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The Parkland building where a teenage gunman shot and killed 17 people will continue to stand at least until next year, even though the jury deciding the gunman’s fate has already finished its tour of the crime scene. The former freshman building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was originally preserved so that its blood-stained hallways and classrooms could be shown to the jury deciding whether confessed killer Nikolas Cruz should be sentenced to life in prison or... Read More

Just pretend it’s not there. That’s how the students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas have handled the continued existence of the worst crime scene in Broward County history on their campus. Advertisement Fenced and sealed off for the past four years, the 1200 building has lingered as a sickening reminder of the day that destroyed so many families. It will remain there until at least the middle of next year, until the justice system is done preserving it. Jurors who will... Read More

In the hottest Broward election on the Aug. 23 ballot, a conservative group best known for opposing abortion rights lists Lauren Book as its “preferred” candidate in her contest with Barbara Sharief. Book’s campaign does not see the rating as helpful. Advertisement The Book-Sharief race is one of many contests in which the conservative group Florida Family Action is making suggestions to voters in the heavily Democratic county. The county’s registered voters are 48% Democratic,... Read More

A boat carrying 15 immigrants in the waters off the lower Florida Keys capsized Friday morning, leaving two people dead and another five yet to be found. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West officials were alerted of the capsize 14 miles south of Sugarloaf Key about 10 a.m. By Friday night, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers had found two of the 15 dead, the Coast Guard said in a news release. Advertisement Eight people were rescued, one of them by a cruise ship,... Read More

There’s a thief partial to taking two-wheeled vehicles from people in the North Lauderdale area, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding who it is. Since July 3, people have reported eight mopeds, motorcycles and scooters stolen, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The culprit’s streak appeared to have started about 4:30 p.m. July 5 when a man said his black and white 2021 Kaitong Motorcycle was taken near the 1400 block of Avon Lane. Advertisement Then a week... Read More

Amid an outcry from the LGBTQ community and harsh criticism from a host of physicians and health-care professionals, the Florida Board of Medicine on Friday advanced a plan that would ban doctors from providing treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender people under age 18. Friday’s decision came after the Florida Department of Health last month filed a petition asking the medical board to initiate a rule-making process on the contentious issue. The Board of... Read More

The 10th annual Florida Python Challenge kicked off Friday, with more than 800 participants slogging through swampy environs to compete for thousands of dollars in prize money over the next 10 days. This year, competitors are expected from 32 states and as far away as Canada. State officials devised the challenge to help combat the spread of the invasive Burmese python in the Everglades and other Florida ecosystems. The species, which can reach lengths of 20 feet, is indigenous to southeast... Read More

Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Renatha Francis, a Palm Beach County circuit judge, to the Florida Supreme Court, effective Sept. 1. Francis had come close to becoming the first Jamaican-American appointed to the Supreme Court in 2020. She was one of six nominees to fill a vacancy on the court created by the retirement of Justice Alan Lawson. The conservative Francis “understands what the proper role of a judge is in America’s constitutional system,” DeSantis said as he introduced her... Read More

There’s no space for disagreement. Kevin Spacey must pay more than $30 million to the producers behind “House of Cards,” a judge ruled Thursday. Advertisement Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mel Red Recana upheld a ruling by several different independent arbitrators in the case between production company MRC and the disgraced actor. Spacey, 63, appealed the arbitration ruling and hoped to avoid paying the $30.9 million award, which was first reported last... Read More

A Boynton Beach man could spend decades in prison after allegedly shooting a driver whom he almost collided with, police say. A dash camera in the man’s car recorded the encounter. Bradley Jay Sosnowksy, 55, is facing charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and discharging a firearm from a vehicle after the road-rage incident on West Boynton Beach Boulevard Monday. The first charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years, a probable cause affidavit... Read More