Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.
FLORIDA FORECLOSURE RATE DROPS; STILL LEADS NATION
Foreclosure activity in Florida has decreased by 30 percent from the same time last year, but the Sunshine State continues to have the nation’s highest foreclosure rate. Foreclosure figures released Thursday by the research firm RealtyTrac show that 1 out of 469 Florida homes had a foreclosure filing last July. That’s more than two and a half times the national average.
JURORS IN BRAVO TRIAL COULD BEGIN DELIBERATIONS
The judge presiding over the Pedro Bravo murder trial told jurors to plan for deliberations to begin. The deliberations are expected to begin Thursday. Bravo is charged with the murder of University of Florida student Christian Aguilar in September 2012. Prosecutors have painted a picture of Bravo as a jealous ex-boyfriend who followed his ex to Gainesville to win her back, only to find she was dating Aguilar.
1 ARREST, ANOTHER SOUGHT IN SANFORD FIRES
Officials say they’ve arrested one man and are seeking his half-brother for questioning about almost a dozen recent fires in the Sanford area. State Fire Marshall Jeff Atwater said Wednesday that Curtis Smith was arrested for a mobile home fire in Sanford. He was charged with attempted murder and first-degree arson. Atwater also said authorities want to question Smith’s half-brother, Steven Angle, about the other fires.
FLORIDA MOTHER CHARGED WITH CHILD ABUSE
A central Florid mother was arrested after police say she left her four children alone for several hours to go to a food bank. Ashley Richardson is facing four counts of negligent child abuse without bodily harm. Police said the children, ranging from 6-8 years old, walked almost half a mile from their home and were playing in a park Tuesday when a Winter Haven police officer noticed they were alone.
MAN FATALLY SHOT WHILE BEING SERVED WARRANT
Authorities say members of a U.S. Marshals Task Fugitive Force fatally shot a 24-year-old man while trying to serve a warrant at a rural north Florida home. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports Corey Levert Tanner was the primary suspect in the July 23 death of a Flagler County man. Flagler County Undersheriff Rick Staly says the task force was called and had tracked Tanner to Espanola, where the shooting occurred on Wednesday.
