By Dara Kam, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — More than two years after the U.S. surgeon general declared youth vaping an epidemic, Florida lawmakers again are working on an effort to regulate the sale of electronic cigarettes and raise the age to use tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21. Gov. Ron […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republican lawmakers are pushing ahead with sweeping election changes largely focused on making it more difficult for people to vote by mail, an effort mirrored in GOP-led state houses throughout the country. In a party-line vote Monday, the House Public Integrity & Elections Committee […]
TR’s weekly report (March 15 – March 21) on Leon County COVID cases, hospitalizations, and testing positivity rates is detailed below. TR’s March 14th weekly report can be reviewed here. The weekly COVID report, ending March 21st, shows decreases in new cases, the positivity rate and hospitalizations. Since the middle to the end of January 2021, […]
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried – a former cannabis lobbyist whose fiancee created a cannabis company with Fried’s father – recently tweeted that “Legalizing cannabis solves lots of problems and creates none.” Fried’s comments come despite several reports that show increases in hospitalizations and suicides due to the legalization of marijuana. Also, in 2019 a […]
The City Commissioners voted on March 10 to reimburse City Manager Reese Goad’s attorney’s fees related to two ethics complaints. The decision comes after the dismissal of both complaints. According to the meeting agenda, the two complaints filed on September 15, 2020, alleged that Goad pressured subordinates to speak on his behalf at a meeting […]
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Mark O’Bryant, Carmen Conner, Zandra Glenn, Paul Mitchell and Liza McFadden to the Leon County Children’s Services Council. DeSantis chose the five from a list of fifteen names, included below, submitted by the Leon County Commission. The ballot initiative to create the Children’s Services Council passed in […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Miami-Dade County state attorney has charged former Florida Sen. Frank Artiles with election fraud for allegedly propping up a sham candidate in a razor-thin Senate contest in which an incumbent Democrat was ousted by a Republican challenger in November. Artiles is accused of using […]
By The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that Florida will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to all people age 50 and older starting Monday. This week, Florida lowered the age threshold from 65 to 60, but the governor said softening demand convinced him the state could go to 50. “The demand has […]
According to CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, the White House has yet to label the growing situation at the southern border a crisis — but it is quickly becoming a main political issue for the new administration. In February alone, 9,297 unaccompanied children (UACs) were apprehended at the border. As a result, thousands of children have been […]
During their March 10 meeting, the Tallahassee City Commission voted 5-0 to approve collective bargaining agreements that cover the bargaining units represented by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). The agreements will cover the time between Apr. 1, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2023 and include increased wages, pension and parental leave. The estimated cost for […]