911 Outages Could Lead To Legal Action (Tampa, FL) -- The company responsible for two 911 outages could find itself in more trouble. Hillsborough County commissioners are looking into suing Frontier Communications for this week's outages. The outages lasted more than three hours on Wednesday. Commissioner Stacy White wants to know how much the outages cost taxpayers and if Frontier can be forced to pay back those costs. MAYBE THEY NEED TO TALK TO REPRESENTATIVE RANDY FINE…WE WILL IN OUR 7AM HOUR.
CareerSource CEO Suspended (Clearwater, FL) -- A day after refusing to step aside, the CEO of CareerSource Pinellas is being forced to. The agency's chairman announced yesterday he suspended CEO Edward Peachey with pay as board members look into claims Peachey exaggerated how successful the agency was in finding people jobs. The board will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss suspending Peachey without pay. The decision by Chairman Aundre Green came a day after he refused to suspend Peachey and after Peachey refused to step down. Green didn't explain why he changed his mind, but board member Pat Gerard tells the "Tampa Bay Times" Green did the right thing. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio yesterday sent a letter asking the Labor Department to investigate the agency. WELL, THERE’S SOMETHING THEY AGREE UPON.
Man Arrested For Exercising Naked (Orlando, FL) -- A man is facing charges for an exercise routine police found indecent. Orlando's Kerry Haynes was arrested recently for working out naked at his apartment complex's gym. Haynes is accused of riding an exercise bike while naked at Andover Place Apartments, inappropriately touching himself and urinating in the complex' pool. 'News 6' reports the 57-year-old is facing charges that include indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.
Bank Error Made Punta Gorda Man A Billionaire For A Day (Punta Gorda, FL) -- A Punta Gorda man knows what it's like to be a billionaire, even if it's only for a few days. Robert McKinley got a bank statement last month that showed his account as having more than nine-billion dollars. He says he broke into his happy dance and fantasized about buying an NFL team before calling the bank to make things right. There's no word on how the bank made the error, but McKinley tells NBC2 it was a brief but beautiful feeling.
Degree In Yodeling Now Offered By Swiss University (Lucerne) -- A degree in yodeling is now offered by a Swiss university. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Art is will soon offer bachelors and masters degrees in the art of yodeling. The courses begin in the 2018-2019 academic year. Yodeling was traditionally used by Swiss herdsmen to communicate in the mountains. The form of singing which involves wobbling the voice in an up and down pitch was later adopted by musicians. Yodeling is enjoying a comeback in Switzerland even charting on albums last year.
Hospital Tech Arrested For Allegedly Selling Supplies On eBay (Raleigh, NC) -- A North Carolina hospital worker is behind bars for allegedly ripping off medical supplies and devices and then selling them online. Police in Raleigh say Bill Baez Jr., had been working as a tech at WakeMed Hospital and was taking equipment from the place and unloading it for profit on eBay. The 27-year-old was already on probation for other problems when he was caught earlier this week and has already been fired from his job. He is facing felony counts for the stolen gear, which totaled about 20-thousand-dollars. HE FORGOT TO TAKE IT TO HIS LOCAL ICE CREAM SHOP SO THEY COULD SELL IT ON EBAY.
Couple Taken Advantage Of By Jail Bail Scammers (Jonestown, PA) -- A bizarre scam is being investigated in Pennsylvania, where a couple was swindled out of thousands of dollars by someone who said their son was in trouble Investigators say the Lebanon County couple was called by someone claiming to be with a law firm and said their son needed bail money. The two were talked out of 45-hundred dollars as the scammers convinced them to get Walmart gift cards to them. Their son was home all along and not in any trouble. MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE TRIED TALKING TO THE SON FIRST?
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2007, powerful storms spawned several tornadoes across central Florida resulting in several deaths, road closures, and power outages.
2004, calling it "classless, crass and deplorable," Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell ordered an investigation into the racy Super Bowl 38 halftime show featuring pop stars Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. During the halftime break, Timberlake reached for Jackson during their duet and tore open part of her top, exposing one of her breasts. Jackson apologized for the stunt saying, quote, "It was not my intention that it go as far as it did." Timberlake also called the incident regrettable and blamed it on a "wardrobe malfunction." AND, TIMBERLAKE HEADLINES SUNDAY’S SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW.
1964, the popular toy, G-I Joe, made its debut.
1935, Leonard Keeler's polygraph test was first used to detect lies.
1876, baseball's National League was formed. The original eight teams were based in Cincinnati, Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Louisville and Hartford.
1863, author Samuel Langhorne Clemens began using a pseudonym, now known forever as Mark Twain.