The staff at FAU’s student newspaper the University Press (UP) was shocked on May 16 when they discovered a reporter from The Boca Raton Tribune named Fred Hamilton had passed off a student’s reporting as his own.  Student journalist Emily Bloch, who is also a freelance writer for New Times, had…

Recently, officials have been considering whether the act of trainers riding Lolita the orca at the Miami Seaquarium should be considered harassment under the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, activists are also arguing that such behavior poses a significant risk to the safety of the marine park’s employees.   In July of 2014,…

On Friday nights, Arlene Goldberg and her late wife Carol Goldwasser loved to share home-cooked meals together in their Fort Myers home. Afterward they’d sit on the couch and watch TV, cuddling with their fluffy white dogs Toto and Lacey. If there was a Yankees game on, you can bet…

During the ’60s and ’70s, orca hunters Ted Griffin and his partner Don Goldsberry, the director of animal collection for SeaWorld, violently snatched nearly an entire generation worth’s of Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) calves from their mothers, using underwater explosives in the process.   In 1976, after the duo reduced the already…

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sent the Seaquarium a letter notifying their intent to file a lawsuit in federal district court under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The letter says that the orca Lolita’s captivity at the Seaquarium is unlawful because she is being harmed, harassed,…

Since 1970, Lolita, the orca in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium, has done thousands of shows for audiences. However, due to her new status as an endangered animal, she may soon no longer be forced to perform.  In 2005, NOAA officials listed Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) as endangered due to…

In an effort to raise public awareness about exploitation of marine mammals, the Animal Activists Network (AAN) has held several peaceful protests this year in front of the Miami Seaquarium. This weekend, they’re trying a new venue: the home of a park executive.  On weekends the animal rights activists regularly…

The Florida Senate has approved a bill that would officially remove Florida’s gay adoption ban from the state’s statutes. The bill has already passed the House and now moves to Gov. Scott for finalization.  In 1977, Florida banned same-sex couples from adopting. The law has not been in effect since…

As an athletic teenager living in Homestead in the early 90s, Vanessa Alenier had a secret she held on to tightly, scared she might be rejected by her friends, and even family, if discovered. She was same-sex attracted. Though Alenier attempted to fit into the social molds of the day by…

Yesterday, an animal rights activist traveled into rural Hendry County in his 4×4 SUV in search of a primate breeding complex that is expanding its facilities to accommodate thousands of monkeys that will be imported from Africa and used for lab testing. He hoped to bring attention to what he…

The orca Lolita has lived in captivity and performed three times a day at the Miami Seaquarium for more than 44 years. During that time, she has been swimming in circles in a tank that has become the subject of increasing public scrutiny. Animal rights activists have for years alleged…

Clean & Clear, a line of skincare products, has announced its new spokesperson: 14-year-old Broward resident Jazz Jennings, a transgender youth who has in the past written a book and has spoken to Oprah about her transgender experience. In a Clean & Clear video (below), she says middle school has…

Yesterday the Republican-dominated Florida House supported a bill that would officially remove Florida’s gay adoption ban from the state’s statutes…

Lolita, the orca at the Miami Seaquarium, has been in captivity for decades. Now, in addition to the animal rights groups that have long been calling for her release, another groups of people are demanding her retirement. Several Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest, where Lolita was born, are…

UPDATE: At the end of tonight’s meeting Fort Lauderdale commissioners postponed the decision on the aquatic center, again, until March 17. They are taking this time to review RDC’s cost increases because City Attorney Cynthia Everett says she does not see anything in the city’s contract with the contractor that…

On March 24, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal in Atlanta will consider the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s (ALDF) lawsuit regarding the captivity of Lolita, the orca exhibited at Miami Seaquarium. In the years leading up to the suit, numerous animal-rights activists contacted the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)…

The Miami Seaquarium, one of the nation’s oldest marine mammal parks, is bracing for a hurricane. A tirade of condemnation is now raining down from thousands of animal rights’ activists who want the iconic Florida landmark shut down. They believe the park is exploiting captive animal performers — some of…

The Magic City’s biggest star, Lolita the orca at the Miami Seaquarium, has been entertaining crowds of tourists and locals with her incredible splash for more than 40 years. Today, Lolita, one of the oldest living orcas in captivity, has come one step closer to swimming out of the limelight…

Miami Seaquarium’s Lolita the killer whale is quite literally the Magic City’s biggest star. For more than 40 years, she has been wowing crowds of tourists and locals with her incredible splash. This week, Lolita, one of the oldest living orcas in captivity, may come one step closer to swimming…

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court Justices have said they will determine this spring whether the Constitution requires all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and whether every U.S. state must recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere…

In light of marriage equality coming to Florida, the River of Grass Unitarian Universalist Congregation (RoG) in Davie will be celebrating by performing free weddings for same-sex couples this Sunday…