United States

New York – September 23, 2026 -- World Animal Protection, working with Collective Fashion Justice, has released a new investigation called Blood Feathers, documenting undercover footage of ostrich feather farms in South Africa cutting feathers above the bloodline and later pulling them out with pliers.

South Africa produces 75% of the world's ostrich products, including feathers, meat and skin. In the 2024-25 season, 150,000 ostriches were slaughtered there for these trades, and more than 150 tonnes of feathers were exported globally.

Farms confirmed supplying feathers to YSL, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel and Shein

Investigators identified farms and processing facilities in the region that confirmed supplying feathers to these luxury houses and to fast-fashion retailer Shein. At one farm, birds were live-plucked every six months, a practice the industry itself refers to as producing 'blood feathers' because of the bleeding it causes.

Fly Creek, N.Y. – September 23, 2026 -- Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard has been voted the Best Cidery in the United States in the 2026 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, marking the second national #1 ranking for the Upstate New York destination in three years.

The historic mill, located three miles from Cooperstown, previously topped the same list in 2024 and placed third in 2025. The USA TODAY 10Best competition nominated leading cideries nationwide, with rankings decided entirely by public vote.

The mill still runs on 19th-century water power

Built in 1856, Fly Creek presses cider using an 1889 Boomer & Boschert rack-and-cloth press. The equipment is powered by an 1872 water turbine that harnesses a 10-foot head of water from the on-site Millpond, letting visitors watch cider being made the same way it was generations ago.

Plymouth, Mich. – September 23, 2026 -- Stardock has introduced Snipboard, a new clipboard manager for Windows built around a dock-style interface for accessing, organizing, and reusing copied content.

A visual dock replaces traditional clipboard history

Snipboard displays copied text, links, images, files, and folders as recognizable cards rather than a plain list. The dock can be positioned on any side of a monitor and stays out of the way until needed, offering quick access to clipboard history, search, and pinned content.

Frequent items can be pinned for reuse

Users can pin frequently used text, links, and images so they remain available even as new content is copied, turning the clipboard into a persistent productivity tool rather than a temporary holding spot.

Big Bear Lake – September 23, 2026 -- Big Bear Valley will host a two-day community event, Wings Over Big Bear, on Oct. 3-4 to honor Jackie, the wild bald eagle who became a global icon through a live nest camera before her death in August.

Jackie made her home in Big Bear Valley and was followed by millions worldwide via the Friends of Big Bear Valley nest camera, where viewers watched her and her mate, Shadow, nest and raise their young above Big Bear Lake for years. In July, she was found weak and unable to fly near Big Bear Lake and was rescued. After more than three weeks of intensive care, treatment and testing, she died Aug. 10 at age 14.

New York – September 23, 2026 -- Janie and Jack closed out New York Fashion Week with its first-ever runway show on Saturday, September 19, at The Crosby Street Hotel in New York City, presenting its Fall Collection alongside a 12-look capsule curated by British fashion journalist Louise Roe.

The presentation, called The Louise Roe Edit, blended American heritage with English countryside style through tailored suiting, statement dresses, heritage plaids, cable knits and outerwear on children models.

The Louise Roe Edit features eight girls' looks and four boys' looks for fall

Roe's curation combines florals, gingham, cable knits and tailored pieces meant to reflect countryside weekends, first days of school and family celebrations. Roe has a personal history with the brand, having dressed her eldest daughter in Janie and Jack clothing when bringing her home from the hospital.

Stamford, Connecticut – September 23, 2026 -- Families in Stamford, Connecticut, can calculate the right amount of life insurance by weighing household income, outstanding debts, and future expenses, according to insurance expert Burak Kaya of The Wright Agency.

Income replacement forms the foundation of coverage decisions

Kaya explains that life insurance is designed to replace lost income if a primary earner dies unexpectedly. For a two-parent household with young children, coverage often needs to stretch far enough to cover the mortgage, childcare, utilities, and food for several years while the family adjusts.

Debts and loans must be factored into the total

Mortgages, car loans, credit card balances, and personal loans all add to the amount a family should insure. Including these obligations in the calculation prevents surviving family members from absorbing that debt on their own.

New York – September 23, 2026 -- MyRecipes, a People Inc. brand, has launched a namesake app now available on the App Store and Google Play, offering more than 100,000 recipes pulled from brands including Allrecipes, Better Homes & Gardens, EatingWell, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Serious Eats, and Southern Living.

The app's standout feature lets users save recipes found on Instagram, TikTok, and thousands of other food sites, storing them in one searchable place so they don't get lost in a social feed.

The app organizes recipes by skill level and occasion

Content spans breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, snacks, desserts, cocktails, mocktails, and smoothies, alongside recipes from chefs including Bobby Flay, Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis, and Julia Child. New test-kitchen approved recipes are added daily, and editors curate more than 100 themed collections, such as Great Game Day Snacks and Top-Rated High Protein Dinners.

Hoboken – September 23, 2026 -- Dove launched Back Her Game, a nationwide contest offering one girls' sports team a trip to Brazil for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, running from September 23 through October 4, 2026.

Coaches enter by posting a video showing team confidence

Eligible adult head or assistant coaches of current girls' sports teams, with players ages 13 to 18 in the 50 U.S. states or D.C., can enter by posting a public video on Instagram or TikTok. Entries must tag @dove and include #KeepHerConfident and #Contest in the caption, following official rules posted at unileversweepsrules.com/dovecontest.

Louisville, Colo. – September 23, 2026 -- Homeowners across Boulder County are increasingly hiring a single design-build team rather than separate architects and contractors to handle outdoor living projects, according to insights from Klint Reiber of Colorado Custom Decks & Mosaic Outdoor Living in Louisville.

The region's shifting foothill winds, changing storm drainage patterns, and steep elevation changes make outdoor construction more technically demanding than it appears. A unified team studies these conditions early, guiding material and layout choices that hold up across seasons rather than failing under local stress.

Colorado Springs, Colo. – September 23, 2026 -- Homeowners planning decks, patios, or backyard renovations in Colorado Springs face a distinct challenge: intense sun, sudden wind gusts, and shifting elevation-driven weather that can undermine poorly built outdoor structures. A new HelloNation feature draws on insights from Klint Reiber of Colorado Custom Decks & Mosaic Outdoor Living to explain what separates a reliable outdoor living partner from a risky hire.

Local experience shapes material and timing decisions

The article notes that teams with decades of work in the region understand how elevation affects material performance, how seasonal weather dictates construction scheduling, and how wind patterns should inform structural choices. Homeowners in nearby Monument face similar conditions, making that regional knowledge equally relevant there.