Weekly New Recap: October 2, 2026

Weekly News Recap: October 2, 2026

Trails End Buffalo Stix in the packaging stage at the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre. (Julien Lecacheur/Radio-Canada)

You might be a redneck if you think that beef jerky and Moon Pies are two of the major food groups. -- Jeff Foxworthy

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • VIDEO: 81-year-old man working to return lost luggage to fund wife’s cancer bills sparks community outpouring (Independent) I love this man's fortitude but, 81-year-olds should not be carrying heavy luggage. "Online donors are rallying around an 81-year-old Texas man who has taken on difficult work — the only job he could land — to help pay for his wife's healthcare needs. Donald Johnson works as an independent contractor delivering lost luggage to people's homes, and he was doing the grueling work when Erin Howell of The Colony, a suburb near Dallas, saw him struggling with some of the heavier bags. 'The other day, I looked out my door cam and saw an 81-year-old man slowly and painstakingly carrying my heavy luggage that had been lost on a recent flight up a steep flight of stairs,' Howell wrote in a GoFundMe entry."

  • VIDEO: Largest wildlife overpass in North America located in Colorado with 91% reduction in collisions: "Big success" (CBS) I love wildlife overpasses #MorePlease "Nine months after North America's largest wildlife overpass opened in Douglas County, the officials behind it say it's been a big success."

  • Fat Bear Week is back. And this year, it's all about the mamas (CBC) I looves me a fat bear. #Beautiful "For the first time, Fat Bear Week includes big, beautiful mommas and their big, beautiful babies. The annual brackets-style contest, run by Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve, is a celebration of the park's beefiest brown bears, who gorge on salmon from the Brooks River in order to pack on as many pounds as possible ahead of their winter hibernation."

  • VIDEO: She just won 3 powerlifting medals. Oh, and she's 82 | The Moment (CBC) MANITOBA STORY #Wowzers #Impressive "Powerlifter Bea Toews, 82, tells The National about the moment she travelled from Australia to her home province of Manitoba to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships."

  • ‘Like a Disney movie’: Three wild dog brothers make Africa’s longest journey (The Guardian) Incredible! Thanks to Recap contributor Mick Mulloy for this story. "It sounds like a Disney movie: three wild dogs, all brothers, on an epic journey to find a home of their own after their family tells them to leave. They dodge cars and hunters in search of a new life, navigating bushmeat snares and the hostility of a human-dominated landscape until they find a new haven on the African savannah. But this is exactly what happened in Zambia last year, when three endangered African wild dogs made the longest-ever recorded single journey of any mammal from the continent. The brothers travelled more than 2,500 miles (4,100km) over eight months in their 'dispersal' – when a young dog comes of age and must establish new territory to find a mate and start a family of their own."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Calgary getting its first cyclotron to expedite medical testing, cancer treatments (CBC) CALGARY STORY Nice! #CyclotronON "Calgary is getting its first cyclotron to expedite medical testing and cancer treatments. A cyclotron speeds up tiny charged particles and shoots them at a target to make radioactive materials for medical scans and treatments. Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services Adriana LaGrange says Edmonton has two cyclotrons and that a third in Calgary will speed up testing, which is expected to triple in Alberta over the next 15 years. The cyclotron is part of $71 million in government and donor funding for a new radiopharmaceutical centre at Calgary's Foothills Medical Centre."

  2. VIDEO: Carney announces $1.2B in funding to protect oceans as major projects loom (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Prime Minister Mark Carney announced $1.2 billion in federal funding for ocean protections [...] as the country moves toward decisions on a new pipeline to the West Coast and the expansion of a major port in Metro Vancouver. The major projects would mean 'more ships on the water and more pressure on the habitats that we are all working to protect,' Carney said. 'We must scale up our systems to protect marine life in the event that something goes wrong,' he said. The funds have been earmarked for several new measures, including expanding the Canadian Coast Guard's capacity to monitor marine traffic, a national near-shore weather forecasting system and a marine mammal oil spill response plan."

  3. Arts groups pay tribute to ardent supporter John Lacey (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY RIP Dr. Lacey. You were a huge benefactor. We will not see your like again. "Calgary’s arts sector has lost one of its most enthusiastic patrons. Dr. John Lacey, a lifelong supporter of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Mount Royal University’s Conservatory, and Contemporary Calgary, has died. He was 93."

  4. VIDEO: Behold the pawpaw, the tropical-tasting ‘alien banana’ that grows right here in Canada (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Mmmm. I want one. "You might be surprised to learn that the tropical-tasting pawpaw fruit grows right here in Canada. And if you can get your hands on one, chef Tawnya Brant says you’re in for a treat. 'What do you think tropical tastes like? If that was a flavour, if that was the smell on its own, that's probably exactly what a pawpaw would be,' said Brant, owner of Yawékon Foods and host of the APTN’s One Dish One Spoon. Brant, a Mohawk chef from Six Nations of the Grand River, says the fruit tastes like a banana, mango and pineapple all rolled into one, with a custardy texture that gets almost caramel-like as it ripens."

