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General Daily Insight for April 24, 2024

Create stability by beating chaos. When the emotional Moon experiences discomfort with intellectual Mercury, expressing ourselves will be more complicated than normal. We’re in danger of reading too much or too little into what other people are saying. Later on, the Moon harmonizes with dedicated Saturn at 6:52 pm EDT, enabling us to be more self-reliant and self-disciplined. This creates a stable state of mind where we can emotionally develop, even if we can’t express what we’re going through. We can do it!

Aries

March 21 – April 19

How you see yourself can get jumbled up with fear. It may be difficult to figure out the way forward at this time, especially if you have important information that anxiety is stopping you from sharing. Study any sense of confusion that arises in the clash of any harsh words or long-standing grudges from others against your knowledge of your true self. Don’t let naysayers tell you who you are, even if it means that you must stand alone in this moment.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You might not know how you feel today. Someone could be asking you to make a decision quickly or give them an answer on something they say is urgent. Unfortunately for them, you just may not have a full response prepped yet. You don’t exist on their timeline — you exist on your own. Whether it’s convenient for them or not, you’ve got to move at your own pace. Rushing for the sake of others will not serve your highest good at the moment.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

You may notice that other people are reading too much into what you’re saying. They might be doing this out of sincere ignorance, but they could also be purposefully misreading you in a form of weaponized incompetence — they probably want you to assimilate to their way of doing things or quiet down altogether. Don’t hesitate to fight for how you feel! People who aren’t in your corner shouldn’t dictate your future. You can depend on yourself to complete the necessary work.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

What you mean and how you’re seen might currently be two different things. You’re meant to speak with intention, so be wary of saying too much or too little. Small gestures can make a huge difference in how others see you, and you need to take charge of the narrative. If you say too much, they may flip things you’ve said for their own agenda — too little, and they could start drama regarding your silence. Be genuine by saying only what’s true.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Peers may appreciate a window into your current feelings. Even if you generally prefer to protect your heart with a Lion’s ferocity, you’re likely someone who is truly sensitive beneath it all. At any moment, someone could catch a glimpse of your emotional core before you’re able to cover it back up. Don’t feel as though you have to be a robot in order to be respected — let your emotions flow. Just make sure that you don’t wallow in them for too long.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Relying on someone else too much could come back to bite you without warning. It’s wonderful to have a business partner, dependable pal, or love interest, but watch out — when the scales start to tip too much, the other person might become resentful of the imbalance. It could be that you’re the one who’s giving too much while the other takes incessantly. Either way, you should remedy this quickly. The more even any relationship is, the better the outcome is likely to be.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Relationships can be hard for you to navigate at the moment. Even if you normally finish each other’s sentences, your regular conversations may feel strange, as though you hardly know this person. Opposingly, it’s possible that you’re the one who isn’t quite acting like your usual self. It’s important to make sure you’re talking about your feelings, because keeping everything inside can lead to stress felt by both parties. Silence isn’t the answer.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

You may wonder if getting your feelings off of your chest would actually be worth it. Someone could be encouraging you to open up, but you’re unsure if they simply crave gossip or if you can genuinely trust them with your deepest emotions. Make an effort to explain yourself in a way that will strengthen your connection without giving everything away — you can always share the details later. If they press you, consider telling a journal or an already trusted friend instead.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

You might be reading too much into what other people are saying. There’s a strong chance that your mind is exaggerating things, so be wary of causing misunderstandings and miscommunication between you and the people that you care about. It’s important to have a sense of self-reliance and avoid depending on someone else for everything, but if you need help, then you’re allowed to ask for it. Try not to force loved ones to read your mind — just ask them for what you need.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Family might not understand your dreams. You could be trying to show them your vision for your life, but instead of hyping you up, you have to fend off tons of pointed questions or overbearing instructions that may not be relevant to your future. Instead of trying to get away from your family to avoid them and their concerns, look for the kernels of truth in their words. You could also gently remind them that you can only handle so much advice at once.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

You can express yourself in a very public way today. It’s possible that you’ve been keeping something inside for a long time and you’re finally ready to tell the world, or someone may be speaking falsehoods about you in a way that forces you to clear your name in order to move forward. It can be difficult to tell hard truths about yourself or your life and your journey, but others should be more respectful and helpful once you share what you’re really going through.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Security may not come as easily as it used to. You may have once had strong job security or friendly connections, or maybe you overcame something smaller, like a shifting schedule at work or a past physical insecurity. Either way, when faced with a lack of belonging in the places where you want to spend time, giving up may sound like the least painful option. Keep going, Pisces! As long as you respect the local culture, you can build a place for yourself anywhere.

By TIM REYNOLDS

SUNRISE — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped a shot with his mask, then made a diving, no-look save that they’ll remember in Florida for a long time.

And Carter Verhaeghe made sure his goalie’s highlight-reel work came in a win.

Verhaeghe — making some history of his own — lifted a backhander just under the crossbar 2:59 into overtime, and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their NHL first-round playoff series.

“It just takes one shot in these moments,” Verhaeghe said.

He knows that better than most. Verhaeghe became the sixth player in NHL history with at least five overtime gamewinners. This one came on a play where Matthew Tkachuk got the puck to Anton Lundell — who found Verhaeghe. He waited for Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to commit, then put the puck over him to end it.

Sam Bennett, who left with an injury in the second period when he appeared to get hit by teammate Brandon Montour’s slap shot, and Vladimir Tarasenko scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots, including some highlight-reel saves.

Braden Point and Steven Stamkos scored for Tampa Bay, which got two assists from Victor Hedman. Vasilevskiy stopped 34 shots.

“Both goalies made some amazing saves,” Stamkos said. “Game could have ended a lot earlier, probably.”

Bobrovsky had two wild saves in the second period — one off his mask, the other a no-look dive that he got basically with his back to the play to deny Lightning defenseman Matt Dumba and preserve what was then a 2-2 tie.

And it stayed that way, all the way until the sudden end.

“It’s a big, big win for us,” Bobrovsky said.

It was 2-0 Florida after one, with Bennett scoring at 6:16 — the Lightning unsuccessfully challenged that goal for goaltender interference — and Tarasenko connecting nearly nine minutes later. The Panthers controlled the opening 15 minutes, just like they did in Game 1, outshooting the Lightning 12-1 and the two-goal lead held up going into the second period.

That’s when the Lightning — who boast a roster loaded with Stanley Cup hoisters — showed their postseason poise.

“Unfortunately for us, we’re finding ourselves behind in both games,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s a tough league to come back in, especially in the playoffs.

Point scored 48 seconds into the second to cut the lead in half. Stamkos — who was an inch away from a power-play tally in the opening period — got one at 5:48 of the second to tie the game. It was his patented one-timer, just like the one he took a period earlier that got past Bobrovsky’s glove but hit the goalpost with such force that the rebound skipped all the way out of the zone.

So, Florida had lost two things — the lead, and Bennett. He left early in the second period, seeming to hold his wrist, and went directly toward the Panthers’ locker room as soon as he got off the ice. He did not return, with the Panthers calling it an upper-body injury.

But the Panthers found a way to take a 2-0 lead, after going 2-8 in their two previous playoff series with their in-state rivals — who now head home needing to protect home ice.

“There’s a ton of resiliency in that group,” Cooper said.

UP NEXT

Game 3 is Thursday in Tampa.

By HALELUYA HADERO (AP Business Writer)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that’s expected to face legal challenges and disrupt the lives of content creators who rely on the short-form video app for income.

The TikTok legislation was included as part of a larger $95 billion package that provides foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel and was passed 79-18. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who said in a statement immediately after passage that he will sign it Wednesday.

A decision made by House Republicans last week to attach the TikTok bill to the high-priority package helped expedite its passage in Congress and came after negotiations with the Senate, where an earlier version of the bill had stalled. That version had given TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, six months to divest its stakes in the platform. But it drew skepticism from some key lawmakers concerned it was too short of a window for a complex deal that could be worth tens of billions of dollars.

The revised legislation extends the deadline, giving ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok, and a possible three-month extension if a sale is in progress. The bill would also bar the company from controlling TikTok’s secret sauce: the algorithm that feeds users videos based on their interests and has made the platform a trendsetting phenomenon.

TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday night.

The passage of the legislation is a culmination of long-held bipartisan fears in Washington over Chinese threats and the ownership of TikTok, which is used by 170 million Americans. For years, lawmakers and administration officials have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok.

“Congress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok or any other individual company,” Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said. “Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel.”

Opponents of the bill say the Chinese government could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through commercial data brokers that traffic in personal information. The foreign aid package includes a provision that makes it illegal for data brokers to sell or rent “personally identifiable sensitive data” to North Korea, China, Russia, Iran or entities in those countries. But it has encountered some pushback, including from the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the language is written too broadly and could sweep in journalists and others who publish personal information.

Many opponents of the TikTok measure argue the best way to protect U.S. consumers is through implementing a comprehensive federal data privacy law that targets all companies regardless of their origin. They also note the U.S. has not provided public evidence that shows TikTok sharing U.S. user information with Chinese authorities, or that Chinese officials have ever tinkered with its algorithm.

“Banning TikTok would be an extraordinary step that requires extraordinary justification,” said Becca Branum, a deputy director at the Washington-based Center for Democracy & Technology, which advocates for digital rights. “Extending the divestiture deadline neither justifies the urgency of the threat to the public nor addresses the legislation’s fundamental constitutional flaws.”

Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat who voted for the legislation, said he has concerns about TikTok, but he’s also worried the bill could have negative effects on free speech, doesn’t do enough to protect consumer privacy and could potentially be abused by a future administration to violate First Amendment rights.

“I plan to watchdog how this legislation is implemented,” Wyden said in a statement.

China has previously said it would oppose a forced sale of TikTok, and has signaled its opposition this time around. TikTok, which has long denied it’s a security threat, is also preparing a lawsuit to block the legislation.

“At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge,” Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, wrote in a memo sent to employees on Saturday and obtained by The Associated Press.

“This is the beginning, not the end of this long process,” Beckerman wrote.

The company has seen some success with court challenges in the past, but it has never sought to prevent federal legislation from going into effect.

In November, a federal judge blocked a Montana law that would ban TikTok use across the state after the company and five content creators who use the platform sued. Three years before that, federal courts blocked an executive order issued by then-President Donald Trump to ban TikTok after the company sued on the grounds that the order violated free speech and due process rights.

The Trump administration then brokered a deal that had U.S. corporations Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in TikTok. But the sale never went through.

Trump, who is running for president again this year, now says he opposes the potential ban.

Since then, TikTok has been in negotiations about its future with the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a little-known government agency tasked with investigating corporate deals for national security concerns.

On Sunday, Erich Andersen, a top attorney for ByteDance who led talks with the U.S. government for years, told his team that he was stepping down from his role.

