Teacher Arrested, Manatees Released, Supreme Court Rulings

Patch operates 23 daily news sites in Florida. The following are some of the top stories from the past day:

Watch: Manatee Mom, Baby Return To The Wild

Tarpon Springs officially has two more residents courtesy of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. The zoo announced early Thursday afternoon that its planned release of a mother manatee and her baby went smoothly.

Statewide BUI Crackdown Announced

Tampa Bay area boaters with drinking on their minds will want to designate someone else to operate their vessels as the weekend gets under way.

Florida Bear Hunters Out Of Luck In 2016

Florida hunters hoping to take aim at black bears this fall are out of luck. The state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has decided to put a permitted hunt on hold until 2017 at least.

U.S. Supreme Court Decides On Immigration, Affirmative Action

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday morning upheld race as a factor in college admissions and denied President Obama's effort to allow some undocumented immigrants, including thousands in Florida, to obtain work permits to stay in the United States.

2016 St. Pete Pride: Mayor Kriseman Raises Rainbow Flag

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman officially kicked off a weekend of festivities with the raising of the rainbow flag over City Hall Thursday morning. St. Pete Pride Weekend festivities are staged as the last big hurrahs in the city’s month-long Pride observance.

Service Dog Injured In Hit-And-Run Recovering

Zephyr, a service dog seriously injured in a Tuesday hit-and-run crash in St. Petersburg came through surgery on Wednesday with flying colors and is on the road to recovery.

Robinson High Teacher Arrest For Soliciting Teen

A 29-year-old Crystal Beach man faces a number of charges after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s detectives say he attempted to solicit a teenage girl for sex.

Photo courtesy of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo