Faded advertisements known as ghost signs remain on brick walls across the United States, offering clues about past businesses and products. Artist Craig Winslow uses projection mapping to temporarily recreate old signs, while enthusiasts document them before demolition removes them.
Key Facts
Marketing professor Ron Ladouceur searches for and studies ghost signs in Schenectady, New York.
Ladouceur said the golden era of ghost signs ran from about 1895 through the 1930s, alongside the rise of national advertising.
Many signs promoted brands and companies that no longer exist, and repeated layers of paint can make them hard to read.
Ghost signs are often lost when buildings are demolished.
Craig Winslow’s Light Capsules project uses projection mapping to recreate the appearance of old signs.
Winslow researches signs using archival images and old directories before projecting them.
In Portland, Oregon, Winslow identified five advertising layers on a warehouse wall, including signs for Montgomery Ward and Oregon Transfer Co.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Harry Houdini, born Erik Weisz in Hungary in 1874, became famous for escape acts involving handcuffs, straitjackets and water tanks. Later, he exposed tricks used by fake spiritualist mediums. The article looks back on his life a century after his death and says the mystery surrounding it endures.
Key Facts
Houdini’s family moved to Wisconsin when he was four.
As a teenager, he performed magic in sideshows and beer halls.
He took his stage name from French magician Houdin, adding an “i.”
His Metamorphosis Trunk act helped make him a sought-after performer.
Houdini became famous for escaping handcuffs and other restraints, as well as straitjackets and a water tank.
In 1904, Houdini bought a townhouse in Harlem, where he lived with his wife, mother and brother.
After World War I, Houdini worked to expose fraudulent spiritualist mediums.
The article says Houdini died 100 years before its publication, on Halloween, but the provided text does not explain the circumstances of his death.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Cornell student Diego Sarabia has asked a New York judge to dismiss him from a civil lawsuit filed by a former student identified as Jane Doe. His attorney argues the complaint describes an allegedly nonconsensual kiss and that the time limit for bringing a claim has passed; Doe’s attorney has not yet responded.
Key Facts
Jane Doe’s lawsuit concerns alleged sexual assaults involving seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity in 2024.
The complaint alleges Sarabia grabbed Doe’s face and kissed her without consent, and that he was among fraternity members who allegedly snorted ketamine off her body.
Sarabia’s attorney says the complaint does not allege that Sarabia supplied Doe with drugs or alcohol, took part in other alleged sexual encounters, or was present for most of the alleged conduct.
Sarabia’s attorney argues that a one-year statute of limitations bars an intentional-tort claim because Doe filed the case nearly two years after the alleged events.
All seven fraternity members have denied wrongdoing.
A judge recently denied Sarabia’s request for a gag order, calling it a distraction from the case’s merits.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating the incident as a special prosecutor appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Cornell is conducting an internal review of its response.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton urged President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to consider the facts about her allegations of childhood abuse after they defended an attack ad from Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign. The ad features Acton’s estranged mother disputing Acton’s account; Acton said she has not seen her mother since age 12. Acton made the comments after a Cleveland campaign rally with former President Barack Obama.
Key Facts
The Ramaswamy campaign ad features Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, saying Acton lied about her past.
Acton has alleged that her stepfather sexually abused her between ages 9 and 12.
Charges were filed against Acton’s stepfather, who pleaded not guilty, fled the state before trial, and died in 2004.
Acton said she and her brother experienced extreme child abuse and neglect.
Trump dismissed questions about the abuse allegations and said the ad had nothing to do with Acton’s stepfather.
Vance criticized Republicans who objected to the ad, saying they should focus on what Democrats want to do.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called the ad deeply troubling and said the Ramaswamy campaign should take it down, but he did not withdraw his endorsement.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s policies and administration at a Saturday rally in Ohio supporting Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. He also condemned a campaign ad targeting Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and voiced support for her.
Key Facts
Obama said Trump had made bad decisions and criticized his handling of the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.
Obama urged Ohio voters to reject the Republican administration in the midterm elections.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad features Acton’s mother disputing Acton’s account of childhood homelessness and sexual abuse by her stepfather.
Acton says she has not seen her mother since 1978.
Acton’s brother has supported her account of childhood sexual abuse by her stepfather, who died in 2004 and had been charged with rape.
Obama praised Acton and appeared at the rally with her and former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
Brown is running against incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted.
The article says polls showed Democrats slightly ahead in both Ohio races, which were expected to be close.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Common Cause, represented by ACLU attorneys, filed a motion to intervene in the Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska’s Senate election. The DOJ’s suit concerns a candidate with the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, but the article excerpt does not provide the full allegation or the motion’s arguments.
Key Facts
Common Cause is seeking to intervene in the Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska’s Senate election.
ACLU attorneys represent Common Cause in the matter.
The Justice Department filed its lawsuit on Thursday.
The DOJ lawsuit concerns a candidate who shares a name with incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican.
