Radio news man is here to remind you something important. Don't flush things down the toilet you shouldn't. COVID 19 has everybody using disinfectant wipes and municipalities all over the place are telling people not to flush them. Throw em away. That even goes for wipes that say flushable. You're safer just tossing them in the bin.

CNN

Over 800 people in Florida have tested positive for COVID 19. 13 people have died. There have been 31,000 cases reported in the US and 330,000 plus cases worldwide.

ABC, Bay News

at least 35 people have tested positive for COVID in Alachua County. There has been at least one confirmed in almost every nearby county North, South, and East of Alachua as well.

WCJB

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck Salt Lake City a few days ago, disrupting important institutions in the face of COVID 19. It knocked out power to over 70,000 people and was the strongest quake in 30 years. Quakes greater than magnitude 6 reportedly happen once every 50 years or so.

CNN

Over 430 people have tested positive for COVID 19 in Florida. 9 have died. Broward County is where the highest concentration of cases are.

WFTV

Some businesses in Alachua County are having special hours for seniors to shop due to COVID 19. There is a lot so I'll just name a few. Publix is open Tuesdays and Wednesday's 7am to 8am. Starting the 24^th, Walmart will open an hour earlier on Tuesdays. Winn-Dixie will be open to seniors and high-risk individuals Monday through Friday 8am to 9am.

WCJB

Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, and Honda are shutting down their manufacturing operations here in the US for a while to clean and sanitize their factories. GM also reportedly said that they were closing down due to market conditions. That statement probably spills over to the other manufacturers as well. If nobody is buying cars, why make more cars.

CNN

Universities here in Florida will be going to all online classes through the spring semester. The graduation ceremonies for 12 schools are also being canceled. I'm a tiny bit jealous, which may make me a bad person. I've had to go to a lot of graduation ceremonies, including my own, and they were all eye-wateringly boring. “Oh no Joshua....looks like we cant sit through 5 hours of people we don't care about giving speeches and a 1000 people we don't know walking across a stage.”

CNN

The Brown Memorial Funeral Home in Ocala is helping people out who have been deprived by the mad dash for supplies in the face of COVID-19. If everybody got to the store before you did or you are struggling for cash, they are handing out paper towels, toilet paper, and water bottles for the next few days. If you already have a massive hoard of supplies and you go there too, your radio news person will be severely disappointed in you.

WCJB

Well folks... We've gone from the President brushing off COVID 19 as no big deal to advocating for a universal basic income style economic stimulus package. President Trump has announced his support for a plan to give Americans money directly to help float them through the crisis. The white house is also planning on allowing citizens to delay paying their taxes for an extra 90 days.

NPR

Public schools in Florida are closed until April 15^th. Restaurants are also ordered to be at half capacity across the state. Clubs and bars are closed. Gatherings of more than 10 are discouraged.

Herald Tribune

4 students at UF have been confirmed to have contracted COVID 19. The university will have all online classes through the spring.

CBS4

The stock market took yet another big hit, with the Dow Jones falling 13% to a three year low. This happened even after the fed announced an interest rate cut to spur economic activity. It couldn't overcome the simple fact that people are not spending money on the things they used to. The number of COVID 19 cases in the US rose to over 4000. Canada has announced that only Canadians are allowed in the country.

CNN, NBC

Florida is up to 150 cases with around 4 who have died. Community spread has likely begun meaning that there are cases of the disease that cannot be directly linked to exposure from any one person. Southeast Florida has the largest number of confirmed cases in the state.

WSVN, WFLA, Click Orlando

A state of emergency has been declared in Alachua County. Parks and Community Centers are closed. Events in the city have been suspended. Restaurants are ordered to only be at half capacity and close at 9 p.m.

CBS4

The Attorney Generals' Offices in several states are investigating price gouging involving hygiene products. Scalpers were found buying out entire stores worth of sanitizer and masks early on before the COVID 19 outbreak hit the US. They then successfully resold those goods online using places like Amazon and Ebay at many, many times their normal value. Like $20 for a $1 bottle of hand sanitizer.

NY Times

The Florida Department of Health announced 39 new cases of COVID 19 in the state over the weekend. The total number of tested and confirmed cases is around 115. The DOH says that all the cases they have confirmed so far have been a result of traveling or coming into contact with someone who traveled. There are some cases who's point of origin is still being researched, and may indicate community spread.

Local 10

The number of positive cases of COVID 19 in Alachua County has risen to 4. The latest being a woman from New York.

