School board disses Calhoun.
The plight of teacher Melissa Calhoun came up at yesterday’s Brevard School Board Meeting. Board member John Thomas made a motion to reconsider the decision not to rehire Calhoun. No one seconded the motion, so it died. The president of the Florida teachers union, Andrew Spar, said legal action against the school board is not out of the question. And Spar noted that Calhoun’s former place of employment, Satellite High, has a teacher vacancy.
Storage unit fire requires the bomb squad.
A fire in storage units south of the Merritt Square Mall took an unexpected turn yesterday. While fighting the blaze, firefighters discovered a hand grenade. The bomb squad used a robot to remove the device. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Palm Bay removes school zone speed cameras.
The City of Palm Bay is removing all of its school zone speed cameras following a FOX 35 investigation that revealed many were improperly installed and had issued questionable citations. Officials say no new tickets will be issued, though some drivers are still fighting citations in court.
Missing some money?
One in five Floridians have unclaimed funds and property, which means there’s a 1-in-5 chance some of it is yours. It may be money in forgotten bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, abandoned safe deposit boxes and other locations. Since 2017, the state of Florida has returned about $2.7 billion to residents through the FLTreasureHunt.gov website. The average claim is $825. The free service is provided by the Florida Division of Unclaimed Property.
Florida’s AG won’t defend the anti-long gun law.
It’s not unheard of for an state attorney general to refuse to defend a state law he or she doesn’t agree with — it happened when Democratic Attorney Generals declined to defend bans against same-sex marriage. What happened then is what’s happening now with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. He’s refusing to defend Florida’s ban against long gun sales to under-21-year-olds. But outside groups are stepping to fill the void. In this case, it’s Brady, the gun-control group, has filed a request to intervene in the NRA’s constitutional challenge to the law.
Feds propose less sweet orange juice.
The Federal government may propose that the required sugar level in pasteurized orange juice be reduced. It’s an effort to help Florida citrus growers use more of their own crop, and rely less on imported juice. Florida’s orange industry is still suffering from citrus greening, and the lasting impact from hurricanes. You probably won’t notice a difference in the taste of fresh orange juice - sugar content will be reduced from 10.5% to 10%.
Spirit Airlines has doubts it can survive.
Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines is operating under bankruptcy protection. And now the Florida company is warning it has doubts whether it will be operating a year from now. In its quarterly earnings report Spirit says it may be unable to meet its debt obligations. The company’s stock fell 45% after the announcement.
Tropical Storm Erin continues westward.
Tropical Storm Erin continues on its westward path. It’s expected to grow into a major hurricane by early next week. Although models don’t currently show a direct threat to Florida’s east coast, dangerous oceans swells and rip tides are possible at area beaches.
