News

Washington – September 15, 2026 -- The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released new research identifying which telematics metrics deliver the greatest value to motor carriers, exposing a gap between what fleets currently measure and what actually drives safety and operational gains.

Cost-per-mile ranks as top operations metric despite limited adoption

The report, titled "From Telematics Data to Decisions: High-Value Performance Metrics for Trucking Operations," found that managing cost-per-mile scored highest for importance among operations KPIs, yet only 73 percent of surveyed carriers currently track it.

Four safety metrics dominate current fleet adoption

Critical events, speeding, risky driving behavior and hard braking emerged as the four most widely used safety-related KPIs among motor carriers surveyed for the study.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – September 15, 2026 -- Sparkle Grooming Co. has raised $6 million in strategic growth financing led by Companion Fund, the venture capital vehicle managed by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare, as the dog grooming franchise surpasses 600 licenses awarded to multi-unit partners in just 24 months.

Franchise pipeline expands to 600 licenses in two years

The Scottsdale-based company, which created what it calls the Quick-Service Pet Care (QSPC) category, currently operates 10 salons and plans to have at least 20 open by the end of 2026. More than 30 additional salon openings are planned for 2027, with the company continuing to court select multi-unit franchise partners in priority markets.

Norwalk, Connecticut – September 15, 2026 -- Bitmine Immersion Technologies (NYSE: BMNR) reported total crypto, cash and moonshot holdings of $15.7 billion as of September 7, 2026, driven by 5,929,198 ETH tokens valued at $2,495 apiece.

Bitmine holds 4.9% of Ethereum's total supply, nearing its 5% accumulation target

The company's ETH position represents 4.9% of Ethereum's 122 million token supply, putting Bitmine 97% of the way toward what Chairman Thomas Lee calls the '5% Alchemy' goal, reached in 15 months since the treasury strategy launched on June 30, 2025. The portfolio also includes 211 bitcoin, a $180 million stake in Beast Industries, a $91 million stake in Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS), and $593 million in cash and marketable securities.

Denver – – September 15, 2026 -- Kaiser Permanente is committing more than $5 million over the next three years to Colorado school districts, targeting rising student chronic absence and staff burnout that have strained education budgets statewide.

Kaiser Permanente Targets Chronic Absence Tied to Health Conditions

The multiyear investment addresses chronic absence rates in Colorado schools that run higher than the national average, a trend the insurer links to underlying health conditions. Districts currently lack granular data to identify why students are missing class, limiting their ability to intervene before absences compound into long-term health and academic setbacks.

Miami – – September 15, 2026 -- WLRN Public Media has named Carlton Gillespie, a 2026 National Edward R. Murrow Award winner, as the new permanent host of The Florida Roundup, its flagship weekly public affairs program, as the show enters its second decade on air.

Gillespie rises from newsroom intern to lead statewide weekly program

Gillespie began his WLRN career as an intern before becoming the station's Broward County Bureau Reporter, covering government, elections, education, housing, public safety and culture. He had already served as a recurring contributor, guest and fill-in host on The Florida Roundup before taking the permanent host role.

Newark, NJ – September 15, 2026 -- New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) has listed two rehabilitated single-family homes on Cortland Street in Newark's Ironbound at $384,900 each, roughly $50,000 below an estimated market value of $435,000, under a $2.625 million state appropriation sponsored by Legislative District 29.

State funding totals $2.625 million across two fiscal years

Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin sponsored the resolution restoring $1,125,000 for the program in the FY27 State Budget, building on a $1,500,000 allocation secured in FY26. Assemblywoman Shanique Speight joined the two in directing the combined funds to Newark housing stability efforts.

Los Angeles – September 15, 2026 -- Twenty-five of 38 organizations that filed Supreme Court briefs supporting ExxonMobil and Suncor in a pending climate-liability case have documented financial ties to fossil fuel defendants, the broader oil industry, or dark-money networks, according to a new investigation from Consumer Watchdog.

Consumer Watchdog Ties 66% of Amicus Filers to Fossil Fuel Funding Networks

The report, "A Field Guide to Fossil Fuel Front Groups: Coordinating a Supreme Court Campaign to Shield Big Oil," maps funding overlaps among groups backing Exxon and Suncor ahead of oral arguments set for October 5 in Suncor Energy Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners of Boulder County. The case will determine whether U.S. communities can use state law to hold fossil fuel companies liable for allegedly misleading the public on climate change and shifting climate-related costs onto taxpayers.

ATLANTA – September 15, 2026 -- Filmmaker and streaming entrepreneur Mann Robinson is launching Urban Operas, a new vertical streaming platform built around 15 original micro dramas produced by his team, with the app set to appear on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in November 2026 ahead of an official Winter 2026 launch.

Urban Operas targets underserved audiences with culturally connected, mobile-first drama series

The platform operates under the tagline "Stories That Know Us," offering serialized dramas designed for short, fast-moving mobile viewing. Storylines will center on crime, family, betrayal, ambition, money, power, and romance, themes Robinson says remain underserved in the expanding vertical entertainment marketplace.

San Antonio – – September 15, 2026 -- PayrollOrg will host its 2026 Payroll Leaders Conference (PLC) from Sept. 14-16 at the Kimpton Santo San Antonio - Riverwalk hotel, bringing together payroll executives for three days of leadership training and strategic education.

Tesla executive closes conference with session on accuracy and accountability systems

The conference opens with leadership expert Pegine addressing strategic decision-making amid organizational chaos and command-presence communication. Carolyn Hayden-Garner, a global executive at Tesla, will close the event with a session on the systems governing accuracy and accountability within payroll organizations.

Atlanta – September 15, 2026 -- IPitomy Communications LLC, a subsidiary of Clarion Communications LLC, posted record first-half 2026 results, with adjusted EBITDA climbing 32.8% year-over-year.

Revenue and margins hit first-half highs

Revenue rose 6.4% year-over-year in 1H '26, while gross margin increased 2.6% over the same period. Sales bookings grew 10.9% year-over-year, marking the strongest first-half sales pipeline in the company's history.

IPitomy CEO cites disciplined execution behind growth

"We delivered a strong start to fiscal 2026, exceeding our goals for revenue, adj EBITDA, gross margin and sales pipeline, while continuing to build momentum across the business," said IPitomy CEO Joseph Haines, Sr.