More details are emerging about the fire that gutted the Good Neighbor Place Thrift Store last month, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. The suspect, Curtis Laron Rouse, 38, was arrested and charged with first degree arson and unarmed burglary of an unoccupied structure. He is currently being held in the Orange County…

The Apopka City Council voted 4-0 to grant staff authority to negotiate an agreement with Lumen Technologies to install a temporary pump station to drain excess water from Border Lake to Blue Lake. Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez was absent from the Thursday, June 4, meeting, but the other four council members voted in favor of…

Staff Reports Z.A.P.T. ELITE, Inc. celebrated its 55th annual Founder’s Day on May 18 with a scholarship award ceremony for 29 local high school students, made possible by ZAPT sponsors. Organized in 1970, Z.A.P.T. has served the Zellwood, Apopka, Plymouth and Tangerine communities in various ways. Accomplishments include giving scholarships to high school students, sponsoring…

By Melissa Byrd Well, we are officially done with the 2024-25 school year and have begun our summer break!   Graduations were wonderful, full of smiling faces and happy tears. I always enjoy graduation season, but this year was even more special as my youngest graduated. It was such a joy to see so many of…

Speaking to an audience of over 1,000 people, Mayor Jerry L. Demings highlighted Orange County’s achievements in areas including the economic impact of tourism, advancement in affordable housing and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to better provide services during his state of the county address on Friday, June 6. Demings spoke to more than…

By Bryan Nelson Impact fees charged by counties and cities is the method for growth (new development) to pay for the new infrastructure needed to support a thriving community.   These impact fees are levied on all new construction, including residential, commercial and industrial to pay for new water, wastewater, reclaimed water, police, fire, recreation and…

By Christine Moore, Orange County District 2 Commissioner Advocacy. I want to share some observations from serving on the Orange County School Board and Orange County Commission to help you elicit better outcomes. This column will focus on advocacy at the local level.  Advocacy at the local level has two distinct areas. One is more…

Do you like to cook your food in the Crock-Pot? I do, from time to time. I am looking at a recipe for “Chicken in a Pot” that I found in a little Crock-Pot handbook. It calls for a whole chicken and some vegetables along with chicken broth and white wine or water. Then set…

Hello Folks, I hope y'all had a great weekend and, hopefully, you did some fishin’. Even though the official date of summer is between June 20th and June 22nd, I always start my summers on June 1st, the same date as Hurricane Season starts. As summer is here (accordin’ to ME, ol’ Jim), now begin the summer…

Hurricanes and tropical storms hit Florida almost every year, often causing extensive damage to homes and landscapes. You can help protect your home or business by making sure your trees and landscape are more hurricane-resistant, so it’s less likely to suffer severe damage during a storm. Each year hurricane season begins on June 1st and…