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More than 170 seasonal toys, new LEGO sets, and other gifts are coming to stores this holiday season

• Dollar General is offering more than 170 seasonal toys, with about half priced at $10 or less.

• A new dedicated shelf will feature toys priced at $5 and under, including collectibles and games.

• Shoppers can get 25% off qualifying toy purchases of $75 or more from Oct. 1 through Dec. 24.

Holiday shopping for kids can add up quickly, especially when there are multiple gifts to buy. Dollar General is looking to give shoppers more lower-priced options this season with an expanded assortment of holiday toys and gifts.

The retailer says it will carry more than 170 seasonal toys, with about half of the assortment priced at $10 or less and approximately 95% priced at $20 or less. It is also introducing a dedicated shelf for toys costing $5 or less.

The 2026 assortment includes toys tied to popular characters and trends, including Pokmon, Bluey, Disney's Stitch, Spider-Man, and The Grinch, as well as new Formula 1-themed products.

This holiday season, were focused on delivering what matters most to our customers: creating memorable moments for less because holiday toy shopping should be exciting, not stressful, Steve OBrien, Dollar Generals vice president and division merchandise manager, said in a news release.

Were helping families discover affordable gifts from brands they know and love and we are bringing back our printed toy guide to help create a little nostalgia with wish-list making with prices families can feel good about.

What's new this year?

There are plenty of smaller gift and stocking-stuffer options in the assortment. Dollar General says it will offer more than 40 giftable items priced at $1, including coloring and activity books, stickers, and novelty pens.

The retailer is also adding more than 20 new LEGO sets, ranging from $5 to $30, with themes including Frozen, Minecraft, Bluey, Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Botanicals.

Other options include:

• Play-Doh products priced from $2.50 to $15

• Melissa & Doug toys

• Bluey toys and plushes

• Pokmon products and collectibles

• Mini Brands and WWE Ballers

• New $2 Hasbro Classic Mini Games, including Connect Four, Yahtzee, Operation, and Hungry Hungry Hippos.

For shoppers looking beyond traditional toys, Dollar General says it carries more than 300 crafting items, with 85% priced below $5.

How shoppers can save even more

Starting Oct. 1 and running through Dec. 24, customers can receive 25% off qualifying toy purchases totaling $75 or more in a single transaction. The offer includes clearance toys, although some exclusions apply.

Shoppers can also purchase the holiday assortment online through myDG, with delivery available from participating stores. Dollar General says customers can receive a free delivery fee on one myDG Delivery order using their myDG account.

For families building holiday shopping lists, the combination of lower-priced toys, new products and a larger seasonal selection gives shoppers several price points to consider as they plan their gift purchases.

CDC reports an increase in rabies exposures and urges people to take animal encounters seriously

• The CDC says rabies-related inquiries increased 17% from July through August 2026 compared with the same period last year.

• People should avoid contact with wildlife, particularly animals that appear sick, injured, or are behaving unusually.

• Anyone who may have been exposed should immediately wash the area and contact a healthcare or public health professional.

Rabies may not be something most people think about regularly, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reminding the public to take potential exposures seriously.

In a recent health advisory, the agency reported that several areas of the U.S. have seen increases in people being exposed to animals that are known to carry rabies or could potentially have the disease.

Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. It can spread through bites, scratches, or contact with an infected animal's saliva. Once symptoms begin, rabies is nearly 100% fatal, but it can be prevented when appropriate treatment is given before symptoms develop.

The CDC received 17% more rabies-related inquiries from July through August 2026 than it did during the same period in 2025. At least eight state health departments also reported increases in rabies treatment, treatment errors, or both.

What the CDC is seeing

Rabies exposure does not automatically mean someone needs the full course of preventive treatment. Healthcare professionals and public health officials assess the animal involved, how the exposure happened, whether the animal showed signs consistent with rabies, and the severity of any wound.

When treatment is necessary, it is called post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP. For someone who has never previously been vaccinated against rabies, PEP includes rabies vaccine and human rabies immune globulin. People who have previously completed rabies vaccination generally receive two vaccine doses and do not receive the immune globulin.

The CDC says errors in determining who needs PEP or how it is administered can lead to unnecessary treatment, additional doses, potential side effects, and avoidable expenses. A typical course can cost between $11,000 and $14,000 per person.

How consumers can stay safe

The CDC recommends keeping your distance from wildlife and never approaching animals that appear sick, injured, or dead. This is particularly important if an animal is behaving unusually, such as wildlife that is active during the daytime when it is normally active at night.

Pet owners should keep their animals current on rabies vaccinations and keep them away from wildlife when possible.

If you are bitten or scratched by wildlife or an animal acting sick, immediately wash the wound with soap and water or water alone for 15 minutes. Then contact a healthcare provider or public health professional to discuss whether you may need rabies-related treatment. If possible, provide details about the animal and its behavior. If the animal belongs to someone else, ask for proof that its rabies vaccination is current.

Most importantly, don't try to handle an unfamiliar or potentially sick animal yourself. Contact local animal control or your health department for help.

A large U.K. study found that drink temperature may matter more than whats in your cup.

• Drinking beverages at very hot temperatures was linked to a higher risk of one type of esophageal cancer.

• People drinking six or more hot drinks a day also had a higher risk of that cancer.

• Simply allowing your coffee or tea to cool before drinking it could potentially reduce some of that risk.

For many people, coffee and tea are everyday staples. But new research suggests that how hot those drinks are when you consume them could matter when it comes to esophageal cancer.

The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, looked specifically at two major types of esophageal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC). Researchers wanted to better understand whether drink temperature and the number of hot drinks people consumed each day were associated with either type.

Previous research has connected very hot beverages generally around 70C (158F) with esophageal cancer. However, less was known about temperatures more typical of Western countries.

How researchers studied it

Researchers combined information from two large U.K. studies: the Million Women Study and the U.K. Biobank. Together, the analysis included 977,282 adults.

Participants reported how they preferred their hot drinks: warm, hot, or very hot. They also reported how many cups of tea and coffee they typically drank each day. Researchers grouped consumption into fewer than six drinks per day or six or more.

The participants were then followed for years using health records to identify new cancer diagnoses. The researchers ultimately identified 2,348 cases of esophageal cancer, including 1,045 cases of SCC and 1,303 cases of AC. The average follow-up lasted 14.2 years in the Million Women Study and 11.1 years in the U.K. Biobank.

What the results mean for consumers

The researchers found that people who preferred their drinks very hot had about three times the risk of developing esophageal SCC compared with those who preferred warm drinks. The researchers did not find the same relationship between drink temperature and adenocarcinoma.

Frequency mattered, too. After accounting for drink temperature, people who consumed six or more hot drinks per day had a 71% higher risk of SCC than those who drank fewer than six.

Based on their analysis, the researchers estimated that 14% of SCC cases could potentially be avoided if people who currently drink beverages at very hot temperatures instead drank them at temperatures described in the study as hot.

The findings don't mean that drinking coffee or tea automatically causes cancer. Instead, they point to drink temperature and frequency as potentially modifiable factors associated with SCC risk.

For consumers, one simple takeaway from the research is that giving your coffee or tea a little more time to cool may be worth considering.