Source: wect.comTropical storm caution coastal Carolina up to Cape Lookout. Ernesto is expected to reclaim tropical storm strength as it heads toward the Carolina's Thursday. As of 11:00 PM, Ernesto was close to 28.7 north, 80.6 wests. This is about 360 miles south-southwest of Myrtle Beach, SC. Ernesto was moving north around 14 mph, and a slow turn toward the north-northeast with an increase in onward speed is predictable into Thursday. Maximum continued winds are near 35 mph.
Source: theage.comNASA reversed a decision to shelter the space shuttle Atlantis and returned it to its seaside launch pad as the danger from Tropical Storm Ernesto subsided. The move rekindled hopes that the US space agency will able to launch its first International Space Station assembly mission since the 2003 Columbia accident before the end of its present launch window on September 7. "We're headed back out to the launch pad," said Kennedy Space Centre spokesman Bill Johnson.
Source: cnn.comErnesto lingered over central Cuba early Tuesday, hardly maintaining its tropical gale status but still poised for an attack on the Florida peninsula, according to the National Hurricane Center. At 11 p.m. ET Monday, Ernesto was about 20 miles north of Camaguey, tracking to the west-northwest at 12 mph. With its 40 mph winds, the storm was predictable to come in the Straits of Florida overnight, where forecasters predict Ernesto would strengthen, possibly into a hurricane, before making landfall in south Florida sometime Tuesday evening. Tropical storm-force winds expand up to 85 miles from the storm's center, the hurricane center said.
Source: seattletimes.nwsource.comAfter a 14-month investigation, law-enforcement officers raided a high-level conference at a rented club and arrested every known leader of the vicious Latin Kings gang in Florida, authorities said Monday. Thirty-nine gang leaders were arrested Sunday on charges of plot to commit racketeering, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said. The gang has been involved in chief crimes ranging from drug dealing to attempted murder, Gee said. Gee said the "extremely violent" gang has been active in the area for at least 20 years and might have ties to gangs in New York and Chicago.
Source: seattletimes.nwsource.comAfter a 14-month investigation, law-enforcement officers raided a high-level conference at a rented club and arrested every known leader of the vicious Latin Kings gang in Florida, authorities said Monday. Thirty-nine gang leaders were arrested Sunday on charges of plot to commit racketeering, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said. The gang has been involved in chief crimes ranging from drug dealing to attempted murder, Gee said. Gee said the "extremely violent" gang has been active in the area for at least 20 years and might have ties to gangs in New York and Chicago.
Source: sportingnews.com
Florida's offensive line has become coach Urban Meyer's main concern. Left tackle Phil Trautwein missed practice Monday as of a sore left foot, the latest in a string of wound problems for the team's most inexperienced position. Left guard Jim Tartt hasn't returned to full speed following off-season shoulder surgery. Right guard Ronnie Wilson had surgery 10 days previous this month to repair a broken left ankle and would miss the first few games. Tartt's backup, freshman Maurice Hurt, had arthroscopic knee surgery last week. We're trying to get that permanence going right now, Meyer said. We got to make sure they're ready for the first game.
Source: bizjournals.com
Confidence among Florida workers decreased a little in July, according to a recent review conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corp. The Florida Employee Confidence Index slipped 0.8 points to 59.6 in July, primarily due to reduce in the number of workers reporting they were sure in their ability to find a new job. The index dropped 3.4 percent from July 2005. The index measures adult workers confidence in their individual employment situation and the macroeconomic environment. Despite the drop, workers uttered confidence in the bigger economic situation. Twenty-seven percent of workers reported that the economy is getting stronger, up 14 percentage points from June. Additionally, the percentage of workers representing that more jobs are accessible increased 6 percentage points to 37 percent. Although workers overall confidence was down 0.8 percentage points in July, they continue to report high levels of optimism in the strength of the economy and availability of jobs. Florida's increased job creation, coupled with a low unemployment rate, creates a very strong job market, said Dawn Gill, district director of Florida for Spherion Staffing Services, in a release. We anticipate more employers will examine their current pool of candidates and evaluate ways to boost their retention efforts. We are seeing most businesses feel the strain of a tight labor market, especially with finance and accounting, technology, call center, distribution and manufacturing positions, she said.
Source: seattlepi.nwsource.comFlorida's most impoverished schools would get more than $80 million to purchase computers, software and other services as part of the settlement of antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft Corp., Education Commissioner John Winn said Thursday. As part of the 2003 settlement, Microsoft agreed to give half of any unclaimed benefits to Florida schools in which at least half the students succeed for free or reduced-price lunches. The qualifying schools would get vouchers that could be used to get reimbursements for purchases of any manufacturer's computers running any operating system and software used with those products. "These funds give Florida a unique opportunity to bolster and expand technology use for students," said Winn, who made the declaration at Tallahassee's Griffin Middle School.
