All posts tagged "Westerneurope"

ORLANDO, Fla. — The embattled onePulse Foundation, formed to help commemorate one of Central Florida’s darkest tragedies, announced Wednesday morning it is shutting down with its mission undone, writing a sad coda to the Pulse nightclub massacre but leaving — perhaps — a better ending yet to be written. Promising to build a memorial and museum for impacted families and survivors of the 2016 terror attack that left 49 dead, the foundation instead failed to lay a single brick, its admirable ambitions undermined by leadership turmoil and financial setbacks that left it unable to fulfill its chari......

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Legislature wrapped up a special session Wednesday, bolstering Gov. Ron DeSantis’ foreign policy resume by expanding sanctions against companies that do business with Iran in advance of Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate in Miami. The Legislature also unanimously passed a resolution supporting Israel in its battle against Hamas, a terrorist organization funded by Iran that invaded Israel on Oct. 7 and went on a murderous rampage. But House and Senate leaders also used the opportunity to deal with issues closer to home by approving a $416 million relief pa......

Eleven-year-old transgender girl Dempsey Jara, the youngest grand marshal in the history of Orlando’s Come Out With Pride parade, had a message Saturday when she took the stage at Lake Eola Park. “Being transgender is not about a choice,” Dempsey said while wearing a princess-style gown. “It’s about being true to myself. It’s about embracing who I am even when the world tries to tell me otherwise. It’s about standing tall in my identity even when it’s really hard.” Her mother Jaime Jara, 45, a schoolteacher, beamed beside her on stage. Off stage, she said her youngest child has always known wh......

Monique Worrell, the former Orange-Osceola state attorney, has filed a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, asking the Florida Supreme Court to reverse his order removing her from office. Worrell is accusing DeSantis of citing vague allegations against her in his case for her suspension, which has rattled community organizers and people in the legal community who rallied Tuesday, calling the governor’s action “unconstitutional” at a series of press conferences in Orange County, Tampa and Miami. DeSantis suspension of Worrell follows a string of criticism from law enforcement leaders accu......

SAN JOSE, Calif. — When it was all over and Simone Biles had finished her magical performance on the floor at the SAP Center, San Jose let her hear it. The entire place went into a frenzy, fans leaping to their feet, little girls crying and adults shaking their heads in disbelief. Biles hugged her coaches, fist-bumped her teammates, waved to the crowd and finally bent over to catch her breath. It was all over. With her high-flying floor routine in which she at one point took a symbolic bow before continuing on, Biles cruised to a dominant victory at the U.S. Gymnastics Championship in San Jose......

ORLANDO, Fla. — Officials with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tourism oversight district are asking Florida’s inspector general to investigate theme park passes, discounts and other Disney “perks” they say were given to employees and board members for years. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is moving to eliminate those benefits provided to employees of the district that provides government services to Disney World, according to a news release. The previous Disney-run Reedy Creek Improvement District used taxpayer funds to provide season passes to employees and their family members, cover the......