Cover Stories
Locally made movie ‘A Christmas Karen’ would like a word with Orlando
Away in a manager
Krampusfest brings festive punishment to Orlando’s Milk District in early December
On the naughty/nice spectrum of behavior, most of us in Florida fall into the former category. So proper punishments will be meted out Sunday at the Milk District’s KrampusFest. This annual holiday event throws the spotlight on Santa’s lesser-known European ride-or-die Krampus, infamous for administering comeuppance instead of gifts to bad children — in the…
Legal Public Notices 11/23/2022
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below at the property indicated: December 6, 2022 at the times and location listed below. The personal goods stored therein by the following: 12:00 PM Extra Space Storage 1101 Marshall Farms Rd, Ocoee 34761 (407) 516-7221 Robert Pullen- Household goods. Steven…
Florida Democrats admit victory in state is a long way off
After major losses in the Nov. 8 elections, House and Senate Democrats started trying to bounce back as they gathered this week in the state Capitol. A one-day organization session of the Legislature on Tuesday featured new Republican leaders formally stepping into their roles with “supermajorities” in the House and Senate. Democrats, meanwhile, only hold…
Appeals court strikes down class-action lawsuit against University of Florida over COVID-19 shutdown
A divided appeals court Tuesday rejected a potential class-action lawsuit contending that the University of Florida should return fees to students because of a campus shutdown early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal came as a similar case is pending at the Florida Supreme…
Florida officials seek fines, criminal charges in Icon Park Orlando Free Fall death of Tyre Sampson
Florida state officials want to fine the operators of Orlando’s Free Fall ride at Icon Park and are forwarding their investigation of Tyre Sampson’s death to Orange County law enforcement to see if criminal charges are in order. The move was announced by Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in a Tallahassee news conference on Tuesday. The…
This Thanksgiving, skip the tofurkey (unless you really love it)
Don’t apologize, vegetarians. Fill your plate with hearty, not hidden, mushrooms and beans
Winter Park Popeye’s — anchor of the Orlando Ave ‘Chicken Strip’ — closes
Winter Park’s Orlando Avenue Popeye’s has closed permanently, pushed out of the so-called “Chicken Strip” that it helped to create. The Popeye’s at the corner of S. Orlando Ave and W. Fairbanks Ave. was an old-timer amid a rush of trendy fast food chicken chains. Drunks, chefs and the broke and hungry still knew that…
Florida man uncovers $40K diamond ring on beach, gives it back to owners
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but it seems as if St. Augustine beaches have been extra lucky as of late in finding special treasures washed up in the coast. 37-year-old Joseph Cook, a metal detecting-enthusiast, recently discovered a $40,000 ring in the sands of Hammock Beach. “When I first found it…
Florida gas prices drop ahead of Thanksgiving travel
Gasoline prices have dropped as Florida motorists hit the road for one of the busiest travel periods of the year. More than 2.9 million Floridians are forecast to drive or fly more than 50 miles for the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the AAA auto club. AAA said the average price of a gallon of regular…
Legal Public Notices 11/16/2022
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…
Dave’s Hot Chicken opens Altamonte Springs location
Dave’s Hot Chicken has opened a second location in Florida, and just like before it’s in the Orlando area. The Nashville-style chicken chain opened up a new shop at 155 Cranes Roost Blvd. in Altamonte Springs on November 18. Dave’s started as a pop-up stand in East Hollywood run by chef Dave Kopushyan. The late-night hot chicken…
Audubon Park’s P Is for Pie Bake Shop to close permanently after filling Thanksgiving orders
Beloved bakery P Is for Pie Bake Shop will close its doors permanently on Wednesday after completing its orders for Thanksgiving. The Audubon Park hotspot that served the best tomato pie in town announced the end of operations in a post to Facebook earlier this week. They said the closing comes amid “insurmountable staffing challenges, continued…
Gunman wrestled to ground by bar patrons after firing six shots in Palm Coast night club
A 30-year-old man was arrested in Palm Coast after pulling a gun and firing it inside Smiles Nite Club and firing it six times at patrons. According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Connor Anderson was arrested after being found in the parking lot of Smiles Nite Club, still in possession of the gun that…
