With states now facing pandemic-impacted budgets, some are looking at expanding gambling as a way to make up the difference. Since 2018, when a federal statute restricting regulated sports betting was ruled unconstitutional, more than a quarter of all states have legalized sports betting in some fashion. Three bills have been filed in Florida to legalize…
With evidence of pent-up demand for travel post-COVID, the industry is preparing for another roaring ’20s, with travel fully recovering by mid-decade, if not earlier. Few in the Orlando area are as ready for this return of tourists as Gaylord Palms. The 19-year-old Osceola County resort is best known for its expansive, highly themed atriums…
With this month’s watch party of the Dead Meadow livestream at sold out all but sold out, Orlando booker Endoxa has announced a second live music screening event set to feature Japanese psych-rock overlords Acid Mothers Temple. The band have previously dazzled Orlandoans live many times. Last year, the collective of musicians — known in full as Acid…
Perla’s Pizza, the new pie purveyor from Taglish’s Mike Collantes, is planning to give things a whirl this weekend, with a soft opening at their Ivanhoe Village spot next to Thirsty Topher. During the all-signs-point-to-busy weekend of Feb. 12-14 from 5-9 p.m., Perla’s will be up and running to debut the menu and work out…
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices ALL ABOARD STORAGE NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Personal property of the following tenants will be sold at public sale to the highest bidder to satisfy a rental lien in accordance with Florida Statutes, Sections: A83.801 – 83.809. All units are assumed to contain general household goods unless otherwise indicated. Viewing of…
More than 2 million people in Florida have been vaccinated against COVID-19, with most ages 65 and older, according to numbers released Monday, Feb. 8, by the state Department of Health. Florida topped 2 million people vaccinated on Sunday, with the total at 2,016,291. That included 1,322,426 people who had received first doses of vaccines…
He said he’d do it, and he did it. Wait, what are you talking about? Because we’re referring to the Gronk’s post-Super Bowl trip to Walt Disney World on Monday. Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski looked straight into the camera alongside Tom Brady, after their team’s Super Bowl win on Sunday night, and giddily…
Florida already has invasive Burmese pythons, Nile crocodiles, herpes monkeys and capybara, but now it can add to that terrible list one of the world’s largest predatory freshwater fish, which can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh over 400 pounds. While on a hike last weekend along the Caloosahatchee River, Cape Coral resident…
Another big grocery chain has joined in COVID-19 vaccination efforts here in Orlando. Walmart will begin vaccinating local residents 65 years of age and older at 17 locations in Orange County — starting Friday. During the weekly COVID-19 briefing on Monday, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings confirmed that select Orange County Walmart and Sam’s Club stores would…
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. Initial reports are out and it looks like we might be seeing the light at the end of this dark COVID tunnel. Universal Orlando Resort and Sea World…
Update on the update from the Plaza: The show as been rescheduled for April 22. Update from the Plaza: “Today’s weather forecast is 60 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms in the evening. Out of an abundance of caution, we feel it best to cancel tonight’s Front Porch concert with Kaleigh Baker and Someday Honey.…
I mean, who doesn’t have the blues these days for one reason or another? Might as well have the proper soundtrack for it. Enter modern blues legend Keb’ Mo’, who comes to town to perform on Thursday, Feb. 11. Across a solo career that’s spanned over 25 years, he’s traced the blues from the deep…
It’s the Monday after the Super Bowl, and the Tampa Bay Bucs and their diehard fans are on top of the world right now, but the community is also on the ass end of criticism and jokes about the large swath of folks on streets this weekend opening flaunting COVID-19 mask ordinances that city officials…
This week Disney will share its latest earnings results. With multiple theme park resorts still closed and retail sales lagging, results are expected to be muted. But Orlando theme park peer Universal gives a good indication that parks and resorts may not be as bad off as many had expected. During its own recent earnings…
After massive crowds of mostly maskless people flooded the streets after the Bucs’ historic Super Bowl win last night, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor defended the city’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and argued that the majority of people she saw were “doing the right thing.” Speaking at a press conference Monday morning, Castor…
It was already clear that 2021 would be a slow recovery for the cruise industry, but Canada has now all but killed one of the most popular segments of the struggling industry with a ban on all large cruises. In place until Feb. 28, 2022, the blanket Canadian ban comes after similar prohibitions have been…
As Democrats in Washington cement their grip on the reins of federal government, Florida Republicans are flexing their conservative muscle in the run-up to the 2021 legislative session. This week alone, committees pushed through GOP-backed legislation that would expand school vouchers, relieve businesses of coronavirus-related liability and broaden the authority for people with concealed-weapons licenses…
Orlando Ballet Director Robert Hill is set to return to the stage as a performer in March — for the first time in nearly 20 years. An upcoming production, The Robert Hill Collection, will see Hill reprising some of his personal “greatest hits” along with a selection of production highlights from his run at the head of…
