News from the South - Florida News Feed
Crash near Reagan sparks debate over air traffic risks and airport expansion • Florida Phoenix

Crash near Reagan sparks debate over air traffic risks and airport expansion
by nathaniel cline, Florida Phoenix
February 1, 2025
The deadly mid-air collision over Washington, D.C., has reignited concerns over air traffic congestion and safety risks at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a tightly packed aviation hub that shares airspace with military and government flights.
An American Airlines Bombardier jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter before crashing into the Potomac River while preparing to land at the East Coast hub Wednesday evening.
Reagan National, a tightly packed aviation hub that shares airspace with military and government flights, is the busiest airport among Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. The incident has drawn renewed scrutiny to the airport’s location, its restricted airspace, and the heavy volume of helicopter traffic around the Pentagon, White House, and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
Its proximity to the capital and especially the heavy volume of helicopter traffic complicates air traffic control and increases the risk of mid-air collisions, said William McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel and American Economic Liberties Project.
“It is a really challenging place to operate,” said McGee. A former federally licensed dispatcher, he noted that Reagan’s tight airspace, heavy traffic, and short runways make operations especially complex.
From above, Reagan National sits between Virginia and Washington, D.C., separated by the Potomac River, forcing pilots to navigate a narrow corridor alongside military and commercial aircraft.
The airport’s runway is just 5,200 feet, far shorter than the 7,000 to 15,000 feet found at most major U.S. airports. Large aircraft like jumbo jets would require significantly more space to land safely, adding to the risks, McGee said.
Restricted airspace
For decades, the federal government has tightened airspace restrictions around Washington to prevent aircraft from crashing or landing near high-risk areas like the Capitol, White House, and National Mall.
Following the 9/11 attacks, when terrorists hijacked a plane and crashed it into the Pentagon — just 3.5 miles from the White House — officials established a 17-mile flight-restricted zone around the airport to control the airspace and limit access to commercial and government flights.
Despite these measures, Reagan’s approach corridor remains one of the busiest and most complex in the country, requiring pilots to perform a challenging maneuver before landing. The Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority (MWAA) reported in November that Reagan handles 380 domestic flights daily, up from 374 last year.
Lawmakers often rely on Reagan’s close proximity to Capitol Hill over alternatives like Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International, both more than 30 miles away. However, with passenger traffic surging from 15 million to over 23 million annually, some — including Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner — have raised concerns about whether the airport can handle more flights.
In response to growing demand, the airport authority has launched a $1 billion multi-year expansion project to accommodate rising passenger volumes. The airport has also expanded TSA security checkpoints to address congestion in the gate areas.
In May 2023, lawmakers approved a plan to add new flights under the FAA Reauthorization Act 2024, which includes provisions to expand passenger airline service, accommodate new airspace users, and reform regulatory oversight within the agency.
American Airlines began offering flights from Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Kansas to Washington, D.C., a year ago. However, the direct Kansas-to-D.C. route was not among the five flights added under the act. Instead, the airline was granted authorization for one additional round-trip flight under the law, operating between San Antonio, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
Lawmakers and passengers welcomed the new flights in 2023, viewing them as an expansion of travel options.
However, Kaine and Warner have consistently opposed increasing flights at Reagan National Airport, arguing the facility is already overburdened and that additional traffic poses an “enormous risk to passenger safety” while contributing to “alarming delays.”
‘… at the appropriate time’
At a press briefing Thursday, Warner, Kaine, and U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., did not reiterate their concerns about airport congestion, instead focusing on supporting families affected by Wednesday night’s crash and ensuring a thorough investigation.
“We have raised this issue continuously. We’ve got very busy airspace,” Warner said on Thursday. “I think we will ask questions, but at the appropriate time.”
Kaine added, “We’ve been pretty plain about our concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now. We have faith that the NTSB will provide the answers about this here.”
Since 1964, Reagan National Airport has recorded only two non-fatal aviation incidents, according to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) records. In total, the agency has investigated 1,290 cases in Virginia, including four in Arlington — most notably the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon.