“As I started to reflect some months ago on the stresses of the last few years and the new generation of challenges that lie ahead, I decided that the time was right to pass the baton to a new leader,” Andersen wrote in an internal memo that was obtained by the AP. He said the decision to step down was entirely his and was decided months ago in a discussion with the company’s senior leaders.

Meanwhile, TikTok content creators who rely on the app have been trying to make their voices heard. Earlier Tuesday, some creators congregated in front the Capitol building to speak out against the bill and carry signs that read “I’m 1 of the 170 million Americans on TikTok,” among other things.

Tiffany Cianci, a content creator who has more than 140,000 followers on the platform and had encouraged people to show up, said she spent Monday night picking up creators from airports in the D.C. area. Some came from as far as Nevada and California. Others drove overnight from South Carolina or took a bus from upstate New York.

Cianci says she believes TikTok is the safest platform for users right now because of Project Texas, TikTok’s $1.5 billion mitigation plan to store U.S. user data on servers owned and maintained by the tech giant Oracle.

“If our data is not safe on TikTok,” she said. “I would ask why the president is on TikTok.”

__

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Matt O’Brien contributed to this report.

By PAUL NEWBERRY

ATLANTA — Max Fried pitched a three-hitter for Atlanta’s first nine-inning complete game since 2022, Adam Duvall had a two-run homer and and the Atlanta Braves blanked the Miami Marlins for the second night in a row, 5-0 on Tuesday.

After a rough start to the season, Fried (2-0) looks like himself again. It took just 1 hour, 54 minutes for the left-hander to mow down the hapless Marlins, who were shut out for the second night in a row by the Braves and have gone 20 innings without a run.

“I was just trying to get back to being who I am,” Fried said. “Get ground balls, be on the attack.”

Fried retired only two hitters in his first start of the season, giving up three runs at Philadelphia before he was lifted, and surrendered 10 hits and seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his next appearance vs. Arizona.

Since then, the left-hander has beaten the Marlins twice, giving up just one earned run in 15 1/3 innings, and lowered his ERA to 4.97 after it stood at 40.50 after his first outing.

“I was looking in the seventh inning and his pitch count was where it should be in the fifth,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I had a good feeling he could go nine.”

Fried was so dominant the Braves didn’t have anyone in the bullpen even bother warming up — a far cry from the workload he put on the relievers in his first two starts.

“I had to pay them back,” Fried said.

The left-hander used his slider more than he had all season, conceding that “it’s a really good pitch that I had forgotten about a little bit.” The strategy worked to near-perfection as he needed only 92 pitches — 69 of them strikes — to dispatch the free-swinging Marlins.

Fried fanned six and didn’t walk anyone in the major leagues’ fourth complete game this season.

Fried had Atlanta’s previous complete game last April 28 against the Mets, but that one lasted only five innings before it was called because of rain. The last Braves starter to go the full nine innings was Bryce Elder in an 8-0 victory over Washington on Sept. 26, 2022.

The Marlins remained 0-for-Atlanta after getting blanked 3-0 in the series opener Monday. With a week still to go in April, Miami is already 11 1/2 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

Emmanuel Rivera singled for the Marlins leading off the third but was quickly erased by a double play. Bryan De La Cruz reached on an error by third baseman Austin Riley, but he too was wiped off the base paths by a double play.

Luis Arráez had a pair of singles to account for Miami’s other baserunners.

Duvall hit his second homer of the season in the sixth, capping a three-run inning that stretched Atlanta’s lead off Trevor Rogers (0-3).

Riley used a nifty, head-first slide to score on Travis d’Arnaud’s sacrifice fly before Duvall golfed a low pitch from Rogers over the Marlins bullpen in left field.

The Braves scored a pair of unearned runs in the second.

With Marcell Ozuna at first after a walk, Duvall hit an easy grounder to third baseman Otto Lopez, who was so focused on turning a double play that he bobbled the ball twice before firing late to first.

Michael Harris II brought home Ozuna with a double down the right-field line and David Fletcher, filling in for injured Ozzie Albies, drove one deep enough to score Duvall on a sacrifice fly.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: LHP Josh Simpson was having surgery to repair the ulnar nerve in his elbow. He was recently transferred to the 60-day injured list and is expected to miss at least three months.

Braves: Riley was hit on the left arm by a pitch in the seventh inning and hopped around in a bit of pain, but he was able to stay in the game. … Albies (fractured toe) should be ready to come off the injured list when he’s eligible Friday, manager Brian Snitker confirmed, just in time for a weekend series against the first-place Cleveland Guardians.

UP NEXT

RH Reynaldo López (2-0, 0.50 ERA) looks to keep up his strong start with the Braves when he faces the Marlins on Wednesday. Signed as a free agent and converted back into a starter, Lopez has allowed just one earned run and 11 hits over his first three appearances for Atlanta, with 18 strikeouts in 18 innings. RH Sixto Sánchez (0-1, 6.14) gets the nod for the Marlins, making his first start of the season after seven relief appearances.

By EDITH M. LEDERER (Associated Press)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations called Tuesday for “a clear, transparent and credible investigation” of mass graves uncovered at two major hospitals in war-torn Gaza that were raided by Israeli troops.

Credible investigators must have access to the sites, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, and added that more journalists need to be able to work safely in Gaza to report on the facts.

Earlier Tuesday, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said he was “horrified” by the destruction of the Shifa medical center in Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis as well as the reported discovery of mass graves in and around the facilities after the Israelis left.

He called for independent and transparent investigations into the deaths, saying that “given the prevailing climate of impunity, this should include international investigators.”

“Hospitals are entitled to very special protection under international humanitarian law,” Türk said. “And the intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are ‘hors de combat’ (incapable of engaging in combat) is a war crime.”

U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel on Tuesday called the reports of mass graves at the hospitals “incredibly troubling” and said U.S. officials have asked the Israeli government for information.

The Israeli military said its forces exhumed bodies that Palestinians had buried earlier as part of its search for the remains of hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. The military said bodies were examined in a respectful manner and those not belonging to Israeli hostages were returned to their place.

The Israeli military says it killed or detained hundreds of terrorists who had taken shelter inside the two hospital complexes, claims that could not be independently verified. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, and EU.

The Palestinian civil defense in the Gaza Strip said Monday that it had uncovered 283 bodies from a temporary burial ground inside the main hospital in Khan Younis that was built when Israeli forces were besieging the facility last month. At the time, people were not able to bury the dead in a cemetery and dug graves in the hospital yard, the group said.

The civil defense said some of the bodies were of people killed during the hospital siege. Others were killed when Israeli forces raided the hospital.

Palestinian health officials say the hospital raids have destroyed Gaza’s health sector as it tries to cope with the mounting toll from over six months of war.

The issue of who could or should conduct an investigation remains in question.

For the United Nations to conduct an investigation, one of its major bodies would have to authorize it, Dujarric said.

“I think it’s not for anyone to prejudge the results or who would do it,” he said. “I think it needs to be an investigation where there is access and there is credibility.”

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said after visiting Israel and the West Bank in December that a probe by the court into possible crimes by Hamas fighters and Israeli forces “is a priority for my office.”

The discovery of the graves “is another reason why we need a cease-fire, why we need to see an end to this conflict, why we need to see greater access for humanitarians, for humanitarian goods, greater protection for hospitals” and for the release of Israeli hostages, Dujarric said Monday.

In the Hamas attack that launched the war, terrorists killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says Hamas is still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

In response, Israel’s air and ground offensive in Gaza, aimed at eliminating Hamas, has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, around two-thirds of them children and women. It has devastated Gaza’s two largest cities, created a humanitarian crisis and led around 80% of the territory’s population to flee to other parts of the besieged coastal enclave.

Departing Superintendent Peter Licata could leave the Broward school district with some severance pay, but it should not be the full 20 weeks that’s possible under his contract, School Board members said Tuesday.

The board member discussion also suggested that the exit negotiations, which start Friday between Licata and Board Chairwoman Lori Alhadeff, could be contentious. Board member Daniel Foganholi warned the initial agreement may be “ripped to shreds.”

The discussion came after the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Monday that Licata could leave the district with more than $190,000 in severance and other pay, even though he’s voluntarily retiring due to health reasons and has only been in the district for nine months.

That’s because the School Board voted April 16 to immediately terminate its contract with Licata and replace him with Deputy Superintendent Howard Hepburn, even though Licata announced he wasn’t retiring until Dec. 31. The quick transition has raised questions about how much Licata, whose annual salary is $350,000, is entitled to be paid for the rest of the year.

Under a provision in his contract called “termination without cause,” Licata would be given 60 days’ notice ($57,534) and 20 weeks’ severance pay ($134,615). A lower amount can be negotiated but it must be agreed to by Licata.

Asked Friday whether he’d seek the full severance package, Licata told the Sun Sentinel, “That is for my legal team to discuss at the negotiations.”

Alhadeff asked the board if they would support a proposal to increase his 60 days’ notice to 90 days ($86,301) and offer no severance. She also asked if board members would be willing to pay severance, and if so, how much.

Board members were not all in agreement

• Debbi Hixon said she would support 90 days’ notice but not 20 weeks of severance. Any severance “should be more in line with how long he was here.”
• Allen Zeman and Brenda Fam said they’d like Licata to stay until Dec. 31 as an adviser to the school district.
• Sarah Leonardi said she doesn’t support 20 weeks’ severance but would support a severance package of about seven weeks or Licata staying as long as Dec. 31.
• Nora Rupert said she’d support giving him 90 days’ notice or seven weeks of severance.
• Jeff Holness said he could support 90 days’ notice or “at least 10 weeks” of severance.

Alhadeff didn’t discuss what she would prefer. Torey Alston and Foganholi said they didn’t think it was a good idea to discuss potential offers ahead of time.

Alston asked General Counsel Marylin Batista, “Is that your legal advice that we should openly talk strategy today because you and the chair will lose some of that strategy on Friday?”

Batista said state law doesn’t allow the board to discuss negotiation strategy behind closed doors for the superintendent.

Hixon said she felt the guidance was needed. She negotiated Licata’s employment contract last year and many provisions were changed by the board after negotiations.

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“When I negotiated what I thought was a good contract, it was ripped apart in public and it made the superintendent look bad, it made us look bad and it put us in a weird spot,” she said. “I think it makes more sense to give some direction to our chair.”

During the July vote on Licata’s three-year contract, the board lowered Licata’s pay by $10,000 over what Hixon negotiated and took out a provision that said a supermajority of six votes was needed to fire him. The board also added a requirement that he must move from Palm Beach to Broward County.

The board rejected an amendment by Alston to pay no severance to Licata if he lasted less than a year.

