Florida
Florida Bar investigates Parkland school shooter’s assistant public defender
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Florida Bar is investigating one of many assistant public defenders who represented the Parkland college shooter in the course of the latest penalty part in Broward County.
In response to legal professional Jennifer Krell Davis, a spokeswoman for The Florida Bar, the investigation on Broward Assistant Public Defender Tamara Curtis was ongoing Thursday.
Davis didn’t specify the topic of the investigation. Florida Bar data present Curtis grew to become a member on April 14, 2004, and is a graduate of Ohio State College Moritz Faculty of Regulation.
Curtis wasn’t in courtroom on Wednesday when Broward Circuit Decide Elizabeth Scherer sentenced Nikolas Cruz to 34 consecutive necessary life sentences in jail with out the opportunity of parole and remanded him to the custody of the Florida Division of Corrections.
The households of the 2018 Valentine’s Day bloodbath at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive Faculty victims obtained the final phrase throughout a two-day sentencing listening to that allowed them to specific themselves with symbolic colours, the pictures of their family members on jewellery and indicators — and from behind a podium.
An impassive Nikolas Cruz sat with a gaggle of Broward Sheriff’s Workplace deputies behind him. He was subsequent to Casey Secor, his capital protection legal professional, and a lot of the members of the general public protection workforce that fought to avoid wasting his life and managed to persuade three of the 12 jurors to do the identical.
A few of the victims’ dad and mom used their time behind the rostrum to sentence the protection’s effort to “humanize” “a monster,” “a murderous bastard,” and “an animal” and accused them of “placing up a present” to “manipulate” the jurors. The protection objected to the criticism.
“When these individuals are upset about particular issues which have gone on from that desk like capturing the center finger up at this courtroom and laughing and joking … When these folks have sat on this courtroom and watched this habits from that desk they usually need to say that they aren’t completely satisfied about it, what’s the drawback?” Scherer advised the protection.
The grieving dad and mom who criticized the protection didn’t title Curtis, however some talked about and responded to The Regulation & Crime Community’s reside stream feed on July 12 that confirmed her elevating the center finger and rubbing it in opposition to her cheek earlier than she and Cruz laughed. Her gesture throughout recess adopted a dialogue a couple of digital camera within the courtroom that centered on the protection.
Chief Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill disagreed with Scherer.
“I did my job, and each member of this workforce did our job, and we must always not personally be attacked for that,” McNeill advised Scherer.
After the sentencing listening to ended, Scherer hugged the prosecutors. She additionally frolicked with a few of the victims’ dad and mom, a few of whom determined to not converse in the course of the sentencing listening to.
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>Here’s what occurred on Day 1 of the sentencing listening to
>Here’s what occurred on Day 2 of the sentencing listening to
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Mother and father: Lori and Ilan Alhadeff
Grandmother: Theresa Robinovitz
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Florida
Early look at Florida State football’s season opener opponent Georgia Tech
Before you renew your passport and book your flight to Dublin, Ireland, lets take a dive in Florida State’s football ACC opponent Georgia Tech.
New players for FSU football in 2024 season include DJ Uiagalelei
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and defensive lineman Marvin Jones Jr. headline the newcomers to the Florida State Seminoles for the 2024 season.
The 2024 football season is only about a month away.
Florida State football will soon start fall camp to prepare for its season opener against Georgia Tech in the annual Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, at Aviva Stadium.
The game is set for Aug. 24 at noon EST on ESPN.
It is the second time two ACC teams face off in Dublin. For FSU, it will be the first time in program history that Seminoles participate in an international game.
Georgia Tech will be the second time it has played at Aviva Stadium. The last time the Yellow Jackets played in Ireland was in 2016, when they lost to Boston College, 17-16.
The ACC opener can set the bar for either side.
FSU is coming off a 13-1 season, missing the College Football Playoff. Its only loss was to Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
This season will be a clean slate for Mike Norvell, who is entering his fifth season as head coach of the Seminoles.
So, what does Georgia Tech look like? We take an early look.
Who is Georgia Tech’s head coach
Brent Key will be entering his second season with Georgia Tech. In his first year, the Yellow Jackets went 7-6 (5-3 in the ACC).
FSU-GT all-time record
15-11-1, FSU
Last meeting between FSU and Georgia Tech
FSU defeated Georgia Tech 41-16 in the last meeting on Oct. 29, 2022.
