Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, FL) articles from May 2001

Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, FL) archives from May 2001

Florida Legislature Approves New Measures for Nursing Home Quality Assurance.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Mark Hollis May 1--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--New standards for staffing and maintaining quality in Florida's nursing homes, as well as caps on punitive damages when negligence and malpractice cases go to trial, were tentatively approved...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Business Bazaar Column.
May 3, 2001... Byline: Alice Coale May 3--OPENING THOUGHT: "Oil to a car is like blood to us. You've got to have it to run." -- Tommy Tullos SHOP TALK: Late for work; going to miss the flight; have to get to the bank before that check bounces; going...

Florida Bill Gives a Boost to Rural Developments.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie May 4--Some larger proposed developments in Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin and other rural Panhandle counties would be exempted from state review under a bill that has been approved by the House. HB 1225, which...

Tallahassee, Fla., Cooperative Market Expands, Begins Profit Rebate System.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams May 4--New Leaf Market is changing the way it does business with its members. And New Leaf and Crystal Connection are, in a sense, joining hands. They're moving next door to each other. The businesses, located...

Florida House, Senate Differ on Growth Management Plans.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie May 4--The House and Senate on Thursday both passed their own versions of growth management bills and remained apart on the issue of funding for new schools. With the session ending today, Gov. Jeb Bush on...

Developer Proposes Hotel, Offices, Condos for Tallahassee, Fla., Plaza.
May 4, 2001... Byline: John Sevigny May 4--Kleman Plaza, the symbolic but often-sleepy center of downtown, could have an 18-story hotel, restaurants, condominiums and offices if the city gives a developer the thumbs up to move forward with a $70 million...

High-Speed Internet Access Proves to Be Costly in Tallahassee, Fla.-Area.
May 5, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams May 5--Billboards around Tallahassee proclaim the heyday of high-speed Internet access. You need faster Internet service now, companies say, and we can give it to you. Sounds tempting, you think. You wouldn't miss...

Be crazy, creative when solving problems.
May 7, 2001... Byline: Jeff Herring "Is that your final answer?" Thanks to Regis Philbin and the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," that phrase has become a familiar and perhaps irritating buzz-phrase. Yet we use it, or at least...

Florida Commuter Airline's Flights Cease Pending Regulatory Approval.
May 8, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams May 8--Florida Air is up in the air these days. But its planes aren't. The new commuter airline began service from Tallahassee to its Sarasota hub in February. But flights stopped about two weeks ago. The...

Planning Panel Rules against Tallahassee, Fla., Townhouse Project.
May 8, 2001... Byline: John Sevigny May 8--The Tallahassee-Leon County planning commission voted against a zoning change Monday that would have made it easier for a local developer to build a 158-townhouse community in the San Luis Ridge neighborhood....

Tallahassee, Fla.-Based Television News Station Closes State Bureaus.
May 8, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams May 8--Florida's News Channel has closed all of its bureaus around the state and laid off about 20 employees, including five in Tallahassee. The move was a response to the national economic downturn, President...

HEADLINE HERE.
May 9, 2001... Wednesday, May 9, 2001, updated at 1:20AM States end river talks on high note The closed talks on water-sharing for the Apalachicola River system are over, Florida officials announced Tuesday. Florida Department of Environmental...

Britain to Wait-and-See on Euro, Ambassador Says in Tallahassee, Fla.
May 9, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager May 9--Britain continues to take a wait-and-see attitude on Europe's new single currency, the euro, said the British ambassador to the United States on Tuesday. "It's pretty daft to make a definitive judgment,"...

Tallahassee, Fla.-Area Officials Carve Out Plan for South-Side Growth.
May 9, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie May 9--The city and county commissions have agreed that incentives for luring companies and new jobs to the city's south side should be limited to waiving regulations designed to prevent traffic congestion. City...

Tallahassee, Fla., Chamber of Commerce to Hold Technology Summit.
May 9, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan May 9--The Tallahassee business community has been talking technology. And Monday, for eight hours, it will talk some more as part of the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce's Technology Summit. The goal is...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., At Work With ... Column.
May 10, 2001... May 10--Opening Thought: "We carry a suitcase for almost any emergency that comes up. It even has black socks in case the groom forgets his." -- Libby Smith. Shop Talk: A wedding is supposed to be a couple's most memorable day. Inevitably,...

Tallahassee, Fla., Commission Pursues Easing Limits on Downtown Buildings.
May 10, 2001... Byline: John Sevigny May 10--In a move some fear will destroy downtown and others hope will spark growth, city commissioners voted Wednesday to look into relaxing rules limiting the heights of downtown buildings. By a 3-2 vote,...

