Latest news with #WJAX
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers gear up for Black History Museum battle
Months after a committee selected St. Augustine as the preferred location of a future Florida Black History Museum in a vote tainted by controversy, a new battle appears to be taking shape in Tallahassee. Lawmakers have filed three competing proposals for facilities in St. Augustine, Opa-Locka and Eatonville, which were the three finalists weighed by committee members. Each bill professes its site as the best location and asks for state funding to help get the project moving. St. Augustine's bill cites the committee selection, while its backers spoke about the historic city and the tourism it draws. 'The great thing about putting it in the St. Augustine area is that tourism is driven by people who are studying history,' Sen. Tom Leek (R-St. Johns) said in an interview with WJAX. 'People who want to come to the nation's oldest city, right?' Opa-Locka's proposal says the city is the most ready to break ground and asked for $1.5 million to help construct a temporary museum until a proper project is advanced. Rep. Bruce Antone (D-Orange) filed Eatonville's proposal Thursday and marveled at the site right off I-4 and minutes from the world's tourism capital. 'The best quality museum is best suited for Orlando,' he said. Antone's proposal asks for $75 million over five years and frames the museum as a Florida Museum of History. While much of the space would be dedicated to Black history, he said at least a third would go to exhibits showcasing nature, citrus, railroads, rockets and the Cuban migration. Because of this, Antone said his bid did not compete with the other two. 'It's going to be a tough road ahead, but again, I'm just going to try to outwork and outsell my colleagues. I think we can get it done,' he said, predicting any museum in Orlando would be self-sufficient once it's operational. 'It can be an economic driver and work if done properly.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How important is homework? This Florida school district says it matters.
The big story: Just how important is homework? One Florida school district has renewed the debate with a move to reverse its past practice of not grading assignments sent home to practice classroom lessons. Pasco County superintendent John Legg said the lack of consequences for failing to get the work done has contributed to declining proficiency in the state's key academic standards. He announced plans to again allow teachers to hold students more accountable for their homework, adding he believes in the importance of sending home materials to reinforce what's been taught in school. School board members applauded his plan to have revised homework rules by the start of the fourth quarter. The response online was more mixed. Some argued it won't work, with others wondering when teachers will have time to grade more assignments. Several people said the materials are important, but the 'second shift' of school for homework is not. On the other hand, some contended that ungraded homework is worthless. Read more here. Artificial intelligence: The rise of AI has prompted concerns over how schools can use it as a resource without falling victim to abuses of the model. A state-funded pilot program at two Tampa Bay area charter schools is seeking solutions. Book challenges: The St. Johns County school board placed restrictions on student access to six library books, declining to remove the novels completely, WJAX reports. Campus leadership: The new principal of Pasco County's River Ridge High graduated from the school 25 years ago. Cellphones: Sarasota County students won't face stricter cellphone limitations in school after parents objected to proposed changes to the district's rules, WUSF reports. College experience: Several incoming University of Florida students are crying foul over the school's change to its Innovation Academy program, which would now have them begin in spring 2026 rather than fall 2025, the Gainesville Sun reports. Food insecurity: Bethune-Cookman University has added a food pantry on campus for needy students, WMFE reports. High school sports: A state House subcommittee advanced legislation that would allow more private school students to play sports on public school teams, WCTV reports. Immigration enforcement: Martin and St. Lucie county schools have seen their attendance rates drop amid family fears of immigration actions, WPTV reports. • Lee County schools received guidance on how to respond to ICE requests for access to students or information, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. Public comment: The Alachua County school board no longer will accept public input via phone call at its meetings, saying the pandemic remnant cost too much while being underused, the Independent Florida Alligator reports. School zones: Plans to install speed detection devices outside 16 schools in Cape Coral have not come to fruition, frustrating residents, WINK reports. • Mount Dora officials agreed to install speed zone cameras outside three schools in the city, WESH reports. • Manatee County will restrict the hours it enforces school zone speeds after complaints from drivers who received tickets for incidents outside the school day, the Herald-Tribune reports. Student data: The St. Johns County school district informed families that it was hit with a nationwide hack of student personal information, WTLV reports. • Absenteeism and homelessness are at an all-time high for Leon County schools, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Teacher pay, benefits: Escambia County teachers and the school district reached a tentative contract agreement that would include raises between $800 and $3,000, WKRG reports. • Retired Martin County teachers are urging the school district not to end promised insurance supplements they receive, TC Palm reports. University leadership: About 200 students, alumni and area residents protested the appointments of new conservative members to the University of West Florida board of trustees, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. • Florida Atlantic University is poised to pick its next president on Monday, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Don't miss a story. Here's a link to yesterday's roundup. Before you go ... Did you know Florida has caves? Check out this video of cool Florida spots to visit.
