Features

Oviedo Community News • November 19 2025

Names of 34 veterans added to the Oviedo Veterans Tribute in Veterans Day ceremony – Oviedo Community News

The flag above the Oviedo Veterans Tribute hung at half-staff on Nov. 11, moving lightly in the cool evening breeze as the sunset reflected pink and orange off of Center Lake. Veterans from different eras stood in small groups, some in uniform with medals, others in plain clothes, resting on walkers or canes. Families filled the space with children playing off to the side and relatives of all ages finding places to stand as the start time approached. The crowd grew steadily, quieting as people p...

Oviedo Community News • October 23 2025

Girl Scouts’ proposal brings crosswalk, wildlife-crossing sign to Winter Springs – Oviedo Community News

The little girl in the blonde ponytail and clear-rimmed glasses sat motionless, staring straight ahead as the mayor and a half dozen men and women in suits, ties and business blouses peered curiously back at her. When they called her name, Rylan Synan, 11, stood from her seat and took four brisk steps to the podium, her speech in her left hand and a fuzzy pink and brown wolf in her right.

Wearing her bright green, badge-covered Girl Scout vest, she stood on her toes to reach the microphone an...

Oviedo Community News • October 1 2025

Oviedo flag football team honored for winning national championship – Oviedo Community News

Ice-cold water – freshly and ceremoniously dumped from a cooler – dripped off of head coach Kevin Brotz’s head and shoulders as he hopped, hugged and cheered with his team. It was the third time they traveled from Oviedo to College Park, Md., to compete for the national flag football championship, but the first time they clinched the title.

Playing on the fields of the University of Maryland, the third- and fourth-grade division champions finally reached the mountaintop in July, surrounded by...

The Community Paper - • September 14 2025

Vision quest - The Community Paper

Orlando-based artist Kelly Joy Ladd is no stranger to the unexpected.
With her dad working for an airline, Ladd moved constantly during her childhood — an experience that shaped her comfort with change.
“I was born in Florida, and then two days later, we moved,” Ladd said. “We moved around the country for a while until I was 10.”
Ladd didn’t start as an artist. She began as a magazine writer and editor, only transitioning to art about 12 years ago. With no family background in art, she wasn’t su...

The Community Paper - • August 30 2025

Standing fast, not still - The Community Paper

Tony Ross didn’t start his career in fashion or sportswear, but athletics has always been a part of his life. A former bank manager and track and field competitor for Puerto Rico, Ross founded World’s Fastest Humans, a growing track and field apparel brand that outfits everyone from local high school teams to Olympic athletes.
Ross said starting WFH helps carry on the legacy of his late father, Wilbur Ross, a former decathlete and renowned track and field coach who trained multiple future track...

The Community Paper - • August 24 2025

Dog waste removal in Orlando gets a family touch with Scooplando - The Community Paper

Scooping dog poop isn’t something that most people think could be life-changing, but for three Orlando sisters, it was exactly that.
Norah, Andi, and Tairi Pérez know what it’s like to have a busy schedule. Between mom duties and their never-ending to-do lists, they started looking for ways to lighten their workload.
“We are working moms and have been drowning with our to-do lists,” Norah Pérez said. “One of the things was always to go outside and scoop poop, and we were like, there has to be a...

The Charge • April 25 2025

UCF Ph.D. candidate's work in receiving the Order of Pegasus

Growing up surrounded by wetlands near the Virginia Beach area, Tiffany Dawson developed a deep love for marine biology and a lifelong passion for ecological conservation.Dawson, a UCF integrative and conservation biology Ph.D. candidate, was recently inducted into UCF’s Order of Pegasus, the most prestigious award a student can receive at the school, according to UCF's website.
As a member of UCF’s marine turtle research group, Dawson was recognized by the school for her research on the...

The Charge • March 29 2025

UCF mental health professionals weigh in on potential national antidepressant investigation

UCF mental health professionals discussed how Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plan to investigate antidepressants may lead to more problems in the ongoing mental health crisis in the country.During his confirmation hearing on Jan. 29, Kennedy stated his intention to investigate the use of antidepressants in the country, particularly Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.
“I know people, including membe...

The Charge • March 10 2025

UCF scientists discuss Earth's asteroid defenses and research

NASA recently assessed asteroid 2024 YR4, also known as the "city-killer" asteroid, which now has a lower probability of impacting Earth in 2032. The chance of an impact has dropped significantly to 0.0012% at the time of publication, but questions remain about Earth's asteroid defenses.Dr. Joshua Colwell, UCF pegasus professor and associate dean for research in the College of Sciences, said lead time is critical for deflecting an impending asteroid. Lead time is the head start scientists have t...

The Charge • February 20 2025

UCF researchers discover data surrounding sea turtles' "lost years"

Researchers from UCF's Marine Turtle Research Group used satellite trackers to uncover new data released earlier this month regarding the behavior of young sea turtles during what is known as "the lost years.""The lost years" term is used to describe turtles lives in between leaving a beach after hatching, to returning to shore as a juvenile. The new data suggests that previous hypotheses about the turtles’ behaviors and migration routes during this time may not have been as accurate as initiall...