Los Angeles – October 15, 2026 -- The Bandolier x Martha Stewart collection is on sale exclusively on Bandolier's own website, with prices from $48 to $380. It covers phone cases, pouches, a shoulder strap and a new canvas tote.

Stewart has carried Bandolier for years. Bandolier, the Los Angeles-based brand behind the luxury crossbody phone case, invited her to design a line of her own.

The Martha Phone Case adds room for more cards

The Martha Phone Case pairs snake-embossed leather with gold details and a custom equestrian-inspired buckle. Its expandable, removable wallet is more spacious than before. Stewart's key request was room for more cards.

Dalton – October 15, 2026 -- Century Complete is now selling new single-family homes at Old Praters Mill in Dalton, Georgia, with prices starting from the upper $200s, and the community holds its Grand Opening on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Grand Opening lets buyers tour move-in ready homes

Visitors can walk through move-in ready homes, meet the Century Complete team, and learn about home savings and financing through affiliate lender Inspire Home Loans. The community is at 156 Old Prater Mill Road NE, Dalton, GA 30721.

Three floor plans reach up to 1,965 square feet

Old Praters Mill offers three one- and two-story plans: the one-story Scottsdale, the two-story Auburn and the two-story Berkshire. They range from 1,562 to 1,965 square feet, with 3 to 4 bedrooms and 2 to 2.5 bathrooms. Every plan includes a 2-car garage and an open-concept layout.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- Sandbox VR opens its first New York City location on October 23 at 777 7th Avenue in Times Square, and guests who book by October 22 can save 20% on all tickets.

The 10,324-square-foot Manhattan venue is the company's 100th location. It sits within walking distance of Broadway's Theatre District, Rockefeller Center, and Radio City Music Hall.

Six private rooms hold groups of up to six players

Guests suit up with headsets, haptic vests, and motion sensors for full-body immersion. Players can see and physically interact with one another inside the virtual world. The venue also has two party rooms and a bar for birthdays, celebrations, and corporate events. After each session, guests receive personalized highlight videos to relive and share.

Chicago – October 15, 2026 -- PredictArena Inc., a new prediction market platform built around creators, is now live on the web, with a mobile app due in the coming weeks.

Fans can follow creators, handicappers and ex-athletes

The platform is aimed at people who already follow creators, sports handicappers and former athletes. Creators can build profiles, publish their predictions and take part economically. Fans get markets tied to the topics and people they follow.

Crypto.com's derivatives arm supplies the market backbone

PredictArena has an introducing broker relationship with Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (CDNA). The company says it will use CDNA's markets and exchange expertise while building its own distribution layer for the creator economy.

Los Angeles – October 15, 2026 -- The Los Angeles Auto Show runs Nov. 20–29, 2026, giving shoppers a chance to compare gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles from nearly two dozen brands in one place. Test drives and ride experiences are included with admission.

Brands on the floor include Acura, Alfa Romeo, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Genesis, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lucid, Nissan, Porsche DTLA, Ram, Rivian, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen. Attendees can sit in vehicles, compare competing models side by side and talk to brand representatives without sales pressure.

Show president Terri Toennies says shoppers are weighing powertrain, technology, capability and price more than ever, and that the show offers a comparison that online research or a single dealership cannot.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- WeWard's Walking Mode, which locks distracting apps like social media and games until you hit your daily step goal, is available now on iOS after landing on TIME's Best Inventions of 2026 list in the Apps & Software category. Android is coming soon.

Walking Mode locks apps until you reach your step goal

The feature launched in July 2026 around one idea: walk first, scroll later. Users choose their own daily step goal and temporarily lock the apps they find distracting. Once the goal is met, the apps unlock automatically. Restrictions reset at midnight each day.

WeWard CEO and co-founder Yves Benchimol said the feature has resonated strongly with users and reflects a real need: people want to spend more time outside and moving.

Los Angeles – – October 15, 2026 -- Fans heading to the F1 ACADEMY grand finale in Las Vegas can spend the weekend of Nov. 19 to Nov. 21 in a Hello Kitty-themed Fan Zone, with games, limited-edition merchandise and photo opportunities. Sanrio is bringing Hello Kitty and Friends back to the event, where 18 of the world's best female drivers will compete.

Jill Koch, Chief Brand Officer at Sanrio, Inc., said the partnership is about celebrating individuality, friendship and the confidence to pursue your dreams.

The Sanrio Fan Zone sits inside the F1 ACADEMY Paddock

The Hello Kitty Cafe Pit Stop serves cookies, other sweet baked goods and creamy hot chocolate to ticketed visitors.

At the Creative Garage, fans can design their own crown inspired by the world of Hello Kitty, add temporary tattoos and make friendship bracelets.

Denver – October 15, 2026 -- Households across the U.S. are dropping whole potatoes into their Halloween candy bowls, and Potatoes USA is backing the trend with three new "spooky spud" recipes for October.

The trend is called Trick-or-Tater. Some families have handed out potatoes for more than a decade, and more join each year. The Wall Street Journal said it "started as a lark has gained steam in recent years," and NBC Nightly News called potatoes "the new star of spooky season."

Kids are asking for the potato house

Maren from Virginia offers trick-or-treaters a choice of a full-size candy bar, a small toy, or a potato. She ran out of potatoes in her second year after word spread. Last year she went through about 25 pounds, up from 16 the year before, and she is planning for a lot of "tater-or-treaters" with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year.

Boca Raton – October 15, 2026 -- Patients considering cosmetic dentistry in Boca Raton can preview their results with a digital mock-up before any procedure begins, according to a HelloNation article featuring Dr. Michael Cohen of Big Boca Smiles.

Photos and scans build the digital preview

Smile design starts well before any dental work. Dentists collect detailed photographs and digital scans to evaluate a patient's teeth and facial structure. That data becomes the digital mock-up, a preview of the expected result.

Patients give feedback before treatment starts

Seeing the future smile up front makes outcomes more predictable and reduces uncertainty, the article explains. Patients can share feedback early, so the final design reflects their preferences. Reviewing the mock-up in advance also lets the dentist and patient make adjustments before treatment begins, which helps limit unexpected issues.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- A new podcast episode, "AI for a Better World: What Does It Mean to Be Human in the Age of AI?", debuts October 15, 2026, on the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network and on all major podcast streaming platforms via the Planet Classroom Network.

Host C. M. (Cathy) Rubin, an award-winning journalist and education reformer, talks with Viktoria Modesta, a bionic pop artist, futurist and former MIT Media Lab Fellow. Their subject is how emerging technology is changing human agency, artistic expression and self-worth.

Modesta says AI is ending the habit of valuing people for productivity

Modesta was born in the USSR, under a social system focused on physical standardization. For two decades she has worked to redefine beauty, disability and technology, turning her prosthetic limb into an icon of bionic design.