WASHINGTON — Senior Treasury officials were made aware in June 2012 that investigators were looking into complaints from tea party groups that they were being harassed by the Internal Revenue Service, a Treasury inspector general said Friday, disclosing that Obama … read more.

BEIRUT — About 30 security agents showed up just after midnight, breaking down the door to an apartment in the town of Daraya near the Syrian capital of Damascus. They grabbed a 24-year-old university student and drove off. That was … read more.

In workplaces across the nation, Americans are inviting their colleagues to chip in $2 for a Powerball ticket and a shared daydream. The office lottery pool is a way to improve your odds and have a little fun with co-workers. … read more.

MILAN — Silvio Berlusconi’s private disco featured not only aspiring showgirls performing striptease acts as sexy nuns and nurses, but one woman dressed up as President Barack Obama and a prominent Milan prosecutor whom the billionaire media mogul has accused … read more.

TORONTO (AP) — A video purportedly of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack has caused an uproar in Canada. Ford on Friday called the allegations “ridiculous.” The video has not been released publicly, and there is no way to verify … read more.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Oversight committee has issued a subpoena to compel the co-chairman of the independent review board that investigated last year’s attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, to answer questions about … read more.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An impromptu spacewalk over the weekend seems to have fixed a big ammonia leak at the International Space Station, NASA said Thursday. The “gusher” erupted a week ago, prompting the hastiest repair job ever by … read more.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s crime rate dropped 6.5 percent in 2012, including a significant decrease in thefts, robberies and burglaries, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner released Thursday. It’s the lowest crime rate since the state … read more.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott is reappointing three agency heads passed over by the Florida Senate. Scott on Thursday announced he was reappointing State Surgeon General John Armstrong along with Michael Crews and Jesse Panuccio. Crews is … read more.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal authorities in Idaho said Thursday they have arrested an Uzbekistan national accused of conspiring with a designated terrorist organization in his home country and helping scheme to use a weapon of mass destruction. The U.S. … read more.

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — A 9-month-old Florida panther has been rescued after a man spotted the injured kitten on his way to work. Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say a homeowner in Collier County saw the … read more.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A 19-year-old with a loaded gun he says he inherited from his grandfather was stopped by Transportation Safety Administration officers at Daytona Beach International Airport. The incident happened Wednesday morning as Thomas Suddard tried to … read more.

MARGATE, Fla. (AP) — Two pedestrians died when a minivan hit them as the crossed State Road 7 near Fort Lauderdale. Margate police say the crash happened just early Thursday morning as the man and woman walked across the street. … read more.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama picked a senior White House budget official to become the acting head of the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday, the same day another top official announced plans to leave the agency amid the controversy … read more.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, seeking to regain his footing amid controversies hammering the White House, named a temporary chief for the scandal-marred Internal Revenue Service Thursday and pressed Congress to approve new security money to prevent another Benghazi-style … read more.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has made job creation his top priority since coming into office, has rejected a proposed deal to bring major Internet retailer Amazon to the state. After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Scott … read more.

GRANBURY, Texas (AP) — Habitat for Humanity spent years in a North Texas subdivision, helping build many of the 110 homes in the low-income area. But its work was largely undone during an outbreak of 13 tornadoes Wednesday night that … read more.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The numbers sum up the frenzy that has taken over the Golden State since it became the newest in the nation to join the madness over Powerball, which saw its jackpot soar Thursday to $550 million. … read more.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government allowed “a small but significant number” of terrorists into America’s witness protection program and then failed to provide the names of some of them for a watch list that’s used to keep dangerous people off … read more.

(AP) — Federal health officials proposed Thursday to overhaul 500,000 child care centers across the country, beefing up safety standards including background and fingerprint checks for employees and requiring states to better monitor the facilities. Roughly 1.6 million U.S. children … read more.

By BRIAN SKOLOFF Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Jurors deciding the fate of convicted murderer Jodi Arias were brought to tears Thursday, visibly shaken by dramatic statements from the victim’s family members as they described how their lives were ripped … read more.

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli watchdog group on Thursday accused the government of taking steps to legalize four unauthorized settlement outposts in the West Bank, days before the U.S. secretary of state is set to arrive on a new peace … read more.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday tried to turn the tables on Republicans who have criticized his administration’s response to last year’s deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, calling on lawmakers to approve his request to increase funding for … read more.

NEW YORK (AP) — Signs of a slowing economy combined with comments from a Federal Reserve official helped pull the stock market down Thursday. The news on the U.S. economy gave investors little to get excited about. Applications for unemployment … read more.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide car bombing tore through a U.S. convoy in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 15 people including six Americans in a blast so powerful it rattled the other side of the Afghan capital. U.S. … read more.

BC-US--Military Sexual Assault, 7th Ld-Writethru,1205 AP Photo WX103 Eds: Restores background. With AP Photos. With BC-US--Military Sexual Assault-Glance, BC-US--Military Sexual Assault-Numbers. By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Thursday the nation’s … read more.

AARSAL, Lebanon (MCT) — The Syrian city of Qusayr lies just 10 miles over the border from Aarsal in northern Lebanon. But the Syrians now crowding into Aarsal said the trip to get here from Qusayr required walking for days. … read more.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved three of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees, including one for an influential appeals court, for a full Senate vote. Senators voted 18-0 to move forward with nomination of Sri Srinivasan … read more.

NORTH PORT — In an effort to keep the Warm Mineral Springs Day Spa open after the June 30 deadline passes, an interlocal agreement is awaiting signatures of the heads of the North Port City and Sarasota County commissions. At … Find out how to read more online.

Edison Collegiate High School, located at Edison State College Charlotte Campus in Punta Gorda, held its inaugural commencement ceremonies Friday evening at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center, also in Punta Gorda. … Find out how to read more online.

The Academy at Charlotte Technical Center, located in Murdock, held its class of 2013 graduation Friday afternoon at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda. … Find out how to read more online.

Charlotte  County births • Avelyn Reagan Gardner, to Johana and Justin Gardner of Port Charlotte, at 9:10 a.m. May 10. She weighed 7 pounds,15 ounces. • Davis Patrick Rooney, to Julie Abbott and Derek Rooney of Punta Gorda, at 12:40 a.m. May 15. He weighed 7 pounds, … Find out how to read more online.

American Legion Post 103 • Sunday Darts winners May 12: Round 1: 1-Paul Martin, Ron Hickson; 2-Sarah Ingels, Mike Hannagan; 3-Bruce Buzzell, Dick Braun. Round 2: 1-Dick Braun, Bruce Buzzell; 2-Christy Buzzell, Sarah Ingels; 3-Nancy Gant, Joey Siracusa. Charlotte Harbor Yacht … Find out how to read more online.

Two Englewood doctors were indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Fort Myers on conspiracy charges after authorities claim they used dummy companies, off-shore bank accounts and Caribbean-based medical schools to hide millions in undeclared income over the last … Find out how to read more online.

PORT CHARLOTTE - Two deputies who were looking for someone with an outstanding warrant wound up discovering an elaborate grow-house operation after smelling a strong odor of marijuana coming from a dwelling on the 21300 block of Hepner Avenue in … Find out how to read more online.

PUNTA GORDA — Kitty-Wan Kenobi slinks through Sandman Book Co. with the understated pride of ownership only a cat can possess. As he roams the aisles of 60,000 books, he couldn’t care less that he can lay partial claim to … Find out how to read more online.

With $18,000 in hand, the organizers behind Charlotte County’s first-ever super-boat races began the monumental task of putting together a three-day event, expected to draw crowds of more than 80,000, in less than 12 months. “We have a lot of … Find out how to read more online.

NORTH FORT MYERS — Charlotte High School’s 2013 graduation ceremony Thursday night at the Lee Civic Center wasn’t principal Richard Shafer’s first time being a part of a commencement at the venue. And it wasn’t the first time he’d given … Find out how to read more online.

From Hurricane Charley to the Great Recession, Charlotte County has been dealing with one disaster after another for nearly a decade. Now officials say they are shifting their focus from “crisis mode” to future growth. And they want to hear … Find out how to read more online.

Willie Wareham has lived in Florida for 25 years. He knows about hurricanes. The Lake Suzy resident huddled together with nine others in his condo and survived Hurricane Charley in 2004. That harrowing experience has taught him a valuable lesson: … Find out how to read more online.