Things To Do In SW Florida

Another Disney-laden auction is in the works, and it includes bits and pieces of Walt Disney World theme park icons.

Van Eaton Galleries has prepped almost 900 items for its “Pop Culture and Disney Parks Featuring the Art of Disneyland” auction, scheduled for Dec. 6. It will feature the usual assortment of park oddities such as signs, posters, press kits, paintings and costumes – for both cast members and animatronics.

Epcotters may be drawn to the flurry of Figment-related items. The dragon-based options include puppets, props and costumes from A Journey Into Imagination ride, souvenir prototype, pin celebration sign and an Imagination Institute sign.

A 3-foot-long sculpture inspired by Journey’s Dream Mobile airship – with Figment and Dreamfinder aboard – is estimated by Van Eaton to bring between $4,000 and $6,000 at the auction, the would-be priciest of the WDW options. The sculpture, created by Bill Toma, is one of 15 to be produced in 1982.

Here are five attention-getting Disney World-related lots found in the auction, three of which have front-and-center histories with Florida parks. read more

The Department of the Air Force announced it had given the OK for SpaceX to move forward with its Starship and Super Heavy launch pad plans at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37.

A “record of decision” on the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Canaveral site was posted to the Air Force’s website late Monday for what has been a nearly two-year approval process.

The decision states the Space Force will execute a property agreement for the site with a primary purpose to support national security missions, but allow for civil missions as well. It says Space Launch Delta 45 would need to set up requirements for Starship launches on the Eastern Range before any launches could happen, though.

The company posted an update late Monday confirming the approval and noting construction is already underway.

The Space Force had already allowed SpaceX to remove the former United Launch Alliance launch infrastructure that supported the now-retired Delta IV Heavy rockets. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — From corporate executives to Wall Street analysts to Federal Reserve officials, references to the “K-shaped economy” are rapidly proliferating.

So what does it mean? Simply put, the upper part of the K refers to higher-income Americans seeing their incomes and wealth rise while the bottom part points to lower-income households struggling with weaker income gains and steep prices.

A big reason the term is popping up so often is that it helps explain an unusually muddy and convoluted period for the U.S. economy. Growth appears solid, yet hiring is sluggish and the unemployment rate has ticked up. Overall consumer spending is still rising, but Americans are less confident. AI-related data center construction is soaring while factories are laying off workers and home sales are weak. And the stock market still hovers near record highs even as wage growth is slowing.

It also captures ongoing concerns around affordability, which is much more of a concern for middle and lower-income households. Persistent inflation has received renewed political attention after voter anger over costly rents, groceries, and imported goods helped Democrats win several high-profile elections last month. read more

Once the haze clears from Thanksgiving sales, you might feel like a triumphant bargain hunter — or maybe you’ll be panicking over your receipts. Either way, you’re not alone.

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“Retailers have been pushing people to shop earlier and harder for years,” says Melissa Caro, a certified financial planner based in New York City and founder of digital platform My Retirement Network. “It’s incredibly normal to overshoot a bit on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.”

In fact, holiday shoppers plan to spend $1,107, on average, for gifts this year, according to a NerdWallet study, which is $182 more than last year’s average. read more

Since it started as a hashtag in 2012, GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has become one of the biggest fundraising days of the year for nonprofits in the U.S. This year, nonprofits face uncertainty about how donors may respond to a range of changing factors.

High prices may affect how much small dollar donors give this year or how many charities they will support. But President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation, which passed in July, also included a new charitable deduction of up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for married couples for the majority of tax filers. That could incentivize more households to give.

For larger donors, a strong stock market usually indicates they will give generously. These major donors also make up an increasingly important share of overall charitable donations and are more likely to give than less economically well off households, according to a study from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in partnership with Bank of America. read more