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  • Central Florida man reflects on Challenger disaster 40 years later

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    ORANGE CITY, Fla. — Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of one of the darkest days for NASA — the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

    All seven astronauts on board were killed when the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after lifting off from Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 28, 1986. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Wednesday marks 40 years since the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on Jan. 28, 1986

    • Just over a minute after lifting off, the Challenger broke apart, killing all seven astronauts on board
    • Volusia County resident and space enthusiast Jeffrey Ault, who captured it all on his Super 8 camera, says he remembers the tragedy like it was yesterday


    Many people across Florida and the country watched as it all unfolded, including Volusia County resident Jeffrey Ault, who says he remembers that day like it was yesterday.

    Ault was one of many on the shoreline of the Banana River near Port Canaveral who were watching the launch live that day.

    He says he was the only person to have shot it all on a Super 8 movie camera.

    Although Ault says it was a memorable January day, it was for all the wrong reasons.

    Challenger crew members: Michael J. Smith, front row left, Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Ronald E. McNair; Ellison S. Onizuka, back row left, S. Christa McAuliffe, Gregory B. Jarvis, and Judith A. Resnik. On Jan. 28, 1986, they lost their lives when the space shuttle Challenger blew up after liftoff. (NASA)

    Like many space enthusiasts, Ault says he followed the Apollo program and built rocket models ever since he was a kid. So, to witness a tragedy like the Challenger explosion was devastating for him.

    It was also his first time seeing a launch in person. 

    One thing that Ault says he remembers very clearly is how cold it was that day.

    He says the launch had been delayed several times because of weather concerns, and that he didn’t know whether it was going to happen.

    Even though the Challenger launch resulted in tragedy, Ault says a lot still can be learned from it to this day.

    “I think the space program — back with the Apollo program, the Space Shuttle program — brought Americans together, brought people from all over the world together,” he says. “And hopefully, as we move forward, maybe we could get some of that unity and positive feeling back throughout this country.”

    Ault says he will never forget the speech that then-President Ronald Reagan made in honor of those who died in the tragedy, and to remind Americans what astronauts put on the line every time they go into space.

    “You really have to give credit to the masterminds, the engineers who work on this, and then the brave astronauts that are putting their lives at risk for this travel,” Ault says. “And the Challenger taught us that it is very dangerous.”

    To keep their memories alive, the NASA Day of Remembrance ceremony is held every year around the time of the Challenger disaster. This year, it took place on Jan. 22.

    The event serves to memorialize the lives lost not only in the Challenger tragedy, but the seven astronauts who died aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, which broke up during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003, and the three astronauts from Apollo 1, who died when a fire broke out in their capsule during preflight testing on Jan. 27, 1967.

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    Sasha Teman

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  • Florida gov candidates spar; Ingoglia takes on St. Pete

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    Rep. Byron Donalds and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner spar on X over school choice legislation, and Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia asserts that St. Pete over spent $49 million over six years.


    Florida Republican governor candidates spar over school choice legislation

    When it comes to school choice, Florida law provides universal choice education scholarships to cover almost $9,000 in private school vouchers. The legislation that created the voucher program became a flash point today in the governor’s race.

    It started with a social media post by Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.

    He was in Tallahassee where he used to serve as a lawmaker and took credit for passing school choice bills. But one of Donalds’ opponents in the Republican primary for governor, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, took issue with that.

    “Hey everybody. I’m actually back in Tallahassee and in my time at the state House.” Donalds said Wednesday on X. “We were arguing for universal choice and we got that passed during my time in the Florida House. It’s National School Choice Week, and we want to make sure that everybody understands that our number one mission is to make sure that every child, regardless of zip code, is getting the best education possible. So it’s actually kind of ironic that I’m back here in Tallahassee, kind of where it all began to a degree, where we argued for school choice here. Delivered universal school choice here. We want to see that same thing happen for every child in America. God bless you guys. Take it easy.”

    “Byron, you know that’s a lie. Let’s have an honest campaign with voters. So I wake up this morning to see Congressman Donalds on video, literally claiming that he was here in the Florida House when we passed Universal School Choice,” Renner said on X. “Byron, you know that’s a lie because I passed universal school choice in 2023. You were nowhere near Tallahassee. You passed the Hope scholarship HB one, which was political theater and barely moved the needle. That was not universal school choice. And you know it. I know you have a thin, thin record both in the House and in Congress, but do me a favor and don’t run on mine. Let’s have an honest campaign with voters. Let’s tell them about my experience and yours, my record and yours, and let them make a decision. Honestly.”

    Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia asserts that St. Pete government overspent $49 million over 6 years

    Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia held a press conference in St. Pete today, saying that the city has overtaxed and overspent more than $49 million over a 6-year period.

    Ingoglia said he reached that number by looking at the base budget plus inflation plus population, and says what should be an “acceptable budget growth.”

    He says the city has only added just over 11,500 to the population, and says that the budget for the city grew by $133 million.

    However, he did not get into specifics of exactly what the city overspent on.

    “This is the number that when we took their old budget, adjusted for inflation and population and compared it to what it actually was, that you are being overtaxed in our estimation $49 million dollars that’s a lot money for a relatively small budget,” Ingoglia said.

    The CFO said that his office has been auditing cities across the state and reports that it has found more than a billion dollars in overspending and overtaxing.

    St. Pete Mayor Kenneth T. Welch responded to the allegations in a statement.

