This week’s cover story about a gay couple who had twins through surrogacy in Panama raises ethical questions inherent to the surrogacy process. Though the couple in the New Times feature took every precaution imaginable to ensure that agreements with their egg donor and surrogate were ethically and legally sound,…
This week’s cover story features a South Florida same-sex couple who traveled to Panama to start a family through surrogacy. They chose Central America because Florida surrogacy laws require that a couple be legally married — and Florida does not recognize gay marriage.Though the state excludes gay couples, it is…
You can take the man out of South Florida, but you can’t take the South Florida out of the man. The country learned that lesson the hard way this week, when former Fort Lauderdale resident, Kevin Theodore Simon, allegedly went berserk on a JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Fort…
This week, Gov. Rick Scott stirred uncertainty as to whether the recently overturned ban on gay adoption will last. Florida was the only state to ban gay adoption until September, when a three-judge panel in the Third District Court of Appeal in West Miami-Dade ruled that there is no “rational…
Andy Bludworth-McNeill, scrubbed in and wearing hospital blues, entered the delivery room of a Panamanian hospital. It was just before 11:30 p.m. November 8, and he took a seat next to the pregnant woman he had met only briefly before. The pristine room was a sprawling ocean of sterile hospital…
Ellen DeGeneres received an on-air mini-surprise party for her birthday today. Colin Farrell gave her a T-shirt with a photo of him kissing her (who wouldn’t want that!), Julia Roberts gave her a necklace, and Pink performed. But A-listers weren’t the only ones making special plans for Ellen’s 53rd. Renda…
New Times Broward-Palm Beach wasn’t the only paper in our chain to publish a cover story about homelessness this week. John Nova Lomax at the Houston Press wrote a feature that brought to life a perspective too often ignored — that of the homeless people themselves. In the article, “Prized Possessions,” homeless people…
Have you walked through Stranahan Park lately — or ever? It’s a nice place. But with throngs of homeless people living there, it’s also a reminder that Broward County has a significant problem: About a quarter of the 3,225 homeless people in the county did not have a bed at…
After Broward County school district’s appeal of the state-imposed penalty for violating class size restrictions, Florida Department of Education Commissioner Eric Smith recommended that the county’s penalty be reduced by $74,000 to $2.9 million — a slight break he delivered on Tuesday, though less than Broward County officials had hoped…
For every celebrity, there are hundreds of stalkers, starfuckers, and maniacal fame chasers. Renda Writer, a local poet who has been reaching out to Ellen DeGeneres in letters and videos since 2007, is none of these things, though he is unconventional and really, really driven. Writer, who uses this name…
Sean Cononie is accustomed to interruptions — ringing phones, questions from staff, resident emergencies — but this wrench in the day was different. In August, as he worked at his paper- and cigarette-ash-littered desk, settled in his cushioned leather chair with its dust-coated plastic base, the lights flickered off and…
The Constitution dictates that in addition to being a citizen and a U.S. resident for at least 14 years, a presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old. Calling the last requirement “age discrimination,” 27-year-old South Floridian Ryan Lipner is plowing forward with his quest for the presidency, and…
Of Montreal frontman, Kevin Barnes, and his brother, David, the band’s artistic director, grew up in West Palm Beach and are returning to their South Florida roots tonight for a show (or, more aptly, an energetic, colorful, costume-laden spectacle) at Revolution in Fort Lauderdale. The tour promotes their latest album,…
A 7-year-old autistic boy was reported missing in Springfield, Georgia, in April 2005. So who did the sheriff’s office contact? A service that you most likely have never heard of but that is based in Fort Lauderdale and alerts thousands of people in minutes that a child is missing. The…
Put yourself in Jon Stewart’s seat last night. You’re a political/news satirist, you have normal human emotions and promote rational discourse, you know you must acknowledge the Tucson shooting, but you also have to make people laugh. What do you do? I don’t know what you would do, but Jon…
Political extremism, loose-cannon comments, and politicians who vaguely or directly imply violence in their rhetoric have occupied airwaves for some time, and finally, the media are calling out the geyser of intolerance for indirectly causing yesterday’s Tucson, Arizona, shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 11 others, a bloodbath that left six dead…
Where is the line between cyberbullying and free speech? If one exists, it’s wide, gray, and quite cloudy, and Katherine Evans walked it for two years as she sued her former Pembroke Pines Charter High School principal for his decision to suspend her for three days for her actions on…
iPads are more than just very cool toys for early adopting techies. After a successful fundraising campaign, “18 iPads in 18 Days,” Baudhuin Preschool at Nova Southeastern University’s Mailman Segal Center for Human Development will soon be among the first schools to implement iPads in classrooms. The devices are developing a reputation…
For every celebrity, there are hundreds of stalkers, starfuckers, and maniacal fame chasers. Renda Writer, a local poet who has been reaching out to Ellen DeGeneres in letters and videos since 2007, is none of these things, though he is unconventional and really, really driven. Writer, who uses this name…
Arguing with friends over who will be the designated driver on New Year’s Eve? Well, if you live in the City of Palm Beach, here’s your backup plan. Police will drive you home without arresting you — that is, unless you act like an idiot when they arrive to pick…
Update: Zachary Knox turned himself in to authorities at the Broward Sheriff’s Office on Sunday and is charged with “dealing in stolen property.”Four thieves swiped a 250-pound bronze horse statue that cost $3,500 from the Polo Club, a new restaurant/club in Pembroke Park, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office and…
This is the tale of Benny, a fluffy little dog who has a lot to overcome. “He barked and he barked and he barked too much!” to the chagrin of his owner, Mrs. Crow. He was proud to protect his home, but as a small wide-eyed Pomeranian, he had to…
