Things To Do In SW Florida

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, Associated Press Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — US shoppers stepped up their spending a just bit in February after a sharp pullback the previous month, signaling that Americans are spending more cautiously as concerns about the direction of the economy mount.

Retail sales rose just 0.2% in February, a small rebound after a sharp drop of 1.2% in January, the Commerce Department said Monday. Sales rose at grocery stores, home and garden stores, and online retailers. Sales fell at auto dealers, restaurants, and electronics stores.

The small increase suggests Americans may be growing more wary about spending as the stock market has plunged and President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and government spending cuts have led to widespread uncertainty among consumers and businesses.

On Friday, a measure of consumer sentiment fell sharply for the third straight month and is now down more than 20% since December. Respondents to the University of Michigan’s survey cited policy uncertainty as a leading reason for the gloomier outlook. While the respondents were divided sharply by party — sentiment about the current economy fell among Republican by much less than for Democrats — Republicans’ confidence in the economy’s future dropped 10%. read more

NASA bumped up the return flight home plans for the SpaceX Crew-9 mission that includes a pair of astronauts who were left behind on the International Space Station by Boeing’s Starliner.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived to the station on June 6, 2024 for what was supposed to have been as short as an eight-day stay, but have now been on board for 9 1/2 months.

They are now slated to fly home with Crew-9 commander and NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who flew up to the station last September aboard the Crew Dragon Freedom. The four will climb aboard the spacecraft late Monday and undock from the space station at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday.

Splashdown is slated off the Florida coast about 17 hours later at 5:57 p.m.

The quartet’s departure will come about two full days after the arrival of Crew-10 to the station, which brought the orbiting science laboratory’s population up to 11 temporarily. NASA had planned on having Crew-9 leave no earlier than Wednesday, but are taking advantage of good weather conditions in the primary landing spot off Florida’s Gulf Coast. read more

Kaká, an internationally renowned former soccer player who had a three-season stint with Orlando City, has sold his Isleworth mansion with a soccer field in a side yard for $4.35 million.

The 6,665-square-foot home, located on a 0.7-acre lot at 5410 Monterrey Club Ct. in Isleworth, has six bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms. The home, which sold in late February, overlooks a portion of the Isleworth Golf & Country Club and provides spectacular views of a private body of water that isn’t accessible from the Butler Chain of Lakes.

“This home is truly unique because of its incredible setting. It sits on a quiet cul-de-sac with breathtaking views of Hourglass Pond, creating a sense of peace and privacy that’s hard to find,” listing agent Luis Martins of On Me Realty told GrowthSpotter.

“What really stands out to me is the perfect balance between luxury and comfort,” Martins said. “The six spacious bedrooms make it easy to host family and friends without ever feeling crowded. The outdoor space is just as impressive, with a summer kitchen and an oversized pool that’s perfect for entertaining. And the lower level is a hidden gem—with a cozy kitchenette and a billiard room, it’s the ideal spot to unwind. Everything about this home feels like a retreat.” read more

I am ticked off because I need to travel from Eustis to Orlando for a medical procedure and I can’t find anyone who is willing to transport me to the hospital, wait for the end of the procedure and then return me home.  You would think there would be some form of transportation available in this area.  I have tried surfing the internet but can’t come up with anything.

I’m so tired of my daughter’s housekeeping, if you can even call it that. Her house is always cluttered, with dirty countertops, tabletops, filthy floors and toilets. If something is on the floor she just pushes it aside instead of picking it up. Teach your children to be slobs too! Your husband is disgusted with you too but is trying his best to clean up too. What do you do all day?

To the person who complained about the Strawberry Festival’s high prices. Your latest comment is attacking the people that made negative remarks about your experience saying they were not there and they should mind their own business. Well, you made it everyone’s business my making a public complaint in the local newspaper! read more

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance docked with the International Space Station just after midnight Sunday beginning the countdown for the return of a pair of Boeing Starliner astronauts that have been on board the station since last summer.

With the Crew-10 spacecraft and space station both traveling at 17,500 mph about 260 miles over the Atlantic Ocean, the final approach had Endurance moving at less than 4 inches per second.

It made initial contact with the station’s forward port of the Harmony module at 12:04 a.m. The four members of the mission are NASA astronaut and commander Anne McClain, NASA astronaut and pilot Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

“It was so amazing to see the ISS shining in the darkness of space,” said Onishi after docking. “We have a lot of exciting work ahead of us that we are looking forward to.”

Their arrival for now increases the space station population to 11 including Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived to the station on June 6, 2024 on Starliner as part of its Crew Flight Test, but have since been shifted to become members of Crew-9. read more