Gussy, a photogenic poodle on legendary New Orleans piano player Fats Domino's latest album, slipped away last weekend while visiting an Altamonte Springs family with her owner.
New Orleans photographer Syndey Byrd was in town on business and seeing friends.
Veterinarian Arthur Gobel spotted Gussy dodging cars on Burnell Road. The vet and his wife took the poodle home. Gobel returned to Burnell Road Monday and found the missing-dog signs a distraught Byrd had posted.
Gussy and her photographer owner are back together.
The recent opening of the Bahama Breeze restaurant in Altamonte Springs turned into a windfall for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.
The restaurant on State Road 436 in front of Altamonte Mall raised $4,000 for the clubs during a recent soft opening of the Caribbean restaurant, the latest venture for Darden Restaurants.
Guests made donations instead of paying for their meals at the suggestion of restaurant employees.
Longwood Commissioner Jim Carrico wants the city to establish a newsletter to keep residents informed.
The consensus among other commissioners is that a newsletter is a fine idea if the price is right.
Carrico is impressed with Maitland's monthly newsletter. He noted that Maitland's newsletter is printed in color and includes messages from the mayor, the council and department heads. It also has a calendar of community events and information on meetings.
"Not in my back lot," was the response Seminole County commissioners got recently to the idea of relocating adult entertainment businesses to the Midway Commerce Park or an area near the Orlando-Sanford Airport.
John Paskoski, president of the property owners association, argued the park's covenant prohibited food and beverage establishments and activity or material that was pornographic.
Added Judy Colley, who owns a small business in the park: "This frightens me because I thought this was going to be my retirement, my children's inheritance. . . . But that's not going to happen. I don't have a problem with these businesses but with their clientele. . . . I'm going to be afraid to get out of my car at night."
Jessie Whitaker had similar concerns about possibly locating the adult businesses in her neighborhood off Cameron Avenue east of Sanford.
"Sanford's known as a bedroom community - this is going to give new meaning to the word," she said. "If it is so good, why didn't the five of you (commissioners) vote to have it in your neighborhood?"
Former Seminole County School Board Member Larry Strickler is helping assemble a cabinet of business leaders to advise incoming Orange County Schools Superintendent Dennis Smith, who starts work July 1.
The business people will try to bring the corporate and education worlds together.
Strickler, a regional manager of BellSouth of Central Florida, is co-chairing the informal group with Pat Engfer, general manager of Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport.
The School Board used to have a business advisory board. That group was set up by county government to oversee how impact fees were spent.
The board eventually was disbanded, leading business leaders to complain the school system didn't want their advice.
This effort will be different, Strickler said. He and Engfer want to help the school system recruit a group of business leaders to advise the new superintendent.
"You need a group of people you can call on not only to solve problems but also to prevent problems," Strickler said.