Deputy-Involved Shooting In Polk County
(Bartow, FL) -- Polk County's sheriff is defending his deputies after a deadly shooting. Deputies shot and killed Yoel Santel Wednesday night in Frostproof at a home on Freedom Drive. Deputies were called to the home for a family disturbance, and Sheriff Grady Judd says three deputies shot the 28-year-old Santel 18 times after he charged at them with a machete. Before the shooting, Judd says the deputies spent at least 45 minutes trying to deescalate the situation, but Santel, who has a history of mental illness, put them in a position where they had to protect themselves and those around them.
Maskless Voters May Be Denied Right To Vote In Broward County
(Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- If you go to the polls in Broward County without your mask, you may not be allowed to vote. Elections Supervisor Peter Antonacci announced yesterday that deputies can remove someone from the polls if they aren't wearing a mask. County Vice Mayor Steve Geller says he's thrilled. He tells the Sun-Sentinel you don't have a right to vote while endangering people's health.
Florida Minimum Wage To Go Up
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Florida's minimum wage is going up. The rate will rise by nine-cents on January 1st, to eight-65 an hour. The rate for tipped workers will also go up nine-cents to five-63. The minimum wage is recalculated each year based on the Consumer Price Index. A measure on the November 3rd ballot would raise Florida's minimum wage gradually to 15-dollars an hour by 2026, if approved by voters.
USF To End Undergrad Teaching Program
(Tampa, FL) -- USF is changing how it trains future teachers. The school announced yesterday it's phasing out its undergrad education program, but it will maintain a graduate teaching program. The school says it needed to cut spending because of funding cuts caused by the coronavirus, and the school says enrollment in its teaching program is down almost 50-percent over the last ten years.
Thirteen Hurt In Boat Explosion
(Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- Over a dozen people are hurt after a boat exploded in Broward County. It happened yesterday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale on the New River near Southwest 20th Street. NBC 6 reports 21 people were recording a video on the boat when it exploded, and 13 were burned, including two who are in critical condition. There's no word on what caused the explosion.
NASA Funds Nokia Plan To Provide Cellular Service On Moon
(Orlando, FL) -- Hopefully astronauts will soon be able to take a cell phone call in space. NASA is funding a project by Nokia to build a 4-G cellular communication network on the moon. The agency was given 14-point-one-million-dollars to accomplish the task. The money comes from a project that was part of 370-million-dollars in new contracts for lunar surface research missions. The majority of the money was given to companies like SpaceX and United Launch alliance. NASA is looking to develop new technologies to live and work on the moon in order to reach the goal of having astronauts consistently on a lunar base by 2028.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Auction
(Staten Island, NY) -- Figures from TV's animated Christmas classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" are going up for auction. Collector Peter Lutrario is parting ways with his six-inch Rudolph and eleven-inch Santa used to film the original 1964 TV special. He bought them about 15-years ago and they were appraised for about ten-thousand-dollars. Now, they're expected to fetch up-to-250-thousand-dollars.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2018, Sears filed for bankruptcy.
2009, Colorado authorities and military personnel were dispatched to track a helium-filled balloon, mistakenly believed to have lifted off with a six-year-old boy inside. When the balloon landed, authorities quickly discovered there was no one inside the flying-saucer-like balloon. The child was found hiding inside a cardboard box in the attic of his parents' house in Fort Collins.
1991, Clarence Thomas was confirmed as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, 52-48. It was the narrowest margin in nearly a century. At the age of 43, Thomas became the first black conservative and the youngest to be confirmed.
1949, the Reverend Billy Graham began his ministry.