|
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.
11/15/01
11/14/01
 |
Despite Democrats' hopes, Butterworth won't run
--Many of Florida's most fervent Democrats still hold out hope
that, come next fall, Bob Butterworth will be their candidate for
governor. But the man who describes himself as ``the last Democrat
left standing'' in Tallahassee insists that will never happen.
``Everyone who knows me well knows that I am not running,'' he
said.(11/11) |
|
Key vote today on pension-fund options
Handful of brand-name 'bundled providers' may
be added With up to $30 billion on the line, state pension officials
will decide today whether to expand the number of private investment
companies that will have a shot at selling retirement plans to public
employees. |
| Florida
lawmakers should continue to keep their hands off public-access laws.
In a legislative special session last month, Florida House Speaker Tom
Feeney stuck to his pledge not to disassemble the state's public
records and meetings laws. He should not budge from that commitment
when he and his colleagues meet in another special session next month. |
| State
attorney warns against cuts in programs
By Bill Douthat, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Officials Tuesday warned that Palm Beach County might be in store for
a higher crime rate and more drug abusers and young delinquents on the
street unless state lawmakers fix a $1.3 billion budget shortfall.
"It's going to undo the years of progress..." |
| Editorial:
Send home the Guard, send out new screeners
The Palm Beach Post
Last week, when he ordered 1,800 more National Guard troops to patrol
airports for the next 60 days, President Bush said, "These are
temporary measures, and we believe they'll help a lot." He was
right about the first and wrong about the second. Roughly 7,300 troops
already were on duty at the nation's... |
| No
time to play
Health officials are divided about how big a risk local high-arsenic
pressure-treated playgrounds pose to children, but some say children
can ingest enough arsenic from hand-to-mouth contact to increase their
odds of getting cancer. |
| Inmate-death
trial set for January
Difficult jury selection delays ex-guards' case STARKE - The trial of
four former guards charged in the slaying of a Death Row inmate has
been postponed until January, although the work of finding a jury will
continue. |
| Trial
of 4 prison guards delayed
It's hard to find jurors in this prison-dominated area to judge guards
accused of killing an inmate. |
| Losing
ground
In spite of roaring job growth and increased tax revenue, Florida fell
behind other states in a number of critical areas. |
| The
public has been milked and bilked since Sept. 11
Many are properly outraged that families of the victims of Sept. 11
are not getting the bulk of the money collected for them by the
American Red Cross. The charitable organization is currently
"reassessing" its decision to put less in its own
organizational pockets and more into the pockets of the ones for whom
the money was ostensibly raised |
| Losing
ground
Florida poured more money than ever into its schools. A record number
of its residents had jobs. |
| FDLE
director to pick state's first security chief
The successful candidate will combine political and communication
skills, says FDLE chief Tim Moore. |
| Program
can claim to save lives, money
Florida's Healthy Start program is given credit in the battle against
infant mortality. Other causes await similar leadership. |
| Wage-earners
work harder just to keep up
The disposable income of Floridians slipped in the 1990s from just
above the national average to just below it. |
| "I
will bring integrity" to job of Beach mayor, Dermer says -
Miami Beach voters on Tuesday put their confidence in a native son by
decisively electing Commissioner David Dermer as mayor over former
state Rep. Elaine Bloom. |
| Cuban-American
vote pushes Diaz past FerrÎ for Miami mayor
Lawyer Manny Diaz completed his rise from political unknown to
mayor-elect of South Florida's biggest city Tuesday night with
overwhelming support from Cuban-American voters
|
| Southern
Baptists shun common prayer
Despite the trauma of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
Southern Baptists won't be flocking to interfaith services designed to
bring the nation together. Alone among America's major religious
groups, the nation's largest Protestant denomination holds fast to its
long-standing policy of not praying with others.
|
| Checked
luggage, checked bombs? With the ruins of American Airlines
Flight 587 still smoldering in Rockaway, N.Y., Congress this week
resumes work on a bill meant to restore public confidence in air
travel. Good luck.
|
11/13/01
| Orlando
economy takes a free fall
City is 'the epicenter of the fallout' ORLANDO - The Orlando area,
which generally ranks among the best-performing economies in the
country, will drop into the bottom half of the class next year |
| State
budget cuts may impair youth services
Critics of cuts warn of increase in youth crime Despite warnings by
advocates that Florida's recent drop in youth crime will be in
jeopardy, state legislators are proposing budget cuts to highly
regarded juvenile crime-prevention programs. |
| Charlotte
County protests mining
ST. PETERSBURG - Charlotte County is trying to prevent a phosphate
company from mining the headwaters of the west fork of Horse Creek,
considered one of Florida's cleanest streams. While officials at IMC
Global have pledged to restore the creek once mining is done in the
area, opponents point to studies by the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection critical of earlier IMC cleanups. |
| Can
we find a cure for drug companies' greed? By Arianna Huffington
Tribune Media Services
To hear the drug companies tell it, in this time of national crisis,
they've been as patriotic as Patrick Henry, as generous as Andrew
Carnegie, and as selfless as Mother Teresa. |
| Session focuses on dearth of
nurses - The state's 15.6 percent vacancy rate is expected to
grow. A proposal by a Tampa lawmaker would address the shortage. |
| Ashcroft's
moral stand out of line
During the confirmation hearing of Attorney General John Ashcroft,
Democratic senators wanted to know whether Ashcroft's religious and
ideological conservatism would influence federal law enforcement on
controversial social issues. At the time, Ashcroft promised to apply
the law objectively, even if it meant going against his personal
beliefs. Now senators who took him at his word must feel betrayed. |
11/12/01
| Ex-senator's
lobbying questioned in $1M deal
A former longtime state senator is under scrutiny for his part in a
questionable $1 million deal with the troubled Occupational Access and
Opportunity Commission - an agency he created while in the
Legislature. |
|
Panel
suggests election reforms
WASHINGTON - A year after Florida's voting problems deadlocked the
presidential election for 36 days, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
approved a slate of recommendations Friday to make the process more
fair and accessible. |
| State
legislators look to cut crime-prevention programs to balance budget
- TALLAHASSEE -- Despite warnings by advocates that Florida’s recent
drop in youth crime will be in jeopardy, state legislators are
proposing budget cuts to highly regarded juvenile crime-prevention
programs. |
| Schools
to feel sting of deeper budget paring
Gov. Jeb Bush and lawmakers promised to protect
Florida's schools from the budget ax, but it would be hard to tell by
looking at Osceola County schools. |
| Round
2 of cost cuts to hit home at colleges
Despite some significant hits, Florida's universities
and colleges largely escaped the deep cuts they feared in last month's
special legislative session. Now lawmakers are heading back to
Tallahassee, and most of the schools are expecting the real losses to
hit home. |
| Election
2000 consortium analysis -The St. Petersburg Times and several
other media organizations analyzed 175,010 Florida ballots that were
cast but not counted during last year's presidential election. Here
are the results of and reaction to that analysis. |
|
Faulty part may have voided ballots -A $5 plastic part buried
inside hundreds of punch-card voting machines may have caused the loss
of thousands of presidential ballots in Florida last November, a
Herald analysis has found. |
| View
databases of ballot examinations |
| Uncounted
ballots held key to Bush-Gore election- The results of last year's
close presidential election could have changed if Florida election
officials had examined the thousands of ballots that were left
uncounted because of voter mistakes and faulty election equipment. |
| Both
sides guessed wrong - There
were enough votes among Florida's uncounted ballots -- lost in an
avalanche of voter mistakes, faulty equipment and bad recount strategy
by the campaigns -- to have changed the outcome of last year's
presidential election. |
|
Foster-care system doomed to failure
You've read this column before. It has been written, in various
forms, three, four, five, six, seven times. Maybe more. Writing about
the failures of the Florida Department of Children & Families
foster care program in Broward County is like being a theater critic,
stuck with reviewing the same awful play, over and over and over. |
| Woman
Wins Battle In Sick-Building Case
-
HAINES CITY - With an oxygen tank attached to her side, Jo Ann Holder
walks slowly on a treadmill to lose weight while waiting for a lung
transplant that could extend her life.- She recently won a five-year
battle, a victory that will bring money for the transplant and other
medical expenses. Her adversary was her employer of 23 years -
Florida. |
| War
cost estimated at $500 million to $1 billion a month- WASHINGTON
-- A U.S. helicopter lost in Afghanistan a week ago cost up to twice
as much as the government spends yearly on scenic byways. Each cruise
missile is worth several American homes.--
The total expense of the Afghan war may be nearly as hard to find as
people hiding in Afghan caves. By one estimate, the military assault
is costing $500 million to $1 billion a month -- and above the $1
billion in promised U.S. economic assistance to Pakistan, and debt
relief for the country.
|
11/11/01
| States
weigh conservation, demands of growth
AMERICUS, Ga. - If the level of rhetoric is any indication, the
obstacles to resolving the interstate fight over water use from the
Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system loom large. |
|
Budget
knife cuts juvenile programs
Rifle through the archive of recent Florida crises and you will come
to 1994, when a series of tourist murders threatened to ruin the
state's reputation as a carefree vacation playground. |
| Redistricting
plans hijacked Legislature
TALLAHASSEE -- Debate still festers, as it may forever, over whether
the presidency was stolen in Florida last year. It's for certain that
the Legislature was. Why is no one in a lather over that? |
11/10/01
| Former
chief blasts old boss
Capitol Police's ex-commander says DMS leader undermines managers
--
The ousted chief of Capitol Police testified Friday that Management
Services Secretary Cynthia Henderson routinely undercuts her managers
with an iron-fisted control over matters affecting state employees. |
| Sen.
Diaz de la Portilla seeks end to election panel - TALLAHASSEE --
Two days after the Florida Elections Commission fined him a record
$311,000 for campaign finance violations, state Sen. Alex Diaz de la
Portilla said Friday he plans to introduce a bill to abolish the
panel.-
In a news release, the Miami Republican said he will propose keeping
lobbyists off the commission by transferring its duties and staff to
the state attorney general's office and the division of administrative
hearings. |
| Legislative
foolery tacky in these times
First they had to look really stupid -- our Legislature posing as a
modern day version of Dumb and Dumber. |
| It's
secrecy 1, accountability 0
(10/27/2001)To watch the Florida Legislature this week, you would
think that Osama bin Laden's lieutenants are gleaning security secrets
from committee meetings in Tallahassee, insurgent second-graders are
boycotting the Pledge of Allegiance, and hard-line homeowners' boards
are stripping unauthorized American flags from doorways. |
| Fla.
budget cuts threaten anti-smoking ads
TALLAHASSEE -- New television commercials like the one being aired
with the dancing corpse singing about the "light" side of
smoking -- the latest in a campaign credited with significantly
reducing smoking among teens -- are about to be snuffed out by Florida
lawmakers. |
| Healthy
Kids goes to court
Lawyers representing state lawmakers will square off against Gov. Jeb
Bush in a courtroom the same week that the Legislature will take a
second stab at balancing the state budget. The end result of the legal
showdown will determine whether or not school boards, county
governments and nonprofit organizations have to come up with millions
of dollars to make sure that poor children get health care this year.
|
| River
a pearl for oysters
Apalachicola Bay's marine life depends on freshwater flow
EASTPOINT - The interstate fight over water usage in the
Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system seems distant to some
people who earn their living from the Apalachicola Bay. Although
scientists say Apalachicola Bay's oysters and estuary depend on fresh
water flow from Alabama and Georgia, many who fish in Franklin County
are more concerned about surviving financially from day to day. |
| Erosion
biting into businesses one wave at a time
HOLLYWOOD - Weeks of wind and pounding surf have chewed away at
Florida's world-famous beaches in some of the worst erosion in a
generation, leaving some sunbathers with a pathetically narrow strip
of sand on which to spread a towel. |
| Jury
pool empties in inmate's beating
With many potential jurors connected to the prison system, there are
few unbiased peers for four prison guards. |
| FAA
investigating five Florida airport incidents
TAMPA -- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating five
incidents at Florida airports -- including one at Tampa International
Airport -- in which airline employees violated security procedures
during final screening of passengers boarding flights. |
| Human
relations agency denies activist's claim
TALLAHASSEE -- Officials at a state agency that handles discrimination
complaints say they did not decline to investigate a complaint filed
against a black public official. |
| McEvoy:
Rekindling cross-burning issue
By George McEvoy, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
While the rest of the nation was worrying about terrorists, the
Virginia Supreme Court issued a ruling that only can encourage our
domestic brand of hatemongers and fanatics. By a 4-3 vote late last
week, the court overturned convictions in two cross-burning cases and
declared Virginia's... |
| Drug
court loss
The progressive drug court, a successful alternative to jail for
nonviolent offenders, lost out on funding thanks to the Florida
Legislature.- Pinellas County's drug court lost a badly needed
$400,000 state grant that would have provided treatment for nonviolent
offenders who suffer from mental illness and addiction. |
| Congress
demands arsenic report by Feb. 15
A proposal requiring the Environmental Protection
Agency to speed up its much-delayed report on the risks of
arsenic-treated lumber has passed both houses of Congress. |
| Congress
demands arsenic report by Feb. 15
A proposal requiring the Environmental Protection
Agency to speed up its much-delayed report on the risks of
arsenic-treated lumber has passed both houses of Congress. |
| Critics
say anti-terrorism rule sacrifices civil liberties
A new rule that allows eavesdropping on certain defendants and their
attorneys unjustly arms authorities with extraordinary power to target
many suspects, civil rights advocates say |
| No
'silver bullet' for Social SecurityWASHINGTON -- A presidential
panel Friday dashed expectations that it would recommend a specific
plan to reform Social Security. |
| Panel
faults Harris on election dispute handling - WASHINGTON -- Members
of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission said Friday that Florida Secretary
of State Katherine Harris did not act responsibly in her role as the
state's chief election official in last year's presidential election. |
| Editorial:
Ashcroft picks wrong war
Attorney General John Ashcroft took time out this week from putting
the FBI on a "wartime footing" to score some points with
religious conservatives. He used a Supreme Court decision on the
medical use of marijuana to attack Oregon's hard-fought Death With
Dignity law. Apparently, reorganizing the FBI is less of a diversion
for the attorney general than it might seem... |
| Ashcroft
defends monitoring of inmate-attorney conversations
WASHINGTON - Threatened with congressional hearings, Attorney General
John Ashcroft defended the government's new practice of listening in
while some detained in the terrorist investigation talk with defense
attorneys. |
| Less
Work For Less Pay Is A Poor Fix For Unemployment - Many of the
people filling the 20- and 30-hour jobs in restaurants, stores and
industries would prefer 40 hours or more and are forced to work less
because of the sputtering economy, and that's bad. |
| ANOTHER
VIEW: Security too important
When you contract out airport security, you get personnel whose
suspicions aren't aroused by the fact that a man is trying to board a
plane with two knives ... |
11/9/01
| Peterson:
Patriotism isn't blind support
He says Americans should broaden their scope
Former ambassador Pete Peterson, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam,
said Thursday patriotism in the war on terrorism does not mean blind
support of American policy.
