All of South Florida moves into high COVID risk category after ‘processing error‘ in state’s data
Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties are now in the CDC's high COVID community level category, even though data earlier this week showed the region at lower levels. The CDC blamed a "processing error" for the incomplete Florida data.
sun-sentinel.comVictim testifies during deputy’s trial for battery in Broward
Broward Sheriff's Office Deputy Jorge Sobrino, 24, has been charged with one count of misdemeanor battery for punching an inmate who was handcuffed to a hospital bed at Broward Health North, Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz announced Friday.
Now you see her, now you don’t
The million dollar question: Will Superintendent Cartwright right her cart by selecting an African American for the newest top executive position that has come about? I don’t want to be accused of teaching CRT in Broward County Schools. Instead, I marvel at the quick departure of the newly appointed Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Carmen Balgobin. Superintendent Cartwright lured Balgobin to Broward into one of two newly added executive level positions in the organization chart. Balgobin’s name is on the Volusia County Board meeting agenda to discuss her return as superintendent.
thewestsidegazette.comEmbattled 911 workers could get immediate raises as Broward commissioners grapple for fixes
Broward’s emergency 911 system is broken, county commissioners agreed Tuesday. Immediate pay raises looked likely, but commissioners said that's just the beginning of reforms that will be needed to ensure public safety.
sun-sentinel.comApproaching rain could provide wildfire relief for Broward, Palm Beach counties
Wildfire relief could come in the form of rain Saturday. The three wildfires burning in Broward and Palm Beach counties have consumed more than 20,000 acres, but rains ahead of an approaching cold front could lend a hand.
sun-sentinel.comEx-Broward Sheriff Scott Israel tapped as Opa-locka’s new police chief
Former Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, who had been removed from office by Florida’s governor in the aftermath of the mass shooting at a Parkland high school, has been picked as the new police chief in Opa-locka, a city with a history of turnover and turmoil in its police department.
sun-sentinel.comProsecutors can’t use dead mother’s testimony against her son, judge rules
Broward prosecutors will not be allowed to use the testimony of Polk County resident Jeanne Avsenew, who died earlier this month, against her son, Peter Avsenew, who is set to be retried in May for the 2010 murders of a Wilton Manors couple.
sun-sentinel.com‘No guts’: In blistering attack on fellow Democrats, state Sen. Gary Farmer says his party is ‘enabling’ DeSantis and Republicans. – Sun Sentinel
State Sen. Gary Farmer, a prominent Broward Democrat, delivered a blistering attack on the way his fellow Democrats conduct themselves in Tallahassee, charging that they have “no guts” and are “enabling” Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republicans. Hours later, he said he wants to go into a new line of work, filing to run for circuit court judge.
sun-sentinel.comDefense moves to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in Parkland mass shooting case
Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer’s willingness to strike more than 200 jurors from consideration in the Parkland mass shooting trial was an error so significant, according to lawyers for the defendant, that the state should no longer be permitted to seek the death penalty.
sun-sentinel.comDon’t Say Black Continues with Broward County Schools
However, it is highly apropos for the situation at hand in the actions of the superintendent of the Broward County School Board. On Tuesday, April 19, the Broward school board approved the superintendent’s recommendation for two executive level positions. Phillip Dunn, former Chief Information Officer and a Black male, left the school district shortly after Dr. Vickie Cartwright joined as interim superintendent. A 25-year Broward schools veteran, Dr. Leo Nesmith, became the acting Chief Safety Officer after Brian Katz departed faster than a rain drop in the Sierra Desert. Humm, “something, something just ain’t right.”Nicole Mancini, a white female, became the Acting Chief Academic Officer six months ago and has been approved for another six months as acting.
thewestsidegazette.comBroward teachers could get thousands more in pay — or they could lose thousands
The School Board plans to ask voters to increase a special school tax from $50 for every $100,000 of assessed value to $100. If it fails, the entire tax, which pays for salary supplements, safety and mental health, would go away.
sun-sentinel.comCOVID-19 update: New weekly case count rising, but fewer people are hospitalized now with COVID
Florida health officials reported 11,337 new COVID cases for the week ending April 7. The count represents a nearly 30% rise from only four weeks ago, new cases for the week ending March 11 had dropped as low as 8,037.