    “Today, Florida’s CFO asserted statements about the City of St. Petersburg’s budget and said that any response or rebuttal from local government would just be a ‘spin.’ He made it clear that any clarification or correction would be local governments ‘justifying excessive and wasteful spending.’ We just received the report and while we work to verify his statements, the City of St. Petersburg remains transparent throughout our budget process. As we do every year, all year round, we encourage residents with questions about the City’s budget to review the documents posted on our website at www.stpete.org/budget,” Welch said.

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    Saundra Weathers, Spectrum News Staff

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  • 2 officers fired shots during encounter that killed Alex Pretti, DHS says

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    WASHINGTON — Two federal officers fired shots during the encounter that killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti over the weekend in Minneapolis, a Customs and Border Protection official told Congress in a notice sent Tuesday, while Ecuador’s minister of foreign affairs filed an objection saying immigration agents tried to enter the country’s consulate in the city without permission.

    What You Need To Know

    • A Customs and Border Protection official told Congress in a notice that two federal officers fired shots during an encounter that killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis

    • Tuesday’s notification obtained by The Associated Press said officers tried to take Pretti into custody and he resisted, leading to a struggle

    • The official said that during the struggle, a Border Patrol agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times

    • Investigators from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the analysis based on a review of body-worn camera footage and agency documentation
    • Also Tuesday, federal immigration authorities released an Ecuadorian man whose detention led the chief federal judge in Minnesota to order the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in his courtroom, the man’s attorney said

    Officers tried to take Pretti into custody and he resisted, leading to a struggle, according to a notification to Congress obtained by The Associated Press. During the struggle, a Border Patrol agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times, the official said.

    A Border Patrol officer and a CBP officer each fired Glock pistols, the notice said.

    Investigators from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the analysis based on a review of body-worn camera footage and agency documentation, the notice said. The law requires the agency to inform relevant congressional committees about deaths in CBP custody within 72 hours.

    Separately, a man was arrested after he sprayed an unknown liquid at U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar while she was speaking at a town hall meeting in Minneapolis. The Democrat had just called for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign when she was sprayed.

    Trump says ‘we’re going to de-escalate a little bit’

    The developments came a day after President Donald Trump ordered border czar Tom Homan to take over his administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota in the wake of Pretti’s death, which was the second fatal shooting this month of a person at the hands of immigration law enforcement.

    By sending Homan to Minnesota, “we’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ “Will Cain Show.” That’s significant since White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when questioned repeatedly Monday about Homan’s being dispatched to Minnesota, refused to say that doing so was an effort to calm the situation.

    The president added of Homan, “Tom, as tough as he is, gets along” with governors and mayors, even in Democratic areas.

    As he left the White House on Tuesday, the president was asked whether Pretti’s killing was justified. He responded by saying that a “big investigation” was underway. In the hours after Pretti’s death, some administration officials sought to blame the shooting on the 37-year-old intensive care nurse.

    Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff who had initially called Pretti “an assassin,” issued a statement suggesting CBP officers in Minneapolis “may not have been following” protocol. He said the Homeland Security Department’s initial statements about what transpired on Saturday was “based on reports from CBP on the ground.”

    Ecuador files a protest with the U.S. Embassy

    A video of the Ecuadorian consulate entry attempt posted on social media shows a staffer running to the door to turn the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents away, telling them, “This is the Ecuadorian consulate. You’re not allowed to enter.” One ICE officer can be heard responding by threatening to “grab” the staffer if he touched the agent before agreeing to leave.

    International law generally prohibits law enforcement authorities from entering foreign consulates or embassies without permission, though sometimes permission may be assumed granted for life-threatening emergencies, like fires.

    “Consulate officials immediately prevented the ICE officer from entering the consular building, thus ensuring the protection of the Ecuadorians who were present at the time and activating the emergency protocols issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility,” the ministry wrote on X.

    A “note of protest” was filed with the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador so that similar attempts aren’t made at other consulates, the ministry said. The State Department, Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Trump says of sending Bovino to Minneapolis: ‘Maybe it wasn’t good here’

    Immigration enforcement activity witnessed by journalists in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs on Tuesday appeared comparable with recent weeks. As before, most didn’t result in major confrontations with agents. Activists say they continue to monitor enforcement operations through social media and chats on messaging apps.

    The White House had tried to blame Democratic leaders for the protests of immigration raids. But after Pretti’s killing and videos suggesting he was not an active threat, the administration tapped Homan to take charge of the Minnesota operation from Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.

    Trump said Bovino, the go-to architect for the president’s large-scale city-by-city immigration crackdowns, was “very good” but added “he’s a pretty out-there kind of a guy” and “maybe it wasn’t good here.”

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, along with the city’s police chief, met with Homan on Tuesday and agreed to keep talking. Homan posted on social media that the discussions “were a productive starting point.”

    Courts weigh in on detained immigrants

    In Texas, a federal judge issued a temporary order prohibiting the removal of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father who were detained last week in Minnesota in an incident that further inflamed divisions on immigration. U.S. Judge Fred Biery ruled Monday that any removal or transfer of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, is on hold while a court case proceeds.

    Also in Texas, federal immigration authorities released an Ecuadorian man whose detention led the chief federal judge in Minnesota to order the head of ICE to appear in his courtroom, the man’s attorney said.

    Attorney Graham Ojala-Barbour said the man was released in Texas. The lawyer said in an email to The Associated Press that he was notified in an email from the U.S. attorneys office in Minneapolis that his client had been freed.

    In an order dated Monday, Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz expressed frustration with the Trump administration’s handling of immigration cases. He took the extraordinary step of ordering Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, to personally appear in his courtroom Friday.

    Schiltz had said in his order that he would cancel Lyons’ appearance if the man was released from custody.

    “This Court has been extremely patient with respondents, even though respondents decided to send thousands of agents to Minnesota to detain aliens without making any provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result,” he wrote.

