Flagler Judge Removed For Showing 'Reckless Disregard For Truth' (Tallahassee, FL) -- A judge covering Volusia and Flagler counties is now off the bench for not being truthful. The state's high court yesterday ruled that Seventh Circuit Court Judge Scott DuPont displayed a reckless disregard for the truth during his re-election campaign two years ago.
DuPont released information about his political opponent and the man's family the court found false and misleading. DuPont was also found to have illegally taken money from litigants and prioritized his re-election campaign over his job.
Yelp Review Leads To Support For SPCA (Cocoa, FL) -- A case of mistaken identity is responsible for a boost in popularity for the Brevard County SPCA. A server at Cocoa's Paisley Vegan Kitchen was recently wearing a shirt that featured an image of a rainbow-colored cat above the words 'Stray Pride.'
The shirt is meant to promote pet adoption in Brevard, but a customer apparently thought it was a gay pride reference and left a negative review on Yelp. That led to a surge of people interested in buying the shirt, and the restaurant's owner tells "Florida Today" she was planning to donate 10 percent of yesterday's profits to the SPCA.
Driver Who Killed Bicyclist Suffers From Mental Illness (Tampa, FL) -- The Tampa man accused of killing a bicyclist suffers from mental illness, and police believe the crash was intentional. Tampa Police say 30-year-old Mikese [[muh-KEESE]] Morse purposely ran over Pedro Aguerreberry [[ah-ger-uh-berry]] Sunday in New Tampa as the 42-year-old was riding bikes with his two children.
Morse drove off but was eventually caught and charged with first-degree murder. The incident happened about two weeks after Morse was Baker Acted after he warned police he was liable to hurt someone.
Han Solo Blaster Fetches $550K (New York, NY) -- A prop weapon used by Harrison Ford in "Return of the Jedi" is in new hands after selling for 550-thousand dollars at auction. The blaster wielded by the character Han Solo in the 1983 "Star Wars" film had been owned by the movie's art director, James Schoppe, for three decades.
First-Ever Fully Robot-Made Hamburger Restaurant To Open In SF (San Francisco, CA) -- The first-ever fully robot-made hamburger restaurant is set to open in San Francisco this week. "Creator" is the name of the much-anticipated eatery, as well as the robot that can slice and toast buns, grind and sear meat, and assemble the burger to order in five minutes. The gourmet burgers will be organic, locally-sourced, and cost just six-dollars. Creator opens its doors on Wednesday.
Illinois Man Surprised By White Supremacist License Plate (Chicago, IL) -- An Illinois man is coming under fire for a license plate he didn't realize was a secret white supremacist code. According to the "Chicago Tribune," the plate was assigned by the state and not personalized but did include 1488, which is used by white supremacists as a coded reference to Adolf Hitler.
The driver says he had no idea about the reference but has received threats as a result. The Illinois Secretary of State's office says it is pulling the plate, and issuing the man a new number.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2016, The Cincinnati Reds retired all-time hit king Pete Rose's number and inducted him into the team's Hall of Fame. The Reds had to get special permission from MLB for the ceremonies due to Rose's lifetime ban from the sport for gambling.
2015, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled five-to-four in favor of marriage equality, legalizing same-sex marriages. The majority opinion was issued by Justice Anthony Kennedy, often viewed as a key swing vote on the high court.
1996, the Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Academy to admit women or lose state support.
1919, the "New York Daily News" was first published.
1819, the bicycle was patented by W-K Clarkson Junior.