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Staff ReportsOctober 6, 2016

CNN is reporting the Hillary Clinton campaign requested Thursday that The Weather Channel delay airing its campaign ads until Hurricane Matthew passes. “Earlier in the week we made changes to our TV ad reservations across hundreds of stations in several battleground states including Florida,” Jesse Ferguson, a Clinton spokesman, said. “Less than 1 percent of those […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterOctober 6, 2016

More than half of Florida’s National Guard has been activated ahead of Hurricane Matthew. Gov. Rick Scott announced 3,500 members of the National Guard have been activated, more than half of the available troops. The governor said he will continue to activate members to help with evacuations, and prepare for search and rescue missions. “Protecting lives […]

Associated PressOctober 6, 2016

President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged residents of Florida and other states along the path of Hurricane Matthew to take the threat seriously. Government officials are worried about complacency, especially in South Florida, which hasn’t seen a major hurricane in 11 years. Obama said the hurricane will be building in strength as it makes its […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterOctober 6, 2016

Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner is calling on cellular providers to suspend data overage charges. Joyner urged the state’s cell phone providers to halt overage charges for customers who live in areas impacted by Hurricane Matthew. She also called on Gov. Rick Scott to support her request, saying the charges are the “last thing victims […]

Jim RosicaOctober 6, 2016

The Florida Supreme Court says it will “issue retroactive orders extending filing deadlines” because of courthouse closures as Hurricane Matthew approaches the state. Those orders will appear on the court’s website. As of Thursday morning, courts were closed in 29 of the state’s 67 counties, with more expected to shut down. A full list is here. […]

Associated PressOctober 6, 2016

Hundreds of thousands of anxious people boarded up their homes and businesses and grabbed a few belongings to flee inland as Hurricane Matthew gained strength and roared toward the Southeast seaboard on Thursday. In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said the state, its skies already darkening from early outer rain bands of the life-threatening storm, could […]

Staff ReportsOctober 6, 2016

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According to the Florida Park Service, the following state parks are now closed until further notice: Addison Blockhouse Historic State Park (Volusia County) Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park (Polk County) Amelia Island State Park (Nassau County) Anastasia State Park (St. Johns County) Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park (Martin County) Avalon State Park (St. Lucie County) Bahia Honda […]

Jim RosicaOctober 6, 2016

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As he has all week, Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday continued to stress the potential for peril brought by Hurricane Matthew. “If you think someone is making a bad decision (by not evacuating), call them,” he said during an early morning briefing at the state’s Emergency Operations Center. “Don’t let people try to (stay) in an […]

Associated PressOctober 6, 2016

Forecasters say the first outer rain bands from Hurricane Matthew already have begun to approach Florida as the big storm crosses the Bahamas toward the state. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Matthew is still a Category 3 hurricane as of 8 a.m. Thursday, packing top sustained winds up to 125 mph. It’s […]