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

Friday, July 10th, 2026
	Extra patrols deploying across RI Co. to target speeding, seat belts, and impaired drivers Rock Island County deputies are launching extra patrols this July to crack down on speeding, seat belt violations, and driving under the influence.
	Davenport residents invited to meet new police chief, assistant chief Meet Davenport's new Police Chief Greg Behning and Assistant Chief Jason Smith at a community meet and greet on July 27
	Food Lee in Bettendorf announces temporary closure Chinese restaurant to reopen after temporary closure.
	El Sarape Taco & Burritos opens in Silvis Family restaurant serving handmade Mexican food with fresh ingredients opens in Silvis
	Taliban declares war on smartphones A newly announced ban on smartphones for government workers, police and military personnel is spilling over into healthcare and educational facilities. Ordinary citizens worry they'll be next.
	Volunteer Capitol This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Fourteen miles upstream from Rock Island at the head of the Rock Island Rapids, sits the small town of LeClaire, Iowa,…
	Waymo called the cops on teen riders, raising privacy concerns Two 15-year-olds were allegedly drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns from a driverless taxi when the company disabled it and alerted police.
	Shelling at night, gunfire by day in Israel's expanding zone of control in Gaza When the U.S. brokered a ceasefire last year, Israel controlled half of Gaza. Now Israeli forces have pushed deeper, and Palestinians are paying a deadly price.
	No internet, no screen time? FCC weighs cutting subsidy that lowers school internet bills Many schools rely on consumer fees funneled through the federal government to cut internet costs. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called for ending this program before Donald Trump tapped him for the job.
	Count Binface: The intergalactic warrior who could upend Britain's strangest election Meet Count Binface: the challenger from another planet taking on Nigel Farage as questions over the Reform UK leader's finances overshadow his election comeback.
	U.S. and Iran exchange intensifying fire across Mideast, threatening ceasefire deal Back-and-forth attacks have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire, but Thursday's appeared bigger all around.
Thursday, July 9th, 2026
	New hope for evacuated Muscatine business in a temporary location Energy 108 YOGA is moving into a space in the Muscatine Mall after holding classes outdoors for almost a month.
	Fresh Films gives students hands-on experience as studio plans move forward Fresh Films hopes to bring a $12 million film studio to downtown Rock Island.
	Bettendorf woman located after going missing on Thursday 86-year-old Barbara Rhode was found after being reported missing on Thursday.
	North Liberty teen among 2 victims in fatal crash in Iowa County Investigators believe a 2014 Ford failed to stop at a stop sign, causing it to be struck by an oncoming dump truck.
	New hope for evacuated Muscatine business after finding a temporary location Energy 108 YOGA is moving into a space in the Muscatine Mall after holding classes outdoors for almost a month.
	Fresh Films gives students hands-on experience as plans for a new studio move forward Fresh Films hopes to bring a $12 million film studio to downtown Rock Island.
	988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline signs added to I-74 Bridge Local mental health advocates have been pushing for more suicide prevention measures at the bridge.
	Quad City Tennis Club's new grass courts bring Wimbledon to the QCA It takes a lot to surprise reigning state champion Connor Feehan out on the tennis court, but it happened Thursday. The Quad City Tennis Club unveiled its new grass courts. "I mean this one of a kind," Feehan said. "It's the most amazing place that I've ever played tennis and I feel like everyone from [...]
	President Trump cleans house at the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission With just months until the midterms, President Trump relieved the remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a move condemned by Democrats and voting rights advocates.
	Illinois' ban on assault weapons upheld An appeals court upheld Illinois' ban on assault weapons. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision to uphold the statewide ban passed in the months after the deadly July 4, 2022 parade shooting in Highland Park. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul called the move "a win that enhances public safety in Illinois." [...]
	QCA veterans reunite through Honor Flight of the Quad Cities More than 6,000 veterans across the QCA have taken the adventure of a lifetime through the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities programs, and many reunited to reconnect at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center. Our Quad Cities News photojournalist Mike Colón was there as friends old and new shared their experiences serving their country and [...]
	Muscatine moves forward with stabilization of 200 block of East 2nd Street Muscatine city council members are moving forward with plans to stabilize the 200 block of E. 2nd Street. The decision came at Tuesday night's city council meeting. City council members decided stabilizing the buildings is the safest and quickest way to get residents back in their homes and businesses back open. “The safety of our [...]
	Hy-Vee, Rock Island, announces donation of $10,000 to QC nonprofit groups On Thursday, Hy-Vee - in coordination with Birdies for Charity - announced a $10,000 donation to local charities, which had representatives on hand to say thanks and accept the money at the Rock Island Hy-Vee. Hy-Vee partners with the John Deere Classic fundraiser Birdies for Charity to coordinate yearly donations like these. The store's director [...]
	‘Funnel of death,’ expert reviews the dangers officers faced in Bureau County hostage call Body camera video of a Bureau County hostage crisis sparks questions. TV6 Investigates tracked down an expert to give context to the dangers officers faced that night
	North Liberty teen among 2 victims in fatal Iowa County crash Investigators believe a 2014 Ford failed to stop at a stop sign, causing it to be struck by an oncoming dump truck.
	Police seek help finding missing Bettendorf woman The Bettendorf Police Department is asking for the community’s help locating a missing woman. According to a release, Barbara Rhode, 86, is 5’3” tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds. Rhode lives near Bettendorf High School and was last seen on Thursday, July 9 around noon, wearing a cream-colored top and tan pants. The Bettendorf Police [...]
	Bettendorf police looking for missing woman Police said the 86-year-old was last seen in the area of Bettendorf High School Thursday afternoon.
	988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline signs added to I-74 Bridge Local mental health advocates have been pushing for more suicide prevention measures at the bridge.
	In private call, Education Dept. tried, but failed, to reassure disability advocates The disability community has long worried about what would happen if special education oversight moved from the Education Department to another agency. Now, those moves are becoming more real.
	UPDATE: Kewanee woman arrested for first-degree murder in Creve Coeur shooting Caitlynn Girkin, 27, was arrested and booked on the single charge of first-degree murder in connection with the March 10 shooting death of Adolfo Cazares in Creve Coeur, Illinois.
	Do height limits apply to Trump's arch? A debate looms as it clears another vote The Interior Department is arguing D.C. height limits don't apply to federal projects, bucking a century of precedent. If the panel reviewing Trump's arch agrees, experts say it could change the city.
	Trump's arch clears another hurdle, setting up a big debate: Do height limits apply? The Interior Department is arguing D.C. height limits don't apply to federal projects, bucking a century of precedent. If the panel reviewing Trump's arch agrees, experts say it could change the city.
	Prosecutors file charges in July 4 shooting outside Rock Island bar Rock Island County prosecutors have charged a Davenport man in the July 4 shooting outside DeAnna's Place as the tavern awaits a liquor license decision.
	TV6 Investigates analyzes video of deadly Princeton police shooting Police released body cam video showing what led up to the shooting. TV6 Investigates reviewed the video in depth to unpack what led up to the shooting.
	Iowa farm seeks grocery store connections through Choose Iowa program A Conesville farm is using a Choose Iowa matching grant to expand produce deliveries.
	Quad Cities Tennis Club opens rare grass courts modeled after Wimbledon The Quad Cities Tennis Club has unveiled three new grass courts, becoming one of the few facilities in the Midwest to offer the playing surface used at Wimbledon.
	Findings from the Iowa Economic Development Authority assessment on Clinton's downtown Clinton's downtown district was the center of attention for the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) this week. Specialists spent time Monday through Wednesday researching the downtown area of Clinton through surveys, tours and interviews. This is a statewide voluntary service that Grow Clinton, the Downtown Clinton Alliance and the City of Clinton worked to bring [...]
	Study: Iowa has short-term cushion for $1 billion annual deficits Iowa’s new budget year is underway, marking the third consecutive year Republicans have used cash reserves to cover a deficit in which the state spends more than it takes in.
	Muscatine businesses find fresh start after downtown evacuations Weeks after structural concerns forced the evacuation of several downtown Muscatine buildings, some displaced business owners are rebuilding in new locations and looking toward the future.
	The Heart of the Story: Life lessons are the goal Our Quad Cities News is partnering with award-winning journalist Gary Metivier for The Heart of the Story. Each week, Gary showcases inspiring stories of everyday people doing cool stuff, enjoying their hobbies and living life to the fullest. Stories that feature the best of the human condition. With the FIFA World Cup taking center stage [...]
	Davenport man finishes visiting all 228 Pizza Ranch locations Jason Halkias' last stop was in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
	Quad Cities Tennis Club opens grass courts modeled after Wimbledon The Quad Cities Tennis Club has unveiled 3 new grass courts, becoming one of the few facilities in the Midwest to offer the same playing surface used at Wimbledon
	Davenport Skybridge closes for extreme heat According to the City of Davenport, the Davenport Skybridge will be temporarily closed due to the extreme heat. With all that glass and no shade, the inside gets much hotter than we can safely cool right now. New cooling equipment is on the way, but it won’t arrive until the fall. We’ll reopen the Skybridge [...]
	Why Gov. Kim Reynolds turned down previous request to send National Guard to D.C. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said that she rejected a previous request to send National Guard soldiers to Washington, D.C., but she now feels is the appropriate time to agree to the request.
	More highs in the 90s coming to the Quad Cities So far we've had 7 days with highs in the 90s this year...and we're going to add to that tally next week. The hottest we've been (temperature, not het index) is 92°. We'll be close to that a few times next week. The normal high for most of July is 86° in the Quad Cities.
