FEATURED STORIES
Offshore-drilling debate reveals upcoming battle lines
By Josh Hafenbrack
Orlando Sentinel
Related editorial: Caveat emptor on drilling
Envision oil derricks cluttering Florida's sunset views. Oil spills threatening marine life, turning beach sand black and scaring away tourists.
National issues creeping into Florida governor's race
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Hoping to capitalize on President Barack Obama's declining popularity in Florida, Republican governor candidate Bill McCollum is trying to tie his Democratic opponent, Alex Sink, to Obama and national issues pushed by Democrats.
As Slaying Trial Rolls On, Hate Crime Laws Expanded
By Jason Geary
Lakeland Ledger
The parents of Ryan Keith Skipper sat Wednesday in a Bartow courtroom, listening to evidence in the trial of a man accused of killing Skipper.
Though Gov. Charlie Crist had signed a death warrant, court stays execution
By Steve Bousquet and Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked the execution of a triple murderer and expressed frustration over Gov. Charlie Crist's decision to sign a death warrant while the killer still had appeals pending.
FLORIDA POLITICS
A partisan ploy fit for the wastebasket
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite apparently does not have enough to do in Washington.
2010 RACES
National GOP vets new challengers for Grayson
By Mark K. Matthews and David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
National Republicans met with two potential challengers to U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson on Wednesday as the GOP establishment continued to search for a candidate who can topple the outspoken freshman Democrat from Orlando.
Sen. Nelson backs Meek
Staff Report
Pensacola News Journal
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has endorsed U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek for the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Senate candidate tours Northwest Florida
By Tom McLaughlin
Northwest Florida Daily News
U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio admitted, perhaps somewhat disingenuously, that he's not sure where he and his Republican primary opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist, differ on the issues.
Crist takes his lumps, and rightly so
Editorial
Ft. Myers News-Press
It's been a tough couple of weeks for Gov. Charlie Crist, who is losing ground in his fight for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
City OKs benefits for same-sex couples
By TaMaryn Waters
Tallahassee Democrat
City Hall chambers erupted in cheers and applause Wednesday after the Tallahassee City Commission unanimously voted to change its benefits policy to include same-sex and domestic partnerships.
By TaMaryn Waters
Tallahassee Democrat
City Hall chambers erupted in cheers and applause Wednesday after the Tallahassee City Commission unanimously voted to change its benefits policy to include same-sex and domestic partnerships.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Cash cow or curse? Drilling experts offer familiar promises, warnings
By Jim Ash
Tallahassee Democrat
Related: Viewers respond, raise their own concerns about off-shore drilling
Offshore drilling would bring 20,000 new jobs and $2 billion a year to Florida, or it would doom a $60-billion-a-year industry that draws millions of tourists to Florida's pristine beaches.
Everglades at mercy of county, group says
By Paul Quinlan
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A high-profile growth watchdog group called on the state of Florida Wednesday to rein in the Palm Beach County Commission, whose land use decisions, they fear, will cripple the multibillion-dollar Everglades restoration.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
GOP lawmakers may be warming to changing Florida unemployment system to get more federal stimulus cash
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post via News Service of Florida
With Congress poised to extend jobless benefits, the red ink flooding Florida's unemployment compensation system is deepening and now also spurring renewed calls for change from both Democrats and Republicans.
Ares I-X flies -- but will program?
By Robert Block
Orlando Sentinel
After a one-day wait for the clouds to clear, the Ares I-X test rocket finally blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday morning in a picture-perfect launch certain to heat up the debate about the future of NASA's human-spaceflight program.
Room-tax battle heats up between Fla. counties and online travel bookers
By Steve Bousquet
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
The big-money battle between Florida counties and online hotel booking companies reached the apex of state government Tuesday, but there's still no solution in sight.
EDUCATION
Commissioner of Education discusses ``very conservative'' budget proposal
By Patricia Mazzei and Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
Echoing the calls of President Barack Obama, state Commissioner of Education Eric Smith on Wednesday urged parents to play a greater role in their child's schooling.
Statewide education cuts draw parental attention in Manatee
By Natalie Neysa Alund
Bradenton Herald
A group of Manatee County parents who are concerned about cuts in state education funding is making efforts to let state lawmakers know they are fed up.
Group pushes regulations for restraining disabled students
By Janine Zeitlin
Ft. Myers News-Press
Florida parents behind a renewed push to prevent seclusion and restraint in classrooms are buoyed by a federal report that raises concerns about potentially deadly misuse.
Insurer's ties to Broward School Board member Stephanie Kraft raise concerns
By David Fleshler and Megan O'Matz
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
During the 2006 race for Coral Springs City Commission, Vista Healthplan and its affiliates donated the maximum allowed by law to the campaign of a political novice who had recently lost his job as Tamarac city attorney.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Panic time as subsidy nears end
By David Gulliver
Health News Florida
Hearing a phrase like "COBRA subsidy termination" makes your eyes glaze over -- until your family's health rides on it.
So far, South Florida escaping brunt of swine flu
By Fred Tasker
Miami Herald
Is South Florida catching a break from the H1N1 virus, or is this only a lull before the storm?
Insurers may have to cover cancer trials
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Health News Florida
Insurance companies and HMOs in Florida may be required to keep covering their policyholders who have cancer when they enter clinical trials.
Federal officials eye ban on Gulf oysters
By Lise Fisher
Gainesville Sun
Federal officials plan to ban sales of raw oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico unless the shellfish are treated to destroy potentially deadly bacteria.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
List of nominees for judicial seats heading to Crist
By Cindy Swirko and Karen Voyles
Gainesville Sun
Area residents who want to back a specific candidate for one of the open judicial seats may write to Gov. Charlie Crist's staff.
”Progressive Solutions for Florida!”
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