Politics

Man dies after riding roller coaster, reports say

Published

3 months ago

September 18, 2025

‘We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones,’ Universal said.

A person became unresponsive on a roller coaster at the new Epic Universe theme park and then died at the hospital, according to media reports.

The incident occurred on Stardust Racers, the space-themed dual launch coaster that goes up to 62 mph and up to 133 feet in the air, per a description on Universal’s website.

WESH-2 reported that the rider was an adult male.

“Universal is cooperating with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office following a tragic event involving a guest at Epic Universe on Wednesday night,” Universal said in a media statement obtained by the station.

“We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones. We are fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation. The attraction remains closed.”

Universal Orlando opened Epic Universe before Memorial Day Weekend with big fanfare as the first new theme park in Orlando in more than a quarter century.

Universal previously disclosed two other medical issues on Stardust Racers since opening.

In July, a 63-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman both went to the hospital for at least 24 hours after riding Stardust Racers, according to the state injury theme park report.

The man reported feeling “dizziness/altered state of consciousness,” while the woman suffered a “visual disturbance/numbness,” the report said.

Both had a preexisting condition, but it’s unknown what the conditions were.

Florida’s theme parks are required to self-report visitors’ injuries and sicknesses that occur on rides if a person ends up in the hospital for at least 24 hours. The state’s system has less oversight compared to California’s, according to a 2020 Orlando Sentinel investigation.

Millions of people visit Orlando’s theme parks every year, but tragedy has occurred.

A 38-year-old man died from a heart attack after riding the King Kong ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in 2019. People have also drowned at the water parks at SeaWorld, including a 13-year-old last year.

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Politics

UWF Ph.D. student develops AI program to track and map impacts of wildfires

Published

5 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

May Greene

The UWF AI mapping systems can help first responders handle fast-moving wildfires and assist in the recovery process.

University of West Florida researchers are now using artificial intelligence to track data that will improve how damage from wildfires is mapped.

UWF Ph.D. student Valeria Martin has introduced what’s being called CalFireSeg-50, a dataset that was formulated from satellite imagery and data from 50 of the largest wildfires in California between 2019 and 2023, said a UWF news release.

Martin conducted her research with assistance from Brent Venable, UWF Director of the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Doctoral Program at UWF, and Derek Morgan, UWF Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences. They collected satellite images and provided the examples to AI, which developed recognition of fire-damaged areas. Then, using the images, the AI developed mapping systems.

“By pairing satellite data with deep-learning models, we can detect wildfire damage with high accuracy,” Martin said. “The insights from this work can support emergency response, environmental monitoring and long-term recovery planning.”

The AI programming helps develop models to indicate where fires might burn the hottest. That data helps emergency responders understand how wildfires burn and spread while pinpointing areas of priority. The AI imagery and maps also help analyze damage and track vegetation patterns across land after a blaze in the recovery phase.

“This project showcases how advanced GeoAI techniques can meaningfully support environmental monitoring,” Venable said. “Valeria’s exceptional work demonstrates the power of interdisciplinary research and reflects the innovative spirit of the Intelligent Systems and Robotics doctoral program.”

Martin’s research is gaining more attention and observation. She presented the Findings of her research at the 13th annual Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Spatial Information conference that took place in Minneapolis in November.

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Politics

Ken Griffin praises ‘pragmatic’ Eileen Higgins, says she’ll keep promises as Miami Mayor

Published

36 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

May Greene

One of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most reliable backers over the years is enthusing over the Democratic Mayor-elect of Miami, saying her pragmatism will serve the city ahead.

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin said on Bloomberg Open Interest that Eileen Higgins would “deliver on the promises that she made to the voters of Miami,” contrasting her favorably to Zohran Mamdani of New York.

“She has a long history of being pragmatic with respect to policy choices that will improve the lives of the people who live in Miami,” Griffin said during an interview at Conference de Paris.

“She very much wants to accelerate the permitting process for builders, to create more housing stock. She wants to help release lands into the private market to help increase available housing. She wants to address the issue of housing affordability with thoughtful, time-tested and proven policies, rather than the fantasy that’s being espoused by the Mayor-elect for New York City.”

Griffin has given tens of millions of dollars over the years to DeSantis and various initiatives he backed, including spending $12 million to help defeat a recreational pot amendment last year. More recently, Griffin invested $50 million into charter schools with the Governor’s blessing, as he seeks to expand his Success Academy model through the state’s “Schools of Hope.”

But when it comes to a Democrat taking over the mayoralty of his adopted city, Griffin sees a way to do business.

Higgins, a former Miami-Dade Commissioner, said her voters came out in part to respond to “trickle-down hatred, where our immigrant population is not only insulted but also really afraid of the federal government.”

“To me, this anti-immigrant fervor, it’s gone too far. It’s inhumane. It’s cruel. I’m Catholic, so I think it’s a sin. And it’s bad for the economy,” she said on MSNOW earlier this month. “They’re going after everybody, rich and poor, and it’s really changing how people think about who they want to speak up for and stick up for them in local government.”

For his part, DeSantis sat on his hands as Republicans lost the Mayor’s Office, a move perhaps contextualized by Griffin’s position.

“I did an endorsement in the original scrum, and then once it advanced to the runoff, it just wasn’t something I was involved in. So I don’t know what the issues were or any of that,” DeSantis said, professing a surprising ignorance of local concerns in the state’s most important city.

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Politics

Susie Wiles slams Vanity Fair ‘hit piece’

Published

1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

May Greene

‘This was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team.’

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles isn’t standing by after an article in Vanity Fair showcased what the outlet said were her quotes critiquing a number of people in the Donald Trump administration.

“The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history,” Wiles said following the article’s release.

“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team.”

The article by Chris Whipple describes Wiles leaving a meeting with the Cabinet, telling Trump it was an “emergency” that didn’t “involve” him, before quoting her saying the President has an “alcoholic personality.”

The outlet also attributed other eye-catching comments from Wiles, such as remarks that Vice President JD Vance has been a “conspiracy theorist for a decade,” that Office of Management and Budget head Russell Vought is a “right-wing absolute zealot,” and that former Department of Government Efficiency impresario Elon Musk has a ketamine habit.

Whipple said the article came after “many on-the-record conversations.”

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