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Why are home COVID tests so expensive and hard to find?
Here’s what’s behind the shortages of a critical tool for ending the pandemic
‘Drag + Drive’ event at The Center will see Orlando drag performers pitch in for holiday food drive
Orlando’s The Center and Come Out With Pride are pairing up for a very unique take on a holiday food drive later this month. Drag & Drive is a food drive with a very glamorous, drive-in difference, all to benefit and stock up the Center’s Pride Pantry — located at the Center’s Orlando location on Mills Avenue.…
Legal Public Notices 12/01 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices AUCTION Extra Space Storage Ð 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, Dec 17th, 2021 @…
Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! restaurant will open in Winter Park this week
Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! restaurant has been building up anticipation from inside an old Winter Park Steak ‘n Shake for quite a while now. Fans of the TV host and restaurateur have gobbled up any news of the fast casual restaurant. We now know that the first iteration of the chicken shack outside of Disney…
Ink 19, Pat Greene and the Nook on Robinson present a night of ‘NSFW’ storytelling
Ink 19 and Pat Greene want you to talk about your best — and worst — ‘NSFW’ behavior this weekend. It’s an open mic but with a very specific twist, as Greene and the folks behind Ink 19 website — formerly a print zine and now also a podcast — are hosting an evening of take-this-job-and-shove-it storytelling. To wit, attendees are encouraged to tell…
A Hello Kitty pop-up truck is coming to the Florida Mall Saturday
Any fan of cartoon characters who have no mouth and must scream is in for a treat this weekend. Hello Kitty’s pop-up truck is returning to the Florida Mall yet again, offering limited edition collectibles, snacks and other goodies to die-hards on Saturday, Dec. 4. The objects on offer include T-shirts, thermoses and enamel pins.…
You can use Metallica’s Lars Ulrich as a toilet at a Tampa metal show this weekend
Have you ever wanted to tell Lars Ulrich how you really feel about the drums on St. Anger? Do you feel some kind of monster brewing in your gut right now? A concert in Tampa will give you the chance to vent everything but your spleen on a toilet designed to look like the famed…
Florida lawmakers propose allowing jobs to count toward service hours for Bright Futures scholarship
Two Republican lawmakers have filed proposals that would allow high-school students to meet part of Bright Futures scholarship requirements through paid work instead of volunteer service. Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, filed his version of the proposal (SB 1060) on Monday. Rep. Lauren Melo, R-Naples, filed a similar bill (HB 461) this month in the…
Florida parents, state agree that school mask case is pointless
A group of parents and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration Monday asked an appeals court to dismiss a legal fight about a DeSantis executive order aimed at preventing school mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a joint motion, attorneys for the parents and the DeSantis administration said the case was moot because of a law…
Last ‘WPRK Comes Alive’ of 2021 features the formidable lineup of Orlando’s Casey Jones II and Flozigg
Rollins College radio station WPRK this week caps off this year’s series of “WPRK Comes Alive” concerts — and celebrates their 69th birthday — with a double-header of heavy local hip-hop and alternative talent. On Wednesday, Dec. 1, WPRK presents Casey Jones II and Flozigg as part of the station’s last live event for 2021. Flozigg recently was the…
DeSantis pushes even more benefits for law enforcement officers
Promoting Florida as “greener pastures” for law-enforcement officers, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday teased a plan for salary increases and bonuses as part of his upcoming budget proposal. DeSantis said the budget he will propose next week for the 2022 legislative session will include $73 million to increase pay for officers at the Florida Highway…
Florida House’s proposed redistricting map would ‘nuke’ Rep. Stephanie Murphy’s district in aggressive gerrymander
