Email Author Lisa Rab

Awards

• 2012 - National Council on Crime and Delinquency/Prevention for a Safer Society Award, published April 7, 2011

  "School of Hard Knocks"

• 2011 - National Association of Black Journalists Awards, published September 30, 2010

  "On the Down Low"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published December 9, 2010

  "Crash Course"

• 2010 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published July 23, 2009

  "Hello, My Name is Amigo"

• 2010 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published November 19, 2009

  "Newspapers Are Dead"

• 2008 - Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards/The Press Club of Cleveland

  "Contract Killing"

• 2007 - Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards/The Press Club of Cleveland, published February 15, 2006

  "Fall of the Fourth Reich"

• 2007 - Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards/The Press Club of Cleveland, published July 26, 2006

  "Screams in the Dark"

More

2011 Stories by Lisa Rab

• Frank Biden: "We're Not Profiting From Our Schools"

  published Dec 30, 2011

  Responding to this week's cover story about the charter school chain he runs, Frank Biden continues to insist Mavericks in Education Florida is not profiting from its schools. He says it's just the sc... More >>

• A Look Inside the Newest Mavericks High in Palm Springs

  published December 29, 2011

  Liz Downey walks through the rows of blue-and-yellow-painted computer cubicles, her words spilling out bubbly and fast. She has white hair, a... More >>

• Federal "Race to the Top" Funds Used to Build More Florida Charter Schools in Poor Areas

  published Dec 29, 2011

  This week's cover story about Mavericks in Education Florida explores the pitfalls of a for-profit charter school company that promises to help at-risk kids. Florida has been especially friendly ... More >>

• Scott Rothstein Questioned About Melissa Britt Lewis Murder

  published Dec 28, 2011

  Nearly four years after attorney Melissa Britt Lewis' murder, questions still swirl about the crime. Tony Villegas, the man charged with strangling her and dumping her body in a canal, has not yet fac... More >>

• SoFla Charter School Connections to Tallahassee

  published Dec 27, 2011

  The booming business of charter schools in South Florida is no accident. Local charter-school operators such as Mavericks in Education Florida and Charter Schools USA have ties to powerful politicians... More >>

• 

  COVER STORY

  Mavericks High Schools Hope to Profit From Education – But at What Cost?

  published December 29, 2011

  Before the songs, chanting, and heartfelt tears, the ceremony next door to a Palm Springs strip mall begins with speeches. A thin, deeply... More >>

• Miami Sen. Bullard Proposes Bill to Make Charter Schools More Transparent

  published Dec 22, 2011

  If you can't stop the for-profit charter school bonanza in Florida, at least let the public see how much dough private education companies are making. That's the basic message behind the bill Miami st... More >>

• Mavericks Charges Charter Schools $350K in Rent, Plus Fees

  published Dec 21, 2011

  When a private company aims to profit from a taxpayer-funded public school, the extra dough must come from somewhere. For Mavericks in Education Florida, the charter school chain headquartered in West... More >>

• Palm Beach School Board Member Chuck Shaw's Ties to Mavericks Charters

  published Dec 20, 2011

  When the Palm Beach County School Board approved a new Mavericks High charter school this February, one board member abstained from the vote. Chuck Shaw, the former principal of the JFK Medical Center... More >>

• 

  COVER STORY

  South Florida's Dirty Dozen: Our Annual List of Our Worst

  published December 22, 2011

  Put down your margarita for a second and imagine a South Florida without bad guys. No scumbags, hucksters, shysters, megalomaniacs,... More >>

• A Mavericks High Success Story

  published Dec 19, 2011

  For weeks, the Pulp has brought you news of the academic struggles at Mavericks in Education Florida, a local for-profit charter school chain headed by Frank Biden. But among the eight Mavericks high ... More >>

• Palm Beach School Officials "Concerned" About Mavericks Charter Schools Track Record

  published Dec 15, 2011

  Palm Beach County school officials are taking a closer look at the academic track record of Mavericks in Education Florida, the local for-profit charter school chain headed by Frank Biden. They have n... More >>

