News Update for 9/3/24
A reminder that there are planned water outages in Lake Placid starting overnight, tonight. The town will be replacing the old water main along Interlake Blvd. The major outage is scheduled to be from 9:00pm tonight to 5:00am tomorrow morning. This outage will shut off water for everyone on the west side of US Hwy 27 from Lake June Road to Lake Pearl. Work on aging valves will also occur creating smaller localized outages starting overnight Wednesday, September 4th to Thursday, September 5th from 9:00pm-5:00am. Areas affected will be between Dal Hall and Interlake, from Main Avenue to US 27. Residents are urged to prepare by filling pitchers for drinking water and filling up bath tubs or buckets to refill toilet tanks. It is also recommended that when the water is turned back on, to run your tub for a few minutes before using any sinks or showers, to help flush the system of possible debris.
The search is over for a missing Polk County kayaker after his body was discovered. The sheriff’s office and several agencies began looking for 18-year-old Aaron Tillman yesterday evening after he disappeared while kayaking on Lake McLeod. Tillman and a 19-year-old woman were about 150 yards away from the shore when the woman decided to go for a swim. When she resurfaced, she told police that Tillman was in the water and struggling to stay afloat. The victim’s body was found earlier this morning. Tillman was a student at Ambassadors Christian Academy of Winter Haven, where he was a member of the football and wrestling teams.
A deputy hurt in a shooting in Lake County can mark a milestone in his recovery. Stefano Gargano was released from the hospital yesterday. The 28-year-old was shot during an ambush in Eustis last month that killed Deputy Bradley Link. Another deputy was hurt, but he has already been released from the hospital. Julie Sulpizio is accused of luring the deputies to the home where her husband and two daughters opened fire on them. Michael Sulpizio and his wife’s daughters, both in their 20s, committed suicide.
Governor Ron DeSantis posted a reminder yesterday on X that the state’s Tool Time Sales Tax Holiday is underway. It runs through Saturday. DeSantis says this is Florida’s way of offering a break to our skilled craftsmen, handymen and hobbyists. You can get more info at Florida-Revenue-dot-com/Tool-Time.
A man is dead after he was found unresponsive at an Orange County theme park over the weekend. Authorities say the victim in his 60s was discovered in a pool at Discovery Cove on Saturday morning. He was brought to a hospital, where he later died. A spokesperson for the park says their thoughts are with the man’s family, and out of respect for their privacy, they won’t be commenting further. This was the third death at Discovery Cove since May.
Two men are accused of stealing a Seminole County deputy’s gun. The sheriff’s office says the men stole the gun from a bathroom at a RaceTrac gas station in Oviedo. The deputy had removed his vest and gun belt to use the restroom, and after he left, he realized his gun was missing. Surveillance video led deputies to 26-year-old Chance Byron and 23-year-old Isaiah Dennis. They’re facing charges that include grand theft of a firearm. Fox 35 reports Dennis is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
SpaceX is hoping to successfully launch its latest historic mission later this week after a series of delays. The Federal Aviation Administration says Polaris Dawn is set to liftoff on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center with a backup planned on Thursday. The mission carrying four civilian astronauts was initially set for August 26th, but was postponed due to helium leaks and bad weather. The FAA cleared SpaceX flights over the weekend after they were grounded amid an investigation into its Falcon 9 rockets. The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three planned spaceflights and is expected to include the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
The Communications Workers of America is walking away from the table in negotiations with AT&T. The union released a statement Monday evening saying it’s no longer interested in mediation with the communications company. The union believes mediation was a “delay tactic” and asks AT&T “to get serious” so that employees can get back to work. Over 17-thousand employees are on strike in the Mid-South including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.