Daily News Update with Rich Jones of WOKV : 8/3/2012

[Tamara-B]

Afternoon storms will once again be around today and through the weekend.  The rest of the time it'll be hot and sunny with temps in the low 90's.

We're tracking Tropical Storm Ernesto is heading toward some popular vacation spots in the Caribbean, including Barbados and St. Lucia.  The National Hurricane Center says Ernesto is headed west at about 22 mph.  The storm

Today's interview lineup:

At 6:53 hear Jamie Dupree explain how much Amtrak is losing on food and beverage service. http://www.wokv.com/Player/101473811/

Our Top Local Story:  Mitt Romney is the big winner at the 2012 Political Hob Nob.  More than 500 people voted in the straw poll and it clearly was a conservative majority at the Hyatt. The nasty Florida Senate primary saw Mike Weinstein beat Aaron Bean by just 20 votes.  Most in attendance say the economy is the biggest issue in the August primary and November general election.  See the full results here.

The popular back-to-school sales tax holiday is back. Shoppers will not have to pay sales taxes on clothing items worth $75 or less or on school supplies that cost $15 or less. The tax holiday was starting at 12:01 a.m. today and running until Sunday night.

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office needs your help in finding the man who robbed a Marshall's store earlier this week.  He showed a handgun to a clerk and demanded money as he was checking out.  He left with an unknown amount of money.

Four suspects charged in the killing of a Clay County detective waived their right to a speedy trial. The four face murder charges in the killing of Detective David White, who was shot during an investigation into a meth lab in February.  Though none of the four fired the fatal shot, three are charged with first-degree murder.  The next pretial hearing for the four suspects is August 30.

Federal officials say none of the three commuter jets that flew too close to each other near Washington was ever headed for a collision.  But federal aviation officials say they are investigating Tuesday's incident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Our Top National Story:  A flashpoint in the race for the White House with the monthly unemployment report out today.  U.S. hiring was likely sluggish in July for a fourth straight month. Analysts surveyed by FactSet believe that employers added 100,000 jobs last month. That would keep the unemployment rate at 8.2 percent for the third straight month.

They served our country and now, are looking for a job.  New this morning, Jacksonville's 14th annual Veterans Jobs Fair gets underway at the Agricultural Fairgrounds.  Several companies are looking to hire, including: Vystar, The Brumos Companies and the Department of Labor.  The city's Military Affairs Department is hosting the free two-day job fair.

Congress has left for its August recess with some major bills left undone. House Republicans have refused to bring to the floor a bill passed in the Senate that would spend almost $100 billion a year over the next five years for farm and nutrition programs. And Congress has yet to come up with a plan to help the U.S. Postal Service regain fiscal solvency.

A day after publicly pressing the General Services Administration over its travel and conference spending, a House panel turned its focus on Amtrak, charging that the national rail service regularly loses millions each year on its food service for passengers and has done little to rein in those costs.

Chick-fil-A officials say the fast food restaurant chain set a one-day sales record on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day."  The event was held amid an ongoing controversy over a company executive's public stance against same-sex marriage.  And today, gay rights activists are planning "kiss-ins" at Chick-fil-A's nationwide.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather has been released from a Las Vegas jail after serving two months of a three-month sentence in a misdemeanor domestic battery case.  Mayweather walked out of the Clark County Detention Center early this morning.

http://www.wokv.com/videos/online/advertising/morning-news-video-blog/ldQ/