Top Orlando Area Local News Stories
Source: Top Stories
<p> A bitter blast of cold air moved into Central Florida on Monday.</p><p> Temperatures dropped to 25 degrees in Ocala and 36 degrees in Orlando. Local 6 meteorologist Troy Bridges said Melbourne dropped three degrees shy of its record to 35 degrees Monday morning.</p><p> People woke to frost on their car windshields and on grass, but temperatures will gradually warm through the day. By noon, expect the high temperature to reach 57, and by 3 p.m. it will be about 65, which is 10 degrees below the normal high temperature for Orlando.</p><p> Tuesday's high will reach the mid-70s, and high temperatures will be near 80 degrees until the weekend.</p><p> Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.</p>
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:31:32 GMT
<p> A man driving home from work fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a utility pole, according to a witness.</p><p> The accident happened just after 7 a.m. Monday on Pine Hills Road near the intersection of Deauville Drive.</p><p> The impact of the crash snapped the concrete utility support pole and landed on top of the silver SUV.</p><p> A Orlando Utility Company worker was driving to work and came upon the crash moments after it happened and said the accident left a support wire dangling less than 15 feet above the roadway.</p><p> According to the OUC worker, the driver involved in the accident said he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home from his overnight shift.</p><p> The driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.</p><p> OUC said the pole will need to be replaced.</p><p> The accident did not affect power service in the area.</p>
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:04:54 GMT
The Grammy Awards are a chance to recognize outstanding music industry professionals. See images of all the bands, fashion, performances, tributes and winners from the 54th annual Grammy Awards.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:01:26 GMT
Pop star Whitney Houston died at age 48. Here's a look at the legendary singer through the years.
Published: Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:03:37 GMT
<p> Adele thanked her doctors "who brought my voice back" as she accepted one of six Grammy awards Sunday night, and she later proved their work was true with a strong vocal performance.</p><p> The 23-year-old British songstress was crying by the time she accepted her sixth award -- for the most prized album of the year Grammy. "I just first want to say 'Mom, girl did good,'" Adele said.</p><p> "It's been the most life-changing year," she said.</p><p> Adele, who underwent surgery for "recurrent vocal cord hemorrhage" in November, sang "Rolling In The Deep," ending speculation about her recovery. Adele enjoyed a loud and long standing ovation from the packed Staples Centers audience after her strong delivery. </p><p> Just minutes earlier, she and songwriting partner Paul Epworth won the song of the year Grammy for their collaboration on the song.</p><p> She also won Grammys for record of the year, best pop solo performance, best short form music video and best pop vocal album for "21."</p><p> Chris Brown's career rehabilitation from his arrest for the beating of his then-girlfriend Rihanna just before the 2009 Grammys took another step forward with a Grammy win and two performances Sunday.</p><p> "We got one!" the 22-year-old Brown said during a short acceptance speech after winning a Grammy for best R&B album.</p><p> Rihanna was given her turn to perform during the same hour, collaborating with Cold Play on stage.</p><p> The Beach Boys, celebrating their 50th anniversary as a group, performed together publicly for the first time in two decades, joined on stage by Foster The People and Maroon 5.</p><p> "It was a good vibration," Beach Boy Mike Love said backstage. "It was fun, fun, fun, too."</p><p> "It's a big event in our lives," Brian Wilson said. "What more can you ask for?"</p><p> One-time Beach Boy Glen Campbell watched from near the stage, and later performed in his own Grammys tribute.</p><p> Campbell, 75, launched his "Goodbye Tour" last year after revealing he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.</p><p> Campbell was joined by current Grammy nominees Blake Shelton and The Band Perry for a live performance as part of a tribute to Campbell, a five-time Grammy winner.</p><p> "Thank y'all so much," Campbell said, after a rousing rendition of "Rhinestone Cowboy" during which he showed no sign of disability.</p><p> Campbell was presented a Grammy lifetime achievement award in a ceremony earlier.</p><p> Tributes to Whitney Houston, who died suddenly Saturday, were frequent in the telecast, including a replay of her memorable Grammy performance of "I Will Always Love You." Jennifer Hudson later performed the song at the end of the traditional Grammy segment honoring those who died in the previous year.</p><p> Host LL Cool J said a prayer for Houston in the first minutes for the 54th annual awards show.</p><p> Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt sang a musical tribute to legendary singer Etta James, who died last month.</p><p> American folk indie favorite Bon Iver was awarded the best new artist Grammy.</p><p> "When I started to make songs, I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, so I'm a little uncomfortable up here," singer-songwriter Justin Vernon said as he accepted.</p><p> The Grammy for best rock performance went to Foo Fighters for "Walk." It was the fifth Grammy given the group Sunday.</p><p> Lady Antebellum won the Grammy for best country album for "Own The Night."</p><p> Jay-Z and Kanye West won for best rap performance for their collaboration "Otis." It was the fourth Grammy won by West Sunday.</p>
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:18:50 GMT
<p> Orange County and Winter Garden firefighters battled a fire for more than 90 minutes Sunday night before finally extinguishing the blaze.</p><p> At about 6:20 p.m., a neighbor dialed 911 after seeing flames through the window of a home at 1346 9th St., just south of Colonial Drive in western Orange County.</p><p> Firefighters said they saw a dark column of thick smoke coming from the house and that downed power lines made it hard to reach the house. They worked on the fire from a distance until power could be shut off.</p><p> No one was home during the fire and no firefighters were injured. The family's dog, however, died in the blaze.</p><p> The cause of the fire appears to be accidental, but the State Fire Marshal's office is investigating.</p>
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:47:14 GMT
<p> Authorities say the daughter of a pastor was accidentally shot in the head at a church in St. Petersburg.</p><p> The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office was called to the Grace Connection Church Sunday at about 12:24 p.m.</p><p> Investigators say Moises Zambrana was showing his gun in a small closet to another church member interested in buying a firearm. Zambrana reportedly took out the magazine of the Reuger 9mm weapon but did not know there was a bullet in the chamber.</p><p> The gun went off and fired through a wall, striking 20-year-old Hannah Kelley. She was transported to Bayfront Medical Center to undergo surgery and remained in critical condition late Sunday.</p><p> Deputies said Zambrana has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.</p><p> No charges have been filed.</p>
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:10:11 GMT
<p> Lines of traffic filed into the parking garage and people rushed into the Amway Center in excitement as if they were going to a rock concert.</p><p> But inside, they were watching a preacher.</p><p> Joel Osteen, the televangelist and pastor for Houston's Lakewood Church, inspired thousands during his Night of Hope Event in December.</p><p> Many in attendance were there to not only see Osteen, but their own pastors take the stage as well.</p><p> In a time when less people claim to be religious, megachurch attendance is on the rise, and the faithful give Osteen and his counterparts credit.</p><p> According to the American Religious Identification Survey, which is available through the US Census Bureau, the percentage of people who consider themselves to have no religious affiliation grew from 8 percent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2008.</p><p> "I think some of it is, sometimes the churches haven't changed with the times," said Joel Osteen, in an interview with Local 6's Lauren Rowe last year.</p><p> Osteen's church has not felt the effects of this trend. In the past 10 years, his congregation grew from 11,000 to more than 44,000. It is now the largest church in the United States.</p><p> Pastor Jeff Smith was one of a handful of affiliated churches who sponsored Osteen's event. </p><p> Smith's family started City of Life Church in Kissimmee in 1986 with just 15 members.</p><p> They've now grown to 4,000 members, and many of those new congregants have come on board just in the last few years.</p><p> It's a big accomplishment for a guy who said he never really thought he would be a pastor.</p><p> "I wanted to write movies, I wanted to write films, I wanted to have a creative culture around me and I never saw a pastor that did all those things," said Smith, who certainly doesn't dress like a typical pastor.</p><p> He dons converse sneakers and casual clothes instead of a suit or a robe.</p><p> And it's working; he said about half of his members come from Catholic churches.</p><p> "Part of the problem with some established churches is they want you to fit in their exact little box, to dress like them, to behave like them, before they accept you," said Smith, who professes an all our welcome message at City of Life.</p><p> He said they use moves and contemporary music to bring people together in a hopes of accomplishes a small church feel at a large congregation.</p><p> Megachurch members are consistently more active in their congregations and fellowship activities, according to a Baylor University Survey.</p><p> The same survey also found that megachurch members are more absolute in their beliefs about heaven and hell than those who attend small congregations.</p><p> "I think there is something about coming together, getting with other believers, I think that's contagious , I think that's healthy and that's my goal is to get people in church," said Osteen.</p>
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:17:25 GMT
<p> Most Americans know of the Zapruder film of the JFK assassination -- the one and only visual recording of the killing of an American president. </p><p> Less known is another controversial recording -- this one an audio tape -- of the other Kennedy assassination, that of the president's younger brother.</p><p> It is the one and only sound tape of the RFK murder in 1968. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot in a Los Angeles hotel while making his own bid for the White House five years after President John F. Kennedy's murder.</p><p> That long-forgotten sound recording -- uncovered by a CNN International senior writer and highlighted on CNN BackStory in 2009 -- is now at the heart of an ongoing court effort by convicted RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan to win a new trial or freedom.</p><p> In their first in-depth court filing, prosecutors this month addressed the existence of the tape and a controversial analysis of it by an audio expert: the sounds of 13 shots can be counted on the tape, even though there were only eight bullets in Sirhan's sole gun, which he had no opportunity to reload.</p><p> So, was there a second gunman involved in RFK's assassination?</p><p> Just as the Zapruder film raised questions in some theorists' minds about whether a second gunman was involved in JFK's death, the audio tape is being used as evidence in Sirhan's new legal effort to assert a second assassin was involved in RFK's murder.</p><p> In documents filed this month in federal court, California Attorney General Kamala Harris acknowledged the existence of the recording of the RFK shooting made by freelance reporter Stanislaw Pruszynski, who was covering Kennedy's presidential campaign and was about 40 feet away from the hotel kitchen pantry shooting.</p><p> Acoustic expert Philip Van Praag, featured in the CNN BackStory program, said his analysis of the tape concluded that at least 13 shots were fired.</p><p> That meant a second gun had to be involved, according to his analysis.</p><p> In her overall legal argument, Harris dismissed the second-gun assertion, citing "debunking" evidence.</p><p> But California's top prosecutor was finally forced to engage the second-gun analysis, and that legal development marked a new chapter in one of America's great political tragedies -- RFK's death -- and the case of the man convicted of his assassination, according to Sirhan's attorneys.</p><p> Prosecutors' engagement of the second-gun argument was stated clearly in court papers, when the California attorney general said about Sirhan's petition: "Petitioner at most has shown that, according to Van Praag, two guns could be heard firing 13 shots in an audiotape of the shooting."</p><p> At another point, Harris stated: "The mere possibility that more than one firearm was discharged during the assassination does not dismantle the prosecution's case."</p><p> William F. Pepper, a New York attorney now representing Sirhan, said this month's court filing raised public "recognition" of a second gunman now being advanced by Sirhan and his attorneys.</p><p> Mindful of a nation's pain surrounding the Kennedy assassinations, Pepper is careful to note he was a political supporter of RFK in the 1960s. He adds that in 1999, he represented Rev. Martin Luther King's family in a wrongful death lawsuit concerning King's April 4, 1968, murder and successfully persuaded a Memphis, Tennessee, jury to find Lloyd Jowers responsible as an accomplice in the King assassination.</p><p> Pepper believes Sirhan was hypno-programmed to be a diversion gunman for the real assassin in RFK's murder.</p><p> "What is of interest is that there now seems to be more recognition of the fact that there was a second shooter, well positioned to put three bullets into the Senator from close powder burn range behind him, whilst Sirhan was always some distance in front of him," Pepper said in an e-mail to CNN.</p><p> Sirhan's insistence on the presence of a second gunman is highly controversial -- and it is questioned by some, such as legal expert Robert Shapiro, the defense attorney who gained prominence for successfully defending O.J. Simpson in the 1990s.