An appeals court Monday rejected a North Florida jury's call for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. to pay $79.2 million to the daughter of a dead smoker -- overturning what could have been the largest verdict in a barrage of lawsuits against cigarette makers
The 1st District Court of Appeal sent the case back to Levy County Circuit Court to determine a reduced amount of damages in the 1996 lung-cancer death of James Cayce Horner.
As the 40th anniversary of Watergate impends, we are to be bathed again in the great myth and morality play about the finest hour in all of American journalism.
It isn't easy to argue with selective-memory Democrats like Debbie Wasserman Schultz. But when she wagged her finger at Republicans for waging "a war on women," I decided to have a go.
A recall drive against Osceola County Commissioner John Quinones has stalled -- and perhaps fizzled.
Petition papers were filed last week with the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections by local businessman Jorge Coronado. The campaign was launched just days after Quinones announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the new 9th Congressional District.
But recall organizers quickly withdrew their petition, citing "technical" glitches in the paperwork. On Monday, Coronado told Sunshine State News that he is "no longer involved."
When it comes to spending, no one does it like congressional Democrats.
And that includes their outlays at the office.
A survey of all 435 House members found that the 21 who expended the biggest percentage of their office budgets were all Democrats.
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., went so far as to dive into the red. The 13-term civil-rights veteran racked up $1,482,469 in office expenses last year -- $8.563 more than he budgeted.
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The governor has until April 21 to decide the fate of the effort led by Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, to create the states 12th university.
U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, and Cliff Sterns, R-Ocala, earned high As, based upon use of their office budget money.
The two came closest among Floridas House delegation to reaching the maximum allocated -- approximately $1.4 million per office holder -- for their House office budgets in 2011, according to a reported by USA Today.
Brown spent 99.4 percent of the $1.43 million allocated to her office, with the largest expense payroll, at $1.03 million.
Sterns office spending stood at 96.5 percent. Payroll comprised $880,160.
Legislators may have been busy during this years 60-day regular session with redistricting, the budget and listening to farewell addresses from those who are term-limited from office in the fall.
Still, they found time to dedicate a number of streets, highways and bridges to local military members killed serving the country; local law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty; a former Miami Dolphin; local politicians; freedom fighters in Cuba; a local activist; a local developer; and a high school teacher and a high school coach.
Time for a postmortem on the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
