Starting Friday, the City Repertory Theatre will stage six performances of “Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” the Eric Blau and Mort Schuman revue of the great Belgian troubadour, under the direction of John Sbordone.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
When Profit-Raking Disney and the Daytona Speedway Beg Florida for Corporate Welfare
Disney is asking the state for an array of tax breaks that could cost Floridians as much as $100 million over 20 years. International Speedway Corp., owner of Daytona International Speedway, is in on the deal.
Live Wire: Newt Gingrich, Open Marriage Man
Newt Gingrich’s second ex-wife says he lacks the moral character to be president and describes how he wanted a wife and a mistress. Scott opposes Internet cafes; Wikipedia and other big websites go dark to protest the invasive Stop Online Piracy Act, states look to online gambling to plug their deficits, Diego Rivera ignites the Museum of Modern Art, a short history of atheism, and more.
Debbie Reynolds, Too, Is Alive and Well, and Singin’ On Flagler Auditorium’s Stage Tonight
Debbie Reynolds, star of “Singin’ In the Rain,” is turning 80 in a few weeks–and taking the Flagler Auditorium stage Thursday evening to show off her enduring versatility as a singer and comic.
In Washington State, a Proposed Mandate for Abortion Coverage, Whoever the Insurer
Democratic members of the Democratic-controlled Washington State legislature introduced a bill that would require private and public insurers that provide maternity coverage to cover abortion services as well.
Don’t Let It Happen
The the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act give the federal government unprecedented powers to censor or block access to websites judged to be carrying pirated music or videos, a power usually associated with authoritarian regimes.
Bill To Ban Internet Cafes Advances in Florida Legislature as Opponents Call It a Job Killer
A House panel Today approved a proposal to shutter the 1,000-some Internet cafés that have opened in shopping centers across the state in recent years, including nearly a dozen in Palm Coast.
As School Board Votes on Uniform Policy, a Reality Check From the Trenches
Drawing on arresting experiences, Jo Ann Nahirny, a veteran teacher at Matanzas High School, disputes assumptions on school uniforms in a letter to Flagler County School Board members.
Flouting the First:
Florida’s Slouch Back To Religious Favoritism
Florida’s proposed “Religious Freedom” amendment and a bill that would enable prayer at public school events project the false impression that religious expression in the public sphere is under siege, when the reverse is closer to the mark–as a bias particularly favoring Christianity.
A La Carte College Tuition: Florida’s Science-Tech Majors Could End Up Paying More
Florida’s quest for more science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees might eventually lead to a quest for higher tuition for students entering those programs, based on comments by higher education leaders.
Why Tim Tebow Is Not God’s Jerry Rice
A pastor’s suggestion that God is favoring Tim Tebow is wrong, argues Aaron Rushing, because it turns the former Gator and Denver Broncos quarterback into a good luck charm. God is using Tebow in other ways, writes Rusher.
Scott Orders Review of Special Taxing Districts Like Grand Haven, Dunes and Every CRA
The review affects such “community redevelopment agencies” such as Palm Coast’s Town Center. Special taxing districts generate $15 billion in revenue annually. Oversight can be more lax than for more general government revenues.
Live Wire: Florida Budget Shortfall Remains at $2 Billion; US Marines Urinate on Taliban Corpses
The latest numbers from the State Revenue Estimating Conference leave Florida’s 2012 revenue stuck with a $2 billion deficit the Legislature must plug. The Pentagon is scrambling to contain damage from a video showing four US Marines apparently urinating on three dead Taliban fighters, a violation of the Geneva Convention.
As Inmate Population Continues to Fall, Florida Will Close 7 Prisons and 4 Work Camps
Declining prison admissions created a surplus of prison beds, allowing the state prison system to cut its budget deficit by closing our older facilities, says Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker.
Stetson’s School of Business Graduate Programs Named “Top Online” By U.S. News & World Report
Stetson University School of Business Administration online master’s degree programs have been named among the nation’s “Top Online Graduate Business Programs” in U.S. News & World Report’s Top Online Education Programs 2012 rankings.
Less Brawn and Less Substance as Gov. Scott Declares Florida On Its Way Back
There were no surprises and few specifics in Scott’s roughly half hour State of the State speech, with the governor sticking to his year-long theme of getting the state back to work. The opposition is skeptical.
School Uniforms at Osceola Public Schools? You Be the Judge: An Image Gallery
The Osceola policy is actually a dress code, and a rather lenient one at that: the photos lay bare the Osceola school district’s uniform policy as the Flagler school board prepares to decide whether to implement such a policy locally on Jan. 17.
