CAIRO (AP) — The death toll from a Houthi missile strike on a government military camp in southern Yemen rose to 60 people, primarily new recruits, making it the deadliest strike since fighting in the country began escalating three months ago, Yemeni officials said Tuesday. At least a dozen people were still missing a…
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia unleashed another missile and drone blitz of civilian areas in Ukraine, killing at least four people, officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy scrambled to ensure more American and European help during a visit to Norway. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who along with…
NEW YORK (AP) — The dominant movie genres of the past decade, superhero films and horror, have usually stayed, like bashful teenagers on the dance floor, on separate sides of the multiplex. But when James Gunn and Peter Safran were plotting the projects with which they wanted to launch their era of DC Studios…
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police on Tuesday charged a driver with intentionally causing serious injury to an Australian federal lawmaker who is a critical condition after being struck by a car. A police statement said Brendan Nugent was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing…
Across 38 seasons of “The Simpsons,” the Halloween-themed “Treehouse of Horror” episodes have always been a treat of spooky stand-alone storylines. On Sunday, the show surprised viewers with a major resurrection: Apu, the beloved Kwik-E-Mart operator who had not been heard for the better part of a decade, spoke once…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is hoping that $5,000 checks can juice Republican turnout in November’s midterm elections — but even some of his devoted fans are doubting that government payouts would arrive. “I mean, I guess it’s good for some people. I really don’t care," said Jamie Alvarez, who attended…
TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mostly lower in cautious trading Tuesday after artificial-intelligence -related stocks bounced back on Wall Street while other sectors continued to be shaky and oil prices stayed high. France's CAC 40 dipped 0.4% in early trading to 7,836.70, while the German DAX shed 0.7% to 25,134.29…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) - The newly renamed Vandalia Health Center could soon operate without an annual subsidy from Charleston taxpayers, according to the chair of the venue's board. The Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center recently entered into a 10-year naming rights partnership with Vandalia Health, valued…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) - Two public swimming pools in Charleston could receive nearly $5 million in improvements following action taken by the Charleston City Council Monday evening. The council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor or city manager to apply for grant funding to repair or replace the Cato Park…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) - Healthcare students at the University of Charleston took part in a large-scale disaster simulation on Monday designed to prepare them for high-stress emergency situations. The exercise focused on a simulated chemical spill and brought together students from several health care programs…
CROSS LANES, W.Va. (WOWK) — Last week, Visiting Angels asked the community to send birthday cards to one of their clients who is turning 102 years old. John "Jack" Van Dyke is a World War II veteran who earned a Bronze Star for his actions in the Pacific Theater. To honor him, a class of
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) -- The West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) modified a lesser-known provision of HB 2014 mandating coal-fired plants remain operational 69% of the year. "HB 2014 was 90% about data centers, but there was a small part that dealt with how our power plants are operated and how they're…
GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. (WOWK) -- A rural West Virginia community is launching a workforce program to help solve healthcare gaps. The Onward Upward Healthcare Workforce Accelerator in Calhoun County will train healthcare professionals and place them in local jobs in North Central West Virginia. The program is being funded…
Vice President JD Vance declined Monday to endorse Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection a day after President Donald Trump endorsed the embattled Israeli leader. “The president has the most influential endorsement in American or international political history,” Vance said during an interview with…
LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio (WOWK) -- All-purpose vehicles (APVs) can now be driven on Lawrence County roadways, according to the Lawrence County Commissioners. APVs include four-wheelers, ATV's and golf carts, and now, three county commissioners unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday after continued advocacy from…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — The 2026 Midterm Elections are fast approaching. Ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections, former U.S. Senator and West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin joins us to discuss what's at stake, his push to bring more Independents into the fold and what he plans to do come 2028. Watch On the Record with
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — The left and middle lanes of I77 North in Charleston have reopened after a crash involving a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle. According to Kanawha County Metro 911, the crash happened just after 9 p.m. on I77 North near the Brooks Street entrance ramp. No injuries were reported. The…
