Impossible Foods’ plant-based burgers now stocked at Publix locations throughout Florida
In what no doubt will be great news to vegetarians and omnivores alike, plant-based burger company Impossible Foods are expanding their distribution network into Florida via a deal with supermarket chain Publix. Impossible Foods products will now be available in all of Publix’s 1,243 locations in Florida and throughout the Southeast. “Impossible Foods’ fans are…
‘Live at Uncle Lou’s’ benefit compilation album is ‘live’ on Bandcamp for purchase
When you talk about the phenomenon of the small, independent venue as a place where young musicians can hone their performance chops and up-and-coming national acts can find a welcoming stage with a generous cut of the door money and (one way or the other) an unforgettable night, you’re talking about Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall.…
Orlando’s new Alamo Drafthouse delayed, likely until next year
The opening of Orlando’s Alamo Drafthouse movie theater has been delayed but not canceled, according to Peter Bergner, president of O’Connor Capital Partners, the company overseeing development of the shopping and dining complex that will house the cinema. With the film industry stalled and movie houses shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some cinephiles feared…
Winter Park’s New Standard celebrates the music of Jerry Garcia every day this week with shows and livestreams
The New Standard has been dipping their toes into the waters of live music of late, putting on some early-evening dinner concerts with mandatory mask wearing and table spacing (and attendees staying parked at their respective tables). This past weekend, New Standard really went all in, kicking off “Days Between,” a 9-day celebration of the…
Wahlburgers to remain in Florida with Key West location and zero-emission ‘Deliverator’ vehicle
After a splashy 2016 opening in Downtown Orlando, the burger chain Wahlburgers – run by brothers Paul, Mark and Donnie Wahlberg – quietly finished closing up shop downtown and in Waterford Lakes last month due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the Wahlbergs have not given up on Florida completely, heading south and opening a new a…
SeaWorld Orlando expands hours to open Thursdays through Sept. 6
SeaWorld Orlando are expanding their operating hours to include Thursdays starting this week and running through the Labor Day holiday weekend (Sept. 6). The theme park was previously closed Tuesdays and Thursdays of every week for cleaning after reopening to the public on June 11. SeaWorld will still require guests to make reservations in advance…
Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Tuesday, Aug. 4, 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. A questionable training video coming out of the Navy Seals this morning. The video appears to show a dog attacking a man in a Colin Kaepernick jersey. -…
Timucua Arts Foundation and Civic Minded 5 present Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith livestream performance this month
Of note to fans of the ethereal fringes of the experimental synth world, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is coming to (computer screens in) Orlando this month courtesy of local sponsors Timucua Arts Foundation and the Civic Minded Five. Smith will debut what should have been her touring live set to promote new album – an “expression of love…
Voting by mail in Florida is already quite popular, but it’s no ‘panacea’
Floridians are flooding elections supervisors with requests for mail-in ballots as they seek a safer way to cast ballots amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but some experts warn that absentee voting is not a panacea. Research shows that Black, Hispanic and young voters are more likely to have their mail-in ballots rejected or received too late…
Navy SEALs launch investigation after Florida video shows a dog attacking a man in a Kaepernick jersey
A video from a 2019 fundraiser at the national Navy SEAL Museum near Fort Pierce shows a K-9 demonstration using a “Colin Kaepernick stand-in,” and now the U.S. Navy SEALs are investigating the situation. The video was first posted last January, but went viral over the weekend after it was shared on Twitter by Florida…
SunRail suspending service on Monday
The Florida Department of Transportation is suspending SunRail service on Monday for … checks notes … Hurricane Isaias! This closure isn’t about the coronavirus pandemic, but instead a charming throwback to the recent past, when public transportation shut down for mostly nonlethal weather events. On Saturday, crews began work to secure the 61.5-mile corridor, prior to the…
Florida’s safety net hospitals seek ‘fair share’ of federal money
Congress, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, set aside $13 billion to help safety-net hospitals that treat a majority of poor, elderly and disabled patients. But some of Florida’s largest safety-net hospitals — including Jackson Memorial in Miami — didn’t qualify for the funding included in a federal-stimulus bill known as the CARES Act, while…
Florida utilities expect outages from Hurricane Isaias
The state’s largest energy providers are warning customers to expect power outages as Hurricane Isaias brushes the state this weekend. “We’re preparing for severe weather due to Hurricane Isaias, including new safety measures due to COVID-19,” Juno Beach-based Florida Power & Light posted on its website on Friday. “Prepare for possible power outages, and stay…
Orlando Girls Rock Camp to hold virtual music showcase this Saturday on Zoom
