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Archive of Florida on Tuesday May 06, 2008
Feds investigate state investment pool
State investments downgraded during the subprime mortgage meltdown have been targeted in a federal probe. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked the State Board of Administration to hand over hundreds of pages of documents related to the buying and selling of at least 10 different securities, according to a letter dated Feb. 22. Read More
Must Florida pay for felled citrus trees?
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A jury is set to begin deliberations Monday in a case that could cost the Florida Department of Agriculture tens of millions of dollars for cutting down backyard citrus trees over the objections of homeowners. Read More
Fewer students will learn less at UF after cuts
Faced with a nearly $50-million loss in state dollars for the looming budget year, the University of Florida will lay off 138 faculty and staff members; cut undergraduate enrollment by 4,000 students; slash research spending; and eliminate some degree programs and academic departments. Read More
Bill change paves way for adoption support
The state Department of Children and Families hopes to reclaim money for adoptive families and equipment for caseworkers under a bill amendment that lawmakers approved in the final minutes of this year's legislative session. Read More
State seeks role in No Child Left Behind test
Florida is applying to join an experimental program that could resolve some sharp differences between state and federal school-assessment results. Read More
School districts hope web will help with agonizing wait for FCAT
Palm Beach and Broward County high school freshmen and sophomores finished the reading FCAT by mid-March. More than six weeks later, they still don't know the scores. And the wait will drag into early June. State and local educators say they'd love to speed up the process and improve student achievement with a technological solution: putting the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test online. Read More
UF cuts 400 jobs, undergrad enrollment
The University of Florida, the state's highest-rated institution of higher education, announced layoffs, reductions in degree programs and a steep cut in undergraduate enrollment as part of a plan to cope with severe budget cuts from the state. Read More
Six wardens among double-dippers at Florida Department of Corrections
The Department of Corrections, an agency notorious for cronyism, has a number of double-dippers at its highest levels. Read More
FCAT would lose weight under bill
Big changes are coming to the way Florida grades its high schools. Read More
Commuter rail far from dead, Mica and Dyer vow
Central Florida commuter-rail supporters are preparing to spend as much as $52 million in the next year to keep their plan on track, despite the Legislature's rejection of the deal last week. Read More
Will states fix 2012 primary process?
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Fairness of death-penalty panels questioned
Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Voters' guide promotes phone sex
An Oregon voters’ guide lists a very wrong number. California’s governor insults rural legislators. And Pennsylvania considers selling wine in vending machines. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in. Read More
Seeds of social issues dot 2008 elections
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Parents turn to states for autism help
(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs. Read More
States get in on calls for a gas tax holiday
SLOCOMB, Ala. - Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida has been fighting to cut 10 cents from the state's gasoline tax for two weeks in July. Lawmakers in Missouri, New York and Texas have also proposed a summer break from state gas taxes, while candidates for governor in Indiana and North Carolina are sparring over relief ideas of their own. Read More
Dems to weigh two delegate plans
Michigan Democratic leaders could endorse one of two competing plans for resolving Michigan's delegate ban on Wednesday. Read More
Food prices on a roll
Americans may be getting another helping of food inflation, thanks to higher prices for chicken and pork. Read More
Oh say, is that banner made in the U.S.A.?
Lawmakers in 10 states have taken steps to require that American flags bought with state funds be manufactured in this country. While not all the legislation has passed, one state’s new law even bans the sale of foreign-made American flags in that state. Read More
Legislators prod Congress on Medicaid, Real ID
As some states tumble into what they fear is a recession, state lawmakers from across the country are pushing Congress for relief from impending federal rules that would force states to pick up more Medicaid costs and spend billions to make drivers’ licenses more secure. Read More
With justices' OK, voter ID moves ahead
A decision Monday (April 28) by the U.S. Supreme Court to let Indiana demand photo identification from voters paves the way for other states to do the same during November’s presidential election, experts say. Read More
More states offer choice in long-term care
More states are poised to offer a successful alternative to traditional Medicaid plans that allows elders and the disabled to avoid moving to a nursing facility by hiring friends, neighbors or family members to look after them in their own homes. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Phantom voter stalks Ala. State House
An Alabama lawmaker says someone’s been using his voting machine. Florida’s House Speaker locks the doors and turns off Internet access to make legislators pay attention. And Mayberry’s Sheriff Taylor endorses a North Carolina gubernatorial candidate. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in. Read More
Credit crunch hits states' college loans
(Updated 11:55 a.m. EDT, April 23, 2008)
The credit crisis has led some state lending agencies to suspend their federal and private student loan programs, forcing thousands of students to search elsewhere for money to pay for college. Read More
Partisan mix in R.I., Conn. poses challenges
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Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
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'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
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Governors pitch ambitious programs
Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.
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Commentary: Govs beat White House hopefuls as agents of change
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Iraq casts shadow on 2008 state races
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Democratic mid-term gains affecting policy
So complete was the Democratic rout in the 2006 midterm elections that the party even gained legislative influence in Alaska, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming – states long dominated by the Republicans. And those gains, though small, are translating into policy achievements. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Illinois gov runs up travel tab
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s commuting costs start to add up. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds settles a dispute with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a cranky game warden. Read More |
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