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When it comes to tacos, I have strong feelings about the good, the bad and the Taco Bell
Manna from taco heaven
Top legal officials urge Florida Supreme Court to throw out death sentences
Arguing that state law requires it, a who’s who of prominent attorneys —- including former presidents of the American Bar Association —- are advising the Florida Supreme Court to reduce the death sentences of all inmates awaiting execution to life in prison. The cadre of attorneys, including former Florida Supreme Court justices and associations focused…
Equal pay for women is priority in 2016 election, AFL-CIO official says
The top issue for women in the workforce is still being paid less for doing the same work as men, despite being about half of the labor force, says AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Liz Shuler. Shuler, speaking at the Young Working Women’s Forum in Orlando on Monday, was citing a survey of 23,200 working women, mostly union…
Tampa Bay Times purchases its competitor, Tampa Tribune
One of Florida’s great newspaper wars ended Tuesday after the Tampa Bay Times purchased its weakened competitor, the Tampa Tribune, leaving the region with only one daily newspaper. The Times, which is the state’s largest newspaper, reports its chairman and CEO Paul Tash announced the purchase, saying in a statement, “The continued competition between the…
It’s no secret Gov. Rick Scott loves his Orange Overlord, but how likely is a Trump/Scott ticket?
Most of the speculation around Gov. Rick Scott’s political future has centered on a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2018, when incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson will be up for re-election and facing a Republican-friendly midterm electorate that helped Scott win two terms in the governor’s mansion. But there are also growing rumors that Scott…
Orlando street-punk quartet The Attack releases new disc single
Orlando street-punk quartet the Attack have released their newest single “Four of a Kind” as a limited edition flexi disc. Eschewing the usual digital download/stream route for singles, the Attack have instead opted for their somewhat more esoteric physical medium, released in conjunction with Paper + Plastick. (Sidenote for collectors of new Florida punk wax: You…
Do the ‘Harlem Shake’ with Baauer at Venue 578’s Ignition reunion
History may never remember dance music producer Harry Bauer Rodrigues, but the 26-year-old can claim at least one thing that will forever be immortalized in time: the Harlem Shake. You might cringe now, but let’s not forget when those videos of groups dancing to a short excerpt of the 2012 song “Harlem Shake” were actually…
The Social named one of the greatest venues in America
The music website Consequence of Sound has named Orlando’s The Social as one of the “100 Greatest Music Venues in America.” Coming in at number 96, the Social was praised by COS as “the city’s best place to catch rock, electronic, and weekly acid jazz sets.” COS further notes: “The midsize venue is mostly built around concerts,…
Matt Woods’ full-band return and the Southern grace of Big Shoals
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Country-rocker Matt Woods is from Knoxville but practically has dual citizenship here with how often he comes through. And though he may not have the most sizable following here, he has something that most buzz-bands-du-jour can’t claim: real ride-or-die fans. His people are the kind who don’t just go to every one…
Orlando Police shoot, kill man armed with ‘simulated firearm’
The Orlando Police Department says two of its officers fired and killed a man that was armed with a “simulated firearm,” according to reports. OPD’s dispatch center received a call early Sunday morning from a witness who saw a black man “walking up and down” Orange Blossom Trail with a “chrome firearm.” The first officer…
Universal’s Volcano Bay is opening in less than a year, here’s everything we know about it
Volcano Bay, the new water park that Universal will open this coming spring, is installing water slides at this very moment, but there’s still a lot that we don’t know. Specifics for the new park have been slim, but there are a few details that we do know. The most obvious is the highly visible…
Disney is about to pit its biggest park against its worst performing resort
