Rocket Carrying Astronauts Launches

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying four astronauts launched from Kennedy Space Center just before noon on Friday, heading toward the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, will spend six months at the International Space Station carrying out various research projects.

Cardman, who was flying her first mission, said, “I have no emotions but joy right now. Ride of a lifetime.”

The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday but had to be delayed due to clouds.

New Immigration Enforcement Unit Announced

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the launch of a new immigration enforcement unit within the Florida Highway Patrol at a press conference in Orlando on Friday.

He praised FHP’s work so far this year, arresting 3,000 illegal immigrants, with over 500 of them having criminal records.

“There’s no other state that is even in the ballpark of our efforts,“ DeSantis said.

DeSantis also criticized efforts from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to recruit Florida officers, saying, “Sheriffs losing deputies who are in this fight, to just wear a different jersey basically, but still be in the fight, that doesn’t necessarily add to what we’re doing. It’s just moving someone over.”

FSU Investigates Antisemitic Incident

Florida State University announced Thursday it has launched an investigation into an expletive-filled video showing a woman confronting a man wearing an Israeli Defense Forces shirt in what the school is calling an antisemitic incident.

FSU said in a statement that “the student shown prominently in the video” has been banned from campus while the case is being reviewed by the FSU police department for potential criminal charges.

The incident drew national attention, with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posting about it on social media. Bondi thanked FSU President Richard McCullough for his “leadership and prompt action,” saying, “anti-Semitism will not be tolerated in Florida or anywhere else.”

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➤ Key Largo: Attorneys asked a jury on Thursday to award damages of around $345 million for a deadly Tesla crash that occurred in 2019 while a driver was using the Autopilot System. (Details)

➤ Lake City: The historic Niblack Elementary School reopened just ahead of the new school year after being completely rebuilt. (See Photos)

➤ Lakeland: A recent study blamed Lake Bonny’s flooding during Hurricane Milton on “very inadequate infrastructure.” (More)

➤ Jacksonville: Rapper Ksoo, whose legal name is Hakeem Robinson, was found guilty on Thursday of first-degree murder in the 2020 shooting death of 23-year-old Charles McCormick Jr. (Details)

➤ South Florida: Rising Tide Car Wash employs 90 adults with autism at three locations in Margate, Parkland, and Coral Springs—an effort launched by the D’eri family to provide meaningful work for an autistic family member. (See Video)

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➤ NFL running back Latavius Murray officially retired from professional football to become running backs coach at Titusville High School, his alma mater. (More)

➤ ESPN ranked the Florida Gators’ football schedule this season as the most difficult of any team in the Power Four Conferences. (More)

➤ Lauderhill, Florida put its one-of-a-kind cricket stadium to good use on Thursday to host an international match between Pakistan and the West Indies. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | PGA | LPGA

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➤ A video showing people lowering pillows and fast food into a storm drain at Normandy Boulevard and Fouraker Road in Jacksonville was part of a 10-day attempt to rescue a tiny kitten. (See Photos)

➤ Many-lined salamanders have been found in Florida for the first time since 1991, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission counting 23 in a recent two-year survey. (See Salamander)

➤ Four police officers swam to rescue an unconscious woman trapped inside a sinking car in a canal in Palm Beach Gardens. Neighbors called the officers “true lifesavers.” (See Video)

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It’s National Mead Day. Have you ever had the fermented beverage?

1. Yes
2. No

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you ever visited Naples??

1. Yes: 63%
2. No: 37%

What was the Florida tourism slogan in the late 1980s?

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