Parents Protest Arming School Personnel (Viera, FL) -- Parents want school leaders to know where they stand on a controversial plan to make schools safer. About 50 people gathered outside the Brevard School Board meeting yesterday in Viera to protest a plan to arm school personnel. They greeted board members with chants of 'books, not bullets.' One organizer tells "Florida Today" school staff and teachers are there to educate, and that's what they need to focus on. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON IGNORANT MOMS SPEAKING OUT ON TODAY’S BML.
Volusia School District Asks County For $2M For School Resource Officers (DeLand, FL) -- A Volusia school official is asking the county for help in providing children with what he calls a professional level of protection. School Board member Carl Persis recently sent the county council a letter asking for two million dollars to help put a police officer in every public school. County Manager Jim Dinneen believes he can find the money, but Sheriff Mike Chitwood might not be able to find the officers. Chitwood says he's already dealing with more than 40 vacancies, and he tells the "News-Journal" he would need more than eight million dollars to hire the 58 more officers he would need.
Citizens Question Ethics Board Over Football Tickets (Tallahassee, FL) -- A report that cleared two Tallahassee workers of wrongdoing is being called a coverup. That's what Erwin Jackson told the Independent Ethics Board yesterday about the recent report that found the employees did not break any laws when they accepted FSU football tickets from City Manager Rick Fernandez. Jackson is the businessman who made the original complaint that led to the investigation, but the problem he has is that the investigation was done by the city manager's office instead of an independent agency. Jackson tells the "Tallahassee Democrat" investigators never dug deeper because, in his words, they didn't want the answers.
Grandmother Accused Of Killing Husband And Florida Woman Seen In Ocala (Ocala, FL) -- A nationwide manhunt is ongoing for a grandmother accused of killing her husband and a Florida woman. Investigators say 56-year-old Lois Riess has recently been seen at an Ocala hotel. Deputies believe Riess killed her husband in March, then fled to Lee County where she shot and killed Pamela Hutchinson, and assumed the victim's identity. It's believed Hutchinson was targeted because she and the suspect look alike.
Five FSU Students Accept Plea Deal For Hazing Death (Tallahassee, FL) -- Five men will serve jail time for the hazing death of an FSU student. They accepted a plea deal that will give them jail sentences of between 30 and 60 days, instead of up to five years in prison on a felony hazing charge. The men were in the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, where a 20-year-old man died of alcohol poisoning in November during a hazing ritual. Four other fraternity members who did not take a plea deal will be tried in June.
British Researchers Discover Plastic-Eating Enzyme (New York, NY) -- There's word that British researchers have discovered an enzyme that could get rid of millions of tons of plastic polluting the world's oceans. They accidentally engineered it while studying a 3-D model of a newly-discovered enzyme that eats plastic. That enzyme was first discovered in Japan. Scientists at the University of Portsmouth say their enzyme works better and quicker and hope it'll be harnessed in the fight against plastic pollution. THERE IS A SCI-FI MOVIE SOMEHWERE IN THIS STORY.
Woman Accused Of Smuggling Drugs Inside Bible (Coshocton County, OH) -- An Ohio woman is facing smuggling charges for allegedly hiding drugs in a Bible. Deputies say Cherokee Williamson of Coshocton County stashed meth and more in the Good Book and dropped it off last week for an inmate at the Justice Center. It didn't take long for officers to find the illegal substances and take her into custody. Williamson is charged with the illegal conveyance of drugs. SHE SHOULD HAVE READ NUMBERS 32:23- …BE SURE YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT!
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1999, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky retired from the National Hockey League. He set more than 60 league records during his 20-year career, including most points, most goals and most assists. He also won four Stanley Cups.
1995, quarterback Joe Montana retired from the National Football League with four Super Bowl rings.
1984, Michael Jackson underwent scalp surgery to repair damage done when his hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.
1942, the first World War Two edition of "The Stars and Stripes" was published for U.S. troops in Northern Ireland.
1775, Paul Revere made his famous ride from Boston to Concord in Massachusetts to warn citizens of the approaching British army.