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WOWK) - Families in Pikeville will have a sensory-friendly option for celebrating Halloween on Tuesday. The Sensory Friendly Safe Trick or Treat event is scheduled for Oct. 20 at the Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville. Organizers said the event is designed to provide a calmer trick-or-treating…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — Halloween is just around the corner, but not all places in the Tri-State will be holding trick-or-treat at the same time. WEST VIRGINIA OHIO KENTUCKY
NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Riehle, a prolific character actor in TV and film who often played authority figures but was equally skilled at comedy, notably playing a sad-sack product manager in “Office Space,” has died. He was 78. Wright Entertainment Inc. said Monday that Riehle had died Oct. 15 but disclosed no cause or
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S.-Ukraine alliance is careening toward a possible breaking point, with Moscow strengthened by President Donald Trump's recent rejection of new Russia sanctions and Kyiv undermined by disruptions in satellite support for its drones during the war. Trump's relationship with Ukrainian President…
BOYD COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) — The livestock at the center of a Boyd County animal abuse investigation was surrendered Sunday, deputies say. According to the Boyd County, Ky. Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Agriculture, the Boyd County Animal Control along with the sheriff’s office received a complaint on Oct. 15…
HURRICANE, W.Va. (WOWK) — A Putnam County man was sentenced on Monday for the sexual abuse of a child while he was abroad in Germany. The U.S. Department of Justice said in a release that Dustin Stover Bowles, 42, of Hurricane, was sentenced after a four-day trial to 30 years in prison, 20 years of
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) -- The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) has opened a public comment period for its FY 2027 TANF state plan, following Governor Morrisey's criticism of its cash benefits system in August. During the Summer, Governor Patrick Morrisey raised concerns about an alleged deficit in…
The whereabouts of Amelia Earhart’s plane remain a mystery after a team of archaeologists and filmmakers failed to locate the pilot’s Model 10E Electra aircraft on a remote, uninhabited atoll in the Western Pacific.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a case about the role race plays in middle school admissions, three years after a majority on the high court struck down affirmative action in college. The case involves admissions to four selective middle schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, a diverse…
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) - Nearly 20 local food producers gathered Sunday at the South Charleston Farmers Market for the second annual Taste of Appalachia event, an initiative designed to showcase West Virginia-made products and help small businesses reach new customers. The program is organized by Advantage…
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A shooting in a neighborhood near a mosque in Ohio’s capital city left one person dead Monday but was not connected to the house of worship or those who were inside, police said. Federal and local authorities descended on the area as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and Cuba clashed Monday at the United Nations as the Trump administration sought once again to build opposition for an upcoming annual vote condemning Washington's decades-long economic embargo against Havana. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz hosted a “Cuba Libre” panel…
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Canadian man was convicted of animal cruelty charges Monday for snatching a flamingo named Peachy from its enclosure at an iconic Las Vegas hotel. Prosecutors said it was a malicious prank while a lawyer for the tourist insisted it was drunken foolishness not meant to harm the bird. Prosecutors said
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- One person is dead and another is injured after a shooting Monday near a northeast Columbus mosque, according to officials. The Columbus Division of Police said it received multiple calls reporting gunshots at 2:11 p.m. in the 2200 block of Albert Avenue. The Columbus division of the Bureau of…
A Japanese spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples. Five of the world’s space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission that will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars’ two pint-sized moons…
HAVANA (AP) — A group of men captured in February after attempting to enter Cuba by force from the United States have confessed and cooperated with investigators, Cuban authorities said Monday, adding that forensic examinations found the seized weapons and explosives were powerful and operational. The men could face…
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian authorities issued an international arrest warrant for two German citizens suspected of setting fire to Starlink antennas outside the capital. The court in Sofia approved the European arrest warrant after prosecutors said the suspects carried out the planned attack within just a few…
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult linked to more than 400 deaths was convicted Monday of murdering 190 children and one adult after ordering followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus. Justice Diana Kavedza ruled that Pastor Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International…
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang urged Germany's makers of cars and industrial machines to quickly adopt artificial intelligence to “re-engineer” the country's struggling business model by tapping its wealth of manufacturing data and expertise. Huang, whose company designs the powerful computer chips…
