One down - one to go.
SpaceX launched NASA's Crew-13 astronauts from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station this morning. The four astronauts are due to arrive at the International Space Station around 7pm today for their six month stay.
Still to come today, a Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch a national-security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. The launch window opens at 11:53 pm. Expect sonic booms as the two side boosters return to land on the Cape.
Evolution and Climate Change deleted from K-12 standards.
For the first time since 2008, the Florida Department of Education has proposed a rewrite of its K-12 science standards. As the department holds virtual and in-person listening sessions to gather input from families, some educators and academics are raising concerns about the absence of two terms…
Evolution and climate change.
Stetson University education professor Rajni Shankar-Brown (RAH-shnee SHAUN-kar BROWN) worries removing specific concepts could mean students lose important scientific knowledge.
“It is really terrifying to think that we are moving backwards when we are at a time where it is essential, we are thinking forward about our planet, about our world, about our diverse communities”
The 18-member review committee includes just one science education professor. The rest are school district employees, and the board has no science specialist. The final draft goes before the State Board of Education in December. If approved, the standards would roll out over four years, with teacher training beginning this school year.
Deadline to remove Flock cameras.
Wednesday was the deadline for Florida law enforcement agencies agencies to remove any Flock-style license plate readers on state-owned roads. The directive from the DeSantis administration has received pushback from some law enforcement officials and mayors, who say that there’s nothing wrong with the technology. They say it’s rogue police who abuse the technology that are the issue.
Vax exemptions changed.
Florida is changing the allowed exemptions that parents can use to avoid vaccine shots for their kids. The DeSantis administration is backing off its push to add “sincerely held” moral or ethical beliefs to the list of reasons why parents could refuse to vaccinate their children and still be allowed to send them to school. The proposed rule still eliminates four vaccines from the mandatory list of shots that children are required to have to enter school. The Department Of Health has scheduled a hearing on the proposed rule changes for Oct. 8.
New Florida laws take effect today.
About 12 new laws went into effect today in Florida. It’s illegal for tobacco dealers to sell nitrous oxide, also known as "laughing gas." It’s a first-degree felony to distribute certain forms of xylazine, an animal sedative with the street name “tranq.” You’re breaking the law if you lie about your identity in an apartment rental application. And it’s an offense for adults who involve minors in acts of animal cruelty.
Congress tries end-run around Florida court decision protecting wetlands.
Back in 2020, Florida became the third state to take over control of issuing wetland permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Environmental groups successfully sued two years later, alleging the state takeover of the permits was an illegal end-run around the Endangered Species Act. The ruling was upheld on appeal two years later. But, developers are now pushing Congress to pass the Restore Florida Water Independence Act. It would allowdevelopers to “return to wiping out wetlands again.” The three-page bill is sponsored by five Florida congressmen, including Mike Haridopolous, of Merritt Island.
