[jump] A Fun Change of Pace Somali Pirates Refuse to Board Carnival Cruise Ships Cite ‘Unsafe Working Conditions’ MOGADISHU – In yet another public relations setback for the beleaguered cruise ship company, Somali pirates today said they would no longer board Carnival Cruise ships, citing “unsafe working conditions.” “If Carnival…
OK, some new information on the threat that caused the Broward County lockdown, and it’s coming from the original source, right-wing radio talker Joyce Kaufman. Kaufman said on Lou Dobbs’ radio program that: — The threat came from a woman, not a man, as has been reported. — The woman…
Has outgoing Broward Mayor Ken Keechl tacitly admitted that he defrauded his own election campaign out of thousands of dollars? Keechl and Adcock put the Wilton Manors bungalow on the market two months ago, apparently in advance of that campaign account — which was stuffed with about $600,000 from lobbyists and…
Right-wing radio talker Joyce Kaufman — whose July 4 call for “bullets” in favor of ballots has been linked to yesterday’s threat that led to the countywide lockdown on all Broward County schools — is on the air now and promising a statement of explanation. She led off her explanation by announcing that…
Channel 7 is reporting that the man who allegedly threatened to shoot up a Pembroke Pines school was prompted somehow by Joyce Kaufman, the acidic right-wing radio-show host who was named yesterday as newly elected Congressman Allen West’s chief of staff. This whole thing is still murky, but WSVN reported that the…
[UPDATE: Stacy Ritter has posted a somewhat surreal YouTube video press release on the elections commission charges. See it above.] The Florida Elections Commission found probable cause this morning to charge Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter with 28 election violations. The nature of the charges aren’t clear, but they are based on a voluminous…
UPDATED: Schools are lifting the lockdown. Superintendent Jim Notter just emailed select school officials with new information on the threat that has led to a lockdown at Broward County schools. In it, Notter writes that the wife of a person believed to have written the threat in an email confirmed to authorities that it is…
In a tearful farewell yesterday for outgoing Broward Mayor Ken Keechl, Stacy Ritter spoke of how she, Keechl, and fellow Commissioner Ilene Lieberman were the “three queens” of the Broward County Commission. UPDATED: Here’s the full text of what Ritter said in her emotional speech to Keechl at yesterday’s County Commission meeting, the mayor’s…
The Broward County School Board has a bad case of emeritus. You might think that after the stink caused by the Broward County School Board’s plan to give outgoing Ed Marko a $266,000 salary to serve as general counsel emeritus (for the unwashed that’s pronounced ih-MEH-ri-tus, not really like a disease) after…
My apologies for the commenting problems; they seem to be continuing this morning. I have no idea why some of the comments have gone through while most don’t. The tech folks at NT headquarters worked on it yesterday, and we’ll see if they can finally get it working when they get…
I hate to say it, but James Stokes — the new School Board attorney who quit this morning before he even started — probably made a good decision. Who would want to jump into the dysfunctional soup that is the Broward County School Board? It’s a little surprising that he…
The pavers don’t compare to the bronze plaque of Norman “Da Boss” Abramowitz’s likeness. We now know that the former Tamarac mayor and Broward County commissioner was the guy who made many key introductions for the Chaits. Hey, at least they hadn’t put up honors for also-charged Patte Atkins-Grad or under-investigation Tamarac Mayor Beth Talabisco yet. Here’s…
Let’s start with some fun. Last night’s Heat game against the New Jersey Nets provided a real glimpse of the kind of high-flying show this team is going to be. Dunks galore. But none was better than the one above. While the Nets watch helplessly, the towel boy can’t repress his inner awe. I’ve…
Mitch Ceasar’s political palace is falling apart. The Democratic chairman lost big on Election Day. Broward laid down for the Republican push on Tuesday, with voter turnout in the supposed Democratic powerhouse county a meager 40 percent — eight points under the state average. This comes as no surprise since the local party is…
If you see Wayne Huizenga this weekend, be nice to the guy. Our local mogul took a bad beating on Election Day. No he wasn’t backing Alex Sink — he put a lot of money into helping to elect Rick Scott to the governor’s mansion, including $100,000 into Scott’s PAC, Let’s…
— Ken Keechl, the outgoing Broward mayor, is getting some love on Facebook. Hey, it was good while it lasted. — Speaking of former elected officials, Stephanie Kraft continues to lurk. She was spotted at the election victory party in Coral Springs for several politicians including Ari Porth, new judge John…
So Florida Governor-Elect Rick Scott named his transition team, which was stocked with former Jeb Bush staffers, hard-core state Republicans, and even our own U.S. Sen. George “The Maestro” LeMieux. The transition team doesn’t necessarily do all that much; often the appointees are named as a political favor. It’s nice to put…
Is it true? Did Broward Mayor Ken Keechl’s bitter loss on Election Day have nothing at all to do with his performance while in office or the effectiveness of his own campaign? Did voters fail to notice his broken promises on the courthouse and working full-time as a commissioner? Did they not…
In lieu of the silence from losing candidate Broward Mayor Ken Keechl, I spoke with his campaign manager, Eric Johnson, today. Johnson of course had made a little news recently with his negative “Convicted Criminal” mailers on Chip LaMarca, who prevailed in the race despite being outspent by more than a half-million dollars…
It just happened. Florida has officially elected the man who oversaw the greatest Medicare fraud in U.S. history as its governor. You might think I would welcome this sort of thing. I remember when I covered the 2000 recount thinking at the end of it, after the U.S. Supreme Court gave…
For those of you wanting to keep an eye on the results as they come in, click here. Early voting totals are in. They are pretty good indicators, but you can see pretty good swings in some races as the night wears on. Gelber has about about 60 percent here…
Well, this one is priceless. Sunrise City Commissioner Sheila Alu had noticed that her campaign signs were disappearing all around town. So she says she decided to drive around to try to catch the culprit. And Alu, who is also a state prosecutor, found her man. Unbelievably, the above photo…
