After a yearlong closure related to COVID-19, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex plans to reopen the Apollo/Saturn V Center this month. The Brevard County attraction reopened many of its exhibits last summer after a short closure, but kept the Apollo/Saturn V Center closed. The Apollo/Saturn V Center is located 7.5 miles north of the main…
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is undergoing one of the largest remodels in the resort’s 50-year history. Now we know more details on what to expect at the South Pacific-themed resort when it reopens later this year. Images released by Disney Parks and shared on the company’s TikTok show a complete overhaul of the rooms, which…
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…
The annual Paws in the Park festival returns to Lake Eola for another year. The 27th annual event kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 8, free to all pet lovers and their fur babies. The pet festival is put on every year by Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, the region’s oldest and largest…
With Democrats condemning the effort as “reefer madness,” a House panel on Tuesday pushed forward a proposal to impose limits on the amount of euphoria-inducing THC in medical marijuana products. The proposal, approved in a party-line vote by the House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee, would place a 10 percent THC cap on smokable marijuana…
New Jersey-based Korean grocer H Mart is wading into the crowded grocery-store field here in Orlando. As first reported by the Orlando Business Journal, the anticipated Orlando store will be the first H Mart location in both the city and the state, and will be located on West Colonial Drive near the Fairgrounds. H Mart…
Disney CEO Bob Chapek shared an opening date for Walt Disney World’s long-awaited Ratatouille ride during its annual shareholders’ meeting on Tuesday. The ride based on the 2007 film about a rat who hopes to be a chef will open at EPCOT’s France pavilion on October 1. The ride has been in the works for…
The Mediterranean chainlet Heart of Jerusalem Café has opened its first Florida franchise location in nearby Winter Springs. The café features gluten-free, halal and vegan options. Their menu includes their signature heart-shaped crispy falafel; kebab platters grilled to perfection; creamy hummus, and rich baklava topped with crushed pistachio. Popular drinks at the Heart of Jerusalem…
Half a million dead couldn’t stop Florida from hosting the Super Bowl and it certainly won’t stop tourists from coming to take part in that time-honored post-championship tradition. As spring break looms more immediately than coronavirus, it looks like many, many people are “going to Walt Disney World!” The company announced that all of its…
Despite what the flash-in-the-pan furor over a planned outer space hotel might have you believe, the project and the company behind it have been around for nearly a decade. Orbital Assembly’s team was brought together in 2012, releasing designs for the hotel concept beginning in 2017. Since then, the small group has tried to gain…
Filmmaker, podcaster and Orlando restaurateur (of the pop-up variety) Kevin Smith invites you to spend an evening with him in May at the Frontyard Festival. 2021 is shaping up to be the ‘Year of the Smith’ here in Orlando, with his cinematic creation Mooby’s (from Dogma) set to cross over into the “real world” in…
Even while Walt Disney World’s upcoming 50th anniversary has been forced to scale back due to the pandemic, Disney is planning a massive company-wide celebration to come on its heels. Marking the centennial of the company’s founding, plans for the anniversary in 2023 are still mostly under wraps. That may soon change, as Disney recently…
Things just get a bit more Floridian around Bike Week, when the siren song of the worst beer you’ve ever had in your life and heat stroke calls the nation’s dads to North Florida and they waste almost no time going native. One biker christened the yearly bacchanal of bad decisions by jumping the Daytona…
Sometimes it’s healthy to remember that when you step your toes into the ocean, you’re swimming with nearly every shark in existence. A new video from Palm Beach-based photographer Paul Dabill brings that to mind with terrifying and gorgeous shots of blacktip sharks swarming near Singer Island. Dabill provides a (black, doll-like) bird’s eye view…
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 Horror Nights will back this fall and promises to be bigger and better than ever! Beetlejuice was front and center at Monday’s major announcement. – LINK Work has…
Drinks are on Winter Park eatery the Hangry Bison — at least the first round — as part of their new “Hangry Hour” promotion for the month of March. The craft beer and burger destination at 480 N. Orlando Ave. is paying it forward to the happy hour crowd by doling out a round of free beverages to parties…
Florida, by most accounts, ran a successful 2020 election. Unlike other states where ballot wars continued for weeks, Florida voters went to bed on Election Night knowing who won all but the closest races. But amid Republican efforts across the country to revamp vote-by-mail systems, Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida GOP leaders are calling…
A Leon County circuit judge on Monday dismissed a potential class-action lawsuit against the state and Deloitte Consulting stemming from problems with Florida’s online unemployment compensation system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge John Cooper, for the second time in less than six months, said plaintiffs could not overcome legal hurdles to pursue the case against…
A Republican senator has proposed a bill to reinstate gun rights to nonviolent felons who have completed their sentences. Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, filed SB 1932 at the start of the new legislative session on March 1. The bill would amend Florida statute 98.0751 to reinstate the civil and firearm rights of felons who have completed…
