentuckians registered to vote in July. “Kentuckians are signing up to vote in big numbers, because they trust the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary of State Michael Adams.

Kentucky voter registrations increased by more than 14,500 in July, the most since 2022

NewsBreak

Will teacher pay be on the ballot? Battle over Hillsborough school tax referendum is not over yet

The legal battle between Hillsborough county leaders and the school board over a tax referendum continues. Commissioners on Tuesday voted to move the tax referendum forward,...

Will teacher pay be on the ballot? Battle over Hillsborough school tax referendum is not over yet

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