	Half of North Carolina is now in extreme or exceptional drought Even with extreme drought, some North Carolinians have continued to regularly water their lawns rather than conserve. (Photo; Getty Images/VanderWolf-Images)Recent scattered showers were a welcome relief for central North Carolina this week, but a newly released report from the U.S. Drought Monitor finds much of the state remains mired in a seemingly endless drought. According to Thursday’s report, 43.6% of the state is in extreme drought, an 8% increase since last week. Six percent of the state is gripped by exceptional drought, the most extreme classification. Source: North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler told Gov. Josh Stein and members of the Council of State Tuesday that North Carolina farmers are bracing for low yields and an economic hit. “Quite frankly, it’s hard to find a farmer that will tell you that he has excellent crops this year,” said Troxler. “We probably would rate our crop loads below average.” Tobacco farmers in eastern North Carolina have reported yellow leaves and slow growth. Troxler said it has been so abnormally warm this summer that farmers are also experiencing water shortages in the agricultural ponds used for irrigation. “This is the time of year you either make it, or you don’t,” said Troxler. A city thirsty for green lawns Localized rainfall helped raise Falls Lake, Wake County’s primary source of drinking water, six inches in the past week. But on Tuesday, the Raleigh City Council approved an ordinance allowing the city manager to move quickly into Stage 2 water restrictions if necessary. The city has been urging residents to conserve since restrictions were implemented in April. But Ed Buchan of Raleigh Water said the message seems to have been forgotten during June’s very hot and dry weather. “We’ve unfortunately gone in the wrong direction since mid-May,” said Buchan. Buchan told the council that 46% of the irrigation meters that his team read were not in compliance during the first week of July. “This is largely residential. There are some commercial irrigation meters, but a lot of this was residential usage,” said Buchan. In a best-case scenario, Buchan said the city would not exceed 60 million gallons of water a day. But on one very hot day in June when people were irrigating heavily, the city saw daily usage top 76 million gallons. Amid North Carolina’s business boom, new report highlights water infrastructure worries Falls Lake’s water supply pool sits at 62% of capacity and is declining 2% to 3% each week. Council member Megan Patton said it would be helpful to give people better guidance on how long they can water their yards on their designated day. “On the website, it asks people to only water half an inch. I’m not totally certain that a regular resident knows what that equates to in terms of time, or how long they should put their sprinkle out or run their sprinkler system,” said Patton. Buchan recommended using a simple tuna can as a makeshift gauge to determine when a resident has watered their yard enough. “Let’s distribute tuna cans to everybody,” quipped Mayor Janet Cowell. City council member Mitchell Silver said Raleigh residents need to heed the call to conserve water now, before the situation grows more dire. “I was here in 2008. If I remember correctly, Raleigh was down to 60 days of water supply. I’m not sure the public understands the sense of urgency,” said Silver. During the 2008 drought, car washes closed and golf courses had to stop watering, Silver recalled. “Water is a very precious supply. And I don’t want to get into a situation of what happened in 2008. It was a crisis,” said Silver. Courtesy of NC Newsline
	Reynolds expresses hope for federal appeal of SNAP ‘unhealthy’ food restrictions Iowa will no longer restrict use of the SNAP federal nutrition program for sugary snacks, but Gov. Kim Reynolds said she would like to see the federal government appeal a court ruling that struck down the state's restriction. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)Though Iowa will not be the one to file court action, Gov. Kim Reynolds said she hoped the federal government will appeal a federal judge’s June decision to stop Iowa and other states from implementing restrictions on “unhealthy” purchases through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted Iowa a waiver allowing the state to exclude certain food and drinks, like soda and candy, from being purchased using SNAP, which took effect at the beginning of 2026. This waiver, and others granted to states allowing restrictions on SNAP, was overturned by a decision by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in June — a decision Reynolds called “short-sighted” in an earlier statement. On Wednesday, Reynolds said the state would not be challenging this court decision, but said she would be in support of the federal government appealing it. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. “If we can play a role in that, that would be the attorney general that would really participate on our behalf,” Reynolds said. “I hope they do at some point, to be quite honest, because I think it’s so important. You know, this is about the health of our kids, and our data is horrible. And it’s not a mandate that they can’t have those items … it just says if taxpayer dollars are going to be used through this program, that was designated to provide nutritional food for our kids, then that’s the intent of the program, and we should adhere to that.” But John Boller, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition, said in a statement restrictions are not the best way to improve Iowans’ health. “If the goal is healthier eating, we know that support works better than restriction,” Boller said in a statement. “Programs like Summer EBT have already shown they boost healthy food consumption for kids and incentives like Double Up Food Bucks do the same for families year-round. Vulnerable Iowans deserve the same dignity of choice as anyone else at the grocery store. We’re grateful the judge’s ruling protects choice for SNAP participants in Iowa.” Boller also said he would not support appealing the decision, because “an appeal would mean more uncertainty for SNAP participants who are just starting to regain some clarity and stability after the ruling, forcing them back into limbo about what they can and can’t buy.” “It also creates real costs and confusion for retailers, who would have to re-implement restrictions only to possibly unwind them again, all for a fight that doesn’t need to continue,” he said. Reynolds had emphasized Wednesday the court decision will not block SNAP and summer feeding program funds from being allocated. She said the rules restricting certain foods from being purchased will “no longer apply, but we still will follow through with allocating the funds that we already said that we would.” Iowa celebrates low SNAP error rate Iowa is also not set to see changes to its required contributions to the SNAP program in the next year. On Thursday, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services officials praised the state’s work to keep the state’s SNAP payment error rate below the the 6% threshold set to implement federal penalties in 2027. Under the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” states will begin to face federal penalties based on their SNAP payment error rates beginning in federal fiscal year 2028 — beginning October 2027. If a state has a payment error rate above 6%, calculated by the federal government while looking at SNAP overpayments and underpayments, the state will be required to fund between 5% and 15% of benefit payments previously provided through federal aid. The national average payment error rate is at 10.62%, according to federal data, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture found states made a collective $10.1 billion in improper payments in FY 2025. But according to newly released USDA data, Iowa’s error rate fell below the national trend for FY 2025 at 5.34% — a rate that would mean the state would not have to take on additional funding for SNAP benefits under the 2025 law. An Iowa HHS news release said the department attributed the state’s low error rate to efforts made in the state to clarify eligibility policies, better train staff and other “organizational alignment” processes taken on. “This improvement reflects our continued focus on getting benefits right the first time and the hard work of our staff to strengthen accuracy and consistency across the system,” HHS Principal Deputy Director Larry Johnson said in a statement. “Accurate SNAP administration supports Iowa families, protects taxpayer dollars, and ensures Iowans receive timely and correct support.” Iowa is one of just nine states nationwide with an error rate below 6%. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Over 30 young artists leaving their mark in this year’s Quad City Arts’ Metro Arts Apprenticeship Program The program is in its 26th year of providing paid creative outlets for area youth, ages 15-21, and business relations experience. Three murals, as well as a poetry apprenticeship, are underway this summer.
	98 workers to be laid off in Moline pharmacy closure 98 workers will be laid off due to the closure of a Moline pharmacy.
	Nebraska abortions rose nearly 8% in 2025, mostly due to influx of Iowa patients Mifepristone, a common abortion-inducing medication, sits on a counter in Planned Parenthood's Omaha Health Center. (Erin Bamer, Nebraska Examiner)LINCOLN — The number of abortions performed in Nebraska rose 7.8% in 2025 as the dust begins to settle on some of the state’s — and neighboring states’ — newer abortion restrictions. According to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), at least 2,698 abortions were performed in Nebraska in 2025. That’s 197 more than 2024’s total of 2,501 abortions in one year. Nebraska’s abortion rate has remained relatively consistent over the last two decades, between 1,900 and 2,800 procedures performed each year. However, 2,698 is the highest the state has reached since 2008, and is the third year in a row that the number of abortions performed has increased from the previous year. Nebraska abortions by year 2008: 2,813 2009: 2,551 2010: 2,464 Abortion ban past 20 weeks of pregnancy takes effect in Nebraska 2011: 2,372 2012: 2,299 2013: 2,177 2014: 2,270 2015: 2,004 2016: 1,907 2017: 1,958 2018: 2,078 2019: 2,068 2020: 2,378 2021: 2,360 2022: 2,547 Roe v. Wade overturned by U.S. Supreme Court 2023: 2,325 Nebraska Legislature approves abortion ban at 12 weeks post-gestation 2024: 2,501 Nebraska voters approve constitutional amendment Initiative 434, banning most abortions past the first trimester 2025: 2,698 Source: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services The steady increase coincides with increased abortion restrictions being implemented in Nebraska and throughout the nation in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. In 2023, the Nebraska Legislature passed legislation restricting access to abortion from the previous 20 weeks, to 12 weeks gestation. The following year, voters approved language added to the state Constitution that bans most abortions after the first trimester. Andi Curry Grubb, executive director of Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS), said this tracks with what Planned Parenthood officials have been seeing throughout the Midwest. Though she didn’t have exact numbers for the first half of 2026, she said the pace seems to be consistent with what she saw in 2025. Notably, the number of abortions performed on Nebraska residents actually dropped from 2,054 in 2024 to 1,968 in 2025. The overall increase comes from an influx of out-of-state patients traveling to Nebraska for abortions, most of them from Iowa. In 2023, the Iowa Legislature approved legislation banning abortion after cardiac activity is detected, around six weeks gestation. The law went into effect in June 2024. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Giselle Barajas, senior communications specialist for PPNCS, said Planned Parenthood has seen a 220% increase in Iowa patients coming to Nebraska between 2023 and 2025. The number nearly doubled between the last year of data, growing from 358 Iowans reported in 2024 to 635 in 2025. Nate Grasz, executive director of the Nebraska Family Alliance — a lobbying group that has supported increased abortion restrictions — said the increase in Iowa patients correlates to the state’s stricter abortion laws. “We haven’t made as much progress,” Grasz said of Nebraska’s abortion policies. Grasz noted there are fewer places in Iowa for people to seek abortions, saying that Planned Parenthood had closed some of its clinics. Barajas said Planned Parenthood does plan to close its Iowa City Health Center at the end of the month, but noted they still have a facility in Des Moines in operation. Grasz said there are still serious gaps in Nebraska’s laws regarding abortion. He described the DHHS statistics as a “tragic report,” saying that every one of the 2,698 abortions reported represents a baby that went unprotected and a woman who went unaided. Grasz highlighted that medication-induced abortions also are on the rise in Nebraska, according to the report. Medication abortions made up 83% of all abortions performed in 2025, compared to about 80% in 2024. Grasz said Legislative Bill 512, proposed by State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue, would have been an important piece of ensuring the safety of medication abortions. The bill would have imposed additional steps before a patient could be prescribed an abortion pill, but the bill did not make it past the first round of floor debate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of Nebraska Examiner
	Celtic Night Out returns to Rock Island The Scottish-American Society of the Quad Cities is preparing for its annual Celtic Night Out.
	France downs Morocco 2-0 to advance to the World Cup semifinal Morocco was no match for France, which lost 2-0. The French, one of the pre-tournament favorites, move on to the World Cup semifinals against either Spain or Belgium.
	Illinois to receive settlement against Cash App Illinois will receive $1.1 million multi-state settlement against Cash App. Block, Inc., the parent company of Cash App, reached a $45 million settlement with 47 states regarding deceptive safety claims, insufficient fraud protections and inadequate customer service. The lawsuit accuses the company of making it too easy to create fake or multiple accounts. The company [...]
	Honor Flight holds reunion for America 250 The event was open to all veterans who've been on an Honor Flight out of the Quad Cities.
	Muscatine to pursue six-month demolition, stabilization plan on Second Street The city is undecided on a cost estimate but intends to stabilize the remaining buildings on the 200 block of Second Street within six months.
	Crime Stoppers: Man wanted by Rock Island police on charges of sexual abuse and assault Christian Beard is wanted by the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office for failure to appear for armed violence.
	Crime Stoppers: Silvis police search for masked suspect who broke into tobacco shop Silvis police and Crime Stoppers are asking for help identifying a masked man who broke into Greenleaf Tobacco using a pry bar on June 16.
	Crime Stoppers: Man wanted by Bettendorf Police and Scott County Sheriff Diondre L. Wakefield is wanted by the Bettendorf Police Department and Scott County Sheriff's Office.
	East Moline reschedules Fourth of July fireworks for fair night East Moline has rescheduled its fireworks show to July 14 at the Rock Island County Fairgrounds, serving as a kickoff for fair week.
	Getting to Know John Byrnes Chief Meteorologist Andy McCray talks with familiar faces around the Quad Cities in the Getting to Know Podcast. Learn more about important people around our area and have a good time doing it. Each week will feature a new guest from restaurant owners, to area leaders, to Our Quad Cities News Staff. In this episode [...]
