Mental Health Advocates Raise Questions About School Policy (Tallahassee, FL) -- The Tallahassee chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is raising questions about a new state law regulating school registrations. The new law, passed after the shooting in Parkland, forces parents to tell the school district whether their son or daughter has ever been expelled, charged with a crime or referred for mental health services.
NAMI officials say those questions raise privacy concerns, and they're asking the Leon Schools Superintendent how the information will be used. The school district says it hasn't updated its registration forms to include the questions yet.
Volusia County Bound Small Plane Crashes Into Ocean, Pilot Saved By Fishing Boat (Ormond Beach, FL) -- A small airplane on the way to Ormond Beach from North Carolina is sitting in the Atlantic Ocean. The plane went down near Jacksonville Friday morning.
Pilot Bart Albert says he's not sure why his engine lost power, but he's very glad a charter fishing boat was nearby and picked him up. The pilot barely got out of the plane before it sank.
Only One Democratic Candidate Showed Up To Tampa NAACP Forum (Tampa, FL) -- Only one Democratic candidate showed up to Tampa's NAACP forum this weekend. The Hillsborough County branch of the NAACP held an event on Saturday for about 200 people to hear from the Democratic candidates for governor. But, the only candidate who showed up was Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.
NAACP Hillsborough President Yvette Lewis said there was a bit of a "hiccup" in the program. Lewis said she was disappointed and feels the candidates take the African-American community for granted.
SunPass Customers Can Now Apply For Overdraft Fee Reimbursement (Undated) -- SunPass customers who were charged overdraft fees during a botched system upgrade can now request reimbursement online. FDOT says the revamped SunPass website is now set up for customers to request repayment for overdraft charges.
The problems started in June during a computer update of the SunPass system, and some customers were not billed until weeks later. When they were charged the larger than normal amounts were often not covered by their credit card-backed accounts and that led to the overdraft fees.
Utility Company Honoring The Memory Of Two Fallen Kissimmee Police Officers (Kissimmee, FL) -- A utility company is honoring the memory of two fallen Kissimmee police officers. Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc. has installed a blue street light on the corner of Palmway and east Cypress Street that glows in the area where the officers were shot last year. Twenty-seven-year-old Matthew Baxter and 36-year-old Sergeant Richard "Sam" Howard died in the line of duty.
The utility company said one of the most amazing features of the Baxter-Howard memorial light is that when a person walks on the street beneath it, the light casts a thin blue line around their shadow, signifying that the officers will always be with us.
Man Arrested A 2nd Time For Impersonating A Lawyer (Houston, TX) -- A Texas man is accused of impersonating a lawyer, not once, but, twice. Houston police say they took John B. Kennedy into custody late last week in his office for falsely claiming to be a lawyer.
He reportedly handled personal injury, traffic accidents, criminal cases, divorce and insurance claims for dozens of clients. Kennedy is no stranger to this kind of problem though. He was sent to prison in 2012 for the same thing. He was paroled three years ago.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2012, Augusta National Golf Club announced it was finally opening its doors to women. The formerly all-exclusive men's club named former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and banker Darla Moore as its first two female members. Augusta National faced protests for its longtime exclusion of female members.
1989, "Saved by the Bell" debuted on NBC.
1975, the U.S. launched the unmanned Viking One spacecraft on its trip to Mars.
1974, Nolan Ryan became the first man to have a pitch clocked at over 100 miles-per-hour. Ryan hurled his famous pitch at a pace of 100-point-four miles-per-hour.
1866, President Andrew Johnson formally declared an end to the Civil War.
1741, Danish explorer Vitus Jonas Bering discovered Alaska. The Bering Sea was named after him.