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Scott Powers - page 48

Scott Powers has 379 articles published.

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ yearsā€™ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, heā€™s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].

Florida’s bear population abundant, robust and growing, officials say

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

There now are an estimatedĀ 4,350 bears in Florida with dramatic increases in some areas of the state, wildlife officials said Thursday. That number, included in a new state bear census, led the officials to describe the population as abundant, robust and growing. That Florida black bear census reflects the state’s population before last fall’s controversial first bear hunt in a generation. The bear population estimates will change with numbers from the hunt,Ā said Thomas Eason, habitat and species conservation director for…

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Incumbent state House candidate uses political action committee money to buy school bus

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

State Rep.Ā Rene PlasenciaĀ has found a new way to spend independent political action committee campaign money while he seeks election in a new district: he used it to buyĀ a school bus. Plasenciaā€™s Commitment to Opportunity, Action and Community Health PAC (COACH PAC) spent $6,735 on Feb. 18 to purchase, at the Campus Auto Retail Service in Deland,Ā what the PACā€™s website called ā€œcapital.ā€ Once the purchase was noticedĀ on the PACā€™s website,Ā it had political activists and observers in Central Florida raising eyebrows and…

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SeaWorld ending orca breeding program; current killer whales will be its last

in Apolitical/Top Headlines by

ThreeĀ years of pounding bad publicity about its orca programs have led SeaWorld Parks & EntertainmentĀ Wednesday morning to announce the end of the theme park company’sĀ iconicĀ but controversial killer whale breeding program. The company announced early Wednesday that it would end the program and that the whales it has in captivity now would be its last. That means the shows and images of orcas will change radically at the parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego and eventually phase out as…

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Policy institute calls final state budget better than Rick Scottā€™s, but still lacking

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

The Florida Policy Institute says the state’s new 2016 budget is better than Gov. Rick Scott’s initial proposal. The nonprofit’s report, though, says the spending plan still lacks adequate investment in health care, public education, prisons and other state services. The report praised the Legislature for killing Scott’s proposed $1 billion tax cut, saying it would just help businesses while reducing resources for urgent needs. It also criticized a tax cut for machinery and equipment the Legislature included, saying it…

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Bill Nelson gets drones-at-airports intercept program into FAA reauthorization bill

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson‘s concern about unpiloted drones flying near airports led him to take steps in Senate action Wednesday to stop them. Florida’s senior senator had the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee insert a pilot program to deter them into the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill. Senate Bill 2658, which ranking Democrat Nelson of Florida andĀ Chairman Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, had marked up and approved by the committee, also includes new protections for airline passengers hit with…

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Rick Scott calls for end of ‘Republican on Republican’ violence and coalescence around Donald Trump

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

In an appearance on the Greta Van Susteren show Wednesday night, Florida Gov. Rick Scott backed up his endorsement of Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination and called for an end of “Republican on Republican violence.” In an appearance on the “On The Record with Greta Van Susteren” show on the Fox News Channel, Scott stayed with his theme of letting the voters decide, and saidĀ “Donald Trump is clearly the will of the voters” and it is time for…

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Florida Democratic Party projecting 101 delegates for Hillary Clinton, 51 for Bernie Sanders so far

in 2017/Top Headlines by

With Hillary Clintonā€˜s near 2 to 1 victory over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in Floridaā€™s presidential primary, she appears to have locked up two Florida delegates for each one going to Sanders, with more to be awarded. With 16 of the 27 congressional districts in Florida decided, the Florida Democratic Party unofficially projected late Tuesday night that Clinton had won 101 delegates and Sanders 51. Florida awards 214 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, so 62 remain up for grabs…

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