North Port Sun

SARASOTA COUNTY — The city of North Port will get another vote on the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization board, tasked with planning regional transportation infrastructure. The extra vote is “very significant,” said City Commissioner Rhonda DiFranco, who’s poised to become the board’s second voting member from the city. “It just … Find out how to read more online.

LATEST LOCAL NEWS

Crash claims roadside worker
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:00AM

A Port Charlotte man has been charged with DUI manslaughter after striking and killing a roadside worker Wednesday night on northbound U.S. 41, just north of the Barron Collier Bridge, … Find out how to read more online.

North Port man charged with battering woman
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:00AM

NORTH PORT — A North Port man was charged with battery early Thursday morning after allegedly attacking a 33-year-old woman, according to the North Port Police Department. Robert Parolisi, 43, … Find out how to read more online.

Thunderstorms on tap this weekend
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:00AM

The last few days have been drier than normal around Southwest Florida, but expect things to change heading into the weekend. According to Tyler Fleming, a meteorologist with the National … Find out how to read more online.

Districts back on North Port ballot
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:00AM

NORTH PORT — Before the lines were even drawn, North Port voters will have the opportunity to nix a charter amendment that would require City Commission candidates to reside in … Find out how to read more online.

State, National and World News

Journal Communications, Scripps Co. announce deal
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — Journal Communications Inc. of Milwaukee and E.W. Scripps Co. of Cincinnati have agreed to combine their broadcasting operations while spinning off newspaper holdings into a separate public entity. The deal announced late Wednesday is the latest … read more.

US warns against traveling to Ebola-hit countries
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Thursday warned Americans not to travel to the three West African countries hit by an outbreak of Ebola. The travel advisory applies to nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where … read more.

Sheriff: Baby left in van outside doctor’s office
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A doctor and nurses went to the aid of a 2-month-old baby girl after a Florida mom left the infant in a hot minivan outside a pediatrician’s office for about an hour, authorities say. The woman, … read more.

Price tag for new Tampa area expressway is $454M
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida Department of Transportation officials say a new expressway linking two major roads in the Tampa Bay area will cost about $454 million — about $116 million more than first announced. Most of the extra … read more.

Judge denies golfer’s ‘stand your ground’ claim
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A central Florida judge has denied a “stand your ground” claim by a golfer who is accused of beating a man who claimed a golf ball had hit his pickup truck. Circuit Judge R. Michael … read more.

2 Pinellas chickens test positive for encephalitis
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

SEMINOLE, Fla. (AP) — Health officials are asking residents to use mosquito repellent and to eliminate standing water around their homes after two sentinel chickens tested positive for St. Louis encephalitis. The Pinellas County Mosquito Control issued an advisory Thursday. … read more.

Libya Islamic militias declare control of Benghazi
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Islamic hard-line militias, including the group accused by the United States in a 2012 attack that killed the ambassador and three other Americans, claimed control of Libya’s second largest city, Benghazi, after overrunning army barracks and … read more.

Investigators reach Ukraine jet wreckage site
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

ROZSYPNE, Ukraine (AP) — Two weeks after a missile brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, an international team of investigators Thursday reached a wreckage site in eastern Ukraine that remains bitterly contested between government forces and pro-Russia separatist rebels. For … read more.

Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds 2011 union law
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The fight over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s signature policy achievement, a law effectively ending collective bargaining for most public employees, ended Thursday with the state Supreme Court declaring it to be constitutional. Passage of the law … read more.

See-through mice reveal details of inner anatomy
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — Researchers have found a way to make see-through mice, but you won’t find these critters scampering in your kitchen. The transparent rodents aren’t alive and they’re for research only, to help scientists study fine details of … read more.

Iliad of France makes surprise bid for T-Mobile US
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — T-Mobile US Inc., the most eligible company in the U.S. wireless industry, has another suitor on its hands. Upstart French telecom company Iliad SA on Thursday said it has offered $15 billion for a majority stake. … read more.

