Dear Friends,
Our first round of committee meetings in January are completed and we have begun our preparations for another three weeks in February. The 2021 Regular Session will convene on March 2nd, but much of the work happens in the weeks leading up to then. Per our state constitution, the Legislature’s only duty is to pass a balanced budget and we will have that completed by April 30th, unless a special session is called by the Senate President and Speaker of the House. We are grateful that we live in fiscally responsible state that understands that we cannot spend beyond our means. This year, due to the impact of COVID-19, Florida will have to make cuts to our budget to fulfill that responsibility and tough decisions will be made. My colleagues in the Senate, both Republican and Democrat, are united in this effort and in the past few years, the final vote on our budgets has been largely unanimous (note: there have been years with a single member “nay” vote). In 2021, our leader on the budget will be Senator Kelli Stargel and we are very confident in her ability to lead us through the coming changes. Continue reading
COVID19 – so many unanswered questions!
Does the ‘truth’ really matter?
Why do guilty people go free, while innocent people do not?
Many times a juror has said, “Yes, there was a lot of evidence, but I don’t think he did it?”
or, “He looked guilty from the first minute I saw him in court!”
Sounds to me like their decisions are based, not on what they think, (the ‘facts’) but, instead, on what they feel!
Does that apply to COVID?
After almost a year of worldwide death and suffering, can anyone still believe that this pandemic is fake news and a hoax? Continue reading
Detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office have been investigating the thefts from gravesites at the Edgewood Cemetery since the incident occurred on December 6. At the time of the initial processing of the scene, crime scene investigators collected items (to include cigars) that were left and sent those items off for laboratory DNA testing.
Detectives recently received information that DNA samples had been obtained from the cigars and that the samples were being submitted into the database for comparison. One sample came back as a match to 43-year-old Brian Montalvo Tolentino, who resides at 115 Walpole Loop in Davenport.
On January 6, Lake detectives contacted The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, whose detectives obtained a search warrant for mouth swabs from Tolentino for a direct DNA comparison.
Lake detectives then met with and interviewed Tolentino, during which he confessed to going to the cemetery with another individual, 39-year-old Juan Burgos Lopez, of 5170 Timberlane Road in Lake Wales, and committing the crimes. Tolentino stated that Lopez used a crowbar to open the vaults and then removed the heads of the deceased. He stated they removed four heads from the four graves and then returned to Lopez’s residence. He stated the heads were taken for religious practices.
01/20/2021
Detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a shooting that occurred at approximately 11:20 this morning at 51 Highland Avenue in Umatilla. The Umatilla Police Department requested the Sheriff’s Office to conduct the investigation.
The investigation has revealed that a black male suspect with shoulder-length dreadlocks shot the victim at the victim’s residence and fled the scene in a dark-colored passenger vehicle with tinted windows.
The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
Detectives are asking for anyone with information concerning this incident to please call the Sheriff’s Office at 352-343-2101, or Central Florida CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-TIPS, where they could be eligible for a cash reward.
No further information is available at this time.
Released by John Herrell
www.lcso.org
By TomL
I really got heated when I saw Jake Tapper on National TV make a comment about our Congressman Brian Mast. Tapper was talking about Mast. “He lost his legs fighting for democracy abroad, although I don’t know about his commitment to it here in the United States.”
Congressman Mast said in case you missed it, recently CNN’s Jake Tapper exercised his First Amendment right and questioned my commitment to Democracy on live television.
His First Amendment rights – that I lost two legs and a finger for fighting on the battlefield – are exactly that; they are HIS First Amendment rights, that are guaranteed in the United States Constitution.
CNN reporter Jake Tapper can say anything he wants but Congressman Brian Mast did not give up his legs so the Liberal Media can silence whoever he wants.
CNN and all the other need to honor our veterans and not try to make them look weak because they are not.
New patient information form.
(NAPSI)—If you or someone you know has ever had blood cancer, a term you might have heard is “minimal residual disease,” or MRD. MRD refers to the small number of cancer cells that can stay in the body during and after treatment. Often, these cells are present at such low levels they do not cause any physical signs or symptoms. However, they may be a sign that cancer is returning.