More recently, Reagan has faced increased scrutiny. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a May 29, 2024, runway incident in which two planes nearly collided. FAA records show that an air traffic controller at Reagan canceled the takeoff clearance for an American Airlines flight because another aircraft was cleared to land on an intersecting runway.
With lawmakers continuing to push for increased flights at Reagan, consumer advocates argue that Wednesday’s crash must serve as a wake-up call for stronger safety measures.
“It is critical to reevaluate flight patterns, air traffic control resources, and safety protocols,” the National Consumers League said in a statement. “To restore passenger trust in air travel, we need a thorough, transparent investigation into this tragedy, along with a concrete plan to address the underlying issues of congestion and air traffic control shortages.”
John Breyault, the league’s vice president of policy, echoed these concerns. “While investigations will seek to determine the precise cause of this crash, one thing is clear — we must not wait for another catastrophe to make air travel safer.”
This story first appeared in the Virginia Mercury, a member with the Phoenix in the nonprofit States Newsroom.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
News from the South - Florida News Feed
Florida woman accused of setting fires during burn ban

SUMMARY: A Florida woman, Amanda Clark, was arrested for allegedly starting multiple fires during a burn ban. While the Forest Service was working to contain an existing fire near Oberry Hoover Drive, a worker witnessed Clark igniting new flames and instructed her to stop, but she continued. A nearby resident called 911 after seeing heavy smoke. Concerns grew in Palm Bay as additional fires emerged, prompting police to monitor the area. Assistant Fire Chief John Ringleb noted that multiple smoke columns appeared too dispersed to be linked. Palm Bay has since implemented a burn ban and plans to enforce it.

A woman was arrested Wednesday in Orange County for allegedly setting multiple fires during an active burn ban, according to deputies. Forestry officials say they witnessed Amanda Clark starting fires near a residence and recorded video evidence before she was taken into custody. She was booked into the Orange County Jail on charges of unlawful land burning, with bond set at $2,500. Her initial court appearance is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Subscribe to FOX 35 Orlando: https://bit.ly/3ACagaO
Watch FOX 35 Orlando LIVE newscasts: https://www.FOX35Orlando.com/live
Download FOX 35 news & weather apps: https://www.fox35orlando.com/apps
FOX 35 Orlando delivers breaking news, live events and press conferences, investigations, politics, entertainment, business news and local news stories and updates from Orlando, Orlando metro, and across Florida.
Watch more from FOX 35 on YouTube
Newest videos: https://www.youtube.com/myfoxorlando/videos
Most viewed/viral videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgNn6rfByAM&list=PLzmRitN2dDZvlKw0C1IH3nLFGlbqgvp5C
We Love Florida: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzmRitN2dDZuWecugac4QebPGp5-HZ5XP
Central Florida’s True Crime Files: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAxwHLIeahA&list=PLzmRitN2dDZvk9zWypuHs9n38zuwnUSpx
More news stories: http://www.FOX35Orlando.com
Watch FOX 35 News live: https://fox35orlando.com/live
FOX 35 News newsletter: https://www.fox35orlando.com/email
Follow FOX 35 Orlando on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FOX35Orlando
Follow FOX 35 Orlando on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fox35orlando
Follow FOX 35 Orlando on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fox35orlando
News from the South - Florida News Feed
FL’s Ivy League governor hates education, doing all he can to destroy it

by Barrington Salmon, Florida Phoenix
April 25, 2025
No one should be surprised by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ announcement that the state DOGE taskforce intends to dig into the finances of Florida’s public colleges and universities, pore over years of research, and decide what is kosher and what needs to be jettisoned.
It’s the beginning of a new round of aggression by DeSantis, designed to mortally wound universities as we have known them and rid the state of these supposed hotbeds of liberalism.
The arrogance is stunning. This man, who admits he knew nothing about DEI until a couple of years ago, and who has never shown a glimpse of intellectual discernment, is now the self-appointed curator of Florida’s higher education.
