Call to free Brevard teen held in Israeli jail.
A Brevard County teenager has been in an Israeli prison for more than six months on allegations of rock throwing. According to his attorneys, Mohammed Ibrahim is being held in Israel’s Megiddo Prison, where they say he has been denied medical treatment. Since his detention more than six months ago he has since lost at least 25 pounds. More than 100 human-rights, faith, and civil-rights groups are calling on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to secure the release of the 16-year-old American Palestinian. Ibrahim’s family lives in Palm Bay and are represented in Congress by Mike Haridopolos. The lawyer says he’s contacted Haridopolos’ office seven times in the past six months but he has never heard back. A spokesperson for Haridopolos says his office has been in contact with Ibrahim’s family.
Space News.
SpaceX sent more Starlink satellites to orbit this morning shortly after 7AM. It was the 72nd orbital launch so far this year from Cape Canaveral.
The next launch is scheduled for early Thursday morning. The four hour launch window opens at 1:27AM tomorrow.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is celebrating its most successful Starship mission to date. On the 10th flight of the massive rocket from Texas, there were no anomalies. Both Starship and Super Heavy booster made uneventful water landings.
Eventually, SpaceX will transition some Starship launches to the Cape. Tomorrow the FAA is collecting your thoughts about the environmental impact of Starship on the Space Coast, and the potential closing of Playalinda Beach for up to 60 days a year due to the Starship launches. Meetings will be held at the Radisson Resort at the Port on Thursday from 1-3PM, and again from 6-8PM.
No cell phones - but laptops may be ok.
The Brevard School Board clarified its position on the use of electronic devices in the classroom at last night’s meeting. Earlier this month, the Board adopted a policy banning all electronic devices for all students in all grades. That sparked backlash from students, parents, and teachers. Now the board plans to rework the policy, allowing high schoolers to use laptops and iPads, with the classroom teacher’s permission.
All road art at risk.
There are more than 400 installations of so-called “road art” in the state of Florida. And it appears all of them are at risk of being removed by the Department of Transportation. It began with the rainbow crosswalks in Orlando and other cities. Now it extends to colorful bike lanes in Lake Nona, and finish flag designs at Daytona Speedway. The Florida Department of Transportation said Tuesday pavement art was unsafe and no longer allowed. Gov. DeSantis backed the DOT at a news conference:
“We’ve made the policy decision in Florida, you know, we’re not going to use the roads for that purpose, you know, the roads are there for either pedestrians to cross and cars to go, and, you know, that’s what its going to be,”
The controversy has come to Brevard County. The Florida Department of Transportation on Tuesday removed an artistic crosswalk at Endeavor Elementary School in Cocoa. The crosswalk at Endeavor Elementary had inspirational phrases, like “road to opportunity” and “path to success.”
