After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton

The first flight test of Orion, NASAs next-generation spacecraft capable of sending astronauts on future missions to an asteroid and the journey to Mars, now is scheduled to launch at 7:05 a.m. EST Friday, atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA Television coverage will begin at 6 a.m. There is a two-hour, 39-minute window for the launch.

On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., looked to end federal funds to the Syrian rebels. Rooney added an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) ending funds to the rebels. I have grave concerns about arming the rebels when the administration cannot adequately explain the vetting process, nor can they assure us these weapons wont end up in the hands of terrorists, Rooney said on Wednesday. The early results for this program have not been promising.

Florida TaxWatch released a study on Thursday showing smaller schools are better for education than smaller class sizes. "Florida voters were tricked into buying smaller class sizes 14 years ago, with no research to back up the claims that this multibillion-dollar investment would improve learning outcomes for our students," said Dominic Calabro, the president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, on Thursday. "This TaxWatch research highlights how that investment might be better utilized in the future to really make a difference in the lives of Florida students."

On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott, R-Fla., slammed President Barack Obamas call for Net neutrality. Last month Obama called for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to implement Internet neutrality -- at least, not without a fight. And one of the largest groups representing Florida's business community has spoken up in opposition to Net neutrality, as well. Obama said the FCC needs to do more to ensure Internet providers offer additional transparency and don't block or slow down access to sites.