DeSantis Suspends Orlando City Commissioner
(Tallahassee, FL) --An Orlando elected official is now suspended. Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday he has suspended City Commissioner Regina Hill.This comes after she was indicted last week on charges that include exploiting the elderly. State law allows the governor to suspend any elected municipal officer indicted for a crime until they're acquitted.
UCF Professor Discusses Political Impact Of Abortion Ruling
(Orlando, FL) --Voters not enthused about the presidential election may now have a reason to head to the polls in November. The Florida Supreme Court announced yesterday that it'll allow an abortion referendum on November's ballot. Voters will be asked to allow abortions up until fetal viability. University of Central Florida political science professor Aubrey Jewett says this should drive up turnout for the election. He expects Democrats will be more likely to be motivated to vote by this while Republicans have a tendency to show up either way.
DeSantis Extends Florida Toll Relief Program
(Miami, FL) -- Drivers in Florida will continue to save on major highways. Governor Ron DeSantis was in Miami earlier this afternoon, where he announced additional funding for the toll relief program to extend it through March of next year. To receive the 50-percent discount, people will need to have a SunPass and pass through toll plazas at least 35 times each month.
South Florida EMT Accused Of Sexually Battering Patient
(Miami, FL) -- A first responder is accused of sexually battering a patient at a South Florida hospital. Police say 31-year-old Anthony Wallace was working as an EMT at Miami's North Shore Medical Center when he asked the victim for a urine sample. When she went into the bathroom, Wallace allegedly followed and closed the door behind them. Authorities say he forced the patient to perform a sex act in exchange for pain medication. Wallace was arrested on Easter Sunday.
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 3-Point Line Mistake
(Portland, OR) --The three-point line on the court at the Moda Center in Portland for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament was wrong. The mistake was found on Sunday and the NCAA gave NC State head coach Wes Moore and Texas head coach Vic Schaefer the option to delay the two schools' Elite Eight matchup, so the court could be re-taped. The coaches decided to play with the different three-point lines. The NCAA says the vendor was at fault. The NCAA will open an investigation to determine how the mistake wasn't caught.
Study: Dogs Can Understand Some Words
(Hungary) -- A new study shows that dogs can understand certain words. The way dogs can understand how some words refer to certain objects suggests they could understand words in a similar way to humans. Researchers in Europe said they were inspired by studies about the way infants understand the world before they can speak, and decided to try similar experiments with dogs. They found that brain activity in 14 of the 18 dogs they studied was different when they were shown an object that matched a word, compared to a mismatched image to a word.
Today in History
1902, the Electric Theater opened in Los Angeles. It was the first full-time movie theater in the U.S.