Culture & Society
Rush job on school safety law causes mental-health conundrum for families, no help from state
In the rushed, traumatic days following the February shootings at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, lawmakers scrambled to approve broad gun reforms and new laws to make schools safe. But quick legislation doesn’t always equate to good legislation, says Kenneth Trump, a well-known school security expert and consultant who has testified before Congress. Case […]
What’s it like being a Muslim running for office this election year?
If Saima Farooqui wins the Aug. 28 primary in her South Florida district, she will make history as one of the first American Muslims to hold a seat in the Florida House of Representatives. The 42-year-old Broward County resident is one of about eight Muslim candidates on local or state ballots this year in Florida. […]
Even more charter schools in Florida? Fall ballot could be “game changer”
Some two decades ago, Florida introduced a new type of public school – the “charter” – designed to be free from bureaucracy and run by private groups. Today, that sprinkling of new schools has grown into one of the largest charter movements in the country, with tens of thousands of Florida students flocking to charters […]
“Disgraceful betrayal of America:” Trump’s strange press conference with Russia’s Putin draws ire in Florida
Democrats and some Republicans in Florida spoke out critically following President Trump’s news conference held with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in Helsinki. During the appearance, Trump dismissed his own national intelligence director’s conclusion that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election and sided with Putin instead. Putin denied Russia’s involvement. “President Putin says […]
The feds say they will keep releasing vile Lake Okeechobee pollution to coasts
Despite the nasty fluorescent green algae outbreak that’s happening off South Florida’s east and west coasts, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has resumed releases of the polluted water from Lake Okeechobee that’s filled with fertilizer, manure and sewage from surrounding industrial agriculture operations and cities north of the lake. The Okeechobee swill flows out […]
The Great Debate: Democrats for governor to face off in online-only event
With the Aug. 28 primary election rapidly approaching, Florida voters will get a chance to see the five candidates running for governor debate Wednesday at 7 pm at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. The debate won’t be broadcast statewide, but people can watch via Winknews.com or on the Florida Democratic party’s Facebook page. […]
GOP environmentalists today: As rare as a Florida panther
In Florida, Republican environmentalists used to be a thing. And they didn’t get more prominent than Nathaniel Pryor Reed. The legendary conservationist from South Florida’s Jupiter Island died last week at the age of 84. Nat loved the woods and waters since boyhood. He spent his life trying to save wild Florida so that future […]
Scott seeks oily bucks for U.S. Senate campaign
Gov. Rick Scott is flying to Oklahoma City this Thursday to seek political contributions from a who’s who of American fracking, oil, and coal company executives, the media outlet Energy & Environment News reports. E&E got a copy of the fundraiser invitation, and confirmed that Scott will lunch in a restaurant in the headquarters of […]
Legendary conservationist Nathaniel Reed dies at 84
One of the most prominent conservationists in Florida, Nathaniel Pryor Reed, died Wednesday. Reed was 84 and passed away after falling and hitting his head while on his annual Canadian salmon fishing trip. Reed was a lifelong resident of Jupiter Island on Florida’s southeast coast. “In a long career spent both in and out of […]
Public schools are now a “brand.” When did that happen?
Parents and grandparents may remember when kids came home with backpacks stuffed with books, homework, notes from the teacher, field trip instructions and other info – all on pieces of paper. With the advent of the Internet, schools began posting newsletters, calendars and other paperless updates online. It was all about simple communication – until […]
Florida activists speak out against Trump Supreme Court nominee
Progressive activists on Thursday gathered outside the Florida Supreme Court and called on Florida U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio to reject President Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying that the jurist would be detrimental to reproductive rights and health care in America. “Make no mistake about it. The […]
Department of Justice reopens Emmett Till case
New evidence in the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi has surfaced, prompting the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen the case. The DOJ will not say what information has come to light to elicit the new investigation, but it is part of the DOJ’s efforts to solve civil rights-era so-called “cold cases.” […]