Ana A. Morales, MD Joins OCLI Vision in East Setauket, Patchogue & Port Jefferson

EAST SETAUKET, N.Y., Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- OCLI Vision is pleased to welcome Ana A. Morales, MD, a board-certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist specializing in Cornea and External Disease, with a focus on advanced cataract surgery and comprehensive ophthalmic care. Dr. Morales will begin seeing patients on October 19th, 2026, at OCLI Vision's East Setauket, Patchogue, and Port Jefferson locations, providing personalized, evidence-based care with an emphasis on achieving the best possible visual outcomes for every patient.

Dr. Morales specializes in advanced cataract surgery, including premium intraocular lenses (IOLs), astigmatism correction, and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. Her fellowship training in Cornea and External Disease provides extensive expertise in the evaluation and treatment of complex corneal and ocular surface disorders. This specialized knowledge allows her to optimize the ocular surface before cataract surgery, an important consideration for patients seeking premium lens technology and the best possible refractive outcomes.

Dr. Morales believes that successful cataract surgery begins long before the day of surgery, with a thorough evaluation, patient education, and careful attention to the health of the ocular surface. She is committed to helping patients understand their treatment options and providing individualized care based on their visual needs, lifestyle, and overall eye health.

In addition to cataract and corneal care, Dr. Morales provides comprehensive ophthalmic care, including the medical and laser management of glaucoma. When appropriate, she also offers minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) in conjunction with cataract surgery.

Prior to joining OCLI Vision, Dr. Morales served as Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. While maintaining an active cataract surgery practice, she developed a regional referral program for complex ocular surface disease and established her second Dry Eye Center of Excellence, emphasizing ocular surface optimization as an important component of successful surgical outcomes.

Dr. Morales also brings extensive international experience to her practice. She has led surgical mission teams in China, Haiti, and throughout Asia and Latin America, performing more than 120 cataract and corneal procedures in Gansu Province, China. Her international work has expanded her experience in cataract surgery, corneal disease, and complex ocular surface disorders while caring for diverse patient populations.

Dr. Morales earned her Doctor of Medicine degree and completed her initial Ophthalmology Residency at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico. She subsequently came to the United States to pursue advanced fellowship training in Cornea and External Disease at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, further developing her expertise in corneal disease, ocular surface disorders, and advanced cataract surgery.

After establishing her career in the United States, Dr. Morales completed an Internal Medicine Internship and a second Ophthalmology Residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She further advanced her surgical expertise through additional training in advanced refractive cataract surgery at Narayana Nethralaya in Bangalore and Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital in Chennai, India.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Morales has trained ophthalmology residents in cataract surgery, ocular surface disease, and anterior segment procedures. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Dr. Morales is fluent in English and Spanish, allowing her to provide care to Spanish-speaking patients in their preferred language.

"I am excited to join OCLI Vision and look forward to caring for patients across Suffolk County," said Dr. Morales. "My goal is to provide each patient with thoughtful, personalized care and to help them understand their options so we can work together toward the best possible visual outcome."

Outside the clinic, Dr. Morales enjoys traveling with her husband and their two sons, exploring new cultures, watercolor painting, gardening, and cycling.

Appointments with Dr. Morales are available at OCLI Vision's East Setauket, Patchogue, and Port Jefferson offices:

East Setauket

4 Technology Drive, Suite 150

East Setauket, NY 11733

Phone: (631) 941-1400

Fax: (631) 941-1476

Patchogue

100 Hospital Road, Suite 216

Patchogue, NY 11772

Phone: (631) 828-3588

Fax: (631) 828-3585

Port Jefferson

125 Oakland Avenue, Suite 101

Port Jefferson, NY 11777

Phone: (631) 828-7100

Fax: (631) 828-7171

To learn more or schedule a consultation, visit www.ocli.net.

About OCLI Vision:

Founded in 1997, OCLI Vision (http://www.ocli.net) is one of the leading ophthalmology practices in the United States. The practices of OCLI Vision offer eye care services at locations throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. OCLI Vision is led by a large group of highly skilled ophthalmologists and optometrists in each major sub-specialty of eye care who provide comprehensive eye care services, including treatment for cataracts, corneal disease, glaucoma, retinal disease, oculoplastics, and refractive surgery.

