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9-11 Memorial Beam arrives in Bradenton
We feel the patriotism’: Chance to transport 9/11 steel is dream come true for Manatee men By RICHARD DYMOND - rdymond@bradenton.com  
EAST MANATEE — Imagine you are in a truck hauling a 900-pound steel beam collected from Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. Imagine word gets out that you are carrying an important piece of American history and motorcycles begin to surround your truck and your trailer like drones around a queen bee, intent on escorting you back to your hometown. Imagine that every moment you look outside as you hit your home state you see strangers waving American flags at you from overpasses and firefighters hanging on hook and ladder fire trucks, saluting you as you roar past. Imagine you are expected to arrive in your hometown at 8 p.m. but due to a flat tire you arrive exactly at 9:11 p.m. Imagine all this is a dream or fantasy and you would be right about 99 percent of the time. But it actually happened to four Manatee County men as they wrapped up Sunday night the transport of a piece of World Trade Center steel from a warehouse in New York to Bradenton.Brad Ranney, fire commissioner of Southern Manatee Fire and Rescue, along with his son, Bradly , architect Dallas Leitner and firefighter Ryan Kaliher arrived at Firkin & Fox Restaurant on Manatee Avenue East in Bradenton at exactly 9:11 p.m. They received a hero’s welcome at the restaurant, where about 300 had gathered to take pictures of the beam with their cell phones and generally be close to it. “This is a great day for Bradenton and for our fire departments,” said Bradenton mayor Wayne Poston. “It’s all kind of neat,” said Gary Norman, who drove his motorcycle from his home in Sarasota County to meet the beam in Daytona and drive back with it. “It’s amazing we pulled in at 9:11. They couldn’t have known that. They were just pushing hard to get home.” The beam they brought is scheduled to be the centerpiece of a memorial to the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which brought down the World Trade Center towers, including this rusty beam. “You have no idea what we are feeling right now,” Brad Ranney said by cell phone from their white GMC pickup at about 7 p.m. Sunday, when his team was hitting Orlando, still a couple of hours from home. The 14-by-7-foot enclosed trailer they were hauling had pictures on both sides that told a patriotic story, one that people driving by reacted to, the men said. “The whole side is an American flag,” Ranney said of the trailer. “It explained it was part of a fallen hero memorial ride and included the words, ‘Official transport World Trade Center Steel future monument.’ “Right now, I got probably 30 bikes in front of me and when I look in the rearview mirror, I don’t see the end of it, just a field of headlights. The feelings are overwhelming.” “We feel the patriotism,” Ranney added, commenting as the truck rolled along. “I’ve seen men waving flags. I saw a police officer standing on the side of the highway saluting. We’ve drawn a lot of firefighters to ride with us as well as law enforcement. But there are also people of all kinds.” The memorial is to be dedicated on the ninth anniversary of the attack, which is in less than two months. Designed by Leitner, the memorial will have two vertical elements representing the fallen towers with the Pentagon in the background and an airplane angled on granite. A flat tire in Georgia pushed the arrival of the beam and its motorcycle entourage back. Leitner also felt the pulse of history in the making. “The whole trip has been emotional,” he said. “You are not really sure what you should feel. This beam was supporting a window column in the lower portion of Tower 1 where people lost their lives.” While Ranney’s crew fixed the flat tire, the motorcycles sat by the roadside in the hot sun to wait. “They could have gone home, but they waited for us,” Ranney said. 
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Fire truck staffing questioned in Sarasota County
Fire truck staffing questioned in Sarasota County
Posted: July 19, 2010 06:17 PM EDT Updated: July 19, 2010 06:34 PM EDT  | Featured Video |
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SARASOTA COUNTY - A plan to add more firefighters onto Sarasota County fire trucks over the next decade is on hold. The reason is money and an effort by the county to save cash on overtime. "The plan was to implement a third man on every fire truck, phased in over a 10 year period." Suncoast Firefighters and Paramedics Union President Merv Kennell says Sarasota County is backing off its plan to better staff emergency vehicles. "Sarasota County has now opted to take the third man off of the trucks each day in order to save overtime costs." "The reality is we are trying to save money." Sarasota County fire chief Kenneth Ellerbe says they are in fact doing so, but only temporarily. "That 10 year plan was made when economic times were good. Right now, economic times are not so good. We may have to slow down the aggressiveness of the plan." "This has been a 15 year fight. We don't want to take a step back." Kennell says it's frustrating because the county is already below standards. A recent study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found three person crews were able to do their job 25% faster than two person crews. "We have to run from the hydrant to the fire truck before we can even begin to asses the situation. That's not 2010 fire fighting, that's old school. It's unsafe and it's dangerous." Chief Ellerbe says that despite other departments being cut, in the past few years his has added five brand new or temporary stations in Sarasota County. This year alone he says they've added 23 additional employees. "There is no reduction in safety to the community. This department operated with two person units for a long time. We are still doing that. I don't think there is a reduction in safety. You can always say if you had more people you could do more work." Kennell says the worst part is the stations which have gotten up to three person crews are now being reduced back to two. He says the extra person is being called to other stations to work for those sick or on leave. "Whenever we reduce the staffing on an engine there is a reduction in the safety levels for both the citizens and firefighters. That is our primary concern." The fire chief says they're using up their reserve just to cover costs. It's something he says will dry up by the year 2014 at the current rate. He says so far this year they've saved more than $300,000 by using the third crew member to fill in at other stations. |
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SNN: Fire Department Staff Cuts
Click on picture for Link to SNN News Story Fewer firefighters to be sent to blazes
By Anthony Cormier Published: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 11:53 p.m. SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County fire officials reduced the number of firefighters on engine and ladder trucks this month to save money and stave off possible job cuts.
