Looking Ahead

Oct. 13

Beginning today, the children’s cartoon cable channel, the Hub Network, will be no more. Instead, Discovery Communications, which wrested majority control from Hasbro earlier this year, has rebranded the channel as Discovery Family. According to Discovery officials, daytime content will remain centered on Hasbro-related content, but evening programming will be targeted toward family watching.

Oct. 15

Early voting in Kansas begins today, with the state’s U.S. Senate race between incumbent-but-embattled Republican Sen. Pat Roberts and independent challenger Greg Orman in the national spotlight. Orman says that if elected, he will caucus with whichever party has a majority. But Orman’s past political contributions—to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Sen. Harry Reid—suggest he has liberal views.

Oct. 16

After experiencing maintenance problems and the damaging of one of its only aircraft, budget airline PEOPLExpress plans to relaunch operations finally on Oct. 16. The airline, which borrowed the PEOPLExpress moniker from the budget airline of the 1980s, announced in late September it planned on grounding the entire fleet until maintenance issues became resolved.

Oct. 21

Soul legend Aretha Franklin will release a new studio album today. It’s been 16 years since a Franklin studio album was certified Gold, and her last offering was panned by critics in 2011. Still, the proclaimed Queen of Soul can hope Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics will be propelled by her enduring popularity as well as the strength of the songs she is choosing to cover.

Oct. 25

A rocket from Orbital Sciences Corporation should rendezvous with the International Space Station today on a resupply mission. The Antares rocket, which should take off by Oct. 20, should dock carrying 5,050 pounds of cargo and remain attached to the ISS for five weeks. Since shuttering the Space Shuttle Program, NASA has increasingly relied on private sector rocket companies to interact with the ISS.