An Estero couple, both educators, entered not-guilty pleas in federal court after being hit with more than 100 wire-fraud and racketeering charges stemming from an alleged scheme that involved selling Florida teacher-certification test information. Kathleen M. Jasper, 42, and Jeremy M. Jasper, 40, are alleged between January 2016 and March 2020 to have sold fraudulently…
It’s been no secret that Disney has struggled to find suitable leadership that can manage its various divisions. The original plan called for Bob Iger to step down from leading the Walt Disney Company in 2016, but by 2014, it was clear that plan wouldn’t work. The plan then called for a 2018 departure, then…
Milk District venue the Nook on Robinson is screening some classic holiday fare on Friday night outside with a few twists and turns, courtesy of Uncomfortable Brunch mastermind Joshua Martin. Holiday Classics at the Nook kicks off at 7:30 p.m. with 30 minutes of holiday-themed cartoons and commercials sourced from the depths of 1990s childhood…
From automation to working from home, the pandemic has sped up many trends that were already underway before this year, and like many companies, Disney is using the current shift in consumer behavior as a way to roll out programs it has planned for years. Nearly 90 percent of all payments within Disney parks are…
Since opening a decade ago, Wild Florida has quickly become one of the region’s best-kept secrets, but the Kenansville-based wildlife attraction has been working to ensure it is no longer secret. This year has been defined by the success of their new drive-thru safari park and expansion plans that will more than double the size…
This is truly it. The Orange County CARES Act Portal for individual and family assistance will open for the 12th and final time on Thursday, Dec. 17. On Thursday, the portal opens bright and early at 8 a.m. to accept 10,000 new applications and allocate $2 million in remaining CARES Act funding and pandemic assistance…
After the underground fight club “Rumble in the Bronx” was raided by the cops during a packed warehouse event in November, did the organizers decided to head south and try their luck here in Orlando? As first reported by the Daily Beast, it appears that the fight club did just that. Rumble in the Bronx…
Pointing to what they called “baseless” legal arguments, lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis have urged an appeals court to sanction a Northwest Florida attorney who filed a lawsuit to try to force DeSantis to close beaches to prevent the spread of COVID-19. DeSantis’ lawyers filed an 11-page document Friday at the 1st District Court of…
When the headliner of a 2016 Timucua concert was a no-show, I watched local piano lady Carol Stein agree to take the stage — without any notice, at a show she had only planned to attend as a spectator — and completely bring down a house full of people who had devoted their evening to seeing someone else. It…
A day after President Donald Trump lost the Electoral College vote, Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested that the exit of his close political ally from the White House could affect Florida on issues such as the coronavirus pandemic. “The president has been one hell of an ally for this state. I can tell you that,” DeSantis…
The deadline for applications for Orange County’s Eviction Diversion Program is Wednesday, Dec. 16, but local officials are still urging applicants to submit forms before time runs out. The Eviction Diversion Program was launched on Aug. 25 as a means of providing some measure of monetary relief for Orange County residents facing eviction due to the ongoing…
Holiday cheer is for headbangers too. And with the year we’ve had, a little raging is definitely in order. That’s where Sleigher: The Heavy Metal Xmas Party comes in. Featuring Withering Earth, Auditory Armory, Darkness By Design and Beyond Silence, this Central Florida roundup is a stuffed stocking of theatrical metal. The show begins at 7 p.m. on…
Opera Orlando returns to the live stage this week with a performance of the Johann Strauss II operetta Die Fledermaus: The Revenge of the Bat. That alone is notable enough, but this is not just a local milestone. The two Orlando performances of Die Fledermaus this week will be, according to Orlando Opera representatives, the…
The Liberty Counsel, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit far-right advocacy group that fights for pro-Christian legal rights and has a long history of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, received nearly a half-million dollars from the Federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). According to new U.S. Small Business Administration data, which was released at the beginning of December, the Liberty Counsel received…
Orlando’s own “Victorian horror” troupe, Phantasmagoria, is ringing in the holidays with online performances that indulge in a forgotten Christmas tradition of the past: telling ghost stories. There are three performances left. All are free (Phantasmagoria’s gift to you) and will stream live on the troupe’s Facebook Live page. So if you’re looking for a…
Florida’s Electoral College voters Monday cast their 29 ballots for President Donald Trump with hopes the Republican incumbent can still find a way to overturn election results in other states. State Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who is chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said he’ll support the president “until we exhaust all…
Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. Chad and I are so excited to be part of tonight’s CFCArts’ production, NOEL: THE CAROLS OF CHRISTMAS. We’ll join other familiar names in the Frontyard Festival production.…
Big changes are afoot for Winter Park Village in 2021, with slimmed-down ownership and a big-money renovation project on the way. The Orlando Business Journal reports that Casto, the company that owns the property, plans to undertake $20 million worth of upgrades to the shopping center. And the Ohio-based company will be going it alone,…
