By SAM HAND
FAMU Extension

Many, many years ago, Ben Franklin proved lightning was electricity. Franklin and his son flew a kite into a violent storm with a key attached to the kite’s string while he held on.
Luckily only the key was charged by the high voltage strike. Today we know a lightning strike’s temperature is hotter than the sun’s surface. It is no wonder Franklin’s key glowed in the aftermath of the storm.
Keep that thought in mind as we answer my wife’s question asked after an unusually loud thunderclap. “What is that and what causes thunder? Is it dangerous?”

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.

SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Ausley McMullen, one of Florida’s oldest and highly respected law firms, today announced Lowe Legal & Title will be joining their firm, creating an expanded legal team that combines more than a century of trusted legal counsel and broadens the services and resources available to clients throughout North Florida.