SARASOTA COUNTY: Move is said to save money and prevent layoffs The move is being criticized by union leaders, who say that having only two firefighters, instead of three, on the trucks jeopardizes public safety and runs counter to national standards. But Chief Ken Ellerbe says the reductions at fire stations at Palmer Ranch, Stickney Point Road and Fourth Street are temporary but necessary -- especially as the department faces a $4 million budget shortfall by 2014. Ellerbe, in an interview Tuesday, acknowledged that more firefighters per truck increases their effectiveness. But he said the decision is a way to cut overtime costs, saving about $350,000 so far this year, instead of cutting staff. "I want to do whatever we can to stave off rate increases or tax increases for residents," Ellerbe said. "And, if we can save money now instead of having to lay people off in the future, we need to try that." The reductions affect three firehouses and began in this month. Ellerbe says that he is pulling personnel from those stations and placing them in spots left open when firefighters call in sick or go on vacation. In the past, vacation and sick hours were filled by off-duty workers who were paid overtime. Union leaders say they are willing to sacrifice in other areas -- remaining in trailers, for instance, instead of renovating older stations -- but that cutting positions on trucks threatens the safety of the public and firefighters themselves. An April study by the U.S. Department of Commerce, for example, shows that three-person crews were quicker to respond to a fire scene and were more effective at dousing the flames or rescuing victims. "There has to be an alternative," said Merv Kennell, president of the Suncoast Professional Firefighters and Paramedics union. "And we're willing to explore that." Moreover, the union's attorney says the move to reduce personnel goes against a recent push by the county to increase fire-rescue services by adding jobs and fire stations. In 2005, the county realized its services had not kept up with a population boom, so officials unveiled an "emergency catch-up" plan to add at least six stations and put three-person crews on many of its trucks. The stations were built and the crews were in place, says Gainesville-based lawyer James Brantley, but the recent reductions suggest that the county is backtracking on those plans. "Whether the chief puts a 'temporary' label on it or not is irrelevant," Brantley said. "Our worry is that they are not going to continue with that plan of increasing services. We want to know, are we going backward?"
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News Articles of Interest
Posted
On: Jul 27, 2010 (08:35:37)
| Miami Herald | 07/27/10 | Hialeah has two months left in its fiscal year and is preparing for next year's budget. Some big expenses have yet to be settled as the city and its three unions are still grappling to reach new contracts. City employees, represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employ... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/27/10 | Scott Maxwell TAKING NAMES 10:51 PM EDT, June 10, 2010 For this week's philanthropy, I suggest buying two packs of diapers. Give one to a local nonprofit that helps nee... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/27/10 | My daughter was practicing her violin last week and getting frustrated. Her bow was wobbling off the A string, occasionally scratching the high-pitched E. And "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" was a bit flat. She sounded exactly like what she is — a 9-year-old who's just learning. And t... | | Ocala Star-Banner | 07/27/10 | Emergency paramedics arrived at the North Road apartment complex seven minutes later, but they never actually reached the front door of the Davis residence. Instead, they parked at a corner food store several hundred yards away, waiting for police officers to first survey and secure the scene befor... | | Lakeland Ledger | 07/27/10 | And Nevermore, the club's pet raven and mascot, had taken a perch on the back rail of an empty chair. Quoth the Raven: "Legislative leaders in Tallahassee said Gov. Charlie Crist calling them into special session last week to consider a constitutional amendment to ban oil drilling was a 'political ... | | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/27/10 | To close a $3.8 million budget hole, the Philadelphia Fire Department will implement "rolling brownouts" that will see three fire companies closed each shift around the city. The rotating closures will allow the city to avoid shuttering firehouses or laying off firefighters, Everett Gil... | | Gainesville Sun | 07/27/10 | City Manager Russ Blackburn told commissioners that approving the fire service assessment earlier this month will provide a needed funding source that is more predictable than property taxes in a time of declining property values and larger homestead exemptions. "You've made very hard decisions," h... | | Columbus Dispatch | 07/27/10 | Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich has said on the stump that if you want to meet a Hollywood star, go to Hollywood - and if you want to meet a successful Ohio entrepreneur, go to Naples, Fla. State Auditor Mary Taylor, Kasich's running mate, said last week that when she was a private ... | | TV - Orlando NBC (WESH) | 07/27/10 | ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando City Council saved 46 firefighter jobs from budget cuts Tuesday with federal grant funds. The council accepted a federal grant from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Program. The jobs would have been cut due to the recession, the city said. The gra... | | Sun-Sentinel | 07/27/10 | Mark your calendar: Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday is scheduled for the weekend of August 13- 15. What you should know: Florida law directs that no sales tax or local option taxes (also known as discretionary sales surtax) will be collected on sales of books, clothing, footwear and ce... | | Pensacola News Journal | 07/27/10 | A YouTube video of a state House candidate pulling up his opponent's campaign signs may not go viral on the Internet, but it is sure to cause a stir in local circles. The video shows District 1 candidate Greg Brown and his wife, Jennifer, removing Doug Broxson's campaign signs. The Sant... | | Daytona Beach News Journal | 07/27/10 | DAYTONA BEACH -- A nearly three-year contract standoff between the city and firefighters could be nearing its end. Well, for