Publication
VERGLADE CHAMPION OR ECOLOGICAL VILLAIN?
“... utterly failed and actively thwarted, at times, efforts to improve what makes Florida so special.”
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Not just a matter of risky behavior
Steven Hamilton was underwater in the jaws of a nearly 12-foot alligator when first responders arrived at a pond just 300 feet from the 71-year-old’s Winter Garden home. At 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, the fisherman wasn’t in the typical group of...
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Shopping shakeup
The Boynton Beach Mall is being sold and will close its doors in mid-January, marking the end of the 41year-old shopping center but the start of the property’s redevelopment into new homes and commercial space. On Oct. 19, a spokesperson for mall...
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Unprecedented challenges for a Florida grocery giant
As discount grocer Aldi and others peel away customers amid rising inflation, Florida’s largest grocery chain is facing unprecedented challenges. A prominent industry trade publication recently asked, “Has Publix lost its magic?” The consensus answer...
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Signs of discontent
WEST PALM BEACH – Fabiana Carrizales has voted twice for President Donald Trump since she became a U.S. citizen. On Oct. 17, however, she joined a “No Kings” protest in West Palm Beach, saying she’d had enough. Standing on the lawn outside the Target...
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3 New slice of life for longtime pizzeria
After two decades at Donald Ross Village, Sal’s Express has been transformed into The Pizza Connection, a remodeled Italian-American restaurant and pizzeria in Palm Beach Gardens. Owner Fabio Bartolotta remains at the helm, working with partner...
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‘Power imbalance’
A Palm Beach County attorney known for representing victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is representing two women accusing former Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of operating a sex-trafficking venture to exploit young women for sex...
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‘I see no win here’
The Social Security Administration on Wednesday announced a 3.6% costof-living adjustment beginning in January 2027 that will be the fifth-largest increase in the past 35 years, directly benefiting 5.4 million Floridians. While that increase sounds...
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PBSO IDs man killed in shooting
The Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office on Oct. 14 identified the man whom a deputy fatally shot following a vehicle chase on Interstate 95 connected to a pizza delivery robbery. Paramedics pronounced Gregory Dobkin, 51, of suburban West Palm Beach...
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Defense firms surge
South Florida is trending toward becoming a defense industry hub along the lines of Northern Virginia. Daniel Kahan, a lawyer who handles financial transactions for emerging companies, especially in the technology and defense sectors, believes that...
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‘WILDEST THING I HAVE EXPERIENCED’
Isaias did things hurricanes don't, hurling a ruin in the wrong place that snapped pines like pencils and pried sides and ceilings from homes that were opposite of the so-called dirty side of the hurricane. h Climatological tradition says areas east of...
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SPACE SOUVENIR
The custom-sewn white flight jacket with the NASA meatball logo used to fit over the shoulders of legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong while he trained to become the first man to walk on the moon. Fifty-seven years after NASA’s historic Apollo 11 lunar...
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RAPID CHANGES
“Especially with the businesses that are growing and moving here, the opportunities for the future are really endless. And, that is what we want to expose the educational group to: ‘Anything is possible, and it can be done right here in your own...
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‘It’s going to be a mess’
Hurricane Isaias will land a lopsided blow to Florida’s Panhandle with the worst of its pummeling leaning east and a storm surge that could drive 9 feet of saltwater into nearly 200 miles of porous coastline. The storm deepened to a Category 3...
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Vanderbilt West Palm campus moves ahead
Vanderbilt University now has raised $400 million for a West Palm Beach graduate school campus as it nears a $520 million goal for the downtown complex. The new fundraising level comes as the private, Nashville-based university has hired Natasha...
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‘Dangerous hurricane’
The season without a hurricane is ending with a forecast for a coiling Category 2 storm to form in the Gulf on a path toward the soft marshy and white sand belly of Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle. National Hurricane Center meteorologists...
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Change in terms
The Related Ross real estate firm will buy, rather than lease, prime land owned by Family Church in West Palm Beach for construction of the planned Edgeworth luxury condominium complex. A 2024 deal with the church consisted of a 99-year lease on 4.6...
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Do chatbots have free speech rights?
