Times& WEST ORANGE
Observer WEST ORANGE COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER FOR 109 YEARS
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 16, 2014
FREE
WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA
INSIDE
EXCLUSIVE
Winter Garden’s MusicFest 2014 hits high notes. PAGES 6-7A
Warrior Nation takes over Winter Garden for Homecoming. PAGES 9-10A
SPORTS CFCA clinches playoff berth under first-year coach. PAGE 1B
by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer OUR TOWN development
+ Support our reading program Help support the West Orange Times & Observer’s Reading Reindeer holiday book collection by joining us for our Make a Difference Monday, which will be held from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, at The Tasting Room at The Chef’s Table, 99 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. Tell your server you are there to support Reading Reindeer. In exchange, the restaurant will donate 10% of your total purchase to the Reading Reindeer program. Reading Reindeer supports the distribution of new books to more than 3,000 children in West Orange County during the holiday season.
Ocoee City Commission approves construction of charter school After three years in Gotha, Kids Community College will open in August 2015 at Lake Olympia Square. OCOEE — Ocoee city commissioners approved Oct. 7 an exception that allows for the construction of a Kids Community College charter school in Lake Olympia Square. The school will move from its current location in the Citrus Oaks neighborhood of Gotha in time to begin the 2015-16 year next August. The plan to build this
school required a special exception, because the land is within a commercial district of Ocoee. Many community parents and members of the development team gathered and spoke on behalf of the plan during a discussion that lasted more than an hour. “The synergy between the school and the shopping center is really good,” said
Timothy H. Powell, urban planner for TSP Companies Inc. “Almost any commercial property of any size is going to want direct visual exposure to Silver Star Road. The school behind will enhance the value of those commercial properties. Is it prime commercial property? No, it’s in a dead corner of a
SEE KCC / PAGE 4A
WINTER GARDEN GOVERNANCE by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
Commissioners condemn eight Center St. homes
+ Cangelosi receives award U.S. Air Force Capt. Kristen M. Cangelosi received the Lance P. Sijan Award for exemplifying outstanding leadership of the highest order. The award is in honor of Air Force 1st Lt. Lance P. Sijan for his bravery, courage and leadership when he was captured as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam in 1967. Cangelosi is serving as nuclear security inspector at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. She is the daughter of Edward and Dara Cangelosi, of Windermere.
The decision was made following ongoing complaints about the houses. WINTER GARDEN — Winter Garden leaders condemned more properties to beautify several streets on the east side. City commissioners voted at their Oct. 9 meeting to condemn and allow demolition of eight small, dilapidated houses on Center Street. The four houses at 301 Center St. are owned by
The search for the girl included a sixhour standoff between a suspect and the Winter Garden Police Department.
AERIAL ATTACK Steven Ryzewski
Antravious Spires Jr. skies for a catch for Ocoee, while Dr. Phillips’ Lake Ellis defends, during the Ocoee Bulldogs Pop Warner program’s game against the Dr. Phillips Panthers Oct. 11. The Bulldogs celebrated the program’s 2014 Homecoming. For more, see Sports, 1B.
This week’s winner is
Russell Crouch.
See the photo on PAGE 7B.
COMMISSION / PAGE 4A
Runaway W.G. teen found safe
The Friends of Ocoee History Preservation will offer tours of the historic Withers-Maguire house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at 16 E. Oakland Ave., Ocoee. The tours will be held in conjunction with the Movie in the Park and Food Truck Event, which will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bill Breeze Park, 125 N. Lakeshore Drive.
WO
28.51 Orange III LLC; Emmit Charles Haggins and Edward Lee Johnson own the four at 281 Center St. Only one of the eight was occupied, and the city is helping the woman and her son find alternate housing. Charlie Mae Wilder, a Winter Garden resident and
crime by Michael Eng | Executive Editor
+ Learn a bit of history
I
Proponents of the charter school approved for Lake Olympia Square displayed photos of Kids Community College in Riverview, a charter school under the same umbrella.
WINTER GARDEN — A 16-year-old girl whose disappearance last week sparked a six-plus-hour overnight standoff between a Winter Garden man and the Winter Garden Police Department has been found safe. According to Lt. Scott Allen, the girl was recovered Oct. 10 and returned to her family. Investigators still are looking into the incident to determine if more charges will follow, he said. Investigators believed the girl had a connection with
Michael Todd Hankins, 38, of Winter Garden. After receiving an anonymous call regarding Hankins’ whereabouts, investigators attempted to serve a warrant for interference with custody at about 7:12 p.m., Oct. 8, at Hankins’ residence, in the Tucker Oak Condos, on Scarlet Oak Loop. According to police reports, the officer knocked on the door several times, but no one answered. As the
SEE RUNAWAY / PAGE 8A
INDEX Calendar.................................2A Crossword...............................7B
History....................................4A Obituaries.............................17A
Real Estate.............................6B Schools................................14A
Sports.....................................1B Vol. 81, No. 41 | Three sections Weather..................................7B WOTimes.com