#orlando-sentinel

#orlando-sentinel

Located within Walt Disney World, this shopping, dining, and entertainment district is worth checking out during your next trip to the resort. Even though it's on Disney property, Disney Springs is one of several attractions that don't require park tickets and self-parking is complimentary. With around 100 shops, 80 eateries, and 20 other attractions, there's so much to see here.

The city of Orlando happens to have the most green space per resident than any other major city, according to a new analysis from travel platform BookRetreats. The city, known as The City Beautiful, offers roughly 2,777 square feet of greenery per person. That translates to more than 148 parks, gardens, and recreation areas, according to the study, with plenty of lakes, trails, and botanical gardens to explore.

The city of St. Cloud was rated the "biggest boomtown" in the Sunshine State thanks to the thousands of people who have been drawn to the growing lakeside community over the past decade, according to new data from personal finance resource GOBankingRates. In fact, the company noted the city has seen a 49.3 percent increase in population from 2015 to 2023. That's coupled with a 33.9 percent increase in per capita income, which was $28,985 in 2023.

On Saturday, United States military forces carried out a dramatic strike in Venezuela that resulted in the capture and forcible removal of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were flown to New York and are now in federal custody. Maduro appeared in federal court on drug and weapons charges and pleaded not guilty. Several governments, international legal experts and United Nations officials have described the military operation as an illegal kidnapping and a breach of international law.

According to local NBC affiliate WESH, construction fencing has already gone up around the site, which in the decade since the massacre has served as an ad-hoc shrine to those who died there when a gunman opened fire on June 12, 2016, during the club's "Latin Night." City officials say the club's iconic sign will be removed and securely stored "on or near" March 10, with demolition of the building itself set to begin on March 18, WESH reports.

As Visit Florida compiles 2025 tourism figures, the agency's President and CEO Bryan Griffin and Carol Dover, the president and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, are setting up a meeting with Canadian officials. "We had this opportunity land in our lap, so we're both going to have a meeting ... and see what we can do," Dover said during a Jan. 26 Visit Florida Executive Committee meeting. Dover is also a member of the Visit Florida Board of Directors.

This new job reimagines the once common public editor position, otherwise known as the newsroom ombudsman. Instead of examining the work of a single newsroom, Compton will answer audience questions about all the newsrooms in Indianapolis. Through her columns, she'll explore the strengths and weaknesses of the local news organizations, looking at their community service and their journalistic values. Her goal is to strengthen overall news literacy of the people living in Indianapolis.