General Daily Insight for January 22, 2025

Don’t rush, there’s time to get there! As the sensitive Moon struggles with confusing Jupiter, personal expansion might have an emotional learning curve. Extending our inner lives and broadening our horizons may seem overwhelming and yet unavoidable. On the bright side, Luna allies with dedicated Saturn for a soothing trine at 8:39 pm EST. Consistency should both bring emotional peace and provide us with the equilibrium that we need to level out and make progress that lasts. Slow and steady wins this race.

Food costs represent a significant portion of household budgets, and rising grocery prices make strategic shopping essential. While cutting back isn’t the only solution, smartphone apps can provide substantial grocery savings through cash-back rewards, digital coupons, discounts and loyalty programs.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to 10 effective food savings apps for both grocery shopping and dining out.

Top food savings apps

1. Ibotta

Ibotta is one of the most popular cash back apps available. It’s known for offering cash-back rewards on everyday purchases at major retailers. The app allows users to select offers before shopping and earn rewards by scanning receipts afterward.

Its browser extension enables cash back on online grocery purchases, and partnerships with retailers provide exclusive deals on essential household items.

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Multiple redemption options, including PayPal and gift cards
• Wide acceptance at major retailers
• Bonus rewards for reaching specific goals, such as trying new products or completing a certain number of offers in a month

Cons

• Requires pre-selecting offers
• The cash-out minimum takes time to reach
• The interface can be overwhelming with numerous offers

2. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards allows users to earn points on any receipt from grocery stores, pharmacies and even gas stations, making it a versatile option for shoppers.

Unlike other cash-back apps, Fetch Rewards doesn’t require users to select offers before shopping. Instead, they can scan any eligible receipt and automatically earn points, which can be redeemed for gift cards to major retailers.

Pros

• No pre-selection of offers required
• Compatible with numerous retailers
• Bonus points available through referrals

Cons

• Limited earnings on generic brands
• Gift card redemption only
• No direct cash rewards

3. Flipp

Flipp helps users save by compiling weekly ads and sales from major retailers in one easy-to-use app. The app enables users to search for specific items, compare prices across stores and create shopping lists based on current promotions, making it valuable for strategic grocery planning.

Pros

• Great for sale matching, providing easy access to local deals and promotions
• Integrates with loyalty programs, allowing users to clip digital coupons directly from ads
• Reduces the need for multiple apps by combining local deals and digital coupons in one place

Cons

• Focused on weekly ads, without cash-back or rewards
• May not include all local stores
• Deals are limited to specific weekly promotions

4. Checkout 51

Checkout 51 offers weekly cash-back deals across various stores, similar to Ibotta but with a slightly different selection of offers. Users can upload their receipts to the app after purchasing selected products to earn cash back. The app refreshes its offers every Thursday, so users have new savings opportunities each week.

Pros

• Simple, user-friendly interface
• Works across multiple stores
• Seasonal promotions often boost cash-back percentages on select items

Cons

• Limited cash-back options for fresh foods
• High cash-out minimum
• Requires prompt receipt uploads to avoid missing cash-back opportunities on eligible items

5. Coupons.com

Coupons.com streamlines digital coupon usage by connecting with store loyalty cards for automatic savings at checkout. The platform offers both digital and printable coupons across various brands and retailers. Coupons.com is a solid option if you enjoy the simplicity of using coupons without the hassle of clipping.

Pros

• Automatic discount application through loyalty programs
• Wide variety of frequently updated coupons
• Convenient and user-friendly, with no need for physical coupons at participating stores

Cons

• Limited to specific partner stores
• Some coupons have restrictions or expiration dates
• Requires keeping track of coupon terms

6. Kroger App

The Kroger app provides exclusive discounts, digital coupons and personalized savings offers for shoppers who frequent Kroger and its affiliated stores. The platform integrates with the store’s loyalty program and includes fuel rewards for additional savings.

Pros

• Customized offers based on purchase patterns
• Integrated fuel rewards for added savings
• Allows users to scan receipts to earn additional rewards on select items, boosting the overall value

Cons

• Limited to Kroger and affiliated stores
• Not all promotions are available in every local store
• Some benefits may be too store-specific

7. Target Circle

Target Circle combines the retailer’s loyalty program with exclusive discounts and rewards. Members can save money on a variety of grocery items and other household essentials, and the app frequently features special offers for members.

