Mary Stachyra Lopez

The McDonald’s CEO’s Big Burger-Eating Mistake If you’re going to eat on the internet, you’d better do it a certain way.

"He's a LinkedIn guy in a TikTok world" www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...

As funds dwindle, Oakridge’s only newspaper fights to survive - Daily Emerald There is only one road in and out of Oakridge, a small town tucked deep in the Willamette National Forest. There is also only one newspaper — and it may not exist for much longer. As news deserts expa...

"Custer arrives at the Herald office at 7 a.m. each morning, checking the inbox and preparing for the day. Despite thousands of hours of work over the years, he has never taken a paycheck — nor have many of the paper’s volunteers."

Superb Owl Sunday X A special Sunday event: our tenth-annual photo collection celebrating these magnificent birds of prey. If you have some time before the big game (or are skipping the event entirely), we invite you to have a look.

If the Super Bowl isn’t your cup of tea, our tenth-annual photo collection of superb owls just might be. Take a look at these magnificent birds via The Atlantic Photo:

Incredible. @passantino.bsky.social reports that Bezos had a serious opportunity to save the Post's local section from further gutting and he just...ignored it.

www.status.news/p/washington...

lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · 49m I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated. Quote lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · Jan 25 Waking up without power, heat, or running water. (Again.) But the work here in Kyiv continues. Warming up in the car, writing in pencil — pen ink freezes — by headlamp.

INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.

With its name recognition, resources, and credibility, the Post should be dominating this market. Instead, it's focusing on....what, exactly?

I'm so frustrated by the layoffs at the Washington Post, and in particular the continued gutting of local news coverage. There are more than 6 million people in the DMV, and multiple examples of news outlets that appear to be operating successful business/nonprofit models at a much smaller scale.

John L. Allen Jr, 1965-2026 John L. Allen Jr. was a force of nature, certainly as a journalist who was not only our principal but also a model for us, whose counsel and whose company we already and forever shall sorely miss.

I'm so sorry to hear that John Allen Jr. has passed away. He was an extraordinary journalist, fair-minded and second to none in his analysis of Vatican news.

share.google/gRf4QBtj337z...

Never Buy a Goldfish How I acquired an anxious new hobby

A few months ago, my daughter won a goldfish at the fair. That was the start of my s̶p̶i̶r̶a̶l̶ uh, new hobby. I wrote about it for @opensecretsmag.bsky.social:

How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life This is the story of how a man traded steady, grinding corporate security for a dying craft and, in the process, found his soul.

This is just so lovely.

Tell Students the Truth About American History We owe it to Americans of all ages to be honest about the country’s past, including its contradictions.

I spent October traveling to schools throughout the South talking to students about American history. What I found were young people who understand we can tell a story that includes both the positive and the negative. As one 8th grader in Memphis said, “Doesn’t seem that hard, just say both things.”

What sort of midterms do the Democrats' New Jersey and Virginia midterms point to? I had a look using historic results and wound up with a central estimate of D+6 and a confidence interval from R+5 to D+16. Not exactly conclusive! owenwinter.co.uk/2025/11/10/d...

Fairfax residents rally to keep pets fed during federal shutdown | FFXnow Previous Image 1/4 Next Image It all started with a picture of a kitten sitting on an empty shelf. On Nov. 3, the Fairfax County Animal Shelter posted a plea for donations to its pet pantry, citing an...

In October, the Fairfax County Animal Shelter's pet resource center assisted 525 pets and distributing 8,782 pounds of food—an all-time high. Residents are rallying to make sure the need is met at the shelter, and elsewhere in the county.

My latest for @ffxnow.bsky.social:

The Old Farmer’s Almanac—234 Years and Still Going Strong Wondering if The Old Farmer’s Almanac is discontinued? It’s still publishing and growing, with trusted forecasts, tools, and seasonal guidance since 1792. Learn more and see what's new.

WAIT I WAS WRONG
The *Old* Farmer's Almanac, the yellow one (that hung on a nail in my grandparents' bathroom) is NOT shutting down.

The Farmer's Almanac, which um...I have no feelings about really...is the one shutting down

phew

www.almanac.com/old-farmers-...

