 WNRP, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pensacola. Result as quickly as possible. Injured, there's only one Morgan & Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. In less than a month, Florida voters will hit the polls for primary elections. It's the core of our democracy is what we do in elections, right? How Escambia County is preparing for a high turnout.  The Florida Department of Education releasing its grades for schools and school districts across the state. How Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties scored. Recycling in Milton may be coming to an end. And most of us going to the dump anyway. That's a negative against the program. The main problem that has city leaders considering scrapping the program. WEAR News at 5 starts now.  Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us today. Florida's primary election, less than a month away. Early voting kicks off August 10th and will end on August 17th. The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office is preparing for a high turnout, and they're now making sure all of the voting machines are up to par. They put their machines to the test today. Our Keres Harmon got a behind-the-scenes look at how it all works. I did, Sue and Bob. They ran a variety of possible scenarios that could all happen on Election Day. All in the name of accuracy.  It's called the Logic and Accuracy Test, where the county tests all of the equipment that will be used for the election and makes sure that it all works properly. We run all the actual ballots that we'll be using on Election Day and, again, make sure that those votes are counted accurately. Going through all of the scenarios that could happen on Election Day, like if a ballot is duplicated or spoiled. Escambia County Deputy Supervisor of Election Sonia Daniel gave us an example using a test ballot.  This is a vote-by-mail ballot, and we know it's a vote-by-mail ballot because it has the V up at the top of it. So this machine should reject that ballot because it was intended for vote-by-mail. Ballots can go in head first, feet first, face up, face down, any way that's sideways.  They even have bilingual and ADA accessible machines for people who may be blind or deaf. If I was completely blind, I could use the Braille keypad and I can actually turn the screen off. Bender says there are 80 precincts in Escambia County and 72 polling locations. We'll be polling about 86 of the tabulators during this primary election. And so we've gone and tested a percentage of those.  Following the 2020 presidential election, some distrust has formed among some people claiming that the votes may not have been counted or counted accurately. Bender says through this testing, they ensure that it is. It's the core of our democracy is what we do in elections, right? It's not connected to the Internet. They've just been connected to power to count those votes and then and then make sure that that.  The results are accurately uploaded, consolidated, and then upload that master list to the state. So, again, this is almost like a mini-election that we're running. A Democratic and Republican candidate were also in attendance, seeing firsthand how it all works. Bender is expecting a lot of foot traffic to the polls.  We expect a high turnout for the general. We're probably going to look at about 35, 40 percent for the primary. We did have our books closing, so the last day for people to register or change their party has already passed. They can still request to vote by mail ballots. We've had about 26,000 ballots go out already.  The deadline is August 8th to request a vote-by-mail ballot. Primary election day is August 20th. The polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. In the studio, Karis Harmon, WEAR News.  The Florida Department of Education releasing report cards for schools and school districts. Escambia County Public Schools earned a B grade. Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County districts each received an A. All of the Escambia County Public Schools earned a C grade or higher. There were no D or F schools. There were nine last year. Most Santa Rosa County schools earned A's and B's. Baghdad Elementary and Coastal Connections Academy earned the only D's.  Okaloosa County schools earned A's and B's. No schools received a D. Destin High School, Emerald Coast Career Institute and Richburg School were marked as incomplete. Now, Warrington Prep Academy earned a D this year. The school was pulled from the Escambia County School District by the state because of failing grades and turned over to a private charter company.  