Governor DeSantis Takes A Pass As President Biden Surveys Hurricane Idalia Damage
(Live Oak, FL)-- For better or worse, tongues are wagging after Governor Ron DeSantis declined to meet up with President Joe Biden traveled to Florida on Saturday to survey the damage wrought by Hurricane Idalia. A DeSantis spokesperson downplayed the Governor's absence, claiming that a meeting between the two leaders might "shut down ongoing recovery efforts." After surveying the damage left by the storm, Biden said that no one "intelligent" could doubt that climate change was happening.
Power Restoration Efforts Continue In Big Bend
(Tallahassee, FL)-- Progress continues to be made in restoring power after Hurricane Idalia.Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday that 96-percent of those who lost power in the storm have had their power restored. PowerOutage-dot-us reports the state still has over 20-thousand outages, all in the Big Bend. Suwannee County has the most outages with over six-thousand.
Big Bend Schools Assess Damage
(Undated) -- Some school districts in the Big Bend still aren't sure when they'll be able to reopen after Hurricane Idalia. The Taylor County School District says it's still assessing the damage at its buildings, and no return date has been set. Lafayette County has also not announced any reopening plans. Jefferson County, though, plans to open today, and Suwannee County plans to restart classes on Thursday.
Polk County Man Accused Of Killing Son
(Lake Wales, FL)-- A Polk County man is accused of killing his teenage son. Sheriff Grady Judd announced yesterday that Stephen Thomas Rodda was arrested after 16-year-old Stephen Rodda was found dead at his grandfather's house. Judd says the 37-year-old killed the teen with an angle grinder in the home in Lake Wales on Old Bartow Road. There's no word on a motive. Stephen was a junior at Frostproof High School, and Judd says he was studying to be an electrician. Judd says the suspect's father told deputies his son has a history of drug use and psychotic episodes.
Man Shot By Police In Polk County
(Bartow, FL)-- A man is hurt after he was shot by police in Polk County. It happened yesterday in Bartow on US 98 South while police were chasing Joshua Lee Walker. The 32-year-old was wanted for carjacking. Sheriff Grady Judd says Walker tried to run after crashing the car he stole, and at one point, he pointed a gun at officers. They shot him, and he's in critical condition.Judd says Walker learned you don't try that in a small town, and if you do, you get shot, a lot. He also says Walker has a criminal history that's 30 pages long, and it includes eight felony convictions.
SpaceX Sets Launch Record
(Cape Canaveral, FL)-- 2023 is a record year for SpaceX. The company had its 62nd rocket launch of the year Sunday night. That breaks their old record of 61 set last year.A SpaceX official tells News 6 this means a lot for the nation, the world and all our international partners.
Study: Screen Time Is Linked To Developmental Delays In Kids
(Japan) -- Too much screen time is being linked to developmental delays in children. That's according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers looked at data from seven-thousand kids and found that two or more hours of screen time increased the likelihood of developmental delays, especially in problem-solving and communication. One-year-olds were 61-percent more likely to have delayed communication skills at age two when they spent more than hours in front of TVs or cellphones compared to kids who spent less than one hour in front of screens a day. The risk went up nearly five times for children who had more than four hours of screen time. In infants, screen time was linked to developmental delays in social skills and motor skills.
TODAY IN HISTORY
2004, punishing winds, storm surges and torrential rains rocked parts of Florida as Hurricane Frances blew through the region.
1983, "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour" became the first hour-long network news program.
1975, President Gerald Ford escaped an assassination attempt carried out by Charles Manson disciple Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme.
1972, eleven Israeli athletes were taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists at the Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, and were later killed during a botched rescue attempt at a nearby airport. It remains one of the worst moments in world sports' history.
1966, the first ever Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon was held. The Muscular Dystrophy Association raised over one-million-dollars.