Things To Do In SW Florida

SeaWorld Orlando is introducing a new icon for its Halloween event.  Howl-O-Scream visitors will come face-to-face with Havoc,  which the theme park refers to as its “ambassador of darkness.”

The Havoc character looks the part: Charred skull, ember-inspired eyes, dressed in chains and tattered black coat, armed with a bloody machete and a motorcycle

“Havoc is the ringmaster of ruin and guests will feel his presence long before they see his smoldering silhouette,” a Howl-O-Scream news release said.  Havos previously was bound by the Sirens, the previous faces of the SeaWorld event.

Also new to the after-hours event, which runs on select evenings beteween Sept. 5 and Nov. 1, is a live show titled “Throttle,” in which Havoc and his “nightmare riders tear through portals,” the release said.  The “Monster Stomp” show and its Jack the Ripper-styled production also returns this season.

SeaWorld Orlando also revealed four new Howl-O-Scream scare zones. They’re named Trailer Park Tragedy (“territorial tenants”), Echoes of the Glass (“warped-mirror maze”), Woodrot Hallow (“trees week sap like blood”) and Ashes of the Forgotten (abandoned scrapyard). read more

By RIO YAMAT, Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — When Susana Pacheco accepted a housekeeping job 16 years ago at a casino on the Las Vegas Strip, she believed it was a step toward stability for her and her 2-year-old daughter.

But the single mom found herself exhausted, falling behind on bills and without access to stable health insurance, caught in a cycle of low pay and little support. For years, she said, there was no safety net in sight — until now.

For 25 years, her employer, the Venetian, had resisted organizing efforts as one of the last holdouts on the Strip, locked in a prolonged standoff with the Culinary Workers Union. But a recent change in ownership opened the Venetian’s doors to union representation just as the Strip’s newest casino, the Fontainebleau, was also inking its first labor contract.

The historic deals finalized late last year mark a major turning point: For the first time in the Culinary Union’s 90-year history, all major casinos on the Strip are unionized. Backed by 60,000 members, most of them in Las Vegas, it is the largest labor union in Nevada. read more

By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are recovering some of their sharp losses from last week, when worries about how President Donald Trump’s tariffs may be punishing the economy sent a shudder through Wall Street.

The S&P 500 rose 0.8% in early trading to claw back roughly half of Friday’s drop. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 310 points, or 0.7%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.2% higher.

Wayfair helped lead the way with a 12.3% jump after the retailer of furniture and home decor said accelerating growth helped it make more in profit and revenue during the spring than analysts expected.

Tyson Foods also delivered a bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, and the company behind the Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farms brands climbed 3.8%.

They helped offset a 7.1% drop for On Semiconductor, which only matched analysts’ expectations for profit in the latest quarter. The company, which sells to the auto and industrial industries, said it’s beginning to see “signs of stabilization” across its customers. read more

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Saying “enough is enough,” thousands of workers at three Boeing manufacturing plants went on strike overnight less than a year after the company boosted wages to end a separate, 53-day strike by 33,000 aircraft workers.

On Monday, about 3,200 workers at Boeing facilities in St. Louis; St. Charles, Missouri; and Mascoutah, Illinois, voted to reject a modified four-year labor agreement with Boeing, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union said.

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By CORA LEWIS and LINLEY SANDERS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The vast majority of U.S. adults are at least somewhat stressed about the cost of groceries, a new poll finds, as prices continue to rise and concerns about the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs remain widespread.

About half of all Americans say the cost of groceries is a “major” source of stress in their life right now, while 33% say it’s a “minor” source of stress, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only 14% say it’s not a source of stress, underscoring the pervasive anxiety most Americans continue to feel about the cost of everyday essentials.

Other financial stressors — like the cost of housing or the amount of money in their bank accounts — are also broadly felt, but they weigh more heavily on younger Americans, who are less likely than older adults to have significant savings or own property.

The survey also found that about 4 in 10 Americans under age 45 say they’ve used what are known as “buy now, pay later” services when spending on entertainment or restaurant meals or when paying for essentials like groceries or medical care. read more