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AMERICANALMANAC (Jack Newsome) - Lake Tahoe swim instructor needed 38 stitches after river otter dragged her underwater

A veteran swimming instructor who has swum Lake Tahoe for 25 years was mauled by what authorities believe was a river otter, leaving her with 38 stitches and shaking her sense of safety in the water she calls her sanctuary. Lynnette Bellin was on her regular Sunday swim in Lake Tahoe when something seized her […] The post Lake Tahoe swim instructor needed 38 stitches after river otter dragged her underwater appeared first on American Almanac .

A veteran swimming instructor who has swum Lake Tahoe for 25 years was mauled by what authorities believe was a river otter, leaving her with 38 stitches and shaking her sense of safety in the water she calls her sanctuary. Lynnette Bellin was on her regular Sunday swim in Lake Tahoe when something seized her leg and pulled her beneath the surface. She thought at first it was a person, the force was that strong. Then she felt teeth and claws, and a five-minute fight for her life began. Bellin, a certified Infant Swimming Resource instructor who teaches children self-rescue techniques, was swimming close to shore to avoid boat traffic when the animal struck. She had been heading back to teach a lesson. Instead, she spent the next several…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Jack Newsome) - South Africa's aviation authority opens review after Airlink jets buzzed Cape Town stadium at low altitude

South Africa's civil aviation regulator is investigating a dramatic low-altitude flyover by two passenger jets above a packed rugby stadium in Cape Town, a spectacle that thrilled 56,000 fans but left aviation experts questioning whether the stunt left any margin for error. Two Airlink jets swept over DHL Stadium on August 29, just before the […] The post South Africa's aviation authority opens review after Airlink jets buzzed Cape Town stadium at low altitude appeared first on American Almanac .

South Africa's civil aviation regulator is investigating a dramatic low-altitude flyover by two passenger jets above a packed rugby stadium in Cape Town, a spectacle that thrilled 56,000 fans but left aviation experts questioning whether the stunt left any margin for error. Two Airlink jets swept over DHL Stadium on August 29, just before the South African Springboks faced New Zealand's All Blacks in one of rugby's fiercest rivalries. Video of the pass spread online almost immediately. Within days, the South African Civil Aviation Authority, the country's aviation safety regulator, known as SACAA, announced it had obtained the aircraft's black box data and was demanding additional information from the regional carrier. The regulator's…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Bill Simmons faces Massachusetts gambling probe after admitting to proxy bets on his own podcast

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission opened a review of sports media figure Bill Simmons after he described on his podcast how he had his daughter's boyfriend log into his FanDuel account and place wagers on his behalf, an arrangement that violates state law. Simmons, 56, a Massachusetts native now living in California, laid out the scheme […] The post Bill Simmons faces Massachusetts gambling probe after admitting to proxy bets on his own podcast appeared first on American Almanac .

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission opened a review of sports media figure Bill Simmons after he described on his podcast how he had his daughter's boyfriend log into his FanDuel account and place wagers on his behalf, an arrangement that violates state law. Simmons, 56, a Massachusetts native now living in California, laid out the scheme himself during a recent episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast. He explained that he wanted to bet on UCLA overs and a Houston line he believed the market had mispriced, but could not place the wagers from California, where sports gambling remains largely illegal. So he turned to "Hank," his daughter's 21-year-old boyfriend, who lives in Massachusetts, one of the states where FanDuel operates legally. …Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Isla Fisher opens up about post-divorce dating after split from Sacha Baron Cohen

Actress Isla Fisher, 50, went public with a blunt story about losing interest in a man she was dating after her divorce from Sacha Baron Cohen, and the reason had nothing to do with what he said. Fisher appeared on the Overheard Happy Hour TikTok account and shared what she called a "dating ick" from […] The post Isla Fisher opens up about post-divorce dating after split from Sacha Baron Cohen appeared first on American Almanac .

Actress Isla Fisher, 50, went public with a blunt story about losing interest in a man she was dating after her divorce from Sacha Baron Cohen, and the reason had nothing to do with what he said. Fisher appeared on the Overheard Happy Hour TikTok account and shared what she called a "dating ick" from her new life as a single woman. The moment that ended things, she told the hosts, came down to the way a grown man chased his own dog. "I liked somebody. His dog ran away and he chased his dog," Fisher said. The problem was not the pursuit itself but the form. "But instead of chasing upright, he ran low with his hands outstretched, like a cartoon." Fisher delivered the punchline without hesitation: "By the time he caught the dog, he had…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Jonah Adams) - Arizona bans food dyes in public schools, ending the classroom birthday cupcake as parents knew it

Arizona's new Healthy Schools Act now bars public schools from serving store-bought birthday cupcakes and other treats containing common food dyes, and the only enforcement mechanism is a compliance list on a government website. The law, House Bill 2164, took effect at the start of the 2026, 2027 school year, which is already underway. It […] The post Arizona bans food dyes in public schools, ending the classroom birthday cupcake as parents knew it appeared first on American Almanac .

Arizona's new Healthy Schools Act now bars public schools from serving store-bought birthday cupcakes and other treats containing common food dyes, and the only enforcement mechanism is a compliance list on a government website. The law, House Bill 2164, took effect at the start of the 2026, 2027 school year, which is already underway. It forbids Arizona schools from serving or selling any food or beverage that contains one of 11 specified dyes and chemical additives. That list covers some of the most widely used colorings in American packaged food: red dye 3, red dye 40, yellow dye 5, yellow dye 6, blue dye 1, blue dye 2, and green dye 3. It also bans potassium bromate, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, and brominated vegetable oil. …Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Tom Cruise backs Warner Bros.-Paramount merger, vouches for 30 theatrical films a year

Tom Cruise threw his public support behind the Warner Bros.-Paramount merger this week, telling a national audience the combined studio will deliver 30 theatrical releases a year, a pledge he says could restore Hollywood's golden-age volume. Cruise made the case during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, framing the merger not as a corporate […] The post Tom Cruise backs Warner Bros.-Paramount merger, vouches for 30 theatrical films a year appeared first on American Almanac .

Tom Cruise threw his public support behind the Warner Bros.-Paramount merger this week, telling a national audience the combined studio will deliver 30 theatrical releases a year, a pledge he says could restore Hollywood's golden-age volume. Cruise made the case during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, framing the merger not as a corporate transaction but as a lifeline for filmmakers, writers, and producers who need a pipeline of projects to build careers. The actor, whose long partnership with Paramount produced Top Gun: Maverick, said he personally believes the 30-film target is achievable, and suggested it could climb to 40. The endorsement matters because Cruise remains one of the few actors whose name alone can open a film in…Open