Year: 2026

By AL HARTMAN

Hot enough for you? It’s gonna’ get worse. I just can’t wait. The ticks this year are horrible. I pick five or six off me every day just being in the yard.
But here is the good news. Talk about hot, the scallops are in, and I have never seen them in so many numbers. A person can get their limit in no time at all.
The parking at the boat ramps is really nearly impossible. If you are going, get there early.
I thought I was early enough and found only three places left, and I had to hunt for them.

By JUDGE LAYNE SMITH

Q. Judge Smith, a few years ago, the State of Florida charged my cousin with murder. He was jailed from the date of his arrest through his trial, two years later, when the jury convicted him. What happened to his pretrial presumption of innocence? – Jacqui
A. Although I don’t know the details of your cousin’s case, I can explain why some defendants are held in custody before trial despite their presumption of innocence.
Courts usually don’t confine defendants before their trials. More often, courts impose less restrictive means than jail. For example, in battery cases, courts often order defendants not to have any pretrial contact with their victims.