🌱 Central Florida Boy Scout Executive Arrested + BCU Dorm Fire

Carlos Hernandez
Updated ·3 min read

Happy Sunday, people of Orlando! Here are the most important things going on today in town.

First, today's weather:

Rain and a thunderstorm. High: 71 Low: 50.

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Here are the top five stories today in Orlando:

1. The Central Florida eviction and foreclosure market is beginning to heat up as landlords and creditors look to shed dead weight two years into the pandemic, according to a real estate attorney in the business. Attorney Mark Lippman of Lippman Law Offices in Orlando says he thinks landlords waited for federal assistance and the holidays to pass. (WFTV)

2. Central Florida Boy Scouts executive, 51-year-old John Bruce Larsen, is accused of child molestation and facing two counts of sexual battery of a victim less than 12, two counts of sexual battery of a child 12 or older but younger than 18, and four counts of lewd molestation of a child under 12. Investigators said due to his position they believe there could be more victims. (Click Orlando)

3. More than 130 students have been displaced after a fire at Thompson Hall on campus at Bethune Cookman University. University officials say a dryer caught fire around 8 p.m. Friday night which prompted the sprinkler system to go off and flooded the floors. (WESH)

4. 16 years after being rescued as a 2-month-old critically injured, orphaned calf, Winter the dolphin returned to the sea on Thursday. The ashes of the bottlenose dolphin were encased in a Himalayan sea salt urn. Caretakers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium carried the urn aboard a 45-foot U.S. Coast Guard response boat. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft performed a solemn flyover. (Clearwater Patch)

5. Black Rooster Taqueria debuted its new brunch menu at its location in Orlando’s Curry Ford neighborhood on Saturday. New menu items include Mexican-American classics such as chilaquiles, a California breakfast burrito, and Huevos Rancheros. The location at the Hour Glass District location is also now hiring. (Click Orlando)

Today in Orlando:

  • Self Care Day 16 at Mennello Museum of American Art. (all day)

  • Sunday Brunch at Makani. (11:00 AM)

  • City of Winter Park Annual Heritage Festival at Shady Lane Park. (1:00 PM)

  • Orlando Solar Bears Vs. Wheeling Nailers at Amway Center. (3:00 PM)

  • UCF Knights Women's Basketball Vs. South Florida Bulls Women's Basketball Aat Addition Financial Arena. (3:00 PM)

From my notebook:

  • Orlando City SC has re-signed forward Alexandre Pato. (Instagram)

  • Valencia College will be closed on Monday, January 17th, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. (Instagram)

  • Orlando Science Center will be open on Monday, January 17th. Join as it celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a laser light show tribute and special programming in The Hive: A Makerspace. (Instagram)

  • The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is now complete. Downtown Orlando celebrated the opening of Steinmetz Hall, one of the world’s most acoustically remarkable spaces, on Friday. (Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you tomorrow morning for your next update.

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.

This article originally appeared on the Orlando Patch