News ) - "American Idol" finalist Syesha Mercado is belting out tunes on a different stage Friday.The 21-year-old Sarasota native will be ushering in the Tampa Bay Rays game against the Los Angeles...

TREASURE ISLAND - As Debbie Shoemaker swam in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday afternoon, she said her movements may have mimicked a fish. That could explain why, when she surfaced for air, a swooping...

TAMPA - A new study ranks the Bay area worst out of 50 metro areas in the country for teen drivers. There were 41.5 fatal crashes per 100,000 teenagers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro...

St. Petersburg police say a woman sleeping in her car about 5:15 this morning was shot dead and a fisherman was struck by a bullet in the 2800 block of Pallanza Drive South near Lake Maggiore. A...

DUNEDIN - By fall, osprey aficionados around the world should be able to view Dunedin's very own Osprey-cam, direct from high atop a perch at St. Andrew's Links Golf Course. Assistant City Manager...

St. Petersburg police released surveillance video today of a man they think has burglarized 13 churches and restaurants in the past two weeks. The first six burglaries were at businesses and the...

LAKE WALES - Police are providing little information about the arrest of a detective accused of criminal misconduct involving an underage former public safety cadet. A brief written statement from...

LOS ANGELES - Niko Bellic is richer than Tony Stark. While vying for similar audiences at the same time, "Grand Theft Auto IV" bested "Iron Man" by about $300 million in their respective first weeks...

Authorities said Vicki Crawford didn't stop when approaching Dixon Road along the Seminole-Wekiva Trail and crashed into a car. She later died from her...

Suspect on the loose after 13 burglaries ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Police are investigating a deadly shooting near Lake Maggorie in St. Petersburg. It happened at about 5:15 a.m. Friday, on Pallanza...

Nick Bollea facing jail time today Nick Bollea will enter an "open plea" this afternoon, meaning the judge will have complete leeway in his...

Subway robber on the loose in St. Petersburg ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Police hope surveillance video will lead them to the suspect they believe robbed seven churches and six businesses.All 13...

A dramatic high-speed chase ends with suspect getting tasered Deputies chased the suspects known as "Bonnie and Clyde" when their vehicle ran out of gas and one man was...

Bicyclist hit by SUV on MLK in Tampa (RAW VIDEO) Authorities say a bicyclist is in critical condition at St. Joseph's Hospital, after he was hit by an SUV late Thursday...

Florida grows the vast majority of oranges processed into juice in the United States. Crop disease and hurricanes in recent years have cut production, sending grocery store prices to historic...

Evan Longoria's slump deepened this week, even he could recognize that he was digging a deeper hole for himself. "I'm obviously putting a little more pressure on myself than I should be," said the...

PLANT CITY - For the last two years, members of the Durant softball team were asked to assist the FHSAA at the state softball tournament at Plant City Stadium. Their duties included filling Gatorade...

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Mike Anderson, right, with "Reel Animals" partner Billy Nobles. It has...

DETROIT - Johan Franzen, Brian Rafalski and Tomas Holmstrom scored power-play goals for the Detroit Red Wings, who built a big lead in the second period and coasted to a 4-1 win against the Dallas...

PONTE VEDRA BEACH - The secret of Sergio Garcia's unfulfilled talent never has been well guarded. Over years of mounting misery, the putter has become to Garcia what fuel prices are to cross-country...

GULF HARBORS - Brooksville-based American Hurricane Specialists Inc. will conduct an expo from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Gulf Harbors Civic Center, 4610 Floramar Terrace. At 9 a.m., company...

NEW PORT RICHEY - To prom or not to prom. For some local athletes, that is the question. The River Ridge prom is tonight. Saturday, many of the same boys and girls may be lifting for a possible...

NEW PORT RICHEY - Community activist Jennifer Seney, known for her efforts to protect wildlife and to clean up ponds and the coastline, has been hired as Pasco County's next recycling coordinator. ...

DADE CITY - The green Dodge Neon went back and forth in front of a home several times before a young man leaned out the front passenger window and pointed a sawed-off shotgun at six people standing...

NEW PORT RICHEY - Jay Fulmer admitted last season's Gulf Buccaneers were a work in progress. They had a sophomore quarterback and seven sophomores on defense. Come May 30 during the Green-White...