After the Florida Senate tweaked its proposed new congressional maps, the House on Monday rolled out its first efforts for the once-a-decade redistricting process. Like the Senate, the House —- in a pair of proposed maps —- focused on carving the state’s new congressional district in Central Florida, mostly around Polk County. House Redistricting Chairman…
Markeith Loyd faces death penalty as sentencing hearing begins
Markeith Loyd, the twice-convicted killer of both his ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon and Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton, is facing the death penalty as sentencing gets underway. Loyd is already serving a life sentence for the killing of Dixon. Earlier this month, he was found guilty of murdering Clayton. The OPD officer approached the then-fugitive Loyd…
Storytelling comic Kyle Kinane comes to The Abbey this Wednesday
Storyteller comic Kyle Kinane is bringing his unique longform comedy to the Abbey this Wednesday, Dec. 1. Touring behind his new album Trampoline in a Ditch, Kinane will play two sets at his frequent Orlando-area stomping ground. Kinane is pushing into his 40s and no longer the upstart cult comic that netted a ton of…
An Orlando Magic fan learned he’s going to be a father on the Amway Center kiss-cam
huge W pic.twitter.com/lDFCfT1SCn — Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 25, 2021 An Orlando Magic fan found out he’s going to be a dad on the Jumbotron this Thanksgiving weekend. In a clip that has since gone viral, James Baily gradually comes to the realization that his wife, Taylor, is pregnant in front of thousands of fans.…
Seminole Tribe asks appeals court to stay Florida sports betting decision
The Seminole Tribe has asked a Washington D.C.-based appeals court for a stay of a ruling that rejected a gambling deal allowing sports betting in Florida. Attorneys for the tribe filed the emergency motion Thursday at the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia after U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that…
Florida coronavirus hospitalizations top 1,400
The number of Florida hospital inpatients with COVID-19 has inched above 1,400, according to data posted online Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The data showed that 1,406 inpatients had COVID-19, up from 1,382 on Tuesday and 1,351 on Monday. The data also showed that 252 COVID-19 patients were in intensive…
Judge denies stay in Florida sports betting decision
A federal judge late Wednesday refused to put on hold a ruling that rejected a deal giving the Seminole Tribe control of online sports betting in Florida. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich issued a five-page order that denied a request by the tribe for a stay of a Monday ruling in which Friedrich said the…
Eagles will soar into Orlando in 2022 as part of their ‘Hotel California’ tour
Since members of famed classic-rockers the Eagles are not currently fussin’ or feudin’ that means it’s time to hit the road, and the band is going all-out with a show that includes playing Hotel California from start to finish. And, yep, there is an Orlando show on the books. The Eagles — whose current lineup consists of Don Henley,…
Half-incarcerated couple holds unauthorized wedding in Central Florida prison
A former inmate and her convicted fiance in a federal prison exchanged vows Sunday night in an unauthorized wedding ceremony over a phone call, moving their plans ahead by one day over concerns that the Justice Department might try to interfere. On Sunday, Chrissy Shorter and Noel Arnold exchanged vows over a phone call. They…
Judge blocks Florida’s sports betting deal with Seminole Tribe, calls state’s justification a ‘fiction’
Calling it a “fiction,” a Washington, D.C.-based judge late Monday ruled that a deal giving the Seminole Tribe control of online sports betting in Florida violates a federal law that regulates gaming on tribal lands. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich’s ruling invalidated a sports betting plan in one of the nation’s most highly sought-after markets…
Millenia-area pho spot will have a robot server; get your Carnegie Deli fix in Daytona, plus more local food news
The long-awaited YH Seafood Clubhouse, specializing in dim sum, modern Cantonese fare and live seafood, is aiming to be open before Christmas. Meanwhile, owner John Zhao will open an Orlando outpost of his Vietnamese concept, Pho 813, in the old Pei Wei space at 4724 Millenia Plaza Way after the Thanksgiving holiday. Like the original…
Orlando International Airport workers walk out on the cusp of MCO’s busiest travel season
