The latest expansion plans of Full Sail Real World Education are remarkably similar to an earlier quest to discover and claim new lands, including a shared subplot involving native unrest.

The vision is simple, and nurtured in tradition: a marketplace that is the hub of community activity, offering a bounty of nutritious foods along with a selection of unique local crafts. Avalon Park currently is issuing a call for vendors to participate in a weekly Farmers Market at the three-acre Town Park in downtown Avalon Park.

Ticks and fleas dot the walls of one East Orlando apartment Carlos Velez inspects. He lifts the mattress and finds dozens of them. They bounce about him, biting his legs and arms as he baits the home. This is one of the worst cases of infestation he has ever encountered.

A pair of upcoming community meetings will address the foreclosure crisis, but with an added spiritual component. In a united effort to help those caught in the housing crunch, the educational forums will feature experts who will speak on the foreclosure process, ways to avoid foreclosure and other financial alternatives.

Orlando, Sophia Rim knows personal touches can make or break her business.

Julie Casey was looking forward to taking her two small children out to lunch. As a young mother, she was also ready for a chance to get out of the house for a welcome break in her day. It was supposed to be a fun time out with the kids, something for all to enjoy, and want to do again.

Orange County commissioners unanimously gave Full Sail University a thumbs-up to operate classrooms in a newly purchased theater complex, despite the strong objections of the shopping center’s owners.

On a mild, sunny morning last Friday, Pat and Russ Mozier stood side-by-side, flying a 12- foot Delta they toiled over for hours in the spare bedroom of their Avalon Park home. The kite danced in the crisp, morning air, cutting in and out of the wind. The couple stood in the middle of the Tanja King ball fields where they could hear nothing but the wind.

Dogs rule at University of Doglando. An old ranch home along East Colonial Drive was renovated to become a doggy day care, boarding, grooming and training facility. Dog beds and covered sofas line the living room and a few bedrooms to create a home away from home for pets.

Imagine a fuel station where prices are slashed to mere cents and the fuel is cleaner. This is the vision four recent University of Central Florida graduates share. As undergraduate students in the UCF engineering department, Eric Williams and Michael Schulist earned little income and struggled to afford their commute to campus.