Category: State & National News
New Senate bill lets Escambia kids go to Santa Rosa schools
A bill that would expand the public-school provisions of the Opportunity Scholarship Program moved through committees in both Florida legislative chambers this week. Students would…
Ingram manure bill narrowly passes committee
Rep. Clay “What’s that Smell” Ingram’s bill to prevent local governments from placing restrictions on fertilizer use passed the House Community Affairs & Military Subcommittee…
Move over Wisconsin, Florida union bashing begins
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that state lawmakers have proposed several bills that are nearly identical to those proposed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: SB…
Haridopolos stalls Senate ethics bill
Last year Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos co-sponsored a bill that would have cracked down on legislative voting conflicts of interest. This year, he had…
DOE Secretary resigns
Statement from Eric Smith who announced his resignation as the Secretary of the Florida Department of Education: This past weekend, I informed the members of…
Education is the target for state budget proposals
In Escambia County, County Administrator Randy Oliver has got his board eyeing the Sheriff David Morgan’s budget as a way to balance their budget. In…
GOP double-talk
I find it ironic that Gov. Rick Scott professes that his budget cuts will create jobs and revive our economy, yet most local officials will…
NPR sting producer refused to be videotaped
James O’Keefe, the conservative activist known for his hidden-camera videos that attacked ACORN and National Public Radio, refused last week to let a local newspaper…
Who guides Gov. Rick Scott
The St. Pete Times reports that Gov. Rick Scott is guided by three conservative think tanks: Cato Institute, Reason Foundation and Heritage Foundation. If you…
Truth about state pensions
Gov. Rick Scott wants the public to believe that teachers, law enforcement, firefighters and other public employees are getting rich off their pension benefits. The…
D.C. teacher evaluation system
Washington Post: The District of Columbia’s new teacher evaluation system, IMPACT, is becoming a national model. Master educators observe, critique and evaluate teachers. Read more.
Senate proposes to suspend prepaid tuition
First it was reducing Bright Future scholarships. Now it’s the highly successful Florida Prepaid College program. What do Republicans have against college education? Read more.
Scott launches ugly website
It’s almost as bad as gulf1….not quite, but very close. Gov. Rick Scott brags he will give all the pension figures for state employees, but…
Nine more dead dolphins found
Mobile Press Register reports: Nine more dolphin carcasses have been recovered in Alabama and Mississippi since Saturday, bringing the total for the two states to…
Some GOP still fear ACORN, which doesn’t exist
According to the latest survey by Public Policy Polling: In November of 2009, 52 percent of Republicans thought ACORN had stolen the election for Barack…
Palin’s popularity slipping
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll reveals a potentially troubling sign for the former Alaska governor. Read more.
Riding Moby Dick to Atlantis
Those are the chances that Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas gives on anyone ever riding the Sun Rail to downtown Orlando. Thomas fires off some…
Satellite photos of Japan, before and after
From Washington Post, aerial photos taken over Japan have revealed the scale of devastation across the country. See photos.
Surprise: O’Keefe NPR sting heavily edited
Quote of the Day: There are “two ways to lie,” Al Tompkins, a senior faculty member for broadcasting and online at the Poynter Institute, told…
Elected officials do very well under Florida pensions
From Sun-Sentinel: State and local officeholders are entitled by law to special treatment that allows them to accrue benefits faster and retire with bigger payments…
