School Superintendent Janet Valentine makes the case for the 25-cent-per-$1,000 property tax levy on November’s ballot, the continuation of a tax homeowners have been paying all along.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Election Primer: Amendments 5 and 6 Pit Power Against Voters in Redistricting
Florida’s proposed Amendments 5 and 6 would diminish the power of incumbents and legislative majorities to pick their own voters when they draw up voting districts every 10 years.
Beethoven, a “Bachelorette” Named Giselle, and Old Blue Eyes: Culture Worth the Miles
Beethoven’s 5th, Beethoven’s 9th, “Noises Off,” the recreation of the Orlando Ballet Company, a little Batman thrown in and more Museum of Florida Art auctions.
Abu Ghraib Brutality in Florida’s Youth Prisons: Suit Charges Rape and Other Abuses
A class-action law suit against a private Florida juvenile prion contractor claims children were physically abused, forced to have sex with counselors, and kept from seeing lawyers.
When Courts and the Justice Department Conceal, Deceive and Lie: A Gitmo Fabrication
A U.S. District Court opinion about an Al-Qaeda suspect held at Guantanamo Bay’s Gitmo prison was removed from circulation and rewritten, revealing critical alterations and insights into the Justice Department’s elaborate deceptions, which undermine the credibility of the court system.
Color and Provocation Surf Through Hollingsworth Gallery’s Latest Show
The new show features eight local artists whose sensibilities range from explorations of the darkest human impulses to the brightest harmonies, with creative chaos in between.
Losses Accelerating As Economy Drops 95,000 Jobs Overall; Private Sector Adds 64,000
Economists had expected a loss of only a few thousand jobs. The September figures, led by government job declines, are in line with a continuing trend downward in Florida.
The Sentinel’s Mica Endorsement Over Beaven: Pork Is Good As Long As It’s Our Pork
The Orlando Sentinel’s unsurprising endorsement of John Mica over Heather Beaven replicates duplicity and errors rampant in discussions of federal spending, pork and earmarks.
Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano Will Take Over Kim Hammond’s Criminal Docket Come Jan. 1
Depending on who wins, Dennis Craig or Joe Horrox will be assigned to the civil and family division now assigned to Zambrano.The rotations in the 7th Judicial Circuit are made to familiarize judges with various aspects of the law.
Why You Won’t Have to Leave Your Foreclosed House (If You have a Good Lawyer)
Some banks are still insisting that their errors are minor and foreclosures will continue, but what they say publicly and do privately are two different things.
Hope, Art, and Winnie the Pooh: Culture Worth the Miles
“The Art of Hope” at Crealde’s Jenkins Gallery, the Winter Park Autumn Festival, Winnie the Pooh at the Orlando Repertory Theater, Phantasmagoria’s haunting puppetry, and more. Josh Garrick’s latest picks.
Idioting Up Over Islam, Rev. Franklin Graham Reveals America’s More Present Dangers
This time, Rev. Franklin Graham is unable to get away with his usual offenses and fallacies on Islam during a town hall with Christiane Amanpour.
Palm Coast Data’s Invitation-Only Picnic: Hot Dogs, Flattery and Suspended Disbelief
Half Palm Coast and the county’s elected officials and top administrators were invited to Palm Coast Data’s picnic. The public wasn’t. That’s not the main problem.
Blogger and South Florida Health Care Firm Battle Over Workers Compensation Drug Costs
Automated HealthCare Solutions, a growing and politically powerful private firm in Miramar, is suing a solo blogger who accused the company of being part of a workers’ compensation system that benefits from “rampant greed.”
French Maids Worth the Miles, Not To Mention Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival
French maids like you’ve never seen them before, Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival returns, Kevin McKenzie at the Orlando Ballet, words to works at the Orlando Museum of Art, and more.
Backgrounder: Why the U.S. Postal Service Is In Trouble
All the facts, figures and projections about the US Postal Services financial troubles and means of escaping them as the USPS prepares to consolidate its Daytona Beach processing facility with Lake Mary’s.
