SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Xi " 22,320 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Letters: Newspapers hold a position in our democracy, unlike any other business
I read with interest Duke Truby's viewpoint about a newspaper print medium being a "business" in the strictest sense. As such, that business should cater to its customers and clients.
Norman City Council to consider ordinance repeal related to Rock Creek Entertainment District
Norman City Council will consider repealing an ordinance related to the Rock Creek Entertainment District during its Tuesday meeting, according to a council member’s social media post.
Students Learn the Science of Tree Felling at Treehaven
Click here to view this video from wjfw.com.
Does PBS ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ Make Big Book Changes?
A recap of Episode 1 of the Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons-led adaptation.
UTA College of Business to connect students, professionals with networking, elevator pitch event
Students, business professionals and recruiters will mingle from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the UTA Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology Development.
Alcaraz eyes clay court season after early Miami exit
World number one Carlos Alcaraz remained confident his game is improving despite a third-round exit at the Miami Open, and after a few days to reset he'll be turning his attention to the clay court season.My mind right now is to take some days off, to reset my mind, reset the batteries, be ready and in good shape for the clay season."
Nets' Danny Wolf: Exits early Sunday
Nets' Danny Wolf: Exits early Sunday
Business closed after new Ohio law banning intoxicating hemp products went into effect
Senate Bill 56 grants law enforcement the authority to remove intoxicating THC products from unlicensed retail locations,
The FBI Just Issued A Warning About A Hidden Threat In Your Home Wi-Fi Network
The FBI is warning that criminals may hijack your home Wi-Fi through residential proxies, using your IP address to hide illegal online activity.
Exit polls suggest lead for Merz's SPD in key west German state
Far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) looks set for a record score in western Germany
Slovenia liberals take narrow election lead over conservatives: exit poll
Exits polls suggest Prime Minister Robert Golob has blocked a fourth term for right-winger Janez Janša
City of Paducah Finance Department to host informational workshop on Business License Renewals
In case you missed it, the City of Paducah Finance Department will host an informational workshop on Business License Renewals for local business owners at the McCracken County Library tomorrow,
Your Thymus and Your Healthspan
Our thymus gland plays a central role in the development or our immune system, specifically for supporting T cell development (how these cells got their name, maturation and differentiation in the thymus) and discriminating between self and foreign, non-self antigen proteins with production of dendritic cells. As we age, our thymus gland shrinks—the process known as involution—with progressive change from spongy to fatty tissue, with loss of functionality. But this process, with respect to timeline and extent, markedly varies from one person to the next. And to make things even more complicated, our thymus gland anatomy and precise location in the chest also is highly variable. So the famous Frank Netter diagrams from the 1960s (such as at left below) don’t capture the remarkable heterogeneity that a random set of 12 chest CT scans (below at right). What I consider as 2 landmark papers in Nature this week (here and here) used AI to quantify health of the thymus in 2 large cohorts, and then correlate the metric to a broad array of health outcomes. In this edition of Ground Truths, I’m going to cover three questions: (1) How was thymus health determined by AI?; (2) How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? and (3) Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? Subscribe 1. How was thymus health determined by AI? This was accomplished by extensive work developing and validating an AI pipeline for 2 stages, the first for localization and segmentation of the thymus bed, and the second to quantify a digital marker, termed the thymic health score. There’s a lot to this algorithmic development, so I won’t go into all the details, but just provide a rudimentary outline of what was done. The 1st stage used supervised learning with 2 radiologists reviewing 2,461 chest CT scans. That work trained a 3D U-Net model to automatically identify the thymic bed’s 3D cropped region using center of mass coordinates, which reached 99.8% accuracy. The 2nd stage used a foundation model that was pre-trained with SwAV (which stands for Swapping Assignment between multiple Views), a self-supervised model, that generated a high-dimensional thymus representation of 4,096 features. That compares to the radiology reductionist and subjective scoring of 0 to 3 where 0 means the thymus is fully degenerated and fatty, and 3 is considered dense, intact glandular soft tissue. Notably, the self-supervised learning (SSL) performance was superior to supervised (AUC ~0.75 vs 0.55, respectively) reflecting the shallowness of the 0-3 classifier vs SSL’s holistic, self-taught AI. The thymic health score ranged from 0 to 100, with the highest number indexed to fully preserved thymic health. The algorithmic work extended to explainability with both Shapely value distribution, meaning the model was holistic not relying on any “magic” pixel, and occlusion sensitivity, demonstrating the model’s performance was not affected by ribs, sternum, lung tissue, but rather focused on the thymic bed directly. Below are a few saliency maps from the occlusion sensitivity that indicate the thymic bed focus, not affected by neighboring structures, using the jet color scale. Now the AI was ready for processing ~25,000 CT scans, each over 30 MB files, from the 2 large participant cohorts to provide a thymic health score, it did so in less than 14 hours, which is less than 2 seconds per scan! Share 2. How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? The two cohorts were the National Lung Screening Trial, NLST (N=25,031) and the Framingham Heart Study, FHS (N=2,581) each with baseline demographics and long term follow up of >12 years for health outcomes. From the NSLT, you can see below that increased age and body-mass index were correlated to reduced thymic health. And, overall, men had reduced thymic health scores compared with women. There are a lot of graphs in the paper for outcomes, for both the NLST and FHS cohorts. To simplify the major outcomes, below is a composite Figure with striking reduction of all-cause mortality and for the different causes of death. The results were consistent between the 2 cohorts. For example, the cardiovascular mortality hazard ratio average was 0.57 in NLST and 0.38 in FHS (weighted to be 0.53 for the aggregate). The reduction of mortality also extended to digestive diseases and pulmonary disease (data not shown below). Lung cancer incidence was reduced by 36% for high vs low thymic health (Figure below, with a panel -incidence and b panel-mortality, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status). Notably, there was a smoker’s paradox: lower incidence and improved survival for lung cancer in smokers who had a high thymus health score. Smoking was associated with lower thymic scores whereas alcohol was not. Higher thymic health was linked to higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower fasting blood glucose, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Inflammation biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, were elevated in the people with lower thymic health scores. In their second paper, the same team looked at the relationship between thymic score and outcomes for 3,476 patients receiving cancer immunotherapy. The non-small cell lung cancer progression-free survival was reduced in patients with low thymic health score. A parallel relationship for survival was seen for other types of cancer including melanoma, breast, and kidney with a 44% lower risk among high thymic scores (Figure). A similar pattern was seen with different immune checkpoint inhibitors. The thymus health score outperformed programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)and tumor mutation burden (TMB) assay of the tumor and was an independent prognostic marker of progression-free survival. In this dataset, a direct connect with thymus score and adaptive immune function was noted with a correlation before cancer treatment for both T-cell diversity and thymus T-cell production (a metric known as T cell receptor excision circles). Thymus Removal Study There is a highly relevant citation about thymus function before moving onto ways to rejuvenate it. In 2023, a very important study of thymus removal during cardiothoracic surgery was published, with 1146 patients undergoing thymus removal vs 1146 matched controls (mean age 55 years). The adverse outcomes for thymus removal were striking, with a 2.9 higher risk of all-cause mortality and doubling of cancer incidence, 1.5 fold increase in cancer mortality, and 1.5-fold increase in autoimmune diseases. The immune function showed marked compromise after thymus removal, as reflected by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Figure below) Share Ground Truths 3. Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? In recent months we’ve learned a lot about the process of thymus involution and the pathways by which this may be modulated. Thymus involution is primarily due to loss to thymus epithelial cells (TECs) and there are 2 subtypes with different functions: the cortical, responsible for positive selection of T cells, and the medullary, for negative selection. When adipose tissue infiltrates the thymus, thymic adipocytes are pro-inflammatory, knocking out T-cell output. Likewise, systemic inflammation, or “inflammaging,” from smoking, obesity, and chronic stress promote thymic adipocytes. Now, from preclinical studies, we know about key pathways that account for these processes. Historically, back in 2014, FOXN1 was recognized as a single master transcription factor essential for TEC function, with studies in mice with forced FOXN1 upregulation leading to thymus regeneration. That laid the foundation for potential regrowth of quiescent thymus cells. It took awhile to find pathways to accomplish this goal and to even refute its role as the master regulator. The Liver-Thymus Axis Feng Zhang and his team recently showed that injection of an mRNA vaccine to the liver encoding DLL1, IL-7 and FLT3-L in combination, factors known to support thymopoiesis (Figure), successfully enhanced immune function in aged mice. However, the effect was transient. The FGF21 Story Two reports in 2025 addressed the thymus gland’s production of FGF21, a growth factor (fibroblast growth factor 21) and its control of thymus involution. This growth factor is also produced by the liver, but it doesn’t have impact on the thymus in aged rodent models. In contrast, The liver’s hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to reverse senescent TEC structural changes. Growth hormone stimulates production of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the liver and the thymus. Two small studies in human participants (TRIIM, for Thymus Regeneration, Immunorestoration, and Insulin Mitigation) of 6 and 50 people, respectively, treated with combined human growth hormone, metformin and DHEA, suggested the potential of slowing epigenetic aging and improving thymus mass and function. But the combination of drugs, small sample, and lack of controls make conclusions murky. Increased thymus FGF21 led to increased CD8 T cells in old mice and extended healthspan and improved physical performance. Building on the previous FOXN1 data, ablation of β-klotho, the obligatory co-receptor for FOXN1, accelerated thymic aging. The benefit to FGF21 was confirmed in a companion paper using an FGF21 knock-in mouse model showing thymus enlargement and increased TECs throughout the lifespan. (schematic Figure below). The accompanying editorial for these 2 papers speculated: “The proposed link between age-associated thymus involution and organismal aging is intriguing, and suggests we might seek to achieve systemic rejuvenation by counteracting thymic involution.” Other Factors Lessons from the Axolotl (Mexican Salamander) In an elegant set of experiments of the axolotl (Figure), known for its complete thymus regeneration after total surgical removal, mediators were identified. Surprisingly FOXN1 was dispensable. But midkine, a growth factor, appeared to be the driver, the initiator of thymus cell growth, survival, and repair. Other components that contributed were Postn+ (periostin-expressing mesenchymal niches) and Ccl19, a chemokine protein from the bloodstream. RANK and RANKL RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB its ligand (RANKL) have been considered key regulators of medullary TECs. In a study of both aged mice and human thymus cell cultures, their key role was confirmed, with multiple benefits of resorting TEC function, recruitment of progenitor cells, and T cell development. Subscribe Summing Up This body of work strongly supports the health of the thymus gland as a critical regulator of human healthspan, not just a correlate or link. The new landmark studies are reinforced by the regenerative biology experimental models that have shown, via an array of mediators, that healthspan of aged mice is at least in part dependent on thymus gland function and its critical role for maintaining adaptive immunity. It sure seems that we’d be better off having an immune reservoir of naive T cells instead of a profile in older adults of exhausted, low quality, memory T cells, with a senescent phenotype. It is striking that we ignored the importance of the thymus gland for many decades. A wake-up call was the results of the thymectomy matched control study reviewed here, with the opposite of high thymic health score improved health outcomes. The convergence of AI and healthspan here is notable. The exceptional and laborious work for developing and validating (no less explaining) the AI to quantify thymus health set the foundation for probing the connect the major health outcomes in two cohorts with extensive follow-up. We’ve never had a way to meaningfully quantify the thymus gland before, so this represents important leverage of supervised, self-supervised, and transformer models. The study wouldn’t have been possible without AI. And it begs the question as to whether there are ways we can maintain our thymus at a high health score. But it’s not so simple to rejuvenate our thymus. There are multiple risks including the induction of autoimmunity, increasing the risk of cancer, and inducing a pro-inflammatory state. For example, factors that increase TEC proliferation could compromise the medulllary negative selection process and leak out auto-reactive (self-attacking) T cells. Thymic cells could be induced to proliferate, but we know, for example, that growth hormone and IGF-1 are associated with an increase risk of cancer. If thymus rejuvenation doesn’t clear out the accumulated senescent cells in older adults, then inflammation within the gland could block the production of TECs. Keeping these risks in mind, we now have identified many ways to keep our thymus healthy as we age that undoubtedly will be tested in clinical trials going forward. Ultimately, the benefit-to-risk tradeoffs will be defined. In the meantime, we have desperately needed an immunome. As I’ve stressed in multiple prior Ground Truths, we have no test in the clinic to assess a patient’s immune status! It was very encouraging for me to get an email from Hugo Aerts, the senior author of the landmark papers in the days after they were published: “I also wanted to say that your Substack on “Why We Need an Immunome” was inspiring for this work. We found it a very compelling perspective and greatly enjoyed reading it.” Just having an assessment of a person’s immune status via a chest CT scan, with millions of these performed per year, might help in guiding the right immunotherapy for cancer (e.g. more intensive, combinations for those with low thymic health scores) and help define people who are increased risk for age-related diseases of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative. The main theme of Super Agers is that we now have many layers of data (genetics, proteins, biomarkers, organ clocks that can be integrated via multimodal AI) for us to define a person’s specific risk decades before one of these age-related diseases leads to symptoms, enabling prevention. From the new studies this week, we can add thymus health score as yet another way to understand a person’s risk, a window into their adaptive immune system and healthspan. And perhaps someday we will be able to safely rejuvenate the thymus, or maintain its health through one’s life, and use the thymus health score to monitor. NB: I wrote this post (No A.I.) A Quick Poll Loading... ********************************************************************* Thanks to Ground Truths subscribers (now > 200,000) from every US state and 212 countries. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. Please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don’t hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered. Leave a comment Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. It enabled us to accept and support 47 summer interns in 2025! We aim to accept even more of the several thousand who will apply for summer 2026.
Buffalo Museum of Science celebrates 50% completion of upcoming Science Stadium Exhibit
The Buffalo Museum of Science marked a major milestone in its $3 million Science Stadium exhibit, announcing on March 20 the project is now 50% complete ahead of its planned
Fitchburg Public Library hosts Wisconsin Film Festival preview
FITCHBURG, Wis. — The 28th Wisconsin Film Festival is coming up in just a few short weeks, and a local library is helping get the word out.
70 judges peruse hundreds of science fair projects at Interior science fair
Fourth-grader Lexi Snow wondered why she always blushes.
Sebastian Kehl exits role as Borussia Dortmund sporting director
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl is leaving the team with immediate effect as the club undergoes a major shakeup after what will be a trophyless season.
\'Saturday Night Live UK\' aims to take a comedy hit across the pond. The first verdicts are in
A British version of “Saturday Night Live” has debuted to largely positive reviews. The first episode of “SNL UK” was hosted by Tina Fey, a veteran of the American show,
Nashormeh N. R. Lindo wears colorful dress to Oscars after-party
Lindo attended the after-party with her husband and supporting actor nominee for "Sinners," Delroy Lindo.
Cuba Says Its Military Is Prepared as Trump’s Threats Multiply
A senior Cuban official said the country is preparing for a possible military assault as President Donald Trump increases economic pressure on the government in Havana and suggests it could be the next US target after Venezuela and Iran.
UF students celebrate ‘women supporting women’ through new mental health group
According to the Healthy Minds Network’s data interface, a little more than one in three female college students suffered from anxiety in 2025, compared to a little under one in four male students.
Why mosquitoes always find you and how they decide to attack
Scientists have finally cracked how mosquitoes decide where to fly—and it’s not by following each other. Instead, each insect independently reacts to visual cues and carbon dioxide, zeroing in on humans when both signals align. Dark colors and CO2 together create the strongest attraction, triggering swarming and biting behavior. This insight could reshape how we design traps and prevent mosquito-borne diseases.
Margaret Cho on comedy, politics, and life in Hollywood
Comedian and actress Margaret Cho discusses her penchant for tackling political themes in her performances, evident in her upcoming tour, "Choligarchy,” coming to the Englert Theatre Friday, March 27.
Lancaster County public sales: March 22, 2026
Beiler-Campbell Auction Services conducted a public auction of real estate March 9 for Stanley and Debora Miller at 2788 N. Colebrook Road, Manheim. A four-bedroom house with attached garage and
FYI BR: Here are the upcoming Holi and Easter festivities in Baton Rouge
Plan for pictures with the Easter Bunny, festivities at the LSU Rural Life Museum and more.
Flexitarian and the MIND included in top diets for a healthy brain, according to U.S. News
Discover four top diets that may support sharper focus, steadier mood, and long-term brain resilience
New law firm formed; new executive director at chamber; hospital picks new chief of staff
Take a look at some of the recent promotions and new hires announced at south Louisiana businesses.
Barricade That Kept Out the Far Right in France Is Crumbling
Franck Leclere made his way through the timber-framed houses of Chalons-en-Champagne and joined a crowd of people in symbolic white shirts to demonstrate against the rise of the far right in France.
Politics: Iowa Senate majority leader outlines plans for coming weeks
Second funnel week concluded in the Iowa Legislature, meaning that lawmakers’ focus can return to funding, appropriations and other types of specific bills that don’t respond to the Legislature’s self-imposed
OU women's gymnastics senior Faith Torrez scores perfect 10, while Sooners lose in SEC championship
No. 1 OU women’s gymnastics (18-1-1) finished second in the Southeastern Conference Championship against No. 3 Florida (15-2-0), No. 2 LSU (12-5-1) and No. 4 Alabama (9-8-0) Saturday, with the
Photos: Costly error as LSU drops series to Oklahoma
An error in the eighth inning by LSU helped lead to the game winning run for Oklahoma in the final game of the series on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at
Utica University Science Fair Inspires Young Scientists
Young scientists from local middle and high schools gathered for the 47th annual Utica University Regional Science Fair.
COLUMN: Frager punches Nebraska men’s basketball’s ticket to Sweet 16
Yes, this is real. It isn’t a dream or a movie. The Huskers are moving on to the Sweet 16 in Houston next week.
Four takeaways from Nebraska men’s basketball’s NCAA Tournament win over Vanderbilt
OKLAHOMA CITY – Braden Frager. Learn the name.
47th annual Utica University science fair shows area students are smarter than ever
Four dozen science projects from 60 students from eight area schools competed for the top prizes at the Donohue Concourse underneath the Frank Gannett Library. Some of the topics may have changed over the years — there were no baking soda volcanoes — but the students still displayed their projects on decorated posterboard for staff, family and the judges to see. The projects were split between the junior division — 7th and 8th grades — and the senior division — 9th through 12th grades.
Trump Is Finally Eyeing an Exit From Iran. But Will He Take It?
President Trump says he is considering “winding down” operations in Iran. But many of his original war goals remain unaccomplished.
Fed’s Powell Lauds Volcker Record in Face of Political Pressure
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Saturday lauded the policy record of the late Fed Chair Paul Volcker, who raised interest rates and sparked a recession to tame the high inflation that took off during the 1970s.
Hundreds of Thousands of Czechs Rally in Anti-Government Protest
Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in the Czech capital of Prague in a demonstration against the cabinet led by billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
The light and darkness of the Kristaps Porziņģis Experience hits the Warriors
The light and darkness of the Kristaps Porziņģis Experience has hit the Golden State Warriors after the big man exited Friday's game with back spasms.
Apple M5 MacBook Pro and Air Review: When the Neo Isn’t Enough
Apple’s new laptops and high-end display fit the bill for the company’s most demanding customers.
Outrageous antics and mistaken identities abound
How far would you go to protect your son, your lover and your secret about your brownies?
Tee-time thaw
Remnants of winter linger as golfers tee off during opening day at Candia Woods Golf Links in Candia on Friday which also was the first day of spring.
NASCAR All-Star Race Fan Zone entertainment announced at Dover Motor Speedway
From a giant rubber duck to live stunts and interactive games... the Fan Zone at Dover Motor Speedway is set to bring high-energy, family-friendly fun to race weekend.
MAGA says the SAVE America Act is crucial. A new poll shows Americans don’t agree
To hear some prominent MAGA voices tell it, the marathon Senate debate over the “SAVE America Act” is an existential one for the Republican Party. But the urgency to pass the legislation is not felt by Americans more widely.
iPhone spyware is everyone's problem now
Anyone with an iPhone can now be the target of invasive malware that siphons off personal texts, call histories and calendar data.
Large Hadron Collider Discovers All-New Particle
Scientists have used CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to uncover what they say is an entirely new type of particle, dubbed Xi-cc-plus.
Large Hadron Collider Discovers All-New Particle
Scientists have used CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to uncover what they say is an entirely new type of particle, dubbed Xi-cc-plus.
March 21 Arts & Entertainment Calendar
Events coming up in the Greenville area offer music, arts, theater and family fun. Here is a sampling. In the calendar, “today” refers to March 21.
Lacrosse player-turned-entrepreneur has ideas to fix youth sports
Dan Soviero's Signature Athletics zeroes in on fixing a “broken” system. Its goal is to get 10 million new kids playing by 2030. How can he do it?
Long-vacant city-owned lot on edge of French Quarter to become mixed-income apartment building
The design calls for three buildings with 50 apartments between Esplanade Avenue and Kerlerec Street.
Manheim Township grad shines a light on nurses in documentary series
When she was 13 years old, Lancaster native Carolyn Jones gave up her violin for a Pentax 35 camera.
Jack Draper blown away in ‘difficult’ Miami Open exit
The giant Opelka fired down 25 aces and 47 winners in two tiebreak sets, winning 7-6 (3) 7-6 (0), as Draper suffered a second-round exit
NCAA tournament takeaways, Day 2: Kentucky survives on buzzer-beater, Miami (Ohio) exits and Iowa State loses Joshua Jefferson
The St. Charles-Newman winner broke things open in the 5th inning for a run-rule victory
The St. Charles-Newman baseball winner scored seven runs in the fifth inning.
One arrested, another cited in shoplifting incident at business on East Avenue in Chico
CHICO, Calif. - A Paradise man was arrested and a Forbestown woman was cited by Chico Police in connection to a shoplifting incident at a business in Chico.The Chico Police Department says that at around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, a loss prevention employee observed two suspects stealing several items from a retail business on the 700 block of East Avenue in Chico.Upon exiting the building, the two suspects, a man and a woman, were contacted by the loss prevention employee regarding the stolen items. The employee was able to persuade both suspects to return to the store and hand over the items they had stolen.Authorities say the business expressed their desire to press charges against the suspects and contacted Chico Police to report the crime.Officers reviewed video surveillance that confirmed the employee's account of what happened. Officers then made arraignment for both suspects to turn themselves in the following day.When the suspects, identified as 51-year-old Jamie Leal of Forbestown and 62-year-old Melvin Royal of Paradise, arrived the next day to turn themselves in, authorities say both admitted to their involvement in the incident and elected to write handwritten apology letters to the business.Leal was cited by Chico Police on a misdemeanor charge of shoplifting.Royal was taken into custody and transported to the Butte County Jail, where he was booked on the following charges:Shoplifting with 2+ priors (felony)Shoplifting (misdemeanor) googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1514992'); });
Michigan's mobile businesses bring convenience to your door
Mobile salons, saunas and gaming trucks are booming in Michigan as entrepreneurs meet rising demand for doorstep convenience and flexible service.
Steelers re-sign versatile veteran offensive lineman
The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed offensive lineman Ryan McCollum to a one-year contract, the team announced on Friday.
130-Year-Old Unity Hall Hosts Bluegrass Legend Tony Trischka
A 130-year-old building was filled with music fans as a bluegrass legend performed on stage.
Downtown Chico business owner voices concerns over street closures for events
A DOWNTOWN CHICO MERCHANT IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE IMPACT OF STREET CLOSURES FOR EVENTS -- ON THEIR BUSINESS. ACTION NEWS NOW REPORTER BELLA BARBOSA REPORTS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICO { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "Downtown Road Closure Dilemma", "description": "A DOWNTOWN CHICO MERCHANT IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE IMPACT OF STREET CLOSURES FOR EVENTS -- ON THEIR BUSINESS. ACTION NEWS NOW REPORTER BELLA BARBOSA REPORTS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICO", "thumbnailUrl": "https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/actionnewsnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/47/c47e26d6-03c3-5f35-bf49-37925ab603d7/69bdedc4eb57d.image.jpg", "uploadDate": "2026-03-20T17:45:00-07:00", "contentUrl": "https://cdn.field59.com/KHSL/1774053903-6e1ef36dd09fbebf020833aee86b60da3b3cca3f_fl9-720p.mp4" } CHICO, Calif. - A downtown Chico business owner is voicing concerns about the impact of street closures for events on local shops. Leann Powell, owner of The Peddler’s Closet, expressed concern about events closing down streets downtown and bringing in food trucks and other shops’ products that directly compete with the brick-and-mortar stores in downtown Chico.Powell said an upcoming event held on a Saturday has brought up concerns for her and other business owners downtown, due to it being a busy day for businesses. "We're already struggling, and then to bring in more businesses on top of our businesses and shut our streets down is absolutely devastating," said Powell.Powell noted a decline in business during events like the Thursday Night Market, where street closures allow outside vendors to set up shop. She shared that while organizers for these types of events often offer booths to local businesses, it does not alleviate the burden."I don't really feel like that's a solution because you're bringing in other businesses, you're shutting the streets down. Yes, we can go down and set up a space, but then you've gotta pay somebody to run that space, plus run your own business for the day, and it's really not, it's really not helpful for us," said Powell.Applying for a street closure permit in Chico involves approval from the Public Works Department, the Chief of Police, and the Fire Chief. Permits can be denied only under a handful of circumstances, such as interference with first responders, previously scheduled construction, or existing permits for the same space.Mayor Kasey Reynolds addressed the issue, saying the city council has tasked staff with reviewing the municipal code for street closure permits with the goal of finding ways to minimize negative impacts on local businesses during events.Reynolds mentioned that any recommended changes might require further direction from the city council, depending on the extent of any changes recommended. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1514992'); });
Hubert Davis buyout: What it would cost UNC to move on from coach after first-round NCAA Tournament exit
The Tar Heels' second straight first-round NCAA Tournament exit adds to growing questions about the program's direction
American Express Business Line of Credit Review 2026
The American Express business line of credit offers fast funding, flexible payments and favorable terms, especially for existing Amex customers.
Scoop: Weight management company Wondr on the block
Both employer health costs and demand for GLP-1s are rising.
Exclusive: Dimer Health raises $13.5M for patient discharge
The round gives Dimer approximately three years of runway, though it will begin having initial conversations about its next round soon.
Chandra LaPlume Exits Sandbox Entertainment
Chandra LaPlume has departed Sandbox Entertainment after five years with the company. During [...]
30 new businesses that opened in Charlotte in 2026
We're tracking the newest restaurants, bars and more that have opened since the start of the year.
Seattle’s biotech scene is world-class — Life Science Washington is teaching it how to brag
Despite world-class AI-biotech research, a Nobel Prize-winning protein design lab and proximity to global AI expertise, Washington's life sciences sector is still learning to tell its story.
Cristiano Ronaldo misses out on Portugal friendly vs. USMNT and Mexico due to injury
The matches are in the last internatinoal window before this summer's World Cup
Left's political targeting makes a comeback as prominent Democrats advocate for harassment
Fox News contributor Ben Domenech criticizes Democrats including Gov. JB Pritzker and Rep. Maxine Waters over rhetoric targeting Republican and Trump officials on ‘The Faulkner Focus.’
Utica Zoo Celebrates Spring and Ramadan with Special Events
Families and friends are invited to celebrate the first day of spring and the end of Ramadan with a day full of activities at the Utica Zoo.
Local hopefuls Chip Honcho, Golden Tempo headline field in 113th Louisiana Derby
Click here to view this article from NOLA.com.
Unilever Has $40 Billion in Tasty M&A Options
Options have value. And it’s become clear this week that Fernando Fernandez has more than one when it comes to setting a new course for Unilever Plc’s food business, owner of Hellmann’s mayo and Knorr stock cubes. How the consumer giant’s still relatively new chief executive officer plays his hand will likely define his tenure.
DirecTV completely exits the Sunday Ticket business
Thirty-two years after NFL Sunday Ticket launched exclusively on DirecTV, the satellite provider is officially exiting the Sunday Ticket business.
US intel finds no China plan to invade Taiwan by 2027, despite military buildup
The U.S. intelligence community says China has no fixed timeline to invade Taiwan and is not planning action by 2027, marking a shift from prior warnings.
High-Protein Mac & Cheese, Broccoli Chips Target Health-Conscious Diners
Packaged food is getting a makeover with options that are aligned with today’s eating habits.
xAI Sends Engineers to Client Sites to Win Business from OpenAI
Elon Musk’s xAI is sending engineers directly into the offices of prospective corporate clients in an attempt to claw business customers away from rivals OpenAI and Anthropic PBC.
Pittsburgh Steelers salary cap update after free agency
The Pittsburgh Steelers were active in the early portion of free agency, with general manager Omar Khan making waves with a big-time trade for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and several free agency additions.
SAP CEO Says Defense Industry Sales Are Fastest Growing Business
SAP SE Chief Executive Officer Christian Klein said the defense industry has become the company’s fastest growing business line as military budgets soar around the world.
How the NCAA tries to ensure game integrity amid a sports betting boom and the latest point-shaving scandal
Two months before Selection Sunday, a widespread college basketball game-fixing scandal was revealed. How can the NCAA stop it from happening again?
The real science (and the fun fiction) behind Project Hail Mary
The author of the novel Project Hail Mary breaks down aliens, anxiety and the process of bringing his story to the screen
How New Mexico Became an Obamacare Success Story
Affordable Care Act enrollment has dropped across the United States since the enhanced federal subsidies expired. But New Mexico has record numbers of people signing up.
Small businesses reeling from tariffs brace for spiking oil prices
Anxiety has pulsed through the small-business economy for months, even before the war in Iran began weighing on energy prices.
Could Louisiana’s first Senate debate be on Moon Griffon? Inside the latest maneuvering.
Sen. Bill Cassidy has been calling for TV debates as he runs for reelection. Will he accept the debate offer from conservative radio talk show host Moon Griffon?
Unilever Confirms Talks on McCormick Offer for Food Business
Unilever Plc said it’s in discussions to sell its food business to McCormick & Co. in a major shift for the maker of Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
What doctors wish patients knew about social media’s health impact
From mere FOMO to anxiety and depression, social media platforms can pose harms and benefits. Three physicians discuss how to balance the positive and negative impacts.
World Cup Jerseys! Did Curaçao's Kit Top Mexico, Argentina, Spain?
Did Curaçao's World Cup away jersey by adidas upstage Mexico, Argentina and Spain?
Photos: Casan Evans 15 K’s lifts LSU over Oklahoma
LSU’s Casan Evans pitched 7.2 innings with a career high 15 strikeouts to help lead the Tigers past Oklahoma 7-1 in the first game of the series on Thursday, March
Santa Fe small businesses awarded microgrants to pursue new opportunities
A total of 40 Santa Fe business owners received the microgrants, which were valued at between $3,000 and $5,000.
Columbia residents give feedback at Business Loop 70 open house
The city of Columbia held a open house on prospective improvements for Business Loop 70 on Thursday.
ABC cancels \'Bachelorette\' season with Taylor Frankie Paul, citing 2023 video
ABC has canceled its already filmed season of “The Bachelorette” starring Taylor Frankie Paul after a 2023 video surfaced. On Thursday, Disney Entertainment Television said was focused on supporting the
Dothan senior breaks 75-year barrier with international science fair qualification
Alexis Saffold earned her spot in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair by turning an everyday problem into a potential breakthrough.
Gov. Stein urges mental health funding following Iryna Zarutska's murder
Governor seeks mental health funds after light rail stabbing
Unilever in Talks to Combine Food Business With McCormick, Report Says
Unilever Plc, the maker of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, is in talks to combine its food business with McCormick & Co., according to a report in the Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter.
Markiplier to Microdramas: The Ankler x NAB Show’s Future of Entertainment
Share Subscribe Vegas, baby! The Ankler is heading back to NAB Show for a second year in a row — and doubling down on conversations with the smartest people in the industry. From April 18–22, we’re partnering again with the industry’s biggest media and tech gathering to break down the Business of Media and Entertainment as it’s actually evolving: faster, riskier and increasingly driven by new formats, new audiences and new power players. This curated series will bring together top creators, executives and innovators to tackle the forces reshaping the industry — from the AI disruption of Hollywood’s creative ecosystem to the rise of the creator economy, shifting audience behavior and the changing economics of production. We’ll be rolling out more programming in the coming weeks — including top speakers from leading AI studios, prediction markets and beyond — so keep an eye on the Business of Media and Entertainment hub. But first up, we’re announcing two panels about what’s actually working in Hollywood: The Scary-Smart Business of Horror A good scare has become one of the entertainment economy’s most reliable engines. With disciplined budgets, built-in fandoms and global box office upside, horror consistently outperforms. From theatrical releases to streaming-first originals and creator-driven IP, the genre is artistically flexible and financially durable — and one of the last truly communal experiences for Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences. Join YouTube creator Mark Fischbach, aka Markiplier, whose independent feature Iron Lung earned more than $50 million at the global box office, Atomic Monster president Michael Clear and screenwriter Akela Cooper (M3GAN, Malignant) for a conversation moderated by Like & Subscribe’s Natalie Jarvey about why horror travels so effectively across platforms and borders, how studios and independents are building sustainable genre pipelines and why the next wave of breakout franchises may emerge from unexpected sources. Inside the Microdrama Boom Short-form serialized storytelling is having a major moment. Microdramas, social-native series and creator-led narratives are capturing massive audiences with low-cost, rapid production cycles and direct-to-fan distribution. What was once dismissed as niche or experimental is now attracting major platform investment. Moderated by Jarvey, this panel of microdrama creators and executives — including one of the format’s top stars and producers, Kasey Esser, and Dhar Mann Studios’ head of vertical content, Erin McFarlane — examines how format innovation, fandom dynamics and algorithmic discovery are reshaping the economics of scripted storytelling and what traditional studios can learn from these agile models. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Lynne@theankler.com Share
New dispute emerges around Subnautica 2’s early access release
Lawyers for the ousted—and now partially reinstated—leadership team of Unknown Worlds, the studio behind Subnautica 2, are crying foul over news that the game will be released into early access in May. The release announcement earlier this week was made improperly, potentially “damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community,” the lawyers said in a letter sent on Tuesday to Vice Chancellor Lori Will of Delaware’s Court of Chancery. In their letter, the lawyers also floated the idea of asking Will to find Krafton in contempt of the court’s ruling. The letter was sent just one day after Will’s bombshell ruling that publisher Krafton had breached its contract with Unknown Worlds’ executive team, when it fired them last June. The new issue isn’t necessarily the May early access timeframe, but how the news was announced. The letter and Krafton’s response have not been previously reported. A quick recap of prior events: Subnautica 2 is an unreleased, underwater survival adventure and the most-wishlisted game on Steam. Last year, longtime Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, along with studio co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, were fired by Krafton. They swiftly sued, saying the publisher had terminated them to avoid paying out up to $250 million in potential performance-based bonuses. The studio leaders had hoped to earn that with an early access release of the game, which Krafton had blocked. The publisher argued in court that Subnautica 2 wasn’t ready, which the ousted execs disputed. On Monday, Will ruled that Krafton had violated its contract, firing the execs to avoid the performance payouts, and that it had to reinstate Gill and give him full authority over any early access release for Subnautica 2. On Tuesday, IGN reported on a new memo issued that day to Unknown Worlds staff by Steve Papoutsis, the executive Krafton had put in charge of Unknown Worlds after the 2025 firings. In the note, Papoutsis said that Subnautica 2 had passed a key development milestone “last week” and that he and Krafton had determined the game “is ready for Early Access release in May.” This news appeared to catch the lawyers for Gill, Cleveland and McGuire by surprise. On Tuesday night, they sent a letter to Will expressing “serious concerns” about whether it would be possible to forge an agreement with Krafton consistent with the judge’s order. Papoutsis’ memo was a problem, they wrote. He didn’t have the authority to declare anything about Subnautica 2’s release. As of 9am ET on Monday, March 16, the effective date of Will’s order, Papoutsis wasn’t CEO of Unknown Worlds. Gill was. And, per Will’s order, only Gill could make Subnautica 2 release decisions. They continued: Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community—let alone this Court’s Opinion. Announcing the release of a game is momentous, and it is typically accompanied by significant marketing activity, fanfare, and community coordination. And most importantly, the announcement is carefully designed to maximize excitement for the game. That entire process was supposed to be driven by Mr. Gill. However, in defiance of the Court’s Opinion, Krafton has now taken that away, further damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community. The lawyers speculated that Krafton had “intentionally leaked” Papoutsis’ memo and then issued an official statement to confirm the leak. Game File is a reader-supported publication. My reporting is only possible through support from readers like you. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe On Wednesday, lawyers for Krafton defended their client in their own letter to vice chancellor Will, saying nothing they did violated her order nor showed contempt: Papoutsis’s message was simply celebrating the UW employees’ efforts toward a past event: Krafton’s pre-Opinion determination that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access release. There was nothing improper about conveying the results of the milestone review or thanking the development team for their dedication and talent. They added that Gill could still make his own call about Subnautica 2’s release: In his role as CEO, Gill will be able to assess independently his views on the state of Subnautica 2 and the appropriate release schedule; nothing in Papoutsis’s message alters Gill’s authority or discretion. Vice chancellor Will has not responded to the letters and doesn’t necessarily have to. Both parties were previously ordered by Will to confer this week and submit a proposed judgment consistent with her ruling. The letter from Gill’s attorney’s this week doesn’t indicate whether he would or would not support a May release for Subnautica 2. But it could limit his options. And, if Gill’s lawyers are right, the lack of marketing fanfare around the leak of the May date could dull the launch of the game. Any harm to Subnautica 2’s launch is an extra sensitive issue given the context of the legal dispute: millions of dollars of payouts are on the line, tethered to the scale of the game’s initial performance. In her ruling on Monday, Will noted that there was obvious “bad blood” between Gill’s side and Krafton but that the two would need to work together: “They can—and must—act in good faith to navigate their remaining contractual relationship.” Item 2: A new kind of couch co-op game A highlight of GDC each year is the Alt.Ctrl showcase that features games played with extremely experimental controllers. Perusing this year’s offerings last Friday, I found a game controlled with giant scissors, another with big toothbrushes and one that amounted to dumpster diving. My favorite was Pivot, a co-op game about collectively maneuvering a couch. It was developed by students at the University of Utah’s masters of arts and engineering games program. Players lift and tilt the physical couch in order to control the position of a virtual one. That virtual one is moving through an obstacle course on-screen, while being pursued by a giant skull. Developer Nishant Verma told me at GDC that the couch is made of styrofoam (this became more evident as I watched!) and that the name was a riff on an episode of the sitcom Friends. Item 3: In brief… 🚫 Ubisoft is laying off more than 100 workers at its Red Storm studio, as the North Carolina location known for decades for its Tom Clancy games, ceases in-house game development, VGC reports. 👀 On Monday, Nvidia’s revealed its DLSS 5 AI-driven graphics technology that purports to improve game graphics… and it has been roasted about it by the media and the online gaming public for the remainder of the week. The tech changed the faces of characters in footage from Resident Evil Requiem, Hogwarts Legacy and EA Sports FC, drawing accusations of giving carefully art-directed games the generic look of AI “slop.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had said on Monday that “DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics—blending handcrafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression.” By mid-week, Huang was telling Tom’s Hardware that the new tech’s critics were “completely wrong” because game-makers could still “fine-tune the generative AI” to suit their game’s aesthetics.
New Business Moving into Former Cavallo's Restaurant
A new business will now breathe new life into the former Cavallo's restaurant.
Alien Life Could Look Nothing Like What We Expect. Here's How Microbes Beyond Earth Might Live Without Liquid Water
Like the lead character of “Project Hail Mary,” some scientists are proposing ways that life might exist beyond a star’s “habitable zone,” often considered the gold standard of potential livability
New Mexico health officials urge caution during ‘dangerously early’ heat wave
New Mexico health officials warned of record-breaking heat wave, with temperatures projected to spike into the 90s for much of the state.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur finalizes his staff moves for 2026
Green Bay's new quarterbacks coach is Luke Getsy, a former Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears offensive coordinator who spent last season as a Packers senior assistant. Getsy previously was Green Bay's quarterbacks coach from 2019-21. The Packers also hired Scott Fuchs as a defensive analyst, T.C. McCartney as offensive quality control coach and Will Smart as a defensive quality control coach.
Google Begins Testing Gemini Mac App to Match ChatGPT and Claude
Google is ramping up development of a dedicated Gemini AI app for Apple Inc.’s Mac computer lineup, looking to step up competition with OpenAI and Anthropic PBC.