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☆ Drought Leaves Midwest Towns ‘Drier Than the Dust Bowl’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Shannon Najmabadi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As the nation’s pipes and treatment plants age, water-main breaks and boil-water advisories are becoming increasingly common. WSJ explains how decades of disinvestment brought the country’s water infrastructure to a tipping point. Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesTowns in Mid-America are facing water shortages as they grapple with a multiyear drought. The southeast Kansas city of Caney will run out of water by March 1 without rain, officials said. Four wells in Belle Plaine, Iowa, are producing 40% as much water as usual.

Persons: disinvestment, Ryan Organizations: Ryan Trefes Towns Locations: Ryan Trefes, Mid, America, Kansas, Caney, Belle Plaine , Iowa, Osceola, Des Moines

☆ Republican lawmakers want to stop businesses in a small Florida town from displaying rainbow stickers to show they are a safe place for LGBTQ+ people
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican state lawmakers are attacking a small Florida town's "Safe Place Initiative." The program allows owners to mark their shops safe for LGBTQ+ people by displaying rainbow decals. The lawmakers cited boycotts of Bud Light and Target, which followed the brands' efforts to promote diversity and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. Mount Dora's city council approved the Safe Place Initiative last month. Democratic state lawmaker Anna Eskamani posted the Republican lawmakers' letter on social media, saying it "might be the weirdest letter I've ever read."

Persons: Bud Light, Mount Dora, Anna Eskamani Organizations: Initiative, Service, Disney, Orlando —, Orlando Police Department, Orange County Sheriff's, Osceola County Sheriff's, Democratic, Republican, Rights Locations: Florida, Wall, Silicon, Dora, Orlando, Mount Dora's, Mount, Orange County, Osceola County

☆ Florida's DeSantis replaces elected Democratic prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Republican presidential candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, delivers remarks at the annual Christians United for Israel Summit (CUFI), at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., July 17, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Wurm/File PhotoAug 9 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended a county prosecutor after accusing her of being soft on crime, making her the second elected Democratic law-enforcement official to be removed by the Republican presidential hopeful. "Worrell’s practices and policies have too often allowed violent criminals to escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct," DeSantis said in a statement. Worrell is not the first Florida prosecutor whom DeSantis has dismissed. DeSantis' office sent a letter in April to Worrell's office demanding that she hand over the criminal and judicial record of a suspect accused of killing three people, including a 9-year-old.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Kevin Wurm, DeSantis, Monique Worrell, Andrew Bain, Worrell, Miriam Krinsky, Andrew Warren, Donald Trump, Brendan O'Brien, Andy Sullivan Organizations: Florida, United, Israel Summit, Crystal Gateway Marriott, REUTERS, Democratic, Republican, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, U.S, Florida, Orange, Osceola, Hillsborough County, Chicago

Ron DeSantis of Florida suspended the top state prosecutor in Orlando on Wednesday, accusing her of incompetence and neglect of duty for what he characterized as lenience against violent criminals. Mr. DeSantis suspended Monique H. Worrell, the elected state attorney of Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit, which includes Orange and Osceola counties, and cited her handling of three cases. It is the second time in a year that Mr. DeSantis, a Republican running for president, has taken the drastic and exceedingly rare step of removing an elected state attorney. Critics, and even a federal judge, blasted Mr. DeSantis’s ouster of Mr. Warren as politically motivated. But Mr. Warren remains out of office — and Mr. DeSantis mentions his removal in just about every campaign stump speech.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Monique H, Worrell, Andrew H, Warren, DeSantis’s Organizations: Judicial Circuit, Orlando, Republican Locations: Florida, Orlando, Orange, Osceola, Tampa

☆ Disney District, Now Under DeSantis’s Control, Ends Its D.E.I. Programs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Fentrice Driskell, the Democratic leader in the Florida House of Representatives, said she was not surprised that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District had followed suit. The State Legislature instead stripped the company of its power to appoint the five members of the district’s oversight board and gave it to Mr. DeSantis. In April, the newly appointed board voted to nullify two agreements that gave Disney control over expansion of the resort. What’s NextThe feud between Disney and Mr. DeSantis appears set to continue, with the two lawsuits still winding their way through the courts. Mr. DeSantis, who is running for the Republican nomination for president, has highlighted both his “anti-woke” and “anti-corporate” agenda on the campaign trail.

