Iconic Orlando LGBTQ+ club Parliament House to close after one last weekend
Say it ain’t so! In what seems very much the end of an era, venerable Orlando gay club and resort Parliament House will close the doors of its Orange Blossom Trail location permanently on Monday, Nov. 2, after over 40 years of revelry and liberation. On Wednesday evening, a post on the official Parliament House…
Orlando horror-drag star Victoria Black to appear on ‘Dragula: Resurrection’ special on AMC’s Shudder network
Entertainment Weekly broke the news this week that Orlando horror-drag icon Victoria Elizabeth Black will be part of a special Halloween episode of reality competition Dragula on AMC’s Shudder channel. One-shot episode Dragula: Resurrection – dropping right before Halloween – sets up the fourth season of the Boulet Brothers-hosted program, gathering together standouts from previous seasons for a coveted…
Legal Public Notices 10/7 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices AUCTION Extra Space Storage – Store 8841 9847 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, FL 32825 Extra Space Storage will hold a Public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location Indicated: 9847 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, FL 32825 (407) 495-9612, October 27, 2020 @…
Universal Orlando rolls out a new ‘free days’ ticket promotion for U.S. residents through the end of the year
Universal Orlando has a new ticket promotion to coax U.S. residents into perhaps visiting the theme park for a vacation getaway, and it has the potential to more than double said theoretical vacation’s duration. Effective now, if you buy a two-day, two-park ticket (starting at $243.99) to Universal, you’ll get three additional days tacked on for…
Lime offers free scooter rides to Orlando polling locations on Election Day
California-based transportation company Lime announced today it will provide free e-scooter rides on Election Day (Nov. 3!) to reduce barriers to voting. App users can use the promotional code LIMETOPOLLS2020 to gain access to two free rides up to 30 minutes long. This is the company’s second election offering free rides after doing so for…
Delta is now a Category 4 hurricane, and part of Florida is still in the cone of uncertainty
Hurricane Delta, which has recently strengthened to a Category 4 storm, is forecast to potentially hit Florida’s western Panhandle, according to a public advisory by the National Hurricane Center Tuesday morning. Currently, the storm is located about 260 miles east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico and is traveling west-northwest at a speed of 16 mph, say NHC forecasters. …
New Standard’s ‘Courses for Causes’ dining event benefiting local charities to kick off on Tuesday
Winter Park’s New Standard venue and restaurant debuts a new “Courses for Causes” event this week, featuring an ongoing series of prix fixe dinners all benefiting local philanthropy. Courses for Causes launches tonight and runs from Oct. 6-18 with a four-course meal for $45 – and $10 from the sale of each menu will be sent directly…
Mike Bloomberg gives $500,000 to Orlando-based Poder Latinx for GOTV efforts ahead of November’s election
Actual billionaire Mike Bloomberg announced on Tuesday that he will be donating $500,000 to Orlando-based political action committee Votar Es Poder, to boost Latinx GOTV efforts throughout Florida. The cash infusion to Votar Es Poder PAC is part of Bloomberg’s partnership with Poder Latinx, the “largest Latinx-focused civic engagement group in Florida,” and comes just…
Florida extends voter registration deadline to 7 p.m. tonight after website crashes, just as it has in the past two years
The state of Florida has extended the voter registration deadline after a series of errors and glitches hit RegisterToVoteFlorida.org Monday night. Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee announced today that the window to register will now be extended to 7 p.m. today for both online applications and in-person registration. “This morning I met with Governor DeSantis…
Florida election offices have already received nearly 600,000 mail-in ballots
More than 571,000 Floridians have already cast ballots for the November election, as Monday marked the final day residents could register to vote. As of Monday morning, 571,718 vote-by-mail ballots had been cast, with 306,037 from Democrats and 157,924 from Republicans. Another 101,164 were cast by voters without party affiliation and 6,593 came from voters…
Orlando electronic artist Jream to headline an outdoors In-Between Series this month
The In-Between Series is returning to the courtyard next to CityArts this month with a set from local electronic project Jream, curated by Downtown Arts District and Timucua Arts Foundation. Jream is an Orlando-based solo artist who whips up a collision of electronics and tripped-out visuals. He’s played Circuit Church events, Stardust Video and even…
Milk District bar the Nook on Robinson to screen creepy fare in their parking lot on Halloween weekend
This Devil’s Night, why not take in some creepy (and alternately campy) cinematic delights? The Nook on Robinson is putting on a “Spooky Nooky” movie night in their back parking lot, programmed by Joshua Martin of Uncomfortable Brunch and Cartoons & Cereal infamy, on the night before Halloween. The fare on offer is a serving of…
Ashley Moody wants the FDLE to investigate Bloomberg’s $16M donation to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
State law enforcement officials continue to review Attorney General Ashley Moody’s request to investigate former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for helping Florida felons pay outstanding legal costs so they could register to vote in this year’s general election. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement review is the first step toward a potential investigation…
