**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.newtimesbpb.com/Issues/2006-10-19/news/feature.html
New Times - Broward/Palm Beach
Charlie Crist Is NOT Gay
And other things the Republican Party wants you to believe on Election Day.
By Julia Reischel
Article Published Oct 19, 2006
We hear that Charlie Crist is gay.
There's no proof that he is. In fact, Crist, the Republican candidate forgovernor and the current state attorney general, has repeatedly denied it.
But professional muckrakers have burned fistfuls of campaign money trying toprove it. His political opponents have tried to score points by alluding toit. And it seems that everyone who follows politics in Florida discusses itmore or less openly. The rumors have multiplied and overgrown his politicalcareer like kudzu, and though they haven't slowed Charlie Crist's rise topower, they have shaped it every step of the way.
But Florida politicians and the media who cover them have avoided makingCharlie Crist's sexuality a story. Except for rare moments, the rumors thatso frequently get mentioned in political company stay out of the publicrecord.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1023senate,0,6015883.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Energy policy, Iraq top Senate race debate between Harris and Nelson
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press Writer
October 23, 2006, 9:32 PM EDT
DAVIE -- Republican Rep. Katherine Harris and Sen. Bill Nelson agreed in adebate Monday night that a timeline shouldn't be placed on removing troopsfrom Iraq, but they disagreed about how to move forward.
Harris, the former Florida secretary of state who gained the adoration ofthe Republican rank-and-file after overseeing the recount that put George W.Bush in the White House in 2000, is trying to unseat Nelson, a Democrat whohas been in Florida politics for more than three decades and is seeking asecond Senate term.
Harris won her congressional seat in 2002 and was re-elected in 2004.
The two debated topics from energy policy to Iraq.
"What's the best chance we have to stabilize Iraq? It's that politicalsolution, but you can't do it alone cowboy style,'' Nelson said.
Harris, on the other hand, twice used a Republican catchphrase that theUnited States can't "cut and run.''
=
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1161253812549&call_pageid=968867495754
The Toronto Star
Culture joins vice as hallmark of Miami
Oct. 21, 2006. 01:00 AM
WILLIAM LITTLER
MIAMI-Last month it was Toronto's turn to inaugurate a new opera house. Thismonth it is Miami's.
Miami? Miami of sun, surf and vice? Miami of Cuban politics and art deco architecture? The same.
Only not quite the same. Beneath its sun-tanned epidermis, the self-styledMagic City has, within the past two decades, become a city with culturalaspirations and those aspirations have never been more dramaticallyexpressed than in the new $446 million (U.S.) Carnival Center for thePerforming Arts, which opened for business this month.
The 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House is the largestvenue in this multi-acre downtown complex, complemented by the 2,200-seatKnight Concert Hall and a 200-seat black box Studio Theatre. César Pelli ofPelli Clarke Pelli Architects acted as design architect for the project,with Russell Johnson of Artec, who presided over the successful acousticalrenovation of Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall, acting as acoustician. The sheerscale of the enterprise dwarfs Toronto's new Four Seasons Centre andpromises to help make Miami, for the first time in its history, a majorcultural destination.
=
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/special_packages/5min/15833201.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
FLORIDA GOVERNOR'S RACE
New poll gives Crist a negligible lead over Davis
BY BETH REINHARD AND MARY ELLEN KLAS
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
Florida's lopsided contest for governor has suddenly become adead heat, according to a new poll that boosts the stakes for tonight'sfirst televised debate between Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat JimDavis.
The surprising results energized the longtime underdog, Davis,now trailing by only two percentage points in the Quinnipiac Universitysurvey, and put Crist on the defensive. Nearly every other poll has showed adouble-digit gap.
''This new poll makes the debate a much bigger deal, and itshould affect their strategies,'' said Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown. ``Itwill force both of them to reassess what they're going to do, not just intonight's debate, but what their strategy is for the final two weeks of thecampaign.''
=
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/24/State/New_face_to_join_gove.shtml
New face to join governor debate
A judge ruled Monday that Max Linn, a third-party candidate for governor and a Treasure Island resident, can participate in a debate tonight with candidates Charlie Crist and Jim Davis.
