U.S.

A Florida teacher’s wish list is coming true just in time for the holidays, thanks to celebrity Paris Hilton. Triangle Elementary teacher Megan Dewitz created an Amazon wish list in early August to help provide food and classroom supplies for her students. Hilton purchased items directly from the list and shared the initiative on social media, prompting a surge in donations.

California-based Aptera, the first mass producer of solar electric vehicles, plans to bring its three-wheeled cars to Florida in 2026, offering drivers a vehicle that runs primarily on solar power.

Winter Garden is moving closer to approving stricter e-bike and scooter rules, including sidewalk restrictions, helmet requirements, and a 10 mph speed limit.

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, who was wheelchair-bound due to a spinal condition, died after hitting his head and sustaining a severe femur fracture during the ride, according to a newly released 11-page report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Circle K is facing a $20 million lawsuit over the death of an off-duty Edgewater police officer who was shot and killed inside a Volusia County convenience store in September. The civil complaint, filed by the officer’s family, alleges the store and its manager were negligent for failing to act on warnings that an employee accused of killing the officer was dangerous.

Two law-enforcement K9s quickly tracked down a man accused of fleeing from Orlando police officers after he tried to slip through backyards and open fields, authorities said.

Florida lawmakers are considering a proposal that would require real-time alerts to schools, child-care centers and nearby residents when law enforcement identifies an “imminent threat,” a measure its sponsors say could save lives. The bill, known as the Yaya Act, is named in 9-year-old T’Yonna Major who was killed in February 2023 when a murder suspect returned to a Pine Hills home hours after allegedly killing a woman nearby.

The Central Florida Expressway Authority passed a motion for a $218 million project that would ease traffic in downtown Orlando by expanding State Road 408 near Camping World Stadium.

State Attorney Monique Worrell says a paperwork mistake is to blame for a clerical error in the case of a man accused of attacking a jogger in Orlando — but she maintains the error did not change the outcome of the case.

A report released by the Orange County Sheriff's Office Dec. 11 details witness accounts of what happened to Kevin Rodriguez-Zavala when he rode and later died from his injures on EPIC Universe's roller coaster, Stardust Racers. The report details statement from deputies, ride operators and Rodriguez-Zavala's girlfriend who rode on the ride next to him.