Cover Story
A dozen Orlando groups doing essential work that’s worth your dollars
This is our second year of singling out 12 local organizations that could use your financial support, and things have changed. Many of 2020’s groups were COVID-related, and although the pandemic continues, some of those crisis-responsive support systems are no longer in operation. Orlando seems to have returned to the tried-and-true organizations helping those in…
All the 2021-2022 New Year’s Eve parties in Orlando that we know about
We’re all ready for this year to be over. If you’re anything like us, you’re too bleary-eyed and beaten-down by the second year of the pandemic to do much planning for how to ring in 2022. Luckily for you, it’s our job to stay on top of this stuff. We’ve thrown together all the events…
Everything we know about Universal’s upcoming Epic Universe park
With pre-construction site work underway, in late 2019, NBCUniversal announced their most ambitious stateside theme park development in their more than 100-year history. Just as action on the site began to ramp up in 2020, the pandemic caused a multi-month pause on the project. But as 2021 wraps up, we’re now seeing significant construction starting…
Legal Public Notices 12/22 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices FLORIDA DISCOUNT SELF STORAGE Personal property of the following tenants will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder for cash to satisfy a rental lien in accordance with Florida Statutes, Sections 83.801 – 83.809. Auctions will be held on the premises at locations and times indicated below. Wednesday…
“Dragons + Fairies” to run wild in Orlando’s Leu Gardens early next year
First scientists detect possible evidence of life on Venus, and now comes news that Leu Gardens is set to be overrun by dragons and fairies in January. Not bad for a Tuesday. The Creative City Project has announced its next outdoors, immersive experience kicking off in January, a phantasmagorical collaboration with the Memoir Agency dubbed…
AdventHealth announces 21% COVID-19 positivity rate, largest spike they’ve ever seen in pandemic
AdventHealth is seeing some concerning spikes in COVID-19 positivity among their Central Florida campuses as the Omicron variant pushes surges across the United States. In a live briefing from the hospital group, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Victor Herrera said that their campuses saw a spike from under 5% positivity to 21% positivity. Herrera called it…
Nearly a third of unvaccinated healthcare workers seeking new positions are considering a move to Florida
As a federal mandate requiring healthcare workers to get vaccinated hangs over their heads, many unvaccinated workers are quitting rather than getting a shot against COVID-19. A new study found that Florida was the main destination for healthcare workers considering a move out-of-state from locales planning more strict enforcement of vaccination for those who work…
Orlando’s Soft Collective to host game-changing Florida hip-hop duo They Hate Change
Orlando DJ alliance the Soft Collective return to action later this month, bringing the boundary-pushing Tampa hip-hop duo They Hate Change to town — a can’t-miss proposition. On Sunday, Dec. 26, They Hate Change will headline the Geek Easy in Winter Park, supported by Soft Collective QTPOC DJs I-srafil, DJ GAY-Z, bounce kisses and fkingfullmetal. After starting out…
Florida man banned from airline for wearing thong as mask compares himself to Rosa Parks
A Florida resident who was banned for life from an airline after defying a federal mask mandate by wearing lacy undergarments on his face, says he’s basically the same as civil rights icon Rosa Parks, a Black woman who famously refused to move from her seat for a white passenger on a bus in 1955.…
Environmentalist groups file lawsuit against EPA over record manatee deaths
Three conservation groups moved Monday toward filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection over water-quality problems that have led to a record number of manatee deaths this year in Florida. The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and the Save the Manatee Club filed a notice that is a precursor to suing the…
Lawsuit against Florida’s vote-by-mail restrictions will be heard next month
A legal showdown over a controversial state elections law is set to take place next month, after a federal judge rejected efforts to short-circuit a trial in constitutional challenges by voting-rights groups. The League of Women Voters of Florida, the Florida Conference of the NAACP, Disability Rights Florida and a number of other groups filed…
Kraken Music Festival set to be unleashed on Orlando in February
The Kraken Music Festival is returning to Orlando for a sequel to 2021’s event in February, with a lineup featuring an eclectic mix of heavy flavors. Surfacing at the Orlando Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fairgrounds (hey, it’s outside at least) on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, the Kraken is an all-dayer running from 2 p.m. to…
Key West standby Sloppy Joe’s opens in Orlando’s Icon Park
