Times WEST ORANGE
WEST ORANGE COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER FOR 109 YEARS
THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 11, 2014
5O CENTS
WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA
INSIDE
EXCLUSIVE
SPORTS
Ogden family plans dinner to celebrate memory of son.
Winter Garden exhibit showcases life on the land.
Find out who won the first week of our football contest.
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OUR TOWN never forget by Tony Judnich | Staff Writer
Vigil to honor 9/11 victims The annual 9/11 Candlelight Memorial Service will take place at the town’s 9/11 Memorial Monument.
+ Duo celebrates silver anniversary Ron and Teresa (Brenner) Lemons, of Winter Garden, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a special evening with 50 close friends and family at the Woman’s Club of Ocoee. Guests enjoyed a buffet dinner provided by Not Just Ribs and a delicious three-tier double-chocolate cake and cupcakes from Sweet Ashley Rae’s, both of Winter Garden. Music and entertainment was provided by Master Bradley J. A video screen displayed photos from the past 25 years, including memorial photos of Joan Lemons and Richard “Buckeye” Brenner. Guests received a miniature princess carriage with personalized chocolates.
WINDERMERE — Candles will burn softly as Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn leads the town’s annual service that honors the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The event, which also will celebrate America, starts at 7 p.m. next to the town’s 9/11 Memorial Monument. It is
situated between the Franklin W. Chase Memorial Library and Windermere Town Hall, 520 Main St. The monument features a 650-pound scarred section of a steel beam salvaged from the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York. Colorful, glazed tiles top a border that encircles the
base of the memorial. This striking monument was the 2009 Eagle Scout Leadership Service project of Jeff Cox, who was a member of Boy Scout Troop 6. With the support of Bruhn, the then-15-year-old Cox wrote a letter to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, requesting a piece of
the World Trade Center for the memorial project. Bruhn said a judge took seven months to approve the donation of the steel beam section, which at one time was considered crimescene evidence. The beam includes more than a dozen protruding bolts, many of which are bent at different angles. In addition to other tasks
SEE 9/11 / PAGE 8A
GOVERNANCE
SOULFUL SOUND by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
by Amy Quesinberry Rhode Community Editor
W.G. City Commission axes opening prayer At the beginning of each meeting, city commissioners now will lead the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a moment of silence.
+ Calendars help Matthew’s Hope Sales of a new calendar, called “Places and Faces of Winter Garden,” will benefit Matthew’s Hope, a homeless ministry. The calendars will be available for this month at Sweet Traditions/Cafe Artisan, 126 W. Plant St., Winter Garden; or Wheel Works, 101 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. They cost $10, and all proceeds will go to Matthew’s Hope.
Sisaundra Lewis will entertain MusicFest guests Oct. 10 in downtown Winter Garden.
Dr. Cornelia Franz will host a class on vaccines, titled, “Immunizations: The Untold Facts,” from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, at The Birth Place, 213 S. Dillard St., Suite 340, Winter Garden. Cost is $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For reservations, call (407) 857-8860
Sisaundra Lewis rose to stardom after performing on Blake Shelton’s team in Season Six of NBC’s “The Voice!” She will be the featured headliner for Winter Garden’s MusicFest 2014.
WINTER GARDEN — Sisaundra Lewis fans should be pleased: The powerhouse singer is headlining MusicFest 2014, the free three-day outdoor musical festival that takes over downtown Winter Garden every fall. Lewis will perform Friday,
+ Preserve to host free hike
I
WO This week’s winner is
Deborah Shultz
See her photo on PAGE 10B.
Courtesy photo
LEADING LADY
+ Doc to host vaccine class
A guided hike winding along the trails of Oakland Nature Preserve will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at the preserve, 747 Machette Trail.
Courtesy photo
Windermere’s 9/11 Memorial Monument includes a 650pound piece of a steel beam from the ruins of the World Trade Center.
Oct. 10, on the Main Street Stage. The ninth annual event is produced by the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and attracts more than 20,000 attendees each year. It showcases a diverse collection of Central Florida performers and their
musical styles, including country, jazz, Americana, classic rock, Southern rock, bluegrass, alternative, pop, folk, classical, choral, rhythm and blues, Zydeco, Native American, Japanese, African and Celtic.
SEE MUSIC / PAGE 6A
tragedy by Tony Judnich | Staff Writer
Final report issued on murder of Windermere police officer A committee is working to create a memorial for Windermere police officer Robert “Robbie” German, who was killed March 22. WINDERMERE — The Orange County Sheriff’s Office released last week its final investigative report on the March 22 murder of Windermere police officer Robert “Robbie” German. The report states that
WINTER GARDEN — A prayer will no longer be said to open the meetings of the Winter Garden City Commission, but the Pledge of Allegiance still will be recited. And everyone in attendance has the option of standing or remaining seated during the pledge and the newly agreed-upon moment of silence. The City Commission called a special meeting Sept. 5 to discuss the issue that has been the topic of conversation among residents since Joseph Richardson refused to stand at the Aug. 28 meeting during the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance and was escorted out at the request of Mayor John Rees. In the end, the motion was made to continue the pledge but change the time of prayer to a moment of silence. The vote was 3-2, with commissioners Colin Sharman, Bob Buchanan and Kent Makin voting in favor of the measure and Rees and Commissioner Bobby Olszewski dissenting. The mayor opened the special meeting by saying the elected officials were having the discussion and vote on this day to avoid any potential discord during the regularly scheduled commission meeting Sept. 11, which he called “a day of reflection.” He also issued an apology to those who were offended by his direction to Police Chief George Brennan to walk Richardson out of the commission chambers on Aug. 28.
German, 31, was shot and killed by either Brandon Goode, 18, or his 17-yearold girlfriend, Alexandria Hollinghurst, at the southeast corner of Horizon Circle and Conroy Windermere Road.
The Davenport teens had been sitting on a curb at the intersection. Video footage from a nearby Walgreens showed German exiting his patrol car next to the pair at
SEE OFFICER / PAGE 6A
Robert “Robbie” German
Neighborhood.........................9A Obituaries.............................15A
Real Estate.............................6B Schools................................12A
Sports.....................................1B Vol. 81, No. 36 | Three sections Weather............................... 10B WOTimes.com
SEE PRAYER / PAGE 8A
INDEX Calendar.................................2A Crossword............................ 10B