Mi Casa Is Not Tu Casa

Let's get one thing straight: The protesters who gather outside the El Sol Day Labor Center in Jupiter every Saturday morning don't hate immigrants. They hate illegal immigration.

"America was built by immigrants," concedes a man who gives his name only as Bob. He is a former Marine, a self-described patriot, and a commercial diver. "We're opposed to illegals getting paid but then not contributing to Social Security, not paying taxes. They're taking benefits but not contributing to society. It's important to get that fact out."

That's the main... full story»

Moving the port will cost $600 million, take 20 years, and leave broken promises in its wake

It was, like the Euclid Corridor before and the Medical Mart after, the Plan to Save Cleveland: In 2004, the city adopted a grandiose strategy to finally make use of the valuable yet murky shoreline that lies to the north. It was the culmination of a 32-month process, the city boasted, that brought 5,000 people to more than 200 public meetings.

But less than four years later, the plan is clinging to life, gasping for air like a three-eyed walleye on that underutilized shore. There's no West Shoreway boulevard. No lakeside golf course. No picnic tables. The only thing left is a... full story»

Going, Going, Gone

Jessica Young can remember the exact moment when politics infiltrated what was until then her exclusively biological viewpoint regarding the Gunnison sage grouse.

"I was out to breakfast with a lot of different guys from the Division of Wildlife," says Young, then a visiting scholar at Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison. "This was probably around 1991...there weren't a lot of female biologists like me working on game species, so my presence was pretty odd. One of the DOW managers, who later went on to move up pretty high politically, asked me if I thought the bird was... full story»

Truck Drivers Falter Under the Weight of High Fuel Prices

Bubba Melzer swings open the door of his 18-wheeler, walks over to the diesel pumps at the Flying J truck stop and begins to fill one of the 200-gallon tanks on his truck.

While the truck is fueling, Melzer removes a brush from a bucket filled with soapy, gray water. He scrubs the windshield, steel and chrome on the big gold International, cleaning away the bugs and muck.

The diesel pump clicks off. Melzer's tanks were about half full when he pulled into the truck stop on Houston's north side, and it took about 230 gallons to fill both tanks.

The price: $933.

Are You Ready for Some ... Women?

At halftime, things looked grim for the Kansas City Tribe.

The Tribe — the latest addition to the collective of women's football in Kansas City — traveled to Texas to play its first-ever game April 12 against the Dallas Diamonds. On that cool Saturday evening, the powerhouse Diamonds unleashed their star player, Jessica Springer. The linebacker and running back, who wore No. 46, demolished everything in her path. At the end of the second quarter, Dallas was up 35-0.

In the locker room, though, the Tribe women were still determined. A volley of voices echoed... full story»

It's Raining Energy Drinks

I. It Came from Outer Space

Right off the bat, something was wrong. She was bleach-blond, for one thing, in a tight, skimpy tank top, with more tinsel hanging off of her than a Christmas tree. A tattoo of a butterfly poked up from the back of her pants. And she was walking right toward us.

It was a Friday night at Kingdom bar on Biscayne Boulevard. We were three men, wearing jeans, drinking beer, and looking about as swanky as tallboys in paper bags. She asked our names; hers, she offered, was "Shana!" And Shana wanted to know something. "You boys wanna try a new... full story»

Blind trust: Don’t assume you’re seeing a doctor — even at the Mayo Clinic

At 65, Paul Phillips was ready to retire. He'd raised his four kids, sold his Phoenix produce company, and even bought a 40-foot RV to drive across the country with his wife LuWanna.

Phillips was working on his golf game, in anticipation of all the free time he'd have. Even more, he enjoyed playing ping-pong and catch with his grandkids.

But on March 13, 2001, Phillips found himself at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, waiting to see an ophthalmologist. The vision in his left eye had suddenly gone blurry, and he was seeing floating specks of light in the same eye. Phillips has... full story»

Snitch

It's 7 a.m. on April 16, and Deanna Johnson's alarm clock is going off. She ignores it, and lies so still she could be mistaken for a corpse. She does not open her eyes. She tries not to think about anything. If a woman refuses to acknowledge that one of the most terrifying days of her life has arrived, then maybe it hasn't.

But Deanna, a grandmother who lives in the most notorious housing project in San Francisco, who in her 48 years has been homeless, addicted to heroin, a prostitute, and a victim of domestic violence, is no stranger to reality. She knows that in two hours she... full story»

Deadbeats Ho!: Did you pay your tax bills last year? Of course you did — unless you’re called out in this story.

Gregory F.X. Daly, St. Louis collector of revenue, and his deputy, Tom Vollmer, are among the more popular people at cocktail parties — a fact they concede with more surprise than hubris. "The first thing I hate telling people is that I'm the tax collector, because everybody hates the tax man," says Vollmer. "But people have so many questions. They really do want to know a lot about our business."

Ah, the Tax Man. He's on everybody's minds come spring, and no less this year as gas prices spike, piggybanks empty and visions of stimulus checks dance in our heads.