Florida among states to increase minimum wage
On Oct. 3, four states, CO, MT, OH, and WA, announced an increase in their minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.04 for 2012. The $1.79 per hour increase is expected to be announced in FL, AZ, and VT next month.
New law allows guns at Fort Lauderdale public events
A new state law, discussed by city commissioners on Oct. 4, will impose fines on public officials who enforce tougher gun laws than the ones documented in state statute. This means that the City of Fort Lauderdale can no longer uphold its ban on the carrying of guns at city events as well as the ordinance that prohibited the discharge of a weapon within city limits. Additionally, the new law gives permission to Floridians with concealed weapons permits to carry their guns into government buildings, beaches and pools.
UM student kills woman in drunk-driving accident
On Oct. 3, police arrested Ivanna Villanueva, 19, for drunk driving after she slammed into Eyder Ayala’s, 68, car, instantly killing her. In the arrest affidavit, police said Villanueva was going 80-85 mph in a 40 mph zone in Coral Gables when she collided with the rear-end of Ayala’s vehicle. On Oct. 4, Villanueva was charged with vehicular manslaughter and released on a $50,000 bond. She is currently under house arrest and will have to wear an ankle monitor.
Amanda Knox released after four years in an Italian prison
On Oct. 3, Amanda Knox, 24, was cleared of murder charges after a four-year ordeal in Italy. Knox, an exchange student, was accused of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher, 21. The decision stunned the victim’s family and angered the prosecution, which insists that Knox, her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, and a drug dealer Rudy Hermann Guede, killed Kercher. Sollecito and Guede also had their convictions overturned.
NSU speaks out against bullying
On Oct. 12, Jowharah Sanders, founder and executive director of National Voices for Equality Education and Enlightenment (NVEEE), will speak in the Knight Auditorium from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Sanders will discuss the effects of bullying and what can be done to prevent it. Internships and volunteer opportunities are available. For more information contact jw1214@nova.edu.
Actor Richard Dreyfuss comes to NSU
On Oct. 26, The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences (FCAS) Division of Humanities will host Richard Dreyfuss as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series. Dreyfuss is an actor, recognized for his roles in “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and a community activist. Tickets for the event are available to FCAS students on Oct. 10 and to the NSU community on Oct. 17.
