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» Registered Republicans clearly outnumber Democrats in Collier and Lee counties. In recent election history, that’s led to many seats being decided in the GOP primary with no Democratic challenger. Not in 2018. We’re seeing Democrats contesting most partisan seats, even for established incumbents. For example, three D... |
» A growing number of registered voters are shunning both the Republican and Democratic labels in Collier and Lee. They now outnumber Democrats in both counties. The no-party-affiliated voters total 180,000 in the two-county area. That’s enough to sway the outcome of some November elections. We interpret this as a mess... |
» The emergence of the unaffiliated voter could lead to interesting contests for two Naples-area state House seats. So far, not only are a Republican and a Democrat planning to run, so is a no-party-affiliated candidate for each seat, which would create a three-way November contest. |
Denby Kawahara passed away on Feb. 23, 2019 at the age of 96. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Griffin Family Funeral Chapel, 1075 E. Daily Drive, Camarillo, Calif. (805) 482-1166. |
He is survived by his wife Setsuko; daughter Patti Yoshida (Stephen), sons Randy (Christina) and Kent (Angela) Kawahara; brother Delano Kawahara (Dawn) and grandchildren Amy, Evan, Ryan, Ethan and Brady Kawahara and Jeffrey Yoshida. |
At a 2015 dedication of an FBI building in Florida, Rep. Frederica Wilson "stood up there ... and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money, and she just called up President Obama, and on that phone call he gave th... |
By Louis Jacobson on Friday, October 20th, 2017 at 4:27 p.m. |
We took a closer look at whether White House Chief of Staff John Kelly accurately described a 2015 speech by Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla. |
The White House continues to criticize U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., for publicizing a private phone call by President Donald Trump to the family of a slain servicemember. |
Wilson, a family friend, had been listening to the call from Trump in which he allegedly said Sgt. La David Johnson "knew what he signed up for … but when it happens it hurts anyway." |
Johnson was killed in an Oct. 4 ambush in the west African nation of Niger. After the call, Wilson told the Miami Herald, "I think it’s so insensitive. It’s crazy. Why do you need to say that? You don’t say that to someone who lost family, the father, the breadwinner. You can say, ‘I’m so sorry for your loss. He’s a he... |
A few days later, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly appeared behind the press room podium on Oct. 19 to offer the White House’s perspective on the call. In closing, he zeroed in on Wilson for criticism, citing the 2015 dedication of an FBI building in South Florida. |
"I was still on active duty, and I went to the dedication of the new FBI field office in Miami. And it was dedicated to two men who were killed in a firefight in Miami against drug traffickers in 1986. … Jim Comey gave an absolutely brilliant memorial speech to those fallen men and to all of the men and women of the FB... |
"And a congresswoman stood up, and in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there and all of that and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money, and she just called up President Obama,... |
Wilson responded by saying Kelly wasn’t telling the truth. |
"That’s a lie. How dare he," Wilson said on CNN. |
Luckily, a video can help settle this specific back-and-forth. |
A video unearthed by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel of the April 10, 2015, event preserved Wilson’s speech. While it does portray Wilson speaking animatedly and indulging in some braggadocio -- she is known as a colorful, outspoken politician with a soft spot for fashionable hats -- Kelly mischaracterized her remarks i... |
The effort she bragged about was initially requested by the FBI itself, and her actions were made in service of honoring the memory of the two slain agents. She also shared the credit, saying it could not have been accomplished without the help of her Republican colleagues, including then-House Speaker John Boehner of ... |
Perhaps most notable, the video doesn’t show Wilson boasting about securing money for the building, which had been obtained before she was even in Congress. |
The video shows Wilson telling the audience that shortly before the dedication of a new FBI building in Miramar, Fla., the FBI approached her to see whether she could help name the building after FBI agents Benjamin Grogan and Jerry Dove, who were killed during a 1986 shootout with bank robbers south of Miami. Naming f... |
"The ribbon-cutting has been scheduled in four short weeks," Wilson recalled being told. "The dedication is on the government’s calendar and cannot be changed. One problem: The FBI wants to name this gorgeous edifice at the same time, in four weeks. Everyone said that’s impossible -- it takes at least eight months to a... |