Every suggested Reel I see on Facebook nowadays is like "RUN don't walk to TJ Maxx," or "You won't BELIEVE what I found at Marshalls," then cuts to an image of a Disney oven mitt or something equally underwhelming. It's actually kind of comforting that the algorithm is this bad. 😂

For an article, I'd like to talk to a parent who is enrolled in the new Beyond the Bell pilot program for after school care in Fairfax County. Is that you or someone you know? Please reach out: stachyrasocial@gmail.com

Fairfax City considers $18 million proposal to improve portion of Jermantown Road | FFXnow Previous Image 1/2 Next Image An $18.4 million project to reduce congestion and improve safety on a nearly mile-long portion of Jermantown Road has been more than half a decade in the making. Now, an ...

When you live in Northern Virginia, what happens on a tiny section of a busy arterial road can make all the difference to quite a lot of people. 14,000 a day, to be precise. A recent story from me in @ffxnow.bsky.social:

I don't know who needs to hear this, but apparently there's a whole website that will deliver Google search results without the AI clutter: udm14.com

A lovely list! But despite the popularity of "Strega Nona," I think Tomie de Paola's true masterpieces are "Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs" and "The Clown of God."

(I have a lot of strong feelings about children's literature...😂)

Whenever I complain about the large amount of stuffies my daughter refuses to donate, she tells me that I should have never read "The Velveteen Rabbit" to her. So while I agree...buyer beware. 😂

Fairfax City considers CUE bus overhaul that would simplify routes, cut some stops | FFXnow Fairfax City is considering transforming its CUE bus system by offering more frequent and direct connections between the most popular stops, as well as speeding up routes -- but also cut service for s...

Can bus service still get better if you're cutting the total number of stops? Thousands of riders around Fairfax may find out the answer to that question soon, as the city considers overhauling its bus line. I wrote recently for @ffxnow.bsky.social:

www.ffxnow.com/2025/10/09/f...

A book is wrapped in white paper with the words "check me out" and the reason for being banned or challenged: "Encouraging children to use violence against their fathers."

My local library made a display of censored books. Apparently "Hop on Pop" made the list...

The Economist: Off the Charts | Substack The Economist’s data and visual journalists share the tools, techniques and ideas behind their award-winning stories. Click to read The Economist: Off the Charts, a Substack publication.

We have quietly launched Off the Charts, our @economist.com data newsletter, on Substack.

You can subscribe to the newsletter for FREE (paid subscribers also receive access to our newsletter archive & two of our data-driven pieces each week)

theeconomistoffthecharts.substack.com

ICE detains lawfully present Richmond father as son waits for school bus Silviano Mora Vera's U visa should have insulated him from detention.

The son "took his father's visa paperwork and Social Security card to the ICE Richmond Field Office off Arboretum Parkway. However, he was told it 'didn't matter.'"

The Plot to Free the Nuns

The back story of the three sisters who left the retirement community they were forced to move into, and took back their home:

How Outrage at Kimmel Grew to a Shout From a Whisper

"The accelerating furor reflects how online outrage does not always emerge organically, but is often the result of a small number of prominent voices redirecting their audience’s attention."

Defiant nuns flee Austrian care home for their abandoned convent in the Alps Sisters Bernadette, Regina and Rita needed a locksmith to get back into their convent, defying Church leaders.

OK, who plays Sister Bernadette, Sister Regina, and Sister Rita in the movie?

Airlines Sell 5 Billion Plane Ticket Records to the Government For Warrantless Searching New documents obtained by 404 Media show how a data broker owned by American Airlines, United, Delta, and many other airlines is selling masses of passenger data to the U.S. government.

New from 404 Media: airlines are selling *5 billion* ticketing records to the government for warrantless searching, per new docs we obtained. ARC is a data broker owned by United, American, Delta, etc. Then sells peoples' travel info to ICE, Secret Service, FBI etc www.404media.co/airlines-sel...

Minneapolis gunman, firing through church windows, kills 2 children In the first week of school, gunfire erupted at Annunciation Catholic School in south Minneapolis. Massive police and federal response descends on neighborhood. The gunman was reported to be dead.

"These kids were literally praying," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. "It was the first week of school. They were in a church. They should be able to go to school or church without the risk of fear or violence." https://bit.ly/4fZGEqo