Pros

• Seamless online and in-store integration
• Easy to use for both in-store and online shopping
• Allows users to participate in community support by voting on charities

Cons

• Limited to Target stores
• Rewards can take time to accumulate
• Some offers have minimum purchase requirements

8. RetailMeNot

RetailMeNot offers a diverse selection of coupons and cash-back opportunities for groceries, restaurants and local services. The platform supports both in-store and online purchases.

Pros

• Extensive range of discounts across multiple categories
• In-store and online coupons, plus a cash-back portal for extra savings
• User-friendly with easy access to deals for a variety of needs and preferences

Cons

• Coupon values can vary, and some offers may come with restrictions
• Limited cash-back features
• Not all coupons are guaranteed to work at every store

9. Dosh

Dosh is a cash-back app that connects directly to your debit or credit card, providing automatic cash-back on purchases made at participating stores. The app covers grocery stores and restaurants, eliminating the need for receipt scanning or coupon clipping.

Pros

• Automatic savings tracking
• Allows stacking of rewards with other loyalty programs for maximum savings
• Regular bonus promotions

Cons

• Only works with participating merchants
• Cash-back percentages can vary, and offers may change frequently
• Redemption process can be confusing for some users

10. Too Good To Go

Too Good To Go is a unique app that helps users save on food by purchasing surplus from local restaurants and bakeries at a discount. Users can pick up these surplus meals at a reduced price, making it both budget-friendly and environmentally friendly.

Pros

• Offers a unique savings model that focuses on reducing food waste while providing affordable meal options
• Environmentally friendly, contributing to sustainability efforts by repurposing food that would otherwise go to waste
• Variety of meal options from local businesses

Cons

• Limited market availability
• Meal options can be unpredictable

The bottom line

Food savings apps provide multiple ways to reduce grocery and dining expenses without compromising quality or variety. You can more effectively manage your food budget by combining these tools with strategic shopping habits. Consider your shopping preferences and habits when selecting apps, and remember that using multiple platforms may maximize potential savings.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The only suspect ever to be charged in the 1990s killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas has lost a bid to have his murder case dismissed.

Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny said in a decision issued Tuesday that Duane “Keffe D” Davis had provided no proof of any immunity deals and that “the state of Nevada has never offered” him a deal.

Davis and his lawyer had argued that he never should have been charged with murder because of immunity agreements he says he reached years ago with federal and local authorities. Attorney Carl Arnold said the indictment against his 61-year-old client is an “egregious” violation of his constitutional rights because of a 27-year delay in prosecution.

Prosecutors said Davis has provided no proof that he was granted immunity by authorities who interviewed him in 1998 and in the early 2000s while he was still living in California.

Davis’ trial in Las Vegas is currently scheduled for March 17. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Davis is originally from Compton, California. He was arrested in September 2023 in his neighborhood near Las Vegas.

In interviews and his 2019 memoir that described his life as a leader of a Crips gang sect in Compton, Davis said he obtained a .40-caliber handgun and handed it to Anderson in the back seat of a car from which, he and authorities said, shots were fired at Shakur in another car.

Shakur died a week later. He was 25.

Anderson, who died in 1998 in a shooting in Compton, had denied involvement in Shakur’s killing. Two other men in the car with Anderson and Davis are also dead.

NEW YORK (AP) — Garth Hudson, the Band’s virtuoso keyboardist and all-around musician who drew from a unique palette of sounds and styles to add a conversational touch to such rock standards as “Up on Cripple Creek,” “The Weight” and “Rag Mama Rag,” has died at age 87.

Hudson was the eldest and last surviving member of the influential group that once backed Bob Dylan. His death was confirmed Tuesday by The Canadian Press, which cited Hudson’s friend, Jan Haust. Additional details were not immediately available. Hudson had been living in a nursing home in upstate New York.

