Things To Do In SW Florida

SAN DIEGO — Hours after the surprise raid this month at Buona Forchetta, an Italian restaurant in the San Diego’s South Park neighborhood, where masked and armed U.S. immigration agents handcuffed employees and eventually took four workers into custody, a still rattled Matteo Cattaneo was trying to process what had happened to his business — and why.

By any chance, had he used the federal government’s voluntary program, E-Verify, to authenticate the legal status of his workers, a reporter asked him. No, said Cattaneo, the owner of multiple Buona Forchetta restaurants in California’s San Diego and Orange counties. “There’s a lot of concern with privacy.”

So how did he know if all his employees are legally authorized to work? “We get presented with papers,” he responded. “Nobody can know for sure if everyone is legal.”

As raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers continue to intensify at workplaces across California, often exploding into confrontations between agents and the public, it’s a pressing question facing most employers, now more than ever. read more

Universal Orlando continues to roll out its lineup of Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses with another original maze. Thursday’s reveal, the sixth announcement of the season, is Grave of the Flesh.

“Welcome to your funeral, where it’s about to go from bad to worse. You’ll enter the underworld and be hunted by flesh-eaters for eternity,” reads Universal’s post on social-media platforms.

There again will be 10 haunted houses for this year’s HHN, which runs on select nights at Universal Studios Florida theme park between Aug. 29 and Nov. 2.

Other original houses announced include Dolls: Let’s Play Dead;  Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters; and El Artista: A Spanish Haunting. For mazes with tie-ins to intellectual properties, we have “Fallout,” inspired by a Prime series and videogame, and Jason Universe, based on “Friday the 13th” characters.

Islands of Adventure hopping: Dragons, Cool Zone, T-shirt desert

Universal officials have confirmed that “Five Nights at Freddy’s” will be part of 2025 Horror Nights, but specifics have not been given as to how. read more

By JAY COHEN, AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — Youth sports are a big part of Karli Casamento’s life. Her son, Jax, 15, golfs and plays on three baseball teams. Her youngest son, Colt, 7, plays baseball and basketball.

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The costs, especially for Jax, add up in a hurry. That’s why Casamento, 48, and her husband, Michael, 46, are watching closely for the ramifications of tariffs on their rising youth sports budget.

“All of their equipment I’m sure comes from China,” said Karli Casamento, a second-grade teacher in suburban Philadelphia. “As they get bigger, they need new equipment. So that is definitely a concern.” read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, AP Business Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is sending out the latest round of refunds to consumers it says were “tricked” into purchases they didn’t want from Fortnite maker Epic Games — and eligible players who haven’t been compensated yet still have time to apply.

In an announcement this week, the FTC said it was distributing more than 969,000 refunds totaling over $126 million to consumers on Wednesday and Thursday. That follows the regulator’s first round of payments amounting to more than $72 million, which went out in December 2024.

The refunds are part of a $520 million settlement that Epic agreed to pay back in 2022 — to address complaints revolving around children’s privacy and payment methods on its popular Fortnite video game. At the time, the FTC had alleged that the gaming giant used deceptive online design tactics to trick Fortnite players, including children, into making unintended purchases “based on the press of a single button.” read more

By MARC LEVY

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump will control the so-called “golden share” that’s part of the national security agreement under which he allowed Japan-based Nippon Steel to buy out iconic American steelmaker U.S. Steel, according to disclosures with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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The provision gives the president the power to appoint a board member and have a say in company decisions that affect domestic steel production and competition with overseas producers.

Under the provision, Trump — or someone he designates — controls that decision-making power while he is president. However, control over those powers reverts to the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department when anyone else is president, according to the filings. read more