Things To Do In SW Florida

Central Floridians do fancy ourselves as the center of the theme park universe. Yet there’s related activity outside the 407 area code that might merit attention, vacation or initiation of a petition on change.org.

Here are five to-dos that are coming up elsewhere.

First Fan Fest

Universal Studios Hollywood is introducing an after-hours event called Universal Fan Fest Nights with activities tied to “Back to the Future,” “Star Trek,” Wizarding World of Harry Potter, its Super Nintendo World, Dungeons & Dragons, “One Piece” anime and more.

Aside from scattered character interactions with Yoshi, Niffler and others, visitors go back in time for “Future” activities such as the Enchantment Under the Sea dance and the Clock Tower lightning strike. Then they are transported to the year 2043 in a walk-through “Trek” experience that includes the Starship Enterprise bridge and an interstellar danger.

It will be held on 12 evenings between April 25 and May 18. There are several ticket options and add-ons, but pricing for a single night ranges between $74 and $84. read more

By ZEN SOO, AP Technology Writer

HONG KONG (AP) — TikTok has returned to the app stores of Apple and Google in the U.S., after President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a TikTok ban.

TikTok, which is operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on Jan. 18 to comply with a law that requires ByteDance to divest the app or be banned in the U.S.

The popular social media app, which has over 170 million American users, previously suspended its services in the U.S. for a day before restoring service following assurances from Trump that he would postpone banning the app. The TikTok service suspension briefly prompted thousands of users to migrate to RedNote, a Chinese social media app, while calling themselves “TikTok refugees.”

The TikTok app became available to download again in the U.S. Apple App store and Google Play store after nearly a month. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order to extend the enforcement of a ban on TikTok to April 5. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Business Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales dropped sharply last month, in part because cold weather kept more Americans indoors, denting sales at car dealers and most other stores.

Retail sales fell 0.9% in January from the previous month, the Commerce Department said, after two months of healthy gains. It was a much bigger drop than economists expected and the biggest decline in a year.

The average temperature in January was the lowest since 1988, according to Pantheon Macroeconomics, and was particularly disruptive in the more temperate South. Devastating fires in Los Angeles may have also impacted spending.

The data does not show that Americans rushed to buy goods in January to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, as some analysts had expected. However, sales were revised higher for December. Many consumers may have just cut back in January after splurging during the holiday season.

The tail-off in sales may provide some measure of reassurance for the Federal Reserve, after a very hot read on inflation for January, that the economy may not be overheating. read more

An overnight SpaceX launch planned for early Saturday will use a booster that’s already flown to space 25 times.

A Falcon 9 is targeting 1:14 a.m. carrying 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveal Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with backup options through 2:15 a.m. as well as a Sunday launch window opening at 12:41 a.m.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts an 80% chance for good conditions at the launch site, which increases to 95% if delayed until Sunday.

The first-stage booster is aiming to build on its fleet-leading tally and stick the landing for the 26th time aiming for a recovery on SpaceX’s droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed downrange in the Atlantic.

The booster had previously been used on two human spaceflights — Crew-3 and Crew-4 — as well as two cargo resupply launches to the International Space Station among others. It made its first launch on June 3, 2021.

SpaceX has five boosters with 20 or more flights under their belt that are still active, two of which sit on 23 liftoffs. Three others had made to to 20 or more before either being expended without a landing attempt to get a payload to a higher orbit, or in once case, tipping over upon landing. read more

By JOSH FUNK, SEJAL GOVINDARAO and TY ONEIL, Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Back when egg prices remained securely under $2 a dozen in 2021, Nevada joined several other states concerned about animal welfare in requiring cage-free eggs.

Now four years later, a dozen eggs costs an average of nearly $5 in the U.S. because of the lingering bird flu, so Nevada passed a law the governor signed Thursday that will allow the state to suspend that law temporarily in hopes of getting residents some relief at the checkout counter.

But it is not quite that simple, which is why the other six states with the same laws are so far reticent to follow suit.

By relaxing the rule, Nevada might get access to additional eggs, but the supply of all eggs remains tight because nearly 159 million birds have been slaughtered since the bird flu outbreak began in 2022 to help limit virus spread. The virus prompts the slaughter of entire flocks anytime it is found.

It is not clear dropping cage-free laws will have a significant effect on egg prices that have peaked at an average of $4.95 per dozen because the farmers who collectively invested several billion dollars in making the switch can’t easily go back to raising chickens packed together in massive barns that they already spent the money to convert. read more