Click here to subscribe for free to the best daily news roundup in Florida.

Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Daily Clips for July 15, 2010

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Getting To The Netroots Of The Matter

By Daniel Tilson
The West Palm Beach Examiner
I'm very proud to announce that my netroots and examiner work this past year has earned me four nominations in the 2010 Florida Netroots Awards. I'm even prouder to be nominated in the company of some of Florida's finest political writers, bloggers and online activists, people like The Reid Report's Joy-Ann Reid, Saint Petersblog's Peter Schorsch and Progress Florida's Ray Seaman.

Special Note: Please vote today in the 2010 Florida Netroots Awards four runoff categories: Click Here.


Fair Elections Now

By Mark Ferrulo

Tampa Tribune

The editorial board is rightfully concerned about gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott's self-serving attack on Florida's already anemic public financing system. Fortunately, campaign finance reform advocates are on the offensive in Congress.

FEATURED STORIES

Agenda for special legislative session on oil spill affected by political distrust

By Mary Ellen Klas

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Pressure is mounting for legislators to expand the special session next week to revamp Florida's laws to help ailing Panhandle residents recover from the financial hit of the oil disaster.


U.S. judge rejects Rick Scott's bid to overturn Florida's public campaign-finance law

By News Service of Florida

Palm Beach Post

Republican Rick Scott lost his bid Wednesday to have part of Florida's public campaign finance law overturned, but even the judge siding with opponent Bill McCollum conceded the 23-year-old measure may not survive this election season.


Campaign 2010: Immigration a hot-button issue

By Lee Logan and Danny Valentine

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

With the Republican gubernatorial primary campaign at a fever pitch and a special legislative session looming, the passionate issue of immigration has taken center stage in the state capital.


State postpones school grades until 2 FCAT audits are done

By Kathleen McGrory

Miami Herald

Related: Florida earns F for accountability

Two days after a coalition of school superintendents questioned the accuracy of this year's FCAT scores, the Department of Education late Wednesday said it had hired two independent contractors to examine the results. Department officials said they would not set a release date for school grades until the audits were completed.


Mechanical Problem Hampers BP Effort to Shut Off Well

By Henry Fountain

New York Times

BP engineers were working early Thursday to fix a leak in a line attached to a new cap for the runaway well so they could resume a crucial test that could stop the rush of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since the disaster began three months ago.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Off-topic bills filed for session on drilling

By Lindsay Peterson

Tampa Tribune

The first bills filed for next week's special legislative session have nothing to do with what Gov. Charlie Crist called lawmakers together to discuss.


Crist appoints new utility regulators: Art Graham and Ron Brisé

By Julie Patel

Orlando Sentinel

Gov. Charlie Crist appointed State Rep. Ronald Brisé and Jacksonville City Councilman Arthur Graham to serve on the Public Service Commission, which regulates how affordable, reliable and safe your utility service is.

POLITICAL RACES

Greene, Scott create dilemma for party establishments should they win

By Tristram Korten

Florida Independent

With his retinue of notorious celebrity friends, including former pimp Heidi Fleiss and boxer/convicted rapist Mike Tyson, and his previous history running for office as a Republican, billionaire Jeff Greene is not the kind of candidate the Democratic machine would necessarily put up for U.S. Senate.


Campaign laws may result in boon to TV stations

By William March

Tampa Tribune

The independent committees being used by both candidates in the Florida Republican primary for governor could end up providing a financial bonanza for Florida television stations at a time when broadcasters have been suffering financially during the recession.


Though Crist has the cameras, Rubio's still red hot

By Howard Troxler

St. Petersburg Times

A little after 4 p.m. Tuesday, Marco Rubio pushed open the door of the Habana Cafe in Gulfport. The waiting crowd burst into cheers.


Rubio outlines help for oil spill damages

By Louis Cooper

Pensacola News Journal

If Marco Rubio were in the Senate today, his No. 1 priority would be to establish a Gulf Opportunity Zone to help those suffering financially from the ongoing BP oil spill.


