Briefs
New York University waiving tuition for all med school students, New York Times reports. Florida schools might not be far behind.
The New York University School of Medicine announced Thursday in a surprise move that it would cover tuition for all its students regardless of need or merit, the New York Times reports. N.Y.U. cited growing concerns about student financial debt, the story said, and comes at a time when affordability has become more and more […]
CDC releases data on 2017 opioid overdoses. The numbers don’t look good.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new data on drug overdose deaths in the last year nationwide and the numbers are not promising. Since January 2015, deaths from opioid overdoses have increased by the thousands and spiked in October with 47,801 reported deaths nationwide. This year began with a reported 47,232 people […]
Stop the lying: Verify academic credentials for all candidates
Many political junkies and non-junkies know by now that Florida state House candidate Melissa Howard went to great lengths – including displaying a fake diploma — to conceal that she didn’t have a college degree from Miami University (Oh.) At first, she refused to drop out of the race, but then she did. The whole […]
Five Florida cities ranked top 10 best places to retire, WalletHub reports
Orlando is the best city to retire to in the nation, according to a recent WalletHub study. Newark, NJ was the worst. The study looked at the “retirement-friendliness” of 182 cities across the nation and compared affordability, activities, quality of life and healthcare. The report assumed people would live on a fixed income. Orlando came […]
State audit: Ineligible kids get private-school scholarships anyway
Some Florida students who weren’t eligible for private-school scholarships got the money anyway, due to “human errors” and outdated information used to calculate awards, a new state audit shows. The nonprofit Step Up for Students, Inc., acknowledged concerns and made a variety of fixes, in part saying that “appropriate corrective actions were taken with individual […]
Former Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp – now an oil industry spokesman – falsely claims that spilled oil from 2010 BP disaster “didn’t even reach the shores of Florida.”
Former Florida Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp told a room full of reporters in Tallahassee that oil from the 2010 BP oil spill “didn’t even reach the shores of Florida” – a claim people who witnessed the black goo washing up on Panhandle beaches would dispute. Kottkamp’s former boss – Gov. Charlie Crist, would also have […]
Candidates for Florida’s top legal job suing each other
Although Hillsborough County-based attorney Ryan Torrens is a heavy underdog in the race for Florida Attorney General against his opponent Sean Shaw, he’s not going down without a fight. Torrens filed suit this week against his opponent. Shaw had already filed a lawsuit against Torrens. The primary is two weeks away, so it’s unclear how […]
Group plans voter registration drive at 43 college campuses
Progressive group NextGen Florida plans to register thousands of students during the next few weeks on 43 college campuses across the state – including Florida State University, the University of Florida and University of Central Florida. Organizers will partner voter registration efforts with festivals, food, giveaways and other games, as well as a get out […]
Lawsuit seeks to knock six amendments off November ballot
Two people, including former Florida Supreme Court justice Harry Lee Anstead, filed suit Tuesday at the Florida Supreme Court to knock six amendments submitted by the Constitution Revision Commission off the Nov. 6 ballot. The case takes aim at amendments 6-11, which include one to extend school board term limits and another that would ban […]
Rick Scott asks again why Bill Nelson revealed information about Russians hacking into Florida election
(Updated) Florida Governor Rick Scott charged on Tuesday that U.S. Senator Bill Nelson hasn’t been transparent about his recent statements that Russians have “penetrated” into Florida’s election system this year. Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting in the state Capitol, Scott said that inquires by the Florida Secretary of State last week to federal authorities […]
Bill Nelson holds narrow lead over Rick Scott in poll of Florida Latino voters
A survey of 400 Latino voters in Florida conducted earlier this month shows Democrat Bill Nelson with a narrow, 44% to 41% lead over Rick Scott in the U.S. Senate contest that will be decided in November. The study, conducted by the Global Strategy Group, shows that nearly half of the Latino electorate in the […]
U.S. Department of Justice opens investigation into Central Florida prison after Miami Herald investigation
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into sexual misconduct and other abuse complaints at Lowell Correctional Institution in Central Florida, the Miami Herald reports. The investigation comes in the wake of the Miami Herald’s, “Beyond Punishment” investigative series, which includes interviews with more than three dozen former and current inmates […]