Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier hasn't had the best track record so far during the 2026 recruiting cycle Napier's recruiting class only had two commitments On Friday, four-star linebacker Izayia Williams flipped his commitment from the Gators to Ole Miss, something that was rumored to be a possibility Williams is one of the best linebackers in the 2026 recruiting class. He is the 41st ranked recruit in the 2026 class while also being the third-best linebacker. He was the prized recruit in Napier's class and they were hoping to pair him with another linebacker recruit in four-star linebacker Malik Morris Losing Williams is a tough blow for both now and later as the Gators have just four-star quarterback Will Griffin committed for the 2026 class The Gators have plenty of recruits visiting this summer to fortify the rest of the class This is now the fourth time that Williams has either decommitted or flipped his commitment since his recruiting began. He initially comitted to Louisville, followed by Syracuse, Florida State, and the Gators. It was something that was coming, inlcuding earlier this week by Gators Online's Corey Bender but the thing I was told is that it’s not a marriage,” said Bender “And you have to continue to recruit these kids all the way up to signing day I know Ole Miss has a really big backing for NIL Florida and Williams’ camp have yet to discuss NIL at all I know that’s something their camp really isn’t surprised about because usually at official visit weekends that’s where it’s kind of further discussed who is going to take all his official visits.” With how Williams' recruitment has gone so far customized to your favorite sports and teams NY — An off-duty FDNY Emergency Medical Technician was arrested Friday night and charged with assault following an incident in the 123rd Precinct was taken into custody at approximately 8:31 p.m Authorities confirmed she has been charged with assault in the third degree The NYPD said the arrest occurred near the Tottenville and Charleston neighborhoods of Staten Island Further details regarding the circumstances of the alleged assault were not immediately disclosed Floridia is currently employed by the New York City Fire Department as an EMT Her duty status at the time of the alleged incident was off-duty The FDNY has not commented on the arrest or whether internal disciplinary actions will follow © 2008-2025 - Shore News Media & Marketing Ltd Strong Island Animal Rescue League president Frankie Floridia entered the backyard of a Holtsville home to find a young buck trapped in a pool cover The buck's antlers had gotten tangled in the cover He and another rescuer were able to cut the cover off the animal and safely lift its 200-pound body out of the pool The October rescue was one of the few that have ended happily in recent months as Floridia and other wildlife rescuers on Long Island said they have seen a surge in dehydrated and malnourished animals impacted by the drought the Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown has received at least a dozen calls about deer collapsing in pools after they tried to drink water captured on the covers which animals rely on for hydration and nutrients The increase is likely due to a lack of rain preventing grass — a key staple in a goose’s diet — from growing “We started getting in tons of gulls and geese who were emaciated," she said "Their feathers were all broken and just disheveled," which she attributed to a nutritional deficiency The state Department of Environmental Conservation told Newsday it has not received any reports or observed any increases in wildlife in distress during this low-precipitation period it said that during times of drought and other prolonged weather conditions it is common to observe behavioral changes in wildlife wildlife rehabilitator at Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays said the facility has also cared for dehydrated animals She believes this is part of a larger picture of extreme weather “pushing animals into situations that they normally would not be in.” The center recently took in a bat that woke up from early hibernation on an uncommonly warm day but was stunned the next day when the temperature dropped “They're going into hibernation and basically getting dried out and then waking up and being Bendicksen said this week's rain is not nearly enough to sustain animals in the coming months Hibernating and non-hibernating animals generally stock up on food in the fall to survive the winter for example — who “eat everything," including grass berries and acorns — depend on fat storage that's their time to really gorge themselves,” Bendicksen said “Nothing has been out there for the whole fall Even if the coming winter turns out to be mild she believes animals will still suffer due to the lack of food now “It's going to be a bad winter," she said Maureen Mullarkey is a breaking news reporter at Newsday She previously worked as a reporter for Patch where she covered a range of Long Island stories on topics such as the Diocese of Rockville Centre bankruptcy and the Babylon School District abuse scandals Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories The Newsday app makes it easier to access content without having to log in Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker 2024 at 9:39 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Here's how to help NY — Help is needed for a cat shot in Moriches According to Frankie Floridia of the Strong Island Animal Rescue League a call came in about a cat needing emergency surgery after being shot by a "high-powered BB gun completely shattering his femur bone," Floridia said caring owners," Floridia said his organization agreed to take on the case and help Hopper who will be kept inside — and help to secure the surgery he needs but everyone is on board to help this awesome cat and give him the care he needs," he said The investigation into how Hopper was hurt is ongoing "We are concentrating on getting Hopper the care he needs and getting him better His surgery is scheduled for Tuesday," he said Those who wish to donate and help Hopper can click here. Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Neb (KMTV) - A group of kids from Italy visit Omaha hoping to learn more about America; some discover relatives in South Omaha The local effort aims to strengthen ties in Carletnini Italy and eventually make it Omaha's sister city A local effort to strengthen ties between Italy and Omaha and even discovering potential family connections with locals in South Omaha "In the beginning he wasn't really quite sure what to expect um but this was great," says traveler Frederico Sfilio's translator Sam Troia and Connie Floridia found out they're related Frederico Sfilio "Federico and I are related," exclaimed Troia Connie Floridia is part of the Carlentini Omaha Association that helped plan the trip "This is probably maybe the only opportunity they may have to leave and experience another country," says Floridia Its their effort to eventually make Carlentini and Omaha sister city but they're gone so I'm making the connection," says Floridia Their goal is to strengthen the ties between Omaha and Italy "There's a big connection with Omaha and Carlentini Siciliy because most Italians in Omaha came from Carlentini," says Troia "We're half a world away but were still together," he says learn more about each other and keep in touch was the next step The association hopes efforts like this helps make Carlentini and Omaha sister city implemented to meet the constant increase in demand for information and data transmission Taking the example of 60 kilometers of optical cables from one city to another such as high polarization mode dispersion (PMD) which could degrade the signal and prevent information from reaching the other end operator teams will have to travel the entire route digging and unearthing the splice boxes installed every 4 km; Measuring the signal in each box will allow you to locate the section with problems for repair developed in joint research between Unicamp and CPqD (Center for Research and Development in Telecommunications) promises to greatly alleviate the work of operators “Distributed PMD measurement technique in optical links based on pOTDR” is the title of the master's thesis by Carolina Franciscangelis from the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC) and co-supervised by researcher Claudio Floridia The study of the literature showed that its conception and validation were carried out for the first time” the motivation for this work was to develop a method to locate compromised sections in fiber optic networks in a qualitative and quantitative way known as DGD [acronym in English for Differential Group Delay] “We proposed a distributed measurement technique for a parameter that penalizes the transmitted optical signal The technique allows locating the sections with the highest DGD and estimating their values Similar approaches already exist in the literature but they are complex because they involve measuring parameters that are difficult to obtain – and few offer this quantitative view Our method is based on a more simplified technique that requires less active equipment The author notes in the dissertation that sophisticated optical communication systems require precise and stable sensors to monitor parameters such as PMD (Polarization Mode Dispersion) which causes a temporal broadening of the optical pulse that ends up degrading signal reception was a technique for measuring PMD using already commercialized equipment the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) associated with a totally passive module for light polarization (pOTDR) explains that current techniques allow measuring PMD only point to point in optical links which tend to be hundreds of kilometers long “An alternative is to divide the link in half to surround the defective section a process that requires time and high costs it is possible to locate and estimate the value of sections with high PMD from a single measurement point generating savings for operators and manufacturers of optical cables.” problems in optical networks may arise from imperfections already in the manufacturing of the cable but because they are underground and installed along highways they are also subject to external agents such as temperature “Operators generally request measurements from various entities But problems can occur during installation Our method is capable of locating all these defects.” Carolina Franciscangelis points out that problems arise especially in optical fibers that have been installed for a long time there is stricter control in manufacturing in relation to DGD so that this parameter is as low as possible Although our method also targets current networks with new fibers which are unlikely to be completely replaced in the short term.” The researcher informs that the most used device to analyze the losses of an optical fiber is the OTDR (acronym in English for Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) whose operating principle lies in the phenomenon called backscatter Rayleigh The OTDR launches optical pulses of certain temporal widths along the optical link and these launched pulses suffer from scattering due to small variations in their refractive index; and part of the light passing through a polarizer that translates variations in the polarization state along the fiber into variations in optical power relating them to the distance in kilometers “What we have is a graph of the signal attenuation along the fiber with great variation – the smooth ones are the problematic ones can change the section of the link without having to go to the location to take the measurement with traditional instruments techniques developed in the dissertation allow post-processing of the data to estimate the PMD values ​​and the most penalized sections of the fiber.” who supervised the author of the dissertation and also coordinates the Microelectronic Sensors Laboratory at FEEC is aware that the technique developed can contribute to improving the quality of the internet concluded that the Brazilian internet is one of the slowest in the world with growing demand for communication and an increase in transmission capacity but this need for optical communication increases as we enter more distant parts of the Central-West Regarding another aspect highlighted by Fabiano Fruett which is the cooperation between Unicamp and CPqD researcher Claudio Floridia recalls his institution's tradition in communications systems and optics “This is a collaboration with the University involving more applied research which will continue in the doctorate of Carolina Franciscangelis as well as other work involving students who are either our employees or not.” The Unicamp student intends to continue research into distributed optical sensors in her doctorate A possible proposal is to increase the range of the technique she developed as it does not yet cover optical fiber links longer than 100 kilometers; and perhaps a possibility that Claudio Floridia admits is already being considered “Within the CPqD universe there are companies capable of manufacturing the device at scale although I consider that the method is more characterized for services.” Dissertation: “Distributed PMD measurement technique in optical links based on pOTDR”Author: Carolina FranciscangelisAdvisor: Fabiano FruettCo-advisor: Claudio FloridiaUnity: Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC) and CPqD We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Information on COVID-19 Funeral Assistance through FEMA \u003ca href=\"/resources/funeral-assistance\"\u003eRead More\u003c/a\u003e The family of Salvatore Patalano created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories © 2025 John Vincent Scalia Home for Funerals Inc. Made with love by funeralOne 2024 at 3:38 PMA car dealer in Long Island was about to take a truck to a scrap yard to be destroyed when he looked inside and saw a mama raccoon and her babies had been living in the truck Instead of ignoring the