Lockdown causes radio host to quit US House job

A conservative radio talk show host tapped to be chief of staff for an incoming Florida congressman stepped down Thursday from her congressional job, a day after 300 schools were locked down when a threat was linked to her show, the Associated Press reports. Joyce Kaufman announced on her live show that she would not be Republican U.S. Rep.-elect Allen West’s aide because she wanted to avoid any repercussions against him for her statements. Kaufman is known for making controversial pronouncements on her show and told a recent tea party rally that if “ballots don’t work, bullets will.”

“Sometimes I have a big mouth,” she said on her Thursday show. “Sometimes I say things that I wish I had either said differently or not said at all. I think that’s part of my charm. It also gets people in a lot of trouble.”

Kaufman, 56, has been on South Florida radio for nearly 20 years. She “considers herself fiercely independent and is not ashamed of putting America first, like real liberals used to and our weak-kneed politicians and some so-called conservatives claim to,” according to the radio station’s biography. She also carries a .357 magnum……Read More

Florida House opens door for more technology in classrooms

A bill that would give Florida school districts more flexibility in buying technology has passed the state House and is heading to the Senate, reports the Tampa Bay Business Journal. House Bill 623 was approved by the House 112-2 on April 26 and is expected to give public school districts the latitude to purchase devices such as e-readers and other technology for delivering digital content to students. It’s similar to bills that are in consideration or have passed in Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas. “This legislation does not ask for more money, but instead aims to give school districts the flexibility they need to ensure our state is preparing children for future life and work in the 21st century,” said State Rep. Rachel Burgin, R-Tampa, who was a sponsor of the bill. Current Florida law prohibits public school districts from spending money earmarked for educational materials on computers. House Bill 623 would help update state law to allow districts the flexibility needed to spend a portion of their educational materials budget to purchase computers for delivering digital content for classroom instruction…

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