    Schiltz’s order followed a federal court hearing Monday on a request by the state and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul for a judge to halt the immigration enforcement surge. The judge in that case said she would prioritize the ruling but did not give a timeline for a decision.

    Schiltz wrote that he recognizes ordering the head of a federal agency to appear personally is extraordinary. “But the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed,” he said.

    The Associated Press left messages Tuesday with ICE and a DHS spokesperson seeking a response.

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    Associated Press

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  • Councilman pushes Rays to pay for new stadium; team CEO says partnership needed

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Leaders in Hillsborough County could soon be asked to take a deeper look at the financial picture of building a baseball stadium in Tampa.


    The owners of the Tampa Bay Rays have picked Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus site to build a new ballpark.

    The project could cost more than $2 billion.

    On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis stressed again his support for that move and the state’s willingness to secure the spot on the HC campus.

    “I do think Tampa Bay, that’s where the team was berthed. We do it want to see it succeed in this region,” he said. “I think it can succeed. A hundred percent, I think it can succeed. Our role can be just to help HC negotiate something that’s going to be good for them and be good for the Rays. And we’re happy to do that.”

    But the money has to be there. According to our newsgathering partners at the Tampa Bay Times, building the stadium would cost about $2.3 billion.

    That is a billion dollars more than a previous proposal for a new stadium in St. Petersburg two years ago.

    Tampa Councilman Charlie Miranda on Wednesday said the Rays ownership should foot the entire bill for it.

    “If they have the money to buy it, they should have the money to build their own house,” he said.

    Two weeks ago, Rays CEO Ken Babby spoke on the Hunks Talk Junk podcast about the need for a partnership.

    “We’re going to do our part. We’re going to write a big check. We already wrote one to buy the team,” Babby said at the time. “We are going to write another big one to buy the ballpark, but we need a good public-private partnership.” 

    Next week, the Tampa Sports Authority is expected to vote on whether there first should be an economic study done for the city and the county.

    Miranda said he welcomes it — as long as it is by an independent group.

    “I support any study, but it’s got to be verified,” Miranda said. “I want it statistically from a non-committed organization — not committed to them, not committed to us. An unbiased study that’s done so everybody understands where you’re at, including the land that they’re going to have, that they pay no tax. How would, we the city, benefit from that if they weren’t here? It’s got to be a two-way study, it can’t just be one way.”

    Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out to the Rays on Wednesday but didn’t hear back.

    Most professional stadiums have been built using public-private partnerships, but there are exceptions. Gilette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, recently got a $225 million renovation that was completely funded by the owner.

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    Spectrum News Staff, Dalia Dangerfield

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  • Coffee Concrete in St. Pete features caviar-topped fries

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This week’s Chef’s Kitchen features a breakfast burrito and caviar-topped fries with a mayonnaise-based sauce from Coffee Concrete in St. Pete. 

    Chef Yauhen Yurhelevich of Coffee Concrete makes the Breakfast Burrito and Cacio e Pepe Fries with Black Osetra Caviar.

    Beach Burrito (with bacon)

    Ingredients:
    1 (12″) flour tortilla
    ½ cup sharp cheddar, shredded
    1 crispy hash brown
    ½ cup scrambled eggs
    2-3 slices bacon, cooked crisp, chopped
    2 tbsp Pico de Gallo
    ½ avocado
    2 oz chipotle mayo

    Method:
    Warm tortilla.
    Layer cheddar, hash brown, eggs, bacon, pico, avocado, and chipotle mayo.
    Roll tightly.
    Optional: sear seam-side down until golden.
    Cut on bias and serve hot.

    Cacio e Pepe Fries with Black Osetra Caviar

    Ingredients:
    French fries, hot and crispy
    Pecorino Romano, finely grated
    Black Osetra caviar

    Cacio e Pepe Mayo:
    1 cup mayonnaise
    ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
    2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

    Method:
    Toast pepper briefly; cool. Mix with mayo and Parmigiano.
    Cook fries until crisp; season lightly.
    Drizzle fries with Cacio e Pepe mayo.
    Finish with Pecorino and top with Black Osetra caviar.
    Serve immediately, hot fries with cold caviar.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Authorities: Mother of stabbed 4-year-old arrested, charged with murder

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The 43-year-old mother of a 4-year-old child found stabbed to death was taken into custody early Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder.

    City police responded to a call about a dead child and an injured adult on Tuesday afternoon.

    What You Need To Know

    • 43-year-old mother of a 4-year-old child found stabbed to death was taken into custody early Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder

    • Incident happened Tuesday afternoon at home in 1700 block of Tanglewood Drive NE, St. Petersburg 
    • Police said a 16-year-old girl called around 3:30 p.m. to say she found her 4-year-old brother inside the home and that he had stab wounds. The boy died
    • The suspect, identified by police as Diana Cullom, was taken to Bayfront Hospital with injuries. She was later taken into custody

    The location was a home in the 1700 block of Tanglewood Drive NE.

    Police said a 16-year-old girl called around 3:30 p.m. to say she found her 4-year-old brother inside the home and that he had stab wounds. The boy died.

    The woman, identified by police as Diana Cullom, was taken to Bayfront Hospital with injuries. Preliminary reports, according to police, say that Cullom stabbed the child and herself.

    “Preliminary investigation leads toward the mom, but again, we’re going to make sure that we investigate everything,” said Chief Anthony Holloway. “But with the note and the way the scene is right now, the mom appears to be the suspect. But again, we’re not going to say definitely yet until we get all of the information.”

    The father wasn’t at the home and was called to the scene, according to investigators.

