July 19, 2021

'Bite the bullet' and buy now: Panhandle ammo prices likely won't drop for 12 to 24 months

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, ammunition got very expensive and very hard to find.

Now that America is starting to reopen, ammo is slowly starting to reappear on store shelves.

Prices are still sky high, however, and industry leaders estimate it could be 12 to 24 months before the cost of ammunition returns to pre-COVID levels.

"I would tell people who are holding out and thinking the prices are going to drop that they might want to start looking, to kind of turn a phrase a little bit, to bite the bullet and buy the ammunition that you want now, if you can find it," said Mark Oliva, director of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearm industry trade association.

https://www.newsherald.com/story/news/regional/2021/07/16/panama-city-florida-area-can-expect-high-ammo-prices-years/7977763002/

July 16, 2021

Florida man stole gator from mini-golf course and repeatedly beat it, police say

The alligator was returned to the mini-golf course after the man’s arrest.



A Florida man is accused of stealing a gator and beating it repeatedly before he was found by police, according to the Daytona Beach Shores Police Department.

William Hodge, 32, was arrested after police said they witnessed him attempt to throw a stolen alligator onto the roof of a business in Daytona Beach Shores, a small coastal community just south of the more well known Daytona Beach. When Hodge failed to make it onto the roof, police say the Fort Myers man continued to beat the animal, slinging it into the ground by its tail.

Hodge faces charges of animal cruelty, alligator poaching, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, criminal mischief and petit theft, jail records show.

The Daytona Beach Shores Police Department said on Facebook that Hodge stole the gator from the Congo River Golf course at 2100 South Atlantic Avenue around 3 a.m. Thursday. After his arrest, the animal was returned to the golf course, which allows guests to feed gators as an attraction.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/bizarre/2021/07/15/florida-man-stole-gator-from-mini-golf-course-and-repeatedly-beat-it-police-say/

July 15, 2021

Matt Gaetz hired legal firm used by Jeffrey Epstein and El Chapo, campaign report shows

Source: Tampa Bay Times

With his legal troubles still looming over him, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz’s campaign paid $25,000 last month to a law firm that represented convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Mexican drug lord El Chapo and former mobsters, according to his most recent campaign finance report.

In all, Gaetz’s campaign paid $50,000 in legal expenses in June, pushing the Florida Republican’s total campaign legal costs in the past year to over $135,000.

The mounting bills coincide with the reported timeline of an ongoing federal investigation into sex trafficking that involves Gaetz and former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg. According to the New York Times, investigators are exploring payments made to women in exchange for sex, a trip to the Bahamas and whether Gaetz had sex with an underage girl. The probe began last year.

Prior to the investigation, Gaetz’s campaign had spent little on legal expenses.

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/07/15/matt-gaetz-hired-legal-firm-used-by-jeffrey-epstein-and-el-chapo-campaign-report-shows/

July 15, 2021

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis straddles tough new law as Cuba protests block highways

“To pretend that what’s happening now is different than Black Lives Matter protests is a fiction,” one lawmaker said.

TALLAHASSEE – Crowds in Florida cities rallying and blocking roadways in support of anti-government protests in Cuba may be putting Gov. Ron DeSantis at odds with a tough new law he championed following last year’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Large crowds closed Miami’s Palmetto Expressway and hundreds demonstrating blocked major streets this week in Orlando, Tampa and across Southwest Florida, leading to a handful of arrests, at least two for battery on law enforcement officers.

DeSantis said he supports the Florida protesters urging an end to the dictatorship in Cuba. And he insists these demonstrations are distinct from those that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

“The people understand the difference between peaceably assembling, which is obviously, people’s constitutional right, and attacking other people or burning down buildings or dragging people out of a car,” DeSantis said during a Tuesday roundtable with Cuban-American leaders in Miami.

“They’re much different situations,” he said.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/state/2021/07/14/desantis-calls-cuba-black-lives-matter-protests-much-different-situations/7965540002/

So what are the differences again, DeSantis?

July 14, 2021

Cuba protesters in Tampa held without bail because of 'anti-riot' law, records show

Source: Tampa Bay Times

The two men face charges including unlawful assembly, which prompted authorities to hold them in jail until their first court appearance.

Two men arrested in Tampa during Tuesday’s protests against the Cuban government appear to be among the first Tampa Bay defendants held under Florida’s divisive new “anti-riot” law.

Julian Rodriguez-Rodriguez, 30, of Tampa and Maikel Vasquez-Pico, 39, of Riverview, were arrested by Tampa police on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting law enforcement and taking part in an unlawful assembly that blocked streets or sidewalks, records show.

Until a few months ago, Rodriguez-Rodriguez and Vasquez-Pico would have been able to post bail immediately according a pre-set bond schedule. But jail records show that both men were being held Wednesday until their first appearance in court because of HB 1, the bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature and championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed it into law in April.