They Might Be Giants announce 2023 Orlando show as part of ‘Flood’ spotlight tour
Would you like to spend “an evening with” They Might Be Giants? The oddball pop duo are hitting the road next spring, playing classic album Flood from start to finish, and Orlando will be a destination for the duo. The twosome of John Flansburgh and John Linnell make their long-awaited return to Orlando in March as…
Judge refuses to block insurance mediation measures in struggling Florida property insurance market
With Florida property insurers trying to curb lawsuits, a Leon County circuit judge has refused to block a decision by Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier that could steer at least some disputes away from courtrooms. Judge Angela Dempsey last week rejected a request by contractors for a preliminary injunction against Altmaier’s decision early this year to…
Judge begins hearing case against Florida’s migrant flights
A Leon County circuit judge Friday began hearing testimony in a lawsuit alleging the Florida Department of Transportation did not properly comply with public-records requests after state-funded flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Judge Angela Dempsey listened to testimony from two witnesses for the Florida Center for Government Accountability, which filed the lawsuit…
Disney announces site of affordable housing development in Kissimmee
Disney has shared the location of a planned affordable housing complex near Walt Disney World. The entertainment giant contributed 80 acres of land for the project which is expected. to create 1300 units of housing near State Road 429. The land is west of the Magic Kingdom and north of Flamingo Crossing Town Center. The…
Orlando home buyers need to make six figures to afford a home in 2022, per report
Orlando is considerably less affordable for homebuyers than it was a year ago (and the rest of the state of Florida is even worse). That news comes from a new report from real estate website Redfin. They found that an average Orlando homebuyer needs to make $104,943 per year, compared to just $67,088 a year ago. The…
Florida’s anti-CRT ‘Stop WOKE’ law blocked by federal judge
Calling the state’s approach “positively dystopian,” a federal judge on Thursday blocked a law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that restricts the way race-related concepts can be taught in universities. The law is “antithetical to academic freedom and has cast a leaden pall of orthodoxy over Florida’s state universities,” Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker…
Andrew Callaghan brings chaotic world of his Channel 5 web series to Orlando next week
The world of cult web series Channel 5 is a lot like ours. In fact, it’s exactly ours. Documentarian and host Andrew Callaghan has made a name for himself by submerging his crew in some of the oddest corners of North America. Callaghan’s gonzo journalism began when he was still a student at Tulane University…
Orange County commissioners vote to appeal ruling against rent-stabilization ordinance
Orange County commissioners, meeting Thursday, voted to appeal a ruling blocking a recently-passed rent control ordinance. The Board of County Commissioners voted 5-2 in favor of the appeal, with Mayor Jerry Demings — previously not in favor of the measure — joining with the majority in voting “yes.” With this vote, the county’s lawyers will file a brief appealing…
Comedian Daniel Tosh performs homecoming shows at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center tonight
On the same night cult-comic Todd Barry performs at the Dr. Phil, Daniel Tosh is also making his way back home to that same Orlando venue as part of a “Florida Trash” mini-tour. The comedian and TV personality is best known for his Comedy Central show Tosh.O, where he skewered viral internet videos for a…
Universal Orlando Mardi Gras allowing tourists to pay to ride on the floats
Universal Orlando are expanding their annual Mardi Gras celebrations with a new Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience, debuting next year. Who needs the French Quarter, anyway? The Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience, a separately ticketed add-on to park admission, offers you the chance to hop up on a float and toss…
12-year-old girl arrested in Central Florida for threatening school shooting on Snapchat