Persons: DeSantis, Glenton Gilzean, DeSantis’s, Fentrice Driskell, “, ”, Bob Chapek, nonbinary, Disney, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Central, Disney, “, Democratic, Legislature, Florida Department of Economic, Republican Locations: Central Florida, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Orange, Osceola, Orlando

☆ Jon Hamm says it’s ‘exciting’ to be married to ‘Mad Men’ co-star Anna Osceola
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jon Hamm is totally jazzed about being a married man. Osceola and Hamm met in 2015 when they starred on “Mad Men” together, and were first romantically linked in 2020. CNN has reached out to representatives for Hamm and Osceola for comment on their Saturday wedding. “But this is not that,” Hamm clarified, adding that “this is the exciting part of life and it’s a signpost and a signifier of the next chapter and phase.”As for that next phase? Hamm said he and Oscoela are still “TBD” on if that next phase involves starting a family.

Persons: CNN — Jon Hamm, ” Hamm, Bruce Bozzi, “, Anna Osceola, Hamm, ”, I’m, Anna Organizations: CNN, “ Locations: California, Osceola, Hamm

CNN —Miami GOP Mayor Francis Suarez has filed paperwork to run for president, according to new FEC filings, marking the long-shot candidate’s formal entry to the race. “Conservative mayor Francis Suarez chose a better path for Miami,” the video’s narrator says, highlighting his approach to crime and support for law enforcement. High-profile mayorPrior to his first election as mayor in 2017, Suarez served a Miami city commissioner for eight years. As mayor, Suarez has sought to bring a new era of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to his city, including promoting industries such as cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. In 2020, Trump lost Hispanic-majority Miami-Dade County – the state’s most populous county, which includes the city of Miami – by 7 points.

Persons: Francis Suarez, Suarez, Ronald Reagan, ” Suarez, Florida’s, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Trump’s, Trump, “, ”, Xavier Suarez, Elon Musk, DeSantis, NewsNation, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Hillary Clinton, DeSantis coasted Organizations: CNN, Miami GOP, Ronald Reagan Presidential, Fox News, Reagan, US, of Mayors, Wednesday, White, “ Conservative, Republican, Florida Gov, United Nations, Tim Scott , North Dakota Gov, Arkansas Gov, New, New Jersey Gov, CBS, GOP, Republican National Committee, Twitter, Disney, Miami Herald, DeSantis, Democratic, Miami, Dade, Miami –, Fox Locations: Simi Valley , California, Cuban, Miami, Florida, Palm Beach, South Carolina, Tim Scott , North, Arkansas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Central Florida, “, Dade County, Osceola, Orlando, Puerto Rican

☆ Ron DeSantis’s Oversight Board Sues Disney
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WSJ’s Arian Campo-Flores explains what’s behind Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Photo Composition: Rachel RogersThe board overseeing the district covering Walt Disney Co.’s Orlando-area theme parks sued the entertainment giant in state court, accusing the company of striking a “backroom deal” in an effort to preserve its ability to essentially self-govern the district. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, which includes Orange and Osceola counties, marks the latest salvo in the escalating battle between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis .

☆ Disney and DeSantis have been in a year-long feud that began after the company spoke out against a controversial bill. Here's a timeline of the events.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The feud began after the entertainment giant spoke out last March against a controversial piece of legislation critics have called the Don't Say Gay bill. The state Board of Education voted on Wednesday to expand that law to cover grades 4 to 12. The new district board also is considering more inspection regulations, building workforce affordable housing on land that borders the resort and theme park, and selling the district-owned utilities. It was the first time the board met since the revelation of the agreement between the prior district board members and Disney. On April 19, the state board approved a ban on classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for all grades, including grades 4-12.

☆ Disney and DeSantis have been in a yearlong feud that began after the company spoke out against a controversial bill. Here's a timeline of the events.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

After a yearlong feud, Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday, alleging that the Florida governor tried to "weaponize government power" over the company. The state Board of Education voted on Wednesday to expand that law to cover grades four to 12. Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, our state has seen record growth in jobs, GDP, and net domestic in-migration. It was the first time the board met since the revelation of the agreement between the prior district board members and Disney. On April 19, the state board approved a ban on classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for all grades, including grades four through 12.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during an event on his nationwide book tour at Adventure Outdoors, the largest gun store in the country, on March 30, 2023 in Smyrna, Georgia. Disney didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about DeSantis' desire for a probe. The agreement was signed on Feb. 8, the day before the Florida House voted to put DeSantis in charge. The Florida governor took aim at Disney after the company publicly balked at Florida's HB 1557 law early last year. HB 1557, dubbed by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, limits early education teachings on sexual orientation or gender identity.

