Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/30/2014

U.S. consumer spending dips; inflation creeps up

U.S. consumer spending fell for the first time in a year in April after two months of solid gains, but the decline probably will not change expectations for a sharp rebound in economic growth this quarter. While demand cooled last month, there are signs price pressures in the economy are stirring. More at Reuters.

Chamber of Commerce chief urges Cuba to extend reforms

The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday urged Cuba to speed up and extend market-style economic reforms, saying world investors would respond and that it might be the best path toward better relations with the United States. More at Reuters.

Delray Beach lures national stores, embarks on westward expansion

Headline

Space travelers, get ready for a new ride. The Dragon V2 got its grand reveal Thursday night by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who showed off his company's new spacecraft in a live webcast.

Dragon V2 marks a major milestone as SpaceX's first spacecraft capable of bringing humans to the International Space Station then back to Earth.

» More from CNN and Space X

Downtown Delray Beach, a rising star on the national tourism front, is attracting interest from national retailers who want a location on its sizzling streets. The influx of national retailers comes at a time when Delray’s downtown has matured to include a wide range of cuisine, new hotels, and more. More at the Palm Beach Post.

OSU teams with Florida cancer center for research

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center is teaming with a cancer hospital in Florida to create what they say will be the largest known database of patients for research. More at the AP.

X-rated website domain name sold for $3M

The X-rated domain name strategy of a South Florida company paid off big, as ICM Registry sold SEX.xxx for $3 million. That deal was the largest piece of the Palm Beach Gardens-based company’s $5 million deal to sell about 40 domain names ending in .xxx to Barron Innovations. More at the South Florida Business Journal and the Palm Beach Post.

Storm Season
Hurricane Holiday

Got a generator? If not, buy one and pay no sales tax starting Saturday. That could mean and extra $45 in your pocket with purchase of a $750 unit. Florida's sales-tax holiday for storm supplies kicks off Saturday through June 8 to encourage preparedness for the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, which starts on Sunday. Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and see a list of qualifying items.