Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, FL) articles from December 2002

Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, FL) archives from December 2002

Beating Florida is priceless for Florida State.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Randy Beard TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ There have been flashes of this Florida State football team all season. The first quarter against Iowa State. The first half against Maryland. The second half against Clemson. The first...

Henry Kissinger is a poor choice to investigate Sept. 11.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Mike Pope Henry Kissinger should be tried for crimes against humanity, not put in charge of a commission to investigate the Sept. 11 tragedy. During his years working for the disgraceful Nixon regime and the unelected Ford...

Genuine gratitude a choice of mind and heart.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Jeff Herring Q: With the holiday season coming around again, I'm dreading hearing about how we should all be grateful, count our blessings, blah, blah, blah. Well, this year I don't feel grateful or thankful at all. I lost my...

Florida Commerce Credit Union's New Tallahassee Facility Aims to Amaze.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Juana Jordan Dec. 3--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--It's a financial institution you'd expect to see on the cartoon, The Jetsons. Customers bank online inside the facility, surf the Web at leisure, view cinema-size projection screens in...

Tallahassee, Fla., Retailers Are Happy with Thanksgiving Weekend Sales Figures.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Juana Jordan Dec. 3--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--Ten minutes seems to be about all the time it took for hundreds of shoppers to flow through the doors of numerous businesses in Tallahassee Friday morning and kick off a weekend of spending...

Orthodoxy cuts across denominations.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Leo Sandon We live in an increasingly post-denominational age. Today it is less the boundaries between Protestant, Catholic and Jew and more the crucial alignment between orthodox and liberals across denominational lines. A liberal...

New Museum Shops Showcase Florida's Art and Artifacts.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Rachel Sams Dec. 4--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--The gift shop at the Museum of Florida History has re-opened with a new look and new merchandise, and new shops have opened in recent months at several other museum sites around Tallahassee....

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., What's New Column.
December 4, 2002... Dec. 4--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--The Sprint Store will move Dec. 16. The store, currently located at 1105 Apalachee Parkway, will relocate to 1544 Governor's Square Blvd. The store sells Sprint phone, wireless and Internet products and services....

Delta Doesn't Like Tallahassee, Fla.'s Gestures to AirTran.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Rachel Sams Dec. 5--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--A local Delta Air Lines official said Wednesday he wasn't happy that the city of Tallahassee renewed its $1.5 million revenue guarantee for AirTran Airways. The effect that has on competition...

Tallahassee, Fla., Resident Is Nuts about Making Brittle.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Alice Coale Dec. 5--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--"I was just on a mission to get rid of the nuts," says Barbara McGarrah. With Christmas just around the corner, a large family and limited resources, what better present than one made by...

Writing found in Mexico dates back to 650 B.C.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Janie Nelson TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ While poking around in the refuse of an ancient Mexican society known as the Olmecs, a Florida State University anthropologist and a team of researchers have discovered what they believe is the...

Tallahassee, Fla.-Area Education Leaders Discuss Contributions to Economy.
December 6, 2002... Byline: Juana Jordan Dec. 6--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--It's not often that all three higher education leaders and the local schools superintendent get together over breakfast to discuss how they can work together and assist one another. But...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Jerry Osteryoung Column.
December 6, 2002... Byline: Jerry Osteryoung Dec. 6--"When one buys some of my artwork, I hope it is because they will wish to learn from it and not because they think it will match their drapes!" --Christian Cardell Corbet. Requiring employees to do what...

Florida Governor Sacks One-Third of Top Agency Officials.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Nancy Cook Lauer Dec. 7--Roughly one-third of Florida's top agency officials are leaving in an unprecedented re-election reorganization engineered by Gov. Jeb Bush. The resignations Friday of Department of Management Services...

Tallahassee, Fla.-Area Stores Find One-Day Events Hook Shoppers.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Juana Jordan Dec. 7--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--During this time of the year, there's one thing Janiko Watkins can count on: She won't be keeping banker's hours. In fact, the pricing-accuracy supervisor at J.C. Penney will often begin work...

