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Health officials urge caution as cyclosporiasis cases rise, shoppers turn to local farmers
Growing concerns over a parasitic intestinal illness have prompted some customers at a local farmers markets to take a closer look at how their produce is grown.
Netflix’s Summer of Bummer
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Today, I’ve got a guest post from longtime friend of the newsletter, Brandon Katz. I’ve been trying to find time all summer to look at Netflix’s straight-to-streaming film slate, but between a pre-planned trip and Nielsen moving up their streaming data timeline, I’ve been swamped. So I reached out to Brandon, one of my favorite fellow analysts, to write about it. And I feel like he captured the tone and data focus of the newsletter perfectly. You can connect with Brandon on LinkedIn and Twitter. Enjoy! Don’t worry, folks. You’re in safe hands with me. To ease any anxieties about an interloper in ESG’s domain, I’ll start by stealing one of his best framing devices: headlines. Box office flops are covered in the same way the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eye pizza: with cartoonish insatiability. I would know. I’m a former reporter who wrote nearly identical headlines: Yet, intentionally or not, streaming misses get treated with kids gloves, filtered through a rosy lens: In the last six years, U.S. streaming viewership has become nearly as transparent as the box office, but the data often arrives weeks later, in a number of less intuitive metrics, and with nary an official budget to be found. This plays into the Wall Street-whispering narratives major streamers have been cultivating for years. They get a pass in a way that theatrical studios simply don’t. Subscribe Netflix’s Summer Slate Not a single Netflix original film released between May and August this year opened above 20 million U.S. TV hours, per Nielsen. That benchmark usually serves as the EntStrategyGuy’s floor for a streaming hit on Netflix. None of these films enjoyed a hit-cementing single week of 20-plus million hours during their runs. Netflix’s two best films were true crime docs, Maternal Instinct (16.5 million hours) and The Crash (19.7 million), the best overall week for a film this summer. Great for most other streamers, but not necessarily what we’re used to seeing from Netflix. For an overly-dramatic comparison, Happy Gilmore 2 opened last summer to around 47 million hours (celebrity cameos, baby!). Zooming out, the picture looks even worse. In 2026, Netflix’s five biggest scripted summer films posted the lowest average (28.6 million hours) and median (28.8 million hours) eight-week viewership totals of the past four years. Now, it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect Netflix to deliver a _KPop Demon Hunters-_sized hit every year. But it’s also not ideal to see the size of their hits shrinking over the last few summers. Let’s quickly run through some of the notable summer misses. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein’s perfectly fine romcom, Office Romance, fell off the charts after 20 million hours in its first two weeks. Top films usually last for four-plus weeks. Starry titles ideally don’t decay that fast either. Homegrown star Millie Bobby Brown couldn’t prevent the snappy Enola Holmes franchise from diminishing returns. At 14.3 million U.S. hours, the third film posted roughly half of what the first two films did in their first two weeks. What’s on Netflix calculated that per-day global views were down nearly 60% from the second movie. The Whisper Man did okay with more than 36 million hours over its first four weeks. But I expected a little more juice from a film featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott. Kevin Hart’s Ladies First collected just 11.2 million hours total across two weeks. That’s a big miss for one of Netflix’s go-to stars. Plopping into the same bucket are Sunny Sandler’s Don’t Say Good Luck (10.3 million in two weeks) and John Cena’s Little Brother (17.5 million). Meanwhile, English-language originals Color Book (June 19), In the Hand of Dante (June 24) and Heartstopper Forever (July 17) never sniffed Nielsen’s Top 10 at all, despite needing only 2 to 5 million hours to land in the top ten most weeks. (By my count, eleven English-language scripted original films released between May and August did chart). It’s only fair to mention that Swapped (1-May) posted nearly 42 million U.S. hours over five weeks (the longest Netflix original run this summer) and is currently their eighth most-watched English-language film ever worldwide. Remarkably Bright Creatures (37 million, 4 weeks) and Voicemails for Isabelle (27 million, 4 weeks) weren’t bombs either. Still, overall, I think it’s fair to say this was a quieter summer season than we’re used to seeing from the market-leader. You might not realize that given the language commonly used in public analysis. The Twist Despite the starkly black-and-white tone of the coverage, here’s the twist: when many box office bombs arrive on streaming, their viewership looks a whole lot like many of Netflix’s supposedly successful summer releases. Hmm, where have we heard that one before? Masters of the Universe topped out at $65 million stateside against a $170 million budget_._ I’ll admit, Skeletor ripping sleeveless curls as a gym bro and bodyslamming Adam’s co-workers was funny. But, much to the chagrin of my bank account, my laughter doesn’t launch franchises. Yet the He-Man reboot opened to 19.6 million hours (from a Wednesday five-day opening instead of just one weekend), on par with Hoppers on Disney+ (19.4 million). It put up nearly 47 million hours over its first six weeks, bigger than all of Netflix’s summer releases. Pretty darn healthy and likely to land among the 25 most-watched movies on streaming this year. Sticking with Amazon, The Sheep Detectives just barely broke even at the box office with $133 million worldwide (and only $66 million domestic). I never expected cloven-hooved, cud-chewing mammals to be able to bring me to tears. Yet that’s exactly how I found myself at the end of this surprisingly affecting movie (#NoShame). It was likely the unexpected quality in a family-friendly film that powered its streaming over-performance. Sheep Detectives delivered a solid run for Prime video netting 26.2 million hours! How about franchise IP? Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu had the lowest opening ($81 million) and lowest-grossing Disney-era live-action Star Wars film ($178 million domestic). One day before release, its Heat score (19.8%)—audiences who list their interest as a 7/7—fell behind blockbusters Wicked (21%), Superman (23%), Fantastic Four: First Steps (23%), Michael (23%), Toy Story 5 (26%) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (27%), according to Greenlight Analytics. The urgent enthusiasm just wasn’t there. On streaming, Mando opened to weeks of 12.1 million, 6.1 million and 2.7 million hours (21 million total) over its first three frames. Not the numbers Lucasfilm was hoping for nor the numbers of a streaming hit. But they’re in the same vicinity as some Netflix summer releases with $345 million at the global box office to offset a smidgen of the pain. Final Thoughts So why oh why does this nuance gap exist? Four key reasons: Data Literacy: A “$100 million opening” just makes sense. After decades of box office reporting, even casual movie fans are well-versed in the benchmarks of hits and home runs. There’s an immediate shorthand. But “16.5 million” hours doesn’t land nearly as cleanly. Despite leaps of progress, the streaming ratings era is still in its infancy compared to theatrical. The EntStrategyGuy and I met thanks to a late 2010s group chat of data nerds hungry to find a shred of certainty in nebulous streaming performance. I’m not surprised to see “No. 1 on Netflix” still getting misconstrued out in the wild. Timing: By Friday morning, we have the box office’s Thursday night previews totaled, allowing us to better project the weekend’s expectations. From there, ticket sales are reported daily. By Sunday, the film’s fate is usually finalized, at least in terms of public perception. In streaming, Nielsen recently improved its delay to…two weeks. The medium isn’t forced to contend with instant gratification as harshly. Financials: Theatrical film budgets are a mere Google away. Profit and loss is calculated in the cold and unforgiving naked light of day for all to see. But finding the vast majority of streaming exclusive movie budgets requires the forensic investigation skills of a Criminal Minds detective. Also, it’s very difficult to calculate how much revenue/value a straight-to-streaming films provides a streamer. This is why there are so few stories about streaming original movies “losing X amount of money”. On top of that, marketing budgets are far greater for theatrical movies than streaming exclusive movies, which leads to earlier and better awareness. This then translates to a wider pool of potential interest. Narrative Control: Netflix is the only major streaming service to publish weekly first-hand viewership data and annual engagement reports. Naturally, some headlines borrow their first-hand framing**.** Other streamers benefit from their comparative lack of transparency. They may occasionally announce vague performance platitudes such as Apple TV’s Mayday becoming its “biggest film debut on the platform to date over its first 18 days,” and that it ranked No. 1 with left-handed viewers in its first weekend. (Fine, I made up that second one). But, for the most part, they keep first-hand viewership shrouded in mystery to avoid bad press. Especially for outlets that demand multiple articles per day from their writers, it’s an easy (and understandable) way for some reporters to hit their daily article quota by just repeating what the streamers have told them. TL:DR version: Streaming-exclusive movies are asked to do different things than theatrical movies, but that doesn’t mean they should escape judgment. Both still need to draw enough eyeballs to justify their cost within the proper performance contexts. The more cleanly we can inject a little nuance into streaming analysis, the better we’ll understand the audience and content trends that drive this industry. And that’s what all of this is really about: knowing what audiences actually want! Brandon Katz is the Director of Insights & Content Strategy at Greenlight Analytics where he focuses on evaluating the ever-fluid media landscape to unearth understanding, opportunity and value. Greenlight Analytics is the entertainment intelligence consulting company redefining how Hollywood finds, understands, and activates audiences. Prior to joining Greenlight Analytics, he served as the senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, and as a full-time entertainment industry reporter covering the Xs and Os of Hollywood, most notably with TheWrap and the Observer.
Why Gen Z Fashion Shoppers Are Flocking to Shoppable Livestream Shopping Events
The way young shoppers find, judge and buy clothes is being rebuilt in real time.
