NOTE - 
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10/19/02

Justice Dept. to monitor election
MIAMI — U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft has agreed to provide civil rights monitors in several Florida counties during the November election, the state announced Friday. Florida Secretary of State Jim Smith asked Ashcroft last month for the U.S. Justice Department's help to prevent a repeat of the botched Sept. 10 primary, when some South Florida vote tallies were delayed for a week and some polling places did not open on time. Miami-Dade, Orange, Osceola and other counties will have monitors.

McBride seeks NY donations in race against Gov. Bush
Florida Democrat Bill McBride brought his gubernatorial campaign to New York on Friday, seeking last-minute cash in his effort to oust the well-financed brother of the president.

Election 2002: Longtime gay activist Kunst runs fringe campaign for governor
MIAMI — Gubernatorial candidate Bob Kunst sleeps in his car and showers at the YMCA while he travels through the state. But the political activist, who gained notoriety for combating the late 1970s anti-gay movement promoted by singer Anita Bryant, has accomplished one thing Janet Reno couldn't: Get his name on the November ballot for governor.

Election 2002: Florida's electorate more independent, ethnic but still fractured
ORLANDO — Florida is a state divided. The state has two Democratic senators in Washington, but 15 of 23 congressional representatives are Republicans. The GOP controls the governor's mansion and the Legislature even though there are almost 350,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.

Election 2002: Bush trying to outlast political neophyte McBride
MIAMI — When Gov. Jeb Bush looks at Bill McBride, he may see an earlier version of himself: a political newcomer who deftly navigated the party hierarchy and Florida's vast political terrain to win the gubernatorial nomination. Now a seasoned veteran, Bush is trying to keep McBride at bay in a midterm gubernatorial race that could serve as the opening salvo in the 2004 race for the White House.

Election 2002: Bush, McBride say black voters could be pivotal in deciding outcome of Florida governor's race
MIAMI — From the pulpits of black churches, Bill McBride often recounts the first question posed by God in the Book of Genesis: "Adam, where are you?" But many black voters in Florida may be asking the Democratic gubernatorial nominee a different question: "Who are you?" A political neophyte, McBride is working to become better known among blacks and convince them their lives will improve if he beats Republican Gov. Jeb Bush on Nov. 5.

Election 2002: Bush, McBride have different views of Florida schools
TALLAHASSEE — If you listen to Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida's schools are improving under a system that sets high standards for learning. If you listen to Bill McBride, the state's schools are failing and Bush hasn't kept a promise to make education a priority. The question for Florida voters is whom to believe.

Election 2002: Dyer, Crist seek Butterworth's job
TALLAHASSEE — For the first time since Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Florida voters will elect a new attorney general Nov. 5. Democratic State Sen. Buddy Dyer of Orlando and Republican Education Commissioner Charlie Crist are vying to replace Bob Butterworth, who was first elected in 1986.

Election 2002: Few Florida congressional districts in play after redistricting
Artful redistricting gives Republicans an inside track for winning the state's two new congressional seats and could help them defeat a Democratic incumbent in what may be Florida's only competitive race for the U.S. House of Representatives. Picking up those three seats on Nov. 5 would increase the GOP's House advantage over Democrats from 15-8 to 18-7 in Florida.

Election 2002: Miami teacher hoping for major upset in agriculture race
TALLAHASSEE — Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson has a famous name and a job he'd like to keep. Miami school teacher David Nelson has a common name and thinks he'd do a better job. Bronson, a former Republican state senator, was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush in the spring of 2001 and is trying to convince voters that he should be retained in a role he unsuccessfully sought twice.

Election 2002: Roberts focuses on prescription drugs in race against Shaw
WEST PALM BEACH — Democrats who nearly upended longtime U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw in 2000 are pinning their hopes this year on a Palm Beach County commissioner who's providing ways for seniors to buy cheaper prescription drugs. Carol Roberts is pushing a toll-free hot line where seniors can learn how to buy medications over the Internet from Canada.

Election 2002: State House Speaker Feeney runs for Congress as familiar face
OVIEDO — Many people believe Tom Feeney was made for one of the state's two new congressional seats. After all, Feeney — as speaker of the Florida House — played a big role in making the 24th District. The Republican has a handful of advantages in his race, the greatest his custom-made district.

Election 2002: Successful lawyer taking on Congressman Mica
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The central issue to emerge in the race for the newly drawn 7th congressional district is money. Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica, 59, seeking his sixth term in Congress, has been on the offensive, accusing his Democratic opponent, millionaire trial lawyer Wayne Hogan, of attempting to buy himself a seat in Congress.

Election 2002: Two Cuban-Americans vying for new Miami-Dade congressional seat
MIAMI — State Reps. Annie Betancourt and Mario Diaz-Balart are vying for a new congressional seat in South Florida, a race that could turn into a referendum on U.S. policy toward Cuba. Diaz-Balart and Betancourt, both Cuban-Americans, have taken opposing stances on the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, a topic that traditionally has overwhelming support in South

Editorial: Election 2002 — Florida House
Southern Lee and Collier counties now send six members, one more than in the past, to the Florida House of Representatives. The gain is in eastern Collier, where voters join forces with western Broward County in the newly reapportioned District 101. Our recommendations for voters in decisive races, starting in the north and heading south, on Tuesday, Nov. 5:

Graham pushes university amendment in South Florida
MIAMI LAKES — U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, spending a workday in his hometown at a school that will bear his name, touted his proposal to reinstate a statewide board to oversee Florida's universities. The system, similar to the Board of Regents abolished by Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature, is proposed in an amendment on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Prosecution rests in civil rights trial of four Miami police officers
MIAMI — The prosecution rested Friday in the civil rights trial of four Miami police officers accused of beating a handcuffed career criminal before taking him to the police station. The judge followed up on the fourth day of trial by denying directed verdicts of acquittal requested on claims of insufficient evidence and unbelievable witnesses.

Supreme Court OKs bonds for 'blighted' Panhandle area
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The Florida Supreme Court says undeveloped land is eligible for projects funded by tax-free municipal bonds under a state program for redevelopment of "blighted" areas. The justices Thursday reversed a judge's ruling against use of such bonds by Panama City Beach to finance a project, Pier Park, in cooperation with the St. Joe Co., Florida's largest private land owner.

Editorial: Marco should seek injunction to stop Florida Water sale
Florida Water Services has set a new standard for duplicity. The water and sewer company has walked away without notice from a year of negotiations to sell its assets to Florida Governmental Utilities Authority. FGUA represents Marco Island and other Florida cities and counties where the systems are located.

Guest Commentary: Council Chairman urges cities' co-op to reconsider Florida Water purchase
Two small cities located in the Florida Panhandle have formed a utility authority for the purpose of acquiring the statewide assets of Florida Water Services. With populations of about 7,000 each, these cities believe they should pay FWS $471 million, plus $36 million over three years for 152 utility systems. They will retain 2 percent of utility revenues for use by their cities.

10/18/02

Documents Show Intervention in Trademark Case of GOP Donor
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has released documents outlining a sustained lobbying campaign by his office on behalf of a major Republican donor, which included efforts to get political appointees of President Bush to overrule career employees at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). The disclosures, prompted by a Freedom of Information request from the Florida Democratic Party, add new details about the time and effort the governor and several top aides devoted to the matter...
(NOTE -- this article is available "free" for 14 days since publication -- WFL)

DEMOCRATS CALL ON JEB BUSH TO PROVIDE DETAILS OF ADMINISTRATION'S PAY-TO-PLAY SCHEME
Florida Democratic Party Chair Bob Poe today called on Gov. Jeb Bush to provide the full details of the apparent "pay-to-play" scheme apparently being conducted by the Bush/Brogan administration including providing a full account of communications between the Bush administration and campaign donors to the Republican Party of Florida and the Bush/Brogan campaign. Published reports show many of these donors benefited from action by the Bush administration.

State investigating Florida Water's deal with town
At the urging of the Internal Revenue Service, Florida's auditor general is looking into potential problems with the financing arm of the Panhandle town that orchestrated the contentious deal forged between the town and the private company that owns Marco Island's water operations. The audit of Gulf Breeze Financial Services is one of about eight Florida bond pools the state auditor general is investigating, said Jim Dwyer, audit manager for the auditor general

Lt. Gov. Brogan challenges McBride's plan at GOP rally
At a Collier County Republican rally Thursday, Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan challenged Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride to detail his plans for the state. "We have no idea what he's going to do on the issues of crime, education and disadvantaged children," Brogan said of McBride.

