Katie has all your Thursday news with Bright Bytes!
Amazon announced new features to their widely popular Echo Dot, 'Alexa.'- A new, more natural-sounding voice; support for simultaneous, bilingual requests; a new “frustration mode”; celebrity guest voices — starting with none other than Samuel L. Jackson.
- Amazon will offer both explicit and clean versions of Jackson’s voice, and launch later this year for a “special price” of $0.99 for anyone who purchases it in 2019.
- Amazon is also promising that more celebrities will arrive next year, too!
Great news for parents in Illinois!
- Insurance companies must now pay for EpiPen injectors for children who suffer from allergies.
- Hopefully, more states will take notice and get on board.
- Illinois State Senator Julie Morrison said no child should suffer because they can't afford an EpiPen.
- The cost of the EpiPen jumped from $57 in 2007 to about $500 in 2016.
Illinois based Jimmy John's is being sold to Arby's.
- The first Jimmy John's opened in 1983 in Charleston, Illinois; now, there are 2,800 locations in 43 states.
- Arby's is Atlanta-based and the company that owns it has a portfolio that includes more than 8,300 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and SONIC Drive-In locations.
- Following its acquisition of Jimmy John’s, it is expected to be the fourth-largest restaurant company in the United States.
When it comes to Halloween people are not only spending more, but they are decorating earlier this year...
- Researchers have found that people are spending 9 billion dollars total on Halloween this year, which is 85 bucks a person!
- People are spending $25 on candy
- AND $31 on costumes
In Sports:
- The Cubs are eliminated from the playoffs after losing to The Pirates last night.
- The White Sox beat the Indians 8 to 3.
- And The Bears prepare to face the Vikings at Soldier Field on Sunday.
