A woman whose family members were killed in a murder spree stretching from Fort Lauderdale to Sarasota called 911, voicing concerns about an “admirer” of her mother and asking them to check on her, newly released recordings show. “I need the police to come right now, to come check on my mom’s house in Fort Lauderdale,” the woman, who is identified in a fundraiser by the name Eve, said in the first call just after 1:30 p.m. “Can you tell me exactly what happened?” the dispatcher... Read More
Wendy’s closes US restaurants and focuses on value to turn around falling sales
By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer Wendy’s is closing several hundred U.S. restaurants and increasing its focus on value after a weaker-than-expected fourth quarter. The Dublin, Ohio-based company said Friday that its global same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 10% in the October-December period. That was worse than the 8.5% drop expected by analysts polled by FactSet. U.S. same-store sales fell even further in the fourth quarter. Wendy’s said late last... Read More
Art’s a beach! Fort Lauderdale’s new colorful lifeguard towers are more than just pretty to look at
Next time you can’t locate your group at Fort Lauderdale beach, tell them to meet you at the lifeguard tower with the manatee. Or the scuba diver. Or the zebrafish. Eight of 20 towers along the city’s famous shoreline are now painted in colorful aquatic themes, making them stand out along the busy stretch of pedestrians, sand and sunbathers. The towers are also new, replacing bland white stands that the city says had been sinking and deteriorating. The city dedicated four of the freshly... Read More
Second US aircraft carrier is being sent to the Middle East, AP source says, as Iran tensions high
By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will send the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back up another already there, a person familiar with the plans said Friday, putting more American firepower behind President Donald Trump’s efforts to coerce Iran into a deal over its nuclear program. The USS Gerald R. Ford’s planned deployment to the Mideast comes after Trump only days earlier suggested another round of... Read More
South Florida rap icon brings his culture to cookware with Trick Daddy Pots | VIDEO
It feels only natural that Trick Daddy’s cooking show, “I Got My Pots,” led the hip-hop legend to launch a signature line of cookware. Trick Daddy Pots debuted in December featuring a 15-piece ceramic cookware collection born out of his viral video cooking/culinary series (originally titled “B—-, I Got My Pots!”), which has seen celebrity guests such as NeNe Leakes, CeeLo Green, Trina, DJ Khaled, Timbaland, Rick Ross and Mike Epps in the kitchen with the Miami-born rapper. (You... Read More
‘He snapped’: Jail calls, photographs connect fraught custody battle to Tamarac triple murder
The notes appeared throughout the now-quiet Tamarac home, on pieces of printer paper and legal pads. “Videos give a good contrast of demeanor changes, coaching, & alienation,” one read. “Won’t be a permanent final injunction,” said another. A third contained a quote in blue ink: “The most dangerous time for a woman when she is leaving her abuser is the moments just before and after her ‘leaving.’” “Timely,” was written above it. The notes depict Mary Gingles’... Read More
Can new shade sails lure crowds to Tunnel Top Plaza? Fort Lauderdale is about to find out
FORT LAUDERDALE — Tunnel Top Plaza, the gathering spot on Las Olas Boulevard that sits above the U.S. 1 tunnel, has turned into a no-walk zone. A mass of metal scaffolding went up in late December, prompting people passing by to wonder why. It’s all to make way for a shady new addition: Beige-colored shade sails. The work could be done as soon as next week, Fort Lauderdale officials say. The retractable shade sails should help make Tunnel Top Plaza a more attractive and comfortable spot,... Read More
Today in History: February 13, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia found dead
Today is Friday, Feb. 13, the 44th day of 2026. There are 321 days left in the year. Today in history: On Feb. 13, 2016, Justice Antonin Scalia, the influential conservative member of the U.S. Supreme Court, was found dead at a private residence in the Big Bend area of West Texas; he was 79. Also on this date: In 1935, a jury in Flemington, New Jersey, found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-slaying of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of... Read More
Matthew Kress rises to No. 1 as Florida hosts elite field at Gators Invitational
GAINESVILLE — Florida golfer Matthew Kress arrived as an unsung teenager lacking the pedigree, résumé and confidence of many fellow Gators. Coach JC Deacon’s 2021 squad featured accomplished amateurs, blue-chip recruits and seasoned collegians brimming with potential. Behind the scenes, Kress quietly wondered whether he belonged. Day by day, he became indispensable to Florida’s surge of success, including 17 tournament victories with Kress in the lineup. If Deacon’s team... Read More
Orlando judge suspects foul play by ICE agents, orders 2 Venezuelans freed
A federal judge in Orlando ordered two more Venezuelan migrants released from ICE custody on Thursday and said he suspected foul play by the agents involved in their detentions. In one case, U.S. District Judge John Antoon, who released another detainee earlier this month, said the warrant ordering Junier Silva-Parucho’s arrest on Jan. 29 arrest was signed three hours after he was taken into custody. The warrant for Silva-Parucho, a construction worker with a pending asylum application and... Read More