If you'd like to see your child's school grade, you can head to our website, weartv.com, and search Florida school grades to see the full list. A Pensacola man is now charged in the death of his wife. Timothy Kramer was arrested in Santa Rosa County this morning. He's charged with homicide and animal cruelty. The sheriff's office says Kramer's wife, Rosa Maria Kramer, was reported missing Tuesday night after she wasn't seen the entire day.  Deputies say they found her shot to death at a home on Hillcrest Avenue in Escambia County. Deputies also found a dog who was shot and later died at a veterinarian's office. Timothy Kramer was later located and arrested in Milton. He's now in the Santa Rosa County Jail with no bond until he is extradited to Escambia County.  The city of Milton is looking at a proposal to end its recycling program. That program started in 2015. Assistant City Manager Ed Spears says the recycling program is becoming too expensive. He says only 360 residents pay for the service, which doesn't provide enough income. Spears says the problem? Most of the loads collected have been sent to the county landfill. He says they're usually contaminated.  The program costs us approximately $150,000, but the cost of that is wrapped up in our sanitation budget, where the sanitation employees, the maintenance and repair of the vehicles, the tipping fees, which are about $9,000 just for the recycling, if it has to go to the landfill. The program, as far as the fee, only generates about $25,000 a year.  Coming up at 6, WEAR's Sade Ray shares when the program could end and if it could be brought back. A life-saving device is helping first responders in Escambia County improve CPR techniques. That was last week. We reported that Central Florida started using automatic chest compressors in all of their ambulances. Well, as it turns out, Escambia County has used these devices for even longer.  The device delivers more effective chest compressions needed to save someone's life. Coming up at 6, WEAR's Sarah Gale will have more on other ways the device helps first responders, especially as the nation experiences EMS staffing shortages.  Man was seriously injured when he crashed his motorcycle yesterday afternoon on Interstate 10 near Pine Forest Road. The Highway Patrol says the 18-year-old was driving pretty fast when an SUV going in the same direction changed lanes and crashed into the motorcycle. Troopers say pieces of the motorcycle flew off and hit another SUV on the other side of the road. The driver of the motorcycle was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. FHP says the other two drivers were fine.  A new Florida law increases penalties for people caught driving without a valid license. The original law applied to cases where a person's license was missing, suspended, or revoked. Under the new law, people who repeatedly break it face increasingly harsher penalties each time. The first time is a second-degree misdemeanor, and the second time is a first-degree misdemeanor. If a person breaks the law three or more times, they could spend at least 10 days in jail.  First Morning Weather, sponsored by Pensacola State College.  Some heavy rain has been popping up here and there. You can see our radar showing it up around Molino and Barton on up Highway 29 towards Century. This is shifting down toward containment as well. A little bit of thunder and lightning with it. Not a tremendous amount, but definitely some heavy rain. And we were seeing some spots starting to kind of develop there around Fort Walton Beach, this area of Okaloosa County. Looks like one that may be moving onshore right there near Okaloosa Island. But that's not much to that, just a little isolated shower. Along the coast, it's been sunny and hotter. Here's the Hardee's Beach Cam View.  Looking at things, it's just a little bit of late-day chop on the water. And our temperatures have been a little cooler for some of these areas where we've had cloud cover and rain. But along the coast, it's been more like 90 degrees. But if you're going to be out and about this evening, maybe headed to the Blue Wahoos game, it's going to be a hot night, certainly a muggy night as well. Overnight lows, upper 70s for most spots.  The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is celebrating the anniversary of the state's Purple Alert. That alert was created in July of 2022. It helps locate missing adults who may suffer from mental, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities. The alerts are displayed on billboards across the state. You can also sign up to get the alert sent right to your phone.  FDLE says since the program was created, it has helped save more than 435 missing people. To sign up for Purple Alert emails or texts, we've got information for you at weartv.com.  Analysts believe the number of people in Florida will increase to 25,700,000 over the next 10 years. They estimate the state topped 23 million for the first time this year. Florida's Democratic Estimating Conference says the increase comes from people moving into the state. Because they say right now, deaths in Florida are outpacing births. And analysts don't expect that to change anytime soon.  