Craig Ferguson, Thompson Academy Administrator, Leaves Under Cloud of State Investigation

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Ferguson left after the state began investigating the allegations.
One year after Thompson Academy settled a federal lawsuit alleging a 14-year-old boy was twice sexually assaulted by a counselor at the lockup, the head of the Pembroke Pines juvenile detention center is facing scrutiny. Administrator Craig Ferguson has left his post amid allegations that he took residents home with him, bought them new clothes, and allowed them to shower at his house.

Thompson is an all-male, "moderate risk" detention center for teenagers, funded by the state and run by the for-profit company Youth Services International. Local attorney Michael Aaron Hoffman represents three former Thompson Academy employees -- Kamal Warren, Farouto Austin, and Marcus Blue. In March, Hoffman called the state Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to report a troubling incident described by the ex-employees.

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Spirit Airlines to Charge $100 For Carry-On Bag, Here's How to Pack

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Flickr user: Shirley Two Feathers
Wear nothing, and enjoy the ride.
The penny pinchers at Spirit Airlines have come up with a new way to ruin your flying experience. Starting in early November, the Miramar-based discount carrier will charge up to $100 for a carry-on bag. The fee only applies if, like us, you procrastinate packing, sprint through the airport, and end up having to pay for the bag at the gate.If you're one of those weirdo advance planners, it will still cost you $35 to pay for the bag online, or $50 at the airline counter. Checking a bag will cost $30 to $45.

Never fear. The staffers at the Pulp have expert advice for avoiding all such fees.

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Broward Jail Inmates Say Their Gums Are Bleeding Due to Poor Toothbrushes, Lack of Dental Care

Categories: Broward
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​A group of inmates facing tough charges at the Broward County Main Jail is suing representatives of the Broward Sheriff's Office and the jail's health-services contractor, Armor Correctional Services, for inadequate dental care.

Specifically, the inmates say that the toothbrushes provided by the jail -- "the finger brush for animals that does not work," as the suit says, pictured at right -- is leaving them with gingivitis and bleeding gums. They say that the one-year waiting period for inmates to get their teeth cleaned is leaving them in discomfort for months.
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Broward County Back on America's Most Wanted Tonight

Categories: Broward, Crime
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AMW host John Walsh
​Set your DVRs, everybody. BroCo's back on America's Most Wanted.

Tonight's 9 o'clock show on Lifetime will feature the Broward Sheriff's Office Fugitive Squad, according to a police news release, and will feature the search for 39-year-old Fritz Alisme, accused of multiple counts of sexual battery on a child. The squad will also be looking for 27-year-old Isaac Amos, who was described in the news release as being "wanted for trying to kill a guy."

It was later revised to say that he's accused of...
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Broward County Encouraging Water Conservation by Treating Residents Like 4-Year-Olds

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This is a serious issue, people. Just listen to the man.
It's the dry season, and Broward County is looking to encourage water conservation efforts by offering rebates to residents who buy high-efficiency toilets and other incentives, depending on your city. The goal is to cut water use by 30 million gallons per day -- and officials decided the best way to tell people about it was to send out an animated 30-second puppet show with a weird, cheery news release.

The hero of this "Tale of Water Tragedy and Conservation Triumph" is John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, who lives in Nursery
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Broward Elections Office: Someone Called to Get Their Ballot Back to Vote Again

Categories: Broward, Election
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crooksandliars.com
Yep. A Broward Republican actually called the county Supervisor of Elections Office to ask for his absentee ballot back so he could vote again.

Mary Cooney, public services director for the county election's office, says she's "only aware of one" person who tried to do this.

As we mentioned earlier today, there have been a few reports around the state of Republican voters trying to call a mulligan on their Rick Perry/Michele Bachmann/Herman Cain/Jon Huntsman/Gary Johnson/other votes and pick someone who's actually running for president.

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BSO Says It Needs a $6.5 Million Helicopter Because the Other Three It Has Are Needy

Categories: Broward
broward.org
One of the three helicopters the BSO currently has. The sheriff's office says it needs another one.
The Broward Commission will be deciding today whether the Broward Sheriff's Office gets $6,505,593 for a new helicopter.

Sure, they already have three other helicopters -- the most recent one being purchased in March 2010 -- but the sheriff's office apparently needs a brand new one, because the three other helicopters are having "increasing maintenance issues."

Letters and memos attached to the commission agenda show this has already been approved by Sheriff Al Lamberti and other county administrative people, and looks like it's all but a done deal pending the commission's approval.

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Anonymous E-book Offers "A Look at Corruption Inside the Broward Sheriff's Office"

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It's $9.99 on Amazon; you can get it on your Kindle in seconds. What better way to read a self-published book about alleged corruption in the Broward Sheriff's Office, including manipulation by everybody's favorite Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein?

A new anonymous e-book being hawked on the web retailer, and available in print from Lulu.com, is called Inside the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Chapters include "The Rise to Power of [Sheriff] Al Lamberti," "How Close Was Rothstein to Lamberti," and other promising topics. It also includes a few sections on Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley, who has been extensively linked with Rothstein.

The response from inside law enforcement? Mixed, with some calling it old news.More >>

Broward County Attorney Is Highest-Paid County Employee in the State (and Other Salary Info)

Categories: Broward
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shirtoid.tumblr.com
No county employee is paid more in the state of Florida than Broward County Attorney Joni Armstrong Coffey, according to information compiled by a new open-government website.

FloridaOpenGov.org put together a ton of information regarding state and county spending, as well as payroll and revenue information.

Coffey's 2011 salary is $346,195, one of only two county employees statewide (with former Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess) who banked -- or were set to bank -- more than $300,000.

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Off-Duty BSO Deputy Dies in New Year's Day Motorcycle Crash

Categories: Broward
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BSO
Broward Sheriff's Deputy John Blackwelder.
Broward Sheriff's Deputy John Blackwelder died in a motorcycle crash shortly after noon on New Year's Day, according to the BSO.

The sheriff's office says Blackwelder, 45, was riding his 2010 Honda motorcycle west on East Commercial Boulevard when a 75-year-old woman driving a four-door Cadillac made a left turn into his path at NE Third Avenue.

Blackwelder ran into the Cadillac's rear passenger door, according to the sheriff's office.

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