Foganholi,the only dissenting vote to immediately replace Licata with Hepburn, voiced concerns about the April 16 transition, which he said looked staged and was designed to hire a superintendent without a public process. While the April 16 meeting was publicly noticed, there was no mention that the board may sever ties with one superintendent and appoint another.

“I’m not a fan of the process, not a fan of how this is happening,” he said. “I was the lone no vote. Due to the comments and where this is going, I feel like it’s a hell no. This whole process is wrong to me.”

He said Alhadeff can do her best to negotiate a separation agreement but “it’s going to be ripped to shreds regardless.”

He also criticized the board choosing Hepburn so quickly.

Foganholi, who wanted the board to hire longtime administrator Valerie Wanza as superintendent last year, said Licata was selected in an open process that involved the public, but that didn’t happen this time.

With Hepburn, “it’s going to be a person that was given the job and didn’t earn it.”

Rupert fired back, saying superintendents can be appointed in different ways and some counties elect them. She also noted that two members on the board, including Foganholi, were appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis while others were elected.

“I’m of the mind of respecting the person in the [superintendent] seat just as I am with colleagues appointed to their seat. There is no difference in my mind,” Rupert said. “It doesn’t make them other. It makes them my colleague and they represent that district, even though the public didn’t vote for them.”

Basketball coach Todd Golden’s roster overhaul picked up the pace, highlighted by the arrival of  FAU guard Alijah Martin. Billy Napier’s first week in the transfer portal was quieter, but time remains for the Gators to fill some gaps. The real drama involved former quarterback recruit Jaden Rashada, who is on the move again. Meanwhile, slugger Jac Caglianone is moving up the school’s all-time home runs lists, while serving as a bright spot for Kevin O’Sullivan’s struggling squad. During the latest Swamp Things, Edgar and Mark step up to the plate to deliver insight and opinion on a cornucopia of topics.

• Men’s basketball: NBA dreams ended (:51)
• Intrigued by latest transfer (6:51)
• Boozer twins visiting (10:41)
• Football: Jaden Rashada back on market (13:07)
• Future of transfer portal (15:09)
• In need of receiver help (19:08)
• Big and physical up front (21:39)
• Billy Napier on Graham Mertz (24:03)
• Napier on play calling (28:50)
• Baseball: Any hope for Sully’s squad? (39:17)
• Jeremy Foley’s Corner (42:29)

Gayla Ann McNeil was hitchhiking in South Florida on the last days of her life. That has been known for decades. But her sister still doesn’t know, 40 years later, where she was going and up until recently still did not know who could have murdered her.

McNeil, 30, of Cocoa Beach, was found brutally murdered in western Palm Beach County in the early evening of Oct. 21, 1983.  A man who was fishing in a pond near the area of U.S. 441 and Acme Dairy Road found her body, the Boca Raton News reported days after the discovery.

McNeil’s body had been in the canal for between 12 and 24 hours by the time she was found, Violent Crimes Division Capt. Laurence Poston said at a news conference Tuesday. She was identified quickly by fingerprints, which were documented when she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, her sister Colleen Fenton told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Within the last year, the Sheriff’s Office identified a suspect after sending evidence to Othram, a company based in Texas that performs forensic genetic genealogy and DNA sequencing for law enforcement. The killer is now believed to be James Vincent Henderson, of West Palm Beach, who had a “small” criminal record and died by suicide in 1987, Poston said.

“While we will never be able to question him as to the extent of his involvement in this, we have a very strong belief that he is possibly the person who took Gayla’s life,” Poston said.

Othram scientists conducted Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing, a more advanced type of testing, to create a complete genetic profile from the evidence collected, which led detectives to relatives, the company said in a news release. DNA comparisons confirmed Henderson as the suspect.

Despite Henderson being long dead, Det. Bill Springer told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he still hopes anyone who knew Henderson may come forward with information about who he was.

“It’s nice to know who did it, but it would be nice to be able to find out maybe why he did it, what type his personality was, if he was domestically violent or not,” Springer said.

Det. Bill Springer, whose first homicide case was the murder of Gayla McNeil in 1983, talks about a development in the cold case during a press conference at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Fenton said her sister had been discharged from the military for her sexuality. It was a devastating change in McNeil’s life, whose goal since she was young was to be in the military as her father was, her sister said.

The discharge “changed the direction of her life because that’s where she was thriving. She wanted to serve her country,” Fenton said. Without having served in the military and her fingerprints registered, her sister would have been a “Jane Doe” after she was found, she said.

Springer, then a homicide detective when McNeil’s body was found, said it was the “very first” murder he had been assigned to investigate and was the lead detective. Soon after, he reached an impasse in the investigation.

Where McNeil’s body was found was not where she was murdered, Springer said. Investigators walked throughout Acme Dairy Road and other areas but were never able to find to where she was killed. They checked hotels from Lake Worth, where she was last seen, to West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach and found no leads, Springer said.

At the time, Springer said their only “viable suspect” was serial killer Bobby Joe Long, who was on death row for 34 years until he was executed by lethal injection in 2019.

The Associated Press reported that Long murdered 10 women in the Tampa Bay area in an eight-month span in 1984 before he was arrested later that year. Some of the victims’ throats were cut, some were bludgeoned and most were strangled.

The blue jeans and beige flannel shirt McNeil had last been seen wearing were gone. She was found naked with a belt tied around her neck and her throat cut, according to the Sheriff’s Office. She also had been sexually assaulted.

“(Long) was a primary suspect,” Springer said, but would eventually be eliminated through DNA testing.

Investigators discovered early on that McNeil was walking from Brevard County to somewhere in South Florida in the days before her murder, according to a news release from Othram. She was stopped by police in Stuart on Oct. 19 and was seen again the next day in Lake Worth Beach, flagging down cars on U.S. 1. She told an officer who questioned her that she was heading to Fort Lauderdale, the release said.

DNA evidence was collected from McNeil’s body during the autopsy, Poston said, and kept in evidence over the years as technology developed. The DNA information collected was entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS, in 2000, which contains DNA from convicted criminals and others, but no matches were returned, according to Othram.

The Sheriff’s Office partnered with Othram on the case in January 2023, the company said in the release, finally leading to the suspect’s name. Othram has worked with the Sheriff’s Office on multiple cold cases in recent years.

Fenton still struggles to talk about her sister’s murder. It’s something not many people know about her family history, she said, because of the pain it causes to talk about.

“Her life mattered, and I think I wanted that to be known. Her family cared,” she said.

The Space Coast set a new launch record in 2023 with 72 orbital missions from either Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The pace of launches could ramp up by the end of 2024 to a near twice-weekly rate with as many as 111 missions possible.

Check back for the latest information on upcoming launches.

By The Numbers:

2024: 30 Space Coast launches in 2024 (updated April 23) | 21 from Cape Canaveral, 9 from KSC | 28 from SpaceX (28 Falcon 9s), 2 from ULA (1 Vulcan, 1 Delta IV Heavy) | 2 human spaceflight (Ax-3, Crew-8)

2023: 72 Space Coast launches in 2023 | 59 from Cape Canaveral, 13 from KSC | 68 from SpaceX (63 Falcon 9s, 5 Falcon Heavy), 3 from United Launch Alliance (1 Delta IV Heavy, 2 Atlas V), 1 from Relativity Space | 3 human spaceflights (Crew-6, Ax-2, Crew-7)

Details on past launches can be found at the end of file.

APRIL

April 23 (Delayed from April 22): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-53 mission carrying 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:17 p.m. This was the 30th Space Coast launch of the year, with all but two coming from SpaceX. It also marked the 300th successful recovery of a first-stage booster among Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. Of note, the launch came 16 minutes ahead of a Rocket Lab launch from New Zealand. Read more.

May

May 6: (Delayed from July 21, 2023; April 22, 2024): Boeing CST-100 Starliner atop United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 10:34 p.m. on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on an eight-day mission to the International Space Station followed by a parachute-and-airbag-assisted ground landing in the desert of the western United States. Read more.

TBD, 2nd quarter of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41. The Vulcan first-stage received its 2nd of two Blue Origin BE-4 engines by April 17, and the Dream Chaser is on its final round of testing at NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio that began in March and continued through mid-April before it will be shipped to Kennedy Space Center. Support equipment arrived April 17 to KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) ahead of its arrival. Read more.

June

June 25: SpaceX Falcon Heavy on its 10th launch ever with payload of the GOES-U satellite for the NOAA from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-A.

AUGUST

No earlier than mid-August 2024: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Crew-9 mission. Crew is NASA astronauts Zena Cardman making her first flight and the 10th of 11 members of the Turtles to fly to space; pilot Nick Hague making his third flight including one mission abort from Russia, mission specialist Stephanie Wilson, who flew three times on Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-121, STS-120, and STS-131 logging 42 days in space, and Roscomos cosmonaut and mission specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov, making his first trip to space.

OCTOBER

October 2024: SpaceX Falcon Heavy on the Europa Clipper mission to travel 1.8 billion miles to investigate Jupiter’s moon Europa to determine whether there are places below Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life. The mission’s detailed investigation of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.

No earlier than October 2024: Axiom Space was awarded the right to fly Axiom-4. No crew has been announced, but NASA requires it to be commanded by a former NASA astronaut with experience on the space station such as the Ax-1, Ax-2 and Ax-3 commanders. The commercial flight brings four crew for a short stay on the ISS. This mission is targeting a 14-day stay, and will fly up with one of the SpaceX Crew Dragons. The launch date is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the ISS and in-orbit activity planning and constraints that have to be coordinated with NASA.

UPCOMING: TBD IN 2024

TBD, early 2024: United Launch Alliance Atlas V on USSF 51 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

TBD, Summer 2024 (Delayed from summer 2023): Polaris Dawn mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 topped with the Crew Dragon Resilience from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. The private orbital mission will bring billionaire Jared Isaacman to space for a second time after 2021′s Inspiration4 mission. It’s the first of up to three planned Polaris missions, and will feature a tethered spacewalk. Also flying are Scott Poteet, given the title of mission pilot, specialist Sarah Gillis, and specialist and medical officer Anna Menon. Both Gillis and Menon are SpaceX employees. Read more.

TBD, 2nd half of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on first of four planned Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41. Dependent on ULA completing both Certification 1 and Certification 2 flights.

TBD, 2nd half of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on second of four planned Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

TBD, 2nd half of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on third of four planned Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

TBD, 2nd half of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on fourth of four planned Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

SEPTEMBER

TBD: First launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. On the Space Force manifest for September 2024, according to Space Force officials.

NOVEMBER

November 2024: SpaceX Falcon Heavy flying Astrobotic’s Griffin lunar lander as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It will include NASA’s Artemis lunar rover, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, which will explore the relatively nearby but extreme environment of the moon in search of ice and other potential resources. This mobile robot will land at the south pole of the moon in late 2024 on a 100-day mission. The critical information it provides will teach us about the origin and distribution of water on the moon and help determine how to harvest the moon’s resources for future human space exploration.

