With international travelers returning to Orlando, dinner theater entertainers hope to get back to something like normal
Last week, Disney World announced more live entertainment would be returning to the resort in the coming weeks. Character meet-and-greets, resort entertainment, live musical acts, and multiple stage shows will all be returning this fall. The move is one of the biggest signs yet that things are slowly settling into the new normal. On International…
SeaWorld Orlando’s decrepit Wild Arctic simulator isn’t long for this world
SeaWorld has hoped to replace its dated Wild Arctic simulator attraction for years. Rumors swirled of a replacement as early as 2011, but it has persisted. In the years following, SeaWorld faced a tailspin of problems that eventually saw the company replace nearly all of its leadership and go through multiple owners. Now with a…
Following a pandemic lull, Universal Studios Florida has major changes planned for next year
With attendance back up and profits rolling in, the delays Universal Parks saw during the pandemic are long gone. In Beijing, the Universal Studios resort opened last month, and Orlando’s Epic Universe theme park has been a hive of activity as construction begins to ramp out on that project. We’re also seeing our first major…
Legal Public Notices 10/13 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below at the property indicated: October 22, 2021 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 Eric Meeks- Household Goods, Taxidermy.…
Red Hot Chili Peppers to play Camping World Stadium with The Strokes, Thundercat next fall
Like cockroaches, the blend of Flea’s funky bass and Anthony Keidies’ SoCal gibberish will outlive almost anything. Tastes have changed, pandemics have descended and there will always be a dedicated squad willing to lose their mind to “Trinidad’s got it bad for Tobago, take me to the lake where we do the avocado.” Related The…
New Years Eve EDM festival Countdown announces 2021 lineup including Deadmau5, Flosstradamus
We can’t imagine a festival where the lineup matters less than a New Years Eve campout EDM blowout in the woods. Still, Countdown wasn’t willing to rest on the holiday, fans’ easygoing attitudes or nature, booking big names like Deadmau5, Flosstradamus and Rusko for their return to Florida. The Insomniac-hosted fest shared its full lineup,…
The decline and fall of American democracy is here
Informed Dissent.
Brevard Public Schools remove graphic novel about being genderqueer, calling it ‘inappropriate’
Brevard Public Schools has pulled a graphic novel memoir from its libraries that depicts the experience of learning to exist outside the gender binary. Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir was pulled from school shelves by BPS leaders and flagged so that more copies would not be purchased. “BPS staff immediately agreed that this book…
Crane collapse at AdventHealth parking garage hospitalizes one worker
A construction crane being used to build a parking garage on the AdventHealth campus collapsed on Tuesday morning, sending one worker to the hospital with traumatic injuries. Police and firefighters were called to the site around 300 E. Smith Street around 9:30 a.m. One man was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center and is reported…
Henry Rollins announces Orlando appearance in 2022
Punk elder statesman Henry Rollins has announced a return to the road in 2022, and he will be including Orlando in his travels. The author, spoken-word performer and former Black Flag/Rollins Band singer this week confirmed the dates for his extensive “Good To See You” tour — words I cannot imagine Rollins saying without a grimace — kicking…
State senators want to extend life of state’s tourism marketing arm Visit Florida to boost COVID-19 rebound
Florida’s tourism-marketing agency is getting Senate support to keep its doors open into the next decade. Senate Commerce and Tourism Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, is sponsoring legislation to extend the life of Visit Florida, which has been leading efforts to draw tourists back to the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I have no doubt that…
Florida School Boards Association breaks from national org over request for FBI investigation into threats against boardmembers
The organization that represents Florida school boards has “great concern” for the safety of board members and school officials after recent reports of threats, but is rejecting its national counterpart’s request that the federal government step in. The Florida School Boards Association is refusing to pay membership dues to the National School Boards Association after…
Orlando felons’ rights activist Desmond Meade has civil rights restored
Desmond Meade, a former drug dealer who has garnered international accolades after leading the drive to pass a 2018 constitutional amendment to restore voting rights for felons, has had his civil rights restored by the Florida Board of Executive Clemency. The move stemmed from changes made by the clemency board earlier this year. The restoration…
Everyone we saw at Orlando’s Come Out With Pride 2021
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Central Florida Northrop Grumman workers protest upcoming federal vaccine mandate
Workers at a Central Florida aerospace manufacturing facility are protesting an upcoming vaccination mandate for all federal employees and contractors. According to a report from Fox 35, a group of workers at a Melbourne Northrop Grumman plant are protesting the requirement that they get vaccinated. The workers gathered outside the facility on Monday morning to…
