Statewide Reports-April 1- 15, 2002

Statewide Reports-April 15, 2002

NOTE -
If the link to the on-line articles has changed, search the paper's archive section by date and title - Palm Beach Post links are only good for the day posted, and there is a fee to access archived articles. Same is true for some of the others although the time frame varies.

4/15/02

	Nader Says Turnout Proof Citizens Fed Up TAMPA - Ralph Nader has rarely, if ever, been called charismatic, but Saturday he drew a crowd of more than 5,000 people to the Sun Dome. ... He hopes his tour will spark a grass-roots movement in support of election reform, funding for public education, environmental protection, better pay for workers and health care reform. -- ``It's time for a new public reform movement. It's time for people to civically commit themselves,'' Nader said.
	Nader rips away at corporate giants At the eighth of his "super rallies,'' the 2000 Green Party candidate sticks to his message: big corporations have corrupted America.
	Governor soft-pedals tax break Gov. Jeb Bush's administration is choosing its words carefully while trying to persuade a reluctant state Senate to support a key provision of President George W. Bush's economic stimulus package.
	Some scores not counted in FCAT Decisions by lawmakers and politicians not to count a growing number of reading scores by minority students inflated the test results that Gov. Jeb Bush is counting on for his 2002 re-election campaign, a newspaper reported Sunday.
	Editorial: Black water Still waiting. Still waiting for word on what caused an outbreak of black water between Naples and the Florida Keys. Still waiting for a show of concern by state officials who are charged with environmental policing or setting policy for it.
	PRESERVE BIG CYPRESS Big Cypress National Preserve was established by Congress for many recreation and conservation uses -- everything from birdwatching to hunting. But when an activity in the preserve destroys land and habitat, it should be banned or restricted.
	Preservation purchases will create a legacy to last The four of us watched in riveted fascination as the warbler built its nest in a cavity in the remnants of a cypress tree that protruded from the middle of the creek.
	Florida Redistricting Raises Question Of Who's On First- T he best that can be said of Florida's new legislative and congressional districts is that some of them aren't ridiculous. As a group, they reek of rotten politics.- The Florida Supreme Court will decide if they are allowable, and a number of lawsuits will test their legality elsewhere.
	Courts Must Fix Flawed Plans Florida lawmakers bungled the job of redrawing political districts. Now it's up to the courts to step in, repair the damage and force lawmakers to do the job right, or do it right for them. It's also up to Florida voters to change the rules to keep future lawmakers on the straight and narrow path.
	When lawmakers don't play nice By Tom Blackburn, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Bush faints, Feeney romps, McKay teased.-- John McKay wanted to lead an expedition, but his play group locked him in his room and trashed his backpack.-- Sen. McKay, R-Bradenton, is president of the Senate. His play group is dominated by Gov. Bush and House Speaker Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, and his loud, dim lieutenants, among whom Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Lauderdale, is one of the loudest. So what we're getting -- unless the Supreme Court blocks it, which would be no loss -- is a chance to vote on a constitutional amendment to turn the Legislature into a dollar store.-- Sen. McKay could have been a contender for a chapter in state history. He wanted to cut the sales tax by 25 percent to 4.5 cents on the dollar and abolish both the weird drink tax and the wild tax on going to the hospital.-- The cost was that some Floridians would pay the same sales tax most Floridians willingly pay daily.
	Party looks to build on weekend Florida's most ardent Democratic activists left their state party convention Sunday ready to rumble, visions of dethroning the Bush family dynasty dancing in their heads.
	Democratic hopefuls criticize Bush administration on Middle East LAKE BUENA VISTA — The Bush administration has "muddied our moral clarity" by pressuring Israel not to protect itself against terrorists after the United States aggressively responded to the Sept. 11 attacks, Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday. Another Democratic presidential hopeful visiting the Florida Democratic Convention — Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts — criticized the president for taking too long to get involved in the conflict.
	Spurt of optimism infuses delegates But as Democrats leave their state convention, they face a popular governor and his campaign war chest.
	Attorney general candidates rally Democratic candidates for attorney general, fighting for the last Cabinet job their party has, urged grass-roots activists Sunday to "stand up and fight" Gov. Jeb Bush and Republican legislators.
	Innocence denied: Bush should halt executions in Florida Death row at Florida State Prison is, literally, a row: Cell by cell by cell. The front of each cell is barred, so guards can view each 6x9-foot area.
	Should Florida's college presidents be paid like CEOs? FAU becomes test case -- When Gov. Jeb Bush tapped top business leaders as the first crop of local university trustees, the message was clear that he meant universities to run like corporations, with boards setting policy and presidents acting as chief executive officers.-- Less than a year later, the new system faces its first critical test as three schools, including Florida Atlantic University, search for new leaders: If state university presidents are acting like corporate CEOs, should they be paid like them, too?
	Lavish contributions by lobbyists ought to make voters wonder.- Orange County commissioners Clarence Hoenstine, Bob Sindler and Homer Hartage don't want taxpayers to know what they discuss with lobbyists behind closed doors. The three recently voted against a sensible proposal that would have given the public a better view of how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent.-- Perhaps that's because special-interest money talks.
