Cover Story
Orlando label Violent Breed Records invites bands that have played Uncle Lou’s to appear on ‘Live at Uncle Lou’s’ benefit compilation
Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall has been a beloved fulcrum of the louder end of Orlando’s music scene for many years now, and manager Uncle Lou a bigger-than-life figure always willing to give a new band a chance (and one of OW’s 2019 People We Love). The doors to Lou’s – like every other concert venue in town – have…
Creative City Project and Timucua Arts present Re:Charge, an evening of socially distanced ambient sound this weekend
The Timucua Arts Foundation and Creative City Project are teaming up to present live music in Orlando to an actual audience this weekend, but it’s a far different experience than how we remember concerts and recitals. Titled Re:Charge, the night combines live sound and a total immersion environment to inspire relaxation and some level of…
Amid pandemic, Orlando tourism businesses recruit influencers to entice visitors
As Florida’s tourism industry begins to reopen tentatively during the coronavirus pandemic, marketing efforts are also beginning to thaw out. Social media influencers are returning from their hiatus as well, and heading back to Orlando resorts. One of the first local resorts to begin hosting influencers has been Gaylord Palms, where select media outlets and…
Legal Public Notices 7/15 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices AUCTION Extra Space Storage – Store 8841 9847 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, FL 32825 Extra Space Storage will hold a Public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location Indicated: 9847 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, FL 32825 (407) 495-9612, July 28, 2020 @…
After a nine-hour meeting, Orange County School Board tables vote on school reopening until Friday morning
The Orange County Public School Board met for a marathon nine-hour session on Tuesday to decide on a reopening model for public schools in the county, and a last-minute proposal to move back the first day of school from Aug. 10 to Aug. 21. No votes or decisions ultimately came out the meeting on these…
Florida attorney and coronavirus ‘Grim Reaper’ keeps pushing lawsuit to force Gov. DeSantis into closing beaches
Northwest Florida man Daniel Uhlfelder started making headlines back in early May, when he began making appearances on Florida’s public beaches as the Grim Reaper, and releasing video of his travels on social media. It was all to call attention to the dangers of reopening Florida’s beaches amid the coronavirus pandemic. A real estate and…
Reunited riot grrrl legends Bikini Kill reschedule Orlando show at Plaza Live to November 2021
The September show by reunited riot grrrl legends Bikini Kill here in Orlando at the Plaza Live has been, inevitably, rescheduled to 2021 as part of the overall shutdown of live music during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The one bit of good news, however, is that there is a confirmed, rescheduled date at the Plaza…
As COVID-19 cases surge, KFC closes all company-owned Florida dining rooms
Amid Florida’s skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, Disney World theme parks have reopened and Florida public schools have been ordered to reopen this fall, but KFC has decided it’s safer to keep guests out of its establishments. KFC announced Monday it will close all 40 of its corporate-owned dining rooms across Florida, as the state cases reach…
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says coronavirus surge is from ‘people behaving like people’
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Monday that Congress is close to figuring out a relief package aimed at small businesses, while he pointed to “negative news” about the coronavirus pandemic affecting travel to areas moving toward reopening. Rubio, during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” also anecdotally attributed the increase in COVID-19 cases to…
Enzian to stage a late night Orlando drive-in screening of ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ at the Plaza Live this weekend
The Enzian Theater and Bungalower are continuing their run of offsite pop-up drive-in movies, with a just-announced screening of cult favorite glam-horror-musical The Rock Horror Picture Show set for Saturday, July 18. The drive-in’s location this time is the parking lot of the Plaza Live in the Milk District. When the Enzian announced the film…
Windermere state representative files lawsuit challenging Gov. DeSantis’ Florida Supreme Court pick
A Democratic state representative on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest appointments to the Florida Supreme Court, arguing that Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Renatha Francis is unqualified for the post. DeSantis in May announced that he was appointing Francis and Miami attorney John Couriel to replace former justices Barbara…
Bite30 by Orlando Weekly is back July 15-Aug. 16 … and yes, this year there will be takeout!
