UCF Faculty Member Found Dead (Orlando, FL) -- The death of a UCF faculty member is considered suspicious. Michael Redlick was found dead in his home this weekend in Winter Park on Temple Drive. The 65-year-old was an official in the DeVos Sport Business Management Program, and he had been with the school for five years. Police have not announced any arrests or explained why they think the death is suspicious.
Deadly Shooting In Seminole County (Altamonte Springs, FL) -- A man accused of killing his friend in Seminole County claims it was an accident. The unidentified victim was found shot to death yesterday morning in Altamonte Springs on Lake Mobile Drive. The 22-year-old suspect told deputies he and the victim were smoking pot and horsing around when the gun went off. No charges have been announced, but deputies are still investigating.
K9 Recovers From Drug Exposure (Merritt Island, FL) -- A man is facing charges for an incident that caused a medical scare for a Brevard County K9. Deputy Scott Stewart and K9 Jake were checking bags for drugs last week at Port Canaveral before a cruise when Jake got sick. The three-year-old golden retriever was rushed to the vet where doctors learned he was exposed to amphetamines while sniffing one bag in particular. Jake has fully recovered, and a Montana man, who apparently owned that bag, was arrested for drug possession.
State Rep Drake Wants To Eliminate Constitution Revision Committee (Tallahassee, FL) -- One lawmaker wants to do away with the committee that regularly reviews the state constitution. Fifth District State Rep Brad Drake filed a bill last week that would eliminate the Constitution Revision Commission. The commission meets every 20 years to discuss possible changes to the constitution. Drake and other lawmakers will return to session in Tallahassee in March.
Six Arrested For Abusing Teenage Boy (St. Petersburg, FL) -- Six people are facing charges for a case the attorney general calls disturbing. A woman and five men, including two who are married to each other, are accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy they kept locked in a mobile home in St. Petersburg. The abuse allegedly lasted for about a year until the boy was found in May at the Silver Lake Mobile Home Community. Police said yesterday one more suspect remains at large.
One Florida First Responder Saves Life Of Another (Daytona Beach, FL) -- A Daytona Beach Police officer is alive and expected to make a full recovery from a heart attack thanks to a Daytona firefighter. The officer collapsed while working out at a gym in Port Orange and the firefighter happened to be exercising there too. A defibrillator in the gym was also used before paramedics arrived and rushed the officer to the hospital.
Flat Earthers Plan Cruise (Undated) -- Pushing conspiracy theories can be hard work -- sometimes you just need to kick back and relax. That's why the Flat Earth International Conference is hosting a Flat Earth cruise in 2020. It promises to be a good time for those who believe the Earth is a flat disc, provided they don't sail off the edge.
Man Threatens To Kill "With Kindness" Using Machete (Milton, FL) -- A man in Milton, Florida man may have taken the term "to kill someone with kindness" a little too seriously. Police say 30-year-old Bryan Stewart was overheard by neighbors telling someone inside of his home he was going to "kill 'em with kindness". When the neighbors went to the home to ask him to keep down the noise, Stewart pointed the machete in his direction. A second neighbor stepped in between Stewart and the first neighbor which was when Stewart sliced his hand with a machete that had "kindness" written on it. Stewart was placed under arrest and put into the back of the patrol car, but forced police to use a stun gun to subdue him after he wouldn't stop kicking and banging his head on the inside the vehicle.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2009, in what was quickly dubbed "Miracle on the Hudson," the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 crash-landed the plane into the freezing waters of the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan after the plane sustained major engine failure shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport. Pilot Chesley Sullenberger of Danville, California, an air force veteran, was hailed as a hero for putting the jet down at 165 miles an hour.
1973, President Nixon ordered an end to all military attacks against North Vietnam following progress in the Paris peace talks.
1943, the Pentagon was completed in Arlington, Virginia.
1870, the donkey was first used to symbolize the Democratic Party. The donkey appeared in a cartoon by Thomas Nast in "Harper's Weekly."