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SARASOTA (2009-11-20) Sarasota's police chief was suspended and a police officer fired Friday, in the wake of an investigation of an arrest that was made in June.
TAMPA (2009-11-19) Hillsborough County Public Schools will receive a $100 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to overhaul teacher placements within schools. Co-founder Melinda Gates says the grant will create a system for identifying effective teachers and placing them in every classroom.
TAMPA (2009-11-19) Thursday was the Great American Smokeout, and a special kind of van is rolling through Florida with a message to keep kids off cigarettes. It stopped at the USF Medical Clinic, which marked the day by banning smoking on its part of the Tampa campus.
TAMPA (2009-11-18) Organizers of a drive to change the way Florida draws up its Congressional and legislative districts say they've got enough petitions to place it on next year's ballot. Now, they've got to convince the voters that it's worthwhile.
TAMPA (2009-11-18)Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will be sworn in this week for another five year term. Meanwhile, Senior Master Sergeant Rex Temple came across one of Karzsai's predecessors. The Tampa airman was out on a routine mission with his Afghan army counterpart when they came across the gravesite of a former president of Afghanistan.
CLEARWATER (2009-11-18)If you happened to see a fire engine parked outside a school Wednesday most likely the crew was not on an emergency call. It was the Great American Teach-In where professionals, craftsmen and business people tell kids about their jobs. At Belcher Elementary in Clearwater, there was a fire engine and a horse of a different color.
TAMPA (2009-11-17)Law enforcement officers, prosecutors and mental health experts are calling on Florida legislators to spend more money on drug treatment, re-entry programs and diversion strategies instead of expanding state prisons. That’s a bottom line message from a two day “Smart Justice Summit” in Tampa.
TAMPA (2009-11-12)The hand-selected board members who lead Florida’s university system, state colleges and public schools met together for the first time Thursday at Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter. Their goal is to create a unified system for students from pre-kindergarten through post graduate and to toughen standards.
LAND O'LAKES (11-11-09) The problem of homeless veterans isn't new. But the downturn in the economy has meant a lot more vets don't have a roof over their heads. A first-ever event held by a new homeless resource center in Pasco County is giving some homeless vets a helping hand.
TAMPA (2009-11-11) The troubles that can lead to homelessness such as mental health problems and job loss are not lost on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki who said, “We know that veterans lead the nation in homelessness and depression and substance abuse and suicides.”
LAKELAND (2009-11-10) State Sen. Paula Dockery formally announced her candidacy for governor Tuesday night at a rally in her home town of Lakeland. She decried "business as usual" in the Republican Party.
TAMPA (2009-11-10) Near the site of Tampa’s first military post, Fort Brooke, a covenant was signed cementing the partnership between the City of Tampa and military leaders from the various commands at MacDill Air Force Base and the Coast Guard.
Local headlines
From Tampabay.com:
Federal agencies also continue looking into health problems in homes with the Chinese import.
From TBO.com:
A state audit of Hillsborough Community College reveals month after month of "unreconciled differences" and raises questions about how well the college keeps track of revenue.
Mya is poised to take the "Dancing With the Stars" title after finishing three points away from perfect during the final night of competition tonight.
From HeraldTribune.com:
Staff report
An unidentified woman died in a shooting in the south Sarasota County courthouse annex parking lot, and the man suspected of shooting her is also dead after reportedly being shot by a North Port police officer.
By JASON WITZ
PUNTA GORDA - A North Fort Myers man was arrested Saturday after he reportedly caused seven accidents and $17,500 in damage during a high-speed pursuit.
From TheLedger.com:
By MARCIA DUNN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE CANAVERAL | A pair of astronauts zipped through the third and final spacewalk of their mission Monday, helping to install a 1,200-pound oxygen tank at the International Space Station and accomplishing everything else on their list.
By JIM DAVENPORT
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, S.C. | Gov. Mark Sanford is accused of breaking 37 ethics laws regarding campaign finances and travel, including using taxpayer money for high-priced airplane tickets that took him around the world and to Argentina for a rendezvous with the woman he once called his "soul mate."
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President Obama is expected to outline his strategy in Afghanistan in a televised appearance next Tuesday. The announcement is expected to be followed soon by testimony on Capitol Hill by senior Obama administration officials.
The president is likely to address the nation Dec. 1 to outline strategy for the way ahead in Afghanistan, sources tell NPR. The announcement of a troop increase would be followed by testimony on Capitol Hill by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the guest Tuesday at President Obama's first White House state dinner. Arvind Sumbramanian, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, says Singh's visit comes amid fears in India that its relationship with the U.S. is playing second fiddle to U.S. ties with China.
BBC World News
An alleged Belgian arms dealer pleads guilty to conspiring to illegally export jet engines and parts from the US to Iran.
US authorities announce charges against eight people as they investigate the case of young men sent to fight for Somali militants.
Engineers operating the Large Hadron Collider have smashed together proton beams in the machine for the first time.
