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Deployment will serve data centers, governments and businesses, jumping into market dominated by SpaceXJeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin on Wednesday announced a plan to deploy 5,408 satellites in space for a communications network that will serve data centers, governments and businesses, jumping into a satellite constellation market dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.Deployment of satellites is planned to begin in the last quarter of 2027, Blue Origin said, adding the network will be designed to have “data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth”. That speed, possible with the satellites’ planned optical communications, is extreme by consumer standards and would make the network key for data processing and large-scale government programs. Blue Origin said the network would be meant to serve a maximum of roughly 100,000 customers. Continue reading...

Cook County health officials are warning about the ripple effects to public health if thousands of residents lose access to one of the country’s largest food assistance programs for low-income households in the coming months.About 400,000 Illinois residents could lose SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, by May 1 because of new work requirements, state officials say. The changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending plan approved by Congress last summer. Nearly 2 million Illinois residents are enrolled in the program.The expanded work requirements now apply to people up to age 64, up from age 55; individuals who are homeless and veterans; and parents of teens 14 and older instead of 18 and older previously. Individuals will have to work or volunteer at least 80 hours per month to remain eligible.Republicans see the new rules as a way to get more people to work and to reduce abuse of the program.So far, about 100,000 people have filed for exemptions, which include people certified as physically or mentally unable to work or are in drug or alcohol treatment programs. But officials and community groups are trying to reach the thousands of others at risk of being pushed out of the program, Dulce Quintero, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services, said Wednesday at Provident Hospital of Cook County Health on Chicago’s South Side. Officials are urging residents to file an exemption before a Feb. 1 deadline. Help for SNAP recipients Update your SNAP information: Illinois created a website where you can see if you meet the new SNAP program requirements. You can update your information by calling 1-800-843-6154.Find a food pantry: Here’s a list of pantries in the Chicago area A person who doesn’t meet the requirements can get benefits for only three months. After that three-month window, they will have to wait three years before reapplying.“Food is not a luxury, it’s a basic human need, and it’s foundational to health, dignity and opportunity,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Wednesday at Provident Hospital. “When people have reliable access to nutritious food, they’re healthier, more stable and better able to care for their families and contribute to their communities.”The new work rules come as residents also brace for changes to Medicaid next year, which could compound health consequences, such as individuals showing up to emergency rooms with more advanced illnesses, said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, chief executive officer of Cook County Health. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Wednesday said people are better off when they have reliable access to nutritious food. “It’s not a luxury, it’s a basic human need,” she said.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file “Hunger is a medical issue. Limited or inconsistent access to nutritious food directly affects health outcomes, health care costs and quality of life,” Mikaitis said.Food insecurity is linked to higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney disease, he said.Last November, SNAP recipients in Illinois and across the country lost their benefits for days when funding for the program was frozen during the historic federal government shutdown. Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, said that provided a glimpse into what happens when people lose access.“We saw our neighbors, men and women, children, older adults, people who were coming on their way to work, who had to go from the pantry to work, sign up to stand in line for hours … to be able to get food,” Maehr said.Shannon Andrews, the county’s chief equity and inclusion officer, said existing health disparities could worsen if fewer people have SNAP benefits. Andrews said the county is working with the food depository to increase access to nutritional food through two food pantries. Provident Hospital of Cook County Health operates a weekly food…

David Siegel, a veteran producer who worked on films including “The Hangover” trilogy, “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and more, died on Jan. 8 in Los Angeles. He was 70 years old. Over the last four decades, Siegel contributed to a number of the most enduring studio films, collaborating with filmmakers including Kevin Costner, Todd Phillips, Rob […]

The Sky will open the 2026 season with a West Coast trip starting May 9 in Portland against the expansion Fire.That is, of course, assuming the league and the players' union can come to a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement.After visiting Golden State, Phoenix and Minnesota, the Sky will have their home opener on May 20 against the Dallas Wings.The league’s other expansion team, the Toronto Tempo, will visit Wintrust Arena on May 27 and Sept. 22.“It’s an honor to participate in the WNBA’s 30th season amid a time of tremendous growth for the league,” Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said in a statement. “We’re especially excited to welcome two more expansion teams to our competitive league, and we’ll be ready to match up against a strong lineup of opponents at home and on the road.” Some of the other major home matchups include the champion Las Vegas Aces on June 28 and Aug. 1, and Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever on Aug. 8 and Aug. 23. The June 28 game vs. the Aces and the Aug. 8 game vs. the Fever will be played at the United Center. The Sky have no back-to-back games scheduled for this season.The WNBA All-Star Game will be held July 25 at United Center.The Sky will end the regular season on Sept. 24 at Washington.WNBA teams will play 44 games over a five-month period with a 17-day break from Aug. 31-Sept. 16 for the FIBA World Cup in early September in Berlin. The league said last year that with the World Cup this season they would keep the schedule at 44 games despite adding two new teams in Portland and Toronto.Training camp is slated to begin April 19, six days after the college draft. The league will have its sixth annual Commissioner's Cup games in June with the championship game slated to take place on June 30.All of this is still contingent on the league and union coming to an agreement on a new CBA. The two sides agreed to a moratorium on free agency, which was supposed to begin earlier this month. The moratorium was needed after no new extension was reached on Jan. 9 to negotiate a new CBA. The WNBA and union are now in a "status quo" period where the old CBA is still in effect and the two parties are negotiating on good faith.Contributing: Associated Press