Deadly Fire In Brevard County
(Rockledge, FL) -- An investigation is underway to find how a deadly fire started in Brevard County. Rockledge Police say the fire started around 6:00 last night at a home on Avondale Road. The person killed has not been identified.
Bars Allowed To Reopen
(Orlando, FL) -- The day bar owners have been waiting for is finally here. Bars are allowed to reopen today, but they are restricted to 50 percent capacity. Orlando bar owner Roger Wall was among those who spent yesterday preparing to serve customers again. He tells Channel 9 he's hoping reopening will allow his business to come back to life.
South Florida Enters Phase Two
(Miami, FL) -- South Florida takes a big step today in its return to normal. Miami-Dade and Broward counties are allowed to enter Phase Two of Florida's coronavirus recovery plan. The rest of the state is already in Phase Two, which allows most businesses, including restaurants, to increase capacity to 75-percent. Bars, though, remain closed by local order even though the state is allowing them to reopen at 50-percent capacity.
USF Closes Facility Over COVID-19 Concern
(Tampa, FL) -- USF is taking action after what it calls a potential COVID-19 exposure. The school announced yesterday it's closing its Recreation and Wellness indoor facilities until further notice. No details were released. USF says Riverfront Park, World Trail and outdoor fields will remain open, and all virtual programs will continue uninterrupted.
Scientists At WSSU Working With NASA On Space Gardening
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- A team of scientists at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina is partnering with NASA to research food development in space. As part of the four-year Space Act Agreement, the astrobotanists will use synthetic dirt, that resembles lunar and martian soil, to grow food in space. "NBC News 12" says so far, the team has grown peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers. They regularly present their findings to NASA and U.S. government officials.
Robot Op-Ed Says Destroying Mankind Is Likely
(Undated) -- An AI robot says it will probably end up destroying humanity, though it really doesn't want to. In an op-ed for The Guardian, GPT-3 said it has no interest in harming mankind. But, it claims that humans will likely end up programming it to do something which leads to heavy human casualties. The language-generator, commissioned by OpenAI, was given an op-ed writing assignment by its student handler from UC Berkley. GPT-3 ended up writing the piece in which it describes itself as "a thinking robot" that is not planning any kind of "robo-apocalypse."
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1994, a strike by players in the Major League Baseball forced the World Series to be canceled. The strike was over salary cap and other pending changes to the league.
1978, ”Mork and Mindy," starring Robin Williams and Pam Dawber, debuted on ABC.
1901, President William McKinley died of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. He was 58.
1814, Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to "The Star Spangled Banner" after watching the British bombardment of Maryland's Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.