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More Than a Charcuterie Board: A Mother and Daughter Build a Business Around Gathering.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Birch Bay Retirement Village. NORTHEAST HARBOR—Food’s ability to be a social cornerstone is one of the founding premises of one of Mount Desert Island’s newest, and perhaps most unique, endeavors in cuisine based catering. From intimate gatherings to large functions, Olive & Pearl creates charcuterie boards that can not only astound the tongue but also the eye. Many would agree that food can bring people together. In fact, culinary delights, and sometimes adventures, have been utilized as the centerpiece for social and business occasions of all kinds for centuries. Often times it even has the ability to start conversation, temper differences, and build new relationships. Settings can vary, from a multi-course sit down meal, a backyard barbecue, or a couple of bowls of chips and dip in front of a television, but the result can be the same. Humans come together, they share food, and the whole process is a catalyst for thought, communication, and a shared experience. Imagined and created by the mother and daughter team of Dr. Susan Scanlan (formerly MacCready) and Kayla Musetti, Olive & Pearl was started in June of this year and has been creating, delighting, and growing since. We gave the two an opportunity to answer some questions about themselves and their new venture. The love, passion, and pride for what they are doing and the fact that they are doing it as a mother and daughter team came through so strongly in their answers that we decided to present the question and answer session in its entirety. The Interview What did you do prior to Olive & Pearl? We’re a mother-daughter team, and food, family, and hospitality have always been a big part of our lives. Susan grew up in a large family in Pennsylvania, where the table was always at the center of everything. There were multiple dishes, little bites, stories, and plenty of conversation. Food was never simply about eating. It was about gathering, celebrating, and spending time together. After living in several Southern states, Susan relocated to Maine more than 20 years ago, and Maine has truly become home. She loves its sense of community, natural beauty, and connection to local food and makers. Professionally, Susan is a registered nurse and holds a doctorate in health administration. She has worked in a variety of clinical, nonclinical, and leadership roles and currently works as a faculty academic director. Building Olive & Pearl has been an exciting creative venture alongside her career. Kayla is also a registered nurse and works in the ambulatory surgery unit at Mount Desert Island Hospital. While healthcare is an important part of both of our professional lives, Olive & Pearl has given us an entirely different way to connect, collaborate, and create something together. Tell us about the business. Olive & Pearl is a mother-daughter charcuterie business centered around beautiful food, thoughtful presentation, and bringing people together. We create curated charcuterie boards designed for everything from intimate gatherings and dinner parties to weddings, showers, corporate events, boat days, and celebrations of all kinds. We think of our boards as more than food. They’re an experience and an invitation to gather, slow down, and enjoy time with the people around you. We’re intentional about quality ingredients, artful presentation, and personalization. Whenever possible, we also incorporate Maine-made and locally sourced products, including cheeses, jams, honey, seasonal produce, and baked goods. What inspired you to start Olive & Pearl? In many ways, Olive & Pearl grew out of something we had been doing our entire lives —bringing people together around food. We’ve always loved creating beautiful spreads for family and friends. There was something special about watching people gather around a table, graze, talk, laugh, and simply enjoy being together. Friends and family began telling us, “You should do this as a business,” and one day, we stopped laughing it off and started mapping it out. We realized we had an opportunity to combine our different strengths and create something that reflected what we both value: hospitality, creativity, quality, and connection. Charcuterie felt like the perfect expression of that. It’s beautiful and creative, but it’s also communal and approachable. At its heart, it brings us right back to where the idea began, a table filled with food and people gathered around it. Do you have a business partner(s)? Our business partner is each other! Olive & Pearl is truly a mother-daughter partnership, and building it together has been incredibly meaningful and sometimes hilarious! We know each other extremely well, which can be both a strength and, occasionally, a challenge. We have different personalities and strengths, but we’ve learned to lean into those differences and use them to our advantage. There’s a lot of trust between us, and we’ve learned how to communicate, collaborate, and occasionally laugh at ourselves along the way. We’re also building Olive & Pearl while continuing our careers in healthcare and education, so we’re taking things thoughtfully and growing the business one step at a time. We all have to start somewhere. One of the most rewarding parts has been having something that belongs to both of us. We get to learn from one another, celebrate the small wins together, and create something that we hope will become part of our family’s story for years to come. When exactly did you launch the business? Recently, in June 2026, we launched Olive & Pearl, turning an idea we had talked about for years into real business. It has been incredibly rewarding to watch something that started around our own family table and begin to find a place within the community. How is it going so far? How do you feel it has been received? It has been going very well, and we’ve been incredibly encouraged by how warmly Olive & Pearl has been received. As more people hear about us, our orders have continued to increase, and we’re seeing growing interest in boards for events and celebrations. It’s exciting to watch something that began as an idea between the two of us start to grow within the community. One of the most rewarding parts is hearing from customers after their events or seeing photos of our boards being enjoyed. Knowing that something we created became part of someone’s celebration is incredibly meaningful to us. Is there a brick-and-mortar location or is it all online? Olive & Pearl is currently an online business. We’re intentionally starting this way so we can build relationships with our customers, learn what they love, and grow thoughtfully. Our long-term dream, if the business continues to grow, is to eventually have a sit-down space where people can experience Olive & Pearl in person. Do you have any future plans if things go well/keep going well? Absolutely. For now, our focus is on continuing to grow Olive & Pearl, getting to know our customers, and becoming part of more celebrations and gatherings throughout the area. Long term, we would love to have our own physical space where people can come together and experience Olive & Pearl beyond the boards themselves. We can imagine a place that combines food, hospitality, creativity, and community. Ultimately, we want to build something that continues to grow while still feeling personal and connected to the people and community around us. Is there an aspect of the business that you really love? There are so many things we love about it, but the people and the connection are probably at the top of the list. We love creating something beautiful, but what really matters to us is what happens after we hand it over to the customer. We picture our boards on kitchen islands, at backyard gatherings, on boats, at weddings, or around a long dinner table—with people laughing, talking, and lingering a little longer. We also love the creative side. Every board is an opportunity to play with color, texture, shape, seasonality, and flavor. We don’t just want to fill a board, we want to curate an experience. And supporting local makers is especially meaningful to us. Whenever possible, we love incorporating Maine-made cheeses, local jams and honey, seasonal produce, and products from nearby bakeries and businesses. It allows us to showcase some of what makes Maine so special. Perhaps most importantly, we love doing this together. Building something as a mother and daughter has given us another way to spend time together, learn from one another, celebrate small wins, and create memories. Is there anything regarding any aspect of Olive & Pearl that you may think is important that is not reflected on the website? One thing that may not always come through online is just how personal this business is to us. Olive & Pearl isn’t something we created simply because charcuterie was popular. It grew very naturally from our family, our traditions, and the way we’ve always enjoyed gathering with people we love. There is a lot of heart behind every board. We think about the people who will be enjoying it, the occasion they’re celebrating, and how we can make the experience feel special. We also want people to know that we care deeply about supporting locals whenever possible. Using Maine products isn’t just about sourcing ingredients, it’s about telling a little story about where we live and the talented people who make and grow wonderful things here. Is there anything that we have not asked that you think is important/relevant that would like readers to know? We hope people see Olive & Pearl as more than just a charcuterie business. At its heart, it’s about gathering. Our goal is to make it easier for people to create those moments when everyone gathers around the table, conversations last a little longer, and people simply enjoy being together. We also hope people see the mother-daughter story behind the business. We’re building Olive & Pearl alongside our careers, one step at a time, and there is something incredibly special about creating a shared family legacy in the process. For us, success isn’t just about how many boards we make. It’s about becoming part of people’s special moments - birthdays, weddings, weekends with friends, quiet evenings at home, or a beautiful day on the Maine coast. If one of our boards helps people put down their phones, linger a little longer, laugh a little more, and enjoy the people around them, then we feel like we’ve done exactly what we set out to do. All photos courtesy of Olive & Pearl. LINKS TO LEARN MORE Olive & Pearl website Olive & Pearl Facebook Olive & Pearl Instagram RECENT PRESS RELEASES AND BRIEFS To see all the press releases, click here. To see our news, click here. For the full archive, click here. All of these are on our dedicated website. 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Oct 23 • 8:00 AM EDT • Business • barharborstory.substack.com
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Oct 15 • 11:00 AM EDT • Business • inc.com
SPECIAL REPORT: Tough Business

