Lots to talk about this morning:

Parents will lead a rally against school budget cuts today at the Broward County School District headquarters in Fort Lauderdale.

The rally, sponsored by the Broward County Council of PTAs and Floridians for Quality Education, will be in the parking lot of the district building at 600 SE Third Ave.

The gates will open at 4:30 p.m. and the rally is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
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Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan is warning his school not to get too hopeful that a federal stimulus package can ease the pain of budget cuts.

Brogan told the Board of Trustees on Wednesday that he doesn't know how much money FAU will get from the $787 billion stimulus package that President Obama signed last week. But he doubts it will be enough to make a major dent in the $18 million in cuts the university faces next year. After next year's possible cut, he said FAU will have lost about $42 million since 2007.

"My concern is the mind-set some people are taking on, that this stimulus package is going to solve everyone's problems," Brogan said. "As much money as we're talking about, it won't do that."

The university plans to lay off employees and eliminate programs. Brogan said the stimulus will provide a one-time infusion of money for key areas such as research, construction and Pell Grants but not recurring expenses such as salaries and programs.
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Parents and Coconut Creek city officials pleaded with Broward County School Board members Wednesday night to delay a proposed boundary change that would move hundreds of students from Lyons Creek Middle School to Margate Middle School.

But board members said Lyons Creek - which is 281 students over its permanent capacity of 1,858 students - needed relief next school year, and Margate Middle has open spaces. The School Board voted 7-2 to give initial approval to the change, with a final vote coming in March.

While Lyons Creek was the most contentious change made Wednesday, the board moved attendance zones for six other Broward schools. Those schools include: Atlantic West Elementary School, Margate; Cooper City Elementary School; Coral Cove Elementary School, Miramar; Margate Middle School; Riverglades Elementary School, Parkland; and Walter C. Young Middle School, Pembroke Pines.
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Easy Mac or Ramen noodles?

These are the usual choices college students have to make during the dinner-time dilemma.
College life was never glamorous to begin with, but unless you are a trust-fund baby, you're feeling that invisible economic hand coming down on you harder than ever.

Students are seeing an increase in student activity and athletic fees; every year the price of activities grows.

Forced to be more resourceful financially, many college students have found creative ways to conserve and make money
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At St. Nicholas Melkite Church, Delray Beach, older members keep an ancient tradition of abstaining from dairy products during Lent. And sometimes, no stronger stuff.
"Some of our members go the whole Lent without meat or alcohol," said Ghazi Hajj, chairman of the parish council at St. Nicholas.

For younger worshipers, the temptation may not be food at all: it may be amusements such as TV and video games. That's the advice the 550 students get at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, Boca Raton.

"We tell them that instead of some food product, it should be something they enjoy," said MaryAnn Hodges, secretary to the pastor at the church. "God gave up his Son for us. That was a huge sacrifice. So the point is not to choose something easy. It should be something that's a sacrifice to you."
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And finally, do you wish your kid were more like Hannah Gilman, 9, of Coral Springs?

Hannah has no idea she is doing anything special, she and others say. She looks out for the best in everyone, taking actions because it's the right thing to do, and because she feels good about helping others, including children of all ages.
Read more about this Kid of Character here.

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