General News

Battle Creek, Mich. – October 07, 2026 -- DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, Inc. (DMMI) donated $250,000 to the Battle Creek Housing Fund on Oct. 7, marking 40 years of operations and reinforcing the automotive supplier's role as Calhoun County's largest employer.

DMMI grew from 200 workers to a 1.38 million-square-foot plant employing over 2,000

Production at DMMI began July 1, 1986, as DENSO's first manufacturing facility in North America. The site has since expanded into a 1.38 million-square-foot operation with more than 2,000 team members producing automotive thermal technologies for carmakers across the region.

Miami – – October 07, 2026 -- League One Volleyball (LOVB) has named the ownership group for LOVB Miami, its 10th professional team and South Florida's only major women's professional sports franchise, set to debut in the 2026-27 season as a founding member of LOVB Pro's new Eastern Conference.

Ownership group spans finance, sports and entertainment sectors

The group is anchored by Suprette, Jett Sports, Fifth Down Capital, Chase and Stephanie Coleman, and Jackie Garcia, mother of UNC volleyball player Jackie Taylor. It also includes owners tied to the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, MLB's Tampa Bay Rays, and the NWSL's North Carolina Courage, bringing cross-league franchise experience to the venture.

Marlborough, Mass. – October 07, 2026 -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) has appointed Joseph M. Fitzgerald as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1, 2027, a move paired with a restructuring of the company into three reportable business segments.

Boston Scientific splits operations into Interventional Therapies, Rhythm Solutions and MedSurg

The new segment structure takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Interventional Therapies will combine the Interventional Cardiology, Vascular Therapies, and Interventional Oncology & Embolization businesses, and will absorb the Penumbra business once that acquisition closes. Rhythm Solutions will house Electrophysiology, WATCHMAN, and Cardiac Rhythm Management & Diagnostics. MedSurg will encompass Endoscopy, Urology and Neuromodulation.

San Jose, Calif. – October 07, 2026 -- Secondhand shopping has become a monthly habit for 47% of global consumers, up from 35% in 2025, according to eBay's 2026 Recommerce Report released today.

Household budgets now lean on resale, survey of 10,500 consumers shows

The report, based on surveys of more than 10,500 consumers and over 1,700 eBay sellers, found 70% of global shoppers consider secondhand buying important for managing household budgets. Some 76% say they shopped for secondhand goods in the past year, and 89% plan to spend the same or more on recommerce next year.

Cary, N.C. – October 07, 2026 -- Solar electrification at rural Ugandan health clinics has driven a 107.3% increase in attended births, according to a data analysis conducted by SAS employee volunteers for nonprofit Let There Be Light International.

Electrified clinics gain nearly 12 additional operating hours per day

The SAS-led Data for Good project found electrified clinics reported an average of 11.5 additional operating hours daily, alongside 48.9 more patients served each week. Volunteer teams analyzed more than a decade of clinic and household data to quantify outcomes tied to solar installations under the organization's Safe Births + Healthy Homes program.

Cleveland – October 07, 2026 -- Tim Hortons posted the fastest drive-thru service among major quick-service chains with an average total time of 4 minutes and 20 seconds, according to the 26th annual QSR Drive-Thru Report released by QSR magazine in partnership with Intouch Insight.

AI ordering cuts hospitality cues, study finds

The report, based on thousands of data points and mystery-shopper evaluations, found that when artificial intelligence handled drive-thru ordering, employee behaviors such as saying "thank you" and displaying a pleasant demeanor declined significantly. The findings point to a widening gap between operational automation and guest experience as more chains deploy AI at the order window.

Starbucks tops order accuracy rankings

Starbucks led competitors on order accuracy, a metric the report identifies as critical to customer satisfaction alongside speed and convenience.

Zoetermeer, Netherlands – October 07, 2026 -- ORTEC has been named a Representative Vendor in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling (VRS), a report published July 17, 2026 by Gartner analysts Nathan Lease and Zee Zakaria.

Gartner Ties VRS Demand to Emissions Rules and Supply Chain Disruption

Gartner defines a VRS solution as an application that creates vehicle routes and schedules while minimizing fleet costs and mileage under multiple constraints. The research firm attributes continued market growth to supply chain disruptions, government emissions regulations and the expansion of delivery models.

Santa Barbara, Calif. – October 07, 2026 -- California Lutheran University's Center for Nonprofit Leadership will stage a free, three-hour media-training workshop for Santa Barbara County nonprofit staff and board members on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, funded by the Santa Barbara Foundation.

Marketing Maven CEO Lindsey Carnett leads the three-part session on earned media strategy

Carnett, who heads the integrated marketing and PR agency Marketing Maven and also lectures at Cal Lutheran's Center for Nonprofit Leadership, will run the 9 a.m.-to-noon program titled "Building Media Visibility For Your Nonprofit: PR Strategies That Get Results." The workshop takes place at the Santa Barbara Foundation's South County office, 1111 Chapala Street, Suite 200.

JOHANNESBURG – October 07, 2026 -- Roche Diagnostics has delivered two molecular testing instruments to the Institut National de Santé Publique (INSP) to expand Ebola testing capacity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as confirmed cases from the Bundibugyo virus outbreak reached 8,067 with 3,901 deaths as of September 28, 2026.

Case fatality rate hits 48.4% across 60 health zones

UN Health Authority data cited by Roche puts the outbreak's case fatality rate at 48.4% across six provinces, with the World Health Organization classifying the risk level in the DRC as very high and maintaining the event as a public health emergency of international concern.

Apple Valley, Minn. – October 07, 2026 -- Great River Greening, GF and the Minnesota Twins are expanding their multi-year water restoration partnership to a 31-acre site at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, Minnesota, marking the second year of a joint sustainability initiative targeting high-impact locations across the Twin Cities metro.

Volunteers target 31 acres of buckthorn-degraded forest at Wood Lake Nature Center

On Oct. 7, volunteers from the three organizations will plant native forbs into a moist prairie within the 150-acre nature reserve, which features three miles of trails and boardwalk used for wildlife observation and environmental education. The restoration addresses forb diversity loss and buckthorn encroachment that has crowded out native shrubs and threatens the forest's understory layer, a condition partners say puts local water quality at risk.