Sheriff Wants To Chat With Thief

 

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office would like to have a little chat with a man whom they say stole a backpack out of a truck parked at a Shell Gas Station located at 5985 W Highway 40. Investigators say the theft took place on May 19th.  Surveillance video captured shots of the theft. If you can identify the man, contact investigators.  There may be a reward involved.

 

So Just How Important Is This Debt Ceiling?  Congress Leaves Town

 

This will make you wonder just how important the debt ceiling talks really are. House Republicans have left town for the long holiday weekend just days before the U.S. could face an unprecedented default that could hurl the global economy into chaos. But a few of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s staff will stay behind to continue negotiations with the White House. Lawmakers are tentatively not expected back at work until Tuesday, just two days from June 1, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the U.S. could start running out of cash to pay its bills and face a federal default.

 

Economy Grows At Lackluster Rate

 

The U.S. economy grew at a lackluster 1.3% annual rate from January through March as businesses wary of an economic slowdown trimmed their inventories, the government said Thursday in a slight upgrade from its initial estimate. The government had previously estimated that the economy grew at a 1.1% annual rate last quarter. Despite the first-quarter slowdown, consumer spending, which accounts for around 70% of America’s economic output, rose

 

SCOTUS Blocks Clean Water

 

The Supreme Court on Thursday made it harder for the federal government to police water pollution in a decision that strips protections from wetlands that are isolated from larger bodies of water. It’s the second decision in as many years in which a conservative majority of the court narrowed the reach of environmental regulations. The justices boosted property rights over concerns about clean water in a ruling in favor of an Idaho couple who sought to build a house near Priest Lake in the state’s panhandle.

 

If It’s Any Consolation

 

If it’s any consolation, the gun violence in Florida isn’t confined to Ocala. Police in Leesburg, just to our south, say two 17 year old’s were shot Wednesday evening at an apartment complex. One teen was taken to a local hospital for treatment, the other was shot in the finger. These two apparently aren’t your typical choir boys. The teen shot in the finger was already wanted on charges of grand theft auto and other offenses.

 

Big Turnaround On DeSantis View Of Social Media

 

Two years ago, signing a bill intended to punish Twitter and other major social media companies, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted the platforms as “suppressing ideas” during the COVID-19 pandemic and silencing conservative voices.  What a turnaround. The new Elon Musk-owned version of Twitter helped DeSantis launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday. Though it was marred by technical glitches and skewered by the candidate’s critics, the forum nevertheless underscored Twitter’s unmistakable shift to the right under Musk, who bought it for $44 billion and took over in October.