☆ Ron DeSantis' plan to take control of Disney's land backfired spectacularly because of a loophole in the agreement that may reduce his appointees to powerless functionaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ron DeSantis gained control of Walt Disney World's oversight district board in February. Ron DeSantis' move to take over Walt Disney World's governing board in Florida may have backfired due to a prior obscure agreement that new governor-appointed board members argue stripped them of their power. Disney also had the authority to appoint district board members. But the new supervisors are now saying that previous board members entered an agreement that effectively stripped them of their powers. "All these board members very much would like to see the type of entertainment that all families can appreciate."

☆ Disney blocks Ron DeSantis' Florida power play with a royal family clause
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Disney used a legal clause that name checks King Charles III to apparently thwart Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempt to strip the company of its self-governance power in the state. For nearly a year, state legislators, encouraged by DeSantis, have sought to exert more control over the company's Florida-based theme parks by passing a bill that would dissolve Disney's special tax district. DeSantis also wanted to rename the area the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and plant a new board to oversee it. As part a 30-year development agreement, Disney no longer needs board approval to build high-density projects or buildings of any height and can sell or assign development rights.

☆ DeSantis strips Disney World of its self-governing power in Florida: 'There's a new sheriff in town'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

DeSantis has officially stripped Disney World of its self-governing status. DeSantis appointed political allies to the board, which have to be approved by the Florida Senate. Ron DeSantis abolished Walt Disney World's special authority on Monday, nearly 11 months after the company spoke out publicly against his controversial education agenda. Under the new law, board members cannot be employees, owners, or operators at Disney World. DeSantis said several times during the press conference that Disney World now had to follow the same rules as other Florida theme parks.

☆ Disney's strategy to win its battle with DeSantis is to just wait until he runs for president, says a top Florida Democrat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Disney will sue Florida for dissolving its self-governing status, predicted Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo. Florida lawmakers are deciding Disney's financial fate this week. Ron DeSantis will be to simply run out the clock, a top Florida Democrat predicted Monday. Other areas state lawmakers will consider would allow Florida to transport migrants from other states and to give the state more power to prosecute election fraud. Today, more than 40 lobbyists represent Disney before the Florida legislature, according to an Insider review of lobbying disclosures.

☆ 'Don't Say Gay' feud advances with new proposed legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The notice serves as a procedural step in what has become a closely watched process between Disney and Florida. DeSantis and statehouse Republicans slammed Disney, saying the entertainment giant had become a purveyor of so-called woke ideologies that are inappropriate for children. The squabble marked a rare moment of discord between the state and Disney, one of Florida’s largest employers and a major political donor. It also provided another front in an ongoing culture war that has made DeSantis one of the nation’s most popular Republicans. Having a separate government allows the company to provide zoning, fire protection, utilities and infrastructure services on its sprawling property.

Ron DeSantis will seek to bring Disney's special governing district under direct state control in a bid to end the entertainment giant's multi-decade arrangement with the Sunshine State. In a document posted to the website of Osceola County, which also borders Orange County and Reedy Creek, notice was given that the proposed legislation would leave no current aspect of Reedy Creek untouched. Florida legislators already voted in a special session last year to dissolve all special districts like Reedy Creek in Florida by June 2023. In response, DeSantis and his allies in the Florida legislature announced they would seek to end the privileges Disney had enjoyed through the special district. “The state of Florida has been very important to us for a long time, and we have been very important to the state of Florida,” Iger said last month.

☆ A Fast-Growing Network of Conservative Groups Is Fueling a Surge in Book Bans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Elizabeth A. Harris | Alexandra Alter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The alliance has a network of more than 250,000 people it can mobilize to flood politicians with letters. Referred to by Mr. Flaugh as “the back office,” this network sprang into action this year to support a bill that requires Florida districts to report all book objections to the state. Some librarians and parents are concerned it will have a chilling effect. The summit also drew other prominent political figures from the right, including Senator Rick Scott of Florida and the Trump administration cabinet members Ben Carson and Betsy DeVos. In her remarks, Ms. DeVos called for dismantling the Department of Education, which she used to run.