WCJB

We're doing just one big story for today to get you updated on at least some of the big things happening due to COVID 19
The nation is tightening its belt and putting on its hard hat in the face of this disease. The president has banned travel to 26 different European countries. The NBA has suspended its season. The NCAA has cancelled the Division 1 Basketball tournament. Several conferences, including the ACC and SEC, have cancelled their tournaments. The MLB is pushing back the start of the season and canceling spring training. The NHL has suspended it's season. The Cochella music festival has been postponed. Schools across the nation are temporarily closing. Colleges are moving to online classes.

This is nowhere near an exhaustive list. Individual local events and policies are changing regularly.

I'm not suggesting panic. This is not the apocalypse. But this disease is something that needs to be taken seriously. The mortality rate is estimated to be somewhere between 1 and 4%, which may seem low to some of you, but remember that there are 300 million people in the United States. Reducing the spread of the disease decreases the strain on the healthcare system by spreading out the usage of limited resources and labor, which will save lives.

CNN, BuzzFeed, NY Times, CBS, CNBC, CNBC, Worldometers





 

Colorado recently passed a bill replacing Columbus Day with Cabrini Day. Frances Xavier Cabrinis was woman who is attributed with creating just under 70 hospitals, orphanages, and schools here in the United States. Cabrini Day would also be the first paid state holiday to be about a woman.

CNN

The State University System of Florida is pushing colleges in the state to go to online only classes. Rumors of the move have been bubbling around, but now it looks like in some places the trigger has been pulled. UF and UCF are going to online classes by March 16th. FSU is going online by March 23rd.

News4Jax, WESH

Alachua County has seen it's first confirmed COVID-19 case. The person isn't a resident of the area, it was a 68-year-old woman from Georgia who was visiting

WCJB

The Dow Jones took the worst daily dive since 2008 recently. Economic activity has slowed due to the fears around, and effects of, COVID 19. Gas prices also dropped, partly due to decreases in travel and also due to Russia and Saudi Arabia butting heads over oil production quotas. Russia refused to reduce production in the face of decreased demand.

US News

A woman in Ocala is now a multi-millionaire. She bought a lotto ticket in South Florida, let it auto generate numbers, and is now $280 million richer.

WFLA

So it looks like we have to wait longer to see the end of the Nestle water dispute. There were plans to renew its contract for drawing up to a million gallons of water a day from the Santa Fe. Suwanee River Water Management seems to be waiting for all the lawsuits to play out to make a decision.

CBS4

So tell me, what do you know about Geofence warrants? Every moment of every day your phone is tracking you. A man in Gainesville became the suspect of a crime after his phone put him near the scene. He lived in that neighborhood and coincidentally biked past a burglarized home a few times within an hour. Police ordered a Geofence warrant to scoop up all the data of every device within a certain proximity of the home. Google, being the good guy and bad guy in this story, at least warned him of the police's attempt at his data before handing it over. He ended up getting a lawyer to sort everything out.

NBC

COVID 19 is having powerful impacts on the global and local markets. People buying up all the hand sanitizer. Which -dont do that- bathing just you in hand sanitizer is a lot less helpful than everyone having clean hands. Gas prices are also expected to drop considerably here in Florida due to nobody traveling globally. Some areas could see less than $2 a gallon.

ABC

While UF hasn't pulled the trigger yet, there have been reports of internal emails bracing the staff for online-only classes. Students had an opportunity to travel over spring break. The ones who went to restricted countries are on 14-day quarantine. The University of Washington went to online-only classes after there was an outbreak in the state.

WCJB

COVID-19 has infected 100,000 people in a 100 countries across the world. 7,300 people have been infected in Italy, and 370 have died. To combat the spread, they shut down all movie theaters, cultural sites, and public sporting events. The pope addressed the faithful via video both to protect his health and to discourage large crowds. The number of US cases has risen to around 400.

University of Michigan, NY Post, NPR

A bill in the Florida Legislature would double the fines levied against people who violate traffic laws around school busses. The fine for passing a stopped and flashing bus would go up to $200. $400 if it is the side that the kids get off.

ABC

A block party in Hawthorne on Saturday turned ugly after at least one person was shot. Police reportedly found a man with a gunshot wound in the neck. The injury was described as being non life threatening. Later, a teenager or kid showed up to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest.