While Disney readies to open its most ambitious resort project with Shanghai Disney Resort, just a short flight away, the world’s largest entertainment company is struggling to turn around the fledgling Hong Kong Disneyland. Since opening in 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland, which includes a Magic Kingdom-style park and two hotels, has struggled. After overcrowding the…
Rick Scott gets dragged by California Gov. Jerry Brown at Beverly Hills conference
Gov. Rick Scott spent the second day of his job-recruitment trip to California touting Florida’s business climate. California Gov. Jerry Brown, keeping an eye on Scott, continued to mock the Florida governor for taking such trips while ignoring the economic and social impacts of climate change. “So, while you’re enjoying a stroll on one of…
Local Puerto Ricans call out Congress after island misses debt payment
After Puerto Rican Gov. Alejandro García Padilla announced the U.S. commonwealth would not be making a $422 million debt payment due Monday, local Puerto Rican leaders and activists rallied in Orlando against Wall Street banks, vulture funds and politicians in Congress who won’t help the island. “The hardest thing to find on the island is a…
Propagation says they will close this month, and now the best Yelp page in Orlando is dead
Propagation, the Mills 50 furniture store and coffee shop that refused to offer WiFi, announced that they will be closing their doors for good this month. The shop made the official announcement last Sunday, May 1, on their Instagram page: As many of you know, coffee is not the only business we are involved in.…
Watch these Florida fishermen catch and release a massive and rare sawfish
A group of fishermen at the Naples Pier accidentally caught a massive smalltooth sawfish April 28, reports the Naples Daily News. Although it’s not known how big the creature was, the video shows that it was too large for the fishermen to reel up, forcing them to bring it to shore in order to try…
Universal to hire 2,500 new employees, bumps hourly pay to $10
On Monday, Universal Studios announced that it is currently hiring 2,500 more full-time, part-time and seasonal team members to prepare for this summer season. Universal will be filling positions in Culinary, Food Services, Security, Custodial, Parking & Transportation and Warehouse, among others. They also announced an hourly base pay raise to $10 that will go…
This Jacksonville Jaguars fan has the best answer for why they’ve sucked for the last 20 years
Local Jaguars fan speaks out about the Jaguars draft picks. Do you think the Jaguars will #StealTheShow this year? 🏈 pic.twitter.com/dCtVdyJeww — News4JAX (@wjxt4) May 2, 2016 This hardcore Jacksonville Jaguar fan is not surprised that her team claims to have had the best draft in the NFL. As you can see in the above…
Merlin, the parent company of Legoland and Orlando Eye, admits fault in major theme park accident
Merlin, the parent company of Legoland Florida and the Orlando Eye, has made an unusual move by admitting it was responsible for a major theme park accident. The accident took place at Merlin’s U.K.- based Alton Towers on the Smiler coaster, where a ride vehicle containing guests crashed into an empty carriage that was on the…
Congress members want answers on Florida’s revised HIV numbers
Eleven of Florida’s Democratic and Republican members of Congress want Gov. Rick Scott to explain how the Florida Department of Health revised its count of new HIV infections in 2014 from 6,147 to 4,613, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The Times first reported the 25-percent change, saying the adjustment was much larger than those made…
Revisit the Golden Age of Thrash when Prong tears up the Haven
Almost exactly 26 years ago, Prong released one of the most tightly wound, surgically effective, gloriously brutal thrash albums ever made. That Beg to Differ came at the tail end of the Golden Age of Thrash was irrelevant, as the New York trio was both closing the book on underground thrash and opening the door…
Put on some make-up and turn up the 8-track for a Hedwig cabaret at the Abbey
When the earth was still flat and the clouds made of fire, there was a stylish punk rocker by the name of Hedwig. Her life, chronicled in the hit musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, is a tragic tale of sacrifice and communism, of love and loss, of surgery and a very angry inch. With…
Disney Springs is getting a Sprinkles cupcake ATM
YES THIS IS HAPPENING. On May 15, Sprinkles will open at Disney Springs and will, in sweet, sweet victory for this city, bring a cupcake ATM to the fictitious shores of Lake Buena Vista. This will be the 20th location for Sprinkles (there’s one in Tampa already with a cupcake ATM if you’ve braved the…
Documentary on punk legends the Damned to screen at the Enzian
Don’t You Wish We Were Dead, the documentary on flamboyant and incendiary OG punks the Damned, will be screening for one night only in Orlando next week. A co-production of Park Ave CDs and the Enzian Theater, the film will be shown at the aforementioned Enzian at 9:30 pm on Monday, May 2nd that’s it. …
Fast-rising Florida rapper Denzel Curry blazes up the underground (The Social)
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Denzel Curry is a pretty exciting young Bahamian rapper rising from South Florida. He was launched by fellow Carol City breakout SpaceGhostPurrp and formerly rolled in his group Raider Klan (or RVIDXR KLVN for those young enough to fuck with fussy-ass alphabetical styling). But he’s staking ground now as his own man and…
Video evidence proving Lake Eola swans hate Orlando bike cops
It’s common knowledge that swans, though beautiful to look at, are mean as hell. They hate pretty much everyone, but did you know that swans also hate Orlando bike cops? Recently released body cam footage shows Orlando Police officers near Lake Eola learning the hard way that swans don’t care about a badge. In what might…
Orlando-based musician Froomador releases new CD
Froomador, the solo outlet for Orlando-based musician Ryan Froom, has just released both digital and physical versions of his new album Can’t This Wait. For taking the plunge on a CD, we salute you. Froomador has expanded their earlier, more surf-y palette while still keeping the sun-dazed indie-folk core intact. Parts of it almost remind…
Orange County Sheriff’s deputy tries to keep truck from being towed by screaming and flashing her badge
“I am a cop. You’re going to (expletive) jail for stealing my car,” said off-duty Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy Tracy Weiss in a fruitless attempt to keep her truck from being towed. According to WFLA, the incident happened last Tuesday, April 26, at the Starlight Ranch Retirement Community off Pershing Avenue. Universal Towing…
Go get bit at the Doghouse, opening in College Park tomorrow
Brad and Christina Cowherd, proprietors of College Park favorites Infusion Tea and the Soda Fountain, have opened a third Edgewater Drive restaurant. The Doghouse opens to friends and family today, serving “crazy dogs and loaded tots.” (Cue Homer Simpson drool now.) The owners and their relatives have informally shared around an invitation to the soft…
This drone footage of New Smyrna Beach is mildly interesting
Shot by Oscar Gonzalez with a Phantom 4 aerial drone, the footage shows New Smyrna Beach in a whole new light. Sometimes things just look a little better from up above. It’s also nice to not see any sharks. Related Stories
Judge rejects Florida’s claim against Gainesville abortion clinic
An administrative law judge Thursday rejected a state agency’s arguments that a Gainesville abortion clinic should be fined for performing second-trimester abortions without a proper license. In a 25-page ruling, Judge Lawrence P. Stevenson concluded that the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration had failed to make its case against Bread & Roses Well Woman…
Inaugural Florida Salsa Fest brings the heat to Thornton Park
Viva la salsa! Heat things up this Uno de Mayo at the first ever Florida Salsa Fest in Thornton Park, where hot and spicy sauces reign supreme. Sway to salsa music, shake it with fiery salsa dancers from Mango’s Tropical Cafe and sample all-you-can-eat tastings from 30 different salsas from professional and amateur chefs. Plus,…
The Glorious Rebellion make a major league leap with new album ‘Euphoric’
Orlando noise-rock band the Glorious Rebellion keeps the heat on the street with fairly regular area performances, often appearing alongside heavy-hitting touring names like KEN Mode, Holly Hunt, Black Tusk, Black Cobra and Jucifer. Even with all that, though, little prepared us for the bare-knuckle impact of their raging new record. Euphoric – TGR’s first…
Magic forward Jason Smith to devour a 2-pound ribeye at Smokey Bones in Sanford tonight
Arby’s ain’t the only ones to “have the meats.” Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill is introducing their new 2-pound smoked ribeye steak dinner, and tonight at 6 p.m. at the Sanford location, Orlando Magic forward-center Jason Smith will attempt to devour the entire thing (plus two side salads and dessert). If he succeeds, Smokey…
Watch this landscaper therapeutically run over a Trump lawn sign in Orlando
An Orlando landscaper decided to repeatedly run over a Donald Trump campaign sign, something many of us have only dreamt of. According to WKMG, the landscaper was caught on security cameras destroying the sign at a home in the Citrus Chase neighborhood. The resident told the station that he found his sign bent and mangled…
Florida’s legal bills mount over gambling dispute with Seminole Tribe
Florida has paid more than $260,000 to private law firms in gambling lawsuits involving the Seminole Tribe of Florida, with the likelihood of hundreds of thousands of dollars more on the horizon. The Seminoles and the state are fighting over the tribe’s “exclusive” right to operate banked card games, including blackjack, at five of the…
UCF police chief apologizes for “Middle Eastern gun man/woman” alert, but defends response
University of Central Florida Police Chief Richard Beary apologized Wednesday for an alert sent out that described a “Middle Eastern gun man/woman” on campus, but defended the department’s response to the situation. “These are time-sensitive situations,” he says. “I personally apologize if it was insensitive and we upset people, that was never our intent, and I’m…
Orlando man learns important lesson: Raccoons will bite your dumb ass
While feeding a few local raccoons, an Orlando man learned a valuable lesson: Raccoons will bite your dumb ass. In a video posted to YouTube, Braddock Baskett spots a gang of Orlando raccoons (or, a “gaze” of raccoons) in a back parking lot. “I’ve never seen this many raccoons,” he says, while holding a little snack…
Marion County School Board blocks transgender kids from choosing bathroom
The Marion County School Board voted 4-1 to pass a measure that restricts students’ access to school bathrooms based on their birth sex, not gender identity. The Ocala Star-Banner reports the issue arose after a local parent complained his son’s right to privacy was violated because he had to share a bathroom with a transgender…
A TLU remembrance of local artist Morgan Steele
I didn’t know Morgan Steele in that IRL sort of way. Normally, I draw a line there. But with an essence so uncontainable, permeant and sui generis, he was an exception. Unlike the vague composites we have of our further acquaintances, Morgan was a blazingly detailed figure. He was as much local color as he…
New season of Eddie Huang’s show ‘Huang’s World’ premieres tonight on Viceland
Hometown son Eddie Huang’s show Huang’s World, long a web viewing staple, premieres tonight (April 28) on Viceland, Vice’s new cable channel. (We’ve written about Eddie, uh, a few times before.) This’ll be the second season of <before.) this'll="" be="" the="" second="" season="" of="" Huang’s World and the first on “real” TV. Here’s the trailer;…
Rick Scott wants you to stop trying to stop Donald Trump
While some have said the idea of Vice President Rick Scott is laughable, that hasn’t stopped the Florida governor from gunning for Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s heart, this time by trying to convince his party to stop trying get rid of the billionaire. In a Facebook post, Scott says: “It is time for the…
Nine Inch Nails’ grotesque film Broken finally makes its way online
Years before Nine Inch Nails’ headman Trent Reznor soundtracked the Social Network, he was involved in … let’s just say a very different kind of movie. Coming off the commercial high of the Pretty Hate Machine, and a high profile slot on the first Lollapalooza tour, Reznor had a very adverse reaction to the fame…
Florida appeals court sides with Trump on failed beachfront hotel/condo project
Donald Trump didn’t misrepresent his role in a beachfront project in Fort Lauderdale that went bust in 2009, a Florida appeals court has ruled. Investors in the project have battled for years to get back hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits from the real estate developer – who’s now the Republican presidential frontrunner, banking…
23 free concerts in Orlando this week (4/27-5/3)
