Idalia's collision course with Florida
A strengthening Tropical Storm Idalia remains on a collision course with Florida’s Gulf Coast. Donald Trump's federal court date on election conspiracy charges is set. And Elton John was hospitalized after a fall. (Spoiler alert: He’s OK!)
👋 Hey! Laura Davis here. How was your weekend? Good, I hope! Now, it’s time for Monday’s news.
But first, cash for car riders? 🚗 As a way to help with a shortage of bus drivers, this school district offers to pay parents $3,000 a year to take their kids to school.
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Idalia closes in on Florida
Heads up, Florida: It's getting real. Tropical Storm Idalia was intensifying Monday and threatened to slam across Florida's Gulf Coast sometime Wednesday as a major hurricane with "life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds," the National Hurricane Center said. Meteorologists projected landfall to take place by midday Wednesday somewhere along the Big Bend and Nature Coast. Idalia could become just the second Category 3 or higher hurricane to make landfall there in the past 170 years, Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at Florida-based WeatherTiger said. A storm becomes a Category 3 hurricane when maximum wind speeds reach at least 111 mph. Hurricane watches were in effect along more than 300 miles of the Florida Coast − from Longboat Key, 60 miles south of Tampa, to the Ochlockonee River near Tallahassee. 🌀 Follow our live coverage.
Tracking Idalia: Follow the storm's path with our live tracker.
Families mourn Jacksonville shooting victims
Hundreds of people gathered Sunday at prayer vigils and in church, in frustration and exhaustion, to mourn yet another racist attack in America: this one the killing of three Black people in Florida at the hands of a white, 21-year-old man who authorities say left behind white supremacist ramblings that read like “the diary of a madman.” About 200 people showed up at a Sunday evening vigil a block from the Dollar General store in Jacksonville where officials said the man opened fire Saturday using guns he bought legally despite a past involuntary commitment for a mental health exam.
Loving mother. Devoted father: Authorities identified those killed as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, who was shot in her car; store employee A.J. Laguerre, 19, who was shot as he tried to flee; and customer Jerrald Gallion, 29, who was shot as he entered the store in a predominantly Black neighborhood. What we know about the victims.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis booed at vigil for Jacksonville shooting victims.
What everyone's talking about
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New Vegas cocktail club offers spirits from the '30s – if you can find it.
That viral country song 'Rich Men North of Richmond' and how pop culture is the next battleground for conservatives.
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Judge: Trump's trial to start March 4
It's a date. Ignoring his proposal to wait until after the 2024 presidential election, a federal judge has tentatively scheduled a March 4 start for Donald Trump's trial on charges he conspired to steal the 2020 election, placing it in the heat of the 2024 campaign. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan chose the date for the four- to six-week trial after hearing arguments from prosecutors who sought a Jan. 2 start and Trump's defense lawyers, who requested a start in April 2026. The date is one day before the Super Tuesday presidential primaries and caucuses in 15 states as Trump campaigns for the Republican nomination. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the decision was election interference and vowed to appeal. 🔎 Take a closer look.
'Trump Rap Sheet': Republican group targets Trump in new ad campaign.
Mark Meadows testifies Georgia charges target his official federal duties.
Elton John 'in good health' after fall at home
He's still standing. Elton John, 76, is on the mend after falling at his home in the south of France over the weekend. The "Rocket Man" singer was taken to a hospital and kept overnight for observation and released back home. The minor accident comes two months after John delivered a stirring farewell performance at the Glastonbury Festival in the U.K. The five-time Grammy winner played his final North American show last November at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. 👉 Everything we know.
A break from the news
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Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Idalia, Jacksonville shooting, Elton John falls: Monday's news
