Here's a local and State news update from Florida Today and WFIT. Evan Niemczyk
An ancient Egyptian art experience never seen before in Tampa opened yesterday.
For the next two years, the Tampa Museum of Art will be home to "Mysteries of the Nile: Ancient Egypt."
Branko van Oppen is a curator of ancient art at the museum. He says the exhibition offers a glimpse not only into how Egyptians lived, but what they thought about the meaning of life and death.
"It is good to see that that long ago, people were struggling with the same kinds of thoughts, the same kind of making sense of life."
He adds the exhibit is family-friendly so that viewers can learn something or just have fun being immersed in ancient Egyptian culture. It includes pieces like statues, amulets and other items Egyptians used in their everyday lives.
There's a three-day waiting period to buy guns in Florida right now but that could be changing. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us more.
"The state's attorney general is siding with groups like the NRA that are challenging the policy, putting its future in doubt.
Tanya Schardt from the Brady gun violence prevention group says the wait time reduces gun deaths.
"When you create that time barrier, you're creating an opportunity for someone to perhaps change their mind and not engage in that activity. So, it's an incredible tool to prevent gun violence, again, whether it's homicides or suicides."
Yet, AG James Uthmeier says the waiting period violates the Second Amendment."
Even if the waiting period is eliminated, there would still be background checks for buying guns.
A federal investigation has concluded that the collapse of the condo in Surfside, Florida, began weeks before the building came crashing down in 2021, killing 98 people. WFIT’s Rick Glasby has the story:
"The final report details how design flaws, construction deficiencies and decades of alterations combined to trigger one of the deadliest building failures in U.S. history. Some areas of the building had less than half of the strength required by building code. Corrosion of reinforcing steel in parts of the pool deck and parking garage further weakened the structure. Investigators said the first cracks appeared weeks before critical pool deck connections began to fail."
A strawberry moon is expected to take place this weekend
the strawberry moon - which is just another name for the june full moon - is expected to reach its peak at 7:57 Eastern standard time on June 29th
Last year, the strawberry moon lined up perfectly with a major lunar standstill, causing the moon to look much lower and larger in the sky
The strawberry moon gets its name from the native North American Tribes, as the large moon was a sign to harvest their berries
Governor Ron DeSantis signed two bills yesterday [on Wednesday] of great interest to local governments.
One bill makes spending requirements for local governments more transparent. They'll have to create quarterly reports detailing employee compensation, among other things.
The other bill makes it more difficult for local governments to increase property taxes, which fund their services.
But the highest stakes proposal for cities and counties does not need DeSantis' signature. Voters will consider a plan in November to make big cuts to the homestead property tax.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk