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

Friday, March 27th, 2026
	Private Messler's War This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.By the time Private Basil Messler left Camp McClellan in Davenport on March 23rd, 1864 and headed south for his stint…
	Scientists watch sperm whales work as a team to assist a birth An unprecedented look at the birth of a sperm whale found that mother and calf were supported by other whales throughout the process.
	Rubio heads to Europe to try garner support for Iran war Representatives of the world's wealthiest democracies gather in France today for a G7 meeting, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to try to shore up support among reticent allies for the Trump administration's war on Iran.
	Our quiz writer made yet another Tom Bombadil reference this week. Can you spot it? How well do you know your "Lord of the Rings"? What about AI, Washington landmarks and TSA wait times? Find out!
	Do you lean optimistic or pessimistic? Take this quiz and find out A glass-half-full outlook can keep you engaged and hopeful in hard times. Take this quiz to find out your level of optimism, then learn how to train yourself to become more optimistic.
	Why some airports have long security lines and others don't Airport security lines are stretching for hours at some major hubs, but at others, travelers are through in minutes.
	Senate votes to fund much of DHS, minus immigration enforcement The Senate approved a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, early Friday. The bill does not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
	Judge weighs whether Venezuela can pay Maduro's legal costs in US drug trafficking case A U.S. judge pressed the Trump administration Thursday about its basis for barring Venezuela's government from paying former President Nicolás Maduro's legal fees in the drug trafficking case that has put him behind bars in New York.
	Ninth-seeded Iowa continues improbable March run, beating Nebraska 77-71 to reach Elite Eight Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal on Thursday night.
Thursday, March 26th, 2026
	Humility Homes and Services’ new campaign has raised $2.7M Humility Homes and Services launched a campaign Thursday that’s already raised $2.7 million.
	A surprise resignation could open the door for an independent to win a Montana Senate seat Two-term GOP Sen. Steve Daines shocked Montana when he announced his retirement. Democrats worry a new independent candidate will split their party's vote.
	Army civilian employees at RI Arsenal face reassignments, job losses: Union On March 23, employees at Rock Island Arsenal’s (RIA) Army Sustainment Command (ASC) and Joint Munitions Command (JMC) received email notifications about the status of their positions, according to Steve Beck, president, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 15, in a news release More than 100 employees at multiple RIA organizations were informed that [...]
	Knox County State's Attorney explains sentencing in 2024 fatal hit-and-run Difficulties with proving intoxication contributed to the crash meant the DUI wasn't charged as a felony.
	University of Iowa professor explains ruling against YouTube and Meta Platforms have largely been immune from liability for posts on their platform, but this case centered on how the platforms themselves were engineered.
	State's attorney explains sentencing in fatal hit-and-run Difficulties with proving intoxication contributed to the crash meant a DUI wasn't considered a felony.
	Ninth-seeded Iowa continues improbable March run, beating Nebraska 77-71 to reach Elite Eight The Hawkeyes are headed to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987.
	Vehicle hits Hungry Hobo on Avenue of the Cities in Moline News 8 was at the scene and saw damage to the front of the restaurant. Several emergency vehicles responded.
	Lisa Bluder speaks at River Bend’s Women Fighting Hunger fundraiser The event was sold-out and nearly 600 people gathered at Rhythm City Casino in Davenport to raise money to fight hunger in schools in Illinois and Iowa.
	State of the City: What's ahead for East Moline? East Moline city officials had the annual state of the city on Thursday. Mayor Reggie Freeman and other city officials spoke about projects completed and those in the works and planned for the future, mainly stemming around construction, whether that's improving the city's downtown or replacing aging infrastructure. The aging water infrastructure has become costly [...]
	'Violins of Hope' concert at Figge, Davenport, teaches about Holocaust A group of musicians put on a concert Thursday night as part of a program to teach people about the Holocaust. The Violins of Hope are on display in museums in the Quad Cities area. The instruments are being taken to schools and used in concerts. More than 70 violins in the display belonged to [...]
	Ninth-seeded Iowa continues improbable March run, beating Nebraska 77-71 to reach Sweet 16 Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal on Thursday night.
	The depleted Education Department will move out of its headquarters In August, Education Department employees will relocate to a smaller office roughly a block away, and the larger Energy Department will take over the old headquarters.
	Davenport, Humane Society agree to split after impasse over animal control services Humane Society board members and city council members met Thursday in a joint session on the future of animal control services in Davenport.
	SUV crashes into Hungry Hobo, Moline An SUV drove into a Hungry Hobo restaurant shortly after 6:15 p.m. Thursday, when people were eating inside at 1635 Avenue of the Cities, Moline. Our Quad Cities News crew arrived to see caution tape over a hole in the wall, where a pile of glass lay nearby. A mound of bricks had collapsed in [...]
	Longtime East Moline Fire Department member selected as next chief Darrin Armstrong is a longtime member of the East Moline Fire Department and current battalion chief.
	Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration's Anthropic ban The order briefly stops the government from labeling tech company Anthropic a "supply chain risk," calling that "classic First Amendment retaliation."
	Trump says he'll sign order to pay TSA agents as Congress struggles to reach funding deal It's an extraordinary move that came as senators were reviewing a "last and final" offer to end the funding impasse that has jammed airports and disrupted travel, just as TSA workers faced another missed paycheck Friday.
	$383 million extra: What Iowa funding could be cut One of the resources for mental health in our area says it's at risk of closing. Life Connections Peer Recovery Services in Clinton County, Iowa offers free mental health and addiction support.That could change as soon as July of this year if state funding isn't available. "People won't have what they need. They'll be begging [...]
	Vehicle crashes into Hungry Hobo in Moline causing damage KWQC crews are at the scene and can see damage to Hungry Hobo near Avenue of the Cities and 16th Street.
	Inside Iowa Politics: Three tax increases Iowa Republicans are considering Iowa Republicans are considering a series of tax increase, while they also look at property tax reform.
	Remarkable Women: Meet the duo behind The Third Place Every Tuesday in March, Our Quad Cities News has highlighted some remarkable women in the Quad Cities who've made a remarkable impact. Christie Adamson and Cloey Miller are co-founders of The Third Place in Rock Island. The nonprofit hasn't even been open for 6 months, but its immediate impact on the unsheltered populations throughout the [...]
	Remarkable Women: Tracy Chew Every Tuesday in March, Our Quad Cities News has highlighted some remarkable women in the Quad Cities area. Tracy Chew is a woman who does it all - for everyone else. She's making quite the impact in her Burlington community and beyond. A woman who wears many hats, Chew is defined by her service throughout [...]
	Vehicle hits Hungry Hobo on Avenue of the Cities in Moline News 8 was at the scene and saw damage to the front of the restaurant. Several emergency vehicles responded.
	Safety mapping for Iowa schools continues, but districts must now foot the bill The national company, GeoComm, creates detailed maps of districts and possible escape routes during emergencies, meant to help first responders.
	Atkinson junior named Illinois FFA state winner in swine production Kolby Causemaker has spent her whole life raising, showing, breeding & selling swine. In an industry where so much can go wrong, she says she lets failure push her.
	Atkinson junior named Illinois FFA state winner in swine production Kolby Causemaker has spent her whole life raising, showing, breeding & selling swine. In an industry where so much can go wrong, she says she lets failure push her.
	Quad Cities River Bandits owner donates portrait by Preston Sampson to Figge Art Museum To celebrate the donation, the Figge will offer free admission to anyone who attends a River Bandits game on opening week, which starts April 7.
	Sustainable gardening tips for spring Sustainable gardening is a way to create a beautiful yard while saving money and protecting the environment.
	Freddy's to open in Galesburg Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers will be opening in Galesburg Illinois on March 30. It will be located at 1597 N. Henderson Street. Hours will be from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 11:00p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. “We feel thrilled to bring the Freddy’s experience to the Galesburg [...]
	Logan Street in Muscatine will temporarily close for traffic Logan Street in Muscatine will be closed to traffic from Newell Avenue to Pinefield Street starting Monday March 30, a news release says. There will be a detour from Newell Avenue to Devitt Avenue, then to West Fulliam Avenue. The construction is part of the West Hill Sanitary and Storm Sewer Separation Project. Parking will [...]
	Sen. Chuck Grassley: Put year-round E15 in Iran war funding package Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley hopes to pass legislation requiring year-round nationwide E15 sales by placing it in Congress’ next Iran war funding package
	WATCH LIVE: Iowa prepares to take on Nebraska in Sweet 16 Pregame and postgame coverage will be starting at 5:30pm.
	Severe weather risk update for tonight Getting ready for some incoming showers and storms for our Thursday night here in the Quad Cities. Our chances of severe weather have improved from yesterday from a slight risk to a marginal risk for the metro Quad Cities. We are still seeing a slight risk of severe weather for our Southeastern areas. As these [...]
	Illinois and Iowa ready for Sweet Sixteen in Houston Illinois and Iowa will be playing in the Sweet Sixteen Thursday night in the South Regional in Houston. Iowa will play Nebraska at 6:30 p.m.
	Librarian turns 90, still on the job after nearly seven decades in Princeton Douglas Elementary School in Princeton is celebrating a major milestone for a longtime member of its community.
	At least 4 cars involved in crash on Kimberly Road, Davenport At least four cars were involved in a crash about 4 p.m. Thursday in westbound traffic on the east side of Kimberly Road, Davenport, near Jersey Ridge Road. Our Quad Cities News Crew saw a tow truck in the area. We do not know whether anyone was injured or ticketed.
	The Heart of the Story: Healing their community 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. Many kids want to become firefighters, police officers [...]
	District: Bomb threat found not credible after Davenport West High School evacuated The school was evacuated out of an abundance of caution after the Davenport Police Department alerted school administration of the potential threat.
	Crews prepping East Moline Speedway for next season The first race of the East Moline Speedway season will take place on April 12.
	Crime Stoppers: Man wanted in Rock Island County for failure to appear Michael Christ, 45, is wanted in Rock Island County for failure to appear in court on a charge of delivery or possession with intent to deliver meth.
	Crime Stoppers: Man wanted by the Iowa Department of Corrections for escape Keshawn Hill, 28, is wanted by the Iowa Department of Corrections for escape from the Davenport Residential Correctional Facility.
	Crime Stoppers: Reward increased for arrest of man charged after motorcycle crash Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities is offering a $2,000 cash reward for a tip that leads to the arrest of 41-year-old Alex Uthoff.
	Lawmakers advance Pritzker’s school cell phone ban, social media regulations Among the bills is Children’s Social Media Safety Act, which would require social media companies to confirm a user’s age through the device’s operating system and more.
	Celebrate the local food scene at QC Restaurant Week You can get out and celebrate the varied food scene here in the QCA! Katrina Keuning joined Our Quad Cities News with all the delicious details of QC Restaurant Week. For more information, click here.
	Car-smash fundraiser at Happy Joe's will support Melody of Hope Advocacy Center will host a car-smash fundraiser on Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to noon at Happy Joe’s Pizza & Jungle Bungle in Davenport, a news release says. The fundraiser is being held to raise funds and awareness for child abuse prevention. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. The car-smash fundraiser [...]
	Augustana College presents Futurist Thinking Series: 'What AI Can't Teach' Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere now and used in many everyday tasks. Augustana College is addressing AI in its Futurist Thinking Series. Alex Mayszak joined Our Quad Cities News to talk about 'What AI Can't Teach: Belonging, Humanity and the Purpose of College.' For more information, click here.
	Safety mapping for Iowa schools continues, but districts must now foot the bill The national company, GeoComm, creates detailed maps of districts and possible escape routes during emergencies, meant to help first responders.
	Date set for beatification mass for Peoria native The mass for archbishop Fulton Sheen will take place on Thursday, Sept. 24 in St. Louis.
	Businesses across Quad Cities benefit from Iowa's March Madness run As Iowa men's basketball's miraculous run continues, stores such as the Black & Gold Shop are seeing energetic fans come through their doors. "(The fans are) just so excited. They're so supportive of the team," said Sofeya Mewes, Black & Gold Shop manager. "They love who they are just in general, no matter who is [...]
	East Moline works in partnerships on many improvement projects East Moline city leaders shared positive updates at the annual “State of the City” luncheon Thursday at the Bend Event Center.
	Augustana College hosting panel on the use of artificial intelligence in education and work Artificial intelligence can draft essays, analyze data, generate images, and accelerate research in seconds. As machines grow more capable, the question becomes more urgent: What must remain distinctly human? Join Augustana faculty, alumni, students, and regional leaders for a candid conversation about how higher education should respond to AI, not with fear or retreat, but with clarity and design.
	Man sentenced to 5 years for possessing nearly a dozen guns as a felon In January 2025, police found 11 firearms at the Clinton home of 22-year-old Caleb J. McManus, according to court documents.
	District: Bomb threat found not credible after Davenport West High School evacuated The school was evacuated out of an abundance of caution after the Davenport Police Department alerted school administration of the potential threat.
