QCA.news - Quad Cities news and view from both sides of the river
Thursday, April 30th, 2026 | |
 | Why gas prices rocketed up in Illinois and Iowa, other statesDrivers in a handful of states may have noticed pump prices rapidly increase this week. It could impact more states soon. |
 |  How a father and daughter duped NYC's art world with fake Warhols and BanksysA father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings |
| |  Trump says he is weighing reducing American troop presence in Germany after Iran feudPresident Trump suggested he could soon reduce the U.S. military presence in Germany as he continues to feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israel war against Iran. |
Wednesday, April 29th, 2026 | |
 |  Ben McCollum joins Joey Donia for interview after historic run to Elite EightAfter leading Iowa the men’s basketball program to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987, momentum is quickly building for Ben McCollum’s Hawkeyes. |
| | ‘Not a 12th chance’: Republicans demand bail law changes after police shootingThe push came after two Chicago police officers were shot by a felon who was on pretrial release. |
 | Community members voice concerns about 'History Rocks' tour coming to Davenport elementary schoolThe America 250 Civics Education Coalition, which created the event, is almost entirely comprised of conservative and right-leaning organizations. |
| | Community members voice concerns about 'History Rocks' tour coming to Davenport elementary schoolThe tour has raised concerns from critics due to the number of conservative organizations supporting the initiative. |
| | Quad Cities leaders hold work session on homelessnessLeaders from 5 cities in the Quad Cities area attended. |
| | Artist needed for downtown Burlington muralThe selected design should reflect themes of nature, prairie grass and the legacy of Aldo Leopold, a well-known conservationist who was from Burlington. |
| | Iowa Farm Act to strengthen agriculture advancesThe Iowa Senate passed the state's farm act. The Iowa Farm Act would expand Iowa's agritourism industry and give targeted tax relief to farmers. The bill introduced by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig intends to strengthen rural communities and provide more support to farmers. The Senate unanimously passed the bill with an amendment. It [...] |
| | Illinois bill would ban cellphone use in schoolsA bill to ban cell phones in schools is gaining momentum in Illinois. Senate Bill 2427 would ban cellphone use throughout the day in all elementary and middle schools. Cellphones would be restricted during classroom instruction in high schools. The revised version already passed the House and could be on course to pass the Senate. [...] |
| | Iowa bill would make animal torture a felonyIowa is the only state in the country where animal torture is not a felony on the first offense, butthat could change soon. If passed, the crime could carry up to five years in prison and a fine of over $10,000. Our Quad Cities News Iowa Capitol Bureau correspondent Teodora Mitov has the latest as [...] |
| | Davenport's Horizon Science Academy students earns top places at STEMCONHorizon Science Academy Davenport, delivered an exceptional performance at Concept Schools’ annual STEMCON event, according to a news release. Competing against more than 1,000 students in grades 4–12 from across the network, HSA Davenport students demonstrated excellence, innovation, and determination—earning top placements across multiple competitions. Two all-girls coding teams from HSA Davenport earned first and second [...] |
| |  Illinois residents can now call 211 for essential community servicesIllinois residents can now call 211 for help locating and connecting with essential community services. 211 Illinois started with 13 counties in 2009. Coverage across the state started April 29. The hotline can help with things like from basic needs like food, housing, legal support and support for veterans. Users can call 211 or text [...] |
| | How has spring rain impacted drought conditions?Around six inches of rain fell in the region this April. Illinois State Climatologist Dr. Trent Ford explains if it's helped drought conditions after a dry winter. |
| |  Friends of Vander Veer annual plant sale fundraiser to be held Friday through SundayThe non-profit continues the tradition May 1-3. It's a chance to pick up a gift for Mom and stock up on annual, perennial, and tropical plants. Proceeds benefit beautification and education at the park. |
| |  Former alderman files open-meetings suit against City of DavenportA former alderman and Davenport mayoral candidate has filed suit against the Davenport City Council, accusing the council of violating open-meetings law, according to a petition filed April 22 in Scott County Court. In the suit, plaintiff Judith Lee names the council, Kyle Gripp, Jazmin Newton, Richard Dunn, Tim Dunn John Bunk, Ben Jobgen, Mark [...] |
| |  Freight House outdoor market season to open this weekendThe official launch of the 2026 outdoor season is happening May 2 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and May 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| |  Red Ginger closing; operations, staff moving to reopened Izumi SteakhouseBettendorf’s Red Ginger is closing, with its menu and staff moving to Izumi Steakhouse in Davenport, according to a Facebook post Wednesday. |
| | Traffic Alert: Part of South Prairie Street closed for building facade repairsThe road is closed to through traffic between East Main and East Simmons streets so the Weinberg Arcade buildings facade can be fixed, according to a media release. |
 | Bridge washing to begin Friday in Rock Island, Whiteside and Carroll counties in IllinoisWorkers will begin washing bridges in Rock Island, Whiteside and Carroll counties in Illinois, including the Stanley Talbot Memorial (Centennial) Bridge in Rock Island, on Friday, May 1. |
| | Soaring diesel prices impacting delivery costs for small businessesA Geneseo, Illinois, business owner weighs in on how long they can avoid passing increased costs to customers. |
| |  Iowa House votes to ban warrant resolution clinics after murder caseThe program allowed Polk County residents with minor warrants like traffic violations or missed court dates to have them cleared by a judge in exchange for meeting the terms of the punishment, like paying a fine. |
| |  Quad Cities leaders meet to discuss reducing unsheltered homelessnessParticipants from five different cities in the area called the event a momentum-building opportunity where they were able to talk about working together to find solutions. |
| | Iowa radon mitigation bill moves forwardThe Iowa Senate unanimously passed a bill to require passive radon mitigation systems in new homes. Active radon systems use an electric fan to pull radon from the soil and ventilation to disperse it away from the home. A passive system doesn't require a fan or use electricity. House File 1027 was amended to add [...] |
| | Illinois bills could help fund safety-net hospitalsTwo bills in Illinois could help keep hospitals afloat and healthcare service workers on the job. There are 32 safety-net hospitals in Illinois that serve patients with little to no income or health insurance, relying heavily on Medicaid. A proposal in the Illinois Legislature would have the state provide stable funding for safety-net hospitals. Another [...] |
| | 15 Davenport North student athletes sign college commitmentsWildcats from the class of 2026 will be going on to play baseball, football and more. |
| |  QC International Airport, Moline, starts its biggest terminal remodel everIn 18 months, the historic brick floors of the Quad Cities International Airport will be replaced with newer, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant floors. The clickety-clack of suitcases rolling across the bricks that previewed a memorable trip across the country will now be heard only in memories. "I almost wish we could keep them forever," [...] |
| |  Single campus could be coming to Central DeWitt SchoolsThe Central DeWitt School District could see some changes to their school after the school board approved its master facilities plan. |
| | Cooler than normal temps last into the weekend in the Quad CitiesAfter a warm start to April, things are ending on a much different note! It's gone down below normal lately, and that does not look to change until early next week (May starts on Friday.) Here are the highs for the next 7 days: And this is how they compare to normal for this time [...] |
 | See how much it costs to attend Arizona Diamondbacks gamesArina P Habich // Shutterstock See how much it costs to attend Arizona Diamondbacks games Way compiled a look at the affordability of attending Arizona Diamondbacks games. Ticket rates were aggregated from official primary ticketing partners and major resale marketplaces based on availability as of March 2025. Estimated game day costs reflect one average ticket, one beer, one hot dog, one soda, and one parking spot. Prices are estimates based on publicly available data and do not include taxes or fees.While Major League Baseball remains one of the most accessible major sports leagues in the U.S., prices vary significantly by market. Large coastal teams tend to command higher ticket prices, while smaller markets often offer more budget-friendly experiences.How much it costs to attend Arizona Diamondbacks games- 2026 Stadium: Chase Field- Ticket prices: $25.15 (National rank: #28 most expensive)- Concession total: $12.70 (National rank: #28 most expensive)--- Beer (16oz): $5.13--- Hot Dog: $3.07--- Soda: $4.50- Average parking price: $18.33- Estimated total cost of attending a game: $56.18MLB teams with the highest average ticket prices#1. New York Yankees ($67.75)#2. Houston Astros ($64.29)#3. Chicago Cubs ($55.10)#4. Los Angeles Dodgers ($54.24)#5. Washington Nationals ($46.02)MLB teams with the lowest average ticket prices#1. Miami Marlins ($23.61)#2. Arizona Diamondbacks ($25.15)#3. Chicago White Sox ($25.58)#4. Cincinnati Reds ($25.58)#5. Pittsburgh Pirates ($26.93) This story was produced by Way and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  Supreme Court appears to lean toward ending TPS for some migrantsThe U.S. Supreme Court appeared sympathetic to the Trump administration's move to end temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians in the country. |
| |  Quad Cities airport takes off with $19 million in new improvementsThe Quad Cities International Airport held a groundbreaking Wednesday, April 29, for the $19-million Phase 2 of its Project GATEWAY, to take a year and a half to complete. |
| | Body of missing Clinton, Iowa, man found along the Mississippi River in Cordova, IllinoisDermot Bly was reported missing after he was last seen on April 16. The Rock Island County coroner said his preliminary cause of death is presumed to be drowning. |
| | Second phase of terminal upgrades begins at Quad Cities International AirportPhase Two of Project GATEWAY will total over $19 million. This phase is the largest and most publicly visible part of the years-long terminal renovations. |
| |  The Austrian nuns who fled their care home are now in Rome and visited the VaticanThe three octogenarian nuns, who made headlines last year after they broke back into their convent, joined others at St. Peter's Square for a general audience with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday morning. |
| | Callais fallout in Alabama: No redistricting now, says Ivey; partisan divides over SCOTUS rulingSen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, discusses a Democratic congressional map proposal during a special session on redistricting on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 in Montgomery, Ala. Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday said she would not call a special session for redistricting following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that will make it significantly harder for plaintiffs to challenge maps on the basis of racial discrimination. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector)Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling significantly limiting majority-minority districts should not have an immediate effect on Alabama’s legislative and congressional districts. But that could change in the future. In a 6-3 decision, in a case called Louisiana v. Callais, Justice Samuel Alito held that a Louisiana congressional map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, and ruled that plaintiffs challenging legislative maps for racial discrimination under Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act had to show intent to discriminate by lawmakers. Under prior case law, plaintiffs had to show the effect of maps was discriminatory. “The focus of (Section) 2 must be enforcement of the Fifteenth Amendment’s prohibition on intentional racial discrimination,” Alito wrote. “When (Section) 2 is properly interpreted in the way we have outlined, it is sufficiently congruent with and proportional to the Amendment’s prohibition. While that interpretation does not demand a finding of intentional discrimination, it imposes liability only when the circumstances give rise to a strong inference that intentional discrimination occurred.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act limited states from using maps that would dilute the voting power of minority citizens. Justice Elena Kagan, joined by justices Sonya Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented from the court’s opinion, Kagan cited Allen v. Milligan, the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision which resulted in Alabama drawing a near-majority Black congressional district due in part to polarized racial voting patterns. Plaintiffs in Milligan argued that a congressional map drawn by the state illegally put Black voters into a single district while also breaking up clusters of other Black voters across the state to minimize the vote of marginalized communities. “Given the state’s racially polarized voting, (marginalized residents) cannot hope—in the way the state’s white citizens can—to elect a person whom they think will well represent their interests,” Kagan wrote. “Their votes matter less than others’ do; they translate into less political voice. Or, as this court put it recently, the cracking makes a ‘minority vote unequal to a vote by a nonminority voter.’” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey speaks to college and university students during a meal for Higher Education Day, an annual rally for college and university funding, on Feb. 19, 2026 at the Alabama State Capitol. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The maps drawn in the wake of Milligan will stay in place for now. Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that she supports the Supreme Court’s decision but that the state is “not in position to have a special session at this time” to redraw congressional districts. A federal court last year ordered Alabama to maintain its current maps through 2030. “While I am encouraged by this decision, it does not yet resolve our ongoing redistricting fight over Alabama’s congressional map,” she said. “For too long, federal courts forced states like Alabama into a no-win situation at the hands of activists who want us to draw maps that discriminate against our own citizens based on race.” Alito wrote in his majority opinion Wednesday morning Allen v. Milligan would not be overturned. “(Allen v. Milligan) did not address whether “race-based redistricting” under (Section 2) could ‘extend indefinitely into the future’ despite significant changes in conditions, … nor did it address whether (Section 2) plaintiffs must disentangle race from politics in proving their case,” Alito wrote. Janai Nelson, president and director of counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said her organization doesn’t think Alabama the court will overturn Milligan in the future. “We are still assessing what the implications are in Alabama, but we, based on our reading of the decision, have no reason to believe that there should be any backtracking in Alabama, and we stand ready to challenge any maps that we feel discriminate against Black voters,” she said. Reactions Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall speaks at the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor ceremony in the Alabama House of Representatives on April 2, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Reaction to the court’s decision fell down party lines. Alabama Republicans praised the court’s opinion on Callais. “The Court has shut the door on vote-dilution claims that use racial data to disguise what are really partisan disputes,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a candidate for U.S. Senate, said in a statement. “Alabama has been fighting this battle for many years, and today the Supreme Court confirmed our long-held argument that States must not use race, either to help or to harm particular voters, when drawing voting districts.” U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, who is also running for the Senate, called for the Alabama Legislature to redraw the state’s congressional map following the decision in a post on X Wednesday morning. “I know what it’s like to have my district redrawn to dilute conservative voters’ voices and make way for a Democrat seat,” the post said. “We should be drawing districts based on communities, not race. The Constitution demands it, and the American people deserve it.” Democratic leaders and organizations across the state condemned the decision. “Three years ago, the Supreme Court used [the Voting Rights Act] to require Alabama to draw fairer congressional districts after the Court found the previous maps weren’t giving voters a real choice.” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a social media post Wednesday. “Today, that same Court walked it back … the bigger damage will be at the local level, where two-thirds of Section 2 cases are actually litigated. City councils. School boards. County commissions. The places where everyday democracy happens.” U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, speaks with a marcher after crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge during commemorations of the the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday on March 8, 2026 in Selma, Ala. (Estela Munoz for Alabama Reflector) Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, called the decision a “slap in the face to Black voters in Alabama” in a statement released by the Alabama House Democratic Caucus. “Rest assured that I, and my colleagues in the Alabama House Democratic Caucus, will continue to fight against all forms of gerrymandering. People should have the right to pick the politicians that they want to represent them, not the other way around. As we have said from the beginning, fair elections begin with fair maps,” he said U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, said the decision is a “death sentence” to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in a statement posted to social media. “The right-wing Supreme Court has not only turned its back on decades of precedent and ignored the will of the people, but it has weakened the foundational principle safeguarding fair representation for Black and minority voters,” she said. U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, whose seat was created as a result of Milligan, said in a statement that while his district will remain until 2030, some states will fight to have their maps redrawn. “Although today’s decision does not make changes to Alabama’s current congressional districts, it has made proving future racial discrimination in redistricting cases significantly tougher,” the statement said. “It will lead to states, primarily in the South, launching immediate efforts to redraw districts in ways that will dilute the impact of Black voters and drastically reduce the number of realistic opportunities to elect Black members to Congress.” Louisiana v. Callais was first argued last year, after a group of non-Black voters in Louisiana challenged a congressional map as being an unconstitutional racial gerrymander when a new district of mostly Black voters was added to the state. Alanah Odoms, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Louisiana said Wednesday afternoon the court’s decision will be used as a test case. “There is a federal track that is happening to curtail the rights of Black voters, and there is a state track. It is the same playbook, and it is exactly the same goal,” she said. “What I assert to you today is Louisiana is the test case. It always has been what works here will be exported.” Courtesy of Alabama Reflector |
| | Davenport speed cabinet knocked over, now back upOne of Davenport’s new mobile speed cabinets got knocked over. |
| | WIU launches 'Rolling Rural' podcast about rural transportationJohn Bannon, host of Rolling Rural, joined The Current to discuss why he wanted to start the podcast and what he hopes viewers learn from it. |
| | Your first weekend of May!With the month of May just around the corner, the weather is looking perfect to get outside and enjoy it. While temperatures are remaining cooler than normal in the upper 50s and low 60s heading into the weekend, we will see those temperatures jump back to near 70s by Sunday and for a nice start [...] |
 | “For the Love of Peter,” May 8 and 9As part of the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's third-annual Pride Celebration, the Moline venue will host the debut of local actor/playwright Don Faust's comedy For the Love of Peter, an original one-act being presented on May 8 and 9. |
| |  House extends a controversial spy tool, but Senate path is unclear ahead of deadlineThe House has approved a three year extension of the surveillance program known as FISA Section 702. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces a difficult path to final passage. |
| | Lena brewery hosts fundraiser after EF-2 tornado damages townThe Lena Brewing Company was spared from the storm, but several homes, businesses and even the local school sustained extensive tornado damage. Here's how to help. |
| |  Quad Cities to host international team handball competitionA large handball competition will be held in the Quad Cities. |
| |  Long a dream, it's now real: a fast and accurate TB test that doesn't need phlegmTB tests use phlegm — not the easiest thing to get or work with. It takes time for results. And there can be false negatives and positives. A new test is more accurate and takes less than half an hour. |
| |  John Deere scholarship sends Davenport students to Iowa with big dreamsTwenty Davenport students are heading to the University of Iowa with 90% tuition covered and big plans for what comes next. |
| | Chicago man arrested in Lee County scam sting after Paw Paw resident loses $40KA Chicago man was arrested in a Lee County sting operation after a Paw Paw resident was scammed out of $40,000 in an "FBI agent" phone fraud scheme. |
| |  Burlington seeks artists for downtown mural honoring Aldo LeopoldDowntown Burlington is inviting artists to submit proposals for a new public mural on Jefferson Street. |
| |  Have you seen these suspects? Crime Stoppers wants to know!Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities wants your help catching two fugitives. It’s an Our Quad Cities News exclusive. You can get an elevated reward for information on this week’s cases: SABASTIAN BUSTILLOS, 27, 6’, 218 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. Wanted by Iowa DOC High Risk Unit for escape on convictions for burglary and [...] |
| |  Caitlin Clark contracted with the Indiana Fever through 2027 seasonClark drew national attention during her time at the University of Iowa. |
| | The hire many business owners put off is more affordable than they thinkThe hire many business owners put off is more affordable than they think Here’s a moment most founders recognize: It’s Wednesday evening, you’re rescheduling a meeting you already moved once, and somewhere in a tab you opened this morning is the work you meant to get to.That’s what happens when too many things route through you personally: booking your own flights, chasing a proposal you sent three weeks ago, checking your inbox for the 10th time in an hour because you’re worried you missed something important.Meanwhile, the work that grows the business gets pushed to evenings and weekends, when you’re already depleted, and you never feel like you’re on top of anything.Many business owners recognize this eventually and hire an assistant. One person whose job is to make sure everything that isn’t your highest-value work doesn't land on your desk.In this article, Near shows what hiring an assistant looks like and why business owners are recruiting admin talent in Latin America.Key Takeaways:Hiring VAs or remote executive assistants in Latin America gives business owners experienced, English-proficient professionals who work U.S. hours at 60%-80% below equivalent U.S. salaries.A great assistant returns high-value hours to business owners by taking over scheduling, inbox management, follow-ups, and day-to-day operational decisions.AI tools cannot replace a skilled assistant because proactive judgment, institutional knowledge, and relationship handling require human initiative and oversight.Having a Great Assistant Gives You Time BackThe business case for hiring an assistant is almost always framed around time, but not in the "save 10 hours a week" sense. It’s about which hours you get back.When a great assistant takes over your calendar, you stop losing the first 20 minutes of every morning to rearranging meetings. When they own your inbox, you stop checking it reflexively every 15 minutes. When they manage follow-ups, things get closed.What changes most for a lot of people is the quality of their attention. When logistics are handled, you can think clearly. The focused work that used to get pushed to Sunday night starts happening on Tuesday morning, when you’re at your best.And finally, the work that advances the business gets the hours it deserves.As Dan Martell explains in “Buy Back Your Time,” if your highest-value work is worth more per hour than scheduling meetings and processing vendor emails, hiring an assistant pays for itself.VA, EA, Virtual, In-Person: Does Any of It Matter?Once business owners decide they want this kind of support, the next question is usually about what to call the role.The terms "virtual assistant" and "executive assistant" get used almost interchangeably, but they describe different roles, and the difference matters when you’re trying to hire the right person.A virtual assistant typically handles defined, repeatable tasks: inbox triage, data entry, scheduling, and research. They often work across multiple clients.An executive assistant is a dedicated resource for one person or team. They’re expected to anticipate, not just execute. They manage complex calendars, own communications, coordinate travel, and often serve as a gatekeeper who decides what reaches you and what gets handled before it does.Many business owners, when they describe what they want, are describing an executive assistant, even when they say "VA."But when founders and operators describe their ideal hire, they rarely use formal job titles. They talk about wanting a "second brain," a "right-hand person," or "someone to run alongside me."What they really want is an executive assistant.The “virtual” part of the equation has also become less meaningful. Many teams are distributed now. Whether someone is down the hall or in another city or country, the working relationship looks the same: Slack, video calls, shared docs.What really matters is whether the person has the initiative, judgment, and communication skills to take work off your plate without needing to be managed themselves.Does AI Change the Need for an Assistant?Some business owners might hesitate about hiring an executive assistant or VA because they think the cost isn’t justified if AI can take care of a lot of time-consuming admin tasks.And, to a point, yes, it can.But the gap between what a Claude or OpenClaw agent can do and what a human assistant can do is still huge.AI responds when you ask it to. A great assistant notices when the vendor hasn’t replied in two weeks and follows up without being told.They catch what’s about to become a problem before you know it exists. That kind of proactive judgment is what makes a good assistant genuinely valuable.Also, a human assistant builds institutional knowledge over time. They learn which clients need a warmer tone, which meetings always run long, and which contacts need three nudges before responding. That knowledge compounds with every week they’re in the role. You can’t easily prompt your way to it.Colleen Barry, head of marketing at Ketch, uses AI tools daily. She also works with a VA.