Times are tough right now for live local music, and unfortunately that goes for the Orlando Girls Rock Camp too. Holding this summer’s camp and (even more sadly) their usually raucous showcase gig in-person was out of the question, but the local Girl Rock organizers decided to go for it anyway, moveing the entire camp…
CDC report details virus spread at youth summer camp
A new report issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that COVID-19 spread through a Georgia overnight summer camp where attendees “vigorously” sang and cheered in June. The camp adhered to “most recommended strategies to prevent transmission,” including requiring campers to show proof of negative COVID-19 tests conducted at least 12…
Tampa teen and Orlando resident arrested on charges of being behind celebrity Twitter hack and Bitcoin scam
A Tampa teen was arrested Friday morning after being accused by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Justice of being behind a massive Twitter hacking spree, taking over the accounts of Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and more. A local 17-year-old, whom we won’t name because he’s a minor, was arrested…
Florida elections officials urge caution over confusing vote-by-mail applications arriving to Pasco County homes
The Pasco County Supervisor of Elections office is flooded with complaints about pre-filled vote-by-mail applications, many of which feature the names of house pets, children and the deceased. The mailings arrive at people’s homes pre-filled, often with the recipient’s full name, date of birth and address already typed onto the form. When the letters feature…
SeaWorld expands ‘Flicks and Fireworks’ drive-in movie series into September
SeaWorld dipped their toes in the drive-in movie waters earlier in July, and apparently the temperature was just right. The theme park is expanding their Flicks and Fireworks event into a weekly series, running on into the first weekend of September. On selected weekend nights through Sept. 5-6, the park will be screening drive-in films –…
Hurricane Isaias expected to strengthen to Category 2, hurricane watch issued for Brevard County
Hurricane Isaias is expected to bring tropical storm and hurricane conditions to the east coast of Florida beginning Saturday. Isaias is currently heading over the Bahamas at 16 mph with a maximum sustained wind speed of 75 mph, according to a report from the National Hurricane Center. While the storm’s center is not predicted to…
Florida reports yet another record number of coronavirus deaths for a fourth day in a row
The Florida Department of Health reported 257 new COVID-19 deaths in Florida on Friday, marking the fourth consecutive day the state has surpassed its own daily death record. The state’s total amount of lives lost to the virus since the beginning of the pandemic in March now nears 7,000, with 6,843 Florida resident deaths and…
Florida tops 87,000 jobless claims last week
First-time unemployment claims in Florida fell below 100,000 last week, as the state has recorded more than 3.3 million jobless claims since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated Florida accounted for 87,062 of the 1.43 million claims filed nationally during the week that ended July…
Orange County teachers union seeks to block schools reopening
Contending that the school district has “failed to put the proper safety protocols in place,” the Orange County teachers union on Thursday asked a court to block the reopening of school campuses next month. The Orange County Classroom Teachers Association is seeking an injunction to prevent the planned Aug. 21 reopening of classrooms until an…
Tedeschi Trucks Band and Spyro Gyra both set to play shows at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center in 2021
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Friday put tickets on sale for two actual (in-person) concerts set for 2021 that are sure to please fans of instrumental virtuosity, executed with flair. On Feb. 24, 2021, jazz fusion stalwarts Spyro Gyra are coming to the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater. Expect to hear a…
Orlando venues and promoters need you to bug Marco Rubio about saving our live music scene today
It’s no secret that without federal help, many of Orlando’s beloved independent music venues will close forever – but there’s a way to help Florida’s bar venues, theaters, concert halls and listening rooms today. A bipartisan “Save Our Stages” Senate bill is up for a vote. The problem is that Florida’s Republican Sen. Marco Rubio…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issues orders on evictions, public meetings
Gov. Ron DeSantis has extended until Sept. 1 an order that seeks to help prevent foreclosures and evictions amid job losses and financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The executive order, issued late Wednesday, makes clear that it is only supposed to apply to people who are “adversely affected” economically by the pandemic and…
Florida breaks daily record for new COVID-19 deaths, for third straight day
Today, the Florida Department of Health reported a record 253 new coronavirus fatalities, marking the third day in a row the state has surpassed its own daily record for COVID-19 deaths. Officials also reported 9,956 new infections, bringing Florida’s total number of COVID-19 cases of 461,379. Florida has now logged a total of 6,586 COVID-19…
Hundreds of thousands of Floridians are late paying their utility bills
Nearly 600,000 electric customers in Florida are behind in monthly payments since the coronavirus pandemic began hammering the economy and causing massive job losses, state utility regulators were told Wednesday. While the overall number of customers late in making payments has shown some improvement from an initial peak of the crisis in April, utility officials…
