IJR News

Mets Assured First Last-Place Finish Since 2003 — Sep 25, 2026Nationals beat Mets 7-6, locking New York—after a record $358.4M payroll—into its first NL East last-place finish since 2003.

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Rachel Meyers This finish matches the 2003 team for futility but with way more expensive talent on the roster.

Lindor First Shortstop With 300 Homers, 200 Steals — Sep 27, 2026Lindor hit his 300th HR on a 409-foot shot off Herz in the Mets’ Sept. 27, 2026 finale, becoming the first shortstop with 300 homers and 200 steals.

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Tom Gallagher Few players at that position ever combine power and speed like Lindor has over the years.

Macron Urges Stronger Europe During Spain Visit — Sep 28, 2026French President Emmanuel Macron met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during the first French state visit to Spain since 2009, focused on strengthening ties and advancing shared priorities. Macron also called for major investment in a stronger Europe to counter democratic challenges and the rise of political extremes.

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Germany, Russia Hold First Talks Since Ukraine Invasion — Sep 26, 2026German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York for the first talks between the countries’ foreign ministers since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The brief meeting came amid sharply strained relations over Russia’s war and alleged hybrid attacks, while the two sides offered competing accounts of who requested the talks and disclosed little about their substance.

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Marcus Bell Any direct contact between Berlin and Moscow after all this time might be a small step worth following even if nothing came out yet.

Metro Diner Opens First Greenville LocationBusiness — 3dMetro Diner has opened its first Greenville, South Carolina, location at Woodruff Gallery on Woodruff Road, serving all-day breakfast alongside comfort-food favorites. The 135-seat restaurant is initially open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with plans to add dinner service.

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Most Influential Women in World HistoryYourlist — RankingFrom ancient queens who ruled empires to modern activists who changed laws, these women left indelible marks on politics, science, and culture. Vote for who you think shaped history most profoundly.

Bellinger Homer Powers Yankees Past Mets — Sep 12, 2026In a Subway Series game framed by 9/11 remembrance ceremonies, the Yankees honored first responders with patches and a wreath-laying as Cody Bellinger delivered a decisive three-run homer to power a New York win over the Mets. The events blended memorial tributes with on-field highlights as players from the 2001 Yankees reflected on the tragic anniversary while the current team secured the victory.

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Nicole Hardy The first responder tributes felt right at home with the game, especially with those 2001 players reflecting on it all.

Manus Raises $500M After China Blocks Meta Deal — 1dManus raised more than $500 million in its first funding round since Chinese regulators blocked Meta’s planned $2 billion acquisition, with Boyu Capital and IDG Capital leading the investment and existing backers also participating. The company did not disclose its valuation, though reports put it near $4 billion, as it resumes operating independently and develops AI-agent products.

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School workers free raccoon stuck head-first in a dumpster hole — 5dAt a Vidor City, Texas school, maintenance workers found a raccoon with its head stuck in a dumpster, gave it water from a plastic cup, then cut the metal free. The district called them behind-the-scenes heroes.

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Miami-Dade Approves First Fare Hike in 13 YearsTravel — 3dMiami-Dade commissioners voted 9-4 to raise bus and Metrorail fares from $2.25 to $2.75 starting Jan. 1, with the added revenue expected to preserve some routes and restore late-night service otherwise slated for cuts. Riders and advocates warned the increase will burden transit-dependent residents, while commissioners also directed the mayor to consider charging for the currently free Metromover.

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HUTCHMED Begins Global Phase Ia HMPL-A830 Trial — Sep 28, 2026HUTCHMED has begun the Phase Ia portion of a global first-in-human trial of HMPL-A830 in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors, with the first dose given in China on September 24. The antibody-targeted therapy is designed to deliver a KRAS inhibitor to EGFR-expressing tumors while blocking both KRAS and EGFR signaling; the early-stage study will assess safety, dosing and preliminary anti-tumor activity.

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Chris Dalton Starting the first dose in China is practical but the global part will show if it works across populations.

Fulcrum Metals secures £6m funding after 78% gold recovery at Teck-Hughes — Sep 28, 2026Fulcrum Metals posted 78% gold recovery at Teck-Hughes and locked a £6m Yorkville package to fund its 2.4 tpd pilot and first programme.

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Maya Lindstrom percent recovery from tailings is decent but the real test will be whether the pilot plant scales without major hiccups.

Quentin Tarantino vs Martin ScorseseYourlist — VS BattleThe video store savant versus the film-school don — two visions of American violence, guilt, and cool.

Three Balloon Calls During Albuquerque FiestaWeather — Sep 29, 2026The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta relies on volunteers, meteorologists and pilots to coordinate safe launches before dawn. In Marine, favorable weather allowed balloons to fly during the town’s annual glow for the first time in several years, with proceeds supporting community initiatives.

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US Plans First Deep-Sea Mining Permits Within Months — Sep 14, 2026The Trump administration, via Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, is moving toward issuing the first deep-sea mining permits within months to secure domestic supplies of critical minerals like nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese from seabed nodules, with The Metals Company USA leading the most advanced application and NOAA coordination underway. The push seeks to diversify and strengthen U.S. supply chains for critical minerals amid international disputes and evolving maritime technology, with official timelines and approvals being rolled out in coming months and years.

