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WATCH LIVE: 3rd Congressional District Debate with Celeste Maloy and Kent Udell
Republican Celeste Maloy and Democrat Kent Udell are running to represent eastern and southern Utah, along with parts of the Wasatch Front, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Vaishali Sirkay: Supporting student mental health and wellbeing
Vaishali "Shali" Sirkay is one of four candidates vying for three seats on the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees in this November's General Election. Her top priorities include closing the "opportunity gap," fostering an inclusive environment and maintaining high employee compensation.
Las Vegas business owner pleads guilty to faking armed robbery for insurance
A Las Vegas business owner has agreed to plead guilty to a mail fraud charge after faking an armed robbery in order to collect the insurance money.
UCA trustees approve 12% health insurance premium hike for employees
CONWAY -- University of Central Arkansas employees are set to see their health insurance premiums jump 12% after the university's Board of Trustees unanimously approved the increase Friday morning.
Part of Capitol complex in downtown Sacramento evacuated due to threat
California lawmakers are not currently in session, but construction crews and legislative employees were at the site.
Bellingham mulls changes to home business rules
Current regulations limit where businesses can be run and how many employees can be hired. Monday, Oct. 5's meeting could change that.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden stops paying health benefits for employees on strike
The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has stopped paying health benefits for all employees who went on strike over what they say are unfair labor practices.
Employee accused of stealing over $17K worth of sports cards from Broward business
The stolen haul included high-end cards for Lionel Messi, Cooper Flagg, Caitlin Clark and others police said.
Bishop’s computer science chair says AI is eliminating ‘grunt work’ and reshaping digital jobs
Dr. Russell Butler, chair of Bishop’s University’s Department of Computer Science, says artificial intelligence is increasingly taking over routine digital “grunt work,” changing the skills students and workers may need in the years ahead. Photo courtesy of Bishop’s University. Click here to read our platform! Get local news like this every morning. Subscribe free below. Subscribe Pulse Newsroom Artificial intelligence is already taking over some of the routine digital work once performed by entry-level employees, according to Bishop’s University Computer Science chair Dr. Russell Butler — a shift he believes will make expertise, judgement and the ability to evaluate AI-generated work increasingly important. Butler described the change as automation reaching what he calls the “bottom of the cognitive pyramid” during an interview with The Pulse about AI, university education and the future of digital work. His argument is not that humans are disappearing from the workplace. Instead, he sees their role changing as AI becomes capable of handling more of the repetitive tasks involved in computer-based work. “Everything’s converging on just AI basically doing all the grunt work,” Butler said. The bottom of the cognitive pyramid Butler is from Lennoxville, completed his undergraduate studies at Bishop’s and later earned his PhD at the Université de Sherbrooke. He joined Bishop’s in 2019 and now chairs its Department of Computer Science. He uses AI in research, teaching and other creative work, and said the technology is increasingly capable of handling routine digital tasks that once required substantial human time. “You’ve got the grunt work, like moving things around in Excel, doing basic programming tasks,” Butler said. “That’s like the bottom grunt work that the entry-level worker would have done two or three years ago.” Butler went further, saying in his view that much of this type of work has already been absorbed by AI tools. He connected that change to a shift he sees taking place in computer science, where entry-level roles have declined while experienced workers can use AI to increase what they can produce. “A senior developer now has access to essentially an unlimited amount of junior developers on demand,” Butler said. He was describing AI systems metaphorically, not literal employees. His point was that one experienced developer can now ask AI tools to produce code or other technical work that might previously have been assigned to more junior workers. That raises a broader question for universities and employers. If some of the simpler work traditionally given to newcomers can now be done by machines, how do people gain the experience needed to become senior workers themselves? Students doing work that once required years of programming Butler said he is already seeing the change inside his classroom. He created a Bishop’s course called CS208, Coding in Plain English, to show students — including those without traditional programming backgrounds — what they can accomplish using AI. Some come from disciplines such as psychology or neuroscience with no previous programming experience. “What I’m finding is that students who have zero programming experience, they come in from another discipline like psychology or neuroscience or something, they are now able to get up and running with real data sets,” Butler said. Butler’s own doctoral work involved neuroimaging, and he said he has assigned students work he considers comparable to the kinds of analysis he performed during his PhD. He described giving students a real dataset, an expected result and instructions to use AI to complete the analysis. Butler said those students have been able to carry out work at a level he associates with tasks he once performed after years of programming experience. That does not mean a student using AI instantly acquires the same knowledge as an experienced computer scientist. But Butler sees it as evidence that AI can dramatically lower the technical barrier between having a problem to solve and producing a working result. The role of the person using the system then changes. They need to know what to ask for, understand enough about the subject to judge the answer and take responsibility for what is ultimately produced. What about AI hallucinations? One persistent concern surrounding generative AI is hallucination — when a system produces information that sounds convincing but is false or unsupported. Butler said that problem has improved substantially in newer systems and is not as severe as it was with earlier models. He pointed in particular to newer AI systems’ ability to search the web, consult scientific databases and return source links rather than simply generating a citation from their internal model. Butler nevertheless said users should verify what AI produces. “You should verify,” he said while discussing citations generated with AI. His position is that hallucinations have become less common in the systems he uses, not that incorrect AI output is impossible. Human checking remains part of the process. Hours of work compressed Butler offered another example from his administrative work at Bishop’s. The university has been comparing CEGEP courses with first-year Bishop’s courses to determine where students may qualify for advanced standing. Traditionally, Butler said, that means reviewing two sets of course descriptions and manually matching one institution’s courses with another’s. As department chair, that could require hours of reading and comparison. He said AI can now be given both sets of material and asked to generate an initial mapping automatically. “It saves me hours and hours of work,” Butler said. Butler said the AI-generated mapping can also produce a better result than he would produce himself. He sees similar opportunities in businesses. A company may receive specifications, drawings, emails or other digital material from customers and then have employees convert that information into an internal format before anything can be manufactured or delivered. AI can increasingly perform parts of that intermediate processing. In Butler’s view, the employee does not necessarily disappear. Instead, the job becomes more about checking the result. “The human is still there,” he said. Judgement could become more valuable That change is central to Butler’s view of where digital work may be headed. If AI can produce a first draft, write basic code, compare documents or process large amounts of information, he argues that knowledge and judgement become increasingly important. “The real scarce resource going forward is going to be domain knowledge, expertise, and… credentials, authority, the ability to work with other people,” Butler said. He is therefore encouraging students not only to learn AI tools but also to broaden their education. He mentioned acting, fine art and photography as examples of courses that can help develop what he described as taste and intuition — the ability to recognize what is good, what is not and what should be changed. “And that’s the skill that they need now because the grunt work has been automated and now it’s about evaluating what the AI produces and telling it how to improve or expand the output,” Butler said. That does not remove the need for technical knowledge. Butler’s argument is that the emphasis may shift away from manually completing every step of a task and toward directing, checking and improving work produced with AI assistance. He also stressed that humans remain responsible for final decisions. “At the end of the day, the human has to make the final call,” Butler said, pointing to the question of accountability. Physical work may be different Butler draws a distinction between digital work and jobs requiring people to manipulate the physical world. He expects AI to continue advancing quickly in tasks performed almost entirely on computers. He is more cautious about claims that humanoid robots will soon be able to replace workers such as plumbers or electricians. Butler said those trades would not be replaced “anytime