Long before Mall at Millenia made the Conroy Road area a major shopping destination, a small model of Jerusalem was bringing visitors to the area. That scale model of Jerusalem was set just prior to the First Jewish-Roman War in 66 CE and was the work of a local preacher who had big dreams of…
With pre-pandemic crowds regularly causing its theme parks to close for capacity on the busiest days, Disney is seeking out new ways to make its shareholders happy. Earlier this year, it took one of the boldest moves since Bob Chapek took over as CEO last year when the company announced it would be ending the…
Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence is hoping to head to Orlando in early autumn as part fo his North American Lit AF Comedy Tour, so hurry up and get vaccinated because this is a man you don’t want to disappoint. On Friday, Sept. 24, Lawrence along with Rickey Smiley, DeRay Davis, Adele Givens and Clayton…
Tune in for a briefing with Press Secretary Jen Psaki. https://t.co/hKkLQetdW3 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 10, 2021 White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Florida public schools who have their funding stripped by state officials for imposing mask mandates can use federal COVID-19 relief funds from the American Rescue Plan. “The American…
Comedian and actor Bill Burr clearly has Florida on his mind lately, but he dedicated the opening segment of his latest podcast episode to ripping into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his COVID-19 response. On yesterday’s “Monday Morning Podcast,” Burr almost immediately started off by tearing into DeSantis for positioning himself as a presidential candidate…
Orlando, and indeed most of Florida, is in the “cone of uncertainty” for an approaching weather system that could strengthen into a named tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. The system, Potential Tropical Cyclone 6, is moving toward the Caribbean — with a tropical storm warning in effect for Puerto Rico already — and may impact South…
SeaWorld’s animal-centered park Discovery Cove announced the birth of a baby dolphin named Moby. According to the park, the calf was born on June 26 to park dolphins Starbuck and Nueces. Moby is apparently already 75 pounds and hitting all appropriate milestones for his age. The park is keeping him away from visitors during these…
The first Disney cruise ship to sail from Florida in more than 500 days left Port Canaveral yesterday. The Disney Dream sailed out for the Bahamas carrying a reduced load of passengers after successfully completing a test sailing last month. It is the first Disney Cruise Line ship to set sail from the U.S. since…
Thornton Park’s Veranda Live has been a bit quiet on the concert front for a while now, which is a shame because its outdoors setting for seeing live music is perfect for 2021. Well, you’ll get at least one more chance to check out some local lifers and troublemakers there at the end of August.…
Local school officials continue to grapple with implementing student mask policies as the school year begins this week in many counties. And as school districts navigate a requirement that parents be able to opt out of mask mandates for their children, the state is looking to target local school officials who don’t comply with the…
Pointing to a continued surge of COVID-19 cases, the Florida Democratic Party on Monday called off a major annual conference and fundraising event scheduled for the end of August in Orlando. The party said it was postponing the Leadership Blue event, which had been slated for Aug. 27 through Aug. 29, but did not indicate…
Enzian Theater in Maitland this month rolls out the ongoing program “Meet the Filmmaker” and — COVID willing — there are going to be some high-profile directors and stars taking part. Things kick off this very weekend with the documentary Searching for Mr. Rugoff, a look at the life of the iconoclast behind the Cinema 5 moviehouse chain,…
With Florida seeing a record number of manatee deaths this year, two congressmen Monday said they have introduced legislation that would designate the sea cows as an “endangered” species. The proposal by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., would upgrade the status of manatees under the Endangered Species Act from…
Admittedly, when celeb chef Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant group announced he’d open a restaurant in Orlando, I expected something a little glitzier — more akin to Jose Andres’s Jaleo or Morimoto Asia. He is the most-starred chef in the Michelin guide, after all. Well, this ain’t that. Ramsay’s family-friendly chip shop has taken over one of…
Given Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ role in helping to spread COVID-19, CNN reporter Jim Acosta is wondering why we don’t name a strain of the coronavirus after him. Acosta noted the way that state governors like DeSantis and Texas’ Greg Abbott have created conditions that have allowed the virus to rage in their states. “Perhaps…
South Florida-based grocery chain Presidente Supermarkets announced that they plan to open two more grocery stores in Orlando as part of a larger Central Florida expansion. One Orlando Presidente has already opened at 7653 Orange Blossom Trail. Another is expected to open in the next month at 2300 S. Chickasaw Trail. The third location is…
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced that the county plans to halt vaccinations at Barnett Park and move the operation to Camping World Stadium. On Tuesday, August 10, vaccinations will no longer be offered at Barnett Park. The new site at Camping World Stadium will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 days a…
Orange and Seminole County schools will return to in-person schooling tomorrow with mask requirements in place for students. Both school districts announced that they would require students to wear face masks for the first 30 days of school, which begins on Tuesday, August 10 in both counties. Parents in both districts can opt their child…
