Things To Do In SW Florida

McKenna Ross | (TNS) Las Vegas Review-Journal

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas will have a first when 65,000 fans watch the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium next month — but operators on and off the Strip are no strangers to throwing a massive watch party for the game.

Resorts across the valley are mobilizing their loyalty club databases, preparing for special events and promoting a way to get those without a ticket to Allegiant Stadium to celebrate the last NFL game of the season with them, instead.

Downtown Grand General Manager Andrew Economon said downtown and off-Strip properties have to get creative in how they engage the Super Bowl fan because of their distance to the action.

“Much like Formula One, it’s on the other side,” he said. “We don’t see all the fun fan activities and everything else.”

For that reason, Economon said his property and others in downtown have to position themselves differently. He said Downtown Grand has focused on its value proposition of offering a good time at a more reasonable price — like $1 blackjack tables and $5 craps and roulette tables and a $2 hot dog and beer combo — when compared to the Strip. He said the property was about half-booked for Super Bowl weekend before it opened to the general market and more demand can be expected as the playoffs continue. read more

By Liz Weston | NerdWallet

A couple of years ago, I wrote a column about how to have a retirement worth saving for. It ended with a quote from personal finance educator Barbara O’Neill, who reflected on how the pandemic disrupted many retirees’ plans.

“It wasn’t just two years lost, it was two good years,” O’Neill said then. “You don’t know how many of those you have left.”

One of my younger colleagues objected to that sentiment, saying it was a jarring ending to an otherwise upbeat column. But my older co-workers got it. Those of us who currently have good health and energy don’t know how long those blessings will last. There’s no guarantee we’ll get to enjoy the retirements we have planned.

That lesson was driven home in July 2023, when a longtime colleague died at age 61. We’d had many talks over the years about the retirement he had envisioned. It’s heartbreaking that his dreams will never happen.

But his death was the push I needed to make my own decision. By the time you read this, I will have retired from my job at personal finance site NerdWallet. read more

JetBlue Airways and South Florida-based Spirit Airlines asked a federal appellate court Tuesday to expedite their appeal of a judge’s ruling that blocked their proposed merger earlier this month.

The airlines asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to place the appeal on a fast track because an agreement that envisions JetBlue buying Spirit has a closing date of July 24. U.S. District Judge William Young of Boston refused to approve the deal after the U.S. Justice Department sued to halt the transaction. The government alleged consumers would end up paying higher fares and lose access to an ultra low-cost industry competitor in Spirit.

The carriers’ joint appeal said the district court ruling  “disregards the benefits of the transaction to the majority of the flying public.” They said if their appeal is not given a priority by the appellate court, judges might not be able to deliver a ruling in time.

The two discount carriers filed their petition on the same day JetBlue announced a $104 million loss for its fourth quarter, and declared 2024 as a “transformation” year designed to return to profitability. During a Tuesday morning conference call with Wall Street analysts, JetBlue executives disclosed a voluntary employee buyout plan, a slowdown in new aircraft acquisitions, and a systemwide reduction in seating capacity. read more