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12 arrested in nationwide drug trafficking bust

Tampa, FL -- Twelve people from the Tampa Bay area were arrested Wednesday for their part in a nationwide drug trafficking and money laundering operation.

An investigation led by ICE Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, TPD and numerous local agencies, arrested 19 in total from California and Florida seizing more than $1.5 million in cash and six luxury vehicles.

Gallery: Tampa arrests and property seizures

The men arrested include:

Bella Medspa Grand Opening celebration

Bella Medspa Grand Opening celebration

Wesley Chapel, Florida - A brand new spa, Bella Medspa will host a grand opening event Thursday, July 21 at its new Wesley Chapel location on Bruce B Downs Boulevard.

The celebration will kick off from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. and there will be free raffled prizes every 30 minutes.

Tour the facility and get a first hand look at the services and amenities available.

Help the Wesley Chapel Angels get to the World Series

Help the Wesley Chapel Angels get to the World Series

Wesley Chapel, Florida -- The Wesley Chapel Athletic Association's 9 and 10-year-old Angels Softball All Star team is riding high after last weekend's big win at the Florida state tournament. 

The WCAA Angels went 4-0 in the tournament, outscoring their opponents 44-2.  With that win, the Wesley Chapel Angels are headed to the Dixie Angel World Series in South Hill, Virginia to compete there.

For more on the girls' performance at the tournament click here.

Budget Hearing reminder

Budget Hearing reminder

Hillsborough County, FL -- Reminder: Hillsborough County is holding a series of public hearings to receive input on its upcoming two-year budget cycle (FY2012/2013).

This second hearing will be held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in the Special Events Center West, located at 4800 US Hwy. 301 North, Tampa on July 21.

Public comment is welcome and encouraged. For more information on the event and to find out where you can watch it if you can't make it, click here.

Delayed landing would mean shuttle booms for Bay Area

St. Petersburg, Florida -- If you want to hear the sonic booms of the last-ever space shuttle landing, hope for just a little bad weather.

If it happens right on time, the Thursday morning return of Space Shuttle Atlantis from the final space shuttle mission ever would bypass the Tampa Bay Area almost completely.

If it's heading for an on-time 5:56 a.m. touchdown at Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis would cross right over Naples and then fly north-northeast, passing just west of Lake Okeechobee.

The chances of hearing the landing shuttle's twin sonic booms as it passed overhead would be nearly nonexistent for anyone except folks in Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands, and extreme eastern Polk counties.

So pray for perhaps a quick splash of rain at the runway. A brief weather delay could prompt Mission Control to delay and try again 90 minutes later.

Rain levels higher than normal in Tampa Bay

New Tampa, FL - The Bay area is among the only regions in the state avoiding drought conditions right now.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 90 percent of the state is facing abnormally dry weather. A year ago, that number was at five percent. 10 News meteorologist Sherry Ray Hughes says Tampa Bay is actually seeing higher than normal amounts of rainfall so far this year.

"From January until now, we have gotten 30 inches of rain," she says. "Normally, at this time of the year, we would have only gotten a little more than 20 inches."

Those additional inches are leading to additional business for some local companies, such as Lawn Enforcement in New Tampa.

"If it continues to rain like it has been, it just exacerbates the problem. There's nowhere for all this water to go," says Lawn Enforcement president Justin Birmingham.

Oil prices continue to rise

Oil prices continue to rise

Tampa, FL -- Oil prices continued to increase last week as investor optimism about the economic recovery drove prices higher coupled with momentum from a weakened U.S. dollar, according to a AAA release.

Better forecast earnings for Citigroup Inc. and Google Inc. eased investor concern about the U.S. borrowing limit, pushing oil prices to close Friday at $97.49 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange—$1.29 more than the week prior. 

However, it was concerns about the national debt situation and U.S. credit rating that decreased the value of the dollar and helped keep oil prices elevated. 

Investors remain positive the U.S. economy will start to rebound despite an increased unemployment rate, decreased fuel demand, and low consumer sentiment.