Gov. Rick Scott wants to treat universities and colleges more like private businesses, as Rick Perry is trying to do in Texas, with more scrutiny over professor and university performance.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Rick Scott’s Sunshine Problem: Missing E-Mails and a Questionable FDLE Probe
From a supposedly accidental purge of entire Rick Scott administration email accounts to an FDLE probe that appears to be a conflict of interest, the governor’s problems with open records continue.
Campaign Notes: Defacing Moorman, Excluding Ericksen, Unseating Kim Weeks
Palm Coast City Councilman Holsey Moorman reacts to his vandalized sign, Democrats explain why they invited Jon Netts and not Charlie Ericksen, and the complete list of candidates thinking (or not) of challenging Kimberle Weeks, the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections.
Hurricane Update: Tropical Storm Warning Issued for Coastal Waters Off Flagler
Hurricane Irene won’t slam Florida the way it will the Northeast, but high surf of 12 to 18 feet near shore means a tropical storm warning for coastal areas here and windy conditions overnight.
Lethal Edict: Florida Supremes Rule “Isolated Mishaps” Aren’t Enough to Stop Executions
Clearing the way for executions by lethal injection, a unanimous Florida Supreme Court ruled invalid death row inmate Manuel Valle’s objection to pentobarbital, one of the three drugs used to put inmates to sleep–and to euthanize animals.
End of State-Funded Public Broadcasting In Florida: State Board Blanks PBS Dollars
Following on the heels of Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of PBS funding earlier this year, the State Board of Education, for the first time in 35 years, refused to include funding for Florida’s 26 public television and radio stations, putting many of those stations’ future in doubt.
Florida GOP’s Vague Redistricting Schedule Playing Havoc With Election-Year Politics
Critics of the Legislature’s timeline say mass chaos could follow if lawmakers don’t approve maps soon enough to give the attorney general and the Supreme Court enough time to review the plans well in advance of the June 18 opening date for qualifying.
Another Air Show, in Kansas City, Crash Claims the Life of a Ponte Vedra Veteran of Aerobatics
Bryan Jensen, a stunt pilot for 15 years and a captain who flew 747s for Delta Airlines, was killed Saturday when his red Horizon Hobbit biplane crashed at the Kansas City Aviation Expo Air Show in circumstances similar to the fatal crash at Wings Over Flagler in March.
Taxes, the Economy, the Stimulus: Separating Fiction from Fact
Answers to recurring questions of the day: what’s the state of the economy, are Americans really as overtaxed as they think they are, and what has the 2009 economic stimulus accomplished–or not?
Decision Fatigue, Why Music Matters, Immigrants Under Siege: The Live Wire
He decides to give up on Facebook and Twitter, the South discovers a new enemy in immigrants, the bad news of bad news, Irving Kristol on Neo-conservatism, Burger King fires the King, and more.