Daily Clips for March 27, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

March 19^th Weekly Show
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu: Florida's Political Reality News
The Senate maps are thrown out by the Florida Supreme Court, Republicans are losing in the courts and Damien talks about state employees under attack…all this and more political reality coming your way.

FEATURED STORIES

Supreme Court begins historic three days of arguments over health care law
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Outside the Supreme Court, a cacophony of shouts, chants and jeers Monday brought home the raw emotion over the health care law, but inside, it was a day of relative calm and agreement.

Do plaintiff's debts bolster other side in health-care debate?
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Two years ago, small-business owner Mary Brown was the perfect choice for the court challenge against the federal government over a sweeping health care law requiring individuals to buy health insurance.

House set to 'rubber stamp' Senate map
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
Related: Democrats offer court alternative congressional map, target Brown's district
Related: Dem's proposed map that creates 13-11 GOP majority in Congress
The Florida House Redistricting Committee approved the Senate's fix to its rejected redistricting map on a party line vote Monday and sent it to the House floor where nothing is expected to change.

Police: Zimmerman says Trayvon decked him with one blow then began hammering his head
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
Related: 'The whole world is watching Sanford,' Rev. Jesse Jackson tells commissioners
Related: Trayvon Martin's parents expected to speak on Capitol Hill
With a single punch, Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who eventually shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman and slammed his head into the sidewalk, leaving him bloody and battered, law-enforcement authorities told the Orlando Sentinel.

Thousands at Sanford rally for slain teen call for criminal justice -- and social justice
By Ana M. Valdes
Palm Beach Post
Related: With Florida gun law, it's really a black-and-white issue
Thousands of protesters -- including dozens from Palm Beach County -- marched through Sanford Monday in solidarity with the family of slain 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, as his parents and black leaders from across the nation demanded that city commissioners have neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman arrested for killing the Miami Gardens teen.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Issues living in legal gray areas could foreshadow next session
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Republican lawmakers declared victory at the end of the legislative session this month, passing auto insurance reform, business tax breaks and funneling $1 billion more into education – all priorities of Gov. Rick Scott.

Florida Democrats file lawsuit on Congress maps, cite Corrine Brown's district
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown’s proposed congressional district passed by state lawmakers is the “most gerrymandered in the country,” according to her own party.

POLITICAL RACES

Supreme Court's health ruling could shake fall elections
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Supreme Court's ruling on the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is likely to shake the presidential election race in early summer. But the winners in the court will not necessarily be the winners in the political arena.

LeMieux brings campaign to Sarasota
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
U.S. Senate candidate George LeMieux continues to make his case to Republicans that he would make a better challenger to Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, than U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Everglades report points finger at agriculture for cleanup costs
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Everglades Foundation on Monday released a report showing that 76 percent of phosphorous pollution entering the Everglades comes from agricultural operations while that sector pays 24 percent of the cost.

Progress Energy should pull plug on Levy County nuclear plant
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
It's time for Progress Energy to pull the plug on its quest to build a new nuclear plant.

EDUCATION

State Board of Education takes up digital learning
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida's Board of Education will listen to leaders from state public schools and colleges discuss the expansion of online learning.

Sen. Bob Graham addresses Columbus High students on civic responsibility
By Howard Cohen
Miami Herald
Sen. Bob Graham brought his message of civic involvement to a group of Christopher Columbus High School honors history juniors and seniors on Monday.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Jobless rate improves as workers drop out
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
The state's long-suffering labor market had been on something of a roll.

Too Many Floridians Can’t Afford To Rent
By Rick Outzen
Florida Voices
Having a nice place to live is part of the American Dream. Work hard, apply yourself and you’ll make a good life for yourself and your family.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida shuns funds tied to health care reform
By Frank Gluck and Patrick Peterson
Florida Today
Florida may be waging a high-profile fight against the federal health reform law, but its governmental and health care institutions are on different pages when it comes to accepting funding connected to it.

Bondi says Florida can't afford new health care law
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
Insurance costs and health coverage for nearly everyone in Florida could be significantly affected by the state's constitutional challenge of the new health care law, which came before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday.

A Florida Lawmaker Critiques Health Care Law
By Jacki Lyden
NPR
As the Supreme Court begins hearing arguments on the Affordable Care Act, Tell Me More speaks with Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos about opposition to the Affordable Care Act in his state.

Aspect of health law has been helping veterans for years
By Anne Geggis
Gainesville Sun
As Supreme Court arguments for and against the Affordable Care Act began Monday, the retiring director of the country's biggest Veterans Health System district said one element of the law transformed health care for veterans long ago.

Doctors, advocates ask FDA to expand access to birth control without prescriptions
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Last week, doctors and reproductive rights advocates announced that they will lobby the FDA to include birth control in a list of drugs that can be offered without prescriptions.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Multiple suspensions paint complicated portrait of Trayvon Martin
By Frances Robles
Miami Herald
As thousands of people gathered here to demand an arrest in the Trayvon Martin case, a more complicated portrait began to emerge of a teenager whose problems at school ranged from getting spotted defacing lockers to getting caught with a marijuana baggie and women’s jewelry.

NRA’s Behind-the-Scenes Campaign Encouraged ‘Stand Your Ground’ Adoption
By Howard Goodman
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
It’s no coincidence that after Florida passed its Stand Your Ground law in 2005, many other states followed suit.

ALEC defends Stand Your Ground law
By William March
Tampa Tribune
The American Legislative Exchange Council, which has pushed the “Stand Your Ground” law in other states since the Florida Legislature passed it in 2005, is defending the law in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting.

GOP politicizing Trayvon Martin
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
It would be difficult to find fault with what President Obama said regarding the Trayvon Martin shooting.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Supreme Court’s Medieval Ban on Live Cameras
By Pierre Tristam
Florida Voices
For three days this week, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether it’s constitutional for the nation’s new health care law to require people to buy insurance or pay a fine.

Champion hazing probe sent to prosecutors
By Denise-Marie Balona
Orlando Sentinel
Law enforcement officials have finished their investigation into the hazing death of Florida A&M University student Robert Champion and forwarded the case file to prosecutors, the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office announced.