Florida

Improbable Tales of the Real Florida

Joseph Cooper, Bonnie Berman and Paul Leary — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:00 +0000

05/15/13 - Wednesday's Topical Currents is with veteran Florida journalist and raconteur Jeff Klinkenberg. In the tradition of the great Al Burt, Klinkenberg discovers the quirks and funky aspects of our diverse and often unusual state. He’s found that a low register tuba blast can trigger bull alligators to bellow. That and more in his book, ALLIGATORS IN B-FLAT: Improbable Tales from the Files of Real Florida. Topical Currents at 1pm on WLRN-HD1 rebroadcast at 7pm on WLRN-HD2 and audio on-demand after the live program.

Saving Florida Wildlife

James March — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:53:56 +0000

http://youtu.be/g-LkNFihm8o

On January 17, 2012, 3 people kicked off a 1000 mile expedition to increase public awareness and generate support for the Florida Wildlife Corridor project. It began in the Everglades National Park and they trekked forward to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southern Georgia.

Florida’s Dark History Revealed

Joseph Cooper, Bonnie Berman and Paul Leary — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

03/05/13 - Tuesday's Topical Currents is with journalist T.D. Allman. His latest work is a ten-year project to create FINDING FLORIDA: The True History of the Sunshine State. The 500-year recorded history of the Sunshine State is rife with myths and outright deceit. Ponce de Leon did not “discover” Florida, nor did he search for a “Fountain of Youth.” He sought gold . . . but there wasn’t any. The revered Seminole figure, Osceola, was actually a mostly white man, named William Powell. Allman says Florida’s legacy is mostly “sugar-coated.” That’s Topical Currents Tuesday at 1pm, rebroadcast at 7pm on WLRN-HD2.

T.D. Allman South Florida Appearances:

House Cat-Odyssey In Florida Highlights The Mysteries Of Animal Migration

Barbara J. KingBarbara J. King — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:08:20 +0000

Early in November, a tortoiseshell cat named Holly jumped out of her human family's RV in Daytona Beach, Florida, and ran off. After a fruitless search, the husband and wife returned home to West Palm Beach without their cat.

Holly showed up back in West Palm Beach, only a mile from her house, on New Year's Eve. Because she had been micro-chipped, the family, two surprised and grateful humans and one bedraggled cat, were readily reunited.

But how did Holly find her way home across those 200 miles?

Supreme Court: Floating Florida Home Still A Man's Castle

Nina Totenberg — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:03:07 +0000

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a Florida man's floating home was a house, not a boat, and that therefore, the city marina where he kept it docked could not seize the structure under federal maritime law. The case could affect thousands of houseboat owners nationwide.

Actually, the facts of Fane Lozman's case sound like something from The People's Court, not the Supreme Court. Lozman bought the 60-by-12-foot floating home for $17,000 and totally remodeled it to look and feel like a house on water.

Florida Dodges Storms But Gets Smacked By Rising Insurance Rates

Arianna Prothero — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Florida has successfully dodged a major storm for a while now. But, the state's residents have not been so lucky at dodging rate increases on their property insurance.

Property insurance rates have been rising for millions of Floridians even though the state hasn't been directly hit by a hurricane in seven years.

Yearly Roundup: New Districts, New Voting Problems, New Economic Hope

David Royse — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 20:42:15 +0000

In an election year and a redistricting year, you might have expected this. The biggest stories of 2012 ended up being an election and redistricting.

A third ongoing story also pervaded the year's news: The economy continued its long, slow rise from the ashes of the recession, and by year's end the rebound – while facing the possible stomach-punch of a fiscal cliff setback – appeared to be solid.

Op-Ed: Why 113 Chimpanzees Coming To Florida Is A Good Start

Barbara J. King — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:09:55 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnLb0XTlBvs

President Wants Wasserman Schultz To Stay On As DNC Chair

Phil Latzman — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:51:52 +0000

After helping direct a successful re-election campaign, a top Democratic official says President Obama wants South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to stay on as party chair.

Republicans Seek Jeb Bush To Repair Breech With Hispanics In Florida And Elsewhere

Liz Halloran — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:16:03 +0000

Paging Jeb Bush.

Your party needs you.

In the aftermath of Tuesday's election losses, Republicans have been scrambling to formulate a fix for what went wrong.

A big part of that calculation involves repairing relations with Hispanics, the fast-growing electoral power base that rejected Republican Mitt Romney's "self deportation" immigration solution and voted for President Obama in numbers that exceeded 70 percent.

And they'll need help from influential Republicans like Bush.

Florida: A President's Best Friend and Worst Enemy

Phil Latzman — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:11:21 +0000

The Miami Book Fair International is happening through the weekend , and all week, we're hearing from some of the Florida authors appearing at Miami-Dade College for the fair.

Florida As Described By The New Yorker

Ashley Lopez — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Florida may be center stage for this year's election, but its also a largely complicated and interesting place to outsiders during non-election years.

NEWSCAST: How New Unemployment Numbers Add Up

Kelley Mitchell — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 22:28:03 +0000

This is actually the last statewide and local jobs report we'll receive before Election Day on November 6th.

The unemployment rate is down in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach Counties and statewide, but not for the same reasons.

Live Video Stream: The Florida Roundup Presidential Debate Special At Lynn University

Daniel Rivero — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:50:09 +0000

NEWSCAST: Obama Campaign Memo Claims Victory In Voter Numbers

Kelley Mitchell — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:20:25 +0000

Debate performances aside, President Barack Obama is already claiming a "ground game" victory in Florida.

His campaign has sent out a memo touting gains made in voter registration and absentee voting numbers compared to four years ago

It also points out that the campaign never left Florida after the 2008 win over John McCain, and has trained 20-thousand people to register voters.

The campaign also says voter registration among black and Hispanic voters has increased substantially since the last election.

Floridian Sues Venezuela To Regain His Lock Of Liberator Simón Bolívar 's Hair

Rick Stone — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:35:28 +0000

Will New Florida Voting Laws Affect Election?

Phil Latzman — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:02:31 +0000

A new documentary produced by CNN explores how new voting laws in Florida might
affect minority participation and possibly tip the balance in next month's elections.

DISPATCH: The Religious Non-Voter

Kenny Malone — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:48:00 +0000