|
| Refinery
inspected again
State DEP agents acted on tips
ST. MARKS - State agents on Thursday finished a two-day search of the
St. Marks Refinery after receiving new tips of illegal hazardous waste
storage and dumping there. |
| EPA
plans to decontaminate propertyThe agency decides to take action
as groundwater contamination has spread recently at the old Alaric
site.
|
| Anti-discrimination
agency accused of discrimination
A Tallahassee government watchdog has charged the state's lead
anti-discrimination agency with unfair hiring practices. |
| Human
relations agency accused of racial bias- Activist Eugene Danaher
says the state commission discriminates against whites and Hispanics. |
|
New
amendments heading to court
Two more constitutional amendments sponsored by petition drives have
been sent to the Florida Supreme Court for review. One measure would
force smaller class sizes; the other would ban smoking in restaurants
and workplaces. |
| THAP
mess is funny in name only
You generally want scandals to have a catchy name, like the XYZ
Affair, Teapot Dome or Watergate. The current mess in Tampa does not
have a good name yet, unless you make some sort of joke using the
initials of one of the principal parties, the Tampa-Hillsborough
Action Plan, or THAP. |
| THAP
problems come as surprise, VA officials say
But a retired nurse says higher-ups were aware of many irregularities,
even as they doled out more money. |
| USF
Muslims hope awareness helps
Organizers hope Islamic Awareness Week at USF will help counter
misconceptions about a religion of peace. |
| Graham
blocking Fish and Wildlife nominee -The Florida senator has put a
hold on Bush's selection after an Everglades Restoration office was
closed. |
| Disney
earnings are down and about to get worse
Battered from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Walt
Disney Co. reported one of its weakest quarters since the Persian Gulf
War and warned Thursday that results for the next three months could
be even worse -- with attendance at Disney World dropping 25 percent. |
| State
alters school grading
State education officials have unveiled a new system
of grading public schools -- changes intended to give parents a more
accurate picture of how their children's schools are performing and
how their children are progressing from year to year. |
|
FCAT grading to get tougher - Florida schools will have to
make sure that most, if not all, of their students are learning more
each year if they expect to continue to earn -- and keep -- top grades
in the state's A+ accountability system. |
| 7
parks to remain closed over arsenic concerns - The latest findings
show the risk of arsenic poisoning from the wood used to make
everything from picnic tables to playgrounds is higher than previously
suspected. |
| Miami
airport security lapses lead the nation
Three times in the past week, Federal Aviation Administration agents
have discovered security lapses at Miami International Airport -- more
than at any other airport nationwide. |
|
FAA also finds airline slip-up at Broward gate - With another
security infraction at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, the South Florida
airports account for four, or 13 percent, of 30 such instances at more
than 400 airports the FAA oversees. |
| Vote
machine executive faces La. charges
By Tim O'Meilia, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
The state-of-the-art touch-screen voting machines Palm Beach County is
buying for $15 million come from a company whose top local salesman
has an old-fashioned political problem -- criminal kickback charges.
The allegations have landed Louisiana's top election official in
federal prison... |
| Voting
machine CEO planning to allay fears in Indian River County - TAMPA
· The president of California-based Sequoia Voting Systems is coming
to Florida today to meet with Indian River County officials who want
to void their contract for electronic voting machines. |
| Deputies
visited home 15 times in neglect case
By Antigone Barton, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sheriff's deputies went to Michael Bernard's home 15 times during the
final year of the 9-year-old's life, records released Thursday show.