Mary Means Business: Aldi sets target of 2027 to open in Columbus
Columbus shoppers, the wait for affordable groceries is officially counting down, though you may need to hold onto your quarters a bit longer.
Wisconsin health officials warn of lead risk in antique dishes at rummage sales
State health department urges shoppers to be careful of items that could contain lead.
Best Trader Joe's items for meal prep, according to former employee
As a former Trader Joe's employee and longtime shopper, I know the chain well. Some of my favorite items are the soy chorizo and miso-ginger broth.
New Huntsville Shoppers Seek Experiential Retail, Community Connections
Huntsville’s growth is undeniable, and its thriving retail market clearly reflects this progress. As demographics across the metro area continue to evolve,
Costco adds hot fan favorite to food court menu as shoppers debate taste and value
Costco is expanding its famously affordable food court menu with a new $6.99 chicken strip meal and the addition has already divided shoppers over its flavor, breading and value.
GM's core profit rises 22% on strength of pickup-truck business
General Motors' third-quarter results easily beat analyst expectations on the back of resolute shoppers who continue to spring for pricey pickups and SUVs.
Local Burbank business remembers NewsChopper 4 pilot George Marciniw
NewsChopper 4 pilot George Marciniw remembered by Burbank business. Brittany Hope reports for NBC4 at 5 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2026.
Grasshopper Manufacture splits from NetEase Games
Grasshopper Manufacture has split from now-former parent company NetEase Games, the company announced. NetEase Games acquired the developer from previous parent company GungHo Online Entertainment …
Walmart and Target are about to reveal the health of the U.S. consumer
Earnings reports from the two major retailers will show how shoppers are holding up in an era of persistent inflation.
Shoppers buying online while drunk is big business
If online retailers can tell when someone is drunk, perhaps they shouldn’t simply take the cash.
White Sox Minor League Update: August 12, 2026
The affiliates went 3-2, with the Dash beating the Grasshoppers handily to steal the show
'Chronovisor' review: A researcher makes a wild discovery
Filmmakers Jack Auen and Kevin Walker, better known as the duo Cosmic Salon, mount an engagingly brainy nighttime adventure into lost technology.
Vintage shoppers support local businesses at New Haven Flea
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — For a lot of folks in New Haven, the second weekend of August is the perfect time to find a new fit. The New Haven Flea hosted its first-ever Summer Vintage Crawl on…
Shoppers buying online while drunk is big business—but who is responsible?
One Sunday morning, Juliet* woke up to a delivery driver with a large package that she had no recollection of ordering. She was quick to dismiss it as an e-commerce mistake before the card inside helped ...
Why Costco and Walmart stocks are falling despite strong sales, earnings
Costco and Walmart are gaining shoppers, but their premium valuations leave little room for anything short of near-perfect growth.
Belk to shut down Gwinnett County department store after 25 years in business
After 25 years in business, the Belk in Norcross is closing its doors for good, and it's offering shoppers some deals before it shuts down.
As Latino shoppers hunkered down, Cook County businesses lost $1.26 billion
Federal immigration enforcement cost Cook County businesses an estimated $1.26 billion in lost sales last year as Latino residents sharply curtailed trips outside their neighborhoods to shop and dine.
J. Crew's website crashed, leaving an apparent AI backend message
The website of clothing retailer J.Crew crashed Monday, leaving shoppers with a puzzling message: "JCrew generative AI Backend is healthy."
LeBron James is everything Philadelphia wants. And everything it can’t stand
The city has embraced its new superstar with open arms, even as he choppers in from Manhattan and makes no secret of the fact that Philadelphia was never his first choice
Central Illinois Flea Market vendors explain why they’re in business
The Central Illinois Flea Market wrapped up its season at Peoria Speedway this weekend, giving shoppers one last chance to browse a variety of unique finds.
Sales take a hit at ‘Trump Town’ merch store as shoppers voice frustration over president’s policies
Fans are still coming through the doors to buy Trump merchandise but even they are disappointed in some of the president’s moves.
Black Wealth Crawl promotion designed to support independent businesses
Customers are encouraged to shop at participating Black-owned businesses from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7, when purchases qualify shoppers for the chance to win $150 gift cards and other raffle prizes.
Amazon just broke one of Apple Wallet’s best recent features
With a new Amazon change, Apple Wallet order tracking has just been downgraded in a big way for Amazon shoppers.
Florida woman died after eating E coli-tainted frozen blueberries from Publix, lawsuit alleges
A Florida family is suing Publix and Quirch Foods, alleging contaminated GreenWise frozen blueberries caused a woman's death and hospitalized her son.