WCJB

The COVID-19 outbreak in Italy is getting more severe. 41 people died in a 24 hour period, raising the total deaths to around 150 with 3,900 infected. Italy is particularly venerable to the disease due to how old the population is. They have the second oldest population in the world, trailing behind Japan.

Euronews

A bill mandating a moment of silence in public schools passed the Florida House. The bill says that teachers are not allowed to tell students how to use the time or what to think about.

WCJB

Two hospitals in the area will be closing. Shands in Live Oak and Shands in Starke will be largely shutting their doors at the end of April. They will reportedly still operate as emergency rooms.

WCJB

Virginia has banned conversion therapy for minors. The governor signed HB 386 into law. Conversion therapy is the practice of trying to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity by force. The bill bans the process in the state by licensed professionals and cuts off any state funding.

CNN

A bunch of teenagers allegedly set an abandoned train station on fire in Delray Beach. Police are saying one of the kids lit a Dunkin Donuts bag on fire then they ran to hide in a gas station bathroom. The fire spread and basically burned the whole building down. Survielence footage reportedly showed them running from the station.

ABC

Police in Suwannee County broke up a dog hoarding home. At least 118 dogs were found in horrible living conditions. The residents have been charged with 118 counts of felony animal cruelty.

WCJB

A deadly tornado crashed through Tennessee, killing at least 22 people. It destroyed 48 buildings in Nashville and rolled through portions of Middle Tennessee. The majority of the deaths weren't in Nashville though. 16 of the 22 died in Tennessee's Putnam County.

CNN

The killers of 2 dolphins last month still haven't been found. Initially, officials were offering a $10,000 reward. Now it's been raised to $20,000. Both dolphins had been shot or stabbed. One washed up off the coast of Naples and the other off Pensacola Beach.

ABC

The parents of two young children in Marion County are facing charges after their son shot his sister. The boy was four and the girl was two. The girl survived and the parents turned themselves in.

ABC

More deaths from COVID-19 here in the US. The death toll rose to 6 yesterday, all of whom were in Washington State. 100 cases have been reported in the US. Worldwide the disease has killed 3,100 people and infected 90,000.

USA Today

COVID-19 is also officially in Florida. The CDC reportedly announced that 2 people in the Tampa Bay area tested positive. One infected person recently traveled to Italy, and the other person hadn't traveled to any restricted countries. Just over 180 people are being monitored for possible infection here in the state.

ABC

We have some more information on the shooting at the Jade Lounge in Ocala. Police reportedly said that the three men who got injured approached another man at the bar. One punched him and the other two shoved him down. The shoved man then pulled out a gun and shot the other three, one of whom has died. The shooter fled, but the state hasn't decided if they want to press charges against him.

WCJB

The first COVID-19 death in the United States was announced over the weekend. An immune compromised person passed away in Washington State. The CDC says that the outbreak was a local one, and that the disease hasn't really started spreading on a national level.

NBC

$1.2 million worth of methamphetamine was captured by police in Texas. Total weight weighed in at 600 pounds. It was hidden in a tractor trailer parked near a highway.

CNN

A shooting at the Jade Lounge in Ocala left three injured. Details are light, but the shooting reportedly happened after a fight at around 5:30pm.

WCJB

More information has been released about the Molson Coors factory shooting in Milwaukee. The shooter was a longtime electrician at the facility. He killed 5 people all of whom were his coworkers.

CNN

A bill in the Florida Legislature would require coaches to provide cooling zones for athletes when it hits a certain temperature outside. A minimum of some kind of ice bucket. The bill was prompted after a student in Florida died from heat stroke.

ABC

There is a job fair in Waldo today. It starts at 1 and runs till 4pm. Its going to be at the town square and includes some job preparedness training.

Gainesville Sun

A mass shooting took place in Milwaukee at the Molson Coors factory, killing several. As of yesterday evening details were light, but we know the shooter died as well. The last shooting from that area was in 2012 when a white supremacist attacked a Sikh temple.

AP

A woman from Winter Park is accused of killing her boyfriend by zipping him up in a suitcase. She claims they were playing a game of hide and seek, and she forgot about him. Police say cellphone footage shows her taunting him as he begged for help.

NBC

A 12-year-old kid in Marion county was arrested for beating a dog with a metal pipe. A witness reported the incident after he found the dog bludgeoned unconscious. Police reportedly said that the kid admitted to doing the deed to discipline the dog.

