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16 questions with ‘Top Chef Masters’ winner Marcus Samuelsson

Marcus Samuelsson’s journey from being a toddler in war-torn Ethiopia to becoming one of the most recognizable chefs in the world is the stuff movies are made of. When Marcus was 1 year old, his birth mother carried him (born Kassahun Tsegie) on her back and took him and his sister on a 75-mile walk…

Florida lawmakers take aim at opioid crisis

Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala held a roundtable discussion Tuesday in Palm Beach County with lawmakers, local leaders and public-safety officials to address Florida’s opioid crisis. Palm Beach County is one of the epicenters of the epidemic. From January through May of this year, the county had 311 opioid overdoses, compared to 258 over the…

Andrew Gillum cleared in Tallahassee software probe

A Leon County grand jury has cleared Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum after an investigation into whether software purchased with tax dollars was used for political purposes. The 11-page grand jury report, dated Monday, ends a months-long probe involving Gillum’s actions as Tallahassee mayor. But the city government continues to be embroiled in a broader…

Animal advocates want SeaWorld to release details of Tilikum’s death

Animal advocates say SeaWorld is “stonewalling” over releasing a copy of the necropsy done on Tilikum, the infamous orca featured in the 2013 documentary Blackfish who died earlier this year. SeaWorld officials announced in January that Tilikum had died of a bacterial pneumonia after decades of living in captivity. The male orca, believed to be around 36…

Goth supergroup Poptone will play Orlando this winter

Gothic/alt-rock supergroup Poptone – featuring members of Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, Tones on Tail and Diva – has announced an Orlando show in December as part of a U.S. tour. The Poptone trio of Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins and Diva Dompe will be touring the U.S. playing cuts from all three of these seminal projects.…

Athens’ Five Eight to play Billy Manes memorial show in September

Athens indie-rock stalwarts Five Eight are heading down to the City Beautiful at the end of September to play a memorial show for local legend (and friend-of-the-band) Billy Manes. Another Manes-favored act – ORL powerhouse the Pauses – will take part in the night as well, an event sponsored by the Billy Manes Foundation. Five…

New wave legends Blondie bring rapture to Hard Rock Live

Forty years in and still glamorously grinding, Blondie – with the creative core of Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke intact – are on tour behind their 11th studio album, Pollinator. The band started as a group of punks creating music in New York City’s mythical ’70s downtown scene – alongside Suicide, the Ramones…

Ben & Jerry’s pushes petition to restore voting rights to ex-felons in Florida

Ben and Jerry’s, the ice cream company known for politically charged flavors like Empower Mint and Save Our Swirled is backing a grass-roots initiative to add an automatic felon voting rights restoration amendment to Florida’s 2018 ballot. The Vermont-based company has been spreading the word across the digital landscape, sending out emails to subscribing Ben & Jerry’s…

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer is about to get seriously ‘pwnd’

Today, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will be introduced to Call of Duty, a popular first-person shooter video game in which at any moment a teenager you’ve never met, from another country, will likely claim they banged your mom. Dyer, a giant n00b, will face off with Call of Duty World champion Bryan Zhelyazkov, and as they…

Putnam pitches land deals to protect military bases

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican candidate for governor, said Tuesday the state needs to increase spending for land preservation to help protect military bases from closure. Putnam voiced displeasure that state lawmakers did not provide more money during the current budget year for conservation efforts. Lawmakers set aside $10 million for the state’s…

Blues guitarist Jonny Lang announces Orlando show for January

Blues guitarist Jonny Lang has just announced 25 new dates for his “Signs” tour starting later this year, including a clutch of Florida shows and – most importantly – an Orlando show in early 2018. Lang will be airing songs from his soon-to-be-released album Signs (Sept. 8), his first new work in several years. Jonny Lang…

Disney unveils new statue to honor toddler killed by alligator

Disney recently unveiled a new statue that honors Lane Thomas Graves, the 2-year-old boy who was killed last year by an alligator at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. The gold and blue lighthouse sculpture is a symbol of the Lane Thomas Foundation, and is located near the spot where the June 14, 2016, incident occurred.…

Electric Barbarella tribute to Billy Manes set for end of August

Just announced: Electric Barbarella: A Tribute to Billy Manes, a big communal remembrance and celebration of the singular and much-missed Manes via, appropriately enough, a gigantic “new wave dance party” at the Beacham, Expect to hear Duran Duran. Electric Barbarella: A Tribute to Billy Manes is happening at the Beacham Theater on Wednesday, Aug. 30…