	State money helps train voters Leon cut funds to train voters Still stinging from a 2000 presidential election that made Florida an international laughingstock, state lawmakers last year gave counties almost $6 million to educate voters and poll workers.
	Greenpeace activists' mahogany protest draws felony charges MIAMI — Fourteen Greenpeace activists and a free-lance photographer have been indicted on federal charges for attempting to board a ship to protest imported mahogany from Brazil. The U.S. Attorney's Office charged the protesters and photographer with forcibly interfering with law enforcement, a felony, and illegally boarding a vessel on the high seas, a misdemeanor.
	Cars with lights like airplanes --threat or menace? Part II Last week I wrote a column about being blinded on the highway by high-tech headlights, lights from SUVs and fog lights you could play baseball under. Apparently, this isn't just me. I received an unusual number of e-mails from people with similar experiences.
	Puffer fish from Florida sickens three in New Jersey TITUSVILLE — Three people in New Jersey have suffered neurotoxin poisoning from puffer fish caught in Florida, state health officials said. Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said Sunday that people should not eat puffer fish caught in the Titusville area until the state tests the fish supply.
	30-day visa rule quite flexible The INS says the proposed limit would not affect the foreign visitors and retirees who own or rent Florida vacation homes.
	Saundra Smokes: Voters victims of pork-barrel spending One of Aesop's fables is a perfect accompaniment to the Citizens Against Government Waste's annual report on congressional pork-barrel spending released this week. The fable goes like this: A team of oxen was pulling a heavy wagon. The wheels began to groan and creak. This caused the oxen to turn around and say to the wheels, "Why are you making so much noise? We're the ones who are doing all the work."
	The Bush Doctrine, R.I.P. As a statement of principle set forth by an American chief executive, the now defunct Bush Doctrine may have had a shelf life even shorter than Kenny Boy's Enron code of ethics. As a statement of presidential intent, it may land in the history books alongside such magisterial moments as Johnson's 1964 pledge not to send American boys to Vietnam and Nixon's 1968 promise to "bring us together."
	Analysis: Top domestic issues in the White House WASHINGTON — Saddled with a growing crisis in the Mideast while also waging a worldwide war on terrorism, President Bush is still finding time to move on a series of domestic issues drifting below the public's radar screen.
	Poison pills and taxes GOP sneak attack kills taxpayer protection.
	As today's tax deadline looms, last year's rebate causes problems for some There’s a new pitfall for taxpayers this year, and the IRS is expecting today’s last-minute filers to have at least as much trouble as millions who’ve already sent their returns in.
	Guest editorial: The executive pay scam "You win, I win. You lose, I lose." That was the seemingly unassailable deal corporate chieftains struck with their shareholders at the outset of the bull market in the early 1980s, when they aggressively linked their compensation to their companies' stock prices. The arrangement allowed chief executives like Roberto Goizueta, Michael Eisner and Jack Welch to amass fortunes that would once have been unthinkable for mere hired hands.
	Wanted: a good pitchman A half century ago, the Ruppert Brewing Co. hit on a promotion to boost sales of its Knickerbocker brand of beer. Like other local brews in New York City, no one really craved Knickerbocker beer. Folks drank it, like Piels or Rheingold, because it was around. (What about an honest man?? -- WF)
	Speaking Out: In support of Department of Peace Two months before the September 11 attacks, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced a bill calling for a cabinet-level Department of Peace. While he believes in a strong military for defense, our actions must also pursue a path toward reducing violence, not escalating it.

4/13/01

	Campaign plies Harris' e-mail from the recount Thousands of people e-mailed Secretary of State Katherine Harris in late 2000 when Florida was the temporary center of the universe.
	Special interest money poured into tax fight TALLAHASSEE -- When state senators created a fundraising group to sell the public on the virtues of changing Florida's tax system, they promised to gather support from "individual citizens."
	Feeney got big donations before session House Speaker Tom Feeney got money for his congressional campaign from nursing homes and the insurance industry.
	State GOP amasses pile of soft money By Mary Ellen Klas, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer In the year's first quarter, the GOP raises $9.9 million, almost four times as much as Democrats.
	Education for governor Report debunks Gov. Bush's approach....Faced with a Florida Chamber of Commerce report that rips Florida's schools, the education governor pleads that he's responsible for only two of the 10 years covered in the report. ... The report stresses that Florida schools need more money, and Gov. Bush isn't going to help schools get more money. ... Actually, the two-year defense is Gov. Bush's second effort at hiding from the report's conclusions. Earlier this year, the education governor delayed the report's release while he tried to pressure the chamber into changing its numbers in a way that would make the governor look better. The chamber, hardly a bastion of Democratic critics, stood its ground.
	McBride's proposed tax for better schools raises a hot issue Hoping to exploit frustration with crowded public schools and distinguish himself as a candidate of substance, Democrat Bill McBride on Friday violated a golden rule of Florida politics:
	Closer oversight of DCF House Speaker Tom Feeney made the right decision this week in creating a special committee to oversee the state's beleaguered child-welfare agency. Done correctly, the inquiry can cast light on continuing problems at the agency and spur needed improvements. But this should be a serious and thoughtful quest, not a vehicle for bashing the Department of Children and Families. Lawmakers should understand that correcting deficiencies at the agency is as much up to them as to DCF itself.