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility guidelines at the Orange County Convention Center site during a press briefing on Monday. Mayor Demings stated that, going forward, all age requirements would be done away with at the county-run Convention Center vaccination site. So now, teachers (including colleges and universities, not just K-12),…
Universal Studios is opening one iteration of its long-planned Super Nintendo World on March 18. Unfortunately for residents of Orlando, it’s nearly on the other side of the world in Osaka. The park at Universal Studios Japan broke ground in 2017 and was meant to be open in time for Japan’s 2020 Summer Olympics. Like…
Scream, swap spit, and unmask your deepest desires, because the time has come for fully vaccinated folks to be able to hold and attend indoor gatherings with fellow fully vaxxed people without masks. That’s right — fully vaccinated people (meaning people who have waited two weeks after having received both doses of the Pfizer or…
Looks like it’s going to be showtime once again this October at Universal Orlando. After (mostly) taking off 2020 due to pandemic concerns — save for some scaled-back daytime haunts that ran a few days in October — Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is a go for 2021. HHN will run from Sept. 3-Oct. 31 this year, and one spooky…
The Florida House of Representatives giveth and taketh away. The House on Friday passed a proposal (HB 7) that provides broad immunity from COVID-19 lawsuits to non-health care related businesses. But the Republican-led chamber also agreed last week to lift a 20-year-plus ban that prohibited other lawsuits. Members of the House Civil Justice & Property…
The Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival offers a free screening of Women in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA in honor of Women’s History Month on Thursday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. Directed by local filmmaker Todd Thompson, Women in Motion chronicles how Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols diversified NASA in…
Standing with a group that commemorates victims of communism, Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls on Thursday endorsed legislative proposals aimed at exposing public-school students to “victims of other nations’ governing philosophies.” “In the classroom, clearly, the textbook isn’t enough. The instruction in the classroom isn’t enough. What our children need to understand what happens to…
As Gov. Ron DeSantis travels the state boasting of Florida’s “seniors first” policy, Democratic leaders are calling for investigations into the allocation of coveted COVID-19 vaccines. The political fight over the vaccines flared Thursday, with Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried saying she has requested an FBI investigation into the issue and Florida Senate Minority Leader Gary…
Chick-Fil-A recently came in first for Florida in a study by Pentagon Motor Group of top Google searches state-by-state by people looking for drive-thru snacking options. Starbucks handily won most of the continental United States, but Florida stuck out with its multiplicity of searches for Chick-Fil-A on the interwebs. (Also, WYD, Washington state? That feels…
A controversial anti-rioting bill championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis is moving quickly toward passage in the House, but is likely to stall in the Senate. Triggered by the mostly peaceful protests after the police killing of George Floyd, sponsor Rep. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, said House Bill 1 would protect against agitators who destroy properties during…
FEMA-run COVID-19 vaccination sites and several major pharmacies participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program in Florida will now vaccinate all K-12 teachers, school employees and day care workers, regardless of age. In line with updated guidelines from the CDC for the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program — and President Biden’s call to prioritize educators in vaccine…
A new gallery space has been making quiet moves in Orlando this year, with an admirable commitment to the DIY ethos and a newly opened exhibit from two notable local artists. ParkHaus15 is a small, nonprofit gallery space run out of the garage of a private residence in the UCF area. The ad hoc gallery…
Florida’s online unemployment system was never tested to meet the demands encountered during the coronavirus pandemic, and more than a dozen issues remained outstanding years after the system went live, according to a report released Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. The 95-page draft report by Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel focused on the Department…
Are you ready for another food hall, Orlando? There’s a new one set to open in Avalon Park next month, and vendors will run the gamut from Peruvian to New Orleans cuisine. The 8,000-square-foot Marketplace at Avalon Park — currently set for a late-April unveiling — will include a rotating commissary kitchen, live entertainment and event space, general…
The Wells’ Built Museum is bringing a free health education event to Orlando residents at the end of March. The inaugural “Your CheckUp, Your GetUp” event will be hosted at the venerable Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture, at 511 W. Church St. on Friday, March 26, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The event is being…
A proposal is advancing in the House that would allow high-performing students who live outside of Florida to pay in-state tuition rates at public universities if their grandparents reside in the Sunshine State. The measure (HB 1273) is dubbed the “grandparent tuition waiver bill” by House sponsor Patt Maney, R-Shalimar. It would let out-of-state students…
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals continue their awareness-raising campaign against monkey slave labor with an action Thursday afternoon that aims to shame Publix into dropping a certain brand of coconut milk. Thailand’s Chaokoh brand of coconut milk, stocked by Publix stores, was the subject of an extensive undercover investigation by PETA that produced some…
