Florida

WASHINGTON - Gen. John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan until 10 days ago, will retire from the Marine Corps to help care for his ailing wife rather than accept a White House nomination to be supreme allied commander at NATO, one of the Pentagon's most prestigious positions. The Pentagon inspector general cleared Allen last month of misconduct in connection with hundreds of emails he had exchanged with a Florida socialite who cultivated ties with senior military commanders.

The sky is falling! Florida residents reported seeing a flickering light falling off the state's eastern coast Sunday night, raising curiosity over whether Earth has played host to yet another meteor. Crowdsourced reports on the American Meteor Society's website generally stated the falling light happened sometime after 6:30 p.m. local time, with sightings from Cocoa, Fla., all the way down to Miami. NBC-6 in Miami showed witness video of a falling, flickering light, burning brighter and moving slower than most small shooting stars.

A former Orange County attorney has been arrested on suspicion of killing his ex-wife for financial gain in 2006 by strangling her and throwing her overboard while on a cruise along the Italian coast, authorities said. Lonnie Kocontes, 55, a former Mission Viejo resident, was arrested Friday at his home in Safety Harbor, Fla., in connection with the death of Micki Kanesaki, 52, of Ladera Ranch, authorities said. He is charged with one felony count of special circumstances for financial gain.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the fresh face Republicans chose to respond to the State of the Union address, sounded familiar party themes Tuesday night, accusing President Obama of stifling economic growth through an overreliance on taxes and spending. The opportunity "to make it to the middle class or beyond, no matter where you start out in life, it isn't bestowed on us from Washington," Rubio said in his nationally broadcast remarks, but comes from "a vibrant economy. " That is something presidents in both parties, from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, have recognized, Rubio said.

NASHVILLE - The Kings essentially used a position of strength to try to shore up a position of recent weakness. To do so, it took a two-step process in the last three days. On Friday, they acquired 6-foot-5 defenseman Keaton Ellerby from the Florida Panthers. They sent a fifth-round draft pick to the Panthers, which was the piece they got from the New Jersey Devils for prospect and center Andrei Loktionov on Wednesday. It's obvious the Kings (3-4-2) have struggled without the physical and emotional presence of defensemen Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell.

Florida has a new business slogan and logo, "Florida: the Perfect Climate for Business," which appears pretty straightforward -- except that the "I" in Florida has been swapped with a men's necktie. The decision has drawn fire from critics who say the logo is sexist. The ad campaign was launched by Enterprise Florida Inc. , a pro-business group funded in part by the state. One commenter wrote on the group's Facebook page: “I think this logo sends the wrong message, it seems to scream 'we don't hire women' maybe that was not the intention, but that is the message.” Another wrote : "Oh for pete sake!

A Florida judge on Tuesday rejected a bid by the defense to delay the trial of George Zimmerman, who is facing second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, almost a year ago. The ruling came on what would have been Martin's 18th birthday, an anniversary that his supporters marked by singing “Happy Birthday” before the hearing began in Sanford, Fla. Commemorations of the fatal confrontation that...

If you're headed to West Palm Beach , United is offering a round-trip fare from LAX that can get you to that southeastern Florida city for $245, including all taxes and fees. The fare is subject to availability. There is no minimum stay. Travel can be Mondays-Saturdays through May 15; tickets must be bought 10 days in advance. Info: United, (800) 864-8331 Source: Airfarewatchdog Follow us on Twitter @latimestravel , like us on Facebook @Los Angeles Times Travel.

Who wins a Pulitzer Prize for being funny? Dave Barry, that's who. Technically, he won the prize for commentary for his columns at the Miami Herald -- where his job was, and is, "to write about issues ranging from the international economy to exploding toilets. " Barry has just published his first solo novel in a decade, "Insane City. " The book is about a groom on his way to his wedding when things begin to go wrong. "Things" include angry strippers, Russian gangsters, a refugee on the run, a very large pimp and a gigantic white python.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Robert Menendez, the powerful New Jersey Democrat who this week was named chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is facing a Senate ethics probe into whether he accepted inappropriate gifts from a wealthy Florida eye surgeon who is under FBI investigation. The Senate Ethics Committee is conducting a preliminary investigation of two trips Menendez took to a luxury beach resort in the Dominican Republic in August and September 2010 as a guest of Dr. Salomon Melgen, a longtime friend and political donor.