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‘Robust little’ vessel begins treacherous 22,000km journey around Antarctica in the name of climate science
Powered by sun and wind, the uncrewed vehicle will collect data to help Australian scientists better understand how oceans absorb emissions
Advanced Health Tech Research Continues to Protect Astronaut Health
Advanced health research, including ultrasound scans, blood tests, and exercise studies, using the latest technology in microgravity was on Thursday’s schedule for the Expedition 75 crew. The orbital residents also continued their ongoing cargo operations and maintenance tasks aboard the International Space Station.
Business Loop 70 in Columbia set to close under I-70 Thursday night
Business Loop 70 will close under Interstate 70 in Columbia overnight on Thursday for crews to remove signs on the bridge.
NASA to Study Human Health, Performance During Crew-13 Mission
During NASA's SpaceX Crew‑13 mission aboard the International Space Station, astronauts will support a series of biomedical and human health performance...
UConn chemical hazard closes campus science buildings, officials say
Officials said crews are currently working to mitigate the situation.
Jeff Probst explains ‘Survivor 51’ premiere tribute to Finian Shea Johnson
‘Survivor 51’ ended its premiere with a tribute to Finian Shea Johnson. Host Jeff Probst honors the late crew member and explains how much he meant to the show.
Crews put out fire at Montague business
Firefighters from across Franklin County responded to a business fire in Montague this afternoon
Crew Studies Advanced Health Tech and Gears Up for Next Crew Swap
Ultrasound scans using augmented reality and artificial intelligence topped the health research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 75 crew also collected blood and saliva samples to study how the immune system adapts to weightlessness. The orbital residents are now preparing for a crew swap as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission announces a launch date.
Class is back in session at Robbins Science Center
Since the school bus crash at Robbins Science Center on June 2, facilities have worked over the summer to repair the damage. “The building had substantial water damage after the bus hit a sprinkler pipe and set off the sprinkler system. It took several weeks to dry out the building so reconstruction could begin. Crews...
It's a Date: Youthclusive Posts Tryouts for 'The Prom'
Young Santa Barbara County performers, musicians, directors, designers, technicians, and crew members are invited to audition with Youthclusive Sept.
What happened to ‘The Love Boat’ cast? See the crew of the Pacific Princess 40 years later
That swirling theme music could mean only one thing: The Pacific Princess was pulling in with its appealing crew and oodles of celebrity guests. See the stars of ‘The Love Boat’ more than 40 years after the finale.
Hartford crews investigate fire at business on Maple Avenue, firefighters say no injuries reported
Roundtable Rams Episode 36
Roundtable Rams crew James Brizuela and Billie Melissa break down the Los Angeles Rams Week 2 victory over the New York Giants.
🔴LIVE WNEM Morning Extra: Crews to break ground on MyMichigan Health-CMU medical building
Here are the latest stories from the TV5 newsroom!
Brad Keselowski Parting Ways With NASCAR Cup Series Crew Chief
Brad Keselowski and RFK Racing are parting ways with crew chief Jeremy Bullins, effective immediately. Bullins was Keselowski’s crew chief from the beginning of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season and was previously atop the driver’s pit box at Team Penske. Mike Skarbowski, an RFK Racing engineer, will serve as Keselowski’s interim crew chief. No announcement […] The post Brad Keselowski Parting Ways With NASCAR Cup Series Crew Chief appeared first on HEAVY.
FAA grounds flights at major Northeast airports after fiber line cut
An Amtrak construction crew accidentally cut a fiber-optic line, disrupting flights at Newark Liberty, JFK, LaGuardia and other Northeast airports.
Roundtable Ravens Episode 40 - Reactions to Week 2 Loss
Roundtable Ravens crew James Brizuela and Billie Melissa break down the Baltimore Ravens' loss to the New Orleans Saints.
HSG taps Crew’s Shepro to lead business operations for Columbus NWSL franchise
Mary Shepro, promoted to president of the Crew last year, will now oversee business operations for both the Crew and the forthcoming NWSL expansion franchise.
Fire burns several units at Tigard storage business; Hwy 99 South briefly closed at scene
Southbound lanes on Highway 99 were closed for about an hour on Sunday night as crews battled a fire in a Tigard storage center, according to firefighters.
Chileno Fire burns 300+ acres in Marin County as health advisory issued
(KRON) — A grass fire dubbed the Chileno Fire has burned through more than 300 acres in Marin County. The Marin County Fire Department said crews responded at 4:40 p.m. Sunday near Chileno Va…
Crews battle large 3-alarm fire at Rockport business, town water supply affected
Crews are battling a large three-alarm fire at a business in Rockport, Massachusetts.
Hundreds line up for free caffeinated drinks at 7 Brew stand in South Charleston
A crew of about 30 gave away free sweet, colorful caffeinated iced drinks on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, at the not-yet-opened 7 Brew location in the Park Place retail center in South Charleston, West Virginia. The Arkansas-based chain expects to open at 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 5, 2026.
'Trespasses' review: Come for the romance, stay for the historical drama
This adaptation of Louise Kennedy's 2022 debut novel on PBS follows a clandestine affair between a young Catholic schoolteacher and a Protestant barrister during the Troubles in Ireland.
‘Terrible Segment,’ ‘Best Sports Show on TV’ — NFL Fans Have Mixed Reactions to FOX Sports Analyst Mocking ESPN Star Pat McAfee’s Latest Controversy
Pat McAfee’s latest viral moment did not stay confined to ESPN for long. By Friday, Nick Wright and the “First Things First” crew turned it into material for their own show, and the response to the bit was almost as divided as the original controversy.
Bilodeau’s Bakery Returns for Palmetto Sports Daily’s Locks of the Week
WATCH: Palmetto Sports Daily crew predicts their “Locks of the Week” for college football games including a cupcake selection and splitting on LSU-Ole Miss.
Palmetto Sports Daily: Dabo, Belichick share mutual respect, SC’s anticipated Mississippi State matchup
The crew discusses what to look forward to in Gamecock's SEC opener against Mississippi State and how Clemon QB Tait Reynolds can improve his play against UNC.
I listened to every ACL Fest 2026 act
Every year when the Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup comes out, a new group of people joins the "I can't believe I'm this old and out of touch" crew. Trust us, we don't recognize half of the acts either.
'Shrinking' And 'Ted Lasso' Producer Bill Lawrence To Be Honored By Project Healthy Minds
Project Healthy Minds will honor TV producer Bill Lawrence and host NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns and actor Terry Crews at two mental health events.
Another new TOD project takes shape in Hicksville
Developers and construction crews mark topping off of $58 million Fieldstone at North Broadway, a transit-oriented mixed-use project in Hicksville.
Palmetto Sports Daily: Staff changes made at UNC ahead of Clemson game, Vicari Swain keeps exploiting punt teams
The crew discusses what to look forward to in Gamecock's SEC opener against Mississippi State and how Clemon QB Tait Reynolds can improve his play against UNC.
Worker's arm trapped in machinery at Rockville business, shock trauma team called to scene
Rescue crews are working to free a worker whose arm and hand became trapped in industrial machinery in Rockville, Maryland.
'Crew Girl' cements Miku Martineau as Netflix's next YA star. She's ready for the ship wars.
"Crew Girl" star Miku Martineau on leading Netflix's hit TV drama, taking sides on Teagan's love triangle and navigating her breakout moment.
Crews respond to structure fire at Ocala manufacturing business
Ocala Fire Rescue crews responded to a structure fire Wednesday at a manufacturing business, according to officials.
Columbus Crew clinch berth in US Open Cup final
By Dylan ButlerThe Columbus Crew have booked their spot in the 2026 US Open Cup final, defeating Orlando City, 2-1, in the semifinals at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field Wednesday night.The Crew, seeking their...
Palmetto Sports Daily: Expectations for SC in first SEC game, How Tait Reynolds can improve vs. UNC
The crew discusses what to look forward to in Gamecock's SEC opener against Mississippi State and how Clemon QB Tait Reynolds can improve his play against UNC.
NFL Screws Detroit Lions TWICE Following Outstanding Week 1 Performances
Jahmyr Gibbs and Aidan Hutchinson posted monster Week 1 numbers, but the NFL passed over both Lions stars for NFC weekly honors.
How to Bring AI into the Business Without Losing the Brand
Featuring Danielle Schmelkin, Chief Information Officer, J.Crew Group and Libby Wadle, CEO, J.Crew GroupModerated by Elizabeth Segran, Senior Writer, Fast
Donald Sherman testifies on Trump’s foreign business interests and conflicts of interest - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
CREW President Donald Sherman testifies on the impact of Trump’s foreign conflicts of interest and how this corruption harms Americans.
Emergency crews respond to incident at south Topeka business
Incident reported at Harbor Freight store.
Why did Tom Bergeron leave “DWTS”? Here’s why he felt ‘screwed’ after his original departure
The OG host’s departure came amid a controversial casting decision.
Cornell scientists win History Center treasure hunt, claim $10,000 bounty of jewels
A motley crew of mostly Cornell University graduate students and scientists from across different STEM programs won the History Center in Tompkins County’s Treasure Hunt Sunday, taking home a prize […]
Research for Space Manufacturing, Crew Health Begins Week Aboard Station
Lead-free soldering, space science hardware, and human research were the main science focus aboard the International Space Station on Monday. The Expedition 75 crew members also programmed automated Earth photography gear and serviced a variety of life support hardware aboard the orbital outpost.
In Gen Z Romance Shows Like Crew Girl, Sports Are the New Sex
A new generation of hit romance shows set among sweaty athletes suggests that for younger viewers, getting physical is no longer just about sex
Roundtable Ravens Episode 39
Roundtable Ravens crew James Brizuela and Billie Melissa break down the Baltimore Ravens' Week 1 win against the Indianapolis Colts.
No Camera Crew? No Problem.
Use A Free AI Video Generator - One Stop Solution For All Your Creative Videos
Panama looks to science, fishers, and the law to protect its sharks and rays
PUERTO CAIMITO, Panama — It’s a late April morning and the Tabor, an industrial fishing boat, is sailing around Chepillo Island in Panama Bay. Under the eyes of the crew, Yehudi Rodríguez, a marine biologist specializing in sharks, and sailor Joel Cordoba free a large black devil ray from a purse seine net and launch […]
UT San Antonio eDNA research targets real-world challenges in agriculture and public health
The new project from scientist Mariah Hopkins will explore whether eDNA can provide earlier detection of New World screwworm.
UT San Antonio eDNA research targets real-world challenges in agriculture and public health
The new project from scientist Mariah Hopkins will explore whether eDNA can provide earlier detection of New World screwworm.
UNMC’s Saxena Health Center to Display Chihuly Sculpture Formerly at Joslyn
Crews will install a recognizable sculpture by world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly inside the Nebraska Medicine Saxena Health Center, currently under construction on the southeast corner of 42nd & Farnam street. The piece, “Dale Chihuly: Inside & Out,” will be visible through the 3-story glass-enclosed lobby on the building’s northwest corner. It was previously on […]
America's Health Care System Is So Screwed That Patients Are Flying to China for Cancer Treatment
An experimental cancer treatment developed in the US has become a standalone industry in China, attracting throngs of medical tourists.
Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers Game Picks and Predictions
The WCG crew, including @wiltfongjr, @GOOCH1701, @SamHouseholder, @iamcogs, and @jacobinfante24, makes their Bears-Panthers picks and predictions here.
Southampton fire draws mutual aid from area departments
Emergency crews are on the scene of a fire in Southampton.
👊 When they screw me over...: Falcioni slams the refereeing
Atlético Tucumán head coach Julio César Falcioni made harsh accusations against the refereeing after the defeat to River Plate. The experienced manager expressed his outrage over decisions he belie...
Inside Hegseth’s push to showcase a dramatic Iran rescue on ‘60 Minutes’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and political appointees in his office pushed for the two crew members of an F-15 who were shot down over Iran in April to participate in Sunday’s highly-publicized “60 Minutes” report about the ensuing rescue operation, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
ESPN's College Gameday All Pick Texas to Defeat Ohio State
The ESPN College Gameday crew all picked the Texas Longhorns to beat the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
Friday Morning Lights: Mexico High School
Watch a compilation of NewsChannel 9’s Friday Morning Lights at Mexico High School MEXICO, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — It’s been a year already? Somehow, someway, it’s Friday Morning Lights time. This morning, our crew went to Mexico Central School District, where we set up shop at their high school’s football field. Although it was unusually chilly, many […]
9/11 Firefighter on Rudy's Mamdani Attack: 'Leave Politics Out of It'
In the National Geographic docuseries, Bill Spade, the sole survivor of Staten Island’s Rescue Company 5 crew, finally tells an NYPD officer’s sons about their father’s last moments.
Pleasanton police investigating string of predawn business burglaries
Pleasanton police are investigating multiple burglaries that took place before dawn on Thursday. Nearly 20 businesses, mostly restaurants, were broken into. Investigators believe this is the result of the same crew of burglars.
Expedition 75 Works on Science Hardware, Spacesuits, and Crew Filming
Science hardware and spacesuit maintenance were the main tasks aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. The Expedition 75 crew members also filmed and photographed daily life inside of the station for audiences on Earth.
Fire at commercial business park in Lancaster County closes roadway
EAST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) — Crews are on the scene of an ongoing fire at a commercial business park in Lancaster County. According to the East Lampeter Township Police Department, fi…
Dozens of crews on scene of business fire in Lancaster County
Roads are closed in East Lampeter Township while crews battle a business fire.
Dengue outbreak in Hillsborough County: Health officials warn spread could take time to slow
Health and mosquito control officials are warning residents that Hillsborough County’s dengue outbreak could take time to wind down as crews continue working to find and treat mosquito breedi…
New Intermountain Health Flight & Ambulance Services base
New Intermountain Health Flight & Ambulance Services base at Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital will save response time and enhance patient care
Firefighters battle early morning fire at Richland business
RICHLAND, Wash. - The 7-11 convenience store off Duportail and Wright Avenue in Richland is closed after it was damaged in an early morning fire Wednesday.The call for help came in just before a.m. When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke coming from the building attached to the 7-11 and could see flames inside.Several fire crews responded to the area and a ladder truck was used to attack the fire from above. Richland police also arrived on scene to shut down streets so fire crews could work in the tight space. They also helped with people living close to the fire get out safely.Firefighters were able to get the fire under control but it continued to flare up and crews were finally released from the scene just before 6 a.m. A crew remained on the scene to continue checking the area. Fire investigators are also at the scene.The 7-11 remains closed until further notice after the building was heavily damaged by smoke and water. The building attached to it was destroyed.The cause of the fire has not yet been released. Injuries are also unknown. We are gathering more information at this time.COPYRIGHT 2026 BY APPLE VALLEY NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
MAC Challenges Michigan Win, Big Ten Fires Back
The Big Ten has responded after the MAC accused its replay crew of failing to follow proper protocol during Michigan’s miracle win over Western Michigan.
2026 NFL Season Award Predictions: Protector of the Year
The WCG Crew is predicting the 2026 NFL Awards, and next is our pick for Protector of the Year. Could the award stay in Chicago?
Can This Orlando Magic Trio Exceed Expectations?
New head coach Sean Sweeney aims to ignite a stagnant offense and harness the defensive grit of Paolo Banchero’s crew to solidify Orlando as an Eastern powerhouse.
Astronaut Health, Lunar and Earth Photography Fill Crew’s Research Schedule
Exploring astronaut health and photographing the Moon and Earth topped the research schedule for the Expedition 75 crew aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The orbital residents also kept up life support maintenance following the departure of cargo spacecraft the day before.
Roundtable Rams Episode 34
Roundtable Rams crew James Brizuela and Billie Melissa break down the Los Angeles Rams Week 1 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.
Six decades of politics (but little government)
The first aired episode of “Star Trek,” entitled “The Man Trap,” premiered on September 8, 1966 — 60 years ago today. I’m actually editing a political science fiction issue of The Forum right now, and it’s prompted to me think a lot about the ways that Trek deals with politics and government and what it’s offered us as commentary. The @smotus report is a reader-supported publication. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe The original TV series ran from 1966 to 1969. It had a loyal but modest following, but the audience grew substantially with the series in syndication for years after that. The franchise developed its first motion picture in 1979, followed by five sequels, and then a whole other series of films built around the “Next Generation” series that first aired in 1987. In recent decades, several more TV series have built up around it, including the current “Strange New Worlds,” now in its fourth season. Throughout the past six decades, the franchise has offered us a good many insights into US politics and international relations, although often disguised as science fiction yarns. The original series was largely a Cold War fable, with the United Federation of Planets (a stand-in for the US) perpetually at odds with the Klingon Empire (a stand-in for the USSR). The “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” episode (1969) posited a planet divided into two races, largely indistinguishable to outsiders, but nonetheless constituting a brutal racial hierarchy. “Patterns of Force” (1968) showed a struggling planet where the leader had attempted to construct a benevolent dictatorship — literally Nazism without bigotry — and found that authoritarianism could not exist apart from hierarchy and oppression. (Relatedly, I’d put “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” high on a list of dad films about the end of the Cold War, near “The Hunt for Red October.”) Get 20% off for 1 year Indeed, the original series itself was something of a political statement, with a multi-racial crew running the Enterprise, a diverse and largely peaceful Federation mostly free from want and oppression, and protected by Starfleet, an armed force whose scientific mission was at least as important as its military one. Famously, when Nichelle Nichols wanted to walk away from the role of Uhura on the original series, none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. met with her and urged her to remain on the show, discussing the importance of viewers seeing an intelligent Black woman as part of the command team three centuries hence. Later series in the Trek franchise offered a good deal of political commentary on their own, but probably none as explicitly and incisively as “Deep Space Nine,” which ran from 1993 to 1999. The episodes surrounding the Dominion War, especially the “In The Pale Moonlight” (1998), showed the compromises, sacrifices, and moral rot associated with winning even a just war — probably better than any series would until “Andor” (2022-25). In “Far Beyond The Stars” (1998), Captain Benjamin Sisko is somehow transplanted to the role of a science fiction writer in 1950s New York. The writer is frequently sidelined and his ideas stolen because publishers don’t want to credit a Black writer. Several series have depicted the secretive Section 31 — an unacknowledged black ops security force operating within Starfleet. These episodes often end up using Section 31 as a foil to show the dangers of a lawless group within a lawful society, even (especially) when that group posits itself as essential for everyone else’s freedom to continue. The current “Strange New Worlds” has played with a few political themes. I found the first two seasons of this show among the best that the Trek franchise has produced in decades, but this season and the last have really been struggling for ideas. Yet one interesting thread is the idea that the diplomatic and enlightened leadership style of Captain Christopher Pike will not work in all situations. “A Quality of Mercy” (2022), which I wrote about here, puts Pike in the middle of a battle with a Romulan vessel in an alternate timeline, and finds that Pike’s conciliatory style would actually make a lengthy and deadly war more likely, while a quick and more violent approach might have prevented the war. This season’s opener, “Valles Marineris,” shows a pre-lightspeed civilization locked in a war to the death with a neighboring planet. The idea of an alliance or a federation hasn’t even occurred to them — their ship’s commander is curious but doesn’t see it as an option. For a franchise as political as “Star Trek,” one thing we almost never see is the government. We get occasional glimpses of Starfleet’s council — mostly uniformed people at a rectangular table — but almost no sense of how the Federation is governed. Are there elections? Who is in the legislature? How much power does the president have? What kind of factional divisions do they wrestle with and how? The shows and films are pretty silent on this. We’ve seen a few military tribunals within Starfleet, but little about how civilians deal with crime and injustice. With recent years seeing some of the franchise’s more interesting plot lines and casts, it seems clear that Star Trek is still full of energy and ideas. Given the erosion of American democracy and the reshuffling of the international order, there’s no shortage of material for future shows to comment on. I’m not sure we should toast to 60 more years, but cheers to a show that continues to teach us about ourselves. Share
Elizabeth Holmes documentary upends Telluride Film Festival
A month before Holmes, the founder of Theranos, reported to prison to begin her 11-year sentence for defrauding investors, she welcomed a camera crew.
New TV shows to watch this week: Tune in to 'R.J. Decker' on ABC, stream 'The Paper' on Peacock and revisit 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' on Pluto TV
Fall TV season is getting underway — starting with Scott Speedman's P.I. procedural, Netflix's "Crew Girl" and Season 2 of "The Paper."
Crews put out flames at Domestic Uniform Rental on Belmont Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio
Fire crews put out flames at a laundry services business in Youngstown Sunday evening.
14 hospitalized during The Chainsmokers concert in California
Fourteen people were hospitalized during a concert by The Chainsmokers in Northern California on Friday night, according to multiple reports. The San Jose Fire Department said crews responded to an…
Beams raised on Kentucky’s first regional mental health crisis center
Construction crews have officially raised the structural steel beams at the site of the Anchor Project in Bowling Green.
The Big Ten Just Stole a Win From Western Michigan
I still can’t believe what happened at the end of Michigan-Western Michigan . Western Michigan got screwed. There’s really no other way I can describe watching that ending. The Broncos went into the Big House as massive underdogs, held No. 16 Michigan to seven points for essentially the entire game and took a 12-7 lead…
2026 NFL Season Award Predictions: Defensive Player of the Year
The WCG Crew is predicting the 2026 NFL Awards, and next up is Defensive Player of the Year.
Someone screwed Western Michigan. But who?
A one second discrepancy between clocks was all that stood between Michigan and an all-time bad loss.
Jodi's Journal: The emergence of the AI 'cleanup crew'
This Labor Day weekend, Jodi puts words to what many of us might be experiencing in the workplace: The role of the AI cleanup crew.
Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday, 9/5/26
Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, JeremyBloom…
Columbus Crew handles business in 3-0 win over Colorado Rapids, snaps five-match losing streak
Just when you count them out, the Crew pulls you right back in. After losing five consecutive matches amid a summer in which the Black & Gold’s squad overhaul has created a revolving door…
Vin Cherwoo, longtime AP sports desk editor and union leader, dies at 56
Vin Cherwoo, a trusted editor and writer for The Associated Press sports desk for more than three decades and the president of the News Media Guild, has died. Cherwoo died early Friday in Tampa, Florida, following a long illness, said his wife, Stacy. Known affectionately as “Woo” by many colleagues and friends, Cherwoo was a reliable mainstay of the sports department’s night editing crew.
O.J. Simpson caught laughing about murder trial in behind-the-scenes clip from prank show
New docuseries about O.J. Simpson’s prank show ‘Juiced’ shows him laughing about his murder trial, which the crew hadn’t expected at all
Meet Fox's star-studded 'Big Noon Kickoff' crew for 2026, from Urban Meyer to Dave Portnoy
Meet the cast of "Big Noon Kickoff" for the 2026 season.
Emelia Hartford's 'Streets' In Works With ESX, Warner Bros CrewHQ
Emelia Hartford's 'Streets' in works with ESX, Warner Bros CrewHQ.
'We need to return immediately,' flight crew warns as pilot health emergency unfolds
Crew declared a medical emergency involving a pilot.
'We need to return immediately,' flight crew warns as pilot health emergency unfolds
Crew declared a medical emergency involving a pilot.
'We need to return immediately,' flight crew warns as pilot health emergency unfolds
Crew declared a medical emergency involving a pilot.
Large fire in Du Quoin, Ill. affecting several businesses
Multiple crews are on the scene of a large fire in Du Quoin on Wednesday afternoon, September 2.
'We need to return immediately,' flight crew warns as pilot health emergency unfolds
Air traffic control audio captured the urgent moment a Delta Air Lines crew declared a potential pilot incapacitation minutes after takeoff and asked to return to the airport.
Mult. crews on scene of large fire in Du Quoin, Ill.
Multiple crews are on the scene of a large fire in Du Quoin on Wednesday afternoon, September 2.
And They're Off! Sports Haven Tear-Down Begins
The last great race to the finish line began Wednesday morning at the former Sports Haven, where a crew began the long-awaited demolition of the storied Long Wharf video-betting complex. A crew from the Carabetta construction-affiliated J&J Demolition got to work around 10 a.m. attacking one side of the the oil drum-shaped, off-track betting venue […]
From pucks to politics: Crews race to remake Dallas arena for Trump
North Texas company is compressing weeks of work into about 10 days to turn American Airlines Center into political hub for GOP.
August Monthly Review: ChatGPT In Epic
Death, taxes, another frontier lab healthcare launch inspiring truly insane LinkedIn takes. As much as I want to stay away, I repeatedly am the crewman unplugging his ears whenever we pass these sirens. So it’s not the first and probably not the last time we dial up the typewriter rather than tie ourselves to the mast. The full blow-by-blow timeline: Health API Guy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe The End of the Standalone PHR (Jan 8): ChatGPT Health arrives for consumers, at the time powered by b.well. I was bullish on the approach in that the best way for the PHR to finally solve distribution was to meet consumers were they already are (i.e. When Horizontal Meets Healthcare (Jan 9): OpenAI for Healthcare puts out the shingle for enterprises, with SharePoint ingestion standing in for the EHR integration the product actually needed. Another One: Anthropic’s Healthcare Debut (Jan 16): Claude's version, on HealthEx rails instead of b.well, with Agent Skills for FHIR development as the one true vertical-specific investment. ChatGPT for Clinicians: The Trap Sprung (Apr 24): OpenAI filled in the missing GTM middle with a free product for verified clinicians, effectively peeling the enterprise wrapper off ChatGPT for Healthcare and taking the PLG fight directly to OpenEvidence. OpenAI’s Second Attempt at Health (Jul 31): a relaunch of their patient specific app, now branded Health in ChatGPT, where the privacy partition came out, the connectors thinned, and b.well disappeared in favor of first-party FHIR work against a smaller network Beyond a Shingle So what was announced now? Today, we’re introducing a new electronic health record integration that brings authorized patient context from Epic into ChatGPT for Healthcare, along with the Healthcare Public Data plugin for direct, structured access to official healthcare datasets like PubMed, DailyMed, and CMS Coverage. Together, these capabilities bring ChatGPT closer to the systems and sources healthcare teams trust, while supporting the controls and compliance healthcare work requires. The core portfolio is unchanged from prior announcements we delineated and discussed (aside from the relaunch of patient-facing). Since trade publications still seem to be confusing them by using the wrong names: Enterprise sales motion: ChatGPT for Healthcare Protecting their core product / PLG: ChatGPT for Clinicians Consumer/patient-facing product: Health in ChatGPT So really, this is a feature release (specifically for ChatGPT for Healthcare when it comes to EHR integration). What’s cool about it, though, is that we are moving beyond just putting out a shingle. Everything in the January enterprise launch was horizontalizable: Horizontal tech companies thus generally start verticalization with their “putting out a shingle phase”. Telling the world you’re open for business as a horizontal tech company reliably attracts early inbound interest from buyers who are already trying to force-fit horizontal tools into domain-specific workflows and are eager for any signal that the vendor intends to support their use case more directly. Nothing was really vertical specific, which is exactly what you'd expect from the ultimate hypergrowth horizontal company dipping their toes into specific industries. But eventually you have to stop changing the sign on the door and start changing the product. Can you guess where the horizontal product was going to run out of road? This is the core dilemma writ large: verticalization requires differentiation, while scale economics of consumer and horizontal push toward unification. I’ve buried the lede so deep here it will be painful to some readers, but what should be shocking to no one is that my perspective is that EHR integration is the only path that meaningfully resolves this tension for ChatGPT for Healthcare. Integration with Microsoft Sharepoint is fine, but it is categorically insufficient for any product that hopes to influence clinical decision-making. SMART Money Well here we are, eight months later! Real vertical investment has begun, which surprised a few people. One friend in the industry messaged me: “Absolutely no way Epic gave ChatGPT API access.” Looking forensically at the announcements, the integration is notably read-only across appointment notes, laboratory results, medications, and specialist documentation. So while I’m not a betting man, I'd wager the house this is a SMART on FHIR launch: That sounds a lot like USCDI! The recommended path for the workflow they outline would be SMART on FHIR Their Health AI lead’s post is evocative of both standalone and EHR launch SMART, which another termed “ChartGPT” and “EHR Plugin” The implementation burden for SMART on FHIR is the lowest of the available integrative paths This is the team who literally did patient-facing SMART on FHIR with Epic last month Most importantly, if you’re a horizontal company, you generally still haven’t taken the full plunge and thus (overly) value reusability. SMART on FHIR is the logical compromise: healthcare-specific enough to matter, but standardized enough to reuse. Nobody Asked Judy Another friend asked “I thought they had to go to each health system, or did they go direct to Epic and now health systems opt in?” Given the trust paradigms in healthcare, this functionally cannot be Epic hoovering up all the data for OpenAI and shoving ChatGPT in their customers’ faces (or they would revolt). However, I do believe the aforementioned terrible coverage by TechCrunch and other outlets is probably responsible for that question, given the 325 million reference. When using FHIR as a business associate to an Epic customer, there is no EHR gatekeeping to speak of, as that isn’t how fhir.epic.com works: You register an app You pick your APIs You test against the sandbox APIs You list as “Ready for Production” Hospitals pick your app You test and go live with them Bluntly, nobody had to say yes or no in Verona (nor were they given the chance). Vendor Services (their next developer tier up that I doubt OpenAI is using quite yet in this initial release) certainly has contractual paperwork that some resent, but even there, the twin pressures of mounting antitrust and information blocking make outright gatekeeping increasingly fraught. My friend’s sentiment is, to me, representative of a broader industry neurosis, perhaps a sort of scar tissue of prior eras: people assume the gate is still there and never actually try the door. There are certainly other ways Epic (and any EHR) can put its thumb on the scale, but they are not so dumb as to stand in front of a federally mandated API and play bouncer at this exact moment in time. So I think they can and probably should go deeper, as this release is at best parity and at worst behind vertical-specific competition. OpenEvidence did a basic SMART launch with Sutter Health in February, allowing for more convenient evidence search by providers. They then add patient-context (the equivalent SMART on FHIR flow to what we see here) when Cedars-Sinai went enterprise-wide in May. UpToDate has four distinct applications across deeper workflows like patient engagement listed in Epic Showroom and announced a partnership with Epic to power Art at UGM Abridge and other ambient scribes have invested deeply into the deepest bidirectional clinical copilot workflow with integrations well beyond SMART on FHIR. In that light, the “Who is OpenAI primarily targeting here?” is clear. This release brings them into striking distance of OpenEvidence, but not the others quite yet. They are the only one of the three you can reach without building something truly Epic-specific. When will they go further? Competition is a great motivator to overcome the horizontal demons and start building things that can’t be reused: not across industries, not across EHRs, maybe not past the customer you built them for. That’s the price of actually verticalizing. The question is if and when OpenAI will be willing to pay it. Month in Review Here is the monthly review. As a reminder, this is a regular round-up of the month’s posts and