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a deep, dark part of the Gulf of Mexico, the number of marine animals plummeted by about 60% in the years following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, a new study found. In a crucial part of the Gulf between the light surface and the darkest depths, where the BP-operated well failed
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) - Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church marked 160 years in Charleston this weekend with a celebration centered on faith, history and soul food. The congregation dates back to 1865 and was formally organized in 1866. As part of the anniversary celebration, the church hosted a soul food…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) - Charleston’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s will bring the community together Saturday, Oct. 24, at GoMart Park to raise money for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by the opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. The walk will follow. The event includes a…
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former OpenAI engineer charged with secretly installing a recording device in a conference room to glean company details had been “mere days” away from absconding to Saudi Arabia before his arrest last week, federal prosecutors revealed in new court filings. Abdulrahman Alfozan’s wife and young…
The U.S. airman who died after a rapid fall while rappelling from the rafters of a stadium before a college football game in Texas was a 15-year service member from Georgia, according to the Air Force. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson died after being taken to a hospital following Saturday's fall at the
CAIRO (AP) — Conflict and drought are worsening food insecurity across parts of Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan regions, a global food crisis monitor warned on Monday. There is a “deteriorating humanitarian situation” across greater Darfur and Kordofan, including areas identified as at risk of famine, as well as other…
CAIRO (AP) — A drone strike blamed on Sudan’s notorious paramilitaries hit a gathering of displaced people on the border with Ethiopia and killed 41, a rights group said. Friday’s strike by the Rapid Support Forces took place in the Abu Shandi area in Sudan’s Blue Nile province, according to Emergency Lawyers, which…
MIAMI (AP) — More than 100,000 people from Ukraine and Sudan can stay in the United States without immediate risk of deportation, the Department of Homeland Security said, in what amounts to a temporary reprieve after their right to stay in the country was set to expire Monday. Temporary Protected Status was set to end
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s attorney general says a Senatobia officer was justified in using force when he responded to a shoplifting call and fired at a moving vehicle that investigators said was driving toward police, killing a 1-year-old boy who was inside the car. The conclusion of the state’s…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) - Bestselling authors, local writers and readers of all ages will come together in Charleston for the 2026 West Virginia Book Festival. The free festival will take place Saturday, October 24, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the newly renamed Vandalia Health Center. This year's featured authors…
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Africa's top public health agency and Congolese officials have raised concerns over $700 million in Ebola aid that is unaccounted for and called on aid groups to provide more information about their finances. This comes as the world's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record continues to outpace…
Facebook's parent company, Meta, on Sunday apologized for suspending the "No Kings" Instagram account, saying the suspension was caused by a high increase in traffic by bots.
Longtime CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour, who began as an entry-level assistant and rose to become one of the most visible correspondents and anchors on TV, reporting from war zones and hot spots for decades, will be leaving the network after 43 years. Amanpour, the network’s chief international anchor, will scale back…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday questioned the Trump administration’s claims surrounding its efforts to redevelop a historic Washington golf course, challenging its contention that a recent tree-cutting spree did not indicate work was moving forward on the project, which is temporarily blocked by a court…
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging cooperation with Russia to allow humanitarian aid into the embattled city of Oleshky and the safe evacuation of civilians, the Vatican said. Leo recalled the “grave situation” in Oleshky, in Ukraine’s Kherson region…
New Interior Department documents on President Donald Trump's proposed Triumphal Arch don’t mention the “military complex” he has said it would host, but the agency said Monday the plan could accommodate such a feature. The latest batch of planning documents are part of a meeting set for two days after the midterm…
MIAMI (AP) — Former Cuban President Raúl Castro is facing more charges in Florida related to the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles after the U.S. government indicted the former leader earlier this year. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday accused Castro, 95, of directing spies…
MADRID (AP) — Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis have created perfectly stormy weather for an autumn of protests in Europe. Crowds have taken to the streets for weeks in major cities, resulting in arrests, looting, injuries, and violence across…
BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) - The grandmother of Kyneddi Miller has been found guilty on both counts in regards to the death of her granddaughter in Boone County, West Virginia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal in a disputed adoption case involving an Afghan child orphaned in a U.S. Army raid. The child's relatives appealed to the high court after a U.S. Marine who helped evacuate them from Afghanistan took custody of the girl despite State Department…