CBS

Lamonte McIntyre was wrongfully convicted of a double murder and is being awarded $1.5 million by the state of Kansas. He spent 23 years in prison and was released in late 2017. Since being released, he has started the non-profit Miracle of Innocence which helps those who have been wrongfully convicted.

CNN

The CEO of Disney is stepping down. After being the CEO for 15 years, Bob Iger is being replaced by Bob Chapek. Mr. Iger reportedly said that this was an optimal time for leadership to change hands since many of their new endeavors are going well. I don't know if he was being sarcastic or not.

ABC

Two different large groups of abused dogs have been rescued in the local area. One was 140 dogs in Dixie County on a five acre plot of land that were severely neglected. Another was a group of 70 dogs in Union County that came from a place masquerading as an animal shelter.

CBS4, CBS4

In a high-profile case, Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted on charges of rape and criminal sex acts on two women. He used his leverage in the industry to pressure actresses to have sex with him and held their careers over their head. He likely faces 5 to 25 years in prison, and has another trial in LA.

NBC

SB 120 in the Florida Legislature would push schools to have access to naxalone, also known as Narcan. It's effectively an anti-opiate drug that is administered during overdoses to keep people from dying. Districts would also develop a plan to identify drug overdoses.

ABC

Famous NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson passed away recently. She died at 101 years old. She was one of the first Black students to go to grad school at West Virginia University, did live calculations for the Apollo 11 moon landing, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 from then President Obama.

WCJB

Jose Irizarry, A DEA agent, was arrested and accused with conspiring with cartels. He and his conspirators allegedly siphoned off around $4 million dollars that were supposed to go to undercover drug stings. Furthermore, this also raises the question of possible corruption in other dealings. Cases handled by the man may have to be re-examined by the courts.

AP

A man in Kissimmee was arrested and charged with manslaughter after officials say he accidentally killed his roommate. The gun went off after he was mishandling it. Anthony also was charged with violating probation and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

ABC

If you live in Melrose and don't have a fire alarm, you can get one! The fire department is giving them away and you can email melrosefiredepartment@gmail.com to ask for one

WCJB

A mass shooting in Germany killed 10. Based on things he posted online, it's suspected that the gunman was a far-right extremist. He attacked two shisha bars, where Middle Eastern people tend to gather, and a cafe. The shooter and his mother were found dead in his home.

BBC, NPR

An appellate court ruled against the Mississippi abortion restriction. The law was passed last year and prevented abortions whenever a fetal heartbeat could be detected. Heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks into the pregnancy. The court referenced both Roe v Wade and a previous ruling by a court in the same circuit striking down Mississippi's earlier 15 week abortion ban.

CNN

Three people were shot in Lake City after two men pulled guns on one another. They were having an argument, and a woman was caught in the crossfire.

CBS4

The Boy Scouts are filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy after being being hit by a wave of sexual abuse lawsuits. The Boy Scouts claim that the Bankruptcy will allow them to establish a trust that will equitably compensate the victims. They reportedly said that the organization will continue to operate.

US News

An appellate court has ruled against Florida's fines and fees stipulation on Amendment 4. Amendment 4 would allow non violent felons to vote after they had served their time. The amendment was passed by the voters, and Florida's government interpreted that as including paying all fees. The appellate court felt that the stipulation discriminated against the poor. The lawsuit will likely go all the way to the Supreme Court.

Tampa Bay

A solar company is apparently going around scamming people in Gainesville. Suncor Energy is reportedly telling people that they are affiliated with GRU. They are not.

WCJB

A skier in Colorado died in a way I think many people have feared. The 46 year old fell through his seat on the lift and was strangled by his coat. He reportedly left the seat in the upright position which allowed him to fall.

CNN

It looks like the Florida legislature is leaning towards giving the NCAA more time to work out their own rules to allow for student athletes to receive endorsements for their name and likeness. Originally, if the bill was passed and signed this session the organization would have to lift restrictions on July 1st. The bill was changed in committee; pushing the cut off date back a full year.

ABC

A crazy story locally that is all over the internet. Police reportedly found jars of preserved human tongues going back decades sitting under the floorboards of a home in Gainesville. The running theory is marginally less horrifying then the worst possible theory. The home was owned by a researcher at UF, and officials think that the tongues were related to his work.

WCJB

Immigration officers under the president are reportedly moving into sanctuary cities to assist ICE in the arrest of illegal migrants. Some places listed include Atlanta, New York, and LA. The action is a response to the cities local policies that reduce the cooperation between local and federal police.