Orlando Meats is moving to Winter Park
Mills 50’s loss is Winter Park’s gain. Or is it Ivanhoe Village’s loss is Winter Park’s gain? (Or ViMi? Anyone remember that?) Anyway, Orlando Meats, the butcher-eatery and fixture of the Virginia Drive dining scene, will close up shop at the end of the year and open in the Ravaudage complex in Winter Park in…
Tame Impala announces rescheduled Orlando show in October 2021
Rockers Tame Impala have announced rescheduled dates for a summer 2020 tour that was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. And the band seems fairly confident that they’ll be able to pick up where they left off, starting summer 2021. In good news for Orlando fans, Tame Impala’s Amway Center show survived the date shuffle…
Disney goes all out for Halloween this year with three dozen novelty food and beverage items
Even though events like Mickey’s Not So Scary and Halloween Horror Nights will go (mostly) uncelebrated this year, the recent chill in the air announces that Halloween is just around the corner. While special park events are limited this year, that hasn’t stopped Disney from rolling out an exceptional lineup of spooky-season snack items. Magic…
Thousands of Central Florida theme park employees are suddenly out of work. Here’s a list of resources to help
After weeks of a slow trickle of downsizing, Disney sent shock waves through Central Florida’s economy when, at the end of September, it announced tens of thousands of layoffs. Immediately fans from around the world reached out to help those affected. Numerous funds, food drives and other assistance have since begun appearing throughout the region…
Universal announces search for developer to create affordable housing community in Orlando
Universal Parks & Resorts has announced a call for developers to design a planned affordable housing community in Orlando as part of its Housing for Tomorrow Initiative. Universal is looking for developers specializing in affordable housing to lead the creation of a community to be built on 20 acres of land located off International Drive that Universal…
Sanford’s West End Trading Co. to host tribute to reggae giant Toots Hibbert
Far too many musicians have been taken from of this year, and the death of reggae legend Toots Hibbert was an especially outsized loss. Hibbert and his band Toots & the Maytals helped take reggae music worldwide over the course of a career that dates back to the 1960s. Toots & the Maytals were worldwide ambassadors…
Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Monday, Oct. 5, 2020
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. Buffets Are Coming Back Just In Time For The Holidays For the past twenty-five years, folks have flocked to the Rosen Plaza Hotel on Thanksgiving Day to enjoy…
Florida Sen. Rick Scott mistakenly says on TV he tested ‘positive’ for COVID-19
Here’s some positive news. When U.S. Sen. Rick Scott appeared on Fox News on Saturday morning and noted his most recent COVID-19 test came back “positive,” he merely misspoke, and is not actually one of the dozens of federal officials to recently contract the virus. “I was tested yesterday, I think, for the sixth time,”…
Libertarian Jo Jorgensen has never smoked pot, but she’ll still defend your right to do it in her long shot bid for president
In the Libertarian Party, presidential candidates don’t pick their running mates; instead, they’re chosen by delegates at the nominating convention in a separate vote. This year’s presidential ticket resulted in the odd-couple pairing of Dr. Jo Jorgensen, an academic from South Carolina, and Jeremy “Spike” Cohen, a podcaster prankster who promises “a Waffle House on…
Florida Supreme Court to take unusual second look at 2016 medical marijuana amendment
In an unusual move, the Florida Supreme Court is poised to hold a second round of arguments in a high-stakes case about whether the state has properly carried out a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana. Justices heard arguments in May in a lawsuit filed by Florigrown, a Tampa-based firm that has challenged…
The 25 best Italian Restaurants in Orlando according to Yelp
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Gov. DeSantis says closing Florida schools in spring was a mistake
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that closing school campuses in the spring as the coronavirus pandemic took hold might have been one of the nation’s biggest “public health mistakes.” And, while appearing on the Drew Steele radio show, DeSantis equated people fighting the return of students to classrooms as the “flat earthers of our day.”…
Employees of Florida’s unemployment agency are returning to office
Employees of Florida’s jobs agency who have been working at home will soon have to be back in the office, but there is no word on when other departments will follow suit or when state buildings will fully reopen to the public. A week after Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted COVID-19 business restrictions, Department of Economic…
Florida and counties look to boost farmworker testing
State and local agencies are launching an effort to increase COVID-19 testing of farmworkers during the fall harvest season, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The department is working with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and county governments. Testing will…
State of Florida, Deloitte gain win in unemployment lawsuit
In at least an initial win for the state and Deloitte Consulting, a Leon County circuit judge has dismissed a potential class-action lawsuit stemming from major problems with Florida’s unemployment-compensation system amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But the case might not be finished: Circuit Judge John Cooper gave attorneys for the plaintiffs an opportunity to file…
Judge tosses out Florida reptile law