About Spectrum Vision Partners:

Spectrum Vision Partners ("SVP") (https://www.spectrumvisionpartners.com) is a leading management services organization, serving the ophthalmology sector. With over 1,400 employees providing world-class practice management and administrative solutions to a network of nationally renowned, multi-specialty ophthalmologists in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, SVP supports over 60 clinic locations, five state-licensed ambulatory surgery centers, and over 150 surgeons, doctors and other medical professionals. SVP provides a comprehensive set of business support functions, including billing and collections, credential services, marketing, physician recruitment, ASC development, financial and accounting services, benefits and payroll management and information technology. The company's corporate service center is located at 825 East Gate Boulevard, Suite 111, Garden City, NY 11530.

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Stark Airways Launches New Brand and Expands Private Aviation Platform Ahead of NBAA-BACE

Now Talaria Jet, the private aviation company builds on 50 years of aviation experience with an expanding platform spanning fractional ownership, aircraft management and charter

AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Stark Airways today announced the launch of its new identity, Talaria Jet, marking a new chapter for the Midwest-based private aviation company and reflecting its broader vision for growth across fractional ownership, aircraft management, and charter.

Built on five decades of aviation experience and an established culture of safety and service, Talaria Jet is creating a relationship-driven private aviation platform designed to combine the capabilities and operating discipline of a sophisticated aviation organization with the personal service and accountability of a boutique operator.

The company is expanding its aircraft management and charter operations while developing a regional, hub-based fractional ownership program for customers seeking a more personal and flexible alternative to traditional national fractional programs. The multi-aircraft platform is being designed to accommodate a broad range of owner missions while maintaining Talaria's emphasis on personalized service and direct relationships.

"Talaria is an evolution of what this team has built over the past 50 years," said Will Harton, President of Talaria Jet. "We have an opportunity to create a different kind of private aviation company; one with the capabilities, safety culture and operating discipline clients expect from a sophisticated organization, while also preserving genuine relationships and direct accountability to the customer."

Talaria is initially concentrating its growth in the Midwest and Southeast, where the company has existing aviation infrastructure, established customer relationships and a growing network of business partners. The company is also evaluating additional hubs across the eastern United States as it builds a regional network to provide customers with greater aircraft access and operational flexibility.

The Talaria name reflects the company's forward-looking vision while maintaining the principles that have defined the organization for decades. In Greek mythology, talaria were the winged sandals associated with speed and effortless movement, aligning with the company's mission to make private aviation more seamless, responsive and personal.

Additional details regarding Talaria's fractional ownership program, fleet strategy and future operating hubs will be announced as aircraft are added to the platform and the company continues its expansion.

Talaria Jet representatives will attend the 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, October 20–22, where the leadership team will meet with aircraft owners, customers, manufacturers and industry partners.

To learn more about Talaria Jet, visit talariajet.com.

About Talaria Jet

Talaria Jet is a private aviation company providing aircraft management, private charter and fractional ownership solutions. Headquartered in Northeast Ohio and built on 50 years of aviation experience, Talaria combines professional aviation infrastructure and a strong safety culture with highly personalized service and direct customer accountability.

The company is building a regional private aviation platform serving customers throughout the Midwest, Southeast and select markets across the eastern United States.

Media Contact

Will Harton

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The article explains how droppings can help identify pest activity and signal a possible cockroach infestation

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- What do cockroach droppings reveal about an infestation?

HelloNation published an article that answers this question, offering practical guidance on recognizing early signs of pest activity and understanding when a cockroach infestation may be developing in a home or rental property.

The article features insights from Kelly Aldrich of All Pest of Syracuse LLC and explains why cockroach droppings are often among the first visible indicators that cockroaches may be present. Because cockroaches typically remain hidden during the day and prefer dark, secluded areas, homeowners and renters may never see the insects themselves. Instead, the evidence they leave behind can provide important clues about their presence.

According to the HelloNation article, people often mistake cockroach droppings for ordinary dirt, food particles, or other household debris. This confusion can allow a cockroach infestation to continue unnoticed for extended periods. The article explains that recognizing droppings can help people better assess potential pest issues before the problem spreads.

