According to Rasmussen Reports, President Barack Obama's full-month approval rating was up 1 point to 48 percent in September, the highest his approval rating has been since May. But even though the president's approval rating was up for September, it's still down 8 points below December's high of 56 percent. The president's ratings for the past four months have been more in line with his approval rating during his first term in office. For most of the three years prior to his re-election, his approval rating hovered at either 47 percent or 48 percent.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., sounded an optimistic note about President Barack Obama calling congressional leaders to the White House for a meeting to resolve the federal shutdown. An open dialogue is critical to any negotiation and Im hopeful that todays meeting will put us on the path to restoring government services, Buchanan said on Wednesday. The partisan blame-game will not put a single American back to work. Its time for all parties to roll up their sleeves and make the tough decisions to end this impasse.

Bestselling author Tom Clancy died on Wednesday at the age of 66. Publishers Weekly sent out a Tweet with the news on Wednesday morning and other media sources have confirmed it. While best known for his suspenseful espionage novels and the movies and video games based on them, Clancy was also a conservative activist and a supporter of the Republican Party. He had been a member of the National Rifle Association for three and a half decades.

A Florida congresswoman waded in this week over a battle in Ireland over a mural of Cuban Communist Che Guevara.

As the federal government shutdown continues, the nations eyes are increasingly turned to veterans issues. In Washington, D.C., veterans from across the country have occupied national monuments on the Mall which have been closed due to the federal shutdown. With veterans issues in the spotlight, Republicans in control of the U.S. House have turned to U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee to push back against President Barack Obama on the matter.

Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, has found himself in hot water with finances again. According to the Tampa Bay Times, a recent Internal Revenue Service lien showed Rouson and his wife, Angela, did not pay the IRS over $157,000 in back taxes.During one of the years Rouson owed in the lien 2008 through 2010 Rouson, an attorney, had a high-paying job at the Tampa firm Morgan & Morgan that paid him $565,000 a year.

Even as the federal government shutdown continues, the Florida Park Service stressed on Tuesday that state parks across the Sunshine State remain open. "While the national parks are being shut down because of instability in Washington, Florida's award-winning parks, greenways and trails are available for all to enjoy," said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard on Tuesday. "Because of Governor Scott's leadership in Florida, DEP's Florida Park Service welcomes all residents and visitors."

The shutdown of the federal government has left some employees furloughed and unable to go to work, but even though they may not be able to go to their jobs, furloughed workers can still reap the benefits of their roles as government employees because several places across the country are offering freebies for them.

With Lisa Parsons resigning from the Putnam County School Board, Gov. Rick Scott appointed someone familiar with the schools in that county to replace her. On Tuesday, Scott named David Buckles, who is currently an adjunct professor at St. Leo University, to replace Parsons. Buckles is very familiar with Putnam County schools since he was the Putnam County Schools superintendent. He also was the chairman of the North East Florida Educational Consortium which is based in Palatka. Buckles will serve until November 2014.

Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) announced Tuesday a significant increase in enrollment and availability of online degree programs offered by member institutions across the state. A recent poll shows that Floridas independent colleges are currently offering 324 fully online degree programs, up 15 percent since last year. Nearly 32,000 (21 percent) of ICUFs 150,000 students are taking advantage of these programs.

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux offered his thoughts on the federal shutdown on Tuesday. Once again, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are demonstrating the need for better leadership at the highest levels of government, LeMieux wrote supporters on Tuesday. The frequency of partisan standoffs is increasing, our national debt continues to grow, and government crises over spending and debt are worsening with no real solutions on the horizon. Washington is beyond broken; it is chronically dysfunctional."

A new poll shows a close battle in the special election for an open Florida House seat in Pasco County. Peter Schorsch over at St. PetersBlog commissioned St. Pete Polls to look at the race between Republican Bill Gunter and Democrat Amanda Murphy. The poll finds the two candidates knotted together with 44 percent apiece.

In the midst of a federal government shutdown, Gov. Rick Scott demanded President Barack Obama fix theNational Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rate hike, calling the rate hike "unfair," saying it could ultimately hurt Florida's real estate market anddisproportionatelyaffect Florida families.

With the federal shutdown on hand, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called Washington broken and urged the passage of a bill cutting off congressional salaries during the shutdown. The failure by both parties and the White House to reach agreement and avoid a shutdown is yet another example of why Washington is broken, Buchanan said on Tuesday. Its time to put aside the partisanship and do whats in the best interest of the country.

Attorney and Navy veteran Paul Renner has a solid head start in his bid for an open Florida House seat. Renners campaign announced on Tuesday that it had brought in more than $60,000 during the third quarter of 2013. I am humbled by the outpouring of support from our community, Renner said in a statement. If I am given the honor of serving, I will be a vocal advocate of common-sense conservative policies that will help return Florida to economic stability and prosperity.