A bill aimed at undercutting acceptance of evolution in Florida science classes, which kicked up a fuss but didn't pass in the Florida Legislature last year, apparently is going nowhere this year. ...more

March 28, 2009

It may be harder for the class of 2014 to graduate from high school. A bill approved Tuesday by the House Prekindergarten-12 Appropriations Committee will require more advanced math and science classes and a higher grade on the state's standardized test. ...more

March 24, 2009

Sharon Cutler is teaching students at Chiles Elementary how to grow lettuce without getting dirty. ...more

October 1, 2008

Our school superintendent announced that the county has received the first application for a charter school in years. ...more

August 15, 2008

It is altogether possible that by the end of the day, Florida once again could be held up to the rest of the nation as more backward than Dogpatch, making even Mississippi look like a golden age of Enlightenment. ...more

February 19, 2008

I was sorely disappointed when reading that the Highlands County School Board had backed down after listening to a few speeches by people who were claiming that evolution is a proven scientific fact, and that any other theory had no right to a discussion in science classes! Correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that a scientific "theory" is accepted on the basis of such criteria as the following: 1. It must be observable. 2. It must be reproducible. 3. It must be predictable. If evolution had those three characteristics, perhaps we could accept it as a viable explanation for what we see all around us; the astonishing complexity of life, the world and the universe. ...more

February 17, 2008

In the 17th century, the Catholic Church rejected the teaching of Galileo on the grounds that it contradicted Scripture. Today, one would be hard pressed to find anyone who would not accept Galileo's position. The problem was not with Scripture, but with the church's understanding of both Scripture and the science Galileo taught. Apparently, some members of the School Board of Highlands County have not learned that lesson and persist in making the same error the Catholic Church did centuries ago. The creation myths of Genesis I and II affirm our belief in God as creator but cannot be understood as giving us a scientific historical description of creation itself. The first two chapters of Genesis both say the same thing but their particulars vary and contradict one another. Did God create man and women both at the same time and after he created animals as in Genesis I or did God create Adam and then the animals before taking a rib from Adam to make Eve as in Genesis II? ...more

February 1, 2008

I read with interest the op-ed in the Jan. 12 edition of Highlands Today, on whether evolution should be debated in science classes. It was attributed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. What the author apparently meant was that evolution should be accepted as proven fact, and that no other theory should be considered. I am sick of the argument that, "Evolution is science and creation and intelligent design are not, so don't debate them in science class!" ...more

January 16, 2008

Americans interested in science education have long supported teaching evolution in schools, yet Florida's science standards do not even mention "the e-word." We hope that's about to change. ...more

December 27, 2007

The Florida Energy Commission on Friday delayed key votes on greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy and car pollution standards - halted by outcries from utility companies and disagreement among its own members. ...more

October 20, 2007