Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, FL) articles from April 2001

Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, FL) archives from April 2001

New-Car Sales Expected to Increase in Leon County, Fla.
April 2, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams Mar. 30--New-car sales in Leon County have been down for seven months. But local car dealers say they expect this spring to be strong for auto sales. County auto dealers last month sold 832 new vehicles, down from...

Tallahassee, Fla., Radio Station to Pick Up Conservative Talk Show.
April 2, 2001... Byline: Pete Reinwald Mar. 30-- Tallahassee sports radio is about to take on an air of conservatism. Popular national talk-show host Rush Limbaugh will return to the Tallahassee market on sports radio WNLS (1270-AM) in less than two...

Consumer Group Releases Survey on Credit Card Debt.
April 3, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 3--It's one wedding gift she wished her husband hadn't given her -- $24,000 in student-loan debt and $12,000 in credit-card debt. But Jean Miller accepted it as her own -- and then set out to rid their lives...

Developer Draws $23,000 Fine for Permit Violations in Leon County, Fla.
April 4, 2001... Byline: John Fleming Apr. 3--Developer Johnny Petrandis Jr. has again run afoul of the Leon County Code Enforcement Board, this time drawing a $23,000 fine for not following the terms of a building permit. In December, Petrandis...

Florida Fisheries Agency to Hold Meetings on State's Scallop Harvest Season.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Gerald Ensley Apr. 3--Last summer was a bad year for bay scallops in St. Joseph Bay. Yet the once-threatened bay scallop population of Homosassa Bay seems to be rebounding. How to balance those contrasting circumstances will be...

Cable Television Provider Rearranges Channels in Leon County, Fla.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams Apr. 5--Some of your favorite channels aren't what they used to be. That's because Comcast has rearranged its channel lineup for Leon County. The new lineup, which went into effect Tuesday, was created in order to...

Fire Destroys Storage Facility at Tallahassee, Fla., Historic Site.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Gerald Ensley Apr. 5--Fire can destroy man's handiwork, but it can't burn the past. That was apparent Wednesday morning after a Tuesday night fire destroyed a storage barn at San Luis Mission -- but is not expected to have...

Florida Bills Include Measures to Protect against Identity Theft.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Nancy Cook Lauer Apr. 4--One of Florida's fastest growing businesses is one the state's not proud of. Identity theft -- taking over a person's name and credit history in order to commit fraud against them -- is easier because...

OPINION: Host's Firing Underscores Black Entertainment TV's Real Problem.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Erika D. Peterman Apr. 5--I wanted to like Black Entertainment Television. It was, until recently, a black-owned cable network geared toward black viewers. Back when Michael Jackson was about the only black artist making the rounds...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Business Bazaar Column.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Alice Coale Apr. 5--OPENING THOUGHT: "You don't find Sopchoppy unless you're in Sopchoppy." -- Beth McClain. SHOP TALK: Tell someone you're from Sopchoppy and, once they quit laughing, they'll inevitably ask where it is....

Kids rushing to not be kids.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Erika Peterman The two girls couldn't have been more than 10 years old, but they had very grown-up plans for the muffin they bought at the bookstore cafe. "Let's split it," one said. "That way we'll save calories." That...

Tallahassee, Fla., Group Applies To Create New Bank.
April 6, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams Apr. 6--Tallahassee could have a new locally owned bank as soon as this summer. A local group has applied to the state Department of Banking and Finance for a state bank charter that would create The Bank of...

Florida Leaders Celebrate New Federal Funding for Health Care Programs.
April 8, 2001... Byline: Nancy Cook Apr. 6--Florida's overstretched health care budget got a dose of good news Thursday when Gov. Jeb Bush announced $159 million extra coming from Washington. The money comes in the form of Medicaid "waivers" to pay...

Florida Utilities to Grant Price Break to Customers.
April 8, 2001... Byline: John Sevigny Apr. 6--After watching their utility bills skyrocket during an unusually cold winter, Tallahassee's 92,000 utility customers are about to get a break. Utility officials announced Thursday that decreasing global...

Know difference between reacting and responding to life.
April 9, 2001... Byline: Jeff Herring In response to a recent column on handling frustration, a reader e-mailed a request for more information on the difference between reacting to life and responding to life. Here are some examples of how reacting and...

Janikowski found not guilty on drug charges.
April 11, 2001... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Former FSU Seminoles kicker Sebastian Janikowski, now a kicker with the Oakland Raiders, was found not guilty on two charges of drug possession Wednesday night following a one-day jury trial in Tallahassee. The jury of...

'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' should not be overlooked.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Leo Sandon A bit of a sleeper overshadowed by blockbuster films this season is one that engages religion and culture in an interesting way. "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is directed by the brothers Coen, Joel and Ethan, of "Fargo"...

