Things To Do In SW Florida

By LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — A former chief executive of two clothing technology companies who was once portrayed as an on-the-rise fashion entrepreneur has surrendered to face charges in an indictment unsealed Friday alleging that she cheated investors of over $300 million over the last six years.

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Christine Hunsicker, 48, of Lafayette, New Jersey, was charged with six counts, including fraud, aggravated identity theft and false statement charges in the indictment in Manhattan federal court.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a release that Hunsicker forged documents, fabricated audits and made material misrepresentations about her company’s financial condition to defraud investors in CaaStle Inc. and P180. read more

The giant tax and spending bill known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA, was signed into law by President Trump earlier this month. Given all the haggling and rewriting that went on in the preceding months, you might be wondering what precisely made it into the final law, and what it means for your taxes and finances. I will give a summary below.

Revised deductions for Social Security: Individuals 65 and older who file singly have a total deduction of $23,750 starting in 2025, including the $15,750 standard deduction, the $2,000 existing senior deduction, and a new $6,000 senior deduction. For those married and filing jointly, the total deduction is $46,700, including the $31,500 standard deduction, the $3,200 existing senior deduction, and a new $12,000 senior deduction for couples. These deductions will be adjusted for inflation in subsequent years.

The new deductions will expire after 2028 unless Congress votes to extend them. You can file IRS Form W-4V withholding 7%, 10%, 12% or 22% of your monthly payments if you want to avoid a large tax bill when you file your tax return. read more

PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE — The Space Force presence on the Space Coast is beginning to swell as one of its major units, STARCOM, had its first change-of-command ceremony since its headquarters moved from Colorado to Florida.

Major Gen. James Smith on Friday became the third-ever commander of STARCOM, which stands for Space Training and Readiness Command, one of only three command units under Space Force. He takes over for Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba, who oversaw the command’s initial steps as it began to take shape in Brevard County.

“As I assume command, how fitting that I do so on the Space Coast, the home of the Eastern launch range and now home of STARCOM headquarters,” Smith said while addressing Sejba during a ceremony at Patrick SFB. “You’ve created the foundation. You ensured the command is fueled and ready to be the liftoff point for our guardians. Like a launch, we now must accelerate the command, moving beyond the solid foundation of the path to a higher and ever more mission ready state.” read more

WASHINGTON — Congress approved a White House request to claw back $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting, after Republicans bowed to President Donald Trump in an unusual surrender of congressional spending power.

For Central Florida news station WUCF, that means millions of dollars devoted to giving community members free access to news will be lost. Radio stations 90.7 FM Orlando and 89.5 FM Ocala also stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The House’s 216-213 vote early Friday sent the package to Trump for his signature. Two Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Michael Turner of Ohio, opposed the measure.

The Senate approved the package in a predawn 51-48 vote the day before, overcoming the objections of two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who argued that their party was ceding Congress’ constitutional control over federal funding.

The bulk of the funds targeted — about $8 billion — was for foreign assistance programs. The remaining $1.1 billion was for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which finances NPR and PBS. read more

By MATTHEW DALY

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is granting two years of regulatory relief to coal-fired power plants, chemical manufacturers and other polluting industries as he seeks to reverse Biden-era regulations he considers overly burdensome.

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Trump issued a series of proclamations late Thursday exempting a range of industries that he calls vital to national security.

The proclamations cover coal-fired power plants, taconite iron ore processing facilities used to make steel, and chemical manufacturers that help produce semiconductors and medical device sterilizers. read more