FLORIDA DIGEST - January 22, 2009

**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.


~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-Most Floridians OK with gays and lesbians adopting
A majority of Floridians believe it is OK for gays and lesbians to adopt children.
A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,370 Floridians showed 55 percent favor doing away with a state law that prohibits gays from adopting compared to 39 percent who want to keep the ban. Democrats and independent voters were in the majority favoring of eliminating the ban while Republicans and white evangelical Christians supported the law. But only 27 percent said gays should be allowed to marry while 35 percent favored civil unions and 31 percent said there should be no legal recognition of gay unions. Quinnipiac's poll released Thursday has an error rate of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/866745.html


=
From GLCCSS - Ft. Lauderdale

-Florida AIDS Walk 2009
We're Team GLCC
On Sunday, March 15, we will participate in a 10-kilometer fundraising walkathon through Fort Lauderdale to address the AIDS crisis in our community. We'll be joined by thousands of others who understand that we need to take action now to halt the escalating spread of HIV/AIDS in south Florida.You can make a donation to our campaign right here. If you wish to make a donation by check, please send an email to our Team Captain, Rober Boo at rboo@glccsf.org so we can add you to our list of offline contributors. Your gift to this worthy cause is fully tax-deductible. Also, please bookmark this page below if you're interested in keeping track of our progress as we approach the March 15th fundraising deadline. We encourage you to browse the rest of this website so you can learn more about Florida AIDS Walk. Join Team GLCC
http://ahf.convio.net/site/TR/Events/General?team_id=2880&pg=team&fr_id=1060


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

-Fort Lauderdale mayoral candidate Earl Rynerson missing key word in campaign material, military says
By Brittany Wallman
Judging from the campaign signs dotting the landscape in Fort Lauderdale, voters might think there's an active-duty lieutenant colonel running for mayor. But there's not. Earl Rynerson, owner of CLAD Tile & Stone and a former San Francisco City Commissioner, remade his persona in his run for mayor. Following advice from his campaign manager, Mark Goodrich, Rynerson added his military title to campaign materials. "Lt. Colonel Earl Rynerson for mayor," his signs and literature read.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbcolonel0122sbjan22,0,4110629.story



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

From Scott Newton Campaign
Rally the Vote -20 days to election day
VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS - HOW ARE YOU RALLY'N THE VOTE?
Upcoming Scott appearances: TRY TO BE AT SOME OF THESE EVENTS!
...Today - Jan 22, 2009
Westside Association of Wilton Manors (WAWM) Quarterly Meeting and meet the Candidates
Pace Center for Girls - 2225 Andrews Avenue - 7:00 pm
...Jan 29, 2009 Eastside Meet & Greet -
Kiwanis Clubhouse - 2749 NE 14th Avenue - 7 - 9:00 pm
www.votenewton.com.


=
Howard Elfman
Candidate for Fort Lauderdale City Commission, District 2
You are invited!
Sunday, January 25- 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Pineapple Point Guesthouse & Resort
315 N.E. 16th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale
www.ElectHowardElfman.com


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

-Floridians like idea of increasing cigarette tax
Associated Press
More than seven of 10 Floridians say they want new taxes - at least on a pack of smokes. In a survey of 1,370 voters between Jan. 14-19, 71 percent told Quinnipiac University pollsters that they favored raising the tax on cigarettes by $1 a pack. Smokers, however, were against paying more by nearly 2-to-1, although half said they'd either quit or cut down if such an increase were approved.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-bn-0122poll,0,1140888.story

-Fresh vegetables from South Florida's fields to your dinner table
Here's where to get our area's flavorful harvest right out of the fields and how to make the most of it. Lucky you. You have more than an ocean and sandy beaches in your backyard. You have a vegetable garden that's filled dinner tables nationwide for decades. But now a national push toward eating locally grown produce is putting South Florida farmers in a starring role closer to home.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/food/sfl-fllocalfoodsbjan22,0,9606.story

-Guide to farmers' markets & u-pick farms around South Florida
Whether it's plucking tomatoes from the vine, picking strawberries from the fields or buying fresh produce from a stand, farmers' markets and u-pick farms remain a popular seasonal alternative to supermarkets in South Florida. Here are some popular farmers' markets and u-pick locations in our area. Many of these operate only during the winter season.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-farmersupick,0,5325042.story

-Ex-pastor pleads guilty to theft from Catholic church in Delray Beach
John Skehan pleads guilty to looting St. Vincent Ferrer; but his successor, Francis Guinan, chooses to go to trial Former Delray Beach pastor John Skehan pleaded guilty to stealing from his church, then sprinted away from reporters trying to question him Wednesday. His successor, the Rev. Francis Guinan, who also appeared in court Wednesday, plans to fight identical charges.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/delraybeach/sfl-flppriests0122pnjan22,0,4720043.story

-New Florida school grading system goes beyond FCAT
Broward, Palm school ratings dropped in test run
By Leslie Postal and Dave Weber
A tough new system to evaluate Florida's high schools could make it harder for them to earn good grades but may provide a more in-depth look at what is happening on their campuses.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/schools/sfl-flbgrades0122sbjan22,0,6452681.story

-Lawsuit alleges husband of Broward County mayor failed to repay $2 million in loans
Lawsuit was filed against spouse of Stacy Ritter
By Scott Wyman
A man at the center of a massive financial fraud case and his partner are claiming in a lawsuit that the husband of Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports Mayor Stacy Ritter failed to repay more than $2 million in loans.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbklenet0122sbjan22,0,7234528.story


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

-Meek & McCollum: most favored Senate candidates
By Michael C. Bender
The new Quinnipiac University poll out this morning shows Republican Gov. Charlie Crist (67 percent) and Democratic President Barack Obama (66 percent) with high approval ratings in the state, but more interesting is the initial ratings for potential U.S. Senate candidates. Among Democrats, 22 percent say they have a favorable opinion of U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, a Miami Democrat, above left, and only major candidate to have declared his intention to run. Fellow U.S. Reps. Ron Klein of Boca Raton scored a 15 percent approval among his party faithful while Allen Boyd of Monticello scored 13 percent.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2009/01/21/meek_mccollum_most_favored_sen.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics

-Political fight looms over legislative attempt to make Broward County sheriff nonpartisan
By Anthony Man
In a move that could boost Republican Sheriff Al Lamberti's chances of re-election in overwhelmingly Democratic Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports, state legislators are quietly attempting to make future elections for the office "nonpartisan," rather than Democratic vs. Republican contests. If proponents of the plan - led by state Rep. Jim Waldman, a Coconut Creek Democrat who supported Lamberti in last year's election - have their way, Broward voters would be asked in 2010 whether county sheriff's elections should be held without party affiliation starting in 2012.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbsheriff0122sbjan22,0,4012927.story

-Crist more popular than president?
Jim Ash
President Barack Obama should be pleased to know that a political honeymoon can last a long time. Just ask Gov. Charlie Crist. A poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University shows the Republican governor is still riding sky-high approval ratings, and is as popular or more so in Florida than the newly inaugurated president.
http://www.pnj.com/article/20090122/NEWS01/901220308


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####