Florida Crime Down First Half Of 2018 (Tallahassee, FL) -- New crime figures are out from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The numbers show crime was down in the Sunshine State over the first six months of this year. Overall, there were 24-thousand fewer crimes compared to the first half of 2017. There was a slight increase in murders and rapes.
Serial Killer Confesses to Several Florida Murders (Tampa, FL) -- A man who may be connected to more than 90 murders across the country is confessing to the murder of a Tampa Bay woman in 1984 and another woman in Plant City in the late 1970s. So far, there's no confirmation on who the victims might have been. After being convicted of murdering three California women, 78-year-old Samuel Little admitted to killing ten Floridians over a number of years according to the FBI. Investigators say he also may have taken the lives of victims in 12 other states as well.
Teen Trapped In Old Bank Vault, Rescue Efforts Underway (Hollywood, FL) -- Fire officials in Hollywood are trying to rescue a teenager from an old bank vault. It's in an abandoned Bank of America building. How and why the 17-year-old got in there is not yet clear. It's also not known if the person is injured.
Small Plane Has Emergency Landing In Water Near Downtown St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg, FL) -- One person is being treated in the hospital after a small plane crash landed in some water near downtown St. Petersburg yesterday afternoon. Fire officials say for some reason the plane overshot the runway at a nearby airport. The Coast Guard and some Good Samaritans had to rescue the pilot and three passengers.
Palm Harbor Fire Dog At Center Of Pie Controversy (Palm Harbor, FL) -- The public is rallying to the defense of a firehouse dog in Pinellas County. Palm Harbor firefighters this week returned from a call to find a note from Dunedin firefighters that blamed fire dog Ruby for eating an entire apple pie. Palm Harbor firefighters thought Ruby might have been framed, and, in a poll on their Facebook page, 79-percent agreed. Meanwhile, someone in Ohio heard about the story and ordered a replacement pie for the fire crew, which was delivered yesterday morning.
Christmas Trees In Short Supply (Undated) -- Noble fir is considered a long-standing symbol associated with the Christmas season, but this year they may be hard to come by. The Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association said there's a tree shortage all across America. The organization says the shortage is due to the great recession back in 2008, when there was a huge surplus, prompting growers to plant fewer trees to save money. Now, those cost-saving effects cant be felt around the U.S. Shoppers can expect a smaller amount of trees to pick from, and the trees that are available will likely cost nearly ten-percent more.
University To Use Hockey Pucks To Fight Active Shooters (Auburn Hills, MI) -- Students and faculty at a Michigan college are being trained to throw hockey pucks if an active shooter situation unfolds. Police at Oakland University in Auburn Hills say the idea was born several months ago when one person mention the damage done to him when he was smacked in the head with a puck. It was a spur of the moment idea that has spread and taken root.
Pepper Spray Goes Off In Classroom (Redford Township, MI) -- No serious injuries are being reported after a seventh grader brought pepper spray to school and it went off in a classroom. The student was suspended after the recent incident, which happened at the Washington-Parks Academy charter school in Redford. A few students were taken to a hospital to be checked out due to eye irritation and are expected to be fine. There may be some legal ramifications as officials say the girl's mother knew her child had the pepper spray. They say the girl wanted to show her classmates how the spray worked.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1963, Chief Justice Earl Warren was appointed to head the commission investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
1943, coffee rationing began as part of the war effort.
1890, the first Army-Navy football game was played at West Point, New York. Navy dominated the game 24-to-nothing.