Things To Do In SW Florida

By Daniel Lathrop, NerdWallet

Buying a home is a dream for many Americans, and one plenty of them have successfully realized.

But what happens if that dream becomes a nightmare? For some homeowners, it may be: 22% of homeowners regret buying their current home, according to a June 2025 NerdWallet survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll. And 8% of homeowners say they strongly regret the purchase.

Want to avoid this? If you’re in the market to buy a home, here are some ways to regret-proof your purchase.

Be choosy when it comes to location

Where you buy can dramatically impact both the cost of your home and your satisfaction living there.

Factors that can make a difference over time include busy streets, ambient noise, poorly maintained infrastructure, empty lots and whether nearby properties are well maintained. While no particular problem is a deal breaker for every buyer, think about what that “little annoyance” will mean to you when you have to contend with it every single day.

If possible, stop by the property several times before putting in an offer. Varying the times of day and days of the week you visit can show you new things, and it may give you an opportunity to meet some neighbors. read more

WASHINGTON  — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that U.S. Space Command will be located in Alabama, reversing a Biden-era decision to keep it at its temporary headquarters in Colorado.

Space Command’s functions include conducting operations like enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches.

Alabama and Colorado have long battled to claim Space Command because it has significant implications for the local economy. The site also has been a political prize, with elected officials from both Alabama and Colorado asserting their state is the better location.

Huntsville, Alabama, nicknamed Rocket City, has long been home to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command is also located in Huntsville, which drew its nickname because of its role in building the first rockets for the U.S. space program.

Tuesday’s announcement caps a four-year back-and-forth on the location of Space Command. read more

By GLENN GAMBOA, AP Business Writer

MIAMI (AP) — Cindy Eggleton has always believed in the power of a story.

But the CEO and co-founder of Brilliant Cities, a Detroit-based early childhood development nonprofit that supports learning in underserved communities, never expected someone to tell hers. And definitely not in a sleek documentary with a slick soundtrack and plenty of images of other Detroit institutions, such as General Motors, Diana Ross, and the historic Fox Theatre.

“It’s never been about me,” said Eggleton, adding that participating in the “Nevertheless: The Women Changing the World” documentary series on YouTube was her way of honoring her late mother, Geraldine, who inspired her to speak out and help others in their community.

However, as they face an increasingly uncertain funding landscape, nonprofits are focusing more on storytelling in outreach to donors – both big and small – and raising production values for videos and podcasts.

“Storytelling is how we’re able to draw people in and get them to connect to a deeper truth about themselves or about the world or a problem that needs to be solved,” said Elevate Prize Foundation CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram. “It’s connecting those issues back to you as a human and not saying, ‘Well, that’s their problem. That’s all the way over there.’ The story allows it to be human.” read more

By LISA LEFF and RIO YAMAT, Associated Press

Families who lost loved ones in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners may get their last chance to demand the company face criminal prosecution Wednesday. That’s when a federal judge in Texas is set to hear arguments on a U.S. government motion to dismiss a felony charge against Boeing.

U.S. prosecutors charged Boeing with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with the crashes that killed 346 people off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia. Federal prosecutors alleged Boeing deceived government regulators about a flight-control system that was later implicated in the fatal flights, which took place less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019.

Boeing decided to plead guilty instead of going to trial, but U.S. District Chief Judge Reed O’Connor rejected the aircraft maker’s plea agreement in December. O’Connor, who also will consider whether to let prosecutors dismiss the conspiracy charge, objected to diversity, equity and inclusion policies potentially influencing the selection of an independent monitor to oversee the company’s promised reforms. read more

Now that we have one long weekend of the 2025 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival in our collective belly, let’s also look at our bank balances.

Each year, we tally the prices from the many kiosks to answer the theoretical question, “What if we ordered one of everything. What would that cost us?”

Comparing fests is an apples-and-oranges exercise, so this is mostly for fun. But here’s a trend we can get behind: The total for the ultimate fest feast is less in 2025 than it was in 2024.

Our methodology is to count up the price of each menu item from the festival passport (also listed on the official Walt Disney World website). If there’s a small and large version, we take the less gluttonous route. When there’s an option to add alcohol to a drink, we go the cheaper way as well. We don’t include flights of beer, but do include them individually in the tally. Allergy-free options are not counted separately.

Also in the mix are festival items added to the menu of Epcot’s year-round restaurants, such as Connections Eatery and the Refreshment Port. read more