Tea Party event attendee shouts at Scott

By Carrie Wells

Miami Herald

The question dogs gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott wherever he goes: What was your role in Columbia/HCA's Medicare fraud?


Specter of Senate Bill 6 hovers over Thrasher's race

By David Hunt

Florida Times-Union

State Sen. John Thrasher, who came under heavy fire from teachers and teachers' unions as he tried to shepherd his controversial education bill through the Legislature this year, said he's keeping a focus on education if he's re-elected.


Campaign roundup for Wednesday

Staff Report

Florida Tribune

After candidate for attorney general Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, resurrected the Florida Mainstream Democrats name for use as his 527, Democratic rival Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, and former FMD Chairman Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, called the move "misleading" and that they were "disappointed."

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Crist fires back at BP officials

By Christine Jordan Sexton

Florida Tribune

Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday fired back at BP officials, saying he was disappointed that they had turned down a request for $50 million that Florida wanted for tourism advertising and marketing in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.


Panhandle county tells BP: Pay up to save Apalachicola Bay's bounty

By Kevin Spear

Orlando Sentinel

As Florida Panhandle communities have one by one erected beefier defenses to keep crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill out of their local waters, one of the state's most financially strapped counties remains desperate for the go-ahead and the cash to chain a string of barges across the main entrance to environmentally delicate Apalachicola Bay.


Oceanographer: Gulf Oil Spill May Hit Tampa Bay by Fall

By Steve Newborn

WUSF Public Radio Tampa

As BP moves to cut off the flow of the Deepwater Horizon gusher, a USF oceanographer says that if it is left unchecked, the oil could be off Florida's west coast by the fall.


Animal Autopsies in Gulf Yield a Mystery

By Shaila Dewan

New York Times

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle lay belly-up on the metal autopsy table, as pallid as split-pea soup but for the bright orange X spray-painted on its shell, proof that it had been counted as part of the Gulf of Mexico's continuing "unusual mortality event."


Scientist: More Study Needed on BP Oil Dispersants

By Mark Scheerer

Public News Service Florida

A scientist and expert in ocean oil spills says fear over dispersant being used in the Gulf is mostly unfounded, but he adds that more information is needed.


Tea party protesters target Crist's Everglades land deal with U.S. Sugar

By Andy Reid

Orlando Sentinel

Taunting Gov. Charlie Crist with sugar cookies topped with the word "BAILOUT," tea party activists converged west of West Palm Beach on Wednesday to protest a proposed $536 million Everglades restoration land deal with U.S. Sugar Corp.


Public can speak on FPL nuclear plans

By Curtis Morgan

Miami Herald

Environmentalists have a long list of concerns about Florida Power & Light's plans to add two more nuclear reactors to its Turkey Point facility.

LGBT

Charges dropped against gay veteran protester Lt. Dan Choi, who chained himself to White House fence

The Associated Press

Miami Herald

Prosecutors have dropped all charges against an openly gay Iraq War veteran who twice chained himself to a White House fence to protest the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

EDUCATION

Palm Beach County schools joins legal fight against class-size penalties

By Marc Freeman

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The Palm Beach County School Board, staring at a possible $27 million penalty next year for violating the state's more restrictive class-size requirements, voted unanimously Wednesday to join a statewide lawsuit against the sanction.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Magnitude of Medicare fraud in South Florida grows

By Jay Weaver

Miami Herald

As the feds squeeze tighter, South Florida's Medicare schemers have scurried into new territory to loot hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayers, now billing the system for bogus mental health, physical therapy and other rehabilitation services.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Florida joins states supporting Arizona immigration law with court brief

By Víctor Manuel Ramos

Orlando SentinelFlorida is backing Arizona in its fight with the federal government over who can enforce U.S. immigration laws, Attorney General Bill McCollum said Wednesday.

No comments:

Post a Comment