QCA.news - Quad Cities news and view from both sides of the river

Wednesday, May 13th, 2026
	You can see transportation plan for Muscatine, rural Scott County Every five years, regional transportation priorities for Iowa Regional Planning Area 9 (Muscatine County and rural Scott County) are established in the Iowa Region 9 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The plan examines regional economic and population changes, as well as other trends, to provide insights into the needs within our Iowa region and allow communities [...]
	House passes bill allowing year-round E-15 gasoline sales The U.S. House has passed a bill Wednesday allowing the year-round sales of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol.
	Denise Powell wins Democratic primary for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district Political organizer Denise Powell has defeated State Sen. John Cavanaugh to win the Democratic primary in the closely watched race for Nebraska's second congressional district.
	Remains of 2nd U.S. soldier who went missing in Morocco have been recovered Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, 19, of Taveres, Florida, is the second U.S. soldier who fell off a cliff during a recreational hike in Morocco. The remains of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. were recovered last week.
	Young Cambridge museum curator earns place in Guinness World Records Anderson Taylor of Cambridge, Illinois has officially been recognized by Guinness World Records as the youngest museum curator (male) in the world, according to a news release. Now 11, Anderson was just 9 years and 340 days old when he opened the Cambridge Natural History Museum on Aug. 10, 2024. What began as a childhood fascination with fossils, minerals, dinosaurs, and natural [...]
	Over 2,100 were without power in Iowa Quad Cities, power restored More than 2,100 people are without power in the Iowa Quad Cities Wednesday evening.
	Over 2,100 without power in Iowa Quad Cities More than 2,100 people are without power in the Iowa Quad Cities Wednesday evening.
	Pastor Ron Lott earns Clinton County Bar Association Liberty Bell Award The Clinton County Bar Association has announced that Pastor Ron Lott, longtime volunteer police and fire chaplain in Clinton, has been selected as this year’s recipient of the prestigious Liberty Bell Award, presented in conjunction with Law Day, according to a news release from Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf. The award ceremony will be held at 3 [...]
	Warmer and stormier weather returns to Quad Cities After some relatively cool weather to open the month of May, things are looking much warmer by this weekend. And we also have several storm chances coming up. So far rain has been below normal for May. But we could see an inch or more in the near future:
	LIVE: KWQC, KCRG-TV9 host Democratic congressional forum KWQC and KCRG-TV9 host a live, commercial-free candidate forum for Democrats running for Iowa’s Second Congressional District seat ahead of the June 2 primary election.
	Soybean farmers watching closely as Trump arrives for China visit Brazil’s share of China’s soybean imports has continued to grow in recent years, while the U.S. share declined and hit a low last year.
	Scams are on the rise, here’s how to avoid them Scams have been on the rise over the past few years, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird shares tips to “Stop the Scammers.”
	Davenport begins Quiet Zone project The goal is to improve safety at rail crossing and reduce how often trains sound their horns.
	Visits to parts of Hill Correctional Center, Galesburg, suspended because of chickenpox As of Wednesday, visits to those in housing units 3A and 3B at Hill Correctional Center, 600 S. Linwood Road, Galesburg, are suspended until further notice because of a potential case of chicken pox, according to a news release from the prison. Residents of all other housing units may receive visits as usual as long [...]
	United Township students commit to teaching careers Students at United Township High School are ready to become future educators, signing their letter of intent to teach Wednesday.
	Iowa pediatric cancer research bill heads to governor’s desk Iowa lawmakers approved legislation that would create a new tax on vape products and nicotine pouches to help fund pediatric cancer research at the University of Iowa.
	Lock and Dam 13 turns 87 years old The Army Corps of Engineers say the lock and dam in Fulton, Illinois first opened on May 13, 1939. Construction took about 3.5 years for the entire project.
	ICE arrests 8 at Davenport restaurants; local law enforcement says they weren’t notified beforehand Three weeks ago, federal agents arrested several people at Izumi Steakhouse and Jiangs Hot Pot BBQ Grill in Davenport.
	Flawed jury pools in Whiteside Co. could spark statewide legal crisis in Illinois An attorney’s curiosity has exposed a decades-old error in jury selection, potentially jeopardizing thousands of criminal convictions across Illinois.
	‘Not perfect’: Iowa senior homeowner says property tax reform bill could help seniors Iowans won’t see an immediate change in their property taxes in a proposal that’s likely about to become law, but they are trying to figure out how those changes will impact them.
	Monmouth College alum gives six-figure gift to college's bagpipe band A longtime Monmouth College trustee with a heart for the bagpipes has made a significant gift to his alma mater, according to a news release from Monmouth College. "Monmouth College is one of the few places that has it," said 1968 graduate Augustin "Gus" Hart of the presence of a pipe band. "I wanted [...]
	River Action to kick off annual educational program ‘Explore the River Series’ This summer program teaches participants about the wildlife, history, culture, and geography of the Mississippi River. Events on the Channel Cat or at other locations will happen May 26 to Aug. 29.
	Inmates quarantined at Hill Correctional Center following exposure to virus causing shingles Visits to Hill Correctional Center were canceled beginning Saturday, but visitation was restored for anyone not in a quarantine unit on Wednesday, May 13.
	QC Arts’ Chalk Art Fest happening May 30–31, Ballet Folklórico to perform Friday Quad City Arts is highlighting two upcoming events in May — the free, family‑friendly Chalk Art Fest May 30–31 in downtown Rock Island, and a May 15 performance by Ballet Folklórico del Rio Grande as part of its Visiting Artist Series.
	Coroner names 3-year-old shot and killed during hostage situation in Bureau County On Sunday, police responded to a domestic disturbance call that escalated into police firing their weapons. 3-year-old Damian Camacho was killed.
	Group O Inc. joins Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies to support growth “Becoming a PMMI member aligns naturally with Group O’s long-standing focus on helping complex organizations modernize and optimize their packaging operations"
	Run for Hope fundraiser combines fitness and cancer support This year's 5K or 1-mile fun run will be on June 27 in Coal Valley. You can personalize race bibs to recognize someone you're running for. Here's how to sign up.
	Learn about a future in health care at the UnityPoint Health Career Exploration Day High school students interested in careers in health care can get an in-depth look at the possibilities ahead of them. Lauren VanNatta joined Our Quad Cities News to talk about the UnityPoint Health Career Exploration Day. For more information, click here.
	Inmates quarantined at Hill Correctional Center following exposure to virus causing shingles Visits to Hill Correctional Center were canceled beginning Saturday, but visitation was restored for anyone not in a quarantine unit on Wednesday, May 13.
	Run for Hope fundraiser combines fitness and cancer support This year's 5K or 1-mile fun run will be on June 27 in Coal Valley. You can personalize race bibs to recognize someone you're running for. Here's how to sign up.
	Coroner names 3-year-old shot and killed while responding to hostage situation in Bureau County On Sunday, police responded to a domestic disturbance call that escalated into police firing their weapons. 3-year-old Damian Camacho was killed.
	Knox County clerk pushes for more federal election funding during D.C. trip Scott Erickson said it will cost Knox County $70,000 to run elections this year. He said increased, stable federal funding would ease the burden on local taxpayers.
	Have you seen these suspects? Crime Stoppers wants to know! Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities wants your help catching two fugitives. It’s an Our Quad Cities News exclusive. You can get an elevated reward for information on this week’s cases: DAVID STALEY, 39, 5’6”, 160 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes. Wanted by Scott County Sheriff’s Department for probation violation on convictions for sex offender [...]
	Eldridge Police part of Indianapolis child exploitation investigation Police in Eldridge recently helped the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in an online child exploitation investigation. A news release from the Eldridge Police Department said the two departments worked together to arrest a 56-year-old man from Indianapolis after an undercover investigation. An investigator from the Eldridge Police Department’s Special Investigations/Internet Crimes Against Children Unit engaged [...]
	Foreign ticket holders from World Cup teams' countries won't have to pay bonds to enter U.S. The Trump administration is suspending a requirement that visitors from countries that have qualified for the World Cup and bought tickets for the tournament pay as much as $15,000 in bonds to enter the U.S.
	Scott County auditor announces absentee voting for June 2nd primary election Scott County Auditor Kerri Tompkins is reminding voters absentee voting, early and in-person voting, begins Wednesday.
	Knox County clerk joins delegation in D.C. to advocate for more local election funding Scott Erickson said it will cost Knox County $70,000 to run elections this year. He said increased, stable federal funding would ease the burden on local taxpayers.
	YWCA, ThePlace2B hosting Youth Mental Health Forum QC youth can come together for an evening of connection, conversation, and support at a free Youth Mental Health Forum on Wednesday, May 28, from 5 - 7:30 p.m. at YWCA Quad Cities, 513 17th Street in Rock Island. The forum is hosted by ThePlace2B and is open to kids ages 13–18 throughout the community. [...]
	Group O joins globally recognized trade association Milan-based Group O has joined PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, strengthening its commitment to innovation and growth in the packaging and automation industry.
	Senate confirms Kevin Warsh as next chair of the Federal Reserve Warsh has argued there's room for the central bank to lower interest rates, but that could be challenging at a time of rising inflation.
	Neanderthals may have drilled out a cavity 59,000 years ago Scientists dug up a Paleolithic tooth that shows signs that these hominins may have been capable of executing a precise dental procedure.
	Rare white fawn spotted at Indian Hills Community College A rare white fawn was spotted on the Indian Hills Community College campus Tuesday, prompting the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to urge the public to keep their distance.
	Jessica McKearney named Blood Drive Partner of the Year A nurse practitioner from Eldridge has been honored for her work to organize blood drives and advocate for pediatric cancer research. Jessica McKearney was recognized as the Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP) national conference as ADRP's Blood Drive Partner of the Year. Jessica and her husband Kyle McKearney created the Hudson Strong Foundation in [...]
	Illinois men's basketball coach Brad Underwood to play in John Deere Classic Pro-Am Underwood led the Fighting Illini to the 2026 NCAA Final Four, Illinois' first Final Four appearance since 2005.
	Boots Riley wants to 'compel' and 'repel' you with 'I Love Boosters' Riley's new film centers on a crew of women who steal from luxury fashion stores and sell the goods at lower cost to people who can't afford retail. He says it's a challenge to the system.
	New novels from Elizabeth Strout and 'Pemi Aguda are lonely and enchanting Aguda's novel, One Leg on Earth, follows a young woman in Nigeria facing an unintended pregnancy. The Things We Never Say, by Strout, centers on a high school teacher leading a secret life of sadness.
	Galesburg Fire responds to rubbish fire A news release from the Galesburg Fire Department said crews responded to a report of a rubbish fire near the rear of a residence in the 500 block of Holton Street on May 12 at about 2:40 p.m. When crews from the Brooks and Central Fire Stations arrived, they learned that the fire had spread [...]
	South Dakota judge stepping down to pursue state attorney general nomination John Fitzgerald is stepping down from his job as a circuit court judge to seek the Republican Party's nomination for state attorney general. (Photo courtesy of John Fitzgerald's campaign)A state circuit court judge is stepping down to pursue the Republican nomination for South Dakota attorney general. John Fitzgerald announced his candidacy Tuesday. Current Attorney General Marty Jackley is running for the U.S. House of Representatives, which is an open seat because South Dakota’s current U.S. representative, Dusty Johnson, is running for governor. Fitzgerald lives in St. Onge and previously served 42 years as a state’s attorney in Butte and Lawrence counties. In November 2022, Fitzgerald was elected as a Fourth Circuit Court judge, serving eight northwestern South Dakota counties. [Voter Guide: 2026 Primary Election Voter Guide: The information and tools you need to cast your vote.] A press release announcing his candidacy says that “throughout his career, he built a reputation for being tough on violent offenders and committed to protecting victims and property rights.” “Serving as a circuit judge has been an honor and has given me an even deeper appreciation for the rule of law, the Bill of Rights, and the importance of equal justice,” Fitzgerald said in the release. Fitzgerald is a graduate of Black Hills State University in Spearfish and the law school at the University of South Dakota. His wife, Mary, serves in the South Dakota House of Representatives. Other Republicans vying for the nomination include McPherson County State’s Attorney Austin Hoffman, and Lance Russell, the state’s attorney for Fall River and Oglala counties and a former legislator. Republicans choose their attorney general nominee by a vote of state convention delegates. That happens at the South Dakota Republican State Convention, June 25-27 at The Monument in Rapid City. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of South Dakota Searchlight
	Greetings from Seville, where springtime means caracoles Spring is snail season in Seville. Caracoles in southern Spain differ from the well-known French escargot — they're smaller and eaten directly from the shell. And everyone has a favorite tapas bar that serves them.
	New shared-use path coming to Moline Work is expected to be done by late September.
	Feds officially cancel conservation rule for public lands The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on May 11, 2026, officially rescinded a federal rule requiring officials to consider conservation in land management decisions in areas such as the Valley of Fires in south-central New Mexico, pictured above in 2021. (Photo courtesy of BLM)The United States Bureau of Land Management on Monday formally cancelled the so-called “Public Land Rule,” which required the agency to consider conservation and development equally in land-use decisions for millions of acres across the West. The BLM published a notice Monday in the Federal Register finalizing its elimination of the 2024 rule, officially known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule. The agency first announced it was considering eliminating the rule in September. The Biden-era rule provided guidance for ensuring conservation received due consideration along with mining, timber, grazing, recreation or other uses on public lands. It also allowed the BLM to issue leases specifically for conservation, though the agency never issued any. The BLM’s notice Monday said officials had received and responded to nearly 140,000 public comments in response to the proposal. Ultimately, officials said eliminating the 2024 rule was necessary because it “threatened to restrict productive use of the public lands and introduced uncertainty and unnecessary burdens in planning and permitting.” The rule’s elimination comes alongside executive orders and other actions by the Trump administration to expand drilling, mineral production and other commercial uses of public lands. Michael Carroll, a campaign director for environmentalist group The Wilderness Society, said Monday that the rule’s rescission, which officially goes into effect in 30 days, will leave millions of acres across the West newly vulnerable to oil and gas extraction and mining. “They’re effectively saying, ‘We’re just going to prioritize extraction across BLM lands,’ Carroll said. “They’re going to be prioritizing industrial-scale development on those public lands. I think we’ll see that right away.” He also noted that the BLM determined it did not need to consult with Indigenous tribes in its decision to rescind the rule, which he called “shocking in terms of its disrespect to tribal nations,” many of which sit adjacent to federal lands. The Wilderness Society was among many environmental groups that denounced the end of the “Public Lands Rule” on Wednesday. Several public statements from the groups mentioned the pending U.S. Senate confirmation of Steve Pearce, a former New Mexico Republican congressman, as BLM director. If the Senate confirms him, Pearce, who has deep ties to the oil and gas industry, will oversee an agency that is no longer required to consider conservation as an acceptable use of public land, Carroll said. “Today is a bad day for those people who care about public lands and care about the Bureau of Land Management,” he said. “But we’ll keep fighting and keep pushing back.” This article was first published by Source New Mexico, part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com. Courtesy of Oregon Capital Chronicle
	Garbage fire spreads to nearby home The cause of the fire is being investigated.
	“The Tales of Custard the Dragon,” May 19 through June 20 A joyous family musical and off-Broadway smash that, as Kennedy Center Vice-President of Education Derek Gordon raved, "will delight both the young and the young at heart," The Tales of Custard the Dragon will enchant audiences in Rock Island from May 19 through June 20, this Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse debut adapted from the whimsical children's stories of Ogden Nash.
	Iowa City Ped Mall shooting suspect to have first court appearance Damarian Jones faces five counts of attempted murder, among other charges.
	Donate during Cops ‘n’ Kids book drive at KWQC KWQC, with Together Making a Better Community and the Davenport Police Department, will hold a Cops ‘n’ Kids Community Book Drive on June 5 at the TV6 studio.
	Early voting underway in Scott County Early and in-person voting begins in Scott County today, said Auditor Kerri Tompkins. “I want voters to be well informed of their voting opportunities.” Absentee voting is available from Wednesday, May 13 to Monday, June 1 at the Auditor’s Office, Scott County Administrative Center, 600 W. Fourth Street, 5th Floor in Davenport. Voting is open [...]
	You have 30 minutes to save a knocked-out tooth. Only 27% of US adults know that. You have 30 minutes to save a knocked-out tooth. Only 27% of US adults know that.Most U.S. adults say they would do almost anything to avoid losing a natural tooth. Most have also put off going to the dentist when they suspected something was wrong. And some may not be aware of the dental specialists whose entire focus is helping them do exactly that. A new national survey from the American Association of Endodontists, the organization representing those specialists, finds all three of those things together at the center of how U.S. adults actually approach their dental health.That tension runs through the entire survey. When faced with a serious tooth infection, 61% would choose a treatment that saves the tooth over extraction. Seventy-eight percent say they would do almost anything to avoid losing a natural tooth. The attachment runs deeper than appearances. It is about the tooth itself, the one that has been there your whole life, that feels irreplaceable in a way an implant or crown never quite does. American Association of Endodontists The gap is not in conviction. It is in knowing what to do.Only 27% of U.S. adults correctly identify that a knocked-out tooth needs to be treated within 30 minutes to give it the best chance of being saved. The rest either guess wrong or have no idea how quickly the clock is running. And the specialists most equipped to help in that moment, dental professionals called endodontists whose entire focus is saving natural teeth, are known to only 44% of U.S. adults.Cost widens the gap. Sixty percent of U.S. adults admit to having put off going to the dentist when they suspected something was wrong. The anatomy of that delay is familiar: a symptom that does not seem urgent enough, a bill that feels easier to avoid than face, an appointment that keeps getting pushed to next month. Of those who waited, 51% say it made things worse. American Association of Endodontists And then there is the fear. Root canals have a reputation that the data does not support. Asked what they believe, 28% of U.S. adults say a root canal is usually more painful than the toothache that sent them to the dentist in the first place. They have it backward. A root canal is designed to relieve that pain, not add to it, according to the American Association of Endodontists. But the perception lingers, shaped in part by a fragmented information environment where 35% of U.S. adults say they have encountered conflicting or confusing information online about procedures such as root canals.U.S. adults feel strongly about their natural teeth, probably more than they would have predicted before being asked. They delay the care that protects them, do not know what to do when time is short, and are not always getting their information from sources that serve them well.For a tooth that can often be saved in 30 minutes, that combination has consequences.MethodologyAmerican Association of Endodontists commissioned Atomik Research, a creative market research agency part of 4media group, to conduct an online survey of 2,000 adults throughout the United States. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Fieldwork was conducted between April 3 and April 8, 2026.This story was produced by American Association of Endodontists and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Working women lose up to 10 hours of productivity a week to menopause symptoms Working women lose up to 10 hours of productivity a week to menopause symptomsNine in 10 working women say at least one menopause symptom has directly impacted their productivity in the past year. That's according to a new Hone Health survey of more than 1,000 women navigating perimenopause or menopause — and for some, the losses are severe: Nearly 1 in 7 lose more than 10 hours a week, the equivalent of a full workday.And while the majority of women said that having clearly defined menopause-related time off and accommodations would improve productivity and reduce stress, 2023 survey data from NFP suggests only around 5% of U.S. employers offer such benefits.The Productivity BreakdownEighteen percent of the women surveyed say symptoms don't affect their output. For the rest, the impact of menopause in the workplace is significant:Twenty-three percent lose up to 2 hours each week.Thirty-four percent lose 3–5 hours each week.Twelve percent lose 6–10 hours each week.Just over 13% lose more than 10 hours — for a standard 40-hour schedule, that's an entire workday, every week. Hone Health Survey respondent Jessica, 40, notes: “There was a stretch of time where my ‘bad days’ started to feel like my new normal.” A nurse, she would start a shift already exhausted even after a full night in bed, and find herself struggling to stay as sharp and focused. She felt off mentally and physically.Symptoms Driving Productivity LossesWhile hot flashes are the best-known menopause symptom, the women surveyed said less visible symptoms were more likely to impact their ability to work. Sleep disturbances affected 90% of respondents. Fatigue hit 87%. Brain fog and difficulty concentrating, 86%. Mood changes — including anxiety, depression, and irritability — affected 85%.Sleep DisturbancesNearly half of women meet the criteria for menopause-related insomnia, with 38% getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night, on average, which can affect attention, memory, and reaction time. Nationwide, a 2021 report examining data from the U.S. Study of Women's Health Across the Nation found that lost productivity after onset of sleep disruptions is associated with $2.2 billion among women aged 42–64.FatigueEighty-seven percent of women reported persistent fatigue, which slows pace, reduces output, and makes sustained focus more difficult.Brain Fog, Memory Lapses and Difficulty ConcentratingAn estimated 44%–62% of women experience menopause-related memory loss or brain fog. Employees experiencing brain fog may have trouble finding the words to express themselves, struggle to remember talking points during a meeting, or have trouble focusing on demanding work tasks.Mood ChangesDepression and anxiety carry the strongest adverse effect on work performance of any menopause symptom, according to The Menopause Society. Mood changes often go unrecognized by managers and rarely get attributed to menopause.How Businesses Can Protect ProductivityNearly 80% of women surveyed say clearly defined menopause-related time off or accommodations would improve their productivity and experience at work. When asked how, 61% said they would be more productive — 43% significantly so.“Offering even small accommodations could make a huge difference,” Jessica notes. “Just knowing you're supported — and not alone in it — changes how you show up, not only for yourself, but for your patients and your team.”The accommodations women say would move the needle are mostly low-cost: flexible scheduling, clear policies, remote and hybrid work options, and additional time off. Hone Health These policies, which are already extended to other health conditions and life-stage transitions, would improve retention, reduce burnout, and protect institutional knowledge, while signaling a culture that takes health and equity seriously."We ask a lot of the working women in their 40s and 50s — leadership, institutional knowledge, complex decision-making. That's exactly when hormonal changes start undermining the cognitive tools those roles depend on," says board-certified OB-GYN Shelly Chvotzkin, D.O. "Employers who recognize that and respond will have a real advantage."Methodology: Hone Health surveyed 1,028 working women in perimenopause or postmenopause as part of a broader survey of 1,659 women. Respondents were at least 30 years old, were employed full- or part-time, and were drawn from all major U.S. regions. The survey was fielded in 2025.This story was produced by Hone Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	University of Illinois men’s basketball head coach to play in John Deere Classic JDC organizers said Brad Underwood will take to the green on July 1.
	ICE arrests 8 people as part of operation at 2 Davenport restaurants Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane said the operations were conducted at Izumi and Jiang’s restaurants.
	The new local authority stack for real estate in AI search The new local authority stack for real estate in AI searchNot long ago, winning in local real estate search meant one thing: Dominate Google Maps and rank for your city plus “homes for sale.” A strong website, a steady stream of reviews, and a dialed-in Google Business Profile were enough to stay competitive.That era is over.The numbers tell the story plainly. In just 18 months, the share of homebuyers using ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Google AI Overviews as their primary agent research tool has rocketed from 17% to 67%, outpacing the adoption curves of mobile search and Zillow combined. What’s more, 61% of buyer-side real estate searches now begin in an AI search engine rather than a traditional one. And perhaps most urgently, 91% of U.S. agents are effectively invisible in the AI search engines their buyers now use first.Today, when a buyer types “best real estate agent in [neighborhood]” into ChatGPT or Perplexity, they’re not getting a list of links. They’re getting a synthesized answer that names specific agents or brokerages and explains why they’re worth calling. The agent who appears in that answer didn’t get there by outranking competitors on a single keyword. They got there by building what we call a local authority stack: a layered, interconnected set of digital signals that AI models use to determine who actually knows and owns a market.Intero Digital breaks down each layer of that stack, discusses exactly what AI engines are reading when they evaluate real estate authority, and outlines a framework for building your own.Why AI Search Optimization Is Different From Traditional Local SEOTraditional local SEO is fundamentally a relevance game. The search engine asks, “Does this page match the query?” AI search is a trust game. The model asks, “Who do I believe is genuinely authoritative about this place?”The distinction matters enormously for real estate. And the portal giants already understand it. Within a five-month window, all three major real estate portals (Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com) launched apps inside ChatGPT, positioning themselves at the very top of the AI buyer’s journey before most independent agents had even considered the shift. Realtor.com CEO Damian Eales put it directly: “We brought real estate listings to the internet. Now we’re bringing them to AI.”For independent agents and regional brokerages, this is the mobile moment all over again. The portals moved first on mobile, too. The agents who survived that transition weren’t the ones who waited; they were the ones who built something the portals couldn’t replicate: genuine local authority.That’s still the play, but the signals have changed. Google’s March 2026 Core Update began rewarding hyperlocal, experience-driven content while reducing the visibility of generic material. Meanwhile, zero-click searches now account for 83% of searches that trigger an AI Overview, and 93% of queries run through Google’s AI Mode. That means your content doesn’t need to drive clicks anymore; it needs to be mentioned and/or cited.AI models like those powering ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity are trained on the open web. They synthesize signals across multiple sources to form confident, specific answers. That means your digital footprint is no longer about one website. Instead, it’s about the full ecosystem of information about you that exists across the internet.The 5-Layer Local Authority Stack for Real EstateThe following framework identifies the five categories of signals that AI search engines weigh the most heavily when surfacing real estate professionals for local queries. Think of it as a foundation you build from the ground up: each layer reinforces the one below it. Courtesy of Intero Digital Layer 1: Hyperlocal content ownershipThis is the foundation of the entire stack. Before an AI model can recommend you as a local expert, it needs to find evidence that you are one. That evidence lives in the content you create and publish.But not just any content. Over 72% of geo-specified buyer conversations reference either an exact address or a named neighborhood, not a city, metro area, or ZIP code. AI engines calibrated to that behavior are increasingly sophisticated at distinguishing generic city-level content from genuinely hyperlocal knowledge. The kind of content that moves the needle includes neighborhood-specific buyer guides covering walkability, schools, HOA structures, commute patterns, and price history by street or subdivision; monthly micromarket reports for specific ZIP codes with actual MLS data and agent commentary; school district breakdowns written for families relocating to the area; and lifestyle content that captures what it actually feels like to live in a neighborhood.There’s also a tactical wrinkle worth knowing: Statistics with a source and a date are what get cited. AI tools are built to reference numbers, not opinions. Something like “according to Austin Board of Realtors data from Q1 2026, median days on market in 78746 dropped from 34 to 18 days year over year” could get cited, but “the market is moving fast” won’t. Every neighborhood page should include at least three to five current, sourced statistics, and they should be updated quarterly.The test for whether your content qualifies: Could a competitor in another market copy it by just swapping the city name? If yes, it’s not hyperlocal enough. AI models are looking for content that’s specific to the point of being irreplaceable.Action step: Audit your existing content. Identify your top three most active markets. For each one, build at least one definitive neighborhood guide that goes deeper than anything currently ranking for that area and anchor it with sourced, date-stamped local data.Layer 2: Review signals with market contextReviews have always mattered for local SEO. In AI search, they matter in a fundamentally different way. It’s no longer enough to have a high star rating and a large review count. AI models are reading review content for signals of geographic specificity and transaction expertise.A review that says, “Great agent, highly recommend!” contributes almost nothing to your AI search authority. On the other hand, a review that says, “We were nervous about buying in the Riverside district with our budget, but she knew every pocket of that neighborhood and found us a home on Elm Street that checked every box,” is doing serious work. It’s tying your name to a specific geography, a specific transaction type, and a specific positive outcome, which is exactly the kind of signal AI engines weigh when constructing recommendations.What this means for your review strategy: Stop asking for generic five-star reviews and instead prompt clients to describe the neighborhood, the challenge you solved, and the outcome they achieved. Respond to every review with market-specific language, as those responses are also indexed. Also, prioritize review recency and responsiveness. Thirty-two percent of consumers want a review response by the following day (up from 18% last year), and 81% expect to hear back within a week. And expand beyond Google: While Google reviews continue to dominate, Apple Maps nearly doubled in usage from 14% in 2025 to 27% in 2026, and reviews on Zillow, Realtor.com, Yelp, and Facebook all contribute to your overall AI authority profile.Action step: Rewrite your post-closing review request to include a specific prompt: “If you’re comfortable, mention the neighborhood where we worked together and one challenge we solved along the way.”Layer 3: Local press and publication mentionsThis is the layer most real estate professionals are leaving entirely on the table, and it represents one of the highest-leverage opportunities in the entire stack.AI models place significant weight on third-party credibility. When a local newspaper, regional business journal, or real estate trade publication mentions your name in connection with a specific market, it functions as an authoritative endorsement. The model interprets it as an independent, trusted source identifying you as an expert in this geography.There is a timing urgency here worth understanding. Local news sites fell sharply as a consumer recommendation source, from 48% to 29% in the past year. This is a paradox: Local press is becoming more valuable as an AI authority signal at exactly the same time the outlets themselves are under pressure. Agents who build relationships with local journalists now are securing a channel that will be harder to access as these outlets contract.The most valuable types of press mentions for real estate AI authority include market commentary quotes in local news, features in regional business publications about neighborhood development or investment trends, contributed columns or expert roundups in real estate trade outlets, podcast appearances on local business or real estate shows, and awards or recognition from community organizations and industry associations.You don’t need to be in The Wall Street Journal. Local and regional coverage in publications that serve your market carries tremendous weight with AI models precisely because it is geographically precise, which is exactly what AI real estate queries are asking for.Action step: Build a targeted media list of 10 to 15 local journalists and editors who cover real estate, business, and community development in your market. Develop a simple outreach strategy for positioning yourself as a go-to market commentary source.Layer 4: Structured data and entity clarityWhile the first three layers are about building authority, this layer is about making sure AI models can correctly attribute all of that authority to you. Entity clarity is the technical foundation that ties your entire stack together.AI models construct a model of who you are based on data signals across the web. If your name, brokerage name, phone number, address, and market area are inconsistent across platforms, the model can’t confidently