Apps

Joliet Refinery Stays Offline After Outage, Midwest Diesel Impact Unclear — 2dExxon's 275,000-bpd Joliet refinery stays offline after a Sunday power outage; U.S. diesel hits a record $6.45/gal as Great Lakes spot diesel reaches $240/bbl.

Priya Raman Exxon's Joliet outage is hitting diesel hard already, and Midwest truckers will feel it first if this drags on.

Rep. Tom Tiffany Injured After Plane Makes Emergency Lake Landing — 6dRep. Tom Tiffany and pilot Leonard Boltz swam 100-150 feet to safety after their Beechcraft Bonanza lost power and hit Lake Wausau; Tiffany got 12 stitches.

Priya Raman Tiffany must have some steady nerves after going through that right after the dinner. Sounds like a close call.

Intel-Backed Altera Files Confidentially for IPO — 4dAltera confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO that Reuters said could raise over $2 billion after its $8.75 billion Silver Lake deal.

Tom Gallagher Intel backing this spin-off makes sense if it lets them focus resources while still benefiting from Altera's data center tech sales.

Metallica Announces 12-City 2027 Stadium Tour — 3dMetallica has announced an expanded 2027 M72 World Tour with multiple North American stadium stops, including a June 12 show at Camp Randall in Madison and dates spanning May through June in cities such as San Antonio, Vancouver, Fayetteville, and Salt Lake City, with Limp Bizkit and Avatar as support.

Rachel Meyers Metallica adding more stadium dates in 2027 looks solid, especially with Limp Bizkit and Avatar opening some shows.

Altera Prepares Confidential IPO Filing Targeting Over $2 Billion — Sep 10, 2026Altera, now backed by Silver Lake and Intel, is moving toward a confidential IPO that could raise over $2 billion and list as early as 2026, in what would be a major standalone semiconductor listing driven by growth in FPGAs for AI, robotics, and edge computing. The move follows Intel's 2015 acquisition, subsequent partial sale to Silver Lake in 2025, and fresh governance with new independent directors as Altera positions itself to capitalize on its double-digit revenue growth and expanding AI-enabled FPGA portfolio.

Sam Okafor Silver Lake's stake makes me think this IPO valuation will hold up if their robotics growth numbers are real.

MapQuest Surges While Google, Apple Rename Lake Ontario — Aug 31, 2026MapQuest has refused to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America despite President Trump’s executive order, arguing that keeping familiar names serves users, and in response the app saw a surge in downloads and top chart positions as it rolled out a lake-name generator tool. The development follows a related pivot where Google altered the lake’s name and MapQuest highlighted similar past action with the Gulf of Mexico, underscoring a broader debate over official name changes and user familiarity.

Trump Renames Lake Ontario Amid Trade Dispute — Aug 27, 2026Rep. Debbie Dingell plans to introduce the Hands Off Our Great Lakes Act to nullify President Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America and restore the lake's original name. The effort follows the broader U.S.-Canada trade tensions, with Dingell stressing the lake’s name should reflect its American context and linking the rename to ongoing tariffs and diplomacy with Canada.

Wendy’s Launches Lisa Barlow’s Digital-Exclusive MealEntertainment — 3dWendy's is launching Lisa Barlow's Baby Gorgeous Meal, a digital-exclusive duo tied to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City that includes 10-piece nuggets, fries, a beverage, and a dipping sauce, available only in the Wendy's app and on DoorDash as a limited-time offer. Purchases through the app trigger entry into the Baby Gorgeous Sweepstakes with prizes ranging from Wendy's gift cards to a $10,000 grand prize, reinforcing a Bravo-branded promotional push around the partnership.

Athlete Dies During Madison Ironman 70.3 Swim — 6dAn athlete died during the swim portion of the Ironman 70.3 Wisconsin event in Madison after EMS and UW Lake Rescue responders brought them to shore and provided lifesaving care; the participant later died at a hospital. Organizers and local outlets note that multiple deaths have occurred in Madison Ironman events since 2019, with the deceased's identity not publicly released in some reports.

Trump Suggests Renaming New Mexico ‘New America’ — Sep 6, 2026President Donald Trump has floated or shared maps and posts suggesting renaming places such as New Mexico to 'New America,' alongside prior and ongoing actions that rename other geographical names like the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America' and Lake Ontario to 'Lake America,' drawing mixed reactions and prompting fact-checks. He has also posted a flag-style graphic labeling strategic waterways, such as the Strait of Hormuz as 'New U.S. Territory,' amid ongoing debate over the seriousness, legality, and diplomatic implications of these moves.

Derek Foss New Mexico has had that name since before the US even existed. This is just silly.

