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Tag: Katie Streit

  • Caretaker killed by tiger at wildlife preserve in southeastern Oklahoma

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    HUGO, Okla. — An animal handler was killed by a tiger under his care at a preserve for big cats in southeastern Oklahoma, the organization said Sunday.

    What You Need To Know

    • An animal handler was killed by a tiger under his care at a preserve for big cats in southeastern Oklahoma

    • Growler Pines Tiger Preserve says in a statement that Ryan Easley died Saturday in “an accident” involving a tiger at the property near Hugo, not far from the Texas border

    • All tours have been canceled until further notice

    • The preserve’s website says it is a private facility where visitors can book tours to view tigers and see demonstrations on how the animals are trained and cared for

    Growler Pines Tiger Preserve said in a statement that Ryan Easley died Saturday in “an accident” involving a tiger at the property near Hugo, not far from the Texas border.

    “This tragedy is a painful reminder of both the beauty and unpredictability of the natural world,” the preserve said on its Facebook page. “Ryan understood those risks — not out of recklessness but out of love. The animals under his care were not just animals to him, but beings he formed a connection with — one rooted in respect, daily care and love.”

    All tours have been canceled until further notice, the statement said.

    The preserve is a private facility where visitors can book tours to view tigers and see demonstrations on how the animals are trained and cared for, according to its website.

    People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claimed Easley received his tigers from Joe Exotic, the star of the reality TV series “Tiger King.” Exotic’s real name is Joseph Maldonado. 

    Maldonado said he only let Easley keep his tigers at a zoo for one winter. In a since-deleted social media post Maldonado said Easley “took great care of his animals” and “was an advocate for tigers as well as elephants.” 

    Maldonado is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence after being convicted in a murder-for-hire plot and of multiple wildlife violations.

    PETA issued a blunt statement in response to Easley’s death.

    “It’s never safe for humans to interact directly with apex predators, and it’s never a surprise when a human is attacked by a stressed big cat who has been caged, whipped, and denied everything natural and important to them,” the animal rights group said. “PETA is calling for the remaining wild animal exhibitors who aren’t dead or in federal prison to get out of the business now and send the animals to accredited sanctuaries where they can finally live in peace.”

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    Katie Streit, Associated Press

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  • Rescue teams focusing on Big Bend after Hurricane Helene

    Rescue teams focusing on Big Bend after Hurricane Helene

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — As Central Florida wakes up, many are discovering what their community looks like after Helene as rescue teams pour over the state to help those in need.

    At a Hilton in Orlando, the search and rescue command center is set up responding to calls throughout the state of Florida.

    There are roughly 14,000 responders jumping into action throughout the state, which includes all four Florida teams and six teams from out-of-state.

    Usually, this command center is in Tallahassee, but since the storm was projected to hit that area, they moved to Orlando.

    “This was a fallback position, in the event that they needed to utilize it. It was safe enough inland to make sure that we can keep operations moving without having to stop to have to move to another location,” said Operations Section Chief Bill Fucci.

    Search and rescue teams are focusing on the West Coast of the state and the Big Bend area as these are the areas where they are seeing mostly water-related incidents happening.

    Many of these men and women have been working throughout the night and are continuing to work throughout the day. They said they are expecting an uptick as the day progresses.

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  • Agencies partner with Second Harvest to help feed kids through summer

    Agencies partner with Second Harvest to help feed kids through summer

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    FOUR-CORNERS, Fla. — As we enter the dog days of summer, officials with Second Harvest Food Bank say hunger is becoming a heightened issue for kids and families, especially if they rely on school cafeterias.

    What You Need To Know

    • Second Harvest Food Bank say hunger is becoming a heightened issue for kids and families in the summer, especially if they rely on school cafeterias

    • Hands of Hope America is a partner of Second Harvest, working with the community to help those in need

    • Evelisse Bookhout founded the nonprofit, noting the lack of resources in the Four-Corners area

    “Some cafeterias are closed, some kids don’t have transportation to their school,” said Second Harvest spokesperson Erika Spence. “They rely on community centers to access a free meal, breakfast and lunch.”

