|
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.
 | State:
Growth rules must be updated
The Florida Department of Community Affairs says it wants Franklin
County to be prepared for the growth - including the proposed
SummerCamp development - that may be coming its way.--- The Franklin
County Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing Tuesday to
consider adopting changes to its comp plan policies to allow
SummerCamp to be built. |
| Creating
a new problem
Sens. Bob Graham and Bill Nelson owe Floridians an
explanation of their support for a plan that will require shipping
tons of nuclear waste through the state.
 | Nuclear
cargo
Florida's senators will soon vote on a plan that calls for
hundreds of shipments of deadly nuclear waste to pass through
populous areas of our state. (7/7/02) |
|
| Governor
seeks lap dog, not independent court
Giving newest justice the wrong priorities |
| Bush,
McBride go on parade for veterans
Legionnaires seem to favor Gov. Jeb Bush, the political
veteran, over Bill McBride and his war record. |
| Bush,
McBride court veterans at American Legion convention
KISSIMMEE
— Gov. Jeb Bush and Democratic challenger Bill McBride sought
support Friday from Florida's veterans at an American Legion
convention, with the men taking different approaches in their pitches.
Although Bush never served in the military, he recited a lengthy list
of legislative accomplishments that have helped veterans and seniors
during his time in office. |
| Florida
Democrats face doubts about Janet Reno
MIAMI - Janet Reno holds a sizable lead among Democrats in her quest
to become Florida's governor but some party members fear something is
missing - and it may be too late to overcome by November. |
| The
kingmakers
Daryl McLain was out of the loop. It didn't take long for the
Republican Party to whip him back into line. |
|
Katherine
Harris tops $2 million in campaign contributions SARASOTA -
Republican Katherine Harris has eclipsed the $2 million mark in
contributions in her campaign for Congress. |
| Bush
speaks to state PTA conference; touts education policies
TARPON
SPRINGS — Gov. Jeb Bush found a friendly crowd Friday at a
conference of state PTA members, where he said improving reading
skills at all grade levels would be a top priority if he is
re-elected. Some teachers and administrators have been critical of
Bush's strict school accountability policies, but he was greeted with
a standing ovation from the more than 2,000 gathered at the opening of
the Florida Parent Teacher Association Leadership Conference. |
| Teacher
sets sights on House
Kai Rush wanted his name to appear on the ballot this way: "Kai
Rush, the Teacher." |
| Caseworker
faked visit to slain child
In the latest DCF debacle, an investigator becomes the
first person charged with falsifying records under a new law. |
| DCF's
'take-the-kids-and-run' policy is at the heart of the problem
If you live in Florida, you don't have to be an
administrator at the Department of Children & Families to feel the
sting of disapproval from the rest of the nation these days. |
| Death
Row complaints cite 4 guards
Condemned serial killer Aileen Wuornos seven months ago complained to
the state Supreme Court that guards began mistreating her after she
dropped her appeals in a move to hasten her own death. |
| Hormone-therapy
queries rise
Doctors throughout the country have no easy answers
for scores of female patients. |
| Appellate
court agrees to hold canker hearing in a hurry
WEST
PALM BEACH — The 4th District Court of Appeal agreed Friday
to expedite a hearing on the legal dispute over a citrus canker law, a
day after the Florida Supreme Court refused to take the case. After
receiving a request Friday morning from the state Department of
Agriculture, the appellate court decided by late afternoon to give
both sides a total of 20 days to file briefs. |
| Citrus
areas surrounded
The
Orange County find puts the deadly bacteria on all sides of Florida's
citrus belt.
|
| Childers
asks for new trial on open-meeting conviction
PENSACOLA
— Former Senate President W.D. Childers has asked for a new
trial on his open-government "sunshine" law conviction.
Childers, 68, was found guilty in June on one count of breaking the
state's open-government law by discussing public business privately
with other Escambia County commissioners. |
| Old
Princeton Hospital could be jail alternative
If
community leaders in Orange County succeed in launching an innovative
project to divert mentally ill and drug-addicted lawbreakers from the
overburdened jail and crowded hospital emergency rooms, they will be
among the very few who have. |
| Guest
editorial: America aloof
These days America finds itself at once uniquely
strong and vulnerable, the only superpower and a target of envy,
hostility and suspicion around much of the globe. The Bush
administration has clearly been tempted to go it alone in this new
environment, dodging any international undertakings that the United
States does not completely control. Global leadership requires more
than visionary statements and forceful American actions. Washington
needs to be a leader, not a spoiler, in efforts to build international
cooperation. |
| Judge
faults Bush administration for bowing to brother over manatees
WASHINGTON
— The Bush administration, after missing a court-approved
deadline, has been given until Monday to propose a new timetable for
protecting endangered manatees from boaters off the coast of Florida.
A federal judge ruled this week that delays by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service in creating safe havens for manatees violated a
court-approved settlement last year with environmentalists who sued to
have the large, blubbery sea creatures protected. |
| Safety
for manatees
Fourteen new manatee-protection zones have been put
off for 1 1/2 years. |
| U.S.
budget deep in red
Bush administration said federal government would run
a deficit of $165 billion. |
| The
Bush deficit: President's fantasy accounting won't erase red ink
It didn't take long. The budget surpluses of the late Clinton years
are now the budget deficits of the early Bush years. |
7/12/02
| A
telling choice: Nominee carries Gov. Bush's burdens
Gov. Jeb Bush's decision to name 41-year-old Miami attorney Raoul
Cantero to the Florida Supreme Court says far more about the governor
than it does about Cantero....
Florida's high court should, whenever possible, reflect the diversity
of the people of the state. But that doesn't mean it should sway to
the whims of public opinion. Indeed, the courts are essential
safeguards of the bedrock elements of state government -- like
individual rights, accountability and fairness -- that would otherwise
fall to political pandering. This state's court has a long (and mostly
successful) history of standing firm on those principles.
Sometimes, that irritates politicians -- and Gov. Bush's snit with
Florida's high court is long-standing. Indeed, Bush railed against the
"activist" courts even as a candidate. He seemed smugly
convinced that his first solo pick would echo his values and those of
the Republican party -- a result he spent considerable time and
political energy setting up. Two years ago, the governor pushed
through legislation that stripped much of the independence from the
judicial nominating process....
Under the new system, Bush gets to choose the panelists -- assuring
that nominees are evaluated first on political, not legal, merits.
That casts a cloud on the entire process...
Bush still refuses to accept that Florida's court system is an equal
branch of government, not a tool to wield for political gain. In his
blatant attempts to meddle with judicial affairs, Bush puts an unfair
burden on the judges he appoints -- and short-changes the people of
this state by eroding their confidence in the judiciary. |
| Cantero
may not be first Hispanic on state's high court -- TALLAHASSEE,
Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush may or may not have appointed the first Hispanic
to the Florida Supreme Court when he named Miami attorney Raoul
Cantero III....Rosemary Barkett, who served on the state's high court
from 1985-1994, was born in Mexico to Lebanese parents and spoke only
Spanish when she came to the United States at age 6 in 1945...Barkett
was not nearly as adamant about the honorary designation as the first
Hispanic justice as some who work for Bush, who trumpeted his effort
to diversify the court earlier this week. ... Barkett was the first
woman appointed to the Florida Supreme Court when she was named by
then-Gov. Bob Graham, who is now a U.S. senator. She said she's
"perfectly willing to share or give" the title of first
Hispanic to Cantero.
|
| State's
high court refuses to hear canker case
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court refused Thursday to take on
the legal fight over the state's citrus canker eradication law, which
was found unconstitutional by a South Florida trial judge. The 4th
District Court of Appeal on Tuesday asked Florida's high court to take
over the case, as requested by the state Department of Agriculture.
| Canker
hits 3 more trees in Orange - Three more citrus trees infected
with canker have been discovered in Central Florida, and
agriculture officials stepped up eradication efforts Thursday with
a call for more inspectors. |
|
| Justices
decline canker case
The state Supreme Court Thursday refused to hear a controversial
canker-eradication suit -- dealing a blow to state agriculture
officials' push to speed up the litigation to prevent further
outbreaks of the canker they say jeopardizes Florida's lucrative
citrus industry. |
| U.S.
Supreme Court refuses to allow executions in Florida
TALLAHASSEE — Executions can remain on hold in Florida while the
state's high court considers the death penalty law's
constitutionality, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled. Wednesday's decision
rebuffed a plea from lawyers for the state, who had asked that stays
of execution granted by the state Supreme Court be lifted. |
| Serial
killer awaiting execution says she fears rape by guards - Serial
killer Aileen Wuornos will be in Broward Circuit Court today for a
hearing on her allegation that she is being abused on Death Row in
Pembroke Pines. |
| Bush
hits at court for death reprieves
An unofficial moratorium on the death penalty imposed by the Florida
Supreme Court may have given hope to opponents of capital punishment,
but it has also given a lift to the reelection campaign of Gov. Jeb
Bush. |
| Panel
seeks return of worker who quit in DOT controversy
A state human relations panel is going to court to seek the
reinstatement of a worker forced to resign from the Florida Department
of Transportation in the wake of controversy over a computer contract
between DOT and a legal client of House Speaker Tom Feeney. |
| Earnhardt
autopsy photo law ruled constitutional
The law restricting access to the autopsy photos of NASCAR driver Dale
Earnhardt is constitutional, the Fifth District Court of Appeal said
today, but they urged the Florida Supreme Court to consider the issue
further. |
| GOP's
fundraising far ahead of Democrats'
The Republican Party of Florida raised four times as much money as
state Democrats in the past three months, ensuring Republican Gov. Jeb
Bush plenty of cash for the fall election. |
| Statewide
police union throws support to Bush
In a renewed emphasis on his law-and-order record, the governor touts
the endorsement in four cities. |
| Police-union
bosses back Bush campaign
Escorted by police-union leaders who support his
re-election, Gov. Jeb Bush campaigned across the state Thursday as a
proud crime-fighter. |
| Police
union backs Bush
Gov. Jeb Bush picks up the endorsement of the state's largest police
union....Not mentioned was a back-room deal Bush struck with public
safety unions last year. Bush agreed in the 2001 legislative session
to endorse a $9.6 million, one-year pension increase to some 12,000
police and firefighters. In exchange, the unions pledged not to ask
for more pension increases until 2003. George said the endorsement was
not part of that negotiation. |
| Gov.
Bush stays mum on future of prisons chief-- PBA leaders on
Thursday touted Bush for backing additional pension benefits for law
enforcement officers during his time in office and said he had been
the "ultimate governor for law enforcement." But other union
officials have complained in the past about Bush's choice to run the
prisons and have said that many rank-and-file correctional officers
remain angry with both Moore and Bush....
"The Legislature has asked him to make incredible changes in a
very dramatic way and that created some consternation early on but I
do believe we're on the right track now," Bush said. ''By saying
there is going to be changes does not reflect anything about Mike
Moore. I consider him a good manager of the department."...
Moore has been under constant fire since taking the job in 1999.
Shortly after he arrived, he had to deal with the beating death of
convicted murderer Frank Valdes at Florida State Prison, which led to
the arrest of correctional officers. The officers were acquitted but
they lost their jobs. Moore also pushed through a controversial
reorganization and tried to cut overtime expenses, a move that some
officers said created a dangerous situation in some prisons because
there weren't enough officers on duty.