DECEMBER

December 2024: Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with the company’s second Nova-C lander featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples. Also flying is the Lunar Trailblazer, a mission selected under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program, a small satellite designed to provide an understanding of the form, abundance, and distribution of water on the moon, as well as the lunar water cycle.

UPCOMING: TBD IN 2025

TBD, no earlier than early 2025: Boeing Starliner-1 on ULA Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 41. NASA astronauts Scott Tingle and Mike Fincke will be commander and pilot, respectively. This Starliner previously flew on Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 mission. Depending on data from CFT mission, this could become SpaceX Crew-10 mission.

September 2025: NASA Artemis II mission to send four crew on 8-day orbital mission to the moon from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-B. Read more.

UPCOMING: TBD IN 2026

September 2026: NASA Artemis III mission to send four crew on lunar landing mission to the moon from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-B. Read more.

LAUNCHED IN 2024

Jan. 3: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Ovzon 3 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:04 p.m. This was the first launch of 2024. The 3,968-pound Ovzon 3 satellite is the first privately funded and developed Swedish geostationary satellite ever to be launched, headed for a geostationary transfer orbit where it will then propel itself to its geostationary orbit over 3-4 months at 59.7 degrees east at 22,236 miles altitude. The first-stage booster flew for the 10th time with a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Jan. 7: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-35 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:35 p.m. The first-stage booster made its 16th flight having previously flown on two crewed and two cargo missions to the International Space Station among others. It managed its recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

Jan. 8 (Delayed from May 4, Dec. 24-26): First-ever launch of United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on Certification-1 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 2:18 a.m. Primary payload was commercial company Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander headed to the moon. Also flying will be another human remains payload for Celestis Inc., this time brining the ashes of more than 200 people to space including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and actor James Doohan who played “Scotty” on the TV series. Read more.

Jan. 14 (Delayed from Jan. 13): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-37 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 23 Starlink satellites at 8:52 p.m. The first-stage booster flew its 12th mission and with a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. This was the fourth launch from the Space Coast in 2024. Read more.

Jan. 18 (Delayed from Jan. 17): SpaceX Falcon 9 with a Crew Dragon Freedom for Axiom Space’s Axiom-3 mission launched at 4:49 p.m. from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. The crew includes one astronaut each from Italy, Turkey and Sweden while the mission is led by Axiom’s chief astronaut Michael López-Alegría who is making his sixth trip to space. The customers are Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, who will act as pilot. In the two mission specialist roles are Alper Gezeravcı of Turkey and ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden. All three have served in their respective nations’ air forces. The commercial flight brings four crew for a short stay on the ISS. This mission is targeting a 14-day stay with docking planned for Saturday at 5:15 a.m. The first-stage booster made a landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Jan. 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-38 mission with 23 Starlink satellites at 8:10 p.m. liftoff on a southerly trajectory from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39-A. The first-stage booster made its 18th flight, with past missions including the crewed flights of Inspiration4 and Ax-1, and had a recovery landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

Jan. 30: SpaceX Falcon 9 with Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft on the NG-20 mission to resupply the International Space Station at12:07 p.m.. This was the first ISS launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, which SpaceX has been redeveloping to support future crewed missions in addition to KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. This was the first of at least three SpaceX flights of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft as part of a deal after its 10-year run of launches atop Antares rockets ended with the Aug. 1 launch from Wallops Island, Virginia because of issues with Russian- and Ukrainian-made rocket engines and first stage parts that are being redeveloped with Firefly Aerospace for a future Antares rocket not expected until at least 2025. Following launch, the space station’s Canadarm2 will grapple Cygnus no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 1, and the spacecraft will attach to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading by the Expedition 70 crew. The first-stage booster made its 10th flight and returned for a touchdown at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Feb. 8 (Delayed from Feb. 6, 7): NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol Cloud Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:33 a.m. PACE will advance the assessment of ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web, as well as clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere. The first-stage booster flying for the fourth time made a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Feb. 14: A SpaceX Falcon 9 on the USSF-124 mission launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:30 p.m. Payloads included two satellites for the Missile Defense Agency to track hypersonic missiles and four more satellites for the Tranche 0 constellation for the Space Development Agency. The first-stage booster flew for the seventh time with a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 2. Read more.

Feb. 15 (Delayed from Nov. 14, Jan. 12, Feb. 14): SpaceX Falcon 9 for the Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission with the company’s Nova-C lunar lander Odysseus from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 1:05 a.m. This could end up being the first NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission to land on the moon after the failure of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander. The IM-1 has a suite of six NASA payloads as part of a CLPS delivery and another six privately organized payloads. Landing would take place Feb. 22.Read more.

Feb. 20: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Merah Putih 2 mission, a communications satellite for Telkom Indonesia, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 at 3:11 p.m. into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. This was the 11th launch from the Space Coast in 2023 and 300th successful Falcon 9 launch since its debut in 2010, having only had one mid-launch failure in 2015. This was the 17th launch of the first stage booster, and it made a recovery landing downrange on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Feb. 25 (delayed from Feb. 24): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-39 mission sending up 24 Starlink satellites launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:06 p.m. This was the 12th launch from the Space Coast in 2024. The first-stage booster for the mission flew for the 13th time and made a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. Read more.

Feb. 29: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-40 mission with 23 Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:30 a.m. This was the 13th launch from the Space Coast in 2024. The first-stage booster for the mission flew for the 11h time and made recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic. Read more.

March 3 (delayed from Feb. 22, 28, March 1, 2): SpaceX Crew-8 on Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A  at 10:53 p.m. Bad weather on the ascent corridor took the first three launch options on March 1 and 2 off the table. It’s the eighth SpaceX operational mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Its four crew members are NASA astronauts Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Michael Barratt, Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin. They flew up in the Crew Dragon Endeavour making its fifth trip to space. The first-stage booster made its first flight. The mission had originally been targeting Feb. 22, but that was the target day for the Intuitive Machines attempt to land on the moon, and NASA chose to move the launch to “deconflict” NASA support operations that day. Read more.

March 4: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-41 mission sending up 23 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:56 p.m. The first stage booster flew for the 13th time and made a recovery landing on the droneship  A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

March 10: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-43 mission sent up 23 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:05 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 11th time with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic. This was the 16th launch from the Space Coast in 2024. Read more.

March 15 (Delayed from March 13, 14): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-44 mission sending up 23 more Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 8:21 p.m. after scrubbing launches on both Wednesday and Thursday with about 2 minutes on the countdown clock. The booster flew for a record-tying 19th time and made a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

March 21: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the CRS-30 resupply mission with a Cargo Dragon to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:54 p.m. This was the first Dragon launch from SLC-40 since the addition of a crew access arm to support Dragon launches from more than one Space Coast pad and augment normal launches from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. The first-stage booster made a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

March 23 (delayed from March 22): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-42 mission sending up 23 more Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 11:09 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for 19th time.

March 25: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-46 mission sending up 23 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:42 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the eighth time and landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship.

March 30: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Eutelsat-36X mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 5:52 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 12th time with a landing on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This was 20th SpaceX launch from the Space Coast in 2024 and 21st among all companies. Read more.

March 30: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-45 mission carrying 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:30 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 18th time with a landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

April 5: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-47 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:12 a.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 14th time landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. It was the 275th recovery of a Falcon 9 booster for SpaceX. Read more.

April 7: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the the Bandwagon-1 mission from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-A at 7:16 p.m, The first-stage booster flew for the 14th time and made a recovery landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1. The 11 satellites on board are flying to a mid-inclination orbit. This is the first of a new type of rideshare program flying to that orbit that augments SpaceX’s Transporter program that flies to SSO. Read more.

April 9 (Delayed from March 28): United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy on the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37 at 12:53 p.m. This was the final Delta IV Heavy rocket launch ever, and last of any Delta rocket, which has been flying for more than 60 years. The Space Force has one more launch on a ULA Atlas V rocket before future missions transition to ULA’s new Vulcan Centaur. Read more.

April 10: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-48 mission carrying 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:40 a.m. The first-stage booster made its second flight with a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions.

April 12: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-49 mission carrying 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:40 p.m. The launch set a turnaround record for launches from SLC-40 at two days and 20 hours since the Aug. 10 launch. The previous record was Aug. 3-6, 2023 at three days, 21 hours, 41 minutes. The first-stage booster also flew for a record 20th time making a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

April 17: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-51 mission with 23 Starlink satellites launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 5:26 p.m. The first-stage booster made its 12th flight and landed downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. Read more.

April 18: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-52 mission carrying 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:40 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the seventh time and made a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

LAUNCHED IN 2023

Jan. 3: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the Transporter-6 mission carrying 114 payloads for a variety of customers blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:56 a.m. Read more.

Jan. 9: A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off carrying 40 satellites for OneWeb at 11:50 p.m. Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. Read more.

Jan. 15: The fifth-ever flight of SpaceX’s powerhouse Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off at 5:56 p.m. from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A on a mission for the Space Force dubbed USSF-67. Read more.

Jan. 18: A SpaceX Falcon 9 on the GPS III Space Vehicle 06 mission for the Space Force rose through the pink, orange and blue horizon at 7:24 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. Read more.

Jan. 26: SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 5-2 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 launched at 4:32 a.m. sending up 56 Starlink satellites. Read more.

Feb. 2: Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-3 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 2:43 a.m. 200th successful flight of Falcon 9 on mission to send up 53 Starlink satellites. Read more.

Feb. 6: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Amazonas-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 lifted off at 8:32 p.m. Payload is communications satellite for Hispasat known also as the Amazonas Nexus. Read more.

Feb. 12: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-4 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 launched 55 Starlink satellites at 12:10 a.m. This set a then-record turnaround between launches from the same pad for SpaceX coming just five days, three hours, and 38 minutes since the Feb. 6 launch. Read more.

Feb. 17: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Inmarsat’s I-6 F2 satellite launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:59 p.m. The second of six planned communication satellite launches, the first of which came in 2021 with the final coming by 2025. Read more.

Feb. 27: SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 6-1 launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:13 p.m. carrying 21 of the second-generation Starlink satellites. Read more.

March 2: Crew-6 mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launching Crew Dragon Endeavour from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-A at 12:34 a.m. A Feb. 27 attempt was scrubbed with less than three minutes before liftoff. Flying were NASA astronauts mission commander Stephen Bowen and pilot Woody Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, heading to the International Space Station for around a six-month stay. It’s the sixth SpaceX operational mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Read more.

March 9: A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off carrying 40 satellites for OneWeb launched at 2:13 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. The first-stage booster flew for the 13th time landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

March 14: After arrival of Crew-6 and departure of Crew-5 to make room for a cargo Dragon, SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a cargo Dragon spacecraft on CRS-27, the 27th resupply mission to the International Space Station from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A at 8:30 p.m. Read more.