	Rhode Island’s T.F. Green remains America’s best airport in national ranking Flowers are shown in the women's restroom at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current) For the second consecutive year, Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport has landed Travel + Leisure magazine’s top honor as the nation’s best airport — scoring higher than its first stop at No. 1 spot. T.F. Green earned a score of 85.16 in the annual rankings, based on reader surveys evaluating airport access, check-in and security, dining, shopping, and design. The New York-based publication’s website highlighted the Warwick airport’s small footprint and easy navigation among its reasons for making the top spot. Last year, the Warwick airport received a score of 84.9 in its top ranking — before the terminal started to undergo massive renovations that led to the relocation of the replica sailboat near the baggage claim and the decommissioning of public sculpture that had been inside since 2002. “It may not be the biggest, but perhaps that’s precisely why T. F. Green continues to win praise from voters, beating out big-city rivals with its two well-appointed concourses,” Travel + Leisure’s website states. The airport has also undergone major modernization updates in recent years funded by federal grants, passenger fees and airport funds. That includes the installation of automated coffee machines, new restaurants, colossal welcome signs off Interstate 95, and $10 million toward marble bathrooms with vases of flowers. In second place for 2026 is Portland International Airport in Oregon, which achieved a score of 83.09. Manchester-Boston Regional in New Hampshire was the only other New England airport to capture one of the 10 spots on the list, landing at the No. 8 spot with a score of 79.38. Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of Rhode Island Airport Corporation, called the latest Travel + Leisure ranking an incredible honor for the state. “To be named the No. 1 Domestic Airport in back-to-back years is a testament to the dedicated work of all employees at PVD, the countless vendors we rely upon, and our airline partners,” Ahmad said in a statement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of Rhode Island Current
	Toiletries 4 Teens provides hygiene essentials for Quad Cities teenagers A Quad Cities nonprofit continues to provide hygiene products and everyday essentials for local teenagers while working to fill a gap for youth.
	‘Portrait of America’ honors U.S. milestones and Iowa’s Jim Leach at the Figge The Figge Art Museum’s new exhibition, Connie and Michael Roberts: Portrait of America, uses collaborative portrait panels and hidden storytelling elements to highlight influential figures in U.S. history during the nation’s 250th anniversary.
	UnityPoint Health – Trinity celebrates pulmonary rehabilitation patients of the year UnityPoint Health – Trinity celebrated its pulmonary rehabilitation patients of the year during a special ceremony July 9. According to a release, the event honored those with chronic lung conditions who have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving their health through the pulmonary rehab program. Steve Delf and Lucille Mumma were honored for their perseverance [...]
	Toiletries 4 Teens provides hygiene essentials for Quad Cities area teenagers A Quad Cities nonprofit continues to provide hygiene products and everyday essentials for local teenagers while working to fill a gap for youth.
	Quad Cities ‘Back the Blue Flight’ launches new honor program for local law enforcement Quad Cities Back the Blue Flight is launching one‑day honor trips to Washington, D.C., providing active and retired local law enforcement officers a no‑cost opportunity to visit the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and other historic sites while honoring fallen colleagues
	New study finds coffee is good for your liver The study found that while any coffee seemed to provide a health benefit, drinking five or more cups a day could be more beneficial
	Muscatine moves forward with plan to stabilize evacuated buildings on East 2nd Street City officials estimate it will take approximately six months to complete the work.
	Celtic Night Out returns to Rock Island celebrating Scottish heritage The Scottish-American Society of the Quad Cities is preparing for its annual Celtic Night Out.
	Alternating Currents announces 2026 comedy acts This year's offerings include a One Liner Madness tournament, a Kidz Improv Show and a humorous look through VHS in the Midwest.
	Optum to close divvyDOSE pharmacy in Moline, laying off 98 employees Optum will close its divvyDOSE pharmacy in Moline, with 98 employees set to be laid off in August and September, according to a state filing.
	Nursing home worker fired after accepting $15,000 ‘gift’ from resident Grandview Care Center in Oelwein, Iowa. (Photo courtesy of the Fayette County Assessor's Office)An Iowa nursing home worker fired for allegedly accepting $15,000 from a resident of the home has been denied unemployment benefits. According to state records, certified nursing assistant and medication aide Gregory Reid worked full time for Grandview Care Center in Oelwein from October 2023 until April 28, 2026, when he was fired. Reid then filed for unemployment benefits, which led to a hearing before Administrative Law Judge Jasmina Sarajlija. According to Sarajlija’s findings in the case, Grandview Care Center is a nursing home tasked with protecting residents from dependent adult abuse, which includes financial exploitation. As a result, the home has a policy barring employees from accepting any gifts, tips or gratuities from residents of the home. The policy, according to Sarajlija, also states if a resident insists on giving a gift to an employee, the employee is required to report it to the administrator to allow the facility to handle the situation with the resident. According to Sarajlija’s findings, the administrator of the home received information from a resident’s friend on April 1, 2026, alleging the resident had told her Reid had accepted money from her. A subsequent investigation allegedly confirmed the resident wrote three $5,000 checks to Reid between Feb. 27, 2026 and March 13, 2026. Reid allegedly deposited all three checks at a local credit union within a week of the checks being written. Reid admitted accepting the money during the investigation, according to Sarajlija’s findings, and he was fired for violating the home’s gift policy. At his unemployment hearing, Reid allegedly acknowledged accepting the money from the resident, and explained the resident knew he was struggling financially and offered to help him out, stating that she and her husband had helped others through school and she wanted to do the same for him. According to Sarajlija’s findings, Reid said he did not solicit the gift or pressure the woman to give him the money, indicating he knew acceptance of it was against policy and he could lose his job over it. Sarajlija recently ruled Reid’s conduct amounted to workplace misconduct that disqualified him from collecting unemployment benefits, pointing out that Reid was aware of the home’s policy. “Despite this knowledge, (Reid) still accepted financial assistance from a resident that he was tasked with protecting from harm and abuse, including financial harm and abuse,” Sarajlija stated in her ruling. “Taking money from a resident on three separate occasions, a total of $15,000, is not an isolated mistake but a pattern that may have continued had the facility not received a report about it from the resident’s friend.” Court records indicate no criminal charges were filed in the case and Grandview Care Center was not cited by state inspectors for dependent adult abuse. The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Reid for comment. Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	The majority of CFOs require human oversight of agentic AI. Here are the 4 governance frameworks finance teams are actually using. The majority of CFOs require human oversight of agentic AI. Here are the 4 governance frameworks finance teams are actually using.For most enterprise finance teams, agentic AI is already up and running. For some businesses, it’s reconciling accounts, flagging anomalies, and classifying transactions. In others, it’s autonomously preparing the key components needed for indirect tax filings.The vendor pitch of faster close cycles, fewer manual errors, and a finance function that can scale is compelling. However, the chief financial officers and controllers actually deploying these systems are running more cautious experiments than marketing data suggests.A 2026 Maximor survey of 100 middle-market finance leaders found that 66% consider human oversight of agentic AI to be either extremely or very critical to deployment. More than 4 in 5 had ultimately encountered some type of AI-generated hallucination in finance. These factors, and more, result in a measly 14% stating they completely trust AI outputs even after a review.The key question for finance in 2026 isn’t whether or not to adopt agentic AI, but how to govern it well enough that the systems don’t produce errors that create significant liability. That governance architecture, including checkpoints, threshold rules, audit trail requirements, and accountability structures, is what the best finance leaders are focused on now.Anrok dug deep across leading sources, including Maximor, Wolters Kluwer, PwC, and EY, to find what key leaders are actually saying about agentic AI and how to deploy it correctly so that you don’t accidentally harm your organization's reputation.The trust gap in numbers: What CFOs are actually sayingHeadline CFO survey data tells a story that many enterprise AI vendors would prefer to ignore. Despite the widespread adoption of the technology, confidence in their outputs remains shockingly thin. Wolters Kluwer’s 2026 inTouch polling of global CFOs found that 58% still describe their finance environments as largely manual or siloed. Further, 47% cite trusted data as the single most important prerequisite for AI adoption.Their published Future Ready CFO Report also found similar themes. Most notably, AI investment is accelerating, but the needed governance layer is lagging behind deployment.The hallucination issue is particularly pertinent for tax. Unlike a general business analysis, where a confident-sounding answer that’s wrong is just inconvenient, an AI-generated tax error can have major legal and financial ramifications. In early 2026, the academic Journal of Accountancy flagged that incorrect indirect tax calculations, intercompany transactions, and multijurisdictional filings were the highest risk in agentic AI workflows.Inherently, the trust gap is a governance design issue. Finance teams that are seeing success moving agentic AI from a pilot phase to governed production all share one common thread: They built the key oversight architecture before they scaled deployment.The four governance architectures enterprise finance teams are usingThere is no single governance model that has emerged as the industry standard. At least not yet.However, four distinct architectures account for the vast majority of enterprise deployments in 2026. Each reflects a different answer to the same core question: At what point does an AI agent’s output require a human before it can become an action?Architecture 1: Tiered risk and materiality thresholdsAI operates autonomously below a defined dollar or risk threshold under this model. Human sign-off is required for any amount above it. PwC's Data Controls Engine with Google Cloud uses a tiered system that allows clients to calibrate their tax operating model in accordance with their risk and materiality. The practical effect is that routine and low-value transactions move without friction, whereas anything material requires a qualified reviewer.Architecture 2: Human-in-the-loop (HITL) checkpointsStructured review gates embedded at specific process stages before the agent acts on regulated outputs are the path some companies take. EY's CIO playbook on agentic AI explicitly identifies human-in-the-loop oversight and governance systems as one of four core enterprise infrastructure pillars. The key distinction is that HITL checkpoints are baked into the process from the start, meaning the agent can’t go to the next step without a documented human confirmation.Architecture 3: Multieye review for complex tax outputsMultieye review adapts a familiar accounting control to agentic AI: the party that prepares a material output is not the party that approves it. In practice, an agent’s tax calculation passes through layered human checkpoints before anything is filed, and the depth of review scales with stakes. A routine diagnostic might need a single reviewer, whereas a multijurisdictional filing or an intercompany position calls for two or three sign-offs and a documented trail that shows auditors who reviewed it and when. For the highest complexity tax positions, these structured multireviewer sign-off cadences can help govern the process and reduce errors.Architecture 4: Embedded governance within core finance platformsRather than a bolt-on oversight layer, this model integrates AI controls and anomaly alerts directly into close, plan, and report workflows within Corporate Performance Management platforms. Wolters Kluwer's CCH Tagetik, as noted by Fabrizio Tocchini, the vice president of technology product management, envisions this as a prerequisite for moving AI from pilot to governed production.The threshold question: When does the agent act vs. route to a human?Defining the autonomous action threshold is where many governance frameworks fall apart. Those that appear the most durable share three key characteristics:They are written, not just understood.They are jurisdiction-aware.They are reviewed on a defined cadence.Written threshold policies should specify which filing types, jurisdictions, dollar ranges, and transaction categories are eligible for AI action vs. mandatory routing.Jurisdiction awareness matters because indirect tax complexity is naturally geographic. A threshold that may be appropriate for a domestic sales tax in a single jurisdiction may be insufficient for the European Union, Value-Added Tax, Canadian Goods and Services Tax or Harmonized Sales Tax, or state-level economic nexus determinations.Governance frameworks on AI that only apply a single materiality threshold across every jurisdiction where business is performed may be underestimating risk in some of the most complex exposure areas.Further, threshold review cadences matter because both the AI agent’s capabilities and the underlying regulatory landscape change rapidly. Reviewing thresholds on a quarterly basis is the best way to stay on top of these changes. Additionally, triggering out-of-cycle reviews when any new jurisdiction is added or when an AI agent’s scope of work expands can help your organization determine whether a current threshold is miscalculated.Audit trail standards: What's becoming table stakesThe audit trail question is one where many governance programs separate into two tiers: those building for external scrutiny and those building for internal comfort. This distinction matters more than you may think.The IRS, state tax authorities, and external auditors are all focused on developing AI-specific examination protocols, and the standard they’re coming together on is not one of passive oversight. It’s of documented accountability.For instance, EY Canada’s six-step agentic AI governance framework identifies decision logging and traceability as two nonnegotiable requirements for regulated