County’s $3.5 Million Gamble on Pellicer Flats Raids Credibility of Land Program
Tobin, an expert on the Ginn Co.’s shredding history in the county, outlines three reasons why the county commission’s $3.5 million Pellicer Flats land buy was risky, reckless gamble.
From “Wall Street” to Sequel, a Sentimental Oliver Stone Manages a Ménage à Trois
Oliver Stone’s new “Wall Street” is worth the ride, but it’s less caffeinated than the original, and Stone gives in to sentimentalism and nostalgia where polemic serves him better.
Existing Home Sales Edge Up 5.2% in South, But Still at 15-Year Low
Existing home sales rebounded as expected from a severe plunge in July, but not by much, and the large housing supply will keep prices falling.
Ending 33-Year Disgrace, Appeals Court Rules Florida’s Gay Adoption Ban Unconstitutional (Updated)
Updated at 2:55 p.m. The unanimous decision found no rational basis in the state’s prohibition on gay adoptions, and Gov. Crist, who’d once supported the ban, termed the decision “great.”
Pastor Jim Raley to Strip Club: Not In Our Midst
“Cheaters”‘ presence would be “a moral and ethical blow” to the region and should not be allowed to prosper locally, argues Jim Raley, senior pastor at Calvary Christian Center in Ormond Beach.
Town Center CRA: How Palm Coast Invented “Blightness” to Capture and Hoard Tax Revenue
In 2004, Palm Coast declared 3,000 acres of scrub and pine forest “blighted” and in need of “redevelopment.” The Town Center “Community Redevelopment Agency” was born.
Mica Challenger Heather Beaven’s First TV Ad Soldiers On, Without a Fight
Heather Beaven is running for Congress against nine-term incumbent John Mica, though her first TV ad, less than two months from the election, is more of an early-summer and gentle meet-and-greet.
State’s Small-Government Plan to Scale Back Food Inspections at Child Cares Backfires
Weeks after a new state law removed Florida Department of Health inspectors from child-care centers in hopes of saving money, they’ve quietly been welcomed back into a few centers, with more to come.
Mahler’s Greatest Hit and Museum Madness in DeLand: Culture Worth the Miles
Plenty of art, sculptures and museum days in DeLand, Mahler’s great “Resurrection” Symphony performed by the largest orchestra the Orlando Philharmonic has ever assembled, and lots more.
Brainless: How the Pentagon Denies
Purple Hearts to Soldiers With Head Trauma
Long a laggard in recognizing head traumas and mental-health issues on par with more physically visible wounds, the Pentagon is refusing to award Purple Hearts to some soldiers despite evidence of injuries.
Unemployment Spikes in Flagler Back to Near Record at 16.4%; Florida’s Back Up to 11.7%
Flagler County’s unemployment spike is one of the steepest month-over-month rises since the recession began in 2008. Florida may already be in a double-dip recession.
Record 43.6 Million in Poverty; Record 50.7 Million Uninsured; Only Elderly Thrive
The Census Bureau’s annual poverty, income and insurance report is the hardest data yet on the severity of the recession. The elderly are not only spared: they improve.
CC DC: Charlie Crist Adopts Gay Rights and Calls for Repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
Crist’s belated embrace of gay adoptions, civil unions for gays and lesbians, and full, equal rights for gay soldiers makes him socially indistinguishable from Kendrick Meek.
Culture Worth the Miles: Nature Walks and Art Along the Highway
Have a hand in a community masterpiece at an “Eat, Paint and Party” arts district benefit at Orlando’s Sonesta Hotel Downtown, the art of the Florida Highwaymen (26 black artists of the 1950s and 60s), and more.
Alex Sink and Rick Scott on Health Care: Sharp Clash of Opposites in Race for Governor
On health care, there are no blurry lines between Florida Gubernatorial candidates Alex Sink and Rick Scott. It’s a story of opposites.
Net Neutrality: The First Amendment Issue of Our Time
“Protecting an open Internet,” Sen. Al Franken argues, “isn’t just about developing new and enforceable net neutrality standards. It is also about making sure that the Internet isn’t effectively owned by a handful of companies.”
