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Orlando - page 13

Mary Jo Melone: Not a column; a plea for Orlando

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Driving I-4 through Orlando, you see them. The billboard proclaim what is now ho-hum in this country. #OrlandoStrong #LoveOrlando #PrayforOrlando Add this to the list, please. #AmericaSickandTired Have you noticed that the phrase “take him out” is now part of our everyday language?  We are accustomed to terms like “SWAT team,” “active shooter,” “on lockdown,” “armored vehicle.” It is the language of an armed camp. The news coverage is predictable. TV stations repeat and repeat cellphone videos punctuated by gunfire…

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As support mounts for Orlando victims, undercurrent of hate surfaces on social media

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

With the outpouring of support in Orlando, Florida, the nation and the world over the massacre of 49 innocent victims inside a nightclub over the weekend, an undercurrent of hatred and ignorance bubbled to the surface across the social media spectrum. The vitriol stretched the First Amendment right of everyone in this country to freedom of speech and expression which at times has had to bite its lip over unpopular speech to preserve that right. To be sure, most of…

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Florida Democrats call for special legislation to ban terror suspects from buying guns

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

After the Pulse nightclub shooting last weekend, Florida Democratic lawmakers made it public Wednesday morning: they’re calling on Gov. Rick Scott and Senate President Andy Gardiner for a special legislative session to try and pass forward laws to ban suspected terror suspects from buying guns. Sen. Darren Soto, Rep. John Cortes, Sen. Geraldine Thompson and others gathered in front of the Orange County Courthouse on Orange Avenue and made their statement unified: it’s time to act on guns. Soto’s reason for the…

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Bill Nelson files legislation to notify FBI if terrorism suspect buys gun

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Bill Nelson has filed legislation that would require the FBI to be notified if a person under investigation for terrorism ties tries to buy a gun. The proposal, according to the Orlando Democrat’s office, would ensure anyone who is — or has been — investigated for possible ties to terrorism is entered into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which gun shop owners use to run background checks on potential buyers. The legislation also requires the system automatically to notify the…

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AP reporter returns to cover massacre at site of college job

in Apolitical by

The call to my south Florida home asking me to grab my camera gear and hit the road came at 3 a.m. Sunday. I drove up the turnpike with tears rolling down my cheeks, traveling to cover an unspeakable tragedy unfolding in a place that helped me become the man I am today. Years ago, to help put myself through college, I was a straight man working at a gay dance club. That club was Pulse. As a cash-strapped college…

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Pam Bondi goes to Nevada

Drawing on lessons learned after a nightclub massacre last year in Orlando, Attorney General Pam Bondi and members of her

A night of terror at club Pulse: One young woman’s story

in Statewide by

Patience Carter lay bleeding on the floor of the bathroom in club Pulse. She recalled looking into the stall next to her, and seeing bloody handprints on the wall and people draped over a toilet. Some were dead, others moaned in agony. She turned her head to see her best friend, lifeless. Then she heard the voice. “Where is it?” the man demanded when he heard a ringing cell phone. “Give it up.” She was safe now — reclining in…

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Buddy Dyer announces OneOrlando fund to help city after shooting

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has announced a campaign called OneOrlando to help respond to the needs of the community both now and in the future, after the Pulse nightclub tragedy over the weekend. The fund will support nonprofits helping victims and families, the LGBTQ, Hispanic, faith and other affected communities, finding the underlying causes of the shooting and any other needs, according to an email from Dyer on Tuesday afternoon. So far, several huge donations have already bolstered the fund: Walt…

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