Land of the Free? - "Many believe the "American Dream," is in great danger of becoming a nightmare for those who cherish individual freedom, just ask Ocie Mills. This collection of essays and articles presents a candid look at the state of our government's environmental laws and agencies run amok..."

 ‘Voyager’: largest cruise ship afloat - As long as three football fields, this behemoth is a small city - Now that you’ve purchased your 9,200-pound sport utility vehicle, perhaps you need a snappy new cruise ship to go with your lifestyle. On Nov. 21, Royal Caribbean will launch Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship on Earth. It’s as long as three football fields, contains a wedding chapel, an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall and a nine-hole golf course. In December, comedian Rita Rudner will perform. Can’t you just hear Rudner’s shtick now? ...

 Web doesn't threaten other media - People who spend a lot of time surfing the Web aren't necessarily cutting back on television or other sources of news and entertainment, a study released Tuesday says. In fact, the every-other-year Pathfinder Study from Arbitron NewMedia showed that the heaviest users of the Web may spend slightly more time reading and listening to the radio or their own stereos than people who don't use the Internet at all...

 Tire Co. Settles Suit for $17.7M - "A tire manufacturing company will pay $17.7 million to a boy who survived a van crash that killed his parents. Pirelli Armstrong Tire Corp. will pay the money to Matthew Jensen, who was 4 when his parents died in a 1993 accident that happened after a tire on their van fell apart..."

 Yaphank Man, 20, Killed in Fla. - "A Yaphank man attending the University of Florida was killed during a fight at a party the night before the highly charged Florida-Tennessee football game. Brian Tew, 20, a junior majoring in criminal justice and a reservist in the U.S. Marines, died of injuries inflicted by four men, all of whom have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, sheriff's deputies said..."

 La. Warned About Encephalitis - "People in and around Louisiana's capital are being warned to wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and insect repellent because Eastern equine encephalitis - the disease's deadliest strain - has shown up in the area's mosquitoes. Although only two people have been infected and both recovered, Eastern equine encephalitis kills 30 to 60 percent of the people it strikes, according to Dr. Jerome Goddard, medical entomologist for the Mississippi Department of Health..."

 Florida Sheriff's Dept. Wins $25M - A sheriff's department that took part in a seven-year money laundering probe received half of the $50 million seized from a marijuana smuggler - the largest single currency seizure made by U.S. Customs. ``This is a culmination of several years of hard work on part of Customs and Monroe County Sheriff's Office,'' Customs Commissioner Ray Kelly said...

 Pipe Bomb Shakes Black College - A pipe bomb exploded Wednesday in a building at Florida A&M University, the second blast at the historically black school in less than a month. No injuries were reported and damage was minor in blasts that were accompanied by the warning it was ``just the beginning, brother.'' At around the time of Wednesday's explosion, a caller to a Tallahassee television station used racial slurs and said the students at Florida A&M didn't need a university. WTXL-TV received a second call laced with profanity and racist remarks after the bomb went off...

 Fla. Sues Publishers Clearing House - Florida's attorney general sued Publishers Clearing House, saying the company isn't doing enough to change the way it runs its magazine promotions. The lawsuit charges that Publishers Clearing House preyed on senior citizens by sending personalized mailings with disclaimers that were too small to read and letting consumers think they had to buy magazines or merchandise to win a prize...

 Rite Aid Accused of Overcharging - Rite Aid Corp. has been sued for allegedly using cash registers that were automatically programmed to overcharge pharmacy customers. The racketeering lawsuit filed Wednesday by the state accuses Rite Aid of intentionally overcharging 29,000 uninsured customers more than $100,000 over a 27-month period. Rite Aid had two prices for the same prescriptions, adding an average surcharge of $1.15 per prescription for uninsured customers, said Mary Leontakianakos, Attorney General Bob Butterworth's chief of economic crimes...

 Cruise Ship Fire Strands 1,700 - A cruise ship left adrift not far from Tropical Storm Harvey got one engine started and headed further out into the Gulf of Mexico to escape the strengthening storm. Seas around Carnival Cruise Line's Tropicale swelled up to 12 feet as the vessel, carrying 1,700 passengers and crew, moved away from the storm's projected path...

 Bicyclist Victim of Hit-and-Runs - A bicyclist knocked off a highway overpass by a hit-and-run driver was repeatedly struck on the road below by other cars that scattered parts of his body for hundreds of feet. Only one motorist stopped, after getting a flat tire due to debris, police said...

