FLORIDA DIGEST - July 01, 2008

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FLORIDA GLBT NEWS

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White Party Week - Florida Resident Pass - Now on Sale
The Florida Resident Pass gets the holder admission to both the 24th AnnualWhite Party at Villa Vizcaya Museum and Gardens on Saturday November 29thand Poseidon's Muscle Beach (presented by One Mighty Weekend Producer JohnnyChisholm) on Sunday, November 30th. This limited offer is available toFlorida Residents only with proof of residency. Purchases are limited tofour passes per person. Only 200 of these passes will be available at thisrate, after that time the Florida Resident Pass will go back up to itsnormal price.
http://www.whiteparty.org/tickets.html



FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS

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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-SunPass Mini: Smaller, $4.99 & no batteries
The SunPass Mini, a cheaper, smaller alternative to the existing $25transponder, will go on sale today.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbsunpassmini0701sbjul01,0,3586405.story

-Billionaire heads to jail on teen prostitution charges
Billionaire Palm Beach- New York-Virgin Islands money manager JeffreyEpstein traded his navy sport coat for a jail uniform Monday after pleadingguilty to hiring underage Palm Beach County girls for erotic massages andsex. The 55-year-old will be designated a sex offender, requiring him toregister annually with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Epstein,who lives in a 13,000-square-foot mansion on El Brillo Way in Palm Beach,will spend 18 months in the Palm Beach County Jail followed by a year ofhouse arrest.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpepstein0701sbjul01,0,1047755.story

-Broward Humane Society gets 130 dogs from Tennessee puppy mill
There are big ones, like the timid German shepherd who needed to be coaxedout of her cage for a medical checkup. And there are small ones, like thetwo Yorkies yipping to be heard above the din inside the kennel at theHumane Society of Broward County. In all, there were more than 130 dogsbrought to the Humane Society early Monday morning, all rescued from areputed puppy mill in Tennessee. Many of them will be up for adoptionstarting today.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdogsrescued0701sbjul01,0,4974196.story

-Florida A & M University wins a reprieve on accreditation
ISSUE: Florida A&M University wins a reprieve.
Florida A&M University dodged a bullet. The loss of the university'saccreditation would have damaged the school beyond repair. Think MorrisBrown University, a one-time academic landmark in Atlanta that is no longerwith us.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editdlfamu27pnjul01,0,1591621.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Broward tax revenues a bit higher than predicted
Numbers released Monday by the Broward County property appraiser showtaxable values have fallen 4.8 percent since last year, a smaller drop thaninitially predicted. New numbers released Monday by the Broward Countyproperty appraiser found the dip in the county's tax base wasn't quite asdeep as expected -- one small glimmer in the bleak budget forecasts manymunicipalities are facing.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/589132.html

-MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS Let Superintendent Crew finish the job
We have this all wrong. We shouldn't be worried about firing Rudy Crew; weshould worry about Rudy Crew firing us! Walking out on our communitybeforehe has finished what he was hired to start: increased test scores,financial accountability, parental involvement.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other_views/story/588082.html

-Letter:How to prevent teen pregnancy
Leonard Pitts Jr.'s June 25 column, Abstinence-only policy is bearingfruit,correctly states that abstinence-only programs aren't working. Formore than15 years, the Women's Fund of Miami Dade (www.womensfundmiami.org)has supported Miami's most innovative community-based programs for girls. These programs have proven that a crucial strategy for pregnancy reductionis engaging girls in challenging, focused activities and providing examplesof female leadership. At the Women's Fund, South Florida's only not-forprofit grant-maker dedicated to gender-specific programming, we believe thatmedically accurate sex education is critical. We know it is only part of theequation to reduce teen pregnancy. The programs we support work inMiami-Dade high schools, middle schools and yes, elementary schools, withhigh rates of teen pregnancy. Most of these programs are not specificallyworking on pregnancy-prevention strategies, yet with rare exception, thegirls are not getting pregnant. The common themes? High expectations forachievement, building self-esteem and setting academic and other life goals. These programs connect girls to a world beyond the experiences of theiryoung lives. The failure of abstinence-only policies, along with the recentincrease inteen pregnancies in Gloucester, Mass., make it clear that we havea responsibility to provide young women with better opportunities and achanceto glimpse a positive future. If we invest in girls, our entirecommunity will be stronger. FRAN KATZ, associate director, Women's Fund ofMiami-Dade, Miami
http://www.miamiherald.com/456/story/589144.html



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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Save the Everglades marriage
Like many Floridians, I followed with great interest the announcement thatour state has tentatively agreed to buy U.S. Sugar Corp. for $2.2 billionand use nearly 200,000 acres of company farmland to enhance water flowsacross America's Everglades. As with any transaction, we should scrutinizethe fine print. But Florida's leaders deserve credit for at least exploringwhat could be another critical step in the restoration of our unique "Riverof Grass."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/06/30/a12a_graham_commentary_0630.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Gun law worries some employers
Florida employers and business owners, beginning today, no longer can barworkers and customers from bringing guns onto their property and leaving theweapons locked inside their vehicles. The new regulation, signed into lawby Gov. Charlie Crist in April, pits important rights against each other --property owners' rights and the right to carry guns.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/NEWS01/807010330/1006/news01&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

-Execution success may lead to more
If Florida's succeeds in ending the life of child killer Mark Dean Schwabwithout incident, that likely will result in a return to multiple executionsper year. At 6 p.m. today, Schwab is expected to be the first state inmateexecuted in more than 18 months. There are no other executions scheduled,but two inmates have active death warrants.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/NEWS01/807010326/1006/news01&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

-Save the Everglades marriage
Like many Floridians, I followed with great interest the announcement thatour state has tentatively agreed to buy U.S. Sugar Corp. for $2.2 billionand use nearly 200,000 acres of company farmland to enhance water flowsacross America's Everglades. As with any transaction, we should scrutinizethe fine print. But Florida's leaders deserve credit for at least exploringwhat could be another critical step in the restoration of our unique "Riverof Grass."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/06/30/a12a_graham_commentary_0630.html

-Florida prepares to execute convicted child killer
A man accused of raping and killing an 11-year-old faces execution atFlorida State Prison near Starke. Unless he receives a last-minute stay,Mark Dean Schwab will die by lethal injection Tuesday evening for the 1991rape and slaying of Junny Rios-Martinez of Cocoa.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_SCHWAB_EXECUTION_FLOL-?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME

-Florida suing Countrywide over mortgage sales
Florida will be taking legal action against Countrywide Financial Corp. forwhat Attorney General Bill McCollum calls misleading and unfair tradepractices. McCollum said details of the state's suit against theCalifornia-based mortgage lender will be announced Tuesday at a newsconference. Illinois and California sued Countrywide last week, accusing thecompany of persuading homeowners to apply for risky mortgages far beyondtheir means. Countrywide is in the process of being sold to Bank of AmericaCorp. of Charlotte, N.C. The bank expects to close the deal Tuesday, havingreceived the go-ahead from Countrywide shareholders last week.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/banking/article652567.ece

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