PORT ORANGE
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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VOLUME 5, NO. 2
• OCTOBER 2021
Home prices rise yet again But Daytona Beach-area home sales slowed. Port Orange’s median price: $332,500 PAGE 7
School Board backtracks on masks
HONORING OUR HEROES
An opt-out policy for face coverings is now in place. JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Parents of students attending Volusia County Schools now have the opportunity to opt out of the district’s emergency mask mandate for students, a decision reached by the School Board in a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, Sept. 14. School Board members Carl Persis and Ruben Colon voted against. The matter came before the board after a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal placed a stay on a ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper, who found that the governor’s executive order banning school districts from requiring students wear masks overstepped his constitutional authority, a ruling that was quickly appealed by the state. Parents involved in the legal battle now want the matter to be handled by the Florida Supreme Court. “We all want to be good stewards of the law, but our children should not be utilized as pawns to prove a political point, no matter what that point is, said School Board Chair Linda Cuthbert, who voted in favor of letting parents opt out of the district’s face covering policy, though she stated
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Knights to bring Port Orange together to honor Veterans PAGE 4 Courtesy photo
Among the skits to entertain the veterans at the 2019 dinner was Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrews Sisters, played by Debbie Jackson, Carmel Vaden and Denyse Meyers, joined by bugler/dancer John O’Brian, dressed in an authentic WW II Army uniform.
Jewish Federation’s Gloria Max leaves a selfless legacy of giving back Gloria Max is remembered by her generosity, work ethic, and relentless fundraising for those in need.
JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Gloria Max was a force to be reckoned with in the community. As the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Flagler and Volusia Counties, Max, despite her short stature, was like a “6-foot-6-inch champion boxer” in spirit, said Marvin Miller, the nonprofit’s president. Once she got an idea in her head, she pursued it relentlessly. She was at the Federation’s Jerry Doliner Food Bank every day, Miller said, and it was her commitment to the nonprofit’s mission that Gloria Max
File photo
SEE MAX PAGE 2