Toll Brothers Expands Across Four Communities, Three States — 5dToll Brothers is expanding its luxury-homes footprint with multiple new communities across California, Florida, and New Jersey, including the opening of Hillside and Crestview at Bickford Ranch in Placer County, Sawgrass Lakes at Babcock Ranch, and Vista Pointe at Port Imperial in New Jersey, along with a Redondo Beach coastal townhome project in Southern California launching for sale. The developments feature model homes, groundbreakings, and sales programs with upscale designs, extensive personalization options, and resort-like amenities.

Priya Raman Vista Pointe looks like a decent addition near the city for anyone wanting easier commutes in Jersey.

Lake Ontario Renaming Sparks Diplomatic Tensions — Aug 25, 2026President Donald Trump said the United States is seriously considering renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America as trade talks with Canada stall and business ties with Ontario cool. He tied the proposal to heightened tensions, including threats of higher tariffs and ongoing sparring with Ontario's Doug Ford.

DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge stuck in heat, previously flagged as deficient — Sep 3, 2026Extreme heat caused thermal expansion in Chicago’s movable bridges, leaving the DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Torrence Avenue bridges stuck open or unable to fully close and triggering hours of traffic disruption. Firefighters sprayed water to cool metal components, allowing engineers to close the DuSable bridge and restore normal movement after several hours amid heat advisories.

Chris Dalton Glad they got it closed before it caused a bigger mess, but this is going to keep happening as summers get hotter.

Lake Tahoe otter attack leaves swimmer with dozens of stitches, animal still at large — Aug 31, 2026A Reno swim instructor, Lynnette Bellin, was attacked by a river otter during a Lake Tahoe open-water swim near Hidden Beach and the East Shore, suffering 38 stitches and requiring rabies treatment. Officials noted a growing otter population in the region and urged beachgoers to exercise caution as authorities continued to respond to the incident.

Nicole Hardy Rabies treatment on top of the stitches, poor woman. Otters can be aggressive when territorial, people forget that.

Thanksgiving Travel Threatened as Great Lakes Brace for Major Lake-Effect Blizzard — Nov 25, 2025A powerful winter storm is taking shape across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, threatening to disrupt Thanksgiving travel with whiteout conditions, intense lake-effect snow, and dangerous winds lasting through Black…

The Miracle on IceGood News — FROM 1980'Do you believe in miracles? YES!' — a team of American college kids beat the unbeatable Soviet machine at Lake Placid.

Kari Lake Scores Endorsement From Top GOP SenatorReporting — Oct 17, 2023Arizona Republican Kari Lake, who is seeking election to the U.S. Senate, has received the endorsement of a top member of the GOP leadership team in the Senate. Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming endorsed Lake on…

Kari Lake Appeals Election Challenge Case: ‘We Are Not Stopping’Reporting — Jun 2, 2023Republican Kari Lake filed an appeal Wednesday in her election challenge suit of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ win in November. Lake announced that she had filed her appeal at a “Defend America Rally” in Scottsdale…

Kari Lake Issues Doomsday Warning About Her Election LossOpinion — Nov 30, 2022Failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake warns the country could face a dark future following her election defeat. During an appearance on “Real America’s Voice,” Lake expressed confidence in a lawsuit her…

Kari Lake Insists She Is ‘Still in the Fight’ After Election LossOpinion — Nov 17, 2022Failed Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake insists she is not giving up the election just yet. In a video posted on Twitter days after the race was called for Democrat Katie Hobbs, Lake said, “I wanted…

Court of Appeals Gives Kari Lake Great News on Her Election CaseReporting — Jan 14, 2023Arizona’s Court of Appeals has given Republican Kari Lake a procedural victory in her lawsuit contesting the results of the 2022 election for governor. Lake came out on the short end of the counting to Democrat Katie…

After Plane Crashes Into Lake, Good Samaritan Pulls Game Warden/Pilot from Water: 'He was very out of it'Reporting — Jun 18, 2022Lady Bird Lake in Austin is a common destination for boaters, paddleboarders and all kinds of people trying to beat the Texas heat. On Thursday, though, it was a plane that found its way into the lake. At about 2 p.m…

Kari Lake Criticizes Pence for Not Defending Trump After His Fourth IndictmentOpinion — Aug 16, 2023Failed Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake is asking why former Vice President Mike Pence is not defending his old running mate. During an interview with Newsmax’s Eric Bolling on Tuesday, Lake argued the 2024…

Kari Lake Reveals What She Was Offered to Stay Out Politics for 2 YearsReporting — Jun 30, 2023Arizona 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake said she was offered a lot of money and a position on a corporate board if she would agree not to run for office in 2024. Lake has been weighing a run for U.S. Senate…