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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Daily Clips for January 28, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Obama urges nervous Dems to fight for his agenda

The Associated Press

St. Petersburg Times

Related: Text of Obama's State of the Union address

Related: Florida reaction to Obama's State of the Union

Democratic lawmakers must soon decide whether President Barack Obama is leading them toward statesmanlike courage or political folly.


President Obama bringing $1.25 billion to Tampa for Florida high-speed rail

By Alex Leary and Janet Zink

St. Petersburg Times

President Barack Obama, seeking to deliver on his State of the Union promise to create jobs, will arrive in Tampa today and announce Florida will receive $1.25 billion in funding for high-speed rail.


Crist: Budget outlook hopeful for state workers; legislative leaders skeptical

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Admitting he may be too optimistic, Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday he does not expect to call for layoffs or pay cuts in the state budget recommendations he sends to legislators.


Florida's GOP Senate rivals evade questions on records, policies

By Mary Ellen Klas

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

Facing a roomful of reporters Wednesday, Florida's Republican candidates for U.S. Senate offered a glimpse of what's ahead in their campaigns when the heat is on: dodge and weave.


Howard Zinn, Historian, Dies at 87

The Associated Press

New York Times

Howard Zinn, an author, teacher and political activist whose book "A People's History of the United States" became a million-selling leftist alternative to mainstream texts, died Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Crist hopes to see Obama on Tampa visit Thursday

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

Gov. Charlie Crist says it's possible he'll meet with President Barack Obama Thursday when both men are in Tampa.


Maintain insurance controls, Crist says

By Jeremy Wallace

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is already opposing a measure to deregulate the state's insurance industry, fearing it could lead to major rate increases for homeowners.


Northeast Florida Democrats just can't break through

By David Hunt

Florida Times-Union

Despite increasing nationwide anger with incumbents and a leadership shuffle dividing the state Republican Party, Northeast Florida's underdog Democrats are losing voters to the GOP and remain virtually invisible in upcoming elections.


Doc Dockery A Driving Force for Rail Effort

By Bill Rufty

Lakeland Ledger

Staff Sgt. Charles C. Dockery traveled Europe during his three years of Air Force duty there in the 1950s and discovered the joy and convenience of riding trains.

POLITICAL RACES

Health plan boosts McCollum

By William March

Tampa Tribune

Related: McCollum's lead in poll doesn't concern Sink

Benefitting from dissatisfaction over the national health reform proposal, Republican Bill McCollum took a substantial lead over Democrat Alex Sink in the Florida governor's race in a poll released Wednesday.


Paula Dockery Overshadowed at Gubernatorial Forum

By Bill Rufty

Lakeland Ledger

State Sen. Paula Dockery had a message for statewide media representatives and her primary opponent Wednesday: She is running for governor, too.


Candidates for governor discuss offshore drilling, health care

By Bill Cotterell

Ft. Myers News-Press

Competing candidates for governor agreed today that proposed offshore oil drilling is a threat to Florida's beaches but took sharply differing positions on national health care.


Crist, Rubio join candidates for governor in addressing the media

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio said Wednesday Gov. Charlie Crist "cut the legs out" from beneath Republicans by endorsing President Obama's $787 billion stimulus package last year.


Rubio Comes to St. Pete, Decries Federal Spending

By Kate Bradshaw

WMNF Community Radio Tampa

Former State House Speaker Marco Rubio campaigned in Downtown St. Pete today, just ahead of President Obama's State of the Union address.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Draw the line on politics: Amendments can stop Florida gerrymandering

Editorial

Palm Beach Post

The U.S. Supreme Court just gave much more control over elections to special interests. In November, voters in this state can shift some control over Florida elections back to the people.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

More than 1,000 local Haitians file for TPS

By Alexia Campbell

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

A South Florida non-profit group and community volunteers have processed more than 1,000 applications for Haitians seeking Temporary Protected Status since a Jan. 12 earthquake tore apart the Caribbean nation.


Haitian Americans dissatisfied with Haiti's response to disaster

By Michael Vasquez, Jacqueline Charles and Jim Wyss

Miami Herald

Related: Poll: Fla. voters want immigration laws enforced

In a poll that provides a unique -- and unprecedented -- glimpse of how Haitians living in the U.S. have been affected by their home country's devastating earthquake, a clear majority of Haitian Americans have lost faith in the Haitian government's ability to rebuild the shattered nation.


Lesbian couple adopts child

Editorial

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The whole situation makes so much sense, you wonder why the courts had to get involved in the first place.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Gov. candidates cold toward drilling -- but not Crist, Rubio

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

The three major candidates for governor on Wednesday largely rejected the idea of allowing drilling off Florida's Gulf coast during remarks at the 2010 Associated Press Legislative Planning Session at the Capitol.


Gov. candidates warm on land-buying, but not House speaker

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

The three candidates for governor said today they support the Florida Forever program during remarks at the Capitol, but House Speaker Larry Cretul expressed reluctance toward resuming spending for land-buying.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida lawmakers focus on poor economy

By Jim Saunders

Daytona Beach News-Journal

As Florida politicians get ready for this year's legislative session and elections, they are focused on a well-worn message: It's the economy, stupid.


Grand jury report prompts Senate President to open up budget process

By Gary Fineout

The Fine Print

Senate President Jeff Atwater, responding in part to a critical grand jury report that blasted how state legislators craft the annual state budget, said on Wednesday that within the next two weeks he will institute additional changes to the budget process for the 2010 session to make it more "transparent."


Obama officials: NASA to get $6 billion for commercial rockets

By Robert Block

Orlando Sentinel

Administration officials and a former astronaut on Wednesday called President Obama's plans for NASA "exciting" and "bold," saying he was replacing a failed moon program with a new $6 billion project to develop commercial rockets capable of taking astronauts into orbit.


Fla. farmworkers estimate $50 million in lost wages from recent cold weather

By Tania Valdemoro

South Florida Sun-Sentinel via Miami Herald

Standing atop a ruined tomato patch off Krome Avenue in Homestead, advocates for farmworkers on Wednesday called for federal relief to help thousands who are out of work, money and food in the aftermath of this month's cold snap.

EDUCATION

GOP Leaders in House and Senate Don't Expect to Increase School Funds

By Bill Kaczor

The Associated Press

The top two leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature on Wednesday said Gov. Charlie Crist may be too optimistic in calling for higher public school spending in another austere budget year.


Florida can transform economy with big investment in higher education, university chancellor Frank Brogan says

By Richard Danielson

St. Petersburg Times

Florida can transform its economy by doubling spending on higher education, university system chancellor Frank Brogan said Wednesday.


Crist's gamble on education

Editorial

Miami Herald

After several years of diminishing returns for Florida's public schools, Gov. Charlie Crist is proposing to increase the education budget from PreKindergarten to 12th grade.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

FL hospitals glow in private report

Staff Report

Health News Florida

Florida hospitals posted some of the strongest showings in a new national study of hospital quality compiled by a private company.


Agencies reach deal on mental health funding

By Timothy R. Wolfrum

Bradenton Herald

The two agencies locked in competition to oversee mental health and substance abuse services in central and southwest Florida have agreed to a compromise and will share $414 million in state funding.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Scott Rothstein pleads guilty, seeks shorter jail term

By Jay Weaver and Amy Sherman

Miami Herald

Scott Rothstein, the newly convicted Ponzi schemer who faces up to 100 years in prison, will strive to help authorities make cases against others who profited from his massive investment scam -- in hopes of shaving time off his sentence.

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