	Ascentra gives $7,500 to Serving Humanity Beyond Humility Ascentra Credit Union has given a $7,500 donation to Serving Humanity Beyond Humility (SHBH), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting family growth, emotional support, and community strength in Rock Island, a news release says. This contribution supports SHBH’s efforts to open a new community outreach facility designed to serve veterans, children, and the elderly by [...]
	Death Notice: Joseph Ragona A Mass of Christian Burial for Joseph Ragona Jr., 87, of Donahue, will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, at St. Ann's Catholic Church, Long Grove. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service on Monday at the church. Burial will be in St. Ann's Cemetery. Chambers Funeral Home, Eldridge, is assisting the family with arrangements. Mr. Ragona died Saturday, March 21, 2026, at his home. Memorials may be made to the family. Online condolences may be made at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com. A full obituary will appear in the April 1 edition of The NSP.
	Man charged with drug possession, intent to deliver A man has been charged with drug possession and intent to deliver.
	The energy needed to power the AI revolution (BPT) - On the night of March 2, 2026, millions of workers around the world opened their laptops and found Claude — one of the world's most widely used AI assistants — was down. The outage lasted hours. It was a small but pointed reminder of how dependent modern work has become on AI, and how fragile the infrastructure behind it can be. The grid that powers that infrastructure is under more strain than most people realize — and the vulnerabilities don't stop at the data center door. They come home with us.Today, the world is spending hundreds of billions of dollars building the energy infrastructure needed to power AI, including data centers, grid upgrades and new power plants. That scale is just beginning. Fast forward to 2030, when the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects global data center electricity consumption will nearly double.Here's why: A single AI hyperscaler (like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure or AWS) consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, driving an estimated $720 billion in grid spending through the end of the decade.The world recognizes that AI needs a massive energy infrastructure. But what do homes need in this era of AI-powered functionality? Leading provider of innovative solar generators and renewable energy solutions Jackery has been anticipating this question for 14 years.The AI revolution comes homeWhile data centers power the AI infrastructure, the AI revolution is rapidly moving into homes — and with it, each home needs what data centers need: reliable, always-on, clean power.But that power is far from guaranteed. The tension between AI's explosive energy appetite and the fragility of the grid it depends on is not a future concern — it's playing out right now. A single AI workload consumes roughly 1,000 times more electricity than a traditional web search, while geopolitical instability, supply chain disruptions and an already-strained electrical grid are exposing just how vulnerable that infrastructure is. Homes are no exception to this vulnerability.How fast is this happening? The average U.S. home has 21 connected devices today, which will only keep increasing. The AI smart home market is growing at 21.3% annually, toward $104 billion by 2034, with the smart home penetration forecast to reach 92.5% globally by 2029.The grid powering all of it is already under pressure. According to NERC's 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment, several major U.S. regions — including Texas, the Midwest and the Southwest — face a real risk of supply shortfalls during peak demand periods. Most people can't control what happens at the grid level. But they can start building energy resilience at home.Smart homes need reliable power for optimal functionality, and this demand will be increasingly crucial over the next several years. Fortunately, Jackery has already built solutions homes need for the AI era.Home power solutions for the futureThe Jackery company anticipated this residential convergence 14 years ago, and has been building toward it ever since. Back in 2012, Jackery built a portable battery for outdoor adventures. Building on principles of flexibility, independence and reliability, the company's strategy focused on developing products putting power safely and predictably in the hands of homeowners to meet growing energy needs.Fourteen years later, the company has expanded its portfolio beyond solar generators, solar panels, and power stations into the Jackery Essential Home Backup Solution (EHB) — a whole-home energy category built around what homeowners actually need. It matches the output of a traditional gas generator without the noise, fumes, fuel costs or safety hazards. It reduces dependence on an increasingly strained grid, putting control back in the hands of the homeowner. It's a long-term investment that pays off through lower energy bills and lasting independence. And it runs on clean, renewable energy — silent, emissions-free and ready when the grid isn't. Products like the HomePower 3600 Plus and the Solar Generator 5000 Plus bring that vision to life in homes today. Today, Jackery's vision includes groundbreaking energy solutions designed specifically for the AI era — including products on the horizon that will keep homes powered and connected even when the grid goes dark. That vision is already taking shape with innovations like the Solar Mars Bot, debuted at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, which uses AI-enhanced computer vision to autonomously drive as it offers mobile energy, intelligently repositioning itself based on light conditions and recharging using its own retractable solar panels.The company also seeks effective global partnerships, signing a Proactive Safety Battery Cell R&D alliance with DeSay Battery to co-develop the world's first safer and smarter DIY home energy storage solution. Jackery also founded a consortium of leading global consumer technology brands that run on its infrastructure. The Jackery Consortium shares Jackery's commitment to catalyze the next era of energy storage, management and independence. It also helps consumers maximize energy independence by ensuring consumer devices and AI systems are compatible with their power stations.These crucial milestones highlight Jackery's roadmap to the AI revolution, which the company has been actively preparing for over the past decade.Key technology investmentsSuccess in times of rapid technological change depends on meeting the moment in terms of the details while also envisioning future needs. A proactive, whole-home approach anticipates energy requirements for multiple interconnected smart devices. Even better is a system that analyzes energy consumption, solar yield and live electricity prices in real time.Anticipating problems and protecting power stations from potential safety hazards and structural damage, Jackery's exclusive AI-powered ChargeShield 2.0 technology integrates 62 protective mechanisms, ensuring comprehensive battery management and enhanced safety for the power station and any connected devices.These technology advancements exemplify how the company invests its time and resources. Jackery sees the big picture — including the need to create a power infrastructure that other AI brands can depend on. From the R&D leadership exemplified by last year's Desay Battery Proactive Safety AI Prismatic Cell alliance from RE+2025 to the founding of the Jackery Consortium together with Rokid, Viture, XTOOL and Heybike, the company prioritizes strategic partnerships during this age of rapid tech developments.Why energy needs to be "always on"No longer just a convenience, today's AI-powered devices and systems require uninterrupted power to effectively respond to commands. AI relies on continuous connectivity and ongoing analysis in order to offer real-time security and integration of each home's AI-powered devices and energy management systems.When there's a power grid failure, the Jackery Essential Home Backup (EHB) system's 0ms–20ms Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) switchover means AI-powered homes experience zero perceptible interruption, providing the safety net devices and systems need to keep running without losing data or crashing.Jackery energy systems optimize energy usage in real time, making more efficient use of photovoltaic systems for solar yield optimization and increasing self-consumption of solar power. Additional safety features include Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery cells technology for enhanced stability. And for homeowners who want to stay ahead of the curve, Jackery has a new generation of AI-integrated energy systems on the way, purpose-built for a world where keeping the lights on is no longer optional.Jackery's Solar Mars Bot was created with energy independence in mind, with AI-enhanced computer vision that lets it autonomously reposition itself for maximum solar yield.Always-on, always-ready devices and systems ensure AI-powered homes provide homeowners with continuous safety, comfort and energy.Homes of tomorrowBuilding on today's technology, Jackery envisions the home of tomorrow as generating its own clean energy, managed with AI intelligence that's shared across connected devices — and never going dark. Jackery is already working toward that vision."When Jackery started 14 years ago, our mission was simple: give people reliable power wherever life takes them. Over the past decade, we've earned trust by solving real problems with portable power as the way people live, work and rely on electricity has fundamentally shifted," said Steven Wang, VP of Jackery's Americas Business Department. "Looking ahead to the next 10 years, we're expanding that original promise into a broader vision of power self-sufficiency, transforming the home into an intelligent, solar-powered ecosystem. This is the beginning of our next chapter, where energy is cleaner, smarter and firmly back in the hands of consumers."Discover where the future of energy is headed at Jackery.com.
	Muscatine Fire Department fleet back to full strength with new ambulance after crash The total cost of the new ambulance was $297,000. After insurance reimbursement, the city's cost was about $5,000.
	The science of bra fit: Why the right support matters more than style The science of bra fit: Why the right support matters more than styleFor many women, choosing a bra is guided largely by aesthetics, with lace, color, and silhouette taking priority over support. Yet beneath that everyday decision lies a health conversation that has gone largely unaddressed.Research suggests the majority of women are wearing the wrong bra size, often without realizing it, and the effects extend well beyond simple discomfort. From ongoing shoulder strain to subtle changes in posture, the way a bra fits can influence how the body carries weight throughout the day.What makes this particularly striking is not only how common the issue is, but how little most women are ever taught to recognize it. In this article, Felina examines the science of bra fit.The Surprising Statistics Behind Bra FitClinical research suggests that between 70% and 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size, according to research published by the National Institutes of Health. The figure is striking on its own, but the reasons behind it point to something more systemic.Many women are fitted infrequently, if at all, and often rely on measurements taken years earlier. Yet the body rarely stays the same. Weight fluctuations, pregnancy, hormonal shifts, and aging all alter breast tissue in ways that years-old measurements simply cannot account for.Compounding that, bra sizing standards vary widely across brands, meaning the same labeled size can fit entirely differently depending on the manufacturer. As lingerie expert and professional bra fitter Kim Caldwell noted to Business Insider, “Bras fit like jeans: You may wear a different size based on the brand, the cut, the material.”Without consistent industry standards or routine professional fittings, accurate sizing becomes less predictable and more a matter of chance.Understanding the Biomechanics of Breast SupportUnlike muscle, breast tissue cannot support itself. Breasts are composed primarily of fatty tissue and Cooper’s ligaments, a network of fibrous connective tissue that anchors the breast to the chest wall and skin.These ligaments are not built for sustained load-bearing, which makes external support more important than most women are taught to consider. According to research from Stony Brook Medicine, the skin acts as the outer supportive envelope, and once that tissue stretches under the force of gravity and repeated movement, the effects are largely irreversible.This is where structural design becomes critical. Support is intended to come from the bra itself, beginning with the band, which wraps around the ribcage and anchors weight across the torso. The straps are meant to stabilize positioning rather than carry load.When the band fails to do its job, weight redistributes onto the shoulders and neck, placing compressive stress on the muscles and connective tissue of the upper back, a mechanical imbalance the body was never designed to absorb on a daily basis.How Poor Bra Fit Can Affect Posture and ComfortOver time, inadequate breast support can pull the body’s center of gravity forward, causing the shoulders to round and the upper spine to follow.Chiropractor Emily Kiberd, founder of the Urban Wellness Clinic, told Vogue that insufficient support leads to “chronic postural overload,” placing excess strain on the neck and contributing to muscle tightness, tension headaches, and nerve discomfort.For women with larger bust sizes, these effects are amplified, as greater breast mass increases the mechanical load on the thoracic spine. When support is properly distributed across the torso rather than concentrated at the shoulders, the musculoskeletal load decreases considerably.Signs a Bra May Not Fit ProperlyRecognizing a poor fit is more straightforward than it often appears, because the body communicates it clearly. A band that rides up in the back can indicate a lack of proper anchoring, while straps that dig into the skin often suggest they are carrying more weight than intended.Cups that gap or spill over point to a mismatch in size or shape, and underwires that press into breast tissue rather than resting against the ribcage can signal an improper fit. Many women also notice a need for constant adjustment throughout the day, along with skin irritation, red marks, or areas of chafing after wear.As lingerie expert Robynne Winchester noted to Healthline, “The most common bra fit issue is a cup that’s too small and a band that’s too loose,” a pairing that quietly undermines support entirely. A well-fitted bra requires none of that negotiation. It should feel secure, balanced, and structurally stable from the first wear.Why Fit Education Remains LimitedMost women never receive formal guidance on bra fitting, and the sizing systems they encounter offer little clarity. Bra sizing is not standardized across the industry, meaning the same labeled size can vary considerably from one manufacturer to the next, as reported by Popular Science.The shift toward online shopping has compounded this further, removing the already limited opportunity for professional, in-person assessments. Meanwhile, cultural messaging around lingerie has long prioritized aesthetics over structural function, conditioning consumers to evaluate fit by appearance rather than support.According to research cited by The Conversation, millions of women continue wearing ill-fitting bras despite documented health consequences, a pattern that points less to indifference and more to a persistent, systemic gap in consumer education.Improving Awareness Around Bra FitBra size is not a fixed number, and treating it as one is where most fitting errors begin. Experts recommend remeasuring every six to 12 months, with more frequent checks following pregnancy, weight changes, or hormonal shifts.Sizing also varies across brands and styles, so a fit that works in one cut may not translate directly to another, often requiring reassessment with each new purchase. Bra sizing is one of the few areas in apparel where consumers are expected to navigate a highly technical fit system, and sizing can vary from brand to brand.When possible, seeking a professional fitting, available at specialty lingerie boutiques and trained retail departments, offers a level of precision that self-measurement rarely achieves.Beyond sizing, fit longevity depends on replacing bras once elasticity fades, as a stretched band can no longer redistribute weight effectively, regardless of cup size.Most importantly, research and fit guidelines emphasize that support should come primarily from the band rather than the straps, reinforcing stability across the torso. Understanding that distinction alone can meaningfully change how a bra performs.Rethinking Support: The Changing Perspective on Bra FitThe discussion around bra fit is beginning to receive the scientific and consumer attention it has long lacked. For years, the focus has remained on aesthetics, while the physical role of support and its connection to posture, comfort, and musculoskeletal health have received far less attention in everyday conversations.With a majority of women estimated to be wearing the wrong size, and many never having received formal fitting guidance, the gap between knowledge and practice remains significant. Research continues to show that small, informed adjustments in fit can have a measurable impact on how the body feels and functions throughout the day.Periodic remeasurement, a focus on band support, and access to professional fittings reflect simple, evidence-based shifts that align with how the body is meant to be supported. As awareness grows, so does the opportunity to improve daily comfort in ways that are both practical and lasting.This story was produced by Felina and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Trump has deployed ICE agents to the nation's airports. What 's their role? The president says ICE agents are being stationed at airports to help reduce long wait times. Here's a look at what they're authorized to do.