“There’s certain state policies that have been implemented, such as the abolition of DEI, which I know on a superficial level the universities went and applied with,” DeSantis said.
“But as we’ve seen, you know, you kind of burrow in and rename, do what you want. And there is some sense in some quarters that whatever the law in the state of Florida is, it just is not obligatory on them, and they can kind of do their own little fiefdom. That’s not going to fly here.”
DeSantis has it in for these institutions, as have many extremist conservatives who despise education and the educated, harboring a deep loathing of learning any ideas of which they disapprove.
Although he pretends otherwise, DeSantis, conservative ideologue Christopher Rufo, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, and others know that education has always been an antidote to authoritarianism, which is why they are fighting so hard. They are resisting the diversity that the Civil Rights movement, the women’s movement, and LGBTQ-rights movement engendered.
‘The professors are the enemy’
The DeSantis blitzkrieg through higher education has include book bans and removing women’s studies, African American history, and critical race theory from university curricula. He hijacked New College of Florida, purged it’s courses of “liberal” topics, forced dissenters to flee or be silent, and tossed books into dumpsters.
As a part of his audit, DeSantis is demanding that universities provide information about researchers — including names, job titles, salaries, and details of their work, Newsweek reports.
He says the state seeks to “identify, review, and report on unnecessary spending, programs, courses, staff, and any other inefficiencies.”
DeSantis isn’t operating in a vacuum. The assault on universities and institutions of higher learning has been carefully choreographed by the Heritage Foundation, the Republican Party, archconservatives, and MAGA.
Vice President J.D. Vance captures the animus Republicans in general have towards education and educational institutions. Vance said during a speech: “There is a wisdom in what Richard Nixon said approximately 40 to 50 years ago. He said, and I quote, ‘The professors are the enemy.’”
DeSantis, by his actions, is no different. His war on academia has so far only been checked by the courts.
Republicans’ aggressive approach is an effort to reshape education in consequential and permanent ways. They want to shift the ideological tilt of a higher education system which they regard as profoundly hostile to conservatives. The Trump administration has several universities in its crosshairs, threatening billions of dollars in federal contracts and grants. They include the University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Cornell University, and Northwestern, stripping them of federal contracts and research grants; demanding control over hiring and the authority to oversee university operations.
Harvard’s example
Floridians could look to the example of Harvard University in refusing to obey Trump’s directives and moves toward a mutual defense compact being organized among faculty at 18 Big Ten universities.
Yi-Li Wu, associate professor of History and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan said during a recent faculty meeting that the United States is on the cusp of authoritarianism and that everyone must look at themselves in the mirror and determine what they will do as democratic institutions like higher education are attacked.
Neither silence nor compliance are survival strategies, Wu added, noting that Columbia University, which has hundreds of millions of dollars pulled and several pro-Palestinian students arrested, is a prime example of the reality that compromising on core values will not save schools from Trump’s wrath.
Prof. Jason Stanley, a former Yale University philosophy professor, says the war on universities is straight out of an authoritarian playbook. Throughout history, he said, the rise of authoritarian regimes has coincided with attacks on intellectuals — and efforts to discredit the institutions they’re associated with — in concert with the scapegoating of marginalized groups.
Authoritarians view universities — vital centers of critical thought and free expression — as an innate threat to their desire for complete subservience, Stanley said.
“The universities, not because of ideological indoctrination but because they contain a lot of young smart people called students, have always been the source of resistance against authoritarianism and unjust war,” he said.
The “leaders” of Florida’s colleges and universities have shown no backbone or a willingness to resist DeSantis’ bullying. But those concerned about his onslaughts must fight back fiercely.
Boycott
Resisting should be a slam dunk.
Florida’s colleges and universities should be protecting their cherished traditions, as well as their diverse student populations, from these ideological thugs. And if they are content to cower in the corner, the people must take the fight to DeSantis and the rest of them.
