Page 6B – THE WAKULLA NEWS, Thursday, October 29, 2015 thewakullanews.com
WEEKLY ROUNDUP – (Recap and analysis of the week in state government)
Squid ink and mumbo jumbo
By DARA KAM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
TALLAHASSEE, Oct. 23 – Nobody thought the Legislature’s latest attempt at crafting new Senate districts was going to be easy. But this week’s intraparty Republican fighting at the opening of a special session – in a year that sadly might best be characterized as the “Session That Never Ended” – foreshadowed what could be another grim two weeks of drawing maps, chased by an equally foreboding regular session in a few months. The contentiousness wasn’t restricted to the Legislature’s domain, however, even if another painful controversy did wind up inside the Capitol. Florida A&M University President Elmira Mangum narrowly survived an attempted ouster that sharply divided alumni and students and wound up with the exit instead of the chairman of the college’s board of trustees. Meanwhile, Capitol denizens might want to think again if they are considering a pool on the outcome of what could turn into another doomed redistricting attempt. Senate President Andy Gardiner put the daily fantasy sports industry on notice this week that he’s definitely not “all in” on the online activity that’s swept the nation. YEP. REDISTRICTING
The Senate Reapportionment Committee on Friday voted along party lines to approve a Senate map proposed by Chairman Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton. But there was grumbling from even some Republicans that
the map might be flawed, most notably from Senate budget chief Tom Lee, a former Senate president. Before voting for the proposal, Lee called his chamber’s six proposals “defiant” and accused GOP leaders of being “unnecessarily dug in” on plans that would ultimately fail to garner support from the Florida Supreme Court. Friday’s vote capped off a week of acrimony over the Senate plans. Plunging into the debate Monday, the heretofore sharply divided House and Senate quickly hit on an area of disagreement about whether all 40 Senate seats will be up for re-election next year. The split on the opening day of the session was an ominous sign about the three-week gathering aimed at producing a map that follows the voter-approved “Fair Districts” redistricting standards. The new districts are needed after lawmakers signed a consent agreement with voting-rights organizations that conceded the current Senate map, drawn in 2012, would likely be found unconstitutional under the anti-gerrymandering amendments. The concession followed court challenges to legislative and congressional maps that showed Republican political consultants used straw men to funnel maps into the redistricting process following the once-adecade U.S. Census. Late Wednesday, Galvano released his proposed draft of the map, as Republican discontent with a plan for whether and when members would have to run for reelection continued to brew. The complicated dance during a special redistrict-
ing session highlighted the delicacy of the issue among lawmakers most affected by the process. It also underscored fissures within the GOP majority over a lingering battle for the Senate presidency following the 2016 elections, which continued to play out before the reapportionment committee gave approval to the plan Friday. Meanwhile, senators clashed over efforts to come up with a random way of numbering districts without intending to favor incumbents. Because oddnumbered districts vote in presidential years, where larger turnout favors Democrats, and even-numbered districts vote in midterms with smaller and more conservative electorates, the number of a district can affect how safe a seat is for a particular party. The Senate used a process Thursday overseen by the state auditor general to randomly select which seats would receive even numbers and which ones would get odd numbers. But Democrats complained during the unusual gathering – which was not formally a committee meeting – that it was too early to number the districts because it could provide lawmakers with an idea of when they would have to run. The numbers would also decide which senators would be able to hold office for four years and who would have to run again in two years if every member of the chamber has to run for re-election in 2016 – though that hasn’t been decided. Members of the GOP caucus, stung by repeated legal losses in redistricting cases over more than three years, said Wednesday that the
Senate should consider asking the Florida Supreme Court or the Leon County judge currently overseeing the settlement what to do about the numbers. “I just don’t find any consistency in this,” Lee said. “I think I’ve lost confidence.” FAMU RATTLED
In a dramatic three-hour meeting Thursday, members of Florida A&M’s Board of Trustees made failed attempts to fire President Elmira Mangum and sparked students to march to Gov. Rick Scott’s office in support of the embattled president. Mangum narrowly survived two votes that could have led to her ouster, the latest episode in a series of public conflicts between the president and several trustees. Discussion during the meeting centered on payments for renovations to the president’s residence and four employee bonuses, which trustee Chair man Rufus Montgomery described as “irregularities and improprieties” that had not been approved by the board. “It’s a violation of state law,” said Montgomery, who wound up resigning Friday. Within hours of Thursday’s votes, FAMU students marched to the Capitol, demanding justice for Mangum. About 150 congregated outside the governor’s office, where their representatives met with members of Scott’s staff. “It was an act of malfeasance on the part of the FAMU Board of Trustees,” said student body Vice President Justin Bruno, a junior from Orlando. “There needs to be some grounds for their insinuations. They need to
have grounds. They need to have evidence.” SENATE PRESIDENT NO FAN OF FANTASY SPORTS
Gardiner, R-Orlando, said Wednesday he is explor ing what the state can do to shut down daily fantasy sports, even as federal prosecutors are probing the online industry that has drawn accusations of illegal gambling. People in the industry contend that fantasy sports is not gambling because it involves games of skill, not chance, which are outlawed under most state gambling laws. But gambling regulators in Nevada last week ordered companies like FanDuel and DraftKings to stop operating in the state after determining that online players’ activity “involves wagering on the collective performance of individuals participating in sporting events.” The decision prompted several online fantasy sports businesses to shut down operations in the state. STORY OF THE WEEK: A Senate committee advanced a map of the chamber’s districts, but not without plenty of bipartisan angst. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “But all I get is squid ink when I talk to these people – a bunch of mumbo jumbo that, ‘Well, this is my theory.’ Well, show me in some court precedent. Show me in some legal proceeding. Stop telling me what you want the answer to be and tell me what you think it is based upon the law. And I get nothing.” – Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, expressing frustration as lawmakers tried to redraw Senate districts.
