Latest news with #FLORIDATODAY
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Longtime parenting columnist and editorial writer Annette Clifford passed away this week
It's always sad when you receive news that a former coworker has passed away. It's so much worse when that coworker was a kind, gentle, compassionate soul who spent her life fighting against social injustices the best way she knew how: with her writing. And she was a hell of a writer. The entire FLORIDA TODAY community was saddened to learn that Annette Clifford, who regaled Brevard County for more than a decade with her parenting column that started in the late 1990s and later with her biting editorials holding government officials accountable, died this week after a long illness. She was only 69 years old. Born in Asheville, N.C, in 1956 and raised in Raleigh, Annette lived an adventurous life before settling down in Satellite Beach with her husband Tom ― whom she married in 1978 ― and their three sons. She spent time living in Algeria, Paris, and on New York's Bleecker Street in the heart of Greenwich Village and earned degrees from The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, New York University and a master's in literature from William & Mary. "She was very private but had a wild, adventurous spirit," her heartbroken husband, Tom, told me this week over a cup of coffee. "I was blessed to have found this partner." But it wasn't her world travels or educational experiences that touched the hearts of so many here on the Space Coast. It was the unique, beautiful, poignant and often comical way she wrote about what it was like to raise three boys in Brevard County. Tom Clifford was the FLORIDA TODAY features editor in 1998 when the reporter writing a weekly parenting column wanted to take a break. He offered Annette an opportunity to give it a try and she took to it immediately. "She was naturally funny in a benign, lowkey, unassuming way and she managed to chanel that into a column talking about being a parent raising three young boys in this day and age," Tom said. "She managed to come up with a great style that was personable, funny and something that everybody could relate to whether you had kids or not. It became an instant hit." After four to five years of writing the column, Annette joined the newspaper's editorial page as a part-time editorial writer and before long was hired full-time. It was her experience growing up in the South during the Civil Rights Movement and seeing racism and social injustice that informed all of her editorial writing. She published a collection of her columns in a book called: "World's Toughest Job: Tales of Modern Motherhood", that is still available on Amazon. It was a sad day in 2010 when Tom and Annette left Brevard for job opportunities in Charleston, S.C. The couple returned to Brevard in recent years and Annette continued writing all the time. She wrote poetry, short stories, a novel and even won the Florida State University 'World's Best Short Short-Story contest' one year. Longtime FLORIDA TODAY columnist Billy Cox stayed in touch with Annette through a writer's group hosted by another former FLORIDA TODAY staffer, Pam Harbaugh, who covered theater and the arts. "I knew Annette best through her personal writing. The columns she wrote for the paper were just the surface material," Cox said. "I'd drive over there every six months or so and we'd all get together and share what we'd been working on. Annette's best work was her fiction, short stories, poetry, at least one novel. I tend to think the South was the source of so much inspiration. Her insights and observational skills could be ferocious and downright scary in their precision. She was probably the best of us, and we were all hoping she might publish and get the wider audience she deserved." "I'm very sad today," he added. Harbaugh remained close to Annette right up until the end. She said Annette, though a serious person, wasn't afraid to show her silly side. She recalled a time when they attended a Crosby, Stills and Nash concert at the King Center in Melbourne and how Annette screamed "at the top of her lungs like a teenage girl" when Stephen Stills walked on stage. "She later told me she had a massive crush on him," Harbaugh said. "I'm sure that found its way somewhere into a poem." To call the last year of her life a difficult one would be a massive understatement. In September, Tom and Annette suffered every parent's worst nightmare when their first-born child, Nick, died in a car accident on US 1. It was a loss she never recovered from. One of the last poems she wrote came months after that devastating loss. She wrote: 'And just now, today, the noise of life came again my way. I listened. What was said? I don't even know. Just that I heard hope murmuring.' Annette is survived by her husband Tom, sons Declan and Graham and four ― soon to be five ― grandchildren. Despite all her writing achievements, it was clear that her family was the center of her universe. "Annette held dear the essence of life, family and friendships," Harbaugh said. "She saw nobility in the humble and resonance in the mundane. That showed in her poetry and prose. It remains sophisticated, smart, filled with wit, sly observation and appropriately melancholy given her French heritage (which also informed her penchant for spitting into the eye of a king)." Arrangements are still being made for a memorial and celebration of Annette's life. "She was so kind, so pleasant, so compassionate, so helpful. She was all these things naturally," Tom said with a sad smile. "Thank God she was there raising these boys with that sensibility." Contact Torres at jtorres@ You can follow him on X @johnalbertorres or on Facebook at Support local journalism and become a subscriber. Visit This article originally appeared on Florida Today: FLORIDA TODAY Parenting Columnist Annette Clifford will be missed
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
SpaceX rocket launch in Florida to send SiriusXM satellite into space: What time is liftoff?
