Things To Do In SW Florida

By Jaewon Kang, Bloomberg News

Underwhelmed and unimpressed are how shoppers are feeling about Black Friday deals so far.

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The Repasky family makes a tradition of coming out to Tysons Corner Center shopping mall in Virginia on Black Friday. One change they noticed this year: fewer doorbuster deals and freebies.

Jennifer Schmuck reported the same from Westfield Montgomery Mall in Maryland Friday morning. “I don’t think the deals were as good,” the 50-year-old banker said. Last year Macy’s Inc. gave her a $10 coupon for being among the first in line, but didn’t this year. read more

By PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press

SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — Eels are the stuff of nightmares — slimy, snakelike creatures that lay millions of eggs before dying so their offspring can return home to rivers and streams. They’ve existed since the time of the dinosaurs, and some species are more poorly understood than those ancient animals.

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Yet they’re also valuable seafood fish that are declining all over the world, leading to a new push for restrictions on trade to help stave off extinction.

Freshwater eels are critically important for the worldwide sushi industry, and some species have declined by more than 90% since the 1980s. The eels have succumbed to a combination of river dams, hydroelectric turbines, pollution, habitat loss, climate change, illegal poaching and overfishing, according to scientists. Some environmental organizations have called for consumers to boycott eel at sushi restaurants. read more

By The Associated Press

Black Friday kicked off the holiday shopping season with enthusiasm, despite consumer confidence in the U.S. economy falling this month in the aftermath of the federal government shutdown, weak hiring and stubborn inflation.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Wall Street rose for a fifth straight day to put the wraps on a volatile month.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% in abbreviated trading Friday and closed out November with a slim gain of 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 289 points, or 0.6%. The Nasdaq gained 0.7% but ended November with a drop of 1.5% because of losses for some big tech stocks.

Stocks swooned in mid-month as investors worried that stocks boosted by the frenzy around artificial intelligence such as Nvidia had gotten too expensive. Nvidia lost 1.8% Friday and closed the month with a double-digit loss. Oracle fell 23% in November while Palantir Technologies sank 16%.

Some tech stocks did notch monthly gains, most notably Alphabet, which rose nearly 14%, due to excitement about its recently released Gemini AI model.

The market turned around on hopes the Federal Reserve will again cut interest rates at its meeting next month. Recent comments from Fed officials have given traders more confidence the central bank will again cut interest rates at its meeting that ends Dec. 10. Traders are betting on a nearly 87% probability that the Fed will cut next month, according to data from CME Group. read more

By NICK KURCZEWSKI, Edmunds

SUVs deliver many attributes that car shoppers love in a vehicle. Thanks to their elevated height, they provide a commanding view of the road. They also deliver lots of passenger space, roomy cargo holds, and often have strong safety ratings.

Less appealing are higher fuel bills and the expense of buying an SUV that’s showroom-fresh. The experts at Edmunds have found five solutions on the used market to keep costs in line. Choosing a used hybrid SUV saves money at the point of purchase, and the hybrid engine helps lower the cost of refueling for many miles down the road.

Using a price cap of $25,000, Edmunds’ team has compiled five used hybrid-powered SUVs that are practical and kind to a car shopping budget.

Ford Escape

The Escape Hybrid is the fuel-sipping cousin of Ford’s popular compact SUV. Getting it down the road is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired to an electric motor. Front-wheel drive is standard; all-wheel drive is optional. In terms of fuel economy, both the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel drive models delivers an EPA-estimated 39 mpg combined. Edmunds has complimented the Escape’s comfortable ride, easy-to-use controls and everyday practicality. read more