In the wee hours of Friday morning, long after most of us were asleep, Florida's lawmakers made dramatic changes to their state's education system. They took reform to a new level.

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More than 10,000 phone calls. More than 15,000 e-mails and letters. They mostly tell Gov. Charlie Crist the same thing veto SB 6.

Since Republican lawmakers first proposed legislation in early March that would link teacher pay to student performance on standardized exams, teachers have gone on the offensive -- writing, calling, showing up at legislative meetings, all telling lawmakers that a test can't measure their effectiveness in the classroom.

Two Medicaid reform bills cleared a key legislative hurdle Monday, and a new research study gave them another push forward.

Building on pilot programs already under way in five Florida counties, the new bills would expand managed-care initiatives to Miami-Dade County next year and implement a statewide program over five years.

"Reform has increased competition among health plans, reduced co-pays and expanded and diversified patient benefits," according to Michael Bond, a senior fellow at the James Madison Institute in Tallahassee.

When Supreme Court Justices retire, there is usually some pious talk about their "service," especially when it has been a long "service." But the careers of all too many of these retiring jurists, including currently retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, have been an enormous disservice to this country.

Leaders in Floridas business, labor and space industry urged President Barack Obama in a letter Monday to extend the space shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center or replace it with a similar manned, heavy-lift vehicle as soon as possible.

Statistics released last week from Florida Right to Life, compiled from data gathered by the state Agency for Health Care Administration, show that Floridians are having fewer abortions.

The number of abortions in Florida dropped in 2009 to 82,038, the lowest levels the state has seen since 1997.

The state's chief financial officer handles money matters in Florida, but as the campaign for the position starts to heat up, it appears that teacher performance pay will be an issue in the coming election, too.

Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, the favorite to win the Republican CFO nomination, was a strong supporter of the teacher performance pay plan that passed the Senate earlier in the session and the House early Friday morning.