raccoons or trying to remove them himself president of Strong Island Animal Rescue League Floridia knew he had to handle the situation delicately If he tried to get the mama raccoon to leave in the middle of the day she might have gotten disoriented and run away from her babies Strong Island Animal Rescue LeagueMany people may not know that raccoons are also very territorial So if Floridia were to have completely relocated them “The best thing to do is make these animals comfortable and make them able to just [leave] on their own terms,” Floridia told The Dodo So Floridia convinced the dealer to let him wait until nighttime to help the raccoons the mama raccoon got up to go find food in a nearby dumpster Strong Island Animal Rescue League“That’s when I knew it was time to … get the babies carefully put them in a box and put them by the dumpster,” Floridia said As soon as the raccoons were gone from the truck Floridia cleaned it out to make sure the mama wouldn’t be tempted to come back to a cozy nest Floridia saw the mama take her babies from the cardboard box and relocate them to another nest [he] wanted to make sure that it went well.” “I went back and made sure that Mom took them I made sure that she didn’t come back to the truck Strong Island Animal Rescue LeagueBut Floridia had nothing to worry about .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Marisa Vinciguerra | mvincigu@siadvance.comSTATEN ISLAND was the setting August 14 for the marriage of Jessica Parco and Frank Floridia Thomas Devery performed the afternoon ceremony which was followed by a reception in the Seasons N.J.The bride is a daughter of Donna and Louis Parco of Greenridge The bridegroom is the son of Dana Bartolotti of Tottenville and Frank Floridia of Las Vegas The bride was given in marriage by her father The junior bridesmaids were Samantha Riebesell and Marissa Riebesell Jon Floridia was the best man for his brother James Parco and Nicholas Parco served as the ringbearers Floridia is a graduate of Tottenville High School and the College of Staten Island Floridia is a graduate of Tottenville High School and Brooklyn College He is a firefighter with the FDNY in Brooklyn The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in Italy and reside in Rossville Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices A casual observer might not notice anything unusual about the Breezy Hill RV Resort in Pompano Beach But as Canadian photographer Mika Goodfriend documented in his series “Snowbirds,” the park is a special place for a very specific group of retirees The population of Breezy Hill is 98 percent Québécois Breezy Hill is their home away from home—their American paradise “I was always aware of the snowbird phenomenon because my grandparents lived a Jewish snowbird lifestyle in Hollywood I decided to see how the Québécois snowbirds lived I had identified several RV parks where Québécois stayed however a neighbor suggested I visit Breezy Hill Her aunt was the DJ at their Saturday night parties,” Goodfriend said via email Goodfriend spent five weeks at Breezy Hill over the Christmas and New Year holidays capturing the lifestyle of the wealthy retirees who make their home there who grew up on the English-speaking western side of Montreal photographing the French Québécois was an anthropological exercise my family compartmentalized our Jewish lifestyle in opposition to that of the ‘pur laine’ Québécois—presenting an us-and-them dichotomy I perceived a latent prejudice and superiority regarding facets of intellectualism and social class,” he said “My exposure to Québécois culture was limited by my geography and by my own narrow idea of French Canadians.” walking the streets with his 4-by-5-view camera and tripod Gaining the residents’ trust in such a short timeframe was a challenge “I have a true respect for the people I met and photographed so it was important for me to express this while still maintaining my outsider perspective,” he said Goodfriend said he ultimately found the Québécois hospitable and excited about his project Goodfriend said he spoke French the entire time he was at Breezy Hill speaking has always been a challenge,” Goodfriend said “I began to dream and my own inner monologue at times turned French which was a big step for me—to be able to fully communicate in a foreign language.” Goodfriend said that documenting the Québécois snowbirds was especially important because they constitute the last of a dying breed making this American migration en masse. He said most young Québécois are “embarrassed” by the snowbird lifestyle, a stereotype depicted in films including La Florida “Younger generations are vacationing in Cuba cooler spots than Florida,” Goodfriend said it’s interesting to note that younger generations likely can’t afford the snowbird lifestyle Many who retire at Breezy Hill worked white-collar jobs with fantastic pensions which my generation will never have,” Goodfriend said In upcoming months, “Snowbirds” will be on display at VU Photo in Quebec City and Le Labo in Toronto 2013: This post originally misspelled Pompano Beach Frankie Floridia of Strong Island Animal Rescue worked tirelessly for the entire 10 days to save the deer who was first spotted on Sound Breeze Trail/ Great Rock Drive in Wading River Her rescue was definitely the result of a team determined to save her "This was a tremendous group effort between Strong Island and the residents," Floridia said opened their yards to him for the search and set up group texts to let him know when and where the deer was spotted He also emphasized that the frightened deer's plight was absolutely avoidable "This is because someone didn't recycle properly." There is a proper way to recycle and putting lids back on large containers such as the one that was wedged tightly on the deer's head Floridia said he set up equipment including cellular trail cameras and thermal cameras; he went on multiple walks through the trails and stayed up until 4 a.m. hoping desperately for sightings of the deer on the cameras so the deer survived for 10 long days with no food There were also rumors that the deer had not survived he got a call from a neighbor who saw her on their front yard so it would be easier to remove the container from her head Neighbors Jeff Witt and Jeff Turano set up food in front of a sump "She saw her pack eating and she still put her head down and tried to eat," Floridia said "She didn't understand that there was something on her head." Florida said the deer was corralled into the sump area; he was readying himself "They texted me back that they'd shut the gates and she was in," Floridia said The prize was there; it was just a matter of how fast we could remove it in a way that was least stressful for her." a "very powerful" 65,000 lumen light was turned on to blind her the two moving together to ease the container off Floridia said he and the residents were jubilant but video soon after showed her happily eating and at peace The reason they were able to reach the deer was because she had to climb up from the sump The 10-day