Early Voting Starts – Presidential Primaries

Posted on February 29, 2016 by OrlandoCommunityNews

EarlyVotingOCOrange County registered voters can now go vote early for the person they prefer within their party to be the next President of the United States.

Early voting started today, Tuesday, Feb. 29, for the Presidential Preference Primary Election and will continue until March 13. Hours at the various early voting locations: 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.  Those who miss out during this early voting time will have to vote on election day, Tuesday, March 15.  (Note: Florida is a closed primary state so voters must be registered to vote with a specific party to vote in this election.)

Early voting has become a popular way to vote for busy families, because it normally takes less time to actually vote than it does on election day, sites are conveniently located throughout the county and voters can update their contact information at the same time.

Orange County early voting locations: Supervisor of Elections Office on West Kaley Street, along with select libraries and community centers. Go to http://www.ocfelections.com to see the complete list of Early Voting Center Locations.

Two major things to remember: You must take your signed, photo I.D. with you to vote and to make your vote count (really), vote for one of the people listed on your primary sample ballot, WHO IS STILL IN THE RACE.  On the Republican side, there are five people still in the race, out of 17 who announced their candidacy but dropped out. (In: Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.) On the Democrat side, there are two people left, out of six who announced officially they were in it but got out. (In: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.)

Yours truly voted early today, at my local library! Good to see familiar IvoteStickerfaces working the site (a friend from the Wayne Densch YMCA in Pine Hills and another friend from the church I attend, Macedonia M.B.Church in Eatonville…You both rock!) I changed my address and voted in about five minutes!

Stay connected.

 

© Orlando Community News, 2016
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Election Season Here: Register and Get Ready…Vote in Every Election

Posted on February 16, 2016 by OrlandoCommunityNews

You see the signs. People’s names on signs planted in soil on the side of road – one after the other. Throughout Central Florida. People’s names on billboards, along with their faces and the public offices they want. You have seen some candidates in church more often and in holiday parades.

It’s election season again and it’s not just about the big Presidential Election in November, (Although some of our friends and family only vote during that time – Shame on you!).

Here are some key dates for you to keep in mind:

Tuesday, Feb. 16 (today) – Deadline for registration to vote in  the March 15 Presidential Preference Primary. Hopefully, you have double checked your registration, say for instance if you have moved or changed your name.

In Florida, you have to select a political party to vote in party primaries. Today is the deadline to make a change, if you like.

An update to a voter’s signature for provisional or absentee ballot verification purposes must be submitted no later than the start of canvassing of absentee ballots which could start as early as Feb. 29, according to Florida’s Department of State website.

If you are already registered to vote and you only need to update your address or name, you can do so with your local Supervisor of Elections Office.

Heads up Orange County votes: accessibility to our elections offices has changed since the exit from Interstate 4 has closed down (due to the Ultimate I-4 Project). Go to the office’s website to get the detour routes and other pertinent information about voting this year, citywide, countywide, statewide and nationwide: http://www.ocfelections.com. Or just call: (407) 836-2070.

Sidenote: There are new U.S. Congressional and Florida Senate maps so you may have a new voting district.

Feb. 24 – Ocoee Political Forum, from 6-8 p.m., in the city hall commission chambers. Presented by the Woman’s Club of Ocoee for the candidates running for the Mayor seat and District 3 Commission seat. Ocoee voters: prepare for your city election on Tuesday, March 15. Absentee ballots and early voting are available. Contact your city clerk for the details: (407) 905-3100, ext. 1022.

Of course, there are other elections happening around the county on around March 15: Apopka, Winter Park, etc. Contact your city clerk’s offices for details.

Stay tuned and connected.

© Orlando Community News, 2016

 

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Striving Higher

Posted on January 23, 2016 by OrlandoCommunityNews

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭                                                                                  – Philippians‬ ‭3:14‬, The Bible – KJV

‬The new year is here! Week THREE! Some people are calling it Sweet 16, anticipating major changes – a time of  “coming out” or coming of age – moving, for instance, to the next level spiritually.

