Greg Allen

Jury Selection To Begin In Trayvon Martin Case

Greg Allen — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:30:00 +0000

In Sanford, Fla., Monday, jury selection begins in the murder trial of George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer charged with shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012. Police at first declined to charge Zimmerman after the shooting because of Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which gives immunity to people who, fearing for their lives, use deadly force in self-defense.

New Maps Aim To Raise Awareness Of Storm Surge Danger

Greg Allen — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 10:39:00 +0000

Hurricane season begins Saturday, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting an active season, with perhaps seven to 11 hurricanes.

With memories of last year's destruction from Hurricane Sandy still fresh, meteorologists are working on ways to improve how they forecast storms and communicate warnings to the public.

When Sandy was making its way northward in the Atlantic and began to turn toward the East Coast, the National Hurricane Center tried to emphasize the danger that storm surge posed for residents, especially those near New York City.

The Hurricane Ce

How A Florida Medical School Cares For Communities In Need

Greg Allen — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:56:00 +0000

If it's a Monday, you can usually find Dr. David Brown parked next to a lake in Miami, spending the day inside a 36-foot-long RV. He's not on vacation.

Brown is chief of family medicine at Florida International University's medical school. The RV is the school's mobile health clinic.

Every Monday it's parked at the Royal Country Mobile Home Park in northwest Miami-Dade County. "It's a beautiful place right here," he says.

Rubio Tries To Convince Conservatives He Hasn't Been Duped

Greg Allen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:04:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnrb3Dd8KkM

After Belt Tightening, Some States Are Back In The Black

Greg Allen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:34:00 +0000

Across the country, state budgets are back in the black after years of belt-tightening and spending cuts. From California to Florida, in nearly every state, the economic recovery has produced a surge in tax revenue.

For governors and state legislators, that's produced a new question: how to spend the money.

The past three years have not been easy ones for elected officials. Nearly every state requires them to produce a balanced budget.

As Florida Bill Looks To Aid Feral Cats, Opponents Claw Back

Greg Allen — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 06:44:00 +0000

In state legislatures around the country, lawmakers are debating important subjects — education reform, election laws, gun control and abortion. But in Florida, one of the hottest issues to come before the Legislature this term involves cats.

There, lawmakers are considering a contentious bill that would offer legal protection to groups that trap, neuter and return feral cats to their colonies.

An Alternative To Shelters

Before Disney, Florida's Silver Springs Lured Tourists

Greg Allen — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:33:00 +0000
Before Disney World, Silver Springs in Central Florida was for decades one of the state's most popular tourist destinations.
Even if you've never visited Silver Springs, you might have seen it. The 1960s television show Sea Hunt was filmed here, as were countless movies, including Tarzan and Creature From the Black Lagoon.
The crystal clear water of Silver Springs made it invaluable to Hollywood.

Cuban Dissident Blogger Seeks To Unite Fidel's Cuba With Miami's Cuba

Greg Allen — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:04:00 +0000
For Cuban-Americans, Miami's Freedom Tower is almost a holy place — a former immigration intake center where thousands came in the 1960s after they fled the island's communist rule.
But across the street from the hall, where Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez spoke Monday, there were protests. A dozen anti-Castro activists repudiated some of Sanchez's past comments, including her support for lifting the long-standing U.S.

Florida Pitches New Facilities To Clinch Spring Training

Greg Allen — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:27:00 +0000
For baseball fans, spring training is a time for renewed hopes and a reminder that winter is almost over. But for the major league teams and Arizona and Florida communities, spring training is big business. In Florida, 1.5 million fans attend spring training games with an estimated $750 million annual economic impact, and the state is working to keep the teams from fleeing.
In Port St. Lucie, on Florida's east coast, an hour before the first pitch at Tradition Field, many fans are already in their seats.

Florida Atlantic Donation Sparks Outrage, But University Doesn't Budge

Greg Allen — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 11:05:00 +0000
Florida Atlantic University says it's standing by its deal to sell naming rights to its new football stadium to a controversial private prison company. The Boca Raton-based GEO Group faces allegations of abuse and neglect at some of its facilities, and there's a growing call on campus for the school to sever its ties.
Normally, when a school announces a multimillion-dollar donation, it's met on campus with cheers. But at FAU, a public university, the news that the Owls football team would soon be playing in GEO Stadium was met by many with incredulity and outrage.