Bite30, the city-wide promotion featuring 30 local restaurants serving $30 prix fixe three-course menus for 30 days, kicks off its rescheduled 2020 promotion this Wednesday, July 15, with an exciting lineup of restaurants, many of which are offering takeout for the first time, and all of whom adhere to highest of COVID safety standards. This…
Two NBA players test positive for COVID-19 while inside the ‘bubble’ at Walt Disney World
As much as the NBA has worked to protect its athletes housed and training inside the Walt Disney World “bubble,” the league announced Monday night that two players have tested positive for COVID-19. “Of the 322 players tested for COVID-19 since arriving on the NBA Campus July 7, two have returned confirmed positive tests while…
Brushing aside Florida’s record-setting coronavirus infections, Gov. DeSantis says percentage ‘has finally started to decline’
A defiant Gov. Ron DeSantis faced a tense news conference on Monday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, the day after a record-setting weekend delivered 27,924 new statewide COVID-19 cases between Saturday and Sunday. As his state’s coronavirus case total reached 282,435, with a death toll of 4,277, DeSantis took to the podium to deliver prepared remarks including, “the…
After a delay, Orlando is now home to one of the world’s most unique JW Marriott resorts
The current pandemic has put a damper on Orlando’s tourism industry, but that hasn’t stopped Marriott from pressing forward with their plans for one of the region’s most anticipated new Disney-area hotels. Originally scheduled to open in March, the JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa has finally officially opened at the edge of the…
COVID-19 cases soar among Florida prison workers
The number of Florida correctional workers who had tested positive for COVID-19 climbed to 754 on Friday, according to data released by the state Department of Corrections. The data showed an additional 132 correctional workers had tested positive for the disease since Monday. While workers at dozens of prisons have been diagnosed with COVID-19, a…
Orlando’s AdventHealth CEO says peak hospitalization is yet to come, but ‘I wouldn’t hesitate to go to Disney’
Sunday brought another record-high coronavirus caseload in Florida, registering 15,300 new cases in one day and overtaking New York’s same-day record of 12,274 in April. One of the hallmarks of the Empire State’s crisis was the overburdening of hospitals in March and beyond. Now, as Florida takes center stage globally, Central Florida hospitals are weighing in with…
A Jacksonville woman took a nursing home dishwasher job to visit her husband. These Orlando facilities are hiring right now
Florida on Sunday reached a record-high same-day increase in COVID-19 infections, peaking at 15,300 more people testing positive. That’s way more cases than any other state, nearly twice California’s increase of 7,700-plus, and way more than all of Russia’s 6,500-plus new cases. At least there was some “warm and fuzzy” Florida news to report over the weekend,…
Looks like Universal Orlando finally killed off one of its longest-running, least popular shows
After a decade-and-a-half run, one of Central Florida’s most divisive theme park shows is now rumored to have finally been put out of its misery. Fear Factor Live opened at Universal Orlando in 2005, by which time the television show it was based on was already getting plenty of bad press itself. A year later,…
After Florida sets national coronavirus record, Gov. DeSantis says bar service stays closed
Buying alcohol will remain a to-go-only option at Florida bars for the foreseeable future as coronavirus cases continue to spike. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday the state isn’t changing a decision last month to reimpose a ban on bars selling alcohol for on-site consumption because of widespread non-compliance with coronavirus safety measures. “So, right now,…
Florida breaks national coronavirus record, with 15,299 new cases announced Sunday
The state of Florida announced 15,299 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, smashing our previous record of 11,434 set on July 4, and bringing Florida to the forefront nationally in highest same-day COVID-19 infections. New York had held the previous record, with 12,274 on April 4. First, the grim facts: Orange County set a record, too, with 1,371…
Joe Biden to speak at Florida Democratic Party event
Presidential candidate Joe Biden will speak next Saturday during the Florida Democratic Party’s “Leadership Blue Gala,” their major annual event which is being held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other speakers during the main evening event will be U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez, Florida…