Bush pushes elderly protection, McBride touts prescription plan
Gov. Jeb Bush and Bill McBride are wooing the elderly during the stretch run of the governor's race, targeting one of the state's most reliable voting groups. Bush on Thursday presented two initiatives that would stiffen the penalties against criminals and con artists who target the elderly. "The people who prey on our seniors should be punished to a greater degree," Bush told more than 1,000 people at a Senior Expo at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

Court upholds Ryce Act for sexual offenders
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Jimmy Ryce Act, which allows the state to confine people found to be violent sexual predators after their prison term expires. The court unanimously upheld constitutionality of the Jimmy Ryce Act, passed by the Legislature in 1998.

CentCom says four laptops stolen, not two
TAMPA — The U.S. Air Force now says four laptop computers — not two — were stolen over the summer from the closely guarded military center coordinating the war in Afghanistan. A laptop hard drive, the removable brain of a computer, and two personal digital assistants, sometimes known as PDAs, also were taken from U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, the Air Force said.

Election 2002: Democrats complain over contributions to Republicans
TALLAHASSEE — Democrats charged that Gov. Jeb Bush may have helped certain companies because of money donated to the Republican Party, pointing Thursday to contributions made by a former billboard executive and a liquor distributor. None of the contributions was illegal, but Democrats say they are illustrative of a "pay-to-play administration" that helps big contributors more than the average Floridian.

Election 2002: McBride endorsed by Leesburg newspaper
LEESBURG — The Daily Commercial of Leesburg has endorsed Bill McBride in the race for governor. McBride, who was raised in Leesburg, was praised for his "capabilities" and "optimistic vision" in the first daily newspaper endorsement of the general election.

Election 2002: McBride fund-raisers want U.S. to normalize relations with Cuba
ORLANDO — The wealthy couple who hosted a fund-raiser for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride Thursday have fought for years to end the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and once had Elian Gonzalez over for dinner. Elizabeth Bagley, President Clinton's ambassador to Portugal, and her husband, Smith Bagley, an heir to the R.J. Reynolds fortune, were expected to raise more than $100,000 for McBride at their Georgetown home in Washington, D.C.

Man testifies he was beaten by four Miami police officers
MIAMI — A career criminal testified in a federal trial Thursday that four Miami police officers punched, kicked, and beat him with a radio and a metal flashlight. Alexander Anazco, who was forced to testify as part of an immunity agreement offered by prosecutors Wednesday, said the beatings began when he was placed into an unmarked police car with three of the defendants.

Pakistani immigrant gets nearly 12 years in terror plot
FORT LAUDERDALE — A Pakistani man accused of fomenting a terrorist bomb plot at a mosque was sentenced Thursday to nearly 12 years in federal prison. Imran Mandhai and a Trinidadian immigrant charged with him admitted talking with FBI informants who infiltrated a Pembroke Pines mosque about bombing an armory, electrical substations and Jewish businesses.

State GOP urges candidates to attack class-size plan
TALLAHASSEE — The state Republican Party is encouraging its candidates to attack the amendment to cap class sizes by using arguments that Gov. Jeb Bush has largely ignored, officials said. Party chairman Al Cardenas suggests the points, used in internal Republican polls, would be more effective in defeating the amendment than Bush's strategy of attacking its $28 billion potential cost.

Tampa area police shooting ruled justified
TAMPA — A Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy was justified in shooting to death a 19-year-old man who refused to drop the butcher knives he was holding during a standoff, the county's top prosecutor said Thursday.

Sick of War
As a new conflict with Iraq looms, local vets suffering from Gulf War syndrome say they hope their country does a better job this time of guarding its troops' health. Story

Brown-Waite not clean of bad ads
In one of the highest-profile congressional races in the country, Ginny Brown-Waite is trying to unseat 10-year incumbent Karen Thurman in the 5th District, an area that includes all or part of eight counties, including Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Citrus and Sumter.

Vote yes on Dali lease
The Salvador Dali Museum is a tremendous asset for the city of St. Petersburg. It holds one of the premier collections of Dali's work and attracts an international audience. More than 200,000 visitors annually flock to the museum, which sits on public, waterfront land leased from the city.

Choice for attorney general not so easy
Here is the question for Democrats in Florida's attorney general race: Is any Democrat, no matter what, automatically better than the Republican?

'Granny flat' might get tax breaks
Amendment 7 would allow counties to lower taxes on homes expanded to house elderly relatives

President gives brother a boost
President George Bush returned Thursday for the 11th time to the site of his contested 2000 victory to help his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, who has seen a dramatic lead shrink and appears headed toward a contest that could be nearly as close as his brother's election.

Bush touts senior crime crackdown
Gov. Jeb Bush and Bill McBride are wooing the elderly during the stretch run of the governor's race, targeting one of the state's most reliable voting groups.

Leon County steps up push for charter
Voters who haven't made up their minds about Leon County's home rule charter will be getting some help in the days leading up to the Nov. 5 election.

Martin Luther King III rallies men at banquet
Martin Luther King III has issued a challenge to Tallahassee men: Pass your wisdom to younger generations. King, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, spoke at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church's Men of Honor Banquet on Thursday night.

Ex-FSU employees charged with theft
Two former Florida State University employees were arrested Thursday on charges of misusing credit cards and misappropriating money from the Gadsden County Citizens for Healthy Babies Coalition.

Apartments won't go forward
In a surprising and unorthodox move, three Tallahassee city commissioners voted Thursday night to kill a Comprehensive Plan amendment that might have allowed a controversial development project to be built in the Lake Jackson drainage basin.

Relief for residents; pride for Providence
The Providence neighborhood - a small, impoverished community south of Florida State University - is looking for a makeover. Residents there want abandoned buildings to be renovated and code violations corrected, and one neighborhood leader is even proposing some attractive incentives for college students, provided they're an asset to the neighborhood.

Oliphant creates stir with criticism of Broward election coordinator
Broward County Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant has sharply criticized the man now overseeing the Nov. 5 election over his handling of a request for a $1.5 million cash advance to pay for the vote.

10/17/02

FLORIDA DEMOCRATS ASK COMPTROLLER MILLIGAN TO INVESTIGATE TASK FORCE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING
Florida Democratic Party Chair Bob Poe today asked Florida Comptroller Bob Milligan to open an official investigation to account for all monies and any other state resources allocated to the Task Force on Public School Funding.

GOV. JEB BUSH'S "DEVIOUS" PAY-TO-PLAY ADMINISTRATION: FOLLOW THE MONEY TO FIND OUT WHO JEB'S REALLY WORKING FOR 
Exactly how much does it cost for action from Florida’s developer Gov. Jeb Bush? From $25,000 to $60,000 in hard, cold cash, according to revelations Thursday that Bush’s "quid-pro-quo" administration had received $25,000 from one of Florida’s biggest billboard companies just a week before Bush reciprocated and signed into law a controversial bill seen as a shot in the arm to billboard companies.

Sawgrass protesters arrive in state capital
Property rights advocates brought their "Bucket Brigade" to the state capitol Wednesday, the latest stop in a cross-country protest that travels to Naples today or Friday. Road-weary members of the Sawgrass Rebellion brought their message and symbols to Tallahassee to protest state and federal efforts to restore portions of the Florida Everglades by flooding lands now containing homes or used for agriculture.

Bush campaign blasts McBride
DELRAY BEACH — Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign criticized Democratic challenger Bill McBride Wednesday for failing to condemn a supporter's remarks comparing the Bush family to Osama bin Laden and neo-Nazis. McBride fired back that the Bush campaign was "lowering its game" and trying to divert attention away from more important issues. "The governor knows better than that, so they shouldn't be talking like that," McBride said. "That isn't language that I believe in or would agree with." Bush and his campaign said McBride's response was insufficient and that he should instead disavow the remarks made by the Rev. Victor Curry. "I think Bill Mcbride needs to repudiate his supporter's comments," Bush said. 

Agriculture workers find 40 canker-infected trees
WEST PALM BEACH — State officials urged residents to cooperate with them in the fight against citrus canker after crews discovered 40 infected trees during backyard searches. In an area where residents and local governments are challenging the state's rules on removing citrus trees, agriculture officials say they are struggling to beat the disease.

Amendment allows Miami-Dade voters to change charter
TALLAHASSEE — Miami-Dade County politics is at the core of Amendment 3 on the November ballot. The proposed amendment, which affects only Miami-Dade, would allow the Legislature to change the county's charter with voter approval. It was sponsored by legislators from Miami-Dade who were frustrated at the failure of the County Commission to approve reforms.