Source: orlandosentinel.comFlorida students ranked last in 2005 between 23 states that gave reading or English language arts tests necessary for high school graduation, with only 52 percent passing on the first try, the independent Center on Education Policy reported today. Florida did much improved, though, in math. The state's first-time transient rate was 77 percent, good for 10th place. The center's report titled "State High School Exams: A Challenging Year" was compiled from information collected from 22 states that necessary an exam to earn a diploma previous year, one Indiana that began testing the 2006 class in 2003 and two that graph such tests in the future.
Source: thewhir.comInternet exchange and data center operator Terre mark Worldwide (terremark.com) announced on Monday that Miami Beach and Doral, Florida has each signed a agreement for collocation services at the NAP of the Americas facility. They join the Miami-Dade County, Coral Gables and other state and home government entities that house their critical infrastructure at the facility. Terre mark’s NAP of the Americas would support the cities' communications needs and considerably enlarge their connectivity capabilities. This would facilitate future seamless connections with other local municipalities, the Miami-Dade County and other organizations, in addition to home educational institutions previously housed at the NAP.
Source: sun-sentinel.comIf the sweat pouring off your forehead wasn't proof adequate, the National Weather Service confirmed what you alleged: It was only a couple of degrees cooler in South Florida on Sunday than the in of a convection oven. Soaring mercury broke daily records in West Palm Beach and Miami and came close to busting Broward County records. The good news is that it's August. Weather service forecasters are forecasting a solid week of those afternoon thundershowers that almost define summer in South Florida. They are predictable to keep daytime highs only in the upper 80s throughout the workweek.
Source: jaxdailyrecord.com
For the next few days about 1,500 elected officials from all over the state would be calling Jacksonville home. Jacksonville is the host city for the 80th Annual Florida League of Cities Conference Thursday-Saturday at the Hyatt. “It is an educational conference that provides the opportunity for elected officials to not only network but receive information on different topics that help the cities and their government,” said Sharon Berrian, spokesperson for the Florida League of Cities. “There are workshops that help cities solve problems or issues they may come across. Anything from technology to legislation.” The Florida League of Cities is the association of cities, towns and villages for the state, she said. Founded in 1922, the association provides a number of resources to the states 400-plus municipalities. Some of the services comprise lobbying, financial and insurance services.
Source: today.reuters.comNew Yorkers are known to head south to vacation, but no less than one Floridian had a support to come north to see the big city. Marine preservationists said a manatee had swum up the Hudson River past Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood plus then 100 miles upstate. It was the first established sighting of the mammal in New York in 10 years. The manatee was filmed by boaters late last month in New Jersey and Delaware and has as been spotted by at least five different outdoorsmen up the Hudson, said Julika Wocial, a supervisor in the save plan at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. Manatees, also known as sea cows, could travel as much as 50 miles a day but are also known to laze about. "Some of the people that saw it described what's known as 'logging', or raising its big back up and swimming very slowly," said Wocial. The mammals live in both salt and fresh water.
Source: bizjournals.comThe directors of Patriot Transportation Holding Inc. have accepted a 50-50 real estate joint project between its subsidiary FRP and Florida Rock Industries Inc. to expand about 4,300 acres near Brooksville, north of Tampa. FRP will add its fee interest in 3,443 acres that it leases to Florida Rock under a long-term mining lease. FRP also would repay Florida Rock for half the cost, about $3 million, to acquire a 288-acre neighboring parcel that Florida Rock recently bought from a third party. The 288-acre parcel would be contributed to the dual venture.
Source: mercurynews.comMiami - In response to effort given at a statewide snook conference held several months ago in St. Petersburg, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has established a 22-member working group to come up with a proposal for the future of Florida's snook fishery. The working group is composed of leisure anglers, guides, representatives of fisheries conservation groups, tournament directors, researchers and outdoors writers. The group held its first assembly last week in Sebring. It seemed to me that the members share an ordinary philosophy on snook: to run fish for the good of the fish, even if that strategy runs counter to the desires of some recreational anglers.
Source: reuters.com
Tallahassee, Florida, Aug 1 - Florida insurance officials on Tuesday acknowledged approval to explore setting up another state-run insurance pool to defend coastal businesses opposite skyrocketing insurance rates or no coverage at all. Rocked by overwhelming hurricane seasons, Florida businesses have found it increasingly hard to obtain affordable coverage. Nearly one in five business owner’s survey by the state said they cannot find property insurance at any cost. "This is a crisis that is deepening in Florida and will certainly jeopardize the future economic development of our state," Kevin McCarty, head of the department of insurance rule, told Gov. Jeb Bush and top state officials. Florida already has two such pools, or joint underwriting associations (JUAs), to defend homeowners and insurers.
Source: chron.comA working ranch and tens of thousands of acres of wilderness populated by bears, panthers and other species were handed over to the state Monday in Florida's greatest-ever purchase of land for environmental preservation. The $350 million purchase of the Babcock Ranch, counting $310 million in state money and $40 million from Lee County, puts almost 74,000 mainly undeveloped acres in southwestern Florida or about 115 square miles into state hands to be preserved.
|
