President Barack Obama will travel to those areas hit hardest by a wave of tornadoes yesterday. White House officials say Obama will visit Alabama on Friday and also meet Alabama Governor Robert Bentley. More than 200 are dead in five states from the deadliest tornadoes in nearly 40 years.

Officials seized 9,000 hydrocodone pills on Tuesday from the offices of Doctor Gordon Bunker in Homosassa. Law enforcement officials say they believe he has dealt close to 300,000 since 2005. Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Sargeant Justin Ferrara says hydrocodone is not as closely monitored as some other drugs. Bunker is …

A brush fire has broken out at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The fire started earlier this afternoon about three miles from the space shuttle Endeavor’s launch pad. NASA officials say the fire shouldn’t interfere with the shuttle’s launch, which is scheduled for Friday.

An escaped juvenile from Marion County had his first appearance this morning. 17-year-old Yarnel Bagley escaped from Marion County Jail on April 19 and was captured yesterday in Jacksonville. Officers arrested Bagley after a K-9 bit him. He was transported back to Marion County last night.

Florida Senate’s Judiciary Committee approved a bill requiring the parents of a minor to be notified by certified mail before an abortion procedure. Senator Alan Hays says, this bill is one of a series of anti-abortion laws moving through the legislature.

This afternoon The Alachua County Commission and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will dedicate a building after former longtime Sheriff Joe Crevasse. The 4 P.M. service will honor Crevasse for his 21 years of service in law enforcement. Crevasse served as Alachua County Sheriff from 1955 to 1976 and the …

Several hundred Alachua County teachers aren’t sure where their next paycheck will come from. As Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM’s Aneta Kozub reports the school district won’t have the answer for them until the state settles on a budget. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/AlachuaTeachersWrap.mp3]

The Florida house and senate are struggling to reconcile their drafts of Florida’s budget. Lawmakers have yet to agree on even some preliminary issues which have kept their proposals from moving to a conference committee. There are 13 days left in the legislative session.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been cleared to attend her husband’s shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral on Friday. This will be the first trip for the Arizona congresswoman since flying to Houston three months ago to recover from a gunshot wound to her head. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is the commander …

Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies fatally shot a pit bull, after the dog attacked a police K-9 while following a suspect on Sunday. Deputies were pursuing 24-year-old Tracy Kennedy when the pit bull started biting the police K-9 on the throat. ACSO Spokesman Todd Kelly says Kennedy’s is to blame for …