A Gulf Coast sanctuary will lose 200 animals after a judge determined they were living in squalor. Carol Mas and husband Estebahn Agustinho were warned about neglect at Our Animal Haus. The Hernando County judge said he saw no malice, but the couple took on more than they could handle. ...more

October 30, 2009

The complaints about all the cats came in for years. On June 24, Hillsborough County Animal Services finally served a search warrant at a Valrico home, finding eight dead cats and at least 11 more living in what investigators described as deplorable conditions. ...more

July 1, 2009

The complaints about all the cats had been coming in for years. On Wednesday, Hillsborough County Animal Services finally served a search warrant at a Valrico home, finding eight dead cats and at least an additional 11 living in what investigators said were deplorable conditions. ...more

June 25, 2009

Animal services officials served a warrant at a Valrico home where they found 8 dead cats and 11 live cats in deplorable conditions. ...more

June 24, 2009

Pasco County schools and other schools across the state are poised to take on bullies like never before. ...more

November 19, 2008

In a time of dwindling budgets, Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats has salvaged two inmate rehabilitation programs by rolling them into one and having his staff do the work rather than outside contractors. ...more

October 27, 2008

A divided planning commission gave animal rescuer Sue Lambert permission to house as many as 25 dogs on her property off Altamont Lane despite the objections of neighbors who say Lambert's operation is a nuisance. ...more

August 14, 2008

SEBRING — A family of four were left without a place to live Friday morning, after a kitchen fire broke out in their Spring Lake home. The family of Adolfo Nunez-Rey, at 6101 Wilson Terrace, his wife, another adult and a 3-year-old child, was helped by the American Red Cross of Highlands County. "Volunteers provided the family - three adults and one child - with temporary shelter, personal hygiene kits, emergency assistance for food and clothing, odor-control concentrate cleaner to help with salvaging items from the home, a Red Cross clean-up kit, landlord verification forms to assist in relocation, and Publix gift cards donated by Florida's Blood Centers," wrote Phil Attinger, Public Relations Director for the Polk County American Red Cross chapter. ...more

June 18, 2008

Children from a polygamist sect were the only subjects on the docket Monday at a west Texas courthouse where five judges began handling hundreds of hearings that attorneys for the children's parents decried for their cookie-cutter approach. ...more

May 20, 2008

She was breezing through the assessment, acing every test. Passing was the only hope for the 4-year-old American pit bull terrier found abandoned and tied to a stop sign. Doing so would qualify her for an adoption program at Hillsborough County Animal Services especially for pit bulls. Failing would mean she couldn't be adopted and likely would be euthanized. ...more

May 2, 2008