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Reporting from Naples, Italy - In most respects, it was a typical mob shootout: members of feuding clans facing down their rivals on the main street of the small town of Lauro, exchanging gunfire from their cars until three people lay dead and four others wounded. The difference, though, was that the battle between the Cava and Graziano families involved women only. As townspeople looked on in horror, two mothers in their 50s and a 16-year-old girl were slain in their Audi on the streets of the Naples-area community. Yet even after the deadly 2002 firefight, prosecutors were slow to...

NAPLES, Italy – They go by such nicknames as "Fat Cat" and "Tomboy." Their simmering power struggles once drove them into the streets, guns blazing. They rule their crime families with steely determination, and also raise the kids and stir the pasta. Move over, Don Corleone. Godmothers are rising in the ranks of the Camorra, the Naples' area crime syndicate. Women have long played a strong role in Camorra crime families, muscling, sometimes murdering, their way to the top. Their influence stretches back as far as the 1950s when a pregnant former beauty queen dubbed "pupetta" (little doll) shot dead...

NAPLES — Until recently Bobbie French drove a 2002 Chrysler Voyager. Then came the Cash for Clunkers program. French jumped at the opportunity to trade in her clunker for a brand new, more fuel-efficient ride. French made the trade and drove home in a brand new vehicle. For most people, that’s where the story ends. For French, it was just the beginning. Now, the dealership is demanding that she return her new car, or pay $4,500 that the government won’t reimburse.

Mexican drug traffickers are funneling cocaine to Italian organized crime, and some shipments are moving through Dallas. "We've got some of the major cartel members established here dealing their wares in Europe," said James Capra, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Dallas office. .... Across the Atlantic, demand for cocaine is high and prices are up. A kilo sold for $20,000 in Dallas is worth up to three times as much overseas, experts say. Mexican cartel operatives in North Texas "are dealing with Italy, Spain, you name it," he said. "They can operate their logistical center from here and coordinate...

The Naples Florida tea party was an outstanding success thanks to the efforts of many volunteers. It was held at noon at the busy intersection of US 41 (Tamiami Trail) and Pine

April 2, 2009 Italian authorities carry out raids against "Islamist radicals" across country SNIPPET: "Rome, 2 April (AKI) - Twenty-six foreigners suspected of links to international terrorism as well as aiding and abetting illegal immigration are being investigated by Italian police, after raids carried out on Thursday in various Italian cities. The raids were carried out in properties around the northern cities of Vicenza, Venice, Padova, Brescia, Como, Cuneo and Trento, the central city of Florence and the southern city of Caserta. The anti-terrorism and organised crime investigators in March 2007 began probing alleged Islamic fundamentalists attending the Via Dei...

NAPLES — A group of children and parents were trick or treating when witnesses say a black Hyundai drove through the crowd, nearly striking one of the children. One of the parents yelled at the driver to slow down. The driver stopped her car and exited the vehicle holding a three-foot long crow bar. Witnesses say the suspect began swinging the crow bar at the group violently. The suspect struck a parent on the forehead with the crow bar and then drove away quickly. Witnesses were able to jot down the license plate number. The suspect and her vehicle were...

(ANSA) - Naples, September 19 - The Miracle of San Gennaro was repeated on Wednesday when the blood of this city's patron saint liquefied at 9.30am. The event was announced to the thousands packing the cathedral and square outside, who cheered and let off firecrackers. A visibly moved Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the Archbishop of Naples, held up a phial containing the blood of the 3rd-century saint while a traditional white handkerchief was waved. Cardinal Sepe said that, unusually, the blood was already in liquid form when it was taken out of the strongbox where it is stored. But the liquefaction...

Over several centuries, millions of tourists have visited Pompeii to acquaint themselves with the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius that began on Aug. 24, 79 A.D. But while it's the most famous eruption site, the ancient Roman city 15 miles south of Naples isn't the best place to gauge the volcano's awesome destructive power. For that, one should visit lesser-known Herculaneum, which is closer to Vesuvius, or Oplontis and Stabiae, two sites more recently uncovered and still relatively unknown to tourists. In these places, several of which are still being excavated, the eruption's consequences are more visible.