	Trump has deployed ICE agents to the nation's airports. What's their role? The president says ICE agents are being stationed at airports to help reduce long wait times. Here's a look at what they're authorized to do.
	Scott County Sheriff’s Office warns of law enforcement impersonation scams The sheriff’s office shared common scenarios used by scammers to help people know what to look out for.
	River Bandits owner, Figge team up for donation of painting of Hank Aaron River Bandits owner Dave Heller donated a portrait of Hank Aaron, painted by Preston Sampson, from his personal collection to the Figge Art Museum.
	Clinton man sentenced to 60 months for possessing 11 guns as a felon A Clinton man was sentenced March 26 to 60 months in federal prison for possessing firearms as a felon. According to public court documents, in January 2025, law enforcement found 11 firearms at the home of Caleb McManus, 22. Of the 11 firearms, six were handguns, and one had an obliterated serial number. McManus is [...]
	Bomb threat at West High School deemed not credible District staff and law enforcement did a search of West High School. Officials said there was no evidence to suggest the threat was credible.
	Red carpet to real life: 6 jewelry trends to try at home Red carpet to real life: 6 jewelry trends to try at homeFrom the Golden Globes and the Grammys to the SAG Awards and the Oscars, the glamour of the 2026 awards season did not disappoint. The red carpet looks were a showcase not only for fashion and style, but also for the evolving art of jewelry design.According to a Jewelers Mutual trends forecast, jewelry is a reflection of the moment we live in, but red carpet moments are more than fleeting fashion; they reveal broader trends that influence how consumers select, wear, and protect their own jewelry.Red carpet jewelry trends at the Academy AwardsThe Academy Awards, honoring Hollywood’s best films, took place on March 15, 2026. While the Oscars awarded achievement in acting, writing, directing, editing and more, the red carpet show was fashion’s moment to shine.“Jewelry was big and bold at 2026 Oscars, with celebrities favoring large-scale pieces that caught—and held—the light via constellations of dazzling diamonds occasionally accented by colored stones,” said Emili Vesilind, Jewelers Mutual’s Jewelry Trends Expert. “This was a sea change from past Oscar red carpets, when jewelry looks relied more on the mix—stacking smaller pieces to create impact. This year it was all about bold, one-and-done styles.”This year’s red carpet saw a variety of trends emerge.“Trends on the red carpet included spectacular diamond collar necklaces — see Elle Fanning’s vintage diamond Cartier necklace, Priyanka Chopra’s colored gems-and-diamond Bulgari collar, and the incredible vintage diamond Tiffany & Co. necklace Teyana Taylor wore,” said Vesilind.“Another trend: chunky brooches glittering with gems, as worn by the women (costume design winner Kate Hawley for “Frankenstein” pinned three opulent gemstone brooches to her opera coat), and especially the men (see Wagner Moura’s Modernist geometric brooch, Adrian Brody’s giant Elsa Jin creation, and Hudson Williams in a diamond-encrusted gold bird from Bulgari),” said Vesilind.Key takeaways from 2026 jewelry trends forecastThe award show looks this year illustrated a growing emphasis on intentional, high-impact designs. These will be reflected in consumer jewelry trends throughout the year, according to a new trends forecast from Jewelers Mutual.The new 2026 jewelry trends forecast noted six distinct trends expected to be popular throughout this year:Trend #1: Soft geometry and fluid shapes: Jewelry with fluid curves, off-kilter silhouettes, and a sculptural edge is on the rise and set to hit the mainstream in 2026.Trend #2: Modern stacking: Expect stacking to feel more deliberate and refined this year, with cleaner looks replacing bold contrasts in favor of cohesive, theme-driven styling.Trend #3: Quiet luxury and minimal opulence: quiet luxury champions subtle elegance. In jewelry, it’s defined by impeccably crafted pieces that prioritize quality over showiness.Trend #4: Timeless gems, modern settings: Traditional stones like emeralds, sapphires, and rubies are being reimagined with a fresh, contemporary look.Trend #5: Mixed metals: No longer a faux pas, mixing metals has emerged as a go-to jewelry trend, set to shine even brighter in 2026. Blending yellow, white, and rose gold introduces subtle dimension to minimal styles.Trend #6: Fancy cuts and unique combinations: In 2026, stone shapes take a bold turn. Traditional oval and round cuts endure, but eye-catching styles like marquise, kite, hexagon, and custom free forms are gaining popularity.Growing interest in costume jewelryOne way to bridge the gap between high-end fine jewels and everyday pieces that consumers can afford is to look to costume jewelry. Once thought of as old-fashioned or merely for “dress up” play, interest in costume jewelry as art is a growing trend in 2026.Costume jewelry is a budget-friendly way to mimic the looks of the red carpet. Instead of precious medals and jewels, these pieces are constructed using more everyday materials like glass, rhinestones or even plastic. That doesn’t mean they can’t be a stylish choice, though.Fashion icon Coco Chanel popularized wearing costume jewelry in the mid 20th century, saying: “Costume jewellery isn’t made to provoke desire, just astonishment at most. It must remain an ornament and an amusement."For consumers looking to capture bold red carpet-worthy looks, costume jewelry offers an affordable way to achieve an award-worthy look for less.Protecting your own “red carpet” collectionFor most people, the multimillion-dollar fine jewelry worn by celebrities on the red carpet is not within their grasp. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to safeguard the pieces that do hold significant value (both financial and emotional).Milestone pieces, such as engagement rings or inherited family heirlooms, should be insured and protected. Steps to consider include:Regular appraisals: Gold/silver prices fluctuate depending on market conditions; this necessitates a reappraisal every two to three years.Specialized coverage: Homeowners' insurance may not cover the full value of high-worth pieces; these should be covered by a specialized jewelry policy.Routine maintenance: Precious jewelry should be checked twice a year for wear and tear. Make sure prongs are not loose and bands are not becoming too thin or misshapen. One trick? Sweep a ring past a sweater. If it catches, a prong may need tightening.Bringing red carpet-inspired jewelry into your everyday style is less about copying the look and more about making it your own. These trends offer a way to translate standout moments into pieces that feel personal and wearable.Jewelry is both a reflection of your story and a lasting investment; one that, with proper care, can evolve from today’s favorite pieces into tomorrow’s heirlooms.Note: Brands and individuals mentioned are for editorial commentary only and do not imply endorsement or affiliation.This story was produced by Jewelers Mutual and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Rejection-sensitive dysphoria: Why rejection can hit harder for people with ADHD Rejection sensitive dysphoria: Why rejection can hit harder for people with ADHDFor many of us, a late response to a text, a teasing joke, or a change in someone’s tone might feel mildly stressful or upsetting. But for some people with ADHD, those brief moments can feel deeply personal and painful.Those intense, upsetting reactions to perceived rejection or criticism have a name: rejection sensitive dysphoria, or RSD.RSD isn’t an official diagnosis — you won’t find it in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It’s also not an official ADHD symptom. But for many people with ADHD, the term resonates.So, what is rejection sensitive dysphoria? Understood breaks it down.What is rejection sensitive dysphoria?When someone has RSD, they may think someone is criticizing, rejecting, or teasing them, even when that wasn’t the other person’s intention. That can lead to an intense and quick change in their mood. They may take any feedback as negative and deeply personal, or assume people are angry at them when they’re not. The fear or anticipation of rejection can be enough to trigger an emotional reaction.Rejection sensitivity and RSD are sometimes used interchangeably. But they mean slightly different things.Rejection sensitivity is a part of several mood and personality disorders, including anxiety and depression. It’s defined as the tendency to “anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact” to rejection.RSD, on the other hand, seems to be unique to people with ADHD. People with RSD experience “dysphoria” — a mental state in which you feel very uneasy or unhappy. RSD is “distinguished by its extreme, unbearable intensity,” writes William Dodson, M.D., a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD.Dodson has written most of the current studies about RSD. He said that in his decades of experience, hundreds of his patients with ADHD experience RSD that can’t be attributed to other mental health disorders.How is RSD related to ADHD?Rejection sensitivity seems to be a part of emotional dysregulation — difficulty managing your emotions. Trouble regulating emotion is part of the executive function challenges that come along with ADHD. Big feelings come on stronger, last longer, and are harder to recover from. When those RSD feelings are triggered, the reaction can be outsized and overwhelming.People with ADHD often already feel like they’re social outsiders. They’re more likely to struggle in school or at work, and they may have a harder time with social skills. This can lead to poor self-esteem.Yann Poncin, M.D., associate professor and vice chair of clinical affairs at the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine, said that people with ADHD may be criticized a lot more throughout their lives. When you were a kid, your parents nagged you more to finish your chores. You often forgot to turn in your homework and got worse grades.“You have cumulative experiences of not being successful in the world, so you have a mindset where you expect that other people are going to give you a hard time,” Poncin said.Having other mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety, can often make people even more sensitive to rejection. Your personal biases and perspectives on the world can also play a role.“You have kids with ADHD who are screwing up all the time. But they have a bit of a tougher armor,” Poncin said. “But if you’re someone who wants to do well, you know you’re experiencing failure, and you naturally have a more anxious temperament, you are going to experience moments that feel like rejection more acutely.”There’s still a lot we don’t know about RSD. For example, we don’t know for sure how many people with ADHD experience RSD.But just because the research hasn’t totally caught up to people’s lived experiences yet, that doesn’t mean RSD isn’t real.What does RSD look like?No one likes it when they’re not invited to a party, get turned down for a date, or don’t make the team. But those normal feelings of rejection are not the same as RSD.RSD can come with emotional pain, negative thoughts, and even strong physical feelings. Sometimes, the trigger for those reactions is something you perceive to be a criticism or rejection, even when it wasn’t intended that way.Sometimes, people cope with those emotions by hiding their true feelings or holding themselves back from pursuing relationships and career opportunities. They might also fall into a pattern of constant harsh and negative self-talk that makes them feel like their “own worst enemy.”After a disagreement with a loved one, you spend the rest of the day spiraling, crying, and feeling anxious about whether they still care for you.A friend or a partner takes longer than usual to text back, so you assume they’re mad at you or avoiding you. You pull away to protect yourself.When someone gives you feedback, like correcting your grammar or asking you to help more with household chores, it feels deeply embarrassing or frustrating.Perceived rejection makes you feel paralyzed, sick to your stomach, or like your throat is closing up.You avoid dating or making new friends because you’re too scared of the pain of rejection. You experience a lot of loneliness.You become a people pleaser, masking your true preferences or emotions so that people won’t dislike you. Over time, you forget what you want in your own life.At school or in the workplaceA manager gives you neutral feedback, but it feels like you’re being told you’re bad at your job.A teacher or a coworker gives you actual criticism. Even if it’s constructive, you overreact, becoming defensive or angry.You’re a perfectionist — you overwork or overdeliver so that no one has a reason to criticize you.When you react to a perceived criticism or rejection, people may dismiss you, saying things like “you can’t take a joke” or “you overanalyze everything.”RSD can feel overwhelming and isolating. But there are strategies that can make it easier to cope.Consider different explanations. The first reaction when someone doesn’t respond to a text might be “That person doesn’t like me.” But stopping to think about other possible reasons can help. Pay attention to the situations that trigger your RSD. Try to notice when you’re making up stories that may not be grounded in reality.Take a breath. When we feel we’re in danger, we experience a fear response. This can make us more likely to lash out, feel defensive, or have another emotional response. Take a second to calm yourself down. You can try taking some deep breaths, going for a walk, journaling about your feelings, and using other coping strategies.Be kind to yourself. It can be deeply painful to experience RSD, so be kind to yourself. Feeling and accepting your emotions can help you be more resilient to future perceived rejection. Negative self-talk, meanwhile, can lead to long-term feelings of shame and low self-esteem.Seek help. If RSD is causing serious disruptions to your life, reach out to a doctor or a mental health professional. If you notice you’re having thoughts of suicide or harming others, reach out to a health care provider, speak to a trusted family member or friend, or text or call the crisis hotline at 988 right away.If you have symptoms of RSD, psychotherapy can help. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you think about whether you’re bringing your own biases or distortions to those situations.“We can help reframe what you're actually seeing in a more fact-based way: Did this person really say that? Did this person really have that expression? Did this person really come at you this way?” Poncin said.Therapy can also help you find ways to avoid ruminating on certain situations or piling on the negative self-talk. Tools like mindfulness can help with emotional regulation.RSD isn’t a formal diagnosis, and there are no studies testing how medications work for people with RSD. Talk to your health care provider if you have questions about how your medications for ADHD, anxiety, or other conditions could influence your experience of rejection sensitivity.Additional reporting by Gail Belsky.This story was produced by Understood and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Total cost of car ownership by state in 2026: The cheapest and most expensive places to own a car Total cost of car ownership by state in 2026: The cheapest and most expensive places to own a carThe state that you live in impacts how much it costs to own a car more than you may realize, with the cost of auto insurance being the biggest driving factor in the differences between the states.The five-year cost of owning a car in Louisiana is $39,417 for 2026, but in New Hampshire, it’s just $21,917, according to a report by Insurance.com. That’s a $17,500 difference between the most and least expensive states, and it’s no coincidence that Louisiana and New Hampshire are the most and least expensive states for car insurance, respectively.The average cost of owning a car nationwide is $29,336 over five years, with Louisiana drivers paying more than $10,000 over the average.There’s more to car ownership expenses than your car payment. Factors like insurance, taxes, fuel and repairs contribute to the total cost of owning a car and vary significantly by state. Insurance.com gathered the data and calculated the cost of owning a car over five years in each state.Quick coverage:Average cost of car ownership nationwide: $29,336 over five years.Most expensive state: Louisiana, at an average of $39,417 over five years.Least expensive state: New Hampshire, at an average of $21,917 over five years.Biggest cost driver for owning a car: Auto insurance costs the most, adding nearly $20,000 over five years in Louisiana.How much does it cost to own a car in your state?Louisiana is the most expensive state, with five-year ownership costs of $39,417, followed by Nevada at $37,118 and Florida at $37,037.New Hampshire is the cheapest, at $21,917, followed by Oregon at $23,097, and Vermont at $23,667.What’s driving the differences:Louisiana has both the highest car insurance rates and the highest sales tax on vehicles.Nevada and Florida are both among the most expensive states for car insurance.New Hampshire has the second-lowest car insurance rates in the U.S. and no sales tax.Oregon doesn’t have sales tax either, and also enjoys low car insurance rates.Drivers in Alaska enjoy low sales tax, low insurance rates and low annual driving and maintenance costs.Compare the five-year cost of car ownership in your state below. Insurance.com The most expensive states to own a car in 2026Louisiana is the most expensive state to own a car, with a five-year cost of $39,417. Nevada comes in second at $37,118, and Florida is third at $37,037.The two main factors driving the high cost of car ownership in these states are high insurance costs and high sales tax rates.Why do these states rank highest?The biggest factor affecting the cost of car ownership is car insurance rates, which vary significantly by state.Compare the five-year costs for the top 10 most expensive states below. Insurance.com All three of the top states with the highest car ownership costs also have high insurance rates. The states with the highest average annual car insurance rates (full coverage) are:Louisiana: $3,999Michigan: $3,964Nevada: $3,963Florida: $3,916California: $3,444Drivers pay an average of nearly $20,000 for full coverage car insurance over five years in these three states. Although those are average costs, rates vary greatly by driver and location. Driving record, age, severe weather, vehicle theft rates, and other factors can cause rates to be higher.