March 17: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the SES 18 and 19 mission, a pair of communication satellites set to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. Set a record for SpaceX mission turnaround with launch only four hours and 17 minutes after a Starlink launch from California. Read more.

March 22: Relativity Space Terran-1, a 3D-printed rocket awaiting company’s first-ever launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 16 at 11:25 p.m. While first stage successfully separated, the second stage engine did not get it into orbit. Read more.

March 24: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-5 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:43 a.m. carrying 56 Starlink satellites to orbit. The booster made its 10th flight. Read more.

March 29: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-10 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station launched at 4:01 p.m. The booster making its fourth flight landed on Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. Read more.

April 7: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Intelsat 40e mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:30 a.m. Read more.

April 19: SpaceX Falcon 9 launch on Starlink 6-2 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:31 a.m. with 21 Starlink satellites. The first-stage booster made its eighth flight with a recovery on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

April 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the SES 03b mPOWER-B mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:12 p.m. Read more.

April 30: SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch of ViaSat-3 Americas’ communications satellite from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-A at 8:26 p.m. All three boosters were expended, so no sonic boom landings. Also flying were payloads for Astranis Space Technologies and Gravity Space headed for geostationary orbits. It’s the sixth-ever Falcon Heavy launch. The launch pad endured a lightning strike on April 27, but SpaceX said the rocket was healthy for the attempt. Read more.

May 4: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with 56 Starlink satellites at 3:31 a.m. The first-stage booster making its eighth flight was recovered once again on the droneship called A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

May 14: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 launnched at 1:03 a.m. Read more.

May 19: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-3 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 2:19 a.m. carrying 22 second-gen Starlink satellites. The first-stage booster made its fifth flight and landing on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in Atlantic. Read more.

May 21: Axiom 2 mission with four private passengers launched to the International Space Station for an eight-day visit flying on a SpaceX Falcon 9 topped with Crew Dragon Freedom from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A at 5:37 p.m.  The first-stage booster flew for the first time with a return to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1. This is only the second crewed mission from the U.S. in 2023 following March’s Crew-6 mission. The second Axiom Space private mission to the International Space Station following 2022′s Axiom 1 mission. Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the mission commander with aviator John Shoffner as pilot and two mission specialist seats paid for by the Saudi Space Commission, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni. Read more.

May 27: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the ArabSat BADR-8 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:30 a.m. The first-stage booster made its 14th flight with a landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. Read more.

June 4: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-4 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 22 second-generation Starlink satellites at 8:20 a.m. The first-stage booster made its third flight and was able to land down range on droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. The launch came 13 years to the day since the first Falcon 9 launch in 2010. It was the 229th attempt of a Falcon 9 launch with 228 of the 229 successful. Read more.

June 5 (Delayed from June 3, 4): SpaceX Falcon 9 on CRS-28 launched a cargo Dragon spacecraft, the 28th resupply mission to the International Space Station from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A at at 11:47 a.m. The first-stage booster made its fifth flight and SpaceX recovered it downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. This is the fourth flight of the crew Dragon, which will be bring up nearly 7,000 pounds of supplies, dock to the station 41 hours after launch and remain on the station for three weeks. Read more.

June 12: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-11 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 53 of the company’s internet satellites at 3:10 a.m.  The first stage booster flew for the ninth time with a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

June 18: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the PSN MSF mission to launch the Satria communications satellite for the Indonesian government and PSN, an Indonesian satellite operator. This satellite will provide broadband internet and communications capability for public use facilities in Indonesia’s rural regions. Liftoff was at 6:21 p.m. with the first-stage booster making its 12th flight and once again landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Read more.

June 22: United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy on NROL-68 for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command and the National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37B lifted off at 5:18 a.m. This was the second-to-last Delta IV Heavy launch with the final one expected in 2024. Read more.

June 23: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 5-12 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 carrying 56 Starlink satellites at 11:35 a.m. The first-stage booster flew for the ninth time and landed on a droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Read more.

July 1: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the ESA Euclid space telescope mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:12 a.m. The European Space Agency telescope is designed to make a 3D map of the universe by looking at billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light years away across one third of the sky. Read more.

July 9: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-5 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:58 p.m. The booster made a record 16th flight and was recovered again downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. Read more.

July 15: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-15 mission with 54 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:50 p.m. (early Friday scrubbed 40 seconds before launch, and early Saturday option passed over) Booster made a record-tying 16th fligh landing on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Read more.

July 23: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 8:50 p.m. carrying 22 of its v2 mini Starlink satellites. The booster flew for the sixth time and made a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. Read more.

July 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-7 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:01 a.m. with 22 Starlink satellites. Booster flew for the 15th time including crewed launches Inspiration4 and Ax-1, and made recovery landing on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. The launch set a record for turnaround time for the company from a single launch pad coming four days, three hours, and 11 minutes since the July 23 launch. The previous record was set from Feb. 6-12 at five days, three hours, and 38 minutes. Read more.

July 28: SpaceX Falcon Heavy from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A that launched a telecom satellite for Hughes Network Systems called the Jupiter 3 EchoStar XXIV at 11:04 p.m. The two side boosters were recovered at Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This was the third Falcon Heavy launch of 2023 and seventh overall. Read more.

Aug. 3: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Intelsat G-37 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1 a.m. The first-stage booster made its sixth flight with a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. Read more.

Aug. 6: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-8 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:41 p.m. with 22 Starlink V2 minis. The first-stage booster made its fourth flight with another recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. The turnaround time between the Aug. 3 Intelsat G-37 mission and this mission broke SpaceX’s previous record for time between launches from a single launch pad. Previous record was from July 24-28 with a turnaround of four days, three hours, and 11 minutes. This one came in at three days, 21 hours, 41 minutes. Read more.

Aug. 11: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-9 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:17 a.m. Payload is 22 of the V2 mini Starlink satellites. First-stage booster flew for the ninth time with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. Read more.

Aug. 16: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-10 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 22 of the V2 mini Starlink satellites. The first-stage booster made its 13th flight and SpaceX was able to recover it again on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. Read more.

Aug. 26: SpaceX Crew-7 mission on a Falcon 9 launching the Crew Dragon Endurance from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-A lifted off at 3:27 a.m. liftoff. It’s the seventh SpaceX operational mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Flying are NASA astronaut and mission commander Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut and pilot Andreas Mogensen, mission specialist JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and mission specialist Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. This will be Endurance’s third spaceflight after having been used on the Crew-3 and Crew-5 missions. The launch will use a new first-stage booster. The crew will arrive at 8:50 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 27. with hatch opening about two hours later. It will stay docked about 190 days. Read more.

Aug. 26: SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 6-11 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:05 p.m. with 22 Starlink satellites. The first stage flew for the third time and landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Aug. 31: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-13 mission carrying 22 of the v2 Starlink minis from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:21 p.m. It was SpaceX’s ninth launch of the calendar month matching the record nine launches it had in May. It was the company’s 60th orbital launch of the year. The first-stage booster flew for the seventh time and made a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Read more.

Sept. 3: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-12 mission carrying 21 of the v2 Starlink minis from Kennedy Space Center’s Space Launch Complex 39-A at 10:47 p.m. It marked the 62nd SpaceX orbital launch in 2023 besting the 61 launches the company performed in 2022. The first-stage booster on the flight made its 10th launch and was able to make its recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Sept. 8: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-14 mission carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 took off at 11:12 p.m. The first-stage booster made its seventh flight with a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. Read more.

Sept. 10 (delayed from Aug. 29): United Launch Alliance Atlas V on the SILENTBARKER/NROL-107 for the National Reconnaissance Office and Space Force from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 8:47 a.m.. Delayed because of Tropical Storm Idalia. This was the second ULA launch of 2023. SILENTBARKER’s classified mission is to improve space domain awareness to support national security and provide intelligence data to U.S. senior policy makers, the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. It will provide the capability to search, detect and track objects from space-based sensors for timely custody and event detection. Read more.

Sept. 15: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-16 mission, carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 launching at 11:38 p.m. The first-stage booster for the mission made its fifth flight with a landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. It marked SpaceX’s 65th orbital launch of the year including missions from Canaveral, KSC and California. Read more.

Sept. 19: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-17 mission, carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 launching at 11:38 p.m. This was a record reuse flight for the first-stage booster flying for a 17th time with a recovery landing on the droneship A Short Fall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Sept.23: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-18 mission, carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:38 p.m. The first-stage booster made a record-tying 17th flight with a recovery landing down range on droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Sept.29: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-19 mission, carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10 p.m. The booster on this flight made its 10th launch having flown on CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19 and five Starlink missions. It made a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. This was SpaceX’s 69th launch of the year, its 49th from the Space Coast, 39th from Cape Canaveral and the other 10 from KSC. With only three non-SpaceX flights this year, it was the Space Coast’s 52nd overall. Read more.

Oct. 5: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-21 mission with 22 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:36 a.m.  The booster made its eighth flight with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. This was SpaceX’s 70th launch of the year, its 50th from the Space Coast, 40th from Cape Canaveral. With only three non-SpaceX flights this year, it is the Space Coast’s 53rd overall. Read more.

Oct. 6: United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 2:06 p.m. Payload was Amazon’s two test Project Kuiper satellites that were set to fly on ULA’s first Vulcan Centaur rocket, but switched to one of the nine Atlas rockets Amazon had previously purchased from ULA as Vulcan had been delayed to no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2023. Read more.

Oct. 13 (Delayed from Oct. 12): A SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched NASA’s Psyche probe into space launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39-A at 10:19 a.m. The probe was delayed from 2022, and headed for the asteroid Psyche, using a Mars-gravity assist and not arriving until August 2029. Psyche is a nickel-iron core asteroid that orbits the sun beyond Mars anywhere from 235 million to 309 million miles away. The two side boosters returned for a land landing at Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Read more.

Oct. 13 (Delayed from Oct. 8): SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-22 mission with 22 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:01 p.m. The first-stage booster for the mission is making its 14th flight, and made another recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas down range in the Atlantic. The launch came 8 hours and 42 minutes after the Falcon Heavy launch from nearby KSC earlier in the day. Read more.

Oct. 17: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-23 mission with 22 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 8:36 p.m. This is the first-stage booster made its 16th flight with a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. This marked the Space Coasts’ 57th launch of the year, which matched the total it had in 2022. Read more.

Oct. 21: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-24 mission with 23 of its Starlink satellites launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:17 p.m. The first-stage booster made its fourth flight with a recovery landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. This became the record 58th launch from the Space Coast for the year. Read more.

Oct. 29: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-25 mission with 23 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:20 p.m. This was the 59th launch from the Space Coast for the year. The first-stage booster flew for the eighth time and made a  recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed down range in the Atlantic. Read more.

