The City of Fort Lauderdale has a $311 million annual budget, and $95 million of it — 30 percent — is earmarked for the police force. The police get significantly more than any other city department. And yet, according to an agenda item for tonight’s 6:30 p.m. commission meeting, Fort Lauderdale…
The videos open with a montage straight out of the television show CSI: Cops chase down suspects, try on SWAT gear, shoot at targets and throw suspects in jail, all set to a thumping drum beat. But rather than open with awful puns from David Caruso, each episode then starts…
The sight of a W-2 in your mailbox can strike either fear or joy into your heart. If you’ve decided to take your money upfront and deal with Uncle Sam in April, things are about to get tight. But if you paid along the way all year long, that paper…
A man from New York mailed $32,000 cash to a Fort Lauderdale tattoo shop last August for what his lawyer now characterizes as “legitimate business purposes.” But according to police, those purposes may have involved illegal narcotics, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be getting that money back anytime soon…
Three-year-old Ashton Bradshaw suffers from cerebral palsy and other developmental issues. She’s wheelchair-bound, can’t sit up without a back brace or go to the bathroom by herself, and is nearly blind. Her care costs thousands of dollars each month, much more than Ashton’s 36-year-old mother, Davia Bradshaw, can afford. It…
Sometime during this codeine-addled horse-race of an election cycle, I lost the ability to distinguish between Donald Trump and John F. Kennedy. Last week, after a particularly stressful day, I came home around 7 p.m., threw CNN onto the television, and promptly fell asleep on the couch, only to wake…
Sailing to Cuba — that’s the hot topic in the boating world these days. So the tent was packed full yesterday at the Strictly Sail Miami boat show at Bayside Marketplace, where Wally Moran gave a talk explaining how cruisers and sailors can best explore the communist island. Moran is…
A law currently moving through the Florida state legislature could result in a drastic reduction of greyhound racing in the state. Greyhound advocates think that would be wonderful! But leaders in the greyhound racing industry say it would cost thousands of people their jobs. “There are 4,000 people in the…
For the past three years, Dr. Hansel Tookes, a 34-year-old medical resident specializing in infectious diseases, has fought to bring a needle-exchange program to South Florida. With the spike in heroin use, a needle exchange is desperately needed here, Tookes says—especially since Miami-Dade and Broward counties have the highest rates…
“I think maker spaces are outlets for creativity and empower people to explore new ways of making ideas come to life and expressing their inner selves through craft,” says Brian Weiner, co-founder of Makers Square Makerspace — which will shut sits doors after Saturday’s closing party, due to a conflict regarding…
Broward County Public Schools has, since 2014, received a torrent of criticism for the way it handles students with disabilities. In May of that year, a district-commissioned report found that special-needs students often endure gruelingly long bus rides, sit in classes that are far too large, and are managed by…
Monalisa Weber is a former probation officer for the Florida Department of Corrections. She worked with hundreds of offenders, helping them fill out paperwork and meet court dates. After six years she grew frustrated and resigned—noticing that most offenders didn’t know their rights and that the tiniest infraction while on…
In Florida, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas, T.J. Shulman has won almost a half-million dollars in poker tournaments. One day this past August, the talkative Boca Raton pro sat beneath a wall of TVs that brightened Hialeah Park’s poker room. He saw dollar signs in the eyes of the players…
Valentine’s Day means different things to different people — probably depending on what gender you are. If you’re a woman, you’re probably thinking boxes of chocolates, flowers, pink balloons, heartfelt cards, and thoughtful, well-planned surprises. If you’re a guy, you’re thinking about how to make all those same things happen…
Last week, Broward’s first case of the zika virus was reported, and Governor Rick Scott declared a public health emergency in the county. Zika is ripping its way through poor communities in Brazil, and is tied to birth defects — For about a week, that was believed to have been…
For years, animal lovers have been fighting to end greyhound racing in Florida. Today, that goal could be closer to reality if two bills pass through their respective committees in the state legislature. If they become law, says a greyhound advocate, about 3,200 of Florida’s active racing greyhounds could retire. …
Today”s primary vote in New Hampshire is all about the Jebster. The former Florida governor and fading presidential candidate is sunk if he doesn’t nail the New Hampshire race today — finishing at least in the top three. The right wing of the party has staged an interesting attack on…
Belkis López Correa is poised on her skateboard, ready to give herself over to one of the most epic hills in all of Havana. The 16-year-old stands under a fierce midday sun with a forward gaze, steady and cool. Her knees are slightly bent, pink Vans sneakers stacked atop a…
Everything about last night’s Super Bowl was pretty underwhelming. The pre-game and halftime shows were forgettable. The game itself was putrid. And if you were just watching for the commercials, those were nothing special, either. There doesn’t seem to be a universal favorite among the disappointing bunch. That is, unless you’re a…
Last week, we mused about eight ways Fort Lauderdale has changed for the better, highlighting social justice, the FAT Village art walk, and Uber. But as with any performance review, we get the back-patting out of the way, and then move on to the constructive criticism. All that swanky can’t cover…
Randy Hilliard’s career with the Broward Sheriff’s Office ended on March 28, 2014, after he was asked to retire. He had been working in the department’s crime lab, where drugs seized from defendants are weighed and tested. As the drug unit’s “technical analyst,” he was second in the lab’s chain…
Broward County may get its second affordable housing project for artists. Artspace, a real estate developer specializing in affordable live/work spaces for low- and moderate-income artists, is conducing a survey to determine the market needs for a live/work/create project planned for downtown Hollywood. The survey’s findings will help identify the size…
