Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.
KNABB, FUGATE SPEAK AT US HURRICANE CONFERENCE
Emergency managers, forecasters and local government officials from Texas to Maine are meeting this week at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando. The director of the National Hurricane Center and Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Craig Fugate will address the conference Wednesday. The six-month Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1.
IDAHO AQUARIUM FINED IN FLORIDA WILDLIFE CASE
A South Florida federal judge has imposed fines and three years of probation on Idaho Aquarium in an illegal wildlife trafficking case. Under the sentence Tuesday, the aquarium in Boise must pay a $10,000 criminal fine, be placed on probation and submit a compliance plan. In addition, $50,000 in payments must be made to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation for work with marine life and corals in the Florida Keys.
AG OFFICIALS PUSH FLORIDA GRAPEFRUIT OVERSEAS
Florida grapefruit will be featured on Outback Steakhouse menus in South Korea, underscoring the fruit’s popularity in that country. State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Tuesday that a “Fresh From Florida” grapefruit cocktail will be on the restaurant chain’s spring/summer menu. There are 110 Outback Steakhouses in South Korea.
SUSPECT HELD IN HIT-AND-RUN THAT KILLED TEEN
An arrest has been made in a hit-and-run crash that killed a St. Lucie County teen. Authorities say 46-year-old Ivette Nieves-Barsuglia of Port St. Lucie was arrested Tuesday and charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash. Nieves-Barsuglia is accused of hitting 18-year-old Dayanna Andrea Gil last week while she was walking to her school bus stop.
5 MONTHS PRISON FOR MICHIGAN MAN IN FLORIDA WILDLIFE CASE
A Michigan man has been sentenced to five months in prison for his role in a South Florida wildlife trafficking operation that included the poaching of baby alligators. U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez in Key West also ordered 35-year-old Joseph Franko to serve five months of home confinement after his prison release. Franko pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking offenses involving alligators, tropical fish and sea fans.
