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(News | Source: WDW Central) Waste Management will be opening a 100,000 square foot interactive ‘playground’ at Innoventions. The playground will educate guests about the latest advances in waste disposal and how Waste Management handles garbage in a ‘green’ way. The attraction will feature a life-sized garbage truck with kiosks that allow you to create [...]

(News | Source: Orlando Sentinel) Roger Clemens will not be appearing at Walt Disney World’s ESPN The Weekend probably due to the steroids allegations surrounding him. ESPN released a written statement from Clemens which did not specifically mention the steroids allegations. “I had been looking forward to ESPN The Weekend. Given some strong feelings in [...]

(News | Source: CNN) The Walt Disney Company spent about $4.4 million lobbying the federal government in 2007 on issues relating to travel, copyright licenses, visa policy, border enforcement, airport operations and trade. Disney also lobbied the Federal Communications Commission on legislations dealing with child pornography, online predators and indecent programming.

(News | Source: Disneyland) Disneyland is offering a chance to tour the Dream Suite at Disneyland via a contest on their website. Members will need to register on the site for the chance to get a twenty minute tour of the Dream Suite between March 3-6 of this year.

(News | Source: Business Wire) Disney Online has officially announced its next virtual online world, Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow. It will be based on the popular Disney Fairies franchise. The game will allow fans to play and chat with other friends, go on quests for Tinker Bell, play games, earn badges, craft jewelry, clothes and [...]

(News | Source: One News Now) The Parents Television Council (PTC) is alarmed that the Walt Disney Company would appeal a $1.43 million dollar fine for an episode of NYPD Blue in 2003 on ABC. Melissa Henson of PTC said “It is disappointing, given that ABC has a[n] … association with what was once considered [...]

(News | Source: Times of India) The Walt Disney Company is planning on expanding the 15 Disney Stores in India to 135 by 2011. Disney is trying to strengthen its presence in the rapidly growing market. Disney plans to open the stores as franchises and would be operated under a license agreement with Devyani International, [...]

(News | Source: Orlando Sentinel) The first phase of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas time share units is complete. Disney finished the work on the last of the 109 units that have been converted from hotel rooms to the time share rooms on the upper levels of the resort. The second phase, titled Kidani Village, should [...]

(News | Source: Xbox Team) There is new Disney Channel content available on Xbox Live Marketplace including Hannah Montana, High School Musical 1 and 2, Jump In, Phineas and Ferb, Suite Life of Zak and Cody, and Wizards of Waverly Place.

(News | Source: After Dawn) Disney is now offering a $10 rebate on select Blu-ray titles purchased before December 31, 2008. Buyers must send in both a UPC, the original insert and a copy of the receipt. Disney has yet to announce if the program would be expanded.

(News | Source: AP) Utah is trying to draw Disney Interactive Studios to its state by offering tax rebates if the company creates 500 jobs in 10 years. If the studio can meet the obligation, they will be able to recover 30 percent of its sales, payroll and corporate taxes. Disney has two studios, Avalanche [...]

(News | Source: The Sports Network) The Tampa Bay Devil Rays will return to Disney’s Wide World of Sports to play three games in 2008. The Rays will play against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 22nd – 24th. Last year the Rays played the Texas Rangers at the complex which marked the first regular [...]

(News | Source: Orange County Register) In Anaheim, California, hundreds of union members marched in front of Disney hotels to protest how the company is handling stalled salary negotiations. The union and Disney managers can’t agree where to hold negotiations after the 2,300 members contracts expired. A crowd of 350 to 550 union members picketed [...]

News stories featured in this week’s podcast: Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting an American Idol based attraction (source). A safari truck in Animal Kingdom caught on fire (source). Disneyland gets a new house of the future (source). Disney acquires a stake in Spain’s Net TV (source). Ali Lohan (Lindsay’s sister) is trying out for a [...]

(News | Source: Tampa Bays 10) The Walt Disney Company said that it has broke its all-time traffic hits in January. Disney found that the web site had 27.5 million unique visitors beating all its previous traffic records. The traffic was a 10 percent increase which Disney attributes to it’s new domain, www.piratesonline.com, for the [...]