the part of the dispute that covers the current fiscal year, anyway. The city is poised to impose conditions firefighters have objected to unless firefighters can get the ... | | Miami Herald | 07/27/10 | Miami-Dade's police union is firing back at the county's Office of Inspector General, weeks after a critical OIG report detailed how Mayor Carlos Alvarez's top aide and several high-ranking police officers abused their positions while earning $400,000 moonlighting as police consultants in Panama. ... | | Miami Herald | 07/27/10 | Republican U.S. Senate contender Marco Rubio rolled out a dozen proposals to reduce federal spending Monday, becoming the latest Florida GOP candidate to call for shrinking government and cutting the size of its workforce. Among Rubio's ideas is one backed by Arizona Sen. John McCain, who last mon... | | Post On Politics | 07/27/10 | Scribbles in my notebook as Rick Scotts six-day bus tour of Florida comes to an end. 1. EXCLUSIVE Former Florida House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, was spotted boarding Scotts campaign bus late Sunday night for a private meeting with the upstart Republican outsider. 2. The secret meeting is... | | Lakeland Ledger | 07/27/10 | They requested motorcycle escorts during the 1,200 mile route, and riders from Polk County's Red Knight group joined in to assist them on July 18. They were the lead group for this area. After the Winter Haven Chapter left from its meeting location on Spirit Lake Road, they were joined by other gro... | | Florida Times-Union | 07/27/10 | Do you remember Susie Wiles? Sure you do. Her fingerprints were all over Jacksonville's city government for more than a decade when she served as a top mayoral aide for both John Delaney and John Peyton. In case you've forgotten what she's up to now, she's running the campaign of Rick Scott, the... | | TV - Ft. Myers ABC (WZVN) | 07/27/10 | LEE COUNTY: Fire departments across Southwest Florida have tightened their belts, cutting staff and expenses. But the Iona McGregor Fire District says it can avoid cuts if the taxpayers foot the bill. But that the new fee could be a tough sell. Tax payers in south Lee County are being asked to pull... | | TV - Ft. Myers ABC (WZVN) | 07/27/10 | LEHIGH ACRES: Some laid-off Lehigh Acres firefighters are getting back to work. Seventeen of them returned to active duty thanks to a federal grant. The firefighters were laid-off back in August of 2009 due to budget cuts. The rehired firefighters have to complete a 40-hour orientation and forestr... | | TV - Orlando Fox (WOLF) | 07/27/10 | ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Orlando Police officers will keep their jobs in this tough economy, but it comes at a price. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25 (FOP), representing Orlando Police Officers and Sergeants, voted to give up an across- the- board pay increase this year valued at $1.5... | | Polk County Democrat | 07/27/10 | Like its counterparts in neighboring communities, as well as Polk County, Bartow is faced with the daunting task of, at the least, maintaining current revenue levels.As such, it is following the same course of action that its neighbors are considering, raising the millage rate.The current rate is 3.... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/27/10 | GOP establishment candidate fights for his political life against upstart billionaire By Aaron Deslatte, Tallahassee Bureau 6:00 PM EDT, July 26, 2010 Advertisement ... | | Miami Herald | 07/27/10 | The Broward state attorney's office has filed formal felony charges against ex-County Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin in connection with votes that prosecutors say benefited her husband's company. Wasserman-Rubin resigned earlier this month shortly before prosecutors unveiled a warrant for her ... | | Marco Island News | 07/27/10 | NAPLES — Its a legal tug of war. a.inline_topic:hover { background-color: #EAEAEA; } Gov. Charlie Crist quietly moved a lawsuit filed against him in Collier Circuit Court to federal court, citing the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. U.S. District Charlene Honeywell dismissed it Friday... | | Southwest Florida's News-Press | 07/27/10 | 1:06 P.M. — Despite staring down increasing pension obligations and falling sales tax revenue, the city manager?s office presented the Fort Myers city council a balanced budget this morning. Though the council has not yet debated on the proposal, the office is continuing to push a possible in... | | The Buzz | 07/26/10 | Kendrick Meek has launched his first TV ad, and it goes hard at Jeff Greene, the billionaire from Palm Beach who has upset what was a certain Democratic nomination for Meek in the U.S. Senate race. Also, Rahm Emanuel is... |
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News Articles of Interest
Posted
On: Jul 26, 2010 (10:40:30)
| Salt Lake Tribune | 07/26/10 | Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Richard Burrows talks about being hit by firework mortars during the Liberty Park fireworks show Saturday, July 24, 2010. It was chaos. Everyone was trying to run, to get out. You didnt know where they were going to land. They just kept coming, Burrows said. It ... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/26/10 | By Sara K. Clarke Orlando Sentinel 11:18 PM EDT, July 25, 2010 Advertisement ... | | Daytona Beach News Journal | 07/26/10 | DAYTONA BEACH -- With state and national pressure building to tie teachers' pay to students' performance, Volusia union and school administration officials are getting together to figure out the best way to do that. The yearlong exercise will be funded by a $125,000 American Federation of Teachers... | | St. Petersburg Times | 07/26/10 | TAMPA A toddler rescued by firefighters from a burning apartment Saturday has been released from the hospital, officials said Sunday. One-year-old Makayla Bryant had been taken to Tampa General Hospital after breathing in smoke during the fire at the North Boulevard Homes apartments. She was rele... | | Southwest Florida's News-Press | 07/26/10 | Iona-McGregor Fire Chief William Elliott has been busy lately selling the idea of a new fire assessment to the public. The rationale is that it will create a steady stream of revenue unlike unreliable property taxes, which have decreased 33 percent over the last three years as property values have ... | | Southwest Florida's News-Press | 07/26/10 | 1:10 A.M. — The possibility of layoffs still hangs over the heads of Fort Myers city employees, even as City Council reviews a budget today that proposes no job losses. The city manager's budget office has worked to create a plan that maintains jobs and keeps the city running efficiently, sai... | | FSView | 07/26/10 | At the Florida Press Center, a coalition of statewide environmental groups held a press conference July 16 to announce their action event, Hands at the Capitol. This planned event was timed to coincide with the start of the special session of the Florida Legislature called by Governor Charlie Crist... | | Marco Island News | 07/26/10 | NAPLES — After 45 years with State Farm Insurance, Jack Miller of Golden Gate is one of thousands of homeowners getting the boot. Notice came in March that his residential policy wouldnt be renewed. His policy expires in September and hes out shopping for a replacement. Now we, my wife and I,... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/26/10 | By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel July 26, 2010 Advertisement Against the ... | | The Buzz | 07/25/10 | Bill McCollum cash-strapped campaign is blasting rival Rick Scott in a new fundraising letter that landed in Tallahassee mailboxes. The first page carries an official-looking letterhead: "Bill McCollum, Attorney General, Florida." The McCollum's campaign disclosure is on a reply card... | | Naked Politics | 07/25/10 | GOP frontrunner Rick Scott and his family attended service at a mega-church in Jacksonville where the morning sermon hit a fitting theme in the gubernatorial election: lying. The fitting backdrop -- given the election's increasing negative tone -- is likely... | | The Buzz | 07/25/10 | Winner of the week: Alex Sink, who has raised more money than any statewide candidate this year. A scorched earth Republican primary lets her consolidate her resources while Bill McCollum and Rick Scott bloody each other. If McCollum pulls out... | | Naked Politics | 07/25/10 | When the three Republicans vying to replace U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart in Congress appeared together on TV a couple of weeks ago, Marili Cancio and Paul Crespo seized the chance to attack state Rep. David Rivera. It was a different... |
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News Articles of Interest
Posted
On: Jul 26, 2010 (10:38:55)
| CNN.com | 07/25/10 | (CNN) -- Almost 300 firefighters battled nine wild fires in Lassen County in northeast California, late Saturday night after storms and lightning came through the area, authorities said. Seven of the fires have been put out, but crews planned on working into early Sunday morning to contain the other... | | Central Florida Political Pulse | 07/25/10 | By Jim Stratton, Orlando Sentinel The e-mail, from a Seminole County voter, exposed the problem facing Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek. Commenting on a story about Meeks rival, the writer asked, How bout the same on Kindra Meeks ? Kindra Meeks? I just dont know much about him, Mike Andre... | | St. Petersburg Times | 07/25/10 | County workers stung by layoffs There will be one less key on my key ring. After more than 21 years working for the Pinellas County Planning Department, I am being let go at the end of September, and the only good I can see coming from it is that my key ring will be slightly less confusing. Of cou... | | St. Petersburg Times | 07/25/10 | The county administrator plans to ask Pinellas commissioners Tuesday for a 17.6 percent increase in property taxes to pay for emergency medical services. The full increase is likely not the final decision for the coming fiscal year, Pinellas County Administrator Bob LaSala said Thursday. The numbe... | | St. Petersburg Times | 07/25/10 | There is an excellent chance that on Aug. 24 Florida will have a very rich Democratic Senate nominee and a very rich Republican gubernatorial nominee opposed by their respective party establishments. It's an unprecedented situation that has partisans on both sides wary of the potential intra-party t... | | Citrus County Chronicle | 07/25/10 | Their own worst problems I just read the column “Their own worst problems,” by Carl Hiaasen of the Miami Herald (July 15). It was dead-on accurate. How can these two idiots think that they could be governor of Florida? One is just so boring and the other is a crook. Alex Sink is just ... | | KeysNet.com | 07/25/10 | The Marathon City Council on Thursday approved a preliminary budget that would raise 6.6 percent more in tax dollars over the current year. The current year's tax rate is 1.685, but a 12.3 percent decrease in Marathon's taxable property value bumped the rollback rate up to 1.8931. The council took... | | KeysNet.com | 07/25/10 | The Monroe County Health Department threw a wrench in the County Commission's all-day budget review Thursday. The commission ultimately approved a 4.3256 tax rate for 2010-11 that's .02 percent under the rollback rate of 4.3265 -- but not before department Director Bob Eadie requested a 50 percent ... | | Washington Post | 07/25/10 | LOS ANGELES -- When Roger Ramirez heard in 2008 that the manager of his Southern California town of 38,000 might be the state's highest-paid municipal employee, he asked City Hall. He got only part of the answer. This Story * Outrage over high salaries in Calif. town * Video: Bell officials... | | Denver Post | 07/25/10 | Rep. Michele Bachmann is the leader of the tea party — literally. Last week, with the blessing of House GOP leaders, the Minnesota Republican convened the inaugural meeting of her Tea Party Caucus, where two dozen GOP members of Congress sat down with a similar number of Tea Party activist... | | Florida Today | 07/25/10 | A special magistrate recommended Palm Bay and the firefighters' union keep the pension plan as it is, but continue talks to revamp retirement benefits. Pension issues contributed to increasingly contentious contract talks, with the city leaders saying firefighters' pensions are crippling... | | Pensacola News Journal | 07/25/10 | Last Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Crist greeted the noon hour by standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the Capitol's steps with his anti-drilling friends. This was to be the day the Florida Legislature would vote, up or down, to place an anti-oil drilling question on the November ballot, so a show of anti-drill... | | Sun-Sentinel | 07/25/10 | I read the story about taxpayers picking up the bill for state pensions and the average annual pension benefit of $16,843. It doesn't mention