Latest news with #OrlandoShooting
Washington Post
17-06-2025
- Washington Post
Pulse nightclub: A haunting look inside before the mass shooting site is razed
ORLANDO, Fla. — Nine years after a gunman opened fire in an LGBTQ+-friendly nightclub in central Florida, killing 49 people , bullet holes can be seen in walls while glittering disco balls and lit-up bulbs on dressing room mirrors make the venue seem frozen in time. The Associated Press and other media outlets on Monday were allowed for the first time inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando where a gunman opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others. The attacker, Omar Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed after a three-hour standoff with police.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Flags to be flown at half-staff across Florida Thursday
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Flags will be flown at half-staff all across Florida on Thursday in honor of Pulse Remembrance Day. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a memorandum on Wednesday ordering the flags at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Thursday. 'Nine years ago, on June 12, 2016, a shooter claiming alliance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant committed a horrific act of terrorism at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Forty-nine people were killed and fifty-three were wounded,' the memorandum read. 'As a mark of respect for the victims, their families, and the many affected by this tragedy, I hereby direct the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at all local and state buildings, installations, and grounds throughout the State of Florida.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pulse survivors, families continue to visit site ahead of demolition
The Brief Survivors and victims' families are making emotional final visits to Pulse nightclub. The building will be torn down later this year to make way for a permanent memorial. City officials say the private visits are an important step in the healing process. ORLANDO, Fla. - Survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting and family members of the victims are making emotional visits to the site of the 2016 tragedy, as the city prepares to demolish the building to make way for a permanent memorial. What we know Survivors and family members of victims in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting are visiting the site one final time before the building is demolished. Over a four-day period, the City of Orlando expects about 250 visitors, including survivors, loved ones, and relatives of those killed. The visits are private and heavily emotional, with officials providing privacy through curtains and umbrellas as visitors enter. The backstory On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire inside Pulse, a popular LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people and injuring dozens more in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Since the attack, the building has stood largely untouched while plans for a permanent memorial evolved amid shifting proposals and community input. Timeline Family members of those killed began visiting the site earlier in the week, with survivors and their loved ones visiting on Thursday and Friday. The building is expected to be demolished later this year, though no exact date has been announced. Big picture view The visits mark a significant moment of transition for the community, as many visitors are seeing the building for the first time since the tragedy. City officials describe the experience as a step in the long, difficult healing process. A permanent memorial is in development, aiming to provide a lasting tribute to the lives lost and those forever affected. What they're saying Over the course of four days, city officials expect around 250 people — survivors, loved ones, and relatives of those killed — to take one final look inside the club. "It's been a very emotional journey," said Donna Wyche, who leads the City of Orlando's outreach and engagement efforts at Pulse. "Walking into there is going to spike their emotions. I mean, it's just the way it is." FOX 35 News witnessed bus after bus arriving at the site on Thursday. Officials said eight busloads toured the building that day, with another seven expected Friday. Thursday's visitors were mostly survivors — some of whom were injured during the attack—along with loved ones offering support. The day before, the city welcomed families of those who died in the shooting. "I think I got the answers I needed, and hopefully I can heal," one visitor said through tears. What's next The building is scheduled for demolition later this year, with plans underway for a permanent memorial to honor the lives lost and those whose lives were forever changed. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by the City of Orlando.
CNN
13-06-2025
- CNN
Legal status revoked, flight attendant fraud, life as an amateur golfer: Catch up on the day's stories
5 Things Aviation news Golf FacebookTweetLink 👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! A man accused of falsely posing as a flight attendant so he could fly for free was convicted of fraud. Tiron Alexander claimed to have worked for seven different airlines and had booked more than 100 flights, authorities said. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day. 1️⃣ CNN exclusive: The Department of Homeland Security told hundreds of thousands of migrants that their permission to live and work in the US had been revoked and that they should leave the country. The termination notice was sent to nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. 2️⃣ Tense times: The Los Angeles ICE raids sparked protests that have spread to other cities across the country, and more than 1,800 'No Kings' demonstrations are planned for Saturday. President Donald Trump is determined not to let that ruin his military parade. 3️⃣ Pulse memorial: Families and survivors have waited nine years for a memorial in honor of the 49 victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting. The lack of progress has been a source of frustration, but now the city is moving forward with plans. 4️⃣ 'Super weird': An accidental discovery might change how we think about one of the most mysterious structures in our solar system. A planetarium show in New York City revealed something strange within the Oort Cloud. 5️⃣ Dream come true: Golfer Justin Hastings made his major championship debut at the Masters when he was 21. Now he's competing at the US Open. Hastings explained what it's like to be an amateur at one of the sport's greatest events. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. 🪵 Feeling knotty: A man was seen dumping wooden boards onto the road in front of police vehicles during a high-speed chase in Ohio. His truck later caused a six-vehicle collision — but no life-threatening injuries were reported, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. • US senator forcibly removed from Noem news conference about LA protests• At least one survivor in Air India crash that killed 290 people• The FBI raided the wrong house. The Supreme Court says the family is allowed to sue 🩺 That's how many CDC employees the Department of Health and Human Services is reinstating after they were fired as part of a massive reorganization in April. 🖼️ Reviving a masterpiece: A treasured painting of Hercules and Omphale was damaged during the 2020 explosion in Beirut, and restoring it required more than three years of painstaking work. Now it's on display in Los Angeles. I always felt like I didn't have enough. Janet Blaser 💬 No regrets: The single mother of three was 'living paycheck to paycheck' in California when she decided to move to Mexico nearly 20 years ago. She says Mazatlán feels like home now. 🎵 Paul McCartney and others paid tribute to Brian Wilson, who died at age 82. Which popular group was Wilson part of?A. The DoorsB. The ByrdsC. Pink FloydD. The Beach Boys⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. 🥪 Hungry? When faced with a craving, there's hardly a country on the planet that doesn't turn to some type of bread with something stuffed inside it. To fuel your next transatlantic trip, here are 25 of the world's best sandwiches. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: D. Brian Wilson co-founded The Beach Boys and was the creative force behind the group's surf sound.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN's Chris Good, Meghan Pryce, Kimberly Richardson and Morgan Severson.
CNN
12-06-2025
- General
- CNN
Families and survivors have waited 9 years for Orlando to build a memorial for Pulse shooting victims. Now the city is moving forward with plans
For nearly a decade, the community in Orlando has been working to find a way to memorialize the 49 people who were killed when a gunman opened fire on Latin night at a popular gay nightclub, making it the worst mass shooting in modern US history at the time. Now, as the city marks the nine-year anniversary of the tragedy at Pulse on June 12, city leaders and local activists say they have renewed hope that construction of a permanent memorial site will begin next June. City engineers are currently reviewing proposals from design firms with plans to award a contract this summer. The conceptual site design – created by an 18-member advisory board of survivors, loved ones of victims and community leaders – includes a memorial and reflection space, a survivors' tribute wall, a private gathering space for personal reflection, a walkway with columns honoring the 49 victims on rainbow glass panels, a healing garden and a visitor's center. The Pulse Memorial is set to be completed by the end of 2027, according to the city. Admission to the memorial will be free, city officials say. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who has been mayor since 2003, said he believes it's important to honor the victims and survivors. 'I think from the time it happened we knew that we wanted to memorialize the victims of the tragedy and have a place to reflect on what happened and to honor them,' Dyer told CNN. 'Hopefully that is what we will be able to achieve with the memorial, and I think it's important that it's on the site where it took place.' The building that housed the club will be demolished, Dyer said. Family members of the victims and survivors were able to walk through the building for the first time on Wednesday. 