Trump advisor and local pastor Paula White’s Apopka church is back open
Interesting news, y’all! At the height of Florida’s coronavirus outbreak, Trump adviser and local pastor Paula White has reopened her Apopka church. “Our doors are opened at City of Destiny! Join us in-person for service this Sunday 10 a.m.,” White wrote in an email Saturday morning, alerting her flock that the East McCormick Road church…
Florida judge rejects challenge to county face mask ordinance
A circuit judge Friday rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of a Leon County ordinance that requires people to wear face masks in businesses to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Evan Power, a lobbyist who is chairman of the Leon County Republican Executive Committee, filed the lawsuit last month and is represented…
Disney-area McDonald’s reopens with all sustainable energy sources like solar power
A McDonald’s location getting a remodel usually doesn’t generate much in the way of headlines, but the location on West Buena Vista Drive near Disney World is getting a lot of attention because it runs fully on clean, renewable energy. The fast-food giant unveiled this green-energy-powered building on July 1, with the drive-thru open now…
Metallica awards $100,000 to Valencia College through their Metallica Scholars initiative
Thrash metal godfathers Metallica have awarded $100,000 to Valencia College as part of their Metallica Scholars initiative. And yes, every bit of that sentence is amazingly true. We know what you’re thinking, and no, this is not a music education grant. The Metallica Scholars workforce education initiative started in 2018 through Metallica’s nonprofit foundation All Within…
Despite coronavirus spike in Florida, Gov. DeSantis says Republican convention will be a ‘safe environment’
Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Thursday that the Republican National Convention next month in Jacksonville will be “a safe environment,” despite widespread concerns about increasing coronavirus cases across Florida, DeSantis, during an appearance in Jacksonville, said he wasn’t surprised about talk of moving some of the four-night event from inside the 15,000-seat VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena…
State teachers union says unfunded order to reopen Florida schools is unsafe
Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran is facing backlash from Florida’s teachers union for mandating that all school campuses reopen in the fall. With the increasing spread of novel coronavirus throughout Florida, education groups and parents are expressing concern that the state hasn’t done enough to ensure the safety and security of students and teachers to…
Anti-Trump TV buy in Central Florida attacks his weakness on environmental issues
A political action committee connected to the Environmental Defense Fund dropped a cool $1.7 million for an anti-Trump ad buy in the Tampa Bay area. The purchase will bring a commercial, “Hoax” — an indictment of the president’s inaction on the looming environmental crisis of climate change — to screens throughout Tampa, a crucial city in a…
WUCF launches ‘Pivoted’ podcast to spotlight the challenges local musicians are facing during the pandemic
WUCF on Thursday announced the launch of a new podcast, “Pivoted,” that will feature conversations with local musicians as they adjust to the strange and difficult reality of being a working musician during the coronavirus pandemic. Kendra Weaver is the producer and host of the podcast, and the guest list is a pretty eclectic group…
Bans against screaming on roller coasters at Tokyo Disneyland will not be in place at Orlando’s Walt Disney World
A viral video of two top executives from Fuji-Q Highland amusement park silently riding their famed Fujiyama roller coaster with face masks on ends with the unusual but somehow charming request to “Please scream inside your heart.” It references the park’s no-screaming policy, put in place after reopening from a four-week closure, and it’s an…
Groups release video urging Florida Gov. DeSantis to require mask-wearing statewide
Two Florida progressive policy groups released video on Thursday calling out Gov. Ron DeSantis for inadequately responding to the coronavirus crisis, and urging him to finally require most Floridians to wear face coverings or masks. “Florida has become a global hotspot for COVID-19, with more than 200,000 cases and 3,400 dead, due to the failed…
