General News

San Antonio – September 20, 2026 -- Frost & Sullivan has awarded Chunghwa Telecom its 2026 Taiwanese Customer Value Leadership Recognition in the AI-powered customer services industry, citing measurable operational gains from the carrier's in-house AI technology stack.

Frost & Sullivan benchmarks Chunghwa Telecom on business impact and customer impact

The research firm's evaluation process scored the company across two core dimensions, finding it excelled in aligning AI innovation with customer requirements while executing scalable deployment models with proven operational expertise.

New York – September 20, 2026 -- Blockboard has been named a finalist in two categories at the 2026 Digiday Technology Awards, marking its third consecutive year as a finalist for Best Buy-Side Programmatic Platform and its first-year recognition for BlockVantage in the Best AI Tool category.

Blockboard defends programmatic platform status after 2025 win

The company won the Best Buy-Side Programmatic Platform category in 2025, and this year's finalist nomination extends its run to three straight years of recognition in the category. Blockboard was cited for its work on 'Development of Verified AI Media,' which pairs artificial intelligence with trust-verified technology to help advertisers plan, execute and measure campaigns across connected TV, online video, display, mobile and audio.

Ontario, Calif. – September 20, 2026 -- Ontario International Airport (ONT) has secured the No. 2 spot among North America's medium-sized airports in the J.D. Power 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study for the second consecutive year, posting a customer satisfaction score of 705, just seven points behind the top-ranked facility.

ONT tops rankings in arrival experience and passenger trust

The airport claimed the No. 1 position in two of the study's key categories: Arrival/From Airport Experience and 'level of trust.' The J.D. Power study evaluates passenger satisfaction across seven dimensions, including ease of travel through the airport, terminal facilities, airport staff, and food, beverage and retail offerings.

Santa Ana, Calif. – September 20, 2026 -- Robinson Pharma, Inc. (RPI) has received the "Above and Beyond" Supplier Award from Bausch + Lomb for September 2026, recognizing sustained operational performance following a $115 million infrastructure expansion.

Robinson Pharma completes $115 million facility expansion across Southern California

The contract manufacturer finalized a $75 million purchase of a 261,000-square-foot facility in Irvine near John Wayne Airport, adding to a prior $40.7 million acquisition in Santa Ana. The combined investments push Robinson Pharma's regional manufacturing footprint beyond one million square feet.

Company secures USP certification after clearing quality audits

Robinson Pharma achieved United States Pharmacopeia (USP) certification following the expansion, adding to its existing FDA, NSF GRMA, UL GMP, SQF, CCOF, and SCCI credentials.

Kansas City, Kan. – September 20, 2026 -- KanEquip JCB is opening a new 17,000-square-foot dealership facility in Kansas City after Trane Technologies acquired CSTK (Central States Thermo King) and exited the retail equipment market, leaving a gap in local JCB representation.

KanEquip retains CSTK's experienced JCB sales, parts and service team

CSTK, a family-owned business for roughly 50 years, had expanded into JCB equipment in 2014. Following its acquisition by Trane Technologies, KanEquip recruited the staff who originally built CSTK's JCB operation. "Honestly, I was not interested in opening a JCB location in Kansas City if the employees did not want to continue," said Grant Meinhardt, Vice President and General Manager of KanEquip JCB, adding that the team's willingness to stay drove the company's decision to pursue the territory.

Shanghai – September 20, 2026 -- The 2026 Pujiang Innovation Forum, held in Shanghai from September 11 to 14, drew scientists, policymakers and industry practitioners from more than 50 countries and regions plus over 20 international organizations, producing a series of concrete cross-border initiatives in science and technology governance.

Shanghai and UNESCO launch a Global Innovative Cities Alliance to pool urban innovation strategy

The alliance is designed as a platform to coordinate cross-city collaborative innovation and support an open, sustainable global sci-tech ecosystem. The forum also released the 2025 World-Class Sci-Tech Journal Directory, an evaluation framework intended to give emerging-economy and newly launched academic journals a fairer footing in global assessment standards.

Denver – September 20, 2026 -- The third annual Colorado Youth Sports Giving Day campaign raised $7.2 million during its Sept. 1-15 run, surpassing last year's total by 38 percent and pushing the initiative's three-year cumulative fundraising to $16.1 million.

Campaign draws 4,400 donations across 349 nonprofits

Led by the Daniels Fund and Aspen Institute's Project Play Colorado, the 2026 drive engaged 349 youth sports nonprofit organizations statewide, funding equipment, uniforms, programming expansion, financial assistance and new facilities for children and families.

Belleville, Ill. – September 20, 2026 -- Illinois American Water has completed the $770,000 acquisition of the City of Venice's wastewater collection system, adding roughly 500 customers to its Metro East operations near St. Louis. The deal, approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission on September 20, 2026, shifts Venice's wastewater collection, transportation and treatment fully under the utility's control.

Illinois American Water commits $2.6 million to Venice infrastructure over five years

The company plans upgrades including rehabilitation or replacement of wastewater mains and manholes, lift station improvements, and control and security enhancements at pump and lift stations. Prior to the acquisition, Venice customers received only transportation and treatment services from Illinois American Water; the utility now manages the full collection-to-treatment pipeline.

Arlington, Va. – September 20, 2026 -- Visual Studio IntelliCode leads the 2026 AI Code Generation Emotional Footprint Report from Info-Tech Research Group with a Net Emotional Footprint (NEF) score of +95, the highest among six vendors recognized for user trust and satisfaction in the category.

Six vendors earn Champion status based on verified user feedback

Info-Tech Research Group, drawing on data from its SoftwareReviews platform, ranked GitHub Platform second at +94 NEF for efficient performance, tied with Amazon Q Developer, which scored +94 NEF for unique features. ChatGPT and Bito AI each posted +93 NEF, recognized respectively for continually improving features and caring customer service. Replit AI rounded out the list at +92 NEF for reliable performance.

Lincoln, Neb. – September 19, 2026 -- Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE: NNI) has appointed Angie Klein and Ed Pallesen to its board of directors, expanding the panel to 10 members.

Apple executive Klein joins after nearly 25 years at Verizon

Klein currently serves as head of U.S. consumer channels for Apple, overseeing sales and distribution partnerships with retailers including Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco. She spent nearly 25 years at Verizon, holding roles as chief content officer, senior vice president of growth marketing, and inaugural president of Verizon Value, where she led a multi-brand prepaid portfolio serving millions of customers. Klein will sit on Nelnet's Nominating and Corporate Governance, People Development and Compensation, and Compliance committees.