🌱 Drive-By Downtown Orlando Shooting + 1,000 Affordable Apts.

Up and at 'em, Orlando! It's Thursday, so let's get you started with everything you need to know going on today in town.

First, today's weather:

Windy with clouds and sun. High: 90 Low: 73.

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Here are the top five stories in Orlando today:

1. An innocent bystander was struck by a bullet early Wednesday during a drive-by shootout in downtown Orlando, police said. Investigators believe there was a fight downtown which led to the gunfire. Detectives said the people involved in the fight followed each other in cars for about a block before the people in at least one vehicle shot at the other. (Click Orlando)

2. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is fighting against allowing DNA testing for an Orange County Death Row inmate. Henry Sireci was sentenced to death in the 1975 murder of used-car dealer Howard Poteet, who suffered 55 stab wounds, according to court documents. Sireci, who has received legal representation from a national organization, the Innocence Project, has maintained that he did not kill Poteet. (Orlando Weekly)

3. Universal Parks & Resorts and Wendover Housing are planning to create 1,000 rent-controlled apartments on 20-acres of land between Tradeshow Boulevard and Destination Parkway in Orlando. "The rental range will be anywhere from $100 a month to $400 a month for one bedroom. Up to $2,000 for a three-bedroom apartment," said Johnathan Wolf of Wendover Housing. (Fox 35 Orlando)

4. A Clermont cheerleading coach has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of victims aged 12 to 15. 39-year-old Vigiland D'Haiti was arrested at his home on March 27. (WESH)

5. United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced Monday that Luis Raul Perez Rodriguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. Perez Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, on January 21 Perez Rodriguez had arranged to receive a shipment of three parcels containing 19 kilograms of cocaine, valued at an estimated $570,000, through a delivery service from an address in Puerto Rico to an apartment in Orlando. (U.S. Department of Justice)

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Today in Orlando:

• Seven Seas Food Festival at SeaWorld Orlando. (9:00 AM)
• Seminole County Fair. (4:00 PM)
• Superintendent Search Community Forum - District 7 at Orange District. (6:00 PM)
• Gametime's Play Your Way Thursday at Gametime Orlando. (7:00 PM)
• AFROBEAN - An Uptown Caribbean Vibe at Lava International Drive. (10:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• According to a West Orlando News report on Sunday, "Orlando area Publix Super Markets are distributing warnings to customers that the company's free prescription medication program is ending June 1.” (CBS Miami)
• After the fatal death of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, Icon Park has asked the Slingshot Group to stop ride operations for both the Orlando Freefall and the Orlando Slingshot.⁠ ⁠(Instagram)
• Today in Thornton Park District from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. come out and show your support for Howard Middle School Academy of Arts. (Facebook)
• Saturday, April 2 enjoy a beer garden and outdoor market fundraiser, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Lobos Coffee Roasters benefiting Sharing Smiles, which provides cleft palate surgery to children worldwide. (Facebook)
• The Orange County School Board is in favor of completely tossing out the district’s face mask policy, as COVID cases continue to decline in the area. (WMFE)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you all 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.