FLORIDA DIGEST - October 13, 2008

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

You are invited! [Tuesday]
Dean Trantalis for Mayor of Fort Lauderdale
Grand Opening Campaign Headquarters
2597 N Federal Hwy. (Corner of 26th Street)
Tuesday, October 14 - 6-8pm
www.deanformayor.com


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

-Gay, lesbian advocates' 'Equality Ride' to stop by Palm Beach Atlantic University
Group urging schools to support gay, lesbian students
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/schools/sfl-flpride1012pnoct13,0,239380.story

-Broward County prosecutor accuses judge of improper behavior
Affidavit claims dinner, jokes tainted case
A Broward County prosecutor has accused a sitting judge of improper behavior during a capital case, saying the judge and the prosecutor met over dinner during the trial and joked about the case. The prosecutor, who is also a Sunrise city commissioner, said Broward Circuit Judge Ana Gardiner and former Broward prosecutor Howard Scheinberg laughed about the victim's and defendant's sexual orientation - both were gay - and talked about a juror fainting over grisly crime-scene photos days before Omar Loureiro's March 27, 2007 conviction for first-degree murder. Such a contact between a judge and a lawyer is considered highly improper, and could be cited as grounds for an appeal of Loureiro's conviction and death sentence.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbappeal1013sboct13,0,4421078.story


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From HRC
Get Out the Vote Canvass Sunday, October 19
Mills Pond Park, 2201 NW 9th Ave., 12:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Wilton Drive Businesses, 2449 Wilton Manors Dr., 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
On Sunday, October 19, HRC South Florida will be canvassing the softball fields at Mills Pond Park to encourage people to vote early and to recruit volunteers to help defeat Amendment 2. Please meet at the front gates of the softball fields at 12:30 p.m. if you can help. Later that afternoon, we will be doing the same along Wilton Drive. We'll meet at Rosie's Bar and Grill at 3:30 p.m. and canvas businesses along the drive until 5:30 p.m.
Dress comfortably - HRC t-shirt will be available.
http://southflorida.hrc.org


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

-Gallery | Gay Freedom Democrats fundraiser featuring Daniel O'Donnell
Jon Schwenzer, South Florida chapter president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, shot these pictures at Saturday night's gay Freedom Democrats fundraiser. Rosie O'Donnell's brother, Daniel O'Donnell, a New York assemblyman, was guest speaker, along with South Florida Democratic candidates and gay activists
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/

-FIU law school Amendment 2 symposium on Oct. 25
Florida International University's Stonewall Legal Alliance is presenting a symposium on Amendment 2, the state's marriage amendment on November's ballot. Here are the details.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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The Florida Times-Union
http://www.jacksonville.com/

-Polls: Vote close for traditional marriage
Supporters want constitutional strength behind marriage law. Florida law already recognizes marriage as joining only a man and a woman, but supporters say a marriage protection amendment to the state constitution is necessary to leave no room for judicial interpretation.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/101308/met_343292043.shtml



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Gas under $3? Find it in your neighborhood
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-gasprices-htmlpage,0,826131.htmlpage

-Giant Confederate flag gets bigger
A giant Confederate battle flag that has been raised several times at the crossroads of two major highways near Tampa has been replaced with an even bigger flag. The Sons of Confederate Veterans hoisted the new 30-by-60-foot flag Sunday near the intersection of Interstate 75 and Interstate 4. A spokeswoman for the club says the original flag, which measured 30 feet by 50 feet, will be cut up and sold on eBay. The group hopes to raise about $30,000 to finish a memorial park at the flag site.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1012-confederate,0,42903.story


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

-Two tropical systems loom in Atlantic
As far as menacing storm names, Nana just doesn't seem to have the bite of a killer hurricane. So perhaps it's fitting that Tropical Storm Nana -- the 14th named storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season -- is expected to fizzle out at sea Monday, a day after it formed off the west coast of Africa. The disorganized storm had maximum 40-mph winds early Monday as it wobbled slowly to the west. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said Nana would continue to disintegrate Monday, lose its tropical storm status and become a low-pressure system. But forecasters are watching another system, this one in the Caribbean, that could form into the season's 15th named storm later Monday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/724076.html

-Recommendation - Elections
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/recommendations/

-Ileana Ros-Lehtinen rising above party's ills
A longtime congresswoman known for her personal touch, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is expected to fare better than others from her party at the polls.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/723798.html

-Broward County Charter Changes
Voters will have chance to detail Broward County charter on several topics Broward County voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to approve 10 changes to the county charter. They are at:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbcharter1006sboct06,0,3947410.story



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

-Florida Republicans cast blame as McCain trails in polls
John McCain's plunging poll numbers in Florida have top Republicans second-guessing and starting to distance themselves from the campaign.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/722731.html

-Poll: Floridians unsure about new amendments
Floridians in November will decide on six proposed constitutional amendments. Less than a month before the election, most voters don't know much about them.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/CD/20081013/CAPITOLNEWS/810130311/-1/capitolnews

-Comparing the Presidential Candidates: Education
Florida has spent much of the past decade debating the best way to improve its public schools. Parents, teachers and students have grappled each year with the high-stakes Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and then waited anxiously to find out their school grades. Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, groups have fought in the Legislature and in the Supreme Court about whether taxpayers should help pay for children to attend private schools.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Politics/Headlines/polHEAD02101308.htm

-Aggressive rivals, residency flap muddy Wexler's path to reelection
When Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler announced in July that he would begin renting an apartment in his congressional district, it was a rare indication that at least some of the ordinary forces of politics apply to the six-term incumbent.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/local_news/epaper/2008/10/12/us19_1013.html


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