A string of vacant restaurant buildings shows that many restaurants in the region are struggling — and several are closing By Stefan Yablonski [caption id=attachment_11132 align=alignright width=401] Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill on Route 31 in Clay closed its doors in April. It had been in operation since at least 2008.[/caption] By their nature, most restaurants have a limited life. An astonishing 60% go out of business within three years of opening, largely due to fundamental flaws in the planning of the operation. But even restaurants that experience years of success almost always face eventual closure. The restaurant business is very hard and because of both personal factors and external factors beyond anyone’s control, restaurants don’t last forever. For many restaurants, age is a big factor, according to Kenneth Walsleben, professor of practice, entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises at Syracuse University. “The owners have been at it for 20 or 25 years, if not longer, they want some time to themselves,” he said. Such was the case for Jocko’s Famous Ritz Diner in Oswego. Jocko Reitz bought the building in the late 1970s from Robert Shapiro. However, when he stepped away from the business, it eventually closed. [caption id=attachment_11142 align=alignright width=402] For nearly 80 years, Vona’s Restaurant passed through three generations of family in Oswego. It closed its doors on Dec. 31, 2025.[/caption] For nearly 80 years, Vona’s passed through three generations of family in Oswego. Vona’s Restaurant officially closed its doors on Dec. 31, 2025, when no family member wanted to take over. It is on the market. The Ruby Tuesday in Oswego operated for about two decades before permanently closing in April 2026. The restaurant faced multiple temporary health department closures in 2024 and 2025 due to persistent fruit fly and foundation pest issues. Management posted a final closure notice on the doors in mid-April 2026 and the building was put up for sale. The same pattern has been happening in Onondaga County. The big building once used by Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill on Route 31 in Clay remains empty, more than six months after the restaurant closed its doors in April. It had been in operation since at least 2008. [caption id=attachment_11130 align=alignright width=401] Ruby Tuesday in Oswego operated for about two decades before permanently closing in April 2026.[/caption] Just down the road from Smokey Bones, the popular Outback Steakhouse closed in August 2024. Another restaurant took its place, La Cocina Mexican Restaurant, but it closed shortly after. The building sits empty. Other very popular restaurants in the northern suburbs of Syracuse have recently closed. Among them, Fireside by the River in Baldwinsville and Primo Nestico’s Bistro Bar in North Syracuse. “I haven’t really paid attention to the Syracuse area. There has always been some turnover, but there probably has never been a tougher time to be a restauranter than now. It’s just brutal,” Walsleben said. In the first year, roughly 20% to 25% of restaurants close or change hands, according to the National Restaurant Association. [caption id=attachment_11122 align=alignright width=401] Outback Steakhouse closed in August 2024. Another restaurant took its place, La Cocina Mexican Restaurant, but it closed shortly after. The building sits empty.[/caption] “Depending on what statistics you look at, you’ll find that any business has a high mortality rate in the first year. That is just the nature of entrepreneurship,” Walsleben said. “There are certain ones that are getting hit hard while others are more fruitful. “And when you look at the restaurant industry you have to factor in labor which is a large part — typically a third of your expenses — and those costs are going up. And there is always turnover which means investing money to train people. Then you’ve got food costs, which is also a third of the typical restaurant budget. Since the pandemic labor has gone up 41%, food costs have gone up 35%. That’s a big tight squeeze righty there. That’s two-thirds of your budget that has gone up 35% to 40% in the last few years. And then the only way you can make that work is to raise the prices.” The National Restaurant Association reports menu prices are up 36% since February of 2020. In a survey released by the association, more than eight in 10 restaurant owners reported that their food, beverage and labor costs are now higher than before the pandemic. You have to deal with the reality of are the customers willing to pay for that? Walsleben added. Restaurants historically have very thin margins; their profit margin is about 5%. “You have a third that goes into food, a third that goes into labor and about 28%, 29% that goes into everything else — overhead, insurance etc. So that brings you down to your 5% leftover,” he said. “Everything is going up. Customer expectations are going up and people aren’t going to spend that much more. So, you have a tight squeeze here,” Walsleben continued. “Restaurants who use delivery apps, they pay a fee to those guys. Those guys don’t work for free. So, you can kind of see where the squeeze comes from.” Stuck in the middle There are pockets of opportunity; the two extremes of the market can make a profit. But the middle gets squeezed out. “If you are a low-end fast-food kind of place, there is room for that. People have changed their budgets. They are still going out, but they are not spending more,” according to Walsleben. “The high end remains positive. If you have a restaurant that brings a specific experience … a great food product or you are catering to high end customers who aren’t so budget conscious, those patrons are going to expect a high-end experience. They expect excellent food every time. They are expecting excellent service. If you can meet those expectations there is room for you at the top. It’s just the guys in the middle are getting the squeeze from both ends. Tough competition, customer expectations, costs are up. Menu items, you can’t raise the prices as much as you need to. That is why you are seeing a lot of restaurants baling out.” The ones that can adapt quickly are the ones who are doing OK. “Success is heavily dependent on the strength of a restaurant’s concept development and the planning of its execution. Eventually things aren’t always new. Things change. So, if you are in the restaurant business you have got to change your menu — keep things new, fresh and update your meals. It is very fickle industry. One year carbs are out, the next year berries are out. Everybody’s diet changes — constantly chasing the latest phase. You have got to adjust your menu and move with those modifications. If you have a static menu that you have used the last couple years that hasn’t changed except for the pricing, you’ve got a problem,” he said. A lot of times these buildings are singular purpose, he added. “You have a commercially viable kitchen and you got a seating area. There is not a lot of other businesses that cater to that type of a layout. So, it’s pretty common to see another restaurant slide in,” he said. One of the things a banker learns early on is you don’t lend money to restaurants … because they fail so quickly. It is very hard to predict who the winners will be. So, if you are a restaurant in addition to all the other challenges, it is very difficult to get loans, according to Walsleben. “You might work really well in the kitchen. But that doesn’t mean you are a great businessperson,” he said. “Restaurants can fail because the owner didn’t know how to manage things properly. There are a lot of challenges. “There is opportunity at the high end and the low end. But in the middle, that’s the death valley. There are just so many things working against you. You really need to have something that will pull people in and continue to pull people in because you to constantly have to change. Think about a theme and a product that is unique to the area people don’t travel that far these days you have to be able to deliver it in an innovative fashion and keep updating to keep people coming in the door.” Out of Business? How Fast? Do nine out of 10 restaurants fail in their first year, as commonly claimed? No. Survival analysis of 1.9 million longitudinal microdata for 81,000 full-service restaurants in a 20-year U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics non public census of business establishments in the western US shows that only 17% of independently owned full-service restaurant startups failed in their first year, compared with 19% for all other service-providing startups, according to ResearchGate. The median lifespan of restaurants is about 4.5 years, slightly longer than that of other service businesses (4.25 years). However, the median lifespan of a restaurant startup with 5 or fewer employees is 3.75 years, slightly shorter than that of other service businesses of the same startup size (4.0 years). What Makes a Restaurant Successful? Opening and maintaining a successful restaurant is not as easy as creating a great menu and serving excellent food. It takes more than that, according to local restaurant owners who have been in business for decades in the region. They all agree that there are some guidelines to running a successful restaurant. • Quality food: Successful restaurants know exactly what they serve and who they serve it to. Delivering the same great taste every single time builds loyal customers. • Smooth operations: Friendly greetings and attentive staff make guests feel welcome from the moment they walk in. Hiring staff for personality and training for skill ensures reliable, caring service. • Smart marketing: Exceptional food and experiences naturally get people talking and sharing online. Word of mouth can help entice customers. Consistent social media and targeted advertising brings in new and repeat guests also. The menu is what keeps patrons coming back to Mimi’s Diner in Fulton, located at 201 N. Second St. “We locally source our produce and our meats. Our chicken and biscuits is a popular, popular special,” said Richard Tagliareni, the third-generation owner and general manager. “It’s all homemade. We have consistently served quality food.” His grandfather started the business more than 55 years ago. Mimi’s is engrained in the community. They cater to the community and are very involved in everything from the schools to local events. The first Mimi’s Drive-In opened in Mexico. Then a second in Oswego and then Fulton. Fulton’s Mimi’s is the only one left. “The last couple of weeks have been kind of slower than normal. October is usually a busier month for us People will start coming back around again. Also, the price of gas is affecting some things,” Tagliareni added. “We try to keep our prices in line. You go out to eat, you’re going to spend about a hundred bucks or so for two people for dinner. You come here to Mimi’s you are probably for two people for dinner it’s between $50 and $60. We are trying to keep our prices in line. We did have to increase our prices a little bit but things are looking OK.” For the Press Box, 29 E. First St., Oswego, it’s also about great food and a family atmosphere. “Our sports bar and restaurant was established in 1984,” said Alison Canale Scanlon, manager. “I think putting the time into everything makes a big difference and treating people like family when they walk into your restaurant. That’s how we have always operated since 1984.” “It’s the family oriented aspect,” she added. “Consistency, quality and presentation of our food — that’s the secret to a successful restaurant. We try to be very consistent with it. We treat people like family when they come in; because we know how we want to be treated when we go to a restaurant. We treat people the same or better.”

