News

Washington – October 01, 2026 -- The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) has awarded $1.5 million in scholarships to 100 students across 46 colleges and universities, naming its Class of 2026 Scholars as the organization approaches its 40th anniversary.

Nearly three-quarters of scholars attend HBCUs

Close to 75% of the 2026 cohort are enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The group spans 46 institutions, including Howard University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Technology and finance dominate scholar academic fields

Twenty-five scholars are studying computer science, information technology, data or cybersecurity, while 22 are pursuing finance, investment or banking. Seventeen are focused on business, management or supply chain, and 10 are studying engineering.

Irvine, Calif. – October 01, 2026 -- U.S. home flippers earned a typical gross profit margin of 21.5 percent in the second quarter of 2026, down from 25.7 percent in the prior quarter and 27.6 percent a year earlier, according to ATTOM's Q2 2026 U.S. Home Flipping Report.

Investors flipped 77,991 single-family homes and condominiums in the quarter, representing 6.2 percent of all home sales nationwide. That flipping rate fell sharply from 8 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and from 7.3 percent in the second quarter of 2025, even though the raw volume of flips rose from 64,760 the previous quarter. Volume remained below the 80,477 flips recorded a year earlier.

Danbury, Conn. – October 01, 2026 -- 108 BioCapital is leading a $4 million investment in SedMed, Inc., a medical device maker whose non-electric toilet lift is already used across more than 40 hospital systems.

Funding targets commercial expansion and hospital studies

The capital will accelerate SedMed's commercial growth, expand distribution and channel partnerships, advance its intellectual property portfolio, and fund additional hospital-based studies, the company said. SedMed's flagship product attaches to most standard toilets and provides adjustable sit-to-stand assistance without electricity, batteries or bathroom remodeling, targeting older adults and individuals with mobility limitations.

Plano, Texas – October 01, 2026 -- Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) reported September 2026 U.S. sales of 201,306 vehicles, up 8.4 percent year-over-year, with electrified vehicles accounting for 58.2 percent of that volume.

September electrified vehicle sales surge 37.8 percent to 117,215 units

Electrified sales rose 37.8 percent on a volume basis and 32.2 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis in September compared to the same month in 2025. TMNA now offers 32 electrified vehicle options across the Toyota and Lexus brands.

Third-quarter electrified sales climb 28.5 percent to 363,367 units

For the third quarter, TMNA sold 633,223 vehicles total, up 0.6 percent on both volume and DSR bases versus Q3 2025. Electrified vehicles made up 57.4 percent of that quarterly volume, totaling 363,367 units sold, a 28.5 percent increase.

Rovaniemi, Finland – October 01, 2026 -- Finland has taken delivery of its first two permanently based F-35A fighter jets, bringing the total number of aircraft received under its order to 10 of 64 units. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) joined the Finnish Air Force for the arrival ceremony, which drew senior Finnish government and military officials alongside U.S. and allied representatives.

Finland now operates 10 of 64 contracted F-35A jets

Eight of the ten delivered aircraft remain temporarily stationed at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas, where Finnish pilots and maintainers are completing training ahead of the fleet's full introduction into national service. The two aircraft that landed in Finland mark the start of permanent domestic basing for the 5th Generation platform.

Alpharetta, Ga. – October 01, 2026 -- Kawneer Company, Inc. has appointed Kate Anderson as Chief Executive Officer and Timothy Montz as Chief Financial Officer, marking a critical step in the architectural aluminum manufacturer's transition to an independent operating company under continued ownership by funds managed by Apollo.

Kawneer targets full separation from parent structure by 2027

The leadership overhaul is tied to a transition process expected to span the next year, with Kawneer becoming a standalone operating entity by 2027 while remaining under the ownership of the Apollo Funds. The company is building out a fully independent operating system to support the shift, including a dedicated team structure aimed at customer support and long-term growth.

Seattle – October 01, 2026 -- Electric Era's energy management system correctly predicted all five of PJM's 2026 coincident peak (5CP) events, saving the company's EV fast-charging customers tens of thousands of dollars in capacity charges. The Seattle-based operator runs three fast-charging stations within PJM's grid territory, where utility tariffs retroactively set a site's annual capacity costs based on load during the five highest system-wide demand hours of the summer.

Electric Era's EMS forecast all five 2026 PJM peak events with 97% confidence

PJM gives grid operators no advance notice of its 5CP events, which occurred this year on July 1, July 2, July 15, July 16, and September 1, each between 5-6pm EDT. Electric Era's battery-backed system predicted the timing of all five events with 97% confidence, preconditioned onsite batteries ahead of each window, and dynamically throttled the station's grid draw during the critical hours.

Durham, N.C. – October 01, 2026 -- Agilicus has officially joined the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance (ISAGCA), the operational technology (OT) cybersecurity forum created by the International Society of Automation (ISA).

Agilicus aligns zero-trust remote access technology with ISA/IEC 62443 standards

The membership centers on Agilicus' zero trust and secure remote access technology, which the company states aligns with core principles of the ISA/IEC 62443 standards series, including identity and access management, least-privilege access, network segmentation and restricted data flows. Agilicus' platform provides authorized users with secure remote access to critical resources such as SCADA environments, reducing reliance on traditional perimeter-based security approaches.

Blair, Neb. – October 01, 2026 -- Rightfiber, the fiber broadband provider formerly known as Great Plains Communications, has completed its acquisition of American Broadband Holding Company's Fastwyre Broadband operations in Nebraska, adding 26 communities to its network footprint.

Rightfiber absorbs Fastwyre's 26 Nebraska communities into its network

The deal transfers Fastwyre customers in towns including Blair, Fremont, Bellevue, Wayne, Bassett, Oakland, Pender and Winnebago to Rightfiber, a company backed by investment firm Grain Management. Rightfiber now operates across 20 states with more than 28,000 route miles of fiber, supporting over 300,000 Fiber-to-the-Home passings and serving customers in more than 400 communities nationally.

Charlotte, N.C. – October 01, 2026 -- Lucid Bots has unveiled the Sherpa HighLine, a motorized rooftop pulley system that enabled its Sherpa drone to clean exterior surfaces at 280 feet above ground level, a height the company says marks the tallest drone-cleaning operation recorded in the United States.

Drone cleans 23-story Colorado casino tower at 8,000-foot elevation

The late-September operation took place at Monarch Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk, Colorado, on the property's 23-story hotel tower. The work was completed in partnership with BlackJet Drone Solutions, MG Cleaning Systems and Oklahoma Drone Technologies. Black Hawk sits roughly 8,000 feet above sea level, where lower-density air makes generating lift more demanding for aircraft.