Many of the Loop’s editors are news junkies–and we can’t cover it all for ourselves! We collect here interesting articles which received light coverage in mainstream USA media.
Previous entries in this feature can be found at this archive: https://vashonloop.com/wordpress/index.php/news-you-may-have-missed-archives/
October 2025
Another data point on job difficulties for younger workers https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/09/08/0423228/theres-50-fewer-young-employees-at-tech-companies-now-than-two-years-ago https://finance.yahoo.com/news/top-economists-jerome-powell-agree-123000061.html More bad news for F-35 fighter: critical fix 5 years late, $6B over budget https://armedforces.press/the-f-35-fighter-needs-a-critical-update-the-problem-it-will-be-5-years-late/ American Airlines is flying empty jets, and it's not actually crazy https://onemileatatime.com/news/american-flying-empty-airbus-a321neo-across-atlantic/ Immunity debut--or disruption? https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj.r1733 Highest gas prices in the nation. Yay. https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/latest-carbon-auction-raises-446m-wa-experiences-highest-gas-prices https://justthenews.com/nation/economy/washington-surpasses-california-state-highest-gas-prices Washington test scores still flagging despite enormous costs https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/watch-wa-test-scores-still-below-pre-pandemic-levels-despite-massive Huge plane built just to transport wind turbine blades https://spectrum.ieee.org/wind-turbine-blade-transport-plane 70% hit in entry level hiring in India https://indiadispatch.com/p/hollow-at-the-base Was your food made in a ghost kitchen? https://davidrmann3.substack.com/p/ghost-kitchens-are-dying-heres-the Sometimes there _is_ a cop when you need one https://westseattleblog.com/2025/09/followup-seattle-police-lieutenant-explains-how-she-stopped-driver-accused-of-targeting-pedestrian/ Price whack-a-mole: beef up, eggs down https://www.zerohedge.com/food/ground-beef-inflation-sizzles-egg-prices-cool College's perceived importance hits new low https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/09/16/1722223/perceived-importance-of-college-hits-new-low Three nuns hated their nursing home, so they escaped back to their convent https://aleteia.org/2025/09/16/elderly-nuns-escape-nursing-home-for-their-former-convent/ AI has driven up energy and water prices. And now... disk prices. (The drive models the Loop uses have doubled in price in the last two years.) https://www.techradar.com/pro/surging-ai-demand-for-hdd-means-that-you-may-have-to-wait-up-to-a-year-for-32-tb-hard-disk-drives-warns-research-and-yes-prices-are-also-going-up It's not your imagination; grocery prices still climbing https://www.grocerydive.com/news/grocery-inflation-food-prices-august-2025-cpi/760109/ Fewer tech jobs in Seattle area https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/09/21/0744258/tech-boomtown-seattle-grapples-with-fewer-tech-jobs Airlines working to remove consumer protections https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/american-joins-delta-southwest-united-and-other-us-airlines-push-to-strip-away-travelers-rights-and-add-more-fees-by-rolling-back-key-protections-in-new-deregulation-move/ WA AG ends costly investigation into gun group--no issues found https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/watch-wa-ag-ends-expensive-3-year-probe-gun-rights-group-finds-no Key brand of internet building block has serious security flaw https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/09/as-many-as-2-million-cisco-devices-affected-by-actively-exploited-0-day/ Ice Cube's tour bus is set on fire https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2025/09/ice-cubes-tour-bus-catches-fire-in-downtown-portland.html US retires its only icebreaker https://www.colorado.edu/today/2025/09/16/us-retire-its-only-icebreaker-stranding-polar-research Argentina poverty rate drops, inflation down too https://justthenews.com/world/latin-america/argentinas-poverty-rate-drops-sharply-under-milei Eluding police, suspect jumps car across opening drawbridge https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/carjacking-suspect-launches-car-5-feet-over-open-drawbridge-escape-police Meta (i.e., Facebook) becoming an energy broker https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/09/19/1757235/meta-pushes-into-power-trading-as-ai-sends-demand-soaring