Florida lawmakers violated the state Constitution when they passed a measure this year that would largely prevent the possession, breeding and sale of certain types of non-native reptiles, a circuit judge has ruled. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper said the Constitution gives the power to approve such regulations to the Florida Fish and Wildlife…
President Trump tests positive for coronavirus, cancels Sanford rally
With only 32 days left before the general election, President Donald Trump announced early Friday morning that he and his wife, Melania, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Trump, 74, was scheduled to hold a rally at the Orlando Sanford International Airport on Friday at 7 p.m. However, all the President’s public appearances…
Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020
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. More Re-Openings Despite Massive Layoffs The news of massive layoffs at Orlando’s theme parks, as well as the Orlando International Airport, hit Central Florida hard this week. With…
Florida Supreme Court rejects Orange County sexual abuse lawsuit
The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a statute of limitations bars two women from pursuing a lawsuit against an Orange County church and other defendants over allegations that the women were sexually abused by a church worker when they were children. Justices upheld lower-court decisions against the women, identified by the initials S.B. and…
Soseki, an omakase concept by Taglish chef-owner Mike Collantes, is coming to Winter Park
Mike Collantes, the classically trained chef behind Filipino-American eatery Taglish at the Lotte Plaza Market, is spreading his wings. Collantes has formed the Taglish Collective, a restaurant group under which Soseki, a high-end, 10-seat omakase joint, will be its latest concept. The restaurant is slated to open early next year at 955 W. Fairbanks Ave.,…
DeSantis allows Florida evictions and foreclosures order to expire
Pointing to a move by the federal government to halt evictions, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday let expire an executive order aimed at limiting evictions and foreclosures. DeSantis on Aug. 31 approved a one-month extension of an order to prevent foreclosures and evictions involving residents “adversely” affected by COVID-19. That order made clear foreclosures and…
University of Florida researchers get sickle cell therapy grant
Researchers at the University of Florida College of Nursing have been awarded a $2.6 million grant to determine whether relaxation therapy can help reduce pain and manage stress for patients with sickle cell disease, negating the need for opioids. The National Institute of Nursing Research awarded the grant to Miriam O. Ezenwa, an associate professor…
Despite looming Disney layoffs, Florida officials push for reopening
In another major sign of how COVID-19 has damaged Florida’s tourism industry, about 6,700 layoffs are expected to hit non-union workers at Walt Disney World starting Dec. 4. “Due to the continuing business impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the very difficult decision to reduce our workforce,” Jim Bowden, Disney vice president of…
Florida, national hotel corporations look to Congress amid job losses
Nearly 40 percent of hotel workers in Florida have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, and industry lobbyists warn that could reach 70 percent this winter without further assistance from Congress. State and national hotel industry representatives said in a conference call Tuesday that a second round of federal assistance is needed, even…
Florida utilities object to emergency halt in disconnections
Arguing that turning off customers’ electricity is a “last resort,” four major utilities said Tuesday that a proposal to place at least a 90-day moratorium on disconnections because of the COVID-19 pandemic is unnecessary. Florida Power & Light, Gulf Power, Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric Co. filed documents at the state Public Service Commission…
Fall Guide 2020: Orlando arts and events
Whew! 2020 has been a rough year, but Orlando, we’re still standing. (There are three months yet to go, though, so buckle up.) And as far as our annual fall events guide is concerned, we are shocked/happy/bemused to find that there is a TON of stuff happening in this city in the next six weeks.…
Papa Llama is open on Curry Ford, Chicken Fire is in the Milk District, plus eight more new hotspots
Orlando’s weekly food news roundup
Netflix’s ‘Emily in Paris’ shows what happens when a Midwestern Gen Z-er takes a job in the City of Light
Streaming premieres to binge this week
Trouble in paradise for threesomes, throuples and quads
‘I feel really sorry for the women you two are having threesomes with’
Adoptable dog Simba is extremely affectionate with grown-ups and other dogs, just like us
‘He will do best in a home with no children.’
He was laid off due to the pandemic, but this Halloween Horror Nights designer has a new Forum of Fear
The rumors I reported two weeks ago regarding a limited resurrection of Universal Orlando’s canceled Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) event turned out to be terrifyingly true, and after two wildly successfully weekends, Universal Studios Florida will continue its sampling of seasonal scares for daytime visitors through Nov. 1. The centerpiece of these “Halloween Horror Lite”…
$10 billion in relief for independent music venues added to Heroes Act proposed in U.S. House
After weeks of delays, a proposed federal bailout for independent music venues has taken a step forward. The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday amended the Heroes Act, a broad pandemic relief bill, to include provisions from the bipartisan Save Our Stages Act. If passed, the new package would include $10 billion in emergency grants…
