florida
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Schools Are Supposed to Be Safe
My first job out of college was as a full-time substitute teacher at Wilkinsburg Junior/Senior High School. A week into my time there, the ninth-grade English teacher unexpectedly quit, and I took over that classroom for the reminder of the year. I have myriad takeaways and memories from that six-month stretch and the rest of…
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17 Reported Dead in Fatal Florida High School Shooting; More Injured
Updated Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, 6:40 p.m. EST: The Washington Post reports that at least 17 people are said to be dead in the Wednesday-afternoon shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters that 12 people were killed inside the school, three more died outside and…
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Florida News-Station Producer Fired After Being Caught Yelling Racial Slur at Neighbor
A Miami news-station producer found herself out of a job mere days after celebrating her second work anniversary at the station after being caught hurling the n-word at her neighbor over an argument about street parking. According to the Miami Herald, 49-year-old Robin Cross, who was working with WSVN-TV, had been a figure in South…
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Yet Another Black Transgender Woman Killed; Friends Up in Arms Because She Was Misgendered
Another transgender woman was killed this month, this time in Jacksonville, Fla., making it the second trans killing within a week. According to The Advocate, on Feb. 4, 36-year-old Celine Walker was found shot to death in an Extended Stay America hotel at about 8 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene. The Advocate reports…
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This Mom Just Walked Out of Her Son’s Televised College Announcement and I Have Questions
On Wednesday, aka National Signing Day, aka one of the biggest days in college football, aka the day that Midwesterners and Southerners wait for all year, the day top high school players stop dating and make it official with the college of their choice. There are usually cheers and tears and smiles and bitter beer…
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Felons in Florida May Have an Easier Time Restoring Their Right to Vote
Florida is one of four states in the union that permanently disenfranchise individuals convicted of a felony, even after they have paid their debt to society. As a result, there are 1.5 million people in the state who are barred from voting —20 percent of whom are black. The state does have a system through…
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Congresswoman Convicted of Scamming Low-Income Students Pulled Up to Prison in a Limo Bus
You might think a politician who’s been indicted on federal corruption charges and convicted of fraud would want to keep a low profile, but you would not be thinking like former Rep. Corrine Brown. Brown, who used to represent Florida’s 5th Congressional District, was sentenced last month to five years in federal prison after being…
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7-Year-Old Florida Boy Escorted Away in Handcuffs After Allegedly Punching Teacher
A 7-year-old Florida elementary school student was taken out of school in handcuffs after he allegedly hit his teacher during an altercation at the school. According to ABC News, the first-grader was escorted out of a Miami-Dade police cruiser’s back seat while wearing handcuffs as his mother videotaped the incident and tried to comfort him…
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Florida Elementary School Teacher Sends Home Spelling List With Racial Slur; Barely Bothers to Apologize, Mom Says
It’s a day ending in “y,” so naturally someone did something racist at a school in this country. Today we turn to a Sanford, Fla., elementary school where a teacher didn’t bother to spell-check the take-home spelling list for students, so in place of the word “bigger” was the word “nigger.” When Terry Day, the…
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2 Explosive Devices Detonated in Florida Mall; No Injuries Reported
A Florida mall was evacuated Sunday evening after two improvised explosive devices were detonated inside a service corridor. According to ABC News, the blast from the IEDs caused damage to a drop ceiling at the Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales, Fla., as well as structural damage to an area along the corridor wall of…