Update: The Live & Local Lunch series has been postponed until January 2021. The Frontyard Festival is kicking off free lunchtime music programming in downtown Orlando this Wednesday with the new “Live & Local Lunch” series. Every Monday through Saturday, members of the Central Florida Musicians Association will play free sets from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Food…
In the wake of COVID-19’s devastating impact on Downtown Orlando businesses, the area has come to life again for the holidays with a special dining promotion, snow in Heritage Square, festive “store fronts”and a new landmark tree in the round-about on Church Street. The overarching promotion, dubbed 30 Days of City District, launched the week…
The Orlando Philharmonic kicked off their season with a big show at Exploria Stadium — now they’re set to start off 2021 right with a return to the downtown soccer stadium. Back in September, the Phil returned to the stage at Exploria, becoming the first orchestra to play a full show in an American soccer stadium.…
Boca Raton and Palm Beach County asked a federal appeals court Friday to reconsider a potentially far-reaching ruling that blocked bans on the controversial practice known as “conversion therapy.” Attorneys for the city and county filed a petition seeking a rehearing by the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals or by a panel that…
A statewide grand jury studying school safety issued an interim report Thursday that tore into Florida’s mental-health system, saying that “deficiencies in funding, leadership and services related to mental health care tend to turn up everywhere like bad pennies.” “This grand jury has received a great deal of evidence and testimony regarding financial deficiencies, conflicts…
For the second time this week, the 1st District Court of Appeal on Thursday dismissed a challenge to a requirement that people wear masks in certain public places to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The court dismissed a challenge to a Gadsden County ordinance because the plaintiff’s attorney, state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, R-Howey-in-the-Hills, did not file…
While the government at large has been a dud about helping artists crushed by the pandemic, the homegrown Greater Orlando Performing Arts Relief (GOPAR) formed over the summer to help provide local, on-the-ground and immediate aid to our sizable community of performers. To help them in their noble and needed mission, the Christmas Box Social is…
Orlando breakfast/brunch destination First Watch is debuting a new cocktail menu at 13 of its local outposts on Friday, just in time for the weekend. The highly curated menu — there are just five custom drinks on offer, plus the inevitable mimosa — play off First Watch’s menu and combine fresh juices with potent spirits. Also note that…
Asian street-food resto Hawkers has gotten into the holiday spirit with holiday-themed spirits, unveiling a new seasonal cocktail menu that no doubt will have your nose red and you feeling holly-jolly after a few sips. The quartet of Christmassy beverages veer into craft-cocktail territory, with creative presentation — the Christmas in Singapour is served in a tree…
Not even a dang pandemic can stop Orlando’s Marc With a C. Even from lockdown, the indie-pop pied piper has spent the year marking his 20th anniversary in art with the release of a box set, a film and a book. Oh, and dude’s already got his next album — Low Fidelity (or “How I Spent…
Saying drivers and delivery people have been a “lifeline to their communities,” Uber’s chief executive officer on Thursday asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to prioritize the COVID-19 vaccine for the online platform’s workers. “Over the last nine months, these workers have been a lifeline to their communities. They have transported healthcare workers to hospitals, delivered food…
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joined 45 other states Wednesday in a lawsuit against Facebook, accusing the social media giant of exploiting its dominance in the digital marketplace and engaging in anti-competitive practices. The states’ lawsuit, accompanied by a legal complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission, focuses on Facebook’s allegedly “illegal buy-or-bury strategy that…
Back in October, we reported that Orlando Meats would soon be moving to more spacious digs in Winter Park. On Thursday, the purveyors of carnivorous goodness announced that they will be closing the doors to their Virginia Drive location for the final time on Christmas Day, before reopening in a few miles up the road…
Less than a month after opening, authorities have now revoked the permit for Florida’s first snow park, Snowcat Ridge. According to Snowcat Ridge’s Facebook page, Pasco County officials arrived at Snowcat Ridge on Wednesday, Dec. 9, and revoked the park’s existing permit “without providing any documentation or written explanation of any violations.” The park also…
The wait is over and the grand opening of Audubon Park’s Salty Donut outpost is nearly upon us. On Friday, Dec. 18, the popular Miami-based donut emporium will be pushing the doors of its first Orlando storefront wide open. But if you can’t wait a week, Salty Donut launched a pre-opening donut lottery today (Thursday,…
We all want Orlando to become a destination for conventions again but, wow, be careful what you wish for. CPAC — the Conservative Political Action Conference — will not be taking place in its usual Washington D.C. area environs next year, but instead right here in the City Beautiful. (Thanks again for reopening Florida so completely, Gov. DeSantis.) As…
Put your mind at ease, perennial holiday chestnut A Charlie Brown Christmas will be airing this weekend on broadcast TV … courtesy of our local public television station. PBS affiliate WUCF will air the 1965 cartoon classic at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, as part of a partnership between PBS and Apple. When AppleTV+ acquired…
