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☆ Florida just ranked as the top state for education, amid DeSantis battles on curriculum, books, and college leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But on Tuesday, Florida came in first for education as part of the annual Best States rankings from US News & World Report. The Florida education model works." Students from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools School for Advanced Studies-Wolfson campus protest during a statewide walkout on April 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar panned the US News analysis as a "narrow view of education" and predicted curriculum restrictions and book removals would "impact student scores in the years ahead." Florida ranks 44th in the US for spending per student on public schools, according to the Florida Education Association, which is the state's teacher's union.

☆ Our family loved living out of a converted van and bus so much that we started a business so others can share in the joys of #vanlife
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Jake and Gianna Bachowski spent years traveling the country and living on the road with their kids. The couple lived in a van when their oldest child was a baby and a bus when they had their second. As van and bus conversion experts, they help others do the same with their business Our Van Quest. Gianna: Before the van, we'd been trying to figure out how to spend more time together as a family. The Bachowskis' oldest child, Luna, sitting in the van her family lived in while traveling across the country.

☆ Opinion | This Is What the Right-Wing Takeover of a Progressive College Looks Like
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

SARASOTA, Fla. — When I first met Matthew Lepinski, the faculty chair of New College of Florida, he was willing to give the right-wingers sent to remake his embattled progressive public school a chance. Ron DeSantis of Florida appointed six activist conservatives, including the culture war strategist Chris Rufo, to New College’s board of trustees. He hoped the transformation would be proof of concept for his dream: a conservative takeover of higher education across the country. In the ensuing months, there was concern among Lepinski’s colleagues that he wasn’t doing enough to stand up to their new overlords. “I thought maybe there was a path forward with this board where we could focus on the things that unite us instead of the things that divide us,” he said.

☆ A Florida Garden Brings Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Work to Life, in Bloom
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Joseph B. Treaster | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences. This is not your grandfather’s artist in the garden, not the usual sculptures and paintings simply set among the plants. The garden’s designers call their work horticultural theater, and they go at it as if they were staging a play. The Tiffany exhibition, “Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature,” runs through June 25. Forty-two works by Louis Comfort Tiffany serve as the reference point for the botanical interpretations, which are sprinkled throughout Selby Gardens, a 15-acre oasis on a peninsula jutting into Sarasota Bay.

☆ DeSantis goes to Washington, a place he once despised, looking for support to take on Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Steve Contorno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hours ahead of his meeting with congressional Republicans, Florida Rep. John Rutherford endorsed Trump, making him the sixth House Republican to back the former president over their home state governor. Rutherford’s announcement comes after NBC reported last week that DeSantis’ political operation was scrambling to convince Florida Republicans not to endorse until after he had formally decided to run. A spokesman for DeSantis’ political operation did not return a call or email. But by plucking support from within DeSantis’ backyard, Trump has created the impression that even Republicans close to DeSantis may be having second thoughts about his performance. Roy was among the first to back DeSantis, calling him “a man of conviction” who “unequivocally has made Florida stronger and freer.”

☆ It’s a Tough Time for Divorcing Couples Who Jointly Own a Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Nicole Friedman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When Ashley Worsham was getting a divorce last year, she wanted to continue living in the Sarasota, Fla., home she purchased in 2020 with her then-husband, Luke Giaccone. But refinancing their current mortgage to take Mr. Giaccone off the loan would have raised her monthly payments by about $500 a month. “I noped out of that really fast,” she said.

☆ These are the 10 top cities Americans are looking to move to, according to a report — and of them 5 are in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Florida dominates the list of US cities that Americans want to relocate to, according to Redfin. Four other Florida cities, including Tampa and Orlando, made the top ten. Miami was the most popular destination for Americans looking at property listings in a different metro area to where they currently lived, the report said. Four other Florida cities – Tampa, Orlando, Cape Coral, and North Port-Sarasota – also made it to the top ten. The top ten destinations for Americans looking to relocate outside their metro area, according to Redfin, are:Miami, Florida Phoenix, Arizona Las Vegas, Nevada Sacramento, California Tampa, Florida Orlando, Florida Cape Coral, Florida, Dallas, Texas North Port-Sarasota, Florida Houston, TexasSome people, however, are bucking the trend by moving out of the Sunshine State.

