Comment on Pet shelters fill up in hard times. Student loan payments could leave many with hard choices.

For Floridians, 2024 was a year of weight loss and emerging revelations about anti-obesity medications. More than an estimated million Floridians are now using weight-loss medications, and experts believe that number will continue to rise. Nationally, about 15 million adults have used injectable medicines for weight loss, according to the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. As usage increases, the effect is measurable. About 10 million Americans believe they have benefited from the injections, Gallup’s survey shows.

Ten years ago, the U. S. and Cuba announced the start of normalization between our two countries. Americans and Cubans alike could see a bit of light through a crack in the wall of U. S. restrictions that, for six decades, have blocked normal interaction between close neighbors. The brief opening was largely ceremonial — President Trump rolled much of it back in his first term.

Stay up to date with South Florida dining news: Sign up for our twice-weekly Eat Beat newsletter, filled with restaurant news, guides and more. Go to SunSentinel.com/newsletters to sign up. Join our “Let’s Eat, South Florida” Facebook group. NOW OPEN OR OPENING  Nerea Seafood 1611 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; 954-314-7384; NereaSeafood.com This Guatemalan-born restaurant is serving up a twist on modern seafood since debuting Dec.

A recent viewpoint essay in the Sun Sentinel criticized Florida’s construction industry and cited low pay and high mortality rates. However, data paints a different picture. The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Florida construction workers earn an average of $24.63 per hour, slightly below the national average of $26.22.

ALLIGATOR ALLEY — A new lookout tower in the Florida Everglades is a source of curiosity right off the highway. It’s set to become a must-stop site for drivers to catch views of the River of Grass, and maybe snap some great selfies, too. Drivers traveling on I-75, or Alligator Alley, may have spotted the additions already underway at Rest Area at Mile Marker 35: The Florida Department of Transportation has planned an observation tower, boardwalks, walkways, a wetland plant exhibit, an arboretum, asphalt trails, and pavilions and benches. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)The Florida Department of Transportation is constructing an observation tower, boardwalks, walkways, a wetland plant exhibit, an arboretum, asphalt trails, and pavilions and benches at the Rest Area at Mile Marker 35 along Alligator Alley.

Q: What was Tyler Herro supposed to do? – Sid. A: Here’s the thing, it didn’t appear as if Tyler Herro did much of anything in the altercation with Amen Thompson, other than getting flipped to the court. It was as if he was Charlie Ward and Amen Thompson was P.