"I said, I’m a school principal and I said, excuse my French, ‘Oh, hell no!’ We’re gonna get this done. Immediately I went to attack mode. I went to the Speaker, Speaker Boehner, and I said, "Mr. Speaker, I need your help. The FBI needs your help, and our country needs your help and we have no time to waste.’ (Boehner)... |
At that point, Wilson said, she "dashed it over to the Senate," where Florida Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio helped get it to the floor in two days. "And guess what? The president signed the bill into law this past Tuesday, April 7, 2015, with a bang, bang, bang." |
Wilson did not mention anything about securing funding for the building, nor did she brag about using her influence with Obama. |
In an interview with the Miami Herald, Wilson called "crazy" Kelly’s notion that she claimed she had gotten the money. "That building was funded long before I got to Congress. I didn’t say that. I have staff, people who write the speeches. You can’t say that." |
The Herald reported that the General Services Administration "had already bid out a $144 million construction contract for the project in September 2010, just a few months before Wilson won her congressional seat. The bidding for federal projects takes place after Congress has secured the funding." |
The Herald also reported that the 380,000-square-foot pair of glass towers cost $194 million to build, much higher than the $20 million figure Kelly had mentioned. |
In reality, most of Wilson’s speech consisted of praise for the FBI and the slain agents. |
The quick action on the naming "speaks to the respect that our Congress has for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the men and women who put their lives on the line every single day," Wilson said. "And today we’re providing a boost to our nation by naming this fantastic building in honor of Special Agent Benjamin Gro... |
She then urged everyone in law enforcement and first responders to stand up so the audience could applaud. "Stand up! We are proud of you," she said. |
Wilson then spent several moments specifically praising agents Grogan and Dove and telling their story. She continued, "Today, it is our patriotic duty to lift up Special Agent Benjamin Grogan and Special Agent Jerry Dove from the street in South Florida and place their names and pictures high, where the world will kno... |
Wilson concluded, "It is only fitting that their names should be placed on the same mantle with the letters ‘FBI,’ because special agents Grogan and Dove embody the sacred motto for which the agency has become known. Please repeat it after me: Fidelity, bravery, and integrity. God bless you, God bless the FBI, and God ... |
Just hours after the Sun-Sentinel posted the video, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the White House was standing by Kelly’s characterization of Wilson’s remarks. |
A reporter at the daily White House briefing asked, "Does Gen. Kelly still stand by the statement he made yesterday that he felt (Wilson) was grandstanding and that she was taking credit for funding?" |
Huckabee Sanders responded, "Absolutely. Gen Kelly said he was stunned that Rep. Wilson made comments at a building dedication honoring slain FBI agents about her own actions in Congress, including lobbying former President Obama on legislation. As Gen. Kelly pointed out, if you’re able to make a sacred act honoring Am... |
When asked whether she had seen the Sun-Sentinel video, Huckabee Sanders said she had, and that it didn’t change her view. |
Wilson "also had quite a few comments that day that weren’t part of that speech and weren’t part of that video that were witnessed by many people that were there," Huckabee Sanders said. |
However, she declined to provide supporting evidence for that claim. When PolitiFact inquired with the White House, they did not provide any additional information. |
Kelly said that Wilson "stood up there ... and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money, and she just called up President Obama, and on that phone call he gave the money -- the $20 million -- to build the building... |
However, in her speech, Wilson didn’t mention funding for the building, much less claim credit for it or tell the audience how she leveraged influence with Obama to secure it. |
Wilson did describe how she helped secure legislation to name the building for two slain agents, but Kelly’s description leaves out that the FBI pressed her to make that effort and that she shared credit with several other lawmakers, including the Republican House speaker and Florida’s Republican senator. Wilson also s... |
We rate Kelly’s statement False. |
Published: Friday, October 20th, 2017 at 4:27 p.m. |
Here’s this week’s Elite Eight Power Polls, with an eye towards the postseason. |
1) New Hanover (Last Week: 1) … New Hanover finishes the regular season unbeaten in the Conference. Even in a down year for the Mideastern Conference, that’s a considerable accomplishment. |
