TRIAL DATE SET FOR REMAINING DEFENDANTS IN FAMU CASE
The remaining six defendants charged in the hazing death of a former Florida A&M drum major are set to go to trial in June. On Friday, State Attorney Jeff Ashton said at least two remaining defendants could reach plea deals before the trial. The six former FAMU band members face manslaughter and hazing charges in the November 2011 death of Robert Champion.
DEAD SPERM WHALE WASHES UP ON SOUTH FLORIDA BEACH
A dead sperm whale washed up on Spanish River Beach in Boca Raton on Friday. Authorities say federal biologists are on their way to examine the carcass. It wasn't immediately clear whether the whale had been injured or was sick.
WOMAN REMAINS FREE ON BOND IN JACKSONVILLE 'STAND YOUR GROUND' CASE
A Jacksonville woman who was granted a new trial will remain free on bond. Prosecutors had asked a judge to revoke the bond after Marissa Alexander took short trips while on home detention. But the judge instead admonished the sheriff's office, which oversees the home detention program and gave Alexander approval to leave her house. She's accused of firing a warning shot during an argument with her husband.
STUDENTS LATE AFTER MIAMI-DADE BUS PROTEST
Local
School bus drivers in Miami-Dade are protesting over wages and benefits. Scores of students were late to school Friday because their bus drivers didn't show up. District spokesman John Schuster says 242 out of 1,300 bus drivers failed to show up at work, causing problems at about 80 schools. He says some of the drivers called in sick but were actually demonstrating near bus depots.
WOMAN GORED IN EYE BY DEER
Officials say a woman was gored in the eye by a deer at a Tampa Bay area wildlife sanctuary. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office reports that a woman called 911 Friday morning, saying that her 75-year-old sister had been injured at the Survival Outreach Sanctuary.
MAN GETS LIFE IN PRISON FOR STABBING BEARS FAN
A 29-year-old Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a visiting Chicago Bears fan at a bar before a football game in 2012. Matthew Reid Hinson, a Navy veteran, pleaded guilty last May to killing William Pettry. Authorities say Hinson slashed 42-year-old Pettry's neck with a pocket knife.
