US Ships Kill 11 in Drug Boat Strike

U.S. forces sank a drug-laden vessel in the Caribbean, killing 11 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which the U.S. labels a terrorist group.

The strike followed U.S. deployment of warships and Marines near Venezuela last week and marked the first known attack under a new military order targeting cartels. President Trump posted a video of the strike on Truth Social.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, already under a $50 million U.S. bounty, condemned the move as an attempt at regime change.

The U.S. has deployed at least seven ships, …

According to a report by U.S. News and World Report, Florida dominates a list of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., with four of the top 10 locations.

Wildwood, a small city in Sumter County about 50 miles from Orlando, was named the fastest-growing city in the country. Its population grew nearly 20% between 2020 and 2024 to around 35,000 people.

Cities were ranked by net migration, the number of people moving to or from each city based on the annual percentage population change over the previous four years.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, came in second, and …

UF Ranked No. 5 Public University

The University of Florida in Gainesville was named the fifth best public university by Forbes.

“This is proof that the University of Florida is going forward at full speed. Our energy and our drive are stronger than ever, and we are not about to slow down,” said Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF Board of Trustees.

Rounding out the top five best public universities were University of California-Berkeley, UCLA, UC-San Diego, and the University of Michigan.

College Football Kicks Off in Florida

The college football season has arrived across Florida. USF and UCF opened Thursday night; FIU played Friday; Florida, Florida State, and FAU debut today; and Miami closes the slate Sunday against Notre Dame. 

Preseason No. 10 Miami enters with high expectations and faces an Irish squad on Sunday that reached last season’s national championship game. Georgia transfer Carson Beck takes over at quarterback, replacing NFL top pick Cam Ward.

Florida opens as No. 15 following an 8-5 season that ended with a Gasparilla Bowl win over Tulane. The Gators are massive favorites over Long …

School Enrollment Down Across Florida

Public school enrollment across Florida has dropped this year, driven in part by more families using state vouchers to send their children to private schools.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools has lost almost 13,000 students this year, forcing the district to make budget cuts. "We're gonna have to reduce our hourly personnel, we're going to put a stop and minimize overtime," Superintendent Jose Dotres said.

On Tuesday, the Broward school board discussed the possibility of closing 34 schools due to declining enrollment, with some elementary schools using only 40% of their capacity.

In Orange …

On this day in 1966, The Beatles played their final concert before a paying audience at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The 35-minute show marked the end of their third and last U.S. tour and their final paid performance ever. See and hear footage of the concert here.

And I was in the audience 

 A major dust storm hit Nevada’s Burning Man festival, an annual desert gathering known for art and extreme conditions, flattening camps, injuring attendees, and briefly shutting down access over the weekend. (Watch Video)

Florida Cost of Wedding  $34,570 

Surprising

Mortgage applications for homes in rural areas have spiked by 80% since the pandemic, as off-grid living becomes a new trend in real estate.