“It’s smart to get auto insurance quotes before you even test drive a car. Before you get attached to the idea of driving around in a luxurious, sporty vehicle, it’s important to know how much you’ll be paying towards insurance premiums each month, in addition to your monthly payment, CarEdge automotive analyst Justin Fischer said.Sales tax is another big expense that can raise the cost of owning a car. Most buyers focus on the vehicle’s sale price and forget to factor in the tax for such a large purchase.The five states with the highest sales tax are:Louisiana: 10.11%Tennessee: 9.61%Washington: 9.51%Alabama: 9.46%Arkansas: 9.46%The cheapest states to own a car in 2026New Hampshire is the cheapest state to own a car at $21,917 for five years. Oregon is second at $23,097, and Vermont comes in third at $23,667.Compare the top 10 cheapest states based on the five-year cost of car ownership: Insurance.com Why do these states cost less?States that make the cost of owning a car more affordable typically have:Low or no state sales tax.Low car insurance rates.More rural areas, which leads to fewer claims.Lower population density.The states with the lowest average annual car insurance rates (full coverage) are:Vermont: $1,660New Hampshire: $1,689Hawai’i: $1,757Ohio: $1,783Maine: $1,808The states with the lowest sales tax are:Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no sales tax.Alaska: 1.82%Hawai’i: 4.5%Wyoming: 5.56%Moving to a new state? Be prepared for changing costs with this checklistTo be best prepared, check these items before buying a car:State minimum car insurance requirements.Average car insurance rates in your ZIP code.Your state’s sales tax rate.Registration and title fees.Gas prices in your area.Average annual miles driven in your area.Road-condition repair risks.Why it matters:Understanding the upfront and recurring costs of owning a vehicle in your state can prevent financial surprises and help you plan your budget, especially if you’re planning to buy a new car after moving.“We recommend keeping all monthly transportation expenses under 10% of monthly gross income. That means the combined total of your monthly car payment, insurance, fuel, and maintenance should stay under 10% of your pre-tax paycheck. The 10% rule applies to leasing, too. Of course, there’s wiggle room with this rule. It’s a suggestion, not a commandment. Remember that all cars are depreciating assets, so spending more is a tough pill to swallow for financial wellness,” Fischer said.What determines the total cost of car ownership?The total cost of car ownership includes all of the annual and one-time costs associated with buying, driving and maintaining a car:Sales tax applied to a $30,000 vehicle.Auto insurance premiums.Gas prices and average miles driven.Average repair costs.Additional costs from poor road conditions.Because the cost of a car payment varies widely based on down payment, credit and other factors, the report didn’t include the purchase price of the car in this calculation. These costs are based on a $30,000 car, rounded up from the base MSRP of a 2026 Honda Accord LX of $28,295.Read the full methodology below.It’s important to take all of the costs of owning a car into consideration when you’re looking to buy. A car with a lower insurance rate or lower purchase price that translates to less in sales tax can save you a lot of money.“Many drivers focus on the monthly car payment, but that’s only one piece of the total cost of owning a vehicle,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA insurer The Auto Club Group. “It’s important to budget for recurring expenses like registration fees, insurance, fuel, routine maintenance, and unexpected repairs. These costs can vary significantly depending on the type of vehicle you drive and the state you live in, so planning ahead can help prevent surprises and ensure the car you choose truly fits your financial comfort zone.”What are the key factors behind the cost differences in states?The biggest factor in the differences in costs between states is car insurance, which varies by thousands of dollars between the cheapest and smallest states. Here’s a quick breakdown of the factors used to calculate overall cost:Car insurance: Insurance costs can be the single greatest expense car owners face, especially in states with high average costs due to factors like severe weather and high inflation.Sales tax: States with little or no sales tax save drivers thousands of dollars and typically have lower overall car ownership costs.Fuel and driving patterns: The cost of gas varies greatly by location, and residents in some states drive more each year than others, per the Federal Highway Administration.Road conditions and car repairs: States with poor roads can lead to thousands of dollars in repair costs over five years.Compare your state on all of these factors below. Insurance.com Why are ownership costs higher in 2026?Increasing car insurance costs have been the result of several factors.Inflation: The cost of new cars and parts to repair them has gone up dramatically.More claims from severe weather: The more claims insurance companies have to pay, the more insurance rates climb.Higher repair costs from more complex technology in cars: Cars filled with sensors, cameras and other technology cost more to repair. For example, a simple rear-end fender bender isn’t just a bumper replacement, but also a rear camera and sensors.Increased repair labor rates: As more skilled labor is required to repair complex technology, labor costs go up.More litigation and fraud in some states: Lawsuits filed against insurance companies cost those companies thousands, and costs are passed on to consumers via rate increases.While all states face these factors on some level, states that are on the higher end of one or more factors see ownership costs that can exceed $35,000 over five years.How to lower the total cost of car ownershipAlthough owning a car is expensive, there are ways to lower the overall costs.Shop around for car insurance. Compare quotes from multiple companies to find the most affordable rates. And, if you’re in the market for a new car, compare rates for the models you’re considering before you buy.Take advantage of car insurance discounts. You may be eligible for multiple discounts to lower rates, and bundling them offers the most savings.Buy a different vehicle. A less expensive vehicle or one with better gas mileage and safety features can save you money over time. If you’re buying used, look for a certified pre-owned vehicle that is less likely to have maintenance issues.Drive less if you can. Lower mileage reduces car insurance rates, fuel costs and can even reduce maintenance since there’s less wear on your vehicle.The high cost of owning a car: Final thoughtsFor many people, owning a car isn’t optional, but the costs can be difficult to manage. Being armed with an understanding of the costs beyond your monthly car payment can help prevent a strain on your finances.Before you buy a car, make sure you understand the total cost of owning that car, not just on the day you buy it, but for years to come.FAQ: The cost of car ownershipDoes moving to another state change how much you pay to own a car?Yes, moving states can change car ownership costs, affecting insurance rates, registration and other fees, gas prices and maintenance costs.How much does it cost on average to own a car per year in the U.S.?The average annual cost of owning a car nationwide is $5,867, but rates vary by state, insurance costs and other factors.What is the biggest factor in total car ownership costs?Auto insurance is the single biggest contributor to car ownership costs, and can be almost $4,000 a year depending on your state and driver characteristics.Resources and MethodologyInsurance.com collected data on car ownership from multiple sources to calculate the five-year cost of vehicle ownership. The research included:Sales taxAverage auto insurance costsGas pricesAverage miles per gallonAverage number of miles driven by stateRepair costsExtra repair costs associated with road conditions, sourced from TRIP, a nonprofit transportation research organizationThe following data sources are used to determine the annual cost of ownership. Sales tax is paid once when purchasing the vehicle, but the other costs are annual. Those costs were multiplied by five to arrive at the five-year cost of owning a vehicle, assuming the costs remain constant.Sales tax rate by stateResearchers used the state’s sales tax rate and calculated tax based on a $30,000 vehicle, according to data from The Tax Foundation.Auto insurance costs by stateInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services to field auto insurance rates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.Rates are based on:Bodily injury liability of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per incidentProperty damage liability of $100,000 per incidentComprehensive and collision deductibles of $50040-year-old driverHonda Accord LXGood creditA clean driving record12-mile commute, 10,000 annual mileageDriving and gas costs by stateThe average miles per gallon for calculating annual gas costs is 27.1 mpg, derived from the EPA's new car fuel economy figures. This mpg is a weighted average of the last 15 years of data, with the most recent data receiving the highest weight.From there, researchers divided each state's vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita by 27.1 mpg to get an average of gallons of gas consumed annually. This was multiplied by the average fuel cost in each state, using AAA’s state gas price averages, to arrive at an average total gas cost.Repair costs by stateTo calculate the cost of repairs, researchers used the average vehicle miles traveled multiplied by AAA’s average of 11.04 cents per mile for maintenance and repairs, including tires.This story was produced by Insurance.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Security as a service: 7 ways coworking spaces can upgrade digital trust in 2026 Security as a service: 7 ways coworking spaces can upgrade digital trust in 2026Cybercrime damage is on pace to hit $10.5 trillion this year, per Cybersecurity Ventures. A single U.S. data breach averages $10.2 million, according to IBM. Yet most of the companies flooding into flexible offices don’t have a security team—when they sign a traditional five-to-seven-year office lease, they inherit every one of these risks alone: firewalls, VPN infrastructure, monitoring tools, access control hardware, and the expertise to manage it all.Considering rent and digital trust costs together further widens the gap. A 2024 CoworkingCafe study of 102 U.S. cities found that coworking is already cheaper than an equivalent traditional lease in 97% of markets—and that’s before accounting for the security infrastructure, cleaning, utilities, and IT support that coworking memberships typically bundle in. Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Flexible Office Trends 2025 report found that 55% of global occupiers now use flex space, with another 17% planning to increase. JLL projects that 30% of all U.S. office space will be consumed flexibly by 2030.The operators building that infrastructure today aren’t filling desks. They’re building the most valuable square footage in commercial real estate.In this article, CANOPY shares seven ways leading coworking operators are reframing enterprise-grade protection as an amenity—attracting members, justifying premium pricing, and making the traditional office lease harder to defend.1. Replace Keycards With Smart Access ControlsWalk into a luxury coworking space in 2026 and the first thing you notice—before the reclaimed-wood coffee bar or soundproofed conference room—is that keycards are becoming relics. Globally, operators are increasingly adopting mobile-app and smart-credential entry systems, often powered by third-party platforms like Kisi and Salto that integrate with coworking management software.In Manchester, U.K., All Work & Social adopted Fingopay’s biometric payments platform. Ucommune in China reportedly uses facial recognition and Bluetooth door locks. In the U.S., where many states have biometric privacy laws, operators have moved to mobile-app entry with zoned permissions, where members unlock doors from their phones and access is automatically activated, deactivated, or adjusted based on membership tier. All told, zoned permissions, audit logging, and remote access management attain a layer of security traditional keycards can’t match—and all while offering a seamless member experience.2. Deploy AI-Powered Threat DetectionIBM’s 2025 data shows that Fortune 500 organizations using AI-powered security tools extensively saved nearly $1.9 million per breach. While these are enterprise numbers, the SMBs that fill coworking spaces and lack the budget for a dedicated security operations center also have concerns about exposure. As prices for these tools—anomaly detection on shared networks, automated patch management, and real-time alerting—become accessible, forward-thinking coworking operators will begin deploying them. The result: a level of protection that most SMBs could never negotiate into a traditional office lease. As AI-powered phishing and deepfake attacks grow more sophisticated, shared offices that don’t offer threat protection underscored by AI will face a widening credibility gap.3. Turn Workspace Design Into a Security FeatureGensler’s 2026 Global Workplace Survey, polling more than 16,000 workers across 16 countries, found that two-thirds of office employees regularly “hack” their environment—taking calls in hallways, canceling meetings when rooms aren’t available, improvising privacy fixes. The best coworking operators treat these findings as a design brief. Soundproofed meeting rooms double as “encrypted” conferencing suites. Acoustic zoning prevents shoulder-surfing. Private phone booths eliminate the hallway-call problem. The result is a space where security, aesthetics and function become one and the same—and where the design itself becomes a competitive edge traditional office landlords can’t easily replicate.4. Build Zero-Trust Networks Into the MembershipZero trust—the framework rooted in “never trust, always verify”—has migrated from federal cybersecurity mandates into the coworking floor plan. Regional operators now segment VLANs to isolate each member company’s traffic, deploy WPA3-encrypted Wi-Fi with unique per-user credentials, and run enterprise-grade firewalls with DNS filtering. In a traditional lease, a tenant procures, installs, and maintains each of these independently. In coworking, the entire stack is absorbed into the monthly fee—just like cleaning and conference room access. McKinsey, citing a 2022 Bloomberg report, noted a gap of at least 600,000 cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. alone, which means most SMBs will never hire their way to adequate network security. Enter the coworking operator’s zero-trust infrastructure: a structural solution, not a stopgap.5. Align Cybersecurity With Sustainability GovernanceB Lab’s updated standards for B Corporation certification—launched in April 2025 and takingeffect for new applicants this year—now require mandatory baselines across seven impact areas, including climate action, fair work, and transparent governance. With more than 9,400 certified B Corps worldwide, the movement increasingly overlaps with the flex workspace sector—agile organisations that value sustainability, social responsibility, and fostering community in the same way as their members. For coworking brands that hold or pursue B Corp status—where “B” stands for “Benefit for All”—cybersecurity is a natural extension of their governance commitments, framing data protection as stakeholder responsibility. The growing academic focus on digital trust—exemplified by Stanford’s Trust and Safety Research Conference, now entering its fifth year—underscores how seriously institutions are taking the governance of digital environments. Coworking operators managing multitenant networks face an analogous challenge: building trust not just through policy, but through the physical and digital infrastructure their members rely on every day. Expect B Corp, LEED, WELL, and SOC 2 to be evaluated together by enterprise tenants who see environmental responsibility, occupant wellbeing, and data protection as parts of the same commitment.6. Make the Financial Case Impossible to IgnoreThe cost advantages of coworking over a traditional lease operate on two levels. First, the upfront capital: Traditional office fit-outs average roughly $196 per square foot across U.S. markets, according to JLL, which covers design, construction, furniture, and basic IT. Coworking memberships require zero build-out. Those savings are sharpest in the markets where coworking is growing fastest. In high-cost metros like Sunnyvale and Boston, CoworkingCafe found the annual gap between a coworking membership and an equivalent traditional lease can exceed $100,000 for a 10-person team—before factoring in the furniture, cleaning, and security infrastructure that coworking bundles into member fees. Meanwhile, beyond multi-factor authentication (MFA), cyberinsurers are increasingly requiring zero-trust architecture and documented incident response plans as prerequisites for coverage. Coworking spaces that provide these by default give members a compliance shortcut and potentially lower premiums.7. Open in Markets That Most Need Security As a ServiceIn secondary and tertiary U.S. markets, the coworking provider’s security stack isn’t just a differentiator—it functions as the region’s shared cybersecurity infrastructure for small business. Cities where enterprise tenants often lack dedicated IT departments show the fastest growth in flex space. Cushman & Wakefield data show inventory in San Diego has jumped 27% year over year from 2024 to 2025; in Nashville and Indianapolis, the increases are 35% and 40%, respectively. Miami’s flex inventory now accounts for 7.6% of total office stock. Cybersecurity Ventures projects that global spending on cybersecurity will exceed $520 billion in 2026. Much of that spend will come from companies that don’t have a CISO—and whose first line of defense is the workspace they walk into every morning.This story was produced by CANOPY and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Flea returns to his first love, jazz Flea's first musical love wasn't rock. It was jazz. The iconic bassist joins Christian McBride to talk about his debut solo album, Honora, and his return to the music that started it all.
