Audubon of Florida perhaps surprised a few people this week when it released its largely positive State of the Everglades report. The report is a summary of the most important issues to emerge from the Greater Everglades during the first six months of 2011.

Audubon applauded a number of announcements including these:

A new tropical storm sprang up in the eastern Atlantic Ocean during the weekend and right now it's on a path that would map it northeast of Puerto Rico by Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

NHC forecasters havent projected Tropical Storm Katias path beyond Sunday but they say it's moving on a path slightly north of the one Hurricane Irene took. According to the National Weather Service, the same general weather patterns are staying put that steered Irene to the North and away from Florida's coast.

If Hurricane -- or even Tropical Storm -- Irene doesn't force cancellation, the No. 1 and No. 2 playoff seeds will meet at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the Women's Professional Soccer title match in Rochester, N.Y.

The game is scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports.

The Western New York Flash finished first atop the three-year-old WPS this season, and won the automatic berth and right to host the title game. The Independence finished close behind in second place and dispatched No. 3 magicJack in the semifinals last week to earn their spot in the final Saturday.

Here's a great opportunity for Facebook fans of Florida football to pitch in and give state tourism efforts a boost.

Visit Florida, the Sunshine State's tourism arm, is kicking off The Florida Fan Game Sept. 2. It's a good one -- a contest between the fans of six state schools:Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida, Central Florida and Florida A&M.

The HP TouchPad is dead, apparently,48 days after the device went on sale. In spite of the huge potential such reviewers as PCMag.com saw in the TouchPad, obviously HP didn't. It announced that in the fourth quarter of this year, the company will cease producing it.

Hence, the gigantic fire sale going on right now.

South Florida's Fairy Tale women's soccer team with the unlikely name magicJack defeated the Boston Breakers Wednesday night, capturing the first game in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) playoffs, 3-1.

The game was played at magicJack Field, on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

In spite of the score, the magicJack, led by player-coach Abby Wambach and boasting some of the best women's soccer players in the world, dominated both halves of the match.

South Florida's Fairy Tale women's soccer team with the unlikely name magicJack defeated the Boston Breakers Wednesday night, capturing the first game in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) playoffs, 3-1.

The game was played at magicJack Field, on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

In spite of the score, the magicJack, led by player-coach Abby Wambach and boasting some of the best women's soccer players in the world, dominated both halves of the match.

Here is the statement Gov. Rick Scott issued following Friday's federal appeals court ruling:

RPOF Chairman David Bitner issued a statement quickly after Friday's federal appeals court ruling.

With today's ruling that the individual mandate of Obamacare is unconstitutional," said Bitner, "the federal appeals court is moving us closer to the end of this unprecedented government takeover of our nation's health care system. This scheme by President Obama is just one of the reasons Americans will elect a Republican president in 2012.

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Following an announcement by Secretary Tom Vilsack of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Thursday to provide financial assistance to Florida agriculture and assist with wetlands restoration, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services released this statement from Commissioner Adam Putnam: