Search headlines

We polled two must-watch House races. There are good signs for Democrats.

Democrat Shannon Taylor is narrowly ahead of Rep. Rob Wittman (R) in Virginia's 1st, while Democrat Tom Perriello is modestly behind Rep. John McGuire (R) in the 5th.

Oct 1 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

As Xbox swings the axe, Gears of War: E-Day developers fear they'll be laid off straight after launch - and right before they'd be due their bonuses

Eurogamer speaks to anonymous sources from The Coalition on the change in morale over the past few months, linked to layoffs and Metacritic bonuses.

Oct 1 • 5:52 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net

September Monthly Review: Health MCP Guy?

For all the time I spend talking about APIs and data exchange, this newsletter has had embarrassingly little interoperability of its own. It’s old-school SaaS, baby - UI or bust. Not all of that is my fault! Substack, for all its popularity, is (as mentioned before) really frustrating as my system of record. The primary user it optimizes towards is the reader, whose attention feeds the app, the Notes feed, and the recommendation network that Substack is actually selling. Health API Guy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe They’re falling into the same trap that Medium once sprinted into, albeit at a much more glacial speed. Younger generations may not remember (or never knew) it, but Medium once lured publications like The Ringer and Signal v. Noise onto its platform, only to lose them as it rebuilt itself around a paywall and an algorithmic feed. Substack’s original pitch circa 2020 was the antidote (you own your list), but every new feed feature chips away at it. I get it: writers are generic supply in the eyes of the Substack product team. Generic supply follows demand, so the consistent pressure on the PMs is to generate demand, which leads to every product cycle going toward discovery (Notes, recommendations, the app, live video). The end result lackluster author tools (laggy and broken analytics are truly crippling) all despite the premium price point. The archive is where it crosses from authorial gripes to actual reader impact, though. Across Substack and LinkedIn, I’ve published 1,218 posts and nearly 900,000 words since 2018. Substack’s native search can see only the 464 posts that live on Substack, and even there it’s woefully inadequate at surfacing relevant content (even for the guy who wrote it)! Readers have the same problem, writ large. Ask the Archive Fixing search (for both my readers and my own use) turned out to be extremely non-trivial, unfortunately: There’s no public API for readers to access content RSS exists for new content notification, but it only carries the 20 most recent posts and cuts paid ones off at the preview The only Substack MCP is an admin tool for analytics The export exists for authors, but it’s painfully awkward and slow. So I built something to work around that: the Health API Guy MCP. It’s a private MCP server holding the full text of everything I’ve written across Substack and LinkedIn. Add it to Claude or ChatGPT as a connector and you can ask things like: It pairs keyword search (for acronyms and case names, of which we have many) with semantic search. Every post is also labeled by topic, form, and court case, so you can pull a lawsuit’s (or multiple cases’) entire docket across Substack and LinkedIn in one query: Hail, Healthapiguyhydra This is also a bit of me eating my own cooking. I’ve spent the year arguing that headless healthcare is arriving and that developers want primitives over abstractions. Last week in Hail, Benihydra, I watched Salesforce plug its platform into Claude and bet that the records underneath outlive whatever interface sits on top: Salesforce must believe that the Hydra’s immortal head is the records, permissions, and business logic (in that they will survive whatever happens to the interface). It felt a bit hypocritical to keep my own archive behind a Substack search bar. The archive is the body. Substack is one head, and now whatever tool you might use is another. Will the EHRs follow my lead? Probably not imminently, but one can hope! Why Founding Members Only The MCP is available to Founding Member subscribers. A few reasons: It costs money and time to run. Hosting, the database, Clerk usage and AI compute for search and labeling are significant operational costs (that increase with usage). Substack gives me no way to automate access. There’s no API to check whether someone is a paid subscriber, so every user is manual operations for now. It’s a beta. We’ll need to improve things and parts will break. I’d rather they break for a small group of dedicated readers who will tell me about it. The Founding tier deserved a real benefit. Until now it was mostly a generous tip. Now it comes with something. If you’re already a Founding Member, reply to this email with the address you’d like provisioned. If you’re not and want in, upgrade here. Larger teams (such as companies) can get access too: group subscriptions at the Founding tier come with the group discount. The admin for the subscription can reply with the list of addresses to provision. Get 20% off a group subscription Pricing Founding membership is now a flat $200 a year, replacing the old suggested $150 that readers could adjust. Existing Founding Members will have access grandfathered in at their previous rate. Month in Review Articles Published Make Networks Dumb Again (Sep 11): AI is making old analog networks cheaper to use and flooding them with machine traffic in the process. A plea for agent-native rails with the intelligence at the endpoints, and for Washington to drag them to ubiquity. Interoperability, Unbuttoned (Sep 29): Interoperability is a series of workflows in a trenchcoat, and this post finally takes the trenchcoat off. A color-coded map shows which provider workflows went digital, which are fragmented, and which still run on fax. Video Content Antitrust’s System of Record Problem (Sep 3): The FTC’s investigation into Epic prompted a ninety-minute webinar, now posted with chapters and a smoothed transcript. We get into why market definition, missing B2B share data, and the SSNIP test leave antitrust poorly suited to systems of record, plus why information blocking may be doing more than any pending lawsuit. The Information Exchange: Cerner Milking Edition (Sep 18): This was so fucking fun. Ryan Tucker, Ryan Brickner, Brad Thorson, and I try an Around the Horn format, complete with points, penalties, and a mute button. We debate whether Oracle Health is dead, who would actually buy Cerner (IBM enters the chat), p(Doom), and why the front desk still hands you a clipboard. Regulatory Ask Not What Your Network Can Do (Sep 23): CDC’s RFI on public health data intermediaries lists use cases already served, unevenly, by eCR, lab reporting, IZ Gateway, and syndromic surveillance. The real opportunity sits in one question about AI: a network that can handle the next emergency without another interface project. Court cases Particle v. Epic: The Naughty Schoolteacher (Sep 4): After a summer-long vigil, the answer on Epic’s early summary judgment bid is two paragraphs and a remedial assignment. Particle advances to the next grade, and market definition gets another year of discovery. The Epic Discovery Files (Sep 8): Texas’s motions to compel arrive with a 251-page appendix of requests, objections, and meet-and-confer letters with Cravath. Inside: Epic using generative AI for document review, denied interoperability requests in scope, and Noerr-Pennington raised against lobbying discovery. Epic v. Health Gorilla: “Working as Designed” (Sep 9): Epic wants nothing to do with the data breach MDL, and explaining why puts fresh discovery on the public docket. The spiciest allegation: Health Gorilla told GuardDog to scrub its law firm business from its website instead of cutting off access. Veeva v. Epic: Legal Bypass Surgery (Sep 15): Veeva asks the Wisconsin Supreme Court to skip the Court of Appeals, while law professors and three policy groups line up as amici. Meanwhile, Epic’s lawyers apologize for another round of citation errors, including a quote that never existed. Texas v. Epic: Behind the Black Bars (Sep 17): The court portal served up Epic’s unredacted filings, revealing a $5 million document review budget and the AI workflow behind it. Also inside: the 200-plus company names Texas wants searched, and one very expensive Zoom invitation. OpenEvidence v. Doximity: Consequences Will Follow (Sep 25): OpenEvidence tells the court it will not comply with a discovery order, and its own lawyers at Quinn Emanuel say they won’t defend the choice. Add years of Slack reported unrecoverable, and Rule 37 sanctions come into view. Health Tech Keeps Choosing Violence (Sep 28): Doximity moves to end OpenEvidence’s case, Epic asks Texas to show its work, and a sleepy Audacious Inquiry patent fight sprouts antitrust and information blocking counterclaims. The main event is a long-sealed Cognizant v. Infosys ruling that hints where system of record antitrust claims can survive. EHRs One Verb for Oracle Health (Sep 14): Oracle’s earnings call quantifies every data center to the decimal point, while Oracle Health gets a single verb: “accelerate.” Panning the few healthcare mentions turns up an agentic care management system, a research-to-care ledger play, and the question of whether healthcare gets Larry’s patience. Epic’s Forretress Under Siege (Sep 30): Judy Faulkner tells a panel Epic paused hundreds of projects to harden its software and calls it a “shame,” while a spokesperson insists the roadmap hasn’t changed. Project Glasswing, a Pokémon-branded QAN sprint, and a trove of Jodel grievances reconcile the two Epics and preview the Jevons paradox coming for all software. Industry Analysis Scanning for a Network (Sep 1): Scan.com raises $220M to build the imaging network labs never got, speedrunning Zocdoc’s consumer-to-B2B pivot. Its wedge to network density may be the most American one available: personal injury litigation. The Front Desk Wants the Damn Whole Building (Sep 16): Hello Patient buys Converse Health, pushing its AI front desk into referrals, chart work, and prior auth. The copilot categories keep blurring, and your distribution partner is still your final boss. Cross-industry Comparisons A Different Patchwork Quilt (Sep 10): Healthcare loves to envy open banking, but the US version has no mandate, a toll booth at Chase, and data quality problems of its own. The grass isn’t greener; it’s another American patchwork quilt, and perhaps a worse one. Hail, Benihydra (Sep 21): Salesforce brings its platform into Claude, Slack, and its own agent, inviting the interfaces that might replace it. Cut off one head and more grow back, so long as the records underneath stay put. Living on A Trade Secret Prayer (Sep 22): Six credit unions are suing Fiserv, the Epic of core banking, by claiming their own member records as trade secrets. Banking has no Cures Act, so its lawyers reach for legal alchemy that healthcare has already tried. Other News None this month External Media Nabla Accelerate NYC: I kicked off fall conference season at Nabla’s Accelerate event in New York, where Delphine Groll opened by asking the room to picture the company it wants to become and the one it doesn’t. I liked her framework of bureaucracy, fear, and ego as the blockers. I also love vendor conferences/events in general - different vibe than industry biggies. Healthcare 101 with Nikhil Krishnan: I briefly guest lectured Out-Of-Pocket’s Healthcare 101 class. Appreciated Nikhil’s takeaways cover whether AI doctors can query HIEs, why healthcare’s data-liberation rules beat most industries’, and the hi-res graphic is in the comments. HCN: Epic Probed by the FTC: I joined the HCN guys to talk through the FTC’s investigation into Epic. Cedric’s new hairdo was an unexpected plot twist. The episode also covers MFN drug pricing, healthcare M&A and Eli Lilly’s acquisition streak. Fall Conferences: At eHealth Exchange’s Annual Meeting in Austin on Oct 27, I’ll moderate a panel on the tensions between AI, HIEs, and timely patient access with Jean Ross (Primary Record), Therasa Bell (Kno2), Byron Crowe (Doctronic), and Michael Marchant (Freenome). Here’s the rest of my schedule if you want to meet up: CommonWell (Redwood Shores, CA): Oct 13-14 Will be participating in a fun Jeopardy event Open@Epic (Madison, WI): Oct 20-23 Will be enjoying Verona, Willy Street, and other local adventures eHealth Exchange and Sequoia Project (Austin, TX): Oct 27-29 Yeehaw HLTH (Vegas): Nov 15-18 Groundhog Day, Venetian Edition RSNA (Chicago): Nov 30-Dec 2 See me at “Governing AI in Breast Imaging: What Health Systems Are Actually Doing” Digital Health Counsel 2026 AI Summit (Seattle): December 2-3 Will likely be speaking to a bunch of lawyers about information blocking Posts I Liked ChatGPT’s Epic integration: game changer or nothing burger?: Joshua Liu, MD offers five thoughts on OpenAI’s Epic launch, starting from the point that it rides the same open APIs available to anyone. He argues read-only access leaves ordering to Art and the ambient startups, and asks why HCA is piloting it alongside Commure. He’s sorta a must-follow at this point - consistently excellent, thought-provoking takes. Epic, Lilly, and the Discovery pass: Seth Chaney reads Epic’s first major Discovery deal (with Eli Lilly), as well as its revised developer terms on commercial displays, as the pipe finally opening between EHRs and pharma. Life sciences and health continue to collide. Scott Rossignol on EHR payer platforms and ePA fees: Scott argues the top ambulatory EHR vendors are turning the prior auth mandate into a per-member-per-year toll on payers, for an API whose operating cost has nothing to do with covered lives. His fix is two lines of regulatory text: put the CRD/DTR/PAS certification criteria in the Base EHR definition, and bring payer-facing ePA connectivity under § 170.404’s cost-based fee rules. It’s a good solution. Health API Guy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe

Oct 1 • 4:36 AM EDT • Health • healthapiguy.substack.com

7 Takeaways From an Investigation Into Financial Aid at Texas Hospitals

Hospitals can prevent medical debt by preemptively wiping out a patient’s bill. But a Tradeoffs analysis finds that few nonprofit facilities in Texas use this tool to the maximum benefit of patients.

Oct 1 • 3:01 AM EDT • Health • tradeoffs.org

In 2021, Australian scientists sprayed wheat scent across farm plots to confuse hungry mice; the treatment reduced seed loss by up to 74% in a field experiment without poisoning the rodents

Australian scientists have tested a non-toxic way to protect wheat seeds from hungry mice by making it harder for the rodents to locate them. In an experiment carried out in 2021, instead of poisoning the mice or using bait, the researchers sprayed diluted wheat germ oil across farm plots to camouflage the smell of wheat seeds.

Oct 1 • 2:28 AM EDT • Science • timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Fellowship-Trained Neuro-Oncologist Nishika Karbhari, MD, Joins Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute

Fellowship-trained neuro-oncologist Nishika Karbhari, M.D., has joined Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute. Prior to joining Baptist Health, Dr. Karbhari completed a neuro-oncology fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She previously completed an internal medicine internship and neurology residency at Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, NH, serving as academic chief resident during her final year. […]

Oct 1 • 1:01 AM EDT • Health • southfloridahospitalnews.com

Junney Baeza Dager, MD, Joins Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute as a Nonsurgical Spine Care Physician

Junney Baeza Dager, M.D., has joined Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute at Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care as a nonsurgical spine care physician. Dr. Baeza Dager earned her medical degree from the University of Cartagena School of Medicine in Colombia. After completing a transitional-year internship at St. Vincent of Paul University Hospital in Medellin, […]

Oct 1 • 1:01 AM EDT • Health • southfloridahospitalnews.com

Lee Health Foundation Welcomes Kim Snarr as Director of Grants

Lee Health Foundation has welcomed Kim Snarr as director of grants, bringing nearly a decade of experience in grant strategy, revenue growth, compliance management, and cross-functional leadership within the nonprofit sector. Snarr joins Lee Health Foundation from the Center for Prevention of Abuse where she served as director of grants administration. Prior to her leadership […]

Oct 1 • 1:01 AM EDT • Health • southfloridahospitalnews.com

Wynonna Judd confirms she and sister Ashley Judd are on the outs

Country star Wynonna Judd has revealed, ahead of her new album release, that she and sister Ashley Judd are currently taking a break from their relationship.

Sep 30 • 10:17 PM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com

Japan’s patchy business mood takes pressure off BOJ for immediate hike

By Makiko Yamazaki and Leika Kihara TOKYO, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Japanese manufacturers' confidence hit an eight-year high over July-September but non-manufacturers' mood soured, a central bank survey showed, painting a mixed picture of the economy that ma...

Sep 30 • 8:14 PM EDT • Business • wtvbam.com

Warhammer 40,000 – Balance Update: Chaos, the Imperium and Xenos Fight Back

Learn what yesterday’s big changes mean for the non-Space Marines factions.

Sep 30 • 8:00 PM EDT • Technology • warhammer-community.com

What Does Your Office Say About Your Business? by Jennifer Kraner

What does your space say about you and your business? More importantly, does it give you the best possible first impression? The minute a client, customer or patient walks through your door, they’re forming an opinion about your business – sometimes consciously, sometimes without even realizing it. Your space is communicating something about you, whether you intend it to or not. At Big Sky Design, we work with all kinds of commercial businesses, including many medical practices, law firms and other corporate offices, and I’ve seen first hand how much thoughtful design can influence that first impression. For businesses in medical, legal, and financial fields, three things are particularly important: trust, privacy and professionalism. Your space should communicate all three while also reflecting who you are as a business. That can be challenging, especially in a new construction project. Often, so much of the budget goes toward the actual construction that things like lighting, comfortable seating, artwork and finishing touches get pushed to the side. But those are often the elements that make a space feel complete – and memorable. Think about your waiting room. Is it comfortable? Is the lighting welcoming? Does the layout make sense? When someone walks through the door, do they immediately know where to go and whom to speak with? In a medical office, there’s another important consideration: privacy. Reception areas can become surprisingly noisy places, with phone calls, conversations between staff and patients, and people discussing personal information. Hard surfaces throughout a space allow sound to bounce around, making it difficult to maintain privacy. We recently worked with an eye doctor's office that had exactly this problem. The reception desk had a large opening, and staff were making and taking phone calls right next to patients who were waiting. We designed an acoustic treatment that acted as a divider between the staff and waiting areas. It absorbed sound, but it also became a branded design element. It was a visual reminder to everyone in the space to be mindful of their voices and what others might be able to hear. Those kinds of thoughtful details can make a tremendous difference. And good commercial design doesn't have to mean making your space flashy. Sometimes it’s as simple as a calming color palette, beautiful artwork, plants, carefully selected lighting or comfortable upholstered furniture. In a medical setting, those touches can help soften what might otherwise feel clinical and reduce anxiety for patients who are already nervous about an appointment. I’ve been in waiting rooms where everyone feels packed together, and you can hear every conversation – even what’s happening in the restroom next door. That’s not the experience you want to create. Your office should also feel like your business. Are you telling people that you’re clean and modern? Sophisticated and unique? Warm and welcoming? Or, unintentionally, are you telling them that your business is outdated? You don’t necessarily need a complete renovation to change that message. Fresh paint, updated lighting, new artwork, better seating or a few branded design elements can make a space feel current and intentional. At Big Sky Design, we’ve worked with radiology, dermatology, and dental practices, among many others. Every practice is different, but the goal is always the same: creating a space that reflects the business behind it and gives every person who walks through the door a positive first impression. Because your office is part of your brand. Make sure it’s telling the story you want people to hear. Read more at bigskydesignonline.com.

Sep 30 • 8:00 PM EDT • Business • wilmingtonbiz.com

49ers Emerge as Potential Trade Destination for Cardinals Veteran

The San Francisco 49ers need pass-rush help after losing Nick Bosa for multiple weeks to a calf injury. Even before losing him, the Niners likely still needed help, since Bosa is their only reliable edge rusher. San Francisco did sign veteran defensive end Matthew Judon to the practice squad. Nonetheless, the Niners are rolling the […] The post 49ers Emerge as Potential Trade Destination for Cardinals Veteran appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 30 • 7:30 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Looking at the Ugly Side of the Paramount-Skydance Merger...And How I’d Fix It

A Message from Our Sponsor Certified Fresh with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, FX’s Adults is an ensemble comedy series about a group of twenty-somethings in New York leaning on each other to navigate love, work, friendship and family. Don’t sleep on “The Sitcom of the Moment” - Awards Buzz All Episodes now streaming on Hulu on Disney+. Watch The Teaser Trailer... (Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industr(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Before we dive in, I wanted to congratulate Broadcast Now for being the first to report that Netflix’s How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has been cancelled. (I saw this in a write-up by Kasey Moore of Whats-On-Netflix.) More importantly, I wanted to note that, as of yesterday, none of the other trades had reported the news yet. I have half a guess that eventually one of them will report this. Anyways, it’s time to take a break from my deluge of streaming ratings reports to continue my analysis of the Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. Discovery (PSWbD) saga. As I noted last week, a lot of times when folks use the (sometimes cliched) “the good, the bad and the ugly” framing for an article, “the ugly” section is just more bad. Or very, very bad. In this case, yeah, I do think it’s ugly. In more than one way. Unfortunately, we’re only going to have time to tackle one of those ways today: the ugly pile of debt to finance this deal. (In a future article, I may cover the entire process for how it went down, which was very, very ugly.) Last issue, I explained why I liked this deal in a vacuum. Unfortunately, “vacuums” don’t exist outside of space. Let’s dive in. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - The Ugliness of the Paramount/Warner Bros. Merger More than one person sent me a note speculating that the big problem with Paramount Skydance buying Warner Bros. Discovery is the “Warner Bros.” portion of the deal. In fact, that’s a take I read a lot about Warner Bros., ever since they caught Netflix’s, and then Paramount-Skydance’s, eye. In short, multiple companies (Time, AOL, AT&T, Discovery) have bought and then regretted buying Warner Bros. Since it’s nearing Halloween, you could almost say it’s like the folks think WB is cursed! It’s a haunted studio—like the town of Derry in movie studio form—and whoever takes possession of it will fall into misery! Yet...I just don’t like that story, because it doesn’t explain the “why” behind why those deals fell through. Especially when Warner Bros. has continued to succeed as a TV and film studio in the intervening two decades. Lord of the Rings? Harry Potter? Game of Thrones? Everything HBO? Considering it never fully owned a broadcast TV channel, this media company has done pretty well. So what went wrong? Well, in recent years, companies bought Warner Bros. instead of the other, smarter option. Explaining POCD (And Applying It to Mergers & Acquisitions) As I explained last issue, one of my favorite frameworks is the POCD tool for evaluating venture capital investments: People Opportunity Context Deal The bar to invest as a VC is high. (Or I might say “was” since cheap interest rates made life easier last decade.) You review a thousand prospectuses, get pitched by a hundred, and invest in the ten best, with the hopes that one of those ten would pay for the rest. That means every element of a deal needed to pay off: you needed the right people running the companies, who could capitalize on the right opportunity, in the context of an industry that was ripe for disruption. If you could then not overpay, you could make some money in a smart deal. The analogy isn’t perfect here, but close enough. For a merger or acquisition to work, you need the combined company (which is the opportunity) to make more than the price you need to pay (which is the deal). Note: the people and context still matter, but with M&A, it’s a little more straightforward: does the opportunity exceed the cost? And usually with Warner Bros., it hasn’t. If you want to find out the single biggest mistake made by the Warner Bros. suitors over the last few years (and my simple fix) become a paid subscriber. I’ll also touch on who I think Paramount-Skydance could (shockingly) consider buying next, TBD, and more. Sign up here.

Sep 30 • 6:41 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com

Austin nonprofit uses sound baths, yoga to promote mental health during Hispanic Heritage Month

For some Austin residents, finding a moment of peace can be as simple as closing their eyes and listening. At a recent event in southeast Austin, the sounds of singing bowls and other instruments fil...

Sep 30 • 6:38 PM EDT • Health • yahoo.com

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on his blueprint for depolarizing a fractured nation

Sep 30 • 6:25 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Where Does Syracuse Football Rank in ACC Heading into October?

The Orange will play a non-conference game following a 15-day break from action.

Sep 30 • 4:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

The Daily Roundup: Montana EMS Agencies Receive First Funds from Federal Health Program

The results are in: this year’s Great Fish Community Challenge was a record-breaking one, with 4,000 donors accounting for a total of $8.6 million going to nonprofits across the Flathead Valley.

Sep 30 • 3:15 PM EDT • Health • flatheadbeacon.com

Panthers list handful of starters as non-participants on Wednesday

The Panthers noted seven players as non-participants at Wednesday's walk-through.

Sep 30 • 2:58 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

DOJ announces indictments of several noncitizens for illegal voting in Minnesota

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the foreigners were from Brazil, Ghana and Liberia

Sep 30 • 2:24 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

A few noncitizen votes are a scandal. But thousands of rejected ballots are business as usual

One state rejected ballots because some voters failed to include their mother’s maiden name on the back of the return envelope.

Sep 30 • 1:30 PM EDT • Business • democracydocket.com

Chris Koza album release concert Oct. 24

Lanesboro Arts is thrilled to celebrate the release of Chris Koza’s latest album, “Millsmoke on the Skyline,” with a concert at the St. Mane Theatre at 7 p.m. on October 24. Chris Koza is a composer and performer based in Denver and Minneapolis. In his writing, Koza both honors and builds on the vast genre of Americana music. For every song that sounds like it could be strummed from a boxcar clacking slowly across a grassy midwestern plain, there’s a tune sailing from a city rooftop, echoing across a valley of streets and traffic, or a melody twisting and shimmering like a dim frequency deep into the starry night.Both as a solo artist and with his band Rogue Valley, Koza has supported and shared the stage with artists such as Brandi Carlile, Gordon Lightfoot, Ingrid Michaelson, The Jayhawks, Neko Case, Kathleen Edwards, Dan Wilson, and many more. His music regularly appears on ABC’s “General Hospital,” “60 Minutes,” and “Good Morning America.” Koza’s song, “Be Wild,” was also featured in a state of Minnesota tourism campaign.#placement_932485_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid932485 = window.pid932485 || rnd;var plc932485 = window.plc932485 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=932485;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid932485+';place='+(plc932485++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');Koza’s latest offering, “Millsmoke on the Skyline,” grants the newfound outsider perspective of the rich life and golden fleeting days throughout the rural Midwest. Weaving melody and lyrics into vignettes and narratives set in places where love is powerful, dreams are vast, and life is beautiful.The St. Mane Theatre box office will open at 6 p.m. on the day of the concert. Tickets will be sold in person at the door or can be purchased online at lanesboroarts.org. Seating at the St. Mane theatre is first come, first served. Tickets are on sale now for $25 for general admission or $22 for Lanesboro Arts members.The 2026 performing arts season at Lanesboro Arts is made possible by our season sponsor, Poet Refinery, as well as our concert level sponsors, High Court Pub, Krage Insurance Agency & Preble Farmers Mutual, Stone Mill Clothing & Gifts, E2 Boutique/Amish Experience, and The Cottage House Inn, and community sponsors, VIS Plumbing, Granny’s Liquor, Kingsley Mercantile, Batstone CPA, Clara’s Eatery, IGA, Niagara Cave, and Huntington Electric. This event is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. #placement_932489_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid932489 = window.pid932489 || rnd;var plc932489 = window.plc932489 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=932489;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid932489+';place='+(plc932489++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');

Sep 30 • 1:18 PM EDT • Entertainment • winonapost.com

Organ concert series continues Oct. 14

As Central Lutheran Church, 259 West Wabasha Street, in Winona prepares for the renovation of their Hendrickson pipe organ, they are hosting a series of recitals featuring area organists. All

Sep 30 • 1:16 PM EDT • Entertainment • winonapost.com

Hairdressing Is an Art; Let’s Remember It’s Also a Business

Across the country, hair salons are seeing demand for their services grow. And while beauty professionals may have amazing skills as far as their craft, what almost none of them have been taug | L.A. hairstylist, salon owner, and educator Paula Peralta argues that while technical skills may launch a career, business education is what helps stylists build their futures.

Sep 30 • 11:14 AM EDT • Business • americansalon.com

Health Break: Non-profit provider brings back free series for Lowcountry caregivers

MiraSol Health is hosting a free caregiver series from September through January.

Sep 30 • 10:43 AM EDT • Health • wtoc.com

Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten to be inducted into LIMEHOF

Ray Romano and Rory Rosegarten will be inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame as the first non-musicians honored. The induction recognizes their contributions to entertainment, notably through the sitcom 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' which has strong Long Island ties and a popular exhibit running at LIMEHOF.

Sep 30 • 10:39 AM EDT • Business • libn.com

Intern program highlights careers beyond bedside

ECU Health's Talent Acquisition team launched a new non-clinical internship program this past summer to promote careers in health care.

Sep 30 • 10:30 AM EDT • Health • ecuhealth.org

Mattel Picks Roger Lynch to Lead Toy Company After Ynon Kreiz Exit

Condé Nast chief Roger Lynch will become chairman of Mattel on Oct. 2 and CEO by Nov. 2, replacing Ynon Kreiz, who is leaving for another…

Sep 30 • 9:57 AM EDT • Entertainment • northeasttimes.com

Junney Baeza Dager, M.D., Joins Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute as a Nonsurgical Spine Care Physician

August 31, 2026 – Junney Baeza Dager, M.D., has joined Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute at Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care as a nonsurgical spine care physician. Board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation with specialized expertise in spinal cord injury medicine, Dr. Baeza Dager focuses on helping people with neurological conditions improve their function, […]

Sep 30 • 9:35 AM EDT • Health • southfloridahospitalnews.com

Wiegman explains why Chloe Kelly was dropped by England

Sarina Wiegman has explained why Chloe Kelly was left out of the latest England squad, with the decision coming before the forward’s current hamstring problem.Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesSarina...

Sep 30 • 7:15 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Arsenal midfielder notches another goal contribution for Spain

Mikel Merino provided an assist for Spain and Martin Zubimendi earned a rare start as they eased past Croatia on Tuesday night.Photo by Lars Baron/Getty ImagesGoing into Spain’s Nations League match...

Sep 30 • 6:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

AOC wraps upstate tour as speculation grows over political future

She has shown interest in a Senate or presidential run.

Sep 30 • 5:45 AM EDT • Politics • ny1.com

Virginia Democrats warn more healthcare strains loom after November election

Christina Rivera kept her health insurance this year because she needed major back surgery. But maintaining coverage meant absorbing a monthly premium that rose from $235 in 2025 to $1,336 in 2026 — with a higher deductible. “That’s just not reasonable for anybody who is relying on the ACA for healthcare,” said Riviera, a Charlottesville-area resident and founder of the nonprofit Called to Justice. “I don’t have that sitting around. It’s not in the cushions of the couch.” Small nonprofits often depend on the Affordable Care Act marketplace because reasonably priced group coverage is out of reach, Rivera said. After enhanced federal premium tax credits expired last December, her insurance bill became another financial burden alongside groceries, gasoline and utilities.

Sep 30 • 5:28 AM EDT • Health • virginiamercury.com

Manchester City stars now fearing Premier League relegation

Manchester City players are worried that they face relegation, after the Premier League’s confirmation of the guilty verdicts from their financial rule breach hearing.Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Imag...

Sep 30 • 4:35 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

ND clinics to change name following merger of two Minnesota-based healthcare providers

Two Minnesota-based healthcare providers are planning to merge and could create one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the upper Midwest.

Sep 29 • 5:46 PM EDT • Health • kfyrtv.com

Business After Hours October 7 at Kennon Products

The Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce will offer the next Business Before Hours event, hosted by Kennon Products, Inc. on Wednesday, October 7. Those wishing to attend can stop by between 7:30 and 9 a.m. to enjoy breakfast consisting of eggs, sausage, orange Juice and pancakes to celebrate that Kennon is an employee-owned company. Attendees […]

Sep 29 • 5:34 PM EDT • Business • sheridanmedia.com

Memphis offense’s top performers from the non-conference slate

Memphis didn’t play last weekend after four straight games to start the season, and it will start conference play on Saturday with a road game against Charlotte. With the non-conference slate behind them, it’s time to look at the top performers from Charles Huff’s offense through the first four games of the season.

Sep 29 • 5:10 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Community Non-Profit Comprehensive Behavioral Health Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Hackensack, New Jersey-based Comprehensive Behavioral Health Care Inc. (CBH Care) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections. The nonprofit

Sep 29 • 4:08 PM EDT • Health • bhbusiness.com

Bears HC noncommittal about their QB for Week 4

The Bears will have a decision to make for their starting quarterback in Week 4.

Sep 29 • 4:04 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center is 1st in NJ to use SetPoint System to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center is the first hospital in New Jersey to use the SetPoint® System, a groundbreaking new device that uses neuromodulation to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), offering patients a non-medication option to treat the condition.

Sep 29 • 3:45 PM EDT • Health • newswise.com

Next Woman Up: Jill Costanza, Lions Assistant Strength & Conditioning/Director of Sports Science

In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, Jill Costanza details her role as the Detroit Lions' assistant strength & conditioning coach/director of sports science, her non-linear path to the NFL and the most rewarding part of her job.

Sep 29 • 3:15 PM EDT • Science • nfl.com

Next Woman Up: Jill Costanza, Lions Assistant Strength & Conditioning/Director of Sports Science

In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, Jill Costanza details her role as the Detroit Lions' assistant strength & conditioning coach/director of sports science, her non-linear path to the NFL and the most rewarding part of her job.

Sep 29 • 3:15 PM EDT • Sports • nfl.com

HSS and New York Road Runners Hold Second Annual Runner Health Symposium

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health and the official hospital of the TCS New York City Marathon, will host the 2nd Annual HSS/NYRR Runner Health and Performance Symposium on October 3 in collaboration with New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that “runs” NYC...

Sep 29 • 2:00 PM EDT • Health • news.hss.edu

Midwest nonprofits HealthPartners, Essentia Health announce merger plans

Minnesota-based nonprofits HealthPartners and Essentia Health have announced plans to combine, setting the stage for an integrated 22-hospital system spanning multiple Midwest states. | The deal would yield a roughly $12.5 billion, multi-state integrated nonprofit with 22 hospitals and a 1.6 million-member insurance business.

Sep 29 • 1:15 PM EDT • Health • fiercehealthcare.com

“Primetime:” The Tragedy of Ethics vs. Entertainment

A review of the newest A24 film, “Primetime” which follows Chris Hansen on his search for ratings and fame during his docu-series “To Catch A Predator” in the early 2000s. Starring the star of 2026, Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen.

Sep 29 • 1:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • technicianonline.com

Smith says non-disclosures put in place to protect against Trump’s obstruction efforts

Sep 29 • 12:30 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

AFP-MT Opposes I-194, Warns Measure Would Silence Montanans, Threaten Businesses

HELENA, MT — Americans for Prosperity-Montana (AFP-MT) today announced its opposition to I-194, a statewide ballot measure that would strip Montana small businesses, family farms and ranches, and nonprofit organizations of their right to speak up in the political process — and put their ability to legally operate in the state on the line if […]

Sep 29 • 12:02 PM EDT • Business • americansforprosperity.org

Months After LA County Cut Clinical Services at Seven Public Health Sites, It Has Not Shown Whether Patients Found Replacement Care

Measure ER starts on October 1, and a county-affiliated nonprofit is soliciting pledges. However, the county still hasn’t publicly shown which services have been replaced or whether referred patients received them.

Sep 29 • 12:00 PM EDT • Health • knock-la.com

Entertainment headlines with Brenda Alexander

Nick Cannon has a new reality show coming, and Hayden Panettiere's ex, files for temporary guardianship of their daughter.

Sep 29 • 11:50 AM EDT • Entertainment • fox5atlanta.com

Temple Health posted a $22.7 million operating profit in fiscal 2026

The North Philadelphia nonprofit's revenue climbed to $3.6 billion from $3.3 billion.

Sep 29 • 11:42 AM EDT • Health • inquirer.com

George Michael honored at VMAs by Raye, Sombr, Teddy Swims

George Michael and MTV were synonymous in the ‘80s with both his solo work (those “Faith” jeans!) and Wham! (that “Wake Me Before You Go-Go” neon!).

Sep 29 • 9:06 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com

Keeping politics out of the courtroom

Guest columnist Mike Talia describes the importance of keeping Montana judicial elections nonpartisan.

Sep 29 • 9:00 AM EDT • Politics • bozemandailychronicle.com

Arsenal star scores in Brazil win over Australia

Arsenal’s Bruno Guimaraes helped Brazil to get back to winning ways with a goal in Tuesday’s victory over Australia, with Gabriel Magalhaes also featuring.Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty ImagesBrazil’...

Sep 29 • 8:40 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Lesbian Bar Project Co-Founder: Purity Politics Could Destroy Our Remaining Spaces

Subscribe As a professional lesbian and Massachusetts native, I’ve recently been asked by a lot of folks what I think about the saga unfolding at Last Ditch. The now-viral story, first reported by The Boston Globe, centers on a Western Massachusetts lesbian bar that lifted its mask requirement for one night a week to help drum up business. The decision ignited an intra-queer controversy that has been feasted on by media outlets across the political spectrum—from the New York Post to LGBTQ Nation—and is even reportedly being eyed for a Hollywood adaptation. Apparently nothing is more entertaining than a bunch of lesbians and queers fighting with each other over KN-95s. What has been lost in all of the chatter and media coverage is the very real possibility that Last Ditch, which just opened in April 2025, will have to close its doors. The venue’s one remaining founder, Jackie Matellian, revealed in a community Zoom meeting that she’s working four jobs, is now solely responsible for the bar’s $50,000 business loan and is struggling to keep up with the bills. So as we laugh about the controversy’s similarity to a “Portlandia” skit and how one of the bar’s founders left to enroll in clown school, we forget that yet another lesbian bar is facing an existential crisis—and this time the call is coming from inside the house. In 2020, my friend Elina Street and I created The Lesbian Bar Project, an Emmy-, Webby- and GLAAD Media Award-winning docuseries and initiative that tells the stories of lesbian queer bars around the world. We were moved to act because at the time there were only an estimated 16 lesbian bars in the United States, and the pandemic threatened to bring that number down even further. There are now more sapphic bars than there were just before the pandemic—about 36 of them in total—but this is down from approximately 200 in 1980. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to you, but for the millions of sapphics living in the U.S., this number is calamitous. As the world laughs at lesbians and sapphics, I want to take a second and tell you what I feel when I walk into one of these bars, which are all unique and irreplaceable in their own way: I feel seen. Sometimes I think Cubbyhole in New York City’s West Village neighborhood knew I was gay before I did. When I walked in there for the first time, before I was even out, I was transfixed by the colorful array of tchotchkes hanging from the ceiling and how the women standing next to me were completely unafraid to express their desire for one another. I knew the minute I was ready to come out, I had a home. I also felt the joy of a new couple falling in love at Seattle’s Wildrose, the quiet confidence of a short king lining up her shot at the pool table at Ginger’s in Brooklyn and the kick of cayenne pepper in Julie Mabry’s crawfish at Houston’s Pearl Bar. Subscribe Lesbian bars don’t just serve lesbians; they serve queer folks across the spectrum, including bisexual, pansexual and trans people. As Elina and I traveled across the U.S. and Europe and to parts of Latin America to document the bar owners, staff and patrons that make up the ecosystems of these spaces, we also became uniquely acquainted with the factors that threaten their existence: gentrification, wage gaps, sexism, environmental disasters, gun violence, rising insurance premiums and political administrations working to annihilate queer people and their families. Lesbian bar owners, like all leaders and entrepreneurs, are imperfect. There have been significant issues over the years at lesbian bars: employee harassment, racism, lack of accessibility, sexual assault and transphobia. All bar owners should be held accountable and should listen to their communities to evolve into safer and more equitable spaces. I also acknowledge my privilege: I am able-bodied, white, cis and from a family system that loves me for who I am. Not everyone has that. Queer people, especially trans and bisexual people, are suffering from disproportionately high levels of depression, and our mental health system isn’t equipped to support them. Immunocompromised people and long COVID are real, and many of my friends are suffering to this day. The people with the least safety net are often the ones for whom a bar closing costs the most. And yet, as we’re seeing with Last Ditch, the queer community often lashes out at each other. It’s also the mainstream media taking the internal conflict and making a mockery out of it, distracting from the real possibility that this bar could close due to financial pressures. A bar that many people loved and needed is facing extinction. Perhaps it’s safer to dissent with one another than with the larger forces trying to eradicate us, but in doing so, we risk destroying the few spaces we have left. Due to the constraints of purity politics—some in good faith, some not so much—lesbian bar owners, almost all of whom are queer women themselves, are forced to be everything for everyone, similarly to how women are forced to be everything for everyone. By asking these bars to uphold impossible standards—standards very few other third spaces are asked to consider—we all end up losing. I want to move as a community toward dialogue, compassionate dissent and collaboration to make our spaces better with the goal of keeping them OPEN and thriving, rather than destroying them from the inside with expectations that are arguably unattainable. Subscribe While I have your attention—for this fleeting second of the news cycle—may I urge us to spearhead a way to keep these small businesses afloat without attacking our own community along the way? Bar owners are left with an impasse: They want to be community-centered, but they also have to make money to keep their doors open. Sometimes they might make business decisions that don’t work for everyone—and that’s partly because different patrons have different priorities and want different things—but these owners deserve the opportunity for productive dialogue**.** We have to work with them and with each other to keep our spaces open, to keep them growing. Lesbian bars raised me into the queer woman I am today. One thing I think about as I reflect on the six years of work we’ve done to document these spaces is that shared, unspoken language I have with a stranger the moment we both walk into one of these bars: the nod, the ease, the not having to explain ourselves. I don’t want to lose that, and neither should you. If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button: Donate

Sep 29 • 7:01 AM EDT • Politics • unclosetedmedia.com

Arsenal forward scores 2nd goal in 2 internationals

Viktor Gyokeres scored his second goal in two games for Sweden on Monday night, netting in another Nations League victory for his team over Poland.Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty ImagesHaving scored...

Sep 29 • 6:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

How a Chicago educator uses food to teach science thanks to Pilot Light, a local chef-led nonprofit

The nonprofit Pilot Light, which started in a single Chicago classroom with notable local chefs, now partners with administrators, schools and teachers in 26 states.

Sep 29 • 6:00 AM EDT • Science • chicagotribune.com

How fishing is helping these Georgia men talk about mental health

Atlanta nonprofit Fishing the Good Fight uses fishing, the outdoors and community to help men connect, build friendships and talk openly about mental health.

Sep 29 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • ajc.com

Adam Greenman on how he’s preparing to be the next mayor of Pawtucket

The former nonprofit executive defeated a longtime incumbent in the Democratic primary

Sep 29 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • oceanstatemedia.org

OCT NIBJ: Women in business: Building success together in Sandpoint

Women have always been an important part of Sandpoint’s business community. From entrepreneurs and business owners to managers, professionals, employees, nonprofit leaders, and community volunteers, women contribute every day to the strength and character of our local economy.

Sep 29 • 4:00 AM EDT • Business • cdapress.com

Strategic Momentum in Türkiye-Lebanon Relations

Canbolat's visit to Türkiye in December 2024, as the leader of the Druze community, was a significant indicator of Lebanese expectations.

Sep 29 • 12:25 AM EDT • Politics • politicstoday.org

Saint Louis County reports public health alert due to spike in non-fatal overdoses

Saint Louis County reports public health alert due to spike in Non-fatal Overdoses

Sep 28 • 11:26 PM EDT • Health • firstalert4.com

Chamber of Maui Political Action Committee announces Its 2026 candidate endorsements

The Chamber of Maui Political Action Committee (COMPAC), a non-partisan non-sectarian committee who handles the Maui Chamber’s candidate endorsement process, announced the Chamber’s “business-friendly” endorsements for State and Maui County races this year.

Sep 28 • 10:30 PM EDT • Politics • mauinow.com

Naughty Dog Will 'Fully Reveal' Intergalactic in 2027, but No Release Window Yet

Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann concluded this year's "The Last of Us Day" by giving updates on the developer's current projects, teasing two new The Last of Us projects that "will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II" without confirming whether or not either one of them is a game, as well as saying that its next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Project, will be "fully reveal[ed]" next year.

Sep 28 • 8:37 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com

Glenville State cuts ribbon on new College of Business

Glenville State University marked the creation of its College of Business with a ribbon cutting Wednesday. In recent years the university has added an MBA and moved two business degrees online.

Sep 28 • 8:21 PM EDT • Business • mybuckhannon.com

Beyond 'normal' and 'abnormal': Health checkup values show nonlinear links to future health care costs

As populations age and health care expenditures continue to rise worldwide, there is growing interest in understanding how routinely collected health data may help characterize future health care needs ...

Sep 28 • 8:20 PM EDT • Health • medicalxpress.com

Russian strikes hit science academy and medical facility in Kyiv

Russian strikes struck a science academy building and a medical facility in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killing at least one person and injuring six others, including three children, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said on Monday that the casualties were reported at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine building, which sustained a direct hit. […]

Sep 28 • 5:10 PM EDT • Science • bnonews.com

Bobby Kotick’s lawyers sent me a bad email (and later apologized)

The message I had received was unsettling—for a moment. Then it was just really confusing. Back on January 20 of this year, at 5:15pm ET, I received an email with the subject line “Legal Correspondence re Bobby Kotick.” It was from the law firm Clare Locke, a firm I’d heard had been emailing reporters in recent years about their coverage of Kotick, the former, longtime CEO of Activision Blizzard. The letter was threatening. A lawyer from the firm introduced themselves as “defamation counsel to Bobby Kotick.” They issued a “demand” that I “correct” a Game File article I’d published a week prior. The article that had irked them had been a scoop of sorts. I’d written about a a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Swedish pension fund, AP7, over Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The suit wasn’t news, but I was first to review and report about Kotick’s extensive pushback to the fund’s claims. The pension fund’s core contention was that the sale had been rushed by Kotick to avoid the consequences of sexual misconduct scandals swirling around the company in 2021. (He’d not been accused of misconduct himself in those suits, to be clear.) As I wrote at the time, Kotick had denied the allegations of the rushed sale. Beyond that, Kotick used a December 2025 reply to the Swedish fund’s lawsuit to assign blame for those workplace scandals, the bad press and even for the AP7 lawsuit. I’d found Kotick’s arguments novel and newsworthy. Across nearly 3,000 words, I explained Kotick’s take: that a Swedish gaming company was behind the Swedish fund’s lawsuit (the Embracer group; they denied it); that the Microsoft-Activision deal was not rushed and was secured at what Kotick felt history had proven to be an optimal price for shareholders; that he believed a conspiracy of people at unions government agencies, PR firms and the media had spun up claims of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard in 2021. The article gave context for all of this, letting readers assess the claims and weigh their credibility. As I’d later write to Kotick’s lawyers: I would be surprised if you could point to any news article about Bobby Kotick in the last five years that has spent more of its wordcount articulating his point of view. He is welcome to do an interview with Game File any time. Nonetheless, there they were in my inbox that Tuesday evening: Clare Locke, the law firm that secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false statements about voting machines. They were emailing me, threatening that failure to comply with their demand could support a claim of “actual malice,” a legal standard for libel. Unless… Unless, they said, I added a key paragraph to my article. This was a paragraph that I already knew Kotick’s lawyers had been emailing reporters about for at least a year, and it was a paragraph that was already in my article. The paragraph they wanted is from a 2023 settlement that California’s Civil Rights Department struck with Activision Blizzard. The settlement had closed a two-year-old lawsuit over alleged sexual discrimination at the game maker. The paragraph basically said that claims of systemic or widespread sexual harassment—or of execs like Kotick tolerating such behavior—had never been proven. I’d already seen proof that Kotick’s lawyers had pushed for the settlement’s language to be added to reports about 2021 sexual discrimination and misconduct lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard by California and, separately, by the U.S. federal government (both suits were since settled). I knew that Kotick and his lawyers felt that the California settlement language should be mentioned in the same breath as references to an article he hated and denied, a November 2021 Wall Street Journal article claiming Kotick knew “for years” of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard. So, in the Game File article that Clare Locke emailed me about, in the interest of ensuring I was being fair and balanced regarding the person I was covering, I had already included the following excerpt from the California settlement [emphasis added in bold]: (Kotick has repeatedly pushed back against that November article in the Wall Street Journal, citing among other things, language from a court-approved consent decree as part of Activision’s 2023 $54 million settlement over the California suit. It states: “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.”) On the evening of January 20, I was incredulous. How do you write a four page legal threat about a week-old article and miss this? While scrambling to also make my kids dinner, I wrote a lengthy reply to Clare Locke’s lawyers, basically asking them to cool it with the threats and to start making sense. In part, I wrote: I hope you can understand why I am having trouble understanding what you’re asking for, when the statement you’re demanding to see in Game File’s article already appears in Game File’s article. Actual malice, as you know, refers to a reckless disregard for the truth. I’m not sure what your argument is when my article already states your client’s position. Here is where I should remind you, the reader, that I am an independent journalist. I publish on Substack, and have availed myself of the Substack Defender program that provides writers on the platform with legal support. But I’m no Wall Street Journal or New York Times, nor even IGN or GameSpot when it comes to such things as, well, having a legal department. There are more fun things for me to do as an independent journalist than writing back to a powerful law firm representing a very rich person. On the evening of January 20th, I was just trying to cook some pasta, broccoli and chicken nuggets for hungry twins. Nevertheless, I wrote back to them. Two hours later, I got a reply. Summarizing: A lawyer for Clare Locke said they’d “reviewed an incomplete version” of my article and they “apologize for the confusion.” (My guess: Someone didn’t read past the piece’s paywall, even though they’d had a full week to scrounge up the funds to do so. What I’d published above the paywall was balanced, as was what came after.)1 That was almost that, but something about the situation bothered me. The letter had been marked “confidential.” I hadn’t agreed to that, and I disliked the idea that powerful people on the beat that I cover would act like they could unilaterally control what I might tell my readers about. On the morning of the 21st, having already gotten the powerful law firm to back off, I oh-so-wisely re-approached them with just one more thing. I thanked them for clearing things up the night before but noted that I’d never agreed to keep their letter confidential. I’m all for agreeing with a source to keep things off the record, but that’s the thing. We have to agree. You can’t just declare it. I’m not bound by that. I wrote to Clare Locke’s lawyer and said, in part: I trust the matter is resolved. It was disappointing to have to spend less time with my kids last night in order to address your legal letter. Family time’s precious. I will add, for clarity’s sake, that, while your letter stipulated that it was confidential, I did not agree to those terms. In the future, should you wish to communicate with me confidentially, I am happy to agree to classifying our communication as “off the record” prior to the actual communication—as is standard with any professional journalist. The firm’s lawyer replied, not directly addressing the confidentiality issue but asserting that the matter was resolved. Why I didn’t write about this until now In May, I told this story on an episode of Simon Parkin’s podcast My Perfect Console, but I held off on sharing it directly with Game File readers. I held off to avoid stepping on the toes of another reporter, the journalist Mikhail Klimentov. He’d interviewed me in the spring of 2025 about an investigation he was working on regarding Bobby Kotick lawyers pressing the media to add the California settlement language to stories referencing the 2021 lawsuits. And about how some outlets had changed their stories and how some simply deleted them. Initially, I was a third-party source for Klimentov’s reporting, providing on-the-record context about the state of the games media. I’d heard about the letters but hadn’t put the time into pursuing the story. I thought it was interesting, and I was glad he was covering it. When the outlet that Klimentov was going to run his reporting in dropped the story, I began talking to him about potentially publishing his reporting on Game File. This was tentative. Then, in January, when I got my own Clare Locke letter, I told Klimentov that I didn’t think it would make sense for me to publish him, not with me now being part of the story. I had my own version of this situation to tell. But I wished him well and said I’d refrain from telling my tale until he could get his reporting out there. Last Friday, Klimentov finally ran his investigation, in a nearly 48-minute video report for People Make Games. It covers various Clare Locke letters, how media outlets reacted to them and what to make of all this. His video weighs the merits of Kotick’s request and looks at some of the articles that were changed (one of which had a glaring error). I highly recommend watching it: (Note, I did some editorial consulting for a People Make Games video last year but nothing to do with this report.) While many outlets haven’t left any public evidence that they updated their Kotick coverage at Kotick’s counsel’s request, at least one has. Back in October 2025, the mainstream outlet Reuters applied the most transparent article update I’ve seen. On the 3rd of the month, they published an article about the state of the Swedish pension fund’s lawsuit. Days later, they added this: In an October 7 letter sent after publication of this article, Kotick’s defamation counsel disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision. “Not a single investigation, court finding, verdict, or ruling ever concluded that there was any merit” to the allegations of widespread harassment at Activision, Tom Clare and Nick Brechbill of Clare Locke wrote. I’ve never added a statement to my article on Game File, because none was needed. Not for fairness’ sake, nor to meet any demands of Kotick’s lawyers. I’ve nevertheless wanted to be transparent with Game File readers. If someone powerful is questioning my reporting, is threatening a lawsuit over it… if that threat is part of a pattern involving other games media outlets and if, in my case, the whole thing ran into a ridiculous ditch, I want you to know about it. I also share this as a real example of how I handle threats to Game File. I stand up for my own reporting, even when it’s not comfortable to do so. (In that same category of standing up for the work I do, I’ll point to an incident in late August. Asocial media post I published to X/Twitter regarding reporting I did about Take Two and GTA VI was hit by bogus copyright claim by a firm working for the publisher. I pushed back and got it reversed; even while a bigger games media outlet let themselves be censored. This is the other reason I’m sharing this story: To emphasize that dealing with threats from powerful people is one of the costs of covering the video game industry independently and as fearlessly as possible. This is where you come in. Your support, through free and paid subscriptions (sign up here!), can help me keep doing that. It can ensure that I’ve got the back-up I need. And it can help make fiascoes like this even less of a worry, so I can spend my evenings dealing with more important things, such as making sure I steam the kids’ broccoli just right. 1 That pension fund lawsuit I wrote about in January has all but gone away. In May, the fund and Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft agreed to settle. Lawyers for the fund brokered a $250 million settlement for former Activision Blizzard shareholders. In the settlement, the fund’s lawyers changed their rhetoric. Where once they’d questioned the meaning of the California settlement language, they adopted a version of it for themselves. Several weeks ago, while seeking to get a court to sign off on the terms of the settlement, they proposed their fee for their work in the case: $60 million.

Sep 28 • 4:13 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news

Flutter Entertainment PLC Stock (FLUT) Moved Down by 7.20% on Sep 28: Facts Behind the Movement

Flutter halted Brazilian betting operations after a government provisional measure banned online gaming.An extended shutdown will reduce revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and impact non-cash accounting assets.Technical indicators show sell signals, while the company reported annual revenue of $16.38B.

Sep 28 • 3:15 PM EDT • Entertainment • tradingkey.com

SLV community foundation receives major grant from Colorado Health Foundation

Three-year grant award to help connect nonprofits and residents, develop leadership programs in San Luis Valley, Colorado.

Sep 28 • 2:25 PM EDT • Health • alamosacitizen.com

Community Futures Challenge offers $250,000 to turn local ideas into scalable solutions

A national competition launched by Philip Morris International’s U.S. is offering $250,000 to help locally developed ideas grow into scalable solutions for communities across the country. The Community Futures Challenge will award $250,000 across five grants of $50,000 each to eligible nonprofit organizations. Applications are open through Nov. 30. Arizona State University is serving as […]

Sep 28 • 2:10 PM EDT • Business • chamberbusinessnews.com

Grand Rapids fashion show to benefit mental health nonprofit

On Friday, a fashion show and fundraiser benefiting the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan and its be nice. initiative will take place at the JW Marriott Grand Rapids hotel.

Sep 28 • 2:05 PM EDT • Health • woodtv.com

It really is bleak out there, and list prices matter

Health insurance premiums are skyrocketing, private equity hospital chain goes nonprofit, and more from STAT's Health Care Inc.

Sep 28 • 10:55 AM EDT • Health • statnews.com

Open Call: Visa Foundation U.S. Small Business Growth and Innovation Program

Visa Foundation is investing $2M in U.S. nonprofits that support small and micro businesses. Apply for a grant of $100K–$250K by October 21, 2026.

Sep 28 • 10:08 AM EDT • Business • rockpa.org

PAC-12 Players of the Week: Week 4

The final week of non-conference play did not lack excitement and excellent performances

Sep 28 • 10:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Generous paternal leave policies improve maternal and newborn health, family finances and workplace equality

Leave for the non-birthing parent after a new baby arrives gives the family an opportunity to bond.

Sep 28 • 9:04 AM EDT • Health • yahoo.com

Rocking Tree Farm boards pets for veterans in mental health care

A local nonprofit, Rocking Tree Farm, is helping veterans get the mental health treatment they need by making sure they don't have to leave their pets behind.

Sep 28 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • ktvh.com

Generous paternal leave policies improve maternal and newborn health, family finances and workplace equality

Leave for the non-birthing parent after a new baby arrives gives the family an opportunity to bond.

Sep 28 • 8:41 AM EDT • Health • theconversation.com

Criticised Arsenal 28yo admits he wants to earn more starts

Viktor Gyokeres has admitted he’d like to be playing more with Arsenal, but that he expects to get plenty of chances before the season is done.Photo by Carl Recine/Getty ImagesArsenal striker Viktor...

Sep 28 • 8:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

98-year-old business says 'we don't qualify' for Nashville legacy incentive proposals

Delgado Guitars has been helping Music City strum since 1928 but says none of the Nashville Mayor's proposed small business grants would help them, writing they

Sep 28 • 7:47 AM EDT • Business • fox17.com

Odegaard claims Bernardo Silva ‘lost his head’ & never apologised

Martin Odegaard and his Norway teammates spoke out strongly against Bernardo Silva on Sunday, following the Portuguese international’s late kick out at the Arsenal player.Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/...

Sep 28 • 6:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Pens Points: Opening night nears

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning… The Penguins assigned Bill Zonnon, Harrison Brunicke and Joel Blomqvist to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday and placed Blake Lizotte, Ben Kindel, Justin Brazeau and Ryan Graves on injured reserve. Pittsburgh must make at least two more roster moves before Monday’s deadline to reach the 23-player limit. [PensBurgh] […]

Sep 28 • 6:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Health Tech Keeps Choosing Violence

Last week was an absolute dump of health tech litigation mayhem, with enough new filings to make my wife seriously question my bedtime reading. Here’s what’s inside: OpenEvidence v. Doximity: Doximity didn’t wait for the deadline. It wants OpenEvidence’s case thrown out entirely, and its motion adds some awkward details about vanished Slack data and borrowed NPIs. Plus, Epic v. Apple offers a look at what a normal discovery fight looks like. Texas v. Epic: Epic took another shot at the State’s antitrust pleadings, asking the court to make Texas spell out how its employment restrictions harm competition and why Texas law reaches a Wisconsin company’s noncompetes. Veeva v. Epic: The two Wisconsin law professors finally weighed in on whether a would-be employer can challenge someone else’s noncompete. Audacious Inquiry v. CRISP: Our sleepy patent case just evolved into a much more interesting form, with CRISP firing back with attempted monopolization and information blocking counterclaims. Cognizant v. Infosys: After weeks of emails and phone calls, I finally have Judge Starr’s sealed ruling on Infosys’s antitrust counterclaims. Some survived, offering clues about where the Epic (and other system of record) antitrust cases stand their best chance OpenEvidence v. Doximity

Sep 28 • 5:05 AM EDT • Health • healthapiguy.substack.com

140,000 Missourians are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage under a new rule. One enrollee is suing

A new lawsuit challenges Medicaid regulations set to go into effect Jan. 1 that could hinder access to healthcare for people with chronic conditions. A Kansas City-based nonprofit says its client qualifies but struggles to clear administrative hurdles.

Sep 28 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • kcur.org

South Korea’s POW row with Ukraine puts ties and aid at risk

Analysts say Kyiv’s breach of secrecy over the North Korean prisoners of war may cause Seoul to halt non-lethal aid to Ukraine.

Sep 28 • 4:50 AM EDT • Politics • scmp.com

Opinion: It’s time to put political ads on pause and think.

A cloud has descended over the United States of America. I’m not talking about an actual weather system, of course, but a phenomenon that has shaken the nation to its core. As long as you are near any screens, you will find yourself a target for waves of mass messaging campaigns. That’s right, it’s everyone’s...

Sep 28 • 12:38 AM EDT • Politics • mndaily.com

Astronaut Anil Menon Shares Video Of Space Station Doing Gymnastics Above Earth

Menon often shares such posts, giving viewers a look at different moments and views from the space station.

Sep 27 • 8:58 PM EDT • Science • ndtv.com

Barbour Community Health psychologist wins statewide award for school-based mental health work

The West Virginia Psychological Association named Dr. Casey Jo Cottrill of Barbour Community Health Association its 2026 Early Career Citizen Psychologist for her work expanding behavioral health care in rural schools.

Sep 27 • 8:48 PM EDT • Health • mybuckhannon.com

WHO recognizes healthy, innovative cities across the Western Pacific Region

Nine Healthy City champions from across the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region received special recognition at an awarding ceremony during the 11th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities in Sydney, Australia.The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific has presented the Healthy Cities Recognition Awards every two years since 2004 to celebrate innovative and impactful city-led initiatives that improve the health and well-being of urban populations.Eight cities received awards for their best practices, and one National Forum received the WHO Regional Director’s Special Award in recognition of its long-standing leadership in advancing the Healthy Cities movement.Awardees were selected through a rigorous evaluation process and recognized for demonstrating measurable, innovative and sustainable approaches to health challenges faced by cities.Remarking on the significance of the awards, Dr Huong Tran, Director of the Division of Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Control at the Regional Office, said that, “There is no single blueprint for a healthy city. What works in one context may need to be adapted to another. But by sharing our experiences, including what worked, what was challenging, and what we learnt along the way, we can help one another move faster and further.”Award-winning cities and initiativesThis year's awards recognize outstanding city-led initiatives that have demonstrated measurable impact, innovation and sustainability in advancing health initiatives for urban populations.Baguio City (Philippines) – Data for equity: informing action, improving healthDr Donnabel Tubera-Panes, City Epidemiologist – Medical Officer IV of the Health Services Office accepted the award on behalf of Baguio City. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisBaguio City was recognized for developing a pioneering Livability Index that provides village-level data across all 128 barangays (villages), enabling evidence-based planning and more equitable allocation of resources. By integrating community participation and institutionalizing the index within city planning and budgeting processes, the city has demonstrated how data can drive action to reduce health and social inequities.Eunpyeong-gu (Seoul, Republic of Korea) – Communities living in vulnerable situations: advancing health equity through community engagementVice Mayor Honourable Ahn Hyoung Jun accepted the award on behalf of Eunpyeong-gu. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisEunpyeong-gu was recognized for its inclusive health equity programme supporting vulnerable populations, including isolated older adults and LGBTQI+ communities. Through peer-led community networks, social cooperatives and inclusive service design, the district has strengthened access to care, promoted social inclusion and advanced community ownership of health initiatives.Madiun City (Indonesia) – Adapting and mitigating climate-related crises: building heat resilience and preventing flood-related health risksMs Yuni Dwi Purwani, Secretary General of the National Forum for Indonesian Healthy Cities/Regencies, accepted the award on behalf of Madiun City. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisMadiun City was recognized for its SUPERMIE (Sustainable Public Environmental Management Initiative) – a community-based environmental governance model that addresses urban flooding, climate resilience and environmental sustainability. The initiative contributed to reductions in flood-prone areas, greenhouse gas emissions, diarrhoeal disease and dengue fever, while at the same time improving food security through neighbourhood food gardens. The programme has already been replicated in 15 cities and regencies across Indonesia.Macao Special Administrative Region (China) – Protecting communities from tobacco and alcohol-related harms: tackling commercial drivers of riskDr LO Iek Long, Director of the Health Bureau, Macao SAR, China accepted the award on behalf of Macao. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisMacao SAR was recognized for implementing a comprehensive and integrated approach to tobacco and alcohol control. Through legislation, monitoring systems, enforcement, public awareness campaigns and multisectoral partnerships, the programme has strengthened protection against major risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and established a model that is highly transferable to other urban settings.Phnom Penh Capital City (Cambodia) – Safe, active and health-enabling transport: advancing health and reducing inequities in urban mobilityH.E. Khoung Sreng, Governor of Phnom Penh Capital City accepted the award on behalf of Phnom Penh Capital City. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisPhnom Penh received the award for its Safe School Zone Project, which combines infrastructure improvements, speed management, enforcement, education and stakeholder engagement to protect children and communities. The initiative has demonstrated measurable reductions in crashes and vehicle speeds while providing a scalable model for safer urban mobility across the country.Quezon City (Philippines) – Transforming food environments: addressing policy, market and urban design drivers of health and nutritionMs Jirah Asa M. Sideco, Chief of the Nutrition Section of the Quezon City Health Department accepted the award on behalf of Quezon City. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisQuezon City was recognized for its public food procurement policy that promotes healthier diets through government-run institutions and feeding programmes. Supported by strong policy frameworks and monitoring systems, the initiative improves access to nutritious food for vulnerable populations while serving as a benchmark for other local governments.Samarinda City (Indonesia) – Preventing violence and promoting gender equality: transforming urban systems, norms and spaces Mrs Rinda Wahyuni, Chairperson of Samarinda Healthy City Forum accepted the award on behalf of Samarinda City. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisSamarinda City was recognized for its multisectoral approach to preventing violence and advancing gender equality. Responding to local evidence on violence against women and children, the city has positioned violence prevention as a public health priority, bringing together health services, schools, social welfare institutions, law enforcement, civil society and community leaders to strengthen prevention, reporting, survivor-centred support and legal protection. Through inclusive policies, community engagement and sustainable city financing, Samarinda has developed a locally owned and scalable model for creating safer, more equitable and inclusive urban communities.Singapore – Age-friendly cities: transforming systems to bridge generations for a healthier tomorrowDr Tan Weng Mooi, Director, Integrated Health Promotion, accepted the award on behalf of Singapore. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisSingapore received recognition for its Healthy Precinct Framework, which translates national healthy ageing priorities into neighbourhood-level action. The initiative integrates preventive care, social support, service coordination and age-friendly environments while actively engaging older persons, caregivers and community organizations. Its expansion across multiple precincts demonstrates its scalability and ­long-term sustainability.WHO Regional Director’s Special AwardNational Forum for Indonesian Healthy Cities/Regencies (Indonesia)Ms Yuni Dwi Purwani, Secretary General of the National Forum for Indonesian Healthy Cities/Regencies, accepted the award on behalf of the National Forum. Photo credit: Maria BoyadgisThe WHO Regional Director's Special Award was presented to the National Forum for Indonesian Healthy Cities/Regencies (FKKSI) in recognition of its long-standing leadership in advancing the Healthy Cities movement across Indonesia. As a national platform bringing together local governments, communities, academia and civil society, FKKSI has played a critical role in promoting collaboration, capacity-building, knowledge exchange and advocacy. Its efforts have strengthened and institutionalized healthy urban development nationwide and established a model for multisectoral engagement in the Region. Healthy Cities for allThe 2026 Healthy Cities Recognition Awards highlight how cities can lead transformative action on health by addressing climate change, inequity, ageing, nutrition, mobility, social inclusion, violence prevention and the commercial determinants of health. The recognized initiatives demonstrate that local governments, communities and partners can work together to create healthier, safer and more resilient urban environments for everyone. As urban populations continue to grow across the Western Pacific Region, WHO remains committed to supporting cities in advancing health, equity and sustainable development through the Healthy Cities approach and the Alliance for Healthy Cities. ###Note to editorsSince 2004, the WHO Healthy Cities Recognition Awards have provided a platform for cities to share innovative and effective approaches to improving health and well-being. The awards recognize achievements in areas including climate resilience, healthy ageing, health equity, gender equality, tobacco and alcohol control, urban mobility, nutrition and data-driven governance. In 2026, more than 150 submissions were received from cities and local governments across the Western Pacific Region. The titles and affiliations of awardees are presented as they were at the time the photo was taken.______________For more information, or to arrange media interviews, contact: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific: wprocom@who.int

Sep 27 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • who.int

Sun Belt Week 4 Takeaways

This was the last weekend of non-conference games for the majority of the Sun Belt. Now these teams have enough of a sample size to get a feel for what they can be against their main competition. The stakes will only rise from here, but they've played one conference game and several other high-profile matchups …

Sep 27 • 11:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

A non-winning team will make MLB's playoffs. It's a bad look for the game

Sep 27 • 10:16 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Stars, fans turn out for Mississippi Book Festival

Celebrity authors Kate McKinnon and Rick Ross were on hand to speak at the 2026 Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson on Saturday in Jackson.

Sep 27 • 9:14 AM EDT • Entertainment • clarionledger.com

Swiss voters reject bid to lock neutrality into Constitution

The country is known for neutrality, but Russia's war in Ukraine reopened questions over its non-engagement in foreign conflicts

Sep 27 • 8:25 AM EDT • Politics • euractiv.com

8th Congressional District race is essentially tied, poll shows, with warning signs for both Gabe Evans and Manny Rutinel

The poll was conducted by a Republican firm on behalf of a conservative political nonprofit that doesn’t reveal its donors and is backing Evans, the district’s Republican incumbent.

Sep 27 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • kunc.org