	Protect the innocent As more and more people on death row are found innocent based on scientific evidence, we should question the use of the death penalty in our fallible system of justice.
	Head of prison agency leaving The embattled executive director of the agency that oversees the state's private prisons announced this week he is stepping down. C. Mark Hodges, who has been with the Florida Correctional Privatization Commission since its inception in 1993, told commission members Thursday during a board meeting in Panama City of his decision to resign in 45 days.
	Decrying sweatshops Smack-dab in the middle of Landis Green in front of Florida State University's Strozier Library, the more than 45 tents camped in protest of President Sandy D'Alemberte are getting a lot of attention from passers-by.
	Army to conduct simulated biological attack off Key West KEY WEST — U.S. Army researchers are planning to simulate a biological and chemical attack off the coast here to determine if weather radar systems can detect weapons agents dispersed by crop-dusters. During the four-day test scheduled to begin Monday, a small plane will release harmless agents, similar in composition to biological and chemical weapons, above the Gulf of Mexico, between six and 13 miles off Key West.
	Democrats open convention with complaints Florida Democrats began their state convention Friday with Leon County party leaders loudly complaining that the state party is going broke and lacks leadership to take on Gov. Jeb Bush.
	Democrats along I-4 corridor join forces to flex muscle ORLANDO — Democrats who live along the Interstate 4 corridor stretching across Florida's center are banding together in an unprecedented effort to flex their political muscles and share resources. Leaders from 15 county Democratic Executive Committees, representing about a third of the state's registered Democrats, planned to sign a proclamation Saturday pledging regional cooperation.
	Florida races, shaped by 2000, try to leave the recount behind PALM BEACH — Democratic officials in Washington said they eagerly recruited Carol Roberts, a Palm Beach County commissioner, to run for Congress this year because of her starring role as a defender of Al Gore in the balloting stalemate of 2000. But on the campaign trail here in what was the epicenter of the 36-day showdown of the 2000 presidential election, Roberts does not even bring up the election or remind voters of her insistence that every one of the county's disputed butterfly ballots should be counted by hand.
	Potential Democratic presidential candidates heading to Florida WASHINGTON — Democrats in Florida are gearing up to defeat a politician named Bush, Al Gore is coming back to the state for a political rally and prominent figures from the presidential election recount are now running for Congress. But for many Floridians, the disputed election recount of 2000 is a fading memory.
	Miami-Dade official's aide charged with stealing campaign funds MIAMI — An assistant to Miami-Dade County Commissioner Miriam Alonso was released on bond Friday after being arrested for allegedly stealing campaign funds for personal use. Elba Morales, Alonso's chief of staff, was the first person charged in an investigation of the alleged misuse of campaign funds by Alonso's office.
	Philip Morris asks state to pull anti-smoking ads TALLAHASSEE — Florida Truth is telling lies, cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris complained to the state Department of Health. The tobacco company wants the latest series of anti-smoking ads produced by Florida Truth to be pulled, saying they "are inaccurate, misleading and false with the regard to the conduct of Philip Morris International and its affiliates."
	For all to enjoy Governments have an obligation to ensure public access to the region's lakes.

4/12/02

	Bush signs 9 bills into law Gov. Jeb Bush signed nine bills into law Thursday, including measures that make changes to the state's Capitol Police force, drug-free workplace and vocational rehabilitation programs, and adds protections for older children in foster care.
	Gov. Bush's ties to BellSouth under scrutiny TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Jeb Bush's ties to telephone company BellSouth are under scrutiny from consumer groups as he decides whether to sign a bill to raise basic phone rates in Florida. One of Bush's former business partners, Miami real estate developer Armando Codina, sits on the board of BellSouth, the largest telephone company in the state.
	Bush okays new rules for road, rail The controversial transportation bill allows Hillsborough and Pinellas to seek sales tax increases.
	Bush makes building toll roads easier Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday signed into law a measure designed to make it easier for state transportation officials to build toll roads throughout Florida.
	Bush OKs wider use of tolls The measure allows money collected from Florida's Turnpike to finance new toll roads around the state.
	Governor signs transportation package TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Jeb Bush signed a voluminous transportation bill Thursday that dramatically lowers the cost of handicapped parking permits and allows Florida's Turnpike to be run more like a business. Bush also signed eight other bills Thursday, including one (SB 264) that requires certain contractors seeking state business to start a program to eliminate drugs from the workplace.
	Bush makes building toll roads easier Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday signed into law a measure designed to make it easier for state transportation officials to build toll roads throughout Florida.
	Democrats aren't feeling down or out A state party convention in Orlando this weekend will focus on the 2004 election.
	McBride, Reno to detail priorities Democratic hopefuls will be in Orlando today for the party's state conference.
	Gore, Lieberman ready for rematch The first priority for Florida Democratic Convention delegates is to oust Gov. Jeb. Bush.
	Reno struggles in quest for money Janet Reno drove her red truck across Florida, cracked jokes on national TV with Jay Leno and partied after the Oscars with Elton John, but she continues to have trouble raising money.
