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Is anybody really standing up and fighting these days for democracy? Meet the Lincoln Project.
America is in the throes of the largest internal political war since its first, the American Civil War, began in Charleston 160 years ago. Then, as now, the nation was being pulled apart by injustice, inequity and white supremacy. Now, however, the battlefield is far different. The weapons aren’t rifles, cannon or a submarine. Rather,…
After two slow years, Orlando is about to have a ton of new rides and attractions
Despite omicron causing another spike in positive COVID cases, the travel and entertainment industries are experiencing something they haven’t felt in the past twenty-two months. Hope and a positive outlook for the near future seem to be permeating from every section of Orlando. Orlando-based Darden Restaurants, the parent company of I-Drive founded Olive Garden, beat…
Ripley’s Orlando used coronavirus closure to update exhibits, bring in new technology
As a new year approaches, Orlando’s tourism industry looks to reintroduce itself to all those visitors who have stayed away the past few years. In the past few months, the tourist district has reawakened. Mango’s Tropical Café debuted a new show and nearby at ICON Park two new record-breaking thrill rides opened just in time…
What we learned about COVID-19 vaccines through their first year of use
2021 was the year the COVID-19 vaccines had to prove their mettle. We started the year full of hope: With vaccines in hand in record-breaking time and their rollout ramping up, we’d get shots in arms, curb this pandemic and get life back to normal. That was too optimistic. Roughly 200 million people in the…
Everything you wanted to know about COVID-19 testing (but were afraid to ask)
A friend texted me recently because her daughter’s class had a coronavirus outbreak and my friend had some questions about COVID-19 testing. Testing has been on lots of other people’s minds and in the news lately, too. President Joe Biden announced recently that insurance providers must reimburse people for at-home coronavirus tests, and millions of…
UCF takes on Florida today in the Gasparilla Bowl
Florida and UCF meeting up is a rare delicacy. Our beloved Knights fought for years to get the sort of national respect needed to appear on the schedule of the former SEC titan. Even so, they found little time for their (lately more successful) neighbor to the South. Luckily, depending on your viewpoint, the Gators…
Universal Orlando reintroduces masking requirements
Universal Orlando this week will reintroduce masking requirements for staff and park guests in all public indoors locations — hotels, restaurants (unless seating and dining), shops and all attractions. This reinstated policy will go into place starting Friday, Dec. 24. This policy applies to everyone in the parks regardless of vaccination status. And as far as…
Appeals court tosses Florida school mask case
After both sides said the case was moot, the 1st District Court of Appeal on Wednesday dismissed a high-profile legal fight about the state’s efforts to prevent school mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. A three-judge panel dismissed an appeal after attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and a group of parents filed a joint…
Florida judge says Biden administration overstepped authority in issuing contractor vaccine mandate
Saying President Joe Biden exceeded his authority, a Tampa federal judge Wednesday backed Florida’s attempt to block a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for federal contractors. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday issued a 38-page decision granting a motion by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody for a preliminary injunction against the requirement. Merryday’s decision focused on a Biden…
Florida man claims bags of cocaine, meth found wrapped around penis aren’t his
A Clearwater man claims that drugs deputies found wrapped around his penis did not belong to him. 34-year-old Patrick Florence was riding in a car that was pulled over after police say was driving without its lights on early Saturday morning. The driver of the vehicle was arrested by police for DUI and possession of…
Orlando’s old jai alai fronton could become entertainment complex with poker rooms, concert venues, apartments
The one-time jai alai fronton and current church on 17-92 in Casselberry is looking to get back into the gambling business. Property owner Richard Birdoff has teamed up with entertainment complex developer The Cordish Companies in the hopes of building a massive mixed-use complex. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the planned space will include residential…
Florida could see 40,000 cases of coronavirus per day during Omicron surge, according to University of Florida model