“It’s Messed Up”: Occupy Tallahassee Group Denied Access To Florida Senate Gallery
Citing noise and chanting earlier in the day, the Florida Senate Sergeant at Arms on Tuesday denied Senate viewing gallery access to a group loosely defined as Occupy Tallahassee even though the group members intended only to watch and listen.
Liberals’ Inexplicable Hatred for Gov. Rick Scott
“I’m thinking of calling Dr. Phil and asking him why Florida liberals hate Gov. Rick Scott so much,” writes Lloyd Brown. “The only zeal I’ve seen that exceeded it was the seething hatred for President George W. Bush.”
What Rick Scott Can Learn from Anthropology
Rick Scott should lay off behavior modification and let people study everything from art to zoology, argues Cary McMullen. Don’t worry. We’ll figure out what we want to be when we grow up.
Senate Sweep: More Slots, Lower Gambling Taxes, Only Minor Internet Cafe Regulations
A Senate committee Monday considers a sweeping proposal that would allow three mega-casinos in Florida, offer more slots at pari-mutuel facilities and rein in Internet cafes a little.
The Florida Family Association’s Un-Christian Jihad on TLC’s “All-American Muslim”
In their war on TLC’s “All-American Muslim,” a few aberrant fools at the Florida Family Association are yearning for “No Muslims Allowed” signs everywhere and smearing this state’s reputation while drafting Lowe’s to their bigoted crusade.
Florida’s Poor and Elderly Again Brace For Cuts As Legislature Prepares for Tuesday Kickoff
Gov. Rick Scott is proposing further deep cuts in Medicaid payments to hospitals, while lawmakers have filed bills that would help shield emergency-room doctors and workers from costly malpractice lawsuits.
Unemployment Falls to 8.5%, Lowest Level in Almost 3 Years, as 200,000 Jobs Are Created
The decline in unemployment, a boon to Obama’s reelection hopes, was the result of actual job creation, rather than a reduction in labor force participation.
Piety Rising: How Iowa Might Give Rick Santorum a Second Chance in Florida
That’s assuming Mitt Romney doesn’t clean up in New Hampshire and does respectably in South Carolina, two states ahead of Florida’s presidential primary on Jan. 31.
Superstar Violinist Joshua Bell Does Bruch With Jacksonville Symphony Jan. 7
A limited number of tickets are still available for the Jan. 7 concert with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, where Joshua Bell will perform Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor.
429 Manatee Deaths in 2011 Second-Highest On Record, But None Recorded in Flagler
A cold-related die-off of manatees in early 2011 set the stage for a third straight year with high numbers of deaths for manatees, following a record 766 deaths in 2010 and 429 in 2009.
My 10 Predictions for 2012
Obama is reelected, the world doesn’t end except for Tim Tebow, Jim Landon and Sharon Atack look for other jobs and the News-Journal goes into the cemetery business: predictions worthy of James Ussher.
Medical Marijuana in Florida: Legislators File Long-Shot Proposal to Amend the Constitution
Although a 57 percent majority of Florida voters are ready to inhale (the proposal, anyway), the staunchly conservative Legislature is unlikely to let the proposed constitutional amendment on medical marijuana go forward.
After Iowa: Romney and Gingrich Lead in Florida, For Now, Heading Into Jan. 31 Primary
Romney and Gingrich are essentially in a statistical dead heat, with Romney leading with 27 percent of the vote to Gingrich’s 26, according to the telephone survey of 780 Republican voters, conducted from Dec. 15-19.
Apostolic Outlook: 12 Stories to Watch in 2012
Instead of rounding up the week’s news, which again was in short supply this week – we look forward to next year with a roundup of the stories we think may be the biggest next year in state government and politics. Happy New Year.
Your Police State At Work: Spy Drones Entering Local Cop Arsenals, Including Florida’s
Forget Iran and Afghanistan. Americans have unmanned drones flying over their own heads, and more are coming as local police agencies, including the Miami-Dade Police Department, are acquiring spy drones and using them for surveillance of citizens.
For a Happy Saturnalian Christmas:
How To have A Good Time
Fulton J. Sheen was that rarity of Catholic sermonizers: he was witty, earthy and unfriendly to religion’s two heels : dogma and doctrine. “How to Have a Good Time” is one of his most celebrated sermons from his “Life Is Worth Living” series, from 1957.
