Florida

PANAMA CITY BEACH, United States: "We had some great times here you remember? Before that great election, that great, great election, '16 right. And now we have '20 coming up!"Far from the bitter fight with Democrats in Washington and the Mueller investigation, President Donald Trump revelled with obvious pleasure at speaking before a friendly campaign crowd in Florida Wednesday (May 8) evening."lt's going to be just as special," he told the crowd at Panama City Beach, in a part of Florida where he recorded spectacular results in the 2016 race.At sunset, in the open air in front of a sea of red caps and under a huge "Make America Great Again" sign, Trump enjoys himself, by turns mocking his political opponents and boasting about his achievements and the health of the economy.The crowd chants "Four more years!" and a feisty Trump says he's ready for battle."I want to run so badly. I want this race to start immediately!"Basking in the adulation of the friendly crowd in the "Sunshine … [Read more...] about In friendly Florida, Trump dreams of victory in 2020

MIAMI: A component meant to slow an aircraft on landing was inoperative on the Boeing jetliner that slid off a runway into a river at a Florida military base, injuring 22 people, investigators said on Sunday (May 5).The failure of the left-hand "thrust reverser" on the Boeing 737-800 was one of the factors investigators were looking at, as well as a request by the pilots to change runways, said National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg.The plane chartered by the U.S. military landed during a thunderstorm at Naval Air Station Jacksonville on Friday night and was arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 136 passengers and seven crew members.It slid off the end of the runway into shallow water and sank up to its wings, forcing passengers to walk along the wings to safety."The aircraft had been in maintenance and the maintenance log noted that the left hand thrust reverser was inoperative," Landsberg told a press conference, explaining that the … [Read more...] about ‘Thrust reverser’ broken on plane that slid into Florida river

JACKSONVILLE, Florida: A Boeing jetliner with 143 people aboard from the US outpost at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, slid off a runway into a shallow river in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday (May 3) while attempting to land at a military base there during a thunderstorm, injuring 21 people.There were no reports of fatalities or critical injuries. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that all 21 of the injured were taken to a hospital, where they were listed in good condition.The plane, a chartered Boeing 737-800 arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 136 passengers and seven crew members, crashed into the St Johns river at the end of the runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville at about 9.40pm local time, a spokesman for the Florida air base said."The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for," the sheriff's office said on Twitter.The sheriff's tweet was accompanied by two photographs showing the plane, bearing the logo of Miami … [Read more...] about Boeing 737 slides off runway into Florida river, 21 hurt

MIAMI: Florida’s House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill allowing teachers to carry firearms — a controversial step whose effectiveness in countering school shootings remains unproven. The aim of the measure, which was previously approved by the state’s Senate and now goes to Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s desk, is the prevention of school shootings such as one that left 17 people dead at a high school in Parkland, Florida in February 2018. Supporters of the bill — which permits teachers to carry firearms on school campuses on a voluntary basis after they have completed 144 hours of training — say armed teachers could save lives in the event of a school shooting. But its opponents warn of the danger of accidents among teachers who would effectively be tasked with policing as well as education, and who, in the event of a school shooting, could be mistaken for a shooter by law enforcement. “Arming teachers is a recipe for … [Read more...] about Florida lawmakers approve bill allowing teachers to be armed