Melissa Calhoun can teach again - just not in Brevard County.
Brevard Public Schools will not rehire a teacher who was cleared by the state to return to the classroom. The teacher, Melissa Calhoun, was ousted for using a student's chosen name without parental permission. Calhoun reached a settlement with the Florida Department of Education that allows her to return to teaching on probation. But Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Mark Rendell said the district would not rehire her.
Home builders target manatee ruling.
After a federal judge required additional environmental protections for manatees in the Indian River Lagoon, a coalition of home builders and developers want to overturn the decision. The judge placed a moratorium on constructing and installing septic tanks around the northern Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County. Saying the case has “significant implications for home construction and the economy,” home builders and the septic-system industry this week urged the Court of Appeals in Atlanta to overturn the decision. Florida has totaled 484 manatee deaths so far this year, with the largest number, 96, in Brevard County.
Car insurers offer rate drop.
Car insurance rates in Florida are dropping. The state’s five largest insurers have all asked Florida’s insurance regulators to approve rate reductions, averaging a 6.5% drop. The five insurers are Progressive, Geico, State Farm, Allstate, and USAA. Together they provide insurance to 78% of the Florida market.
Florida attorney general targets online adult videos.
Florida’s Attorney General, Jame Uthmeier, claims some online adult video websites are violating Florida law requiring them to verify the age of viewers. Other video providers, including PornHub, have stopped doing business in the state due to the law. Online porn companies risk a $50,000 penalty for each intentional violation of the law. Uthmeier is asking the court to enjoin the companies to prevent future violations of the law and seeking civil penalties, attorney’s fees and costs, and punitive damages. Many of the companies are based in the Czech Republic. According to Uthmeier’s suit, the website XVideos.com has 18 million views a month from Florida.
Daytime rocket launch scheduled for Thursday.
A daytime rocket launch from the Cape is scheduled for Thursday. A SpaceX Falcon 9 will carry the fourth batch of Amazon satellites into low-Earth orbit. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos launched Project Kuiper, a global network of satellites, to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. The launch window opens at 10:01 AM tomorrow.
NASA funds Blue Origin studies.
NASA has selected Blue Origin of Merritt Island to study lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits. Blue Origin will produce two studies, including one for Blue Ring, a space platform providing payload delivery, on-board computing, and end-to-end mission operations. It uses hybrid solar-electric and chemical propulsion capability to reach geostationary, cislunar, Mars, and interplanetary destinations. The second is a New Glenn upper stage study.
Family-friendly TSA lane at MCO.
Good news if you’ll be flying out of Orlando International Airport with kids in tow. TSA has debuted dedicated, family-friendly security lanes. The lanes are available for travelers with children 12 and under. Orlando claims to fly more baby strollers than any other airport in the world. A side benefit of the kids lane should be faster processing through the normal TSA lines.