“AI can help draft a message, but it won’t actually make sure things get done,” Barry said. “A good VA brings reliability, communication skills, and attention to detail that goes beyond just output. Managing partnerships, coordinating with designers, and following up with vendors: these require persistence and relationship handling.”The best assistants notice what’s about to fall through the cracks, follow up without being asked, and handle the human dynamics of a busy person’s work life.A great assistant makes AI even more usefulAI can’t replace a great assistant. But that doesn’t mean AI shouldn’t play a big part in helping organize your work.If you’re already using AI tools in your business, a skilled assistant is what makes those tools pay off. The AI output still needs someone to review it, apply judgment, and make sure the right version reaches the right person at the right moment.Courtney Hickey, EA to the CEO at Zapier, doesn’t believe AI can replace a good EA. She has used AI to free up her time to deliver even more value in her role.Speaking on the "How I AI" podcast, she described how automation has given her more time to spend on the judgment calls, the relationships, and the other things that can’t be automated.“I definitely am a believer that AI can only enable us in this role”, Hickey said. “There is simply too much to do.”Why Hiring in Latin America Makes Hiring an Assistant Feasible for Most CompaniesThe value case for hiring an assistant is clear. The next question most business owners ask is whether they can afford one.U.S. administrative assistants earn $46,000-$69,000 per year. An experienced executive assistant can run considerably higher, up to $115,000. For a small business or a solo operator, that number can feel like the end of the conversation.What many haven’t looked at closely is the option to hire in Latin America.This isn’t offshoring in the traditional sense. Latin American professionals work in time zones that align closely with U.S. business hours. They’re available on your calls and respond to messages during your same workday. Source: Near’s 2026 US vs. LatAm Salary Guide For people who have already hired a VA in the past, they usually have experience with hiring in Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, which has long been the go-to offshore VA market.The feedback from business owners who’ve tried to hire from distant time zones is consistent: Asynchronous communication becomes a real tax. And many business owners simply don't want someone working an overnight shift just to accommodate their schedule.The Latin American market offers something different: professionals who work the same hours you do, with strong English proficiency and cultural alignment with U.S. business norms. For owners and executives who’ve tried offshore arrangements and found them operationally frustrating, it’s a meaningfully different experience.In fact, according to Near’s State of LatAm Hiring Report, executive assistant is the fourth most popular role hired by U.S. companies in Latin America, with administrative assistant ranking 10th.What to Look for When You HireThe difference between a hire that transforms how you work and one that adds more to manage almost always comes down to one thing: whether the person takes ownership or just takes direction.The assistants who make the biggest difference don’t wait to be told what to do. They notice what needs doing before you do.That proactiveness is a personality trait you need to screen for.Julia Guillen, a recruiter who specializes in placing executive assistants, described the profile this way:“What I look for is a proactive organizational mindset, someone who stays one step ahead of their executive’s needs rather than waiting to be told. Startup experience is a strong signal, because it tells you the candidate understands urgency and can operate without a lot of structure.”In interviews, strong candidates give specific examples. They can describe how they’ve handled competing priorities, explain their systems, and ask smart questions about the role because they’ve already thought about how to do it well.The hiring process should test for this directly. Give candidates a small task relevant to your actual work. Ask how they’ve handled situations where multiple things were urgent at once. The answers will tell you more than a resume.Final ThoughtsMost business owners who hire an assistant say the same thing afterward: They should have done it sooner.The value isn’t only in the tasks that get handled. It’s in the focused hours that open up again and the strategy work that finally gets the attention it deserves.This story was produced by Hire With Near and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  The Iran war now has a price tag ($25 billion), but still no end dateThe Pentagon estimates the war has cost $25 billion over the past two months. In congressional testimony, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not say when the war might end. |
| | Freight House Farmers Market to open for 2026 seasonA highly anticipated Quad Cities weekend tradition is returning for another season. |
| |  Winter emergency shelter in Moline served over 300 people in 12 weeksThe shelter served over 300 people, housing 86 of them. |
| | 10 conversation starters that actually work, according to communication experts10 conversation starters that actually work, according to communication expertsEven the most social people occasionally have difficulty getting a conversation going, resorting to basic, boring questions like “What do you do?” or “How do you know so-and-so?” Most of the time, these types of conversation starters lead to nothing. There’s nothing meaningful or thought-provoking about them.If you want to have a truly engaging conversation with someone for the first time, you need a powerful conversation starter that’s backed by science. AnyWho covered 10 of the most effective icebreakers and the situations in which they’re best used.Networking and professional conversation starters1. "What's the most interesting thing you've been working on recently?"When trying to get to know someone, most people default to generic work conversations. While it’s a fine icebreaker, making the question more personal is a better way to engage with a new person.Asking them about something interesting they’ve been working on gives you insight into their job but also into who they are as a person and what makes them tick.2. "How did you end up on the path you're on right now?"This is another great example of a personalized question. Everyone has a story to tell, and many people are proud of where they’ve gotten with their careers. You can ask someone about their professional trajectory and how they’ve gotten into the line of work they are currently in.It’s also important to prove that you’re actively listening, says NPR. Create a loop for understanding by repeating what the person said in your own words.3. "What's something you're learning about these days?"No matter what line of work a person is in, they’re always learning something new. We’re curious creatures. A question like this addresses someone’s immediate interests, professional or otherwise, which they’re more likely to eagerly talk about.You should “aim to understand” what the person is saying, rather than just asking for the sake of asking. In an interview with NPR, communication expert Charles Duhigg says this is an important part of being a good communicator.4. "What brought you to this event? What were you hoping to get out of it?"Try to transcend basic questions about the event itself. It can come across as dry, awkward, and forced. Instead, ask someone what they were hoping to achieve by attending. It can reveal personal motivations and offer someone the opportunity to say something genuinely interesting.Follow-up questions are an important part of every successful conversation, behavioral analyst Wendy Patrick says. Use the person’s answers to why they came to an event as a bridge for a deeper conversation.Social gathering conversation starters5. "What's been the highlight of your week?"Social conversations are much less formal than professional ones, so you can ask personal questions. A “highlight-of-your-week” question is a great way to get someone to smile, because they’ll be reflecting on something positive that’s happened to them recently.Psychologically, this sets a conversation off on the right tone. It also helps you identify what someone values in their life.6. "What's something you've been really into lately — could be anything."This is a great question that’s casual and surface-level, but still allows you to get deeper insight into someone’s personality. It’s also an open-ended question, which allows someone to freely express themselves. Instead of asking a more specific question like “What music do you like?” it gives someone room to say what they’re truly passionate about.7. "What's your story?"Some people respond better to deeper questions. Questions like “What’s your story?” and “Who do you want to be in 10 years?” allow people to self-disclose. Self-disclosure is an important part of building bonds, trust, and social connection, says psychological rehabilitation specialist Kendra Cherry.First date conversation starters8. "What's something you're really passionate about that most people don't know?"Dates are tricky for conversation because some people can be guarded or hesitant to share “too much.” Ideally, you want to create a personal connection through conversation. One of the best ways to do this is to ask them to share something with you that other people don’t know. It immediately builds trust and creates an intimate shared secret of sorts.The more questions you ask someone, the more they will generally like you. Researchers at Harvard found that during speed-dating events, people who ask more questions are more likely to receive a second date.At the same time, it’s important to ask genuine questions. The American Psychological Association suggests avoiding “boomerasking,” which is when you ask a question so that you can then answer it yourself.9. "What's the best trip you've ever taken and what made it special?"Similar to the “highlight of your week” question, asking someone about their best trip creates a positive emotional reaction. Most first-date conversations are emotional, an important distinction, according to Charles Duhigg.10. "What's something you've always wanted to learn or try?"As Michigan State University puts it, “understanding interests is key to building relationships.” By asking your date about something they’ve always wanted to learn or try, you gauge what they’re curious about. Understanding these interests helps you find common ground, which is a huge part of compatibility.Making connections that lastConversation is an essential part of the human experience. But it can be challenging to navigate, especially when talking with a new person. A good conversation starter reduces awkwardness for everyone while also providing opportunities to create meaningful relationships.Whether you’re at a professional work event, a social gathering, or a first date, use some of these conversation starters to go beyond surface-level communication and form a connection that lasts.This story was produced by AnyWho and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  Catch Bucky Halker at free Miller program in FultonThe Volunteer Millers of de Immigrant Dutch Windmill are hosting folk singer Bucky Halker on Tuesday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at the Windmill Cultural Center, 111- 10th Avenue in Fulton. The performance is part of the 250th anniversary of the United States celebration and will feature songs such as This Land is Your Land [...] |
| | Chicago man charged after $40K scam, Lee County stingA Chicago man faces felony charges after a Lee County sting tied to a scam that cost a victim $40,000, officials said. |
| |  Florida lawmakers pass a voting map that could help Republicans flip four House seatsThe map drawn by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis boosts President Trump's effort to reshape voting before the midterm elections. The GOP likely holds a slight edge over Democrats in redistricting now. |
| |  Illinois among states pushing back against rule considered by Department of LaborIllinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul says the department may change how workers are classified as independent contractors. |
| | Where fuel costs are climbing fastest, and why shelf prices are nextWhere fuel costs are climbing fastest, and why shelf prices are nextWhen pump prices dominate the news, the story almost always flows to the coasts. California clears $5.90 a gallon, Hawai‘i tops $6, and Washington pushes past $5.40. Those numbers are eye-catching, and they deserve the attention they get.But the pump is only the first hit. It's the immediate one — visible at every fill-up, felt in every weekly budget — and it's the one that dominates the news cycle.The longer, larger impact is still in the pipeline, and it won't show up as a gas price at all. It will show up as a higher grocery bill, a steeper shipping charge, a bigger quote from the contractor, and a new menu price at the restaurant down the street.Diesel moves roughly 72% of U.S. freight by truck. It powers farm equipment, construction machinery, and the trains and ships that bring in imported goods. From the week of Dec. 29 to the week of April 13, national fleet diesel spend has jumped 61%, a bigger move than gasoline, and that increase is now working its way through the economy as higher prices on goods that have nothing to do with the pump.This analysis draws on the Samsara Fuel Spend Index, which measures real-time gasoline and diesel spend across commercial fueling activity in all 50 states. Because fleets fuel constantly and at scale, their spend moves faster and earlier than consumer retail benchmarks, which makes the Index an early read on where fuel-driven cost pressure is building before it shows up on the grocery shelf, the shipping invoice, or the restaurant menu.States where fuel spend is climbing fastest Samsara Every state on this list started the year well below the national average for both gas and diesel fuel, and now each of these states has seen the average price per gallon of both fuels rise faster, in percentage terms, than any of the traditionally expensive markets. The first consumer impact, the one households will feel this month, is already showing up at gas stations. The second, the pass-through from diesel into food, freight, and housing costs, is still in the pipeline.Idaho: Leading the country on combined fuel run-upIdaho's fleet gasoline spend rose from $2.89 to $4.44 per gallon since late December. Fleet diesel spend went from $3.08 to $5.55 per gallon, an 80% jump. At the retail pump, Idaho drivers are now paying $4.26 per gallon for regular unleaded, up from just over $3 at the start of the year.Idaho is a heavily agricultural state. Diesel powers the equipment that plants and harvests its potato, wheat, sugar beet, and dairy economy. When diesel nearly doubles at the farm level, those costs move through to wholesale produce and dairy prices — not this week, but through the summer and into fall harvest. Idaho households will feel the first impact in their own tanks and the second on their own grocery shelves.Colorado: #1 on gasoline, #2 overallColorado leads the nation in fleet gasoline spend increase, from $2.60 to $4.16 per gallon, up 60%. Fleet diesel spend rose from $2.93 to $4.96 per gallon, up 69%. At the retail pump, Colorado is actually one of the cheaper spots in the West at $3.94 per gallon, reflecting a relatively lower baseline. But the rate of change is what reshapes a monthly budget. A Colorado commuter whose fill-up cost $38 in December is paying closer to $62 now. A Colorado household that was used to spending $200 a month on gas is spending closer to $325.The diesel side will follow. Colorado has heavy freight, agriculture, and construction sectors that all run on diesel, and all are now absorbing a roughly 70% cost increase that will eventually surface in local pricing.Utah: A 64% jump across both fuelsUtah's fleet gasoline spend rose from $2.74 to $4.32 per gallon (up 57%), and fleet diesel spend went from $3.09 to $5.31 per gallon (up 72%). At the retail pump, regular unleaded averages $4.15 per gallon. Utah has the largest average household size in the country, which multiplies the pump impact: more drivers per home, more miles per week. On the goods side, Utah's fast-growing economy, residential construction pipeline, and agricultural sector all run on diesel, and all will reflect higher fuel input costs in prices paid by residents over the coming months.Oregon: Biggest diesel jump in the top 5 and past $5 at the pumpOregon's fleet diesel spend went from $3.30 to $5.95 per gallon since December, an 80% jump tied with Idaho for the largest diesel move in the top five. Fleet gasoline spend rose from $3.44 to $5.05 per gallon, up 47%. Oregon is now averaging $5 per gallon — joining California, Hawai‘i, and Washington in a tier most of the country hasn't reached.Oregon's exposure is unusual. It has no in-state refining, so every gallon sold there came through a pipeline or a truck from somewhere else. As diesel climbs, so does the cost of moving every good into the state, compounding the direct pass-through from freight rates. Oregon households also have one of the longer average commutes in the region, which amplifies the direct gas-pump impact.Arizona: The top-5 state with the highest pump priceArizona combines a 77% fleet diesel spend jump (from $3.33 to $5.90 per gallon) with a 50% fleet gasoline spend jump (from $3.17 to $4.75 per gallon). Retail drivers are feeling it even harder: Arizona's AAA average is now $4.64 per gallon, the sixth-highest in the country and well past the psychological $4 threshold. The state also depends heavily on long-haul diesel freight for groceries and goods as it has minimal in-state food production at scale, which means the pass-through is both larger and faster than in more self-sufficient states.Why these states are taking the biggest percentage hitFive states with no in-state refineries. Five states sit at the far end of the pipeline and distribution systems that originate elsewhere. Five states that started the year below the national average on both fuels are now getting pulled toward it.The states that didn't make this list — California (gas +36%), Hawai‘i (+33%), Washington (+35%) — didn't escape the surge. They're still expensive in absolute terms. But they had less arithmetic room to climb off an already-elevated base. The places that started cheap are converging toward the rest.2 waves of consumer impactThe pump wave arrives first. A household in any of the top-five states filling two cars a week is now paying roughly $150 to $250 more per month on gasoline than it was at New Year's. That's a visible line-item change, the kind households notice on the next card statement or the next trip to the station.The diesel wave arrives second, and it's harder to see because it doesn't show up on a bill with "fuel" on it. It shows up as a 10-cent increase on a loaf of bread. A $4 surcharge on a package delivery. A steeper quote from the contractor. A higher menu price at the local diner. Federal data shows transportation is already the second-largest average household expense behind housing, and diesel pass-through feeds into all of it over weeks and months.For households in the five states on this list, both waves are landing. Gasoline at the pump is the immediate impact. Diesel-driven price increases on everything else are the slower ones, and they typically last longer than the initial fuel move itself, because pricing on goods tends to be stickier on the way down than on the way up.What to watchPump prices in the five states over the next four to eight weeks. If fleet spend eases first, as it tends to, retail pump prices follow within weeks. If fleet spend holds, pump pressure extends into summer.Grocery and shipping costs in the interior South and Mountain West. Diesel pass-through takes a few weeks to reach the shelf, but when it does, food, freight-heavy goods, and building materials move first.Small business pricing in the affected states. Contractors, local delivery services, and restaurants are the businesses most exposed to diesel input costs and the least able to hedge. Their pricing moves tend to be a leading indicator of the broader consumer impact.State-level policy response. Fuel tax holidays, targeted assistance, and utility relief programs tend to emerge when fleet and consumer fuel costs together cross psychological thresholds. All five states on this list are now well past them on one or both fuels.The five states at the top of this list share something beyond geography: they're seeing both fuels spike together, which means their households will feel the run-up twice — once directly at the pump, and again through the cost of nearly everything they buy. Commercial fuel spend has already told us the second wave is on its way. The question now is how long and how hard it lands.A note on methodologyAll fleet spend data comes from the Samsara Fuel Spend Index, a weekly measure of what commercial fleets actually pay for gasoline and diesel, drawn from real-time commercial fueling activity across all 50 states. The Index reflects fleet fuel spend, not consumer retail pump prices, which are typically higher. AAA state-level retail averages are used here for the pump comparison. State-level fleet figures compare the week of Dec. 29, 2025 (the presurge baseline) to the week of April 13, 2026, the most recent week with full state-level coverage at the time of analysis. The "combined average" column averages each state's percentage increase in gasoline and diesel fleet spend. Retail pump prices are AAA state averages from the week of April 13, 2026. The relevance of fleet fuel spend to consumer economics comes through pass-through: fleet-driven costs in freight, agriculture, construction, and local delivery surface in grocery prices, shipping fees, housing costs, and service rates on a lag of weeks to months.This story was produced by Samsara and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  Quad Cities airport begins $19 million phase 2 renovationQuad Cities International Airport has begun phase two of its renovation project. Here’s what travelers can expect during the 18-month upgrade to the terminal. |
| | Body of missing Clinton, Iowa, man found along the Mississippi River in Cordova, IllinoisDermot Bly was reported missing after he was last seen on April 16. The Rock Island County coroner said his preliminary cause of death is presumed to be drowning. |
| |  Quad Cities International Airport breaks ground on $19M terminal upgradePhase 2 is the largest and most publicly visible phase of the project, costing more than $19 million. The work will take about 18 months to complete. |
| |  Work on 3 Mississippi River bridges begins this weekThe Illinois Department of Transportation will begin work on a few Mississippi River bridges this week. |
| | 10 small hypoallergenic dog breeds that barely shed10 small hypoallergenic dog breeds that barely shedYou love dogs. Your immune system? Not so much.Maybe you’ve spent years admiring other people’s pups from a safe distance, or maybe you already know the exact aisle where your pharmacy keeps the antihistamines. Either way, you’ve probably wondered: Is there a dog out there that won’t leave you reaching for tissues every five minutes?Small hypoallergenic dogs produce less dander and shed minimally, which means fewer allergens circulating through your home. They’re not magic—no dog is truly allergen-free—but for the 10%-20% of the population affected by pet allergies, they make the difference between dreaming about dog ownership and actually living it.Below, Ollie shares 10 small hypoallergenic dog breeds for people with allergies, plus how to pick the right one, what grooming really looks like, and how what goes in the bowl shows up on the coat.What Makes a Dog HypoallergenicThe term “hypoallergenic” gets tossed around a lot, but it simply means reduced allergens—not zero. Small, low-shedding breeds like the bichon frise, miniature schnauzer, toy poodle, and shih tzu produce less dander than other dogs, making them a better match for sensitive sinuses. But regular grooming is still very much part of the deal.The Truth About Dog Allergens and DanderHere’s something that surprises a lot of people: The fur itself isn’t the problem. Allergies are triggered by proteins found in dander (tiny flakes of skin), saliva, and urine. When a dog sheds, those proteins hitch a ride on loose hair and spread throughout your home—onto your couch, your clothes, and yes, your pillow.Low-shedding breeds help because their coats trap dander close to the skin instead of launching it into the air. Curly and wiry coats are especially good at this. Fewer loose hairs floating around means fewer allergens landing on everything you own.Why No Dog Is 100% Allergen-FreeEven the most hypoallergenic breed still produces dander, saliva, and skin oils. And individual reactions vary widely—you might be perfectly fine around a miniature schnauzer but start sneezing the moment a shih tzu climbs into your lap.If allergies are a serious concern, spending time with a specific dog before committing is the smartest move you can make. Visit a breeder, a foster, or a shelter and see how your body responds over a few visits. Your future self and your future dog will thank you.10 Small Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds for Allergy SufferersEach of these breeds consistently makes hypoallergenic lists because of their low-shedding coats and manageable dander levels. But personality, grooming needs, and lifestyle fit vary quite a bit—so finding your match is about more than just the coat.1. Miniature Schnauzer otsphoto // Shutterstock That beard. Those eyebrows. The miniature schnauzer looks like a tiny, distinguished professor—and has the brains to match. Ranking 19 out of 195 breeds with the American Kennel Club, this spirited little terrier has a wiry double coat that sheds minimally and a personality that fills a room.Miniature Schnauzers stand 12-14 inches tall and weigh 11-20 pounds. They’re alert, trainable, and make excellent watchdogs, and they will inform you about every delivery truck, squirrel, and suspicious leaf. Their distinctive facial hair benefits from regular trimming, and their wiry coat stays in great shape with consistent brushing.2. Bichon Frise Eudyptula // Shutterstock The name literally translates to “curly lap dog” in French, and the bichon frise delivers on every word. That cotton-ball coat traps dander close to the skin, and underneath all that fluff is a cheerful, playful dog who thrives on being the center of attention.Bichons stand 9.5-11.5 inches tall and weigh 12-18 pounds. They’re social dogs who love being around people and adapt beautifully to apartment living. Their curly coats require brushing several times a week and professional grooming every four to six weeks—but those curls don’t shed, which is the whole point.3. Shih Tzu chaossart // Shutterstock Originally bred as companion dogs for Chinese royalty, shih tzus have never forgotten their roots. They live for closeness—your lap, your feet, your pillow (they’re not picky as long as they’re near you). They rank 20th in popularity with the AKC, and it’s easy to see why: They are playful, outgoing, and absolutely devoted to their people.Shih tzus stand 9-10.5 inches tall and weigh 9-16.5 pounds. Their luxurious double coat looks high-maintenance, and it can be—daily brushing helps, or many owners opt for a shorter “puppy cut” that keeps things manageable. Either way, expect a lot of personality in a very small package.4. Toy Poodle Eudyptula // Shutterstock Poodles are often considered the gold standard of hypoallergenic breeds, and the toy poodle packs all that intelligence and elegance into the smallest possible frame. Their curly, dense coats don’t shed, and they’re remarkably trainable—the kind of dog that makes you look like a better dog trainer than you actually are.Toy poodles stand no more than 10 inches tall and weigh 4-6 pounds. Don’t let the size fool you—they have big personalities and thrive with mental stimulation. Professional grooming every four to six weeks keeps their coats from matting, and there’s a whole world of poodle haircuts to explore if you’re feeling creative.5. West Highland White Terrier HanahS // Shutterstock The Westie is as sturdy and spirited as its name suggests. Known for loyalty, playfulness, and a happiness that seems to radiate off that bright white coat, the West Highland terrier is a household companion that won’t stir up your allergies—or let you have a boring day.Westies stand about 11 inches tall and weigh 15-20 pounds. Their dense double coat sheds minimally but benefits from regular brushing and professional grooming every few months. They have plenty of spunk and a terrier’s confidence, which means they’ll approach life (and squirrels) with impressive enthusiasm.6. Scottish Terrier Ondrej Prosicky // Shutterstock You’ll know a Scottie when you see one. Those prominent, pointed ears. That scruffy mustache. The air of a dog who is absolutely certain it’s in charge. The Scottish terrier is confident, dignified, and independent—a thinker who brightens every room it enters, even if it pretends not to care.Scotties stand about 10 inches tall and weigh 18-22 pounds. Their wiry, weather-resistant coat sheds very little and stays healthy with regular brushing and occasional hand-stripping. These are dogs with strong personalities who are loyal to their people but have zero interest in being anyone’s pushover.7. Griffon Bruxellois otsphoto // Shutterstock If you want a dog that doesn’t miss a single thing happening in your home, the Griffon Bruxellois is your match. This loyal and alert little dog has a curiosity that keeps it constantly on the job—investigating every scent, sound, and suspicious crinkle of a snack bag.The Griffon Bruxellois is a true toy breed, standing no more than 10 inches tall and generally weighing up to 10 pounds. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in sheer personality. Their rough coat variety sheds very little and requires regular brushing to keep it tidy. For a dog this small, they have a remarkably commanding presence.8. Bolognese Hristin Velev // Shutterstock The Bolognese is a rare Italian breed with a fluffy white coat that looks like a small cloud of fuzz—but barely sheds or leaves behind dander.Bolognese dogs stand 10-12 inches tall and weigh just 5.5-9 pounds. They’re often described as laid-back and playful, but their loyalty runs deep. This is a breed that bonds to its family and means it. Regular brushing prevents their cottony coats from matting, and their calm temperament makes them wonderful companions for people who appreciate a quieter kind of devotion.9. Chinese Crested Golland // Shutterstock You might not know the name, but you’d recognize this dog anywhere. The Chinese crested only has wisps of fur on its ears, head, and around its legs—the rest is all skin, all confidence. There’s also a fully coated “powderpuff” variety, and both are low-shedding.Chinese cresteds stand 11-13 inches tall and weigh up to 12 pounds. They’re affectionate and lively, with personalities that more than make up for the unconventional look. The hairless variety does benefit from sun protection and basic skincare. If you’re looking for a hypoallergenic breed that comes with its own built-in conversation starter, this is the one.10. Bedlington Terrier Rita_Kochmarjova // Shutterstock The Bedlington terrier looks like a small lamb that wandered into a dog park and decided to stay. With a short, curly coat and a distinctive thin tail, this breed turns heads wherever it goes.Bedlingtons stand 15-17.5 inches tall and weigh 17-23 pounds, making them the largest on this list. They’re charming dogs who enjoy exploring their surroundings at a comfortable pace—but don’t let the gentle appearance fool you. Bedlingtons are loyal, surprisingly athletic, and they won’t shed all over your couch in the process.Are Doodles and Designer Mixes Actually Hypoallergenic?Poodle mixes—Maltipoos, Yorkipoos, schnoodles, Havapoos—are often marketed as hypoallergenic, but the reality is more complicated. Coat type varies widely even within a single litter. Some puppies inherit the poodle’s curly, nonshedding coat; others take after the other parent breed and shed more than you’d expect.If allergies are your primary concern, meeting the specific dog before adopting is essential. A “doodle” name doesn’t guarantee a hypoallergenic coat—it guarantees an adorable face, but that’s about it.Small Dog Breeds That Shed (and May Trigger Allergies)Not every small dog is a good fit for allergy sufferers. These popular breeds shed more than you might think:Chihuahua: Sheds moderately year-round despite the short coat.Pomeranian: Heavy shedder with a thick double coat—all that fluff has to go somewhere.Pug: Short coat, but constant shedding. Pugs are generous that way.Beagle: Double coat that sheds seasonally, and they’re not subtle about it.French Bulldog: Looks low maintenance but sheds more than many people anticipate.How to Choose the Right Small Hypoallergenic DogFinding the right breed goes well beyond coat type. Your lifestyle, living space, and daily routine all play a role. Learn more about dog nutrition and breed-specific care to support your new pup’s health.Evaluate Your Living Space and LifestyleApartment dwellers often do well with bichons, shih tzus, or toy poodles—breeds that adapt to smaller spaces and don’t require a yard. If you have more room and want a dog with terrier energy, a miniature schnauzer or Westie might be a better fit. And if you want a dog that’s happy to match your pace on a quiet evening, the Bolognese or Griffon Bruxellois won’t complain.Match the Breed’s Energy to Your RoutineSome of the breeds on this list are happy with a short walk and plenty of lap time. Others have surprising energy. Toy poodles and bichons benefit from mental stimulation and regular activity. Shih tzus and Bolognese are calmer companions who are content with shorter walks and a good spot on the couch next to you.Understand the Grooming CommitmentHere’s the trade-off with hypoallergenic breeds: Low-shedding doesn’t mean low-maintenance. Most of these dogs need regular brushing—sometimes daily—and professional grooming every four to eight weeks. If that sounds like a lot, a shorter haircut can simplify things, but grooming is still part of the package. Think of it this way: less fur on your furniture, more time at the groomer.Consider Compatibility With Kids and Other PetsBichons and shih tzus tend to be naturally social and great with families. Scottish terriers and Bedlington terriers can be more independent and may do better in quieter households or as the star of a one-dog show.Grooming Essentials for Small Dogs That Don’t ShedLow-shedding coats need consistent care to stay healthy and keep allergens under control. Here’s what that actually looks like.Brushing and Bathing BasicsBrush several times a week to prevent mats and remove trapped dander. Bathing frequency depends on the breed, but regular baths help wash away allergens that build up in the coat. Use the right tools—a slicker brush for curly coats (like your bichon or poodle), a pin brush for silky coats (like your shih tzu).When to Schedule Professional GroomingMost small hypoallergenic dogs benefit from professional grooming every four to eight weeks. Regular haircuts keep coats manageable and reduce dander buildup. A good groomer will also check ears, trim nails, and catch skin issues before they become bigger problems.Simple Ways to Reduce Allergens at HomeBeyond grooming, a few household habits make a real difference. Vacuum frequently—floors and furniture collect dander faster than you’d think. Wash bedding weekly, both yours and your dog’s. Consider keeping the bedroom pet-free for nighttime allergy relief. And a HEPA air purifier can capture airborne allergens effectively—it’s a worthwhile investment for any allergy-prone household.How Fresh Food Supports Coat Health in Small Hypoallergenic DogsWhat goes into the bowl shows up on the coat. Nutrition directly impacts skin health, and healthy skin produces less dander—which is exactly what you want when you’re managing allergies.Diets rich in quality proteins and omega fatty acids support a shinier, healthier coat from the inside out. Fresh, human-grade food with real ingredients—not fillers like corn, wheat, or soy—can help reduce inflammation and support the skin barrier, as shown in this research.Your Next Steps to Finding a Small Hypoallergenic DogThe right small hypoallergenic dog is out there—it just takes a little research and some quality time with potential matches. Visit a breeder, meet a foster, or stop by your local shelter. Spend time with the breed and the specific dog before making it official.Once you find your perfect match, supporting their health with quality nutrition helps them thrive. A fresh, balanced diet can make a real difference in coat health, energy levels, and the kind of wellbeing you can see from across the room—a wagging tail and a coat that looks as good as they feel.FAQs About Small Hypoallergenic Dog BreedsCan you still be allergic to hypoallergenic dogs?Yes. Hypoallergenic means reduced allergens, not zero. Individual sensitivity varies, so spending time with a specific breed or even a specific dog before adopting is always smart.How can you test if a breed triggers your allergies?Spend time with the specific dog in an enclosed space, ideally over multiple visits. This gives your body a chance to react or not before you commit. It’s the most reliable way to know.Are small hypoallergenic dogs available at shelters and rescues?Absolutely. Breed-specific rescues exist for many hypoallergenic breeds, and general shelters sometimes have low-shedding breeds or mixes. Searching online databases like Petfinder can help you find what’s available near you.Which small hypoallergenic dogs are best for apartment living?Bichon frise, shih tzu, toy poodle, and Bolognese breeds all adapt well to smaller spaces. Their moderate energy levels and compact size make them natural apartment dogs—just be prepared for the occasional burst of zoomies.Do small hypoallergenic dog breeds require more grooming than other dogs?Most do. Their low-shedding coats need regular brushing and professional grooming to prevent mats and maintain skin health. It’s a trade-off worth making: less shedding around the house, a bit more time keeping their coat in shape.How can I reduce dog allergy symptoms?If you are a pet owner with allergies who already shares your life with a nonhypoallergenic dog, there are a few methods you can employ to possibly reduce the amount of pet dander.This story was produced by Ollie and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | The life insurance gaps newlyweds don't know they have and what they could cost youThe life insurance gaps newlyweds don't know they have and what they could cost youNewly married couples look forward to spending years together, but life doesn’t always go as planned. If one spouse were to die prematurely, the other could be left struggling financially. Life insurance for newlyweds may not sound romantic, but it’s something that shouldn’t be ignored.After you say “I do,” spend some time reviewing and updating your life insurance policies to avoid expensive — and heartbreaking — gaps. At a minimum, you need enough coverage to pay off debts, replace income and cover final expenses. And as your life grows to include a home, children, or bigger financial goals, your coverage should grow with it.Insure.com outlines the most common life insurance gaps newlyweds face and how to address them before they become costly.Getting married changes your life insurance needs more than most couples realizeConsider a newly married couple whose primary earner dies unexpectedly. A small workplace life insurance policy may cover the funeral and little else — leaving the surviving spouse to sell their home and face difficult financial decisions at an already devastating time.Most newlyweds aren’t thinking about these types of scenarios when they get married, but outdated beneficiary information and inadequate coverage are dangerous gaps in many couples’ finances.You can avoid common pitfalls by being proactive about your life insurance. Don’t treat it as an afterthought but as a crucial component of your new life together.Why marriage is the most important life insurance trigger you'll ever haveMarriage doesn’t just combine lives; it also combines finances. Suddenly, you have shared expenses, goals and dreams, many of which may rely on two incomes. Life insurance ensures your spouse can continue to cover these costs after you’re gone.“Even if you don’t have kids, be proactive and get a policy now,” advises Brandon Norwood, a financial planner at Oak City Financial.Don’t assume that just because you are young and healthy, life insurance can wait. Accidents can happen to anyone, and life is unpredictable. The best time to lock in affordable coverage is while you have your health on your side.“Most people don’t get taller and healthier and skinnier as they get older,” says Daniel Hochler, a managing associate at Forest Hills Financial Group. “Lock in a rate at a young age when you’re youngest and healthiest.”What are the most common life insurance gaps for newlyweds?Newlyweds are at risk of making common mistakes that can result in gaps in their life insurance coverage. These gaps can mean that they don’t have enough coverage or, worse, no coverage at all.Here’s what to avoid.Gap 1: Listing the wrong beneficiaryAny life insurance policy you owned before marriage still pays out to whoever is listed as the beneficiary — even if that's an ex-partner, a former fiancé, or a parent. Marriage doesn’t automatically update a policy.Newlyweds should review and update beneficiary information on all the following accounts:Employer-issued life insurance policiesIndividual life insurance policiesWorkplace retirement accounts such as 401(k)sIRAsBrokerage and other financial accountsIf you fail to update your beneficiaries, your life insurance benefits and other assets could go to the wrong person. If you fail to name any beneficiary, it could be a long legal process before your spouse gets any money. You can update and change your beneficiaries as many times as you want.Gap 2: Your coverage doesn't reflect shared expensesMost newlyweds carry life insurance policies sized for their single life, but marriage nearly always increases monthly costs, debt, and long-term financial obligations. If you haven't recalculated your coverage since the wedding, there's a good chance it's too low to protect your spouse.When you were single, a modest policy might have been enough to cover your own debts and funeral costs. Marriage changes the math. You're no longer just insuring you — you're insuring the lifestyle, home, and future you've built together.Here's what typically grows after marriage:Housing costs. Many couples upgrade to a larger home or take on a first mortgage together, often doubling or tripling their housing debt overnight.Combined debt. Student loans, car loans, and credit card balances you each brought into the marriage now affect both of you. If one spouse dies, the other is often left managing those payments alone.Daily living expenses. Groceries, utilities, insurance, subscriptions, and transportation all scale up for two people — and again when kids arrive.Future goals. Saving for a home, starting a family, funding college, or retiring together all require income that life insurance is meant to replace.Gap 3: Relying only on employer-provided life insuranceWorkplace policies are rarely large enough to meet the needs of married couples and families and the coverage disappears if you leave your job. It should be supplemented with an individual policy because:The payout is too small. Group policies through an employer usually cap the death benefit at roughly one times your annual salary — far less than what most families need to replace lost income, pay off a mortgage, or fund a child's education.The coverage isn't portable. When you leave your job, your life insurance almost always stays behind. That means no protection during the gap between jobs, and potentially higher premiums or denied coverage when you try to buy a new policy at an older age or in worse health.“I would tell people to go ahead and get them, but it’s not going to be anywhere near enough,” Norwood says. A workplace policy almost always needs to be supplemented with an additional life insurance policy.Gap 4: Skipping life insurance for a ‘non-working’ spouseA stay-at-home spouse isn't actually non-working — they're usually providing childcare, household management, and caregiving that would cost tens of thousands of dollars a year to replace. If that spouse dies, the surviving partner has to pay for those services out of pocket while still working and grieving.The average cost of daycare for a single infant hit $332 per week in 2025, or $17,264 a year, according to Care.com. And that's just for one child, with no help for cooking, cleaning, errands, or school pickups.A life insurance policy on a stay-at-home spouse covers those replacement costs. Factor in what it would actually cost to replace the care they provide — a policy of $250,000 to $500,000 is a common starting point — enough to cover several years of childcare and household support while the surviving partner adjusts.Gap 5: Using joint life insuranceConsidering joint vs. separate life insurance? Separate policies are almost always best for newlyweds — each partner gets their own death benefit and coverage that doesn't disappear after a single payout.First-to-die policies pay out when the first spouse passes away and then end, leaving the survivor to buy new coverage at an older age — often at a much higher premium or with new health hurdles.Second-to-die policies don't pay out until both spouses have died, offering no financial help to a surviving partner trying to cover the mortgage or raise kids. These are typically used for estate planning by wealthy couples, not for protecting young families.With separate policies, spouses don’t need to worry about scrambling for new coverage after a loss, waiting for a second death to trigger a payout, and they have the flexibility to size each policy to each partner's role in the family.What gaps in life insurance coverage actually costs newlywedsImagine a couple with two young kids. One spouse earns $75,000 a year, while the other stays home to care for the children. Between an old individual policy and workplace coverage, the earning spouse has $150,000 in total life insurance. Their financial picture looks like this: Insure.com Even before accounting for lost income or childcare, the $150,000 payout falls roughly $175,000 short. The surviving spouse would likely have to sell the home, re-enter the workforce immediately, and place the kids in full-time daycare, all while grieving.And if the stay-at-home spouse were the one to die without coverage, the earning spouse would face tens of thousands in annual childcare and household costs with no financial cushion.How much life insurance do married couples need?A good rule of thumb is the DIME method, which accounts for the four biggest financial obligations your family would face. Add these four numbers together to get a realistic coverage target:Debt. Total all non-mortgage debt: credit cards, student loans, auto loans, personal loans, and medical bills. Your policy should clear these so your spouse isn't stuck making payments.Income. Multiply your annual income by the number of years your family would need it replaced — typically 10 to 15 years, or until your youngest child is financially independent. This is usually the largest piece and the one most couples underestimate.Mortgage. Include your full remaining mortgage balance so your family can stay in the home without the monthly payment hanging over them.Education. Estimate future college costs per child — roughly $100,000 for in-state public college or $200,000+ for private, in today's dollars.For the couple above, DIME works out to: $68,000 in debt + $750,000 in income replacement (10 years at $75,000) + $250,000 mortgage + $200,000 education = roughly $1.27 million in coverage needed. That's more than 8 times what they currently have.How should newlyweds plan for future family changes?Your life insurance needs will shift as your family grows, so it helps to choose coverage that can move with you, not just protect the life you have today. Within a few years of marriage, many couples buy a home, welcome a first child, or take on new financial goals their original policy was never built to cover. Each of those milestones raises the stakes, and the amount of coverage your spouse would need if something happened to you.The good news is you have a few straightforward ways to make sure your coverage keeps pace:Buy more coverage than you need right now. Term life is inexpensive in your 20s and early 30s, so locking in a larger policy early often costs far less than adding coverage later at an older age.Choose a longer term length. A 30-year term gives you room to grow into the coverage as your family, mortgage, and expenses expand, without having to requalify mid-life.Add a guaranteed insurability rider. This add-on lets you increase coverage at major life events, like having a baby or buying a home, without another medical exam. It's not right for everyone, but it's a useful safety net if your health changes.Revisit your coverage every few years. A quick review after any major milestone — a new home, a new baby, a big income jump — keeps your policy aligned with your real life.It's also worth knowing that coverage doesn't only go up. As your mortgage shrinks, debts get paid off, and kids become financially independent, you may need less insurance than you once did. Some couples use a laddering strategy — stacking multiple term policies of different lengths — so coverage steps down naturally as those obligations disappear, keeping premiums lower over time.What newlyweds should consider about coverage before buyingBefore buying life insurance as a couple, think through four big decisions — whether to choose term or permanent coverage, whether to buy separate or joint policies, how long your term should last, and which riders to add. Smaller details like naming a contingent beneficiary, being honest on your application, and locking in rates while you're young can also make a major difference over time.A few extra decisions upfront can shape how well your coverage actually protects your family, and how much you'll pay over the life of the policy.Term vs. permanent life insurance. Term life covers you for a set period (usually 10, 20, or 30 years) and pays out only if you die during that window — simple, affordable, and the right fit for most newlyweds. Permanent life (whole or universal) lasts your entire life as long as premiums are paid and builds cash value over time, but costs significantly more. Most couples start with term because it provides the most protection during the years it's needed most.Separate vs. joint policies. Separate policies give each spouse their own coverage, death benefit, and beneficiary — the most flexible setup for most couples. Joint policies cover both spouses under one plan but only pay out once, which usually leaves one partner underprotected. Two separate policies cost slightly more but ensure each spouse is fully covered no matter what happens.Term length. A 20- vs. 30-year term is a real decision for newlyweds. A good rule of thumb: pick a term that lasts until your youngest future child would finish college, or until your mortgage is paid off, whichever comes later.Lock in rates while you're young and healthy. Premiums are based on your age and health when you apply, so buying in your 20s or early 30s locks in dramatically lower rates for the entire term. Waiting until kids arrive or health changes can make the same coverage significantly more expensive, sometimes thousands of dollars more over the life of the policy.Coordinate coverage between spouses. Both partners need enough coverage, not just the higher earner. If the lower earner or stay-at-home spouse is underinsured, the survivor can still face serious financial strain. Sizing each policy to your family's actual needs ensures no one is left short.Name a contingent beneficiary. Most couples name each other as primary beneficiary but forget to name a backup. If both spouses pass in the same event, a contingent beneficiary — often a trust, sibling, or parent who would care for the kids — ensures the payout goes where you intend.Revisit your coverage after major life events. Life insurance isn't set-it-and-forget-it. Buying a home, having a child, taking a big promotion, or starting a business can all change what your spouse would need. A quick review every few years — or after any major milestone — keeps your coverage aligned with your life.What to do in the first 90 days of marriagePart of settling into married life is making sure all your finances are in order. After the honeymoon is over, take the following steps within 90 days of your nuptials:Audit existing life insurance. Review all the policies you and your spouse own, both individually and as workplace benefits. Understand the type of insurance – term vs. permanent – and benefit amount for each one.Update beneficiaries. Add or update the beneficiary designations on each policy. Insurers may request the name, address and Social Security number (if known) of each beneficiary.Calculate your coverage needs. Use the DIME method or a rule of thumb, such as buying 10-12 times your household income, to see how much life insurance you and your spouse should have.Fill the gaps. If your existing coverage falls short of how much you need, shop for a new policy. Remember, holding all your insurance through your employer can be risky. If you lose or leave your job, you can lose your coverage as well.FAQDoes getting married automatically update your life insurance?No, life insurance must be updated manually after a marriage. Couples should review their current coverage levels, update beneficiary information and purchase more insurance, if needed.How much life insurance does a married couple need?Every couple’s situation is different. A common rule of thumb is to purchase life insurance equal to 10-12 times your income. A more exact method involves adding up how much is needed to pay off debt, replace income and cover future expenses such as children’s college tuition.Should newlyweds get joint or separate life insurance policies?Joint life insurance policies can make sense for some couples, but separate policies may be better suited for newlyweds. That way, each spouse is sure to receive a payment if the other should die. Joint policies list two people, but they typically only pay out after the death of one person.What happens to life insurance if a beneficiary is never updated after marriage?If you don’t update the beneficiary information, the policy’s death benefit will go to whoever you listed previously. That means an ex-spouse could walk away with the money. If there is no beneficiary listed, it will be up to the court to determine who receives the policy payout.This story was produced by Insure.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | The affordability crisis is creating a generation of rentersThe affordability crisis is creating a generation of rentersUntil recently, the roadmap for buying a home seemed clear: Get a good job, save for a few years, and buy a starter home. But America’s ongoing housing affordability crisis has turned what was once a common milestone into something far less attainable for most would-be buyers.Record-high home prices, elevated mortgage rates, and increased debt are just a few of the many factors that have made homebuying a daunting prospect. With little hope for relief on the horizon, many people are choosing long-term renting over taking on a mortgage, TurboTenant reports.The result is a shift in how people approach housing. What’s next is a generation that may rent longer, delay buying altogether, or rethink what the American Dream looks like.Why homeownership is slipping out of reach for many AmericansWhile renting was once seen as a temporary way to save money for a home, it’s now become a way of life as homeownership slides further out of reach for many. Here’s why.Home prices haven’t corrected from pandemic-era boomsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, home buying surged amid historically low mortgage rates and the rapid rise of remote work. As a result, pandemic-era purchases severely limited available home inventory and drove up prices across the country, which have remained stubbornly high ever since.According to a February 2025 analysis from Zillow, average home values jumped by more than 45% between 2020 and 2025. Since home values typically increase by around 4% per year, that represents roughly 11 years of growth compressed into just five years, effectively doubling the usual pace.Mortgage rates continue to hover between 6% and 7%Pandemic-era buyers enjoyed extremely low interest rates, which fell to just 2.65% in January 2021, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.However, as of 2026, mortgage rates in the U.S. are near 10-year highs, ranging from 6% to 7% nationwide. These elevated rates add hundreds of thousands of dollars to a buyer’s total costs over the life of a mortgage.Let’s break it down: A $500,000 home with a 20% down payment at 3% interest would have a monthly payment of $2,061 and $207,110 in interest over 30 years. At a 6% rate, however, the numbers jump to $2,773 per month and $463,352 in total interest. For many buyers, that difference alone is enough to push them out of the homebuying market and into the ever-growing pool of renters.Wages haven’t kept up with housing costsEven as home prices rise, wages haven’t kept pace. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data analyzed by Forbes, the average U.S. worker made $64,505 per year in 2025. But to afford the average U.S. home, as of December 2024, a Realtor.com report found that buyers would need an annual household income of $118,530. In other words, purchasing a home often requires two full-time salaries, which puts single-income families at a severe disadvantage.Numerous factors have contributed to stagnant wage growth across the U.S., including a stalled federal minimum wage, offshoring labor, and a decline in union membership, all of which limit workers’ bargaining power. As a result, purchasing a home now requires far more income than most Americans earn. Put simply, the math no longer works for most buyers.Inflation continues to erode buying powerLow wages aren’t the only threat facing American buyers. With persistently high inflation driving up the costs of everything from groceries to electricity, most people worry more about keeping the lights on and putting food on the table than buying a home or saving for a down payment.Much of the typical paycheck now goes toward day-to-day expenses, making it difficult to save enough for a down payment. And even when savings begin to build, unless the funds are held in a high-interest account or another appreciating asset, they won’t grow fast enough to keep up with inflation. That’s a problem with no simple fix.US consumer debt is at an all-time highWith all these economic factors in mind, it’s no surprise that American consumers are carrying record levels of debt. According to a February 2026 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, U.S. credit card debt now totals more than $1.28 trillion, a 5.5% increase from the year prior.But credit card debt is just one piece of the puzzle. Many households also carry student loans, medical debt, and auto loans. With so much existing debt already weighing on finances, taking on another large loan has become far less appealing for many would-be buyers, especially given the inflated price tag of homeownership.Americans are rethinking the American DreamWhile would-be buyers have long hoped that the housing affordability crisis is temporary, the fix to all of those problems coming at once isn’t likely. And as the economic landscape continues to shift from one generation to the next, many Americans are recalibrating their expectations for success, quality of life, and long-term security.Of course, there’s no telling what homeownership in the U.S. will look like years or even decades from now. But it’s increasingly clear that we’re already seeing the effects of this shift in mindset. Here’s how the housing crisis is reshaping the nation’s cultural and financial landscape.Renters are in no rush to enter the buying marketBack when homeownership was more attainable, people often planned to rent for a few years before saving enough to buy a home. However, renting indefinitely (with no plans to purchase) has become increasingly common, particularly among younger generations of Americans.A 2023 report from Harvard notes that while renting has declined among millennials, members of Generation Z are now driving much of today’s rental demand. In fact, Gen Z renters account for a growing share of the market, a trend expected to continue as the generation ages.Many of these younger renters prefer to stay closer to jobs and the daily conveniences of city life. According to an Apartments.com study published on March 23, 2026, “64% of Gen Z renters choose renting because it allows them to live closer to major cities and the activity they offer.” While buying a home and settling down was once the standard, the ability to move with fewer strings attached is becoming increasingly appealing.Demand for rentals is outpacing supplyFrom Los Angeles to New York, there are far more renters than available units in most U.S. metros. Plus, strong job growth in areas like Raleigh and Boise is attracting new residents to these lesser-known markets. As a result, housing prices continue to rise, along with rental demand.It’s worth noting that much of this demand is concentrated in affordable housing rather than luxury units. As renting becomes a long-term reality, many individuals are looking for places they can afford without roommates, while others seek single-family homes with enough space to raise children.With the forces behind the housing affordability crisis keeping more people in the rental market for longer, most U.S. metros simply don’t have enough of these rental units to go around. And as fewer people transition into homeownership, the number of renters seeking affordable and single-family options will continue to rise.Why landlords are benefiting from today’s rental marketWith so many Americans choosing to rent rather than buy a home, landlords are in a unique position to benefit from the evolving trend. For those fortunate enough to already own or afford to purchase an investment property, being a landlord unlocks the potential for passive or semi-passive cash flow.People who can’t afford to buy a rental property outright still have ways to benefit from these trends. For instance, house hacking, the practice of renting out a room in one’s home to help cover mortgage costs, presents another way to capitalize on today’s rental-focused housing market.Many existing property owners in the U.S. have already become “accidental landlords.” Unable to sell their homes to buyers wary of high mortgage rates, some homeowners are choosing to rent out their properties instead to generate income that can keep pace with inflation over time.Renting is the smarter long-term financial move for many AmericansMost Americans dream about buying a home at some point. However, the hard truth is that renting may be the better decision for those looking to save money and stretch their income. While renters won’t build equity, they can avoid many of the financial risks that come with property ownership.Considering mortgage rates, rising insurance and maintenance costs, steep property taxes, and more, renting may ultimately make more financial sense in 2026. After all, with today’s housing market limitations, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest alone could create more problems than it solves.Of course, circumstances may change in the future, and Americans’ infatuation with buying their own home likely won’t disappear completely. But in the meantime, renting over buying may be the key to saving more money, preserving flexibility and freedom, and enjoying a higher quality of life overall.Is America becoming a nation of lifelong renters?Buying a home was once a nonnegotiable part of the American dream. But amid the ongoing housing affordability crisis, more Americans are choosing to rent indefinitely and prioritize saving over chasing traditional paths to homeownership.With high mortgage rates and record-low affordability keeping even existing homeowners from selling, many have pivoted to become landlords instead. Rental housing offers the potential for steady, inflation-aligned income, making rental investing an increasingly attractive option in today’s market.Even for those who assume they can’t afford a rental property, many markets across the country still offer untapped potential. In the right conditions, those opportunities can make eventual homeownership more realistic than once imagined.This story was produced by TurboTenant and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  Man charged after Lee County resident scammed out of thousands of dollars in deception scheme, deputies sayPatel has a court date set for May 21, according to deputies. |
| |  In court, Elon Musk accuses OpenAI of trying to 'have your cake and eat it, too'In his second day on the stand in the trial he launched against OpenAI, Elon Musk said the AI start-up he'd helped found had strayed from its charitable mission. |
| | Who keeps the house? Managing a mortgage after a separation.Who keeps the house? Managing a mortgage after a separation. Emotional bonds created from purchasing a home together — and the financial recalibration required to do so — are intense.Mariana Martinez, a senior family dynamics specialist for Wells Fargo, called buying a home together “a representation of a couple’s love and commitment.”But just as couples fall in love, they can fall out of it. Divorces, annulments, and breakups happen. What once was a couple inextricably linked through love and money is now two individuals severing connections.How does it impact your money? What happens to the home you purchased together?“Making decisions around a shared property and money, in general, is particularly difficult,” Martinez said. “A breakup or divorce adds anxiety and insecurity, particularly if there are children involved, because expenses increase as there are two separate households to support.”While emotions may be running high, taking a clear-eyed look at your financial situation can be helpful. These steps can help you get started.Key takeawaysBuying a home together is a powerful expression of love, but those ties become complex when a relationship ends.Locate and organize key records — bank accounts, insurance policies, property documents, retirement accounts, and more — to understand your financial landscape.Keep open lines of communication with your mortgage servicer.Step 1: Gather financial documentsWhat documents should I look for?Bank, retirement, and investment account statementsLife insurance policiesFinancial records on other things you own, like vehicles, antiques, collectibles, jewelry, and recreational propertyEvidence of business interestsTrust fund agreementsProof of loans you’ve made or money you oweWhere do I look for these documents? They may be in obvious places where you and your partner keep important papers or a safe-deposit box. Check each piece of mail and be alert to anything from insurance companies, credit card companies, banks, investment firms, and mutual fund companies. Ask your accountant, attorney, or financial advisor for copies of tax returns or property ownership documents.Step 2: Monitor your credit reportGet a copy of your credit report (it might be listed under your name and your spouse’s). Review it thoroughly to verify that the information is correct. If it is correct, it will tell you if you or your spouse is delinquent on any account. You might want to hire a wealth management professional to address monetary and investment issues and an accountant to help with tax issues.Step 3: Dig deep to find all assetsAlong with the assets uncovered during your document search, look for easily overlooked items, which may include real estate holdings, limited partnerships, and long-held stocks, mutual funds, or bonds. There may also be work-related assets such as bonuses, perks, tips, commissions, royalties, and expense reimbursements.Step 4: Look at your expenses for the past yearPrepare a comprehensive report noting what you’ve spent on categories like housing, food, clothing, entertainment, school expenses, insurance, taxes, and vacations.Step 5: Review all your accounts, individual and jointGo through your credit card, bank, and investment statements and flag any unusual activity. If you don’t already have a credit card under your own name, consider applying for one.Once you and your partner have a plan to separate, decide when is the right time for you to contact your financial institutions.When the mortgage outlasts the relationshipThe end of a relationship on its own can be life-changing. Adding in a home can heighten emotions.“We tend to attach a lot of emotional value to a home, a place we have built with love and dedication, a place that represents family life,” Martinez said. “A difficult aspect during a divorce or breakup is staying clearheaded while there are overwhelming emotions pulling you in all sorts of directions.”Organizing your finances is a critical first step, and understanding the emotions behind your decisions is important as well. However, knowing how mortgage obligations work during a breakup is just as important.Rulon Washington of the Wells Fargo Home Lending group shared these key facts to help you navigate what happens next with your home.Mortgage servicers look to the note, not the title: Even if both partners are listed on the home’s title, the person named on the mortgage note is legally responsible for payments. To mortgage servicers, all that really matters is who owes the debt. They’re not concerned with civil arrangements or divorce decrees.Servicers typically don’t get involved: As long as the payments are made on time, mortgage servicers aren’t going to reach out. It’s not that they’re cold or aren’t sympathetic to what you and your partner are going through, that’s just not their priority. Servicers will engage, usually, after a missed payment or hardship signals arise, like a loss of income.Divorces guide ownership but don’t bind lenders: If one partner wants to assume ownership of the home after divorce, they can’t just take it. If they’re not on the original mortgage, they’ll have to qualify like anyone else. Lenders will assess their financial viability and, if they’re not capable, the partner whose name is on the mortgage remains responsible unless the home is sold.Keep open lines of communication: Mortgage servicers are more likely to work with people who proactively communicate with them. Increased expenses and loss of income are common after divorces or breakups. Be open about any difficulties you expect before any delinquencies escalate.Understand delinquency: Formal delinquency begins at 60 days of non-payment. At 30 days, servicers will start monitoring and looking into what might be going on. Try, even as you separate, to amicably find a way to keep the account current while you and your partner decide on next steps.Give yourself graceEven with all your financial documents gathered and a clear understanding of the de-coupling process, emotions can still steer decisions in unexpected directions — especially when it comes to your home.“My main suggestion is to keep in mind that emotions often are in the way of us making good financial decisions,” said Martinez. “While intense feelings in a divorce are impossible to avoid, knowing that they can lead you in a direction that is ultimately against your best interests is a good start. For this same reason, advice from a professional, someone who could help you evaluate the situation with more objectivity and neutrality is key.”This story was produced by Wells Fargo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Don’t bid your way out of rising cost per acquisition. Build your way out.Don’t bid your way out of rising cost per acquisition. Build your way out.U.S. retail media ad spend is on track to hit $69.33 billion in 2026, according to eMarketer. Yet across the industry, brands scaling that investment are watching their cost per acquisition (CPA) climb at the same time, with more spend and worse efficiency. The instinct is to go straight into the ad account and start pulling levers: tweak bids, reshuffle audiences, reallocate spend. Most of the time, that's the wrong place to look.In isolation, those actions make sense. But they rely on the assumption that the source of inefficiency sits within the ad account itself.In reality, many of the largest drivers of CPA sit upstream or downstream of media: the strength of the offer, the quality of the creative, and the effectiveness of the conversion journey.This means if the goal is to reduce CPA, the question isn't just what to optimize in-platform. As this article from Brainlabs explains, it’s also critical to understand where the inefficiency is actually coming from.You're probably looking in the wrong placeA CPA problem is often a conversion problem in disguise. The ad is doing its job, getting people to the site. What's failing is everything that happens after the click: a product page that doesn't convert, an offer that isn't competitive, a checkout with too much friction. Optimizing media spend against a broken funnel just means spending more efficiently on something that isn't working.The first things to audit are your product feed and your offer. The feed containing your product titles, descriptions, prices, and images is what platforms use to serve shopping and retail ads, so if that data is incomplete or poorly structured, performance will suffer regardless of how well you bid. If the offer itself isn't compelling on price or value, better targeting won't compensate for it.Bid strategy sits at the end of that list. It's a useful tool for extracting efficiency from a program that's already working, but it can't create efficiency where the fundamentals aren't there. The same logic applies to channel diversification: Expanding into new platforms because they're growing or because a rep made a compelling case isn't a demand strategy. Channel decisions should follow where your audience is and what role that channel plays in the wider system, not trend cycles.The levers that actually move itOnce the conversion fundamentals are sound, two things tend to move CPA: creative and audience structure, and both are consistently underinvested.On creative, the numbers are striking. A 2022 Nielsen study commissioned by Meta examined three years of marketing mix modeling data across 41 brands and found that campaigns with high-quality creative achieved 35% greater effectiveness. Separately, Google's own research attributes 70% of campaign success to creative. Those aren't marginal gains from asset refresh cycles. They reflect the difference between treating creative as a set-and-forget task and running it as a proper testing system.The most effective approach treats creative as a rolling test system instead of a series of one-off campaigns. Running multiple variants per ad set simultaneously, each isolating a single variable such as the opening hook, format, or offer, generates clearer signals about what's actually driving performance. Rather than cutting to a fixed timeline, each variant runs until it reaches a minimum spend threshold before decisions are made. Top performers get scaled, mid-performers get iterated, and bottom performers are cut quickly. The goal is to build a portfolio of working assets and feed learnings continuously into the next round, so performance compounds rather than resets each cycle.Audience structure follows the same logic. Running the same ad to everyone, cold prospects and people who have visited the product page five times alike, treats the funnel as flat when it isn't. The message, offer, and format that works for someone who has never heard of a brand is different from what works for someone already warm, and the inefficiency compounds at scale.The fix is to structure audiences in clear layers: At a minimum, cold prospecting, engaged users, and high-intent or existing customers, each with distinct messaging and creative aligned to where they are in the journey. What moves someone between layers should be behavior rather than time. A site visit or video completion shifts someone from cold to warm. Repeated interactions or an add-to-cart moves them into high-intent. That way, discovery-led creative reaches people at the top, proof and product detail does the work in the middle, and strong conversion drivers close at the bottom.The measurement problem nobody talks aboutEven with the right creative and audience structure in place, most retail advertisers are still making decisions from a distorted picture. Part of that is how CPA gets reported. Part of it is which channels get invested in when pressure builds. Both come back to the same underlying problem: The numbers being used to make decisions don't reflect what's actually happening.Every platform overclaims its contribution. Google takes credit for conversions. Meta takes credit for the same conversions. Reading both dashboards in isolation, without a neutral layer between them, makes double-counting almost inevitable. The more reliable approach is a blended CPA view: total spend across all channels divided by actual conversions from a source you control (your e-commerce platform or analytics tool, not the platforms). That's the real number.From there, incrementality testing tells you which channels are genuinely driving those conversions rather than just claiming them. For most retail advertisers, a realistic starting point is a simple geo holdout test: Pause spend in a small, matched region, keep everything else constant, and measure the difference in conversions from your own data. A clear test design with a success metric based on incremental lift, rather than platform-reported CPA, is what separates a meaningful result from one that simply confirms what the platform already wants you to believe.The same distortion affects channel investment decisions. When CPA is under pressure, upper funnel spend, with elements such as awareness, video, and broader prospecting, is usually the first thing to get cut, because it doesn't show an immediate return in the numbers. But that's the wrong read. Lower-funnel channels like brand search, shopping, and retargeting only look efficient because they're reaching people who are already close to buying. That pool doesn't replenish itself. Upper funnel is what keeps new people flowing into it, so cutting it to protect short-term CPA accelerates the problem rather than solving it.Because the effect isn't immediate, the way to know it's working is to track what moves first: branded search volume, direct traffic, engagement rates, and new user growth. These are early signals that demand is being built, and they will shift before conversion does. If they're not moving, lower funnel CPA will eventually deteriorate, no matter how well the bottom of the funnel is optimized.Bottom lineSustained CPA pressure in retail is rarely a signal that something in-platform needs adjusting. More often it's a signal that something earlier in the chain needs attention: the offer, the creative system, the audience structure, or the measurement layer telling you what's actually working.Start there. Focus on the parts of the system that matter most, and keep evolving as conditions change.This story was produced by Brainlabs and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Remains of missing Clinton man found in Rock Island CountyThe remains of a man reported missing in Clinton were found by authorities in Rock Island County, according to a news release from the Clinton Police Department. The release said the department was contacted by the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office on April 28. Rock Island County authorities reported finding a dead person along the [...] |
| |  Davenport convenience store receives 2026 Choose Iowa Value-Added GrantA Davenport convenience store has been awarded a Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant. |
| | IDOT washing 3 QCA bridges starting May 1Three bridges in the QCA will see some spring cleaning starting on Friday. A news release from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) said that work on three Mississippi River bridges in Rock Island, Whiteside and Carroll Counties starts Friday, May 1. The bridges being washed include: • Centennial Bridge (U.S. 67) in Rock Island• [...] |
| | How to use sales automation the right wayHow to use sales automation the right wayTime is the only thing you can't buy.This truth has a lot of implications, but especially so for sales leaders. From meetings booked to the number of customers converted — how you manage your time in the sales world makes all the difference.Yet, precious little is being done in the average workplace to make better use of everyone's most limited asset.A McKinsey & Company study in 2020 found that many business leaders at that time were not taking advantage of marketing and sales automation tools and all of their time-saving potential.In fact, automation implementation in sales is severely lacking. This survey found that out of the hundreds of business leaders surveyed, only 26% were automating a sales or marketing process.This is an unfortunate statistic because sales automation has the potential to disrupt the entire sales funnel. Early adopters of sales automation consistently report increases in customer-facing time, higher customer satisfaction, 10%-15% improvements in efficiency, and a sales uplift potential of up to 10%.The simple fact is: putting off implementing sales automation is costing you.In this guide, Apollo goes over the benefits of sales automation, shows you some examples of sales automation in action, and explains how you can use it to streamline your sales and improve your conversion rates.What is sales automation?Sales automation is the process of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to carry out sales tasks that are normally done manually. It's any software-based solution that helps a salesperson perform their tasks faster, easier, and more efficiently.Without sales automation tools, sales reps will spend the majority of their time doing tedious, nonrevenue-generating tasks (e.g., finding contact information, entering data manually, and updating CRMs).Sales automation frees up sales reps and allows them to spend their time on high-value activities that drive revenue and prioritize the customer experience.You can use sales automation tools in endless ways. They can tackle a single, specific task or offer end-to-end solutions.Whatever your current sales process looks like, sales automation can better it.What tasks can sales automation handle?So, what can you actually hand off to your new robot assistant? It's more than you think. Sales automation is about taking the entire manual, repetitive layer out of your sales process. Here are the most impactful tasks you can automate.Lead routing and assignment: Instead of a manager manually assigning new leads, automation can instantly route them to the right rep based on territory, industry, or company size. This means faster follow-up and no more leads falling through the cracks.Data entry and CRM updates: This is the big one. Automation can log calls, update contact records, change deal stages, and sync information across your tools. It eliminates the mind-numbing task of manual data entry and keeps your CRM data clean and reliable.Personalized email sequences: Go beyond a simple blast. Set up multistep sequences that send personalized follow-ups based on a prospect's actions. If they open an email but don't click, a different message can be triggered. It's personalization at scale.Meeting scheduling: Stop the back-and-forth of finding a time that works. Automation tools can integrate with your calendar, allowing prospects to book a meeting with one click.Reporting and analytics: Get real-time insights without building reports from scratch. Automated dashboards can track team performance, sequence effectiveness, and pipeline health, so you always know where you stand.The benefits of sales automationLet's look at some of the specific ways that sales and marketing automation can take your sales process to the next level.Sales automation increases efficiency and productivityOne of the best things sales automation can do for your business is improve your sales and marketing team's efficiency and productivity.It also helps prevent burnout among your sales reps. Nothing de-energizes and fatigues sales and marketing teams like hours of tedious busywork. When you implement an automation tool, it not only achieves efficient results but also lightens the load of your sales reps and gives them valuable energy to put