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Florida Woman Melissa Jester Charged with Property Deed Fraud and Grand Theft

Florida Woman Melissa Jester Charged with Property Deed Fraud and Grand Theft

Melissa Jester, 41, of Bunnell, Florida, has been arrested and charged with grand theft and obtaining property by swindle. Authorities allege that Jester orchestrated a deed fraud scheme, illicitly transferring ownership of three vacant lots in Palm Coast, Florida, from a victim who had owned them for nearly two decades. Jester is accused of forging the property owner's signature on deeds, transferring the land to Florida Ohana Homes LLC, a company she controlled, and subsequently selling one of the lots for nearly $30,000. The victim discovered the unauthorized transfers and sale on August 27. Detectives traced forged documents and financial transactions, including surveillance video showing Jester signing a warranty deed and having it notarized. Funds from the sale were deposited into the company's Bank of America account, and Jester allegedly transferred $8,000 to her personal VyStar Credit Union account, spending it on hotel stays and purchases. Law enforcement has recovered over $20,000 of the proceed...

NOAA Fisheries Proposes Shrimp Fishery Access Area in Oculina Bank to Optimize Yield

NOAA Fisheries Proposes Shrimp Fishery Access Area in Oculina Bank to Optimize Yield

NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comments on a proposed rule to establish a shrimp fishery access area within the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern (OHAPC). This action, proposed through Amendment 11 to the FMP for Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hard Bottom Habitats and Amendment 12 to the FMP for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region, aims to allow vessels with valid limited access commercial rock shrimp permits to bottom trawl for rock shrimp in a designated 14.10 NM2 area. The OHAPC, located off Ft. Pierce, Florida, was established to protect deep-water coral habitats, primarily Oculina varicosa. Recent mapping and seafloor assessments in the proposed access area have indicated soft bottom/flat substrate with no evidence of Oculina corals. The proposal includes a variable buffer zone of 350 to 1,580 meters between the access area and known coral pinnacles to prevent adverse impacts from trawling. The comment period for the proposed rule is open from November 12, 2026, through Decem...

Florida is worth fighting for. Democrats can win it | Opinion

Florida is worth fighting for. Democrats can win it | Opinion

Florida held the line for Republicans, but not before giving up a great deal of ground to Democrats, who can learn from Texas and Georgia.

Everglades Restoration Accelerates, Faces Water Quality and Staffing Challenges

Everglades Restoration Accelerates, Faces Water Quality and Staffing Challenges

The restoration of Florida's Everglades is progressing at an accelerated pace, marked by improved collaboration between federal and state governments and a significant increase in funding. A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine indicates that several key projects are complete, and benefits are beginning to be observed on the ground, such as improved dry season water flows in certain areas. However, the report also highlights critical challenges, including inconsistent scientific analysis of these benefits, which hinders a comprehensive understanding of the restoration's effectiveness. Furthermore, concerns have been raised about the loss of federal staff responsible for Endangered Species Act protections, which could impede future progress. A major hurdle remains the failure to meet the Water Quality-Based Effluent Limitation (WQBEL) for nutrient pollution, a standard crucial for the full operation of the massive reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, a centerpiece o...

Aedes aegypti Mosquito Poses Significant Daytime Disease Threat in U.S.

Aedes aegypti Mosquito Poses Significant Daytime Disease Threat in U.S.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, is a significant daytime feeder and a highly effective vector for diseases such as dengue fever, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Unlike many other mosquito species that are active at night, Aedes aegypti is most active during the early morning and late afternoon. This species has adapted to human environments, often living indoors or near homes, and preferentially targets human ankles and feet. Female Aedes aegypti can lay eggs in minimal amounts of standing water, even as little as a bottle cap full, making their eradication challenging. While native to Africa, these mosquitoes have spread globally and are now a concern in U.S. states like Texas, Florida, and California, which have temperate climates and large human populations.