    Police said a teenage girl called around 3:30 p.m. to say she found her 4-year-old brother inside the home and that he had stab wounds. (Spectrum Bay News 9/Melissa Eichman)

    Police said a note was found at the scene, but they didn’t provide details about what it said.

    The police chief added that there is no threat to the public.

    The investigation is still underway.

    Stay with Spectrum Bay News 9 on-air, online and the Spectrum News app for udpates.


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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • Florida invests in state college nursing programs to address workforce shortages

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    PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — A new state investment is helping train the next generation of nurses in Florida, with more than $20 million going to nursing programs across the state.

    What You Need To Know

    • A new state investment is helping train the next generation of nurses in Florida

    • More than $20 million is going to nursing programs across the state

    • The state says it has invested $485 million in nursing programs since 2022


    Gov. Ron DeSantis says the expanded funding and scholarships could help fill critical health care jobs, and it’s already making a difference for students at St. Pete College.

    While it looks like a hospital, it’s actually Kaylee Wynn’s classroom at St. Pete College, and Mr. Hercules, a simulation mannequin, is her patient.

    “You don’t expect it, you go up to a mannequin and it’s breathing, so it’s the weirdest thing at first. But you kind of get used to it,” she said.

    Kaylee is a fourth-semester nursing student and will graduate in May. Nursing will be Kaylee’s second career — she was a special needs teacher, until something happened in her life that prompted her to make a change.

    “When my dad was hit by a drunk driver, I saw him in and out of hospitals having experiences, good and bad ones. Those things change how you feel about things, so I wanted to make an impact on people,” she said.

    Kaylee received the LINE scholarship from the state to help her pay for nursing school. DeSantis recently awarded $20 million to LINE funding, saying Florida is investing to strengthen the health care workforce.

    “While you’re in nursing school, it’s hard to get the hours for work. You go from full-time to not working much, so any scholarship opportunity is great,” said Kaylee.

    SPC Dean of Nursing Jean Lee, who has been in nursing since 1991, says the demand for nurses is always there, but especially now. SPC recently expanded its program, and she says state funding is crucial to provide students with the essential equipment they need, like simulation mannequins.

    “The idea is that the simulation center mimics the real-world hospital, and so we have to provide experiences for them in simulation that will equate to what they experience when they go into the hospital and take care of real patients,” said Lee.

    Kaylee says that experience means when she graduates, she’ll be confident caring for patients from day one. 

    The state says it has invested $485 million in nursing programs since 2022.

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    Fallon Silcox

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  • SPC offers free SMART Tech certifications for students

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In a room with more buttons than a pilot’s dashboard, Jose Rivera shows prospective students different training systems they will learn in two new SMART Tech courses.

    “So this room is going to be one of the newest labs for the program that we have here at SPC,” Rivera said.

    Rivera is one of the instructors. Each box-like system teaches a different manufacturing skill.

    “Pneumatics, AC/DC electronics, robotics,” said Rivera, listing just a few.

    St. Petersburg College Dean of Workforce Development and Corporate Partnerships Belinthia Berry said those courses will lead to employment.

    “And not just any job, a high skill, high wage job,” Berry said.

    The equipment is all to support SPC’s SMART Tech program, which is offering a variety of certifications.

    “Semiconductor, mechatronics, artificial intelligence, your robotics, your technician-type courses that are in your advanced manufacturing,” Berry said.

    Two new courses starting in February include electronic board assembly operations and robotic and semiconductor technician operations.

    For SPC student Kalon Houston, who spent his 20s working in the culinary world, these skills equate to a future with more financial stability.

    “It gives you an opportunity to find, skill-set a job that people are paying you that 20 threshold or more. Like as soon as you get the degrees for it,” Houston said.

    But the biggest selling point for these new courses at SPC — they are all free. They are funded through the Florida Job Growth Grant.

    “So the state says, you know what, we’re going to give scholarships to everyone for the first two years. And so we’re in our first year all the way up until next year of 2027. All of our courses are free,” Berry said.

    For Houston and others, these free certifications are a step toward finding more than just a job. He is on the hunt for a career. 

    “I think it’s good for people to know that, like, it doesn’t really matter your age or what route you took in life. Like, it’s never too late to take another route,” Houston said.

    Coming later this year, SPC said it will also launch an Automated Production Technician Program.

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    Erin Murray

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  • Organizers promise ‘living history lesson’ at Auburndale Festival and Pow Wow

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    A festival event in Auburndale is celebrating traditions and cultures from Mexico, Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, along with the Native American community.

    The Spirit of the Buffalo Multicultural Festival and Pow Wow is being held at International Market World on U.S. Highway 92 West, in Auburndale.

    The festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., from Friday, Jan. 30 through Sunday, Feb. 1. The festival will run and be open those same hours the following weekend, from Friday, Feb. 6 through Sunday, Feb. 8.

    Organizers call the event “a living history lesson for all ages”, and are promising the following events and fun for attendees:

    • Dance competitions
    • Crafts
    • Historic village displays
    • Falconry demonstrations as part of bird shows
    • Tipi camping spaces

    For more information, click here.

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    Jeff Butera

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  • TikTok settles as social media giants face landmark youth addiction trial

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    LOS ANGELES — TikTok agreed to settle a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed.

    What You Need To Know

    • TikTok has agreed to settle in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed

    • The social video platform was one of three companies facing claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children, along with Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube

    • Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum

    • Additional details of the settlement with TikTok were not disclosed

    The social video platform was one of three companies — along with Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube — facing claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.

