Apopka school bus crash sends 7 to hospital

The Apopka Chief Newsletter: August 22 Edition

Author

Sarah Merly
August 22, 2025

Welcome to the Apopka Chief weekly newsletter!

This week, we welcomed our new sports reporter Vincent “Vinnie” Cammarano to the Chief team! Vincent graduated from the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting at Full Sail University last spring. When he’s not writing for the Chief, you’ll find him talking about one of his fantasy leagues. Scroll down to the sports section of the newsletter to read his first three stories!

If you have anything you’d like to see (or not see) in our weekly newsletter, please reach out directly to Sarah Merly at [email protected]. And if you want to read an exclusive monthly Apopka Chief newsletter—among other perks like giveaways and community events—please consider joining our membership program.

Thank you for reading. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Front Page


The front right corner of the bus struck a van in the accident. | Photo by J.C. Derrick

Other front page news:

Other Local News

Quest Diagnostics Apopka closed until November 3

Office to receive complete renovation

Jeff's Bagel Run arrives in Apopka

Grand opening set for Aug. 22

Apopka Council votes to put 8 charter amendments on ballot

One amendment would move city from mayor-council to council-manager

Apopka Memorial Middle School celebrates ‘B’ grade with bounce houses, music

300 students at a time had fun in school gym

Maters & Taters brings back Yoder's ice cream—for now

Returning flavors include butter pecan, chocolate peanut butter and Caribbean rum raisin

Apopka’s strategic plan initiative reveals growth management concerns

Strategic plan aims to focus on where resources should go


Messages from the Mayor and More



Local Sports


Apopka quarterback Cody Owens finds Nyzier Collington for a 12-yard gain during the Aug. 15 Kickoff Classic against Tampa Bay Tech. | Photo by Dana O’Connor


Apopka Fact of the Week:

“In the years before World War I, Harry Ustler of Springfield, Ohio, came to Florida in 1912 with the idea of growing Boston ferns outdoors in a warm climate. He and a partner, Walter Newall, began a fern business in Apopka, an enterprise that became the nucleus for the business, which made Apopka ‘The Fern City’ in the 1920s. A metal sculpture of a fern on the grounds of City Hall commemorates this early agriculture, which led to the world-famous indoor foliage industry of today, thus giving Apopka its current title of ‘Indoor Foliage Capital of the World.’”
 
-Treasures and Pleasures Cookbook