rescue effort came to an end on Friday night at 10:30 p.m. Getting this done was a huge accomplishment I don’t want to say it was stressful for us because what we felt was nothing compared to what she was going though Because the container had no hole for the deer to eat and drink ""I made a bond with these people that will last forever." they searched trails and communicated constantly all with a shared goal of bringing one helpless creature to safety We were long and strong in our efforts and group texts — and the plan paid off Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Many family businesses don’t survive past the first generation; it’s no secret. But Tom Montalto, Owner of Melbourne-based Floridia Cheese one of Australia’s longest running family owned and operated cheese manufacturers Despite having no formal business training Tom learned how to run a business from his parents who started Floridia Cheese in 1955 after migrating from Sicily “We led a largely self-sufficient way of life which included the cheesemaking skills handed down from generations in our hometown of Floridia in Sicily while settling into life in Melbourne,” he says After being involved in the on-the-ground operations of the business having worked in the family factory from a very young age “I have high expectations of my family and the people that work for me and I appreciate the loyal staff that have worked tirelessly over the years to produce the quality products we are known for,” he shares “I have learned that the three most important things for running a successful business come down to having good staff loyal milk suppliers and the ability to build strong relationships with customers.” With the business still going strong after more than 65 years Tom believes in the importance of regularly updating operations Technology has clearly changed a lot since the business was founded with a new system that provides real-time data to monitor and adjust business needs as required playing a central role in the ongoing modernisation initiatives Floridia Cheese currently delivers to customers in countries including Indonesia “Exports account for approximately 45 per cent of Floridia Cheese’s sales and its success has been based around sourcing business partners to represent the brand which is vital to the company’s expansion strategy,” Tom says “Technological advancement has allowed the business to implement digitisation of its operations,” he says “We’re constantly looking at what’s happening in the non-dairy or plant-based space and whether or not there is an opportunity to add products like that to our range to cater to changing consumer tastes and demand.” the COVID-19 pandemic forced Floridia Cheese to shift its business model customers in Melbourne could access an online ordering service Floridia Cheese has stayed open as an essential manufacturer “Many of them are family businesses just like us so we try to help them keep afloat through changes to delivery patterns and by offering extended trading terms,” Tom says Running a family business brings some additional responsibilities as it’s not just family members and employees who need to be supported but also the countless other stakeholders that play crucial roles in making the company a success “We are responsible for supporting our farmers and taking their milk on a daily basis as well as supporting our customers and walking that fine line between continuing to supply and not losing money in the process,” Tom says Throughout all of the challenges Tom has faced he has worked on the basis that relationships are vital especially when it comes to suppliers and long-term customers By remaining authentic and offering a “what you see is what you get” approach with its employees Floridia Cheese has been able to maintain good relationships that have stood the test of time As can be expected with a leading cheese manufacturer maintaining a solid relationship with milk suppliers is one of the most important parts of day-to-day operations Technological advancement has allowed the business to implement digitisation of its operations “We maintain relationships with dairy farmers through regular communications and setting the milk price in advance for each financial year so that they can plan their income and expenses,” Tom says Other key suppliers such as packaging and ingredients firms are equally important to help keep Floridia Cheese going The business invests in these relationships and rarely changes suppliers even if they can purchase the same item for a better price “This guarantees excellence in quality and consistency in supply,” Tom points out Thanks to the combination of quality products and a forward-thinking mindset Floridia Cheese has maintained longstanding supply arrangements with some of Melbourne’s most well-known food outlets including Mediterranean Wholesalers and Papa Ginos Restaurant which have been loyal customers for over 40 years “I still keep in touch with customers and if there’s a problem I want to know about it and deal with it,” Tom concludes The CEO Magazine is more than a business title; it’s a source of information inspiration and motivation for the world’s most successful leaders Learn all about The CEO Magazine at TheCEO.com ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Get unlimited access. 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By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy Get your intro offer.  It looks like your email isn't registered yet—let’s get you set up We've sent a code to the below email.  third-generation family cheesemaking business one of the most time consuming tasks is paying its farmers for milk this payment process is managed through a series of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets that are overseen by multiple people within the business and double checked by an accountant with every change But the price of milk isn’t fixed; it’s dependent on fat content general quality (with step ups or step downs) Considering Floridia Cheese buys some 22 million litres of milk every year — around 450,000 litres per week — it’s a huge admin challenge to stay on top of payments and ensure each farmer is getting the right amount and then another third-party checks them,” explains Rose Portella general manager finance and marketing at Floridia Cheese Portella is part of the third-generation of family ownership for Floridia Cheese who is now semi-retired and spends most of his time as a beef cattle farmer.  