FLORIDA DIGEST - February 23, 2009

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-Activists remember murder of Fort Lauderdale gay teen Simmie Williams
By Akilah Johnson and Sofia Santana
A year since gay teen's murder, police wonder: Was it a hate crime? With an occasional police siren in the distance punctuating their remarks, family, friends and community activists gathered in an empty corner lot Sunday to remember the life of a teen murdered there a year ago and vow: never again.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbsimmie0223sbfeb23,0,3183923.story


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Davie mayor's race is Broward's hottest contest
The hottest contest in the county in the March 10 municipal elections is the Davie mayor's race. A massive development proposal divides the two candidates.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/02/davie_mayors_race_is_browards.html

-Miami-Fort Lauderdale on 'America's Emptiest Cities' list
The metropolitan Miami/Fort Lauderdale area ranks eleventh on a Forbes magazine list of the nation's 15 most-abandoned cities. Also on the list are Orlando (7th), Jacksonville (9th) and Tampa (13th). The Forbes list is a combination of rental and homeowner vacancy rates for the 75 largest metropolitan statistical areas of the country based on fourth-quarter data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Each was based on rental vacancies and housing vacancies with the final list averaging the two, Forbes reported. t the top of the list, Las Vegas edged out Detroit, which ranked second, followed by Atlanta, Greensboro N.C. and then Dayton, Ohio.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-bn-0223abandoned,0,3862358.story


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

-Florida megachurch pastor Joel Hunter forges bond with Obama administration Northland church's pastor Joel Hunter sits on President Obama's religious advisory council.
BY BETH REINHARD
Joel Hunter -- Christian evangelical, pastor of a Central Florida megachurch and lifelong Republican -- gave the benediction at the Democratic National Convention. He prayed with Barack Obama on Election Day, and rode to the inauguration with Oprah.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/917372.html

-Attorney who took on Miami Archdiocese loses license
BY JAY WEAVER
A high-profile South Florida attorney who built a lucrative law practice suing the Archdiocese of Miami in clergy sex-abuse cases has had his license suspended.
http://www.miamiherald.com/486/story/916864.html

-Blackjack addiction on rise in Florida
BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ
Callers to the state's gambling help line are more frequently reporting an addiction to blackjack, and the overall number of callers seeking help is steadily rising.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/916871.html


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

-Crist backs Obama but rejects 'Obama Republican' tag
By GEORGE BENNETT and MICHAEL C. BENDER
Gov. Charlie Crist took his GOP-bucking support for President Obama and a $787 billion Democratic stimulus plan to a national stage this morning but brushed off the suggestion that he's an "Obama Republican."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/state/epaper/2009/02/22/0222crist.html


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

-Hawaii is latest civil unions battleground
By MARK NIESSE
Hawaii, the state that adopted the nation's first "defense of marriage" constitutional amendment a decade ago, has now become the latest battleground in the fight for same-sex civil unions. It would become the fifth state to legalize the alternative to gay marriage if the Democrat-dominated Legislature and Republican governor approve a civil union law. The measure was passed by the state House this month but it now faces the Senate, where a divided committee is to vote Tuesday.
http://www.bradenton.com/439/story/1244915.html

-Florida's First Lady scores a seat next to Obama
By Michael C. Bender
Gov. Charlie Crist hasn't yet secured the state its share of education money from the federal stimulus package, but his support for President Obama and the plan might have helped score Florida First Lady Carole Crist a seat tonight next to Obama for the first formal White House dinner (here and here) of the Democrat's term. Obama hosted the nation's governors, who were in Washington for the National Governor's Association meeting, in the State Dining Room.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/index.html

-Where is schools' lottery jackpot?
BY MICHELLE SPITZER
Driving across Brevard County, Cape Canaveral resident Ty Allen gets frustrated every time he sees billboards that credit the Florida Lottery with pumping billions of dollars into education.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090223/NEWS01/902230316/1006/news01&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

-Crist doesn't rule out Senate run
Gov. Charlie Crist is in Washington as the National Governors Association wraps up its meeting. Crist attended a White House reception on Sunday night after appearing on "Meet the Press" earlier in the day.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090223/APN/902230583

-Crist: Obama Is Our Only National Leader
The Huffington Post
In a half-hour segment on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, the varying threads of the GOP political psychology came into sharp contrast. On one side sat Charlie Crist, the moderate governor of the state of Florida, who not only openly campaigned for the president's stimulus package but also sent some very public plaudits the Obama's way.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/22/crist-obama-is-our-only-n_n_168936.html


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