General News

Los Angeles – September 26, 2026 -- Six families displaced by the January 2025 Eaton Fire moved into rebuilt homes in Altadena's La Viña neighborhood this September, just six months after Brookfield Residential broke ground on the project on September 26, 2026.

The pace stands in sharp contrast to the broader rebuilding effort in the fire zone. According to CBS News, only about 1% of Altadena homes have been rebuilt in the 18 months since the Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed more than 16,000 structures. The L.A. County Recovers dashboard reported 100 Altadena homes fully rebuilt and 2,981 building permits issued as of September 26, 2026.

Chicago – September 26, 2026 -- The Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) brought its U.S. workshop series back to Chicago on Sept. 16, 2026, ending a seven-year absence from the Midwest market and drawing 53 local travel industry representatives.

Taiwan logged a record 710,000 U.S. visitors in 2025

Nearly 60% of those arrivals were tourism-driven, the TTA reported, a record high for the destination. The agency credited strong air connectivity, with more than 200 weekly round-trip flights linking Taiwan to 13 major North American cities.

Repeat visitors matched pre-pandemic peak at 42.25% of arrivals

Through its "Tourism Dual-Wheel Drive Program," the TTA is courting repeat visitors, MICE travelers extending stays for leisure, and incentive travel groups. The 42.25% repeat-visitor share in 2025 equaled the pre-pandemic high recorded in 2019.

Belleville, Ill. – September 26, 2026 -- Illinois American Water processes approximately 275 water samples per day at its Central Laboratory in Belleville, Illinois, as part of a structured source water protection program tied to the American Water Works Association's Source Water Protection Week, running September 27 to October 3.

Utility relies on multiple river and aquifer systems to supply 1.3 million customers

The company draws from the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, the Vermillion River headwaters, and groundwater resources including the Mahomet Aquifer to serve its Illinois service territory. Rebecca Losli, President of Illinois American Water, said high-quality drinking water originates upstream in shared landscapes rather than at treatment plants.

Lexington – September 26, 2026 -- Kentucky American Water restored water service to approximately 200 homes in Harlan County within 50 hours after flash flooding tore water lines from the ground in the Ages and Brookside communities.

Crews replace damaged mains after flood destroys Black Mountain Utility District infrastructure

Company crews and contractors deployed to assist Black Mountain Utility District, replacing damaged water mains, service lines and other infrastructure while clearing several tons of mud from the affected system. Kentucky American Water also distributed bottled water to residents during the crisis.

Toronto – September 26, 2026 -- LUG Sports Group Inc. has placed No. 146 out of 375 companies on Report on Business magazine's 2026 list of Canada's Top Growing Companies, marking its second consecutive year on the ranking.

LUG posts 174% three-year revenue growth to secure repeat ranking

The list ranks Canadian businesses on three-year revenue growth, and LUG qualified with a 174% increase over that period and a 239% growth rate over five years. The company also placed No. 5 on the Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation category list.

Bethesda, Md. – September 26, 2026 -- Stayntouch has completed a phased migration of all seven Imperial London Hotels properties onto its cloud property management system, culminating in the cutover of the 1,379-room Royal National Hotel, the largest hotel in Western Europe.

Royal National Hotel becomes largest property on Stayntouch's EMEA platform

The Royal National Hotel's onboarding marks the largest property to join Stayntouch in EMEA to date, demonstrating the platform's capacity to run enterprise-scale operations alongside boutique properties within the same portfolio.

Los Angeles – September 26, 2026 -- Stand8 has expanded its nearshore operations in Mexico to deliver 24x7 Service Desk, Network Operations Center, and technology operations support for large enterprise clients, aligning bilingual technical teams with U.S. operating hours and global service schedules.

Stand8 deploys bilingual Mexico-based teams to cut pressure on onshore support staff

The nearshore model integrates directly into clients' existing platforms, service-level agreements, and governance frameworks, giving enterprises continuous coverage without ceding visibility or control over service delivery. Teams operate within established client workflows, tools, and escalation paths rather than replacing existing structures.

New York – September 26, 2026 -- The Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) launched a three-city U.S. workshop series in New York, drawing more than 70 local travel industry representatives and media, before continuing to Chicago and Los Angeles.

Taiwan returns to the Midwest travel trade after a seven-year absence

The delegation, comprising Taiwanese travel agencies, hotels and airlines, marked Taiwan's re-entry into the Chicago market for the first time in seven years as part of the workshop tour.

U.S. arrivals to Taiwan hit 710,000 in 2025, a record for tourism-purpose travel

More than 710,000 U.S. visitors traveled to Taiwan in 2025, with nearly 60% citing tourism as their purpose -- a record high for the destination. Taiwan's air connectivity underpins this volume, with more than 200 weekly round-trip flights linking the island to 13 major North American cities.

New York – September 26, 2026 -- The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) has opened registration for a new public speaker program, "FIT Future//Forward Conversations," pairing sitting executives from Kering, Givaudan and Spin Master with President Jason Schupbach and industry journalists in a bid to position the SUNY-affiliated college as a hub for creative-industry dialogue.

The initiative splits into two tracks: a Presidential Speaker Series featuring CEOs and presidents in one-on-one conversation with Schupbach, and an Innovation Speaker Series pairing journalists with designers and creators. Both are free, open to the public, and will be livestreamed with recordings archived for remote audiences.

Washington – September 26, 2026 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior has appointed Dr. Robert "Robbie" Kröger, founder and executive director of The Origins Foundation, to the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and Access Council, the agency announced Sept. 21.

Kröger joins the council as a primary member representing wildlife-associated recreation interests

The federal advisory council delivers recommendations through the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting and shooting sports, conservation partnerships and public land access.