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Drake Software Expands Native AI Features for Tax Year 2026

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AI-powered tax document extraction, reimagined client intake and an in-workflow Assistant help tax professionals spend less time on manual work and more time with clients.

FRANKLIN, N.C., Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This upcoming season, Drake Software®, a leader in professional tax preparation software, is putting more native AI capabilities to work right in the software that more than 70,000 tax professionals know and trust. With Drake SmartExtract™ (beta), a reimagined Drake Portals® experience and an AI Assistant built into Drake Tax® and Drake Tax Online®, preparers can reduce repetitive work and focus more of their time on their clients.

Developed by Drake in conjunction with its customers, these AI capabilities integrate natively with Drake’s tax preparation workflows and wider product suite. They are designed to help professionals move quickly to turn client documents into populated return fields and allow them to get answers instantly while working in a return, with the preparer firmly in control of all tax review and filing decisions.

“Tax professionals want time back during their busiest months, and they want technology they can trust,” said Noha Ghazouani, Vice President of Product Management at Drake Software. “We’re thoughtfully integrating AI into the familiar Drake workflows they already rely on, making it easier to get help with everyday tasks while keeping tax professionals in control. It’s about supporting their expertise, reducing manual work, and giving them more time to focus on their clients.”

Drake SmartExtract turns client tax documents into return-ready data

Drake SmartExtract applies AI to one of tax preparation’s most time-consuming tasks: moving information from client tax documents into a return. Available in beta for Drake Tax® and Drake Tax Online®, Drake SmartExtract extracts data from supported documents and maps it to the corresponding return fields. Preparers can review and adjust extracted information before adding it to the return, reducing manual rekeying.

Drake SmartExtract will be available for purchase in December at $5 per return, with package pricing as low as $1.50 per return when customers purchase 100 or more returns. Pricing is subject to change. Visit our website for more information.

Supported documents include Forms W-2 and 1098; Forms 1099-B, 1099-DA, 1099-DIV, 1099-INT, 1099-K, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC and 1099-R; Consolidated 1099 statements; and Schedule K-1 (Form 1065).

For Tax Year 2026, planned form expansion includes Forms 1095-A, 1095-B, 1095-C, 1098-E, 1098-T, 1099-C, 1099-G, 1099-Q, 1099-S, 1099-SA, SSA-1099, W-2G, 5498-SA and 5498 for IRA contributions. Planned expansion also includes additional Schedule K-1 data for Forms 1065, 1041 and 1120-S, including related supplemental statements.

Planned Drake SmartExtract enhancements for Tax Year 2026 include deeper integration with Drake Portals and Drake Workflow. These enhancements will help firms move client documents through preparation more seamlessly, focus review on items that need attention, and identify returns that are ready for preparers.

A reimagined Drake Portals experience simplifies client intake

Drake Portals provides the secure, client-facing starting point for tax preparation. Redesigned for 2026, it makes it easier for clients to upload tax documents, complete requests and communicate securely with their preparer. Its AI-powered document ingestion recognizes and then categorizes supported tax documents and connects them to the appropriate checklist items, reducing the time staff spend sorting through files and tracking what has arrived.

The newly launched Guided Organizer™ helps practices onboard clients with customizable questions and personalized document checklists. Preparers can use a client’s prior-year return to help tailor the intake experience, making it clearer what the client needs to provide.

Together with Drake SmartExtract in supported Drake workflows, Portals seamlessly connects document collection with tax preparation: clients upload their documents securely, AI helps organize them, and Drake SmartExtract extracts supported tax data for preparer review and direct population into the return.

An AI Assistant answers questions within the return workflow

The all-new AI Assistant is built directly into the return preparation workflow in Drake Tax and Drake Tax Online, where preparers can ask questions in natural-language chat. Using the screen they’re viewing and information from the return, it answers tax questions, explains forms and alerts, clarifies how amounts were calculated, and suggests next steps. Preparers can get relevant guidance while continuing their work in Drake. A side-by-side view keeps the Assistant and the return visible together, so preparers can review guidance alongside their work without switching screens.

“Our focus is helping preparers accomplish more this season with the Drake software they already rely on,” said Ghazouani. “These capabilities reduce manual work while keeping tax professionals in charge of the return and the client relationship.”

Preparers should verify AI-assisted information against source documents and apply professional judgment before use.