Five days before the boy's death, deputies went to investigate a
report of an assault in the suburban West Palm Beach home. Three
times, between September... |
| Editorial:
States won't default
Microsoft got the best settlement its money can buy, but as the Kansas
attorney general says, the proposed deal with the Justice Department
protects the company, not consumers. "It is not
pro-business," Carla Stovall said. "It still allows
incredible stifling of competition in this industry... |
| Environmental
groups denounce energy legislation - Four public advocacy and
environmental groups Thursday denounced a comprehensive energy bill
passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in August, saying the
legislation amounts to a $38 billion subsidy for the energy industry. |
11/8/01
| Airline
security still winging it -Just when you thought it was getting
safer to board a commercial jetliner, along comes Subash Gurung and
his mystery bags. Last weekend, the Nepalese national was stopped at a
security checkpoint at Chicago's O'Hare International. Two knives were
found in his pockets. |
| Asleep at the gate
Last week Republicans in the U.S. House managed to pass a bill to keep
airport security in the hands of private contractors. But, the Senate
wisely decided security measures should be handled by federal
employees. |
|
Groups:
Stop selling arsenic-treated wood - TALLAHASSEE -- Two national
environmental groups want Lowe's and Home Depot stores to stop selling
arsenic-treated wood, saying new tests show that children increase
their cancer risk by just touching the boards. |
| Firestone
paying states $41.5 million to stop lawsuits on dangerous tires
Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. will pay $41.5 million in a settlement to
head off lawsuits by states over defective tires the company recalled
more than a year ago. |
| Bill
Cotterell: The day politics was turned on its ear
For Tallahasseeans who watch politics for entertainment, today is one
of those dates that will always trigger a memory of where we were and
what we were doing when we got "the news." |
| South
Florida senator faces huge campaign fine - TALLAHASSEE -- For
willfully and frequently violating state election laws, state Sen.
Alex Diaz de la Portilla was fined a whopping $311,000 Wednesday by
the Florida Elections Commission. |
| Voting
machine scandal upsets commissioners in two counties - Indian
River voids its contract after finding out a Sequoia Voting Systems
executive faces indictment in a voting equipment scandal. |
| Votomatics
attract light bidding on eBay
By J. Christopher Hain, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Palm Beach County's notorious Votomatic ballot machines aren't selling
like hot cakes on the Internet, but they have gotten a few nibbles
from as far away as Texas and California. The county dangled its
infamous butterfly ballots, Votomatics and other 2000 presidential
election... |
| State
to alter its formula to grade schools - State schools will have
three ways to show student progress to earn points that determines the
annual grade. |
| Schools
to face tough new grading system on FCAT tests
ORLANDO · Florida is making it tougher for schools to get -- and keep
-- good grades on its statewide report card, the A-Plus accountability
program. |
| Governor
diverts raises to pay for port security- TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb
Bush wants the state's best-paid employees to give up their raises for
a common good: securing Florida's seaports. |
| Editorial:
Jeb can't direct session if he stays on sideline
Gov. Bush wants a do-over. Tuesday, he called a special session of the
Legislature to begin Nov. 27, as if the one that ended last week never
happened. The call for another session stands... |
|
Legal maneuvers revive Death Row conviction - A federal judge in
Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday sharply questioned a 1984 Death Row
conviction in a sensational 1966 murder. |
| P.B.
County school official files whistle-blower complaint
By Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
A twisting tale of missing money, political ambition and vinyl
flooring continued Wednesday after a high-ranking school employee
filed a whistle-blower complaint against the Palm Beach County School
District. The complaint was filed by suspended facilities manager Ed
Oppel, who alleges a... |
| NASA
must fix budget to save projects
Members of the House Science Committee said Wednesday
that they're committed to a fully equipped international space
station, but only if NASA can escape from the financial quagmire
that's dragging down the project. |
11/7/01
| In
the nick of time, it's again time for St. Nick
Santa Claus arrives at 6:30 p.m. this evening at Tyrone Square Mall in
St. Petersburg. |
|
Forced patriotism is oppression - America: Love it or
leave it.- A declaration of patriotism? I call it advocacy of tyranny.
