Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida • 1

Tourism chief upbeat on future. BUSINESS 8C IMP FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2010 75 CENTS Assistant Brevard County Manager Stockton Whltten said next year's projected library funding revenues may see a $2 million drop. i 'J 1 it i Celtics' win means they'll face the Magic til I i 9 Photos by Michael R. Brown, FLORIDA TODAY Swan song? The Rotating Service Structure is moved back from shuttle Atlantis on Thursday in preparation for today's scheduled launch at 2:20 p.m. Launch shapes up as County checking library options Bumping up tax rate a possibility BY RICKNEALE FLORIDA TODAY VIERA When Brevard County Commission Chairwoman Mary Bolin cared for her ailing mother last week in rural Maquoketa, Iowa, she relied on the local library for five days.

"My mother doesn't have Internet. And so to be able to work, and continue working as a commissioner, I went to the library and stood in line in this little town to get to a computer," Bolin recalled. "I was raised there, I went to my Girl Scout classes there, I went to everything," she said of the library. "That was what was referred to as the 'heartbeat of the community' and that's no different than it is here in Brevard County." Space Coast libraries face funding shortfalls. Financed almost entirely by property taxes, operating See LIBRARIES, 5A Plenty of film work planned in Brevard Many film, TV scenes shot locally BY DAVE BERMAN FLORIDA TODAY ast ranrah 0 Taking aim.

Visitors passing the launch pad on a bus try to get photos of shuttle Atlantis out the windows. SPORTS, 1C SPACE COAST Police: Missing man from Mims was killed Ezekiel Kelly 23, of Mims, who went missing early Thursday in Titusville, was fatally shot while Kelly traveling with two people on Interstate 95 In Martin County, according to police, IB Interchange might help local economy Construction of a new Interstate 95 Interchange near Micco Road will spur economic development and improve vehicle access across a sizable surrounding region, transportation officials believe, IB NATIONAVOKLD Car bomb inquiry crosses 4 states The probe Into a failed Times Square car bomb plot spreads across four states as investigators look for links between possible conspirators in the U.S., 4A CORRECTION Missing puzzles, columns available Because of a production error, the puzzles, horoscopes and Dear Abby column that appeared in Thursday's LIFE section were repeated from Wednesday. The Thursday Items appear on 4B SPORTS Top coach offers key success tips Astronaut girls basketball coach Gregg Hostetler agreed to share some things he's learned for any young coaches McCallum who may be ready to start a first Job or take on head coaching responsibility, writes columnist Brian McCallum, 1C Hawks claim CCC crown In Its fourth year of existence, Viera High is balanced enough during its athletic season to claim the Cape Coast Conference all-sports trophy, 1C WEATHER Sunny, high of 86 Chance of rain 0 percent. Winds 7-16 mph. Overnight lows near 70, 14A NEXT LAUNCHES DELTA IV ROCKET Thursday Launch time: 11:29 a.m.

The latest Space Coast news: FLORIDAP3fcAY.com Gannett Co. Inc. INDEX Classified SecE Comics TglF Crosswords. TglF News of North Lottery 14A.8B Movies Obituaries 7B 12-13A Stocks 7C CO AUan Decision pending on another space station supply run i after this trip BY TODD HALVORSON FLORIDA TODAY CAPE CANAVERAL NASA aims to launch Atlantis today on a grand finale after a glorious quarter-century career, but there's a chance it could be assigned one more International Space Station outfitting mission. Standing 18 stories tall, Atlantis and its six astronauts are scheduled to blast off from Kennedy Space Center at 2:20 p.m.

the middle of a 10-minute opportunity to put the ship on course for a two-day trip to the station. Forecasters say there is a 70 percent chance conditions will be acceptable for flight. The odds of Atlantis actually getting an extra mission are likely less. "I am kind of hoping we find a way to fly (an extra mission) and Atlantis will get one last hurrah. But it's not certain," said NASA astronaut Jerry Ross, who flew five of his record seven shuttle missions on the ship.