They hope that by instilling fear in people, they won’t fight back. But there is too much at stake not to oppose these people at every turn.
Journalist and author Joy Ann Reid told Dr. Christina Greer, a political scientist, during a recent Zoom discussion organized by Fair Fight Georgia, that education triggers rebellion, adding that a grassroots political uprising is necessary to fight against what she described as “a toxic, noxious, lawless political party.”
“Well, you know, as a university professor, the university is a space for intellectual ideas and debates. We cannot have a space where it’s filled with fear and silence.” Greer told Juan Gonzalez on ‘Democracy Now.’
“I think universities have to band together. This is the — what is the point of an endowment if during hard times you’re not going to use it?
“We know that there are some universities that are larger, more powerful than others. If they stick together — collective action, which is what I talk about in all of my books — you can actually get a lot more than sort of being picked off one by one … time and time in America, if you know your history. You know, as you target one group, many groups don’t ever think that they’ll be targeted. And it’s like, your day will come.”
Reid agreed.
“A generation from now, you won’t have enough people aware of history to fight back. Don’t be like Columbia and get on your knees,” she warned. “Join a compact, send your children to a state where they are protecting people. Don’t go to states like Florida.”
Economic boycotts are effective tools, Reid said. “Don’t buy from stores who gave to Trump. Reward people who are fighting back, unsubscribe from newspapers, don’t buy Tesla.”
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
The post FL’s Ivy League governor hates education, doing all he can to destroy it appeared first on floridaphoenix.com
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Far-Left
The content presents a strong critique of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his administration’s policies concerning higher education, portraying them as part of a broader conservative assault on academia. The language used is highly charged, describing DeSantis’s actions as a "blitzkrieg" and labeling him and his associates as "ideological thugs" and "extremist conservatives." Such terminology indicates a deep disapproval of conservative ideologies while aligning with progressive views that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusivity in higher education. The piece further argues that these conservative efforts threaten democratic values and the integrity of educational institutions, a perspective commonly held by far-left commentators. The call for resistance and mobilization against these policies further solidifies its stance as not merely critical but oppositional, characteristic of far-left rhetoric.
News from the South - Florida News Feed
San Francisco inches closer to adopting drug policy with abstinence as its primary goal

SUMMARY: San Francisco is considering a “recovery first” drug policy that prioritizes abstinence from illicit drugs. This proposal, led by Supervisor Matt Dorsey, is controversial, with critics arguing it alienates those not ready to quit, while supporters assert that safer drug use doesn’t address addiction. Dorsey, a recovering addict, clarified that the proposal still acknowledges the importance of harm reduction and social services. Mayor Daniel Lurie aims to tackle the city’s fentanyl crisis, following over 600 overdose deaths last year. The Board of Supervisors will vote on the proposal next month, with support from most members expected.
The post San Francisco inches closer to adopting drug policy with abstinence as its primary goal appeared first on www.clickorlando.com
-
News from the South - Florida News Feed5 days ago
Jim talks with Rep. Robert Andrade about his investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation
-
News from the South - Alabama News Feed7 days ago
Op-Ed: Colleges shouldn’t need remedial algebra classes: Five K-8 policy solutions to address math proficiency | Maryland
-
News from the South - Virginia News Feed7 days ago
Highs in the upper 80s Saturday, backdoor cold front will cool us down a bit on Easter Sunday
-
News from the South - Arkansas News Feed7 days ago
Valerie Storm Tracker
-
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed6 days ago
U.S. Supreme Court pauses deportations under wartime law
-
Mississippi Today5 days ago
‘Trainwreck on the horizon’: The costly pains of Mississippi’s small water and sewer systems
-
News from the South - Alabama News Feed4 days ago
Prayer Vigil Held for Ronald Dumas Jr., Family Continues to Pray for His Return | April 21, 2025 | N
-
News from the South - Texas News Feed4 days ago
Meteorologist Chita Craft is tracking a Severe Thunderstorm Warning that's in effect now