Georgetown, Texas – October 05, 2026 -- Veterans and active-duty service members can get a free haircut at participating Sport Clips locations on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, as the haircare chain launches its 13th annual Help A Hero fundraising campaign.

The campaign runs Oct. 5 through Nov. 14, 2026, with donations collected at participating Sport Clips stores nationwide to benefit the VFW's Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship program.

The program has funded more than 3,600 scholarships since it began

Sport Clips, its clients, franchisees, team members and product partners have raised nearly $17 million through the campaign, funding over 3,600 scholarships via the VFW Foundation for veterans and service members pursuing civilian education and training.

Dallas – October 05, 2026 -- Urban Air Adventure Park is giving every family a free unlimited play pass worth up to $49 through its KidHub app, timed to National Adventure Day on Oct. 9.

Families must download the free KidHub app to claim a pass

Starting now, anyone who downloads and registers for KidHub, Unleashed Brands' free family activity app, by 11:59 p.m. local time on Oct. 9 will receive one unlimited play pass to a participating Urban Air park. Existing KidHub users also qualify automatically. The passes are limited to one per account, and anyone planning to visit on Oct. 9 itself is advised to download the app at least an hour in advance so the ticket has time to process.

Seattle – October 05, 2026 -- Holland America Line will mark 80 years sailing Alaska in 2027 with a new eight-day Inside Passage cruise, expanded Denali Lodge rooms and the return of a 28-day Arctic Circle voyage.

Six ships will sail Alaska from April through September 2027

Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Westerdam and Zaandam will depart from Seattle, Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska. The new eight-day "Alaska Inside Passage" cruise runs roundtrip from Vancouver, stopping at Glacier Bay, Skagway, Ketchikan and Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

The 28-day "Legendary Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice" cruise returns for a third year aboard Noordam, departing June 6 from Seattle and sailing into the Bering Sea and Arctic Circle. Noordam will also offer a seven-day "Great Bear Rainforest" cruise, while Zaandam runs two 18-day "Great Bear Rainforest & Alaska Explorer" sailings.

Purchase, N.Y. – October 05, 2026 -- Pepsi is marking the New York Knicks' championship season with limited-edition cans and bottles that give fans a shot at winning game tickets. The "Champions Deserve Pepsi" campaign launched October 5, ahead of the Knicks' 2026–27 season tip-off at Madison Square Garden.

Limited-edition 16 oz Pepsi x Knicks Championship cans, along with 20 oz Pepsi and Pepsi Zero Sugar x Knicks bottles, are now on shelves at participating retailers across the Tri-State region. Shoppers can scan a QR code at point of sale for a chance to win tickets to a Knicks game inside The Garden.

Chicago – October 05, 2026 -- McDonald's is giving away free bottles of its pickle brine to runners and spectators during Chicago Marathon weekend, betting on a long-rumored cramp remedy to win over endurance athletes.

Free samples hit the Lakefront Trail before race day

On Friday, Oct. 9, McDonald's will set up a "Pickle Boost Preview" station at 2401 N Lake Shore Drive from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT, timed to catch runners during popular pre-race shakeout runs along the Lakefront Trail.

Five Chicago locations offer bottles on race morning

On Sunday, Oct. 11, the chain will distribute two bottles per person, free of charge, at five McDonald's restaurants across the city from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CT while supplies last. The locations are 2635 N Clark St, 1563 N Wells St, 600 N Clark St, 203 N LaSalle St, and 207 E 35th St.

Herndon – October 05, 2026 -- Patients who shed significant weight on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic often lose fat from the buttocks and hands faster than anywhere else, leaving too little tissue to harvest for traditional fat grafting. Dr. Amir Mahan Ghaznavi of AMG Plastic Surgery in Herndon, Virginia, is now offering an alternative: alloClae, a donor-derived structural adipose tissue product placed directly into the body without liposuction.

The procedure skips the operating room entirely

Unlike autologous fat grafting, which requires harvesting a patient's own fat through liposuction, alloClae arrives ready for placement. Dr. Ghaznavi injects it in his office under local anesthesia -- no donor site, no general anesthesia. Most patients return to desk work within one to two days.

Allston – October 05, 2026 -- First Chapters Preschool has opened an 8,000-square-foot flagship location at the new Enterprise Research Campus in Allston, Massachusetts, offering eight age-based classrooms for children from infancy through Pre-K. The center is already serving families living and working in the surrounding area.

First Chapters is part of Babilou Family, which has run early education programs for more than 20 years and operates over 40 centers across New England under brands including Little Sprouts, Heartworks and Building Blocks.

Atlanta – October 05, 2026 -- Three in four people worldwide are cutting back on essentials like food and healthcare just to keep a roof over their heads, according to a new global report from Habitat for Humanity International.

The report, titled "Home at What Cost?", draws on nationally representative surveys of 30,758 people across 22 countries, conducted between April 10 and June 30, 2026. It finds that 75% of respondents cut back on at least one expense in the past year to cover housing costs.

The pressure hits hardest on the most vulnerable groups

People in informal housing arrangements reported the steepest sacrifices, with 89% cutting back on essentials, followed by lower-income groups at 85% and younger generations -- Gen Z and Millennials -- at 81%. One-third of respondents (33%) said they are spending less on food, 32% are dipping into savings or emergency funds, and 13% are delaying or avoiding medical care.

Berkeley, Calif. – October 05, 2026 -- Once Upon a Farm PBC (NYSE: OFRM) has launched Electrolyte Blends, a new line of organic fruit and veggie purée pouches designed to support hydration for school-age kids heading back into busy, active routines.

The pouches use coconut water and sea salt instead of added sugar

The refrigerated 4oz pouches combine fruits, vegetables, coconut water, and sea salt to naturally deliver electrolytes rather than relying on traditional sports-drink formulas. They are sold as single-serve pouches and in four-pack bundles, and each pouch is cold-pressure processed (HPP) to preserve nutrients and flavor.

Atlanta – October 05, 2026 -- GoNoodle, the movement platform used in 88% of U.S. public and private elementary schools, has launched a new video and nationwide contest tied to Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's The Cat in the Hat, which hits theaters November 6.

A new video teaches kids the movie's invented movement language

The video, titled Let's Speak Thinglish!, teaches children the wordless body-percussion language used by the Things in the film. Created with the movie's choreographer, Christopher Scott, the lesson walks kids through Thinglish terms for "hello," "goodbye," "yes," and "no," then has them invent their own Thinglish names. The video is available on the Dr. Seuss channel on GoNoodle.com alongside the platform's existing library of Dr. Seuss content.