Demolition Set For Cape Canaveral Launch Sites (Cape Canaveral, FL) -- Kennedy Space Center is saying goodbye to what one official calls hallowed ground. The fixed towers and mobile gantries of Launch Complex 17 will be demolished this morning at 7:00.
The complex's history goes back more than 60 years when the Air Force launched an intermediate ballistic missile in 1957. There have been hundreds of launches since then, and launch director Tim Dunn tells Florida Today it's a little sad to lose a piece of space history.
Shark Bite In Volusia County (Daytona Beach, FL) -- A teenager is dealing with injuries from a shark bite, but that might not be the biggest danger facing beachgoers in Volusia County. A 14-year-old boy was bitten on the foot by a shark yesterday off New Smyrna Beach, but he suffered only a small cut.
Beach Safety Ocean Rescue says the bigger problem was hazardous rip currents, and more than 70 people had to be pulled from the water yesterday. Officials tell the Daytona Beach News Journal the dangerous conditions could last the rest of the week.
County Will Not Take Lead In Establishing CSC Committee (Tallahassee, FL) -- Efforts to establish the Children's Services Council are moving forward but not with the help of Leon County. The county commission voted this week to allow Our Kids First PAC to form a committee that will explore creating the CSC, but the commission declined to appoint any committee members.
Commissioner Bill Proctor tells the Tallahassee Democrat the CSC is not their baby, and they don't want to be responsible for how it turns out. CSC supporters want to present a plan to voters for referendum in 2020, and if it passes, the CSC will use an annual budget of eight million dollars to fund programs for children.
Mom Arrested For Huffing With Child In Car (Clearwater, FL) -- A mother is facing charges for getting high off an air dust can while with her child in her SUV. Clearwater's Brittany Tipitino was arrested this week after the FHP says she crashed through two mailboxes, ran a stop sign and hit a tree.
She was found passed out behind the wheel while her one-year-old was in the backseat. ABC Action News reports the child was not hurt.
Israeli Spacecraft Targets 2019 Moon Landing (Yehud, Israel) -- An unmanned spacecraft built by Israel is expected to land on the moon by next year. SpaceIL is a spider-like craft that is planned to lift-off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida in December.
The craft will then arrive at the moon on February 13th, 2019. In addition to taking video and pictures, the spacecraft will conduct experiments on the moon's magnetic field.
Man, Woman Dead In Garage Having Affair (Newark, NJ) -- A man and woman found dead in a car were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning while having sex. NBC 4 in New York says the woman's husband found the two bodies in the car in Newark, New Jersey after getting home, one was his wife and the other was her mechanic.
Officers say they were told she was repaying the man with sex for fixing her car. Police are speculating that the two were in the act when they were accidentally killed by the gas. The victims were discovered in a running car parked in a closed garage.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale announced that he had chosen U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York to be his running mate. Ferraro was the first woman to run for the vice presidency of the United States on a major-party ticket.
1982, the last of the distinctive looking Checker taxicabs rolled off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
1979, Disco Demolition Night took place at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Fans were asked to bring unwanted disco albums to the stadium for the game between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. The fans got out of hand by throwing, and later burning, the albums. The unruly crowd swarmed onto the field and the second game of the baseball doubleheader was cancelled.
1960, the first Etch-A-Sketch went on sale. More than 50 million of the products were sold over the next 25 years.
1954, Sun Records signed Elvis Presley to a recording contract. Elvis was 19.
1862, the Medal of Honor was authorized by Congress.