Bid Dispute Negotiations Resume Friday in Florida over Computer Contract.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Nancy Cook Lauer May 10--State officials seemed bent Wednesday on including a politically connected startup software company in a contract for laptop computers, even if they have to overturn a yearlong procurement process. ...

Tallahassee, Fla., City Commission Loosens Regulations for Business Parks.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie May 10--The City Commission voted Wednesday to ease more development regulations on the city's south side and deliver a 48-hour "rapid response" to developers who inquire about building a business park there. The...

Man Files Suit in Tallahassee, Fla., over Property Promised for Restaurant.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan May 10--Brad Gray was promised 3,000 square feet of space -- three months from the day he signed a lease agreement on May 13, 1999 -- for a new Beef 'O' Brady's restaurant on Mahan Drive. He never got it. Now, two...

Indian Harbor Beach, Fla., Cattle Rancher Becomes State Agriculture Chief.
May 11, 2001... Byline: David Twiddy May 11--State Sen. Charles Bronson, an Indian Harbor Beach cattle rancher and Republican, was tapped by Gov. Jeb Bush to be Florida's next agriculture commissioner. Bronson officially begins his duties Monday. He...

Sandwich Chain's New Tallahassee, Fla., Store To Offer Coffee, Cafe Ambience.
May 11, 2001... Byline: Pete Reinwald May 11--It won't be Starbucks. It will be, well, Sub-Starbucks. A new Blimpie Subs & Salads on Capital Circle Northeast will feature cappuccino, an espresso bar and a "casual cafe" appearance as part of a new...

Tallahassee, Fla., Ranks as Business Hot Spot.
May 12, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan May 12--When it comes to doing business and advancing a career, Forbes magazine says, Tallahassee remains one of the 100 best cities in which to do it. The latest ranking, for 2000, lists Tallahassee 58th. In 1999,...

Flight Attendants at Tallahassee, Fla., Airport Protest Low Salaries.
May 12, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams May 12--Passing out peanuts is part of their job. Working for peanuts shouldn't be. That was the message of several Piedmont Airlines flight attendants picketing at Tallahassee Regional Airport on Friday. Piedmont,...

Florida Governor Displeased with Growth Reform.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie May 13--Growth management reform didn't happen in the Legislature this year the way Gov. Jeb Bush had wanted. The governor proposed giving local governments authority to deny new developments in areas with crowded...

Solid marriage takes work.
May 14, 2001... Byline: Jeff Herring Top 10 tips to strengthen your marriage: 1.Often in marriage, especially in the early years, there is a choice: You can be right or you can be happy _ not both. Choose wisely. As a friend of mine said after his...

Florida Court Reporters Asked to Perform Tough, Exacting Job.
May 14, 2001... Byline: James L. Rosica May 14--Official court reporters -- those folks who quietly type every word said in criminal courtrooms -- not only say they're overworked and underpaid but now have the evidence to prove it. According to a new...

Potential Home Buyers Participate in Tallahassee, Fla., Property Showcase.
May 14, 2001... Byline: Rosanne Dunkelberger May 14--Looking for a million-dollar dream, a little place to call home, something in between or maybe just a decorating idea or two, people took to the streets this weekend for the Tallahassee Builders...

Florida's 'Efficiency Czar' Resigns in Protest Over Privatization Push.
May 15, 2001... Byline: Bill Cotterell May 15--When the state's new "efficiency czar" got frustrated with Gov. Jeb Bush's push to privatize state services, she decided there was one job that really needed to go first. Her own. "I am more...

Tallahassee, Fla., Conference Offers Advice, Guidance for Tech Firms.
May 15, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan May 15--Many of the more than 190 participants at the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce Technology Summit on Monday knew what kind of technology Tallahassee offered. They just didn't know how to market it,...

Union Readies for City Election, Aims for Leon County, Fla.'s Approval.
May 15, 2001... Byline: John Fleming May 15--A union seeking to represent about 140 blue-collar county employees and about 950 city employees is wrangling with local government in its quest to establish itself in Leon County. UNITE! -- the Union of...

Florida State University Clings to Minority Ratio.
May 15, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager May 15--Florida State University's MBA program enrolled one additional minority student over the last year. It was enough of an increase to boost the program's minority percentage to 17 percent in this first year...

Florida Governor's Cuts to Career Service System Receive Mixed Reviews.
May 16, 2001... Byline: Bill Cotterell May 16--Art Cooper doesn't worry that many state employees will wind up losing their jobs when Gov. Jeb Bush's sweeping overhaul of the Career Service System takes effect July 1. Sharon Koon, who suggested that...

Liquidation Begins at Tallahassee, Fla., Location of Home Goods Retailer.
May 16, 2001... May 16--Waccamaw's HomePlace on Sharer Road likely will close by mid-summer. National home-goods retailer HomePlace of America Inc. filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in January, and Friday it announced that it would liquidate...

