Things To Do In SW Florida

From Florida to the Bahamas to various Caribbean islands, travelers stranded by the shutdown of Silver Airways started the process of seeking refunds for flights not taken, while blind-sided employees whose livelihoods were suddenly cut off asked a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge to help them.

The moment the Hollywood-based regional carrier concluded its final flight at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport late last Tuesday, airline officials quickly let it be known that travelers booked to fly in the future can obtain refunds through their credit card companies.

Nick Ewen, senior editorial director of the online travel site The Points Guy, acknowledged that’s the case. But for those customers who ended up stranded somewhere, there’s an incalculable number of people who have faced considerable complications arranging extended stays and alternate flights.

Vivian Premock, a Fort Lauderdale resident visiting Harbor Island in the Bahamas, said Friday that she, her husband and their two children flew Silver to their vacation destination on June 5. But on Wednesday morning, Silver notified the family their return flight was canceled read more

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation regarding the repeal of the Government Pension Offset, known as GPO, that was signed into law at the end of 2024. There is confusion regarding who has been affected by the change and whether retroactive Social Security benefits are due to them.

Before GPO was repealed, individuals who received a pension from work done outside of Social Security — that is, jobs for which FICA taxes were not paid — were not eligible for spousal or survivor benefits, or these benefits were reduced because of the GPO offset.

Prior to the repeal of GPO, those receiving a pension from work done outside Social Security had their spousal benefits and survivor benefits reduced by two-thirds of the amount of their pension. In many cases, the offset reduced the spousal or survivor benefit completely.

For example, assume an individual was receiving a monthly pension payment of $450. Assume further that, without the offset, the monthly spousal Social Security benefit would have been $250. The GPO offset of $300 (2/3 x $450) completely eliminated the spousal benefit. read more

By MATT O’BRIEN

Meta is making a $14.3 billion investment in artificial intelligence company Scale and recruiting its CEO Alexandr Wang to join a team developing “superintelligence” at the tech giant.

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The deal announced Thursday reflects a push by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to revive AI efforts at the parent company of Facebook and Instagram as it faces tough competition from rivals such as Google and OpenAI.

Meta announced what it called a “strategic partnership and investment” with Scale late Thursday. Scale said the $14.3 billion investment puts its market value at over $29 billion.

Scale said it will remain an independent company but the agreement will “substantially expand Scale and Meta’s commercial relationship.” Meta will hold a 49% stake in the startup. read more

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ

NEW YORK (AP) — The first thing Alison C. Jones does when she wakes up is to name three things she’s grateful for. It can be as simple as the breeze from a fan or as meaningful as the way a friend showed up for her emotionally.

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Jones, an organizational development consultant, said the daily practice has helped her through hardships and the anxiety and vulnerability of starting her own business as a single mom.

“When you practice gratitude, you train your brain to always look for the positive in anything. It just completely shifts everything you’re going through,” she said. “You start to see the lessons in the pain. You start to see the beauty in the very difficult times because you realize, ‘Hey, I’m growing stronger.’” read more

By MATT OTT, AP Business Writer

Israel’s attack on Iran Friday has catapulted their long-running conflict into what could become a wider, more dangerous regional war and potentially drive prices higher for both businesses and households.

Oil and gold surged and the dollar rose as markets retreated, signaling a flight to investments perceived as more safe.

After years of sky-high inflation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have become increasingly leery about the economy this year due to President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, though the impact so far has been muted.

The latest escalation in the Middle East has the potential to cause widespread price increases that could set consumers back again.

Here’s a look at some of the sectors that could face an outsized impact from the escalation in the Middle East, and what that might mean for consumers.

Energy

Oil prices surged Friday to their biggest gain since the onset of Russia’s war on Ukraine began more than three years ago. If or when Israel’s attack on Iran could impact gas prices, which have been in decline for nearly a year, isn’t entirely clear. read more