Graduates completed 29 weeks of training, equivalent to 770 hours, beginning on June 5, 2023. Training included high liability classes, defensive tactics, firearms, vehicle operations, and first aid. The 152nd class included five military veterans representing the Army, Air Force, and the United States Marine Corps. Five graduates came from law enforcement families.
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Federal Judge Will Hear Arguments in Escambia Schools’ Book-Banning Case in January
The case is playing out amid wide-ranging debates in Florida and other states about school officials removing or restricting access to books. The plaintiffs in the Escambia County case contend that the school board’s decisions violated First Amendment and constitutional equal-protection rights. Attorneys for the school board argue the judge should dismiss the case because the board has authority to decide which books to purchase and keep on school shelves.
The Affidavit Behind Rape Allegation Against Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler
The release of Sarasota police’s sworn affidavit provides facts about the rape investigation of Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler, writes investigative reporter Bob Norman. The facts are damning primarily to Ziegler, but also to his wife Bridget Ziegler, a Sarasota School Board member and cofounder of the right-wing, book-banning group Moms for Liberty.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, December 17, 2023
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village’s Holiday Night market, a Message of Joy at Palm Coast United Methodist, the great cat massacre of the Macquarie Island, and in eighteenth century Paris.
‘American Fiction’: Who Gets to Decide Blackness?
Directed by Cord Jefferson and starring Jeffrey Wright, the film presents an opportunity to talk about race, power and white supremacy within intellectual and cultural spaces, including higher education. Specifically, what version of Blackness is acceptable or saleable within American culture?
When Trump Says He’ll be a Dictator, Believe Him
The twice-impeached Trump has made it clear he is still seething about being voted out during the 2020 election. The emotions Trump harbors toward his Republican rivals are volcanic levels of seething anger. His dictatorial impulses–and ambitions–have to be taken seriously.
Florida Senate Targets AI’s ‘Deepfakes’ in Political Ads
Concerns about materially deceptive media — so-called “deepfakes” — have accelerated as the use of artificial intelligence has become more sophisticated in recent years, prompting a member of the Florida Senate to propose civil penalties for using them in political ads.
Florida Court Rules Child Is Mature Enough to Be a Mother, But Not to Have an Abortion
A state appeals court Friday upheld a Calhoun County circuit judge’s ruling that blocked a minor from having an abortion without notification and consent of a parent or guardian. The decision’s implicit reasoning is that the child is nevertheless mature enough to carry the baby to term.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 16, 2023
Artie Gardella Book-Signing, The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, denying Palestinians the right to exist, Piers Morgan vs Bassem Youssef Round 2.
Sandra Day O’Connor’s Civics Lesson
Beyond her trailblazing role as the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor considered iCivics – a civics education nonprofit founded after she retired from the court – to be her “most important legacy.”