diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1ad3f20..78a01af 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ Every field must come from a published CFP. There is no fetcher for these, so no
 
 Special issue deadlines appear in three places:
 - **Journal page** — a "Special Issues" table below the journal metadata
-- **Calendar page** — a "Journal Special Issues" table below the conference deadlines
+- **Calendar page** — a "Journal Special Issues" table below the conference deadlines. The heading always renders; with no entries recorded it carries a line saying no call is open, so the page doesn't read as if journals went untracked
 - **FullCalendar grid** — events colored purple (`#7b2cbf`), titled `ACR SI — Title — deadline type`, carrying `cfp_url` in `extendedProps`
 
 Dates use the same `MMM D, YYYY` format as conference deadlines. `notification` additionally accepts month-only precision (`Jan 2027`), which lands on the first of that month in the calendar grid; the tables always print the raw string.
diff --git a/site/assets/css/extended/custom.css b/site/assets/css/extended/custom.css
index a40f936..df0275b 100644
--- a/site/assets/css/extended/custom.css
+++ b/site/assets/css/extended/custom.css
@@ -14,3 +14,10 @@
         min-height: 180px;
     }
 }
+
+/* Intro copy above a list of cards. PaperMod gives .post-entry a bottom margin
+   only, and .md-content zeroes its last child's, so the intro would otherwise
+   sit flush against the first card. Matches the card-to-card gap. */
+.page-intro {
+    margin-bottom: var(--gap);
+}
diff --git a/site/content/cloud-edge/calendar/_index.md b/site/content/cloud-edge/calendar/_index.md
index 90895c3..e9581d1 100644
--- a/site/content/cloud-edge/calendar/_index.md
+++ b/site/content/cloud-edge/calendar/_index.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 title: Submission Deadlines
 layout: calendar
-generated: '2026-08-17T17:53:37Z'
+generated: '2026-08-17T18:03:33Z'
 draft: false
 events:
 - title: OSDI — abstract deadline
@@ -543,5 +543,9 @@ events:
 | [IPDPS](/cloud-edge/venues/conferences/ipdps/) | IEEE International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium | — | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 8, 2026 | Feb 2, 2027 | Jun 1-5, 2027 | Seattle, WA, USA | A |
 | [OSDI](/cloud-edge/venues/conferences/osdi/) | USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation | — | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 | Mar 16, 2027 | Jul 7-9, 2027 | Baltimore, MD, USA | A* |
 
+## Journal Special Issues
+
+No open call at any tracked journal. These journals use rolling submission, so special issue CFPs are their only dated deadlines — and none are recorded right now.
+
 > Deadlines sourced from conference websites, [WikiCFP](http://www.wikicfp.com/), and journal special issue CFPs.
 
diff --git a/site/layouts/_default/digests.html b/site/layouts/_default/digests.html
index f232800..cdacdee 100644
--- a/site/layouts/_default/digests.html
+++ b/site/layouts/_default/digests.html
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 {{- end }}
 
 {{- if .Content }}
-<div class="md-content">
+<div class="md-content page-intro">
   {{- if not (.Param "disableAnchoredHeadings") }}
   {{- partial "anchored_headings.html" .Content -}}
   {{- else }}{{ .Content }}{{ end }}
diff --git a/src/publish_assistant/generate_content.py b/src/publish_assistant/generate_content.py
index 2730d1d..a1b81ca 100644
--- a/src/publish_assistant/generate_content.py
+++ b/src/publish_assistant/generate_content.py
@@ -627,9 +627,11 @@ def _calendar_body(venues: dict, icore: dict, deadlines: dict, base_path: str =
 
     si_rows.sort(key=lambda r: (parse_deadline(r[3]), r[0]))
 
+    # Always render the section: dropping it when empty made the page read as if
+    # journals weren't tracked at all, rather than as having no open call.
+    lines.append("\n## Journal Special Issues\n")
     if si_rows:
         lines += [
-            "\n## Journal Special Issues\n",
             "| Venue | Title | Abstract | Paper deadline | Notification | Guest Editors |",
             "|---|---|---|---|---|---|",
         ]
@@ -639,6 +641,12 @@ def _calendar_body(venues: dict, icore: dict, deadlines: dict, base_path: str =
             lines.append(
                 f"| {link} | {si_title} | {abs_cell} | {paper} | {notif} | {editors} |"
             )
+    else:
+        lines.append(
+            "No open call at any tracked journal. These journals use rolling "
+            "submission, so special issue CFPs are their only dated deadlines — "
+            "and none are recorded right now."
+        )
 
     lines += [
         "",