Blue Origin Closer To First Launch Of New Rocket
(Cape Canaveral, FL)-- A new rocket is closer to launching from the Space Coast. Blue Origin announced this week the two stages of the New Glenn rocket mated for the first time. The mating took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday. The company says this will help it prepare for its first launch later this year, possibly August. New Glenn has about twice the payload of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, and, like Falcon 9, its first stage is reusable.
NASA Holding Day Of Remembrance
(Cape Canaveral, FL)-- NASA will pay tribute today to those who lost their lives while furthering the cause of space exploration and discovery. The annual Day of Remembrance ceremony will take place at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's Space Mirror Memorial. NASA will commemorate the crews of Apollo One and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says while it's a solemn day, we're forever thankful that our fallen heroes shared their spirit of exploration with NASA, our country and the world.
Thirteen Indicted For Drug Trafficking
(Tampa, FL) -- Over a dozen people are accused of being part of an interstate drug trafficking ring. The U.S. Justice Department announced yesterday that 13 people were indicted for trafficking cocaine and meth in Pinellas and Pasco counties. A 35-year-old Hernando County man is considered the ring leader. He could get life in prison. The other 12 suspects range in age from 18 to 60. The 60-year-old is the alleged ringleader's mother. Nine suspects are from Pasco County, and one is from Pinellas. Prosecutors say the drug ring was in operation for over a year.
BayCare Health System To Open First Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center
(Dade City, FL)-- Plans are in place to bring a first-of-its-kind treatment center to Pasco County. BayCare Health System announced last week it'll open the area's first behavioral health urgent care center. It'll be in New Port Richey, and it'll offer mental health and addiction screening and assessment to determine the appropriate care for all levels of need. The county agreed this month to fund the center with over three-and-a-half million dollars in opioid settlement money. BayCare officials are meeting with architects to design the center, and it's expected to open in December.
Two Killed In Plane Crash
(Fort Lauderdale, FL)-- Two men are dead after a plane crash in Broward County. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk was found yesterday morning in the Everglades off I-75 near Weston. It went down Tuesday night less than 15 minutes after takeoff from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines. NTSB investigators are expected in the area today.
State Legislature Consider Potty Training Bill (Salt Lake City, UT) --Children in Utah may soon be legally required to be potty trained before kindergarten. While no official data is collected on child accidents, a number of Utah districts have expressed issues with a growing number of kids not being able to use the toilet. Republican state Representative Douglas Welton is proposing the new law. He explained that teachers are being put into uncomfortable situations to either help students or leave them in "filth and squalor." Should a child need further assistance the school would connect families with a school social worker. Children with disabilities or other conditions would be exempt from the rule.
Deep-Sea Coral Reef Discovered
(Miami, FL) -- Scientists say they have discovered the world's largest deep-sea coral reef off the East Coast. The six-point-four-million-acre reef system roughly extends from Miami to Charleston, South Carolina. Scientists have reportedly known since the 1960s that there were mounds of coral off the East Coast, but the reef's size was unknown until new technology allowed researchers to create 3D images of the ocean floor. NOAA says the discovery of the site will help researchers develop plans to protect the corals of the deep sea.
Today in History
1971, Charles Manson and three of his followers were sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder.
1961, President John F. Kennedy presented the first, live presidential press conference.
1945, First Lieutenant Audie Murphy earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was given the heroism award for ordering his troops to retreat, then using a blazing tank destroyer to singlehandedly hold off German forces. He then ordered an artillery strike on his own position.
1915, Alexander Graham Bell spoke to his assistant Thomas A. Watson in San Francisco beginning the first transcontinental telephone service.