Grocery Stores Lower Prices as Consumers Pare Spending
While shoppers may get better deals on some items, it’s unlikely their overall grocery bill will fall.
Walmart Shoppers Are Supposedly Using a Hidden Promo Code to Knock $20 off The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Preorders, but It Might Not Work for Everyone
Walmart shoppers are supposedly using a hidden promo code to knock $20 off The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time preorders, bringing it down from $70 to $50, but it might not work for everyone.
Inflation cooled in July but remained elevated as Fed weighs rate hikes
The Labor Department released the consumer price index (CPI) for July which showed that inflation cooled, even as the pace of price growth remained elevated.
Global stocks wobble as AI fears grow; retail sales in Great Britain fall in September as shoppers cut back
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
The big business of personal shopping
From sourcing rare Hermès bags to organising last-minute gifts, independent personal shoppers will go to extraordinary lengths to keep wealthy clients happy
Global tech stocks fall as chip sell-off deepens; Burberry sales boosted by gen Z shoppers
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Fewer Canadian shoppers leave border businesses struggling
Political conflict, a weaker Canadian dollar and tough economic times have cut into Minnesota and North Dakota retail.
Kroger pledges to cut grocery prices by $5B by 2029
Kroger shoppers could soon see lower prices at checkout as the grocery giant’s new CEO looks to cut costs.
'Healthy' food labels may not mean what shoppers think
Opting for low-fat foods and drinks may seem like the best option, but it may pay to look at the rest of the ingredients list.
Walmart goes after linear TV with Warner Bros ad deal
The retail giant has struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery so advertisers can target Walmart shoppers on linear TV.
Political LTE: Mia Feroleto supports Tom Charlton - The Vermont Journal & The Shopper
My name is Mia Feroleto, and I am supporting the reelection of Tom Charlton. Here are my thoughts.
Midtown Costco closes, set to reopen as business center in 2027
Shoppers packed Costco on Linwood Boulevard on Thursday as the Midtown location served its final day before closing and beginning its transition into a Costco Business Center.
AZ's R&D chief Barr touts internal 'science success story' after IL-33 antibody's stellar showing in COPD
With a detailed data drop that AstraZeneca’s R&D chief described as an internal “science success story,” the British Big Pharma has secured an FDA priority review for what it believes could become a flagship biologic in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In detailed results from the late-stage Oberon and Titania trials—first teased in March and detailed in full at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona this week—the drugmaker laid out the extent of its IL-33 inhibitor’s potential to reduce moderate and severe exacerbations in a wide range of COPD patients still struggling with those “lung attacks,” as AstraZeneca’s Sharon Barr, Ph.D., called them, despite using standard-care inhaled therapy. In the headline results, a 300 mg dose of tozorakimab given once every four weeks curbed those moderate and severe exacerbations in the studies’ primary population of former smokers by 29% in the Oberon study and 34% in Titania. In the overall population of both current and former smokers, these reductions were 30% and 29%, respectively, versus placebo and inhaled standard of care. The benefits also extended to clinically meaningful exacerbation reductions in all prespecified patient subgroups and specifically turned up promising signals in patients across a range of blood eosinophil counts, with Barr telling Fierce that “it’s the details that make this even more exciting than the high-level results that we’ve already shared.” In fact, during AZ’s tozorakimab poster presentation at the ERS 2026 Congress this past weekend, attendees were so enamored by the data that event organizers had to encourage people to clear the room and look at the other presentations on offer, Barr said in an interview. “I think it really speaks to the fact that there is a lot of buzz around these data because the entire respiratory community has been so desperate for new therapies for these patients,” she explained. The respiratory disease continues to represent a “staggering unmet medical need,” Barr said, highlighting the COPD exacerbations that the Oberon and Titania studies homed in on, which she added carry a greater mortality risk than a heart attack. “When a patient has a severe exacerbation, only about half of them are still alive within three and a half years,” she pointed out. As for tozorakimab specifically, Barr christened the molecule “an AstraZeneca science success story,” harkening several years back to the point at which researchers began to explore IL-33 as a driver of respiratory disease, and COPD in particular. At the same time, “there was still so much that wasn’t understood,” she admitted, highlighting the insight that IL-33 signals through both ST2 and