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Oct 14 • 8:23 AM EDT • Business • oswegocountybusiness.com
Two toolkits to stay in control of your family business

Discover two practical toolkits to keep your multigenerational family business aligned: governance agreements, councils, and clear exits.

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Oct 14 • 3:00 AM EDT • Business • imd.org
YMCA camp in Honolulu turns fall break into a science adventure

The YMCA of Honolulu wrapped up "STEAM Camp" over fall break, teaching students important science skills. The camp is a place where Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math engage students.

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Oct 14 • 12:58 AM EDT • Science • kitv.com
YMCA camp in Honolulu turns fall break into a science adventure

The YMCA of Honolulu wrapped up "STEAM Camp" over fall break, teaching students important science skills. The camp is a place where Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math engage students.

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Oct 13 • 10:08 PM EDT • Science • kitv.com
Honolulu kids explore science and art at YMCA's STEAM Camp

The YMCA of Honolulu's fall break "Mission to Mars" camp at St. Patrick's School gave students a hands-on way to explore science, technology, engineering, arts, and math — with the

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Oct 13 • 3:10 PM EDT • Science • kitv.com
"That was not received well at Nintendo" - as GTA 6 and Zelda are lampooned by Saturday Night Live, former employees recall Elon Musk Wario skit controversy

As American comedy series Saturday Night Live airs a sketch lampooning the November showdown between Grand Theft Auto 6…

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Oct 13 • 11:33 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
CJ ENM and MBC Group Expand Partnership

CJ ENM and MBC Group expand existing partnership, announce at Mipcom

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Oct 13 • 5:37 AM EDT • Entertainment • variety.com
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Visalia restaurant owner hopes to rebuild after two cars crash into business

A car crashed into Mz. Glow's Kitchen in Visalia on Friday, leaving the restaurant damaged and its owner unsure when she can reopen.Owner Gloria Rodriguez said

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Oct 13 • 12:15 AM EDT • Business • kmph.com
Vanilla Could Hold the Key to New Wound Treatments, Scientists Say

Vanilla is best known for its place in kitchens, desserts, and fragrances. But scientists at Australia’s Flinders University are exploring whether vanillin, the compound responsible for vanilla’s fami...

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Oct 12 • 12:20 PM EDT • Science • yahoo.com
Convenience Stores Put Vertical SaaS to a Multi-Business Test

Vertical software as a service has generally benefited from specialization. A restaurant platform can be designed around menus, kitchens, ordering and

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Oct 12 • 11:34 AM EDT • Business • pymnts.com
Commentary: Native small business owner: Main Street needs someone in the room

I started Lakota Made in 2018 at my kitchen table with six salves, made from plant medicines I learned from Lakota elders. Today, we have a storefront on Riverfront Drive, a small production team, more than 100,000 online orders and customers in 213 countries and territories around the world. Our social media community has 179,000 […]

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Oct 12 • 10:45 AM EDT • Business • minnesotareformer.com
No Man's Sky Is Coming To iPhone And iPad As The App Store Celebrates Indie Games Week

Sifu, Vampire Crawlers, Dome Keeper and Little Kitty, Big City are also hitting iOS.

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Oct 12 • 10:00 AM EDT • Technology • engadget.com
3 New Ryobi Tools Coming Out Soon (As Of October 2026)

Ryobi's upcoming tools include a 12V rechargeable drill/driver, 18V ONE+ storm prep kit, and 40V HP brushless cordless hedge trimmer.

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Oct 11 • 4:45 PM EDT • Technology • slashgear.com
Trump’s multimillion-dollar taxpayer-funded ad campaign ends Sunday, officials say

(CNN) — The Trump administration has spent $19 million in taxpayer money on the controversial ad campaign to promote President Donald Trump and his policies, a push that officials say

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Oct 11 • 3:54 PM EDT • Politics • kitv.com
'SNL' host Shane Gillis drops the F-bomb in this Dr. Seuss skit

That'll cost some money, buddy.

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Oct 11 • 10:34 AM EDT • Entertainment • mashable.com
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📸 This week’s kit news 👕

Official reveals, leaks... it's been another news-packed week in the world of football shirts.On the agenda: special Pink October shirts, plus upcoming shirts for Real Madrid, featuring the return of ...

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Oct 11 • 7:42 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Charleston restaurant outfitter said it was moving. Where’d it go?

North Charleston-based Berlin’s Restaurant Supply outfitted commercial kitchens for 4 decades. It quietly closed up shop in 2026, two years after it was acquired by a private equity buyer.

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Oct 11 • 5:00 AM EDT • Business • postandcourier.com
Venezuelan and Latin-fusion food truck celebrates 2 years of business in Toledo

Casero Kitchen has been serving up Venezuelan and Latin-fusion flavors in Toledo for nearly two years. The local food truck, owned by Ramiz Parra, ...

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Oct 10 • 3:00 AM EDT • Business • toledoblade.com
From KFC kitchen cleaner to restaurant boss employing 1,500

Restaurant operator Acky Khan says he wants greater support for businesses ahead of the Budget.

