GOP Looking To Micro-Manage Schools
Looks like Republicans are determined to micro-manage schools in Florida. Now a proposal has been set forth that would prohibit any talk about female menstrual periods at the elementary school level, even if girls that age are beginning that stage of their lives. And the legislation is being sponsored by local representative Stan McLean of Belleview, who tried explaining away the reasoning by saying he wanted to bring uniformity to sex education. Meanwhile, a similar micro-management bill was also filed in the Senate.
It’s not just Florida.
GOP-controlled legislatures in Arkansas, Idaho, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, and Oklahoma are enacting bills that would hike filing fees, raise the number of signatures required to get on the ballot, restrict who can collect signatures, and raise the threshold to pass a constitutional amendment. While the bills have different wording, they have the same goal: limiting voters’ power to override abortion restrictions that Republicans have imposed on the public. The moves come after voters passed pro-abortion initiatives in 2022 in Kentucky and Kansas.
The Military Lied – Again
A Pentagon study has found high rates of cancer among military pilots and for the first time has shown that ground crews who fuel, maintain, and launch those aircraft are also getting sick. The data had long been sought by retired military aviators who have raised alarms for years about the number of air and ground crew members they knew who had cancer. They were told that earlier military studies had found they were not at greater risk than the general U.S. population. Overall, the aircrews had a 24% higher rate of cancer of all types.
Gas Prices Up Again In Ocala
Gas prices jumped by about 10 cents a gallon over the past week. The cheapest price we can find today is $3.09 a gallon and that’s at several stations, all along State Route 200. A more likely price you’ll pay closer to downtown is about $3.20 a gallon.
Guns At Spring Break? Why?
Gunfire erupted in an area of Miami Beach crowded with people on spring break, killing one person, wounding another, and sending dozens scrambling for safety. Two males were shot Friday night, and one person was detained at the scene, the Miami Beach Police Department tweeted. It wasn’t clear if the person being held was the shooter. Police also said three guns were recovered. Miami Beach has now imposed a midnight curfew.
Mexican Pharmacies – Avoid Them
The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning about dangerous counterfeit pills being sold at pharmacies in Mexico that often contain fentanyl. The travel alert posted Friday says Americans should “exercise caution when purchasing medication in Mexico.” Small pharmacies in tourist areas and border regions sometimes sell medications advertised as OxyContin, Percocet, Xanax, and others.
Big Drug Smuggling Operation Broken
A huge drug smuggling operation supplying dope to central Florida has been broken up according to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. 35 people have been arrested and some $8 million dollars’ worth of dope taken off the street during raids by several law enforcement agencies. The drugs were funneled from Puerto Rico. State officials and the US Attorney in Puerto Rico will prosecute all 35 defendants.