Things To Do In SW Florida

Which theme park is witch? That’s one burning question that “Wicked” fans have as speculation grows that the film, spawned from a Broadway musical, might be turned into a real-life attraction.

A possible connection with a Universal park somewhere is strong because the film was released by Universal Pictures, which is under the Comcast corporate umbrella with Universal theme parks, including Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and the upcoming Epic Universe.

The pot was stirred further after a published report with comments about the movie by Mark Woodbury, chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences.

“When I saw it, my first reaction was, ‘This is a theme park waiting to happen,’” he told the New York Times last month.

That’s far short of an official announcement, but Dennis Speigel, founder of International Theme Park Services, had a similar reaction to the film and its park potential.

“I think it’d be phenomenal, off the chart, but I would say that’s probably five years away maybe,” he said. “It would not surprise me if they already have a design underway.” read more

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is scoping out a location in rural northeast Lake County for a satellite campus where it could train drone pilots and test autonomous flying vehicles.

The new facility would be about 50 miles from the main college campus in Daytona Beach, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

Kim Schmale, the owner of Deep Woods Ranch in Paisley, has applied to the county to rezone 119 acres north of County Road 42 to allow the development. The property currently has a private, unpaved airstrip, but the college would upgrade it to a paved facility that meets Federal Aviation Standards for the new campus.

The plan includes the construction of a 10,000-square-foot auxiliary hanger plus two additional maintenance hangers. It also features a 2,500-square-foot classroom building with a breakroom and vending area. The site would also include a training facility for drone pilots and a separate autonomous vehicle and AI testing facility, according to the application.

In the project documents, attorney Tara Tedrow described the campus as a low-intensity use that complies with the existing Comprehensive Plan and future land use. read more

Intuitive Machines on Friday declared an early end to its Athena moon mission after the lander touched down sideways a day earlier.

The Houston-based company has now suffered two landing mishaps in two years. A photo released Friday showed the lander’s legs in the air.

The company said the mission is over because the solar panels on the lander are not expected to be able to recharge it.

“With the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not expect Athena to recharge,” Intuitive Machines said on its website. “The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission.”

Tipped again: Commercial lander on the moon but not upright

The company said it has activated what it could on the lander since touching down near the moon’s south pole Thursday as part of the IM-2 mission that launched Feb. 26 from Kennedy Space Center.

That includes the PRIME-1 drill, the primary payload flying as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. But on its side the drill was not able to dig into anything. read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Walgreens Boots Alliance says it has agreed to be acquired by the private equity firm Sycamore Partners as the struggling retailer looks to turn itself around after years of losing money.