	Donations continue coming in for TSA workers, organizers say Donations are continuing to come in for TSA workers at the Quad Cities International Airport.
	How to apply cologne so it lasts How to apply cologne so it lastsA good cologne can quietly change the way you show up. The scent itself matters, but how you apply it matters just as much.Most people spray once or twice and head out the door. That usually works, but here are a few small tweaks from AXE that can help it last longer and develop the way it was meant to. AXE Start with clean skinCologne tends to fade faster on dry skin. Applying a light moisturizer beforehand can make a difference, because hydrated skin holds scent better and allows it to develop more gradually throughout the day.It doesn’t need to be complicated. Clean skin and a bit of moisture already put you on the right track.Apply it where your skin naturally gives off warmthSome areas of the body stay slightly warmer than others. That warmth helps release fragrance slowly over time. Wrists are an obvious choice. The base of the throat works well too, along with the areas behind the ears and the inside of the elbows.These spots are often called pulse points. Blood vessels sit closer to the surface there, which creates a little extra heat under the skin. That small amount of warmth helps the scent unfold gradually.Skin usually works better than clothingSome people spray cologne directly onto their shirt or jacket. It can make the scent linger longer, but there are a few drawbacks. Certain fragrances can stain fabrics, and clothing doesn’t warm the scent the way skin does.On skin, the fragrance changes slowly as the day goes on. That’s part of what makes it interesting.Use less than you think you needIt’s easy to assume more sprays will make a scent last longer. Most of the time, that isn’t necessary. Two sprays are enough for many fragrances. Some stronger ones probably need even less.A good cologne should stay fairly close to you. People notice it when they’re nearby, not from across the room.Let the fragrance dry naturallyYou may have seen the old routine: Spray both wrists and rub them together. It feels like the right move, but it can actually change how the fragrance develops. Rubbing creates friction and heat that can disturb some of the delicate fragrance compounds.Spraying and letting it dry on its own works better.Refresh it later, if neededMost scents fade during the day. That’s normal.Lighter fragrances tend to disappear faster than deeper ones. If you notice the scent fading by late afternoon or early evening, one quick spray can bring it back. No need for much more than that.Make sure your deodorant and cologne don’t competeDifferent products can influence the overall scent you carry. If deodorant and cologne clash, the combination can feel heavier or more confusing than either scent on its own. Many people prefer a lighter deodorant when wearing cologne so the fragrance stays the focus.When the scents complement each other, everything feels more balanced.Some deodorants are designed to work as a deodorant and fragrance in one.Store your cologne somewhere cool and dryFragrance can slowly break down when exposed to heat, sunlight, or humidity. Bathrooms are often the worst place to store it because steam and temperature changes affect the liquid inside the bottle. A bedroom shelf or a closet usually works better.Stored properly, cologne keeps its character much longer.Cologne doesn’t need to be complicated. A few sprays on clean skin, in the right places, is usually enough. After that, it’s just part of your routine.This story was produced by AXE and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Lisa Bluder to speak at Women Fighting Hunger event This year’s sold-out sixth annual Women Fighting Hunger fundraiser for River Bend Food Bank will feature Hall of Fame coach Lisa Bluder. Almost 600 people will gather at Rhythm City Casino in Davenport on March 26 to focus on raising funds to build hunger-free schools in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. This year’s Women Fighting Hunger program will include a conversation [...]
	How much do US companies save by hiring in Latin America? How much do US companies save by hiring in Latin America?If you’ve spent any time thinking about hiring outside the U.S., you’ve probably heard some version of this already: “Companies do it to save money.”That part isn’t surprising. But what many teams aren’t sure about is how much they’d save, and whether those savings are worth the perceived hassle of hiring internationally or having to work with a specialist recruiting partner or platform.If you’re facing budget constraints, struggling to fill roles, or just trying to make your hiring dollars go further, this article is meant to help you answer one simple question: Is hiring in Latin America worth it?To answer that, Near (Hire With Near) looked at data from its State of LatAm Hiring 2026 Report, which analyzed over 2,000 hires made by U.S. companies over the past year across 400 types of roles.The savings, timelines, and patterns you’ll see below reflect what companies are experiencing right now, not what’s theoretically possible.Key TakeawaysU.S. companies save $35,000 to $64,000 annually per hire when bringing on Latin American talent compared to equivalent U.S. positions, with savings ranging from 30%-70% depending on role and seniority level.Most companies hire in Latin America with a recruiting or staffing partner, and while fees apply, the majority of salary savings are preserved, making the ROI compelling.Hiring in Latin America works best for remote-friendly, self-directed roles. But any role that can be done remotely can be hired for in LatAm.What companies save by hiring in Latin America compared to in the USOn average, U.S. companies save $35,000 to $64,000 annually per hire when they bring on Latin American talent compared to equivalent U.S. positions. That’s 30%-70% in cost savings, depending on the role and seniority level.The savings exist because of differences in the labor markets and cost of living. They are not a result of compromising on talent quality.Here’s what the difference in salaries looks like for a selection of roles.US vs. LatAm Salary Ranges Near (Hire With Near) These aren’t marginal differences. Often, for the cost of one U.S. hire, you can bring on two to three experienced professionals from Latin America. Or you can hire a far more experienced person than you thought you could.And, in fact, that is something more teams are doing.The State of LatAm report shows that 84% of hires were for mid-level or senior positions. Most companies aren’t hiring junior talent in LatAm; they’re accessing experienced professionals who bring real expertise to their teams.Plus, Latin American professionals working with U.S. companies often earn well above their local market rates, which can mean strong retention and genuine commitment to their work.Hiring in Latin America isn’t just about saving moneyThe real value from hiring in Latin America isn’t just the lower salaries, though. It’s being able to hire the team you actually need instead of the scaled-down version your budget forces you to settle for.With nearshore hiring, companies can:Fill roles they’ve been unable to fill domestically because the salary expectations are too high.Access senior-level expertise they couldn’t afford or find in the U.S. market.Build entire departments before their budgets would otherwise allow.Redirect savings into growth initiatives, better tools, or strategic hires they otherwise couldn’t make.Scale operations 40%-100% or more in a single year without proportionally scaling costs.When the math doesn’t work (even if the numbers look good)This is important, and it’s something that doesn’t get said enough.Hiring in Latin America is not a fit for every situation.Even if the cost savings are there, it may not work well if:The rest of your team is fully in-office, and you’re hiring one remote person into a highly collaborative role. (For example: a remote marketing manager expected to Zoom into daily brainstorms with an in-office team.)You don’t have any remote infrastructure at all. You have no async workflows in place, no documentation, and no comfort with distributed work.‍The role requires constant, real-time coordination with many stakeholders, and there’s no willingness to adapt how the team works.That said, it can still work well for roles that are:More self-contained (accounting, bookkeeping, operations), even if the rest of the team is in the office.Primarily working with a founder or small leadership group.Measured on outputs rather than constant collaboration.The setup matters just as much as the potential savings. If the role can be done remotely and the company already has other team members “Zoom-ing in,” hiring in LatAm is a great option.So is hiring in Latin America worth it for US companies?For most U.S. companies that are already open to remote work, the answer is yes.Not because hiring in Latin America is “cheap,” but because:The savings due to cost-of-living differences are substantial.The talent is skilled and experienced.The process is often faster than U.S. hiring with the right partner.The ROI holds up even after partner fees.There is a fairly consistent pattern with companies:They start with one hire to test the waters.They experience both the cost savings and the seamless process.They return for another hire. Then another.Within months, they’re scaling from a few placements to entire teams.They expand hiring across multiple departments.Final thoughtsThe savings from hiring in Latin America are real and substantial. For most roles, you’re looking at $35,000 to $64,000 saved per hire.Once teams understand the financial upside, their next questions tend to be broader:What roles are companies hiring for in Latin America?Which countries are best for different functions?What seniority level are companies hiring for?How long does hiring typically take?The annual report looks beyond just cost savings. It breaks down the roles U.S. companies are hiring for most often, where they’re hiring, how senior those hires are, and what companies are actually achieving once they build teams in Latin America.The full report goes beyond the focus of this article about the financial side of nearshore hiring. The data will give you a fuller picture of what hiring in Latin America looks like in practice today and whether it makes sense for your team.Frequently Asked QuestionsCan I hire outside the U.S. without working with a partner?Yes, you absolutely can. But how you do it matters.If you don’t have a local legal entity in the country where you’re hiring, your main options are:Employer of Record (EoR):An EoR legally employs the person on your behalf, handles payroll, taxes, benefits, and compliance, and invoices you monthly. This is the most common DIY route for companies hiring full-time international employees without setting up an entity.Independent contractors or freelancers:You can hire directly as a contractor or use a freelance platform like Upwork. This can work for short-term or project-based roles, but it comes with trade-offs around long-term retention, IP protection, and role continuity.Companies can do this themselves or work with a recruitment or staffing partner to handle sourcing, vetting, market-specific compensation guidance, and speed.Are the savings from hiring in LatAm still real after factoring in recruiting or staffing fees?In most cases, yes.Partner fees or EoR costs don’t erase the savings because:Fees are typically fixed, one-off, or short-term.Salary savings recur every year.The larger the role’s seniority (e.g., higher salary), the stronger the ROI.Even after fees, companies typically see 30%-50% net savings compared to equivalent U.S. hires (while also reducing time-to-hire and internal recruiting effort).Are Latin American professionals fluent enough in English for day-to-day work?English proficiency varies significantly, of course, but many Latin American professionals have excellent English skills, especially those who’ve worked with U.S. companies before.What to look for:Previous experience working with U.S. or international companies.University education (many Latin American universities require English).Technical roles often have strong English skills due to working in English-language codebases, documentation, and global teams.How to assess it:Conduct video interviews to evaluate spoken English.Test comprehension with complex questions, not just scripted answers.Ask about their experience communicating with English-speaking teams or clients.Have them explain technical concepts or walk through their work process.The advantage of hiring through a recruiter or staffing partner is that they pre-screen for English proficiency, so you’re not sorting through candidates who don’t meet your communication requirements.What if the person I hire doesn’t work out?This depends on your hiring model and who you work with.Contractors: Since they’re not employees, you can end the relationship with standard contract terms (often 30 days’ notice, though this varies). There’s less legal complexity than terminating a U.S. employee.Through a staffing partner: Most reputable partners offer replacement guarantees. If the hire doesn’t work out, they’ll find a replacement at no additional placement fee.Through an EOR: The EOR handles the offboarding process and local employment law compliance. You’re protected from legal complications, but you may still be responsible for severance depending on the country.Best practices to reduce risk:Start with a paid trial period or project before committing to full-time.Set clear expectations and success metrics upfront.Schedule regular check-ins during the first 90 days.Have a strong onboarding process (make sure the person has clear support and communication channels).Make sure your new hire feels like part of the team.Most companies find that with proper vetting and onboarding, Latin American hires have retention rates comparable to or better than U.S. hires, especially when they’re earning above-market rates for their region.What roles do US companies typically hire for in Latin America?The most commonly hired roles include software engineers, accountants and bookkeepers, sales development representatives (SDRs/BDRs), customer support specialists, and executive and virtual assistants.Companies often start with one of these roles to test the process, then expand to other positions.This story was produced by Near (Hire With Near) and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	DOJ admits ICE courthouse arrests relied on erroneous information Hundreds of immigrants have been arrested at immigration courthouses. It is unclear whether the federal government's admission could lead to some of those arrests being overturned.
	Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences awards scholarships to 89 students Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Friends of Trinity and Trinity Health Foundation recently awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships to students seeking healthcare careers. The scholarships worth $191,925 were presented to 89 students during a recognition dinner at Rhythm City Casino in Davenport on Wednesday, March 25. The annual celebration honors the next generation [...]
	Sturgill Simpson pulls off an unusual chart feat The roots music maverick did something rare in the streaming era: landed an album that's only available on CD, cassette and LP — without his name on the sleeve — in the top five of the albums chart.
	5 jobs of the future riding the AI boom 5 jobs of the future riding the AI boomAnxiety over artificial intelligence (AI) displacing workers has dominated headlines for the better part of three years. Some of these concerns are certainly well founded. But a parallel story—one receiving far less attention—is becoming visible in compensation and hiring data: AI is generating entirely new categories of work, and many of them pay exceptionally well.A new analysis from Pave, a compensation intelligence platform that aggregates real-time compensation and workforce data from more than 8,700 companies, identifies five emerging roles that are gaining meaningful traction in the labor market. The data illuminates not only how fast these positions are proliferating but how the market is pricing them relative to established benchmarks.Job 1: The AI EngineerThe rise of the AI engineer may be the most anticipated development in the modern labor market—and data from Pave confirms it is real. In January 2023, just 2.7% of companies in Pave's dataset employed at least one AI engineer. By January 2026, that figure had reached 8.4%. Pave To understand the role, it helps to situate it on a spectrum. First, software engineers design and maintain the software systems and applications that power modern technology. Next, AI engineers specialize in integrating AI into those systems—deploying existing AI models to build intelligent, production-ready features and products. And finally, AI research scientists occupy the far end of the spectrum, developing novel models from scratch to advance the boundaries of what AI can do.When it comes to compensation, Pave data reveals something significant: Median base salaries in the United States at equivalent job levels for AI engineers and software engineers are currently on par with each other. If that parity holds, it suggests the two roles are converging. This means the ability to integrate AI into software is rapidly becoming a baseline expectation for anyone writing code, rather than a highly specialized, premium skill. Indeed, most companies are reluctant to create net-new AI engineering job families as they simply expect the software engineer to evolve.The compensation gap widens considerably when comparing AI engineers to AI research scientists. AI engineers currently earn a median base salary -11.6% lower than their research-focused counterparts—a differential that reflects the distinction between applying AI and inventing it. Pave Job 2: The Go-to-Market EngineerFew roles illustrate the velocity of AI's influence on business operations quite like the go-to-market (GTM) engineer. Popularized in part by Clay, a data enrichment and outreach platform, the GTM engineer sits at the intersection of sales, marketing, and software and is responsible for building and operating the AI-powered systems that drive revenue growth.The numbers are striking. The share of companies in Pave's database with at least one GTM engineer grew from under 0.1% in January 2023 to 1.3% in January 2026, with the sharpest acceleration occurring in early 2025. The absolute prevalence of this job remains modest, but the rate of change is a leading indicator of demand. Pave Compensation data from Pave reinforces this role's technical foundation. When comparing median base salaries in the United States at equivalent job levels, GTM engineers earn 24.7% more than traditional revenue operations professionals—a premium that reflects the engineering rigor the position demands.At the same time, GTM engineers earn 6.4% less than software engineers on a level-normalized basis, a relatively small gap that still positions the role squarely within the realm of engineering pay rather than sales and revenue operations pay. In sum, the market is treating this as an engineering job with commercial fluency, not the reverse. Pave Job 3: The Forward Deployed EngineerThe forward deployed engineer (FDE) is not an entirely new concept—Palantir built much of its early enterprise business on the FDE model—but AI has given this job new urgency and scale. Companies including Anduril and Scale AI have helped popularize the role further as their enterprise clients seek deeply embedded technical support to implement and customize complex AI systems.The prevalence of forward deployed engineers in Pave's dataset grew from 0.3% of companies in January 2023 to 1.6% in January 2026, with a notable inflection point in early 2025 that mirrors the GTM engineer trend. Pave Once again, compensation data from Pave makes a pointed statement about how employers value this work. When comparing median base salaries in the United States at equivalent job levels, forward deployed engineers earn 40.3% more than professionals in traditional customer success and implementation roles—the largest differential of any role examined in this analysis.Forward deployed engineers earn just 5.3% less than software engineers on a level-normalized basis, placing them inside most existing engineering pay bands. The message from the market is clear: this is a technical role first and a customer-facing one second. Pave Job 4: The AI Transformation LeadThe launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 triggered a wave of organizational curiosity about AI. Translating that curiosity into durable strategies requires dedicated leadership, and that is precisely the gap the AI transformation lead was created to fill. These professionals identify where AI can generate the most value within an organization and lead the change management efforts required to realize it.The role first surfaced in early 2023 before plateauing as initial AI enthusiasm gave way to more measured adoption efforts. Things changed in mid-2025, when hiring accelerated sharply. By January 2026, 2.0% of companies in Pave's dataset had at least one AI transformation lead on staff, up from 0.2% three years earlier. Companies that were experimenting with AI in 2023 are now building the internal teams and infrastructure to scale it—and they need dedicated leaders to manage the transition. Pave Compensation premiums are pronounced for this role. When Pave compared median base salaries in the United States at equivalent job levels, AI transformation leads earn 30.2% more than strategic business operations professionals and 15.3% more than human resources business partners. Those premiums reflect genuine scarcity: the combination of technical fluency, strategic vision, and organizational change management experience this role demands is rare in the labor market. Pave Job 5: The AEO/GEO SpecialistAs large language models reshape how people discover information online—through tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI Overviews—a new discipline is emerging in response. Answer engine optimization (AEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO) specialists focus on ensuring that companies surface meaningfully in AI-generated responses, extending and in some cases supplanting the traditional practice of search engine optimization (SEO).According to Pave data, the role was virtually nonexistent before 2025, but hiring accelerated sharply in the latter half of that year and has continued into 2026. Although, to be fair, fewer than 0.2% of companies have one or more AEO/GEO specialists. For professionals with backgrounds in SEO, content strategy, or digital marketing roles, this emerging, but still nascent job represents one of the clearest opportunities to build expertise ahead of mainstream demand. Pave On the compensation front, Pave data shows AEO/GEO specialists currently earn slightly less than both digital marketing (–6.0%) and social media (–5.4%) professionals when comparing median base salaries in the United States at equivalent job levels. This is consistent with the pattern for very early stage roles: Compensation typically lags behind demand early in a role's lifecycle, then accelerates as the talent supply fails to keep pace.Given the trajectory of hiring already evident in the data, this gap is likely to close quickly over the course of 2026. The case for early movers is less about immediate pay than about building rare, defensible expertise before the market prices it in. Pave What the Data SignalsThe jobs emerging in the AI era are not afterthoughts or stopgap measures. Roles such as the forward deployed engineer and the AI transformation lead command significant compensation premiums over their closest peers—differentials that reflect genuine scarcity of skill rather than market enthusiasm alone.Even roles at an earlier stage of the compensation curve, like the AEO/GEO specialist, offer something arguably more valuable to early movers: the opportunity to become expert in a discipline before the market fully recognizes its worth.For business leaders, the implications are equally direct. These roles exist because implementing AI at scale is harder, more strategic, and more relationship-intensive than the technology alone can manage. Organizations investing in this emerging talent layer are building a structural advantage.This story was produced by Pave and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Death Notice: Ruth Siebke A funeral service for Ruth A. Siebke, 97, of Walcott, will be held at noon on Wednesday, April 1, at Bentley Funeral Home, Durant. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, Private burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. Siebke died Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf. Memorials may be made to Camp Courageous or the Walcott Fire Department. Online condolences may be made at www.bentleyfuneralhome.com. A full obituary will appear in the April 1 edition of The NSP.
	Davenport West High School evacuated Thursday morning due to bomb threat Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane said no objects of concern have been found.
