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Stephan Sterns, Madeline Soto’s accused killer, asks judge to ban public from court hearings
Read full article: Stephan Sterns, Madeline Soto’s accused killer, asks judge to ban public from court hearingsThe man accused of raping and murdering 13-year-old Madeline Soto is asking a judge to ban the public, including members of the press, from attending his pre-trial court hearings.
‘Strike in the buttocks:’ Osceola deputy subject of sexual harassment complaint
Read full article: ‘Strike in the buttocks:’ Osceola deputy subject of sexual harassment complaintA lieutenant with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office accused of making a female employee “uncomfortable” by touching her hair and striking her in the buttocks with his lanyard was cleared of violating the agency’s sexual harassment policy, records obtained by News 6 show.
Madeline Soto’s accused killer seeks suppression of cell phone evidence
Read full article: Madeline Soto’s accused killer seeks suppression of cell phone evidenceThe man accused of raping and murdering 13-year-old Madeline Soto is asking a judge to throw out evidence investigators found on his cell phone and online Google Drive account.
Bitcoin blackmail scheme targets Central Florida residents
Read full article: Bitcoin blackmail scheme targets Central Florida residentsScammers are sending blackmail emails to people claiming to have embarrassing videos and demanding payment via bitcoin. One of News 6's meteorologists has received several of these messages.
Haines City couple falls victim to wire fraud during home purchase
Read full article: Haines City couple falls victim to wire fraud during home purchaseA Haines City couple found themselves in a financial nightmare after cybercriminals intercepted the money they were sending for a down payment on their new home.
MORE NEWS 6 INVESTIGATIONS
Is this Florida Man the world’s most annoying neighbor? You decide
Read full article: Is this Florida Man the world’s most annoying neighbor? You decideSeminole County’s infamous “junk man” who’s frustrated neighbors with his unsightly yard for 25 years is commemorating the anniversary of his very first county code violation.
IRS warns taxpayers about ghost preparers promising big refunds
Read full article: IRS warns taxpayers about ghost preparers promising big refundsAs tax season begins, the IRS is warning taxpayers about ghost preparers - individuals who complete tax returns for others but refuse to sign them or provide an official identification number.
Watch the 6-part series followed by a live Q&A with News 6 Investigator Mike DeForest
Read full article: Watch the 6-part series followed by a live Q&A with News 6 Investigator Mike DeForestThe disappearance and death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto rocked Central Florida and attracted the attention of people from all across the U.S.
Widows of firefighters face uphill battle for benefits promised under Florida law
Read full article: Widows of firefighters face uphill battle for benefits promised under Florida lawIn 2019, Florida lawmakers passed SB 426, a law designed to provide cancer benefits for first responders, including firefighters, diagnosed with 21 specific types of cancer.
Competition to collaboration: Central Florida news outlets join forces on homelessness crisis
Read full article: Competition to collaboration: Central Florida news outlets join forces on homelessness crisisA new state law restricting individuals from sleeping on public property is shaking up communities across Florida but has also inspired an unprecedented journalism collaboration uniting 10 news outlets to tell the complex stories behind the issue.
Port Orange man warns others after falling victim to $100,000 scheme
Read full article: Port Orange man warns others after falling victim to $100,000 schemeBob Hovan, 77, of Port Orange, is sharing a painful lesson after losing more than $100,000 in a complex scheme involving a fraudulent stock buyback.
Florida part of nationwide Direct File expansion by IRS. What does that mean?
Read full article: Florida part of nationwide Direct File expansion by IRS. What does that mean?The Internal Revenue Service is expanding its Direct File program to all 50 states following a successful pilot in 12 states, including Florida.
Madeline Soto’s mother feared ‘Woody Allen situation’ between boyfriend and daughter
Read full article: Madeline Soto’s mother feared ‘Woody Allen situation’ between boyfriend and daughterAs detectives were searching for missing 13-year-old Madeline Soto last winter, Soto’s mother expressed concerns about the close relationship that had formed between her 37-year-old former boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, and her young daughter.
