W EST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 90, NO. 8
A descendant searches for his relative’s long-lost artwork. ORANGEOBSERVER.COM
FREE • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2023
Red-carpet treatment Family Church in Windermere hosts 2023 Night to Shine PAGE 7A.
Lakeside Church dedicates campus
KILLTACULAR
Oakland town manager resigns
More than 2,300 people attended the first worship experience at the Oakland church.
Steven Koontz’s last day will be April 1. He has served the town since 2017. SEE 5A.
YOUR TOWN
SPICE WORLD
PAGE 6A.
ELKS HOLDING HEROES LUNCH The Winter Garden Elks Lodge is holding a lunch to thank the heroes in the community. All firefighters, paramedics, line workers and police are invited to bring their immediate families for a complimentary meal from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at the lodge, 700 Ninth St., Winter Garden. The community is invited to attend and purchase hamburgers and hotdogs. All money goes to the WG Elks Hero’s Fund. For information, call (407) 656-2165.
Legacy Events for Education serves up annual chili cookoff. PAGE 3A.
Courtesy photo
Tom Wilson and his teammates are the world champions in the game Halo.
Ocoee native and Winter Garden resident Tom Wilson, and his team, OpTic Gaming, won $400,000 for playing the Xbox game, Halo. SEE STORY ON PAGE 4A.
One boy killed, another in critical condition after separate crashes The Bridgewater and Ocoee middle school communities were rocked last week by two crashes involving students — both on the same day and within minutes of each other. SEE PAGE 2A.