Among its many provisions, the law states that anyone arrested on unlawful assembly charges must be held without bail until a first appearance in court, when a judge decides what, if any, bail amount should be set. The law added several other charges to the list of offenses, such as rioting and mob intimidation, that require defendants be held until they first appear before a judge.

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsborough/2021/07/14/cuba-protesters-in-tampa-held-without-bail-because-of-anti-riot-law-records-show/

July 14, 2021

Electrify America to double EV charging stations by 2025

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Electrify America, an electric vehicle charging network funded with money paid by Volkswagen as punishment for its emissions cheating scandal, says it plans to more than double its number of charging stations throughout the United States and Canada.

The expansion will include 1,800 fast-charging stations and 10,000 individual chargers to be installed by 2025 and is part of Electrify America’s previous commitment to invest $2 billion over 10 years on EV infrastructure, education and access in the U.S.

Automakers have ramped up production of electric vehicles that can go farther and charge faster, but are concerned that consumers interested in EVs may wait to buy until there’s better, faster charging infrastructure.

The latest generation of EVs, many with ranges around 300 miles (480 kilometers) per charge, can accept electricity at a much faster rate than previous models could, but most charging stations can’t keep up with the vehicles’ advanced technology.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/electrify-america-to-double-ev-charging-stations-by-2025/2021/07/13/29ce4512-e3e9-11eb-88c5-4fd6382c47cb_story.html

July 13, 2021

William Braddock, facing injunction order, drops out of congressional race

Anna Paulina Luna, a candidate for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, obtained a stalking injunction against Braddock in early June following what appeared to be a recording of him making threats.

William Braddock has terminated his campaign for Florida’s 13th Congressional District after fellow candidate Anna Paulina Luna obtained a temporary stalking injunction against him.

Braddock’s campaign filed a termination report on June 18.

Braddock is facing injunctions he received June 11 that were filed by Luna and Erin Olszewski, a nurse and conservative speaker. A St. Petersburg Police Department report looking into reported threats Braddock made found no probable cause for arrest, but detailed a 30-minute-long phone call where Braddock appears to be recorded without his knowledge saying he has access to Russian and Ukrainian “hit squads.”

“If the poll says Luna’s gonna win, she’s going to be gone, she’s going to disappear,” Braddock says on the recording. “For the good of our country, we have to sacrifice the few.”

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/07/13/william-braddock-facing-injunction-order-drops-out-of-congressional-race/

Awww, he was just kidding, Luna. Can't you take a joke?

July 13, 2021

Russia against US troops in Central Asia near Afghanistan

Source: Associated Press

Russia has strongly warned the United States against deploying its troops in the former Soviet Central Asian nations following their withdrawal from Afghanistan, a senior diplomat said in remarks published on Tuesday.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow conveyed the message to Washington during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva last month.

The warning comes as the U.S. military said last week that 90% of the withdrawal of U.S. troops and equipment from Afghanistan is complete. Biden said the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on Aug. 31.

“I would emphasize that the redeployment of the American permanent military presence to the countries neighboring Afghanistan is unacceptable,” Ryabkov said. “We told the Americans in a direct and straightforward way that it would change a lot of things not only in our perceptions of what’s going on in that important region, but also in our relations with the United States.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-government-and-politics-russia-europe-afghanistan-b1cc3ba07b4ebcdaa44a7af69ea3f90c

July 13, 2021

Massive sinkholes open up near recreation center in The Villages

Three massive sinkholes have opened up near a recreation center in The Villages.

The Villages Public Safety Department was on the scene Sunday morning at the Moyer Recreation Center where the sinkholes have opened up, draining a large retention pond located behind the recreation center, which is located in the Fruitland Park portion of The Villages.

The swimming pool at the recreation center has been closed as a precaution. The recreation center remained closed Sunday morning and officials were going to make a decision as to whether the recreation center could reopen later in the day.

A long line of yellow tape has been set up around the pond, warning curious onlookers to stay back.

https://www.villages-news.com/2021/07/11/massive-sinkholes-open-up-near-recreation-center-in-the-villages/

Looks as if The Villages have just acquired three more swimming pools for the community.

July 12, 2021

Tucker Carlson is 'furious' at Fox News executives for not supporting his NSA spying claims

Tucker Carlson is furious with Fox News executives for not vigorously defending him amid his evidence-free claims that the National Security Agency spied on him in a conspiracy to destroy his TV show, according to people familiar with the matter.

One of the sources described Carlson as "furious" with network executives, especially the public relations team, "for not backing him up."

"Tensions are sky high," the person said.

Another source pointed out that Carlson has "always had tension with" management, but said right now he's "extra pissed."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/11/media/tucker-carlson-fox-news/index.html

Bite the hand that feeds you, Tucker. Go for it. I dare you.