By TAMARA LUSH and ALEX LEARY
Published October 24, 2006
FORT LAUDERDALE - A judge ruled Monday that Max Linn, a third-partycandidate for governor and a Treasure Island resident, can participate in adebate tonight with candidates Charlie Crist and Jim Davis.
Debate organizers refused to allow Linn into the televised debate at NovaSoutheastern University, saying the Reform Party candidate did not have highenough poll numbers. Linn and his attorneys, Luke Lirot of Clearwater andEllis Rubin of Miami, challenged the decision in Broward Circuit CourtMonday.
"We're not asking a lot," Lirot said. "All they gotta do is pull up a chairand hand him a microphone."
=
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061024/CAPITOLNEWS/610240325&theme=&template=printart
Polls tell different stories
By Bill Cotterell
FLORIDA CAPITAL BUREAU POLITICAL EDITOR
Two statewide polls showed widely different results Monday in Florida's race for governor.
A survey by Quinnipiac University rated the contest a tossup, with AttorneyGeneral Charlie Crist leading U.S. Rep. Jim Davis by 46 percent to 44percent.
But a separate survey commissioned by the Florida Chamber of Commerce showedCrist, the Republican nominee, maintaining his double-digit lead over theTampa congressman 49 percent to 38 percent.
That's among all registered voters. When the chamber poll pressed for''likely voters,'' Crist's advantage went up to 54 percent to Davis' 36percent.
''If we see voter turnout on Nov. 7 comparable to the low turnout during theprimaries, this race could be a landslide,'' said Marian Johnson, vicepresident for political strategy at the chamber.
The chamber poll was conducted last week among 750 Floridians by the CromerGroup of Washington. It has an error margin of 3.5 percentage points.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cplea24oct24,0,3792148.story?coll=sfla-news-broward
Former Fort Lauderdale executive admits fraud of almost $1 billion
By Vanessa Blum
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 24, 2006
The former president of a defunct Fort Lauderdale firm stood before afederal judge Monday and admitted to defrauding investors out of almost $1billion in what prosecutors called the region's largest securities fraud.
Peter Lombardi, 56, who ran Mutual Benefits with brothers Joel and LeslieSteinger, was charged Oct. 17 in the first criminal case to result from alengthy government investigation. He remained stoic as he entered his guiltyplea before U.S. District Judge Paul Huck in federal court in Miami.
The company, shut down in 2004, purchased life insurance policies fromterminally ill and elderly people for less than face value and sold sharesof the anticipated payouts to investors around the world.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editbrowardcommoct24,0,7299192.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
County Commission
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 24, 2006
Re-elect veteran Kristin Jacobs
In her eight years on the dais, Kristin Jacobs has amply proven her abilityto grasp complex issues as well as demonstrated a commitment to stick up forissues she feels strongly about. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel EditorialBoard strongly recommends voters return her to the County Commission.
District 2 includes the cities of Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, Margateand Pompano Beach. Jacobs' efforts, however, on regional and countywideissues benefit residents from all over Broward.
Jacobs, a 47-year-old Democrat, has been a vocal advocate for environmentalissues. If re-elected, she plans to address an impending dilemma over wateravailability and the need to conserve more water, as well as otherinfrastructure and sustainable-growth needs.
She would also support a proposal to combine certain airport and seaportfunctions to spur efficiency and garner cost savings. However, she opposesmerging the airport and seaport under one organization with a sole director.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1023delraypriest,0,5712437.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Delray priest accused of helping steal more than $400,000 from collection plate turns self in
By Leon Fooksman of sun-sentinel.com
& NewsChannel 5
October 23, 2006, 1:11 PM EDT
DELRAY BEACH - A missing priest accused of helping steal more than $400,000in offerings and gifts at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church has turnedhimself in to authorities in Miami.
The Rev. Francis Guinan was being held at the Miami-Dade County Jail aftersurrendering to police at Miami International Airport on Sunday. He bond isexpected to be set today at $50,000, according to the Palm Beach CountyState Attorney's Office.
