Deirdra Funcheon
New Times Broward
Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
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Past articles by Deirdra:
Death Threats Made Against Tiger That Killed Zookeeper at Palm Beach Zoo
Tiger that killed zookeeper at palm beach zoo gets death threats. → Read More
Skunk Ape Caught on New Video, Men Claim
Skunk Ape spotted on video in Green Swamp of Everglades? → Read More
Fort Lauderdale Woman Derails Candidacy of Trump-Like Presidential Frontrunner in Philippines
Yesterday, a Fort Lauderdale area woman became a pivotal figure in Asia when she critiqued a controversial politician who (like a certain American candidate) is running for president while saying and doing outlandish things — and yet, is dominating polls and drawing huge crowds to rallies. Robin Haines Merrill says... → Read More
Zac Brown on Palm Beach Drug Bust: "Nothing Good Ever Happens When You Stay Out Late"
Country music star Zac Brown admits he was part of a group of nine people partying in a hotel room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palm Beach on the night of April 8, when four people were arrested for drugs. According to police reports, cops were called to... → Read More
This Donald Trump Board Game From 1989 Is Ridiculous
Trump: the Game is a 1989 board game about Donald Trump, from Milton Bradley. → Read More
Juvenile Justice in Florida: Church Leaders Demand Diversion Programs
Waffling, flip-flopping, failing to deliver... These are common problems among politicians. So, once a year, churchgoers from about 20 Broward congregations come together to put those leaders on the spot. Typically they choose one issue of importance, devise a solution, and then ask the leaders publicly: Are you going to... → Read More
Cell-Phone Tower May Be Disguised as 100-Foot Tree in Miami Shores
Eco-Site is a company that helps place cell phone towers in high-demand areas. It's possible for the company to disguise the towers as trees — or other things that are arguably aesthetically pleasing, like clock towers. The company had been in discussions with the city of Miami Shores to put... → Read More
Obama Commutes Sentences of 61 Drug Offenders, Including 11 From Florida
Today, President Obama commuted the federal drug sentences of 61 people who had been sentenced under outdated, draconian, or ineffective sentencing laws. He was set to speak at 2 p.m. According to a White House statement, "More than one-third of them were serving life sentences. To date, the President has... → Read More
Lauren Book, Running Unopposed, Raises $1.3 Million Despite Criticisms
Plantation resident Lauren Book, 31, has raised about $1.3 million for her state senate campaign, though she's running unopposed. Her charity was also awarded a million dollars by the state legislature this session. Book is the daughter of powerful Florida lobbyist Ron Book, and after suffering horrific abuse by a... → Read More
Liveaboards and Cruisers Clash With Homeowners in Florida
Al Holden's 34-foot yacht, M/V Close Knit, bobbed as he prepared a meal of chicken and dumplings. On his way to Key West, the Canadian had threaded his way off the Intracoastal Waterway and found a sweet spot to drop anchor. Sunset Lake is situated right between mainland Miami Beach... → Read More
Jaromir Jagr Impersonators, the "Travelling Jagrs," to Show at Panthers Games Next Week
A half dozen guys from Calgary have made it their trademark to show up to hockey games in costume as Florida Panthers star forward Jaromir Jagr — more specifically, as the various incarnations of Jagr through the years as he's played for different teams, with various jerseys and various lengths... → Read More
Antarctica Declared the First LGBT-Friendly Continent By Aaron Jackson of Planting Peace
Aaron Jackson, a well known activist who runs a non-profit organization called Planting Peace, has just declared Antarctica "the first gay-friendly continent." He visited the freezing land the first week of March and unfurled both a rainbow gay pride flag and a pink-and-blue transgender pride flag. He explained to New... → Read More
Tornado on Fort Lauderdale Beach Caught on Video
There was some crazy weather Saturday in South Florida, and some of it was caught on video. On social media, multiple observers posted footage of a wild-looking storm moving over the water on Fort Lauderdale Beach, taken from various angles. According to Brian La Marre, the Tampa-based Meteorologist-in-Charge for the National... → Read More
Protest Planned Over Miami Beach Crackdown on Liveaboard and Derelict Vessels
Karine Prudent was on her boat near the Venetian Causeway in Miami Beach this Tuesday morning when an officer with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission pulled up alongside her. "It's 10:00. Let's go!" he could be heard shouting in the background. Prudent, 45, has been living aboard a boat in... → Read More
SeaWorld Announces It Will Stop Breeding Orcas
This just in from SeaWorld: The company has announced it will stop its orca breeding program. The move comes after years of pressure, triggered by the film Blackfish. The company's CEO, Joel Manby, wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times explaining the move, saying: "Americans' attitudes about orcas have... → Read More
Join Indigenous Leader Bobby C. Billie on 80-Mile Walk Across the Everglades
Bobby C. Billie was born in the Everglades, about a mile off of Tamiami Trail, in 1945. For years, that was all he knew of the world. Children planted pumpkins and corn, hunted deer or raccoons, and stuck their feet into alligator holes to see if turtles were hiding inside... → Read More
Safest Cities in Florida: Weston, Parkland, Lighthouse Point
Yesterday, an online company called BackgroundChecks.org released its list of the safest cities in Florida, and three Broward municipalities made the top ten. According to a statement, the organization's analysis was based on "FBI crime reports, natural language analysis, social media sentiment analysis and their own research" to create the rankings. ... → Read More
Jesse Ventura to Challenge Donald Trump for Presidency?
There's only one thing that would make our presidential election crazier than it already is, what with the candidates talking about one another's penises, and Donald Trump evoking Hitler comparisons: a former professional wrestler jumping in. Of course!!! Why didn't we see this coming??? This weekend, while Trump was Trumping,... → Read More
Four Reasons Rick Scott's Proposed Gambling Deal With the Seminoles Fell Through
Back on December 7, when Governor Rick Scott announced that he'd come to an agreement for a gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe, legislators and casino experts warned of potholes, roadblocks and barriers en route to the necessary legislative approval. With only days remaining in this year’s legislative session, apparently the... → Read More
Boaters, Waterfront Homeowners Clash Over Where Boats Are Allowed to Anchor
The Intracoastal Waterway is like a highway for boats, with cruisers passing through from the north on their way to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Just outside of the channel, which is federally run, are safe, protected spots where boats can drop anchor for a night — or many nights. ... → Read More