☆ For battered U.S. bank shares, earnings may make or break
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Even so, the S&P 500 bank index (.SPXBK) is down 16% since March 8, two days before Silicon Valley's collapse, with the failure of Signature Bank and problems at other banks adding to the turmoil. Some say quarterly results could be key to what happens next with bank shares. Among other financials, Jefferies Financial Group (JEF.N) is expected to report quarterly results after the closing bell Tuesday. Analysts expect S&P 500 earnings to fall 4.6% in the first quarter of 2023 from the year-ago period. They are forecasting S&P 500 financials (.SPSY) to post year-over-year earnings growth in the first quarter of 5.4%, making it among just four sectors whose earnings are expected to climb.

☆ Spring training roundup: Astros pound Cardinals 24-1
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Astros starter Jose Urquidy scattered four hits over four innings, allowing the lone run on a multiple-error play in the second that scored Oscar Mercado. Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty yielded six earned runs on four hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings. Wil Myers hit an RBI double and Michael Siani added an RBI single for the Reds. Elehuris Montero hit his fifth homer of the spring, a two-run shot, and Brenton Doyle went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple for the Rockies. Padres starter Michael Wacha went five innings and yielded eight hits, two walks and four runs.

☆ Spring training roundup: A's yield inside-the-park HR, rally past Angels
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Taylor Ward scored an inside-the-park home run for the Angels in the first inning. Ward's liner to center got past a diving Esteury Ruiz, and the A's were slow to chase it down. Jake Cave hit his third homer of spring training for Philadelphia, while Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen hit his first of the spring, a two-run shot. Washington got a two-run homer from Victor Robles and outhit St. Louis 15-6. The Giants had 16 hits, hanging six hits and six runs on Dodgers starter Noah Syndergaard (1-2) over 4 1/3 innings.

☆ Spring training roundup: Max Fried stays unbeaten, Braves blank Twins
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Ozuna's home run -- his first of the spring -- came in the third inning and completed the scoring. Twins starter Kenta Maeda (0-1) gave up five runs (all earned) and five hits in four innings. For the Blue Jays, starter Alek Manoah (1-2) gave up one run and five hits in six innings. Rockies 7, Royals (split squad) 0 (six innings)German Marquez tossed five shutout innings as visiting Colorado blanked Kansas City in Las Vegas. Elehuris Montero and Michael Toglia went deep for the Rockies, while Matt Beaty doubled for the Royals' only extra-base hit.

☆ Spring training roundup: Nats score 8 in ninth to beat Astros
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Blake Rutherford hit an RBI single, Cody Wilson -- who pinch-ran for Arcia -- hit a two-run double and Vargas singled home Wilson. The Yankees had 15 hits, led by Wilmer Difo (2-for-4, home run), Benjamin Cowles (homer) and Estevan Florial (2-for-4, three RBIs). Cardinals 16, Marlins 2Masyn Winn went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Willson Contreras doubled and went 2-for-3 with three RBIs as St. Louis throttled Miami in Sarasota, Fla. The Cardinals collected 17 hits, with Dylan Carlson contributing two hits, two RBIs and two runs. The Marlins' Jerar Encarnacion went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

☆ DeSantis' hand-picked Walt Disney World oversight board meets for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Octavio JonesMarch 8 (Reuters) - A new board controlling Walt Disney World's special taxing district in Florida will meet for the first time on Wednesday, as Governor Ron DeSantis' hand-picked group gets ready to end the entertainment giant's "corporate kingdom." Nothing in the language of the legislation creating the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District gives the board of supervisors authority to direct Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) content. "The District board members are now in place and will be examining all of the needed actions to get back on track," Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor, said on Tuesday. Legislators in Florida passed a bill in February giving DeSantis effective control over a board that oversees municipal services and development in a special district that encompasses Walt Disney World resort. “Shameful to see Disney continue to use children as pawns to advance their WOKE political agenda,” Ziegler tweeted.