Are the ChatGPT outputs to the accused Florida State University shooter the “hazardous” outcome of a product — or is the information protected speech under the First Amendment? In a new court filing, ChatGPT owner OpenAI says it’s the...
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A troubled tower
A lender for the unfinished Mandarin Oriental condominium in Boca Raton will not be able to seize and sell collateral for the project’s $418 million loan, a New York state court ruled on Oct. 1. The decision puts on hold, for now, any potential that...
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WHAT WE DO Inside a NASA launch director’s biggest decision
Applesauce. That’s what Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A smelled like after a space shuttle launch, according to Mike Leinbach, a longtime shuttle-era launch director. The smell, he said, came from the residual fuel of the solid rocket boosters. He...
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Billionaires shape FL higher ed, business
Ken Griffin and Stephen Ross are doubling down on higher education in South Florida in a bid to make the region a leader in business, technology and innovation. On Sept. 30, Carnegie Mellon University of Pittsburgh announced plans to build a new...
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‘He acted selflessly and courageously’
The fatal shooting of a West Palm Beach minister early on Sept. 27 may have been a case of mistaken identity, according to the arrest report of the man facing murder charges. The alleged assailant, Hugh Milner Jr., thought his ex-girlfriend was in a...
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STAYING ALIVE
Once praised as the right way to build and run a passenger rail line in the U.S., with nearly $1 billion in taxfunded help, Brightline is now saddled with billions of dollars in debt and seeking to give its Miami-to-Orlando service to creditors willing...
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‘Good for county’
Palm Beach County commissioners on Tuesday, Sept. 29, approved an agreement with Related Ross to develop an 18-story, 400-room hotel next to the County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. The vote was 6-1, with Commissioner Gregg Weiss casting the...
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Weekend nor’easter brings ocean swells, strong waves
Palm Beach County saw fierce, choppy waves at its beaches over the weekend. The rough surf battered the shore as the air felt noticeably cooler for the first time this fall season, even dipping into the low 70s. A cold front blew through Sept. 25, and...
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‘I thought I was dying’
Clare was blue, her blood losing oxygen as her heart stuttered then stalled. Her husband, Aaron, was barely conscious, his face bleeding into a puddle near his head, trying but unable to move. Moments earlier they were walking. Her arm was around his...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you.
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Brightline files for bankruptcy
Brightline insisted trains will keep rolling a day after filing for bankruptcy restructuring. The parent company and affiliates of Brightline, whose Miami-to-Orlando line includes stops in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, began what the company said...
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Trump seeks trade win during Xi visit
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Sept. 24 for a state summit expected to be heavy on symbolism but light on substance, with both leaders keen to showcase stable ties despite a deep...
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Trump on Venezuela: To victor goes the oil
President Donald Trump boasted at the United Nations that to the “victor belong the spoils” in touting what he called a record-setting oil deal with Venezuela’s ruling regime. The president’s comments come as the already slow pace of a democratic...
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Publix BOGO vs. Walmart, Aldi
Publix’s BOGO specials are a big draw for Florida’s largest grocery chain, but do they really save you money versus shopping elsewhere? USA TODAY Network-Florida on Sept. 16 and 17 compared prices of 10 Buy One, Get One Free items at Publix to prices...
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Camp David-like golf retreat mulled
Palm Beach County has directed its staff to explore an offer from President Donald Trump to build a Camp David-like retreat at Trump International Golf Club. The details of the offer, first disclosed by The Palm Beach Post, remain sparse, but the...
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Citrus CRISIS
Citrus greening, a pandemic blamed for killing over 90% of Florida’s citrus production, has gained a foothold across all major citrus-producing states in the United States — Florida, California, Texas and, most recently, Arizona. Editor’s note:In...
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INDEX
History ................. 12A InFocus ................. 14A Sunshine Living ...... 17A Local ......................... 33A Sports .......................... 1B Weekend Exclusive... 1D Business ...................... 1E Accent...
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Study: FL grocery shoppers pay more than most states
As consumer prices continue to climb, a new report recently ranked grocery prices in Florida among the highest in the country. The report by Self Financial compared prices of the same 30 essential grocery items at Walmart stores in all 50 states, as...
