Miami Herald staffer Wanda Demarzo broke story after story about the Broward Sheriff’s Office that, along with other strong press work, helped to bring Sheriff Ken Jenne down from office and into prison. Now a small story about a sheriff’s award ceremony is threatening her hard-won reputation as a top-notch…
Today, erstwhile Pulp correspondent John DeGroot is appealing directly to Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell for more trenchant and interesting coverage in the Sun-Sentinel. In so doing, he breaks news on the rising rates of out-of-wedlock births and abortions in South Florida and the rest of the state. Specifically, he…
— Sun-Sentinel columnist Alva James Johnson asks a burning question: Why is it OK to teach evolution in public schools, and not intelligent design? I just don’t get it. … I, for one, have no problem with the “e” word becoming a part of the curriculum. Evolution by any other…
A couple of interesting stories on the housing front this morning. The Miami Herald’s Natalie P. McNeal writes about a homebuilder pulling up stakes in Miramar. Actually, Lowell Homes never got around to getting the stakes in the ground before pullling out of the Miramar Town Center project. Another developer,…
Start this Monday with a current events rundown. Obama is making a strong charge (making for what will be a historically contentious, Florida-centric convention). Shawn Marion is about to learn how to lose (a lot). Thousands of worthy students are getting shut out of Florida’s universities because of enrollment caps…
You want to know about the newsroom of the future? Well, the Palm Beach Post is taking a step toward trying to shape it. Saying the newspaper has been “stuck” in the past, Managing Editor Bill Rose sent the following memo to Palm Beach Post staff Thursday morning describing a…
Three dusty skulls lay in the dust beneath silvery buttonwood leaves. Two were covered in rotting flesh. One had been severed by a hacksaw. That was December. A month prior, a truck driver had swerved off the road to eviscerate an endangered key deer, spreading her organs over 30 yards…
Alan Shalleck knew a thing or two about storytelling: how to engage his audience and build suspense, how to bring a character to life. He honed those skills in the pioneering days of children’s TV and directed the first animated shorts featuring Curious George. That all took place when Shalleck…
The scene might have come from Wiley Waldrep’s worst dream. The peeled earth, shorn of all trees and vegetation, cracked and exposed under the sun. Long lines of exhaust-spitting traffic on all sides. The loud, rumbling bulldozers moving dirt next to streets leading to nowhere. It’s just what Broward’s last…
DIY Vote Counting Raise your hand if you think, without a shred of doubt, that your vote will be counted. Tailpipe sees a lot of unraised hands. A lot of doubtful looks. Florida voters are, of course, oft-snakebitten in the voting booth, without even looking back to the 2000 fiasco…
Herald owner McClatchy reported earnings this morning and the news was decidedly mixed. Profits rose on the sale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune but the company issued a pretty dismal outlook and said it would take a write-down in the future due to financial problems. From the AP story: The company’s…
Slow week, so I’ll opine about a couple of things. First, the Democratic primaries. H. Clinton is in the catbird seat (even without her Florida victory on the books). She’ll get the nomination and all dems should be relieved about that. Why? Because she’s more electable than Barack Obama. And…
This is hilarious. Click to hear Sam Zell answer an Orlando Sentinel photographer’s question and punctuate it with an almost imperceptible “fuck you” (I’m sure most in the room thought he said “thank you”). After clicking above, make sure you view both video versions. The questioner, according to Gawker, is…
The good John DeGroot got ahold of the new Tribune Co. employee handbook — and it doesn’t disappoint. The rules were recently sent via PDF to all Tribune employees, including those at the Sun-Sentinel (and Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, and other newspapers, TV stations, etc, the company…
The Palm Beach Post’s Mark Schwed died unexpectedly at the age of 52. He called in sick Monday, wasn’t heard from, and was found today by a coworker. Cause of death hasn’t been determined. Scott Eyman wrote the obit and here’s a guest book for him that includes a photo…
The Pulp want’s to give a warm welcome this a.m. to new Tribune Co. czar Sam Zell, who is making his first trip to Fort Lauderdale. The trip dispels Thom Fiddler’s repeated assertions that Zell, in fact, didn’t realize he owned the Sun-Sentinel. Should get more on that later. As…
They Love Him Truth be told, he’s light in the nuance department: Excellent review of Suite Surrender (“Surrender, But Save Your Cash,” Brandon K. Thorp, January 24). You really nailed the show. You were perhaps a little more forgiving than I was, as I’ve never liked anything I’ve seen from…
Mayor Mara Giulianti had had enough of the haters, so she put out a campaign mailer. “Put a stop to anti-Semitism and hate,” Giulianti pleaded. “The radical right is already whipping up hate and anti-Semitism in Hollywood’s mayoral campaign. Those opposed to Hollywood Mayor Mara Berman Giulianti have stooped to…
The Big Republican Schmoozefest has moved on, but for a few hours last week, Palm Beach County was electrified with political discourse — electrified like, say, your daughter’s Easy-Bake Oven, with the 60-watt bulb on high. By 2 p.m. last Thursday, FAU’s drowsy Boca Raton campus was shut down and…
Public Enemy Number One tiptoes up to the hot tub. She reaches behind her neck to untie her halter. Her dress drops to the ground. Her name: Tila Tequila. Her claim to fame: being America’s most famous bisexual. In her TV show, A Shot at Love, she is courted by…
A soccer ball with a Mexican team logo is buried in the weeds, next to a barbecue grill. Inside the two-bedroom condominium, the living room is empty but for discarded wrapping paper on the floor. This is a home that’s been seized by a bank, for non-payment of loans. Here…
— Just a rumor at this point, but sources say that the Miami Herald’s Todd Wright was kicked out of Mara Giulianti’s election party (wake?) by the mayor’s husband, Donald, who allegedly shouted at the reporter. Trying to get more, but if it’s true, more power to Wright. I slammed…