Tallahassee, Fla., Evangelical Festival Means Business to Local Economy.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 11--As many as 50,000 people are expected to flock to the Civic Center in a couple of weeks to hear the message of Franklin Graham, son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham. But most of the economic impact of...

Florida Officials May Choose between Everglades Restoration, Land Purchases.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie Apr. 11--The state wants to buy land around the St. Marks spring, the Riversink spring and several other natural areas around Tallahassee. But those purchases likely will be delayed if the Senate diverts $100...

Tallahassee, Fla., Committee Criticizes Expansion Proposal.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie Apr. 12--An influential committee of community and business leaders opposes expansion of the south-side area where the city and county want to focus redevelopment efforts. The Economic and Environmental Consensus...

More Tallahassee, Fla.-Area Businesses Choose to Outsource Specific Projects.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams Apr. 13--Several years ago, the owner of Desloge Home Oxygen and Medical Equipment decided to let someone else pay his employees. Bryan Desloge was devoting enormous amounts of time, staff and energy to payroll and...

Competition, Corporate Cutbacks Force Tallahassee, Fla., Restaurant To Close.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Pete Reinwald Apr. 13--The winner is Tia's. Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen on Capital Circle Northeast has closed -- the victim of corporate cutbacks and the loser of a Mexican-restaurant battle with nearby Tia's Tex-Mex. ...

Florida State University Has Three Choices for Medical School Dean.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager Apr. 13--Three candidates are on the short list for medical school dean at Florida State University. Two candidates -- Dr. James Gavin III, a senior scientific officer with Howard Hughes Medical Institute in...

Florida Residents Warned to Expect Gas Prices near $2 Per Gallon Soon.
April 16, 2001... Byline: Gerald Ensley Apr. 14-- Is the $2 gallon of gas coming? Maybe, maybe not. But the $1.60 gallon is here. Several stations around Tallahassee hiked their price for self-serve regular to that bar this week, topped by $1.65 at...

Tallahassee, Fla.-Based Law Firm Named One of Biggest in State.
April 16, 2001... Apr. 14-- Katz Kutter, Haigler, Alderman, Bryant & Yon, P.A. for the second straight year has made "Florida Trend"'s 2001 TopRank Florida list of the state's largest law firms. It was the only Tallahassee-based law firm to make the list. The...

Spring clean your emotional closet.
April 16, 2001... Byline: Jeff Herring What might it be like to do a little spring cleaning in your life? And I don't mean straightening out the garage or taking a few boxes to Goodwill, though that may certainly help. What I'm talking about is an...

Magazine Rankings Put Pressure on Graduate Business Schools.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager Apr. 16--Shopping for a business school is a lot like shopping for a car. You want the best bang for your buck. You also want it to get you somewhere. Going for a master's degree in business administration...

Comair To Remove Aircraft From Fleet, Reduce Flight Schedules.
April 17, 2001... Apr. 17--Comair said Monday that it would remove 17 aircraft, including eight regional jets, from its fleet and reduce future flight schedules as cost-cutting moves brought on by its pilots strike. Comair pilots have been on strike and the...

MBA Programs Duel for Minority Applicants.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager Apr. 16--Aside from his strong background as a civil engineer, Byron Menchion had something else going for him that made some of the nation's top MBA programs regard him as a prize catch. He is black. ...

Tallahassee, Fla., Professor Uses License Plate To Make Political Statement.
April 17, 2001... Byline: James L. Rosica Apr. 17--Want to know who David Coursey was rooting for during last year's legal battle over the presidency? Just check his new license plate: "GORE WON." The Florida State University professor said he's...

Experts Advise Taxpayers to Decrease the Amount of Direct Income.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 17--Whew! You've mailed off those tax returns to Uncle Sam. Now it's all behind you. You can take a break. You don't have to worry about it again until next year. WRONG! Now, say financial experts, is the...

Florida A&M University Produces Top Quality Black MBAs.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager Apr. 17--While several state schools scramble to recruit black students to their MBA programs, Florida A&M University consistently produces dozens of black MBAs each year. And they are in demand. FAMU's...

Florida Universities Hope to Increase Number of Minority MBA Recipients.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager Apr. 17--A lack of role models gave Garry Adams pause when he considered changing careers and becoming a business professor. "I heard a lot of talk about diversity, but I didn't have any African-American teachers...

Tallahassee, Fla., Chamber of Commerce Holds Small Business Breakfast Meetings.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 18--Barbara Oti used to call friends in the business community and conduct research in the library to find out what she needed to know to operate as a small-business owner. Now she just goes to breakfast. ...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Have You Heard Column.
April 18, 2001... Byline: By Bill Wessner Apr. 18--Jones Tractor Co. in Tallahassee has the solution for people who never have time to bring their lawn mower in for maintenance -- the company will go to their house. Beginning May 1, Jones Tractor will begin...