A new model attempting to plot the path of an upcoming Omicron variant-fueled surge in coronavirus cases predicts that Florida will see as many as 40,000 cases per day during a February peak. That’s nearly 75% higher than the worst numbers we saw during the August peak of the Delta variant surge. That particularly deadly…
Florida saw second-highest population growth in nation over last year
Florida trailed only Texas in population increases from 2020 to 2021, while the nation had the slowest growth rate in its history, according to information released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida grew by 211,196 residents from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021, to a population of 21,781,128, the census estimates show. Texas…
Florida challenges federal vaccine mandate for pre-K workers
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joined 23 other states Tuesday in challenging a Biden administration rule that includes requiring workers at Head Start preschool programs to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The states filed a 65-page lawsuit in the federal Western District of Louisiana. It raises a series of legal arguments to challenge the rule issued…
New releases from Orlando bands: Oak Hill Drifters, Scumbag Beer Club and Astro Pup
Few are more steadfast champions of classic country music around here than the Oak Hill Drifters, but new single “Carpe Dame” shows a fresh angle on their neo-traditionalism. On this first release since the 2018 album Lied to Me, the Drifters step beyond the usual stomp and swing of their honky-tonk sound to hit the…
Things to do in Orlando, Dec. 22-28: Bad Santa and the Angry Elves, WWE Live, Phantasmagoria’s ‘A Christmas Carol’
Our selections of the best stuff to do this Christmas week. Wednesday, Dec. 22Bad Santa & The Angry ElvesIt’s the 100th performance for this group of decidedly naughty yet tuneful Christmas cosplayers. Soon after this one, the costumes and blasphemous cover versions go into mothballs until next year. 7:30 p.m., Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills…
Non-monogamous couple wonders: ‘Are we obligated to reveal my wife’s OnlyFans to our outside partners?’
My wife and I are in a great ENM marriage. We have two couples that we are friends with and get together regularly for sex, and we each pursue solo FWB relationships. During COVID, we started posting pictures on Reddit, which were well received. This morphed into my wife starting an OnlyFans account because why…
Some Disney gifts I’m looking forward to in 2022: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser + more
As 2021 comes to a close, it’s clear that a year that should have marked the beginning of a banner 50th anniversary celebration for the Walt Disney World Resort turned out to be a bit of a bust. While its competitor up I-4 fast-tracked the debut of a new roller coaster to much acclaim, the…
Letters to the editor: Readers react to Gov. DeSantis’ proposed ‘Stop W.O.K.E. Act’
¶ Don’t fix it if it ain’t woke Last week, Gov. Mo DeSantis tossed another few gobbets of red meat to his base, when he teased a law to be discussed in the January 2022 legislative session that would allow parents to sue schools that teach critical race theory. It would also prohibit colleges and…
Orlando concert picks, Dec. 22-Jan. 12: Puddles Pity Party, New Year’s Eve Punk Rock Blowout, Machine Girl, .gif from god
Due to our upcoming year-end coverage, this extended outlook goes past the holidays. So buy yourself a new calendar and mark these dates. New Year’s Eve Punk Rock Blowout: Love both punk rock and Uncle Lou’s? This is your bash. The crazy-long lineup includes Free Fall, the Palmerians, Pizza Nightmare, Grab Bag, Gamma Waves, Black…
Orlando’s Trinity the Tuck comes home for the holidays to host a ‘Drag Queen Christmas’
Maybe because John Waters’ 1974 film Female Trouble — with its iconic scene of Divine pushing over a Christmas tree on her mother because Santa didn’t make with the cha-cha heels she demanded — is one of our favorite Christmas films of all time, drag and the holidays are inextricably linked in our minds. That’s…
‘Emily in Paris,’ Darren Star’s second-most annoying creation, returns for a second season
Premieres Wednesday, Dec. 22: Emily in Paris — Darren Star passed up the opportunity to work on the Sex and the City reboot to concentrate on Season 2 of his hit about a Midwestern naïf abroad. And it’s already looking like the wisest move he’s made since having Tiffani-Amber Thiessen whip out that joint in…
Free Will Astrology: Your horoscope for the week of Dec. 22-28
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You may become a more audacious storyteller in 2022. You could ripen your ability to express the core truths about your life with entertaining narratives. Bonus: The experiences that come your way will provide raw material for you to become even more interesting than you already are. Now study these words…
Brooklyn, Bangkok, Orlando: Thai Farm Kitchen opens a third outpost in College Park in 2022
Plus more local food news
