Things To Do In SW Florida

By CORA LEWIS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration’s recent changes to student loans are causing frustration and confusion for some borrowers.

In response to a February court ruling that blocked some Biden-era programs, the Education Department has taken down online and paper applications for income-driven repayment plans.

“This especially hurts anyone who’s lost their jobs, including federal workers,” said Natalia Abrams, founder and president of the Student Debt Crisis Center. “A few months ago, they would have been able to get on a zero-dollar income-driven repayment plan.”

The removal of application materials also has caused confusion around the recertification process for borrowers already enrolled in repayment plans, experts say. Income-driven repayment plans take a borrower’s finances and family size into account when calculating monthly payments, but borrowers must periodically demonstrate they still qualify.

Adding to the uncertainty are layoffs at the Education Department, which oversees the federal loan system. The federal website for student loans and financial aid, StudentAid.gov, suffered an hours-long outage Wednesday, but the department has said it will continue to deliver on its commitments. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid widespread economic turmoil, the price of gold has soared to levels never seen before.

By JOSH BOAK and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s volatile tariff threats are unleashing historic jumps in public anxiety, with the potential to undermine his pledges to strengthen a U.S. economy that is increasingly weakened.

LAKE WALES — As Trevor Murphy pulls up to his dad’s 20-acre grove in one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, he points to the cookie-cutter, one-story homes encroaching on the orange trees from all sides.

“At some point, this isn’t going to be an orange grove anymore,” Murphy, a third-generation grower, says as he gazes at the rows of trees in Lake Wales. “You look around here, and it’s all houses, and that’s going to happen here.”

Polk County, which includes Lake Wales, contains more acres of citrus than any other county in Florida. And in 2023, more people moved to Polk County than any other county in the country.

Population growth, hurricanes and a vicious citrus greening disease have left the Florida orange industry reeling. Consumers are drinking less orange juice, citrus growers are folding up their operations in the state and the major juice company Tropicana is struggling to stay afloat. With huge numbers of people moving into Florida’s orange growing areas, developers are increasingly building homes on what were once orange groves. read more

Eight retired colors — including raw umber and blizzard blue — are back for the Crayola Experience Million Crayon Giveaway, which starts later this month.

Participants can choose to include the long-lost hues alongside 70 other colors as part of the free 32-count boxes from the attraction’s Pick Your Pack wall. Among the revived choices is dandelion, which was retired in 2017. There are also magic mint (a fluorescent green), mulberry and blizzard blue, which have been out of circulation since 2003, along with orange-red, violet-blue, lemon yellow and raw umber (an earthy brown), which have been out of the box since 1990.

Crayola says it’s the first time in the company’s history, which dates back to the 1880s, that it is bringing back a collection of retired colors, and they will only be available for a limited time.

The giveaway is free, but registration is required at CrayolaExperience.com/orlando.  At the site, users are asked to select a date and location for their visit. Registrants must be at least 18 years old, and sign-ups are on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is a limit of two boxes per household. read more