elsewhere.Sales automation reduces human errorPeople make mistakes. No matter who you hire or how they are trained, there will be human error committed in manual tasks.Sales automation and AI technology can help you make huge steps towards reducing the negative impact that human error has on your sales. Sales automation software can also help you identify small issues before they become larger and more costly.Sales automation improves customer conversion ratesOver 41% of marketers say that sales automation is enabling them to generate more revenue and achieve higher customer conversion rates through email marketing alone.Sales automation technology can help a sales manager set up exactly how they want their customer journey to look. The actions they want to be taken in specific accounts can be automatically triggered and executed, and prospects can be sent down sales funnels that are tailored to their needs.This relieves sales reps from having to manually nurture prospects and allows them to have highly personalized experiences in no time at all.Sales automation reduces costsEven with all the other benefits aside, sales automation reduces your cost, and that alone makes it a worthwhile investment.Sales automation provides data analysisAn important part of any sales motion is testing and optimizing.Sales and marketing automation tools store vast amounts of data, and many of them precisely track your sales activity and provide helpful sales reports and data analysis.Automation platforms gather and store hundreds of data points. From measuring sales performance data to tracking marketing results, these data points can help you improve and optimize across your entire sales funnel.Implementing an automated workflow allows you to easily monitor and respond to changes in customer behaviors, refine customer data, create new data-based campaigns, jumpstart lead generation, and so much more.Sales automation for start-upsIt's no secret that start-ups and SMBs have less cash and fewer resources.If you are a small business leader, you might be thinking, "I'm not sure I can afford to invest in sales automation software..."But that's exactly the reason why you should.Automated sales tools work around the clock for you, at no extra cost. It cuts out the extra tasks that you may not have the budget or the hands for, such as managing customer data, digital sales, social media, email marketing, etc.In fact, small companies are the leaders in AI spending. They invest in a sales automation solution because it has a high ROI and helps them penetrate their new market.Here are some additional pointers for start-ups looking to invest in sales automation software:Find a sales automation platform that is easy to manage. There are some platforms that offer expensive and unnecessary features that start-ups don't need.Prioritize integration capabilities. Invest in a sales automation tool that can seamlessly integrate with your existing technology stack (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, other customer relationship management platforms, website CMS).Look for intelligence. Sales software should make your business smarter and more adaptable. As a start-up, you have the ability to be flexible and modify your sales and marketing processes more quickly than enterprise companies. Use sales automation to find ways to improve, and don't forget to test, test, test.Focus on how you can use sales automation to improve conversion rates, not just lead generation. Your platform should help you nurture leads in all stages of the sales pipeline and convert those prospects into happy customers.Look for sales platforms that offer you free trials or accounts; that way, you can see if it makes a good fit before investing your dollar.Frequently asked questions about sales automationWhat's the difference between CRM and sales automation?Think of it this way: Your CRM is the address book, and sales automation is the personal assistant who uses that address book to send emails, schedule meetings, and take notes for you. A CRM stores customer data, while sales automation acts on that data to move deals forward.What are the four main types of sales automation?While there are many tools, automation generally falls into four buckets: fixed (for repetitive, unchanging tasks), programmable (can be changed for new batches), flexible (easily reconfigured for new products), and integrated (a fully unified system where all tools talk to each other).How much does sales automation typically cost?Costs can range from free tools with basic features to thousands per month for enterprise-level platforms. The key is to find a solution that scales with you. Many platforms offer free tiers so you can prove the ROI before you invest heavily.Can small businesses really benefit from sales automation?Absolutely. In fact, they might benefit the most. Automation allows smaller teams to punch above their weight, handling the workload of a much larger sales force without the headcount. It levels the playing field by maximizing the efficiency of every rep.How long does it take to see results from sales automation?You can see immediate results in time savings the day you set it up. Reps will spend less time on data entry right away. Seeing a significant impact on revenue and conversion rates typically takes a full sales cycle, but efficiency gains are instant.This story was produced by Apollo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | HR leaders call for unified solutions and strategic AIHR leaders call for unified solutions and strategic AITwo-thirds of HR technology decision-makers are ready to switch providers to get the all-in-one system they need, according to a recent survey of business leaders conducted in September 2025 by Qualtrics and Paylocity, an HR, payroll, and finance software provider.The study drew on insights from more than 500 leaders across HR, finance, IT, and operations to assess how organizations view their HR and payroll software, examining usability, integration, innovation, and outcomes. The findings highlight what works today — and what human capital management (HCM) technology must deliver next.87% of leaders want an all-in-one HR and payroll solutionWhen it comes to HR processes, keeping employee data secure and accurate is critical. From hiring to payroll, benefits, and compliance, every detail matters. But HR isn’t the only department that benefits from getting this right.In their quest for a better solution, a vast majority of decision-makers (87%) are looking for a unified solution. Furthermore, 82% agree that the ability to connect data across HR, finance, and IT is very or extremely important.By making the person record a single source of truth, an all-in-one platform eliminates duplicate data entry, ensuring employee information is kept up to date from job application through offboarding.While leaders want one solution that covers multiple HR and payroll functions, “all in one” does not mean the same as “one size fits all.”The most advanced HCM solutions also integrate easily with other business systems to provide better flexibility and scalability. This includes integrations with transactional systems, like time and benefits, which are key to enhancing operational efficiency and improving employee engagement.But a truly unified platform also breaks down silos to enable more strategic workforce planning, performance management, and employee autonomy.The real value of a comprehensive solution comes from better visibility and reporting. When business leaders have ready access to real-time data analytics, it takes the guesswork out of decision-making.AI innovation must serve a purposeWorkplace technology evolves rapidly, and there’s a massive appetite for smarter tools. Almost half of the surveyed decision-makers strongly agree that HCM software can use AI and automation to improve efficiency. Additionally, 86% say AI can significantly improve HR and payroll processes.The employee experience is shifting, too, with half of all workers today turning to AI for work advice instead of their manager, according to a 2026 study by Randstad.Many modern HR and payroll software solutions have taken note,embedding AI to improve performance management and employee listening, helping companies identify at-risk employees while also automating tasks and accelerating recruitment.The potential impact of these AI-powered tools is compelling, with 2025 research from Market Reports World indicating that automated HR systems can reduce labor administration time by 41%.But business leaders want a voice in how technology evolves.The Paylocity survey found that 78% are looking for a provider who incorporates client feedback in their product roadmap. Yet only 36% strongly agree that their current provider introduces meaningful, beneficial innovations.The Future of HCMThe survey underscores a growing demand for an all-in-one HCM system that leverages AI and innovation to transform how organizations operate.Leaders across HR, finance, and IT increasingly recognize that breaking down data and process silos is critical to strategic workforce planning and faster, more informed decision-making through real-time analytics.Unified solutions that integrate HR, payroll, and other systems not only streamline operations but also provide leaders with the insights they need to make confident, data-driven decisions.But they want purposeful innovation — solutions based on client feedback are the ones that truly deliver value. They’re looking for partners who listen closely to clients and deliver meaningful, practical enhancements that solve real-world challenges.The future of HCM, then, is a unified system that facilitates growth and adapts quickly as work changes.This story was produced by Paylocity and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | US Supreme Court sides with anti-abortion centers facing NJ probeThe high court booted New Jersey's fight against anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers to a lower court, agreeing that a subpoena chilled the centers' constitutional rights. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor)The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with a coalition of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers in its fight against the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, finding a subpoena that state investigators issued for donor information unconstitutionally chilled the centers’ free speech and association rights. In a unanimous decision issued Wednesday, Justice Neil Gorsuch reversed an appellate court’s ruling that had prevented First Choice Women’s Resource Centers Inc., from airing their constitutional objections to the state’s probe and investigative practices in federal court. Gorsuch’s ruling returns the case to U.S. District Court. Former Attorney General Matt Platkin had been investigating First Choice since 2022, when he created a “reproductive rights strike force” and issued a consumer alert about crisis pregnancy center practices and advertising he deemed deceptive. Investigators subpoenaed donor records in an effort to interview donors to determine if First Choice, which operates five faith-based, anti-abortion centers in Jersey City, Montclair, Morristown, Newark, and New Brunswick, had misled them about its mission and operations, according to court filings. Gorsuch, a nominee of President Donald Trump who joined the bench in 2017, said the nation’s top court has long held that “compelled disclosure of affiliation with groups engaged in advocacy may constitute as effective a restraint on freedom of association” as more direct forms of suppression, citing from NAACP v. Alabama. Gorsuch heavily quoted from that 1958 landmark decision, in which the court forbade the state of Alabama from forcing the NAACP to disclose its membership lists, throughout Wednesday’s ruling. Associational rights carry special significance for political, social, religious, and other minorities, Gorsuch added. “An official demand for private donor information is enough to discourage reasonable individuals from associating with a group. It is enough to discourage groups from expressing dissident views. A government that chooses to make private donor information public may make the damage worse,” he wrote. That pressure exists, though, even without public disclosure, he added. “Just ask yourself, would it have been an answer in NAACP v. Alabama if the State’s Attorney General promised to keep the NAACP’s membership rolls to himself?” Gorsuch wrote. “Since the 1950s, this Court has confronted one official demand after another like the Attorney General’s. Over and again, we have held those demands burden the exercise of First Amendment rights. Disputing none of these precedents but seeking ways around them, the Attorney General has offered a variety of arguments. Some are old, some are new, but none succeeds.” Platkin said he was disappointed with the ruling, which “for the first time, gives organizations extraordinary protections against routine requests for information in connection with state investigations.” “The Court’s opinion today makes it harder for women to access safe and effective life-saving medical and abortion care, and harder to protect Americans from potential deceptive practices,” Platkin said. “As Attorney General, I was proud that my office led some of the most consequential investigations and lawsuits to protect our residents from harm, and am always proud of New Jersey for fighting for reproductive rights.” New Jersey Attorney General Jen Davenport (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor) Attorney General Jen Davenport, who replaced Platkin in January, said Gorsuch’s ruling merely returns the case to a lower court, where the legal fight will continue. “Today’s procedural decision holds only that First Choice can pursue its challenge to our subpoena, not that its challenge should prevail. New Jersey law makes clear that nonprofits cannot deceive or defraud New Jerseyans, and we regularly exercise our traditional investigative authority to ensure they are not doing so — regardless of the particular services they provide,” Davenport said. “We look forward to defending our subpoena in court. We will continue to enforce our fraud laws without fear or favor.” First Choice supporters, including the nonprofit’s executive director, Aimee Huber, celebrated the decision. “For more than two years, Attorney General Platkin targeted First Choice with aggressive demands for sensitive documents, including our donors’ identities. He has gone to great lengths to frustrate the important work we do — work that has made a tangible, life-saving difference for tens of thousands of New Jersey women and their children,” Huber said in a statement. “As the Supreme Court recognized, the government can’t evade federal court review when it harasses those who support pro-life ministries just because it disagrees with their message and their mission.” The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey sided with the anti-abortion centers in this case. “Thankfully, the Court ruled that federal courts remain open for nonprofits to challenge government subpoenas that could be used to target them based on their viewpoint,” said Jeanne LoCicero, the group’s legal director. “It is crucial for advocacy organizations – wherever they fall on the political spectrum – to have a legal path to fight retaliatory conduct by government officials.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Courtesy of New Jersey Monitor |
| | NC advocacy group pushes for AAPI education, hate crime preventionRep. Ya Liu (D-Wake) speaks about House Bill 835, "Learning AAPI Contributions in Schools," at a press conference on April 29, 2026. (Photo: Christine Zhu/NC Newsline)Lawmakers and local advocates called on the North Carolina General Assembly Wednesday to pass bills incorporating AAPI contributions into school curriculums and preventing hate crimes. North Carolina Asian Americans Together organized the press conference as part of its annual Asian American Advocacy Day. There are more than 300,000 Asian Americans in North Carolina, according to Carolina Demography. Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing communities in the state and across the south. Phuong Tran, communications director at NCAAT, said the group celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. It was founded to provide a voice in the state policy arena for the needs of Asian communities. “Too many people felt invisible, spoken about or to, but not with,” Tran said. “So we set out to change that, and over the past decade, we built a multilingual state infrastructure for civic participation.” The group worked with lawmakers to introduce House Bill 835, “Learning AAPI Contributions in Schools.” This legislation would ensure the inclusion of the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the American history curriculum, like their work on the transcontinental railroad and Civil Rights Movement. AAPI advocates, lawmakers promote election reforms, voting rights, DEI at Raleigh lobby day There’s been traction at the local level, Rep. Ya Liu (D-Wake) said. “In one of the high schools in my district, Green Hope High School, the history teacher started to teach a course on AAPI history, which is so popular that it will be one of the elective courses in Wake County,” Liu said. “We’ll continue to push it at the state level.” The bill was introduced in the House last April, but was assigned to the Rules committee, where bills filed by Democrats are often left to languish. Lawmakers have also pushed legislation against hate crimes. Senate Bill 827, “Hate Crimes Prevention Act,” would establish a statewide database to track statistics on hate crimes, train law enforcement officers to identify and respond to them, and increase the punishment for them. Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake), a primary sponsor of the bill, said he filed the measure because the current system isn’t working. “We lack a comprehensive statewide database tracking hate crimes, which means that we cannot fully see what is happening in our communities,” he said. “Our law enforcement officers often lack the training to identify, respond to and report these crimes. Our prosecutors need better tools to bring these cases to justice, which means too many perpetrators walk away without accountability.” The bill has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget. Courtesy of NC Newsline |
| | Body of missing Clinton man recovered in Cordova on TuesdayDermot Bly, 30, was last seen April 16 while crossing the Mark Morris Memorial Bridge between Clinton and Fulton. |
| |  Four giant, wooden trolls are waiting for you to find them in these Iowa locationsInternationally renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo is known for creating towering, whimsical trolls that can be found all around the world. Built from reclaimed materials, they've popped up in hidden, natural locations all across the globe. Now, there are four to find in Iowa. |
| | The best used hybrid SUVs tested by EdmundsThe best used hybrid SUVs tested by EdmundsThe best used hybrid SUV is the Honda CR-V, according to Edmunds' testing and real-world owner reviews. Big, spacious crossovers probably aren't what you think of when you think "great gas mileage." But the CR-V and other hybrid SUVs deliver the practicality you want with a lot less pain at the pump, and you won't need to worry about plugging in to charge the battery. Hybrid crossovers and SUVs come in all shapes and sizes; these top-rated picks represent both the compact and midsize segments, able to accommodate between five and eight passengers. For many, a used hybrid SUV is the best hybrid SUV. You'll save compared to buying new, and your gas bills will be manageable thanks to powertrains that eke the most mileage out of a gallon of fuel.You'll notice that there are several Toyota hybrid options on this list. That's because the automaker offers a gas-electric version of most of its products, and Toyota hybrid SUVs happen to be very efficient, practical, and nice to drive. Regardless of brand, if you're looking for a relatively cheap hybrid SUV, you can't do much better than these. Edmunds included data on the average transaction price for a used model, how much you stand to save over a new model, and the average consumer rating from reviews.1. Used Honda CR-V HybridThe Honda CR-V Hybrid offers a tantalizing premise: all the practicality, capability, and reliability of the Honda CR-V but with much better gas mileage. But while the EPA estimates the CR-V Hybrid gets a combined 40 mpg with front-wheel drive and 37 mpg with all-wheel drive, those figures weren’t replicated in real-world testing. That said, it’s still more efficient than the regular CR-V, and if you go with a 2023 or newer hybrid model, you get the same amount of storage as the nonhybrid version.Average 2023 transaction price: $31,164Savings vs. new: $4,293Edmunds Rating: 8.1 (out of 10)Average owner review (2023): 4.1 (out of 5)Used Honda CR-V Hybrid years for this generation: 2023–20252. Used Toyota Highlander HybridThe Toyota Highlander Hybrid was one of just a few electrified three-row SUVs when it debuted in 2006. More competition has joined the fray, but the late-model Highlander Hybrid remains a compelling choice thanks to its good fuel economy and high seating capacity. Adults won't want to spend much time in the third row, but if you're hauling a bunch of kids, the Highlander's appeal is plain as day. Its EPA-estimated 35 mpg or 36 mpg in combined driving is excellent, and those figures were nearly matched on the test route (33 mpg).Average 2023 transaction price: $39,302Savings vs. new: $9,997Edmunds Rating: 7.8 (out of 10)Average owner review (2023): 4.3 (out of 5)Used Toyota Highlander Hybrid years for this generation: 2020–20253. Used Toyota VenzaThe Toyota Venza was reintroduced in 2021 as a hybrid-only SUV and sold new through 2024. It was originally a little bit more expensive than the Toyota RAV4 and seats five passengers, with a sleek, low roofline setting the Venza apart from its more popular sibling. An upscale interior and sporty styling also help it stand out from the crowd, but the Venza's major selling point is its outstanding fuel economy. The Venza gets an EPA-estimated 39 mpg, but it can reach 44 mpg in combined driving. That is obviously excellent. But paradoxically, the sleek Toyota is smaller inside than the cheaper RAV4, and the four-cylinder engine can't back up the sporty looks. If fuel economy is your primary concern, though, you should give the Venza some thought.Average 2023 transaction price: $31,700Savings vs. new: no longer in productionEdmunds Rating: 7.8 (out of 10)Average owner review (2023): 4.2 (out of 5)Used Toyota Venza years for this generation: 2021–20244. Used Toyota RAV4 HybridThe Toyota RAV4 Hybrid offers an improvement on its gas-only counterpart in a couple of key ways. The first, obviously, is that its fuel economy is excellent. The EPA estimates the RAV4 will get 40 mpg in combined driving, a full 10 mpg better than a gas-only RAV4. The second improvement is the RAV4's powertrain. The extra power offered by the electric motor makes accelerating in the RAV4 a much more pleasant experience; it's a full second quicker than its sibling when going from 0 to 60 mph. You don't lose any storage space by opting for the RAV4 Hybrid, and its interior is reasonably roomy even when loaded up with adults.Average 2023 transaction price: $32,076Savings vs. new: $4,969Edmunds Rating: 7.8 (out of 10)Average owner review (2023): 4.3 (out of 5)Used Toyota RAV4 Hybrid years for this generation: 2019–20255. Used Ford Escape HybridThe Ford Escape's hybrid powertrain is standard or optional on several trim levels, although it varies from year to year. The EPA estimates the Ford Escape Hybrid gets a combined 39 mpg, which is excellent for a vehicle of its size. Otherwise, the Escape is a functional, if not very exciting, SUV. Its acceleration is sluggish, and its technology is dated. But it offers a smooth ride and comfortable seating. If you're looking to save at the pump, the Ford Escape Hybrid is a fine choice for getting from A to B.Average 2023 transaction price: $24,531Savings vs. new: $6,975Edmunds Rating: 7.8 (out of 10)Average owner review (2023): 3.7 (out of 5)Used Ford Escape Hybrid years for this generation: 2020–2025This story was produced by Edmunds and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Google LSA’s competitive quote feature: What home services businesses should do nowGoogle LSA’s competitive quote feature: What home services businesses should do nowYour Google Local Services Ads (LSA) leads now go to your competitors automatically. Google LSA’s competitive quote feature lets consumers request estimates from up to four providers at once through a single message. One tap, and your next potential customers become LSA shared leads split between you and three other businesses.That changes the economics of every home services lead you pay for. If your team responds slowly or sends a generic reply, a faster competitor books the job you funded.Getting ahead of this change starts with understanding how Google LSA’s competitive quotes impact home services businesses, what you can do right now to win more of these shared leads, and how this feature works behind the scenes.WebFX breaks it down:How Google LSA’s competitive quotes impact home services businessesGoogle LSA’s competitive quote feature changes three things about how LSA leads work for home services businesses. Each one directly affects your cost per booked job.1. Acquisition costs riseFour businesses get charged for the same lead, while only one wins the job. The other three paid for a lead that converted for a competitor.For home services businesses running tight margins on HVAC, plumbing, or roofing leads, that math hits hard. LSA shared leads that cost the same as standard leads but convert at a lower rate inflate your true cost per booked job.2. Lead exclusivity disappearsThe consumer already has four options lined up before anyone picks up the phone or replies to the message. Showing up in the listing no longer gives you the inside track. Speed and message quality now carry more weight than placement alone.3. Profile performance decides who gets selectedGoogle chooses which four businesses appear in the competitive quote selection. That decision depends on measurable performance signals. Response time, review count and quality, booking rates, and dispute history all play a vital role.Businesses with weak signals do not make the cut, regardless of how much they spend on LSAs. If your follow-up process stays manual or inconsistent, revenue leaks fast.5 ways to book more jobs from Google LSA’s competitive quotesYou can’t control how Google decides which businesses appear in every competitive quote, but you can definitely influence that decision. Here are five things home services businesses can do right now to improve the odds of getting selected and converting the leads that come through.1. Turn on message leadsThe competitive quote feature only applies to message leads. If messaging is turned off in your LSA settings, you do not appear in the competitive quote selection pool at all. That means you are invisible to every consumer who uses the “Get competitive quotes” button. Courtesy of WebFX Turning on messaging also makes your business eligible for lower-cost message leads introduced under Google’s new value-based pricing model. Even outside of competitive quotes, enabling messaging expands your total lead volume.2. Get your response time under 15 minutesGoogle’s competitive quote screen tells consumers the selected businesses “typically reply in 15 minutes.” That sets the expectation. If your actual response time lags behind that number, you lose the lead before you type a word. Courtesy of WebFX The data backs this up. According to research by LeadConnect, 78% of customers buy from the business that responds first, and leads contacted within five minutes are 100 times more likely to qualify than those contacted after 30 minutes. Response time also displays publicly on your LSA listing, so consumers can see whether you are fast or slow before they ever reach out.3. Treat every lead like an LSA shared leadConsumers have always shopped around for home services. The competitive quote feature just formalizes the behavior and puts it inside Google’s interface. Assume that every lead you receive is also talking to other businesses, because with this feature, they probably are. Courtesy of WebFX Check your lead details for the “Customer has also messaged other businesses” flag to confirm whether a specific lead came through competitive quotes. Then adjust your response accordingly by:Acknowledging the specific service the consumer described.Including a clear next step, like scheduling an estimate.Giving a concrete reason to choose your business over the other three.Generic templates lose this race every time, especially with LSA shared leads.4. Strengthen the profile signals Google usesGoogle evaluates several performance metrics when selecting the four businesses that appear in competitive quotes. Strengthening these signals improves your chances of landing in the top four. WebFX 5. Map communication across the full customer journeyWinning the initial competitive quote lead is step one. Booking, closing, and retaining that customer feeds the performance signals Google uses to keep selecting your business for future competitive quotes.A strong home services communication flow covers every stage:New lead outreachMissed call follow-upEstimate appointment confirmationPost-estimate follow-upPost-service feedback requestReview solicitationRecurring service or membership messagingEach touchpoint reinforces the responsiveness and customer experience metrics that determine your LSA visibility.Home services businesses often lose booked jobs because follow-up drops off after the first reply. The initial response gets the conversation started, but the estimate confirmation, the follow-up after a quote, and the review request after the job closes are what keep the cycle spinning. The businesses closing the most competitive quote leads are the ones that treat communication as a system, not a one-time event.How Google LSA’s competitive quote feature worksGoogle LSA’s competitive quote feature is a lead format inside Local Services Ads that allows consumers to request estimates from multiple highly rated businesses at once through a single message. Courtesy of WebFX Here is how the flow works from the consumer side:A homeowner searches for a service like “HVAC repair near me.”Standard LSA listings appear with a new option at the top: “Get competitive quotes.”The consumer taps that button, and Google selects four highly rated professionals in the area who “typically reply in 15 minutes.”The consumer writes one message describing what they need, and hits send.That message goes to all four businesses simultaneously.This feature only applies to message leads. Businesses that have messaging turned off in their LSA settings do not appear in the selection pool at all.Google has tested variations of this feature since October 2024. The search giant internally refers to the feature as “Message Fanout” and officially announced it alongside new value-based pricing for message leads in November 2025. The rollout continues to expand across industries and geographic areas heading into 2026.Google LSA’s competitive quotes vs. traditional LSA leadsTraditional LSA leads work one-to-one. A consumer clicks on your listing, sends a message or calls, and that lead belongs to you. You pay for it, and no one else receives the same inquiry at the same time.Google LSA’s competitive quotes flip that model. The same lead goes to four businesses simultaneously, and each one pays for it. That makes every competitive quote an LSA shared lead by default. Courtesy of WebFX The shift in buyer behavior matters just as much as the billing change. Consumers who use competitive quotes expect fast replies because Google pre-selects businesses that respond quickly. They compare pricing more aggressively because they have multiple options in hand before anyone responds.Decision cycles compress, patience shrinks, and the first business to reply with a relevant, personalized message holds a significant advantage.This story was produced by WebFX and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Engine failure leaves West Liberty Fire Department reduced to 1 ambulanceUntil a replacement is secured, West Liberty will have to request mutual aid from neighboring towns for EMS calls, which can delay help by more than 20 minutes. |
