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02 Feb 2012 10:31

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U.S.: Today in bizarre adoptions: A polo club owner adopts his adult girlfriend

  • story A wealthy Florida polo club owner, involved in a car crash that killed a 23-year-old man a year ago, is facing both criminal charges and a wrongful death suit in the case. He could face up to 30 years in prison for vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of the crime; he ran a stop sign and was driving under the influence at the time.
  • twist In a legal maneuver which probably has no prior precedent, back in October, 48-year-old John Goodman legally made his longtime 42-year-old girlfriend … his adopted daughter. Officials believe this is an attempt to shield his wealth from a civil suit. Also, the math doesn’t work out on that father-daughter relationship. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jan 2012 20:57

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Politics: Debate preview: What you should expect in tonight’s #FLDebate

  • OHMIGOD OHMIGOD BRIWI IS MODERATING!!!!! Seriously guys, after the Gawker thing, this man can do no wrong. But the people on the other side of the stage? They’ve got a ton of issues ahead of the Florida debate, which we’ll be tagging with #FLDebate tonight. (It’ll be live over here.) So, with that said — last week’s debates, especially Thurdsay’s, were nasty — will tonight’s debate have similar fireworks? Here’s what we’re watching for:
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Dec 2011 15:30

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U.S.: Marine saves his own life after robbery after plugging bullet holes with fingers

  • I’m a Marine and I’m not going to run from a fight. You wouldn’t want a Marine to run from a fight. Call me crazy, call me stupid. I got shot once and it just angered me more. I wanted to get this guy. I got shot twice, and I re-evaluated that decision. I decided I need to stay alive.
  • Florida-based Marine vet Lt. Col Karl Trenker • Discussing how he got shot, days before Christmas, in a Craigslist-transaction-gone-bad. The Iraq and Afghanistan vet’s fiance tried selling a man’s gold-chain necklace, but Trenker offered to make the transaction due to safety concerns, which turned out to be correct, as the alleged buyer picked up the necklace and ran. Trenker ran after the man, known only as “Galven,” only to get shot twice. Here’s the dramatic part: Following his training as a Marine (29 years experience), he plugged the bullet holes with his fingers, a move which likely saved his life. Say what you will about the Craigslist transaction (it certainly wasn’t the best idea), but that’s pretty amazing, no matter how you look at the situation. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Dec 2011 21:23

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U.S.: Deadly helicopter crash kills surgeon, others picking up heart transplant

  • heroics On Monday morning, a Mayo Clinic surgeon and two others traveled by helicopter from Jacksonville to Gainesville, Fla. to pick up a heart transplant needed for surgery.
  • tragedy The helicopter crashed before reaching its destination; the aircraft’s three passengers — a surgeon, a procurement technician, and the pilot — all died. source
  • » View this as a call to action. No one is entirely sure why the helicopter went down, though it was overcast as the helicopter left Jacksonville. The crash itself is still being investigated for any outlying conditions, but the engine of the helicopter might have been the cause. “We’ve seen a number of instances where that engine simply failed,” said Kansas City aviation attorney Gary Robb. The heart readied for transplant is now no longer viable. In a country where 100,000 people are on transplant lists and only 35% of the population counts themselves as potential donors, one has to wonder if more potential donors could prevent traveling such long distances in the future.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Oct 2011 11:09

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Politics: Marco Rubio’s back-and-forth with the Washington Post does draw blood

  • first The Washington Post published an article that punched holes in Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s life story — saying that his parents left Cuba before the 1959 revolution.
  • then Rubio responded in an op-ed for Politico: “The essence of my family story is why they came to America in the first place,” he wrote, “and why they had to stay.”
  • now But the article did lead to some changes. Though Rubio shot back against the article, in the end, his staff changed the bio on his Web site to reflect the Post’s article. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jul 2011 22:17

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Politics: Alan Grayson to run for Congress again

  • Remember Alan Grayson? He’s the ex-Congressman from Florida known for saying things like, “I have trouble listening to what [Dick Cheney] says sometimes because of the blood that drips from his teeth while he’s talking.” As one of the few Democrats willing to throw rhetorical bombs, he attracted a moderate liberal following in 2009, but was defeated in the Great Democratic Purge of 2010. Today, he announced that he’ll be running for Congress again next year. We’re split on this; on the one hand, Grayson would fill the vacuum left by Anthony Weiner and provide a vocal, fiery voice for progressives in Congress where none currently exists. On the other hand, he aired a misleading, morally-reprehensible ad in his 2010 re-election campaign, so we’re not exactly heartbroken by his absence. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 23:47

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Biz: Home foreclosure backlogs laughably long in some states

  • 62 year backlog for foreclosures in New York state (no really) source
  • » And they’re far from alone: Nearby New Jersey has a backlog stretching back a solid 49 years, and noted foreclosure mecca Florida has a decade-long backlog. A big reason? The courts are overworked on this issue and can only handle so many cases. But even in the 27 states where courts aren’t involved, the wait is often still significant — at least a year in many cases. Beyond the courts, the entire system is overworked — and lenders seem to be in no rush to add any more repossessed houses to their balance sheet.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

06 Jun 2011 22:37

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U.S.: Four years of high school in one week

  • 8 days to get a high school diploma, and it costs less than an iPad! source
  • » For all the benefits provided by a high-school education, there’s one pesky drawback: it takes four years to get one. InterAmerican Christian Academy in Florida seeks to rectify this injustice by offering a high school diploma to anyone with a free week and four hundred bucks. The school, which is co-run by a convicted felon and located next to a lubricant company, has rigorous curriculum comprised entirely of five short take home tests. But don’t worry; they come with “workbooks” (in case you get stumped), and the place has a “very flexible grading policy.” Supposedly, at least 88 students have used degrees from IACA to gain admission to Miami-Dade College.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Mar 2011 15:56

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Politics: Florida Gov slashes disabilities services, then heads to Special Olympics ceremony

  • afternoon Florida Gov. Rick Scott is expected to announce a 15% pay cut for workers who aid developmentally-disabled Floridians.
  • eveningAs a sort of consolation prize to those whose services will be cut, Scott will then attend a photo-op for the Special Olympics. source
  • » Why the 15% cut? Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities is facing a $170 million deficit, and Scott claims these cuts are essential to preserving the agency. Fair enough. Alternatively, he could lower his proposed $1.5 billion corporate tax cut to, say, $1.4 billion, and re-route that money to the APD. Just a suggestion. [hat tip: ThinkProgress]
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 00:56

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Offbeat: Man accuses woman of stealing his foot

  • accidental Karl Lambert of Orlando, Florida got into a car crash in 2008. While he managed to survive the accident, his foot was completely severed in the crash.
  • intentional The paramedic didn’t take the foot back to the hospital. Instead, she used it to “train her cadaver dog,” whatever the hell that means. Now she’s being sued. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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