In Miami, A New Condo Boom Revives Hopes Of Housing Recovery

Greg Allen — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:24:00 +0000
Here's a headline that may sound familiar: Miami is in the middle of a condo boom.
Just seven years ago, Miami had a similar surge in condo construction. But it all came crashing down.

Taxpayers Steaming Over Florida Nuclear Plant's Shuttering

Greg Allen — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:14:00 +0000
The operator of Florida's Crystal River nuclear plant sent shockwaves through the state when it announced recently that it was shutting down the facility for good.
When nuclear plants have closed elsewhere, locals have cheered. But in Citrus County, it's been more like a death in the family.
At Fat Boy's Bar-B-Q restaurant in Crystal River, owner Bubba Keller says he's worried about what's going to happen to the community. "I mean, things are already tough," Keller says.

One-Way Tickets To Florida: Puerto Ricans Escape Island Woes

Greg Allen — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:22:00 +0000
Puerto Rico's population is dropping. Faced with a deteriorating economy, increased poverty and a swelling crime rate, many citizens are fleeing the island for the U.S. mainland. In a four-part series, Morning Edition explores this phenomenon, and how Puerto Rico's troubles are affecting its people and other Americans in unexpected ways.
According to the most recent census, the 4.6 million Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland now surpass those on the island of Puerto Rico. For years, they've been migrating out of the U.S.

Gun Control Divides County Sheriffs

Greg Allen — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:55:00 +0000
When President Obama announced new measures to prevent gun violence, one of the groups there to show support was the National Sheriffs' Association.

Wood Stork's Endangered Status Is Up In The Air

Greg Allen — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:13:00 +0000
The last few years have been especially tough in South Florida for wading birds such as egrets, herons, ibises and wood storks that feed and nest in the region's wetlands.
The problem is there are fewer wetlands, and the last few years have been dry, reducing water levels in critical areas.
Despite that, the federal government says one wading bird, the wood stork, is doing well enough that it may soon be removed from the endangered list. In December, the U.S.

Estimated Costs Drive Debate As Florida Weighs Medicaid Expansion

Greg Allen — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:28:00 +0000
Florida and several other states are wrestling with a decision: whether to expand Medicaid.
When the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act last year, the court said states could opt out of that part of the law. But it's key. It would provide coverage to millions of low-income Americans who currently have no health insurance.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he's concerned about how much expanding Medicaid would cost. But others charge the governor is exaggerating.
No governor fought harder against the Affordable Care Act than Scott.

Outspoken Alan Grayson Gets Another Chance In Congress

Greg Allen — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 08:29:00 +0000
Among the more than 80 House freshmen who were sworn in this week, there were several who had been there before — including Florida Democrat Alan Grayson.
After starting his first term four years ago, Grayson quickly made a name for himself with biting comments targeting Republicans — like when he said during the health care debate: "If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly."
His national stature didn't prevent him from being defeated in 2010.

After Beating Allen West, House Freshman Faces New Fight

Greg Allen — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:20:00 +0000
Of the eight new seats that Democrats picked up in the House of Representatives in November, four of them come from Florida.
Democrats were aided by a big turnout for President Obama, plus new rules that helped erase a Republican advantage in how districts are drawn in the Sunshine State.
One of those new Democratic seats is held by Patrick Murphy, the House's youngest member.

For Tea Party Activists In Florida, The Health Care Battle Goes On

Greg Allen — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 21:36:00 +0000
President Obama's re-election sent a message to state capitals: The war over the president's health care overhaul is finished.
Even in Florida, where Republican leaders led the legal battle against Obamacare, there's recognition now that the state has to act fast to comply with the new law.
Florida's governor, Rick Scott, is a former hospital executive who got into politics to fight the health care overhaul.

