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Winter Garden goes wild for animal event. PAGE 9A
West Orange-area teams take to the gridiron for new year. PAGE 1B
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WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA
THURSDAY
TRASH TALK by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
RETIRING IN STYLE by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Orange County cuts waste pickup to one day per week Beginning in January, trash, recycling and yard-waste pickup will change for residents in unincorporated Orange County.
+ Break-in victims search for lost dog
Photos by Catherine Sinclair
Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson read a proclamation from Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs to longtime Ocoee Mayor S. Scott Vandergrift.
Farewell,
Mayor Scott Family, friends and colleagues congratulated outgoing Ocoee Mayor S. Scott Vandergrift on a job well done at a party July 21. S. Scott Vandergrift retired Friday, July 31, from his career as mayor of Ocoee. He served in the position nine consecutive terms from 1992 to this year, as well as from 1973 to 1975. To celebrate his retirement, the city of Ocoee organized a community party for him on his last day. Guests could browse photos, letters, documents and souvenirs from throughout Vandergrift’s career as they enjoyed snacks, drinks and the sounds of jazz. Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson read a proclamation from Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs’ office about Vandergrift’s service and spirit.
I
WO
Elizabeth Thomas got a chance to wear Vandergrift’s iconic “Mayor Ocoee” hat.
JUST A TASTE by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
See the photo on PAGE 7B.
would make vehicles quieter and less pollutive. In this program, all recyclables will go in one 95-gallon cart, and residents must call the Solid Waste Hotline to schedule disposal of bulky items that do not fit the bins,
SEE TRASH / PAGE 4A
HEALTH CARE by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
West Orange Health Alliance will give money from sale The WOHA will begin reviewing applications for donations and notify the finalists by Sept. 15.
Orange County Commission John Grogan, Ocoee Code Enforcement Board Vice-Chair Darrel Lowery, Ocoee Commissioner Rusty Johnson and Ocoee Commissioner Joel Keller
MEET INTERIM MAYOR GROGAN OCOEE — At the end of July, for the first time in more than two decades, it became official: S. Scott Vandergrift was no longer the mayor of Ocoee. His successor as Ocoee City Commission’s appointed mayor pro-tem is District 1 Commissioner John Grogan, who said he has learned a lot from Vandergrift since first arriving
in February 1998. “The mayor’s done quite a bit for the city — he was an icon here,” Grogan said. “I think he knows when it’s his time, and he feels that time is now. … When I came to the city … he goes, ‘Come on — let’s go for a ride.’ Four hours later, I got back. We went all
GROGAN / PAGE 4A
This week’s winner is
Anthony Realmuto.
File photo
Hillsborough County made a similar conversion in 2014.
WINTER GARDEN — Since the recent sale of its building at 1210 E. Plant St. to Toowoomba as a determined strategic move of liquidating assets, the West Orange Health Alliance has been underway in its process of accepting applicants to receive investment from the WOHA. To invest more directly into health care access for the underserved population of West Orange County, the WOHA began requesting proposals from qualified nonprofits in early July, with a postmark deadline of Aug. 1. Applicants needed to share the WOHA’s goals of offering medical, dental or basic health services to underserved people in the area. After review of all applications, officials from the WOHA will notify candidates of their
“
We all felt like, ‘Why do we own a building? We don’t want to be landlords. We want to see health care happen.’ Thankfully, it looks like we’ll be moving in that direction. — Mike Yoakum, chairman, WOHA
selection by Sept. 15. WOHA officials anticipate awards of $5,000 to $500,000 by the end of the year. At some point in September or later, selected candidates will be able to make presentations to the WOHA regarding why that organization should
INDEX Arts & Culture.......................11A Classifieds..............................8B
Community Calendar..............2A Crossword...............................7B
Obituaries.............................13A Real Estate.............................5B
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A family who lives near Ocoee is searching for its dog, which disappeared after a July 20 break-in at the home. Remy, a medium-size, tan goldendoodle mix, was last seen near Good Homes Road and Colonial Drive. Her owners are Keven and Rori Whittington. Following work, Keven Whittington arrived home at about 3:50 p.m. the day of the break-in. He first noticed that the door from the garage to the house was inexplicably open. When he saw that the glass on the back door was broken, he concluded that there had been a break-in. The front door was also cracked open. The living room TV, a camera, a guitar and jewelry were missing. The Whittingtons believe the suspects could have taken Remy, as well. “We are confident that if she did get outside and she did get loose, she would have come back,” Roar Whittington said. Remy’s distinguishing features are a white speck in one of her brown eyes, and a green tattoo on her underside from when she was spayed. She is about 4 years old, and she is not afraid of people. “She’s just our precious dog, and our little boy, who is now 20 months old, just started to learn to play with her and hug her good-bye,” Rori Whittington said. If you have information, contact the Whittingtons at (407) 466-6680 or the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at (407) 836-4357.
ORANGE COUNTY — A pair of 95-gallon rolling carts will be the only allowed means of trash and recyclables disposal for about 205,000 unincorporated Orange County households, which will receive the containers between October and December, before trash pickup reduces to once per week Jan. 1. Among affected residents in West Orange County will be those in certain enclaves of unincorporated territory and Horizon West. This stems from the Orange County Board of County Commissioners vote in favor of the “1-1-1 Automated Garbage and Recycling Collection” July 28, following Sustainability Advisory Board recommendation. According to Orange County staff, haulers must switch to compressed natural gas vehicles within 18 months of executing the contract, which
Sports.....................................1B Weather..................................7B
WINTER GARDEN VILLAGE HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR
SEE WOHA / PAGE 4A Vol. 82, No. 32 , Three sections
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