Key NASA Flight Test Set For Friday
(Kennedy Space Center, FL) -- A key flight test for future space missions is set to launch early Friday from Florida's Space Coast. It will test the performance of the Atlas V rocket, its in-orbit docking with the International Space Station, and the landing of the capsule. The data collected will be studied to ensure it's safe for future crewed missions. The Atlas V will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:36 a.m. Friday.
Man Arrested At Disney World For Gun In Backpack
(Orlando, FL) -- A Boynton Beach man is banned from the happiest place on Earth after trying to take a loaded gun into Disney World. Nathan Polit told deputies Sunday he forgot to take the gun out of his backpack, but they think he was sneaking it in because he was standing in a "no bag line." The guy never made it past the security checkpoint at Animal Kingdom. He was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed firearm. Walt Disney World also issued the man a trespass warning.
Police: Middle School Student Threatens To Shoot Up School
(New Smyrna Beach, FL) -- A student accused of threatening to shoot up a school in Volusia County says he was just trying to "look cool." The 14-year-old New Smyrna Beach Middle School student was arrested at his home Monday night after fellow students alerted authorities. Although the teen says he was just joking, the school's principal says they do not take threats lightly. Additional law enforcement officers were on campus yesterday as precaution.
Florida Ranks Low For Christmas Spirit
(Jacksonville, FL) -- Florida is one of the five states with the least Christmas spirit. A survey by Internet, phone and TV provider CenturyLink ranks the Sunshine State 47th among the 50 states. The list is based on nearly a dozen factors, including online searches for holiday movies and gingerbread houses, charitable donations, Christmas music streaming and number of tweets related to the holiday. Tennessee is number-one for Christmas spirit, and Nevada is in last place.
Thieves Steal Trailer Filled With Toys For Needy Children
(Miami-Dade County, FL) -- Police are looking for a group of thieves caught on camera stealing a trailer filled with toys meant for needy children this Christmas season. Surveillance video shows one man scoping out the trailer outside of St. Kevin Catholic School and Church in southwest Miami-Dade County before a van pulls up and another man gets out. Within minutes, the two thieves had broken a lock, hitched the trailer to their van, and drove off with hundreds of brand new toys. While the police are investigating, the church says they've already received more donations than they originally had to make up for their loss.
Good Samaritan Pays For Meals At Cracker Barrel
(St. Petersburg, FL) -- A secret Santa is paying for diners' meals at a Florida restaurant. Employees at the Cracker Barrel in St. Petersburg say it happened twice in one week. A man offered to pay for anyone eating alone one day and on the second day he paid for everyone eating in the restaurant during a one hour period at dinnertime. In all, 160 people enjoyed free meals thanks to the Good Samaritan who has asked to remain anonymous. The restaurant manager says the man also made sure to tip all of the servers and offered up a "happy holiday."
Nerf Gun Is Ranked As Most Popular Holiday Toy
(Undated) -- Santa will likely be delivering a lot of Nerf guns this Christmas. It's the most popular toy in the nation. An online review website mapped out the favorites for each state based off Google searches. Nerf gun was the winner in 11 states including Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. The second place toy is more high tech. Five states chose the Nintendo Switch and four opted for Play-Doh. Dolls were also quite popular in nine states and only New York went with the classic LEGO playset.
Michigan Family Continues Strange 'Heirloom' Fruitcake Tradition
(Tecumseh, MI) -- One Michigan family is continuing a time-honored holiday tradition involving a very old fruitcake. Julie Ruttinger, of Tecumseh, says her family will not eat the 141-year-old "heirloom" fruitcake that has been passed down for generations. The tradition began when Fidelia Ford, Ruttinger's great-great-grandmother who baked and aged fruitcakes for a year, died before her last cake could be eaten in 1878. Family members then decide to preserve the final fruitcake in tribute. The legacy was most recently continued by Ruttinger's father, Morgan Ford, who kept the cake until his death in 2013. According to a food expert on the 'Today' show, the dessert is actually safe to eat because it doesn't contain water necessary to grow any bad bacteria.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1966, Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" aired for the first time on CBS.
1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. The amendment abolished slavery.