diff --git a/app/controllers/home.js b/app/controllers/home.js
index 2eb9fd5..5301188 100644
--- a/app/controllers/home.js
+++ b/app/controllers/home.js
@@ -63,12 +63,7 @@ class HomeController extends SiteController {
   }
 
   async getHome (req, res, next) {
-    const {
-      announcement: announcementService,
-      feed: feedService,
-      hive: hiveService,
-      post: postService,
-    } = this.dtp.services;
+    const { announcement: announcementService, hive: hiveService, post: postService } = this.dtp.services;
     try {
       res.locals.announcements = await announcementService.getLatest(req.user);
       res.locals.featuredPosts = await postService.getFeaturedPosts(3);
@@ -77,8 +72,6 @@ class HomeController extends SiteController {
       res.locals.pagination = this.getPaginationParameters(req, 20);
       res.locals.posts = await postService.getPosts(res.locals.pagination);
 
-      res.locals.newsfeed = await feedService.getNewsfeed();
-
       res.render('index');
     } catch (error) {
       this.log.error('failed to render home view', { error });
diff --git a/app/controllers/user.js b/app/controllers/user.js
index 8e28dcb..dbdbeaa 100644
--- a/app/controllers/user.js
+++ b/app/controllers/user.js
@@ -33,12 +33,12 @@ class UserController extends SiteController {
     const otpSetup = otpAuthService.middleware('Account', {
       adminRequired: false,
       otpRequired: true,
-      otpRedirectURL: async (req) => { return `/user/${req.user._id}`; },
+      otpRedirectURL: async (req) => { return `/user/${req.user.username}`; },
     });
     const otpMiddleware = otpAuthService.middleware('Account', {
       adminRequired: false,
       otpRequired: false,
-      otpRedirectURL: async (req) => { return `/user/${req.user._id}`; },
+      otpRedirectURL: async (req) => { return `/user/${req.user.username}`; },
     });
 
     router.use(
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ class UserController extends SiteController {
     }
 
     router.param('username', this.populateUsername.bind(this));
-    router.param('userId', this.populateUser.bind(this));
-    router.param('coreUserId', this.populateCoreUser.bind(this));
+    router.param('userId', this.populateUserId.bind(this));
+    router.param('coreUserId', this.populateCoreUserId.bind(this));
 
     router.post(
       '/core/:coreUserId/settings',
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ class UserController extends SiteController {
     }
   }
 
-  async populateUser (req, res, next, userId) {
+  async populateUserId (req, res, next, userId) {
     const { user: userService } = this.dtp.services;
     try {
       userId = mongoose.Types.ObjectId(userId);
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ class UserController extends SiteController {
     }
   }
 
-  async populateCoreUser (req, res, next, coreUserId) {
+  async populateCoreUserId (req, res, next, coreUserId) {
     const { coreNode: coreNodeService } = this.dtp.services;
     try {
       coreUserId = mongoose.Types.ObjectId(coreUserId);
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ class UserController extends SiteController {
         if (error) {
           return next(error);
         }
-        res.redirect(`/user/${res.locals.user._id}`);
+        res.redirect(`/user/${res.locals.user.username}`);
       });
     } catch (error) {
       this.log.error('failed to create new user', { error });
diff --git a/app/services/feed.js b/app/services/feed.js
index a26e25a..27b55f2 100644
--- a/app/services/feed.js
+++ b/app/services/feed.js
@@ -30,6 +30,17 @@ class FeedService extends SiteService {
     this.jobQueue = await this.getJobQueue('newsroom', this.dtp.config.jobQueues.newsroom);
   }
 
+  middleware (options) {
+    options = Object.assign({ maxEntryCount: 5 }, options);
+    return async (req, res, next) => {
+      if (this.isSystemRoute(req.path)) {
+        return next(); // don't load newsfeeds for non-content routes
+      }
+      res.locals.newsfeed = await this.getNewsfeed({ skip: 0, cpp: options.maxEntryCount });
+      return next();
+    };
+  }
+
   async create (feedDefinition) {
     feedDefinition.url = feedDefinition.url.trim();
     const feedContent = await this.load(feedDefinition.url);
diff --git a/app/views/admin/layouts/main.pug b/app/views/admin/layouts/main.pug
index 3e07d52..cc5f546 100644
--- a/app/views/admin/layouts/main.pug
+++ b/app/views/admin/layouts/main.pug
@@ -16,4 +16,4 @@ block content-container
                 include ../components/menu
 
           div(class="uk-width-1-1 uk-flex-first uk-width-expand@m").uk-width-expand
-            block content
+            block content
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/views/components/library.pug b/app/views/components/library.pug
index 0aa6d3f..9424f97 100644
--- a/app/views/components/library.pug
+++ b/app/views/components/library.pug
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ include section-title
 
   function getUserProfileUrl (user) {
     if (user.core) {
-      return `/user/core/${user._id}`;
+      return `/user/core/${user.username}`;
     }
     return `/user/${user.username}`;
   }
@@ -60,6 +60,6 @@ mixin renderBackButton (options)
 
