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Wasserman Schultz says Romney carries `baggage’ out of Iowa

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:53:14 +0000

Playing the role of Democratic critic in Des Moines, South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Tuesday accused Republican Mitt Romney of shifting to the extreme Right to try to win the Iowa caucuses. Sounding a Democratic theme for this election year, Wasserman Schultz said Romney’s attempts to pander to conservatives will come back to haunt. Debbie Wasserman Schultz “Over the last year, Romney has scrambled to get to the right of Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum – and in a state with some of the most stalwart conservatives in the Republican nominating process,” Wasserman Schultz said at a press conference. “Romney’s showing can be attributed to his right-wing vision for America.” “He is leaving Iowa with significant primary baggage that will weigh him down in the general election.” Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, has been focusing her attacks on Romney for several weeks, obviously assuming he will be the Republican nominee. As Iowa Republicans prepare for their caucuses, Wasserman Schulz touted Democratic efforts in the state to prepare for a general-election battle. Iowa is considered a swing state, though it is far smaller and less influential in the general election than her home state of Florida. President Obama’s campaign in Iowa, she said, has opened eight offices, held training or planning sessions, house parties and operated phone banks that made calls to 350,000 supporters.

Thursday Morning Reads: Rothstein trial, foreclosures and Internet sales tax

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:37:32 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... But we've still got plenty of news to share. Here are the top five stories you should be reading. * Convicted ponzi schemer and former political fundraiser Scott Rothstein said yesterday that his former law partners knew about his ponzi scheme and helped keep it running, the Sun-Sentinel reports . From the story: Rothstein not only implicated Stuart Rosenfeldt and Russell Adler , but said seven other attorneys inside and outside the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler firm helped keep the Ponzi scheme alive. His extraordinary sworn statements came in the first hours of a 10-day deposition he started giving last week, offering his first detailed account of his $1.4 billion Ponzi scheme, the largest financial fraud in South Florida history. * The Florida Current reports that Gov. Rick Scott said he would sign an Internet sales tax bill, but with a caveat. From the story: While hanging on to his pledge not to raise taxes, Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday he would sign a bill that would impose a tax on Internet sales, if the bill doesn’t increase the overall revenue to the state. Retail store owners are pushing for the tax, which they contend is unfair because they invest money in communities within the state to build “brick-and-mortar” stores, and are assessed Florida’s sales tax on items. * U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson , D-Fla., said there is more bipartisan support for restoring the Everglades than was originally expected, the Miami Herald writes. From the story: There’s more bipartisan support for restoring the Everglades than might be expected, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Wednesday — especially given the politically charged atmosphere in Washington and Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s previous concerns about spending state money on projects.Nelson, touting the bipartisan push behind some recent legislative victories, said he and others have pressed Scott repeatedly to emphasize the importance of the project for jobs and future water quality. The Democratic senator thanked the Republican governor for for a budget that restores some of the state’s share of funding for the complex, multi-year project. * The Orlando Sentinel writes that a retired firefighter Booker T. Perry became the centerpiece story of a group's fight against Attorney General Pam Bondi over foreclosure issues Perry was evicted from his home, only owing $2,000 on it. From the story: Perry's story was the centerpiece of an event Wednesday staged by a new coalition, Floridians for a Fair Settlement. The group asked for a federal investigation into the settlement talks between attorneys general across the nation and five major lenders accused of fraudulent mortgage practices. A similar event took place in Miami. At the Open Door Missionary Baptist Church in Eatonville, representatives from several church congregations, labor unions and Democratic legislators called on Republican Bondi to prosecute corrupt bank executives, fight for mortgage companies to reduce principal on underwater homes and demand a settlement of $250 billion — 10 times the amount reported in current negotiations. * The Sun-Sentinel reports that a payout to former Broward Teachers' Union chief Pat Santeramo could leave the group strapped for cash. From the story: The Broward Teachers Union announced late Friday that it will give former President Pat Santeramo a six-figure sum for his unused vacation and sick hours. What union officials haven't said is how they plan to pay for it. Santeramo's decade-long tenure has left the union — one of the largest in Florida with about 11,500 members — nearly impoverished. A recent audit found that the union has about $700,000 in cash, $728,000 in a "building reserve fund" and an office building and land in Tamarac. Bonus Blogs * Scott: Lawmakers need to shut down barrel racing, slots * Politifact looks at anti-Gingrich ads running in Florida

News of Henry Flagler’s death rediscovered years later

Beach Blogger — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:52:38 +0000

Lloyd Smith holds up the news article that his daughter Jeanette Hawkins found in his home last Wednesday.

Fire burns woman’s Boynton apartment

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:43:30 +0000

An apartment fire forced a Boynton Beach woman and her dog from their home early Friday.

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Police: Man beat girl, dog in burglary

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:02:37 +0000

A Lake Park man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly beat a teenage girl and her dog as he burglarized her home.

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Cops:Man hit girlfriend with tree branch

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:41:57 +0000

A suburban Boynton Beach man was arrested on Wednesday for aggravated battery, after his girlfriend accused him of allegedly choking her and beating her with a tree branch.

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Cops: Woman beats school bus driver, drops pants at officers

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:10:00 +0000

Mommy, please don’t embarrass your child. Marsia Emanuel, 37, flagged down a school bus that her child routinely rides, reports WTSP News-10 in Tampa Bay.

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Man arrested after beating up teen, dog

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:18:53 +0000

A Lake Park man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly beat a teenage girl and her dog as he burglarized her home.

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Man arrested after beating up teen, dog

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:18:53 +0000

A Lake Park man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly beat a teenage girl and her dog as he burglarized her home.

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Sexual predator alert for neighborhoods

Beach Blogger — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:04:26 +0000

Click inside to see if they are living near your home