Osceola News Gazette

1 week ago | aroundosceola.com | Jim Turner

News Service of Florida: Six weeks after the state budget was expected to be completed, legislative leaders Friday finished negotiating details of a spending plan for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and set the stage for the House and Senate to vote on Monday. Senate Appropriations Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Trinity, and House Budget Chairman Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, resolved remaining issues.

2 weeks ago | aroundosceola.com | Bill Cotterell

Pondering David Jolly’s just-announced campaign for governor, Floridians find themselves thinking, “Have I seen this before?”Hmmm—a Republican officeholder from Pinellas County, rejected by the GOP, becomes first an independent and then a Democrat. So he runs for governor with the hope that the state’s growing mass of independents will join with fed-up members of both major parties to bring about a more sensible, less partisan new day in Florida politics. And we all live happily ever after.

3 weeks ago | aroundosceola.com | Ken Jackson

After spending a night in the Lake County Jail and appearing before a judge for the first time Friday morning, suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was granted $1 million bond total on his charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering — $500,000 per charge. The state asked for, and was granted, a stipulation that the court can inquire about the source of funds used to post bail.

3 weeks ago | aroundosceola.com | Ken Jackson

At the May 27 School Board meeting, Osceola County School District honored its four 2025 Outstanding School Volunteers of the Year in recognition of their exceptional commitment to student learning and success. Adult Outstanding School Volunteer of the Year — Bettina Grzeskowiak, Celebration High School —CHS has a market for students to “shop” at for nonperishable items. What they were missing was fresh fruits and vegetables, and in stepped Grzeskowiak and Embrace.

3 weeks ago | aroundosceola.com | Ken Jackson

A salute to veterans, local cowboys and cowgirls, a pair of local charities — and to patriots and heroes. Those were the theme of the 155th Silver Spurs Rodeo, which played to what rodeo officials said was a sellout crowd of 7,500 both Friday and Saturday night at the Silver Spurs Arena. In short, the “Biggest Rodeo East of the Mississippi (River)” lived up to its billing.