TALLAHASSEE — Shore-based shark fishing, which attracts sharks already near land to feed in areas that often have low visibility, is increasing in conflict with where people swim and surf. And now, amid calls to restrict or ban shark fishing from beaches, piers and bridges, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday directed staff members to craft new rules. Commissioner Michael Sole, a former secretary of the Florida Department of [...]

WASHINGTON - Congress will consider tightening the rules on service animals allowed to accompany passengers on airliners under legislation introduced this week. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., has introduced an airline bill that would align the definition of a service animal to fit the stricter regulations in the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Burr, noting that things have gotten out of hand when people try bringing support kangaroos onto a plane, said in a news release that [...]

Angela Merkel gets a 20-minute private chat Friday in the Oval Office followed by a working lunch.

Cosby, 80, could end up spending his final years in prison after a jury concluded he sexually violated Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

DESTIN — A fugitive from Indiana wanted on several felony gun charges was arrested Wednesday after two Okaloosa County sheriff's deputies recognized him while on their lunch break.According to a press release from the Sheriff's Office, the deputies were their lunch break at a Destin restaurant when they noticed a man leaving who seemed “nervous” about their presence.Deputies thought the man resembled an individual in a “Be On the Lookout,” or [...]

A white shark dubbed Hilton recently made a close approach to the Florida Panhandle and is now headed for the Mississippi River delta in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the shark-tracking website Ocearch.org .The shark was originally caught and tagged off the coast of Hilton Head, S.C., and was named after the community.It measures 12 feet, 5 inches in length and weighs a whopping 1,326 pounds.So far, [...]

Cosby, 80, could end up spending his final years in prison after a jury concluded he sexually violated Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

At least 11 people were being treated at hospitals in Superior, where the blast happened, and nearby Duluth, Minnesota.

OKALOOSA ISLAND — The Emerald Coast Convention Center hosted a Northwest Florida Estuary Program workshop on Wednesday.The estuary program works to preserve the environment across the Panhandle by combining the resources of Okaloosa, Walton and Washington counties to protect the more than $1.6-billion tourism industry that provides 36,000 jobs.The program focused on improving water quality through stormwater infrastructure, dirt road paving and habitat restoration. [...]

Mike Pompeo, the outgoing CIA director, secured support from 57 senators, with 42 voting no — one of the slimmest margins for the job in recent history.