Host's firing underscores BET's real problem.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Erika D. Peterman I wanted to like Black Entertainment Television. It was, until recently, a black-owned cable network geared toward black viewers. Back when Michael Jackson was about the only black artist making the rounds on MTV,...

Special plates decry Florida election, turn heads.
April 19, 2001... Byline: James L. Rosica TALLAHASSEE, Fla._Want to know who David Coursey was rooting for during last year's legal battle over the presidency? Just check his new license plate: "GORE WON." The Florida State University professor said...

Tallahassee, Fla., Restaurant To Close.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 19--Susan Turner has spent 18 hours a day for 18 years building Food Glorious Food into a successful restaurant. Now she's getting out of the kitchen -- for good. She said she will close her restaurant...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Business Bazaar Column.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Alice Coale Apr. 19--OPENING THOUGHT: "Safety first. I need all 10 fingers to play music." -- Chris Tarquinio. SHOP TALK: It's time to prune that scraggly camellia. You peruse the job. Piece of cake. Like Edward Scissorhands,...

Florida High Court Stops Union's Contempt Hearing against Legislators.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Bill Cotterell Apr. 19--Reluctantly and politely, the Florida Supreme Court told a Tallahassee judge Wednesday not to haul legislative leaders into court on a contempt complaint by the largest union representing state employees....

Seminoles stand by mat drills.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Steve Ellis Three hours after the police investigation into Devaughn Darling's death was officially closed, Florida State football players continued their pursuit of excellence on the Mike Long Track. The goal to be champions,...

Florida Commission Tells BellSouth to Lower Network Lease Rates.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams Apr. 19--The Florida Public Service Commission ruled that BellSouth must lower many of the rates it charges competitors to lease parts of its phone network. The action one day could have an indirect effect on what...

Tallahassee, Fla., Seeks Funds To Attract More Jobs.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 20--The Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development Council is going to need more money if it wants to attract more jobs. And it's looking to the private sector for help -- $350,000 of it. ...

Florida Senate Committee Alters Growth-Management Reform.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie Apr. 19--A major growth-management reform bill went through a major overhaul in a Senate committee Wednesday. One change to the bill (CS for SB 310 and 380) would allow local governments and school boards to raise...

More High-Rises Will Spur Retail Growth, Tallahassee, Fla.-Area Official Says.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie Apr. 19--City and county growth policies that encourage a bustling downtown as an antidote to urban sprawl also ban a key component of urban living -- the high-rise apartment building. The Comprehensive Plan, the...

Florida, Georgia Forestry Industry Worries about Imports of Canadian Lumber.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams Apr. 20--Those in the North Florida and South Georgia forestry industry are concerned about imports of Canadian lumber into the U.S. And they think you should be, too. Because Canada's forestry industry is...

Nursing-Home Bill Faces Budgetary Hurdle in Florida Senate.
April 20, 2001... Byline: David Twiddy Apr. 19--After weeks of crafting a bill designed to improve nursing home care and control lawsuits, the Senate hit a budget wall Wednesday. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed out the bill, SB 1202, by a...

Tallahassee, Fla., Is Home To International Tech Firms.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams Apr. 20--You might not expect Tallahassee, known primarily as a state government town, to be home to companies that do business all over the country and the world. But it is. Tallahassee has several well-known...

First Union's Merger Changes Promise to Be Slow.
April 21, 2001... Byline: Pete Reinwald Apr. 21--First Union Corp.'s customers will continue to see green -- as in the bank's colors -- for quite a while. Paul Hyson, market president for First Union in Tallahassee, said Friday that First Union was not...

Plane Maker Markets New Merchandise in Tallahassee, Fla.
April 21, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 21--You're in business and on the go. You want to get there fast. You have become frustrated by scheduled airline flights that are canceled on the day you arrive, leaving you few alternatives to make meetings. ...

Florida Judge Claims Collective Bargaining Rights an Illusion.
April 21, 2001... Byline: Bill Cotterell Apr. 21--Circuit Judge L. Ralph Smith, stymied by the Florida Supreme Court in his effort to cite state legislators for contempt, said Friday collective bargaining rights for state employees are just an illusion. ...

Son gives mom the strength to come out.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Sharon Rauch The 11-year-old boy stood before the audience. The speech he was about to give was gutsy. His mother, squirming in her seat, wondered whether he'd gone too far. "What does the word `gay' mean to you?" the boy...

Listen to partner's heart.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Jeff Herring A few more things I've noticed along the way. _I heard on the radio that researchers have found that the average adult spends 15 hours a week worrying. That worries me. Many people seem to be what I've started...