	Nader delights in role of party pooper TAMPA -- Al Gore and Joe Lieberman could hardly hold a reunion with Florida Democrats without Ralph Nader crashing the party.
	Don't short-circuit the job search No news was good news at the State Board of Administration, which is why few Floridians had ever heard of it before one of its investment advisers lost more than $300-million of the state's pension money by purchasing Enron stock on the way down. Though the $100-billion fund remains sound, the incident raises unavoidable questions about the oversight the staff was giving to Alliance Capital Management (which Florida fired over the Enron losses and is suing) and other commercial asset managers.
	Nixon's daughters ordered to join lawsuit MIAMI -- A Florida judge ordered Richard Nixon's feuding daughters to join a lawsuit Thursday over $20-million willed to their late father's presidential library by his friend, Key Biscayne banker Charles "Bebe" Rebozo.
	A time when rules can seem so wrong Frances J. Morris of St. Petersburg, who is the mother of 11, grandmother of 20 and great-grandmother of nine, was dumbfounded when the Pinellas sheriff's deputy told her there was a warrant for her arrest.
	Civil rights groups want death penalty moratorium in Florida MIAMI — Two civil rights groups want Florida to declare a moratorium on capital punishment because they say inmates are often convicted by faulty trials or incomplete evidence. The local chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International launched a campaign Wednesday in Miami to temporarily stop executions. The groups will sponsor a petition drive to persuade Gov. Jeb Bush to do so.
	Citing inmates cleared, ACLU seeks moratorium on executions
	State warns of new tree cutting - PALM BAY - In a sign of things to come in South Florida, state citrus canker inspectors went door-to-door here on the Space Coast on Wednesday, telling 97 people that their citrus trees would be removed starting in 10 days.-- These were the first families to feel the effects of a revised law empowering the state to stem the spread of the disease by destroying the infected tree and all otherwise healthy citrus trees as far away as 1,900 feet from a blighted one.
	High court: Non-polluters still must pay for Everglades cleanup TALLAHASSEE — Voters decided in 1996 that polluters should pay to clean up what they've done to the Everglades, but that doesn't mean non-polluters shouldn't also pay, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a 5-2 decision the court said a South Florida Water Management District tax that goes for anti-pollution measures in the Everglades is valid, even if polluters don't pay their fair share as required by the voters.
	Growers freed from bigger cleanup bill By Robert P. King, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer The Florida Supreme Court rejected environmentalists' efforts to make growers pay for more of the Everglades cleanup.
	Sugar firms win on Glades cleanup Big Sugar scored a big win Thursday at the Florida Supreme Court, when justices ruled that despite overwhelming voter support for a 1996 constitutional amendment to make ''polluters pay'' for Everglades restoration, property owners still have to pick up the bulk of the tab.
	Army engineers to expand mining in wetlands near Everglades MIAMI — The Army Corps of Engineers issued permits Thursday that will allow mining in 5,409 acres in the Everglades for the next 10 years, more than doubling the amount of limestone quarries in the protected wetland. The 10 companies who receive the permits will pay about $46 million in fees that will be used by the federal government to purchase and improve another 7,500 acres of wetlands near the Everglades, officials said.
	E-mail with porn stirs official gasps Ronda Storms forwards an e-mail with a nude photo to other commissioners. Two ask if she violated county policy or the law.
	U.S. tax changes could cost Florida millions Lawmakers approved, as they do every year, matching Florida's corporate tax rules to U.S. rules.
	Attorney claims Miranda warnings flawed, endanger convictions MIAMI — Miranda warnings given to people arrested by police in Broward County, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa fail to meet legal standards and may endanger convictions based on confessions, a defense attorney said Thursday. Attorney Ellis Rubin said he will raise the issue Friday in an attempt to keep prosecutors from using a confession by a Broward teen-ager charged as an adult with murdering her newborn.
	Prosecutors: Hollywood man stockpiled more condo ammo than ATF FORT LAUDERDALE — Investigators found a stockpile of weapons and 17,000 rounds of ammo in the beachside condo of a Hollywood man arrested for impersonating a Navy officer. Douglas Altman, 52, had a .50 caliber rifle, seven other guns, samurai swords, knives, crossbows, Asian throwing stars, double-edged hatchets, a bomb manual and counterfeit military orders, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
	Molly Ivins: 'Where are the Democrats?' AUSTIN, Texas — Across the length and breadth of this great land of ours, from the mountain to the prairie, from every hill and dale comes the question, "Where are the Democrats?" They're among the missing, along with Judge Crater and Osama bin Laden. The venerable political organization, the party of Jackson and Jefferson, is not to be found in action. OTAM — out to all meals. So this is what it's like to live in a one-party country.
	Stress safety - or not Voluntary 'rules' will hurt workers. -- Twelve years ago, Elizabeth Dole, labor secretary in the first Bush administration, called for mandatory rules to protect workers from repetitive-motion injuries. Last week, in the second Bush administration, rules arrived. But they are voluntary for employers.
	Morton Kondracke: Arafat needs to know: 'It's now or never' Brutal though Israel's invasion of West Bank cities looks on television, let's remember: It wouldn't have occurred but for repeated Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel. To those who say that Palestinian terrorism is simply a response to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, let's remember: In 2000, Israel was prepared to hand back 97 percent of the West Bank. Yasser Arafat refused the deal.
