Things To Do In SW Florida

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE, Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery players are going to have a shot at more billion-dollar jackpots and slightly better odds under new Mega Millions rules that go into effect with Tuesday’s drawing.

But the improvements come at a cost — literally: Players will have to shell out $5 per ticket, more than double the previous price. On the other hand, the jackpots are expected to grow much bigger — and at a faster rate — and officials believe sales will rise as people are stopped in their tracks by massive prizes.

“People really want big jackpots,” said Joshua Johnston, the Washington state lottery director who heads the Mega Millions game. “We expect to see a sales lift on this.”

HOW IS MEGA MILLIONS CHANGING?

The biggest change is the ticket price hike from $2 to $5. Lottery officials expect that jump to increase revenue from the twice-weekly game, enabling them to lower the odds of winning the jackpot from 1 in 303 million to 1 in 290 million.

The higher ticket price also means the jackpot can start at $50 million, rather than the previous $20 million, and the grand prize is expected to grow more quickly. Each time there isn’t a big winner, the jackpot will jump to a larger mark. Officials expect it will more frequently top the $1 billion threshold that draws extra attention — and bigger sales. read more

By STAN CHOE, ELAINE KURTENBACH and DAVID McHUGH, AP Business Writers

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are falling in a manic Monday after President Donald Trump doubled down on his tariffs, despite seeing how much Wall Street wants him to do the opposite.

The S&P 500 was down 1.7% in midday trading, coming off its worst week since COVID began crashing the global economy in March 2020. The index, which sits at the heart of many investors’ 401(k) accounts, has been flirting with a drop of 20% from its record set less than two months ago.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 860 points, or 2.2%, as of 1:05 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.4% lower.

Earlier in a heart-racing morning, the Dow plunged as many as 1,700 points shortly after trading began, following even worse losses worldwide on worries that Trump’s tariffs could torpedo the global economy. But it suddenly surged to a leap of nearly 900 points. The S&P 500 went from a loss of 4.7% to a gain of 3.4%, which would have been its biggest jump in years. read more

Carnival Cruise Line announced Sunday details on new ships including its next sister ship to Carnival’s Mardi Gras coming to Port Canaveral.

Carnival Festivale will be the fourth of the line’s Excel-class ships debuting in the spring of 2027 and taking over Mardi Gras’ longer Caribbean itineraries. Mardi Gras will remain at the port but shift to short three- and four-night Bahamas voyages.

“As new ships are introduced, this will allow us to upgrade capacity and hardware in key markets, with a particular focus on short cruises,” said Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy. “With short cruises on Mardi Gras, our guests who may not have the time to take a weeklong vacation can experience all the amazing features of our Excel class.”

Similar to 2021’s Mardi Gras, 2022’s Carnival Celebration and 2023’s Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Festivale is being named after one of the cruise line’s original vessels, the TSS Festivale, which it converted from an ocean liner and began sailing in 1978. read more

SpaceX took the biggest piece of the pie, but United Launch Alliance and newcomer Blue Origin will divvy up nearly $13.7 billion in national security launches to be assigned over the next five years, the Space Force announced Friday.

The National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 announcements made by the Space Force’s Space Systems Command anticipate giving Elon Musk’s SpaceX more than $5.9 billion, ULA more than $5.3 billion and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin nearly $2.4 billion, among more than 54 expected missions to be awarded through 2029.

The Space Force expects launches to fly about two to three years after being awarded, so the contracts will be for launches through 2032.

“Today’s award culminates nearly three years of government and industry partnership to increase launch resiliency and capacity,” explained Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer for the Space Force’s Assured Access to Space program, a role she holds on top of running Space Launch Delta 45 out of Patrick Space Force Base. “The result is assured access to space for our national security missions, which increases the military’s readiness.” read more

LPGA golfer Paula Creamer and former baseball player Shane Kennedy just flipped an investment property in Windermere for $6.175 million after adding a resort-style pool and an “entertainment wing.”

The 8,203-square-foot home on Worsham Court in Isleworth sold last week for more than double its 2022 purchase price, but the pair had spent millions on the renovation.

“It’s beautiful, very modern, lovely fixtures. They added over 2,000 square feet. Most of it was an entertainment wing on one side of the house,” said Michelle Corbin, Luxury Properties Specialist with Isleworth Realty.

Public records show the buyer is Francis Webster.

The entertainment area includes a bar and second kitchen near the outdoor kitchen close to the stunning pool.

“There wasn’t a pool before. The previous owners had filled all that in. [Creamer and Kennedy] took everything out and revamped it.” Corbin explained. “There is a fire pit in the center of the pool. It’s fun, we had 14 realtors in it at a brokers’ open.” read more