WESLEY CHAPEL - Tijuana Flats is hosting a fundraiser Saturday afternoon to benefit the families of two Wesley Chapel High School students killed in a crash Monday. One of the girls, Kristin Gaskin,...

LAND O' LAKES - Students and teachers at Cox Elementary in Dade City tried new strategies to improve test scores this year as the school faces possible sanctions under the federal No Child Left...

CLEARWATER - Nick Bollea is expected to withdraw his not-guilty plea today to a reckless driving charge and throw himself on the mercy of the presiding judge. He faces a sentence ranging from...

Watch TORONTO -- After blowing a three-run lead in the ninth inning of Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, it could have been easy for the Rays to implode. Especially so, given the fact that...

Scioscia, Maddon to match moves TORONTO -- Starting against Boston last Saturday, Rays pitcher James Shields experienced the worst start of his season. However, given the right-hander's...

TAMPA, FL -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is currently investigating allegations that members of the James A. Haley VA Medical Center police force mistreated a patient whom they had taken...

garnetandgold.com is offering a "Bring Back P.T." T-shirt for $9.99, raises an interesting question: How much criticism is too much from high-profile football radio announcers — often former...

PLANT CITY – Wewahitchka won its second consecutive Class 2A state title after defeating Jacksonville Providence 4-1 Thursday in the championship at Plant City Stadium. The Gators (27-2) did the...

WESLEY CHAPEL - Chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 mothers nationwide, Lisa Couture of Wesley Chapel has been named among the top 15 semifinalists in the America's Favorite Mom competition,...

PORT RICHEY - Two soggy young men are behind bars after they fled from a traffic stop and led deputies on a brief chase Thursday through the Regency Park subdivision. The men, who were suspects in...

Kazmir's player page • VOTE NOW: Cast your All-Star ballot TORONTO -- It is no secret that Rays starter Scott Kazmir struggled in his season debut last Sunday against the Red Sox. However, the...

Rays depth chart • VOTE NOW: Cast your All-Star ballot TORONTO -- The Rays' lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Blue Jays featured a few noticeable changes. The most important of...

(Mike Baird, Creative Commons 2.0) PINELLAS COUNTY -- An Ohio woman will have quite the story to tell once she returns home following a bizarre run-in with a pelican.Debbie Shoemaker, who was...

St. Pete courthouse gunman reportedly distraught over divorce An armed man who was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon at the St. Petersburg courthouse reportedly was going through a divorce. A...

News ) - About 12 seconds was all it took for two bailiffs to gun down a man who shot at them in a courthouse lobby, and authorities said the swift response helped prevent anyone else from being...

TAMPA - I had a conversation with Chris Henry’s agent a little while ago. He said there are actually two NFL teams that are interested in giving Henry a tryout. The Bucs, however, are not one...

HUDSON - A house at 16034 Frost Drive, where Pasco County code enforcement officials found a woman and four dozen dogs living among filth and feces in November, was demolished today. Workers from...

ST. PETERSBURG -- Elizabeth Powell's next-door neighbors like the idea of a new Rays stadium so much they've planted three "Let's Build The Ballpark" signs on their front lawn. Powell signals her...

Updated May 8, 2008 at 03:32 PM Gov. Charlie Crist, who’s been jetting from Washington to Florida a lot these days, landed at MacDill Air Force Base today and made a special appearance at a...

LAKELAND A 16-year-old Kathleen High School student was accused by deputies today of cutting another student in the neck with a box cutter razor, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said. Jenny Cayo,...

Nick Bollea will enter an "open plea" tomorrow afternoon, meaning the judge will have complete leeway in his sentencing.Sources say no deal was struck with prosecutors and Bollea.John...

Michael Beaver SPOKANE, WA -- An inmate in Florida is accused of sending a threatening note containing an unknown substance to a federal judge here in Spokane, Washington, which prompted an...

has decided to end its effort to sell PMSI, its workers' compensation business. Final bids did not reflect PMSI's fair value, AmerisourceBergen said in a filing Wednesday with...

TAMPA - A week before DeAndre Wallace's 20th birthday, Circuit Judge Ronald Ficarrotta sentenced him to spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting a Hillsborough County sheriff's detective. ...

The public is invited to the 49th Street South Celebration to showcase businesses along 49th Street South in Gulfport and St. Petersburg - on Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - at the Tangerine...