• Mavericks High in Homestead Graduated 18 Students in Two Years

  published Dec 14, 2011

  A Homestead charter school run by a for-profit company that promises to help at-risk kids graduate issued standard diplomas to only 18 students in the past two years, according to the Miami-Dade schoo... More >>

• Frank Biden Now Listed on State Docs as Charter School President

  published Dec 13, 2011

  It's official. Frank Biden, brother of the man second in line for the White House, is listed on state documents as president of the for-profit Mavericks in Education Florida charter school chain based... More >>

• Mavericks Schools Founded by Former Head of Controversial Ohio Charter Schools

  published Dec 09, 2011

  Mavericks in Education Florida, the Fort Lauderdale-based charter school chain promoted by Frank Biden, has ties to another for-profit charter school company that has been highly controversial in Ohio... More >>

• Amy Fisher, Former Lover of Joey Buttafuoco, Dancing in West Palm

  published Dec 08, 2011

  If you fancy a little '90s nostalgia with your lap dance, be sure to stop by T's Lounge in West Palm Beach this week to catch the featured dancer. Amy Fisher, who was Jersey Shore trashy before i... More >>

• Rush Limbaugh's Defense Attorney, Roy Black, Hosts Fundraiser for Patrick Murphy

  published Dec 06, 2011

  Memo to Patrick Murphy: If you want to win street cred with the 99 percent, don't have Rush Limbaugh's lawyer host your fundraiser.Murphy, the Democratic congressional candidate hoping to unseat U.S. ... More >>

• Records Show Miami Mavericks High Teachers Paid Peanuts, Less Than $5K a Year

  published Dec 05, 2011

  State records show that teachers at two Mavericks High public charter schools in Miami-Dade County earned less than $5,000 a year in 2010 and that many did not receive benefits.According to records su... More >>

• NY Times Rags on Lake Worth "Riff-Raff," Makes Commissioner Bluster

  published Dec 02, 2011

  Poor Lake Worth. The hippie, quirky, crunchy little stepchild of Palm Beach got a brief shout-out in the New York Times "Frugal Traveler" blog this week, but the fifteen minutes of fame only angered a... More >>

• Mavericks High Charter Schools Not Accredited

  published Dec 01, 2011

  Records show that the Mavericks in Education Florida charter schools, which have a high-profile lobbyist and cheerleader in Frank Biden, are not accredited high schools. This means their graduates may... More >>

• UPDATED: Why Frank Biden Is "President" of SoFla Charter School Chain

  published Nov 25, 2011

  UPDATE: In a report filed with the state on December 5 -- two weeks after New Times broke this story-- Biden is listed as president of Mavericks in Education Florida, and Attkisson is vice president.N... More >>

• UPDATED: Joe Biden's Brother Is President and "P.T. Barnum" for SoFla Charter School Chain

  published Nov 22, 2011

  UPDATE: The Palm Beach County School Board's vote on three new Mavericks schools has been postponed. Read more after the jump.When owners of a for-profit charter school chain go before the Palm Beach ... More >>

• Florida Bar's Guide to Being an Adult: "Why Can't I Drink at 18r"

  published Nov 18, 2011

  For those darling kids who just turned 18 and have no idea how to operate themselves, the Florida Bar is here to help. The smarty-pants lawyers have released an exquisitely worded pamphlet&n... More >>

• If Pizza Is a Vegetable, So Is This Burger

  published Nov 17, 2011

  Every few years, our elected officials pretend to care about nutrition. This week, Congress is debating whether to keep counting the tomato paste on pizza as a serving of vegetables in school lunches.... More >>

• Herman Cain Welcome Sign: "Got Groper"

  published Nov 16, 2011

  Herman Cain is stumping in South Florida today, attempting to revive his sputtering presidential campaign with a $999-a-head fundraiser at the home of Palm Beach Council President David Rosow and a pu... More >>