connect all those signals to a single entity. That fragmentation directly reduces your authority score.Nearly a third of the U.S. population will use generative AI search in 2026, and every one of those users encountering your name in an AI answer is relying on the model having correctly assembled your identity from dozens of data sources. The key elements of entity clarity for real estate: NAP (name, address, phone) consistency across every platform where you have a profile; RealEstateAgent schema markup on your website with your geographic service area, license number, and brokerage affiliation clearly structured; complete and keyword-rich agent profiles on every major real estate platform; and a consistent professional headshot and bio across all platforms.Agents who began AI SEO work in early 2025 now hold 5.7 times the citation share of agents who began the same work 12 months later, despite the latter group spending more on average. Entity clarity is the reason early movers compound their advantage so rapidly. Once an AI model has a strong, consistent entity understanding of who you are and where you work, it becomes the default answer for local queries in your market.Action step: Run a NAP audit across your top 10 platforms. Fix any inconsistencies and add RealEstateAgent schema markup to your website if it’s not already in place.Layer 5: Community authority signalsThis is the newest and most underappreciated layer of the stack, and in a competitive market, it might become the deciding factor.Community authority signals are the evidence that you’re not just selling in a neighborhood but are genuinely embedded in it. AI models are trained on a wide range of web content, including community forums, neighborhood Facebook groups, HOA communications that appear publicly, local event coverage, and civic organization websites. An agent who appears in these contexts, not as a salesperson but as a community participant, earns a category of trust that can’t be manufactured through content alone.Broader consumer research reinforces why this matters. According to a recent Realtor.com survey, 82% of Americans are using AI tools for real estate insights, yet real estate agents remain the most trusted source of housing information. That gap between AI usage and agent trust is your opportunity. Community authority signals are what close it: They’re the proof, visible to AI engines, that you are a trusted human presence in the market, not just a website.The types of community signals that register with AI engines include mentions in HOA newsletters or community organization websites; sponsorship of local events that generate online coverage; participation in neighborhood Facebook or Nextdoor groups (publicly indexed posts); involvement with local charities, schools, or civic organizations that publish their supporters online; and coverage in community blogs, neighborhood newsletters, or local lifestyle publications.This layer takes the longest to build, but it creates the deepest kind of authority. It signals to AI engines that your expertise is not only professional but also personal and verified by the community itself.How the Layers CompoundThe power of the local authority stack is not in any single layer; it’s in how the layers reinforce one another. Consider what an AI model sees when all five are active: Your hyperlocal content establishes that you understand the market in granular detail; your geo-specific reviews confirm that real clients have experienced that expertise firsthand; local press mentions verify that independent third parties recognize your authority; your structured data ensures every signal is correctly attributed to your entity; and community signals confirm that your presence in the market is human, ongoing, and trusted.Agents who haven’t built durable citation shares by year-end will face a structural disadvantage that paid advertising alone can’t solve. The window for early-mover advantage is narrowing. When a consumer asks AI a question, it delivers three to five synthesized results. The only path in is organic authority built over time across all five layers.Where to Start: A 90-Day Priority SequenceBuilding all five layers simultaneously isn’t realistic for most agents or small teams. Here is a prioritized sequence designed to generate early momentum while building toward a complete stack:Days 1-30: Audit and foundations. Complete a NAP audit across your top 10 platforms and fix all inconsistencies. Add RealEstateAgent schema markup to your website. Identify your top three neighborhoods and outline a comprehensive guide for each. Update your review ask to prompt geographic and transaction specificity.Days 31-60: Content and credibility. Publish your first neighborhood guide. Aim for at least 1,500 words of genuinely original, hyperlocal content anchored by sourced local data. Build your local media outreach list and send five introductory pitches positioning yourself as a market commentary source. Respond to every existing review with market-specific language. Identify three community organizations where visible involvement would be authentic.Days 61-90: Authority building. Publish your second and third neighborhood guides. Follow up on media outreach and pitch a specific story angle tied to current market conditions. Begin or deepen community involvement in at least one local organization. Establish a monthly micromarket report cadence for your primary ZIP code.The real estate professionals who build local authority now will be extraordinarily difficult to displace once AI models have learned to associate their names with their markets.The good news is that most of your competitors haven’t started yet. The local authority stack is not a secret, but it requires patience, consistency, and a genuine commitment to being the most knowledgeable, credible, and community-embedded presence in your market. That’s not something that can be automated or rushed.It can, however, be built. And the agents who build it first will find that AI search doesn’t just give them leads; it gives them category ownership.This story was produced by Intero Digital and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The Health Exam Many Don’t Know They Need (NAPSI)—If you are like most Americans, you wait until you notice changes in your vision before making an appointment for an eye exam. According to a poll conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, only about one-third of adults know that many vision-threatening eye diseases begin without any noticeable symptoms. “In the early phases of eye disease, your brain tries to fill in gaps in vision. That means many people with eye disease are walking around thinking they have 20/20 vision, or that they don’t need to get their eyes checked at all,” said Laura Fine, MD, EyeCare America® volunteer and ophthalmologist in Boston. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that all healthy adults get a medical eye exam at least once in their 20s, twice in their 30s, and as recommended by an ophthalmologist in their 40s and beyond. People who have a family history of eye disease or preexisting health conditions, such as diabetes, may need to come in more often. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, EyeCare America may be able to help with a no-out-of-pocket-cost medical eye exam. “Regular eye exams throughout adulthood are important to catch eye diseases and conditions early, before symptoms appear,” Dr. Fine said. “For some diseases, once vision is lost, it cannot be restored.” Waiting Could Cost You Your Vision Take the case of Peggy Wellman. She went to get her eyes checked, thinking she only needed a new eyeglass prescription. Instead, she was told she had lost most of her peripheral vision to advanced glaucoma and needed surgery. The diagnosis was a complete shock to Wellman. Although surgery kept her from losing any more vision, it could not restore the sight she had already lost. Had her eye disease been caught earlier, her sight may have been preserved. “The best care is preventive care,” Dr. Fine said. “You probably go to the dentist regularly, not just when you notice a toothache. You should prioritize eye health in the same way for the best chance at a lifetime of healthy vision.” Surprising Benefits of an Eye Exam An eye exam can pick up health issues beyond eye diseases. That’s because the blood vessels and nerves at the back of the eye reflect your overall health and can signal the start of certain conditions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or vitamin deficiencies. Other diseases an ophthalmologist can help diagnose include: Diabetes. Diabetes is a leading cause of vision loss in the United States. Early signs of diabetes can appear in the eye before vision is affected. Heart disease. A growing body of research shows that eye health and heart health are closely linked. An ophthalmologist can spot early signs of heart disease by examining the blood supply to the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Stroke. Loss of side vision, sudden blind spots, blurry vision, double vision, or sensitivity to light can all signal a stroke. Plaque deposits in the arteries of the eye could be a sign that emergency medical attention is needed. How to Maintain Healthy Vision May is Healthy Vision Month but any time is a good time to have regular eye exams. The easiest way to protect your sight is to have regular eye exams. If you are unable to pay for a medical eye exam, EyeCare America may be able to help. The program provides exams for adults 18 and older who are uninsured or underinsured. See if you qualify for a no-out-of-pocket-cost medical eye exam at aao.org/eyecare-america. Word Count: 573
	The huge, untapped potential of planting rooftop gardens in cities The huge, untapped potential of planting rooftop gardens in citiesThe city has long been a beacon of opportunity, where folks flock to make it big. But metropolises the world over are wasting a major opportunity — many, many square feet of it: Flat rooftops are painted white, when really they should be green.Not, mind you, shades of mint green, forest green, or lime green, but with the lushness of actual plants. Adding vegetation to roofs — even if it’s just a coating of grass, moss, and succulents — bestows many overlapping, reinforcing benefits not only on a building’s occupants and owner, but on the surrounding community. Like parks on the ground, gardens in the sky reduce local temperatures and help prevent flooding, all while improving urban biodiversity and feeding pollinators like bees.According to a recent report prepared for the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, if cities accelerated the transformation of these unused spaces into oases — and converted empty walls into vertical yet verdant surfaces — they’d make themselves more comfortable for urbanites as temperatures climb. Burgs might even start growing crops under solar panels, a burgeoning field known as rooftop agrivoltaics, simultaneously generating food and electricity. The technique could be especially powerful as urban populations continue to balloon: According to the United Nations, another 2 billion people could be living in cities by 2050. At the same time, a phenomenon called the urban heat island effect, in which the built environment warms much more than surrounding rural areas, is driving temperatures to increasingly dangerous levels.“Our goal is to get our cities more dense, but keep them livable and climate-safe,” Vera Enzi-Zechner, colead author of the report and a vice president at the European Federation of Green Roof and Living Wall Associations, based in Vienna, Austria, told Grist. “Of course, also water comes in, energy comes in, multifunctionality, social cohesion, engagement, and biodiversity.” Courtesy of Over Easy Solar The green roof is a surprisingly old technology. Consider the Moos Water Filtration Plant, near Zurich, whose rooftops have hosted nine acres of meadows for over a century. Less of a planned amenity and more of a serendipitous colonization of plant life, the rooftops have nevertheless transformed into refuges for native species.These days, architects would rather not have their buildings bloom by accident. Instead, they’re incorporating the requisite infrastructure into the design. To keep the garden from leaking into the top floor, for instance, they add waterproofing and barriers to contain roots. Designers also must consider the additional weight of the plants and water that soaks into the substrate. How much weight, exactly, will depend on what they want to grow: It might be simple grasses and mosses, like at the Moos Water Filtration Plant, or shrubs, or even trees, whose roots require a thicker layer. And it’s never too late to do this. An owner can add a green roof after construction is finished, though it might require reinforcement.The investment, though, could pay serious dividends over time. Whereas a traditional roof absorbs the sun’s energy, a green one sweats like a human, as its plants release water vapor during photosynthesis and shade the surface. This cools the air, and the substrate and waterproofing insulate the top floor. Beyond reducing cooling and heating costs, the greenery can extend the life of a roof, the report notes, because relentless sunlight, extreme heat waves, and hail aren’t aging shingles and paint and such. (Traditional roofs are constantly stressed by expanding and shrinking, as the sun heats them during the day and the night cools them off.) Down at street level, building owners can cover walls with vegetation, protecting them from the elements and providing habitat for birds and bats.Cities, too, could save money by embracing gardening in the sky. As the planet heats up and rainfall gets more intense, gutters and sewers — designed for the climate of yesteryear — are struggling to keep up. Green roofs soak up some of that deluge and slow the flow of water into these systems, preventing costly flooding. Some designers are even going a step further with blue-green roofs, which incorporate systems that store rainwater to flush the toilets inside.So instead of all that precipitation flowing into sewers and out to sea, some of it goes instead to plants and people. “That is the basic principle for improved resiliency for many cities around the world,” said Steven Peck, founder and president of the nonprofit industry association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. “We’ve got to capture that water and use it to support plants, because plants will do good things for us, like clean the air. They’re good for our mental health. They’ll cool the city.”Beyond reducing temperatures and flooding, all this additional greenery creates much-needed habitat for local plants and animals. It’s all well and good to have parks and gardens dotting a city, but this creates better pathways for species. Ideally, green roofs and walls would form a citywide network of stepping stones for flying creatures to move around safely, settle down in shelter, and tap reliable supplies of food. Indeed, the report notes that study after study has shown that this not only boosts biodiversity, but it also provides havens for endangered and rare species of flora and fauna. “We cannot just integrate green roofs or green walls into the urban environment,” said Maria Manso, colead author of the report and an assistant professor of engineering at Lusófona University in Lisbon, Portugal. “They have to be connected with other nature-based solutions in order to have this urban connectivity.”Free-roaming insects and birds will support the next frontier of green roofs: Scientists are now trying to figure out what crops might grow well up there, under the shade of solar panels. These rooftop agrivoltaic systems shelter the plants from fierce winds and excessive sunlight, and in turn, the vegetation releases water vapor, cooling the panels above and increasing their efficiency, meaning they can generate more electricity. Early research is finding that warm-season crops in particular, like watermelon, do astonishingly well high in the sky, with cucumbers growing as big as baseball bats. The fliers visiting these plants may well travel to nearby urban gardens on the ground and pollinate crops there, or even head to traditional agricultural fields abutting the city. Courtesy of Kevin Samuelson // CSU Spur The early results with rooftop agrivoltaics are so promising, in fact, that projects are popping up around the world. In Italy, for instance, the Florence airport’s roof will soon host solar panels and a vineyard. “They couldn’t decide between renewable energy generation or their cultural heritage of growing grapes,” said horticulturist Jennifer Bousselot, who studies rooftop agrivoltaics at Colorado State University but wasn’t involved in the report. “So they decided to actually combine the two.”While photovoltaic panels increase the upfront cost, they too can pay dividends, and not just with the energy they provide. Because their shade reduces evaporation, rooftop gardeners need to apply less water. That could also mean that a designer might not need as thick a layer of soil to retain water, if less of it is evaporating away. “So in theory, you can actually have a shallower green roof if you’ve got shade integrated, and still have high diversity and high plant success,” Bousselot said.Given all these benefits, how can cities encourage the proliferation of verdant roofs and walls? The report points out that starting decades ago, Basel, Switzerland, provided subsidies for greening the city’s roofs, then changed its building codes to mandate that all new and retrofitted flat roofs get the treatment. By 2010, the city had increased its green roof surface area from 10 to 100 hectares (247 acres). “This tenfold increase,” the report notes, “positioned Basel as a leading example of how coordinated policy, financial support, and ecological standards can effectively accelerate the adoption of biodiversity-friendly green roofs in urban environments.”In the United States, cities set their own building codes, so they could do much the same. A growing number of municipalities in the U.S. are also starting to charge property owners for the rainfall runoff they produce: The more impervious surfaces you have, the more you pay. Rip out more concrete, though, and install gardens high and low, and you can reduce those fees.This being American real estate, developers will want to know that even in the absence of subsidies, the things can make money over time, whereas traditional roofs lose it because they have to be replaced within decades. Buildings can even rent out their verdant rooftops for private events.Cities the world over stand at an inflection point: Invest now in as much green space wherever they can get it, or risk withering as the world warms. “They’re going to be healthier places to live in the face of ongoing climate change impacts,” Peck said. “And that’s where the money is going to be. That’s where the creativity is going to be.”This story was produced by Grist and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Iowa Women's Jazz Orchestra performing at Bettendorf Public Library Enjoy music composed, arranged and performed by women at a free special concert at the Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Drive. The Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra (IWJO) will take the stage on Saturday, May 23 from 2 – 3 p.m. to highlight women’s contributions to jazz history. The IWJO is a jazz big band [...]