☆ Spring training roundup: Orioles beat Phillies on walk-off HR
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Mar 6, 2023; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) hits a RBI double against the Baltimore Orioles during the third inning at Ed Smith Stadium. They tied the game in that frame on Coby Mayo's run-scoring single, Connor Norby's RBI groundout and Colton Cowser's two-run homer. Alec Bohm went 2-for-3 with a homer, a double and two RBIs for the Phillies and Jake Cave added a two-run shot. Miguel Rojas opened that salvo with a two-run double and later added a solo homer for the Dodgers. Cade Marlowe went yard and Cal Raleigh hit an RBI double for the Mariners.

☆ U.S. FAA, NTSB probe new airline runway incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating a string of recent runway incursions that have attracted national attention. The FAA said the American Airlines flight crew discontinued the landing after the controller advised that the Air Canada aircraft was departing. The aircraft were about 3,100 feet (945 meters) apart when the American Airlines jet began its climb-out, the FAA said. The FAA will hold a March 15 safety summit and is forming a team of experts to review airline safety after several recent near-miss incidents. The FedEx plane had been set to land on a runway on which a Southwest Airlines jet was also cleared to depart.

☆ US awards nearly $1 billion to airports in infrastructure grants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is awarding nearly $1 billion to 99 U.S. airport terminal projects under a 2021 $1 trillion infrastructure law. The awards include $10.8 million to Des Moines International Airport in Iowa to replace the 1948 terminal that is operating above capacity and $29 million to Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah for a terminal and concourse redevelopment program. This is the second phase of funding - the FAA awarded nearly $1 billion for airport terminal projects announced for 85 airports last year. In November the FAA granted final environmental approval for construction of a new $4.2 billion terminal at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and for an $8.5 billion project at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that includes a new Terminal 2. The 2021 infrastructure law dedicates $25 billion for airport projects over five years.

☆ Grapefruit League roundup: Pete Alonso hits first HR for Mets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Daniel Vogelbach had two hits with an RBI and Abraham Almonte went 2-for-2 with two RBIs for the Mets. Justin Dirden went 2-for-2 with a homer and a key single in the seventh-inning uprising. Bobby Dalbec also went 2-for-2 with a homer and two RBIs and two runs for Boston. CJ Abrams went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Erick Mejia singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning for the Nationals. Phillies 7, Yankees 4Weston Wilson went 2-for-2 with four RBIs to help host Philadelphia defeat New York in Clearwater.

☆ Florida Great Displacement: Climate Change Forces Residents to Leave State
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Jake Bittle | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The Keys are also the first flock of canaries in the coal mine of climate change. The hurricane made undeniable what previous floods had only suggested: that climate change will someday make life in the archipelago impossible to sustain. The decision to leave, on the other hand, which once signified surrender, now looks more like acceptance of the inevitable. It's this messiness that is reflected in the word "displacement": the migratory shifts caused by climate change are as chaotic as the weather events that cause them. This is an excerpt adapted from THE GREAT DISPLACEMENT: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle.

☆ Here are the US cities where home prices are actually falling
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

San Jose, California, was the most expensive place to purchase a home in the United States in the fourth quarter. Prices for San Francisco homes are already down 21% in the fourth quarter from the peak median price of $1,550,000 in the second quarter. Among the most expensive cities that saw prices falling are Anaheim, California, with the median price of $1,132,000, down 1.6% from a year ago; Los Angeles, with the median price of $829,100, down 1.3%; and Boulder, Colorado, with the median price of $759,500, down 2.0%. Other places with falling prices saw the big price increases during the frenzied home buying market of the past few years. Instead, prices for single-family homes climbed in nearly 90% of metro areas tracked by NAR in the fourth quarter: 166 markets out of 186 saw prices still going up.

