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What you need to know Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021

Thanks for waking up on the Brightside with 10 Tampa Bay!

Good morning, Tampa Bay! It's Thursday, which means we're so close to Friday and the weekend! As you start your morning on the Brightside, here are a few things you need to know. 

School mask mandate ban court battle continues

The legal battle of the school mask mandate ban continues, this time with a judge striking down a lawsuit from parents of children with disabilities. 

The judge ruled that parents who filed the suit would better benefit by pursuing administrative remedies that can give tailored solutions to each child's individual needs rather than banning the executive order. 

The judge asked given parents' individualized concerns, "how would an injunction against Executive Order 21-175 solve these problems?" And said the parents did not offer an adequate answer. 

He also said parents should have pursued administrative claims before filing a lawsuit. 

The ruling was a win for Gov. DeSantis who has been battling with local school systems, state and federal courts on whether or not children should wear a mask in school.

Another lawsuit is currently before a Florida Court of Appeal after a judge ruled Gov. DeSantis' mandate is unconstitutional. 

RELATED: Federal judge declines to block Florida ban on mask mandates

Who is Brian Laundrie?

Gabrielle Petito's fiancé, Brian Laundrie, has been named a person of interest in her disappearance.

North Port police say Laundrie "has not made himself available to be interviewed by investigators" or "provided any helpful details" that would lead them to figure out what happened to the missing 22-year-old Florida woman. 

"We don't know what Brian knows. I mean, that's the bottom line," Police Spokesperson Josh Taylor said Wednesday at a news conference. "He needs to talk to us."

The two set out on a cross-country road trip in July in a van that police say was later discovered at the home of Laundrie and his parents in North Port, Florida, where Petito lived. The van was processed for any evidence Tuesday, Sept. 14, in coordination with the FBI, authorities said.

Police say Laundrie returned to North Port on Wednesday, Sept. 1, about 10 days before Petito's family reported her missing as they hadn't seen or heard from her in weeks. She was last known to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming before losing communication, according to the Suffolk County, New York, Police Department.

RELATED: Gabby Petito case: Police name fiancé as person of interest

RELATED: Who is Brian Laundrie? Man named person of interest in disappearance of Gabby Petito

Time to start holiday shopping? 

It's exactly 100 days until Christmas! Believe it or not, it's time to start thinking about shopping for the holidays.

This holiday season is going to be all about budgeting, both your money and your time

The pandemic and crazy weather have created the perfect storm of problems and delays that you should plan for. It all has to do with something called the supply chain.

Think of it as a row of dominoes. 

The pandemic has caused a shortage of workers to manufacture products, weather issues have slowed down the creation of certain materials and caused backups at ports around the world, there's a shortage of shipping containers and even the trucking industry is in need of more people to get these items to the stores and warehouses.

RELATED: Product shortages one reason you should start your holiday shopping now

 

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