Journalism as a Contact Sport

Dennis Reeves Cooper

IN THE PHOTO: DENNIS REEVES COOPER PH.D AND BILL O'REILLY. Dr. Cooper founded Key West The Newspaper in 1994 and published the paper for 18 years, until he retired in 2012. In 2001, Key West Police Chief Buz Dillon had Cooper arrested and jailed, alleging that Cooper had violated an obscure state gag law when writing about a police investigation. The journalist-arrested story hit the national news and Bill O'reilly called and invited Cooper to appear on his show on Fox News. Dillon was also invited to appear, but refused the invitation. O'Reilly suggested that Dillon was "hiding under his desk." The ACLU also called and offered to sue the City of Key West on Cooper's behalf. Subsequently, the gag law was declared unconstitutional and the City settled out of court for $240,000. Also, the arrest was a factor in the creation of an independent police oversight board-- the Citizen Review Board (CRB)-- by Key West voters in November 2002. By that time, Buz Dillon had been unceremoniously fired. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------More Articles By Dennis Reeves Cooper prior to November, 2014.

Voters Have the Opportunity to Remove State Attorney Catherine Vogel From Office in November

Jul 292016

*****JOURNALISM AS A CONTACT SPORT***** Commentary by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Election Day this year is November 8. That may seem like a long time away, but it’s not too early to remind you that State Attorney Catherine Vogel– in my opinion the most corrupt state attorney in recent memory– is up for reelection. It’s not too early to remind voters of her on-purpose incompetence in “prosecuting” the Key West police officers who allegedly murdered 62-year-old Charles Eimers on the beach here on Thanksgiving Day 2013. [continue reading…]

July 29, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:56 am * Featured Story *, Issue #177, Journalism as a Contact Sport 15 Responses »

THE BEST ARGUMENT AGAINST DEMOCRACY IS A FIVE-MINUTE CONVERSATION WITH THE AVERAGE VOTER. MAYBE NOT SO TRUE IN KEY WEST– BECAUSE OF THE HOMETOWN! POLITICAL FORUMS

Jul 152016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. I typically resist starting anything I write with a quote from somebody famous. But I’m going to break my rule this time. In fact, I’m going to quote Winston Churchill twice, starting with: “Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Most Americans agree that democracy is a superior form of government. But we have a problem. To make our democratic system work best, an informed electorate is essential. [continue reading…]

July 15, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:57 am Issue #175, Journalism as a Contact Sport 1 Response »

WHERE THE HECK IS THE SOUTHERNMOST POINT?

Jun 242016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper… The Southernmost Point. That big red buoy at the southern end of Whitehead Street. One of the top tourist attractions on the island. But most Key Westers know that the big red buoy does not really mark the actual geographic Southernmost Point. The actual Southernmost Point is supposedly a few blocks on the other side of that fence on Navy property, right? But if the buoy were placed over there, very few tourists would be able to go there and get [continue reading…]

June 24, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:14 am * Featured Story *, Journalism as a Contact Sport 2 Responses »

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE IN KEY WEST?

Jun 172016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. I WAS JUST WONDERING. I have been writing columns for The Blue Paper since 1994. And many, if not most of the concepts for those columns started with “just wondering” about how something works or the truth about a particular topic. Maybe because I’m getting older, I have recently been wondering about what happens– or what HAS to happen– when a person dies in Key West. As with many stories, this one turned out to be more complex (and maybe [continue reading…]

June 17, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:04 am Issue #171, Journalism as a Contact Sport 2 Responses »

WHO DO YOU CALL IF YOU SEE A PELICAN ENTANGLED IN FISHING LINE SO THAT HE CAN’T EAT OR FLY?