☆ A Florida man was arrested for suspected shoplifting at a Walmart store filled with dozens of police officers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A man was arrested after allegedly trying to shoplift from a Walmart store in Florida. About 40 deputies were in the store at the time of the arrest, per Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Osceola County Sheriff's Office, near Orlando, published a post on its Facebook page on Thursday saying it had arrested a man after he was caught trying to steal from a Walmart in St. The Walmart store was filled with nearly 40 deputies alongside the forensics team, the community services officers, the OCSO Majors, and Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez. Osceola County Sheriff's Office didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for more information about the incident.

Ron DeSantis denied a report Friday that the state was considering reversing its decision to dissolve Disney's special governing district near Orlando. "We will have an even playing field for businesses in Florida, and the state certainly owes no special favors to one company. Earlier Friday, the Financial Times reported Florida lawmakers considered keeping in place the special governing district that encompasses Disney World as Disney CEO Bob Iger returned to lead the company. But according to the FT report, state lawmakers are now working on a compromise that would allow Disney to keep the special district in place, with a few modifications. “What I can say [is] the state of Florida has been important to us for a long time and we have been very important to the state of Florida,” Iger added.

Gary Works, still one of the largest steel mills in the U.S., employs 4,000 people and has 7.5 million net tons of annual raw steel capability. Big River Steel recently installed a slushie machine to help employees cool off. But the algorithms deployed at Big River can’t plug and play in other mills, according to Christian Holliday, senior director of Digital Studio and Big River Steel Integration at U.S. Steel. Bandwidth is notoriously poor in environments like steel mills that are full of concrete and steel. The Big River acquisition hasn’t provided a one-size-fits-all template for modernization at U.S. Steel’s older plants.

☆ Dozens of times drought, ice melt, and storm surge unearthed unusual and unsettling discoveries this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Among the unearthed finds are old sites, ancient artifacts, rare fossils, and even human remains. This summer, low water levels created an eerie boat graveyard of previously sunken ships and beached boats, the Associated Press reported. The manmade reservoir's plummeting water levels also revealed human remains on at least six occasions since May, The Guardian reported. In Spain's Vilanova de Sau in the Catalonia region, plummeting water levels in a reservoir exposed a 11th century Romanesque church, the Associated Press reported. Switzerland's melting glaciers revealed the remains of a 1968 plane in August.

MIAMI — Florida Democrats are reeling and coming to terms with devastating Election Day losses, particularly among Latino voters who turned out solidly for Republicans in statewide contests. Most Republicans running in the state won by large margins, turning Florida into a solid red state. “Republicans became the real spokespeople for this community,” said Gamarra, referring to the governor, senators, and South Florida members of Congress. DeSantis always hammers down the message that Florida is a “free state.” Over 80,000 people have died of Covid in Florida. Meanwhile, the number of Democratic Latino registered voters decreased from 947,853 in 2020 to 901,481 in 2022.

☆ Hurricane Nicole unearthed 6 human skulls from a Florida beach, and it's the latest case of long-buried remains found after worsening weather
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Beachgoers found skulls and other bones in Florida after Hurricane Nicole, according to local news. "They are ancestors of the Seminole people," Tina Osceola, a member of the Seminole tribe in Florida, told WPTV. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesBones won't stay buried in eroding beachesThis is not the first time that hurricanes have unearthed Indigenous remains. Switzerland's melting glaciers unearthed human remains and the wreckage of a historic plane crash. More recently, melting glaciers in the Swiss Alps revealed two sets of human remains and the wreckage of a 1968 plane crash that had been frozen beneath snow and ice this summer.

Rosa Rivera, 31, and her partner, Guillermo Cuero, faced a difficult choice when it came to protecting their 8-month-old baby, 9-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son. Rosa Rivera said her son had asked her, “Mama, are we going to die?”Jennifer Rosa Rivera, her partner and their three children at a wedding a few days before Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida. Courtesy Rosa RiveraThe family lost nearly all of its possessions, including two cars that were submerged up to their windows. For many families, life in Florida was an escape from other climate disasters or extreme violence and poverty. “He lost absolutely everything,” Rosa Rivera said.

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