Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty’s annual address to the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce typically has been a time of unbridled optimism, highlighted by grand visions of the Innovation Way high-tech corridor.

Each year since 2000, fewer and fewer kids statewide are using marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol — the three most prevalent drugs in middle and high schools. Last month the state found their lowest numbers yet with cigarette smoking at 8.5 percent — the first time in eight years the figure was below 10 percent.

Francesca Brussel was tired of stories on the news about women being victimized Besides turning off the television she never thought there was anything she could do about it. One night last month, as she drifted to sleep, she was suddenly filled with ideas about how to empower women.

To the victors belong the spoils! That axiom of war has held true in conflicts throughout history. The American Civil War was not immune to these rules of engagement. Not only were the Confederacy’s political views felled by the sword, but the citizens of the South continued to suffer for years to come.

The ground was on fire. Dead trees were burning from the inside and collapsing without warning. The forest was too dense to penetrate; even tractor plows could not make it in. This was the scene at a fire that burned nearly five acres of land within 300 yards of Waterford East Apartments and a dozen homes in the Barrington at Waterford Lakes subdivision on Sunday, April 27.

Our pocketbooks are not the only things being pinched by the slowing economy. More and more pets are sadly being squeezed out of the household as families hit hard times. Since the holidays Judy Sarullo, founder of Pet Rescue By Judy, has seen a tremendous increase in animals being tossed out on the street or abandoned in foreclosed homes.

In approving a historically austere state budget for 2008, legislators mandated significant service cuts for the most vulnerable populations — the elderly and children. The $66.2 billion budget, which still awaits the governor’s signature, is one of the most grim passed by lawmakers, eliminating nearly $4 billion from the previous year.

Suzette Lopez does not have the extra money to spend on cookies or magazines even if the money is going toward a good cause. So when a local Cub Scout approached her about buying energy-efficient light bulbs — Compact Florescent Lamps (CFLs) — to fund his group as well as the Timber Creek High School Band, she was on board. “This is useful. Other things like cookies are a luxury.

Since the Orange County School Board last Tuesday passed the time-swap for middle and high school start times, public outcry has swelled to a roar. District officials said the switch will save $6 million dollars — all buses will run all three trips (elementary, middle and high school) which means 37 fewer buses, which reduces traffic, pollution, drivers and maintenance.

Those living across the street from the Cloyd dairy farm on Lake Underhill Road want a say in what is ultimately developed there. However, they were not invited to town meetings with the developer, nor were they notified of any Orange County public hearings that decide whether retail, office space or a solar-energy farm — all proposed by the developer — will become their northern neighbor.