The edition for Thursday, October 22, 2026. 6 items. All editions.
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Oct. 22, 2026 — An earlier version of this story gave the location as about 204 km west-northwest of Port-Olry and the depth as 10 km, from an early USGS solution. USGS's reviewed solution places the quake about 197 km northwest, at a depth of about 16 km.
The corrected story: Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes at sea northwest of Port-Olry, Vanuatu.
Oct. 22, 2026 — The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced five recalls. Costway convertible high chairs, about 3,332 sold at Walmart, Target and Costway.com, lack a passive restraint, so a child can slip through and become entrapped or fall. Bamamon LED finger light toys (about 6,533) and CIYTI light-up princess costumes (about 94), both sold on Amazon, have button batteries children can reach. VQQQ gas patio heaters (about 100) can leak gas. Lithonia RSX outdoor light mounts (about 11,532) can fail and drop the fixture. No injuries were reported.
Oct. 22, 2026 — Two UN agencies appealed on Oct. 21 for immediate help for communities already affected by what the World Meteorological Organization said could be the strongest El Niño on record, UN News reported. WMO's latest seasonal update says tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures may rise to 3.8°C above average between November 2026 and January 2027. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said some 50 million people could face increased hunger, and that Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya urgently need funding and supplies before heavy rains arrive.
USGS's loss model puts likely economic losses at its orange level and says some fatalities are possible; official casualty reports were not yet available.
Oct. 22, 2026 — San Diego County voters can mail ballots postage-free, at more than 150 official drop boxes, or at vote centers, some of which open Oct. 24, the Registrar of Voters said. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3. Drop boxes and vote centers close at 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Details: sdvote.com or 800-696-0136.
Oct. 22, 2026 — San Diego County is offering free tuberculosis testing to all current students and staff at Southwest High School after a fourth person associated with the school was diagnosed with active TB within two years, the County said. The exposure period ran from June 23, 2025, to March 6, 2026. Testing at the school is set for the first week of November, and former students can be tested there on Dec. 4 from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Earlier cases showed no genetic link, and results for the newest case are pending.