la liberté avant tout
IT’S THE LAW: Gov. Rick Snyder, right, speaks as Lt. Gov. Brian Calley listens Tuesday at a news conference in Lansing, Mich., after signing the right-to-work law. (AP photo) By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org LANSING, Michigan — Ending the battle as easily as it began, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday signed into law “right-to-work” measures that…
EN MASSE: Thousands of demonstrators gather Tuesday outside the State Capitol in Lansing, Mich., protesting a right-to-work vote. (AP photo) By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org LANSING — Overcoming the large crowds that have descended upon the capital, Michigan House members approved legislation allowing workers to freely decide whether they wish to pay union dues as a…
A piece from Florida Watchdog’s Yaël Ossowski prompted Orlando’s WESH TV to press Gov. Rick Scott on an overseas trip, and questions of crony capitalism. PART ONE PART TWO Florida Watchdog prompts crony capitalism questions of @flgovrickscott yael.es/UpXEWT! #sayfie — Yaël (@YaelOss) December 6, 2012
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — The nation’s largest military contractors may be doing everything they can to warn Floridians of impending doom coming in the form of military-spending cuts, but newly announced defense contracts may leave their claims falling on deaf ears. DOOM: Military contractors warn of coming defense cuts, but…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — Critics are blasting Gov. Rick Scott for takingoff on yet another foreign trade mission, this time to the booming Latin American tiger of Colombia. Critics view these kinds of trips at public expense as troubling for the average taxpayer, not just for the temporary costs, but also because of…
By Marianela Toledo and Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — Reacting to the news that Miami-Dade County wants to use accused criminals for manual labor in return for paying off debts, lawyers across the state say such a program could be rule unconstitutional. The proposed ordinance aims to save taxpayer dollars by offering “pretrial detainees” the option of cleaning roads,…
While most of the RNC convention goers have long since left Tampa Bay, the millions of dollars in security costs awarded to local police departments have stayed put, engendering a new kind of technological surveillance state never before seen by Florida residents. Read more: Florida Watchdog
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — Taking his victory lap on the heels of his return to the U.S. House after losing two years prior, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson staged his first public spectacle against the retail giant Walmart over the Thanksgiving holiday. Grayson, a Florida Democrat, made Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday appearances at stores in St. Cloud and Orlando, handing workers turkey sandwiches and encouraging them…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — A vast network of surveillance cameras, armored trucks with weapons mounting capabilities and state-of-the-art bulletproof vests strong enough to withstand high-caliber rounds. Those are just a few of the spoils enjoyed by the Tampa Police Department during the highly anticipated Republican National Convention, which occupied the city from Aug.27-30…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — Whether or not they’re fans of baseball, residents in Tampa and St. Petersburg have the opportunity of a lifetime to become investors of the future of America’s pastime. They’ve been told to imagine a sprawling ballpark with a retractable roof, enviable seating capacity and a prime location in Tampa that…