Category: News

Congressman Darren Soto’s Wife Arrested At Walt Disney World

The wife of U.S. Rep. Darren Soto was arrested at Disney Springs on Sunday on charges of disorderly intoxication according to an arrest report from The Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Cory Heller saw her “holding … her mother by the straps of the backpack she was wearing in an attempt to keep her from walking away,” according report. Amanda Soto, 33, of Celebration, was apparently in an argument with her Mother at the time near the bus loop.

Soto and her mother appeared intoxicated and Heller helped them call an Uber vehicle to take them home. The report states that when the deputy helped Amanda Soto and her mother get into the Uber, Amanda began yelling at her mother, the Uber driver and the law enforcement office.

Heller noted that he attempted to calm her numerous times from her agitated state and she repeatedly said her husband is a congressman, therefore “she could do whatever she wants.”

The deputy escorted them out of the Uber and Soto was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car, where “she began banging [her] head against the window in what appeared to be an attempt to harm herself. Amanda was further restrained for her safety,” Heller stated.

Soto who was elected in 2016 and represents Florida’s ninth district said in a statement said his wife has battled depression and recently stopped using her medications.

“Yesterday, she drank too much and reached an argumentative state with a family member, which led to arrest,’’ the congressman said. “She deeply regrets her actions and takes full responsibility for them. Amanda and her physician will be reviewing her mental health treatment, immediately.’’

According to the jail’s online database she was booked into jail at 10:44 Sunday night. Amanda Soto bonded out of the Orange County Jail early Monday.

This is the second high-profile arrest Walt Disney World made the news for last week. YouTuber Jason Ethier was arrested at the Ticket and Transportation Center outside Magic Kingdom on charges of trespassing and resisting arrest without violence.

April 2, 2018
Breaking: Hollywood Studios Getting Marvel Land As Disney Regains East Coast Marvel Rights Iger Revealed at Shareholder Meeting

The largest hurdle Disney World has had to overcome in bringing more Marvel attractions to its parks, other than those based on franchises like “Guardians of the Galaxy“, is the fact that Universal Studios owns the east coast rights to most of the Marvel lineup. Well in a shocking turn of events, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced at the most recent shareholders meeting that Disney has negotiated a deal to bring the rights home to Disney and they will officially be adding a Marvel Land to Hollywood Studios.

“We think this will be a good thing. Marvel belongs home with Disney and we now have the opportunity to tell the stories of these characters in way like only Disney can.” Iger said. The audience laughed as he joked, “It’s always a little odd when you have to rent back your own property from someone who is renting it from you.” The deal is quite intricate he explained and there are no details on how exactly it was worked out. This comes on the heels of a recent announcement that Disneyland Parks around the globe are already getting Marvel themed lands and now Disney World wont be left out on the super hero action!

He was tight-lipped about some of the upcoming changes, but he did drop some bombs on what the future of Hollywood Studios will look like with the addition of Marvel Land. First and what will probably be most up setting for fans is that the area will be located around the Tower of Terror area where just like in California, the attraction will be converted to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Iger made the announcement as he unveiled the only piece of concept art that he used during his speech as you can see in the photo below:

The ride is expected to be operational by late 2020, well before construction for Marvel Land is complete. “The new attraction will anchor a broader universe of Super Heroes that will grow over time at Hollywood Studios”, Iger said.

There will be a Marvel themed restaurant, of course multiple retail locations, and other attractions, but the only other attraction change Iger mentioned during the meeting was Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. The contract with Aerosmith was renewed not too long ago and it’s always a question of if they will continue renewing. Well I guess we have our answer, because in a statement that Iger let Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek deliver, he said, “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will be transformed into an Ironman themed coaster that will immerse guests in a fantastic new thrilling adventure like never before.”

Iger said that the project can be expected to be fully completed by 2022 and those rides that will be getting overhauls will remain open for as long as possible to minimize the impact on guests during construction of new addition of Marvel Land. Work will begin on Tower of Terror first and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will close temporarily while construction on the entire new land begins.

Fans have already been lighting up the internet as they are upset about the changing of more classic rides and it didn’t take long for the petitions to begin either. Change is hard and if you have loved Hollywood Studios since the day it opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios, then this might be a hard one for you, but this is a change that is necessary for “Disney’s vision of the park’s future” Iger said in his final words at the meeting.