    Details of the settlement with TikTok were not disclosed, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    At the core of the case is a 19-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out. She and two other plaintiffs have been selected for bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury and what damages, if any, may be awarded, said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

    A lawyer for the plaintiff said in a statement Tuesday that TikTok remains a defendant in the other personal injury cases, and that the trial will proceed as scheduled against Meta and YouTube.

    Jury selection starts this week in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. It’s the first time the companies will argue their case before a jury, and the outcome could have profound effects on their businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms. The selection process is expected to take at least a few days, with 75 potential jurors questioned each day through at least Thursday. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.

    KGM claims that her use of social media from an early age addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Importantly, the lawsuit claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits. This argument, if successful, could sidestep the companies’ First Amendment shield and Section 230, which protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms.

    “Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue,” the lawsuit says.

    Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify at the trial, which will last six to eight weeks. Experts have drawn similarities to the Big Tobacco trials that led to a 1998 settlement requiring cigarette companies to pay billions in health care costs and restrict marketing targeting minors.

    “Plaintiffs are not merely the collateral damage of Defendants’ products,” the lawsuit says. “They are the direct victims of the intentional product design choices made by each Defendant. They are the intended targets of the harmful features that pushed them into self-destructive feedback loops.”

    The tech companies dispute the claims that their products deliberately harm children, citing a bevy of safeguards they have added over the years and arguing that they are not liable for content posted on their sites by third parties.

    “Recently, a number of lawsuits have attempted to place the blame for teen mental health struggles squarely on social media companies,” Meta said in a recent blog post. “But this oversimplifies a serious issue. Clinicians and researchers find that mental health is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, and trends regarding teens’ well-being aren’t clear-cut or universal. Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like academic pressure, school safety, socio-economic challenges and substance abuse.”

    A Meta spokesperson said in a statement Monday the company strongly disagrees with the allegations outlined in the lawsuit and that it’s “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”

    José Castañeda, a Google Spokesperson, said Monday that the allegations against YouTube are “simply not true.” In a statement, he said “Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work.”

    TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

    The case will be the first in a slew of cases beginning this year that seek to hold social media companies responsible for harming children’s mental well-being. A federal bellwether trial beginning in June in Oakland, California, will be the first to represent school districts that have sued social media platforms over harms to children.

    In addition, more than 40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Meta, claiming it is harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. The majority of cases filed their lawsuits in federal court, but some sued in their respective states.

    TikTok also faces similar lawsuits in more than a dozen states.

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    Associated Press

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  • Winter storm deaths reach 35 as officials say 3 Texas boys drowned in icy pond

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    When a massive winter storm descended on the Northeast and parts of the South over the weekend, Lisa Patterson planned to stick it out at her family’s home in Nashville.

    But after she and her husband lost power, trees fell onto their driveway and their wood stove proved no match for the frigid temperatures. Along with their dog, the couple had to be rescued and taken to a warming shelter.

    What You Need To Know

    • A new influx of arctic air is expected to spur freezing temperatures in parts of the South already covered in snow and ice

    • Many people have fled to warming shelters, and crews worked Tuesday to restore power knocked out by a massive weekend winter storm

    • At least 35 deaths have been reported in states afflicted with severe cold

    “I’ve been snowed in up there for almost three weeks without being able to get up and down my driveway because of the snow. I’m prepared for that. But this was unprecedented,” Patterson said.

    The family was among many across Tennessee and other parts of the South that have fled to warming shelters as crews worked to restore power to hundreds of thousands of households in the face of a new influx of arctic air expected to spur freezing temperatures Tuesday in places already covered in snow and ice.

    At least 35 deaths have been reported in states afflicted with severe cold. Three brothers ages 6, 8 and 9 died Monday after falling through ice on a private pond near Bonham, Texas, said County Sheriff Cody Shook in a news release Tuesday. The two older boys were pulled from the water by first responders and a neighbor then taken to a hospital, while the youngest was recovered after an extensive search of the pond. Bonham Independent School District said it was devastated by the loss.

    Other deaths included two people run over by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio, fatal sledding accidents that killed teenagers in Arkansas and Texas, and a woman whose body was found covered in snow in Kansas. In New York City, officials said eight people were found dead outdoors over the frigid weekend.

    The National Weather Service had warnings for extreme, dangerous cold in effect Tuesday morning from Texas to Pennsylvania, where some areas were forecast to see wind chills as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 29 degrees Celsius. Much of the U.S. wasn’t forecast to get above freezing all day Tuesday, with temperatures plunging again overnight. Thermometers in northern Florida were forecast to sink to 25 F, or minus 3.9 C late Tuesday into early Wednesday.

    The brutal cold lingered after storms over the weekend and Monday dumped deep snow across more than 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) from Arkansas to New England and left parts of the South coated in treacherous ice.

    In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear warned that the temperatures could become so frigid that as little as 10 minutes outside “could result in frostbite or hypothermia.”

    And forecasters said it’s possible another winter storm could hit parts of the East Coast this weekend.

    There were still 550,000 power outages in the nation Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.com. Most of them were in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee. Officials warned that it could take days for power to be restored.

    In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday at least 14 homes and 20 public roads had major damage in the aftermath of the state’s worst ice storm since 1994. The University of Mississippi canceled classes for the entire week as its Oxford campus remained coated in treacherous ice.

    New York City saw its snowiest day in years, with neighborhoods recording 8 to 15 inches of snow, forcing the nation’s largest public school system to shut down.

    In Nashville, Nathan Hoffner sent his 4-year-old son to stay with his son’s mother after his rental house in lost power midday Sunday. He and his roommate layered up with clothes and several blankets overnight and by the next morning the temperature inside the home had dropped dramatically.