finance tasks. The specific standard is that every action taken by an AI agent should create a log entry that details the decision made, what data was used, whose authority it’s under, and at what time it was made. This log should also be structured in such a way that an external auditor can reconstruct the AI’s entire reasoning.IBM’s June 2025 governance research makes an even stricter claim. They say that most organizations running autonomous AI agents can’t currently demonstrate who approved what or under whose authority. By addressing this gap, you can ensure your governance program isn’t just compliant-ready, but also audit-proof.There’s also one more dimension to this that shouldn’t be overlooked. Capitol Technology University published a 2026 report on IRS AI adoption that added an interesting factor to the equation. They posit that the IRS is deploying AI tools to analyze filing data at scale and, as such, that the audit trail quality is no longer just an internal governance concern but is now a factor in any audit examination, too. There has never been a more critical time to ensure that your governance strategy isn’t just meeting internal compliance requirements but also protecting your business from future audits.The three failure modes governance programs most commonly missEven the most well-designed governance programs can fail. More often than not, it’s in a predictable manner. The three most common failure modes are structural problems that have shown up repeatedly in finance AI deployments:1. Dirty data, governed confidentlyGovernance frameworks are only as reliable as the data feeding the agents. When data lacks context or semantic structure, agents can hallucinate. When this happens, your governance layer will systematically validate wrong outputs as correct. Per Wolters Kluwer's inTouch 2026 polling, 47% of finance professionals cite trusted data as the top prerequisite, yet most organizations are not there yet.2. Security theater (oversight without accountability)Having a human review step doesn’t constitute governance on its own if there is no documented record of who approved what decision, under what authority, and at what time. Most teams running autonomous AI agents can’t demonstrate this. IBM's governance research identifies this as the transition from passive oversight to automated, technical control.3. Governance bolt-ons that live outside core systemsWhen AI agents are deployed outside of the systems of record, CFOs lose the deep data context agents need to be accurate. Further, they also lose the integration points that make governance enforceable. Wolters Kluwer's CEO Maria Montenegro explicitly warns against this, believing agentic AI tools need to be embedded in core finance platforms as opposed to sitting off to the side.On-record voices from enterprise finance and tax technology leadersIt’s one thing to read about the trends defining the implementation of agentic AI into finance, but it’s another to hear directly from the source. Dom Megna, Owen Ryan, Julie Iskow, and Fabrizio Tocchini all shared their thoughts on the topic in recent articles, offering a glimpse into the mindset of some of the foremost leaders:Dom Megna, U.S. AI tax leader, PwC (via CFO.com, June 2025): "We’re not just pushing a button and accepting the result. Our agents still live within a human-reviewed, multi-eye process. Especially for complex outputs, like tax calculations, the oversight is strong."Owen Ryan, CEO, BlackLine (via Diginomica, May 2026): "Our customers are telling us they want to move fast with AI, but they also tell us that trust, reliability and security are non-negotiables... Every one of those AI-generated transactions eventually hits the general ledger. Everyone must be reconciled, validated and audited."Julie Iskow, CEO, Workiva (via Diginomica, May 2026): "In the Office of the CFO, the tolerance for error is zero. And as reliance on AI increases and there's more unverified data and there are more unverified data sources, trust in data becomes even more critical."Fabrizio Tocchini, VP technology product management, CCH Tagetik (via Wolters Kluwer, May 2026): "Finance teams make progress with AI when it is grounded in trusted financial data, embedded directly into the workflows they already use, and designed to support decisions under real scrutiny."A framework for enterprise finance leadersThe organizations that are moving agentic AI into governed production, specifically in tax and finance functions, all share one common thread. They understand that it is not a technology-first deployment. Rather, it is about starting with the governance protocols and implementing the technology afterward. Below are six quick tips to set your organization up for success when building a governance framework for AI.Fix data before you scale agents: Data readiness is cited by 44% of the finance leaders surveyed by Wolters Kluwer as the key driver for increasing AI adoption, and without a semantic or context layer, governance is simply validating noise.Define written threshold policies: Document all materiality thresholds, filing types, and jurisdictions where agents act autonomously versus route to a human, then review them on a defined cadence.Embed governance in systems of record: Governance that lives outside core enterprise resource planning or corporate performance management platforms creates blind spots. Effective oversight requires integration, not parallel systems.Build the audit trail as a design requirement: Traceability, decision logging, and reversibility should be designed in from day one, not retrofitted after the fact.Distinguish oversight from accountability: A review step is not governance unless it is documented, attributed, and defensible to external auditors and regulators.Adopt a phased risk tolerance model: Start with high-volume, lower-complexity tasks such as data extraction, reconciliation diagnostics, and classification, opting to gate progression to complex indirect tax filings behind demonstrated accuracy thresholds.Human oversight is responsible adoptionThe small number of CFOs who say they completely trust AI outputs are either running simple workflows or just haven’t encountered a hallucination with major ramifications. Other wary individuals are intently focused on building governance architectures that last. The gap between those two groups will likely start to show up in audit findings, penalty exposure, and filing restatements over the coming years.This story was produced by Anrok and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Parasitic food poisoning illnesses are on the rise in Louisiana The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends thoroughly washing produce amidst an increase in Cyclosporiasis, parasitic food poisoning illness. (USDA Photo)The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed 23 cases of Cyclosporiasis infection, a stomach illness caused by a parasite found on contaminated food and water, within the state. This is just above the average of 20 cases reported over the same time period during the past five years. One person with a reported case has been hospitalized. No deaths have been connected to the illness in Louisiana. A spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health said more cases could crop up as the department investigates within the coming days. Cyclosporiasis can cause nasty symptoms such as explosive diarrhea, along with fever, fatigue, nausea and bloating. It’s most commonly on fresh produce, like berries, lettuce, and herbs. Symptoms usually appear a week after eating or drinking infected food or water and can stick around for days to weeks. If left untreated, the illness can relapse, reappearing after having previously gone away. The illness is not contagious, only passed on with contaminated food and water, but washing fresh produce and washing hands when handling food reduce the risk of contracting illness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Courtesy of Louisiana Illuminator
	Smithsonian chief emphasizes 'accuracy and integrity' after White House report The memo from the Smithsonian's secretary, Lonnie Bunch, responded to a White House report that calls the National Museum of American History driven by "a radical, activist ideology."
	U-M health system and nurses union reach tentative contract, avoid strike vote University of Michigan Hospital \| Photo by Susan J. Demas/Michigan AdvanceRegistered nurses represented by the Michigan Nurses Association at the University of Michigan have reached a tentative three-year contract with Michigan Medicine, averting a planned strike authorization vote. The tentative agreement, announced Thursday by both the union and the university, still must be ratified by members of the MNA-University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council, which represents more than 7,200 registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses employed by U-M Health, the clinical organization of Michigan Medicine. The previous contract expired March 31. According to the union, the tentative agreement includes an overall 13.25% wage increase over three years, with raises of 4% in the first year, 4.5% in the second and 4.75% in the third. Other provisions include a ratification bonus, improved staffing ratios, stronger workplace violence protections, gains for advanced practice registered nurses centered on full union representation and an end to pre-scheduled patient assignments for charge nurses, providing them more flexibility to oversee patient care and safety. Union leaders said the deal follows months of bargaining and collective actions, including an informational picket. “Our success is a testament to not only countless days at the bargaining table, but also to the collective solidarity by MNA-UMPNC members,” Kara Ayotte, president of the MNA-UMPNC said in a press release. “By standing strong together, we showed Michigan Medicine that we would not settle for less than what nurses and patients deserve.”SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. University officials also praised the agreement. “We appreciate the dedication and professionalism of both bargaining teams in reaching this tentative agreement,” Julie Ishak, chief nurse and operations executive for Michigan Medicine’s academic medical center, said in an emailed statement. “This agreement aims to support our nurses, strengthen our workforce, and ensure the highest quality care for the patients and families we serve.” The union said members will vote on ratification in the coming weeks. Courtesy of Michigan Advance
	Iowa confirms first case of measles in 2026 The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that a vaccinated Iowa adult has contracted the measles virus. The confirmation marks the first case of measles in Iowa in 2026 after nine were reported in 2025.
	Valley Homes project receiving tax credits from state Community Home Partners (CHP) announced that Valley Homes, a new 60-unit affordable housing development in Rock Island,has received Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and Affordable Housing Tax Credits from the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). The awards are a key source of financing for the $21.5 million developmentand move the project closer to construction. Valley Homes, [...]
	NJ’s top court says defendant can seek sex assault victim’s mental health records The seven members of the New Jersey Supreme Court listen to arguments on April 28, 2025, at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton. (Photo by Dana DiFilippo/New Jersey Monitor)The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Bergen County man charged with sexually assaulting his niece can move ahead with getting a judge to privately look at her mental health records, reversing a lower court that previously shut that request down. The majority in the 5-2 ruling said the trial judge who first agreed to look at the records didn’t do anything wrong in allowing it, citing a 2023 case laying out when defendants in sexual assault cases can access a victim’s mental health history. Justice Douglas Fasciale wrote that the court found “no abuse of discretion in his finding that defendant made a sufficient showing for the judge to conduct a limited and narrow” review. A woman referred to in the court documents as Kim was 18 in 2021 when she told her father that her uncle sexually assaulted her in his bedroom while she was looking for her cat. But his attorneys said Kim — who reported her medical history to include autism, bipolar disorder, PTSD, asthma, seizures, hypothyroid and anxiety and said she was on medications — gave conflicting accounts of the incidents. The defense counsel retained an investigator to see whether her mental illnesses and her ability to recall and recount details had any connections. A grand jury indicted her uncle, identified as R.F.P in court records, on sexual assault charges. His lawyers said they needed access to Kim’s mental health records which might explain gaps or contradictions in her account. They also pointed to interviews with Kim’s family and friends who said she may have been off her medication, which could lead to making up stories, along with medical research that says PTSD and bipolar disorder can cause false memories. A trial judge agreed to privately review a limited set of records from her most recent hospital stays without handing them over to the defense. The state and the New Jersey Crime Victims’ Law Center filed motions for reconsideration, which were denied by the trial judge. They then appealed to the appeals court, which sided with them and blocked the review, saying the defense hadn’t met the legal bar required to get the documents. The state Supreme Court disagreed with the Appellate Division and reinstated the trial judge’s original order. Fasciale said a defendant must show three things before a judge will privately review a victim’s records — a specific need for the records, that the records are relevant to the case, and that the same information can’t be found another way. Fasciale said that no single piece of evidence would have been enough on its own, but “collectively, the evidential record amounts to more than bald assertions.” Justice Fabiana Pierre-Louis, in a dissent joined by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, argued the opposite — the uncle’s own statements undercut his stated reason for wanting the records in the first place. He corroborated many details of the incident, yet moved to access her mental health records based on a belief that her mental health conditions could affect her ability to recall the events of that day, she noted. “Even if Kim has lied every day of her life about everything and anything, it is of no consequence because defendant has stated in his own words that she did not lie this time,” she wrote, adding that ignoring such statements would “continue the historical distrust of victims with psychological illnesses.” In the dissent, the judges warned the ruling could make these kinds of requests more common and discourage sexual assault survivors — particularly those with mental illnesses — from reporting attacks. The court also flagged that Kim wasn’t notified about the records request early on, even though state law requires victims to get notice and a chance to respond before a judge rules on this kind of motion. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of New Jersey Monitor
	Moline OKs first step to sell former Catfish Charlie’s riverfront property The Moline City Council gave initial approval to sell the former Catfish Charlie's and Captain's Table riverfront property to its owners for $350,000.