soon” in his view and described some current robotics demonstrations as overhyped. He described the situation as counterintuitive. “It’s almost like we solved the highest level first,” he said, contrasting advances in digital AI with the harder problem of building robots capable of operating reliably in the physical world. Butler’s argument is that some digital occupations could face automation sooner than trades requiring complex physical work. The wider AI shift in the Townships Butler’s comments come as local institutions are increasingly grappling with how AI should be used. The federal government recently announced up to $162 million over five years for 10,000 AI-related placements through Mitacs. The Université de Sherbrooke told The Pulse that the number of its collaborative research and innovation projects supported through Mitacs has approximately doubled since 2018-19, while the number of placements has approximately tripled. UdeS also said it already has projects involving both AI adoption and the application of AI to other fields. At Bishop’s, Butler said part of his role involves building the Computer Science department’s local presence, connecting students with regional partners and strengthening relationships with the Sherbrooke technology ecosystem. Those developments put universities in a difficult position. They have to prepare students to use the tools employers increasingly have available while also making sure graduates understand enough to recognize when those tools are wrong, incomplete or being applied to the wrong problem. The risk of losing human skills Butler does not see AI as risk-free. Later in the interview, he raised a separate concern: as AI becomes better at reading, writing, programming and other cognitive tasks, people could lose some of the underlying skills that historically helped produce new ideas. “The other danger is that we’re going to lose the human skills,” Butler said. He specifically mentioned reading and writing and argued that people could lose some of the lower-level understanding that contributes to breakthroughs. Butler said AI systems are based on existing human knowledge and argued that they become much more powerful when paired with a capable person. That tension runs through his view of the technology. AI can remove hours of routine work. It can allow beginners to perform tasks that once required substantial technical training. It can give experienced workers significant leverage. But the more capable the technology becomes, the more important it may be for people to develop the judgement needed to decide what should be done in the first place. For Butler, that is where education may have to change. Students still need to understand their field. They still need to know when something is wrong. And they still need to be able to make the final decision. But if AI increasingly handles the bottom of the cognitive pyramid, the value of a worker may depend less on how quickly they can perform the grunt work and more on whether they understand what the work is supposed to accomplish. Don’t miss the next story that affects your community. Join thousands of readers getting The Pulse every morning—plus breaking news alerts when it matters most. If you value this kind of local journalism, consider supporting it. Subscribe, share and like! Subscribe Share
Black unemployment just rose at its fastest pace since Covid
A rise in the Black unemployment rate can sometimes serve as a canary in a coal mine when problems are budding in the labor market
"Focus On My Health": Tony Romo Breaks Silence After CBS Pull the Plug on 9-Year Partnership
Tony Romo’s life hasn’t been the same ever since the former Dallas Cowboys star turned broadcaster was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) on July 23, 2026. His employer, CBS Sports, put him on indefinite leave eight days later, after which he pleaded no contest to a civil OWI offense.
Tony Romo parting ways with CBS Sports following DWI arrest
Broadcaster and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is no longer employed at CBS Sports following his DWI arrest in July.
Tony Romo parting ways with CBS Sports following DWI arrest
Broadcaster and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is no longer employed at CBS Sports following his DWI arrest in July.
Tony Romo parting ways with CBS Sports following DWI arrest
Broadcaster and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is no longer employed at CBS Sports following his DWI arrest in July.
Nicholas 'Nick' Rehwaldt, 'political junkie,' with sharp wit dies at 37
Nicholas Lloyd Rehwaldt, 37, of Evanston, died Sept. 6, 2026. Born July 5, 1989, in Chicago, Nick graduated from Evanston Township High School. He
Disappointing 29,000 jobs added in September as unemployment ticks up
Friday's jobs report is the last one that will come out before the Nov. 3 elections that will determine whether President Donald Trump's Republicans maintain full control of Congress.
Coastal forces shape building sciences practice
When Built Environments relocated to Wilmington, the firm’s partners weren’t looking for the lazy tranquility one hopes for when on vacation. Instead, they sought sultry heat. They wanted to understand whipping coastal winds and punishing precipitation – the kind that tropical storms produce. That’s because how materials degrade can reveal a lot about how they can be improved. “We specifically chose the Wilmington market because it does fall within Climate Zone 3A, which is a coastal warm-humid climate,” said Jarrett Davis, who joined Built Environments in 2023 to lead the company’s building science practice. “There’s not a lot of product research in that climate zone, but there are a lot of structures here that get weatherized pretty severely.” Built Environments has provided building science, material testing and code compliance consulting for 25 years, ever since principal materials scientist Steve Doggett founded the company in Minnesota. “There are very few manufacturers that understand fully how their own materials and products work, whereas we know their shortfalls and their benefits out in the real world on jobsites,” Doggett said. “That’s why the original Built Environments was formed, to make buildings better.” He said the 15-employee company is just as comfortable on a jobsite, retrofitting a high-end beachside property, for example, as it is recreating some of the coast’s most intense weather conditions in the great indoors. The company operates an A2LA-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 mechanical testing laboratory on Wright Street. The year-old facility has expanded Built Environments’ in-house capabilities, Doggett said. “We’re able to simulate that hurricane wind (and) rain and perform structural and impact testing on wall assemblies, roof assemblies and glazing assemblies,” he said. “There are certain requirements that those windows and doors need to meet as far as wind ratings and pressure ratings and things of that nature.” Standard Glass Co.-Glass Depots, of Wilmington, is currently testing a new glazing system using Built Environments’ stress testing, the partners said. One method involves what’s called a “large missile cannon.” “We take 8-foot two-by-fours, and we shoot them at assemblies, so they have to withstand that impact,” Davis said. “It’s pretty cool to see, I’m not going to lie.” In many cases, the lab can run a full, wall-scale test of a product in a matter of weeks or months, whereas “it might take midrange manufacturers years,” Doggett said. “We’re nimble. We can cut that time in half.” The lab also develops intellectual property. Doggett, for example, shares a patent with Sustant LLC, of Minnesota, on a fastener patch to increase the air and water tightness within building envelopes. “We have too many ideas and not enough time,” he said. But the partners noted that they or their fellow principals – of which the company has four total, including a principal engineer and a principal codes and standards expert – could be anywhere on a given day, including in the courtroom providing expert testimony in contentious insurance cases. “Let’s say there is a fire on a structure,” Davis said. “We can analyze all the specific materials within that assembly – an exterior wall or something like that – because there are loads that require certain heat release. And so, we can measure each one of those materials, if need be, to say if this was likely or not a code-approved assembly.” Despite what can be inferred in a lab, the partners said nothing beats learning from how materials change over time under real-world strain. Take, for instance, the curious case of the creaking condo. “We recently had a customer that came to us trying to assess a sound issue of a roof. It was making noises that no one could explain or account for. How do you tackle something like that?” Doggett asked rhetorically. “There’s really no generally agreed-upon methodologies.” The problem turned out to be a faulty installation of a commercial roof system. “The building in this particular case was not local,” he said. “In the initial installation, the commercial roofing contractor installed the wrong fasteners in the wrong locations into the deck, and essentially the solar radiation was causing the building to move quite substantially early in the morning when the sun initially hit that assembly after a quite cool evening, causing the threads on the fasteners to kind of jump within the material, within the metal.” Built Environments designed an effective repair methodology that was within budget, the partners said. “We get the bizarre,” Doggett said. “I will say that’s something that has stayed the same over 25 years.” The partners said they are hiring, and that Cape Fear Community College is one of their main recruiting grounds. Davis and Doggett look for talented people who can understand traditional methodologies yet are open to on-the-job training and new understandings, they said. After all, it’s not just weather that can ruin a building. “My favorite saying is,” Davis said, “‘What are the eight most expensive words in construction? That’s how my daddy used to do it.’”