Jun 102016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. I hope you saw my story about the Key West chickens that appeared here in The Blue Paper April 29. In that story, I reported that, for several years, the Key West Wildlife Center (KWWC) has been contracted by the City of Key West to manage a program to rescue injured chickens, provide medical care, and arrange relocation to selected farms and orchards on the mainland where the chickens can retire in peace. As part of my research for that story, [continue reading…]

June 10, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:50 am * Featured Story *, Issue #170, Journalism as a Contact Sport 1 Response »

FIGHTING FIRE IN KEY WEST

May 272016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Today, if you dial 911 to report a fire, the Key West Fire Department will typically be at the scene of the fire within five minutes. When I was researching this story and former Fire Chief Eddie Castro gave me that information, I asked the question again. “Come on, Chief, five minutes from the time the call comes into the fire station to fighting the fire does not seem credible.” “Well, actually,” he said– lecturing me like one of my old [continue reading…]

May 27, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:00 am * Featured Story *, Issue #168, Journalism as a Contact Sport No Responses »

AL GORE SAYS THAT THE SEA LEVEL MAY RISE BY 20 FEET WORLDWIDE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING MAY AFFECT KEY WEST AND THE KEYS

May 132016

Commentary by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Have you been keeping up with the climate change/global warming controversy? Well, if you live in the Florida Keys– and especially if you own property here, where most of the land area is only about five feet or less above sea level– you might want to at least try to stay current on this topic. After all, former vice president and almost-president of the United States of America Al Gore has said that “sea level could be rising as much [continue reading…]

May 13, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:48 am * Featured Story *, Issue #166, Journalism as a Contact Sport 4 Responses »

A LOT OF STUFF YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE NAVY IN KEY WEST

Apr 082016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. The presence of the US Navy in Key West dates back to 1822, when Lt. Commander Matthew C. Perry sailed the Navy schooner Shark into Key West Harbor and claimed the island for the United States. Only about 100 people lived here at that time. Although Florida had become a US territory a year earlier, there were still some questions about the ownership of the Keys. Keep in mind that even after the 13 American colonies had declared independence from British [continue reading…]

April 8, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 8:20 am Issue #161, Journalism as a Contact Sport 1 Response »

THE MOCK SECESSION IN 1982 WAS AMUSING. BUT THE IMMIGRATION AND DRUG TRAFFICKING SITUATION IN THE KEYS AT THAT TIME– THE REASON THE FEDS BLOCKED THE ROAD– WAS NOT FUNNY AT ALL

Mar 252016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Has it really been 34 years since the US Border Patrol set up a roadblock on US 1, right in front of the Last Chance Saloon in Florida City, effectively blocking the only road out of the Keys? Although that is not a national border and never has been, Border Patrol agents started stopping every vehicle coming out of the Keys on April 18, 1982, and requiring every occupant of every vehicle to show proof of citizenship– presumably looking for Cubans [continue reading…]

March 25, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:13 am ~ Column ~, Issue #159, Journalism as a Contact Sport 1 Response »

HOW MUCH DOES THE CITY OF KEY WEST PAY OUT EVERY YEAR TO SETTLE LAWSUITS?

Mar 112016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. If suddenly, you found yourself in charge of running the City of Key West, you would learn very quickly that a significant cost of doing business is dealing with lawsuits against the City– and, of course, the cost of staffing a Legal Department. Over the years, we here at The Blue Paper have periodically published stories about lawsuits against the City and, subsequently, the payouts to the plaintiffs in these cases. Of course, the most interesting cases are those in which [continue reading…]

March 11, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:42 am * Featured Story *, ~ Column ~, Journalism as a Contact Sport No Responses »

About 100 Years Ago, It Was Being Said that Florida was Uninhabitable. Then Somebody Invented Mosquito Control

Feb 262016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Before the Florida Keys meant sun, sea and Jimmy Buffet, they were famous for mosquitoes– dense, black clouds of them that hummed and bit without pause, spread malaria, dengue and yellow fever, and drove visitors temporarily insane with irritation. At the beginning of the 20th Century, many thought that Florida was virtually uninhabitable and could never be developed. By 1922, however, Dr. J.Y. Porter was on the job as the Florida’s first health officer and was proposing procedures to help control [continue reading…]

February 26, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:56 am Island Voices, Issue #155 No Responses »

The Missing $22,000 at Horace O’Bryant School: Why Potential Whistleblowers are Hesitating to Come Forward

Feb 122016

Commentary by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. How smart do you have to be to serve on the Monroe County School Board? This would seem to be a logical question considering the Board members’ history of dealing with internal theft of taxpayer money– as well as their treatment of whistleblowers. Surely you remember the infamous Acevedo scandal. It was former School District Financial Director Kathy Reitzel who uncovered and reported Monique Acevedo’s theft of $413,000 of School District funds. And she was also the State Attorney’s star [continue reading…]