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	Actress Marlee Matlin to speak at Putnam Museum on Aug. 19 Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin will speak at the Putnam Museum on Aug. 19 during the Culture Bright Summer Series.
	JDC dates announced for 2027 The PGA tournament will run from June 28 to July Fourth, 2027.
	EPA proposes weakening heavy-duty truck pollution rules The Trump EPA calls Biden-era rules for cutting pollution from heavy trucks "unworkable." The proposed changes have been celebrated by trucking groups and denounced by environmental groups.
	Partnership launched to bring veterinary care to rural Alaska A dog team trots through the snow at the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 5, 2022, in Anchorage. Dogs are important to life in rural Alaska, but veterinary care to protect their health is in short supply. A new partnership has been launched to help fill the need. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)For years, rural Alaska communities have struggled with out-of-control dog populations that pose dangers to children, and diseases circulating through wildlife that can spill over into pets and people. And for years, the Alaska Federation of Natives has asked policy makers to help address the situation by extending veterinary services that residents say are desperately needed. Now AFN, the state’s largest Native organization, is taking its own action. The state’s largest Native organization has teamed with Alaska Native Rural Veterinary Inc. to launch a program to provide animal care directly to remote villages. The partnership kicked off its rural work this week when a veterinarian team landed in Galena, a Yukon River village that is among the multitude of Alaska communities lacking regular animal-health service. The Rural Veterinary Public Health Program is intended to serve villages on the North Slope, in Western Alaska, Interior Alaska and other remote areas where there are no resident veterinarians, said Dr. Arleigh Reynolds, a veterinarian serving as the program’s medical advisor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. The plan includes spay and neuter services to keep populations in check, as well as vaccines and other animal care that is considered routine in urban areas but is difficult to secure in rural villages. The program is also intended to address zoonotic diseases, which are illnesses that can spread between animals and people, adhering to the One Health approach. “The most important thing is we’re keeping people safe and their pets safe, and wildlife, too,” said Reynolds, who led the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Center for One Health Research for a decade. Since 2024, he has served as the executive director of the Sitka Sound Science Center. Dogs are important to communities, and they are intertwined in Alaska Native culture and Alaska history. Dog mushing is the state’s official sport. But the shortage and, for some communities, complete lack of veterinarian care has caused serious problems, including high rates of dog bites suffered by children. Two young Arctic foxes, seen n July 9, 2021, stay close together on the hill outside their tundra den. Rabies is endemic in Alaska wildlife, and Arctic foxes and red foxes are prominent carriers. (Photo by Lisa Hupp/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Reynolds said the new program intends to address a wide range of problems. While spay and neuter services and other routine animal care are common needs, communities have varying concerns that the program is designed to address, he said. The most ominous threat is rabies. In Alaska, it is mostly found in Arctic foxes and red foxes, but wild animals can infect dogs, which in turn can infect people. The disease, if not treated right away, is always fatal to people. There are periodic spikes of rabies detected in wild animals in parts of rural Alaska, including this year in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Vaccines protect dogs and, in turn, protect people. In some island or coastal communities, seals are at risk from dogs with distemper, Reynolds said. “When the distemper gets into the seal populations, it’s 100% fatal,” he said. For afflicted dogs, there are treatment options, but the best step is vaccination to prevent the disease, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Tularemia, a tick-borne disease sometimes called “rabbit fever,” is a concern in other communities, Reynolds said. Numerous species of wildlife have been found to be infected — and people can be infected, falling seriously ill or even dying if not treated. Antibiotics are used to treat infections. Interactions with wild animals increase people’s risks of contracting tularemia, and past research indicated that Alaska Native people were five times as likely as white Americans to be infected. Another threat is a type of tapeworm that can be tolerated by dogs but, if ingested by people, can lead to deaths from cancer-like cysts in the liver or other organs. Called Echinococcus multilocularis, it has a strain that is endemic in parts of the North Slope and Western Alaska. It is found in Arctic foxes, red foxes and the small rodents that make up their prey. Detections are increasing in North America. Deworming can protect dogs. A microscopic photograph captured in 1964 reveals some of the structure of an Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm. Dye was used to produce a clearer image. People who are infected with this tapeworm can develop cancer-like cysts in their livers or other organs and become seriously ill. Photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Parvovirus, which can kill dogs, is another concern in certain areas, Reynolds said. And there are plans for participants in the program to help monitor avian influenza in wild populations, he said. Stalled legislation The partnership emerged after the Alaska legislature failed to pass a widely supported bill that would have established a statewide fund for spay and neuter services. The bill, House Bill 258, would have set up a system with revenues collected from fees for specialized license plates, private donations and other sources. Rep. Will Stapp, R- Fairbanks, the measure’s sponsor, said lawmakers ran out of time to fully consider the bill. “But it’s a great idea, and we’ll keep up the good fight next year,” he said. The bill suffered from its relatively late introduction, he said. And disagreements emerged over a provision that would have allowed municipalities to sterilize and then release feral animals. The practice would run afoul of Alaska Department of Fish and Game rules, but the idea has been embraced by residents of Juneau, who are coping with large numbers of feral cats. “They just have a real hard time with the current policy which is trap and kill, basically,” Stapp said. “Turns out Juneau urbanites don’t want to kill the cats.” He said he hopes that disagreement can be addressed in the future. Alaska Rural Veterinary Inc. was among the groups advocating for Stapp’s bill, though formation of the partnership with AFN was unrelated to that legislation. Reynolds said that lack of spay and neuter services take a toll on people as well as dogs. In some villages where dog populations have become too large to manage, residents have resorted to killing out-of-control stray animals. It is a poor outcome, Reynolds said. “The people who do the culling, it’s really hard on them,” he said. Some even need mental-health therapy, he said. “And it doesn’t solve the problem when you’ve got a whole new group of stray dogs,” he said. A sign on an Utgiagvik restaurant door seen on Oct. 4, 2018, warns about the risk of rabies from an Arctic fox spotted near town. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) The group continues to hope for a legislative solution: a bill pending in Congress that would add veterinary care to the duties of the Indian Health Service. The bill, the Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act, is sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and other senators from states with large numbers of tribal residents. It passed the Senate by unanimous consent in December. But it has yet to move in the U.S. House. If approved, the new Indian Health Service veterinary care program and associated U.S. Department of Agriculture vaccine research would cost $14 million through 2030 and $47 million through 2035, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Funding sources for the Rural Veterinary Public Health Program will be announced later, Reynolds said. Whatever the costs for prevention, he said, they will be lower than the costs of responses. “Just the rabies prevention alone will pay for the program,” he said. In the case of rabies, each exposed person in Alaska winds up bearing thousands of dollars in medical costs. The financial burden is described in a Colorado State University-led study published in October. People exposed to rabies are treated with a series of shots administered over two weeks — human rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine — along with other care. From 2012 to 2024, 182 rabies-exposed people in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta needed such care, according to the study. While such care in the Lower 48 typically costs a few thousand dollars, in rural Alaska, the outlay is exponentially higher because of needed travel, lost work and other costs, Reynolds said. And there are ripple effects in communities, he said. In one Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta case, the local school had to be closed for two weeks because an exposed family that needed treatment included the village teacher, he said. Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that the veterinary partnership developed unrelated to the failure of state spay and neuter legislation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Alaska Beacon
	Rock Island Arsenal to hold Change of Commany ceremony Col. William J. Parker III will relinquish command of U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Rock Island Arsenal to Col. Jason M. Knapp during a change of command ceremony July 14 at 10 a.m. on the lawn of historic Quarters One. Installation Management Command- Sustainment Director Jason W. Condrey will officiate the event. Parker is leaving USAG [...]
	Teacher loses job and unemployment benefits over alleged treatment of her own child Iowa Workforce Development manages unemployment claims filed on behalf of Iowans. (Photo by Getty Images, logo courtesy the State of Iowa)A central Iowa teacher was fired and denied unemployment benefits over the alleged treatment of her daughter at a childcare center. State records show that Shelbie Sutton was employed full time as a teacher at Des Moines’ New Horizon Academy childcare center from February 2025 until April 22, 2026, when she was fired. She subsequently filed for unemployment benefits, which led to a June 24, 2026, hearing before Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Adkisson. According to Adkisson’s written findings of fact in the case, Sutton was fired after a parent of one of the students attending the academy reported to the school’s director that she had seen Sutton physically drag a female child across the classroom floor by the girl’s arms, then take the girl into a bathroom, from which the parent could hear Sutton yelling expletives at the child. Later, the parent allegedly reported, Sutton dragged the child by her arms back across the classroom. “The parent was visibly shaken and upset over the incident,” Adkisson stated in her findings, which were based on testimony from school officials. The school investigated the incident, Adkisson found, by reviewing security-camera footage, speaking to Sutton and the complaining parent, and interviewing two teachers who were present during the incident. According to Adkisson, the security footage and teacher interviews corroborated the parent’s complaint. When questioned about the incident, Sutton told her superiors the child in question was her own daughter who is a student at the academy and had been acting out, according to Adkisson’s findings. Citing school policies that prohibit corporal punishment — defined as including rough handling and pulling arms — the school fired Sutton, noting that employees with children attending the academy sign a contract agreeing to comply with all policies as they relate to their own children. Adkisson denied Sutton’s claim for unemployment benefits, noting the evidence that corroborated the complaint and the fact that Sutton did not deny the allegations. “Parents entrust the employer to teach and care for their students and have an expectation that all children will be treated in accordance with employer policies prohibiting mistreatment of children, no matter whether that employee is the parent of the child,” Adkisson stated in her ruling. The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Sutton for comment. Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Meet new Davenport Police Chief, Assistant Chief at meet & greet Residents are invited to a meet and greet event with Davenport’s newly promoted Police Chief Greg Behning and Assistant Chief Jason Smith on Monday, July 27 from 4 – 6 p.m. The event will be at the Davenport Police Department, 416 N. Harrison Street. This is an informal gathering and is an opportunity for the [...]
