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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
U.S. economy added 215,000 jobs in July
U.S. employers added a solid 215,000 jobs in July, signaling a steadily rising job market and likely nudging the Federal Reserve closer to raising interest rates in September. The Labor Department also said Friday that the unemployment rate held at a relatively low 5.3 percent for a second straight month. More at the AP, the Wall Street Journal, and CBS News.
India's drugmaker Lupin opens research center in Coral Springs
A leading pharmaceutical maker from India took an unusual path to opening its $13 million research center in Coral Springs on Friday. Lupin decided nearly three years ago to expand into the business of inhalation products for asthma and respiratory diseases and began a global search for an expert in that field. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Floridians continue migration away from landlines
Florida Public Service Commission figures show that more Floridians live in a home with a wireless phone than ever. Florida is home to 19 million wireless phones and 19.9 million people, the state agency said. More at the Orlando Sentinel.
Less back-to-school hype and crowds expected
Even with an extended tax-free shopping holiday, experts expect buyers will spend less this year on back-to-school items than in 2014. Under a new state law, Floridians now have 10 days, beginning Friday and ending Aug. 16, to avoid sales tax on their back-to-school shopping. More at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin to teach aeronautics at Florida Tech
Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, will soon be teaching classes at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. University President Anthony Catanese announced Thursday that Aldrin will be a research professor of aeronautics and that the school is planning to establish the Buzz Aldrin Institute. More at the AP.
Out of the Box
New Deep Ocean Fish
The research team at Nova Southeastern University has discovered a never-before species of anglerfish. One of NSU's experts, Tracey Sutton, Ph.D., teamed up with Theodore Pietsch from the University of Washington. The new species of fish was found in the deep waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico.
» More from WSVN
Florida Originals
Siren's Call
Built in the 1950s, the clamshell roof atop Weeki Wachee’s mermaid theater was designed to attract attention from motorists passing by on U.S. 19. In the 1970s, however, the clamshell was replaced with a flat, drab roof of shingles. For years, John Athanason mourned the loss of the clamshell and now is doing something about it.
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