Daily Clips for January 11, 2010

FEATURED STORIES Run of bad news thwarts Gov. Crist's chance for momentum in Senate race By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times The ouster of Gov. Charlie Crist's hand-picked Republican Party chairman looks like only the start of Crist's problems as he faces a tougher U.S. Senate campaign than he ever expected. Meek's Senate drive is low profile By William March Tampa Tribune Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio can't seem to avoid headlines, but U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek can't buy one. Judge allows House prosecutor to use Sansom's grand jury testimony By Alex Leary and Lee Logan St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Former House Speaker Ray Sansom will refuse to testify before a panel of peers investigating his dealings with a Panhandle college, but his voice will be heard anyway. Real battle brewing over next Florida's GOP chief By Jim Stratton Orlando Sentinel Related editorial: One too many hats By the time Republican Party chief Jim Greer announced his resignation on Tuesday, party elected leaders had orchestrated a plan to replace him with veteran lawmaker and former lobbyist state Sen. John Thrasher. FLORIDA POLITICS Crist stands by Obama hug, stimulus thanks By Bill Cotterell Tallahassee Democrat Gov. Charlie Crist tried to shed two big image problems -- his hug of President Obama and past support of the $787 billion federal stimulus package -- in a party-unity plea Saturday that sounded like a preview of his U.S. Senate campaign theme. Crist, Sansom and that $6 million mystery By Gary Fineout The Fine Print As the ongoing legal drama over the fate of former House Speaker Ray Sansom moves forward, there remains one key unanswered question. Let's see those GOP credit card statements By Lucy Morgan St. Petersburg Times Gov. Charlie Crist recently challenged President Barack Obama to be more transparent while negotiating the final details of health care reform legislation in Washington. Back in the game: Jeb Bush By Jeremy Wallace Sarasota Herald-Tribune As Florida Republicans struggle to define their future, a towering figure from the past has returned to call the shots. Crist's role hinges on GOP chairmanship By Jim Ash Pensacola News Journal If Sen. John Thrasher becomes chairman of the Republican Party of Florida next month -- which seems all but certain -- it won't be Gov. Charlie Crist's party anymore. Rivals challenge Thrasher as pick for state GOP chairman By David Hunt Florida Times-Union The state's top Republicans gathered bearing a message of unity, but left Saturday's annual meeting with an open question of who will heal their battered image in the ongoing controversy that has led their current chairman to resign. Senate Democratic head asks that Thrasher lose important posts if he gains GOP chair By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Florida Republicans hoped that replacing the embattled chairman of their state party with Sen. John Thrasher would resolve bitter infighting and help restore unity to the GOP. Florida Republican activists call for unity By Beth Reinhard and Adam C. Smith Miami Herald After months of bloodletting in the U.S. Senate primary and a backlash that toppled the state party chief last week, Florida Republicans urged one another Saturday to join forces in 2010 against their true nemesis: the Democrats. Drilling, gaming debate heats up chilly Capitol By Michael Peltier Naples News Following a bitterly cold weekend -- by Florida standards, that is -- things will heat up considerably this week as lawmakers return to Tallahassee for the first of two committee weeks in January. Should U.S. normaiize relations with Cuba? By Cindy Swirko Gainesville Sun Blown up bridges gave Gainesville photographer Randy Batista a front seat to a revolution. POLITICAL RACES Crist seeks 'pro-life' label in Fla. Senate race By Brendan Farrington The Associated Press Gov. Charlie Crist, who wanted to change hearts and not abortion laws when he ran for governor, now wants to fight for "pro-life" legislation if he's elected to the Senate, according to release issued by his campaign Friday. Meek: Crist Is Vague on Stands On Big Issues By Keith Laing Lakeland Ledger via News Service of Florida With most of the national attention going to the primary to determine his likely opponent for the U.S. Senate race, Democratic frontrunner Kendrick Meek dismissed Republican Gov. Charlie Crist as being more interested in photo opportunities than governing. GOP infighting boost Kendrick Meek's campaign status By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Kendrick Meek wants to introduce you to the learning-impaired child who overcame dyslexia to get through college, joined the Florida Highway Patrol, won a seat in the Legislature and worked his way into a prime position of influence in Congress. Dockery May Gain from Greer's Loss By Bill Rufty Lakeland Ledger Last week's announcement by Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer that he will resign his post may help the campaigns of two statewide candidates whom he had ignored. Seven election races worth watching By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel 2010 is shaping up to be a busy political year. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE, AND SOCIAL ISSUES Protesters converge on Dove Center By Lise Fisher Gainesville Sun About 40 people stood outside the Dove World Outreach Center on a freezing Sunday, protesting the Gainesville church that has criticized Islam and, protesters said, insulted the gay community. This unjust law hurts Florida's foster children By Cynthia Nixon Miami Herald Florida is the only state in the union to have a law that specifically bars gay men and lesbians from adopting children. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY After months of controversy, PSC to decide FPL's rate request By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau After spending 10 months and $5 million on a public relations campaign, Florida Power & Light's push to win a $1.3 billion increase in electric rates comes down to a single vote on Wednesday. Federal stimulus money injects new life into Everglades restoration By Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times The multibillion-dollar Everglades restoration program, which for 10 years has moved with the speed of a tortoise with a broken leg, suddenly turned into a jackrabbit over the past two months. State planners enforcing climate, energy requirements By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com State planners increasingly are requiring cities and counties to show that proposed new developments include features to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles, a Department of Community Affairs official said today. Oil lobby scaling back its presence in Tally By John Kennedy The News Service of Florida via Orlando Sentinel Florida Energy Associates, the group spearheading the effort to open the state's Gulf waters to offshore oil-drilling, is scaling back its once dominant presence at the state Capitol. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Movers show state population growth stalled in 2009 By Jim Witters Daytona Beach News-Journal The collapse of the country's housing market and the associated nationwide recession combined to eliminate more than 800,000 jobs in Florida and prevent retirees in other states from selling their homes and moving here, experts say. Food stamp use soars By Keyonna Summers Florida Today The gnawing feeling of an empty stomach is something Neville Durant became accustomed to after losing his job as a restaurant cook two years ago. Sen. Bill Nelson: Economy Remains Top Worry Staff Report Lakeland Ledger In Polk County and around the nation, "If you are unemployed, it's not a recession, it's a depression," said Sen. Bill Nelson on Friday. Something's got to give in retirement system By Bill Cotterell Tallahassee Democrat First, they came up with the idea of making all state employees pay for life and health insurance; not exactly fair, but understandable because of today's hideous budget outlook. January freeze to send February utility bills soaring By Lane DeGregory St. Petersburg Times If you have been cranking the heat all week, and inside your home it still feels like Florida, you'll soon pay the price. Florida's Troubled Budget: Out of Balance Editorial Lakeland Ledger If you are a Floridian and are expecting the Legislature to tackle any of the most pressing issues facing our state during its upcoming regular session, you probably are going to be disappointed. EDUCATION Home schooling soars in Central Florida By Denise-Marie Balona Orlando Sentinel Five months ago, Rebecca Arms joined an army of parents pulling their kids out of school to teach them at home. Fewer teachers seek national certification after state cuts incentives for those who pursue it By Leslie Williams Hale Naples News When a teacher already has a doctoral degree, it might seem as though he or she has hit the end of the educational line -- personally, at least. GOP face-off this week on school tax By Jeremy Wallace Sarasota Herald-Tribune Sarasota school officials are facing their most organized opposition yet to their plan to continue a special property tax for another five years. HEALTH AND SENIORS 'Cover FL' sponsor losing money By Christine Jordan Sexton Health News Florida One year after Gov. Charlie Crist's "Cover Florida" took effect, there are signs that the voluntary approach to providing affordable health insurance is in trouble. Florida Health Officials Hold Climate Change Impact Sessions (audio story) By Tom Flanigan WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee Florida's state and local health officials are starting to look at how climate change may literally make people sick. Blood banks under microscope as leaders go before Florida lawmakers By Dan Tracy Orlando Sentinel There are six major blood banks in Florida, and dozens of top executives who run the multimillion-dollar nonprofit organizations. Insurance could be mandatory for college students By Nathan Crabbe Gainesville Sun Whether by the federal government or the state, University of Florida students could be required to carry health insurance. Health care debate stirs local emotions at area events By Travis Griggs Pensacola News Journal The heated Capitol Hill debate over health care reform flared up in the Panhandle on Friday at a pair of town hall meetings hosted by U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller. Put patients over politics: Florida Republicans make wrong case on health care Editorial Palm Beach Post Florida has the fourth-highest number of uninsured residents at nearly 4 million, yet Attorney General Bill McCollum and Republican legislators are more concerned with stopping health care reform than with helping those Floridians get health care. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Rothstein's firm employees may have `criminal culpability' in scandal By Jay Weaver and Amy Sherman Miami Herald Some employees in Scott Rothstein's now-bankrupt law firm apparently played criminal roles in his $1 billion-plus investment racket, a federal prosecutor says. Stanford case may toughen Florida's banking laws By Michael Sallah and Rob Barry Miami Herald Eleven years after Florida regulators gave billionaire Allen Stanford unprecedented approval to open a rogue financial center in Miami, lawmakers are pushing to ensure it never happens again. Why Broward County is awash in corruption By John Dorschner Miami Herald Last year, when an ambitious Fort Lauderdale lawyer named Scott Rothstein decided to hire someone to develop political strategies for businesses seeking government contracts, he turned to none other than Ken Jenne, the disgraced former sheriff who had just been released from jail. Data mining project benefits investigators, scares privacy experts By Susan Taylor Martin St. Petersburg Times At any one time, some 750,000 pedophiles are prowling the Internet, the United Nations says. Domestic violence victims lent hand State-offered address confidentiality a powerful tool to keep victims safe By James A. Jones Jr. Bradenton Herald A rarely used state program could mean the difference in life and death for victims of domestic violence. Fatal wounds for the death penalty By Robyn E. Blumner St. Petersburg Times People tend to have hardened views about the death penalty.