General

Anchorage, Alaska – September 22, 2026 -- Explore.org and Katmai Conservancy have opened the 12th season of Fat Bear Week, running September 22-29, 2026, inviting the public to vote online for the plumpest brown bear at Brooks River.

Voting decides the 2026 champion on September 29

Fans can cast votes in head-to-head matchups on the Fat Bear Week website starting September 22, with new rounds advancing bears each day. The 2026 Champion will be crowned September 29 at 5 p.m. Alaska Time.

Bears pack on fat to survive Katmai's harsh winters

Brown bears at Brooks River feast on salmon throughout summer, building fat reserves essential for surviving long months in their dens. This year's competition features an expanded bracket after a record number of bear families used the river this summer.

Orlando – September 20, 2026 -- GameSir has unveiled its first officially licensed Fortnite controller collection, giving mobile players console-style hardware paired with in-game digital bonus items.

Two controllers headline the initial launch lineup

The collection debuts with the GameSir G8 Plus Fortnite Edition and the GameSir X5 Lite for XBOX Fortnite Edition. The partnership was facilitated by IMG Licensing and brings Fortnite-inspired designs to gear built for Battle Royale, Zero Build, Reload, and developer-made game modes.

Belize City – September 20, 2026 -- Crypto gaming platform BC.GAME says its BC Engine reward system has now distributed more than 8.6 million BCD tokens, equivalent to over US$8.6 million, to eligible $BC holders since launching on April 8, 2026.

Rewards have quadrupled since late May

BC.GAME reported 2.1 million BCD in cumulative rewards on May 28. That figure passed 5 million BCD by July 28, a roughly 138% jump. As of September 18, cumulative totals exceed 8.6 million BCD, an increase of more than 309% since late May and about 4.1 times the amount reported less than four months earlier.

The daily payout pace has picked up

Between May 28 and July 28, BC Engine added roughly 2.9 million BCD over 61 days, averaging about 47,500 BCD daily. From July 28 to September 18, it added over 3.6 million BCD across 52 days, pushing the daily average to roughly 69,000 BCD or higher -- a 46% acceleration compared with the prior period.

Guilford, Conn. – September 16, 2026 -- Families planning a funeral in Guilford now have more ways than ever to shape a service around a loved one's actual life, according to a new HelloNation feature spotlighting George Sullivan III of Guilford Funeral Home.

Music and readings set the emotional tone of a service

The article explains that families often select songs tied to specific life moments or cultural traditions, using music to shape how a service feels for attendees. Readings, whether religious passages, poetry, or personal writings, are used alongside music to reflect the individual's beliefs and add emotional depth.

New York – September 15, 2026 -- A new report from maternal care brand Momcozy and NielsenIQ (NIQ) finds that 91% of mothers identify as the primary caregiver in their household, while more than half struggle to find personal time amid caregiving, work and daily pressures.

The 2026 U.S. Mother & Baby Market Trends Report, released in August, surveyed 1,240 U.S. female caregivers ages 18-45 through NIQ's consumer panel in March 2026. Respondents were either pregnant with their first child or raising children between 0 and 24 months old.

Working moms make up a majority of caregivers surveyed

58% of moms surveyed work full-time, a figure that climbs to 64% among mothers with two or more children. Despite these work demands, 58% still cite a lack of personal time as a major source of parenting stress.

Dallas – September 15, 2026 -- Match released its 15th annual Singles in America study, surveying roughly 5,000 U.S. singles between March and April 2026 in partnership with researchers from The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University.

Most singles remain open to love despite being selective

Seventy-two percent of respondents said they are interested in or open to dating or a relationship. Just 16% are actively seeking a committed relationship, while 45% say they aren't actively looking but would welcome the right person. Openness skews younger: 81% of Gen Z and 78% of Millennials are interested in dating, compared with 69% of Gen X and 55% of Boomers.

Portland, Ore. – September 15, 2026 -- Rasa Legal, a legal technology company that helps people clear eligible criminal records, has expanded its services into Oregon, where more than 1.3 million residents are estimated to be struggling with a criminal record.

The expansion marks Rasa's fourth state, joining Utah, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

A free tool checks eligibility in about three minutes

Rasa pairs a free online eligibility tool with support from trained specialists and licensed attorneys. Oregon residents can check their record and then work with Rasa's team to understand options under state law, including criminal record set-asides and offense reclassifications. If eligible, Rasa connects them with a low-cost lawyer starting at just $500.

Schwerin – September 15, 2026 -- Ulrich "Uli" Durst, 59, from Ostfildern near Stuttgart, has won a pool villa on Lake Plau in Germany's Mecklenburg Lake District through the Omaze house lottery, a prize worth roughly €2.5 million including €100,000 in starting funds.

The win comes just two months after Durst and his wife Carmen, 60, were victims of bank fraud. Criminals created a virtual debit card linked to the couple's account and withdrew about €15,000 across various supermarkets within four days. Durst said his initial reaction to Omaze's visit was disbelief, admitting he first suspected another scam before realizing the house was genuinely theirs.

Minneapolis – September 15, 2026 -- A 15-minute shower was long enough for an Italian Mastiff puppy in Columbia, South Carolina, to pry open a drawer, chew through a bottle of naproxen, and go into kidney failure, according to Pet Poison Helpline.

One tablet of a common painkiller can be fatal to dogs and cats

Owner Jim Wren said his puppy, Phaedra, got into an old bottle of his grandmother's naproxen while he was out of the room. Naproxen, an over-the-counter NSAID used by humans for pain and inflammation, has a very narrow margin of safety in animals -- as little as one 220mg tablet can trigger severe symptoms or death, per Dr. Renee Schmid, senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline.

Woodstock – September 13, 2026 -- Terrabis will open McHenry County's first cannabis dispensary drive-thru at its Woodstock, Illinois location by the end of September, letting customers pick up online orders without leaving their cars.

The Woodstock drive-thru will run nearly around the clock

The new lane will operate from 6 a.m. to midnight on Sunday and Monday, and from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It marks Terrabis' second drive-thru in Illinois, following the state's first dual-window dispensary drive-thru, which opened at Terrabis Grayville on September 4.

CEO Dan Ambrosino says convenience drives the model

"Everything we do starts with the customer, and a drive-thru is simply the most convenient way for someone to pick up an order," said Ambrosino. He credited Woodstock Mayor Turner, the City Council, Joe Napolitano and the local building and planning department for helping move the project through approvals.