News Update for 8/06/24
Highlands County’s first Culvers is now open. The chain is popular for their butter burgers and frozen custard amongst many other items, that also include Gluten free options. The doors opened for the first time Monday morning to a large crowd and stayed busy throughout the day. Marilyn Stewart, who opened the new Sebring location, was able to do so by participating in Culver’s Franchise Mentoring Program . The program assists top performing managers in the corporation in becoming owner-operators. Stewart says she is interested in opening another location sometime in the future. The Sebring Culvers is located at 2651 U.S. 27 South right across the highway from Lakeview Drive.
Tropical Storm Debby continues to push to the north after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane Monday morning in Florida’s Big Bend area. The National Hurricane Center says Debby is moving across southeastern Georgia at just seven miles per hour, with forecasts warning of major, possibly historic, flooding throughout the Southeast over the next several days. At least five deaths, four in Florida and another in Georgia, have already been blamed on the storm.
More details have been released about the deadly attack against Lake County Deputies. The sheriff’s office announced yesterday that 48-year-old Julie Ann Sulpizio was arrested for the ambush that claimed the life of Deputy Bradley Link on Friday in Eustis. Link and two other deputies responded to the home for a well-being check when they found two dead dogs in the yard and signs of a burglary. When the deputies went in, they were met with shots fired from Sulpizio’s husband and two daughters. The 28-year-old Link was trapped and died from his injuries. Forty-eight-year-old Michael Sulpizio, 23-year-old Cheyenne and 22-year-old Savannah died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The other two deputies that were hurt are expected to survive. Julie Sulpizio is facing 12 charges, including first-degree murder. Sheriff Peyton Grinnell says she was arrested with Link’s handcuffs and taken to jail in Link’s patrol car.
Rick Scott is getting a first-hand look at the damage caused by Hurricane Debby. Senator Scott was in Lee County yesterday to assess the damage in Fort Myers. He says the storm brought significant storm surge, intense rainfall and massive flooding from Southwest Florida to the Big Bend. Scott adds he’ll be traveling to impacted areas in the coming days to meet with local leaders and ensure families and communities are getting every resource they need.
The death of a teenaged boy in Levy County is attributed to Hurricane Debby, which is now a Tropical Storm. The sheriff’s office says the 13-year-old was killed when a tree fell on his mobile home this [[ Monday ]] morning, crushing him inside. No other injuries were reported. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy and a 38-year-old woman were killed Sunday night when their car went out of control on wet roads in Dixie County. One other death in Hillsborough County has been reported in connection with Debby.
Investigators believe the family that ambushed three deputies in Lake County originally planned to kill their neighbors. The sheriff’s office released details yesterday on Friday’s shooting at a home in Eustis. According to investigators, Julie Sulpizio went to a neighbor’s house on Brookside Drive and started attacking people in the yard. She also tried convincing her neighbor to follow her home, but the neighbor refused and called 911. Sheriff Peyton Grinnell says Sulpizio was trying to lure the neighbors to her home so her husband, Michael, could kill them. Michael had allegedly threatened to kill the neighbors’ children just a couple days earlier. Julie Sulpizio is facing charges that include premeditated first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and seven counts of attempted murder. State Attorney Bill Gladson says she could get the death penalty.
An Orlando-based business is going through bankruptcy. The owners of Italian-restaurant chain Buca di Beppo filed for Chapter 11 protection yesterday. They cite rising costs and less revenue. Buca C LLC says it plans to stay open during the restructuring process, and it even plans to open another location. The owners say their plan is to stabilize the company and sell it. They currently own 44 locations in 14 states, and day-to-day activities are expected to continue uninterrupted.
U.S. Border Patrol is launching an investigation after Tropical Storm Debby washed 70 pounds of cocaine onto a South Florida beach. A good Samaritan made the discovery Monday morning near the Florida Keys. However, Border Patrol did not say which beach the drugs were found at. There were 25 packages of cocaine, and they have a street value of over one-million dollars.
Florida is considered one of the worst states in the nation for healthcare. Personal finance website Wallethub looked at 44 measures of health care, including cost, accessibility, and outcomes. Florida came in 42nd out of the 50 states, plus Washington, DC. Minnesota and Rhode Island are first and second, while Alabama and Mississippi are last.