News & Public Affairs

Paulson analyzes McCain's GOP listen

09/05/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: 2008 Election, John McCain, Sarah Palin, foreign policy, Barack Obama, Joe Biden

Daryl Paulson is a professor of Political Science at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg. WMNF spoke to him this morning about the Republican Convention. We asked him first about his thoughts on John McCain’s speech last night. Vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin will debate in 27 days, on Oct. 2. The *Washington Post* reports that according to McCain aides, Joe Lieberman is among several national security "experts" helping brief Palin on foreign policy...

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Unemployment rate at 5-year high listen

09/05/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Unemployment, economy, economic stimulus

The unemployment rate jumped to 6.1 percent in August, its highest level in five years. Employers cut 84,000 jobs last month, more than economists had expected, and the Labor Department said that more jobs were lost in June and July than previously thought. Jared Bernstein is a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute and an economic advisor to Barack Obama. Bernstein said the engine of job growth hasn’t just stalled, but gone in reverse. Robert Dye, a senior economist with ...

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Marco Rubio on the Palin effect

09/05/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: 2008 Election, Marco Rubio, Sarah Palin

Marco Rubio, the outgoing Speaker of the Florida House, was in St. Paul this week at the Republican National Convention. WMNF asked him if the still relatively unknown Sarah Palin has the stuff that can persuade independents, and independent minded voters, to cast their vote for the Republicans this November.

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Florida's system of raising revenue antiquated? listen

09/05/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Amendent 5, Legislature, Budget

In the wake of the Florida Supreme Court removing Amendment 5 from this November’s ballot, legislative leaders in Florida say they will again make property taxes a top issue in their annual spring session. But some say the Legislature shouldn’t wait that long to act. Florida Chief Financial Office Alex Sink says now that Florida has a $1.5 billion shortfall, Gov. Charlie Crist should call a special session to be held the day after the November presidential election. That call has been seco...

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United Way of Palm Beach protests budget cuts listen

09/05/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Budget cuts, disabilities, benefits

In 2007 the Legislature approved a plan that will limit the amount of state aid going to some people with disabilities when it goes into effect on Oct. 15. Now, a United Way chapter is asking its members to fight those changes. Florida’s [Agency for Persons with Disabilities](http://apd.myflorida.com/) (APD) serves the needs of state residents with developmental disabilities through waivers for services, including Medicaid waivers. Melanie Etters is communications director for the APD....

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Activists use web to oppose Progress Energy rate hikes listen

09/05/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Progress Energy, rate increase, protest

Last Friday, Progress Energy submitted a request to Florida’s energy regulators to increase customers’ bills by 31 percent. But activists who oppose the rate hike are using the web to organize. Among the reasons Progress Energy gives for the increase are increased costs of fuel and two proposed nuclear reactors in Levy County. The nuclear plants were approved by Florida’s Public Service Commission (PSC) in July. The construction costs of the nuclear power plants are expected to be sev...

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Tampa City Council discusses reclaimed water listen

09/04/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Tampa City Council, reclaimed water

Earlier this year, Mayor Pam Iorio's administration indicated that the city was interested in making some of its reclaimed water available to a private company that would then sell it to other local governments and businesses. But shortly after that news was made public, Iorio pulled back, saying she wants to keep most of that water in Tampa. Today the issue resurfaced. Councilmember Mary Mulhern said she wanted to know what the city’s plans actually were with the valuable resource. ...

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Democrats pan Palin's convention speech listen

09/04/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: 2008 Election, Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, Sarah Palin

Last night, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin introduced herself to the American public with a 40-minute speech at the Republican National Convention. It was received ecstatically by the delegates inside the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and by most members of the mainstream media. Palin’s opponent, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, was rolled out to all of the morning television talk shows to respond. He was magnanimous in praising her, but Biden said he didn’t think much of the content. And like his r...

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Activist Kelly Benjamin arrested at the RNC listen

09/04/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: 2008 Election, Republican National Convention, protests, arrests, Kelly Benjamin

Protests continued today in St. Paul, at the site of the Republican National Convention. The largest arrests took place on Monday – and among those swept up was Tampa activist Kelly Benjamin. Benjamin wasn’t released from jail until 3 a.m. today. Benjamin told WMNF that the arrests have created a chilling effect in St. Paul. Benjamin ran for City Council in Tampa back in 2003.

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