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Once the potatoes are cooked and the eggs half set, Sonia Castel places a plate over the sauté pan and instructs one of her students to grab the handle. Castel, 63, thrums on the counter for a drumroll as Mason Kauffman, one of a group of American exchange students in the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities charged more than two dozen foreign nationals Monday in California as part of a statewide sweep targeting people who officials say have illegally registered or voted in U.S. elections. The arrests are part of a Trump administration effort to root out noncitizen voting ahead of…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday directed the federal government to bolster federal research into women's health through all stages of their lives, a move pushed by his wife, first lady Melania Trump. The Republican president signed an executive order creating a Women’s Health Division at the…
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) - West Virginia's senior senator hopes voters will send her back for a third term in the U.S. Senate. Shelley Moore Capito joins us in this episode ahead of the campaign. Rachel Fetty Anderson discussed her own campaign on another episode of On the Record, and challenger S. Marshall Wilson…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an effort to revive a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The agreement would have spared Mohammed the risk of execution in exchange for his guilty plea and a sentence of life in prison without parole.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to consider whether Congress had the constitutional authority to impose a ban on distilling spirits in private homes more than 150 years ago. Plaintiffs challenging the prohibition on home distilling claim the 1868 law is an antiquated relic of Reconstruction-era…
Being a local business man and philanthropist allowed Morris to give back to Glenville State University and Gilmer County communities through active support and financial donations.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A dozen migrants died in separate speedboat capsizings off the Greek islands of Lesbos and Samos, Greece's coast guard said Monday. An infant was among the dead. Six people died when a speedboat ferrying Syrian and Palestinian migrants struck the port side of a Greek coast guard vessel with its…
The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for 11 people believed missing after a boat thought to be carrying more than two dozen people sank off Mexico’s Baja California coast. Rescuers saved 16 of those who were on board, including several who had suspected shark bites, the Coast Guard said. Crews spent nearly
GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (AP) — On Jackson Ramsay's family ranch late in the summer, there were few signs it had just weathered the worst-ever winter snowpack and record-setting heat. Water twisted unhurriedly through the land, splayed into various branches that rejoined to form pools behind mounds of piled sticks. Young…
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former South African President Thabo Mbeki said Monday that he had neither ordered prosecutors to stop cases involving apartheid-era crimes nor struck secret deals to shield former security officers from justice. “I did not direct, authorize, or approve the suppression of the investigation or…
CHEHALIS, Wash. (AP) — Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez carried a dull kitchen knife and two pairs of rusty scissors through a county fairgrounds south of Seattle. She handed them to Beverly Phoenix, who sat hunched over a table in the back of an exhibit hall, volunteering to help neighbors breathe new life…
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle over the weekend, leaving four soldiers from El Salvador unaccounted for in the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations in the violence-wracked Caribbean country. The attack occurred Sunday in…
WASHINGTON (AP) — District and federal court judges in Washington are used to handling some of the nation's thorniest issues, from complex deportation cases to the fates of Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendants and more. But in the nearly two years since President Donald Trump returned to office, they have been…
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore will issue preventive notices to three more Indonesian companies to tackle and prevent forest fires in Kalimantan province that may have sent smoke across the border, the National Environment Agency said Monday. This brings to 10 the number of Indonesian companies that Singapore…
Elon Musk on Monday pledged to give one share of his company SpaceX to “every kid in America” next year. The offer arrived a day after artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced in a social media post that it will commit 5% of its shares to a new “public benefit” fund. In a response to that
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Spyware from an Israeli company was used to target the phone of the rector of the Belgrade university who has played a prominent role in nearly two years of protests against Serbia 's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic, a digital rights group said on Monday. The Balkan country is holding a tense
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Fifth-generation Kansas farmer Glenn Brunkow describes this time of year as “go time,” when farmers are combining fields, hauling crops to town and moving livestock from summer pastures to their winter homes. But this harvest season, they’re doing it with diesel prices more than $2.50 per gallon…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A National Guard member was shot and injured while trying to break up a fight in the nation's capital, and the person suspected of firing the gun also was shot in an exchange with guard members, police said Monday. The shooting happened at about 11:10 p.m. Sunday as seven or eight guard
