House Passes Bill Addressing Voting Rights Of Ex-Felons
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Ex-felons have one more hurdle to overcome before they can vote again. House lawmakers in Tallahassee yesterday passed a bill that would force ex-felons to pay restitution, fees and fines before they're able to vote. They got their right to vote restored after voters passed Amendment Four in November, and some supporters of the amendment argued there should be no strings attached. Seminole County State Rep David Simmons, though, says there should be a price to pay for anyone who defrauded someone and left them in misery.The House also passed a bill that bans sanctuary cities. The bill would require cities to hand over arrested illegal immigrants to federal authorities.
Gillum Ethics Settlement
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Former candidate for Florida governor Andrew Gillum is agreeing to pay a five-thousand dollar fine to settle ethics claims made against him. The settlement was made just before the start of a hearing in Tallahassee today. Gillum had been accused of improperly accepting gifts from lobbyists. The administrative law judge dismissed four of the five charges. The former Tallahassee mayor admitted a boat ride he took in New York Harbor should have been reported.
DeSantis Signs Death Warrant For Serial Killer
(Tallahassee, FL) -- A convicted serial killer has less than a month to live. Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant this week for Bobby Joe Long. He's responsible for killing at least nine women in Hillsborough and Pasco counties in an eight-month span 35 years ago. The 65-year-old Long is set to die on May 23rd.
Cruz Inherits Over $400K
(Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- Families of the Parkland school shooting victims may have to endure another delay in Nikolas Cruz' trial. Cruz' public defenders announced yesterday they can no longer represent him because he is no longer indigent. They say Cruz is inheriting more than 400-thousand dollars apparently tied to his mother's life insurance policy. The judge hoped to start the trial in about eight months, but new lawyers would push that back, and victims relatives tell CBS 4 News they're tired of the pain delays are causing.
Miami Beach Passes Spring Break Restrictions
(Miami Beach, FL) -- Miami Beach is taking action to control crowds during spring break. The city commission voted yesterday to restrict events run by outside promoters in the entertainment district during spring break. The change is in response to violent incidents caught on video last month that led to police officers getting hurt. The mayor says promoters oversold events and encouraged underage drinking.
Study Looks At Games, Social Skills In Children
(Trondheim, Norway) -- Playing video games doesn't seem to have much impact on the social skills of male children, but it does seem to have an effect on girls. Researchers in Norway found that there doesn't seem to be a correlation between time spent gaming and failing social skills in boys. However, girls who game tend to have poorer social skills two years later than girls who don't game. The study found that boys tend to gather in groups to play, while girls are more likely to play solo.
Japan Shop Sells 'Heisei Air'
(Japan) -- A company in Japan is now the seller of rare "Heisei air." The producer has canned Japanese air from the central village of Henari which has existed during the 30-year reign of current Emperor Akihito. The can will sell for almost ten dollars. The company's president says it is important to be able to breathe and enjoy the fresh air that existed during the emperor's Heisei era before the new "Reiwa" era begins.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2018, Police arrested the Golden State Killer. The suspect, 73-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo, is a former police officer accused of being a serial killer, rapist and burglar. He committed at least 13 murders, 50 rapes and over 100 burglaries from 1974 to 1986. He was arrested thanks to the advances in DNA technology.
2016, Tom Brady's four-game "Deflategate" suspension was restored. The New England Patriots quarterback missed the first four games of the 2016 season. The Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl that season over the Atlanta Hawks.
1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery.
1962, the Marvel comic book, "The Incredible Hulk," debuted on newsstands.
1954, the first solar battery was unveiled by researchers at Bell Telephone Laboratories.
1928, Buddy, the first seeing eye dog, made his debut.