February 12, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:08 am Issue #153, Journalism as a Contact Sport 6 Responses »

Update: Convicted Felons and Civil Rights

Feb 052016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Several weeks ago, we published a story about Key West Assistant City Manager Greg Veliz’ criminal record. He is a convicted felon, having spent three years in the penitentiary back in the early 1990s on major drug charges. He and his partner in crime were caught bringing in cocaine by the boatload. As a result, he cannot vote, serve on a jury, hold public office or possess a firearm– for the rest of his life– unless he goes through the clemency [continue reading…]

February 5, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:26 am Issue #152 No Responses »

Me and Mel

Jan 292016

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Anyone who might want to make a list of the most famous people who have ever lived in Key West would have to include treasure salvor Mel Fisher fairly high on the list. Even I had heard of him when I sailed into Key West on my sailboat for the first time in 1979. Although he had not yet found the mother lode of the treasure known to be aboard the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha which sank off the [continue reading…]

January 29, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:16 am Issue #151 No Responses »

YES, IT IS A LITTLE EASIER NOW FOR KEY WESTERS TO TRAVEL TO CUBA. BUT CUBA AIN’T “OPEN” YET– NOT BY A LONG SHOT!

Jan 152016

Music Video by local artist Miguel Perez, “90 Miles”, miguelperezmusic.com by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Last week, I was doing some research, looking through some of the early issues of The Blue Paper when I ran across a little article headlined “U.S. Could Authorize Travel to Cuba.” According to that article, which was published in our April 15, 1994, issue, then-Senator John Kerry was seeking “to pry open the Clinton administration’s hardline Cuban policy by pushing for an amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act (FRAA).” The [continue reading…]

January 15, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:18 am * Featured Story *, Issue #149, Journalism as a Contact Sport 3 Responses »

AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER WHO CAN’T VOTE — or Serve on a Jury, or Hold Public Office or Possess a Firearm. So What’s the Big Deal? This is Key West, After All

Jan 012016

Journalism as a Contact Sport Commentary by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. If you are convicted of a felony in Florida, you lose more than your freedom for a few years (or more than a few years)– you lose a number of civil rights– like voting, serving on a jury, holding public office and possessing a firearm. And you lose those rights forever– although there is a clemency process through which convicted felons may seek restoration of their rights. Key West Assistant City Manager Greg Veliz is [continue reading…]

January 1, 2016 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:38 am Issue #147, Journalism as a Contact Sport 1 Response »

CELEBRATING A MERRY CHRISTMAS– IN SHORTS

Dec 252015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. The Christmas holidays. A wonderful time of the year, wherever you are. But celebrating Christmas in Key West is, well, sort of surreal– even for those who were born here and those of us who have lived here for years. And for those who are visiting here for the holidays, it has to be really strange to be walking around among all the Christmas decorations in the bars and stores and seeing those big candy canes hanging on the lamp posts [continue reading…]

December 25, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:07 am Issue #146, Journalism as a Contact Sport No Responses »

YES VIRGINIA

Dec 252015

In September 1897, one of the most famous exchanges of letters between a newspaper reader and a newspaper editor in the history of journalism was published in the New York Sun. For years, it has been traditional here at The Blue Paper to re-publish this exchange every Christmas. Here it is again. Dear Editor– I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the [continue reading…]

December 25, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:52 am ~ Column ~ No Responses »

UPDATE: KATHY REITZEL HAS APPEALED JUDGE JONES’ RULING IN HER UNLAWFUL FIRING CASE. IF SHE WERE STILL ON THE JOB, WOULD SHE HAVE UNCOVERED AND QUICKLY DOCUMENTED ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE HOB FINANCIAL SCANDAL?