‘Overworked and underpaid’
Free Will Astrology: Your horoscope for Nov. 24-30
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Chris Brogan says, “Don’t settle. Don’t finish crappy books. If you don’t like the menu, leave the restaurant. If you’re not on the right path, get off it.” That’s the best possible counsel for you to hear, in my astrological opinion. As an Aries, you’re already inclined to live…
Soothe not-OK Boomers this Thanksgiving with Disney+’s new Beatles documentary
Plus 22 more streaming debuts this week
Adoptable pup Princess is a sweet girl who loves to splash around in the doggie pool
Meet Princess! Princess (A387595) has been at the shelter for over 112 days and is still looking for her fur-ever home! Princess is a sweet girl who loves to splash around in the doggie pool and we believe she will do great in a home where there are a lot of water activities happening. She…
Orlando concert picks, Nov. 26-30: Nervous Turkey, Big Jef Special, Yautja, Hotline TNT
I know, all else seems tame around here now after the recent GG Allin-esque stunt by Brass Against frontwoman Sophia Urista on stage at Daytona’s Welcome to Rockville music festival. At least the following shows won’t have a splash zone. And as always, be a mensch and mask up if you go out. Nervous Turkey,…
The overall sentiment at this year’s IAAPA was that Orlando’s attractions business is poised for a post-pandemic bounce
One year after the international amusement park industry’s annual Orlando convention was canceled due to the coronavirus, the IAAPA Expo returned to the Orange County Convention Center last week. Although the show floor was somewhat scaled back from its 2019 peak — with curtains concealing vacant corners that formerly overflowed with display booths, and my…
Dark electronic duo Wingtips returns to Orlando, where they have deep roots
One of the unique, and often overlooked, joys of the holidays for local music heads is when prodigal musicians return home for a visit and — hey, what the hell — decide to play a show or two, creatively checking in with their community and communicating through art to old friends and family. Obviously that…
New releases from Orlando’s Gerald Law II and Little Lazy
Orlando’s Gerald Law II has been distinguishing himself in the city’s music scene with conceptual crossovers that bring music into intersection with things like technology and social ideas. The latest manifestation of that is his new album, From G. to You, Vol. III. The first two volumes of From G. to You were dedication albums…
Letters to the editor: ‘If you don’t want Donald Trump back in the White House in 2024, the Democrats need to change course’
In our Nov. 10 issue, opinion writer Jeffrey Billman’s Informed Dissent column concerned the potential outcomes of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe’s loss (“Democrats are bound to learn the wrong lesson from Glenn Youngkin’s win”). In Billman’s view, “rather than ‘moving to the center’ in the name of unlikely self-preservation, they’d be better served by…
Ways to work off the turkey, Nov. 24-30: DJ Icey, FusionFest, Dark Star Orchestra, Dazzling Nights
Our selections of the best stuff to do this Thanksgiving week. Wednesday, Nov. 24AAHZ Reunion 2021The AAHZ clubhouse members’ annual flex featuring DJ Icey, Kimball Collins, Baby Anne and Dave Cannalte. 9 p.m., The Beacham, 46 N. Orange Ave., beachamorlando.com, $30-$35. Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin EveningScion of hard-rock royalty pays musical tribute to his father,…
Savage Love: ‘I’m just a gay guy responding to a straight guy, asking him to get over himself’
Dear Dan: I have a fun little labeling question. I’m a non-binary person who was assigned male at birth (AMAB). I gravitate toward femininity in life and in love. My question is about the inclusiveness of the label “lesbian.” Is this a label only for women? Or is it inclusive of everyone who is feminine…
What the Rittenhouse verdict and Republican lawmakers’ embrace of violence portends for the future of American democracy
For those who recall the grotesque circus of George Zimmerman’s 2013 trial, Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal felt painfully familiar. Like Zimmerman, the self-appointed neighborhood watchman who stalked and shot a Black teenager, Rittenhouse claimed self-defense after provoking a confrontation. Rittenhouse, a white teenager, took an assault rifle to “defend” Kenosha, Wisconsin — a city 45 minutes…
