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Month: June 2025

Closing soon: Tom Sawyer Island in July, Rip Ride Rockit in August

Closing soon: Tom Sawyer Island in July, Rip Ride Rockit in August

Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando have revealed the final days of operation for a handful of attractions at Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios theme parks. They’ll all be unavailable by the end of summer.

The last day to experience Tom Sawyer Island, the Liberty Square Riverboat and Rivers of America will be July 7. Those attractions opened in 1973, about 18 months after Magic Kingdom first opened.

The final day to ride Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster at Universal will be Aug. 17. The thrill ride debuted in 2009.

These shutdowns were previously announced, but a precise closing date was not announced until this week.

One last walk around Disney’s Tom Sawyer Island

Two “Cars”-themed rides are going into the Tom Sawyer Island area as part of an expansion of Frontierland.  Disney announced some theming based on the (fictional) Piston Peak National Park. “Inside Piston Peak, guests will be able to see and explore the visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, trails and more all set within the Disney and Pixar ‘Cars’ universe,” according to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog. Trees will be a natural barrier between the “Cars” attractions and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square, the Disney post said. read more

Inspectors shut down 3 Central Florida restaurants last week

Inspectors shut down 3 Central Florida restaurants last week

Three Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of May 25-31, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Robinson’s Restaurant at 301 W. Main St. in Apopka shut down on May 28. Inspectors found 19 violations, four of which were high priorities. Those violations included roach activity, a stop-sale on food due to temperature abuse, food held at the wrong temperatures and an improperly stored toxic substance. There were three more inspections after the visit. On May 29, there were six violations, but the restaurant hadn’t complied with the emergency order. On May 30, there were six violations and they didn’t comply with the emergency order. The final inspection on the same day found five violations, but none was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Seminole

Breakfast Club Oviedo at 1977 Alafaya Trail, Suite 1001 in Oviedo shut down on May 27. Inspectors found 23 violations, two of which were high priorities for an employee touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands and roach activity. A second inspection on the same day found 13 violations, but none was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards. read more

US and Europe trade negotiators say progress but no breakthroughs on tariff talks in Paris

US and Europe trade negotiators say progress but no breakthroughs on tariff talks in Paris

by CATHERINE GASCHKA, SAM McNEIL and PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Europe and the United States say progress has been made but there were no breakthroughs during a meeting in Paris to negotiate a settlement of a tense tariff spat with worldwide economic ramifications between two global economic powerhouses.

The European Union’s top trade negotiator, Maroš Šefčovič, met Wednesday with his American counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

“I am pleased that negotiations are advancing quickly,” said Greer. He said the EU negotiators showed a “willingness by the EU to work with us to find a concrete way forward to achieve reciprocal trade. I look forward to continued constructive engagement in the coming days and weeks.”

“We’re advancing in the right direction at pace,” Šefčovič said at a news conference. He said ongoing technical meetings between EU and U.S. negotiators in Washington would be followed by a video conference between himself and Greer to “assess the progress and charter the way forward.” read more

Spanish government says housing market is not a ‘free for all’ after recent crackdown on Airbnb

Spanish government says housing market is not a ‘free for all’ after recent crackdown on Airbnb

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM

MADRID (AP) — Spain ‘s government wanted to send a message last month with its crackdown on Airbnb: that the Spanish economy and its housing market are not a “free for all” that value profits over the rule of law, a minister told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

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The government ordered Airbnb to remove almost 66,000 holiday rentals from the platform which it said had violated local rules by failing to list license numbers, listing the wrong license number or not specifying the apartment’s owner. Airbnb is appealing the move. read more

Fed lifts restrictions placed on Wells Fargo in 2018 because of its fake-accounts scandal

Fed lifts restrictions placed on Wells Fargo in 2018 because of its fake-accounts scandal

By KEN SWEET

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that Wells Fargo is no longer subject to harsh restraints the Fed placed on the bank in 2018 for having a toxic sales and banking culture.

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It’s a win for Wells Fargo, which has spent nearly a decade trying to convince the public and policymakers that it had changed its ways.

“We are a different and far stronger company today because of the work we’ve done,” said Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf in a statement. Scharf also announced that each of the 215,000 employees at Wells Fargo would receive a $2,000 award for turning the bank around. read more