Housekeeping Staff Pickets Tallahassee, Fla., Hotel.
May 16, 2001... Byline: Gerald Ensley May 16--A walk-out of housekeepers at Shoney's Inn became a picket line Tuesday: The women promised they would not return to work unless supervisor Ollie Woods was rehired. Woods and 12 other housekeepers...

State Employee Takes Florida's New Personnel System to Court.
May 16, 2001... Byline: Bill Cotterell May 16--When Gov. Jeb Bush signed his Service First law, reforming Florida's personnel system, he said he knew some state employees would take it to court. He didn't have to wait long. "They can't eliminate...

Florida `Efficiency Czar' Downsizes Herself.
May 16, 2001... Byline: Bill Cotterell May 16--When the state's new "efficiency czar" got frustrated with Gov. Jeb Bush's push to privatize state services, she decided there was one job that really needed to go first. Her own. "I am more...

Doubts Surround a Switch in the Florida Senior Work Program.
May 16, 2001... Byline: David Twiddy May 16--Answering the phone saved Dottie Barber's life. In the mid-1980s, Barber got a job as a receptionist in a state office through a program that helped poor senior citizens find work. Coming in the wake of...

Eight Stores to Open in Tallahassee, Fla., Mall By Mid June.
May 16, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan May 16--Eight stores including Marshalls, Old Navy and Bed, Bath & Beyond are scheduled to open at Governor's Marketplace within six weeks. Project superintendent Jim Keene said that by the end of June, U.S....

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Business Bazaar Column.
May 17, 2001... Byline: Alice Coale May 17--OPENING THOUGHT: "People who get these pets get a pet that's going to well outlive a dog." -- Mike Krick. SHOP TALK: Meet Mr. Burmese. The Burmese python is a quarter-century old, 13 feet long, eats 10-12...

It takes courage to be a radical.
May 18, 2001... Byline: Jeff Herring More ways to live a radical life. Learn from those older than you, especially those much older than you. It used to be that those older than us were considered to be the holders of wisdom. In our...

Fringe Benefits Management Firm Breaks Ground on Tallahassee, Fla., Offices.
May 18, 2001... May 18--Fringe Benefits Management Company broke ground Thursday on its new headquarters, a 50,000-square-foot building on Sessions Road near North Monroe Street and I-10. Company officials said that 40 percent of the property would be...

Florida and Its Capital City Stocked for Power Crunch, Utilities Say.
May 18, 2001... Byline: David Twiddy May 18--Only weeks removed from a legislative session that purposely avoided changing Florida's electricity landscape, members of the state's power industry weren't ruffled Thursday by President Bush's claims of an...

Florida's Environmental Agency Gets New Deputy Secretary.
May 18, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie May 18--Allan F. Bedwell, who served under Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David Struhs in Massachusetts' environmental department, has been named deputy secretary in Florida's DEP. ...

Leon County, Fla., Officials May Discard Growth Policies in Bradfordville.
May 18, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie May 18--The Leon County Commission could vote next week to get rid of -- by June 2002 -- policies aimed at guiding growth in Bradfordville. Eliminating the policies could reduce the number of lawsuits filed...

Tallahassee, Fla., Talk Radio Station Returns to the Airwaves.
May 18, 2001... Byline: Pete Reinwald May 18--All that talk is no rumor. WTAL is back. The radio station (1450-AM) returned to the air Sunday with a national-talk lineup that includes Don Imus, G. Gordon Liddy and Dr. Laura. The station's new...

Tallahassee, Fla., Newspaper Announces Cutbacks in Staff, Publications.
May 19, 2001... Byline: Pete Reinwald May 19--The Tallahassee Democrat on Friday announced cost-saving cuts including elimination of 25 full-time-equivalent positions and discontinuation of Break magazine, a free entertainment tabloid distributed weekly...

Florida Lawmakers Name `Legislative Clinic' after Founding Doctor.
May 21, 2001... Byline: Gerald Ensley May 21-- For 35 years, it was just the "legislative clinic." Now, the man who created it will get his name on the door. Lost in the hubbub of the final day, the Florida Legislature on May 4 passed a resolution...

Florida May Stop Offering Classes for Free to Employees at State Universities.
May 21, 2001... Byline: Melanie Yeager May 21-- Sabrina Thompson finally decided to take advantage of a longtime perk for Florida A&M University employees -- free college courses. But when she started the paperwork last week, she found out that the...

A pause for reflection on state of capital punishment.
May 22, 2001... Byline: Leo Sandon TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ The last time I participated in a demonstration protesting a state criminal execution was in 1989. My demonstrating career peaked around 1968 or thereabouts, and I was in a kind of phased retirement...