Well, you can help students get ready for the new school year, and that's right around the corner. We're partnering with United Way of West Florida for the annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive. It is tomorrow. You can drop off school supplies at the Walmarts on Mobile Highway. I'll be there broadcasting live. We'll also be at Blue Angel Parkway and Creighton Road in Escambia County. You can also donate at the Walmart locations in Santa Rosa County at Pea Ridge, Tiger Point, and Navarre. Stuff the Bus runs 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Navarre location, they'll start collecting it.  8 tomorrow morning. Oglosa County School District holding their Stuff the Bus campaign. It will be on August 3rd. Runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Their locations will be at the Walmarts in Niceville, Crestview and Fort Walton Beach. There are new details on the attempted assassination of former President Trump. The shooter's web searches a week before the rally.  Boycotts, protests, and a high-stakes address to Congress from the Israeli prime minister. I'm Matt Gelker at the Capitol, and I'll have the latest coming up. Download the WEAR News app now. Sponsored by Forrest Jordan and Associates.  Markley, VanCamp, and Robbins. Oh, this news cycle is something, huh? Dude, there's something new every single day. Wow, and today, you know, expecting to talk more about this Secret Service director, how she needs to go, and all of a sudden, man. Well, she resigned. Yeah, she resigned. Kimberly Cheadle, the now former head of the Secret Service, is stepping down. Markley, VanCamp, and Robbins. Weekdays 11 till 2. Before Guy Benson. NewsRadio Pensacola.  Informative, local, dependable. Local and national news. Sports and pop culture. With traffic and weather on the fives. And your texts. It's Pensacola right now.  We welcome you into hour number two on a Wednesday. Pensacola right now with Joe and Austin on NewsRadio Pensacola. Informative, local, and dependable right now. Looking pretty good outside and hopefully stays that way for the duration of the evening.  of course uh pop-up thunderstorm is possible pretty much any time but right now things looking pretty good we'll find out in just a couple minutes how the roads are doing in the peak of rush hour right now uh first our top three stories we start with president biden today addressing the nation in his first on-camera appearance since he dropped out of the presidential race he told his campaign workers over the phone on monday that dropping out was the right thing to do  Again, his speech is scheduled for around 7 o'clock our time. That means after 7, hopefully in the 7 o'clock hour. But he's going to give the networks time to hop on with their, you know, live interrupting of regular programming. Right. And to set up his speech, you know, so...  My assumption is around, you know, 7.15, 7.30 is when that'll start. But we will carry it live right here on NewsRadio Pensacola. Kamala Harris's presidential campaign is vetting potential running mates. They've requested vetting materials from several potential running mates, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer, and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.  Any of those names jump out is, oh, yeah, that wouldn't surprise me at all if they were the pick. Man, I don't know. Maybe. The two that I've heard the most of is Shapiro and Kelly. Yeah, I was about to say the North Carolina guy, I didn't think he probably sounded very likely. Shapiro is a name, I think that's a name I've heard before, and it may have just been when we were talking about him before. But, yeah, Mark Kelly maybe. Is Mark Kelly, is that the twin brother?  Like who was what was the name of the guy? He was an astronaut. He was married to Gabrielle Gifford.  Oh, okay. Yeah. Well, that's him. That's Mark Kelly. Oh, it's the same Kelly. Yeah. Okay. He has a twin brother. That's why I wasn't sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. All right. You're right. Clearly, that and the president's last hour, I clearly know my politics. Scott was the, yeah, Scott is the one that I'm familiar with, I think. I don't know. I thought Scott was the one that was the astronaut, though. He is. Okay, yeah. I thought they both were. Oh. Weren't they? Well, who's the one that's married to Gabrielle Gifford?  Or whatever her name was.  That was Mark. Okay. Yes, you're dead on. Oh, wow. But they were both NASA astronauts. Okay. Okay. I'm learning something here today. I think Kelly, yeah, Kelly probably is pretty popular. I could imagine him. Yeah. Since he's already known for that kind of stuff and astronauts are highly regarded. Looks good for brand. Yeah, absolutely. It's all about the brand. There you go. And it's that way too in Florida. More on that later.