sun-sentinel.comThe faces you’ll see at the Stoneman Douglas school shooter trial
The penalty trial of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter is expected to last months, starting on Monday with the first phase of jury selection and continuing at least into the summer. Throughout the process, readers and television viewers will be introduced to a host of faces.
sun-sentinel.comWarning issued for spring breakers and all swimmers from Miami Beach to Palm Beach
As spring break gets going this week in South Florida, the National Weather Service has extended the high rip current risk warning for the waters off Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
news.yahoo.com72-year-old convict’s lawyer tried to warn a judge his health couldn’t handle jail. The defendant was dead in less than a day
John Longo didn’t have to die in jail, his defense lawyer says. But the judge who sent him there may not have had much choice after Longo was found guilty of cheating a boat seller out of a $75,000 vessel.
sun-sentinel.comCOVID-19 update: Positivity rates across South Florida fall below 5%; total deaths in state surpass 70,000
Despite most key statistics dropping across Florida, the state still added 528 deaths from the weekend, bringing the 7-day average for deaths to 161 based on date of reported death, according to Sun Sentinel calculations of the CDC data. Here are the latest key coronavirus statistics for Florida.
sun-sentinel.comEarly voting gets started for March elections in Broward, Palm Beach counties
Early voting is underway for special state legislative elections in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Because of those state races, early voting is also available for the city, town and village elections set for March 2022. Few people used in person early voting on the first day. Many more are voting by mail.
sun-sentinel.comCOVID-19 update: Testing positivity levels drop near or below critical 5% threshold in much of South Florida
The number of patients with the virus in Florida hospitals dropped to 3,145 on Friday, a 28.5% decline in a week. In Broward and Miami-Dade counties, 5.4% of hospital beds are used by COVID patients; in Palm Beach County, the rate was lower at 4.8%.. Here are the latest key coronavirus statistics for Florida.
sun-sentinel.comBSO: About 200 arrested during years-long investigation into Deerfield Beach gang
About 200 people have been arrested during a years-long investigation into a violent gang that is based in Deerfield Beach, 24 of whom were arrested on Tuesday, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony announced during a news conference Thursday.
Blast of arctic air could drop South Florida temperatures into low 40s late this weekend
The coldest temperatures of the season are expected to push into the region late this weekend, meaning Broward and Palm Beach residents could see temperatures in the lows 40s, and wind chills, in the most extreme realistic cases, in the mid 30s.
sun-sentinel.comIn a bid to stop COVID spread, Broward moves first court appearance hearings back to remote-only
Broward courts, in a small but significant bid to slow the spread of the latest COVID variant, are putting a stop to in-person hearings for first appearance court, every defendant’s first step into the justice system after arrest.
sun-sentinel.comCOVID-19 update: Florida reports 56,865 new cases; positivity rate over 30% in parts of South Florida
Florida on Friday reported 56,865 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Here are the updated statistics on COVID-19 in Florida including new cases, deaths, hospitalizations, testing positivity and vaccinations.
sun-sentinel.comCOVID-19 in Florida: State reports 31,758 new cases, highest one-day total of pandemic
Florida set a record on Dec. 24 for the most newly reported COVID-19 cases in one day, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Here are the updated statistics on COVID-19 in Florida including new cases, deaths, hospitalizations, testing positivity and vaccinations.
sun-sentinel.comCash stuffed in Yahtzee game boxes: Broward’s sheriff asks judge for proceeds of gambling and money laundering ring
The Broward Sheriff’s Office is looking to get its hands on more than $1 million in proceeds from an illegal sports gambling and money laundering ring that operated out of South Florida, even though the people accused of running it have not yet been charged with a crime.
sun-sentinel.comFlorida’s nursing home residents are trailing most of the US in getting booster shots
AARP on Thursday released the Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard, which shows Florida ranks the third-worst state in the nation with only 24% of nursing home residents receiving boosters – well behind the national average of 39%, as of Nov. 21.