HOME COUNTRY
Squash – an unwanted growth on an otherwise good vine Sharing Hometown Recipes, Cooking Tips and Coupons By Janet Tharpe
Fun and Festive Halloween Cupcakes “These are loved by everyone!” By SLIM RANDLES
P
Rosetta Sperring
erfect for Halloween, there’s nothing spooky about Rosetta Sperring’s Orange Rolo® Cupcakes. Orange peel added to the mix really bumps up the flavor in these terrific cupcakes. But the real delight is when you reach the candy in the middle. It is such a great surprise—a definite treat! See step-by-step photos of Rosetta’s recipe plus thousands more from home cooks nationwide at: www.justapinch.com/candycupcake You’ll also find a meal planner, coupons and chances to win! Enjoy and remember, use “just a pinch”...
-Janet
Pensacola, FL (pop. 51,923)
Orange Rolo Cupcakes What You Need 1 box orange cake mix 1 tbsp grated orange peel 24 unwrapped caramel chocolate candy, such as Rolo (frozen) 24 caramel chocolate candy (not-frozen) ICING 1 c (2 sticks) butter, room temperature 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp orange extract 1 lb 10x confectioner sugar, sifted
1 - 2 tsp whipping cream (or milk or half and half)
• Bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Directions • Allow to cool and • Make cake mix then ice. according to package • For icing, cream all directions. the icing ingredients • Line cupcake pan together until fluffy. with cupcake paper. • Top each cupcake • Place a frozen candy with a chocolate in the bottom of each caramel candy on top cupcake paper. of icing, then decorate. • Pour cake batter over • Make sure to put frozen candy (2/3 sprinkles on before full). icing dries.
Submitted by: Rosetta Sperring, Pensacola, FL (pop. 51,923)
www.justapinch.com/candycupcake Brought to you by American Hometown Media
Squash. One of the English language’s most painful words, along with maim and trauma and rend and okra and Liberace. Why would anyone want to eat something that sounds as though someone sat on it? The bottom-line truth is, cooks all over the place love a challenge, and they have tried valiantly to turn squash into an edible dish. To do this, they take one tenth of a portion of squash, boil as much of the squashiness as they can out of it, then immerse it in ninetenths something that tastes good and
hope no one will notice. You know, stuff like chile, mutton, edible vegetables, nuclear waste, cottonwood bark and even chocolate. Then, when you can’t taste the squash in it, and most of the slime has settled to the bottom, they smile and say, “How do you like my ‘Squash Canneloni ala Hershey con Brio?” L e t ’s f a c e i t – squash is an unwanted growth on an otherwise perfectly good vine. It starts with a pretty little blossom that inspires Navajo jewelry and attracts bees. Then it begins its insidious malignancy into something that should probably be surgically removed. “I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” says the surgeon, “your squash is in an area that is impossible to reach without endangering the life of the vine. Your vine is pretty much doomed to
produce something that – when cooked properly – will still gag a sick dog off a gut truck.” They even try to fool people who might consider buying squash into thinking it tastes like something else. Something like butter. Or acorns. Or crooked necks. Makes you wonder what crime against mankind Mr. Zucchini committed to be forever more squash-damned in the history books. But it’s fall now. Autumn, that time of year when children play in the lazy sunshine and squash vines go belly up. And when we enjoy our pumpkin pie and jack o’lanterns, we’ll smile quietly, knowing we’ll once again be squash free for a few blessed months. Brought to you by Home Country (the book). Go to LPDpress.com.
The Wakulla News