</p><p> In fact, when Shapiro was in his last year of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1968, he was at the Ambassador Hotel where RFK was shot. Shapiro had just heard Kennedy's speech after winning the California primary for the Democratic presidential nomination, but Shapiro said he was in a room next to the pantry where Kennedy was fatally wounded and Shapiro only heard, not saw, the gunfire, he said.</p><p> "So let's say that there was a second gun. Does that relieve him of any responsibility?" Shapiro said of Sirhan. "Even if there is a second, third or fourth gun, it's irrelevant to his claim that he's not responsible."</p><p> Shapiro remembers the night of RFK's assassination as "horrifying and one that you'll never forget."</p><p> "That's like 44 years ago. Unbelievable. I remember it vividly," Shapiro said. "I think about it now when I go by there and see a school being built there," on the site of the old Ambassador Hotel. </p><p> "It's interesting, but conspiracy theories will come out on every single case imaginable," he added.</p><p> Shapiro isn't a party in the latest court action.</p><p> In rebutting Sirhan's contentions, Harris criticizes the method of analysis used by the acoustic expert.</p><p> "As reflected in Van Praag's declaration, his conclusions depend on numerous assumptions he made in recreating the shooting, such as the location of Pruszynski's recorder, the make and model of the 'second' gun, the location of this second gun during the shooting, and the number of shots fired by petitioner before he was grabbed by others," Harris wrote in court papers.</p><p> "Moreover, Van Praag's tests necessarily involved his own personal interpretation of whether impulse sounds in the recording were actually gunshots. In turn, there is no dispute herein that Van Praag's interpretation or opinion about the number of shots and firearms is not universally accepted by acoustics experts and that the opinions of qualified experts are available to rebut or challenge Van Praag's controversial opinions," Harris said.</p><p> Harris further stated that even if it could be proven "that a second gunman successfully shot Senator Kennedy, (Sirhan) would still be guilty of the charged crimes" under California law.</p><p> Countering that, Sirhan's defense argues he was hypno-programmed to be the diversion, and that is based on a psychological examination by Daniel Brown, an associate clinical professor in psychology at Harvard Medical School who has interviewed Sirhan for 60 hours over three years, Pepper said.</p><p> "The inescapable conclusion was that Sirhan was subject to hypno-programming which involved the use of drugs and hypnosis," Pepper said in an e-mail. "Consequently, he was not in control of his actions on that night and cannot be legally responsible for them.</p><p> "I mention, as well, that Dan Brown's conclusion was precisely the same as that of Dr. (Edward) Simson-Kallas, who extensively examined and worked with Sirhan when he was in prison right after the trial," Pepper said.</p><p> Simson-Kallas was a prison psychologist, according to court papers.</p><p> "That these techniques were developed and used by the CIA over a 50-year period was also well documented, in our brief, by Professor Alan Scheflin, the leading expert on these practices," Pepper wrote to CNN. Scheflin, of the Santa Clara University School of Law, is an expert in the field of mind and behavior control.</p><p> Because Sirhan was under the mind control of conspirators, he wasn't legally responsible for his actions, and he should be freed or given a new trial, his attorneys contend.</p><p> The attorney general, however, said the psychological evaluation of Sirhan is undermined by a failure to provide "any concrete evidence ... about when, where and how (Sirhan) was programmed, about the identity of the 'malevolent hypnotist,' or about how the hypnotist happened to find (Sirhan) as his or her ideal subject for mind control.</p><p> "Without any independent evidence that (Sirhan) was actually hypno-programmed against his will to write about his intention to kill Senator Kennedy, to plan the murder, and to shoot Senator Kennedy on June 5, 1968, Brown's opinions about the possibility of mind control are insufficient evidence of actual innocence," Harris wrote.</p><p> Sirhan and his legal team have until February 22 to file in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles their response to the attorney general, Pepper said.</p>
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:39:14 GMT
An Oscar win, or even a nomination, might give you the necessary career boost in Hollywood, but it won't keep you from going to jail. Just ask these celebrities.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:00:00 GMT
On Saturday, dogs from around Central Florida brought out their owners to "Paws in the Park". Check out the canines that attended.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:19:20 GMT
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