Classes Resume At Forest High School After Shooting (Ocala, FL) -- Students in Marion County are trying to get back to normal after what one calls a scary and hostile situation. A former student was arrested last week at Forest High School after deputies say he shot another student. Classes resumed yesterday for the first time with school resource officers and grief counselors on hand. A student tells Channel 9 that 19-year-old suspect Sky Bouche told him he wanted to get arrested to get away from his abusive parents. The teenager shot at that school is marking a milestone in his recovery. A relative of the 17-year-old says he was due to be sent home from the hospital yesterday. She tells Channel 9 the unidentified student is really lucky to have only been shot in the foot.
Teens Arrested For Vandalizing School (Deltona, FL) -- Volusia County deputies yesterday arrested a group of teenagers for vandalizing Deltona's Heritage Middle School this weekend. The teenagers are accused of breaking equipment, setting off a fire extinguisher and shutting off electricity, which caused almost 15-hundred dollars worth of food to spoil. The teens were caught after the principal gave deputies video of them in the act.
Bay County School Robbed At Gunpoint (Panama City, FL) -- The search is on for a man responsible for causing some schools to go on lockdown in Bay County. Deputies say a man with a gun robbed Panama City's Eagle Nest Christian Academy yesterday afternoon in the Cove neighborhood. No one was hurt, but the search that included a helicopter caused more than half a dozen schools to go on lockdown. Principal Dr. Janet Preyer tells the "News Herald" this shows this kind of thing can happen to anyone at any time, even in such a small community.
Eighth Grader Sickened By Edible Marijuana (Hollywood, FL) -- What she thought was Cheetos is responsible for sending an eighth grader to the hospital. The 14-year-old Broward County girl now knows that what she ate was really edible marijuana called Weedo. A classmate at Driftwood Middle School recently gave some to the girl and two others, and Hollywood Police are investigating. 'Local 10' reports the eighth grader was released from the hospital last night.
Man Arrested For Stealing Watch During Mall Fireworks Incident (Greenville, SC) -- Following up a story from a few weeks ago…A man accused of spreading panic at a mall is now in custody. Kevin Triana was arrested this weekend in South Carolina for an incident at the Sawgrass Mills Mall on New Year's Eve. Sunrise Police say Triana stole a Rolex from a jewelry store while an accomplice caused a distraction by setting off fireworks. As shoppers ran for the exits, deputies say Triana made his escape and tried, unsuccessfully, to pawn the watch.
Palm Bay Police Honor Fallen Colleagues (Palm Bay, FL) -- More than 30 years later, Palm Bay Police still honor those the chief says illustrated what a hero really is. A ceremony was held yesterday at Sacrifice Park to mark the 31st anniversary of the worst mass shooting in Brevard County history. Officers Gerald Johnson and Ronald Grogan were killed in the shooting, along with four others. A retired police captain who was on duty that day tells "Florida Today" they were very excellent men and two of the city's finest.
Court Ruling Finds That Animals Can't File Copyright Suits (Undated) -- A federal appeals court is ruling that a monkey can't sue for copyright infringement on his selfie. Photographer David Slater set up his camera in an Indonesian forest and Naruto, a crested macaque monkey, took photos of himself. PETA sued after Slater published those pictures, claiming that Naruto's copyright was infringed since he took those photos. Initially, the lawsuit was dismissed after the court ruled that a monkey lacks the standing to sue. But, PETA appealed saying the U.S. copyright act doesn't say the author of the work has to be human. Yesterday, Circuit Judge Carlos Bea said, "We conclude that this monkey - and all animals, since they are not human - lacks statutory standing under the Copyright Act. We therefore affirm the judgment of the district court."
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2008, actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in a federal prison for tax evasion charges. The actor was given the maximum sentence by a federal judge in Florida. SO IT TAKES THE IRS TO KILL A DAYWALKING VAMPIRE!
2003, in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, country music trio the Dixie Chicks said they were living in fear after group member Natalie Maines set off a firestorm of controversy by telling a London concert audience she was ashamed that President Bush was from the group's home state of Texas. While Maines admitted that her words were disrespectful, she would not apologize for questioning the Bush administration's decision to launch a war against Iraq. AND THAT’S HOW YOU KILL A COUNTRY MUSIC CAREER!
1995, a package bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the offices of a group lobbying for the wood products industry in Sacramento, California. The explosion killed one person.
1944, the United Negro College Fund was incorporated.
1888, the Eastman Kodak Company was formed.