Six Flags closures, a federal search and faith beyond the headlines
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 • About 6 minutes
News that matters. Faith for everyday life. Read this edition on Substack or subscribe free.
☀️ Good Day
Today brings a major amusement-park safety investigation, a federal search involving a sitting member of Congress, and fresh questions about interest rates. We also have Christian music winners, ministry stories and a Monday Night Football thriller.
On this day: In 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the beginnings of the Continental Navy. Today marks the U.S. Navy’s 251st birthday. Naval History and Heritage Command.
🌤️ Your weather today — October 13 forecast
| City | Forecast | Approximate afternoon temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 🌤️ Mostly sunny | 75°F |
| New York | 🌤️ Sun, then increasing clouds | 74°F |
| Washington, D.C. | 🌤️ Mostly sunny | 83°F |
| Chicago | ⛅ Partly sunny | 79°F |
| Miami | 🌤️ Mostly sunny | 89°F |
📰 The Big Three
🎢 Six Flags closes nine coasters after fatal incident
Six Flags temporarily closed nine roller coasters across six parks after one person died and several others were injured Monday at Six Flags Over Georgia. The company says similar attractions were closed as a precaution and it is cooperating with investigators.
Cobb County police are investigating. The cause and full circumstances remain under investigation.
🏛️ Federal agents search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home
Federal agents searched the Minnesota congresswoman’s Washington home Monday. The Justice Department confirmed a judicially authorized search connected to an ongoing criminal investigation.
Omar called the action political intimidation. President Trump said he had “nothing to do” with the search. The investigation’s scope remains unclear; a search does not establish wrongdoing.
💵 Fed official favors tighter policy
Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack says interest rates need to move higher to restrain inflation, while keeping an open mind about when.
Speaking to Reuters Monday, she said she hopes cooling demand can bring inflation down without weakening employment. Her remarks describe her position—not a new Federal Reserve decision.
🇺🇸 America Now
🏅 Two American economists receive Nobel honors. Robert Hall of Stanford and Michael Woodford of Columbia won the 2026 economics prize. Their research helped shape models used to understand economic downturns and evaluate policy responses. Both earned doctorates at MIT.
✝️ Faith & Culture
⛪ Pastor pay: a revised picture. Updated research shows average Southern Baptist pastor compensation rose modestly since 2024 but failed to keep pace with inflation. Baptist Press’s October 12 report revises an earlier release, making the corrected findings especially important for churches reviewing compensation.
🤝 Building trust in Montana. A new Baptist Press feature follows pastors working among Native American communities. The report explores how historical harm and present-day hardship affect relationships—and how local ministry leaders approach sharing their faith across cultural differences.
🎵 Your Dove Awards catch-up. Phil Wickham won Artist of the Year, Josiah Queen’s “Dusty Bibles” received Song of the Year, and Jamie MacDonald was named New Artist of the Year. The official winners list includes all categories.
💼 Work & Money
📸 Getty Images plans restructuring. The visual-media company announced plans for an expedited Chapter 11 process and a move to private ownership following its failed Shutterstock merger. The announcement outlines a planned restructuring, not a completed bankruptcy proceeding.
📊 Market snapshot — Monday, October 12 close
| Index | Close | Daily change |
|---|---|---|
| Dow Jones | 51,850.55 | 🟢 +0.4% |
| S&P 500 | 7,807.24 | 🔴 −0.1% |
| Nasdaq Composite | 27,245.90 | 🔴 −0.4% |
Brent crude rose 1.8% to $106.65 a barrel. Investors are watching inflation data and corporate earnings this week. Figures reflect Monday’s close, not live Tuesday trading.
🏈 Sports Desk
Bills 37, Rams 34 — in overtime. Buffalo won Monday night’s back-and-forth matchup at SoFi Stadium. Rams coach Sean McVay criticized the team’s special-teams performance after the loss, which dropped Los Angeles to 2–3.
🌱 Good News
A ministry reports changed lives in northern Nigeria
Across Nigeria founder Brad Brandon says former militants have responded to Christian outreach and gone on to share the Gospel themselves.
An October 12 Baptist Press feature describes the ministry’s work through education, relationships and pastoral training. These are the ministry’s accounts of spiritual transformation, drawn from experiences over several years, including a 2025 gathering.
📖 THRIVE! Perspective
Faithful work that rarely makes headlines
Some of the most meaningful work happens long before anyone notices: a teacher patiently explaining a lesson, a pastor visiting someone in the hospital, a volunteer returning to the same neighborhood week after week.
Galatians 6:9 encourages believers to persevere in doing good. That invitation speaks to ordinary days, when progress feels slow and the results remain out of sight.
The ministry stories in today’s edition bring that patient work into view. Relationships take time. Trust grows through repeated acts of care. Sharing the Gospel often includes listening, showing up and serving faithfully.
We cannot control every outcome. We can ask God to help us recognize the person in front of us and take the next faithful step. Today, that may be a phone call, a meal, a prayer or a promise kept.
🗳️ Reader Pulse
What would you like to see more of in THRIVE!?
- 👨👩👧 Family and education
- ✝️ Faith and ministry
- 💼 Business and money
- 🎭 Arts and sports
Join the conversation on Substack. Your feedback helps shape upcoming editions.
💡 Worth Remembering
Verse of the Day
“Let us not become weary in doing good” — Galatians 6:9, NIV
🧠 Today’s trivia: Which university awarded doctorates to both of this year’s economics Nobel laureates?
🔢 By the numbers: 17. That is the number of MIT alumni who have received the economics Nobel, according to the university’s announcement.
Trivia answer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
🙏 Prayer Point
Pray for the family grieving after the Georgia amusement-park incident, those recovering from injuries, and the investigators working to establish what happened. Remember storm survivors rebuilding their lives and Christians serving communities where trust and healing take time.
Thanks for starting your day with THRIVE!
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Sources
Reporting sources are linked beneath each brief: Associated Press, Reuters, MIT News, Baptist Press, the Gospel Music Association and the Los Angeles Rams. Historical reference: Naval History and Heritage Command. Scripture: Galatians 6:9, NIV.
Featured image: U.S. Capitol, file photograph. Photo: Caleb Perez / Unsplash. Not a photograph of the search described in this edition.