 mixin renderUserLink (user)
   if user.coreUserId
-    a(href=`/user/core/${user._id}`)= `${user.username}@${user.core.meta.domainKey}`
+    a(href=`/user/core/${user.username}`)= `${user.username}@${user.core.meta.domainKey}`
   else
     a(href=`/user/${user.username}`)= user.displayName || user.username
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/views/components/navbar.pug b/app/views/components/navbar.pug
index f63344f..1cc2f51 100644
--- a/app/views/components/navbar.pug
+++ b/app/views/components/navbar.pug
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ nav(uk-navbar).uk-navbar-container.uk-position-fixed.uk-position-top
             li.uk-nav-heading.uk-text-center= user.displayName || user.username
             li.uk-nav-divider
             li
-              a(href= user.core ? `/user/core/${user._id}` : `/user/${user.username}`)
+              a(href= user.core ? `/user/core/${user.username}` : `/user/${user.username}`)
                 span.nav-item-icon
                   i.fas.fa-user
                 span Profile
diff --git a/app/views/components/off-canvas.pug b/app/views/components/off-canvas.pug
index fb662c9..689900e 100644
--- a/app/views/components/off-canvas.pug
+++ b/app/views/components/off-canvas.pug
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ mixin renderMenuItem (iconClass, label)
               .uk-width-expand Chat
 
         li(class={ "uk-active": (currentView === 'user-settings') })
-          a(href=`/user/${user._id}`).uk-display-block
+          a(href=`/user/${user.username}`).uk-display-block
             div(uk-grid).uk-grid-collapse
               .uk-width-auto
                 .app-menu-icon
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/main-sidebar.pug b/app/views/layouts/main-sidebar.pug
index 52cbef8..2a67a50 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/main-sidebar.pug
+++ b/app/views/layouts/main-sidebar.pug
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 extends main
 block content-container
+
   block content-header
+
   section.uk-section.uk-section-default.uk-section-small
     .uk-container
       div(uk-grid)#dtp-content-grid
diff --git a/app/views/newsroom/components/feed-entry-list-item.pug b/app/views/newsroom/components/feed-entry-list-item.pug
index da32d31..d50b368 100644
--- a/app/views/newsroom/components/feed-entry-list-item.pug
+++ b/app/views/newsroom/components/feed-entry-list-item.pug
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 mixin renderNewsroomFeedEntryListItem (entry)
-  .uk-text-bold
-    a(href= entry.link, target="_blank").uk-link-reset= entry.title
-  .uk-text-small
-    div(uk-grid).uk-grid-small
-      .uk-width-expand
+  a(href= entry.link, target="_blank").dtp-link
+    div= entry.title
+  .uk-article-meta
+    div(uk-grid).uk-grid-small.uk-grid-divider
+      .uk-width-auto.uk-text-truncate
         a(href= entry.feed.link, target="_blank").uk-link-reset= entry.feed.title
       .uk-width-auto
         div= moment(entry.published).fromNow()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/client/less/site/main.less b/client/less/site/main.less
index 73700d0..007a841 100644
--- a/client/less/site/main.less
+++ b/client/less/site/main.less
@@ -50,6 +50,13 @@ body {
   }
 }
 
+a.dtp-link {
+  color: inherit;
+
+  &:hover {
+    color: @global-link-hover-color;
+  }
+}
 .dtp-site-footer {
   .uk-subnav {
     a.dtp-social-link {
diff --git a/dtp-sites.js b/dtp-sites.js
index bea4945..ec36753 100644
--- a/dtp-sites.js
+++ b/dtp-sites.js
@@ -22,15 +22,16 @@ module.config = {
   http: require(path.join(module.rootPath, 'config', 'http')),
   https: require(path.join(module.rootPath, 'config', 'https')),
   registerMiddleware: async (dtp, app) => {
-
     module.log.info('registering Page service middleware');
     const {
+      feed: feedService,
       gabTV: gabTvService,
       page: pageService,
       siteLink: siteLinkService,
       venue: venueService,
     } = module.services;
     app.use(
+      feedService.middleware({ maxEntryCount: 5 }),
       pageService.menuMiddleware.bind(pageService),
       siteLinkService.middleware(),
       venueService.channelMiddleware(),
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ module.config = {
 module.log = new SiteLog(module, module.config.component);
 
 module.shutdown = async ( ) => {
-
+  await SitePlatform.shutdown();
 };
 
 (async ( ) => {
diff --git a/lib/site-common.js b/lib/site-common.js
index 78a1788..3732ce3 100644
--- a/lib/site-common.js
+++ b/lib/site-common.js
@@ -106,6 +106,13 @@ class SiteCommon extends EventEmitter2 {
     });
   }
 
+  isSystemRoute (pathname) {
+    return pathname.startsWith('/auth') ||
+           pathname.startsWith('/image') ||
+           pathname.startsWith('/manifest')
+    ;
+  }
+
   isValidString (text) {
     return text && (typeof text === 'string') && (text.length > 0);
   }