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WFIT Local & State News - January 1, 2024 PM

The future of the Brevard schools book review committee.

Three months after the Brevard Public Schools book review committee was halted, it's still unclear what the future holds for the committee ― and a growing list of books parents have challenged. In late September, the district's book review committee was put on hold, with the district citing two vacant positions in the five-member committee. At the time, Tara Harris, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said meetings would be postponed until new members were appointed. But it's not clear when new members will be appointed. Brevard Public Schools did not respond to multiple requests for comment from FLORIDA TODAY. During 2024, the review committee ― whose job it is to review challenged books and make a recommendation to the school board, reviewed a total of 14 books. Twelve of those books were restricted to high school only or removed from school shelves entirely.

Brevard County and tsunamis.

We usually think of tsunamis as a West Coast thing. But it’s possible a wave of water could hit Brevard County, destroying oceanfront condos, and tossing cruise ships around like bathtub toys. Scientists warned for decades a tsunami could jet our way at more than 500 mph from a earthquake, volcanic collapse or underwater landslide. The late George Maul, an oceanographer and tsunami expert at Florida Tech, warned of inevitable tsunamis in Florida and the Caribbean that would bring disaster, especially to ports with docked cruise ships. Deniz Velioglu Sogut, assistant professor in FIT's Department of Ocean Engineering, says Port Canaveral's emergency response protocols are good for hurricanes but they are not tailored specifically for tsunamis. Sogut adds that Florida's risk of experiencing a tsunami is relatively low. He’s skeptical of how much tsunami would be left by the time giant waves reach Florida. According to the National Weather Service, in Brevard County only Indian Harbour Beach is designated as tsunami-ready.

Rocket launch on Thursday.

SpaceX is wasting no time in getting Falcon 9s off the pad in 2025. The first rocket launch of the year is scheduled for Thursday evening. The launch window at 8:27 PM. The weather forecast is 95% favorable. And then a Falcon 9 will send a batch of Starlink satellites to low earth orbit on Sunday afternoon. The launch window extends from 12:10PM to 4:41PM.

Disposing of old fireworks.

If you have fireworks left over from night night, or even last year, it’s not a good idea to save unused fireworks for an extended period. They technically don’t expire, but old fireworks could pose a safety risk. You're better off getting new ones for each holiday. Used fireworks should be left in a bucket of water overnight and then thrown out with the rest of your trash. But never put any fireworks, used or not in a recycling bin.

Cocoa Beach’s shark drop.

In Times Square they celebrated New Year’s Eve with the Waterford crystal ball drop at midnight. In Orlando, they dropped a giant orange ball. But in Cocoa Beach they rung in the new year with the 3rd annual shark drop. A fake shark descended from a platform to count in the new year.

Rick Glasby is a Broadcast Journalist at WFIT.