https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/09/19/165209/whats-happening-to-wholesale-electricity-prices Repetitive Negative Thinking and cognitive decline https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-025-06815-2 Large grant for USDA farm-to-school program https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/health/trumps-usda-funds-farm-school-program-historic-levels More analysis on AI and entry level jobs https://www.derekthompson.org/p/the-evidence-that-ai-is-destroying https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/09/29/029201/professor-warns-cs-graduates-are-struggling-to-find-jobs ...or a study showing AI has no impact on jobs https://slashdot.org/story/25/10/01/0434257/ai-is-not-killing-jobs-finds-new-us-study (For your convenience, the Loop's article which defines "gaslighting") https://vashonloop.com/wordpress/index.php/2024/07/09/controlling-your-mind/ If Gen Z earns less, what happens to coffee demand? https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/goldman-flags-coffee-demand-risks-youth-unemployment-rises Trade schools are booming https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-cant-install-an-hvac-system-why-gen-z-is-flocking-to-jobs-in-the-trades-171735856.html Amtrak's new Acela trains are (currently) slower than the old ones https://www.thedailybeast.com/amtrak-rolls-out-new-high-speed-trains-running-slower-than-the-old-ones/ Las Vegas tourism imploding due to inflation https://www.zerohedge.com/political/las-vegas-tourism-falters-prices-explode-and-ameneties-disappear A German contest to live in an old Soviet city https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/21/german-contest-to-live-in-depopulated-soviet-era-city-proves-global-hit High rate of home purchase cancellations https://justthenews.com/nation/economy/home-purchase-cancellations-happening-record-rate-redfin-says The impact of high levels of wireless radiation on babies https://www.vigilantfox.com/p/babies-in-homes-with-high-levels Welsh island for sale https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/08/business/thorne-island-fort-wales-scli-intl Top importer of Russian oil isn't who you think it is https://www.rt.com/business/625718-russia-taiwan-oil-exports/
September 2025
Restaurant Covid fine upheld https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/appeals-court-upholds-1m-in-fines-against-longview-restaurant-for-violating-covid-restrictions/ Corruption in broadband-for-education program https://www.kuow.org/stories/first-class-flights-and-resort-booze-wa-commerce-failed-to-oversee-ed-grant-audit-finds A proposed Florida law ending Home Owner Associations https://www.tampabay28.com/news/state/florida-lawmaker-floats-ban-on-hoas-amid-growing-backlash Cities with most per capita DUI's (Seattle barely makes the list) https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/these-are-us-cities-most-duis A Stanford study which shows AI _does_ impact employment for the young https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Canaries_BrynjolfssonChandarChen.pdf F-35 debugged in air, ultimately decides it's on the ground and crashes https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/27/us/alaska-f-35-crash-accident-report-hnk-ml King County facing fraud investigation of community services https://komonews.com/news/local/audit-reveals-potential-fraud-with-taxpayer-dollars-in-king-county-contracts-unapproved-contractor-paymenr-human-services-taxes-millions-billions-family-intervention-restorative-services-racism-restoriatve-community-pathays-school-to-prison-equity The impact of AI on entry jobs is starting to be acknowledged https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Canaries_BrynjolfssonChandarChen.pdf Birth rate decline https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clynq459wxgo AI's Cognitive Harm as Documented by an EEG https://publichealthpolicyjournal.com/mit-study-finds-artificial-intelligence-use-reprograms-the-brain-leading-to-cognitive-decline/ https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872 A cheap nasal spray may block Covid https://www.vigilantfox.com/p/scientists-now-admit-cheap-over-the Florida to ban all vaccine mandates https://jonfleetwood.substack.com/p/florida-to-end-all-vaccine-mandates Migrant child smuggling down 93% https://yournews.com/2025/09/04/3821031/trump-administrations-crackdown-cuts-migrant-child-smuggling-by-93/ Why did we have a sriracha shortage? https://fortune.com/2024/01/30/sriracha-shortage-huy-fong-foods-tabasco-underwood-ranches/ Which passports open the most doors? https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/mapping-passport-power-major-nations-2025 The Guardian: People are tuning out the news https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2025/sep/01/news-avoidance-high-anxiety