and Daniel Montalto are directors of the company is production manager and has been in the business for 31 years And the fourth generation of the family now comes in on weekends and serves in their retail shop Floridia Cheese turned over roughly $40 million in revenue with casuals and contractors bringing the number of people in the factory to 100 on any given day The business has also grown at 3-5% annually over the last four years “The business reached a point where it plateaued The yuppies want cheese and wine again,” says Portella Long-running family businesses can be resistant to change when it comes to processes But the company knew it had a system not fit for purpose Its Excel-based process worked fine when it was first built; yet it had been added to and tweaked without clear documentation of how things had changed The revamp for its new process started with a connection at Melbourne North Food Group and part of the NORTH Link networking group Based at the R&D centre at LaTrobe university the industry body offers projects where students in the business school work with local SMEs international trade at Melbourne North Food Group “With third-generation food manufacturers in the North of Melbourne changing to digital and adding data analytics are a big deal to get over the line Most of them are too busy working in the business to work on the business.” But it’s also necessary for many producers if they want to get their products in supermarket giants.  “There are hoops and obstacles to go through and businesses need to be able to fit within that You can’t have a product that goes well at a farmers market and suddenly go into Coles or Woolworths,” says McLellend the family explained their milk payment system to the business school students and said they needed it built in a way where they had full transparency “We thought we set the students a task they could not achieve It was then a matter of moving the project from the students’ hands to a consultant in the milk industry who contracted a third-party IT business to build it out with one of the students remaining on the project you need to recognise where your strengths don’t lie and use consultants to get the best outcome,” says Portella Longstaff says the first thing you need to understand is what you’re trying to achieve then what your existing process is made up of “The biggest challenge was in getting everyone to understand the intricacies of a milk-payment system and how they are calculated and then applied can be quite intricate,” says Longstaff for other SMEs there will be different systems Longstaff came in halfway through the project and started by putting together documents explaining all the background terminology and how payments are calculated the IT team reproduce a payment using the same information Longstaff checks that the answers are correct on both ends To manage the project remotely, they operate from a single platform, Teamwork it’s critical to keep all the information in one place with a unified sense of purpose between outside contractors and the company But there’s no value in a data system built by a third party if it can’t be integrated back into your day-to-day business admin which is why it’s crucial to have input from the people who will be using it “During the process I’ve had conversations with people who use the existing system so that they’re aware of the changes we’re making “We give each of those people a login to play around with the system “They can get used to what the system looks like and I can feed back their comments to the developers comments.” the difference between the new system and the old one couldn’t be more stark “From lab results to keying in data will take five minutes You know the pricing is saved in the background there are less T’s to cross and I’s to dot “It will save at least 70% of the time once it’s fully up and running.” and milk being harder to come by as some of its multi-generational dairy farmers close their business it’s important to keep suppliers happy and onside It’s not just a time benefit too — the new system gives much more transparency to the absolute key metric of a dairy business “There is definitely going to be a lower number of touchpoints “It will also allow us to analyse the business There are reports that we can use to analyse what’s going on in our business that we didn’t have previously.” Floridia Cheese offers lessons for many SMEs — you don’t need to be data experts to improve your systems and even convoluted processes can be revamped if you’re committed and can find the right outside experts A lot of people tend to think if it’s not broken NEW YORK, NY – An off-duty employee of the New York City Fire Department has been arrested and charged with assault and harassment at 5:43 PM within the jurisdiction of the 123 Precinct The specifics surrounding the incident leading to Floridia’s arrest have not been disclosed The charges levied against him include assault and harassment and further details may be released as the situation develops the director of the Italian theater company Cantieri Meticci in collaboration with the Iranian Mowj Theater Troupe will be performing “The Violin of the Titanic” with a number of Iranian actors in Tehran’s City Theater Complex in December The performance is part of the “Making Out of Nothing” project which is due to run in the Qashaqai Hall of the complex from December 1 to 19 director of the project Arash Abbasi told the Persian service of ISNA on Tuesday “Interested applicants can register for a workshop at www.arashabbasi.com and a few actors will be selected for the week-long workshop followed by the performance,” Abbasi added “Pietro Floridia has performed the play in several countries including France He will be performing the play this time in Tehran,” he added Inspired by the story of the famous ocean liner the show is an adaptation of “The Sinking of the Titanic” by German author Hans Magnus Enzensberger The show will place the audience aboard the same boat with the actors-refugees in order to allow them to experience from within the dynamics that the sinking and fighting for their lives can generate Photo: Italian director Pietro Floridia in an undated photo Jack and Leesa Floridia of Economy Borough are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter son of Michael Krznaric and Dianne Bollo of Elizabeth Township Michael and Kelly are planning an August 2008 wedding The M5s parent company in the Senate obtained 39 preferences out of 42 members of the commission Barbara Florida was elected president of the Rai Supervisory Commission elected president of the Rai Supervisory Commission" commented the president of the M5s Giuseppe Conte on Twitter “Pluralism and the right of citizens to be correctly informed are cardinal principles of democracy We will protect them with the utmost determination ” The classic style of an English cottage garden is replicated here in the flowering perennials blooming in front of Pam Floridia's house "The drifts of flowers grow into each other so it gives the garden a soft natural look," said Floridia during a recent visit to her Baker Drive home Floridia says that anybody can grow a cottage garden "The flowers weave into each other so you don't have much weeding to do," she said Floridia has tried growing a lot of common varieties in hopes of having something of interest for each season "The big challenge is to find something that's in bloom in every season," she said who lived next door to her when Floridia was growing up "It wasn't official but she had a lot of flowers." one of her earliest memories was seeing a colorful crocus