EGFR through the RAGE pathway, a discovery Barr attributed to AstraZeneca's own scientists. Understanding the need to tackle both pathways in COPD—and aware of competitor candidates in the hopper, including one that bound ST2—the company ultimately had to make some “courageous decisions,” Barr said. These included taking a prior COPD molecule offline and going back to the drawing board to reinvent its potential IL-33 label “to make sure that we had a molecule that could block signaling through both arms of the pathway, through both the reduced form and the oxidized form, knowing that we wouldn’t be first, but striving to be best.” “When we put [tozorakimab] into the clinic, we firmly believed that we had a differentiated molecule, and we saw the other molecules blocking just ST2 or partially blocking IL-33, unable to deliver two positive pivotal studies in COPD,” Barr explained. “We kept marching forward because we believed our molecule was differentiated, and now I think we have the clinical validation that supports that.” Ultimately, AstraZeneca finds itself on much better footing these days when it comes to potential biologic rivals to tozorakimab in COPD. Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent, for instance, is approved to treat COPD exacerbations in patients with high eosinophil counts, but not low ones. Meanwhile, the future has become cloudier for other next-gen IL-33 candidates from Sanofi and Regeneron, as well as Roche, which have suffered trial flops in recent years. One other potential ingredient for AstraZeneca’s success in its duo of studies was that the company was “ambitious in the trial design, willing to look at an all-comers population,” Barr said, “and willing to enroll the most severe patients.” Prior studies for would-be biologics rivals in COPD “avoided enrolling” those patients, she pointed out. She also highlighted the Big Pharma’s painstaking design of exacerbations in its trial, which “gave us a very rigorous readout,” and pointed to “the extra effort and investment” the company put in to understand the effect of mucus plugs in patients. Barr described mucus production as a “key feature in disease diversity,” noting that mucus plugs—obstructing clumps of mucus that block patients’ airways—are associated with worse outcomes in COPD. In its data announcement, AstraZeneca noted that an integrated analysis of Oberon and Titania found tozorakimab “demonstrated a reduction in patients’ mucus plug score,” with the pharma claiming its biologic is the first to deliver such results in a broad COPD population. “So being able to reduce those mucus plugs, we expect, is an important part of driving benefit for patients who are living with COPD,” Barr said. Again touching on the breadth of the study populations, Barr added that tozorakimab “worked across all eosinophil levels in both current and former smokers across all levels of lung function,” which she suggested “really simplifies decision-making for clinicians, and it allows them to offer therapy to the broadest possible patient population.” In the highest patient eosinophil count group, tozorakimab helped chart a 43% reduction in exacerbation risk, which Barr stressed were “unprecedented data.” In the mid-level group, AZ’s drug delivered a 23% reduction and, in the lowest group, a 34% reduction in eosinophils, which Barr said suggests efficacy “in all patient subgroups.” As for AZ’s recent guidance upgrade on the medicine’s sales opportunity, the lift from a $3 billion to $5 billion range to $5 billion plus was informed by multiple factors, Barr said, including the fact that “in 2024, there were multiple competitors, and there aren’t anymore.” Additionally, “we know that this is a massive unmet medical need, and this is a really incredible set of data that we think will be very convincing to the clinical community,” Barr said. Looking ahead to a potential evolution of the COPD treatment landscape, Barr noted that most patients start treatment in the community with an option like a triple therapy, and for them, having an option like AstraZeneca’s inhaler Breztri will remain a “really important part” of that journey. But of the patients uncontrolled on triple therapy, which Barr described as “about half of them today,” just a “small fraction” are currently eligible for biologic therapy, which she emphasized AstraZeneca is working to change. Understanding that COPD is not a “one-size-fits-all” disease, AstraZeneca is also looking at its antibody drug Tezspire for patients with T2-driven disease, and the company continues to think about new mechanisms for tackling COPD through both systemic and inhaled drugs, Barr said.
Your dislike of eating bugs may be 9,000 years old
Ancient teeth and human DNA are revealing a surprising history of insect eating. Modern humans in northern Eurasia appear to have eaten insects only occasionally, while Neanderthals may have consumed them much more regularly. Populations near the tropics also retained genes that make insect exoskeletons easier to digest.
Why Americans are leasing fewer cars
Vehicle leasing has declined in the United States in recent years, curbing what has long been a preferred route to new wheels for many car shoppers.