	How to find the most user-friendly CRM for your needs: Essential features and design principles How to find the most user-friendly CRM for your needs: Essential features and design principlesSelecting the right CRM involves evaluating dozens of factors—features, pricing, integrations, and scalability. But there’s one factor that often gets overlooked during the selection process, only to become the most critical factor after implementation: usability.When software feels intuitive and responsive, teams naturally integrate it into their workflows. When it doesn’t? Even the most comprehensive feature set can sit underutilized—features go unexplored, data entry becomes inconsistent, and the projected ROI never materializes.The usability gap between CRM systems is substantial. Some platforms prioritize user experience as a core design principle. Others treat it as an afterthought, assuming extensive training can compensate for unintuitive interfaces.For businesses evaluating CRM options, understanding what makes a system genuinely user-friendly isn’t a secondary consideration—it’s the factor that determines whether your investment drives productivity or creates frustration.Here is Nutshell’s guide to finding a user-friendly CRM that your team will actually use.Key takeaways:Less than 54% of organizations hit adoption rates above 90%, according to a 2019 study, which means CRM usability isn’t some soft concern—it’s a make-or-break factor that determines whether your investment pays off or collects dustDesign principles from experts like Nielsen and Shneiderman give you a real framework for evaluating whether a CRM will work for actual humans, not just look good in demosData quality, efficiency, and decision-making capabilities improve with mobile CRM access, making mobile design a must-have rather than a nice-to-have featureWhy CRM usability directly impacts business successThe adoption crisis nobody talks aboutLet’s start with some numbers that may make you uncomfortable.According to a 2019 study, less than 54% of CRM customers achieve end-user adoption rates above 90%. Read that again. In half of the companies that implement CRM systems, a huge chunk of the team either completely avoids the CRM or uses it so inconsistently that the data becomes basically useless.In addition, many CRM users use far fewer features than what they’re paying for. Not because they don’t need those features, but often because finding them feels like navigating a maze blindfolded. Companies shell out thousands for comprehensive platforms and then proceed to use them like glorified contact lists.The hidden costs of poor usabilityHere’s where the lack of usability in a CRM really starts to hurt.When your sales team doesn’t update the CRM consistently, everything downstream breaks. Your marketing team targets the wrong people, sales forecasts become fiction, and customer service can’t figure out the context for incoming problems. It’s like trying to navigate with a map where half the street names are missing.The result is that every department that touches customers feels the pain.Then there’s the money you’re spending on training and support. Complex systems demand extensive onboarding, ongoing training sessions, and dedicated support people answering the same basic questions over and over. Each hour your team spends wrestling with confusing workflows is an hour they’re not actually selling anything.Why a user-friendly CRM works in your favorUser-friendly CRM systems show measurably different results.When a system feels natural to use, something interesting happens—people actually use it. Not because someone’s monitoring their login frequency. Because it genuinely makes their work easier instead of harder.Then there’s ease of use across devices, smoothing the way for better communication and collaboration where your team works. Nutshell Core design principles that make CRMs user-friendlyUser experience researchers have spent decades figuring out what separates good software from software that makes you want to throw your laptop out a window.Two frameworks keep coming up:Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability HeuristicsBen Shneiderman’s Eight Golden Rules of Interface DesignThese aren’t just academic theories—they’re battle-tested principles that actually predict whether people will adopt software or rebel against it.Nielsen’s usability heuristics in actionTake Nielsen’s concept of visibility of the system status. It’s a fancy term for a simple idea: The software should always tell you what’s happening.In the CRM world, this means:When you save a contact, you see clear confirmationWhen reports are generating, you get progress indicatorsDuring data sync, you know exactly what’s happeningNo mystery. No guessing whether it worked.The correlation between the system and the real world is another big one. Your CRM should speak in plain language that everyone understands, not force your team to decode technical hieroglyphics. If a sales rep has to figure out what “opportunity pipeline velocity metrics” means when they just want to know which deals are closing this quarter, that’s a design failure.Why user control matters more than you thinkThe reality is that sales are messy. Deals don’t follow a neat linear path, contacts switch companies mid-conversation, and priorities can shift without warning.User control and freedom mean the CRM bends to accommodate reality rather than forcing reality to fit rigid workflows. What you want is navigation that makes it easy to undo an error and doesn’t require IT intervention to fix a mistake.Clicking the wrong button and discovering there’s no way back can be frustrating to say the least. That’s when team members start avoiding the system entirely.Consistency and standards prevent the endless relearning that burns out users. When similar actions work the same way everywhere—contacts, deals, reports, whatever—people build muscle memory. They’re not constantly thinking “wait, how does the save button work in this particular module again?” That’s the mark of a truly user-friendly CRM solution.Shneiderman’s golden rules complement the pictureShneiderman’s rules add more practical wisdom. Striving for consistency throughout the interface means icons, colors, menus, and workflows follow patterns you can predict. The learning curve flattens fast when you’re not constantly surprised by how things work.Enabling shortcuts for frequent users recognizes a truth about software: Power users and beginners need different things. Keyboard shortcuts, customizable quick actions, streamlined workflows for repetitive tasks—these all help experienced users fly without cluttering things up for newcomers still learning the basics.Offering informative feedback keeps everyone sane:Did that email actually send?Is the contact assigned to the right person now?Did the import finish?Clear, immediate answers prevent the anxiety of wondering whether your action worked or silently failed somewhere.Less is often moreAesthetic and minimalist design matters enormously for CRM evaluation. When interfaces throw every possible option at you simultaneously, teams can become overwhelmed. They can’t find what they need and then give up and go back to their spreadsheets.Smart systems surface essential information and actions prominently. Advanced features stay accessible but don’t dominate the screen. Like a desk where you can actually find things versus one buried under six months of paperwork—Technically, both contain the same information, but only one is usable.Essential user-friendly interface features to look forNavigation should feel self-evidentYou shouldn’t need a training course to find a contact. Locating contacts, accessing the pipeline, and generating reports—These core tasks should feel obvious. The most user-friendly CRMs offer clear menus, logical organization, and categorization that make sense.Search needs to be prominent and powerful, allowing team members to quickly type a name or company and find the record. If hunting down a contact feels like playing detective, the interface design has failed.Dashboards that actually work for different peopleOne size fits nobody in business software. Different roles need different information.Sales reps want their upcoming tasks and hot leads, while managers want team performance and forecast accuracy, and customer service wants recent tickets and response times. Forcing everyone to look at identical dashboards is lazy design work.User-friendly CRMs let people configure their workspace so they can surface the metrics and data relevant to their job.Visual clarity goes beyond looking prettyTypography should be readable. Not eight-point gray text on slightly lighter gray backgrounds that require perfect vision and ideal lighting.Color schemes should guide attention, not be an assault on the eyes with random rainbow explosions. Spacing should create obvious boundaries between elements.Good visual design is invisible—it just works. Bad design makes every interaction harder than it needs to be.The details that drive daily productivityData entry reveals a lot about overall design philosophy:Forms should follow predictable patternsRequired fields should be marked clearlyValidation should happen in real timeSmart defaults should reduce repetitive typing without sacrificing accuracyContact pages reveal design philosophyLead pages (people and companies) are where teams spend huge amounts of time. How these pages work impacts productivity more than almost any other factor.Information should be organized logically. Most-used details should appear at the top, and related information—communication history, opportunities, support tickets—should be accessible without endless scrolling or clicking through maze-like navigation.Reporting shouldn’t require a PhDHere’s a test: Can a reasonably intelligent person create a pipeline report without consulting documentation or asking IT for help? If the answer is no, the reporting interface is not user-friendly.Filters should make sense, visualization options should be flexible, and exporting should be as easy as clicking a button. When teams can generate the insights they need independently, the CRM becomes genuinely useful.Navigating the learning curve factorNo system requires zero learningLet’s be realistic. Every CRM requires some learning. The question is whether you’re looking at a gentle slope or a vertical cliff face.User-friendly systems embrace something called progressive disclosure. Core functions are immediately accessible and intuitive. Advanced features exist, but don’t clutter the initial experience.That way, new users can be productive quickly with basic tasks, then gradually discover more sophisticated capabilities as needs evolve. You wade in from the shallow end rather than getting thrown into the deep end and told to swim.Onboarding sets the tone for everythingFirst impressions matter enormously. Built-in tutorials, contextual help, and guided setup wizards—these reduce the training burden and get people up to speed faster.The best systems provide optional guidance, available when needed. They don’t force everyone through identical, rigid tutorial sequences regardless of experience level.Some people want to explore independently. Others prefer structured walk-throughs. Why not accommodate both instead of picking one approach and making everyone suffer through it?The eternal tension between power and simplicityBusinesses need comprehensive functionality. Users need uncluttered interfaces. These requirements feel contradictory.Smart CRMs solve this through thoughtful design, making powerful systems easy to use:Collapsible sections reveal details on demandCustomizable views let users hide irrelevant fieldsSmart defaults work for 80% of use cases while allowing customization for the other 20%When you need help, it should be thereDocumentation quality matters more than people realize when evaluating CRM solutions for user-friendliness.Questions will always arise, and users need quick access to clear, searchable help. Whether it’s video tutorials for visual learners and knowledge base articles for people who prefer reading, you’ll want contextual help that’s easily accessible, right when you’re confused about something.Waiting on hold to learn how to export a contact list is not a user problem—it’s a design failure being compensated for with expensive support staff.Feature discovery shouldn’t feel like archaeologyRemember, a significant number of CRM users make use of fewer than half the features available to them. This is often not because they don’t need those features, but because discovering and learning them feels too burdensome.User-friendly systems make feature discovery feel natural. Tooltips, contextual suggestions, and the occasional “Did you know?” prompt help users expand capabilities without overwhelming their initial experience.Mobile accessibility as a nonnegotiable requirementYour team isn’t chained to desks anymoreModern sales teams work everywhere—coffee shops, conferences, client sites, home offices, airports, and more.A CRM that only functions well on desktop computers is fundamentally misaligned with how work actually happens now. This isn’t 2010. Mobile is basic table stakes.What mobile optimization actually meansThe term “mobile-friendly” is often thrown around carelessly. Real mobile optimization means interfaces designed to work on smaller screens, touch-based navigation you can explore with your thumbs, and workflows you can manage while standing in a parking lot.Forms should be streamlined, critical information accessible without pinch-and-zoom gymnastics, and voice input options for note-taking after meetings are a given.Nobody wants to fight their way through a contact record designed for a 27-inch monitor while standing outside, squinting at their phone in bright sunlight.Offline functionality isn’t optionalSales reps can’t always count on internet connections. They may be traveling, at customer locations with spotty Wi-Fi, or experiencing random connectivity dead zones.A user-friendly CRM will often offer basic functionality while offline—like accessing information and entering data—then automatically sync when connectivity returns. The system handles the technical complexity invisibly.Native apps versus responsive webMobile app design philosophy matters. Responsive web interfaces adapt to different screen sizes and are good for broad accessibility. Native mobile apps can provide smoother performance, better integration with device features, the use of cameras for capturing business cards, and GPS for logging meeting locations.The best approach depends on your specific use cases. But the mobile experience should never feel like an afterthought.Small conveniences add upIntegration with mobile communication tools matters more than you might think.Click a phone number, and a call initiates.Tap an email address, and the email interface opens.Need to schedule a follow-up, and calendar sync happens seamlessly without app-switching.These tiny conveniences add up.Evaluating CRM usability before you commitHands-on testing beats what marketing materials tell youWhen selecting a user-friendly CRM, you should prioritize real user testing over feature checklists and slick vendor presentations. Free trials and demo environments give you opportunities for realistic assessment.Don’t just watch the sales rep navigate carefully scripted scenarios that showcase strengths and avoid weaknesses. Have your team members attempt common tasks, then ask:Can they add a contact intuitively?How many clicks to update a lead?Can they generate a pipeline report without a support article?These answers matter infinitely more than whether the vendor’s slide deck looks impressive.Your end users know bestInvolve your actual end users early, consistently, and throughout the entire evaluation.Sales representatives, customer service agents, marketing coordinators—the people who’ll use the CRM daily—can spot usability issues that decision-makers miss completely. Their gut reaction about whether an interface feels natural or awkward should carry serious weight.Ask questions that reveal the truthAsk specific questions during vendor demonstrations, like:How does the system handle edge cases? (Not the daily conventional stuff—the weird situations that happen often in real business)What happens when users make mistakes? (Can they recover gracefully, or is it a disaster requiring IT intervention?)How easily can workflows be customized to match existing processes? (Not the vendor’s idealized process—your actual process)Request demonstrations of actual daily tasks. Not the polished showcase features designed to look impressive. Anyone can make a demo look smooth. Real workflows are where the truth emerges.Red flags wave for a reasonWatch for warning signs:Extensive training requirements signal an unnecessarily complex system.Heavy reliance on third-party consultants for basic configuration indicates inflexible or complicated architecture.Vague answers about mobile capabilities or integration options demonstrate poor usability beyond the desktop interface.Listen to how vendors talk about their interfacePay close attention to the vendor’s language about their own interface.Do they emphasize intuitive design and easy learning? Or do they focus primarily on comprehensive features and extensive training resources?The latter often reveals awareness of usability limitations they’re trying to compensate for through education rather than fixing through better design. Great design doesn’t require lengthy explanations. It just works.Test usability under realistic conditionsImport sample data reflecting your actual complexity and invite team members with varying technical skill levels to explore the CRM independently.Run through complete workflows, lead capture through deal closure, and more. These actions should surface friction points during evaluation—when you can still walk away—rather than discovering them after implementation, when you’re stuck.Calculate the real costConsider the total cost of usability—or lack thereof.A cheaper CRM with poor usability often becomes more expensive when you factor in extended training time, lower adoption rates, reduced productivity, and potential switching costs when the system eventually fails completely.A more expensive option that teams actually use consistently delivers better value than a cheaper alternative gathering dust. You’re not buying software. You’re buying the results that software enables.FAQs1. What makes a CRM interface truly user-friendly?A user-friendly interface gets out of your way. You should navigate intuitively without thinking about it. The system speaks your language—not forcing you to decode technical jargon just to find a contact. Visual hierarchy guides you naturally.Consistent design patterns mean you don’t need to relearn how things work in every module. And when you take an action, immediate feedback tells you it worked. Customization options let you configure your workspace to match how you actually work, not how a software architect imagined you should work.2. How important is mobile access when evaluating CRM usability?Mobile access has become essential rather than optional. Your sales team works everywhere—client sites, coffee shops, their cars, and airports. A CRM that only functions well on a desktop is fundamentally misaligned with how work happens now.Research shows productivity and decision-making improve significantly when salespeople have mobile CRM access. Modern work happens on mobile. Look for a responsive design that actually works on smaller screens. Ideally, you’ll want offline capabilities so connectivity gaps don’t derail your team and interfaces optimized for touch rather than mouse clicks. If the mobile experience feels like an afterthought, keep looking.3. Should I prioritize feature quantity or ease of use when selecting a CRM?Prioritize ease of use. A comprehensive feature set means nothing if your team can’t figure out how to use it. You end up paying for functionality nobody touches because it’s too difficult to access or understand. Find a system that handles your core requirements exceptionally well with an interface your team will actually use—consistently, without complaint, without workarounds.4. How can I test CRM usability before purchasing?Request hands-on trial periods rather than relying solely on vendor demonstrations. Have your sales reps, customer service agents, and marketing coordinators attempt realistic daily tasks. Can they add a contact without a training manual? Update an opportunity? Generate a report? How many clicks does it take? Do they need to call support for basic functions?Involve team members with varying technical skill levels. The tech enthusiast may overlook usability issues that drive your less tech-savvy people crazy. Real usage under real conditions surfaces problems that polished demonstrations hide.5. What are the warning signs of poor CRM usability?Watch for vendors who emphasize extensive training programs rather than intuitive design. That’s often code for “our interface is confusing.”Systems requiring heavy customization just to handle basic workflows are a red flag. Interfaces cluttered with excessive options, inconsistent navigation across modules, slow response times, and cryptic error messages all indicate fundamental design problems. Simple tasks shouldn’t require multiple clicks through confusing menus. If they do, keep shopping.Finding clarity in the complexity: Your path to CRM successThe CRM market is drowning in options—hundreds of vendors, each promising to revolutionize customer relationships and send your revenue through the roof.But here’s what gets lost in all the marketing noise and feature comparisons: Usability.Most companies don’t prioritize it during selection. Not until adoption falls flat. Not until teams bypass the system entirely. Not until that expensive implementation becomes a budget disaster nobody wants to discuss.Then suddenly, usability is all anyone cares about.Here’s what actually matters: when an interface aligns with how you naturally think and work, when the system gives you clear feedback without mystery, when mobile access lets you be productive anywhere—that’s when CRM transforms. From obligatory software into something genuinely useful.The statistics back this up. So does experience. Poor usability drives people away—features go unused, and the entire point of implementing a CRM collapses.Organizations that get this right share a pattern. They prioritize usability during selection. They involve actual end users in evaluation—not just decision-makers. They demand real workflow demonstrations instead of polished presentations designed to impress.Because the uncomfortable truth is that the most feature-rich CRM in the world is worthless if nobody uses it. And worthless software is expensive—regardless of how affordable the subscription.This story was produced by Nutshell and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Davenport West High School evacuated for threats against building Davenport West High School has been evacuated due to threats against the school. According to a release from the Davenport Community School District, students were evacuated to the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds. The Davenport Police Department received threats against the building. All students were evacuated and are safe.