bloom on a cold winter day "I thought it was amazing that that little flower had enough strength to push its way up through the snow and ice," said Floridia Floridia has tried most every kind of flower that looks interesting Floridia began her garden when she moved into her newly-built home in 1994 "It was a brand new development," she said blue and white color combination of flowers "You're limited on what plants you can buy in those colors so I started bringing in yellow orange and reds trying to mix them in to liven things up." The garden is now 14 years old and the mixture of plants weave into each other "I will use annuals in pots to fill in a space," she said "My favorite flowers are the peonies," said Floridia who has strawberry shortcake pink peonies as anchor plants at each end of her garden The cottage garden is said to have had its beginnings in England "They tried to pack as many flowers into that little plot as they could." Floridia's project for this year is the creation of a golden garden in her backyard "I thought if I put something with a yellow golden cone junipers and hostas with the golden varigated leaves "I hope to keep adding to it as time goes on," she said A member of the Colonial Garden Club of Marlborough Floridia participates in many of the organization's projects Husband Richard has a vegetable garden with tomatoes Floridia's cottage garden begins with a few early flowers in April and May with the best months being late June and the month of July The garden continues in the fall with dahlias and mums "The English Cottage Garden is easy because it has no definite edges," said Floridia Hungary and left for the Netherlands in 1954 She eventually landed in London where she was employed as a nurse’s aide at a hospital and where she met her future husband Erika found comfort having Grizzley with her; a dog she rescued from the Vancouver BC SPCA To say Erika loved animals is a very large understatement Erika would put an animal’s life or safety ahead of hers without skipping a heartbeat where she walked in and asked which dog needed to be adopted urgently Numerous cats and dogs of all shapes and sizes graced the family house over time and love towards animals was passed down to her children whom all learned and witnessed the importance of treating all animals with respect Erika outlived many friends and family who loved her genuine peaceful nature and appropriate sense of humour Our mission is protecting vulnerable animals and mobilizing communities so animals and people thrive together The BC SPCA respectfully acknowledges that we live work and play on the unceded traditional territories of the numerous and diverse First Nations within British Columbia We express our gratitude to all Indigenous communities - First Nations Métis and Inuit for stewarding and sharing this land and there are often circumstances outside of our control that mean we have to restrict access to our animal centres we appreciate your understanding if we need to reschedule your volunteer day at short notice We also kindly request at least 48 hours notice if your group is no longer able to attend your scheduled volunteer day Please Note: We request a minimum donation of $3,000 from your company to cover arranging the day In consideration of being permitted to participate in the Volunteer Programs of the BC SPCA agree to assume all risk of loss or injury to myself or damage to my property while on any of the premises of the BC SPCA including its Shelters and elsewhere while participating in any Volunteer Programs and hereby release and waive any rights of action I presently have or may in the future acquire against the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals agents or volunteers for any such loss or injury even though such loss or injury is caused by the negligence or default of the BCSPCA whether acting in the scope of employment or not I acknowledge that the animals of the BC SPCA are not trained by the BC SPCA and that they can be unpredictable and dangerous I also acknowledge the BC SPCA strongly recommends I keep current with my tetanus and rabies immunizations and to consult my physician about this and any other concerns relating to working with animals If I have any reason to suspect I am pregnant BCSPCA recommends I may wish to ask my physician about working with cats I hereby waive for my personal representatives and dependents all such claims or rights of action aforementioned that the undersigned or my personal representative and dependents may herein have against the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals I also acknowledge that the Senior Staff person present is in full and total charge of the facility GENERAL PHOTO & VIDEO RELEASE AND AGREEMENT or volunteer of The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) I hereby authorize the use and reproduction by the BC SPCA of any and all photographs sound recordings and any other audiovisual materials taken of me for promotional material or for any other use for the benefit of the BC SPCA I understand that cameras and video recorders including phone cameras and video recorders are not permitted to be used within any BC SPCA facility or site unless authorized by the facility or site manager or dispose of audiovisual materials without authority I understand that my legal obligation does not end with my employment contractor or volunteer activities with the BC SPCA but continues in perpetuity and that failure on my part to adhere to these standards is grounds for legal action GENERAL PHOTO & VIDEO RELEASE AND AGREEMENTAs an employee or for any other use for the benefit of the BC SPCA.I understand that cameras and video recorders including phone cameras and video recorders are not permitted to be used within any BC SPCA facility or site unless authorized by the facility or site manager.I understand that discipline or sanctions or dispose of audiovisual materials without authority.I understand that my legal obligation does not end with my employment contractor or volunteer activities with the BC SPCA but continues in perpetuity and that failure on my part to adhere to these standards is grounds for legal action.I acknowledge that I have read We also kindly request at least 48 hours notice if your group is no longer able to attend your scheduled volunteer day.Please Note: We request a minimum donation of $3,000 from your company to cover arranging the day .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mira Wassef | mwassef@siadvance.comSTATEN ISLAND -- A Staten Island firefighter who saved two people from a burning building was promoted to lieutenant during the FDNY promotion ceremony Wednesday was one of 30 fire officers named lieutenant during the event at Brooklyn College Floridia said hard work and dedication is required to earn this recognition this is something you have to work hard for," said  Floridia "I'm looking forward to learning new things and challenging myself every single day." helped save two people when a fire broke out at a hardware store and spread to the second floor on Jan Floridia found a semi-conscious man and an unconscious woman in a bedroom and with the help of his captain and other members He was recognized for his bravery and strength with the Thomas E FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro highlighted the 1.7 million emergencies FDNY members responded to last year - ranging from fires "The work our members do is nothing short of extraordinary and I am immensely proud every day to serve as your commissioner because I am blessed with a workforce that is second to none," he said Want to discuss this report? Click here for the comments section .