	Quad Cities Bicycle Club will sponsor Ride of Silence to remember cyclists killed or injured The Quad Cities Bicycle Club will sponsor the Ride of Silence on Wednesday, May 20, a news release says.. The ride will take off from Schwiebert Riverfront Park in Rock Island at 6 p.m. and return at about 7:30 p.m. Riders are required to wear helmets, ride in a group at a pace of no [...]
	Alex Murdaugh will get a new murder trial. Here's a timeline of his case Alex Murdaugh — the disgraced former lawyer serving a life term for the murders of his wife and son — will get a new trial in South Carolina, the state Supreme Court said on Wednesday.
	Raising our glasses to "Winey Wednesday!" Littering, bugs and birds were big gripes as Anthony and Brittany enjoyed some grapes. Thanks to Hidden Hills Winery in Galesburg for providing two bottles.
	3 Things to Know \| Quad Cities morning headlines for May 13, 2026 Rock Island students will receive scholarships ahead of college, and the city of Davenport is implementing quiet zones to make rail crossings safer.
	How to create the perfect burger in 5 easy steps (BPT) - It's time for you to become the best behind the grill. Whether you're a seasoned grill master or just getting into backyard grilling, one dish that you should perfect is the classic cheeseburger. This quintessential grilling staple can go from good to great with just a few changes.To help you craft the best cheeseburger for your summer cookouts, Chef Aldo Lanzillotta — co-host of the Cooking Channel's Compete to Eat, guest chef on Bravo's Best New Restaurant and cofounder of Juicy Lucy, Inc. — serves up his top five tips for grilling the best cheeseburger.1. Use quality beefAccording to Lanzillotta, one crucial detail many people overlook when making burgers at home is the quality of the meat. When choosing burger patties or making your own, opt for an 80/20 lean-to-fat blend. The fat gives the burger patty a rich, juicy flavor with lots of depth. Lanzillotta likes to use a mix of chuck, rib and brisket meat.Spice it up! Consider adding smoked sea salt and dried porcini mushrooms into the meat mix or sprinkling the patties just before grilling to impart a smoky, umami flavor to the cheeseburger.2. Add cheese to the middleYou can't have a cheeseburger without cheese. Take your cheeseburger to the next level by adding cheese to the middle of the patty to create the Minnesota classic, the Juicy Lucy.If you're hesitant to stuff your own Juicy Lucy patties, don't worry. Lanzillotta wanted to share this Midwestern delicacy with people across the country and created Juicy Lucy patties that you can grill, cook or air fry straight from frozen in your own backyard. Once you take it off the grill, you'll have a burger that delivers delicious, perfectly melted cheese in every bite.Available in cheese-stuffed and jalapeno-stuffed varieties, you can find a pack in the frozen aisles of select retailers. In 2025, Juicy Lucy began introducing the frozen cheese-stuffed hamburger patties at select Target stores in the Upper Midwest. But now, shoppers can find Juicy Lucy varieties at select Target stores in additional markets, including California, Arizona and soon Utah, and Harris Teeter stores across North Carolina and South Carolina. To find a store near you, visit JuicyLucyBurgers.com.3. Break out the skilletA charcoal or gas grill is the classic option for cooking a cheeseburger, but don't underestimate the power of a cast-iron skillet. The skillet is Lanzillotta's go-to for cooking burgers because it mimics the finish and flavor you'd expect from a restaurant burger cooked on a flattop.Using a skillet means you can cook up a mouthwatering burger indoors on your stovetop, but don't forget you can also cook with your skillet on the grill.4. Toast whole burger bunsComplement your burger patties with warm toasted buns. According to Lanzillotta, toasting uncut buns on the side of the grill over low heat can make a store-bought bun taste freshly baked. Once you cut it open, feel the steam escape and butter the top and bottom of the bun.5. Create a custom burger with plenty of toppingsOnce your burger is cooked, it's time to add toppings and customize it to your liking. In addition to classic toppings like fried or raw onions, condiments, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles, consider experimenting with new ingredients. For example, to complement his Juicy Lucy, Lanzillotta recommends adding pickled jalapeño relish, charred cumin tomatoes, candied prosciutto and smashed avocado.Add a punch of flavor: While cooking your burger, place sliced onions next to the patties on the grill or in the skillet. Doing so will give the patty a punch of flavor.Are you ready to grill the perfect burger for any occassion? Using these five tips, you'll create delicious burgers that will have your friends and family asking for seconds.
	Wedding planning made simple: 8 tips to create your perfect day on any budget Wedding planning made simple: 8 tips to create your perfect day on any budgetPlanning a wedding is a major undertaking, but there are plenty of ways to prepare before saying “I do.” If you’re unsure how to start putting together your dream wedding, Ally Financial shows how to create a flexible yet structured plan.1. Set a budget and stick to itOnce you’re ready to begin planning, a wedding budget is the place to start. Your wedding will be an important day for both you and your partner, so work together on your budget by:Having a candid conversation with your partner about your expectations (and vice versa).Agreeing on how much you’re willing to spend overall.Allocating a budget to each area of your event.Identifying areas where you may be able to save some money, whether through DIY or scaling back.These conversations are also a great way to reinforce your budgeting habits as a couple ahead of your marriage.2. Determine your prioritiesEveryone’s ideal wedding day is different, so be open with your partner about areas you’re hoping to spend a little extra. Whether you want to splurge on a photographer or a destination wedding, figure out which details of your day are most important to you both. With your budget in mind, zero in on what matters most to help you prioritize together.3. Mind the calendarNearly all parts of your big day will benefit from advanced planning and booking. While it might be obvious to secure your venue, catering, and officiant early, don’t overlook other aspects of your event. For instance, customized party favors or group transportation will also likely need to be finalized a few months in advance. You’d be surprised how much you can save on shipping when you don’t need to splurge on the expedited option.Many parts of a wedding are best left to the experts, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t contribute your own skills.4. Stack your backup plansNo one wants to spend their special day stressing. Staying flexible through the planning process can help keep things calm. If your first choice isn't available, be prepared with a few alternatives. Keeping your options open with less-conventional venues, catering options, or dates for your wedding can help you work around high demand — and potentially high costs.And always remember: Everyone in attendance wants you to enjoy your event to the fullest. They likely won’t notice if details change from your original plan.5. Stay organized with a websiteWeddings are complex events, and it can be difficult to keep your guests informed on the latest details. Creating a wedding website helps you get ahead of some frequently asked questions from attendees, like venue information, local attractions, or directions on booking accommodation. Instead of answering dozens of individual questions or sending urgent texts about last-minute changes, you can instead point your guests to your site. Many websites also offer the option to track guest attendance, so you’re not having to keep track of RSVP cards via snail mail.6. Build a registryLet loved ones help kickstart your married life by creating a registry. With your partner, think about what would actually be useful for the stage your relationship is in. Whether you’ll be moving in together and are looking for kitchenware or want to start up a fund for travel or homebuying, a registry helps you get a boost toward your shared goals.7. Hire reliable vendorsIt’ll take a little extra time, but make sure your wedding vendors are legitimate:Check online reviews to get a sense of other clients’ experiences.Ask for portfolios or references of past work.Look over the information they have on their social media or website.Receive quotes for services ahead of your event.Word of mouth is a great way to find out about wedding vendors, but do your due diligence to ensure they’ll work for your unique expectations, too. You may want to save money … but not at the expense of a reliable vendor.8. DIY strategicallyMany parts of a wedding are best left to the experts, but that doesn’t mean you can’t contribute your own skills. Thrifting and upcycling certain parts of your wedding can help cut costs — and bring a unique, sentimental touch to your event. This DIY ethic can also come in handy down the line when you and your partner work on home improvement projects together.Make wedding magicCreating a flexible plan and a solid budget for your special day can help set you and your soon-to-be spouse up for success far past the altar.This story was produced by Ally Financial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How do AI detectors work? How do AI detectors work?How can you tell something's AI-generated? When it comes to writing, there are common tells: the excessive use of em dashes, sentences that are too rhythmically clean, and a general smoothness that feels overly engineered.It's hardly a perfect science, though, and most humans' AI detection skills are based on vibes.If humans are just relying on instinct, what are AI detectors relying on? Here, Zapier shares everything you need to know about how AI detectors work.What is an AI detector?An AI detector is a tool that analyzes content like text, images, or videos, and estimates the likelihood that it was generated by an AI model. Instead of giving a definitive yes-or-no answer, most AI detectors will give you:A probability score (for example, "74% likely AI-generated")A confidence ratingHighlighted passages that appear machine-written, if it's textTheir goal isn't to "catch" AI with certainty, but to flag content that statistically resembles AI-generated patterns.How do AI detectors work?The specifics of how AI detectors work vary depending on what type of content they're analyzing. For simplicity, this article will focus on AI text detectors. But other types—like AI image detectors—work similarly.Large language models (LLMs) generate text by predicting the most likely next word based on probability. It's more nuanced than that, but that's the idea. AI detectors reverse-engineer that idea: They look at a finished piece of writing and measure how closely it matches those probability patterns. Here are the main techniques they use. Zapier 1. PerplexityPerplexity (not to be confused with the AI-powered search engine) measures how unpredictable a piece of text is to a language model. The lower the perplexity, the more the wording follows patterns the model expects to see.AI-generated text often has lower perplexity because it's built from highly common word sequences. It gravitates toward phrasing that's safe, common, and structurally sound. Which is kind of the point. AI models are trained to predict the most probable next word, not the most chaotic or idiosyncratic—just the most likely.Human writing, on the other hand, tends to raise the perplexity score because it's usually less predictable. Unless you have a ruthless editor who'll set you straight, humans use words that technically work, even if they're not the exact right ones. They go off on tangents and litter their work with comma splices because those pauses just feel right to them.2. BurstinessBurstiness looks at sentence length distribution and structural variation to identify patterns that appear overly consistent.Humans rarely write in perfect cadence. They mix short sentences with longer ones, occasionally go on tangents, and vary pacing without thinking about it. Earlier AI models, by contrast, tended to produce writing that felt evenly spaced and neatly balanced. Nothing was outright bad, just … suspiciously consistent.That "too rhythmic" quality is often what sets off our internal AI radar. AI detectors try to quantify that instinct by measuring variation in sentence length, punctuation, and structure. If the tempo barely changes from start to finish, that uniformity can raise a flag.3. ClassifiersA classifier is a machine learning system trained to categorize text as likely human- or AI-generated. Unlike perplexity or burstiness, which are individual signals, a classifier looks at many features at once and weighs them together.Developers train their LLMs on large datasets of labeled human and AI text. Through that training, classifiers learn statistical patterns that tend to separate the two categories. Those patterns can include predictability scores, sentence variation, word frequency distributions, and other structural signals.When you paste new text into an AI detector, the classifier evaluates how multiple signals interact and then produces a probability score. The final output reflects whether the writing, on average, more closely resembles patterns associated with AI-generated text or human-written text.4. Stylometric analysisStylometric analysis is the study of writing style, including vocabulary richness, repetition, and sentence complexity. Think of it as your linguistic fingerprint.The idea is that humans tend to develop quirks over time. For example, the author Fredrik Backman typically writes stories with a sort of progressive repetition that's hard to describe, but is uniquely him. It's what makes his writing so easily distinguishable.AI writing, by contrast, often clusters around high-probability patterns, generating phrasing that reflects widely represented patterns rather than highly idiosyncratic ones. That's also what makes much of AI writing feel technically solid but vaguely same-y.5. Watermark detectionWatermark detection is a way of identifying AI-generated text by looking for a hidden signature baked into the writing itself.Not all AI models use watermarking, and there isn't one standard way to do it. But when watermarking is enabled, the model slightly nudges its word choices in a consistent, trackable way. The shifts are subtle enough that you wouldn't notice anything while reading, but an AI detector that knows what to look for can spot the pattern.In theory, that makes AI-generated content easier to trace. In reality, even light editing or paraphrasing can blur or erase the signal. So while watermarking sounds like a clean solution, it's not foolproof.How accurate are AI detectors?AI detectors are probabilistic tools, not lie detectors. A detection score reflects how closely writing matches certain patterns. It doesn't prove who or what actually wrote the text.Here's why accuracy gets complicated.False positives happen. Some human writing naturally resembles AI-generated text. If you refuse to give up the em dash and sprinkle them liberally throughout your writing, an AI detector may flag it as machine-written, even if it wasn't.False negatives happen. AI models are improving at an alarming speed and learning to mimic human variability more effectively. Humans, for their part, are learning to refine their AI prompts to inject human signals—for example, telling their AI writing generator to mix up sentence patterns or intentionally include errors. As AI writing and human prompting become more nuanced, detection becomes harder.Hybrid content blurs the line. Most writing today isn't purely human or AI. AI detectors struggle in this gray area because the final text contains both human and machine signals.Results vary across tools. Different AI detectors use different training data and different models. The same paragraph can receive dramatically different scores depending on the platform. That inconsistency makes it risky to rely on a single detection result for high-stakes decisions.The bottom line on AI detectorsWe're no longer living in a binary world of purely human or purely AI-generated writing. A lot of content now sits somewhere in between. A draft may start with AI, a human reshapes it, AI tightens a paragraph, a human adds a lived example—the lines blur. And AI detectors have to make probabilistic guesses in that gray space.This story was produced by Zapier and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	On her new album 'Norteña,' Julieta Venegas journeys home to the Mexican border For years, Julieta Venegas sprinkled traditional elements of northern Mexican music throughout her records. Her new album, Norteña, places the singer-songwriter's folkloric sensibilities front and center.