I am simply praying for each of you – that God would grant you peace and favor throughout the year. You know, things that cash money can’t buy.

In order to live in this peace and favor,  you must forget things that are behind – the good and the bad.  The idea is to thank God for both, cast your cares/concerns on him and leave them there. Yes, you can build on the good; the challenge is to grow. We can’t get too comfortable where we are – especially if we are children of God. There is always good that can be done in this world.

Take one day at a time, striving toward your personal best.

This is a fresh start. Let’s take advantage of it.

Write down some things you want to do better or to start doing to improve yourself.

Spiritually, strive to become more and more like Jesus. Study God’s word so you can know his will in order to do his work! (…in my pastor’s voice.)

In the coming weeks, I will share some new features here on Orlando Community News, which has a new tagline: “WHERE GOOD NEWS LIVES!” -TrishMartin2016

Continue to visit us and share this online news publication with everyone you know as the good news spreads!

Thank you and God bless!

-Trish Martin, Founder and Editor, Orlando Community News

 

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Happy Birthday Jesus, Merry Christmas All

Posted on December 25, 2015 by OrlandoCommunityNews

Celebrating the birth of Jesus is the focus of Christmas for believers. We give gifts in his honor although it’s his birthday we’re celebrating.

This time is set aside to celebrate Jesus’ entry into this world and more importantly, why he came. (Read the scriptures for yourself on his birth, location and events surrounding his birth. Warning: if you don’t believe in miracles, you won’t believe his story.)

It’s all about the amazing love of our Heavenly Father. My prayer is  we remember that!

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son  that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. (The unspeakable gift…John 3:16, The Bible)  In fact, the Bible says that we can have abundant life now through Jesus Christ!

This is the ideal time to give him your life or rededicate your life to him. It’s his birthday season but it’s also easy to see that this world is not getting better –  sad to say.

Believers are not perfect; they serve a God who is. Having a relationship with him means you are forgiven and you have his light and power within you to change your life and to become a world changer for God.

Hmp! That’s some gift – world changer! It’s well deserved! For all that God has done for us, he deserves it!

Happy Birthday Jesus! Merry Christmas all! Blessings!

– Trish Martin, Founder & Editor, Orlando Community News image

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
‭‭- Isaiah‬ ‭9:6‬, The Holy Bible

© Orlando Community News, 2015
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Pure excitement is the best way I can explain my thoughts about the new feature on Orlando Community News! Fresh off of celebrating her 5th year owning and operating KRS Wealth Management LLC in downtown Orlando, Kimberly will have a monthly column on OCN to provide readers with quick tips or “talks” about their money, helping all of us to help ourselves. The column, titled “Kimberly Talks: Money Matters,” will be published on the first Monday of each month on the Business News page.  If you desire to learn more,  contact her online: www. krswm.com.         – Trish Martin

photo (1)Kimberly Talks: Money Matters

“Financial Planning for the Holidays”

Plan – As the old saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. One of the biggest mistakes we make is not planning our expenditures during the holidays. Especially if travel is one of those expenses. Book your travel early; peak travel times mean an increase in prices. Another common mistake that we tend to make during the holidays is underestimating the cost of attending all the holiday parties. We are invited to parties weekly, we need new clothes, new hairdos, gifts, etc. If we are not careful, we can find ourselves in financial trouble after the holidays.

Budget – Developing a budget for the holidays is one of the most important steps you can take to stay on track. There will be more sales than you count and it’s important to make a list and a budget and STICK TO IT! Once you have your list, you can be a savvy shopper…use coupons, check sales, and compare prices. It might require an investment of time and energy, but it will pay off in your wallet. One of the hardest rules I’ve had to learn personally is just because it’s on sale, doesn’t mean I have to buy it! A list and a budget can help you stay on track and remain focused. At all costs, we should avoid IMPULSE BUYING

Do Not Overspend –  Holiday spending can severely affect your financial health for the remainder of the year and for the upcoming New Year. Overspending is the major threat to your financial health. One of the most common areas we overspend in is gift giving. The gifts we give should be ones we can afford. There are many creative ways to tackle gift giving. One of the best ways to stay on track, is to buy gifts with cash whenever possible. If you only pay in cash, once it’s spent, it’s spent. More importantly, you should NOT go into debt giving gifts that do not fit your current budget. You do NOT want to be incurring interest and paying for gifts you bought this year over the next few months or years!