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Cowboys Acquire Joey Porter Jr. in TradeSports — Sep 21, 2026The Steelers are being linked to several potential roster moves, including targeting USC quarterback Jayden Maiava in the 2027 draft and possibly trading Mason Rudolph to the Giants or running back Tyrone Tracy to Pittsburgh. A separate speculative proposal would send Joey Porter Jr. and DK Metcalf to Detroit for Jameson Williams and a first-round pick; none of the reported scenarios is confirmed.

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Electra Studies $530M-$675M North American Nickel Refinery — Sep 16, 2026Electra Battery Materials announced initial engineering results for the first phase of a two-phase nickel refinery near Toronto that would convert mine-derived feedstock and recycled battery black mass into nickel metal and battery-grade nickel sulfate at about 20,000 tonnes per year, with nickel and cobalt recoveries above 97%. The project aims to strengthen North American supply chains, reduce reliance on Chinese processing, and may require roughly $530–$675 million for the first phase, with a second phase potentially adding another 20,000 tonnes of nickel capacity, as CEO Trent Mell emphasizes domestic refinement for industrial, military, and EV applications.

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Maya Lindstrom This refinery could help secure battery materials for EVs without depending on Chinese processing, which is long overdue.

The grammar gatekeeper testQuizie — QuizTwelve spelling and grammar traps that catch almost everyone. Pass, and the AI knights you. Fail, and it's gentle about it. Mostly.

WalletHub Ranks Columbia Best U.S. City for Women — Sep 21, 2026WalletHub’s 2026 rankings crown Columbia, Maryland as the top city for women nationwide for the third straight year, driven by leading median wages, low poverty and strong healthcare and safety metrics. The broader picture shows Raleigh, North Carolina as the eighth-best city overall and first in the state, while Greensboro, North Carolina ranks 125th among 182 cities in the same study.

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Romania sets 5,055-meter table record to fund pediatric psychiatry unit — Sep 12, 2026Tens of thousands in Bucharest gathered around a 5,055-meter Uniting Table to set a Guinness World Record and raise funds for Romania’s first pediatric psychiatry hospital, with private donations funding an estimated €16.5 million project at Obregia Hospital that will benefit thousands of children annually.

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Derek Foss A turnout of tens of thousands proves strong public support for better mental health care for Romanian kids.

NASA and IBM release open AI model that outperforms prior lunar analysis tools — Sep 10, 2026NASA and IBM released the open-source NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation Model on Hugging Face, trained on decades of lunar observations to help scientists analyze multi-instrument data and accelerate Moon exploration, including identifying ice, craters, and volcanic features with up to 23% higher accuracy than baseline methods. They also unveiled the first open lunar dataset to accompany the model, enabling researchers worldwide to build and refine tools for sustained lunar research.

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Nicole Hardy Releasing the full dataset with the model lets smaller labs test new ideas on real lunar data without starting from scratch.

92-Year-Old Bachelor Marries Woman He Met Over 60 Years AgoReporting — Oct 31, 2023A longtime bachelor married for the first time at 92 to a widowed woman he met 64 years ago. The couple, Joe Potenzano, 92, and Mary Elkind, 84, spoke to People exclusively about their first meeting at his sister’s…

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Netanyahu Met Saudi Crown Prince, Pompeo in Saudi Arabia – Israeli MinisterReporting — Nov 23, 2020Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met the Saudi crown prince in Saudi Arabia, an Israeli cabinet minister said on Monday, the first publicly confirmed trip to the kingdom by an Israeli leader amid a diplomatic flurry…

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Senga's first MLB save powers Mets over Braves — Aug 11, 2026Kodai Senga earned his first MLB save in the Mets’ 8-5 win over the Braves, closing out the ninth as he stepped into the closer role amid Devin Williams being placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain. A light moment followed when Senga, hoping to keep the game ball, watched as teammate Carson Benge tossed it to a fan, prompting laughs as the ball was lost in the stands.

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Mets blank Brewers 4-0; Thornton earns first win — Jul 22, 2026Zac Thornton earned his first major-league win by going six scoreless innings to lead the New York Mets to a 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, with Jared Young and Luis Robert Jr. homering to snap Milwaukee’s four-game win streak and boost Thornton’s 18-inning scoreless streak. The win came as Thornton faced his former team, while Milwaukee’s Brandon Sproat was the tough-luck loser in the rematch, and the Mets extended their series lead to 1-1 against the Brewers.

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Biological Sisters Meet for the First Time After Previously Not Knowing One Another ExistedReporting — May 27, 2022Two sisters who were separated at birth, through adoption, met for the first time. Both sisters were born in China but after they were adopted they lived with their families in two different countries. Hannah Raleigh…

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Brett Baty Grand Slam Beats Braves 8-5 — Aug 11, 2026Brett Baty hit his first career grand slam in the first inning to power the New York Mets to an 8-5 win over the Atlanta Braves, part of a strong stretch that includes Francisco Lindor’s homer and a largely productive lineup, as the Mets pushed their record in a favorable run. The victory, aided by timely hits and solid bullpen work, capped a series of wins that underscored the team's recent hot form.

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