Florida

The New York Times blows the whistle on Don Young, the House's most notorious earmarker, who this time managed to slip in $10 million for a boondoggle that's not even in his home state of Alaska. A 2006 transportation bill mysteriously includes funds for a project in Florida that happens to be close to the heart of a Young campaign  contributor. More »

A Muslim doctor from Florida who was caught in an FBI sting has been convicted of conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaeda. Rafiq Sabir, 52, faces up to 30 years in prison after he swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden to an undercover agent posing as an al-Qaeda recruiter and offered to treat their wounded. More »

Florida, home of the hanging chad and the butterfly ballot, is causing election-related panic once again, reports The LA Times . Florida Republicans pushed the state's primaries up to January 29, a week earlier than recently changed Democratic rules allow. If the rules aren't amended, delegates for major candidates may actually be barred from the convention. More »

A new kind of sandstorm is brewing in South Florida. As its world-famous beaches face crippling erosion, Miami Beach is hitting up its neighbors for the scarce stuff. But with most of Florida's communities strapped, Miami Beach, like coastal communities in California and Hawaii, is turning to foreign countries, which are happy to swap sand for cash. More »

The state's historic election difficulties notwithstanding, Florida's presidential primaries will be among the earliest in the nation. Yesterday's legislative approval of the January 29 date is already provoking other states into maneuvering for the first spot. Said the Massachusetts secretary of state: "The idea that this election could begin in 2007 may come true." More »

Sales of previously occupied homes fell 8.4 percent in March, marking the biggest monthly drop since 1989 and ending hopes for a spring rebound. The new National Association of Realtors numbers reflect an oversupply of homes, lenders subdued by the sub-prime crisis, and bad winter weather, the Wall Street Journal speculates. More »

There's a good reason Glades Central High School in Bell Glade, Florida, has produced 28 pro football players in the past 29 years. Refreshingly, it has nothing to do with steroids, high endurance training, or secret energy drinks, Eric Adelson testifies in ESPN .  Deep in the Everglades, kids run. They chase rabbits. They chase rabbits through burning sugar fields. More »

Same-sex couples can now exchange rings in the shadows of Sleeping Beauty's castle and have Mickey and Minnie as witnesses. Walt Disney opened its "Fairy Tale Wedding" package to gay partners yesterday, after a gay website accused the company of discrimination for barring same-sex couples from the $8,000-and-up program. More »

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was picked up for DWI around midnight Thursday, when Jupiter, Fla., police found his SUV running at a stop light, with La Russa asleep at the wheel. La Russa blew a. 0.093, above Florida’s limit of 0.08. More »

Anticipating that Fidel Castro's death will prompt thousands of Cubans to attempt to join their expatriate countrymen in South Florida, U.S. authorities are making space for them—in Cuba. The Miami Herald reports that the DOD has budgeted $18 million to expand its base at Guantanamo Bay to handle a wave of Cuban refugees they hope to intercept at sea--before they set foot on U.S. soil. More »