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According to an arrest affidavit, Ronald Meyer, 55 and Linda Donahower, 61, were watching an episode of Clarkson’s talk show together in their Clearwater home on December 30 when an argument developed. What started out as a verbal fight about the show turned physical when Donahower punched Meyer in the shoulder “to get him to be quiet” because he was “annoying her.” Meyer then allegedly climbed atop Donahower and punched her in the face, hard enough to leave a red mark and swelling which was observable by the arresting officer....

Dr. Timothy Regan, chief medical officer for Polk County’s Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, said that his team is also seeing “young, healthy people that are having very bad outcomes.” His facility has expanded its emergency room capacity as it cares for 275 hospital patients—higher than its previous peak of 180 in January 2021, WFLA reported—and he has urged people who were uncertain about vaccination that “this is real.”...

Florida GOP Chairman Joe Gruters said he and other members of the party are rejecting calls to cancel the March 2020 presidential primary vote, declaring that Trump will “annihilate” his three Republican challengers: former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld. Gruters expressed complete confidence in Trump’s ability to win the primary vote, citing the president’s consistent 95 percent approval rating among Florida Republicans....

The ruling was made late last Friday by U.S. District Judge William Jung and applies to any treatment of psychotherapy that attempts to change or quash an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, whether that is talk therapy, aversion therapy, electrotherapy, prayer, hypnosis or orgasmic reconditioning. The latter is a treatment sometimes used on sex offenders. Not only is conversion therapy highly controversial, but it has been discredited by the science community....

An alarm was raised after a student at Florida Atlantic University reported seeing a man with a rifle on campus on the evening of Thursday, October 3. The student said the man walked towards her whilst she was in her car and pointed a gun at her. “A little bit after 9 p.m., we received a call from a female that was a student over at FAU leaving campus for the night,” Davie Police Lt....

Randal Rosado, whose most recent address was listed in Goshen, New York, was convicted in July in the Circuit Court of Lee County, Florida, on six counts of retaliating against a public official and 13 counts of fabricating a legal proceeding, a third degree felony. In a criminal complaint filed in 2016, investigators alleged that Rosado began his criminal scheme in 2009, when he was engaged to help short sell a property in foreclosure, but instead decided to rent it out and pocket the proceeds....

An endangered species, the Florida panther has recently been the focus of conservation efforts in South Florida. Risks to the panthers mainly include human-caused habitat fragmentation, as well as being hit by cars and fighting between males. Low populations led to concerns of inbreeding—individuals began having kinked tails, and heart and sperm problems—so in the mid-1990s scientists began genetic restoration efforts. This helped the panther population increase substantially, from between 20 to 30 individuals up to around 200 by 2017....

The Scripps Research Institute team’s findings were published online earlier this month as the paper detailing their studies was going through a standard peer-review process. “Our study shows that the mutant virus infects cells much more efficiently in a cell-culture system, because the mutation stabilizes the spike protein and increases the number of spike proteins on the virus,” Hyeryun Choe, the paper’s senior author, told Newsweek. “Because the spike protein is essential to attach to the target cells, higher numbers of more stable spike protein naturally enable the mutant virus to attach and infect the target cells more easily....

Two things, Richt says, never waver: Your tape and your eligibility clock. The only way to strengthen the first is by embracing the reality of the second. There are only so many games, so many chances, to prove it on the field. Mason waited four years behind Aaron Murray to get his chance to play quarterback at Georgia. Now he has everything gain — and everything to lose. “He’s going to enjoy every practice, every game, everything about this season, I promise you,” Richt says....

Coach Jim McElwain’s 13th-ranked team is looking for walk-on kickers on its off-week — via Twitter. MORE: SN’s Week 8 Power Rankings | Undefeated, but for how long? Depth at the position has been an issue this season. Austin Hardin missed three consecutive games with a leg injury. He returned to action Saturday in the loss to LSU after his backup, Jorge Powell, was injured on a kickoff. The Gators’ recruiting pitch via its Twitter account doesn’t mention that: There is some risk of bodily injury....

A Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy survey shows 53 percent of Florida residents approve of DeSantis’ performance as governor, while 42 percent disapprove. This is an improvement on his rating in the same poll last year. DeSantis’ approval rating was just 45 percent in July 2020, according to Mason-Dixon. Forty-nine percent of respondents disapproved of the governor’s job performance at the time. This polling bounce may be a good sign for DeSantis as Florida heads into the next gubernatorial election cycle....

The eight districts would see their funding slashed in amounts that are equal to their respective board members’ salaries, the BOE said. The announcement came at an emergency meeting, where it was told that the eight districts must follow state guidelines that have been imposed by the health department. The BOE stated that the districts have 48 hours to comply with the demands before the cutbacks will began. This decision by the BOE came at the suggestion of Richard Cocoran, the Florida Education Commissioner, who initially proposed sanctions against the districts as a way to get them to fall in line with the state guidelines....

“It’s better for us to take the financial risk than to put the safety and health of 29,000 students and 4,000 staff members,” Alachua County School Board Vice Chair Tina Certain told Newsweek. “I stand by that.” DeSantis has taken several steps to prevent schools from implementing COVID-19 mask mandates, arguing that the decision should be left to parents. He issued an executive order banning mask mandates—an order that is being challenged by several lawsuits....

According to data made available Saturday morning by the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 response page, the state reported 9,585 new positive cases, its largest number of cases reported in one day since the crisis hit Florida in March. The numbers are particularly staggering if compared to those of New York, which was once considered the virus’s epicenter in the U.S. That state reported its largest number of cases in a single day on April 4, with a total of 12,274 new cases....

After catching a third-down pass late in the quarter, Cook reached for his left hamstring. It was later revealed he was doubtful to return. MORE: Week 5 best images | Who’d we pick? | Big Ten Week 5 reactions Johnathan Vickers took over the bulk of the carries in the Seminoles backfield after Cook’s exit. Cook had a 94-yard touchdown run earlier in the game. He entered the game with 476 rushing yards and five touchdowns....

Administrators told Lisciandro that someone had informed them that she was in a relationship with a woman. She was also accused of attending a Pride festival and hosting an LGBTQ group in her own acting studio. After admitting that those things were true, Lisciandro was let go from her job. Her class was readying their production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Lorne Wenzel, head of Covenant Christian, sent an email to parents to Lisciandro’s students....

“We were alarmed,” del Mindo’s sister Lilia Acebron told Tampa’s WTSP 10News. “We tried to reach her on her cellphone but her cellphone was dead.” Del Mundo left Tampa on September 14 for the scheduled 10-day vacation. She had recently been dealing with pain from a rotator cuff injury, which impacted her ability to work as a nurse in the Tampa area. During her connection at the Dallas airport, del Mundo called her sister saying she had suddenly changed her mind about the vacation and needed to return home to Tampa....

Line: Alabama -17.5, Total: 40 Line movement and notes: The Wynn opened Alabama as a hefty 17-point favorite, tweaking the line a half point to -17.5 in early wagering. John Avello, head oddsmaker at The Wynn, believes sharps will bite on the underdog at such a price, despite the Gators’ offensive slump. “Yes. Yes they are," Avello told The Linemakers on Monday. “I don’t know what happened to Florida last week against Florida State....

DeSantis on September 14 transported about 50 mostly-Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard—an affluent island off Cape Cod—to call attention to what Republicans see as a lack of border security under President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent migrants to Vice President Kamala Harris’ Washington, D.C., residence last month. Critics blasted DeSantis for using migrants as a political stunt, not alerting local authorities about the migrants’ arrival and allegedly lying to them about where they were going....

Water: Give your poppy plant 1 inch (2. 5 cm) of water per week. Sun: Poppies flourish in full sunlight, so make sure to pick a spot in your raised bed that gets plenty of sunshine. Soil: Poppies do well in well-drained soil (soil that absorbs water without remaining marshy). Water: Water your petunias with about 1–1. 5 inches (2. 5–3. 8 cm) of water once a week. Sun: Petunias do well in full sunlight, but can also survive in partial shade....