Florida Handing Out Money To Caregivers
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Check the mailbox because thousands of caregivers around Florida are getting a round of payments. The office of Governor DeSantis is confirming about 60-thousand people are getting checks for 450-dollars per child. The one-time payment is meant to go toward food, school supplies and other necessities. The funding comes from the state budget signed earlier this year. It's unclear who exactly will qualify, but First Lady Casey DeSantis held a Tampa roundtable last week where she said foster and adoptive families, along with single mothers are eligible.
Florida Working To Distribute More Monkeypox Vaccines
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Florida is the fourth highest state in the country for monkeypox infections. The state health department says it's working with counties to distribute vaccines as they come in from the government. Health and Human Services ordered more doses last week and are planning to have seven million by mid-year. Health officials are reporting 208 cases in the state with more than half of them in Broward County.
Orlando City Council Votes to Expand Homeless Services
(Orlando, FL) -- The Orlando City Council has voted to expand homeless services in the Parramore area as part of its overall plan to battle homelessness. City leaders say the decision to expand homeless shelters and services is long overdue. Some local residents oppose the move, saying the expansion will attract more homeless people and drive other residents away. The decision expands the Salvation Army, the Homeless Coalition and the Christian Service Center of Central Florida.
Tampa Nonprofit Helps Rescue And Return Americans Held In Ukraine
(Tampa, FL)-- Two Americans who were held captive by Russian forces in Ukraine are back home thanks to a Tampa nonprofit. Kirillo Alexandrov and Terry Gateley flew into Tampa International Wednesday night after being held captive for more than a month. The group Project Dynamo says their only crime was having American passports in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. The nonprofit is hoping that their story convinces others that the war in Ukraine is impacting Americans too.
Man Suffered Serious Injuries To Arm After Alligator Attack
(Myakka City, FL)-- A Florida man is hospitalized after being attacked by an alligator in Myakka City Wednesday night. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officials, the man was bitten near Lake Manatee Fish Camp in Manatee County. The injuries to the man's arm are reportedly serious, though not life-threatening. The FWC is still investigating the incident.
Helicopter Crash Victims Eaten By Bears
(Kamchatka, Russia)-- A former star Russian athlete and a wealthy tourist couple apparently were dragged away and eaten by bears after a helicopter crash in Russia's Far East.Russian media report former biathlon star Igor Malinovski [[ mal-ih-NOV-skee ]] was piloting the helicopter when it went down in bad weather in the popular tourist region of Kamchatka last weekend. Human remains were found some distance from the crash site and local media report they were dragged there by some of the many bears in the region.
Wild Monkey Attacks Nearly Two Dozen In Japan
(Ogori, Japan)-- Authorities in a small southwestern Japanese city are hunting a wild monkey that has attacked nearly two dozen people. City officials in Ogori say the attacks began July 8th with the monkey breaking into homes and biting and clawing residents. Victims have ranged from a 10-month-old girl to a woman in her 80s. Law enforcement has increased patrols in the area and have cautioned residents to keep their windows closed. The city says it's rare for a monkey to leave the forest and attack humans.
13-Year-Old Youngest Black Girl To Attend Medical School
(Fort Worth, TX)-- A 13-year-old girl is now the youngest black student to ever be accepted to medical school. Alena Wicker was taking high school classes by the time she was 11 and enrolled in two colleges to earn two separate degrees simultaneously at age 12. Now, she's been granted early acceptance to medical school for the class of 2024 as she wraps up her degrees at Arizona State University and Oakwood University. Wicker says she wants to focus on her main goal in life, helping people, and is excited about becoming a doctor to help those who lack health care.
TODAY IN HISTORY
2016, the NBA pulled the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina because of the state's bathroom law, which required transgender persons to use restrooms of the gender listed on their birth certificates.
2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on this date marking the end of the final mission of NASA's 30-year space program.
1990, eight months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pink Floyd performed "The Wall" where it once stood.
1930, The Veterans Administration of the United States was established.