Harry Styles’ Orlando concert among events being questioned over possible ‘vaccine passport’ ban violations
A Florida task force is looking into whether certain events and venues violated the state’s ban on so-called “vaccine passports.” That prohibition recently went into effect and the state has already rounded up a host of potential offenders, including Harry Styles’ recent show at the Amway Center. According to a report from the Orlando Sentinel,…
Nearly 57,000 Floridians have died of COVID-19, per report
Florida is nearing 57,000 resident deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic started in early 2020, according to a report released Friday by the state Department of Health. As of Thursday, the state totaled 56,667 deaths, up from 55,299 in a report issued last week. Lags in reporting make it difficult to track when the additional…
Florida’s voter suppression laws challenged by several lawsuits
A federal judge on Friday allowed a series of challenges to a new state elections law to move forward, setting the stage for a showdown over Republican legislators’ efforts to make it more difficult for Floridians to vote by mail and for organizations to conduct voter-registration drives. The Florida Conference of the NAACP, Disability Rights…
Daytona Beach’s Virginity celebrate release of new album ‘POPMORTEM’ at Will’s Pub on Saturday
Virginity is a band that hits close to home. Their specialty is heart-on-your-sleeves punk: painfully honest tunes that take sadness, and make solidarity. The band is set to release their newest full-length POPMORTEM on October 15th, via Orlando’s own Smartpunk records. But dearest City Beautiful, you have an opportunity to hear the album early, and…
Watch: Jury selection begins in second murder trial of Markeith Loyd
Jury selection is underway for Markeith Loyd, the once-convicted murderer who shot and killed Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton in January 2017. The closely watched trial had been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but began in earnest today with the beginnings of jury selection. The process could take as long as a month, given…
Packed college football stadiums in Florida haven’t led to COVID-19 outbreaks
College football stadiums across Florida with tens of thousands of non-masked, screaming students and boosters packed closely together have so far resulted in no recognizable community outbreaks amid the pandemic, according to infection figures on the state’s biggest campuses. The season began amid fears that big games could become super-spreader events. Now, nearly halfway through…
Ruling on Florida’s vaccine passport ban could come as soon as next week
A Leon County circuit judge could rule late next week in a challenge to the constitutionality of a state law that bans so-called “vaccine passports” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge Layne Smith held a hearing Thursday in a lawsuit filed by Bead Abode, Inc., a Sarasota hobby and craft store. Smith gave attorneys until Wednesday…
Florida penalizes Orange, Brevard school districts over mask mandates
The State Board of Education on Thursday ratcheted up discipline against eight county school boards that have maintained student mask mandates to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The crackdown intensified the battle over whether school districts can set student mask requirements, a debate that is also playing out in courts. Board members backed…
OCPS Superintendent Barbara Jenkins defends district mask policy, slams new Florida quarantine rules in meeting with state Department of Education
On Thursday, Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins defended the school district’s decision to impose a mask mandate following a spike in COVID-19 cases among the district’s students. During a conference call between superintendents across the state and the Florida Department of Education, Jenkins stood by OCPS’ decision. “As constitutional officers, we take seriously…
Swoop! FWC gets behind osprey for Florida’s state bird
Add the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to the supporters of doing away with the mockingbird as the state bird during the 2022 legislative session. Commissioners agreed Thursday to offer the osprey as a potential replacement for the mockingbird —- Florida’s avian symbol since 1927. Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, has filed a proposal…
South Florida’s Voodoo Bayou restaurant opening location in Orlando’s Restaurant Row
A South Florida eatery offering Louisianan fare is coming to Orlando’s Restaurant Row. According to a report from the Orlando Business Journal, Voodoo Bayou is opening up in the former home of MoonFish at 7525 W. Sand Lake Road. The Palm Beach Gardens restaurant describes itself as a “Southern Cajun Kitchen.” In truth, it’s a…
Brevard County Sheriff hoping to reunite forgetful citizen with over 700 pounds of ‘misplaced’ marijuana
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is hoping to reunite a citizen with their lost property. In this case, 770 pounds of marijuana. Self-appointed yuckster and all-around tool Sheriff Wayne Ivey shared a photo of the seized weed, which was found in a storage unit in Viera. BCSO said they just want to get in touch…
Nikki Fried says Ron DeSantis is ‘lying’ about COVID-19 numbers in Florida’s mask mandate schools
Florida Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial hopeful Nikki Fried said that Governor Ron DeSantis is ‘lying’ about the efficacy of mask mandates in Florida public schools. DeSantis barred Florida school districts from requiring mask mandates and has sought to punish noncompliant districts by stripping them of funding. All the while, DeSantis has pushed a line that…
