UPDATES ON A COUPLE OF SUBJECTS

ITEM 1: The continuning controveresy over the Polk County Opportunity Council. Dr. Larry Durrance, President of Polk Community College and a popular emcee at community events, has backed out of appearing in that role tonight at PCOC's annual banquet in Bartow. In his letter to PCOC Executive Director Carolyn Speed --- which Dr. Durrance apparantly didn't bother keeping a copy of and noone at PCOC can seem to find --- the Prez cited negative publicity that the Community Action Agency has received. He had initally accepted the invite to emcee the event in November, but after the Lakeland Ledger printed some articles over their current controveresy he decided to back away in December. He said there were other reasons for his decision, but did not elaborate.

ITEM 2: Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards is somewhat pissed off this morning! Seems as though while her staff was verifying names on petitions supporting ballot initiatives to bring her job and those of the other constitutional officers under the control of the Board of County Commissioners as well as cut their salaries in half and set term limits, her name and home address were on two of them. Someone signed for her.

There are about 460 signatures which are "questionable", and Home Rule Charter Committee organizer/activist Dewey Smith blames them on a signature-collecting contractor he hired.

Forgery is a felony in Florida. The SOE had said when she was first elected five years ago, she swore she would never sign any voter inititative petitions.