While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Gov. DeSantis' mask mandate ban once again blocked by judge
Leon Circuit Judge John Cooper granted the motion to vacate the stay of Gov. Ron DeSantis' mask mandate ban for public schools.
It's set to last until the state's district court appeal is complete, a process that might need 60 to 90 days, attorneys estimate.
For now, districts can resume requiring face coverings without parental opt-outs. At least 13 school districts have done so and were facing financial penalties.
2. Jupiter man claims 'intimate relationship' with Stuart mother he's accused of murdering
Eric Westergard, 45, is being held without bond in the Palm Beach County Jail for killing Perrin Damron, 23.
According to Westergard's arrest report, he's the boyfriend of Damron's mother and claimed to investigators that he had been in an intimate relationship with Damron for several weeks.
He also claims that she died after falling and cutting her head on a hand truck, which is a piece of moving equipment that can slide underneath large items like boxes to lift them up, before he disposed of her body off a bridge.
3. Facing eviction? There are resources to help you:
After the Supreme Court ended the pandemic-related federal eviction moratorium, more than 1,100 renters are facing eviction in Palm Beach County and that number could rise.
As part of our commitment to the community, WPTV is teaming up with the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County for a phone bank today from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to answer your questions regarding evictions. The lines open at 4 p.m. for rental assistance call 561-822-9850, for Landlord assistance call 561-822-9870, for tenant assistance call 561-822-9860.
At the link above, you can find county-by-county resources for renters facing eviction.
4. Tropical Depression Mindy leaves Florida, 2 waves possible to develop
Mindy formed Wednesday afternoon in the northeast Gulf of Mexico, and made landfall on the Florida Panhandle in the evening as a tropical storm. Now, Tropical Depression Mindy will move out into the Atlantic and push away from the U.S. over the weekend.
Larry moves towards Newfoundland as a Cat 1 storm tomorrow, then up towards Greenland and Newfoundland as a strong post-tropical or extratropical system.
An area in the Caribbean has a low chance of development over the next 5 days. A wave that will eventually emerge off the coast of Africa where it has a medium chance of development.
5. Riviera Beach police chief ordered city councilman released after domestic incident
Riviera Beach City Councilman Douglas Lawson, who is up for re-election early next year, was released from custody by order of the police chief after his arrest for simple domestic battery, Contact 5 has learned.
Lawson, according to the arrest report obtained by Contact 5, approached the woman “in what appears to be an aggressive manner” and is “wrapping both arms around the victim’s legs and lifts her off the ground and pins her against the elevator wall before releasing her.”
The police union is now calling for Chief Nathan Osgood to be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after he fired the captain who signed off on the arrest report. The police report states, “the Chief of Police Nathan Osgood provided a direct order to unrest the suspect and make him whole again.”
Today's Forecast
Highs in the low 90s, feeling even hotter with the humidity
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On This Day In History
On September 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formally declares the name of the new nation to be the “United States” of America. This replaced the term “United Colonies,” which had been in general use.
Remember, you can join Mike Trim and Ashleigh Walters every weekday on WPTV NewsChannel 5 beginning at 4:30 a.m. And you can always watch the latest news from WPTV anytime on your favorite streaming device. Just search for "WPTV."