    The agency helps seven counties throughout Central Florida, partnering with smaller agencies and food banks to funnel resources to those specific communities.

    Hands of Hope America, founded by Evelisse Bookhout, is one of those many partners. 

    “Partnering with Second Harvest really helps prevent those food insecurity barriers out in the community,” said Bookhout. “It allows access to free food for those who may not have a meal.”

    Bookhout is on the frontline, working with the community to get them fed, especially in the summer.

    “The kids can have a place where they can get free meals,” she said. “We have some families that come to the community center during the summer months and breakfast and lunch here … is the only meal they eat throughout those summer months.”

    Opening the door to endless possibilities, the potential for greatness wasn’t done on an empty stomach.

    “Growing up, I was a child that was raised by a single mom trying to raise three kids. She worked 16 hours plus in law enforcement trying to put food on the table,” said Bookhout.

    Bookhout has always had a heart for giving back and lifting her community. Back in 2019, she saw the lack of resources in the Four-Corners area, that includes an intersection of Orange, Osceola, Lake and Polk Counties. She wanted to be part of the solution.

    “Being intentional. It’s sitting down with the families we serve and really hearing their story,” she said. “Not every family is the same, not every individual is the same. Everybody is unique and when we treat them in their uniqueness according to their situation, we’re able to understand their story, but then we’re able to supply their needs or connect them with resources and kind of fill in that gap.”

    While the Four-Corners area grows, so does the need of the community. Which is why now more than ever, it’s important nonprofits carry these partnerships.

    “That needs to be the eye-opener, these are not families that are not trying to overcome their challenges,” said Bookhout. “These are families that, despite their challenges, they’re overcoming. Yet the resources are not available for them to be sustainable.”

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    Katie Streit

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  • The dismissal of Disney’s lawsuit against DeSantis

    The dismissal of Disney’s lawsuit against DeSantis

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    A federal judge ruled against Disney in its lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies, and activists on both sides of the aisle are still waiting to hear from the Florida Supreme Court about a proposed abortion amendment ballot initiative.


    Judge rules against Disney

    A federal judge has dismissed Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Secretary of the Department of Commerce and members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board.

    The company had sued in April, claiming the state retaliated against it for publicly opposing the Parental Rights in Education law — called “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents.

    The governor responded at the time by pushing the Florida Legislature to strip Disney of its longtime self-governing power under the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

    Disney claimed the move violated the company’s First Amendment rights because the governor was punishing it for disagreeing with him.

    But the judge has now thrown that lawsuit out.

    The case against DeSantis and the commerce secretary were dismissed because the judge ruled Disney didn’t have standing to sue them.

    The judge dismissed the case against the CFTOB on the merits of the case, saying that Disney failed to state a claim.

    “At the end of the day, under the law of this Circuit, ‘courts shouldn’t look to a law’s legislative history to find an illegitimate motivation for an otherwise constitutional statute’ …  Because that is what Disney seeks here, its claim fails as a matter of law,” the ruling said.

    Florida Supreme Court weighs abortion amendment

    The Florida Supreme Court is getting ready to hear arguments regarding placing an abortion amendment on the ballot. The organization, Floridians Protecting Freedom, received over 900,000 signatures qualifying that amendment for voters to decide the state’s future on the abortion issue.

    Current Florida law allows abortion up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, but some say that’s not the only barrier women face when seeking an abortion.

    A woman, who did not give her name out of fear of retribution, says since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the violence is real and it’s not uncommon for an Orlando Police officer to be out front of the clinic protecting the peace.

    She is a volunteer with “Stand with Abortion Now” — also known as SWAN of Orlando. She’s a clinic escort, helping people needing to enter clinics.

    “Our main purpose for being here is shielding patients from harassment from protesters,” she said.

    Come November she’s hoping Florida voters can voice their opinion on the future of abortion in the state.

