An Assessment of Common Core Facts

An Assessment of Common Core Facts

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been a hot topic in my home for nearly a year. As a concerned parent, I have firsthand knowledge what these standards are doing to my children. Ever since last year, my now third-grade daughter has repeatedly expressed frustration in math. I’ve witnessed her love of math slowly […]

A Lonely Profession

When I was young I quickly recognized when mom or dad shared an opinion. The tone was different. There was a sense of ownership, a heartfelt conviction. It revealed itself further when I observed their actions. Actions, and words, written and spoken, are born of heartfelt, deeply held convictions. Out of the abundance of the […]

Journalistic Ethics: Community Involvement Often Raises Ethical Conflicts

By Mike Farrell How serious does a conflict of interest have to become before you can call it a conflict of interest? Believe it or not, this conundrum is intended as the start of an ethical discussion. The SPJ Code of Ethics is clear: Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than […]

Taxpayers Deserve Answers, Not Shell Games

Taxpayers Deserve Answers,  Not Shell Games

Over the last few months, both the County and City governments have been less than honest with millions of dollars of money belonging to the people they represent. First up, the Leon County Commission and the five-cent increase in the gas tax that was passed by a vote of 7-2 (Commissioners Sauls and Proctor voted […]

Pull the Plug On the Brew Pub

Pull the Plug On the Brew Pub

In the best of times, a city government spending $2.1 million to renovate a government owned building to facilitate a restaurant would be tough to justify. But given the facts surrounding the City of Tallahassee’s venture into what is now called the Brew Pub at Cascades Park, it is hard to believe that the City […]

You Can Fight City Hall – Or The DHSMV

You Can Fight City Hall – Or The DHSMV

The Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) has published a document called “Traffic Crash Facts” (TCF) since at least 1994. The publication listed all sorts of data about crashes in Florida, one of which was what caused them. That changed in 2011 when the data placed online was very limited. The cause of […]

Has the Economic Development Council Hijacked the Sales Tax Committee?

Over the past year or so, the Leon County Sales Tax Committee (STC) has patiently listened to scores of proposals for the use of future sales tax.  We could easily have a couple of billion dollars in ideas floating around the community.  No doubt, we need infrastructure in this county and we need to expand […]

If You Want To “Share The Road”, Pay Up

I was driving down the street the other day and noticed a yellow bumper-sticker on the back of an SUV that said, “Three Feet, It’s The Law!” The implication being that if you don’t give a bicyclist three feet that you are subject to being cited. As a bicycle rider myself that bumper-sticker made me […]

Another Public Records Request "Refused"

Another Public Records Request "Refused"

City Attorney charges $11,600 to find “missing” emails by looking through 125,900– one at a time. Following the popular article, “Billion Dollar Theft Planned by City,” the role of Assistant City Attorney Linda Hudson became a focus for further inquiry.  Toward that end, I requested copies of her city emails from the time frame of […]

Another Public Records Request “Refused”

Another Public Records Request “Refused”

City Attorney charges $11,600 to find “missing” emails by looking through 125,900– one at a time. Following the popular article, “Billion Dollar Theft Planned by City,” the role of Assistant City Attorney Linda Hudson became a focus for further inquiry.  Toward that end, I requested copies of her city emails from the time frame of […]