One of several controversial anti-abortion bills in the Florida Legislature this year would ban abortions at 20 weeks. As lawmakers attempted to exclude testimony on the bill this week, abortion-rights advocates, including the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, created a virtual testimony event for women to tell their stories about their abortions later in…
Santa Rosa Beach attorney Daniel Uhlfelder, who has attracted national media attention during the coronavirus pandemic by dressing as the Grim Reaper to criticize the state’s handling of COVID-19, has set up a political committee to target Gov. Ron DeSantis. In a news release for the Remove Ron political committee, Uhlfelder called DeSantis a “danger”…
Florida prison officials are pushing back against a U.S. Department of Justice report that found reasonable cause to believe “varied and disturbing reports” of sexual abuse — including rape — of female inmates by staff members at the state’s largest women’s correctional facility. The investigation by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and federal prosecutors…
Love endures, even in the age of coronavirus. Love of short films, that is. Taking cues from other recent, local festivals that have been held safely, Sanford’s Love Your Shorts Film Festival will take place on Valentine’s Day weekend — Friday-Sunday, Feb. 12-14, 2021 — as it has for the last 11 years. Though this year’s…
Mills 50 bar and music venue Will’s Pub continued its pandemic pivot on Friday, with the long-anticipated opening of a new in-house kitchen. Operated in partnership with Winter Park’s Swine & Sons, the new Will’s menu offers up Southern starters like boiled peanuts, pork rinds and pickles. Main courses are of the sandwich-y sort — where Swine…
Orlando electronic label Circuit Church is dropping a new cassette this weekend, and the bonus items will be music to analog-lovers’ ears. On Saturday, Feb. 6, the Church will issue their fifth release, Dream_Logs, by Ethereal_Interface. Ethereal_Interface is a new collaborative effort from video artist Sara Goodman and modular synth wizard Modal_Plane. In an inversion…
It looks as though DeLand will have its SunRail station by 2024. As reported by Spectrum News 13, the SunRail Commission on Thursday confirmed a timeline for the anticipated DeLand stop on the commuter rail line, part of the Phase 2 North expansion. Construction for the station and rail lines should be completed, and the station…
Florida’s other giant grocery chain, Winn-Dixie, will soon be inoculating residents. Winn-Dixie’s parent company, Southeastern Grocers, now says 8,100 Moderna vaccines will be available starting Feb. 11. The vaccines will be free, with or without insurance, and available to residents 65 and older, health care workers, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Reservations…
Universal Orlando has set a reopening date for the Volcano Bay water park, and it looks like you’ll be able to experience the head-rush of the Ko’okiri Body Plunge again as soon as the end of this month. A post on Universal Orlando’s Twitter on Thursday broke the big news that the reopening date for the…
A priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls that would lead to books being delivered to the homes of struggling elementary school readers got unanimous approval Thursday from a House panel. Filed by Rep. Dana Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce, the measure (HB 3) is dubbed the “New Worlds Reading Initiative.” It would have the state Department of…
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. If you’re not feeling very romantic this Valentine’s Day, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is looking for anyone looking to shed some old, dead “partner” weight and here’s how.…
Ten thousand “past due invoices” for COVID relief were delivered to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s office in downtown Orlando early Thursday afternoon. These invoices represented constituents across the nation who signed a Change.org petition — also included in the boxes delivered to Rubio’s office — for reoccurring $2,000 payments from Congress for pandemic-related economic relief. This petition surpassed 2…
The City of Winter Park has put a stop to city-sponsored outdoor events and gatherings for the months of February and March, due to concerns over rising COVID-19 infection rates locally. The City and the Chamber of Commerce had been putting on socially distanced and outdoors programming on weekends for the last four months, including…
Florida could see another expansion of school-voucher programs, under a sweeping proposal advanced by a Senate panel on Wednesday. The measure (SB 48), filed by Republican Sen. Manny Diaz of Hialeah, would expand eligibility for school-voucher programs and allow parents to use taxpayer-backed education savings accounts for private schools and other costs. The Senate Education…
This weekend is a fitting musical launch for Black History Month with two consecutive days of expression that’s not just incidentally Black but proudly and intentionally so. On Saturday, Feb. 6, local jazz group Gerald Law II and the Clutch will kick it off at the Dr. Phillips Center’s Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater. More than just…
If you’re looking for romantic closure and the company of a legion of lifelike wax figures this Valentine’s Day, Madame Tussauds Orlando has got your number. The wax museum on International Drive is offering a Valentine’s Day promotion where free admission will be offered on Feb. 14-15, and all you have to do is one little…
Florida legislators and local education officials are trying to pinpoint what happened to nearly 90,000 “missing” public school students, as public school enrollment estimates have dropped amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A mid-school-year estimate by state economists projects that 87,811 fewer students have enrolled in public schools than were predicted to sign up for the 2020-2021…
As Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial draws ever closer and the former president’s legal team remains in a state of flux, Florida Rep. and Trump superfan Matt Gaetz on Wednesday expressed willingness to do anything to defend Trump. And that includes resigning his own seat in the House of Representatives. In news that was surely music…
The massively popular Mount Dora Arts Festival is returning for its 46th year this weekend. The free annual festival — though you really should buy something — will be taking over the historic district of Mount Dora outdoors Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 6-7, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Expect to see art across all…
A recent standout rap release is Point of View by Orlando’s Cydney Poitier, the newest addition to local label Gas Face Records. In today’s uneven, trap-thick landscape, this album stands out with its classic, true-school hip-hop vein. It’s a record that runs deep with tone and grit, weaving mood and narrative that are beyond basic…
The Weeknd is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa this, um, weekend, and that’s the only chance that Central Florida fans are going to be able to see the R&B superstar in the flesh this year. He’s moved his 2021 tour dates forward to 2022, and that includes an Orlando show that was…
Congratulations are in order for two Orlando-area eateries included in Yelp’s new national list “Ones to Watch 2021: Black-Owned Food Businesses.” Chicken Fire on East Colonial Drive and StreetWise Urban Food in Belle Isle are each now certified #OnesToWatch on the popular review site’s new “guide to highly rated and popular Black-owned businesses.” If you…
This Friday is absolutely star-studded for EDM heads, with two mega names headlining at two different clubs downtown and — heads up — tickets are going fast. In their biggest booking to date, the Vanguard is going huge with DJ-producer-songwriter Diplo, whose acumen as a platinum prospector of global sounds has certified him as one of the…
It’s Super Bowl season and if you’re interested in some stats and rankings about the truly important staples of game day — snacks! — then Bite Squad has got you covered. The food delivery app has crunched the data and released the top 10 most popular food delivery items in Florida on Super Bowl Sunday. And the competition…
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to set penalties and allow the state and members of the public to file lawsuits against five tech giants he says are imposing arbitrary, monopolistic rules mostly focused on the discourse of Republicans. Arguing Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple and Amazon control the narrative of online content through “nameless, faceless boards of…
As of Sunday, Jan. 31, about 1.7 million people had received COVID-19 vaccinations in Florida. Here is a breakdown of the counties with the most residents vaccinated: — Miami-Dade County: 177,673 — Palm Beach County: 160,905 — Broward County: 144,039 — Orange County: 85,296 — Duval County: 80,541 — Hillsborough County: 77,469 — Pinellas County:…
As the pandemic approaches the one-year mark, I’ve been covering how Orlando’s theme parks and professional theaters have invested in upgrades allowing them to revive their live performances. But can less well-heeled community theaters, which play an important role in the local arts ecosystem, also survive the restrictions of social distancing? For a possible answer,…
Streaming premieres you won’t want to miss this week. **Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story identified the movie Space Sweepers as Japanese, which was a really dumb mistake on our part. 😳 We truly regret the error and offer our apologies. The capsule has been corrected with an apology from the writer, below,…
In May of last year, ProPublica health care reporter Caroline Chen reflected on the first 100,000 lives lost to COVID-19 and posed an important question: “How do we stop the next 100,000?” Eight months later, with 300,000 additional American lives lost and the chaotic distribution of the vaccine underway, Chen shares her thoughts on where…
As new variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 emerge, a slew of new studies suggest that some may be able to evade immune responses triggered by a previous infection or by a vaccine. That worry has already prompted some vaccine makers to look for ways to tweak their shots to keep up with these…
Help her find her fur-ever home
Hours before the presidential inauguration, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz sent social media aflutter by trolling toward the 2022 election cycle. Gaetz tweeted that he has no interest in challenging Sen. Marco Rubio and that the only statewide Florida office he’d consider seeking would be agriculture commissioner. @Jeff Nolan We can do so much better than…
Dear Dan: I’m a 30-year-old straight woman in a three-year relationship with my live-in partner, who is also 30. I love him and he loves me, and he wants to make a life with me. However, in this pandemic, the stress is so great that I have lost all desire to have sex. I don’t…
OPENINGS: Deli Desires, the former Instagram-only food op offering bialys, challah, latkes, labneh and more, has set up shop at 715 N. Fern Creek Ave. — serving takeout only for now … Grato, an Italian restaurant serving pizza and pasta, has opened on Park Avenue in the space that was formerly Antonio’s House of Pizza…
Safe, socially distanced, and virtual events around Orlando. Thursday, Feb. 4Front Porch Series: Bloody Jug BandOutdoors “weekend warm-up” with the hell-raising Bloody Jug Band. 6 p.m., $15-$80. Plaza Live, 425 N. Bumby Ave., plazaliveorlando.org OnijaBlack Girl Theatre Magic presents a night of “portraiture, poetry and performances” as part of OMA’s 1st Thursdays series. 6 p.m.,…
Fables of the insurrection
