If you’re voting by mail, don’t forget to check the postage
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is October 24th. But, before putting your ballot in the mailbox, make sure you’ve put the right amount of postage on it.
It costs a dollar and a cent to mail-in your ballot.
Some counties, like Hillsborough and Pinellas, send pre-paid return envelopes to their voters. However, others, like Sarasota and Pasco, do not.
Pasco County Supervisor of Election Brian Corley says they do not pay for mail-in ballot postage because it wouldn't be fair to in-person voters.
"How is it different than say early voting. You know, I don't give a gas stipend for you to drive. I don't give you a dollar fifty of gas to drive to your early voting site or your election day polling place."
Brevard County's mail in ballot does come with a post paid envelope. No postage necessary.
Space Perspective announced that billionaire Sir Richard Branson will be a co-pilot for the Titusville-based company’s first space balloon launch.
Space Perspective announced that Richard Branson will co-pilot Space Perspective’s first crewed test flight next year, alongside Founder Jane Poynter and Founder Taber MacCallum,”
The craft is designed to be fastened to a huge balloon where tourists can view Earth like astronauts.
Each flight lasts approximately six to seven hours, where tourists will reach a height of 100,000 feet 30,480 meters.
The 74-year-old Branson is known for having an interest in space tourism, where in 2004 he created the company Virgin Galactic.
He is also one of the investors in the Titusville company.
Walgreens is closing 1,200 locations. Florida leads US in number of stores
Walgreens will close about 1,200 stores in the U.S. as it struggles with slumping consumer spending.
Florida leads the U.S. in the number of Walgreens pharmacies, with 801.
The closures will take place within the next three years, starting with 500 stores in fiscal year 2025,
The 1,200 closures account for about 13% of the more than 8,700 stores in the U.S.
It has not yet been announced which stores will be closing.
Orange County School Board denies teachers’ request for more than 1.9% pay raise
After a full day of deliberations, the Orange County School Board voted against higher pay raises for the district’s teachers Wednesday.
Board member Karen Castor Dentel [dental] says she’s frustrated that the district doesn’t have the money in the budget to approve more than a 1.9% raise.
Castor Dentel says that’s partly due to more state dollars going to private and religious schools, instead of public ones, as part of a universal voucher system.
“So and that's for students who never attended our public schools, kids who were already paying for private school, now they get the voucher. So those challenges are real.”
The board also voted down the union’s proposal for paid parental leave and expanding supplements for veteran and special ed teachers.
La Niña winter is possible, drier and warmer winter for Florida
This fall, La Niña is slowly developing, and this shift in the pattern is expected to last at least through February 2025.
Having a La Niña present exacerbates the warming pattern, especially in areas where the heat has been relentless.
La Niña present in the winter months usually displaces the jetstream more northward; this tends to bring drier and warmer than normal conditions during its duration.
There will be storms and some cold fronts, but they will be less frequent and perhaps less intense.
More: www.floridatoday.com
