The former city manager got a public shoutout from the union president while appealing to the commission for his own raise. Two days later, he requested a big raise for two union leaders. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here. Originally Published: September 12, 2024 at 1:46 p.m. ... Read More
Q&A: How to talk about politics with people who don’t agree with you
Karen Kaplan | (TNS) Los Angeles Times These days, there’s no surer way to start a fight than to talk politics with someone who disagrees with you. And with election day drawing near, political conversations are increasingly difficult to avoid. You could muddle your way through the next two months and hope for the best. Or you could take Tania Israel‘s advice and embrace the opportunity to help bridge America’s political divide. Israel, a professor in the Department... Read More
Memorial Healthcare System board severs contract with its CEO
The Memorial Healthcare System board unanimously voted to terminate its contract with CEO Scott Wester, effective on Wednesday. The board hired Wester as chief executive in July 2022 under a three-year contract to run the healthcare system, which has more than 17,000 employees and includes six South Broward hospitals and a new free-standing cancer center. On Wednesday evening, the board ended its contract with Wester a year early. “When we hired him, we felt like he was going to help us... Read More
No bail for mom accused of ‘willful torture’ in starvation death of 7-year-old underweight disabled boy
The prolonged starvation of 7-year-old Deonte Atwell was a case of “willful torture,” a prosecutor said Thursday, and the culprit was his own mother. Michelle Doe, 37, was ordered held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder. Four other people have been charged in the disabled boy’s death. Originally Published: September 12, 2024 at 11:39 a.m. ... Read More
Unbearable heat and brutal humidity still hitting South Florida hard, overheating some people and sending others to the hospital
The brutal September heat and humidity in South Florida is sending people of all ages to the hospital and urgent care clinics. Just last week, 15 students in McArthur High School’s marching band reported being overcome by heat at an outdoor afterschool practice. Three of those students were transported to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. “All the students have recovered,” said Cathleen Brennan, a communications officer for Broward County Public Schools. “The school’s principal... Read More
Florida panther gave birth to 3 kittens, officials say. Then, tragedy quickly struck
Two endangered Florida panther kittens were snatched from their den and killed in brutal fashion, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. Humans pose the greatest threat to Florida panthers, but this was something different. Best guess: a bear or perhaps another panther killed the kittens while their mom was away hunting, according to Dave Onorato, a research scientist with FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. Read the full story at MiamiHerald.com. ... Read More
Weekend things to do: Luke Bryan, FemAle Brew Fest, Hollyweird Bike Ride, 2-for-1 Lobster Night
The annual invasion of Buffalo Bills fans at Fort Lauderdale’s Elbo Room returns — it’s a remarkable and audacious sight, and you have to hand it to them. But living well is the best revenge, as Tyreek Hill once said. All this stuff happening in South Florida this weekend? None of it is happening in Buffalo. Originally Published: September 12, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. ... Read More
Meet the ‘Precocious Atheist’ Still Pining for a Misplaced Faith
Donna Freitas’s spiritual autobiography, Wishful Thinking: How I Lost My Faith and Why I Want to Find It, stands in the tradition of the “dark-night-of-the-soul” memoir. But unlike mystics such as St. John of the Cross, who found their way through dark times into the light of faith, Freitas is unsure whether she ever believed in God to begin with. A successful scholar and author of teen and adult fiction, Freitas was raised in a devout Catholic home in Rhode Island. She writes... Read More
Kenya Greets Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music with Excitement—and Skepticism
In June, Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music’s Chandler Moore performed with actor and rapper Will Smith at the BET Awards. Smith premiered his single “You Can Make it” on a dark, smoke-filled stage, standing in a circle of fire with a small choir of vocalists in a raised semicircle behind him. The performance incorporated the sound of a gospel choir and solos by Franklin and Moore, but those nods to Christian music seemed to be in service of a message that was only vaguely spiritual,... Read More
The Squandering of ‘God’s Not Dead’
A decade ago, Barack Obama was president. Louis C. K. was hosting Saturday Night Live. And the first film in the God’s Not Dead franchise was in theaters. You may know the concept: A college student stands up to an atheist philosophy professor who’s trying to bully his class into denying God. The two engage in several debates; the student successfully defends God’s existence. The professor ends up turning his life over to Jesus before he’s hit by a car and killed. The movie was a... Read More