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It's Debate Day! Stream the 2026 Apopka Mayoral Debate. Visit WESH.com to watch the live stream starting at 5:30PMIt's Debate Day! Stream the 2026 Apopka Mayoral Debate. Visit WESH.com to watch the live stream starting at 5:30PM

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Author

  • Ronnie Lovler

    Ronnie Lovler has 40 years of experience in journalism, including assignments all over Latin America for CNN and CBS. Ronnie teaches journalism at UF and public speaking at Santa Fe College. She was a recent fellow in the Gerontological Society of America’s Journalists in Aging Fellows Program and a previous Knight International Journalism Fellow in Bogota, Colombia. She is an editor and contributor for the book titled, Local Lives in a Global Pandemic: Stories from North Central Florida and a contributing author to the anthology Alone Together: Tales of Sisterhood and Solitude in Latin America. She began her career in journalism at the San Juan Star in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ronnie resides in Gainesville and loves to travel.

Melissa Byrd
The Apopka Chief
March 11, 2026
Last week was a fun week! It’s weeks like this that are why I ran for School Board with a goal of bringing the community together to support the education…
Sam Ruth, Diane Velazquez, and Yesenia Baron won the Apopka City Council race Tuesday night.
The Apopka Chief
March 10, 2026
Incumbent Alexander Smith narrowly loses reelection bid
Melissa Byrd
The Apopka Chief
March 6, 2026
Last week I was invited to attend Wheatley Elementary’s “Black History Experience 2026.” What a wonderful experience it was! I left the school feeling uplifted and…
Representative Doug Bankson
The Apopka Chief
March 5, 2026
This week officially marks the second to last week of the 2026 Legislative Session. Bills that have not moved through all of their assigned committee references are considered…
Jake Vest
The Apopka Chief
March 4, 2026
There is no such thing as a Generation Z. I learned that at a wedding.
Jim Keck
The Apopka Chief
March 3, 2026
As you know, we had a full moon on Tuesday of this week, and that should’ve pushed the specks and the bass up to shallow water to spawn. I’ve been gettin' some reports of spawning bass…
Jake Vest
The Apopka Chief
February 27, 2026
At the airport, I had to look at a machine that flashed, then I didn’t have to take my shoes off in the security line. I think we now have robots…
Jim Keck
The Apopka Chief
February 26, 2026
Just when you thought the cold weather was over, here we are with another cold snap! I really don’t mind the cold weather too much though, because I sure do get tired of all those hot days of summer. The fishin’ is still goin’ strong, and the specks and the bass are still bitin’.
Motor Marketplace
The Apopka Chief
February 26, 2026
Now, we’ve added a brand-new Motor Marketplace to theapopkachief.com. We’re launching it with a handful of area dealerships that already have hundreds of vehicles listed, and we hope to add…
Melissa Byrd
The Apopka Chief
February 26, 2026
If you have never visited the Central Florida Fair and taken a peek at the animal exhibits, you are missing out. Students from all over OCPS raise animals…
Apopka girls, boys water polo teams fall in Tidal Wave CupThe Apopka Chief
April 7, 2025
By Marshall Tempest  Reporter   In their annual Tidal Wave Cup, the Apopka boys and girls water polo teams suffered tough losses against cross-town rivals the Wekiva…
Wekiva suffers big loss, weather suspension The Apopka Chief
April 4, 2025
By Marshall Tempest   Reporter   The Wekiva High School baseball team has just four more games in the regular season after this week's matchups against Mount Dora…
Hunt Club Medical Care is dedicated to one very important thing: keeping you healthyThe Apopka Chief
April 4, 2025
Primary care plays an integral part in your overall health. Wellness visits, disease preven­tion, illness diagnosis and chronic disease management all begin with a dedicated prima­ry…
Jim Keck Goin' Fishin'
Tourney held on The Harris Chain, folks catchin’ their limit of panfishThe Apopka Chief
April 4, 2025
Hello Folks, I hope you had a great weekend and, hopefully, you got to do some fishin’. There was lots of activity on The Harris Chain…
Wekiva softball drop to 4-7 after back-to-back losses The Apopka Chief
April 3, 2025
By Marshall Tempest  Reporter  The Wekiva softball team is trying to turn its season around after going 2-2 over the last four games. This week the…
Apopka’s Johnston grabs gold, silver at World Masters AthleticsThe Apopka Chief
April 3, 2025
By Seth Johnson and Marshall Tempest  Reporters   Jumpin’ Joe Johnston of Apopka brought home the hardware after competing last week in the World Masters Athletics Indoor…
Apopka softball wins first home game The Apopka Chief
March 31, 2025
By Marshall Tempest    Reporter    The Apopka softball team snapped its first losing streak on Friday, March 28, when it defeated the Windermere Wolverines 5-4 with a…
Apopka baseball steamrolls Wekiva, 16-1 The Apopka Chief
March 31, 2025
By Marshall Tempest   Reporter    The Apopka Blue Darters dominated crosstown rival Wekiva, 16-1, on Friday, March 28, to improve to 2-0 in the friendly confines of…
Jim Keck Goin' Fishin'
Rain needed, but fish still biting on area waterwaysThe Apopka Chief
March 28, 2025
Hello Folks, We need some rain, so hopefully, we will get some this week. The water at the ramps is gettin’ kinda low, and some rain…
Schroeder Dental Group provides superior oral care with a courteous and professional attitudeThe Apopka Chief
March 28, 2025
Are you someone who shudders at the thought of visiting the dentist?  If so, the Schroeder Dental Group makes it a priority to ensure every patient…