Latest news with #WUSF
Axios
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Family of Tampa man killed in West Bank calls for investigation
Relatives of a Tampa man who was killed last week in a fight with Israeli settlers in the West Bank are calling on the U.S. State Department to investigate. State of play: The settlers beat to death Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian American business owner, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, according to WUSF and NPR. Musallet's family and the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Florida chapter held a news conference Monday calling for accountability, saying Musallet was trying to protect his family's land. The settlers blocked an ambulance from getting to Musallet, his family said in a statement, per WUSF. After they cleared, his brother rushed him to the ambulance, but Musallet died before reaching the hospital. What they're saying: "We demand justice," family members wrote in a statement. "This is an unimaginable nightmare and an injustice that no family should ever have to face." The State Department did not immediately return Axios' request for comment Tuesday and declined to comment to WUSF. The other side: Israel's military said the confrontation started after Palestinians threw rocks at Israelis in the area, lightly injuring two people, WUSF reported. Zoom in: Musallet, whose family calls him Saif, grew up in Port Charlotte, where he rode out 2004's Hurricane Charley in the laundry room with his mother at just 2 weeks old, per the Tampa Bay Times. He moved to Tampa last year to buy an ice cream shop with his cousins. Business at Ice SSSScreaming in the University area took off, and Musallet wanted to expand, said his great-uncle, Hesam Musallet, who was like a grandfather to him. "He's not just a number," Hesam Musallet said. "He was a person. He was a name. He had loved ones."
Axios
04-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
WUSF launches Tampa Bay local news podcast, "The Wake Up Call"
Tampa Bay's NPR affiliate this week launched a local news podcast. Why it matters: WUSF's "The Wake Up Call" fills a need in the Tampa Bay market for a quick-hit, conversational podcast with local happenings and things to do, news director Mary Shedden told Axios. Zoom in: Each episode is about five minutes and includes three sections: news headlines, local events and a feature highlighting interesting voices in the community, drawing on reporting from WUSF reporters. It's hosted by Sky Lebron and publishes weekdays at 7am. 💭 Kathryn's thought bubble: Full disclosure, Mary is a friend and mentor of mine, but that's not why I'm writing about this!
Axios
28-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Florida's school districts cite funding cuts for meal option changes
State and federal budget cuts — plus the end of pandemic-era relief funds — are changing how school districts across Florida are feeding public school students. Why it matters: Research has long suggested that free meals in schools increase positive outcomes for students. Doing away with programs that support universal free lunches could negatively impact the millions of Florida's public school students who rely on them. Depending on the district, some families will have to pay for lunch for the first time in years. By the numbers: More than 50% of Florida's public school students last year received free or reduced meals while at school, according to the Florida Department of Health. In Miami-Dade, more than 78,600 students, or more than 55%, were eligible. In the Tampa Bay region, there were more than 72,700 students. More than 50% of students qualified in both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, per the state. The latest: In recent weeks, school districts across Florida have announced they are no longer offering free lunches for all students in the 2025-26 school year and are returning to a previously used application process. Other districts have raised the cost of lunches for students. Case in point: In Broward County, officials in a news release said the district will no longer offer free lunches for all students in the 2025-26 school year, citing "changes in program funding." It's also increasing lunch prices by $1. Duval County Public Schools said it was doing away with free universal lunches for 37 schools, reported News4Jax. Pasco County schools announced it was increasing prices for elementary and middle school lunches by 15 cents and high school prices by 20 cents, WUSF reported. A spokesperson for Hillsborough County schools told WUSF it was not raising lunch prices. How it works: Federal funding is available to schools that qualify for the Community Eligibility Program, which provides free lunches for all students at schools if 40% or more students qualify for free or reduced meals. In recent years, districts have provided free lunches in schools that don't meet the CEP criteria, but budget cuts and the end of stimulus funds have made those alternatives harder to sustain. Miami-Dade County schools still qualify for CEP and will continue offering universal free lunches for the 2025-26 year, but officials told Axios they "are evaluating all options for future years." State of play: Both the Broward and Duval districts had used excess federal relief dollars to offer free lunches for all students at schools that no longer qualified for CEP. Those programs, officials said, can't be supported without the additional federal dollars. In Broward County, free school lunches cost about $9 million annually, according to the Miami Herald. Yes, but: That doesn't mean free meals won't be available. Beginning July 14, families who qualify can apply for their student to receive free or reduced lunches, officials said. And all students can still receive free breakfasts through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Universal Free Breakfast Program.