A 12-year-old was arrested in Flagler County after allegedly making threats to conduct a school shooting over Snapchat. The Indian Trails Middle School sixth grader is accused of sending messages about a potential shooting on November 15. She told members of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office that she had purchased gloves and was in the…
Synth-pop duo Magdalena Bay get lush at Orlando’s Beacham next week
The synth-pop pair with Florida origins, Magdalena Bay, near the end of their ‘Mercurial World’ U.S. tour with a show at the Beacham over Thanksgiving break. With Mercurial World, their 2021 album, singer-songwriter Mica Tenenbaum and producer Matthew Lewin deliver dream-pop delicacies unintentionally parallel to the swirling and sparkly neon glamor shots of Jupiter and…
Florida man arrested at EPCOT Food & Wine Festival after chugging two beers, taking off his shirt, almost falling off Skyliner platform
I’m sorry, I thought this was America (and Morocco and Japan)
Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried appeals dismissal of marijuana, Second Amendment lawsuit
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and other plaintiffs will appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging federal prohibitions on medical-marijuana patients buying and possessing guns, according to a court notice filed Wednesday. Fried filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice this year. Plaintiffs include medical-marijuana patients and a gun owner, who allege that…
More than 5,000 Florida children were committed under the Baker Act last year
Florida had 5,077 incidents of students being involuntarily committed under a mental-health law known as the Baker Act during the past school year, data presented Wednesday to a school-safety commission showed. The Baker Act is a roughly 50-year-old state law that allows courts, law enforcement officers and certain medical workers to order people who could…
While the rest of the country escaped the projected ‘red wave,’ the Sunshine State got caught in the rip current
As I expected, the midterms’ outcome is a very narrow Republican majority in the House, a razor-thin Democratic majority in the Senate, and a Murdoch media empire that has finally awakened to the fact that Donald Trump is a one-way ticket to the political wilderness. This wasn’t the result Fox News et al. expected on Tuesday…
SeaWorld shares first look at ride vehicle for standing, surfing-themed coaster Pipeline
SeaWorld Orlando shared an inside look at their newest attraction, Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, at the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo this Tuesday. SeaWorld partnered with B&M Rides to design a unique ride car that looks like a an oversized surfboard. Pipeline is a standing coaster designed for guests to feel as if…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responds to attacks from Donald Trump as Trump launches presidential campaign
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed “noise” from former President Donald Trump while speaking at Fort Walton Beach High School on Tuesday. DeSantis responded to Trump calling him an “average governor” after he won a second term as Florida’s top executive. The newly re-elected governor said in a news conference that the “incoming fire” doesn’t matter.…
MAX to bring low lights and high energy to Orlando’s Plaza Live on Thursday
Pop artist MAX performs at the Plaza Live on Thursday, as part of his current world tour, winding down with 17 stops left. MAX is obsessed with touring: “The hard work is staying healthy and being diligent with recovering my body and voice every day. … I work hard for the guy on the stage…
Donald Trump 2024 campaign launch belittled by NY Post with ‘Florida Man Makes Announcement’ headline
The conservative media kingmakers are placing their chips on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The feeling that the GOP would fall in behind a more palatable version of their most-recent president has been in the air for quite a while, but it’s become explicit in recent days as Donald Trump announced his intention to run for…
Florida Sen. Rick Scott launches campaign against Mitch McConnell for minority leader position
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said Tuesday he will seek to become Senate Republican leader, challenging longtime leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “ The status quo is broken and big change is needed,” Scott said in a Twitter post. “It’s time for new leadership in the Senate that unites Republicans to advance a bold conservative…
‘Fantasmic!’ returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The show is vastly improved, but operational issues have taken a big step backward
