January 26, 2018

Four Forney High soccer players in custody after teammates say they were sexually assaulted

Four Forney High School soccer players were in custody Thursday evening after two teammates reported that they had been sexually assaulted, authorities said.

At least two of the three juveniles in custody were detained at the high school. Another student, 18-year-old Jacob James Fisher, was arrested off campus.

A warrant has been issued for an additional juvenile suspect who is still at large, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office said.

A student told authorities this month that Fisher and two others had attacked him about 10 times last year. The assaults happened between January and September or October in a Forney High locker room and other locker rooms used by the boys soccer team, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/kaufman-county/2018/01/24/investigators-looking-hazing-allegations-forney-high-boys-soccer-team

January 26, 2018

Black workers faced daily verbal abuse, including the N-word, at Plano construction site, lawsuit...

Black workers faced daily verbal abuse, including the N-word, at Plano construction site, lawsuit claims

Four black construction workers who say they were subjected to racial harassment and discrimination while working on the new JPMorgan Chase headquarters in Plano's Legacy West.

Dallas-based Beck Co. is among the companies named in the lawsuit filed by Scott Perez LLP on behalf of the four workers: Lerone Boyd, Michael Marshall, Jimmy Allen, and Trojuan Cornett.

After the workers complained about the harassment to Beck, the general contractor of the site, they were fired, according to the lawsuit that was filed Tuesday in the 95th Judicial District Court of Dallas County. They said they also complained about the harassment to Aerotek, Inc., a staffing company on the project, and JR Butler, Inc., a crane operator at the site, and nothing was done.

They were on the job from late 2016 until the summer of 2017. The workers are asking for a jury trial, back pay and damages of $1 million each. Beck representatives haven't responded to a request for comment.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2018/01/25/black-workers-faced-daily-verbal-abuse-including-n-word-plano-construction-site-lawsuit-claims

Cross-posted in the African American Group.

January 26, 2018

Black workers faced daily verbal abuse, including the N-word, at Plano construction site, lawsuit...

Black workers faced daily verbal abuse, including the N-word, at Plano construction site, lawsuit claims

Four black construction workers who say they were subjected to racial harassment and discrimination while working on the new JPMorgan Chase headquarters in Plano's Legacy West.

Dallas-based Beck Co. is among the companies named in the lawsuit filed by Scott Perez LLP on behalf of the four workers: Lerone Boyd, Michael Marshall, Jimmy Allen, and Trojuan Cornett.

After the workers complained about the harassment to Beck, the general contractor of the site, they were fired, according to the lawsuit that was filed Tuesday in the 95th Judicial District Court of Dallas County. They said they also complained about the harassment to Aerotek, Inc., a staffing company on the project, and JR Butler, Inc., a crane operator at the site, and nothing was done.

They were on the job from late 2016 until the summer of 2017. The workers are asking for a jury trial, back pay and damages of $1 million each. Beck representatives haven't responded to a request for comment.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2018/01/25/black-workers-faced-daily-verbal-abuse-including-n-word-plano-construction-site-lawsuit-claims

Cross-posted in the Texas Group.

January 26, 2018

Higher bar for new state taxes and fees wins support in House

In an election-year appeal to tax-conscious voters, the Florida House voted Thursday to make it harder for future state legislators to raise taxes or fees.

By a lopsided vote of 80-29, the House endorsed a super-majority vote of two-thirds of both chambers to find new money. That means a mere third of members in either the House or Senate could block future tax hikes or repeal long-standing sales tax exemptions that mainly benefit businesses.

“Taking a citizen’s hard-earned money should not be done lightly,” said the bill sponsor, Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach. “You either stand with the people whose money the government takes or you stand with the government that takes it.”

Gov. Rick Scott and Republican lawmakers say their goal is to prevent future tax hikes.

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/01/25/higher-bar-for-new-state-taxes-and-fees-wins-support-in-house/

January 26, 2018

Florida lawmakers look to allow guns at churches

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House and Senate have started moving forward with measures that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on the grounds of churches and other religious institutions that include schools.

But a Senate proposal (SB 1048) approved Thursday by the Judiciary Committee would prohibit firearm possession during hours when schools or day-care centers are operating.

Also, two South Florida Republicans, who have teamed with Democrats to block other pro-gun measures in recent years, sought assurances from bill sponsor Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, that he won’t continue to advance the proposal if the school-hour requirement is altered. The requirement was added as an amendment to the bill Thursday.

