Palm Bay to debate fluoride in tap water.
The City of Palm Bay will be discussing fluoridation of its drinking water tonight. The polarizing debate lately over whether fluoride is good or bad for you, and whether local utilities should add that chemical to the water is on the Palm Bay city council agenda Thursday night. Newly-elected councilman Chandler Langevin says Brevard County’s largest city has actually not put fluoride in tap water for about nine years due to machinery failures, but he still wants to talk about the topic. Langevin calls fluoridating drinking water “government force-medicating its population.” The Centers for Disease Control cites studies showing that water fluoridation is responsible for a dramatic decline in cavities in teeth.
Brevard schools receive an “A.”
The Florida Department of Education has released the scores from its new grading system. The system takes into account student performance in core subjects, learning gains between years, graduation rates, and college readiness. In 2024, state education officials announced that nearly two-thirds of schools earned an “A” or a “B” — up from 57% of schools in 2023. Brevard County Public Schools earned an A, coming in at #19 of the 58 school districts statewide. The tiny Lafayette school district in north central Florida was #1.
Van of missing Melbourne woman found in retention pond.
The minivan of a Melbourne woman missing since 2014 has been discovered in a retention pond just over a mile from her home. Brevard Sheriff’s Office investigators say Katya Belaya was last seen over ten years ago. She told her children she was heading to the store but never arrived. Cellphone data from that evening helped locate the minivan on December 20th. Authorities are working to determine if the remains in the van are those of Belaya, and how the vehicle ended up in the pond.
Florida airline files for chapter 11.
Florida-based Silver Airways announced that they have voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The decision will allow the regional airline to “secure additional capital and undertake a financial restructuring.” Silver Airways says it will continue operating as usual, and all tickets remain valid.
Rocket launch schedule.
SpaceX is targeting an 8:27PM liftoff of a Falcon 9 this evening. The customer is Space42, a company based in the United Arab Emirates.
It now looks like Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket will make its maiden flight from the Cape either this coming Sunday evening or early Monday morning. The FAA approved the launch last week, confirming Blue Origin met all safety, environmental, and licensing requirements for orbital missions. The reusable New Glenn rocket is capable of up to 25 flights, with a first-stage landing on a barge offshore in the Atlantic.
Restricted rights for transgender Florida prisoners.
A federal judge is refusing to block a new policy in Florida prisons that restricts transgender rights. The policy requires transgender women inmates to cut their hair to meet male grooming standards and prohibits them from wearing female undergarments. Florida announced the policy change in late September and suggested at the time it would block transgender inmates from receiving hormonal therapy. The judge found that there is not enough evidence to show that denying the ability to wear makeup, have long hair, or wear female clothing violates the Eighth Amendment rights of transgender prisoners.