2) West Bladen (Last Week: 4) … West Bladen’s big win against East Bladen gave the Knights the Waccamaw Conference boys title, and a powerful head of steam entering the postseason. |
3) Croatan (Last Week: 2) … Wrapping up the East Central Conference championship is a nice positive. Now Croatan’s offensive firepower will be tested by a conference tournament and playoffs. |
4) Topsail (Last Week: 6) … The Pirates rallied down the stretch to finish second in the East Central. With their fundamental play and defense, Topsail can always keep games close. There’s no time that ability is more valuable than in February. |
5) North Brunswick (Last Week: 5) … The Scorpions may be the hottest team around, winning six of their last seven games to surge to second place in the Waccamaw. |
6) James Kenan (Last Week: 7) … The Tigers are Tri-County Conference champions, and found their stride in the past few weeks after some early season stumbles. |
7) East Bladen (Last Week: 2) … The Eagles had their shot for a conference championship and missed. But that doesn’t make East Bladen’s lightning-in-a-bottle attack any less potent. |
8) Hoggard (Last Week: 8) … The Vikings’ loss to New Hanover on senior night stung, but a 7-3 conference record is nothing to sneeze at. |
Also Considered: Cape Fear Academy, Wallace-Rose Hill. |
1) Ashley (Last Week: 1) … There’s no better way to wrap up a conference title than on the road against your chief rival, as Ashley did on Thursday at Laney. |
2) Laney (Last Week: 2) … Laney stumbled down the stretch a bit with a pair of losses, but the Bucs’ inside-outside combination is still too much for most teams. |
3) East Duplin (Last Week: 3) … The East Central Conference is brutal for girls basketball, and East Duplin navigated the conference challenges well to earn the title. |
4) Lakewood: (Last Week: 4) … The only strike against Lakewood is the lack of competition in the Tri-County. That’s not their fault, and the Leopards nonetheless enter the postseason with their eyes on a regional. |
5) New Hanover (Last Week: 5) … New Hanover has really found its stride in the last half of the season. Heading into the conference tournament, the Wildcats are a legitimate threat to win it. |
6) Whiteville (Last Week: 8) … Nobody’s going to claim the Waccamaw is a great league for girls basketball. But Whiteville nonetheless took care of business and won the conference title. |
7) East Bladen (Last Week: 7) … Despite losing four starters from last year’s team, Patty Evers’ team still finished second overall. That’s a feat that’s even surprised Evers. |
8) Wilmington Christian Academy (Last Week: 8) … WCA won seven of its last eight games to close the season and finished 7-1 in its conference. |
Also Considered: East Columbus, James Kenan. |
TRIBUTES have been paid to Peter Kay, one of the co-founders of the Sporting Chance clinic following his sudden death. |
Kay, who helped turn around the careers of Tony Adams, Joey Barton, Paul Gascoigne and Paul Merson, worked with footballers who had alcohol, drugs and gambling problems. |
PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said: "We at the PFA are all shocked and devastated to hear the tragic news of the death of Peter Kay. |
"As one of the founders of the Sporting Chance clinic he has helped countless numbers of our members deal with personal problems and get their lives back on track. |
"He was a great carer and now we pray he will be similarly cared for by the One Great Carer." |
REGGAE'S plummeting sales in the United States will be the focus of a panel discussion at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, scheduled for June 20-22 at Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville, California. |
Dubbed 'The Status of the Reggae Music Business in the USA', it is the brainchild of entertainment lawyer Lloyd Stanbury. He, tour/artiste manager Copeland Forbes, attorney/concert promoter David Baram, Texas reggae disc jockey Sister Irie and Sierra Nevada World Music Festival founder Warren Smith, are the panellists. |
Stanbury told the Jamaica Observer that he got the idea for the forum after attending last year's show. He plans to outline plans for an improved reggae industry in his book, Reggae Roadblocks — Who Is Responsible, expected to be out this year. |
"I am examining the issues surrounding the challenges faced in developing a global reggae music industry. My main questions focus on whether the roadblocks that I see are presented by the Babylon system, or whether they are self-imposed by the cultural practices and un-professionalism of the Jamaican reggae artistes," ... |
He hopes the discussion will generate information which can be fed into the Jamaican community, "So we can better prepare ourselves for interaction with our American partners and colleagues in the music industry". |
The discussion is slated for June 20 and, among other issues, examines the decline in reggae music sales and live dates in the US. |
First held in 1994, the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival has consistently showcased different forms of Jamaican music, mainly roots-reggae. |
