Former Congressman Remembered For Impact On Brevard County
(Winter Springs, FL) -- A former congressman is being remembered for a legacy of saving jobs in Brevard County. Lou Frey (FRY) passed away last week in Seminole County at the age of 85. He served 10 years in Congress in the 1970s, and his name lives on at UCF's Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government. An official at the institute recently told Florida Today Frey created a job-training program after Apollo ended, and he kept Patrick Air Force Base open when it was in danger of closing.
Deadly Deputy-Involved Shooting In Lake County
(Leesburg, FL) -- A man is dead after a deputy-involved shooting in Lake County. It happened yesterday at a home in Leesburg on Myer Ave. Deputies were responding to a domestic violence call when they came across a man armed with a baseball bat and a knife. Deputies ordered 52-year-old Ronald McLemore to drop the weapons, but they say he refused and was shot as he continued to approach officers.
F2 Tornado Measured In Polk County
(North Lakeland, FL) -- Polk County's sheriff is breathing a sigh of relief after a tornado passed through. The National Weather Service reports an F2 touched down for 30 minutes Friday night with 120 mile an hour winds at Carillon Lakes, and it traveled nine miles to North Lakeland. Dozens of homes and businesses sustained damage, including one home that had an RV fly onto its roof, and at one point, 10-thousand homes were without power. Sheriff Grady Judd tells Bay News 9 it's a miracle no one was seriously hurt. Lakeland's Kathleen Middle School is closed today and tomorrow because of roof damage from Friday night's storm. All other schools in the district will be open today. Lake Gibson Middle School is collecting supplies for teachers affected by the storm.
Panama City Area Down 2000 Jobs Since Hurricane Michael
(Panama City, FL) -- There's new evidence of Hurricane Michael's impact on the economy in Bay County. Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity released September's job numbers Friday. Most areas in the state showed gains compared to a year earlier before Hurricane Michael, but the Panama City area continues to struggle. Compared to last September, the Panama City area is down two-thousand jobs, but it's unemployment rate is still at three-percent because the county has lost about two-thousand residents.
Billy Bob Thornton Was Drunk For 'Bad Santa' Scene
(Los Angeles, CA) -- Anyone who's ever seen the movie "Bad Santa" remembers the big drunk scene at a mall. Turns out, it wasn't an act. Billy Bob Thornton admits he was actually drunk posing as Santa. And not a little. He said he had three glasses of wine that morning, then switched to vodka and cranberry and then had a few beers. The 64-year-old says by the time he got to the scene he barely knew he was in the movie. Bad Santa was a box office hit in 2003 earning 77-million dollars.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2015, Subway agreed to start measuring its sandwiches before serving them.
2015, today marks Back to the Future Day. It's the day Marty McFly time traveled forward to in the 1989 film "Back to the Future Part Two." The film made some bold predictions about what life would be like in the year 2015, with self-tying shoes, flying cars powered by fusion engines, and hoverboards. The film also predicted that the Chicago Cubs would win the 2015 World Series.
1997, Elton John's Princess Diana tribute song, "Candle in the Wind '97" surpassed Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" to become the biggest selling song of all-time.
1976, the Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" won their second straight World Series with a sweep of the New York Yankees.
1879, Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light.
1872, John H. Conyers is the first African American accepted the U.S. Naval Academy.
1797, the warship "Constitution" was launched in Boston Harbor. Following a battle with the British warship "Guerriere," the "Constitution" was given the nickname "Old Ironsides."