Things To Do In SW Florida

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — A SpaceX launch this week carrying commercial company Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander is bringing along for a free ride a special camera cooked up by students at Daytona Beach’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Called EagleCam, named after the school’s mascot, it’s one of 12 payloads flying on the IM-1 mission’s Nova-C lander named Odysseus that’s trying to become the first commercial lander on the moon. It’s set for liftoff atop a Falcon 9 rocket from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A at 12:57 a.m. Wednesday. The target lunar landing is on Feb. 22.

Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus, who cofounded the Houston-based company in 2013, graduated from ERAU’s Daytona campus in 1987. He was honored with a distinguished alumni award in 2019 by the university.

“And so I offered them a gift of appreciation to fly 3 kg (6.6 pounds) of payload to the surface of the moon. And, you know, typically, that would be about $3 million,” he said Monday during an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “I said I’d like to work on a project with the faculty and students, and you guys build the payload. And we’ll fly it for free.” read more

Every year, companies hope their Super Bowl ad gets attention. But this year, prominent Orlando attorney Dan Newlin might not be getting the kind of attention he wants.

Newlin faced criticism Monday for the red “Make America Great Again” hat he wore in one of his law firm’s commercials that aired in the Orlando market before Sunday’s game. It’s a signature slogan of former President Donald Trump’s campaigns.

“Hi, I’m Dan Newlin,” he said, also wearing a “USA” T-shirt. “As we get ready for the big game, it’s important that we remember and recognize our veterans. Thank you for your courageous service. You are the true heroes. Now let’s get ready to enjoy the game.”

In an email Monday, Newlin said “the decision to include political elements in the ad was a personal one and not endorsed by my law firm,” Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys, where he is the CEO. He cited immigration and border issues as reasons for his support of Trump.

The move was a rare insertion of partisanship into the trial lawyer ads that have blanketed the airwaves and highways in Central Florida for years. read more

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A judge has ordered Elon Musk to testify for a third time as part of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s investigation into his $44 billion purchase of Twitter, now called X, in 2022.

Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler issued an order Saturday giving Musk, his team and the SEC a week to agree on a date and location for Musk’s testimony. In a court hearing last December, Beeler said she would issue an order if the two sides couldn’t agree on when and where the Tesla and SpaceX CEO would testify.

“The parties, at least initially, agreed to a date but ultimately the respondent did not appear and resists the subpoena on the grounds that the SEC’s investigation is baseless and harassing and seeks irrelevant information,” Beeler wrote in the order in federal court in Northern California.

“Also, he contends that the subpoena — issued by an SEC staff member appointed by the SEC’s Director of Enforcement — exceeds the SEC’s authority because it was not issued by an officer appointed by the President, a court, or the head of a department,” as required by the U.S. Constitution, she added. read more

By Anna Helhoski | NerdWallet

Four years ago, in February 2020, the economy plunged into a recession as the pandemic began to take hold. What followed was one of the fastest economic comebacks in modern history.

Today, the economy is booming, marked by high growth, persistently low unemployment, rising wages, high consumer spending and slowing price increases.

Still, the virus killed over 1.17 million people in the U.S. alone. The emergency is over, but COVID remains with us.

But it’s undeniable that the massive stimulus in response to the pandemic emergency is what prompted that quick economic rebound, says Scott Fulford, senior economist at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). NerdWallet spoke with Fulford on how he explored this cause and effect in his book “The Pandemic Paradox.”

The following interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Fulford speaks on behalf of himself and not as a representative of the CFPB.

Before and after

NerdWallet: In broad strokes, what is the pandemic paradox? read more

If you intend to buy a new home or take out a loan so for any other reason, you obviously want to have the best credit rating to get the lowest interest possible.

Here are some ways for you to improve your credit score.

– Pay your bills on time. Whenever you pay a bill late, it can harm your credit score. Use automatic monthly payments with reliable service companies.

– Pay your credit card bill in full each month rather than carry a balance.

– Keep your credit usage below 30% of your credit limit. One way to do this is to ask some of your creditors to increase your limit.

– Don’t apply for too many new accounts. Even if you apply for a new account and are not approved, it can hurt your credit score.

– Review your credit report, and dispute any errors. There are three credit reporting agencies, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. At no cost, once a year, you can request a credit report from these companies. If any errors in the report hurt your credit rating, ask for a correction to be made as soon as possible. read more