A federal judge Sunday sided with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in a constitutional challenge to Florida’s ban on so-called “vaccine passports,” clearing the way for the company to require passengers to show documentation that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 59-page ruling that granted a preliminary injunction against…
Florida reported 22,783 new cases of COVID-19 and 199 deaths on Thursday as it continued to get hit hard by the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus, information posted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday shows. Florida accounted for 28 percent of the 700 deaths reported nationally for the…
Gatorland are bringing back their Gators, Ghosts and Goblins for a third year this Halloween and it will definitely bring both the creepies and the crawlies. Gators, Ghosts and Goblins is a daytime event, free with regular park admission, that is appropriate for kids of all ages, as the old saying goes. Attractions this year include…
The Florida Board of Education voted on Friday to approve a system that would provide private school vouchers for students who feel they are being bullied into following COVID-19 safety procedures. A unanimous vote by the state board expanded the Hope Scholarships — which provide vouchers to bullied students — in such a way that…
An African art museum on International Drive is in danger of closing its doors. According to Bronze Kingdom owner Rawlvan Bennett, the museum housing thousands of pieces of African art might soon shutter. “The reason is COVID. COVID-19, we open up during the middle of COVID which was out of necessity, because we couldn’t stay…
The operators of longtime Winter Park restaurant Luma on Park and their former landlords have settled their lawsuits against one another. According to court documents, the dueling lawsuits over breach of contract have come to an end after the parties had it out in mediation. The restaurant claimed that their lease contained a stipulation freeing…
Orlando musician and scene fixture Jim O’Rourke passed away this week, leaving friends, fans and loved ones in the local music community and beyond shocked and saddened. “In terms of music, it doesn’t get any more Orlando than Jim. He was already an esteemed veteran when I was but a freshman on the scene,” said…
Parliament House is dead, long live Parliament House. The iconic LGBT resort will never open on Orange Blossom Trail again, but slimmed-down nightclub version of the storied venue is coming to downtown Orlando. For the sake of continuity, the owners of the club are hoping to bring some fondly remembered touches to their new home…
Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t want Florida businesses to require customers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to get served or to enter establishments, so he swayed lawmakers this spring to pass legislation banning “vaccine passports.” Now, the governor says he also doesn’t support hospitals requiring their staff members to get vaccinated. DeSantis would not say…
With Gov. Ron DeSantis threatening to withhold money from school districts that require students to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Thursday she is asking the federal government to help offset any lost state dollars. Fried, a Democrat who is running for governor in 2022, said she’s looking for…
You wouldn’t think a single U.S. House rep for a mid-sized Florida community could single-handedly create the conditions where your dollar is worth less than ever before. And you’d be right. That’s a stupid thing to think. But not being able to think the really stupid thoughts is what’s keeping people like is from getting…
Coronavirus cases are on the rise throughout the state and the Orlando area is no exception. During a briefing on the state of COVID-19 in Orange County on Aug. 5, Mayor Jerry Demings revealed that the county has seen 1,000 new cases per day every day this week. In addition to the sheer number of…
The pandemic won’t stop the City Beautiful from trying to improve the quality of life of its residents. The Rosemont Neighborhood Center’s new gymnasium finally opened its doors on Aug. 4. The new gym was announced in February. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and District 3 City Commissioner Robert F. Stuart made the opening official with a…
The expectations surrounding a Hall of Presidents robot have been lowered, thanks to Donald Trump’s bizarro Hillary Clinton look-alike animatronic. Still, Disney adults were excited when the new commander-in-chief took center stage. Joe Biden’s likeness appeared at Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents on Aug. 4. As we previously mentioned, the BidenBot comes with a layer of…
Universal Orlando has announced a new haunted house for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, and it’s the Halloween equivalent of a band playing a greatest-hits set. Halloween Horror Nights Icons: Captured brings together some of the most fearsome original characters from past years of HHN and crams them all together into one building for maximum…
As Florida hospitals treat record numbers of COVID-19 patients, some of the state’s biggest facilities are worried they might not have enough staff needed to provide care. Twelve Florida hospitals reported having a “critical staffing shortage” as of Monday, and another 15 hospitals reported that they expected critical shortages within the week, according to federal…
AdventHealth has put the Holy Land Experience out of its misery. After a year of only opening for brief windows to maintain tax-exempt status, the troubled Christian theme park has been offloaded to the hospital group. Orlando Business Journal reports that AdventHealth purchased the theme park grounds, noting that the sale doesn’t appear to include…