	From underwire to wireless: How intimates are evolving for modern comfort From underwire to wireless: How intimates are evolving for modern comfort Few garments are as personal as a bra, and for a long time, women largely accepted whatever discomfort came with wearing one.That trade-off is changing, with wireless bra sales climbing 22% year over year as consumer demand for comfort continues to reshape the intimates market. For the women behind those numbers, the clothes closest to their bodies are finally being held to a higher standard.Felina examines how intimates are evolving for modern comfort.The Shift Toward Comfort-First FashionLong before the world shut down in 2020, the intimates industry was already feeling pressure from women who had grown tired of choosing comfort over support or style over wearability.Research from the NPD Group captured that tension as far back as 2016, when chief industry analyst Marshal Cohen observed that women's expectations around comfort had moved "from slightly to completely."The pandemic brought that pressure to a head. With offices closed and routines upended, women across the country traded structured undergarments for softer, more forgiving options, and the shift stuck. Guardian contributor Yasmina Floyer spoke for many when she wrote, "We may have returned to work, but the idea of returning to our underwires feels like a step too far."For younger women, the break proved even more decisive. Gen Z consumer Stephanie Jade Lewis stopped wearing underwire bras entirely and found that going wireless changed her relationship with getting dressed altogether."I don't even know I'm wearing anything," Jade said. "I used to be so excited about coming home and getting my bra off. Now, it's not even a thought." That kind of response was playing out across the broader apparel market, where softer tailoring, stretch fabrics, and relaxed silhouettes were all moving in the same direction.As Lauretta Roberts, co-founder of fashion news site theindustry.fashion, put it, "Fashion doesn't exist in a bubble; it looks at how people are living, what they're consuming. People's lifestyles change, and fashion has to respond to that."Why Underwire Is No Longer the Only OptionFor decades, underwire was treated as a nonnegotiable. The rigid, U-shaped channel sewn beneath each cup was considered the only reliable way to lift, separate, and support the breast, particularly for women with fuller figures who needed a bra that could carry real weight throughout the day.The assumption made a kind of intuitive sense. Structure meant support, and support meant wire. What that assumption left out, however, was the role of the band.Research has shown that the band, not the wire, is responsible for the majority of a bra's lifting and support, with the wire primarily contributing to shaping and separation. That distinction matters because it opens the door to rethinking what support actually requires.Ashleigh Cunningham, a 32C who stopped wearing underwire bras during the pandemic, told The Guardian she simply found it more comfortable to move away from a full underwire altogether.For many women, that personal experience exposed a gap between what they had been told they needed and what actually worked for their bodies. The idea that support and rigidity are the same thing is now being reconsidered, not just by consumers, but across the intimates industry.The Technology Behind Modern Wireless SupportReconsidering what support requires has drawn attention to how much the construction of a bra itself has changed. Instead of depending on a single rigid component to create lift and separation, newer wireless designs spread that responsibility across molded cups, reinforced side panels, and bands built to stabilize the entire bra across the torso.Wider shoulder straps also work as part of that larger structure, continuing the same system of support rather than functioning on their own. Research from Texas A&M University reinforces this, noting that fabrics with controlled stretch and recovery help maintain stability while adapting to movement.Support today is created through coordination across every part of the bra, with structure built into the design itself rather than added through a wire.Comfort Without CompromisePerhaps the most immediate change women notice when switching to wireless is the absence of the discomfort they had come to accept as normal.The digging, the pinching, and the red marks left behind at the end of the day were not inevitable features of wearing a bra. They were a design problem. Without a rigid wire pressing against the ribcage, wireless bras distribute weight more evenly, allowing the body to move naturally throughout the day without resistance.Silvia Campello, former general manager of Cosabella, described the difference as bras that offer "that free feeling of being supported and covered but not squeezed." For consumers who spent years treating discomfort as the price of support, that distinction carries real weight.Why Larger Bust Sizes Are Part of the ConversationAny discussion of wireless innovation feels incomplete without including women who have historically been told that support requires an underwire, especially those with fuller busts.For years, that assumption narrowed the category and left many consumers with fewer options that felt both stable and comfortable enough for all-day wear. However, design improvements have begun to change that, allowing wireless bras to deliver shaping and security in ways once associated almost exclusively with rigid construction.Jené Luciani Sena, author of “The Bra Book,” told Byrdie that wireless bras can be just as supportive as underwire options for women of any size, adding that the fundamentals of fit remain the same regardless of cup size, from a secure band to cups that fully encase the breast.The category is expanding not by lowering expectations, but by finally meeting them more broadly.Adaptive Design and the Future of IntimatesA clearer view of how bras are being designed today reveals how quickly intimates are evolving to meet a wider range of needs. Rather than relying on fixed sizing alone, many wireless styles now incorporate stretch-responsive fabrics, seamless construction, and hybrid materials that adjust more naturally as the body moves and changes throughout the day.That same thinking is influencing how bras are worn, with designs that account for different routines, levels of activity, and moments of ease or recovery, whether that means a morning workout, a full day at the office, or simply winding down at home. Fit is becoming more personal, shaped not just by measurements but by how a bra performs and adapts over time.What This Signals About Consumer ExpectationsFor many years, underwire bras defined what support was expected to look like. Today, that expectation is expanding as more women recognize that structure does not have to come at the expense of comfort. Wireless designs are increasingly meeting those expectations by offering stability that feels wearable across the full rhythm of a day, not just in moments of stillness.Michelle Cordeiro Grant, a former senior merchant at Victoria’s Secret, has noted that women often wear a bra for “14 hours” a day, a reflection of how closely comfort and practicality are now linked in everyday clothing decisions.As these preferences continue to guide design, wireless bras are helping signal a broader change in how support is understood, one shaped less by tradition and more by how women actually live.This story was produced by Felina and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How to prep your pet for a disaster How to prep your pet for a disasterAs climate change strengthens hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters, people are seeking advice on how to safeguard their pets, Atmos reports.“A lot of people think climate change is in the future or only happening on the coast. But … climate change is here today and it is impacting every community in one way or another,” said Dr. Sarah DeYoung, a disaster researcher at the University of Delaware. “People should be aware that climate change is not a future, distant thing that will impact their animals. It is here and it is impacting every community.”How Can I Prepare My Pet For Disaster?While each disaster has its unique quirks and idiosyncrasies, experts have issued general pet safety recommendations.Assemble a “go kit” that has everything your pet needs, including food, water, leashes, crates, medication, litter, and doggy bags.Microchip your pet and ensure your contact info stays updated. Also, keep a recent photo of your pet on your phone and back it up on the cloud.Stay up to date on vaccinations and keep medical records handy. Evacuees at public shelters are usually worried that pets carry diseases that afflict people, such as rabies. But Dr. Jennifer Federico, a veterinarian and animal services director at Wake County Animal Center in North Carolina, is more concerned about the diseases that dogs could spread to each other. “I think the bigger concern is if they’re not up to date on vaccines,” said Federico. “We don’t know if that animal might have parvo, distemper, or anything else.“Some shelters may require pet vaccines for entry, Federico added, so it’s useful to print medical files or save them on a digital device.Know where your pets hide—especially if they’re skittish. If that’s not possible, put them somewhere you know you can find them. For instance, Dr. Ashley Farmer, who has researched pet disaster response at Illinois State University, puts her cat in her basement during tornado warnings. “You have to leave very quickly,” she said. “You might not necessarily have time to search for your pet.”If you do have to leave your pet behind, don’t crate them, tie them up, or otherwise confine them. Farmer said pet owners regularly do this because they fear their pets may run away. “But it’s better for your pet to run away than drown because your house flooded and they were tied up,” Farmer said. “Ultimately, that can lead to their demise.”DeYoung recalled a pet owner from North Carolina who kenneled their dog in their basement when Hurricane Helene hit. The owner was several hours away from home for work; by the time they came home, it had flooded, and the pet had died. “Give people resources. Encourage people to be more weather-savvy, to check the forecast, the rainfall before they go to work,” said DeYoung. “You’d rather be safe than sorry.”Plan ahead of time. Identify pet-friendly hotels and motels along potential evacuation routes, including distant options in case closer ones reach capacity. Some municipalities curate lists of pet-friendly shelters thanks to the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006, passed after Hurricane Katrina, said Farmer. If you’re coastal, talk to your inland friends and families about the possibility of sheltering with them.Visualize how your evacuation will look. That includes ensuring you have enough collars and leashes for your dogs and carriers for your cats, and that everything fits in your vehicle. It’s prudent to think about how you’ll keep them contained during pit stops, too. DeYoung said many pets get lost at gas stations or rest areas when their owners open their car doors.“This is a very stressful time,” Federico said. “Anything that they can do in advance when they’re not in the middle of an emergency will help them during that emergency.”Structural Solutions For Pet Disaster PreventionLike other forms of disaster prevention, communities can mitigate pet suffering during disasters by preparing in advance. For example, DeYoung linked spay and neuter efforts to improved disaster outcomes. These programs develop the infrastructure and expertise to find pets within the community. Additionally, they prevent pet overpopulation and crowded shelters, making space for pets that are recovered or surrendered immediately after a storm.“It turns out to be a really vital role in the success of the recovery,” DeYoung said. “If there’s a really streamlined and well-implemented spay and neuter program and resources in the community before, then the post-disaster efforts—they run more smoothly because people are more educated.”It’s a compelling point that Federico hadn’t considered previously. “I do really like the idea of them being more educated at trapping animals and having that as a resource,” she said. “I’ve never thought about it that way—for a skillset during a disaster … but I like that a lot.”DeYoung added that social policies such as improving access to affordable housing would alleviate pet suffering during disasters, too. “The more vulnerable people you have who are living in poverty without health access themselves, the less likely they’re able to help their pets. So we also need healthy human communities,” she said. “Progressive ideas for public health and emergency preparedness across the board also help animals.”As social policies crumble—for instance, via signed legislation that strips health care and food access from tens of millions of Americans, tariffs and tax policies that push many of them into poverty, or executive orders aimed at eliminating FEMA—mutual aid can be a last line of defense.DeYoung recommends aiding community members, for example, by assisting elderly pet owners or exchanging pet care with neighbors who have opposite work schedules. “You can help each other as community members,” she said. “That’s something we can do at the individual level.”This story was produced by Atmos and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The quiet impact hearing loss has on independence — and what helps (BPT) - For many older adults, independent aging isn't about doing more — it's about continuing to do the things that matter. Talking with family, managing a schedule, calling a doctor with a question instead of waiting. Yet for millions of Americans, untreated hearing loss quietly makes those everyday moments harder, often leading to frustration, isolation and reliance on others.Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions associated with aging, affecting nearly one in three adults over 65. Still, it often goes unaddressed. Cost concerns, stigma and the belief that "it's not that bad yet" can delay action for years. In the meantime, missed words can turn into missed connections, which can gradually erode confidence and independence."We hear from older adults every day who don't realize how much hearing loss is shaping their independence until they start avoiding conversations altogether," said Mike Strecker, Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer of ClearCaptions. "When communication becomes difficult, people often withdraw — not because they want to, but because it feels exhausting or embarrassing. Addressing hearing loss is really about preserving connection, dignity and autonomy."Communication is foundational to aging wellResearch consistently shows that staying socially and cognitively engaged is a key pillar of healthy aging. Phone conversations, in particular, play an outsized role. They're how many seniors schedule transportation, refill prescriptions, connect with care teams and stay emotionally connected to loved ones.But standard phones aren't designed with hearing loss in mind. Background noise, unclear audio and fast-paced conversations can make even short calls exhausting — or impossible.Captioned phones offer a different reality. By displaying near real-time captions of what the caller says, they allow people with hearing loss to read along while listening, reducing strain and helping ensure nothing important is missed. Why "free" raises eyebrows When people first hear about phones with captioning services that are available at no cost, skepticism is natural. In a world of robocalls and too-good-to-be-true offers, older adults and their families are rightly cautious.So how can a specialized phone be free?According to Strecker, a federally certified Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) provider, the answer lies in federal accessibility policy, not marketing gimmicks or predatory schemes. Captioned telephone service is funded through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) via the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund. This federal fund was created to allow persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or have speech disabilities to communicate by telephone in a manner that is functionally equivalent to telephone services used by persons without such disabilities.For individuals whose hearing loss prevents them from using their telephone and who certify under penalty of perjury, the phone, captioning service and user support are at no-cost to the customer thanks to the FCC's TRS Fund. There's no requirement to provide a credit card, no subscription fee and no obligation to purchase additional products.Advocates note that skepticism is understandable given how many scams target older adults — but this captioning service (IP CTS) is free because it is part of a government-backed service that is funded in order to increase accessibility under Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), similar in spirit to closed captions on television.What to look for to avoid scamsStill, not all offers are created equal. Advocates recommend examining a few key details to confirm legitimacy:Check FCC registration: Legitimate captioned phone providers are registered with the FCC and can be found at fcc.gov.No pressure tactics: Reputable services don't rush decisions or use scare tactics.Clear eligibility explanation: You should be told why you qualify and what certification is required.No payment requests: There should be no upfront or hidden fees for eligible users for the service.Trusted providers also offer transparent user support and clear privacy policies, helping users feel confident that their information — and conversations — are protected.A small change with outsized impactFor many older adults, using a captioned phone isn't about adopting new technology so much as it's about removing a barrier."[Using a captioned phone] was the first time I called my sister who lives 2,000 miles away, and I didn't miss anything she said. I was so happy I cried," said Lynn T., a user who embraced this technology.Captioned phone users often describe feeling more confident making calls on their own, less dependent on family members to "translate," and eager to be socially engaged.That sense of autonomy matters. Studies link untreated hearing loss to higher risks of social isolation, depression and cognitive decline. Tools that support clearer communication can help interrupt that cycle, reinforcing independence rather than diminishing it. Reframing help as empowermentAs the population ages, conversations about independence in aging are evolving. The focus is shifting away from "getting by" toward proactively supporting quality of life. Meaningfully addressing hearing loss is part of that shift.Captioned phones won't solve every challenge associated with aging, but they can make everyday communication easier and more dignified. When they're made free and accessible through a legitimate, federally funded program, there's no catch, just a public resource.For older adults who value staying connected on their own terms, clearer conversations may be one of the simplest ways to support independence.To learn more about captioning services, visit https://clearcaptions.com/lp-mat/.