John Morgan is now getting support from Roger Stone and Snoop Dogg

John Morgan, an Orlando attorney who is currently suing the state of Florida for the right to smoke pot, has been garnering support for a possible gubernatorial run from just about all ends of the political spectrum, or at least from anyone who loves to “smoke weed every day.” Last week, Roger Stone, a guy…

You can now fly direct from Orlando to Amsterdam

It’s now slightly more convenient to hop on a plane and fly to the land of tulips and, you know, other fun stuff. Starting March 30, 2018, Delta Air Lines (in partnership with KLM/Air France) will offer nonstop flights from Orlando International Airport to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Boeing 767-300 aircraft will leave daily at 9:45 p.m. and arrive…

Pride Fund creates educational fellowship in honor of Billy Manes

The Pride Fund to End Gun Violence announced Monday the creation of an educational fellowship honoring the life of one of its board members, Billy Manes. Manes, 45, was a journalist, activist, a longtime columnist for Orlando Weekly and most recently, the former editor-in-chief at the local LGBTQ publication Watermark. An Orlando icon, he died…

Mary Poppins’ Cherry Tree Lane may be headed to Epcot

Back in July when Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek confirmed that Ratatouille and Guardians of the Galaxy are headed to Epcot, he mentioned much more was planned for the park in the coming years. With Ratatouille nearly doubling the size of the France pavilion, Disney is looking to add other attractions to…

Band of the Week: Capstan

Welcome to Orlando Weekly’s “Band of the Week.” Every week, we highlight one of our favorite local bands. This week, we’re pleased to bring you Capstan. Capstan is playing Will’s Pub on Tuesday, August 8 with Belmont, The Year I Disappear, False Narrative, and Fort Misery. Just the facts: Who’s in the band?Anthony DeMario -…

Theater review: ‘Daddy Issues’ at Parliament House

Parliament House producer Tim Evanicki has brought writer-director David Goldyn’s comedy Daddy Issues to Orlando direct from its 2016 Off-Broadway debut, and the ridiculous results are a treat no matter which team you play for. Donald Moscowitz (Wes Miles) is a struggling actor in early-’80s Manhattan whose career mainly consists of failed callbacks for cat…

Animal rights group plans ‘Justice For Snooty’ protest this weekend

Florida Voices for Animals, an animal rights non-profit organization based in Tampa Bay, is holding a “Justice For Snooty” protest tomorrow afternoon. On July 23, Snooty died in captivity at the South Florida Museum when he swam into a plumbing compartment after a blockade was dislodged. He became trapped due to his size (1,300 lbs.)…

New ‘Lion’s Den’ bar opening near Orlando City stadium

Lion’s Pride—the Orlando City Soccer Club-themed bar—opened a few months ago, but it’s not to be confused with an all new Orlando City bar and cafe concept also coming to Church St. “The Lion’s Den,” located at 642 W. Church St., will operate as a bar on game days and a cafe or private event…

Tampa now has a boiled peanut restaurant called Tasty Nutz

Boiled peanuts are a big deal in Florida and as Dr. Dre once pointed out, big money and big nuts go hand in hand. Now, “Food engineer” Albion Williams Jr. has opened a dedicated boiled peanuts restaurant in Tampa called Tasty Nutz Peanuts. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Williams opened Tasty Nutz after a flood of…

Melbourne official wants to defund parades featuring Confederate flag

A Melbourne City Council member wants the city to defund parades featuring the Confederate flag. Florida Today reports Melbourne Councilwoman Teresa Lopez made a motion Monday to remove $6,500 of taxpayer dollars given to the Fourth of July parade, the Memorial Day parade and the Veterans Day parade. During those parades, Confederate flags are usually displayed…

Rotten Stitches and Blue Tower bring Atlanta punk heat to Uncle Lou’s

THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Rotten Stitches, Blue Tower and Control This, Uncle Lou’s, Aug. 2 The prime feature of a recent and diverse bill at Uncle Lou’s were a couple of touring Atlanta bands that are from the same geographical area but occupy different stylistic ground. Rotten Stitches are a strand of street punk that veers…

New virtual reality ‘Star Wars’ experience coming to Disney Springs

A new Star Wars “hyper-reality” experience is coming to Disney Springs later this year. ILMxLAB, the entertainment division of Lucasfilm, teamed up with virtual and mixed-reality design company The VOID to create a “hyper-reality” experience incorporating physical environments with immersive imagery and sound. According to a press release from Lucasfilm, ILMxLAB and The VOID, the new…

