Drivers to Pay More
Florida drivers will have to pay a few more dollars starting today. To help balance the budget, lawmakers approved several fee increases last spring, including ones related to drivers. Under the law, drivers’ license fees will increase from $27 to $48. License renewals will also increase, going from $20 to $48. And motor vehicle registration [...]
Rewards Grow with Debit Card Use
As more consumers whip out debit cards, issuers are rolling out new rewards programs and enhancing old ones in hopes of boosting card spending. Integra, a Midwestern bank, introduced its first debit card reward program in July. Sovereign launched a debit rewards program late last year. And credit unions such as Addison Avenue Federal – [...]
Networks Hungry for New Comedy
Network TV is hungry for more laughs. After years of a comedy shortage that dried up the syndication pipeline, 20 sitcoms are due this fall on the four major networks, the most since 2005. ABC sees an opening with a return to family comedies. It’s adding four to its Wednesday lineup, including the buzzed-about Modern [...]
Why Was Rapist Let Out to Strike Again?
What shocked you most about Jaycee Lee Dugard’s story? Was it the fact that she was abducted in plain sight, waking to a bus stop when she was 11 years old? Or the fact that she was still alive when discovered this past week, 18 years after disappearing? Was it the fact that for most [...]
Ruling May Expand Cases Covered by Newborn Brain Injury Fund
An appeals court ruling this month may significantly broaden the number of brain injuries covered by a “no fault” insurance fund for birth-related injuries. Attorneys for the fund, which is paid for by doctors and hospitals and known as the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association, or NICA, plan this week to ask the First [...]
Brunswick 911 Call: ‘My Whole Family’s Dead’
In distraught 911 calls, Guy Heinze told an emergency dispatcher that his mom, dad, uncle and cousin lay dead or dying at the New Hope Plantation mobile-home park in rural southeastern Georgia. “My whole family’s dead. It looks like they’ve been beat to death,” Heinze, 22, wailed to the dispatcher. He told police his cousin, [...]
Deal Struck for Flight 93 Memorial
Construction on a memorial to the passengers and crew of United Flight 93 is to begin in November – a year later than originally planned – after the U.S. government announced Monday that it has agreements to buy 1,400 acres of land at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, crash. Negotiations for the Pennsylvania [...]
General: New Afghan Strategy Needed
WASHINGTON – A new strategy is needed to reverse the “serious” situation in Afghanistan, the top U.S. commander in the country said in an assessment he sent the Pentagon on Monday. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal said in a statement that “success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity [...]
Our Q&A With Senate Candidate John Thrasher
OBSERVER: Tell us a little about your background. Why did you first get into politics? THRASHER: From 1998 to 2000, I served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, championing historic legislation, such as “Three Strikes, You’re Out,” “10-20-Life,” “A+ Education Plan” and the largest tax cut in Florida history. I was first [...]
Swine Flu Poses Challenge for Airlines
Airlines say they’re preparing for the return of swine flu this fall but stop short of declaring they’ll bar passengers with symptoms from planes or give refunds for trips canceled because of the illness. Rather than impose special measures to deal with the H1N1 virus, several U.S. carriers emphasize they’ll follow long-standing policies that permit [...]
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