Weekly News Recap: October 24, 2025

Weekly News Recap: October 24, 2025

A White House proposal for special funding treatment crossed a line for several schools. Some say it feels like a turning point in the federal government’s battle with higher education. Tony Luong for The New York Times

Great research universities must insist on independence from government and on the exercise of academic freedom. -- Alan Dershowitz

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • A book vending machine provides an outlet for D.C.-area authors after funding cuts (NPR) #ReadOn "A vending machine in Washington, D.C., is providing nourishment — for the mind. LitBox is filled with books by local authors, just steps from the White House, World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Lauren Woods launched the project in May after growing frustrated with what she saw as some publishers' focus on sensationalism and the lack of bookstores focused on local authors in the area."

  • Universities Are Standing Up to Trump (New York Times) #FightOn "The White House is confronting academia’s most forceful pushback to its quest to remake American higher education, as top universities reject its proposal to reward schools that embrace President Trump’s priorities. On campuses and in Washington, professors and policymakers alike are weighing whether Mr. Trump, who has reveled in his campaign to upend higher education, has overreached."

  • For years, men controlled one village's coffee industry — but one woman changed that (NPR) "Nandudu grew up in the remote village of Bugibulungu, near the border with Kenya, on a hill lush with banana and arabica coffee trees. Her parents and grandparents were coffee farmers. But she was not interested in following in their footsteps. Part of that was due to the gender dynamics that played out in front of her: In this part of Uganda, coffee is seen as a man's thing, including producing it, selling it and consuming it. Women are reluctant to even drink coffee because there is a belief that it will affect their fertility. But they do play an invisible and thankless role in the industry: They help grow the beans."

  • VIDEO: Lilah, 2-Year-Old With Stage 4 Cancer, REACTS to Taylor Swift's $100K Donation (YouTube) Great story "Lilah, a 2-year-old girl battling cancer, reacts to Taylor Swift's surprise six-figure donation to help pay for her medical treatment. After the GRAMMY-winner made her gift, Swifties rallied to match her donation in about 24 hours."

  • Indigenous artifacts held in Vatican Museums finally heading back to Canada (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Good news. "The century-old kayak has spent decades locked away in the vaults of the Vatican Museums, its driftwood frame still holding together, though the fragile sealskin cover is partly tattered. Out of sight for generations, the vessel carries the stories of Western Arctic communities, its sleek, delicate form a witness to Inuvialuit hunts of seals, walrus and whales — and now, to a long-awaited act of reconciliation between the Roman Catholic Church and Indigenous communities in Canada. After complex negotiations, the kayak and other Indigenous artifacts are finally set to return home, a powerful symbol for communities whose children suffered in Catholic-run residential schools."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. American spirit exports to Canada 'plummeted' 85%, says U.S. trade group (CBC) CANADIAN STORY As much as I like my American pinot noir and bourbon, I have not bought either since the the tariffs. "American spirit exports to Canada 'plummeted' 85 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States calling the situation 'very troubling' as consumers in key international markets opt for alternatives to U.S.-made products amid trade tensions. The numbers come as American alcohol largely remains off Canadian shelves and unavailable in bars and restaurants as a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Canadian goods in early March."

  2. Almost one million Canadians have serious climate anxiety, study suggests (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "The study, published Tuesday in Nature Mental Health, randomly surveyed more than 2,400 Canadians aged 13 or older and categorized them using a climate change anxiety scale developed in the U.S."

  3. VIDEO: Rogue planet is gobbling up 6.6 billion tons of dust per second (Popular Science) #Greedy "About 620 light-years from Earth, a gigantic rogue proto-planet is currently devouring 6.6 billion tons of dust and gas per second. Based on recent observations, the relatively new resident of the Chamaeleon constellation isn’t stopping anytime soon—and the situation may get even more intense. But according to astronomers, that may be pretty standard behavior for these cosmic objects."

  4. Printable aluminum alloy sets strength records, may enable lighter aircraft parts (MIT) "MIT engineers have developed a printable aluminum alloy that can withstand high temperatures and is five times stronger than traditionally manufactured aluminum. The new printable metal is made from a mix of aluminum and other elements that the team identified using a combination of simulations and machine learning, which significantly pruned the number of possible combinations of materials to search through."

