Things To Do In SW Florida

By MAE ANDERSON, AP Business Writer

A looming TikTok ban could affect the millions of small businesses that use the short-video social media app to help them grow their business.

Desiree Hill, owner of Crown’s Corner Mechanic in Conyers, Georgia, started her business solo as a mobile mechanic. Sharing videos of her work on TikTok helped spread the word and she became so popular she was able to open a 9,000 square foot brick and mortar shop with five employees 18 months ago.

“Every day I get at least two to three customers that have seen me on TikTok, watched my videos and wanted to become a customer,” she said.

Though TikTok has been around only since 2016, small business owners use the platform in a variety of ways, from growing a customer base to advertising and marketing, as well as selling goods directly from the site.

According to TikTok’s own estimates, small businesses on TikTok would lose more than $1 billion in revenue in a single month if the ban goes into effect.

The Justice Department ordered the app’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban by Jan. 19, citing security concerns. The Supreme Court will take up the matter in January. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, has asked the Supreme Court for a delay. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock markets will remain closed on Jan. 9 in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, continuing a long-held Wall Street tradition in mourning the nation’s leaders.

Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq announced this week that they plan to close their equity and options markets next Thursday in observance of a National Day of Mourning for the 39th U.S. president and global humanitarian. Carter died on Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100 years old.

The Nasdaq also observed a moment of silence early Monday in remembrance Carter. And the NYSE says it will fly its U.S. flag at half-staff throughout the mourning period of the late president.

Tal Cohen, Nasdaq president, said in a statement that the exchange would be closing its markets Jan. 9 “to celebrate (Carter’s) life and honor his legacy.” He added that Carter “was an exemplary leader, one who tirelessly continued his efforts to improve the human condition even after his tenure in public office was complete.” read more

By Sara Rathner, NerdWallet

With a new year ahead and the holiday fanfare behind, this is a great time to set money goals, especially if you recently spent a lot on gifts and travel and want to get your finances in shape. You’d be in good company, too — according to a January 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center, of the 30% of Americans who made at least one New Year’s resolution, 61% had a goal that was money-related.

Right now, you may be highly motivated to solve every single one of your money issues in the next few months, but daily life is guaranteed to get in the way. Your financial to-do list, once so full of promise, can eventually get stuffed in the back of a drawer while you manage more pressing matters. The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions go unfulfilled.

So how can you improve your odds of success? It comes down to accepting that you won’t have the time or energy to complete every task to perfection. Creating a system where you can prioritize, plan ahead and hold yourself accountable can help. read more

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A team of U.S. investigators including representatives from Boeing on Tuesday examined the site of a plane crash that killed 179 people in South Korea while authorities were conducting safety inspections on all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines.

All but two of the 181 people aboard the Boeing 737-800 operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air died in Sunday’s crash. Video showed the aircraft, without its landing gear deployed, crash-landed on its belly and overshoot a runaway at South Korea’s southern Muan International Airport before it slammed into concrete fence and burst into a flame.

The plane was seen having an engine trouble, and preliminary examinations also say the pilots received a bird strike warning from the ground control center and issued a distress signal as well. But many experts say the landing gear issue was likely the main cause of the crash.

The South Korean government has launched safety inspections on all the 101 Boeing 737-800s in the country. The Transport Ministry said authorities are looking at maintenance and operation records during five days of safety checks that are to run until Friday. read more

SpaceX put the final countdown in the books for the Space Coast early Tuesday, adding one more to the record pace of launches for the year.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink satellites lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 12:39 a.m.

The first-stage booster flew for the 16th time, having previously flown the Crew-6 mission among its 15 other flights. It made a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic.

It marked the 93rd orbital launch from either KSC or neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with all but five coming from SpaceX.

The pace of launches blew by 2023’s total of 72 back in October but fell short of the forecast of as many as 111 predicted in January.

For SpaceX, it flew 26 missions from KSC including two Falcon Heavy launches in 2024. It launched another 62 from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40.

United Launch Alliance flew the other five missions, sending up two of its new Vulcan rockets and two Atlas V rockets from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41 while the final Delta IV Heavy launch took off from Space Launch Complex 37. read more