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Much of what Americans learned from the news media Friday about the events in Newtown was wrong. Journalists know early accounts of crisis events are often misleading and incomplete, but often are compelled to pursue them without waiting for authoritative confirmation.

Don’t expect Friday’s massacre of first graders to nudge Florida in the direction of gun control, not even on assault weapons. Washington is one thing. Tallahassee is something else. Rep. Dennis Baxley, who chairs the state House Judiciary Committee, says the problem in schools is that there are not enough guns. “In our very admirable zealous desire to make people safe, we created these gun-free zones, and we have inadvertently made them a target for this kind of activity,” said Baxley, R-Ocala. Meanwhile in Washington, as The Palm Beach Post reports, some gun-rights supporters said the Friday slaughter of 20 children and seven adults by 20-year-old Adam Lanza had made them reconsider the wisdom of current gun laws. Most frequently mentioned: sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips and the unregulated sale of weapons at gun shows. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa saw it as a teachable moment: “We cannot tolerate this any longer,” she said. The Tampa Bay Times quoted Castor as saying she hoped President Obama would follow through on his call for change in a speech Sunday in Newtown, the site of the mass shooting. She wished he had made a stronger statement, she said, “But from what I heard in his voice and saw in his eyes last night, he is determined."

Wood stork populations in the southeast U.S. are making a comeback. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Commission announced today a proposal to change the bird's…

When listener Wade Mullins sent us this photo for our Florida Holidays project, we couldn't resist soliciting captions. The following are suggestions from…

It's a four-course meal fit for a king - or at least a dedicated foodie - and it's the work of USF Sarasota-Manatee students.Start with hors d'oeuvres…

A World War II veteran from Sarasota whose account of liberating Holocaust victims from a Nazi train led to reunions with the survivors 60 years later…

The Trust for America's Health organization released its Ready or Not? report today rating each state on its measures to protecting the public from…

Proponents make the case that shootings such as Friday's in Newtown, Conn., could be prevented or stopped if teachers with permits to carry concealed weapons could bring their handguns to school.

Paula Broadwell, whose affair with retired Gen. David Petraeus led to his resignation from the post of CIA director, will not face federal charges related to the alleged cyberstalking of another woman, according to a letter sent by the Justice Department to Broadwell's attorney.

The man who allegedly shot 20 first-graders, seven adults and himself last Friday supposedly had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of…

Dec. 24 is Nochebuena - Christmas Eve - and for many Hispanics, that means roasting a whole pig. This Christmas tradition scared journalist and author…

People who care for and about chimpanzees are awaiting word from the U.S. Senate this week about passage of legislation that would send many lab-bound animals into quiet retirement. During this holiday season of hope, commentator Barbara J. King lays out a case for why this is the right thing to do.

Listeners debate the extent to which NPR should be in the live news business, but what really stood out all week in the Sandy Hook coverage is the remarkable accuracy and ethical restraint. The lessons of the Gabrielle Giffords debacle nearly two years ago have been well absorbed. Internal staff memos during the first day and a half of Sandy Hook are an example of how to do it right.

Family and friends, professional colleagues and political allies of longtime Tampa attorney Bill McBride , 67, will gather Friday for a memorial…

"Business Democrat" Patrick Murphy comes from a district that's home to more Republicans than Democrats. He managed to beat the outspoken Tea Party favorite, running on a pledge to try to end gridlock in Washington. But that will be a tall order.

Prices in 20 major cities were up 4.3 percent in October, vs. October 2011. Combined with other recent reports on construction and sales, that's another sign the housing sector is on the mend.

In the last election, the red states got redder and the blue ones bluer. That's true not only in presidential voting, but at the state level, where half the legislative chambers are now dominated by supermajorities of one party or the other. The result is that blue and red states are moving further apart on most major issues, including tax policy, abortion and guns.

Bill McBride volunteered for the Marine Corps and Vietnam in 1968 at the height of the war, an act that defined his character and his life.Tampa attorney…

Will the DREAM Act become a reality? Is there comprehensive reform on the way? Will the GOP be able to reach out to Latino and other immigrant groups? The coming year could make a difference in the lives of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

Charlie and strippers and bears, oh my!We had record-breaking traffic this year on WUSFnews.org, and we can thank Charlie Crist, RNC escorts and…

All large classes elected to Congress want to change Washington. The Tea Party has found that there are all kinds of tripwires built into the American system of checks and balances that prevent newcomers from quickly remaking the political culture into their own image.

The region is home to MacDill Air Force Base, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations as well as two of the busiest VA Medical facilities, James…

First there will be a fight over raising the debt ceiling. Then there's another deadline for deep spending cuts. It's like another Lord of the Rings trilogy — we know at least two more stories are coming and it's clear there's going to be a lot of nastiness before the day is (we hope) saved.

A Florida pilot was flying over his home when he noticed something alarming: a burglary in progress.Earlier this week, David Zehntner was returning home…

The Hillsborough County library system has a big birthday coming up, and the public is invited to help celebrate.Jan. 1, 2014, will mark the 100th…