Here are the latest headlines and updates on tampabay.com.
SHOOTER IN CLEARWATER STAND YOUR GROUND CASE TO MAKE FIRST APPEARANCE BEFORE JUDGE
Michael Drejka, the man accused of killing Markeis McGlockton in a shooting that reignited a debate over Florida's stand your ground law, will make his first appearance before a judge today. While the 1:30 p.m. showing is largely procedural, it marks the first time Drejka, 48, will make a public appearance since the July 19 shooting. McGlockton's family members are planning to attend, attorney Michele Rayner confirmed. Stay with tampabay.com for updates, and look back at the last 27 days of the case, from shooting to arrest
IN BID FOR FLORIDA GOVERNOR, RON DESANTIS TOUTS NAVY GITMO EXPERIENCE. BUT WHAT DID HE DO THERE?
In his run for governor this year, Ron DeSantis is spotlighting his time at Guantanamo as a key credential. Yet details about what exactly DeSantis did during this historic period are limited. DeSantis' campaign declined to make the candidate available to discuss the experience. So what did he do? The Times/Herald interviewed several retired Naval officers who served at the detention center at that same period, including several who worked directly with DeSantis.
DIVER SUES CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG OVER SEWAGE SPILLS, HEARING LOSS
A certified diver and boat captain is suing the city of St. Petersburg, alleging that the 2015 sewage spills — and lack of proper notification — caused hearing loss from bacteria contracted while he was diving in contaminated waters. Kyle Fortney, a former Pinellas County resident who now lives in Key West, said in the lawsuit filed Aug. 3 that the city "repeatedly, regularly, willfully and negligently discharged vast quantities of raw sewage wastewater that was harmful to human health and the environment."
WHAT'S UP WITH THAT CRAZY, STEEL CUBE YACHT THAT RAN AGROUND ON GANDY BEACH?
It has been spotted frequently in Tampa Bay recently, both in the water and on social media. It's gigantic, strangely cube-shaped and according to the many who have gawked at it, very cool. Described as a Bond villain-esque "floating mansion," the more the mysterious boat shows up around the Tampa and St. Petersburg waterfronts, the more people want to know: What is that thing? Christopher Spata offers some theories.
ASIAN-INSPIRED CHOP CHOP SHOP TAKES OVER NICKO'S IN SEMINOLE HEIGHTS
Folks around Seminole Heights will soon be able to eat Asian-inspired food with the spirit of the King. Nicko's Fine Foods , one of the last standing classic American-style diners in Tampa Bay and the spot where Elvis Presley ate after his 1956 concert in Tampa, is finally set to re-open as the Chop Chop Shop.