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. College student from Fort Lauderdale still missing
No one has seen 19-year-old Miya Marcano since last Friday. Miya attends Valencia College and went missing from her Orlando apartment.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Marcano's disappearance is suspicious. He and the family suspect foul play.
Twenty-seven-year-old Armando Manuel Caballero, a maintenance worker where Marcano lived and worked, was a person of interest, but he was found dead Monday from an apparent suicide in his Seminole County apartment.
2. Florida to investigate Facebook for alleged election interference
Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee to investigate Facebook for alleged election interference.
The announcement follows a report by the Wall Street Journal that Facebook unfairly influences numerous state and local races by exempting certain users from Facebook's own rules. The list of the Facebook’s XCheck users includes most government officials, but not all political candidates, creating an advantage for incumbents.
Facebook’s XCheck at least once protected a Trump post that otherwise would have automatically been removed. The post which Mark Zuckerberg personally decided to keep up read, “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
3. GOP blocks bill to keep government funded
The bill Senate Republicans rejected Monday night would have funded government operations temporarily, to early December, while also providing emergency funds for Hurricane Ida and other disaster relief and for Afghan refugees.
Republican leader Mitch McConnell rejected that approach because Democrats also included a provision to suspend the debt limit, which would allow continued borrowing to pay off the nation’s bills and is typically routine.
If the limit is not raised or suspended, officials at the Treasury Department warn, the government will soon exhaust its ability to borrow money, forcing officials to choose between missing payments on military salaries, Social Security benefits and the interest it owes to investors who have financed America’s spending spree.
4. Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections partners with school district for National Voter Registration Day
While it is not a major election year, we are a little more than a year away from the Florida Gubernatorial Election. Depending on their age, some students who pre-register now could be eligible to vote in that election in November 2022.
In classrooms across the school district with students of the proper age, voter registrations will be done online via QR Code or paper registration form today. Students are reminded to bring their Florida ID card, driver's license or last four digits of their Social Security number to register.
At the link above, you can find out how to register to vote in each of our local counties.
5. United Way Martin County needs donated storage space for Toys for Tots campaign
Last year, the United Way of Martin County gave away over 11,000 toys to nearly 800 underprivileged families. To continue the tradition, they need a new storage space.
"We had someone for a few years, they donated the space, and then COVID hit. They had to make a decision, a business decision," said Carol Houwart-Diez, CEO.
Houwart-Diez said the non-profit needs the space until mid-November when they can bring the toys to the Martin County Fairgrounds.
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On This Day In History
On September 28, 1928, Penicillin was discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming. Having left a plate of staphylococcus bacteria uncovered, Fleming noticed that a mold that had fallen on the culture had killed many of the bacteria. He identified the mold as penicillium notatum, similar to the kind found on bread.
In 1929, Fleming introduced his mold by-product called penicillin to cure bacterial infections.
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