The Department of Corrections has also embraced privatization of
services that has sparked some criticism. A decision in 2001 to hand
over food services in prisons to a private company has raised safety
concerns. Florida has fined Aramark $110,000 during the last year
because of repeated problems with the company's food operations,
including not having enough food to give inmates. |
| 'F'
means first for help, funds
This week's summit on education is designed to provide aid to schools
that are struggling with failing grades. |
| High
court approves preschool measure for the ballot
TALLAHASSEE — A proposed constitutional amendment to provide free
preschool to 4-year-olds can go on the November ballot, the state
Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In its unsigned unanimous ruling,
Florida's high court said the proposal involved only a single subject
and was clearly explained in its ballot title and summary. |
| Celebration
residents angry
Some residents are threatening to sue over
Celebration Co.'s proposal to build hotels and a luxury resort.
KISSIMMEE -- Waving at neighbors on a bike ride through
Celebration's picturesque streets, the McIntosh family is a glowing
success story in the video promoting the Disney-planned town, where
the McIntoshes dreamed of raising a son and growing old.
But Beth and Mark McIntosh are ready to sell their home in Celebration
and move out if Disney gets its wish to build several hotels and a
luxury resort with time shares there.
A proposal to nearly double the number of hotel rooms in Celebration
has incensed residents, who paid an average of $300,000 per home to
live in the Osceola County community, pitched as an old-fashioned
hometown geared to families.
Though company officials say the hotels will further Celebration's
vision of being a place for people to live, work and play, residents
see the move as the latest slight in a long list of broken promises by
Disney's development arm. Now some are fighting to keep an idyllic
hometown concept from becoming another subdivision -- or worse, the
residents say, a Disney resort. |
| Alachua
may limit new types of growth
A proposed timeout on industrial development first discussed in
January could become a moratorium on everything from new neighborhoods
to warehouses within the city. |
| Rail
Authority learns that Orlando-to-Miami routes vary
LAKELAND — Proposed routes for an Orlando-to-Miami bullet train
varied widely as the Florida High Speed Rail Authority heard proposals
Thursday. In central Florida, two potential alignments parallel
Florida's Turnpike while another runs east from Orlando to Brevard
County, then turns south and follows Interstate 95 down the coast. |
| Judge
says Menorah Gardens plaintiffs have ‘strong case’ - Lawyers
suing death industry giant Service Corporation International over
alleged wrongdoing at the company’s two Menorah Gardens cemeteries
in South Florida laid out the heart of their case on Thursday,
painting an image of corporate greed run amok at the expense of the
families with loved ones entrusted to them. |
| Downtown
cleanup plans under way
Gainesville - Underground storage tanks from four service stations
near the new courthouse - one dating back as far as the 1920s - have
leaked as much as 100,000 gallons of gasoline. That's the equivalent
of about half a dozen home swimming pools. |
| Lauderdale
moves to keep children away from toxic park-- FORT LAUDERDALE · A
crew patched the fence around Lincoln Park on Thursday, a day after
city officials learned that children have been playing in the
potentially hazardous site. |
| More
Than One Fence To Mend
Fort Lauderdale may have fixed the fence around
Lincoln Park, but city officials need to mend fences with area
residents who still question whether the neighborhood park is a major
health hazard. |
| Judge:
Set up manatee havens
A court finds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated its
settlement with advocates, and orders a fix. |
| Hundreds
of stolen sea turtle eggs found in Riviera Beach
An undercover officer’s purchase of a half-dozen sea turtle eggs led
investigators to a stash of 341 eggs at a Riviera Beach man’s home,
authorities said. James O. McGriff, 43, has been charged with poaching
and trying to sell turtle eggs |
| Suffering
the children -- When George W. Bush is insensitive to the needs
and the aspirations of black Americans, it's a reflection of his
insensitivity to the interests of all working Americans.
This year's NAACP convention may be in the president's home state of
Texas, but anyone who expected a courtesy call from George W. Bush was
mistaken.
This is not a president who is interested in what one of the
convention's participants referred to as "the woes of black
folks."
That may be a blessing. The Bush men, father and son, are seldom more
cynical than when they get it into their mischievous heads to rev up
some support among black people. George the First could hardly contain
a devilish smile as he gave us Clarence Thomas, a gruesome acolyte of
Antonin Scalia who has spent much of his time on the Supreme Court
taking a pickax to black interests.
George the Second, during his oxymoroni compassionately conservative
campaign for president, hijacked the copyrighted slogan of the
Children's Defense Fund, "Leave no child behind." As he
campaigned from coast to coast, hugging black children wherever they
could be found, Bush went out of his way to give the impression that
while he was a hard-liner on fiscal issues and defense, he could be a
softie when it came to education and other issues of crucial
importance to children.
Well, he's not a fiscal hard-liner. (Have you looked at the red ink in
the budget?) And he's hardly an advocate for children... |
| Bush
calls anti-fraud meeting
President Bush's corporate fraud task force meets at
the White House today.
Task
force members (this a team of corporate watchdogs Americans can
have faith in???) |
| The more trouble Bush seems to have at home, the closer al-Qaida
gets
Ashcroft:
Terror cells active
John Ashcroft said al-Qaida is trying to smuggle even
more terrorists into the U.S. |
| Senate
plan trading up
Bush call for reform has no credibility. |
| Molly
Ivins: Bush's coporate reform plan won't fix the system
AUSTIN, Texas — Well, President Bush made his big speech on
corporate reform Tuesday, and the stock market went down by 178
points. As predicted, Bush proposed stiffer penalties for bad apples,
evildoers and perpetrators of "malfee-ance." Unfortunately,
that won't fix the system. Much as one would like to see many
corporate executives doing time alongside hard-working stick-up
artists, that leaves the systemic problems in place. |
| Perot
denies his company played part in California energy crisis--
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot
denied Thursday that his consulting company showed power suppliers how
to manipulate California's energy market to drive up wholesale prices.--
"These allegations are unfounded," Perot told a panel of
state lawmakers. |
| New
Figures A Wake-up Call
AIDS isn't just a Third World menace. A new study
by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows HIV
increasing among minorities, women and young gay and bisexual men. |
7/11/02
| Get
over it? Not this filmmaker
Documentary reviews the 2000 election.
