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Your Florida Daily: Student killed after crawling under school bus, Axiom Space prepares for third astronaut launch

Plus, the defunct wrestling-themed dinner theatre in Kissimmee

Left: 9-year-old boy killed after crawling under Orange County school bus Right: Axiom readies for next crewed launch off Florida’s Space Coast (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Grief counselors are in place at an Orange County elementary school after the tragic death of a 9-year-old student.

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The boy had just gotten off his school bus at the Waterford East Apartments when he crawled underneath it and was run over, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

“He was the only student on the bus so we are still trying to gather video from the bus and the clubhouse that is behind us and any witnesses that may have seen the crash,” said FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi.

Investigators are working to figure out why the boy crawled under the bus.

The boy’s name has not been released but we learned he went to Lawton Chiles Elementary School.

(Left) Ax-3 Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt, Pilot Walter Villadei, Commander Michael López-Alegría, Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravcı (Right) (Axiom Space)

Axiom readies for next crewed launch off Florida’s Space Coast

The first crewed mission of the year is expected to launch from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday.

The Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) marks the third time Axiom Space is partnering with NASA and SpaceX. On board will be four private astronauts who will work on science experiments on the International Space Station.

Former NASA Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria is commanding what will be the first all-European private astronaut mission to the space station.

He’ll be joined by fighter pilots from Italy, Sweden and Turkey.

Axiom Space’s goal by the end of the decade is to establish its own space station and hopefully build a market for its use over the next several years.

“We want that commercial space station to be a destination not only for the users of the ISS today but also many more people, entities, researchers, countries around the world,” Lopez-Alegria said.

The mission had originally been set for Wednesday, but it was scrubbed several hours ahead of time.

Liftoff of Ax-3 is set for 4:49 p.m. Thursday.

Watch live on ClickOrlando.com.

Arrives Thursday night (Copyright 2023 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Cold blast brings near-record low temperatures to South, disrupts Florida flights

The same powerful system bringing a blast of cold air to Florida is causing issues for thousands of travelers.

Dozens of flights have already been canceled at Florida airports, including Orlando International Airport. Many more flights have been delayed.

On Tuesday, parts of the Panhandle saw a few flurries and sleet thanks to the cold front that brought a rare hard freeze to much of the Deep South.

In places like Memphis, everyone is being asked to conserve energy as power consumption is expected to reach record highs Wednesday.

Snow is making for dangerous driving conditions in Louisiana with the wind chill falling into single digits in some spots.

Forecasters expect some parts of the South to break low-temperature records.

Random Florida Fact

Central Florida is known for its tourist attractions big and small, but not all make it in business.

The Manor Professional Wrestling Dinner Theater in Kissimmee was one of those.

It was a wrestling ring in the middle of a dining room with daily performances inside the Silver Spurs Arena.

The wrestling dinner theatre was the butt of many jokes but received generally positive reviews for experience and food, especially the Head Lock Green Salad or the Drop Kicking Veggie Medley.

Despite the fans, it closed sometime in 2020 or 2021.