Things To Do In SW Florida

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press Business Writer

Americans are fed up with the price of food, and many are looking to President-elect Donald Trump to lower their grocery bills.

Trump often railed on the campaign trail against hefty price increases for bacon, cereal, crackers and other items.

“We’ll get them down,” he told shoppers during a September visit to a Pennsylvania grocery store.

But the food price inflation that stunned the U.S. — and other parts of the world — in 2021 and 2022 had complicated causes that are difficult to unwind, from the pandemic to the Ukraine war to avian flu. And many economists think Trump’s plans, including putting tariffs on imported foods and deporting undocumented workers, could actually make food prices rise.

As of October, U.S. prices for food eaten at home were up 28% from 2019, according to government figures released Wednesday. But the growth peaked in 2022; between October 2023 and October 2024, food prices rose 2%, which was lower than the overall inflation rate. read more

SpaceX kept the launch machine rolling with another Starlink mission from the Space Coast on Thursday morning.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 of the company’s internet satellites lifted off at 8:21 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.

The first-stage booster for the mission made its 18th flight with a recovery landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship Just Read the Instructions.

Watch Falcon 9 launch 24 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida https://t.co/kwBsAASJpI

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 14, 2024

This marked the 79th launch on the Space Coast for 2024 with all but five coming from SpaceX.

United Launch Alliance has flown the rest so far, but Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is aiming for the debut launch of its massive New Glenn rocket as soon as the end of this month.

ULA also has two more missions potentially before the end of the year with its new Vulcan rocket.

Next up, though, is another SpaceX launch from Kennedy Space Center as soon as Sunday with a Falcon 9 targeting liftoff during a 4:39-6:27 p.m. window to send up a geostationary communication satellite built by Northrop Grumman for the Australian company Optus. read more

Q: When I divorced my first husband more than a decade ago, we agreed that I would keep the house. Now, I want to sell it, and I am being told that he must also sign the deed. The problem is that I have not spoken with him in years and have no idea how to get in touch. What can I do? — Janet

A: There is a distinction between agreeing to do something and actually following through with it.

Winning the house in a divorce does not automatically remove the departing spouse from the home’s title. Your ex still needs to officially transfer their interest in the property to you through the proper legal process.

While many former spouses lose touch, and it can be challenging to locate them, finding your ex and obtaining a deed is often the simplest and most cost-effective solution. Utilizing the internet, especially social media, can be helpful in tracking them down. Consider reaching out to mutual friends or former in-laws who might be able to assist in getting in touch with your ex.

If you locate him but he refuses to cooperate, you will need to return to court. Review your marital settlement agreement and divorce decree; although time has passed, you are both still bound by these documents. If he was supposed to transfer the house to you, he would need to fulfill that obligation. You may have to reopen the divorce case and request that the judge compel him to comply. read more

By STAN CHOE

NEW YORK (AP) — Wow, much bull market.

Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency whose mascot is a super-cute dog that muses things like “much wow,” has been surging in value since Donald Trump won the presidential election last week. It’s hitting the afterburners now, after Trump named Tesla’s Elon Musk as one of the heads of a new “Department of Government Efficiency,” which is not a government agency but does have the acronym DOGE.

All this makes sense and is maybe humorous for anyone who’s chronically online. For others, here’s some explanation about what’s going on:

What is dogecoin?

It’s a cryptocurrency, whose value rises and falls against the U.S. dollar based on however much people will pay for it.

At first, it was seen as a joke. But over time, dogecoin has amassed a group of fans who have periodically sent its price soaring. Like other cryptocurrencies, supporters say it could be used to buy and sell things on the internet without having to worry about a central bank or government affecting how many are in circulation. read more

By SARAH PARVINI

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Social media site Bluesky has gained 1 million new users in the week since the U.S. election, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and engage with others online.

Bluesky said Wednesday that its total users surged to 15 million, up from roughly 13 million at the end of October.

Championed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky was an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That invite-only period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other features. The platform resembles Elon Musk’s X, with a “discover” feed as well a chronological feed for accounts that users follow. Users can send direct messages and pin posts, as well as find “starter packs” that provide a curated list of people and custom feeds to follow.

The post-election uptick in users isn’t the first time that Bluesky has benefitted from people leaving X. Bluesky gained 2.6 million users in the week after X was banned in Brazil in August — 85% of them from Brazil, the company said. About 500,000 new users signed up in the span of one day last month, when X signaled that blocked accounts would be able to see a user’s public posts. read more