Things To Do In SW Florida

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA

SAO PAULO (AP) — The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban, and many Brazilians on Saturday had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence.

The shutdown of Elon Musk’s platform started early Saturday, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through mobile apps after the billionaire refused to name a legal representative to the country, missing a deadline imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The blockade marks an escalation in a monthslong feud between Musk and de Moraes over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.

Brazil is one of the biggest markets for X, with tens of millions of users.

“I’ve got the feeling that I have no idea what’s happening in the world right now. Bizarre,” entertainment writer and heavy X user Chico Barney wrote on Threads. Threads is a text-based app developed by Instagram that Barney was using as an alternative. “This Threads algorithm is like an all-you-can-eat restaurant where the waiter keeps serving things I would never order.” read more

SpaceX got the OK to fly again from the Federal Aviation Administration and didn’t waste any time knocking out launches from both Florida and California early Saturday, but the crewed Polaris Dawn launch remains on hold because of weather.

The FAA had grounded SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 after a launch from Cape Canaveral earlier this week ended with its first-stage booster toppling over in a fiery landing in the Atlantic.

“The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met.” the FAA said in a statement released Friday night. “SpaceX made the return to flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30.”

3, 2, 1 and liftoff of Falcon 9 from pad 40 in Florida! pic.twitter.com/t9GJK01E5o

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 31, 2024

With the OK to go, SpaceX first sent up a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 21 Starlink satellites launching at 3:43 a.m. read more

Rollins College finally received the OK from the City of Winter Park for a faculty and staff housing project after months of controversy and several revisions to the scope and design of the building.

On Tuesday night, the Winter Park City Commission voted to approve the 45,842-square-foot building at 340 W. Welbourne Ave. that will provide 30 attainable residential units, including 6 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, and 5 three-bedroom apartments for Rollins College faculty and staff, according to GrowthSpotter.

Rollins College hasn’t specified what rental rates it will charge faculty and staff — no student renters will be allowed — but representatives from the college have said the costs will be well below market rate.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Winter Park is $1,650, RentCafe reports. Rollins College President Grant Cornwell explained that entry-level faculty and staff can’t pay that.

“These units are going to be available to younger faculty just out of graduate school, who right now when they look at coming to Rollins, they say, ‘What an attractive college but look at those rents. I couldn’t possibly afford that with the compensation package that is being offered’,” he explained. read more