	Crews working to clear semi crash on I-80 eastbound entrance ramp The I-80 eastbound entrance ramp at Northwest Boulevard is partially blocked due to a semi crash Thursday morning.
	Prophetstown man arrested on drug charges A Whiteside County man has been arrested in Kewanee after police said they found several kinds of drugs in his vehicle. A news release from the Kewanee Police Department said detectives with the Kewanee Police Department Street Crime Unit conducted a traffic stop in the 100 block of West McClure Street on March 25 at [...]
	Davenport West High School evacuated due to bomb threat Due to a bomb threat at West High School students have been evacuated.
	The troubling personal side of public surveillance The troubling personal side of public surveillanceOn March 4, former Milwaukee police officer Josue Ayala pleaded not guilty to a misconduct charge accusing him of using the department’s Flock-branded Automated License Plate Reader system (ALPR) for personal reasons. He resigned from the department hours before his initial court appearance, according to local reporting.Ayala, 33, is charged with attempted misconduct in public office, a misdemeanor. Prosecutors say he used Flock’s plate-tracking platform to look up the location of a woman he was dating, as well as that of her ex-boyfriend, more than 170 times in total over a roughly two-month period. Ayala and his lawyer did not speak with reporters at his court appearance.Jon McCray Jones, a policy analyst with the Wisconsin chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, told Urban Milwaukee that the accusation exemplifies “just how easily Flock cameras can be turned against the very people the technology purports to protect,” and said it was part of a growing trend. Indeed, Ayala is the second officer in the state to face charges related to misuse of surveillance technology in recent weeks. In February, Menasha police officer Cristian Morales pleaded not guilty to the same charge after allegedly using Flock technology to track an ex-girlfriend. Morales, accused of running five unauthorized searches, is on administrative leave, according to reports.The Marshall Project examines cases in which public surveillance tools like license plate readers have been misused and how lawmakers have reacted.Over the past few years, officers have been accused or convicted of misusing license plate readers to track people for personal reasons in Orange City, Florida, Sedgwick, Kansas and Braselton, Georgia. It’s not just young, inexperienced cops either: In Kansas and Georgia, the officers in question were both police chiefs.The first license plate reader was invented in 1976, but the devices became common tools for law enforcement over the last 20 years or so. Fundamentally, they are cameras that capture point-in-time images of license plates on public roads and store those sightings in a searchable database.In recent years, Atlanta-based Flock Safety has become one of the largest vendors of the technology. Supporters — including Flock itself — argue the systems are an important force multiplier: The company has claimed its tech helps solve hundreds of thousands of crimes a year nationwide, especially vehicle-linked cases. That includes some high-profile cases like the December mass shooting at Brown University. Police credited Flock technology as a primary tool in locating the alleged shooter.Flock cameras don’t provide continuous real-time tracking like GPS. But as the number of camera locations increases, and data is increasingly being shared across jurisdictions, civil libertarians worry that the systems are creating a kind of panoptic surveillance infrastructure — especially when integrated with other technologies like artificial intelligence.Then there’s the problem of misuse. Police abusing official databases and tech for personal reasons is not a new phenomenon. A decade ago, in a sprawling investigative report, The Associated Press found hundreds of cases where officers had used confidential law enforcement databases to get information on romantic partners, neighbors, journalists or business associates. But as police data systems rapidly increase in sophistication, speed and granularity, the potential for abuse grows in kind.Even when these technologies are used for crime-solving purposes, officers can slip into inappropriate personal use. Last week, The San Francisco Standard reported that a city officer was under investigation for using the Flock ALPR system to try to locate his wife’s stolen car, possibly violating department rules about conflicts of interest, as well as other policies. The officer posted a picture of the vehicle on social media, and the unauthorized use was discovered when another officer in a neighboring jurisdiction saw the post.That aspect of Flock’s ALPR technology, where police can search the movements of vehicles beyond their own jurisdiction, is one that has grown increasingly worrying to individual cities. Last week the city of Denver announced it would not renew its contract with Flock and switch to a competitor that doesn’t have a nationwide search option, citing concerns that Flock systems could be accessed by federal agents for immigration arrests.Flock Safety spokesperson Holly Beilin acknowledged there have been cases of officer misuse, but said they represent a small fraction of overall use. She argued that the company’s audit logs represent a key accountability feature, because they can’t be changed after the fact — meaning essentially that an officer who abuses the technology can’t hide their tracks. She also said the company has added compliance tools, including search filters tied to immigration and reproductive healthcare investigations where state law restricts those searches. Flock has also paused a pilot program that facilitated federal cooperation and updated its systems after scrutiny over federal access and network sharing.Still, Denver isn’t the only city jumping ship. At least 30 cities cancelled contracts with Flock over the first two months of the year, according to NPR, a trend that has been especially pronounced in college towns. On March 4, Ithaca, New York, home to Ithaca College and Cornell University, became the latest to drop out. Public sentiment about Flock and surveillance cameras in general also took a hit after a Super Bowl ad for Amazon’s Ring doorbell cameras depicted a network of smart cameras being fed to AI databases to locate lost pets. The ad had nothing to do with Flock, but a pending partnership between Ring and Flock raised alarm bells for civil libertarians. The partnership has since been cancelled.Lawmakers in a handful of states have pushed for laws governing the use of license plate readers in recent years, but even when they do, it’s not always clear how to enforce them. A January report from the Virginia State Crime Commission found that 55 law enforcement agencies in the state reported taking no public awareness measures related to ALPR use, despite a state law requiring certain public notices before deployment.The report also found that 20 Virginia agencies were providing data to out-of-state law enforcement, and nine were providing continuous access to federal agencies, even though the state law forbids both kinds of sharing.Against that backdrop, some local governments are trying an approach that is rare in surveillance governance: contractual consequences. The week of March 2, the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights announced a contract with Flock that has penalties of $22,000 to $70,000 per incident of “unauthorized disclosure or access.” This provision does not protect against misuse within the police department, but is intended to protect against Flock’s platform settings, allowing outside agencies to query Arlington Heights' camera data without the department’s permission or knowledge.“By adding this penalty into our contract, my hope is that other communities will do the same,” Arlington Heights trustee Wendy Dunnington told The Marshall Project by email.This story was produced by The Marshall Project and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Army reshuffling its civilian workforce The Army is reorganizing where civilian employees work and how jobs are assigned.
	Summer gas fight: Yearslong ethanol policy standoff could cost Illinois drivers at the pump yet again Illinois retailers say they need to know soon whether to purchase ethanol-infused E15 gasoline for summer use.
	New car seat safety guidelines: What to know The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is updating federal standards to improve how car seats are tested.
	Buy now, benefit now: How builder incentives are reshaping real estate seasons Buy now, benefit now: How builder incentives are reshaping real estate seasonsToday, house hunting is driven by more than just the calendar, especially in the new home construction market, where buyers are increasingly focused on finding value and affordability. Builders deliver homes year-round, and opportunities aren’t limited to the traditional spring surge.For decades, the housing market followed a familiar seasonal rhythm.Spring typically brought the highest number of listings and the busiest wave of buyer activity, often carrying momentum into early summer.By fall, searches slowed, and many buyers paused altogether during the winter months.The flow of new homes generally mirrored this cycle, shaped by school calendars, weather patterns, holiday timing, and long-standing buyer habits.For today’s house hunters, with tight budgets and affordability challenges, that calendar-based approach is less relevant. As NewHomeSource explains in this article, buyers are better off searching for opportunities as they emerge, rather than being guided by a traditional “best season” for buying.Builder Incentives Make the Timing RightBuilders deliver new homes year-round as construction phases are completed rather than releasing inventory strictly during peak months. Unlike resale sellers, builders operate on production timelines, inventory targets, and quarterly sales goals.The latest Housing Market Index survey from the National Association of Home Builders reflects continued pressure in the housing market.In January, 40% of builders reported lowering prices, continuing the trend from December. It’s also the third month in a row that price cuts have remained at or above 40, a level not seen consistently since May 2020.On average, price reductions increased to 6% in January.65% of builders reported using sales incentives, the tenth consecutive month in which incentive use has exceeded 60%.With mortgage rates still elevated and affordability stretched, builders are using incentives to keep sales moving without slashing base prices more aggressively. According to the National Association of Realtors, incentives are especially strong right now, creating favorable conditions for buyers and offering affordability in a way that resale homes do not.When 40% of builders are cutting prices, and nearly two-thirds are offering incentives, buyers have negotiating power that typically tightens during peak spring demand.Higher competition in the spring often reduces flexibility, limits upgrade packages, and shortens decision windows.In contrast, when builders are actively using price reductions and incentives to maintain sales pace, buyers may have more room to secure rate buydowns, closing cost assistance, or premium upgrades.Acting before the traditional spring surge can mean less competition, more leverage, and potentially better overall value.How Buying New Construction Offers More LeverageBecause many builders are actively using incentives, buyers of new construction can often negotiate flexibility that resale buyers can’t.Incentives such as rate buydowns, closing cost contributions, design credits, appliance packages, or lot premiums can significantly reduce either upfront costs or monthly payments. In some cases, a 5% price adjustment on a $500,000 home represents a $25,000 difference, before additional perks are factored in.Importantly, that leverage is not limited to spring. Builders may be especially motivated if they are working to meet quarterly or annual targets, creating opportunity in months that were historically considered “slow.”Incentive levels vary by region, builder size, and price point, so buyers should evaluate local conditions carefully. It’s also worth noting that incentives can shrink if mortgage rates fall or buyer demand accelerates in the spring, potentially tightening negotiating power.Practical Guidance for BuyersInstead of focusing on the calendar, today’s buyers benefit from focusing on readiness and market conditions:Get financing pre-approved early.Monitor builder inventory levels and move-in-ready homes.Ask specifically about current incentives and rate programs.Compare total cost, not just base price.Bottom LineSpring may still bring more buzz, but it no longer holds a monopoly on opportunity. Builder incentives, inventory management, and economic conditions are reshaping the traditional seasonal cycle.For new construction buyers, the “best time to buy” is increasingly defined by leverage, incentives, and preparedness, not by the month on the calendar.This story was produced by NewHomeSource and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Friday, March 27th, 2026

Thursday, March 26th, 2026