Page 27 - Augustine Record News Today

Florida’s school mask rule debate remains heated Jeffrey S. Solochek, Tampa Bay Times © Douglas R. Clifford/Times Second graders practice social distancing while lining up for lunch on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 at Innovations Preparatory Academy in Wesley Chapel. Many school districts across Florida are debating how long to maintain their mask mandates. As we enter May, the Florida legislative session is over. Students begin another round of exams, if they want. Things are wind...

At the end of 1925 Florida was in a construction frenzy. Building supplies could not reach Florida quickly enough. There were simply not enough railroad cars to meet the demand. Remember, that in 1926 few goods traveled long distances by truck. Some of the building materials for Florida also arrived on ships. Construction in Miami needed huge supplies of building materials — and Miami was for the most part at the end of the railway line down Florida’s Atlantic coast. In August of 1925, the ...

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 4.20.21 Good Tuesday morning. Breaking overnight — “ Gov. DeSantis signs online sales tax plan” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — DeSantis has signed the online sales tax bill into law, answering the question of whether he would act on the bill or let it roll into law without his John Hancock. An estimated $1 billion in revenue would come from the new enforcement of sales taxes technically alr...

Few school districts commit to ending mask mandates Jeffrey S. Solochek, Tampa Bay Times © MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE/Times Ms. Euda Toural-Romero, a Spanish teacher, leads her students in a lesson using a digital board, at Excelsior Prep Charter School on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 in Tampa. Mask requirements remained a flashpoint for Florida school districts for yet another day, as superintendents across the state reacted to education commissioner Richard Corcoran’s letter suggesti...

Florida lawmakers seek the art of the deal as session nears its end A roundup of Florida education news from around the state.     Many Floridians are kept on the outside of the process as lawmakers negotiate budget and policy issues inside the state Capitol during the 2021 session. [ IVY CEBALLO | Times ] Updated 2 hours ago With two weeks remaining in Florida’s legislative session, we’re down to the ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ portion of the annual event. Bill content...

Pope’s View: ‘Venturing out’ is turning point to new normal Margo Pope Tuesday, I passed 60 days out from the last of two shots of the Pfizer vaccine. It is a great feeling. Since mid-March, which was a month out from the second shot, I am more comfortable venturing out while observing COVID-19 protocols: masking up, social distancing, carrying hand sanitizer, and washing the hands often. Venture-out stops are not the usual trips for groceries, meds, general shopping or church. Those are ...

St. Augustine Race Week April 17-24: St. Augustine Race Week takes place from Saturday, April 17 through Saturday, April 24 with a variety of adult and children’s themed races and activities. The sixth annual event is headquartered at the historic St. Augustine Yacht Club, 442 Ocean Vista Ave. in St. Augustine. “The ‘Big Boats’ will race off the coast of St. Augustine in the Atlantic Ocean and inshore racers will sail in the Tolomato River, just north of the Vilano Bridge,” said R...

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 4.14.21 A reminder: It’s Seersucker Day in the Capitol. — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ COVID-19 response may be getting dragged through the mud by national media, but a new survey shows Florida voters are fans. Polling firm Cygnal surveyed 800 likely general election voters in Florida and found 60% believe DeSantis has done a good job navigating the state through the pandemic. That beats the 58% approval earned by ...

After a year off, Florida resumes its annual testing A roundup of Florida education news from around the state.     Florida students begin their state writing and reading tests this week. Worries remain among some about in-person testing. Updated 2 hours ago Students across Florida in third through tenth grades begin their in-person Florida Standards Assessments today, with question marks still surrounding how state officials intend to use the results. They’ve said they will reveal t...

The Daytona Beach News-Journal It’s hard to read the two-part (so far) saga of Brian Freeman’s sojourn in St. Augustine  and remain unmoved. As reported by The St. Augustine Record’s Peter Willott and Sheldon Gardner, the bare bones of Freeman’s story go like this: Our photographer Peter Willott noticed the evolving garden, as did many other passers-by. He saw Freeman picking up trash on the side of the road. He rightly thought it was a story that needed to be told. Because Freeman’s...