Defense bill has millions in Florida-related projects
PENSACOLA — The Defense Appropriations Bill passed by the Senate and sent to President Bush on Wednesday includes tens of millions of dollars in new or expanded Florida-related programs. The projects include construction, new and refurbished aircraft and weapons, research at Florida bases and universities and contracts with companies in the state.

Election 2002: Bush campaign blasts McBride over supporter's remarks
DELRAY BEACH — Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign criticized Democratic challenger Bill McBride Wednesday for failing to condemn a supporter's remarks comparing the Bush family to Osama bin Laden and neo-Nazis. McBride fired back that the Bush campaign was "lowering its game" and trying to divert attention away from more important issues.

Election 2002: Harris nearing $3 million raised in Congress bid
TALLAHASSEE — Former Secretary of State Katherine Harris continues to be the biggest fund-raiser and spender among Florida congressional candidates, having raised just under $2.9 million through Sept. 30.

Election 2002: President Bush to visit school, raise money for Jeb
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — President Bush planned to hold an education discussion at an elementary school and a fund-raiser for his younger brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, during a visit to Volusia County on Thursday.

Florida adds 10 more counties to West Nile medical alert
TALLAHASSEE — Ten more counties were added to those under a medical alert for West Nile Virus Wednesday, putting more than half the state on the list. Health Secretary John Agwunobi said the 10 counties were added to the list because of increasing detection of the potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease in birds and other animals.

Judicial Watch sues Gov. Bush over records requests
MIAMI — A Washington-based organization is suing Gov. Jeb Bush and other state officials, seeking access to state documents related to Cuba and Florida's child welfare agency. Judicial Watch Inc., filed two lawsuits in Miami-Dade County last week, asking the court for an immediate hearing and hoping to expedite the records request.

Check, law on billboards coincide
A longtime GOP supporter gave $25,000 to the party shortly before the governor signed off on the controversial legislation. 

For a better judiciary
Frustrating choices. With candidates feeling constrained by ethics rules about what they may say, many voters often resort to meaningless measures to make their decisions, such as the number of yard signs or the order of names on the ballot. But selecting a judge is too important to leave to such guesswork. However difficult, voters should make an effort to inform themselves and to judge the candidates on the basis of their integrity, life experience, temperament and commitment to community service.

McBride provides drug-plan specifics
Democrat Bill McBride, promising to help more than a million Floridians with prescription drugs, unveiled a plan Wednesday that Republican Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign immediately rejected as impossible.

Governor Backs Smaller Veterans' Package
TALLAHASSEE - Even as he courts Florida's veterans, Gov. Jeb Bush is lobbying Washington against immediately expanding benefits for 655,000 disabled military retirees, saying the plan is not ``fiscally responsible.'' ...

McBride, Bush clash over gay adoption ban
Challenger debates Bush on radio
ORLANDO - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride said Tuesday that Florida's law prohibiting gay couples from adopting children is discriminatory and ``not the American way.''

Class size dominates debate
Gov. Jeb Bush expressed regret Tuesday for saying he had "devious plans" to handle a constitutional amendment mandating reductions in class size, but he warned that its passage will force tax increases and program cuts. Gov. Jeb Bush expressed regret Tuesday for saying he had "devious plans" to handle a constitutional amendment mandating reductions in class size, but he warned that its passage will force tax increases and program cuts.

Election bill gives Florida $200 million
Florida stands to gain more than $200 million from a historic election-reform bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday and headed for the White House to be signed into law.

Voting act to bring more changes for state
Florida will get some money - it's not yet known how much - and will have to change some of its election laws - it's not yet known how extensively - under the "Help America Vote Act" the U.S. Senate passed Wednesday.

McBride Enlists Clinton In Campaign Fundraising
WASHINGTON - In New York, there will be a ``private luncheon'' at the posh St. Regis Hotel with a star drop- in guest, former president and political lightning rod Bill Clinton.

194 missing children are 'found' by the state
Less than two months after Gov. Jeb Bush demanded that police and child welfare workers track down 393 children missing from state care, nearly half have been found.

Florida Supreme Court upholds law allowing confinement of violent sex offenders
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 1998 law that allows the state to confine violent sexual predators after their prison terms expire.

10/16/02

Please see editor's note

10/15/02

Black legislators discuss education, health care
TAMPA — Several members of the state's black legislative caucus met Monday to discuss issues they want addressed next year, including education, economic development, health care and the justice system. State Rep. Wilbert "Tee" Holloway, D-Miami, said those issues will be important regardless of who wins next month's election between Gov. Jeb Bush and his Democratic challenger, Bill McBride.

Race tightening as Bush, McBride prepare for second debate
ORLANDO — Gov. Jeb Bush and Democratic challenger Bill McBride will engage in a one-hour radio debate Tuesday as a new poll shows that the race is tightening three weeks before Election Day. A MSNBC/Zogby Poll released over the weekend showed Bush has the support of 48 percent of voters while McBride has the support of 45 percent. Seven percent of the 500 likely voters who were surveyed between Oct. 8 and Oct. 10 said they were undecided. The survey had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points, which places the race in a statistical dead heat.

Panhandle shrimpers, oystermen in decline
PENSACOLA — Hard times have hit shrimpers, and to a lesser extent oystermen, in the Florida Panhandle. Storms, low prices, high fuel costs and foreign competition are prompting some shrimpers to dock their boats and seek other work.

Workplace fatalities increased in Florida last year
TALLAHASSEE — Workplace deaths increased in Florida in 2001 for the first time in three years, the state Department of Insurance reported Monday. The number of fatalities rose 12 percent to 368, with transportation incidents the leading cause.

10/14/02

An unnatural silence
A cement plant near a state park seems to put Gov. Jeb Bush in a vulnerable spot. But Bill McBride, whose former law firm was involved, hasn't pressed the issue.... How the plant came to be built despite strong opposition from environmental advocates and local residents, its location near one of the state's most popular natural features and the checkered past of its developer offers a window into Bush's efforts to balance environmental protection with the interests of influential businesses. ... Bush's role in the cement plant controversy began in June 1999, about five months into his first term. He took a well- publicized canoe trip down the Ichetucknee River with his newly appointed environmental chief, David Struhs. ...

Environmental records spotty
There's a lot of gray area amid the green in the race for governor.

Feeney denies using influence
Tom Feeney -- or one of his law partners -- asked the state's top technology official to arrange a private meeting with an Oviedo computer company Feeney is paid to represent, documents and interviews show. (more about this story)

Don't be swept away by his smile
By Tom Blackburn, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
Attorney general candidate Charlie Crist is incapable of protecting consumers.

Write-in, fringe contenders push priorities
Voters can't choose "none of the above" in Florida, but anybody who brings a pencil to the polls can do the next best thing. Write-in candidates and fringe contenders offer the undecided, unpersuaded or just perpetually unhappy voter the chance to make a statement Nov. 5. Fueled by a mixture of frustration with mainstream politicians - or just a yearning to draw attention to their views - the self-starter contenders wage campaigns with almost no money or public support.

Health insurance costs up
Workers choosing a plan are finding higher costs and fewer benefits.

Some workers missed out on pay raises
When state employees got their 2.5-percent pay raises on Oct. 1, a few were left out. It shouldn't have come as a surprise. If they'd seen their latest performance evaluation, they might have known whether they were just hanging onto their jobs.

Amendments can collect dust in constitution
TALLAHASSEE — State lawmakers have ignored some voter-approved changes to the Florida Constitution in the past, and some fear the amendment to cap class size might face the same fate. Of the 10 amendments voters face this Election Day, the measure to reduce the number of children in public classrooms has generated the most debate.

Bush continues pushing McBride for specifics on environment plan
FORT LAUDERDALE — Gov. Jeb Bush continued asking for specific ideas from Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill McBride on Sunday, especially regarding McBride's newly released plan for Florida's environmental future. Bush, appearing before supporters in Fort Lauderdale, attacked his challenger for refusing to talk about certain tenets of the plan, including its cost.

Floridians asked to help count skunks
TALLAHASSEE — If you've seen a skunk — or smelled one — in the last five years, the state wants to know. "I haven't seen a dead skunk on the road for a while," said Henry Cabbage, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Litter, pollution threatening state's springs
WACISSA — For 20 years, Carla Roberts has come to the spring at the headwaters of the Wacissa River in Jefferson County to relax, swim and just watch the crystal blue waters bubble mysteriously from the river bottom. These days, the spring is still clear and bubbling, but Roberts has noticed some changes.

