🌱 Zora Festival Starts Today + Key West Buoy Vandals Caught + WaWa Hiring 2K

Hey, Orlando! Let's get this Friday started off right. Here's everything worth knowing around town today.

First, today's weather:

Nice with clouds and sun. High: 72 Low: 57.

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Here are the top five stories in Orlando today:

1. WaWa is planning to hire 2,000 people in Florida during the first quarter of 2022. Starting pay is $15 per hour. Positions available include full-time and part-time associate positions. (Florida Patch)

2. Officials with AdventHealth are reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as the omicron variant of COVID-19 spreads through Central Florida. "With the Centra Care numbers, with what we’re seeing in the community, we have not hit our peak. We are still on the rise right now," Dr. Vincint Hsu said. (Click Orlando)

3. After refuting claims from Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried that the Florida health department was in possession of stockpiled COVID-19 tests that were about to expire, state leaders admitted that they were requesting a waiver for stockpiled tests to see if they might still be safe and effective to use after 1 million tests expired last month. (Florida Politics)

4. Police said 21-year-old David B. Perkins of Leesburg, Florida and 21-year-old Skylar Rae Jacobson of Henrietta, Texas are the men responsible for setting the fire that damaged the iconic Southernmost Point Buoy in Key West on New Year’s Day. Both Perkins and Jacobson agreed to turn themselves in to authorities on charges of criminal mischief. (WFTV)

5. The Zora! Festival, an annual tribute to the life of writer Zora Neale Hurston, kicks off today in Eatonville with a host of in-person and virtual events continuing through the month of January. Today's event is called "Gathering & Gabbing: Zora Neale Hurston Book Club" and will be held online and in-person. (Orlando Weekly)

From our sponsor:

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Today in Orlando:

• runDisney's Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. (all day)
• Ecology In Action Day at Lake Lorna Doone Park. (10:00 AM)
• Art After Dark Lake Nona. (6:00 PM)
• Varsity Girls Soccer V Cocoa at Colonial High School. (6:00 PM)
• Open House: James Zito (in-person) at Timucua Arts Foundation. (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The CDC’s latest data shows Florida reported 67,369 new COVID-19 cases from Wednesday, the second-highest daily total in the state since the start of the pandemic. (WPLG Local 10)
• The George Marsh House, located at Lake Eola Park, was constructed in 1924. George Marsh was very influential in the citrus industry and is believed to have created the “Marsh Seedless Grapefruit.” ⁠ (Instagram)
• Orlando Weekly's Whiskey Business is returning to The Historic Cheyenne Saloon & Church St. on February 25th after a long two-year hiatus. Flash sale tickets go on sale today. (Instagram)
• Disney World announced Thursday that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at Epcot will be switching to a standby online line beginning Monday, January 10th, 2022. (ThrillGeek)

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That's it for today! I'll see you around.

— 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.