TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalFederal government files complaint against Florida for withholding school board pay
The U.S. Department of Education Thursday filed an administrative complaint against its Florida counterpart, asking the state education department to be found in violation of federal law over the state's ban on COVID-related mask mandates.
The feds' complaint, signed by General Counsel Lisa Brown, objects to the state holding up the federal funds used to replace state funds withheld from salaries of school board members who defied Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban.
The government now seeks a cease and desist order against the state education department from an administrative law judge, the 8-page complaint says. The feds earlier in the week had warned the state the complaint was coming.
Florida "has unlawfully — and explicitly — reduced the amount of state aid provided to Florida school districts based on their receipt of federal funds," it says. "It has done so as part of a broader effort to deter those districts from implementing practices recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."
Read more: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2021/10/28/federal-government-challenges-florida-school-board-mask-mandates-withheld-pay-education-department/6184441001/
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warns companies against being too 'woke' at Orlando conference
Appearing before a group of business leaders Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned about following a “woke” ideology, which he called “very dangerous” for the country.
“The minute you go into becoming more of a political actor than just simply a business actor, you know, guys like me got to treat you that way,” DeSantis said in wrapping up a 35-minute keynote address at the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Future of Florida Forum in Orlando.
As an example of corporate wokeness, he pointed to Major League Baseball moving the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to Colorado because of controversial voting-law changes in Georgia.
“Funny how karma works, because they're now playing the World Series in Atlanta, but whatever,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis added that Republicans have “strong negative feelings” about “corporate America.” He said the GOP in Washington, D.C. has turned on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has given support to numerous policy directives from the Biden administration.
Read more: https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2021/10/29/florida-gov-ron-desantis-warns-companies-against-being-too-woke-at-orlando-conference
DeSantis announces five-day special session to deal with COVID mandates
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday made official his call for a special session next month, announcing that he will bring legislators to Tallahassee for five days to address a series of reforms to state law imposing new penalties on employers and governments that attempt to use vaccines and masks to protect people from the spread of the coronavirus.
Legislators will be asked to return Nov. 15-19, the same week they are already scheduled to be in the state Capitol for committee meetings.
In his lengthy proclamation, the governor did not specifically call for a ban on vaccine mandates but instead asked legislators to “protect workers against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and address employer policies that force COVID-19 vaccination.” He has said that could include punishing businesses, schools and governments that require employees to show proof of vaccination in the workplace by making businesses liable for any medical harm that results from a mandatory vaccination, and repealing liability protections from COVID-19-related claims if businesses impose vaccine mandates on their employees.
The governor also has said he wants legislators to allow parents to collect attorney’s fees if they win a lawsuit against a school district for enacting illegal coronavirus restrictions, legislation clarifying the existing law that makes it illegal for governments and schools in Florida to mandate the vaccine and testing options for government employees, and expanded reemployment options for individuals who lose their jobs because they refuse to be vaccinated.
Read more: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article255392701.html
Florida education chairman's dirty dredging case represents a failure to communicate
One of the dumbest things I ever did was skip the chance to learn Spanish. While most of my high school classmates were busy habla-ing their Espanol — which turns out to be pretty handy here in Florida — I was bungling my way through German like a dummkopf.
I took German because I was a teenage boy and the German teacher was a former Miss South Carolina. Turns out that’s a really bad reason to sign up for a language class. I don’t remember much of what we studied, other than how to count to 23 (“drei und zwanzig”) and sing the first verse of “Silent Night” (aka “Stille Nacht”).
But, as a result, I do know how to pronounce schadenfreude. I know the definition, too. It doesn’t mean “giving your friend some shade on a sunny day.” Instead, it’s a German psychological term for when you feel a tremendous surge of glee at hearing about some misfortune befalling a person who reeeeeeally deserves it.
Someone like Tom Grady.
No, not Tom Brady, the Buccaneers’ star quarterback. I mean Tom Grady, a Florida political insider who’s spent years being one letter away from a Super Bowl ring.
Read more: https://floridaphoenix.com/2021/10/28/florida-education-chairmans-dirty-dredging-case-represents-a-failure-to-communicate/
This Google Maps image shows the channel that the feds accuse State Board of Education chair Tom Grady of digging illegally.