	. . . reject steel tie-in The plan tying Arctic drilling to the steel-industry bailout needs to be rejected.

4/11/02

	Enron-inspired amendment rejected The legislation would have placed an energy trading practice back under federal oversight.
	Anstead tapped to be chief justice in July TALLAHASSEE — Justice Harry Lee Anstead will become chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court in July, succeeding Chief Justice Charles Wells, the court announced Wednesday. Following tradition, Florida's high court Tuesday unanimously elected the next most senior justice to take over the top administrative job. Being chief justice will put Anstead in charge of procedural issues and budget matters for the state's judicial branch for the next two years.
	Editorial: Redistricting Bob Butterworth has connected with Southwest Florida for years. Florida's attorney general is able to see the forest for the trees. True a decade ago when he first saw the guardhouse at private Lely Barefoot Beach as an obstacle to the public beach beyond, while parochial politicians thought it was dandy. True today when he bases his protest of the Florida Legislature's wild redistricting schemes on what they will mean to Collier and Lee counties.
	Editorial: State Legislature That stalemate in Tallahassee last week was nothing less than the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush failing to do their jobs. A rewrite of the state's education code hit a wall at the 11th hour over student religious activities on school grounds. Though legislators themselves could not agree on what the offensive chapter said about students promoting their faiths to others, the obstacle was enough to send them packing.
	Transit measure has a taxation option If Gov. Bush signs the bill, Hillsborough and Pinellas officials could ask voters what they think.
	Bush considers bill freeing toll cash The money would be used to build more roads in Florida.
	Bush opposes ballot measure in drug fight State officials call the proposed amendment an attempt to legalize drug use, while its backers say it would save millions of dollars in prison costs.
	Bush bests others in fundraising Led by a $5,000-a-plate dinner with his brother, Jeb Bush got $2.4-million in campaign cash during the past three months.
	Reno tops McBride in polls, lags in cash But the combined totals of both candidates don't match incumbent Gov. Jeb Bush, who has raised $4.38 million.
	11 S. Fla. lawmakers endorse McBride's bid for governor FORT LAUDERDALE -- Eleven South Florida lawmakers endorsed Democratic Bill McBride for governor Thursday, part of the candidate attempt to build momentum and credibility for a campaign badly trailing in the polls.
	Foster care in danger of becoming an orphan Transition to private group hits a snag.
	Port St. Joe hopes demolition will erase pain of mill closing PORT ST. JOE — Residents of this Florida Panhandle town hope the planned demolition of a paper mill, once Gulf County's biggest employer, will ease some of the pain caused by its closure and pave the way for economic growth. The owner, Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. of St. Louis, has announced it will take down the mill later this spring. It dominated the local economy for 60 years, providing well-paying jobs to nearly 800 workers at its height. John Reeves, who had been local president of the United Paperworkers International Union, said he wants to set off the dynamite when the mill is demolished.
	Maygarden withdraws as West Florida presidential finalist PENSACOLA — Florida House Majority Leader Jerry Maygarden withdrew Wednesday as a finalist for the presidency of his alma mater, the University of West Florida, citing press and faculty criticism of his credentials. Maygarden, R-Pensacola, has bachelor's and master's degrees in communication arts from West Florida, but was the only one of the six finalists without a doctorate.
	Ex-UF president named chancellor in Amherst AMHERST, Mass. -- Former University of Florida president John Lombardi has been selected chancellor of the University of Massachusetts' main campus at Amherst.
	Study: Tallahassee has highest fine particle pollution in state TALLAHASSEE — Tallahassee had the highest levels of fine particle pollution in Florida last year, but the city's air quality still met federal standards, state environmental officials said. Fine particles, which are not visible without a microscope, pose a threat to human health because they become stuck in lungs once inhaled, officials said Tuesday. Sources of fine particle pollution include motor vehicles and the burning of coal and oil at power plants.
	Truce helps manatees Manatee defenders and boating interests reach valuable consensus.
	Cranes from Wisconsin flying north on their own Five whooping cranes that migrated to Florida's Gulf Coast for the winter, guided by an ultralight aircraft, have started the flight home to Wisconsin on their own. The endangered birds began moving Tuesday from where they spent the winter in the salt marshes of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, near Tampa, Fla., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Charles Underwood said Wednesday.
	Canker-infected tree found near grove A Key lime tree within a mile of 8,000 acres of commercial groves has been removed.
	Doctors, clinic workers arrested in insurance scam MIAMI — Seven Florida doctors, three clinic owners and six clinic workers were arrested Wednesday, accused of falsely billing insurance companies for as much as $1 million in patient treatment, the Department of Insurance said. Investigators said the doctors and clinics solicited accident victims for treatment and then billed the insurance company for services not rendered or for treatment not needed.
	Ponzi scheme leaders agree to admit guilt The government says they swindled 2,000 investors out of $200-million in the phony investment before a bankruptcy raised red flags.