A rustic figure with an expansive forehead and sprawling beard, Hudson was a classically trained performer and self-educated Greek chorus who spoke through piano, synthesizers, horns and his favored Lowrey organ. No matter the song, Hudson summoned just the right feeling or shading, whether the tipsy clavinet and wah-wah pedal on “Up on Cripple Creek,” the galloping piano on “Rag Mama Rag” or the melancholy saxophone on “It Makes No Difference.”

The only non-singer among five musicians celebrated for their camaraderie, texture and versatility, Hudson mostly loomed in the background, but he did have one showcase: “Chest Fever,” a Robbie Robertson composition for which he devised an introductory organ solo (“The Genetic Method”), an eclectic sampling of moods and melodies that segued into the song’s hard rock riff.

Robertson, the band’s guitarist and lead songwriter, died in 2023 after a long illness. Keyboardist-drummer Richard Manuel hung himself in 1986, bassist Rick Danko died in his sleep in 1999 and drummer Levon Helm died of cancer in 2012. The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Formed in the early 1960s as a backing group for rocker Ronnie Hawkins, the Band was originally called The Hawks and featured the Arkansas-born Helm and four Canadians recruited by Helm and Hawkins: Hudson, Danko, Manuel and Robertson.

By 1967, Dylan was in semi-seclusion, having allegedly broken his neck in a motorcycle accident, and he and the group settled in the artist community in Woodstock that two years later would become world famous thanks to the festival in nearby Bethel. With no album planned, they wrote and played spontaneously in an old pink house outside of town shared by Hudson, Danko and Manuel. Hudson was in charge of the tape machine as Dylan and The Band recorded more than 100 songs, for years available only as bootlegs, that became known as “The Basement Tapes.” Often cited as the foundation of “roots” music and “Americana,” the music varied from old folk, country and Appalachian songs to such new compositions as “Tears of Rage,” “I Shall Be Released” and “This Wheel’s on Fire.”

“There would be an informal discussion, before each recording,’” Hudson told the online publication Something Else! in 2014. “There would be ideas floating around, and the telling of stories. And then we’d go back to the songs.

“We looked for words, phrases and situations that were worth writing about. I think that Bob Dylan showed us discipline, and ageless concern about the quality of his art.”

Dylan resurfaced in late 1967 with the austere “John Wesley Harding,” and the Band debuted soon after with “Music from Big Pink,” its down home sound so radically different from the jams and psychedelic tricks then in fashion that artists from The Beatles to Eric Clapton to the Grateful Dead would cite its influence. The Band followed in 1969 with a self-titled album that many still consider its best and has often been ranked among the greatest rock albums of all time.

Future records included “Stage Fright,” “Cahoots” and “Northern Lights/Southern Cross,” a 1975 album that brought Hudson special praise for his work on the keyboards. A year later, Robertson decided he had tired of live performances, and the Band staged the all-star concert and Martin Scorsese film, “The Last Waltz,” featuring Dylan, Clapton, Neil Young and many others. Tension between Robertson and Helm, who would allege the film unduly elevated Robertson over the others, led to a full breakup before the documentary’s release in 1978.

Hudson played briefly with the English band the Call; appeared with various latter incarnations of the Band, usually featuring Danko, Hudson and Helm; assisted on solo albums by Robertson and Danko; and joined Danko and Helm for a performance of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” at the Berlin Wall. Other session work included records by Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen and Emmylou Harris.

Hudson also organized his own projects, although his first solo effort, “The Sea to the North,” came out on the day of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2005, he formed a 12-piece band called The Best!, with his wife on vocals. “Garth Hudson Presents: A Canadian Celebration of The Band” was a 2010 tribute featuring Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn and other Canadian musicians.

In recent years, Hudson struggled financially. He had sold his interest in the Band to Robertson and went bankrupt several times. He lost one home to foreclosure and saw many of his belongings put up for auction in 2013 when he fell behind on payments for storage. Hudson’s wife, Maud, died in 2022. They had a daughter, Tami Zoe Hill.

The son of musicians, Hudson was born in Windsor, Ontario in 1937 and received formal training at an early age. He was performing on stage and writing before he was even a teenager, although by his early 20s he had soured on classical music and was playing in a rock band, the Capers.

He was the last to join the Band and he worried that his parents would disapprove. The solution was to have Hawkins hire him as a “musical consultant” and pay him $10 extra a week.

“It was a job,” Hudson said of the Band in a 2002 interview with Maclean’s. “Play a stadium, play a theater. My job was to provide arrangements with pads underneath, pads and fills behind good poets. Same poems every night.”

On his feet, however, were a pair of ski boots.

For nine years Weber has organized the San Juan Skijoring competition, comprised of races in which skiers and snowboarders pulled by horses aim to complete an obstacle course made of snow. It’s Colorado’s version of a winter rodeo with additional high-adrenaline events like big air, which sees competitors jump over cars.

Organizers used 1.2 million gallons of water to create snow for this year’s course in Ridgway. The fastest competitors completed runs in under 25 seconds.

Weber has spent many years on horseback pulling athletes through the courses, and he currently competes in the professional division atop his trusty equine partner. But more recently, he decided to strap on a pair of skis and assume the position in tow. He competed last Friday in the novice division, which is specifically for newbies to the sport.

“It’s the most fun you can have with your pants on,” Weber said excitedly after his first ride. “People want to go out and buy a Corvette that has a lot of horsepower. Give me one horsepower on a skijoring track and I’m happy.”

Skijoring is said to have originated in Scandinavia, where residents rode the historic equivalent of skis and were pulled by horses as a means of transportation. The sport made its first and only Olympic appearance in the 1928 Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland. More recently, it’s become popular among skiers and horseback riders because it’s a seemingly uncanny combination.

Salt Lake City resident Jackie Nadel was first introduced to skijoring by a friend who attended a competition in Utah. Nadel couldn’t believe what she was seeing, but as an avid skier who grew up riding horses, she couldn’t resist the urge to try it.

“The most similar thing I could say is it’s like water skiing, with a little bit more excitement and a little more unpredictability,” she said.

As Nadel stepped onto the Ridgway track and adjusted the rope in her hands, she felt her stomach turning. She’s competed before, but few things compare to the feeling of the rope going taut and launching in action. Seconds later, she cleared the first obstacle, gaining some air that almost threw her off kilter.

“It’s similar to some riding in general, it’s a huck and pray,” Nadel said.

Nadel is working to get more women involved in skijoring, especially young women who competed in sports during high school and college. Recruiting first-timers appears to be a pretty easy sell.

Lacey Andersen of Durango competed in San Juan Skijoring’s novice division for the first time last week after a friend who rides horses had their skier drop out of the competition. Andersen, a member of the ski patrol at Purgatory Resort, volunteered to fill the position without doing a single training session.

“You don’t get to do any practice runs or anything. You literally just look at the course and then your first time skiing it behind the horse is your run,” she said. The cheetah-print jacket and fringed chaps over her ski boots didn’t earn her any style points, officially, but they did help boost her confidence.

Similarly, Cam Stark had “a good friend who’s a horse person” and decided to give skijoring a shot. Before the debut run of his nascent skijoring career, the Montrose resident said he felt a little nervous, but he was hardly shaking in his faux fur coat and telemark skis. After completing the course, though, it was pure exhilaration.

“The centrifugal force around the first two turns, that’s where you really felt it,” Stark said. If the rope gets slack, there’s a feeling of whiplash when it pulls tight again, he added.

Skier Mike Ramsden of Grand Junction donned a neon green jumpsuit and partnered with his girlfriend to try skijoring for the first time. On his second run, he took a hard fall over the tips of his skis.

“That’s probably going to hurt tomorrow,” he said afterward. So would he do it again? “Absolutely.”

San Juan Skijoring was the first of several upcoming competitions in Colorado. Here’s where you can check out the action throughout the winter.

Skijoring events in Colorado 2025

Skis and Saddles: Jan. 18-19 at the Archuleta County Fairgrounds, 344 Highway 84, Pagosa Springs. Entry costs $10 for a day pass or $15 for a weekend pass. Children ages 12 and younger get in for free.

Estes Park Skijor: Jan. 24-26 at the Estes Park Event Complex, 1125 Rooftop Way, Estes Park. Entry costs $17.30 for a day pass or $28 for a weekend pass.

Silverton Skijoring: Feb. 15-16 in downtown Silverton. Entry is free.

Leadville Ski Joring: March 1-2 in downtown Leadville. Entry is free.

Albuquerque-born author Kyle Paoletta takes readers on a virtual road trip around his native region, transporting us across hundreds of years and thousands of miles in his new book “American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest.”

He introduces us to what he calls the great cities of the arid Southwest, places that already know much about survival: Las Vegas; Phoenix; Tucson, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and El Paso, Texas. Las Vegas built a destination for international visitors in the middle of a scorching desert. Phoenix has embraced widespread air conditioning to keep people alive in triple-degree heat that would otherwise kill them.

“For so many Americans,” he writes, “it is only in recent years that the climate has begun to be understood as a hostile force. To them, I say: Welcome. We Southwesterners have never known anything different.”

Paoletta then recounts the region’s history and diverse culture, stretching back millennia to when Indigenous peoples adapted to the hot, arid land, building structures with the ribs of Saguaro cactus plants and digging canals to transport water for crops in the Phoenix valley.

Later, the tribes had to contend with Spanish conquistadores as much of the land in the Southwest came under the control of Spain dating back to years before the pilgrims set sail for Plymouth.

Most of the region eventually came under Mexican rule, until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 gave the United States an area that today includes California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.

The promise of overnight wealth later drew Anglo boosters to the region, especially Las Vegas, where East Coast crime boss Bugsy Siegel set up legal casinos and put the city on the road to becoming a premier gambling destination.

But such success didn’t touch many groups that continued to suffer extreme inequities into the 20th century.

Blacks in Phoenix were forced as late as the 1960s to live south of the railroad tracks by racist real estate covenants that barred them from owning property in white neighborhoods. Latinos in Tucson suffered into the 1970s under municipal neglect that razed their barrios for highways or turned them into environmental disaster areas.

And along the U.S.-Mexico border, migrants continued to arrive in the sweltering heat in hopes of getting their own shot at the American Dream, many dying along the way.

People who live in and outside of the Southwest must learn how to care for themselves and others amid the drought and extreme heat if the region and beyond are to survive, Paoletta says.

“We can focus on sustaining ourselves, housing each other, and making room for new migrants willing to live by the same ethos of community and environmental care,” he writes. “Or we can continue to emphasize economic growth at all cost.”

AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews

The Grammy Awards are sticking with their man: Trevor Noah will host the show for the fifth consecutive time, the Grammys announced Tuesday.

Each of the last three telecasts has improved on the last’s ratings, culminating in 2024, when 16.9 million Americans watched — the highest TV audience since the 2020 ceremony.

Last year, the comedian joked about the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and made fun of TikTok and Universal Music Group. “So anything can happen, right?” he said in his monologue. “This is like flying in a Boeing airplane. One minute there’s a door, the next one we are outside.”

The only other people to host five or more Grammy telecasts were musical artists: Andy Williams hosted seven shows, followed by John Denver with six and LL Cool J with five.

In addition to host, Noah will be a producer — and a nominee. His “Where Was I” has a nod for best comedy album. Noah was nominated in the same category last year for “I Wish You Would,” losing to Dave Chappelle. This time he’s up against offerings by Chappelle again, Ricky Gervais, Jim Gaffigan and Nikki Glaser, who hosted the Golden Globes.

Beyoncé goes into the night with the most nods. “Cowboy Carter” is up for album and country album of the year, and “Texas Hold ’Em” is nominated for record, song and country song of the year. Post Malone is just behind Beyoncé, with seven nominations, tied with Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Charli xcx, who earned her first nominations as a solo artist.

For more Grammys coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards

LAS VEGAS — Circus Circus, the venerable 56-year-old north Strip resort that caters to families and low-budget visitors, may soon be sold by owner Phil Ruffin, according to a published report.

Ruffin, who also owns Treasure Island, is in Washington for President Donald Trump’s inauguration and was unavailable for comment Friday, but a story in business magazine Forbes outlined Ruffin’s strategy for selling the property, saying it and the surrounding 102 acres used as an outdoor festival grounds is worth $5 billion.

“It’s the best piece of land on the West Coast,” Ruffin said in the Forbes article. “It’s got the highway, it’s got the Sahara, it’s got 2,000 feet on the Strip, and it’s the last Strip property. And 102 acres is just a massive amount of land — you can almost build a city on it.”

Ruffin said he has been approached by buyers to sell the 3,767-room property, but he did not say who the potential buyers are. If he sells Circus Circus, Ruffin told Forbes he will use the proceeds to buy another property, possibly in Las Vegas.

Ruffin’s potential sale of Circus Circus mirrors a strategy he used when acquiring the Frontier in 1998 for $165 million. After helping settle a labor dispute at the Frontier, Ruffin established the New Frontier, but ended up selling it nine years later for $1.2 billion.

He used that as seed money to acquire Treasure Island and to partner with Trump, one of his best friends, to build the neighboring non-gaming Trump International Hotel

“Why do you think I bought Circus Circus?” Ruffin said in the Forbes article. “For the 102 acres. That’s the land play. Remember what I did at the Frontier, how the value of the land went crazy — here it’s going crazier.”

The north Strip seems to be well positioned for prosperity, even as some of Circus Circus’ neighbors struggle.

Other north Strip properties

Snuggled between the Sahara and Fontainebleau Las Vegas is a 17-acre property under development by LVXP, a team of Las Vegas-based real estate professionals that hopes to build a 752-foot, 2,605-unit hotel and condominium project with an 18,000-seat arena and a 6,000-seat theater. The Clark County Commission has green lit development of that project.

Just south of Fontainebleau on 10 acres where the Riviera once stood is land being developed by Brett Torino and his BPS Partners LLC.

County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the plan for the mixed-use attraction featuring two 600-foot towers and a 439-foot amusement ride at Las Vegas and Elvis Presley boulevards.

The towers would include a 750-room nongaming hotel and a 425-unit multifamily condominium. A 3,310-seat domed performance venue also is tabbed for the easternmost five acres, which Fontainebleau is buying for $112.5 million.

The north Strip is home to the city’s newest convention venue, the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall. And, a few blocks south is Sphere, the 17,000-seat entertainment venue that has activated a new push to become one of the most active arenas around with multiple shows daily and a lineup of concert residencies that currently includes the Eagles, Dead & Company and the newest addition, country star Kenny Chesney, whose shows begin in May.

While the future appears bright for the neighborhood, not all of the existing resorts are flourishing.

Sphere Entertainment, which operates the Sphere, lost $480 million last year. The company’s next earnings call is weeks away.

Resorts World Las Vegas, which opened in 2021 and is mired in regulatory issues, recently reported its worst quarter in two years with revenues down 23 percent.

The Fontainebleau, partly owned by Koch Real Estate Investments, is reportedly struggling to find its financial footing, the Forbes article stated.

Bright days for Circus

Ruffin sees brighter days ahead and says Circus Circus is performing well.

“We do well,” Ruffin told Forbes. “We sell $2 beer, $2 hot dogs, $2 popcorn. People love it. A guy can eat and drink for six bucks.”

While the property routinely attracts customers on a low budget, it has a steady customer base with its live circus acts – a staple for the property since it opened – its indoor amusement park, Adventuredome, and its next-door neighbor, Slots O Fun.

According to the Forbes article, when Ruffin sells Circus Circus, he plans to buy another property on the Strip with the proceeds, thus avoiding paying capital gains. His preference is to buy something in Las Vegas, where Brendan Bussmann, a gaming industry analyst with Las Vegas-based B Global, said “everything is always on the table” at the right price.

But if Las Vegas does not work out for Ruffin’s next move, he is willing to look for opportunities in other states.

“I have my eyes on some properties,” Ruffin said. “It could be in another town, if it’s good enough.”

Ruffin already owns a greyhound racing track in his former hometown, Wichita, Kansas, converting it to a racino to be called The Golden Circle with a $200 million investment. He plans to add an outdoor concert venue and install a Gilley’s Saloon similar to what he has at Treasure Island by fall.

He also owns Casino Miami in Florida, managing it from his Las Vegas office.