Ritz-Carlton settles lawsuit with Rush guitarist and son The lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge last week after attorneys for the hotel and Justin Zivojinovich agreed to a confidential settlement By AISLING SWIFT Naples Daily News Justin Zivojinovich Daily News file photo Rush guitarist Alex Zivojinovich, whose stage name is Alex Lifeson, speaks to the media after being released from the Collier County jail in January 2004. Zivojinovich’s shirt is covered with his blood from what he said was a broken nose he suffered during his arrest New Year’s Eve at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples. On the left is longtime...

With sky-high gas prices, 42 cents won’t get you very far nowadays. However, it will get you a trip to jail. A 43-year-old Bonita Springs man was arrested Monday morning after Naples police say he stole 42 cents from a mall fountain. Laslo Mujzer, 43, 26801 Silverado East Drive, was charged with petty theft under $100, a misdemeanor. Around 11:15 a.m. Monday, a customer at the Coastland Center mall approached a mall security guard, and told her that a man was stealing money from a fountain outside, police reported. The security guard, Heather Watson, found the man, later identified as...

ROME — Italy's defense chief says 2,500 soldiers will be deployed to some Italian cities to help fight crime. Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa said Friday the soldiers will back up police. After six months, the deployment will be evaluated. Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government is waging a security crackdown to improve safety. Some soldiers will go to Naples, where they will guard plants processing mountains of garbage. Neapolitans have taken to burning garbage in the streets to protest uncollected trash. It is not clear which other cities will receive soldiers.

NAPLES (Reuters) - An Italian businessman who was helping police break organized crime gangs that operate waste disposal rackets in Naples was gunned down on Sunday in an apparent mafia hit, police said. The latest killing in the southern Italian city, which in recent months has become as famous for its piles of trash as for its reputation for crime, came on a day that thousands of people attended a rally against plans to open new rubbish dumps. Police said Michele Orsi, a businessman with mafia links who had turned informant, was shot three times near his home by assailants...

Silvio Berlusconi declares Naples street rubbish dumps 'military no-go zones' By Malcolm Moore in Naples Last Updated: 10:30PM BST 21/05/2008 Silvio Berlusconi promised to wash Italy clean of fear and use "absolute firmness" against any dissent. The 71-year-old prime minister held the first meeting of his new cabinet in rubbish-strewn Naples in order to resolve the city's perennial problems of crime and unemployment. At the end of the five-hour meeting, Mr Berlusconi promised to govern the city and the country with an iron fist. "We have painful tasks ahead, but we will act with unswerving determination," he said. He reclassified...

What was once just a tomato field is now holy land. What was once just a building is now a sacred place. Ave Maria and the Roman Catholic Church joined Monday in a 1,500-year-old ceremony that dedicated the town’s 100-foot, $24 million landmark as a church and made official the link between the new community and its inspiration. Diocese of Venice Bishop Frank Dewane led a two-hour service in front of 1,100 worshipers inside the church, known as the Ave Maria Oratory, and about 1,000 others watching the celebration on closed circuit television nearby. The service functioned like the building’s...

ROME - Tweety may get a chance to take the witness stand and sing like a canary. An Italian court ordered the animated bird, along with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and his girlfriend Daisy, to testify in a counterfeiting case. In what lawyers believe was a clerical error worthy of a Looney Tunes cartoon, a court in Naples sent a summons to the characters ordering them to appear Friday in a trial in the southern Italian city, officials said. The court summons cites Titti, Paperino, Paperina, Topolino — the Italian names for the characters — as damaged parties in the...

How to get there: What it looks like from space: Showing where the campground is (click for full-size): and up close:

NAPLES, Italy (Reuters Life!) - Roman Catholics in Naples crowded the city's cathedral on Wednesday to witness the annual miracle of Saint Gennaro, who died in the 4th century but whose dried blood is said to turn liquid on his feast day. In a ritual first recorded in 1389 -- more than 1,000 years after the martyrdom of Gennaro, also known in English as Saint Januarius -- a church official waved a white handkerchief to the crowds to signal that the dried blood had liquefied on schedule when brought close to relics which are said to be his body. Cardinal...