- Two local stories have tested our understanding of American values
in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. -
Michael Italie, a candidate for mayor of Miami, was fired from his job
at Goodwill Industries a week ago because he represents the
extreme-left Socialist Workers Party. - Three Miami-Dade County
firefighters who expressed their view that the American flag
symbolizes oppression of black people have been so vilified by the
public that they might be unable to resume their careers. |
| Gore,
black votes more likely to be tossed out
No one will ever know who "really" won the razor-close
presidential election one year ago today. And, with the nation at war
and President Bush's popularity at an all-time high, most people have
moved on to other concerns. |
| Ballot
design caused most spoiled votes, study finds -Poorly designed
ballots were the single biggest cause of discarded votes in last
year's presidential election in Florida, accounting for a far larger
proportion of uncounted ballots than the state's notorious punch-card
voting machines, a new study for The Herald and seven other newspapers
has found. |
|
Big
Bend ready for error-free elections
No presidential replay expected with new tools
If you and two friends voted at the American Legion Hall in Quincy
last November, one of you might as well have stayed home. |
| House
gets its cuts in exchange for tax-cut delay
A week ago, House Speaker Tom Feeney led his Republican troops in
pushing through a Senate plan to cut the state budget, all the while
saying it and Senate President John McKay were not doing their jobs. |
| Heaviest
purses lightened
Gov. Bush cancels raises for state salaries higher than $90,000
In a largely symbolic bit of belt-tightening that drew praise from a
frequent critic, Gov. Jeb Bush canceled a 2.5-percent pay raise
Tuesday for state employees making more than $90,000. |
|
Bush
calls session to finish budget
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush has called lawmakers back to town the
week after Thanksgiving to finish plugging a $1.3-billion hole in the
state budget. |
| Lawmakers
get order to keep cutting budget - TALLAHASSEE -- It fell short of
a lovefest, but Florida's warring legislative leaders put aside hard
feelings and joined Gov. Jeb Bush in announcing Tuesday yet another
special session to cut the state budget. |
| Battle
Brews On State Tax Breaks
TALLAHASSEE - It's perhaps the most unpopular
five-letter word in the Florida Legislature. But t-a-x-e-s, a major
flash point in the battle between House and Senate leaders last week,
could emerge as the ... |
| http://tampatrib.com/News/FloridaLegislature.htm
--- daily legislative notes |
| Leaders
agree to cut deeper in second session -TALLAHASSEE -- Lawmakers
will return to Tallahassee after Thanksgiving to carve deeper cuts in
the state's $48 billion budget after failing to fix a $1.3 billion
shortfall -- at least to Gov. Jeb Bush's satisfaction. |
|
Odd twist could boost House Democrats' clout = TALLAHASSEE
-- After three years of near irrelevance in the Republican-dominated
Florida House of Representatives, an odd twist of political fate in
the midst of the state's budget crisis could help Democrats matter
again. |
| 'Assume
nothing'
The governor and Republican legislative leaders shouldn't take for
granted that Democrats will bail them out of the budget mess they find
themselves in. |
| How
Bush handles crises could haunt him in 2002
By Brian E. Crowley, Palm Beach Post Political Editor
TALLAHASSEE -- Jeb Bush's low-key reelection campaign -- centered for
now on just being governor -- is fraught with peril because of a
plummeting economy, huge looming spending cuts in state programs... |
| Miami
Mayor Carollo fails to make runoff
The incumbent comes in third. Former Mayor Maurice Ferre will face
lawyer Manny Diaz next Tuesday. |
| Carollo
out as Miami's mayor; Ferré, Diaz in runoff
In an election so close that it forced a late-night automatic recount,
Miami voters ousted incumbent Mayor Joe Carollo and sent former mayor
Maurice Ferre and lawyer Manny Diaz into a runoff. |
| Ruling
bars state from federal suit against hotel chain
The Florida Attorney General's Office will have to take its lawsuit
against the Adam's Mark hotel chain to state court, a federal judge
ruled. |
| Mother
will sue for FCAT materials
The Largo woman's son failed the test. Her suit could open test
materials for parents statewide. |
| West
Nile still a concern despite cool weather -Although cooler weather
may have arrived, West Nile virus and the mosquitoes that carry it are
still with us. |
| Editorial:
The wrong safety model
SabreTech, which put unstable oxygen generators on an airliner in
1996, was a private business under government regulation. That's the
same model the House voted last week to use for airport safety. The
model failed on May 11, 1996... |
| Universal
Orlando president resigns
Universal Orlando's No. 1 executive, Felix Mussenden,
quit abruptly on Tuesday, two years after becoming president of the
Central Florida attraction. |
| Security
firm's hiring put under microscope
A security company that guards many Central Florida
government buildings -- including Orlando International Airport -- has
come under the scrutiny of local leaders in light of some national
high-profile lapses. |
| 3
Orlando leaders say they'd redo NTC deal
If they could do it over again, three Orlando City
Council members say they would renegotiate their agreement with the
owners of the former Naval Training Center that's being transformed
into one of the area's most upscale subdivisions.
