Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida • 17

IB SATELLITE UPDATES Over budget, the nation's satellites are way behind schedule, John Kelly writes. 3a JUNE 6, 2010 PACE COAST Brevard needs to haul away illegals Local officials should pick up ball that feds got rolling Detain, deport Matt Reed 0 Watchdog 7 f7trf Thank you, Brevard lawmakers, for pledging to catch and deport more criminal aliens. I'm with you. But for a solution that fits Central Florida, forget the Arizona-style immigration bill. Instead, work on finding more agents and vehicles to haul away the illegal immigrants our cops and the feds already catch.

Remember, the Arizona law started as a reaction to residents' belief that the U.S. government had failed to act. Here, Uncle Sam has acted and seems to be making progress to a degree. New federal database technology installed at the Brevard County Jail, combined with communication among local and U.S. agencies, has begun to flag and deport more illegal immigrants.

Here's where things stand today: Since October, every person booked into the jail at Sharpes must submit fingerprints and undergo a "biometric" background check in a new national database operated by the Department of Homeland Security. The colorblind system checks inmates against criminal, immigration and terrorism data. Tracking them by fingerprint allows the system to compile data for suspects previously arrested under aliases or forged documents. Within 24 hours, the computer system alerts local See IMMIGRANTS, 5B But that system, installed locally by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in October, makes a priority of deporting criminal aliens most likely to prey on citizens.

Too often, Florida jails, police and ICE decide to let nonviolent (but illegal) immigrants go free because of a scarcity of federal agents and vehicles to pick them up. Florida doesn't need more political polarization. It needs more passenger vans. AP file Seizure. A U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shows two guns seized during a January 2010 sweep of "transnational" drug gangs In Florida and other states. 1 1 LJ-i. J.J gm, in mum Thornton Bluford Culbertson Bowersox rVi Mi 2 i-A Astronauts tJ ii -J I enter Ha vvxa on "muu" tA i Aii.iiiiiii..ii This years inductees a 'special class says NASA chief Charles Bolden Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY Hefting blocks. Mason Samuel Vargus of Fellmere works Thursday on the walls of Brevard County Fire Station 48 in Viera. Fire station will bring relief Firetrucks may dodge rush hour traffic "It's great news that they are building a new fire station.

They are adding new homes In West Viera," says Ernest Watts, Viera BY KEILANI BEST FLORIDA TODAY CAPE CANAVERAL Guion "Guy" Bluford describes his journey to becoming an astronaut as "chasing a dream." Born in inner-city Philadelphia to the son of a mechanical engineer and teacher, he is the first African-American to fly in space. "In the '40s, my heroes were the Tuskegee Airmen," he said. "I decided as a kid that I wanted to be an aerospace engineer, so I decided to chase the dream." Bluford was one of four new inductees into the Astronaut Hall of Fame on aturday. Among them were a woman and two former commanders of the International Space Station. Bluford, Kenneth Bowersox, Frank Culbertson Jr.

and Kathryn Thornton will join the ranks of space pioneers such as Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Sally Ride. NASA Administrator Charles "In the '40s, my heroes were the Tuskegee Airmen. I decided as a kid that I wanted to be an aerospace engineer, so I decided to chase the dream." Guion 'Guy" Bluford Astronaut Hatl of Fame inductee Bolden, who attended the outdoor ceremony called this year's inductees a "special class" of astronauts. "One of the many things I have to say about this class, in addition to their professional prowess, they are probably four of the most outstanding human beings," he said. In 1981, when Bluford tookhis See HALL, 5B "To get out there to the extreme western edges, we're pushing eight minutes.

And the community is building out there," Brad Hall, operations chief, said of emergency response times from Murrell Road. "By putting in that station, our response times will be cut in half," Hall said. Viera resident Ernest Watts, 52, said the fire station meets growing demand as development continues west of 1-95. "I think it is great news that they are building a new fire station. They are adding new homes in west Viera.

There is a middle school coming up. You need See STATION, 4B BY RICKNEALE FLORIDA TODAY VIERA Brevard County Fire-Rescue crews have to navigate a congested, circuitous route to reach traffic accidents, heart attack victims and smoke alarms west of Interstate 95. "Especially during rush hour traffic, our Fire Station 47 off of Murrell (Road) has to go down to Wickham (Road), under 95 and loop around," EMS Chief Orlando Dominguez said. That's why Dominguez thinks the future Fire Station 48 off Stadium Parkway will save lives in burgeoning WestViera. Now under construction, this triple-bay firefighting facility overlooks the north end of the Washington Nationals Training Complex, just south of Viera Boulevard.

When operational in January, the station will serve Viera residents and landowners west of I-95, between Fiske Boulevard and Wickham Road. INSIDE Ocean Breeze Problem Solvers on their way Cram 't r-U fc 1 Assignment: Brevard Your assignment: A life aquatic 1-5" 1 1 I Session r. J' I Ah tjj I Amy i 1 Problem solvers think creatively The Future Problem Solving Program International, formerly known as the Future Problem Solving Program, engages students in creative problem solving. BY AARON KESTNER FOR FLORIDA TODAY Ocean Breeze Elementary's Future Problem Solving team are keeping mum. They refused to reveal details about the skit that won them first place at the state competition in Port Canaveral.

It's a highly competitive and secretive competition, said the team from the Indian Harbour Beach school. Instead, the students Matthew Liguanti, Emma Kent, Rachel Lewis and Sara Shivamber wanted to talk about what it's like to be catapulted into the spotlight as they head to face off against students from all over the world. The International Future Problem Solving Competition starts Thursday in Wisconsin. Future Problem Solvers emphasizes higher-level thinking skills and creativity. At competition, the team focused on issues such as food distribution.

On the international stage, they will take on the topic of green living. The team's goal is to find the one idea that no one else has considered. FLORIDA TODAY recently talked with the students and their coach, Ocean Breeze teacher Joy Delmar, before they set off to face 44 teams. QUESTION: What is the feeling like after taking first place in Betty Porter, for FLORIDA TODAY Winning team. Members of Ocean Breeze Elementary's Future Problem Solving team Sara Shivamber, Emma Kent, Matthew Linguanti, and Rachel Lewis will compete in the International Future Problem Solving competition in Wisconsin starting Thursday.

have already written their action plan when they leave, but it is actually making the costumes and the props that they pull together. SARA: We are all really creative and the room is just buzzing with ideas. It is just really funny. How proud of these students are you? DELMAR: The sky is the limit for these kids and they can go as far as they want to go. Last year this group didn't make it to the state competition.

Their goal this year wasn't to just go, but it was to win and they did. They really work well together and I'm really proud of them. going to the international competition or we weren't. How hard was it to come up with a skit? MATTHEW: We have a lot of fun with it. We are kind of crazy and we make all the stuff.

We have to make it last over two minutes and under four. It's kind of tough. DELMAR: They know where they are going with the skit when they get there because they have to write it all before hand. It is the sixth step in the process. They the competition? RACHEL: I thought it was amazing that we could do this.

We didn't really believe in ourselves. Once they called out second place, everybody's spirits dropped, but I didn't. I knew we did our best. When they said our coach's name, I just screamed because we won. EMMA: It was a great feeling to win first place, but it was an even more amazing feeling when they announced third place and it was not us.

I knew right then that we were either Actually, we asked you to snap and submit pictures of "Sea Life" and you didn't disappoint. See our favorite entries inside on 3B. Buffett laments massive oil spill in Gulf of Mexico Jimmy Buffett stood by his buddy Gov. Charlie Crist and said the oil spill should prompt us all to pursue solar and wind power and stop using so much oil, FLORIDA, SB.