Wednesday April 27 Ancient Sun 10 pm at Tanqueray’s, 100 S. Orange Ave. Cody Webb 8 pm at The Tin Roof, 8371 International Drive. Eugene Snowden’s Ten Pints Of Truth 10 pm at Lil Indies, 1036 N. Mills Ave. Oriented Music Group Open Jam 10:45 pm at St. Matthew’s Tavern, 1300 N. Mills Ave. Reggae Night with…
This year, Florida will probably break 2015’s record for dead panthers
2015 witnessed more panther deaths than any other year, and last night we hit the halfway mark to beating that record. A Florida panther, our state animal, was struck and killed by a motorist Tuesday evening, bringing this year’s death-by-car total to 16, which is more than half of 2015’s record of 30 car-related deaths. …
20 Orlando tacos you need to try ASAP
A kaleidoscopic cornucopia of tacos
Home is where the art is for Theatre Downtown
Psycho Beach Party runs at the Venue through May 1
Opening in Orlando: Keanu, Mother’s Day, Papa Hemingway in Cuba and Ratchet & Clank
Keanu In a world where Prince dies at age 57 and Bernie Sanders turns out to be just another vindictive, self-interested jerk, it’s easy to become jaded. But every now and then, a movie project comes along the core elements of which simply resist cynicism. To wit; Key & Peele + Cat. Key & Peele…
Savage Love (4/27/16)
I am a trans man and I have no love life. But I did just hook up with a friend two nights ago. It was the first time I’ve had sex in more than a year. My problem is that it was a “one-time thing.” I’m furious with myself for giving that away for what…
This Little Underground: Goodbye to Matt Gersting, Sales’ mystique continues to grow, Southern Fried Sunday goes indie with the Heligoats and Zoya Zafar
2016 continues to be ruthless to global music icons, but a key figure was also lost here. To the local scene, Matt Gersting was a longtime fixture as a player in notable bands like the Sugar Oaks and an all-around smart fan. Later, he took on stand-up, becoming a vital mover in ushering the Orlando…
Lulu Eightball (4/27/16)
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This Modern World (4/27/16)
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Orlando creative community shocked by deaths of comedian Matt Gersting and artist Morgan Steele
Though the world is still mourning the loss of musical icon Prince at age 57, hearts were broken here in Orlando due to the deaths of two local icons: Matt Gersting and Morgan Steele. Gersting, who first rose to prominence as a musician – most notably in the Sugar Oaks and an early incarnation of…
Free Will Astrology (4/27/16)
ARIES (March 21-April 19) The oracle I’m about to present may be controversial. It contains advice that most astrologers would never dare to offer an Aries. But I believe you are more receptive than usual to this challenge, and I am also convinced that you especially need it right now. Are you ready to be…
Selections: Our picks of the week’s best events, April 27 – May 3
Wednesday, April 27 The Three Headed Moron Tour COMEDY Though Spacebar’s Wednesday night comedy show features top local talent on the regular, they’ve also become the No. 1 booker for underground out-of-town comedy over the past year or so. Comics who are not quite big enough for the Improv feature at Spacebar on a regular…
Gimme Shelter (4/27/16)
Are you looking for a new “buddy” to hang out with? Buddy (A346425) is a 4-year-old dog who is looking for a forever home. This sweet dog is a gentle giant! He is a very friendly boy and he has a calm and mellow personality. Buddy loves attention, and he really loves to be petted!…
Picks This Week: Death Cab for Cutie, Fat Trel, Glen Phillips and more
The New Sam Rivers’ RivBea Orchestra This 16-piece jazz ensemble carries on the adventurous legacy of mentor/iconoclast Sam Rivers, in the somewhat offbeat environs of Will’s Pub. 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, at Will’s Pub, $7-$10 Death Cab for Cutie Veteran indie poppers still crazy after all these years, hitting the road again behind new…
Indie rockers Tokyo Police Club seek connection through sound
Concert preview
Armando’s Cucina finally opens in College Park, Union Burger packs it up and moves back to Canada, plus more local foodie news
NOW OPEN At last! Armando’s Cucina Italiana & Pizzeria has opened on Edgewater Drive in College Park … Soupa Saiyan, a Dragon Ball Z-themed Asian fusion and Vietnamese restaurant, has opened on Vineland Road, nimbus clouds and all. If you can get your paws on a bowl (supplies are limited!), don’t miss the deep-fried quail…
