Statewide Reports-October 15-30,2001

Statewide Reports-October 15-30/01

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.

10/31/01

	Divided, not done - TALLAHASSEE -- In an atmosphere of dissension and distrust, the Legislature fell short of solving the state's budget shortfall Tuesday as a special session collapsed after nine days.-- The House sent Gov. Jeb Bush $800-million in budget cuts and then adjourned. Left behind was a fuming Senate and millions more to cut. ... Senate President John McKay called the budget unconstitutional and suggested a lawsuit should be filed against the House. And lawmakers say they will probably have to make more cuts in another special session or when they return to Tallahassee for the regular session in January. The Senate had not decided Tuesday night whether to convene or let the session run out as scheduled Thursday night.
	Editorial: Jeb's no Casey Jones Where was Jeb Bush? The Legislature just had a train wreck, and the state's chief engineer was in New York, lecturing Congress. "Train wreck" is lawmakers' pet metaphor for what happened Tuesday. Mostly, they use the possibility as a threat until they...
	Bush keeps low profile, draws criticism -- Many lawmakers are questioning the governor's hands-off approach to the budget crisis.
	Republican budget battle troubling for Governor Bush - TALLAHASSEE -- After three years of surpluses and success in pushing his agenda, Gov. Jeb Bush is now presiding over the biggest internal Republican Party squabble since the GOP won control of state government in 1998.
	Education, social services lose budget battle -TALLAHASSEE -- Lawmakers slashed $800 million from school and social service agency budgets on Tuesday, even as House leaders called the action inadequate and Senate leaders called it unconstitutional.
	Budget cuts called a 'short-term fix' - The school budget loses less than 1 percent, but other programs, including a well known anti-tobacco program, don't fare as well.
	Legislative session may not balance budget Florida legislators could end their budget-balancing special session today, but it could just be the beginning of a legal and financial quagmire for the state.
	House passes cuts, goes home Plan relying on reserves ends antagonistic session House members Tuesday held their noses, passed the Senate spending plan and went home, ending the 11-day special session two days early.
	State House, Senate at impasse over how to erase budget deficit - TALLAHASSEE -- A combative state House short-circuited a special budget cutting session on Tuesday by approving a plan that slashes $800 million in state programs and taps state reserves to make up a projected $1.3 billion deficit.
	Meltdown The House sent in its dangerously unbalanced, irresponsible and shamefully amended budget. It would serve Floridians well for the governor to veto it.
	State economic stimulus package dies in House An economic stimulus package designed to create 25,000 jobs by expediting road building and other public works died Tuesday when the House failed to take it up. The package, pushed by Gov. Jeb Bush, passed the Senate 34-3 before the House adjourned from the special session later in the day.
	Security bills may be stalled Several security bills were passed Tuesday by the state House of Representatives, but the measures may go no further. That's because the Senate doesn't plan to pass any of the security measures during the remainder of the special session, Majority Leader Jim King said.
	The folly of bonuses during crisis If Florida lawmakers insist that raising taxes is irresponsible in a time of economic distress, then they might consider this political corollary: Handing out bonuses is not smart business when employees are being laid off.
	Senate budget cuts The House voted Tuesday to approve the Senate's budget plan. Some of the cuts include:
	Business recruiting group warned Audit reveals questionable account, funded by companies taking grants -- Four state senators warned Enterprise Florida on Tuesday to avoid even the appearance that public money might be used for executive bonuses, private club memberships and lobbying.
	For expediency's sake Some of the Energy 2020 Study Commission's recommendations seem to favor expediency over accountability and threaten local government home rule authority.
	Veterans fume over THAP chief's reports -- The VA and the inspector general are investigating claims by residents that Chester Luney's positive reviews were false.
	Senators explore river talks Committee took no action after hearing Concerns about public involvement in water-sharing talks for the Apalachicola River prompted a state Senate committee Tuesday to wade into the issue.
	County urged to end mosquito spraying A newly formed organization opposed to the use of chemicals for mosquito control took its case to the Leon County Commission on Tuesday, asking the board to consider using environmentally friendly ways to control the bloodsucking pests.
	This is our night to playfully defy all real monsters Today is Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve. In olden days, back in England, Ireland and Scotland, the lanterns for this holiday were carved out of beets, or potatoes, or even turnips. We Americans decided to use one of our native vegetables, the pumpkin, which, if you ask me, proved far superior for the purpose.
	Cops on alert: For what, they have no idea A nationwide warning of imminent terrorism comes with a lack of specifics. For now, police say it's post-Sept. 11 business as usual.
	Easier A's paying off two ways Grades buoyed by a more generous grading system improve students' parental rewards and national scholarship odds.
	Pinellas delays voting machine decision Commissioners call for further investigation of the two companies after news Monday that a key employee was indicted on conspiracy charges.
	'Truth' takes shots at tobacco's friendly face - A singing corpse. A wink at death, a nod at cancer. The new spot spoofs big tobacco's charitable ads.
	Terrorism spawns two new specialty license tag designs - TALLAHASSEE -- The Legislature approved "United We Stand" and "American Red Cross" specialty auto license plates Tuesday and specified that money raised from the tags will go to efforts to fight terrorism and biological attacks.
	Florida universities brace for tougher controls on foreign students When he came to the United States on a student visa four years ago, Spanish citizen Jose Antonio Cañas knew there were strings attached. He couldn't work off-campus. He had to pay top tuition of $25,000 a year. And of course, once he had the degree, he'd have to leave.
	Family members battle for what's left of the Lykes Bros. business empire
	The greatest show in Miami - The Miami mayoral race is like that famous circus act where a midget car speeds into the tent and clowns start piling out. This year, 10 candidates have emerged from the city's metaphorical midget car to amuse us before next week's election.

