It was May 1980. The annual session of the Florida Legislature was wrapping up and on this day, most of the members were back in their legislative districts getting ready for their re-election campaigns.
After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton
You probably can't imagine how much fun I've had at Sunshine State News over the last 10 years. I don't think anybody could.
November 1, 2019 - 6:00am
Politics
Columns
The Ferguson, Mo., police department released convenience store surveillance tape that showed Michael Brown allegedly stealing some cigars minutes before he was shot by a police officer. Aware that the release of this footage might look like posthumous character assassination of the shooting victim, Captain Ronald Johnson of the Ferguson police explained that the tape was released pursuant to freedom of information requests.
There may be another incumbent-tossing in the wind for Northeast Florida.
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama, presiding over an unusually dismal post-recession economy, might make matters worse with a distracting crusade against the minor and sensible business practice called "inversion," more about which anon. So, consider his credentials as an economic thinker.
Last week, we were told there were 40,000 Yazidis on Sinjar Mountain facing starvation if they remained there, and slaughter by ISIS if they came down.But a team of Marines and Special Forces that helicoptered in has reported back that, with a corridor off the mountain opened up by U.S. air strikes, the humanitarian crisis is over. The few thousand who remain can be airdropped food and water. The rest can be brought out.
"Great nations need organizing principles, and 'Don't do stupid stuff' is not an organizing principle." -- Hillary Clinton, The Atlantic, Aug. 10
WASHINGTON -- Leave it to Barack Obama's own former secretary of state to acknowledge the fatal flaw of his foreign policy: a total absence of strategic thinking.
We all have dreams. A young couple dreams of purchasing their first home together. New parents dream of the day when they can send their child off to college. Our country is rooted in the American dream, which tells us that the opportunity for a better life exists for each of us.
WASHINGTON -- This far into the human story, only the historically uninstructed are startled by what they think are new permutations of evil. So, when Russia sliced Crimea off Ukraine, Secretary of State John Kerry was nonplussed: "You just don't in the 21st century behave in 19th-century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext." If, however, Vladimir Putin is out of step with the march of progress, where exactly on history's inevitably ascending path (as progressives like Kerry evidently think) does Kerry, our innocent abroad, locate the Islamic State?
U.S. air strikes since Friday have opened a corridor through which tens of thousands of Yazidis, trapped and starving on a mountain in Iraq, have escaped to safety in Kurdistan.
In 1978, there was only one Tiger Bay Club -- the original at the famed DuPont Plaza Hotel on the mouth of the Miami River.
Trending Now
By Kevin Derby
On Thursday, the U.S. House is set to vote on U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014 which would increase domestic energy exploration by opening federal lands, particularly those in Alaska, and increasing offshore drilling. The bill has the support of U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who weighed in on the matter on Wednesday.
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Over half of likely U.S. voters believe there's too great an emphasis on standardized tests, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
The poll found 54 percent of likely voters believe there's too much emphasis on standardized tests in American schools, a number that's jumped 5 points since November. Only 17 percent said there was not enough emphasis on standardized tests in schools.
By Kevin Derby
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., the vice chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, called for major reforms to the Department of Veterans Affairs. In recent weeks, the department has been under scrutiny after reports emerged that VA medical centers were using altered wait lists.
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Florida's newest congressman, Curt Clawson, won the praise of the Republican Party of Florida after he clinched the CD 19 House seat on Tuesday.
"The Republican Party of Florida congratulates Congressman-elect Curt Clawson on his well-earned victory tonight," said RPOF Chairman Leslie Dougher. "Congressman-elect Clawson will undoubtedly serve his district with distinction, bringing true conservative values to our nations capital."
By Kevin Derby
Opponents of Amendment 2, a proposed state constitutional amendment which would expand medical marijuana in Florida, cited a state analysis on Wednesday, insisting it shows there could be around 250,000 caregivers allowed to distribute marijuana if the proposal passes.
By Kevin Derby
Lets Get to Work, a group with ties to Gov. Rick Scott, launched a new television ad on Wednesday, hitting former Gov. Charlie Crist, the favorite for the Democratic nomination to challenge the governor, for not releasing his taxes. The new ad will be shown on stations across Florida and online.
By Kevin Derby
Florida-based Republican Dr. Ben Carson raised his profile within the GOP on Wednesday as he went to bat for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and took aim at the leading Democratic presidential hopeful in 2016.
By Kevin Derby
As expected, businessman Curt Clawson, the Republican candidate, trounced Democrat April Freeman and Libertarian Rey Netherwood in Tuesdays special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., in Congress.
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) praised Clawson on Tuesday night after the votes came in.
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The American Bridge 21st Century PAC, a self-proclaimed progressive research and communications organization committed to "holding Republicans accountable for their words and actions," followed a familiar line of attack on Monday, criticizing Gov. Rick Scott for invoking the Fifth Amendment 75 times in a 2000 deposition.
By Kevin Derby
Incoming House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, announced on Tuesday he was backing three Republicans who have contested primaries as they look to enter the Florida House: Chris Latvala, Rene Coach P Plasencia and Bill Young.
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