Michigan mom buys coffee for women who insulted her

FORT GRATIOT, Mich.- A Michigan mother found a way to stand above women who insulted her while standing in line at a coffee shop. Dianne Hoffmeyer was with her 22-month-old, attempting to get donut holes at a Tim Horton’s to please the teething child, and, maybe, a coffee for her sleep-deprived self. Hoffmeyer says that’s […]

Accountant pleads guilty in $3.4M tax refund fraud scheme

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – A South Florida certified public accountant has pleaded guilty to a lengthy $3.4 million tax refund fraud scheme. Pamella B. Watson of Davie faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty Friday to wire fraud. Sentencing is set for Dec. 4. Court documents show Watson falsified tax refund amounts […]

Former officer gets 9 years for working with drug trafficker

MIAMI (AP) – A former South Florida police officer has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for working with a drug trafficker. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reports that 34-year-old Andres Quintanilla was sentenced on Thursday. He pleaded guilty in July to one count of attempting to affect commerce by extortion under color of law. […]

Florida GOP OKs ballot access rules for presidential primary

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – The Republican Party of Florida is giving presidential candidates three options to get on the March 15 primary ballot: attend a party-hosted summit, pay $25,000 or gather 125 signatures from all 27 congressional districts. The party’s executive committee approved the ballot criteria on Friday with a 35-1 vote. The party was […]

Consumer confidence dropping in Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Consumer confidence in Florida is dropping. The monthly University of Florida consumer sentiment survey released Friday showed that consumer confidence fell by about three points this month. The new survey shows that consumer sentiment was 87.9 in September. That’s on a scale of 2 to 150 benchmarked to 1966 at a […]

Police lights crime

Boy runs for help as stranger beats parents in motel room

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. (AP) – Police say a 9-year-old boy ran for help as a stranger beat his adopted parents in their Daytona Beach Shores motel room. Police Sgt. Mike Fowler says 49-year-old Zachary Brownlee knocked on the motel room door Wednesday afternoon and the boy let him into the room. He asked 77-year-old […]

Sprint offering to lease new iPhone 6s for as little as $1

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) – A new iPhone for $1 a month? That’s what Sprint is charging for the iPhone 6s. The larger Plus version goes for $5 a month. T-Mobile, meanwhile, will charge $5 a month for the iPhone 6s and $9 for the Plus. The catch: You must have last year’s iPhone 6 […]

VW names head of Porsche unit as new CEO

BERLIN (AP) – Volkswagen’s board has named Matthias Mueller, the head of the group’s Porsche unit, to be the new CEO and to lead the world’s top-selling automaker past a growing emissions-rigging scandal. Friday’s appointment by the supervisory board meeting comes after the previous CEO, Martin Winterkorn, quit the job this week over the scandal, […]

1 1/2-pound baby born on cruise ship beats odds to survive

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A Utah woman who unexpectedly gave birth on a cruise ship months before her due date says she wrapped towels around the 1 1/2-pound boy and, with the help of medical staff, managed to keep him alive until the ship reached port. Emily Morgan, of Ogden, said Thursday that doctors […]

FBI warns public about ‘virtual kidnappings’

The FBI is sending alerts about a rising telephone scam called “virtual kidnappings,” reports CBS News correspondent Mireya Villarreal. It starts with a frantic call from an unfamiliar voice, telling you someone you know has been kidnapped and is in danger. The kidnappers use social media to learn more about their victims–where they live, places […]