Army Holds Large-Scale Readiness Exercise In Hawaii For The First Time
A steady drumbeat of gunfire with occasional percussions of explosives have rocked Oahu and Hawaii island in recent weeks, but it’s not real.
It’s part of the 25th Infantry Division’s large-scale Joint Pacific Multinational Training Center, which assigns troops to realistic war scenarios to practice defending the islands.
The annual training program usually takes place at Fort Polk, Louisiana, but as great power competition increases, the U.S. Department of Defense is focusing its efforts in the Pacific, said Col. Josh Bookout, commander of the division’s 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
“There is real competition with China right now and because of that, I think the world is vulnerable,” Bookout said.
Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/10/army-holds-large-scale-readiness-exercise-in-hawaii-for-the-first-time/
Hawaii man charged with punching flight attendant on Christmas Eve flight to Seattle
SEATTLE >> A federal grand jury in Seattle has indicted an Oahu man accused of punching a flight attendant in the face twice and trying to open the cockpit door during a flight from Hawaii to Washington state.
Ryan Cajimat, 21, of Kapolei, is charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, as well as assault within a special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
He is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 18.
-snip-
The Federal Aviation Administration fined Cajimat $52,500, and Delta Airlines banned him from traveling with the company.
Read more: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/10/30/breaking-news/hawaii-man-charged-with-punching-flight-attendant-on-christmas-eve-flight-to-seattle/
Jason Momoa says he has contracted COVID, is quarantining at home
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Fresh off the theatrical release of blockbuster “Dune,” actor Jason Momoa says he has contracted COVID and is quarantining.
“I’m just camped out in my house,” he said, in a post on Instagram Friday.
He added, “Yeah, I got hit with COVID right after the premiere. There was a lot of people ... I got a lot of aloha from people. Thank you for your concerns and love.”
Momoa plays Duncan Idaho in “Dune,” which is a hit at the box office.
Read more: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/10/29/jason-momoa-says-he-has-contracted-covid-is-quarantining-home/
Kilauea still spurting lava, 1 month into latest eruption
Lava continued to pour out of Kilauea’s summit crater Friday, one month after the latest eruption began.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Friday lava was emerging from a single vent inside Halema‘uma‘u Crater. The eruption remains contained within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and isn’t threatening any homes.
Nighttime aerial video shot from a helicopter shows lava gushing from a vent and spreading across the crater floor.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It’s erupted dozens of times since 1952.
The latest eruption began inside the crater on Sept. 29.
Read more: https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2021/10/30/hawaii-news/volcano-update/kilauea-still-spurting-lava-1-month-into-latest-eruption/
Kaiser pharmacists, therapists in Hawaii vote in favor of strike
Kaiser pharmacists and therapists on Maui and other islands voted this week to authorize a strike, citing concerns over wages in bargaining and working conditions made worse by the pandemic.
More than 1,500 pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists in Hawaii and California faced the question of whether to strike during voting that took place from Sunday through Thursday.
Results provided to The Maui News on Friday showed that Hawaii employees voted overwhelmingly for the strike — 94 percent in favor among the United Pharmacists of Hawaii (with 89 percent turnout) and 87 percent of physical and occupational therapists in favor (with 93 percent turnout).
Strike authorization doesn’t mean the strike will happen immediately, but rather gives the bargaining teams the option of calling a strike when they choose, and for a duration to be determined, according to the United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals representing the workers. Labor laws require unions in the health care industry to submit a 10-day notice to the employer before going out on strike.
Read more: https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2021/10/kaiser-pharmacists-therapists-in-hawaii-vote-in-favor-of-strike/
Hawaiʻi DOH fines Navy $325K for Red Hill fuel storage facility violations
HONOLULU — The state on Wednesday said it was fining the U.S. Navy more than $325,000 for operations and maintenance violations at a massive underground fuel storage facility on Oʻahu.
The state Department of Health said in a news release the fines resulted from inspections it undertook of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in September and October last year.
Navy Region Hawaiʻi said in a statement it was just notified of the fines and was reviewing the notice. It said it hadn't received the Department of Health’s inspection report even though it had been told it would be ready by January of this year.
“The Navy remains committed to maintaining safety in all operations of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and to timely communication with state and federal regulators,” the statement said.
Read more: https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2021-10-27/hawaii-doh-fines-navy-325k-for-red-hill-fuel-storage-facility-violations
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