August 2025
NM... keep your shoes on https://abcnews.go.com/US/tsa-end-shoes-off-policy-airport-security-screening/story?id=123556295 ...and then Private Equity came for your kids' sports https://www.seattletimes.com/business/youth-sports-are-a-40b-business-private-equity-is-taking-notice/ Cars' Forward Blind Zones Are Worse Now Than 25 Years Ago https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/06/27/233212/cars-forward-blind-zones-are-worse-now-than-25-years-ago The tax timebomb causing lots of tech layoffs https://qz.com/tech-layoffs-tax-code-trump-section-174-microsoft-meta-1851783502 Getting a Cease and Desist legal letter... from Waffle House https://www.jack.bio/blog/wafflehouse WA trucking declines cash, rejects EV's https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/we-dont-want-money-wa-trucking-industry-resists-ev-mandate Woman missing 60 years found well https://news.sky.com/story/woman-missing-for-more-than-60-years-found-alive-and-well-13361368 Government argued money isn't property--so they can take yours https://reason.com/2025/01/31/the-government-says-money-isnt-property-so-it-can-take-yours/ Spain proposes 100% tax on foreign purchase of houses https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/13/spain-proposes-100-tax-on-homes-bought-by-non-eu-residents Ghost artists on Spotify https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/ WA budget growth https://headlineusa.com/fiscal-fallout-washington-state-government-spending-surges-116-since-2015/ Seven engineers suspended after designing bridge with 90 degree turn https://www.vice.com/en/article/7-engineers-suspended-after-2-3-million-bridge-includes-bizarre-90-degree-turn/ PET scan provides further tracking of spike protein effects on brain https://jessicar.substack.com/p/this-sars-spike-thing-they-made-ruins UK woodlands failing to regenerate https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/10/britain-ancient-woodlands-failing-regenerate-forests-climate-drought-heat-disease-deer-hope-aoe USA debt so large, computer modeling is failing https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/07/14/how-our-debt-crashed-a-model-of-the-us-economy Big price increases coming for "public option" health care https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5471281/aca-health-insurance-premiums-obamacare-bbb-kff They claim it's real--not CGI/AI: a Star Wars speeder bike. https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/no-cgi-no-ai-pure-engineering-watch-raw-footage-star-wars-style-speeder-bike A study shows how chemo can wake up dormant cancer https://www.vigilantfox.com/p/shocking-study-reveals-chemotherapy Average Canadian: spends 42% of income on taxes https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/average-canadian-family-spends-42-of-income-on-taxes-more-than-food-and-housing/ Big potential changes for Oregon farms and agritourism https://oregonpropertyowners.org/dlcds-farmstand-rulemaking-a-critical-moment-for-fate-of-agritourism/ Study: California $20 minimum wage cost 18,000 jobs https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/study-shows-californias-20-minimum-wage-hike-cost-state-18000-jobs Covid vaccine didn't save as many lives as originally claimed https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/25/covid-vaccines-saved-fewer-lives-than-first-thought/ A Tinder clone which only has pictures of your wife and you can only swipe right https://trytender.app/ 33% of USA adults had mental health or substance abuse disorders https://headlineusa.com/report-33-of-american-adults-had-mental-illness-or-substance-use-disorder-in-2024/ Lots of people foregoing their car tab renewals https://mynorthwest.com/chokepoints/whats-with-all-the-expired-car-tabs-on-the-road/3694422 Assassination at Seattle church https://mynorthwest.com/crime_blotter/seattle-church-fatal-shooting/4116338 Budget car buyers want less gimmicks, lower price, cheaper repairs https://www.thedrive.com/news/budget-car-buyers-want-automakers-to-k-i-s-s The Loop covered Lithium & the brain, now Harvard has interesting results https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/biochemistry/Lithium-reverses-signs-Alzheimer39s-mice/103/web/2025/08