A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is on the horizon — and when this 'so Florida' thing occurs, it's very Instagram-worthy. A SpaceX rocket will potentially launch a SiriusXM geostationary communications satellite. Though rockets here blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, people beyond the Space Coast can sometimes see this phenomenon. Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast could be visible from Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to Vero Beach and West Palm Beach (see videos and photo gallery with this story). When there's a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there's an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo. Below is more information on rocket launches in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them. Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot) For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@ or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@ For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit Mission: SpaceX will launch a SiriusXM geostationary communications satellite, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows. Launch window: 11:19 p.m. EDT Friday, June 6, 2025, to 3:48 a.m. Saturday, June 7, 2025 Launch location: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Sonic booms: No Trajectory: TBA Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at : You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network's Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type into your browser. Tom Cruise and untitled SpaceX project: 'Mission: Impossible' star who lives in Florida may shoot a film in outer space Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache. Sebastian Inlet State Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach, Florida (cost to enter) Wabasso Beach Park, 1808 Wabasso Beach Road, Wabasso, Florida Ambersands Beach Park, 12566 N. SR A1A, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking) South Beach Park, 1700 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking) Merrill Barber Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, 905 Shorewinds Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Blind Creek Beachside North and South, 5460 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Blue Heron Beach, 2101 Blue Heron Blvd., Fort Pierce, Florida Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, 3600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Dollman Park Beachside, 9200 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida Herman's Bay Beach, 7880 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida John Brooks Park Beachside, 3300 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Middle Cove Beach, 4600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Normandy Beach in Jensen Beach, Florida Pepper Park Beachside, 3302 N. SR A1A, Fort Pierce, Florida Walton Rocks Beach, 6700 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida (dog park) Waveland Beach, 10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida State Road A1A causeway in Stuart, Florida House of Refuge and beach, 301 S.E. MacArthur Blvd., Stuart, Florida This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: What time is Cape Canaveral liftoff?
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: What time is Cape Canaveral late-night liftoff, what to know
A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is on the horizon — and when this 'so Florida' thing occurs, it's very Instagram-worthy. A SpaceX rocket will potentially launch a SiriusXM geostationary communications satellite. Though rockets here blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, people beyond the Space Coast can sometimes see this phenomenon. Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast could be visible from Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to Vero Beach and West Palm Beach (see videos and photo gallery with this story). When there's a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there's an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo. Below is more information on rocket launches in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them. Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot) For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@ or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@ For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit Mission: SpaceX will launch a SiriusXM geostationary communications satellite, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows. Launch window: 11:19 p.m. EDT Friday, June 6, 2025, to 3:48 a.m. Saturday, June 7, 2025 Launch location: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Sonic booms: No Trajectory: TBA Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at : You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network's Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type into your browser. Tom Cruise and untitled SpaceX project: 'Mission: Impossible' star who lives in Florida may shoot a film in outer space Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache. Pretty much anywhere in Brevard, you'll get a view of the rocket launch − in certain areas, you can get an amazing view of SpaceX rocket boosters returning to the pads. The best view to watch a rocket launch from the Space Coast is along the beach. However, visibility will depend on weather conditions and people should make sure not to block traffic or rights of way on bridges and to follow posted rules at beaches. If you are viewing the launch along the Indian River in Titusville from Space View Park or Parrish Park, look east directly across the river. If you are farther south along the Indian River, look northeast. Playalinda Beach or Canaveral National Seashore is the closest spot to view liftoff because it is almost parallel to Launch Pad 39A. On the beach, look south along the coastline, (you can even see the pad from some spots). Some hotspots to check out: Sebastian Inlet Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter) Jetty Park Beach and Pier, 400 Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral. Note, there's a charge to park. Playalinda Beach, 1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Note, there's a charge to park, and access to Canaveral National Seashore isn't always granted depending on capacity and time of day. Max Brewer Bridge and Parrish Park, 1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville. Note, parking is available on both sides of Max Brewer Bridge. Space View Park, 8 Broad St., Titusville Sand Point Park, 10 E. Max Brewer Causeway, Titusville Rotary Riverfront Park, 4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville Riverfront Park at Cocoa Village, 401 Riveredge Blvd., Cocoa (just before State Road 520 Causeway) Cocoa Village, near the parks and shops or near the docks Various parks on Merritt Island Rotary Park, 1899 S. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island Kiwanis Park on Kiwanis Island Park Road on Merritt Island Port Canaveral, with ships from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean at port Alan Shepard Park, 299 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs. Cocoa Beach Pier, 401 Meade Ave. Parking fee varies. Lori Wilson Park, 1400 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson Park has a dog park, by the way. Sidney Fischer Park, 2200 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs. Downtown Cocoa Beach, along Minutemen Causeway Tables Beach, 197 SR A1A, Satellite Beach The Tides on SR A1A in Satellite Beach Various parks, including the Pelican Beach Clubhouse, in Satellite Beach Pineda Causeway Eau Gallie Causeway Front Street Park near Melbourne (U.S. 192) Causeway and U.S. 1 in Melbourne Indialantic boardwalk at Melbourne Causeway and SR A1A Paradise Beach Park, aka Howard Futch Park, 2301 SR A1A, Melbourne (this is a beachside park) This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida SpaceX rocket launch: What time is liftoff from Cape Canaveral
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX rocket to launch GPS satellite from Florida for the Space Force: When is liftoff?