    “I’m born and raised in Florida, seeing the shift of the political landscape and the reproductive justice landscape in Florida change in a post-Roe world has made this so important for me,” she said. “Polls have shown that both democratic and republican voters in the state of Florida alike have signed onto this ballot initiative and believe this issue should be in the hands of the voters.”

    While her team at SWAN hope to continue defending what they say are reproductive rights in the state of Florida, they also know there are people who are always going to support anti-abortion policies.

    Some protesters show up at the clinic in hopes of changing a patient’s mind.

    “We understand the women are coming out here to make a hard decision,” said Alex Wright, who is against abortion rights. “But because we care and love for them, we want to see those babies be saved and see that mother not regret a decision she’s going to make.”

    Wright comes weekly, spreading the gospel, as well as adoption resources for potential patients. Wright says he’s for the Florida Supreme Court to strike down the potential amendment, but would love to see abortion illegal nationwide.

    “I hope that it gets struck down and hope they vote not to include it. I hope abortion never gets legalized fully. I hope it gets abolished,” said Wright.

    On Feb. 7, the Florida Supreme Court will hear the first oral arguments potentially allowing the abortion amendment on the November ballot.

    Lawmakers grill social media executives

    The top officers of some of the world’s biggest social media companies defended their commitment to protecting young people on their platforms on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as senators pressed the tech giants for less talk and more action. 

    “These companies must be reined in or the worst is yet to come,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the committee’s top Republican, said.

    Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, featuring the CEOs of some of the best-known platforms, including Meta, TikTok and X, formerly Twitter, opened with a video of people sharing personal stories about how they, or their children, faced exploitation on social media.

    Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about whether he has personally compensated any of the victims and their families for what they have been through.

    “I don’t think so,” Zuckerberg replied.

    “There’s families of victims here,” Hawley said. “Would you like to apologize to them?”

    Parents attending the hearing rose and held up pictures of their children. Zuckerberg stood as well, turning away from his microphone and the senators to address them directly.

    “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered,” he said, adding that Meta continues to invest and work on “industry-wide efforts” to protect children.

    The CEOs emphasized the existing tools they have in place on their platforms for users to report exploitation and protect children. The chief officer of Snap, Evan Spiegel, for instance, noted Snapchat does not have public friends lists and minors do not have public profile photos. 

    TikTok’s Zi Chew noted there is a specific experience on its app designed for younger children while Zuckerberg pointed out controls that allow parents to limit the time children spend on Meta’s services. 

    Ahead of the hearing, Snap announced it would support an act that would require platforms to report certain instances of drug trafficking. The CEO of X, formerly Twitter, Linda Yaccarino, said her site supports a bill that increases the ability of people who have experienced sexual exploitation to sue platforms. 

    Republican and Democratic senators came together in a rare show of agreement throughout the hearing, though it’s not yet clear if this will be enough to pass legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act, proposed in 2022 by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. 

    Google’s YouTube was notably missing from the list of companies called to the Senate Wednesday even though more kids use YouTube than any other platform, according to the Pew Research Center. Pew found that 93% of U.S. teens use YouTube, with TikTok a distant second at 63%.

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    Katie Streit

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  • Lawmakers in Tallahassee tackle monuments and gun violence

    Lawmakers in Tallahassee tackle monuments and gun violence

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    Lawmakers in Tallahassee are considering bills that would increase penalties for youth gun violence offenders and punish local governments that remove historical statues. 


    Lawmakers debate monument proposal

    Statues and monuments are the subject of ongoing debate in Tallahassee year after year.

    But in speaking to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, there are those who believe that this bill has some legs in this legislature.

    To remove or to preserve? In Tallahassee, state lawmakers are split. They’re wrestling with what to do with controversial monuments.

    House Bill 395 proposes the state “protection of historical monuments and memorials,” authorizing “all actions to protect and preserve all historical monuments and memorials from removal, damage or destruction.”

    “Over the past few years, local governments have made war on historic monuments and this recognizes that history belongs to all Floridians,” State Rep. Dean Black said.

