Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was schooled in the politics of the Chicago Machine, but his successor's career has been built on grass-roots organizing to cut government and protect the little guy. ...more

January 30, 2009

Schools Superintendent Wally Cox is withdrawing a survey he distributed recently to administrators, saying that some of the suggested budget reduction measures may be restricted to the bargaining process. ...more

January 30, 2009

Last year, schools were "held harmless" by budget cuts. This year, cities, counties, constitutional officers and human service agencies didn't feel the knife as severely. ...more

January 29, 2009

When Dorothy Kennedy got her last traffic citation, a man named Eisenhower was in the White House and a man named Elvis was burning up the airwaves. ...more

January 22, 2009

Registration in Hillsborough County's popular after-school recreation program has dropped by nearly 2,000 kids since the county started charging fees for the service in December. ...more

January 18, 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist, who hinted at vetoing some education cuts intended to help balance the state budget, said Tuesday he's looking mainly at one comparatively small item: an $11 million cut in a teacher certification program. ...more

January 14, 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist hinted Monday at a possible veto of part of the Legislature's budget-deficit package because of its education cuts. ...more

January 13, 2009

Florida lawmakers were split Thursday over spending cuts and fund shifts to resolve a budget deficit of at least $2.3 billion. ...more

January 9, 2009

The son of the late Gov. Lawton Chiles and a prominent Tampa lawyer pleaded with Democratic legislators Thursday to prevent Florida's anti-tobacco trust fund from being raided to balance the state budget. ...more

January 9, 2009

Florida may shut down its welcome centers that serve free orange juice and could also sharply curtail television ads that beckon snow-weary Northerners to the Sunshine State. ...more

January 6, 2009