Somehow, with someone either in our families, friends, or work relationships we have been touched by cancer. It’s a miserable disease for both the person diagnosed and their caretakers and families. The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life helps us help the cancer victim. The monies raised at this Relay for Life stay in the Sumter/Lake County Community to help those with this disabling and deadly disease.

The Lady Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Lady Lake had a combined TEAM for the Lady Lake Relay For Life. Our team name was “Lady Lake Leaders”. Relay For Life is an event of the American Cancer Society. Our team captain was Terri Friesner of Extra Space Storage. One of the fundraisers our team held was a chance drawing to win catering for a party of 20 from Oakwood Smokehouse & Grill. Our team section had the theme “More Birthdays”.

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 Ocala MSA information industry growth rate continues to lead state

(OCALA, Fla.) – For the fifth consecutive month, the unemployment rate continued to tumble in the Workforce Connection region of Citrus, Levy and Marion counties, falling in April to 9.6 percent – the first time it has hit single digits since November 2008 when it was 9.7 percent. Last year at the same time, the regional unemployment rate was 11.7 percent, and it was 12.7 percent in April 2010.

The Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) dropped from the second highest unemployment rate in Florida to fourth highest. It also continued to lead the state with the highest growth rate over the year in the information industry and ranked fourth for the second consecutive month in manufacturing.

The April 2012 unemployment rates, released by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, were 9.7 percent in Marion County, down over the month from 10.3 percent; 9.6 percent in Citrus County, dropping from 10.1 percent; and 8.9 percent in Levy County, down from 9.4 percent.

The not seasonally adjusted rate for Florida is 8.3 percent and 7.7 percent for the United States. Out of a labor force of 203,007, there were 19,495 unemployed, down 1,183 in the number of jobless in March and a drop of 4,410 since the same time last year. At the same time, the drop in unemployment numbers were accompanied by contraction of the labor force and job growth and employment were slightly less than in March in both Citrus and Levy counties. [Read more…]

TALLAHASSEE – Continuing efforts to minimize the cost of utility service, Florida’s Public Service Commission (PSC) proposed to amend its customer deposit rules to lower interest rates, an expense ultimately paid by all customers. The new rates better reflect current market conditions.

“Whenever feasible, we make rule adjustments that will help Florida’s utility customers,” said PSC Chairman Ronald A. Brise. “Lowering interest rates will benefit all customers by keeping costs down and, therefore, helping reduce monthly utility bills.”

Minimum annual interest rates on customer deposits will be reduced from six percent to two percent per year for investor owned (IOU) electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities. Interest rates on nonresidential customer deposits held after 23 months of continuous service will be lowered from seven percent to three percent per year.

The entire savings will be passed through to customers. Holding down utility rates contributes to Florida’s economic development strategy and supports an objective Governor Rick Scott has made the state’s top priority, creating jobs. The IOUs have 45 days to implement the rule amendments after their effective date. Affected rules include 25-6.097, 25- 7.083, and 25-30.311, Florida Administrative Code. For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com. Follow the PSC on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/floridapsc

Thanks for your email about our educational testing problems. I have four monthly newspapers, I think that education has taken a real dive as far as I’m concerned.

In your email you want to be fair to the school, teachers, parents and students. The mistake I see is the students need to come first and administrators should come last.

When I went to school a hundred years ago there were three paths a student could take. Let me break them down in a short version.

1. Basic education: you have reading, writing and arithmetic. Maybe add in some social skill on how to get along with others. If this student decides to go to college they can take college preparatory course after high school.

2. High school students that are going to college take college preparatory courses with the basic educational courses. These are the high achievers and when finishing high school are ready for college.

3. Of course there are the students that are not capable of basic education and have to learn basic skills or vocational skills. I know several young people who have a learning disability that are out of work because they have no skills.

Now let me add this, many students who graduate from high school and want to learn a skill/trade can take courses and learn skills to get a job.

So in conclusion, I think we are pushing the basic students into the college student category and they are failing and dropping out. Let’s go back and tell the students with basic education… It’s OK to be a truck driver! It’s OK to bag groceries, It’s OK to drive a cab and it’s OK to start your own business.

Today we have working people that struggled very hard to get through college only to be asked to do a regular job. Most are on unemployment or welfare. We need total reform!

One last point is we need to talk about common sense in schools. Some educators are lacking common sense. For instance if a light bulb does not light when you turn the switch on the person with common sense changes the bulb. The person with no common sense first might check the breakers.

That’s kind of extreme but I think you get the picture.

Thanks for you attention.

TomL Publishing LLC Dunnellon Florida Tom Loury

On May 26 Villages Honor Flight took its first group of World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the WWII memorial. The one-day trip also included stops at other memorials and Arlington National Cemetery. The 25 veterans included nine from Lady Lake, five from Leesburg, five from The Villages, two from Eustis and one each from Tavares, Floral City, Hernando and Spring Hill.

The group returned to the American Legion Hall at Rolling Acres Rd. and County Rd. 466 in Lady Lake for a homecoming celebration at approximately 11:15 p.m. May 26. Villages Honor Flight serves veterans in Lake, Sumter and southern Marion Counties. About 150 WWII veterans from these areas have registered with Villages Honor Flight. A second flight is scheduled for June 26.

Future plans are for one fl ight during April, May, June, September and October each year with 25 to 30 veterans on each flight. Villages Honor Flight is an official hub of the National Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. Approximately 16 million men and women served in the US Military during World War II; about 1.2 million survive.