 Air Force Hero Faces Sex Charges - A decorated Air Force helicopter pilot who led a daring rescue off the coast of Iceland five years ago has been charged with the attempted rape of a teen-age girl and other sexual offenses...

 Sheriff's Web Site Attacks Gays - A Florida sheriff is using his official government Web site to denounce abortion and attack gays, feminists, atheists and the American Civil Liberties Union. After quoting the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, Lee County Sheriff John McDougall takes a stab at what he calls ``the diabolical forces of moral corruption'' - Planned Parenthood, politicians, liberal judges, cyber-porn, music videos and ``United Nations one-world government radicals,'' among others...

 The Newjerseyization of the Emerald Coast - "It's called Newjerseyization, and it's spreading. The label was coined by coastal geologists to describe what happened to the beaches in the Garden State. They washed away in front of walls built years ago to protect beachfront property..."

 Dune Destruction - "Destin City Council, County and State officials turn their backs on our Dunes and natural resources while developers destroy beaches and dunes..." (this page will take 1-4 minutes to load)

 Whose Money? - "...struggle with the Republican-controlled Congress over how to spend the federal government's money." (italics mine) These were the media's words but reflect President Clinton's recent statements that the government could return surplus tax revenues to taxpayers but we would not spend it correctly. His latest statement was that the tax cut passed by Congress was "too big, too bloated, places too great a burden on America's economy..."

 Parents of Missing Girl Charged - The parents of a 5-month-old girl reported missing nearly two years ago were charged with conspiracy and lying to investigators. The federal indictment against them said they discussed the girl's death and possible stories to tell police.  Steven and Marlene Aisenberg allegedly lied about the disappearance of their daughter, Sabrina. Although prosecutors said she was not kidnapped, authorities still do not know what happened to the girl after her mother reported her missing from their suburban home in Brandon on Nov. 24, 1997...

 Man Saves Girlfriend From Gator - A woman was nearly dragged underwater by a 7-foot alligator before her boyfriend kicked the gator and managed to pull her out of a pond.   Deirdre Dozois, and her boyfriend, Stuart Chandler, were cooling themselves off in their favorite pond behind the Jolly Time Bar early...

 Fla. May Ban Esquire for Inmates - The latest issue of Esquire magazine may be banned from state prisons because of a story about a California guard ``who did some very bad things in the deadliest prison in America.'' Prison officials said the article is dangerously inflammatory.  It comes amid tension in Florida prisons over the recent death of an inmate and an investigation into whether guards killed him...

 Ex-Addicts Getting Scholarships - Four years ago, Adrian Corral sat in a dank prison, wracked by convulsions from cocaine withdrawal and filled with thoughts of hanging himself with a bedsheet. He survived his four-year sentence for drug dealing only because he lacked the nerve to kill himself.  Now Corral, 34, is going to college under a program at Texas Tech University that gives recovering addicts scholarships for staying clean, getting good grades and attending recovery meetings. It may be the first program of its kind in the nation...

 Florida's Future with Treatment-Based Drug Courts - The Office of the State Courts Administrator within the Florida Supreme Court successfully received continuation funding from the State Justice Institute so that a formal evaluation study of two treatment-based drug courts in the First Judicial Circuit (Escambia and Okaloosa Counties) could be conducted. In addition, a technical assistance grant has been completed in the Escambia County to support the development of the first recognized juvenile drug court in the nation...

 Black Church Group Picks New Leader - A Philadelphia minister who promised to reform the leadership of the nation's largest black church group was elected president of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc. on Thursday night.  The Rev. William Shaw beat 10 other candidates to succeed the Rev. Henry J. Lyons, the minister imprisoned for using the powerful position to bilk and steal more than $4 million from companies and organizations so he could live in luxury...

 Creating super weather forecasts - Scientists have found that by combining various computers, they can create one super weather forecast. The system, which is still being tested, has shown promising results so far in detecting the path of hurricanes and may be used in the future to fine-tune the science of forecasting...

 10 Commandments Judge Cleared - A judge who displays the Ten Commandments in his courtroom was cleared Wednesday of allegations he personally profited from funds raised to support his legal fight over the plaque. A two-month investigation found Circuit Judge Roy Moore had no direct ties to the defense fund and was not in violation of state ethics law, said St. Clair County District Attorney Van Davis. The fund, established by a friend of Moore, has taken in more than $100,000 in donations during Moore's fight against the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU has challenged Moore's right to display the Ten Commandments and start court sessions with prayers...

