Palm Springs

Witness to an Execution: State Rep. Dave Kerner Watches Murderer Die

"Write what you know" is the cardinal rule of creative writing, and it would seem to be even more important in the writing of legislation. Bad literature can be ignored; bad law, not so much. State Rep Dave Kerner has taken that thought to heart. Kerner (D-Palm Springs) has played a major role ... More >>

Five South Florida Food-Related Events This Weekend: Seminole Hard Rock Wine and Food Festival and More

After weeks of hard partying and rough wakeup calls, Halloween and Oktoberfest have packed up and shipped out until next October. But don't let that rain on your parade this weekend. The forecast calls for mostly clear skies and a comfortable mix of food- and drink-related activities in Broward and ... More >>

Palm Beach Failing to Make a Profit with Red-light Traffic Cameras

Big Brother is watching. But Big Brother owes money.Those traffic light cameras that flash two seconds after you've run the red were supposed to pay bug for local governments. Instead, not so much is the case. According to county administrators, the county owes more than what it's taking in.&nb ... More >>

Mavericks Charter School Holds Job Fair, Insists Diplomas Are Legit

If you've always wanted to work for a company with a shady academic track record and legal headaches, here's your chance. Mavericks High in Palm Springs, the newest in a chain of for-profit charter schools headed by Vice President Joe Biden's brother, is holding a job fair next Monday. Accordin ... More >>

Oscar Luis Franco Padron Staged Car Accidents, Got Eight Years in Prison and $4.3 Million In Fines

South Florida is a grifter's paradise. And the latest con to emerge in this skeezy swampland is as brazen as it is complex: staging car accidents. Earlier this week, the FBI announced that at least ten people have been sentenced in a West Palm Beach court for their role in the scheme. ... More >>

Mavericks High Has Lowest FCAT Reading Score in Palm Beach; Tied for Second-Worst in Broward

Aside from the kids in the Palm Beach County jail, tenth grade students at Mavericks High in Palm Springs fared worse on the FCAT reading test than any of their peers in the county, according to data released last week by the state Department Education. Only 7 percent of the 54 students who took the ... More >>

George LeMieux Camp Says Maybe Connie Mack's Water Bill Is So Low Because He Drinks Tiger Blood

While it's not clear if a Republican can beat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November, the fight for the Republican nomination has no shortage of interesting rhetorical maneuverings.The most recent spat between George LeMieux and Rep. Connie Mack started over a web ad the LeMieux campaign released t ... More >>

Frank Biden "Plans to Save the Country" With Mavericks High Schools

Frank Biden, younger brother of the man who is second in line for the White House, has a flair for the dramatic. Last year, he called the Mavericks High charter school in Palm Springs a "hope factory" and said its management company, Mavericks in Education Florida, was "on a mission from God."  ... More >>

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 >>

Palm Beach School Officials Recommend Denying Three New Mavericks Schools (Updated)

UPDATE: Read about the School Board's vote after the jump.A New Times story prompted officials to ask questions.​Mavericks in Education Florida should not be allowed to open three more charter high schools in Palm Beach County, school district officials say, because the for-profit company's claims ... 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 >>

Principal at Mavericks High in Palm Springs Not Certified to Teach in Florida

​The principal of the Mavericks High charter school in Palm Springs is not certified to teach in Florida, according to the State Department of Education.Thomas Lockett runs a school that serves roughly 500 at-risk students and promises to help them earn enough credits to graduate. Yet he does not ... More >>

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

​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 school buildings that bring in the dough."We're not profiting from our schools. Anybody with half a ... More >>

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

A Look Inside the Newest Mavericks High in Palm Springs

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 >>

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

pr.comFrank Biden joined other Mavericks employees in donating to Shaw's campaign.​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 Charter School ... 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 >>

Palm Springs Man, 81, Dies After Being Hit by Cop Car in Pursuit of Possible Traffic Ticket

Flickr​An 81-year-old Palm Springs resident died yesterday morning, 12 weeks after being placed in a hospice for injuries suffered when a cop car rammed into him, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.Frank Muxella was riding his motorized chair on a sidewalk near the 1400 block of S ... More >>

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Releases New Sketch of Serial Rapist

PBSOSuspected serial rapist​The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has released a new sketch of the "very violent" serial rapist police believe has sexually assaulted five women between July 2009 and September 2011.The sheriff's office connected the most recent attack from September 23 to the seri ... More >>

Palm Beach County Serial Rapist Attacks Victim Number Five, Police Say

​The "very violent" man suspected of raping women for more than two years has recorded his fifth attack, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office believes.Investigators have connected the September 23 sexual assault of a 22-year-old to their suspected rapist, marking the second assault linked to the ... More >>

No Reservations: Anthony Bourdain in the California Desert

Travel ChannelGirls, girls..there's no reason to lose your heads over Anthony Bourdain. He's married.​No Reservations has had Anthony Bourdain travel to some interesting places like Cuba, Ghana, Liberia and Cambodia. Imagine our surprise when last evening Tony was seen driving a vintage Thunderbir ... More >>

PBSO Looking for a Couple of Rapists, Including One Violent Serial Rapist

PBSOWho has two thumbs and is a suspected rapist? That guy.​If you know a guy who may or may not have raped four women and looks a lot like the dude in the picture to the right, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office would like to know about that.Detectives from PBSO are looking for the "very viol ... More >>

Palm Beach County's Serial Rapist Will Get America's Most Wanted Treatment

Sketch: PBSO / P. Moody​He has raped at least four women during a 9-month period, according to investigators with the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, which is still looking for the man. Tomorrow night, viewers of America's Most Wanted get to take a crack at it. The show airs Saturday at 9 on WSVN-7.O ... More >>

Owner of Lake Worth's John G's Dies

johngs.com​The owner of John G's Restaurant in Lake Worth, John Giragos, died on Wednesday following a stroke.Giragos, who was 81, founded the popular breakfast and lunch spot in the Lake Worth Casino in 1973. The restaurant is operated by his children, and still enjoys the long lines that made it ... More >>

Inside Out

Guatemala Típico

Two miles, two wonderful meals

Checking Into Rehab

After a bummer first time, Dennis Rodman's bad habits brought us back for a blast.

Diary of a Fat Black Woman

Mo'Nique gets her groove on in the sassy but amateurish Phat Girlz.

Win the Tourney or It's Your Mom's 401-k

Making the top 500 in pro tennis is a big investment.

A Constant State of Rage

In Delray Beach, cops have a remarkable history of shooting black suspects — with impunity

Letters for October 6-12, 2005

White Fort Lauderdale

The color of the newest mecca

Where the Boys Are

Georgie's Alibi is the cornerstone of the Manors milestone

Torque Nada

Motorcycle sound and fury signify nothing but do kinda rock, a little

Unsafe Sex

Our intrepid reporter probes the gay orgies that have helped to spark a runaway syphilis outbreak

Dark Roots

Concrete Blonde's travels build upon its Latin foundation

Letters for February 27, 2003

The Oliphant in the Room

Letters for July 4, 2002

Cox suckers?!

Letters for March 28, 2002

Straighten up, free weekly

A Handy Dandy

Jeff Wright brings out the best in people

A Big Outing

Two South Florida activists take their local production Out & About

Going, Going, Gone

Gone in 60 Seconds

My Life as a Eunuch

What's a man to do if he doesn't want his balls hanging around? Simple: Just find someone to cut them off.

Gay Retail's Sharp Claws

Shopping the rainbow

Singing Through History

History Repeating

There's Something Fishy Going On