Who’s ready to get sloppy? Stalwart Key West eatery Sloppy Joe’s has established a northward outpost in Orlando’s Icon Park, and on Monday opened the doors to their new location in the shadow of the Wheel. A Key West institution since 1933, and almost as emblematic of the island as Hemingway’s six-toed cats, the resto…
New paid Disney shuttle service launches following axing of Magical Express
Disney will do away with its complimentary Magical Shuttle service at the end of the year. The free shuttle from the airport for resort guests was given an expiration date by CEO Bob Chapek during the height of the pandemic. But future guests won’t be entirely stranded at MCO. A new, paid shuttle service just…
Downtown Orlando bars sue federal government over SBA grant disbursement
Several downtown Orlando bars are involved in a federal lawsuit against the Small Business Administration and its administrators. The Stagger Inn, Harry Buffalo and Other Bar joined in a complaint filed on behalf of a host of bars across Florida and Ohio, arguing that they never received Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants from the organization. At…
Dance festival-as-hotel takeover Dirtybird CampINN returns to Orlando in February
Dirtybird CampINN — the event that takes the festival out of the customary wide-open field and plops it into a hotel with the mod cons a tent would seem to lack — is plotting an Orlando return in February. Taking over the entirety of the Wyndham Orlando Resort on International Drive over the weekend of Feb. 25-27, the event…
‘Eyes Wide Shut’ to screen at Whippoorwill Beer House tonight, get ready for ‘Christmas movie or not’ debates
Sure, everyone loves to have the “Die Hard is/isn’t a Christmas movie” argument around this time every year, but meanwhile we’re over here wondering where all the talk is about the eerie holiday atmospherics that suffuse Eyes Wide Shut — which is screening in Orlando tonight. Eyes Wide Shut, the infamous final film by Stanley…
Orlando Rep. Stephanie Murphy will not seek fourth term in Congress
U.S. House Rep. Stephanie Murphy will not seek a fourth term in Congress. Murphy has represented Florida’s 7th Congressional District since 2016. She took control of the district that includes Winter Park, Oviedo, Altamonte Springs and Sanford by unseating Republican John Mica after 12 straight terms. In a statement announcing her decision, she cited a…
TikTok gets in on Orlando’s ghost kitchen game
“TikTok ghost kitchen.” It sounds like a phrase found in the wreckage of two cars on their way to different marketing meetings. It’s the sort of phrase that will lodge into your brain and eventually give you an aneurysm. It’s the reverse (or maybe just the financialized) “cellar door.” And it’s 100% real. According to…
Deli Desires and Little Giant are teaming up for a non-celebratory Christmas feast this week
Jewish delis and Chinese takeaways are traditional Christmas food for non-Christians. As many of the country’s restaurants close their doors to celebrate the holiday that has metastasized to consume all of December and most of November, these spots are frequently the only ones open on Dec. 25. With that in mind, it’s almost surprising we’ve…
Orlando Magic game postponed due to coronavirus
The NBA has postponed today’s Orlando Magic game against the Toronto Raptors due to concerns over surging coronavirus cases and a lack of eligible players. The league postponed a slate of five games in the early part of this week because significant portions of team rosters were either injured or under the league’s coronavirus exposure…
Felix Da Housecat to make Orlando debut at Barbarella in January
After a year of pretty big bookings of the likes of DJ Three and Louie Vega, the Discothèque club night in downtown Orlando won’t be doing any laurel-resting in 2022. Indeed, the recent announcement of a headlining set by Felix Da Housecat next month will kick the year off in essential fashion. The house music legend will…
COVID-19 deaths in Florida continue to climb
More than 62,200 Florida residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic hit the state in early 2020, according to a weekly Department of Health report issued Friday. The report said the death toll as of Thursday was 62,220, up from 62,026 reported a week earlier. Lags in reporting make it unclear when the additional…
COVID-19 hospitalizations tick up
The number of Florida hospital inpatients with COVID-19 increased during the past week, according to data posted online Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The data showed that 1,556 inpatients had COVID-19, up from 1,389 a week earlier. Meanwhile, the Thursday numbers showed 278 COVID-19 patients were in intensive-care units, up…
Parkland cyberstalker’s conviction upheld
A federal appeals court Thursday upheld the conviction of a man who posed online as mass murderers and sent harassing messages to family members and friends of students who died in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a…
Florida legislators want to require playing of national anthem at pro sports games
The state Senate and House will consider a proposal that would require Florida professional sports teams receiving government assistance to play the U.S. national anthem before every home game. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, filed a measure Thursday (SB 1298) that would prohibit government agencies from entering agreements with professional teams without written verification that the…
Orlando International Airport Terminal C announced open for business by July 2022
Orlando International Airport said Wednesday that Terminal C should be open to passengers by July 2022. The south terminal, which is estimated to cost more than $2 billion, is 87 percent completed. As many as 10 million more passengers will be able to pass through the terminal’s 15 new gates, capable of accommodating up to 20…
Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried accuses Ron DeSantis of extorting campaign donations out of university trustees
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried accuse d says that current Governor Ron DeSantis squeezed campaign donations out of sitting state university trustees, threatening their position unless they donated $100,000 to his re-election campaign. The serious allegation came in a night of complaints against the governor from people affiliated with the state university system. At a…
Orlando Rep. Carlos Smith urges Gov. DeSantis to declare state of emergency over Florida’s affordable housing crisis
Florida Democrats are pushing Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody to declare a state of emergency over the state’s affordable housing crisis. In a letter to Gov. DeSantis, Orlando representative Carlos Guillermo Smith urged the state’s top executive to take action as much of the state has seen rapid rent increases and housing…
Florida continues fight over health care worker vaccine mandate
Pointing to the “remarkable significance” of the case, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Thursday asked a full federal appeals court to at least temporarily block a Biden administration rule that would require health-care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The request came after Florida suffered blows in its fight against the vaccination mandate. Pensacola-based…
Frontyard Festival ends: Dr. Phillips Center brings outdoor concert series to a close
As the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts gears up for its Grand Celebration season at Steinmetz Hall that will kick off 2022, it also this week closed the book on the Frontyard Festival series of outdoor arts events. “For now, we’re saying goodbye to our Frontyard Festival, presented by AdventHealth,” read a Tuesday…
Knife Burger by chef John Tesar is coming to Orlando
Rejoice, burger fiends … the Ozersky is coming to town. Chef John Tesar, the four-time James Beard Award semifinalist, is bringing his highly lauded concept Knife Burger to the JW Marriott Grande Lakes. The former Top Chef contestant, who opened Knife & Spoon (the Top Table of 2020) next door at the Ritz-Carlton, says he’s aiming for…
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings points to sunny side as Omicron variant is confirmed in wastewater
Following reports of the Omicron variant of coronavirus appearing in Orange County’s wastewater, county mayor Jerry Demings noted that the county is still in good shape compared to the bleakest days of the pandemic. “The 14-day rolling positivity rate continues to go in the right direction. As of today, the rate remains below 5%,” Orange…
Jacksonville Jaguars fire coach Urban Meyer after reports of him kicking a player go public
Following news that he kicked the ex-kicker Josh Lambo during warmups, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer was fired early Thursday morning. The former Florida Gators head coach had been off to a troubled start even by the remarkably low standards of the hapless Jaguars. Meyer’s 13 game tenure was long enough to generate stories…
Florida looks to the long term in saving manatees
Wildlife officials said Wednesday an infusion of projects to improve water quality is a good start, as they seek to avoid a recurrence of large numbers of manatee deaths due to a lack of seagrass and degraded water in the Indian River Lagoon. With state and federal wildlife officials planning to feed starving manatees in…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis doubles down on the critical race theory fight
Continuing his administration’s campaign against critical race theory, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday teased legislation that he said would, in part, allow parents to sue schools that teach the theory. Flanked by Republican lawmakers, parents and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, the governor held an event in Wildwood to announce what he called the “Stop Wrongs…
Orlando fans will get to pick the songs that metallers Baroness play at January concert
It doesn’t hit quite the same as obnoxiously yelling “Freebird!” at a thematically inappropriate band, but Savannah metallers Baroness are inviting you to call the shots when they play Orlando in January. As part of a five-week extended run of dates on their “Your Baroness” tour, Baroness are turning the setlist over to fans in each…
In the face of crippling student debt and a troubled labor market, Florida officials are puzzled why college enrollment is dipping
