Articles by Advanced Reporting
By Tiffanie Reynolds | gargoyle@flagler.edu
On the last day of a three day private meeting, the board members of Boy Scouts of America decided to not vote on lifting a ban on gay scouts and leaders, moving the vote to the national meeting in May.
By Lauren Ely | gargoyle@flagler.edu
It’s 7 a.m. on a Sunday. Why is my alarm going off? I reach over to hit snooze when I remember that I have to go to church this morning, and my stomach starts to knot like it does before I give a speech in front of a class.
By Adam Hunt | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Growing up in England, local TV news was never on my radar. As Britain would comfortably fit inside Florida, there just isn’t a market for it in a country so small.
Instead, I was served national news on a daily basis by the BBC or Sky. Prim and polished anchors with non-regional accents were commonplace and hardly a Doppler radar could be seen.
By Alex Galbraith | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Ah, the ‘50s. Squeaky-clean, patriotic American men came home to find their pipe and slippers set out by their dutiful and doting wives. Their 2.5 children would be in the “parlor” working hard on today’s batch of homework and making themselves some Ovaltine, labels out. Monday morning brought the grind and Sunday morning brought church. We were, in short, a country made up of Cleavers.
By Zach Gray | gargoyle@flagler.edu
St. Augustine’s reputation as a sleepy tourist town has rarely been questioned.
Trolleys roll by with a calm and tranquility, telling stories of how Henry Flagler and his lucrative railroad industry spearheaded the community’s economic growth.
During the era of Jim Crow, things weren’t much different. A hushed little fishing town, hugging the beautiful Florida coastline, was a serene paradise.
By Lauren Ely | gargoyle@flagler.edu
The state of Florida may legally allow murderers to walk the streets.
Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law has come under scrutiny in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting. The law says that when threatened, people do not have to retreat and may use deadly force in self-defense. However, in the Martin case, many believe the law is protecting a man who doesn’t deserve it.
By Adam Hunt | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Success has never come easy for Kai Walker.
As an African-American, the 47-year-old financial advisor is very much a minority in the banking industry.
By Lauren Ely | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Now that The Webster School has cut its free tutoring service, Tanise Bunker isn’t sure how she can provide help for her daughter Julianna to pass the third grade.
By Alex Galbraith | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Ladies, if you’re looking to snag a mate forget about the cookbooks and pick up a textbook.
The idea that an educated woman has a hard time finding a potential life-partner, that men will find her intelligence threatening, is no more according to recent sociological surveys.
In fact, intelligence has risen to the 4th most-desirable trait that a man looks for while scoping out a spouse, according to a 2008 survey by sociologist Christine Whelan of the University of Pittsburgh.
And local men couldn’t agree more.
By Zach Gray | gargoyle@flagler.edu
St. Augustine resident Michael Shirley is no stranger to stringent water conservation efforts.
Originally from an arid part of west Texas, Shirley understands that water is a finite resource. What he does not understand is what he considers to be wasteful habits by many in St. Augustine.
“Back home, people were so conscious about their usage,” he said. “Here in St. Augustine, people have their sprinklers on when it’s raining.”
Shirley is not alone.
By Adam Hunt | gargoyle@flagler.edu
It was the first thing David Espinosa looked at when choosing a college.
The 19-year-old Flagler College student never doubted the validity of the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings.
“The rankings were very important to me,” he said. “When I received my SAT results I used them to find schools that would accept me. I naturally trusted what I read.”
By Lindy Almony | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Americans speak often about investing in the future with K-12 education. President Barack Obama said during a speech in February that, “Education is an investment that we need to win the future.”
How much, though, do we really invest in education in this country? And how much does the success of our education programs depend on the teachers?
By Alex Bonus | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Instead of meaningful change, our country’s leaders have turned an economic debate into an ideological war over abortion.
Instead of reporting the real dangers of Republican budget cuts, our nation’s media have enflamed emotions on a burnt and withered argument.
Instead of diving into the heart of these issues, we were deceived by a flawless red herring.
By Caroline Young | gargoyle@flagler.edu
New Florida Gov. Rick Scott has always said that he knows what is best for Florida education. His new law, the Student Success Act makes standardized tests the main evaluation tool for teachers’ abilities. And, he says it weeds out the fruitless ones.
Contrary to Scott’s belief, this law is everything but the best choice for our state’s suffering education system.
By Cal Colgan | jcolgan@flagler.edu
Class is about to begin. Today’s lesson starts with a simple question: How effective are state tests at determining student performances?
Ah, good. You realize this is a loaded question. After all, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is one of the most controversial standardized tests in the Sunshine State’s public schools. Since its passage in 1996, the FCAT has garnered praise from lawmakers and harsh criticism from teachers and their advocates.
By Alex Bonus | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Lawmakers are forcing failed reforms on failing schools, hoping two wrongs makes a passing grade.
The Student Success Act, signed by Gov. Rick Scott on March 24, ties teacher salaries to student achievement. Starting July 1, professional evaluators will rank teachers on a four-part scale to determine their eligibility for bonuses, pay raises and promotions.