US News

A doctor from Tallahassee is being accused of stealing $26 million dollars from government and private health insurance. The prosecution says that he invoiced false claims and scheduled patients for unnecessary visits. He also reportedly told officials that he wanted to become the president of Ghana.

ABC

Nine people were sent to the hospital after three vehicles collided in Marion County. Two were listed as trauma alerts. One person was in each of two of the vehicles, but there were seven in one of the trucks. Two were in the front seat and five were in the bed. All the people sitting in the bed of the truck were ejected during the crash.

CBS4

It has been raining quite a bit in the Southeast over the past few days, and that spells danger for the people living where all that water goes. Hundreds of people in Jackson, Mississippi have evacuated due to rising floodwaters from the Pearl River. It's the worst flood for the area in decades and the third highest the river has ever been.

CNN

In the wake of the Parkland shooting Florida passed the “Red Flag” law, which allows for the seizure of firearms if the owner is behaving dangerously. Like direct threats and/or evidence of mental illness. The law has reportedly been used around 3,500 times since its creation. A survey spanning an 18 month period showed that implementation of the law was not equal across the state. Highlands County red-flagged 1 out of every 850 residents, where Escambia flagged 1 in 100,000

AP, ABC

Authorities fear a possible serial attacker in Gainesville. Two different women reported being ambushed from the woods within a few days of each other. One was sexually assaulted. They both described their attacker as a white man wearing a black cloth over his face.

WCJB

Around 66,000 marijana related cases are being dismissed in LA county. The cases disproportionately affected the Black and Latino communities. The former crimes include misdemeanor possession charges all the up to cultivation and sales. 85,000 convictions have been dismissed statewide, and a 2018 study estimates that 220,000 cases could fall under the same protection.

CNN

Common Core is no more. B.E.S.T will be put to the test. The new benchmarks go into effect for very young kids in the 2021 to 2022 school year. By the next year it goes into effect for all grades.

ABC

In respect for Valentines day today I have some exciting news. Florida has the top 3 metro areas for the WORST dating experience. North Port, Lakeland, and Deltona are apparently bad places to find a new partner. Also Deltona is a real place and not just a misspelling of Daytona.

CBS

A town up in Montana is doing research on an interesting new method to help facilitate water treatment. A barrel of spent barley from beer brewing is added to the wastewater at just the right time to power up the bacteria involved in purifying the water. An engineer with the plant compared the process to adding ketchup to french fries. The partnership is already saving them some money, and the end goal is to merge the brewery wastewater with the existing wastewater in a beneficial way. However, it seems too expensive for now.

NPR

Police are saying a man driving near Ocala flashed his headlights at a squad car and drunkenly asked for directions. After both cars pulled over the officer said that the man was not standing straight, and when he was breathalyzed blew over the limit. Police also said he had some cocaine in his pocket. At first, when asked to take the breathalyzer the man reportedly told the officer, "You didn't pull ME over. I pulled YOU over."

ABC

Shifting gears a great deal, an extremely tragic and unusual court case from Ocala has a trial date. a 9-year-old boy is accused of stabbing his 5-year-old sister and is being charged with felony attempted murder. The case is set to be heard next week

WCJB

The world health organization has assigned a new name to what has been so far known as the Coronavirus. It's official title is COVID-19. The new name assignment makes sense because "Coronavirus" is a family name for a large group of similar diseases. The death toll for COVID-19 has exceeded 1000 people in China.

AP News

Officials are offering $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of whoever shot and or stabbed a dolphin here in Florida. The body was found washed up off the coast of Naples.

WESH

Alachua County Commissioner Charles Chestnut collapsed during a county meeting. He later woke up and was able to walk to an ambulance under his own power.

WCJB

Thailand's deadliest mass shooting ever happened over the weekend with at least 29 dead and 58 wounded. The shooter was reportedly a military man who Thai officials say went berserk after a "real estate dispute".  It started at a military base and moved to a shopping center. All the while the shooter was posting to Facebook. He was later slain.

NY Times

At least 135 people on the Diamond Princess cruise ship are infected with the infamous Coronavirus, 24 of whom are American citizens. As of yesterday the ship was being held in a Tokyo harbor. There are 3,700 people on board, and the ship is under quarantine.

CNN

Bradford County is in search of someone they suspect was involved in a hit-and-run. The vehicle is a gray 4 door pickup and was driven by a white male. Police think that this vehicle caused a crash on SR100 near the bypass.

CBS4