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As Seminole Tribe tries to rebound from defeat of gambling compact, feds offer little help
New court filings Tuesday from Florida pari-mutuel facilities and federal Indian gaming regulators suggest the Seminole Tribe of Florida may face an uphill battle to resurrect its gambling compact with the State of Florida. A U.S. district judge struck down the compact in a ruling last week. The tribe, which launched Florida’s first statewide sports […]
Cash bail: Lawsuits target practice that leaves poor people jailed while others walk
George Whitfield, arrested for possessing drugs and paraphernalia, has been held in the Sarasota jail awaiting trial since Aug. 4. Meanwhile, he’s lost his job. Why? He couldn’t afford the bail amount of $2,000. Linda Sue Reed of Sarasota was arrested Sept. 8 on a charge of selling cocaine within 1,000 feet of a public […]
FL Senate’s draft voting maps faring well in public opinion so far
Early reviews of the Florida Senate’s eight proposed maps redrawing state Senate and congressional voting districts are favorable, drawing a stark contrast between this redistricting cycle and the one 10 years ago. “These maps are impressive,” said Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a central-west Florida Republican who chairs the Senate subcommittee on congressional reapportionment. We have come […]
DeSantis announces plans for a massive FL environmental budget in a one-page handout
Gov. Ron DeSantis touted his proposed budget for environmental funding in 2022-23 but did not release the budget itself. The governor’s staff supplied only a one-page handout in connection with his press conference in Naples Tuesday morning. “With our recommendations … we will not only have kept the promises and met the standards that we […]
Climate change: Women and families in poor countries most feel the brunt
The two-week climate conference in Glasgow, concluding today, shone a spotlight on the harm climate change inflicts on women and families in the world’s most vulnerable countries. Women, who often hold lead roles in providing food and health care for their families, are on the front lines, according to advocates participating in panel discussions during […]
FL Senate unveils draft maps proposing new districts for Congress, Legislature
First drafts of redrawn voting districts were unveiled Wednesday afternoon by the Florida Senate Committee on Reapportionment, setting in motion a whirlwind of analysis, scrutiny, and debate that will shape Florida’s legislative and congressional races for a decade to come. The eight maps, proposing new boundaries for Senate and congressional electoral districts, can be viewed […]
U.S. Reps in Glasgow aim to bolster climate-rescue efforts at global conference
A delegation of Congressional Democrats including Florida Rep. Kathy Castor told conferees Wednesday at the global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, that the United States is not just talking, it is acting to reduce pollution, gird against vulnerabilities such as extreme storms, heat and flooding and demonstrate how major polluters can change. “America is back […]
Rarely sighted chief science officer appears while DeSantis touts millions in cleanup projects
Touting funding for local projects to reduce pollution from faulty sewer systems and septic tanks, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presented his rarely sighted chief science officer Tuesday at a press conference in Hernando County. “These are exactly the kinds of projects we need,” said Dr. Mark Rains, named Florida’s chief science officer in March when […]
Obama at world climate conference: We are falling short
Returning to the world stage on climate change, former President Barack Obama on Monday told world leaders and young people gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, that time is running out to prevent life-threatening degradation of the planet’s climate, and he called on the world’s young people to demand better. “Collectively and individually, we are still falling […]
Florida mayors seek solutions at world climate conference; state government reps absent
Three Florida mayors from cities feeling the consequences of climate change have traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, for the international climate conference where world leaders are trying to hammer out treaties to save the planet from overheating. No state administration officials from Florida are known to be among the conferees at the summit called COP26, despite […]
Sports worlds pledge to cut climate-heating emissions by half this decade
The National Basketball Association, professional baseball, hockey and soccer teams, international motor sports, tennis pros, surfers, runners and wrestlers are accelerating their campaign to fight climate change. At events Tuesday and Wednesday at the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, universities, professional and amateur leagues from across the world announced new or intensified pledges […]
As Biden promotes climate action to world leaders, support in Congress still divided
President Joe Biden on Tuesday spoke to world leaders at a global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, about reducing methane gases and taking other measures in order to sustain humankind. Back in the United States, Democrats and Republicans remain apart on the climate issues and the president’s agenda at home is in flux in the […]