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. How did an elderly woman fall from the Royal Park Bridge?
West Palm Beach Police Department detectives say they have identified the 79-year-old woman who fell from the Royal Park Bridge and diedSunday, but her name is being withheld due to Marsy's Law.
According to detectives, the woman was walking her bicycle across the bridge when the gates came down, an alarm sounded, and the bridge started to go up. A man on a skateboard tried desperately to help the woman hang onto the bridge.
"Despite those efforts, the woman was not able to hold on and she fell to the concrete landing below to her death," Jachles said. "From where the victim was to where she landed was approximately five to six stories or 50 to 60 feet."
Detectives are now looking at whether there were any lapses in safety procedures by the bridge tender.
2. Lawmakers hold moment of silence after US surpasses 900,000 COVID deaths
A bipartisan group of lawmakers held a moment of silence at the Captiol for the 900,000 people in the U.S. who died from COVID-19.
It's been about six weeks since the U.S. surpassed 800,000 COVID-19 deaths in December, but the U.S. surpassed 900,000 COVID-19 deaths on Friday, according toJohns Hopkins University.
According to a recent study released by the CDC, between Dec. 25 and Jan. 8, unvaccinated people were 23 times more likely to be sent to the hospital with omicron than those who were fully vaccinated and boosted.
3. Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai emerges at Olympics after accusations
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has given a controlled interview to French newspaper about the social media posting that sparked a storm of international concern over her well-being.
Peng told the newspaper she never accused a Chinese official of sexual assault despite her social media post. Peng said that her post in November had been taken out of context and led to "an enormous misunderstanding."
After sharing her post on social media, Peng dropped out of public view for several weeks, prompting concern and criticism from the world's top tennis stars, including Serena Williams.
4. Former President Trump took White House documents to Mar-a-Lago, reports say
When former President Donald Trump left office last year and headed south for his Mar-a-Lago Club, he took with him several boxes of official White House records and memorabilia that should have been given to the National Archives, the Washington Post reported.
The National Archives recently had to recover the documents from Trump's Palm Beach estate, three sources told the newspaper including correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which Trump once described as "love letters," and a letter that former President Barack Obama left for his successor in 2017, the newspaper reported.
Taking the items would appear to be a violation of the Presidential Records Act, which requires White House officials to maintain and preserve official documents.
5. $4.5 million in rental assistance now available for residents of St. Lucie County
To qualify residents must not earn more than 80% of the area median income for the number of people in the household and show proof they were financially impacted by the pandemic.
Funds from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2.0 can be used towards past due utility payments if they are not paid by the landlord.
Renters can apply for up to 15 months of past due rent payments and up to 3 future rent payments.
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On This Day In History
On the night of February 8, 1968, police officers in Orangeburg, South Carolina open fire on a crowd of young people during a protest against racial segregation, killing three and wounding around 30 others. Activists were seeking to desegregate a bowling alley, four years after the Civil Rights Act was passed.
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