Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, Nov. 27

Click on a headline to read the complete story:

 

Federal probe won’t affect Seminole deal

The Seminole Tribe, owner of the Hard Rock chain with more than $1 billion a year in estimated revenue, remains under federal scrutiny by the National Indian Gaming Commission years after initial reports surfaced of lavish expenditures within the tribe.

 

To view the complete series of six stories on the Seminole Tribe from the Sun-Sentinel, click here.

 

Insurance rates will keeping going up no matter what the governor says

So a second straight hurricane season has passed with nary a blustery day.  Will you get much, if any, relief on your property-insurance premiums?

 

No hurricanes means more visitors

Tourism surged this summer, thanks to certain frequent visitors staying away: hurricanes. Travelers were spooked in 2006, but much braver in 2007.

 

Bilirakis’ seat attracts early challenge from three

Nearly a year before the 2008 general election, candidates are mobilizing to challenge U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis for the congressional seat his family has held for more than two decades.

 

Developers line up again to test boundary in Dade

Eighteen months after losing a contentious battle to expand Miami-Dade County’s Urban Development Boundary, developers are back and armed with a new weapon: a water permit they hope will push their vision forward.

 

Church Insurer Sued For Bias

Two fair housing groups said today they had filed a suit against a church and home insurer for allegedly violating federal housing law by showing bias in favor of Christians in selling its products.

 

Department of Redundancy Department

It’s horrifying, really, how many redundant, overlapping organizations we have created to pursue more efficient government.

 

Red Cross president ousted

Plagued by turmoil at the top, the American Red Cross ousted its president, Mark Everson, on Tuesday for engaging in a ‘personal relationship’ with one of his subordinates. He took the challenging job just six months ago.

 

Cigna to buy Great-West health unit for $1.5 bln

Health insurer Cigna Corp said on Monday it had reached an agreement to buy the health-care unit of Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Co. for about $1.5 billion in a move to expand its business in the western United States.

 

Mild hurricane season has emergency planners worried about apathy

Despite alarming predictions, the U.S. came through a second straight hurricane season virtually unscathed, raising fears among emergency planners that they will be fighting public apathy and overconfidence when they warn people to prepare for next year.

 

Managing Florida’s water a balancing act

Historically, fluctuations in weather and water levels in South Florida are extreme. It’s either too wet and drowning, or too dry and burning.

 

Enrollment numbers for KidCare rising
 
Florida KidCare enrollment numbers spiked in October, an increase officials attribute to an ongoing outreach campaign and additional dollars given by the Legislature.

 

Insuring a Controversy

The deal the broker discussed with his well-heeled client seemed like a good idea: Buy a $10 million life insurance policy, and if the client wanted to raise some cash, the broker could sell the policy to an investor for a tidy profit.

 

Picking over Private Fee For Service plans

For years, people on Medicare had two choices on how they wanted to receive treatment:  Traditional Medicare allowed them to pick their doctors and hospitals and seek service whenever they wanted.

 

Drug plan roulette

For many seniors, choosing a Medicare Part D prescription-drug plan turned out to be far more hassle than they expected.

 

A heads-up for cellphone users: dnt driv & txt

They bow their heads, as if in prayer. Such devotion. Paused at major intersections, and even as they drive along busy streets, drivers cast their heads downward to commune with a higher power. That power being either God or Verizon.

 

Debt threatens to close hospital Atlanta facility is only major trauma center within 100-mile radius

ATLANTA — For years, Grady Memorial Hospital has treated the poor for a variety of illnesses, as well as operating the only Level 1 trauma center, capable of treating the most serious injuries, within a 100-mile radius.