Even with the presumption of inevitability that many news
organizations deservedly were criticized for promoting, the
record-breaking $100 million that it took to buy the White House
almost wasn't enough. "We have a president who owes his election
more to a dynasty than to democracy," said Chairman Julian Bond
at the NAACP's 93rd annual convention this week.- Presidential
candidate George W. Bush had wooed that group before he lost the
November 2000 popular election by more than a half-million votes
nationwide. He would have lost Florida's popular vote -- and the
presidency -- had all the ballots that voters cast been
registered.-
For Americans who consider it a patriotic duty to ensure that every
citizen has an equal opportunity to vote and to have his or her vote
counted, restoring confidence in the electoral process means looking
first at Florida. That's what Faye Anderson has done as producer of Counting
on Democracy.... |
| New
concerns raised about SummerCamp
Approval of The St. Joe Co.'s proposed SummerCamp development could
threaten Franklin County's participation in the National Flood
Insurance Program, said James "Tim" Turner, the county's
emergency management director. |
| Auditors'
Dual Role Draws Ire Of IRS - TALLAHASSEE - A national
accounting firm given broad leeway in Florida to perform state tax
audits on behalf of its own clients is being accused by federal
authorities of helping hundreds of companies flout U.S. tax
laws.-
Although none of the allegations against KPMG involves the firm's
participation in the fledgling Florida program, it raises questions
about letting companies sidestep state auditors by shopping for
private auditors from a state-approved list.-
Business ethicists compare it to the fox guarding the hen house,
noting that accounting firms can serve dual roles. They can fill in
for state auditors to ensure tax laws are followed on the one hand
while continuing to serve companies as their private tax strategy
advisers on the other. |
| Intelligent
Status Has Technical Difficulty -TALLAHASSEE - Last week,
the state's self-proclaimed ``high-tech corridor'' made the World
Teleport Association's second-annual list of the ``world's most
intelligent communities.'' - Gov. Jeb Bush offered his
congratulations. This, he said, was recognition ``for years of hard
work.'' -
But what the governor didn't mention was this: Some of the cities
might have been identified as intelligent because they were smart
enough to pay $600 to join the trade association. ...
``I don't know what kind of criteria they used,'' said Ken Heiman,
director of communication for the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of
Commerce. ``We basically consider ourselves the cradle of high-tech.
My first thought: Is this one of those deals that the criteria is
going to make a certain state look good?''
LaGrange But Not San Jose?
He said he was not aware Florida had a high-tech corridor, nor had he
ever heard of a World Teleport Association or even LaGrange, Ga. ... |
| Tiny
bug munches its way into state
They're tiny, pink and feel like powdered sugar on a
doughnut.
To bug experts across Florida, a successful invasion of the pink
hibiscus mealybug could wipe out hundreds of types of plants, from
orange trees to tomato vines.
Last month, scientists confirmed the hungry critter had landed between
Fort Lauderdale and Miami. On July 1, more were found in Fort Pierce,
about 120 miles southeast of Orlando.
... ... Today, federal and state officials are unleashing a swarm of
thousands of wasps as a biological counter-attack, hoping to curb the
bugs' march.
"If we did not take action, this could be one of the most
devastating agricultural pests Florida has ever had to deal
with," said Nolan Lemon, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. "If nothing were done, this would devastate Florida
agriculture. It's a complete killer. Nothing is immune to it."...
...
Authorities said the best thing store owners and residents can do is
to report sightings to local authorities.
Homeowners also should avoid using pesticides because chemicals harm
the mealybugs' natural enemies and could make eradication more
difficult.... |
| Selection
a swipe at activist high court
Gov. Jeb Bush sees his high court nominee as a foil for what many
consider an over-reaching bench. |
| Political
theater - Gov. Jeb Bush went to the west plaza of the Capitol
Wednesday, so the Supreme Court building would show in the background,
to announce his appointment of Raul Cantero III as the replacement for
retiring Justice Major Harding. But for a few minutes it seemed the
event was less about Cantero's niche in history, as Florida's first
ethnic Hispanic justice, than about Bush's re-election campaign. As
Cantero waited to be introduced, the governor sharply denounced the
entire American judiciary. He decried the "increasing power of
courts" which, he said, "should not come at the expense of
institutions that have a more legitimate claim to govern our
lives." Far too often, he said, "our courts . . . have
substituted their own personal views for the laws enacted by the
people and their representatives. . . . Increasingly, courts have
seized control over policy decisions that are not theirs to
make."...