|
11/6/01
|
Session to start after Thanksgiving
House, Senate leaders work up agreement - Gov. Jeb Bush and
legislative leaders are expected today to call lawmakers back to
Tallahassee the week after Thanksgiving to take another shot at
patching a $1.3 billion hole in the state budget. |
|
Legislators to recraft budget cut - TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush
and legislative leaders are expected to announce this morning that
they've patched a rift between the House and Senate and will hold a
post-Thanksgiving special session to craft a new solution for dealing
with the state's $1.3 billion revenue shortfall. |
| Bush
busy courting votes for the budget compromise
The governor is counting heads and lobbying in the House, where he
needs 61 votes. |
| Pregnant
pigs may land on ballot
Supreme Court hears petition on penning -- Pregnant pigs got their day
in court Monday as animal rights activists sought to save their bacon
with a constitutional amendment. During a half-hour hearing on a
petition campaign, Florida Supreme Court justices rooted around in
technical details about the definition of a farm, ballot format and
possible penalties for penning up pregnant porkers. But they raised no
serious objections, and Attorney General Bob Butterworth didn't try to
block the proposal from next year's ballot. |
|
Cuts
in ranks of probation officers to be determined
The state's 2,200 probation officers may soon find out if they still
will have jobs come January. The Department of Corrections plans to
determine by the end of the week how many officers it will let go
after lawmakers cut more than $18 million from the department's
community supervision program, which monitors more than 153,000
criminals. |
| Constitutional
teamwork
The temptation for many government agencies is to use it or lose it -
that is, to spend any money that looks like it will be left over at
the end of a budget year.
|
| Red
ink threatens wildlife agency
The commission will have to cut back its protection of endangered
species if its finances don't improve, a report shows. |
| Lobbyist
tops law agency's pay list
A taxpayer-funded agency that defends death row inmates pays the
former prosecutor more than its counsels earn. |
| Still
no decision on drilling in the Panhandle
FORT WALTON BEACH - The wait continues for a much-delayed federal
decision on whether natural gas production wells can be drilled within
25 miles of Florida Panhandle beaches on existing leases in the Gulf
of Mexico. |
| Shorelines
in South Florida take a pounding
HOLLYWOOD - Hurricane Michelle's winds and waves battered South
Florida's beaches Monday, capping off several weeks of steady pounding
that have eroded the region's prized shoreline. Ocean water seeped
into the asphalt of Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, leaving pools of water,
naked wooden jetties and dozens of curious onlookers. |
| Tribune
Media Services
According to our leaders, we are not supposed to let the war on terror
disrupt our normal lives. And, to their credit, they're leading by
example. For instance, far from the war disrupting the House's normal
run of shameless corporate toadying, it's enhancing it. Indeed, it's
giving our leaders cover to put forward their answer to each and every
problem America faces: a massive corporate giveaway. And they even
have the gall to call it patriotism. Others, using the English
language more rigorously, call it war profiteering. |
| Billionaires
benefit from Hood's legacy - ...The beneficiaries of Glenda's
largess are the Pritzker family, billionaire owners of the Hyatt
chain. The Pritzkers bought the Baldwin Park site for $6,900 per acre,
close to what you would pay for good muck land in the Everglades.--
You'd think that would be enough of a giveaway. But Glenda threw in
$13.5 million in impact-fee credits, another $12.6 million for parks
and about $20 million in low-interest loans. The Pritzkers also got
$76 million in tax-free bonds.... |
| Offer
Help To Cuba
Hurricane Michelle likely blew away hopes in Cuba
for better times ahead in the near future. This was the worst storm to
hit the impoverished island in half a century. |
| Too
Many, Or Not Enough?
How many manatees is too many or not enough?-
Believe it or not, that bizarre question is now confronting officials
from federal and state governments and environmental, boating, fishing
and marine industry groups. It's almost as strange as the medieval
debates among theologians as to how many angels could dance on the
head of a pin. |
|
Nelson: Governor's race is a `warm-up'
-- TALLAHASSEE -- Exactly one year before Gov. Jeb Bush faces
reelection, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson predicted Monday that the race will
be a ``barn-burner'' and could be a prelude for the 2004 reelection
campaign of the governor's brother, President George W. Bush. |
| Secret
presidential records
President Bush's executive order sharply limits the scope of the
Presidential Records Act, which was passed following the Watergate
scandals of the Nixon years. |
| Wild
in the streets
If the budget bill passed during last week's special session is
approved, there will be reason to worry about the adequacy of the
state's supervision of offenders on probation.