Orlando International Airport announced plans on Wednesday to host an on-site COVID-19 testing clinic starting later in December. Operated in partnership with AdventHealth Centra Care, the clinic will be located at the West End of the Main Terminal on the third level, pre-security. AdventHealth will be able to start moving necessary equipment into that space…
Orlando’s Grave Return, a band whose bloodline runs rich with homegrown punk royalty, have never been accused of being prolific. Their last record came out in 2017, the same year I saw them play a charging set opening up for the legendary Damned. That’s why the release of their first new music in three years…
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday joined 16 other states in backing a last-chance effort by Texas to get the U.S. Supreme Court to block election results in four swing states where the vote went in favor of President-elect Joe Biden. “The integrity and resolution of the 2020 election is of paramount importance,” Moody…
Participating in a White House vaccine summit on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis outlined what appeared to be the state’s final COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. DeSantis said the state’s proposal calls for vaccinating seniors in nursing homes before the end of December, while also getting vaccines into the hands of “high-contact” front line health-care workers…
Veteran Orlando punks Debt Neglector got it together enough to record and release some new music this year — respect due — and are donating all the proceeds from this newly released digital album to get-out-the-vote efforts in Georgia. Now there’s some punk ethics! The currently Bandcamp-exclusive digital EP Bad Faith, released Dec. 4, can be had for $5.…
In what must be a once-in-a-lifetime convergence, the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck coming to the Florida Mall this weekend will now be joined by the official Barbie Pop-Up Truck. As part of the ongoing Barbie Truck Totally Throwback Tour — a themed look back at those ancient times of the 1990s — the pink Barbie Pop-Up Truck will be…
Universal Orlando is adding more days to the new “Universal’s Holiday Tour,” starting it even earlier than announced due to ticket demand. Previously announced to run from Dec. 18-Jan. 3, 2021, the debuting tour will now begin a few days earlier, on Sunday, Dec. 13. Part of a reconfigured schedule of holiday activities with a pandemic…
A new report shows that Florida is near the top nationally in the rate of COVID-19-related workers’ compensation insurance medical claims filed in the first six months of 2020. Florida, along with Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut and New Jersey, had more than 300 COVID-19-related workers’ compensation claims for every 100,000 active claims, according to a report…
From jazz and beyond, the Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts is host to a diverse parade of talent. But there’s nothing that quite captures the heart of this special place than when venue honcho and accomplished jazz guitarist Chris Cortez comes out from behind the scenes to take the limelight himself. On Friday, Dec.…
Whether it’s on her own or with friends like she’s done at the Circle, local Americana star Hannah Harber is one of the city’s leading young voices and always brings the tasteful twang live. This weekend, she takes over the Will’s Pub patio — aka Dirty Laundry — for a two-night stand outdoors. Friday’s performance (Dec. 11) is an…
State police agents on Monday raided the home of a former Florida Department of Health employee who helped build the state’s first COVID-19 dashboard. Rebekah Jones was fired earlier this year after complaining that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration was manipulating COVID-19 data to make the virus appear less prevalent as the governor pushed to reopen…
Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. Possibly just days away from receiving the first Covid-19 vaccines, AdventHealth Orlando will be among the first to distribute them. — LINK After looking back at the crazy…
Premieres Wednesday: Rose Island – True events inspired this comedy-drama about an engineer who establishes his own nation-state off the coast of Italy in the late 1960s. Yes, the phrase “That’s not real Italian” predates the founding of Olive Garden by over a decade! (Netflix) The Surgeon’s Cut – Documentary cameras follow four medical visionaries…
Plus six new restaurants to try in our weekly food news roundup
In recent weeks, I’ve attended more Central Florida holiday events than I can count on both hands. I’ve heard hundreds of heart-warming carols, seen thousands of twinkling lights, and taken socially distanced selfies with a minyan of Santa Clauses. At the risk of sounding Scrooge-ish, there’s only so much corporate cheer a sane person can…
Thanks to social distancing, I’m not spending as much time as usual at my friends’ houses this holiday season, but I made an exception to visit Blue Star’s HÄOS on Church Street, the freshly opened bar/restaurant/performance venue that I previewed in September. Since then, a stunning renovation was completed that highlights the historic building’s brick…
Obama took office with the wind at his back. Biden won’t.
Live and virtual goings-on
What he did unforgivable, even criminal, and I hope you saved some of the casserole for DNA testing
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices CITATION OF PUBLICATION, STATE OF GEORGIA, COUNTY OF COBB, 12 East Park Square, MARIETTA, GA 30090. CIVIL ACTION NO.: 20-A-2159, TANGIER SUPER, PLAINTIFF, VS, DAMARIS LERMA, DEFENDANT. TO: DAMARIS LERMA, 1310 Ibsen Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32809. By order of the Court dated December 8, 2020, you are hereby notified that…