Guinan was in Australia and other tourist destinations when the Rev. JohnSkehan, pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church for four decades untilhis retirement several years ago, was arrested on the same charges.
=
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/education/15833206.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
BROWARD SCHOOLS
Finding schools boss is no easy task
After firing Superintendent Frank Till last week, Broward School Boardmembers are likely facing a long search for a suitable replacement.
BY NIRVI SHAH AND HANNAH SAMPSON
nshah@MiamiHerald.com
Governors and generals have tried and failed. A former president saidhe wouldn't even want to try.
The pool of people who are willing and able to lead urban schooldistricts is shrinking, and filling that job in Florida can be especiallydifficult.
State and national education groups say the Broward School Board has along, hard search ahead to replace Superintendent Frank Till, whom the boardfired on Tuesday. Still, board members don't seem worried.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pearlyvote24oct24,0,7755582,print.story?coll=sfla-news-palm
Early voting starts slowly in Palm Beach County; officials expect 20,000 by end
-- Josh Hafenbrack
October 24, 2006
Early voting got off to a slow start in Palm Beach County on Monday, butElections Supervisor Arthur Anderson said he expects interest to pick up asthe Nov. 7 election draws nearer.
Poll workers reported only small problems Monday, such as slow votingmachines, at 15 early voting sites, Anderson said.
Anderson predicted at least 20,000 people would cast their ballots duringearly voting, which ends Nov. 5. The hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 9a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
"At this point, I expected it to be slow. Candidates are still getting theirmessages out," Anderson said.
Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
=
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBARR4RNTE.html
FCAT Results Article Censored By School
By MARI ROBYN JONES The Tampa Tribune
Published: Oct 24, 2006
TAMPA - Hillsborough High's student newspaper staff spent hours cutting out 2,000 copies of an article their principal deemed inappropriate.
They distributed the Red & Black newspaper Monday with a letter stapled topage 3, which had a hole where the article would have been.
It began: "Dear readers, You may notice a story missing from page 3 of thismonth's issue. That story was removed because it was deemed inappropriate."
The subject of the article was achievement gaps on the FCAT among differentethnicities. The letter did not explain why the story was cut out or evenits content.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-elxdebate24oct24,0,7399061.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Underdog Harris tempers controversial image in Senate debate with Nelson
By Brittany Wallman and Anthony Man
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 24, 2006
DAVIE · She's been lampooned for her clothing and makeup by late-nightcomics. She's made headlines for infusing religion into her Senate race.She's been rejected by members of her own party. But Katherine Harrisstepped away from all that in her first public debate Monday against U.S.Sen. Bill Nelson.
The debate at Nova Southeastern University in Davie offered the fare of mostpolitical debates for a seat in Congress this election: discussion of theIraq war, nuclear weapons in North Korea, global warming, property insuranceand ethics.
Harris, the Republican candidate, took a no-nonsense approach, appearingbusiness-like and strategically striding across the stage, using gesturesfor emphasis, playing to her audience. Harris is trailing far behind in thepolls, and had the most to gain from the first of only two public debates inthis race.
=
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/24/State/Wake_up__debate_is_to.shtml
Wake up, debate is tonight
The boring gubernatorial race may get a jolt when Crist and Davis face off.
By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
Published October 24, 2006
DAVIE - As a new poll points to a dead heat in the governor's race,Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis face off tonight for theirfirst televised debate.
And it couldn't come a moment too soon for one of the most muted anddisappointing governor's races Florida has seen in a long time.
Finally, voters tonight have a chance to find some substance beyond the30-second TV ads that have defined the first wide-open governor's race since1990. With two weeks before election day, tonight's 8 p.m. debate on publictelevision offers voters an opportunity to size up the would-be successorsto Gov. Jeb Bush, who have done little to capture voters' imagination.
The contrast between this governor's race and previous ones is striking.
By this time in 1998, Jeb Bush and Buddy MacKay had twice debated on TV andonce on radio. Bush had rolled out a slew of ambitious policy proposals,including sweeping changes in Florida's education system. By this time in2002, Bush and Bill McBride had debated live on TV and radio and theirrunning mates had debated on TV.
#####