‘Burgers blast Greensboro
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Hub City bounced back from an 11-inning loss Tuesday with a strong Wednesday showing. The ‘Burgers (56-66, 22-34) soundly beat the Grasshoppers (74-48, 33-23) 10-3 thanks to two long balls and solid showings from three arms. Maxton Martin launched his 20th home run of the season — his third of the week — to give […]
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Busy Fall
We have a busy fall ahead of us—and that’s always good news. We like to stay busy. We’re working on two special annual publications: the CNY Business Guide and the CNY Winter Guide. Both publications are designed to reach specific audiences in the community. We’re excited about these new editions and would like to share a few details about them. Let’s begin with the Winter Guide. Winter can be challenging, but it also offers plenty to celebrate. The new CNY Winter Guide will help readers embrace the season and make it more fun and enjoyable. This year’s annual publication will feature an extensive calendar of events, compelling stories, and curated lists of things to do and see throughout the winter. This will be our 31st annual issue. It is one of the few publications—if not the only one—devoted exclusively to winter in Central New York. For advertisers, it offers a valuable opportunity to reach readers across the region. As we tell prospective advertisers, one ad works for them all season long. Rates start in the low $200s. The guide will be available at hundreds of high-traffic locations, including all Wegmans stores and select Price Chopper and Tops Friendly Markets locations. It will also be available online, with every ad hyperlinked so readers can click directly through to the advertiser’s website or Facebook page. Our network of drivers will also deliver the guide to hundreds of high-traffic locations several times throughout the winter. The publication will be out by Thanksgiving. The CNY Business Guide is a one-of-a-kind publication that many readers use as a reference. Unlike the books of lists published by business journals across the country, it comes in a glossy, full-color magazine format. It also ranks employers in four counties, with a particular emphasis on Oswego and Onondaga and substantial information about Cayuga and Jefferson. It is an ambitious project that requires extensive research, phone calls, careful fact-checking, writing and design. In short, it takes a great deal of work—and we’re glad to take on the challenge. The guide is widely distributed to business and professional readers throughout Central New York. The Business Guide gives companies an excellent opportunity to highlight their growth and expansion, showcase new products, and share other noteworthy developments. For readers, it provides a valuable snapshot of companies across the region, including what they do and who leads them. The guide will be published in early December. We invite companies to advertise in both publications. Advertising costs are relatively low, and each guide offers access to a broad audience across Central New York. Wagner Dotto is the editor and publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.
Albertsons warns of softer grocery demand as consumers pull back
Albertsons cut its annual outlook after comparable grocery sales declined, while digital and pharmacy growth helped offset pressure in its core business.
Coaches Poll Week 4: Texas A&M is Ranked Where?
The Week 4 Coaches Poll didn't see a ton of movement up top, but it has one whopper of an error in the top 25.
Amazon is selling a $315 luxury Seiko watch for $209
It has 100 meters of water resistance.
Covenant Health helicopters take flight to speed up medical transport in East Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Covenant Health Air is lifting off the ground, saving lives in East Tennessee. It unveiled two new medical helicopters on Monday, one based out of Rockwood and the other o…
Costco shakes things up by offering new diaper brand for certain shoppers
Costco has expanded its online diaper selection with Kudos, a premium brand featuring cotton liners and leak protection, but shoppers won't find it in warehouses.
Having insurance doesn’t mean you can get a mental health appointment
Americans with commercial insurance are generally told they have access to a strong network of mental health providers. But when researchers called providers listed in those networks, securing an appointment was usually difficult or impossible, according to a new study.Researchers, posed as “secret shoppers” looking for appointments for issu...
Amazon is selling a 2-in-1 laptop and tablet on sale for $100
One shopper called it "a feature-packed productivity package."
JD Sports Trips Over the Sneaker Cycle
The sportswear retailer cut its profit outlook by £50 million (about $68 million) as young shoppers pulled back, North America weakened and sneaker demand lost its heat.
A strategic remedy for dairy shoppers’ health anxieties
Responsive schemes will make it easier for wellness-oriented customers to scrutinize product elements
Fed's favored inflation gauge showed prices pulled back in June
The Fed's favored inflation gauge eased but remained elevated in June, with PCE inflation remaining well above the Fed's 2% target.
Walmart has a $200 Android tablet that’s perfect for back-to-school season for 56% off
Shoppers say it's a "sleek, portable powerhouse."
GM’s core profit rises 22% on strength of pickup-truck business
By Kalea Hall Oct 20 (Reuters) - General Motors’ third-quarter results easily beat analyst expectations on the back of resolute shoppers who continue to spring for pricey pickups and SUVs. The company on Tuesday said quarterly earnings before interes...
Scientists Discover a 99-Million-Year-Old Insect With a Bizarre Feature Never Seen in Living Species
Like a bendy straw, an ancient insect’s folded mouthparts may have flexed without collapsing, revealing a feeding adaptation unknown in living planthoppers. About 99 million years ago, a tiny insect became trapped in tree resin with mouthparts nearly twice the length of its body. The resin hardened into amber, preserving an unusual feeding organ that
Major supermarket chain closes at least 39 stores as nationwide overhaul takes shape
The grocery giant is closing underperforming locations across several banners, with some stores being consolidated into larger-format locations.
Sony Up Quarterly Home Entertainment Revenue 4% to $110 Million
Sony Pictures Entertainment July 31 reported $110 million in home entertainment revenue for the first quarter ended June 30, up 4% from revenue of $106 million during the previous year period. Top-selling titles in the quarter included Avatar: Fire and Ash, Hoppers, Ready of Not 2: Here I Come, Avatar: 3 Movie Collection, 28 Years … Continue reading "Sony Up Quarterly Home Entertainment Revenue 4% to $110 Million"
Retail sales up a modest 0.2% in June amid economic uncertainty and fading benefits from tax refunds
Shoppers slowed their spending in June from May amid continuing economic uncertainty and fading benefits from generous government tax refunds.
11 Of The Best Apple Watch Cases You Can Buy On Amazon
Durable, stylish, and highly rated by Amazon shoppers, these Apple Watch cases will protect your device from scratches, drops, and everyday wear.
Costco quietly discontinues award-winning Kirkland item fans call 'one of the best' in the market
Costco shoppers will soon have to say goodbye to two popular Kirkland Signature beers as the retailer's partnership with Deschutes Brewery comes to an end.
Walmart is using light-up digital shelf labels to help shoppers and employees find items
Walmart is rolling out a light-up shelf label feature connected to its app to help customers better find the items they're looking for.
Amazon has a 2-in-1 laptop and tablet with built-in AI features for 42% off
One shopper said it "runs very smoothly."
How Behavioral Science Can Get Shoppers To Buy (and Eat) More Fresh Produce
Industry leaders at IFPA’s Global Produce and Floral Show revealed that overcoming flat fruit and vegetable consumption requires shifting away from clinical health messaging toward flavor-forward marketing, cultural rituals and frictionless convenience.
Grasshopper Manufacture Leaves NetEase Games to Operate as Independent Studio
Suda51's studio, maker of No More Heroes and Killer7, has split from NetEase Games to work as an independent developer again.
The Roku TV Best Buy Shoppers Recommend The Most
Roku TVs are popular for users who want a smart TV with minimal hassle, and this model has proven to be the most popular among owners.
Hardware Store Cats Aren't Just Cute. A Wharton Professor Says Their Business Appeal Comes Down to 1 Thing
Retailers say cats get shoppers through the door. A business expert explains why.
This business said Spirit Airlines' exit also took shoppers
NYC's city-owned stores to sell grocery staples at 30% discount
The discounts will be available to all shoppers regardless of income.
How Wealthy People Are Getting to World Cup Games
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Can AI solve our mental health access problem?
Last week I asked you what worries you most about AI in health. It was close, but your top answer was “AI giving bad health advice.” Last week’s poll results: You’re in good company. This concern was top of mind at a conference I joined at Stanford last week, where researchers, clinicians, and people who build AI systems spent a day debating trust and safety in health AI. Stepping back, I’m also hearing your emerging concerns about AI’s impact on our well-being generally. I see this as a matter of public health, and we’ll take it in pieces as we learn together. Today we’ll focus on AI chatbots used for therapy for mental health. Early this month, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 903, California’s most ambitious attempt to regulate AI use for mental health. It’s at the center of active debate, and raises the questions patients, family members, citizens, and voters will face as AI moves deeper into health care. Let’s work through it. What is “AI-based therapy”? It’s really two things: purpose-built mental health apps designed to deliver structured support, and general chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that people increasingly use for emotional support—even if they weren’t built for it. Spoiler alert: I don’t know whether the shift toward AI therapy is good or bad. The evidence isn’t there yet. But I do know it’s already happening, and I have some ideas about how we can roll it out with safety in mind. The therapy dilemma, in a nutshell Mental health challenges are common, and strain health and well-being across populations. Therapy (interactive dialogue with a trained, empathetic practitioner) helps many people heal. The demand for licensed therapists far exceeds the supply in California, and AI-based therapy can narrow that gap. AI-based therapy remains novel, unproven, and not well tested. Right off the bat, we can see we’re dealing with trade-offs here. Since the main driver of demand for therapy from a robot is lack of access to therapy from a human, we’ll start there. It’s too hard to find and afford a human therapist California is short roughly 55,000 licensed, non-prescribing therapists and counselors, about 40% of what we need. Psychiatrists, who rely on talk therapy as a complement to prescribed medications, are even more scarce. Eight counties have none, and density ranges from 1.7 per 100,000 residents in San Benito County, to 68.1 in Marin County. My wife is a psychiatrist in Marin, and even here access is tight. If it’s hard in the best-supplied county, imagine rural Sierra County, or the San Joaquin Valley. In 2024, more than half of Californians who tried to make a mental health appointment struggled to find a provider who took their insurance, compared with 14% for physical health care. When Senate staff posed as “secret shopper” patients and called 120 mental health providers in Medicare Advantage networks, they landed an appointment less than once for every five tries. Insurers pay behavioral health clinicians about 22% less than medical and surgical clinicians for comparable office visits. On top of that, billing denials and prior authorizations hit hardest at the solo and small practices common in mental health. Psychiatrists opt out of Medicare at the highest rate of any specialty. In