Catering is Big Business in Tallahassee, Fla., during Holidays.
December 9, 2002... Byline: Rachel Sams Dec. 9--TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The chicken was in the wrong state. The truck bringing the fresh chicken Tasty Catering would serve at a luncheon for hundreds of people had broken down in Georgia. Then a pan of...

Explosive-Detection Machines Set Up in Tallahassee, Fla., Airport.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Rachel Sams Dec. 10--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--With two big explosives-detection machines now calling the Tallahassee Regional Airport lobby home, the airport is one step closer to screening all of Tallahassee passengers' checked baggage....

Students should take precautions during holiday break.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Kim McCoy TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Before heading out of town for the Thanksgiving holidays, the four roommates locked all the doors in their house, even the ones to the bedrooms. They thought their rental home in southwest...

Black leaders as `favorite sons': a dream for the GOP.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Bill Cotterell Having shown their political muscle in the recent elections, some black activists in the Democratic Party have come up with an idea that could dominate their party's 2004 presidential nominating process. The only...

Florida State University Narrows Search for President.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Melanie Yeager Dec. 11--After two days of interviews, Florida State University's presidential search advisory committee spent less than an hour late Tuesday paring the list of leading candidates down to three. The finalists...

Tallahassee, Fla., Attorney Offers Free Legal Help to Senior Citizens.
December 12, 2002... Byline: James L. Rosica Dec. 12--For the last 20 years, attorney Richard M. Smith has helped senior citizens with their legal needs, free of charge. But Smith, like many volunteers, doesn't want any accolades. "I'm no saint," the...

Vacation safety tips.
December 12, 2002... Byline: Kim McCoy _ Notify your local law enforcement agency about your departure and return dates, and give them a name and telephone number of a neighbor in case of a burglary, fire or other emergency. Officers patrolling your area will...

'Merry Christmas' vs. 'Happy Holidays'.
December 12, 2002... Byline: Leo Sandon In a 1984 landmark case, the Supreme Court decided that the city of Pawtucket, R.I., did not violate the religious-establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution when it displayed a Nativity scene on public property....

Chairman of Florida's Democratic Party Steps Down.
December 13, 2002... Byline: David Twiddy Dec. 13--Florida Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe, ending weeks of speculation Thursday, said he will step down effective Jan. 4, allowing party leaders to concentrate on rebuilding the party following its poor...

Jobs Outlook Stays Good in Florida's Capital.
December 13, 2002... Byline: Juana Jordan Dec. 13--Tallahassee appears to have "weathered the storm," according to area economic development officials, who reported Thursday that not as many Leon county workers lost their jobs in the past two years as those in...

BB&T Corp. Making a Name for Itself in Florida Banking Market.
December 17, 2002... Byline: Rachel Sams Dec. 17--Just a few months ago, its name was rarely heard in Florida. Now that name is going up on banking and insurance buildings in Tallahassee and around the state. BB&T Corp., a North Carolina-based financial...

Nobel Prize Winner Becomes Visiting Professor at Florida State University.
December 17, 2002... Byline: Andrew Dunn Dec. 17--Florida State University's newest visiting professor isn't just a top-notch chemistry instructor, he's also a winner of the most prestigious science award around. Sir Harold W. Kroto, who won the 1996 Nobel...

Some Retailers May Charge a Restocking Fee When an Item Is Returned.
December 17, 2002... Byline: Juana Jordan Dec. 17--By next week, lines at the customer service desk at many area retailers will begin to form. People will be returning items they didn't like or cannot use. And provided they have the receipts and make returns...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Business Briefcase Column.
December 18, 2002... Dec. 18--ASSOCIATIONS: The Big Bend Society for Human Resource Management announced its officers for 2003. They are as follows: president, Claudia Foreman, SPHR; vice president, Queenell Fox, PHR; treasurer, Ginger Faulconer, CEBS, PHR;...