The ground on the western edges of Naples, Italy is rising, spurring worries of a possible volcanic eruption, but scientists now think they know exactly what is causing the uplift and may be able to better predict any potential eruption. Using GPS measurements, a group of scientists at the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology in Italy monitored the ground’s motions for several years, and based on the patterns they observed, they believe the uplifting is caused by magma intruding from a shallow chamber. The rising motions of the ground reached a peak rate of about three feet per year...

SAN GENNARO: NEW MIRACLE(AGI) - Naples, Sept. 19 - The miracle of San Gennaro's blood that liquefies happened again in the cathedral of Naples during the feast of the Patron Saint, which is the anniversary of the martyrdom which took place in 305 A.C. at the Pozzuoli solfatara. It was announced by the archbishop, cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, who is going to celebrate for the first time on this occasion, after the reading of the Gospel. At 9.20 the archbishop said: 'I would like to announce that a few minutes ago the blood started to melt.' The announcement was welcomed by...

The mayor of Naples has apologised to a US tourist who was beaten up by local residents shortly after he was mugged. The tourist, Matthew Godfrey, 25, from Utah, was attacked, after trying to pursue two men who stole his camera and fled on a scooter. Instead of helping him, a group of bystanders punched and kicked him, allowing the muggers to escape. The mayor, Rosa Russo Jervolino, said the action of the locals in protecting the muggers tarnished the city's name. The police took Mr Godfrey to hospital where he was treated and released and subsequently left Naples. The...

An American tourist was beaten by an angry mob in the streets of Naples after he chased down two men who had just stolen his camera, police said Wednesday. The tourist, identified by Italian police as 25-year-old Matthew Thomas Godfrey of Utah, was taking pictures of a church in central Naples Monday night, when two men snatched his camera and fled on a scooter. The American chased the thieves into a narrow alley when a group of local residents attacked him with punches and kicks, allowing the muggers to escape, Naples police said in a statement.

ROME — If you get mugged in Naples, don't fight back. An American tourist was beaten by an angry mob in the streets of the southern Italian city after he chased down two men who had just stolen his camera, police said Wednesday. [snip] The American chased the thieves into a narrow alley when a group of local residents attacked him with punches and kicks, allowing the muggers to escape, Naples police said in a statement. [snip]

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed: - Bishop Casimiro Lopez Llorente of Zamora, Spain, as bishop of Segorbe- Castellon de la Plana (area 4,380, population 449,043, Catholics 419,701, priests 282, permanent deacons 4, religious 513), Spain. - Msgr. Frank J. Dewane of the clergy of the diocese of Green Bay, U.S.A., under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, as coadjutor of Venice (area 22,685, population 1,766,651, Catholics 218,173, priests 239, permanent deacons 75, religious 202), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Green Bay in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1988. * *...

If thought Hurricane Katrina could destroy the city of New Orleans or the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 did to Galveston. There was another strong hurricane that hit Texas in 1886. This hurricane hit the town of Indianola, which is located on the Gulf Coast. It was a thriving port town, second to Galveston. Indianola was established in 1846 in Calhoun County. It was hit by a hurricane on September 15, 1875, which claimed hundreds of lives. However, it quickly rebuilt, but on a smaller scale. Sometimes in early August, a cluster of thunderstorms moved off the coast of Africa...

Brescia and Naples, 18 Nov. (AKI) - The three Algerians detained on Tuesday in the Italian cities of Brescia and Naples were planning a massive terror attack - "on a ship as big as the Titanic, packed with explosives" - that aimed to kill "at least 10,000 people", as well as an attack on "Italian citizens and interests" in Tunisia, according phone conversations between the three men, which Italian anti-terror police say they intercepted after al-Qaeda's deadly 7 July attacks on London and on the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. In their tapped phone conversations, Yamine Bouhrama, Mohamed...