The article describes how smaller cockroach species often leave behind tiny dark specks that resemble black pepper, coffee grounds, or grains of dirt. Larger species may produce small cylindrical pellets. These signs are commonly found in kitchens, bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms, and other areas where moisture, food sources, and shelter are readily available.

The HelloNation article also notes that the location of droppings can provide valuable information during a pest evaluation. Repeated discoveries in the same area may indicate ongoing pest activity nearby. Cockroaches often follow established travel routes between nesting locations and food sources, leaving evidence along those paths. When droppings persist despite cleaning efforts, the article explains that cockroaches may be living inside walls, beneath flooring, or in other concealed spaces.

In addition to helping identify indoor pests, the article discusses potential sanitation concerns associated with cockroach waste. While droppings do not bite or sting, they may contaminate surfaces and contribute to allergy or asthma symptoms in sensitive individuals. The article highlights that children, older adults, and people with respiratory conditions may be particularly affected by prolonged exposure in heavily infested environments.

For renters, the article emphasizes the importance of monitoring for signs of cockroaches. In apartment complexes and multi-unit buildings, pests may move between units through shared walls, utility openings, and plumbing systems. Small accumulations of droppings inside cabinets, near appliances, or around plumbing fixtures may serve as an early warning sign of pests in a rental property before larger populations become established.

The article further explains that cockroach droppings alone cannot determine the exact size of an infestation. However, the amount, location, and frequency of droppings can help reveal whether pest activity appears isolated or ongoing. These observations can provide useful information during a pest inspection and help property occupants decide whether additional evaluation is warranted.

The HelloNation article concludes that recognizing cockroach droppings early can help homeowners and renters better understand potential pest concerns and respond before conditions worsen. By watching for recurring signs and monitoring high-risk areas, individuals can gain valuable insight into hidden pest activity and make informed decisions about next steps.

What Cockroach Droppings Reveal About an Infestation features insights from Kelly Aldrich, a pest control expert in Syracuse, New York, on HelloNation.

About HelloNation

HelloNation is America's Good News Network, a premier media platform built on the idea that good news travels faster when real people tell real stories. Through its community-focused publications and innovative "edvertising" approach, HelloNation delivers content that informs, inspires, and spotlights the leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.

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Central National Gottesman Inc. (CNG) Acquires Nebraska-Based Omaha Paper Company

PURCHASE, N.Y., Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Central National Gottesman Inc. (CNG) announced today that its Lindenmeyr Munroe division will acquire the business of Nebraska-based Omaha Paper Company, expanding its presence in the Midwest.

Family-owned and operated for more than 60 years, Omaha Paper recently rebranded as OPC Direct, specializing in the distribution of paper, packaging materials and equipment, wide format and JanSan products.

"As we continue to expand our North American distribution network, adding Omaha Paper's people, customers, and operations is an exciting opportunity for us," said Lindenmeyr Munroe President Peter Harding. "This acquisition reflects our continued commitment to offer valuable distribution support to the core markets we serve, and to invest in and grow our business."

Along with decades of industry experience and deep relationships, Omaha Paper brings a dedicated management team, knowledgeable employees and enduring supplier partnerships. Founded in 1961, Omaha Paper is now a second-generation business operated by brothers Robert and Kevin Powell.

"Omaha Paper has valuable customer relationships and product expertise," said Lindenmeyr Munroe Senior Vice President Steve Daly. "By adding our significant product portfolio along with state-of-the-art technology, we look forward to expanding our presence throughout Nebraska and the Midwest."

Serving the print and paper industry for more than 150 years, Lindenmeyr Munroe is the largest privately held independent paper merchant in the U.S., specializing in paper for commercial printers as well as packaging, wide-format and JanSan products.

The acquisition is expected to close at the end of October 2026.

About Central National Gottesman Inc.

Central National Gottesman Inc. (CNG) is a family of companies that specialize in creative approaches to sales, sourcing, global distribution, and supply chain to keep businesses around the world delivering for their customers. Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Purchase, NY, CNG is $8B+ revenue-generating family owned and operated company that employs more than 4,800 people in 180 locations across 25 countries. For more information, please visit cng-inc.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

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Thunes and Coinbase Join Forces to Drive Next Generation Global Payments

Strategic alliance unites global fiat payout infrastructure with best-in-class stablecoin infrastructure, empowering both platforms to serve new markets across corporate, gig economy, and consumer use cases.

