Rollins Softball Winter Showcase 2020

The last full moon of the decade appeared at 12:12 a..m. on December 12 and so did a timely bundle of joy. Denarrika Fisher and Charles Bell, of Belleville, IL, welcomed a new baby boy into the world at exactly 12:12 a.m. in the Women and Infants Center at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, in O’Fallen, Illinois.A hospital press release said, “Baby Denarius was originally due on December 30 but decided to come early for this numeric and lunar coincidence.” Both mom and baby are doing fine. 

Sunrail trains at the Winter Park/Amtrack station will transform into the Gingerbread Express Friday evening. After buying a regular ticket, hop on board a special train car.   Kids will get a special lanyard that is a key to enter the Gingerbread Land event. Read all the details HERE. Sunrail website’s description: “When the Gingerbread Express rolls into your station, a special character will greet you. Once on board the dedicated train car, the fun begins with distribution of a special keepsake lanyard that is your key to enter the event for fun activities and surprises at the Winter Park / Amtrak station. When you deboard the train in Winter Park, follow the special character to the event entrance. After you’ve had your fun, stroll through beautifully decorated downtown Winter Park. Enjoy restaurants, coffee and desserts, shops and even a toy store! See the SCHEDULE page to plan for your return trip home.” To ride the Gingerbread Express, purchase your regular train fare and see the SCHEDULE page to board one of the two trains below: P332 Northbound from the following stations: Poinciana, Kissimmee/Amtrak, Tupperware, Meadow Woods, Sand Lake Road, Orlando Health, Church Street, LYNX Central, AdventHealth P335 Southbound from the following stations: DeBary, Sanford, Lake Mary, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Maitland

The new 417 to 408 interchange is nearly complete. The final redesigned ramp opens on Sunday. This is the ramp from the 417 north to the 408 west. Instead of taking Exit 33B, you'll take exit 33 which comes up nearly a mile sooner.  The Central Florida Expressway Authority says there will be large green overhead signs to help drivers navigate the change. The project started back in 2016 to help congestion and improve the flow of traffic.

Seeking emergency mental health assistance could soon be as simple as dialing 988, federal regulators announced Thursday. The Federal Communications Commission formally began the process Thursday to designate 988 as a nationwide suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. “The three-digit number is really going to be a breakthrough in terms of reaching people in a crisis,” Dwight Holton, CEO of suicide prevention nonprofit Lines for Life, told USA Today. “No one is embarrassed to call 911 for a fire or an emergency. No one should be embarrassed to call 988 for a mental health emergency.' According to The Wall Street Journal, the new hotline is intended to simplify access to services available currently by dialing 1-800-273-TALK, the existing National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Once operational, dialing 988 would connect callers to the existing hotline and then route them to nearby crisis centers equipped to provide assistance. “We believe this historical and critical effort will turn the tide on reducing suicides and promote mental wellness in the United States,” said a statement from Kimberly Williams, chief executive of Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit that administers the lifeline, The Journal reported. Read more here and here.

An emergency landing by a single-engine plane snarled traffic Thursday night on Interstate 5 in San Diego, multiple news outlets reported. Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for the Federal Aviation Administration, told KNSD the Cessna 182 made a hard landing on the southbound lanes around 7:15 p.m. Within 30 minutes authorities had re-opened two southbound lanes, KFMB reported. Carlsbad Fire Division Chief Mike Lopez told KNSD a man and a woman were on board traveling from the San Gabriel Airport in Los Angeles to McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad. According to KFMB, no injuries were reported, and the plane did not strike any motorists. “They did a pretty good job landing this thing,” Lopez told KNSD, adding, “The skill of that pilot, he did a stellar job.”

After over 14 hours of debate, Democrats surprised Republicans by holding off a final vote in the House Judiciary Committee until Friday morning on two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, as Democrats charged the President was clearly trying to get Ukraine to announce investigations which would benefit Mr. Trump's 2020 re-election bid. 'President Trump used his office to serve himself,' said Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), as Democrats said the evidence was clear that President Trump was trying to get foreign help for 2020. 'The President is an imminent threat,' said Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX). 'We have to take action, we must impeach the President.'  'One of my colleagues said that we are lowering the bar on impeachment,' said Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA). 'I believe we are lowering the bar on the Presidency.' Republicans denounced the impeachment effort as a political vendetta by a party which was still upset about losing the 2016 election. 'This impeachment is going to fail, and the Democrats are justly going to pay a heavy political price for it,' said Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA). 'This is a day that will live in infamy for the Judiciary Committee,' said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX). 'It's a focus group impeachment,' said Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), as Republicans decried the lack of detail in the articles of impeachment. The delay in the committee vote until Friday left Republicans spitting mad, as GOP lawmakers were caught completely off guard. “Stalinesque,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX). Republicans had prolonged debate until after 11 pm - and the immediate thought on Capitol Hill was that Democrats did not want to be accused of voting on impeachment 'in the middle of the night' - so they delayed action until Friday. The panel will meet at 10 am ET.