Max 8 Plane Makes Emergency Landing At OIA
(Orlando, FL) -- An engine problem is to blame for a Max 8 plane's emergency landing. The Southwest Boeing 737 Max 8 made an emergency landing yesterday at Orlando International Airport. The Max 8 planes are grounded after two deadly crashes, but pilots are allowed to fly them, without passengers, to locations where they will be placed in storage. This plane was headed to California, but it will stay in Orlando until maintenance finishes a review.
Brevard County Workers To Get Raises
(Titusville, FL) -- Hundreds of Brevard County employees will soon be taking home bigger paychecks. The county commission, yesterday, voted, unanimously, to give raises to more than six hundred county workers. The amount of the raises ranges from two-and-a-half percent to ten percent and totals more than a million dollars. The raises come after a study found pay for Brevard County employees was below that of other counties and cities of comparable size.
Loyd's Trial Pushed Back
(Orlando, FL) -- A high profile murder case will not start on time. Markeith Loyd's trial for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend was set to begin in May, but a judge yesterday pushed it back to late September. Loyd's attorneys said they needed more time to prepare. Loyd is accused of killing Sade Dixon more than two years ago, and it was during the search for Loyd that he allegedly shot and killed Orlando Police Lieutenant Debra Clayton.
UCF Administrator Gets To Keep Her Job
(Orlando, FL) -- A UCF employees who fought her termination can claim victory. University officials announced yesterday they have rescinded the firing of former assistant VP Christy Tant. She'll get a new job with the school, but the specifics have not been determined. Before he resigned, then-President Dale Whittaker announced he was firing Tant and three others for their roles in the school's spending scandal, but the Orlando Sentinel reports the other three will not be returning to the school.
Lightning Strike Causes Broward Power Outage
(Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- A lightning strike is to blame for leaving thousands in the dark in Broward County. An FPL substation in Fort Lauderdale on Northeast Sixth Ave was hit and caught on fire last night. More than 20-thousand customers lost power, and traffic lights malfunctioned. Police stepped up patrols to prevent looting.
Florida House Committee Approves Prostitution Bill
(Tallahassee, FL) -- The Florida House criminal justice subcommittee is approving a prostitution bill. It requires any person convicted of soliciting prostitution to serve a mandatory ten-day jail sentence. HB 219 was filed weeks before nearly 300 men were accused of soliciting prostitution at spas and massage parlors in Palm Beach County. The bill also calls for those convicted of soliciting prostitution from a victim of human trafficking, to spend even more time in jail.
$750 Million Up For Grabs In Tonight's Powerball
(Undated) -- The next multimillionaire could be made in tonight's Powerball drawing. The jackpot is a massive 750-million-dollars, meaning if the winner chooses the cash option, they'll take home 465-million. This is the fourth-largest Powerball jackpot in history. No one has won the big prize since December.
The Last Perfect NCAA Bracket Belongs To An Ohio Man
(Columbus, OH) -- The last perfect March Madness bracket belongs to a man from Columbus. NCAA officials say Gregg Nigl [[ NYE-gle ]] is the only person who's picked all 48 games correctly so far in the men's basketball tournament. Nigl works as a neuro-psychologist but says his love for Big Ten basketball and luck are responsible for his perfect bracket. March Madness games resume later on this week. No one has ever picked every game correctly, and this is the furthest anyone has ever gotten with a verified perfect bracket.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2006, at his trial in Alexandria, Virginia, September 11th conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified that he was to fly a fifth airplane into the White House on September 11th, 2001 in a suicide mission along with shoe bomber Richard Reid. Moussaoui also admitted he knew that two other aircraft were due to fly into the World Trade Center.
1998, the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-made drug Viagra, hailing it as a medical breakthrough for men who suffered from impotence.
1989, "Sports Illustrated" exposed Pete Rose's gambling activities. The eventual investigation led to Rose's banishment from baseball.