By CURT ANDERSON - AP Legal Affairs Writer

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- When the sharp pain shooting through Lisa Strong's back got worse, she thought it was another kidney stone and expected the discomfort to pass. This time was different.

Through a series of mistakes, miscommunications and misdiagnoses, she wound up having her arms and legs amputated. She sued the doctors, who essentially blamed one another for what everyone involved agrees were profound errors.

Everyone except the jury that ruled against Strong.

The verdict came in the face of such overwhelming evidence that in a rare move, the judge tossed out the jury's decision and ordered a new trial.

As she awaits her second chance in court, Strong vividly remembers the day she became ill.

On Sept. 20, 2003, she was at her job at a mall and could barely walk. She went home, and hours later, the pain grew more intense. Her fever spiked at 106 degrees. She decided to go the ER.



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By Christine Buurma

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Florida regulators on Tuesday approved Progress Energy's request for a $6.5 million interim electric rate increase.

Progress Energy Florida, a utility owned by Progress Energy Inc. (PGN), Raleigh, N.C., said it needed the short-term rate increase to cover the cost of doing business until the Florida Public Service Commission decides whether the utility can raise rates by $500 million in 2010. The increase would allow Progress to recover costs associated with upgrades to the electric grid and to the utility's power plants.

Because rate proceedings can take several months, utilities sometimes ask regulators to approve temporary rate increases. In a February letter to the Public Service Commission, Jeffrey Lyash, Progress Energy Florida's president and chief executive, said the utility "may not be able to continue to provide reliable, efficient electric service to its customers" without the proposed interim rate increase.

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Proving that he’s as good as his word, all-but-declared governor candidate, S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster, announced today that they will move forward with a criminal investigation and potential prosecution.

In a press release, McMaster’s office said: “As of 5:00 p.m. this afternoon, the craigslist South Carolina site continues to display advertisements for prostitution and graphic pornographic material. This content was not removed as we requested. We have no alternative but to move forward with criminal investigation and potential prosecution.”

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The Associated Press

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Federal regulators are sitting down to answer questions about safety performance at a South Carolina nuclear plant.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is holding an open house on Monday to answer questions about the Catawba nuclear power plant in York County owned by Duke Energy Inc.

NRC staff will be available to answer questions on the plant's safety performance and the agency's role.

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By John Davis

State health officials confirmed a case of swine flu in Orange County on Sunday, bringing the total number of people with the virus statewide to three. The third case is a 14-year-old girl visiting from Mexico who has returned to her home country.

In an "abundance of caution," Hillsborough County closed three schools for a thorough cleaning after some students came down with flu symptoms. The threat of swine flu also altered Communion ceremonies for local Catholics and kept some from shaking hands during Mass.

Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties do not have any confirmed cases of the virus, though Charlotte and Manatee counties have samples pending with the state lab in Tampa and should get the results of those tests this week.

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