Coastal forces shape building sciences practice
When Built Environments relocated to Wilmington, the firm’s partners weren’t looking for the lazy tranquility one hopes for when on vacation. Instead, they sought sultry heat. They wanted to understand whipping coastal winds and punishing precipitation – the kind that tropical storms produce. That’s because how materials degrade can reveal a lot about how they can be improved. “We specifically chose the Wilmington market because it does fall within Climate Zone 3A, which is a coastal warm-humid climate,” said Jarrett Davis, who joined Built Environments in 2023 to lead the company’s building science practice. “There’s not a lot of product research in that climate zone, but there are a lot of structures here that get weatherized pretty severely.” Built Environments has provided building science, material testing and code compliance consulting for 25 years, ever since principal materials scientist Steve Doggett founded the company in Minnesota. “There are very few manufacturers that understand fully how their own materials and products work, whereas we know their shortfalls and their benefits out in the real world on jobsites,” Doggett said. “That’s why the original Built Environments was formed, to make buildings better.” He said the 15-employee company is just as comfortable on a jobsite, retrofitting a high-end beachside property, for example, as it is recreating some of the coast’s most intense weather conditions in the great indoors. The company operates an A2LA-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 mechanical testing laboratory on Wright Street. The year-old facility has expanded Built Environments’ in-house capabilities, Doggett said. “We’re able to simulate that hurricane wind (and) rain and perform structural and impact testing on wall assemblies, roof assemblies and glazing assemblies,” he said. “There are certain requirements that those windows and doors need to meet as far as wind ratings and pressure ratings and things of that nature.” Standard Glass Co.-Glass Depots, of Wilmington, is currently testing a new glazing system using Built Environments’ stress testing, the partners said. One method involves what’s called a “large missile cannon.” “We take 8-foot two-by-fours, and we shoot them at assemblies, so they have to withstand that impact,” Davis said. “It’s pretty cool to see, I’m not going to lie.” In many cases, the lab can run a full, wall-scale test of a product in a matter of weeks or months, whereas “it might take midrange manufacturers years,” Doggett said. “We’re nimble. We can cut that time in half.” The lab also develops intellectual property. Doggett, for example, shares a patent with Sustant LLC, of Minnesota, on a fastener patch to increase the air and water tightness within building envelopes. “We have too many ideas and not enough time,” he said. But the partners noted that they or their fellow principals – of which the company has four total, including a principal engineer and a principal codes and standards expert – could be anywhere on a given day, including in the courtroom providing expert testimony in contentious insurance cases. “Let’s say there is a fire on a structure,” Davis said. “We can analyze all the specific materials within that assembly – an exterior wall or something like that – because there are loads that require certain heat release. And so, we can measure each one of those materials, if need be, to say if this was likely or not a code-approved assembly.” Despite what can be inferred in a lab, the partners said nothing beats learning from how materials change over time under real-world strain. Take, for instance, the curious case of the creaking condo. “We recently had a customer that came to us trying to assess a sound issue of a roof. It was making noises that no one could explain or account for. How do you tackle something like that?” Doggett asked rhetorically. “There’s really no generally agreed-upon methodologies.” The problem turned out to be a faulty installation of a commercial roof system. “The building in this particular case was not local,” he said. “In the initial installation, the commercial roofing contractor installed the wrong fasteners in the wrong locations into the deck, and essentially the solar radiation was causing the building to move quite substantially early in the morning when the sun initially hit that assembly after a quite cool evening, causing the threads on the fasteners to kind of jump within the material, within the metal.” Built Environments designed an effective repair methodology that was within budget, the partners said. “We get the bizarre,” Doggett said. “I will say that’s something that has stayed the same over 25 years.” The partners said they are hiring, and that Cape Fear Community College is one of their main recruiting grounds. Davis and Doggett look for talented people who can understand traditional methodologies yet are open to on-the-job training and new understandings, they said. After all, it’s not just weather that can ruin a building. “My favorite saying is,” Davis said, “‘What are the eight most expensive words in construction? That’s how my daddy used to do it.’”
U.S. added disappointing 29,000 jobs in September; unemployment ticks up to 4.2%
Economists had expected September payrolls to come in at 90,000
Small business job growth edges higher in September, Paychex finds
Paychex reports small business employment edged higher in September, with the Midwest leading growth and wage increases moderating below 3%.
This grocery store employee makes sure every customer finds what they’re looking for
For almost three decades, Greg Atchison has been a friendly face in the grocery business.
Major Sarasota employer named Florida’s best for health care workers
A major Sarasota County employer ranks No. 1 in Florida for health care professionals after a sharp climb on a national list.
Sarasota employer surges into nation’s top 20 for health care workers
One of Sarasota County’s largest employers jumped from No. 75 to No. 17 nationally, earning Florida’s top spot for health care workers.
Corbin Advisors Named 2026 Connecticut Business Excellence Award Winner by Hartford Business Journal
Firm recognized in Women-Owned Business category for business excellence, leadership, innovation, and impactFARMINGTON, Conn., Oct. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corbin Advisors, a leading strategic investor relations and investor communications advisory firm, today announced it has been named the inaugural winner of the Hartford Business Journal’s 2026 Connecticut Business Excellence Awards in the Women-Owned Business, 51–250 Employees category. The recognition celebrates Connecticut organizatio
Prairie Meadows HR vice president is voice for employees
Gina Vitiritto has spent her professional career as a confidante and advocate for the people of Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. What started as a seasonal waitressing job in her hometown of Altoona became a 32-year career in human resources. She worked in the clubhouse beginning in 1989 and joined the HR team in 1994. …
AI blurs lines in campaign ads: ‘People are seeing things that didn’t happen’
Political campaigns and groups are spending tens of millions of dollars on ads that employ AI, often without disclosing that they’re using it.
Under pressure
A cinematic journey through the first year of Donald Trump's second term as president. Fear, hope, protest, loyalty and disappointment all shape this portrait of the US as a nation in turmoil.
Florida small businesses want more help offering retirement plans, AARP survey finds
'The survey shows employers want practical solutions that make retirement saving easier and more accessible for their employees.'
Benefits platform Afore adds life insurance path through Ascent alliance
The referral arrangement gives Afore advisors access to buy-sell and estate planning for employer clients who also own businesses
Gov. Sherrill launches working group to examine NJ public employee health benefits
TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Mikie Sherrill has launched a working group bringing together state officials, unions, health care organizations and other stakeholders to develop recommendations aimed at improving the affordability …
Dr. Jeff Bird: Indiana University Health Serves the Healthcare Needs of Indiana
By Dr. Jeff Bird— MUNCIE, IN—Indiana University Health is the largest non-profit healthcare organization in Indiana. Annually it touches over 1 in 3 Hoosiers whole operating out of its 16 hospitals. IU Health is also one of the State’s largest employers with over 38,000 employees and more than
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
Bills Facing Heavy Backlash Over Josh Allen Decision
Three games, three wins for the Buffalo Bills to open up the 2026 season.And while they look like arguably the best team in the AFC, the Bills have been employing an offensive strategy that has their fans concerned.Buffalo is averaging the fourth-most yards per game (401.7) with the fourth-best rushing offense (155 yards per game) […] The post Bills Facing Heavy Backlash Over Josh Allen Decision appeared first on HEAVY.
Iowa employers report stability in ABI quarterly survey
Iowa employers reported stable financial health and a neutral outlook on the economy for the fourth quarter in the Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s latest quarterly business survey. ABI surveys its board of directors each quarter to track business sentiment, identify common concerns and inform advocacy and programming priorities. Key survey findings include: Employers…
Cabinetworks Group expands employee access to health care with third on-site clinic
/PRNewswire/ -- Cabinetworks Group, the country's largest privately owned cabinet manufacturer, recently expanded employee access to health care with the...
Leidos to lay off 84 workers in Ashburn
Reston-based Leidos plans to lay off 84 employees at an Ashburn operation beginning Nov. 23, according to a state notice.