...The more troubling part of it is the governor's assertion that
either of the other branches of government, the executive or the
legislative, has a "more legitimate" claim to govern. In the
American system, each branch is equal. It bears remembering that not
so long ago there were politicians, including most of Florida's, who
raged that the courts had no right to interfere with racial
segregation and the malapportionment of legislatures. Who today would
say those courts had abused their powers? |
| Bush
taps Hispanic for high court
As he named a Miami lawyer to become the first
Hispanic justice on the Florida Supreme Court, Gov. Jeb Bush used the
occasion Wednesday to outline his goal of a "humble"
judiciary. |
| Florida
gets first Hispanic justice
Gov. Jeb Bush names Miami lawyer Raoul G. Cantero to the Florida
Supreme Court. |
| Bush
appoints new justice
In his first solo appointment to the state's highest court, Gov. Jeb
Bush on Wednesday picked the first Hispanic to serve as a justice on
the Florida Supreme Court. |
| Appointment
puts judiciary's role in the spotlight
The expected appointment by Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday of Raoul
Cantero III to the Florida Supreme Court has raised important
questions about Mr. Cantero's public positions on such emotional
issues as terrorism and abortion. But the broader issue is the
continued ability of the state judiciary to independently weigh legal
matters without being undercut or unduly influenced by other branches
of government. |
| Bush
names first Hispanic to Florida's Supreme Court
TALLAHASSEE — Miami lawyer Raoul Cantero III was named by Gov. Jeb
Bush on Wednesday to the Florida Supreme Court, becoming the first
Hispanic to serve on the state's highest court. Cantero, 41, replaces
Justice Major Harding of Jacksonville, who is retiring Aug. 31 after
11 years on the court.
|
| Florida
executions still on hold
A state Supreme Court decision to stay deaths stands while it waits to
hear a case in August. |
| Justice
should prevail, not politics
It is no surprise to see Florida's death penalty in trouble. The
state's capital-sentencing laws are deeply flawed, starting with the
premise that state-sanctioned killing improves public safety or
advances the cause of justice. |
| State
elections Web site rife with errors - TALLAHASSEE -- Anyone
relying on the state Division of Elections' Web site for information
on local candidates and races may have to look elsewhere for accuracy.--
By Wednesday, local election officials were expressing the same
concern they've had for weeks: that incorrect information is posted on
the site concerning some candidates for newly redrawn and approved
political districts.--- The elections Web site -- www.election.dos.state.fl.us,
a primary source of information for voters, candidates and election
officials in Florida -- was showing such things Wednesday as a
candidate from the Florida Panhandle running for a Senate seat in
Volusia County and an Ormond Beach man running for a Senate district
on the west side of the state. |
| State
House map approved nearly intact
A federal three-judge panel signs off on a fix for districts in
Broward, Miami-Dade and Collier counties. |
| Redrawn
legislative election districts shift 71,000 in S. Florida |
| NASA
learns entire shuttle fleet has fuel-line cracks - CAPE CANAVERAL
-- NASA's newest shuttle was diagnosed Wednesday as having the same
potentially dangerous problem as the rest of the fleet: cracked fuel
lines. |
| Judge
sides with whistleblower in dispute
TAMPA -- In 1998, Jeanette Walden told federal investigators she had
information about fraudulent billing at GTE Data Services. |
| Eckerd
endows FAMU pharmacy chair to settle marketing claim
TALLAHASSEE — John Newton was at an Eckerd pharmacy several months
ago in Tallahassee to pick up some medicine for his daughter and had
to sign a form saying he understood what he was getting. Being a
lawyer, he read the small print. He found that by signing, he was also
consenting to let Eckerd send him information through the mail about
other drugs. |
| Private
school bus plan is costly - District officials hoped businesses
could cart students for less in the age of choice. But four bids came
in high. |
| Despite
being disowned, PAC raising thousands for Bush
A renegade organization campaigning for Gov. Jeb Bush is thriving
despite being disowned by its namesake. Americans for Jeb Bush, a
Miami political action committee headed by state Rep. Gus Barreiro,
collected $133,757 over the past three months, according to reports
filed with the state Wednesday. |
| Democrats
losing the race for money
Campaign cash continues to elude the leading Democratic candidates for
governor, raising serious questions about whether the party will have
the firepower to pose a credible threat to Gov. Jeb Bush in November. |
| McBride
funds outpace Reno
The former attorney general has greater name recognition, yet her
fundraising efforts fall far short of the opposition. |
| Reno
struggling for cash
Janet Reno is struggling to raise money and some party leaders think
she should quit the race |
| Restore-regents
group flush with donations
Sen. Graham's effort to restore a university system board has raised
more than $1.1-million. |
| Judge
issues late verdict on Krewe
In the summer of 2000, Robert Foster made a promise: He would leave Ye
Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla -- the all-male, mostly white club that
hosts the annual Gasparilla parade -- if he were made a judge. |
| Grouper
crews fear new rules
Long-line rigs may be pushed farther into the gulf, beyond an
overfished species. |
| HOME
ON THE CROWDED RANGE
Like the West Indian manatee, its endangered counterpart, the Key deer
is benefiting from federal protection. Years of conservation efforts
for these endangered species are paying off with growing populations. |
| Hunters,
others argue rules for vehicles in Big Cypress - FORT MYERS -- The
battle over off-road vehicles in Big Cypress National Preserve moved
to federal court Wednesday, as hunting groups and environmentalists
argued over new rules restricting access to the swampy wilderness. |
| Children
play amid toxins in NW Lauderdale park - FORT LAUDERDALE -- A park
in the black community that’s under consideration for inclusion on
the Superfund toxic site list continues to be a playground for
children, because the city failed to keep it closed. |
| Mayo
changes policy on Medicare
The Mayo Clinic is changing the way it bills Medicare patients.