The article excerpt does not state what election certification action the DOJ seeks to block.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
An October New York Times/Siena poll found that President Donald Trump had 38 percent approval and 57 percent disapproval among Midwest respondents. The article says the result could pose a challenge for Republicans in competitive Midwestern races, but cautions that the regional sample is less precise and does not predict election outcomes.
Key Facts
Trump’s Midwest approval rating was 38 percent, while 57 percent disapproved, a 19-point gap.
The poll surveyed 3,494 voters nationwide from October 12 to 19 and had an overall sampling error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
The poll did not report the Midwest subgroup’s sample size or a separate margin of error.
Midwestern respondents gave Democrats a nine-point advantage on the generic House ballot.
Republicans are defending congressional majorities in the November 3 midterm elections.
Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to take control of the chamber.
Experts cited in the article pointed to economic pressures, including fuel costs and policies affecting farmers, as possible factors in Trump’s regional standing.
Republican strategists said strong local candidates might outperform Trump by attracting voters who split their tickets.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Representative James Talarico have made competing views of Christianity a focus of the state’s U.S. Senate race. Their campaigns formed faith coalitions with different memberships, as Paxton highlights his religious faith and Talarico’s coalition includes voters from several religions.
Key Facts
Paxton is the Republican nominee and Talarico is the Democratic candidate in Texas’s U.S. Senate race.
Paxton’s “Pastors for Paxton” coalition includes 27 faith leaders, largely from evangelical, charismatic and nondenominational churches.
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, organized “Faithful Texans for Talarico,” which includes Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other religious voters.
Paxton has served as Texas attorney general since 2015 and won the Republican primary against four-term U.S. Senator John Cornyn.
The Republican-led Texas House impeached Paxton in 2023 on allegations of corruption and abuse of office; the state Senate acquitted him.
Paxton has described his political survival in religious terms, saying he believes God delivered him.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Paxton in the Senate race.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
California leaders criticized the Trump administration’s request that state election officials check about 20,000 ballots linked to people suspected of being noncitizens. State officials said the federal government provided no evidence explaining why the people were ineligible and warned that the process could affect eligible voters; an appeals court is scheduled to hear the dispute on Tuesday.
Key Facts
Federal prosecutors asked California election officials to verify a list of about 20,000 ballots within 48 hours, less than two weeks before the midterm elections.
Los Angeles officials said a high percentage of people on the list were born in the United States.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the list included people who had never voted and voters from the wrong county.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said federal officials provided names but no information showing why the people were allegedly ineligible.
The Justice Department said it wanted county officials to provide information so the Department of Homeland Security could verify citizenship.
The Justice Department recently charged 28 foreign nationals with allegedly registering to vote fraudulently.
Some California officials took no action, citing the short time before the election, and the dispute led to litigation.
An appeals court is scheduled to hear the case on Tuesday.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The article page links to a CBS News Almanac segment about historical events associated with October 25. The supplied text does not describe the events covered in the segment.
Key Facts
The segment is titled “Almanac: October 25.”
CBS News Sunday Morning is listed as the program presenting the segment.
The page labels the segment a look back at historical events on this date.
The page lists “The mystery of Houdini’s death” as a related video.
The supplied article text contains no details about the historical events discussed.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Harry Houdini died at age 52 on Halloween, 100 years before this report. CBS correspondent David Pogue examines Houdini’s life, his efforts to expose fake mystics and the mystery surrounding his death.
Key Facts
Houdini was known as an escape artist.
He died at age 52.
The report says Houdini died on Halloween, 100 years ago.
Houdini debunked séances and fake mystics.
CBS correspondent David Pogue examines the circumstances surrounding Houdini’s death.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s renovation projects in the Washington, D.C., area during a campaign stop in Cleveland. Obama compared the White House changes to Saddam Hussein opening a Cheesecake Factory while supporting Ohio Democratic candidates Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown.
Key Facts
Obama spoke in Cleveland, Ohio.
Obama was campaigning for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton.
Obama was also campaigning for Senate candidate Sherrod Brown.
Obama poked fun at Trump’s renovation projects in the Washington, D.C., area.
Obama compared the White House changes to Saddam Hussein opening a Cheesecake Factory.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Barack Obama campaigned in Detroit for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Michigan Democratic candidates on the first day of early voting. Obama praised El-Sayed’s healthcare agenda and criticized Donald Trump’s administration, while the close Senate race was rated a toss-up.
Key Facts
Obama headlined a rally at Cass Technical High School in Detroit for El-Sayed and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson.
Obama said El-Sayed would work to expand access to quality, affordable healthcare.
El-Sayed is a doctor and former Wayne County health official who won the Democratic Senate primary against Representative Haley Stevens.
El-Sayed is running against former congressman Mike Rogers, whom Trump endorsed.
Republicans have not held a Michigan Senate seat in 25 years, and the article described the race as a toss-up.
A Marist poll conducted in mid-October showed El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 48%, within the margin of error.
Michigan’s general election is scheduled for November 3.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A fire broke out Saturday at the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after what the fire department said appeared to be an explosion. Workers evacuated safely, and officials reported no injuries; the cause was not immediately known.
Key Facts
Firefighters responded to the plant at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday.
