OPD Ends Facial Recognition Program
(Orlando, FL) -- A decision made by Orlando police appears to be a victory for privacy advocates. The city announced yesterday police have stopped using Amazon's facial recognition program after 15 months of testing. The program was designed to find suspects by scanning public spaces with facial recognition software. The ACLU was among those who criticized the program, but Mayor Buddy Dyer says the decision not to pursue the program was based on a lack of resources.
Man Charged For Attacking Melbourne Police
(Melbourne, FL) -- A Brevard County man is facing charges after a violent encounter with police. Melbourne's Travius Roberts was released on bond this week after the weekend incident in Booker Heights on Williams Street. Police were responding to a domestic violence call Saturday when Roberts, who is black, allegedly called officers 'white crackers' and invited them to 'bring it.' Inside the home, police say the 36-year-old threw a chair at an officer, threatened to shoot them and ran out of the house before he was arrested on Monday.
Republican Latvala Lashes Out At Trump Supporters
(Tampa, FL) -- A Tampa Bay Republican is criticizing President Trump and his supporters. At a rally in North Carolina this week, when Trump mentioned Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the crowd chanted 'send her back,' in reference to her birth country of Somalia. Clearwater State Rep. Chris Latvala Tweeted yesterday that the chant was racist, and Trump should have put a stop to it. He also says the election should be about the issues and not trying to further divide our country.
Woman Accused Of Lying About Being Kidnapped
(Fort Walton Beach, FL) -- An Okaloosa County woman who claimed she was almost kidnapped is accused of making it up. Fort Walton Beach police arrested Geosie Mitchell yesterday for filing a false report. The 21-year-old claimed on Monday that two men tried to kidnap her at Ferry Park. Police have not revealed a motive.
Former School Official Arrested
(Fort Myers, FL) -- A former school official in Lee County is facing charges. Former Fort Myers High School Assistant Principal Jamie Kirschner was arrested recently for an incident two months ago. She reported a break-in at her home on Rogers Street, but police determined recently that she made it up. There's no word on a motive.
Bud Light Jokes About Area 51 Raid, Makes Offer To Aliens
(St. Louis, MO) -- Bud Light is making an offer to the extraterrestrial residents of Area 51. The beer maker said it'll give free brews to any alien that makes it out of the secret military facility in the Nevada desert. The offer came after Bud Light poked fun at a joke Facebook group claiming to organize a raid on Area 51. The company touted itself as the first brewer to announce it would not be sponsoring the raid. However, now that Bud Light has had a change of heart about its role in seeking out the truth about alien lifeforms, it's also teasing a label for an Area 51 Special Edition beer.
Cow Cuddling Craze Comes To U.S.
(Naples, NY) -- You can now cuddle with a cow for a price. For 75 bucks an hour, a bed and breakfast in upstate New York is offering cow therapy sessions for guests. Owner Suzanne Vullers says she got the idea on a trip to the Netherlands where the practice is fairly common. Horse therapy sessions have proved popular for her guests for some time, so she figured they might also enjoy similar therapeutic benefits from cuddling with a cow. Vullers' Mountain Horse Farm offers cow cuddling for two people at a cost of 75-dollars an hour.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2013, "Rolling Stone" magazine released a controversial issue that featured a picture of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev [[ joe-HAR zar-NYE-ev ]] on its front cover. Many stores refused to stock the issue calling it tasteless and disrespectful to the families of the bombing victims.
1993, President Clinton institutes the "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy for gays in the service.
1985, New Hampshire school teacher Christa McAuliffe was chosen to be the first teacher to ride aboard the space shuttle. McAuliffe became a member of ill-fated Challenger crew which exploded shortly after lift-off, killing all seven on board.