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war in Gaza is a clash between barbarism and civilization. Netanyahu delivering an address to a joint meeting of Congress today. They dragged 255 people, both living and dead, into the dark dungeons of Gaza. Israel has already brought home 135 of these hostages, including seven who were freed in daring rescue operations.  Yeah, and Netanyahu's visit met with large demonstrations of pro-Palestinian protesters. Also, dozens of Democrats boycotted the speech as well. That's a look at our top three stories. Austin has the check of the roads. Thank you very much, Joe. This traffic and weather update is brought to you by Executive Landscaping. You can call them today for all of your commercial and premium landscaping needs.  Let's see, looking at the roads here, we do have some backups on Nine Mile Road if you're traveling westbound towards Palafox Street. Also some on Pensacola Boulevard traveling northbound towards Burgess Road. And we did see some increased congestion downtown. This is going to be if you are traveling westbound. Let's see here on Chase Street as you approach Bayfront Parkway.  And also a little bit if you're traveling westbound on Cervantes Street towards I-110. So we do have some backups going in a couple directions there. So downtown, as you said, Joe, a few minutes ago, that rush hour is kind of picking up over there. Then it's going to be Navarre Parkway traveling westbound coming through Windhaven Beach and a bit further west as you approach Highway 87. And some backups on Caroline Street, but not coming over Blackwater River. This time around, it's going to be if you're traveling eastbound passing Avalon Boulevard and approaching Glover Lane.  The high rain chance continues and a shower or a thunderstorm could pop up at about any time. Look for that to be in the daytime hours or at night. As we look ahead, we've got a 50% chance for rain Saturday and Sunday. And our highs will continue to be in the upper 80s to low 90s with overnight lows mainly in the upper 70s. I'm meteorologist Alan Strom with your first warning WEAR News weather forecast.  Looking at some of our local headlines today, a Pensacola man now in custody, accused of fatally shooting both his wife and pet dog. 51-year-old Timothy Kramer, arrested by Milton police this morning, booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail on charges of homicide and animal cruelty. This comes after the Escambia Sheriff's Office issued a missing persons alert last night for 47-year-old Rosa Kramer.  The sheriff's office says Rose's body was later found inside a home on Hillcrest Avenue. A dog also shot and died from its injuries at the vet. The Pensacola woman accused in a fatal hit-and-run crash last year has been extradited back to Escambia County. 41-year-old Jessica Hendrickson was arrested in Kentucky last week and booked into the Escambia County Jail Monday and released on bond yesterday. FHP troopers say back in June of last year,  She was driving on Sorrento Road when she ran into bicyclist Jeff Nichols from behind and then fled the scene. She's next scheduled to appear in court on July 30th. The State Board of Education releasing school grades for the 2023-24 school year. As a district, Escambia County received a B for the fifth straight year. Three schools, Bellevue, Holman, MacArthur Elementary Schools, all jumping from a C to an A this past year.  You have a school like MacArthur that has been a C school for a number of years. And the last time they earned a grade above a C, I think, has been almost 10 years ago. So you have schools that have just been kind of stagnant like a MacArthur that jumped to an A.  And Assistant Superintendent Denny Wilson adds that Montclair, Warrington, and Lincoln Park Elementary, along with Global Learning Academy, each raised their grades from Fs to Cs. Meanwhile, Santa Rosa County receiving an A for the sixth straight year and for Okaloosa County for the ninth straight year. So congratulations to all three districts on the progress and good work. 519, and we'll take a break on that positive note. State and national news coming up next.  Here's today's strength for life. Someone recently asked me, do you believe in guardian angels? And my answer is yes, but only for the Christian. In a rhetorical question, Hebrews 1.14 explains that angels are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. So Christian person, since you're saved, an angel has been sent forth to minister to you. And remember, Psalm 103 explains that angels excel in strength. Angels are colossal beings.  