TRENDING

Spotlighting the best of local people, places, and events

JAMESCOMBS’ JAMES COMBS ESCO MES CO

LEADERS SOUGHT FOR INVOCATIONS

A blessing at the start of a public meeting sets the tone for leaders to serve wisely and make decisions to promote the common good. Lake County Board of County Commissioners is seeking religious, secular, and community leaders living in the county who can provide invocations (up to two minutes) at county commission meetings, which are hosted 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in the Board Chambers of the Lake County Administration Building, 315 W. Main St., Tavares. Call Kelsey Hanks at 352.343.9800 to participate or email khanks@ lakecountyfl .gov.

1 // THIS MONTH MARKS the 15th anniversary of 9/11. With that in mind, I wrote a short message to Osama bin Laden … to the tune of Bon Jovi’s hit song “Shot Through the Heart.”

“Shot through the head And terrorists are so lame. Osama you give Islam A bad name.”

2 // A POKER ROOM recently opened in Summerfi eld. Oxford Downs features 24 tables that offer Texas Hold ‘em, seven-card stud, and other poker games. Is building a poker room worth the gamble? You bet!

3 // THE CITY OF EUSTIS recently opened a $656,000 splash pad. With sweat dripping down their faces in the sizzling summer heat, children agreed that the splash pad is defi nitely a cool idea.

4 // A MOTHER, AS WELL AS her two daughters and son, were charged with retail theft after they sped away from Wal-Mart in Leesburg with a push lawnmower and a vehicle battery. There’s value in teaching your children about discount shopping, but this is ridiculous! Much like these thieves, crime doesn’t pay.

5 // LOCATED ON A REMOTE FARM in Clermont, Florida Sun Grown Cigars opened in July. The owners grow the tobacco used in the Corona Cigar Company’s line of cigars. The cigars taste wonderful, but try not to fl ick ashes anywhere near your shirt. You don’t want to make an ash-hole of yourself.

6 // A LEESBURG MAN who lives in a gated community ran over and killed a sandhill crane with his golf cart. He told a witness he did it because the bird was “messing up the golf course.” I defi nitely think there’s some “fowl” play involved here. The Girls Scouts are a far-reaching organization, and recently, three Lake County girls—Rebecca Ammons, Jessica Hubert, and Marlee Nickerson—were honored with the Gold Award for service projects. This is the highest honor offered within the organization and qualifying requires great commitment. Each of them spent a minimum of 80 hours identifying and investigating an issue, building a team, creating a plan, and putting it into action.

The honorees set up operational programs—one for fostering animals, one a community garden, and another offers music therapy to dementia patients. Bravo, ladies!

OSTRANDER RECEIVES TOP AWARD

LassiterWare Chairman Ted R. Ostrander, Jr., of Leesburg, was surprised to be bestowed the highest honor, The Mitchell Stallings Memorial Award, at the 2016 annual convention of Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA), and he was even more stunned to see his daughter, Katie, who fl ew in from Nashville, Tennessee, for the occasion. Joining in the applause was his wife, Gail; son, Matt; several LassiterWare employees, and FAIA members.

Ted was recognized for his lifetime of service, including serving as FAIA chairman in 1993, president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Lake County, and being a community leader. He became LassiterWare president in 1987 and helped the company grow to one of the largest independent agencies in the country.

“LassiterWare has been very fortunate to have Ted as a leader for the past four decades,” says Doug Childers, LassiterWare president and CEO.