FLORIDA DIGEST - February 05, 2009

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-Fort Lauderdale City Commission District II candidates

...HOWARD ELFMAN

PERSONAL: 44, domestic partner, Don Tsang
EDUCATION: Attended classes at Penn State, 1982-1986
PROFESSIONAL: Licensed real estate broker; accredited buyers' representative; certified broker-manager; certified residential specialist; graduate, Real Estate Institute; president of Distinctive Homes Realty
POLITICAL: First run for office
CIVIC: Founding member, IT Forum of South Forum; member of Fort Lauderdale Is your Fort Lauderdale restaurant clean? - Click Here. Chamber of Commerce; former board member, Gay & Lesbian Community Center; member, five years, city of Fort Lauderdale Code Enforcement Board; former board member, Riverwalk Trust
ONLINE: www.electhowardelfman.com

...STEVE GLASSMAN
PERSONAL: 55, domestic partner, Randolph Morris
PROFESSIONAL: Administrator, Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports cultural division, end of September 2008; former high school teacher
EDUCATION: Master's in education, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1975
POLITICAL: First run for office; former elected Democratic committeeman in Buffalo, N.Y.
CIVIC: President of Central Beach Alliance; former member, Fort Lauderdale Planning and Zoning Board; former member of city's Beach Redevelopment Advisory Board;
ONLINE: www.voteglassman.com

...CHARLOTTE RODSTROM
PERSONAL: 55; married to County Commissioner John Rodstrom; three sons, ages 16, 23 and 25
PROFESSIONAL: Retired since 1990; 20 years, senior flight attendant with Eastern Airlines; former president, Fast Track Marketing LLC
CIVIC: Past president of Nurmi Isles Homeowners Association; past president/board member of PTAs at Second Presbyterian Pre-School and St. Mark's Episcopal School in Fort Lauderdale
EDUCATION: Courses at Centenary College for Women in New Jersey
POLITICAL: Ran unsuccessfully for commission in 2003; won current seat on commission in 2006
ONLINE: www.charlotterodstrom.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-0204-lauddistrict2,0,5447920.story


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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Gay retired Navy sailor: Military never discriminated against me
Here's an e-mail I received today from Robaire Watson, who served six years
in the Navy, from 1989 to 1995. Watson is black and gay and says he "never
encountered the slightest discrimination aboard his warship".
http://pd.miami.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=gay&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

-Arianna Huffington to speak aboard lesbian cruise from Fort Lauderdale
http://pd.miami.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=gay&submit.x=0&submit.y=0


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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Gay erotic art expo
Art show featuring live models, photographs and video displays sponsored by 411 Magazine
By Dan Renzi
ArtsUnited annual art festival, ArtExplosion, opens on February 7, with a Visual Arts Exhibit. This year's Opening Night Reception will feature an expanded erotic art show sponsored by 411 Magazine. The 411 Erotic Exhibit will have loads of sexy erotic art on display, an erotic art installation by photographer Dennis Dean, live models, video displays, erotic poetry readings, and the Kai Martini Bar featuring the ArtExplosion Martini. The event will kick off the exciting, two-week-long Art Explosion, which runs through Feb. 21. The conservative evangelical Focus on the Family, which fights LGBT issues across the country, gave $657,000 in money and services. The amounts vastly surpass the $189,000 in direct cash and compensated staff time from the Mormon church.
www.artexplosiononline.org

-Gay-bash suspect caught: Arrest ends weeks of turmoil for victim
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Fort Lauderdale activist and video artist Stephen Velky can rest a little easier these days. Tuesday morning police arrested the 21-year-old man who allegedly bashed Velky Jan. 6.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5490.cfm


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Mark's List
http://frontpage.jumponmarkslist.com/MSFL/2008/052908.htm

-Florida AIDS Walk - Sunday March 15, Huizenga Plaza, Fort Lauderdale
It is just one day, we ask you to set aside, so that a parent does not have to hear their child say they have AIDS. It is just a few hours of your time, so that a partner does not have to experience a lifetime of grieving.It is just buying one less shirt we don't need anyway, that can make the difference in one life, for a lifetime. It is just a few miles to walk, so that someone else may feel well enough to walk. It is gathering of support, so that someone does not have to feel they are all alone. It is a celebration of looking forward, so we can put the past behind. It is adding a walker to the walk, so that we don't have to add another panel to the quilt. It is just a small commitment, to make a world of difference.
http://ahf.convio.net/site/PageNavigator/FAW_Homepage


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Sun-Sentinel Endorsements for Fort Lauderdale Mayor and City Commission
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsftlauderdaleelectionssbfeb04,0,7311867.story


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

-The Miami Herald recommends for Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 1
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/888702.html

-The Miami Herald recommends for Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 2
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/888701.html

-Florida's ACLU affiliate in Miami to cut staff nearly 20 percent
Because of declining contributions, the ACLU's Florida affiliate has been forced to cut close to 20 percent of staff. Leaders say the group will remain as ambitious as ever.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/888660.html


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

-Miami Mayor Manny Diaz pushes stimulus package in Washington
BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ
Fulfilling his role as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was in Washington Wednesday morning to lead a delegation of mayors in a series of meetings with White House advisors and members of Congress.
http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/887690.html

-Rod Smith considering U.S. Senate race?
By Dara Kam
Former state senator Rod Smith is considering joining the Democratic field of contenders for retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez' seat, sources close to Smith said.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2009/02/04/rod_smith_considering_us_senat.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics

-Make politicians accountable
Palm Beach Post Editorial
In Florida, as in most other states, politicians pick their voters. That's the reverse of what it should be, and last week the Florida Supreme Court gave voters a chance to fix it
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2009/02/05/a10a_leadedit_districts_0205.html

-Crist backing new central Fla. commuter rail bill
The Associated Press
Gov. Charlie Crist is backing an effort to revive a proposed commuter rail line for central Florida. Crist held a news conference Wednesday with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and area lawmakers to tout the $1.1 billion SunRail project.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/887916.html

-Abramson can't take bench, state supreme court rules
By JANE MUSGRAVE
The most twisted judicial race in Palm Beach County - and possibly Florida -
history ended Wednesday when the state Supreme Court ruled that suspended attorney William Abramson is not fit to serve on the bench. Even though Abramson defeated incumbent Circuit Judge Richard Wennet in a problem-fraught August primary, the high court ruled that his 91-day suspension from practicing law trumps voters' wishes.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/02/04/0204abramson.html

-Federal funds sought for Everglades restoration, job creation
Environmentalists and contractors say they are hoping to get funds through the federal government's economic recovery plan to jump-start Everglades restoration and create jobs. Everglades Foundation CEO Kirk Fordham said Tuesday the money would benefit both the environment and Florida's lagging economy.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090204/ARTICLES/902040203/1034?Title=Federal_funds_sought_for_Everglades_restoration__job_creation

-State Farm execs explain leaving 'nightmare' of Florida
By BRENT KALLESTAD
State Farm Florida has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the state in the last decade and risks insolvency if it continues writing property insurance here, company executives told a legislative committee Tuesday. Jim Thompson, president of State Farm Florida, told the House Insurance, Business & Financial Affairs Policy Committee on Tuesday that the company must stop its financial bleeding to ensure it can pay off future claims.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/business/epaper/2009/02/04/0204statefarm.html

-Care better for immigrant kids, advocates say
By Anabelle Garay
Conditions have improved for immigrant children held after arriving in the United States without parents or guardians, but some still face inadequate services and overly harsh discipline, according to a study released Wednesday by an advocacy organization.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flaimmig0205sbfeb05,0,546464.story


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