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☆ Ron DeSantis, Florida Officials Seek to Dismiss Lawsuit From Martha’s Vineyard Migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jon Kamp | Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A group of migrants was flown to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts last year. Ron DeSantis and other Florida officials said a federal lawsuit over migrants the state flew from Texas to Massachusetts last year should be dismissed, arguing in legal filings the Boston court lacks jurisdiction and that migrants were told where the planes were going. Perla Huerta, a woman migrants said recruited them onto the Martha’s Vineyard-bound flights, filed a separate motion in the Boston federal court Tuesday to dismiss the case. The lawsuit was brought by some of the 49 migrants and an advocacy group in September. The contractor Florida hired to arrange the flights and the company’s chief executive also asked for the case to be dismissed.

☆ Ron DeSantis Appoints Allies to Oversee Disney’s Special-Tax District
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation ending Walt Disney Co.’s control of a special-tax district near Orlando and named new members to the state-controlled board that now governs it. “The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, said at a bill-signing event at a fire station in Lake Buena Vista. “There’s a new sheriff in town and accountability will be the order of the day.”

Cassie Gibson was teaching a unit on slavery last spring to her sixth-grade U.S. history class in Polk County, Fla., when she noticed a paragraph in a textbook that gave her pause. The passage struck her as potentially violating a 2022 law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis —which he dubbed “Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act”—that prohibits, among other things, teaching that people should feel guilt over past actions by members of their racial group. She said she worried what her students might say about the passage at home and how their parents might react.

☆ Southern Baptists Expel Saddleback Church Over Female Pastor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Saddleback Church lead Pastor Andy Wood and his wife, Stacie Wood, meet with a congregant in Lake Forest, Calif. The Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday expelled Saddleback Church, the California megachurch founded by influential evangelical pastor Rick Warren, and four other churches from the denomination because they had female pastors. The decision to remove or “disfellowship” the churches came after the convention’s executive committee determined that the five churches were “not in friendly cooperation” with the denomination, said Jared Wellman, executive committee chairman, in a statement.

☆ See how a couple got an abandoned home for free — then moved it, rodents and all. They're about to fix it up all by themselves.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A historic home in Lincoln, Kansas, was up for demolition until a group of locals intervened. In August 2022, Julie and Eddie Flores won the home from the local group and a corporate owner. Flores explained how she is renovating the house with a strict budget of $250,000. The over-100-year-old home gained notoriety after local residents created a special committee tasked with the salvation of the decaying house. The family moved to Lincoln in January as they've continued their renovations, an experience they write about on the blog Nursing Back to Life.

☆ El Paso Shooting Came After ‘Random’ Confrontation, Police Chief Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Elizabeth Findell | Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The shooting that killed one and injured three at an El Paso, Texas, mall Wednesday evening, steps from the Walmart where an attacker killed 23 people in 2019, was the result of a random confrontation between two groups who didn’t know each other, the city’s police chief said. “During the confrontation, a physical altercation took place,” Interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said during a press conference Thursday afternoon. “During that fight…one person produced a handgun and shots were fired.”

☆ Six Raleigh, N.C., Police Officers Put on Leave After In-Custody Death
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Raleigh, N.C., police department placed six officers on administrative leave in connection with the January arrest of a Black man who died in police custody after officers used a Taser on him, according to a memo and body-camera footage released by the department. Darryl Tyree Williams, 32 years old, was approached by police while in a parked car with a passenger late at night, according to a memo with a preliminary report of the incident written by Raleigh Police Chief Estella D. Patterson to Raleigh City Manager Marchell Adams-David that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Body-camera footage shows that while detained and scuffling with police, he told them he had heart problems. After officers used a Taser on him at least three times, he became unresponsive and was pronounced dead at a hospital later that night, according to the memo.

☆ Disney Special Tax-District Bill Is Approved by Florida Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Florida Senate on Friday approved a bill that would dramatically alter the governance of a special-tax district near Orlando that has allowed Walt Disney Co. to self-govern the land that houses its theme parks, sending the measure to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis , who is expected to sign it into law. The bill would rename the Reedy Creek Improvement District—which houses Walt Disney World Resort and other parks and has existed for more than 50 years—the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The measure would give Mr. DeSantis the authority to appoint members to its governing body, the five-member board of supervisors, which under current law is essentially handpicked by Disney.

☆ Florida Drops Plan to Require High-School Athletes to Provide Menstrual Histories
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors voted 14-2 to remove questions on menstrual health from a new physical-education form. A Florida school-sports board reversed course on a plan to require female high-school athletes to provide information about their menstrual histories on a new physical-evaluation form after the proposal set off a firestorm of criticism. A medical committee advising the board had argued that the form was vetted by national medical organizations and would provide important health information about prospective athletes.

☆ Sarah Huckabee Sanders Takes Early Turn on National Stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ 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.

SARASOTA, Fla.—Christopher Rufo was set to start his first public event as a trustee at New College of Florida this week when campus administrators considered pulling the plug on the meetings with faculty and staff. Someone had sent an email threat against Jason “Eddie” Speir, another of the six trustees Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis named this month to shake up the 700-student state honors college. A staff member asked the men to leave the campus building. Mr. Rufo, a conservative activist known for his battles against critical-race theory, refused.

A video that has gone viral has exposed a clash between students and school officials in Idaho over whether the term “brown pride” is a symbol of cultural pride or a sign of gang affiliation. “He was telling me: 'You can’t wear it, because it has ‘brown pride’ on it. They wore rosaries, bandannas and clothing inspired by Latino heritage and brown pride, and some students brought Mexican flags, she said. Lilly Meinen, a Latina freshman at Caldwell High School, said the term “brown pride” was something students should be proud of. Two days after the protest, Caldwell High School was vandalized with a "white power" tagging and a white van was vandalized with "f--- brown pride" tagging.