___

©2025 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Visit reviewjournal.com.. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

CHESSY, France (AP) — A cutting-edge nighttime show at Disneyland Paris featuring lasers used at the Paris Games is heralding a bold new chapter for Europe’s most-visited theme park, as a raft of ambitious developments comes to fruition under a 2 billion euro ($2.05 billion) expansion plan.

The overhaul includes the completed revamp of the luxury Disneyland Hotel, the upcoming renaming and doubling in size of Walt Disney Studios Park, and the much-anticipated arrival of The World of Frozen and a first-of-its-kind The Lion King land — cementing the resort’s gains after the wilderness years for theme parks during the pandemic.

Disney Tales of Magic

Disney Tales of Magic, an immersive 20-minute spectacle blending mind-boggling drones, synchronized fountains, high-definition projections and ultra-bright lasers, was unveiled this month, wowing crowds.

The show’s standout feature — ultra-bright lasers — has been used only once before, at the Paris 2024 Olympics at the Eiffel Tower during the iconic opening ceremony featuring a performance by Celine Dion. The lasers, which travel 23 miles (37 kilometers), deliver extraordinary power while remaining safe near crowds.

“The Paris Olympics used it first. But we saw it first,” said Dana Harrel, executive entertainment director at Disneyland Paris.

Featuring Disney and Pixar tales brought to life amid drone-made 3D figures dazzling the night sky, synchronized fountains and a 100-piece orchestra, the show is elevated further by the original anthem “Live in Magic.”

Audiences of any age have been awestruck. “It’s marvelous. We’ve never seen such a beautiful light show,” said Sacha Tellier, a 33-year-old mother visiting with her family. “It gave me goosebumps,” added Nathan Ruiz, a graphic designer from Madrid. “The combination of music, lights, and the drones felt like pure magic. I’ve been to Disney before, but this show is on another level.”

“For the very first time, not only will we be projecting onto Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, but also Main Street USA,” said Tim Lutkin, artistic director of the production, referring to the park’s main commercial artery lined with boutiques and merchandise.

The spectacle also reflects Disney’s storytelling evolution. Lutkin noted the shift from classic ballgown tales to modern narratives like “Encanto” and “Inside Out 2,” which delve into deeper themes such as anxiety and depression. The level of the latter’s box office success, Lutkin said, “was a big surprise for everybody.”

It was “an indicator the world and its relationship with Disney are ready to embrace more complex stories.”

This shift is mirrored in the show’s selection of movies, spanning Disney’s timeless classics and emotionally resonant modern hits.

Disney Adventure World

At the heart of Disneyland Paris’ expansion is the transformation of Walt Disney Studios Park, doubling in size and reimagined as Disney Adventure World. Opening in spring 2025, a new park entrance, World Premiere, will greet visitors with the glamour of a Hollywood film premiere, leading them into immersive themed areas.

“These projects reflect our commitment to innovation and storytelling,” said Natacha Rafalski, head of Disneyland Paris, adding that they will further strengthen it as Europe’s top tourist destination.

Already Europe’s most-visited theme park and France’s top tourist attraction outdrawing the Louvre, Disneyland Paris welcomed over 10 million visitors in 2023.

The expansion includes two eagerly awaited themed lands. The World of Frozen, debuting in 2026, will transport guests to Arendelle with a central lake hosting water performances and the Frozen Ever After boat ride, alongside themed dining, shopping, and accommodations. Meanwhile, The Lion King land will bring the Pride Lands to life with a log flume cascading from Pride Rock and encounters with beloved characters like Simba and Timon.

Life after the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic delivered one the toughest challenges to Disneyland Paris, as with all resort parks around the world, forcing an eight-month closure in 2020 and another in 2021.

But Disney doubled down.

The ongoing €2 billion expansion is part of a $60 billion global investment announced in September 2023, aiming to redefine Disney parks, cruises and attractions over the next decade.

A centerpiece of the Paris overhaul is the revamped Disneyland Hotel, with suites themed around classic Disney royalty.

Birth and evolution

Disneyland Paris opened in 1992 under its original name, Euro Disney Resort. Situated just outside Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, it marked Disney’s first foray into Europe. However, the park’s early years were fraught with challenges, including cultural missteps, financial struggles and lower-than-expected visitor numbers. Critics in France derided it as an American cultural invasion, dubbing it a “cultural Chernobyl.”

