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Trivia, History & Games

The costume maker who convinced Hersheypark to embrace candy mascots and ‘chocolatize’ their old-timey theme park

The park, with its name originally two words, Hershey Park, opened in the early 1900s when Milton Hershey built it for his chocolate factory workers and their families.
Hersheypark underwent a total transformation in the 1970s, when candy mascots and thrill rides replaced barn animals and old-timey recreations of Tudor England.
The Declaration of Independence did more than assert the Colonies' independence from Britain.

1776’s Declaration of Independence inspired Washington’s troops to fight against the odds – and also helped bring in powerful allies

The Declaration of Independence isn’t just a philosophical breakup letter. It was a strategic move to secure vital support for America after its first declaration of war.

Greece’s Golden Visa approvals nearly doubled in 2025 as applications fell

Aegalis reports Greece's Golden Visa approvals nearly doubled in 2025 to 8,879, while new applications dropped by 25% to 7,021, revealing a backlog being processed.
Very interesting
USDA to increase research into U.S. seed stores, partner with DOJ to investigate seed industry
PRAIRIE CITY – The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a program Tuesday to increase research and sequencing of the country’s seed collection and announced it was “strengthening” its agreement with the Justice Department to investigate competition in the seed industry.  Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made the announcement Tuesday at a farm near Prairie City, […]
WALLA WALLA, Wash. — More than four hundred Washingtonians across 19 locations took to the streets Sunday to demand a statewide moratorium on data centers.  In Walla Walla, where a $4.8 billion Amazon data center project is planned, the tension among opponents and local officials was palpable. “Some of you standing here today have been […]
The Crossword Puzzle

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If Congress starts reviewing licensing deals, diligence gets a documentation problem
Kivo reports that the Biotech Investment National Security Act of 2026 will expand U.S. licensing deal reviews to include biotechnology, creating new documentation requirements.
Inside the ‘shadow surge’ driving ICE arrests to new heights
The Marshall Project reports how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is leveraging 287(g) agreements with local police and sheriffs to quietly drive a "shadow surge" in immigration arrests across the country, turning routine traffic stops into direct conduits for deportation.
4 common scams and how to avoid them
Brookdale Senior Living reports on rising scams targeting seniors, including recovery, romance, grandparent, and government scams. 
A rare win in Indian Country: How tribes drove out a mining company in one week
The Economic Hardship Reporting Project and The Guardian report that tribes united to successfully drive out a mining company from Pe' Sla, a sacred site in South Dakota.
Exclusive: Hybrid schools open new legal front for choice
The 74 reports that Roots Learning Academy, a hybrid homeschool program in Pennsylvania, faces state scrutiny and potential closure due to childcare licensing requirements.

Food-rescue groups in Canada turn to processing facilities to respond to waste and insecurity

Future of Good reports that food-rescue groups in Canada are opening processing facilities to reduce waste and improve food security, focusing on nutritious options for students.

Trump has promoted AI in education. His FCC may end school internet subsidies.

Chalkbeat reports that FCC reviews of school internet subsidies, driven by concerns over screen time, could disrupt access to essential online resources.

Paleontologists uncover a new ‘Spinosaurus’ species by following a clue from a decades-old book into the Sahara Desert

In this illustration, _Spinosaurus mirabilis_ fight over a carcass some 95 million years ago in what is now the Sahara Desert in Niger.  Dani Navarro

The hunt for a mythicized fossil hot spot took a team of researchers on a journey through the Sahara Desert.

An engraving of the surrender of British forces to George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
 Michael Lee/Moment via Getty Images via The Conversation

The United States came out of the Revolutionary War victorious. But building a new nation was very different from fighting a war.
Michelangelo's 16th-century fresco 'The Last Judgment.'  Sistine Chapel collection via Wikimedia Commons
Why Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgment’ endures
The artist used daring imagery that sparked controversy from the moment it was unveiled.
As part of the Artemis II mission, humans will fly around the Moon for the first time in decades.
NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon shows how US space strategy has changed since Apollo – and contrasts with China’s closed program
Today, there aren’t just two countries competing to get to the Moon. More countries have space programs, and private industry plays a larger role.
Your shoes might not necessarily free your mind.
Can shoes alter your mind? What neuroscience says about foot sensation and focus
Your feet can send a lot of sensory information to your brain. But whether you believe that your footwear is affecting your cognition may matter more than what shoes you wear.
A land manager examines young longleaf pines, some in their grassy phase, in a private forest in South Carolina.
How fire, people and history shaped the South’s iconic longleaf pine forests
One of North America’s richest ecosystems, sustained and shaped by Native peoples before European contact, nearly disappeared. A recovery is underway.
Boston and much of the U.S. faced a cold winter blast in January 2026.
How the polar vortex and warm ocean are intensifying a major US winter storm
The atmosphere is a complicated place. Warm temperatures in one spot can contribute to brutally cold storms somewhere else.