Florida

Writers from around Tribune Co. offer their ideas about who would be the perfect choice as the next UCLA men's basketball coach. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment of your own. Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times The perfect coach for UCLA would be a combination of its last two coaches: Steve Lavin and Ben Howland. Lavin had the public relations skills that Howland woefully lacked, and Howland had the intensity and discipline that Lavin was too young to administer.

Plaxico Burress no longer has a driver's license, according to a report by TMZ.com. The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles is said to have suspended the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver's license Monday after he failed to cough up the damages he was ordered to pay a woman who claimed to be injured in a 2008 car crash with the NFL veteran. The woman, Alise Smith, sued to have Burress pay the medical bills for her neck and back injuries and was awarded $125,000 plus interest by a judge in January 2012.

SALT LAKE CITY  -- Arizona is thrilled to be playing Harvard on Saturday on its way to next week's West regional in Los Angeles. No one can say that, but it's only human Tucson nature. Wanting to play No. 14 instead of No. 3 to reach the Sweet 16 is a no-brainer. Arizona in its head is thinking, "We get Harvard instead of a New Mexico team some had penciled for the Final Four. " Arizona is thrilled, but it should also be terrified. Have you been paying attention?

A new themed land debuting at Legoland Florida this summer will take visitors to a fantasy world where animal tribes battle for possession of a mystical energy source known as chi . Photos: World of Chima themed land at Legoland Florida Debuting in July, the new World of Chima themed land will include an interactive boat ride, a 4-D film and walk-around characters based on a new line of Lego construction toys and a Cartoon Network television...

A student at the University of Central Florida may have aborted his plan to massacre fellow students at his dorm and decided instead to kill himself, officials said Monday. Authorities identified the dead man as James Oliver Seevakumara, 30, of Lake Mary, Fla., who was found shot in the head in his bedroom of a four-bedroom suite in the Tower 1 residence hall. He had a .45-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber tactical rifle and a backpack containing four improvised explosive devices, officials said.

Seeded teams 1 KANSAS: An embarrassing loss to Texas Christian was part of a three-game early February skid, but the Jayhawks righted their ship and finished by winning nine of 10. 2 GEORGETOWN: The Hoyas win with defense, but are also shooting an unusually-high-for-them 48% - 35% from three-point range. 3 FLORIDA: If the brackets play out as planned, the Gators could meet Georgetown in a regional final. The teams had their season opener canceled because of a wet playing surface on an aircraft carrier.

Angry voters infamously shut down Congress' switchboard in 2007 to oppose immigration reform - an outburst that helped convince Republicans of the proposal's outsize political peril. As Congress debates immigration reform again this year, there are still a lot of angry people - at least if the vitriolic phone calls and faxes raining down on one Florida farmer are any gauge. Joe Wright was featured in a Los Angeles Times story and video in February about how business owners are becoming vocal supporters of immigration reform.

Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll abruptly resigned Tuesday from the office she has held for more than two years amid an investigation into an alleged illegal-gambling scheme that officials said has led to charges against 57 people. In a brief statement announcing her resignation, Carroll gave no details on her reason for stepping down. A spokesman for Gov. Rick Scott confirmed Wednesday that Carroll had been questioned by Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers about her work with Allied Veterans of the World, which described itself as a non-profit charity aiding veterans.

The Chicago Blackhawks were the big story as the NHL reached the halfway point of its lockout-shortened schedule, but many other excellent performances deserve recognition. Here are some. Halfway coach of the year: Joel Quenneville, Chicago. 21-0-3 isn't a fluke. Honorable mention: Bruce Boudreau, deftly juggling personnel for the No. 2-ranked Ducks; Paul MacLean, keeping injury-ravaged Ottawa in a playoff spot; Michel Therrien, reviving the Montreal Canadiens while under intense scrutiny.

A woman found dead face down in the sand in Newport Beach faced prostitution charges in three states and gave birth shortly before a stint in jail earlier this year, according to public records and interviews. Tina Hoang, 20, had been arrested on suspicion of prostitution-related crimes in California, Nevada and Florida, court papers show. The Bellflower resident, whose death was listed as "suspicious" by police, was arrested as recently as December on suspicion of prostitution and had at least a dozen open cases against her in Orange and Los Angeles counties, her attorney said.