FLORIDA DIGEST - July 22, 2008

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

TOM GREEN
Candidate for Wilton Manors City Commission
You are cordially invited to a reception
Thursday, July 24, 2008
At the home of Rose Hepworth
2007 N. E. 7th Avenue
Wilton Manors - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
RSVP to: 954-288-4206
If you are unable to attend but wish to contribute to Tom Green's Campaign
P.O. Box 23773 - Wilton Manors, FL. 33307
tomgreen08@comcast.net / 954-533-0436



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

- Hurricane warning issued as Dolly heads for Texas, Mexico
McALLEN, Texas - Texas mobilized National Guard troops and residents alongthe Gulf Coast near the Mexican border were buying plywood, flashlights andother supplies as Tropical Storm Dolly -- expected by forecasters tostrengthen into a hurricane this week -- headed their way.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-dolly,0,1026107.story

-Gas TV gains popularity as way to ease pain at the pump
In the midst of a cruel summer for America's drivers, there's a diversion:TV at the gas station. The number of televisions atop gas pumps haveskyrocketed since their introduction at a handful of stations in 2006. Now,three privately held companies have placed more than 20,000 screens atthousands of stations from the Massachusetts Pike to Southern California.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-722gastv,0,1235213.story

-AT&T television service challenges Comcast, DirecTV
AT&T turned on television service Monday in South Florida, becoming thefirst big phone company to challenge cable and satellite companies inFlorida since the state last year opened the cable TV industry tocompetition. The telephone giant's U-verse is available in parts of Browardand Miami-Dade counties, where it will compete with Comcast Corp. andsatellite provider DirecTV.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-fl1aattx0722sbjul22,0,6411279.story


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Is your voter registration up to date?
The registration deadline for the upcoming election in Florida is fastapproaching - is your registration up to date? To cast your vote on August26, you must register to vote by July 28.
http://www.credomobile.com/registertovote/?source=reminder


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

-The Miami Herald recommends For Broward County Circuit Court, Group 21Three well-qualified lawyers are competing to replace Judge Stanton Kaplan,who is retiring. They are: former School Board member Paul D. Eichner andJohn R. Howes and Merrilee Ehrlich.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/613030.html

-In S. Florida, Lieberman seeks votes for McCain
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman spent two days courting South Florida voters bytouting Republican presidential candidate John McCain's foreign policyrecord. Eight years after sharing a spot on the Democratic presidentialticket, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut returned to Florida tocampaign for the other party and court Jewish and Cuban voters, who willlikely play a big role in the state in November.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/612989.html

-Obama leads money race in Florida
Barack Obama outraised John McCain by a half-million dollars in Florida in June, according to fundraising reports. Democrat Barack Obama outraised Republican John McCain by nearly $500,000 in Florida in June, validating his decision to rebuff limited public campaign financing for the general election. Obama raised about $1.4 million in the state, while McCain collected about $900,000, according to monthly fundraising reports due Sunday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/612987.html


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

-Unprivatizing Medicare
By overriding President Bush's veto of a Medicare bill, Republicans did morefor the program in one day last week than they have during Mr. Bush's timein office. The key issue was simple: Would Congress cut payments to doctorswho treat Medicare patients or payments to private insurance companies thatcover Medicare patients? Since Republicans have tried since 2003 - and theoverpriced, oversubsidized prescription-drug plan - to privatize Medicare,most GOP lawmakers first wanted to penalize the doctors. But a July Fourthweekend of ads by the American Medical Association and hostile reaction fromconstituents shifted the debate. The House and Senate passed the bill bywide enough margins that the veto didn't matter.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/22/a10a_medicare_edit_0722.html

-Loss of U.S. Sugar big Glades concern
If U.S. Sugar Corp. isn't replaced with something equally viable, the townsand rural counties around Lake Okeechobee could be thrust into a 1930s-styleeconomic depression, a Glades County commissioner said Monday. Butch Jones,also a U.S. Sugar railroad engineer who chairs Florida's Heartland RuralEconomic Development Initiative Inc. and Florida's Freshwater Frontier Inc.,made his remarks Monday before an overflow crowd of more than 400 people inClewiston's John Boy Auditorium. Attendees wanted answers about how a $1.75billion state deal to buy out U.S. Sugar for Everglades restoration wouldaffect their communities.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/07/21/a8b_sugartowns_0722.html


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

-Florida deal may sound death knell for Big Sugar
A $1.75 billion land purchase deal Gov. Charlie Crist announced last monthto save the Florida Everglades could also mark the beginning of the end forthe state's powerful sugar barons. Florida would buy U.S. Sugar Corp, oneof the largest privately held U.S. agricultural firms, and use a chunk ofits 187,000 acres in the northern Everglades to restore the endangeredwildlife habitat, Crist said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2147112120080722?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews

-Crist tours solar farm in sunny Spain
Globetrotting Gov. Charlie Crist continues his trade mission in Europe todaywith an electrifying stop in sunny Spain. According to his schedule, Cristleaves his Madrid hotel for an afternoon stop at Renovalia Energy's"photovoltaic farm." Crist has pushed for renewable energy and strict capson greenhouse gases and promoted green links at an earlier stop in England. In another stop earlier this week in St. Petersburg, Russia, Crist promotedFlorida citrus. According to state figures, the trade imbalance needsimprovement. Russia sent $834 million worth of products to Florida last yearbut Florida reciprocated with just $152 million. Some 20 Russian fruitimporters are expected to attend a trade show in Orlando in October.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=5a7ac6f4ef954e89af555631b0a3fc79&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a5a7ac6f4ef954e89af555631b0a3fc79Post%3acf18e680-1224-49bd-bf94-d9d4a622d2b1&sid=sitelife.tallahassee.com

-Permit requires boaters to hold 'gray' water
Careful swabbing the deck. Better not let any soapy suds spill overboard. Itcould soon be a violation of the Clean Water Act. By Sept. 30, mostrecreational boats less than 79 feet in length are due to fall under a newfederal permit that forces captains to keep better tabs of their suds, dripsand spills.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS01/807220332&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

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