The Florida Panthers will be shorthanded on defense for the remainder of the season and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The NHL announced it suspended Aaron Ekblad for 20 games without pay for violating the terms of the league’s performance enhancing substance program.

“Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the suspension is accompanied by mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment,” the NHL said in a statement.

Ekblad is the first NHL player to be suspended for violating the league’s substance program since Nate Schmidt in 2018.

Ekblad released a statement, saying his failed drug test came as a shock.

“Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me to recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel,” the statement said. “For that I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over.”

The Panthers have 18 games left in the regular season, so Ekblad is also ineligible for Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ekblad has 33 points in 56 games for Florida this season.

The Panthers travel to Boston to take on the Bruins on Tuesday night.

• BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.

• Hours after the arrival of daylight saving time, students in 9 Florida counties start their spring break.
• The majority of Florida counties have scheduled their spring break for the week of March 17.
• In some counties, spring break won’t arrive until April.

The end is in sight for the 2024-2025 school year, but before Florida students put away their books, there are a couple of holidays to look forward to.

The big one is spring break, but schedules vary around the state, with most taking the week-long holiday in March. Others have to wait until April.

Students in nine counties are the “lucky” ones.

Spring break for them comes today, the day after the switch to daylight saving time, giving them a week to adjust to the time change.

➤ How many states have joined Florida to make daylight saving time permanent? See the list

Here’s the spring break schedule for all 67 Florida counties, but first, here’s what you should know about the upcoming time change.

When is daylight saving time 2025?

We turned our clocks forward one hour — losing an hour of sleep — at 2 a.m. March 9.

Spring break begins day after time change for 9 Florida counties

After the change to daylight saving time Sunday, March 9, spring break will begin March 10 for these nine Florida counties:

One Florida county schedules spring break week before time change

Students in Sumter County will be the first in the state to enjoy spring break.

They’ll be out of school from March 3-7, which means they’ll return to the classroom after a week holiday, hours after the time change.

Most Florida counties schedule spring break starting March 17

March 17-21 was the week chosen for spring break for the majority — 45 — of Florida’s 67 counties.

Flagler, Monroe and Okaloosa counties actually will begin the spring holiday the Friday before, March 14.

Spring break begins March 24 for 5 counties

Spring break won’t begin until April for 7 Florida counties

Most of the counties scheduling spring break for April, including Good Friday — on April 18 — during the week students will have off.

When is spring break in Florida schools? See alphabetical list

Are there any other holidays before end of 2024-2025 school year?

Yes. Some counties have scheduled a holiday for Good Friday on April 18.

The next holiday is Memorial Day. For students in some counties, the school year ends before the holiday on May 26. For those still going, they will have the day off school on the Monday.

When will daylight saving arrive? When does the time change?

Daylight saving time for 2025 will begin at 2 a.m. EST Sunday, March 9, 2025, and we fall back again at 2 a.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.

This means it will be darker in the morning, so watch for school children heading to the bus stop or heading to school.

What are 2025 federal holidays?

In 2025, there are 12 instead of the usual 11 federal holidays, although two fell on the same day.

Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day both fall on Jan. 20 this year. Since 1965, federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area are entitled to a holiday on the day a president is inaugurated. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office on Jan. 20.

Here are 2025 federal holidays:

• Jan. 1: New Year’s Day
• Jan. 20: Inauguration Day; Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Feb. 17: Washington’s Birthday. Many state and local governments designation it as Presidents Day.
• May 26: Memorial Day
• June 19: Juneteenth
• July 4: Independence Day
• Sept. 1: Labor Day
• Oct. 13: Columbus Day
• Nov. 11: Veterans Day
• Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day
• Dec. 25: Christmas Day

Florida state holidays for 2025

When are 2025 Florida state holidays?

The Florida Department of Management Services lists the following days observed as paid holidays by state agencies:

• Jan. 1, Wednesday: New Year’s Day
• Jan. 20, Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• May 26, Monday: Memorial Day
• July 4, Friday: Independence Day
• Sept. 1, Monday: Labor Day
• Nov. 11, Tuesday: Veterans Day
• Nov. 27, Thursday: Thanksgiving
• Nov. 28: Friday after Thanksgiving
• Dec. 25, Thursday: Christmas Day

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A 37-year-old woman was facing charges on Sunday accused of being involved in the murder of a 16-year-old girl in Florida.

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Miranda Corsette, lived with her 11-month-old baby and her grandmother and was in home school in Pinellas County when she met her killer on a dating app, police said.

According to the Gulfport Police Department, Miranda had run away from home before, so although she had vanished after a date on Valentine’s Day, her grandmother didn’t report her missing until Feb. 24.

A domestic violence case in St. Petersburg provided clues. On Wednesday, police officers arrested Steven Gress for drug possession and for pointing a harpoon at Michelle Brandes, his live-in girlfriend.

On Thursday, the St. Petersburg Police Department received a tip that Miranda was dead. After meeting Gress, she had been staying in the duplex he and Brandes shared since Feb. 15, police said.

According to St. Petersburg Chief Anthony Holloway, the couple accused Miranda of stealing jewelry from them and there was a dispute on Feb. 20.

“She was beaten and tortured because they could not find this piece of jewelry,” Holloway said.

Detectives believe Brandes and Gress killed her and placed her body in a car, drove to a house in Largo to dismember her, and drove to Hillsborough County to drop off her body parts in a dumpster.

“This is a horrific crime; we are still investigating it,” Holloway said.

Detectives were searching for her remains in a landfill. Gress was still behind bars Sunday. Brandes surrendered to law enforcement on Saturday.