Judge Sandra Taylor disqualified herself Monday from presiding over an eviction case against her husband, Winston Burrell, and his newspaper, Island News. According to a lawsuit filed in Circuit Court on June 2, Burrell has not paid any rent on the Island News offices at 1315 Whitehead St. this year. The suit, filed by Southernmost Ltd., the owner of the building, alleges that Burrell's corporation— Winsand Inc— owes $31,449.07 in back rent. And Southernmost is suing not only for rent, interest, attorneys fees and damages, but also to evict Island News.
Alvin Rubinstein, who co-signed the lease with Burrell in 1996, is also named in the suit. Burrell
and Rubinstein have retained the local lawfirm of Browning, Eden, Sireci & Klitenick to challenge the suit.
Early Wednesday morning Carl Hagenkotter III died in O'Brien, Fla. He was 44. He had battled lung cancer for nine months. Hagenkotter, a native Key Wester, founded "Victims of NOAA," opposing the federal takeover of Keys waters in the nineties. "All I ever wanted to do is fish," he said. Instead, he spent years lobbying for water use rights. His fiancee, Gail Wald, told KWTN his ashes will be brought to Key West for a memorial service and burial at sea, to be announced at a later date.