While searching for Madeline Soto, detectives simultaneously questioned key witnesses
Read full article: While searching for Madeline Soto, detectives simultaneously questioned key witnessesTwo days after Madeline Soto failed to show up at school last February, Orange County Sheriff John Mina held a news conference seeking information from the public about the missing 13-year-old.
Beds, laws, lawsuits: The math of homelessness in Central Florida
Read full article: Beds, laws, lawsuits: The math of homelessness in Central FloridaCentral Florida faces a stark “math problem” when it comes to addressing homelessness. Available resources simply don’t add up to meet the demand. The challenge has been further complicated by new legislation known as the Florida Homelessness Reduction Act, which went into effect last October.
Drones that fell during Orlando show were supposed to remain over Lake Eola, documents show
Read full article: Drones that fell during Orlando show were supposed to remain over Lake Eola, documents showThe lighted drones that fell from the sky during a holiday show in Downtown Orlando and injured a 7-year-old boy were supposed to fly above Lake Eola at a safe distance away from crowds, documents obtained by News 6 reveal.
Former Disney World district board broke no criminal laws, investigation finds
Read full article: Former Disney World district board broke no criminal laws, investigation findsMembers of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board of supervisors broke no criminal laws prior to Gov. Ron DeSantis appointing a new board to oversee Walt Disney World’s special taxing district, newly-released government records reveal.
New images show state inspection of Disney World monorail
Read full article: New images show state inspection of Disney World monorailNewly-released images from the Florida Department of Transportation show engineers conducting the state’s first-ever inspection of the Walt Disney World monorail system shortly after FDOT was granted oversight authority last year.
‘Customer service crisis’ at Social Security Administration leaves Florida family in limbo
Read full article: ‘Customer service crisis’ at Social Security Administration leaves Florida family in limboThe Social Security Administration is dealing with a customer service crisis, leaving thousands of families waiting for their disability benefits applications to be reviewed.
Lost leadership: How a small Florida town nearly found itself without a mayor for 10 days
Read full article: Lost leadership: How a small Florida town nearly found itself without a mayor for 10 daysA town of just 1,800 residents nearly found itself without a mayor due to a puzzling standoff over election procedures.
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Florida troopers helped detain hundreds of illegal migrants in Texas, new records reveal
Read full article: Florida troopers helped detain hundreds of illegal migrants in Texas, new records revealFlorida Highway Patrol troopers, accompanied by Texas law enforcement officers, helped locate and detain more than 1,600 undocumented immigrants near the Mexico border between mid-February and mid-August while assisting with the arrests of alleged human traffickers, drug smugglers and gang members, agency records obtained by News 6 show.
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1990 child rape evidence ‘disposed’ by Melbourne police, thwarting arrest
Read full article: 1990 child rape evidence ‘disposed’ by Melbourne police, thwarting arrestEvidence related to the 1990 rape of an 11-year-old girl was disposed by the Melbourne Police Department sometime over the past three decades, a newly released audit reveals, but the agency cannot determine when or why it was destroyed or who authorized it.
Florida researchers want to stop cows from burping. Here’s why
Read full article: Florida researchers want to stop cows from burping. Here’s whyCows produce your milk and beef, but what these big animals belch up is a big contributor to climate change. Researchers at the University of Florida are working to find a solution.
Beware of fake student loan forgiveness offers
Read full article: Beware of fake student loan forgiveness offersIn 2022, President Biden introduced a plan to relieve thousands of dollars in student debt for low to middle-income borrowers. However, the plan faced several challenges, and scammers have exploited this uncertainty.
TIMELINE: News 6 investigation changes Florida law on safe lithium-ion battery storage
Read full article: TIMELINE: News 6 investigation changes Florida law on safe lithium-ion battery storageA News 6 investigation resulted in a new law that allows the State Fire Marshal to establish new safety rules for storing and charging lithium-ion batteries. Here is the timeline of how our investigation progressed.