July 2025
A single investment fund now pays 5% of all corporate income tax https://www.barchart.com/story/news/33003534/warren-buffetts-berkshire-hathaway-now-pays-5-of-all-corporate-income-taxes-in-america DoJ sues WA on breaking seal of confession https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/264953/justice-department-sues-washington-state-over-law-forcing-priests-to-break-confession-seal Authors hit by bad reviews--before their book is available https://www.thebookseller.com/news/authors-hit-by-bad-reviews-on-goodreads-before-review-copies-are-even-circulated Turning an old 727 plane into an exhibit https://www.popsci.com/diy/texas-brothers-buy-abandoned-boeing-727/ A mysterious Russian signal, broadcasting since the 1970's https://www.rt.com/russia/620782-doomsday-radio-russian-signal/ Sales growing? Or is it just prices going up due to inflation? https://headlineusa.com/price-inflation-accounts-for-virtually-the-entire-increase-in-retail-sales-since-the-pandemic/ Federal Reserve Bank museum has a million dollars in a cube... or do they? https://calvin.sh/blog/fed-lie/ Scientists determine cause of largest bee colony collapse disorder https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-identify-culprit-behind-biggest-ever-u-s-honeybee-die CA rolls back Reagan-era environmental regulations https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/07/01/california-gavin-newsom-housing-environment-law/84431750007/ Maybe you won't have to do your taxes next year? https://phys.org/news/2025-05-universe-decay-years-sooner-previously.html An internet service with 1 billion users and 30 employees https://www.softpagecms.com/2025/05/18/telegrams-extraordinary-business-model/ A modern billion dollar ghost town https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/billion-dollar-ghost-town-surrounds-under-armor-headquarters Amazon cost cutting: shedding billions of product listings https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-bend-curve-project-purges-billions-product-listings-everything-store-2025-5 "Wind Theft" phenomenon impacting wind farm efficiency https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250506-renewable-energys-trouble-with-wind-theft 500 year old clock https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz70p0qevlro Luxury train travel--LA to SF https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-freight-rail-fueled-a-new-luxury-overnight-train-startup Town hit by 35 earthquakes in one day https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14781125/US-town-battered-dozens-earthquakes-idaho.html Ship abandoned after its EV cargo catches fire https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/ship-carrying-800-evs-abandoned-pacific-after-fire-breaks-out Gulp... new CA gas tax could move prices above $8/gallon https://www.climatedepot.com/2025/06/04/california-assembly-approves-50-65-cent-gas-tax-increase-under-low-carbon-fuel-standard-gas-prices-could-hit-8-44-gallon-in-2026/
May 2025
India's culture of salvage and reuse meets aging technology https://www.theverge.com/tech/639126/india-frankenstein-laptops Fake job seekers using AI https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/fake-job-seekers-use-ai-to-interview-for-remote-jobs-tech-ceos-say.html Not news, but interesting: tapping cheese https://www.cheeseprofessor.com/blog/cheese-wheel-tapping Most complicated wristwatch in the world https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/introducing-vacheron-constantin-les-cabinotiers-solaria Swarms of "bot" students seeking financial aid payments https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/04/14/as-bot-students-continue-to-flood-in-community-colleges-struggle-to-respond/ WA named best state for older workers https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/analysis-washington-best-state-nation-older-workers Just like before the internet, call and get answers https://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/the-alabama-landline-that-keeps-ringing Brought forward from last month: Sourdough Hotel https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/28/472147407/love-your-sourdough-starter-in-stockholm-you-can-hire-a-sitter-for-it How a truly deadly chicken disease got started https://www.twc.health/blogs/news/avian-flu-update-talking-points-and-insights-from-dr-mccullough 1 in 4 programming jobs has disappeared https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/14/programming-jobs-lost-artificial-intelligence/ Money out of thin air https://www.zerohedge.com/political/musk-feds-have-magic-money-computers-issue-payments-out-thin-air Hitler retired to Argentina?!? https://freepressers.com/articles/milei-to-release-files-on-wwii-nazis-who-fled-to-argentina Bust of 2M user streaming service for pedophile content https://modernity.news/2025/04/03/massive-international-pedophile-streaming-network-discovered-two-million-users-shared-child-porn-across-35-countries/ Saudis add to downward pressure on energy prices https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/oil-prices-crumbles-saudi-arabia-throws-towel-restricting-supply https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-04-05-oil-prices-plunge-us-crude-inventories-surge.html Yet another promising battery chemistry https://sodiumbatteryhub.com/2025/04/01/sodium-ion-batteries-the-future-alternative-to-lithium-ion-technology/ That red fire retardant? https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/how-much-toxic-heavy-metal-is-in-that-bright-red-fire-retardant-we-had-it-tested-to-find-out
April 2025
April's NYM was devoted to... April Fools!
March 2025
Biden economy keeps getting revised downward https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/02/11/democrats-tricked-strong-economy-00203464 Astronomer's discover perfect "Einstein Ring" https://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers-amazed-by-perfect-einstein-ring-gleaming-in-space Creating vinyl records at home https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/25/vinyl-carver-lathe-cutters-home-cutting-records-craze A hotel for your sourdough https://www.vice.com/en/article/there-is-now-a-hotel-for-bread-dough-in-sweden/ China restricts AI researcher travel to USA https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/china-dissuades-top-ai-robotics-researchers-us-travel-over-security-concerns Spying on the Pope https://rmx.news/israel/pope-francis-most-likely-spied-on-using-israeli-spyware-including-during-vatican-synod/ Major power outage in Chile https://survival.news/2025-03-02-chile-declares-emergency-during-massive-power-outage.html Federal "Corporate Transparency Act" is headache for small business https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-03-05-corporate-transparency-act-small-businesses-regulatory-limbo.html Yay! IRS planning layoffs. https://justthenews.com/government/irs-reportedly-plans-cut-half-its-90000-workforce Tariff costs: Walmart asks China suppliers to cover them https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/walmart-asks-chinese-suppliers-absorb-tariff-costs
January 2025
WA could import almost 50% of its energy by 2050 https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/washington-could-rely-other-states-almost-half-its-energy-2050 A US military base on the Galapagos Islands? https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/12/from-global-nature-reserve-to-us-military-base-the-quiet-plans-for-the-galapogos-islands.html The war against headlight brightness https://www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/tech/headlight-brightness-cars-accidents Record Canadian assisted deaths--5% of all mortality https://aleteia.org/2024/12/19/canada-saw-more-assisted-deaths-than-ever-in-2023/ Russian government launches cultural outreach https://www.rt.com/about-us/press-releases/multimedia-project-gateway-russia/ Some cooking oils are safer than others https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/cooking-oils-used-millions-linked-cancer-second-study-week Climate change and greening trends https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/01/01/scientists-report-a-striking-global-greening-trend-over-the-last-42-years/ The cost of a single bureaucrat https://brownstone.org/articles/every-bureaucrat-destroys-138-jobs/ Yemen hypersonic missile defeats Israel's Iron Dome https://en.mehrnews.com/news/226092/Yemen-confirms-its-hypersonic-missiles-hit-Israeli-targets Immigrant crossing to Canary Islands has almost 20% fatality rate https://rmx.news/article/immigration-wave-record-number-of-illegal-migrants-land-on-spanish-canary-islands/