    “I saw my breath in the house,” Hoffner said.

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    Associated Press

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  • Clearwater calls duck’s stay a ’bigger success than ever expected’

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. — After nearly three weeks, the World’s Largest Duck has left the city of Clearwater and is moving on to her next destination.

    The city says Mama Duck’s stay brought in more than double the amount of people they usually see, with one of the biggest days being January 17 for the duck’s “birthday bash,” which brought in roughly 3,500 people.

    What You Need To Know

    • So far this year, the city has made $23,931 in parking revenue

    • People from 46 countries accessed the city’s website so far in 2026

    • Downtown restaurants report spike in business 

    • COST BREAKDOWN: World’s Largest Duck visits Clearwater


    “We’ve had more people come to this park than we have since we did our grand reopening in 2023,” said Leanne Bell with the city of Clearwater. “We’ve had people come as far as Denver from what we’ve heard. They’ve flown and made a vacation out of seeing this duck, which is exactly what we were aiming to do.”

    An analysis of the city’s preliminary parking revenue data revealed more than twice as many people visited Clearwater this January as compared to January 2025. So far this year, the city has made $23,931 in parking revenue, compared to $10,894 for the entire month of January last year.

    Bell said web traffic also saw a significant spike because the live stream of Mama Duck was available on the city’s website. He said they received clicks to their live stream from people in 46 countries on at least four continents.

    “This shows international impact and awareness of Clearwater and the destination at large,” said Bell, who added that downtown businesses reported an increase in sales in January, including some spots selling out their duck-themed specials.

    Craig Samborski, who started taking Mama Duck around the country in 2014, said this was the first time he’s had a 3-week stay in any one city. He says he was surprised by how many people would come by on the average weekday.

    “I was thinking…oh, like we’ll do 50-60 people a day but, its been much more than that,” he said.

    Mama Duck’s stay in Clearwater costs approximately $45,000.

    There were no concerts or shows at the BayCare Sound during the nearly three-week event. Bell says that signals most people visiting the Coachman Park area were visiting Mama Duck.

     

    [ad_2] Angie Angers
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  • Bradenton teacher helps students find a love for reading

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    BRADENTON, Fla. — Ann Hunsader is the fourth-grade reading teacher at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School. 

    And for her, the best part of the job is her students. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Ann Hunsader is a fourth-grade reading teacher at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton 

    • She’s been a teacher for 30 years, spending almost half that time in Bradenton
    • Would you like to nominate an A+ Teacher? Click here

    “They’re just so curious and they just want to learn,” Hunsader said. “And especially I would say because I teach reading, we can have some really great discussions. They’re just starting to come into their own and I love that about them.”

    She’s been a teacher for 30 years. She’s spent half of that time teaching in Bradenton where she grew up. Hunsader said she builds relationships with every student and that helps them learn.

    “Our promise is that every child should be known and every child should be valued,” said Hunsader. She went on to say, “I know which kids like chess. I know the strengths of the kids. I know where the kids need help. And they’re not just a number to us.”

    Hunsader’s husband also works at the school as the Athletic Facilities Director.

    “I keep telling her, you touch these kids’ lives more than you think,” said Dan Krone.

    A parent reached out to nominate Hunsader to be featured as an A+ Teacher for her commitment to her students and the school.

    “That’s the type of teacher that I strive to be and to know that she saw that in me,” Hunsader said. “(It) just really touches me.”

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    Jorja Roman

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  • FDOT: Howard Frankland Bridge lanes to close Wednesday night

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    TAMPA, Fla. — The southbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge will be closed Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

    According to Florida Department of Transportation officials, the bridge lanes are closing for sign construction work on the bridge.

    Drivers will have to detour off the interstate using SR 60 (Exit 39) from 11 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 28, to 5 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 29.

    Message boards and temporary signage will assist southbound I-275 drivers traveling around the closure via Memorial Highway, Courtney Campbell Causeway, Bayside Bridge and Roosevelt Boulevard SR 686).

    Other roadways (Kennedy Boulevard, Dale Mabry Highway and Gandy Boulevard) will be accessible and may provide an alternate route.

    This closure is necessary for crews to finalize the installation of overhead signage as part of the new southbound I-275 (Howard Frankland Bridge) project, located between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.


     

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • K-8 plan met with support, questions at Oldsmar Elementary

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    OLDSMAR, Fla. — Oldsmar Elementary parents and students heard what a possible K-8 expansion could mean for them at a meeting Monday evening.

    That recommendation is just part of what Pinellas County Schools is considering to adjust for a declining student population. If approved by the Pinellas County School Board, Oldsmar would add sixth grade next school year, then seventh and eighth in the following two years. 

    At a meeting held at the school Monday evening, Pinellas County Schools Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Dull told parents the county’s birth rate and kindergarten enrollment trends have been declining for decades.

    Her presentation included data from the Florida Department of Health and Florida Department of Education.

    It showed 10,264 children were born in the county in 1990 and kindergarten enrollment in the 1995-96 school year, the year those 1990 babies would have enrolled, was 8,346. In 2020, data showed 7,609 babies were born in Pinellas County, and 5,208 kindergarteners enrolled in 2025-26.

    Dull cited a University of Florida report that found Pinellas County’s school-age population is expected to decrease through 2050, then plateau. 

    “As the district and board started looking into this, we were really looking at solving, ‘What can we do for now?’ and to future-proof and look at through 2050,” Dull said.

    She said that with 383 current students, Oldsmar is at 53% utilization. She told meeting attendees that if every current third, fourth, and fifth grader stayed at the expanded K-8 instead of moving onto Carwise Middle School, that number would increase to 97%.