	3 Iowa men accused of grooming minor after social media conversations Three men from Davenport and Fruitland face felony grooming charges following a months-long investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.
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	A new kind of robot swims the seas and soars the skies Inspired by diving birds, roboticists built the lightweight machines to move from water to air. The design may one day lead to robots that can monitor and sample the coastal ocean.
	Beach safety for dogs: A vet-backed guide to a safer day by the water Beach safety for dogs: A vet-backed guide to a safer day by the waterA day at the beach with your dog is one of those summer activities that sounds simple and almost never is. The water's right there, the sand's hot, there's a hundred interesting smells, and your dog wants to investigate all of it at once. Most beach days go fine. The ones that don't tend to go wrong fast.More Americans are bringing their dogs along than ever. Pet ownership is at a record high, with 94 million U.S. households now owning a pet, and dogs lead the way. Summer is the peak season for taking them everywhere, beaches included.The problem is that the beach is one of the trickier environments to keep a dog safe in. There's the heat, which is more dangerous than most people realize. Heatstroke claims to pet insurers peak in July and have climbed 45% since 2020. There's the water, which presents drowning risk, whether in pools, lakes, rivers, or oceans. And there's the salt water itself, the sand, the wildlife, and whatever's washed up on shore that your dog decides looks edible.None of this means you should leave the dog home. It means a good beach day is mostly about prep. In this article, Spot & Tango veterinarians Dr. Stephanie Liff and Dr. Jordyn Zoul, discuss the hazards they see most often and the small things that prevent them. Almost everything that goes wrong at the beach is avoidable if you know what you're looking for.Salt Water Is More Dangerous Than Most Owners RealizeThis is the beach hazard that catches the most people off guard, partly because it seems so harmless. Your dog gets hot and thirsty, the ocean is right there, and they start lapping it up. A few mouthfuls won't hurt. The problem is when a few mouthfuls become a habit over a couple of hours."Ingesting salt water can be toxic to pets," says Dr. Liff, and the science backs this up plainly. Ocean water is around 3.5% sodium. When a dog drinks too much of it, the excess salt pulls fresh water out of the bloodstream and into the gut, which dehydrates the dog further and throws off their electrolyte balance. The clinical name for it is hypernatremia, or salt water poisoning, and at high enough levels, the Merck Veterinary Manual notes it can cause brain cell shrinkage, hemorrhage, seizures, and death.Dr. Zoul sees the milder version of this constantly. "Dogs tend to get pretty dehydrated and will develop bad diarrhea if they ingest too much salt water," she explains. Diarrhea is usually the first sign, and it's the body's early warning that the dog has had too much. Other symptoms to watch for include vomiting, unusual lethargy, excessive thirst, confusion, and in serious cases tremors or seizures, which can show up anywhere from one to 24 hours after a beach visit.Here's the frustrating part: It's almost entirely preventable. The single most effective thing you can do is bring more fresh water than you think you need and offer it constantly. A dog that's well-hydrated with fresh water has far less reason to drink from the ocean.A few practical habits that help:Pack a large supply of fresh water and a foldable travel bowl. Dr. Zoul specifically recommends one of the collapsible options if you'll be active with your dog.Take a water break every 15 to 20 minutes, away from the shoreline.Use floating toys instead of ones that sink, so your dog isn't gulping seawater every time they retrieve.If your dog is a wave-biter or tends to drink while swimming, watch them closely and pull them out for breaks more often.If you see repeated vomiting, seizures, extreme lethargy, or disorientation after a beach day, treat it as an emergency and call a vet right away. Saltwater poisoning gets worse quickly once it sets in, and early treatment makes a real difference.The Tennis Ball Problem Nobody Warns You AboutHere's one that almost no dog owner sees coming. Playing fetch on the beach, the most normal beach activity there is, can land your dog in surgery.The culprit is sand. When a dog chases a tennis ball or toy across the beach and scoops it up, they pick up a mouthful of sand with it. Do that a few dozen times over an afternoon and it adds up. "A big risk factor is dogs chasing tennis balls in sand," Dr. Liff explains. "They can end up swallowing a lot of sand, which can cause a gastrointestinal impaction."Sand impaction is exactly what it sounds like. Enough sand collects in the digestive tract that it forms a heavy, cement-like blockage that the dog can't pass. In mild cases, it causes vomiting and discomfort. In serious cases, it requires emergency veterinary care, sometimes surgery. It's not common, but it's common enough that emergency vets along the coast see it every summer, and it's almost always from a dog that looked like they were just having a great day.Sand sneaks in through other routes, too. Dogs dig holes and then lick their sandy paws. Treats dropped on the beach come back coated. Dogs that like to bite at the surf swallow sand suspended in the water.The warning signs of an impaction usually show up within a day or so: vomiting, lethargy, a hard or painful belly, loss of appetite, and not pooping when they normally would. If you notice that combination after a beach day, especially the not-pooping part, call your vet.A few ways to lower the risk:Skip the tennis ball on sand. Use a floating toy or a frisbee that your dog can grab cleanly without scooping up a mouthful of beach.Rinse toys between throws if they're getting sandy.Watch for digging-and-licking behavior, which is a sneaky source of ingestion.Bring their own food and treats and keep them off the ground.None of this means fetch is off-limits. It just means being a little thoughtful about where and how you play.Heat Stroke: The Beach Hazard That Moves FastestOf everything on this list, heat stroke is the one most likely to turn deadly, and it's the one that escalates the fastest. A beach checks every box for risk: direct sun, hot sand, physical activity, excitement, and often not enough shade or water. Dogs don't sweat the way humans do. They cool themselves mostly by panting, and on a hot beach, that system gets overwhelmed quickly.The data here is sobering. Heat-related insurance claims for pets peak in July, and one major pet insurer reported its summer heatstroke claims have jumped 45% since 2020. Research from the Royal Veterinary College found that during the heat waves of one recent summer, vets saw roughly five times the usual number of heat-related illness cases, and about one in four dogs treated for heat stroke at emergency clinics died. That's not a typo. One in four.The reason heat stroke is so dangerous is what it does internally. According to Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, prolonged high body temperature damages every organ system, and heat stroke commonly leads to acute kidney injury, blood clotting problems, and shock. It's not just "the dog got too hot." It's a full-body emergency.Some dogs are at much higher risk than others:Flat-faced breeds (bulldogs, pugs, boxers, French bulldogs) can't pant efficiently, which makes them dramatically more vulnerable to overheating.Thick-coated breeds (huskies, malamutes, golden retrievers) hold heat in.Senior dogs, puppies, and overweight dogs regulate temperature less effectively.Dark-coated dogs absorb more heat from direct sunlight.Watch for heavy or frantic panting, bright red gums, thick drool, wobbliness, vomiting, or a dog who suddenly seems disoriented or collapses. Those are not "wait and see" signs.If you suspect heat stroke, the current veterinary guidance is cool first, transport second. Move the dog into shade, pour or hose cool (not ice-cold) water over them, focusing on the belly, armpits, and groin where major blood vessels run close to the surface, and get them to a vet as fast as you can. Cooling a dog before transport has been shown to significantly improve survival odds. Don't use ice, which can constrict blood vessels and actually slow cooling.The simplest prevention is timing. Go early in the morning or later in the evening, bring shade and water, and build in rest. If the sand is too hot for the back of your hand for more than seven seconds, it's too hot for your dog.Even Strong Swimmers Can DrownThere's a widespread assumption that all dogs are natural swimmers and that swimming is the one beach activity you don't have to worry about. Both halves of that are wrong.Start with the numbers. An estimated 5,000 pets drown in swimming pools in the U.S. each year, and that figure doesn't capture the additional drownings in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which mostly go unrecorded. Plenty of those dogs could swim. The issue usually isn't the swimming, it's the tiring, the currents, or not being able to find a way out.Dr. Liff doesn't hedge on this one. "It is important that all dogs swimming wear a life jacket. Even good swimmers can tire, and life jackets prevent drowning." A canine life vest does for a dog what it does for a person: it keeps their head above water when they're exhausted, panicked, or caught in something they can't fight. For a long beach day, it's cheap insurance.A few things worth knowing before you let your dog in the water:Some breeds aren't built to swim. Dogs with short legs and heavy, large heads, like bulldogs, dachshunds, corgis, and pugs, struggle to stay afloat and tire fast. For them, a life vest isn't optional.Currents are deceptive. Dr. Liff points out that even fresh water can have undercurrents that are hard to navigate. Ocean rip currents are worse, and they can pull a strong swimmer out fast.Introduce water slowly. Dr. Zoul's approach is to keep a new or hesitant dog on leash, lead them toward the water, and let them set the pace. If they're eager, great. If they're scared, don't force it. "Never pull your dog into the water" is the rule most owners break with the best intentions.Skip rough or cold water. Dr. Liff advises against letting dogs swim in icy, very cold, or very choppy water, all of which raise the risk of trouble.And the rule that covers all of it: Watch your dog the entire time they're in the water, the same way you'd watch a small child. Dr. Zoul makes this comparison directly, and it's the right one. Drowning is fast and quiet. It rarely looks like the dramatic version people picture.If your dog has a pool at home, the same logic applies with one addition: a pet-safe gate, so the pool is only accessible when someone's actually watching. Most pool drownings happen when a dog gets in unsupervised and can't find the steps to get back out.Yes, Dogs Can Get SunburnedThis one surprises people: Dogs can get sunburned, and some get it badly. Their coat does most of the protective work, which is why it's easy to forget, but the spots where fur is thin or missing are genuinely vulnerable.Dr. Zoul breaks down who's most at risk. "Thinner-haired dogs will be more at risk, particularly those with lighter coat pigmentation," she notes. White dogs, gray dogs, and dogs with pink skin showing through their coat burn more easily. So do the low-fur areas on almost any dog: the bridge of the nose, the ear tips, the belly, and anywhere that's been shaved or naturally runs thin.Dog sunscreen is a real product, and you want the dog-specific kind. Human sunscreen can contain zinc oxide and certain other ingredients that are toxic to dogs if they lick it off, which they will. Dr. Liff's tip for application: "The spray products are easiest to apply," especially on a squirmy dog at the beach.When to bother with it: Dr. Zoul suggests sunscreen once the UV index climbs past 3 or 4, or anytime your dog is going to be out in the sun for an extended stretch. A quick morning beach walk probably doesn't need it. A full afternoon in July does.Sand deserves a mention here too, because it's not just an ingestion risk. It's a skin irritant. Sand works its way into the coat and against the skin, and left there, it can cause itching and irritation. Dr. Liff recommends rinsing your dog off well after a beach day to get all the sand and debris out of their fur. A thorough freshwater rinse also washes off any salt residue, which helps on the skin front and means less salt for them to lick off later.What to Pack For A Safer Beach DayThe right beach bag does a lot of the safety work for you. Most of what goes wrong at the beach traces back to something simple that got left at home. Here's what's worth bringing.Plenty of fresh water, and more than you think. This is the single most important item on the list. It's your defense against both salt water poisoning and heat stroke at once. Bring a large supply.A collapsible water bowl. Lightweight, packs flat, and makes it easy to offer water every fifteen minutes the way you should.A canine life jacket. Especially for weaker swimmers, flat-faced breeds, and any dog who'll be in deeper water. Look for one with a sturdy handle on top so you can lift them out quickly if you need to.Dog-specific sunscreen. The spray kind, for the nose, ear tips, belly, and any thin-coated areas.Shade. A beach umbrella or a pop-up tent gives your dog somewhere to cool down and gets them out of direct sun during the hottest stretch of the day.A blanket or towel. Sand gets dangerously hot, and a light-colored towel gives your dog a cooler surface to lie on. You'll also want it for the post-beach rinse and dry.Their regular food. Beach days are long, and a change in diet on top of an exhausting day in the sun is a recipe for an upset stomach. Bring what they normally eat. Whatever you feed, consistency is the goal. A beach trip is the wrong time to introduce something new to their system.A basic first aid kit. Gauze, antiseptic, tweezers for splinters or stingers, and a pet-safe wound cleaner cover most minor beach injuries.Updated ID. A well-fitting collar with current tags, and a microchip with up-to-date contact info. Unfamiliar, crowded places are exactly where dogs slip away.The nearest emergency vet's info. Look up the closest 24-hour clinic to the beach before you go and save it in your phone. With most of the risks on this list, saltwater poisoning, heat stroke, sand impaction, drowning, minutes matter. You don't want to be searching when you should be driving.A Few More Things Vets Wish Beachgoers KnewSome of the most useful beach advice doesn't fit neatly under sand, sun, or water. Here's the assorted stuff worth keeping in mind.Watch out for toxic algae, especially at lakes and ponds. This one is deadly serious and getting worse. Blue-green algae, technically cyanobacteria, blooms in warm, stagnant fresh water during summer, and can kill a dog within minutes to hours. There's no antidote. Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine is blunt about it: Exposure can cause liver failure, neurological injury, and death, and many dogs don't survive long enough to reach a hospital. Multiple states have already issued bloom advisories this summer. The water can look like pea soup, spilled paint, or have foam or scummy mats along the shoreline. The hard rule from vets: If the water looks off, keep your dog out of it entirely, and don't let them drink it or lick it off their fur afterward. When in doubt, stay out.Some dogs eat everything, and the beach is a buffet of bad options. Dead fish, discarded food, litter, sharp shells, sticks. Dr. Zoul has seen plenty of dogs get into things they shouldn't at the beach. For dogs who genuinely can't be dissuaded, she offers a practical suggestion most owners haven't considered: "You can always consider a basket muzzle for the short duration of being at the beach." It lets them pant and drink while blocking the snacking. Not for every dog, but a useful tool for the chronic scavengers.Hot sand burns paw pads. The same seven-second test that works for pavement works here. Press the back of your hand to the sand. If you can't hold it comfortably for seven seconds, it's too hot for your dog's feet. Burned pads are painful and slow to heal.Rinse them off before you leave. A thorough freshwater rinse gets rid of salt, sand, and anything else clinging to their coat, all of which can irritate skin or end up swallowed during post-beach grooming.Know where the emergency vet is. It's worth saying twice. Several of the worst beach scenarios, algae exposure, heat stroke, and saltwater poisoning, are time-sensitive emergencies where knowing where to go in advance can change the outcome.The Best Day of Their SummerFor all the hazards on this list, the beach really can be one of the best days a dog gets all year. The open space, the water, the smells, the undivided attention from their favorite person. Dogs love it for good reason. None of this is an argument against going.It's an argument for going prepared. Both Dr. Liff and Dr. Zoul keep seeing the same split. The owners who think through the heat, the water, and what their dog might get into tend to have the kind of beach day worth repeating. The ones who wing it are the ones telling a much worse story on the drive home. The difference usually comes down to a few items in a bag and a little attention.Keeping your dog's routine steady helps more than people expect, and that includes what they eat. A long, active day in the sun is hard enough on a dog's system without also introducing a new food into the mix. The fewer surprises you put your dog's body through on a big day out, the better they'll handle it.So pack the water, grab the life jacket, check the sand with the back of your hand, and go. Your dog won't remember whether the day was perfectly planned. They'll just remember the beach and the fact that you brought them along for it.This story was produced by Spot & Tango and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Makeup scams to watch out for before you buy your summer looks Makeup scams to watch out for before you buy your summer looksSummer travel and events drive a need for makeup looks that are not only seasonal trends, but can actually survive the hot and humid months. Scammers capitalize on this summer rush, knowing that many buyers make hasty decisions and don’t slow down to check whether they’re purchasing authentic beauty brands or products that deliver on their claims.The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reports that cosmetics rank among the top eight most counterfeited product categories worldwide, and the industry loses an estimated $5.4 billion a year to fakes, according to the OECD and the Personal Care Products Council. AI-generated endorsements and overhyped marketing claims play an increasingly significant role in this type of fraud. SmartCustomer dug into the research and recent reviews to flag scams and unsupported claims shoppers should watch for this summer.1. Counterfeit Cosmetics and Black Market SellersCounterfeit cosmetics and black market sellers target platforms built to take advantage of impulse buys. More than three-quarters (81%) of TikTok Shop US sales fall into beauty and health categories. One investigation found that around two-thirds of cosmetics bought from sellers on major online marketplaces were likely counterfeit, including products marketed under popular and trusted brand names. One SmartCustomer reviewer shared that they only found out after their purchase that a $60 product was fake. When they sent photos of the knock-off product to the original manufacturer, the company confirmed the product wasn’t theirs, which led to an investigation into the matter.Even if a consumer sees a familiar retailer name on a website, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that retailer manufactured or personally verified the products. Some major marketplaces host third-party sellers who handle their own inventory and fulfillment, a structure that has fueled years of litigation over who’s actually accountable when something goes wrong. For example, one SmartCustomer reviewer shared an issue that arose from this organizational structure. The reviewer ordered a product from a third-party seller on a website and even though the product never arrived, the hosting website still marked it as delivered.Counterfeit listings have two major red flags. The first significant red flag is price. A listing that is significantly cheaper than a brand’s official retail channels is suspect. Packaging is another significant red flag: Common tip-offs are blurry logos or missing batch codes.To protect yourself from this type of fraud:Buy directly from the brand’s own site.Confirm the retailer or third-party seller is an authorized partner of the original company.2. AI-Generated “Miracle” EndorsementsA 2025study by McAfee found that nearly 3 in 4 Americans (72%) have seen a fake celebrity or influencer endorsement online, and fewer than a third (29%) feel confident telling a real one from a fake. Beauty and skincare have become a preferred target. NordVPN cybersecurity researchers reported a surge in AI-generated endorsement videos for skincare and cosmetics circulating on TikTok and Instagram, some convincing enough to slip past the platforms’ own AI-content labels.Some of these accounts create an entirely fictional identity or backstory to help promote and sell products. Scammers also use deepfake videos of real people. For example, in 2025, a cybercrime ring used deepfake video of a supermodel to push fake skincare giveaways, tricking victims into paying shipping fees for products that never arrived. Another drawback of this scam is that the AI versions of people’s likenesses, which are unblemished and near perfect, reinforce the beauty industry’s unattainable and unrealistic standards.To protect yourself from this type of fraud:View any endorsement that promises dramatic results or pressures an immediate purchase with skepticism until you’ve done your own research.Confirm the product through the brand’s own official channels before buying.3. Overhyped Sun and Shade ClaimsNot every summer beauty product trap is necessarily counterfeit. Some sellers promise more for their products than they can deliver. For example, sunscreens and tinted moisturizers marketed as a “universal" shade” or “zero white cast” have drawn repeated pushback for falling short of claims when used on darker skin tones. For example, one organization pulled its “no white cast” and "universal tint" claims this year after users reported a visible cast. The company’s founder acknowledged the brand had “missed the mark” despite its own testing. Despite these claims, brands are not currently required to test these claims across a full range of skin tones before making them.Shade range isn't the only complaint. Some brands market beauty products as sweat- or water-resistant, only for users to find it melts off or won't blend into skin at all in the heat.Still other brands might also lead consumers to mistakenly believe that makeup with SPF is a substitute for sunscreen. In fact, cosmetic products with SPF should not replace sunscreen. According to dermatologist Anna Chien at Johns Hopkins Medicine, people rarely apply enough product to achieve the labeled SPF.To protect yourself from unsupported claims:Check reviews for repeated complaints about a product melting, separating, or not blending.Apply a dedicated sunscreen first, with SPF makeup layered on top. Don’t use makeup as your only protection.Before You BuyEach of these scams and false claims count on consumers making hasty decisions without taking the time to confirm whether sellers are legitimate. Before buying from an unfamiliar seller or clicking on an ad, following the advice above and taking a quick look at verified buyer reviews on a brand's official retail channels is well worth the additional time.This story was produced by SmartCustomer and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	3 men charged in Louisa County child exploitation investigation Three men were arrested after a three-month Louisa County investigation and face charges including grooming a minor, authorities said.
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	Optum to close Moline pharmacy, lay off 98 workers Nearly 100 workers will lose their jobs when Optum closes its Moline divvyDOSE pharmacy operation on Aug. 6.
	Why America's drug shortages are lasting longer Why America's drug shortages are lasting longerAsk two trusted sources how bad America's drug shortage problem is, and you get two answers that seem to come from different countries.By the Food and Drug Administration's count, 2024 was the calmest year in more than a decade. The FDA's drug center recorded just 15 new shortages that year. That is down from a peak of 251 in 2011, and it is the lowest total in ten years.But by the count that hospital pharmacists watch most closely, 2024 was the worst year on record.The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the University of Utah tracked 323 active shortages in the first three months of the year. That is the highest number since the two groups started counting in 2001.Both numbers are correct. The gap between them is the real story.The country has gotten better at stopping new shortages before they hit. It has gotten worse at ending the ones already underway. A problem that used to come in sudden waves has turned into a long-term condition.Below, Kivo, a quality management system and RegOps platform for life sciences teams, looks at how America's drug shortages became fewer but longer-lasting, and which medicines keep running short.New Shortages vs Active ShortagesThe FDA tracks new shortages, and only for a set list of drugs that patients truly need. It marks a shortage as over once supply catches up to demand across the country. Under that definition, new shortages have fallen steadily.The drop began in 2012, when Congress started requiring drugmakers to warn the FDA early about manufacturing problems. The FDA reported 49 new shortages in 2022, 55 in 2023, and 15 in 2024. The agency also says it quietly prevented 283 shortages in 2024 by working with drugmakers before supply ran out. That is up from 222 in 2022.ASHP casts a much wider net. It counts every drug that is short from a pharmacist's point of view. That includes products the FDA does not track. It also includes local or regional gaps that never grow into a national shortage.This is why the pharmacist count runs so much higher. ASHP found 323 active shortages at the 2024 peak. The FDA counted 113 ongoing shortages at the end of that same year.Neither number is a trick. One measures how often a new fire starts. The other measures how many fires are still burning. Put together, they describe a system that has learned to prevent fires while still struggling to put any out.Which Drugs Have The Worst Shortages?The drugs at the center of the problem are rarely the ones patients see in ads. They are the cheap, hard-to-make basics that hospitals cannot work without.Sterile injectable drugs top the list, and they have for years. These are drugs given through an IV or a syringe. About half of the shortages ASHP recorded in 2024 were injectable products. They are hard to make, they need special sterile factories, and they often come from only one or two suppliers. So a single problem at one plant can ripple across the whole country.Sorted by type, the top of the 2024 shortage list included central nervous system drugs, antibiotics, hormone drugs, chemotherapy drugs, and IV fluids. Cancer care sits right in that mix. Generic injectable chemotherapy drugs and the emergency medicines kept on hospital crash carts have been among the most stubborn and worrying gaps, according to ASHP. Controlled substances make up a real share too, about 15% of active shortages in recent quarters. That pulls the Drug Enforcement Administration into the picture alongside the FDA.The Number That Explains The StoryCounting shortages tells you how many drugs are scarce right now. It misses the change that has really reshaped the problem. Shortages now last far longer than they used to.About half of the active shortages ASHP tracked in 2024 had already lasted two years or more. A Senate committee found that the average shortage runs about a year and a half. At least 15 critical drugs have been short for more than a decade. Some long-running shortages have started to ease lately. Even so, the backlog stays heavy. In one recent count, more than three out of four active shortages had started in 2022 or later.That length is what turns a short-term blip into a lasting health problem. A drug that is scarce for three weeks is a headache a hospital can plan around. A drug that is scarce for three years forces permanent workarounds. Staff have to switch patients to backup drugs that may work less well. They have to make hard choices about who gets a limited supply. And pharmacists end up spending their days hunting for substitutes instead of caring for patients.Why Why Shortages Are Lasting LongerDrugmakers rarely explain themselves. When the University of Utah looked at the causes behind 2023 shortages, 60% were listed as unknown, or the maker simply would not say.Of the reasons that were given, three came up most:Supply-and-demand problemsManufacturing problemsBusiness decisionsEach accounted for about an eighth of cases, with raw-material issues making up a small share as well.Behind that silence sit a few weak spots that show up again and again.Weak Point 1: Manufacturing is too centralizedA large share of a key drug's supply can rest on a single factory. So one accident becomes a national event. In 2023, a tornado damaged a Pfizer plant that made close to 8% of the sterile injectables used across the country. That one event helped trigger a string of shortages.In the fall of 2024, Hurricane Helene flooded a Baxter plant in Marion, North Carolina. It was one of the largest sources of IV and dialysis fluids in the United States. By some estimates, it supplied about 60% of the nation's IV fluids. The FDA helped restart the plant in about 60 days and allowed emergency imports of millions of units from overseas. Still, the flood showed how thin the margin really is.Weak Point 2: The supply chain reaches far overseas.About 60% of the active ingredients in U.S. prescription drugs come from India, China, and the European Union. That leaves whole groups of medicine exposed to political tension abroad and to failures at suppliers most Americans will never hear of.Weak Point 3: Generics aren't as profitable.Many essential drugs in shortage are cheap generics. Their profit margins are so thin that makers have little reason to expand or even to enter the market. An IQVIA study found that 37% of generics approved between 2013 and early 2024 never launched at all. It also found that most approved generics take more than four years to reach patients.When a drug is approved but never made, the market will not fix the shortage on its own.Surprise Demand Also Impacts ShortagesNot every recent shortage came from a broken factory. Two of the most visible ones came from demand shooting past supply. Both became household news.ADHD stimulants landed on the FDA's shortage list in October 2022 and have stayed there. They are tangled up with the DEA's power to cap how much of a controlled drug makers can produce. In 2024, the FDA formally asked the DEA to raise the production limit for lisdexamfetamine, a common ADHD medicine. The DEA granted the increase that September. Pharmacists have also warned about a DEA change that sets stimulant limits every three months instead of once a year. They say it makes it harder for makers to plan efficient production runs.The GLP-1 drugs tell a similar story from the business side. These are the weight-loss and diabetes drugs sold as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. Demand for them roughly doubled after 2020. It outran even a big push to build new factories, and the drugs sat on the shortage list for months. As new capacity came online, those shortages have mostly eased.As evidenced by these examples, demand-driven shortages usually don't last as long, since the money that comes with them usually incentivizes fast increases on the supply-side.How National and State Governments RespondDrug shortages have become a lasting item on the agenda in Congress. The government response now runs on several tracks at once.The FDA leans on a familiar set of tools. It speeds up reviews and inspections for makers trying to restart or grow production. It extends expiration dates when safety data allows. And it bends some rules on a temporary basis. In 2024, the agency fast-tracked 225 filings, moved 20 inspections up the line, and used this kind of flexibility 107 times. It has also pushed makers to build stronger quality systems through a voluntary program, since quality problems sit underneath many shortages. In 2024 it opened a public website so doctors and patients can report new gaps directly.The limits of these tools are getting clearer. In April 2025, the Government Accountability Office reported that the Department of Health and Human Services still had no formal way to coordinate shortage work across the FDA and its sister agencies. The GAO also kept the FDA's oversight of drug shortages on its High-Risk List. As the FDA itself has said, it cannot solve the problem alone.States have stopped waiting. Their approaches differ, but most fall into a few buckets. Some stockpile critical medicines. Some give pharmacists more room to swap in backup drugs. And some push for more transparency. A proposed New York law would create a public, searchable list of drugs in shortage, along with the pharmacies that still stock them. In 2025, Hawaii's Medicaid program adopted a plan that lets foreign-approved drugs fill in when a medicine is short. Federal regulators, for their part, finalized a rule to help small hospitals keep a backup supply of essential drugs.The Path ForwardPut the two sources side by side, and the path forward comes into focus. The early-warning system Congress built after the 2011 crisis works. Fewer shortages start now, and the FDA heads off hundreds more before they surface. What the system has not solved is how long shortages last. The ones that do take hold now dig in for years. They cluster in the cheap, single-source, injectable drugs that hospitals depend on and the market keeps refusing to fix.The headline number will keep bouncing between a few dozen and a few hundred, depending on who is counting and when. The more telling figure is the one that barely moves. It is the share of shortages that have already lasted longer than two years, and the patients quietly routed around them the entire time.This story was produced by Kivo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Why concerns about tap water quality are getting harder to ignore Why concerns about tap water quality are getting harder to ignoreMost people assume their tap water has already been tested for anything that could affect their health. Public water systems do test and treat drinking water to meet current standards, but research is moving quickly, and scientists continue to discover potentially harmful substances that may be in drinking water before regulations are updated to address them. That gap is putting tap water under closer scrutiny.Case in point: Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency added microplastics, pharmaceuticals, PFAS ("forever chemicals"), disinfection byproducts, and other substances to a draft drinking water watch list used to evaluate contaminants that may occur in public water supplies. Being added to the list does not mean a contaminant is harmful at the levels found in drinking water, but it does signal that regulators believe it deserves closer study.Recent findings show why the topic feels timely across North America. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that at least 45% of U.S. tap water may contain one or more types of PFAS, while researchers have reported microplastics in tap water, bottled water, and human tissues and organs. Canada has also moved PFAS guidance forward, with an objective for a group of PFAS in drinking water due to concerns about long-term exposure.So what exactly could be in the water you drink, cook with, and use every day? As Culligan explains, the answer can depend on where you live, how your local water is treated, and which substances researchers and regulators are still working to understand.Why emerging contaminants are receiving more attentionThe growing attention around emerging contaminants can feel sudden, especially because many of these substances have been in use for years. What has changed is the science around them: Researchers can now detect smaller traces of chemicals and particles in water, and public agencies are taking a wider look at substances that older regulations were not built to address.The EPA watch list captures that broader focus. According to the Federal Register notice, the draft list includes 75 chemicals, four chemical groups, and nine microbes that may occur in public drinking water and may warrant closer review. For consumers, it points to a changing regulatory landscape, where agencies are looking beyond familiar contaminants while many newer concerns are still being studied.The contaminants scientists are watching most closelyThe contaminants drawing attention are not all the same. Some come from industrial products, some from consumer goods, and some can form during water treatment. Together, they show why the conversation around water quality is widening beyond the contaminants many people already know.PFASPFAS are often called forever chemicals because they break down very slowly in the environment. They have been used in products such as stain-resistant fabrics, nonstick cookware, food packaging, and firefighting foams, which have contributed to their presence in water, soil, and air. Studies have linked exposure to certain PFAS to increased risks of some cancers, reduced immune function, and developmental concerns.MicroplasticsMicroplastics are tiny plastic fragments that can come from larger plastic items as they break down or from products manufactured with small plastic particles. They have been found in rivers, lakes, bottled water, and tap water, and recent reviews have reported microplastics in human tissues and organs, adding to public concern while scientists continue to investigate what widespread exposure may mean for long-term health.PharmaceuticalsPharmaceuticals can enter the water cycle through human waste, agricultural runoff, and improper disposal. These substances include prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and veterinary medicines.Water treatment can reduce some pharmaceutical compounds, but treatment capabilities vary by substance and system. Major health agencies, such as the World Health Organization, describe significant health risks as unlikely based on current exposure levels, though pharmaceuticals remain an area of ongoing research and public interest.Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with hormones and may come from plastics, pesticides, personal care products, or industrial processes. Because there are many types and multiple exposure routes, researchers are still working to understand their role in drinking water quality.What emerging water contaminants mean to youWater quality has become a mainstream concern, with media coverage of new research findings helping to spark conversations across North America. In some communities, public recognition of potential health risks is turning into action. Residents of Hazelbrook, P.E.I., for example, are suing the government over PFAS contamination in their drinking water.Navigating federal policy can feel confusing, but knowing what the rules actually mean can clear up a lot of uncertainty. While the EPA finalized national drinking water limits on "forever chemicals" in 2024, public water systems have years to comply, meaning strict enforcement won’t fully kick in until 2031 or later. Furthermore, recent federal updates mean these rules will focus on the two most common types of PFAS (PFOA and PFOS). Recognizing this long runway doesn't mean you are powerless — it simply gives you the reality you need to take control of your own home filtration with complete peace of mind.While broader solutions are underway, you don’t have to sit with the uncertainty of what's coming out of your tap. Taking a look at your community’s annual water quality report is a simple first step to clearing up any doubts. It's important to note that your local water provider is not necessarily testing for these emerging contaminants yet, as it is not required, so this should just be a starting point. The best step is to get your water tested, learn about certified water filters, and understand how your local utility treats its supply, which can give you total peace of mind and complete control over what’s in your glass.How to stay informed as water standards evolveAdvances in testing and monitoring are providing more data than ever before. As scientists learn more about contaminants in drinking water, consumers may see evolving guidelines, new technologies, and greater pressure for transparency from public agencies and water providers.Understanding what is in your water, following updates from trusted scientific and public health organizations, and knowing which treatment options are designed for specific contaminants can help you make informed decisions as standards continue to evolve.This story was produced by Culligan and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Friday, July 10th, 2026

Thursday, July 9th, 2026