Storm heading to Florida closes state COVID-19 testing sites
With a storm expected to lash Florida this weekend, the Division of Emergency Management said state-supported testing sites for COVID-19 will temporarily close at 5 p.m. Thursday. The sites, which are in 23 counties, offer walk-up testing and drive-through testing. The Division of Emergency Management said a potential tropical storm is expected to bring heavy…
Florida breaks single-day coronavirus death record, for second day in a row
Florida added 217 deaths Wednesday, surpassing Tuesday’s record and bringing the total number of deaths statewide to 6,457. According to the Department of Health, the state also logged 9,446 new coronavirus infections, which brings the total number of cases since March to 451,423. Additionally, hospitalizations increased by 587, which is now the second-highest increase ever…
Gov. DeSantis wants Florida restaurant employees back to work more quickly after testing positive
Gov. Ron DeSantis is looking to “tweak” one of his coronavirus orders so restaurant wait staff and non-health care workers can get back on the job quicker after testing positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, his top business regulator continues to plan meetings with craft brewers and bar owners about reopening. With the federal Centers for Disease…
Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Wednesday, July 29, 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. Halloween Is Not Canceled In Central Florida After all While most of us are still trying to digest the news Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights has been canceled…
Seana’s on West Colonial serves elevated Caribbean and soul-food classics
I remember eating jerk chicken pasta – a heavy, creamy, spicy mess of a plate – at a Bahama Breeze shortly after moving to Orlando. I didn’t pay much attention to the fact I was eating Jamaican cuisine mashed up with Italian fettucine alfredo, a dish that itself incorporates noodles borrowed from China. But when…
Meet Apache! He is friendly with women, men and children, and knows basic commands
Apache (A431789) is a 7-year-old neutered male who was surrendered to our shelter and is longing for his forever home. Apache is friendly with women, men and children, he is housebroken and knows basic commands, and he would prefer to be the only pet in the home. As part of our senior promotion Apache is…
Against all odds, I had a better time at this year’s Epcot Food & Wine Festival than I have in ages
So far, 2020 has consisted of one shitshow after another, but even by current standards the past couple of weeks have been especially crappy for those involved in Orlando’s arts and attractions industries. At the theme parks, the ongoing deadlock between Actors’ Equity and Walt Disney World – which has many furloughed performers feeling like…
Orlando hip-hop duo OhTwo make post-pop for a post-everything world
Orlando experimental hip-hop duo OhTwo wrapped their new album, A Time to Be Small, in early March, right before the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States in earnest. This album was a decided break from their creative past, a bleak, minimal, left-field collection of songs that, like some cursed talisman, seemed almost a herald for…
Legal Public Notices 8/5 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices AUCTION Extra Space Storage – Store 8138, 1001 Lee Rd. Orlando FL. 32810 Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 1001 Lee Rd. Orlando, FL. 32810 (407) 489-3742, August 20, 2020 @ 4:00…
There’s no way to ensure that a COVID hookup with a co-worker won’t end badly
I’m a 20-something more-or-less lesbian in an East Coast city. I’m primarily into women, and I’m only interested in relationships with women, but I’m sometimes attracted to men and have enjoyed sex with men in the past. For various reasons, I decided a few years ago not to pursue physical stuff with men anymore and…
Central Florida breweries struggle to stay solvent
As Florida lurches to the end of our fifth and deadliest month yet of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s crisis response is still little more than a patchwork of inconsistent local regulations and hastily issued statewide proclamations, often delivered in tweets by public officials. One of the more surprising Twitter announcements came from…
The Democrats have leverage – but will they use it to prevent the bottom falling out of the economy?
Typical of the Trump era, the past week offered countless stories that warrant your attention and indignation: the president dispatching stormtroopers to “Democrat cities,” asking the U.K. to relocate the British Open to his golf course and sending well-wishes to an accused pedophile, to name just three. But there’s a looming crisis we shouldn’t overlook.…
Streaming premieres this week: Matt Gaetz, the Muppets and four hours of horror
Those are not all from the same show … but they could be.
Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Tuesday, July 28, 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. How Can We Safely Reopen Our Bars? How to safely reopen Florida’s bars will be the topic of conversation at many a state meeting this week. With so…
Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Monday, July 27, 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. Boat Renamed After Baby Was Born Onboard When the Easterday family rented a boat for the Fourth of July weekend, they had no idea it would be also…