BROOK PARK, Ohio (AP) — Janie Grosjean was torn about voting for embattled Republican Rep. Max Miller this year. The 75-year-old from Wooster, a historic college town in Miller's northeast Ohio district, has led an interdenominational women's Bible study for nearly three decades. She has been alarmed at allegations of…
CAIRO (AP) — Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck Yemeni government forces with ballistic missiles on Monday, killing at least 53 soldiers at a military camp in one of the deadliest attacks since a resurgence in fighting this summer, Yemeni military officials said. The attack wounded an additional 200 recruits at the…
NEW YORK (AP) — Halley Froehlich was sure she'd spend her scientific career in the United States. Her family has been in America since the 1700s. But over the past two years, delayed federal grants and fears about the future motivated her to pack her life into boxes. She moved to Finland with her husband
PARIS (AP) — Paris police issued an overnight curfew on Monday in two areas of the French capital, after a weekend marred by France’s worst rioting in years that targeted city halls, other public buildings and thousands of businesses across the country. The order aims to protect “people and property from the violence…
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Uzbekistan on Monday to promote trade and ties with Central Asia, during a trip that came amid rumblings that America’s top diplomat is ignoring pressing matters in favor of politically safer visits and meetings. The trip, which involves a stop in India later this week, seeks…
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian federal lawmaker remained in critical condition Tuesday after undergoing surgery for injuries sustained when she was hit by a car in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said was an apparently deliberate attack. Helen Haines, a 65-year-old independent politician, was struck by…
ABU SNIN, Israel (AP) — Israeli police said they arrested 10 people on Monday in connection with a wave of settler violence that included attacks on a foreign journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank over the weekend. Israel had come under heavy international criticism for the attacks. Israeli…
Matt Robb wanted to sell his computer keyboard. So he made a listing on Facebook Marketplace — and, as an experiment late last month, he put Meta's new artificial intelligence agent Muse in the driver's seat. Muse got to work. But within a day, Robb got an alarming update: A buyer he didn't know had
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Just a few months ago, Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi faced smear campaigns in the pro-government media and accusations by top officials of spying for Ukraine. When the government filed a criminal complaint against him for espionage, he faced the prospect of years in prison…
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry bounced back on Wall Street Monday and recovered some of their steep losses from last week, but the rest of the market and stocks worldwide were shaky. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, coming off its worst week since June, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.1%…
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ken Schreiber was 9 when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon in 1969 — a moment he would never forget. Like Armstrong, he too became a military fighter pilot. So when Schreiber read a story in August that Armstrong’s boyhood home in Ohio was for sale and later
WASHINGTON (AP) — Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander adults have become more disillusioned with President Donald Trump and Republicans as the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach, according to a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll, giving Democrats a substantial edge on major issues like the economy and health…
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Voters in Canada’s oil-rich Alberta province were deciding on Monday whether to begin a process that could lead to independence, testing national unity as Canadians rally against U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats to claim Canada as the 51st U.S. state. Monday’s vote is not a…
HONG KONG (AP) — China said Monday its economy grew 4.5% in the July-September quarter from a year ago fueled by robust exports, moving closer to meeting its official annual growth target for the year as trading partners seek to balance their trade deficits with the country. Economic growth accelerated from the 4.3%…
LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) — A man was declared dead after a single-vehicle crash in Logan County on Sunday. West Virginia State Police said in a release that troopers responded to a crash on Pond Drive in the Pecks Mill community. According to the preliminary investigation, Steve Disco, 77, of Chapmanville, succumbed…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — After a lawsuit from State Senator Eric Tarr (R-Putnam), the Democratic candidate for the 4th Senatorial District, Zachary Abbott, was removed from the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Sen. Tarr filed the lawsuit against Abbott and Secretary of State Kris Warner with the Kanawha County…
Anthropic said Sunday it is committing 5% of its shares to a new “public benefit” fund, with the fund's worth potentially increasing as its shares grow in value. The shares will go to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a new entity within the company. The fund “will have increased flexibility and scale, enabling us to