News Feed Reminder: VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR GENERAL ELECTION IS OCTOBER 6, 2008
Evans, Jones And Oak Ridge High School Students Benefit From New Educational Collaboration
ORANGE COUNTY _ An agreement was announced today between Orange County Public Schools and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University that will allow students at three OCPS high schools to enroll and attend the university with four-year scholarships. Interested students at Jones, Evans and Oak Ridge high schools will begin working closely with a team of admission representatives from North Carolina A & T on their applications for admission beginning in 2009. The team will advise students on how to best chart their high school courses, what qualities and classes are needed to become employable in today’s world and what attributes will prepare students for the workplace when they graduate. more
Covenant Fall Fest Boasts An Impressive Line-Up
BY NATASHA PATTERSON ORLANDO - Individually, the headliners for this Friday night’s “Gospel Choir and Comedy Showcase” have won Grammy and Stellar Awards, performed with the legendary Mississippi Mass choir, and shared the stage with comedy giants, like the late Bernie Mac. Together, Moise Burks, Myron Butler, Angela Spivey, and Ron Baker, Jr., plan to entertain concertgoers with uplifting music and hilarious jokes. All four spoke with The Orlando Times: Times: At what point did you know you wanted to sing professionally? Moise Burks: I always desired to be where Mahalia Jackson was when I was growing up. I must admit, however, that I had no inkling as to what it really entailed. Times: What do you love most about singing? Moise Burks: Feeling the joy of the Lord and having that connection through the Holy Spirit. It does something to the entire being—spiritually, mentally, and physically. Times: Who are some of the singers that have influenced you? Moise Burks: Mahalia Jackson and of course, Jerry Calvin Smith of the Mississippi Mass Choir. I would say Jerry Smith influenced me more than anybody that you can touch right now. Times: What is your greatest professional accomplishment? Moise Burks: The opportunity to connect with all people—young, old, black, white, people abroad, and people you will never meet again. But most of all, young people. Times: What is one thing you would like to tell your fans? Moise Burks: First, I am real. What you see and hear is really who I am. Also, whatever you do in life, you have that assurance that you have to give an account to God. Whatever one does, it’s going to reflect. So, be extraordinarily careful about what you do and say because someone desires to be just like you. Times: At what point did you know you wanted to sing professionally? Myron Butler: That probably would have been around the age of 10 or 11. I started playing the piano at 9, and I started directing the choir at 10 or 11. more
Alec Josiah Accels As A Dr. Nelson Ying Scholar
ORLANDO - On April 18, 2008 Alec Josiah, the Dr. Nelson Ying Scholar from Orange County Florida wins 2nd Place in Environmental Science Junior Division at the State Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF), in Lakeland, Florida for his project INVISIBLE INVADERS: The Effect of Eutrophication on Water Quality in Orange County Lakes. Alec became a Water Action Volunteer “WAV” with the St. Johns River Water Quality Management District’s Adopt-A-Lake Program. He was concerned with the recent deaths of two Orange County youths swimming in local area lakes this past summer. Deaths were as a result of ingestion of amoeba as confirmed by the Health Department. He worked under the supervision of Microbiologist Edna Arroyo of Orange County Environmental Protection Division Laboratory. He adopted two Lakes, Lake Jessamine in a Suburban Area, and Lake Mann in the urban part of Orlando. He began taking samples at each lake on a Monthly basis starting in November. He tested for dissolved oxygen, pH, bacteria, chlorophyll, nutrients, and other chemistry. His hypothesis was proven true that the urban lake would have poorer water quality, due to a number of factors. Eutrophication is the process of Nutrients such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus seeping into our lakes, primarily from fertilizer and other sources. This form of pollution can cause overnight algae blooms and can deplete the oxygen levels in the lake causing fish kills. Alec formulated his research project and entered his schools’ Science Fair at St. John Vianney Catholic School in January. The result was a first place ribbon in Environmental Science category and a second ribbon for overall “Best of Fair.” This allowed him to then compete at the Regional Level at the Dr. Nelson Ying Science Exposition in Orange County in February. more
