FPL Requests Greenlight For New Solar Facilities
(Tallahassee, FL)-- Florida's largest electric company is trying to go green. Florida Power and Light submitted a proposal to state regulators yesterday, asking for their approval to build a dozen new solar energy facilities. The utility believes it has met requirements for the more than 100-million-dollar project. The operations would go up in eleven counties, including Miami-Dade, Brevard and Nassau. FPL says a September filing will support a base rate increase designed to cover the cost of the plan.
Palm Bay Discusses Plans For The Compound
(Palm Bay, FL)-- Changes could be in store for a troubling part of Brevard County. The Palm Bay City Council met yesterday to discuss the future of The Compound. It's a piece of land that covers thousands of acres and has drawn a lot of criminal activity, including murders. Proposals include buying some of the land and hiring a developer to build an industrial park. While no decision was made, Mayor Rob Medina tells Channel 9 these discussions are a step in the right direction.
Five Arrested For St. Pete Mass Shooting
(St. Petersburg, FL)-- Five men facing charges for a mass shooting in St. Petersburg are believed to be gang members. Four people were hurt in Sunday's shooting outside the Sonic Sports Bar and Lounge on 49th Street South. Three suspects were arrested Wednesday, and two surrendered to police hours later. A police spokeswoman says all five are members of the Young Gangsters, or the YGs, and they're all associates of rapper Rod Wave, who has not been charged. Three of them are facing charges that include attempted second-degree murder. Another suspect is charged with principal to attempt murder in the second degree, and the fifth suspect is charged with carrying a concealed firearm. The spokeswoman, though, tells Fox 13 News this is part of a bigger investigation that is ongoing.
Man Killed In Construction Accident In Broward County
(Fort Lauderdale, FL)-- A man is dead after a construction accident in Broward County. It happened yesterday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale on the Southeast Third Ave bridge over the New River. Fire Rescue says a crane was being lifted onto a platform on top of an apartment building when the platform failed. A piece of the crane fell onto the bridge. A construction worker on the crane fell, too, and died. Two others were hurt and are in stable condition. OSHA is investigating. The bridge was closed so its structural integrity could be assessed.
U.S. Space Command Confirms Fireball In Sky Was Chinese Space Junk
(Los Angeles, CA)-- The U.S. Space Command confirms the fireball seen streaking across the Southern California sky early Tuesday morning was Chinese space junk. It was a module that had been used to launch three astronauts into space in the fall of 2022. The module's heat shield burned away as it reentered the earth's atmosphere, making it look like a meteor. It had nothing to do with the SpaceX Falcon Nine rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Monday night. The space junk likely broke up over the Pacific Ocean.
CA Scientists Unveil World's Largest Digital Camera
(Santa Clara, CA)-- Scientists in California are making history. They just built the largest digital camera in the world, all in the name of astronomy. It's the size of a small car, weighs 66-hundred pounds and has a three-foot-wide lens. A lab in San Mateo County has been working on it for two decades. The team there says the camera will let researchers observe the universe over the next ten years and also help in understanding the Milky Way.
Today in History
1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death following their conviction on charges of conspiring to commit espionage for the Soviet Union.
1923, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began production of balloon tires.