Undocumented students barred from state colleges.
Yesterday the State Board of Education approved a new policy that bars undocumented students from state colleges. The panel voted to require all students admitted to the state’s 28 colleges to be a U.S. citizen or “lawfully present in the United States.” Orlando Democratic Representative Anna Eskamani spoke against the rule changes.
“the attempt to restrict a child to access higher education based on the documentation status that is no fault of their own, is un-American, it's unfaithful, and it absolutely is also constitutionally concerning, because obviously the Florida legislature, we did not pass legislation on this matter”
The state colleges, once known as community colleges, must require students to present documentation before enrolling. A second policy approved Tuesday requires those enrolling in adult general education programs at those institutions to also be a U.S. citizen. Those courses often are designed to help students earn a high school diploma equivalency or learn English. The Florida Board of Governors is implementing a similar policy at state universities.
New state laws now in effect.
New laws take effect in Florida, effective today. WFIT’s Terri Wright explains.
About 140 new Florida laws take effect July 1, alongside the state's new budget. They cover public safety, education, and health care. Among them is a law that allows the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to designate certain companies and groups as terrorist organizations, giving the state the authority to withhold funding, dissolve entities, and allow schools to expel students.
Other measures establish research initiatives for Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and sickle cell disease, create a statewide Parkinson's disease registry, and transfer the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College of Florida.
Florida farms are disappearing.
Florida has lost thousands of farms and acres of farmland due to rising operational costs and land development. Many Florida farmers are selling their land to real estate developers as it becomes less profitable to continue farming. The result are rising prices for fresh fruits and vegetables. The Florida Farm Bureau Federation in Gainesville report the amount of each dollar consumers spend on fresh produce that actually goes to farmers is just over 11 cents.
Can NASA save the Swift Observatory?
NASA's Swift Observatory is at risk of falling out of orbit and burning up in the atmosphere. But NASA has a plan to save it. A rescue mission involves launching a commercial robotic spacecraft to boost the telescope's orbit is planned for tomorrow. The mission is a first-of-its-kind attempt to service a satellite not designed for in-space capture. If successful, the mission will extend the life of the observatory for several more years. The Swift Observatory was launched in 2004 from Cape Canaveral.
Rocket rumble to precede firework’s boom.
Two rocket launches are scheduled from Cape Canaveral before the Independence Day weekend. A ULA Atlas V rocket is set to launch Amazon satellites early Thursday morning. The launch window opens at 12:24AM tomorrow. Then a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch Starlink satellites on Friday morning. The four hour window opens at 7:20AM Friday.
