Kissimmee

Third Whistle-Blower Suit Filed Against Mavericks Charter Schools

A former special-education teacher at Mavericks High in Palm Springs has filed a whistle-blower lawsuit alleging that the charter school is inflating enrollment records and fabricating grades.Angenora Mechato's suit is the third whistle-blower case to be filed against Mavericks in Education Florida, ... More >>

South Florida at the Bottom of New Job Creation Rankings

​More than one in five South Florida residents said their employers were firing workers in 2011, according a Gallup poll released this morning.In a Gallup ranking of the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas, the "Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach" area ranked 44th out of 50 for job creati ... More >>

Tell Mavericks High What You Think: Public Meeting Tomorrow

Facebook.comFrank Biden is president of Mavericks in Education Florida.​For three months, we've been telling you about Mavericks in Education Florida, a local charter school chain headed by the vice president's brother, Frank Biden. Tomorrow evening is your chance to see a Mavericks campus for you ... More >>

Mavericks Assistant Principal Was Accused, and Cleared, of Kissing Former Student at Denny's

​On April 23, 2011, months before she was hired as assistant principal at the Mavericks High charter school in Palm Springs, Tisa Brandon was videotaped hanging out with teenagers at Denny's in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. At the time, Brandon was dean of Liberty High School in Kissimmee. ... More >>

Mavericks High Assistant Principal Was Investigated for Misconduct in Kissimmee

​Here's the leadership team at Mavericks High School in Palm Springs: Principal Thomas Lockett is not certified to teach in Florida and has a background in pharmaceutical sales. Assistant Principal Tisa Brandon came to Palm Springs from the Osceola County School District, where she was investigate ... More >>

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

​Here's the leadership team at Mavericks High School in Palm Springs: Principal Thomas Lockett is not certified to teach in Florida and has a background in pharmaceutical sales. Assistant Principal Tisa Brandon came to Palm Springs from the Osceola County School District, where she was investigate ... More >>

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

Facebook.comBiden at a recent Mavericks graduation in Fort Lauderdale.​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 Palm Beach, leasing agreem ... More >>

A Mavericks High Success Story

maverickshigh.comSomething is different in Kissimmee.​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 schools in the state, one stands out in star ... More >>

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

maverickshigh.comMavericks in Homestead graduated very few seniors.​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 not been thrilled with their fi ... More >>

Mavericks High in Homestead Graduated 18 Students in Two Years

maverickshigh.comMavericks High in Homestead graduated a tiny percentage of students.​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 school district.M ... More >>

Save the Nudists! The Florida Young Naturists Keep the Clothes-Free Lifestyle Alive

maverickshigh.comMavericks High in Homestead graduated a tiny percentage of students.​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 school district.M ... More >>

Florida's Death-Wish Jaywalkers: Now Interesting to the New York Times

The New York Times​The New York Times likes to discover things around the country, allowing hemmed-in Manhattanites to observe a little of the goings-on around our fair country without crossing the Hudson. So are born trend pieces on Portland's coffee, Chicago's restaurants, Pennsylvania's Dairy Q ... More >>

The Lawyers and Clinics in the 411-PAIN Network

Facebook.com​Last week's New Times cover story was an investigation of the 1-800-411-PAIN Referral Service, a network of chiropractors and lawyers that solicits clients who have been in car accidents. Some readers requested we list the names of the professionals involved in the network. Since it's ... More >>

PBC Fire-Rescue Team Wins World Competition

via Jason Martino Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Team Wins National Competition.​​A group of five Palm Beach firefighter/paramedics took home the first-place team title at the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge world championship in Myrtle Beach yesterday. Their win marks the first time in the hist ... More >>

PBC Fire-Rescue Team Prepares to Kick Ass Tomorrow at World Combat Challenge

via Jason MartinoPalm Beach Fire-Rescue Team Wins National Competition.​A group of five Palm Beach firefighter/paramedics is among the fittest and most agile rescue teams in the world, and this week the local rescuers set out to prove their strength, endurance, and speed at the Scott Firefighter C ... More >>

South Florida Homes Safe From "Worst Cities for Real Estate Investing" List

Flickr: lexlevinradApparently in Port St. Lucie the foreclosure bus will come foreclose on your house in a hurry.Want to invest in some real estate? Don't start looking in Florida.Forbes.com writer Francesca Levy published a list recently called "The Worst Cities for Real Estate Investing." Out of t ... More >>

Nelson Diaz Went From Cuba's Best Ump to Just Another South Florida Transplant

Flickr: lexlevinradApparently in Port St. Lucie the foreclosure bus will come foreclose on your house in a hurry.Want to invest in some real estate? Don't start looking in Florida.Forbes.com writer Francesca Levy published a list recently called "The Worst Cities for Real Estate Investing." Out of t ... More >>

Max Mermelstein, the Snitch Who Brought Down the Cocaine Cowboys, Hid for Two Decades

Flickr: lexlevinradApparently in Port St. Lucie the foreclosure bus will come foreclose on your house in a hurry.Want to invest in some real estate? Don't start looking in Florida.Forbes.com writer Francesca Levy published a list recently called "The Worst Cities for Real Estate Investing." Out of t ... More >>

On the Hunt for Exotic Lizards in the Florida Everglades

Flickr: lexlevinradApparently in Port St. Lucie the foreclosure bus will come foreclose on your house in a hurry.Want to invest in some real estate? Don't start looking in Florida.Forbes.com writer Francesca Levy published a list recently called "The Worst Cities for Real Estate Investing." Out of t ... More >>

Wild Hog Barbecue at Rufus Ribs

John LinnA meaty scrap of hog ribs coated in Rufus' sauce. ​ A friend of mine lives a block away from Rufus Ribs, a road-side barbecue trailer with an outdoor smoker in Boynton Beach. He's there pretty much every week, gobbling down styrofoam containers full of meaty spare ribs and pulled pork. Bu ... More >>

South Florida's Best Fishing Hole, the L-67A Canal, Falls Victim to Environmentalists

John LinnA meaty scrap of hog ribs coated in Rufus' sauce. ​ A friend of mine lives a block away from Rufus Ribs, a road-side barbecue trailer with an outdoor smoker in Boynton Beach. He's there pretty much every week, gobbling down styrofoam containers full of meaty spare ribs and pulled pork. Bu ... More >>

Psst... Did You Hear?

By Word of Mouth is the same as it ever was.

Guitar Shorty's Got a Right to Sing the Blues

By Word of Mouth is the same as it ever was.

Tie Me Up, Nawashi

They're just a bunch of kids who like to bind one another with ropes

Misery & Clemency

Or, 1,200 highway miles, ten days, nine baseball teams, six stadiums, five games, steroids, and a funeral

The Full Bernie

Three failed marriages, his family's scorn, an ongoing battle with cancer: Bernie Barker just grins and bares it

Net Free

A whimsical journey on the wings of a butterfly

By Susan Eastman

Diplomatic Immunity

A resort-hotel complex's attempt to secede from the City of Hollywood has residents up in arms

Malled!

Six shoppertainment malls, three eager mallrats, one day of shopping nirvana

A Natural Alliance

Buck Island Ranch is home to the threatened caracara, and it's a laboratory where ranchers and conservationists are learning to work together

Best Day Trip

Billie Swamp Safari and Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum

Letters

Billie Swamp Safari and Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum

Cleared for Takeoff

If Fort Lauderdale wants to keep the Baltimore Orioles in town for spring training, it just needs to come up with $36 million