Live Election Night Chat
Once the polls have closed in today’s special election, you can join us for a live chat as we wait for the results… THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING! THE CHAT ROOM IS NOW CLOSED! Congratulations to our winners: – John Thraher for State Senate – John Meserve for City Council – Martha Barrett for School Board
The Final Push
Voters in parts of five northeast Florida counties are casting ballots in the Republican primary for Senate District 8 today, choosing a replacement for the late Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville. There are no Democrats running, so the winner of the primary will take the seat, with only write-in opposition possible on the day of the [...]
Sharp Drop in Violent Crime Rates
WASHINGTON – Nearly all major crime categories dropped in 2008 despite the sagging economy and high unemployment, according to the FBI’s annual crime report out Monday. Overall violent crime declined for the second straight year, including a nearly 4% drop in murder and a 2.5% drop in aggravated assault. Although burglary was up 2%, car [...]
What Happened to Civility?
When South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson interrupted President Obama’s address to Congress by shouting “You lie!” last week, at least one man was elated. “I thought, ‘Great, now the notion of civility may be back on the national agenda,’” says P.M. Forni, who heads the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, an effort that [...]
The Jobless Recovery
The jobless-recovery theme re-emerged on Friday with the arrival of a disappointing employment report. The daunting number was the unemployment rate, which jumped from 9.4 percent in July to 9.7 percent in August. This is a big-versus-small-business issue. Sort of the haves versus the have-nots. The large companies are gradually recovering as a result of [...]
Obama at the Rubicon
If the aphorism holds — the guerrilla wins if he does not lose — the Taliban are winning and America is losing the war in Afghanistan. Well into the eighth year of war, the Taliban are more numerous than ever, inflicting more casualties than ever, operating in more provinces than ever and controlling more territory [...]
Florida Bar Begins Checking Applicants’ Facebook Pages
If your Facebook status is “wants to be a lawyer,” be careful what else you put on your page. The board that licenses new lawyers has signed off on a proposal to examine personal Web sites such as Facebook or MySpace as part of the background check for applicants to the Bar. The suggestions are [...]
Crist Says PSC Jobs May Hinge on FPL Vote
Gov. Charlie Crist has said before that he does not think the Public Service Commission should grant Florida Power & Light’s request for a $1.3 billion rate hike. Monday he said he may not reappoint any sitting PSC commissioner who feels differently. Speaking to reporters before an event commemorating Florida’s Missing Children’s Day, Crist said [...]
Download and Listen To Our State Senate Debate
On Wednesday, September 9th, the Jacksonville Observer hosted a debate among three of the four candidates for State Senate. Participating were former House Speaker John Thrasher, School Board Member Stan Jordan, and City Councilman Art Graham. The debate was moderated by Tom Patton of the Jacksonville Observer and it aired live on ABC 1320 WBOB. [...]
Health Bill Has Steep Hill to Climb
WASHINGTON – President Obama’s long, hot summer is about to turn into a chilly fall. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken after the president’s dramatic address to a joint session of Congress last week shows Americans almost evenly divided over passing a health care bill and inclined to think it would make some of the system’s [...]
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