W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Celebrating 110 years in West Orange
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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VOLUME 84, NO. 8
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017
What is the cost of safety? Contract negotiations between the union representing Ocoee police officers and the City of Ocoee started 18 months ago. They haven’t gone well. Page 7.
Kindness ROCKS!
A new Winter Garden Facebook group has residents painting brightly colored river rocks and hiding them around town with the hopes of brightening someone’s day. SEE STORY PAGE 4
Some of the rocks Bessie and Brandon Gollett have painted include a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Hello Kitty and a bee.
SPORTS UNIFORMITY
One website recently voted West Orange High School’s baseball uniforms as the best in the country. Read all about the inspiration behind the Warriors’ unique attention to their uniforms — and the potential 300 looks they can create.
SEE PAGE 17
Mallow out and raise a toast to these gourmet confections. PAGE 11
Danielle Hendrix
YOUR TOWN HUSBAND RAISES BAR
An Independence husband took Valentine’s Day to new heights by renting a helicopter for his wife. Natasha Proto had just put her kids down for a nap when she heard a helicopter nearby. She and her husband, Jonathan, went outside to look. A chopper had landed in the adjacent field. That’s when he told her it was her gift. The helicopter took the couple on a 45-minute ride that ended at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, where they received massages.
GIVING HOPE TO HOMELESS Matthew’s Hope will benefit from a 50/50 raffle to be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at Crooked Can Brewing Company, 426 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. Stormy Hill Harley-Davidson, in Clermont, is sponsoring the Bike Night.
Lake Avalon residents object to nine-home development During a meeting held Feb. 15, some residents of the Lake Avalon Rural Settlement showed distaste for the proposal. GABBY BAQUERO STAFF WRITER WINTER GARDEN Discussion of
nine homes brought nearly 10 times that number of residents, who shared their concern and opposition to the proposed neighborhood. Orange County staff hosted a preliminary community SEE HOMES PAGE 4