Willy-nilly meddling gums up our Constitution
You will be asked in the Nov. 5 election to insert a requirement for smaller public- school class sizes into our state Constitution.

State owes colleges nearly $110 million in matching donations
FORT LAUDERDALE — The state owes Florida colleges nearly $110 million to match major donations, the Board of Education said. The state agreed in 1979 to match all or part of large donations for scholarships, research, prominent professorships and certain public universities.

Odometer fraud
There are plenty of selling and buying points to consider in a used car transaction. Truth in odometer mileage isn't one that most buyers think of or know how to check, yet sharp buyers in Southwest Florida did so and helped get word out to car buyers everywhere in the process.

Maureen Dowd: Texas on the Tigris
WASHINGTON — This has always been a place where people say the opposite of what they mean. But last week, the capital soared to ominous new Orwellian heights. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton voted to let the president use force in Iraq because she didn't want the president to use force in Iraq.

Secrecy on Iraq is disservice to the public
WASHINGTON -- Polls show more than half of all Americans support President Bush's plan to attack Iraq -- as long as the United Nations has sanctioned it -- and many of them say they are paying close attention to the debate.

10/12-13/02

Amendment 1 could prove deadly for kids
TALLAHASSEE -- There have doubtless been children among Saddam Hussein's numberless victims, but not even he asserts the right to kill them legally. Among the 90 nations that still practice capital punishment, all but a handful have renounced its use against juveniles. The exceptions include Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the United States of America.

2000-vote films find few venues
A handful of award-winning filmmakers peddling documentaries on the botched 2000 presidential election to PBS are having trouble getting prime-time play in Florida, including one filmmaker whose effort was subsidized by the publicly-funded broadcasting system.

Contemporaraneous e-mails at odds with Feeney denials
This story ran on Oct. 12, 2002
Despite repeated claims that he never used his influence to benefit his client, House Speaker Tom Feeney arranged at least one meeting between state officials and an Oviedo computer firm that was having trouble with its state contract. 

McBride lays out environmental agenda
The Democratic candidate pledges to reverse laws that environmentalists opposed.

DCF: Agency unable to contact more than 3,000 kids in its care - FORT LAUDERDALE -- The state's child welfare agency says it was unable to contact more than 3,000 children in its care last month, the most since April, when its failure to keep tabs on a missing Miami girl surfaced. - 
By law, Department of Children & Families caseworkers are required to visit all 48,537 children under state care monthly. In September, the department failed to visit 3,185 children, up from 2,820 in August and 1,602 in July. 

Taxpayers, guard your wallets
By Fran Hathaway, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
'Private' child welfare may carry hight cost. - Perhaps the first question to ask is, "Why?" Why privatize the adoption and foster-care services of the Florida Department of Children and Families? Why can't DCF just do its job better?

Computer gives 186 inmates extra bucks-- MIAMI -- In a big time error at three of Florida's hard- line prisons, a computer blunder put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the canteen accounts of 186 inmates.- 
The mistake went undetected for at least 10 months -- while assorted convicts ordered Marlboros, peanut M&Ms, vending machine cheeseburgers, tennis shoes, radios, cookies, chewing tobacco, even televisions.- 
Now the party is over. The inmates are not happy about it, and the Florida Department of Corrections is embarrassed.- 
The spending spree had something to do with "problems with the mainframe and software and local systems," Department of Corrections spokesman Sterling Ivey said.

Plant workers are exposed to radiation
HUTCHINSON ISLAND -- Federal officials are investigating how 28 Florida power plant workers were exposed to radiation during a maintenance operation.

Help state universities top charts
By Randy Schultz, Palm Beach Post Editor of the Editorial Page
Amendment 11, which would restore the Board of Regents, would bring Florida into the 21st century.

Make rules, not promises -- Florida's environmental groups sometimes disagree, but they are united in believing that the rules for Everglades restoration must be tightened to assure that the priority remains the Everglades, rather than development or agriculture. - The Everglades Coalition, which includes more than 40 groups, joined last week with U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., to make that point. Sen. Graham, along with Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and three other senators have asked the Army Corps of Engineers to close the loopholes in the rules. But Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David Struhs continues to insist, on behalf of Gov. Bush, that the rules are adequate. He's wrong, and they're right.

A sweet setup at MIA-- Next time you're trying to find your way out of the lunatic rat maze called Miami International Airport, remember the story of Linda Forrest:
She's one of eight partners in Dade Aviation Consultants, the consortium of so-called experts being paid to oversee the $5 billion construction spectacle at MIA.- 
Every month, Forrest receives nearly $50,000 for essentially having a pulse.

Health secretary: West Nile probably everywhere in Florida- PENSACOLA — West Nile virus almost certainly is present in all 67 Florida counties although medical alerts have been issued in only 24, the state's top health official said Friday.

Mysterious find under sea could be lost city of Atlantis - HAVANA -- The images appear slowly on the screen, like ghosts from the ocean floor. The videotape, made by an unmanned submarine, shows massive stones in oddly symmetrical square and pyramid shapes in the deep-sea darkness.- 
Sonar images taken from a research ship 2,000 feet above are even more puzzling. They show that the smooth, white stones are laid out in a geometric pattern. The images look like fragments of a city, spanning nearly eight square miles of a deep-ocean plain off Cuba's western tip.

Will resolve stay strong when our soldiers die?
The first thing you notice in Tony Sledd's photograph is his somber look. His dark eyes stare straight ahead out from under the visor of his white hat. There's not even a trace of a smile. In the photograph, he is all business, and his business is all about strength and might.

10/11/02

Fiscal crisis may be ahead for the state -- ...  "This is probably one of the most critical times in the history of our state," says Jon Shebel, who's seen his share of tough times during his decades as a powerful business lobbyist. "There are going to be some major decisions that are not going to be popular."- 
Lawmakers compounded the problem last year - and Bush let them get away with it when he prematurely put the cap back on his veto pen - by paying for more than $1 billion of recurring projects with one-time money. That beginning deficit will more than suck away what little, if any, growth in revenues the state was expecting.-- 
What's worse, state numbers-crunchers are getting a very late start in figuring out just how big the hole will be. That's because the Revenue Estimating Conference won't even meet until Nov. 15, oddly enough, some 10 days after Election Day....

Brown-Waite's husband admits damaging, stealing Thurman signs
SPRING HILL — The husband of Republican congressional candidate Ginny Brown-Waite has admitted stealing and damaging campaign signs for her Democratic opponent, Karen Thurman. Harvey Waite, 62, told a Hernando County sheriff's deputy that he had damaged a sign and removed others after he and another man were stopped in a pickup truck just after midnight Thursday with four Thurman signs in the back, sheriff's spokesman Lt. Joe Paez said.

Teachers union bashes Bush
TALLAHASSEE — The president of the Florida's teachers union criticized Gov. Jeb Bush Thursday for suggesting the state set a minimum teacher's salary. Florida Education Association President Maureen Dinnen said the idea violates the state constitution because it would interfere with collective bargaining between school districts and teachers.

Environmental groups assail Bush on Glades
A coalition demands tighter rules for Everglades restoration and says its efforts have been rebuffed.

Ecology groups hit Bush on Glades priorities
Less than a month before Gov. Jeb Bush faces voters at the ballot box, Florida's environmental lobby charged on Thursday that the governor who championed the Everglades Act appears more interested in securing a water supply for South Florida businesses and developers than in restoring the River of Grass.

McBride's platforms still a few nails short
While taking a pleasant stroll through a warehouse district the other day, I heard a great ruckus and the sound of hammering and sawing coming from behind a half- open garage door.

McBride remark led to apology
By WES ALLISON and LUCY MORGAN
Lawyers who heard say it was an insensitive attempt at humor that fell flat, and dropped jaws, about a decade ago.

Running mates draw the line
The lieutenant governor candidates had a hard time finding the good in each other in Thursday's debate.

Lieutenant governor debate a bruiser
By Jim Ash, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Democratic candidate Tom Rossin and Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan faced off Thursday in their only televised debate.

Lieutenant governor candidates debate
TALLAHASSEE — Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan and state Sen. Tom Rossin immediately clashed on education Thursday during the only scheduled debate between the lieutenant governor candidates. Brogan said a proposed constitutional amendment to limit class sizes will force cuts in other areas while Rossin said the initiative is needed to improve education.

Ethics commission staffer says Crist stonewalled probe
By S.V. Date, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
An investigation into air travel was blunted by Crist's refusal to answer questions.

