Hillary Clinton lauds Madeleine Albright at dignitary-packed funeral
The Clintons and the Obamas join more than 1,400 people at the funeral of America's top diplomat Madeleine Albright in Washington, DC. Albright rose from child refugee to the country's first female secretary of state and served as US ambassador to the United Nations. She died last month at 84.
news.yahoo.comA top Florida state legislator said DeSantis dissolving Disney's special tax status is a 'smokescreen' to take media attention away from the state's new redistricting plan that splits up Black voters
The bill marks a third legislative win for DeSantis after he signed a controversial state education law and proposed a GOP-benefitting redistricting map.
news.yahoo.comFlorida Gov. DeSantis may repeal Disney's special tax status. But tax officials and legislators say the move could leave local taxpayers to cover more than $1 billion in bond debt.
The bill seeking to repeal Disney's special tax status is the latest development in the company's fight with lawmakers over the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
news.yahoo.comFlorida legislature passes bill repealing Disney’s special tax status
Placeholder while article actions loadFlorida’s Republican-led state legislature on Thursday passed a bill sought by Gov. Ron DeSantis to cancel Walt Disney World’s special tax district in Florida. That law prohibits discussions about gender-related issues in public school classes up to third grade, and potentially through high school. The Disney law will dissolve the entertainment giant’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, which was created in 1967 after Walt Disney bought 40 square miles of land in Central Florida to build the Magic Kingdom. Disney lobbyists said the project was too massive for local governments to handle, so legislators gave Disney the authority to run the development as a quasi-governmental agency.
washingtonpost.com4 springtime activities we love at Walt Disney World
The resort is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary celebration, and now is the perfect time to celebrate the season and upcoming Easter holiday. If you plan on visiting, we have uncovered a number of fun activities for families to experience while out exploring the theme parks and nearby resort hotels.
Disney 'regrets' performance by visiting school drill team
Officials at Walt Disney World said Friday that a performance by a visiting Texas high school drill team that used American Indian stereotypes, including chants of “scalp them," doesn't reflect the Florida resort's values. The performance this week in the Magic Kingdom by the “Indianettes" drill team from Port Neches-Grove High School “did not reflect our core values, and we regret it took place," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said in an emailed statement. An audition tape that the school had provided in order to be selected to perform at the theme park resort was inconsistent with the actual performance, the statement said.
news.yahoo.comAnimatronic Biden joining Hall of Presidents at Disney World
Forget an inauguration ceremony. The true indicator of having made it as president is being added to the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World in Florida, an honor President Joe Biden will soon receive. Disney World officials said Monday that they were putting the finishing touches on the animatronic Biden replica ahead of its debut next month at the Magic Kingdom attraction that features a tableau of the nation's presidents.
news.yahoo.comMore than 200 alligators removed from Disney World since toddler’s death in 2016
In the eight years before the death of Lane Thomas Graves, wildlife trappers removed an average of 23 alligators a year from Disney property, but after the attack, substantially more alligators have been removed each year, state records show.
Disney 1Q profit falls but beats expectations due to Disney+
FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2019, file photo, guests watch a show near a statue of Walt Disney and Micky Mouse in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. But the results Thursday surpassed Wall Street's expectations thanks to subscribers flocking to Disney+ and other of the entertainment giant's streaming services. Disney+ subscribers totaled 94.9 million at the end of the quarter, more than double the subscriber base a year ago, when the service had been operating for only about two months. For Disney's fiscal first quarter, net income totaled $17 million, or 1 cent per share, compared with $2.1 billion or $1.16 cents per share a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, net income totaled 32 cents per share, compared with $1.53 per share in the prior-year quarter.
Latest unemployment boost is 'too little, too late,' workers say: 'They forgot about us a long time ago'
Workers in several states are beginning to see the latest enhanced unemployment benefits hit their bank accounts this week, following the long awaited Covid stimulus package that was finally signed into law Dec. 27, 2020. That's the sentiment of Debbie Fletcher, 57, who lost her job as a bartender in Massachusetts back in March 2020. While Senate Republicans and House Democrats spent the remainder of the year sparring over extending the supplemental aid, Fletcher said she resorted to opening new credit cards to pay her bills. The hospitality sector has still not recovered 3.9 million jobs lost to the pandemic, according to the latest jobs report. Roberts' son has epilepsy, so she sent her new employer documentation from her son's neurologist that showed her household was recommended to self-isolate during the virus outbreak.
cnbc.comThe Latest: Kentucky sees near-record number of new cases
(AP Photo/Michael Probst)FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky reported a near-record number of new coronavirus cases Friday as the surging outbreak continued sending more people to hospitals, Gov. Total statewide COVID-19 cases surpassed 105,000, and the virus-related death toll reached at least 1,476. The new virus cases brought the number of cases statewide to 13,520, according to the Department of Health. The announcement comes as Kenya’s government says a second surge in coronavirus cases has begun in East Africa’s economic hub. The Czech Republic has 310,068 total confirmed cases, with 161,050 cases in the last two weeks.
KSAT Kids: Today in History, Oct. 1
Today is Thursday, Oct. 1, the 275th day of 2020. In 1910, the offices of the Los Angeles Times were destroyed by a bomb explosion and fire; 21 Times employees were killed. In 1971, Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida. Guests wear masks as required to attend the official reopening day of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Saturday, July 11, 2020. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) (Orlando Sentinel)In 1982, Sony began selling the first commercial compact disc player, the CDP-101, in Japan.
Disney to lay off 28,000 at its parks in California, Florida
FILE - In this March 16, 2020, file photo, the entrance to the parking lot at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is closed in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Squeezed by limits on attendance at its theme parks and other restrictions due to the pandemic, The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, it planned to lay off 28,000 workers in its parks division in California and Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
What’s that delicious juice concoction Walt Disney World serves?
Stitch juice, jungle juice, POG juice -- the names go on and on. Rumor has it, there is a popcorn stand in Animal Kingdom called Mahindi that even serves up a Jungle Juice Slushy. Combine 21 ounces passion fruit juice, 21 ounces guava juice and 14 ounces orange juice (pulp-free). If following a recipe isn’t your forte, Welch’s Guava Pineapple juice is the closest thing to POG juice in a carton. Whether you make it, buy it, or order it, be sure to have yourself a glass of POG juice the next time you sit down for breakfast.
Actors back at Disney World after deal reached with union
Actors' Equity Association signed a memorandum of understanding allowing the actors, singers and stage managers to return to their jobs after Disney agreed to have a state-run drive-thru COVID-19 testing site for workers and others at the Florida theme park resort, according to the union, which represents 750 Disney World workers. We have been consistent that testing is an important part of ensuring a safe workplace for Equity performers, and today, Im pleased to see that Disney World has agreed, Kate Shindle, President of Actors Equity Association, said in a statement. Actors Equity Association filed a labor grievance against Disney World, saying its members faced retaliation for demanding the coronavirus tests before Disney World's theme parks reopened to visitors last month after being closed since March because of the pandemic. About 220 actors and singers initially were called back to work, but that invitation was rescinded after the union made public its concerns about the lack of testing, according to the union. It was unclear how many actors and singers would be called back now that an agreement has been signed.
NBA Foundation created, pledges $300 million to Black growth
Each team will donate $1 million annually, or $30 million collectively, over those 10 years. NBPA President Chris Paul had said earlier in the season restart at Walt Disney World that $300 million would be the start, and now those plans are complete. All NBA team governors recognize our unique position to effect change and we are committed to supporting and empowering young Black men and women in each of our team markets as well as communities across the U.S. and Canada, NBA Board of Governors Chairman and Toronto Raptors Governor Larry Tanenbaum said. These are the three main areas of our social responsibility work at Monumental Sports & Entertainment and where we personally invest in our community, Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said. Efforts will be centered on helping people get a first job, finding careers after high school or college, then career advancement.
As the U.S. death toll hits 100,000, theme parks and casinos prepare to reopen
Ron DeSantis, SeaWorld will open June 11 and Disney World will reopen the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11. The parks will introduce new social distancing and cleaning policies, as well as training for employees. AdvertisementPeople recognize that we live in a different time today, said Marc Swanson, the interim chief executive of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Steve Sisolak signed off on the reopening of casinos on the Las Vegas Strip starting June 4. Many states and the District of Columbia have also clashed with the Trump administration over when theyll reopen.
latimes.comDisney, SeaWorld announce plans for Florida parks to reopen
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. SeaWorld and Walt Disney World will reopen in Orlando, Florida, in June and July after months of inactivity because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to plans a city task force approved Wednesday. Disney plans a tiered reopening, with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opening on July 11, followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. Disney World also plans smaller, soft openings prior to July 11, but no specifics were provided. When Disney Springs, a complex of restaurants and shops near Disney World, reopened, the company formed social distancing squads," which McPhee said have been popular with guests. Disney employees will be required to do temperature checks before heading to work, McPhee said.
Walt Disney World presenting plans for reopening parks
ORLANDO, Fla. Walt Disney World is presenting its plans for reopening after being shuttered along with Florida's other theme parks since mid-March because of the new coronavirus. Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando will present their proposals for phased reopenings before an Orange County task force on Wednesday, said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. With 77,000 workers, Disney World is central Floridas biggest employer. Last week, Disney World allowed third-party businesses at its Disney Springs dining and shopping complex to open with new restrictions. Crosstown rival, Universal Orlando, presented its reopening proposal last week to county officials, saying it was aiming to reopen June 5.
NBA says it is talking with Disney about resuming season
The National Basketball Players Association is also part of the talks with Disney. Games would be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a massive campus on the Disney property near Orlando. Space wont be an issue, even if Major League Soccer which is also in talks to resume its season at Disney is there at the same time as the NBA. The entire Disney complex is roughly 40 square miles, with nearly 24,000 hotel rooms owned or operated by Disney within the campus. The list of NBA players who were known to test positive eventually grew to 10 not all were identified and Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the actual total was even higher.