Feeling lucky? Here are St. Patrick’s Day events, deals and festivities in Orlando

Orlando Sentinel (Osceola County News) 3/11 5:00A Patrick Connolly

Many Central Floridians might be feeling lucky this weekend as St. Patrick’s Day arrives full of beer and Irish-themed merriment on March 17. What originated as a commemoration of Christianity in...

Universal: New online maps give bird’s-eye — or dragon’s-eye — view of Epic Universe’s layout

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/11 2:37A Dewayne Bevil

A friend was previewing Epic Universe recently and sent a text that read “I really should have studied.” He knew details about the theme park and its rides but had not really absorbed its layout and how it all came together. For the first time in...

Tuesday is dry and sunny with normal highs

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/11 1:59A Garfield Hylton

After a turbulent Monday, Tuesday will be drier with clear skies. Temperature highs are in the mid 70s across the entire region, according to NWS Melbourne. The gusty winds and drier air will lead to sensitive fire weather conditions throughout...

Orlando drops controversial SoDo shelter plan, Mayor Dyer says

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/10 4:26A Ryan Gillespie

Orlando officials are no longer pursuing a homeless shelter at a former work-release facility in SoDo, Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel Monday, after enduring fierce blowback from a neighborhood east of the site. The about-face raises...

House collapses from possible tornado reported in Seminole County

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/10 1:47A Garfield Hylton, Richard Tribou

A potential tornado caused major damage to at least one home in Seminole County as severe weather moving across Central Florida prompted tornado warnings in four counties. Emergency crews were...

Florida gas prices are slightly higher than they were last week

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/10 1:45A Garfield Hylton

Florida gas prices remain in the same range they ve moved within the past five months. On Sunday, the state average was $3.09 per gallon, according to AAA The Auto Club Group. The state average rose $0.10 but decreased the same amount, finishing...

Arts groups grapple with state budget: ‘We’re between a rock and a hard place’

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/9 11:00P Matthew J. Palm

Proposed changes to the way Florida s arts organizations receive state funding have leaders of cultural nonprofits watching developments in Tallahassee with a mix of wariness and hope. We re between a...

Apartment complex, affordable housing in protected rural Seminole area draw opposition

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/9 11:00P Martin E. Comas

A proposal for a 300-unit apartment complex on 12 acres of land in the ecologically-sensitive Wekiva Protection Area is confronting Seminole County with a difficult conflict between two worthy goals: protecting the environment and providing...

1 dead, 2 injured in fatal hit-and-run in Orange County

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/9 4:22A Elainie Barraza

A 47-year-old woman from Orlando is dead and a 85-year-old woman from Pembroke Pines is serious condition after a hit-and-run crash in Orange County early Sunday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said. An unknown driver was traveling in a 2020...

Search firm narrows Orlando Airport CEO field, but contenders are a secret

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/9 1:00A Skyler Swisher

The agency that runs the Orlando International Airport wants to hire a CEO as early as the end of the month, and a search firm has flagged 13 contenders for the job. But so far, the public has been mostly shut out of the firm s work finding a new...

Seminole County makes first arrest in homeless camping ban

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/9 12:20A Abe Aboraya

This story is part of a collaborative initiative of independent local news outlets working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida. This story first appeared on OviedoCommunityNews.org. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has made its...

Disney shows more ‘Monsters, Inc.,’ ‘Cars,’ Smugglers Run details

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/8 9:37A Dewayne Bevil

Disney executives shared more details Saturday about upcoming projects at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme parks, including a dramatic start for its “Monsters, Inc.”-based roller...

19-year-old motorcyclist dead after crash on Dean Road in Orange County

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/8 3:45A Elainie Barraza

A 19-year-old man from Pennsylvania died in a crash Friday night in Orange County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. A 32-year-old man from Orlando, driving a 2010 Toyota Scion XB, was traveling southbound on Dean Road approaching the intersection...

Alan Jackson’s ‘Last Call’ brings nostalgia, emotion and gratitude to farewell party | Review

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/7 11:00P Matthew J. Palm

Alan Jackson opened his Friday-night concert at Orlando s Kia Center with the quintessential country singer s greeting: How y all doing tonight? It was an appropriate salutation because Jackson is a...

Popular theory: ‘Wicked’ has theme-park possibilities

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 3/7 5:30A Dewayne Bevil

Which theme park is witch? That’s one burning question that “Wicked” fans have as speculation grows that the film, spawned from a Broadway musical, might be turned into a real-life attraction. A...