matt's notebook

President Bill Clinton, campaigning for President Barack Obama,...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 05:42:00 -0400

President Bill Clinton, campaigning for President Barack Obama, spoke to a huge crowd in Orlando on Sept. 12 and said he believes “shared prosperity” works better than “trickle down” and cooperation wins over conflict every time. ““’We’re all in this together’ is better than ‘you are on your own,’” he said.

Summer is usually a tight time for food pantries across Central...

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 09:22:56 -0400

Summer is usually a tight time for food pantries across Central Florida, but volunteers at a DeLand outreach center say this season may be the worst they’ve ever seen.

Read more: Food pantries stretched thin over summer gap

And another video from the adventure: river rafting in the...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:36:00 -0400

And another video from the adventure: river rafting in the Rockies.

I recently had the not-so-tough assignment of covering an...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:33:00 -0400

I recently had the not-so-tough assignment of covering an Adventures by Disney vacation in the Canadian Rockies for WESH.com. These are some of the videos from the trip. Photos are posted to WESH.com and some others on my Flickr.

As a tropical storm stirred the surf off Daytona Beach, we went...

Mon, 28 May 2012 10:05:00 -0400

As a tropical storm stirred the surf off Daytona Beach, we went to the beach to find out how to spot and escape rip currents.

Watch video: Avoid the grip of a rip

Just a personal aside: I love the weekend.

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Just a personal aside: I love the weekend.

Eight U.S. military veterans are taking a unique approach to...

Mon, 07 May 2012 09:16:00 -0400

Eight U.S. military veterans are taking a unique approach to therapy in Kissimmee, Florida. They’re riding horses.

More than 1 million people have signed a Change.org petition for...

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:59:00 -0400

More than 1 million people have signed a Change.org petition for Trayvon Martin.

We’ve been following the Trayvon Martin case for a few...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:50:00 -0400

We’ve been following the Trayvon Martin case for a few weeks now. It’s since gained national attention for the emotional issues — including race and prejudice, police procedure, justice, gun laws and common civility — that surround it.

At a news conference today, a Martin family attorney presented testimony from a girl who says she spoke with Trayvon moments before he was shot to death. The attorney said the phone call further proves the neighborhood watchman who shot him, George Zimmerman, should be arrested and that his self-defense claim is “absurd.”

Today, the group Florida Abolitionist held its Human Trafficking...

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:22:00 -0500

Today, the group Florida Abolitionist held its Human Trafficking Awareness Day at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. This a global issue that every community should be more concerned about, since the State Department estimates between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year.

This week, President Barack Obama visited Walt Disney World to...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:36:00 -0500

This week, President Barack Obama visited Walt Disney World to announce a new initiative that he said will bring more foreign tourists to America. He said, “I’m here today because I want to see more tourists here tomorrow,” because he wants the Unites Stated to be the biggest tourist destination in the world. Check out the article I worked on for WESH.com for more on his visit.

Ream more: Obama: ‘I want to see more tourists here tomorrow’

Last week, I listened to Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s...

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:47:00 -0500

Last week, I listened to Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, speak at UCF. Some of what he said has been kicking around in my head, so I wanted to share a few quotes here.

I met a famous artist from Dublin, Ireland whose latest work...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:58:00 -0500

I met a famous artist from Dublin, Ireland whose latest work helped kick-off the Festival of the Masters at Disney World today. Graham Knuttel said, “I try to make my paintings as if they’re a stage set and the characters in them are actors. Really what I’m trying to do, is I’m trying to make the viewer part of the painting.”

Rollins College Tars quarterback Jeff Hoblick brought football...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Rollins College Tars quarterback Jeff Hoblick brought football back to his school — a comeback 62 years in the making.

UPDATE on the Occupiers: protesters met in downtown Orlando...

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:26:00 -0400

UPDATE on the Occupiers: protesters met in downtown Orlando today to march. They took to the WWW to share their views and photographs, too.

Occupy Orlando, a group in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street,...

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:36:00 -0400

Occupy Orlando, a group in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, says it’s outraged over what it calls the overwhelming influence of big business and banks and will discuss future demonstrations in downtown Orlando tonight.

I love being one of a few thousand people singing along to songs...

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:19:00 -0400

I love being one of a few thousand people singing along to songs we know every word to. That’s an amazing feeling, no? Last night’s Incubus show was by far the best I’ve seen.

I got to meet Rose Mapendo tonight. She’s a genocide...

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:49:00 -0400

I got to meet Rose Mapendo tonight. She’s a genocide survivor who spoke about the importance of forgiveness and faith to University of Central Florida students. And she gives the tightest hugs.

Read more: Survivor of genocide speaks at UCF

I had fun swimming with the fishes at a new SeaWorld attraction....

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

I had fun swimming with the fishes at a new SeaWorld attraction. Check it out!

Read more, see photos: Walk where sharks, rays swim at SeaVenture

A non-profit group helps jobless women jumpstart their careers...

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

A non-profit group helps jobless women jumpstart their careers with interview suits. Plus, Syan Rhodes is involved.