Plans to 'top' 9/11 strikes 23/12/2005 20:13  - (SA)   Related Articles Pullout 'will lead to attacks' US at risk for more attacks US had 'bomber' in their hands Why is Osama so quiet?    Rome - Three Algerians arrested in an anti-terrorist operation in southern Italy are suspected of being linked to a planned new series of attacks in the United States, interior minister Giuseppe Pisanu said Friday. The attacks would have targeted ships, stadiums or railway stations in a bid to outdo the September 11 2001 strikes by al-Qaeda in New York and Washington which killed about 2 700 people, Pisanu...

Band members seeking millions over New Year's scuffle By JOHN HENDERSON, Daily News staff November 11, 2005 Members of the internationally known rock group Rush are seeking "tens of millions of dollars" in federal court from Collier County Sheriff's Office deputies and the Naples hotel where their lead guitarist was involved in a New Year's Eve scuffle. In an amended complaint recently filed to a civil lawsuit, Alex Zivojinovich's fellow band members could now become plaintiffs in the case, and end up testifying locally in depositions or at trial. Filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers, the amended complaint...

Italian media report that Al Qaeda is moving operatives through Italy on their way to North Africa and Europe with the help of [the] Naples-based Camorra. Italian investigators say Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda organization is moving deep into the Mediterranean peninsula's underworld of organized crime. Italian media recently revealed that hundreds of Al Qaeda operatives coming from North Africa are being sent to Northern Europe though a maze of safe houses belonging to the Neapolitan Camorra, a Naples-based criminal network akin to the Mafia. The internationally connected Camorra organization specializes in drug trafficking, prostitution, gambling and human and arms trafficking. Historically, the...

Editor's Note: Italian media report that Al Qaeda is moving operatives through Italy on their way to North Africa and Europe with the help of a Naples-based criminal network similar to the Mafia. Italian investigators say Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda organization is moving deep into the Mediterranean peninsula's underworld of organized crime. Italian media recently revealed that hundreds of Al Qaeda operatives coming from North Africa are being sent to Northern Europe though a maze of safe houses belonging to the Neapolitan Camorra, a Naples-based criminal network akin to the Mafia. The internationally connected Camorra organization specializes in drug...

ABOARD THE USS MOUNT WHITNEY, Oct. 21, 2005 – Business leaders participating in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference today got to visit a one-of-a-kind Navy ship and sail off the coast of Naples, Italy. The USS Mount Whitney, the flagship for the 6th Fleet, is the only Navy ship with a hybrid crew of civilian and military personnel. About 60 percent of the crew are Navy personnel, and 40 percent are civilian mariners from the Military Sealift Command. The USS Mount Whitney is being used as a test platform for the hybrid crew model, said Navy Capt. Tadd Wheeler, commanding...

September 19 SAINT JANUARIUS BISHOP AND MARTYR AND HIS COMPANIONS MARTYRS Januarius is ever preaching the Gospel to every creature; for his miraculous blood perpetuates the testimony he bore to Christ. Let those who say who say they cannot believe unless they see, go to Naples; there they will behold the martyr's blood, when placed near his head which cut off sixteen hundred years ago, to liquefy and boil as at the moment it escaped from his sacred veins. No; miracles are not lacking in the Church at the present day. True, God cannot subject Himself to the fanciful requirements...

Miracle of San Gennaro repeatedDried blood of Naples' patron saint liquefies (ANSA) - Naples, September 19 - Thousands of people packed into this city's cathedral Monday morning to watch the blood of patron saint San Gennaro liquefy in the repetition of a centuries-old 'miracle.' The miracle officially took place at 09.56 (07.56gmt) and was announced by the archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Michele Giordano, who held up a phial containing the blood while a white handkerchief was waved from the altar to the applause of the crowd. This year the miracle took on special importance because it marked 1,700 years from...

Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson Breaks Silence on Arrest and Trial Douglas Maher-All Headline News Staff Reporter June 9,2005 1:47 EST Toronto,Canada (AHN)-The guitarist for the rock trio Rush has responded to the events leading to his arrest on New Years Eve 2003 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Naples,Florida. Lifeson issued the following statement today appearing on Blogcritics.org: "In like a lion, out like a lamb. These words appeared in a Naples Daily News editorial on April 27, describing the outcome of the criminal charges against my family and myself. After fifteen months of living in fear and anxiety, and...

Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson and Family Want Ritz To Pick Up Tab In Lawsuit Douglas Maher-All Headline News Reporter June 3,2005 3:15 EST Naples,Florida (AHN)-Guitarist for the rock band Rush, Alex Lifeson, his son Justin, and daughter-in-law Michelle filed a lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Ft.Myers, Florida against the Ritz-Carlton, its security director and three sheriff’s deputies stemming from a New Year’s Eve 2003 altercation at the Naples hotel. Alex, Justin and Michelle Zivojinovich allege the defendants violated their civil rights, battered and falsely imprisoned them before their arrests on criminal charges that were either later dropped or...

ALARM - Explosion In Naples: several casualties ROME - Several people were wounded Friday in an explosion close from a market in Naples (southern), announced the Ansa agency specifying that this one seemed to be caused by a car.

A trial date has been set for the lead guitarist of the internationally known rock group Rush, who is facing felony charges for an altercation with Collier County deputies at the Ritz-Carlton on New Year's Eve 2004. Alex Zivojinovich, who is accused of pushing a female deputy down a hotel stairwell and spitting his blood on a male officer, is scheduled to stand trial for assault charges on May 16. "I think it's going to trial May 16," said his Naples defense attorney Jerry Berry as he was leaving the courthouse on Wednesday morning. But trial could be avoided if...

Criminal case against Rush guitarist expected to be resolved next month By JOHN HENDERSON, jfhenderson@naplesnews.com January 6, 2005 Alex Zivojinovich aka Alex Lifeson Justin Zivojinovich A criminal case involving the lead guitarist for the rock group Rush is expected to be resolved next month. It has been more than a year since Alex Zivojinovich, known on stage as Alex Lifeson, was arrested for scuffling with Collier County sheriff's deputies at the Ritz-Carlton, Naples at a New Year's Eve bash ringing in 2004. He is facing two third-degree felony charges that could carry five-year prison sentences. Lawyers for both sides will...

Thirty people have been killed in Naples, Italy, in the past two months, including two on Monday.NAPLES, ITALY - Christmas might be just a few days away, but here in Forcella, a neighborhood in the heart of old Naples, you'd hardly know. There are no decorations festooned across these dark, decaying alleyways - just the usual strings of drying jeans and underwear. That's not because the locals have lost their faith. Far from it. They are among Italy's humblest and most devout Catholics. But nobody here is celebrating; the entire street is still in mourning. Nine months ago, on a...

One of the world's best-preserved Bronze Age villages has been found at Nola, a few miles from Vesuvius, during routine tests before construction of a shopping center. A catastrophic eruption of the volcano, known to have taken place between 1800 and 1750 B.C., left this "Prehistoric Pompeii" in a state of remarkable preservation... Although much of the structure of the prehistoric huts was destroyed by the eruption, falling ash and volcanic mud hardened to create a kind of mold of the village in reverse, much like the casts of the victims of Vesuvius' more famous eruption. In addition to...

Gold bracelet found on arm of (slave?) girl killed near Pompeii by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. On the inside of the bracelet is carved "from the Master to his slave girl" (DOM[I]NUS ANCILLAE SUAE).

The Associated Press NAPLES, Italy Jan. 31 — Police arrested 28 Pakistanis found in possession of explosives, hundreds of forged documents and maps of the Naples area with "sensitive targets" circled, authorities said Friday.In a statement, police said they had uncovered an "al-Qaida terrorist cell," but gave no further details on the Pakistanis' alleged involvement with al-Qaida or any other international terrorist group.A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said late Friday officers "might have gotten ahead of themselves" in announcing an al-Qaida link in the headline of their news release.The official also dismissed Italian news reports that the...

