Things To Do In SW Florida

By JEFF AMY

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia has become the latest state where a federal judge has blocked a law requiring age verification for social media accounts.

Like in seven other states where such laws have been blocked, a federal judge ruled Thursday that the Georgia law infringes on free speech rights.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg means that the Georgia measure, which passed in 2024, won’t take effect next week as scheduled. Instead, Totenberg granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law until there’s a full ruling on the issue.

Georgia’s law would require some social media providers to take “commercially reasonable” steps to verify a user’s age and require children younger than 16 to get parental permission for accounts. It was challenged by NetChoice, a trade group representing online businesses.

“The state seeks to erect barriers to speech that cannot withstand the rigorous scrutiny that the Constitution requires,” Totenberg wrote, finding the law restricts the rights of minors, chills the right to anonymous speech online and restricts the ability of people to receive speech from social media platforms. read more

Nearly every Windows user has had a run in with the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” at some point in their computing life. Now, after more than 40-years of being set against a very recognizable blue, the updated error message will soon be displayed across a black background.

The changes to the notorious error screen come as part of broader efforts by Microsoft to improve the resiliency of the Windows operating system in the wake of last year’s CrowdStrike incident, which crashed millions of Windows machines worldwide.

“Now it’s easier than ever to navigate unexpected restarts and recover faster,” Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft wrote in a Wednesday announcement.

As part of that effort, Microsoft says it’s “streamlining” what users experience when encountering “unexpected restarts” that cause disruptions. And that means a makeover to the infamous error screen.

Beyond the now-black background, Windows’ new “screen of death” has a slightly shorter message. It’s also no longer accompanied by a frowning face — and instead shows a percentage completed for the restart process. read more

A Universal Horror Unleashed attraction will open in Chicago, the company announced Thursday, although its first foray into year-round horror isn’t scheduled to open in Las Vegas until August.

“We’re bringing the full force of horror and thrills to a whole new audience in a whole new place,” Universal Orlando posted on social media.

Unleashed is a product of Orlando-based Universal Destinations & Experiences, a division of Comcast NBCUniversal.

It will be Universal’s first location in the Midwest. The company has been exploring new markets. Beyond Las Vegas, Universal is building a kids-oriented theme park near Dallas, which is set to open in 2026, and is planning a theme park in England.

The Chicago expansion also is an extension of Universal’s long-running horror brand. Universal Studios invented the film genre in the 1930s with movies based on Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and other creatures.  Universal Studios Florida theme park is preparing its 34th edition of Halloween Horror Nights, an after-hours fright fest that has grown to include Universal Studios Hollywood park in California as well as theme parks in Singapore and Japan. read more

By Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline.org

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Mike Leslie, 66, sits at a desk beneath the buzz of fluorescent office lights, his fingers hovering over his new laptop keyboard. He smiles, eyes crinkling beneath a worn baseball cap. It’s a place he never imagined he’d be sitting.

Before last year, he’d never used a computer.

For most of his life, Leslie hadn’t needed one. He spent 36 years in pipe manufacturing near his North Alabama hometown, in jobs that included welding, driving forklifts, mixing concrete and running crews as a foreman. The work was hard and physical, but he didn’t mind.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Layoffs followed.

Leslie found himself looking for a job to make ends meet, at an age when more affluent men might think of retiring. He was no longer suited for manufacturing work. But he also lacked experience with the technology that now powers even the most basic tasks in nearly every modern workplace, such as the internet, email and Microsoft Office. read more

Chapter 7

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Ted Nemetz LLC doing business as Atlantic Seamless Gutters, 215 Cessna Blvd., Port Orange. Filed: June 9. Assets: $65,280. Liabilities: $133,879. Major creditors: Samson MCA LLC, Pomona, N.Y., $52,026; High Octane Funding LLC, Suffern, N.Y., $42,187; Senox Corp., Austin, Texas, $13,988. Creditors meeting: July 9.

Book Central Florida LLC, 1420 Celebration Blvd., Suite 200, Kissimmee. Filed: June 10. Assets: $9,085. Liabilities: $78,277. Major creditors: Lendr, Chicago, $16,656; Funding Metrics Quickfix, Bensalem, Pa., $9,480; Square, Oakland, Calif., $4,024. Creditors meeting: July 17.

Chapter 11

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for reorganization and protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Marra Air Conditioning Services Inc., 108-C Taylor St., Ocoee. Filed: June 6. Assets: $37,192. Liabilities: $196,487. Major creditors: OnDeck, Arlington, Va., $112,907; U.S. Small Business Administration, Jacksonville, $82,871; Bank of America, Wilmington, Del., $709. Creditors meeting: July 14. read more