W EST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE • THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024
VOLUME 91, NO. 16
Jones unseats Mueller in runoff Iliana Ramos Jones won the seat by 57 votes . 8A.
LOUD & PROUD
Thousands enjoy 2024 Ocoee Music Festival . SEE PAGE 3A.
THE BIG 2-0
The staff at Oakland Avenue Charter School wore their 20th-anniversary shirts when they gathered for a drone photo.
Courtesy photo
Oakland Avenue Charter School celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It opened in 2004 under the principalship of Nina Kuhn. STORY ON PAGE 4A.
YOUR TOWN
served basis. To reserve a spot, visit bit.ly/pollinator-garden-tour.
GARDEN CLUB GIVING TOUR OF POLLINATOR GARDEN
CELEBRATE EARTH WEEK AT TIBETBUTLER PRESERVE
The Bloom & Grow Garden Society will celebrate Earth Week from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at the pollinator garden at 1061 Tildenville School Road, Winter Garden. The club is teaming up with Orange County Utilities to conduct the tour. Attendees can discover the secrets to attracting bees and butterflies, and they will receive two brochures on pollinator plants and butterflies, a seed packet and a rain gauge. The event is free, but space and giveaways are limited and will be available on a first-come, first-
Tibet-Butler Preserve is hosting a number of family-friendly events to celebrate Earth Week. Ambassador Animal Interactions will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, April 22, and are free and open to the public. Guided hikes will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day, as well. From April 22 through 27, the preserve offers an eco-scavenger hunt all day. The preserve is located at 8777 Winter Garden-Vineland Road, Orlando. For more information, call (407) 254-1940.
Tax won’t WINNER WINNER! appear on ballot The Orange County Commission decided against placing Mayor Jerry Demings’ transportation tax referendum on the ballot. SEE PAGE 6A.
After nearly 1,500 votes were cast, one school emerged as the winner of the $2,500 top prize in our 2024 Show Us Your Strength in Service contest. SEE PAGE 7B.