Things To Do In SW Florida

More than 90 people have been reported ill on board a Royal Caribbean ship sailing out of Tampa, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

An outbreak of an unknown illness with primary symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting has stricken 89 of 2,164 passengers as well as 2 of 910 crew on board the Radiance of the Seas, according to a report on the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program website.

The ship that departed the Port of Tampa on Feb. 1 is returning to the port Saturday morning to complete a seven-night Caribbean cruise.

The outbreak could be determined to be norovirus, a common gastrointestinal bug that the CDC tracks aboard cruise ships.

Norovirus has been blamed already in 2025 for outbreaks aboard Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess, the Viking Mars of Viking Ocean Cruises and Holland America Line’s Volendam.

Q. I receive a survivor benefit based on my husband’s work under Social Security. I receive a pension from my work as a teacher, and I was not contributing to FICA. I contacted the Social Security Administration (SSA) to determine if I would be entitled to a larger benefit because of the repeal of the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The SSA representative told me that because I was receiving a survivor benefit based on my work record, I would not be entitled to a larger benefit. Is that correct?

A. No, it is not correct. Your survivor benefit is based on the record of earnings your husband received under Social Security. I would contact the SSA again. If you receive the same misinformation from a representative, ask to speak with a supervisor.

Q. I receive a pension from my career working under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) with the federal government. My husband is deceased. He was receiving a Social Security benefit based on his work record. When he passed away, I asked Social Security if I was eligible for a survivor benefit. At that time, I was told that my pension was too high, and I was not entitled to any survivor benefit. Am I entitled to a benefit now that the previous regulations were repealed? read more

Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World will both have Super Bowl presences on Sunday, possibly within minutes of one another.

Universal will showcase its upcoming Epic Universe theme park, which is set to open in late May.  A 30-second commercial released Friday shows glimpses of roller coasters, flying dragons, a water ride, the Mario Kart attraction and a leap into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic.

It ends with the tagline “Our universe will never be the same” before another jump into a magical-looking portal, one of the trademark looks of the theme park.

Universal says its ad will run after the game and just before the trophy presentation.

That’s familiar territory for Disney, which for many years has used the post-game period for the “I’m going to Disney World” promotion.  The company reportedly plans an ad for its Disney+ streaming service during the game.

On social media, Disney has posted that a key player would be appearing at Magic Kingdom on Monday.  The last three post-Super Bowl theme park celebrations have been at Disneyland in California. The last time players were paraded in Florida was 2021, when Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski representing the winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers. read more

By James Royal, Ph.D., Bankrate

As you’re learning how to invest, one of the best strategies for advancing quickly is to learn from the masters. Rather than repeating the same old mistakes of new investors, it’s useful — and it saves money — to gain the insight and wisdom of the experts. For the cost of a book, you could save thousands of dollars by making smart investing decisions and avoiding dumb ones.

Below are some of the best investing books. Some are deep dives that have stood the test of time and continue to reward new readers with the wisdom of investing masters. Some are lighter reads that tell more recent stories from other voices and offer different perspectives.

Deep dives: Investing books that zoom in

1. “The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing”

“The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham is like a shorter, more readable version of Graham’s other famous book, “Security Analysis” (co-authored with David Dodd). Graham is considered the father of value investing, an investing style where practitioners are looking to buy $1 for $0.75 or less, and he was a key mentor for legendary investor Warren Buffett, who contributed to a later edition. Here Graham shows you how to think sensibly about investing and how to avoid the mistakes of so many inexperienced investors. read more

By JOSH FUNK

The spate of recent aviation disasters and close calls have people worried about the safety of flying.

The midair collision that killed 67 near Washington, the fiery plane crash in Philadelphia and now a missing plane in Alaska are only the most high-profile disasters. There was also a Japan Airlines plane that clipped a parked Delta plane while it was taxiing at the Seattle airport earlier this week and a United Airlines plane caught fire during takeoff at the Houston airport Sunday after an engine problem sparked a fire on the wing.

That’s not even to mention the security concerns that arose after stowaways were found dead inside the wheel wells of two planes and aboard two other flights. And don’t forget about the time that a passenger opened an emergency exit door on a plane while it was taxiing for takeoff in Boston.

So of course people are wondering whether their flight is safe?

What happened in the worst incidents?

The Jan. 29 collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter killed everyone aboard both aircraft. It was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a New York City neighborhood just after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five on the ground. There hadn’t even been a deadly crash of any kind involving a U.S. airliner since February 2009. read more