Orlando Weekly •

Faire of the Dog market returns to Will's Pub on April 10

Will's Pub's Faire of the Dog market is returning for another round on April 10.Faire of the Dog is a revamp of the old Will's Faire market. The updated Faire made its debut on Feb. 13 and will appear the second Saturday of every month going forwardCustomers will find a wide range of vendors there, from a variety of vintage shops, to handmade goods and art. Online local businesses like SmallSips , a resin jewelry store, use the opportunity to display their wares in person.Betsy Herwig, owner and
NSM.today •

UCF women's tennis teams trounces UNF

The No. 16 Knights (10-3) faced the Ospreys (7-5) at the Orlando USTA National Campus. The afternoon started out hot and only got hotter as the teams duked it out over three long hours. The match points were not easy wins for the Knights- doubles and singles three being the only quick wins, with the doubles one and three pairs closing their sets out 6-3 and 6-1 respectively. Singles three Ksenia Kuznetsova had the quickest win of individual matches, winning 6-2, 6-2 against UNF’s Ana Paula Mel
Orlando Weekly •

Florida could reinstate felons' right to bear arms under proposed bill

A Republican senator has proposed a bill to reinstate gun rights to nonviolent felons who have completed their sentences.Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, filed SB 1932 at the start of the new legislative session on March 1. The bill would amend Florida statute 98.0751 to reinstate the civil and firearm rights of felons who have completed all parts of their sentence — time served, probation and legal financial fees — so long as they were not convicted of a violent crime.In an interview withon Mon
NSM.today •

UCF defeats Tulsa after tough second half

UCF men’s basketball defeated Tulsa Tuesday night in its final home game of the season. The Knights (9-11, 7-10 AAC) beat Tulsa (10-11, 7-9 AAC) 73-69 after a harrowing second half. This was UCF’s first match up in ten days, after their games against Temple University and Southern Methodist University were cancelled. The Knights started out strong in the first half, showing off their teamwork as they trampled Tulsa’s attempts to take an early lead. By the end of it, UCF was a healthy 16 points
Orlando Weekly •

Orlando Rep. Plasencia proposes easing liquor licensing for small restaurants

A new local bill could change liquor license requirements in Orlando areas.The bill was proposed by Rep. Rene "Coach P" Plasencia, R-Orlando, on Monday to the Orange County Legislative Delegation, and passed 9-0. The bill will allow an exemption from current general law for smaller restaurants in certain areas to obtain a liquor license at a much lower cost.College Park, Audubon Park, Ivanhoe Village, the Milk District, Mills 50 and the Gateway District are all listed in the bill for the exempti
Orlando Weekly •

Activists deliver thousands of 'past due' $2,000 invoices to Marco Rubio's Orlando office

Ten thousand "past due invoices" for COVID relief were delivered to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's office in downtown Orlando early Thursday afternoon.These invoices represented constituents across the nation who signed a Change.org petition — also included in the boxes delivered to Rubio's office — for reoccurring $2,000 payments from Congress for pandemic-related economic relief. This petition surpassed 2 million signatures earlier this week.The invoices were delivered by Erica Wright, a member of In
NSM.today •

UCF men's basketball tops ECU, breaking losing streak

The UCF men’s basketball team broke its five-game losing streak Wednesday night, soundly defeating the East Carolina University Pirates 71-64. The Knights (4-6, 2-5 AAC) came out with a strong defense, securing a wide lead by the end of the first half, 42-25, almost double the Pirates’ (7-5, 1-5 AAC) score. Sophomore guard Darin Green Jr scored 11 points in the first half, with senior guard Darius Perry following behind with eights points. In the post-game press conference, Green said that the
Orlando Weekly •

Gideon's Bakehouse celebrates its grand opening at Disney Springs

Gideon's Bakehouse celebrated the grand opening of its Disney Springs location Saturday, Jan. 16, with a line of eager customers, many of whom traveled hours to get their hands on one of the bakery's massive chip-studded cookies.According to Gideon's Instagram, just 30 minutes after opening, there was a nine-hour virtual queue.The bakery was in soft opening mode on and off in December and in the week leading up to the grand opening. At Christmas, the bakery experienced virtual queue times up to
NSM.today •

UCF Office of Student Involvement reaches out to South Florida students

The UCF Office of Student involvement took a bus trip to South Florida on Thursday as part of a pilot outreach program to virtual UCF students. A group of six OSI and SG students, including SG President Sabrina LaRosa and OSI director Shane Juntunen, planned two events in South Florida. The first was on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Pembroke Pines, where the group stayed overnight, and then traveled to Boca Raton area on Friday for an event at 11 a.m.
NSM.today •

Student financial aid delayed; students struggle with basic needs

UCF students have had to adapt to several new hurdles because of the COVID-19 pandemic this year and for some students, this included financial stress. “I feel like I’m going crazy,” said Jennifer Law, junior mathematics and computer science major. “I’m constantly looking at my budget, wondering how I’m going to pay for groceries.” Law is one of many students at UCF experiencing delays to their financial aid this semester. The Office of Student Financial Aid has eliminated walk-ins as part of
NSM.today •

Architecture students' materials thrown out over summer

Student materials were cleaned out of UCF's architecture studio by a maintenance crew after the spring COVID-19 closure, said the architecture program chair. Professor Allen Watters, the program chair for Valencia’s architecture program and director for UCF’s undergraduate architecture degree, said the studio, located at Valencia College's West Campus, is subject to a clean-out at the end of the spring semesters, though this spring no permission was given. “From the best of what Valencia’s rec
NSM.today •

UCF counseling services moves to 'telehealth' to help students in need during school closures

UCF has quickly and drastically moved its functions to remote access in response to COVID-19, even transitioning health care locations like Student Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services to remote access. Some students, such as junior game design major Sebastian Saavedra, are already under stress from a normal school semester and found the longer period of social distancing to have a negative effect on their mental health.
NSM.today •

UCF health center free STD screenings reduced from previous years

With only 150 tests, the screenings were intended to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but supplies only lasted until 1 p.m. The screenings, held at the Student Health Center on Libra Drive, tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia. The series of examinations, done in partnership with the Orange County Health Department, is part of the offered services available to students through the UCF Health Center. "[The free screenings are] four times a year," said Crystal Colvenbach, marketing coordinator for the