Florida college officials are trying to figure out what’s behind a continuing drop in state college enrollment, which analysts project could decline by more than 9 percent over the next five years if the trend persists. The most recent end-of-year data on college system enrollment showed a system-wide enrollment of 293,493 students for the 2020-21…
Tanner Jones, url and Casey Conroy make for a great night of Orlando sounds at Whippoorwill Beer House this week
This week sees three local artists linking up Voltron-style for an evening of solid, diverse Orlando sounds. And it’s free. On Friday, Dec. 17, Orlando’s Matt Bullard returns to live action in Orlando under his url (pronounced “Earl”) moniker. The night will serve as url’s official release show for the long-time-coming debut EP ruiners club, out…
New local releases: An unlikely Christmas album from Ray Brazen and decidedly non-seasonal sounds from Floridian Homicide Unit
Even though everyone loves the holidays, some of the sounds of the season can eventually turn some a little Grinchy. For those of us to the left of the Mannheim Steamroller lowest common denominator, Ray Brazen — Orlando’s king of left-field rock — has served up a welcome alternative this year to the season’s typical…
Orlando concert picks for this week: D.R.I., Futurebirds, Circle Jerks
A virgin sacrifice by all the city’s old punks is what I’m imagining must’ve happened to account for this week’s live offerings. As always, be cool and mask up if you go out. D.R.I., Intent, Swift Knuckle Solution, Tommy Frenzy, Sick Talk: The first of the hard icons to storm through town are crossover thrash…
Things to do in Orlando, Dec. 15-21: Rauw Alejandro, Pouya, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Milk Mart Holiday Market
Our selections of the best stuff to do this week. Wednesday, Dec. 15Golden Gals Live: Cheesecake and Cheer Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia deck the halls with cheesecake and cheer. 8 p.m., The Abbey, 100 S. Eola Drive, abbeyorlando.com, $25-$35. Thursday, Dec. 16Rauw Alejandro Puerto Rican rapper and reggaeton star brings it. 8:30 p.m., Amway…
Free Will Astrology: Your horoscope for the week of Dec. 15-21
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Key questions for you, beginning now and throughout 2022: 1. What do you need to say, but have not yet said? 2. What is crucial for you to do, but you have not yet done? 3. What dream have you neglected and shouldn’t neglect any longer? 4. What sanctuary is essential…
Eerily timely post-pandemic series ‘Station Eleven’ debuts this week on HBO, plus 25 more shows coming to Netflix, Hulu, Peacock etc.
Premieres Wednesday, Dec. 15: Foodtastic — The latest cooking competition has master chefs re-creating iconic images from the Disney pantheon using common kitchen ingredients. By all calculations, that means Mrs. Butterworth is now a Disney princess. (Disney+) The Hand of God — Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival…
Frosty Fox opens in Baldwin Park serving boba and egg puffles; Clara Jean’s Polish Cuisine opens next to Buttercrust Pizza; and more Orlando food news
OPENINGS: Frosty Fox, offering everything from boba tea and mocktails to gelato and Hong Kong-style egg waffles, has soft-opened in Baldwin Park at 4816 New Broad St. … Fresh&Co, the NYC-based fast-casual eatery specializing in fresh, healthy meals, will open its first restaurant outside the Tri-State area at 7728 W. Sand Lake Road, in the…
Merck’s COVID-19 pill may soon be here. How well will it work?
New data reveals uncertainty about the drug’s efficacy and who should use it
Opera Orlando premieres ‘The Secret River’ at the Dr. Phillips Center on Friday
Three radically different operatic experiences within a span of only 50 hours show the art form is alive and well in Central Florida
Readers sound off about $5 million in state money going to Camping World Stadium
Last week we reported that Enterprise Florida, the state’s business recruitment agency, agreed to provide $5 million to the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to help Orlando become a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament (“Florida throws $5 million behind Orlando’s bid to host 2026 World Cup,” Dec. 8). Many, many readers…
The latest revelations about Meadows’ and Trump’s coup-plotting aren’t a scandal — they’re a five-alarm fire
● “Declare National Security Emergency.” ● “Declare electronic voting in all states invalid.” ● “A Trusted Lead Counter will be appointed with authority from the POTUS to direct the actions of select federalized National Guard units and support from DOJ, DHS and other US government agencies as needed to complete a recount of the legal…
Legendary Circle Jerks vocalist Keith Morris hasn’t mellowed a bit as he celebrates 40 years of ‘Group Sex’ on stage
Do you know you’re making history while you’re making history? According to Keith Morris, frontman of foundational American hardcore band Circle Jerks, “Oh, hell, no.” Morris calls Orlando Weekly from his home in Southern California while finishing up a lunch of rancheros nachos, with half-joking concerns about indigestion. “It could be time for Tums. And…
