Prosecutors Want More 911 Calls Admitted Into Evidence (Orlando, FL) -- Prosecutors want jurors to hear evidence they say will prove the Pulse nightclub shooter's ties to the Islamic State. A motion was filed yesterday asking a judge to allow 911 calls from those trapped inside the club the night of the shooting almost two years ago. Channel 9 reports the motion also includes a request to allow police radio transmission calls to be played for jurors. Meanwhile, the jury pool of 55 people will be cut today to the final twelve and six alternates that will decide if the shooter's widow was in on the attack.
Rep. Fine: Budget Shows Government Can Work (Tallahassee, FL) -- Despite problems and differences, Representative Randy Fine says the new state budget shows government can work. Fine was one of 95 House members who voted yesterday for the 89-billion-dollar budget. Fine sponsored one budget item that allows more leeway in how tourism tax dollars are spent. He told the "Tallahassee Democrat" that could provide an extra ten-million-dollars for repairs to the Indian River Lagoon. THEN AGAING, THOSE DECISIONS REST WITH LOCAL OFFICIALS WITH WHOM FINE HAS NOT CULTIVATED POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS.
State Budget Passes Despite Montford's Opposition (Tallahassee, FL) -- Not all officials are happy with the busdget. State Senator Bill Montford said the bill is not good for Florida or the state’s workers. Montford says the budget leaves thousands of state employees without a raise. While the budget provides 400-million-dollars for school security, Montford also told the "Tallahassee Democrat" it doesn't offer enough money for schools' operational expenses.
Gov. Scott Signs Education Bill (Tallahassee, FL) -- Governor Rick Scott yesterday signed into law a bill that strips USF-St. Petersburg of its accreditation and consolidates it with the school's campus in Tampa. Palm Harbor State Rep. Chris Sprowls sponsored the bill to allow St. Pete and the Sarasota-Manatee campus to share in Tampa's preeminent status. St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman's office, though, tells the "Tampa Bay Times" the bill was cooked up in secret by USF President Judy Genshaft and her Republican allies in the legislature.
Man Killed By Brightline Train (West Palm Beach, FL) -- A man is dead after ignoring the pleas of witnesses to what turned into a gruesome scene. The man died after he was hit by a Brightline train last night in West Palm Beach. Police say the man was standing on the tracks on Forest Hill Boulevard and refused to move as the train approached. The unidentified man is the third person killed by a Brightline train this year. YET, THE LEGISLATURE HAS NOT MOVED TO BAN TRAINS…AS FAR AS WE KNOW.
Lawsuit Filed After Violin Crushed At NYC Parking Garage (New York, NY) -- A woman and her daughter are suing a New York City parking garage after an attendant ran over an 85-thousand-dollar violin. The lawsuit filed Friday says the two were taking their belongings out of their car at a garage on West 51st Street last August, when they placed the expensive Degani violin in its case on the ground. It was then run over by a garage employee. A spokesman for the parking garage tells "The New York Post," "We didn't do anything wrong. If you have something very special, you don't put it on the floor." GOOD THING THEY DIDN’T SIT DOWN A BABY CARRIER!
Woman Charged With Vandalizing Man's Truck (Pownal, VT) -- A Vermont woman is in trouble with the law over accusations she smashed up a man's truck with a baseball bat. Police in Pownal say they responded to a vandalism call a few weeks ago and found a truck that had been very badly damaged. Windows were smashed, and so were the headlights, tail lights, side mirror and radio. Investigators followed the clues to Chelsea Smith and took her into custody. An exact motive is not clear but she is charged with unlawful mischief in connection with the damage. SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE CARRIE UNDERWOOD SONGS SERIOUSLY?
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2008, four days after reports surfaced linking him to a high priced prostitution ring, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation from office.
2003, more than nine months after she was kidnapped from the bedroom of her Salt Lake City, Utah home, 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart was reunited with her family. Police arrested drifter David Brian Mitchell and Wanda Barzee who were with Smart when police stopped the car she was riding in following a witness tip.
2002, Houston homemaker Andrea Yates was convicted of murder in the drowning deaths of her five children in the family bathtub. She was later sentenced to life in prison.
1985, former President Richard Nixon announced he would give up Secret Service protection and would instead hire his own protection. The move was designed to save taxpayers three-million dollars each year.
1980, a Chicago jury found John Wayne Gacy guilty of 33 murders. He was later sentenced to death.
1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered the first of his fireside chats.
1912, the Girl Scouts organization was founded. The group was originally known as the American Girl Guides.
1894, the first bottles of Coca-Cola were sold.