To reverse its fortunes, the park underwent significant rebranding, changing its name to Disneyland Paris in 1994 to emphasize its French location and connection to the capital. Over time, strategic changes, including the addition of new attractions and a shift in marketing, helped the resort recover. It is now a cornerstone of Disney’s global operations.

That, plus those who operate the restaurant are known as “well respected veterans in the hospitality industry.”

Not only was it recently named 2024 restaurant of the year, that honor also made the relative newcomer the first Fairfield County restaurant to capture the state title from Connecticut Restaurant Association.

Bar Rosina’s in Greenwich topped all the others in the CRA’s Crazies awards, where 25,000 votes were cast by the public and industry experts.

CRA president and CEO Scott Dolch, who didn’t have a vote in the awards, said the win “is a big deal in that area, especially a restaurant that is a stone’s throw from the New York line getting recognized as the best in the state.”

The restaurant was opened in August 2021 by longtime friends Chef Jared Falco, 39, and Coby Blount, 40, who specializes in working front of house and is general manager.

The two met working in a restaurant in 2014 and became fast friends with a dream to open their own place.

“I’ve had the opportunity to dine at the restaurant and their food, drinks and overall hospitality was extraordinary,” Dolch said.

Falco, who has been experimenting with cuisine since childhood, as both of his parents worked, later “fell in love with business,” he said.

Receiving the Best Restaurant in Connecticut award, “blew me away,” he said.

“For me it was a surprise. We were significantly younger and never thought we had a shot,” he said.

But Dolch isn’t surprised, he said all the signs of success were there.

“They are both well respected veterans in the hospitality industry in Fairfield County,” Dolch said.

He said Chef Jared was a finalist for Chef of the Year at the CRAZIES in 2022, their bartender Juan Meyer was up for Bartender of the Year in 2022 and the restaurant was a finalist for Restaurant Newcomer in 2022. This is the 6th year of the awards.

“Also know that Chef Jared has a huge chef following among the chef/culinary community, he is a rising star who works hard on his craft day in and day out,” Dolch said.

Guests who have reviewed the restaurant online rave about the food and atmosphere in the restaurant with simple, but elegant decor.

“The food here was fantastic! Awesome drinks and wine list too,” one guest wrote. “Everything is made in house with a clear passion for food. We ordered a lot, and everything was absolutely delicious.”

Another wrote: “We love bringing the family here… The ambience in the restaurant is perfect, with a solid menu and wine list to match. Wood fired pizzas with perfect base/crust and all homemade pasta.”

Blount said they’re going for an “upbeat, energetic vibe,” and reviews indicate that’s been accomplished.

Everything on the menu is from scratch, the pasta, the cheese, and the fresh produce flows from many sources, as the restaurant has a garden, they buy at farmer’s markets and Blount’s father-in-law, a silent partner, contributes from his own massive garden.

The restaurant is named after Blount’s father-in-law/silent partner’s late mother, Rosina, an avid cook and gardener.

Blount said they buy products “hyper local,” including meats.

“We do our best to make guests happy,” Blount said. “I like that every day there’s a new challenge… a new chance to make someone’s day better.”

The menu is brimming with interesting offerings, including appetizers such as ravioli filled with house made ricotta and truffle; octopus and potato with marinara, pimento, lemon aioli; chicken cutlet with house breading, parmesan, lemon; grilled artichoke with garlic aioli.

One online reviewer said Bar Rosina’s Caesar salad is “the best” she’s ever had.

They carry 11 kinds of New York-style pizza, eight pasta dishes and entrees such as center cut veal chop parmesan, Branzino, New York strip, and chicken scarpariello.

One reviewer said Bar Rosina, “Is a place I dream about now.”

“A fantastic restaurant where you walk in and immediately feel at home. The attention to detail is everywhere,” they wrote.

Another reviewer wrote the pasta was “delicate, yet firm,” with the most perfect juxtaposition of mouthfeel.”

Customers say Chef Jared and Blount are quick to engage them.

“These guys are the best,” the reviewer wrote.