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. Meningitis outbreak worsens in Florida
Florida's outbreak of meningitis continues to worsen. The latest numbers show nearly twice as many cases of the deadly meningococcal disease as the state sees in an average year.
As of Wednesday, Florida Health has reported 48 cases and at least seven deaths. It was the highest total in the state since 2014.
Meningococcal diseases kill about one in 10 patients, even with treatment. It can happen within 24 hours, as soon as symptoms start. They include stiff neck, high fever or severe headache.
2. Kevin Spacey pleads not guilty to UK sexual assault charges
Kevin Spacey has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually assaulting three men a decade or more ago.
The former “House of Cards” star, who ran London’s Old Vic theater between 2004 and 2015, is accused of four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Judge Mark Wall set a date of June 6, 2023 for the trial to start and said it would last three to four weeks.
3. Inflation hits 40-year high in June
According to federal data released Wednesday, the price of goods increased 1.3% in June, causing inflation to reach a new 40-year high of 9.1% for the 12-month period ending in June.
The new figures show the highest 12-month inflation rate since December 1981.
The growth in inflation was fueled by a massive increase in gas and energy prices. The price of energy increased 7.5% in June alone and went up 41.6% for the 12 months ending in June.
4. Moving costs up 11% in Florida
Data from a new study by HireAHelper found that, nationwide, moving costs are 9% higher right now from this time last year. Here in Florida, it's even higher – up 11%.
"During the summer, there's a lot more demand for moving, and so those prices are up," Miranda Marquit with Hire a Help said.
Between inflation, supply chain issues and fuel costs, Spero Georgedakis, owner of Good Greek Moving and Storage, told WPTV price hikes were inevitable.
5. FDA authorizes Novavax's protein-based COVID-19 vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off Wednesday on an emergency use authorization for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older.
The Novavax vaccine is protein-based. It's made with a more conventional technology than the Pfizer and Moderna shots, which used mRNA technology.
The Novavax vaccine is authorized for a two-dose primary series, which should be given three weeks apart. In clinical trials, Novavax said the most common side effects were headache, nausea, injection site tenderness and fatigue.
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On This Day In History
Parisian revolutionaries and mutinous troops storm and dismantle the Bastille, a royal fortress and prison that had come to symbolize the tyranny of the Bourbon monarchs, on July 14, 1789. This dramatic action signaled the beginning of the French Revolution, a decade of political turmoil and terror in which King Louis XVI was overthrown and tens of thousands of people, including the king and his wife Marie Antoinette, were executed.
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