Feds Looking Into Gillum's Campaign
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Andrew Gillum's campaign for governor is drawing scrutiny from federal prosecutors. The Tampa Bay Times reported yesterday a subpoena was filed two months ago in Tallahassee to get campaign records dating back to 2015. Investigators appear to be looking into Gillum's time on the board of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, a fellow board member and a donor to Gillum's campaign. The former Tallahassee mayor tells the Times he's confident his campaign always did the right thing and complied fully with the law.
Florida Attorney General: Watch Out For Scam
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is issuing a Consumer Alert. She says scammers are using robocalls and phone number cloning to impersonate the Social Security Administration. The thieves are doing this to trick people into giving up Social Security numbers. Moody says never provide a social security number, financial account numbers or any other personal information in response to a solicitation.
Mother And Son Plead Guilty To Scamming eBay Shoppers
(Sanford, FL) -- A Seminole County mother and son could go to prison for scamming eBay customers. Lake Mary's Jolanta Kucharski pled guilty last week to mail fraud after her 29-year-old son pled guilty last year. The two made fake seller accounts on the website to sell gift cards but never sent the gift cards. They took in more than 60-thousand dollars through the scam.
Serial Armed Robber Arrested
(Haines City, FL) -- A Polk County man wanted for three armed robberies in about two weeks is in custody. Haines City 22-year-old Reginald Swift was arrested yesterday. His arrest came the day after he allegedly pointed a gun at a woman who was inside her car before he fled on foot empty handed. Swift is also accused of robbing a man at gunpoint and pointing a gun at another woman outside her home.
Man Accused Of Attacking Firefighters With Shovel
(Cantonment, FL) -- An Escambia County man is accused of trying to attack firefighters with a shovel. Cantonment's Melvin Brown was released on bond yesterday after this week's incident at a home on Tyler Lane. Deputies say firefighters were responding to a medical call at the home when Brown, who appeared to be drunk, confronted them in the front yard and swung a shovel at them. No one was hit, and deputies arrested Brown on charges that include aggravated assault.
Spelling Bee Runs Out Of Hard Words, Crowns Eight Co-Champions
(Washington, DC) -- The Scripps National Spelling Bee is running out of hard words. In an extraordinary move, the spelling competition crowned eight co-champions who went the final five rounds without misspelling a single word. Dr. Jacques Bailly said they threw the dictionary at those eight children, and the champions showed the dictionary who was boss. The competitors were told at the end of round 17 that because the judges were running out of words hard enough to challenge the remaining competitors, that anyone still standing after 20 rounds would be named co-champion. All eight competitors correctly spelled their words in the final three rounds. Each will get a 50-thousand dollar check for being a co-champion.
Vandal Wears Trump Mask During Crime Spree
(Laguna Hills, CA) -- A California man is facing charges after paying homage to the president and going on a crime spree. The guy was busted early Monday near the border of Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills. Officials say they spotted a man who resembled President Trump slashing tires and breaking the windshield of a parked car. When they got a hold of the 56-year old they found out he was wearing a Trump mask and also was wearing body armor. The guy had a loaded handgun, an airsoft shotgun and a helmet as well. It's unclear what led to the vandalism.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2005, in an exclusive interview with "Vanity Fair" magazine, former FBI official W. Mark Felt said he was the mysterious informant known as "Deep Throat." Felt said he was the one who leaked information to the "Washington Post" over break-ins at the Democratic Party offices at the Watergate Hotel during the Nixon administration. The information led to the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1974. Felt's admission marked the first time that a major potential source had claimed to be "Deep Throat."
2003, accused serial bomber Eric Robert Rudolph was taken into custody in North Carolina, five years after eluding FBI and local police. Rudolph, who was on the FBI's ten most wanted list, is the man suspected to be behind the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park bombing which killed one person and injured 100 others. He was also a suspect in the bombing of an Alabama abortion clinic and a gay nightclub in Atlanta.
1994, the U.S. announced it was no longer aiming long-range nuclear missiles at targets in the former Soviet Union.