Sen. Dawson charged with prescription fraud
By S.V. Date and Lady Hereford, Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
She says she'd been taking Lorcet for migraines and spinal problems and denies altering the prescription.

Chamber's straw poll irritates Democrats
Two of the highest-profile Central Florida elections featuring black candidates were not included in the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce's straw poll Thursday, prompting criticism from Democrats who said the chamber's political hobnobs serve mainly white and Republican audiences.

Tangled Web sites- Our position: School officials are doing a lousy job of offering key information on the Web.- 
If knowledge is power, Floridians still are 98-pound weaklings over their public schools.- 
Taxpayers must search long and hard on government Web sites and be very, very patient if they want to find out useful data about schools -- other than their state test scores. It shouldn't be that hard to find out about safety records, class size, absentee rates, teacher qualifications, student mobility and the like.

If failure no option, let students see FCATs
Palm Beach Post Editorial
A failed test is useless unless a parent or teacher can turn it into a learning tool.

Trustees slam FAU managers' raises
A fund-raising VP wins a 31 percent raise while professors got just 2.5 percent more. 

No exemptions in drug court
The glare of celebrity can be harsh, and Noelle Bush, 25-year-old daughter of Florida's governor, has faced her share of media attention since a drug arrest in February. But for a drug court to close its doors merely because a defendant asks for privacy would amount to a celebrity exemption to criminal justice.

Groups urge tighter Everglades restoration rules
TALLAHASSEE — Environmental groups urged Gov. Jeb Bush Thursday to push the federal government to tighten proposed rules for Everglades restoration to avoid having it sidetracked into providing water for developments and farms.

Citrus canker found in Sarasota
Several grapefruit and orange trees are infected with the county's first case of canker since 1994. 

Clear The Air, Release Data
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., wants the United States government to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding biological and chemical testing that took place on American soil during the Cold War.

Accuracy Counts -- 
Floridians and all Americans have just scored an important court victory for governmental openness, fairness and accuracy. The positive implications of this ruling, especially for areas like South Florida, are enormous and long- lasting.- 
Three U.S. appeals court judges correctly ruled that the U.S Census Bureau must publish instead of hiding its statistically adjusted count of people in every state, county, city and neighborhood. Statistics experts say the adjusted numbers will be far more accurate than those released earlier.

CIA assessment reveals divided opinions on Iraqi threats
WASHINGTON — A letter from CIA Director George J. Tenet to Congress has brought into public view divisions within the Bush administration over what intelligence shows about Iraq's intentions and its willingness to ally itself with the Qaida terrorist organization. The letter, together with other reports from the CIA, paints a worrisome picture of Iraq's pursuit of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. But it does not promote the White House's view that Iraq presents an immediate threat to the American homeland and may use al-Qaida to carry out attacks.

In climate of fear, people punished for speaking out
After 9/11 President Bush told the nation: "Freedom and fear are at war." One year later, fear appears to be winning — at least on the home front. Politicians running for office run for cover on the question of war with Iraq — afraid of being branded "soft" on national security. The few who do speak out are bombarded with attack ads describing them as radical peaceniks. Does "defending freedom" require stifling dissent? It would appear so.

Lying 'lie detectors' a threat to national security
WASHINGTON — Longtime readers of this column have noticed some recurring themes: I'm for personal privacy and have an affinity for the often-betrayed Kurdish people. I despise state-sponsored gambling as well as the form of torture that calls itself the "lie detector." Win some, lose some. Losses: Lawmakers are playing the slots, and privacy has been taking a beating from both government and private snoops. But some wins: The Kurds we protect in northern Iraq are united and ready to join in a fight for freedom. And this week, the polygraph — that hit-and-miss machine measuring sweat, speedy heartbeat and other signs of nervousness — has been discredited as the judge of truth-telling.

The latest 9/11 dodge
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh went before Congress and made the not- my-fault defense.

Deal for Sept. 11 panel is scuttled-- WASHINGTON -- A tentative congressional deal to create an independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks fell apart hours after the White House and House Republican leaders objected to the plan, sources said Thursday night.

10/10/02

Teamsters endorse Democrat McBride for Florida governor
The Teamsters on Wednesday endorsed Democrat Bill McBride for Florida governor, bypassing GOP incumbent Jeb Bush despite efforts by his brother, President Bush, to court the national union.

Bush leads McBride in TV time
The governor's fundraising advantage is spilling over to the tube. In the local market, he has spent five times more than McBride.

Democrats doing their best to exploit Jeb's gift of gaffe
Gov. Jeb Bush has given Bill McBride a little present that the Democrats are happily inflating into a big issue. Inexplicably failing to notice a Gannett newspaper reporter accompanying a group of Panhandle politicos to his office, Bush said he had "a couple of devious plans" for scuttling the constitutional amendment limiting class sizes in public schools. Then he offered "some juicy details" about two Miami women arrested on welfare- fraud charges in the Rilya Wilson case - indicating that they...

Why won't Democrats dance the salsa like GOP?-- There among a predominantly Puerto Rican crowd Sunday -- a group whose voter registration is 2-to-1 Democratic and contains a huge chunk of independents, too -- the crowds chanted in Spanish, "Jeb, tranquilo. Hispanos estan contigo."-- 
It loses the rhyme in the translation, but the message is clear: "Jeb stay calm. Hispanics are with you."

Lieutenant governor candidates to debate - 
TALLAHASSEE -- Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan and state Sen. Tom Rossin will face off Thursday in their only scheduled debate before the Nov. 5 election.

Running mates debate likely a clash of wit
Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan and state Sen. Tom Rossin's debate tonight may prove livelier than Bush/McBride.

McBride running mate: Rossin conventional, but has political savvy
When Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride announced in September that his running mate would be state Sen. Tom Rossin of Royal Palm Beach, the choice did not draw immediate admiration.

Bush running mate: As education reformer, Brogan often shined
Long before Gov. Jeb Bush debuted his A+ Plan for Education that gives private school vouchers to students at low-performing schools, Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan laid the groundwork.

Brogan-Rossin discussion a rhetorical test
It's not exactly the pivotal event of the 2002 campaign. In fact, Gov. Jeb Bush couldn't quite keep a straight face Wednesday when asked to assess the tactical importance of tonight's televised debate between his understudy and the Democrats' second banana. But it's the only political game in town and, like racing fans waiting for a spectacular pileup, campaign handlers on both sides will be watching more for miscues than for any bold new policy initiatives.

Police: Arrest warrant issued for state Sen. Dawson - TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for state Sen. Mandy Dawson on a prescription drug fraud charge, police said.- 
No details of the charge were immediately available, but Tallahassee police Chief Walter McNeil told the Tallahassee Democrat for a Thursday story that the charge has to do with prescription drug fraud.

St. Petersburg Times files suit against Pensacola police over records
ST. PETERSBURG — The St. Petersburg Times has sued the Pensacola Police Department, seeking access to records about military-issue weapons used by the force. The lawsuit was filed Monday in circuit court in Pensacola. Times reporter Sydney Freedberg submitted a public records request to Pensacola police Sept. 6 for information on how many military- issue weapons the department has, who was issued those weapons and what training those officers have had with the weapons.

Columbia County to drug test students in after-school activities
LAKE CITY — Middle- and high-school students participating in Columbia County Schools' extracurricular activities will be subject to random drug testing starting July 1. The county school board voted 4-1 Tuesday to adopt the policy, which is designed to prevent drug, alcohol and tobacco usage in school.

Appeals court revives Florida law limiting some damage lawsuits
TALLAHASSEE -- A 1999 law shielding businesses from some 
lawsuits and limiting awards in court cases was revived Wednesday when an appeals court reversed a judge who had found the law unconstitutional.

State draft report says manatees no longer endangered - ST. PETERSBURG -- Manatees should no longer be considered an endangered species, as their numbers have increased over the past 30 years, according to a preliminary report issued by the Florida Marine Research Institute last week.-- 
But the report also warned that greater threats from boats and loss of habitat could halve the manatee population in the next 45 years, which warrants their classification as a threatened species.

Manatee status report stirs debate
The manatee, lumbering and lovable poster mammal of environmental protection, has rebounded enough to be removed from Florida's endangered species list, according to a state biological review released Wednesday.

Scientists find red tide traces at New Smyrna
Scientists found traces of red tide Wednesday in ocean water samples off New Smyrna Beach, where hundreds of thousands of dead fish washed ashore earlier this week.

