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<p> Three juveniles have been arrested in Brevard County on hate crime charges in the beating of an autistic boy.</p><p> Police said the victim, Jacob Appel, was waiting at his bus stop on Wyoming Drive and San Filipo Drive on Friday when he was approached by three boys, 15-year-old Deon Marky Clipsy and 16-year-olds Tyjuan Tyrell English and Joeleon Alexander Abel.</p><p> The teens were videotaping the victim and were trying to provoke him to fight them by saying racial remarks, according to police. When the victim tried to run away, he was nearly hit by a motorcycle and a pickup truck, police said.</p><p> "I was kind of scared and whatever the car was coming you know," Jacob Appel said. "He still wanted to fight me. He hit me in my face a couple of times, kicked me, slapped me"</p><p> The trio continued to follow and harass Jacob, saying they were going to put the video on Facebook, according to Palm Bay police. When they all got on the bus, the teens continued to bully Jacob and hit him in the face, police said.</p><p> The video was later posted on Facebook, police said.</p><p> The teens face charges of aggravated stalking and hate crime. Two of them were charged with violation of probation.</p><p> Police said all three boys knew Jacob. The teens all went to an Alternative Learning Center in Brevard County.</p><p> Jacob's mother, Teresa Appel, said her son is currently sedated because he was suicidal and homicidal after the attack.</p><p> "I'm hurt, I'm angry I want justice seen," Teresa Appel said. "It was very disturbing, it was malice, it was vicious because it's my son. I could have lost him that day. He could have committed suicide. He could have gotten hit by a car."</p>
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:53:51 GMT
<p> Deputies have arrested a former employee of NASCAR Sports Grille they say exposed himself to a girl at the restaurant and touched her inappropriately, the Orlando Sentinel reports.</p><p> Randy Taylor, 26, was arrested Monday and charged with lewd or lascivious molestation and lewd and lascivious conduct of a person younger than 16-years-old for the Nov. 22 incident, according to an arrest warrant.</p><p> Records show the warrant for Taylor's arrest was issued in December 2011.</p>
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:02:31 GMT
<p> Nothing in life is simple -- especially when it comes to romantic relationships. However, some people make things harder than they need to be.</p><p> When all those little habits that your soul mate possesses evolve from endearing idiosyncrasies to the bane of your existence, chances are the spark has started to fade.</p><p> If you find that your relationship is losing its "oomph," there are many options available other than breaking up.</p><p> You could spend hundreds of dollars on counseling. You could communicate about your problems until you are blue in the face. You could even attend a couples "boot camp" where you are forced to practice grueling and humiliating "trust exercises."</p><p> Or you can just speed things right along and follow these five simple tips for reigniting the flame in your relationship ...</p><p> </p><p> No. 5: Take a stroll down memory lane</p><p> Sometimes the easiest and quickest way to get that lost lovin' feeling back is to actually transport yourselves back in time.</p><p> OK, you can't literally do that -- real life hasn't yet caught up with sci-fi. But you can go back to the restaurant where you had your first date.</p><p> Or go dancing and ask the DJ to play "your song." Or bring out those photo albums and love letters you've been collecting over the years and sit together by the fireplace talking about all the great times you had.</p><p> Once you remember what made you guys sizzle as a couple in the first place, those old emotions and chemical reactions are likely to heat up all over again.</p><p> Plus, a stroll down memory lane is a lot less expensive than couples counseling or divorce court. And so is our next tip ...</p><p> </p><p> No. 4: Try something new</p><p> You can't spend all your time reminiscing about the past -- that is just the beginning of the rekindling process. It is just as important to try new experiences together.</p><p> Tandem bungee jumping is always good for sparking the adrenaline rush you need to feel forever bound.</p><p> But if that's a little extreme for you, try something new in the bedroom, such as new lingerie or maybe even try a little bit of role playing.</p><p> Even a change of scenery can help rekindle the romance. If you can't afford a vacation, or don't have time, check into a local hotel for a night and pretend you're in your ideal vacation spot. After all, you don't need to go far away to leave your ordinary life behind for a little while.</p><p> A little old, a little new, and a little of our next idea will go a long way ...</p><p> </p><p> No. 3: Be spontaneous</p><p> Too often, married couples fall into a routine, especially when there are children in the picture. Every day can start to be the same old thing over and over again and that can take its toll on your relationship.</p><p> So mix it up now and then. If you usually spend the night in front of the TV watching the game, decide tonight is the time to surprise your partner by suggesting a walk around the lake.