	Grand jury to decide on charges in councilman killing MASCOTTE — A grand jury will decide whether charges will be filed against police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a city councilman during a traffic stop, officials said Wednesday. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement completed its investigation into the shooting of Steve Allred and forwarded the results to the 5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office.
	Guest editorial: An attorney indicted The attorney-client privilege is not a license to facilitate terrorism, and the question about Lynne Stewart is whether that's what she did. If the case against her turns out to be hopelessly weak, Attorney General John Ashcroft will have a great deal to answer for. Some are already convinced he is a major threat to American liberties.

4/10/02

	Florida drilling battles not over The main line of defense that keeps dozens of drilling platforms away from Florida's coast is under attack.
	Worst-case scenario The Louisiana oil spill illustrates the peril of drilling off Florida's coast.
	Orders to cut down citrus trees will be served in Brevard PALM BAY — Brevard County homeowners who haven't allowed state and federal workers to cut down their trees to stop the spread of citrus canker are set to be served with papers Wednesday ordering them to comply. The orders will be served on 115 homeowners living within 1,900 feet of two properties where infected trees were discovered.
	Veto Everglades bill because of its toxic amendment The Sierra Club and many statewide civic and community groups are calling for Gov. Jeb Bush to veto a bill that contains an amendment toxic to Floridians. Proposed by incoming Senate President Jim King, it is attached to HB 813, an important bill whose main purpose is to help fund the state's portion of Everglades restoration.
	Interest blocs eyeing vacancy on Florida's Supreme Court Cuban Americans would like to see the first Hispanic appointed to Florida's Supreme Court. The religious right wants a socially conservative jurist. The state's business community just wants someone who is not a personal-injury lawyer.
	The politics of redistricting House Speaker Tom Feeney, a Republican, is aghast that Attorney General Bob Butterworth, a Democrat, is asking the Florida Supreme Court to send the Legislature back to the redistricting drawing-board. Noting that Butterworth did not oppose a Democratic design 10 years ago, Feeney implies that politics -- politics! -- is to blame.
	Parties prep for legal duels on redistricting Court dates are set to hear challenges to political power lines drawn by the GOP-dominated Legislature.
	Butterworth uses Collier as example in court challenge An attempt by SW Florida Republicans to challenge the state-proposed maps of congressional and state legislative boundaries has an unlikely ally. In a 39-page petition sent to the Florida Supreme Court late Monday, Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth (right) repeatedly used Collier County concerns as a reason for the state's highest court to send the redistricting maps back to lawmakers for more debate.
	Supreme Court schedules arguments, requests maps TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court scheduled arguments Tuesday on the Legislature's new maps for state Senate and House districts and asked Attorney General Bob Butterworth to provide software with details of the plan. The court will hear arguments April 23 and then decide whether the new political boundaries for state senators and House members are valid or if lawmakers need to redraw them, as Butterworth recommends.
	Florida survey favors voter education GAINESVILLE — Fifteen months after the disputed 2000 presidential election, a University of Florida study determined that most voters think the state should do more to teach residents how to cast a ballot. Although 91 percent of 273 survey respondents who voted in the 2000 presidential election reported they had no difficulties casting their ballots or were not confused by the process, about two-thirds said Florida should do more to teach voters about the voting process.
	Palm Beach councilman blames election loss on voting machines WEST PALM BEACH — An incumbent who lost a village council election in Palm Beach County has contested his defeat, blaming it on alleged problems with touch-screen voting machines. Councilman Al Paglia, who was defeated by Lizbeth Benacquisto in Wellington's March 26 election, filed a lawsuit Monday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.
	Fund candidate scrutinized The brother of Gov. Jeb Bush's former campaign manager emerged Tuesday as the leading candidate to head Florida's $96 billion pension fund, which has suffered record losses from the collapse of Enron Corp.
	State pension board hires law firms for possible Enron suit TALLAHASSEE — The state pension fund's board hired two law firms Tuesday, preparing for a possible lawsuit against a company that invested fund money in Enron last year as the energy company's stock plummeted. Money manager Alliance Capital Management of New York made a bad bet on Enron, continuing to purchase its stock for the retirement fund even as Enron was sliding toward bankruptcy.
	Challenge brings court into tax proposal fracas The measure that may go on the ballot would create a committee that could eliminate tax exemptions.
	Gov. Jeb Bush to meet with donors in New York TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Jeb Bush will meet with potential donors in New York Wednesday before heading to Washington for a Republican party fund-raiser. Bush has raised just over $2 million through the end of last year for his re-election campaign. Campaign finance reports for the governor and his Democratic challengers are due Wednesday.
	Miami Herald: Jeb Bush ahead, but disapproval rating grows
	School code mugged as Gov. Bush stands by The governor's office is shopping for a "compromise" on the religion section the school code bill doesn't need.
	Bush steps into education fight Gov. Jeb Bush is shopping around a compromise that he said Tuesday would allow lawmakers to approve a new set of education regulations without getting into arguments over religion in schools.
	Legislature: Bush floats compromise on stalled school code TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Jeb Bush proposed deleting a section listing students' religious rights from the school code rewrite that's stalled in the Legislature, suggesting the rights be outlined in a handbook instead. Bush told reporters Tuesday that he thought the compromise would accomplish the goal of supporters, who say school administrators often don't know what religious rights public school students possess.