many places, a cash practice for therapy fills quickly with patients paying $250 or more an hour, with no insurance paperwork at all. Families who can pay cash find providers more easily. Those who rely on insurance, including Medi-Cal enrollees, older adults, rural residents, and non-English speakers, compete for what’s left. So we can’t pretend the human system works, and we can’t blame people for turning to AI for support when they’re in distress. AI is filling the gap It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of AI users use it for mental health support. If you have internet, it’s available 24/7, it’s cheap, and it speaks your language. Uninsured adults are about twice as likely as insured adults to do it (30% vs. 14%). It feels anonymous in ways that may enable people to ask things they’re unsure or embarrassed about. The largely hidden, personal use makes it hard to study whether it’s actually helping people with their mental health issues, but researchers are trying. Does AI therapy work? A 2026 analysis of nearly 40 randomized trials found chatbots showed a real but small reduction in depression symptoms. But most of these trials were compared to an alternative of no therapy, not a human therapist. So the benefit of AI therapy is probably real, but modest, and mostly untested against the alternative of human contact. We need more studies. Serious concerns OpenAI’s own estimate is that more than a million ChatGPT users each week show signs of suicidal planning or intent. These are high stakes encounters, and AI doesn’t always get it right. That’s partly because a chatbot can sound like a therapist, but it has no license, no duty of care, and it’s not clear who to hold accountable when it gets things wrong. AI is also designed to help users in whatever task they’re seeking to accomplish. People may feel like they’re getting therapy, but they’re mainly getting a convincing conversation. It’s easy for an AI companion to wander into gray areas, like playing along with “creative writing” that may be about the user’s own suicidal intent. Courts are driving safety conversations A wave of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of families claiming that chatbots pushed people they loved toward self-harm, including teens who died by suicide. The first settlements came this year. OpenAI is headquartered in San Francisco, and dozens of cases alleging that ChatGPT drove users to suicide or self-harm are now before a San Francisco judge. Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy after several states brought lawsuits accusing the chatbot of pushing dangerous content to kids. But the technology seems to be improving. Last month, an independent evaluation found that newer AI models “almost never endorse suicide.” That’s progress, but our societal appetite for even one preventable death is very low. So how do we move forward? Finding a middle ground Earlier this month the governor vetoed Senate Bill 903, a bill designed to place guardrails on the use of AI for therapy. The bill would have prohibited any AI-based platform from being advertised as psychotherapy, and would have required a licensed professional to review and approve each encounter where AI was used to support therapeutic decisions. Newsom called it overly broad, since even routine screening questions would have needed clinician sign-off. Knowing we’re already short on mental health providers, requiring human review of AI encounters may not relieve our access problems. Still, the answer isn’t no oversight. Here’s one feasible short term solution. Rather than reviewing each encounter, a licensed clinician can design the guardrails: what counts as a crisis, what triggers an immediate handoff to a human, and what gets sampled for audit each month. The AI runs inside that structure. Conversations get checked, failures get reported, and a real clinician owns the framework. Medicine already has models to learn from. The FDA process for rolling out newly approved medications is an example. After a product reaches patients, we keep watching for adverse events. Patient-facing AI needs the same “digital pharmacovigilance”: systematic tracking of harms, near misses, and the types of groups that get hurt and why. It’s also critical that users know that they can reach a human if they’re in crisis. Most chatbots now include messages like these: Bottom line The rush to use unproven AI tools for mental health support is mostly a workaround, a sign of a health system people can’t get into. We need better access to proven care from licensed clinicians. That takes reimbursement that makes accepting insurance viable, and a bigger workforce. But, built and tested well, AI could be part of the answer. It could be the 2 a.m. check-in when no one else is awake, or a way for patients to practice skills their therapist taught them. It could be the first step to get someone the right level of care, and take paperwork off clinicians’ plates so they spend more time with patients. None of this is simple. The SB 903 veto doesn’t end the debate, and the legislature will be back. In the meantime, those of us using these tools need to stay informed, ask hard questions, and hold the companies building them accountable. I’ll try to do my part, and we’ll keep learning together. Love,Matt P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988- you’ll reach a real person— or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and public health officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in Marin with his family and their dogs, Teddy and Ramona. Thank you Cynthia He, MD, PhD, and Parnika Saxena, MD, for their guidance in preparing this article. Cynthia works in an outpatient mental health clinic, treating patients who have Medi-Cal or, sometimes, no insurance. Parnika works in an inpatient psychiatric unit, treating patients with public or private insurance or self-pay ability. All opinions are their own and do not represent their employers.
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