Now's the best time to use tax information to improve your outlook.
April 24, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Whew! You've mailed off those tax returns to Uncle Sam. Now it's all behind you. You can take a break. You don't have to worry about it again until next year. WRONG! Now, say financial experts, is the best...

Tallahassee, Fla., Business Leaders Visit Austin, Texas.
April 24, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 24--Tallahassee is looking to the future -- in Austin, Texas. Twenty-four of Tallahassee's business and educational leaders will visit the high-tech hub Wednesday through Friday to take notes and talk...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., At Work With ... Column.
April 25, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager Apr. 25--Florida State University's new medical school dean envisions a future where patients correspond with their doctors by e-mail -- even in rural Florida. And those same doctors, says Dr. Joseph Scherger,...

Tallahassee, Fla., Chamber of Commerce Sponsors Professional Women's Forum.
April 25, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams Apr. 25-- Post-it notes, calendars and martinis. Those are a few of the things area businesswomen said make their lives easier. More than 200 women came together Tuesday at the Professional Women's Forum,...

Florida, Georgia, Alabama in Disagreement over Water-Sharing Plan.
April 25, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie Apr. 25-- Time is running out on water-sharing talks for the Apalachicola River System. A May 1 deadline looms for Florida, Georgia and Alabama officials to reach an agreement or possibly head to the U.S. Supreme...

Comparing Grahams _ father and son _ is tricky.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Leo Sandon The comparisons between father and son abound. Once Franklin Graham, who recently conducting the North Florida Festival 2001, became his father's designated successor as chairman and chief executive of the Billy Graham...

Tallahassee, Fla., Business Group Creates Ethics Award.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Pete Reinwald Apr. 26--Rick Kearney practices the highest ethical business standards. The Tallahassee business community says so. Kearney, president of Mainline Information Systems, on Wednesday won the first Ethics in Business...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Business Bazaar Column.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Alice Coale Apr. 26--OPENING THOUGHT: "When you look at my work, you're looking at a piece of furniture first. The fact that it's small is secondary." -- Kevin Mangan. SHOP TALK: It's an exact copy of an apothecary chest...

Welcome to the dialogue, Charlie Ward.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Leo Sandon The hubbub over Charlie Ward's comment on Jews and Jesus has gone through several stages of fumbling and stumbling to a quite constructive decision, but it took a while for Charlie to come down right. The flap...

Tallahassee, Fla., Cab Driver Fight City Hall to Wear Shorts during the Summer.
April 27, 2001... Byline: John Sevigny Apr. 27--If you drive a taxi in Tallahassee, you can't dress like a slob. City rules bar cab drivers from wearing shorts or T-shirts, even during the hottest months. But at least one cabbie thinks the city's dress...

Florida House Approves Growth Management Bill.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie Apr. 27--The House on Thursday approved a growth bill supported by Gov. Jeb Bush after the governor's allies thwarted some proposed changes. Bush's key growth initiatives -- proposals intended to reduce school...

Shell Point, Fla., Resort Town Loses Businesses.
April 27, 2001... Byline: John Fleming Apr. 27--Shell Point isn't a ghost town. It just seems that way when you drive by the closed restaurant, hotel and marina. All three businesses, owned by Shell Point Resort Inc., have shut down in the last...

High-Tech Semiconductor Dreams Spur Tallahassee, Fla., Officials' Texas Trip.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan Apr. 27--AUSTIN, Texas--Tallahassee business and educational leaders knew what they wanted when they arrived in Austin -- a semiconductor facility. All they needed were answers on how to attract one, as well as other...

Job Market Somewhat Slower for Florida's New College Graduates.
April 28, 2001... Byline: Rosanne Dunkelberger Apr. 28--Stock prices may tank and the U.S. may wobble on the precipice of recession, but it's still happy days for soon-to-be college graduates in the fields of computers, engineering, health and education....

Learn to manage stressful situations.
April 30, 2001... Byline: Jeff Herring Six tips for becoming a diamond. _Run for it. If you ever find yourself reading a book or listening to someone tell you to eliminate all the stress in your life, run for it. Get out of there, because it's not...

Shell Point, Fla., Hosts Annual Sailing Regatta.
April 30, 2001... Byline: Rosanne Dunkelberger Apr. 30--SHELL POINT, Fla.--If the word "regatta" conjures up images of pennants snapping in the wind and natty fellows in navy blue jackets and crisply pressed white duck pants sipping gin-and-tonics on the...

Florida A&M University Spends Money Marked for Faculty on Student Aid Instead.
April 30, 2001... Byline: Paige St. John Apr. 30--When it comes to using money intended to attract distinguished faculty, Florida A&M University stands alone among state universities in giving those funds instead to students. Financial statements...