Fourteen Evacuated From Haiti
(Sanford, FL) --Fourteen people stuck in Haiti are now safe in Florida. State officials coordinated a rescue flight that landed last night at Orlando Sanford International Airport. Eight adults and six children were on board. Governor Ron DeSantis says this will be the first of probably many flights to bring people who are in harm's way out of Haiti. He says there are over 300 more Floridians still in Haiti awaiting rescue. The state is planning four more flights today. Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie says it's a very dangerous situation and a very difficult process.
Agape Flights Get Approval To Go To Haiti
(Venice, FL) --A Sarasota County nonprofit has the all-clear to bring aid to Haiti. Venice's Agape [[uh-GAH-pay]] Flights announced yesterday it has received approval for two flights to Haiti this week. They plan to deliver about 55-hundred pounds of critical supplies to mission partners throughout the country. They also plan to help get several mission partners out of Haiti. Agape officials ask for prayers for their pilots, aircraft and the missionary staff who will be meeting them at several locations in Haiti.
State Rep. Accused Of Forging Signature On State License Form
(Orlando, FL) --A Central Florida lawmaker is accused of forging a signature on an application for a state license. The Orlando Sentinel reported yesterday on an application for a state license that was submitted three years ago by Central Christian University. District 45 Republican State Rep. Carolina [[CA-ro-lie-nuh]] Amesty's [[AM-iss-tee]] family run the school that was first licensed by the state two years ago. Amesty used to be vice president. The application for that license included documents that listed five faculty members, including Robert Shaffer, but Shaffer tells the Sentinel he never worked there. The documents include one with Shaffer's signature, but he also tells the Sentinel he never signed the document, and he'd be willing to testify to that in court. Three handwriting analysts agree the signature doesn't look like Shaffer's, and two of them tell the Sentinel it looks like Shaffer's signature was written by Amesty. She denies it, and her attorney sent the Sentinel an affidavit swearing she saw Shaffer sign the document.
Cocoa Beach Pulls Funding For Lifeguards
(Cocoa Beach, FL) -- You may notice fewer lifeguards if you hit the beach in Brevard County this weekend. County Commissioner John Tobia announced yesterday that three beaches in Cocoa Beach will no longer have extra seasonal lifeguards. He blames the city for pulling funding for the lifeguards. The affected beaches are Cocoa Beach Pier, Shephard Park and Tulip Ave, and the change takes effect Saturday. Tobia says Cocoa Beach is shirking its responsibility of public safety on its beaches for tourists and residents alike.
NSB Police Warn Of Fake Parking Tickets
(New Smyrna Beach, FL) -- Residents in Volusia County should be aware of a scam going around. New Smyrna Beach Police said yesterday people have been putting fake parking tickets on some cars. They posted on Facebook an image of one of the tickets. It's handwritten on white-lined paper and contains an invalid phone number and a website that doesn't load. Police say they don't issue parking citations in the form of a handwritten note, and they ask that you call them immediately if you find one of these tickets.
Georgia Pilot Sentenced For Drinking
(Atlanta, GA) --A Delta pilot from Georgia is going to spend time in a Scottish jail. Captain Lawrence Russell was scheduled to fly from Scotland to New York City last June before security reportedly found an open bottle of liquor in his bag at the airport. A test showed his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit for a pilot. He was sentenced to ten-months in jail this week.
U.S. Falls In Happiness Rankings
(Undated) -- The U.S. is no longer in the top 20 happiest countries in the world. It's the first time that's happened since rankings were started by Gallup back in 2012.Americans are now 23rd on the list. Happiness has fallen among all age groups, but particularly those under age 30, thanks in part to unaffordable housing and a growing sense of loneliness. Nordic countries top the list, with Finland at number one.
Today in History
1965, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and more than three-thousand civil rights demonstrators began their march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. An additional 25-thousand people joined the march along the way.
1963, the last inmates were transferred out of Alcatraz federal prison in San Francisco Bay following an order from Attorney General Robert Kennedy.