Brevard County Corrections Officers Suspended (Titusville, FL) -- Brevard County's sheriff is infuriated by the actions of some corrections officers he calls knuckleheads. Sheriff Wayne Ivey announced yesterday he has suspended three officers for DUI in off-duty incidents that happened in the last week. In one case, Officer Ronald Collins suffered minor injuries after he crashed into a building. Brittany Rowland and Corporal William Dampman were also suspended, and Ivey says he's extremely angry that people who know better would put innocent people at risk.
Volusia County Council Tables Sales Tax Referendum (DeLand, FL) -- Volusia County taxpayers may be off the hook for some road improvement projects. The county council yesterday voted not to go forward with plans to put a half-cent sales tax hike on this year's ballot. Instead, the county will consider raising the impact fees developers pay. Those fees have not gone up in 15 years, and many taxpayers have complained about that.
Mother Of MSD Victim Resolves Dispute With Charter Flight Company (Parkland, FL) -- After two months of fighting, the mother of an MSD shooting victim is glad to have one aspect of that horrible day behind her. Linda Schulman's ordeal with Talon Air started the day of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School when she heard her son had been shot. Schulman couldn't get a commercial flight from New York, so she chartered one from Talon, but she was shocked to get charged double for a one-way trip. After taking her complaints to Facebook, Schulman announced yesterday that Talon has waived half of her 36-thousand dollar bill, and the company also decided to donate 18-thousand dollars to a memorial fund Schulman set up in her son's name.
Port Canaveral Hires New CFO (Port Canaveral, FL) -- After a nationwide search, it turns out Port Canaveral didn't have to leave the state to find its next CFO. Port officials recently named Port of Jacksonville CFO Michael Poole as its new chief financial officer. Poole replaces Rodger Rees, who left for a similar job in Texas. Poole has also worked at the Port of Pensacola, and Port CEO John Murray says Poole will help Port Canaveral remain competitive with the top ports in the world.
K-9 Credited With Arrest (Palm Harbor, FL) -- A K-9 is credited with making an arrest under tough circumstances. When Pinellas County Deputy Brad Byers tried to arrest Clearwater's Michael Shuford this week in Palm Harbor, Shuford ran into the woods. That's when Byers relied on K-9 Hector, who found Shuford and bit him on the leg. Shuford fought back, though, and started punching Hector in the face, but Hector refused to let Shuford loose. Byers tells 'News Channel 8' Hector did exactly what he's trained to do, and he also calls Hector the brains of the operation.
Facebook To Offer Dating Service (San Jose, CA) -- Facebook is launching its first dating service. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the move at the company's F8 developer conference in San Jose. He called it a natural fit since more than 200 million people list themselves as single on Facebook. The news immediately sent stock in other dating websites tumbling. Zuckerberg said it will launch soon as an optional feature with the goal of finding long-term relationships.
Sexual Favors Offered To Good Samaritan (Niagara Falls, NY) -- A New York woman is accused of offering up sexual favors in exchange for a ride. Police in Niagara Falls say the man saw Rhea Walker crying along a road recently and stopped to help. He ended up giving the 24-year-old a ride but says she then made a scene when he refused her sexual advances. Police say when they showed up she screamed insults and obscenities at them and even kicked one of them in the shin. She eventually ended up in a jail cell on disorderly conduct and harassment charges.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2012, NFL great Junior Seau was found dead at his home in Oceanside, California, the apparent victim of a suicide. He was 43. Seau spent 20 seasons in the NFL, 12 of them with the San Diego Chargers.
1994, Nelson Mandela claimed victory in South Africa's first democratic elections.
1966, Tom Brokaw made his debut as news anchor of NBC-owned KNBC in Los Angeles. He would later move on to jobs as White House correspondent, "Today" show co-host and finally, lead anchor of the "NBC Nightly News." AND THIS WEEK HE MADE HIS DEBUT AS A #METOO POSTER BOY