The tea party’s local version of budget oversight proved more noise than substance as county commissioners concluded a nearly half-year-long budget season with cautious positioning ahead of next year’s.
Florida
The Live Wire, September 23: Taj Mahals, Obama Shake-Ups and Gay Santas
Marco Rubio as Taj Mahal pasha, Mainland Coach Maronto resigns, police brutality on the elderly in Orlando, Harvey Firestein as gay Santa, septic tank emanations, Philip Roth on suicide, and more.
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.”
The Other Tax Referendum: School District Battles Misperceptions to Preserve Levy
What looks like a new school tax on the Nov. 2 ballot is, in fact, the continuation of a tax property owners have been paying all along. The school district still has a battle on its hand to convince voters.
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.
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.
The Live Wire: September 16, 2010
8 p.m. Update Live coverage of the Flagler Beach City Commission’s discussion on its next manager. Also: Competing congregations in Flagler Beach, but no demonstrations. Attention fired Bunnell cops: the Border Patrol is hiring. Florida is redistricting. NASA is going nowhere fast. Florida’s Energy Star program is hostage to GOP games. And more.
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.
15 Palm Coast Residents Arrested in Oxycodone Bust; State System to Tackle Abuse Is On Hold
All 15 men and women arrested in the prescription-drug bust are from Palm Coast. Three are still at large. A system designed to reduce prescription-drug abuse is on hold.