Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer announced on Oct. 13 that a divided jury recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole as punishment for the Parkland school shooter on count 13 of first-degree murder.

The families of the victims of the 2018 Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland reached a $25 million settlement on Monday with Broward County Public Schools.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. In memory of 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff and 18-year-old Meadow Pollack, two victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a school in Coral Springs becomes the first in the nation to adopt new safety technology. The Active Law Enforcement Response Technology, or ALERT, is a system that allows teachers to use the SaferWatch app to push a button to quickly ask for help. Software by IntraLogic Solutions integrates security systems with the systems at the crime center for faster response during an emergency. Meadows father, Andrew Pollack, chairs the School Safety Grant, which funded the implementation of the technology at the Coral Springs Charter School and Chabad of Coral Springs. Although this project started out with school safety in mind, the applications of this software go beyond education, Coral Springs Police Chief Clyde Parry said.

During a virtual hearing held on Zoom, Scherer also said she was going to hold the next virtual status hearing at 11 a.m. on Aug. 25. “We have to take it one day at a time,” Scherer said, adding that she was open to hearing about creative solutions. Gabriel Ermine, a public defender representing Cruz, 21, said the coronavirus pandemic has also contributed to the delay of depositions and legal motions. The jail also hasn’t been safe for the experts who need to meet with Cruz, Ermine said. “We are ready to have them go in once everything is safe,” Ermine said.