Hurricane cleanup continues.
Clean-up and recovery continues from Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall on Friday along the Florida Peninsula. Meteorologist Andrew Wulfeck from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network has a recap of the storm.
Isaias was the first hurricane in two years to strike the Florida coastline. The storm officially made landfall around Destin, as a Category 2 hurricane. The strongest winds were reported around Pensacola, where a gust reached 117 miles per hour. At least four fatalities have been reported, including two in Florida and two in Alabama, with the biggest danger being falling trees. So far official damage estimates have been released, but similar-sized storms have produced losses in the billions of dollars.
This morning more than 100,000 power outages were still reported across the Florida Panhandle. Florida Power & Light said it was targeting to have more than 95 percent of its customers restored by the end of the day.
Florida Tech students to send experiment to ISS.
SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape tomorrow, sending a Dragon spacecraft full of cargo and science to the International Space Station, including an experiment created by five Florida Tech students. After nearly two years of research and laboratory work, the students are sending a microgravity experiment to the Space Station to test whether a hydrogel might someday serve as a flexible radiation shield for future spacesuits.
Liftoff is scheduled for 6:33 a.m. Tuesday morning from Launch Complex 40 at the Space Force installation. The rocket's first-stage booster is expected to return for a landing, creating sonic booms in Brevard County. This is the 35th commercial resupply mission for NASA conducted by SpaceX.
In other Florida Tech news, the University has earned Top 10 Rankings for Business and Computer Science Programs from Research.com. The bachelor’s in computer science received the No. 5 rank on the top 20 list of computer science programs in Florida. It is the second-highest ranked bachelor program on the list. The master’s in logistics management was ranked No. 7 on the top 20 list of logistics programs in Florida.
More fallout for Hope Florida.
State purchasing records show thousands of dollars were paid to private law firms hired to represent public officials who were scrutinized by a grand jury over the Hope Florida Scandal. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
Private law firms hired to represent Florida officials have received more than 444-thousand dollars in state funds since a grand jury began investigating the Hope Florida case.
The investigation centered on the transfer of 10 million dollars from a state Medicaid settlement to the Hope Florida nonprofit.
A longstanding opinion from the Florida Attorney General’s Office says public funds cannot be used to pay legal fees for agency employees called before a grand jury. Current Attorney General James Uthmeier was among the officials examined in the Hope, Florida, investigation.
The Leon County grand jury found that key DeSantis administration officials had “misappropriated” $10 million but said there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges – because no one would admit to orchestrating the scheme.
Discount KSC tickets.
If you’ve been waiting to visit the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, now would be a great time. They are offering tickets, normally $77, to Brevard residents for $21. The offer is available until October 25th. Proof of Brevard residency required. You’re encouraged to bring non-perishable food items and hygiene products to donate to Brevard County Sharing Centers.