Rats off to Orlando: City is second most rodent-infested in Florida
A new report from pest control company Terminix claims that Orlando is one of the most rat-infested places in the United States. The City Beautiful is appealing enough to rats that the metro came in the top 20 locales for rodents in the country. According to Terminix’s report, Orlando is the 15th most rat-heavy spot…
Our democracy is failing. A multi-party system could fix that, but it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon
In a survey taken this summer by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, 83% of Trump voters agreed with this statement: “There are many radical, immoral people trying to ruin things; our society ought to stop them.” More than four in five Trump voters also believed that “Our country needs a powerful leader in…
Florida craft store’s case against ‘vaccine passport’ ban moves forward
A Leon County circuit judge is scheduled Thursday to hold a hearing in a Sarasota hobby and craft store’s challenge to a state law that bans so-called “vaccine passports.” Circuit Judge Layne Smith is considering the case two months after a federal judge in South Florida sided with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in a challenge…
Central Florida school district accused of violating Sunshine Laws after removing crowd ahead of mask mandate vote
State Rep. Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, called Wednesday for an investigation into the chairwoman of the county’s school board, after members of the public were excluded from part of a meeting Tuesday that dealt with school mask requirements. Fine alleged that board Chairwoman Misty Belford violated Florida’s Sunshine Law during the sometimes-heated meeting. “It is…
Florida Ag Commissioner asks that manatees return to ‘endangered’ status
State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried asked the federal government to again list threatened manatees as “endangered,” as Florida has had a record number of manatee deaths this year. In a letter Tuesday to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fried called “misguided” the March 2017 decision to reclassify manatees as “threatened” under the federal Endangered…
Imagineer says Disney’s Star Wars hotel will include appearances from Kylo Ren, Chewbacca
Few things have garnered as much excitement in the Disney fan universe than the live-in, immersive Star Wars hotel planned for Walt Disney World. Understandably so, given the level of ambition behind the undertaking. The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will fully ensconce guests in a Star Wars story where their choices effect the outcome over the…
Tame Impala, Megan Thee Stallion top Okeechobee Music x Arts Festival lineup for 2022
We’ve known that reliable festmakers Insomniac are returning to the Sunshine Grove for Okeechobee Music x Arts Festival in 2022 for quite a while. Who was playing was another matter. That’s all changed with the initial reveal of the fest’s lineup, which includes big name acts like Megan Thee Stallion, Tame Impala and Denzel Curry.…
The Hives will play Orlando’s House of Blues on October 20
Sometimes you just have to admit when the bands of your teens and young adulthood have become “legacy acts,” touring on ever-fainter reflections of their former glamour. At least in The Hives’ case, you’re bound to get one sweaty, incredible show out of the offer before everyone involved turns to dust. The Swedish garage rockers…
Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando has received nearly $1 million in donations since shelter fire
Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando says they’ve received nearly $1 million in donations since their Conroy Road shelter suffered a devastating fire on September 15. In a post shared to the animal rescue’s Facebook, PAGO notes that over 13,000 people, businesses and groups have donated money to the shelter in wake of the fire that…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis looks to overturn cruise line exemption to ‘vaccine passport’ bans
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has asked a federal appeals court to toss out a preliminary injunction that allowed Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to require passengers to show documentation that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Attorneys for the administration filed a 69-page brief Monday at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals backing a new…
Florida weighs discipline against Orange County Public Schools, others for carrying out mask mandates
Some school districts that have imposed student mask requirements aren’t backing down, despite state threats of financial penalties and a revamped Department of Health rule aimed at bolstering parental choice on masks. The State Board of Education will meet Thursday and is considering disciplinary action against 11 school boards that set student mask mandates to…
Come Out With Pride, Orlando! Here’s the 2021 rundown: parades, fireworks, celebrities and all
Happy Pride, Orlando! After 2020 celebrations were shifted mostly online, Orlando’s Come Out With Pride is back this weekend with a huge slate of in-person events, observances, celebrations and — yes — the blockbuster parade through downtown Orlando. This year’s theme is “Unified by Pride” in recognition of the vibrant diversity of Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community.…
Federal law says uninsured COVID patients should be treated for free. Why did Orlando Health tell CJ Vogl he owed $29,000?