Fox News
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Florida AG takes 'victory lap' after blue city says it won't violate sanctuary ban
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is taking a victory lap after Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said his city has no intention of violating state or federal immigration laws as some Republicans criticize the city's allegedly contradictory "Trust Act," which bars city employees from inquiring about residents' immigration status. "We're going to be a rule of law state here in Florida…. we're not going to have any sanctuary cities or jurisdictions anywhere in the state, so we've made clear to local governments, mayors… if you stand in the way, we're going to hold you accountable," Uthmeier said Wednesday on "Fox & Friends First," where co-hosts Todd Piro and Carley Shimkus reported on his "victory lap." "We can take civil action against you. The governor can remove you from office, and there's other tools at our disposal. So a few of these jurisdictions have popped their head up saying they might not like the law, and they might not want to work with us. "We've put them on notice very quickly and, thankfully, so far all have come around, and they are going to enforce the law," he continued. Uthmeier threatened to remove Dyer, a Democrat, from his post if he refused to comply with a 2019 Florida state law outlawing sanctuary city policies. According to WUSF, an NPR affiliate based in Tampa Bay, Uthmeier aired his grievances after Dyer stated during a city council meeting that the Orlando Police Department "will not be proactive with immigration enforcement and will adhere to the Trust Act Policy." In a letter penned Monday, he criticized the "Trust Act" though, according to a report from the Orlando Sentinel, the policy says it does not "prohibit any City of Orlando employee from cooperating with federal immigration authorities as required by state or federal law." The outlet said Commissioner Tony Ortiz, a Republican and retired police officer who led efforts to pass the policy, also insists the "Trust Act" is not a sanctuary policy and that Orlando is not a sanctuary city. Dyer responded to Uthmeier with a letter the following day, stating that the city of Orlando takes his "letter, Florida law, and federal immigration law very seriously." "Neither I nor the Orlando Police Department have any intention of violating federal or state law, and as you know, we have signed the Memorandum of Agreement 287(g) Task Force Model with ICE," he wrote. "Our OPD officers are in the process of being trained by ICE to provide assistance at its direction. We assure you we will continue to use our best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law, as well as state law."
Fox News
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Florida House votes unanimously to keep golf courses, pickleball courts out of state parks
After Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed golf courses, pickleball courts and other recreational opportunities for Florida state parks last summer, the Florida House voted against the plan. The vote was 115-0 for the measure Wednesday, which now goes to the Senate, where a similar bill is moving through committees. Supporters said public reaction and protests last year against what DeSantis called the Great Outdoors Initiative was a key factor in the governor's subsequent decision to shelve it. "I think we were all shocked to hear what they were going to do to our precious state parks," said Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, via WUSF. "This is in direct response to that plan and in direct response to what our constituents wanted us to do." "The public outcry, you could probably hear it all the way up to the moon or Mars," said Rep. Lindsay Cross, a Democrat from St. Petersburg who attended some protests. The bill, she added, will "make sure our wild Florida stays wild." Development would still be allowed in the parks, but any projects must be "conservation-based recreational uses" that support activities like hiking, swimming, horseback riding, boating and nature study, according to a House staff analysis. "Any use or construction activity must be conducted in a manner that avoids impacts to a state park's critical habitat and natural and historical resources," the analysis added. DeSantis' Department of Environmental Protection proposed the plans last summer, but opponents protested, and many plans were scrapped. Shortly after the proposal, DeSantis walked back the pitch, saying the plans were "going back to the drawing board." "Our state parks are precious," Democratic state Rep. Allison Tant said. "We have our state parks that represent the real Florida." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