NASA and the White House have mulled the possibility for several months. The potential for an extra flight came up again this week in a Senate hearing. Workers here are raring to go. "The Atlantis team loves that ship and loves what they do, so you bet they want to have another flight," said NASA Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. "We just don't know how it's going to turn out." Here's the situation: Atlantis is set to haul up a keg-shaped Russian module that will serve as a fourth station docking port for visiting Soyuz crew transports and Progress space freighters.

Teen credits BY MEGAN DOWNS FLORIDA TODAY Seventeen-year-old Doug Murphy was forced to grow up quickly. His father has been in and out of his life, often dis-appearing for long stretches. His mother is the sole survivor of a traumatic childhood attack in which her father killed his wife and children. His grandfa- Click ther Doug's high up fast Doug, I IfigMfflfe I 2:20 p.m. That comes in the middle of a 10-minute launch window.

70 percent chance that weather conditions will be favorable for launch We'll be broadcasting live from Kennedy Space Center starting at 12:30 p.m. on floridatoday.com. FLORIDA TODAY'S KSC Bureau Chief Todd Halvorson and WTSP Tampa's Grayson Kamm will bring you countdown updates and a behind-the-scenes look at what's scheduled to be Atlantis' final flight. Special guests include NASA astronauts James P. Dutton, and Rick Mastracchio; Eve Strav-ros, the Boeing payload manager responsible for preparing the shuttle's cargo for flight; and former -NASA astronaut Michael Bloom-field of ATK, who flew twice aboard Atlantis.

We'll be blogging starting at 4:45 a.m. at flametrench.flatoday.net. Get text messages throughout the countdown. Sign up at florldatoday.comtext (Sign up for 'Space Note: text messages will start early. "The Atlantis team loves that ship and loves what they do, so you bet they want to have another flight.

We just don't know how it's going to turn out." Mike Leinbach, NASA shuttle launch director FOR IT. Private astronaut backs commercial rockets, 10A TOURISM. Today's launch boosts Brevard's hotel industry, 10A VOTE. Senate committee says Congress mustOKaxing Constellation, 10A Three spacewalks are planned to set spare parts on stowage platforms outside the station and replace six batteries that have powered the outpost since late 2000. Landing is scheduled for May 26.

Then Atlantis will be readied to launch on a rescue mission if astronauts run into trouble on NASA's last planned shuttle flight, now set to fly in late November. See ATLANTIS, 10A A film that one of its backers describes as a small-budget version of "The Chronicles of Narnia" will start casting today at a Malabar film studio. It's one of several film and television projects in the works in Brevard County, in addition to the just-announced plan to film scenes for the upcoming Transformers 3" movie at Kennedy Space Center, Space Coast Film Commissioner Bonnie King said. Today's preliminary open casting call is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

at the TYG Studio in Malabar for the screen adaptation of "Ryann Watters and the King's Sword," which is based on the first installment of a youth action-adventure book series by Eric Reinhold. Among other potential local television and film projects, according to King: "Lawton's West Melbourne resident Larry Lawton, who spent 11 years in federal prison for racketeering, See PROJECTS, 3A Ready to graduate. Doug Murphy, who will gradih ate from Rockledge High on Saturday, will Join the National Guard after graduation. For FLORIDA TODAY mentors as driving force behind success Graduation season! ger siblings. "It was hard to balance my homework and take care of the kids." But with the help of a mentoring program that introduced him to a male role model, Doug was prompted to take a new path.

He joined clubs at See MENTORS, 5A 4 1 is. i I b. i '-iiii'i ii i in ii through our latest photos: floridatoday.comgraduation has been in prison whole life. "Before my senioryear of school, I had to grow and be the father figure for my family," said who has five youn COMMENCEMENT. BCC says goodbye to the Class of largest, IB A.