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! You can watch the latest LIVE on WPTV here from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m.
1. Mary Kay Letourneau, who was convicted of raping 13-year-old student she later married, has died of cancer
A former teacher, who was sentenced for raping her then sixth-grade student, has died at the age of 58.
Letourneau was charged with rape of a child after Letourneau became pregnant following a sexual relationship with student Vili Fualaau. The relationship began in 1996 when Letourneau was 34 and Fualaau was 12 or 13.
When Fualaau was 18, he petitioned the court to lift a no-contact order between Letourneau and Fualaau. Fualaau would go on to marry Letourneau in 2005, and they remained together until 2019.
2. Florida hits another grim milestone: Record hospitalizations
Florida hit a record last week with the number of hospitalizations when more than 1,800 people were admitted.
As a result, many hospitals in our area are taking proactive steps by now rescheduling elective procedures that require overnight stays.
In Florida, 56 hospital ICU's have hit capacity and another 35 hospitals show ICU bed availability of 10 percent or less.
3. Will schools open in the fall? President Trump says he will pressure governors to reopen
President Donald Trump said he will pressure governors to reopen schools this fall, claiming that governors could make “political statements” by refusing to reopen schools.
Trump’s declaration comes a day after Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a staunch ally of the president, said he would mandate schools to reopen in his state this fall.
4. Police: 82-year-old neighbor gunned down father, 11-year-old daughter in Port St. Lucie
Police released new details late Tuesday afternoon about adog owner who gunned down two people inside a Port St. Lucie home the day before.
Investigators said Guy Alexander Hansman, 55, and his daughter, Harper Hansman, 11, were shot and killed by their neighbor, identified as Ronald Delserro, 82.
According to police, the violence stemmed from a dispute over the gunman's dog, a bull mastiff named Roxy. Earlier on Monday, the animal had been declared dangerous in court when Delserro's bull mastiff attacked and bit a woman who lived at the victims' home.
5. Play ball? More positive tests, canceled workouts add to MLB unease
As baseball nears the two-week countdown to the start of its delayed season, the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep more players off the field.
The San Francisco Giants suspended workouts at Oracle Park as they awaited the results of weekend tests. The Chicago Cubs’ workout was delayed. Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec also tested positive for the virus.
The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros resumed workouts after canceling practices on Monday because of testing delays.
Last week, MLB and the MLBPA jointly announced on Friday that 31 players tested positive for COVID-19 amid the first round of tests as players resume training ahead of this year’s shortened season.
Today's Forecast
Warm and humid morning and a hot and humid afternoon. Showers and storms this afternoon and evening.
Get your complete hour-by-hour forecast here.
On This Day In History
On July 8, 1994, Kim Il-Sung, the communist dictator of North Korea since 1948, dies of a heart attack at the age of 82.
In 1948, Kim became the first leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). Hoping to reunify Korea by force, Kim launched an invasion of South Korea in June 1950, thereby igniting the Korean War, which ended in a stalemate in 1953.
During the next four decades, Kim led his country into a deep isolation from even its former communist allies, and relations with South Korea remained tense. Repressive rule and a personality cult that celebrated him as the “Great Leader” kept him in power until his death in 1994. He was succeeded as president by his son, Kim Jong-Il, whose reign was equally repressive and isolating. Kim Jong-Il, known as "Dear Leader," served until his death in 2011. Kim Jong-Il's son Kim Jong-Un succeeded him, and serves to this day.
Remember, you can join Mike Trim and Ashleigh Walters every weekday on WPTV NewsChannel 5 beginning at 4:30 a.m.
