Welcome to WJCT First Read, your daily weekday morning round-up of stories from the First Coast, around Florida, and across the country.
Here are 10 stories you might have missed.
Scott Signs Bill Lifting Trade Restrictions On Northern Ireland
This past week Florida Governor Rick Scott signed almost 50 bills into law, including one that lifted trade restrictions on Northern Ireland that protected Irish Catholics.
Jacksonville Agencies Working To Reduce Veteran Homelessness To ‘Functional Zero’
In Jacksonville, it’s estimated one-in-10 homeless people are vets. That’s fewer than five years ago, thanks to local groups using federal grants to get veterans under roofs. Now, one of those groups is embarking on an ambitious goal of sheltering more than one homeless veteran every day this year.
Jacksonville Launches Federal Grant Aimed At Helping Veterans
Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Victor Guillory, the Director of the Jacksonville Military affairs and Veterans Department said, “This initiative with the Department of Veterans Affairs should help us to improve what we do and to do it even better and have more impact on the future lives of our veterans.”
Jacksonville School Bus Shooting Fugitive Caught In Georgia
The Liberty County Sheriff's Department reported that Edgar Robles, the 16-year-old wanted in a school bus shooting on Jacksonville's Westside, apparently shot himself in the leg Wednesday night, and that wound had not been treated.
TSA: Remember Special Rules For Four-Legged Travelers
Stop putting your pets through the X-ray machines. Pets should stay in their carrier for the entire trip, except while going security. Then, TSA says to keep them on a leash or carry them.
Coast Guard Warns Against Making Hoax Distress Calls
With Memorial Day weekend coming up, the Coast Guard is advising all boaters to stay safe, but also reminding boaters that making a hoax call is a felony punishable with “up to $5,000 in civil fines, $250,000 in criminal fines, along with restitution for all resources used.” The Coast Guard receives almost 2 confirmed hoax mayday calls and about 10 suspected hoax calls every month.
Jeb Steaming Over 'Intellectual Arrogance'
According to multiple media reports, former Florida governor Jeb Bush told supporters at a house party "For the people to say the science is decided on this is really arrogant, to be honest with you," Bush went on. "It's this intellectual arrogance that now you can't have a conversation about it, even."
Duval County Voters Add Two New Referenda To Jacksonville City Charter
In addition to electing a new mayor, sheriff and several city council members, Duval County voters also approved two referenda amending Jacksonville’s charter. Referendum 1 gives the City Council the power to fire the city’s General Counsel. Referendum 2 requires the mayor to appoint city department heads within 90 days of their departure.
The Future Of Cardiology Will Be Shown In 3-D
"When cardiovascular surgeons go in to repair a defect in the heart, their success is so often dependent on an ability to see the anatomy in 3-D in their minds," said Srivastava. "That's more difficult for younger, less experienced surgeons." But recent advancements in the field of computer-based modeling may make it easier someday for good surgeons to be great.
Your Roommate In The Nursing Home Might Be A Bedbug
Nearly 60 percent of pest control professionals have found bedbugs in nursing homes in the past year, according to an industry survey, up from 46 percent in 2013. Bedbug reports in other medical facilities have also gone up slightly.
You can get all the latest headlines online at WJCTNews.org, on our Facebook page and on Twitter @WJCTJax. You can follow Ray Hollister on Twitter @RayHollister.