Feature availability, supported documents, beta terms and pricing vary by product and release.

Explore these AI-powered features across Drake products under Drake Intelligence.

About Drake Software

Founded in 1977, Drake Software provides award-winning tax preparation software that helps tax professionals serve their clients with confidence. Its growing portfolio connects tax preparation with client intake, document sharing, signatures, payments and post-filing support, helping firms work more efficiently.

Media Contact

Colleen Woods Heikka
Sr. Director, Product Marketing
Colleen.woods@Taxact.com
+1-781-588-6339

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/drake-software-expands-native-ai-features-for-tax-year-2026-302931448.html

SOURCE Drake Software, LLC

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The Next Frontier: Consciousness & UAP: $100,000 Research Prize Winner Announced

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The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) has announced the winner of the 2026 Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize, a $100,000 award that will fund a study of consciousness-associated Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP, formerly known as UFOs).

NOVATO, Calif., Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The winning study, selected from more than 80 qualifying proposals, comes from a multidisciplinary team of six. Peter Skafish, PhD, a sociocultural anthropologist and Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Sol Foundation, leads the team as Principal Investigator. Brian Lord, PhD, a cognitive neuroscientist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, serves as Co-Principal Investigator, and David Dominguez Hooper, engineer and Founder and CEO of ELDAEON Inc., is Co-Investigator. Collaborators are Damon Abraham, PhD (experimental psychologist, Entangled Labs); Jacob Haqq-Misra, PhD (astrobiologist, Blue Marble Space); and Garry Nolan, PhD (immunologist, Stanford University School of Medicine). For the first time in the prize’s four-year history, a single team will receive the full $100,000.

“IONS proved itself to be over the horizon of even heterodox thinking in their decision to fund a scientific inquiry not only into UAP but also into one of the most enigmatic questions the phenomena raise: what is their relationship to human consciousness?”–Peter Skafish

The team will organize a group of experienced practitioners to apply meditation and conscious intention to invite contact with UAP at a remote site in the American Southwest. Practitioners’ experiences will be recorded alongside physiological measures and instrumental records of the sky and the physical environment. Using preregistered methodology, the study will analyze the data to test whether deliberate contact practice generates changes in reported experiences and in independently recorded events in the sky and environment. De-identified data and methods will be shared openly, and null results will be released on the same schedule as positive ones.

According to IONS leadership, this year’s prize was created to bring UAP into open, consciousness-inclusive science, and to carry forward a question with profound implications for humanity that its founder, Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, pursued for decades: whether consciousness and contact are connected.

“The Sol Foundation couldn’t be more happy to receive the recognition of IONS for our research,” said Peter Skafish. “IONS proved itself to be over the horizon of even heterodox thinking in their decision to fund a scientific inquiry not only into UAP but also into one of the most enigmatic questions the phenomena raise: what is their relationship to human consciousness?”

This year, distinguished external experts, including Daniel P. Sheehan, Jessica Utts, Adam Curry, Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, Richard Dolan, and J.J. Hurtak, joined members of the IONS science team on the judging panel, chaired by Arnaud Delorme. The panel’s selection was then ratified by the IONS Board of Directors.

IONS researchers will collaborate with the winning team on the study, which is expected to begin in December and run for one year, with results to be shared in 2028. The winning team was announced on October 30 during a live event, which can be watched here.

More About IONS & the Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize

The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) is a nonprofit scientific research center whose mission is to reveal the interconnected nature of reality through scientific exploration and personal discovery. Founded in 1973 by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, IONS investigates consciousness, interconnectedness, and extended human capacities to help foster a more compassionate and thriving world. The Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize, now in its fourth year, is funded through an endowment created by Linda G. O’Bryant, member of the IONS Board of Directors, and overseen by the Board. To arrange an interview with Peter Skafish or IONS leadership, contact communications@noetic.org. More details about the prize and winners can be found here.

Media Contact

Leslie G. Lovejoy, Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), 1 707-775-3500, communications@noetic.org, www.noetic.org

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/the-next-frontier-consciousness–uap-100-000-research-prize-winner-announced-302930915.html

SOURCE Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)

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Budget 2026 advances national electricity strategy, a downpayment on unlocking $3 trillion in economic growth

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Proposed tax credit extensions and support for industrial electrification and EV charging can help build more clean power and put it to work

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 5, 2026 /CNW/ — New Economy Canada strongly supports the finalization and funding of Powering Canada Strong in Budget 2026 with a $50 billion commitment, marking an important step toward doubling Canada’s electricity supply by 2050. Budget 2026 puts electrification at the heart of Canada’s economy, ensuring energy security and affordability for businesses and households.  

