Light of inspiration: Detroit Edison baseball team advances to state championship against all odds
It’s hard enough for any school to get to a state baseball final, let alone a school in a city where prep baseball is an afterthought. But the improbable nature of Edison’s run goes even further than that.
China summons foreign diplomats in protest over sanctions
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks during a media conference after a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 22, 2021. (Aris Oikonomou, Pool via AP)BEIJING – China on Tuesday said it summoned foreign diplomats in protest after the United States, the European Union, Canada and Britain jointly imposed sanctions on senior Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in China’s far western Xinjiang region. That came hours after the Chinese and Russian foreign ministers denounced a new wave of criticism and sanctions against both countries over human rights. “These measures will not be embraced by the international community.”Russia is also under Western sanctions over human rights abuses and military aggression against Ukraine. The Australian and New Zealand governments reiterated their grave concerns about the growing number of credible reports of severe human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Final holiday season for Disney's Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights begins
[MORE: Blog | Theme World: Extreme Park Makeovers | What Disney's plans mean for area| POLL: Will you be attending? ] One big Disney holiday tradition, known as The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, is coming to an end after 20 long years of holiday lights. Disney will officially begin the final holiday season for the Osborne Lights Friday at Hollywood Studios. Millions of dancing lights have delighted thousands over the past 20 years. The Osborne Lights will run from Nov. 6 until Jan. 3.
Proposal for world's tallest roller coaster hits snag
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday voted down a request for the complex that would house what would be the tallest roller coaster in the world. [MORE: Local 6 Theme World | VOTE: Would you ride world's tallest coaster? The project is supposed to go up on an empty plot of land by 2018, but this snag could derail the coaster entirely. "Skyplex is an unbelievable project that's going to do nothing but bring thousands of jobs and millions of people to I-Drive," developer Joshua Wallack said. "It has to be the world's tallest roller coaster," Wallack said.
Water main break closes Legoland Florida for remainder of day
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A water main break closed Legoland Florida Monday afternoon, according to park officials. Officials said management closed the park because of the water main break, which occurred outside of the Legoland Florida Resort. According to a statement from Legoland, "The necessary repairs are being made, and we anticipate reopening tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7, at 10 a.m."Guests were given a complimentary pass to revisit the park. No other details were immediately available.
Winter Park brothers make debut on CBS show 'Survivor'
WINTER PARK, Fla. – Brothers Alec and Drew Christy made their debut on CBS' "Survivor" Wednesday night, with friends and family cheering for them at a private viewing party. Taping on the show is over for the season, so the brothers were able to return to Winter Park to see the show. They were cast by CBS executives after the brothers sent in a video they created in their family's living room. "Even though I was competing against Drew, he's the only person I can look at and be like, 'He's got my back.' Drew said living their entire life in Florida actually helped them prepare for the competition.
Disney adds 'Frozen' characters, fireworks
"Frozen Summer Live" -- a character-driven procession down the park's Hollywood Boulevard with Anna, Elsa and Kristoff -- will run through Sept. 1, each day at 11 a.m. There's also a new sing-along show, a dance party, "Frozen"-themed fireworks, a polar playground, ice skating rink and ice carving demonstrations. "Frozen" tells the story of how Anna and Elsa overcome Elsa's terrible power to turn everything into ice and snow. The park is offering a VIP package deal for Frozen fun at $59 for adults and $34 for kids on top of regular park admission. The deal includes reserved viewing for special events and a VIP dessert party before the fireworks.
Pitbull to perform free concert at Mall at Millenia
When Pitbull arrives at the Mall at Millenia, 100 lucky fans will get to meet him, too. Pitbull will perform a free concert at the Mall at Millenia on Tuesday to celebrate the grand opening of Microsoft's new store. The first 100 fans in line will also receive "premier passes" to meet Pitbull before the show. [RELATED: Microsoft store grand opening schedule]An additional 1,500 people will get free tickets to the show. The concert will happen in the grass lot behind the mall, along Millenia Lakes Boulevard.