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Money20/20 USA: Thunes, the Smart Superhighway to move money around the world, and Coinbase today announced a strategic collaboration to drive the next generation of global payments. By bringing together two established leaders across fiat and digital asset ecosystems, the partnership kicks off a unified infrastructure that empowers both companies to scale and deliver frictionless payment experiences globally.

As Coinbase powers Thunes' stablecoin infrastructure and Thunes powers Coinbase's global fiat reach, this alliance will further help accelerate the real-world adoption of stablecoins. By combining Coinbase's broad suite of stablecoin solutions with Thunes' network, the companies are unlocking seamless cross-border money movement across diverse use cases ranging from enterprise supplier payments and global gig worker payouts to instant international remittances.

Under the agreement, Coinbase will integrate Thunes' Direct Global Network into its platform, creating direct payout access to local clearing systems and alternative payment methods. Thunes will provide real-time, 'last-mile' delivery to billions of mobile wallets and bank accounts worldwide, allowing Coinbase customers to send funds across more countries and currencies, including hard-to-reach regions with limited banking infrastructure.

Coinbase will power Thunes' stablecoin infrastructure through its broad suite of stablecoin solutions, enabling Thunes to integrate stablecoins more deeply across its global network. This infrastructure will support Thunes' expansion within the digital asset ecosystem.

Chloé Mayenobe, Deputy CEO at Thunes, said: "Digital assets have become a core part of our financial ecosystem, but connecting digital currencies to fiat and local domestic financial systems remains essential for real-world utility. Thunes serves as the crucial bridge connecting traditional finance, mobile wallets, and digital assets. Together with Coinbase, we are enabling seamless fully compliant cross-border payouts, anywhere in the world."

Alec Lovett, Head of Infrastructure Products at Coinbase, said: "Digital assets and stablecoins are transforming how value moves worldwide, and at Coinbase we are focused on unlocking their full potential. Last-mile connectivity is a key part of this, and working alongside Thunes allows us to deliver an end-to-end payment experience that offers faster, friction-free payouts across more countries and currencies than ever before."

Kyle Rosen, Head of North America at Thunes, said: "Our collaboration with Coinbase reflects the massive momentum Thunes is building as the cross-border infrastructure of choice for leading US businesses across financial services, payments, fintech, and digital assets. As Coinbase integrates our global network to power payouts for its users, we're demonstrating how seamless cross-border rails can connect digital assets to traditional finance. Together, we're delivering the speed, scale, and reliability US businesses need to power global growth."

About Coinbase:

Cryptocurrencies creates economic freedom by ensuring that people can participate fairly in the economy, and Coinbase is on a mission to increase economic freedom for more than 1 billion people. We're updating the century-old financial system by providing a trusted platform that makes it easy for people and institutions to engage with crypto assets, including trading, staking, safekeeping, spending, and fast, free global transfers. We also provide critical infrastructure for onchain activity and support builders who share our vision that onchain is the new online. And together with the crypto community, we advocate for responsible rules to make the benefits of crypto available around the world.

About Thunes:

Thunes is the Smart Superhighway to move money around the world. Thunes' proprietary Direct Global Network allows Members to make payments in real-time in over 140 countries and more than 90 currencies. Thunes' Network connects directly to over 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets and bank accounts worldwide, as well as 15 billion cards via more than 220 different payment methods, such as GCash, M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, Easypaisa, AliPay, WeChat Pay HK and many more. Thunes' Direct Global Network differentiates itself through its worldwide reach, in-house SmartX Treasury System and Fortress Compliance Platform, ensuring Members of the Network receive unrivaled speed, control, visibility, protection, and cost efficiencies when making real-time payments, globally. Members of Thunes' Direct Global Network include gig economy giants like Uber and Deliveroo, super-apps like Grab and WeChat, MTOs, fintechs, PSPs and banks. Headquartered in Singapore, Thunes has offices in 14 locations, including Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Manila, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Riyadh, San Francisco and Shanghai. For more information, visit: https://www.thunes.com