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Oct 10 • 2:26 AM EDT • Business • bbc.com
Many Kauai small businesses hanging on by a thread waiting for financial aid

A month after Hurricane Lowell destroyed businesses and caused a dramatic slowdown in customers, many Kauai operators are barely hanging on. The federal government announced approval of major disaster aid

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Oct 9 • 9:02 PM EDT • Business • kitv.com
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Year Two DLC includes Hello Kitty, Persona, Final Fantasy VII, and more

SEGA hosted a special showcase revealing the next two DLC packs for Year Two of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, following Godzilla and Evangelion.

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Oct 9 • 4:28 PM EDT • Technology • mynintendonews.com
Apple and LG leak shows new ‘tap to control’ HomeKit features

NFC over UWB?

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Oct 9 • 12:45 PM EDT • Technology • theverge.com
P7 DarkSword iOS Exploit Kit Adds Crypto Wallet Data Theft and Remote Commands

P7 DarkSword adds on-device keychain and crypto wallet data theft to the iOS exploit kit, alongside two-way C2 communication.

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Oct 9 • 12:29 PM EDT • Technology • thehackernews.com
Kitt Peak National Observatory honors Tohono O’odham land, language by renaming science center

Long before the National Science Foundation ever looked up to the starry sky searching for answers about the mysterious cosmos and universe, O’odhams like Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan stood atop I’oligam Du’ag — or Manzanita Shrub Mountain.

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Oct 9 • 12:26 PM EDT • Science • kjzz.org
Apple’s new ‘second-party’ HomeKit products will have this exclusive iPhone feature

Apple could showcase its new co-developed smart home accessories as soon as next week. Ahead of that, a new leak...

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Oct 9 • 10:10 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com
Man carrying two kitchen knives arrested after confrontation at Fort Myers business, police say

A man was arrested after he was accused of displaying a knife at a local business, according to the Fort Myers Police Department.

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Oct 8 • 2:52 PM EDT • Business • gulfcoastnewsnow.com
Two Point Museum's Cutest Collaboration Is Now Available, And It's Free

Little Kitty, Big Museum

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Oct 8 • 1:00 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
CT couple starts bakery business out of their apartment’s kitchen. It sells out nearly every week

The popular Stamford micro-bakery was recently selected to participate the 2026 BagelUp Growth Lab in New York City next month.

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Oct 8 • 5:15 AM EDT • Business • courant.com
5 steps for CEOs to improve mental health in the workplace

As we mark World Mental Day, a CEO toolkit outlines five actions that C-suite leaders can take to improve workplace mental health, for the benefit of all.

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Oct 8 • 4:00 AM EDT • Health • weforum.org
A Vital European Hub for Theistic Views on Science

Dr. Alistair McKitterick explains how intelligent design and natural theology provide a robust framework that challenges modern scientific materialism.

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Oct 7 • 10:01 PM EDT • Science • scienceandculture.com
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Exactly How Much Water You Should Drink in a Day, According to Experts

Experts reveal what to watch for—and where that eight-glass “rule” fits in.

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Oct 7 • 9:51 AM EDT • Health • prevention.com
Buffalo County Health and Human Services offering free tick prevention kits

Tick prevention kits are available at various locations throughout the county.

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Oct 7 • 9:46 AM EDT • Health • weau.com
51 of the best Amazon Prime Day deals under $50

There are dozens of deals you can grab right now without spending more than $50. They range from kitchen gadgets to smart speakers.

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Oct 6 • 8:27 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
MNUFC, Allina Health and the Sanneh Foundation Team Up to Address Food Insecurity with Meal Kit Initiative

Meal kit program launched to build connection between nutrition education and lifelong well-being

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Oct 6 • 4:30 PM EDT • Health • mnufc.com
New Mexico Health Care Authority creates shareable resources about Medicaid changes

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The New Mexico Health Care Authority has launched a Medicaid Partner Toolkit to help community organizations, health care providers, advocates and other partners explain upcomin…

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Oct 6 • 1:20 PM EDT • Health • krqe.com
Prime Big Deal Days: 50+ actually good deals on stuff you really want (updating)

Prime Big Deal Days is live. AirPods Pro 3 are $179, KitchenAid's bowl-lift mixer is $299.99, and a self-emptying Shark robot vacuum is $249.99.

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Oct 6 • 8:35 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Gas stoves put restaurant cooks’ health at risk, new study finds

Dangerous amounts of heat and air pollution swirl in most commercial kitchens — even when the stoves are off. Switching to electric appliances helps…

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Oct 6 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • canarymedia.com
Gas stoves put restaurant cooks’ health at risk, new study finds

In restaurant kitchens around the U.S., cooks are toiling away to create mouthwatering meals, from bibimbap to spaghetti puttanesca. But their own stomachs may be roiling.

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Oct 6 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • yahoo.com
Former ASU swimmer Grant House helped reshape college sports

Five years after becoming the lead plaintiff in House v. NCAA, former Arizona State swimmer Grant House reflects on the lawsuit that helped reshape college athletics, the leadership lessons he learned and his continued fight for athletes’ voices and collective bargaining with the Protect College Sports Act making its way through Congress.

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Oct 5 • 5:23 PM EDT • Sports • cronkitenews.azpbs.org
Three Japanese regional banks consider business integration

The Japanese lenders concerned are Procrea Holdings, Akita Bank, and Bank of Iwate.

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Oct 5 • 8:03 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
BBQ Chris opens CC&B Kitchen, new 24/7 baseball & softball facility, and more Quad-Cities business news

BBQ Chris opens CC&B Kitchen, new 24/7 baseball & softball facility, and more Quad-Cities business news.

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Oct 5 • 7:30 AM EDT • Business • qctimes.com
Kit Chapman wins 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize

Kit Chapman has won the 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize for The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry (Profile Books).