Georgia Tech’s top players
Offense:
QB Haynes King (2,842 passing yards, 27 TDs, 737 rushing yards, 10 TDs), RB Jamal Haynes (174 carries, 1,059 yards, 7 TDs), OG Joe Fusile
Defense:
DL Zeek Biggers (40 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT), LB Kyle Efford (81 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT)
Georgia Tech’s key losses, additions
Key losses:
S Jaylon King, DL Eddie Kelly,
Key additions:
TE Ryland Goede, TE Jackson Hawes, OL Keylan Rutledge, DL Thomas Gore, DL Jordan van den Berg, DE Romello Height, DB Warren Burrell, DB Syeed Gibbs,
Remember former FSU QB and Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke?
Of course, FSU fans certainly remember Weinke.
Weinke is in his third year as Georgia Tech’s quarterbacks coach, his second year as the Yellow Jackets’ co-offensive coordinator and his first year as Tech’s assistant head coach.
As a player, Weinke won the 2000 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at FSU and led the Seminoles to a national championship in 1999. He went on to be selected in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft and enjoyed a seven-year career with the Carolina Panthers (2001-06) and San Francisco 49ers (2007)
Outlook on Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech was young last season but with great potential.
The Yellow Jackets played in tight ballgames and can open the season with an ACC upset. For the Seminoles, it will be an opportunity to pick up where they left off and make a statement as playoff contenders.
Florida State Seminoles 2024 Football Schedule
- Aug. 24 vs. Georgia Tech *Dublin, Ireland at 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Sept. 2 vs. Boston College at 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Sept. 14 vs. Memphis
- Sept. 21 vs. California
- Sept. 28 at SMU
- Oct. 5 vs. Clemson
- Oct. 18 at Duke
- Oct. 26 at (U) Miami
- Nov. 2 vs. North Carolina
- Nov. 9 at Notre Dame
- Nov. 23 vs. Charleston Southern
- Nov. 30: Florida
- Dec. 7: ACC Championship
BOLD = ACC
* = Neutral Site
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
Florida
You’re a Grand Old Flag – Bonita Springs Florida Weekly
July 4th is here and it’s time to be patriotic, if only for a day. It’s time to celebrate being an American, proud of our country with all of its faults.
Independence Day marks the beginning – the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. It marks the beginning of freedom with all of its benefits and responsibilities, the beginning of a grand journey.
And it’s a day with important symbols, things like the Pledge of Allegiance, the American flag and the National Anthem.
Last week, I attended a meeting that started, as always, with the Pledge of Allegiance: “… to the flag … and to the republic for which it stands…” We tend to just mouth the words; it’s almost a reflex. Something at the beginning of meetings to get out of the way.
The symbol of the flag, the Star-Spangled Banner, is more substantive. It’s celebrated with statues (the flag planting on Iwo Jima) and paintings (Betsy Ross sewing the flag). Although the history is uncertain, we know that a flag design similar to the one used today was approved by the Continental Congress in 1777.
Today the flag is ubiquitous. It flies on homes, in yards, and on public and private buildings. And it’s apolitical. Both parties embrace it. Jasper Johns made a living painting different versions of it. Today the flag finds its way onto coins, stamps, tee shirts, even tattoos.
Then there’s the National Anthem. It, too, is everywhere. It’s sung before convention openings and sporting events, and it’s played whenever athletes win gold medals. I always expect to see a flyover right after “ … and the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” Unlike the flag, the anthem leaves room for interpretation. My wife always cringes when a vocalist jazzes it up.
The pledge, the flag, the anthem. They’re symbols and they’re important. But there’s more to patriotism than that.
Do woke masses on the left care less about their country than traditionalists on the right? I doubt it. Is the soccer team that disses the National Anthem less patriotic than we old-timers who revere the music? Not really. They just have a different vision of the country. Are the political lefties who want bigger government and more spending less patriotic than those on the right who want smaller government and less debt? Not at all. They just see patriotism in a different way. They pay their taxes and supply soldiers to fight just like the rest of us.
As the economists say, patriotism is fungible.
If you want the old-fashioned version, you should hearken back to the early 1900s when music made Americans proud of their heritage. George M. Cohan, the first “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” was an early practitioner. Few remember the names of his wonderful Broadway shows, but many over a certain age remember his music: “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “Over There,” “Harrigan,” “Forty-five Minutes from Broadway” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
Memories fade. I don’t remember what I had for breakfast today, but I’ll never forget the first time I heard the Cohan lyrics.
“You’re a grand old flag,
“You’re a high-flying flag
“And forever in peace may you wave.
“You’re the emblem of
“The land I love,
“The home of the free and the brave.
“Ev’ry heart beats true
“’neath the red, white and blue,
“Where there’s never a boast or brag.
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
“Keep your eye on the Grand Old Flag.”
Happy Fourth of July!
Dave Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfizer executive living in Florida.
Florida
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