How to Avoid Common Pitfalls – I don’t want to be Debbie Downer or Negative Nellie, but if you take these simple steps, you can avoid the holiday financial pitfalls.

First and foremost, You have to Budget! Say it with me, B U D G E T
Spend ONLY what you can afford.

Download some of the shopping apps to make deal hunting easier.

Get creative in your gift giving.

No impulse purchases.

Comparison shop and use coupons and take advantage of sales.

Finally, reward yourself at a later date if you stick to the plan. A little incentive goes a long way!

– Kimberly R. Stewart

 

 

Posted on December 8, 2015 by OrlandoCommunityNews | Leave a comment

Fourth Quarter Focus: Community

Posted on December 7, 2015 by OrlandoCommunityNews

As we draw close to the end of 2015, OCN will focus on the community – the collective efforts to improve the community in some way.

Challenge: Do you know your neighbors? Maybe it’s time to walk around the neighborhood and get to know them. You all can look out for each other and each other’s property. How involved are you in improving the community in which you live…your city or county? Like voting, if we are not involved in our community, we can not complain about all that’s wrong with it.

You have something to give: your time, treasure (yes money) and talent (God-given things that you can do and do well).

AngelTreeProgramAtMtZion

Sharing WOKB-1680 Radio Shanti Persaud’s photo – volunteering at the recent 2015 Angel Tree Christmas Party hosted by Mt.Zion Missionary Baptist, Pastor Robert Spooney

So this month and certainly into the new year, we will talk about the people working, opportunities to help at home – in areas where the help is most needed and gatherings to formulate solutions that plague our communities.

It could be a community clean-up day. Let Orlando Community News know about it and we will get the word out – ahead of time – so that people who WANT to participate CAN.

Also as a reminder: send your story ideas, event information via email: http://www.orlandocommunitynews.com or as a comment on the main page or even here, under this post. This website is updated on a regular basis, mostly on Sundays but also other days so make sure you register to receive email notices. You may not see the updates and new stories on the front page but other sections may have new information. 

Thank you for your continuous support. Remember to share this online publication with everyone you think would be interested.

“Orlando Community 2016: Good News. Relevant Information. Inspiration.”

-Trish Martin, Founder & Editor

© Orlando Community News, 2015
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Taking Time To Give God Thanks

Posted on November 26, 2015 by OrlandoCommunityNews

image“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:20‬ ‭- The Holy Bible

It seems to happen more and more often. People rush past the Thanksgiving Day holiday to get to Christmas – to buy and expect gifts, to decorate, to attend “holiday” parties, to dress up. You name it.

Retailers help push Americans along – skipping right past the holiday. One store had their huge beautifully decorated Christmas trees up and posted at its store entrances, well before Halloween.

Don’t get me wrong. Christmas is a wonderful time of year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

But if there was ever a time we collectively needed to pause and “say grace” to God it’s now (although as the scripture above says, we should always give God thanks for all things.)

Everyday, we can find something to thank God for. Somebody needs to hear this: Despite all that you think is going wrong in your life and in our world, you can find something to thank God for.

If you’re reading this, tell the Lord thank you: It’s a new day and you’re still here. I am a firm believer in this saying: When praises go up, blessings come down. Why? Because when you take your focus off yourself and your issues and turn your focus onto the goodness of the Lord, your heavy burdens are lifted, peace of mind take over, you look and feel better (Take it from Kirk Franklin – You look so much better when you smile.)

Heard a preacher from my church say recently that you can always thank God for his unspeakable gift – his only begotten son, Jesus,  who came, died and rose again covering the sin of every man, woman, boy and girl in the world…that we may have eternal life and abundant life while here on earth. Words can hardly explain the love of our Heavenly Father.

The best we can do is continue to give him praise, for what he has done, is doing right now and will do for us.