Ian Bruce, President of New Economy Canada said:

“Today we are celebrating a critical win for Canada. By finalizing and funding Powering Canada Strong, the federal government has made electricity an economic priority.  Budget 2026’s $50B commitment to doubling the grid, including strengthening and extending the clean economy investment tax credits, is a significant step.

Budget 2026 puts an electrified economy at the heart of Canada’s economic strategy. We are glad to see the federal government recognize that building more clean electricity, electrifying more of our economy, and improving energy efficiency are some of the most effective ways to build a competitive, strong economy and ensure energy security for businesses and households alike.

Our economic report shows the opportunity on the table. Doubling electricity supply and doubling the share of energy that homes, businesses and industry meet with electricity could add more than $3 trillion cumulatively to Canada’s economy by 2050. Getting there will take sustained investment and a workforce that can build projects at the pace and scale we need.”

Why this matters:

Affordable, clean electricity can help Canada win investment, strengthen competitiveness, modernize manufacturing and create jobs. As Canada looks for new investors and trading partners in an electrifying global economy, its abundant, affordable and clean electricity is a competitive advantage.Doubling Canada’s electricity supply and putting it to work could unlock $3 trillion of economic opportunity for Canada and 1.6 million jobs.The budget’s extension of investment tax credits will support much-needed investment in generating and transmitting more electricity. And support for industrial electrification and EV charging will help businesses and households make greater use of that power.Every province stands to benefit, with cross-sectoral growth. Growth associated with an electrified economy spans all provinces and beyond electricity generation to services, mining, construction and more. 

New Economy Canada is a non-partisan initiative uniting 70+ companies, labour unions and Indigenous organizations, all committed to accelerating investment in Canada’s clean economy. Our partners employ or represent over 750,000 workers. https://neweconomycanada.ca 

SOURCE New Economy Canada

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East Side Games Group to Announce Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results

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VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 5, 2026 /CNW/ — East Side Games Group (“ESGG” or the “Company”), Canada’s leading free-to-play mobile game group, will release its third quarter ended September 30th, 2026, after market close on November 12th. Following the release, the Company will host a conference call to review its performance with the investment community at 3:30pm PT (Western Canada), 2:30pm PT, 5:30pm ET on the same day.

Related earnings release materials can be found in the Investors section of ESGG’s website at https://eastsidegamesgroup.com/investors/financial-information/.

Conference Call Details:

Toll Free Dial-In Number:       (+1) 800 717 1738
Local Dial-In Number:            (+1) 289 514 5100
Conference ID:                       53358

A replay will be available by dialing (+1) 888 660-6264 or (+1) 289 819-1325 and entering passcode 53358#.

ABOUT EAST SIDE GAMES GROUP

ESGG is a leader in free-to-play mobile gaming, thrilling players with unforgettable experiences that spark lifelong fandom. Fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit, we are driven by creativity, flawless execution, and a laser-focused growth strategy. We develop and publish both original and licensed IP titles, license our cutting-edge GameKit(s) platforms, and strategically acquire studios or games to expand our family. Headquartered in Vancouver with around 80 talent-dense team members, we operate over a dozen titles under East Side Games (“ESG”) and LDRLY (Technologies) Inc. (“LDRLY”). Together, we’re crafting, launching, and publishing mobile games across our own studios and an extended Game Kit partner network–reaching players on iOS and Android worldwide.

We power our success through in-app purchases (“IAP”)–offering exclusive, game-enhancing virtual items–and in-game advertising. To keep growing, we focus on captivating audiences, keeping them engaged, and unlocking exciting new ways to monetize. We’ll drive this momentum by launching bold new titles, enriching our current lineup, innovating discovery, expanding into fresh markets and exploring new distribution platforms.

Additional information about the Company continues to be available under its legal name, East Side Games Group Inc., at www.sedar.com.

Forward-looking Information

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding the proposed transactions described herein. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management’s current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including factors beyond the Company’s control. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release.

SOURCE East Side Games Group Inc.

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