I’ll get right to the point: This Sunday’s FLORIDA TODAY is jam-packed with local stories.

Our Sunday cover report (which you can also read online at floridatoday.com) focuses on Moms for Liberty, a group formed by a former Brevard School Board member and two other women three years ago. Since the organization’s founding, its growth has exploded across the state and country.

Today the conservative moms group boasts 300 chapters in 48 states. But as our education reporter Finch Walker and their colleague, Steven Walker, from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported, the organization has suffered some setbacks and its unclear just how influential they’ll remain, particularly heading into the 2024 election season.

That said, as Finch and Steven note, Moms for Liberty has already had a significant impact on public education in Florida, and in many places across the Sunshine State, they remain a powerhouse.

One of the advantages that we at FLORIDA TODAY have is our connection with sister newspapers across the state. We regularly combine resources to give a state-wide look at some of the biggest issues affecting us. This Moms for Liberty story is an example. It arose out of an education team that includes journalists from more than nine USA TODAY Network-Florida newspapers around the Sunshine State. The reporters on that team, including our Finch Walker, participate in a robust digital chat, exchanging tips, brainstorming ideas, seeking advice and finding opportunities to collaborate.

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It’s just one of many cross-newspaper teams we have. Others focus on the environment, growth & development, politics, food & dining and race & equity issues. During the last couple years, some really strong statewide stories have come out of those teams. In the next week, you’ll see reporting, by our Business Editor Dave Berman, that arose from the growth & development team, and in the next month or so, Senior Criminal Justice Reporter J.D. Gallop goes a little off his daily beat for what’s promising to be a very compelling story on diversity in STEM careers and education.

Other stories in Sunday’s FLORIDA TODAY that I’d like to call your attention to:

I remember the excitement around Exploration Tower when it first debuted. Unfortunately, this eye-catching building at Port Canaveral never lived up to the vision for it. It’s been closed to the public since July 2022, and the port is trying to find someone to put it to use. Dave Berman tells us what’s going on.

Space reporter Rick Neale and photographer Malcolm Denemark bring us a moving account and stunning photographs from a ceremony held to remember the Apollo 1 astronauts.

Remembering space losses: Fallen astronauts honored during NASA Day of Remembrance event at KSC Visitor Complex

“People remember Challenger. People remember Columbia,” Titusville resident Mark Poff, who worked on the shuttle program, told Rick.

“I’ve got to tell you, Apollo 1 was much more dramatic, I think. Certainly for me, but probably for the nation at large because it was the first time we lost astronauts. And back then, these guys were superstars. They were our troops against the Soviet Union, if you will.”

2023 Launch Photos: FLORIDA TODAY photographers’ favorite launch photos of 2023

Also inside: Our Ask Michelle reporter Michelle Spitzer looks at why it takes so long to remove derelict boats from the Indian River Lagoon. Food writer Suzy Leonard offers her take on Super Bowl food in our Style section. Our photo of the week is another stunning launch image. Doesn’t it seem like those photos just keep getting better and better?

And that’s just a start. Please enjoy looking through all that we have to offer in Sunday FLORIDA TODAY and online at floridatoday.com.

Contact Executive Editor Mara Bellaby at mbellaby@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Moms for Liberty, Exploration Tower, Apollo 1 top stories in FLORIDA TODAY