Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Seattle’s new Pinehurst light rail station opened on Wednesday, giving residents in north Seattle direct access to Sound Transit’s Link network and closing the gap between Northgate and Shoreline. The station, beside Interstate 5 at Northeast 130th Street, is the first infill station built on an existing light rail line in Sound Transit’s history. Trains on the 1 and 2 Lines are expected to arrive every four to five minutes. ([soundtransit.org](https://www.soundtransit.org/get-to-know-us/news-events/news-releases/pinehurst-station-will-open-september-30)) The $240 million project was approved by voters in 2016 and was originally scheduled to open in 2031. Construction and funding changes brought the opening forward by five years,…

Australian shares are expected to open lower after Wall Street ended mixed, as stronger signs of economic growth kept longer-term US borrowing costs elevated despite a softer-than-expected inflation reading. ASX 200 futures were pointing to a decline of 51 points, or 0.6 per cent, at 6.36am AEST. The index had gained 0.9 per cent in the previous session, while the Australian dollar weakened to US69.58¢. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 0.3 per cent to 7,651.54, marking its third monthly decline in four months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 443.87 points, or 0.9 per cent, to 50,906.05, while…

Kurt Olsen is stepping down from the Justice Department investigation into an alleged “grand conspiracy” targeting officials from the Obama and Biden administrations, but will remain employed as a senior counsel in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Olsen notified the US attorney in Florida by email on Monday that he intended to leave the case. Confusion followed within the department, with officials in Miami and Washington initially believing he was resigning from the federal government altogether. After reports of his departure emerged, Olsen contacted Justice Department officials to clarify that he intended to remain in…

Israeli attacks on residential areas across Gaza killed at least eight civilians and wounded others on Wednesday, with the deadliest reported strike hitting a minibus in Gaza City. The vehicle was struck in the Tel al-Hawa area, killing six people and injuring 15 others, according to Palestinian medical officials.

People are switching from vaping to cigarettes in an attempt to quit using e-cigarettes, surveys in the UK and New Zealand suggest, prompting warnings that public health messaging may be obscuring the much greater risks of combustible tobacco. An Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)-commissioned survey in New Zealand found that 14% of 623 current smokers and 1,070 former smokers said they had used smoking to try to stop vaping. In a separate ASH survey of 940 UK adults, 19% said they had tried to quit vaping with cigarettes, making it the second most popular strategy reported. Ben Youdan, director…

Federal prosecutors are opposing efforts to halt Christa Pike’s execution, arguing that her latest request for further proceedings repeats a claim that has already been rejected. Pike’s lethal injection was scheduled for September 30, but the execution was stayed after her lawyer argued that a previous judge had failed to consider allegations that she was abused as a child. Prosecutors are asking the court to deny Pike’s request to transfer the case to another court for consideration of whether she received ineffective assistance from her lawyers during sentencing. In their filing, prosecutors said the application had been submitted at the…

The rival US Senate campaigns of Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico have put Texas’s fast-growing data centre industry at the centre of the 2026 election, with both candidates promising to stop households and utility customers from paying for its expansion. Their proposals share some common ground, including opposition to existing tax incentives and demands that companies fund the electricity infrastructure they require. But they differ sharply over local planning powers, water use, affordability and the wider risks posed by artificial intelligence. Data centres have become an increasingly contentious issue across Texas as communities weigh the economic benefits of…

A 37-year-old former Wallaby has revealed a painful diagnosis in an emotional interview with Stan Sport’s Justin Harrison. The ex-Australia rugby union player shared the news publicly, describing a difficult personal development.

Dame Esther Rantzen, the broadcaster and campaigner who founded Childline and The Silver Line, has died aged 86, her family has announced. She died at home in the New Forest, surrounded by her family, following a battle with lung cancer. Her children described her as “the most wonderful mother” and a “cherished grandmother”, saying her “endless capacity for joy” would be remembered by all who knew her. In a statement, they said: “Our adored mother, Dame Esther Rantzen, died today. Her legacy of compassion and understanding will live on in her charities Childline and the Silverline, and through those of…

Anne Hathaway and her husband Adam Shulman enjoyed a night out in New York City following the premiere of her upcoming film, Verity. The couple were seen leaving a social club on Tuesday evening, September 29, after Hathaway attended the film’s premiere with her co-stars. The actress, 43, and Shulman, 45, have been married since 2012. Hathaway remained in New York for press duties while Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett attended the London premiere the previous week. She was unable to travel overseas because of her pregnancy. The couple are expecting their third child. They are already parents to sons…