The Cooler

Lots going on out there in the mainstream media. Here's some of it.

A- Sun-Sentinel: You're better off flipping a coin.

Florida hasn't been struck by a hurricane for a record six years, a Category 5 hasn't formed in the past four years and only seven hurricanes emerged last year, slightly above average. Already, some forecasters are calling for the upcoming season to be near normal.

Some experts say it is possible tropical activity is winding down, at least temporarily, and they predict quieter seasons may be ahead. But don't exhale just yet, others say.

B- Sun-Sentinel: Video, Life in South Florida.

A 42-year-old Boca Raton woman is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, accused of ramming a scooter with her SUV on Monday, according to Lighthouse Point police.

Tina Marie Brown got into an argument with L.W. Bedinotti III in the parking lot of a Publix supermarket in the 2400 block of North Federal Highway, Cmdr. Michael Oh said.

"He was driving through the parking lot with his wife on the back of his scooter and at some point [Brown] was crossing the parking lot and she felt that he drove a little too close to her and that started an argument," Oh said.

Bedinotti's wife went into Publix. While he waited outside, Brown drove up and bumped the front of his scooter with her vehicle, police said. She continued to push his scooter backward with the front of her SUV, so he turned and drove past Brown to get out of the way, Oh said.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Pay up! You promised!

HOLLYWOOD— The embattled Holocaust Documentation and Education Center wants an ailing 88-year-old Plantation woman to make good on an alleged $1 million pledge and has involved itself in her guardianship case, court records show.

The center says the guardian and attorney are interfering with Feingold's "charitable intent" and it's trying "to ensure that [Feingold's] philanthropic plans are not disrupted."

Over many years, Feingold has donated more than $260,000 to the center along with her late husband's artwork. Julian Feingold died in January 1990. Both survived the Holocaust.

Feingold, who lives with a 24-hour aide, has assets valued at about $5.5 million, court records show.

Attorney Rebecca Fischer, who represents Feingold's guardian, Zipora Geva, says she has "never ever seen a nonprofit pursue a person like they are pursuing [Feingold]."

D- Sun-Sentinel: Austerity?

Broward County commissioners agreed to spend $1.9 million, mostly from airport and port fees, to put some creativity and art into the typically barren walls and floors tourists see in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the curise ship terminals at Port Everglades, and to add some flair to a bland public walkway in west Broward.

[...]

Tuesday's projects, though, sailed through with little comment: $148,500 for a "fish tank wall'' at the elevators in one of the cruise ship terminals; $154,500 for schools of multi-colored, suspended fish in another cruise ship terminal; and $159,500 for giant, colored starfish hanging from the ceiling in another cruise ship terminal at Port Everglades, plus a glass mosaic and ceramic mural of the water, with a suspended pelican appearing to emerge from it.

E- Palm Beach Post: Food trucks aren't welcome in West Palm Beach.

As gourmet lunch trucks become increasingly popular, commissioners are trying to put more restrictions on the mobile food vendors.

Commissioner Bill Moss raised the issue at Monday’s commission workshop, saying it hurts existing businesses that pay property taxes.

F- TC Palm: Only in South Florida.

FORT PIERCE — A onetime Elvis impersonator who police said kept them at bay for four hours Monday afternoon by threatening use of the deadly poison Ricin has blamed his behavior on diabetes.

G- CBS4: You're fired.

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Jackson Health System chief executive officer Carlos Migoya announced Tuesday that more than 900 people will be laid off and nearly 200 positions will be eliminated in a cost cutting move for the troubled hospital system.

H- NBC Miami: POS who threatened Obama in Miami is...wait for it...a "Republican conservative."

Two years ago, Serrapio described himself on Myspace this way: "i'm cool. I am a republican conservative.

I- WPLG: On record.

VILLAGE OF PINECREST, Fla. - Tuesday night the Village of Pinecrest joined several other neighboring South Miami-Dade municipalities in opposing the development of a proposed dry dock facility at Matheson Hammock Park.

In unanimously passing its opposition resolution, the Pinecrest city council wanted to send a message to the Miami-Dade County Commission, which determined that a boat storage facility needed to be built at the historic public park in neighboring Coral Gables.

Pinecrest council members said the project should have never gotten the county's green light saying the public was never properly notified or allowed to review the proposal beforehand. Pinecrest also said there has been a lack of study results publicized about impact on traffic, noise and the environment.

.