Brevard cultural grants to be voted on Tuesday.
The Brevard County Commission will vote Tuesday morning on grants for 44 major events, arts and cultural organizations, and sporting events. The proposed grants total over $800,000, and were unanimously recommended by the advisory Tourist Development Council. Florida Today reports that the guidelines for the grant program will shut out organizations that received funding in previous years. Now an event must attract over 5,000 visitors from outside Brevard. That number is based on tracking cell phone data. Among the groups to receive no marketing support this year are the Native Rhythms Festival, Space Coast Pride, Green Gables, Melbourne Arts Festival, and the Surfside Playhouse. The grant money comes from the county’s 5% tourist tax.
Abortion rights advocates to try again.
Abortion rights advocates want to take their fight back to the Florida Legislature armed with a new talking point: Their cause got about as much support from Florida voters as President-elect Donald Trump did. But the appeal is unlikely to persuade a Republican supermajority whose members were mostly against Amendment 4. State Senator Randy Fine of Palm Bay remarked that most of the people who got elected this month, voted for the abortion ban bill then. Supporters of Amendment 4 insist Florida is on their side, with a vote falling just shy of the 60% needed to add abortion rights to the state constitution.
Miami’s record year keeps Port Canaveral at No. 2 for cruises.
PortMiami saw a record 8.2 million cruise passengers in the last fiscal year, which solidified its place as the “cruise capital of the world.” Port Canaveral, which released its traffic count last month had hoped to regain that title, but came in at #2.
NASA astronauts (don’t) talk about health problems.
In a news conference, the NASA astronauts who were briefly hospitalized after their splashdown last month briefly discussed the issue. They did talk about the strain of returning to Earth after 235 days in space, but they didn’t provide many details. We still don’t know which astronaut spent a night in the hospital or why. Astronaut Micheal Barrett is a doctor who specialized in space medicine. He said spaceflight is still something we don’t fully understand, and their return to Earth was one of those times.
Is Starliner astronaut unwell?
Is Starliner astronaut Suni Williams unwell? The space community is concerned about her appearance. Williams, and crew member Butch Wilmore, have been aboard the International Space Station for 155 days after their ride home on Starliner was cancelled. Photos of Williams show a dramatic weight loss. A former NPR space correspondent called her appearance a serious issue. NASA responded that astronauts aboard the ISS undergo routine medical evaluations, and are all in good health.
Florida Tech recognized as good school for veterans.
The magazine Military Times recognized Florida Tech as a top school for military veterans. In the Best for Vets ranking, Florida Tech came in at #44 in southeastern schools. The school counts 46 military generals among its alumni.