Ascension St. Vincent's Expands Primary Care Services in St. Johns County with Three New Clinics

Ascension St. Vincent's Expands Primary Care Services in St. Johns County with Three New Clinics

Ascension St. Vincent's has announced a significant expansion of its primary care services across St. Johns County, Florida, with the addition of three new clinic locations. These new facilities will be situated in Aberdeen, Nocatee, and Fruit Cove. The Aberdeen clinic is slated to open in December 2026, followed by the Nocatee clinic in winter 2027, and the Fruit Cove location later in 2027. This expansion is a direct response to the rapid population growth experienced in St. Johns County, which saw a nearly 27% increase between 2020 and 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The new clinics aim to provide essential services such as routine wellness examinations, preventive screenings, treatment for common illnesses, and chronic disease management. Patients will also benefit from coordinated access to Ascension St. Vincent's broader network of specialists throughout Northeast Florida.

Canadian Travelers Unaware of Travel Advisory Impact on US Insurance Coverage

Canadian Travelers Unaware of Travel Advisory Impact on US Insurance Coverage

A 2026 survey commissioned by Global Affairs Canada revealed that only 28% of Canadians are aware that changes in a destination's risk level can affect travel insurance coverage, potentially leading to denied claims. This awareness gap is particularly significant as Canadian 'snowbirds' prepare for winter stays in the US. The survey found that 56% of respondents were unaware of this impact, and 16% were unsure. While Canada's US travel advisory remains at its lowest risk level ('take normal security precautions'), recent updates on September 24 and October 15 included health information, such as a dengue outbreak alert for Florida's Hillsborough County. Although these health alerts are not formal travel advisories, policy wording can determine whether regional warnings affect coverage, and insurers have differing responses when an advisory escalates during a trip.

Wastewater Surveillance Proposed as Key Tool for Detecting Deadly Fungal Infections Amid Growing Global Threat

Wastewater Surveillance Proposed as Key Tool for Detecting Deadly Fungal Infections Amid Growing Global Threat

Researchers are advocating for the use of wastewater surveillance as a crucial method for detecting deadly fungal infections, a threat that is escalating due to a warming climate, an increase in immunocompromised individuals, and a limited number of effective antifungal drugs. Fungi like Candida auris, first identified in Japan in 2009, have spread globally, exhibiting resistance to multiple drugs and causing difficult-to-control hospital outbreaks. Despite fungal infections causing approximately 2.5 million deaths worldwide annually—surpassing tuberculosis and malaria combined—they receive little attention, often viewed as complications of existing illnesses rather than public health threats. Current hospital-based monitoring systems frequently miss the true spread of these pathogens due to biological factors, such as many people carrying fungi asymptomatically, and technical limitations in testing. Wastewater monitoring offers a community-wide snapshot, with studies in southern Nevada and Florida demonst...

AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage Offers Comprehensive FF Logistics Services in Tallahassee, Florida

AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage Offers Comprehensive FF Logistics Services in Tallahassee, Florida

AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage Offers Comprehensive FF Logistics Services in Tallahassee, Florida

El Niño is coming for your 5-day weather forecast

El Niño is coming for your 5-day weather forecast

A strong El Niño has already upended hurricane season and sent planetary waves to batter California. Soon its effects could steer daily U.S. weather.

Canadian Firms Consider St. Petersburg for New Offices Following Business Recruitment Trip

Canadian Firms Consider St. Petersburg for New Offices Following Business Recruitment Trip

Canadian Firms Consider St. Petersburg for New Offices Following Business Recruitment Trip

Federal Indictment Charges Florida Correctional Officer with Bribery and Contraband Smuggling

Federal Indictment Charges Florida Correctional Officer with Bribery and Contraband Smuggling

Weston Burney, a 34-year-old correctional officer in Florida, has been charged by federal indictment with one count of receipt of a bribe by a public official and one count of providing contraband to a federal prisoner. According to the indictment, between February and June 2025, Burney, employed by the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), accepted monetary payments in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex. The contraband included tobacco and Methyl 3,3-dimethyl-2-(1-(pent-4-en-1-yl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamido) butanoate (MDMB-4en-PINACA), a Schedule I controlled substance, which he provided to an inmate. The investigation is being conducted by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, with Assistant United States Attorney Angela Moon Palacios prosecuting the case. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. Burney is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.