Glendale – October 15, 2026 -- Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs have surged over the past year because regulatory changes made routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights realistic for police departments, according to a Vertical Magazine feature.

Regulatory change removes the federal waiver bottleneck

BVLOS operations were previously a special-case exception that required lengthy federal waivers. Under the new rules, departments can fly them routinely, which is the main driver behind the program growth the feature documents across multiple agencies.

Departments report faster scene assessment and lower officer risk

Agencies running DFR programs cite three benefits: faster scene assessment, reduced officer risk on unclear calls, and the ability to clear low-priority calls remotely once a drone confirms nothing further is needed.

Bel Air – October 15, 2026 -- Jeffrey S. Rink, Executive Vice President of Harford Mutual Insurance Group, has joined the Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation Board, adding a healthcare philanthropy role to a career spanning more than 35 years in insurance.

Rink brings 17 years of Harford Mutual experience to the foundation board

Rink joined Harford Mutual in 2009 and has served as Executive Vice President since 2021. The company credits him with helping guide its strategic growth and community engagement efforts during his tenure.

Prior board roles include presidency of The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region's governing board

Rink previously served on The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region's Foundation Board. He also held leadership positions on its Governing Board, including Vice President and President.

He also volunteers with Harford Family House, where he serves on the Annual Golf Outing Committee.

Mesa, Ariz. – October 15, 2026 -- Versaterm DroneSense customers will receive FAA Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) airspace authorizations directly inside the platform at no additional cost, as part of their existing subscriptions.

DroneSense becomes an FAA-approved LAANC Secondary Data Service Provider

The integration connects Versaterm DroneSense to Versaterm Aloft. Aloft is an FAA-approved UAS Service Supplier (USS) that, per the company, processes the majority of LAANC authorizations. Through that connection, DroneSense now holds status as an FAA-approved LAANC Secondary Data Service Provider.

Public safety agencies can request and receive authorizations without manual FAA coordination or separate applications.

Toronto – October 15, 2026 -- Orvana Minerals Corp. produced 45,160 gold equivalent ounces (GEO) in fiscal 2026, with its Spanish Orovalle mine beating gold guidance while the Bolivian EMIPA unit fell far short of its withdrawn targets.

Orovalle exceeds gold guidance at 37,775 ounces

Orovalle produced 37,775 ounces of gold in FY2026, about 2% above the top of its 34,000 to 37,000 ounce guidance range. Copper output of 2.9 million pounds landed within the 2.7 to 3.0 million pound range. The mine processed 518,525 tonnes of ore and produced 43,074 GEO, including 100,255 ounces of silver.

In Q4, Orovalle poured 10,347 ounces of gold, up 7% on the prior quarter, on a 10% higher gold grade and a 0.8% recovery gain. Copper output rose 17% to 0.8 million pounds on a 13% grade increase and 7% better recovery. Tonnes milled fell 3%. Orvana attributed the grade shifts to changing oxide and skarn proportions and blending sequences.

Green Island – October 15, 2026 -- Princess Hotels & Resorts Jamaica collected 11 industry awards across its two Hanover properties during World Travel Week Jamaica 2026, spanning luxury, weddings, meetings and culinary categories.

Eight World Travel Awards go to both resorts across Caribbean and Jamaica categories

The 33rd Annual World Travel Awards Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony delivered eight of the 11 honors. Princess Grand Jamaica won Caribbean's Leading Resort 2026, Caribbean's Leading Conference Hotel 2026 and Jamaica's Leading Resort 2026.

Princess Senses The Mangrove took the remaining five: Caribbean's Leading Adult-Only All-Inclusive Resort, Caribbean's Leading Water Villa Resort, Caribbean's Leading Wedding Resort, Jamaica's Leading Wedding Resort and Jamaica's Leading Hotel Suite, the last for its Presidential Suite.

Los Angeles – October 15, 2026 -- TIME has named von Holzhausen's Liquidplant®, a plant-based alternative to petroleum plastics, to its 2026 list of Best Inventions, which features 300 innovations. The company is building a manufacturing facility in Georgia to scale production.

Liquidplant® is built as a drop-in material for existing manufacturing lines

Liquidplant® starts as a plant-based polymer pellet produced through patented green chemistry. Manufacturers can convert it into different forms using existing processes, so it needs no new tooling or production methods.

The material targets conventional performance plastics, including EVA, TPU, PEBA, polyethylene and silicone. Applications range from footwear and wearable technology to injection-molded components.

Sacramento – October 15, 2026 -- Calkin Public Affairs, which has grown to 13 public affairs strategists in less than two years, received two awards from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) California Capital Chapter.

Calkin Public Affairs named Influential Agency of the Year after growing to 13 strategists

The firm grew from founder Kelly Calkin and a team of three to 13 strategists. The expansion widened its reach across California and let it take on both government and private sector clients. Its practices span water, energy, environmental policy and transportation.

The award recognizes an agency that elevates the communications profession and sets a benchmark for excellence.

Larkspur, Calif. – October 15, 2026 -- Energy Substantiation has listed WTIC, a token backed 1:1 by physical WTI crude oil, on LMAX Digital, giving institutional investors spot access to physically backed crude through a regulated digital asset venue. LMAX Digital is part of LMAX Group.

LMAX Digital joins Uniswap and BingX as a WTIC trading venue

The listing adds an institutional execution venue to a WTIC ecosystem that already includes Uniswap and BingX. Energy Substantiation says it broadens access to physical crude oil through digital asset markets.

Each WTIC token represents one barrel of WTI crude and is backed 1:1 by verified physical WTI inventory. The underlying oil remains in established commercial custody, with independent verification of the physical backing.

Las Vegas – October 15, 2026 -- Thrive Aviation plans to add four to six HondaJet HA-420s and two to four Bombardier Challenger 3500s each year as it builds a new fractional ownership fleet, the company said as it released the first photos of the aircraft in its custom livery.

Thrive launches fractional program with two aircraft types

The program starts with the HondaJet HA-420 for regional trips and the Challenger 3500 for longer routes with more passengers. Thrive developed it with Arulean Air, a Honda Aircraft Company subsidiary. Both aircraft carry Thrive's livery.

Thrive disclosed a strategic partnership and minority investment from Arulean Air in September 2026. Under the structure, Thrive operates and manages the program, from client relationship management to flight operations. Arulean Air acquires the aircraft for the fractional fleet.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- Travelers will let AI monitor hotel rates (63%) and translate in real time (56%), but only 44% want it planning itineraries and 41% want it personalizing their room, according to a Mews survey of 3,250 travelers.

The dividing line is whether a task is a chore or a choice. Price alerts and translation require accuracy and speed rather than personal knowledge of the guest. Itineraries and room setup are personal, and 57% of respondents would rather stay in control of their trip than hand decisions to an AI acting on their behalf.

Guests accept AI on shared data but resist inferred data

Travelers are more comfortable with AI using information they knowingly gave a hotel: 61% accept stated preferences and 56% accept past stay history. Acceptance falls for data collected about them, to 43% for online behavior and 34% for external and social data.