Things To Do In SW Florida

When the pandemic hit, shutting down much of the world in a matter of weeks, Jamie Merrill was working as vice president of operations for Brookdale Senior Living in Tennessee, overseeing more than 70 assisted living facilities that housed those most vulnerable to COVID-19.

“I was working 24 hours a day,” said Merrill, who was named the new president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida on Thursday, replacing Gary Cain, the longtime leader who announced plans to retire late last year.

As COVID cases accelerated and safety policies were handed down from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Merrill’s Brookdale team had to learn to adapt.

“At one point, the regulations changed three times in one day for visitor restrictions and other rules,” she said.

But she said the time she spent there prepared her for her newest role working with the children served by the 40 Boys & Girls Club locations across six Central Florida counties.

“How people feel emotionally about their children… it’s similar to the type of feelings families go through when they have to put mom or dad into a skilled nursing or an assisted living,” Merrill said. “Are they going to be well taken care of? Are they going to be the same when I come and see them? Are there going to be concerns that happen that I’m not going to know about? These are the same type of emotional feelings that I dealt with from the senior living side that I know people deal with from the youth side as well.” read more

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Thursday it will extend its unilateral production cut of 1 million barrels of oil a day through the end of September in its effort to boost flagging energy prices, a move that could push U.S. gas prices higher.

The Saudi reduction, which began in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers have agreed to extend earlier production cuts through next year.

The national average for U.S. gas prices stood at about $3.82 a gallon on Tuesday — about 30 cents higher than a month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today’s prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, experts say such a jump is unusual.

This year’s record-breaking summer heat has also had an impact, driving up demand for air conditioning and forcing refineries to operate at reduced capacity.

The kingdom announced the extension in a statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official in the Energy Ministry. The official added that the cut “can be extended or deepened” if the need arises. read more