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New AI storytelling co-pilot on Max Cloud helps station groups make weather content more distinctive, efficient and scalable – while keeping local meteorologists in full editorial control

ATLANTA, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Weather Company today announced the general availability of Weather Story Assist™, an AI-powered storytelling co-pilot offered on the Max Cloud™ platform. Max Cloud's suite of tools is designed to help unify the newsroom and enable broadcast teams to more easily collaborate, produce, and distribute weather content across stations. Weather Story Assist turns a single trusted forecast into distinctive, localized stories for linear television, streaming, web, social and mobile platforms.

By serving as an intelligent creative co-pilot, Weather Story Assist streamlines tedious preparation and asset discovery, allowing stations to produce higher-quality, differentiated content and expand their digital reach without increasing headcount. Crucially, local meteorologists retain complete editorial authority over every story, graphic and script created.

"Weather Story Assist lets a station's weather team stand out on every screen, not just the six o'clock news," said Steve Ward, senior vice president and general manager, enterprise media at The Weather Company. "By eliminating manual search and prep work, we're helping station groups deliver richer local storytelling and expand their digital presence, all while keeping the experts who know their local markets best in complete control."

Elevating Content Quality and Newsroom Efficiency

In today's fast-paced news environment, station groups face growing demand for multi-platform storytelling. However, weather teams often spend significant portions of their daily shifts manually searching for graphics, organizing assets, and formatting content across disparate tools. This routine leaves less time for the deep, localized storytelling that sets a station apart or the agile production of short-form, vertical content that digital audiences expect.

Weather Story Assist shifts the focus from preparation to presentation. It streamlines newsroom workflows and improves content quality by:

- Grounding the Story in Minutes: Surfaces historical content, record data, and compelling story angles behind the forecast – each clearly traced to its source – so meteorologists can build narratives quickly instead of starting from scratch.

- Intelligent Asset Search and Suggest: Comb through a station group's secure Max Cloud library to automatically recommend relevant scenes, graphics, archived video and local angles in the station's distinct brand and editorial voice.

Future Capabilities Coming Soon

As the solution continue to evolve on Max Cloud, upcoming enhancements will further expand station group efficiencies:

- Three-Tiered Personalization: Automatically aligns every story with the group's brand and editorial guidelines, station-specific market preferences, and individual meteorologists' presentation styles.

- Cross-Market Content Sharing: Enables station groups to easily search, surface and adapt high-value graphics and video assets across sister stations, maximizing the return on investment of created assets.

- Automated Vertical and Platform Adaptation: Instantly reshapes an established broadcast story into short-form, platform-native, vertical video and digital post drafts ready for fast meteorologist review and publishing on social, web, mobile and streaming.

Meteorologist-in-the-Loop Guardrails and Data Privacy

Built around strict "meteorologist-in-the-loop" principles, Weather Story Assist helps ensure that no content is published or aired without explicit approval from a meteorologist. Every suggested storyline and media asset clearly traces back to its original source, providing transparency and trust.

Operating entirely within a station group's secure, private Max Cloud environment, Weather Story Assist learns exclusively from that group's proprietary content, brand guidelines and usage patterns – ensuring custom intelligence without sharing data or training across external platforms or customers.

Industry Interoperability

Reflecting The Weather Company's commitment to open newsroom innovation, the company is an official participant in the IBC Accelerators industry consortium. The Weather Company is actively contributing to the development of the Story Object Model (SOM) schema ahead of industry standardization, and Weather Story Assist is being designed to support SOM to help ensure seamless integration across newsroom control systems.

Weather Story Assist is available now as part of the Max Cloud platform offering. For more about Max Cloud, visit weathercompany.com/media/max-cloud.

About The Weather Company

The Weather Company helps the world navigate changing conditions and build weather resilience. As the world's leading weather provider, we fuse deep meteorological expertise with immense data scale and cutting-edge AI to turn atmospheric chaos into actionable intelligence. We deliver enterprise-grade products at a massive consumer scale – providing the same verified data and reliability to a single app user as we do a global airline. We serve hundreds of enterprise customers and are trusted by hundreds of millions of people monthly via digital properties like The Weather Channel (weather.com), Weather Underground (wunderground.com), and Storm Radar. Visit weathercompany.com.