Nov. 3: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-26 mission with 23 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 8:37 p.m. This was the 60th launch from the Space Coast for the year. The first-stage booster flew for a record 18th time and made a  recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed down range in the Atlantic. Read more.

Nov. 8: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-27 mission with 23 of its Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 targeting 12:05 a.m. The first-stage booster made its 11th flight with a landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic. This was the 61st launch from the Space Coast for the year. Read more.

Nov. 9: SpaceX Falcon 9 with cargo Dragon on the CRS-29 mission to carry supplies to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-B at 8:28 p.m. It’s the 29th resupply mission for SpaceX with its cargo Dragon filled with 6,500 pounds of supplies for the Expedition 70 crew with an expected arrival to the ISS about 5:20 a.m. Saturday. It includes NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) science experiment to measure atmospheric gravity waves and how it could affect Earth’s climate and the Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low-Earth-Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T), a technology demonstration for laser communications among the ISS, an orbiting relay satellite and a ground-based observatory on Earth. The first-stage booster flew for the second time and landed back at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Nov. 12: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the SES O3b mPOWER mission to medium-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40  at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 4:08 p.m. First stage made its 9th flight with a recovery landing on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Nov. 18: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-28 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:05 a.m. with 23 Starlink satellites. First-stage booster flew for the 11th time and landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions This was the 64th launch from the Space Coast in 2023. This launch came hours ahead of the Starship and Super Heavy launch attempt in Texas. Read more.

Nov. 22: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-29 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 2:47 a.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 15th time and landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. This marked the 65th launch from the Space Coast in 2023. Read more.

Nov. 27: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-30 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40at 11:20 p.m. This was a southerly trajectory launch. The booster flew for the 17th time (3rd booster to do so) and landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. It was the 66th launch of the year from the Space Coast, 62nd from SpaceX in Florida, and 87th orbital launch from SpaceX including California missions. Read more.

Dec. 2: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-31 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11 p.m. First stage booster flew for the sixth time and landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. It marked the 67th launch of the year from the Space Coast, 63rd from SpaceX in Florida, and 89th orbital launch from SpaceX including California missions.

Dec. 7: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-32 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:07 a.m. The first-stage booster flew for the ninth time with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed downrange in the Atlantic. This was the 68th launch from the Space Coast in 2023. Read more.

Dec. 18 (Delayed from Dec. 11, 12, 13) SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-34 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:01 p.m. Read more.

Dec. 23: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-32 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:33 a.m.  This was a record 19th flight for the first-stage booster having flown previously on Crew Demo-2, ANASIS-11, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3 and 13 Starlink missions. It made a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic. This was the 70th Space Coast launch of the year. Read more.

Dec. 28 (Delayed from Dec. 10, 11, 13): SpaceX Falcon Heavy from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A on USSF-52, the third mission for the Space Force, launching the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle on its seventh trip to space at 8:07 p.m. The side boosters flew for the fifth time, previously used on the Psyche mission, two Space Force missions and one commercial flight with another double land landing at Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Read more.

Dec. 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-36 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 targeting 11:01 p.m. This was the 12th flight for the first-stage booster with a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. This was a record turnaround among SpaceX launches from Space Coast launch pads at 2 hours and 54 minutes besting October’s double launch that saw a Falcon 9 launch at CCSFS just eight hours, 42 minutes after a Falcon Heavy launch at KSC. Read more.

Follow Orlando Sentinel space coverage at Facebook.com/goforlaunchsentinel.

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE (Associated Press)

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos on Tuesday said he is dropping his longshot bid to return to Congress, months after he was expelled from the House while facing a slew of federal fraud charges.

Santos, who was running as an independent candidate for the 1st Congressional District in New York, said he was withdrawing from the race in a post on the social media platform X.

The announcement came after the disgraced former congressman’s campaign committee reported no fundraising or expenditures in March, raising speculation that his campaign had failed to get off the ground.

Santos last month launched a campaign to challenge Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in the GOP primary for the eastern Long Island congressional district, which is a different district than the one he previously represented. Weeks later, Santos said he was leaving the Republican Party and would instead run for the seat as an independent.

“Although Nick and I don’t have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems,” Santos wrote on X, adding, “Staying in this race all but guarantees a victory for the Dems in the race.”

Santos was expelled from the House in December following a damaging ethics committee report that determined there was “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking and that he “cannot be trusted.” He was just the sixth member expelled by colleagues in the chamber’s history.

The former congressman has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that include deceiving Congress about his wealth, stealing from his campaign and obtaining unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. He has a trial tentatively scheduled for later this year.

In his post on X, Santos did not rule out seeking office in the future.

“It’s only goodbye for now,” he wrote, “I’ll be back.”

General Daily Insight for April 23, 2024

Breakthroughs and rebalances are coming. The sensitive Moon moves into deep Scorpio, inviting us to become more introspective and private when it comes to our inner life. Later, the Moon squares chaotic Pluto, ushering in emotional upheaval and stress. Finally, the Full Moon rises as it opposes the egocentric Sun at 7:49 pm EDT, reminding us of everything we manifested during the New Moon as practicality battles with emotionality. We ought to see what the Full Moon brings before enacting any changes.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

You’re learning to value your time and energy. Before now, you may have made promises to pals left and right, insisting that you could do everything and be everywhere all at once. Unfortunately, this likely led to you inadvertently overstretching yourself and snapping in a way that created more problems for yourself and others due to any unfulfilled promises. You don’t have to perpetuate this exhausting cycle for one moment longer! Take today to rest, recuperate, and refill your own cup.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You might be pulling away from someone. This doesn’t mean that they’ve done anything wrong — you possibly have been spending too much time with them and simply need to recharge in a private space by yourself. A good friend should understand your need for a little downtime once you explain your needs. No matter how distracting they are, do your best to carve out time for yourself. Consider doing some meditation or focused journaling to get in touch with your inner wavelength once more.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Practicality may presently be tough. Your emotions could be acting like the worst kind of frenemy, shaking your balance so you unintentionally confuse people that you’re trying to impress or connect with. While you should be able to express yourself freely, it’s also important that you communicate clearly with the people who have ears to hear you. Look for others who understand that you aren’t taking the same route to success as everyone else. You deserve pals who appreciate your unique self, emotions and all!

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

You might be creating in private today. Any creative works of yours will probably go better if you keep things subtle, whether they involve private emotions or vital secrets — or if you simply feel that what you’re creating isn’t quite up to your standards yet. Otherwise, you might be secretly taking risks, and that could speedily create stressful situations where you would be required to admit any dangerous gambles you’ve taken. It’s okay to accept help when you need it.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

You may need a break from your home environment. This could manifest due to frustrations with your family members, a roommate, or even your physical living space. You’re potentially feeling antsy, and a change of scenery and some quiet time to yourself could loosen things up and take the edge off your nerves. Don’t let your anger get the best of you and cause you to act out of character! Look for ways to stay grounded while releasing pressure in healthy ways to avoid exploding.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Study can only take you so far — right now, you need experience. The details should be up to you. Even if a wealth of knowledge or a wise mentor is pushing you toward a certain life path, you might feel drawn to something less familiar. You’re ready to break away from that script for your life! Even if an upcoming choice feels too weighty to make alone, at least contemplate your options before letting someone else tell you what to do.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Good fences make good neighbors today, Libra. It’s not always easy to enforce boundaries when you want to make a good impression on others, but doing so is vital. It isn’t bossy or cagey! You deserve to be comfortable in a connection with someone else from the get-go instead of letting them act a certain way for a long time and then telling them that you don’t like that thing they do. Don’t say more than you need to, but be honest and upfront.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

The answers you seek may already be within your mind. It’s possible that you’ve been letting certain patterns or the opinions of others define you without even realizing what was happening, especially if you’ve been entrenched in them for years. Today, though, brace yourself for an epiphany! Don’t hesitate to ask yourself what you genuinely think or want, instead of seeking the answers from outside authority figures. Tradition and advice have their places, but autonomy deserves a seat at the table as well.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

It might be hard to keep up with you! Whether you realize it or not, you’re probably more withdrawn than usual. Perhaps you’re resting or healing — whatever it is, try asking yourself why you feel the need to be alone at the moment. Is fear keeping you down, or are you simply turning up the volume on your inner voice by turning down the chaos of the outside world? Solitude is occasionally necessary, but avoid letting fear hide your light.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Dreams may currently be obscured by a veil of secrecy. While some projects are best kept to yourself until they’re fully completed, this could instead be a case of waiting to be discovered instead of putting yourself out there. You’re allowed to fear criticism or rejection, but they’re ultimately a natural part of entering the public eye. Even when you’re afraid, you can and should keep going! These worries are simply part of the territory and shouldn’t keep you in obscurity.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

You might be reevaluating your image. Look out for potential narratives that you’ve allowed to continue, but that you don’t really like about yourself. Instead of resigning yourself to perpetuate this reputation in a self-fulfilling prophecy, make the changes necessary in order to start making headway on your true goals. In the end, it’s vital that you see yourself in the way that you want to — ideally the world will follow suit, but it’s okay if you don’t please everyone.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

What you believe could be changing. This might be a long-held belief or something that you’ve only recently begun to trust — specifics aside, at any moment, you may gain clarity about this subject that changes your mind. It can be difficult to make this change even if the truth is apparent, because you were likely quite invested in what you were believing before. There’s no way around it: change just isn’t always easy. You’re meant to follow the truth, not a comfortable lie.

By BILL TROCCHI

ATLANTA — Travis d’Arnaud hit his fifth home run in four games and Bryce Elder pitched 6 2/3 spotless innings in his return from the minors as the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 3-0 on Monday night.

David Fletcher capped a three-run fourth with an RBI single to help the Braves win for the seventh time in eight games.

Recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day, Elder (1-0) scattered eight hits in his first major league start this season. The right-hander struck out four and walked none.

“It says a lot about him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The dedication, the focus — everything. When we sent him down, he said, ‘I’ll be ready when you need me.’ And he was. He had really good command of all of his pitches. We’ve seen him do that before.”

Elder was picked for the NL All-Star team last year, when he made 31 starts for Atlanta and finished 12-4 with a 3.81 ERA. But he struggled in the second half, got hit hard in his lone playoff appearance against Philadelphia and began the 2024 season in the minors.

“I was upset at first,” Elder said about not making the big league club out of spring training. “I think that’s always going to be the reaction. But I have to realize I’m still 24 and I’m planning on playing this game for a long, long time.”

Pierce Johnson got one out and A.J. Minter pitched the eighth. Raisel Iglesias worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save in seven chances, finishing an eight-hitter that marked Atlanta’s first shutout of the season.

Ryan Weathers (2-2) gave up three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out one and walked three.

