Sam Votaw

Supreme Court strikes down same-sex marriage bans

As hundreds of people outside the court cheered in approval, the U.S. Supreme Court swept away the last bans on same-sex marriage in Ohio and 12 other states, ruling that the U.S. Constitution requires states to not only permit same-same marriages but recognize those performed in other states.

Confederate flag controversy moves to Congress

WASHINGTON - The debate over the Confederate flag may be over in South Carolina, but it appears to be just beginning on Capitol Hill. House leaders scrambled on Thursday to pull a spending bill from the floor after it became mired in a debate over whether it was appropriate to allow the display of the Confederate flag in cemeteries on National Park Service land.

Ohio's Edison sculpture set to occupy Statuary Hall

WASHINGTON - Former Ohio Gov. William Allen is on his way out the door of the U.S. Capitol. And Thomas Edison is on his way in. The switch is part of Ohio's effort to de-emphasize a Civil War-era governor who didn't think much of President Abraham Lincoln and who thought fighting the Civil War was a bad idea.

Obama signs trade authority, worker assistance bills

WASHINGTON - With Rep. Pat Tiberi joining the East Room ceremony, President Barack Obama today signed into law a bill that provides him with the authority to complete negotiations on a free-trade agreement between the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations.

Pooches proposed as stress treatment

WASHINGTON - Rep. Steve Stivers has urged a House subcommittee to approve a bill he co-sponsored that would train and provide service dogs to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The Republican from Upper Arlington told the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health his bill could help relieve some of the effects of PTSD, which is to blame for the suicides of 22 veterans each day.

The Stage Dive Heard Around the World

What Joyce Manor's stance says about concert etiquette in the modern age Anyone that has seen me around campus can infer that I am a huge music fan. I'm typically seen sporting a t-shirt with some band's name printed across it and talking about what concert I'm going to next, while my apartment walls tremble...

Superbowl 50 Halftime

Small Business Spotlight

X-Files Revival

Small Business Highlight: Groovy Records

Local music store values history, promotes discovery When most young people think of vinyl records, they tend to view it as a primitive format before CD's and MP3's. Only "old people music" is found on those foot long black discs. That couldn't be farther from the truth.

Campus MovieFest Premiere Recap

Student created films win big and punch their ticket to Hollywood Campus MovieFest's two-week presence on Stetson's campus came to a close last Friday night at a red carpet premiere event inside the Stetson Room. The affair was as close to a Hollywood premiere or award ceremony as DeLand could get, with hoards of students...

Crimewave420

Harmless

Roadkill Ghost Choir Breaks Out with "In Tongues"

New album from local band shows immense growth and promise It's been a long road traveled for the DeLand folk-rock act Roadkill Ghost Choir, whose 2012 EP "Quiet Light" put them on the map and took them everywhere from festivals like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza all the way to a nationally televised performance on Late Night...

FEST 13: DAY 1

FEST 13: DAY 1 by Sam Votaw 11/11/2014 Photograph by Kayla Surico This is the first of a three part series recounting musical, cultural, and culinary experiences at Fest 13 in Gainesville, FL as best...

LIVE REVIEW: BRAND NEW @ HOUSE OF BLUES, ORLANDO, FL

Brand New is a generational band in more ways than one. Ever since the release of their debut album Your Favorite Weapon in 2001, the Long Island four-piece consisting of guitarist-singer Jesse Lacey, guitarist Vincent Accardi, drummer Brian Lane, and bassist Garrett Tierney has subsequently become heralded as a legendary, and almost cryptic entity in the alternative music scene.

FYA FEST RECAP: DAY 1

In just its second year, F.Y.A. Fest has seen some impressive growth. After moving from Downtown Orlando's Backbooth venue to the massive Jai alai arena at Orlando Live Events, promoters Sam Yarmuth and Bob Wilson have cemented a finely tuned, high drawing event that aims to put Central Florida in the same breath as Philadelphia, Richmond, and Boston as a thriving hardcore punk festival destination.