'We Want Justice': Families Await Parkland Shooter’s Fate

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Saturday, Oct. 16. We hope you’re enjoying your weekend. As you kick back and relax, here are the stories we’re following today:

• Miami commissioners voted unanimously to fire the city’s police chief after six months on the job.
• Anyone over 18 who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may soon be eligible for booster doses.
• In addition to a hearty dose of good news, we review the past week in pictures.
• The governor of Massachusetts has signed a bill he says will end “lunch shaming” in state schools.

Parkland Shooter To Plead Guilty

The gunman who killed 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland, Florida, high school will plead guilty to their murders, bringing some closure to a South Florida community more than three years after an attack that sparked a nationwide movement for gun control.

The attorney for Nikolas Cruz, 23, told Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that Cruz will plead guilty Wednesday to 17 counts of first-degree murder in the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The pleas will come with no conditions, and prosecutors still plan to seek the death penalty.

Mitch and Annika Dworet, the only victims' parents to attend the hearing, said they are relieved the case is finally moving toward closure.

"We want justice — it's time," Annika Dworet said. For them, that means Cruz's execution.

"We would like to see him suffer," she added. » Cruz To Plead Guilty To Parkland School Shooting: Attorney, via Miami Patch

Bill Clinton Hospitalized

Former President Bill Clinton was admitted to a Southern California hospital Tuesday with an infection but is reportedly "on the mend." Clinton, 75, was admitted to the University of California Irvine Medical Center on Tuesday evening for a urological infection that had spread to his bloodstream. » Bill Clinton In Hospital For Non-COVID-Related Infection, via Across America Patch

Panel Endorses J&J Boosters

In a unanimous decision, an independent panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday officially endorsed booster doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The recommendation applies to anyone 18 and older who received the one-dose vaccine at least two months prior to getting a booster shot. » FDA Panel Endorses Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Booster Doses, via Across America Patch

Miami Police Chief Fired

After six months on the job, city commissioners voted unanimously Thursday night to fire Miami police Chief Art Acevedo. During his brief time with the city, Acevedo was involved in multiple controversies, including cursing at a person in public, implying during an interview that Miami police would be forced to get the COVID-19 vaccine and joking that the city was being run by "Cuban Mafia." » After 6 Months, Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo Fired, via Miami Patch

Supply Chain Woes Hit Home

With Christmas just around the corner and Thanksgiving only weeks away, labor shortages and supply chain snags combined with a surge in consumer demand will likely cause a headache or two for Americans hoping to go all out this holiday season. If you think the current supply chain issues won’t affect you, think again. » 5 Ways The Broken Supply Chain Is Affecting Americans, via Across America Patch

The Week In Pictures

From President Joe Biden's visit in Connecticut to the leaves changing colors in Maine, we've gathered some photos to round up the top moments from this past week. » 9 Photos Of The Week: The Rolling Stones; MLB Playoffs; Wildfires, via Across America Patch

Your Good News Fix

If you’re ready for a hearty dose of happy news, we have 10 stories that will deliver with gusto. From the World’s Cutest Dog to a PGA legend at 16 to a bus driver whose students saved her life, this is some of the best news you’ll read this week. » 10 Good News Stories: World's Cutest Rescue Dog, Everyday Heroes, via Across America Patch

King Of The Island

Owning your own island is basically the No. 1 thing on the rich guy's to-do list, but to be the sovereign lord (or lady) of this island home in Washington state, you don't even need to break the bank. For $350,000, you get a property containing a rustic 1970s cabin and, more importantly, your own island on American Lake.

This Day In History

In 1978, Karol Józef Wojtyła of Poland was elected pope. He assumed the name John Paul II and was the first non-Italian pontiff in 455 years.

Around ‘The Patch’

• Body Thought To Be Brian Laundrie Was Rhode Island Man, via Cranston Patch
• Former Trail Blazers President Larry Miller Says He Killed A Man, via Beaverton, Oregon, Patch
• Governor Signs Bill Designed To End ‘Lunch Shaming’, via Boston, Massachusetts, Patch
• 'They Are My Heroes': Georgia Students Save Bus Driver's Life, via Dallas-Hiram Patch
• Hundreds Of Students In COVID Quarantine Following School Dance, via East Brunswick, New Jersey, Patch
• Robert Durst Gets Life In Prison For Benedict Canyon Murder, via Los Angeles Patch
• Braves Face NLCS Rematch With Dodgers Saturday In Playoff Run, via Atlanta Patch
• Washington Football Team To Retire Sean Taylor's Number 21 Jersey, via Ashburn Patch
• 2 Tigers Test Positive For COVID-19 At Denver Zoo, via Denver Patch

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