Satellite High teacher loses job after using student’s preferred name.
A teacher in Brevard County has run afoul of a state law and is paying the price. Rick Glasby has the story:
Brevard Public Schools has opted not to renew a Satellite High School teacher's contract after she referred to a student by the student’s preferred name. That’s a violation of state law. Brevard Public Schools said the student’s parents had not signed a form saying the student could go by an alternate name. A student petition, protesting the action, has gathered over 3,000 signatures. The teacher, Melissa Calhoun, will finish out her contract that expires in May.
Jared Isaacman, for the NASA administrator position
Yesterday the Senate Commerce Committee heard from President Trump’s nominee, Jared Isaacman, for the NASA administrator position.
Isaacman is known as being an entrepreneur and better known as a commercial astronaut.
Ahead of the confirmation hearing, Isaacman sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation. The 42-year-old wrote that he wants to send Americans to Mars.
"We will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars. Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface," he wrote.
By being a billionaire businessman and commercial astronaut, he blends what NASA is trying to do with the commercial space industry by using private companies like SpaceX to launch people to the International Space Station and eventually take humans back to the moon.
Nitrogen and phosphorous from septic tanks and fertilizer spawn the growth of algae in Kings Bay
The three crevasses where the underground aquifer flows into Crystal River are shaded a deep blue. But just a few feet away, the waters start to sport a tinge of green.
“You notice the water is kind of dusty and brown,” said Capt. Mark Denzer, our pilot on a recent spring day. “That's because every time a manatee swims by, it creates that dust because the grass isn't holding it down. So once we remove it, the rest of the ecosystem has to recover from it.”
Denzer says what causes the problem is a lack of seagrass – it was killed by pollution and Hurricane Helene's storm surge.
With 71 spring vents, Kings Bay is the second-largest freshwater spring system in Florida and one of the largest in the nation.
Nitrogen and phosphorous from septic tanks and lawn fertilizer spawn algae growth. That smothers the eelgrass that is one of the anchors of the food chain for marine life, including Crystal River's famous manatees.
New U.S. Visitor Registration Rule Raises Concerns Over U.S.-Canada Relations
Under a new executive order from President Donald Trump, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services now requires foreign nationals— including Canadians— to register with the U.S. government if they plan to stay longer than 30 days. The policy, which takes effect Friday, also mandates that children under 14 register and those individuals be fingerprinted within 30 days of turning 14.
Immigration attorney Lizz Cannon criticized the move, calling it another White House directive that could damage the historically strong U.S.-Canada relationship. “This is just one more policy edict that could undermine the positive ties between our countries,” she said.
Roughly 3.3 million Canadians visited Florida in 2024, according to Visit Florida. The potential impact of the new policy on tourism remains unclear.
More: www.floridatoday.com
