Jun 23, 2010

The numbers came out today for the largest decline in the housing market in at least four decades. Sales of single family homes dropped by 32.7%, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Part of the blame was cast upon the expiration of a tax credit for home buyers.  Demand for home loans, as one would expect, has dramatically...

May 9, 2010

Last week, I came home from a business trip on Friday.  On my way down the escalator to baggage claim, I saw this sign above me.  I don’t know one Orca from another, but that photo looks like Dawn Brancheau to me – the trainer who lost her life working with one of the whales at Sea World. My first reaction wasn’t positive.  I wondered why...

According to a study released by CQ Press, Orlando rates #17 in a list of crime rate rankings (Camden, NJ is #1). What I find interesting about this study is: We didn’t rank a higher crime rate in the nation We had the highest crime rate of any city in Florida. So, in a way, WE’RE #1! The next worst area in Florida is Miami Gardens (#35), Miami...

Oct 12, 2009

While most of us look at this photo and see a cute kid with a pillow, Edgewater Police Officer Myles J. Lawler sees a biological hazard. That kid could’ve wiped his nose on the pillow or or slobbered on it while he slept, contributing to a deadly cocktail that imperil’s lives. So when Erik John Batty tossed a pillow at Officer Lawler, it’s...

Jul 17, 2009

I had to visit Clermont today. That’s something I’ve never said before, because most people never “have” to go to Clermont. It’s not on the way to anywhere else, really. There are normally only two reasons to visit this patch of suburban sprawl. 1: You are training for or participating in a bicycle or triathlon event. 2: You want...

The holiday weekend is over, the crackdown is complete, and the statistics are coming out for review. Here’s what we’ve learned from news reports at the Orlando Sentinel and Florida Today: Statewide, Florida Highway Patrol issued 4,548 speeding citations, 1,928 safety belt-related offenses, and 98 DUIs arrests. In the Central Florida area, FHP...