'For whatever closure and peace of mind that may provide somebody, we wanted to make that available,' Dyer said. The city acquired the land where Pulse sits from the club's owners in December 2023 for $2 million, a city spokeswoman said. The club owners had formed a non-profit called the onePulse Foundation following the shooting with the intention of raising funds to build a memorial and museum in honor of the victims, Dyer said. The foundation raised more than $20 million in the seven years it operated, according to CNN affiliate WFTV. Dyer said the money raised was largely spent on salaries of foundation workers. The foundation's plans for both a memorial site and a museum that would cost at least $50 million to build proved to be 'very hard to achieve,' Dyer said. The onePulse Foundation dissolved in December 2023, according to WFTV. 'The magnitude that needed to be raised to create a museum overwhelmed the memorial process,' Dyer said. Nancy Rosado, an advisory committee member and community activist, said the lack of progress on building the museum for nine years became a 'sticking point to healing' for survivors and the family and friends of victims. Rosado, who offered grief counseling to many of the families impacted by the massacre, said people wanted to see their loved ones memorialized and have the trauma they endured from the shooting recognized in a meaningful way. The city, she said, surveyed families and victims on what they wanted the memorial site to include. One shared goal of the advisory committee was to ensure that the memorial honored both the gay and Latino communities who felt at home at the club before the shooting. 'I believe this will move them forward,' Rosado said. 'Let's get this component settled so you have a place to go to express your grief or to express joy at seeing your son or daughter's name or your friend's name on a wall. These elements are so healing and I'm really happy that we are at this particular point.' Brandon Wolf, who survived the Pulse shooting after hiding in a bathroom, said it's past time for the community to have a 'respectful, permanent place to pay their respects.' Wolf lost his two best friends, Christopher Andrew Leinonen and Juan Ramon Guerrero, in the attack. 'I am looking forward to a space that is worthy of the memory of my best friends – one where I can feel close to them and reflect on why we have to continue doing the work to honor them with action,' said Wolf, who is also national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. But some families and community advocates say they oppose the advisory committee's design plan for a memorial site. Zachary Blair, co-founder of the grassroots group Pulse Families and Survivors for Justice and a former Pulse patron, said he is disappointed that it's been nine years since the shooting and the city still has no permanent memorial for the victims of the tragedy at Pulse. Blair said he created his group and started speaking out in 2019 when he learned the onePulse Foundation wanted to build a multi-million dollar museum. He said many families and survivors were against the museum because they believed it was 'turning a massacre into a tourist attraction.' When onePulse dissolved in 2023, Blair said there was even more frustration that the foundation had raised millions of dollars, yet it still didn't build anything to memorialize those impacted by the attack. 'It's awful and it shows how much of a failure these people are,' Blair said. In a statement published by CNN affiliate WESH in 2023, the onePulse board said it was 'challenged by unexpected and definitive events, among them the inability to secure a full donation of the Pulse nightclub site from the property owners and a global pandemic that brought with it critical limits and many unanticipated consequences, that ultimately impacted our fundraising efforts.' 'These unanticipated challenges have led the Trustees to vote late yesterday to initiate the transfer of our assets and the dissolution of the Foundation,' the statement read. Blair said his group still believes the city's current memorial design is 'too garish, it's too touristy.' 'It's not a somber, reflective, dignified space where families and the public can come to pay their respects,' he said. Christine Leinonen, Christopher Andrew Leinonen's mother, said she believes the existing plan is more of a tourist attraction that the city is using to bring in revenue from visitors spending money in Orlando. Leinonen, also a co-founder of Pulse Families and Survivors for Justice, said she would prefer an outdoor memorial park with trees and a walking path. She said she applied to join the city's advisory committee but was not selected. 'We want a simplified, dignified, free, easy space,' Leinonen. 'A place where people can stop by while they are out walking. Let's not take a mass shooting … and make it into your form of collecting tourist dollars.' Dyer acknowledged that there has been some division among families and survivors on how the Pulse memorial site should look. He called claims that the site will be a tourist attraction 'misinformation.' Rosado said she feels confident the current plans for the memorial will be successful. 'Right now, people have such little faith and are braced for a shoe to drop somewhere along the line,' Rosado said. 'But I have a lot of faith that at this stage of the game with all the fanfare and all the commitment and time invested in this that we are going to see this memorial be a fitting tribute to those we lost that day.'
