Three things for October 8
1. Road improvement project awarded in Cleveland
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has completed the bidding process for a road improvement project for a section of SR-60. The section runs from I-75 to Eureka Road and is 2.9 miles long. The project is projected to cost approximately $52 million and was awarded to Summers-Taylor, Inc.
The road currently has two lanes of traffic with no shoulder. The improvement project will widen the road to five lanes, along with a paved shoulder, sidewalks and street lights. Additionally, there will be a bridge constructed over Candies Creek along with upgraded traffic signal systems at Crown Colony Drive, Villa Drive, Paul Huff Parkway and SR-306. In order to accommodate the widened road, there will be three retaining walls built.
According to Assistant Chief Engineer Joe Deering, one of the biggest benefits of this project will be increased safety on the road.
2. Florida Board of Education sanctions mask mandates
Eight school districts in Florida recently attempted to institute mask mandates without giving parents or children the option to opt out. In response to this, the Florida Board of Education sanctioned Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange and Palm Beach school districts. The decision came Thursday morning, and Commissioner Richard Corcoran requested funds be withheld from the school districts.
During the board hearing on Thursday, Diana Greene, superintendent of the Duval County School District, said masks should be enforced in schools due to an increased count in COVID-19 cases. Greene also noted the school district had already reported 10 employee deaths after the second week of classes.
Brevard County Schools Superintendent Mark Mullins said he only instituted mask mandates in his school district after 3,200 cases of COVID-19 had been reported, and one school had already been forced to shut down. He also said several other schools were on the brink of closing as well.
3. Senate agrees on deal to raise debt ceiling
Late Thursday night, Senate Democratic and Republican leaders agreed on a deal to raise the debt ceiling for the United States Government.
The agreement was announced on the Senate floor by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer. This truce means the government can continue borrowing money unimpeded until mid-to-late December.
While congressional leaders were able to agree on this deal, it has not yet been voted on by the House of Representatives. 12 Republican senators voted with the Democratic Party to raise the debt ceiling. While not originally seen as a problem by party leaders, many GOP lawmakers expressed concern over raising the debt ceiling.
These concerns prompted Republican Sen. John Thune to say the vote is “not an easy one to whip.” Thune then said, “In the end, we’ll be there. But it’ll be a painful birthing process.”
If a vote to raise the debt ceiling fails, the government would have trouble paying its financial obligations, such as social security, providing tax benefits to families with children and paying salaries for the US military.
