skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Security guard kills MI church gunman, preventing 'large-scale mass shooting'; NM Pride celebrations urge 'resilience' after U.S. v. Skrmetti ruling; Beleaguered L.A. affordable housing proposal goes before judge; Data change means ID saw largest college enrollment drop in spring term.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. awaits Iran's response following strikes on three nuclear sites. Department of Homeland Security warns about possible attacks here, and advocates call for resilience as LGBTQ rights face threats around the nation.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Giant data centers powering artificial intelligence want cheap rural land but some communities are pushing back, Hurricane Helene mobilized a North Carolina town in unexpected ways, and Cherokee potters make ceramics that honor multiple generations.

Florida Chamber of Commerce on the Firing Line

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 6, 2011   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida firefighters, teachers and police officers packed the State Capitol Tuesday to charge the Florida Chamber of Commerce with falsely claiming to represent them in a new statewide 30-second TV spot.

Those opposed to the message say the Chamber plans to air it later this week. Lisa Dahl, a former police officer who now teaches in Pasco County, called the Chamber's tactic "muggery."

"I have one question for the leadership of the Florida Chamber of Commerce: Can you spell 'hypocrisy'? I belong to a union because I choose to."

Firefighters, teachers and police say corporate interest groups such as the Chamber don't speak for the middle class and are stooping to a new low in their misinformation campaign. The Florida Chamber of Commerce says it simply is advocating things such as paying teachers based on market principles and performance.

Pasco County Deputy Sheriff Mark Hussey says public servants have paid a price, sometimes with their lives, and now big business and the Chamber are biting the hand that protects them.

"I find it unconscionable that the people who are attacking the law enforcement of this state are now misrepresenting our images - without our permission, I might add - in order to further their own political agenda."

The public servants claim lawmakers in Tallahassee keep demanding more and more of teachers, firefighters and law enforcement officers, yet they continue to slash the budget and now want 3 percent of their paychecks to make ends meet, while the Chamber of Commerce and other big corporate interests receive special treatment.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Apalachicola Bay used to be the historic epicenter of the U.S. oyster industry, once producing 90% of Florida's oysters and 10% of the nation's supply. (Margaret Burlingham/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A critical decision now rests with Gov. Ron DeSantis, as Florida coastal communities and shellfish farmers urge him to sign a bill permanently …


Social Issues

play sound

By Jonathan Feakins for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News S…

Social Issues

play sound

By Frankie (Amy) Felegy for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Servi…


The U.S. agriculture sector includes farms and related industries. Together, they account for 5.5% of the country's gross domestic product and provide 10.4% of all U.S. jobs. (Anastasia Knyazeva/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

With more than 95,000 farms, Missouri ranks among the top farming states in the nation. Now, a national agriculture group is warning that bills …

Social Issues

play sound

A new lawsuit is challenging Maryland's closed primary system. If the lawsuit is successful, nearly a million Marylanders may be able to vote in …

Environment

play sound

Supporters of public lands will gather in Santa Fe next week to oppose pending legislation that would sell off millions of acres in 11 Western states…

Environment

play sound

Workers and families in Indiana could feel the impact of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" moving through the U.S. Senate. The legislation would roll …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021