	Bush floats deal on education bill He suggests deleting the controversial religious rights section and, instead, outlining rights in a student handbook.
	Rewrite Dispute Unsettling State lawmakers left Tallahassee in a huff last week in an unsettling dispute over rewriting state laws that govern Florida's public schools.
	A not-so special session Lawmakers couldn't approve an education bill, but they had time for golf and shopping.
	Everglades bill sullied by dirty trick One of the last bills to pass the Legislature during its regular session provides a mechanism to clean up the Everglades. It establishes a method for the state to acquire land needed for restoration right away until waiting until its cost skyrockets.
	Pensacola company giving four voucher schools to churches PENSACOLA — A company that runs six private schools across Florida, attended mostly by students who receive state vouchers, plans to relinquish four of the schools to churches where they are housed. The action is unrelated to a state inquiry and complaints from some parents and former staff, co-owner Angel Rocker said.
	Companies express interest in building high speed train CLEARWATER — Almost a dozen companies Tuesday expressed interest in building a high speed train in Florida, even though there is no guarantee that the project will receive the necessary funding to stay on track. So far, 11 companies have signaled interest in building the first phase of a high-speed rail line that would link Tampa and Orlando.
	Weekend party likely to spill throughout area It's a storm, an endurance test, a carnival, a party, a source of high-blood pressure, lost sleep and ulcers, a money-sucker for cities, a change from the mundane.
	Bus drivers balk at privatized route They fear the proposal for South County Career Center is part of a larger privatization plan for Hillsborough schools.
	Anti-radiation pills arriving soon By Sally Swartz, The Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Distribution near nuclear power plants still is an issue.
	Fears drive up pump prices What makes gasoline prices go up? Do they depend on Saddam Hussein’s mood today? Or the time of year? Or the price of Venezuelan crude oil? Or what your local gas station owner reads in the newspaper?
	Environmentalists concerned about Martin County land swap TALLAHASSEE — For the last few decades the Tropic Vista subdivision in southern Martin County near Jonathan Dickinson State Park has flooded terribly just about every time it rained. The Department of Environmental Protection, which manages the park as a conservation area to protect its threatened scrub habitat, has a plan to help the subdivision's residents.
	Fine particle pollution highest in state Most Tallahasseeans probably take their clean air for granted. But they may have to keep a more careful watch on that in the future.
	Committee warns beach group about non-native vegetation In a stern warning Tuesday, the chairman of the Volusia ECHO committee told the county's beach advisory board future grants for beachfront parks could be jeopardized if the county insists on planting non-native vegetation.
	Speaking out has its price-- Farnsworth says he has been SLAPPed.-- Across the country, an increasing number of developers are using such lawsuits -- short for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation -- to silence opponents.
	McCain sees soft-money end run By Eunice Moscoso, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Critics say a proposal in Congress would make some nonprofit groups havens for politcally motivated contributions.

4/9/02

	No to toll:Risky road-building bill promotes sprawl The Legislature's toll-road bill is a bad engine -- representing an unprecedented and inappropriate expansion of power for Florida's network of toll-road agencies.
	Bush won't call lawmakers back for special session this week TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Jeb Bush will not call lawmakers back to the Capitol this week for a special session to revamp Florida's school laws. "Nothing will happen this week," spokeswoman Elizabeth Hirst said Monday. A four-day special session collapsed last week when the Senate balked at passing a mammoth 1,800-page bill that included a provision spelling out the religious rights of students. The governor, frustrated by the session failure, initially said Friday that he would call back lawmakers this week.
	Schedule not set for next special session There is no plan to bring lawmakers back to town this week to try again to rewrite the code governing how schools are run. In fact, there's no plan at all.
	Unfathomable: What is our Legislature? The not-so-special session on education ended rancorously last week, with the only bill Florida lawmakers had to consider left undone. That United Nations of the Legislature, the conference committee, couldn't even get its compromise report through the Senate, which balked over attachments. Like e-mail attachments, some of those hooked on the 1,800 page education code jammed up the whole system.
	Legislative meltdown Lack of trust is a basic component of this latest legislative meltdown. The Senate president doesn't trust the House speaker to keep his word -- and vice versa.
	Butterworth pans redistricting plan The attorney general asks Florida justices to reject "contorted" Senate and House maps drawn by legislators.
	Redistricting plans 'not valid' Attorney General Bob Butterworth is recommending the Florida Supreme Court reject the first redistricting maps ever created by a Republican Legislature.
	Reject GOP districting maps, state court asked Florida's attorney general asked the state Supreme Court on Monday to reject the new redistricting maps drawn by the Legislature, saying the political boundaries were drawn with no standards and defy explanation.
	State AG Butterworth appeals redistricting plans The Florida Supreme Court should reject new state House and Senate district maps approved by the Legislature because lawmakers did not use uniform standards to draw the lines, Attorney General Bob Butterworth says.
	Florida Senate's maneuvering extends terms TALLAHASSEE — While Florida voters said "Eight is Enough," the Legislature thinks 10 is even better. Defying the voters who said in 1992 that eight years was long enough for any individual to serve in the same elective office, the Senate found a way this year to give 27 of its 40 members an extra two years — if they can win re-election. The Senate renumbered its districts to get around voter intent.
