Things To Do In SW Florida

By JESSE BEDAYN

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — On a frigid day after Mass at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in rural Nebraska, worshippers shuffled into the basement and sat on folding chairs, their faces barely masking the fear gripping their town.

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A pall hung over the room just as it hung over the holiday season in Lexington, Nebraska.

“Suddenly they tell us that there’s no more work. Your world closes in on you,” said Alejandra Gutierrez.

She and the others work at Tyson Foods’ beef plant and are among the 3,200 people who will lose their jobs when Lexington’s biggest employer closes the plant next month after more than two decades of operation. read more

United Launch Alliance’s leader for the last 12 years has stepped down.

ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno has resigned as of Monday to “pursue another opportunity,” according to a shared statement from the board chairs from Lockheed Martin and Boeing, which share a 50% ownership of the rocket company.

“We are grateful for Tory’s service to ULA and the country, and we thank him for his leadership,” reads the statement from ULA Lockheed Martin Board Chair Robert Lightfoot and ULA Boeing Board Chair Kay Sears.

Taking his place in an interim role will be John Elbon.

“We have the greatest confidence in John to continue strengthening ULA’s momentum while the board proceeds with finding the next leader of ULA,” the statement reads.

Bruno came into the role in 2014 from Lockheed Martin, where he had worked as an engineer before moving into corporate leadership roles. He took the ULA job during a period where it saw increased competition from SpaceX and had to shepherd ULA through rounds of layoffs. read more

By JAMES POLLARD and LINLEY SANDERS

NEW YORK (AP) — Most Americans aren’t making end-of-year charitable giving plans, according to the results of a new AP-NORC poll, despite the many fundraising appeals made by nonprofits that rely on donation surges in the calendar’s final month to reach budget targets.

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The survey, which was conducted in early December by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that about half U.S. adults say they’ve already made their charitable contributions for 2025. Just 18% say they’ve donated and will donate again before the year is over. Only 6% report they haven’t given yet but will do so by December’s end. The rest, 30%, haven’t donated and don’t plan to. read more

As vet bills skyrocket, more and more pet owners are turning to insurance programs to prevent their pets’ surprise illness from becoming a financial hardship.

But the devil is in the details, and complaints have surfaced that procedures and care that consumers thought were covered by the policies they purchased actually weren’t covered.

A new law taking effect in Florida on Jan. 1 aims to provide pet owners with clarity about pet insurance products they might be considering purchasing to cover accidents and illnesses.

The bill “creates an efficient, effective regulatory framework for pet insurance that benefits consumers, empowers regulators, and ensures the marketplace operates fairly,” state Sen. Nick DiCeglie, a Pinellas County Republican, told the Senate’s Banking and Insurance Committee in March. “This bill is good for consumers, industry participants and the pet insurance marketplace.”

While pet insurance has been available in Florida for years, policies have become increasingly complex, imposing waiting times for injury, illness and orthopedic care, and exclusions for preexisting, congenital and hereditary conditions, according to a Senate analysis of the bill. read more

The “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” will be televised Dec. 25, and it will feature performances from all four Walt Disney World theme parks and other attractions.

Viewers will see Lady A sing “Winter Wonderland” from  Epcot’s World Celebration Gardens, Bebe Rexha perform “Last Christmas” at Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom, Coco Jones with “This Christmas” from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Mariah the Scientist with “Please Come Home for Christmas” at the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Other performers will include Nicole Scherzinger as well as Gwen Stefani from Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland and Iam Tongi performing from Aulani, the Disney resort in Hawaii.

The prerecorded broadcast is hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro (“Dancing With the Stars”) and Ginnifer Goodwin (“Zootopia 2”). Maia Kealoha, the 9-year-old actress who plays Lilo in the 2025 live-action film “Lilo and Stitch,” serves as “parade correspondent,” Disney says. read more