How Washington Funded the Politicization of Science
Over the last half-decade, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on projects designed to influence academic policies, both in the sciences and other disciplines. The aim was to foster a progressive conception of social justice in these fields. In pursuit of this end, the foundation earmarked nearly a million dollars for a project titled “Creating Inclusive Scientific Societies through Policies and Practices,” over a million for a project on “Faculty Online Learning Communities for Gender Equity,” and over $2 million to foster “racial equity focused departmental change.” Through a public records request, I’ve obtained the proposals and progress reports for dozens of NSF grants designed to promote social justice. Although funding for these grants was eventually halted by the Trump administration, the projects illustrate an important facet of recent higher-education policy. Many of the university policies that promised “social transformation” didn’t arise in a vacuum. They were actively encouraged by outside funders—often by the federal government itself. Subscribe Accreditation—the peer-review process which enables universities to receive federal grants and student loans—has recently become a policy battleground, with accreditors wielding significant power over both universities and academic disciplines. In 2020, when Oregon Health and Science University’s medical school issued an extensive diversity action plan—which promised “consequences” for employees who failed to support “DEI, anti-racism and social justice”—it specifically pointed to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the medical-school accrediting body, to justify the overhaul. The NSF actively promoted DEI-focused accreditation policies. The proposal for a $1.2 million program on promoting “community engagement” in STEM, which I obtained through a records request, notes that the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology was exploring changes to its criteria “that would incorporate JEDI [justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion].” The proposal promised to “support broader JEDI efforts in the general criteria for engineering.” Another grant funded a conference designed to “identify and share best practices and strategies to integrate IDEA principles in accreditation criteria”—referring to an acronym that stands for “inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.” Scholarly societies have become another flashpoint in debates over higher education. Critics argue that many of these societies, which have the power to shape entire disciplines, have become increasingly politicized. Again, through its giving, the NSF played a role in promoting this politicization. In one million-dollar grant that received funding in 2024, a group of psychologists proposed a series of social-justice reforms to the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. The proposal, which I obtained via a records request, asserts that “[r]edistributing resources (such as moving different people into leadership roles) is not enough” and that the society’s “governance structures do not yet reflect its stated values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Its solution: review and rework the society’s criteria for leadership development, academic awards, conferences, and publications. Adjusting review criteria informed by “intersectionality” designed to fight “epistemic exclusion” is an easy way to introduce de facto ideological litmus tests into the peer-review process. For many of the grants I obtained, such litmus tests seem to be the point. “Academic departments are racialized social systems that produce and sustain the byproducts of systemic racism,” a proposal for a $2.7 million project funded in 2024 asserts, promising to develop “departmentally-focused change efforts that cultivate values, assumptions, and behaviors that advance racial equity.” The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s million-dollar “I-ADVANCE” project, which effectively created a small DEI bureaucracy on campus, promised to Embed 28 ADVANCE faculty fellows in STEM departments” to amplify its equity goals. Another $1.2 million project promised to create “faculty online learning communities,” made up of scientists at universities around the country, that would eventually build department-level diversity action plans. “Ultimately,” the proposal asserts, perhaps more perceptively than its authors realized, “both organizational change and intersectionality frameworks deal with power.” Indeed, such grants confer a great deal of power to administrators and scholar-activists, who can even use the mere availability of funding as a tool to advance their causes. That history is worth remembering amid today’s debate over federal involvement in higher education: Washington has been shaping university priorities for years, including by financing efforts to instill progressive ideas about race, gender, and equity into academic institutions—and many of the policies those grants encouraged remain embedded within universities long after the federal money has stopped flowing. John D. Sailer is the director of higher education policy and a senior fellow at Manhattan Institute. Share
Expected Timeline for Mental Health Coverage Rule Slips to 2027
A forthcoming proposal overhauling how the federal government regulates employers’ mental health coverage is now expected next year, according to a legal filing from the Trump administration.
How to watch Sierra Canyon vs Loyola High School football
You can watch Sierra Canyon football all season long with NFHS Network, including this week’s game against Loyola High School.
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.
Online fraud looks like business as usual
Establishing a clear set of employee guidelines doesn’t have to be complicated.
Oregon Moves to Implement Workplace Violence Law for Healthcare Settings
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) recently released a proposed rule to implement a new law that requires certain healthcare employers to implement a set of measures aimed at preventing workplace violence.
Time lost to political haggling means lost momentum for research
While it’s not up to universities to set deadlines for EU institutions, “lost time” in the run-up to the launch of the next Horizon Europe would translate into “lost momentum” for universities, according to Dag Rune Olsen, president of the Young European Research Universities Network.“I think it's important to have [the EU budget] in place in order to be able to work on the research funding mechanisms, because we cannot afford to lose more momentum than we already have,” Olsen told Science|Business in an interview in September, just after EU research lobbies gathered in Brussels to push for a €200 billion budget for the next Horizon Europe programme.A funding gap would mean ramping down research activities, said Olsen. “You can do that quite swiftly, that’s not a problem, but ramping up again is much more difficult.”The last-minute push for an ambitious budget, and for a timely adoption of the research programme, comes at a time when the richest EU states have teamed up to call for significant cuts to European Commission’s proposal for the next multiannual budget, which allocates €175 billion for Horizon Europe. At the same gathering of research associations in September, the European Parliament’s budget rapporteur warned that the EU will need to raise its own taxes, otherwise political pressure and tighter national budgets will translate into a limited EU budget with a less ambitious envelope for research. The research sector hopes EU institutions will reach timely agreement on the budget and on Horizon Europe, but progress has been slow. Legislative progress has been delayed, partly because the European Parliament’s budget committee is still haggling over how to apply new EU-wide spending rules, known as the Performance Framework Regulation, and partly because EU governments have yet to agree on the size of the next EU budget. EU research Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva told Science|Business in July that she was hoping for an agreement on Horizon Europe by the end of 2026, but the timelines have been pushed back significantly, with the Parliament now aiming to announce its official position on Horizon Europe only in November. Avoid the funding gapAccording to Olsen, delayed EU funds could prompt universities and researchers to move on and do something else, potentially jeopardising years of work building consortia and collaborations. “If funding is interrupted, the networks fall apart in just a few months,” he said. Olsen also noted that an interruption would affect junior researchers first. PhD students and postdocs are on shorter term contracts and universities risk losing them if funding for EU projects is interrupted. Related articlesEU own resources ‘essential’ for future research budget, says leading MEPParliament haggle over EU-wide spending rules delays vote on Horizon EuropeZaharieva hopes for a Horizon Europe deal in 2026Universities usually have more employees, permanent and short-term staff, than they can cover with national funding, and external funding is essential to keep them all on the payroll. In case of an EU funding gap, “there will be a huge number of people that might end up without any contracts,” he said. Apart from the money issue, Olsen said EU projects forces universities to collaborate more which, in turn, increases the quality of teaching and research. In case of a funding dip, people will look around for opportunities elsewhere, in the private sector or abroad. “And then then you have to recruit again, and it's a tedious business,” said Olsen. “A gap is not a good idea, it's actually a waste of money.”According to Olsen, the difficult political context should encourage universities to make a stronger case for the EU increasing research funding, as universities can deliver on competitiveness, technological sovereignty, security and defence. “The reason why we ask for substantial investments in research is exactly what the Commission, what Europe, the Parliament have been discussing,” he said. “You really need to invest in order to thrive in the longer run.”Focus on the member statesBut EU and national R&D expenditure hasn't kept up with the times. EU governments have failed to reach a spending target set almost 25 years ago. Only six EU countries spend 3% or more of their GDP on R&D. Asked whether universities should put more effort into convincing the governments to ramp up their own spending, but also to support a strong budget for Horizon Europe in the ongoing budget negotiations, Olsen said “the answer is yes.”“We are very actively encouraging our members to talk to their ministries in order to enlighten them about the joint effort,” he said. The network is made up of 25 universities from across Europe, all established in the past 60 years or so.Who will call the shots?Budget and timing issues aside, the Parliament’s research committee has been locked in behind-the-scenes negotiations over the future structure of Horizon Europe, with MEPs disagreeing on the degree to which its collaborative research should be governed by councils of experts.The European Parliament’s lead rapporteur on Horizon Europe wants councils of independent experts to decide on the funding agenda, but the Commission, the Council, and parts of the Parliament disagree. For Olsen, it is normal for politicians to point at the big challenges, but when they start detailing how those challenges should be solved, the endeavour “fails utterly.” He does not necessarily think that “bureaucrats who don’t know the field” would be “much better at it” either. “There has to be a combination” of broad political directions and bottom-up implementation, Olsen said.
SCC partners with local businesses, school districts to build workforce pipeline
Educational leaders and area employers are joining forces to better prepare Columbus County students for high-demand local careers.
Global Health & WASH: October 2026 Funding Opportunities (26 new opportunities)
41 opportunities on the Global Health & WASH page this cycle, 26 of them new. The health money on this page is mostly research money, and much of it is aimed at people early in their careers. Funder after funder, from the TANGO2 Research Foundation’s Research Pathways grants to the South African Medical Research Council’s Early Investigators Programme to the National Ataxia Foundation and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, is funding early-career investigators and the institutions that host them, with a clear tilt toward researchers based in or from the Global South, from AMBSO in Uganda to Kenya’s CONNECT-VAX network to Ersilia’s AI Incubator for African drug discovery. The money is organized by disease as much as by need: narrow foundations, the Parkinson’s Foundation, NTAP for neurofibromatosis, the RUNX1 Research Program for an inherited blood disorder, each run their own grant, so the question for an applicant is less which health problem you work on than which foundation owns your disease. The largest European cheques go to consortia only, with the European Innovation Council putting up to EUR €4 million behind a single healthy-ageing project and UNITE up to EUR €1 million behind each cross-border digital health team. Water sits apart, almost entirely in applied utility research: the Water Research Foundation’s cluster of USD $250,000 to $500,000 projects, each built around a utility problem from sewer laterals to reuse treatment. And the biggest single pot is public: HRSA is renewing community health center service areas with awards of up to USD $10 million each. This post is for paid subscribers. This helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. Subscribe To keep this accessible to everyone who needs it, we’re happy to offer pay what you can rates. You can find more details here. Open Opportunities 2027 Building the Field of Health Advocacy Grant, Georgia Health Initiative. *New!* *Closing soon!* Georgia Health Initiative, a nonprofit private foundation focused on health equity, is opening its 2027 Building the Field of Health Advocacy Grant to strengthen the organizations that push for healthier systems across the state. The Initiative treats advocacy as infrastructure, backing one-year projects that range from urgent responses to shifting federal policy to longer arc campaigns on housing, behavioral health, care access, and food security. It wants coalitions that elevate community voice, apply an equity lens, and arrive ready to deploy concrete strategies, and it deliberately seeks variety in issues, communities, and organizational size. The optional webinar and required lobbying training signal a funder investing in a durable field, not one grant cycle. The strongest fits are Georgia nonprofits and public agencies ready to turn advocacy readiness into systems change. Geographies: United States. Who can apply: Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charities, state or local government agencies, or coalitions/collaboratives using a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, that work in Georgia on behalf of Georgians and align with the mission, vision, and values of Georgia Health Initiative. Only one application per organization, though an organization may be listed as a partner or subcontractor on multiple applications. Funding amount: Organizations can apply for up to USD $80,000 per project; the Initiative anticipates investing a total of USD $1.36 million. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance, Policy & Advocacy · SDG3; SDG10. Deadline: October 2, 2026. Learn more and apply here. TDD Research Pathways Grant, TANGO2 Research Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!* The TANGO2 Research Foundation, working with a founding gift from Tango2UK, is opening its TDD Research Pathways Grant to fund early-career investigators anywhere in the world who study TANGO2 Deficiency Disorder. The foundation is using this money to seed pilot work and to build a research community around a rare disorder that few labs currently study. It wants to back emerging scientists, clinicians, and trainees who will stay with this field, not one-off projects, which is why it requires a committed mentor and real institutional support and asks each applicant for a plan for future contributions. The design rewards promise and persistence over track record. The strongest fits are students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, and new investigators ready to commit to TANGO2 research. Geographies: Global. Who can apply: Early-career investigators worldwide, including undergraduate, graduate, and medical trainees, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and clinical or research fellows. Early-career investigators must hold a PhD, MD, or equivalent doctoral degree and be within 10 years of that degree or within 5 years of initiating rare disease research, engaged in postdoctoral research at an academic institution, teaching hospital, or nonprofit research institute. Currently enrolled trainees and transitional PhD candidates beginning a postdoctoral appointment at a nonprofit institution by July 1, 2026 are also eligible. All applicants must identify a qualified mentor with relevant TDD or rare disease research experience and demonstrate institutional support. Funding amount: Up to USD $15,000. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation, Science & Technology. Deadline: October 2, 2026. Learn more and apply here. Call for Expression of Interest (EOI): AMBSO Impact Research Initiative, Africa Medical and Behavioral Sciences Organization (AMBSO). *Closing soon!* The Africa Medical and Behavioral Sciences Organization is inviting expressions of interest for its Impact Research Initiative, which funds early-stage pilot studies and proof of concept work on priority health challenges. AMBSO is a Ugandan research organization backing bold ideas that can grow into larger studies, and its tracks span antimicrobial resistance, epidemic preparedness, artificial intelligence for diagnostics, HIV prevention, climate and health, cancer, maternal and child health, and non-communicable diseases. The small award size and direct-cost-only rule point to a funder that wants evidence rather than overhead, and that favors projects able to attract follow-on money or use AMBSO’s own research infrastructure. Eligibility runs worldwide, welcoming researchers and institutions inside and outside Africa. The strongest fits are researchers with a feasible pilot that generates policy-ready evidence. Geographies: Global. Who can apply: Open worldwide to researchers, academic institutions, and research organizations whose work aligns with generating high-impact health evidence. Independent researchers are eligible if affiliated with an academic or research institution. Doctoral students are encouraged to apply as part of a research team led by a faculty Principal Investigator. Community-based organizations and other eligible entities may apply. Projects may be implemented inside or outside Uganda. Funding amount: Up to USD $10,000 per project, with no minimum funding threshold. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: SDG3. Deadline: October 2, 2026. Learn more and apply here. Entrepreneurs for Resilience 2027 (E4R27), Swiss Re Foundation. *Closing soon!* Swiss Re Foundation is opening the tenth edition of Entrepreneurs for Resilience, which backs healthcare social enterprises expanding affordable, quality primary care for low-income communities across low- and middle-income countries. The Foundation is using catalytic, blended funding plus multi-year advisory to take risk out of scaling, helping proven models reach more people sustainably rather than stay stuck at pilot size. It looks to back brick-and-click enterprises that pair physical care with digital tools and build affordability through savings, payments, or microinsurance, ideally integrated with public health systems. Requiring earned revenue, real customer scale, and gender-inclusive teams signals that this is growth capital for commercially serious ventures, not seed money. The strongest fits are established, revenue-generating healthcare enterprises ready to scale access for underserved populations. Geographies: Global. Who can apply: For-profit and hybrid healthcare social enterprises serving low-income and underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries, using combined physical and digital (brick-and-click) healthcare delivery models. Applicants must demonstrate measurable social impact, generate at least 50% of income through earned revenue, have been established no later than December 2023, already serve at least 50,000 people with potential to scale, and have at least 30% low-income customers. Preference for gender-inclusive enterprises with at least one female founder or at least 30% women in management. Funding amount: Pilot funding of up to USD $45,000 for the 6-8 shortlisted social enterprises; up to USD $1 million in blended funding (up to USD $600,000 unconditional plus up to USD $400,000 conditional) shared among 3-4 finalists over a two-year implementation period; total programme funding approximately USD $1.3 million. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation, Science & Technology · SDG3; SDG5. Deadline: October 4, 2026. Learn more and apply here. Horizon HealthTech 2026, IIITD Innovation & Incubation Center. *Closing soon!* IIITD Innovation and Incubation Center is opening Horizon HealthTech 2026, a nine-month MedTech incubation cohort run under the aegis of BIRAC EDGE for founders building medical devices, diagnostics, surgical and interventional tools, or remote monitoring. The center is backing teams that already hold a validated proof of concept and want to reach a tested prototype, pairing each founder with a named expert and clinical validation through a hospital partner. What they seek to back is Indian health technology that can survive real clinical scrutiny and regulatory review, not slideware. The structure, with lab access, CDSCO guidance, IP support, and investor connects, signals a program built to make startups ready for follow-on capital. The strongest fits are early-stage MedTech teams with defensible IP and a working path from bench to bedside. Geographies: India. Who can apply: Early-stage teams/startups with a validated idea/proof of concept (TRL 3 onwards) working on medical devices, diagnostics, surgical/interventional technologies, or remote monitoring, holding IP or with potential to generate IP. Funding amount: No cash award amount is stated on the official program page. Benefits are in-kind: prototyping lab and equipment access, clinical/hospital validation (Max Healthcare), expert mentorship, CDSCO regulatory guidance, IP filing support, workspace, cloud credits and tools, and investor connects. Run under the aegis of BIRAC EDGE and builds a path to follow-on Government/VC/Angel funding. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation, Science & Technology · SDG3; SDG9. Deadline: October 5, 2026. Learn more and apply here. OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program, OpenAI. *New!* *Closing soon!* OpenAI is opening its AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program to fund independent studies of how generative AI shapes the lives of young people ages 13 to 17. OpenAI wants a stronger evidence base on how teens actually use these tools and what that use does to their social and emotional development, so that product teams, policymakers, and regulators can act on findings rather than assumptions. It seeks work on emotion regulation, relationships, belonging, and the safeguards that keep teens safer, welcoming interdisciplinary teams and any methodology. That it will fund research whose conclusions may not favor AI providers, and prioritizes studies touching ChatGPT, signals a genuine appetite for credible outside scrutiny. The strongest fits are research groups grounded in adolescent development, well-being, and AI safety. Geographies: Global. Who can apply: Researchers aged 18 or older who are affiliated with a research institution or organization, and/or have significant experience relevant to child or adolescent development, well-being, human-computer interaction, AI impacts, or a closely related field. Multiple institutions may collaborate. OpenAI is seeking to fund research rather than for-profit initiatives and will not prioritize for-profit organizations. Funding amount: Individual research grants up to USD $1 million, totaling up to USD $5 million; maximum 10% of each grant for overhead or indirect costs. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing; Innovation, Science & Technology. Deadline: October 6, 2026. Learn more and apply here.
China-linked hackers impersonated US AI insiders as global race heats up
Suspected Chinese hackers impersonated an Anthropic employee and ex-US officials in an espionage campaign aimed at gaining insights into American AI developments, a US cybersecurity firm said Thursday.
Nevada Business Indicators: October 2026
Key late-2026 economic indicators for Nevada, Clark County and Washoe County, including employment gains, taxable sales growth and gaming revenue trends.
Rising health care costs: 3 changes that could make a difference
We know rising health care costs continue to put pressure on employers. But businesses don’t have to face these challenges alone.
Politics, Religion Experts Argue in Favor of Creativity Amid AI Employment Anxieties
Panelists looked to Catholic social teachings on how to find dignity and purpose in work amid the rise of AI in the workplace
Gunman Kills 2 Co-Workers at Virginia Rental Business
A 37-year-old man shot three employees at an equipment rental business, then killed himself after a standoff with the police, the authorities said.
New mobile health unit, upgrades to telehealth to expand rural healthcare access
“This is very exciting,” one employee said.
Court orders Dairy Farmers of America to keep paying its share of union employees’ health insurance after shuttering the St. Albans Creamery
The Monday decision requires payments to continue as a dispute between the union and the co-op over the reasons for the plant's closure plays out.
Employers increasingly tie digital health payments to outcomes, PHTI survey finds
Performance-based contracting is becoming the norm for digital health solutions, with the majority of employers and health plans tying vendor payments to clinical and financial outcomes, according | The report drew insights from 321 digital health professionals responsible for purchasing across health plans, employers and health systems.
Church Street businesses appeal directly to Gov. Scott for public safety help
The group outlined four specific requests, including redeploying Vermont State Police troopers to Burlington.
Russian state hackers use new RedFlick technique to push malware
The Russian state actor Star Blizzard has been using a new malware installation tactic dubbed "RedFlick" to deploy its signature CosmicPulse backdoor.
A modernized health plan: Supporting cost management and the employee experience.
By Tim Archer, Chief Executive Officer, UnitedHealthcare New England, October 1, 2026 The Surest health plan came from a group of innovators wondering: What if health care was easier to shop […]
ABI predicts employer and financial stability for fourth quarter
The Iowa Association of Business and Industry reported that surveyed Iowa employers are looking towards 2026’s fourth quarter with a “neutral outlook”, approaching a stable economy and financially healthy end of the year. Each quarter, ABI surveys its board of directors in order to track business sentiment, identifying common concerns and inform upcoming priorities for […]
Congress Set to Leave Washington for the Midterms With No A.I. Progress
Senate Democrats blocked a measure that would encourage, but not require, states to protect consumers from power rate hikes tied to data center growth, and had no limits on A.I. use or deployment.
NYC business leader says Mamdani rhetoric risks driving companies, jobs out of city
Partnership for New York City CEO Steven Fulop says Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office denied reports of a planned campaign targeting CEOs but warns anti-business rhetoric, taxes and public safety concerns could push employers to leave New York.
Ex-Genentech, Meta, AWS AI leaders launch health AI lab with $500M backing
A new frontier artificial intelligence lab for healthcare launched with a $500 million commitment from Thoreau. | The AI startup, Ortet plans to build a full-stack platform for health, spanning compute and data infrastructure, frontier research and model development and deployment.
21-year-old man arrested after employee found shot, killed at Richmond business
A 21-year-old man was arrested late Tuesday night after an employee at a Richmond business was found shot and killed Saturday morning.
Medical Records Firm Uses AI Tool to Expose Flaws that Threaten Patient Privacy
Epic’s engineers deployed an Anthropic tool that exposed security risks that could allow undetected access to millions of patient records.
Amazon still Bellevue’s top employer, but here's the catch
Amazon's growth in Bellevue last year was slower than anticipated, but the company said it's still committed to an eventual 25,000 employees in the city.
Donor dashboard illuminates utility sector political contributions
A new dashboard from the clean energy coalition Mass Power Forward reveals that current Massachusetts lawmakers have received over $223,000 in campaign donations from high-level utility employees since 2002.
Healthy Aging Month: Orlando man completes chemo after early colon cancer diagnosis
Jason Jose, an Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute employee, shares his experience of overcoming colon cancer after initially hesitating to get a colonoscopy.
DarkIris Inc. Provides Business Update on Cine3.AI Global Expansion and Entertainment Technology Ecosystem
HONG KONG, Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DarkIris Inc. (Nasdaq: DKI) (the “Company” or “DarkIris”), an innovative technology provider in the digital media and entertainment sector, today provided a business update highlighting recent progress in the development and global deployment of its flagship AI video production platform, Cine3.AI, as well as the Company’s North American expansion and interactive entertainment initiatives. Advancing Cine3.AI for the “Cinema 3.0” Era Following continue
High gas prices have voters switching parties and voting for the first time
Gas prices are reshaping voter attitudes in a longtime Republican Georgia county, with some backing Democrats while others remain firmly loyal to Trump.
