The Bradenton Times

5 days ago | thebradentontimes.com | Byrd bath |Dawn Kitterman |Christine Sexton |Ben Livneh

At a farm market in St. Petersburg on April 14, 2012, SNAP recipients were able to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards for food. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA).WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats have succeeded in eliminating more than a dozen policy changes from Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” after successfully arguing before the chamber’s parliamentarian that the elements didn’t comply with the strict rules that go along with writing a budget reconciliation bill.

5 days ago | thebradentontimes.com | Dawn Kitterman |Christine Sexton

Phone and video calls would be free in Florida prisons and jails under budget language awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature. Shown here is a phone bank in New Jersey. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)Advocates for providing inmates in Florida prisons with one free 15-minute phone call if they display good behavior say they are cautiously optimistic that the proposal, included in the $115 billion budget passed by the Legislature earlier this week, will survive Gov. DeSantis’ veto pen.

1 week ago | thebradentontimes.com | Christine Sexton |Ariana Figueroa |Pam Radtke Russell

BRADENTON — City officials from Bradenton and Palmetto gathered yesterday to celebrate a major milestone: the official ribbon cutting for the expanded Freebee electric ride service that now connects the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) districts of both cities. The event celebrated more than just expanded service; it recognized a unique collaboration between two Community Redevelopment Agencies to bring convenient, sustainable, and free transportation across city lines.

1 week ago | thebradentontimes.com | Mitch Maley |Christine Sexton |Pam Radtke Russell

It is said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. This week brought an acute sense of déjà vu as numerous talking heads and members of Congress eagerly lined up to convince the American people that we have no other choice but to join Israel in its war with Iran. For anyone old enough to remember Sept. 11, 2001, and everything that followed, it should have felt disturbingly familiar.

1 week ago | thebradentontimes.com | Christine Sexton |Pam Radtke Russell

Former Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration added the 2024 rule prohibiting disclosure of protected reproductive health information for criminal, civil, or administrative investigations to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA.