Rep. Fine Wants Brevard Commissioner Investigated (Titusville, FL) -- A Brevard County official is accused of criminally using his office for political gain. State Rep Randy Fine yesterday requested that the State Attorney’s Office investigate County Commissioner Curt Smith.
Fine claims during a commission meeting this month, Smith discussed his victory in a recent straw poll, and, in Fine's words, shamelessly engaged in political campaigning. Smith says the accusations are fake news, and Fine needs to worry about his own election this fall.
ICE Protesters Arrested (Tampa, FL) -- Six anti-ICE protesters are facing charges for their actions in Tampa. The protesters were arrested yesterday after they used bicycle locks to chain themselves together outside Tampa's Homeland Security office.
They were charged with trespassing, but one protester tells the Tampa Bay Times this was just the next step in their efforts to abolish ICE.
Five Arrested For Stealing Guns (Orlando, FL) -- Five teenagers are facing charges for stealing more than a dozen guns in Volusia County. The suspects, who range in age from 15 to 19, were arrested this weekend for stealing 18 guns from a store in DeBary.
The guns are valued at about 15-thousand dollars and include an AR-15 rifle. News 6 reports one of the guns remains missing.
Missing Girl Contacts Mom After Five Years (Southport, FL) -- A Bay County woman has what she believes is proof that her daughter is alive after disappearing five years ago. Southport's Pam Massimiani (MAS-A-ME-ANNIE) announced last week that she recently received a letter from her daughter.
Emily Paul was 14 when she ran away from home five years ago, and this letter is the first time she has reached out to her mom since then. No details have been released, but Sheriff Tommy Ford has seen the letter, and he tells the Panama City News Herald he's confident it's authentic.
Back To School Sales Tax Holiday (Undated) -- Parents and retailers are getting ready for Florida's back to school sales tax holiday. Starting this Friday and going through Sunday, back to school items will be sold without tax. Those items include clothing, footwear and other accessories selling for 60-dollars or less per item, and traditional school supplies costing less than 15-dollars per item.
Thieves Steal Shark From San Antonio Aquarium By Sneaking It Out In a Stroller (San Antonio, TX) -- Officials with the San Antonio Aquarium in Texas say a trio of thieves stole a shark and smuggled it out of the aquarium in a stroller. A spokeswoman for the aquarium said a suspect is in custody and the shark is alive and well, despite the traumatic experience.
Video surveillance shows the thieves walking through the aquarium on Saturday before driving off with the 16-inch horn shark. They apparently snagged the shark from the interactive "touch pool," threw it into a bucket and then into the stroller. Staff eventually caught up to the thieves.
Americans Spend Average $450 On Drunk Purchases (Undated) -- Wondering how you ended up with three calenders featuring cats in pajamas and every episode of Xena Warrior Princess on VHS? A new survey finds that Americans spend an average of 450-dollars on stuff each year while drunk.
Rehab facility Archstone Recovery found that almost half of those surveyed said they'd bought something while intoxicated. It's no surprise that alcohol could have an impact on judgment. The survey broke it down by what people were drinking at the time. Gin drinkers tended to spend the most while beer and whiskey drinkers were a bit more conservative.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2013, former football star OJ Simpson was granted parole on convictions for kidnapping and armed robbery stemming from a hold up of two sports memorabilia dealers in 2007. However, he was ordered to remain behind bars on other charges.
2000, Intel Corp. introduced a Pentium III processor which ran faster than one gigahertz. It gave Intel bragging rights to the fastest computer chip on the market.
1990, Pitcher Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers became the 20th major leaguer to win 300 games.
1971, Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin became the first men to ride in a vehicle on the moon. The two men spent two hours traveling five miles on the moon's surface in their lunar dune buggy.