Including Cracker Barrel's holiday menu, a partnership for Mesh and Visa, and Walgreens' 2026-2027 Flu Index.

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Cracker Barrel Celebrates the Holidays with New Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes, Country Fried Turkey Sandwich, Returning Favorites and Thanksgiving Feasts
   For guests celebrating at home, Cracker Barrel's Thanksgiving Heat & Serve meals make it easier to gather wherever the holiday takes them. Ready to heat and serve in two hours or less, the complete meals help families spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the people around the table. 
2. IXL Learning Acquires NoRedInk
   Used by 9 in 10 U.S. school districts since its launch, NoRedInk tailors writing instruction to individual strengths and areas for growth. From lightweight writing prompts to scaffolded essays and guided reviews, students get constant opportunities to put their skills into action, with personalized support whenever they get stuck.
3. Hello Kitty® and Friends are Coming to Burger King®
   Starting October 20, for a limited time families can enjoy a Hello Kitty^® and Friends King Jr. Kids' Meal, featuring one of six exclusive toys inside a mystery blind box, giving Guests the thrill of not knowing which character they'll get until they open it.
4. Mesh and Visa Partner to Make Stablecoin and Crypto Balances Spendable Across 175 Million Merchants
   The first-of-its-kind collaboration combines Visa's global acceptance network with Mesh's orchestration infrastructure, enabling consumers to pay in-store and online directly from the balances they already hold in their wallet apps. 
5. Lay's® Brings the Holi-LAY's® Table to Life with Five New Limited-Time Flavors Inspired by Holiday Dishes
   Starting October 25, the lineup gives fans a new way to experience the flavors of the season, whether they're hosting a gathering, giving the gift of good taste or snacking before the table is set. The Holi-LAY'S lineup includes five limited-time seasonal offerings inspired by favorite holiday courses on the table.
6. The Nuclear Company Announces Prosperity One, a 6.6 Gigawatt Nuclear Power Campus in Lewis County, Kentucky
   The proposed campus could deploy up to six Westinghouse AP1000 reactors along the Ohio River, establishing Kentucky's first commercial nuclear power project and marking the largest nuclear power generation site in the United States.
7. MoneyGram Launches One Global Experience for Moving and Managing Money
   Consumers can receive and hold funds digitally, send money internationally, pay bills and top up mobile phones, and move between digital money and cash through MoneyGram's global retail network. In select markets, consumers can also maintain a stable, dollar-denominated balance, giving them more choice in how they hold and use their money.
8. Casio to Release Analog G-SHOCK Watches Inheriting the Functional Beauty of the Original Digital Model
   The new GMC-2500 and GAC-2500 translate the functional beauty of the original DW-5000C into a simple analog design. While carrying forward the iconic form of the original, the watches introduce a new exterior design with softer, more rounded contours.
9. Walgreens Launches 2026-2027 Flu Index as Activity Tracks Four Weeks Ahead of Recent Seasons
   Updated weekly on Mondays, the Flu Index provides state- and county-level insights using multiple sources, including Walgreens flu and COVID-19 testing data, prescription antivirals and over-the-counter cold and flu purchasing trends.
10. Oracle and AstraZeneca Partner to Advance AI-enabled Healthcare Innovation
    Oracle announced an agreement with AstraZeneca to explore how AI and real-world data can help clinicians identify eligible patients for clinical trials, accelerate evidence generation, and bring relevant research insights into everyday care.
11. Merrick Bank and Happy Money Launch $500 Million Lending Program
    Merrick Bank, which holds approximately $9.3 billion in assets and maintains a loan portfolio dedicated to consumer credit, will originate and fund personal loans through its bank sponsorship partnership with Happy Money. The loans will be facilitated and serviced through Happy Money's platform.
12. Abbott announces its intention to separate its global Nutrition business into an independent, publicly traded company
    The separation will unlock potential of both companies to pursue distinct growth and value-creation strategies. The new Nutrition company will be a global leader in the rapidly growing healthy nutrition market, with a portfolio of iconic, category-leading brands, including Similac, PediaSure, Pedialyte, Glucerna and Ensure.
13. The Home Depot Foundation Pledges $1 Billion to Veteran Causes by 2032
    Across America, nearly 33,000 veterans experience homelessness on any given night, and over 2.75 million live in inadequate housing. To address this crisis, the Foundation's expanded commitment will tackle both immediate and long-term veteran housing challenges, including veteran homelessness, through scalable, innovative solutions.

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Can't Miss Earnings

The latest round of earnings releases ramped up this week. Quarterly financial results from Meta, IBM, GM and Lockheed Martin were among the most-read reports to cross the wire.

Catch up on all the latest earnings releases.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

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