|
11/5/01
| Truce
may be near in budget battle
Legislative leaders are close to agreement on $1.3
billion in spending cuts that will balance a lagging state budget and
break a stalemate between the Florida Senate and House. |
| Leaders
negotiate budget pact - TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush and the
leaders of the Florida Legislature agreed Sunday to delay a
controversial tax cut for 18 months and trim more than a billion
dollars in spending out of the state's $50-billion budget. |
|
Read
these new rules carefully
Florida's administrative rules are meant to cover everything - if King
Kong climbs the Capitol, for instance, there should be something in
the book about big, hairy, audacious gorillas. Trouble is, getting
through the rules on even the most mundane matter requires a miner's
lantern cap and a bag lunch. They're usually written by people who
consider it unlawyerly to write a simple declarative sentence. |
| Dozens
campaign for peace at rally
Putting themselves squarely at odds with those who want U.S. soldiers
to bring back Osama bin Laden's head, dozens of people gathered in
front of the Old Capitol on Sunday to call for an end to the war in
Afghanistan. |
| Need
for more aid grows urgent
Afghanistan is a crushing and brutal place all year, but especially so
in winter. And the start of winter for Afghans is just a few weeks
away. The U.S.-led coalition did not initially destabilize the
country, and we are not at fault for all its starvation and suffering.
But common decency and the urgent need to prevent mass starvation
demand that we greatly and quickly expand our humanitarian aid effort
for civilians within and outside Afghanistan before winter sets in. |
| Let
overcompensated CEOs share pain of tight economy
In response to the corporations in America that are laying off
thousands of workers because of the recent downturn in the economy: In
the early 1900s, the average executive of a large company made
approximately 40 times the salary of an entry-level employee. Today,
it is common for a CEO to make $25 million, or 1,000 times the salary
of an entry-level employee earning $25,000. |
| Private
agencies chase unpaid child support
They knock on doors, talk to neighbors and threaten to sue. But
critics oppose hiring agencies because of their fees. |
| Rate
of abused foster care kids skyrockets in Florida
JACKSONVILLE - Florida's rate of abuse in foster care - about one in
every 11 children - is three times the state goal and 15 times higher
than the national standard, a newspaper reported Sunday. |
| Alarms
went off too late in vote machine scandal
So, the guy selling voting machines to Pinellas County turns out to be
under indictment in Louisiana. |
|
Big
bucks bypass area - TALLAHASSEE -- When the state decided to shift
a bunch of road projects into the fast lane to pump the economy, Palm
Beach County was the big winner. It stands to receive
$156-million, mostly for its stretch of Interstate 95. |
| Power
to the people: Denver's old base in public control
- the Orlando naval training station, however is not. --
Backed by government, the billionaire Pritzker
family has bought the Orlando Naval Training Center for next to
nothing and converted it into a holding potentially worth $130 million
or more. |
| States
can't agree on water-use pact - TALLAHASSEE -- A 750-mile waterway
that stretches south through Georgia, Alabama and Florida to the Gulf
of Mexico serves as a lifeline for millions of families, whether they
are drinking water from a tap in Atlanta or making a living harvesting
oysters by the bucketful from Apalachicola Bay. |
| U.S.
told to clean up Loxahatchee refuge or lose control to state -For
50 years, it's had relatively free rein in its stewardship of the
northern Everglades. But now the federal government will have to meet
performance measures or risk losing its grip on the Arthur R. Marshall
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. |
| Hurricane
drives more than half a million from their homes in Cuba -With
winds raging up to 135 mph, Hurricane Michelle plowed into the south
coast of Cuba on Sunday afternoon, deluging colonial buildings in
Havana with rain and seawater before heading toward the beaches of
Varadero, the country's premier tourist resort.
|
11/4/01
| The
person to blame for this sad state
TALLAHASSEE -- Is it time to pass the word that friends don't let
friends move to Florida? To print it on bumper stickers, buttons and
T-shirts? To warn our grandparents, kids or grandkids that, as much as
we love them and would like to have them near, this false paradise is
not for them? That Florida nurtures only the selfish and
self-sufficient? |
| Look
at how state GOP can tax and spend - I had a nightmare-scenario
thought.--
What if the Republicans running the war on terror are as incompetent
as the Republicans running this state?
A moment of silence, while people of all faiths pray that the Florida
Republicans are genetic defects.
Yes, I'm mad. Hell hath no fury like a fool duped into believing
rhetoric about running government like a business. |
| Schultz:
Jeb sighting rare when a crisis comes
By George Bennett, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Gov. Bush said Sept. 11 "changed everything." But you
wouldn't know by the way he has acted since Sept. 11. Take Tuesday,
for example. The special session to close the $1.3 billion hole in the
state... |
| Gov.
Bush under fire over budget cut meltdown
After three years of highly successful dealings with the Legislature,
Gov. Jeb Bush is struggling to quell a Republican legislative inferno
that threatens to engulf his re-election hopes. |
| One
man's tax cut is another's burden
The intangibles tax -- the center of so much debate in the state
Legislature -- really did start out as a tax on the rich. |
|