the retirees who double dip — they retire today and collect their pension, and go back to work tomorrow at full salary and still get their pensions. An... | | Miami Herald | 07/25/10 | Bill McCollum picked up a hefty check from taxpayers Friday -- a financial lifeline for his campaign for governor struggling to keep pace with his free-spending primary opponent Rick Scott. McCollum's $1.3 million check was one of seven doled out to statewide candidates in four races under a publi... | | Lakeland Ledger | 07/25/10 | And Nevermore, the club's pet raven and mascot, had taken a perch on the back rail of an empty chair. Quoth the Raven: "Legislative leaders in Tallahassee said Gov. Charlie Crist calling them into special session last week to consider a constitutional amendment to ban oil drilling was a 'political ... | | Sarasota Herald Tribune | 07/25/10 | This hypocritical posturing would be laughable if it were not so infuriating. Motivated only by their obsessive desire to punish Crist politically, these self-serving politicians have deprived me and all the voters of Florida of the opportunity to vote upon the proposed amendment. My living-room wi... | | TV - Tallahassee CBS (WCTV) | 07/25/10 | Bridgeport Deputy Fire Chief Robert Petrucelli says the two men were found unconscious Saturday on the top floor of the three-story house after they sent out mayday calls. Steven Velazquez and Michael Baik were pronounced dead at the hospital. ... | | Jupiter Courier | 07/25/10 | © 2010 TCPalm. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | | Miami Herald | 07/25/10 | On a November evening, flames erupted through the halls of a Miami-Dade assisted living home. When engine and rescue team three of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived, no one knew how many elderly residents, both bedridden and using wheelchairs, were trapped inside. Unit three jumped into action. While... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/25/10 | By Jim Stratton, Orlando Sentinel 5:40 PM EDT, July 24, 2010 Advertisement ... | | San Francisco Chronicle | 07/25/10 | The recent layoff of 80 police officers in Oakland could be the harbinger of things to come as government officials find that public employee pension deals made when the stock market was booming are helping bust their budgets today. "It's regrettable, but we had no choice," said City Council Presi... | | Central Florida Political Pulse | 07/24/10 | JACKSONVILLE Naples millionaire Rick Scott has trekked across Florida this week to talk about a jobs plan the Republican gubernatorial frontrunner predicts will create 700,000 new jobs by dismantling government red tape, slashing billions in spending, while doling out tax cuts to property owners a... | | Tampa Bay Online | 07/24/10 | TAMPA - Once the friendliest contest around, the Democratic primary race for attorney general is turning negative as the primary nears. Last week, Dave Aronberg sent out a harsh attack mailer seeking to link Dan Gelber to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, on the grounds that Gelber formerly worked ... | | Boston Globe | 07/24/10 | BRIDGEPORT, Conn.—Two Connecticut firefighters have died while battling a house fire in Bridgeport. Elaine Ficarra of the Bridgeport mayor's office says the firefighters died Saturday afternoon while at the scene of the fire on Elmwood Avenue. Their names weren't released. Ficarra says other... |
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News Articles of Interest
Posted
On: Jul 24, 2010 (08:35:20)
| Palm Beach Post | 07/24/10 | It's not often that obscurity is an asset in a high-profile, statewide election. But that appears to be the tactic both Democratic candidates in the race for governor are using. Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the frontrunner in the Aug. 24 primary, is biding her time while former Columbia/HCA ... | | Chipley Foster Folly News | 07/24/10 | LETTER TO THE EDITOR Florida House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands SANDS: FLORIDIANS DENIED RIGHT TO VOTE; REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER Florida’s Republican legislative leaders made a 51-minute mockery out of the legislative session that ... | | Hernando Today | 07/24/10 | Mr. Scott Edmisten (president of the Firefighters Union that is currently in salary and benefit negotiations with the Spring Hill Fire District) wrote an op-ed article to the newspapers, indicating in another scare tactic that if you don't approve the referendum next month to give the Spring Hill Fi... | | Saint Petersblog | 07/24/10 | As first reported here, Dave Aronberg brought in a record-setting haul for the last fundraising quarter, including $264,000 in cash contributions and $115,000 in in-kind contributions. Dan Gelber has yet to report, but am hearing preliminary reports he may also have a blockbuster number. * | | Saint Petersblog | 07/24/10 | Chatting up the locals at a Clearwater diner this morning – only about 12 people showed up – gubernatorial candidateRick Scott got into a discussion with a teacher about education and the problems schools face today. John Frank with theSt. Pete Times caught this exchange on tape, so well... | | TV - Tampa Bay News 9 | 07/24/10 | PALM HARBOR -- Palm Harbor Fire Chief James Angle was named the Florida Fire Chief of the Year for 2010. Angle began his career in 1975 in Pennsylvania as a firefighter. He has served as the Palm Harbor Fire Chief for the past 13 year... | | Florida Tribune | 07/24/10 | July 23, 2010 By: Gary Fineout Several candidates running for statewide offices will be getting checks on Friday from taxpayers. But Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink wont be one of the... | | Florida Times-Union | 07/24/10 | TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene has more than 200 separate assets, each worth more than $1 million, according to a 56-page financial disclosure form released Friday. In all, the assets listed are worth at least $750 million but possibly more th... | | TV - Tallahassee CBS (WCTV) | 07/24/10 | A consulting firm presented three scenarios to increase fire service fees to Wakulla County Commissioners Thursday night. Currently, residents pay $65 a year for their residential homes, but if commissioners adopt one of the new plans, folks could end up paying... | | TV - Orlando Fox (WOLF) | 07/24/10 | ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The Orlando Fire Union does not seem to be holding a grudge against the mayor. Mayor Buddy Dyer threatened to