DeSantis Announces Plans To Reopen
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday the state will start to reopen on Monday. Some businesses, including restaurants, will be able to open with crowds limited to 25-percent capacity, but bars, gyms, movie theaters and hair salons will remain closed. DeSantis blamed China's malfeasance for putting us in this situation, but he says these baby steps will start us on the road to a brighter day.
Brevard County Business Leaders Glad To Be Reopening
(Titusville, FL) -- The governor's plan to reopen the economy is being called a step in the right direction. That's what Melbourne Regional Chamber CEO Michael Ayers says about plans announced yesterday. Governor Ron DeSantis said some businesses, including restaurants, can reopen, starting Monday, but they must restrict crowds to 25 percent capacity. Ayers tells Florida Today some businesses will find the restrictions make it too hard to turn a profit, but he hopes the next phase will start soon.
Orange County Mayor Believes Reopening May Be Premature
(Orlando, FL) -- Orange County's mayor appears to be at odds with some doctors on reopening the economy. Two doctors on Mayor Jerry Demings' task force said yesterday they believed some businesses could reopen as soon as tomorrow, but Demings says that's premature. He says reopening should be pushed back by a week or two, but he made that comment before the governor’s announcement some businesses could reopen Monday. Demings may announce his own reopening plan tomorrow.
Restrictions Easing But Not In SEFL
(Tallahassee, FL) -- As the rest of the state gets back to normal, Southeast Florida will have to wait. Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday that some businesses will be able to reopen Monday with restrictions on crowd size, but Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are exempt from his announcement. DeSantis says there has been a downward movement in the area's coronavirus numbers, though, and he may offer some guidelines for those counties soon.
Florida Schools Ask Congress For Aid
(Undated) -- Florida's public schools face an "educational catastrophe" if federal aid isn't pumped into their budgets. School leaders around the state sent that statement in a letter to Congress, with hopes the federal government can offset steep financial losses related to the pandemic.
SeaWorld Seeking Federal Help
(Orlando, FL) -- SeaWorld is asking for help from taxpayers. According to the Orlando Sentinel, over the past ten years, the company has earned nearly 193-million in pretax profits. But it has paid less than eight-million in total income taxes. These days, with the park sitting empty, SeaWorld is losing millions and it hopes a federal loan will help them stay in business.
Georgia Suspends Driving Test Amid Pandemic
(Kennesaw, GA) -- New drivers in Georgia will not have to worry about the road test for a while. As part of Governor Brian Kemp's executive order, the state driving test is suspended until mid-May. Even though teens still have to complete all other requirements like 40 hours of supervised driving, social distancing prevents Department of Driver Service employees from conducting the test. Therefore, a license can be granted from parents simply signing off on the 40 hours. A local driving school owner says the department is trying to make the process easy and "to lessen the burden on people right now."
NASA Helicopter Heading To Mars Gets New Name
(Undated) -- A flying machine looking to make history now has a name. NASA's helicopter that will attempt the first powered flight on another planet is being called Ingenuity. The name came from a 17-year-old student as part of a "name the rover" contest. Ingenuity and the NASA rover Perseverance are scheduled to start a journey to Mars in July.
TODAY IN HISTORY, April 30th
2001, the first "space tourist," California businessman Dennis Tito arrived at the international space station aboard a Russian spacecraft.
1993, number one-ranked tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed in the back during a match in Hamburg, Germany. The man who stabbed her described himself as a fan of second-ranked player Steffi Graf.
1945, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife Eva Braun as Russian troops closed in on his hiding place in Berlin. Hitler was 56.
1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became first chief executive to appear on TV.
1798, the U.S. Department of the Navy was established.
1789, George Washington took office as the first president of the United States.