Things To Do In SW Florida

By MAE ANDERSON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The trade disputes involving global economic powerhouses such as the U.S. and China are being felt even in such distinctly local places as your regional amusement park.

Families who balk at the cost of a summer vacation at big amusement parks like Disney World favor trips to regional parks, which typically are within driving distance, so expensive flights aren’t necessary. But if tariffs lead to economic uncertainty, they may just stay home.

For park owners, tariffs could subject them to extra costs that their customers might not think about. Parts of the rides are made of imported steel that’s currently subject to tariffs. Those prizes and toys people win after they shoot basketballs into a hoop? They usually come from China, which has been subject to varying tariffs.

So far this year, however, there’s been no letdown.

“We’ve had good crowds, and everyone seems excited to be here,” said Brian Hartley, vice president of Playland’s Castaway Cove, in Ocean City, New Jersey, which boasts 30 rides, miniature golf, go-karts, and other beachfront attractions. “As long as the weather is good, they’re ready to come down.” read more

By MARC LEVY, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel said Wednesday they have finalized their “historic partnership,” a deal that gives the U.S. government a say in some matters and comes a year-and-a-half after the Japanese company first proposed its nearly $15 billion buyout of the iconic American steelmaker.

The pursuit by Nippon Steel for the Pittsburgh-based company was buffeted by national security concerns and presidential politics in a premier battleground state, dragging out the transaction for more than a year after U.S. Steel shareholders approved it.

It also forced Nippon Steel to expand the deal, including adding a so-called “golden share” provision that gives the federal government a say in company decisions that affect domestic steel production and the power to appoint a board member.

“Together, Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel will be a world-leading steelmaker, with best-in-class technologies and manufacturing capabilities,” the companies said. read more

By Kimberly Palmer, NerdWallet

Mykail James is not ashamed to call herself a “recovering overspender.”

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The Washington, D.C.-based financial educator, who also goes by “the boujie budgeter” online, says she used to spend too much money on splurges like concert tickets and clothing.

But today, she has her spending under control thanks to a set of rules she follows.

One rule? She gives herself a limit for how much she can spend in certain categories. She can buy a concert ticket, but not if it costs more than $45, for example.

She also keeps her spending money separate from her bill-paying money. That way, she has a set amount dedicated to “fun” each month. Once it runs out, she can’t spend any more. read more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press

HAYWARD, Calif. (AP) — Amazon is gearing up to make as many as 10,000 robotaxis annually at a sprawling plant near Silicon Valley as it prepares to challenge self-driving cab leader Waymo. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also vying to join the autonomous race.

The 220,000-square-foot robotaxi factory announced Wednesday heralds a new phase in Amazon’s push into a technological frontier that began taking shape in 2009, when Waymo was launched as a secret project within Google.

Amazon began eyeing the market five years ago when it shelled out $1.2 billion for self-driving startup Zoox, which will be the brand behind a robotaxi service that plans to begin transporting customers in Las Vegas late this year before expanding into San Francisco next year.

Zoox, conceived in 2014, will be trying to catch up to Waymo, which began operating robotaxis in Phoenix nearly five years ago then charging for rides in San Francisco in 2023 before expanding into Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. Waymo says it has already more than 10 million paid rides while other would-be rivals such as Amazon and Tesla are still fine-tuning their self-driving technology while tackling other challenges, such how to ramp up their fleet. read more

SpaceX has reset the countdown clock for its next human spaceflight, targeting an early Sunday morning launch of the private Axiom Space Ax-4 mission.

A Falcon 9 rocket topped with a new Crew Dragon capsule looks to take four private astronauts on a trip to the International Space Station with liftoff at 3:42 a.m. from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A with a backup opportunity Monday at 3:20 a.m.

The first-stage booster is making its second flight and will aim for a recovery landing back at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1 — meaning there could be some early morning sonic booms on the Space Coast and into Central Florida.

SpaceX and Axiom Space, which were halted in their attempt to launch last week, have been waiting on NASA for the OK as space station partner Roscosmos continued to monitor repairs to a years-old leak on the Russian side of the orbiting lab.

“The change in a targeted launch date provides NASA time to continue evaluating space station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module,” NASA posted Wednesday. read more