Sushi Pop ends their Winter Park venture, Henry and Michelle Salgado return, and Black Restaurant Week ends Sunday — don’t miss out
Local food events and restaurant openings and closings
HR of Bad Brains brings his current outfit, Human Rights, to Florida Wednesday
This elder statesman of punk remains one of the fiercest live performers working anywhere today
Orlando punks 430 Steps break through with metallized new album ‘Lights Out’
After four years of smaller releases, Orlando punk band 430 Steps had finally completed and released their debut album (Citizen of Nothing) in 2020. They’d just begun touring to promote it when COVID shut down everything. In the period that ensued, though, they channeled all that time and frustration forward into creating a whole new,…
Jessie Reyez heads into Orlando’s House of Blues on her ‘Yessie’ Tour Thursday
Jessie Reyez is the “Only One” we have on our minds and on repeat as we prepare for The Yessie Tour’s stop at House of Blues. Reyez’s newest album, Yessie, has undeniable R&B moves with a mix of hip-hop influences that will have you singing in both Spanish and English. The Colombian-Canadian singer-songwriter began writing…
Comedian Todd Barry brings his ‘Stadium Tour’ to Orlando’s Dr. Phil on Thursday
So much of the comedy of cult-favorite Todd Barry hinges on his razor-sharp deadpan delivery that it’s fitting he’s named his current tour “The Stadium Tour.” But, nacho-buying opportunities aside, the Dr. Phillips Center is a much better place to revel in Barry’s sardonic and skewed outlook (he had a joke about Fugazi’s $5 cover…
Bollywood singing star Shreya Ghoshal performs in Orlando on Friday
The longevity of Shreya Ghoshal’s singing career in Bollywood — her first major playback role was in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s iconic Devdas back in 2002 — is notable both for the number of blockbuster films her voice has been featured in, and for the consistency of said voice. The sonics of Bollywood films have dramatically…
Amon Amarth headline stacked death metal show at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live this weekend
For fans of death metal in all its gory sonic hues, Swedish vikings Amon Amarth have put together one of the best package tours in recent memory. Aforementioned headliners Amon Amarth are celebrating their newest, rampaging full-length, The Great Heathen Army, and live, they’re exemplars of muscular metal pageantry paired with keen, sharp melodies. But…
Comedian Bill Burr makes a ‘slight return’ to Orlando with arena show this week
Bill Burr, fresh off being immortalized with an action figure of his character on the Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, is coming to Orlando as part of his Slight Return comedy tour. The American comedian, long a hit on the stand-up circuit for a blunt style that pulls no punches but pushes all boundaries, has…
AAHZ throws annual Thanksgiving eve Orlando-breaks reunion at the Beacham on Wednesday
Oh, Thanksgiving dinner with extended family’s gonna be extra fun this year in this political climate and fresh off the midterms. Might as well treat yourself and sweat out the dread the night before at this old-school dance tradition. Orlando’s seminal house-music event AAHZ will reconvene again to drop the classic bass. AAHZ resident DJs…
It’s win-win when Thomas Wynn and Hannah Harber Wynn play Orlando’s Lil Indie’s
In terms of talent concentration, there’s probably no greater power couple in Orlando music than leading Americana light Hannah Harber Wynn and Southern rock messiah Thomas Wynn. They’re each powerful solo artists in their own right and have built their sterling names independently of one other. This special engagement, however, is a chance to see…
Dream-pop maestros Cathedral Bells play homecoming show at Orlando’s Social Friday
If you like your dream-pop with a splash of shoegaze then, damn, your musical palate’s as curiously specific as mine. Well, this bill is tailored to those very exacting specifications. Over the past few years, Central Florida’s Cathedral Bells have really dialed in their blend of pristine jangle-pop and light shoegaze ether to become perhaps…
Athens indie-rockers Maserati take the stage at Orlando’s Will’s Pub this week
Athens indie band Maserati have been fine-tuning their retro-futurist Autobahn rock for over two decades. But now they’re re-emerging in a synthwave age where the sounds of 1980s cinema have infiltrated the mainstream. Considering where Maserati are right now sonically, the stage is more set than ever for the mighty return of their robo-rock. Be…