sun-sentinel.comTwo $1 Million Grant Awards Announced for Henderson Behavioral Health and YMCA of South Florida
Community Foundation of Broward Awards a Total of $2 Million in Capital Campaign Grants from its Mary N. Porter Legacy FundSubmitted by Alina QuintanaFORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — (December 2, 2021) – Henderson Behavioral Health and YMCA of South Florida have each been awarded a $1 million capital campaign grant from Community Foundation of Broward and its Mary N. Porter Legacy Fund. The Mary N. Porter Legacy Fund grant to Henderson Behavioral Health will support the completion of Henderson’s new, state-of-the-art 32,000-square-foot Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) to accommodate the growing number of people experiencing a mental health crisis in our community. The Mary N. Porter Legacy Fund grant to YMCA of South Florida will support the completion of the new L.A. Lee YMCA / Mizell Community Center in Fort Lauderdale. Mary Porter wanted her philanthropy to support building efforts for crucial community pro-grams, long after she was gone. “All across Broward, you can find examples of Mary’s commitment to building a better future for the com-munity she loved.
thewestsidegazette.comComcast Awards $1 Million in Grants to 100 South Florida Minority-Owned Businesses
Comcast has awarded $1 million in grants to 100 small businesses owned by people of color, including Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Indigenous owners, among others, in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, through the Comcast RISE Investment Fund. These recipients were chosen from among thousands of small business owners in South Florida that applied for the $10,000 grants in early October. The Investment Fund is an extension of Comcast RISE and to date, has awarded $11 million in grants. Comcast RISE stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment.”The 100 South Florida’s Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant recipients are a diverse group including every type of company from accounting, human resources and IT consulting firms to restaurants and caterings companies to health and wellness businesses and more. Comcast today also revealed that 191 Florida small businesses were selected to receive Marketing & Technology Services through the Comcast RISE program for this round.
communitynewspapers.comComcast Awards $1 Million in Grants to 100 South Florida Minority-Owned Businesses
Comcast has awarded $1 million in grants to 100 small businesses owned by people of color, including Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Indigenous owners, among others, in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, through the Comcast RISE Investment Fund. These recipients were chosen from among thousands of small business owners in South Florida that applied for the $10,000 grants in early October. The Investment Fund is an extension of Comcast RISE and to date, has awarded $11 million in grants. Comcast RISE stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment.”The 100 South Florida’s Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant recipients are a diverse group including every type of company from accounting, human resources and IT consulting firms to restaurants and caterings companies to health and wellness businesses and more. Comcast today also revealed that 191 Florida small businesses were selected to receive Marketing & Technology Services through the Comcast RISE program for this round.
communitynewspapers.comComcast Awards $1 Million in Grants to 100 South Florida Minority-Owned Businesses
Comcast has awarded $1 million in grants to 100 small businesses owned by people of color, including Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Indigenous owners, among others, in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, through the Comcast RISE Investment Fund. These recipients were chosen from among thousands of small business owners in South Florida that applied for the $10,000 grants in early October. The Investment Fund is an extension of Comcast RISE and to date, has awarded $11 million in grants. Comcast RISE stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment.”The 100 South Florida’s Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant recipients are a diverse group including every type of company from accounting, human resources and IT consulting firms to restaurants and caterings companies to health and wellness businesses and more. Comcast today also revealed that 191 Florida small businesses were selected to receive Marketing & Technology Services through the Comcast RISE program for this round.
communitynewspapers.comComcast Awards $1 Million in Grants to 100 South Florida Minority-Owned Businesses
Comcast has awarded $1 million in grants to 100 small businesses owned by people of color, including Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Indigenous owners, among others, in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, through the Comcast RISE Investment Fund. These recipients were chosen from among thousands of small business owners in South Florida that applied for the $10,000 grants in early October. The Investment Fund is an extension of Comcast RISE and to date, has awarded $11 million in grants. Comcast RISE stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment.”The 100 South Florida’s Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant recipients are a diverse group including every type of company from accounting, human resources and IT consulting firms to restaurants and caterings companies to health and wellness businesses and more. Comcast today also revealed that 191 Florida small businesses were selected to receive Marketing & Technology Services through the Comcast RISE program for this round.
communitynewspapers.comDeSantis names Jared Moskowitz, Torey Alston to Broward commission
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Two familiar faces in Broward are becoming county commissioners. Jared Moskowitz and Torey Alston will be appointed to open commission seats by Ron DeSantis, the governor announced at a news conference Tuesday morning in Fort Lauderdale. They take those positions on Jan. 11, replacing Dale Holness and Barbara Sharief, who resigned to run for Congress. “Let’s just hope that this appointment is nowhere near as eventful as the last job you gave me,” Moskowitz joked to DeSantis after the announcement. His term will run through November 2022.
thewestsidegazette.comBlack Politics in Broward Is It Chess or NBA2K22?