The Florida Education Association teachers union is backing school districts trying to work around Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order that bars schools from requiring students to wear masks during the COViD-19 pandemic. DeSantis’ executive order, in part, directed state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to withhold funding to school boards that don’t comply with the governor’s…
At least four Florida school districts are trying to work around Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order barring school boards from requiring students to wear masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic. DeSantis last week issued an executive order that, in part, directed Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to withhold funds from “noncompliant” school boards that impose mask…
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has responded to President Joe Biden’s chiding of the state’s COVID-19 response. Florida leads the nation in new coronavirus cases, a situation that is exacerbated by recent moves by DeSantis and the Florida legislature that make it harder mitigate the spread of the virus. Speaking on DeSantis’ orders that bar local…
What on earth is a high-end sports bar? How can the dug-in griminess and ever-present grease of the average TV-based watering hole mesh with the glossy aesthetics of a downtown nightclub? One bold and possibly confused group of developers is determined to find out. The former home of Finnhenry’s is set to become a “sports…
When you have stockholders, it literally pays to look at the world with rose-colored glasses. That’s the only motivation we can imagine for Walt Disney World bringing back their annual passes amid an ongoing coronavirus spike. The push to return to something like normalcy comes as Walt Disney World is gearing up for its 50th…
Orange County Public Schools have yet to open their doors to students and they are already monitoring dozens of cases of coronavirus. The school district already has 28 cases of COVID-19 with 23 of those being faculty members, according to a report from WESH. While the school district is not imposing a mask mandate for…
Florida leads the nation in the percentage of inpatient hospital beds occupied by people with COVID-19, according to data posted Tuesday by the federal government. As of Monday, 11,863 inpatient beds in Florida were being used by COVID-19 patients, about 22 percent of all inpatient beds in the state, the U.S. Department of Health and…
President Joe Biden on Tuesday criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approach to the COVID-19 pandemic as “bad health policy.” Biden, during a press briefing in the White House, was asked about moves by DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that have included such things as blocking school districts from requiring students to wear masks. “I…
Meet Gucci! This sweet girl is 1 year old and was surrendered by her owner back in May. She was fear-aggressive toward people and dogs. Everyone took their time, gave her tons of attention and love, and included her in play groups as often as they could. Now, almost three months later, Gucci (A471349) has…
We have a deal! Unless something goes pear-shaped. Unless House Democrats remember that they, too, were elected to play a role in the lawmaking process instead of rubber-stamping the dictates of a handful of senators. Unless Senate progressives think Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema is going to stab them in the back on the forthcoming…
Democracy dies in darkness, and so do plans for the Delta variant
Almost exactly 10 years ago, I set sail on my first-ever cruise aboard the since-scrapped Carnival Sensation and found that “bargain-basement vacation” to be better than I expected. However, after experiencing a few of its competitors, and suffering through a second Carnival cruise full of indifferent service and inebriated passengers, I swore to never again…
Our editors’ selections of the best stuff this week Wednesday, Aug. 4Art N’ SoulDowntown’s CityArts teams up with Tyla Harrington for a new monthly music/arts series dubbed, appropriately, Art N’ Soul. The debut show features Central Floridian soul singer Jarred Armstrong and the ethereal yet bluesy SoulBase. This series is one to add to your…
Déjà vu all over again
Premieres Wednesday: Cooking With Paris — Remember Paris Hilton? The city of Orlando once subsidized an entire nightclub in her name, and she didn’t even bother to show up for the grand opening. Anyway, she’s trying to learn how to cook now, and she wants you to watch. This isn’t even failing upward — it’s…
The hyperpartisan rhetoric Gov. DeSantis proliferates on the national and local stage is destroying America and the concept of mutual respect. Putting it in the words of his hero from Mar-a-Lago, his tenure as governor “is a beautiful, I mean I never seen such a beautiful” failure. Average America is done being politically correct, done…
OPENINGS: Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips will host a media gathering at its Icon Park location this weekend, which means it’ll likely open in the next couple of weeks … Bitebound, a fast-casual health food concept, will open this winter in the newly built City Place retail space at 1100 S. Orlando Ave. in Winter…
It’s been a busy week for local sounds that conjure up moodier sounds and atmospheres. Let’s dive right in. While accurate, calling the music of exceptional Cocoa Beach band Dunies “surf-punk” may be a bit too reductive. Indeed, they are, more than anything, a surf-punk band. But their recordings have occasionally shown other faces, and…
Dear Dan: I’m a 24-year-old gay man with a 31-year-old bi boyfriend. I’ve known since we got together that he’s a lot more sexually experienced than I am, but it’s never been a big deal before now. This weekend, he met my parents for what we thought would be the first time. But it turns…
The bad moon of the Delta variant’s still on the rise, so be smart if you go out. Weedeater, Joe Buck Yourself, Adam Faucett: I wish more bills were this manifold. Having North Carolina sludge dealers Weedeater at the top of the bill might set some very metal expectations for the rest of the night,…