SOURCE The Weather Company

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AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Turbine, Inc. (Nasdaq: APPS), a global mobile platform company, announced it will host a conference call and webcast to discuss its fiscal 2027 second quarter financial results and operating progress on Monday, November 2nd, at 4:30pm ET/1:30pm PT. The call, hosted by Digital Turbine's Chief Executive Officer Bill Stone and Interim Chief Financial Officer Josh Kinsell, can be accessed via webcast link: https://app.webinar.net/AQjXr7E0lMd. The call can also be accessed by dialing 888-317-6003 in the United States (or 412-317-6061 from international locations) and entering access code 0136244. A live and archived webcast of the call can be accessed via the Investor Relations section of Digital Turbine's website. The webcast will be archived for a period of one year.

For those unable to join the live call, a playback will be available through November 9th, 2026. The replay can be accessed by dialing 855-669-9658 in the United States or 412-317-0088 from international locations, passcode 1562528.

About Digital Turbine

Digital Turbine is the driving force behind superior mobile experiences for consumers and results for the world's leading mobile operators, advertisers and publishers. Our platform uniquely simplifies our partners' ability to drive end-to-end recognition, acquisition and monetization - connecting them to more consumers, in more ways, on more devices. Digital Turbine is headquartered in North America, with offices around the world. For additional information visit www.digitalturbine.com.

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Digital Turbine

Investor Relations Contact:

Brian Bartholomew

Digital Turbine

[email protected]

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FDA filing advances clinical entry for beam-sculpting brachytherapy and IORT

BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Empyrean Medical Systems, Inc. today announced the submission of a 510(k) premarket notification to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Vektra™, its robotically assisted brachytherapy and intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) system. The submission completes a planned milestone in Empyrean's entry into clinical radiation oncology.

Vektra™ is the world's first robotically assisted rapid beam-sculpting X-ray photon platform for brachytherapy and IORT. It delivers conformal doses to target malignant tumors while minimizing dose to healthy tissue and organs at risk (OARs). This state-of-the-art treatment platform provides clinicians new options for invasive and minimally invasive cancer treatments.

Brachytherapy and IORT treat approximately 15% of patients receiving radiation oncology care (source: IAEA). Vektra™ brings disruptive precision, speed, and flexibility to this established clinical market.

"We're excited to bring Vektra™ to market and make a difference for cancer patients worldwide," said Pavlina Frolik, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We look forward to working with the world's leading radiation oncology centers to build clinical adoption, blaze new trails in treatment, and turn this state-of-the-art innovation into tangible clinical outcomes for patients and clinicians."

"I'm grateful to our hardware and software R&D, our Quality and Regulatory, and Scientific teams, and our industry partners for getting Vektra™ to its FDA submission milestone," said Johnathan Vainer, Chief Technology Officer. "Vektra™ builds on Sculptura™, our predecessor platform cleared in 2019. Feedback from our partner luminary centers of excellence shaped its performance and feature upgrades, including automated source placement and higher treatment energy. Those upgrades offer a robust, precise, and rapid system in clinicians' hands, with beam sculpting that provides clinicians greater treatment flexibility and safety."

Empyrean's next phase is clinical deployment and commercial scale-up following FDA clearance.

About Empyrean Medical Systems

Empyrean Medical Systems develops and commercializes radiation oncology technologies based on its proprietary X-ray photon beam sculpting and Magnetically Optimized Very High Energy Electron Therapy (MOVHEET), an approach developed by researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center. It applies its patented technologies to improve treatment precision, safety, facility operational economics, and outcomes while reducing side effects. Empyrean's mission is to change how cancer patients are treated worldwide. Visit www.empyreanmed.com.

SOURCE Empyrean Medical Systems, Inc.

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Industry veteran brings more than two decades of power sector experience as Swift Current scales development to meet rising U.S. electricity demand

HOUSTON and BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Swift Current Energy (Swift Current) today announced that Scott Koziar has joined the company as Chief Development Officer and a member of its executive management team. Koziar will lead Swift Current's development organization and advance its portfolio of utility-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects as data centers, advanced manufacturing and other large loads drive the need for new power generation across the United States.

