President Barack Obama said yesterday he will send Congress new policy proposals for reducing gun violence by January. Vice President Joe Biden will lead an administration-wide effort to create that new recommendation. The President also pledged to push for their implementation without delay. The president also made a challenge to the National Rifle Association to become of the plan to reduce gun violence.

Some Bay area teachers are dismissing a suggestion from State Representative Dennis Baxley Monday that schools would be safer if more people in schools had guns. Wednesday’s Tampa Bay Times quoted Joe Vitalo, president of the Hernando Classroom Teachers Association as saying "the last thing you want to do is to put weapons into hands of people who aren't fully trained."

A state audit of the Division of Blind Services uncovered what they call “sweetheart deals” and has fired two employees, suspended two others without pay, and forced two more to resign. One of those forced to resign was the division's director, Joyce Hildreth. One of those deals involved computer programmer quitting her $59,000 computer programming position and returning the next day as a $156,000 contractor. That move had the approval of all managers.

Pasco County sheriff’s deputies arrested a Port Richey man that they say made car repairs with Play-Doh and wax, then took the money and disappeared. Nicholas Johnson was arrested last week and charged with retail theft and scheming to defraud

The first major winter storm has made a mess of travel in the West and Midwest as it heads for the northeast coast.  Blizzard like conditions from Kansas to Wisconsin are closing schools and business, and cancelling flights. Some cities could see up to a foot of snow. Up to this point many cities in the Midwest had broken records for the number of consecutive days without measurable snow.