TERRORISM: Al Qaeda Group Busted in Italy February 2, 2003: During a routine sweep for illegal immigrants, Italian police rounded up 28 Pakistanis suspected of being terrorists. Police found two pounds of dynamite, 165 feet of explosive fuse and various detonators, as well as hundreds of forged documents and maps of metropolitan Naples. Authorities said "sensitive targets" were circled with a pen but would not elaborate, while Italian news reports said the possible targets included the U.S. Consulate in Naples and nearby NATO bases. One map was to the town of Bagnoli (outside Naples), where the NATO southern headquarters is...

A Naples podiatrist announced Tuesday he is closing his foot and ankle practice shortly to relocate to his native Iraq to run for the presidency in the 2005 elections. Rasool Sharif, 58, said he has returned to Iraq twice in the past two months and recently was asked by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's influential Shia cleric, to return for more meetings. "I was the only American who has met with him," said Sharif, who owns the Foot & Ankle Clinic at 198 Ninth St. N. "I met with a lot of people there, a lot of intellectual people." Sharif...

A Lee County middle-schooler fought her school district this week for the right to hand out anti-abortion literature on school grounds and lost, but she said Friday she's not backing down. Michelle Heinkel, an eighth-grader at Cypress Lake Middle School, had one last chance Friday morning to garner permission to distribute the literature Friday on the national Day of Remembrance." The day observes pregnancies terminated through abortion and the women who underwent the procedure. Michelle's attorney, Joel Oster, asked U.S. District Judge John E. Steele on Friday to reconsider his Wednesday ruling barring Heinkel from distributing the pamphlets, produced by...

HAVENS On Florida's West Coast, a Would-Be Palm Beach By ROBERT ANDREW POWELL Published: March 12, 2004 WE'RE HERE. Larry White, a real estate agent, and his wife, Mary Catherine, at a gated entrance in Naples, Fla. YOUR HOUSE HERE. Paved streets lead to empty lots in a future neighborhood in Naples, Fla. AS you drive in from the Everglades on the Tamiami Trail, Naples announces itself on billboards. "Premier master-planned gated" communities with names like Veronawalk and Grandézza offer "patio homes, single-family homes, and townhomes" from the $200,000's in some developments to more than $4 million in others. At...

Something called the Arlington South protest is coming to Florida. The first one will be 3/20/04 in Naples. I would be happy to have some support to counter this demonsrtation. Thanks....Here is part of the e-mail I recieved.... "Peace activists in the SW Florida area have nearly completed the assembly of 600 crosses out of recycled construction site wood to use in a similar display as shown in the above photo" "We are looking to take our crosses on the road, possibly down as far as Key West, up the east coast, and even along the gulf coast if possible."

Still Supporting the Troops One Year Later 2/2/04 by Christopher Pritchard. It all started one year ago in late February 2003 Support America and Support the Troops rallies sprang up all over this country. They were started to counter the worldwide well funded and well-organized anti-war rallies. These spontaneous rallies were word of mouth and homemade sign events. It doesn't make the papers but this one is still going on. Carol Grubbs and Everett Short just two of the people that have continued to show up every Sunday mourning from 10am to Noon to wave flags and hold signs. The...

Mzzz. Curatolo at work"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." That’s exactly how the first amendment to the constitution reads regarding the practice of religion in America. Would someone please tell me how a school board invocation before commencing business is congress making a law respecting the establishment of religion? Nobody can, because congress isn’t making any law establishing religion when such happens. The Naples School board has been saying a prayer before their board meeting for some 50 years. Board member and Northeastern liberal Kathleen Curatolo (who ran as a...

The lead guitarist of a rock band — who deputies say they zapped with stun guns during a drunken fracas New Year’s Eve at the Ritz-Carlton hotel — was released Friday from the Collier County Jail. Arrested along with Rush band member Alex Zivojinovich, 46, of Bay Colony Drive, Naples, were his son, Justin Zivojinovich, 33, and his son’s wife, Michelle Zivojinovich, 30, both of Canada. The son and daughter-in-law were released Thursday on cash bail of $3,000 and $500 respectively. Alex Zivojinovich — better known by the stage name Alex Lifeson — was released on a bond of $14,500...