State Rep. Omari Hardy, D-West Palm Beach, talks with state Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton, on March 2, 2021, on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives during the opening day of the annual legislative session. Hardy is generating a lot of attention during his first year as a state lawmaker. (Phil Sears / AP) ... Read More
News quiz: Test your knowledge of current events from the week of April 11
In this courtroom sketch, former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter makes her first court appearance, over Zoom, in the traffic-stop shooting death of Black motorist Daunte Wright on April 15 in Brooklyn Center, Minn. (Cedric Hohnstadt via AP) (Cedric Hohnstadt/AP) ... Read More
Be prepared to sweat. South Florida is in for another scorcher Sunday
The weekend’s heat will be followed rain showers and storms Monday and Tuesday as a cold front pushes down the state, Baxter said. The cold front, really won’t feel cold, but starting Wednesday the cold front will bring back normal temperatures for this time of year — mid 80s, Baxter said. ... Read More
Failure at Piney Point: Florida let environmental risk fester despite warnings
Army Corps officials warned the Manatee County Port Authority, which was counting on the increase in business. They warned the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which stood to show it could transform a costly mess into an asset. And those warnings reached HRK Holdings, the private company that bought the site and planned to make millions from storing dredge material. ... Read More
A Castro will no longer be leading Cuba. But there are relatives still in government.
Raúl Castro, 89, announced Friday that he is stepping down as first secretary of Cuba’s Communist Party, a position considered more powerful than president. A new leader will be named by Monday. It is widely expected that the nation’s current chief of state — not a Castro — will take over. ... Read More
Hospitalizations plunge among Florida seniors, as COVID immunity takes hold
“Vaccinations are doing what they are supposed to — protecting the elderly from severe enough illness that requires hospitalization,” said Jason Salemi, an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa, in an email. “The problem is that there are still 1 million seniors in the state who are not vaccinated with any dose, and another 700,000 who are not fully vaccinated. We know the previous surges in cases eventually ‘found’ those who are vulnerable.” ... Read More
Ten years later, have Broward schools fixed the problems a grand jury found?
For the most part, this was followed. A review of contributions from the 2018 and 2020 election cycles found at least two violations. In 2018, board member Nora Rupert received a $500 contribution from Di Pompeo Construction while it was vying for renovations at Miramar Elementary, which the company won. In 2020, Heather Brinkworth, who was defeated for reelection, accepted a $500 donation from Advanced Roofing, while it was under the cone of silence for a bid to renovate Watkins Elementary... Read More
U.S. sues Roger Stone for $2 million in unpaid income taxes
After the indictment, the Stones created a trust and used funds through a company they controlled, Drake Ventures LLC, to buy their Fort Lauderdale home in the name of the trust, the complaint says. They stopped making monthly scheduled installment payments of about $20,000 to the IRS, leading the IRS to terminate an installment agreement it had with them, the complaint says. ... Read More
Knife-wielding man killed by deputy was a ‘tortured soul’, his family says
Jeffrey Sacks, Guy’s father, said his son was diagnosed at age 15 with schizoaffective disorder — which combines symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations or delusions, and symptoms of a mood disorder, such as mania and depression. When he wasn’t on medication, his father said, he would often hear voices. ... Read More
COVID vaccine demand drops, threatening statewide immunity
At Hard Rock Stadium, one of the state’s busiest vaccination sites, extended hours and a lifted appointment requirement has led to a continuous stream of persons of all ages, says Dr. Rashid A. Chotani, medical director of the site operator, AshBritt/IEM. “A lot of people don’t have Internet access or they are not computer savvy. It’s not rocket science. This is how we are going to get them vaccinated.” ... Read More