Pulse Massacre

The Orlando Sentinel reports: The Orlando shooting at Pulse Nightclub on June 12 will be memorialized with an “iconic, meaningful, national” memorial and eventually a museum, where Orlando’s millions of visitors will learn about the club, the tragedy and the victims. Leaders of the not-for-profit onePULSE Foundation officially launched the effort to building the memorial Thursday morning. “Today, I’m able …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: As the one-year anniversary of the Pulse terror attack nears, the nightclub’s owner, Barbara Poma, next week will announce details about plans for a permanent memorial at the scene of the nation’s largest mass shooting. “Pulse has always been a part of me, but after this tragedy which took 49 lives, it became a part of …

Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports: The wife of the gunman in the Pulse nightclub massacre has pleaded not guilty to charges of aiding and abetting her husband and obstruction of justice. Noor Salman, wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, made a brief appearance before a judge in the Orlando federal courthouse Wednesday. Salman’s attorney waived the reading of an indictment …

The Associated Press reports: Orlando and Orange County officials want the first anniversary next June of the Pulse nightclub massacre to be marked with acts of love and kindness. Elected officials on Monday said that June 12 officially would be dedicated as “Orlando United Day – A Day of Love and Kindness.” Officials also announced a series of events planned …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: A lawsuit filed by the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre and their families against the gunman’s wife and employer is in jeopardy of being dismissed in federal court. Federal Judge Kenneth A. Marra filed the order questioning if the federal court system had jurisdiction in the case, determining that as presented it did not. The …

Playwright David Lee has incorporated my Pulse essay, Their Phones Kept Ringing, into a play selected to run at the Orlando Fringe Festival. Such an honor! Via press release: David Lee, recipient of the 2016 Orlando International Fringe Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award has created an original theatrical event that shares stories and experiences from the days, weeks and months following …

The Associated Press reports: An Orlando businessman is raising money for scholarships for gay students in order to honor the 49 patrons killed during the Pulse nightclub massacre. Barry Miller said Monday the fund would award 10 scholarships each year, each worth $4,900. Students would have to self-identify as “out,” attend an institution of higher learning full time and have …

Reuters reports: The victims of a mass shooting at a Florida nightclub in June 2016 will receive nearly $8.5 million for emotional and financial support for victims’ families, those wounded in the attack and responders, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday. In a statement, the department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) said the funds would be granted …

Courthouse News Service reports: The widow of the gunman who killed 49 people in an Orlando nightclub last June will remain behind bars while she awaits trial in Florida, according to a court order. Although a California magistrate judge earlier this month authorized Noor Salman’s release from an Alameda County jail on a $500,000 bond, a federal judge in Florida …

NBC News reports: The owner of the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando has slammed Univision for planning to air a detailed reenactment of the shooting massacre at the club that left 49 people dead and more than 50 injured last June. The episode titled “Baño De Sangre,” or “Blood Bath,” is set to run on the broadcast network’s weekly news …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Florida Republicans are more determined than ever to pass bills expanding gun rights in the wake of the deadly Pulse nightclub and Fort Lauderdale airport shootings. They say law-abiding gun owners should be allowed to take their weapons to airports, government meetings and state universities, and would be in a better position to protect themselves and …

Calling all gay graphics designers. Via press release: Why a new flag? A flag is more than just a symbol, it is a source of civic pride that makes people feel more connected to their city. As the City of Orlando’s story continues to evolve, so does the need for a visual identity that is unique to Orlando. The contest …

USA Today reports: The wife of Omar Mateen, the man who killed 49 people in a shooting rampage at an Orlando nightclub last June, was arrested Monday on a charge of obstructing justice, a federal law enforcement official told USA TODAY. Noor Salman was taken into custody by the FBI at her Northern California home. The law enforcement official, who …

The Advocate reports: Survivors of the Pulse massacre took center stage at the 128th Rose Parade. Victor Baez Febo and Isaiah Henderson waved to the cheering crowd Monday at the annual New Years Day celebration in Pasadena, Calif. They rode on a float commissioned by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Impulse Group United, which honored the 49 victims and dozens …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Family members of three men killed in the Pulse nightclub attack are suing Twitter, Facebook and Google, claiming that the social media companies allowed the so-called Islamic State to post propaganda and push its agenda. The suit was filed Monday in a federal court in eastern Michigan on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, 25; …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Barbara Poma, the owner of Pulse, said Monday that she does not plan to sell the nightclub to the city of Orlando. Mayor Buddy Dyer’s staff recently revealed that the city had negotiated a $2.25 million purchase price for the club, where 49 people were killed and dozens more were injured in a mass shooting June …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: More than 150,000 people gathered in downtown Orlando Saturday for the 12th annual Come Out with Pride festival, the first since the Pulse nightclub massacre five months ago. The event, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, began at noon and featured an afternoon parade through Thornton Park. Pulse employees and relatives of the slain served as parade …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: The city of Orlando has reached a deal to buy the Pulse nightclub for $2.25 million and plans to eventually transform the site of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history into a memorial. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that the city won’t rush to change the club, once a mainstay …

The Windy City Times reports: A Far South Side grade school will not co-host a haunted house that contained, among other depictions, a representation of the June 2016 shootings at the Pulse nightclub, according to CPS officials. Fernwood Elementary School, 10041 S. Union Ave., was advertised by promoters as the location of a haunted house entitled The Room: A Journey …

Pink News recaps: A mother who lost her son in the Orlando Pulse massacre has spoken out ahead of the Presidential election. Christopher Leinonen died in the horrific attack in June, when a gunman opened fire in the Pulse gay club, killing 49 people and injuring 53. “Think about Christopher. He lost his right to vote. You still have the …