Climate Change
Kamala Harris makes her case for the youth vote in appearance at FIU in Miami
Vice President Kamala Harris told thousands of college students and others in Miami Thursday that the country is witnessing “an intentional full-on attack against hard won freedoms and rights,” and they need to respond by going to the ballot box next year. “It is incumbent on us then to not passively sit by and let […]
Old Florida growth rules thwarted development that would have made Idalia worse
Last month, when Hurricane Idalia clobbered the sparsely settled coast of Taylor County in Florida’s Big Bend region, it sent my memory spinning back nearly 20 years to the first time I visited that area. I was there to report on what was happening to hundreds of acres of swamp and salt marsh in an […]
Using chemicals to treat Florida’s algae bloom problem is like taking aspirin for a brain tumor
When our kids were little, one of the things my wife and I taught them was the order in which they should carry out certain tasks: Look both ways BEFORE you cross the street. Ask permission BEFORE you take a cookie. Finish your homework BEFORE you have a light-saber battle with your brother. (Those two […]
How energy-efficient rebates to help households became a political fight between DeSantis and feds
What started out with an $8.8-billion federal program to help low-income households nationwide save on electricity bills and upgrade homes with clean energy equipment has become a political fight, with Gov. Ron DeSantis ignoring the massive, federally funded rebate programs for Floridians. In August 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy allocated $346.3 million for the […]
Battles over spending, farm bill, Ukraine and yet more loom over a divided Congress
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House and Senate are both back in D.C. on Tuesday following a long summer recess, facing an overwhelming agenda of unfinished work — funding the federal government and reauthorizing major programs set to expire at the end of the month. Congressional leaders and President Joe Biden have only a few weeks […]
Welcome to Florida: Crazy and cruel sell well here
Florida, eh? If it isn’t hurricanes, it’s massive oil spills. If it isn’t the court slapping down the governor’s racist congressional map, it’s some of his Nazi pals putting on a sidewalk parade in Orlando. Then there’s Florida’s 2024 U.S Senate race. As you probably know, Rick Scott is running for reelection. Or is he? […]
Atlantic tropical depression likely to become hurricane this weekend
As Florida still undergoes efforts to recover from Hurricane Idalia’s landfall on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center is eyeing a tropical depression it forecasts to become a major hurricane this weekend. The NHC said by the time it reaches hurricane status, with the name “Lee,” the storm could already could have affected the Leeward Islands, […]
President Biden says he’ll visit Florida on Saturday
Although no details have been officially announced, President Joe Biden said Thursday that he’ll visit Florida Saturday following Hurricane Idalia’s blast into the Big Bend area earlier this week. The announcement came from the president himself at the end of an exchange with reporters after his visit to the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management […]
DeSantis cites ‘significant’ damage to Big Bend, but many Florida K-12 schools are already open
Thirty of the 52 Florida school systems that closed due to the hurricane are already open, with another eight expected to reopen tomorrow, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday. However, schools in Taylor, Madison, Lafayette, Hamilton, Jefferson and Dixie will remain closed through Friday, September 1, according to the Florida Department of […]
FL mobilizes rescue services as Idalia’s eye passes over state; some roads still impassable
As Hurricane Idalia’s eye has crossed into Georgia, parts of the state remain inaccessible as officials begin recovery and inspection efforts, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday. “The state is still being impacted by the storm’s bands, and we’re seeing that particularly in the northern part of the state,” DeSantis said at a press conference at […]
Tampa Bay area officials express concerns about King Tide, full moon approaching
Although Hurricane Idalia passed through the Tampa Bay area earlier Wednesday morning, local officials are still expressing caution. They say that the deleterious effects of the storm aren’t over yet. That’s in part because of an exceptionally high tide coming in the early afternoon – known as “King Tide” – a non-scientific term used to […]
Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in North Florida as a Category 3 storm
Hurricane Idalia made landfall at 7:45 a.m Wednesday along the Florida Big Bend coast as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is the eighth major hurricane to make landfall along the Gulf Coast since 2017. The storm made landfall near Keaton Beach, in the […]