Walt Disney himself knew that his parks would continue to change and evolve. “As long as there is imagination left in the world”, said Walt. He also believed in a good laugh and a good joke so we hope you enjoyed this one. Happy April Fools Day… Oh yeah and Happy Easter. If anyone happens to be upset that the news isn’t true, don’t worry, there are Marvel Lands that are going to be popping up at nearly every other Disney Park on the Planet. And if you can’t make it out of Florida, we actually have our own Marvel Land right here… at Universal Studios. 🙂

April 1, 2018
Homeless Disney Worker Who Died Living in Her Car Becomes Center Of Wages Debate

The homeless Disney worker who died alone, living in her car, has recently been put in the center of Disneyland’s wages debate.

Yeweinishet “Weini” Mesfin kept her struggles mostly to herself and it took 20 days of frantic searching by friends and family before her body was found around noon on Dec. 19, 2016. She was found dressed in exercise clothes and clutching her keys, in the driver’s seat of her dark green 1999 sedan parked at the gym where she showered.

Mesfin lived out of her Honda Civic for seven years but all she wanted was privacy and hid her struggles from almost everyone, according to a report by The Orange County Register. Mesfin decided not to tell family and coworkers that she was homeless, outside of one or two people.

The homeless Disney worker who died alone in her car became the face of a public debate, but all she wanted was privacy https://t.co/0mNS7ZT6id pic.twitter.com/tVjY5E56kw

— OC Disney (@ocdisney) March 30, 2018

Now Mesfin’s private struggle is the subject of public debate more than a year after her death. A recent union-commissioned survey of 5,000 Disney employees showed that the vast majority of respondents stated they were being paid less than $15 an hour, and about 3/4 of those surveyed said they run out of money by the end of month, according to the study. Headlines about the about the findings quickly spread and soon she was the subject of social media posts and stories claiming she died because of her paycheck.

Disney officials, however, dispute the surveys findings as “deliberately distorted,” calling them an “inaccurate and unscientific survey … paid for by politically motivated labor unions,” according to a statement from Suzi Brown, the vice president of communications for Disneyland Resort.

However on the issue of Mesfin’s disappearance, Brown said, Disney security also requested a welfare check by Anaheim police. They also made calls to multiple police departments and maintained Mesfin’s status as a cast member until she was found dead.

Employment records show Mesfin began working part-time at the Anaheim theme park in 2007, according to Brown. Mesfin became a full-time cast member in 2009.

Co-worker said, Mesfin was third-shift custodial at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, with typical hours starting at 11 or 11:30 p.m. and ending around 8 a.m. Her pay was most likely was around $13 or $14 an hour at the time of her death, according to the report.

The 61 year-old passed alone almost a week after her birthday.

March 31, 2018
Disney Imagineering and NVIDIA Team Up To Develop New Tech For Millennium Falcon Attraction

Walt Disney Imagineering teamed with NVIDIA and Epic Games to develop new technology to drive the Millennium Falcon attraction that will be part of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort when it opens in 2019.

When it launches, riders will enter a cockpit powered with a single BOXX chassis packed with eight high-end NVIDIA Quadro P6000 GPUs, connected via Quadro SLI.

When the attraction opens next year, park guests will visit the planet of Batuu, a remote outpost that was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes. But you don’t have to wait another year to get a glimpse of it.

An in-progress animated sequence from the Millennium Falcon attraction was unveiled Wednesday. Produced by ILMxLAB and running in real-time, it gives fans the first ever glimpse of the incredible detail and immersion the attraction will offer.

Quadro Sync synchronizes five projectors for the creation of dazzling ultra-high resolution, perfectly timed displays to fully immerse the riders in the world of planet Batuu.

Working with NVIDIA and Epic Games, the Imagineering team created a custom multi-GPU implementation for Unreal Engine. This new code was returned to the Epic Games team and will help influence how multi-GPUs function for their engine.

“We worked with NVIDIA engineers to use Quadro-specific features like Mosaic and cross-GPU reads to develop a renderer that had performance characteristics we needed,” says Bei Yang, technology studio executive at Disney Imagineering. “Using the eight connected GPUs allowed us to achieve performance unlike anything before.”

Yang and Principal Software Developer Eric Smolikowski dove into more details during their GTC talk, “Walt Disney Imagineering Technology Preview: Real-time Rendering of a Galaxy Far, Far Away,” and discussed how Disney Imagineering took advantage of the latest NVIDIA technology and the technical modifications they made for the Unreal Engine, which allows eight GPUs to render at unprecedented quality and speed.

March 31, 2018
What’s Being Demolished At Downtown Disney For New Disneyland Resort Hotel
Construction on the upcoming new Four Diamond Disneyland Resort Hotel is scheduled to start in summer 2018. The new luxury resort edition will add fourth Disney-themed hotel to the area and while that is really exciting several businesses that have been part of Anaheim’s Downtown Disney since it opened in 2001 will be demolished.

Disney is looking to expand lodging at the Disneyland Resort and to make room for a new 700-room hotel they will be tearing down several popular spots.

Here’s a breakdown on what is being demolished:
- Earl of Sandwich
- ESPN Zone
- Rainforest Cafe
- AMC 12 Theatres
- Alamo Rent-a-Car
- (west side) Starbucks
Basically, everything west of the Lego store and Disneyland Drive will be demolished making plenty of room for the resort. The addition of the new hotel shows Disney’s new strategy to try to attract more out-of-town guest as they have historically catered to local Cali residents, according to The Orange Count Register.

Here’s what’s closing at Downtown Disney to make way for a new hotel https://t.co/icJOMKnGTV pic.twitter.com/mSYOiOzCpI

— O.C. Register (@ocregister) March 27, 2018

It is the largest renovation in Downtown Disney District history clearing up 17 acres for the resort. Disney officials announced that the businesses will be closing by June 30 with demolition slated to begin in early July. Talks are ongoing and it is still possible that a few of the closed businesses will reopen inside the new hotel complex.

The new hotel will have a dedicated Monorail platform inside the hotel for direct transport into Disneyland park and a new restaurant that will offer a magical view of the Disneyland fireworks. Disney has yet to receive expected final approvals from the city of Anaheim for the new hotel.
March 30, 2018
New Four Diamond Luxury Hotel Coming to the Disneyland Resort in 2021

Construction is set to begin soon on the upcoming New Four Diamond luxury hotel at Disneyland Resort! It will be the first new resort in almost two decades and will transform the west end of the Downtown Disney District and anchor a new gateway to the Disneyland Resort.

The stunning 700-room hotel will feature a sophisticated design and be a game-changer for Anaheim, creating a dynamic dining, entertainment and hotel experience for resort visitors and local residents. Extensive landscaping and water elements will create a resort oasis, showcasing nature on every level of the hotel. The hotel’s location embraces the iconic Disneyland Monorail with a dedicated platform inside the hotel for direct transport into Disneyland park.

Guest rooms, public spaces and gardens will provide views of the Downtown Disney District. In addition, an upper-level restaurant and lounge will give guests a view of the popular Disneyland park fireworks.

The ground level of the hotel will include shops and restaurants opening onto an expansive landscaped plaza complete with playful water features, creating a gathering place for guests and visitors. The new hotel also connects all four Hotels of the Disneyland Resort through lush gardens and beautifully landscaped walkways, transforming the gateway on the west side and creating a welcoming entry for our Disneyland Resort guests.

And that’s not all. This new hotel creates great benefits for the community, generating approximately $25 million in new taxes in its first five years of operation that go directly to Anaheim’s general fund. It also will create thousands of additional construction and permanent jobs and attract new hotel guests to the resort area.

Construction is scheduled to start in summer 2018, with a grand opening slated for 2021.

March 30, 2018
VIDEO: YouTuber Jason Ethier Arrested at Disney’s Magic Kingdom

ImJayStation, also known as Jason Ethier, a popular Youtuber with nearly 1.9 million subscribers was arrested outside the ticket area at Disney’s Magic Kingdom on Sunday.

According to an arrest affidavit, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office took Either into custody on suspicion of trespassing and resisting an officer without violence while he was live streaming.

According to the affidavit, Ethier was verbally aggressive with theme park security, because he was upset about his bag had been possibly being taken by another guest. He threatening to sue them if he didn’t get his camera back and was told by the Magic Kingdom’s security that he could check lost and found or try calling guest claims.

Finally Disney authorities ordered Ethier to leave the property and that’s when he started filming the theme park’s security officers as they escorted him out.

That’s when things went south for Ethier. The arresting deputy wrote that as he was walking away, Ethier “turned around and began to yell and squared his body towards me.” The deputy took it as an act of aggression and he went to restrain the popular YouTuber, “I went to secure Mr. Ethier and as I grabbed his left arm he yanked and tried to break my grasp. Mr. Ethier was then taken to the ground using an arm bar take down.”

Of course Ethier sent out some tweets on Monday after the arrest:

Hey I got out of jail! Big shout out to every1 of you that supported me after I was robbed from a security scam @WaltDisneyWorld . I’m working on getting the security footage! BIG THANKS TO MY BOYS @OmarGoshTV and @JamesTheFAM for getting me out of jail!!! 🔥 vid sometime tomo

— ImJayStation 😈 (@ImJayStation) March 26, 2018

Then in another tweet the Youtuber went on to blame the police for stealing his camera. “Guys @OrlandoPolice stole my camera last night they won’t give it back for 7days! Even tho it was false arrest at Disney! It is all my videos I’ve recorded for YouTube on it!!! Wtffff ima get so much money from Disney and these crooked police it’s not even funny!”, the tweet read.

Then he topped it off with one more tweet stating, “you are going to get sued real quick… once we get your security footage of your guards stealing peoples stuff in the security”.

One thing is clear from the videos online. Though he was upset and making a scene while he was being escorted out he was actually exiting the premises of his own free will and was not being forced out.

Take a look at the video below to hear his side of the story and decide for yourself if you think he was resisting arrest or if he should have been allowed to leave?

March 30, 2018
Pulse Nightclub Shooter Originally Planned To Attack Disney World

According to prosecutors Omar Mateen, the Pulse nightclub gunman, was originally targeting the Disney Springs entertainment center at Walt Disney World in Orlando, but he later decided to attack the Pulse nightclub.

You can get a full look at him scouting and making preparations in the video below:

Jurors deliberated all day Thursday and still no verdict on day two of deliberations. Jurors began deciding Wednesday whether the widow of the Orlando nightclub shooter lied to the FBI and helped her husband in the attack that killed 49 people or was an abused wife who knew nothing of his plans.

Noor Salman is charged with obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization. She faces up to life in prison if convicted of all charges.

She lied to the FBI about the number of guns her husband had and his internet use, which included watching beheadings and visiting Islamic State group websites and she knew he was buying ammunition for his AR-15 in preparation for a jihadi attack.

“She does not have to be his equal in the attack, and in fact she is not,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeney said.

Salman was born in California to Palestinian parents was described by defense attorneys as a simple woman with a low IQ. Her husband cheated on her with other women and concealed much of his life from her and he abused her, they said.

Attorney Charles Swift said there was no way Salman knew that Mateen would attack the Pulse nightclub because even he didn’t know he would attack the nightclub until after he went to the Disney Springs complex.

“It’s a horrible, random, senseless killing by a monster,” Swift said. “But it wasn’t preplanned. The importance to this case is that if he didn’t know, she couldn’t know.”

Salman’s confession was coerced and she signed it because she was tired and scared of losing her son, he said.

The statement said in part that “the last two years, Omar talked to me about jihad.” Swift said Salman was not capable of such a discussion because she wasn’t an extremist.

*UPDATE*
After three days of deliberation, Noor Salman, the wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, was declared not guilty on all counts Friday morning.

March 30, 2018
PHOTOS: Disney Skyliner Construction Update

After our most recent trip to Walt Disney World we’re back with some updates on the progress of construction for Disney’s new gondola system. We were able to get a good look at the mechanical and aerial components that will make up the Disney Skyliner entrance area at the Hollywood Studios.

Just past the bus loop, within viewing distance of Tower of Terror, you can see the Dream Builders are hard at work.

One of the poles that will hold up the new transportation system has already been put into place.

And right next it on the ground you can see the actual parts that will attach the gondola to the cables.

The design style of the station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will fit with that of the park’s main entrance and bus stations. Passengers traveling here from the Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort station can expect a new aerial perspective of the park’s iconic attractions.

When it’s finished, the transportation system will connect Disney’s Art of Animation, Pop Century and Caribbean Beach resorts and other locations with Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at Epcot.

There is no official date, but the Disney Skyliner project is expected to be completed by 2019.

March 29, 2018
Disney Sued By Man Who Claims Rat Bit Him at Magic Kingdom

When you go to visit the mouse the last thing you expect is that you might get bitten by a rat, but a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Orange County claims that is exactly what happened to a man who was visiting Walt Disney World in April 2014.

The couple is seeking more than $15,000 in a suit that claims Galen Haldeman, 59, had ridden Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and was in a nearby merchandise store when he was bit. The lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County on March 19, claims he suffered debilitating medical problems that stem from the rat bite suffered at the park.

Haldeman was pushing his wife, Carol Haldeman, through the store in her wheelchair when the apparent rodent jumped onto the wheel of her chair and started moving toward her arm.

The lawsuit states:

“Just as the rat was about to bite into Carol’s arm, Galen grabbed the rat and yanked it off the chair. As he did so, the rat bit into one of Galen’s fingers. Galen had to twist the rat’s neck, and the rat fell to the floor where someone threw an empty plastic container over it”.

According to the lawsuit, a Disney employee came over and asked onlookers not to take any photographs.

“As a result of Disney’s negligence, Galen Haldeman was bitten by this rat and has been beset with debilitating medical problems ever since,” the suit said.

The couple is suing for ensuing medical expenses, physical handicap, disfigurement, mental anguish and other problems to the incident.

The Haldemans’ attorney and Disney were not immediately available for comment.

March 27, 2018