Cocoa Mayor Owes Thousands In Taxes (Cocoa Village, FL) -- Cocoa's mayor appears to be behind on paying some taxes. A recent mailing claims Henry Parrish hasn't paid taxes for three years on his bed-and-breakfast in Cocoa Village, and the county tax collector says that amounts to more than 18-thousand dollars.
Parrish is running in the Republican primary for State House District 51, and he says he was just recently made aware of the issue. He also tells Florida Today the taxes will soon be paid.
Gillum Campaigning With Sanders Today (Tampa, FL) -- Bernie Sanders will do his part to change the shape of the governor's race today. The Vermont senator will campaign with Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum in Tampa and Orlando. Sanders recently endorsed Gillum in the Democratic primary at a time when polls show Gillum in fourth place.
Woman Dies After Getting Hit By City Truck (Daytona Beach, FL) -- A woman is dead after getting hit by a city truck in Daytona Beach. It happened early yesterday morning near the Main Street Pier. The woman has been identified as 34-year-old Dawn Klenk, and she appears to be homeless.
The truck left the scene, but police say that because of the darkness, the weather and the size of the truck, it's possible the driver didn't realize he had hit anyone, and no charges are likely.
Auto mall Developer Asks Mayor's Wife To Cease And Desist (DeLand, FL) -- The wife of DeLand's mayor isn't going to let a threatening letter stop her from speaking out. Developers behind the I-4 Auto mall recently sent Teresa Apgar a letter demanding she cease and desist spreading what they call false, misleading, libelous and defamatory statements about the project.
The letter cites Apgar's postings on Nextdoor.com that the project will include a truck stop and a strip club. Apgar tells the Daytona Beach News-Journal the letter is laughable, and she has no plans to stop commenting on the project.
School Bus Drops Off Girl 20 Miles From Home (Tampa, FL) -- Two teenagers are credited with helping a Tampa girl left stranded far from home. The six-year-old started class this week at Lee Magnet Elementary, and on Monday, the bus driver wound up dropping her off in New Tampa, 20 miles from her house. Two teenage girls called their mom when they realized the girl was lost, and their mom called police, who found the girl's mother. The school district tells News Channel 8 their system didn't have the child's correct address.
Bear Opens Car Door (Juneau, AK) -- A nosy bear in Alaska is doing whatever it takes to get a late night snack. A woman tells KTUU that she and her mother had just returned from a walk when they saw a black bear approach a Subaru at the Mendenhall Glacier.
She says the bear put his paw in the door handle, opened the door and took off with a take-out container. Officials are reminding residents to not keep food in cars because any scent can attract bears.
Man Accused Of Killing His Brother (Anchorage, AK) -- Murder charges are being filed in Alaska against a man accused of killing his brother for cursing in front of their mother. Officials in Anchorage say Harry Steward Jr., and Robert Steward got into a very heated argument earlier this week after Robert used foul language in front of their mother.
Officers say the mother broke the two up before they got back to fighting and Harry shot and killed Robert. Their mother saw the whole thing and Harry turned himself in the next day. He is charged with second-degree murder.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1998, President Clinton, via closed-circuit TV, gave more than four hours of grand jury testimony in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He later announced during a televised speech, quote, "I did have a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky that was not appropriate." Clinton also denied previously committing perjury and criticized Kenneth Starr's investigation.
1969, the Woodstock Music and Arts festival near Bethel, New York came to an end. An estimated 400-thousand people attended the three-day festival.
1961, Berlin Wall construction began. The wall would stand as a symbol of Communist oppression until the Soviet empire collapsed.