The Selective Service System wants to hear from men and women in the community who might be willing to serve as members of local draft boards.  A Prospective Board Member must be a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old, registered with the Selective Service (if male), and not be an employee in any law enforcement occupation, not be an active or retired member of the Armed Forces, and not have been convicted for any criminal offence.  Once identified as qualified candidates for appointment, they are recommended by the governor and appointed by the Director of Selective Service, who acts on behalf of the President in making the appointments.  Each new member receives 5 hours of initial training after appointment, followed by 2 hours of annual training for as long as he or she remains in the position.  They may serve in Board Member positions up to a total of 20 years, if desired.

Local Board Members are uncompensated volunteers who play an important community role closely connected with our Nation’s defence. If a military draft becomes necessary, approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America would decide which young men in each community receive deferments, postponements or exemptions from military service, based on federal guidelines.

Positions are currently open if you live in Polk County.

If you believe you meet the standards of the Selective Service Board Membership, and wish to be considered for appointment, please contact:

Mayor David Lydon, USAFR

FL Detachment 2-5, Tampa, FL

(518) 929-2419

David.Lydon@SSS.gov

Identifying and preventing the financial exploitation and abuse of the elderly will be the topic of the next Legally Speaking Lunch and Lecture Series at Florida Southern College.

Gerald Hemness Jr., managing attorney for the Law Office of Emma Hemness, P.A., of Brandon, will give the lecture, “Exploitation of the Elderly: Prevention, Recognition and Prosecution,” on February 24 in the Thrift Alumni Center at FSC. A luncheon begins at noon with the lecture following.

The cost is $20 per person, which includes lunch, lecture and valet parking. Reservations are required by February 22, and corporate table sponsorships are available.

“Today, senior citizens are subject to exploitation and financial abuse on a scale not previously seen, and more than 70 percent of all financial exploitation involves family members,” said Cindy Hardin, professor of business administration and Legally Speaking lecture series coordinator at Florida Southern College. “This is an issue that can no longer be ignored, and everyone at every stage of life needs to be aware of the potential of being a victim. Mr. Hemness will shed light on the scope of the problem and how you can protect yourself and your loved ones through recognition, remedies, and planning.”

The Legally Speaking lecture series is sponsored by the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at FSC and is intended to bring together members of the legal community, professionals, students and the public for meaningful discussions about timely legal issues facing society. A future lecture date has been announced for March 23rd.  For more information on the Legally Speaking series or to RSVP for the lecture with Gerald Hemness Jr., contact (863) 680-4280 or lberardicurti@flsouthern.edu.

This Tuesday, businesses around the County will tune in to learn more about reaching a growing Hispanic Community. On February 21 from 7 – 8 p.m., “Comunidad Viva”, Polk County’s Spanish-language show, will begin a series of Webcasts designed to help business owners understand the differences and similarities of the Hispanic ethnic group.

According to Teresa Martinez, producer of “Comunidad Viva”, this emerging market “constitutes 16.3% of our population [and has] roots in 20 different countries.”

Tuesday night’s program will show participants how to improve Spanish vocabulary.

To participate in the interactive Webcast, visit our PGTV Webcasts Page.

America has always viewed Cuba as a strategic and economic prize, but the people of Cuba have had other ideas about their independence. The complicated relationship between the two nations will be the subject of a fascinating lecture at Florida Southern College.

As part of the Florida Lecture Series, author Frank R. Villafaña will give the special lecture, “Expansion: Its Effects on Cuba’s Independence,” at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, February 22, in the Hollis Room on the Florida Southern College campus in Lakeland. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Villafaña’s lecture will draw upon his latest book, Expansionism: Its Effects on Cuba’s Independence, which reviews the sources and consequences of American involvement in Cuba. He traces Cuba’s efforts to become free of Spanish domination, starting in the 1830s and ending in the Spanish-American War of 1898. Villafaña proposes that Cuba has never been truly free and independent of foreign influence.

“We are pleased to once again welcome Frank Villafaña to FSC,” said Dr. James M. Denham, Director of the Lawton M. Chiles Center for Florida History. “His lecture on the complicated dynamics of 19^th-century American expansion in relation to Cuba will be informative and enlightening.”

About Frank R. Villafaña

Frank R. Villafaña was born in Havana, Cuba. He left Cuba in 1960 and went to the University of Alabama, where he obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering. He earned a doctor of engineering degree from Cleveland State University. Villafaña worked with Ethyl and Avery Dennison Corp. in the U.S., Belgium and the Netherlands. He spent nine years in Spain combining engineering consulting work with traveling and conducting research about Cubans in Congo, which resulted in his book, Cold War in the Congo: The Confrontation of Cuban Military Forces, 1960-1967. In 1994, Villafaña published a collection of short stories in Spanish about growing up in Cuba, Anécdotas Casi Verídicas de Cárdenas. Now living in the U.S., he continues to research and write about Cuban history.