| | The data invasion: How AI is changing sport from the Premier League to the local pitchThe data invasion: How AI is changing sport from the Premier League to the local pitchSomewhere in an NBA arena, a system noticed something. LeBron James was dipping his shoulder on left-side three-pointers. Not on the right. Not anywhere else. Only there. He hadn't known. Neither had his coaches. The AI had seen what none of them had.It was not an isolated case.“It’s definitely picking up. There’s the whole ‘Moneyball’ thinking about winning with data, a lot of teams are spending a lot of energy trying to use data to their advantage,” said Sander Christophersen, vice president of product at Veo, a Copenhagen-based AI sports analytics and broadcasting startup.“We're seeing that the game is changing now. All the players obsess about their metrics.”In an industry worth more than half a trillion dollars, the margins for error have always been small. AI is making them smaller.Below, the Infinite Loop by Nebius explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping performance, strategy, and fan experiences across professional and amateur sports.Leveling up the world’s bestOne of the MVPs in AI sports solutions is Genius Sports, founded in 2000 and headquartered in London and New York. The company says its software is used by sports clubs around the world, including every team in the Premier League, the NBA, and the WNBA.Matt Fleckenstein, the company’s chief product and technology officer, said coaches and players are becoming increasingly reliant on its AI performance analytics tools.“Let’s say I want to see every time that the defense was in this particular shape, or every corner play that we ran right. [With Genius] you can quickly query all of this video,” he said.“You can see these rich analytics about what happened on that play and what happens typically in those scenarios, so that you can strategize. Maybe Crystal Palace has an upcoming game against Bournemouth — it will help answer: ‘How should we line up? What's our best opportunity to exploit them off the corner?’”The tools work at the individual level too. Fleckenstein said LeBron James used Genius Sports' software to identify a flaw in his shooting form that had gone undetected.“He was dipping his shoulder when he was shooting from the left side of the floor, and he wasn't doing that anywhere else. He was only able to get at that rich data about his form right from our performance studio tool,” he said.The beAIutiful game?Until recently, the benefits of AI were only available to the pro teams with the deepest pockets. Now, thanks to changing economics in AI infrastructure and some clever engineering, it’s making its way down to the little leagues too.Copenhagen-based Veo, which develops live streaming and AI analytics products for smaller teams, was launched after its cofounder Keld Reinicke was once late to one of his 10-year-old son’s football matches and missed his big moment.“His kid scored a goal, and he wasn’t there to see it, and he was devastated by that,” said Christophersen.Veo's technology automatically can pull analytics from match footage — tracking passes, shots on goal, and movement patterns — while simultaneously live streaming games for friends and family of the next generation of Lionel Messis to watch from anywhere.Part of what made that shift possible is cost. “The price of compute is definitely a big thing. It’s now possible for us to have our own cluster running with our own GPUs, and bring the cost of training our AI models down,” said Christophersen.But Veo’s success points to something the sports world is only beginning to reckon with. While making the pro experience available to more people, AI analytics may be threatening some of sport’s high-risk, high-drama highlights, like the long-range goal in football.“If you look at games at a high level, you will see that there are no shots outside the box anymore. It's so rare. Back in the day, people would always take shots from outside the box,” said Christophersen. “Now they know that they will get berated by their coach after the game, for trying a low-xG (expected goal) option.”150 hours a week, 24 cameras a stadiumThe broadcast experience is changing too.During NFL games, color-coded boxes now appear around the quarterbacks, showing which direction their pass is likely to get disrupted from, based on real-time AI analysis of live footage.“Fan experiences like this require that the AI is very fast: that it's able to process footage dynamically and then render it in time for the three-second delay for broadcast,” explained Jason Corso, cofounder and chief science officer of Voxel51, a Michigan-based startup that develops a platform to maximize the performance of vision models that use huge amounts of data.Genius Sports, across just the NBA, WNBA, and Premier League, films around 150 hours of live sport every week during peak season, with 24 cameras installed in each stadium, adding up to 3,600 hours of footage.Crunching this quantity of data is only part of the challenge, Corso said. Live sport is unpredictable — a more eventful game generates more inference calls — and handling that volatility means that companies like Genius need two core things from cloud providers.“How quickly can they burst their compute based on demand at any one time? And are their compute resources up to date? Do they have H200s, or B200s (Nvidia's later generation of AI chips)? That's been hard for cloud providers because it's expensive to keep building these data centers,” he said.Corso added that many of Voxel51’s customers need cloud resources in their own territories, both to help stay compliant with local regulations like GDPR and to bring down inference costs of shipping data from one place to another with low latency.Looking forward, Corso said that sports teams will begin using more real-time reinforcement learning to influence strategy midgame. Fleckenstein said AI will be used to create whole new augmented reality experiences in which fans can watch live games where digital twins of players are superimposed onto virtual environments.What happens on the pitch still matters most. But increasingly, AI is shaping the game itself — who wins, what fans see, and whether the long-range shot is still worth attempting.This story was produced by the Infinite Loop by Nebius and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | As spending shifts to e-commerce, AI is reshaping the landscapeAs spending shifts to e-commerce, AI is reshaping the landscapeOnce a fringe business model, e-commerce has become a staple of purchasing in the U.S. and around the world.Estimates place e-commerce's share of the world's retail at over 23% in 2025, with this figure expected to reach one-quarter by 2030. Even business-to-business (B2B) purchases are increasingly done online.At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a bigger role in the online shopping experience. From frontline agentic support to chat-native shopping, AI has become an interface for discovering, evaluating, and purchasing products.As more of the economy moves online and becomes integrated with AI, Passport weighed in on how this tech convergence will impact global commerce.The Global Economy's Ongoing Migration to E-commerceOver the past decade, e-commerce has evolved from a fast-growing channel into a foundational mode of shopping. Adoption is widespread in the U.S. and around the world.The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend, but it also marked a hard reset on customer expectations and set a new bar for digital enablement.The rise of e-commerce opened corridors for international sales, allowing buyers to access more sellers (and vice versa). This has two important implications for businesses:E-commerce can't be an afterthought; it's an ongoing commitment and a prerequisite for scaling in foreign markets.Customers are embracing cross-border commerce and unconventional platforms, creating opportunities for brands that can navigate them.These shifts have driven investments in physical and digital infrastructure that have made global demand more accessible than ever.Though we don't often think of it as such, e-commerce is an ongoing technological revolution that shows no signs of slowing.How AI is Changing E-commerceDespite its recent boom in attention, AI has been in e-commerce for decades. Traditional AI and machine learning have powered logistics, forecasts, marketing, payments, and even public-facing recommendations since the industry's early years.However, generative AI (GenAI) brought these capabilities to new levels and fundamentally changed how people interface with the technology.Since AI's applications are broad, we'll focus on the three most relevant to e-commerce: customer experience, business operations, and decision-making.AI as a Customer Experience (CX) EngineThe most visible change that GenAI brought to e-commerce is chat-based interfacing.While online shoppers had already been interacting with AI in the way of product recommendations and other personalized content, chatbots now represent a viable platform for consumers to discover, evaluate, and purchase products.These "conversations" can take the form of on-page assistants, but shoppers are more likely to use their preferred platform or voice assistant. This avenue alone has already spawned disciplines dedicated to optimizing content for large language models (LLMs).Though overall trust and approval for AI is split, there's evidence that public sentiment is warming to AI and chat-native shopping.GenAI has also enabled businesses to offer more in their digital presentation, such as:Storefront translation and localization for foreign markets.Automation of support tasks that AI can resolve faster than staff.Visual search, virtual try on, and augmented reality (AR) shopping.Hyperpersonalization at every touchpoint based on user data and behavior.Rather than operating behind a curtain, AI can now act as a personal shopping consultant that considers past interactions. When done well, the experience drives conversions, upsells, and repeat purchases.AI as an E-commerce Operations EngineMost of the items in this category were present before the rise of GenAI but have since seen significant improvements.When integrated thoughtfully, AI solutions can improve speed, performance, and scalability.Repetitive tasks can be automated with minimal oversight.Analytics and forecasts become more robust and predictive.Operating at scale is more adaptive, accessible, and affordable.AI excels at identifying trends and discrepancies, which is often applied in logistics, compliance, cybersecurity, order fulfillment, and inventory management.By streamlining these procedures, AI solutions enable e-commerce brands to scale with minimal additional overhead. Meanwhile, teams are freed to focus on higher-order tasks.However, firms that use AI as a quick fix or catch-all solution are unlikely to see meaningful returns. Adding a new technology to your stack can complicate or simplify a procedure, depending on how it's used.AI as a Decision-Making EngineThe previous section shows how AI-powered analytics can help e-commerce brands make better-informed decisions in less time.A second option that GenAI offers is giving AI the resources to make a limited range of decisions autonomously; this model is commonly called agentic AI.Depending on the model, AI agents might have access to live datasets, program interfaces, and even other agents.Traditionally, optimizing any given procedure has been reactive by nature. Teams analyze data, identify opportunities, and manually tune the engine.At its best, agentic AI makes this process automatic and continuous. Agents can analyze performance in real time and make meaningful adjustments without additional human input.However, autonomous AI is still high-risk, high-reward. Given too much autonomy or too few parameters, an agentic AI can cause far greater disruptions than a faulty chatbot. Agents handling simple and well-defined tasks with human oversight are still the best practice.Convergence: AI in E-commerceAs consumer and business spending continues its trend toward online shopping, more of the e-commerce experience is being produced, optimized, and delivered by AI.The convergence of e-commerce and AI adoption has already shifted consumer expectations and continues to introduce new dynamics, challenges, and opportunities to consider.For example, shoppers are widely split in their experiences with AI enablement. Common reactions include:Enjoyment of the functionality and time saved.General distrust of AI and data management practices.Frustration from unhelpful agents or a lack of human assistance.For e-commerce brands, the opportunity is significant, but so is the risk. Embracing AI effectively requires more than adopting new technology but integrating it in a purposeful way that solves problems without creating new ones.Deciding If, When, and How to Use AI for E-commerceGenerative and agentic AI have introduced more nuance in the age-old balance of technology and traditional labor. These new advancements lead to familiar questions, including whether to buy in and, if so, where and how to implement.There's no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions; there are simply too many AI variants and use cases for an easy yes or no. However, noting the common risks and best practices will help you make an informed decision.Risks of AI Implementation in E-commercePoorly executed features can feel irrelevant or intrusive.More cybersecurity and data management considerations.Poor experiences with AI agents can increase cart abandonment.Over-automation can dilute the brand or impede the customer experience.Fragmented systems can create operational complexity rather than reducing it.There's a notable tendency for leaders to overestimate what AI can replace and underestimate how much human oversight it needs.Best Practices for Adopting AI in E-commerceA practical approach starts with focusing on a high-impact area, such as:Inventory managementCustomer personalizationDynamic price optimizationThese use cases tend to deliver measurable results relatively quickly. Piloting an isolated use case gives you a quick and affordable idea of whether your approach to AI is working.Ensure that your AI initiative aligns with measurable business objectives. Technology should support clear outcomes, whether that's conversions, costs, or error rates.AI typically works best as a complement to human decision-making rather than a replacement. The most effective implementations combine automation with expertise.FAQs: AI in E-commerceNew tech raises new questions.Will AI replace e-commerce?AI is unlikely to replace e-commerce as a whole, but it's fundamentally reshaping how customers interact with the process and how businesses scale their operations.How is AI used in e-commerce today?AI is currently used for a wide variety of tasks, not limited to:Personalization and product recommendations.Supply chain logistics and order fulfillment.Customer support and pricing optimization.Compliance checks and fraud detection.Agentic AI solutions, in particular, are enabling e-commerce businesses to automate more complex procedures.How has AI changed e-commerce?AI has enabled dynamic personalization of the customer experience, making every step of the sales funnel more effective (when implemented well). AI has also improved the accessibility of scale, allowing teams to increase their capabilities without as much added overhead. AI's analytical and automation capabilities are powering complex multinational operations.Does AI actually improve e-commerce conversion rates?Yes, when done right. AI-supported shopping can reduce friction, improve relevance, and optimize performance metrics through automated iteration and analysis.How do customers feel about using AI when shopping?Sentiment is mixed, but adoption is growing quickly. Many consumers report using AI for product discovery and research.What are the benefits of integrating AI in an e-commerce store?At its best, AI can help e-commerce businesses operate more efficiently, improve their customer experience, and scale without increasing headcount. Like any technology, these benefits are limited to how effectively it is leveraged.What are the biggest risks of using AI in e-commerce?At its worst, AI can erode data quality, frustrate customers, leak sensitive data, and increase operational complexity. Agentic AI can go a step further by mismanaging any procedures under its control. Teams can minimize these risks with careful implementation and thorough human oversight.How should e-commerce brands implement AI?Brands should begin with a low-risk, high-impact use case. Piloting multiple new programs at once muddies the results and risks excessive complication. Look for applications that are both practical and measurable, such as integrating an AI solution built for a task that currently occupies a lot of your time or resources. Whatever starting point you choose, make sure it ties into a key performance indicator or business goal.This story was produced by Passport and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  Body found, identified as missing Clinton manThe body of Dermot Bly was found Tuesday night. |
| |  2026 could be bad year for ticks: Illinois ExtensionDoctors and experts across the country are saying 2026 could be a very bad year for ticks and tick-borne illnesses. Teresa Steckler, a commercial agriculture specialist with the University of Illinois Extension, spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to explain why this year is so bad for ticks and what people can do [...] |
| |  Former alderwoman files lawsuit against Davenport City CouncilIn a lawsuit filed on April 22, former city alderwoman Judith Lee alleges the Davenport City Council violated the open meetings law. |
| | Affordable destinations for budget-conscious young travelersAffordable destinations for budget-conscious young travelersForget the idea that seeing the world requires a trust fund. Gen Z and young millennials have reframed international travel as a manageable, budgeted priority rather than a once-in-a-decade extravagance. According to The State of Gen Z & Young Millennial Travel, Vol. III, a survey of more than 1,100 U.S.-based travelers published in April 2026 from EF Ultimate Break and Qualtrics Research, young adults ages 18-35 expect to spend $2,000-$4,000 on a 10-day international trip, with most landing right around $3,000.Whether you're a college student planning your first trip to Europe on a budget or searching for affordable group travel that doesn't compromise on experiences, knowing where to go is half the struggle. EF Ultimate Break shares five destinations that consistently deliver more than their price point. EF Ultimate Break 1. PortugalPortugal is the ultimate “more for less” destination. Lisbon and Porto are stunning, walkable cities where you can eat fresh seafood and tinned fish, drink incredible wine like Vinho Verde and Port, and wander through historic neighborhoods without spending a fortune. The cost of living is lower than in most of Western Europe, which means your meals, drinks, and day-to-day expenses won’t drain your bank account.A coffee and pastéis de nata (life-altering custard tarts) at a local cafe? Maybe 3 euros. A full dinner with wine? You’re looking at 15-20 euros per person at a solid spot. Compare that to Paris or London, where you’d easily spend double or triple that amount for similar quality.According to the study, 69% of young travelers have taken trips to trace their family origins, or plan to—and Portugal, with its deep immigrant roots across the U.S. and Latin America, is an increasingly popular destination for exactly that kind of identity-driven travel. EF Ultimate Break 2. GreeceGreece might feel like a splurge destination, but it’s actually one of the most affordable countries in Europe—especially if you’re traveling with a group tour that bundles everything together. Island hopping, ancient ruins, fresh tzatziki, and sunsets so unreal they look like AI? All doable without breaking the bank.Outside of peak summer season, Greece becomes even easier on the budget. Meals at local tavernas are incredibly affordable (often only 10-15 euros for a full spread), and the islands offer everything from party vibes to quiet beaches, depending on what you’re after.Plus, with 93% of young adults saying learning a new skill while traveling is important, Greece delivers: think traditional Greek cooking classes, mosaic-making workshops, or sailing lessons on the Aegean. You get the bucket-list scenery and something tangible to bring home. EF Ultimate Break 3. SpainSpain offers incredible bang for your buck, especially outside of Barcelona and Madrid. Cities like Valencia and Seville are more affordable, and the food, culture, and nightlife are just as good. Tapas, beaches, architecture, and a lifestyle that prioritizes enjoying life? Sí, por favor.The beauty of Spain is that you can eat and drink incredibly well without spending much. Tapas culture means you can sample a bunch of different dishes for just a few euros each. A glass of wine? Often cheaper than a soda. And the beaches are free, which is always a win. It also helps that Europe remains the undisputed top region for young travelers, with 62% naming European destinations as their first choice, meaning Spain is squarely in the center of where this generation already wants to go. EF Ultimate Break 4. Costa RicaIf you want adventure travel on a budget, Costa Rica is your move. It’s one of the top places to travel on a budget in Latin America, and it delivers on every level—waterfalls, zip lines, beaches, wildlife, and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.The country’s tourism infrastructure is solid, so you’re not roughing it, but prices are still super reasonable compared to other tropical destinations. A typical meal costs around $8-$12, and activities like zip-lining or hot springs visits are way more affordable than you’d expect for the quality of experience you get. It's a particularly strong fit for the 36% of young travelers who identify as nature lovers, given how much outdoor experience the country packs into a modest daily budget. EF Ultimate Break 5. PeruPeru is another top contender for affordable adventure travel. You get Machu Picchu, vibrant cities, and some of the best food in South America—all at prices that won’t make your wallet weep.Meals in Peru are ridiculously affordable, especially if you eat where the locals eat. A full lunch menu (appetizer, main, dessert, and drink) can cost as little as $3-$5. Even upscale dining in Lima won’t cost you nearly as much as it would elsewhere. The food scene is world-class. Peru has been named the world’s leading culinary destination multiple times, and with nearly half of young travelers (44%) identifying as foodies who want to understand a culture through its cuisine, Peru might be the most underrated culinary destination on this entire list.How to make any destination more affordableEven if you're not traveling to one of the most budget-friendly countries, there are ways to keep costs down without feeling like you're missing out.Break up the cost over time. Many tour operators offer installment-based payment options, which means you're not hit with one massive charge up front. Spreading payments over several months makes a $3,000 trip feel considerably more manageable, and by departure day, it's already paid off. Travel during the offseason. Shoulder season (spring and fall) often means lower prices and fewer crowds. You get the same experience without the peak-season markup, and you're not fighting for space at major attractions or waiting in hour-long lines. Travel with others. Group travel is one of the most underrated cost-saving strategies. Shared accommodations, split costs, and collective bargaining power all add up. Bundle where you can. When flights, hotels, transportation, and activities are packaged together, surprise costs become far less likely. Bundled pricing also makes it easier to compare the true cost of a trip against DIY planning, where expenses tend to creep up mid-trip. Eat like a local. Skip the restaurants immediately adjacent to major attractions and explore a few blocks further. Asking residents or fellow travelers for recommendations almost always leads to better food at lower prices, and a more authentic experience to boot.The bottom lineAffordable group travel and budget-friendly destinations aren't a compromise. The places above aren't worth visiting simply because they’re affordable; the affordability is just one part of what makes them smart choices. For a generation that has decided travel is nonnegotiable, the real question is where and when.This story was produced by EF Ultimate Break and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | SpaceX satellites half the size of pickup trucks are falling from the skyBillions of people watched in awe as the Artemis II mission took an astronaut crew that included Canadian Jeremy Hansen around the moon and back. It was an awe-inspiring moment for space exploration — but not all the news from space is good for Earth. There are thousands of satellites in low orbit, which means 2,000 kilometers or less above the Earth. Many were sent there by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, which launched its first Starlink satellite in 2019 and has come to dominate the sky, representing more than two-thirds of all satellites in orbit. Wherever you are in Canada, when you look up at the increasingly bright night sky, you are seeing more satellites and fewer stars. Starlink is an internet provider used by rural farmers, northern First Nations, and airplane passengers criss-crossing Canadian skies. Each of its satellites has a lifespan of roughly five years, after which they reenter Earth’s atmosphere at a rate of one or two satellites per day. At this point, they become what’s known as space junk — burning up entirely or, occasionally, scattering debris. But those occasions will become more common if SpaceX fulfills its ambitions to launch a lot more satellites in the years to come, coinciding with the explosion in data centers and artificial intelligence. That would mean more light pollution in the night sky and more space junk falling back to Earth. Samantha Lawler is a professor of astronomy with the University of Regina and a goat farmer — and she is concerned about space junk. She spoke with The Narwhal from her farm in Saskatchewan (where she did not use Starlink to connect to Zoom) about why we should be concerned about the growing number of satellites over Canada — including the potential for satellite collisions that could make low orbit unusable for everyone, a scenario called Kessler syndrome. “We’re right on the edge of that already,” she said, adding that someone needs to take on the engineering challenge of providing rural internet and other services with fewer satellites. “There is a limit to how many we can safely have in orbit, and I think we’ve crossed that limit.” SpaceX didn’t respond to The Narwhal’s questions about the environmental or safety impacts of their plan, and the Canadian Space Agency didn’t respond when asked if and when an official reporting system might be created. But Lawler had a lot more to say about the current lack of regulations protecting us from their impacts in the sky — or here on Earth. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Summary Around 10,000 Starlink satellites represent more than two-thirds of all satellites in low orbit, and SpaceX has ambitions to launch a million more — raising serious environmental and safety concerns. Usually, satellites burn up on reentry, leaving heavy metals and plastics in the atmosphere, but sometimes they leave debris on the ground. Canadians who live near the 50th parallel are under the densest band of satellites. Currently, Canada has no reporting system for space debris and no ability to limit the number of satellites launched into orbit. Existing space laws do not apply to private companies such as SpaceX, and space is not covered by any environmental regulations. What’s your work all about? I study orbital dynamics in the Kuiper belt — so, looking at small icy rocks in the outer solar system and measuring their orbits. I started my position at the University of Regina and moved to a farm with access to dark skies in 2019, right when the first Starlink satellites launched, so I could watch the change in my night sky that I suddenly had access to and see the change in my research data, too. Increasingly, there were more and more satellite streaks in my data. So, I had this unique perspective of seeing that, wow, this was pretty bad, and it’s going to get a lot worse. In 2021, you published an article that said 1 out of every 15 points of light in the night sky would soon be a satellite, not a star. At the time, what were the environmental and scientific concerns about that figure? So, at the time, that one in 15 represented 65,000 satellites — which, when we wrote that paper, I thought was ridiculous. Like, there’s no way we’ll ever get to that. But here we are at around 15,000 with no signs of slowing down. So we might get there, and now there are proposals for millions of satellites. But at the time, I think very few astronomers — and almost no one outside the astronomy community — had any idea how bad this was. There was a small group of astronomers that noticed, “Hey, this is very bad for astronomy. But have you thought about how many of these are going to be burning up, and how many are going to be launched, and how much danger there is in orbit?” I think that’s starting to change now — I’m glad that more people are aware of the issues, but they continue to get worse. So, in the vein of things getting worse, in January, SpaceX requested the authority of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to launch “a constellation of a million satellites” to serve as an orbital data center. How much worse would a million satellites be? It’s so bad in every possible way. There’s no way we can get to a million satellites — there will be collisions in space, and we’ll be in full Kessler syndrome before we get there. But if somehow, they managed not to crash, they have five-year lifetimes. That would be one reentry every three minutes. And those satellites would have to be bigger than Starlink satellites because of the complexity of a data center versus an internet provider, right? In some of the articles we were writing quickly, we were estimating two tonnes per satellite, but it sounds like, from various things SpaceX has released, that they’ll actually be much bigger than that. So these are as big as the International Space Station in terms of reflecting area, which means the simulations I ran were actually an underestimate of how bright they would be. So — everything is bad, and actually it’s worse than the assumptions I made initially. Really, really bad. Just to linger on that for a minute — all satellites that go up eventually have to come down, and they usually burn up on reentry. What happens when they don’t? So everything that’s in low Earth orbit, which is most of the satellites — including all of the 10,000-plus Starlink satellites — at the end of their life, they get burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, because it’s convenient. And so far, it looks like Starlink is actually doing a pretty good job of burning up. There was one piece of a Starlink satellite that was found in a farm in Saskatchewan a couple of years ago, but they seem to be doing a pretty good job. What that means, though, is that all the mass of the satellites — the solar panels, plastic, metal, batteries — it’s all getting melted and deposited in the upper atmosphere. So, that’s not a good thing. There was a period of time, about six months, where Starlink burned up 500 satellites. That’s around three per day. In that time period, they exceeded the natural infall rate from meteorites by at least twice as much — so, adding at least twice as much aluminum as what naturally comes into the atmosphere every day for six months. So what does that do? We don’t actually know. There are a few preliminary studies showing this aluminum can become alumina, which can cause ozone depletion and change temperatures in the upper atmosphere, but we don’t know the full effects. And because space is not legally considered an environment, all satellites launched from the U.S. are categorically excluded from any kind of environmental regulations. If they get to their steady state of having 42,000 Starlink satellites alone — that’s only one of many megaconstellations they have planned — that’s something like one satellite being burned up every hour in the atmosphere. These are satellites half the size of a Ford F-150 pickup truck. They’re not small. That’s a lot of metal being added to the upper atmosphere, and we don’t know the full effects of it. Why is this changing so rapidly? In 2019, Starlink launched its first satellite — seven years later, we are looking at the possibility of megaconstellations that will blot out the stars? SpaceX does all the launching — all the other megaconstellation companies [such as One Web and Amazon’s LEO] are using SpaceX to get to orbit. It has the infrastructure to do all the launches; they have a lot of U.S. government funding to do those launches, so they’re doing them very, very quickly. It’s very impressive engineering. It just ignores so many of the larger effects. Vytautas Kielaitis // Shutterstock We’re in different provinces, but you and I — and most Canadians — live close to the 50th parallel. You’ve mentioned people on our latitude are particularly affected by satellites. For Canadians who aren’t experts looking for data in the sky, what will they be seeing? I know in my sky, there’s a line where I can always see a Starlink satellite in motion. Just always. So, people might notice that. We are also the highest risk for satellites that aren’t burning up completely, because they’re right over our heads. These are all uncontrolled reentries, so they just reenter somewhere along their orbit, and we’re under the densest part. I think that was demonstrated by the piece that was found in Saskatchewan. That was in 2024, when a farmer found a piece of SpaceX debris on his farm? Actually, there are two separate things: one was a big debris fall in Ituna, Saskatchewan, which was part of the SpaceX Dragon truck. It’s part of the capsule that brings astronauts up to the space station. When it doesn’t burn up completely, it falls — so that was a bunch of very large pieces discovered across many farms. I know of six pieces from that, but there are probably more that people haven’t reported because there is no way to report them. There’s no official reporting system. The second incident was a smaller piece from a Starlink satellite, about the size of a laptop, discovered near Hodgeville, Saskatchewan. With the Ituna debris, it was reported to the Canadian government, and there was some kind of interaction between the Canadian and U.S. governments. In Ituna, SpaceX contacted the farmers directly and came to pick up the pieces. With Hodgeville, the farmer got in touch with SpaceX, and they had him FedEx [the debris] back. So no one in the Canadian government knew about it, which is bad. The Ituna debris fall was spectacular because the pieces were so large and there were so many. But the Starlink debris is much scarier to me, because there are 10,000 of these over our heads, and if they’re not burning up completely, then that’s a lot of pieces that are hitting the ground. Here in Saskatchewan, I look out my window, and it’s just bare fields. It’s the easiest place to find the pieces. But how many pieces are we not finding? These pieces look like something that fell off a car; if you found one in the city, you wouldn’t think it was space junk. Every time there’s a reentry, they just roll the dice, like, “It’ll probably burn up.” But we don’t actually know. There’s no data released on that, and the only way we find out if they aren’t burning up completely is if we find pieces on the ground. You’ve said there’s no reporting system in Canada — do you think that will change? I’ve been in touch with the Canadian Space Agency, and they say they are working on a plan. But I don’t know. Aaron Boley at the Outer Space Institute has set up an email address — spacejunk@outerspaceinstitute.ca — but it’s not official. We’re astronomers, we’re not supposed to be collecting this, but no one else is. After I heard a Starlink piece had fallen in Saskatchewan, I got in touch with the farmer by going on the Evan Bray radio show — like, the lunchtime farmer call-in show, where I go to talk about astronomy all the time — and asking who found it. Saskatchewan is a giant small town, so I actually got in touch with the guy by doing that. And he mentioned that his neighbor has some space junk too, and sent me a photo of this big piece of, like, corrugated metal. I was like, “Come on, that’s not space junk — it’s a piece of tractor or something.” But then he sent me a letter that this guy got from the Canadian government back in 1980, saying, “Thank you for sending us this piece of a Soviet rocket.” So, Saskatchewan has been the debris detector for decades. So maybe 1980 was the time for the Canadian government to start thinking about a space debris plan! But what kind of power does it have? Everything that goes into orbit is covered by the Outer Space Treaty and the Liability Convention, which are these Apollo-era treaties, written at a time when only the U.S. and the Soviet Union were launching stuff into orbit. They’re really not written for private companies. It’s just not set up for our current situation, where most of the satellites are owned by private corporations — by one private corporation, mostly. Senator Paula Simons has launched a Senate inquiry into space junk falling on Canada, which is awesome. So there is starting to be some interest. But nothing has really happened substantively. What feels possible in terms of Canada’s leverage here? It’s hard to imagine the U.S. being receptive to Canada saying, “Hey, slow down the satellite launches until we have a legislative and accountability framework in place.” It’s hard because Canada could say, “SpaceX, you are causing our taxpayer-funded astronomy research to suffer, so you need to pay a fine.” But then SpaceX could turn around and say, “Okay, the Canadian market isn’t that big, we just won’t broadcast to you.” A lot of Canadians are benefitting from Starlink right now — which I don’t think is a good idea, but rural internet is terrible. And then Canada would get all of the downsides and none of the upsides. Is it fair to say SpaceX has a kind of monopoly on space now? SpaceX controls orbit, totally. They have two-thirds of all satellites in low orbit, and if you want to go into space, you effectively have to ask them for permission. During the Artemis launch, they had all these blackout periods where there were Starlink satellites they had to avoid. By their own admission, Starlink does a collision avoidance maneuver every two minutes. I wrote a paper with a bunch of other people that’s being reviewed, but in June, when we wrote it, it predicted that it would take 5.5 days for a catastrophic collision [between satellites] to happen if there were no avoidance maneuvers. It’s since dropped to three days. So if SpaceX gets hacked, or there’s a bad software update, or a giant solar storm, the time we have to avoid a giant collision in orbit is getting shorter and shorter. That’s a bad situation. Why does SpaceX even need 42,000 satellites to provide internet, if OneWeb is doing it with 800? They’ve never been asked to justify the number. Hmm, all this sounds really bad. Is there anything Canadians can or should be doing? We need alternatives on the ground to these internet provider megaconstellations. We need better rural internet. So something Canadians can do very easily is write to all levels of government about getting better internet to rural and remote communities, especially First Nations. I mean, no wonder everyone is using Starlink — I live 10 kilometers from the nearest town, and I can connect to power lines and phone lines and natural gas lines, but I can’t connect to broadband internet. That’s something we can all advocate for — because if people have good internet options based in Canada, then they don’t need to rely on an American billionaire-owned company. This story was produced by The Narwhal and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  '8647' got James Comey indicted. What exactly does it mean?A grand jury charged Comey with threatening Trump's life through his since-deleted 2025 post of seashells forming "8647." Trump is the 47th president, and the term "86" has a few possible meanings. |
| | Medical spa’s physician assistant is sanctioned by licensing board(Photo by Wichayada Suwanachun/Getty Images)A physician assistant from Davenport has had her license placed on probation after being charged with negligence. Recently, the Iowa Board of Physician Assistants charged Jessica Raasch of Davenport with performing medical work without the required supervision, and with negligence in the practice of the profession. The board has alleged that sometime between 2021 and 2023, Raasch worked at an unspecified medical spa that was owned by a nurse practitioner. During that period, the board alleges, Raasch did not have a supervising physician. Patient records that Raasch had maintained while working at the spa were destroyed in 2024 when the spa ceased to exist, according to the board. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX To settle the charges, Raasch agreed to have her license placed on probation for one year and to complete 22 hours of educational training on ethics and professionalism. While her license is on probation, Raasch’s practice will be subject to monitoring by the board, unless she is employed by a hospital or clinic where physician supervision is part of the management structure. Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch |
| | The age premium curve: When car insurance is the most expensive and cheapest in your lifetimeThe age premium curve: When car insurance is the most expensive and cheapest in your lifetimeCar insurance costs follow a predictable curve for most drivers. Prices start high for teenagers, then drop after 25, reach their lowest at age 60, and then rise again. Few drivers know where they fall on the curve or understand how much these differences add up to in real dollars.Those differences are larger than many expect. In 2026, a 16-year-old pays an average of $10,387 per year for full coverage, while a 50-year-old pays $2,421 for the same policy — a gap of $7,966, largely driven by age. By age 60, annual premiums drop to $2,312, the lowest of any age group. After that, costs begin to climb again, reaching $2,498 at age 70 and $2,742 at 75.Below, CarInsurance.com breaks down car insurance rates by age, why the rates vary and what you can do at each stage of life to lower your insurance costs.Key data insights: How age shapes your car insurance ratesTeen drivers face the highest car insurance premiums of any age group. For instance, a 16-year-old pays an average of $10,387 annually for full coverage, nearly four times what adult drivers pay.Your rate drops significantly after age 25, when insurers recognize your driving experience, and you typically pay the lowest rates between age 30 and 60.Gender also affects your rate primarily in your 20s. Young men pay more, but the gap decreases by age 40 as drivers gain more experience.Rates increase again after 70, but taking a defensive driving course or opting for a pay-per-mile policy can offset age-related premium increases.Average car insurance rates by ageCar insurance rates drop quickly from the teenage years into early adulthood, but then start to rise again around age 70. Sixteen-year-old drivers pay the most, with full coverage costing about $10,387 a year.That’s four times what a 30-year-old pays and more than four times what a 50-year-old pays.Rates begin to stabilize in the mid-20s as drivers gain experience and insurers see them as lower risk. By age 25, full coverage averages $3,044, dropping to $2,312 by age 60.But for older drivers, rates begin to rise again, reaching about $2,742 at age 75. This increase reflects the higher accident risk among seniors.A state-minimum policy follows the same pattern but remains significantly cheaper across all ages. The gap between liability-only and full coverage narrows with age, indicating that older drivers pay proportionally less for comprehensive coverage than younger, higher-risk drivers.In the table below, you’ll see the average car insurance rates by age for the different coverage sets: CarInsurance.com How age and gender affect car insurance ratesGender can influence your rate, though its impact decreases with age. Statistically, women tend to be involved in fewer accidents, especially serious ones, and have fewer DUI convictions, according to the Insurance Information Institute.As drivers age, the gap between male and female rates typically closes. By 40, gender is a much smaller factor. By 65, it's nearly negligible for most insurers.Some states have completely removed gender from the equation. In California, Hawai‘i, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, insurers cannot use gender as a factor when setting rates.Teens and seniors pay more for car insuranceTeen drivers have crash rates almost four times those of drivers 20 and older per mile driven, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.Drivers in their mid-30s to mid-50s generally pay the least, as insurers see them as experienced and lower risk. Rates then rise again for seniors as insurers associate advanced age with slower reaction times and a higher probability of accidents.“Teens and seniors pay more for car insurance because insurance companies see them as driving wildcards — teens are busy learning the ropes, while seniors might be struggling to remember where they left them,” says Dr. James Brau, Joel C. Peterson professor of finance at Brigham Young University. “It’s all about the risk — teens and seniors are more risky drivers on average, so companies charge higher premiums to cover the risk.”Interestingly, this trend can reverse as drivers become seniors, “an age range when factors like slower reaction times may increase perceived risk,” says Dennis Shirshikov, adjunct professor of economics at the City University of New York.“Insurance companies analyze accident statistics and claims data, which show that younger and older drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents,” says Ofir Sahar, owner and CEO of Barter Insurance. “Teen drivers face the highest premiums due to their lack of driving experience and a higher likelihood of risky behaviors, such as speeding or distracted driving. As drivers gain experience, particularly after age 25, their premiums generally decrease because they are statistically less likely to cause accidents.”State regulations for age and car insuranceAge is a rating factor in most states, but Massachusetts, California, and Hawai‘i prohibit insurers from using age to calculate premiums. Hawai‘i also bars the use of driving experience as a rating factor.The impact of gender on car insurance ratesYour gender can also affect the cost of your coverage.“Gender can affect car insurance rates because statistical data show differences in driving patterns between males and females. Young male drivers often face higher premiums due to a higher incidence of accidents and risk-taking behaviors compared to their female counterparts,” Shirshikov says. “However, it’s important to note that some states have regulations that prohibit insurers from using gender as a factor in determining rates.”As you advance in age and gain more driving experience, rating factors between males and females become less significant, particularly after the age of 40, according to Jonathan Shaw, a Farmers Insurance agency owner in Lubbock, Texas.“Older females will still likely see a slightly better rate than older males because, throughout their lives, they will statistically be safer drivers than males,” Shaw says.How different age groups can save on car insuranceNow, let’s break down smart ways to save on car insurance at every age.Teen drivers (16 to 19 years old)Young drivers can save money by maintaining good grades; many carriers offer discounts to students with a high GPA. Completing a driver's education or defensive driving course can also reduce premiums.“Joining a parent’s policy is often cheaper than getting individual coverage, too,” personal finance expert David Kindness says.A 2025 poll conducted by CarInsurance.com found that 57.3% of parents worry about adding their teen to their policy specifically because of the cost increase.That concern is well-founded; the average annual premium cost is high, but cost isn't the only thing on parents' minds.The same poll found that 42.3% of parents cited teaching good driving habits as their primary concern when adding a teen driver, while 0.3% cited finding the right coverage as their main concern. CarInsurance.om Participating in telematics programs that monitor your driving habits could lead to discounts for safe driving.“I know everyone loves to drive the cool older sports car for a first vehicle, but that’s a great way to shoot up your rate quickly. The best thing at this age is to start with an older car — think Toyota Camry or Buick Century,” Shaw says.Young adult drivers (ages 20 to 24)Rates drop from your teens onward, but you'll still pay more than most drivers until you reach 25. College students may still qualify for a good student discount in this range. Maintaining a clean driving record and exploring usage-based insurance that rewards safe driving remain the most reliable levers.“College students may still be able to take advantage of the good student discount that many carriers will continue to offer in this age range,” Shaw says.As is true of any age group, Kindness advises maintaining a clean driving record and exploring usage-based (telematics) insurance that rewards safe driving.“Shopping around for rate quotes regularly can also help,” he adds.Pay-per-mile insurance can also save money if you don't drive frequently. And once you're in your first or second career role, ask your insurer whether they offer an occupational discount.Car insurance cost for average adult drivers (25-60 years old)You can expect average rates to decrease once you hit the sweet spot demographic of 25 to 60.“Mid-age drivers use bundling policies, such as combining auto and home insurance with the same provider for discounts. Also, regularly review your coverage to adjust deductibles or remove unnecessary extras. And life changes — including marriage or moving — can affect rates, so updating your insurer accordingly can be beneficial,” Shirshikov says.This is also the age group where occupational discounts are most likely to be available, so be sure to inquire with your carrier.Car insurance cost for senior drivers (drivers 65 and older)As you head toward retirement, there’s mixed news. On the positive side, you’ll have garnered much more experience behind the wheel and will likely be a relatively safe driver averse to taking risks. Unfortunately, rates can increase for many older drivers, even if they maintain a clean driving record.“Fortunately, in many instances, you can still qualify for an occupational discount if you are a retiree from a field that is eligible,” Shaw says. “Additionally, this age range will start to see policyholders who drive fewer miles per year, so it could be a great time to look at pay-per-mile types of policies.”Seniors may also benefit from mature driver discounts by completing refresher courses for older adults.“And memberships in organizations like AARP also often come with insurance benefits,” Shirshikov says.See the average car insurance cost by age group for standard coverage sets in the table below. CarInsurance.com What other factors influence your car insurance rateAge is one of the most significant rating factors, but it's not the only one. Every factor below, along with the type of coverage you choose, your deductibles and the discounts you qualify for, shapes your final premium.Your address and ZIP codeVehicle make and modelMarital statusDriving recordCredit score (in most states)Annual mileageMaximize your savings: Tips to lower your car insurance rates at any ageShopping around before your policy renews — whether that's every six months or every year is the most reliable way to save. Getting quotes from at least three insurers and comparing them for the same coverage levels gives you a clear picture of where you stand.Beyond shopping: Drop coverage you genuinely don't need, raise your deductible if you have savings to cover a claim, and look into discounts you may not know you qualify for.