Anti-child abuse events held in shadow of recent tragedy Community by Eileen Soler - April 29, 2015 By all accounts, Ahizya Osceola should have turned 4 years old on April 15. Instead, when a solitary candle was lit on his birthday cake decorated with SpongeBob SquarePants toys, only memories provided glimpses of his happy smile and quick laugh. It was an unreal moment for his mother, Karen Cypress,
Jenkins retires at height of his Seminole Gaming career Community by Eileen Soler - April 29, 2015 HOLLYWOOD — The man who Chairman James E. Billie calls "one of the most professional men I’ve ever worked with" has retired. Ed Jenkins, 70, credited by Chairman Billie for holding the Tribe’s reigns during meteoric gaming success that led the Tribe to become the first in Indian Country to achieve
SPD dispatch opens new 10-20: Immokalee Community by Eileen Soler - April 29, 2015 IMMOKALEE — Seminole Police Department Capt. Mary Negrey understands the power of 911 dispatch. "It’s a comforting voice ... the highest level of service ... it’s time saved," Negrey said. In mid-March, the Seminole Public Safety Department, led by Police Chief William Latchford, opened the Immokalee Dispatch Center at the direction of
Immokalee X factor Community by Eileen Soler - April 29, 2015July 1, 2015 IMMOKALEE — Kelsey Cooper and Doug Allen climbed inside a wicker basket April 12 and peered deep into a massive balloon that towered above propane-driven flames that fueled the most basic air-flight machine. "I probably won’t ever get to do this again in my entire life," Allen said before the Immokalee
Poetry, painting, music deliver passionate theater experience Community by Eileen Soler - April 29, 2015 AVON PARK, Fla. — A stark stage was set at the South Florida State College (SFSC) auditorium March 26 for a performance art show by Seminole poet and painter Elgin Jumper. Easels held canvases: two filled with images of Seminole warriors, one blank save for a thin layer of chartreuse and
Tribe gets nod at Clewiston Seminole Heritage Day Community by Eileen Soler - April 29, 2015April 29, 2015 CLEWISTON — Delores Duncan, of Clewiston, remembers the mid-1950s when Seminole women dressed in patchwork clothing would come into town from Big Cypress Reservation for weekly shopping at Royal’s department store. "They would sit with their children under the Australian pine trees where Corbin’s is now. It was interesting to see
Big Cypress health fair offers passport to better living Health by Eileen Soler - April 29, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Many of the nearly 300 people who streamed through the Big Cypress Health Fair April 17 at Junior Cypress Rodeo Arena probably thought they knew everything about the path to a healthy life, said Edna McDuffie, community outreach coordinator for the Seminole Health Department. "But we just need
Book fair bridges classroom learning with reading fun Education by Eileen Soler - April 28, 2015July 2, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — For Elisah Billie, hanging out at the Ahfachkee School book fair was the next best thing to visiting a bookstore. "It’s like having Books-A-Million come to my own school," Elisah said. Staged in half the school’s cafeteria, with teen novels by James Patterson, John Green and Suzanne Collins at
Littlest students party like pint-size islanders Education by Eileen Soler - April 28, 2015July 2, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Let high school and middle school kids have their fancy nighttime dances; Ahfachkee School’s youngest students, from pre-kindergarten through grade five, marked history April 17 with the first early evening kid-fest just for them. "It came up at a meeting with parents that the little kids should have
Patchwork bonds a community of many colors at Chalo Nitka Community by Eileen Soler - April 7, 2015July 8, 2015 MOORE HAVEN — The common thread that tied hundreds of revelers on Avenue J for Moore Haven’s 67th annual Chalo Nitka Festival parade spun a lasting story about community and cultural inclusion. "That’s what I love the most about Chalo Nitka. It’s always been a day everyone puts on patchwork," said