Art League Inaugurates Move to City Walk With “A Hero’s Call”
Now led by Weldon Ryan, a retired New York City police artist, the Flagler County Art League is devoting its first show at its new City Walk gallery to artistic renditions of first responders around 9/11 and since.
Obama Condemns Gainesville Koran-Burning as FBI Warns of Possible Retaliation in Florida
As protesters burn Gainesville Pastor Terry Jones in effigy and the FBI warns of possible retaliations in Florida, Obama joins condemnations of the planned Koran-burning.
Gen. Patraeus Warns: If Gainesville “Church” Burns Korans, U.S. Troops Will Be Targeted
A Gainesville “church”‘s plan to burn Korans on to commemorate 9/11 “could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort,” Petraeus said. The Koran-burning preacher is unmoved.
Shakespeare, Hitchcock, and Mexico: This Week in Orlando
Alfred Hitchcock, comedian? Absolutely, with “The 39 Steps” at the Shakespeare Theater; “Pride and Protest” at the GLBT History Museum; pianist Santiago Rodriguez at the Shakespeare theater on Sept. 19, and more.
Mainland High School Coach John Maronto’s Prostitution Arrest: Hold Your Sanctimony
Mainland High School football coach John Maronto, 68, was arrested in a prostitution sting Sept. 4. Hold your sanctimony: wasteful police stings aside, he did nothing wrong.
A Wedding Made in Deli: How Aquarius Conquered Cancer
He’s 60. She’s 65. They’ve each been married twice before. She was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. They’re getting married at Strathmore’s Deli, with Mayor Netts officiating.
Mosque Madness and the Shame of New York
As a model of understanding, New York City was once an American redemption. Relatively, anyway. Not anymore, as a majority of New Yorkers are joining the mob-like reaction against an Islamic center near Ground Zero.
August Unemployment Up to 9.6% as 54,000 More Jobs Are Lost; 15 Million Unemployed
Private sector job growth of 67,000 was not enough to overcome a loss of 114,000 in the government sector as more Census workers lost work.
Stetson Professor Monique Forte’s Death Attributed to Cocaine Abuse
Stetson Professor Monique Forte, beloved as a friend and mentor, had been battling mounting stress in her work and personal life.
Variations on Root Canals: Credit Card Fraud from a Dentist Near You
Beware, consumers: those credit cards with fabulous terms you’re getting at your dentist’s office may hide seriously rotten business.
It’s Raining Taxes, Cont’d: Behind Scenes, County Manager Floats Sales Tax Increase
One proposal would increase the half-cent sales tax by a super-majority vote of the county commission, bypassing voters.
In 5-2 Ruling, Florida Supreme Court Rejects Ballot Measure Banning Federal Health Reform
Citing “misleading and ambiguous language,” the court rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned mandated federal health insurance in Florida.
Stetson Scores $610,000 Federal Stimulus Grant to Renovate Labs
Stetson’s grant will renovate its main science building’s labs. The grant is part of $3 billion awarded the National Science Foundation in stimulus dollars in 2009.
Culture Worth the (Orlando) Magic: The Week’s Calendar Collage
Eat royally, save money and support the arts: Orlando’s September magical dining experience; the art of collage gains new respectability, and soars to the Magic’s heights; Stephen Sondheim’s Mad Cow, and more.
Neo-Supremacy Chic: Glenn Beck
And Sarah Palin’s Tea-Scalding of MLK
Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin’s biggest “tea party” rally on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s most famous speech signals the arrival of a neo-supremacist political movement in god’s clothing.
Back to School Jam: The Video
Watch the six-minute video of the Aug. 7 Back to School Jam, where some 2,600 backpacks and school supplies were given away.
Tanking GDP: When No One Wants to
Admit to Double-Dipping
The latest figures darken a picture already gloomy with collapsing home sales and persistently high unemployment. Deflation may be next.
Supreme Court Still Silent on Proposal to Exclude Floridians From Federal Health Reform
Amendment 9, bumped off the November ballot by a lower court for being misleading, would ban laws that would make health insurance a requirement from taking effect in Floria.