DeSantis Suspends Miami City Commissioner After Arrest
(Miami, FL)-- Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portillo on Friday. DeSantis signed an executive order suspending Diaz de la Portillo until further notice after the commissioner's arrest Thursday on money laundering and bribery charges. The charges reportedly are related to accepting campaign contributions but not disclosing them. According to an arrest affidavit, the case is tied to what's described as a "push by a wealthy couple" to build a sports complex "on public property for their private school near downtown Miami."
Florida GOP Scraps Presidential Primary Loyalty Pledge
(Tallahassee, FL)-- The Florida Republican Party is getting rid of a loyalty pledge that was required for candidates to be on the GOP primary ballot. Allies of former President Donald Trump asked for the change the state party made on Friday. Backers of Governor Ron DeSantis, who is also running for the GOP presidential nomination, worked unsuccessfully to keep the loyalty pledge.
Jurors Find Othal Wallace Guilty Of Manslaughter In Fatal Shooting Of Clay County Cop
(Clay County, FL)-- Jurors returned a guilty verdict against the man accused shooting Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor in June, 2021. The 26-year-old officer died 55 days later. Court officials say the jury spent about 15 hours deliberating the fate of Othal Wallace, finding him guilty of manslaughter.Wallace could have been convicted of first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, a verdict which could have carried a possible death sentence. The manslaughter verdict carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Driver Dead Following Dramatic, Pre-Dawn Saturday Vehicle Collision In Brevard County
(Brevard County, FL)-- A woman is dead following yesterday's pre-dawn vehicle crash in Brevard County. Troopers say it happened shortly before 4:30 a.m. on Interstate 95 when the woman - who was driving a sedan - veered out of her lane to the right and sideswiped a pickup truck. The impact caused the sedan to overturn at speed, ejecting the woman onto the pavement, where she was run over by a third vehicle. She was declared dead at the scene a short time later. No one else was hurt. Troopers are investigating.
House From 'Halloween' Movies For Sale
(South Pasadena, CA)-- The 'Halloween' house is for sale. The house Jamie Lee Curtis' character, Laurie Strode, called home in the movie franchise is on sale for about one-point-eight-million-dollars. The house that Michael Myers terrorized in the movies is set in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. But, in reality, it's in South Pasadena in Los Angeles County. The 1978 'Halloween' film was filmed at the house rather than a sound stage.
Study: Disney Princesses Don't Harm Kids' Self-Esteem, Body Image
(Davis, CA)-- A new study pushes back against the common complaints about Disney princesses. Researchers at the University of California-Davis say beautifully thin princesses like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty did not harm kids' sense of self-esteem and body image.Kids who loved the princesses with "thinner" bodies didn't have lower self-esteem because of it.And kids who loved princesses with more average or athletic bodies, like Merida, Moana, and Mulan, were more likely to be confident about their own bodies and more active in the ways they played.The study is published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media.
TODAY IN HISTORY
2001, The New York Stock Exchange reopens for the first time since the terrorist attacks on September 11th. This was the longest time the New York Stock Exchange was closed since the Great Depression in the 30's.
1975, the FBI captured newspaper heiress Patty Hearst in San Francisco, 19 months after Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
1965, "I Dream of Jeannie" debuted on NBC. Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden starred in the popular sitcom.
1964, "The Addams Family" debuted on ABC.
1793, President George Washington laid the foundation for the U.S. Capitol.