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Staten Island AdvanceSTATEN ISLAND -- Dianna Lynn Floridia of Rossville and Anthony Joseph Montalbano of Annadale are engaged The future bride is the daughter of Annmarie and Frank Floridia The prospective bridegroom is the son of Josephine and Anthony Montalbano Miss Floridia is a graduate of Tottenville High School She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the College of Staten Island and a master of science degree in nursing with a concentration in family health nurse practitioner studies She is a registered nurse at Staten Island University Hospital Montalbano is a graduate of Tottenville High School and is an assistant highway repairer with the city Department of Transportation on Staten Island The couple is planning an April 2014 wedding .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Staten Island Advance StaffSTATEN ISLAND - Nuptial vows were exchanged April 4 by Annadale residents Dianna Lynn Floridia and Anthony Joseph Montalbano in St Thomas Roslak officiated at the afternoon ceremony A reception followed in the Hilton Garden Inn The bride is the daughter of Annmarie and Frank Floridia of Rossville The bridegroom is the son of Josephine and Anthony Montalbano of Annadale the bride selected Elissa Loftus as the matron of honor The ringbearers were Joseph Coppola and E.J Montalbano earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the College of Staten Island and a master of science degree in nursing Montalbano is a highway repairer with the city Department of Transportation on Staten Island The couple is spending their honeymoon in Riviera wrote on Facebook: "Four months ago she escaped Thanks to the efforts of Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in New Jersey "The three teams —four people — working together for one goal," the page read Frankie Floridia of the Strong Island Animal Rescue League told Patch cameras have been set up around the Manorville golf course where the cow went missing He called Mike Stura of the Skylands Sanctuary — who who was missing on Long Island last year — and Stura set up a feeding station and other equipment "We watched those cameras every day," Floridia said K-9 Seach and Rescue also came every day to leave food "We sat out there for many nights with no heat in the car Stura and he pulled the ropes to capture the cow who will now be named Vienna — and she was corralled into a trailer "Mike is bringing her back to the Skylands Sanctuary where she will be spending the rest of her life," he said "That's the second cow he has rescued on Long Island." "We've been watching her for about 30 days now," Floridia said We want to thank Skylands for thanking two of Long Island's cows." Strong Island Animal Rescue League also thanked the Suffolk County Police Department's 7th Precinct for all the tips and help The cow was first reported missing in September after escaping from a Manorville farm in August, according to Floridia in a previous interview. Floridia said the cow escaped the farm on August 27 Floridia had a video that showed her on the golf course said at the time that he believed the cow has been hiding in the woods for weeks Floridia said the owner had signed paperwork surrendering her to the rescue group "so we can assure her a great life once found," he said He confirmed that once the cow — who was not intended for slaughter but was considered a pet on the farm he and his father would surrender the cow to Strong Island Animal Rescue League a not-for-profit organization and brought to Skylands Speaking with Patch Thursday about the rescue I asked him when they were going to bring her to the sanctuary and they told me she's en route right now Every day I was worrying about where she was." but it's okay — she's going to live a nice It's not the first time an animal has made a run for it on Long Island Barney, a bull on the loose last year, escaped slaughter on a different a Manorville farm and was on the lam for weeks running through a Mastic neighborhood and inspiring memes and much media attention until he was found in September The young bull on the lam was found on a former duck farm in Moriches and now resides at Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue where the cow will also be brought once found The third generation of Montaltos (left to right): Fabio Portella The boilers are turned on and the machines are sterilised They were both very affectionate and present but my grandfather would throw himself on the carpet to play with us and our children I remember when the family came together for dinner the conversation would always turn to cheese I spent the school holidays making trecce and mozzarella All of the 133 cardinals expected to take part in the secret conclave to elect a new Pope have arrived in Rome with the race to succeed Pope Francis seen as wide open AC Milan scored twice in two minutes to beat Genoa 2-1 in Serie A and keep alive their slim hopes of a place in next year’s Champions League from 46th in 2024 to 49th place in 2025 in the Press Freedom Index drawn up every year by Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders - RSF) Researcher and lecturer Flavia Marcello explores the fascist influence on the architecture of Rome the race for the fourth Champions League qualifying spot from Italy’s Serie A has become even tighter Napoli didn’t allow flares and delays to affect their performance as Antonio Conte’s side ground out a 1-0 win at Lecce to take firm control of Serie A in Italy Fiorentina have lost the first leg of their UEFA Conference League semifinal tie 2-1 away to Real Betis Inter Milan’s Serie A title defence is on the line with the busy champions chasing a fresher Napoli side who have the finishing line in sight Carlo Ancelotti has turned down the Brazil job and is mulling a mega offer to coach Saudi Arabia Spanish sports daily ‘Marca’ said Wednesday British director Ken Loach has blasted plans to tear down much of Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium to make room for a new home for Inter and AC Milan This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Thomastown’s Floridia Cheese has taken out the top award at the 2020 Northern Business Achievement Awards Businesses from across seven municipalities were recognised at the awards which are run by NORTH Link and their partners claimed the Business of the Year award along with the Export Award and student placement of the