More than half of the visitors to the world-renowned center are on
Medicare and may soon have to pay more to see physicians there. |
| Skull
reshapes ideas on origins - ... "Unquestionably, this is one
of the most important fossil discoveries of the last 100 years,"
said Harvard University anthropologist Daniel Lieberman. "It is
the oldest skull by far of a human ancestor. This will have the
scientific impact of a small nuclear bomb." ... The fossilized
remains belong to a small-brained creature not much taller than a
chimp that was neither ape nor completely human. It lived long before
the first tools were made or fire mastered.... |
| British
to reduce pot use penalties
Signing on to the tolerant approach toward drug use that is spreading
rapidly in Europe, the British government Wednesday said it will
effectively decriminalize the possession and use of marijuana. |
| Vivid
images of torture painted
Neris Gonzalez is suing two generals over her torture 22 years ago in
El Salvador. |
| Witness
describes Salvador tortures
Sobbing and clutching a handkerchief over her mouth, Neris Gonzalez
spoke Wednesday of the horrific things done to her after Salvadoran
National Guardsmen dragged her into the ``human slaughterhouse.'' |
| Epidemic
may be 21st century's black death
In a magazine piece titled "Whatever Happened to AIDS?," New
York Times reporter Jeffrey Schmalz wrote: "The world is moving
on, uncaring, frustrated and bored, leaving by the roadside those of
us who are infected." Schmalz had been covering the epidemic for
the paper, often from a first-person perspective. The piece was his
last. By the time it appeared in November 1993, Schmalz was dead. |
| Profanity
arrests put ACLU in foul mood
PITTSBURGH - Erica
Upshaw was having one of those days.-
The mother of three was rushing a load of groceries to her sister's
house when she was pulled over by an officer who said she had made an
incomplete stop.-
When told her driver's license was suspended, Upshaw used a profanity
to describe her day. She ended up in jail for her choice of words. |
| Dale
McFeatters: 'Homeland Security' ... can you say 'achtung'?
While endearing verbal eccentricities will slowly be forgotten after
President Bush leaves office, one of his linguistic clangers may be
with us permanently: the dreadfully named Department of Homeland
Security. Even the acronym is bad; DOHS sounds like an anthology of
Homer Simpson screwups. |
| Protect
Americans' privacy
For years, Republican Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, as conservative as
they come on some issues, has been a watchdog for privacy rights. Now,
thanks to him, we may have a chief privacy officer in the new
Department of Homeland Security. After a hearing on Tuesday before the
House Judiciary Committee subcommittee that Barr chairs, the White
House signaled its willingness to consider the addition of a privacy
official at the department whose job would be to look out for
unnecessary incursions into privacy and the misuse of personal data. |
| Bush
got loans from company - WASHINGTON -- As a Texas
businessman, President Bush accepted two loans from an oil company
where he was a member of the board of directors, engaging in a
practice he condemned this week in his plan to stem accounting fraud.
Bush accepted loans totaling $180,375 from Harken Energy Corp. in 1986
and 1988, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Bush was a director of Harken from 1986 to 1993, after he sold his
failed oil-and-gas exploration concern to the company. He used the
loans to buy Harken stock. |
| Cheney,
company are sued for fraud
A government watchdog organization raised the stakes Wednesday in the
widening corporate financial scandals by filing suit against Vice
President Dick Cheney and his former company Halliburton Co., alleging
accounting fraud that cost shareholders millions of dollars. |
| Senate
seeks jail for cheating execs - ... The vote was 97-0 on an
amendment to a broad bill on corporate reform. The amendment would
toughen punishment for executives who destroy evidence or commit fraud
that financially devastates victims. Offered by Judiciary Committee
Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., it also would create a 10-year prison
sentence for people who engage in securities fraud. |
| Stocks
plummet to 1997 lows - Frightened investors ignited a massive
sell-off Wednesday on Wall Street, sending stocks to five-year lows
and quashing hopes that confidence would soon return to the
markets.-
One economist worried that the grim results would deter the nation's
economic recovery and be among several elements to send the country
back into recession. |
| Big
disappointment
The president wasn't tough on corporate abuses. It's
up to Congress. |
| Guest
editorial: President Bush needs to get his house in order
When George W. Bush speaks about corporate misbehavior and
self-dealing by business insiders, he perches on a platform much
weaker than the one from which he launched the war on terrorism.
Instead of the sense of resolve and determination he showed after
Sept. 11, the president is still struggling to prove that his past
business dealings have not made him a product of the very system he
now denounces. The president dismisses criticism of his record as
political. But if he expects to restore confidence in corporate
America, he needs to get his own house in order first. |
| Guest
editorial: The corporate scandals
Reacting belatedly to the continual reports of malfeasance undermining
investor confidence and threatening the economic recovery, President
Bush came to Wall Street on Tuesday to deliver his "clean up your
act or else" message to corporate America. |
| Maureen
Dowd: Slouching towards populism
It must be frustrating for the George Bushes. They go through all the
motions of proclaiming that they're self-made Texas bidnessmen. They
become president by acting more red-blooded than blue-blooded. |
| Bush
and his Token Negroes
Lost in all the commentary about the economic issues in Bush's press
conference was his incredibly insulting, racist response to a question
about his administration's civil rights record (or lack thereof). |
7/10/02
| 470
women in UF hormone therapy study told to stop taking the pills
When a federal study of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal
women was abruptly halted on May 31, University of Florida researchers
participating as one of 40 national centers in the Women's Health
Initiative were caught by surprise. |
| Hormone
Treatment's Risks Exceed Benefits, Study Says
A landmark scientific study has found that
giving hormones to healthy menopausal women does more harm than good,
a finding that overturns doctors' long-held beliefs about the
treatment's benefits and creates new uncertainty for ... |
| A
Moratorium On Development? It's Time To Talk-- TAMPA - The
Tampa Bay area withered for four years under a drought that turned the
ground arid and scorched trees and plants.-
The aquifer, rivers and lakes are still recovering. Just last month,
local officials imposed even tighter restrictions on water use in much
of Hillsborough County.-
Residents have complained that they are asked to conserve water as
developers build more homes and apartments on the dry landscape. Why,
they ask, can't the building be stopped? |
| Florida's
Privatized Tax Audits To Continue - TALLAHASSEE - Despite
eroding confidence in corporate accounting nationwide, Florida wants
more companies to hire private firms to perform tax audits to ease the
Department of Revenue's workload.