10/30/01

	House to end session without taking up many security bills Measures to detain witnesses, withhold public records and transfer the Capitol Police to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement permanently probably won't pass during this week's special session. A skittish House committee Monday said it needed more time to justify such strong measures
	Legislators scuttle bid to limit public's access to government records - A committee's postponement of a bill offering state police far-reaching powers over public records on Monday effectively scuttled talk of any sweeping new exemptions until the next legislative session starting in January.
	Intangibles tax hangs in the balance of the budget - ... a cut in the Florida's intangibles tax on stocks and bonds has become the line in the sand that neither the House nor the Senate seems willing to cross in negotiations over the $1.3-billion hole in the state budget.
	No compromise coming on cuts Lack of solution may require another session Florida House members will likely end the special legislative session on the budget today by approving a $778 million slate of spending cuts approved last week by the Senate.
	State House set to OK budget-cut plan that may `not go far enough' - TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida House of Representatives is poised today to pass a budget-cutting plan that legislative leaders agree doesn't go deep enough to resolve the state's $1.3 billion budget shortfall.
	Bitter budget battle could force governor to decide on spending cuts - TALLAHASSEE · The acrimonious budget battle between the Republican leaders of the House and Senate raged through Monday -- and the result could force Gov. Jeb Bush to make the spending cuts he had called lawmakers into special session to handle.
	GOP legislative leaders are bitterly divided on cuts - TALLAHASSEE -- A special session of the Legislature, convened to fix the biggest budget deficit in a decade, resumes today in a storm of anger and uncertainty as top Republicans criticize each other from opposite ends of the Capitol.
	FSU graduate programs may see budget cuts Florida State University's graduate programs will take a hit if the Legislature today approves the reduced budget pending in the House. FSU could lose more than $8 million in money used to attract top graduate students by waiving out-of-state tuition and fees, the provost told the university's Board of Trustees on Monday.
	The media's tawdry tendencies have surfaced anew We interrupt our regularly scheduled column for the following fast-breaking public safety alert: Watching the news may be hazardous to your health - and may be damaging the well-being of our entire nation. In much the same way that the terrorists hijacked our airplanes and turned them into flying bombs, they are now on the verge of successfully hijacking our airwaves.
	Charge taints vote device bid...Lancaster and other top county staff members said all they knew was that Sequoia had some type of procurement problem in Louisiana. Betsy Steg, a county attorney, said state officials had told her that "each one of these companies had issues."
	House panel okays measures to combat terrorism - But a number of controversial antiterrorism bills are delayed and likely dead for this session.
	Rise in dish TV tax draws static - Satellite TV users channel anger at legislators over a law aimed at "simplification'' of taxes on communications.
	Public may lose dissent in power plant plans - A state commission wants to make it easier for utilities to build power plants anywhere in Florida by curtailing the public's opportunity to oppose them. - The far-reaching plan scheduled for consideration by the Energy 2020 Study Commission in Tallahassee on Wednesday also proposes making it easier and cheaper for power companies to string lines across environmentally sensitive land that the state has bought to preserve.
	Spread the pain In the face of a $1.3-billion budget deficit, the state Senate and House have agreed to give up pay raises, however, the House won't seem to let the large intangibles tax cut go.
	Socialist candidate fired from Goodwill job - The head of Goodwill Industries of South Florida has fired Miami mayoral candidate Michael Italie, a member of the Socialist Workers Party, because he is a ``subversive'' presence in the company.-- Dennis Pastrana, chief executive officer of the nonprofit organization, had Italie fired Oct. 22 after reading campaign pamphlets that supported Cuba's communist revolution and criticized the United States for its presence in Afghanistan. --``We cannot have anyone who is attempting to subvert the United States of America,'' Pastrana said. ``His political beliefs are those of a communist who would like to destroy private ownership of American enterprises and install a communist regime in the United States.''
	Mayoral hopeful's contacts lucrative for firm -The law firm of Manny Diaz, a candidate for mayor of Miami, was paid more than $1 million for work awarded by the state Insurance Department while his friend Bill Nelson was commissioner.

10/29/01

	Shhhh, don't say a word: The Senate is meeting A possible transcript of the first secret meeting of the Florida Senate.
	Sunshine Law faces shadow - TALLAHASSEE -- Lawmakers say they want to make Florida safe from terrorism, but advocates of open government say Florida's honored "government in the sunshine" faces the gravest threat in a special session nearing its conclusion.
	Lawmaker grips ax on 'tough' cuts -TALLAHASSEE -- Five years ago, Tampa's Sandra L. "Sandy" Murman was a prominent charity volunteer and Democratic candidate for the state House. She told voters she wanted to "end corporate welfare" and spend more public money on education and children. Democrat Gov. Lawton Chiles campaigned for her.-- Today, the 51-year-old Murman is in a remarkably different role: She's the top House Republican in charge of slashing state programs that help the poor and elderly.
	Infringing on civil liberties In a Congress terrified of appearing soft on terrorism, Democrats and Republicans passed by overwhelming majorities a deeply flawed antiterrorism bill that significantly -- and in some cases dangerously -- expands the powers of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies with few hedges against abuse.
	A panic to arms Be forewarned: Republican state Sen. Ginny Brown-Waite is now likely to be armed. And she's not alone. Brown-Waite and more than 15,000 other Floridians have applied for weapons permits since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. People, of course, have a right to own guns. But it's not clear to us what protection a gun affords anyone against terrorist threats.
	Everglades could become casualty of war -For the Everglades, the fate of an $8.4 billion restoration is facing new doubts as terrorism, war and a sinking economy have upended the nation's priorities and squeezed state and federal spending.--It's just one example of a chill that has settled on a variety of environmental causes in wartime America, where data on toxic chemicals have vanished from some government Web sites and activists have felt compelled to refrain from criticizing President Bush
	Lawmakers call for more ground troops Sen. John McCain said Sunday that America must unleash ``all the might of United States military power,'' including large numbers of ground troops, to prevail in Afghanistan. Bush administration officials said the Taliban is being weakened, but warned Americans must be prepared for a drawn-out conflict.
	Critics fear terrorism measures will erode Florida's open government laws -TALLAHASSEE · Legislators say they want to make Florida safe from terrorism, but advocates of open government say the state's honored Government in the Sunshine Law faces the gravest threat during the special session nearing its conclusion.
	Democratic candidates rap governor for low teacher salaries, tax cuts -Former Attorney General Janet Reno, attorney Bill McBride, House Minority Leader Lois Frankel and state Sen. Daryl Jones told members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that Bush has failed the public schools and has not looked out for workers.
	Harris: Good Times Paid Off For State TALLAHASSEE - Last year's rancorous presidential election made Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris a star in the Republican Party, and Florida taxpayers are still paying for her 15 minutes of fame. ...

10/28/01

	Walking line between blind fear, plain sense What did it for me was the way the dates were written on the anthrax letters, with the month going first, then the date, then the year. The mad anthrax mailer is no foreigner who prays to Allah.
	Bush: Projects to create new jobs DAYTONA BEACH - Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday the state was in a recession but a plan to pump millions into tourism marketing and highway and school construction would soon result in thousands of new jobs for Floridians.
	Bush touts billion-dollar plan to revive economy As Gov. Jeb Bush lauded a $1 billion plan to revive Florida's lagging economy, his audience -- Florida's home builders -- hoped Saturday that their piece of the state's economic pie wouldn't be forgotten. -- Bush admitted that some issues, such as growth-management concerns, have become less of a priority.
	State seeks economic CPR Gov. Jeb Bush and state lawmakers are ready to pluck $19 million that had been designated for attracting new industries and divert it to an advertising campaign aimed at luring vacationers back to the Sunshine State.
	Tampa Bay briefs Bush says relief package will help ailing economy
	Democrats lambaste record of governor Democratic candidates for governor railed against Gov. Jeb Bush when they spoke to members of the state's second-largest labor union Saturday night at the Hotel Royal Plaza in Lake Buena Vista.
	Auditors find state needs to bid more to save At a time when money is tight and every dollar counts, state agencies last year spent $400 million on goods and services without putting them out to bid. That worries the state's chief financial watchdog, who is recommending Florida purchasing laws be reworked to increase competition.
	Republicans look pretty bad right now TALLAHASSEE -- The Democrats controlled the Legislature for more than a century, sometimes well, as when they made education a state responsibility and wrote a new Constitution, and sometimes poorly, as in 1987 when they fumbled the last clear chance for tax reform. (A Republican, it should be noted, was governor then.) But they never looked as bad as the Republicans do now. If you owned a junkyard, you wouldn't trust them to run it.
	The State House's Foolish Antics - The nation is at war and faces an unprecedented national security threat. The nation's economy is in a tailspin. Meanwhile, Florida confronts a $1.3 billion budget deficit that will force massive cutbacks. - So during this time of crisis, it is altogether appalling that the state House leadership is more concerned with political brinksmanship than serving the people of Florida.
	Dáte: Back to business as usual as lawmakers bicker, back-stab By S.V. Dáte, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer TALLAHASSEE -- Fans of Government-by-Train-Wreck are in for a real treat. This past week has offered a glimpse of the next six months in the Capitol, and that future is ugly. Whatever veneer of Republican unity that was...
	Audit: Elevator safety may be at risk More than a year after the state turned over responsibility for inspecting Florida's elevators and escalators to the private sector, an audit released this week shows the state can't be sure those inspectors are doing their jobs or even are adequately certified.
	Audit: Shelter upgrade won't make deadline The state won't erase its shortage of hurricane shelter space in time to meet legislature-imposed deadlines, an auditor's report says, but state and local emergency managers say they're satisfied they can handle all but the most catastrophic storm...
	Inside Politics: Legislator takes comedic pause from politics If you got away from the fiscal food fight in the special legislative session last week, there were a few lighter moments on the local political scene.
	Attacks expensive for theme parks ORLANDO - Security guards stationed at two rows of tables at the Magic Kingdom entrance stop guests and search their bags before the visitors can pass through the turnstiles and head down Main Street, U.S.A.
	Two are jailed in anthrax hoaxes FORT LAUDERDALE - A 24-year-old woman charged with committing an anthrax hoax was held on $25,000 bail after a judge called her "a disgusting piece of dirt" - if she's guilty.
	Harris applauds farmers State agriculture 'No. 1 source of stability,' she says ORLANDO - Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris praised the state's farmers Saturday for "fueling Americans' determined resistance against terror." But another elected official warned that citizens must be vigilant that the agriculture industry isn't turned against them. "Bioterrorism is something that's here. It's truly for real," said state Rep. Joe Spratt, R-La Belle.
	Path to impeach always thorny - ...As Florida lawmakers consider this fall whether to begin impeachment proceedings against Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Charles Cope and Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Bonanno, they will be drawing lessons from Florida's long and colorful history of impeaching public officials.
	The difficult task of moving the minds of zealotry I don't remember the grade I was in when I first learned about the Salem witch trials or the Spanish Inquisition. But I do remember at the time thinking how incomprehensible those chapters in human history were.
	Democrats are honking but can't pass that red pickup Next year's gubernatorial election is not shaping up as a referendum on the disputed 2000 presidential vote in Florida, as Democrats had hoped. Osama bin Laden has seen to that. Since the Sept. 11 attacks on America, the political dynamics have changed and what already was going to be an uphill battle -- unseating Republican Gov. Jeb Bush -- has suddenly become even tougher. At this early stage, the problem for Democrats is that they appear more committed to nominating Janet Reno than to defeating Jeb Bush.
	Landfill enemies turning to DEP -MOUNT DORA -- This summer, residents were unable to stop the County Commission from unanimously approving a landfill for construction debris at a longtime sand-mining operation.
	Cable provider, Fort Lauderdale in standoff - Fort Lauderdale · Two weeks after city commissioners rejected a 10-year franchise for AT&T Broadband, the cable TV company is still broadcasting in homes across the city.
	Airlines face dilemma over safety, profiling - Islamic leaders refer to it as "flying while Muslim." On about 30 occasions since Sept. 11, passengers have been forced off U.S. airliners because they appeared to be Middle Eastern.
	Nuclear experts study adequacy of security plans - Security at Turkey Point has never been tighter.- Some of it is visible. Private guards armed with assault weapons patrol the gate to the sprawling nuclear power plant along Biscayne Bay in South Miami-Dade County.
	No fighting spirit at the drug companies - They say we're all in this battle together, but not everybody's got the same fighting spirit. The makers of the anti-anthrax drug Cipro finally have agreed to sell 100 million doses to the U.S. government at the cut-rate price of 95 cents per tablet. This less-than-spontaneous burst of compassion follows a week of unsavory headlines for Bayer A.G., the German firm that manufactures the antibiotic. With anthrax being unleashed against American citizens, many in Congress felt strongly that Bayer ought to make Cipro more widely available at a reasonable cost. Such humane gestures are virtually unheard of in the price-gouging world of pharmaceuticals. Initially, Bayer resisted the idea of discounting the drug because, hey, how often does a company get the chance to cash in on a full-blown national emergency?
	Schultz: America losing big in PR war She is an Afghan woman living in Kabul. She has two young children. She sleeps with them in one bare room. On and off, over the past three weeks, she has felt the earth shake from the impact of...

