Palm Bay Council To Discuss Housing Development Near FAR Chemical
(Palm Bay, FL) -- After an explosion at a chemical plant in Brevard County, Palm Bay officials will reevaluate plans for a nearby housing development. The city council tonight will discuss a plan to build about 700 homes on Robert J. Conlan Boulevard near the FAR Chemical plant that exploded last month. Nobody was hurt in the explosion, but an FAR Chemical official tells Florida Today it would have been awful if there had been hundreds of families living close by. The council approved the development eight months ago, but after the explosion, a judge ruled the council had to reconsider because residents weren't properly notified of the original meeting.
Crist Proposes Racial Impact Score On Pending Legislation
(Washington, DC) -- A Tampa Bay congressman is proposing what he calls a good start to end racial injustice. St. Petersburg Democrat Charlie Crist told a House committee last week he wants all pending legislation to include a Racial and Ethnic Impact Score. Crist says this tool would make lawmakers aware, before they vote, of how the legislation would improve or worsen racial disparities. Crist says awareness is an important tool for fighting racism, however insidious or accidental it may be.
Biden Visits South Florida
(Miami, FL) -- Joe Biden is asking voters in South Florida to help him, in his words, rebuild the backbone of the country. Biden visited Miami yesterday to meet voters in Little Haiti and Little Havana before holding a town hall at the Perez Art Museum. He told the crowd at the Little Haiti Cultural Center the character of our country is literally on the balance in this election. At the Jose Marti Gym, he told Cuban-Americans empowering Cubans to determine their own future is central to our national security interests.
Norwegian Cruise Lines Suspending Voyages Through November
(Port Canaveral, FL) -- Norwegian Cruise Lines is suspending all voyages until at least November 30th. The announcement comes after the Centers for Disease Control extended its federal "No Sail" order through October 30th. Norwegian is also canceling all planned cruises aboard the Star, Dawn and Spirit ships through March 30th of 2021. Executives say the health and safety of its passengers will remain their number one priority as they prepare to set sail with new safety procedures in place.
Mars Making Its Way Close To Earth
(Undated) -- Mars is making its way closer to earth. On Tuesday, the Red Planet will only be 38-point-six-million miles away, which is the closest it will be until 2035. This is due to the Mars Close approach, which happens every two years, but normally Mars doesn't come this close. NASA says people will be able to see Mars for most of the night in the southern sky.
Britain's PureGym Apologizes Over Slavery-Inspired Workout
(Britain) -- A fitness company in Britain is apologizing after rolling out a regimen inspired by a slavery movie. PureGym recently announced a workout plan which is said to take inspiration from the film "12 Years A Slave" to "celebrate" black history month. The post, made by a local branch of the company, also included the tagline, "Slavery was hard and so is this." Following swift backlash, the post was deleted and PureGym put out a statement saying the workout plan was not approved centrally. The workout creator, Matt Simpson, who is a Black man, has since defended the plan.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2018, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed and sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court.
1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in Cairo while reviewing a military parade.
1893, Cream of Wheat was invented by Nabisco Foods.
1884, the Naval War College was established in Newport, Rhode Island.