While thinking of bison conjures scenes of the American West, perhaps bringing up images of Yellowstone National Park, these wild animals can also be found right here in the Sunshine State. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, just south of Gainesville, comprises nearly 23,000 acres of marsh, wet prairie and open water and is home to a herd of 1,000-plus-pound bison and wild horses. The population that now numbers 50-70 bison was introduced in 1975, starting with 10 individuals hailing from Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. While it’s now rare to find bison east of the Mississippi ..read more

Thursday night’s opening of Orlando Ballet’s “Casanova” felt like a grand occasion. And it was. The opening night marked the U.S. debut of Kenneth Tindall’s acclaimed ballet about the life of the legendary lover. In the house were Tindall; composer Kerry Muzzey, who wrote the rousing original score; and author Ian Kelly, who wrote the biography he and Tindall adapted to tell Casanova’s story. In the pit was the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Julian Pellicano, and even the sound of the musicians tuning up added to the buzz in the air. Amir Dodarkhojayev displays the depths of Casa ..read more

A pair of groups that have run Goldsboro’s museum and an educational enrichment program for years out of cramped trailers in the heart of the historic Black community are asking the city of Sanford for $300,000 to help build a permanent facility. But city leaders this week said they need more details before handing over funds — including whether the West Side Community Historical Association and Goldsboro Front Porch would own the new building, proposed for a city lot, or pay rent. Pasha Baker, the historical association’s director and CEO, said the museum has long needed a new and larger buil ..read more

General Daily Insight for May 17, 2024 Focused thought could currently be necessary. When mental Mercury squares disruptive Pluto at 3:44 am EDT, it might become apparent that some of our cherished ideas don’t perform well under the pressure of reality. While the nervous Virgo Moon opposes restrained Saturn, reacting emotionally won’t make our problems go away. Even so, as Luna goes on to trine both cooperative Venus and innovative Uranus, creative solutions are possible if we keep our minds open. We can learn a lot from our experiences! Aries March 21 – April 19 Perceived judgment from your ..read more

By Dave Campbell Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards scored 27 points to pull the Minnesota Timberwolves out of their mid-series slump and deliver a flawless 115-70 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night to force a Game 7 in this roller-coaster playoff matchup. Jaden McDaniels pitched in 21 points and lockdown defense, and Mike Conley had 13 points in his return from injury. Big men Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid combined for 38 rebounds and a relentless effort to keep NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to a relatively quiet 22 points. “Guys just believing in themselves ..read more

By WILL GRAVES (AP National Writer) LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler began his pursuit of the second leg of the grand slam with a slam dunk. The rest of his opening round at the PGA Championship wasn’t exactly a layup. The world’s top-ranked player posted a somewhat pedestrian — by his current standard anyway — 4-under 67 at Valhalla on Thursday, a respectable number to be sure, but one that had the potential to be far lower after Scheffler’s 9-iron from 167 yards out on the first hole bounced once before hopping in for eagle. “I was trying to hit it right at the pin because I felt lik ..read more

BOSTON — Looking to win the series, move back above .500 and past the rival Red Sox into third place in the American League East, the Rays got off to a good start Thursday, building a four-run advantage by the fourth inning. But little has come easy, so they let that lead slip away before rallying for two runs in the ninth and a 7-5 win. The end result was still good, as the Rays improved to 23-22 by taking three of four from the 22-22 Sox, who visit Tropicana Field on Monday for three more games. The winning rally off Boston closer Kenley Jansen started with a one-out walk by Randy Arozarena ..read more

Here are Orlando area high school scores and top performers from Thursday, May 16: Boys Track & Field CLASS 2A STATE FINALS At University of North Florida Hodges Stadium Team scores (top 3 & locals): 1.    Montverde Academy 52 2.    Florida High 49 3.    Bolles 45.25 27. Lake Highland Prep 7 31. Mount Dora 6 40. Bishop Moore 5 Individual events (first place & locals in top 10): 100 – 1. Kennith Martin (Eastside) 10.57, 3. Miles Outerbridge (Montverde) 10.92 200 – 1. Micahi Danzy (Florida High) 20.88, 6. Jayvian Greene (Montverde) 21.86 ..read more

JACKSONVILLE — Montverde Academy swept boys and girls team titles and Trinity Prep jumper Victoria Hill added to her tall stack of FHSAA medals in Thursday’s Class 2A state track and field meet at the University of North Florida. Montverde’s girls piled up 117 points to claim their first state title in the sport. It was much more dramatic in a boys chase that went down to the final race. The Eagles needed to finish first or second in the 4×400-meter relay to claim their second championship in three years. They came through with a decisive victory in a time of 3 minutes, 16.50 seconds. That gav ..read more

GAINESVILLE — Florida center fielder Kendra Falby’s boom box blared as the Gators’ team bus bounced to the winning beat. Coach Tim Walton was all smiles — happy to be along for the ride. “We were literally shaking the bus,” Falby recalled Thursday. “The bus driver is probably like, ‘Oh my god. Coach Walton is probably going to have to pay for tires.’ “But you could just feel, he loves it.” UF (46-12) enters Friday’s Gainesville Regional against Florida Gulf Coast (37-19) as the NCAA Tournament’s No. 4 seed and riding an eight-game winning streak following the program’s first SEC Tournament tit ..read more