University heads' salaries may soar past $300,000-- The salary scale for Florida's university presidents may be about to explode well past the $300,000 barrier.- 
As Florida State University and the University of Florida move to replace retiring, high-profile presidents, those schools and three others in Florida are entering a busy national market that has been setting salary records.

Pentagon releases documents on weapons testing
YEEHAW JUNCTION, Fla. - The United States tested airborne biological and chemical weapons designed to kill the Soviet Union's wheat crop by spraying this town and elsewhere in Florida during the 1960s, newly declassified Pentagon reports show.

Yeehaw Junction residents shocked by news of tests-- YEEHAW JUNCTION -- This spot in the road that used to be called Jackass Junction played an unlikely role in the Cold War because it was so far out in the boonies. The Pentagon on Wednesday disclosed that in 1968 wheat rust was sprayed in the vicinity to test how effective the substance, which is toxic to plants, would be in, say, trying to kill large portions of Russia's wheat crop.

Independent commission to study 9-11 might be put in stalled bill
Ongoing talks about an independent Sept. 11 commission have delayed action on a major bill that would authorize intelligence programs for 2003. Families of Sept. 11 victims say House Intelligence Committee Chairman Porter Goss, R- Sanibel, is giving the Bush administration too much control over how the commission should be formed. The families, along with many lawmakers, have criticized the administration for stonewalling a congressional inquiry into intelligence failures that preceded the terrorist attacks.

Find a clear focus in Colombia
One of the more serious cases of mission creep in the war against terror can be found in the rising U.S. military role in war-torn Colombia. What was originally cast as U.S. military aid to stamp out Colombia's cocaine production is becoming a U.S.-led effort to stamp out leftist rebels there. The strategy for closing the noose and furthering America's regional interests is problematic. The American people need to know what our priority is: drugs, the rebels or a stable supply of oil?

Join the Navy and see the mall
The Navy has a problem with its lower level enlisted personnel using their government-issued credit cards to buy stuff they're not supposed to. Among the unauthorized purchases, according to the General Accounting Office, are: lap dances, tickets to Broadway shows and Yankees and Braves baseball games and Lakers basketball games, jewelry, cameras, cruises, toys, brothel visits, greens fees, home improvements, TVs, Palm Pilots and even a dog.

On to the Supreme Court
By 2-1, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia has upheld the government's prerogative of holding secret deportation hearings on any detainee it deems of "special interest." Showing a remarkable lack of skepticism, the two 3rd Circuit judges bought the government's argument that "a litany of harms ... might flow from open hearings," thus overturning a district judge's ruling that properly said, yes, the government could hold secret hearings, but only if it proved the need to on a case-by-case basis.

If you want to keep your insurance, never file a claim
AUSTIN, Texas — Have you lost your homeowner's insurance lately? Seven hundred thousand of us here in Texas have, after Farmers Insurance decided to pull out of the Texas market — despite the fact that we pay the highest insurance rates in the nation, an annual average of $680 more than homeowners in other states. So here's 700,000 of us scrambling to find new insurance and fainting when we hear the rates quoted. If we don't carry insurance, under law, the mortgage companies can seize our homes. Great, a whole new class — the affluent homeless.

House GOP holding up bill to lower drug costs
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Foley, Shaw could help push measure to a vote.

Tribulation worketh patience
WASHINGTON — WWJD at the FDA? We may soon find out, if W. David Hager becomes chairman of the powerful Food and Drug Administration panel on women's health policy. His resume seems more impressive for theology than gynecology. "Jesus stood up for women at a time when women were second- class citizens," Dr. Hager says. "I often say, if you are liberated, a woman's libber, you can thank Jesus for that."

More uncertainty
"You're doing your monthly breast self-exams, aren't you?" Women are used to the annual question from doctors or nurses, always asked in a tone that makes it clear there's only one right answer. The good news is that you don't have to squirm and be tempted to lie anymore. That's because of the bad news: Turns out the exams don't generally do any discernible good. A large study has found no evidence that the self-exams prevent deaths from breast cancer.

Testimony for breast self-exams: 3 survivors
Ursula Schmidt was so upset at what the man quoted in the newspaper said that she tracked him down and wrote him a letter.

Graham rips colleagues over Iraq
Florida's Sen. Bob Graham Wednesday told his colleagues that ''blood is going to be on your hands'' if action is not taken to foil terrorist attacks in America should the United States invade Iraq.

Press should crash war party
"He continues to make fascinating comments that reveal who he really is,"
but aside from The Post's reporters and a couple of others, "the capital press corps (in Tallahassee) has become so lazy that they don't even go after this stuff anymore." That was state Sen. Ron Klein, D-Delray Beach, commenting to the paper's editorial board this week about Gov. Bush's "devious" gaffe. But already, the seemingly anemic press corps in another capital had been bringing to mind the observations of one of the more thoughtful commentators on our craft.
It was on the topic of "Journalism and Patriotism" that Bill Kovach, chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists, former editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and former reporter and editor at The New York Times, recently addressed the Organization of News Ombudsmen. "A journalist," he said, "is never more true to democracy -- is never more engaged as a citizen, is never more patriotic -- than when aggressively doing the job of independently verifying the news of the day; questioning the actions of those in authority; disclosing information the public needs but others wish secret for self-interested purposes."
You can read his remarks at http://www.newsombudsmen.org/articles.htm , but it would seem a good idea to post them for press corps members who seem inclined to swallow the Bush administration line, adopt its language and repeat it ad nauseam in the news media. Democrats and Republicans who criticize the president aren't alone in the risk of being lambasted as unpatriotic.

FBI surveillance lapses in terror cases revealed
WASHINGTON - FBI agents illegally videotaped suspects,
intercepted e-mails without court permission and recorded the wrong phone conversations during sensitive terrorism and espionage investigations, according to an internal memorandum detailing serious lapses inside the FBI more than a year before the Sept. 11 attacks.

LIBERTIES AT RISK
The U.S. Supreme Court opened its new term this week with the usual roster of important issues at hand: cases related to ''three-strikes'' sentencing laws, new campaign- finance rules and others. Still, the terrorism-related cases winding through the courts foretell a potentially broad impact -- if the court addresses them. These cases raise questions about the balance between civil liberties and national security. At stake are limits on individual freedoms and government powers.

10/09/02

 Gov. Jeb! Manages To Step On His Exclamation Point - ... In a meeting with some Panhandle Republican legislators, the governor managed to expose himself in just a few minutes to allegations of homophobia, devious election manipulation and flip-flopping like a carp on the dock over his fundamental education policies.- 
After setting the tone of the meeting by salaciously joking he had inside information suggesting a lesbian relationship between the two women arrested in the disappearance of Miami's Rilya Wilson, Bush proceeded to script campaign commercials for rival Democrat Bill McBride....

Copies of DCF IDs found in Rilya caregiver's home
MIAMI — Documents confiscated from the home of Rilya Wilson's caregivers included two packets of Department of Children & Families identification cards printed in April, about the time the girl's disappearance was publicized.

Florida university presidents campaign against class size proposal
TALLAHASSEE — The presidents of Florida's 11 universities spoke again Tuesday against a ballot measure that could force the state to lower class size in public schools. Representatives of the state's 28 community colleges and 27 private colleges joined them. Like Gov. Jeb Bush and other opponents, the officials said they supported smaller class sizes but didn't believe a mandate should be put in the state constitution.

Amendment foes using public money
Teachers wonder why they can't use school resources to campaign for a class-size cut. TALLAHASSEE -- As allies of Gov. Jeb Bush Tuesday produced another taxpayer-subsidized political event to defeat a constitutional amendment to reduce class sizes in public schools, amendment proponents began to wonder if they might be able to use the same tactics.-- 
Specifically: If it's OK for Education Secretary Jim Horne, state university officials and the incoming House speaker to campaign against the amendment on taxpayer time and using taxpayer resources, could Florida's 135,000 teachers use school time and school resources to campaign for it?-- 
"I think it's a very legitimate question," said Damien Filer, spokesman for the Coalition to Reduce Class Size.

Nature activists endorse McBride
Three environmental groups support the Democratic candidate. His platform is thin on the issue, says a spokesman, but preferable to Jeb Bush's.

Sierra Club backs McBride
 ... In its noon endorsement, the Sierra Club's 28,000-member Florida chapter said McBride would protect manatees, safeguard the state's water and control sprawl, while Bush "has lived up to our worst expectations." ... Sierra Everglades co-Chairman Alan Farago was quick to point out that Davidson -- Florida Audubon's chairman from 1995 to 1998 (who endorsed Bush) -- was speaking for just one person. Audubon lobbyist Eric Draper said the group doesn't endorse candidates.

