Latest news with #WUSF
Axios
6 days ago
- 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.
The Independent
25-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Researchers may finally be able to forecast dangerous red algae blooms
Scientists might soon be able to forecast when the see is gonna turn red - and don't worry, it has nothing to do with the apocalypse. For the first time, researchers identified nearly a dozen viruses associated with red tides off Florida's coast that are harmful and costly. Also known as harmful algae blooms, red tides — the massive growth of algae that is tied to multiple organisms — are driven by wind and water currents, nutrients that run into the water, extreme weather events and unusually high temperatures. They can kill birds, fish and other sea creatures and lead to health problems in humans, including shortness of breath and even death. Blooms can force health authorities to close beaches. 'We know that viruses play an important role in the dynamics of harmful algal blooms, but we haven't known what viruses might be associated with Karenia brevis blooms,' Jean Lim, a postdoctoral researcher at the USF College of Marine Science, said in a statement. 'Now that we've identified several viruses in red tide blooms, we can work to determine which viruses might have an influence on these events.' Identifying the viruses can help forecast when the blooms occur and better understand what causes them to stop. Red tide is a type of naturally occurring algae bloom that impacts the Sunshine State nearly every year: generally cropping up in the late summer or early fall, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which was a partner of the research. Lasting usually for between three and five months, they can result in losses estimated at millions of dollars and affect hundreds of square miles. A swath stretching more than 200 miles impacted areas from Tampa Bay to Key West last month, according to WUSF, and Argentina saw beaches turn a shocking crimson at around the same time. Karenia brevis is the organism that causes red tide. During red tide events, the researchers collected Karenia brevis bloom samples to analyze in a lab. They used a method called viral metagenomics, a process that determines the make-up of the sample's DNA, to find the viruses. They don't yet know how the viruses they found influence red tide blooms, but researchers say that because viruses target certain organisms, specific viruses may only infect Karenia brevis. The researchers are working to determine whether the viruses have an influence on that organism or others in red tide blooms. Finding a potential link between how blooms occur and the presence of viruses could help to predict these events in the future. 'For example, an increase in the number of viruses found in a sample might suggest that a red tide bloom is about to begin, or that it is going to end,' Lim, who is the lead author of the research published in the American Society for Microbiology's journal mSphere, explained.