  5. Astronaut chooses small-town Saskatchewan bison jerky to take to International Space Station (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I love jerky. "Like most people who get an email addressed from NASA, Shianna Smart thought it was a scam. 'I was unsure if it was real at first. I was hesitant but then we got to talking with them and got more information, it was exciting,' the co-owner of Trails End Buffalo Stix, based in Gull Lake in southwestern Saskatchewan, said in an interview with Radio Canada. She learned that Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk has selected the bison jerky from her brand to munch on for the NASA-SpaceX mission to the International Space Station which leaves on Oct. 1, pending final approval. In 2013, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield had already snacked on the Saskatchewan bison jerky sticks in orbit, while the business was under previous ownership."

  6. VIDEO: Calgary-Edmonton high-speed rail project moves forward with new commitments from Alberta, feds (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Yay! Bring it on. "Plans for high-speed rail service between Calgary and Edmonton are moving forward with new commitments from the governments of Alberta and Canada [...] The province says it is preparing to launch a formal process for private-sector proponents of the rail project to submit proposals."

  7. VIDEO: Carney admits to preparing for possibility of U.S. military invasion (Calgary City News) CANADIAN STORY "In an interview with the New York Times, Prime Minister Mark Carney admits he's looked into the risk of a potential U.S. military invasion into Canada."

  8. ‘Rez Gas’ by Cale Crowe and Genevieve Adam shortlisted for national playwriting award (Kawartha Now) CANADIAN STORY This looks cool! "A musical rooted in Indigenous joy and community, created by Alderville First Nation singer-songwriter Cale Crowe and Cobourg playwright Genevieve Adam, has been shortlisted for a national playwriting award. Rez Gas is one of three finalists for the 2026 Carol Bolt Award, part of the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s annual Tom Hendry Awards recognizing excellence in new writing for the stage. The recognition comes just over a year after the musical had its world premiere at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre. Named for a founding member of the Guild, the Carol Bolt Award honours outstanding scripts of recently premiered plays."

  9. Future access granted (The Globe and Mail) CANADIAN STORY "Museums across the country are closing their doors now in a bid to open them to a wider audience later. On Toronto’s Bloor Street, the front doors of the Royal Ontario Museum have been closed for almost three years in a bid to give the community better access to the museum. Nicholas Bell, the new chief executive and director who must complete the $130-million project, reopening the doors and giving the public free admission to part of the building, knows all about the ironies of museum renovations."

  10. The accidental art of making friends (UAlberta) EDMONTON STORY One of the best reasons for going to university. "Some of my favourite people at university started out as complete strangers. No big introduction, no planned friendship, just being in the same place at the right time and one of us deciding to say something. That’s one of my favourite things about university: you never know which ordinary interaction might end up meaning more than you expected. I don’t think I’ve ever walked onto campus thinking, Today, I’m going to make a new friend. Usually, it happens in much less exciting ways. You sit beside someone in class. You recognize the same person from the library for the third time that week. You end up walking in the same direction after a lecture. Or, if you’re anything like me, you’re trying to find a classroom in a building you swear was designed specifically to confuse you. 'Hey, do you know where this room is?' That’s it."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Six expert tips for putting your garden to bed (UAlberta) ALBERTA STORY Yes, it is that time of year.

  2. The Most Productive People I Know Don’t Have Goals (Lili Gunawan) I have certainly found this to be true. I spent (wasted) weeks of my life setting goals.

  3. How to Work Hard for the Rest of Your Life (Darius Foroux) Ironically, work less hard.

  4. 20 Micro-Habits That Take Less Than 60 Seconds but Compound Daily (Quietlight) I usually hate lists like this but this one actually has some meat on it! #4, #5, and #6 resonate with me.

  5. VIDEO: I Watched MIT’s 1-Hour “How to Speak” Lecture. Here’s What I’d Steal (No Time) Excellent lecture.

  6. 7 Reasons You Forget Every Book You Read (The Useful Life) Stop highlighting! Or, at least write a note for each highlight.

  7. The One-Sentence Answer That Ends a Line of Hostile Questioning (Marybeth Hazeldine) Super interesting approach to defusing hostile questions.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Lambton College is proud to announce a $1 million donation from BMO (Instagram) SARNIA STORY #GoBMO "Lambton College is proud to announce a $1 million donation from BMO, representing a meaningful 10-year commitment to strengthening mental health supports and services across the College."

  2. B.C. couple gives $10 million gift for digestive health centre at St. Paul's Hospital (Vancouver Sun) VANCOUVER STORY "A new specialized digestive health centre will be built at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital after a $10-million gift inspired by a teenager’s battle with Crohn’s disease. The donation from George and Sylvia Melville will help fund the new centre, set to open in 2029."

  3. Phil and Penny Knight pledge $1B to creation of new engineering college at University of Oregon (NBC) "Wow! Just Wow! The University of Oregon is poised to receive a $1 billion donation from Phil and Penny Knight that would go towards establishing a new college of engineering at the university, a historic investment the university said will help address the state's shortage of engineers and strengthen the workforce."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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