</p><p> Or decide tonight is the night to get away from the dinner table and have a picnic in your backyard. Such surprises are a great way to get the whole family involved and spend some time with your husband or wife doing something new and different.</p><p> And be spontaneous with your love as well. A surprise romantic night out on the town or any other kind of surprise can bring the excitement back for both of you.</p><p> </p><p> No. 2: Play nice</p><p> When is the last time you told your partner why you love him?</p><p> Sure, you might be in the habit of saying "I love you" on a regular basis, but after a while those words start to become as pedestrian as "how was your day?"</p><p> Sometimes we need to hear from our loved ones why they love us -- we need to hear about those quirky little things we do that make them laugh and endear us to them.</p><p> It is only logical that our partners need the same type of reinforcement as we do. So don't just talk about your love generically. Tell your soul mate the specifics of what draws you to her, and ideally, she will do the same for you in return.</p><p> Kill 'em with kindness before you kill your romance. And those kind words will help set up our final suggestion ...</p><p> </p><p> No. 1: Get physical</p><p> Sex is no doubt important to a relationship, but so is basic everyday physical contact.</p><p> Ask yourself this: if your relationship is devoid of physical contact, how can you possibly feel close to your partner?</p><p> We're talking simple things like back rubs, holding hands, a touch on the forearm, kissing, hugging, etc. While, as we noted in our previous suggestion, picking the right words can bring back some of that spark, don't ever shortchange the importance of non-verbal communication.</p><p> Of course, there is something to be said for striking a balance when it comes to physical contact. You don't want to suffocate your husband or wife with constant hovering or be all over them in public, but as humans we all crave physical contact. Just don't overdo it.</p><p> If you concentrate on re-establishing that physical connection, you'll find the romance you used to take for granted will soon find its way back into your relationship.</p>
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:00:00 GMT
Check out women's and men's choices for their celebrity Valentine's Day dream dates, as surveyed by omg! from Yahoo!
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:00:00 GMT
<p> Shaquille O'Neal says it would be a "travesty" if Dwight Howard leaves the Orlando Magic.</p><p> O'Neal also says Howard's situation is not like his was when he left for the Lakers in 1996, because he says he wanted to stay with the Magic but had a better option.</p><p> With Howard, O'Neal says that there may be an "underlying problem" that makes the All-Star center reluctant to sign a contract extension there.</p><p> But O'Neal, speaking Tuesday on a Turner Sports conference call, says the All-Star game in Orlando will still be a great event even with Howard's desire to be traded looming over the weekend.</p>
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:34:51 GMT
<p> After debating for months which schools should be closed because of a $20 million budget gap, the Seminole County School Board voted Tuesday not to shutter any schools.</p><p> Superintendent Bill Vogel made the recommendation to the board after saying the state's budget included a reduction in retirement expenses.</p><p> "I couldn't be happier the school boards made a great decision based on voices of people,"said parent Heather Kirby.</p><p> The school board then voted to accept his recommendation.</p><p> The recommendation comes after the state agreed to reduce the amount of money it allocated for a retirement increase, which in turn freed up millions for the district.</p><p> Vogel said the recommendation is only for the 2012-13 school year. He said the best solution for keeping schools open is increasing the millage taxes in Seminole County.</p><p> He added that he wants to form a citizens committee to help create criteria for closing schools in case the same situation arises next year.</p><p> Some wondered if the school district had the authority to close a school in the first place. Last week, an ordinance was passed banning districts from closing schools in the state House of Representatives.</p><p> "we want them to be able to wake up in the morning and not worry about if their school is going to be there next year and now they don't have to do that," said Stenstrom Elementary parent Betsy Jewell.</p><p> Gov. Rick Scott still has to sign off on the current budget proposal by March 6.</p>
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:43:23 GMT
<p> Volusia County deputies have arrested a man they said held his girlfriend hostage and beat her up at their home.</p><p> Deputies said Christopher Nill, 36, stripped off all of the victim's clothes, held her down on the bed with a knife, pulled her hair so hard she had two bald spots on her head, and attempted to strangle her.</p><p> She told deputies a fight escalated Saturday at their home on South Woodland Boulevard in Deland and she wasn't able to leave until Monday.</p><p> "I thought I was going to die," the victim told Local 6. She didn't want to be identified.</p><p> Deputies said she tried to yell for help but Nill grabbed her jaw and twisted her neck, cutting her lip, deputies said. He then threatened her with a knife and told her that he was going to kill her, her friends, and himself if she told anyone, according to deputies.</p><p> When Nill left the home on Monday, she called authorities, according to the arrest report.</p><p> The victim said she now has a restraining order.</p><p> Nill was arrested at his mother's house. He told deputies he pushed the victim down, pulled her hair and slapped her, but said he never threatened her with a knife.</p><p> He has been booked into the Volusia County Jail and faces charges of domestic battery by strangulation, aggravated assault with deadly weapon and false imprisonment.</p>