lay off 46 firefighters if they did not open up their contract for negotiations. Now the union says they are going to give up their raises for the n... | | Bradenton Herald | 07/24/10 | TALLAHASSEE — A judge Friday removed from November’s ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that would have given an extra property tax break to some homeowners, saying its ballot title and summary are misleading. Tallahassee Circuit Judge John Cooper said Amendment 3’s ballot... | | Miami Herald | 07/24/10 | This week Floridians got to see Tallahassee at its worst. I thought I had seen it all during my eight years in the Florida House, but what happened this week in Tallahassee was not only disappointing but embarrassing and shameful. We have always had a tradition in this country and in this state o... | | Florida Times-Union | 07/24/10 | I have just read the article concerning the unions and the bargaining being delayed. I am so utterly disappointed in their attitude. If the city has to continue paying the salaries, guaranteed pensions, etc., we will be bankrupt. I along with many other Jacksonville citizens are growing tired of the... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/24/10 | By Aaron Deslatte, Tallahassee Bureau 10:23 PM EDT, July 23, 2010 Advertisement ... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/24/10 | In 1948, President Harry Truman called lawmakers back to Washington for what became known in Missouri vernacular as the “Turnip Session.” The late-summer spectacle allowed the Show-Me State Democrat to dare congressional Republicans to pass their own platform: expanding Social Security, ... | | St. Petersburg Times | 07/24/10 | TALLAHASSEE A judge Friday removed from November's ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that would have given an extra property tax break to some homeowners, saying its ballot title and summary are misleading. Tallahassee Circuit Judge John Cooper said Amendment 3's ballot language did not t... | | St. Petersburg Times | 07/24/10 | Attorney General Bill McCollum claims his opponent in the Republican primary for governor, health care executive Rick Scott, has plagiarized parts of his economic plan. But both men are rehashing the same tired and outdated plans for reviving Florida's economy. Their promise to cut corporate income ... | | Los Angeles Times | 07/24/10 | The Bell City Council accepted resignations Friday from three top city administrators whose high salaries have prompted public outcry — only to offer a defiant defense of the compensation hours later. City council members emerged from a seven-hour closed-door meeting early Friday morning ... | | San Diego Union Tribune | 07/24/10 | The choking death this week of 2-year-old Bentley Do in Mira Mesa while awaiting firefighters has spurred reconsideration of a number of ideas for redeploying scarce resources including three-person fire crews instead of four. The suggestion has been floated many times over the years in San Diego... | | TV - Orlando ABC (WFTV) | 07/24/10 | ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The president of an Orange County firefighters' union has resigned in the middle of an investigation Friday. Credit card statements revealed three union leaders spent some of the organization's money at strip clubs and restaurants. George Romano admitted he misused the union'... | | Bradenton Herald | 07/23/10 | The Associated Press Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order to extend unemployment checks to people whose benefits had expired. The order was signed Friday, a day after President Barack Obama signed a restoration of benefits into law. The order will help about 250,000 unemployed Florid... | | Broward Politics | 07/23/10 | Its a high stakes competition that could propel one candidate into the Florida Senate and end the political career of one South Florida state legislator. The rare opening a seat in the Florida state Senate has attracted three current state representatives: Democrat Kelly Skidmore of Boca Raton,... | | The Buzz | 07/23/10 | More fundraising numbers! In a down-ballot race that doesn't get much ink this time of year, Democrat Loranne Ausley pulled down a strong $317,000 last quarter, compared with Jeff Atwater's $246,000. Of course, Ausley is still pretty far behind Atwater... | | The Buzz | 07/23/10 | The public financing totals are out. Here are the big ones: Bill McCollum got $1.26 million, Jeff Atwater got $492,000 and Dan Gelber got $353,000. There are also some big names with $0 listed, including Alex Sink, who has said... | | Post On Politics | 07/23/10 | After about 24 hours with the Rick Scott for Florida gubernatorial campaign bus tour, there clearly are a few questions the Republican keeps getting from voters: Whats with the Medicare fraud ? Can you stop the negative ads ? What are you going to about illegal immigration. At a stop at the Colombi... | | March on Politics | 07/23/10 | Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamps fundraising dipped in the second quarter of 2010 to $143,000 in cash, but he still holds the overall lead in the Republican primary; while Dave Aronberg holds a slight fundraising lead over Dan Gelber in the Democratic primary. Those are the conclusions from fundraising total... | | Central Florida Political Pulse | 07/23/10 | Campaign finance summary for Rick Scott in his first quarter as a gubernatorial candidate: Contributions: $415,126.24 Loans: $22,900,000 Spent: $22,658.629.06 |
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News Articles of Interest
Posted
On: Jul 22, 2010 (11:14:49)