When CJ Vogl awoke at 2 a.m. in his Charleston, South Carolina, Airbnb with a strange feeling in his chest and stomach, he assumed his acid reflux was acting up. But then he threw up — and he kept throwing up, retching to the point of near delirium, he says. He tried to sleep off…
New music releases from Orlando’s Dot Org and Drex Carter
Dot Org, the vehicle for local musician Ian Mckewen, has always been a stylistically restless indie act with little regard for simple categorization or convention. But the one unifying element in all of the heady brew is Mckewen’s theatrical singing, and it’s this act’s most defining trait. Well, Dot Org’s brand-new single, “Neon Oceans,” is…
Things to do in Orlando, Oct. 6-12: Harry Styles, Trevor Noah, Manchester Orchestra, Ziggy Marley
Our editors’ selections of the best stuff to do this week. Wednesday, Oct. 6Super Gay Wednesday Pride Kick-Off Come Out With Pride grand marshal Blue Star hosts a kickoff party at her Church Street clubhouse. 7 p.m., Haos on Church, 123 W. Church St., haosonchurch.com, $11. Thursday, Oct. 7Harry StylesStyles’ “one direction” is for you…
‘Nosferatu’ and ‘Horror in Headphones’ offer Orlando two new immersive encounters with the undead
So far this spooky season, I’ve experienced more than two dozen haunted houses and scare zones between Universal and SeaWorld’s Halloween events — not to mention facing down hordes of zombie clowns at Scream n’ Stream — and all that was before October had even begun. If you’re craving an All Hallows celebration, but you’re…
South Eola gets a new ramen bar, Chiffon Culture Bakery Cafe brings Japanese donuts and boba tea to Winter Springs, and 4Roots launches a farmers market in the Packing District
OPENINGS + CLOSINGS: Saisei Kitchen has opened in the old Coco Cocina Mexicana in South Eola. Saisei bills itself as a “modern Japanese izakaya and ramen kitchen” and is within walking distance of Jinya, another modern Japanese izakaya and ramen kitchen … Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, a “zero human interaction” automat-style restaurant, will bring five locations…
Adoptable Davey enjoys chasing toys and belly rubs; meet him at Orange County Animal Shelter
Meet Davey! Davey (A453031) is an 8-year-old neutered male brought to our shelter as a stray. He is a very sweet boy who has been searching for his forever family for over 124 days. Davey is especially happy when he is playing fetch in our interaction yard. He enjoys chasing toys and belly rubs, and…
Savage Love: ‘I can’t stop sexting my ex’
Dear Dan: I’m a cis woman. I had a quasi-relationship with a man last year that only lasted a couple of months. The sex was great, and sexting was always a big part of our connection. Since the breakup, we’ve fluctuated between staying in touch and radio silence, sometimes going months without speaking. During our…
Readers react: Tucker Carlson and Matt Gaetz; Is Florida a leper colony?, and the Florida Man song
¶ Lay it down, clown Last week Fox News’ Tucker Carlson floated the so-called “Great Replacement theory,” which argues that white Americans are being replaced by non-European ethnicities in service of a grand political project by the Democratic party, and the Anti-Defamation League pointed out that this is both laughable (really, who thinks the party…
‘Muppets Haunted Mansion,’ ‘Joe Bob’s Halloween Hoedown’ and more streaming debuts this week
Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 6: Among the Stars — In an effort to reclaim space exploration from billionaire dilettantes, NASA presents a documentary series about good old-fashioned publicly funded astronauts who have to perform a critical repair to the International Space Station. Yeah, but can they build a rocket that looks like my junk? (Disney+) Bad…
Orlando concert picks, Oct. 9-13: Wavves, Me Nd Adam, Sad Halen, Glove, more
Can’t control others, but you can protect yourself. So mask up if you go out. C.B. Carlyle & the Desert Angels, ‘ShewBird: This latest installment of the Modern Music Movement’s notable new live stand at Stardust will feature some of the moodiest Americana to be found in the area. Newcomers from Howey-in-the-Hills C.B. Carlyle &…
