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Observer WEST ORANGE COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER FOR 109 YEARS
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Baseball kept DP’s Jorden Aponte’s spirits up during cancer battle. PAGE 1B
Cyclists take to West Orange Trail for Riding4Rose. PAGE 12A
St. Luke’s church features sculpture of Jerusalem. PAGE 11A
YEEHAW! by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer Charisma Tran dresses as a cowgirl every weekend to raise funds and support for Children’s Miracle Network.
Luxury-home builder Toll Brothers sweetened summer during its Alex’s Lemonade Stand event June 13 at the builder’s Casabella at Windermere community. The event was a fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and part of National Lemonade Days, an event at which dedicated volunteers across the country host lemonade stands to raise funds for childhood cancer research. All proceeds will support Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which shares the vision of founder and creator, Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996 to 2004) — a cure for all children with cancer.
This week’s winner is
Deborah Shultz.
See the photo on PAGE 5B.
File photo
Ocoee Mayor S. Scott Vandergrift announced his retirement after decades on the Ocoee City Commission.
SEE MAYOR / PAGE 4A
GOVERNANCE by Peter M. Gordon | Contributing Writer
Winter Garden City Commission upholds CRA term limits Courtesy photo
Charisma Tran, 7, left, came up with the idea of dressing as a cowgirl at Chick-fil-A.
Miracle Maker DR. PHILLIPS — For one Orlando Science Schools student, waiting to grow up is no excuse not to serve the community. Charisma Tran, 7, is a resident of Dr. Phillips. When she learned about how many children suffer from cancer, and how their childhoods
are so different from hers, she wanted to make a difference in their lives. “The kids at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals … have to go to the doctor all the time,” Charisma said. “It’s important for us to help them get the right treatment and medicine, even if they
have no money in their piggy bank.” Although Charisma is too young to become a hospital volunteer, she and her family created “Project Moo” to independently serve Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
SEE MIRACLE / PAGE 4A
The option to waive term limits for Community Redevelopment Agency members was defeated 3-2. WINTER GARDEN — It’s rare that the Winter Garden city commissioners disagree publicly. It’s even rarer when a majority votes against a proposed ordinance. But that’s what happened July 9, when commissioners defeated a proposed ordinance by a vote of 3-2. The ordinance would have allowed the commission an option to waive term limits for members of the Community Redevelopment Agency.
City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said the resolution’s goal was to “maintain experience and institutional knowledge” on the CRA that could be lost if term limits required several experienced board members to leave at the same time. Mayor John Rees and Commissioner Bob Buchanan supported the ordinance. “It gives the commission an option (to retain experienced
SEE LIMITS / PAGE 4A
education by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Planners unveil renderings of Sunset Park relief school Plans call for a school on the north side of Silverlake Park Drive between Powder Ridge and Quiet Meadows trails. HORIZON WEST — West Orange residents got their first look at the elementary school planned to relieve Sunset Park Elementary in August 2016 during a com-
munity meeting July 13 at Sunset Park. SchenkelSchultz Architecture partner David Tol-
SEE SCHOOL / PAGE 4A
INDEX Arts & Culture.......................11A Classifieds..............................6B
Community Calendar..............2A Crossword...............................5B
1101 E. HWY. 50 CLERMONT, FL JUST EAST OF HWY 27
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Obituaries.............................15A Real Estate.............................1C
Vol. 82, No. 29 , Three sections
Sports.....................................1B Weather..................................5B
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Ocoee mayor announces retirement OCOEE — At the end of the July 7 Ocoee City Commission meeting, Mayor S. Scott Vandergrift announced his retirement as mayor, effective at the end of the month. “As of the 31st of July, I will be tentatively retiring,” Vandergrift said. “It’s due to ill health and a couple other things.” Vandergrift, often seen in his signature “Mayor Ocoee” cap and red Toyota Prius, has been Ocoee’s mayor since 1992 — nine consecutive terms. He also was mayor from 1973 to 1975 and a city
+ Calling all local photogs
I
farewell by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
S. Scott Vandergrift has been mayor since the November 1992 election.
+ Toll Bros. hosts lemonade fundraiser
The City of Ocoee is sponsoring its annual Calendar Photo Contest celebrating the beauty and uniqueness of Ocoee. Winning photographs will be published in the city’s 2016 Community Calendar. Photographers will be given photo credit in the calendar. Amateur and professional shutterbugs are invited to submit color pictures of people at work or play in Ocoee, scenic, landmark or historic places around town, or a favorite snapshot of life in the city. There is a limit of three photo entries per photographer. Photos must be submitted in digital format with high resolution 600 dpi TIF or JPEG files on CD. Photographs may be mailed or delivered to City Hall, Community Relations, 150 N. Lakeshore Drive, Ocoee, Florida 34761. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 10. Photo entry forms are available at ocoee.org and at City Hall. For more, call (407) 905-3100.
JULY 16, 2015
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The drive for payment is a 36 month lease with 10500 miles per year. All payments are plus tax tag title acquisition fee dealer fee and wear care plus $3000 cap cost reduction. Excludes AXZD plan purchases. Advertised price is only good for date of publication. Dealer and newspaper are not responsible for typographical errors. Photos are for illustrative purposes only.