Think about that.

I pray you enjoy some quality time with the family and friends that God gave you. Serve someone, if you can, in the community who may need a hand up.

Let’s all slow down, bow down and praise the Lord!

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for your continuous support of this online publication!

-Trish Martin, Editor & Publisher, OCN

 

 

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Tuesday, November 3, Election Day for Orlando, Altamonte Springs

Posted on November 3, 2015 by OrlandoCommunityNews

Tuesday, November 3 — Today is Election Day in the City of Orlando and City of Altamonte Springs. If you live in either city and you have not voted, make sure you vote today!

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You can call your city clerk if you have any questions or go down there to your normal polling place. (If you don’t know where your polling place is, goggle your county’s Supervisor of Elections Office and search your address for your polling place. You have to be  registered to vote.)

Also, make sure you research the candidates and issues (charter amendments for Altamonte Springs) and vote wisely!

Polls open today: 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. It’s for your city and  your local issues!
I’ve modified my voting mantra a little: “Voting: it’s your right and your responsibility. Vote in every election.”

-Trish Martin, Founder & Editor, Orlando Community News

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It’s Voting Season: Ocoee, Orlando City Elections

Posted on October 20, 2015 by OrlandoCommunityNews

OCFElectionsoffice
Early voting is underway in Ocoee and the mayor’s job up for grabs. Three candidates want to run the city: Rusty Johnson, Ronney Oliveira and Jim Sills.

Vote early, vote by absentee ballot or mark your calendar for Tuesday, Oct. 27,  for the special election (The former mayor retired at the end of July). Vote on that Tuesday at your polling place – if you live in the city and you are registered to vote.

The City of Orlando’s elections are soon after that, on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Several candidates want long-time Mayor Buddy Dyer’s job and two commission seats are open – District 4 and District 6.

Don’t take these local elections for granted. There have been some hotly debated issues in the City of Orlando, especially affecting African-American communities.

If you want to see more improvements in your neighborhood, research the candidates and cast your vote. Then, hold the people you help elect accountable to their campaign promises.

Voting is not only a right; it’s a privilege. yourvotecountsIt also ensures that your voice is heard – you help decide who leads your city, represents you and makes decisions on issues important to you.

Again, don’t take the right to vote in every election for granted. God knows things could change and have changed in regards to voting rights.

Find out who’s running and other details at your city clerk’s office or go to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office website: http://www.ocfelections.com. The phone number there is: (407) 836-2070.

– Trish Martin

Email: orlandocommunitynews@gmail.com

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Guest Editorial: Taking Care of FAMILY Business

Posted on August 26, 2015 by OrlandoCommunityNews

Editor’s Note: Talk about business! Kimberly Stewart posted something on Facebook recently that mirrored a conversation I had around the same time with a family member. I’m sharing it, (her post) with her approval, to help us, help ourselves…financially. OCN’s theme this quarter is business. Now families, especially parents of young children, are challenged to handle their business at home, to prepare for their child’s future for instance and to save money. But we all can stand improvement in this area. Household Business Management! 

Stewart, CEO of KRS Wealth Management in downtown Orlando, is passionate about helping people make sense of their financial picture. She has 20+ years of financial services experience and is a Certified Financial Planner. A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Stewart resides in the Orlando area and is originally from Kansas City, Missouri.

photo (1)Back To School: Taking Care of Family Business

School Supplies √

New Clothes √

New Shoes √

New Hair Style/Cut √

And there will be a thousand pictures posted of your kids going back to school, but what I want to know is this – If something happens to you, WHO is going to take care of your children and with WHAT resources, i.e., Money????

Do you have life insurance?

Have you established a college fund?

Do you have a will?

Who will actually be responsible for caring for your children…Do you have guardianship paperwork completed?

#BackToSchool

#KNOWbetterDobetter

#Growthisuncomfortable

You can catch Kimberly Stewart talking personal and business finance on TV – Central Florida News 13 and radio – Star 94.5 FM. KRS Wealth Management: http://www.krswm.com

© Orlando Community News, 2015
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