Category — Jacksonville, Florida

Construction management students at UNF work to create portable homes from old shipping containers. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Senior students in the University of North Florida’s Industrial Construction course are usually required to put their book knowledge to the test.

U.S.S. George H.W. Bush docked at Mayport, before heading out for exercises at sea. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Although an aircraft carrier hasn’t been homeported at Mayport Naval Station since 2007, the Navy’s newest carrier was docked at the base Wednesday afternoon.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Democrats claimed momentum Wednesday in their drive to enact the sweeping health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, citing near agreement on crucial issues despite persistent Republican efforts to knock them offstride.

MEXICO CITY — The son of an immigrant shopkeeper has become the first person from a developing nation, and the first from Latin America, to be named the world’s richest person.

NEW YORK — Reports of sudden acceleration in the Toyota Prius have spiked across the country. But that doesn’t mean there’s an epidemic of bad gas pedals in the popular hybrid.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Inside the February edition of The Florida Bar News publication is an ad in the classified section for death penalty-qualified attorneys to join the staff of the public defender’s office.

Georgia sex offenders could soon be removed from popular online social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

WASHINGTON — The nation’s top health official challenged insurers on Wednesday to join President Barack Obama’s push to overhaul the medical system, arguing that if the effort fails it will hurt them as well as other Americans.

Troopers say a 3-year-old who was in the back seat of this Cadillac and died after a crash on Interstate 95 wasn’t in a car seat or wearing a seat belt.

Pompano Beach city spokeswoman Sandra King says hydraulics failed on a bridge under reconstruction Wednesday morning, causing it to rise while Department of Transportation workers were still on it.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Here’s a new reason to keep your thumbs on the wheel and your eyes on the road: Action to outlaw texting while driving is off to a speedy start in the Legislature.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — An appeal court says Florida’s Sunshine Law gives citizens a right to be present but not heard at meetings of government panels.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A woman who was under the influence of a number of substances, including Ambien, a sleep aid, when she killed a man in a 2008 crash was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A family is preparing to say its final goodbyes to a 14-year-old who died Saturday from his injuries after he was hit by a van Thursday.

Michael Jackson listens closing arguments Friday in this trial on charges of rape and first-degree murder. CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — The man convicted last month of killing veterinary tech Andrea Boyer, said he doesn’t want anyone to testify on his behalf in his sentencing phase.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State lawmakers are looking at a bill that would prevent 911 calls from being made public. A House committee voted 8 to 5 Wednesday in favor of the bill, but it still faces opposition as it moves through the House and Senate.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville police said a man who was shot on the Westside walked into a fire station and was rushed to a hospital Wednesday afternoon.

WASHINGTON — Minorities make up nearly half the children born in the U.S., part of a historic trend in which minorities are expected to become the U.S. majority over the next 40 years.

Gov. Charlie Crist, and former House Speaker Marco Rubio are running for the Republican nomination for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat. JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Just two days after Gov. Charlie Crist accused Marco Rubio of getting his back waxed with a party credit card, Rubio brought his campaign to northeast Florida on Wednesday.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Brunswick police are looking into a report of a rape on school district property. According to an official with the Glynn County district, a 16-year-old girl said she was sexually assaulted by at least two males in a gymnasium near Glynn Academy.

WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Eric Massa, who resigned from Congress amid sexual harassment allegations, acknowledged Tuesday groping a staffer but denied it was sexual.

JERUSALEM — Vice President Joe Biden condemned an Israeli plan to build hundreds of homes in disputed east Jerusalem on Tuesday — a disagreement that tarnished a high-profile visit that had been aimed at repairing ties with the Jewish state and kickstarting Mideast peace talks.

PHILADELPHIA — A suburban Philadelphia woman “desperate to do something” to help suffering Muslims has been charged with using the Internet to recruit jihadist fighters and help terrorists overseas, even agreeing to move to Europe to try to kill someone, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Gov. Charlie Crist, and former House Speaker Marco Rubio are running for the Republican nomination for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat.

Cort Furniture has put up a message on its marquee that reads, “Attention thieves, you’ve stolen our last TV.” JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Southside furniture store is getting the word out about its TVs, but not to customers, to potential thieves.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sheriff John Rutherford and several other officers hit the pavement Tuesday evening on the Westside for a neighborhood crime prevention walk.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A fire destroyed a home in the 6800 block of Maynard Place at Old Middleburg Road Tuesday night. Family members said a single mother lived in the home with her two children. They said no one was home when fire started around 8 p.m.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Tom Taormina is 65 and has no retirement savings. The Virginia City, Nev., business consultant said it’s not for lack of trying. He and his wife, Midge, have tried to save and at one time invested in the stock market, but it’s all been depleted.

Rasheem, Tajuan and Terrell Dubose were convicted of firing 29 times into a home, killing 8-year-old Dreshawna Davis. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a judge scolded the three brothers convicted of killing an 8-year-old girl at one of the brother’s sentencing on Monday, jail disciplinary reports detailing their behavior while in custody were released Tuesday.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — If you’ve driven over the Intracoastal Waterway, then you’ve probably seen it before. Now the mayor of Neptune Beach said the pile of dirt there is not just an eyesore, she said it’s also a liability.