Osceola County News
Osceola Headlines
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Man dead, another injured after vehicle crashes into tree in Osceola, troopers say
A 39-year-old man died on Sunday and another was seriously injured after a vehicle they were in struck a tree in Osceola County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Kissimmee resident Juan Amaya was driving his 2017 Chevy pick up truck around noon east on San Remo Road near Sterling Drive...
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Man dies in Osceola motorcycle crash, troopers say
A 53-year-old Kissimmee man died on Saturday in Osceola County after crashing his motorcycle into a SUV, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Tracey Krall was driving his 1998 Honda motorcycle around 4 p.m. eastbound on Funie Steed Road near Emerald Island Blvd when, for an unknown reason,...
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FDLE issues alert for missing Kissimmee girl, 14
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an alert via Twitter today for a missing Kissimmee girl. Tiara Blankenship, 14, was last seen in the 4900 block of Dunmore Lane in Kissimmee on Aug. 6, according to the agency’s tweet, which asks anyone with information to contact the Osceola County...
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Orange-Osceola Circuit Judge Kim Shepard resigns
Kim Shepard, a circuit judge who handled criminal cases in Orange and Osceola counties but was disciplined by the Florida Supreme Court for a misleading campaign mailer, resigned on Friday. “I will soon be leaving the bench to pursue an exciting new opportunity with a renewable energy and innovative...
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Judicial election results: Jeff Ashton among several new judges in Central Florida
Former Orange-Osceola State Attorney Jeff Ashton was elected circuit judge Tuesday in a close race against Howard Friedman, a former general magistrate. With all precincts reporting Tuesday night Ashton had 56 percent of the vote to Friedman’s 44 in group 15. “It’ll be nice to be back in public...
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Florida Hospital Kissimmee to expand surgical suite
Florida Hospital Kissimmee is expanding its surgical suite to add four operating rooms and the capacity to build more space in the future, the hospital system announced Thursday. “This expansion is part of a journey of growth over the last several years to meet the area’s health-care needs,” said...
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Employee arrested after downloading child porn at church in St. Cloud, deputies say
An employee at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in St. Cloud was arrested Tuesday after he admitted to using the church's WiFi to download child pornography, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said. Mark Dewayne Cook was fired from his position as operations manager for the church and school,...
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Zebra Coalition, LGBT+ Center team up to offer counseling services in Kissimmee
Two organizations serving Central Florida’s LGBTQ community are partnering to provide youth counseling and support groups in Kissimmee. The Zebra Coalition — which serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth — and The LGBT+ Center Orlando are using grants from Orlando Health and...
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Kissimmee backtracks on 40-day prayer proclamation after ACLU letter
After becoming the first city outside Puerto Rico to announce a 40-day prayer proclamation in solidarity with the island, the City of Kissimmee issued an apology and backtracked in its support for the initiative, which had been announced at a public meeting earlier this month. The correction comes...
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Utility company honors fallen Kissimmee police officers with blue street light
On the corner of Palmway and east Cypress street in Kissimmee, a blue street light glows in the area where two police officers were killed last year in the line of duty. Officer Matthew Baxter, 27, and Sgt. Richard “Sam” Howard, 36, of the Kissimmee Police Department were shot while on patrol Aug....
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Family returns to grave of Kissimmee cop killed 1 year ago
Sadia Baxter’s eyes welled with tears as she led three of her daughters to their father’s headstone. The girls — ages 8, 2 and 1— came clad in matching dresses, sunflowers in hand. “Do you want to put the flower for daddy in here?” Sadia said as they knelt beside a black vase, engraved with Matthew...
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Home security camera spots thief stealing packages in Osceola — then returning them days later
A home security camera caught a thief in the act of stealing packages in Osceola County last week — and also recorded his change of heart days later, authorities said. The Sheriff’s Office issued a bulletin Tuesday seeking to identify the young man who had nabbed packages soon after they were delivered...
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Missing Osceola toddler found safe, deputies say
A 2-year-old boy was found in Osceola County on Thursday, whom authorities said was taken by his parents in defiance of a court order. Elijah West was recovered unharmed because of an anonymous tipster who saw the news coverage of his case, said sheriff’s spokesman Maj. Jacob Ruiz. The boy is in...
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Former broadcaster, appeals expert face off in Orange-Osceola judicial race
Two private defense attorneys — one with a history in radio, the other with experience in juvenile law and appeals — are running for circuit judge in the 26th group in Orange and Osceola counties. The election is Aug. 28, and early voting runs Aug. 17-26. All registered voters in Orange and Osceola...
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Osceola authorities searching for missing 2-year-old boy
Authorities in Osceola County are searching for a missing 2-year-old boy whom they say was taken by his parents in defiance of a court order. Deputies believe Elijah West is in the company of his parents, Anthony Deon West and Sheena Marie Dubois. Authorities think the pair fled with Elijah after...
