Public Health & Food Supply: U.S. diners are cutting back on lettuce and some restaurant chains as cyclosporiasis fears spread, with FDA linking cases to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell and sourced from Taylor Farms in Mexico. Healthcare Governance: Massachusetts senators are pressing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to disclose whether his family profited from a Merck Gardasil settlement, raising conflict-of-interest questions. Transit & Commuting: The MBTA is extending commuter rail savings through November and launching three new fare pilots, plus “unlimited” transfers within a two-hour window starting Sept. 1. Local Environment & Industry: Lowell residents are asking a judge to pause a 352,000-square-foot data center expansion, arguing the state DEP improperly approved extra diesel generators via a behind-closed-doors agreement. Energy & Grid Modernization: Massachusetts expands its V2G/VPP push, including a residential battery program that pays homeowners for feeding EV battery power back to the grid. Corporate/Finance: NBT Bancorp reports 2Q2026 earnings and a higher dividend, while Integra LifeSciences highlights progress at its Braintree manufacturing facility. Biotech & Manufacturing: Factorial and SK On sign an MoU to explore solid-state battery manufacturing, and Bioxytran touts new corporate research coverage tied to its ProLectin-M and A-SUQAR efforts. Legal/Investors: A Massachusetts federal court is set to hear an Insulet securities fraud class action, with an Aug. 31 lead plaintiff deadline.