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

A new estimate of illegal immigrants living in the United States indicates that the numbers have grown since Barack Obama took office. Based on preliminary data used by the Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 10.9 million illegal aliens were in the United States on Jan. 1, 2011. That number -- up from 10.8 million -- reverses a decline of roughly 1 million registered during the last two years of the Bush administration.

Florida is among the states with the strongest REAL ID standards for driver's licenses, a new study shows. The Center for Immigration Studies released its second comprehensive assessment of the status of secure driver's license standards this week. The report fills a void left by the Department of Homeland Security, which has been silent on the implementation of state license standards in the REAL ID Act of 2005.

For those looking for a dark-horse vice presidential candidate, the "generals" at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., are projecting Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to be teamed with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. It may have helped that McDonnell spoke to the students recently as they held their traditional mock convention -- a quadrennial event started in 1908 -- which they bill as the nations most accurate.

The House Education Committee backed, 11-7, a proposal Tuesday to allow the University of Florida and Florida State University to boost tuition beyond the 15 percent cap that has been in place the past three years. Rep. John Tobia, R-Melbourne, joined the committees six Democratic members in opposing the plan that is an outgrowth of committee meetings held earlier this year with the presidents of the states 11 universities that sought input on how to make the schools more competitive with other national institutions.