Things To Do In SW Florida

By HALELUYA HADERO (AP Business Writer)

The Federal Trade Commission has referred a complaint against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, to the Department of Justice.

The FTC said in a statement Tuesday that it investigated the two companies and “uncovered reason to believe” they are “violating or are about to violate” the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a federal law which requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parental consent before collecting personal information of children under 13.

The agency also cited potential violations of the FTC Act, the law that outlines its enforcement responsibilities.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the substance of the referral from the FTC against TikTok. “Consistent with our normal approach, the Justice Department consulted with FTC in advance of this referral and will continue to do so as we consider the claims. As always, the Department will be guided by the facts and the law as well as our responsibility to protect the American people,” the spokesperson said. read more

By JONEL ALECCIA (AP Health Writer)

Dollar Tree failed to effectively recall lead-tainted applesauce pouches linked to reports of illness in more than 500 children, leaving the products on some stores shelves for two months, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

The FDA sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree this month and placed Negasmart, the Ecuadorian distributor of WanaBana apple cinnamon pouches, under import alerts following the October 2023 recall of the products found to be contaminated with “extremely high” levels of lead and chromium.

Children in 44 states had probable or confirmed cases of elevated blood lead levels after eating the applesauce pouches marketed for toddlers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak was declared over in April.

FDA officials sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree Inc. last week saying the WanaBana apple puree products remained on store shelves in several states through late December, two months after the firm was told about the recall. Officials at the Chesapeake, Virginia-based company had said they disallowed sales of the products at registers, but the FDA said that was “not an effective measure” because at least one child in Washington state ate a recalled fruit pouch in a store before an attempted purchase. read more

We are inching toward grand openings of a couple of major attractions — Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom and Penguin Trek at SeaWorld Orlando. But there several additional limited-time offerings to check out this summer.

Among the options are the preview center for Epic Universe, the Universal Orlando theme park slated to open next year; “Portraits of Courage,” a selection of paintings by George W. Bush at Epcot; and “Ripley’s Movie Magic” display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! attraction on Orlando’s International Drive.

Epic + peek = epique?

What: Universal Epic Universe Preview Center.

Where: Universal CityWalk, main level between Bigfire and Vivo Italian Kitchen restaurants.

What you’ll see: A scale model of the theme park, including rides and the Universal Helios Grand Hotel. It’s more architectural than cartoonish, complete with nondescript show buildings and many trees although not many tiny people.

What pops out: Augmented-reality effects are available through an app, which brings coasters to life and lets users peek inside some of those nondescript show buildings. There also are fiery effects and flying objects looming over AR Epic. read more

NASA wants more time to look at data related to problems with Boeing’s Starliner thrusters and helium leaks before letting a pair of NASA astronauts make their way back to Earth,  again pushing back a planned return date from the International Space Station.

The new target departure of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams is no earlier than Tuesday, June 25,extending again what was supposed to be about an eight-day visit to the ISS in the the first human spaceflight for the commercial Starliner capsule and service module.

The astronauts launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on June 5, but on the way to docking at the ISS on June 6, the capsule experienced a series of helium leaks and thruster failures on its propulsion service module.

“Teams have been very busy reviewing the data and executing the on-orbit flight test objectives for the mission,” said NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich during a press conference Tuesday. read more

Two Central Florida restaurants, both in Orange County, shut down the week of June 9-15, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Pascale Bakery at 2469 S Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando shut down on June 12. Inspectors found two violations, one of which was a high priority for roach activity. A second inspection on the same day found 11 violations, and a follow-up inspection was required. During the second inspection, they found two more high-priority violations for nonfood-grade bags coming in direct contact with food and food held at the wrong temperatures. On June 14, officials conducted a final inspection. They found no violations as the restaurant complied with the emergency order.

Mynt Indian Cuisine at 535 W. New England Ave. 100 Winter Park shut down on June 12. Inspectors found 15 violations, four of which were a high priority. Those violations included using the wrong chlorine strength on the dishwasher, roach activity, a stop-sale on food due to temperature abuse and food held at the wrong temperatures. Another inspection on June 13 had 10 violations as the restaurant hadn’t complied with the emergency order by then. read more