News

Just as last week’s tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut reignite the national debate over gun control, Florida will soon issue its one-millionth concealed weapons permit.  And that has gun control advocates worried that what happened in Connecticut could more easily happen in the Sunshine State.

Some Florida politicians are calling for bans on assault weapons. Others want to see more people armed.

From now on, Miami Herald readers who want complete access to the paper's online edition will have to come up with some cash.

Tuesday marked the official launch of The Miami Herald Plus+ Program, which requires a subscription for unlimited use of websites and mobile apps for The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald.

Miami Herald Publisher David Landsberg says the subscription program will allow the Miami Herald to keep pace with today's 24-7 news cycle.

In April, the Sun-Sentinel launched a similar "paywall" for its online content.

Florida leaders are expressing themselves, although not always clearly, after the elementary school massacre in Newtown last week.

Some Florida Democrats, including Tampa U. S. Rep. Kathy Castor, are calling for new restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips.

Congressman Rich Nugent, a  Republican and former sheriff from Brooksville, says more gun control would be far less useful than identifying and treating mental illness.

Florida's governor is sounding off on the shootings in Connecticut and says he has a personal connection to the tragedy.

Gov. Rick Scott's daughter is a teacher, and he says he has friends who live near Newtown, Connecticut.

But, he says, now is not the time to talk policy.

Hear his comments to reporters in WLRN Miami Herald News:

State leaders are reacting to the tragedy in Connecticut that left 20 children dead.

Some are calling for more gun control, while others would like to see more people armed.

And as you might imagine, they're split among party lines.

We break down their responses in WLRN Miami Herald News:

Governor Rick Scott is talking about the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut last week that took the lives of twenty children and six adults at an elementary school. 

Scott told the Herald/Times Tallahassee bureau his job includes taking care of 19 million people in the state, and he wants to keep them safe.

"You stop and say, 'Why do these things happen? What is the logical thing to do?' But I think right now the biggest thing is to be caring about all these families."

Scott is caring about these families because of his own personal reasons. 

Is raising the eligibility age of Medicare part of the negotiation to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff?

Members of Florida's congressional contingent are speaking out about it.

Hear what they have to say in WLRN Miami Herald News:

Bal Harbour Police Chief Thomas Hunker remains suspended with pay today in connection with his department's far-ranging anti-drug operations that yielded no prosecutions but kept his officers flush with ready cash.

Hunker is accused of professional misconduct in a Justice Department review of the department project that sent Bal Harbour officers all over the country to pose as money launderers for drug gangs. The department operated under rules that allowed it to keep up to 80 percent of the cash after turning the rest over to the Justice department.

What are South Florida school districts doing to make sure what happened in Connecticut doesn't happen here?

Find out in WLRN Miami Herald News:

 Republican Governor Rick Scott Friday reacted to speculation that newly registered Democrat Charlie Crist will run against him in 2014. Crist, a former Republican governor who became an independent in 2010, and is now formally registered as a Democrat. Scott says the state lost hundreds of thousands of jobs and saw its debt soar during the Crist administration. "In my first two years, we've turned the corner.  Biggest drop in unemployment - it's down to 8.5 percent - and 175,000 private sector jobs. So that's what I'm doing.

The Miami Beach Commission is finally going to let investors, developers and architects renovate the Beach's old and frumpy looking convention center.

The convention has been the site for some big events in the city. For example, Art Basel has been hosted at the center for the past few years. But even though some hot events are hosted there, the convention center has maintained its old and outdated look.

That's about to change, though.