  5. Oliver tattoo shop holds pumpkin carving contest with stellar first entry (Castanet) OLIVER STORY Pretty impressive. #HappyHalloween "An Oliver tattoo shop is holding a pumpkin carving contest and has already received at least one impressive submission. DivineInk's carving contest is in its second year running with some great prizes."

  6. VIDEO: Denmark's postal service is dumping letter delivery. Could Canada? (CBC) It is probably time. "By the end of 2025, Denmark’s postal service will have delivered its last letter. The state-owned PostNord is getting out of the letter delivery business and will focus solely on parcels. It's a move, the Danish postal service said, that was precipitated by the significant decline in letter volumes over the past 20 years, a development due in large part to the digitization of its society."

  7. Haunting hyena wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest (CBC) Cool shot. "A hyena prowling an abandoned mining town and a beetle perched to witness the destruction of its forest habitat are the winners of the year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition."

  8. Church can't be 'AI-illiterate,' McGrattan says (Catholic Register) CALGARY STORY "Calgary Bishop William McGrattan said the Church cannot ignore the profound implications of the rapidly advancing technological revolution that is artificial intelligence. Speaking at the AI symposium hosted at St. Mary’s University in partnership with the Diocese of Calgary, McGrattan emphasized 'we must not be an AI-illiterate Church,' urging participants — technology experts, theologians, ethicists, clergy and laity — to avoid both a 'paralyzing fear' and an 'uncritical embracing' of artificial intelligence."

  9. 'Anger, hopelessness,' as Sask Polytech lays off more than 120 staff: union (CBC) SASKATOON STORY "The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union says 58 non-faculty employees have been laid off from Saskatchewan Polytechnic since January, adding to the 66 faculty members who also lost their jobs at the school this year."

  10. VIDEO: GoFundMe Creates Placeholder Pages for 1.4 Million Nonprofits, Many Without Their Knowledge (SFist) #WhatWereTheyThinking Also, there is a 'tipping' option #Sheesh "Friends of the San Bruno Public Library discovered that GoFundMe created a donation page for it to 'claim' without notifying its office. The site made 1.4 million such placeholder pages, which need to be manually unpublished if nonprofits wish to opt out."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. VIDEO: Scientists say taking whiffs of some everyday smells could actually change your life (Upworthy) Smell is so powerful.

  2. VIDEO: This Simple Fridge Hack Gives You the Perfect Steakhouse-Style Crust at Home (Men's Journal) I am definitely trying this.

  3. How to Become a Backyard Meteorologist With a Few Simple Tools (Gizmodo) We should all understand the basics of weather.

  4. These are officially Europe’s happiest cities in 2025, according to locals (Timeout) Having just been in Porto, I completely understand why they are happy.

  5. Barf, Funk, Tug, and Other Etymological Mysteries (Literary Hub) Sometimes, we just like to make up words.

  6. Italian blasphemy and German ingenuity: how swear words differ around the world (The Guardian) Language Warning I have a book on swears that are unique to Quebec.

  7. How the Brain Moves From Waking Life to Sleep (and Back Again) (Quanta) Very cool.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Foothills Medical Centre auditorium renamed after $3M donation (Yahoo News) CALGARY STORY "A theatre at the Foothills Medical Centre once bearing the name of its former CEO and president is being renovated and renamed following a $3 million donation from a donor at the Calgary Health Foundation."

  2. Western receives $5M donation for cancer research, establishes two research chairs (Academica Group) LONDON STORY "Western University will be using a $5M donation to establish two endowed research chairs named in honor of donors Archie and Irene Verspeeten."

  3. $1M donation to HSC will pay for new surgical tech (Canadian Healthcare Technology) WINNIPEG STORY "The Health Sciences Centre Foundation says a new $1-million donation from Winnipeg-based insurance company Canada Life will help pay for cutting-edge surgical technology and tools, leading to lower wait times and better patient outcomes at Manitoba’s largest healthcare facility."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

Welcome to our recap of the week's news, articles, and information of note. ViTreo Group Inc. provides this information for the benefit of our clients, associates, staff, partners, and stakeholders. The content is collected and curated by ViTreo President & CEO Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca.

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by ViTreo Group Inc. of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. ViTreo Group does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the ViTreo Group Inc. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate.

Vincent DuckworthComment