Baxley, who along with other supporters say churchgoers need to be able to defend themselves from violence, indicated he will try to avoid changes in the bill.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-guns-at-churches-20180125-story.html

January 26, 2018

Sen. Marco Rubio urges Puerto Rico governor to request federal housing aid

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio urged the governor of Puerto Rico to request a federal housing program for island evacuees in Florida, as displaced families face looming deadlines for temporary hotel vouchers.

“It is critical that the State of Florida has flexibility in its ability to provide displaced Puerto Ricans with affordable housing options,” he said in a letter to Gov. Ricardo Rosselló sent Thursday.

The Republican senator referred to FEMA’s Direct Lease program, which pays up to 18 months of rent directly to landlords who house families affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. It can only be approved in Florida if it is requested by Rosselló.

“The FEMA Direct Lease program provides temporary housing units directly to survivors when rental resources are unavailable,” Rubio said. “It is vital that you formally make this request, which will better assist Puerto Rican families in Florida in finding available housing opportunities.”

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/puerto-rico-hurricane-recovery/os-marco-rubio-puerto-rico-direct-lease-20180125-story.html

January 26, 2018

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi visits South Florida to bash Trump and Republican tax law

A cross-generational delegation of congressional Democrats visited Florida Atlantic University on Thursday, hoping to convince an even younger generation — college students — that the new Republican tax law is detrimental to their families and their futures.

Their objective: preventing President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans from scoring any political points from the tax cut they passed late last year.

Paychecks soon will reflect lower tax withholding, and the Democrats want to underscore their message that average working people are getting a pittance compared to the windfall for corporations and wealthy individuals.

The event, hosted by FAU College Democrats, featured a range of Democratic congressional voices designed to appeal to range of the party’s constituencies:

Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-reg-nancy-pelosi-wasserman-schultz-trump-tax-20180124-story.html

January 26, 2018

Melania Trump skips Swiss summit and flies to West Palm Beach, reports say

After skipping out at the last minute on a trip to Davos, Switzerland with President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump flew to West Palm Beach on Thursday, according to news reports.

Her plane landed Thursday and a motorcade was seen leaving the airport, CNN reported.

Earlier in the day, she made an unannounced visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The president, meanwhile, attended a global economic summit in Davos.

Melania Trump’s plans to join her husband changed abruptly earlier this week after news reports alleging an affair between her husband and porn star Stormy Daniels.

Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-reg-melania-arrives-west-palm-20180125-story.html

January 25, 2018

FBI sting nabs Hallandale mayor on campaign finance, money laundering charges

Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper was arrested Thursday on charges that she solicited, then falsely reported campaign contributions during an undercover federal sting operation that took place more than five years ago.

Though no charging documents had been released by Thursday afternoon, a single-page statement released by the Broward State Attorney’s Office said Cooper was charged with “multiple campaign finance violations” stemming from an FBI undercover operation in May of 2012, including three felonies.

Among the charges: Money laundering, official misconduct, exceeding limits on campaign contributions and soliciting contributions in a government building.

Investigators say Cooper “solicited campaign contributions for her self and others in amounts exceeding the legal limits, and caused those contributions to be falsely reported in campaign reports.” She also solicited contributions of $1,500 each for then-commissioners William Julian and Anthony Saunders, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article196606329.html

January 25, 2018

He pleaded guilty to elections shenanigans. Twice. Now he's back.

At the depths of his descent from congressional chief of staff to political pariah, Jeffrey Garcia believed his career was over.

He’d served jail time for illegally requesting hundreds of absentee ballots for oblivious voters in 2012, and admitted to creating a phony tea party candidate two years earlier to siphon votes away from his boss’ Republican nemesis. His hair shorn and his reputation soiled, Garcia’s attorney said in a federal courtroom that he was through.

“His reputation as a political consultant is non-existent, except as the poster boy for crossing the line,” Garcia’s attorney, Henry Bell, explained to a judge ahead of his 2015 sentencing. “No longer welcome in campaign operations because of the notoriety associated with his misdeeds and his acceptance of responsibility, Mr. Garcia has left that life and career behind.”

Well, not exactly.

Following the termination of a probation sentence that prohibited him from engaging in campaigning until about mid-2015, Garcia is once again participating in campaigns. On Thursday, an email asking supporters to sign up to receive yard signs went out on behalf of Javier Fernandez, a Democrat running to claim the Florida House district vacated by Daisy Baez — signed by “campaign manager” Jeffrey Garcia.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article196704929.html