Anti-ICE protest in Central Orlando draws crowd of more than 1,000

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/31 9:29A Brian Bell

More than 1,000 people gathered in Orlando on Saturday afternoon to send a message to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Get out of Central Florida. The protest started at noon on the southwest...

Orlando Sentinel 150: Tourists have long loved Orlando; Disney made it a whole new world

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/31 12:00A Dewayne Bevil

As part of the Orlando Sentinel’s 150th birthday, on the first Sunday of each month, we will report on a topic that helped shape the Central Florida of today and how we covered that topic. This month,...

In wake of tragic crash that killed 3 teens, Orange County plans to fix Apopka roads

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/31 12:00A Natalia Jaramillo

There was only a single streetlight at the intersection on Welch Road near where a pickup truck left the road and slammed into a tree in the early hours of Nov. 9. Now, just two months after the...

Orlando area attractions through the years: A tourism timeline

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/30 11:58P Dewayne Bevil

Becoming a tourism mecca was years in the making. It started with nature-driven attractions and was jump-started by Walt Disney. Along the way have been alligators, mermaids, Mickey Mouse, Elvis,...

Warm Friday arrives ahead of extremely dangerous weekend cold

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/30 12:51A Garfield Hylton

Friday s weather is warm with highs in the 70s, but there are numerous warnings ahead of the weekend. The day s weather will be sunny with winds blowing 5 to 10 mph west to southwest, according to NWS Melbourne. Looking ahead, all of Central...

Science center exhibit spells out astronaut necessities

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/29 11:06P Dewayne Bevil

So, you want to be an astronaut when you grow up? Or you wanted to be an astronaut when you grew up? “Mission: Astronaut,” the latest traveling exhibit to land at Orlando Science Center , features the...

Health inspections prompt 4 Central Florida restaurant shutdowns

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/27 11:00P Richard Tribou

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation shut down four Central Florida dining venues for health code violations during the week from Jan. 18-24. Orange Checkers at 10500 W. Colonial Dr. in Ocoee shut down on Jan. 21. Inspectors...

With new permits and alarm, Renaisssance Theatre poised to reopen

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/27 10:00P Matthew J. Palm

After four months, the Renaissance Theatre is just about ready to reopen. The Ren s building, near Loch Haven Park north of downtown, was shut down mid-September by city inspectors. But when it...

Guard at Kissimmee DJJ facility charged in attack on 15-year-old

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/27 8:57A Cristóbal Reyes

A guard at a Florida Department of Juvenile Justice facility in Kissimmee was jailed Tuesday after an alleged attack last week on a 15-year-old housed there. Charles-Edouard Jeune, 33, turned himself in to to the Osceola County Sheriff s Office...

Teen girls ID’d as Lake Brantley High students accused in murder plot

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/27 8:24A Silas Morgan

A 15-year-old girl and her 14-year-old best friend plotted to kill a classmate at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, according to an arrest report. The suspects were arrested Friday by Altamonte Springs police after officers received...

Seminole commissioners agree to keep funding arts group

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/27 7:58A Martin E. Comas

After more than a dozen people —  including teachers, residents and PTA members — spoke in support for the arts at a county meeting Tuesday, Seminole commissioners unanimously agreed to continue funding the non-profit Seminole Cultural Arts Council...

OCPS could lose 5,000 more students, close more schools, superintendent says

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/27 7:58A Steven Walker

Orange County Public Schools. set to close seven schools this year, could lose another 5,000 students and then shutter even more campuses next year, Superintendent Maria Vazquez said Tuesday. As the Orange County School Board considered new...

Orlando punts on trying to stop ICE facility, Orange still exploring options

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/27 7:16A Ryan Gillespie, Stephen Hudak

As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement considers opening a detention and processing facility on Orlando’s eastern edge, city attorney Mayanne Downs said the U.S. Constitution prevents city officials from blocking it. Her conclusion comes even...

Maxwell: ‘Go f*** yourself’ email from Florida legislator could be state’s new motto

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/27 6:36A Scott Maxwell

A few weeks ago, Seminole County resident Greg Loftus did something pretty common when he contacted his designated state lawmaker to share thoughts about an upcoming legislative issue. Specifically, Loftus told State Rep. David Smith, R-Winter...

Alexander Vindman, key figure in first Trump impeachment, runs for Senate in Florida

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/26 11:00P Anthony Man

Alexander Vindman — the retired Army lieutenant colonel whose testimony provided critical evidence in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump — announced Tuesday he is seeking the Democratic...