other content to surface things you may have missed across regulation, litigation, interoperability, and beyond. AI assistance is used in these bullet summaries so I can focus on articles. Articles Published: None this month Video Content: The Information Exchange: Standards-based Thruple Edition (Aug 14): Back to school for us too, with Brad reporting in from the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem’s one year anniversary in DC. We get into the January CMS-0057 deadline, the fall rulemaking reading list, and why enrollment still keeps most apps off FHIR. The Information Exchange: Epic Dúnadan Edition (Aug 25): A UGM roundup with Ryan Brickner joining for the first time to check our takes against what the building actually thinks. Rangers, Ergo sitting on top of EHI, and a down-market lineup that needs some cuts. Regulatory: Stacked Deck, Bad Hand (Aug 05): ONC’s website refresh took the entire HIT Policy Committee record with it, so I rebuilt the archive and went looking for the regulatory capture story everyone assumes is buried in there. Stacking the deck and winning the hand turn out to be very different things. The Sixth Generation of Patient Access (Aug 19): A quick catalog of the five generations of patient access we’ve layered on since HIPAA, and the two candidates now competing to be the sixth. One is planned. The other is the market routing around the plan entirely. Court cases: Three Cases Walk Into a Docket (Aug 06): Two surprise settlements cleared the board in a single week, and then Judge Maddox dropped ninety-four pages on Vyne v. Henry Schein. The sleeper is a DMCA holding that makes direct-to-database a considerably riskier business model. Epic v. Health Gorilla: Into the MDL (Aug 10): Nine class actions are headed to Miami, and the Panel signaled it wants to bring the case that spawned them along too. That would leave Epic arguing the requests were obviously fraudulent in one courtroom and unknowable in the other. Amazon v. Perplexity: Agents Are Legalized! (Aug 11): The Ninth Circuit vacated the injunction against Comet, holding that the user is the one accessing the servers rather than the company that built the agent. A real win for agentic access, and a much narrower one than the headline suggests. Veeva v. Epic: Come At Me, Bro (Aug 26): Epic’s response brief wants the dismissal affirmed and, unusually, wants the opinion published as precedent. Buried in it is Epic’s own description of what its non-competes actually prohibit, which current and former employees should read closely. EHRs: The Contract Epic Would Never Sign Today (Aug 04): A 1999 SEC exhibit catches Epic licensing nearly its entire product line, Tapestry included, to the company that became TriZetto. The marketing services menu attached to it is the part that will make you blink. Forecast from Verona (Aug 07): The Epic Almanac makes one argument six different ways: the AI is only as good as the networks behind it. Emmie headlines, Art’s context stack is the most ambitious part, and Penny finally gets an autonomous coding date on the calendar. Works With Epic MyChart (Aug 17): Epic’s first new Showroom category since the death of Workshop certifies hardware instead of software, badge on the box and all. Made for iPhone, but for blood pressure cuffs, and rough news for anyone selling the RPM stack sitting in between. UGM Hot Takes 2026 (Aug 20): Everyone else covered the AI announcements, so I went after Savvy deleting the payment gateway, Rangers as Boost with the timer removed, and a down-market lineup with too many entries. Plus the Health Grid tidbits I cannot help myself on. MyChart Central Grows Up (Aug 24): Device data and Emmie turn Epic’s identity hub into a full consumer platform, which is both a logical answer to ChatGPT and a bit of a mistake. It also happens to be the best scraping target Epic has ever shipped. Industry Analysis: The Wrong Yardstick (Aug 12): Vertical software keeps getting judged against Superhuman and Notion, which is the wrong bar entirely. Your user is comparing your product to a whiteboard and forty phone calls before lunch. Primitives vs. Abstractions (Aug 27): Developers want building blocks, systems of record prefer to hand out business logic, and both sides have a real case. There’s no test from the outside that separates the engineering reason from the competitive one, which is why this keeps ending up in court. Cross-industry Comparisons: The Two Kinds of Platform Power (Aug 18): Attention power and record power are different problems that keep getting handed the same regulatory toolkit. Congress’s latest swing at Big Tech shows both what’s possible and where it falls apart. The Dogs of (Platform) War (Aug 21): A CourtListener alert turned up a property management fight with healthcare’s exact shape and none of the Cures Act. Shell prospects, ghost accounts, a notetaker bot that came back to haunt someone, and a lawyer arguing both sides of the same theory in two states. Fractals All the Way Down (Aug 31): Yardi dominates property management right up until you zoom into one segment, where AppFolio owns it outright and Yardi doesn’t appear at all. Where you draw the line around a B2B software market is about to decide an awful lot of cases. Other News: If Judy Had the Courage (Aug 13): A short eulogy for the era when software was allowed to look insane: WinAMP, bold colors, and everything the grey chatbot era has taken from us. External Media: Portland Monthly Health Tech Meetup: Erin O’Brien channeled my own feelings - maybe it’s just because it’s August and beautiful, but the monthly edition of the PDX Health community meetup was a ripper. Make sure to reach out if interested to join for the next one. STAT’s Coverage of Epic This Month: Brittany Trang of STAT did a fantastic job of breaking the FTC investigation that’s been lurking, as well as UGM related coverage, so I had to give her her wish of a meme. Fall Conferences: I’m pumped to be kicking off my fall conference season in NYC at Nabla Accelerate next month, which Chrissy provided the link to apply for. Here’s the rest of my schedule in case you want to meet up: Commonwell (Redwood Shores, CA): Oct 13-14 Open@Epic (Madison, WI): Oct 21-22 eHealthExchange (Austin, TX): Oct 27 Sequoia Project (Austin, TX): Oct 28-29 HLTH (Vegas): Nov 15-18 RSNA (Chicago): Nov 29-Dec 3 Posts I Liked: HTI-6 Should Unbundle API Certification: Josh Mandel makes the case that HTI-6 should split (g)(10) into separate authorization and data certifications, so a PACS or a genomics platform can certify only the role it actually performs. Imaging is the urgent example, but the structure solves a much bigger problem. On implementing ePrior Auth with Epic: Scott Rossignol’s field notes from a live ePrior Auth build on Epic, including the two app registrations nobody warns you about and the CPT mapping problem waiting at the end. CMS-0057 implementations are going to be such a beast. Healthcare point solutions are starting to look a lot like streaming services: Spencer Dorn runs the cable-to-streaming arc against health IT and lands squarely on the bundling half of the cycle. Bundling can be good! It can also be bad! Life is nuanced. Health API Guy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
gamescom 2026’s Steam wishlist winners
