Another new DeSantis board: Disney’s tax district gets new Board of Supervisors
DeSantis signs law that gives Florida legislature control over the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) and appoints five new Board of Supervisor members. Screenshot from Video from the New York Post. Feb. 27 2023.

Another new DeSantis board: Disney’s tax district gets new Board of Supervisors

In Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ongoing “war on woke,” Walt Disney World has been a consistent thorn in the governor's side. On Mar. 28, 2022, Disney made a public statement explaining that “Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have…

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The “Don’t Say Gay” Bill expanded, and other anti-LGBTQ+ proposals from the Florida Legislators
A hand holding a transgender pride flag. Photo courtesy of Flickr

The “Don’t Say Gay” Bill expanded, and other anti-LGBTQ+ proposals from the Florida Legislators

The rights of LGBTQ+ people are being consistently challenged by Republicans across the country. It seems that the issues of gender-affirming care, “saying gay” and whether the public is mature enough to witness drag have become some of the biggest issues facing politicians in their…

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NCF Board of Trustees approves revised contract for Richard Corcoran
Vice Chair Ron Christaldi tuning in to the Feb. 21 Special BOT Meeting from his car. Photo taken by Basil Pursley

NCF Board of Trustees approves revised contract for Richard Corcoran

Incoming Interim New College President Richard Corcoran’s employment contract was approved on Feb. 21 by the Board of Trustees (BOT), including his lofty base salary of $699,000. Approval of Corcoran’s contract was the only action item at this virtual Special BOT meeting, and judging by…

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Artificial Intelligence or just text prediction? How ChatGPT and other Open AI programs function
An AI-generated New College student. Photo courtesy of Basil Pursley and DALL-E

Artificial Intelligence or just text prediction? How ChatGPT and other Open AI programs function

OpenAI, the renowned artificial intelligence research laboratory, has made groundbreaking progress in the field of natural language processing with its state-of-the-art language model, ChatGPT. As one of the largest language models in the world, ChatGPT has been able to generate coherent and realistic text in…

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Trustee Mark Bauerlein wants to involve students in academic debate
Headshot photo of trustee Mark Bauerlein. Courtesy of Mark Bauerlein

Trustee Mark Bauerlein wants to involve students in academic debate

Former New College President Patricia Okker was removed from her position on Jan. 31, by a new Board of Trustees (BOT) featuring seven additional members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. For new trustee Dr. Mark Bauerlein, this decision was important for reconciling the goals of…

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A brief overview of DeSantis’ education reform
Table of banned books. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

A brief overview of DeSantis’ education reform

It’s no secret that Florida has become ground zero for conservative educational policy. Gov. Ron DeSantis has made countless headlines throughout the past year due to policies like the "Don’t Say Gay" Bill, the Stop WOKE Act, book banning in K-12 schools and, most recently,…

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Survivors of Uvalde shooting seek $27 billion in lawsuit against local police
Following the Uvalde shooting, multiple sources were quick to address the seeming inaction and lack of coordination from the various officers at the scene. Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Survivors of Uvalde shooting seek $27 billion in lawsuit against local police

Months after the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, survivors are seeking justice for their lost loved ones. A lawsuit against the 376 police officers, among other parties, who were present at the shooting hopes to bring $27 billion to the grieving plaintiffs. Students,…

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Coincidence? New Sarasota school board immediately moves to fire superintendent
A crowd of Sarasotans just outside the School Board chambers, hoping for a chance at entry during the first stages of Asplen's termination. Photo taken by Basil Pursley.

Coincidence? New Sarasota school board immediately moves to fire superintendent

A 4-1 decision by the newly instated Sarasota School Board resulted in the first stages of superintendent Brennan Asplen’s termination. Parents, teachers, students and concerned taxpayers swarmed the Sarasota School Board Building for the board’s special meeting on Nov. 29—many not even able to get…

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Federal judge blocks the “dystopian” House Bill 7 in court
The Florida Supreme Court building. (Courtesy of flickr.)

Federal judge blocks the “dystopian” House Bill 7 in court

“This is positively dystopian,” Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker stated in his Nov. 17th ruling which was able to temporarily block Florida’s House Bill 7, aka the Stop WOKE Act, from being enforced in public universities—such as New College.  The judge made distinct references…

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Decades of air pollution and environmental racism have devastated the health of Newtown
Dust clouds kicked up by cars on Myrtle St., east of Booker High School. Photo courtesy of the Newtown Health Disparities & Environment study.

Decades of air pollution and environmental racism have devastated the health of Newtown

Residents of Newtown are all too familiar with the numerous recycling plants situated at the edges of their neighborhood. Some of these plants have been there for decades, and more have been added over the years as building construction has boomed in Sarasota. But while…

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