President Obama joined other political leaders, clergy and thousands from Newtown Connecticut at a vigil last night for the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. The President also met with families of some of the victims before the service. First responders who joined in the memorial received a standing ovation as they entered the interfaith vigil in the auditorium of Newtown High School. School officials in Connecticut won’t say if Sandy Hook will ever reopen.

Some schools across the Bay area will have increased security today and school physiologists on site for students. Parents in the Hillsborough County district received automated calls last night to advise them of the increased security. Pasco County says they will have a heightened presence for law enforcement around schools; Pinellas County had no new security plans as of last night but said they will make sure each school has resources to handle questions and concerns for parents and student.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not go before Congress this week to testify on Benghazi. She’s recovering from a concussion she received after fainting last week as the result of dehydration from stomach flu. Senior State Department officials William Burns and Thomas Nides are to take Clinton's place at the hearings. House committee Chairwoman Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen made clear she still wanted Clinton to testify at some point.  

Pinellas County deputies were forced to fatally shoot a Clearwater man after they responded to his home on a domestic violence call. Danny Meredith confronted the deputies while holding a shotgun after they called him out of his home. Meredith had no prime criminal record.

The Bucs were blown out in New Orleans yesterday, losing to the Saints in a 41-0 shutout. Josh Freemen was hit for four interceptions.

Are they messing with your Diet Pepsi? Kind of. They’re started using a blend of two artificial sweeteners to make it stay fresher longer, and as a result, makes it tastes sweeter.