Solar panels at Orlando apartment complex mean lower bills for tenants
Read full article: Solar panels at Orlando apartment complex mean lower bills for tenantsRenters at an Orlando apartment complex are among the first in the nation to start using solar energy to reduce their individual electric bills.
Voters in Marion, Orange counties to fund school construction with sales taxes
Read full article: Voters in Marion, Orange counties to fund school construction with sales taxesVoters in two Central Florida counties on Tuesday night said they wanted to pay a half-cent sales tax to fund repairs, renovations and maintenance costs for public schools.
AARP issues election scam warning to protect voters from last-minute schemes
Read full article: AARP issues election scam warning to protect voters from last-minute schemesWith Election Day just around the corner, AARP is urging voters to remain vigilant against potential scams and misinformation campaigns that often target voters as they head to the polls.
‘They got me:’ Popular podcast invitation schemes target social media, credit card info
Read full article: ‘They got me:’ Popular podcast invitation schemes target social media, credit card infoAs podcasts gain popularity, many individuals are receiving enticing invitations to appear as guests on well-known shows.
Central Florida tax preparers plead guilty to fraud charges
Read full article: Central Florida tax preparers plead guilty to fraud chargesThree tax preparers accused of fraudulently helping Central Florida customers obtain large income tax refunds have pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
‘We have a crisis situation:’ Voters in Marion, Orange counties to decide whether to fund school renovations
Read full article: ‘We have a crisis situation:’ Voters in Marion, Orange counties to decide whether to fund school renovationsVoters are heading to the polls in two Central Florida counties to decide whether they want to pay a half-cent sales tax to fund repairs, renovations and maintenance costs for public schools.
Fake podcast invites promise money, but steal your social media
Read full article: Fake podcast invites promise money, but steal your social mediaNames like Fearne Cotton, Rachel Hollis and even Tony Robbins can catch your attention, offering to feature you as a guest on their podcasts. They may even promise as much as $3,000 for a 45-minute interview. But, as they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it often is.
4 times in 7 years: How much will FEMA pay to purchase this flooded Ormond Beach home?
Read full article: 4 times in 7 years: How much will FEMA pay to purchase this flooded Ormond Beach home?An Ormond Beach couple hopes the federal government will approve their application to purchase their flooded home, but they fear they could be shortchanged in the process.
Florida’s election supervisors discuss handcounting ballots, polling place challenges ahead of Nov. 5
Read full article: Florida’s election supervisors discuss handcounting ballots, polling place challenges ahead of Nov. 5In a recent discussion, Central Florida election supervisors addressed a range of concerns about the upcoming election, including polling place accessibility and the potential impact of hand-counting ballots.
How Florida’s election supervisors try to build and maintain trust in the voting process
Read full article: How Florida’s election supervisors try to build and maintain trust in the voting processAs election season approaches, Central Florida's election supervisors are confronting not only logistical challenges but also ongoing skepticism from election deniers.
Millions of dollars intended for surrogates vanished, families claim
Read full article: Millions of dollars intended for surrogates vanished, families claimA Central Florida couple who recently became parents through surrogacy is among hundreds of families worldwide who claim they’ve been defrauded by an escrow company that was supposed to handle payments to surrogates.
Intimidation, apathy worry Central Florida’s election supervisors ahead of November vote
Read full article: Intimidation, apathy worry Central Florida’s election supervisors ahead of November voteIn a recent interview with News 6, election supervisors from five Central Florida counties shared their thoughts on the upcoming November election, highlighting both optimism and concern.
‘US Marshals had a warrant for my arrest:’ Orlando man exonerated after spending 2 years in prison
Read full article: ‘US Marshals had a warrant for my arrest:’ Orlando man exonerated after spending 2 years in prisonAn Orlando man has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Orlando and several Orlando police officers after spending two years in prison for a crime he did not commit.