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Mailer brings up history between judicial candidates
Circuit judge candidate Howard Friedman sent out a campaign mailer last week accusing his opponent, former state attorney Jeff Ashton, of discriminating against Friedman’s wife when she worked at the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office. “Jeff Ashton wrongfully fired my wife after she got sick...
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City of Kissimmee adopts 40-day 'Life, Love, and Family' prayer resolution for Puerto Rico
The Kissimmee City Council issued a decree Tuesday calling for 40 days of prayer in solidarity with Puerto Rico and its ongoing recovery from the damagde Hurricane María caused last September. Kissimmee is the first city in the United States to adopt the decree, "40 Days of Celebration of Life,...
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Suspect in 7-Eleven robberies in Lake, Osceola found with AR-15 rifle, note planning stickups — 'Directly to register'
An 18-year-old man suspected of robbing 7-Elevens in Clermont and Kissimmee at gunpoint has been arrested with an AR-15 rifle in his trunk and in possession of a handwritten note describing how the robbery would take place, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said. “Last person out I go in once in...
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Electricity use in Osceola County sets record as heat index rises
The Kissimmee Utility Authority’s 74,000 customers broke a utility record Wednesday for electricity use. Utility spokesman Chris Gent said customers used more electricity Wednesday than at any time in the utility’s 117-year history, saying scorching temperatures and triple-digit heat indexes had...
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Osceola County resumes aerial mosquito spraying tonight
Osceola County Mosquito Control plans to resume the aerial spraying of about 17,000 acres tonight to squelch mosquito swarms after recent heavy rains, according to a news release from the county’s office of community outreach. The applications will complete treatment of an area spanning 50,000...
Other News
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VP Mike Pence criticizes New York Times op-ed, rallies for Rick Scott in Orlando
The New York Times should be “ashamed” it printed a column by an anonymous Trump Administration official who claimed there is chaos within the White House, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters in Orlando on Thursday. Pence, in town to stump for Gov. Rick Scott in his bid to become a U.S. senator,...
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No charges, case closed on mom who gave 3-year-old son toilet 'swirly,' prosecutor says
A Leesburg mom’s punishment of her 3-year-old son by holding him upside down with his head inside a flushing toilet is “deplorable,” but it wasn’t child abuse, so no charges will be filed against her, a prosecutor said Thursday. “There is no evidence of sufficient physical or emotional harm or...
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NTSB investigating report of engine failure on Delta jet headed to Orlando
Safety investigators said Thursday that they are looking into a reported engine breakdown on a Delta Air Lines jet shortly after takeoff. The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it was investigating a reported "uncontained" engine failure on Wednesday night's Delta Flight 1418 from...
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Orange County fixes water main break on International Drive
Orange County Utilities fixed the busted water main that flooded apartments and shutdown lanes along International Drive, a spokeswoman said. A reclaimed water pipe burst open around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. Pictures showed water gushing into the street and on apartments. Lanes of northbound I-Drive...
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Ron DeSantis picks Miami Rep. Jeanette Nuñez as running mate
U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis on Thursday chose as his running mate Miami state Rep. Jeanette Nuñez, the first Cuban-American woman to become a candidate for lieutenant governor in Florida history. “I’m picking a very special person for lieutenant governor,’’ said DeSantis at a Republican rally at the...
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DeSantis, Scott, Pence come to Orlando — highlights of big day in Florida politics
Thursday has been quite a day for Florida politics, and almost all of the action is happening here in Orlando. Here are some highlights: • U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, the GOP nominee for governor, announced his choice for lieutenant governor: Miami Rep. Jeanette Nuñez, the first Cuban-American woman...
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Orange-Osceola state attorney to review cases for wrongful convictions
Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayla's office will review cases of people who say they were wrongfully convicted, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Anyone convicted of a crime they did not commit in Orange and Osceola counties can fill out an application on the state attorney’s website and request...
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Deputies seek man, woman after Orange County death
A man died Thursday morning after a confrontation at a home near Lake Weston, an Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman said. Deputies released few details about the case but said they are looking for a man and a woman seen outside the Satel Drive home. Spokesman Jeff Williamson called the two “persons...
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Army veteran tried helping a stranded driver — a hitman who'd been hired to kill him, cops say
When Carlos Cruz-Echevarria was found dead along the side of a Deltona road in November, Volusia County detectives believed he was a good Samaritan, randomly shot as he tried helping a stranded driver. An investigation soon revealed that the story went much deeper. The stranded driver who Cruz-Echevarria...
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Florida K-9 officer goes viral after nabbing a suspect on the run
A Pasco County K9 officer went viral Wednesday after a video of him nabbing a suspect was posted to the Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page. A body cam video worn by Deputy Nick Carmack shows K-9 Shep in pursuit of a suspect who fled from a traffic stop Tuesday in New Port Richey in a red Nissan Rogue...