Florida Senate President Bridges Partisan Divide by Appointing Democrats.
December 18, 2002... Byline: Nancy Cook Lauer Dec. 18--The last time a Senate president handed out chairmanships, a bitter partisanship permeated most legislative dealings as lawmakers handled their first crisis -- how to decide the 2000 presidential election....

Florida State football players investigated in on-campus gambling.
December 18, 2002... Byline: James L. Rosica TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Florida State University's police chief Wednesday confirmed that a joint local-state investigation of on-campus gambling extends to FSU football players and other students connected with the...

Comcast Cable Amnesty Program Set to End Dec. 31.
December 19, 2002... Byline: Rachel Sams Dec. 19--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--If you're getting free cable, you have a week-and-a-half left to turn yourself in to Comcast with no questions asked. The company began a cable amnesty program in the Tallahassee area a...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Business Bazaar Column.
December 19, 2002... Byline: Alice Coale Dec. 19--OPENING THOUGHT: "When I was little and learning sewing, it was like I was being reminded how to do it; like I'd done it before." -- June Tumlin. SHOP TALK: Oh no. Santa's coming and your stocking has a...

Florida State University Names New President.
December 19, 2002... Byline: Melanie Yeager Dec. 19--T.K. Wetherell on Wednesday landed his dream job leading Florida State University. After interviewing the three finalists, all but one of FSU's 13 trustees voted to name 56-year-old Wetherell FSU's 13th...

To Rix: a responsible quarterback should know nuances of clock management.
December 19, 2002... Byline: Randy Beard TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Chris Rix should: A) be allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl if he can complete six consecutive Hail Mary's to a receiver of his choice going one-on-one against Deion Sanders. B) be allowed to...

Florida State denies reported gambling accusations.
December 19, 2002... Byline: James L. Rosica TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Florida State University on Thursday denied a report that an ongoing investigation into allegations of illegal gambling focuses on Seminole football players other than former quarterback Adrian...

Tallahassee, Fla., Office Park Continues to Grow.
December 20, 2002... Byline: Juana Jordan Dec. 20--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--A little more than two years ago, Summit East had just one tenant -- Mainline Information Systems. Now, there are eight companies in the office park -- one of which is scheduled to move in...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Jerry Osteryoung Column.
December 20, 2002... Byline: Jerry Osteryoung Dec. 20--The holiday season is hard on entrepreneurs. They have to worry about "and be responsible for" all of the holiday cheer for their companies, as well as "be there" for their families. For some reason,...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Gerald Ensley Column.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Gerald Ensley Dec. 21--A friend of mine believes pre-marriage counseling ought to include an exercise in which the couple has to decorate a house for Christmas. It would be a test of compatibility, which he admits he would have...

Retailers Pull Out All the Stops as End of Holiday Shopping Season Nears.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Juana Jordan Dec. 21--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--Retailers are going all out as they have only four days left before consumers wrap up their Christmas shopping for the season. And as expected, many are slashing prices, offering discounts...

Florida State compliance officer says false tips don't deter investigative process.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Steve Ellis TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Bob Minnix has made a career of investigating rumors. A former NCAA director of enforcement, Minnix runs Florida State's compliance office. The associate athletic director and his staff of two...

Florida State defensive tackle Dockett suspended for Sugar Bowl.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Steve Ellis and James L. Rosica TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Bobby Bowden sent his Florida State players home for the holidays without much cheer Saturday. Starting defensive tackle Darnell Dockett has been suspended for the Sugar Bowl after...

Chris Rix's ailing father says blame him for son's missing exam.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Steve Ellis TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Florida State quarterback Chris Rix wrestled with a need to protect his family's privacy and a desire to explain the circumstances surrounding his father's health. The sophomore said Friday that...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Gerald Ensley Column.
December 22, 2002... Byline: Gerald Ensley Dec. 22--BRISTOL, Fla.--Joe Brown took three of his grandchildren on the inaugural ride of the Veterans Memorial Railroad. They wound through the woods and went through the tunnel. And though the train chugged along...

