Daily News Update with Rich Jones of WOKV : 7/12/2012

[Tamara-B]

Not as hot today. Afternoon temps reaching 90 and we'll have a chance of storms through the evening.  And it looks like the same thing each day through the weekend.

Today's interview lineup:
At 6:53 hear Jamie Dupree explain how the Commerce Department justifies a $600,ooo+ conference in the weeks after the GSA scandal. http://www.wokv.com/Player/101448161/

At 7:19 hear Neal Boortz explain why it's a good idea for President Obama to avoid talking to the NAACP annual convention. http://www.wokv.com/Player/101448231/

7:53:  Newt Gingrich http://www.wokv.com/Player/101448381/

8:23:  Jamie Dupree http://www.wokv.com/Player/101448401/

Our Top Local Story:  Jacksonville's Sheriff is calling for a tax increase to help keep you safe.  Sheriff John Rutherford penned a three page letter to his officers and staff, saying he has no choice but to eliminate 319 positions.  Rutherford is also planning to cut the community service officer program as well as funding to the Matrix House drug rehab facility.

Empty building funded by taxpayers.  We're investigating how many Jacksonville-owned buildings sit empty and how much money is being spent to maintain them.  City Council President Bill Bishop says it may be time to sell some of those buildings to bring in revenue. 

Allegations that go beyond illegal taping at the Lt. Governor's Office.  A fired staffer says she saw Jennifer Carroll and a top staffer in compromising position inside her office.  Carroll denies the allegations raised by the former staffer, who is charged with a felony for giving an illegally taped conversation to the newspaper.

A 4 year-old boy gets a hold of his mom's gun and shoots himself in the leg.  The southside mother is facing child neglect charges.   Lisa Hilker is headed to court this morning following her arrest Wednesday.  The police report says Hilker left a handgun in her purse on the dining room table May 31st as she was getting ready for work.   The boy was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

A big swing in Florida's Senate race.  Republican Connie Mack opens up a nine point lead over Senator Bill Nelson. 
This poll by Rasmussen is a big turnaround since April--when Nelson held a nine point lead. High dollar ads by conservative groups have been on-air for weeks, blasting Nelson and his votes with the Democratic majority.

When several of you told us the eternal flame near the old county courthouse was not always lit we found out the flame was far from ever lasting.  In fact it goes out regularly and needs to be re-lit by hand.  The city says the flame was not as closely monitored immediately after the move to the new county courthouse... but they have now changed that.  For the future, the city hopes to get a self-lighting model but there is nothing budgeted.

As Neal Boortz takes to air we'll get results of Penn State's internal investigation into the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal.  A team led by former FBI director Louis Freeh interviewed hundreds of people to learn how Penn State responded to warning signs that Sandusky was a serial child molester.

The fallout from the hazing death of FAMU drum major Robert Champion leads to the University's president resignation.  University leaders will hold an emergency meeting next week to start the search for a new president.

The Commerce Department is defending the $671,000 price tag for a conference in Orlando.  Rep. Sandy Adams of central Florida had charged that information from a whistleblower inside the National Institute of Standards and Technology showed $34 million had been spent on yearly conferences over the last six years - instead the Commerce Department said the NIST total was about 10 percent of that amount, just over $3.4 million.

http://www.wokv.com/videos/online/advertising/morning-news-video-blog/ldQ/

[Dapperdan]

Empty building funded by taxpayers.  We're investigating how many Jacksonville-owned buildings sit empty and how much money is being spent to maintain them.  City Council President Bill Bishop says it may be time to sell some of those buildings to bring in revenue. 

Are they talking about downtown property? if so, its about time. What a no brainer way to make money twice over. 1) Sell the stupid building or property and 2) get it on the taxx rolls earning income. Why did this take so long to figure out?

[avs]

I was discussing this with someone the other day pertaining the old Henrietta's building at 9th and Main.  The city is sitting on it asking for an unreasable price (the city doesn't keep it maintained either btw, code should be looking into that, but that's another discussion).  What the city ought to do is sell it at a discount, get a business in there paying taxes to make up the discounted price and in no time the city will be making money from the taxes.  Right now, the city doesn't make anything from it and they are responsible for maintaining it. duh 

[Tamara-B]

Paying for an abandoned building? That's like throwing money out the window and wondering why you're suddenly broke

[tufsu1]

what would be worse is not maintaining the building...or tearing it down