Today marks the three-year anniversary of the day that Robert “Bob” Levinson of Coral Springs disappeared from Kish Island, off the coast of Iran. A former FBI agent, Levinson was a private investigator following a tip about a cigarette smuggling case.Despite negotiations by American diplomats and impassioned pleas by Levinson’s…
Your Hungry Man might have to settle for salad tonight: Lakeland, Florida-based Publix today ordered a recall on four seasoning mixes (call them “mother’s little helpers”) distributed in all 735 of its Florida stores. Bad enough that we’ve had to haul back our baby food and dog kibble, our burger…
Judging by the avalanche of campaign contributions and the enthusiastic backing of the national GOP, Allen West is no longer a prohibitive underdog in the campaign for the 22nd Congressional District that spans coastal Broward and Palm Beach.This means that as the race gets closer to the finish line, West…
A key witness in the Larry Seidlin civil suit is a courthouse attorney who once worked closely with the judge. I spoke with the attorney today on the condition I wouldn’t name him or her and got an earful. The attorney told me that Seidlin often spoke about Barbara Kasler, the elderly widow in…
When building a case against Tony Villegas for the murder of Melissa Britt Lewis, Plantation Police investigators alleged that he was an abusive husband who blamed Lewis for his divorce from Debra Villegas, Lewis’ best friend.Yet Debra herself wasn’t convinced that made him a killer — at least not in…
Signs of desperation in Charlie Crist’s camp. That’s an appearance yesterday on Greta Van Susteren’s Fox News show. Around the two-minute mark, you can hear Crist muse about whether Rubio’s famously expensive haircut, charged to a Republican Party credit card, was in fact a “back wax.” Full transcript of the…
I’m hearing that something is going down in the Scott Rothstein case very soon. Might be as simple as the formal charging of Debra Villegas, might be more. In the meantime, I’m going to play the role of aggregator, which means I’m going to let other people do my work. First, let’s go…
Strong words from Marco Rubio during a phone interview with Glenn Beck. Looks like he’s grabbing the football tossed to him by the New York Times, which published this article about the colossal rip-off engineered by Charlie Crist’s administration for the purchase of U.S. Sugar land.Crist’s almost making it too…
Charles McCall’s South Florida retirement plans will take a ten-year hiatus now that former pharmaceutical executive has been convicted of securities fraud by a San Francisco court and sentenced to federal prison.A former chairman of McKesson, the nation’s largest distributor of prescription drugs, which is based in San Francisco, the…
For centuries, one question has tortured the most devote Christians: If Jesus Christ comes down to Earth, cracks the ground, and takes all the good souls directly to heaven, who will watch over their pets? What about Fido and Fluffy? Well, there’s good news and bad news. The good: One…
Here’s what’s happening in the local news this morning:Broward County schools’ art, music, and physical education classes are all on the chopping block as the district looks to balance another budget despite less money from the state. [Sun-Sentinel]The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics is zeroing in on its “ethics…
Florida Atlantic University police have hauled in a freshman fraternity member who they say is responsible for stealing roughly 900 copies of the University Press, then dumping them as a way to suppress the paper’s critical coverage of hazing.Nicholas Cady-Jantzen is that freshman’s name. He belongs to Pi Kappa Alpha…
The PBSO booking blotter tells a routinely depressing story about Friday’s “Operation Cheap Trick,” the Sheriff’s Office sting that netted four prostitutes and 18 good-time guys who hit up the wrong girl at the wrong time: They solicited lady police officers dressed like tramps. According to a PBSO news release,…
Do skeptics enjoy some time in the sun? How about cruising the Caribbean, discussing the finer points of incredulity as they gaze upon crystal clear waters and tropical islands? You better believe they do.If South Florida seems a little more gullible this week, it’s because James Randi, the “King of…
Former associate general counsel of Broward Health Joe Truhe will not be charged criminally for practicing law without a license. A closeout memo from the Broward State Attorney’s Office dated February 24 made it official. Now the more pressing question: Why was Truhe fired in the first place?The memo cites…
Gloria Battle, an ally of Deerfield Beach Vice Mayor Sylvia Poitier, may have committed a crime by voting to authorize more than $12,000 in funding to the Haitian American Consortium, a nonprofit corporation for which she is the secretary.Based on a post by city activist Chaz Stevens on his blog,…
When a New York Times reporter tours your town for a fluffy travel piece, you know she’s going to miss something. Yesterday’s “36 Hours in Palm Beach, Fla.” was no exception. The Times reporter drooled over the oceanfront mansions and the cocktails at the Breakers Hotel but glossed over some…
Criminally charged politician Fitzroy Salesman’s attorney is fighting his case in the Sun-Sentinel, claiming the FBI used a thuggish gang member as an informant and a shadowy Irishman as a confidential source and that federal agents “sought out” black elected officials to target. The problem for defense lawyer Jamie Benjamin is that Salesman took the…
But we already knew that. We just didn’t know how thoroughly Gov. Charlie Crist and his trusty sidekick, George LeMieux, had exploited environmentalists and cheated Florida taxpayers. Thanks to this assiduously researched article in the New York Times, we’ve got the big picture — and it’s ugly.It’s clear that this…
Headlines this Monday morning in Broward and Palm Beach:New details of the luxury life that Chris and Jeff George financed through what federal investigators say were illegal pain clinics. Neither of those twins has been charged, but surely it’s not legal to be such complete wankers, is it? [Palm Beach…
