ORLANDO, Fla. — On Friday, two days before Father’s Day, Juneteenth and his birthday, Yarnell Sampson visited the Orlando Free Fall ride in ICON Park. “I came up here to get my peace,” he said. But he was surprised to find that less than three months a…
Judge upholds Orange County, Fla., sales ban on puppies
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County’s ban on the retail sale of puppies and kittens, set to take effect Wednesday, survived a legal challenge brought by three owners of pet shops who argued the new ordinance will bankrupt them. In a six-page decision, Circui…
Experts fear for safety of missing Special Olympics Haiti delegation members
ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s been over a week since six delegates of the unified Haitian Special Olympics soccer team were reported missing in Osceola County and experts say cause for concern about their safety will only grow the longer the investigation drags…
NASA set to finally complete Artemis I wet dress rehearsal
ORLANDO, Fla. — NASA is hoping the fourth time’s the charm for the final big test before it can finally launch its massive new rocket to the moon. The redo of the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center is slated to begin on Saturday even…
Hurricane center monitoring system as it moves inland of Nicaragua; lowers odds of development
ORLANDO, Fla. — The area of interest over the southwest Caribbean has moved inland of Nicaragua and has a lower chance of development Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. Satellite images and radar show the presence of an ar…
For president, Elon Musk leans toward DeSantis, who jokes about African American support
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter he was leaning toward Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential race. In response, DeSantis deflected speculation about his presidential ambitions and joked, “I welcome support…
Hurricane center lowers odds of development for Caribbean disturbance
ORLANDO, Fla. — An area of low pressure had its odds of development over the next five days lessen Wednesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. Satellite images and radar show the presence of an area of low pressure in the southwester…
Alan Grayson to run for Congress in Val Demings’ Orlando seat
ORLANDO, Fla. — Democratic firebrand Alan Grayson announced Tuesday he is running for Congress again, this time to succeed Val Demings as she runs for U.S. Senate. The decision by Grayson, who has represented parts of Central Florida twice in Congress …
Hurricane center ups the odds of development for Caribbean system
ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Hurricane Center is observing a Caribbean system it expects to develop into the next tropical depression or storm sometime this week. The system, which was first identified Sunday evening, is associated with a surface troug…
Tyre Sampson autopsy confirms weight surpassed Orlando Free Fall ride’s limits
ORLANDO, Fla. — An autopsy report for the 14-year-old boy who was killed falling from a thrill ride at ICON Park confirmed he far surpassed the ride’s weight capacity. On March 24, Tyre Sampson, who according to the report released Monday stood at 6-fo…