As one of the strongest predictors of patient outcomes in blood cancer, MRD status can help you and your doctor understand how your body is responding to treatment and how it may change over time. When your MRD status shifts, you may find that the course of your blood cancer journey changes as well.
clonoSEQ® is an FDA-cleared test used to detect MRD in bone marrow from patients with multiple myeloma or B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and blood or bone marrow from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Testing is ordered by your doctor and performed by a licensed lab. clonoSEQ can detect very low levels of MRD—one cancer cell among a million cells (provided sufficient sample input)—so you and your doctor can be confident in your MRD status and prepared to act quickly if the cancer returns. Continue reading
Newspaper have pivoted to digital advertising on their sites to bring their publications into the modern era with some easy, low cost improvements. With little or no technical knowledge, publishers can create a beautiful digital site in less than an hour, for very little cost or can add various optional enhancements which will help attract more readers and sell more ads.
Many are succeeding with website development while others are struggling or afraid to try. Here are several fear inducing website development myths busted, with a no holds barred strategy for tackling site upgrades, to guide publishers on the road to progress:
1- “I don’t need a website.”
Today, every newspaper needs to have a digital version in addition to the printed version. Even local papers often generate from 10 to 30% of total revenue from their websites. Newspaper websites have contributed significantly to the bottom line. Having a digital website means reaching a bigger audience. Only about 30% of newspaper readers read printed papers currently. That means 70% of the potential audience can only be reached online, including young people, out-of-towners and people who have cancelled their print subscriptions.
2- “I don’t have time to deal with changing websites now.”
With the help of a good consultant, the job is much easier. Upgrading a website involves as little as 1 hour of your time, to just a few hours, maybe four one-hour meetings, over four to six weeks, to plan and build out your new site. You can transfer everything over from your old site and set everything up on the new one, easily and quickly. Continue reading
Contact:Christy Jergens, Public Information Officer
Mobile: 352-266-2588
Media Availability on-site at Paddock Mall on Jan. 19, 2021 from Noon to 1 p.m.
OCALA, Fla.-The Department of Health in Marion County is moving its COVID-19 vaccination operations to the Paddock Mall (3100 SW College Road, Ocala) beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. The site, a joint venture with AdventHealth Ocala, Marion County Emergency Management, and Paddock Mall, will be available for vaccinations by appointment only.
Process for vaccine recipients
The Paddock Mall vaccination site will be a walk-up operation, rather than a drive-through operation that other vaccination sites have used. People with vaccination appointments will park at the Paddock Mall entrance nearest the Belk department store entrance on Southwest College Road.
Residents with appointments will begin the vaccination process at the mall entrance appointment check-in table. They will then walk inside the mall to the registration area, where staff members will verify their information. Continue reading
By Kevin Yeo
The smoke is a rising on the horizon and gun oil is in the air. The Cowboy Fast Draw Club, “.45 SideKicks” of the First Baptist Church of Lady Lake hosted a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls in January for a Snow Bird Shoot Out. This year’s tournament marks not only the 3-year anniversary of the club’s creation. But also highlights a unique way that the Church outreach program’s shows the community that God’s family does more than just get together on Sundays!!
Shooting started at 9 am, ended at roughly 1pm each day and the public is welcome. A spectator will see participants dressed in cowboy and cowgirl garb from the 1880’s era while they compete in head-to-head duels. Each gun fighter attempting to draw and fire their single action .45 caliber pistols faster than a real-life adversary. For more information about the sport which has clubs across the United States. Check out the Cowboy Fast Draw Association website at www.Cowboyfastdraw.com
For more information about the shoot out or to come to one of the .45 Sidekicks Tuesday night weekly practices and see how fast you really are. Call Kevin at 605-999-7687
Stacy Cruz ARNP was speaker at Ocala Business Leaders one of last months Business Breakfast. During her talk she announced that she would become the soul owner of Magnolia Urgent Care LLC in 2021. She also discussed COVID-19 and the operation of her Urgent Care. It will soon become a COVID test sites (out doors) . Many of the people at then breakfast got up and gave testimony of the great care they received.