☆ Tuesday Morning says it wants to close 265 stores as part of its bankruptcy filing. See if your local store is on the list.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Camarillo: Camarillo Village Square, 2450 Las Posas Road, Ste HCamarillo Village Square, 2450 Las Posas Road, Ste H Roseville: Fairway Commons Shopping Center, 5771A Five Star Blvd. San Diego: Pacific Plaza Shopping Center, 1772‐D Garnet AvenuePacific Plaza Shopping Center, 1772‐D Garnet Avenue Woodland Hills: Pride Shopping Center, 22950 Victory Blvd. Winston-Salem: Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1947 North Pease Haven Road, Space #1947Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1947 North Pease Haven Road, Space #1947 Matthews: Windsor Square Shopping Center, 9945 E. Independence Blvd. ; Westhill Village Shopping Center, 7525 WestheimerWeslayan Plaza West Shopping Center, 5442‐A Weslayan Street; Westheimer Commons, 12568 Westheimer Rd. ; Westhill Village Shopping Center, 7525 Westheimer El Paso: West Towne Marketplace, 6450 N. Desert Blvd., Ste.

☆ Florida to place leadership of Disney's special operating district under DeSantis' control
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Rob Wile | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

One of those procedures concerns the district's ability to raise taxes and issue bonds to build and maintain infrastructure serving the Walt Disney World Resort. And the district will be renamed: From the Reedy Creek Special Improvement District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. "Until Governor DeSantis acted, the Walt Disney Company maintained sole control over the District," a spokesman for the governor said in a statement. Disney is monitoring the legislation, Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said in a statement. But construction still appears to be progressing on a Disney office campus in Lake Nona, roughly 20 miles east of Disney World.

☆ Southwest just announced 5 new and 24 returning routes this year as it bolsters its network— see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Southwest Airlines announced five new and 24 returning routes in its latest network expansion. These are in addition to the previously announced new nonstops to Kansas City and Orlando from Long Beach, starting in March and July, respectively. Charlotte to Houston Hobby: Sundays starting on September 10Dallas Love Field to Philadelphia: Saturdays and Sundays starting on September 9. Between Long Beach and El PasoEl Paso, Texas Denis Tangney Jr./Getty ImagesSouthwest will launch daily flights between Long Beach and El Paso on July 11. Between Long Beach and AlbuquerqueAlbuquerque, New Mexico Davel5957/Getty ImagesSouthwest will launch daily flights between Long Beach and Albuquerque on September 5.

☆ DeSantis' plans for Florida this year include tax cuts for gas stoves and more elections police. The proposals are widely viewed as targeting GOP voters nationally.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Banning vaccine and mask mandatesDeSantis wants the Florida legislature to permanently ban COVID vaccine and mask mandates. It's not clear how much of a difference a new, permanent Florida law would make. DeSantis will ask the Florida legislature to permanently lift the state's 6% sales tax on baby necessities including on cribs, strollers, clothing, shoes, wipes, and diapers. But some analysts, such as Howard Gleckman at the Tax Policy Center, have warned that tax breaks could actually worsen inflation because people will spend and consume more at a time when supplies are limited. Currently, state law requires a vote be unanimous.

☆ New College of Florida’s President Fired Amid Shake-Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The board of trustees at the New College of Florida, a small liberal-arts college in Sarasota that Gov. Ron DeSantis has targeted for an overhaul as part of his higher-education agenda, fired its president and named the state’s former education commissioner as the interim replacement. In early January, the Republican governor named six new trustees to the 13-member board, including Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist known for his battles against critical-race theory. The governor’s administration has criticized the 700-student college for what it views as a left-wing ideological focus that is out of touch with the state’s values.

☆ New College of Florida’s President Fired Amid Shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The board of trustees at the New College of Florida, a small liberal arts college in Sarasota that Gov. Ron DeSantis has targeted for an overhaul as part of his higher-education agenda, fired its president and named the state’s former education commissioner as the interim replacement. In early January, the Republican governor named six new trustees to the 13-member board, including Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist known for his battles against critical-race theory. The governor’s administration has criticized the 700-student college for what it views as a left-wing ideological focus that is out of touch with the state’s values.

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