Morning Juice: Airport Bid a Campaign Check Writing Contest; Holy Cross Doc Busted in Meth Sting

By Thomas Francis Fri., Mar. 19 2010 at 8:22 AM

Your daily spin through the headlines of South Florida:

An engineering firm says that the bid process for redesigning the south runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International was mired by politics, with county commissioners treating the contract like an auction, with the winner being the most generous in making campaign contributions. Imagine that! [Broward Bulldog]
The Wednesday attack on 15-year-old Josie Ratley was preceded by a flurry of text messages between her and Wayne Treacy, the 15-year-old accused of attempted murder. Ratley reportedly made a remark about Treacy's brother, who committed suicide, which may have triggered Treacy's rage. A 13-year-old who's also a Deerfield Beach Middle School student has been charged for allegedly helping Treacy find Ratley prior to the attack. [Miami Herald]

John Habib, an anesthesiologist at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, was arrested in a meth trafficking sting. [WPLG-5]
Riviera Beach has installed a $300,000 system for detecting gunshots that police say will help them zero in on the location of the shot. [Palm Beach Post]
Broward and Palm Beach County school officials are taking heat for embarking on national talent searches for teachers when there may be qualified educators in South Florida. [Sun-Sentinel]
A new mayor in Palm Beach Gardens: David Levy, a former commissioner. Former Mayor Joe Russo, who voted to give the job to Levy, is now a commissioner. [Palm Beach Post]