| Daytona Beach News Journal | 07/22/10 | DAYTONA BEACH -- In the span of a roughly 45-minute budget presentation to city commissioners Wednesday afternoon, city Finance Director Michael Robertson mentioned the dire economy at least a dozen times. Foreclosures, vacant homes and businesses, layoffs and other financial problems plaguing the... | | Daytona Beach News Journal | 07/22/10 | FLAGLER BEACH -- The recent promotion of a firefighter by the interim city manager has sparked opposition from at least one city commissioner. Commissioner Ron Vath said he will ask that Interim City Manager Bernie Murphy's decision to promote Shane Woods from firefighter to assistant fire chief b... | | TCPalm | 07/22/10 | TALLAHASSEE— They loaded onto planes, rented hotel rooms and ate out on your dime; just to come to Tallahassee for a two hour special session. The state legislature was supposed to stay for four days, discuss a ban on offshore oil drilling and vote on putting the issue in front of voters in Novem... | | Lehigh Acres Citizen | 07/22/10 | The Cape Coral Fire Department spent the week training in mass causality incidents to refresh firefighters’ knowledge of protocol and sharpen their skills. About 150 firefighters will undergo the training, which continues next week at Fire Station No. 8, located at 707 S.W. First St. The mock mass... | | Lakeland Ledger | 07/22/10 | | Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott proposed $1.4 billion in property tax cuts Wednesday, to be funded by spending cuts in prisons, welfare, Medicaid and state employee benefits. Unveiling his economic plan during a trip through South Florida, the multimillionaire said a cut in the stat... | | Charlotte Sun Herald | 07/22/10 | SWEETWATER, Fla. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott proposed $1.4 billion in property tax cuts Wednesday, to be funded by spending cuts in prisons, welfare, Medicaid and state employee benefits. Unveiling his economic plan during a trip through South Florida, the multimillionair... | | Charlotte Sun Herald | 07/22/10 | TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) ?? Gov. Charlie Crist has signed an executive order aimed at helping property owners affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill seek compensation from BP. Crist acted Wednesday, a day after the Florida House adjourned a special session without voting on his request for a ball... | | Central Florida Political Pulse | 07/22/10 | TALLAHASSEE The biggest winner in the Republican gubernatorial ad war roaring on the airwaves could be one of the candidates spending the least: Democrat Alex Sink. Republicans Rick Scott and Bill McCollum are scheduled to pour more than $34 million into television ads mostly bashing each other ... | | St. Petersburg Times | 07/22/10 | In the mail, Spring Hill residents have or will be receiving fliers with information about an important decision in the upcoming primary election. One item on the ballot is asking you to vote on the taxing authority for the Spring Hill Fire Rescue Independent District. I hope you make an informed de... | | Miami Herald | 07/22/10 | When he was a state legislator, Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek failed to disclose his stock ownership in a medical-waste company that eventually went bankrupt and whose officials were accused of cooking the books. Meek's campaign said the stock was worthless when he left the board of M... | | TCPalm | 07/22/10 | Theres an enormous amount of downward pressure on Martin Countys budget. County commissioners may have to cut as much as $8 million in spending for fiscal 2011, which starts Oct. 1. The reduction may include furloughing 500 county employees one day per month essentially a 5 percent pay cut for a ... | | Jupiter Courier | 07/22/10 | © 2010 TCPalm. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | | Seminole Beacon | 07/22/10 | CLEARWATER ? To reduce costs and enhance savings in the future, the city of Clearwater offered incentive packages to retirement-eligible employees who agreed to retire. Fifty-eight employees accepted the offer. On July 15, the City Counci... | | Stuart News | 07/22/10 | There’s an enormous amount of downward pressure on Martin County’s budget. County commissioners may have to cut as much as $8 million in spending for fiscal 2011, which starts Oct. 1. The reduction may include furloughing 500 county employees one day per month — essentially a 5 percent pay cu... | | Miami Herald | 07/22/10 | With one month left in the costly and caustic Republican gubernatorial primary, the leading candidates both tramped across voter-rich Miami on Wednesday, with Rick Scott rolling out his long-awaited economic plan and Bill McCollum dismissing it as ``partially plagiarized.'' Scott's plan was as smoo... | | Ft. Myers News-Press | 07/21/10 | 6:08 P.M. — Lehigh Acres Fire Rescue District board of fire commissioners unanimously voted to ratify the collective bargaining agreement this evening at the board meeting. The contracts, which came after almost a year of negotiations, consist of more than $1.5 million in concessions by distr... | | Sacramento Bee | 07/21/10 | LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Ordering a pizza may have saved George Linn's life. Linn's wife said he had just gone into cardiac arrest Friday when the pizza deliveryman knocked on the door of their Colorado home to bring their order. Kami Linn said she opened the door to "some burly-looking dude" and imme... | | South Florida Sun-Sentinel | 07/21/10 | TALLAHASSEE — The biggest winner in the Republican gubernatorial ad war roaring on the airwaves could be one of the candidates spending the least: Democrat Alex Sink. Republicans Rick Scott and Bill McCollum are scheduled to pour more than $34 million into television ads — mostly b... | | South Florida Sun-Sentinel | 07/21/10 | Ask Marcia! Sun Sentinel career and workplace writer Marcia Heroux Pounds answers YOUR questions about surviving in the office, finding a job, unemployment benefits and more. To submit your question, e-mail mpounds@SunSentinel.com. Please include your name, city and state with each question. ---... | | Southwest Florida's News-Press | 07/21/10 | TALLAHASSEE When a Democratic National Committee member asked for guidance on whom to support in the Democratic Senate primary, some come quickly from billionaire Jeff Greene. DNC member Jon Ausman of Tallahassee sent out a blast e-mail June 13 asking people to take a survey on the Senate race say... | | TV - Orlando CBS (WKMG) | 07/21/10 | ORLANDO, Fla. -- A political action group is attacking Rick Scott for his past association with a company that was fined $1.8 billion for Medicare fraud in the latest segment of the ad wars between Scott and Bill McCollum. Both men are vying for the Republican spot to become Florida's next governor... | | TV - Miami FOX (WSVN) | 07/21/10 | MIAMI (WSVN) -- A jury has reached a verdict in the trial of a former South Florida mayor. On Wednesday, former West Miami mayor Cesar Carasa was convicted of exploitation of official position. In 2008, Carasa's legal troubles began. Governor Charlie Crist suspended the former mayor because he... | | TV - St. Petersburg CBS (WTSP) | 07/21/10 | TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) -- A member of the Florida Transportation Council from Cocoa is the owner of Gov. Charlie Crist's portrait that once graced the halls of the Republican Party of Florida's capital headquarters. The party said on Wednesday that Ron Howse purchased the oil painting in May fo... | | Coral Gables Gazette | 07/21/10 | Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez was involved in a fender bender Wednesday morning as he drove his taxpayer-subsidized BMW into the back of a pregnant woman's car in Coral Gables, according to Coral Gables Police. According to NBC 6, the as-of-yet unidentified woman was checked out by Gables ... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/21/10 | Less than a week after Orlando police officers agreed to give up pay raises for the next two years, the firefighters in the cash-strapped city are close to doing the same thing. If City Hall ultimately reaches a deal with its 500 firefighters, it would save taxpayers another $1.2 million on top of... | | TCPalm | 07/21/10 | OK, I know Martin County commissioners -- especially those up for re-election this year -- are playing politics with several hot-button issues that resonate with voters. Still, I'm thoroughly impressed with the fact commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday to reject the proposed fiscal 2011 budget for the... | | Politico | 07/21/10 | Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Paula Dockery will join onetime rival Rick Scott on the campaign trail Friday as she weighs a potential endorsement in the increasingly rancorous GOP primary. Rosemary Goudreau, a spokeswoman for Dockery, stressed the state senator has made no decision on for... | | The Buzz | 07/21/10 | Finally snapping a partisan stalemate, the U.S. Senate tonight voted to extend unemployment benefits to about 2.5 million Americans, including about 200,000 Floridians. Florida Democrat Bill Nelson voted in favor and Republican George LeMieux against. Republicans said they were not... | | Orlando Sentinel | 07/21/10 | TALLAHASSEE -- The biggest winner in the Republican gubernatorial ad war roaring on the airwaves could be one of the candidates spending the least: Democrat Alex Sink. Republicans Rick Scott and Bill McCollum are slated to pour more than $34 million into television ads mostly bashing each other ... | | Post On Politics | 07/21/10 | Scott's bus parked in Coral Gables. MIAMI Republican governor candidate Rick Scott, star of more than $20 million worth of small-screen ads since April, is going out in public on a six-day bus tour that began this morning. Scotts wife and mother are on the bus. So is Donna Arduin, budget director ... | | St. Petersburg Times | 07/21/10 | During the 51-minute special session in the House yesterday, Speaker Larry Cretul said that House leaders didn't have enough time for reflection and review of a state constitutional ban on oil drilling proposed by Gov. Charlie Crist . "The fact remains that (Crist) has called us here at the last p... | | Tampa Bay Online | 07/21/10 | The fire department added stations and staff a few years ago as urban sprawl spread resources thin. The result has been better response times. | | Naples Daily News | 07/21/10 | SWEETWATER Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott proposed $1.4 billion in property tax cuts Wednesday, to be funded by spending cuts in prisons, welfare, Medicaid and state employee benefits. Unveiling his economic plan during a trip through South Florida, the multimillionaire said a cut i... | | Central Florida Political Pulse | 07/21/10 | The Associated Press is kicking up some dust today with a story about Jeff Greene and Jon Ausman, a Democratic National Committee member who is one of the highest profile endorsers of the Palm Beach billionaires Senate candidacy. Turns out that Ausman is also a paid consultant for Greene, having be... | | Austin American-Statesman | 07/21/10 | A city emergency medical technician who had special access via a universal "fireman's key" has been arrested on rape and other charges in the armed sexual assaults of five women and girls since 2001, police said Wednesday. Angus Pascall, 33, was arrested Tuesday in Brooklyn after a victim provided ... | | Naked Politics | 07/21/10 | Legislative leaders talk a lot about creating jobs in a state with 11.4 percent unemployment. But the next president of the Senate, Mike Haridopolos, is making it clear that he's out to eliminate jobs -- of Senate staffers. "I've been... | | The Buzz | 07/21/10 | A day after the Florida Legislature adjourned without taking up his plan to put an oil drilling ban on the ballot, Gov. Charlie Crist kicked lawmakers back and signed an executive order to give property owners another tool to collect... | | Central Florida Political Pulse | 07/21/10 | Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday signed an executive order allowing property appraisers in counties affected by the BP oil spill to give an interim assessment to homeowners whose property values have eroded. Residents can then take the new assessment and seek financial damages from BP for the loss i... | | The Buzz | 07/21/10 | NY Post's Page 6 reports about Charlie Crist's doings the weekend before the special session: The Hamptons are an intense hive of political activity this summer. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Gov. Paterson were busy raising funds at private homes... | | Salon | 07/21/10 | In Jerusalem, lying your way into a woman's bed can get you in big trouble. A court has convicted an Arab man of "rape by deception" and sentenced him to 18 months in prison after he posed as a Jew in order to have sex with aJewish woman. The details of the case are vague and bizarre: After a cha... | | The Buzz | 07/21/10 | Former SEC lawyer Edward Siedle pens a column in Forbes in response to a recent St. Petersburg Times investigation: ... Contrary to statements by SBA management, the SBA is no model of sound asset management. The SBA has made horrendous... | | The Buzz | 07/21/10 | A new political group entered the Florida U.S. Senate race Wednesday with an attack on Charlie Crist as a flip-flopper. The American Action Network -- a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)4 nonprofit group that doesn't disclose donors -- is running the 30-second... | | Central Florida Political Pulse | 07/21/10 | TALLAHASSEE Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott has seen Bill McCollums campaign pledge to create 500,000 new jobs and raised him. Kicking off a six-day statewide bus tour, Scott unveiled his economic plan in Miami Wednesday. While McCollums plan was described as a way to create 500,000 j... |
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