Dec 182015

Commentary by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Well, there’s another financial scandal at the Monroe County School District. More than $20,000 has gone missing from the daycare program at Horace O’Bryant School. And apparently, School District officials have absolutely no clue as to what may have happened to the money. No clue at all. None. Was the money stolen or is this latest financial scandal just the result of sloppy bookkeeping? Nobody seems to know. The money is just missing. But based on the recent history of [continue reading…]

December 18, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:52 am * Featured Story *, Issue #145, Journalism as a Contact Sport 8 Responses »

JIM SCHOLL: THE ONLY KEY WEST CITY MANAGER WHO HASN’T BEEN FIRED OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS

Dec 112015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. I sat down this week with City Manager Jim Scholl to talk about the state of the city, problems, accomplishments, politics and a variety of other topics. To say the least, Scholl is “special” in terms of city history. Over the past 25 years, he is the only city manager who wasn’t fired. And he is the only two-term city manager. Assuming that many, if not most, of those reading this story have not been here for 25 years, maybe some [continue reading…]

December 11, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:18 am * Featured Story *, Journalism as a Contact Sport No Responses »

An Eclectic Potpourri of History at the Little Library on Fleming Street

Nov 272015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Back in another life, one of the things I did to make a couple of bucks was to write history books for companies and organizations. All that was required was that they actually had histories (usually a couple of file drawers of old photos and documents)– and money to pay me and the printer. Clients included a symphony orchestra, a regional telephone company and a Bahamian resort. During a visit to Washington DC a couple of years ago, it was a [continue reading…]

November 27, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:48 am * Featured Story *, Issue #142 No Responses »

NEW MARIJUANA LAW: NO CITATIONS SO FAR

Nov 202015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Last July, the City Commission amended Chap. 42 of the City’s Code of Ordinances to give police officers more discretion when busting people caught with very small quantities of marijuana. Rather than arresting and hauling off to jail people found with less than 20 grams (less than an ounce), officers now have the discretion to, instead, issue a civil citation– like a traffic ticket. Rather than possibly ending up with a criminal record, these individuals would simply pay a $100 fine.. [continue reading…]

November 20, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:04 am * Featured Story *, Issue #141, Journalism as a Contact Sport 1 Response »

What You Don’t Know About the Humble Beginnings of the Sunset Celebration in Key West

Nov 132015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Key West’s daily celebration of sunset is famous around the world. Today, “going to sunset” is a must-do for millions of tourists who visit the Southernmost City every year. Lots of locals, too. And it’s more than just the spectacle of the sun sinking into the Gulf of Mexico, it’s also a festival, featuring street performers, a vast variety of arts and crafts, as well as food carts and more. But the celebration wasn’t always this elaborate. In the February 4, [continue reading…]

November 13, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:52 am * Featured Story *, Island Voices, Issue #140 1 Response »

City Commissioner Sam Kaufman: Do Good – But Do It Within Budget

Nov 062015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. We here at The Blue Paper wanted to know what kind of city commissioner newly-elected Sam Kaufman is going to be. So, armed with questions ranging from affordable housing and homelessness to marijuana and the opening of Cuba, I made an appointment with Commissioner Kaufman and drove out to his law office in the Northside Office Center for an early morning meeting. As it turned out, I learned just about everything about what kind of city commissioner Attorney Kaufman is [continue reading…]

November 6, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:58 am * Featured Story *, Editorial, Issue #139 3 Responses »

Oxymoron: Parking in Old Town

Oct 302015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Oxymoron is defined as a figure of speech that is incongruous and seemingly self-contradictory. Thus, I present to you the phrase “parking in Old Town.” The problem here is not that there is no place to park in Old Town. There are lots of places to park. It’s just that there are often more drivers looking for parking spaces– usually free parking spaces– than there are spaces. And it’s not like city commissioners and city managers haven’t been trying to address [continue reading…]

October 30, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:36 am * Featured Story *, Issue #138, Journalism as a Contact Sport 10 Responses »

What You May Not Know About the Citizen Review Board

Oct 232015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. The Citizen Review Board (CRB) is a big deal. Now 13 years old, the CRB is an independent city agency with the authority to investigate complaints involving Key West police officers. The reason this is a big deal is that, before 2002, there was no such agency here. Citizen complaints often just disappeared into a black hole inside the Key West Police Department (KWPD). What you may not know about the CRB is that it is unique among City departments, boards [continue reading…]

October 23, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:36 am * Featured Story *, Issue #137 17 Responses »

