Author: Shaqualia Smith | Staff writer

News

Senate will determine fate of ‘Crown Act’

The House of Representatives passed legislation on March 18 that would prohibit discrimination against people with hair styles associated with a particular race or national origin. Lawmakers in Washington passed the bill, titled Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, or Crown Act. In the 235-189 vote, only […]

News

Local Black News Channel goes bust

When the Tallahassee-based TV network the Black News Channel launched two years ago, the journalists there hoped to cover stories in a different way. At the time, they said they were “dedicated to covering the unique perspectives, challenges and successes of Black and Brown communities.” It seemingly went well at […]

News

Iman-Johnson, others endorse Marcelin

Former Tallahassee NAACP President Adner Marcelin, a candidate for City Commission Seat 5, hosted a news conference Wednesday in front of City Hall. Marcelin announced several endorsements, including the support of former City Commissioner Debbie Lightsey, former Mayor and Commissioner Dot Iman-Johnson, and former commissioners Bob Rackleff and Cliff Thaell, […]

News

Prison reform a tough sell in the Legislature

Florida’s prisons are overcrowded and costing the public hundreds of millions of dollars annually. There are proposals in the Legislature that would relax early release rules and update probation guidelines, among other reforms. Passing some of these proposals could be a step toward mending the state’s justice system. The proposals […]

News

Lawmakers hope to close medical marijuana loopholes

A bipartisan bill in the Florida Legislature is seeking further regulation of the state’s medical marijuana industry. Democrat and Republican lawmakers hope to pass a bill that would make it difficult to buy and sell medical marijuana related products, specifically Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Delta-9 THC is the most vigorous element […]

News

DeSantis champions ‘parental rights’ bill

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida addressed the state Senate’s “Parents Bill of Rights” today during a hearing in the Education Committee. “Florida has led the way in putting kids first,” DeSantis said. Florida is ranked No. 3 from kindergarten to grade 12 in the latest Education Week quality ratings. DeSantis […]

News

Is Florida under-counting COVID-19 deaths?

#8216; The number of Floridians who have died from COVID-19 is approaching 34,000, according to the state of Florida, but a recent study by the American Journal of Public Health suggests that the number is actually much higher by thousands of cases. In April 2020, it became clear that Florida […]

Opinions

I didn’t give up

Being a middle-aged college student is far from easy, but when you’re destined for greatness while having faith, it levels things out. All throughout grade school I was always a popular kid who loved attention. I cheered, ran track, attended theater school and did the morning and afternoon announcements in […]