Chancellor of Florida's public universities to step down in '09
(Orlando Sentinel © 09/23/2008)
Mark Rosenberg is stepping down as chancellor of Florida's public universities in February to return to teaching, saying that he's eager to get back to the classroom after three years in Tallahassee. Rosenberg and the appointed board that oversees the 11-campus university system faced some unprecedented challenges together, including millions in budget cuts during the past two years and a bit...

Senate votes on huge tax break package
(Sarasota Herald-Tribune © 09/23/2008)
WASHINGTON - The Senate is taking up a $100 billion tax bill designed to spur renewable energy investment, give tax breaks to businesses and individuals and protect more than 20 million people from the dreaded alternative minimum tax. The package, which has bipartisan support, is one of the bills Congress must address before it adjourns for the year. It precedes debate this week on a $...

BACK TO TOP

Community colleges push for local-option tax
(Miami Herald © 09/23/2008)
The state's community colleges are championing a proposed amendment to the state constitution this November that would allow counties to ask voters if they want to pay extra sales taxes to support them.Constitutional Amendment 8, known as the ''Local Option Community College Funding,'' comes at a time when the state Legislature is slashing funding for higher education, and enrollment at local coll...

Chancellor of Florida's public universities to step down in '09
(Orlando Sentinel © 09/23/2008)
Mark Rosenberg is stepping down as chancellor of Florida's public universities in February to return to teaching, saying that he's eager to get back to the classroom after three years in Tallahassee. Rosenberg and the appointed board that oversees the 11-campus university system faced some unprecedented challenges together, including millions in budget cuts during the past two years and a bit...

September is College Savings Month
(Tallahassee Democrat © 09/23/2008)
Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Prepaid College Board have announced to families that September is College Savings Month and Florida offers easy and affordable ways to save for students' college education. A national Gallup/Sallie Mae poll of college students and their parents, released in August, reported only 9 percent of parents had tax-free 529 college savings plans. Meanwhile two-thi...

BACK TO TOP

87 schools get award money
(Florida Today © 09/23/2008)
More Brevard schools than ever qualified for rewards for teachers at "A" schools, but the state money came up short. Brevard Public Schools must find $367,322 in its operating budget to make up the shortfall, said Judy Preston, associate superintendent of financial services. The school board will make a decision later this year, with a procedural vote today on allowing schools to dec...

Lee school district shifts its funds
(Naples Daily News © 09/23/2008)
Although Wall Street markets spent the week on a downward trajectory, the Lee County School District’s funds are being transferred from the State Board of Administration’s local government investment pool. The investment pool was designed to house local funds for more than 800 of Florida’s cities, counties, school districts and other entities, but after it was frozen last Decemb...

BACK TO TOP

Most Americans think U.S. is losing war on terrorism, poll finds
(Bradenton Herald © 09/23/2008)
A majority of Americans think the United States isn't winning the war on terrorism, a perception that could undermine a key Republican strength just as John McCain and Barack Obama head into their first debate Friday night, a clash over foreign policy and national security. A new Ipsos/McClatchy online poll finds a solid majority of 57 percent thinking that the country can win the war on terroris...

Boca Raton teen creates group to push for lower voting age
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel © 09/23/2008)
Boca Raton Like many 15-year-olds, Jeffrey Nadel enjoys technology, music, bike riding — and fighting for youth rights. Nadel hates the stereotype that he and his peers are politically apathetic. So the Boca Raton resident rallied a few of his peers at St. Andrew's School and in his community to change that notion. What began as a grass-roots e...

A flu shot - or not?
(Florida Times-Union © 09/23/2008)
Every year since 1960 has been the same for Lee Robbins: As flu season nears, he rolls up his sleeve and gets a shot.     "It's helpful for you, and it keeps you from getting the flu," the 66-year-old Jacksonville man said. For years, studies have lent credence to such claims. One of the most widely cited statistics has been that vacc...

Job Loss Can Affect Coverage
(Lakeland Ledger © 09/23/2008)
Q: I just lost my job. What are the best options for preserving some form of health insurance? A: Don't confuse "best" with "affordable." One of the first lessons many unemployed people learn is how expensive health insurance really can be. If you're lucky, you can switch to coverage from the job of a spouse or family member. For most people, though, the best option lies with coverage pro...

Top state jobs are eluding minorities
(St. Petersburg Times © 09/23/2008)
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida's top elected female executive was adamant in a Cabinet meeting last month: The state should be more diligent about hiring minorities as parole commissioners because they make important decisions about a population over-represented by minorities. No one disagreed. But Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, fellow Cabinet officers and the governor aren't setting the best exa...

BACK TO TOP

Census: Housing costs eat up half of more than 7 million Americans' incomes
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel © 09/23/2008)
MIAMI (AP) _ Al Ray is so strapped for cash, the only time he eats out is on Wednesday or Sunday, when the local McDonald's sells hamburgers for 49 cents. Ray lost his engineering job last November, and has been working as high school tutor, scratching out about $1,000 a month — if he's lucky. He struggled to make his $1,400 monthly mortgage payment and $330 monthly homeowners' association ...

Number of people speaking languages other than English continues to increase in U.S.
(Naples Daily News © 09/23/2008)
NAPLES — Fala Português? Habla Español? and Parlez-vous Créole? used to be rarely asked questions. Not anymore. According to numbers being released today by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, about 19.7 percent of the population aged 5 and over spoke a language other than English at home in 2007. That figure was 17.9 percent in 2000 and 13.8 percent in ...

Local economist predicts market to bottom out in 2009
(Northwest Florida Daily News © 09/23/2008)
Local economist Rick Harper told nearly 500 local business executives that "Wall Street is no more" Monday at the 12th annual Gulf Power Economic Symposium. He also shared his as-sessment of the local housing market. Harper heads the University of West Flor-ida's Haas Center for Busi-ness Research and Economic Development. He predicted the region would see "the bottom" in 2009, with recover...

Senate votes on huge tax break package
(Sarasota Herald-Tribune © 09/23/2008)
WASHINGTON - The Senate is taking up a $100 billion tax bill designed to spur renewable energy investment, give tax breaks to businesses and individuals and protect more than 20 million people from the dreaded alternative minimum tax. The package, which has bipartisan support, is one of the bills Congress must address before it adjourns for the year. It precedes debate this week on a $...

BACK TO TOP