Things To Do In SW Florida

The massive core stage that will power the Artemis II mission to the moon next year was transported into Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday.

The 212-foot-long hardware manufactured by Boeing makes up the largest part of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. It’s powered by four RS-25 engines from Aerojet Rocketdyne that were converted from the Space Shuttle Program. Two of the engines for Artemis II flew on previous missions including one from the final flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis when it flew STS-135 in 2011.

It arrived on NASA’s Pegasus barge on Tuesday to KSC’s Turn Basin, and made the three-hour journey from ship to the VAB one day later.

The core stage when combined with two solid rocket boosters from Northrop Grumman give SLS 8.8. million pounds of thrust on liftoff, which is more powerful that the Saturn V rockets from the Apollo program.

Artemis II is slated to launch no earlier than September 2025 with SLS topped by the Orion capsule from Lockheed Martin carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on what would be the first return of humans to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. read more

By Eliza Haverstock | NerdWallet

Mary Williams, 52, says she is the first in her family to go to college. After an earlier stint at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College, she re-enrolled in 2020 to continue an associate degree program in childhood special education. Originally from Trinidad, she aims to eventually earn her master’s degree.

“I want to finish what I started,” says Williams, who takes night classes after her full-time day job working with special needs children. She also wants to show her daughter, now 22 and attending college herself, the importance of higher education — “doing something to better yourself, enhance your career.”

Williams is among the one-third of college undergraduate students who are at least 25 years old, according to a 2023 White House report. Her story, like millions of others, is a contrast to typical college narratives focused on the youngest adults — ages 18-24 — many of whom go directly from high school to college.

Generally, college students 25 and older are described as “adult learners.” But the term can also encompass younger students who are financially independent from their parents and whose primary identity is shaped by something other than being a student — for example, being a parent, a worker or a veteran, says Becky Klein-Collins, vice president of Research and Impact at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and author of the book Never Too Late: The Adult Student’s Guide to College. read more

Now that Orlando’s theme parks have fulfilled their “open this summer” pledges, I decided to swing back for a second round.

It was not a great idea to do three parks, even quick visits, during, you know, peak Florida summertime heat. Late cloud cover saved me, but if you’re planning to do the same, hydrate and use sunscreen. Then, hydrate some more.

Back on Trek

I started with Penguin Trek, the new roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando. The posted wait time was 60 minutes, but the line moved steadily, and I was on within 45 minutes.

There’s a bottleneck at the bottom of the stairs at the loading platform. Passengers select their own rows, and from my experience, they don’t always pick the path of least resistance. Sure, some folks are jonesing for the front row, but why was the center of the train so unevenly bunched up?

Scoping out the situation from the stairwell, I saw that just a few folks were waiting for the last row. I went there and ended up on board three trains before the people who were just ahead of me in the queue. (Their children seemed so small, but they measured up, which reinforced the coaster’s “family thrill” emphasis.) read more

Seminole County will stop offering large tax cuts to apartment owners who designate a certain number of units as affordable housing to reduce their property tax bills under Florida’s Live Local Act.

“When that [tax] revenue stream does not come to the county, those are services that are going to be picked up by the rest of the taxpayers. It’s going to fall on their shoulders,” Seminole Commission Chair Jay Zembower said Tuesday before joining other board members in agreeing to opt out of the tax cuts.

If Seminole continued offering the tax breaks — as much as 75% for each apartment unit — it could feasibly lose an estimated $4 million a year in tax revenue, Seminole Property Appraiser David Johnson told commissioners.

“So it’s real money,” Johnson said.

Seminole now joins Lake County and Winter Park in denying the tax cuts. Other municipalities are expected to follow. Maitland, for example, is scheduled to take up the issue at an upcoming council meeting.

Under the Live Local Act, any apartment project is eligible for the tax savings if it’s less than five years old, has at least 70 units and offers rents affordable to tenants making up to 120% of the region’s median income — about $90,000 for a two-member household. read more

By Melissa Lambarena | NerdWallet

By now, the higher cost of goods and services may have prompted you to consider using buy now, pay later plans, credit cards or other options to cover everyday expenses. These options can be easy to turn to in a time of need, but doing so frequently could indicate trouble ahead.

If that’s your circumstance, you’ll want to have a plan long before your well of credit runs dry. By exploring community resources or seeking the help of experts, you may come up with a better solution that won’t derail your finances.

Here are some actions that can lessen reliance on credit for essential purchases.

1. Refresh your budget

Review debit and credit card statements to take note of all expenses, including debts. Look for opportunities to eliminate unnecessary purchases or switch to less costly alternatives, and explore options to lower interest rates on those debts. Contributing to an emergency fund — even just a little at a time, if you can spare it — can further prevent reliance on credit. read more