VERO BEACH  — A woman who told detectives she went “into a rage” when she killed her 81-year-old mother during a March 9 physical attack pleaded guilty Friday to a second-degree murder charge.

In court, Crystal Kohler, 39, who is listed in court documents as Crystal Marie Williams, was ordered to serve life in prison for the stabbing death of Carmelina Kohler, 81.

More: Woman admits attacking mother, Carmelina Kohler, inside IRC home

Investigators found Carmelina Kohler inside her garage under boxes and blankets with stab wounds “to her abdomen and neck.”  She had been reported missing by family members.

While being questioned about her mother’s sudden disappearance, investigators discovered Crystal...

With the country tumbling into a coronavirus-fueled recession, many Americans are searching for employment.

To answer this issue, virtual career fairs have popped up with the hopes of filling needs for job seekers and employers in a safe environment. The pandemic has posed challenges in connecting with companies as the job-searching process has traditionally relied on in-person interactions. 

CareerSource Southwest Florida held one of these virtual fairs on Thursday, the same day the U.S. economy’s worst contraction on record was reported.

The need for such an event has proven to be high in the region. 

In June, the unemployment rate dropped to a still-high 9.7% from 12...

Hurricane Isaias (ees-ah-EE-ahs) is the ninth named storm for 2020, which usually usually doesn’t arrive until October, weather officials said.

As of noon Friday,  Isaias was forecast to remain a Category 1 hurricane as it moves toward Florida. It’s expected to be just offshore the Treasure Coast Saturday night, and just offshore of Brevard County by Sunday morning, according to Treasure Coast emergency management officials.

Because of the approach of Hurricane Isaias, a hurricane watch has been issued for the Treasure Coast and Brevard County.

More: Update: Hurricane Isaias weakens slightly; hurricane watches issued for east coast of Florida

More: Treasure Coast residents prepare for Hurricane Isaias

A hurricane watch means hurricane con...

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Firefighters are making more headway on the Caldwell Fire that’s been burning in the Modoc National Forest since July 22.

The lightning-caused blaze stayed within control lines Thursday and remained at 79,316 acres Friday morning while containment reached 61% — a big jump from Thursday’s 45%.

Firefighters paused Friday to honor David Ruhl, who died in the line of duty July 31, 2015, while scouting a Modoc County wildfire...

In the span of a few months Gov. Ron DeSantis has gone from one of the most admired state leaders in America to one of the most disparaged, with an approval rating that has dropped precipitously as coronavirus cases surged.

A pair of recent polls indicate more Floridians now disapprove of the job DeSantis is doing than approve. The latest was released Friday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy. It shows that 49% of Florida voters disapprove of the governor’s job performance, compared to 45% who approve.

That’s a 17 percentage point drop from the 62% of Florida voters who approved of DeSantis in a Mason-Dixon poll from last year.

The stunning turnaround is another example of how politicians often are defi...

VERO BEACH — A show producer for The Weather Channel said her team didn’t choose to broadcast at Sexton Plaza Friday — Hurricane Isaias did.

Around 11:30 a.m., the camera team filmed on Sexton Plaza under a blue canopy while meteorologist Reynolds Wolf stood in the sand and talked about the perils of a hurricane in the middle of a pandemic.

More: Update: Hurricane Isaias weakens slightly; hurricane watches issued for east coast of Florida

“We’re here through the duration of the storm,” said Weather Channel producer Jade Merritt.

There was no evidence of Isaias approaching from the south as beachgoers swam in calm water and sunbathed on the shore.

Several people stopped to talk to the crew...

The Redding Rancheria has filed a lawsuit against the city of Redding and Shasta Land Holdings LLC, saying the city improperly sold city-owned land off Interstate 5 to the private group, a move that could “kill” the tribe’s plan to relocate its Win-River Resort and Casino to its Sacramento River-front property in south Redding.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Shasta County Superior Court.

Redding Rancheria said the council met in closed session earlier this year to declare the city-owned land to be surplus and sell it to the limited liability corporation...

As the Treasure Coast waits to see what impacts Hurricane Isaias may bring this weekend, some residents Friday were taking no chances and getting prepared.

At a Publix in Stuart on U.S. 1 by Indian Street, Shawn Whitney, 47, was loading things up.

“ I just got four, 5-gallon (containers) of gas, and I’m getting some water and eggs,” Whitney said, noting they have a generator.

More: Update: Hurricane Isaias weakens slightly; hurricane watches issued for east coast of Florida

Inside the Publix, there was plenty of toilet paper, which had been in short supply in months past, but few paper towels. There also appeared to be a big dent in the bottled water aisle.

Whitney, of Stuart, also said ...

The Treasure Coast reported 166 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 10,797, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Eight new deaths associated with COVID-19 were reported for the Treasure Coast Friday, bringing the death toll associated with the virus to 240.

The death toll increased by four in Indian River County and two each in St. Lucie and Martin counties.

►COVID-19 news in Indian River County:  Subscriptions start as low as $39 a year

Health officials have said the virus is not necessarily the cause of death, but they record people who at some point test positive for the virus and later die.

Here’s a breakdown of the latest numbers across the Treasure Co...

Southwest Florida’s fireball this month was not “decaying space” junk, according to the U.S. Air Force.

The July 14 event is among the most documented within Southwest and Central Florida and Tampa Bay. That’s based on data from the Belgium-based International Meteor Organization, which has records dating to 1980 and became more aggressive in tracking in 2004.

The reports that evening about 9 p.m. largely covered a triangle from Naples through Sanibel and Sarasota to Tampa Bay and across the I-4 corridor through Polk County to Leesburg, Sanford and DeLand.

More: In the Know: What was that exceptionally bright fireball darting across the sky? (with video)

And: In the Know: Naples Airport, the $440 million driveway of the...