Florida GOP’s Agenda, Once Emboldened, Facing Broad-Based Backlash in Courts
Republicans’ sweeping changes to elections law, welfare drug-testing and state workers’ pension contributions have bogged down in court challenges and judges’ injunctions as Gov. Rick Scott chafes at the push-back.
Florida Utilities Fume as EPA Tells Dirty Coal Power Plants To Clean Up Or Clam Up
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday released controversial new air-pollution standards that could force expensive upgrades at some Florida power plants — but have been long-sought by environmental and health advocates.
Light at the End of the Catacombs: Home Sales Up Significantly in Flagler and Florida
Palm Coast’s and Flagler County’s real estate market can take heart: for the first time in half a decade, the home-buying industry is looking a lot less grim than it’s been, even if prices have yet to catch up to the uptick in sales.
Downturn Be Damned: Florida Crosses 19 Million Mark as Population Grows By 256,000
The population growth in Florida was driven mostly by migrants into the state, while the nation’s growth of less than 1 percent between April 2010 and July 2011, was the lowest since the mid-1940s.
Borrowing Judge’s Words, Attorney General Bondi Rewrites Religious Aid Amendment
The proposed constitutional amendment language was judged vague and inadmissible in a circuit court ruling earlier this month. In an unusual intervention tinged with implications, Attorney General Pam Bondi rewrote the proposed amendment, which opponents still consider unconstitutional.
Timeline: Hammock Dunes DRI, 1982-2011
Timeline of the Hammock Dunes development DRI from its Admiral-ITT origins through its Ginn-Luber Adler ownership and disputes with the Flagler County Commission.
Florida Legislator Wants $1 Cigarette Tax Increase In Exchange for Lower Driver Fees
South Florida’s Jim Waldman, a Democrat from Coconut Creek, wants to roll back unpopular driver’s license and registration fees, paying for it with a $1 increase in Florida’s cigarette tax, now at $1.34.
Ammons Stays at FAMU, Defying Gov. Scott’s Muscling Into Hazing Homicide Controversy
The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees will meet by phone Monday to decide the fate of President James Ammons in the wake of the hazing death of a drum major on Nov. 19 and the hazing-related brutalization of another student in the band two weeks earlier.
The 10 Greediest Americans of 2011
Whether they manage football pageants or Ford Motor Co., these guys, from Walmart’s Michael Duke to ex-Massey Energy’s Don Blankenship, remind us how much needs to change, economically and politically, in 2012 and beyond.
Farewell to Christopher Hitchens, Newt Ginrich’s G Spot and Andy Kaufman: The Live Wire
How Christopher Hitchens could fly-swat Sean Hannity in five words flat, the end of YouTube as we knew it, newspapers’ deaths within five years, the shame of McDowell County, West Virginia, and more.
As Autopsies Dwindle, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes Instead of Learning From Them
Autopsies are conducted on just 5 percent of patients who die in hospitals, letting common diagnostic errors go undiscovered, allowing physicians to practice on other patients with a false sense of security, and short-shrifting understanding of the effectiveness of medical treatments and the progression of diseases.
Behind the Scenes at Universal, Candlelight Scrooge and Lasers: Cultural Holidays Worth the Miles
Art behind the scenes at theme parks, holidays in space by way of the Kennedy Space Center, laser light shows, Scrooge by candlelight, and more.
Testing Industrial Complex Descends on Florida To Fight Over $35 Million Contract
McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are in a battle over the right to provide testing items to the Florida Department of Education under a Race to the Top contract worth tens of millions of dollars.
We Don’t Need Another Payroll Tax Cut
We can all afford less tax coddling and more fiscal responsibility. But don’t expect to hear that from allegedly conservative Republican and our blandly, irresponsibly centrist president, who’s bribing his way to a second term.
Only Partial Victory for Palm Coast’s Merrill Shapiro in Fight Against Religious Aid Bid
Circuit Judge Terry Lewis struck down only part of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow taxpayer money to go to religious institutions, leaving the door wide open for a fix in time for the 2012 ballot. The case was brought by Palm Coast Rabbi Merrill Shapiro and public education advocates.
Total Cell Phone Ban for Drivers: Not Likely in Florida
The National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to ban all cell phone use while driving, even hands-free uses, the first such call by a federal agency. Florida is still struggling to impose a hands-free requirement.
Room for Debate: Should Florida Restrict Cell Use and Texting While Driving?
Despite mounting evidence that cell and texting use while driving increases the chances of a crash, Florida continues to resist regulation. A proposed law has yet again been filed to ban drivers’ use of electronic devices.