10/27/01

	House and Senate leaders wrangle - Senate President John McKay accuses House Speaker Tom Feeney of passing an unbalanced budget in the special session.
	Senators ax post of solicitor general - Senators slice $800-million out of the budget, along with Tom Warner's job, while skirmishing with the House.
	State cuts budget -- but not as severely Lawmakers are poised to approve a $47 billion state budget that retains a tax break for wealthier Floridians, keeps most of the funding for the public-school system, slashes programs for the poor and elderly -- and sets the stage for a greater crisis next spring.
	Fate of programs uncertain Under the Senate budget bill, which House leaders say they plan to adopt next week, lawmakers cut about $800 million in state services.
	Compromise sought with deferment Do tax cut when economy isn't hurting, say Bush, Senate leader A cut in the taxes Floridians pay on their stocks and bonds took center stage Friday as two powerful Republicans urged a third to bend a little on the issue.
	Man on a mission House Speaker Tom Feeney made it clear Thursday that he was willing to go home without a balanced budget if necessary to protect the scheduled repeal of the intangibles tax. ...That goal is, apparently, far more important to Feeney than any other issue facing the state. It's more important than education. It's more important than environmental protection. It's more important than prescription assistance for the elderly. It's more important than helping pregnant women. It's more important than delinquency prevention and keeping tabs on parolees.
	Schools escape budget cleaver - A freeze on hiring and limits on travel are likely, but overall many educators are satisfied with the cuts.
	Aid for scholars targeted for trims - TALLAHASSEE -- Amid the late-week wrangling over the state budget, Florida's senators served notice for the first time that the state's hugely popular Bright Futures Scholarships program -- which has provided tens of thousands of students with a free college education -- may no longer be untouchable
	Secret state computer center urged - TALLAHASSEE -- Florida needs to set up a secret command center with computer banks so the state can prevent a "digital Pearl Harbor," the state's top computer security expert told lawmakers Friday.
	Security plans for state systems reviewed again The headline goes here headline goes here goes State agencies and private industry took a hard look at how to protect "critical infrastructure systems" - communications, utilities, transportation - after the Gulf War a decade ago.
	Rash rush to secrecy Wanted: A "Doctor of the Day" for Florida's Legislature, preferably an orthopedist, for an outbreak of jerking knees.
	Senate secrecy rule The Senate hasn't had a secret meeting since 1967, but supporters of the rule change say the war on terrorism has made some secrecy essential.
	Senate defends secret planning - TALLAHASSEE -- A day after voting to allow themselves to meet in secret, senators were quick to hail the controversial decision Friday, noting at a security meeting that certain details of the state's computer security plans can't be divulged to the public.
	Elected officials need a Truth in Telling Law...For the last six months, the Office of the Auditor General and the Department of Elder Affairs' Office of the Inspector General have uncovered expenditures not necessarily connected to the provision of services to the frail elders it intends to serve. As one reporter commented, the stack of documents identifying the problem reached a foot high. But no one, not even that reporter, took the time to analyze what those documents revealed.
	Pondering the corruption cycle; happy as a teacher While packing to leave Tampa for retirement in Colorado in 1995, former state attorney Bill James said one of the first things he intended to do after settling in at 7,500 feet above sea level was "contemplate the Tampa mind set."
	Ex-legislator lobbying for PSC post -TALLAHASSEE -- Former state Rep. Rudy Bradley stunned his fellow Democrats when he supported Republican Gov. Jeb Bush in 1998, then defected to the GOP the next year.
	Legacy of a riot: a peace garden in St. Pete
	More West Nile evidence triggers aerial sprayng - Three sentinel chickens were confirmed to test positive for West Nile virus on Friday, adding to the evidence that the mosquito-borne illness is spreading through Palm Beach County.- As a result, officials in Palm Beach and Broward counties planned to spray for mosquitoes over the weekend. Both counties are among 51 under a state health alert for the mosquito-borne infection that has struck 11 Floridians so far, four in the Keys.

10/26/01

	Don't let cuts further hurt the disadvantaged As a result of three years of cutting taxes for affluent businesses and investors, Florida has a $1.3-billion budget deficit. Lawmakers, led by the ultra-conservative Speaker of the House Tom Feeney and Gov. Jeb Bush, have responded to this deficit not by repealing these lavish tax cuts, but, rather, by proposing deep social spending cuts.
	Budget terror: Our warlords are in real jam - ...They are paying recurring expenses with a one-time pot of gold, delaying the day of reckoning for Florida's budget crisis. Aren't Republicans supposed to be good with money? - The reason they are doing this is because they have become such a national embarrassment, they are looking for any way out of this jam.
	Our legislators at work? Pray for us (10/26/2001)--The Florida Legislature was summoned to Tallahassee to fix a $1.3 billion hole in the state budget, with dreadful scenarios looming over education, public health and social programs. Some of us hoped for sober deliberations.
	House accepts Senate budget Feeney forgoes negotiation in surprise move A day of confusion and behind-the-scenes negotiations culminated Thursday with the House accepting outright a budget proposed by the Senate - an unprecedented move made more bizarre when it was roundly criticized by Senate President John McKay.
	Surprise move throws state budget negotiation into turmoil - Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney further complicated the state's budget crisis when he abandoned his plan for cuts and agreed with a moderate Senate plan.
	Compromise plan spares schools, healthcare big cuts -- TALLAHASSEE -- South Florida healthcare and education officials were breathing a cautious sigh of relief Thursday night as the state Legislature appeared to settle on a budget bill that made smaller cuts in hefty state programs like education and health and human services.
	Legislators have shaky budget deal TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida House and Senate tentatively agreed Thursday on $800-million in cuts in health care, education and juvenile justice programs, but chaos and bitterness over a tax break for investors left the budget in doubt.
	State may cut care for needy County officials are concerned about cuts to the Medically Needy program and to Medicaid reimbursement.
	Less bad, but not good There's little good news in the budget bills facing the Florida Legislature, but thankfully the governor is offering some much-needed leadership.
	Florida's budget fight gets rowdier The Florida Legislature's budget-cutting session skidded to an unexpected halt Thursday, with House Speaker Tom Feeney accepting the Senate's plan to cut $800 million from the state's $48 billion spending plan.
	Budget Hits Social Services TALLAHASSEE - In a stunning turnaround that caught even Gov. Jeb Bush by surprise, House leaders abandoned their own brutal budget-slashing plans Thursday and gave tentative approval to the shallower cuts proposed by ...
	School officials relieved by proposed cuts The House tentatively approved the Senate's plan Thursday to deal with the state's $1.3 billion deficit, which had school officials breathing an uneasy sigh of relief and lawmakers looking forward to ending the special session.
	UCF trustees pass costs on to students
	Foolish cuts - Plans to eliminate $55 million in graduate tuition waivers would cut the heart out of graduate research programs at the University of Florida, Florida State and South Florida.
	Senate passes measure to cap Bright Futures No student would get more than $3,200 a year in scholarship aid under the legislation, which lacks support in the House.
	Gov. Bush optimistic at security meeting Gov. Jeb Bush expressed optimism Thursday about statewide efforts to bolster security, but he also warned that terrorist threats continued to loom.
	Capitol Corner: Republicans, listen to your constituents Freshmen House members have been getting more than their share of pep talks from the Republican majority this week, as legislative leaders circled the wagons for what was assumed to be a showdown with the Senate over major budget differences.
	Senate approves secrecy measures TALLAHASSEE -- On an unrecorded voice vote, the state Senate Thursday gave broad new powers to Senate President John McKay to close meetings on security and terrorism "at his sole discretion."
	New rules to permit secrecy for Senate Citing the need to access sensitive information related to terrorism, the Florida Senate is prepared to adopt sweeping new rules that would allow secret committee meetings.
	State senators add secret-sessions rule - TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Senate, carving an extraordinary exemption for itself from Florida's open-meeting laws, voted to allow secret sessions aimed at averting terrorism.
	Editorial: Hush the secrecy talk Throughout the anthrax story at American Media Inc., it has become clear that releasing information makes more sense than trying to conceal information. The Legislature, particularly the Senate, seems unwilling to believe such real-world evidence. Rather than scale back attempts to...
	In the dark Our position: Florida senators should be ashamed of their disregard for the public.
	Senate adopts modified rule on secret meetings The Senate slightly weakened a secret-meeting rule Thursday, but the attorney for an open-government organization said the rule still puts a big cloud over Florida's famous "sunshine" laws.
	The mandate doesn't call for irrelevant laws House Speaker Tom Feeney is trying to keep legislators busy so they don't get into trouble in Tallahassee saloons during the day. Indeed he doesn't seem to mind if they pass lightweight, unnecessary legislation while a few leaders wrangle over how to fix
	Offended by patriotism Patriotism can bring out the worst as well as the best in people, a fact displayed again this week by the Florida House of Representatives as it capitalized on current events to demand that the Pledge of Allegiance be recited daily in every school and to encourage student-led prayers. Both seriously offend the core freedoms that America is fighting to preserve.the $1.3 billion hole in the state budget.
	State erases 30-year-old blunder with restoration of Kissimmee River - Wrestled inside a 56-mile-long canal for decades, the Kissimmee River is finally breaking free.
	Be warned, Ashcroft tells terrorists WASHINGTON -- Attorney General John Ashcroft pledged Thursday to use new powers granted by Congress to pursue terrorist suspects relentlessly, intercept their phone calls, read their unopened e-mail and phone messages and throw them in jail for the smallest of crimes.
	How the new antiterrorism bill could affect your life - WASHINGTON — Do you use your local library's computers or a cyber-cafe to surf the Internet? If a suspected terrorist used the computer before you, the FBI can use "sneak and peek" warrants to collect your surfing habits and look at your e-mails. Do you rent rooms? If that quiet upstairs boarder turns out to be a suspected terrorist, you could be charged with the new crime of "harboring" a terrorist.

10/25/01

	Focus, focus, focus, you babies in Tallahassee - As rough economic times call for harsh decisions about Florida's future, lawmakers are trying to slice an ever-shrinking pie of tax revenue for ever-increasing needs.
	Solve cash crisis, Bush orders - ``The strongest feeling I have is, we have a duty to get this done,'' Bush said. ``This is not the time for gamesmanship and brinksmanship and one-upping.'' ...``This is all just a distraction from the real problem at hand,'' said House Democratic Leader Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach.
	A Missed Opportunity - Give state Reps. Ron Greenstein, Ken Gottlieb and Tim Ryan credit for trying. Their budget amendments didn't go very far in the Florida Legislature, but their efforts had the type of creative thinking needed to ease the state's budget crisis.
	Pruitt lauded for budget-crunch courage Sen. Ken Pruitt is winning commendations from Republican colleagues for showing leadership in his response to the state's biggest budget deficit...
	Lawmakers brace for painful budget-cutting Florida lawmakers today will do something they haven't done in a decade - they will spend the day in chambers trying to craft a midyear budget that lops a significant sum off the spending plan they started with.
	House panel votes to shift burden - The bill would cut programs for the elderly and disabled. And cash-strapped counties may be forced to take up the slack.
	200 billion awaits builder of jet fighter In the high-stakes corporate shootout over the richest defense contract in history, it's almost high noon.
	Senate committee OKs secrecy Florida senators could develop secret anti-terrorism laws in closed meetings and state agencies could close public records while police run a terrorism investigation, under proposals given quick committee approval Wednesday.
	Ah, those deep, dark secrets in the Senate TALLAHASSEE -- If you really want to draw a crowd in the Capitol, suggest doing something in secret. (If you want to keep people away, hold an eight-hour open meeting with testimony from a bunch of experts.)
	Keep discussions open - Accountability takes a direct hit when deliberations are kept secret.
	Senate favors secret votes and meetings - The full state Senate is likely to approve the changes, meant to increase security.
	Horne against laws on patriotism education Florida students need to learn how government works, but patriotism education should be left up to parents, principals and school boards, Education Secretary Jim Horne said Wednesday.
	Cheap political trick A bill requiring the Pledge of Allegiance in schools seeks to fix what isn't broken.
	Florida lawmakers pass prayer bill, let budget cuts wait - TALLAHASSEE -- After a debate that pitted Christian against Jew, the Republican-controlled House on Wednesday passed a school-prayer bill that has nothing to do with what lawmakers are in town to do -- cut the state budget.
	Prayer bill splits House
	House approves bill on student-led prayer - Some lawmakers complain that such side issues sidetracks the Legislature from the special session issue: budget shortfall.
	Lawmakers right to share pain, but concerns on point Given the budget crisis that has brought lawmakers to Tallahassee this week and next, representatives couldn't very well start the slashing process without considering their own 2.5-percent raises. That would be symbolically insensitive and politically imprudent.
	Cuts worry anti-tobacco group Advocates for Florida's Tobacco Control Program said during a news conference Wednesday that cuts proposed by the Legislature would "destroy" the state's campaign to keep children smoke-free.
	Battling domestic violence Mardrell Hale stood in the rain Wednesday night at Lake Ella for a woman she has never met. Hale, a victim of domestic violence, never knew her abusive ex-boyfriend's next victim, but she thinks about her every day. He killed her.
	TECO fined for leaks at coal-burning plant TALLAHASSEE -- The state fined Tampa Electric Co. $333,100 Wednesday for improperly storing waste at a Polk County plant that's billed as a state-of-the-art "clean coal" facility.
	USF peace rally a tough sell - The forum, like many rallies across the country, attracts a small crowd to the college campus.
	Reno should bow out of the race TALLAHASSEE -- Janet Reno has been a friend for some 30 years -- though she may no longer think so after reading what follows. I believe that I know her well enough to disagree strongly with those who say her candidacy for governor is an ego trip. Her ego is small. It is her love for Florida and her fervor for justice that are huge.
	Welfare reform put to the test - For years, critics have wondered whether the success of welfare reform was due more to the strength of the economy than the power of its ideas.-- We're about to find out.