This year, the event will see performances from Barrington Levy, Rebelution, Bitty McLean, Raging Fyah, The Tamlins and Horace Andy. |
Gabby Douglas Recovers After Health Scare; Dems Told Not To Support BLM? |
Leaked emails show Dems sent internal memos on how to handle Black Lives Matter activists. |
If you were worried about the news of Gabby Douglas being hospitalized, you’re not alone. But she will be fine. |
The three-time Olympic gold medalist updated her fans recently about her health, revealing on Instagram that she had surgery to remove a cyst in her mouth, a complication from a prior injury, the New York Daily News reports. |
The 20-year-old still has to get her wisdom teeth pulled. Because of her medical issues, Douglas missed out on joining her teammates Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman to present a moonman to Beyoncé on Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. Oh well. |
Democratic campaign officials advised House candidates to limit the number of Black Lives Matter activists at public events and promise no support for “concrete policy positions,” says newly leaked documents. |
According to Politico, internal memos from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that were hacked by Guccifer 2.0 warned legislatures on how to be prepared when confronted by activists and how to avoid potentially embarrassing interactions. |
“If approached by BLM activists, campaign staff should offer to meet with local activists. Invited BLM attendees should be limited,” they later wrote. |
“We are disappointed at the DCCC’s placating response to our demand to value all Black life. Black communities deserve to be heard, not handled. People are dying. |
Whether Republican, Democrat or otherwise, our elected officials have an ethical and democratic responsibility to make legislation that reflects the needs of their constituents. That includes Black people facing life-threatening challenges because of racist, failed policies. |
We demand, and are fighting every day for, a radical transformation of American democracy where all Black lives are valued. We expect that our elected officials will stop pacifying and take us seriously. |
A detailed and startling analysis of how unequal Britain has become offers a snapshot of an increasingly divided nation where the richest 10% of the population are more than 100 times as wealthy as the poorest 10% of society. |
Gordon Brown described the paper, published today, as "sobering", saying: "The report illustrates starkly that despite a levelling-off of inequality in the last decade we still have much further to go." |
The report, An Anatomy of Economic Inequality in the UK, scrutinises the degree to which the country has become more unequal over the past 30 years. Much of it will make uncomfortable reading for the Labour government, although the paper indicates that considerable responsibility lies with the Tories, who presided over... |
Researchers analyse inequality according to a number of measures; one indicates that by 2007-8 Britain had reached the highest level of income inequality since soon after the second world war. |
The new findings show that the household wealth of the top 10% of the population stands at £853,000 and more – over 100 times higher than the wealth of the poorest 10%, which is £8,800 or below (a sum including cars and other possessions). |
When the highest-paid workers, such as bankers and chief executives, are put into the equation, the division in wealth is even more stark, with individuals in the top 1% of the population each possessing total household wealth of £2.6m or more. |
Commissioned by Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, the National Equality Panel has been working on the 460-page document for 16 months, led by Prof John Hills, of the London School of Economics. |
The report is more ambitious in scope than any other state-of-the-nation wealth assessment project ever undertaken. |
It concludes that the government has failed to plug the gulf that existed between the poorest and richest in society in the 1980s. "Over the most recent decade, earnings inequality has narrowed a little and income inequality has stabilised on some measures, but the large inequality growth of the 1980s has not been reve... |
Hills said: "These are very challenging issues for any government because the problems are so deep-seated." |
"But we hope that by doing this work, policy makers have now got information they never had before, to try and get at the roots of some of those problems." |
Harman said the issues raised meant the government needs to "sustain and step up" action introduced by government over the past 13 years, such as children's centres and tax credits. "It takes generations to make things more equal," she told Radio 4's Today programme. |
Social mobility was "essential" for the economy, she said. "The government should take action to ensure everyone has a fair chance." |
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