Man Arrested For Shooting Threat
(Rockledge, FL) -- A Rockledge man is accused of threatening a shooting at a Walmart. Richard Seepersad was arrested yesterday after a threat was reported this weekend at a store in Merritt Island. Deputies don't believe the 41-year-old was serious about the threat. He's being held without bond.
Lawyer Morgan Announces Campaign To Legalize Recreational Marijuana
(Orlando, FL) -- An Orlando lawyer who pushed for medical marijuana is going a step further. Morgan and Morgan's John Morgan announced yesterday he wants to get recreational marijuana use legalized. He tweeted yesterday he believes he has the time and the money to get it done. He funded the effort to get a medical marijuana referendum on the ballot three years ago, and he tells the Orlando Sentinel recreational marijuana will pass in a landslide.
Maddox Pleads Guilty To Corruption
(Tallahassee, FL) -- A former Tallahassee mayor is guilty of defrauding the federal government. Former mayor and suspended City Commissioner Scott Maddox pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to that charge and two others. Former aide Paige Carter-Smith pleaded guilty to the same charges. The 51-year-old Maddox admitted to taking bribes in exchange for his vote, and he and Smith are believed to be cooperating with prosecutors as the four-year-old investigation continues.
Volusia School Principal Removed
(Daytona Beach, FL) -- A Volusia County school will have a new leader when classes resume. Mainland High School Principal Cheryl Salerno is now on administrative leave. The district has not commented, but the News-Journal reports Salerno was investigated for her professional conduct. Former Mainland Principal Tim Huth was named yesterday as Salerno's replacement for the entire school year, which starts Monday.
Deadly Carjacking In Hillsborough County
(Valrico, FL) -- A man is dead after a carjacking in Hillsborough County. Deputies say James Hanson, Jr. killed Mathew Korattiyil [[ CORE-uh-till ]] yesterday morning after stealing his car following a robbery at CenterState Bank in Valrico. The body of the 68-year-old victim was found behind a church on Washington Road near SR 60. The 39-year-old Hanson had just been released from prison last month for another armed robbery.
Krispy Kreme Rolling Out Reese's Flavored Doughnuts
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- Krispy Kreme is rolling out Reese's flavored doughnuts. The company announced it worked with the candy maker for two treats that would be available for a limited time. The first is a chocolate glazed doughnut filled with Reese's Peanut Butter Kreme. It is dipped in chocolate fudge icing and adds peanut butter icing drizzle. The second is the opposite, filled with chocolate peanut butter kreme and dipped in Resse's peanut butter icing. The doughnut chain is offering them individually, by the dozen and in a two-pack box that is similar to the candy package.
Florida Toilet Explodes From Lightning Strike
(Port Charlotte, FL) -- A Florida homeowner is busy cleaning up after a lighting strike caused her toilet to explode. Marylou Ward told media outlets that she was sitting with her husband in their Port Charlotte home during a thunderstorm when they heard a loud "boom," shortly before they discovered a bathroom toilet in pieces. It turns out that a lightning strike from the storm hit their septic tank, causing a methane gas explosion to hit the toilet through the pipes. A plumber reported that the explosion was so forceful it sent pieces of porcelain into the bathroom wall. Although the toilet, tank, and indoor plumbing is now a wreck, Ward said she felt lucky that it did not cause a bigger blast and no one was hurt.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2007, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds broke the record long held by baseball great Hank Aaron by hitting his 756th home run.
1959, The U.S. launched Explorer 6, that sent back a picture of the Earth.
1942, U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal. This marked the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War Two.
1882, the famous feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky broke out.
1782, during the Revolutionary War, United States General George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart. It was re-established in 1932. The decoration honors the efforts of members of the U.S. armed forces wounded or killed in battle with opposing armed forces.