AAA: US pump prices set for biggest July drop in 6 years
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (Bloomberg) — Retail gasoline prices are poised to cap the biggest July decline in six years as U.S. refineries process the most oil on record, AAA says. The cheapest gasoline Thursday was in South Carolina, where drivers paid … read more.

Jobless claims in past month drop to eight-year low
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) — Fewer Americans filed applications for unemployment insurance benefits over the past month than at any time in more than eight years, signaling employers are hanging on to workers as demand improves. The four-week average of jobless claims, … read more.

W. Africa Ebola outbreak tops 700 deaths
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Security forces went house-to-house in Sierra Leone’s capital Thursday looking for Ebola patients and others exposed to the disease as the death toll from the worst recorded outbreak in history surpassed 700 in West Africa. … read more.

Stocks fall in Argentina as country enters default
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Stocks fell sharply in Argentina on Thursday as the country defaulted on its bills for the second time in 13 years, raising fears the move could diminish foreign reserves, stoke inflation and drive the economy … read more.

Israel vows to destroy Hamas tunnels
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will destroy Hamas’ tunnel network in the Gaza Strip designed for deadly attacks inside Israel, “with or without a cease-fire,” as the military called up another 16,000 reservists to … read more.

‘Pot trucks’ on tap in Florida?
Thu Jul 31 2014 09:28PM

TALLAHASSEE (News Service of Florida) — Florida pot dispensers could truck their product to patients, under a revised rule proposed by health regulators in advance of a workshop Friday about the state’s move to a limited type of medical marijuana. … read more.

Home owned by Trump holdout auctioned for $530,000
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

(AP) — She once called Donald Trump “a maggot, a cockroach and a crumb.” This week, he remembered her as “an impossible person.” The woman who became a folk hero for resisting decades-long efforts by big-name developers like Trump to … read more.

$100 million for firm without offices, 1 agent?
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies overseeing millions of mortgage loans appear to be skirting new federal regulations and legal settlements intended to stop them profiteering at the expense of troubled homeowners. They are selling or have sold nearly nonexistent insurance agencies … read more.

Twitter: Govt. requests for user data increased
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter said government requests for user data grew sharply in the past six months as more countries asked for a greater amount of information about users. More than half of the requests came from the United … read more.

SeaWorld, Southwest Airlines ending partnership
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Southwest Airlines and SeaWorld Entertainment are ending their 25-year-old marketing partnership, officials with both companies said Thursday, as the airline has been urged by animal rights activists to terminate the relationship. The partnership won’t be renewed … read more.

Congress races to finish VA, highway bills
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress ran full-tilt into election-year gridlock over immigration Thursday and staggered toward a five-week summer break after failing to agree on legislation to cope with the influx of young immigrants flocking illegally to the United States. Faring … read more.

US stocks plunge, wiping out July’s gains
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

NEW YORK (AP) — For investors, there were few havens on Thursday. The stock market had its worst one-day drop since February, driven down by a confluence of worries, from weak company earnings to the looming end of stimulus from … read more.

Immigration courts speed up children’s cases
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Immigration courts are speeding up hearings for the tens of thousands of Central American children caught on the U.S. border after criticism that the backlogged system is letting immigrants stay in the country for years while … read more.

US, UN announce deal on 72-hour Gaza cease-fire
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire beginning Friday, during which time there will be negotiations on a more durable truce in the 24-day-old Gaza war, the United States and United Nations announced Thursday. … read more.

Abbas seeks broad support for war crimes charges
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Nearly a month into Israel’s fierce assault on Hamas in Gaza, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is facing mounting domestic pressure to seek war crimes charges against Israel at the International Criminal Court. He has … read more.

As US job market strengthens, many don’t feel it
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — For millions of workers, happy days aren’t quite here again. Though the U.S. unemployment rate has plunged since the start of last year to a five-year low of 6.1 percent, the Gallup Organization has found that consumers’ … read more.

AP Exclusive: Study blames lost calves on panthers
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:19AM

IMMOKALEE, Fla. (AP) — Since Florida’s frontier days when cattlemen drove their herds through the state’s vast fields and forests, ranchers and native panthers have been natural enemies. The ranchers seek to nurture and protect their calves, while the panthers … read more.