Mission Diversify: CIA Begins LGBT Recruiting

Greg Allen — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:22:00 +0000
As part of the CIA's efforts to diversify its workforce, the spy agency is reaching out to a group that once was unable to get security clearance — lesbians and gay men.
Earlier this week, CIA officials held a networking event for the Miami gay community sponsored by the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and the CIA.
"This is the first time we've done a networking event of this type with any of the gay and lesbian chamber of commerces in the United States," says Michael Barber, a self-identified "straight ally" and the spy agency's LGBT Community Outreach and Liaison program m

Will Florida Pythons Slither To Rest Of The U.S.?

Greg Allen — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 23:18:00 +0000
There are several exotic snake species that have become a problem in the Everglades. But for wildlife managers, the biggest headache is the Burmese python.
Earlier this year, researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey captured the largest Burmese python yet in Everglades National Park. Three USGS staffers had to wrestle the snake out of a plastic crate to measure it.

Republican Lock On Florida's Cuban-American Vote May Be Over

Greg Allen — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:58:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydm_dfQsNYQ

Florida's Most Populous County Finishes Vote Count

Greg Allen — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:25:00 +0000
It only took two extra days, but Florida's Miami-Dade County has finished counting votes in the presidential election.
Supervisor of Elections Penelope Townsley said Thursday she was pleased to announce that the state's most populous county, with more than 2.5 million people, was "the first of the large counties to complete its tabulation process."
Townsley was referring to three other large counties — Broward (population 1.8 million), Palm Beach (population 1.3 million) and Duval (population 870,000) — that were still tallying absentee ballots.
Townsley is trying to make the best of an

Florida's New Battleground: The State Supreme Court

Greg Allen — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 08:20:00 +0000
In Florida, Supreme Court justices are nominated by a commission and appointed by the governor. Every six years, they're up for retention.

Legal Battle Surrounds Florida Early Voting Dispute

Greg Allen — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:37:00 +0000
Early voting ended in Florida on Saturday. But on Sunday, some county elections officials opened their offices to allow people to vote using absentee ballots.
In Miami-Dade County, elections officials opened the office for over-the-counter absentee voting, but then inexplicably shut down. A couple of hundred waiting voters began chanting and pounding on the doors.

Florida Republican Rep. David Rivera Charged In Ethics Probe

Greg Allen — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:46:00 +0000
Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was charged Wednesday by Florida authorities with alleged ethics violations while he was in the state Legislature, perhaps imperiling his bid for re-election to the House in an already tight contest.
In action last Friday that was made public Wednesday, Florida's Ethics Commission said it believes Rivera violated state ethics laws in 11 instances — receiving income from the owners of a dog track that was meant to influence his vote. Rivera later voted to approve a bill that increased the number of slot machines allowed at the track.

Florida's Dozier School For Boys: A True Horror Story

Greg Allen — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:47:00 +0000
Over the past decade, hundreds of men have come forward to tell gruesome stories of abuse and terrible beatings they suffered at Florida's Dozier School for Boys, a notorious, state-run institution that closed last year after more than a century.
Known as the "White House Boys," these 300-some men were sent as boys to the reform school in the small panhandle town of Mariana in the 1950s and 1960s.

Venezuela Election

Greg Allen — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:33:00 +0000
Venezuelans go to the polls Sunday in an election that will decide if President Hugo Chavez remains in power. Polls indicate it's his most serious electoral challenge since taking office nearly 14 years ago, and it's mobilizing large numbers of voters in Venezuela — and in the U.S.
Nearly 20,000 Venezuelans living in Florida are registered to vote, and most arrived in the past decade, since Chavez took power.

Campaigns Targeting Hispanics, But With Tight Focus

Greg Allen — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:24:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCURhy5MIhk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MafJwFXpf_I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51HX5erTjHo

In North Carolina, Latino Voters Could Be Crucial To Winning The State

Greg Allen — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 07:35:00 +0000
In this year's presidential campaign, $11 million has been spent so far on ads targeting Hispanics, according to ad-tracking firm Kantar Media/CMAG.
That's eight times the amount spent four years ago on Spanish-language ads, and it's focused in just a handful of battleground states: Florida, Nevada, Colorado and, perhaps most surprisingly, North Carolina.
Over the past decade, the number of Hispanics in North Carolina has more than doubled to nearly a million, according to a recent report pr