Republican comptroller says Bush deserves re-election despite mistakes
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Jeb Bush deserves another four years despite surrounding himself with a weak staff and making some policy mistakes in his first term, outgoing Republican Comptroller Bob Milligan said Tuesday. Bush, who is seeking to become the first Republican to win re-election as governor in Florida, is being challenged by Democrat Bill McBride.

Bush, McBride truce is fragile
On the television screen, the stage that matters most in the political arena, Gov. Jeb Bush and rival Bill McBride have reached an uneasy truce.

Campaigns belie tight budget
Neither Gov. Jeb Bush nor Bill McBride have addressed a projected $1-billion shortfall.

Execution brings death penalty to the forefront of governor's race
As the nation's first female serial killer prepared to die today on a gurney at Florida State Prison, the state's troubled death penalty system emerged as a point of contention between the two leading candidates for governor.

The Legislature's deadly games
The Legislature shouldn't play games with the death penalty. But during the last legislative session, lawmakers played "gotcha" with an attorney at the Holland & Knight law firm who has been trying to ensure that prisoners on death row have competent legal representation.

Freed inmate fighting executions
Juan Melendez spent nearly 18 years on Death Row for the murder of a beauty salon owner.

State helped Feeney's client
The speaker asked to see a glowing letter written on behalf of his client. -- When a Florida Department of Transportation employee bad-mouthed an Oviedo computer firm to a potential client, House Speaker Tom Feeney got involved.-- 
After Yang Enterprises learned that the bad review could threaten their hopes of getting a state contract in Maine, the company had demanded the DOT write a letter to counteract the negative comments. But before the letter was mailed, Feeney, whose position made him the second-most-powerful person in Florida government for the past two years, asked to see a copy.-- 
His action has since raised ethical questions because the company was a client of Feeney's law firm and had paid the speaker to lobby local governments on its behalf. It is a violation of state law for an elected official to use his public position for personal gain, although it's unclear whether requesting to review the letter could be considered illegal.

Florida can rely on Dyer's skill, commitment
The Attorney General's Office is no place for a lightweight -- particularly after the 16-year tenure of Bob Butterworth, one of the best attorneys general in Florida history. 

Poll worker plan triggers controversy
Duval County Democratic leaders crashed the election chief's announcement of at least 48 private companies and groups helping run polling places, assailing the plan for having too few minority-owned firms.

Broward elections chief filled top jobs with inexperienced friends
In the months before September's primary debacle, Broward County Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant filled her office's top jobs with friends and political associates who had virtually no experience running an election.

Judge hears drug-court arguments
The debate over privacy laws versus an open court system landed before an Orange County judge Tuesday when lawyers representing Noelle Bush and the Orlando Sentinel argued whether drug-court hearings should remain public.

Keep drug court open
Sentinel's position: Drug court is a criminal proceeding and shouldn't be kept secret.

Close drug court hearing, or keep it open? - ORLANDO - Closing a drug court hearing for Noelle Bush, the governor's daughter, would set a precedent that would change the nature of the court and compel the judge to close hearings for all defendants, not just members of prominent families, an attorney for two newspapers argued Tuesday.

The Tussle Over Public Access TV
Last month the Hillsborough County Commission voted 4-2 to stop funding the county's public access cable channel, claiming the $355,000 a year allocated to Speak Up Tampa Bay was needed elsewhere.- 
Last week a federal judge ordered Hillsborough County to continue funding the channel. A hearing is set for Oct. 15.- 
U.S. District Judge James Moody said forcing the public access channel to shut down creates ``immediate, irreparable harm.'' That might be stretching things a bit, but at least Speak Up Tampa Bay will have its day in court.- 
The basis of the lawsuit is that the commissioners' vote came about ``simply because they don't like some of our community producer's programming,'' according to lead attorney Rochelle Reback. If that is not the case, the county must now prove it. Too, the county should explain why public access television suddenly became a budget issue.

Broward County commissioners vote for minimum wage of $9.57 an hour
Broward County commissioners backed new rules Tuesday that require the county government to pay more than the federal bare minimum to its workers so they can earn more to keep their families above the poverty level.

Judge rules against driller in 'taking' case
TALLAHASSEE — The state doesn't have to compensate a company for refusing to let it drill on offshore leases located 10 miles or less from Florida's shores along 440,000 acres in the Gulf of Mexico, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Judge rules state doesn't owe Coastal for denying Gulf drilling
TALLAHASSEE — Florida officials are not required to compensate Coastal Petroleum Co. for preventing it from exercising an oil and gas lease held for almost 60 years on more than 400,000 acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, a Florida state circuit judge ruled Tuesday. Circuit Judge J. Ralph Smith stated Florida's 1998 rejection of a Coastal drilling permit does not require state officials now to pay the company for potential earnings from the region.

Whooping cranes set to return to Florida
CHASSAHOWITZKA — Seventeen whooping cranes will begin a more than 1,200-mile journey this week from Wisconsin to Florida, marking the second year of a human-led migration. The young birds have been trained to follow ultralight aircraft, which they identify as surrogate parents.

Panhandle mosquito swarms blamed on Isidore-- PENSACOLA -- Swarms of mosquitoes in the Florida Panhandle are being blamed on Tropical Storm Isidore, which had suspended spraying and left standing water that is ideal for breeding the bloodsucking insects.

Rediscoverying an old fallacy
Bertrand Russell was one of the 20th century's leading philosophers. In the course of his long life he often became involved in public affairs, most famously when he was imprisoned by the English government during World War I for espousing pacifist views, and again nearly 50 years later when his telegrams criticizing the American government for its conduct during the Cuban missile crisis may actually have affected the outcome of that confrontation.

The missing debate
A war resolution will be approved this week, but President Bush and Congress still haven't given the nation a full airing of issues related to our Iraq policy.

Lawmakers back action; public less so
By Larry Lipman, Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau
Phone calls to Sen. Bill Nelson's office run as high as 15-1 against using force on Iraq.

Study: High co-payment discourages workers from filling prescriptions--  ... a new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that the average number of prescriptions filled declined substantially by as much as 30 percent as out-of-pocket expenses increased.- 
"Raising the co-payments is a statement by large corporations that the quality of health care employees and families get doesn't make a difference -- it's not as critical as the bottom line," said Donald Steinwachs, chairman of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

Unemployment vs. capital gains tax
The New York Times recently published an article attributed to the smartest woman in the world, wherein she stated: "Extending unemployment insurance would put money into the hands of the very people who will turn right around and put it back into our economy. In 1999, the Department of Labor found that when the unemployment insurance is extended, every dollar in benefits generates $2.15 in gross domestic product. Giving more purchasing power to the more than 8 million Americans who are currently unemployed would be a powerful stimulus for our economy."

10/08/02

Death toll mounts as state weighs change for manatees-- 
More West Indian manatees have been killed by boats this year than during any year on record, further separating manatee advocates and boaters' rights groups three months before the state considers changing the listing of the endangered sea cow.

Manatees endangered no more, biologists say
 ST. PETERSBURG -- While predicting that half the state's manatee population could disappear in less than 50 years, state biologists recommend that the seagoing mammal no longer be classified as endangered.-- 
In a report cheered by the state's boating rights advocates and condemned by environmentalists, the staff of the Florida Marine Research Institute says the manatee qualifies only as a threatened species, not endangered.-- 
"We're of course happy they're seeing it that way," said Jim Kalvin of the boating rights group, Standing Watch.-- 
But Patti Thompson of the Save the Manatee Club said the recommendation showed how "politics trumps science every time." A record number of manatees have been killed by boats this year: 84 so far, with more than two months to go. ...

Jeb says he is 'devious'; nothing new about that
Palm Beach Post Editorial
His 'private' comments explain public record.-  No one who has examined Jeb Bush's record as governor could have been surprised to learn that he is making plans to ignore what voters might tell him to do. The governor hasn't listened to anyone since taking office, and he won't listen to anyone for another four years if Florida makes the mistake of reelecting him.-- 
During a meeting last Wednesday in Tallahassee with Republican legislators from northwest Florida, Gov. Bush discussed campaign issues. Because he didn't recognize Alisa LaPolt, a reporter from Gannett News Service who has covered him almost since he took office in 1999, Gov. Bush revealed his true political self, not the one you see in campaign commercials. -- 
The governor opposes the constitutional amendment that would require lower class sizes. In public, he offers an alternative that he calls "more thoughtful." In private, to the group of GOP lawmakers, he said, "I have a couple of devious plans if this thing passes." He envisions a subsequent amendment of his own design that would make Floridians decide how much more they would pay in taxes and how much they would lose in services to pay for the smaller classes. Rather than ask himself and the Legislature to do their jobs, he would intimidate Floridians into killing the amendment they had passed. ...