 Ala. Judge Cut Record $581M Verdict - A $581 million jury award in a $1,200 satellite dish dispute has been sliced almost in half by a judge who nonetheless lauded the jury's ``courage and vision'' for the initial verdict.  Hale County Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins gave little explanation for his decision to cut the punitive damages against Transamerica Bank to $300 million. Compensatory damages remained at $975,000...

 Mobile Remembers 1979 Hurricane - Just after nightfall, the wind whipped surf across deserted coastal roads as Hurricane Frederic roared out of the Gulf of Mexico and slammed into Mobile. With wind gusting to more than 140 mph, Frederic battered the coast and the bayside city of 200,000 during the night of Sept. 12, 1979...

 Fla. Tugboat Crew Rescued by Navy - Four hours after abandoning his sinking tugboat in 35-foot waves churned up by Hurricane Floyd, Gerald Keeth was close to giving up hope. Then, out of the gray sky, he spotted a Navy helicopter. The chopper from the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy came in low and a rescue swimmer jumped in and helped hoist Keeth and two of his shipmates from the roller-coaster waves where they were bobbing in their life jackets, clinging to a broom handle...

 Hurricane Gert Gains Strength - Growing slightly stronger with top sustained winds of 140 mph, Hurricane Gert spun in the Atlantic today on a track forecasters said could take it toward Bermuda early next week -- but away from the East Coast...

 Hurricane Adds To Shuttle Delays - Hurricane Floyd has forced NASA to further delay its next two space shuttle flights, which had already been postponed by wiring inspections. The next mission will be no earlier than Nov. 19, following the annual Leonid meteor shower, NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said today. NASA does not want shuttles in orbit during the meteor storm because of the potential damage...

 Our County Government in Action - "The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners held the first public discussion of the proposed 1999/2000 budget on 7 Sept..."

 Floyd Cancels Trains, Flights - "Hurricane Floyd scuttled travel plans Wednesday for thousands of people all along the East Coast.  Flights were canceled from central Florida up into Virginia, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Still, the flight schedule at Miami International Airport, where air travel ground to a halt Monday, had returned to normal by Wednesday afternoon, FAA spokesman Eliot Brenner said. Thursday, he said, could be a bust in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, adding that there could be some cancellations in the Washington area and New York..."

 Floyd Bearing Down on Southeast U.S. - "Monstrous Hurricane Floyd moved closer toward the Southeast, sending wind-whipped rains through Florida's deserted streets and leaving coastal residents from Georgia to Virginia bracing for a more severe thrashing. Early today, near hurricane force winds arrived at Cape Canaveral while the rest of Florida's eastern coast was met with tropical force winds and gusts up to 73 mph, said Jack Beven, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami..."

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 Hurricane an Adventure for Tourists - Many tourists here initially accepted Floyd philosophically -- viewing the intimidating tempest as a sort of bonus to their vacation. ``I find it rather exciting,'' said Lyle Warzeka, a retiree from Cincinnati, Ohio. ``Something to tell all the folks back home,'' Chris Bolte, from Mt. Vernon, Ind., said as workmen angled metal bars against glass doors facing the seafront...

 Hurricane Floyd Barrels Toward U.S. - Residents along the Atlantic coast of the southern United States are evacuating ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Floyd, the Category Four storm that is pounding the Bahamas with rain and 150-mph winds. The massive storm stretches almost 600 miles across and threatens more destruction than Hurricane Andrew, which killed 26 people and caused an estimated $25 billion in damage when it struck Florida in 1992. Floyd is three times as wide as Andrew was. And Floyd is so strong that winds at its center extend for 125 miles -- which means Florida, Georgia and South Carolina residents could feel hurricane-force winds as early as this afternoon.  Hear more in this NPR report.

 Floyd Strengthens, Nears Bahamas - "Storm-weary residents in the Bahamas braced for a brush with Hurricane Floyd as it swelled and powered up to a major storm, packing winds of up to 145 mph on Sunday.  All of the Bahamas, a 600-mile-long line of islands, was under hurricane warnings or watches. Forecasters said they might also issue a hurricane watch for part of Florida's east coast Monday.  If Floyd stays on its current path, it would hit the coast of Florida between West Palm Beach and Cocoa Beach. Forecasters expected the hurricane to begin turning north before landfall, though perhaps not much before..."