	Sign of woeful times Truth be told, the governor's weekly newsletter fell short on billboards.
	Bush and billboards Bush tried to paint his support for the bill in terms of a balancing act between local governments and the rights of private property owners. But his action leaves no question that he's on the side of the billboard companies.
	Rewrite Dispute Unsettling State lawmakers left Tallahassee in a huff last week in an unsettling dispute over rewriting state laws that govern Florida's public schools.
	Bush education appointee left hanging Outspoken Phil Handy has run afoul of lame-duck Senate leader John McKay.
	State education ranks low Most studies make waves only after they're released. Two months before Monday's release of the Florida Chamber Foundation's extensive analysis of the state education system, researchers came under suspicion of being asked by Gov. Jeb Bush to blunt their criticism.
	Florida still ranks poorly in delayed education study The foundation that did the study released it months later than planned after reviewing data from the governor's staff.
	Report blasts Florida on education The state's largest business association issued a harshly worded report on Florida's education system.
	Chamber study concludes Florida's schools falling behind Only two of 10 students who enter high school in Florida today will go on to earn a bachelor's degree. And only two of every 1,000 workers in Florida are scientists or engineers.
	Florida sinks in educational standings For whatever education gains Florida has made in the past decade, a new report from the Florida Chamber Foundation has sobering news: Other states made more progress, meaning the state is further behind than it was in 1990.
	Bush stresses early reading start Jeb Bush takes his reading initiative to a center in Dover that serves Spanish-speaking children and their parents.
	Jeb's on the wrong page Kids need teachers to teach them how to read, not volunteers, but Gov. Bush won't pay.
	Lobbyist holds major role in school district Eric ''Rick'' Sisser is not a teacher. Not a principal. And not a school administrator. But at Miami-Dade school headquarters, he holds major influence over how public money is spent.
	UF, FSU advocate radical changes With 95 percent of University of Florida freshmen arriving with most or all of their tuition paid by Bright Futures, one might expect President Charles Young to be a fan of the lottery-funded scholarship program.== He's not.
	Social services agency probed A committee is looking at whether the Department of Children and Families mishandled supervision.
	Noting the net ban's success The arrival of spring brings the best seasonal fishing in Florida -- and with it, an annual reminder of how the state's net ban has improved the environment and fisheries stocks. Many species of fish, in large part because of the ban, are increasing in numbers off the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and this success has had the effect of popularizing other conservation campaigns.
	Haddad tapped as wildlife director The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has chosen a new executive director after a three-month-long, nationwide search.
	Navy wins okay to bomb forest for next 20 years U.S. Forest Service officials announced Monday that they will allow the U.S. Navy to continue to use the Pinecastle Range in the Ocala National Forest for practicing aerial bombing and strafing for the next 20 years.
	Navy secures 20-year lease for bombing at Pinecastle Residents who live in the remote communities that ring the Pinecastle Electronic Warfare Range will hear jets roar overhead and bombs explode on the ground for at least another two decades.
	Businesses crank up for Black College Reunion Some local merchants know what time it is. As this weekend's Black College Reunion approaches, they are becoming savvy in their marketing, realizing it is more of a street party than a beach party.
	Computer glitch is fixed in time to launch 'Atlantis' CAPE CANAVERAL -- Space shuttle Atlantis, grounded four days because of a leaking fuel line, overcame a last-minute computer glitch Monday and embarked on an 11-day mission to expand the international space station.
	FSU medical school again falls short A national group that accredits such schools denies FSU's appeal of its earlier decision.
	Let's help Gov. Bush keep outsourced jobs here The Tallahassee economy has started to see the effects of the governor's "privatization" and "outsourcing" initiatives and over the next 36 months, we will be substantially affected by this public policy.
	State to resume cutting down of citrus trees in South Florida MIAMI — Despite threats of lawsuits by several South Florida cities and counties, state agriculture officials plan to send crews out in June to resume cutting trees affected by citrus canker. Some 200,000 residential citrus trees are targeted. Most of the 50 to 75 new cutting crews will start in northern Broward County and work their way south, said Mark Fagan, spokesman for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service's canker eradication project.
	State to resume cutting down of citrus trees in South Florida
	Florida citrus tax drawing trade war talk MIAMI — A dispute over Florida's tax on imported citrus products has state officials scrambling to diffuse trade war talk from foreign citrus producers and domestic ones who could soon be hit with the same tax. Brazil, the world's leading producer of orange juice, has requested a World Trade Organization meeting with the United States over the tax — a possible precursor to filing a trade complaint with the WTO.
	Teen files to run for governor An 18-year-old who at 16 was charged with felony grand theft in connection with a fraudulent greeting card business has filed to enter the Florida governor's race.
	Internet protection act is too heavy-handed The first time I visited a racy Web site, I was trying to find a U.S. bankruptcy court. Really. I tried a link through the official site for the federal courts, only to find photos and text that are best described as embarrassingly graphic. Turns out that the court didn't provide online records, but someone had found a way to get hits on a site that researchers like me never would have selected otherwise.