Rosen Hotels and Resorts announce a wave of ‘unprecedented’ layoffs coming at the end of July
The Rosen Hotels & Resorts on Wednesday announced an upcoming and “unprecedented” wave of layoffs due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Rosen Hotels & Resorts employed several thousand locals at its hotels before the pandemic hit. And Central Florida has been hit particularly hard by a collapse in the local tourist industry, not to mention…
Florida Democratic Party accepts $350K federal emergency paycheck loan, then gives it back
After elected members of the Florida Democratic Party expressed “ethical concerns” about political organizations taking federal money meant to help small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, party officials are returning loan funds to Washington. “Returning the funds was absolutely the right decision to be made,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a video conference call…
Orlando director Jeremy Seghers to present ‘The Bacchae’ as drive-in theater
Drive-in is increasingly the medium of choice for those who want to balance a love for the arts with social distancing caution. You’ve got drive-in movies, drive-in concerts and now, courtesy of Osceola Arts and local stage director Jeremy Seghers, drive-in theater is coming to Central Florida. In August, Seghers will stage an outdoor production…
Florida just reported record-high 120 COVID-19 deaths
Florida is now considered the world’s epicenter for the coronavirus pandemic, and on Thursday the state logged a record 120 deaths, bringing the state’s overall death toll to 4,111. The previous single-day record was 113 deaths, which occurred back in May, shortly after Gov. DeSantis shifted the state to Phase 2 reopening. With today’s new…
Disney character breakfasts return to Four Seasons Resort Orlando, now with social distancing
The grand Disney reopening continues apace with the announcement Wednesday that the popular “character breakfast” event Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy & Pals will be back on at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando. There will be some changes to the character breakfast, as part of Disney’s new social distancing guidelines, to attempt to ensure the…
Central Florida horror con Spooky Empire announces cancellation of 2020 events in Orlando and Tampa
Central Florida horror convention Spooky Empire on Wednesday announced the cancellation of both events planned for this year on its Facebook page. The organizers confirmed that both the August event in Orlando and the Halloween event in Tampa were canceled for this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and a recent spike in Florida’s…
Federal court to hear Florida felon-voting rights arguments on same day as August primary election
A federal appeals court has scheduled oral arguments in a Florida voting-rights case that could open the door for hundreds of thousands of felons to cast ballots in this year’s elections. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is slated to hear the case on Aug. 18, the same day as Florida’s primary elections, according…
Wayne Mixson, once Florida’s governor for three days, dies at 98
Wayne Mixson, a North Florida farmer who served two terms as lieutenant governor and a brief stint as governor, died Wednesday at his home in Tallahassee. He was 98. Mixson was elected lieutenant governor in 1978 and 1982 as the running mate of Democrat Bob Graham but is probably best remembered for serving three days…
Pitbull’s Florida charter school nonprofit nabs at least $1 million in COVID-19 loans
Sports Leadership and Management, Inc., a sports-centered charter school operator in Miami whose founders include rap star Pitbull, received at least $1 million in interest-free federal loans to prevent layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to records released by the federal government this week. The charter school operator, known as SLAM, received a loan ranging…
Florida anti-LGBTQ group the Liberty Counsel took over $350,000 in PPP loans
Mat Staver, a guy who once said the “Q” in LGBTQ stands for pedophilia and that Jay-Z is a known Satanist, received hundreds of thousands of dollars from taxpayers. On Monday, the Department of the Treasury and the Small Business Administration released the names of more than 650,000 beneficiaries that received forgivable federal loans though…
Orlando coalition is demanding Mayor Dyer halt impending OUC disconnections amid COVID-19 crisis