The push is part of a test project supported by Gov. Jeb Bush and kept
alive this year by the Florida Legislature. It is intended to
encourage corporations to use independent, state-certified auditors
rather than the state tax agency.
Companies taking advantage of the program don't have to pay financial
penalties or interest on unpaid sales taxes discovered by the auditors
they hire, and they avoid compliance audits by the state Department of
Revenue. |
| Redrawn
House districts approved
A GOP leader's revision of three districts appeases U.S. judges.
November's elections will be based on the result. |
| In
win for GOP-led Legislature, panel OK's redistricting plan
TALLAHASSEE
- In what was likely the final test in redrawing Florida's
political boundaries before the fall elections, a three-judge federal
panel late Tuesday approved a slightly-modified version of the state
House of Representatives redistricting plan. |
| Judges
approve changes to 3 legislative election districts - TALLAHASSEE
-- Handing Republicans another political victory, a three-judge panel
Tuesday night approved House Speaker Tom Feeney’s plan to rearrange
three South Florida state House districts. |
| Redistricting
is a boon for incumbents, not voters
Redistricting, the once-a-decade process whereby incumbent politicians
carve out their own legislative districts to guarantee themselves safe
seats, is just about completed in all 50 states. Much ink has been
printed about which side will win more seats, Democrats or
Republicans. But the real score is: Incumbents 100, Voters 0. |
| CORRECT
THE VOTER ROLLS
STATE SHOULD ACCEPT SETTLEMENT The state of Florida played a big role
in disfranchising hundreds of eligible voters before the presidential
election in November 2000. Now it should be a willing partner in
righting that wrong. Voters whose names were removed erroneously from
the voter rolls mustn't be cheated twice. |
| Vouchers
head to court again
Plaintiffs want a circuit judge to find that Florida school vouchers
conflict with the state's Constitution. |
| Judge
hears school voucher arguments
Lawyers debate whether the U.S. Supreme Court ruling trumps the
Florida Constitution. |
| Reno
vows to fight ban on gay adoption, improve education
Janet Reno, campaigning Tuesday night before members of South
Florida's gay and lesbian community, pledged to fight Florida's ban on
gay adoption and improve schools if elected governor. |
| State
asks to reverse death penalty delays
In what they called an "extraordinary" step, state lawyers
asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to overturn a Florida Supreme
Court order delaying a pair of executions this week. |
| Bush
will keep signing death warrants
ORLANDO — Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday that he will continue to sign
death warrants for condemned inmates, and serial killer Aileen Wuornos
may be next. Wuornos, one of the nation's first known female serial
killers, has volunteered for death and has permission from the state
Supreme Court to fire her lawyers. |
| Bush
won't delay death warrants-- ORLANDO
- Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday that he would continue to sign
death warrants for convicted killers, despite the Florida Supreme
Court's decision Monday to halt the executions of two men while it
determines if a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling threatens the state's
death penalty system. |
| Bush
to name new justice
Raoul Cantero III, a Miami lawyer, will be the first Hispanic on the
state Supreme Court. |
| From
heaven to hell
Change Florida law on bankruptcy protection....Scott Sullivan and
others like him no longer should be able to treat Florida as their
hideout..... The former chief financial officer of WorldCom is under
investigation for accounting fraud. He told the Senate nothing Monday
about how the telecommunications company lost track of nearly $4
billion. He apparently knew the numbers two years ago, however, when
he made $10 million on the sale of WorldCom stock that was trading
near $40 per share and now is worth about 25 cents.... Given his
problems with the federal government, Mr. Sullivan could be a
candidate for bankruptcy. He also is building a $15 million home in
the Le Lac development west of Boca Raton. If he declares it to be his
residence, the mansion will be sheltered from creditors. Florida
places no limit on the amount of home equity that an owner can shield.
Those running from corporate chicanery elsewhere can live in style
here. |
| Appellate
court agrees to move case to Florida Supreme Court
WEST PALM BEACH — The Fourth District Court of Appeals agreed on
Tuesday that a dispute over a citrus canker law should skip the
appellate level and be decided by the Florida Supreme Court.
Agriculture officials asked the appellate court to move the case last
week, saying it could get bogged down in a lengthy appeals process
while the disease spreads. |
| Risk
of citrus canker cuts to heart in Orange
Risoleta Soares was devastated Tuesday when
agriculture inspectors told her she should cut down the orange tree
she and her grandson planted in her back yard 10 years ago. |
| Canker
case to state high court
Florida's Supreme Court must still agree to accept the case, or it
heads back to the district.
• Reimbursement
hiked for cut citrus |
| Manatee
rules sail through one hearing
The Manatee County meeting was a lovefest compared with the clash over
speed restrictions in the Alafia River. |
| One
of Florida's most popular parks lays off beaten path
CHIEFLAND — Nestled among the acres of bald cypress and live oak
trees at the southern end of the picturesque Suwannee River is a
pleasant respite from the hot summer days. Manatee Springs is
well-documented for its population of manatees in the winter and early
spring months, and it's also a popular diving mecca for the novice or
veteran. |
| Recreational
fishing as destructive as commercial boats, marine group says
WASHINGTON — As thousands of vacationers cast their fishing lines
into Florida waters, they may not realize they are destroying the
marine environment. Recreational fishermen are taking nearly as much
fish from the water as commercial fishermen, said Roger Rufe, Ocean
Conservancy president. The Ocean Conservancy is an organization
dedicated to protecting ocean ecosystems and marine wildlife. The
organization released its findings Tuesday in the 2002 Health of the
Oceans report. |
| Army
engineers can't force homeowners from Glades area, judge rules
A Miami federal judge dealt a new blow to the massive Everglades
replumbing project, ruling on Tuesday that the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers lacked authority to force out 102 homeowners living in a key
flood plain in the 8 ˝ Square Mile Area. |
| Web
site lets you renew, check driver licenses - Mark Glodfelter
happily was surprised to find out he could check the status of his
Florida driver license and renew it without leaving home. "The
site is clean, easy to use and offers other dividends," he said.
