‘Skittles Man’ and others in Sinaloa Cartel imprisoned for trafficking fentanyl in Florida

The “Skittles Man” — nicknamed for his huge supply of rainbow-colored fentanyl pills — is one of seven members and associates of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel sent to prison in … Click to Continue » ... Read More

Florida city populations swelled along with the rest of the South, Census Bureau says

Despite South Florida’s reputation as an increasingly expensive place to live, many of the region’s major cities showed gains in population between July 2022 and July 2023, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. “Cities with populations of 50,000 or more grew by an average of 0.2% in the Northeast and 0.1% in the Midwest after declining an average of 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively, in 2022. Those in the West went up by an average of 0.2% from 2022 to 2023,” the... Read More

Paid sick leave sticks after many pandemic protections vanish

Zach Dyer | KFF Health News (TNS) Bill Thompson’s wife had never seen him smile with confidence. For the first 20 years of their relationship, an infection in his mouth robbed him of teeth, one by one. “I didn’t have any teeth to smile with,” the 53-year-old of Independence, Missouri, said. Thompson said he dealt with throbbing toothaches and painful swelling in his face from abscesses for years working as a cook at Burger King. He desperately needed to see a dentist but said he... Read More

Police Officers Are Burning Out. Can Chaplains Help?

Spiritual care is essential as stressors among law enforcement rise. Sitting in the front row of a supervisor training in 2016, Stamford Police Sgt. Sean Boeger raised his hand every time the instructor asked who had dealt with a particular experience, including homicides, fatal accidents, and child deaths. During his nearly 30 years as a police officer, 48-year-old Boeger had helped with body recovery efforts at Ground Zero after 9/11. When 20 children were killed by a lone shooter in... Read More

FL bar ramps up investigation into ex-Miami city attorney after ‘vile little man’ comment

The Florida Bar is ramping up its investigation into recently ousted Miami City Attorney Victoria Méndez, who was accused of misconduct for calling local filmmaker Billy Corben a “vile little … Click to Continue » ... Read More

New healthcare center fills a gap in underserved Broward County areas

From the outside, Broward County’s new healthcare center in the middle of a strip mall may look like an ordinary medical office. Inside, it could be a game changer for pregnant women. The Lauderdale Lakes center at t 3736 W Oakland Park Blvd. combines medical exam rooms staffed by Broward HealthPoint and community spaces operated by Community Care Plan. It will be fully open by the end of the month and offer a mix of services previously unavailable in the surrounding underserved... Read More

Watchdog flags concerns over Florida’s ‘turkey’ projects in next year’s state budget

TALLAHASSEE — Florida TaxWatch this week raised concerns about 450 items in the state’s proposed budget for next fiscal year and called for additional scrutiny into 1,600 local projects backed by lawmakers. The budget, passed by the Legislature in March and awaiting action by Gov. Ron DeSantis, is advertised as totaling $117.5 billion. But an additional $2 billion in taxpayer spending was approved in separate bills. Kurt Wenner, senior vice president of research for TaxWatch, said those... Read More