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Oct 5 • 3:45 AM EDT • Science • thebookseller.com
Chance discovery boosts the efficiency of perovskite tandem solar cells

Controlling the additive concentration gradient in mixed-halide perovskite formulations affects how well they perform as solar cells.

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Oct 5 • 1:03 AM EDT • Science • advancedsciencenews.com
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True Food Kitchen Initiates Voluntary Chapter 11 Proceedings to Position Business for Long-Term Success

True Food Kitchen (the "Company") today announced that it and certain affiliates have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the "Court").

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Oct 5 • 12:24 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
True Food Kitchen Initiates Voluntary Chapter 11 Proceedings to Position Business for Long-Term Success

/PRNewswire/ -- True Food Kitchen (the "Company") today announced that it and certain affiliates have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of...

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Oct 5 • 12:24 AM EDT • Business • prnewswire.com
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George Kittle now ranks fourth in 49ers all-time TDs

George Kittle keeps moving up the 49ers record books.

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Oct 5 • 12:15 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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George Kittle finds the end zone

San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle catches touchdown in win over Denver

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Oct 4 • 11:43 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Fire destroys The Farmers' Creamery in Mio

Fire crews were dispatched to The Farmers' Creamery on West Kittle Road around 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon, after multiple 911 calls.

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Oct 4 • 8:18 PM EDT • Business • abc12.com
SNL Weighs in on GTA 6 vs. The Legend of Zelda With Skit Featuring Jason and Link

SNL weighed in on GTA 6 vs. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake with a new Weekend Update skit featuring video game protagonists Jason Duval and Link.

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Oct 4 • 11:55 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
How Americans’ Financial Health Is Faring In The “K-Shaped” Economy

Hey all, Jason here. Money20/20 is still two weeks away, but I’ve already started packing (not procrastinating for once!). My calendar is already filling up with various sessions I want to catch, meetings, and of course happy hours, dinners, and other side events. If you’ll be in Vegas and want to catch up, let me know by replying to this email, and we can try to find a time amidst the chaos of the Venetian. A big if not totally unexpected piece of news dropped on Friday: the Independent Community Bankers of America, a trade group that represents smaller U.S. banks, filed a lawsuit against the OCC and Comptroller Jonathan Gould, arguing that the regulator’s move to grant trust bank charters to firms seeking to use them to conduct substantial non-fiduciary activities exceeds the authorities granted to the OCC by Congress. I haven’t had time to fully digest the legal filing or speak to folks in my network about it, but you can expect to see coverage and analysis on it in next week’s newsletter. Subscribe or Support by Upgrading The NerdCon agenda just dropped. It’s stacked. Partner content: Nubank built an AI-first bank. Chime built its own banking core. Figure and Valon are rebuilding the mortgage stack. At NerdCon, you’ll hear from the people behind those bets: what they chose, what they learned, and what they’re still figuring out. The agenda is live, with leaders from Nubank, Chime, OpenAI, Remitly, Mercury, Figure, Valon and more. Follow the mainstage conversations, bring the problem your team is wrestling with to a hands-on workshop, or pull up a chair at a roundtable. Pick your quests. Meet us in San Diego, November 18–20. Fintech Business Weekly readers save 20% with code FBW20. Explore the Agenda Things To Know & Other Good Reads Federal Reserve Board finalizes changes to enhance the transparency and public accountability of its stress test and reduce volatility in its stress test-related capital requirements (Federal Reserve Board of Governors) FDIC Announces Conclusion of Independent Monitorship (FDIC) Modernizing Financial Regulation: Initial Observations from eSLR (Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman) The Data Version of Godzilla versus Kong: FRED Takes on AI (Fed Governor Christopher Waller) Financing the AI buildout (Brookings) Q3’26: Rules for Banks but Not for Crypto (Fintech Takes Banking) The Inevitability of Local Stablecoins (Lombard Notes) Delusions of AI Governance: The Human-in-the-Loop Comfort Blanket (Fintech Snark Tank) Stripe agrees to acquire Parafin to expand revenue opportunities for platforms and help small businesses grow (Stripe) Listen: Fighting Fraud in the Age of AI, with SEON’s Tamas Kadar (Fintech Business Weekly) How Americans’ Financial Health Is Faring In The “K-Shaped” Economy If there is one overarching theme across the economy and politics in the U.S. at the moment, it’s “affordability.” The term is vague enough to encompass a panoply of factors shaping Americans’ day-to-day lives: rising costs for the hallmarks of being “middle class,” including healthcare, housing, childcare, and education, inflation and rising interest rates, and a job market with the specter of AI hovering over it. At the same time, policy shifts under the Trump administration have resulted in reduced subsidies to those who get health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and new restrictions on qualifying for Medicaid and SNAP, the impacts of which have yet to be fully felt. These factors are contributing to declining consumer confidence and general dissatisfaction with the economy, despite continuing GDP growth and stock market records. This divergence is encapsulated in the idea of the “K-shaped” economy, in which a small proportion of Americans have seen their wealth balloon, while the majority of American households struggle to preserve the lifestyle they have. Perhaps the greatest determinant of which branch of the “K” a household is on is whether their wealth and income are primarily derived from employment vs. from assets. Nearly two decades of low interest rates and, more recently, elevated rates of inflation have benefited asset owners, while those whose income is primarily or solely derived from labor have largely seen real purchasing power stagnate or decline. This is reflected in recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that labor share of U.S. GDP — the fraction of economic output that accrues to workers as compensation in exchange for their labor — dropped to just 52.8% in Q2 2026, the lowest since the BLS began keeping records. In 1947, approximately 2/3rds of economic output accrued to workers; even as recently as 2001, labor’s share of GDP was 64.1%. Against this backdrop, we’ve seen the rise of more credit and credit-like products: cash advance apps, “no-fee” overdraft, earned wage access, and buy now pay later, which are often used as small-dollar short-term borrowing mechanisms to meet immediate consumption needs or pay other bills (eg utilities, cell phone, other debt payments). With the markers of a middle class existence and, increasingly, basic financial stability seemingly out of reach for many, it should be no surprise there’s been an increase in “financial nihilism,” something industry peers like Alex Johnson and Frank Rotman have discussed and analyzed the roots of. The explosion of gambling and gambling-adjacent products and services — often marketed under the guise of being an “investment” — is inextricably intertwined with the rise of financial nihilism. Crypto, sports betting, and, more recently, prediction markets offer an escape or even hope of sorts, like a contemporary, digital version of a scratch-off lottery ticket, while leaving the overwhelming number of people who use such products worse off. Share of Households That Are Financially “Vulnerable” Ticks Up The Financial Health Network’s 2026 Financial Health Pulse® report adds context on how American households are faring. (I linked to this report in last week’s newsletter, but wanted to take time to further unpack the data in the report this week.) The Financial Health Network publishes the report annually, providing insight into how Americans’ financial circumstances are changing over time. The 2026 report is derived from a survey fielded in April and May 2026. The report leverages survey responses to assess indicators of financial health across spending, saving, borrowing, and planning/protecting and to determine a zero to 100 “FinHealth” score. Those with scores between 0 and 39 are considered “Financially Vulnerable,” consumers with scores ranging between 40 and 79 are defined as “Financially Coping,” and those with scores of 80 to 100 are “Financially Healthy.” The report found that moderate improvements in 2025 were reversed, with the share of respondents considered financially “vulnerable” rebounding to 17%. The longitudinal data reflect the impact of pandemic-era programs, like expanded unemployment, cash stimulus payments, and pauses of federal student loan payments. The positive impacts of those programs, as reflected in the Financial Health Pulse reports, had largely