All AdventHealth, Orlando Health legacy hospitals receive A’s in nonprofit’s latest ratings

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/19 10:00P James Wilkins

All AdventHealth and Orlando Health legacy hospitals received A grades in the latest hospital safety ratings released biannually by the independent nonprofit Leapfrog Group. The eight AdventHealth hospitals in Central Florida and six Orlando...

Camping World, Kia Center upgrades get final OK

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/19 8:40A Stephen Hudak

Orange County commissioners gave the final signoff Tuesday to an agreement with the city of Orlando that commits $626 million in future tourist-tax revenues to upgrading Camping World Stadium and the...

Prosecution, defense tangle over which Osceola deputy started 2022 Wawa fire

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/19 8:30A Cristóbal Reyes

Jurors in the trial of Osceola Deputy David Crawford saw dramatic video Tuesday of the deputy holding a stun gun against a suspect who then bursts into flames, while defense attorneys tried to pin the blame on another deputy for the fire....

Sheriff: 5-year-old Kissimmee boy with autism drowns after wandering from park

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/19 8:27A Silas Morgan

A 5-year-old autistic boy drowned Wednesday in Kissimmee, according to information released Tuesday from the Osceola County Sheriff s Office. Deputies responded to 401 Buenaventura Blvd., the SENSES park for special needs children, in reference to...

Under state reform law, Valencia College’s most popular course will not be so popular

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/19 6:26A Steven Walker

In the latest fallout from Florida s controversial 2023 higher-education reform law, Valencia College has overhauled its general education offerings — a move that will result in far fewer students...

Man accused of putting Moskowitz on hit list had drawings of Broward schools, weapons stockpile,...

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/19 5:13A Shira Moolten

A man accused of putting Congressman Jared Moskowitz on a hit list had a clipboard full of ominous writings that included detailed drawings of local schools and parks in west Broward labeled with racial slurs and an entry that said stalk Jewish...

Osceola labels plum development area ‘slum and blighted’ to create taxing district to fund roadwork

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/19 5:13A Natalia Jaramillo

A loophole in state law has allowed Osceola County to label an area slum and blighted so it can create a special taxing district to fund road projects even though it s never had higher property values. County commissioners unanimously and without...

Tuesday is warmer with partly cloudy skies

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/19 12:04A Garfield Hylton

Tuesday is warmer with partly cloudy skies. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s across Central Florida, according to NWS Melbourne. A breeze will blow from south to southeast around 5-10 mph and up to 15 mph at the coast. There is a moderate risk...

Central Florida men on trial for human smuggling case after freezing deaths of Indian family at...

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/18 12:38A Associated Press

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A criminal network stretching from India to Canada made money smuggling families seeking better lives in the United States, including a man who died...

Monday has near normal high temperatures

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/17 11:51P Garfield Hylton

Monday will be dry with temperatures near normal. Temperatures will be in the high 70s, low 80s, according to NWS Melbourne. Those temperatures are near normal and will be under a partly cloudy sky. There is a moderate risk of rip currents at all...

Can Orlando make it safer to walk?

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/17 12:00A Ryan Gillespie, Stephen Hudak

The night he lost half his right leg, Jocelin Morency was strolling along South Orange Blossom Trail, one of the most dangerous roads in one of the nation s most dangerous places for pedestrians. It...

Gauging the peril for pedestrians in Central Florida

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/17 12:00A Bert Robinson

Orlando’s distinction as a cruelly dangerous place to walk rests on two powerful factors. One is easy to calculate: Our lofty pedestrian death rate, per capita. Over the past two decades, the Orlando region has ranked as high as second worst, in...

Florida law on mail-in ballots could complicate filling congressional seats of Trump appointees

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/16 10:00P Dara Kam

TALLAHASSEE — A controversial 2021 state law making it harder for people to vote by mail could complicate holding special elections to fill two Florida congressional seats after President-elect Donald Trump tapped Republicans Matt Gaetz and Mike...

Forget downtown or the ’burbs,’ the far-flung exurbs are where people are moving

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/16 10:00P Mike Schneider

HAINES CITY — Not long ago, Polk County’s biggest draw was citrus instead of people. Located between Tampa and Orlando, Florida’s citrus capital produces more boxes of citrus than any other county in...

Florida unemployment rate holds at 3.3% for 7th consecutive month

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 11/15 6:12A Jim Turner

TALLAHASSEE — Florida had a drop in private-sector employment in October in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, but the state’s unemployment rate remained at 3.3 percent for a seventh consecutive month. The state Department of Commerce on...