Things To Do In SW Florida

I’ve never been the type to set an alarm for a sale. But this year, I’m giving myself a $100 budget and a mission: tackle Amazon Prime Day like a parent with a plan.

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Between holiday gifts for my two kids, back-to-school gear, and a few kitchen upgrades I’ve been eyeing, I’m hoping to stretch every dollar and maybe let myself dream a little, too (if that stroller wagon or coffee maker drops into budget-friendly territory).

I already told myself 2025 was my low-buy year. I’m taking steps to make the most of Prime Day while staying true to my budget and my goals.

Step 1: Check prices before the sale begins

“I would consider what I really want and need right now and look at prices ahead of time,” Samantha Gordon, deals editor at Consumer Reports, suggested to me in an email interview. “A lot of ‘discounts’ get a ‘Prime Day’ label even though the price stayed the same.” read more

Chapter 7

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Advanced Asset Consulting LLC, 8586 Warbug Alley, Orlando. Filed: June 11. Assets: $0. Liabilities: $158,052. Major creditors: JPMorgan Chase, New York City, $49,937; JPMorgan Chase, New York City, $40,032; Truist Financial Corp., Charlotte, N.C., $20,528. Creditors meeting: July 22.

Chapter 11

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for reorganization and protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Contour Spa LLC, 8762 Lake Tibet Court, Orlando. Filed: June 11. Assets: $500,001-$1 million. Liabilities: $1,000,001-$10 million. Major creditors: Not available. Creditors meeting: July 22.

GD Transport LLC, 200 Zell Drive, Orlando. Filed: June 16. Assets: $1,000,001-$10 million. Liabilities: $1,000,001-$10 million. Major creditors: American Express, Wilmington, Del., $62,570; SMFL Sumitomo Mitsui Finance & Leasing Co., New York City, $53,656; Chase Bank, Wilmington, Del., $38,750.  Creditors meeting: July 21. read more

The Hall of Presidents has reopened at Walt Disney World and the re-election of Donald Trump has prompted an unusual rearrangement inside the Magic Kingdom attraction.

For the first time since the attraction debuted with the theme park in 1971, a U.S. president is serving nonconsecutive terms. So, an animatronic figure representing Trump is back at the front of the stage after spending four years on the back row while Joe Biden held court and lived in the White House.

The attraction closed in late January for rearrangement and possible refurbishment. It reopened with little fanfare Sunday, just ahead of the Independence Day holiday weekend.

The face of Trump’s figure represents the president’s current look. In previous incarnations of the Hall, some observers complained about the animatronic’s likeness — some floating the notion that it looked like Hillary Clinton.

Disney World has not specified what changes were made during the 2025 downtime. But a statement from Walt Disney Imagineering indicates that the company will “routinely refresh animatronics” during refurbishments. read more

By ALI SWENSON, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A controversial bid to deter states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade seemed on its way to passing as the Republican tax cut and spending bill championed by President Donald Trump worked its way through the U.S. Senate.

But as the bill neared a final vote, a relentless campaign against it by a constellation of conservatives — including Republican governors, lawmakers, think tanks and social groups — had been eroding support. One, conservative activist Mike Davis, appeared on the show of right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon, urging viewers to call their senators to reject this “AI amnesty” for “trillion-dollar Big Tech monopolists.”

He said he also texted with Trump directly, advising the president to stay neutral on the issue despite what Davis characterized as significant pressure from White House AI czar David Sacks, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and others.

Conservatives passionate about getting rid of the provision had spent weeks fighting others in the party who favored the legislative moratorium because they saw it as essential for the country to compete against China in the race for AI dominance. The schism marked the latest and perhaps most noticeable split within the GOP about whether to let states continue to put guardrails on emerging technologies or minimize such interference. read more

By MICHAEL PHILLIS

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republicans in Congress rushed forward with a massive tax and spending cut bill, a North Carolina renewable energy executive wrote to his 190 employees with a warning: Deep cuts to clean energy tax credits were going to hurt.

“(The changes) would almost certainly include the loss of jobs on our team,” wrote Will Etheridge, CEO of Southern Energy Management in Raleigh. “I’m telling you that because you deserve transparency and the truth — even if that truth is uncomfortable.”

The bill now in the House takes an ax to clean energy incentives, including killing a 30% tax credit for rooftop residential solar by the end of the year that the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act had extended into the next decade. Trump has called the clean energy tax credits in the climate law part of a “green new scam” that improperly shifts taxpayer subsidies to help the “globalist climate agenda” and energy sources like wind and solar.

Businesses and analysts say the GOP-backed bill will likely reverse the sector’s growth and eliminate jobs. read more