 Judge Delays Florida Smokers Trial - A judge rejected mistrial motions Friday and delayed the damage phase of a landmark Florida smokers trial for a month to allow for a possible rehearing of a recent appeals court ruling.  Circuit Judge Robert Kaye delayed the next phase of the first smokers' class-action trial until Oct. 12 while their attorneys pursue a request for reconsideration of the appeal...

 Selected Expenditures from the FY 1999-2000 Proposed Budget of Okaloosa County - These Budget Items may be approved after (2) Public Hearings in September 1999. It depends on you. Call the Commissioners and ask questions. The first Public Hearing is scheduled at the Crestview Courthouse Tuesday Sept. 07 at 7:00pm; the final Public Hearing will be Monday Sept. 20 at 7:00pm at the Water & Sewer Administration Bldg.  (See our forum and share your opinion)

 Freedom from want? - IF YOU look at the past 100 years in the 40-50 countries that are now considered rich, what trend do you see? Bradford De Long, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, describes it in the title of his forthcoming book on the 20th century as “Slouching towards Utopia”. Slouching, because despite huge material and scientific progress, people are grudging about it all. Utopia, not because perfection has been reached or is attainable, but because the state of wealth and knowledge in 1999 would have more than satisfied the Utopias envisaged by many previous crystal-gazers and proselytisers. Consider what has happened...

 How to survive a hurricane’s rage - "Handling the dangers of a hurricane require more than an ability to evacuate in a timely fashion, of course, since relatively few of the areas affected by the storms actually require that final drastic measure. The bulk of the preparations focus on preventing damage to property during the storm, and ensuring that people in stricken areas are able to ride out the aftermath as well...

 A New Baby Boom Approaches - "As Florida has gone about cultivating an image as a tropical sandbox for aging retirees, it has ignored a demographic reality: It's starting to be dominated by children. It's true that the fastest-growing segment of Florida's population for 20 years has been the very old: those 85 and older. That age group grew by more than 75% between 1980 and 1990, will grow another 59% between 1990 and 2000, and is expected to increase by more than 40% by 2010..."

 Bush Backs Some Gun Control - Less than 10 miles from where a distraught day trader killed himself after his bloody shooting spree left nine dead, Texas Gov. George W. Bush called gun-control measures currently being considered by Congress ``reasonable.'' The Republican presidential candidate said Friday he agrees with banning certain large ammunition clips and raising the legal age for gun ownership from 18 to 21. Bush also repeated his support for instant background checks on firearms sales at gun shows...

 Keyes Wins Alabama Straw Poll - The few who came, prospered, in Alabama's first ever Republican straw poll.  Talk show host Alan Keyes won the non-binding ballot with Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah finishing second and Texas Gov. George Bush, front-runner in the national race for the presidential nomination, third. Keyes, Hatch and Florida education advocate Angel Rocker were the only candidates who came...

 The Killing of an Ocean - More evidence is mounting that irresponsible human development is killing the very ocean and surrounding habitats we depend on to exist..."

 Public Trust Doctrine - A Gift From A Roman Emperor - The next time you're strolling down the beach, thank an emperor for the right to do so. Unless you're in Maine or Massachusetts. Then blame the colonial authorities for giving away this gift of the emperor...

 Teachers in Swing Case Can Work - Two teachers caught in a private sex club can go back to work, but not in the classroom, a school board voted Tuesday. Kenneth Springer and Tonya Whyte will earn their teacher salary for up to nine months and be assigned to some other duties within the Broward County school district until the allegations they acted immorally are resolved by an administrative judge...

 Teens Accused of Stockpiling Weapons - Six teen-agers have been arrested on charges of stealing and then stockpiling an arsenal of weapons and ammunition, including armor-piercing bullets, firearms and bayonets. The boys, ages 14 to 18, are suspected of taking 140 rounds of armor-piercing ammunition, 3,500 rounds of Russian and Romanian-made ammunition, three firearms and two bayonets from one house, and six guns from another...

 GREENHOUSE EFFECT AND SEA LEVEL RISE - Previous studies suggest that the expected global warming from the greenhouse effect could raise sea level 50 to 200 centimeters (2 to 7 feet) in the next century. This article presents the first nationwide assessment of the primary impacts of such a rise on the United States...

 The Beach and Your Coastal Watershed - Beaches are an important part of the complex and dynamic coastal watershed. Lake, river, and ocean beaches are America's top vacation choices. We take almost two billion trips to the beach each year and spend billions of dollars in beach communities. Inadequate protection and overuse of beaches can lead to their alteration or destruction. However, some simple actions can be taken to protect these valuable systems...

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