They are greater in power and might than the strongest of men. However, as strong as angels are, Jesus is stronger. As wonderful as it is to think about the many ways that angels serve us, Jesus served us in a far greater way by giving his life a ransom for us. Angels are created beings, and they're wonderful. But Jesus is the eternal creator God. So rejoice in Jesus today. For more Strength for Life, check out our website at strengthforlife.church.  The Port of Pensacola is more than just a name. It's a powerhouse of economic opportunities, a strategic location that sparks growth and prosperity, contributing significantly to the local and regional economy with 23 incredible businesses that call this port home. Big names like CMEX Materials, GE Wind Energy, and soon the prestigious American Magic Sailing Team. Since 1754, the Port of Pensacola has been the driving force behind Northwest Florida's economic success. Explore more at portofensacola.com.  When America needed a hero, we turned to conservative Aaron Dimmock. A decorated combat pilot, Dimmock led missions against cartels in the Gulf. He'll take that fight to Biden's open border chaos. He's pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-Trump. Because Aaron Dimmock's a conservative fighter we can be proud of. Florida Patriots PAC paid for and is responsible for the content of this advertising. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. FloridaPatriotsPAC.com  Just in time for the summer season, Peakmore Imports has new Volkswagens being delivered daily with cool savings on their most popular models. Drive the family size 2024 Atlas or Atlas Cross Sport with 0.9% APR for 60 months.  or take $3,500 in customer cash. The midsize Tiguan, available now with 1.9% APR for 60 months, or $2,500 in customer cash. And the sporty Taos Crossover, with the same 1.9% APR, or $2,000 in customer cash. Plus the four-door Jenna sedan.  with amazing fuel economy, performance, and style. Has $2,000 in customer cash or an APR rate of 2.9 for 60 months. This Volkswagen lineup will take you through summer with cooler savings than before. At Pete Moore Imports, they're not in car city, so you won't pay car city prices. Pete Moore Imports, 106 New Warrington Road, Pensacola. Special APR rate for qualifying credit to PCI. See dealer for details.  These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Why would you want a home generator from The Generator Guys? Top reasons include lighting during power outages that can last for days, cooling your home to keep people and pets comfortable, power to keep working from home, freezer food protected, security cameras powered, medical devices backed up, and humidity controlled to keep black mold from growing. All reasons to get a free no-obligation quote from your local company. Forrest Jordan & Associates.  The Generator Guys. Go to thegeneratorguys.co. Get the midday news live with Mark Lee, Van Camp, and Robbins. 11 to 2 before Guy Benson on News Radio 92.3. Informative, local, dependable. From my heart and from my hand, why don't people understand my intention?  5.23 here at News Radio Pensacola. Joe and Austin hanging out with you on a Wednesday. Pensacola right now. Text line 850-437-1620. Keep that number handy because in just a few minutes we have another pair of tickets to give away. Yes, we do.  And we will do that here in a few minutes. And you are on the edge of your seat about it, clearly. Yes, absolutely. Let's get state headlines out of the way here. The big story around Florida today. Putting a rubber stamp on it was the Florida Board of Education today approving the bylaws allowing high school athletes to profit off of endorsement deals.  There has to be a way for this education that you're talking about to get to the right individuals. If there is a way that the schools and the FHSIA knows exactly who's participating, then they can also do some outreach to make sure that those parents of those students and the student athlete has the appropriate information.  And that from the meeting in Orlando today, the board did unanimously approve the NIL rule change that was approved last month by the FHSAA. And a high-profile murder trial underway in Manatee County. Opening statements were made yesterday in the Black Swan murder trial.  Former ballerina Ashley Benfield is accused of killing her 54-year-old estranged husband four years ago in Lakewood Ranch. The case got national attention when it was featured in an episode of 48 Hours. The 32-year-old is charged with second-degree murder. She claims self-defense, but prosecutors say she shot her husband to get custody of their daughter.  