FBI arrest

The Federal Bureau of Investigation filed a criminal complaint against U.S. Army soldier Jarrett William Smith on Monday, alleging he distributed information related to explosives and weapons of mass destruction. Smith, 24, was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Iran releases captured tanker

Iran said the British-flagged tanker it seized in July was free to go yesterday morning. The tanker had been commandeered by Iranian forces on alleged violations of international maritime rules.

UAW strike update

Today is day nine of the United Auto Workers' nationwide strike, which began on September 16 after the union failed to agree on a new contract with General Motors. Between Friday and yesterday, GM temporarily laid off around 4,000 workers due to a parts shortage from the strike.

Game on

Google officially launched Play Pass, a $4.99/month subscription service for video games and ad-free versions of certain mobile apps. This comes just days after Apple publicly released Arcade, its own gaming subscription service also costing $4.99/month.

He Who Must Not Be Named

As Facebook undergoes FTC and antitrust scrutiny, many competitors have released information about the company’s business tactics, including Snap. Over the years, the tech and camera company’s legal team compiled a dossier (called “Project Voldemort”) which included ways it felt Facebook had tried to stifle competition, including discouraging influencers from mentioning Snap in posts and allegedly preventing Snap content from trending on Instagram.

In the Fold

Samsung’s new glass folding smartphone/tablet, the aptly named Galaxy Fold, will go on sale in the U.S. this Friday, commanding a price tag just under $2,000. The phone/tablet cross was supposed to launch earlier this year, but encountered issues with its display.

Brain control

Facebook will acquire CRTL-labs, a NY startup specializing in non-invasive brain input devices... in other words, allowing humans to control computers using their brains. Though financial details haven’t been disclosed, sources say the deal size is between $500 million and $1 billion.

Rendever’s endeavor

Getting old can be tough… that’s no secret. It doesn’t help that moving into a senior living community, though often necessary, leads to isolation and depression in roughly half of the residents. After watching his grandmother go through this difficult aging process, Kyle Rand knew he wanted to find a way to help. So he turned to the technology he was becoming an expert in: virtual reality.

Kyle’s company, Rendever, provides VR platforms to senior living communities. Through the technology, residents share experiences that take them all over the globe – or even just to family events they wouldn’t otherwise be able to witness. One resident, Mickey, was the life of the party in her community until dementia set in. Hoping to bring some of her life back, the staff had her try VR. In a virtual room full of golden retriever puppies, Mickey lit up – laughing, talking, and engaging with the staff. Even months later, Mickey was participating in the community well beyond what was expected.

In the more than 100 communities that are using Rendever, senior living staff have seen a 40 percent increase in resident happiness. While recounting the positive impact the company has on the lives of the people it works with, Rendever co-founder Reed Hayes declared that starting the company was one of the most important things he’s ever done.

Best Roommate Award goes to…

Queen, a 3-year-old terrier mix, has been living at a local animal shelter in Kansas for over a year. And because that information is front and center on her kennel card, people tend to get the wrong idea – that her lengthy tenure means something is wrong with the pup. Queen's situation was weighing on Scott Poore, a shelter volunteer, so he decided to do something a bit unorthodox: he moved in with her, and says that he won’t leave until she’s adopted.

Set up on a small mattress in the corner of Queen’s 5-by-8-foot kennel, Scott says he has a new understanding for what the shelter animals have to live through. It’s cold, sterile, and incredibly loud… nobody sleeps all that much.

After spending a third of her life in shelters and having endured serious medical treatment when she first arrived, Scott says Queen more than deserves a forever home. He’s begging someone to free the pup – and himself – from the shelter. So if you know anyone in Kansas in need of a best friend, send them his way!

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