Topic: Broward County

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Will Trayvon Martin case spur rethinking of Stand Your Ground laws? (+video)

Calls are mounting to reassess, and perhaps refine, the Stand Your Ground law in Florida, after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by a man who apparently pursued the teen and then claimed self-defense.
How one school district won prestigious prize for narrowing achievement gap

The 2011 Broad Prize for Urban Education went to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, which has narrowed the achievement gap for both African-American and Hispanic students.
Public-school losses: private schools' gain

As public school teachers face what may be the longest string of layoffs ever, the private sector gets a boost. Transport and janitorial contractors, online tutoring companies, and private schools are among those seeing a more talented workforce or an uptick in business.
The New Economy
Unemployment benefits: How people survive when they’re gone

Unemployment benefits for those who've been out of work for six months or longer were restored Thursday. How did the 2.8 million waiting for their checks survive the last two months, and what will happen when the checks run out again?
In Pictures: Zoo babies
In Pictures: Sea turtles
'Tis the season for grace and charity, even in a Grinch economy

From Palm Desert, Calif., to Boise, Idaho, people go to extra lengths to help the needy this holiday season. 'The harder things get, people are more generous,' says one charity organizer.
In Pictures: Sea creatures
$1 million for Texas school district that shrank achievement gap

The Broad Prize for Urban Education was awarded Wednesday to Aldine, a predominantly minority district.
DNA evidence clear Florida inmate after 26 years

Anthony Caravella was sentenced as a teenager to life imprisonment on charges of rape and murder. Increasingly, DNA tests are uncovering evidence of shoddy police work and questionable prosecution tactics.
What the housing turnaround will look like

Cape Coral, Fla., not long ago one of the foreclosure capitals of America, is now seeing a rebound as home prices hit once-in-a-generation lows.
Washington joins python chase in Florida

A new federal program will allow snakes to be hunted in the Everglades and other US lands in south Florida.
Only 43 homes built in three months? Must be Miami.

In South Florida, new home construction has virtually stopped and builders and workers are struggling to survive.
Bright Green
Is the dye in the Chicago River really green?

On Saturday morning, an hour or so before Chicago's annual St. Patrick's Day parade, members of Chicago's Journeymen Plumbers Union added about 40 pounds of dye to the Chicago River, temporarily transforming a stretch of the waterway into a vivid green.
Difference Maker
Meet Lula Mae Walker, who’s been a foster parent to 300 kids

The Fort Lauderdale woman has also had nine kids of her own and adopted 11 others. Happy holidays ... from a busy household.
Florida fights childhood obesity with new gym rule

Schools must comply with a state law requiring children in kindergarten through fifth grade to receive 30 minutes of continuous physical education every day.
South Texas school district wins $1 million prize for student progress

Brownsville receives the Broad Prize for Urban Education for narrowing the achievement gap for its Hispanic students.
Florida to pay $11.5 million for cutting citrus trees

The jury verdict comes in the first of five lawsuits seeking compensation for backyard trees destroyed in disease-prevention efforts.
Must Florida pay for felled citrus trees?

Homeowners suing the state say its disease-prevention efforts destroyed thousands of healthy trees.
Short Stuff

Short, newsy items for kids – from 18-million-year-old armadillos to squirrels that smell like rattlesnakes.