Things To Do In SW Florida

By CLAIRE SAVAGE and ALEXANDRA OLSON

CHICAGO (AP) — Recruiting women into construction has been a painstaking but broadly popular effort, with growing bipartisan and industry support amid persistent labor shortages. But President Donald Trump’s aim to stamp out diversity and inclusion programs threaten to cripple community-based organizations that have been critical to that goal.

The Trump administration has moved swiftly to cut off federal funding to dozens of community groups that implement programs on the ground, including apprenticeship readiness programs designed for women, anti-harassment training, and child care and transportation support for workers who need them.

The overhaul stems from a pair of anti-DEI executive orders, which direct federal agencies to cancel all “equity-related” grants, and require government contractors and recipients of federal funds to certify, under threat of severe financial penalties, that they do not operate DEI programs that violate anti-discrimination laws. read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

Shares of many companies that source at least some of their goods from China are surging on Monday as U.S. and Chinese officials announced that they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and called a 90-day truce in their trade war to allow for more talks on resolving their trade disputes.

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U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. agreed to drop its 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods by 115 percentage points to 30%, while China agreed to lower its rate on U.S. goods by the same amount to 10%. read more

By DAVID A. LIEB

In a victory for global agrochemical maker Bayer, Georgia has become the second state to shield pesticide manufacturers from some lawsuits claiming that they failed to warn customers of potential dangers.

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The legislation signed Friday by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is designed to protect Bayer from lawsuits claiming that it failed to tell customers that its popular weed killer Roundup could cause cancer. It’s written broadly enough to provide legal protection in Georgia to any pesticide manufacturer that follows federal labeling requirements. read more

A Walt Disney World holiday production and a former UCF professor and Disney executive were among the recipients of Brass Ring Awards, honors presented by IAAPA.

“What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Singalong,” part of the Disney Jollywood Nights event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, was named most creative winter holiday production.  The show features music and characters from the 1993 film directed by Burton.

One of three Inspiration Awards was given posthumously to Duncan Dickson, who was a professor in the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida for more than 20 years and the director of casting at Walt Disney World for almost 20 years before that. Dickson died in 2024.

Those were the only Orlando-oriented winners in the global competition, which salutes excellence in live entertainment, food and beverage, marketing, human resources, sustainability games and merchandise within the attractions industry. Winners were announced during the 2025 IAAPA Honors event at Europa-Park in Rust, Germany. read more

By JOSH JACQUOT, Edmunds

New car prices continue to rise for the latest high-performance sports cars. Even a new Chevrolet Corvette, long considered a performance bargain compared to the likes of the Porsche 911, has a starting price of almost $70,000. But that doesn’t mean driving enthusiasts on a budget can’t find a car that’s both fulfilling to drive and genuinely capable.

The auto experts at Edmunds have come up with their five favorite performance vehicles for under $35,000. True, you won’t be able to buy anything with a V8. The same applies to electric power — the best-value electric performers cost more. But the vehicles listed here have other distinct advantages. All of the following prices include destination fees.

Dodge Hornet GT

There’s some irony in the first vehicle in a list of budget-performance cars not being a car at all. But Dodge’s Hornet isn’t your usual small SUV. First off, it has an Italian heritage. Though you wouldn’t know it by its styling, the Hornet shares much of its mechanical design with the Alfa Romeo Tonale small luxury SUV. Second, it’s genuinely powerful for a pint-size SUV. The GT version has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that cranks out 268 horsepower and is good enough to get you from 0 to 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds. Another bonus: It has standard all-wheel drive for all-season driving and more cargo space than the typical performance car. read more