Daily News Clips for October 9, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Today is final day to register to vote in November
By Jerome R. Stockfisch
Tampa Tribune
Anyone who wants a say in who will represent them, from the White House and U.S. Capitol to local soil and water districts and mosquito control boards, must register to vote by this evening.

Debate bump appears to pull Romney even with Obama nationally and in Florida
By William March
Tampa Tribune
His strong performance in last week’s presidential debate appears to have pulled Mitt Romney at least even both nationally and in Florida, according to polls now being released.

In voter registration fraud case, it's not Mickey Mouse you have to worry about
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The obviously fraudulent applications filed by a vendor hired by the Republican Party of Florida have gained wide attention in a case that's now being investigated by law enforcement.

Judge considers whether Haridopolos, Thrasher should be part of Jim Greer civil case
By Brittany Alana Davis
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A Tallahassee judge refused Monday to dismiss a civil lawsuit by former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer against the party and two prominent state senators.

Republican powerhouses urge GOP to leave Supreme Court justices alone
By Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post
Three Republican powerhouses – including a former lieutenant governor candidate and two former U.S. attorneys -  tried unsuccessfully over the weekend to get the Florida GOP to reverse course on its pledge to work to unseat three Florida Supreme Court justices.

Impartial Justice at Risk
Editorial
New York Times
The barrage began in June when the state’s Republican governor, Rick Scott — who would name the judges’ replacements if they lost — ordered up a phony and politically motivated investigation into the judges’ innocuous use of court personnel to notarize required financial disclosure filings.

FLORIDA POLITICS

GOP voter fraud hurts system
Editorial
Pensacola News Journal
Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Republicans were right all along: There was a voter fraud problem in Florida.

Democrats say they're doing well in Florida in new registrations as deadline looms
By Mitch Perry
Creative Loafing Tampa
Tuesday marks the deadline to register to vote in the November 6 election in Florida, and Obama supporters say they're making a strong effort in the days before that deadline.

CNN documentary on Florida voting restrictions back on
By William March
Tampa Tribune
A postponed CNN documentary on new voting restrictions in Florida, which Democrats contend are aimed at suppressing minority and youth votes, will be aired in prime time Sunday.

Charlie Crist embraces Democratic candidates
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist continues to move closer and closer to becoming a Democrat.

6 of 7 on Orange board knew of anti-sick-time plan
By David Damron and Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
All but one Orange County commissioner knew of a plan to keep a controversial sick-time initiative off the ballot before a marathon public hearing on the matter even started, interviews and text messages released Monday show.

POLITICAL RACES

Obama forces led TV ad wars in Florida
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
President Barack Obama and his super-PAC backers dominated the airwaves in Florida with more than 17,000 TV ads during the last three weeks of September, helping him gain an edge over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the nation's biggest swing state.

President to speak at University of Miami
Staff Report
South Florida Sun Sentinel
In what's billed as a "grass roots event," President Barack Obama will take his case for re-election to the public Thursday during an appearance at the University of Miami.

Romney now coos to the ‘47 percent.’
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
You expect President Obama to call out Mitt Romney for comments the president believes are contrary to the facts.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Just a power grab
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Power grabs are nothing new to the Florida Legislature.

No to public funding of religion
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
When Florida legislators put Amendment 8 on the ballot, they deceptively titled it "Religious Freedom" rather than the more accurate "Public Funding of Religion" to make it more palatable to voters. Don't be fooled.

Reject both health care amendments
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
In another case of deception, the Florida Legislature has placed two health care-related amendments on the ballot with titles that don't come close to describing their mischief.

Guide to Florida's 2012 proposed amendments
By Lawrence Sullivan
Tampa Tribune
Florida voters will go to the polls on Nov. 6, and be hit with a long, wordy list of proposed ballot amendments.

Voters expected to approve most property tax ballot items
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Three of the constitutional amendments voters will decide on next month achieved rare bipartisan consensus prior to landing on the contentious 2012 ballot.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Proposed land swap along Suwannee River fuels concerns about future state land sales
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Suwannee River Water Management District on Tuesday will decide whether land near Ellaville no longer is needed for conservation despite the presence of gopher tortoises protected by the state.

EDUCATION

Lawsuits on agenda at Board of Education meeting
By James Call
Florida Current
State education officials will decide Tuesday how to proceed in two separate lawsuits.

Pinellas charter recommended for approval despite concerns
By Cara Fitzpatrick
Tampa Bay Times
A proposed online charter school that would hire a Virginia firm under investigation for using uncertified teachers is up for approval today before the Pinellas County School Board.

Broward School District making progress toward reducing class size
By Karen Yi
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Wary of being slapped with another $66 million fine for violating class-size requirements, the Broward School District said it was making substantial progress toward compliance this year.

Five Florida Schools Among Private Colleges With Lowest Graduation Rates
By John O'Connor
StateImpact Florida
Five Florida schools have landed on a list of private colleges with the lowest graduation rates.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

State wants hard-to-see auto tags replaced
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The state of Florida plans to ditch its iconic green and white license plate for a new tag that officials say will be easier to read and will save money by making it simpler to catch motorists who evade tolls.

Stop press: Politician supports consumers
By Daniel Ruth
Tampa Bay Times
How unthinkable was this? Pigs were flying!

Fla. insurance fund could be short of cash needs
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
A state-created fund that backs up private insurers in Florida could fall short of the money it needs to pay off hurricane insurance claims if a major storm were to pound the state.

State seeks competing bids for train between Orlando, South Florida
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
The state is seeking bids from any company that wants to compete with the Coral Gables operation planning a privately financed train from South Florida to Orlando International Airport.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Nearly a million residents could gain health insurance without the state paying
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
Close to 1 million Floridians could gain access to health insurance without the state chipping in a penny, if state leaders agree to expand Medicaid temporarily.

Medicare tries to steer seniors from low-ranked managed care plans
By Diane C. Lade
South Florida Sun Sentinel
For the first time this year, Medicare is sending home bad report cards on its under-performing private plans.

Florida drug database intended to save lives is barely used by doctors
By John Woodrow Cox
Tampa Bay Times
One year ago, Florida created a weapon meant to help stop the prescription drug epidemic that kills an average of more than six people a day in this state.

Blood money: Black, gray markets for diabetes test strips a big business
By Pat Beall
Palm Beach Post
Before he connected with a rogue pharmacy tech in Washington state, before the enticing eBay ads and the deals with a Boca Raton-based medical supply company, Donald Alan Pepin appeared to be nothing more threatening than a business owner who drank too much.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

The Politics Behind Giving Ex-Cons the Vote
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
There is really no good reason for denying convicted felons the right to vote once they finish their prison sentences and resolve other obstacles to full citizenship, like completion of probation and restitution to victims.