A group of more than 30 local nonprofit campaigns and justice organizations delivered a joint letter to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer demanding he stop the Orlando Utilities Commission from resuming utility disconnections later this month. Disconnections had been suspended across the board since mid-May, as the coronavirus shutdowns led to mass layoffs of Central Florida’s…
Lake County Commission reverses decision on where to move Confederate statue
Seeking to unify their community, Lake County commissioners want Gov. Ron DeSantis to find a museum outside of their county to house the statue of a Confederate general who has represented Florida in the U.S. Capitol for nearly a century. Amid a national debate over Confederate statues and memorials, county commissioners voted 4-1 on Tuesday…
Orlando’s Eola General to host Lily Ann pop-up Friday and Saturday, with roasted octopus you can take to-go
Eola General, located in downtown Orlando’s Eola Heights neighborhood, is hosting another weekend pop-up special, the tiny café-restaurant-bar announced on Tuesday. This time, the two-evening event will showcase Lily Ann, a fine-dining pop-up concept by tip-top pop-up purveyor Mockingbird, which specializes in “progressive Florida cuisine.” Lily-Ann usually appears at Kaizen Izakaya downtown, and Mockingbird has…
Florida man filmed screaming in a Costco over mandatory mask rule has been fired
A video of a man yelling in a Lee County Costco resulted in him losing his job. The viral video, which has been viewed over 11 million times, was posted on Twitter Monday, and shows Fort Myers resident Daniel Maples in flip-flops and a “Running the world since 1776” T-shirt, shouting “Back the f—- up,…
State of Florida gives local public schools three weeks to submit reopening plans
A day after Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran ordered Florida’s public schools to reopen in August, state education officials on Tuesday held a webinar to address questions about the mandate. K-12 Chancellor Jacob Oliva told school district officials that they need to submit reopening plans and agree to all of the points in Corcoran’s emergency order…
Letters to the editor about Black Lives Matter and Florida’s new abortion restrictions
Last week’s cover story concerned the 400-foot-long street painting reading “Black Lives Matter” installed by the city on Rosalind Avenue across from Lake Eola Park. Some felt it was a positive affirmation of the city’s commitment to fight racism, while others would rather see systemic change in the Orlando Police Department and other city and…
Trump can only outrun incompetence for so long. But when all else fails, there’s always racism
In hindsight, it was inevitable that we’d end up here. We didn’t know what here would look like, exactly. But you can only outrun incompetence so long, and you can only place so many self-interested, high-risk bets before one blows up in your face. And so the Fourth of July weekend found Donald Trump at…
Harrowing new single ‘The Twitch’ unites Orlando artists Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz and Stereo 77
One of the most intense and harrowing pieces of music that I’ve heard this year – local or otherwise – is hands-down “The Twitch” by local electronic musician and DJ Stereo 77 (Alejandro Ramirez) and artist and educator Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz. Over Raimundi-Ortiz’s chilling, fraught spoken-word narrative about domestic abuse, Ramirez creates a dense mat of…
Mucho Mucho Amor, Expecting Amy, Foodie Love, Palm Springs and more streaming premieres to binge this week
Premieres Wednesday: Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado – Remember Walter Mercado, the Puerto Rican TV astrologer who was kind of a cross between Liberace and Miss Cleo? If you do, you’re the target audience for this documentary. If you don’t – well, Lin-Manuel Miranda is in it. Just in case you didn’t…
Orlando artist-activist Stelson Telfort would like white allies to ‘get in the backseat and listen’
Orlando’s arts community prides itself on being progressive and inclusive, but according to Stelson Telfort, we still have a ways to go. Born and raised in Pine Hills as the son of Haitian immigrants, Telfort, who goes by the stage name “ST3,” first discovered his love of the arts through church plays and middle school…
Rules for role-play: Keep communicating, give each other veto power and go easy on yourself
Dear Dan: I’m a lesbian in a long-term relationship. After much conversation with my partner we’ve decided to explore cuckolding role-play together. I’m not comfortable bringing another person into the relationship – especially right now – but I am willing to explore this as a fantasy. The thing is, I’m having a hard time figuring…
