No Verdict In Salman Trial (Orlando, FL) -- Noor Salman's family believes it has a reason to be optimistic. Jurors deliberated again yesterday on whether Salman helped husband Omar Mateen plan the Pulse nightclub shooting two years ago, but they did not reach a verdict. Deliberations will resume this morning, and a spokeswoman for Salman's family says having jurors deliberate as long as they have is a good thing. Salman is accused of encouraging and supporting Mateen's plans, and jurors yesterday asked the judge to clarify what defines encouragement and support.
UCF Student Being Deported Over Illegal Gun Possession (Orlando, FL) -- A UCF student will be deported after some alarming purchases. Wenliang Sun was ordered last week to be sent back to China after his status as an international student was terminated last month. UCF Police found the 26-year-old owned two high-powered guns and a 70-thousand dollar car he bought with cash. Owning both weapons became illegal once he lost his international student status, and UCF Police Chief Richard Beary said yesterday he believes a disaster was prevented.
MSD Survivor Gets Sponsors To Drop Support Of Fox News Show (Parkland, FL) -- A Douglas High School student is using social media to take on a Fox News host. Seventeen-year-old David Hogg yesterday urged his 600-thousand Twitter followers to boycott sponsors of Laura Ingraham's cable talk show, 'The Ingraham Angle.' Earlier this week, Ingraham had mocked Hogg on Twitter for not being able to get into UCLA, and Hogg's call to action led many sponsors to pull their support of Ingraham's show. Ingraham apologized yesterday, but Hogg Tweeted he will not accept the apology until Ingraham denounces the way Fox News has treated him and his friends in their push for new gun laws. OH THE FALSE SENSE OF SUPERIORITY THIS KID’S FAME HAS BROUGHT HIM!
First-Of-Its-Kind Drug Trial Ends In Conviction (St. Augustine, FL) -- A convicted drug dealer will spend decades behind bars in a first-of-its-kind case. Orlando's David Perez was found guilty and sentenced yesterday to 30 years in prison for selling heroin last year to what turned out to be an undercover St. Johns County detective. The "St. Augustine Record" reports it was the first case presided over by Judge Howard Maltz since he announced last year he would no longer accept plea deals in opioid cases. Maltz made that decision because he wanted the public to know the judicial system was doing its part to address the epidemic.
Ceremony Held To Mark National Vietnam War Veterans Day (Cape Canaveral, FL) -- A ceremony to honor those who served in Vietnam is a sign to one veteran of how everything has changed. As part of National Vietnam War Veterans Day yesterday, a ceremony was held at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery to honor the 12-hundred veterans buried there. Veterans who were at the ceremony, including Larry Rae, were awarded special lapel pins. Rae tells "Florida Today" it was a great ceremony and showed how much better Vietnam vets are treated now compared to back then.
Man Rescued From Crash Later Shot By Police (Miami, FL) -- A man is hurt after what started as a heroic rescue turned into a police shooting. An unidentified man crashed his minivan through a fence yesterday on US One in Miami-Dade and landed in some water. Good Samaritans pulled him to safety, but, after police arrived, an officer shot the man after police say the man grabbed an officer's Taser and pointed it at the officer. The man is now in stable condition, and FDLE is investigating. I GUESS NO GOOD DEED DOES GO UNPUNISHED!
Eric Trump Hit With "Jeopardy" Tweets (Undated) -- Eric Trump's critics are having a field day responding to one of his latest tweets. The son of the president tweeted a picture from the TV quiz show "Jeopardy" that read "Eric Trump to Jared Kushner." Trump remarked that it's always fun being a "Jeopardy" question and answered "who is 'brother in law." Other people on his Twitter feed are sharing their own answers, like "who is co-conspirator" and "who is witness for the prosecution."
Nudist Campground Needs Lifeguard (Foster, RI) -- A campground in Foster, Rhode Island is looking to hire a lifeguard. A swimsuit is not necessary at the Dyer Wood Nudist Campgrounds. The candidate must be at least 18-years-old and state certified. I ASSUME THIS MEANS AS A LIFEGUARD!
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1998, German automaker BMW purchased Rolls Royce in a deal worth 570-million-dollars.
1995, a federal court in New York struck down the "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy that allowed homosexuals to serve in the military under certain conditions. The judge declared the policy unconstitutional.
1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin as he left Washington's Hilton Hotel. Three other people were wounded in the attack. Reagan spent the next two weeks in a hospital recovering from his wounds. John Hinckley Junior was the would-be assassin.
1964, "Jeopardy," aired on NBC Television for the first time. Art Fleming was the host.
1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for just over seven-million-dollars.
1858, the pencil was patented by Hyman Lipman of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.