gamescom wrapped up last weekend, and it was bloody fantastic. It really felt like the industry had a spring in its step again. The show itself was BUZZING, with 368K attendees (+3% over last year), maxed-out exhibit space, and Opening Night Live pulling over 78M online views (+7.5%). Let’s have a look at the games at the event that brought in the most new Steam wishlists between August 23 and 30. One quick thing before we start, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but wishlists are NOT a barometer for launch sales (they’re bookmarks, not baskets is what we always say over here at Alinea). With that aside, wishlists are a nice gauge of hype, so let’s dive in. Witche(r)s and Warlocks take the top two spots The biggest game of the event (by new wishlists, anyways) wasn’t a game at all. It was an expansion. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, nabbed 451K Steam wishlists by the end of the weekend. It’s a big example of something we bang on about constantly: proven IP with built-in fandom is the most powerful force in this market. But said IP can also ripple into other external success stories (more on that later!). Anyway, Songs of the Past debuted at Opening Night Live, and it’s the first Witcher 3 expansion in over a decade, landing next year after a full Witcher 3 remaster (free for existing owners!) arrives next month. The Witcher 3 has sold around 66M copies, and I’ll be one of those owners jumping back in to refresh myself on the core game (like there isn’t enough to play!), then play the expansion next year. This is all part of CDPR’s plan. The studio is clearly whetting everyone’s appetite for The Witcher 4 in 2028 via a classic bridge strategy. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Releasing a free 4K remaster next month – followed by a proper expansion in 2027 – keeps IP top-of-mind across a huge gap between content (games-wise, anyway). It kind of echoes Capcom’s evergreen catalogue strategy. And outsourcing co-development to Fool’s Theory (a studio led by trusted Witcher 3 veterans) keeps CDPR’s internal headcount focused on The Witcher 4. #2 by wishlists between Aug 23 and 30 went to another giant IP: Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast and developed by Invoke Studios (a team of ex-Far Cry, Watch Dogs, and Splinter Cell devs). It’s due to launch in 2027, and it looks brilliant so far. It’s a dark-fantasy open world with third-person spell-slinging. It’s a very Witcher-ish aesthetic. As you might expect, 48% of Warlock’s Steam wishlisters have played Baldur’s Gate 3, and 46% have played The Witcher 3. One to watch. For sure! Mash-ups: Anime GTA (!?) and a city-builder for kids (and adults) Ananta took #3 with 302K new wishlists. It’s an open-world game that looks like GTA and Persona had a baby. It was published by NetEase, developed by Naked Rain, and got a trailer at Opening Night Live. I got hands-on at the show, and it wears its influences openly; there’s literal web-slinging (very Spider-Man) and a LOAD of mini-games (Like a Dragon). It’s free-to-play and out in January. For Ananta, Naked Rain is taking the free-to-play, cosmetics-only route. That’s certainly a choice for a single-player open-world game. Without gacha mechanics driving high ARPU, Ananta is betting purely on top-of-funnel reach and long-term retention. This puts pressure on skin appeal when there’s no multiplayer lobby to flex in (although, co-op is reportedly coming later). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Then there’s Lego Skylines (273K wishlists between Aug 23 and 30), which does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a cosy Lego twist on the city-builder genre, as shallow or as deep as you fancy (five min quick sesh or ten-hour no-lifer session; latter for me). There’s some family-friendly stuff in there like couch co-op, which is only really viable on console. Iceflake Studios, which Paradox acquired back in 2020 is developing this one. So Paradox is probably looking for a family-friendly onramp to its rad Cities: Skylines games. The overlap there is plain, with 33% of Lego Skylines wishlisters having played Cities: Skylines and 16% Skylines II. There’s no doubt plenty of parents here (and uncles, ahem) planning to indoctrinate the next gen of city-builders. I’ll definitely be playing with my youngest nephew. This one could be big and educational. I’m very curious to see more. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Mature IP, new and old, rounds out the list As for the rest of the list of gamescom games by new wishlists between Aug 23 and 30: Heroes of Might & Magic III Remake got 189K new wishlists. It remakes the iconic 1999 turn-based-strategy classic in full 3D and 4K. It follows this year’s Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (~1.8M copies sold, as per our estimates), and around a quarter of the III Remake wishlisters have played Olden Era, including 7% of them this month. Wardogs – a $40 PvP shooter – added another 146K to an already massive pile (nearly 1.6M total). It’s published by Team17 and made by Bulkhead. It plays somewhere between the tactical squad stuff of … Squad and the all-out-chaos battlefield of … Battlefield. It’s up to 100 players, and it’s out in about 10 days. It’s already pre-sold over 500K copies on Steam ($16.6M), boosted by a pre-order-only beta. It sold another 70K copies during gamescom, too. Afterworld managed 121K new wishlists. It’s a Paradox-made post-apocalyptic grand-strategy game, and it was announced at the show. It’s a departure from Paradox’s usual historical stuff, and the studio’s first new setting in over a decade. The Paradox purists are into it, with over half its wishlisters having played Hearts of Iron IV (19% this month) and 41% Crusader Kings III (17% this month). Metro 2039 got 110K during the show, tunnelling its total past 1.3M. Nearly 40% of wishlisters have played 2020’s Metro Exodus, the previous mainline title in the series. The Metro novels are Russian, dev 4A Games is Ukrainian, and it’s set in Moscow, so it’s unsurprising that – after the US (17.3% of wishlisters) – the next two countries are Russia (12.7%) and Ukraine (10.0%). The Blood of the Dawnwalker drew in (the blood of) 108K new wishlisters, now totalling an impressive 1.7M (at a $70 price point, though). It’s an open-world dark-fantasy action-RPG set in 14th-century Europe (with vampires!), made by some former Witcher devs at Rebel Wolves. Again, it shows. Over half of Blood of the Dawnwalker’s wishlisters have played The Witcher 3, and its #2 market is Poland, home of Rebel Wolves. That’s that hometown-hero effect we keep banging on about again! And Blood of the Dawnwalker plays very well, by the way. While it looks like a Witcher clone on the surface, it actually brings a lot to the table mechanics-wise. I love the whole time-as-a-currency spin on RPG gameplay. It gives the game a different, refreshing pace. Essentially, you start Blood of the Dawnwalker with a pool of 480 action points spread across 30 days and 30 nights. As for how the game performs, we’ll be posting some numbers next week, so hit subscribe below to get that in your inbox when it’s ready. Subscribe The Witcher’s legacy ripples Make no mistake: on a high level, this was The Witcher‘s gamescom. The #1 game by wishlisters was a Witcher 3 DLC. Warlock is clearly Witcher-inspired – as is Blood of the Dawnwalker, which was made by ex-Witcher devs. There was a lot of other cool stuff on the floor that we’ll no doubt be covering in subsequent newsletters, though! As always, wishlists went through the roof for sequels, remakes, DLC, and licensed IP. As always, though, these wishlists will likely convert to about 5% to 10% of launch-day buyers, with the probable exception of The Witcher DLC – the exception that proves the rule. Either way, we’ve got a nice, diverse list here – one that is very Witcher-y, Paradox-y, and – if you’re a fan of great games on Steam – a bloody good list. We even got a bunch of new IP to get excited for. Great gamescom! Even if we are still processing that unfathomable number of mini Kölsch beers! One more thing: GTA 6 broke the internet (again) Move aside, Spider-Man and The Odyssey (I love you both, really). But the decade’s defining entertainment zeitgeist is round the corner. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Rockstar dropped an extended look at GTA 6 last week. It was INSANE, the most impressed I’ve ever been by a showcase like this. You can see the budget seeping through every second of the extended look, and this level of game is unobtainable for any other publisher. Everyone’s going nuts, and rightly so. GTA 6 is out in holiday 2026, and it’ll be the biggest entertainment release ever, full stop. For those without a PS5 or Xbox Series console, a $500-$900 console is a big ask in this economy, but GTA will pull a lot of last-generation-console fence sitters over the current-gen fence either way: The autumn timing puts GTA 6 on (digital) shelves for the holidays, meaning a PS5 or Xbox (let’s be honest, mostly the former) will be on many a Christmas and Hanukkah list. Demand will outweigh the struggling supply, though, and PS5 Pros are already sold out and being sold at a markup via scalpers. Every console that isn’t on a shelf is a sale deferred or lost, and worse, it hands scalpers the margin. GTA has cultural clout that reaches everyone. It’s been a mainstream fixture since 2001’s GTA III and its clout has only grown exponentially since then. There’s a touchpoint for every generation alive. The FOMO-word-of-mouth double punch does the rest. Loading... It’ll reactivate the lockdown cohort, the millions who picked up gaming in 2020-21 and churned. GTA 6 will bring them back. Remember when College Football 25 brought a bunch of US gamers to current-gen consoles? GTA will do that globally. Once they’re back (or upgraded), and all GTA’d out, the fresh current-gen-console folks will check out the rest of the current-gen catalogue they missed. GTA Online, if not free to play, will also lead to a boost for PS+ and Xbox Game Pass, another boost for the ecosystem players. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Even some of the smug PCMR 60FPS crew won’t be able to resist their FOMO and will bite the bullet on a console to play this one early (then double dip). The consoles cost the same as a decent stick of RAM these days anyway lmao… Don’t get me wrong, though. GTA 6 is no silver bullet for the mature console market, but it does prime the current gen for a couple of strong swan-song years. And it’ll also give the consoles more users from which to maximise ARPU. ‘’We are in the latter half of the lifetime cycle of [the PS5],’’ said Sony President and CEO Hiroki Totoki in a Wall Street Journal interview. ‘’That means we do not need to aggressively sell the console today; rather than that, we are focusing on the current revenue from the current user base.’’ The biggest, best premium games always arrive late in a console cycle, so getting more players aboard now, ahead of that content storm (the new current-gen-only Call of Duty included), is a clear win for the platforms. On the Netflix thing, though: let’s all chill out a bit, like. Half my LinkedIn feed was going bonkers treating the reveal debuting on Netflix like it’s the future of entertainment. It wasn’t. It was a six-hour head start, and Netflix left that detail out of the “first-of-its-kind partnership” press release. The extended look hit Netflix at 3pm ET on 27 August, then went up on YouTube and Rockstar’s site for everyone six hours later. And it was all over social immediately, anyways. This reveal was going to reach an untold number of people whether it debuted on Netflix, YouTube, a Times Square screen, or a group chat. The last trailer did nearly half a billion views in a day with no gatekeeper at all. Netflix just stood next to that audience for six hours, borrowing it. It’s was a tidy deal for Netflix, sure. But every outlet on earth was breaking the thing down frame by frame by the evening anyway. Anyway. I’m hype. And we’ll be covering some GTA numbers on the newsletter soon. So hit subscribe below to get that in your inbox when it’s ready! Subscribe The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
Bit Reactor furloughed "many of its workers" in the weeks before Star Wars Zero Company's launch
Sources claim 80% of the developer's staff were furloughed, and that a skeleton crew is left to address post-launch bugs
Bennettsville construction projects bring detours, challenges for local businesses
Driving through Bennettsville has become a maze of detours, road closures and changing traffic patterns as crews work on major water, sewer and road projects th
‘Most’ of Star Wars Zero Company studio Bit Reactor was furloughed ahead of launch
Last week was meant to be a moment of triumph for Bit Reactor, the Maryland-based game studio founded in 2021 with ambitions to create a great new tactical combat game. On Thursday, August 27, Bit Reactor’s debut title, Star Wars Zero Company, released to stellar reviews. And, from the Gamescom show in Cologne, Germany, studio co-founder Greg Foertsch was giving interviews discussing what the studio’s next game may be. But for many developers on the game, launch has been bittersweet. Fans love it. Critics prefer it to most recent Star Wars games. Zero Company, which is out for PS5, Xbox Series consoles and PC, is the top-selling game on Steam. Much of the team that made it, however, is currently going without pay. They were furloughed, just weeks ahead of the game’s launch. A rep for Bit Reactor confirmed to Game File today that the studio had furloughed many of its workers prior to the game’s release. They said it was a difficult decision and one that had been made before it was clear how launch would go. The rep emphasized that the call to do this was Bit Reactor’s alone (meaning not from publisher EA nor Star Wars license holder Disney). While the rep declined to comment on the scale of the furloughs, a previously unreported lawsuit brought by studio co-founder Alison Kelly in 2024 noted in a filing from August 12 of this year that Bit Reactor “has furloughed most of its employees and terminated contractors…” One source told Game File the furloughs impacted 80% of the team; another referred to there only being a skeleton crew left on Bit Reactor’s active payroll, ready to address any of Zero Company’s post-launch bugs. The issue is that Bit Reactor, a studio formed in 2021, had run out of most of its money just ahead of the launch of its first game. Over the weekend, Zachariah Scott, a senior technical artist who worked at Bit Reactor from early 2023 until an acrimonious exit this past May, said on LinkedIn that the studio was “concealing the fact that the team was Furloughed weeks ago.” Reached by phone today, Scott told Game File that he spoke to nearly a dozen Bit Reactor workers over the weekend. “Everybody has essentially the same story, which is, ‘Yeah, I got furloughed three weeks ago.” The Bit Reactor rep told Game File that the studio hoped to bring furloughed workers back, suggesting that a successful launch of the game could be impactful. Scott told Game File that workers he spoke to were less confident that even if there were returns, that all who were furloughed would get their old jobs again. A heated dispute Bit Reactor’s mid-2026 was almost even more tumultuous. The lawsuit by co-founder Alison Kelly that first revealed the furloughs was initially slated to go to trial in June. The suit is a she-said/he-said about whether Kelly, until 2024 the chief operating officer of Bit Reactor, was a co-owner of the studio or whether it was solely owned by Greg Foertsch. In July 2024, Kelly sued, saying she was pushed out by Foertsch. She first sued in federal court and later refiled in Maryland’s Baltimore County, alleging breach of contract and that Foertsch had unjustly enriched himself. Kelly cited damages of over $20 million, on the basis of Bit Reactor allegedly being worth more than double that. Foertsch’s side has said Kelly was never a co-owner and has countered with claims about her job performance (which she has denied). The June trial was postponed until early 2027, as both sides have been deposing witnesses and filing more claims and denials along the way. Amid all of that, filings in the lawsuit reviewed by Game File paint a picture about Bit Reactor’s origins, early aspirations around tactics games, the team’s breakthrough in drawing the attention of Electronic Arts with the help of a pitch tied to one of EA’s non-Star Wars franchises, and early fractures among its co-founders. The real story about the company behind Zero Company
Lola Petticrew Is Absolutely Spellbinding in ‘Furious’
The nonbinary actor turns in a stunning performance in the first season of ‘Furious.’
Multiple firefighter crews battle 2-alarm fire at small business in Glen Arm
Multiple firefighter crews were called to northern Baltimore County for a 2-alarm fire that struck a second floor and attic of a small business.