Things To Do In SW Florida

When Orange County commissioners approved $5.16 million in cultural-tourism grants at the end of October, it was a rare bright spot in an autumn of uncertainty for Central Florida’s arts organizations.

Local cultural leaders have cast a wary eye on Tallahassee, where the state’s support of arts and culture — for years an established process with rigorous vetting that ran like clockwork — now generates more questions than revenue.

To wit, it’s unclear how 24 cultural groups were chosen to receive $1.5 million that the legislator who pushed the funding intended for a much larger pool of organizations. The process for awarding $1 million in the state’s America 250 grants to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial — grants that ended up mostly bypassing arts organizations — is equally obscure.

And now the funding process for the next legislative session, which begins in January, has been halted while Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Department of State tries to rewrite the rules to favor artistic expression that aligns with the Republican-led government’s values  — even though similar revisions were previously rejected by legislators. read more

Oceania Cruises is back in Florida with its newest ship, once again leaning heavily into a gastronomic pedigree.

The Oceania Allura arrived at its winter home of PortMiami this week for a christening event featuring a unique approach for what would normally be a godmother.

Instead of a specific celebrity chef, the line has instead partnered up with Food & Wine magazine, giving its Best New Chefs franchise the ceremonial role.

It’s appropriate for the premium line under Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, with the 1,200-guest Allura touting the “finest cuisine at sea” across 12 culinary venues.

For the christening, the honor still needed warm bodies, and to represent the franchise, the line and magazine called on alumni recipients of the award. They included Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Katie Button, Calvin Eng, Aisha Ibrahim, George Mendes and Lawrence “LT” Smith.

“Paying homage to the Food & Wine Best New Chefs program and having its alumni represent as her godparents reflects our belief that food lies at the heart of global exploration,” said Jason Montague, the line’s chief luxury officer. “These visionary chefs embody the spirit of culinary excellence, and we are honored to have them join the Oceania Cruises family.” read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

NEW YORK (AP) — Disney and YouTube TV reached a new deal to bring channels like ABC and ESPN back to the Google-owned livestreaming platform Friday, ending a blackout for customers that dragged on for over two weeks.

“As part of the new deal, Disney’s full suite of networks and stations — including ESPN and ABC — have already begun to be restored to YouTube TV subscribers,” The Walt Disney Co. said in a statement.

YouTube TV also confirmed the return of Disney content on its platform, noting that subscribers should see channels back “over the course of the day.” It apologized for the disruption and thanked customers for their “patience as we negotiated on their behalf.”

Disney content went dark on YouTube TV the night of Oct. 30 after the two sides failed to reach a new licensing deal. In the days that followed, YouTube TV subscribers were left without Disney channels on the platform — notably disrupting coverage of top college football matchups and professional sports games, as well as news and entertainment programming. read more

By PAUL WISEMAN and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Labor Department will release its numbers on September hiring and unemployment next Thursday, a month and a half late, marking the beginning of the end of a data drought caused by the 43-day federal government shutdown.

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The statistical blackout meant that the Federal Reserve, businesses, policymakers and investors have largely been in the dark about inflation, job creation, GDP growth and other measures of the U.S. economic health since late summer. read more

By JACK DURA, Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A fatigue crack in the Keystone Pipeline led to an oil spill in North Dakota earlier this year that released thousands of barrels of oil onto farmland, according to the pipeline operator.

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In a quarterly report released Thursday, South Bow said initial findings show, “the failure resulted from a fatigue crack that originated along the pipe’s manufactured long-seam weld.” A fatigue crack develops from stress over time. A mechanical and metallurgical analysis found the pipe and welds met industry standards, the company said. read more