Florida Will Terminate Contract with Educational Testing Company.
May 22, 2001... Byline: David Twiddy May 22--A year after fining the company responsible for grading the FCAT for running late with the scores, Florida education officials plan to end the company's contract early. Education Commissioner Charlie Crist...

New Owner Immediately Puts Tallahassee, Fla., Radio Station Up for Sale.
May 23, 2001... Byline: Pete Reinwald May 23--John Wiggins closed the deal on his purchase of radio station WTAL on Tuesday afternoon. Then he acknowledged that the station was up for sale. Wiggins last week posted talk-radio WTAL (1450 AM), which...

Florida Union Argues for Right to Meet in State Buildings.
May 23, 2001... Byline: Bill Cotterell May 23--The union representing most state employees filed an unfair-practices complaint against Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday, claiming that his administration is trying to stifle protests against the new Service First...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Have You Heard Column.
May 23, 2001... Byline: Wednesday May 23--SOME WINN-DIXIE STORES END LATE-NIGHT HOURS: Several local Winn-Dixie stores are no longer open 24 hours. The chain began keeping many stores open 24 hours about two years ago in an effort to build late-night...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., At Work With ... Column.
May 24, 2001... May 24--OPENING THOUGHT: "Customers don't have to rush out early before school or work and spend their time standing in line. That's what we're for." -- Jane Greenfield. SHOP TALK: Up at O'Dark Hundred; feed the kids; get them to...

Tallahassee, Fla., Economic Development Panel Wants to Spur Business Parks.
May 24, 2001... Byline: Bruce Ritchie May 24--A local business group says it wants to encourage more south-side business parks than city and county commissioners have been discussing. The Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development...

Tallahassee, Fla., to Sell Parts of Entertainment Plaza.
May 24, 2001... Byline: John Sevigny May 24--City commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to sell choice property at Kleman Plaza to a developer who wants to build a complex including an 18-story hotel, restaurants and condominiums. Under the terms...

Tallahassee, Fla.'s Blue-Collar Workers Reject Union.
May 25, 2001... Byline: John Fleming May 25--City of Tallahassee blue-collar workers rejected the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees on Thursday, voting overwhelmingly against the union that could have represented them in collective...

Tallahassee, Fla., Hosts Technology Forum.
May 25, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan May 25--The tech talk continues. A week after Tallahassee held its first technology summit, the city served as host to a forum focusing on Florida technology. Mike Langley, a consultant hired by Enterprise...

Tallahassee, Fla., Pest Control Firm Uses Dog to Detect Termites.
May 25, 2001... Byline: Rachel Sams May 25--He's friendly. He's furry. And he's on a mission to rid Tallahassee of one of the Southeast's most destructive household pests. Meet Lucky, Tallahassee's first termite-detection dog. Lucky and his...

How to honor your mate.
May 29, 2001... Byline: Jeff Herring On Memorial Day, we paused to honor those who died on the battlefield fighting for all the many freedoms we enjoy. It's a good thing to do. At the same time, isn't it odd that we wait until people are dead before...

Florida bar owners lose license for discriminating against black lawmaker.
May 30, 2001... Byline: Bill Cotterell TALLAHASEE, Fla. _ A barroom incident that drew the attention national and state civil rights activists will cost a Perry, Fla., liquor store its license, under a legal settlement announced Wednesday. Owners of...

Florida Governor Loosens Restrictions on Size of Beer Containers.
May 31, 2001... Byline: David Twiddy May 31--Somewhere in Belgium, a monk is smiling. For 35 years, state law prevented Florida bars, restaurants and liquor stores from selling beers that were sold in bottles and cans other than the state-allowed...

Two Florida Television Channels To Share News Content, Equipment.
May 31, 2001... May 31--Florida's News Channel and WTXL (ABC NewsChannel 27) have entered an agreement in which they will share news content and equipment, the stations announced. They will share news material "co-branded" with each other's name and call...

Supervisor of $70 Million Hotel Project in Tallahassee, Fla.-Area Resigns.
May 31, 2001... Byline: John Sevigny May 31--The man hired to supervise construction of a $70 million hotel and entertainment complex at Kleman Plaza resigned Tuesday after evidence surfaced that he has a criminal conviction and bad debts in South...

Tallahassee Democrat, Fla., Business Bazaar Column.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Alice Coale May 31--OPENING THOUGHT: "My studio's in my kitchen. I tease people that I'm stirring potatoes and painting at the same time." -- Anne Laslie Bevis. SHOP TALK: Anne Laslie Bevis long dreamed of owning a home-based...

Tallahassee, Fla., Tech Firm Leaders To Organize Association.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Juana Jordan May 31--Pat Pallentino isn't used to seeing so many techies at one meeting -- at least not in Tallahassee. But Wednesday, more than 60 people in the local technology field gathered at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art...