disappeared by 2023. While pandemic-era inflation — to be fair, in part caused by the various support and stimulus measures — had come down from as high as 9% in 2022, it has rebounded since the start of Trump’s second term, with tariffs and energy market disruptions owing to the war in Iran pushing prices back up. Specific indicators in the survey that deteriorated from 2025 to 2026 include the share of respondents spending less than their income over the past 12 months, the share paying all bills on time over the past 12 months, the share that have a manageable amount or no debt, the share that are “moderately” or “very” confident their insurance is adequate to cover them in an emergency, and the share that “somewhat” or “strongly” agree that their household plans ahead financially. Unsurprisingly, lower- and moderate-income households are more likely to struggle to pay their bills on time and have any funds leftover to save. The share of low-income households whose income exceeded their spending dropped from 35% in 2025 to 31% in 2026, while the share of upper-income households whose income exceeded expenses remained unchanged at 63%. Households with student loans or revolving credit card debt reported having “a bit more” or “far more” debt than was manageable at rates far higher than those not carrying these types of debts. The share of those with student loan debt indicating their debt load was too high to manage increased from 50% in 2025 to 55% in 2026, while the share of those with revolving credit card debt saying the same ticked up from 51% in 2025 to 54% in 2026. Households that had student loans were markedly more likely to be financially “coping” or “vulnerable” vs. those without student loans. In 2026, 27% of households with student loans were considered financially vulnerable, a jump of 6% points vs. 2025. Households without student loans saw just a 1% point increase (not statistically significant) in those considered financially vulnerable. Households’ perception of the affordability of categories of goods and services paints a stark picture, with less than one-fourth considering higher education affordable, about a third deeming childcare affordable, and less than half viewing healthcare as affordable. Fintech Business Weekly is made possible by the generous support of paying subscribers — bringing you independent analysis of banking, fintech, and crypto without fear or favor. You can support my work by becoming a paying subscriber if you aren’t already. Paying subscribers enjoy: access to the entire archive of nearly six years of newsletters extended versions of the weekly newsletter, with additional content and analysis and (for founding member tier) quarterly personal 1:1 fintech Q&A / strategy calls with me, tapping into my unparalleled knowledge of the intersection of banking and fintech and experience working in the sector, including helping to launch Goldman Sachs’ retail bank Marcus Support Fintech Business Weekly You can also support Fintech Business Weekly by sponsoring a newsletter or podcast, putting you in front of 93,000+ of the most influential decision makers in banking, fintech, and crypto. Learn more about sponsor opportunities or request a media kit by dropping me an email. Democratic Senate Report Highlights How Iran Uses Tether to Evade U.S. Sanctions Iran uses stablecoins, specifically Tether, to evade sanctions, fund regional proxies, and to purchase military drones, a report released last week by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations says. The report was authored by committee ranking member Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and the minority staff. Crypto and stablecoin proponents will often push back on criticism that criminals make use of these assets by arguing that, on an absolute dollar basis, far more illicit funds flow through traditional banking systems and payment rails than via crypto and stablecoins. And while that is likely true, it elides the reality presented in news story after news story: whether state actors — Russia, Iran, North Korea — or criminal groups, those looking to engage in illicit transactions increasingly favor stablecoins and, specifically, Tether (USDT). The report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released last week adds context to how Iran uses Tether has a lynchpin in its shadow banking system. The report analyzed 846 wallets that have been sanctioned or targeted for seizure, finding that 84% of them transacted exclusively or primarily in Tether. The ability to create near limitless, anonymous wallets and to move funds effectively instantaneously and irreversibly have made crypto a favored financial mechanism for bad actors. Stablecoins solved key drawbacks of bitcoin, namely, the original cryptocurrency’s highly volatile value in dollars. And while Tether (the company) has the technical ability to “freeze” or destroy funds, the company is often limited and reactive in its approach to doing so, the Senate report argues. Tether, which is nominally based in crypto-friendly El Salvador, “has stated that its compliance with OFAC sanctions is ‘voluntary’ and that it follows ‘OFAC guidelines,’” the Senate report says. Owing to these favorable attributes, Tether “became a primary cryptocurrency for Iran, Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis beginning in 2023 and has expanded in scale since,” according to the report. Tether’s role in Iran’s shadow banking system, the report says, is enhanced by crypto exchanges like Bybit, Kyrrex, OKX, Gate, and Binance, and through “over the counter” exchanges and hawala networks. The consequences of these financial flows aren’t hypothetical. The Senate report links Tether as a funds transfer mechanism to Iranian proxies in the region, including Hizballah, the Houthis, and Hamas. Tether has also been used to make payments to secure components necessary to manufacture drones, the report says. The report concludes by arguing that “[s]tablecoin issuers with a significant nexus to the United States, particularly those that offer dollar-denominated stablecoins, should be subject to American sanctions law rather than being allowed to hide behind foreign jurisdictions.” Stablecoin issuers like Tether must be held accountable for repeated failures to prevent illicit finance and sanctions violations by law enforcement, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and OFAC, the report argues. [Paying Subscriber Exclusive] OUSD Goes Live, Make Your Own Neobank, U.S. Sanctions Russia’s A7 Network As “Transnational Criminal Organization” OpenUSD, the stablecoin issued by the Open Standard consortium that includes Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, core providers, crypto firms, and numerous banks, went live last week. Social commerce platform Whop raised eyebrows in fintech by offering creators on its platform the ability to launch their own neobanks, which the company describes as “great businesses that are easy to run,” in just 15 minutes. And OFAC and FinCEN target Russia’s “shadow banking” A7 Network — more on these stories after the paywall.

