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. Boca Raton, Palm Beach and more consider beach smoking bans
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill allowing local governments to restrict smoking on public beaches and in parks, and local governments are moving quickly to bring the ban to their area.
The City of Delray Beach is slated to discuss an ordinance banning smoking on the beach and in public parks Tuesday. However, the City Attorney Lynn Gelin said the city already has an ordinance in place, meaning they could issue a citation now if someone is caught smoking on the beach.
Boca Raton, Palm Beach, and Lake Worth Beach are expected to follow suit with their own smoking bans in the coming weeks.
2. Average gallon of gas projected to fall below $4 in August
The average price of a gallon of gas has dropped 50 cents in the last month, and analysis indicates the price may drop below $4 a gallon next month.
According to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at gas price tracking site GasBuddy, the average gallon of gas is projected to hit $3.99 a gallon by Aug. 14. As of Monday, AAA reported the average cost of gas at $4.52, down from a peak of $5.01 on Jun 14.
The average price of gas in Florida was $4.26 Monday and $4.51 in Palm Beach County.
3. Mega Millions jackpot exceeds half a billion dollars
The streak of Mega Millions drawings without a winner continued last Friday, causing Tuesday’s projected jackpot to exceed a half billion dollars.
The expected jackpot of $530 million would make the drawing the lottery’s eighth-largest ever. It would also mark the largest jackpot for the multi-state lottery since January 2021, when it reached $1.05 billion.
It has been three months since Mega Millions has produced a winner.
4. Former White House aides to testify at next Jan. 6 hearing
Two former White House aides are expected to testify at the House Jan. 6 committee's hearing on Thursday as the panel examines what Donald Trump was doing as his supporters broke into the Capitol, according to a person familiar with the plans.
Matthew Pottinger and Sarah Matthews are expected to testify. Pottinger is a former deputy national security adviser, and Matthews is a former press aide.
Both resigned immediately after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection that interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden's victory.
5. Humane Society of the Treasure Coast celebrates Christmas in July
The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast is celebrating Christmas in July with "Giving Trees" at three locations.
Shoppers can pull a tag off one of the trees that lists specific needs (from pet supplies to medical procedures) and donate that item and place it under the tree.
You can also visit the Virtual Giving Tree online or shop the Humane Society’s Amazon Wish List.
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On This Day In History
Although there is some debate about the exact date, on what was likely July 19, 1799, during Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign, a French soldier discovers a black basalt slab inscribed with ancient writing near the town of Rosetta, about 35 miles east of Alexandria. The irregularly shaped stone contained fragments of passages written in three different scripts: Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphics and Egyptian demotic. The ancient Greek on the Rosetta Stone told archaeologists that it was inscribed by priests honoring the king of Egypt, Ptolemy V, in the second century B.C. More startlingly, the Greek passage announced that the three scripts were all of identical meaning. The artifact thus held the key to solving the riddle of hieroglyphics, a written language that had been “dead” for nearly 2,000 years.
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