News & Public Affairs
All Eyes on Tally days before Special Session listen
06/08/07 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
4 days before the state Legislature convenes a special session to consider perhaps the biggest property tax cuts in Florida's history, several legislators themselves say they know little about what they are about to vote on.
Even while the respective leaders of the House and Senate boast of making substantial progress toward crafting a property tax plan, local legislators say they are still mostly in the dark about what is about to be put before them.
The Sarasota Herald Tribune report...
Be the first to commentImmigration Bill dies listen
06/08/07 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
In the wake of the Immigration Bill dying last night in the Senate, the Washington Post’s Dan Balz wrote in today’s paper that the collapse of the bill represents a ‘scathing indictment of the political culture of Washington’.
In his analysis, Balz said the losers in the bill going down its chief authors, Senators Ted Kennedy and John McCain and President Bush. But he also wrote that if voters see that Washington cannot produce a solution to the glaring problem of immigration, they will a...
Be the first to commentTHE EFFECT ON NON-PROFITS OF THE PROPOSED STATEWIDE ROLLBACK IN PROPERTY TAXES
06/07/07 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Good afternoon,
Welcome to Radioactivity… I’m Rob Lorei… coming up we’ll take a look at how non-profits will fare if the legislature rolls back taxes as part of the special session next week. Then we’ll open the phone lines for your calls.
Tape
Next week the state legislature holds a special session to deal with the ongoing property tax problem here in Florida. Property values have been rising in Florida for many years. And as property values go up- so do property taxes. Homeowner...
Be the first to commentPower Companies and Alternative Energy Sources
06/06/07 Brandon MartinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
The state Public Service Commission yesterday denied a proposal by Florida Power and Light to build a coal-fired power plant within seventy miles of the Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, citing adverse effects of coal plants on the environment. In light of this, WMNF's Brandon Martin discovers what Florida's electrical utility companies are doing to promote usage of alternative sources of energy.
ACT:
said Miko Villefana of Florida Power and Light. He said ...
Be the first to commentHillsborough County Government Prepares for Major Budget Cuts listen
06/06/07 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
As big property tax cuts are contemplated in Tallahassee, Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean told the County Commission what those cuts could mean to the County's budget.
As she detailed in a news conference last week, Bean says that even under the most modest proposal offered by the state Senate, that could mean postponing 10 fire stations and the expansion of 7 libraries.
The most draconian plan would be one in which Bean said the County would need to make $217 million i...
Be the first to commentWHY ARE AUTO COMPANIES FIGHTING HIGHER FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS?
06/06/07 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Our guest was Robert Shull of the consumer group Public Citizen. He says that despite what car companies say- vehicle fuel economy standards are more than 25 years old and higher efficiency is possible. Congress is considering modest increases to corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, the Detroit Big Three and Toyota Motor Corp. are spearheading an ad blitz telling consumers these changes will lead to higher prices and tiny, unsafe vehicles. In fact, our guest says CAFE standards ...
Be the first to commentNew Hillsborough Auditor Apologizes for angry memo
06/06/07 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Hillsborough County’s new internal performance auditor issued a series of ‘mea culpas’ this morning regarding a memo he sent out last week that criticized his hiring process and also include a request for a salary raise.
Jim Barnes sent out a memo to County Attorney Renee Lee and the County’s Human Resource Manager, accusing them of withholding information and not acting in good faith during his hiring.
The issue was brought up this morning by County Commissioner Kevin White, who said...
Be the first to commentROBERT F. KENNEDY HAUNTED BY MURDER OF HIS BROTHER; DID NOT BUY OFFICIAL EXPLANATION OF JFK ASSASSINATION
06/06/07 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Today on Radioactivity: an interview with the author of BROTHERS: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years (Free Press) by Salon.com founder David Talbot.
In a piece for Salon.com Talbot wrote: "One of the most intriguing mysteries about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, that darkest of American labyrinths, is why his brother Robert F. Kennedy apparently did nothing to investigate the crime. Bobby Kennedy was, after all, not just the attorney general of the United States at the time of...
Be the first to commentProperty Tax Reform Public Hearing listen
06/06/07 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Last night at the University Area Community Center the Hillsborough County legeislative delegation held a public hearing on property tax reform. The state representatives and senators from Hillsborough heard presentations by the Cities of Temple Terrace, Plant City, Tampa, and by Hillsborough County regarding how those municipalities might be affected by anticipated property tax cuts proposed by Tallahassee. Following these presentations, members of the public had an opportunity to weig...
Be the first to commentAN INTERVIEW WITH SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECT MICHAEL CARLSON
06/05/07 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Tuesday) Listen to this entire show:
Michael Carlson is currently recognized as the architect of the greenest building in Florida - Sarasota County Twin Lakes Park. It garnered the highest number of LEED points in the state of Florida - in its category of New Construction.
WMNF's Rob Lorei interviewed Carlson about sustainable architecture including the topics of site location; energy conservation; lighting; water use; recycling; use of non-toxic materials; roofing and ventilation.
FMI: Michael@CarlsonStudio.org
Be the first to commentSarasota postpones vote on manager listen
06/05/07 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Last week the big news in Sarasota was how Susan Stanton did NOT get the job as City Manager.
But the man who did, Robert Bartolotta, has NOT been approved by the Sarasota City Commission. Instead the Commission voted last night to continue investigating his background. That’s because Commissioners learned last Friday about accusations that Bartolotta in 2003 slapped his wife while she was hospitalized. But 2 earlier investigations, one by the state Department of Children & Families...
Be the first to commentTampa to double water rates listen
06/05/07 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio announced late yesterday a proposal that would essentially double the water rates for the citizens of Tampa in the next 5 years.
The proposal will go before the Tampa City Council in August.
Brad Baird is the City of Tampa’s Water Department Director. He says the rate increase is necessary for 4 different parts of the city’s water system. First and foremost, he says, is money to replace aging and leaking pipelines throughout the city (roll tape#1 o.q.”our useful...
Be the first to commentFaulty FCAT scores prompt investigation listen
06/04/07 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
With school grades and teacher bonuses in limbo, a team of school and state officials said last Friday they would soon hire an independent auditor to check an FCAT mistake that resulted in inflated third-grade reading scores last year.
Tom Butler is the Press Secretary for the Florida Department of Education.
(roll tape#1 o.q.”for everyone out there”)
As the Department of Education’s spokesman said, school officials met last week in Orlando, to deal with the fallout from the erroneo...
Be the first to commentMedia Law Conference at Stetson University, Tampa listen
06/04/07 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Last Friday WMNF reported on the 2007 Media Law Conference that was in progress at Stetson University College of Law’s Tampa campus. It brought together people from both professions to discuss the changing relationship between the law and the media. This evening, WMNF’s Seán Kinane brings you more from that conference.
The Media Law Conference focused on several topics including Florida’s Sunshine Laws, when reporters become news, the ‘false light’ doctrine, and the changing ...
Be the first to commentBean details what could be cut in County budget
06/01/07 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
As the state legislature prepares for a potential reduction in property taxes, Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean said today she wanted County residents to fully understand the implications of what that could mean for County residents. (roll tape#1 o.q.”that is , what we will do”) What she is referring to are budget cuts to local services, which could range from $46 million if a Senate plan is approved, or $217 million if a plan proposed by House Speaker Marco Rubio was approved....
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