I’ve always wanted to be a writer for that satirical rag The Onion, but (sad to say) this story’s headline is not a fake. For some time now, our local sports talk radio station has been carrying a very clever
More than 50 years after Sam Cooke first sang about his educational deficiencies, many American teens “don’t know much about history.” Or so their latest test scores suggest. Only 12 percent of all 12th graders are “proficient” or “advanced” in
When Deric Feacher left Winter Haven, Fla. in 1995 to study at Bethune-Cookman College, he never imagined that he’d end up walking in Mary McLeod Bethune’s footsteps . . . back in his own hometown. Yet, this fall, Feacher is
Virtually all public officials say they believe in government transparency, but well-meaning words don’t always translate into effective government action. So, several years ago, the national Sunshine Review (SR) began regularly assessing some 5,000 state and local government websites, using
When I went to a meeting last fall about the new virtual school in our county, I publicly praised the local school superintendent for embracing digital education. I should have held my tongue. Or so at least says a new
Under the category of “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott can file some news accounts of his recent unveiling of the transparency web site, www.FloridaHasARighttoKnow.com. The site includes salary information about many key state employees – including
Several weeks ago, I watched my son play a high school baseball game on “Jackie Robinson Field” in Cairo, Georgia (Robinson’s hometown). As I watched, I pondered a provocative question raised by Economic Episodes in American History, a fascinating new
A homeowner with a leaky roof may be better off than one whose kitchen is on fire. But he still has a serious problem. That’s something public policymakers – and everyday citizens – may want to remember as they try
When I met recently with James Gwartney, the highly-esteemed Florida State University economist, I expected Dr. Gwartney to be pleased to learn that my high school son Richard was following up a required semester of AP Macroeconomics by taking an
Sunday begins National School Choice Week, the annual seven-day period in the middle of winter when kids all over the country dream of either: (1) having the freedom to stay home from school on account of snow, or (2) moving
The Jeopardy category of “Strange but True Facts About Minnesota Pro Athletes” just got a little thicker. To the recent revelations that Vikings star quarterback Brett Favre is, ahem, an aspiring photographer, comes evidence that Twins star catcher Joe Mauer