	The hurricane tax: What climate change means for your homeowners insurance rates The hurricane tax: What climate change means for your homeowners insurance ratesHurricane coverage adds an average of over $4,500 per year to homeowners insurance premiums in Florida and Louisiana. In Florida, the average premium jumps from $2,557 without hurricane coverage to $7,136 with a 2% hurricane deductible — a difference of $4,579 annually. Louisiana homeowners pay an extra $4,528 per year for the same protection.This "hurricane tax" reflects the real cost of insuring a home against named-storm damage in the country's highest-risk states. As warmer ocean waters fuel more intense storms and major insurers continue to exit coastal markets, homeowners in hurricane-prone states are paying more — and getting fewer choices — than ever before.Whether you're a snowbird eyeing a second home in the Sunshine State or a longtime coastal resident reviewing your policy, this guide from Insure.com will help you understand how hurricane deductibles work, when they kick in, and how to lower your premium can save you thousands per year.What is a hurricane deductible — and why does it exist?A hurricane deductible is a separate deductible that applies when damage is caused by a named storm or hurricane recognized by an official source, such as the National Weather Service.Hurricane deductibles are typically applied as percentages, such as 2%, 5% or 10%, although a flat deductible may be available to some homeowners.The deductible is a percentage of the dwelling coverage on the policy, not the cost of the loss.A hurricane deductible doesn’t apply to regular wind or rain events. The policy’s regular deductible applies in those situations.Nineteen states have hurricane or named storm deductible provisions in place, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. First introduced after the catastrophic losses of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the adoption of these deductibles expanded after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.After a major hurricane, people are dealing with a lot of total losses, according to Chris Bacon, chief operating officer of Openly, which provides home insurance in 24 states. “You’re not dealing with houses that are moderately damaged,” Bacon says.Those losses mean billions are paid out by insurers — $65 billion after Katrina, for instance — and hurricane deductibles were implemented to offset these losses. They’re intended to keep coverage affordable and accessible to homeowners, and there’s no sign they’ll be going away.“Insurers have generally been raising hurricane deductibles over the last few years,” according to Jasper Cooper, vice president and senior credit officer with Moody’s Ratings.How is climate change affecting your homeowners insurance rates?Climate change is driving homeowners insurance rates higher by intensifying the storms, floods, and wildfires that insurers have to pay for. Across the country, homeowners insurance premiums rose 24% between 2021 and 2024 — twice the rate of inflation — according to a 2025 report from the Consumer Federation of America. With the last 11 years ranking as the warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization, the trend is accelerating, not slowing down.Climate change is putting more homes at risk of extreme weather and affecting home insurance rates in the following ways:Warmer ocean waters are linked to more intense storms, such as Category 4 and 5 hurricanes.As sea levels rise, more homes are at risk of damage from storm surges.Climate change is linked to slower-moving storms, which can cause more damage.Insurance companies have exited states such as Louisiana and Florida, which are prone to destructive storms, leaving homeowners with fewer options and more expensive premiums.Reinsurance – which protects insurance companies from catastrophic losses – has become more expensive because of climate change-related losses, and insurers pass this cost on to customers.Which home upgrades can lower your hurricane insurance premium?New pricing technology means insurers can reward individual risk reduction — not just lump you in with the whole neighborhood. Hurricane mitigation features that may lower your premium include:Impact-resistant windows and doorsReinforced or hurricane-rated roofStorm shuttersRoof-to-wall connections (hurricane straps)“You are seeing more carriers that are being more sophisticated,” Bacon says. The more sophisticated the pricing models are, he notes, the more accurately the carriers can price the risk.That means insurers can set premiums that better reflect the chances of your home sustaining damage. If your home has been hardened to withstand a hurricane, ask your insurer for a wind mitigation inspection to see if you qualify for discounts.How much does hurricane coverage add to your home insurance premium?In some parts of coastal states like Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, hurricane damage isn't covered by a standard homeowners policy, though coverage depends on where you live — in lower-risk parts of the same state, hurricane damage may already be included. To get that protection, homeowners have to add the coverage with a separate hurricane deductible — usually 2% of their home's insured value — which significantly raises their annual premium. The numbers below reflect average premiums with that 2% hurricane deductible added, since that's the realistic cost of being covered for hurricane damage in these states.Florida homeowners pay more than anyone else in the country. With a 2% hurricane deductible, the average Florida premium is $7,136 a year — more than ten times what a homeowner in Hawaii pays ($659), where hurricane damage isn’t covered at all. These figures are based on a standard policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage, $300,000 in liability coverage, and a $1,000 all-perils deductible.The "hurricane tax": How much adding hurricane coverage really costsIn states where hurricane damage is excluded from a standard policy, adding hurricane coverage can dramatically increase your annual premium.According to our data, Florida and Louisiana show the clearest "hurricane tax" pattern — premiums jump by roughly $4,500 a year with hurricane coverage and a 2% deductible. In other coastal states like Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia, premiums actually decrease slightly when a 2% hurricane deductible is added, because hurricane damage is included in a standard policy in those states, and the higher deductible just shifts more risk onto the homeowner.The table below shows the full picture across these states. Insure.com Which states have hurricane or named-storm deductibles?Most of the states with hurricane or named-storm deductibles are coastal states along the Gulf or Atlantic, but a few, like Pennsylvania, sit further inland — they're included because hurricanes can travel well past the coast.States with hurricane or named-storm deductibles:Gulf Coast: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, TexasAtlantic Coast: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, VirginiaInland with storm-track exposure: PennsylvaniaPacific: HawaiiPlus: District of ColumbiaWhy don't all states have hurricane deductibles?States outside this list either don't face meaningful hurricane risk or already cover hurricane damage under their standard windstorm-and-hail coverage. Inland states like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado see hail and tornado damage rather than named storms, and they typically have their own separate wind and hail or windstorm deductibles to handle those risks.States in the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest face wildfire and earthquake risks instead, which carry their own coverage rules. Hurricane deductibles only show up where hurricane risk is significant enough to justify a separate, higher deductible — and where state regulators have approved their use.What's the difference between a hurricane deductible and a named-storm deductible?A hurricane deductible only applies when the National Weather Service or National Hurricane Center officially classifies a storm as a hurricane — meaning sustained winds of 74 mph or more. A named-storm deductible covers a broader category: it applies to any storm the NWS has named, including tropical storms (39-plus mph winds), tropical cyclones, and typhoons.The difference is when the higher deductible kicks in. If a named tropical storm causes $20,000 in roof damage to your home:With a hurricane deductible, the storm wasn't a hurricane, so your standard all-perils deductible applies (typically $1,000).With a named-storm deductible, the storm was named, so the higher percentage-based deductible applies (often 2% to 5% of your home's insured value — potentially several thousand dollars).A named-storm deductible always covers hurricanes, since hurricanes are by definition named storms. But a hurricane deductible doesn't always cover tropical storms. Which one applies to you depends on your state and your specific policy — check your declarations page for the exact wording.Can you skip the hurricane deductible — and should you?Whether you can skip the hurricane deductible — and whether you should — depends on where you live. If you live in a hurricane-prone area, hurricane damage is treated as a separate category, with its own deductible. In others, it's just lumped in with regular wind damage, the same as a thunderstorm or a tree falling on your roof.Areas where hurricane damage is automatically included. In lower-risk parts of most hurricane-deductible states, a hurricane is treated like any other windstorm — a thunderstorm, a tree on the roof — and falls under your regular all-perils deductible (usually $1,000). Adding a higher hurricane deductible here doesn't add coverage. It just shifts more of the financial risk onto you in exchange for a small premium discount.Areas where hurricane coverage is only included if you add the deductible. In higher-risk parts of states like Florida and Louisiana, hurricane damage is excluded from a standard policy unless you add a separate hurricane deductible. Skipping that deductible means skipping hurricane coverage entirely. In Florida, for example, the average premium drops from $7,136 a year (with a 2% hurricane deductible) to $2,557 a year without one — a savings of roughly $4,500 annually, but in exchange for zero coverage on named-storm damage.Areas where standard insurers won't cover hurricane damage at all. In the highest-risk areas — like coastal Texas — homeowners often can't buy hurricane coverage through a standard policy, no matter what deductible they choose. Coverage has to come from a separate windstorm policy, often through a state-run insurer of last resort like the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA).In states without hurricane deductibles at all (like Kansas, Colorado, Vermont, and most inland and Western states), there's no tradeoff to make. Your homeowners policy uses a single all-perils deductible — typically $1,000 — that applies to every covered loss, including the rare hurricane that travels far enough inland to do damage. Premiums in these states reflect other regional risks like hail, tornadoes, or wildfires, not hurricane exposure.Should you skip or raise your hurricane deductible?Whether to skip, lower, or raise your hurricane deductible comes down to three things: how much risk you're carrying personally, whether you have a mortgage, and what your state's rules allow. Use these guidelines as a starting point:If your risk of hurricane damage is low, you don't have a mortgage, and you have enough savings to cover repairs out of pocket, skipping or raising the hurricane deductible can lower your premium.If you're in a high-risk area, have limited savings, or own a high-value home, keep hurricane coverage in place at the standard deductible.Before making a decision about a hurricane deductible, be sure you understand your state’s rules and your insurer’s policy details.“There’s a lot of nuance in the policies, and different carriers apply deductibles differently,” Bacon says. Independent insurance brokers can be a valuable resource to help you understand costs and coverage options.How a hurricane deductible works in practiceThe deductible math can catch homeowners off guard, because it's based on the home's insured value — not the size of the claim. Here's a real-world example:Imagine a home insured for $400,000 with a 2% hurricane deductible. A named hurricane causes $80,000 in roof and water damage.Hurricane deductible (2% of $400,000): $8,000Insurance payout: $80,000 − $8,000 = $72,000Out-of-pocket cost to the homeowner: $8,000If that same home had a standard $1,000 all-perils deductible (because the damage was caused by a regular storm, not a named hurricane), the homeowner would pay $1,000 out of pocket and the insurer would cover $79,000. That's the trade-off: Hurricane deductibles let insurers offer coverage in high-risk areas, but homeowners shoulder a much larger share of the cost when a named storm hits.The higher the percentage you choose, the larger that out-of-pocket cost gets. A 5% deductible on the same $400,000 home would mean $20,000 out of pocket before insurance pays anything.Hurricane coverage doesn't pay for flood damage — here's what doesEven the best hurricane coverage doesn't pay for flood damage. Flood coverage is a completely separate product, and homeowners have to buy it on their own.The distinction matters because most hurricane damage is actually water damage. Storm surge pushes ocean water inland, heavy rainfall floods streets and basements, and rivers overflow their banks days after the wind has died down. A home that survives the wind intact can still be destroyed by the water that follows — and without flood insurance, the homeowner pays for those repairs themselves.Hurricane coverage handles wind damage. Flood insurance handles water damage from rising water. The two work together, and most coastal homeowners need both.How to get flood insuranceMost flood insurance in the U.S. is sold through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), administered by FEMA. A handful of private insurers also sell flood coverage, sometimes with higher limits than NFIP. A few things to know:There's a 30-day waiting period for new NFIP policies, so you can't buy coverage when a storm is already named.Mortgage lenders often require it if your home is in a high-risk flood zone (FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area).Standard NFIP policies cover up to $250,000 for the dwelling and $100,000 for personal contents. Private flood insurance can offer higher limits.Check your flood zone before storm season startsUse FEMA's Flood Map Service Center to look up your home's flood zone in 30 seconds. If you're in a "Zone A" or "Zone V" area, you're in a high-risk zone and should already have flood insurance — your mortgage lender probably requires it. If you're in "Zone X," you're in a lower-risk area, but coverage may still be worth it. The 30-day waiting period means now is the time to buy, not after a storm forms.What you can do to lower your hurricane insurance costsYou can save money on hurricane insurance by taking proactive steps to minimize storm damage and by regularly looking for new coverage. Try these steps to reduce your home insurance premiums:Harden your home. Installing impact-resistant windows, roof clips or straps and anchor bolts can all make your home less susceptible to hurricane damage and qualify your policy for discounts.Apply for mitigation credits. Some states require insurance companies to provide mitigation credits to homeowners who harden their property against hurricane damage. An inspection may be needed to qualify.Review your coverage annually. The home insurance market in hurricane-prone states is evolving, so it’s smart to check your policy each year for changes.Shop the market. An independent insurance broker can be helpful in evaluating your insurance options. With large companies exiting some markets and states, a broker can help you zero in on smaller companies offering the coverage you need.Be strategic about a higher deductible. You will save money by increasing your hurricane deductible to 5% or even 10%, but only do this if you have money in reserves to cover the cost of the deductible.Understand your deductible trigger. Be sure you understand under what circumstances the hurricane deductible applies. This may not lower your premiums, but it could be useful information if you need to file a claim.When does a hurricane deductible actually kick in?The trigger varies by state and insurer, but most policies use one of three:A hurricane watch or warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for any part of the state. In Florida, for example, the hurricane deductible activates the moment a watch or warning is posted and stays in effect until 72 hours after the last watch or warning ends.A landfall trigger, which kicks in only when a hurricane's eye actually crosses land in your area.A wind-speed trigger, which activates when sustained winds reach a defined threshold — typically 74 mph for a hurricane deductible, or 39 mph for a named-storm deductible.The trigger language matters because it determines which deductible applies to a claim. A roof damaged by 70-mph winds during a tropical storm might be covered under your standard $1,000 deductible — or it might trigger your 2% hurricane deductible — depending on which trigger your policy uses. The Insurance Information Institute recommends reviewing your declarations page and asking your insurer to walk you through exactly when your hurricane deductible activates, before storm season starts.Frequently asked questionsWhat states have hurricane deductibles?Nineteen states have hurricane deductibles. These are mainly states along the East Coast and Gulf, although insurers in some inland states may offer hurricane deductibles because of storm-track exposure.How is a hurricane deductible calculated?Hurricane deductibles are typically a percentage of your home’s insured value and often range from 1% to 10%. Flat rate deductibles are sometimes available. For a home with a $450,000 dwelling coverage limit, a 2% hurricane deductible would require homeowners to pay $9,000 out of pocket before insurance coverage begins.Is a hurricane deductible the same as a windstorm deductible?No, a hurricane deductible only applies to damage caused by named storms. Some insurance policies may have windstorm deductibles that apply to damage caused by any wind event.Why is Florida home insurance so expensive?High-intensity hurricanes, rising construction costs and a history of claims litigation have all led to increasing home insurance premiums in Florida. Major insurers have also left the state, leading to less competition and higher rates for residents.Can I negotiate my hurricane deductible?Not usually, but you can usually choose from available options. For instance, Florida law requires companies to offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2%, 5% or 10%.This story was produced by Insure.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Why long-distance motorcycle riders are ditching their phone mounts Why long-distance motorcycle riders are ditching their phone mountsMotorcycle navigation has always been a patchwork of workarounds. A new generation of dedicated displays may finally change that, RiderNav reports.Pull into any gas station on a touring route and ask riders how they navigate. You’ll likely get wildly different answers. One rider swears by Calimoto, another keeps a sun-faded Garmin on the bars, and a third still unfolds a paper map across the tank.Lately, though, those answers are starting to converge on the same kind of setup: dedicated, bar‑mounted displays that plug into the bike and the phone. The numbers bear this out. The motorcycle infotainment market reached $338 million in 2024 and is projected to more than double by 2034, according to IMARC Group, with other analysts forecasting steeper climbs still.Much of that demand is coming from touring and adventure riders, the fastest-growing segment of the motorcycle market. But the market is still growing from a small base. In reality, most touring riders still clamp a phone to the bars, not because they love the setup, but because the apps are better than what most old GPS units can offer.The catch is that the phone was never built for this kind of heat, vibration and sunlight. Once those limits show up, the setup stops feeling clever and starts feeling fragile.In 2023, Apple told iPhone owners to stop mounting their phones on motorcycles. The vibrations, the company warned, can permanently damage a camera's optical image stabilization and autofocus. There is no fix. Apple did not say what prompted the warning, but years of complaints from riders who cooked their cameras on long hauls likely had something to do with it.Most smartphones are also designed to operate below 35°C (95°F), a threshold that a handlebar-mounted phone in direct sunlight can exceed within an hour. Once it does, the phone chokes performance and the screen washes out, forcing longer glances and less time watching the road ahead.In fact, checking a phone for directions is the single most commonly self-reported distracting activity while riding, ahead of phone calls, music or adjusting vehicle controls, according to a recent study.Motorcycle simulator research has shown that even brief eyes-off-road moments cause riders to drift toward the opposing lane. And Colorado State Patrol data from 2024 shows distraction was the third-leading cause for motorcycle crashes in the state, with troopers logging 535 at-fault incidents that year.In short: The case against mounting a phone to your handlebars is hard to dispute. But until recently, the alternatives were worse. Dedicated motorcycle GPS units were expensive, ran on static preloaded maps, and were often no brighter than phones.The hardware is finally catching up. A new generation of motorcycle-specific displays now runs Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with weather sealing and brighter screens built for direct sun. RiderNav Three things have made these new screens worth paying attention to. Chief among them is screen size. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that individual glances at in-vehicle displays stay under two seconds. While those standards were written for passenger cars, the principle applies even more urgently to motorcycles. The average phone screen, at handlebar height, rarely clears that bar.Seven-inch models have become the industry standard, and for good reason: The larger screen offers roughly twice the usable area of a phone. This is enough for navigation, tire pressure, speed and fuel range to share the display without shrinking to unreadable sizes. In direct sunlight, shifting shadows or rain, it stays legible at a glance, where a smaller screen forces the rider to lean in.Another is security. Earlier displays mostly bolted on permanently, an invitation to theft at every fuel stop. The category has answered with quick-release mounts that let a rider detach the screen in seconds and slip it into a jacket pocket. Snap it off for a quick errand, reattach for the highway.Just as important, the new displays avoid the trap that turned older GPS units into dead-end gadgets: They work with the apps riders already use rather than asking them to start over in a proprietary ecosystem. And those apps have earned serious followings. Calimoto alone says it serves more than 3 million users.Whether dedicated displays displace the phone mount in the way smartphones dislodged paper maps and GPS units remains to be seen. But riders at that gas station will likely have much fewer answers to the navigation question in a few years. For most of them, it will be a dedicated display.This story was produced by RiderNav and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	RI National Cemetery seeks volunteers to place American Flags on headstones The Rock Island National Cemetery seeks volunteers to place American flags at the headstones of fallen service members in honor of Memorial Day. Work to place the flags will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21, rain or shine. Volunteers should plan to arrive early because of high traffic into the cemetery. In the event [...]
