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Hurricane Milton: Where Things Stand
Hurricane Milton Leaves
Path of Destruction
THE RUNDOWN
Oct 10, 2024 6:21 AM CDT

Hurricane Milton Leaves Path of Destruction

Millions are without power, and the first deaths are reported

(Newser) - Hurricane Milton has left a wake of destruction across Florida, with authorities just beginning to assess damage and casualties in the worst-hit parts. The latest:
  • Milton made landfall Wednesday night on the west coast in Sarasota County as a Category 3 storm. By 5am Thursday, it had torn across the
...

As Milton Looms, Florida Man Won't Ditch His Boat

The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore tried to warn Tampa-area amputee, but the guy is staying put

(Newser) - "Get the heck out of this water," the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore warned residents of Tampa on Tuesday, as Hurricane Milton continued to barrel toward the Sunshine State. Some are reluctant to evacuate the coastal Florida city, however—including a man nicknamed Lieutenant Dan who's refused...

Conditions in Tampa Are a 'Recipe for Disaster'

Area is exceptionally vulnerable to flooding damage

(Newser) - The Tampa Bay area hasn't had a direct hit from a hurricane since 1921, when the population was a fraction of what it is now. But that could change on Wednesday, with potentially catastrophic results if Hurricane Milton hits the area with full force. Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

In Constantly Flooding Town, 'We Won't Rebuild, It's Not Worth It'

Locals in Florida's Shore Acres, in Tampa Bay area, are spooked by storms, high home insurance rates

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of properties in the Tampa Bay region were damaged or completely destroyed as Hurricane Helene tore through Florida's Gulf Coast, where some homes ended up submerged in several feet of water, reports WUSF . "It's overwhelming and it's devastating," Marie Rowley, who lives...

Locals Attempt to Buy $14M Island by Chipping In $1K Each

Crowdfunding group wants to share local haunt nicknamed 'Beer Can Island'

(Newser) - A privately owned island off Tampa Bay is up for sale, and though the going price is $14 million, a group is trying to crowdfund joint ownership with a $1,000 buy-in price. According to News 6 , the nine-acre Pine Key on Paradise Island is a manmade island created by...

His Relative Bit Him During a Fight. Days Later, He Nearly Died

Doctors were shocked how Tampa Bay's Donnie Adams contracted flesh-eating bacteria

(Newser) - A Florida man who got into the middle of a tussle ended up with a frightening flesh-eating infection that sent him to the hospital for weeks. Tampa Bay's Donnie Adams says he was at a family get-together in mid-February when two relatives starting fighting and he tried to break...

Cops: Blankets Gave Away Squatter in Stadium's Luxury Suite

'He made himself quite at home': Fla. police on homeless man's alleged 2-week stay at stadium

(Newser) - Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg is the home of the Tampa Bay Rowdies pro soccer team—and for at least two weeks, it was also the home of an uninvited visitor. Police in the Florida city say Daniel Albert Neja, a 39-year-old homeless man, was arrested Sunday evening at...

'Brazen' Suspect Has Been Blowing Up ATMs in Florida

Latest Tampa Bay explosion yielded cash, police say

(Newser) - Police in the Tampa Bay area aren't sure who has been blowing up ATMs—but they strongly suspect it is the same suspect who was seen spray-painting the lenses of surveillance cameras shortly before the explosions. There have been three ATM explosions in the area over the last few...

Buried Cat Returned to Owner—Alive

Owner Ellis Hutson is utterly floored

(Newser) - Florida resident Ellis Hutson grieved when a car ran over his cat. He was simply stunned when his cat, since buried, clawed its way out and refused to die, ABC News reports. "I was so shocked," says the 52-year-old landscaper. "I didn’t know really what to...

Man Killed, Cooked, Ate Puppy: Cops
Man Killed, Cooked, Ate Puppy: Cops
Jun 29, 2013 4:22 PM CDT

Man Killed, Cooked, Ate Puppy: Cops

Cooked ribs on stove, put rest in freezer for later

(Newser) - Warning: Do not read the rest of this story if you've just eaten. A Florida man has been arrested on animal cruelty charges after police say he strangled his mother's pitbull puppy to death, then cooked and consumed the remains. According to Tampa cops, Thomas Elliot Huggins, 25,...

Convention-Goers Trapped on RNC Buses for Hours

Needless to say, not a great ending to the night

(Newser) - Republican delegates had a rousing day at the Tampa convention yesterday, were moved by Ann Romney's and Chris Christie's speeches , and then … spent two hours trapped on buses before finally being dropped off at their hotels in the wee hours. Convention attendees boarded buses to leave the...

What to Watch at RNC Tonight
 What to Watch at RNC Tonight 
Aug 28, 2012 7:41 AM CDT

What to Watch at RNC Tonight

Ann Romney, Chris Christie, Rick Santorum the highlights

(Newser) - After a rained-out Day 1 , Republicans will finally get to speechifying today at their national convention in Tampa, with things officially kicking off at 2pm. Here are the biggest names on the docket today, according to USA Today :
  • The star will be Ann Romney, who has the perhaps unenviable job
...

Isaac Dumps on GOP Parade
 Isaac Dumps on GOP Parade 
Aug 27, 2012 5:54 AM CDT

Isaac Dumps on GOP Parade

Republicans scramble to re-write convention

(Newser) - With Tropical Storm Isaac ripping close to the coast of Florida, forcing the GOP to cancel today's convention events , Mitt Romney and the Republican leaders are now scrambling to condense their four nights of carefully choreographed political theater into just three, reports the New York Times . Already wind speeds...

'Red Bull Killer' Declared Insane

Though judge says case was never about energy drink

(Newser) - A Florida man who smothered his elderly father to death is going to a state hospital instead of a state prison. A judge declared that Stephen Coffeen "did not understand the wrongfulness of his actions" and found him not guilty by reason of insanity today, reports the St. Petersburg ...

Mom: I Killed My Kids for Being 'Mouthy'

Tampa Army wife arrested after her 2 teens shot to death

(Newser) - Julie Schenecker's kids "talked back, they were mouthy and she was tired of it," Tampa police say, so the 50-year-old Army wife shot son Beau, 13, twice in the head on the way home from soccer practice. With her dead son in the car, Schenecker says she drove...

Strapped Fla. County to Hollywood: Blow Up Our Bridge

Tampa span unsafe, so pols pitch studios

(Newser) - A Florida county is looking to demolish an old bridge, and hopes to convince Hollywood to foot the bill. Find a film that needs some fireworks, a Tampa politician posits, “And they would do it under their budget, and it wouldn’t cost us a thing, or very little....

Teen Uses YouTube to Help Dad

14-year-old's video a heartfelt tribute to his dad

(Newser) - When Mark Gullett lost his job as a marketing executive for the Tampa Bay Lightning, his son Ben, 14, knew what to do. He made a somber YouTube video in which he told Mark’s story in short sentences on poster boards. Now, after only 6 days, the video has...

Recession Dims Super Bowl Glitz

(Newser) - Thanks to the economy, Super Bowl week will be less extravagant and profitable than in years past, the Washington Post reports. While host city Tampa Bay is expected to attract more than $150 million from Super Bowl visitors, that’s 20% less than usual; despite hotels filled to the rafters,...

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