The Florida Supreme Court has declared that the congressional district represented by Corrine Brown, along with seven other districts in the state, will have to be redrawn, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has proposed using leftover money from last year’s school budget to help kids that are behind in reading, and Northeast Florida residents with special needs are being encouraged to join a registry in case of emergency situations.
Welcome to WJCT First Read, your daily weekday morning round-up of stories from the First Coast, around Florida and across the country.
Here are 6 stories you don’t want to miss.
Superintendent Vitti Talks Spending Rollover Money
Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti wants to use most of last school year’s unspent money to hire more reading interventionists. A reading interventionist is an extra teacher who works with kids in small groups who are often behind grade level.
Florida Supreme Court Rejects 'Gerrymandered' State Congressional Maps
The Florida Supreme Court has thrown out the state’s congressional districts, saying they’re unconstitutional. Thursday’s ruling means new maps will have to be redrawn for most of the state’s congressional districts before the 2016 election cycle.
With Hurricane Season Underway, Residents Encouraged To Join Special Needs Registry
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon says the statewide Special Needs Registry applies to those whose needs go beyond what a regular shelter can provide.
New Tool Will Soon Be Available Aimed At Helping Parents Of Sexually Abused Kids
Sexual abuse survivor and advocate Lauren Book is the founder of the non-profit Lauren’s Kids, which partnered with the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence to create the “Hope and Healing Disclosure Kit.” Book says parents often don’t know what to do after they learn their child was a victim.
OPM: 21.5 Million Social Security Numbers Stolen From Government Computers
The Office of Personnel Management says that number includes 19.7 million individuals who applied for a background investigation and 1.8 million nonapplicants, who it says are primarily spouses and cohabitants of the applicants.
Online Symptom Checkers Can't Replace The Real-Life Doc Just Yet
Researchers tested 23 online symptom checkers and found that the correct diagnosis was provided first on a list of potential illnesses only about a third of the time. That means symptom checkers are spitting out wrong diagnoses two-thirds of the time.
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