The Frontyard Festival and Maitland’s Enzian Theater are jointly presenting a screening of the stellar 2001 rock opera (and so much more) Hedwig & the Angry Inch at the end of March. Hedwig, the glorious film adaptation of John Cameron Mitchell’s off-Broadway hit, is a love letter to glam rock and one of the finest rock…
Pharmacy chain CVS announced on Wednesday that regardless of age, K-12 teachers, school employees, daycare and preschool workers can now be vaccinated for COVID-19 at participating CVS stores in Florida. The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program — in which CVS is a participant — updated its vaccination eligibility guidelines following a March 2 directive by the Biden administration to prioritize…
Update: This show has been delayed until April 2 because of projected rain on Saturday. Orlando’s own Michelle Beebs (Beebs & Her Money Makers) is playing a pop-up homecoming show in downtown Orlando this weekend, and she’s got quite the lineup of musical guests cooking — including members of Fishbone and some notable locals. The one-night only…
The Central Florida Fair celebrates its 109th anniversary March 4-14 with plenty of entertainment options like the Sea Lion Splash, Pirates of the Colombian Caribbean, racing pigs, camel rides, live music and helicopter rides (weather permitting). The fair has implemented new health and safety guidelines: Face masks will be required for attendees 6 years of…
Harry Potter fandom expo LeakyCon in Orlando has been postponed for yet another year because of pandemic-related concerns. The convention, a weekend full of colorful costumes and fantastical fiction and myth, along with a Dementor or two — just to clarify, we’re not talking about CPAC, that one sadly did happen — was set for the Orange…
Proposals to codify in state law a “Parent’s Bill of Rights” related to what families are entitled to know about their children’s education and health care are advancing in the House and Senate, as the 2021 legislative session gets underway. Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, and Rep. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, are carrying the measures, which…
“Remember the Alamo” will now haunt Orlando almost as eerily as it does San Antonio, after Texas-based movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse today announced it’s scrapping plans for an Orlando theater. The cancellation is part of a pending Chapter 11 bankruptcy and sale to its senior lender group. Alamo Drafthouse, founded in 1997, had planned…
Construction work resumed on Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe theme park project on Wednesday after being on hold for nearly eight months. Work on the park had gone on an indefinite hiatus back in July due to the coronavirus pandemic, but is restarting immediately — though it will take several months to get back to full momentum. Hiring…
Well, hot dog! Oscar Mayer’s traveling Wienermobile — bands aren’t touring right now, so this is what you get — rolls into Orlando on Friday as part of a “coast-to-coast weenie roast.” The hiring process for drivers (“hotdoggers,” no lie) for the hot dog-shaped vehicle generated a more than fair amount of online buzz, including CNN coverage, earlier this…
Dan: I am at a loss. I am devastated. I just found out my husband has been sexting with another woman. As if that wasn’t bad enough, this woman is his first cousin! And this has been going on for years! I’ll give you a moment to recover from that jaw drop. OK, now the…
Who run the world? This week, it’s the ladies. And if you go out, respect everyone’s distance, for all our sakes. Cat Ridgeway and the Tourists: Rising Orlando musician Cat Ridgeway has been steady go-getting lately. She and her band are tireless performers, and her latest album, Nice to Meet You, recently broke the top…
Premieres Wednesday: Moxie! — Apparently, Amy Poehler wants to clarify that some “cool moms” are actually cool, not pathetic vicarity cases like the one she played in Mean Girls. Because she both directed and co-stars in this flick about a teenager who relies on her mom’s example to combat sexism at her school. Personally, I…
It’s hard to bugger up cooking a steak at home. Just procure a beautiful cut of USDA Prime beef and Maillard reaction the hell out of it with a proper reverse-sear. Personally, I finish mine off in a blazing-hot, cast-iron pan on my outdoor grill to maintain a smoke-free and breathable kitchen. Plate it with…
Meet Jarvis! Jarvis (A442135) is a sweet 4-year-old boy looking for his new home. He was surrendered to our shelter by his previous family, who could no longer keep him due to their living situation. According to Jarvis’ previous owner, he is house-broken, knows basic commands, and is friendly with men and women. Jarvis does…
Selections of the week: THURSDAY, MARCH 41st Thursdays: Bella DonnaCelebrate both Women’s History Month and local creativity at this evening event that features a meet-and-greet with mall-pop icon Tiffany, “’80s glam attire optional.” 6 p.m., $15-$55. Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 N. Mills Ave., omart.org Front Porch Series featuring Cat Ridgeway & the Tourists Singer/songwriter…
The pandemic paused performing arts at every level, from theme park spectaculars and Broadway tours down to the smallest community troupe, and the academic world has been no exception. Although the COVID-19 crisis appears to be easing, one of Central Florida’s largest theater education programs is still proceeding cautiously with a mix of hybrid classes…
It’s one or the other, folks.
¶ C.R.E.A.M.: Vax edition Last week we reported that Florida Congressman Charlie Crist is calling for an investigation into Gov. Ron DeSantis funneling 3,000 coronavirus vaccines to two wealthy, donor-rich zip codes in Manatee County in the form of pop-up vaccination sites. “Time and time again, Governor DeSantis has proven he is not up to…
Traditionally held in Washington, D.C., this year’s annual Conservative Political Action Conference — described by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper as “Woodstock for election liars” — found new turf at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando. Lucky us. While a four-day lineup of conservative politicians, pundits and Fox News favorites discussed the future of the Republican Party…
