FORT LAUDERDALE — The St. Thomas Aquinas girls volleyball team is heading back to the state final four as the host Raiders cruised past West Boca Raton 25-10, 25-13, 25-13 in a Class 6A regional final on Wednesday night. St. Thomas Aquinas (26-4) advances to the Class 6A state semifinal at Polk State College in Winter Haven on Nov. 6. The Raiders, which have won 15 straight matches and swept opponents in seven consecutive matches, will be searching for their third consecutive... Read More
Halloween is a challenge for chocolatiers as high prices bite
By Ilena Peng, Bloomberg News Halloween is shaping up to be a test for the chocolate industry, as high cocoa costs threaten to accelerate a consumer shift toward cheaper and trendier sweets such as sour gummies. For candy makers, Halloween remains crucial — the holiday made up nearly 18% of annual U.S. candy sales last year, second only to Christmas. But chocolate makers have been passing along costlier input prices to consumers, and that’s leaving an opening for rivals — who have... Read More
Woman arrested in road rage shooting on I-95 near Boca Raton that left man hospitalized
A woman was arrested Wednesday after a road rage shooting on Interstate 95 near Boca Raton that left a man hospitalized with serious injuries, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said. Breanna Evans, 26, is now facing two counts of attempted murder, one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle, and one count of shooting from a vehicle, jail records show. Evans did not know the victim, whom the Sheriff’s Office has not named. “At this point in the investigation, this incident appears to be a... Read More
Nine 30-story towers? Critics blast massive project proposed for Galleria mall
A chorus of angry critics packed a town hall meeting Tuesday night to tell Fort Lauderdale officials what they think of a plan to remake Galleria mall into a site with nine buildings, all 30 stories high. Bottom line: They don’t like it. Some hate it. And most want the city to stop it. But under the Live Local Act, a new state law that aims to boost affordable housing throughout Florida, the city will have little ability to do so. The rules of the game have changed. The law now allows... Read More
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show opening day | PHOTOS
The 66th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) opened Wednesday, Oct. 29, marking the return of the world’s largest in-water event. The day kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Pier Sixty-Six Marina, attended by Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and other local officials. View photos capturing the ceremony and the expansive indoor yacht and accessory displays at the Broward County Convention Center during the show’s opening day. ... Read More
Food aid at risk of expiring as effort to fund SNAP benefits fails in Senate
By KEVIN FREKING and MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders in Congress said it’s all or nothing on Wednesday as they rejected a Democratic push to carve out funding to continue food aid for more than 40 million Americans who stand to lose it as part of the government shutdown. Democrats have repeatedly voted against reopening the government as they demand that Republicans negotiate with them to extend expiring health care subsidies. But they pushed for... Read More
Weekend things to do: Moonfest, Day of the Dead, ‘Stranger Things’ party, Toby Keith tribute
The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is here this weekend, an energizing presence in local lounges and restaurants, and a good time for those whose ship has come in (if a bit more adrift from the day-to-day reality of life in a nation that has, seemingly overnight, gone broke). Elsewhere, we’ll have the distraction of Halloween parties from Coral Springs to Clematis Street (masks for good), nationally acclaimed Day of the Dead festivities in downtown Fort Lauderdale and a Nov. 1... Read More
‘Just play hard’ making Heat’s Larsson a fit regardless of role
SAN ANTONIO – The minutes read 4, 8 and 5. To say Pelle Larsson was an ancillary component during the Miami Heat’s first three games might actually have been overstatement. But because Erik Spoelstra is not one to mess the rotation when a starter is out, Larsson essentially found himself going from 0 for 60 in Tuesday night’s 114-117 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets. With Heat leading scorer Norman Powell sidelined by a sore right groin, Larsson was injected into the... Read More
Doctors muffled as Florida moves to end decades of childhood vaccination mandates
By Arthur Allen | KFF Health News SARASOTA — Florida plans to end nearly a half-century of required childhood immunizations against diseases that have killed and maimed millions of children. Many critics of the decision, including doctors, are afraid to speak up against it. With the support of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Sept. 3 announced his plan to end all school-age vaccination mandates in the state. “Every last one of them is wrong and... Read More
Missing government data unlikely to sway Federal Reserve from rate-cut path
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is expected to cut its short-term rate Wednesday for the second time this year despite an increasingly cloudy view of the economy it is trying to influence. A seal is seen before Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell walks out to speak during a news conference following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, at the Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington. (AP... Read More