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. Last class of Parkland shooting survivors graduates from MSD
Moving on to the next chapter, freshmen during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting graduated Tuesday, but without nine of their classmates whose lives were taken too soon.
At the ceremony Tuesday, families of fallen students were given shadow boxes containing a cap, tassel, stole, and lapel pin.
Alex Schacter, Alyssa Alhadeff, Martin Duque, Jamie Guttenberg, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Alaina Petty, and Peter Wang all died in the attack on Valentine's Day three years ago.
2. Kids 5 and up get shots in tests for COVID vaccine
Pfizer announced it's expanding its clinical trials for younger children ages 5 to 11-years-old. Medical doctors are calling this the final frontier.
The Pfizer vaccine injected in children is the same as the one injected in adults, but the dosage will be less. Children 5 to 11-years-old will be injected with 10 micro grams in each dose, as opposed to 30 micro grams those 12 and older received.
Families won't know for six months whether their children actually were vaccinated. At that point, children who didn't get the vaccine will have the chance to do so.
3. Former Department of Health data analyst Rebekah Jones had quite the day
Rebekah Jones was recently banned from Twitter, criticized by the governor’s office and has said she is running for Congress. But it's unclear if she will actually run for Congress.
Jones has alleged that she was forced to manipulate COVID-19 data while working for the Department of Health. DeSantis and other state officials have denied this.
Jones says her Twitter account was suspended because of "overzealous" sharing of a recent Miami Herald article in which she blasted the Florida Department of Health and spoke about last year's raid at her home. The governor's office has accused her of trying to buy followers.
Ironically, if Jones does decide to run for Matt Gaetz seat as she's indicated, DeSantis' social media law would make it illegal for Twitter to ban her.
4. Palm Beach County doing 'very well' with COVID-19 cases
In what was her most optimistic and hopeful presentation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, Palm Beach County's top health official on Tuesday delivered encouraging news about the state of the coronavirus in our community.
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In perhaps the most reassuring sign, Alonso said the level of COVID-19 community transmission in Palm Beach County has dropped from "substantial" to "moderate." The next level below that is "low."
According to the Florida Department of Health, 752,237 people in Palm Beach County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which represents 58% of the county's population.
5. Baker Act exams decrease for the first time in more than 20 years during the year of pandemicUSF’s Baker Act Reporting Center found the largest drop in Baker Act examinations in the group that, historically, has experienced the largest surge in Baker Act exams — kids. According to the data, 35,360 exams were conducted on kids under 18 in FY19/20 versus 37,882 exams for kids a year earlier.
During FY18/19, the state logged nearly 38,000 Baker Act exams for kids with some kids as young as 5-years-old involuntarily committed. Experts say most Baker Acts involving children are initiated at school.
“We need to reduce that number by much, much more,” said Sam Boyd, senior attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center. In March, the advocacy group released a critical report about the overuse and abuse of the Baker Act in Florida.
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On This Day In History
On June 9, 1973, Secretariat becomes the first horse since Citation in 1948 to win America’s coveted Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.
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