Orange County School Board Discusses Banning E-Bikes And E-Scooters
(Orlando, FL) --Some students may be banned from riding e-bikes and e-scooters to school in Orange County. The school board held a workshop yesterday and discussed a possible ban on the vehicles at elementary and middle schools. Supporters of a ban cite safety concerns. Opponents wonder if this is an issue best life to the county commission. In the end, no decision was made, and the board will discuss this some more at a future meeting.
Former Tallahassee Mayor Arrested
(Daphne, AL) --Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum is facing criminal charges. He was arrested last week in Alabama for drug possession. Gillum was mayor from 2014 to 2018. He ran for governor in 2018 and won the Democratic nomination before losing to Ron DeSantis. Gillum checked himself into rehab six years ago after he was found with drugs in a Miami-Dade County hotel room.
Federal Court Opposes Florida's Stop WOKE Act
(Tallahassee, FL) --Florida's Stop WOKE Act may violate the constitution. A federal appeals court decided yesterday to uphold a preliminary injunction against the law that passed four years ago. The law forbids teaching anything that causes students to feel psychological distress, like guilt, over actions committed in the past by others of the same race, national origin or sex. The appeals court, though, ruled the state doesn't have the right to control the speech of its employees. A Trump appointee wrote the opinion, and she says "if the history of the First Amendment tells us anything, it is that the government cannot forbid what it perceives as heresy."
Miami-Dade Teachers Union Can Continue Operations
(Miami, FL) --Despite a recent vote, the Miami-Dade County teachers union can continue operations. United Teachers of Dade worried its future could be in jeopardy because it failed yesterday to be re-certified by a majority of its members as is required by a new state law. The Public Employees Relations Commission told the union, though, the law does not apply in this case because the recertification process started before the law took effect. The Broward Teachers Union will have to go through the same recertification process, but President Anna Fusco tells the Miami Herald there's no word yet on when its election will be held.
Trump Signs Shark Attack Law
(Cocoa Beach, FL) -- If you're headed to the beach, a new law could help keep you safer. President Trump has signed Lulu's Law. It creates a system to send emergency alerts to cell phones after a shark attack or when there's an immediate shark threat nearby. The law is named for Lulu Gribbin, who survived a devastating shark attack off Florida's Gulf Coast in 2024. Supporters say quick alerts could help clear beaches and prevent future attacks by warning people before they get in the water.
Today in History
1958, the soundtrack to "Oklahoma!" received the first-ever gold record from the Recording Industry Association of America.
1856, the machine gun was patented by Charles E. Barnes of Lowell, Massachusetts.