Dear Jeb: You can leave your hat on
... First thing, before we get to the gay jokes: Why on earth were you talking about an ongoing criminal investigation when you ridiculed the two women who were taking care of that missing child, Rilya Wilson? The people from Pensacola had no need to know. Didn't you run the risk of hurting the investigation, in the name of spreading what you called the "juicy details" that these two women might be lovers?-- 
You snickered that they don't have this sort of thing going on in Pensacola, the way they do in that Sodom to the south, Miami. You need to start thinking out of the box, Jeb. Why, these gay people -- they're everywhere. Next time you shake a hand on the campaign trail, you just might be shaking the hand of a gay person. You won't get the cooties from this contact, despite what you may think. - 
You could have talked like a statesman during that meeting. You chose instead to play the hack....

As the tape rolls, Bush feeds foes ammunition - It is almost as if a bunch of Bill McBride campaign strategists were sitting around daydreaming about how Gov. Jeb Bush could make the perfect gaffe, or series of gaffes -- and then had the election fairy grant their wishes.--

McBride feels crosscurrents in Broward
He's asked to defend the supervisor of elections -- whose main critic is a key backer.

Black activists ask candidate to weigh in on election woes
McBRIDE IS MAN IN THE MIDDLE Just when South Florida's voting fiasco felt like ancient history for Bill McBride, the Democratic nominee for governor was forced Monday to confront the mess head-on.

Bush announces new loans for teachers; McBride chides FCAT
JACKSONVILLE — Republican Gov. Jeb Bush announced a program for low interest education and housing loans for teachers Monday, while Democratic gubernatorial challenger Bill McBride criticized the state's standardized student test. McBride, campaigning in South Florida, said the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test program for public school students hurts black and Hispanics. "The governor's current plan punishes those kids," McBride said, referring to complaints that the FCAT's language skills standards suppose that every child's learning background is the same. Bush, who spoke to students at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, said such criticism was "ridiculous."

FCAT failures could snag schools
A new state law requiring holding back third-graders who fail could cut school money and crowd classrooms.

Principals group faults focus on tests
The push for higher test scores detracts from school efforts to improve nutrition and fitness, it says.

Union claims 4 on elections panel biased
The FEA argues that the panelists' GOP ties disqualify them from hearing its McBride-related case.

Ex-secretary of state profits from counties' touchscreen buys-- MIAMI — A former Florida secretary of state profited by being a lobbyist for both the state's counties and the company that sold some of them touchscreen voting machines used in last month's botched primary election.- 
Sandra Mortham, who served as the state's top elections official from 1995 to 1999, is a lobbyist for both Election Systems & Software and the Florida Association of Counties, which exclusively endorsed the company's touchscreen machines in return for a commission.- 
Mortham received a commission from ES&S for every county that bought its touchscreen machines. The exact terms have not been disclosed.

Tallahassee Must Face Up To State's Revenue Shortfall - 
Economists warn the state may face a $4 billion shortfall next year. This could result in sweeping cutbacks in education and many other services.- 
Last year a $1.3 billion gap forced school districts to eliminate summer school and other key programs. The state now could be faced with more painful cuts.- 
While lawmakers cannot be blamed for the sluggish economy that slowed the flow of revenues, they can be faulted for not better preparing the state for economic hard times. Indeed, the Legislature's risky fiscal policies have made a bad situation much worse.- 
Legislators the past few years have taken money from trust funds and reserve accounts to pay for day-to-day operations. Last spring lawmakers used $1.5 billion in nonrecurring funds to pay for recurring expenses, despite warnings the financial practice would eventually lead to crushing shortfalls. - At the same time lawmakers have cut taxes that will result in a nearly $500 million revenue loss this year....

Political ad riles Oviedo firm - The new ad, paid for by his Democratic opponent for U.S. House District 24, Harry Jacobs of Altamonte Springs, touches on Feeney's moonlighting as a lobbyist for Yang Enterprises with Orange County government while he was running the state House in Tallahassee.-- 
The ad charges that Feeney improperly used his position to intervene in a $8 million contract dispute between the company and the state Department of Transportation. The dispute is the subject of a state Commission on Ethics complaint filed by a Volusia County Democrat. State ethics investigator Virlindia Doss found "no probable cause" to suggest Feeney violated state ethics rules, though the case will formally be heard later this month.

Friend of industry or consumer?
The attorney general candidates vow to fight for consumers, yet each has a business-friendly past.

Lawsuit answers unwanted phone calls
Nine businesses that called people on the state's No Sales Solicitation list face fines.

Noelle Bush's lawyers ask judge to close drug court hearings - ORLANDO — Noelle Bush's attorneys have asked a judge to bar the public from court hearings on their client's drug treatment, saying media attention violates her right to privacy, according to court records.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel publisher to also head TV station-- FORT LAUDERDALE — Bob Gremillion, publisher of the South Florida Sun- Sentinel, has been named supervisor of WBZL Channel 39, a television station owned by the newspaper's parent company, Tribune Co.- 
The move by Tribune Chief Operating Officer Dennis J. FitzSimons casts Gremillion in the rare position of heading a television station and a newspaper in the same market.- 
"It's highly unusual," said Al Tompkins, who teaches broadcast and online journalism at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg.

Childers gets plea deal in Escambia 'sunshine' case
PENSACOLA — Former Florida Senate President and suspended Escambia County Commissioner W.D. Childers agreed Monday to a plea deal that resulted in a second open-government 'sunshine' conviction. Childers pleaded no contest to discussing public business in private with two other suspended commissioners while still denying guilt so the case can be appealed.

Homeowners fined thousands for violating citrus canker quarantine- LOXAHATCHEE — Two Florida homeowners who violated citrus canker quarantine rules have been fined thousands of dollars by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Wisconsin pharmacist gets 30 days for putting knife in carryon - WEST PALM BEACH — A Wisconsin pharmacist who says he forgot he left a knife in his carryon luggage received a 30-day jail sentence Friday and was banned from commercial flights without a judge's approval.

Deportable ex-cons not being sent home
A Justice Department investigation finds that many noncitizens who commit crimes are released and rearrested.

While Bush focuses on Iraq, troubles grow at home
WASHINGTON — As he tries to brace the nation for war with Iraq, President Bush faces problems aplenty at home — from a West Coast dock shutdown draining $2 billion a day from the economy to a wave of corporate scandals and a nation of shell-shocked investors who have lost $7.5 trillion in paper wealth.

Victims' families worried Goss may sacrifice 9-11 commission for Bush OK of intelligence bill - ... "Porter Goss is in a position to make or break this," said Stephen Push, whose wife was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. "Porter Goss appears that he's not going to stand up to the (Bush) administration," Push said.-- 
After months of opposition, the White House signaled a general support for an independent commission last month. But after several meetings with White House officials, Push said they want to see a commission that is much more restricted than the amendment lawmakers want attached to the intelligence bill.-- 
For example, White House domestic policy advisers told Push that the president wants the commission's work to be limited to just one year.- 
Congressional 9-11 panel members, who are under that time constraint, are now saying their work will take longer, so that doesn't bode well for a commission with a broader scope.- 
Push also said he learned the White House wants the agencies being investigated to get 45 days to review the commission's final report and edit it at will before it becomes public. ...

3 networks pass on Bush speech
Of four major networks, only Fox broadcasts the speech, along with CNN and MSNBC.

Here's a sexy headline
AUSTIN, Texas — We just lost the whole ballgame on corporate reform without the news even making it to the front page. The sick, sad tidings were tucked away discreetly on the business pages: "SEC Chief Hedges on Accounting Regulator." Now there's a sexy headline

Guerilla assault: Abortion foes load Medicaid bill to deny access
If you ask most Americans where the next great threat to abortion rights will come from, they'll probably identify the upcoming retirements on the U.S. Supreme Court and the potential threat to the landmark decision Roe vs. Wade. -- Few people realize that multiple sneak attacks have already been launched against a woman's right to end a pregnancy. The most active battlefield: Attaching abortion restrictions to Medicaid funding. ...

10/5-7/02