Things To Do In SW Florida

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS (AP Business Writer)

NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk’s X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has begun restoring complimentary blue checks for some of its users, the latest unexpected shift to cause a lot of confusion on the platform.

For years, Twitter’s blue checks mirrored verification badges that are common on social media, largely reserved for celebrities, politicians and other influential accounts. That changed months after Musk bought the platform for $44 billion in October 2022.

Last year, X began issuing verification checks only to those who paid the starting price of $8 per month for it, and stripping verification badges from many celebrities and other prominent accounts. That also led to confusion, complaints, and a large number of fake accounts pretending to be someone else, blue check included.

But late Wednesday night and early Thursday, numerous users reported seeing the blue checks return to their accounts, or appear for the first time, despite the fact that they were not paying for “premium” services on X. read more

By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP Health Writer)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The maker of a drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease that recently failed in a large study said Thursday it will pull the medicine from the market, acknowledging it didn’t help patients with the deadly neurological condition.

Amylyx Pharmaceuticals announced it will voluntarily halt sales and marketing of the drug in the U.S. and Canada, where new patients will no longer be able to get a prescription.

“While this is a difficult moment for the ALS community, we reached this path forward in partnership with the stakeholders who will be impacted and in line with our steadfast commitment to people living with ALS,” company co-founders said in a statement. Patients already taking the therapy who wish to continue will be able to enroll in a program to receive it for free.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the much-debated drug, Relyvrio, in September 2022, following a years-long advocacy campaign by patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. read more

After 2,201 restaurant inspections across Central Florida in March, only 212 had no issues for the entire month, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange had the highest percentage of restaurants with zero violations during routine food inspections at 11%. Volusia came second at 10%, Brevard at 9.4% and Lake at 8.4%.

Seminole and Osceola ranked near the bottom at 7.9% and 7.2%, respectively.

Orange County had the most restaurants with no violations at 99 out of 901. Brevard was in second place with 33 out of 350 and Volusia was third with 27 out of 268.

Brevard

Whisk and Grind, 370 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
Dancers Royale Cocoa Beach, 74 N. Orlando Ave., Cocoa Beach
Bizzarro’s of Merritt Island, 325 E. Merritt Island Causeway , Suite L, Merritt Island
Tipico Latino Restaurante, 566 Barton Blvd. #1, Rockledge
Sunrise Family Restaurant, 365 W. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach
El Pueblo Magico Mexican Restaurant, 2137 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
Rock The Guac, 4265 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach Ale House, 5590 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach
Al Baik Kabob House, 1288 Sarno Road, Melbourne
Charlotte, 290 Marine Harbor Dr., Merritt Island
Holiday Inn Express Cape Canaveral, 995 Shorewood Dr., Cape Canaveral
Loyd Have Mercy, 3434 S. Washington Ave., Titusville
Sonny’s Real Pit Bar B Q of Merritt Island, 310 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
Beach Eatz, 24 North Orlando Ave., Suite G, Cocoa Beach
Pozzy Bros Pizza, 727 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
Port Java, 4795 Fay Blvd. Unit 13, Cocoa
Shere Punjab Cuisine of India, 285 W. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach
Flavors of India, 5675 N. Atlantic Ave. #117, Cocoa Beach
Sinbad Restaurant, 1450 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
Pizza Company, 868 N. Banana River Dr., Merritt Island
Aramark at Rockwell Collins, 1100 W. Hibiscus Blvd. #308, Melbourne
Heavenly Treats Bakery, 635 S. Wickham Road Suite 105, West Melbourne
The Twisted Birch, 1279 Admiralty Blvd., Rockledge
Mini Melts Common Area, 777 E. Merritt Island Causeway, Merritt Island
Calvin Kitchen on Wheels, 710 King St. Unit 115, Cocoa
Holy Smoke, 3757 US Hwy 1 N, Cocoa
Sweets & Meats, 3122 Lake Washington Road, Melbourne
Your Daily Bread Sandwiches and More, 3434 S. Washington Ave., Titusville
Express Cafe & More, 425 North Dr., Melbourne
Popeyes 12051, 725 Palm Bay Road NE, West Melbourne
Sodexo @ Harris – John Robes, 407 John Rodes Blvd., Melbourne
Dusty Joe’s Smokin Eats, 305 Gemini Dr., Satellite Beach
Diana’s Tacos, 4235 Aurora Road, Melbourne read more

CNN is debuting a four-part series looking back at the events that led to the death of seven astronauts on board Space Shuttle Columbia when it was destroyed on its way back home from space in 2003.

“Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight” promises “exclusive first-hand testimony” from family members of the crew and “key players at NASA – some of whom have never spoken before,” according to a press release from the network.

Two of the four parts will debut Sunday at 9 p.m. with the final two airing the following Sunday, April 14.

“I didn’t know at that time that anything concerning had happened,” said Sandra Hawkins Anderson, the wife of STS-107 mission specialist Michael Anderson in a trailer preview for the series. “There were people that did, though.”

Anderson died Feb. 3, 2023, aside mission commander Rick Husband, pilot William McCool, and mission specialists David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon, who was the first Israeli to go into space. Columbia broke up in the skies over Texas on its way to try and land back at Kennedy Space Center. read more

Disney’s legal settlement with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is a “win-win” for future Disney World projects, CEO Bob Iger told shareholders on Wednesday.

“The agreement we reached with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District last week will actually enable us to pursue the kinds of significant investment in our Florida parks,” Iger said in response to a question at the shareholders meeting in California.

“We achieved a win-win result with that deal in terms of our ability to pursue future development opportunities but also in terms of thousands of direct and indirect jobs,” he added.

The deal settles a lawsuit filed in state court. It says that development agreements approved by the Disney-friendly Reedy Creek board before the state takeover initiated by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February 2023 are null and void. A 2020 comprehensive plan will be in effect, and the district agreed to “consult with Disney” while reviewing and amending the plan.

DeSantis described the settlement as a victory for the state. read more