year award Floridia Cheese general manager Rosabala Portella said the Business of the Year Award came as a complete surprise “We’ve never really won a business award,” she said so we thought we might be in the running for the export award “It’s overwhelming and we’re stoked about the award Ms Portella said the year had been difficult for the business with its wholesaler distribution section struggled as result of bigger venues it supplies having to shut as a result of COVID-19 restrictions The retail part of the business picked up and they made more products for retail sale The business managed to keep all staff work during the two lockdown periods with two major upgrades happening during lockdown Ms Portella said the future was looking bright for the company “We’re looking to expand the site,” she said “We’ve outgrown the side and everything we make we are selling NORTH Link executive director Chris James said: “COVID-19 has made this year very difficult for everyone “These awards gave us the opportunity to recognise the persistence and resilience businesses have shown this year which makes us very proud of our community.” Other winners include Sage Business Group in Sunbury and Repurpose It in Epping The Floridia Italian Social Club has listed for sale its long-time Flemington base built in 1913 as the Kensington Masonic Lodge but occupied for more than 40 years as the Floridia Club is expected to sell for between $4 million and $4.5 million Broker Holly Owen of agency WEast is marketing the site’s potential to be redeveloped by someone “with the correct vision” into “something special” – presumably a residential complex with ground floor retail the site could be retained as a hospitality venue and commercial investment It is configured with a bar and large dining area downstairs beside a kitchen The upper storey has the potential to be extended and repurposed the Floridia Club site is near from the former Quiet Man Irish Hotel on Racecourse Road which is earmarked for an apartment complex after controversially selling to a builder for about $4 million in 2016 Last month on nearby Stubbs Street, boutique builder United Asia Group, directed by Nicole Chow, paid Vision Australia a speculated price of more than $30 million for an industrial site now earmarked to make way for a luxury apartment project A 3986 square metre site near to this – 88 Stubbs Street – is also for sale and expected to sell for about $15 million following a campaign by Beller Commercial Last week we reported that three industrial sites covering 415-423 Macaulay Road, Kensington, are the subject of a residential redevelopment application If approved this block could make way for an eight-storey complex containing 41 dwellings A freelance property writer and experienced analyst Marc is the co-founder of realestatesource.com.au Forgot your password? You will receive mail with link to set new password Back to login a developer paying a speculated price of less than $13 million is expected to proceed with approved plans to replace the 2.1 hectare holding at 328-338 McKimmies Road with 107 townhouses The property was for generations controlled by Sicilian migrants Carmela and Mauro Montalto who established Floridia Cheese there in 1952 That dairy group is now based in Thomastown and run by descendants The family went on to own a substantial real estate portfolio including a 264ha Donnybrook farm sold in controversial circumstances to Dennis Family Homes seven years ago (story continues below) Previous owner had mooted the site for Bundoora Park Nick Peden and Jesse Radisich closed an expressions of interest campaign for 328-338 McKimmies Rd in late May the parcel is adjacent to a six level student apartment complex and opposite a disused part of an RMIT campus It also backs onto a 1980s housing estate constructed around Mill Park Drive – a road paved out of the former Redleap Stables horse training track MAB Corporation’s landmark University Hill is about a kilometre east of the former Floridia factory Mill Park is about 18kms north of Melbourne A former property analyst and print journalist Marc is the publisher of realestatesource.com.au Thomastown’s Floridia Cheese is continuing to prove its cheesy credentials winning a swag of awards from the Dairy Industry Association of Australia The company recently netted six awards from the association’s Australian dairy products competition and four awards at the association’s Victorian dairy products competition The state awards named Floridia’s burrata cheese the overall cheese champion Its pecorino pepato and buffalo ricotta also picked up awards the burrata was the highest scoring cheese while the pecorino pepato and buffalo ricotta picked up top awards in their categories Floridia finance and marketing general manager Rosalba Portella said to win six national awards from the Dairy Industry Association of Australia was phenomenal She said this year’s awards were the first time Floridia had entered its burrata “The burrata is our knock-out product,” she said Ms Portella said the awards were recognition of the hard work put in by factory staff and the company’s dedication to creating top products The awards come just three months after Floridia had four cheeses named as finalists at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards When Mauro Montalto emigrated from the Sicilian town of Floridia to Melbourne in 1952 he secured work as a boning butcher at North Melbourne Mr Montalto would make cheese in his front bedroom using the same technique – with copper pots over a wood fire – that his father had taught him It was a technique that had been handed down through generations of Montalto men the cheese-making started out as a means of earning some extra cash He would also barter the cheese for essential foodstuffs and toiletries but he quickly developed a considerable customer base Mr Montalto quit the butcher’s shop and bought a small factory in Bundoora to establish Floridia Cheese which employs 60 people and produces award-winning cheese Floridia’s ricotta made the ‘top three’ at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards last week and is now a contender for the top award to be announced on November 24 The company now operates from a large factory at Thomastown and produces a range of products mozzarella and a variety of hard and semi-hard cheeses About 35 per cent of its produce is exported to Singapore and Malaysia with the rest ending up in stores such as Mediterranean Wholesalers said his grandad had run the business until he took up farming “He was still visiting the factory in the morning before heading out to his poultry and cattle farms in Whittlesea The city of Floridia in the province of Syracuse in Sicily on Thursday recorded a high temperature of 48.8°C surpassing the European record achieved in Athens in 1977 “The forecasted temperature was not reached because the localised wind speeds which were observed early in the afternoon were higher than expected a maximum temperature of 41.1°C was recorded from Bengħajsa,” the Met Office said.