State Attorney Will Take No Further Action in the Bob Dean Case

Oct 162015

STATE ATTORNEY SPOKESMAN: “WE STILL THINK IT’S OBVIOUS THAT ROBERT DEAN LIVES IN KEY HAVEN.” BUT, BY LAW, THAT OPINION IS TRUMPED BY THE CANVASSING BOARD. Commentary by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. A couple of weeks ago, Bob Dean– through his attorney, Michael Halpern– virtually slapped State Attorney Catherine Vogel right in the face. Following a voting fraud investigation last month, Vogel concluded that Dean may have been voting illegally in Key West for years– because, she said, he doesn’t live in Key West. He lives [continue reading…]

October 16, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:52 am * Featured Story *, Issue #136 23 Responses »

1980: Refugee Crisis in Key West

Oct 162015

History by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. The refugee crisis in Europe has been much in the national news in recent months. An estimated half million refugees from the Middle East– especially from war-torn Syria– have flooded into Europe and governments there are struggling to cope. If you were living in Key West in 1980, you will recall that, back then, we had a similar refugee crisis here, although on a smaller scale. The so-called Mariel Boatlift brought as many as 125,000 refugees from Cuba to Key [continue reading…]

October 16, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:50 am * Featured Story *, Issue #136 2 Responses »

BREAKING CANVASSING BOARD RULES THAT BOB DEAN LIVES IN THAT LITTLE APARTMENT ON BAHAMA STREET AND NOT WITH HIS WIFE IN THAT BIG HOUSE IN KEY HAVEN. WE’RE NOT MAKING THIS UP

Oct 092015

Video by Naja and Arnaud Girard……. Commentary by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Suppose that you are inclined to tell people that you own the Cow Key Channel Bridge and, furthermore, that you are willing to sell it for a reasonable price. And suppose that you hear that there are three Key West residents who might be gullible enough to actually believe that you do own the bridge and who might be willing to make an offer. Who do you think those three people might be? How [continue reading…]

October 9, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 5:40 pm * Featured Story *, ** BREAKING NEWS **, Issue #135, Journalism as a Contact Sport, Naja and Arnaud Girard 35 Responses »

A GOOD-NEWS STORY ABOUT A CITY GOVERNMENT AGENCY. WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?!

Oct 092015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. If you are a longtime Key Wester and a longtime reader of The Blue Paper, you know that when I ran the paper from 1994 until 2012, Code Enforcement (or Code Compliance, as the department is now known) was in the news a lot. And why not. Allegations of corruption were rampant. And reporting corruption was our specialty. More than a million dollars in fines were going uncollected. It was rumored that many businesses were avoiding coming into compliance with code [continue reading…]

October 9, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 2:01 am * Featured Story *, Issue #135, Journalism as a Contact Sport 3 Responses »

WILL KEY HAVEN RESIDENT BOB DEAN REALLY VOTE IN THE KEY WEST ELECTIONS NEXT WEEK? HIS LAWYER SAYS HE WILL. THE STATE ATTORNEY SAYS HE SHOULDN’T

Oct 022015

Commentary by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Several years ago, I moved from one apartment to another here in Key West. At that time, I still owned Key West The Newspaper– The Blue Paper– and I was, therefore, a little more concerned about “appearances” than I am now, as an old retired guy. I knew that when one moves, there are laws that have to be considered concerning updating home addresses on drivers licenses, voting registrations, etc.– and although I didn’t really know the details about what legal [continue reading…]

October 2, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:58 am * Featured Story *, Issue #134, Journalism as a Contact Sport 9 Responses »

JE SUIS CHARLIE!