Politics is very much like the game of chess in that both are a struggle. Each requires good strategy and skillful tactics as a formula for triumph. The Scandinavian Defense, also called the Center-Counter Defense, is a set of opening moves many beginners employ because it puts black in an immediate attacking position. It is why Broward voters are scratching their heads in disbelief after six strategically placed elected pawns surrendered their position to engage in a free-for-all Hunger Games-like contest for two vacant seats. Heading into the upcoming elections in 2022, Broward voters would be wise to consider the words of Savielly Tartakower, the first chess International Grandmaster, “Nobody ever won a chess game by resigning.”
thewestsidegazette.comUncounted vote-by-mail ballots could have changed outcome in ultra-close South Florida congressional contest
The dramatic slowdown in mail delivery, combined with the ultra-close election to pick Florida’s next member of Congress, is dramatically illustrating a controversial aspect of state election law: Mail ballots don’t get counted even if they’re postmarked before Election Day. In the Broward-Palm Beach County 20th Congressional District special primary, there are hundreds of ballots that have gone uncounted — far more than enough to change the outcome.
sun-sentinel.comBroward School Board Chair Dr. Rosalind Osgood submits resignation letter; Gov. DeSantis to pick her replacement
By Joel Waldman,Miami NewsFORT LAUDERDALE — (CBSMiami) – Broward School Board Chair Dr. Rosalind Osgood has her sights set on higher ambitions. Osgood has submitted her letter of resignation to the school board so she can run for a state Senate seat. Since returning to in-person learning, masks, ironically, unmasked a very tense, ongoing political battle between the Broward County School Board and Gov. “Leaving the school board was an extremely difficult decision,” she said. “Tallahassee needs someone with experience on the school board that can give a different perspective, a set of expertise,” she said.
thewestsidegazette.comLighthouse of Broward Hosts Fall Festival for Blind/Visually Impaired Kids
By Cindy SchuttApproximately 80 children who are blind or visually impaired – including beautiful princesses, impressive Power Rangers, adorable Minions, scary skeletons, jammin’ rock stars, and an army of superheroes – recently enjoyed a special Fall Festival celebration at the Lighthouse of Broward. Children, ages 3 to 12, and their families had a great time interacting with the animals at the petting zoo, navigating an inflatable petting zoo, riding ponies, scaling the rock-climbing wall, decorating cookies, enjoying cotton candy, and playing games. “Parents were so grateful to have a safe space for their blind and visually impaired child to play, socialize and have a blast,” said Ellyn Drotzer, Lighthouse of Broward president and CEO. “This year’s Fall Festival truly was the best ever, thanks to our many volunteers, strong staff support and, of course, our fabulous sponsors.”The Lighthouse of Broward is extremely grateful for its Fall Festival sponsors, including American National Bank, Century Metal & Supplies, Sajdera Law Firm and Toothacker.org. American Heritage School pre-med and pre-engineering students as well as Broward College students came out to volunteer at the event.
thewestsidegazette.comThis Week in South Florida Full Episode: October 10, 2021
On the latest episode of This Week in South Florida, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg are joined by state Rep. Michael Grieco, former Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine, Miami-Dade School Board member Lucia Baez-Geller and Broward School Board member Sarah Leonardi.
Florida Commissioner of Education threatens to pull Broward County schools funding
Under more threats of sanctions, superintendents in Broward and Miami-Dade counties are sticking to their guns, telling the state Board of Education they believe they’re complying with state law and meeting their constitutional responsibility when it comes to mask and quarantine policy.
Broward schools could lose another $420,000 in state funding over COVID rules
Florida’s education chief is threatening to withhold nearly half a million dollars in additional funding from Broward County Public Schools as the district continues face mask and quarantine policies that go against the state’s orders.