More than 25 festivals, markets and concerts celebrating Earth Day and 420 Day in Orlando

Orlando Weekly 4/18 8:24A Chloe Greenberg and Sarah Harwel

As they do every year in their annual confluence of good vibes, spring breezes, and general loving of greenery, 420 Day (April 20) and Earth Day (April 22) have rolled around — and in 2024, we're...

Florida colleges offer bookstore raffle tickets to boost student survey

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 4/18 7:49A Amanda Friedman, Lauren Brensel

An Orlando lawmaker has criticized Florida universities for trying to boost student participation in a politically charged state survey by offering tickets for a $500 bookstore raffle at their schools. The Board of Governors announced the raffles...

Meet professional wrestlers past and present at this weekend's Glory Days Grapplecon

Orlando Weekly 4/18 6:04A Matthew Moyer

If you’re still riding high on Wrestlemania fumes, try hearkening back to the golden age of pro-wrestling at this weekend’s Glory Days Grapplecon. Put on by the same students of the game who organized...

UCF faculty, students rally in support of faculty's contribution to student success amid salary...

Orlando Weekly 4/18 5:58A McKenna Schueler

Students and faculty at the University of Central Florida rallied in support of faculty’s contributions to student success on Wednesday, in response to assertions by the university administration that...

DeSantis approval on the upswing; Republicans like idea of Casey DeSantis for governor

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 4/18 4:48A gqlshare

The DeSantis brand, battered by constant attacks and political miscalculations, is looking a bit better. A Florida Atlantic University poll released Thursday found Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approval among the state’s voters has ticked up and disapproval...

Poll shows Florida abortion, marijuana referendums short of passage; bigger challenge for pot...

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 4/18 4:24A gqlshare

The two high-profile referendums on the 2024 Florida ballot — on abortion rights and recreational marijuana —  are polling short of what they need to pass. A statewide public opinion poll released Thursday by Florida Atlantic University found...

Florida tells school principals they must fix abuses in book challenges

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 4/17 10:46A Ana Ceballos

TALLAHASSEE — Florida education officials decided Wednesday to put the onus on school principals to ensure students have access to “appropriate” reading materials in classrooms and libraries, saying it s needed to prevent the politicization of...

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan bring their 'Sweat' tour to Orlando in October

Orlando Weekly 4/17 6:56A Matthew Moyer

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan have announced a special co-headlining arena tour set for this autumn, and the duo will be coming to Orlando. The aptly named Sweat Tour kicks off in Detroit in...

Orlando concert calendar: Live music around town April 17-23

Orlando Weekly 4/17 6:53A Kristin Howard

Wednesday, April 17: Beach Fossils, Nation of Language 7 pm; House of Blues, Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista; $29.50-$75; 407-934-2583.

DeSantis signs bill mandating kindergartners learn history of communism

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 4/17 6:29A Ryan Dailey

Flanked by veterans who served in the Bay of Pigs invasion, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a measure that will lead to the history of communism being taught from kindergarten to the 12th grade in public schools. “We’re going to tell the...

'Florida has a chance to make history': Only three states have passed recreational weed on the...

Orlando Weekly 4/17 6:23A Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix

As the campaign to get recreational cannabis legalized in Florida moves into its next phase, opponents and advocates of the proposal are operating under the same premise: The measure is likely to...

Citizens Insurance, Florida's insurer of 'last resort,' adds 4,000 policies

Orlando Weekly 4/17 6:16A News Service of Florida

The state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. added about 4,000 policies last week amid continuing efforts to trim its number of customers. Citizens had more than 1.176 million policies as of Friday,...

Orange, Osceola lead Central Florida restaurants shut down last week

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 4/17 6:00A Garfield Hylton

Four Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of April 7-13, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Orange Pascale Bakery at 2469 S. Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando shut down on April 8....

WJRR's Earthday Birthday is back live and loud at Orlando Amphitheater this weekend

Orlando Weekly 4/17 5:57A Alexandra Sullivan

Now in its 31st year, Earthday Birthday is a perennial fave for rockers in Florida, and it’s returning to the Fairgrounds on Saturday. The event, steered by Orlando FM rock station WJRR, features a...

Central Floridian swamp-rockers C.B. Carlyle + the Desert Angels release new mini-album 'The...

Orlando Weekly 4/17 5:54A Bao Le-Huu

Even from his first solo releases in 2021, it was clear from the start that Lake County musician C.B. Carlyle was going for something different, something bigger. His strikingly moody songs and...