Former Melbourne councilwoman Minus faces hearing over alleged death threat against councilman
Melbourne Vice-Mayor David Neuman has accused former Melbourne city councilwoman Yvonne Minus of making death threats against him at a September meeting.
At its Nov. 13 meeting, the Council voted 6-0 to hold a hearing to decide whether Minus should be removed from the government boards she serves on. The hearing will be at yet to be determined future Council meeting.
The state attorney's office has already investigated the allegation and declined to prosecute Minus.
The Florida State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to ratify
and adopt The Phoenix Declaration, whose framework was developed by
the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group also known for authoring
Project 2025. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares the details.
Florida is the first state in the nation to formally adopt the document as its
guiding principles for education. In it, the Heritage Foundation outlines a
vision for an education system focused on traditional values, parental
empowerment, and academic rigor.
Supporters say the declaration promotes universal values such as parental
choice, academic excellence, and objective truth.
However, critics argue that although the document includes language with
which many can agree, its adoption will politicize Florida's public education
system. The Florida Education Association called it a "political campaign
disguised as a declaration" and a "political pledge."
Brevard-based Heart and Soul Dragon Boat team qualifies for world championships in Taiwan
The Heart and Soul Senior Women’s Team, part of the Heart and Soul Dragon Boat Club, recently earned a silver medal at the U.S. National Dragon Boat championships in Sarasota.
Their second-place finish at Nathan Benderson Park didn’t just earn them hardware — it earned them a ticket to the 2026 World Club Crew Championships in Taiwan, one of the sport’s most prestigious international events.
The Heart and Soul club practices at Oars and Paddles Park in Indian Harbour Beach, consisting of about 100 members.
Leonid meteor shower approaches peak 2025 activity. When to see it in Florida
The Leonid meteor shower, which first became active at the beginning of November, is due to peak in activity for two nights in the days ahead. The Leonid meteors, which occur annually as Earth passes through cosmic debris from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, are not known for producing an abundance of meteors, colloquially referred to as "shooting stars."
But the Leonids should dazzle spectators with their brightness, color and speed. In fact, Leonid meteors are considered to be some of the fastest of the year.
And in 2025, the Leonid meteor shower will provide an encore of sorts after the northern lights dazzled in an earlier celestial light show across much of the United States.
SpaceX launches Starlink 6-85 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida
Launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit as the second launch of a back-to-back doubleheader. Launch was at 1:44 a.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 15 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Closure of Police Hall of Fame in Titusville puts Brevard County out $2.7 million
Brevard County awarded the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville a $5 million tourism grant in 2023 to go toward the museum's planned expansion.
The expansion never happened, although the county had already paid $2.7 million of the grant to the museum.
Last month he museum's leadership told Titusville officials that it would soon close its doors.
Funding for cultural grants comes from money generated by Brevard County's 5% tourist development tax on hotel room rentals, vacation rentals and other short-term rentals.
Now tourism officials want to know where the money went and whether or not they can recover any of the $2.7 million.
Tourism officials will conduct an audit to determine if any of the grant money can be recovered, though it may be difficult.
The funds were provided as reimbursements for expenses, and there is currently no evidence of misuse.
National Hurricane Center watching rainstorms, rough seas in Gulf, Caribbean
With only a little bit left in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, the tropics remain free of hurricanes, tropical storms, depressions or even waves, according to latest update from the National Hurricane Center. No tropical activity is expected for the next seven days.
Cold waves moving through the area have passed after two days of record-breaking chill but temperatures are expected to pick up until Florida is back to warm days and cool nights by the weekend. As of Thursday morning, there are no weather alerts in the state.