Things To Do In SW Florida

Q: My sister and I inherited our father’s townhouse when he recently passed away. We get along OK, but not great. I think it would be a good idea to rent it out, but she is still not sure and may want to sell it instead. Do you have any advice on how to proceed? — Robert

A: You have several paths ahead of you. The best options involve you working together with your sister.

You can decide to cooperate to sell the property, or she may agree to rent it out. In either case, sit down together and work out a game plan.

If you are going to sell it, agree on the significant terms in advance. Decide who will take the lead with the real estate agent and deal with prospective buyers. Discuss how you will deal with expenses when selling the property, such as ongoing association dues and necessary repairs. The townhome will likely need to be spiffed up to get the best price, so decide who will work on that, too.

If you decide to keep and rent the property, you should agree to many of the same issues. Talking through the plan is a great start, but it is best to write things down. A lawyer can help you prepare a “joint-ownership agreement” and help you agree on how you will deal with owning a home together. read more

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — A SpaceX Falcon Heavy stood bathed in the near full moonlight on the launch pad, and then took over the light show blasting off on the first of two missions from the Space Coast on Thursday night.

The powerhouse rocket carried the secretive X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle on the USSF-52 mission for the Space Force carving its way northeast into the clear black sky after an 8:07 p.m. liftoff from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. Less than three hours later as fog began to gather across the space center, a Falcon 9 rocket at adjacent Cape Canaveral Space Force Station followed suit shooting up on a Starlink mission.

The double became the 71st and 72nd launches of a record year on the Space Coast.

Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/wTmY1h7ogp

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023

Flying for only the ninth time ever, but fifth time this year alone, the Falcon Heavy, which is essentially three Falcon 9 boosters strapped together, was the headliner, and rumbled away into the night with 5.1 million pounds of thrust drowning out the cheers of viewing parties at the space center. read more

Camping World Stadium is made ready for the Pop-Tarts and Cheez-It bowl games on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

Kansas State poses for a photo at Camping World Stadium before the Pop Tarts Bowl on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

Kansas State poses for a photo at Camping World Stadium before the Pop Tarts Bowl on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

The Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy is shown at Camping World Stadium on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer helps Yousef Abdel-Halim install a sign at Camping World Stadium, for the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.

(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

The Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy is shown at Camping World Stadium on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.

(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

NC State poses for a photo at Camping World Stadium, before the Pop Tarts Bowl on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel) read more

Associated Press

If you are an Amazon Prime Video user, get ready to see ads on movies and TV shows starting next month.

Prime will include ads beginning on Jan. 29, the company said in an email to U.S. members this week, setting a date for an announcement it made back in September. Prime members who want to keep their movies and TV shows ad-free will have to pay an additional $2.99.

Amazon is also planning to include advertisements in its Prime service in the United Kingdom and other European countries, as well as Canada, Mexico and Australia next year.

The tech giant follows other major streamers –- such as Netflix and Disney –- who have embraced a dual model that allows them to earn revenue from ads and also offer subscribers the option to opt out with a higher fee.

Amazon said in its email that it will “aim to have meaningfully fewer ads” than traditional TV and other streaming providers.

The ads, the company said, “will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time.” read more

By The Associated Press

Two higher-end models of the Apple Watch can go on sale again after a federal court temporarily lifted a sales halt ordered by the International Trade Commission over a patent dispute.

The ITC, a federal agency, ordered the halt in October to block Apple from using specific technologies underpinning a blood-oxygen measurement system in its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches. Apple has been embroiled in an intellectual property dispute with the medical technology company Masimo over those technologies.

Apple cut off online sales of the watches in the U.S. on last week just days from the Christmas holiday to comply with the ITC ruling. The court’s action will allow sales of the two Apple Watch models pending its decision on whether to also permit sales as it weighs Apple’s appeal. As of 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, neither of the Apple Watch models in question were available at Apple’s online store.

This isn’t the first patent roadblock the Apple Watch has run into as the company morphs its watches into health-management devices. Last year, the ITC ruled that Apple had infringed on the wearable EKG technology of AliveCor — a decision the Biden administration declined to overturn. That dispute hasn’t directly affected Apple Watch sales yet because another regulatory body had ruled that AliveCor’s technology isn’t patentable. The legal tussle on that issue is still ongoing. read more