Authorities Crack Down On Cyber Crimes Targeting Floridians
(Tallahassee, FL) -- Authorities are cracking down on cyber crimes targeting Floridians. The Attorney General's Office's Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit has shut down six separate schemes in the last three months, leading to the seizure of more than two-million dollars. At least half of the scams went after the bank accounts of older residents, while the others targeted a college student and businesses across the state.Attorney General Ashley Moody says more than 100-thousand dollars has been returned to the victim. The rest is still pending. There are a variety of resources designed to help people identify potential schemes on My-Florida-Legal-dot-com.
Man Arrested After Body Is Found In Brevard County
(West Melbourne, FL)-- A St. Lucie County man is facing charges after a body was found in Brevard County. Fort Pierce's Travion Dean was arrested yesterday for first-degree premeditated murder. The Brevard County Sheriff's Office says the 22-year-old shot and killed 20-year-old Aniya Sheppard. Her body was found in November in West Melbourne on Eber Road. Deputies say Dean and Sheppard were in a relationship. Dean is being held without bond.
Palm Bay Votes Against Adding Fluoride To Water
(Palm Bay, FL)-- A city in Brevard County won't be adding fluoride to its water. The Palm Bay City Council voted unanimously yesterday to keep fluoride out of its drinking water. One council member tells WESH 2 we shouldn't be force medicating our population, and if people want fluoride, they can purchase topical treatments over the counter. The city used to add fluoride to its water but stopped in 2016.
Tampa Shooting Suspect Appears In Court
(Tampa, FL) -- ATF agents in Tampa are rallying around an injured colleague. Several agents were in a courtroom yesterday where a teenager is on trial for shooting fellow agent Matt Murray last week in Riverview.Eighteen-year-old Christopher Smith allegedly shot Murray during a fight that Murray was trying to break up outside a bowling alley. Murray was off-duty at the time. His wife took the witness stand and told jurors her husband was trying to deescalate the situation, and it was like he walked into an ambush. Murray is partially paralyzed, and he's in the ICU. Smith is on trial for attempted murder.
Giant Space Junk Crashes Into Kenyan Village
(Nairobi) -- A giant piece of space junk has crashed into an African village south of Nairobi. The Kenyan Space Agency says the object is a metallic ring roughly eight feet in diameter that weighs about eleven-hundred pounds. They say preliminary assessments indicate the space debris is a separation ring from a launch vehicle, which typically burns up upon re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. Fortunately, the object did not hit any of the villagers, who quickly alerted authorities. The KSA says it's working to identify where the space junk originated.
Man Attempts to Take Over a Robotaxi in Los Angeles
(Los Angeles, CA)-- A man is under arrest for attempting to take over a Waymo robotaxi. Police found the man behind the wheel of the driverless vehicle in Downtown Los Angeles Thursday morning. He could not operate the car because Waymo technicians disabled it remotely. The man initially refused to exit the vehicle, but as police approached behind a riot shield, they were able to open the door and pull him out. He was taken away in handcuffs.
Today in History
1888, the drinking straw was patented by Marvin C. Stone of Washington D.C.
1872, the first patent list was issued by the U.S. Patent Office. It was for a potash production process.