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Dateline Florida

By TIMES STAFF AND WIRES
Published November 11, 2006

Most valuable vote didn't sway election

Someone in Broward County mailed an extremely valuable absentee ballot for Tuesday's election. It's not the ballot but the stamp it was mailed with: a 1918 Inverted Jenny, one of the rarest stamps in the world. The stamp, similar to one sold in mint condition for $525,000 last year, was canceled. So was the ballot, which contained no clue to the identity. A reproduction of the rare stamp is shown above.

Reward offered in killing of bear

Two weeks ago someone killed a bear on the edge of the Ocala National Forest and left the carcass. If you know who did it, the information is worth $1,000. Bear hunting is illegal in Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has put up the reward to catch the killer of the 350-pound bear. Anyone with information may call Lt. Don McMillen on the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922 or at the regional office at (352) 732-1225.

FAU trustees hand president a plum

It's not a holiday bonus, but it might make the next couple of months merrier for Florida Atlantic University president Frank Brogan. Brogan, head of FAU for almost four years, got a bonus of more than $32,000 this week from the South Florida university's board of trustees. The first bonus since he took over is on top of his annual salary of nearly $325,000. During his tenure, Brogan persuaded the Scripps Research Institute to open its temporary facilities on FAU's Jupiter campus, and FAU is working with scientists from Scripps and with the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies. FAU students now can earn medical degrees at the pricey University of Miami - while paying FAU's public university prices.

Showtime nears for slots at track

Las Vegas-style slot machines are just days away from making their South Florida debut, the Miami Herald reports. Gulfstream Park announced Friday it is shooting for a Thursday unveiling of the machines, which voters approved through a constitutional amendment two years ago. Paul Micucci, the park's president, on Friday showed reporters the Hallandale Beach "racino," part racetrack, casino, nightclub and sports bar. The state still must approve before the slots can spin.

[Last modified November 11, 2006, 05:47:20]