In the fourth, d’Arnaud launched a two-run homer to open the scoring. He hit three home runs Friday, another on Saturday and one on Monday — all in a span of eight at-bats.

“It’s wild. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m just going to keep riding this wave,” d’Arnaud said.

The catcher added a single Monday, after his previous five hits were home runs.

Ronald Acuña Jr. singled and stole second in the first inning, his 190th career steal. That set an Atlanta-era record for the Braves, surpassing Rafael Furcal. Herman Long holds the franchise mark with 434.

Elder gave up three hits in the first inning, but some poor baserunning by Luis Arraez cost the Marlins a run. Elder ended the second and sixth with double plays as he kept all nine Marlins baserunners he allowed from scoring.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: RHP JT Chargois threw 10 pitches for Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday and is scheduled to pitch again Tuesday. He is recovering from neck spasms. … LHP Braxton Barrett (left shoulder impingement) threw a bullpen Sunday and will throw another one in the next few days. … C Christian Bethancourt (viral illness) is with the team and is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Braves: 2B Ozzie Albies took batting practice for the first time since breaking his toe and appears to be on track to return Friday when he is eligible to come off the IL.

UP NEXT

Braves LHP Max Fried (1-0, 7.71 ERA) will face Marlins LHP Trevor Rogers (0-2, 3.92) in the middle game of the series Tuesday.

• University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier, right, smiles beside Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators, before he speaks to Gator faithful during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida fans enjoy themselves with Albert and Alberta, UF mascots, during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Speaking at the event was UF head football coach Billy Napier and Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier speaks during an interview before a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Also speaking at the event was Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida fans arrive for a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Speaking at the event was UF head football coach Billy Napier and Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators, speaks during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Also speaking at the event was UF head football coach Billy Napier. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida cheerleaders arrive for a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Speaking at the event was UF head football coach Billy Napier and Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier speaks to Gator faithful during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Also speaking at the event was Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida fans enjoy themselves with Albert and Alberta, UF mascots, during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Speaking at the event was UF head football coach Billy Napier and Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier speaks during an interview before a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Also speaking at the event was Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier speaks to Gator faithful during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Also speaking at the event was Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida fans enjoy themselves with Albert and Alberta, UF mascots, during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Speaking at the event was UF head football coach Billy Napier and Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier speaks during an interview before a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Also speaking at the event was Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier, right, is introduced by Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators, before Napier speaks to Gator faithful during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida mascot Albert cheers during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Speaking at the event was UF head football coach Billy Napier and Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

• University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier speaks to Gator faithful during a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World on Monday evening, April 22, 2024. Also speaking at the event was Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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Accused killer Terrence Mathis is waiting for a Broward jury to decide whether he is guilty of killing a liquor store manager in Lighthouse Point nearly seven years ago.

Mathis, 40, is also accused in a separate case of helping rapper Jamell “YNW Melly” Demons tamper with witnesses in the rapper’s highly publicized murder case, which is expected to be retried this year after a previous jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

The murder of Karl Wolfer on July 7, 2017, was the first in Lighthouse Point in over a decade. Investigators said Mathis first encountered Wolfer at the liquor store operated by the victim, then followed him home and shot him in his own driveway in a robbery.

Prosecutors Liz Lipella and Taylor Collins pointed to evidence showing that Mathis’ phone placed him at the liquor store and the scene of the crime, while defense lawyer George Reres argued that Mathis was not with his phone, suggesting the crime may have been committed by Mathis’ brother.

Jurors deliberated for a few hours Monday before retiring for the day. Deliberations will resume Tuesday morning.

Mathis was charged last year with witness tampering on behalf of Demons, the rapper accused of killing two longtime friends after a late-night recording session in Fort Lauderdale.

Prosecutors say Demons relayed messages to co-defendant Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry during Demons’ trial last year, with Mathis acting as a go-between. Henry was told to talk Demons’ girlfriend out of giving a sworn statement out of court or testifying in court.

Investigators believe that Mathis and Demons are fellow members of an offshoot of the Bloods street gang, an accusation that played a significant role in Demons’ first trial, which ended with a hung jury in July 2023.

Demons faces the death penalty if convicted of the murders of his friends and fellow rappers Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams.

Defense lawyers for Demons say the witness-tampering charges were filed to distract from controversies surrounding the prosecution of his case. Reres, who also represents Mathis on the tampering charges, declined to comment on them Monday.

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.

Peter Licata plans to start negotiating his exit as Broward schools superintendent Friday and could leave with a payout of about $192,000.

He could also leave with a smaller amount or stay on as an employee until the end of the year, depending on what he and the School Board agree to.

Licata, who has only worked for the district for nine months, announced at an April 16 meeting he planned to retire Dec. 31 due to a health issue, which he declined to discuss publicly. The board agreed at the same meeting to replace Licata, 59, with Howard Hepburn, 45, who has been deputy superintendent for the district for the past eight months.

The School Board’s vote was taken at a meeting that, while publicly noticed, didn’t have anything on the agenda about a superintendent change. The board’s action has drawn criticism from some legal and open meetings experts as well as School Board member Daniel Foganholi, who voted against the proposal.

“Tuesday didn’t sit well with me and still hasn’t sat well with me,” Foganholi told the Sun Sentinel. “I have multiple people in the district and in our community reaching out because they felt they just watched a show that was extremely staged, but not everybody had the script.”

Foganholi said his concern isn’t with Hepburn specifically, who he says he has a good relationship with, but the process.

Broward County School Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata announced he’s retiring due to health concerns. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Other School Board members say they needed to take quick action to replace Licata and that any payments related to his separation are subject to negotiation.

Licata will first negotiate with Board Chairwoman Lori Alhadeff on Friday, and then whatever is agreed to will come back to the full board for approval later. Alhadeff also plans to negotiate Hepburn’s new contract that same day.

Because Licata informed the board that he wanted to leave in December, and the School Board decided to replace him immediately, Licata and his lawyers may argue he’s entitled to severance and other pay outlined under the “termination without cause” provision of his contract, said Bob Jarvis, a constitutional law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Davie.

Under that provision, Licata, who makes $350,000 annually, would be given 60 days’ notice ($57,534) and 20 weeks’ severance pay ($134,615).

“He can say, ‘I retired effective Dec. 31, so you’re terminating me. You’re not accepting my retirement,” Jarvis said.

Jarvis said he expects the board to pay the severance as “the cost of doing business” rather than get into a potential legal battle with Licata. The Sun Sentinel asked Licata whether he would seek the full severance amount in his contract.

“That is for my legal team to discuss at the negotiations,” he said.

Severance pay is normally given to employees who are involuntarily terminated, not those who decide to leave. The School Board hadn’t had any discussions about terminating Licata’s contract prior to Tuesday, although he had faced criticism from Foganholi and board member Torey Alston, both appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Now the School Board will likely have to pay two superintendent salaries for a while, another issue Foganholi criticized. School Board member Allen Zeman has suggested keeping Licata on in a transitional role as a mentor to Hepburn through Dec. 31 in lieu of severance.

Alston told the Sun Sentinel he supported Tuesday’s action because he did indeed want to terminate Licata’s contract and replace him with Hepburn. But he doesn’t agree with paying Licata a large amount of severance. When Licata’s contract was discussed in July, Alston asked the board to offer severance on a sliding scale, depending on how long Licata stayed, with nothing if he lasted less than a year. The School Board voted 6-3 at that time to reject that proposal.

“Twenty weeks is the industry standard. If we were to lower that, we’re saying to Dr. Licata we don’t think he’s valuable enough to get the industry standard,” Board member Debbi Hixon said at the time.

Alston told the Sun Sentinel on Thursday, “If they had followed my lead, thousands of dollars would be saved” and could have been used to help increase pay for about 14,000 non-instructional employees who haven’t gotten raises this year.

Hixon told the Sun Sentinel on Monday that she believes the board should pay a departing administrator full severance only in situations where the board breaks the contract. She said she plans to ask board members Tuesday for guidance on what they will and won’t agree to before Alhadeff starts negotiations.

“I don’t know that 20 weeks makes sense,” she said. “I want to be fair, but this isn’t a termination without cause. It’s a mutual-separation agreement. It doesn’t have to be a set number of weeks.”

Foganholi said he was troubled by how quickly Tuesday’s vote happened and that neither he nor the public had any advanced warning of the vote. He faced similar criticism after he made a motion in November 2022 to fire then-Superintendent Vickie Cartwright without giving any notice ahead of time. That motion passed 5-4.

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After some new members joined a few weeks later, the School Board voted in December 2022 to rescind Cartwright’s termination. Those who supported that action cited concerns over whether the lack of notice violated the spirit of the state’s Sunshine Law, which governs open meetings. General Counsel Marylin Batista told the board she believed the November 2022 vote was in compliance since the action happened during a publicly advertised meeting..

The board voted to mutually separate from Cartwright a few weeks later, and gave advanced notice of the action.

Foganholi said it’s hypocritical for some board members who complained about a lack of public notice before to decide last week to sever ties with Licata and appoint Hepburn without public notice.

Alhadeff, asked about the surprise vote, told the Sun Sentinel in a text, “the retirement announcement and subsequent Board action took place during a publicly noticed meeting.”

But the lack of specific notice about the superintendent change is troubling, said Barbara Petersen, a lawyer and director of the Center for Government Accountability, a government watchdog group. She said the Attorney General’s Office has determined that an agency can take up an item that wasn’t included in the public notice, but recommends that any votes be delayed to a subsequent meeting.

“So while the lack of notice isn’t, on its face, a violation of the Sunshine Law, it is certainly a violation of the spirit and intent of the law,” she said. “And the lack of notice is even more egregious when it relates to something as important as the resignation and appointment of a school superintendent.”

Licata asked Alhadeff the night before his announcement to keep the news quiet, according to a text exchange obtained by the Sun Sentinel through a public records request.

“Can you please keep that confidential til I announce so we can be on same page and can’t have holes poked into it,” he asked at 6:17 p.m.

“Yes,” Alhadeff responded.

Licata told the Sun Sentinel on Monday, “I did not want incorrect information or speculation about my health or why I was retiring out there. I wanted it to be announced by me with my clearly defined announcement done on Tuesday to the Board, staff, and community.”

Zeman told the Sun Sentinel he didn’t know about Licata’s announcement ahead of the April 16 meeting, although Licata had informed School Board members confidentially in December of his health condition. He said even if Licata wanted to stay on as superintendent through the end of the year, that might not work for the board.

“It sounds serious and like we’re not going to be able to have his service for the 70 to 80 hours per week like we need him,” Zeman said.

Although Licata said in his letter he would stay until Dec. 31, he encouraged the School Board to quickly replace him with Hepburn. Several board members said Hepburn has possible job opportunities elsewhere.

