W EST O RA N G E T I M E S &
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VOLUME 90, NO. 1
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Duke Energy to trim trees in Oakland. ONLINE.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2023
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS W
e asked for your photos depicting school strength, and you responded — in amazingly inspiring fashion! For our third annual Observer School Zone Show Us Your Strength Photo Contest, we received more than 60 entries — all perfectly capturing the strength, drive, determination and talents of members of our
amazing school communities. Some photos focused on artists’ pursuits in music, dance, theater and more, while others displaying true grit of our outstanding athletes. Still others showed our students’ strengths in the classroom, volunteering in the community and even in their faith. After all votes were cast, SEE PAGE 2A
2023 FORECAST From business and development to health care and education, 2023 promises to be a year full of big news in West Orange. Get ready with our special edition.
INSIDE Lake Apopka....................................... 3A Oakland sewage................................. 4A Maggie Bonko..................................... 5A Garden Theatre.................................. 6A Rusty Johnson.................................... 8A Horizon West library.........................10A Ocoee sports complex........................1B Windermere High stadium................ 2B Lake Buena Vista football................. 5B West Orange real estate.................... 6B
YOUR TOWN ORLANDO HEALTH WELCOMES FIRST BABY OF 2023 Central Florida’s first baby of the New Year was born at 12:23 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81
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and Babies. Baby Olivia weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and measured 18 inches in length. To mark the occasion, the Central Florida Diaper Bank is donating diapers for one year — that’s about 3,600 diapers — to Olivia’s family. The organization advocates for and encourages healthy growth, nutrition and development for children from newborn to age three, promoting self-sufficiency for at-risk families by identifying their needs and providing the appropriate resources. “We are thankful for the opportu-
nity to partner with Orlando Health for the second year to provide diapers for a year to a family in our community and help give their baby a healthy start,” said Sharon Lyles, diaper bank executive director.
FREE PET CARE COMING TO SERVICE CENTER
The ElleVet Project, a national nonprofit arm of the science-focused pet CBD+CBDA company ElleVet Sciences, will provide free veterinary care, food and supplies to the
pets of the homeless and street pets. The mobile relief effort will offer the program from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, at the West Orange
Christian Service Center, 300 W. Franklin St., Ocoee. For information, call (844) 947-4871. As The ElleVet Project travels throughout the United States in its 32-foot RV dubbed the “ElleVan,” the organization collaborates with city officials and municipalities to host a rotating team of professional veterinarians to provide free veterinary care to the most vulnerable animals. Services include vaccines, flea and tick preventatives, deworming, general checkups, emergency surgeries and other services as needed.