    “I really support Oldsmar turning into a K-8,” said Alisha Reith.

    Reith said she’s not only a former student and employee, but her third grader was once a student there.

    “It’s such a family environment, and for the people who get nervous about going to middle school, the family environment really helps,” Reith said. “It really keeps the kids comfortable.”

    “We like the proximity,” said Emily Fuchs, whose child is in fourth grade at Oldsmar. “It’s a five-minute drive from the house. We’re zoned for Carwise, and it’s just — it’s far.”

    Fuchs told Spectrum News that without traffic, the middle school is a 20 minute drive from her home.

    Matin Norozzy, who has a daughter in kindergarten at Oldsmar, said the presentation left him with questions.

    “It seems like the county’s plan is not very clear,” he said. “As we heard tonight, a lot of their fundamental aspects of this school are still in the ‘We’ll figure it out when we get there’ stage. Who the teachers are going to be. What the courses will be. What the potential electives will be. We still don’t have any of those answers.”

    He was also among those who brought up concerns about adding older students to the school.

    “Oldsmar is not an outlier that needs to be fixed,” Norozzy said. “So, why Oldsmar? Why make my kindergartener go to school with sixth graders when she’s in first grade?”

    Dull said older and younger students would be separated.

    “What a kindergarten space looks like, or a pre-K space looks like, has very different needs than what a middle school space looks like,” Dull said. “That doesn’t mean that the climate and the culture of a campus isn’t supportive throughout.”

    As for questions about courses and activities, Dull told parents during the meeting that’s going to depend on student interest. She said the district would survey parents and students to find out what they’d like to see at the school, but there may be fewer options than at an established middle school because there will be a smaller number of students.

    Dull also said if the expansion is approved by the School Board, students who live in the Oldsmar Elementary zone would be able to choose to stay at the school or move on to Carwise. They would also still be able to apply to other schools through the choice/district application program process.

    The school board is expected to vote on this and other possible changes at its meeting on Feb. 24.

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    Sarah Blazonis

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  • The first impactful winter storm of the year

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    It was a relatively quiet start to 2026, with winter storms bringing heavy snow to the typical snow belts. The hardest-hit states included Michigan and New York, where lake-effect snows have added up, with some areas seeing well over 100 inches.

    What You Need To Know

    • Snow was reported from New Mexico and Texas to Maine

    • Freezing rain and sleet brought icy conditions to Mid-South and South

    • Five tornadoes touched down in Alabama and Florida on Sunday



    However, the Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, and even the Northeast hadn’t seen as active a start. In fact, these regions began the year with temperatures above average, some even having top ten warmest starts to January. But all of that changed on Jan. 23. 

    At one point, a large storm stretched over two-thousand miles, with millions of people under a weather alert.

    Southern snow and ice totals

    Two storm systems merged as arctic air surged south across much of the U.S. By Jan. 23, snow began falling in New Mexico. The highest snowfall accumulated near Bonita Lake, NM., where 31 inches of snow fell. 

    As the storm emerged east of New Mexico into Texas, it picked up moisture from the Gulf. Snow, sleet and freezing rain fell across the South. Dallas and Fort Worth, TX., picked up 1 to 2 inches with bitter cold that followed. 

    Northern Arkansas and Oklahoma saw higher totals, ranging from 6 to 8 inches, with a mix of sleet and freezing rain in parts of Arkansas. 


    Mid-South snow and ice

    By Saturday, Jan. 24, snow and ice moved through the Mid-South, with the heaviest snow occurring Saturday night into Sunday across Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois. 

    With cold air in place in Missouri, snowfall totals range from 5 inches around Kansas City to over a foot of snow south of St. Louis. Kentucky saw snow at the onset before switching to a mix of snow and sleet, which limited the totals. 

    As the storm moved through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio Saturday into Sunday, it was mainly a snow event. Totals ranged from 6 to 9 inches across the region.


    The Northeast and New England snow

    With cold air in place in the north, it was an all-snow event in this region. The storm dumped over a foot of snow onto New York City, with the Boston area picking up nearly two feet of snow Sunday through Monday evening.

    York, Maine, in the southern part of the state, accumulated 20 inches of snow. 


    Mid-Atlantic snow and ice

    Snow fell in parts of the Mid-Atlantic before changing to sleet. Washington D.C. saw nearly 7 inches of snow before it mixed with and changed to sleet. 

    Central North Carolina picked up a few flakes before it mixed with and changed over to sleet. While not as icy as freezing, sleet still caused treacherous road conditions.


    Southeast snow and ice totals

    The colder air was in place in the northern parts of Alabama, Georgia and Upstate South Carolina. Some snow fell at the onset of the storm before mixing with and changing to sleet and freezing rain. Ice Storm Warnings were posted on Sundy and Monday across the region.


    Severe side of the storm

    The National Weather Service confirmed that five tornadoes touched down on Sunday. Four of them in Alabama and one in Florida. The highest rated tornado was an EF2 with winds estimated of 115 mph in Geneva County, Ala. 


    Airport delays

    With all of the intense weather of the pass few days, airport delays and cancelations are prevalent. Here’s the latest below. 


    Cold air remains locked in place for the eastern two-thirds of the country. 

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Stacy Lynn

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  • Polk County school leaders vote to move forward on rezoning 16 high schools

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    POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Polk County School Board voted Tuesday on a plan that could change where thousands of students attend school next year.

    What You Need To Know

    • Board members took the second and final vote on the rezoning plan for all 16 high schools in Polk County

    • The superintendent says that the rezoning is necessary because of significant population shifts over the last decade

    • Under the plan, new school boundaries would go into effect next school year


    Board members too the second and final vote on the rezoning plan for all 16 high schools in Polk County, approving it unamimously.

    District leaders say comprehensive rezoning is needed to deal with growth in Central Florida, and while changes like these can be stressful for families, the Polk Education Association says these changes will be beneficial for students.

    Officials say they didn’t take this lightly — the plan has been in the making for a couple years and allows for growth.

    “Comprehensive rezoning is necessary and comes after years of data analysis, demographic studies, research into population growth trends and input from various community stakeholders throughout our district,” Superintendent Frederick Heid said in a video created by Polk County Schools.

    Heid explained that the rezoning is necessary because of significant population shifts over the last decade, with some severely overcrowded high schools, and others, particularly those in the middle of the county, with much smaller enrollment and unutilized classroom space.

    Maps show the current and new boundaries for high schools. Heid said it’s a plan that has been in the making for a couple of years. The district held a series of public meetings and surveyed families, and all of that data was used to help create the comprehensive rezoning plan.

    Stephanie Yocum is the president of the Polk Education Association and says rezoning will ultimately benefit students and teachers.

    “With the limited dollars that Tallahassee is not giving us, we need to make sure we are utilizing those dollars to the maximum capacity. And rezoning helps, again, not just with teachers, and being able to lower class sizes at overpopulated schools. It helps us bring more equitable and stable staffing plans to schools, and it also helps the student experience,” she said.

    If passed, new school boundaries would go into effect next school year.

    The district says there is a plan for current sophomores to be grandfathered into their current high schools, but they would have to provide their own transportation to get there. The district is also developing a plan for siblings to keep families together.

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    Fallon Silcox

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  • Haines City Police Chief Jay Hopwood to retire after 40 years in law enforcement

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    HAINES CITY, Fla. — Police Chief Jay Hopwood will retire from the Haines City Police Department at the end of the month, ending a four-decade career in law enforcement.

    Hopwood began working with the department in 2002 as a patrol officer. Over the years, he served in numerous roles and became the police chief in March of last year.

    Prior to joining Haines City, Hopwood served as a corrections officer at the Polk County Jail for three years and later as a police officer with the Winter Haven Police Department. 

    “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Haines City for the past 24 years, including the last 10 months as Chief of Police,” said Hopwood. “While this is a bittersweet moment, I am incredibly proud of my career and grateful for the friendships I’ve made with current and former members of the police department, city employees, and the residents and business owners of Haines City.

    “I sincerely appreciate the hard work and dedication of our officers and staff — I could not have succeeded without them.”

    Deputy Chief Isaac Jackson will assume oversight of the Police Department’s daily operations.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • Drivers want change near a busy New Port Richey intersection

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    PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Making a turn onto a busy road without a traffic light can be a bit stressful.

    What You Need To Know

    • One area in particular is concerning drivers in New Port Richey

    • That struggle is waiting for a break in traffic in both directions of Embassy Boulevard near Little Road

    • The issue has gotten worse in recent years due to traffic from the schools in the area


    But one area in particular is concerning drivers in New Port Richey.

    Debi Hassan has lived near Embassy Boulevard and Little Road for the past 12 years, a very busy intersection.

    “This is a never-ending, constant day-to-day struggle,” Hassan said.

    That struggle is waiting for a break in traffic in both directions of Embassy, especially when exiting her neighborhood from Morehead Lane, which is just past Little Road.

    “You can’t go anywhere because of all of this coming through here,” Hassan said.

    Hassan says the issue has gotten worse in recent years due to traffic from the schools in the area.

    That’s especially a problem during the morning and afternoon rush as drivers try to get to and from Little Road, a major Pasco County route.

    “The traffic coming in bringing kids to school as well as picking up from school, it’s crazy. You have to pack and choose your times you go somewhere,” Hassan said.

    She’s hoping Pasco County will consider adding a three-way stop or traffic light at Embassy and Morehead in hopes it can help keep drivers safe.

    “It’s dangerous, really dangerous. And again, something can be done. Just a matter of who can make it work and make it happen. I’m hoping this helps,” Hassan said.

    Pasco County officials say there are no planned changes at the intersection for now, however, drivers with concerns should use their traffic request form.

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    Tim Wronka

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  • Colder than normal temperatures expected for several days

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    A strong cold front has brought in much cooler air, with another reinforcing shot of cold air this weekend.

    What You Need To Know

    • Freezing temperatures are expected north of Tampa

    • Highs will only be in the 50s and 60s the rest of the work week

    • It could get even colder next weekend


    Low temperatures on Tuesday morning will fall to the mid-to-upper 30s for Tampa, but expect some areas near freezing in eastern Hillsborough and Polk counties.

    A freeze warning is in effect for Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties, where lows in the mid-20s to near 30 are likely.

    Wind chills near or even below 20 are possible north of Tampa, with 20s to low 30s wind chills possible elsewhere. 

    Wednesday morning will be a touch colder, so expect freezing temperatures north of Tampa once again.

    Expect another cold morning with a freeze north on Thursday, but it will be slightly milder to start Friday. 

    This Weekend

    Another strong cold front will come through during the day on Saturday.

    This will bring a chance of showers during the day, then falling temperatures Saturday night.

    Sunday morning could be the coldest of the winter, with temperatures near freezing in Tampa and possibly in the teens in Hernando and Citrus counties.

    Long Term Forecast

    Beyond the weekend, there is no sign of the colder air letting up.

    A big dip in the jet stream across the eastern United States will continue to drive cold fronts south.

    Below-normal temperatures are expected through at least the first week of February. 

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Kyle Hanson

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