Attorney General-Elect Ashley Moody today announced the leadership of her Inaugural Committee.  Senator Wilton Simpson (R-Tribly), Representative Chris Sprowls (R-Clearwater) and Michael Corcoran will serve as Inaugural Committee Co-Chairs and Samantha Blair will serve as Executive Director.  The Inaugural Committee will be responsible for planning and executing the events surrounding the inaugurationContinue Reading

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office detectives in Florida have arrested a Largo man Monday for the beating death of the seven-week-old baby, Gwendolyn Eydelman. Artem Eydelman initially lied to officers about the baby’s death, but has confessed to striking the newborn. Artem Eydelman, 29, told deputies at the time he’d found Gwendolyn inContinue Reading

A San Francisco 49ers player was arrested Saturday night in Tampa and charged with domestic violence. Reuben Foster reportedly was taken into custody after an altercation with his former girlfriend. Foster, 24, was arrested on one count of first-degree misdemeanor domestic-violence battery at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay after the incident withContinue Reading

A Florida mother is in critical condition after being thrown for the hood of a van during a domestic fight over her 9-year-old son. Beverly Smith jumped on her estranged husband’s vehicle and the man, Travis Stephens, gunned it and turned quickly to hurl the woman to the ground. Smith, 34,Continue Reading

Florida Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott has defeated Democratic Senator Bill Nelson after a manual recount put Scott ahead by approximately 10,000 votes. Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded the Florida gubernatorial race “for a second and final time” Saturday night, signaling the end of an extended recount. Scott said in a statement:Continue Reading

Republican nominee for Attorney General Ashley Moody became Florida’s 38th Attorney General with 53 percent of the vote over her general election opponent, State Rep. Sean Shaw’s (D-Tampa) 46 percent, with approximately 7.7 million votes counted at 10:00 p.m. EST this evening. Rep. Shaw spoke with Ashley Moody and congratulated herContinue Reading

Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group reported today that aerialist, Yann Arnaud, 38 had died from his injuries following a fall onto the stage during a Saturday evening performance of VOLTA at Tampa’s Under the Big Top, located by the Tampa Greyhound Track on Nebraska Avenue. Arnaud, a veteran of the performanceContinue Reading

Greenville, Texas man, Colby Isaac Hilleary, 24, was  arrested and charged by criminal complaint with interfering with the duties of a flight attendant. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. According to the complaint, on March 2, 2018, Hilleary was a passenger on an American Airlines flight fromContinue Reading

Dr. Anthony Baldizzi, 54, of Largo, FL pleaded guilty to conspiracy and receiving illegal kickbacks related to a federal health care benefit program. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, Baldizzi, a medicalContinue Reading

Last week it was reported that a Citrus County School District Middle School teacher was was running the white nationalist podcast “Unapologetic”. The podcast was run by Crystal River Middle School social studies teacher Dayanna Volitich, who ran the show under the pseudonym, “Tiana Dalichov”. School district officials, upon learning of the report, removed VolitichContinue Reading

The Florida Department of Health-Hillsborough County that influenza activity continues to be elevated. Although activity decreased in some surveillance systems in week 6, it is too early to know if influenza activity has peaked for the season. Activity remains elevated above peak levels seen in previous seasons. So far this season, forty outbreaksContinue Reading

Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 14-year-old Dakota Hall of Lakeland Tuesday for one count written threat to kill or injure others. Hall, who was recently expelled from Lakeland Christian School (LCS), posted two threats via Snapchat indicating he would shoot and kill numerous students. According to the arrest affidavit,Continue Reading

Last week,  Florida’s House of Representatives formally recognized the public health harms of pornography. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) applauds this action and Rep. Ross Spano for spearheading this effort. “Public health impacts of pornography are no trivial matter,” said Lisa L. Thompson, Vice President of Research and EducationContinue Reading

The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) achieved “Exemplar” status for the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) program again this year. NICHE is the premier designation indicating a hospital’s commitment to excellence in the care of patients 65-years-and-older. The “Exemplar” status recognizes the Bay Pines VAHCS’s ongoing dedication to geriatric care andContinue Reading