Florida Seeks to Fill Chancellor Position for State's Higher Education System.
December 23, 2002... Byline: David Twiddy Dec. 23--Florida's new higher education system officially takes off in three weeks and state officials are still looking for a pilot. Daniel Papp, senior vice chancellor for academics and fiscal affairs for the...

No. 23 North Carolina routs Florida State.
December 23, 2002... Byline: Jack Corcoran TALLAHASSEE_North Carolina provided a rude welcome in Leonard Hamilton's first game in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 23rd-ranked Tar Heels handed Florida State a 69-48 loss Sunday in front of an announced...

Prepare for life under microscope to rebuild trust.
December 23, 2002... Byline: Jeff Herring Q: My marriage is really in trouble, and I need your help. About a month ago, it came out that I was having an affair with a woman, and both she and her husband are friends of our family. It did not go on for long, but...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Jerry Osteryoung Column.
December 27, 2002... Byline: Jerry Osteryoung Dec. 27--"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want." -- Ben Stein. New Years Day is a great time to sit back and see both how far your business has...

Retailers Now Pin Hopes on Post-Christmas Second Shopping Season.
December 27, 2002... Byline: Rachel Sams Dec. 27--And you thought holiday shopping ended with Christmas Day. For many consumers, getting up early on Dec. 26 to fill their shopping carts is as much of a tradition as singing carols or slurping eggnog. ...

Florida State defensive line faces stiff test.
December 27, 2002... Byline: Steve Ellis NEW ORLEANS _ Quick, name Florida State's four available interior defensive linemen. Veteran Travis Johnson and Tony Benford are easy answers. But promising redshirt freshman Donnie Carter and former walk-on Mike...

For Florida State, Sugar Bowl in Fabian's hands.
December 28, 2002... Byline: Randy Beard NEW ORLEANS _ Fabian Walker may need to register for a history-of-cinema course to refine his appreciation for classic films. Take the self-described movie buff's answer for his favorite flick. Put on the spot by a...

For Georgia's Mark Richt, emotions run deep with Florida State.
December 28, 2002... Byline: Steve Ellis TALLAHASSEE _ Corey Fuller calls it payback time. "Oh, that's good," the former Florida State defensive back yelled at a WCTV cameraman when informed three weeks ago of the Sugar Bowl matchup with Georgia. "We owe...

Florida State's Williams leaves legacy as a leader.
December 30, 2002... Byline: Steve Ellis NEW ORLEANS _ Brett Williams is in a nostalgic mood. He'll slip into the same shoes he wore three years ago in the Superdome. And for a moment before Wednesday's Sugar Bowl, he'll remember what it was like when Florida...

With all due respect, an apology is not in order.
December 30, 2002... Byline: Doug Marlette Last week, I drew a cartoon showing a man in Middle Eastern garb driving a Ryder truck hauling a nuke with the caption, "What Would Mohammed Drive?" The drawing was a takeoff on the recent controversy among Christian...

Florida Community College Students Stay in School, Graduate.
December 31, 2002... Byline: David Twiddy Dec. 31--Florida is leading the southeast in the percentage of community college students who stay in school and graduate within three years, a new report says. The Southern Regional Education Board, an...

Florida Governor Names Judge to State's Supreme Court.
December 31, 2002... Byline: James L. Rosica Dec. 31--Gov. Jeb Bush Monday appointed Circuit Judge Kenneth B. Bell of Pensacola as the state's newest Supreme Court justice, making Bell the first justice from northwest Florida since 1917. Bell, a...

Democrats will scream race, but that won't make Lott the face of the GOP.
December 31, 2002... Byline: Bill Cotterell You can't blame them, but Democrats will be reminding us of Trent Lott all year. Whether in business or politics, when your opponent hangs out his chin and asks to get clobbered, you oblige him. That's what the...

Biggest story of 2002? That's easy.
December 31, 2002... Byline: Leo Sandon My choice for the nation's dominant religion-news story of 2002 is the scandal over sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests, all too often shielded by bishops and reassigned to ministry among children and youth. According...