	Melon City Criterium/Charlie Harper Memorial planned for Muscatine The City of Muscatine will temporarily close Weed Park starting at 5 a.m. Sunday, May 24, as preparations get underway for the 46th running of the Melon City Criterium/Charlie Harper Memorial, a news release says. Organized by the Melon City Bike Club and Harper’s Cycling & Fitness, the annual race brings elite cyclists and spectators [...]
	Sparkle Grooming Co. expands into Iowa - including QC area Sparkle Grooming Co., one of the fastest-brands in the emerging quick-service pet care category, is making a major move into Iowa with a new 17-license agreement that will bring its modern, membership-based dog grooming model to communities across the state, according to a news release. "The expansion is especially significant for major Iowa markets like [...]
	Bicycle enthusiasts roll through Bettendorf on Bike to Work Week News 8's Emma Buker caught up with Jason Manfull with the city of Bettendorf to see what preparation goes on behind the scenes.
	Iowans get a head start on the state's primary election Iowa's primary election is June 2, but voters can request an absentee or mail-in ballot in the 20 days before June.
	Colona makes progress toward new storm sirens If Colona can get the grant agreement by the end of this week, aldermen could have the storm siren grant on the agenda for their May 26 meeting.
	Legislators finalize bill allowing toll lanes in SC, requiring pothole repairs A bill legislators advanced to the governor's desk Tuesday, May 12, 2026, would eliminate the Department of Transportation commission, pictured with Chairman T.J. Johnson (left) and Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell (right) at a meeting on March 20, 2025. (Screenshot courtesy of SCDOT)COLUMBIA — A bill meant to speed up construction projects in South Carolina is headed to the governor’s desk. Both the House and Senate agreed Tuesday to a compromise on their differing versions. The main thrust of the bill, a priority for leaders in both chambers this year, is to help the Department of Transportation accelerate its work by building optional toll lanes and taking control of a federal environmental permitting process. Neither chamber made major changes to those proposals. Under the compromise, the nine-member commission overseeing roads projects will dissolve Jan. 1, as the House suggested. The governor will instead become the director’s boss, adding the agency to the 23 already in the governor’s Cabinet. SC Houses passes roads bill, minus local buyback program The compromise removed a program the Senate proposed incentivizing counties to take over maintenance of state-owned secondary roads. That program caused problems in the House, where some members mistakenly believed it would require counties to pay for roads they couldn’t afford. Not included in the final product were increased fees on electric vehicles, which the Senate initially proposed but took out of its bill. The House opted against it too. Instead, the bill will raise money to fund road projects through so-called “choice lanes.” Those added toll lanes would give drivers the option to pay to bypass traffic on major highways, reducing congestion for both the paid and free lanes and raising enough money to fund more projects, bill supporters said. Unlike in the House version of the bill, those lanes would not need approval from legislators. Both chambers allowed private companies to build and operate the toll lanes, so that provision was locked in ahead of negotiations. The bill also requires the transportation department to repair potholes within a week of someone reporting them online or through an app the agency will have to create. Each year, the department will have to set aside $15 million to fix potholes. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
	Mt. Sinai Christian Fellowship, Davenport, plans Praise-A-Thon 2026 Mt. Sinai Christian Fellowship will present Praise-A-Thon 2026 on Saturday, May 16, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Mt. Sinai Christian Fellowship, 4706 Northwest Blvd,., Davenport, a news release says. This dynamic outdoor worship experience is designed to bring the community together in an atmosphere of praise, unity, encouragement, and empowerment. Praise-A-Thon 2026 will feature powerful [...]
	Heat, humidity, and storms heading to the Quad Cities After hitting the low-80s Tuesday, we'll be cooler today and tomorrow. However, a major warm-up is on the way later this week. Quiet weather is expected today and tomorrow before showers and storms arrive Thursday night into Friday. More active and stormy weather is likely for us this weekend. Here's your full 7-day forecast.
	Alpha-gal syndrome added to Oklahoma’s list of tick-borne illnesses A bite from a lone star tick can cause alpha-gal syndrome, which can make people have an allergic reaction to animal products. (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention)When Dee Nash started feeling sick, no one could figure out what was wrong. Doctors struggled to explain the hives, stomach pain and anaphylaxis that kept landing her in the emergency room. It wasn’t until years later, in 2023, that the Guthrie woman was finally diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome — a potentially life-threatening allergy to mammal products like red meat and dairy. “If I had known earlier, I probably wouldn’t have gotten it, and I wouldn’t have been sick so many times,” Nash said. Once considered a rarity, alpha-gal syndrome is becoming more common in Oklahoma, where the tick that causes the illness has thrived. But the exact number of people with the syndrome is unknown because it has never been on the state’s list of reportable diseases. A new law signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt changes that. Beginning in November, Oklahoma laboratories and doctors will be required to notify state health authorities of each positive test for a marker of the syndrome. A dozen other states have similar mandatory reporting requirements. “This is the first step, getting doctors to give the information to the health department so that we have accurate numbers,” Nash said. Nash and other members of the national Alpha-gal Alliance Action Fund helped advocate for the law. For her, awareness made all the difference. After she was diagnosed, she stopped eating the foods that were making her sick and was prescribed medicine that helps her stay healthy. Alpha-gal syndrome starts with a bite from a lone star tick, which can transfer trace amounts of the alpha-gal sugar molecule through its saliva. Since alpha-gal isn’t naturally occurring in the human body, the immune system may create antibodies to fight against it. Later, if that person eats red meat or other mammal products containing alpha-gal, their immune system can overreact, triggering an allergic reaction. It can be difficult to detect alpha-gal syndrome because the allergic reaction can come hours after exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates nearly half a million Americans are affected. For farmers and ranchers who are in close contact with livestock every day, the allergy can be especially challenging. Some have decided to leave the industry altogether, forced to abandon a livelihood that served their families for generations. “We have many hunters, farmers and outdoor workers who could experience alpha-gal in our state, and with its growing prevalence across the country, it is important we get an accurate picture of the numbers,” said Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, who helped author the new law. “We also need to identify where cases are occurring in Oklahoma and position ourselves to access any available federal resources to help address it.” Nash was bitten in her garden in Guthrie. She has a gardening blog where she shares her experience and tells others how to protect themselves against ticks. “It’s really important to me to help other people who are also diagnosed, who don’t have the resources I have,” she said. This article was originally published by KOSU. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of Oklahoma Voice
	Idaho’s rural hospitals grapple with insurance denials, employee housing shortages, Medicaid changes Bonner General Health’s emergency room entrance in Sandpoint, Idaho. (Photo by Erick Doxey for States Newsroom)Idaho’s rural hospital leaders, who are facing mounting financial pressures, are hoping a $930 million, five-year federal grant will ease some of their pains. As they recognized National Hospital Week, which runs May 10 to 16, two North Idaho hospital CEOs told the Idaho Capital Sun that their challenges are similar to those felt by rural hospitals across the U.S. Those challenges include difficulty housing employees, upgrading equipment, serving an aging patient population and stretching low cash reserves amid increasing insurance denials, delays and Medicaid reimbursement decreases. Among Idaho’s small, rural hospitals, 67% in the last quarter of 2025 had a negative operating margin, according to data provided by the Idaho Hospital Association. Two years ago, just 15% were in the negative. “It’s getting tougher and tougher to get payments on time and due to those denials, so we’re seeing our accounts receivable days going up and our days cash on hand going down,” Bonner General Health CEO John Hennessy said. Not all of these challenges can be addressed with the federal Rural Health Transformation grant approved by Congress in July as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Idaho received around $186 million for the first year of the five-year program, and the state Department of Health and Welfare is expected to solicit for awarding subgrants this summer. “I think there needs to be a big emphasis on how is this actually benefiting rural communities,” said Coeur d’Alene Republican Rep. Jordan Redman, co-chair of a committee overseeing the state’s grant. “And then also, how is this sustainable long-term? Not just some cash up front that they need ongoing.” How can the rural health grant help? What are its limitations? In Sandpoint, Bonner General Health was built in the early 1970s, and that comes with some limitations, Hennessy said. He is hoping that if the hospital’s awarded a rural health grant, the hospital could invest in a new air handler for the operating room to control humidity. As of now, he said, certain operations, such as total knee replacements, have to be canceled if the humidity is too high. “Every summer, we’ve had at least a couple weeks where we’ve had to cancel doing any kind of inpatient or those larger cases due to humidity issues,” Hennessy said. The project would cost around $4.5 million, he said. He said the hospital’s medical record system needs to be consolidated — there are five currently in use — and upgraded. But a large electronic medical record system can cost more than $1 million a year to run, Hennessy said. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US In Benewah County, incidents of heart attacks and strokes are high, according to Benewah Community Hospital CEO Burt Keltner, and he’s hoping to use a grant to purchase equipment to support a new cardiac and dialysis care program. He said he also wants to look at purchasing an upgraded MRI machine to speed up efficiency of imaging, and using the funds to start up a new nurse recruitment program to “wean off” traveling nurses — who fill vacant positions through temporary contracts at a much higher cost to the hospital. The Benewah and Bonner hospitals are designated as “critical access,” which means the federal government reimburses costs for Medicare-eligible services. The payments come in a once-a-year lumpsum, Keltner said, which can create challenges around stretching low cash flows through the next year or starting new programs. He said a grant to start up a nurse recruitment program could go a long way to being sustained through other means. “If it’s done appropriately, it’s a way for it to feed itself,” he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Housing pressures hamper health care worker recruitment Idahoans have seen increasing housing costs all around the state and because of this, it’s become increasingly difficult for small hospitals to recruit and retain professionals. “We’re very fortunate to live in a beautiful area with a ski resort and a lake right in our backyard, but the problem is that the cost of living is quite high. And that housing becomes a problem for quite a bit of our staff,” said Hennessy from Bonner General. “So they want to move here, but due to the housing prices, sometimes it’s just not feasible.” He said the hospital, like many across the nation, is seeing a shortage in workers such as surgical nurses, surgery scrub technicians, physical therapists, and nurses. “So, the same positions that we’re hearing from other hospitals in our area that are also struggling to recruit those,” he said, “which also makes it tough, because you have one candidate, and you might have four hospitals within the service area that are all competing for that one applicant.” St. Maries has seen a steep increase in retirees moving in, Keltner said, which has caused an increased population of patients using Medicare and a housing squeeze. “We need nurses. We need lab workers. We need radiology techs,” Keltner said, “and it’s kind of a double edged sword, where we have a lot of young people that might want to live here, but a lot of times, especially in northern Idaho, they can’t afford to buy something, or there just isn’t anything available for them to even get started into. Rentals are few and far between.” Zillow data released last summer found Idaho’s housing price growth between 2015 and 2025 topped the nation with a 156% increase, KTVB reported. Insurance delays, denials and lower reimbursements stretch cash reserves thin The aging population served by rural areas also means a number of patients are covered by Medicare, which tends to reimburse at a lower rate than private health insurance plans, Keltner said. Some patients purchase Medicare Advantage plans, an option for Medicare recipients to purchase private insurance that offers the same coverage. Increasingly, claims filed for Medicare Advantage plans are denied, Keltner and Hennessy said. The practice of requiring prior authorization for coverage of a service or treatment used to be rare and only required for limited services, Keltner said. “Now it’s getting to where these pre-authorizations are put on everything, every time you turn around, for every procedure you can imagine,” Keltner said. “And so those are slowly building in number, creating difficulty, trying to jump all these hurdles so that we can get paid appropriately.” A KFF Health analysis of federal data found that Medicare Advantage insurers in 2024 denied 4.1 million prior authorization requests out of about 52.8 million requests, an about 8% denial rate. Keltner and Hennessy said the number of services that require prior authorization and the rate of denials has continued to increase, even just since the beginning of this year. Keltner said the process feels automatic, with denials coming in almost the instant a claim is filed. “I’m completely convinced that, for the last two or three years, large, commercial insurance companies have installed algorithms to auto-deny a lot of things right when they first come in,” he said, “just to create more workflow for the people that are submitting. I have no doubt, because it’s not possible for a person on the other end to actually make a decision.” In 2023, ProPublica reported on a tool the insurer Cigna used to instantly reject claims without doctors reviewing the file. Over a period of two months the prior year, Cigna doctors denied over 300,000 requests for payments using this method, spending an average of 1.2 seconds on each case, ProPublica reported. Hennessy said when insurers do come back with lower reimbursements or denials, small hospitals have no leverage to negotiate. “So usually it’s just insurance is coming each year with a lower number, kind of just expecting us to take it,” Hennessy said. Medicaid cuts already affecting reimbursement, hospitals bracing for more Idaho Gov. Brad Little last summer approved 4% Medicaid provider rate cuts, reducing the amount doctors are paid to provide services for Medicaid patients, in response to a projected budget shortfall. Idaho cuts doctor pay rates for Medicaid. More cuts could come, Health and Welfare says. Congress in July in the “Big Beautiful” law approved significant reductions in Medicaid spending and changes such as work requirements that are estimated to drop people from coverage. The Idaho Legislature also approved its own work requirements for some Medicaid recipients. “Bottom line, any percentage cut is going to have a huge effect,” Hennessy said. “Especially to rural hospitals where they don’t have large margins to begin with. So just for example, 4% cuts happen here, that’s several $100,000 directly to our bottom line that we’re no longer being reimbursed.” He said the hospital will also still have to continue serving those who might get dropped from the program and become uninsured. He said emergency care for those patients will have to be covered by the hospital through its charity care program. He said about 10% of the patients at Bonner General are covered by Medicaid. Keltner said about 12% of patients at Benewah Community Health are enrolled in Medicaid. Kelner noted that many critical access hospitals operate at about a 1% profit margin, meaning a potential 10% cut to about 10% of the patients would eliminate that entire margin. “We weren’t built to be a profit center,” Keltner said. “We weren’t built in order to gouge and make just tons and tons of money, but we do need to be financially viable. So we have to balance that viability with as many services as we can offer for the size of community that we serve.” “That’s the difficulty,” he said. “But we just have to keep in the forefront of our mind, and what keeps us optimistic is that we’re here to serve.” SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Idaho Capital Sun
	Putin hails Russia's test launch of a new ballistic missile Russia test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of efforts to modernize its nuclear forces. The nuclear-armed Sarmat missile would enter combat service at the end of the year.