☆ Alabama’s Weekslong Landfill Fire Prompts Locals to Report Illnesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A blaze ignited in the landfill near Moody, Ala., in late November for reasons that authorities say remain unclear. A fire that has been burning for nearly two months in a landfill northeast of Birmingham, Ala., has drawn complaints of headaches and nosebleeds from many residents, some of whom say they have moved away temporarily. The Environmental Protection Agency stepped in last week at the request of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, or ADEM, to try to extinguish it. Kay Ivey declared a limited state of emergency on Wednesday.

☆ Investors Plow Into Renewables, but Projects Aren’t Getting Built
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Jennifer Hiller | Photographs Sergio Flores For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Even as developers plan an unprecedented number of grid-scale wind and solar installations, project construction is plummeting across the U.S. Despite billions of dollars in federal tax credits up for grabs and investors eager to fund clean energy projects, the pace of development has ground to a crawl and many renewables plans face an uncertain path to completion. Supply-chain snags, long waits to connect to the grid and challenging regulatory and political environments across the country are contributing to the slowdown, analysts and companies say.

☆ U.S. Won’t Seek Death Penalty in El Paso Walmart Shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Justice Department won’t seek the death penalty for the man accused of killing 23 people in 2019 at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, federal prosecutors said in a Tuesday court filing. Patrick Crusius faces 90 federal charges for his alleged role in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history; 45 of the charges have been deemed hate crimes, or crimes motivated by racial, religious, national origin, sexual, gender or disability bias. Mr. Crusius, 21 years old at the time, is accused of traveling to the Texas border city to target Latinos in the attack. Nearly two dozen people were injured in the shooting.

☆ California Storms Ease, but Flood Fears Persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

California was hit again by rain and snow Monday as the state moved toward what forecasters said would be the end of a series of storms that have battered it since Christmas. The nine storms known as atmospheric rivers—flowing columns of condensed water vapor in the atmosphere that produce significant precipitation—have killed at least 19 people, flooded communities, shut down highways and cut power to tens of thousands of homes. The storms and accompanying damage have been more intense in the north and middle regions of the state than in the south.

☆ As California Storms Approach End, Flood Fears Remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Central California remained under a flood watch Monday as the last in a series of major storms that have battered the state since Christmas moved through, according to forecasters. Monday’s storm could bring heavy rain, strong winds and possible flooding in some areas before moving into the U.S. Southwest, said the National Weather Service.

☆ Deer Hunting Violation Leads to Legal Skirmish Between Oklahoma, Native Tribes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jimmy Ward, a member of the Osage Nation, was ticketed for shooting at a decoy white-tailed deer out of season. What started as a simple hunting violation turned into an ordeal that thrust Jimmy Ward into the middle of a legal battle between the state of Oklahoma and Native Americans. Mr. Ward, a member of the Osage Nation, was caught shooting at a decoy white-tailed deer set out by game officials to nab out-of-season hunters in November 2021. He managed to get four misdemeanor hunting violation charges against him in Carter County District Court dismissed by citing a landmark 2020 Supreme Court ruling that gave criminal jurisdiction for crimes committed by Native Americans on reservations to the federal or tribal governments.

"I asked them not to get distracted because there are other things happening in the state," Solorzano told NBC News. Sarah Huckabee Sanders surprised Solorzano as well as other Latinos in the state. "In regards to the [word] Latinx, I know that [it] is important for some people, but it’s not necessarily the general sentiment of the immigrant or Latino population. "It's been a challenge in this state to find any type of support for us — for trans Latinx migrants," Yambú said with a frustrated tone. For us, the word Latino, Hispanic, Latinx — we can use those interchangeable[ly].

☆ What's behind the violence, protests in Peru?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Demonstrators protest against Pedro Castillo, Peru's former president, following his impeachment and arrest, in front of the Palace of Justice in Lima on Dec. 7, 2022. Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks in Lima on Jan. 5, 2023. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has condemned violence by both security forces and protesters and called for dialogue. Who is Pedro Castillo? Peru's President Pedro Castillo in Los Angeles on June 9, 2022.

☆ Disney Tax District Shores Up Development Plans Amid Florida Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Robbie Whelan | Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Florida legislature in April passed a law eliminating the Reedy Creek district, which has permitted Disney to manage its theme parks and resorts in Florida with little red tape. City officials from the special tax district in Florida controlled by the Walt Disney Co. moved to make changes that would allow Disney to build new theme parks and additional hotel rooms at Walt Disney World, steps that come as the state is trying to rein in the company. At a meeting Wednesday officials from the two cities that make up the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Fla., approved a resolution to consider changing land-use regulations to accommodate the district’s comprehensive plan, which serves as a 10-year road map for development at Walt Disney World, according to minutes of the meeting and a spokeswoman for Reedy Creek.

Bad Bunny continues to break barriers seemingly every other week — and rightfully so. He is now the first Latin American artist and the first Spanish-language musician to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Blackpink perform at Sahara Tent during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival, in Indio, Calif., on April 19, 2019. Other notable performers at Coachella this year include Rosalía, Calvin Harris, Gorillaz, Pusha T, Bjork, Becky G, SG Lewis, Burna Boy, EarthGang, Labrinth and Chemical Brothers. Bad Bunny is expected to perform on both Fridays, Blackpink will go on both Saturdays, and Frank Ocean will close out both Sundays.

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