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More Local News

Judge: Venice burglar connected to murder
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:00AM

SARASOTA COUNTY — A homeless man was sentenced to life in prison this week in connection with a string of Venice burglaries that spanned nine months between 2011 and 2012. But, in a macabre twist, a 12th Judicial Circuit judge … Find out how to read more online.

Beach bacteria claims life
Thu Jul 31 2014 10:10AM

A middle-aged patient died in Sarasota County after contracting an ocean-borne bacterial infection through an open wound, according to the Florida Department of Health. The bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, is present in coastal waters — especially during the summer when water … Find out how to read more online.

Memorial planned for plane crash victims
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:00AM

VENICE — Corrine DeLutis is organizing a memorial service for plane crash victims Ommy and Oceana Irizarry on Saturday. She said everyone is invited to pay their respects at the crash site at Caspersen Beach in Venice from 7:30 p.m. … Find out how to read more online.

Bank robber who wore Einstein mask in holdup arrested
Fri Aug 1 2014 01:00AM

A man who robbed a bank in Venice in November 2013 while wearing what looks like an Albert Einstein Halloween mask has been arrested, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Matthew Donald Lynch Maxwell, 29, of Tampa, came into … Find out how to read more online.

Jail gripes gobble staff time
Thu Jul 31 2014 08:00AM

Inmates at the Charlotte County Jail file thousands of grievances each year. But while the facility’s population has risen to record numbers this month, the amount of complaints and lawsuits filed by inmates has remained steady. Charlotte County Sheriff’s Capt. … Find out how to read more online.

North Port teen wins national digital arts festival
Thu Jul 31 2014 08:00AM

Boys & Girls Clubs of America recently named Jasmine Levine of North Port a national winner in its 12th annual Digital Arts Festivals competition supported by Comcast and NBCUniversal, Sony Electronics Inc. and Cartoon Network. Held two weeks ago in … Find out how to read more online.

Springs raffle-rousers plan to sue city, county
Thu Jul 31 2014 10:11AM

NORTH PORT — A Warm Mineral Springs activist organization announced in a City Commission meeting this week it would sue the city of North Port and Sarasota County if the Springs closes again. The Warm Mineral Springs Patrons Association Inc. … Find out how to read more online.

City dispatch consolidation over and out
Thu Jul 31 2014 12:40PM

NORTH PORT — City commissioners voted 4-1 Monday night for the city to retain its police dispatch rather than consolidate it with Sarasota County, with Cheryl Cook dissenting. Consolidating North Port’s dispatch would save money, as Sarasota County would take … Find out how to read more online.

Family’s grief deepens
Wed Jul 30 2014 08:00AM

VENICE — The 9-year-old Georgia girl hit by a small plane Sunday on Caspersen Beach died from her injuries on Tuesday, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Oceana Irizarry and her father, Ommy, 36, were walking along the shore … Find out how to read more online.

City issues Ukrainian Independence Day proclamation
Wed Jul 30 2014 08:00AM

A proclamation to honor the 23rd anniversary of the re-establishment of Ukraine’s independence, Aug. 24, was issued by the North Port City Commission on Monday night. It was read by Mayor Jim Blucher during the commission’s regular meeting and delivered … Find out how to read more online.

School Board passes lower tentative millage, budget
Wed Jul 30 2014 02:36PM

SARASOTA COUNTY — In a 10-minute meeting Tuesday evening, the Sarasota County School Board adopted its tentative millage and $704 million budget for the 2014-2015 school year — both lower than last fiscal year. The 5:15 p.m. meeting contained two … Find out how to read more online.

Program to provide free breakfast in 8 Sarasota County schools
Tue Jul 29 2014 06:28PM

SARASOTA COUNTY — The Sarasota County School Board wants to make sure students have a good breakfast to start their day, and a pilot program at eight district schools will begin making that more of a reality. The universal free … Find out how to read more online.

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