Latest news with #Sladek
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Nonprofit helps widowed parents find support amidst a ‘roller coaster' of grief
FARRAGUT, Tenn. (WATE) — The grief of losing a spouse can debilitating and isolating, but for parents who are left behind with children, the responsibilities of raising a family while navigating that grief can feel overwhelming. One nonprofit in Knox County is working to help parents who have lost a spouse find a support system and healing. On Sunday, the Widowed Parent Relief Project (WPRP) nonprofit held their third annual 'Family Friendzy,' a backyard sports competition and auction fundraiser for widowed parents and their children. 'I didn't know a lot of people in my boat with kids and, you know, losing a spouse has been the hardest thing in my life easily,' said Kate Sladek a widowed mother with two children. 3 dead after plane crashes in Middle Tennessee Sladek lost her husband six years ago, and found crucial support through the Widowed Parent Relief Project. 'They provided a babysitting and self-care stipend. They provided a home organizer, which I had no clue how badly I really needed. They provided house cleaning. That was huge. And then they also set up, made sure that I had a network of supporting family and friends in the community,' explained Sladek. The nonprofit's competition included backyard skills challenges—basketball, baseball, hockey, football, and more. 'Many widowed parents can feel isolated and abandoned left alone on an island. It's not common to be young and widowed and so I love when they come to this event because they see that there are so many people that are making this organization happen and that love them is really all we want to do is we just want to love on them in a way that's unique to them,' said Kelly Orrico the Executive Director and Co-Founder of WPRP. The WPRP brings together families who've experienced loss by serving married men and women who have been widowed within the last three years and have children under the age of 18 living at home. A mission that began after Orrico suffered a massive stroke in 2016. 'At the time, my four children were 14, 12, 12 and 10, and I was given one hour to live. And after this, a series of miracles, miraculous events – honestly, just boom, boom, boom – that occurred. I survived. And an event like that leaves you to wonder, what am I alive for and why am I here? And how am I going to spend the rest of the minutes that I have left on Earth?' Orrico added. LIST: Tennessee football players picked, signed during 2025 NFL Draft Sladek's advice for other widowed parents: accept support and hold on to the local community. 'It's still a complete roller coaster. You have your high highs and your low lows. I feel like right now, everything in life is still very bittersweet. My husband, Brian, is, you know, missing these milestones with these amazing kids. And I have complete faith that he's looking down on us and that he knows.' If you are interested in getting involved in the nonprofit or have a family that you want to refer you can go to for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newly formed Florida DOGE team requests city and county help in assessing financial health
As Elon Musk and DOGE work to shrink the federal government, City and County leaders across Florida are hearing from the state's newly formed DOGE team for the first time. Governor Ron Desantis created Florida's EOG DOGE team last month with an executive order, and this week, that team sent letters to local governments asking them to disclose information about their financial health. The letter demands a response by April 8th, stating, 'If we do not receive a response from you within 45 days, it will be presumed that your county is in possible statutory violation and in need of assistance.' The letter states that Florida's DOGE plans to use 'advanced technology to identify, review, and report on unnecessary spending within county and municipal governments.' Much like the Federal Department of Governmental Efficiency, the letter states Florida's DOGE will recommend legislative reforms and eliminate waste. It warns the EOG DOGE team will soon start assessing publicly available information in the coming weeks. The letter also asks officials to confirm whether they've experienced any financial emergencies or distress as defined by the state statute, including failing to pay loans or operating a budget deficit. The letter was sent to officials on Tuesday, and by Thursday evening, Orange County had already sent a response telling the DOGE team, 'We are pleased to report that Orange County Government has NOT experienced any instances of financial emergency or distress as defined in Section 218.503(1), Florida Statutes, nor do we anticipate any potential financial distress in the next six months. " Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek also publicly posted her response on Facebook, stating, 'This letter came yesterday, and I wasn't kidding when I said Oviedo was ready. YES, we will cooperate.' Sladek told Channel 9 that the city has not experienced any financial issues, adding that the city is audited by a third party every year and that 'checks and balances' exist to keep the city healthy. 'We never spend more than what we bring in. And that's under the state constitution. we're not allowed to,' said Sladek. Meanwhile, this week, the governor also called on local governments to allow DOGE to complete voluntary audits of its finances. 'We are working with the Florida Legislature to get more prescriptive authority to go in and conduct audits of these local governments so taxpayers get the full picture of what's going on. But until that happens, counties that are willing to step up and ask for these audits are really leading by example,' said the Governor in a video posted to 'X.' In that video, the Governor applauded Bay County Officials for volunteering for a DOGE audit. On Friday, Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe told Channel 9 she has no issues with letting Florida's DOGE review Orange County's budget. 'What is wrong with showing our books? It is not our money, it is the public's money,' said Uribe. Uribe told Channel 9 that Orange County remains the only Florida County with an independently elected comptroller who approves county spending and regularly conducts audits. She added the county budgeting process is always open to the public. 'There should never be a fear in having that audit. We're not perfect. But if something has happened, it needs to be corrected. It's better to correct it now and not allow that to continue,' said Uribe. On Friday, Channel 9 checked in with other local counties, which were all in various stages of complying with the DOGE letter. Officials in Osceola County told Channel 9 they had no financial issues and planned to respond soon. Officials in Volusia County said they were 'conducting our due diligence and compiling information for a reply.' Meanwhile, a Brevard County official noted they initially 'viewed the letter as highly suspect " because it did not have a name attached, and they had not previously had contact with the EOG DOGE team. The official told Channel 9 that the county was also reviewing the letter. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