The former cop who punched a Florida valet has finally been charged

More than a week later, a former cop from New Smyrna Beach has finally been charged after a video showed him sucker-punching a valet at a South Florida resort. According to WTVJ, John Kiernan was charged with misdemeanor battery for punching valet attendant Rudolph Rodriguez at Ocean Sky Hotel & Resort in Fort Lauderdale over an…

Florida beachgoers help rescue stranded manatees

A group of beachgoers and firefighters in Clearwater Beach got up close and personal while rescuing three manatees that washed ashore on Wednesday. Clearwater Fire & Rescue tweeted a series of videos showing crew members and the public strategically pushing the sea cows back into the water. The weight of the Clearwater manatees wasn’t reported,…

‘American Idol’ auditions coming to Disney Springs

Grab your water bottles and sunscreen and finalize that audition piece because the American Idol bus is coming to Disney Springs in two weeks! According to the Disney Parks blog, auditions with the show’s producers will be held outdoors at Disney Springs (1486 Buena Vista Drive) on Thursday, Aug. 17. Registration begins at 6 a.m., and will…

Floridians continue pulling plug on landlines

Landlines are quickly going the way of rotary-dial phones in Florida. A state report released this week showed that large numbers of Floridians continue unplugging the types of phone lines that were a fixture of life for decades. Instead, they are reaching into their pockets for mobile phones or using internet technology to chat with…

Swervedriver to play classic albums in Orlando in September

U.K. shoegaze/noise pioneers Swervedriver are set to undertake a monthlong U.S. tour in September, where the band will be playing two of their most-loved albums – Raise (1991) and Mezcal Head (1993) – all the way through each night. There is only one Florida show scheduled and it is in Orlando! Swervedriver performs Raise and Mezcal…

Stephanie Murphy introduces new bill to help families pay for child care

Today, Florida congresswoman Stephanie Murphy introduced a bipartisan bill that could make child care more affordable for lower income and middle class families. The Promoting Affordable Care for Everyone (PACE) Act, which was introduced by Reps. Kevin Yoder, R-Ky., and Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla, will give families of four making under $15,000 per year an annual refund of…

Video: Florida airport worker survives lightning strike

A ground worker was released from the hospital this week after being struck by lightning at Southwest Florida International Airport. Surveillance camera footage, which was initially shot two weeks ago and just recently released by the airport, shows 21-year-old Austin Dunn getting thrown back from the jolt while standing next to a Sun Country Airlines plane. According to…

Florida issues more medical marijuana licenses

Two more medical-marijuana businesses have joined seven already licensed by the state, and another three are in the works, as the potentially lucrative industry continues to develop. The Florida Department of Health this week issued licenses to Tornello Landscape, also known as “3 Boys Farm,” and Plants of Ruskin, both based in Ruskin. Licenses for…

Opening in Orlando: The Dark Tower, Detroit and more

OPENING THIS WEEK: The Dark Tower Most movies have a simple agenda behind them, which is to be good and make money. Sometimes just the latter. But The Dark Tower has a whole passel of other objectives set out for it, including: function as both an adaptation of and a sequel to Stephen King’s popular…

Legal Public Notices 8/2

Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA IN RE: ESTATE OF JOHN T. GRIFFIN, Deceased. File No.: 17 CP 000097-O NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of JOHN T. GRIFFIN, deceased, whose date of death was December 28, 2016, and whose social security number is 135-20- 4940,…

Selections: Our picks for the best things to do this week in Orlando

Wednesday, 2 Paella and Beer Pairing EVENTS Paella: the perfect combination of seafood, meats, rice, veggies and spices. There are as many delicious variations as there are different chefs who have tried their hands at the classic Spanish dish. But it takes two to tango, and Deadly Sins is offering various brews to partner up…

Orlando and the world reflects on the life of Billy Manes

“In Billy’s short time with us, he made an indelible impact on our city and our country. He was a prominent Orlando journalist and commentator, and the power of his words moved and amused central Florida. Billy broke barriers, becoming the first openly gay mayoral candidate in Orlando’s history. After the tragic loss of his…

Savage Love: ‘Crossed Dressers’

My wife has been seriously ill for three years, and I have been her sole caregiver. The doctors here weren’t getting the job done, so we made the difficult decision for her to move 2,000 miles away to start over and be near her family. Our sex life has been nonexistent since she became ill.…

Gimme Shelter: Meet Cocoa!

Looking for a sweet addition to your family? Meet Cocoa! Cocoa (A384243) found herself looking for a new home because her owners could no longer care for her. She is 5 years old and super friendly! Cocoa’s previous owner said she knows basic commands, and that she is housebroken and walks well on a leash.…


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