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:34:44 GMT
<p> The murder trial of former Orange County school teacher Delores Laster, who's accused of killing her husband in 1988, continues Tuesday with her daughter called to the stand.</p><p> Kristy Dandridge admitted on the stand that when she was 10, her mom woke her up claiming dad had hit head on nightstand. She, mom, and brother Clyde dragged him to garage, then left for Gainesville. Dandridge told jurors she never knew dad had been shot until receiving his death certificate in 1994. She said she never questioned her mom about it because "it was a closed book" and she didn't suspect mom of anything. In a very odd exchange, prosecutors read back Dandridge's 2009 grand jury testimony, in which she admitted her mom gathered up her nightgown, put it in a bag, and threw it in dumpster on way to Gainesville. She also told grand jury mom had coached her to tell police they never saw their dad that morning. In each of those instances Dandridge told jurors Tuesday that she did tell all that to the grand jury but she now says that information she told the grand jury is incorrect.</p><p> FDLE special agent supervisor Tony Rodriguez testified on Monday that until interviewing kids, there was no conclusive evidence that pointed to who the perpetrator was. The defense tried to imply during cross-examination of Rodriguez that Laster's daughter Kristi Dandridge was "threatened" with jail if she didn't cooperate.</p><p> Rodriguez admitted to the jury that those statements were made to her.</p><p> But on re-direct, he said that Dandridge expressed concern about testifying against her mom at trial and refused to talk to them without a subpoena.</p><p> Prosecution started Tuesday's trial day off by playing the October 2011 videotaped testimony from Clyde Laster, in which he says he doesn't really remember what happened the night his father, Clarence, died.</p><p> In his testimony, Clyde Laster begins by saying that he was 10-years-old, he remembers waking up to find his father hurt in the bedroom.</p><p> He said he then helped his mom carry his father's body into the garage, believing they were going to take him to the hospital. But instead, they left Clarence Laster in the garage and took off for an overnight trip to Gainesville, he said.</p><p> In cross-examination, Clyde Laster said his memory of that night 24 years ago is foggy, and maybe it didn't happen as he recalls.</p><p> Prosecutors believe that after Clyde Laster implicated his mother in the murder, he became concerned her testimony would put her in jail, so now he's saying he doesn't remember what happened.</p><p> But the defense claims detectives may have brainwashed him into making his original statement.</p><p> The testimony was supposed to have been shown to the jury yesterday, but the judge decided to play it all in one sitting Tuesday.</p><p> Instead, prosecutors read aloud the transcript on Monday of Clyde Laster's testimony to the grand jury in 2009, with prosecutor Pam Davis reading the prosecutor's lines and prosecutor Ryan Vescio reading Clyde Laster's testimony.</p><p> In the testimony, Clyde said "My dad was lying on the floor. I remember blood on the corner of the nightstand." Clyde also describes dragging him to garage thinking he was going to the hospital. He said his mother told him they didn't have money for an ambulance.</p><p> Laster's lawyers asked to see the grand jury testimony from 2009, so in a highly unusual instance, the judge unsealed the testimony.</p><p> The state is expected to rest after the videotaped testimony ends. The defense is then expected to ask for a judgment of acquittal.</p><p> Watch Local 6 and check back with ClickOrlando.com for more information.</p>
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:57:08 GMT
<p> A 19-year-old Melbourne supermodel is the new cover girl for the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.</p><p> Kate Upton was born in Michigan but grew up in Florida and considers Melbourne her hometown.</p><p> The new cover was unveiled last night on The Late Show with David Letterman.</p><p> "That was one of the first photos from the first shoot. It was my favorite swimsuit. … I felt sexy in it, but confident," Upton told Local 6 News partner Florida Today, referring to the cover shot.</p><p> Upton was chosen as the "rookie of the year" in last year's edition.</p>
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:04:42 GMT
As a singer and as a person, Whitney Houston had been described as larger than life. The numbers speak to that, adding up to a legendary career.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:29:49 GMT
UPDATED DAILY: Here's a look at some of the individuals who have been arrested recently in Central Florida.
Published: Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:11:24 GMT
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