The Cooler

Here are some of the more interesting stories I found in this morning's mainstream media.

A- Sun-Sentinel: I'll drink to that.

Floridians might have cut their spending in these tough times, but they're still buying wine.

From Cabernets to Pinot Grigrios to Zinfandels, wine sales remain strong although the economy is in the tank.Florida trails only California on wine consumption. Fueling Floridians passion for all things grape is a mix of wine shops, wine bars and wine-tasting events.

South Florida accounts for a big portion of the state's wine sales. That's not surprising given the region's entertainment venues, trendy resorts, celebrity-owned restaurants and arts culture.

B- Sun-Sentinel: If you live in Broward, your garbage man is looking out for you.

As garbage trucks drive through Miramar and Pembroke Pines, their crews aren't just picking up your garbage — they're also on the lookout for suspicious activity.

It's all part of the "We're Looking Out For You" program organized by All Service Refuse, which contracts with several cities in Broward County for garbage removal.

"So many of our employees are out in the neighborhoods when the families are asleep early in the morning, or at work and school during the day," said Damon Stinson, a sales and marketing manager for All Service and its parent company, Republic Services.

Stinson said about 250 employees recently attended a training session on how to look for suspicious behavior and how to report it with their dispatchers.

C- Herald: Oops.

A police officer shot his partner while responding to a report of a possible home invasion robbery in west Miami-Dade late Friday night.

The shooting took place in an apartment, 15509 SW 105th Terrace, around 10:30 p.m., said Miami-Dade police, who did not release the names of the officers.

The events leading to the shooting began when the two police officers arrived at an apartment with a group of men and women inside with the door open. The first officer entered the bedroom and was shot when the second officer later came into the bedroom and spotted the first officer with a gun. It's unclear why the second officer didn't recognize his partner.

D- Herald: The way it should be.

Existing home prices in South Florida have fallen 20 to 30 percent over the past year, putting once-unaffordable homes within the grasp of buyers -- if only they could qualify for a loan at reasonable rates.

Credit markets have gotten so tight that in many cases it is impossible to qualify for a loan with less than 20 percent down. Compounding the problems of financing, especially with condos, is the dearth of PMI, or private mortgage insurance, which is required for down payments below 20 percent.

E- Herald: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen spams Miami-Dade County teachers.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, knows a thing or two about how to reach teachers -- like sending an education-themed campaign e-mail to their school district accounts.

Ros-Lehtinen this summer paid a fee of $63.33 to obtain the e-mail addresses of tens of thousands of Miami-Dade teachers and district employees.

''It's all public record,'' said Miami-Dade schools spokesman John Schuster.

Earlier this month, Ros-Lehtinen sent schools employees a campaign e-mail touting her track record on education. ''Students and educators need more and better resources,'' the e-mail states.

.