LongBeachGazette.com

Hybrid vehicles accounted for 16% of new U.S. light-duty vehicle sales in the third quarter of 2026, according to an Energy Information Administration analysis released October 19. Hybrids continued gaining market share even as battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles lost ground compared with a year earlier.

Thousands of people gathered at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on October 17 before a march through downtown Portland, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The bureau described the demonstration and march as peaceful and reported no arrests. Those statements reflect the police account of the event, rather than an independently verified attendance count.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced October 16 that it intends to provide up to $50 million in Defense Production Act funding for a transmission-capacity project in Virginia and West Virginia. Virginia Energy would lead the proposed work with utilities and regional partners.

The European Union began the 2026 edition of its Integrated Resolve crisis-management exercise on October 19. The European Commission’s civil-protection and humanitarian-aid department says the exercise is scheduled to continue through November 20.

Ofgem outlined the next phase of its electricity-system review on October 19 after receiving the National Energy System Operator’s preliminary account of events during the week beginning June 22. The new development is the review update, not a claim that the summer heat events occurred this week.

The European Cybersecurity Competence Centre reported on October 16 that its governing board and the network of national coordination centres had met in Cyprus from October 13 through 15. Their agenda focused on coordinating cybersecurity investment and implementing European funding programs.

European Union leaders concluded their October 15–16 summit in Brussels with decisions and policy directions covering competitiveness, energy, Ukraine, security and the next long-term budget.

Canada’s Consumer Price Index rose 3.1% from a year earlier in September, up from 3.0% in August, Statistics Canada reported October 19. Gasoline was the main contributor to the acceleration: its annual increase widened to 27.8%, compared with 22.8% the previous month.

Canada announced C$18.5 million in federal support on October 16 for a C$87.5 million Prevost project intended to modernize its bus platform and manufacturing capabilities. The investment concerns operations in Sainte-Claire, Quebec, rather than a new manufacturing plant in Montreal.

Canada announced October 16 that changes to the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System will take effect November 3. The measures concern eligible Canadian work experience and qualifying job offers in designated high-wage occupations.

Prices for U.S. imports increased 1.1% in September after a revised 0.5% rise in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported October 16. Import prices were 8.1% higher than a year earlier, the largest twelve-month increase since July 2022.

Cybersecurity Career Week began October 19 and continues through October 24, the National Institute of Standards and Technology announced. Coordinated by its NICE program, the campaign brings together government, education, nonprofit and industry participants to explain cybersecurity work and the learning routes that can lead to it.

The National Science Foundation announced a new X-Labs funding opportunity on October 16 focused on connecting biological sequences with function. The topic, From Sequence to Function, seeks platform technologies that could make the design of proteins and genomes more predictable.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station began unpacking a Dragon cargo spacecraft and preparing new experiments, NASA reported on October 16. The spacecraft docked the previous day at 10:27 a.m. Eastern time. Crew members opened the hatch after completing leak and pressure checks.

The National Science Foundation announced October 16 its first VINES investments, totaling more than $110 million across 49 teams. The initiative focuses on advanced wireless communications and intelligent network systems.

NASA announced October 16 that Stephen Cash will become director of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, effective October 19. He returns to the center where he began his NASA career in 1982.

The European Commission opened public feedback on October 19 on a proposed change to rules for certain liquid fertilizers recovered from livestock manure. The initiative would give member states more flexibility under the Nitrates Directive while retaining conditions intended to protect the environment.

Canada announced October 16 that Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin will lead its delegations to the upcoming UN biodiversity and climate conferences. The announcement identifies separate meetings with distinct negotiating agendas.