With summer in full swing, Attorney General Ashley Moody warning Floridians about short-term rental scams. Moody says fraudsters can turn dream vacations into nightmares, which is why she's urging people to use caution when booking places to stay online. Scammers can post fake listings for properties on websites and social media platforms to try to entice visitors. Moody says it's always important to research the property, read the contract, and  verify potential bookings that appear too good to be true. And the Florida Department of Law Enforcement celebrating the anniversary of a critical tool that's helped find hundreds of missing residents. The FDLE says it launched a Florida Purple Alert two years ago as a way to help find missing adults who suffer from mental, cognitive, or developmental disabilities. So far, the system has helped locate nearly 450 people.  Those interested can sign up for Purple Alerts by going to missingchildrenalert.com. Again, that is missingchildrenalert.com. 525 here, another very quick check of the roads and weather. Still have some backups on Chase Street if you're traveling eastbound towards Bayfront Parkway. Also have some on...  Palafox Street traveling northbound towards Burgess Road and maybe a little bit on Gulf Breeze Parkway if you're traveling eastbound passing Oriole Beach. Outside of that, it's going to be Navarre Parkway traveling westbound through Windhaven Beach. That's actually looking even more severe. And it's going to be a bit more as you continue westbound towards Highway 87. Outside of those few spots, there doesn't appear to be too much holding you up at this time.  We continue to be in a weather pattern where a shower or a thunderstorm could pop up at about any time, day or night. So look for rain to be scattered across the area at times. Of course, it will be warm and humid with highs running in the upper 80s to low 90s. Overnight lows will generally be down between about 75 and 80 degrees. Jumping ahead to the weekend, we've got a 50% chance for rain both on Saturday and Sunday. I'm meteorologist Alan Strom with your first warning WEAR News weather forecast.  All right, thank you very much, Alan. Taking a look here at national headlines today, Fox News is proposing a debate between Vice President Harris and Donald Trump. The network has suggested the debate be held September 17th in Pennsylvania. Trump had been scheduled to face President Biden in a second debate on September 10th, hosted by ABC News, before obviously Biden decided to drop out.  And Iowa's law that bans abortions at around six weeks is set to take effect on Monday. A judge gave the order on Tuesday to dissolve the temporary injunction after the state Supreme Court denied a rehearing request by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Iowa. The law, signed by Governor Kim Reynolds last year, will ban abortions after embryonic cardiac activity is detected. Planned Parenthood estimates that up to 98% of abortions currently performed in Iowa will be banned under the law.  FBI Director Christopher Wray providing new details today about the attempt on assassinating Donald Trump. During testimony, Christopher Wray told the House Judiciary Committee that a week before the rally, the shooter searched for how far away Lee Harvey Oswald was when he shot President Kennedy.  We are investigating the shooter both to determine his motive and his preparations and activities before the shooting, but also to make sure whether or not there are any co-conspirators, accomplices.  Yeah, and investigators also determined the shooter used an AR-style rifle bought from his father. And the Department of Justice opening an investigation into the deadly deputy-involved shooting of Sonia Massey earlier this month in Springfield, Illinois. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced a probe while also revealing that Massey's family has met with Governor J.B. Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton. Massey was shot and killed by now-former Deputy Sean Grayson inside her home after calling 911 to report a possible intruder.  Vote.org says it's seen a dramatic jump in voter registration since President Biden announced he's no longer seeking re-election. The organization says it helped register more than 38,500 voters in the 48 hours after Biden's announcement. That's the largest number of new voters that's registered in a two-day period this election cycle.  Now, Joe, just a few minutes ago when we first got here from break, you very theatrically, I must say, hyped up this pair of tickets here for Disney's Descendants at Pensacola Little Theater. It's going on currently. It stretches from July 19th to August 4th. And you can watch as the children of Disney's most notorious villains attend Auradon Prep. I think I'm saying that correctly.  It's a school for the children of heroes and royalty where they must decide whether loyalties lie with their villainous parents or forging their own identity. So what word do you want people to have to say to win these tickets at 437-1620? Remind me again. What is it called? Disney's Descendants. And who are the main characters?