Four Teens Arrested After Gun Found At School
(Auburndale, FL) -- A classmate who heard something and said something is credited with leading police to a loaded gun at a Polk County school. Four students at Auburndale High School were arrested yesterday, including a 14-year-old who was found with a loaded gun in his backpack. Police say a student alerted the SRO after hearing the 14-year-old talking about the gun. The other three 14-year-olds are accused of leaving a threatening note for a teacher last week in an unrelated incident.
Man Exposes Himself At Walmart
(Melbourne, FL) -- A man is accused of exposing himself at a Walmart in Brevard County. A female employee at a store in Melbourne says the man exposed himself to her inside a bathroom last month. Police say 68-year-old suspect Pearlie Coates has since turned himself in.
Guest Who Threatened Hotel Claims He Has PTSD
(Cocoa, FL) -- A man accused of threatening violence at a hotel in Brevard County claims he's mentally ill. Texas' Joseph McKinney was arrested this weekend for making an online threat toward the Cocoa Beach Hilton Oceanside, where he had been a guest. In his message to hotel staff, McKinney said they needed to be decent to other human beings because some of us are heavily armed and on the verge of snapping. Police say McKinney told officers he's a military veteran suffering from PTSD.
Florida Democrats Oppose Opening Migrant Shelter In Orlando
(Orlando, FL) -- A mayor in Osceola County is promising to fight the federal government to the end. Kissimmee Mayor Jose Alvarez spoke yesterday against plans to build a shelter for migrant children in Central Florida. Alvarez says the shelter, proposed by Health and Human Services, is inhumane. Democratic State Rep. Anna Eskamani believes President Trump is racist and xenophobic, and she adds the situation on the southern border is a manufactured crisis.
Beach Safety Meeting Held In Bay County
(Panama City, FL) -- Changes could be coming to protect Panhandle beach visitors. The National Weather Service met with officials from Bay and Walton counties yesterday to discuss how to prevent more drowning deaths. Over 10 people have drowned in the area this year, and those at the meeting believe swimmers don't understand the beach warning system that's in place. A rep from the Bay County Sheriff's office tells News 13 it would be huge if they could figure out a way to send alerts to beachgoers through their cell phones.
Tropical Storm Dorian Has Weakened, But Has Florida In Projected Path
(Miami, FL) -- Tropical Storm Dorian still has Florida in its projected path. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm's winds dropped to 50 miles per hour last night, but it's still headed toward Central and South Florida. In an 11 p.m. advisory, the Center said Dorian could be off the coast of West Palm Beach on Saturday night, but it could also reach north of Orlando or west of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico at that time. The storm continues to remain a threat to the Caribbean, and is forecast to be a hurricane when it passes over Puerto Rico later this week.
Man Crosses Pacific Ocean On Paddleboard
(Honolulu, HI) -- A Spanish endurance athlete is the first person to trek across the Pacific Ocean on a standup paddleboard. Antonio de la Rosa started his journey in San Francisco back in June and finished in Honolulu on Saturday, covering over 29-hundred miles in 76 days. His 24-foot custom paddleboard came complete with a cabin for sleeping and storage space.
KFC Is First Fast-Food Restaurant To Test Plant-Based Chicken
(Undated) -- Kentucky Fried Chicken is the first fast-food restaurant to try plant-based alternatives to chicken. The Beyond Fried Chicken product will debut today in Atlanta. President and Chief Concept Officer Kevin Hochman says customers will find it hard to tell that the product is plant-based. This comes after Burger King launched its own meatless meal, the "Impossible" Whopper, nationwide earlier this month.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1990, Vanilla Ice released "Ice Ice Baby."
1984, President Ronald Reagan announced a schoolteacher by the name of Christa McAuliffe would become the first "citizen astronaut" to fly aboard the space shuttle. McAuliffe died in the Challenger disaster.
1962, NASA launched the Mariner 2 space probe from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
1950, the United States Army seized all U.S. railroads to prevent a strike.
1939, the Heinkel H-E 178 made its maiden flight. It was the world's first jet propelled airplane.