Things To Do In SW Florida

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is bouncing back from its worst day since October, though some signs of fear remain on Wall Street Wednesday about President Donald Trump’s desire to take Greenland.

The S&P 500 rallied 1.1% after Trump said in a speech before business and government leaders in Europe that he would not use force to take “the piece of ice.” The potential de-escalation in rhetoric around Greenland helped the index recover some of its 2.1% drop from the day before and pull closer to its all-time high set earlier this month.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 477 points, or 1%, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher.

Treasury yields also eased in the bond market, a day after jumping in a potential signal of worries about higher inflation in the long term. They got help from a calming of government bond yields in Japan, which had surged earlier because of concerns about how much the world’s third-largest economy may increase its debt. The value of the U.S. dollar also held steadier against the euro, Swiss franc and other currencies after sliding the day before. read more

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation shut down two Central Florida dining venues for health code violations during the week from Jan. 11-17.

Orange

King Buffet at 2157 E Semoran Blvd. in Apopka shut down on Jan. 12. Inspectors found 19 violations, six of which were high priorities. Those violations included a dented can of apple sauce, a flat of shell eggs in the shelf stored over cream cheese and rodent bait in an open container on top of a dish machine. A second inspection occurred on Jan. 13. There were five violations, one of which was a high priority for a missing vacuum breaker. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Yamasan Japanese Restaurant Inc. at 1606 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando shut down on Jan. 13. Inspectors found 18 violations, two of which were high priorities. Those violations included an employee touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands and roach activity. A second inspection occurred on Jan. 14. There were three violations, but none was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards. read more

The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it will appeal the November ruling in favor of Meta in its antitrust case against the social media giant.

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The FTC said it continues to allege that, for more than a decade, Meta Platforms Inc. has “illegally maintained a monopoly” in social networking through anticompetitive conduct “by buying the significant competitive threats it identified in Instagram and WhatsApp.”

Meta had prevailed over the existential challenge to its business that could have forced the tech giant to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp after a judge ruled that the company does not hold a monopoly in social networking. read more

The latest exhibit at Orange County Regional History Center may get creative juices flowing and prompt waves of nostalgia. “Animationland” provides hands-on artistic activities, and its companion “Drawing Magic: Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida” is a throwback to home-grown productions.

The bulk of the space, produced by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, has a storyline featuring Tracey the pencil dog from Turtleback Island and assorted pals. The exhibit features multiple stations that enable visitors to produce animated sequences with those characters.

Participants are exposed to storyboarding and drawing techniques, then can move on to stop-motion animation exercises, sound effects production and in-person video creations. It’s kind of like a more active/less screen time TikTok session and could be a good group activity for kids and grown-ups.

On this historic side of things is a mutoscope, a hand-cranked toy from the 1800s that operates in the style of a flipbook to create animation. read more

Blue Origin’s next launch from the Space Coast could still be its uncrewed and newly named Blue Moon MK1 lander, but it will have to take a trip to Houston and back before it can get to the moon.

The company posted to social media Tuesday an image of the lander, packaged up for safe travels, leaving the company’s Space Coast manufacturing facilities and headed for Port Canaveral.

“Introducing Endurance. Named for Ernest Shackleton’s legendary ship that journeyed to Earth’s South Pole, MK1 honors resilience under pressure. That same spirit of perseverance guides our mission to the lunar south pole,” the post reads.

Blue Moon MK1 left for the port today ahead of shipment to Houston.

Introducing Endurance. Named for Ernest Shackleton’s legendary ship that journeyed to Earth’s South Pole, MK1 honors resilience under pressure. That same spirit of perseverance guides our mission to the lunar… pic.twitter.com/ofNoXwIDq1

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) January 20, 2026

The lander is headed to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for thermal vacuum chamber testing. It will eventually be shipped back to the Space Coast where it’s to be launched atop a New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36. read more