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Oct 4 • 8:59 AM EDT • Health • fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com
Goddess Empire Entertainment proudly presents EARTHA... I'M STILL HERE!

STARRING THOMASINA GROSS THOMASINA GROSS HEADLINES SOLD OUT / SRO ACCLAIMED EARTHA KITT TOUR-DE-FORCE

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Oct 3 • 2:43 PM EDT • Entertainment • einpresswire.com
Apple weekend deals: MacBook Pro $500 off, AirTag 2, Prime Day HomeKit discounts, MagSafe chargers, more

While we are still awaiting some of the big fall Prime Day deals on some Apple products, there are already...

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Oct 3 • 8:21 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com
📸 This week's kit news 👕

Official announcements, leaks... it’s been another week full of news in the world of football kits.On the agenda: PSG’s likely next kit, as well as Liverpool’s surprising kits for next season.��...

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Oct 3 • 8:01 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Topeka cafe to be featured on Gordon Ramsey's 'Kitchen Nightmares'

Topeka's Bradley's Corner Cafe will be featured on FOX's "Kitchen Nightmares" as Gordon Ramsay visits the local spot.

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Oct 3 • 5:05 AM EDT • Business • cjonline.com
Legend Seafood Restaurant in Honolulu Chinatown reopens after correcting several health violations

Legend Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown reopened on Friday after correcting several health violations including a roach infestation.

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Oct 2 • 9:27 PM EDT • Health • kitv.com
Food safety finds a place among ‘kitchen-table’ political issues

The summer was marred by a foodborne outbreak that sickened scores of people, turning the safety of the U.S. food supply into a topic of national conversation and a political cause.

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Oct 2 • 5:57 PM EDT • Politics • bostonherald.com
Kentucky Wesleyan to present Ellie Magnuson Lecture in Literature and Science: “The Power of Still Becoming: Using Reflection and Writing to Evolve”

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- Stacy Hawkins Adams will present the Ellie Magnuson Lecture in Literature and Science on Sat...

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Oct 2 • 2:10 PM EDT • Science • wsonradio.com
How prepared are you for a disaster?

From emergency kits to evacuation plans, Live Science asks readers how prepared they are for the unexpected.

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Oct 2 • 11:01 AM EDT • Science • livescience.com
Teachers team up to build a statewide science kit business outside the traditional classroom

Former educators Lindsey MacWha and Jennifer Corron share how they grew their pandemic project into a full-time venture.

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Oct 2 • 6:00 AM EDT • Science • technical.ly
Teachers team up to build a statewide science kit business outside the traditional classroom

Former educators Lindsey MacWha and Jennifer Corron share how they grew their pandemic project into a full-time venture.

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Oct 2 • 6:00 AM EDT • Business • technical.ly
Kauai small businesses still waiting for financial aid after Hurricane Lowell

Nearly a month after Hurricane Lowell devastated Kauai, struggling businesses are still waiting for help with unemployment numbers skyrocketing every week. Meanwhile, an application portal that was supposed to go

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Oct 1 • 10:50 PM EDT • Business • kitv.com
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Dublin Teen Makes Science Click For Neurodivergent Students

Emerald High senior Bhavya Dwivedi creates hands-on lessons to help neurodivergent students grasp concepts from magnetism to anatomy.

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Oct 1 • 7:41 PM EDT • Science • patch.com
Ubisoft forms Massive Entertainment to focus on Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon and more

Yesterday’s job listings made it clear that Ubisoft is still filling key leadership roles for the Sp

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Oct 1 • 12:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • kitguru.net
Jason Jones, Co-Creator of Halo and Destiny and Co-Founder of Bungie, Announces New Studio

Jason Jones, one of the co-founders of Bungie and a co-creator of Halo and Destiny, has announced his new studio, Stone Kite, which will work on projects across various entertainment mediums. The studio's first release is One Zero One, a limited-series comic book based on a manuscript written by Jones.

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Oct 1 • 10:42 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com