Koziar brings more than 20 years of experience in the power sector, most recently serving as Chief Development Officer at Apex Clean Energy, where he oversaw a 63 GW pipeline of utility-scale wind, solar and battery storage projects. During his tenure, Apex commercialized 12 GW of projects now in construction or operation.

"Development is at the heart of what we do at Swift Current, and Scott is a proven leader who knows how to build teams and move complex projects from concept to operation," said Michael Arndt, Chief Executive Officer of Swift Current Energy. "That experience is especially valuable today. The power market is changing quickly, demand is accelerating, and customers need solutions at a scale we haven't seen in decades. Scott's leadership will help us move faster and capitalize on the opportunities we see across our portfolio."

"I'm thrilled to be joining Swift Current and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such an experienced team," said Koziar. "What attracted me to the company was its relationship driven culture and its track record of taking on ambitious, complex projects. With electricity demand reshaping the opportunity for new energy development across the country, I'm excited to build on that track record and help move the next generation of projects forward."

Rick Miller, who has served as Interim Chief Development Officer since August, will continue with Swift Current as Senior Vice President of Development and work closely with Koziar to advance the company's development portfolio.

For Koziar's full biography and more information about Swift Current's leadership team, visit the company's Team page.

About Swift Current Energy

Swift Current Energy is trailblazing a path for clean energy now. Founded in 2016, the company develops, commercializes, owns, and operates highly competitive, utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage projects across North America. The company has commercialized 5 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy projects, owns and operates more than 1 GW, and has more than 10 GW in development. Swift Current Energy is majority-owned by funds managed by IFM Investors and Lookout Ridge Energy Partners.

For more information, please visit swiftcurrentenergy.com.

Media Contact

Ellie Malone

[email protected]

SOURCE Swift Current Energy

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Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve.

Age gates can be staggeringly counterproductive, pushing kids to darker corners of the web. Closing loopholes will only make things worse.

Social media bans are stacking up. In July, France joined Australia in restricting minors from accessing social media—barring children under 15 from major platforms, before the ban was blocked by the country’s top court on human rights grounds. The UK aims to forbid kids under 16 from accessing Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms in early 2027, and the EU has announced its own plan to prohibit social media for kids under 15.

But early lessons from Australia, which enacted a ban in 2024, show that these sorts of age restrictions are easily circumvented. A study published earlier this year found that four in five teens under 16 made their way onto barred platforms. Teens have successfully explored many tactics for bypassing bans, from using a sibling’s face for ID to drawing fake facial hair.

Some proponents of bans have called for an increased focus on enforcement that blocks these workarounds. But circumvention is a signal, not a nuisance or something to be simply deterred. The fact that kids are actively looking for ways to outwit the bans highlights their limitations. Social media bans suppress kids’ access to information, including information that’s essential to their development, identity formation, and socialization, especially during adolescence. Worse, further restriction is likely to backfire. Closing loopholes in age gates could harm kids by pushing them toward less-moderated, higher-risk corners of the web. It also degrades privacy and security for everyone by forcing people to submit sensitive personal information to prove their age.

In our work, we’ve found that parents and kids both want smarter, more nuanced policies that protect children, families, and their rights. That can take the form of mandating stronger limits on data collection by companies, or giving families flexible tools to control content and access on their own terms.

Age gates won’t bring about the desired change, nor will they simplify parenting in the digital world. At best, they will only raise thornier questions and postpone the conversation to a child’s 16th birthday. At worst, they’ll leave kids with no guidance as they make their way through the online world.

A less safe internet for kids

When young people circumvent restrictions, they are often doing what we want developing minds to do and what we celebrate in other contexts: lean into curiosity, problem-solve, and exercise independence. It’s important for kids to do this online, an arena where they often develop social skills and refine their identities. Bans sweep these motivations under the rug, taking a paternalistic approach that doesn’t consider young people’s needs or the realities of what they do online.

