STILL GROWING
The South Florida Times has increased its distribution once again. Dollar General Stores throughout Broward County are the latest to begin carrying the newspaper. With sales throughout Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, the newspaper now has the widest distribution area of any paper in South Florida. Dollar General joins select CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Publix, Winn Dixie and Fresh Market stores as places where the newspaper can be purchased. This
continuing growth requires dependable delivery route managers. Interested parties should contact Circulation Coordinator Robert Beatty II
at 954-356-9360.
PAST HIS PRIME
U.S. Air Force Colonel George Everett "Bud" Day is an 85-year-old Vietnam war hero. After Gen. Douglas MacArthur, he is the second most decorated soldier in U.S. history, with over 70 medals. During a Monday, March 29 interview in which he endorsed Gov. Charlie Crist for the U.S. Senate, his “past-his-prime” views emerged. “You know, we just got through [electing] a politician who can run his mouth at Mach 1, a black one [President Barack Obama], and now we have a Hispanic [U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio] who can run his mouth at Mach 1,” Day told a reporter. “You’ve got the black one with the reading thing [teleprompter]. He can go as fast as the speed of light and has no idea what he’s saying. I put Rubio in that same category, except I don’t know if he’s using one of those readers.” Col. Day is the same loose cannon who was seen supporting Sen. John McCain at rallies during the 2008 presidential election. Day likely meant no harm, but the Crist campaign should have known better.
SLIP AND SUFFER LAW
State legislators have fallen, and the people may not be able to get up. A bill that makes it harder for people who have been injured in a minor accident to be compensated has been sent to Gov. Charlie Crist to sign into law. Known as “slip and falls,” the law would require people injured in such accidents to prove that the owner of the business where the injury happened was aware of the hazard. If not, the owner will not be held accountable. Only Sen. Dan Gelber (D-Miami Beach) raised concerns about the bill. Crist is expected to sign it into law.
EMBATTLED CHAIRMAN
Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), was elected to the post in January 2009 as the first black person to lead the organization. At the time, it was believed that his election was influenced by the election of Barack Obama, a Democrat, as the nation’s first black president. Since that time, Steele has been embroiled in numerous controversies, but none bigger than this week’s revelation about lavish spending by the RNC under his leadership, including payments for a strip club outing. Hopefully, Steele will excel in his role, but he has some explaining to do. He had better be quick, because his days appear to be numbered.
Broward County
CRA BACKLASH
Meetings took place on Monday, March 29 and Wednesday, March 31 at the Collier City Library in Pompano Beach. The meetings were about the city’s development plans for the predominantly black areas of the city. Floyd Johnson, a consultant for the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), heard an earful from angry residents who allege that they have been shut out of the process concerning what will be built in their neighborhood. Some of the residents threatened legal action; others want the entire plan scrapped. Ouch!
LEADERSHIP VOID
The city of Deerfield Beach is in crisis, but the political sniffles felt by the majority of the town are more like swine flu in the predominantly black enclaves. Acting City Manager Burgess Hanson is considering massive cutbacks in services and staffing. Residents and employees alike are complaining that Hanson is not responsive to them and their concerns. Vice Mayor Sylvia Poitier and a slew of other black leaders there, although not all, are either under some type of investigation, or are targets of speculation about alleged improprieties. What a mess!
REMOVED FROM OFFICE
On Monday, March 29, Gov. Charlie Crist suspended Coral Springs city commissioners Vincent Boccard and Tom Powers from office. The move came just hours after the Broward State Attorney’s Office charged the men with violating Florida's Government-in-the-Sunshine Law, a second-degree misdemeanor. If convicted, the men each face a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail. Prosecutors accused the two of meeting on March 11 with police union representatives, where they allegedly discussed a salary freeze and union negotiations. Florida law prohibits local politicians from privately discussing matters that come before the legislative body for votes. The remaining three commissioners will appoint replacements for Boccard, whose term expires in November 2010, and Powers, whose term ends in November 2012, within the next few weeks.
Palm Beach County
CHILD NEGLECT
Seven Ezumba, 23, was arrested Monday, March 29 after leaving his seven-month-old son in a locked car for two hours. The incident happened at the post office at 3200 Summit Blvd. in West Palm Beach. A woman spotted the crying infant inside the car and called paramedics. The baby was treated at the scene, then transported to a nearby hospital, where he was listed in good condition. Ezumba told police he left the window partially open, and came outside several times to make sure the child was OK.
Miami-Dade County
BLACK-OWNED; OUT OF BUSINESS
Opa-Locka Flightline, the nation’s only black-owned company that serviced private jets at an airport, closed its doors on Thursday, April 1. This is no April fool’s joke. Owners Anthony “Tony” Robinson and Ed Brown are suing Miami-Dade County, alleging they conspired to force the firm out of business by failing to follow through on a long-term lease and other obligations. The company is represented by attorney Willie E. Gary in its lawsuit against the county.
HOUSING PROBE UNDERWAY
Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina has initiated an audit and investigation into the operations of the Hialeah Housing Authority. The probe comes amid continuing concerns about the agency’s expenditures, contracting practices, missing financial records and the glut of vacant apartments.
EJones@SFLTimes.com
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