"You may also renew your car registration and report a change of
address." Fred O. Dickinson, executive director of Florida's
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said his department
not only has improved customer service with the Web site, but it also
has saved the state a significant amount of money. |
| Don't
kill the lawyers, just the frivolous lawsuits
Please indulge me in a little more discussion about the role of
lawyers and lawsuits in our society. |
| At
last, tracking the lobbyists
Orange County is setting an example by posting
lobbyists' doings on-line. |
| Time,
money add up in county's TV inquiry
An investigation into the local public-access television station has
cost at least $57,000 so far. |
| Ongoing
Herald coverage of the case of Rilya Wilson
Rilya Wilson is a 5-year-old girl who has been mising since state
child-welfare workers lost track of her 16 months ago. |
| Trusting
DCF - DCF's
failure to visit out-of-staters raises a new set of questions. |
| Privatized
DCF closer to reality - District 3 of the Department of Children
& Families may be one step closer to privatizing the agency, as
mandated by the Florida Legislature in 1998.--
DCF officials in District 3, which covers 11 counties in North Central
Florida, including Alachua County, received one application before the
deadline last week. They hope to decide by July 17 whether to hire
Community Based Care of Mid-Florida. Four other companies requested
information but didn't apply. |
| Florida
Bar: Children's legal needs unmet
Florida lacks standards and guidelines on how children in state
custody should be legally represented, a study by the Florida Bar has
concluded. |
| Who's
watching guardians?
An audit finds the county isn't monitoring guardians for the elderly
and infirm. |
| Investors
move in, Spring Hill tenants are sent packing - New property
owners who say they want to revitalize the street are booting out
about a dozen families who rent the dilapidated 600-square-foot shacks
on the dead-end street in Spring Hill near DeLand. |
| Local
builder cries foul play in housing deal
A prominent local builder claims that it is being muscled out of a $19
million deal to build affordable housing at the Santa Clara Metrorail
stop and that the partnership developing the project is seeking $1
million in new federal funding to pay ``a cabal of political
operatives.'' |
| Group
suing Cheney for fraud
Judical Watch accuses Cheney and Halliburton Co., an oil company he
ran, of accounting fraud. |
| Bush
talks tough on fraud
President Bush thinks business ethics depend on
conscience as much as laws. |
| Business
as usual
As Wall Street's negative reaction indicated, President Bush's speech
on corporate responsibility didn't signal a serious effort at reform. |
| President
too bearish on corporate reforms
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Few specifics, support for weak legislation. |
| Shades
of gray dim Bush's speech
Heard the latest flap over the director of a public corporation who
sold his shares for $848,560 just before the company reported heavy
losses? This same director served on the company's audit committee,
which okayed how to count the sale of a subsidiary. But the SEC later
forced the company to restate its books to reflect $10-million in
losses hidden by that sale. |
| Congress,
not Bush, must reform Wall Street
President Bush's credibility on corporate ethics is not much higher
than that of many chief executives whose companies -- WorldCom, Tyco,
Enron, Halliburton -- are the subject of federal inquiries. He cannot
dependably fix the sinkholes beneath Wall Street's foundations.
Congress can -- if congressional Democrats are gutsy enough to ride
the momentum for the systemic changes suggested by the likes of Sens.
Paul Sarbanes and Patrick Leahy. |
| Molly
Ivins: Now, don't go blaming Clinton
Pardon my rant, but I have had it with the Blame Bill Clinton First
crowd. Since the day George W. Bush took office, the Clinton-haters,
whose monomaniacal nastiness wasted untold amounts of everybody's time
and money in the 1990s, were determined to carry their hyperbolic
vendetta into this century. |
| 'Our
culture promotes greed, and so greed we get'
"Greed is the universal motive, sincerity is a pose, honesty is
for chumps, altruism is selfishness with a neurotic twist, and
morality is for kids and fools." |
| Food
inspection system criticized
The government's new system of food inspections is in disarray, a
report says. |
7/9/02
| Court
stays executions, wants time
The state Supreme Court will consider how a landmark ruling affects
Florida's death penalty. |
| State
High Court stays executions of Bottoson, King
TALLAHASSEE — Two executions scheduled for this week were stayed
Monday by the Florida Supreme Court as defense attorneys and others
argued the that state's capital punishment law was unconstitutional.
Word of the indefinite stays came at noon, just six hours before the
time set for the execution of Linroy Bottoson by lethal injection.
Amos King had been scheduled for execution Wednesday. |
| S.
Florida Muslims live in fear of secret detention by U.S.
When he hears callers on talk radio equate
Muslims with terrorists, Kamalodine Mohammed resists the urge to call
up and defend his community. |
| House
redistricting court case still unsettled
The speaker's quick fix fails to impress a three-judge federal panel,
and qualifying looms. |
| House
districts remain in flux - TALLAHASSEE -- A dozen state House
districts in South Florida should be redrawn to protect the voting
rights of racial minorities and to remedy flaws that federal officials
found embedded in the Legislature's reapportionment map, lawyers for
Democrats told a three-judge panel Monday.--
But attorneys for the Republican-run Legislature and House Speaker Tom
Feeney say such a massive reassembly of boundary lines is unnecessary,
and judges need only redraw three South Florida districts. |
|
|