Mayor Dyer Gets Roasted To Raise Money
BY DEVIN HEFLIN ORLANDO - In an effort to raise money to benefit the youth of the downtown Orlando area called Parramore, Mayor Buddy Dyer hosted and was “roasted”. Dyer held his annual tailgate party to benefit the Parramore Kidz Zone. The festive event welcomed community organizers, dignitaries and philanthropists to relax, network, laugh and enjoy great food and giveaways. “I’ll be roasted, because it’s for a good cause. This will give hope to and inspire some child to believe that anything is possible”, said Mayor Dyer. Some brief background information on Parramore Kidz Zone indicates that the program gives children in the Parramore section positive opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t have. Alarming evidence suggests that there are more children living in poverty in Parramore than in any other Orlando neighborhood and the children that live therein are more susceptible to juvenile crime and teenage pregnancy. Ninety-two percent of Parramore’s high school student’s read below grade level. The City of Orlando’s Parramore Kidz Zone, along with Buddy Dyer are looking to reverse this horrendous cycle and eradicate the stigma which surrounds the downtown area. Through this program, children which many predicted would have a future as an offender now have opportunities. Since the incorporation of Parramore Kidz Zone, abbreviated as PKZ, in 2006, the program has enrolled 1,500 of the 2,000 kids and in its third year the fundraiser has generated a reported $1 million in net revenues for the program. more
Don’t Delay, Register Now With FEMA For Help
ORLANDO – If you are one of the thousands of people affected by Tropical Storm Fay’s widespread flooding, recovery help is at your fingertips – dial the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s hotline to register. If you live in Baker, Brevard, Collier, Duval, Glades, Hendry, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Marion, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Polk, St. Lucie, Seminole, Volusia or Wakulla counties, you may be eligible for assistance. Due to the demand caused by multiple national disasters, off-peak hours and weekends are an ideal time to register. So don’t delay. Call 800-621-FEMA (3362) or the TTY number 800-462-7585 for the hard of hearing, deaf or speech impaired. The lines are open 7am, to midnight daily until further notice. Multilingual operators are available. You can register online at www.fema.gov any time. If a Disaster Recovery Center has closed in your area, stay in touch via the helpline option by calling the toll-free teleregistration number. If you want to talk to a recovery specialist in person, you can go to any of the nine recovery centers located around the state. The centers are open 8am, to 6pm, daily until further notice. The centers are located at: Brevard County: Near Lamplighter Village 503 N. John Rodes Blvd. Melbourne 32934 Duval County: Emmett Reed Community Center 1093 W. 6th St. Jacksonville 32209 Seminole County: 520 W. Lake Mary Blvd. Suite 101 Sanford 32773 St. Lucie County: St. Lucie Logistics Center 3855 S. U.S. Highway 1 Fort Pierce 34982 Hendry County: Montura Ranch Estate Clubhouse (through Sunday, 9/14) 255 N. Hacienda St. Clewiston Lee County: Bonita Springs Community Center 26738 Pine Ave. Bonita Springs 34135 Leon County: LeRoy Collins Library 200 W. Park Ave. Tallahassee 32301 Volusia County: Wal-Mart parking lot 2400 Veterans Memorial Parkway Orange City 32763 Wakulla County: Agriculture Building 84 Cedar Ave. Crawfordville 32327 FEMA Provides Housing Assistance When Homes Are Inaccessible ORLANDO – Housing assistance is available for homeowners and renters still unable to access their homes because of standing floodwater left behind by Tropical Storm Fay in declared counties. If you live in Baker, Brevard, Collier, Duval, Glades, Hendry, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Marion, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Polk, St. Lucie, Seminole, Volusia or Wakulla counties, you may be eligible for a one-month housing grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Here are the steps you will need to follow: • First, call FEMA and register for assistance. FEMA can provide temporary housing to those whose homes are uninhabitable because of standing floodwater. • Accessibility to a damaged residence is one of the standard questions asked during the registration process. This accessibility question will also be asked by the FEMA-contracted inspector when an appointment call is initially made. • Inspectors who find they cannot reach a property for inspection will provide the resident’s name and address to FEMA’s Temporary Housing Program. • FEMA will then