Two Patrick AFB Buildings Go On Lockdown
(Patrick AFB, FL) -- A suspicious package is responsible for a brief scare in Brevard County. Two buildings at Patrick Air Force Base went on lockdown yesterday morning after a suspicious package was reported at the post office. The lockdown was lifted about four hours later, but base officials have not revealed what was in the package.
Maddox To Plead Guilty To Corruption Charges
(Tallahassee, FL) -- A Tallahassee official will admit in court today that he took bribes. Suspended City Commissioner Scott Maddox is expected to plead guilty to federal corruption charges. He's accused of taking bribes from businesses to get the city commission to approve contracts with them. The Democrat reports former Downtown Improvement Authority leader Paige Carter-Smith is also expected to plead guilty to similar charges.
Lawmakers Discuss Weapons Bills
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Two Central Florida lawmakers are pushing ideas to reduce gun violence. State Senator Linda Stewart yesterday re-filed a bill that would ban assault weapons. The Orlando Democrat filed the same bill each of the last three years, but she says Republicans and the NRA have stopped the bill from moving forward. Meanwhile, Republican State Senator David Simmons tells News 6 he supports banning assault weapons for anyone under 25-years-old.
Galvano Wants Study Of Mass Shootings
(Tallahassee, FL) -- A Tampa Bay lawmaker has a plan to find the root causes of mass shootings. Senate President Bill Galvano announced yesterday he'll form a group to look at common factors in mass shootings and propose solutions. The Bradenton Republican also announced Tom Lee will head the commission. Galvano says no function of government is more important than public safety.
Volusia County Commission To Discuss Staffing
(DeLand, FL) -- Volusia County wants to add more than two dozen new positions, but there's reason to believe it may be hard to fill those spots. Research by the News-Journal shows the county already has almost 400 vacancies. More than a hundred of those are in the sheriff's office, and Commission Chair Ed Kelley calls that troubling. County Manager George Recktenwald tells the News-Journal the county is considering raising pay to attract more workers.
Underwater Tribute To Veterans Opens Off Pinellas County
(Clearwater, FL) -- A unique memorial to veterans is now open off the coast of Pinellas County. The Circle of Heroes underwater memorial was dedicated yesterday 40 feet below the Gulf's surface 10 miles off the coast of Clearwater Beach. When finished, the memorial at Veterans Reef will consist of 24 statues representing service members from each military branch. Officials hope the memorial will become a tourist destination for divers, including veterans who use diving to treat PTSD.
Construction Mishap Damages Car
(Miami, FL) -- Two women have a crazy story to tell after an Uber ride in Miami-Dade County. Lexi Gaddy was in an Uber with her mom yesterday in East Little Havana when wet concrete from a construction site poured onto the car from 13 stories above. No one was hurt, but the car is damaged. Gaddy tells Local 10 News she feared the building was going to collapse, but luckily, the only damage was getting wet cement on their shoes and in her purse.
British Man Circumcised By Accident During Routine Operation
(Leicester, England) -- A British man is being compensated after he was accidentally circumcised during a routine operation. Seventy-year-old Terry Brazier went to Leicester Royal Infirmary where he was supposed to get a bladder inspection and Botox injections in his bladder wall. But instead, surgeons removed his foreskin. Hospital officials say the incident happened when Brazier's operating notes were mixed up with another patient's papers. Brazier was paid more than 22-thousand dollars from the hospital for the surgical blunder.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1998, former White House intern Monica Lewinsky spent almost nine hours testifying before a grand jury about her relationship with President Clinton.
1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. The act outlawed discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. The law had an immediate impact. By the end of 1965, a quarter of a million new black voters had been registered to vote.
1787, the first draft of the U.S. Constitution was started at the Constitutional Convention in Philidelphia.