Applause For Saturday, Dec. 20

May 8 was Gálvez Day in Pensacola. A celebration of Bernardo de Gálvez, commander of the Spanish force that defeated Britain at the 1781 Siege of Pensacola, it recalls the Spanish role in the American Revolution. The day, however, should be more than a local holiday. It should be recognized throughout the nation as a reminder that the American Revolution was an international war in which Americans were only a portion of the combatants. Though Spain was not officially a U.

Dear Amy: My son “Jack” is 26 years old. Five years ago, he came out to me as gay. While this didn’t fully surprise me, it saddened me. I wanted Jack to have a traditional life. I wanted to have grandchildren. Despite these feelings, I told him I accepted him. Jack has lived on his own for the past several years.

Q: Loved the Jimmy Butler years, but now I am ready to move on. Erik Spoelstra and his staff are great at developing players. Would love to see Spo and his guys get to work with a young, long, athletic team. Move Jimmy, get some picks. Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, more young studs, a few solid veterans.

After teaching in Broward for more than 25 years, and now as a part-time substitute, I find that one of the biggest problems that schools have is controlling the use of cell phones in classrooms. It’s out of control. Students feel it’s their right to have their phones out at all times.

By WAFAA SHURAFA, JOSEPH KRAUSS and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press) RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup. Israel has portrayed the southern Gaza city of Rafah as Hamas’ last stronghold, saying it must invade in order to succeed in its goals of dismantling the group and returning scores of hostages.

By DAVID A. LIEB and JOHN HANNA (Associated Press) TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas could soon offer up to $5 million in grants for schools to outfit surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence systems that can spot people carrying guns. But the governor needs to approve the expenditures and the schools must meet some very specific criteria. The AI software must be patented, “designated as qualified anti-terrorism technology,” in compliance with certain security industry standards, already in use in at least 30 states and capable of detecting “three broad firearm classifications with a minimum of 300 subclassifications” and “at least 2,000 permutations,” among other things. Only one company currently meets all those criteria: the same organization that touted them to Kansas lawmakers crafting the state budget.