send funds to cover one month fair market rent as determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The policy regarding inaccessible housing differs from the normal requirement that inspections be completed before disaster funds can be released and ensures that people left homeless by recent flooding can secure temporary quarters. If you receive this intermediate assistance, you should keep receipts for rental of temporary housing. You should notify FEMA through the helpline at 800-621-3362 when waters have receded and the home is accessible for inspection. If the flood condition persists beyond the original 30-day period, a call to the helpline will enable FEMA to re-certify the need for temporary housing assistance if conditions warrant. FEMA may provide additional assistance after the home has been inspected. more
New NAACP Leader Kicks-Off First Week On Job: Challenges All To 'Register Every Last Voter' BALTIMORE - While most kids were home playing Nintendo, 14-year old Benjamin Todd Jealous and his friends were out commanding card tables and conducting voter registration drives. After registering thousands of new voters, Jealous realized the power of community organizing. Now, twenty–one years later, he is combining his organizing skills -- honed as a youth by the NAACP -- with emerging technologies to transform the organization that he now leads. As the youngest President in the NAACP's nearly 100-year history, and a fifth-generation NAACP member, Jealous starts his tenure doing what he does best. Getting people involved. "As an organization, our goal is to make the promise of this country real for all families," said Jealous, "and this starts with making all Americans regular voters." This week, Jealous started his first days on the job rolling out a new online voter registration initiative, Upload to Uplift. This initiative uses Web 2.0 technology to encourage visitors to register and upload the email addresses of family and friends that are not registered. It also uses a text message feature to remind registered voters to go to the polls on Election Day. "Online voter registration is a natural extension of the NAACP voter empowerment programs," said Jealous. "We will continue to employ successful strategies, like door-to-door canvassing and phone banking; however, this tool adds the power of viral voter registration to our mix," he added. Many of the 1200 active NAACP units have tested the site anticipating its ability to expand their existing voter registration efforts "Our branches and our Youth and College units, are excited about using this emerging technology to reach a new and very active core of activists – both online and offline," said Nelson B. Rivers III, Chief of NAACP Field Operations. While unprecedented numbers of African Americans and young people are expected to register in this year's election, Jealous' aspirations are higher. "We must register every last voter, verify every last voter, mobilize every last voter, protect every last voter and ensure that every last vote is counted," said Jealous. more
ORANGE COUNTY _ An agreement was announced today between Orange County Public Schools and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University that will allow students at three OCPS high schools to enroll and attend the university with four-year scholarships. Interested students at Jones, Evans and Oak Ridge high schools will begin working closely with a team of admission representatives from North Carolina A & T on their applications for admission beginning in 2009.
BY NATASHA PATTERSON
ORLANDO - On April 18, 2008 Alec Josiah, the Dr. Nelson Ying Scholar from Orange County Florida wins 2nd Place in Environmental Science Junior Division at the State Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF), in Lakeland, Florida for his project INVISIBLE INVADERS: The Effect of Eutrophication on Water Quality in Orange County Lakes. 
BY DEVIN HEFLIN
Don’t Delay, Register Now With FEMA For Help
BALTIMORE - While most kids were home playing Nintendo, 14-year old Benjamin Todd Jealous and his friends were out commanding card tables and conducting voter registration drives. After registering thousands of new voters, Jealous realized the power of community organizing. Now, twenty–one years later, he is combining his organizing skills -- honed as a youth by the NAACP -- with emerging technologies to transform the organization that he now leads. As the youngest President in the NAACP's nearly 100-year history, and a fifth-generation NAACP member, Jealous starts his tenure doing what he does best. Getting people involved. "As an organization, our goal is to make the promise of this country real for all families," said Jealous, "and this starts with making all Americans regular voters." 