    If local municipalities move or mess with a monument, HB 395 threatens penalties if passed as currently written. Violators could face fines or fees.

    As of 2022, roughly 75 Confederate monuments remain in Florida according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

    Supporters say the bill preserves history. They say the proposal protects all monuments.

    “The fact that this bill now is so hyper partisan I think is reflective of the country and how we’ve gotten even more partisan in the intervening six years,” State Rep. Spencer Roach said.

    Critics, however, call it offensive. They say cities, not the state, should make the call. They’re also calling it an affront to Florida’s black community.

    “Most I’ve ever been more offended by a bill. This bill is sending a message not only to Black folks in the state of Florida, but to your Black colleagues,” State Rep. Michele Rayner said.

    At the heart of this bill is the City of Jacksonville. Last month the city removed two confederate statutes, ending a nearly three-year debate.

    Youth gun violence bill would increase penalties

    As lawmakers consider toughen penalties for kids committing firearms violations, a new Florida bill is making its way through subcommittees in the Legislature.

    House Bill 1181, introduced by state Rep. Berny Jacques, would increase the punishment for juveniles caught with a gun — except in few specific scenarios — from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.

    Jacques told the House Criminal Justice Committee this week that accountability can be a deterrent for these kids.

    “In a situation where a known youth is always known to be carrying around a firearm, and have committed offenses before, if they are addressed early on, that may deter them from doing something else in the future, because these things escalate. Today is just riding a bike with a gun on your hip, with your crew thinking it’s cool. The next day, you’re in a convenience store using that gun. But if we had a strong measure when they were held and arrested for just the bike ride and they had a minor in possession of a firearm, and something clicked, then maybe they maybe they wouldn’t go to that convenience store and Lord knows what’s going to happen,” he said.

    But critics of the bill say the proposed punishment is too harsh for minors.

    Derrick Collins wants to make a difference in his community.

    “We see them at the schools, we see them at their homes, we see them wherever they are. If they’re in the detention center, we see them there,” said Collins, the program director at Mr. and Ms. Mentoring.

    But when he heard about House Bill 1181, he had some questions.

    “I do feel like they need to understand why they might be holding a firearm in the first place,” Collins said. “A lot of the time it’s more protective rather than them just having it just cause. There are kids who use it for show, but a lot of it is for protection because of the areas that they live in.”

    Collins said that while he has kids who may be deterred if the bill is passed, other kids, the ones who fear their safety if they’re unarmed, might not.

    Instead of enacting harsher punishments, Collins said legislators should focus more on alternative programs to get kids onto the road to success.

    “We do provide a lot of alternatives, reading is one of those alternatives,” he said. “So we provide free books for them. They take them as they come.”

    If passed, the bill would also extend how long minors are held at a detention center before the court begins criminal proceedings. It states the juvenile could remain in the facility anywhere between five and 21 days, depending on the crime.

    Collins said he would like to know the reasoning behind the bill.

    “What is the overall goal for them?” he asked. “Is the goal to deter them from having it? Or is the goal to put the ones that are having it behind bars?” 

    The juvenile justice bill had its first reading this week and is currently being considered in the Justice Appropriations subcommittee.

    Biden attends two fundraisers in Florida

    President Joe Biden, aboard Air Force One, touched down in West Palm Beach this afternoon. Two fundraisers for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign were set for Miami and Palm Beach.

    Florida Democrats were quick to capitalize on the president’s visit. Party Chair Nikki Fried issued a statement that said, in part,

    “President Biden’s early visibility in Florida shows that the Biden campaign is serious about competing in the Sunshine State, and the Florida Democratic Party is happy to welcome him and his campaign to our home,” Fried said.

    Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity-Florida had another take on the president’s visit, noting, “Floridians’ paychecks don’t go as far at the grocery store or gas station since ‘Bidenomics,’ and instead of collecting campaign dollars in Florida the president should unleash economic potential in our state,” the group said in a statement.

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    Katie Streit

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