A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is on the horizon — and when this 'so Florida' thing occurs, it's very Instagram-worthy. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will potentially launch a GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force on Friday, May 30. Though rockets here blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, people beyond the Space Coast can sometimes see this phenomenon. Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast could be visible from Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to Vero Beach and West Palm Beach (see videos and photo gallery with this story). When there's a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there's an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo. Below is more information on rocket launches in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them. Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot) For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@ or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@ For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit Mission: SpaceX will launch a Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite for the Space Force's Space Systems Command atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Launch window: 1:23 p.m. to 2:08 p.m. ET Friday, May 30, 2025 Launch location: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Sonics booms: TBA Trajectory: TBA Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at : You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network's Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type into your browser. Tom Cruise and untitled SpaceX project: 'Mission: Impossible' star who lives in Florida may shoot a film in outer space Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache. In Volusia County, immediately north of Brevard County — home to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — you can get a great view of a SpaceX, NASA or United Launch Alliance rocket launch. The best views to watch a rocket launch from here is along the beach. Look due south. Recommended spots: • South New Smyrna Beach (Canaveral National Seashore) • Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach is 3.5 miles south of New Smyrna Beach and one mile north of the Apollo Beach entrance to Canaveral National Seashore Park. • Apollo Beach at Canaveral National Seashore (south of New Smyrna Beach). Canaveral National Seashore runs along Florida's East Coast in Volusia County and Brevard County. To access Apollo Beach, take Interstate 95 to exit 249, then travel east until it turns into State Road A1A. Follow SR A1A south to the park entrance. • Oak Hill riverfront is the southernmost city in South Volusia County. • Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill • Goodrich's Seafood and Oyster House back deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill • Seminole Rest national historic site, 211 River Road, Oak Hill • Riverbreeze Park, 250 H.H. Burch Road, Oak Hill • Mary Dewees Park, 178 N. Gaines St., Oak Hill • Nancy Cummings Park, 232 Cummings St., Oak Hill • Jimmie Vann Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill • A.C. Delbert Dewees Municipal Pier, 243 River Road, Oak Hill • Bird Observation Pier on River Road across from A.C. Delbert Municipal Pier (see above) • Rose Bay in Port Orange, Florida • beaches along New Smyrna Beach, Florida • New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna Beach lifeguard station • Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach, Florida • Ormond-by-the-Sea in Ormond Beach, Florida • George R. Kennedy Memorial Park in Edgewater, Florida This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: What time is Cape Canaveral liftoff?
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
SpaceX rocket to launch GPS satellite from Florida for the Space Force. When is liftoff?
A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is on the horizon — and when this 'so Florida' thing occurs, it's very Instagram-worthy. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will potentially launch a GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force on Friday, May 30. Though rockets here blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, people beyond the Space Coast can sometimes see this phenomenon. Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast could be visible from Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to Vero Beach and West Palm Beach (see videos and photo gallery with this story). When there's a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there's an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo. Below is more information on rocket launches in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them. Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot) For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@ or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@ For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit Mission: SpaceX will launch a Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite for the Space Force's Space Systems Command atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Launch window: 1:23 p.m. to 2:08 p.m. ET Friday, May 30, 2025 Launch location: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Sonics booms: TBA Trajectory: TBA Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at : You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network's Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type into your browser. Tom Cruise and untitled SpaceX project: 'Mission: Impossible' star who lives in Florida may shoot a film in outer space Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache. Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, some rocket launches from the Space Coast can be visible in Palm Beach County. When there's a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, with a southeast trajectory, there's an opportunity for unique photos. Some examples include United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rocket launch and SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. From Cape Canaveral, Florida, to West Palm Beach, Florida, it's about 150 miles. What the views look like: Rocket launches from Cape Canaveral spotted in West Palm Beach Rocket launches from Cape Canaveral can often be seen from Palm Beach County, and it can be as easy as walking out of your house and looking north. Try to get away from any obstructions, such as trees, tall buildings, and bright lights. Obviously, cloud cover can also get in the way. If the forecast is for clear skies and you want a better view, some good places to watch the rocket launch from Palm Beach County include: : 14775 U.S. 1, Juno Beach : Downtown West Palm Beach, 620 South Flagler Drive : 300 block of South Ocean Boulevard : If you don't know, this is the island that connects Palm Beach and West Palm Beach on Southern Boulevard (near Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private club known as the Winter White House or Southern White House). There's a bridge with a pedestrian walkway over Bingham Island, on Southern Boulevard. : 10 South Ocean Blvd., Lake Worth Beach : 10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach : 400 N. State Road A1A, Boca Raton This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida SpaceX rocket launch: What time is liftoff from Cape Canaveral
