Broward County

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Woman Takes Plea Deal in Death of Man Shaken as Baby

Terry McKirchy sentenced to 3 years in 2019 death of 35-year-old Benjamin Dowling

(Newser) - A former babysitter pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for the 2019 death of a man she was accused of disabling as an infant 40 years ago. Terry McKirchy, 62, accepted a plea deal for the death of Benjamin Dowling, who died at 35 after a life of severe disabilities caused...

At Florida School, a 'Preventable' Outbreak

So far, 5 measles cases identified at Manatee Bay Elementary in Broward County's Weston

(Newser) - Over the weekend, the Florida Department of Health warned that it was looking into "multiple cases of measles" at an elementary school in South Florida. On Monday, Broward County Public Schools official John Sullivan confirmed that five cases in total had been identified so far at Manatee Bay Elementary...

Lawyer Who Flipped Bird in Parkland Court Investigated

Florida Bar confirms probe involving Tamara Curtis, assistant public defender for shooter

(Newser) - One of the assistant public defenders for the Parkland school shooter is now the subject of a probe herself. Per NBC Miami , the Florida Bar confirmed Thursday that Tamara Curtis is being investigated, though it's remaining tight-lipped on what the investigation entails. Local 10 reports that Curtis wasn't...

Cops: Parkland Shooter's Brother Is Being Exploited

Zachary Cruz's caretaker Mike Donovan, accused with husband, blames 'corrupt cops'

(Newser) - Two men with whom the brother of Parkland, Fla., school shooter Nikolas Cruz has been living with in Virginia are now accused of exploiting him. Mike Donovan and Richard Moore, both 45, were arrested Wednesday on charges of exploiting a mentally incapacitated person and obtaining money by false pretenses, then...

Victims' Families Leave Cruz's Lawyers in Tears

He was 'love personified,' Victoria Gonzalez said of boyfriend Joaquin Oliver

(Newser) - Attorneys representing Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz were moved to tears Tuesday as parents described the holes left in their lives by the loss of their children at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Assistant Public Defenders Tamara Curtis and Nawal Najet Bashiman both "had to remove their face masks...

Spring Break Goes Badly for West Point Cadets

7 people were hospitalized in Fort Lauderdale after ODing on powdery substance laced with fentanyl

(Newser) - Spring break in Fort Lauderdale didn't end well for one group this week, with seven people hospitalized after ODing on fentanyl, several of them confirmed to be West Point cadets. Police say that Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to a call at a vacation rental home in Wilton Manors...

Student's Father Charged in Mask Clash at High School

Demonstrator was filming his daughter trying to defy Florida district's mandate

(Newser) - An anti-mask demonstrator was jailed and charged with aggravated child abuse after an officer said he shoved a student during a clash outside a Florida high school. Dan Bauman, 50, was filming his daughter's attempt to enter Fort Lauderdale High School on Wednesday morning while not wearing a mask,...

Florida Goes After Salaries in School Mask Fight

State warns districts amounts equal to board members' pay will be withheld

(Newser) - Florida officials are threatening to withhold funds equal to the salaries of school board members if school districts in two counties don't immediately do away with strict mask mandates as the state continues to battle through high hospitalization rates. School boards in Broward and Alachua counties received a warning...

4 Broward Educators Die of COVID in 2-Day Span

Florida district, which just voted to flout Gov. DeSantis' ban on mask mandates, mourns its own

(Newser) - School is less than a week away for kids in Broward County, Fla., but there's sad news before the academic year even kicks off. Per WPLG , the Broward Teachers Union has reported that three teachers and an educational assistant all died of COVID between Tuesday and Wednesday, while an...

School District Reverses Mask Mandate After DeSantis Order

Florida threatens to pull funding from schools that require face coverings

(Newser) - A South Florida school district that voted last week to require facial coverings has reversed itself after Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to cut funding. With coronavirus caseloads surging as the much more contagious delta variant spreads infections, the Broward County school board unanimously voted last week to require students, teachers,...

Anti-Maskers Shut Down School Board Meeting on Masks

Broward County School Board postponed discussing mask requirements, will revisit Wed.

(Newser) - Florida's Broward County School Board had planned to discuss mask requirements for the coming school year on Tuesday. But that discussion will have to wait after 20 or so anti-mask protesters showed up at the school board headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, CNN reports. Board member Sarah Leonardi says the...

Woman Pays $600, Flies 1K Miles to Vote

Med student Kaela Bynoe flew home to Florida from Baltimore after absentee ballot failed to show

(Newser) - Voters are heading out in record droves to cast their ballots in the 2020 election, but one medical student showed extra determination over the weekend to have her voice heard. Per NBC Miami , Kaela Bynoe, a first-year student at Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine in Baltimore, became concerned...

Judge to Lawyers: You Still Need to Get Dressed

'One female attorney appeared still in bed, still under the covers,' he complains

(Newser) - A Florida judge has one request for attorneys showing up for court hearings via Zoom: Get out of bed and put on some clothes! Broward Circuit Judge Dennis Bailey made the plea in a letter published by the Weston Bar Association, the AP reports. "It is remarkable how many...

Family of UPS Driver Killed in Fla. Shootout Wants Answers

Frank Ordonez and an innocent bystander died, along with 2 robbery suspects

(Newser) - As the FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement continue to investigate the hijacking Thursday of a UPS truck in Florida that led to four deaths in a police shootout, the family of the deceased UPS driver is speaking out. Roy Ordonez tells CNN that his brother, 27-year-old Frank Ordonez,...

He Was Suspended Over Parkland, Is Now Out for Good

State Senate in Florida votes to remove Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had already suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. Now the state Senate has removed Israel from his elected position for good. CNN reports on the 25-15 vote Wednesday that now makes Israel's removal official; it came nine months after DeSantis put Israel's job on...

Deputy Receives Award, Scolding During Ceremony

City official says he was falsely arrested by 'rogue officer' in 2015

(Newser) - Joshua Gallardo had just been presented with a deputy of the month award when a Florida city commissioner asked him to come back up to the front of the room. It wasn't for another congratulations. "You probably don’t remember me, but you’re the police officer who...

2 More Officers Terminated After Parkland Probe

Broward County Sheriff's Office investigated 7 officers, 4 of whom ended up fired

(Newser) - Two more officers who responded to the shooting at Parkland, Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have been terminated from the Broward County Sheriff's Office, CNN reports. Sheriff Gregory Tony announced Wednesday that Edward Eason and Josh Stambaugh were terminated Tuesday for neglect of duty. The terminations resulted...

Sheriff Sues Over Parkland Suspension

Scott Israel claims governor acted 'for political reasons,' wants to be reinstated

(Newser) - A sheriff suspended on accusations that he failed to prevent the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., is officially challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis' punishment. Scott Israel seeks to reclaim the post in a lawsuit, alleging DeSantis acted "for political reasons." Israel, 62, specifically claims DeSantis targeted him because...

Broward Sheriff Suspended for 'Incompetence,' 'Neglect of Duty'

Gov. Ron DeSantis pulls Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel over criticism on Parkland shooting

(Newser) - There's a new sheriff in Broward County, Fla. That's because Scott Israel, the one in that job during the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has been suspended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, per the Hill . Israel was removed from his post for "repeated failures,...

Florida Election Official Quits Hours After Recount

Trump wanted Brenda Snipes to be fired

(Newser) - After recounts, Florida has a new governor and a new senator —and Broward County is going to get a new elections supervisor. Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes handed in her resignation Sunday, hours after a manual recount finished and Democrat Bill Nelson conceded the Senate election to Gov....

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