Monday is mostly sunny ahead of extreme cold on its way to Central Florida

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/10 12:37A Garfield Hylton

A blast of cold weather is heading toward Central Florida. On Monday, the day is expected to be sunny with a high near 65 degrees, according to NWS Melbourne. Winds are blowing northwest at around 15 mph with gusts as high as 25 mph. A cold...

SNAP benefits end, and needy residents overwhelm Central Florida food banks

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/10 12:36A Michael Cuglietta

Shirley Laureano, a mother to two young children, relies on $700 a month in federal food stamp money to help buy her family’s groceries as her job at a tea house doesn’t pay enough to cover all her...

25 years in, Orlando’s smallest concert venue wants to be bigger

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/9 10:00P Matthew J. Palm

The Timucua Story, a book stuffed with photos and memories, celebrates where the Timucua Arts Foundation has been. So will Timucua 25, the organization s Nov. 14 benefit gala. But the Orlando...

3 teens dead, 3 others injured after teen driver loses control of vehicle

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/9 4:48A Elainie Barraza

Three teenagers are dead and 3 other teenagers are injured after a single-vehicle crash in Orange County early Sunday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said. At approximately 1:37 a.m., a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by a 17-year-old boy...

Weather whiplash: Temperatures to soar Saturday, then plummet Monday

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/8 12:00A Martin E. Comas

Central Florida will experience a roller coaster ride in the weather over the next several days as temperatures are expected to soar to near record highs on Saturday, then tumble to near record lows by early next week. The drop will bring the...

Maxwell: Ding-dong-ditch … dead. In Florida, kids are warned the adults may shoot pranksters

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/7 5:58A Scott Maxwell

A recent front-page story in the Orlando Sentinel looked at teenagers in Florida held at gunpoint and even shot dead after staging ring-and-run pranks — where they ring a doorbell at night and then scurry away before anyone answers. Now, kids...

Friday is warm and sunny with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/7 1:02A Garfield Hylton

Friday has a chance of showers in the mid-to-late afternoon. There is a 20 percent chance of rain after 4 p.m., mainly south of Interstate 4, according to NWS Melbourne. The day is expected to be partly sunny with highs near 84 degrees. Friday...

Aquatica Orlando powers up Illuminate, a bright-light nighttime event

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/7 12:07A Dewayne Bevil

A new after-hours event at Aquatica Orlando water park is designed to bring some light to the season. Illuminate features larger-than-life, lantern-inspired figures — primarily shaped as animals —...

State DOGE audit finds UCF most-efficient university, New College the least

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/6 11:00P Steven Walker

The University of Central Florida was the state s most financially efficient university last year, a new state audit found, with the Orlando school spending far less per student and per degree than the 11 others. Where do I put my money that I m...

Thursday is partly sunny with chances for rain in the evening hours

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/6 12:52A Garfield Hylton

Thursday is partly sunny with highs in the mid-80s. Winds are blowing east to northeast at 5 to 10 mph, according to NWS Melbourne. There is a moderate risk of rip currents at all Atlantic beaches. On Thursday night, there s a chance for...

Righting a racist wrong: Zora finally takes the Annie Russell stage

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/5 10:00P Matthew J. Palm

Zora Neale Hurston, the celebrated Harlem Renaissance author, wanted to stage a play with an all-Black cast at Rollins College — just a stone s throw from where she had grown up in Eatonville. The...

6 Central Florida restaurants shut down last week

Orlando Sentinel (Brinkmann On Business) 11/5 3:33A Garfield Hylton

Six Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of Oct. 26-Nov. 1, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Brevard Ako Sushi and Seafood at 725 N. Washington Ave. in Titusville shut down on Oct....

Orange County’s tourist tax in 2024-25 smashed the all-time record. Will it continue?

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/4 4:04A Stephen Hudak

Boosted by the opening of the Epic Universe theme park, Orange County s tourist tax collections hit an all-time high in fiscal year 2024-25, shattering the previous 12-month best, set last year, by $25.1 million, according to a comptroller report...

Tuesday off to a cool start but will be sunny with a light wind

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/4 1:50A Garfield Hylton

Tuesday is off to a cool start, but it will be sunny with a high near 80 degrees. Winds are blowing northeast at 10 to 15 mph with gusts as high as 20 mph, according to NWS Melbourne. There is a high risk of rip currents at all area beaches....

First look: How new ‘Zootopia’ show fits in at Animal Kingdom

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/4 1:44A Dewayne Bevil

A new attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom puts polar bears in your face, introduces one very wet walrus, presents a buff buffalo clad in Lycra and solves a mystery, all in 10 minutes. It’s all...