Daily News Clips for January 4, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

South Florida’s newest congressional leaders are sworn into office
By Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
Related: Grayson is back, ready to 'really make a difference'
Lois Frankel, the former mayor of sunny West Palm Beach, had to buy her first pair of winter boots in decades. Joe Garcia, who represents southern Miami-Dade County and the Keys, found a temporary room at University of Miami President Donna Shalala’s home in Georgetown.

Feds, Transocean Reach $1.4B Deal Over Gulf Spill; No Criminal Charges Filed
By Michael Kunzelman
Associated Press
The Justice Department reached a $1.4 billion settlement Thursday with Transocean Ltd., the owner of the drilling rig that sank after an explosion killed 11 workers and spawned the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida's death penalty needs fresh look
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Five states have repealed the death penalty in the last five years, with Connecticut being the latest to do so in 2012.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

The Most Important Progressive Victories Of 2012
Staff Report
Think Progress
1. Historic progress to end the war on drugs.

Bill McBride, 1945-2012
By Jake
Rantings From Florida
The news of the passing of Bill McBride took by sorrowful surprise today.

Scott On Gun Laws: Respect The Families...By Doing Nothing At All
By Martha Jackovics
Beach Peanuts
Rick Scott took a break from FOX-GOP-TV appearances and showed up on CNN Wednesday for an interview with Soledad O'Brien on guns.

Charlie Crist’s challenge for progressive Democrats
By Bruce Seaman
Daily Marion
There is little doubt that Charlie Crist’s recent party switch to the Democrats is a prelude to a run to recapture his former role as Florida’s governor.

The fundamental flaws of ‘value added’ teacher evaluation
By Valerie Strauss
The Answer Sheet
Evaluating teachers by the test scores of their students has been perhaps the most controversial education reform of the year because while it has been pushed in a majority of states with the support of the Obama administration, assessment experts have warned against the practice for a variety of reasons.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Legislators drive you crazy? Pay them more!
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Today I'm bringing back one of the least popular ideas I've ever floated — paying legislators more.

Bill filed to speed up foreclosures in Florida
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Tampa Bay Times
A “faster foreclosures” proposal that faced sharp consumer outcry and protest last year has resurfaced in a more moderate form this year, with a new bill filed by Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, Thursday.

POLITICAL RACES

Primary for Buchanan and other fiscal cliff offenders?
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Even as members of Congress were preparing to be sworn in for new terms today, some conservative groups were threatening Republicans with primary challenges because they supported the fiscal cliff deal.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

New hearing on status of Crystal River nuclear plant
By Ivan Penn
Tampa Bay Times
State regulators have scheduled a hearing Monday to receive an update on the broken Crystal River nuclear plant, which continues to sit idle with its future uncertain.

Court ruling leads to another push to address referendums on growth approvals
By Bruce Ritchie
The Florida Current
A circuit court judge's ruling in a Palm Beach County case is fueling a push for legislation to address referendum challenges to local government land-use decisions.

EDUCATION

|Florida Board of Education seals deal with Tony Bennett
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Tony Bennett didn't hesitate to take the job as Florida's next education commissioner once offered the post by the State Board of Education on Dec. 12.

The very best
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
There was a time when most Floridians thought of going to a community college as 13th grade, a step beyond high school but not real college.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

State inks deal to privatize South Florida inmate health care
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott's administration announced Thursday the state has signed a contract with a Pennsylvania company, Wexford Health Sources, to outsource medical care to more than 15,000 inmates in several South Florida prisons.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

State recoups $162M from Medicaid fraud probe, new report shows
By Liz Freeman
Naples Daily News
Related: Florida’s Medicaid fraud fighting cuts cost state millions in matching money, report says
The state recouped $162 million from Medicaid fraud investigations last year, a 47 percent increase from $110 million that was recovered in 2011, according to new data released Thursday.

Prescription drug strike force carries on despite lack of direct funding
By Gray Rohrer
The Florida Current
State law enforcement officials have pledged to continue the Statewide Drug Strike Force even though funding authority for the strike force ran out on Tuesday.

Sen. Bill Nelson, taking new committee post, vows 'major investigations' into crimes against seniors
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Bill Nelson today assumes his new role as chairman of the Special Committee on Aging and pledged to conduct "major investigations into crimes that target seniors" including financial scams.

Florida Missed Out on Consumer Co-ops
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
One of the most innovative parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- a loan program to start consumer health-care cooperatives -- died this week, a victim of the fiscal cliff deal.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

'Stand Your Ground' Linked To Increase In Homicides
By Shankar Vendantam and Davis Schultz
National Public Radio
If a stranger attacks you inside your own home, the law has always permitted you to defend yourself. On the other hand, if an altercation breaks out in public, the law requires you to try to retreat. At least, that's what it used to do.

Immigrant activists press Rubio to embrace comprehensive reform
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
A large crowd of immigrant activists went to Sen. Marco Rubio's Orlando office today urging him to support comprehensive reform.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Obama re-nominates Nassau judge Brian Davis for seat on the federal bench
By Larry Hannan
Florida Times-Union
Ten months after the original nomination, President Barack Obama has re-nominated Brian Davis for a seat on the federal bench.