Deadly Shooting In Palm Bay (Palm Bay, FL) -- One person is dead after a shooting in Brevard County. It happened yesterday afternoon in Palm Bay at a home on Furth Road. The victim has not been identified. There's no word on a suspect or motive.
Cruise Ship Returning To Port Canaveral After Illness (Port Canaveral, FL) -- A cruise is coming to an early end after hundreds of people became sick. Royal Caribbean International's Oasis of the Seas will return to Port Canaveral tomorrow after an outbreak of norovirus. Almost 300 passengers and crew members have become sick on a trip that was supposed to reach Mexico. That Mexico stop was canceled, the trip was cut short by a day and passengers will be offered a refund.
Man Killed In Airport Incident (Brooksville, FL) -- A Pasco County man is dead after a horrific incident in Hernando County. It happened yesterday afternoon at Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport. Deputies say Hudson 62-year-old Salvatore Disi was beheaded when he was hit by helicopter blades. A witness says he and Disi were working on the helicopter when it happened, and the NTSB is investigating.
DeSantis To Suspend Israel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- Broward County's sheriff appears to be on his way out. Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to announce today that he's suspending Sheriff Scott Israel. DeSantis has criticized Israel, as have others, for his department's response to the Parkland school shooting. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports DeSantis will name former Coral Springs Sergeant Gregory Tony as Israel's replacement, and that would make the 40-year-old the county's first black sheriff.
Grade Changing Alleged At Broward County High School (Pembroke Pines, FL) -- Some Broward County students are accused of using their computer skills for criminal activity. The district says students at Flanagan High School appear to have stolen a teacher's passcode to change the grades of other students who were willing to pay a fee. Pembroke Pines Police are involved in the investigation, but no arrests have been announced. Students tell CBS4 News this has been going on since at least last month, and some involved have already been sent to alternative schools.
Governor Issues Executive Order On Environment And Water Quality (Tallahassee, FL) -- Governor Ron DeSantis is rolling out new policy reforms aimed at protecting Florida's environment and water quality. DeSantis signed an executive order yesterday calling for two-and-a-half-billion dollars over four years for Everglades restoration and protection of water resources. It also establishes a task force charged with speeding up progress toward reversing the negative effects of blue-green algae blooms. DeSantis is also creating an Office of Environmental Accountability and Transparency and is appointing a chief science officer for the state of Florida.
Surgeon Fined For Accidentally Removing Woman's Kidney (West Palm Beach, FL) -- A South Florida surgeon is agreeing to pay a three-thousand-dollar fine for accidentally removing a woman's kidney. Dr. Ramon Vazquez of West Palm Beach took out his patient's fully functioning left-kidney during a back surgery in April 2016. According to the lawsuit filed in 2017, Dr. Vazquez had mistaken her kidney for a pelvic mass, removing it and sending it to pathology for testing. A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit, and the Florida Board of Medicine is ordering Vazquez to pay the fine, as well as give a lecture on wrong-site surgery to the hospital medical staff, complete additional medical education and pay nearly five-thousand-dollars in court costs.
Former Senator Harry Reid Calls For More UFO Funding (Las Vegas, NV) -- Former Nevada Senator Harry Reid is calling on more funding for UFO research. The Democrat and former Senate Majority Leader told KNPR radio on Thursday that many members of the military fear reporting possible sightings because they fear it hurting their careers. Reid said he is hoping to set up a meeting between key senators and pilots who have seen some strange things. Reid went on to say he doubts little green aliens exist, but he does think more should be done to study the possibility of extraterrestrial life. He said when hundreds of people report seeing something very similar that behaves in the same way each time they should take it seriously. The government's secret Area 51 air base is in Nevada and Reid says he has visited it many times.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2003, citing questions about "the fairness of death penalty system as a whole," Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted the sentences of all of the state's death row inmates, leaving the prisoners to serve out life sentences behind bars. Ryan's controversial blanket commutation came just days before he was scheduled to leave his governor's post.
1902, "Popular Mechanics" was published for the first time.
1878, milk was delivered in bottles for the first time.