It also ignores what some parents want. When we examined social media safety interventions last year, parents told us that they often join their kids in lies that help them gain access to needed but gated services. This isn’t a new phenomenon; research all the way back in 2011 showed that parents taught their children how to evade Facebook age restrictions. Some may say these parents are oblivious to the harms posed by the web or just don’t care. But parents are not a monolithic group. Many simply see offering their children responsible access to social media as a way to help them connect with like-minded peers, find informational content, and learn digital safety skills early on. Many parents believe the benefits outweigh the risks.

When parents don’t help provide access and kids are not able to get into the platforms they desire, they will likely move toward alternative online spaces, often ones with fewer guardrails. Sometimes kids wind up on fairly innocuous, if unconventional, platforms, communicating with each other in Google Docs or podcast comment sections. Other times they move to more dangerous platforms that can leave them vulnerable to abuse and predation. In the aftermath of the Australian social media ban, preliminary research shows that kids’ screen time has not meaningfully decreased but has sometimes been redirected, with some young users going to spaces that are unmonitored and unknown to parents. Just as cities are sketchiest when they are not bustling, the most risky platforms for young people are those with the fewest eyes on the digital street. Outdated, dying, and under-resourced platforms tend to attract both vulnerable youth and those who prey on them.

A less safe internet for all

Age gates come with dangers of their own. Some platforms automatically track users’ online activities to confirm their age. In doing so, they profile users—collecting and analyzing their data to make inferences about them, which can increase the risk that data will be misused or leaked.

Companies may also ask for personal documents like driver’s licenses to verify age, which can lead to mishandling of sensitive documents or even identity theft. Data breaches happen: Last year, for example, Discord reported that one of its third-party services, 5CA, which is used to confirm age, had been compromised, exposing at least 70,000 images of users’ government IDs. It can take little effort to find ways to use that kind of information for malicious purposes by, say, connecting driver’s licenses to specific accounts and private online activity, which could reveal anything from users’ political opinions to their sexual preferences.

Efforts to make it harder for kids to get around age gates have also led policymakers to clamp down on kids’ access to VPNs. State age verification bills in Michigan and Utah have tried to interfere with the privacy protections offered by these tools (the Utah bill is now blocked by a federal court), and Australia’s eSafety Commissioner is nudging social media platforms to detect and block their use. But requiring adult users to prove their age to gain access to a VPN fundamentally defeats the purpose of that privacy-focused technology. It can put many users, particularly journalists and human rights defenders working on sensitive issues, in danger of government surveillance and even retaliation.

What could work instead?

Rather than attempting to block young people from online services that allow them to access information and engage in age-essential communication, policymakers should focus on the incentives that drive companies to engage in behavior that creates risks for kids in the first place.

For example, platforms should decrease what experts call unhealthy engagement or addictive activity by limiting the collection and use of data that companies use to target content and features to all users, including children. Nearly all parents and teens we spoke with want policymakers to impose such restrictions, knowing full well that the companies’ use of data is at the core of features such as targeted advertisements. Both teens and parents are also frustrated by features designed to keep us all online for longer than we want.

Another approach would be to expand the availability of user-controlled tools so that families have easy, flexible, and user-friendly ways to limit access to what is undesirable. For example, keyword-based content filtering can enable a student who is targeted with a specific nickname or inside joke to block any post or comment containing it. Platforms are unlikely to know which word or term a child might want to block, nor can policy seek to address such dynamic types of harm. Policy can, however, offer tools that would put power back in users’ hands.

Poor privacy practices, anxiety-producing content streams, and a near-inescapable need to use digital technologies for everyday tasks, communication, and information-seeking have rightfully led parents and teens to want real change in how companies conduct business.

Circumvention shows where policy falls short. Stricter enforcement will mean yet more data collection, and it won’t meet kids and parents where they are.

Michal Luria is a senior research fellow at the Center for Democracy & Technology, leading the organization's work on evaluating and designing sociotechnical systems. Aliya Bhatia is a senior policy analyst at the Center for Democracy & Technology’s Free Expression Project where she leads policy advocacy and research on issues related to children’s safety online, multilingual technologies, and human rights governance of online platforms. Danah Boyd is the Geri Gay Professor of Communication at Cornell University, where her research focuses on the intersection of technology and society. Her latest book is Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census.

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