Ken Paxton, G.O.P. Nominee in Texas, Privately Said Trump’s Convention Hurt Him
Ken Paxton, one of the party’s top Senate candidates and a Trump loyalist, said that “everybody’s numbers dropped” after the event, according to audio obtained by The Times.
Freshman Explores Mental Health with Business and Club ‘Exquisitely Connected’
A Loyola freshman turned her passion for mental wellness into a business centered on self-acceptance and community.
Neff College of Business to Host More than 75 Companies for Fall Job Fair on Thursday
The semiannual event supporting students seeking internships and post-graduation employment will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center.
6 years later, the office is making a comeback
Six years after COVID-19 transformed the way Americans work, the pendulum is swinging back toward the office. The pandemic forced companies to send employees home almost overnight, transforming remote work
County commissioners approve switch to NDPERS for employee health insurance
Some employees were disappointed that employee contributions were not decreased across the board, as the county may have excess health insurance funds budgeted for next year.
HealthPartners, Essentia Health Announce Merger Plans
Minnesota-based healthcare systems HealthPartners and Essentia Health announced today that their boards of directors have approved an affiliation agreement to combine their organizations. The combined organization will be called HealthPartners and would employ 45,000 people. It would include 22 hospitals and 135 clinics spanning the Twin Cities, northern Minnesota, and…
Cindy Holland Leaves Paramount Streaming as Casey Bloys Is Set to Lead Combined Services
Paramount streaming chief Cindy Holland left on Tuesday. HBO's Casey Bloys is expected to run the combined streaming business after the…
Warhammer 40,000
Heretics and Loyalists alike are receiving a suite of updates in time for the release of Codex: Space Marines.
UK business morale hits 17-month low, Lloyds says
British firms turned the least confident since April 2025 in September, according to a Lloyds survey on Wednesday that also showed executives' view of the global economic outlook darkened as the Iran war pushes up costs.
Union, governor’s office strike deal on state employee healthcare costs
The deal softens a proposed deductible spike, but leaves monthly premium increases in place.
Disney cuts hundreds of jobs across multiple departments: report
Disney is laying off hundreds of employees across HR and tech in its latest workforce reduction under new CEO Josh D'Amaro amidst company restructuring.
Most Business Journal readers don’t expect layoffs in 2026
Most Business Journal poll respondents don’t expect layoffs before the end of 2026 despite recent Valley job cuts. See the full poll results.
Business After Hours October 7 at Kennon Products
The Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce will offer the next Business Before Hours event, hosted by Kennon Products, Inc. on Wednesday, October 7. Those wishing to attend can stop by between 7:30 and 9 a.m. to enjoy breakfast consisting of eggs, sausage, orange Juice and pancakes to celebrate that Kennon is an employee-owned company. Attendees […]
Mom says Vanderbilt Health employee accessed her baby’s medical records without permission
A Lewisburg mother requested an audit after a Vanderbilt Health employee appeared to know about her son's birth before it was public. The hospital later confirmed the employee accessed the child's electronic medical record without a legitimate business purpose.
Here’s what a 34% hike in health costs could mean for Camden and hundreds of other N.J. school districts in 2027
Camden, Pemberton and Evesham are among the districts that will be affected after the School Employees Health Benefits Commission approved a premium increase.
Judge orders DFA to maintain health insurance for St. Albans Creamery workers
St. Albans Creamery workers will continue to receive employer-provided health insurance while a legal battle plays out over the plant’s closure, according to a new court ruling this week.
Mozilla Deploys A New-Look Firefox Across Desktop And Mobile
The redesigned browser brings back compact mode and adds a theme picker.
The Family Business Advantage: Third Quarterly Power Breakfast of 2026 explores how family businesses balance legacy and innovation
Photo by GFBJAnother successful Power Breakfast is in the books. The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal hosted its third quarterly Power Breakfast of 2026 on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Local leaders and decision-makers gathered to network and learn from the panel about how established principles drive long-term stability while allowing for operational evolution. The panel featured Managing Partner of Luigi’s Italian Chophouse & Bar, Nate Ernst; Inside Sales at Hubbard Supplyhouse, Mary Grace Hurley; Chief Operations Officer for Copiers Plus, Drew Smith; and CEO of Holmes Security Systems, Stephen Wheeler. The panel was moderated by Lauren Willets, director of the Family Enterprise Center at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Throughout the discussion, the panelists returned to a common idea: family businesses thrive when they preserve the relationships and values at their core while remaining open to change.Each panelist shared personal stories that carried practical lessons. Stephen Wheeler emphasized the role of relationships with customers and employees, saying, “What makes a family business successful today is relationships.” Mary Grace Hurley echoed Wheeler’s sentiment, describing relationships as a lasting inheritance, including a customer connection that began when she was young and continued into her working life. “If something’s given to you, that’s going to cost you too,” added Nate Ernst. He explained this philosophy by sharing that, in his view, earning responsibility builds credibility and confidence.Another hot topic was the idea of tradition versus change. For these businesses that have been around for a century or even more, it can be difficult to escape the “we’ve always done it this way” caveat, but these speakers emphasized how change has been an integral part of their growth and longevity. A family business can honor its history without being bound by it.“Innovation and tradition–they don’t have to be competing with one another,” shared Hurley. She pointed to changes in how businesses operate, including the adoption of computers and new management practices. Ernst stressed that adaptation is essential, while Wheeler described how his family’s electrical contracting business had evolved into a security-focused company. The details of the work may change, but identifying and upholding core values is key to embracing change while maintaining the character of a business. “I think it’s just important to remember why you started in the first place. What was your mission? What are your core values? And to reevaluate those,” shared Drew Smith.In addition to the first-hand accounts and wisdom shared by panelists, Moderator Lauren Willets recommended two novels during the panel for those seeking additional educational resources. Those two novels are “Hug of War: How to Lead a Family Business with both Love and Logic”by Cathy Carroll and “In the Company of Family: How to Thrive When Business Is Personal” by Melissa Mitchell-Blitch. Preparing the next generation requires more than handing over a title or company. Wheeler argued that future leaders need genuine passion and a vested interest in the business. The panelists were in agreement that succession is a process, and there is not one clear answer for how to perfectly prepare for it. Leaders must cultivate readiness, keep communication open and make room for the next generation to earn responsibility while being sure not to neglect the business in the here and now. “Today’s Power Breakfast was one of our best events yet! Between the passion and in-depth knowledge of the panelists, the great audience questions and the guidance and expertise of Mrs. Willets, the conversation was both engaging and informative,” shared GFBJ Publisher Faith Hatton. “A lot of small businesses in Fayetteville are family-owned and grown, and it’s great to be able to spotlight some of the businesses that have stood the test of time by strengthening the next generation of leadership and preparing them for ownership. I hope everyone received some inspiration and ideas that they can bring back to their own businesses and organizations!”We thank everyone who attended this Power Breakfast and hope you’ll all join us for the next Power Breakfast on Dec. 8. Details about the event will be shared on our social media and in future email updates. To learn about becoming a Power Breakfast sponsor, contact the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal at 910.240.9697 or marketing@bizfayetteville.com.
Atlanta Braves Make Austin Riley Announcement Before Phillies Game
The MLB playoffs begin today!! (September, 29.) The action begins with the National League Wild Card matchup between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. First pitch is at 2:15 p.m. EST, and both teams are deploying very formidable starters. For Atlanta, it is rolling with Chris Sale in the series opener, and the Phillies […] The post Atlanta Braves Make Austin Riley Announcement Before Phillies Game appeared first on HEAVY.
Office of Personnel Management uncovers $500M in fraud and waste in federal health benefits programs
The Trump administration's Office of Personnel Management uncovered $510 million in fraud and waste across federal employee health benefits programs.
LDF Strongly Opposes Passage of the Protect College Sports Act, Urges House to Reject the Bill
On Sept. 28, the U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), an irresponsible piece of legislation that threatens the financial security and success student-athletes, including low-income Black student-athletes, have earned. The Legal Defense Fund previously issued a letter urging all members of Congress to reject the bill. Altogether, the PCSA lacks employment rights […]
Small business owner: I took my 50 employees on a free trip to Greece
I'm a restaurant owner in New York. I spent months planning a trip to Greece for my employees, hoping to make it as affordable as possible.
Lee Health Establishes Dr. Larry Antonucci Scholarship Endowment Fund to Honor Legacy of Leadership and Service
Commitment of $250,000 to Support Employee Education and Professional Development FORT MYERS, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2026) – The Lee Health Foundation Board of Trustees in partnership with the Lee Health Board of Directors is proud to announce the creation of the Dr. Larry Antonucci Scholarship Endowment Fund, establishing a permanent legacy honoring the visionary leadership, […]
Weight Watchers and Google Health Launch Weight Health Collaboration for Employers and Payers
Weight Watchers and Google Health Enterprise have launched a collaboration combining wearable technology, health insights and behavioral weight management, expanding Weight Watchers’ offering for employers, health plans and other payers. Key Investor TakeawaysWeight Watchers (NASDAQ:WW) is integrating Google Health Enterprise technology into select Weight Watchers for Business client programs.
Astrana Health Notifies SEC About Social Engineering Incident
Astrana Health, a managed services organization that helps healthcare providers deliver value-based, coordinated care to patients, has notified the U.S. Astrana Health, a managed services organization that helps healthcare providers deliver value-based, coordinated care to patients, has notified the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about a social engineering incident that exposed patient, employee, and provider information.
U.S. Small Business Employment Rate Remains Steady in September
Positive weekly earnings and hours worked growth trends continueROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the Paychex Small Business Employment Watch, which reports on employment levels in U.S. small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, the pace of job growth increased 0.02 percentage points to 99.15 in September. The jobs index remained broadly in line with the 2026 year-to-date average of 99.19. Hourly earnings growth remained below three percent in September (2.78%)
Ex-employee sues Springfield business over data breach affecting 2,667
A former employee of Springfield-based Hamilton Construction Co. filed a class-action lawsuit Sept. 23 over a data breach exposing personally identifiable information and impacting 2,667 Oregonians.
Lesbian Bar Project Co-Founder: Purity Politics Could Destroy Our Remaining Spaces
Subscribe As a professional lesbian and Massachusetts native, I’ve recently been asked by a lot of folks what I think about the saga unfolding at Last Ditch. The now-viral story, first reported by The Boston Globe, centers on a Western Massachusetts lesbian bar that lifted its mask requirement for one night a week to help drum up business. The decision ignited an intra-queer controversy that has been feasted on by media outlets across the political spectrum—from the New York Post to LGBTQ Nation—and is even reportedly being eyed for a Hollywood adaptation. Apparently nothing is more entertaining than a bunch of lesbians and queers fighting with each other over KN-95s. What has been lost in all of the chatter and media coverage is the very real possibility that Last Ditch, which just opened in April 2025, will have to close its doors. The venue’s one remaining founder, Jackie Matellian, revealed in a community Zoom meeting that she’s working four jobs, is now solely responsible for the bar’s $50,000 business loan and is struggling to keep up with the bills. So as we laugh about the controversy’s similarity to a “Portlandia” skit and how one of the bar’s founders left to enroll in clown school, we forget that yet another lesbian bar is facing an existential crisis—and this time the call is coming from inside the house. In 2020, my friend Elina Street and I created The Lesbian Bar Project, an Emmy-, Webby- and GLAAD Media Award-winning docuseries and initiative that tells the stories of lesbian queer bars around the world. We were moved to act because at the time there were only an estimated 16 lesbian bars in the United States, and the pandemic threatened to bring that number down even further. There are now more sapphic bars than there were just before the pandemic—about 36 of them in total—but this is down from approximately 200 in 1980. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to you, but for the millions of sapphics living in the U.S., this number is calamitous. As the world laughs at lesbians and sapphics, I want to take a second and tell you what I feel when I walk into one of these bars, which are all unique and irreplaceable in their own way: I feel seen. Sometimes I think Cubbyhole in New York City’s West Village neighborhood knew I was gay before I did. When I walked in there for the first time, before I was even out, I was transfixed by the colorful array of tchotchkes hanging from the ceiling and how the women standing next to me were completely unafraid to express their desire for one another. I knew the minute I was ready to come out, I had a home. I also felt the joy of a new couple falling in love at Seattle’s Wildrose, the quiet confidence of a short king lining up her shot at the pool table at Ginger’s in Brooklyn and the kick of cayenne pepper in Julie Mabry’s crawfish at Houston’s Pearl Bar. Subscribe Lesbian bars don’t just serve lesbians; they serve queer folks across the spectrum, including bisexual, pansexual and trans people. As Elina and I traveled across the U.S. and Europe and to parts of Latin America to document the bar owners, staff and patrons that make up the ecosystems of these spaces, we also became uniquely acquainted with the factors that threaten their existence: gentrification, wage gaps, sexism, environmental disasters, gun violence, rising insurance premiums and political administrations working to annihilate queer people and their families. Lesbian bar owners, like all leaders and entrepreneurs, are imperfect. There have been significant issues over the years at lesbian bars: employee harassment, racism, lack of accessibility, sexual assault and transphobia. All bar owners should be held accountable and should listen to their communities to evolve into safer and more equitable spaces. I also acknowledge my privilege: I am able-bodied, white, cis and from a family system that loves me for who I am. Not everyone has that. Queer people, especially trans and bisexual people, are suffering from disproportionately high levels of depression, and our mental health system isn’t equipped to support them. Immunocompromised people and long COVID are real, and many of my friends are suffering to this day. The people with the least safety net are often the ones for whom a bar closing costs the most. And yet, as we’re seeing with Last Ditch, the queer community often lashes out at each other. It’s also the mainstream media taking the internal conflict and making a mockery out of it, distracting from the real possibility that this bar could close due to financial pressures. A bar that many people loved and needed is facing extinction. Perhaps it’s safer to dissent with one another than with the larger forces trying to eradicate us, but in doing so, we risk destroying the few spaces we have left. Due to the constraints of purity politics—some in good faith, some not so much—lesbian bar owners, almost all of whom are queer women themselves, are forced to be everything for everyone, similarly to how women are forced to be everything for everyone. By asking these bars to uphold impossible standards—standards very few other third spaces are asked to consider—we all end up losing. I want to move as a community toward dialogue, compassionate dissent and collaboration to make our spaces better with the goal of keeping them OPEN and thriving, rather than destroying them from the inside with expectations that are arguably unattainable. Subscribe While I have your attention—for this fleeting second of the news cycle—may I urge us to spearhead a way to keep these small businesses afloat without attacking our own community along the way? Bar owners are left with an impasse: They want to be community-centered, but they also have to make money to keep their doors open. Sometimes they might make business decisions that don’t work for everyone—and that’s partly because different patrons have different priorities and want different things—but these owners deserve the opportunity for productive dialogue**.** We have to work with them and with each other to keep our spaces open, to keep them growing. Lesbian bars raised me into the queer woman I am today. One thing I think about as I reflect on the six years of work we’ve done to document these spaces is that shared, unspoken language I have with a stranger the moment we both walk into one of these bars: the nod, the ease, the not having to explain ourselves. I don’t want to lose that, and neither should you. If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button: Donate
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