News

Linden, N.J. – – September 29, 2026 -- Members of Teamsters Local 877 at the Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery voted by a 92 percent margin to authorize a strike, putting the largest oil refinery on the East Coast at risk of a labor disruption as its current contract expires Oct. 1.

385 process and mechanical workers reject proposed safety and probation changes

The bargaining unit covers 385 process and mechanical workers who are pushing for higher wages, stronger benefits and reliable paid time off. Phillips 66 has proposed shortening the current 30-month training period and reducing qualification requirements, according to the union. Management also proposed extending probationary status tied to qualification milestones that could take up to six years to complete, replacing the existing 10-month probationary period.

Akron, Ohio – September 29, 2026 -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) declared a quarterly dividend of 46.5 cents per share of outstanding common stock, payable December 1, 2026.

Board sets record date for shareholder payout

Shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 6, 2026, will be eligible to receive the payment. The declaration was approved by FirstEnergy's Board of Directors.

Utility serves more than 6 million customers across six states

FirstEnergy's electric distribution companies form one of the largest investor-owned electric systems in the United States, serving over 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines linking the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Pine Bluff, Ark. – September 29, 2026 -- Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ: SFNC) will release third quarter 2026 earnings after market close on Thursday, October 15, 2026.

Management Sets October 16 Conference Call for Investors

The bank holding company's executives will host a live conference call at 7:30 a.m. Central Time on Friday, October 16, to review quarterly results with analysts and shareholders. Interested parties can join by dialing toll-free 1-844-481-2779 within North America and referencing conference ID 10212015.

The call will also stream live via the Investor Relations section of simmonsbank.com, with a recorded version accessible for at least 60 days following the session.

Pittsburgh – September 29, 2026 -- Wesco International (NYSE: WCC) has secured the #24 spot on Fortune Magazine's AIQ 75, a ranking of the top 75 Fortune 500 companies for their readiness and ability to deploy AI at scale.

Fortune ranks Wesco among top 75 companies for enterprise AI maturity

The AIQ 75 ranking combines measures of enterprise AI maturity with real-world evidence of AI investment and application. Evaluations were conducted by Fortune in partnership with Enterprise Technology Research (ETR), leveraging ServiceNow's Enterprise AI Maturity Index to assess AI investments, outcomes and industry reputation.

Governance and agent control determine competitive positioning on the list

Fortune stated that companies on the AIQ 75 list place governance and visibility at the center of their AI strategy, using context and control of their AI agents to deliver measurable results.

Cincinnati – September 29, 2026 -- Beth and Phillip Dow, franchisees of Home Helpers Home Care in Newnan, Georgia, have been named 2026 Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association, an honor they also received in 2015.

Newnan franchise projects $4.5 million in revenue for 2026

The Dows' operation, now in its 19th year, employs 150 caregivers and 14 operations staff serving 112 clients. The award was presented during the IFA26 Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., held Sept. 14-16, with a formal luncheon on Sept. 15.

Franchisees expand into Canton, Georgia market

Last month the Dows opened Home Helpers Home Care of Canton, Georgia, extending their footprint beyond the original Newnan territory ahead of their 20th anniversary with the brand next year.

Washington – – September 29, 2026 -- Fannie Mae has completed the sale of its twenty-eighth Community Impact Pool (CIP) of non-performing loans, with VRMTG ACQ, LLC emerging as the winning bidder for a package of 24 loans carrying $6,200,360 in unpaid principal balance.

Dallas-Fort Worth pool draws cover bid at 94.07% of unpaid balance

The single pool, geographically concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was originally announced on August 19, 2026, and is scheduled to close on November 19, 2026. The average loan size in the pool stood at $258,348, with a weighted average note rate of 4.26% and a weighted average broker's price opinion loan-to-value ratio of 59%. The cover bid -- the second-highest offer received -- came in at 94.0740% of UPB, equivalent to 55.22% of BPO value.

Englewood, Colo. – – September 29, 2026 -- Footprints Floors founder and CEO Bryan Park has been named one of the Denver Business Journal's Most Admired CEOs of 2026, marking a milestone for the flooring franchise he built from a single Colorado operation into a national network of more than 150 territories.

Air Force veteran built franchise from 2008 financial crisis into 150-territory network

Park founded Footprints Floors in 2008 during the financial crisis, spotting a gap for greater transparency and reliability in flooring installation. He structured the business around a lower-overhead model in which customers buy materials directly from vendors of their choice while the company manages professional installation, avoiding traditional showroom and inventory costs.

Kohler, Wisconsin -- Kohler, Wisconsin will host the No Tees Tour on October 1, 2026, staging a head-to-head short-game competition at The Baths of Blackwolf Run beginning at 5:00 p.m. CT.

Kohler becomes one of four host destinations for the emerging golf format

The resort will provide luxury accommodations for the competing field while its facilities at The Baths of Blackwolf Run host the tour's signature short-game showdowns. Thirty-two professional golfers, athletes, entertainers and digital creators will compete in the event, which is open to resort guests.

Woburn, Mass. – – September 29, 2026 -- Cytrellis Biosystems, Inc. has signed a commercialization agreement with KoreAx Co. Ltd. to launch its ellacor skin-removal device in South Korea, marking the company's second international market entry of 2026 after Australia.

South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety cleared ellacor in 2025

Ellacor is described as the first and only FDA-cleared, minimally invasive, in-office procedure that removes sagging skin without surgery or thermal energy. The device uses Micro-Coring technology and is approved for adults aged 22 and older with Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV.

Baltimore – – September 29, 2026 -- Caracal Products & Services has opened a 9,000-square-foot recycling hub in Baltimore to process discarded medical plastics for regional health systems, expanding its East Coast network of facilities.

Facility anchors a recycling partnership with Johns Hopkins Health System

The warehouse, located at 2-6 Alco Place, will serve as the operational base for a recycling program Caracal has launched with Johns Hopkins Health System. The site houses industrial balers that compress polypropylene and polyethylene waste from hospitals into bales onsite before shipment to recyclers, where the material is shredded, melted and reformed into plastic pellets for new healthcare-grade products.