	Japanese snack packages turning black-and-white as Iran war depletes ink supply The packaging on some snacks is turning black-and-white, as the war in Iran disrupts the supply of an ingredient used in colored ink. Calbee's chips originally came in a bright-orange bag.
	Surgeon accused of ‘perverted’ conduct faces Iowa licensing-board charges The Iowa Board of Medicine regulates the state's medical profession as part of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. (Photo by Getty Images, board seal courtesy the State of Iowa) An Iowa-licensed surgeon accused of “perverted” and unprofessional conduct while practicing in another state is now facing sanctions from Iowa regulators. The Iowa Board of Medicine has charged Dr. Thomas F. Satterly, an orthopedic surgeon who practiced in western Iowa during 2023 and 2024, with unprofessional conduct, violating the laws or rules governing the practice of the profession and with failure to report out-of-state discipline as required by law. A board hearing on the charges is scheduled for July 9, 2026. Board records indicate Satterly was first licensed to practice in Iowa in September 2023, and that his license to work in Iowa expires in November 2026. As is customary with all of Iowa’s licensing boards, the Board of Medicine has not publicly disclosed any information as to the alleged conduct that gave rise to the charges against Satterly or indicated when or where the conduct is alleged to have occurred. However, records from the Kentucky Board of Medicine show that in 2025, Satterly was sanctioned in that state after John Ballard, CEO of Frankfurt Regional Medical Center, filed a grievance alleging unprofessional conduct that undermined the hospital’s culture of safety and was tied to sexually suggestive commentary and conduct. According to the Kentucky board, the Frankfurt Regional Medical Center had imposed an immediate precautionary suspension of Satterly’s privileges at the hospital, after which the privileges were automatically relinquished due to Satterly’s alleged loss of professional liability insurance. According to the board, the hospital staff had made several allegations against Satterly, including: — Unnecessarily pulling back and taping a patient’s genitals for an X-ray and “making crude, unprofessional and perverted comments about the size of the patient’s “package.” — Making “sexual, perverted and derogatory jokes/comments such as, ‘I haven’t had a good screw in a while,’” after a female colleague provided instruction as to what screw to use in a procedure. — Mimicking masturbation through hand gestures. — Causing a patient pain by aggressively moving the patient’s broken ankle while telling the individual to “relax” and “just listen to me.” While there’s no public record of the Iowa Board of Medicine having sanctioned Satterly in the past, the Kentucky board alleged, without elaborating, that in the past Satterly had been “terminated from multiple positions due to inappropriate/lewd sexual comments and sexually suggestive behavior.” A board-ordered evaluation allegedly attributed his conduct to “immature and misguided attempts to forge connections” with others, the board alleged. A subsequent seven-week treatment program resulted in a report that found Satterly was fit to return to practice, according to the Kentucky board. In October 2025, Satterly moved to West Virginia where he resumed his practice of medicine. In December 2025, Satterly’s Kentucky license was placed on probationary status for five years. Hospital records indicate that in 2023, Satterly worked for Miller Orthopedic Specialists in Council Bluff and in 2024 joined Clarinda Regional Health Center as one of its healthcare providers. Federal records indicate Satterly now practices in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and is affiliated with several hospitals in the area, including Berkeley Medical Center. The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Satterly for comment. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Rural grocers find creative ways to serve customers, keep doors open Brenda and Matt McCasson own Velva Fresh Foods and have tried to be creative to keep customers coming back to their small-town North Dakota grocery store. (Photo by Kyler Collom/For the North Dakota Monitor)Brenda and Matt McCasson have had to get creative to keep customers coming back to their grocery store in Velva. “It’s all about convenience,” Brenda McCasson told attendees of a three-day National Rural Grocery Summit in Fargo last week. “They don’t cook a lot. They’re busy. I get it. I’m a busy mom, too.” Brenda and Matt McCasson, owners of Velva Fresh Foods, address the National Rural Grocery Summit in Fargo, North Dakota, on May 6, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota and other states are looking for solutions to keep grocery stores in business in rural areas. According to North Dakota State University Extension, North Dakota has 90 grocery stores, down from 137 in 2014. Jodi Bruns, leadership and civic engagement specialist with NDSU Extension, noted that 90% of North Dakota’s communities have a population of fewer than 2,000 people. That would include Velva, where the McCassons operate Velva Fresh Foods. One of the challenges for the McCassons is being just 20 miles away from Minot, North Dakota’s fourth largest city. People will drive to do their grocery shopping there. Walmart also will deliver groceries to Velva. “We’ve kind of taken a hit from that,” Matt McCasson said. A Dollar General store in Velva also competes for business. For the McCassons, some of their successful experiments have included adding a small liquor store space and adding in-store assembled frozen pizzas that can include local ingredients such as smoked meats. They even offer deals where people can drop their Crock-Pot off at Velva Fresh Foods and the store will put in the ingredients, such as a beef roast, and cook it throughout the day. The customers can pick up the finished meal at the end of the day. The store puts a disposable liner in the Crock-Pot for easy clean up. Locally sourced meat products are available at Velva Fresh Foods in McHenry County, North Dakota. (Photo by Kyler Collom/For the North Dakota Monitor) “We’re just trying to create more ways to bring people in the door,” Brenda McCasson said. It hasn’t all gone smoothly for the couple. They took over the grocery store in Drake, a town with fewer than 300 people, about the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. At first, things went well, with people shopping closer to home because of the coronavirus. But as life returned to normal, so did people’s shopping habits and customers drifted away, the McCassons said. They had to close the Drake store to focus on Velva. “You feel like you’re letting people down,” Brenda McCasson said of the closure. The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives would like to see fewer of those let-downs. Rural grocery store pilot project aims to prevent food deserts in North Dakota The association is helping a group of rural grocery stores in the Minot area work together on purchases to decrease costs. It has identified a building in Velva to use as a distribution hub with a walk-in freezer that has been donated. Ellen Huber, rural development director for the group, said it is similar to a project in Walsh County, where several rural stores are buying as a group and benefiting from a distribution center in Park River. By purchasing as a group, the stores have reduced their wholesale prices by 16% to 17% on average, Huber said. “It has allowed them to provide for their communities a much wider variety, higher quality, fresher foods, just helping with overall community vitality and quality of life,” Huber said. The group also is working with Seedhead Strategies, a consulting group based in Missoula, Montana, and Washington, D.C.-based Center Market Strategies and on a study on grocery supply chains and challenges to independent grocery stores. The study will be used to identify solutions that support small and local grocers. Researchers used the event in Fargo to help gather information for store owners. Velva Fresh Foods is a family owned grocery store that has to compete with larger stores in Minot, North Dakota, about 20 miles away. (Photo by Kyler Collom/For the North Dakota Monitor) The grocery summit was organized by Kansas State University, the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. NDSU Extension was a sponsor of the event. The North Dakota Legislature approved $1 million in grant funding in 2023 and again 2025 for rural grocery stores through the Department of Commerce. Commerce provided grants to 11 grocery stores in 2025 from 47 applications. Grants were capped at $150,000, with two stores getting the maximum grant. There was a total of $4.8 million in grant requests. Reach North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach at jbeach@northdakotamonitor.com. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of North Dakota Monitor
	Downstate This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Don't bother to ask anyone in Chicago for directions to Rock Island. They don't know. They don't care. Their answer for…
	Inked Ivy Co., tattoo and art studio, opens in Davenport Inked Ivy Co., a tattoo and art studio in Davenport, will hold a grand opening celebrating their new space on Saturday, May 16.
	Movies and TV shows casting across the US Media_Photos // Shutterstock Movies and TV shows casting across the US The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey.Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you. Backstage compiled a list of projects casting right now across the U.S., and which roles they're looking to fill. Media_Photos // Shutterstock Autism and ADHD in Relationship Themed Skits - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Lead Actress (lead, female, 18-35)--- Lead Actor (lead, male, 18-35)- Casting locations: Studio City, CA; Los Angeles, CA- Learn more about the scripted show here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'The Pack Rat' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Noah (lead, male, 30-35)--- Charlene (lead, female, 25-30)--- Quincy (supporting, 40-50)- Roles pay up to: $14,388- Casting locations: nationwide- Learn more about the feature film here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock Prison Reform Documentary, Actors to Play Inmates/Officers - Project type: documentary- Roles: --- Officer (background / extra, 22-48)--- Sergeant (background / extra, 35-60)--- Inmate (background / extra, 18+)- Roles pay up to: $125- Casting locations: Albuquerque, NM- Learn more about the documentary here guruXOX // Shutterstock 'Birds of a Feather' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Ruby (lead, female, 7-10)- Roles pay up to: $2,400- Casting locations: nationwide- Learn more about the feature film here Dpongvit // Shutterstock Reenactment Shoot - Project type: documentary series- Roles: --- Amelia Earhart (lead, female, gender-nonconforming, non-binary, 18-50)- Roles pay up to: $400- Casting locations: Los Angeles, CA- Learn more about the documentary series here KinoMasterskaya // Shutterstock Untitled West Village TV Series - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Male Clubgoer/Featured Intimacy Scene Performer (day player, male, 21-35)- Roles pay up to: $318- Casting locations: New York, NY- Learn more about the scripted show here muratart // Shutterstock 'Lights Out: Who's Out' Vertical Thriller Series - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Richard (lead, male, 40-50)--- Mia (lead, female, 25-30)--- Liam (lead, male, 25-30)- Roles pay up to: $4,800- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the vertical series here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'Falling for the Underground King' - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Dean (lead, male, 22-35)--- Nora (lead, female, 18-25)- Roles pay up to: $5,600- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the vertical series here Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock 'Out The Kitchen,' Child Photo Double - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Photo Double for Latina/Black Female Child Actor, 4'3"-4'5", Kids ages 6-9- Tent. Work May 12 (SAG-AFTRA Covered) (background / extra, female, 6-9)- Casting locations: New York City, NY; Brooklyn, NY; Queens, NY; Manhattan, NY; Staten Island, NY- Learn more about the scripted show here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock Christmas Decorating Competition Show - Project type: reality TV- Roles: --- Homeowner Team - Christmas Decorating Competition (real people, all genders, 5+)--- Know an Atlanta Homeowner Who Loves Christmas? (real people, all genders, 14+)- Roles pay up to: $500- Casting locations: Atlanta, GA- Learn more about the reality TV show here Tikkyshop // Shutterstock 'I Dream of Pizza' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Roberto (lead, male, 25-35)--- Miles (supporting, male, 18-25)- Roles pay up to: $17,000- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the feature film here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'The Gilded Age' Season 4 - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- 1880's National Guardsmen (background / extra, male, 18-49)- Roles pay up to: $224- Casting locations: New York City, NY; Jersey City, NJ; Newark, NJ- Learn more about the scripted show here Media_Photos // Shutterstock 'Never Seen After the Divorce' - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Medical Staff (background / extra, all genders, 18-50)--- Flight Attendants, Travelers, Bodyguards, Art Gala Guests (background / extra, 18+)- Casting locations: Los Angeles, CA; Pasadena, CA; Chatsworth, CA; Arcadia, CA- Learn more about the vertical series here Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock Untitled Music Biopic - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Aria (lead, female, 18-21)--- Social Media Dancers (supporting, all genders, 11-25)--- Social Media Singers (supporting, 11-25)- Roles pay up to: $21,000- Casting locations: nationwide- Learn more about the feature film here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'Out the Kitchen' - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Strong/Fit Asian Men (background / extra, male, 25-50)- Roles pay up to: $187- Casting locations: New York City, NY- Learn more about the scripted show here This story was produced by Backstage and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Staying strong, then falling apart: How a military family grapples with the Iran war Military life has always involved some degree of uncertainty. But for many families, the fear and unknowns that come with the Iran war are new territory.
	Is the U.S. slipping into 'Competitive Authoritarianism?' What form of government do we have in America now? Some scholars say it is no longer liberal democracy, but "competitive authoritarianism." NPR's Frank Langfitt explains the term and its origin.
	Foo Fighters: Tiny Desk Concert Featuring new songs and beloved classics, the stadium-sized rock band shrinks down its outsized sound without losing any urgency or oomph.
	French hantavirus patient is critically ill as outbreak grows to 11 A French woman infected in the deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship is critically ill and being treated with an artificial lung. The outbreak has now reached 11 total reported cases, 9 of which have been confirmed.
	$4.8M settlement reached over Louisiana traffic stop death, AP sources say Louisiana officials have agreed to a tentative $4.8 million settlement with the family of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist who died during a violent roadside arrest carried out by five white officers.

Wednesday, May 13th, 2026