The news editor is Terry Spencer. The supervisor in Miami is David Fischer. If there are questions about stories, photos or photo contributions please call the Miami bureau at 1-800-824-5498 or 305-594-5825. If you have other statewide stories or breaking news of interest to AP members in Florida, send them via e-mail to Miami(at)ap.org; or fax to (305) 594-9265. The AP's general website is http://www.ap.org. The Florida AP's website is http://www.ap.org/Florida/. AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can also be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns are also available from the Service Desk (800-838-4616) or from the Miami bureau.
DEVELOPING:
FCAT SCORES: Expected by 2 p.m.
TODDLER DEATH-ARREST: Expected by 2 p.m.
FCAT
MIAMI — Third-grade math and reading scores on Florida's standardized test have remained static, while writing scores show a significant jump. Results released Friday show less than two-thirds of Florida's third grade students are performing at a satisfactory level in math and reading on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. There was a 1 percent increase in reading scores and no improvement in math. The Florida Department of Education also released scores for the FCAT in writing. Those results show 58 percent of students in grades four, eight and 10 scored at or above a 3.5, the standard used for school grades. That's an increase of four percentage points over the previous school year. By Christine Armario.
TODDLER DEATH-ARREST
MIAMI — Florida child welfare officials fired a child abuse investigator they said forged documents about substance abuse treatment for a mother six months before her 11-month old baby died after she left him in a sweltering car. By Kelli Kennedy.
UNIVERSITY TUITION
TALLAHASSEE — In a prelude to a potential legal challenge, Gov. Rick Scott warns universities against raising tuition this year. Scott vetoed a tuition hike included in the budget, but schools could still raise tuition anyway. Additionally, there is a law that allows tuition to rise by the rate of inflation. But that law is silent about what happens if a tuition hike authorized by the Legislature is vetoed. Scott called on schools to join his "worthy battle" and keep tuition flat. By Gary Fineout.
STORM SURGE-COMMUNICATING THE DANGER
MIAMI — During a hurricane, storm surge is one of the greatest threats to life and land, yet many people don't understand the dire warnings from forecasters to get out of its way. So this season, they hope to offer easy-to-understand, color-coded maps and change the way they talk to the public. Simply put, storm surge is the abnormal rise of sea water. Predicting it is far more complicated, and so is explaining it, as forecasters at the National Hurricane Center discovered, again, during a review of Superstorm Sandy. "Scientists by their very nature use very sophisticated language, technical language," said Jamie Rhome, leader of the hurricane center's storm surge team. "It turns out that nobody else understands what we're talking about. So once we figured that out, we started using more plain language." Forecasts during Sandy were exceptionally accurate, but often confusing. Perhaps because so many things contribute to storm surge: intensity, pressure, forward speed, size, where it makes landfall and other factors. By Jennifer Kay. With AP Video. AP Photos. MOVED.
TRAVEL-BEST BEACHES
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. — This may be hard to believe in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but an annual list of the best beaches in the country has a New York beach ranked No. 1. Less surprisingly, that beach is in East Hampton, the vacation playground for the rich and famous. In an announcement that coincides annually with the unofficial start of summer, coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman on Friday released the 23rd version of his Top 10 Beach List, placing Main Beach in East Hampton at the top. Leatherman, a professor at Florida International University in Miami, has visited beaches around the world and uses criteria like water and sand quality, as well as safety and environmental management, to compile his annual list. Once a beach reaches the pinnacle of No. 1, it is retired from future consideration, he said. By Frank Eltman. With AP Photos. MOVED.
TODDLER DEATH-ARREST
MIAMI — Florida child welfare officials fired a child abuse investigator they said forged documents about substance abuse treatment for a mother six months before her 11-month old baby died after she left him in a sweltering car. By Kelli Kennedy.
HOPS FOR HEROES
RICHMOND, Va. — Craft breweries from around the country are toasting the troops with a beer aged with a unique ingredient that symbolizes America's pastime — baseball bats. Nine different brewers collaborated to create Homefront IPA, all using the same recipe, complete with orange peel and unfinished maple Louisville Sluggers. Toward the end of the fermentation process the beer soaks in a tank with the maple bats. All proceeds from the beer, which is being released for Memorial Day, will be donated to Operation Homefront, a national group that provides emergency financial assistance to military families. The Hops for Heroes project began in 2011 when Chris Ray, co-founder of Center of the Universe Brewing Co. in suburban Richmond, was pitching for the Seattle Mariners. The list of participating breweries has grown to include Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fla., Sly Fox Brewing Co. in Pottstown, Pa., Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, the Phoenix Ale Brewery in Phoenix, Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colo., and Stone Brewing Co., in Escondido, Calif. Other sponsors within the craft brewing industry provided ingredients and supplies to help brewers keep their costs down and increase the amount of money raised for the cause. By Michael Felberbaum. With AP Photos. MOVED.
SUZE ORMAN-VET SCHOOL
GAINESVILLE — Graduates of the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine will receive one final lesson before they get their diplomas. Personal finance guru Suze Orman will give advice on debt and money management during a commencement speech on Saturday. Orman, who lives in Boca Raton, also has a personal reason for speaking: Her niece is one of the 87 students graduating from the college. Orman told The Associated Press that she plans to talk about student loan debt during her speech — and to advise the graduates to take the standard method of repayment and not income based repayment of loans.
REUNITED FAMILY
ORLANDO — A central Florida woman has reunited with her son almost 36 years after giving him up for adoption. The happy reunion took place Thursday at Orlando International Airport, where Andre "Dre" Knight arrived from Los Angeles on a one-way ticket to meet his mother, Robin West. He said he'll go back home when the time is right. Knight embraced his mother in the airport's baggage claim area. "I'm speechless," he said. "This is the best day of my life." MOVED.
ALSO:
FATAL TRAIN CRASH — A man is dead after hit vehicle hit a Florida East Coast Railway train hit in Melbourne.
CITIZENS TAKEOUT — A leading Florida Democrat is calling on Gov. Rick Scott to return $110,000 in campaign contributions from an insurer.
MISSING KAYAKER — Officials say a yellow kayak of a missing Pensacola man was found by a fisherman on Okaloosa Island.
POLICE OFFICER-CHILD NEGLECT — An Ohio police officer and his wife face aggravated child neglect charges after their young children were left unsupervised in a truck outside a Panama City Beach bar.
SILVER SPRINGS-SERVICES — A special events coordinator, a concert promoter and a kayak-tour company have tentatively made the cut to provide services when the Silver Springs attraction becomes a state park.
MEMORIAL DAY-AIRPORT TRAVEL — More than 400,000 travelers are expected to fly in and out of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport this Memorial Day weekend.
MAYOR FIGHT — The mayors of two South Florida cities are planning a charity fight to determine who is tougher.
SPORTS:
BKN--PACERS-HEAT
MIAMI — Looking for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, the Miami Heat play host to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. The Heat won Game 1 on a buzzer-beater by LeBron James in overtime, yet the Pacers say they were further convinced by that effort that they can knock off the reigning champions. Game begins 8:30 p.m. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds.
— With: Hometown lead.
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The AP, Miami
