W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Celebrating more than 110 years in West Orange
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. FREE
VOLUME 84, NO. 28
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THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017
Keep your skin in the game Learn all about the largest organ of the human body in the July edition of Health Matters.
Life on mission City considers ban on medical marijuana retail stores
A team from Oasis Community Church is raising funds for its trip to Nigeria to serve at an orphanage, hospital and prison. SEE PAGE 8.
Winter Garden has drafted an ordinance that seeks to ban dispensaries selling medical marijuana.
OCOEE OPENS GRANT PROCESS The city of Ocoee’s community grant applications are available. Residents can download an application at ocoee.org or pick up an application at Ocoee City Hall, 150 N. Lakeshore Drive. The deadline to submit applications is July 28. Groups that are eligible to apply for a grant include Ocoee non-profit organizations and civic groups, as well as groups outside the city limits that benefit Ocoee residents. Completed applications should be mailed or delivered to City Hall, Community Relations. For information, call (407) 905-3100.
CALLING THE CLASS OF 1997 Members of the West Orange High School Class of 1997 will have the chance to see old friends at a 20-year class reunion. It takes place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel, 9700 International Drive, Orlando. Sign up at bit.ly/2t4WEya.
GABBY BAQUERO NEWS EDITOR
Following new state legislation pertaining to medical marijuana, Winter Garden has drafted an ordinance that seeks to ban medical marijuana dispensaries from its boundaries. The new state bill, signed by Gov. Rick Scott June 23, establishes restrictions that provide WINTER GARDEN
NETWORKING MOVES TO METROWEST
SEE MEDICAL PAGE 4
ARTS & CULTURE
YOUR TOWN
Amy Quesinberry
Blessing Freeman, left, and Pastor William Karshima are two of the church members raising funds for the mission trip to Nigeria.
The West Orange Chamber of Commerce has moved its Wednesday Networking Group. Meetings are held from 8 to 9 a.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at Keke’s, 2433 S. Hiawassee Road, MetroWest. For information, call (321) 436-8043.
Ocoee Fire Department earns highest ISO rating Ocoee and Windermere residents serviced by the Ocoee Fire Department may notice lower insurance premiums as a result of the department’s ISO class 1 rating. GABBY BAQUERO
Lifelong comic-book fan opens a place for superheroes.
PAGE 9.
NEWS EDITOR
Some residents may not be aware of the role their municipal fire department’s level of service plays in their home insurance rates. But property insurance premiums, which are determined by a
number of factors — including the age of your home, cost to rebuild your home, insurance claims relating to burglaries or natural disasters in your area — also are influenced by your property’s distance from the nearest water SEE OCOEE PAGE 4
Courtesy photo
The Ocoee Fire Department’s 50 firefighters now are ranked in the top 1% of all 46,000 fire departments in the nation.