New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis

Trash Haulers and Pols Care About Only One Kind of Greennew

The trash hauler in Broward County gets richer by not recycling recyclable materials, and if you believe the environmentalists, the campaign coffers of elected officials get richer by not demanding that the hauler recycle.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 09-30-2008 | Environment

Tags: Florida, Recycling, environment, business, garbage, Broward County, waste, Waste Management

Man Up, Charlie Crist: Make Your Own Macho Would-Be Veep!new

It's crunch time in the Republican VP sweepstakes. If Florida Gov. Charlie Crist wants to win, he has to outrun the rumor he's light in the loafers. Getting engaged was a good start, but he needs an extreme makeover to be straight enough for the family-values crew.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 08-12-2008 | Commentary

Tags: 2008 presidential election, John McCain, homosexuality, Charlie Crist, rumors, vice presidents

The Presidential Campaign Hits Florida ... Finallynew

A rogue state meets presidential candidates who pine for its fickle heart.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 06-03-2008 | Politics

Tags: Florida, 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton

Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Lady of the Housenew

She's got three kids, 650,000 constituents, and millions of watching eyes. The Florida congresswoman can't keep them all happy.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 06-03-2008 | Politics

Tags: Florida, 2008 presidential election, Hillary Clinton, 2008 downballot elections, Congress, Democrats, Debbie Wasserman Schultz

The DEA Hooked a Big Fish, but Can They Reel It In?new

Rayo Montano is accused of smuggling some 47,000 kilos of cocaine, but taking down the Rayo organization didn't cause so much as a hiccup in the global drug trade.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 02-26-2008 | Drugs

Tags: War on Drugs, DEA, Drugs

Hush, Moneynew

Nobody's talking about the Hollywood Beach Resort, but campaign contributions scream Next Big Thing.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 01-29-2008 | Housing & Development

Tags: housing & development

Rick Stembridge Turns Debt Case into Holy Warnew

He alleges he's had his identity stolen and his credit destroyed. He's lost the business he built with his own hands; he labors just to pay a debt he insists he never incurred. And now that he's fallen behind on those debt payments, he faces incarceration. "I believe God has gotten me into this," he says.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 11-14-2007 | Religion

Tags: religion

Making the Costly Bid to be America's Next Tennis Champnew

It may be impossible for two firefighters to fund the education of an international tennis star, not to mention a single mother or a doctor in Haiti -- but these families are doing just that, buoyed by their daughters' ambitions.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 07-17-2007 | Sports

Tags: sports & fitness

The Bad News Bulldogsnew

A quest for (Special) Olympic gold, starring one burned-out journalist turned coach and a volleyball team that couldn't spike straight.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 05-29-2007 | Sports

Tags: sports & fitness

The Seminole Tribe's Hard Rock Lifenew

The tribe -- certainly among the most prosperous of the nation's 561 recognized Indian tribes -- has built an economic juggernaut by exploiting federal policies that gave it advantages over any American corporation.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Thomas Francis | 04-17-2007 | Business & Labor

Tags: business & labor