SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " nr " 6,438 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
VA Illiana Health Care System receives funding for maintenance projects
Five projects will be funded through this effort.
Michigan senior men bare nearly all for charity calendar benefiting aging center
MONROE, Mich. (WXYZ) -- A group of Monroe-area men are proving that age is no barrier to having fun for a good cause.
Graham breaks with Trump over Russia sanctions law her brother championed
Darline Graham has only been a senator for a few months, but she has cited her role in passing the sanctions package, a major part of her brother’s legacy, as a top achievement.
Arch Manning struggles, Colin Simmons injured as Florida scores 24 straight to upset No. 7 Texas
The Longhorns lost a 14-point lead and fell to an unranked Gators team quarterbacked by a backup making his first career start.
10 Science Fantasy Books That Are The Best Of Both Genres
Science fantasy books you need to read.
Criminal Justice Reform Isn’t Dead, Despite GOP Attack Ads
A familiar tough-on-crime election strategy is making a comeback, even as Republican and Democratic lawmakers keep passing reforms across the country.
Is There an Entrepreneurial Case for a Minneapolis Bathhouse?
Or will the taps of Minneapolis bathhouses run with nothing but red ink? “If it was a sure thing, there’d be one in St. Paul today.”
Chuck Lorre claims Cybill Shepherd became ‘a different person’ when shooting season 2 of ‘Cybill’
Chuck Lorre recounts how he was fired from ‘Cybill,’ a show he created, in his new memoir
Linda Pauli named 2026 Athena Leadership Award recipient in Alliance
Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Business Alliance Awards luncheon on Oct. 16. Here are the winners.
Two weeks from Election Day, Texas Republicans start finger-pointing ahead of potential losses
Deep divisions within the party afflict Texas Republicans as they move into the midterms.
Trump suspends new Russia sanctions following deal to purchase diesel, citing ‘national interests’
Passed by Congress with bipartisan support, the sanctions were intended to limit Russia’s revenue streams as the country continues its war against Ukraine.
Year-long strike at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital ends as nurses ratify contract
The two parties will now begin to negotiate terms on when the striking nurses will return to work.
Sports is a $1 trillion business. More students want in on the action
As the global sports industry booms, enrollment in MSU Denver’s Sports Management program has more than doubled.
Sports is a $1 trillion business. More students want in on the action
As the global sports industry booms, enrollment in MSU Denver’s Sports Management program has more than doubled.
Financial advisor advises to review health plans before cutting costs
Open enrollment is underway, and one financial advisor says there are specific places to cut costs and places not to.
Gaston’s science department launches rock collecting project
By Caylie Moore, Features Editor Since the beginning of the school year, Gaston High School students have been working on a pen pal project — but don’t underestimate the point of this assignment, Features Editor Caylie Moore cautions. This project is no ordinary exchange of simple letters, nor unnecessary busywork for a drawn-out English class, […]
Tech stocks erase $1 trillion of wealth as oil surges to $110 for the first time since May
The sharp drop in tech shares came as concerns resurfaced about ballooning AI debt, rising interest rates and high gas prices.
A Look at the Computer Science Degree in 2026
In 2018, a student published an article in this paper titled “YC’s Computer Science Major is on the Rise.” His piece proved prescient for the next four years, as enrollment in Intro to Computer Science continued to increase, indicating a growing interest in the field. Enrollment in this introductory course in Yeshiva College reached an […]
Democratic Senate candidates swamp GOP rivals in fundraising: From the Politics Desk
Plus, tensions boil over on the debate stage.
What causes sleep paralysis; health indicators of Alzheimer's diagnosis; sober October; plus other stories with Vanderbilt Health sources
(iStock) Food and Wine interviewed Peter Martin, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, for a story about sober October. William Schaffner, MD, Professor of Preventive Medicine, was quoted in CNN International’s Connect the World with Becky Anderson and NewsNation Morning in America for stories about the reported plague situation in Russia, after a laboratory worker at an institute in Siberia dedicated to studying the plague and other infectious diseases died of a mysterious illness. Prevention interviewed James McGuirk, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Sleep Medicine, for a story about what causes sleep paralysis. Modern Healthcare interviewed Daniel Fabbri, PhD, Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Computer Science, for a story about how health systems are managing AI token costs. WNKY interviewed Ziv Beckerman, MD, Associate Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Surgical Director of Pediatric Heart Transplantation in the Golisano Pediatric Heart Institute at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt about rapid recovery with extended ultra oxygenated preservation (REUP) that is a new form of preservation for heart organs. Ray Romano, PhD, MPH, MSN, Nurse Practitioner, Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer’s Center, was quoted Prevention about research that found other health issues may be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s.
Build Stakeholder Trust Before You Need It
Preparing relationships for change deserves as much attention as preparing the business.
73+ brands dropped new products this month — these are the ones our editors already love from Away, Kindle and more
Amazon’s most itty-bitty e-reader is officially here, along with an automatic pour-over machine from Breville and a Nutrofol hair serum to get rid of split ends.
Cook Political Report moves 11 House races towards Democrats as Trump continues campaigning
The non-partisan Cook Political Report moves nearly a dozen races toward Democrats with less than three weeks before the election. NBC’s Monica Alba and Garrett Haake report on President Trump's campaign trip to Georgia and Cook Political Report’s Erin Covey joins to discuss the rating shifts.
AI chatbots could make healthcare more accessible, but some doctors are still wary
AI chatbots are everywhere these days, helping to write emails or draft resumes and answer users’ burning questions about everything from their love life to medical advice.
Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after just 5 days on the job
Zacharia had come under scrutiny after a shaky first news briefing and the revelation that she represented herself as a lawyer but did not pass her bar exam after law school.
Can DC blend horror with a superhero movie? 'Clayface' wants to blur genres
Superhero films and horror have usually stayed on separate sides of the multiplex | KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM
Can DC blend horror with a superhero movie? 'Clayface' wants to blur genres
Superhero films and horror have usually stayed on separate sides of the multiplex | WWL
Ole Miss vs Missouri: A CFB27 Simulation
Heading into this digital match up, Ole Miss is 5-0 and #2 in the country while Missouri is unranked with a 4-2 roster. They also obviously have Ahmad Hardy as the starting running back, but Roberts has been so good, we can accept the performance by Hardy as a reasonable result regardless. Let’s see how […]
Local health insurance broker highlights changes coming to Medicare, healthcare policies in 2027
As over a million Coloradans review their healthcare plans for Medicare’s open enrollment period — running from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 — a local health insurance broker is preparing
AtScale Finds Semantic Layer Boosts AI Accuracy on Enterprise Data by Up to 2.4x
A more powerful AI model isn’t necessarily the answer to unreliable business analytics. New research from AtScale found that leading AI models answered fewer than 40% of business questions correctly when querying databases directly. But when AtScale added its semantic layer, accuracy improved by 1.7x to 2.4x across all seven models tested. In one test, […]
Realtor Hosts Local Artist
ST. JOHNSBURY — Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty is pleased to showcase the work of local artist Mardi McGregor at its St. Johnsbury office, located at 1184 Main Street.
Veteran Western Swing Band Plays Bethlehem Oct. 24
BETHLEHEM, N.H. — The Colonial Theatre welcomes legendary Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel to the stage on Saturday, October 24 at 8 p.m. for an evening of American
Inflation expected to push holiday sales above $1 trillion
The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts retail sales in November and December will total $1.013 trillion, up 4.2% over 2025 sales in the same period. 2025 holiday sales rose 3.1%...
Can AI solve our mental health access problem?
Last week I asked you what worries you most about AI in health. It was close, but your top answer was “AI giving bad health advice.” Last week’s poll results: You’re in good company. This concern was top of mind at a conference I joined at Stanford last week, where researchers, clinicians, and people who build AI systems spent a day debating trust and safety in health AI. Stepping back, I’m also hearing your emerging concerns about AI’s impact on our well-being generally. I see this as a matter of public health, and we’ll take it in pieces as we learn together. Today we’ll focus on AI chatbots used for therapy for mental health. Early this month, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 903, California’s most ambitious attempt to regulate AI use for mental health. It’s at the center of active debate, and raises the questions patients, family members, citizens, and voters will face as AI moves deeper into health care. Let’s work through it. What is “AI-based therapy”? It’s really two things: purpose-built mental health apps designed to deliver structured support, and general chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that people increasingly use for emotional support—even if they weren’t built for it. Spoiler alert: I don’t know whether the shift toward AI therapy is good or bad. The evidence isn’t there yet. But I do know it’s already happening, and I have some ideas about how we can roll it out with safety in mind. The therapy dilemma, in a nutshell Mental health challenges are common, and strain health and well-being across populations. Therapy (interactive dialogue with a trained, empathetic practitioner) helps many people heal. The demand for licensed therapists far exceeds the supply in California, and AI-based therapy can narrow that gap. AI-based therapy remains novel, unproven, and not well tested. Right off the bat, we can see we’re dealing with trade-offs here. Since the main driver of demand for therapy from a robot is lack of access to therapy from a human, we’ll start there. It’s too hard to find and afford a human therapist California is short roughly 55,000 licensed, non-prescribing therapists and counselors, about 40% of what we need. Psychiatrists, who rely on talk therapy as a complement to prescribed medications, are even more scarce. Eight counties have none, and density ranges from 1.7 per 100,000 residents in San Benito County, to 68.1 in Marin County. My wife is a psychiatrist in Marin, and even here access is tight. If it’s hard in the best-supplied county, imagine rural Sierra County, or the San Joaquin Valley. In 2024, more than half of Californians who tried to make a mental health appointment struggled to find a provider who took their insurance, compared with 14% for physical health care. When Senate staff posed as “secret shopper” patients and called 120 mental health providers in Medicare Advantage networks, they landed an appointment less than once for every five tries. Insurers pay behavioral health clinicians about 22% less than medical and surgical clinicians for comparable office visits. On top of that, billing denials and prior authorizations hit hardest at the solo and small practices common in mental health. Psychiatrists opt out of Medicare at the highest rate of any specialty. In many places, a cash practice for therapy fills quickly with patients paying $250 or more an hour, with no insurance paperwork at all. Families who can pay cash find providers more easily. Those who rely on insurance, including Medi-Cal enrollees, older adults, rural residents, and non-English speakers, compete for what’s left. So we can’t pretend the human system works, and we can’t blame people for turning to AI for support when they’re in distress. AI is filling the gap It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of AI users use it for mental health support. If you have internet, it’s available 24/7, it’s cheap, and it speaks your language. Uninsured adults are about twice as likely as insured adults to do it (30% vs. 14%). It feels anonymous in ways that may enable people to ask things they’re unsure or embarrassed about. The largely hidden, personal use makes it hard to study whether it’s actually helping people with their mental health issues, but researchers are trying. Does AI therapy work? A 2026 analysis of nearly 40 randomized trials found chatbots showed a real but small reduction in depression symptoms. But most of these trials were compared to an alternative of no therapy, not a human therapist. So the benefit of AI therapy is probably real, but modest, and mostly untested against the alternative of human contact. We need more studies. Serious concerns OpenAI’s own estimate is that more than a million ChatGPT users each week show signs of suicidal planning or intent. These are high stakes encounters, and AI doesn’t always get it right. That’s partly because a chatbot can sound like a therapist, but it has no license, no duty of care, and it’s not clear who to hold accountable when it gets things wrong. AI is also designed to help users in whatever task they’re seeking to accomplish. People may feel like they’re getting therapy, but they’re mainly getting a convincing conversation. It’s easy for an AI companion to wander into gray areas, like playing along with “creative writing” that may be about the user’s own suicidal intent. Courts are driving safety conversations A wave of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of families claiming that chatbots pushed people they loved toward self-harm, including teens who died by suicide. The first settlements came this year. OpenAI is headquartered in San Francisco, and dozens of cases alleging that ChatGPT drove users to suicide or self-harm are now before a San Francisco judge. Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy after several states brought lawsuits accusing the chatbot of pushing dangerous content to kids. But the technology seems to be improving. Last month, an independent evaluation found that newer AI models “almost never endorse suicide.” That’s progress, but our societal appetite for even one preventable death is very low. So how do we move forward? Finding a middle ground Earlier this month the governor vetoed Senate Bill 903, a bill designed to place guardrails on the use of AI for therapy. The bill would have prohibited any AI-based platform from being advertised as psychotherapy, and would have required a licensed professional to review and approve each encounter where AI was used to support therapeutic decisions. Newsom called it overly broad, since even routine screening questions would have needed clinician sign-off. Knowing we’re already short on mental health providers, requiring human review of AI encounters may not relieve our access problems. Still, the answer isn’t no oversight. Here’s one feasible short term solution. Rather than reviewing each encounter, a licensed clinician can design the guardrails: what counts as a crisis, what triggers an immediate handoff to a human, and what gets sampled for audit each month. The AI runs inside that structure. Conversations get checked, failures get reported, and a real clinician owns the framework. Medicine already has models to learn from. The FDA process for rolling out newly approved medications is an example. After a product reaches patients, we keep watching for adverse events. Patient-facing AI needs the same “digital pharmacovigilance”: systematic tracking of harms, near misses, and the types of groups that get hurt and why. It’s also critical that users know that they can reach a human if they’re in crisis. Most chatbots now include messages like these: Bottom line The rush to use unproven AI tools for mental health support is mostly a workaround, a sign of a health system people can’t get into. We need better access to proven care from licensed clinicians. That takes reimbursement that makes accepting insurance viable, and a bigger workforce. But, built and tested well, AI could be part of the answer. It could be the 2 a.m. check-in when no one else is awake, or a way for patients to practice skills their therapist taught them. It could be the first step to get someone the right level of care, and take paperwork off clinicians’ plates so they spend more time with patients. None of this is simple. The SB 903 veto doesn’t end the debate, and the legislature will be back. In the meantime, those of us using these tools need to stay informed, ask hard questions, and hold the companies building them accountable. I’ll try to do my part, and we’ll keep learning together. Love,Matt P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988- you’ll reach a real person— or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and public health officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in Marin with his family and their dogs, Teddy and Ramona. Thank you Cynthia He, MD, PhD, and Parnika Saxena, MD, for their guidance in preparing this article. Cynthia works in an outpatient mental health clinic, treating patients who have Medi-Cal or, sometimes, no insurance. Parnika works in an inpatient psychiatric unit, treating patients with public or private insurance or self-pay ability. All opinions are their own and do not represent their employers.
Former Suns owners sues ex-business partners
Sarver alleges a "corporate maneuver" unfairly deprived him of his contractual rights.
‘Thriller’ flash mob, Spooky Mad Science Expo take over Alexandria this weekend
Halloween festivities are starting to ramp up in Alexandria as October continues on. This weekend, the "Thriller" Zombie Flash Mob descends upon Old Town, retailers will host the new Sticker Treat sticker crawl, and the Spooky Mad Science Expo returns for an 11th year at Patrick Henry Recreation Center. The Ethiopian Fall Festival has also
Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now
iPhone Duo pre-orders began today in the U.S. and many other countries. If you have yet to place a pre-order on Apple's online store, however, wait times are longer now. The first customers who pre-ordered right when pre-orders began at 5 a.m. Pacific Time today will have their devices delivered on Friday, October 23. By just 5:20 a.m. Pacific Time though, select configurations on Apple's online store in the U.S. are now showing delivery estimates into late December for new orders.
I've lived with Microsoft's $6,000 Surface Laptop Ultra, and it's so close to being the best MacBook Pro alternative you can buy
Microsoft's top of the line Windows 11 PC is finally here, and it's giving the MacBook Pro a real good run for its money.
UAB Medicine partners with Lawson State Community College to create radiologic technologist pipeline
UAB Medicine and Lawson State Community College have launched a medical radiologic technology training program that creates a direct pathway for UAB Medicine employees to earn a degree, gain hands-on clinical experience, and pursue careers in medical imaging.
This Is the No. 1 Risk Factor for Dementia That You Can Actually Prevent, According to a Geriatrician
In TODAY.com’s Expert Tip of the Day, a geriatrician reveals the top modifiable risk factor for dementia during mid-life, and how to address it.
Alaska Senate candidates clash over the Iran war, high prices and their times in office
Sen. Dan Sullivan attacked former Rep. Mary Peltola over reporting on high staff turnover and lobbying, while Peltola pointed to Sullivan’s increase in wealth while serving the public.
Cook County Public Health encourages vaccinations as respiratory illness season approaches
As temperatures drop and residents spend more time indoors, Cook County Public Health and Human Services is reminding residents to get vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19. Respiratory illnesses become more common during the colder months as people gather indoors, increasing opportunities for viruses to spread. “From a public health perspective, this is a good time to...
The Fatal Flaw of 911
A new book argues that as long as 911 defaults to police, people in mental health crises will be at risk for violent confrontations.
Opinion: Healthcare isn’t just a business expense. It’s a business strategy.
The highest-value healthcare dollar is spent before someone gets ill, writes Henry Ford Health CEO Bob Riney.
Opinion: Healthcare isn’t just a business expense. It’s a business strategy.
The highest-value healthcare dollar is spent before someone gets ill, writes Henry Ford Health CEO Bob Riney.
University of Michigan approves new $100M sports medicine institute in Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan Board of Regents has approved plans for a 100,000-square-foot sports medicine institute in south Ann Arbor that will bring specialized care, surgery, rehabilitation, and athletic performance services under one roof.
The Unraveling of Centrist Politics in Germany: The September Elections
As centrist politics begins to unravel in Germany, the extremes are moving to occupy the space once held by the political center.
The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.
Jackson Chamber JAXPO Business Showcase, 10-15-26
Volleyball Lumen Christi Tri-Meet 'Dig Pink Night', 10-12-2026. Photos by Henry Black, JTV Sports. Volleyball Lumen Christi Tri-Meet 'Dig Pink Night', 10-12-2026. Photos by Henry Black, JTV Sports. Latest GalleriesJackson Chamber JAXPO Business Showcase, 10-15-26 | Photo GalleryBoys Soccer D2 Districts Northwest vs Tecumseh, 10-15-26 | Photo GalleryBoys Soccer D3 Districts Michigan Center vs Columbia…
Apple lists unreleased iPad mini accessory ahead of rumored launch
While Apple is rumored to be gearing up to introduce an OLED iPad mini later this month, an oversight on the company’s French site might have just confirmed the product’s existence.
Oops, Apple's Website Just Hinted at iPad Mini 8
Apple has an unreleased iPad mini Smart Folio listed on its French regulatory website, hinting that a new iPad mini is coming. The case's A3632 model number doesn't match current or past iPad mini cases. Apple appears to have added the case to its website recently, and it's listed alongside iPhone 18 Pro accessories added in September. The listing doesn't include any iPad mini specs, but it does suggest design changes to the device it's meant for.
Arizona babies take a bite out of research
Like many parents, Megan Rivas wants to give her 6-month-old daughter, Monroe, a healthy start, and one of the ways she’s going about it could make a big difference for more than just her daughter. Rivas is among dozens of parents across the Valley feeding their babies an unexpected research ingredient — avocados — as part of an Arizona State University College of Health Solutions study called Guac & Grow.
Trump invokes executive privilege in Kennedy Center court fight
In a court filing, a lawyer for the White House said information about the president’s management of the center, including efforts to add his name to it, should be off limits.
Why AOC was in a deep-red part of Michigan: From the Politics Desk
Plus, the Republicans breaking with Trump on tariffs.
Oct. 15: Why Feds Are Investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar and Why Science Journalist Cleo Abram is Optimistic about AI
Just weeks before the midterm elections, federal agents searched the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., seizing her phone and issuing around a dozen subpoenas, two people familiar with the DOJ investigation told NBC News. NBC News senior justice reporter Ryan J. Reilly explains how the move fits into a broader trend of the DOJ going after President Trump’s perceived political enemies and why it’s so unusual to launch this kind of probe right before an election. Then, Cleo Abram is a video journalist and the host of the widely popular YouTube series “HUGE* if true” and “HUGE* conversations,” where she looks at the potential and the solutions offered by science and technology. Cleo talks about why she’s still a tech optimist in light of growing AI doomerism and how her interviews with industry leaders have shaped her perspective on security and regulation. Lastly, we wade into the internet’s favorite controversy this week: singer and TV personality Kelly Clarkson’s social media fight with a Brooklyn shop over a mechanical bird. NBC News entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas spills the tea on the back-and-forth – and why the bird is now going for $15 million.
Is AI Leading to Declining Enrollment in Computer Science?
After years of seeing climbing enrollment in computer science, the Connecticut State Department of Education found enrollment going the other way every year since 2022, when ChatGPT was released to the public.
Minnesota health dept. urges people to get measles vaccine amid outbreaks
The Minnesota Department of Health is urging people to get vaccinated for measles if they haven’t already. The guidance comes amid two unrelated outbreaks of measles since mid-September in rural Fillmore and Todd counties. Minnesota has had 42 recorded cases of measles in 2026, already exceeding the total of 26 cases in 2025. The year […]
Men tell Denton police a stranger threatened them with knife at business park
Two men told Denton police a stranger refused to leave their business property and threatened them with a knife on Wednesday, according to a police report.
2 giant Ramesses II statues, one wearing a double crown, discovered by man in Egypt
The remains of two Ramesses II statues — one of which would have originally stood around 28 feet tall — were found by a villager in Egypt.
$100M development adds 279 apartments to Henrico
A 17-acre office park in Henrico underwent a $100 million redevelopment that added 279 apartments.
Business News: Former AP CEO François-Henri Bennahmias Brought In As Consultant To Hublot
In a surprise move, Bennahmias will serve as a consultant at the LVMH watch brand, with Julien Tornare remaining CEO.
Becky G opens up about her rise to fame and mental health journey
Latin superstar Becky G sits down with NBC News' Morgan Radford to talk about her latest album, Baraja Bendita, and opens up about her journey with mental health.
Suspect in fatal Mason business shooting not competent for trial
He is accused of shooting and killing 29-year-old Vincent "Vinny" Stoetzel.
California students post gains in math, science and English in 2025-26
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California students made gains across key academic and success measures during the 2025-26 school year, with test scores rising in English, math and science while the statewide graduation rate reached a record high of 87.9 percent. For the first time, the state released assessment results and California School Dashboard data together to give families and educators a more complete picture of student performance.English language arts scores increased 0.5 percentage points to 49.3 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced, while math scores rose 1.1 percentage points to 38.4 percent. Science showed the strongest improvement, jumping 3.3 percentage points to 36 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced.The statewide chronic absenteeism rate dropped 1.1 percentage points to 18.3 percent. The suspension rate declined to 2.8 percent, marking the third consecutive year of improvement."At a time when California continues to focus on accelerating learning and closing opportunity gaps, these results provide important evidence that our sustained investments are making a difference," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "The continued progress we are seeing is a testament to the hard work of students, families and educators across the state—and we will continue working to build on these gains."The percentage of students prepared for college and career increased to 55.2 percent, up 2 percentage points from the previous year. More than 54 percent of graduates completed coursework required for admission to University of California and California State University systems, an increase of 0.9 percentage points."California has made important strides in expanding student supports and opportunities, but the pace of academic improvement reminds us that our work is far from finished," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said.Eighth grade students posted the strongest score trends in both English language arts and math. Science performance improved across all tested grades, with the strongest gains at the high school level.African American students demonstrated larger-than-average improvements across English, math and science. Hispanic or Latino students showed larger-than-average improvements in English and math, with positive math score trends across all grades.Students who were socioeconomically disadvantaged made gains across all 3 subjects, including larger-than-average improvements in English and math. Students who were homeless continued to demonstrate gains across grades, with particularly strong improvements in math."We are encouraged to see students making gains across all 3 major assessments and are especially encouraged by the progress of African American students, Hispanic or Latino students, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and homeless youth," said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the California State Board of Education.The progress comes as California's public school system undergoes significant demographic change. Statewide school enrollment declined to approximately 5.73 million students in 2025-26, nearly 500-thousand fewer students over the past decade.The number of students with disabilities increased approximately 25 percent over the same period, from about 680-thousand to more than 850-thousand students. Graduation rates increased across nearly all student groups, including notable increases for American Indian or Alaskan Native students at 4.3 percentage points and students with disabilities at 3.7 percentage points.In Downey Unified School District, the rate of students demonstrating proficient or advanced grade-level knowledge increased by 2.1 percentage points in English, 2.8 percentage points in math and 4.7 percentage points in science. The district aligned graduation requirements with college admission expectations and invested in inclusive special education practices, expanded career technical education and expanded learning opportunities."The gains Downey Unified is seeing in student assessment results and on the Dashboard are the result of years of focused, consistent work across the district," Superintendent Roger Brossmer said.In Exeter Unified School District, proficiency rates increased by 4.6 percentage points in English, 2.3 percentage points in math and 3.6 percentage points in science. The district placed a strong focus on phonics and the science of reading, particularly in kindergarten through second grade."The gains Exeter Unified is seeing in student assessment results and on the Dashboard are the result of having great people who are focused on the right work, and great students who want to do well," Superintendent Melanie Dorough said.Union Elementary School District saw proficiency rates increase by 1.5 percentage points in English, 2 percentage points in math and 4 percentage points in science. Teachers regularly analyze state and local assessment data to guide instruction, supported by strong core instruction and early literacy strategies."Union Elementary School District's achievement gains reflect a focused, data-driven approach to meeting the needs of every student while fostering a strong sense of belonging, safety and connection," Superintendent Carrie Andrews said.The California Department of Education is examining local results to better understand strategies and conditions associated with stronger student outcomes. The state has made significant investments in recent years, including literacy and math coaching, tutoring, expanded learning opportunities, community schools and universal transitional kindergarten.
Earth system scientist Henri Drake honored as 2026 Packard fellow
Funds will be used to pursue new methods for studying global sea level rise
Medicare open enrollment starts now. These changes will arrive in 2027
Open enrollment comes as inflation adds pressure on seniors whose healthcare costs have risen and as midterm elections are weeks away. Voters have consistently said cost-of-living is a major concern.
Mayo Clinic Minute: Wash your hands for better health
Note: Oct. 15 is Global Handwashing Day As respiratory infections rise in the fall months, washing your hands with soap and water is more important than ever. Regular hand-washing stops germs from spreading and lowers your chances of getting sick. Always wash your hands after using the bathroom, before eating or cooking, and after coughing or sneezing. Washing your hands for […]
Katie Zacharia did not pass the bar exam, senior administration official says
A Trump administration official argued that the White House press secretary could technically be considered a “lawyer.” That argument has been disputed by legal experts.
Henrico Business Watch: Business license filings Oct. 8–14, 2026
Henrico County reported the following business license filings with start dates during the week. The filings are listed alphabetically by business or trade name, followed by a registered address and business industry classification. ANT.ON LLC, 2405 Raymond Avenue, Henrico – Artists, literary, and craft services. Chutes International, various addresses – General
How 'Sunrise on the Reaping' landed its 'dream' cast
With up-and-coming actors working alongside Hollywood veterans in the new "Hunger Games" prequel film, "Sunrise on the Reaping" reflects a "dream" cast for its filmmakers.
Businesses were hit even harder by inflation last month than consumers
Various efforts by the Trump administration to bring down prices have failed to make a meaningful dent in rising costs.
Social media detox research leaves youth mental health questions unresolved, review finds
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, are used daily by many adults and young people worldwide. Recently, these platforms have become the focus of numerous debates, with some ...
The Politics of Heat, Homes, and Lobster Boats.
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by First National Bank. MOUNT DESERT ISLAND REGION—The candidates’ forum focusing on House District 15 and incumbent Holly Eaton and Clifford Noyes last week spent a lot of time on the candidates’ thought of heating, communication with constituents, property taxes, education costs, and other issues. It also was a time for the community to ask their own questions and see two candidates up close and personal at the Southwest Harbor Fire Department firehouse. Jim Vallette organized the hour-long event, which was moderated by Carrie Jones of the Bar Harbor Story. Ken Rozsahegyi provided technical support for the congenial event. House District 15 serves Brooklin, Deer Isle, Eagle Island Township, Frenchboro, Isle au Haut, Marshall Island, Southwest Harbor, Stonington, Swan's Island, Tremont, and Vinalhaven. Jones advised as she began the question and answer part of the event, ”Treat everyone here like they are going to be the ones who might give you a ride in a rainstorm, pull your pet out of a burning building, or be the one grading your kids’ papers at school, okay?” She continued. “That’s it. Tonight isn’t meant to be a gotcha debate. The goal is to give people in the district a chance to get to know both candidates, hear what they care about, and understand what they’d actually try to accomplish in Augusta.” The questions and discussion throughout were kind. Eaton currently serves in the position. She’s a Democrat from Deer Isle, raised in a fishing family and has worked in nonprofits and volunteered for her school board. Noyes is unenrolled (politically) and from Southwest Harbor and currently a school board member, self employed as a mason. He focused on fiscal issues throughout the forum. Eventually, at Jones’ prompting, the candidates played “Rock, Paper, Scissors” for who would go first for their closing statements. Noyes used the opportunity to urge others to head to the ballot. “Whether you vote for me or Holly, it’s important that people vote,” Noyes said. He hoped the voter turnout in the district would be over 35 percent because that would mean people were truly engaged. Eaton stressed that she’s a Democrat, but in Augusta, her role isn’t about party. “I am a Democrat, but when I go to Augusta, I am there to represent the people of District 15. I want people to feel as though I’m accessible, that I’m responsive, and that I show up for the district,” Eaton said. Being there for others was vital, she explained. “When something comes before me in Augusta, I try to look at it through the lens of the people and the communities that I represent. How will this affect the people who live here? Does it make it easier or harder to raise a family here, to operate a small business, to work on the water, to afford a home, to keep our schools open, or provide the essential services our communities depend on?” Eaton said. Noyes spoke about fiscal responsibility and about the state being more responsive to communities and the ideas that come from them. “I feel that we desperately need to restore some fiscal sanity, a little bit. So when the legislature meets again,” Noyes said, “it could be critical for Maine residents that we don’t keep digging this hole that we’re in financially and keep raising our taxes so the struggling families struggle even more.” The two answered a series of questions from Jones, then answered questions from the audience and participants via Zoom. Jones asked what they heard the most from people about what was making their lives hard and what can the legislature in Augusta do it about those issues. Both spoke to concerns about heating oil costs. Noyes spoke to the three H’s: health, home, and heat. Eaton and Noyes spoke to the burdens of families with lower incomes, with Eaton mentioning LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program). They both were in favor of free community college and trade programs. They both supported the working waterfront. Both said that data centers—such as the one proposed in Eastport, which is out of the district—should be a local decision, but neither were in favor of it. The working waterfront was supported by both. Eaton’s served on the Maine Marine Resource Committee in the legislature. She advocated a diversity of fishing resources and less of a reliance on lobstering. Shrimp, she hoped, would make a comeback. Noyes worried about out-of-state pressure on the lobstering industry, also spoke of shrimp harvesting timings, and said he supported the lobstering industry. QUICK NOTE Carrie Jones is, obviously, the co-founder of the Bar Harbor Story, which made us have a bit of a hard time putting out this story and thinking it through and how to present it. We ended up with this article. The debate in its entirety is below, many thanks to Ken and Jim for making it publicly available. UPCOMING AND PAST EVENTS The following events are or were organized by the League of Women Voters Downeast. DISTRICT 7 DISTRICT ATTORNEY DISTRICT 13 Thursday, Oct 15, 2026 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM Candidate Forum: House District 13 125 State St , Ellsworth Featuring candidates Michael Cunningham (D) and Russell White (R), moderated by Cyndi Wood, managing editor of the Ellsworth American. DEMOCRACY FORUM Friday, Oct 16, 2026 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Democracy Forum — Election 2026: What’s on Your Ballot RECENT PRESS RELEASES AND BRIEFS To see all the press releases, click here. To see our news, click here. For the full archive, click here. All of these are on our dedicated website. [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/feeling-stressed-kids-corner-invites) [ Feeling Stressed? Kids’ Corner Invites Parents, Educators, and Caregivers to Rediscover the Joy with National Speaker Raelene Ostberg Oct 14 ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/feeling-stressed-kids-corner-invites) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/feeling-stressed-kids-corner-invites) [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/mainely-meats-pink-party-for-breast) [ Mainely Meat’s Pink Party for Breast Cancer Awareness is October 18! Oct 14 ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/mainely-meats-pink-party-for-breast) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/mainely-meats-pink-party-for-breast) [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/conners-emerson-school-announces) [ Conners Emerson School Announces Public Surplus Property Sale Oct 14 ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/conners-emerson-school-announces) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/conners-emerson-school-announces) [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/planting-the-writers-garden) [ Planting the Writer’s Garden 12:15 AM ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/planting-the-writers-garden) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/planting-the-writers-garden) [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/artist-maria-de-los-angeles-explores) [ Artist Maria de los Angeles explores migration and belonging in COA public lecture 12:19 AM ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/artist-maria-de-los-angeles-explores) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/artist-maria-de-los-angeles-explores) HELP SUPPORT THE BAR HARBOR STORY When we started The Bar Harbor Story, we didn’t know if anyone would read it. But you showed up. You shared. You sent tips. Now—over 400,000 views every month later—it’s clear: people here care about their community and each other. We’ve kept everything free because news should never be out of reach, but every one of our stories takes time to write, and your support keeps The Bar Harbor Story going. If you value our work, please consider a paid subscription, a founding membership, or a sponsorship. It truly helps us cover one more meeting, tell one more story, shine one more light. Even $5 a month makes a difference. Click here to become a one-time supporter now. Thank you so much for being here. Founding member information can be found here. Have questions about sponsorships? Just send Shaun an email at sfarrar86@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you. Subscribe Share Bar Harbor Story Share Leave a comment
Want to Lower Blood Pressure? A Cardiologist Recommends This 1 Vegetable
In TODAY.com’s Expert Tip of the Day, a cardiologist reveals which vegetable helps the body produce a “potent vasodilator,” which opens blood vessels and promotes blood flow.
Could the Big Bang theory be wrong? Some of the biggest questions remain unresolved
The Big Bang explains a great deal, but some of its deepest questions remain unanswered. Future discoveries could change far more of the story than many people realize.
After booting 760K off ACA health plans, the Trump administration adds some people back
The Trump administration provided few details about its process for canceling hundreds of thousands of Affordable Care Act enrollments — even as the next stage of the anti-fraud effort is underway.
At the Museum of Science's new venue, live music is on the agenda
Jacob Collier, the genre-breaking English polymath, will christen the new museum's new 500-person space with an inaugural performance Friday.
More than 3 million Medicare Advantage enrollees need to find new plans for 2027 in third year of turmoil
Millions of senior citizens and other enrollees will have to find new Medicare Advantage plans because their policies are being terminated, while others could have to pay more for their coverage and care.
Louisiana opens enrollment for 274,000 Medicaid recipients who must switch plans
Healthy Blue, offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and Elevance Health, is pulling out of Louisiana’s Medicaid program at the end of the year.
Connecticut computer science enrollment falls for third year
Connecticut computer science enrollment declined for the third year in a row.
Trump touts booming economy at Montana rally, but supporters feel the pinch
Despite persistent inflation, some attendees said they don’t blame the president.
8 Best Science Fantasy Books of the 21st Century
Break genre barriers with spacefaring necromancers and aliens employing goblins
Employer Compliance Guide to 2027 Open Enrollment for Health and Welfare Benefits
It’s that time of year again – employers are gearing up for the administrative marathon known as open enrollment season, when employees revisit their benefit plan choices for the upcoming plan year. This critical period consistently highlights the many complex rules applicable to employer-sponsored health and welfare plans. We’ll cover five key legal considerations for employers and share practical takeaways to help you stay compliant.
Why Stephanie Mills called Lady Gaga a 'culture vulture'
R&B legend Stephanie Mills addressed unresolved friction with Lady Gaga, explaining why she felt disrespected during a private surprise performance. 'I hope you remember what you did.'
Florida science standards debate heads to Orange County listening session
Florida Education Commissioner Henry Mack defended a proposed rewrite of public school science standards, saying it still includes evolution and climate science. An October 27 listening session in Orange County will give Apopka families and educators an opportunity to discuss the changes before a planned December vote.
How the House landscape is evolving: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Trump’s latest moves leave Ukraine on the defensive.
Cross-party draw emerges as key factor in Texas' 28th District race
One national Republican group is canceling $3 million in planned advertising aimed at unseating longtime Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo.
Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers on whether Iran war was a mistake: ‘We’ll find out’
Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed spoke to “NBC Nightly News” about Iran, the economy and the issues driving the tight Michigan Senate race.
RFK Jr pushes back on reports of federal health coverage cuts
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disputes reports that the administration is cutting people from Medicare, Medicaid or Obamacare, saying it is targeting duplicate enrollments and records for deceased individuals.
New England Biolabs honors 11 scientists at Passion in Science Awards
New England Biolabs hosted the winners of its fifth Passion in Science Awards at its Ipswich headquarters last week, during a two-day event. The company announced the 11 honorees Sept. 10 in a news release. The awards recognize scientists whose work enriches the arts, humanitarian service, environmental stewardship and science mentorship, according to the release. […]
Ubisoft plans cuts at German studios, adding to wave of workforce reductions
Ubisoft is planning to reduce its workforce in Germany, where it operates a trio of studios, by about 100 workers, Game File has learned. The company wants to offer employees buyouts to, should enough people accept, avoid having to lay anyone off. “In Germany, we initiated discussions with the Works Council last week regarding a proposed voluntary departure plan across Ubisoft Dusseldorf, Ubisoft Berlin & Ubisoft Mainz,” a company rep told Game File. A “works council” is a union-like group representing employees. “The voluntary plan is the primary measure being proposed to support the intended organizational changes,” the Ubisoft rep added. The company declined to confirm the scale of the potential headcount cut. Of the impacted studios, Mainz might be the best known to the public. It leads development of the Anno series and shipped the well-reviewed strategy game Anno 117: Pax Romana in November 2025. Berlin and Dusseldorf operate as support studios within Ubisoft’s creative network. Berlin recently supported the development of Rainbow Six Siege and the Rayman Legends Retold remake. Dusseldorf also contributed to those projects, as well as The Settlers and Ubisoft-branded escape rooms. Dusseldorf is the biggest of the three studios, with some 400+ workers, compared to just over 100 at the other two, a source familiar with the reductions and the teams told Game File. More than half of these new reductions of about 100 people are expected to happen at Dusseldorf. The planned cuts were announced at a town hall for the German studios on Tuesday of last week. In an email follow-up, the studio group’s managing director, Benedikt Grindel, said the cuts were intended to “best position our German studios for the future... with a clearer focus on their role, capabilities and organizational setup needed for the work ahead.” The email was an echo of the past. In January 2025, Grindel had emailed the Ubisoft developers in his region (or studio “zone”) to explain that a round of 185 cuts at the time, including about 65 at Dusseldorf, were “essential to improve our operational efficiency and ensure the long-term sustainability of our studios, the zone and the company.” A half-decade of continued job cuts Ubisoft has been aggressively cutting its headcount for years. At the end of September 2022, it had 20,729 workers. By the end of March 2026, that total was down to 16,590. Studio management is trying to trim costs as it grapples with a changing industry and a drought of releases, let alone hits. The company announced earlier this year that it had reduced its costs since 2022 by “nearly €325 million” ($362m) and planned to lower them through 2028 by another €180 million ($200m). In June the company said it was closing down its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios and cutting roles in its Barcelona team. Even commercial and creative success hasn’t spared studios from this ongoing company-wide contraction. As Game File was nailing down details around the proposed cuts in Germany, Ubisoft management was informing workers of cuts in its Singapore studio, which shipped a hit remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag this past July. Some 70 positions in Singapore are being eliminated “to align the studio with upcoming production needs,” per a company rep’s statement to Game File. In early 2024, a large team in the Singapore studio launched the multiplayer pirate game Skull & Bones. It performed poorly but has been supported with regular content updates since. Many of Ubisoft’s studios around the world are heavily subsidized via regional grants and tax breaks. Singapore had been among them for years, but received no such local assistance in the 12 months ending this past March. News of the Singapore cuts broke today alongside word that Ubisoft is also proposing the closure of RedLynx, pending negotiations with officials. The Finnish studio behind the motorbike series Trials was founded in 2000 and sold to Ubisoft in 2011. As reported by VGC (and corroborated by Game File), Ubisoft management told employees it could not come up with a new, sustainable assignment for RedLynx. The 2025 workforce at Ubisoft Dusseldorf were straight-up cuts. This time, Ubisoft is hoping the reductions at its trio of German studios will largely come from workers taking a payout to leave. The company offered such voluntary dismissals at its Massive Entertainment studio (The Division) a year ago. For the German studios’ buyouts this time around, Ubisoft and the Works Council had discussed a formula that’d pay a worker’s monthly salary multiplied by 1.5 and by the number of years they’ve worked at the company, according to Game File sources. The formula is still subject to negotiations with the Works Council and has not yet been part of an official offer to workers. It could be adjusted up or down, and it could be supplemented with additional bonuses. Asked about the floated payout formula, a Ubisoft rep told Game File, “The terms of a potential voluntary departure program remain subject to negotiation with employee representatives. No final agreement has been reached, and we won’t comment on specific proposals while discussions are ongoing.” Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: Epic’s AI adventures Epic Games (Fortnite, the Unreal engine) is all-in on using AI to try to transform the way it makes video games and game-making tools. It’s leaders appear to be undeterred by any resistance among gamers and some game developers around generative AI—and instead emboldened by advances, particularly in AI-assisted programming. A recap of the last three days: On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Epic management told workers last week that development of an upcoming game combining Star Wars and Marvel characters would be “AI first.” Employees would be expected to use AI models such as Claude to code the game. A manager told Epic’s developers there would be “[n]o more hand-written code” and that art for the game would be “generated with full AI workflows,” per the outlet. Just ahead of that story running, Epic founder Tim Sweeney tweeted: “We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration. The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal.” In a follow-up, Sweeney predicted that most game development processes would be at least three times faster a year from now than they were in January 2026, thanks to AI. To a person on X who told him he was failing to read the room, Sweeney said: “Much of the room wants it to be 2016 again, but it’s not. Our job, as the provider of tools and technology to much of the industry, is to design for the present that is and the future that will soon be.” On Wednesday, Epic announced it was releasing a faster launcher for its Epic Games Store marketplace. It did so by stating in a blog post as clear as could be that the launcher is an AI-enabled, vibe-coded project: Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that’s way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look. Programming is hard? That was unexpected phrasing from a company founded by a legendarily great programmer. Back in 2011, Sweeney told me that he’d picked up programming quickly as a kid and rejoiced at the power it gave him. “I could look at any program that anybody else had written and, with enough effort, build something cooler.” Item 3: The Xbox Labs experiment (and one of the people behind it) Microsoft’s Xbox division, which is flooding the zone with announcements lately, yesterday revealed a new internal tech-tinkering team called Xbox Labs. In the words of Xbox boss Asha Sharma Labs is “a small group of game makers, engineers and scientists whose job is to turn emerging ideas into things our players and developers can experience.” Conventional wisdom coming out of the announcement is that Labs is a team that’ll focus on ideas driven by generative AI. In her announcement, Sharma cited some of the dizzying achievements in tech and gaming over the past month as AI agents and other AI tools have been deployed to swiftly figure out how popular games work, then rebuild them and mix them up. She mentioned seeing ”games rapidly decompiled and rebuilt to run on hardware they were never originally designed to support” and said “[p]erhaps more surprisingly, we’ve seen many of the biggest games in the world have been remixed into the source code of another.” (Minecraft plus Elden Ring, for example, or Fortnite + Super Monkey Ball + Overwatch + Diablo + others.) Sharma also cited the work of Windows PC games being ported to run in browsers, a seeming reference to a recent AI-assisted fan port of Halo. Or perhaps Call of Duty or GTA. Sharma didn’t use the specific term “AI” in her memo, but she came close, citing AI “agents” and their potential for game-making tools that Labs could help craft: I think XBOX has an important role to play here. Coding became the first major workload for agents because they can write, run, and test software. Games share many of those same properties, and people spend more than 72 billion hours a year playing XBOX games, roughly five times the estimated time spent writing code worldwide. We’ve spent 25 years learning how to make great games, and I want our game makers to help shape what these new technologies make possible. As we learn, we’ll share the tools we build with developers across the industry, just as we always have. When I asked an Xbox rep if Labs was an AI-centric team, they said genAI was not the focus, describing it as having a broader mandate for using new tech in new ways in gaming. As an example, they pointed to Xbox’s recently launched disc-to-digital gaming usage rights program. Microsoft didn’t specifically name anyone involved full-time in Xbox Labs yesterday, but on social media and LinkedIn, I spotted Adrian Mato IDing himself as leading the creatio of tools at Labs and talking up the launch. Mato first caught my attention in late September, when he said on X that he was “starting to build a new team at Xbox focused on products and tools for how games get built and distributed as agentic tools become more capable.” At the time, he framed AI-based tools as a supplement to traditional game dev tools. “I don’t think we need to replace them,” he said. Since then, he’s publicly shown interest in AI and in games. He’s recently spent some of his X feed marveling at the power of AI agents and praising the lighting in the latest Gears of War. Following the Labs announcement yesterday, he enthused about the Xbox Labs’ stylish landing page. He wrote: “We built some fun tools to art-direct shaders in real time, experimented with interactive ASCII art, and sprinkled in lots of tiny details. “Move your mouse to leave a colorful trail that reveals the original footage, or interact with the video to trigger bursts of particles. “A lot of love went into making it all feel just right. “More to come”
As measles surges, Pennsylvania doctors are seeing what the virus can do to kids
The virus is proving it can attack multiple organs, including the gut, liver, lungs and brain, even in children who were previously healthy.
Union leader quoted in Maine Senate attack ad sends ‘cease and desist’ to GOP PAC
The ad quotes a union official slamming Democrat Troy Jackson’s healthcare plan. He told NBC News he never commented on Jackson’s plan and was “shocked” to see the quote.
Endeavor Health announces plans to merge with Rush University Health System in 2027
Endeavor Health and Rush University System for Health announced Wednesday that they plan to merge, creating a 12-hospital system that will operate under