BCPS Students Defend Fired Teacher
(Viera, FL) --Former students and colleagues are rallying around a teacher in Brevard County. They spoke at a school board meeting yesterday to defend Satellite High School's Melissa Calhoun. She was told her contract would not be renewed after she referred to a transgender student by their preferred name instead of their birth name. Doing so without parental consent violates state law.One teacher says Calhoun is dear to her heart, and schools should be a place where people want to work and feel supported. A BCPS spokesperson tells News 6 that Calhoun's contract wasn't renewed because the district didn't want to start the school year with a teacher whose license may be revoked by the state.
Miami-Dade County Teacher Arrested For Molestation
(Hialeah, FL) -- A Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher is facing what the district calls unsettling allegations. Hialeah Senior High School teacher Misael Gonzalez was arrested yesterday for molestation and lewd and lascivious battery. The 55-year-old Plantation resident is accused of having a romantic and sexual relationship with a teenage student. Police say she was 15 when the relationship started. The district says it has initiated employment termination proceedings against Gonzalez.
DeSantis Announces New Tourism Record
(Tallahassee, FL)-- Florida has a new tourism record. Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday the state had a record 143 million visitors last year. That breaks the record set the year before. DeSantis says these results are proof our freedom-first policies work, and that Florida remains the best place to visit, work and raise a family.
Chicago Sun Times Publishes Reading List With Fake Books
(Chicago, IL) -- The Chicago Sun-Times says it's looking into how a reading list featuring fake books made it into print. The list of 15 books was included in Sunday's newspaper and included books that don't exist by real authors. Social media posts have alleged the list was created using AI. The Sun-Times said the list was licensed content that was not created or approved by the paper's newsroom. The paper went on to say it's unacceptable for any content it provides to its readers to be inaccurate.
Today in History
1908, the first American horror movie premieres in Chicago. The silent film was "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde."
1881, the American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton.