Times& WEST ORANGE
Observer WEST ORANGE COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER FOR 109 YEARS
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 23, 2014
FREE
WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA
INSIDE
EXCLUSIVE
Sunset Park ushers in new season at annual fall fest. PAGE 12A
Ocoee ready to serve up plenty of scares at house of horrors. PAGE 10A
SPORTS RB Chris Granjean ignites ground game for Windermere Prep. PAGE 1B
USING THE FORCE by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
OUR TOWN
Town council requests changes to Windsong Developers of the residential project will return to the Windermere Town Council next month with revisions.
+ See our site for district results For results from this week’s volleyball district tournaments, including how West Orange, Ocoee and Olympia fared at the Class 8A District 3 Tournament at West Orange, visit wotimes. com.
WINDERMERE — After three hours of community, council and developer discussion regarding the Windsong residential development in Windermere, the Windermere Town Council voted unanimously Oct. 14 to revisit a revision of the development plan at its November meeting. The council voted 3-2 to approve with changes the first hearings of Windsong’s rezoning ordinance, devel-
+ W.G to throw Halloween bash Winter Garden will present its annual HalloweenFest from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, along Plant Street downtown. Children are invited to go trick-or-treating with the merchants and play games, take a hay ride and enjoy bounce houses. Live music and entertainment will be available at the Centennial Plaza gazebo, and local craft and merchandise vendors will be set up.
+ Locals compete in beauty pageant Joyce Mary Ratcliff, of Orlando, Susan Ratcliff, of Ocoee, and Emily Brooke Ratcliff, 13, of Ocoee, recently competed in Beauties for the Cure National Beauty Pageant in Kissimmee. They all brought home the crown and national title in the Three Generations Division.
I
WO This week’s winner is
Myrna Barba.
See the photo on PAGE 7B.
development by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
opers agreement and preliminary development plan. The council delayed its decision on future land use of the 36-acre plot, so it could collectively approve or deny these four aspects pertaining to the plot. Dozens of local residents and all council members expressed various concerns with the development — located between Maguire
SEE WINDSONG / PAGE 8A
welcome by Winter Garden Fire Rescue Courtesy photo
Amber Larkin always keeps son Noah close to her heart and has helped find a new protocol for treating pediatric brain cancer.
A NEW HOPE
Amber Larkin’s persistence is leading to a more humane approach to treating children with brain tumors. WINTER GARDEN — Noah Larkin loved “Star Wars” so much that, for his seventh birthday, his mother organized a party with more than 30 movie characters, the Landspeeder from a “Star Wars” film, a Jedi training session and a 3D cake in the likeness of Planet Duro bounty hunter Cad Bane. The bash was necessary: His mother, Amber Larkin, didn’t know if this would be the last one she would throw for her son, who had
been diagnosed with brain cancer a year earlier. Noah did celebrate one more birthday but died in 2012 at age 8. During her son’s illness and after his death, Larkin was determined to find a more humane approach to treating children with brain tumors, and her persistence has paid off. “We are so proud to announce to our local community the official first announcement that the FDA has approved the NOAH
Protocol,” Larkin said Oct. 21. “I’ve been working on this since 2011. It is now an open protocol, which means children with certain types of recurrent brain cancer now have a new non-toxic, neverbeen-done-before-in-theworld treatment option. Several children have been waiting and will start as soon as possible.” She added: “Noah would think this is so cool and
SEE LARKIN / PAGE 6A
Winter Garden names new deputy fire chief Jose Gainza Jr. comes to the department after 25 years of service in Orange County. WINTER GARDEN — Jose important decisions he P. Gainza Jr. has been sworn made as fire chief. “Finding the right perin as the new deputy fire son is more than chief for the city of what’s on paper,” Winter Garden. he said. “The right Gainza will fill candidate must the position that complement the was vacated when fire chief’s values Matt McGrew and vision, they was promoted to must be a good fire chief in April. fit for the city of Chief Gainza Winter Garden, comes to the and they must city from Orange be accomplished County Fire Res- Jose P. Gainza Jr. enough to garner cue and lives in the respect needed to step Orlando. Gainza was the top selec- in and help lead our departtion out of 17 candidates ment.” McGrew is confident he competing for the job. McGrew said making this seSEE GAINZA / PAGE 8A lection was one of the most
CITATION SENSATION by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Windermere’s Treat Ticket campaign rewards safe behavior Children exhibiting safe biking to elementary school will receive the rewards from the town’s police officers. WINDERMERE — To maintain its reputation for issuing lots of tickets, the Windermere Police Department is moving from cracking down on motorists to a new demographic its officers intend to pro-
file: child bicyclists. Students bicycling to nearby schools will receive increased numbers of citations for offenses such as wearing a helmet, walking their bikes across a street at a crosswalk, using hand
signals and obeying traffic signals. “We added a box that says other, because I teach the Magic Program, which is like D.A.R.E.,” said Dep.
History....................................5A Obituaries.............................17A
Real Estate.............................6B Schools................................14A
SEE TICKETS / PAGE 8A
Zak Kerr
Sgt. Jayson Bonk ensures Charlie Hutchinson has studied his bike-safety tips.
INDEX Calendar.................................2A Crossword...............................7B
Sports.....................................1B Vol. 81, No. 42 | Three sections Weather..................................7B WOTimes.com