Jan 162015

by Dennis Reeves Cooper This is a followup to my letter to the editor that was published last week. It was in reference to the massacre of eight employees at a small newspaper in Paris by Islamic terrorists. The newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, which specializes in satire, had published cartoons that made fun of the Prophet Muhammad. Reportedly, however, the newspaper’s editors are equal opportunity satirists, routinely ridiculing powerful people in government and business as well as political, corporate, social– and religious organizations. All religious organizations, [continue reading…]

January 16, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 1:00 am Issue #97, Journalism as a Contact Sport 16 Responses »

Dennis Reeves Cooper On Charlie Hebdo Tragedy

Jan 092015

By now, you have probably heard the news from Paris: A little newspaper was raided by presumably Islamic terrorists after the paper published cartoons which made fun of the prophet Muhammad. At least 10 employees of the paper were shot dead. Back in 2006, employees at a Danish newspaper received death threats after publishing similar cartoons. This became an international story– although management of most media made the decision not to re-publish the actual cartoons. Here in Key West, however, I made the decision to [continue reading…]

January 9, 2015 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:18 am Issue #96, Journalism as a Contact Sport, Letter to the Editor No Responses »

BLUE WALL OF SILENCE COST CITY ALMOST $300,000!

Sep 192014

by Dennis Reeves Cooper….. By now, you have probably read in the daily paper or heard on the radio that the City of Key West has agreed to pay former Key West cop Matt Klosowski $ 287,500 to settle a six-year-old whistle-blower lawsuit. But you probably don’t know the rest of the story. The real significance of this story is that the Mayor and City Commissioners now know that the Blue Wall of Silence is alive and well inside the Key West Police Department. The [continue reading…]

September 19, 2014 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:00 am * Featured Story *, Journalism as a Contact Sport No Responses »

VOTER ALERT: IN THE WAKE OF THE EIMERS GRAND JURY SCANDAL, STATE ATTORNEY VOGEL IS UP FOR REELECTION IN 2016

Sep 052014

State Attorney Catherine Vogel’s office is corrupt. This statement might appear to some readers to be an attempt on my part to be a bit sensational. But it’s not. Informed government-watchers reading this are more likely to simply yawn and silently ask, “So what’s your point?” I have been reporting to my readers for years the varying degrees of corruption on the part of the various residents of the State Attorney’s Office (SAO). I have repeatedly pointed out that prosecutors knowingly allow police officers to [continue reading…]

September 5, 2014 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:00 am * Featured Story *, Journalism as a Contact Sport No Responses »

THE BLUE PAPER AND BILL O’REILLY

Jul 252014

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Since I have been writing a weekly column for the new Blue Paper online, the editors have periodically accompanied my column with a photo of me appearing with Bill O’Reilly on his show on the Fox News Channel. A number of readers have asked me when and why I was invited to appear on the O’Reilly Factor– the highest rated cable news program. Longtime readers know the story, but new readers may not. So here it is again. Longtime readers please [continue reading…]

July 25, 2014 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:00 am * Featured Story *, Naja and Arnaud Girard No Responses »

IS THE USE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE A PATTERN WITHIN THE KWPD?

Apr 252014

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Alleged use of excessive force by Key West cops has been the talk of the island since retired General Motors worker Charles Eimers, 61, died after a rough arrest last Thanksgiving Day on South Beach. But its not like this is the first time that “excessive force” and other police wrong-doing has been the topic of conversation here. For example, I went back and flipped through the headlines of just one year of back issues of Key West The Newspaper (the [continue reading…]

April 25, 2014 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:00 am * Featured Story * No Responses »

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PRACTICED ADVOCACY JOURNALISM

Apr 102014

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. Benjamin Franklin has got to be a role model for anyone who makes or has made his or her living as a publisher. We all learned about Benjamin Franklin in school– the statesman, diplomat, scientist, inventor and a signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But he started as a printer and a publisher. At the age of 12, Ben became an apprentice to his brother James, a Boston printer, and learned the printing trade. Three years later, [continue reading…]

April 10, 2014 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:00 am Uncategorized No Responses »

TWENTY YEARS LATER: Was Harry Powell Right?

Nov 082013

by Dennis Reeves Cooper……. NOTE: For years, the large piece of undeveloped Navy property at White Street and Palm Avenue was used as a park by Key Westers. So when the Navy announced that the property, known as Peary Court, was to be developed for military housing, many locals protested. They argued that the Navy really didn’t need any more housing in Key West and, in fact, was in the process of reducing its presence in here. But it was a hard argument to win. [continue reading…]

November 8, 2013 Posted by Dennis Reeves Cooper at 12:00 am * Featured Story *, Journalism as a Contact Sport No Responses »

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