Disney opens first store in China
In a slice of daily German life, shepherd Ruediger Kassuhn and his dogs lead a flock of sheep across Iden in eastern Germany. The sheep will be used for the landscape care of the vast local meadows during spring.
NEW YORK » Disney says it has opened its first store in China, calling its new Shanghai location the largest Disney Store in the world.
The company said the store is 9,257 square feet in size and has an outdoor plaza. It has characters and products from Disney, Marvel, “Star Wars” and Pixar, along with a music and projection show, a Mickey Mouse-shaped roof, and sculpted hot air balloons.
The company said the Lujiazui area, where the store is based, is visited by about 40 million tourists every year.
At the end of its last fiscal year, The Walt Disney Co. says there were 210 Disney Stores in North America, with 73 locations in Europe and 45 in Japan. The company’s Shanghai Disney theme park is expected to open in 2016.
Shares of Disney slipped a penny to $110.55 in morning trading Wednesday. Its shares are up more than 36 percent over the past year.
Mayflower II heads back home
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MYSTIC, Conn. » A replica of the Mayflower is back at sea, headed home for the busy summer tourist season.
The ship has been undergoing renovations at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut since December as part of a multiyear plan. Officials hope to have the ship repaired by 2020 — the 400th anniversary of the original Mayflower crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
The ship left Mystic on Tuesday and is scheduled to arrive at Plimoth Plantation on Wednesday afternoon. It is to return to Connecticut for more repairs the next two winters.
The Mayflower II first launched in 1957. This winter, the ship was repainted and 130 tons of stone and rusting iron ballast was replaced. Workers also replaced bilge and fire pumps and 300 feet of planking.
Rockfall closes Yellowstone trail
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. » Heavy rain and snow has caused a rockfall and mudslide across a popular Yellowstone National Park trail, forcing its closure until further notice.
The National Park Service says one rock that crashed down on the Brink of the Lower Falls Trail is nearly 7 feet tall and 8 feet long, effectively blocking the trail in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Canyon District Ranger Tim Townsend says no work can be done to clear the trail until the unstable slope above it dries out.
Visitors may still hike the nearby North Rim Trail.
Rangers say many trails and other areas in Yellowstone are saturated. Current trail condition reports are available at Yellowstone visitor’s centers or backcountry offices.
