Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.
JUDGE RULES AGAINST BURT REYNOLDS ON FORECLOSURE
A judge has turned down actor Burt Reynolds’ request to throw out a foreclosure on his Florida home. A Martin County judge ruled in favor of Bank of America on Tuesday, allowing the foreclosure lawsuit to proceed. Merrill Lynch Credit Corp., which is now Bank of America, filed the litigation in 2011 after Reynolds allegedly fell behind on mortgage payments on his waterfront Hobe Sound home known as Valhalla.
BEETLE-REARING LAB TO COMBAT INVASIVE VINE IN FLORIDA
A beetle-rearing lab run by high school students may help combat an invasive plant species plaguing Florida parks and yards. The lab run by students at TERRA Environmental Research Institute will be unveiled on Wednesday. Miami-Dade County and USDA officials say the beetles can help fight the herbaceous air potato twining vine that’s listed as one of Florida’s most invasive plant species and smothers native vegetation.
WIFE OF OFFICER KILLED ESCORTING OBAMA SUES
The widow of a police officer killed while escorting President Obama’s motorcade has filed a lawsuit in the death. Jupiter Police Officer Bruce St. Laurent died during a 2012 visit by Obama to Florida. His wife, Brenda St. Laurent, is suing the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, which she claims bears responsibility for his death.
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT ALLOWS EVIDENCE AT TRIAL
The Florida Supreme Court is allowing the use of key evidence in an ongoing trial to determine whether state legislators broke the law when drawing up new political maps. The high court on Tuesday overturned an appeals court decision that had blocked the use of documents obtained from a Gainesville-based political consulting firm.
FLORIDA TRIPLE-HOMICIDE SUSPECT CAPTURED IN TENNESSEE
Authorities in East Tennessee say they have captured the suspect in a triple homicide in Florida. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office reports that David Eugene Smith called 911 Tuesday morning to say he was the man wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of two women and a man near Lakeland over the weekend. Smith reportedly claimed he wanted to die at the hands of law enforcement.
