Some highlights from the weekend's papers:
-- In news that will do no good for Tony Soprano's health, The Miami Herald reported Sunday that mobster and accused Gus Boulis killer Anthony Moscatiello is a snitch. Reporters Wanda J. DeMarzo and Jay Weaver, in the Story of the Day, also illustrate a possible motivation for the wiseguy to have gone to the other side: John Gotti once threatened to blow up Moscatiello's house with him in it.
-- Buddy Nevins did a good job looking at an issue that I've thought of exploring: the pay and politics surrounding Broward County Commission aides. No bombshells, but he did find out that they're paid extravagant amounts of money compared to the rank-and-file employees. One county aide to watch: Amy Rose, who is running for State House. She works for Gunzburger and you have to wonder if some of her time on the public dime will be spent campaigning.
-- The Herald's Diana Moskovitz does a nice bit of government reporting today on Hallandale Beach. She finds out that a new lobbyists' registration law is basically a sham since it exempts oh, just about all the influence peddlers in Hallandale -- i.e. those representing developers.
-- The Palm Beach Post scrutinized two county commissioners the past couple of days. On Sunday, reporter Tom Dubocq details a questionable land deal involving Tony Masilloti. Masilloti's family profited more than $1 million on a deal that involved a stipulation that he would profit if the South Florida Water Management District bought the land. It did. No smoking gun here, but it's good and fishy. Today, reporter Deana Poole writes about Addie Greene's support of the FAU/Briger site for Scripps based on a promise of $5 million in minority contracts for the project. The answer remains elusive, but it appears that Poole is going to follow the money, which might prove interesting.
-- Just when it seemed that I was going to be all gooey on the media today, we see the front page of the Palm Beach Post today. On the top of the page is a picture of a soul-patched Howie Mandel beside the words, "Deal or No Deal, why it's prime time's coolest game show." I think they did it just to piss me off.
(The next installment of Someone Has to Die Tonight will be posted this afternoon).