The Cedar Rapids Fire Department said the fire evidently began with an explosion.
Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said all workers were safely evacuated and accounted for.
The fire occurred in an area of the building that handled products.
PepsiCo Foods US said the cause would be investigated.
Quaker Oats is owned by PepsiCo.
The company says the plant processes more than 2 million pounds of oats daily.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Barack Obama criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a campaign stop in Cleveland, Ohio. Obama joked about what he described as Hegseth’s focus on soldiers’ appearances and testosterone levels while campaigning for Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown.
Key Facts
Obama spoke in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday.
He campaigned for gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton.
He also campaigned for Senate candidate Sherrod Brown.
Obama criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Obama joked about Hegseth’s perceived focus on soldiers’ jawlines and testosterone levels.
The speech also criticized several Republican figures and referred to recent scandals.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A shooting near Florida A&M University's Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee injured 11 people on Saturday, police said. Police said a physical altercation may have preceded the shooting; no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Key Facts
The shooting happened shortly after Florida A&M's homecoming football game at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Six of the injured people were juveniles, including an 11-year-old.
One injured person is a Florida A&M University student.
Police said one victim was in critical condition, three had serious injuries, and the others were stable.
The grandmother of one victim was injured while fleeing the scene.
Tallahassee police said they believe a physical altercation occurred before the shooting.
No arrests had been made, and detectives and forensic personnel were investigating.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
U.S. flu activity rose early, with hospitalizations, positive tests and emergency visits increasing. H1N1 accounted for nearly all influenza A samples reported, but officials say it is too early to know how severe the season will be; the CDC recommends annual vaccination for everyone 6 months and older.
Key Facts
The CDC counted 4,811 laboratory-confirmed flu hospital admissions nationwide during the week ending October 17.
The hospitalization rate was the highest for this point in a flu season since 2010–11, according to the CDC surveillance network.
Walgreens said its flu indicators were tracking about four weeks ahead of recent seasons.
Of 241 influenza A samples analyzed by the CDC during the week ending October 17, 239 were H1N1.
The CDC said the circulating H1N1 is not a newly emerged strain and descends from the virus behind the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
The CDC had not detected the H3N2 subclade K, sometimes called “super flu,” in the samples described in the article.
Louisiana and Hawaii reported moderate influenza-like illness activity; Florida, South Carolina, West Virginia, Oregon and Washington reported low activity.
The CDC recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older and says September and October are preferred vaccination months.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Democrats running in competitive races are adjusting their positions on Israel and transgender rights as they respond to voter concerns and debate the party’s direction under President Donald Trump. The article says the party has grown more divided, with progressive candidates pressing for stronger policy changes and some moderates maintaining different positions.
Key Facts
A Pew Research Center survey cited in the article found that 60 percent of U.S. adults and 80 percent of Democrats viewed Israel unfavourably.
Senator Chris Coons said he wanted a thorough reexamination of the U.S.-Israel relationship and was willing to impose sanctions on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Forty Democratic senators supported a motion opposing proposed military sales to Israel; seven voted with Republicans to block it.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and defense must remain ironclad.
The article says some Democrats in close races have downplayed or rejected support for transgender rights, particularly transgender students’ participation in school sports.
Representative Marcy Kaptur’s Ohio campaign ran an ad in which she said boys should not play in girls’ sports.
The article attributes growing divisions within the Democratic Party to disagreements between establishment moderates and progressive voices.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Democrats retain a lead in the House race, with the CBS News model estimating they are on pace for 229 seats, though Republicans still have a narrow path to keep control. Voters report more concern about economic outcomes under Republicans, while many say opposition to President Donald Trump or the other party motivates their vote more than support for a party’s plans.
Key Facts
The CBS News House model estimates Democrats are on pace to win 229 seats.
The model’s possible outcomes extend into the 230s, but Republicans still have a narrow path to hold the House majority.
The Democratic lead has remained steady in recent weeks rather than growing.
More voters expect gas prices to rise if Republicans win than if Democrats win; few expect prices to fall under either party.
Most voters do not think either party will make them financially better off, but relatively more expect to do better under Democrats.
More than seven in 10 voters backing Democrats say they are voting to oppose President Donald Trump.
Most voters who back Republicans say they are voting to support Trump, though this motivation is less common than opposition to Trump among Democratic voters.
The article says voters who are undecided about voting or only probably plan to vote tend to lean more Republican.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
CBS News' Oct. 25, 2026, edition of Sunday Morning, hosted by Jane Pauley, featured arts, history, health, and current-affairs segments. Topics included an Israeli election, small businesses facing inflation, Houdini's death, and the Tower of London's ravenmaster.
Key Facts
Jane Pauley hosted the Oct. 25 edition of Sunday Morning.
The program featured actress Parker Posey and composer Missy Mazzoli.
A segment examined the mystery of Harry Houdini's death.
The program covered an Israeli election and Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to retain power.
Other segments addressed small businesses struggling with inflation and health decisions.
The show featured the Tower of London's ravenmaster and fading signs known as ghost signs.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