10/24/01

	Feeney: Time may run out on budget cuts Speaker pessimistic that Legislature will approve budget bill by deadline -- The special session to slash $1.3 billion out of the state budget is just two days old, but House Speaker Tom Feeney is already predicting lawmakers won't be able to agree on a spending plan in the nine days left.
	State may alter scholarship program The state's Bright Futures scholarship program may have some big changes in its own future as a bill that would stiffen eligibility requirements and limit the amount of money students can receive advances in the Senate.
	House rushes patriotic bills Called back to the Capitol to tackle a budget deficit, members of the House took the opportunity Tuesday to pass some laws on patriotism.
	Feeling patriotic, state House OKs star-spangled legislation - Amid a flurry of motions during a boisterous special session Tuesday, House members overwhelmingly approved bills to guarantee that Florida residents may fly American flags outside their homes and to require that children start each school day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
	House okays pledge bill for students - TALLAHASSEE -- What was supposed to be a budget-cutting session turned into a show of patriotism Tuesday as the state House of Representatives passed a bill that would require Florida schoolchildren to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.
	The pressure mounts over state budget bickering Tuesday I watched members of the state House, under tremendous pressure as they whack the state budget, snarl, whine and hurl sarcasm. The best stuff was not Republicans versus Democrats, but Republicans versus each other.
	Lawmakers start cutting process - A nickel here, a dime there and a lot of boasting about what was spared in the face of a money crisis.
	... put politics aside The bickering must stop so that legislators can attend to specific budget cuts.
	Budget roils House, Senate - TALLAHASSEE -- Battle lines hardened and the talk got tougher Tuesday between House and Senate leaders pursuing dramatically different paths toward cutting more than $1 billion from Florida's cash-strapped budget.
	Fear drives Senate's rush to secrecy The Florida Senate, gripped by the fear of terrorism, is set to launch a barrage of legislation and rules that would allow lawmakers to meet and cut deals in secret.
	No state secrets Senators have no business considering a rule change that allows secrecy.
	Florida Senate to vote on meeting in secret - If approved, the proposal, designed for meetings on terrorism prevention, would allow closed sessions for the first time in over 30 years.
	Security, but not over freedom Terrorism is winning in Tallahassee, where a panic-stricken state Senate is poised to shut the public out, "at the sole discretion of the president," whenever it wants -- or claims it wants -- to talk about preventing terrorism. No one might ever know what else they did because every document and record, including any vote, could be kept secret, too.
	Senate debates secrecy rules - TALLAHASSEE -- Senate President John McKay, fearing that lawmakers may not be able to talk about state security efforts without tipping off terrorists, wants to allow senators to meet in secret.
	House committee looks at impeachment for judges- Several lawmakers question whether the Legislature should involve itself in the judges' fates.
	State targets biased policing Police shouldn't stop a woman in a Corvette because she's good-looking or someone who looks Arabic for no other reason, Attorney General Bob Butterworth said Tuesday. "We do not tolerate bias-based policing, period," Butterworth said at the first meeting of a task force investigating the discriminatory treatment of motorists. "It's a problem, and we want to root it out."
	Schools might escape layoffs Public schools may be able to squeeze through the current budget crunch without layoffs, the head of the Florida School Boards Association said Tuesday as lawmakers worked on spending cuts.
	Kids, minorities make for tough budget debate Tough choice between cutting money to help children or minorities Last March, Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan called "Take Stock in Children" a national model on helping poor kids succeed. The mentoring program, which provides college scholarships and tutoring for low-income students, counts Gov. Jeb Bush among its supporters, too.
	Budget cuts spark discord among GOP that may influence political campaigns - TALLAHASSEE -- Inflamed passions in Florida's capital this week could spill into a nasty political season next year, when Gov. Jeb Bush and scores of legislators face the voters.
	House, Senate rift hardens over $1.3 billion budget deficit -
	Tense session exposes Republican rift - TALLAHASSEE -- The stress of cutting $1.3 billion from the state budget created a House divided on Tuesday, opening up an unusual rift in the conservative Republican leadership and infuriating black lawmakers.