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Housed in squalor
The men of Alligator Alcatraz lived in the equivalent of cages, drinking dirty water out of dirty cups and eating food stored at temperatures that let it spoil. They lived with 30 men crammed into quarters built for 11. They bathed in bug-infested...
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Fed raises rates for first time in 3 years
WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve policymakers responded to stubborn inflation by opting to raise their benchmark short-term interest rates for the first time in three years on Sept. 16, just days after President Donald Trump said the United States should...
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USPS mail ballot changes blocked
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 14 declined to let the U.S. Postal Service tighten the use of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The ruling was a loss for President Donald Trump,...
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How to save as gas rises
Gasoline prices have topped $4 per gallon in Florida and are higher than that at many stations across Palm Beach County, consistently one of the most expensive markets for fuel in the state. Florida gas prices spiked recently to $4.07 a gallon on...
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Expert: ‘Plenty of blame’ in deadly Amazon plane crash
More than a week after an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport, slamming into two vehicles, killing five people and injuring another five, people are still questioning how this happened. Officials with the National...
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WHAT WE DO Divided nation?
It’s been about a year since Frank Cerabino, The Palm Beach Post’s longtime columnist, decided to retire from the paper and pick up his pickleball paddle full time. Frank entertained, educated, poked and prodded Palm Beach County readers for 34 years....
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Etched in memory
NEW YORK – As the United States marked 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans across the country gathered to honor the nearly 3,000 people who perished and reflect on the day that forever changed the nation. A quarter-century...
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THEY NEVER FORGET
In memoriam See the names of the 2,977 victims of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Inside Palm Beach police chief, a 9/11 responder, shares story for first time. The World Trade Center billows with smoke after hijackers crashed planes into the north...
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NYC releases 9/11 air quality data, records
NEW YORK – Shortly before the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, New York City’s law department has released reams of data and records about the air quality on and after Sept. 11, 2001. About 170,000 pages of records are now accessible...
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Official hails deal
Palm Beach County Administrator Joe Abruzzo will ask commissioners this month to approve a deal with Related Ross to develop a second convention center hotel in downtown West Palm Beach, a project that he and Related Ross say could generate as much as...
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Texan captures crown
WEST PALM BEACH — Miss Texas is now Miss America. Regan Hutsell won the 2027 crown on Sept. 6 during a ceremony at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, capping a week of competition featuring contestants from all of the 50...
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Outbreak shows health system under strain
YPSILANTI, MI – During the height of the summer outbreak of cyclosporiasis, Dea Lancaster set aside her usual duties as nurse coordinator at Michigan’s Washtenaw County Health Department to call patients, asking about their symptoms and tracing the...
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REMEMBERING SEPT. 11, 2001
Sometimes when I’m about to go to bed, I do one last flip through the TV channels to make sure I didn’t miss anything I may need to know for my job the next day. When I stumble across a show about Pearl Harbor, I always pause. The grainy...
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Journalist, feminist icon Steinem dies
Civil rights activist and journalist Gloria Steinem died Sept. 2, at age 92, according to her official Instagram page. Steinem “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her,” the post read....
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Woods convicted of lesser charges
STUART — Tiger Woods’ driver’s license was suspended for five years and he will pay $1,500 in fines in a plea agreement made at a hearing Sept. 2 at the Martin County Courthouse. Woods, 50, was charged with DUI following a crash on Jupiter Island on...
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Weighing options
Two more old condominium complexes along the West Palm Beach waterfront could be purchased by real estate developers wanting to tear them down and rebuild new luxury high-rise residential towers on their sites. The bulk purchase offers come as the...
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Iran’s leader says he still wants talks to end the war
DUBAI – Iran is still seeking a negotiated solution to its conflict with the United States, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Aug. 31, a day after the two countries resumed hostilities for the first time since late July, driving oil prices up more...
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Florida’s economy reshapes election
Florida’s affordability problems are top talking points for candidates up and down the ballot from both parties – with property insurance and taxes the chief targets. But the state’s cost of living woes run much deeper. For many Floridians, home...
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AIrrIvALs
It’s got a new name. So, what’s next for President Donald J. Trump International Airport? Fifth in a five-part series.
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Dems make use of grand jury leak
Sensing a political opening, Florida Democrats pounced after a leaked grand jury report concluded that the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis misused $10 million in taxpayer money from a Medicaid settlement intended for needy children’s...
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Donalds picks Avila as his running mate
MIAMI – Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds’ choice of Cuban-American state Sen. Bryan Avila as a running mate defines the GOP attack in the stretch run to November’s general election, while shoring up the South Florida bulwark that served...
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Global forecasters track potential tropical storms
Amid the peak of hurricane season, meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center were tracking nine different storms and potential storms early Aug. 24, including seven in the Pacific Ocean and two in the Atlantic Ocean. In Hawaii, residents won a...
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Florida home sales stay on hot streak
There’s encouraging news for those looking to sell homes in Florida — provided they keep things in perspective. For the 11th month in a row, Florida Realtors in July sold more homes than they did a year ago. On the whole, those homes also sold for...
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NEXT WEEK:
What’s the future of flight expansion at DJT? The airport has a new name, what comes next?
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FL grocery spending exceeds most states
As grocery prices keep climbing, a new national report has ranked Florida tied with two other states as having the country’s sixth-highest average weekly grocery costs. The ranking by WorldPopulationReview.com coincides with the issuing of the...
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Hurricane forecast below normal, but models keep an eye on tropical wave
A leading hurricane forecast is betting large on a sleepy tropical Atlantic through Sept. 1 but isn’t promising a total strikeout as hurricane prediction models home in on a buzzy wave leaving Africa next week. Colorado State University, which issues...
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PARTY OF TWO
WEST PALM BEACH – In a year where progressive challengers have unseated incumbents, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel was having none of it. She easily won the Aug. 18 Democratic primary in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. The West Palm Beach resident...
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Report describes sex abuse allegations against Caruso
Editor’s note: The following article contains depictions of child sexual abuse which may be disturbing to readers. Michael Caruso told his son not to report allegations that he sexually abused a young relative, warning that he would “get arrested” and...
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Trump orders reduction in joint drills with S. Korea
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Aug. 16 instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with long-term Asian ally South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to take part in actions against...
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FL leads in liens for home, condo owners
Liens filings by homeowners associations, including condominium associations, are on the rise both nationally as well as in Florida, according to a new report. The Sunshine State accounted for more than 1 in 6 of all filings in the United States in...
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50 ways to build a city
New apartments. New centers. Same roads. Real estate developers may have a freer hand to build dense projects, but it also means they know the burden falls on them to make sure people either living or working in their projects can actually get to...
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MAYOR ACCUSED OF MISCONDUCT
A former aide to Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter has accused her of pressuring the aide into a sexual relationship with “a potential wealthy donor,” according to a whistleblower complaint. When she refused, the former county employee alleged in the...
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How AG became state’s biggest culture warrior
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier had no qualms defying a federal judge’s order. The state’s chief state legal officer said he even would be willing to go to jail. The showdown occurred in 2025 when U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered...
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Consumer prices ticked up in July
Although U.S. consumer prices ticked up in July, the annual inflation rate again eased a bit, the Labor Department said Aug. 12. From June to July, consumer prices rose 0.1%, in line with forecasters’ expectations. Over the year, they were up 3.4% –...
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Critics take aim at Trump vaxx order
President Donald Trump hailed his new order on childhood vaccines as a win for parental choice as doctors slammed the move, saying it could lead to greater risk of diseases that were rarely seen for generations. Trump signed an executive order Aug. 10...
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WELCOME BACK
The first day of school in the Palm Beach County School District got off to a warm and sunny start Aug. 10, as tens of thousands of students poured onto more than 180 campuses, where they were greeted with excitement and high energy. Superintendent...
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Keeping it local
In the Republican primary for Florida House District 87 — a stretch of coastal Palm Beach County that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence — the candidates are focusing on local issues rather than seeking the president’s...
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And robotaxis
Air taxis, highspeed trains anddriverless autos are here. Can AI and other technology get us there faster? Second in a five-part series.
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Sports retailer closer to Gardens Mall debut
In addition to selling sports equipment, the House of Sports locations offer in-store experiences such as rock climbing walls, batting cages and golf simulators. TOP: The proposed Dick’s House of Sport at The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens....
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