The Tallahassee Reports Daily Briefs: Friday, January 19, 2024

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LOCAL NEWS

On Wednesday, the Tallahassee City Commission unanimously approved the employment agreement with Amy Toman for the position of City Attorney.

The City Commission news briefs from Wednesday’s meeting: WaWa is a ago, ADU’s put on hold, and new attorney employment agreement is approved.

Despite a number of independent sources reporting increases in violent crime in Tallahassee, the progressive activists in control of the Leon County Democratic Party are promoting the claim that “violent crime is way down” and attribute reports related to crime increases to right wing media manipulation.

A Wakulla County construction worker was killed Thursday afternoon after being struck by a vehicle while on the job. A gray Honda minivan drifted off onto the right shoulder of Bloxham Cutoff Road near Page Oliver Road, where personnel were working on a construction site, according to Florida Highway Patrol. The minivan struck a man working there just before 2:30 p.m., FHP Master Corporal Patricia Jefferson-Shaw said.

Teachers across the country are pushing for pay raises, and Leon County is no exception. The district and the teacher’s union have been negotiating for months. The union wants about $2.5 million more than the district is willing to give for teacher raises.

Tallahassee Police are investigating a shooting that left one man and a teen boy dead in a parking lot. The shooting happened at the Griffin Heights Apartments, located on 1010 Basin St, just after 10 pm on Wednesday. Both were taken to a local hospital, where they died from their injuries, and caused TPD to classify the incident as a double homicide.

LOCAL SPORTS NEWS

See the results of Capital City Preps soccer matches held this week. The Lincoln girls edged the Chiles team, while the Chiles boys up-ended Gulf Breeze. Get the details.

FSU women’s basketball fell to the Syracuse Orange last night 79-73. The Noles held a 54-36 lead in the third quarter before a furious comeback by the Orange. 

FLORIDA NEWS

Florida Senate President-Designate Ben Albritton, R-Bartow, Thursday donated $100,000 to the Republican Party of Florida. Albritton’s donation comes less than a day after Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson donated the same amount to the party. In an announcement, the party boasted of the “influx of resources and support” heading into the 2024 election year.

The Florida State Board of Education created a new rule Wednesday to bar member schools of the Florida College System from spending taxpayer dollars on “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs. The rule also applies to federal funds, in addition to state funds, given to public colleges.

Florida House Speaker Paul Renner said that he thinks it is unlikely that open carry – a long-time priority for gun rights groups – will pass through the legislative session this year. “I’m a supporter of the Second Amendment across the board in many aspects,” said Renner. “There’s not an appetite in both chambers to get that done.”

NATIONAL NEWS

Georgia judge to hold Feb. 15 hearing on claims Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is engaged in an improper relationship with a top prosecutor in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump (More).

Leadership failures, lack of coordination, and decisions contrary to generally accepted practice were responsible for the delayed police response during a May 2022 mass school shooting, according to a long-awaited federal report released yesterday. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed in the attack at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, with 17 others wounded.   

Panama Canal officials announced Wednesday they would reduce the daily number of vessels allowed to transit the shipping passage to 24, down from the average of 36 this time last year, amid severe drought conditions. Estimated losses from the cutbacks are expected to cost Panama nearly $700M this year and have domino effects on global shipping.

US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.9%, Dow +0.5%, Nasdaq +1.4%), shaking off three-day slump as technology shares drive rebound; shares of world’s largest chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. rise nearly 10% (More).

TALLAHASSEE WEATHER