News
Wouldn’t you love to wipe out your student loan debt?
For college students taking on enormous debt, relief could be on the way for millions of borrowers who have taken out student loans. Legislation filed in Congress this week would allow a one-time cancellation of outstanding federal loan debt by up to $50,000 for each borrower, including student loans that have been in default. The […]
FL Dept. of Corrections says it fired one officer and disciplined others who joked about abusing inmates
The Florida Department of Corrections says it has terminated one employee and disciplined three others who joked about committing violence on inmates at correctional institutions in Florida earlier this year. The officers were being investigated for making offensive comments on Facebook pages while participating in a social meme called the #feelingcute challenge that was revealed […]
From a D to an A in one year, and other anomalies in Florida’s grading system for public schools
Kaththea Johnson started a new principal’s job last school year facing a daunting task: Boost achievement at Palm View Elementary School and get rid of the abysmal label – a D grade – that has plagued the struggling school. In a stunning turnaround, the Manatee County school did all that and more, jumping from a […]
Here’s what five FL lawmakers said to Robert Mueller
WASHINGTON — Former special counsel Robert Mueller told lawmakers Wednesday that his investigation did not “completely and totally exonerate” President Trump of obstructing justice, contrary to what the president has claimed. In the first of two back-to-back appearances before U.S. House committees, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, kicked off questioning […]
Gov. DeSantis says millions from Volkswagen “dieselgate” emissions scandal to go for new electric car charging stations on turnpike
The Florida Turnpike will become a friendlier highway for motorists driving electric vehicles, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday. Using legal settlement money from a Volkswagen emission-testing scandal, DeSantis said the state will install electric-vehicle charging stations at all eight plazas on the Florida Turnpike’s mainline, a 312-mile toll-road that stretches from north of Orlando south […]
FL lawmaker wants Confederate monument relocated away from state Capitol grounds
A Democratic lawmaker’s suggestion that she may introduce legislation to remove a Confederate memorial on Florida’s Capitol grounds is getting strong push back from a Florida organization devoted to preserving Southern heritage. Democratic state Rep. Geraldine Thompson’s spokesperson said this week that the Orlando lawmaker will work to relocate the Confederate soldier monument that was […]
Lawmaker moves to take away superintendent salaries if schools don’t teach about Holocaust, African American history
Democratic state Rep. Geraldine Thompson plans to file legislation that would withhold the salaries of school superintendents whose schools are not complying with the law on teaching about the Holocaust and African American history. Thompson, who represents part of Orange County, has been concerned in the past about whether schools are actually teaching those topics, […]
Trump administration food stamp cuts will hurt Florida’s neediest
Nikki Fried, the only Democrat on Florida’s elected Cabinet, is denouncing the U.S. Agriculture Department’s attempt to cut off food stamp eligibility for more than 3 million Americans. Fried, who leads the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, has been traveling the state to call attention to hunger and food insecurity. “While 2.8 million […]
A Florida pension that’s still working
Pensions are vanishing from the American workplace. But Florida has a pension fund that is thriving and plays an important role in the lives of more than 1 million workers. It is paying benefits to more than 415,000 retired employees – a majority of them women. And more than 643,000 active workers are anticipating the […]
Congresswoman seeks open access for lawmakers visiting detention centers
Last month, a group of Democrats running for president made well-publicized visits to the Homestead detention center in South Florida to investigate the conditions where migrant children are being held. But they weren’t actually allowed inside the facility to investigate first-hand the conditions there. That’s because, unlike Florida lawmakers who can visit state prisons without […]
Statewide grand jury interim report: Are schools noncompliant – or reluctant to arm classroom teachers?
A statewide grand jury on school safety produced its first interim report last week, blaming numerous Florida school districts for not complying with safety measures, such as allowing classroom teachers to be armed in public schools. But the three-page report also suggests that districts may be reluctant to comply with the laws on arming teachers […]
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez is at the Pentagon today
Due to an editor’s error, we incorrectly reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis is visiting the Pentagon today. It’s actually Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez who is visiting the Pentagon today, and the editor mixed up the official schedules, which are released in a single document. The Phoenix regrets the error. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, angling for […]