“This allows us to potentially lock in an incredible talent, as well as make sure we do have some stability as we move forward,” Licata told the board.

On April 15, the day before the Broward School Board meeting, Hepburn submitted his application for a superintendent job in Duval County, which included a letter of recommendation from Licata dated that same day.

“It is with great enthusiasm and without reservation that I offer my highest recommendation for Dr. Howard Hepburn for the position of Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools,” Licata wrote. “I am confident that he will continue to make a profound and lasting impact on the lives of students, educators, and communities throughout the district. To me, there is really no other logical choice for your next Superintendent than Dr. Howard Hepburn.”

Even though Hepburn had only been at his Broward job for eight months, he told the Sun Sentinel he was ready to become superintendent, which is why he applied to Duval.

“I love complex challenging environments and superintendent jobs don’t open up that often in the state of Florida,” Hepburn said Friday. “I didn’t want to pass up on these opportunities when they arise.”

Alhadeff also wrote Hepburn a letter of recommendation for that job April 12, and cited that as a reason at the April 16 meeting why the board should give him a three-year contract.

“I am afraid we are going to lose him to another school district to be superintendent,” Alhadeff told the School Board. “We have a diamond right here and we need to keep him and make him permanent superintendent.”

Several Broward board members said they were happy with Hepburn’s performance and would rather him stay in Broward than be searching elsewhere.

Newly appointed Broward Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn listens to proceedings of the School Board on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Broward Schools Superintendent Peter Licata, who was hired less than a year ago, made a surprising announcement April 16 that he plans to retire due to health issues. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

“In his time with BCPS, Dr. Hepburn has been an influential voice whose leadership, knowledge and experience has been instrumental in helping shape the direction of our District,” Alhadeff said. “The Board acted in the best interest of our students and families by ensuring stability and continuity of the very important work happening in our schools and throughout our District.”

Hepburn, who is the district’s fifth superintendent in three years, said he understands that some may be critical of how he was hired but he’s focusing on doing the best job possible.

“I’m here to listen to those concerns, and I understand the difficulties that have happened in the past,” he said. “But my sole function is to make sure we are on the right path” to improving the district.

Tijuana Flats closed nine South Florida restaurants in the days and weeks before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday.

The company, a fast-casual provider of Tex-Mex dishes like tacos, burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas and flautas, announced the filing on Friday in a news release. It also announced that a new ownership group had taken control of the company “with a plan of revitalizing its restaurants and reinvigorating the customer experience.”

A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing allows a company to restructure its operation while discharging existing debt. Tijuana Flats’ filing, in U.S. District Court in Orlando, stated that the company had assets of between $1 million and $10 million and liabilities between $10 million and $50 million.

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Friday’s news release stated that 11 of the company’s restaurants were closed last week. The sale and bankruptcy filing, the release said, resulted from a “strategic review” that began last November. The company explored various options including a potential sale.

The closures “was a result of a unit-by-unit analysis of financial performance, occupancy costs, and market conditions,” the release said.

A spokeswoman for the company said by email on Monday that the company’s Boynton Beach location was the only South Florida-based Tijuana Flats closed last week. Others were in Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville, and one was in Virginia, she said.

However, the company closed eight other South Florida locations since late 2023, according to a search of Google and Yelp listings, phone calls and nine evictions cases filed in Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Six of the evictions cases have been resolved, either through settlements or by landlords securing wins by default, according to court records. It is unclear what will happen in three open evictions cases, including one filed against a location that continues to operate in Royal Palm Beach.

Typically, litigation is suspended against defendants when they file for bankruptcy protection.

Jason Descalzo, a manager at the Deerfield Beach Tijuana Flats, said he was “saddened” by the rash of nearby closings but affirmed that his location was “still going strong after 24 years.”

“In no way were we affected,” Descalzo said. “We have no plans to go dark.”

The new owners, a California-based company called Flatheads LLC, said they plan to focus on “quality controls, speed of service, consistency of food, serving size, and improving the in-store experience.” As part of that goal, the owners plan to renovate many of the locations “to give them a refresh,” according to the news release.

The chain was founded in Winter Park in 1995 as Tijuana Flats Burrito Co. A review by the Orlando Sentinel of the first restaurant in 1996 detailed the wide array of hot sauces that customers could choose.

Currently, the company operates 65 company owned stores in Florida. Twenty-six franchised locations operate in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama.

However, a Google search for the company turns up a description stating that it has more than 125 locations, suggesting that 34 locations have closed in recent months.

In South Florida, nine locations have recently closed.

They are:

• Fort Lauderdale — 1619 E. Sunrise Blvd.
• Coconut Creek — 6970 State Road 7.
• Plantation — 1371 S. University Dr.
• Pompano Beach — 431 S. Federal Highway.
• Boynton Beach — 390 N. Congress Ave.
• West Boca Raton — 20401 State Road 7.
• West Palm Beach — 2089 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.
• Oakland Park — 5065 Old Dixie Highway.
• Miramar — 14633 Miramar Parkway.

The closures leave 10 Tijuana Flats restaurants still open in South Florida, as of Monday:

• Lauderhill — 7942 W. Commercial Blvd.
• Cooper City — 8703 Stirling Road.
• Coral Springs — 6204 Sample Road.
• Deerfield Beach — 278 S. Federal Highway.
• Hollywood — 3357 Sheridan St.
• Jupiter — 6771 Indiantown Road.
• Lantana-Lake Worth — 6201 S. Jog Road.
• Pembroke Pines — 12598 Pines Blvd.
• Royal Palm Beach — 280 S. State Road 7.
• Weston — 1110 Weston Road.

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.

Plantation Mayor Nick Sortal is temporarily out of City Hall for medical reasons, so Council President Tim Fadgen will fill in for him, city officials said Monday.

In an email to council members Monday, Chief Administrative Officer Jason Nunemaker said Sortal is out under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act focusing on his health.

Sortal issued a statement about being on leave: “To treat a series of injuries, I was prescribed a pain medication under my physician’s care. Realizing that reliance on pain medication is not a long-term solution, I decided to stop taking it and I had a reaction to an alternate medication. As a result, I chose a medical treatment that will require me to take a temporary leave of absence.”

“In the meantime, City Council President Tim Fadgen will take over the duties of Mayor, as spelled out in the charter,” he wrote in his statement.

The city doesn’t have a date yet for when the mayor would return to work, Nunemaker said. Nunemaker said Sortal’s leave began Monday.

Plantation is a rare strong-mayor form of government, with the mayor running the daily operations of the city, instead of a city manager like most of Broward’s cities.

Sortal, who was first elected in 2018 to the City Council, won the mayor’s seat in 2022.

Sortal added in his statement, “The city is in good hands with our dedicated council members and staff. We are so grateful for all of the kind words my family and I have received from our friends and neighbors in our community. Thank you.”

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash

We know that South Floridians love to bring their dogs to the supermarket, the beach and out to eat. But did you know we live in a “Pets’ Paradise”?

We do, according to “Pets in Paradise,” a show that will appear on the Travel Channel on Tuesday, April 23, and Thursday, April 25, as part of a marketing program sponsored by the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council. The half-hour show explores dog parks, beaches, hotels, restaurants and attractions in Palm Beach County and offers insight from a local veterinarian who details how to travel with a happy dog.

“Pets in Paradise” explores dog beaches and other attractions in Palm Beach County, with tips on pet-friendly hotels and restaurants. (Apex Productions/Courtesy)

The show targets travelers but also locals who can learn that their pets will be welcome at more places than they might realize. Several tourists interviewed explained how they visited South Florida to escape northern winters and were thrilled their dogs could run freely in local dog parks and beaches.

The hosts of “Pets in Paradise” visit Juno Beach’s dog-friendly beach, the Palm Beach Lake Trail, West Palm Beach’s farmers market, Palm Beach International Airport, Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, West Boca’s Canine Cove, as well as restaurants and hotels that welcome pets with bowls of water and treats. Delray Beach veterinarian Jesus Aramendi offers tips on how to travel in cars and on planes with dogs in tow.

“Pets in Paradise” visited O’Shea’s Irish Pub, a bar that welcomes dogs in West Palm Beach. (Apex Productions/Courtesy)

“There were so many more pet-friendly places than we anticipated,” said Paul Waide, a vice president at Apex Productions, the Riviera Beach-based company that produced the episode. “All these places welcomed us with open arms.”

If the episode gets lots of views, Waide said Apex hopes to find sponsors who will help produce shows in other pet-friendly destinations across the country.

“Pets in Paradise” will air on the Travel Channel at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, and Thursday, April 25.

Michelle Hillery, Palm Beach County’s film commissioner, said “Pets in Paradise” will air on several South Florida media outlets, including thepalmbeaches.tv, which showcases county destinations, and on streaming services run by local hotels, the Palm Beach County Convention Center and Palm Beach International Airport.

Go to petsinparadise.org.

RIVIERA BEACH (CBS12) — A police officer shot a man twice in a high school parking Monday morning after the unauthorized man tried to get onto the campus and became combative with the officer.

No students or staff were injured in the incident at Suncoast Community High School, the School District of Palm Beach County reported.

The man who was shot is in stable condition at a local hospital; the officer was treated and released, according to a statement issued by the Riveria Beach Police Department.

According to the school district, the man walked into the parking lot before school started and was confrontational by an officer who asked him why he was there. The man made physical contact with the officer, who fired, striking him twice, the Police Department said.

Neither the officer nor the individual’s names were released. Criminal charges are expected to be filed against the man.

In response to the shooting, code red security measures were temporarily activated, and the school was locked down. Students were redirected away from the school and multiple nearby roads were closed. A student who already made it inside by the time of the incident said she was eating breakfast when the code red announcement was issued.

“(S)he said it pretty urgently,” senior Isel Neira recounted. “So that really scared me, and I just went into my teacher’s office, and I helped people get, and then I just locked the door and waited to see what would happen.”

About 8:30 a.m., Principal Kathryn Koerner told families the school was still under their code yellow protocols that allowed classes to continue, but limited movement in the school. The district assured families that there was no active threat and gave parents the option to pick up their children. 

The Police Department did not disclose what may have led to the shooting. Video shared by students on social media show officers surrounding a man on the ground.

Nearby school campuses, including Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Washington Elementary, and John F. Kennedy Middle School, were also placed under limited movement procedures during the incident.

The investigation was transferred to the school district’s police department because the incident was in its jurisdiction, according to Serena Spates, spokesperson for the Riviera Beach Police Department.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation into the officer-involved shooting. It declined to provide any other information, saying it is an open investigation.

Counselors and a therapy dog were on campus Monday for students and similar services will be available at school on Tuesday.

According to the school’s principal all on-campus after-school activities, including games, have been canceled, and softball and volleyball away games will be played as scheduled.

This article was published originally by WPEC-CBS12, a news partner of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.