“Insurers use your age as a factor in determining your base rate, but your everyday decisions shape the premium you actually pay over time. Drivers with clean records who shop around each year usually save the most,” says Laura Longero, editor-in-chief for CarInsurance.com.Car insurance discounts by ageRegardless of age, you can trim costs by qualifying for car insurance discounts matching your driver profile. Here are a few different types of discounts for teens and senior drivers.Discounts for 18-year-oldsBelow are some of the discounts you can take advantage of to get lower insurance rates.Good student: Full-time students with a B average or better qualify for up to 12% off.Telematics: Enrolling in a usage-based insurance program can save up to 7% by tracking and rewarding safe driving behavior.Advance purchase discount: Buying your policy several days before your current one expires, rather than at the last minute, can save up to 6%.Lower annual mileage: Driving fewer miles annually signals lower risk to insurers. If you work remotely or only drive occasionally, you may qualify for a 5% low-mileage discount.Payment type: Paying your premium in full upfront rather than monthly installments can save up to 8%.Discounts for 65-year-oldsBelow are the car insurance discounts for 65-year-old drivers:Years licensed: Drivers with decades of driving experience qualify for up to a 26% discount.Years insured: A long insurance history signals low risk to carriers. A 65-year-old with decades of continuous coverage qualifies for up to 21% discount.Loyalty/years of renewal with the company: Staying with the same insurer for a long time may help you earn a 9% discount.Multi-policy: Bundling auto with home or another policy on the same carrier saves up to 8% on your premiums.Payment type: Paying the full premium upfront rather than in monthly installments saves up to 7%.What your age tells insurers and what it doesn'tInsurers don't set rates based solely on your age. They price risk, and the statistical risk profile of a 17-year-old is different from that of a 45-year-old or a 72-year-old.Age is never the whole story.A 19-year-old with a clean record and a modest car pays far less than a 19-year-old with two speeding tickets and a sports car. A 68-year-old who drives 4,000 miles a year and takes a defensive driving course pays less than the one who doesn't.The curve sets your starting point — your choices move you along it."Age drives your premium more than anything else, and it's the one thing you can't change. What you can control matters more than most people think. CarInsurance.com data shows the cheapest drivers in any age group are the ones who combine a clean record with lower mileage and the right discounts. Stack just two or three of those, and the savings add up fast," says Brent Buell, lead data analyst at CarInsurance.com.Understand which factors are working for you and which aren't. Compare rates before your policy is up for renewal.Frequently Asked Questions: Rates by ageAt what age does car insurance typically decrease?Premiums typically begin to drop after drivers reach 25. That's when insurers view drivers as having gained sufficient experience, reducing perceived risk. However, this assumes a clean driving record; serious violations can negate the benefit regardless of age.Should I keep my adult child on my policy, or should they get their own?Keeping an adult child on your policy is often more cost-effective, particularly if they live at home and drive family vehicles. If they've moved out or purchased their own car, a separate policy may make more sense. Note that if the vehicle is titled in their name only and they no longer live in your household, most carriers require them to have their own policy.Why do males pay more for car insurance?Males, particularly young men, pay more because statistical data show they are more likely to be involved in accidents or engage in higher-risk driving behaviors. Insurers use this data to set premiums. Some states prohibit the use of gender as a rating factor entirely.Which age group pays the most and least for car insurance?Drivers younger than 26 and older than 65 typically pay the highest premiums. Drivers between 40 and 60 generally pay the least; they're considered experienced and statistically safer drivers.MethodologyCarInsurance.com conducted a comprehensive analysis using billions of data points to provide accurate information on how age affects auto insurance premiums.To ensure consistency, the researchers based their calculations on drivers aged 16 to 75 carrying a full coverage policy, with limits of 100/300/100 and $500 collision/comprehensive deductibles. The driver has a 12-mile commute, an annual mileage of 10,000 miles and maintains a clean driving record with no accidents or violations.This story was produced by CarInsurance.com, reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Smart card technology: 6 types and their practical applicationsSmart card technology: 6 types and their practical applicationsSmart cards power card transactions and show up everywhere. The credit card in your wallet, the badge that unlocks your office, the SIM card in your phone, and the corporate card your finance team issues to employees all belong to the same broad family of chip-based card technology. Most people interact with smart cards dozens of times a week without thinking about what's actually happening when they tap or insert a card. That's worth understanding, especially if you're responsible for how your company spends money.The chip in a payment card is more than a security upgrade over a magnetic stripe. It's an active computing device that authenticates itself, generates unique transaction data, and enforces controls that older card technology couldn't support. The software platforms built on top of that chip are what turn it into a spend management tool.Brex covers the main types of smart cards, how they work, real-world examples across industries, and why the technology decisions your finance team makes about card programs are grounded in chip architecture, whether you realize it or not.What is a smart card?A smart card is a card with an embedded chip that can store data, and in more advanced types, run small programs and perform cryptographic operations. That chip is what sets it apart from older magnetic stripe cards, which hold static data that doesn't change between transactions. Microprocessor smart cards can process data on their own, making them active participants in every transaction rather than passive data carriers. Simpler memory cards store fixed data without on-card processing.When you insert or tap the card, the chip connects to a reader, and a brief back-and-forth begins. In Europay, Mastercard, and Visa (EMV) payment use cases, the chip authenticates itself using on-card cryptography, generating a unique code for each transaction that's mathematically bound to the specific transaction details and can't be reused. The reader or payment network verifies the code, confirms the card is genuine, and returns a response. For finance leaders evaluating card programs, the core idea is that the chip proves it's real without ever exposing the secret that makes it real.How do smart cards work?A smart card needs an external power source, usually the reader, to operate. The reader and chip exchange data through a defined protocol, and microprocessor chips perform cryptographic operations to verify that the card is genuine. That exchange happens in milliseconds, but it's doing considerably more work than reading a number off a stripe.Contact vs. contactless communicationContact smart cards connect through a gold contact pad on the card surface. When you insert the card, the pad touches the reader's pins, and the two devices establish a connection over a physical interface. You see this with chip-and-PIN banking terminals and SIM cards.Contactless smart cards use a wireless antenna inside the card. The reader powers the antenna through an electromagnetic field, and the card transmits data without any physical connection. Tap-to-pay terminals, transit gates, and building access readers all work this way. The wireless range is intentionally limited to a few centimeters, which reduces the exposure window for signal interception, though relay attacks remain a documented risk.Online vs. offline transaction modesThe following applies specifically to EMV payment cards. Smart cards can operate in two modes. Online mode means the chip communicates with the card issuer's servers in real time to authorize a transaction. Offline mode means the chip and terminal complete authentication locally using pre-loaded cryptographic certificates, without a live network connection. Most U.S. card-present transactions run in online mode, and many cards were issued without offline data authentication enabled. Offline capability matters in environments where connectivity isn't guaranteed, like transit gates during peak hours or remote point-of-sale terminals.6 types of smart cards by chip and interface explainedSmart cards vary by the chip inside them and how they connect to a reader. Memory and microprocessor describe what the chip can do. Contact, contactless, dual-interface, and hybrid describe how the card communicates with a terminal. Most payment cards combine both, using a dual-interface microprocessor chip.1. Memory smart cardsA memory smart card stores data but can't process it. There's no operating system or general-purpose processor on the chip, just a fixed data set protected by a simple password or logic gate. Any compatible reader that supplies the correct access code can read the contents.This simpler design works well in high-volume, single-purpose applications where the issuer controls every reader. Closed-loop transit cards, prepaid business credit cards, basic loyalty cards, and parking access cards are common examples. They're inexpensive to produce at scale, which is why they dominated the market for years.Security is where memory cards fall short. They can't generate cryptographic signatures or verify transaction integrity dynamically. They're not suitable for open payment networks or identity verification.2. Microprocessor smart cardsA microprocessor smart card contains a full central processing unit (CPU) with its own operating system (OS). It also includes read-only memory (ROM) for the OS and applications, random access memory (RAM) for runtime operations, and nonvolatile storage for keys, certificates, and application data (EMVCo). The microprocessor can run programs, perform cryptographic operations, and host multiple independent applications simultaneously.This is the chip behind EMV payment cards, government IDs, and corporate cards. The chip can generate and protect private keys on-card rather than exposing them through an external interface. At chip-enabled U.S. merchants, counterfeit fraud dollars declined 87% between September 2015 and March 2019, according to Visa. That decline reflects the move from static magnetic stripe data to dynamic chip-generated cryptograms.As of 2024, EMVCo reports that 71.98% of issued cards globally and 96.20% of card-present transactions globally were EMV, reflecting the sustained shift from static magnetic stripe data to dynamic chip-generated cryptograms.3. Contact smart cardsContact smart cards require physical insertion into a reader. A gold contact pad on the card surface touches the reader's pins, and the two devices communicate through a contact-based standard. On power-up, the card identifies its capabilities and supported protocols to the reader.Contact interfaces are common in chip-and-PIN banking terminals, SIM cards, and some government identity cards used for building access and network authentication. The interface is reliable, but requires physical insertion, which makes it less practical for high-throughput environments like transit gates.4. Contactless smart cardsContactless smart cards use near-field communication (NFC) or radio-frequency identification (RFID) to communicate wirelessly with a reader. The card contains an antenna that harvests power from the reader's electromagnetic field and carries data wirelessly. No battery is required. The wireless range is intentionally limited to a few centimeters, which reduces exposure to interception compared to longer-range wireless standards.Fast transaction times are one reason contactless adoption is accelerating. Visa reported that its Tap to Phone contactless acceptance technology, which measures smartphone-based merchant acceptance, grew 200% year over year globally as of March 2025. Tap-to-pay retail terminals, open-loop transit systems, building access badges, and hotel key cards all rely on contactless smart card technology. Apple Pay and Google Pay implement the same contactless communication model through the phone's NFC chip.5. Dual-interface smart cardsA dual-interface smart card contains a single microprocessor chip connected to both contact pads and a contactless antenna. The same cryptographic keys and application data are accessible through either interface, so one chip serves two communication paths. This is the dominant architecture for modern payment cards. You can insert the card into a chip reader or tap it on a contactless terminal, and the same chip handles both.6. Hybrid smart cardsA hybrid smart card contains two separate chips on one card, each serving a different function independently. A company might issue a hybrid card with one chip for payments and a separate chip for building access, keeping the applications strictly isolated. Hybrid cards are less common than dual-interface cards in modern deployments, partly because dual-interface architecture accomplishes similar goals with a single chip.NFC vs. RFID in smart cardsBoth NFC and RFID enable wireless communication between a card and a reader, but they're built for different situations. RFID is the broader technology, operating at ranges from a few centimeters to several meters, and it's used widely in inventory tracking, supply chain management, and access control systems. NFC is a subset of RFID designed specifically for short-range, two-way communication, typically within a few centimeters.That range difference is intentional. NFC's short range makes it well-suited for secure transactions where you want to confirm the cardholder is physically present at the reader. It's the standard behind tap-to-pay terminals, transit fare gates, and corporate badge readers. RFID's longer range makes it useful when you need to read tags at a distance, like scanning a pallet of goods moving through a warehouse.For business payments and access control, NFC is the relevant standard. The contactless payment cards in your employeess' wallets use NFC, as does the badge system in most modern office buildings. When you're evaluating a card program, knowing whether your vendors and facilities use NFC-compatible hardware is a practical prerequisite.Smart card use cases by industrySmart cards serve dozens of industries outside payments. The underlying chip architecture is the same, but the applications, standards, and security requirements vary by sector. Below are the most common implementations.Banking and paymentsEMV chip credit and debit cards replaced magnetic stripe as the global payment standard. The chip generates a unique authorization cryptogram for each transaction, making captured data far less useful for fraud. Prepaid cards and digital wallets use the same chip architecture or cryptographic model, and open-loop transit systems can accept EMV contactless cards directly, cutting out proprietary transit card programs entirely.Corporate financeCorporate card programs are built on smart card chip architecture at the hardware layer, but the spend management capabilities that matter to finance teams come from the issuer, network, and software layers on top. Whether the transaction is approved based on policy, what data gets captured, and where that data flows is determined by the card program and platform a company chooses.Virtual cards are a software-layer feature, not a smart card type. A virtual card number is constrained by merchant, amount, and expiration date, so if a vendor suffers a data breach, only that single number is exposed and the underlying account remains untouched. The full mechanics are covered in the vendor spend section below.Physical securityEmployee badges, e-passports, and military identification cards all run on microprocessor smart card architecture. U.S. federal agencies issue PIV cards for building access and network authentication under NIST FIPS 201-3. E-passports embed a contactless chip that stores identity data and uses cryptographic protections to reduce cloning risk under ICAO Doc 9303. It's worth noting that physical-access badges in commercial buildings span a range of credential types, from older low-frequency proximity cards to modern smart card formats, so not every office badge runs on the same architecture as an EMV payment card.TelecomSIM cards use the same smart card model. The UICC in mobile phones stores subscriber authentication keys that never leave the chip, and eSIM technology embeds the same microprocessor directly into device hardware. That allows remote profile provisioning without physical SIM replacement (GSMA eSIM). IoT secure elements authenticate devices on cloud platforms, and a smart business card with an embedded NFC chip uses the same contactless standard to share contact information with a tap.GovernmentNational ID programs rely on smart cards to store and protect identity data. Some government IDs support authentication to government portals and private-sector services like banking KYC, while others enable legally binding electronic signatures within national digital identity frameworks. The common thread is that the chip handles verification without exposing the credentials being verified.HealthcareSmart cards in healthcare store patient insurance data and connect providers to the national health infrastructure. These programs require long card lifespans and high security standards, which is why microprocessor cards are the default. The chip-based authentication model also helps reduce fraud by tying benefits to a card that can verify identity at the point of care.Smart card technology in businessSmart card technology underpins how corporate credit cards work, from physical corporate cards to virtual card numbers. The chip handles authentication, but the software built around it determines how useful the card actually is for a growing business.Corporate card controls for policy enforcementCorporate credit card management platforms, not the chip itself, let finance teams configure per-card limits, restrict specific merchant categories, and set velocity controls that cap transaction counts or weekly totals. The chip authenticates the transaction at the hardware level, and the platform decides whether it should go through at all. Instead of reviewing statements after the money is spent, finance teams can enforce the corporate credit card policy before a purchase clears.Corporate card transactions can also capture detailed line-item data, including tax amounts, PO numbers, and commodity codes. That data capture and the flow into ERP tools for matching against purchase orders and receipts in accounts payable, reducing corporate credit card reconciliation work at month-end close. Vendor-level spend isolationVirtual cards extend spend controls into digital transactions through software. A virtual business credit card is a unique number generated for a specific vendor or purchase, constrained by merchant, amount, and expiration date. A SaaS vendor receives a card number locked to their merchant ID and a monthly subscription amount. If that vendor's systems are breached, the exposed number is useless anywhere else.For software procurement, advertising spend, and contractor payments, virtual cards also create automatic documentation by capturing vendor identity, amount, date, and purpose at issuance.Smart card security: What holds up and what doesn'tSmart cards are widely regarded as one of the more secure form factors for authentication and payment because the chip performs cryptographic operations inside tamper-resistant hardware. Those operations happen entirely inside the chip, so even a compromised terminal or reader can't extract the credentials being used.Challenge-response authenticationThe core mechanism is challenge-response authentication. The terminal sends the card a random number along with transaction details, and the chip computes a cryptographic code using its unique key. The issuer independently computes what that code should be and checks for a match. A captured code is useless for any future transaction because every transaction uses a different random number.The issuer then returns its own cryptographic response, and the card verifies that it came from the legitimate issuer. This bidirectional authentication is fundamentally different from magnetic stripe, where static data can be captured once and replayed indefinitely. With smart cards, every transaction generates new data that's mathematically worthless outside that specific exchange.Tokenization and PIN verificationTokenization replaces the card's real account number with a token restricted to a specific merchant, device, or channel. Under PCI SSC guidance, tokenization may reduce PCI DSS scope depending on implementation, but it does not eliminate PCI DSS obligations. PIN verification adds a second factor enforced by the chip itself, locking after consecutive incorrect entries. EMV supports both online PIN, which the issuer verifies, and offline PIN, which the card verifies locally. Together, these controls create layered protection that makes routine commercial fraud impractical.Implementation risksSmart card security is strong but not unconditional. Weak terminal implementations create avoidable risk, and extracting keys from a certified chip requires specialized lab equipment, so direct chip attacks aren't a realistic threat for most businesses. The practical risks are implementation flaws like poorly configured terminals, expired certificates, or reader compatibility gaps, rather than problems with the chip design itself.Advantages of smart cardsThe core advantage of smart cards is on-device cryptography. Because the chip performs authentication inside tamper-resistant hardware, it can prove its own legitimacy without exposing the secret that makes it legitimate. That's a meaningfully different security model from static credentials stored on a card surface or transmitted across a network.Smart cards also support multiple applications on a single chip. A single corporate card can handle payments, expense tracking, and expense policy enforcement simultaneously. They're portable, durable, and operate in both online and offline environments, which matters in industries where network connectivity isn't always guaranteed. In regulated sectors, smart cards support the authentication and audit requirements that compliance programs demand.Drawbacks of smart cardsThe limitations are mostly about infrastructure. Not all readers are compatible with all card types, and some terminals still use proprietary protocols that don't play well with standard smart card interfaces. Security vulnerabilities do exist at the implementation level; timing attacks and differential power analysis can theoretically expose cryptographic keys in poorly hardened implementations. Physical theft and expense fraud remain risks, though business expense cards address both with instant card freezing, real-time alerts, and remote revocation. Smart cards are also more expensive to produce and issue than magnetic stripe cards, which is a meaningful consideration for high-volume programs.Choosing the right smart card technology for your businessHow to choose a business credit card depends more on the systems you build around it than on the chip itself. For retail environments, contactless and dual-interface cards reduce checkout friction and keep transaction times fast. For transit agencies, open-loop EMV acceptance can replace proprietary card programs without rebuilding infrastructure from scratch.For finance teams, the chip is the foundation, but it's not the product. The value comes from spend controls, real-time visibility, and automation layered on top of that security foundation. A card that authenticates a transaction is useful. A card that enforces policy before the transaction goes through, captures line-item data automatically, and feeds it into your accounting system is a finance tool.This story was produced by Brex and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | What are the best roofing materials for different climates?What are the best roofing materials for different climates?Roofing is not a one-size-fits-all building component. Homes in different locations and climates have varying needs when it comes to roofing construction, weatherproofing, and materials. While a roof in Arizona might need to withstand UV degradation and thermal shock, a roof in Minnesota needs to be resistant to ice dams and heavy snow loads.This guide from AmeriPro Roofing covers everything you need to know about choosing the best roofing materials for different climates. From preventing storm damage to mitigating UV radiation, discover how you can protect your home with the right roofing materials.The Importance of Choosing the Right Roof for Your ClimateWeather-related damage accounts for the majority of home insurance claims in the U.S., so homeowners must strongly consider their home’s climate when choosing roofing materials and designs. It can be tempting to opt for cheaper solutions, but what they may offer in initial savings, they often counter with long-term costs due to failure and inadequate quality. From premature replacements to weather-related damage and energy inefficiency, improper roofing can cost homeowners thousands of dollars over the years, marking the hidden cost of choosing the wrong material.It’s important to note that even within broader climates, roofing may need to be adapted to suit different microclimates. For example, while a high-altitude property at the top of a hill may require wind-resistant roofing, a home located in a valley in the same region will likely need to withstand more intense temperature fluctuations.The Best Roofing Materials for Hot and Dry ClimatesPrimarily concentrated in the southwest region of the U.S., hot and dry climates challenge the integrity and lifespan of roofs with UV radiation, high temperatures and temperature fluctuations. Without the right materials and design, the conditions in these climates can be detrimental to your home’s roofing. AmeriPro Roofing How Heat Affects RoofsThe most common roofing problems caused by heat and extensive sun exposure include:Thermal expansion: Temperature fluctuations can cause many roofing materials to expand and contract. Over time, this cycle can cause materials to warp, blister, crack and become less effective.UV damage: Extensive exposure to the sun and its ultraviolet rays can cause many types of roofing materials to crack, fade, and deteriorate.Energy inefficiency: Roofing materials that are exposed to UV radiation or thermal damage can become less energy-efficient. At the same time, materials that absorb too much heat can transfer heat to the interior of your home. This can decrease your property’s energy efficiency and increase air conditioning and cooling costs.The right roof materials can help combat UV radiation and heat transfer. Cool roofs help increase solar reflectance (SR) and thermal emittance (TE), enabling roofing to reflect UV rays and release absorbed heat back into the atmosphere more effectively. By deflecting more UV rays and minimizing heat absorption, cool roofs can reduce roof surface temperatures by 50° Fahrenheit or more, and lower cooling energy needs by up to 15%.Top Material Choices for Heat and UV ResistanceWhen designing a roof that is best for hot, dry climates, you need to select materials for the roof’s outermost layer that reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than conventional roofing materials. Generally, white-colored roofing materials are most effective at staying cool in hot conditions, as they can reflect between 60% and 90% of sunlight.The best roofing materials for heat and UV resistance include:Metal shingles and tiles: Light-colored metal effectively reflects sunlight and cools quickly at nighttime. Although unpainted metal tends to have poor thermal emittance, metal shingles painted with reflective granules or light-colored paint are more effective at releasing heat back into the atmosphere.Asphalt shingles: Commonly made from fiberglass and filled with asphalt, overlapping asphalt shingles are particularly effective at deflecting UV rays and heat when coated with cool- or light-colored granules.Concrete and clay tiles: Although concrete is typically dark or gray, concrete tiles can be coated with a light-colored polymer to enhance UV and heat resistance. Similarly, clay tiles can be coated in a light glaze. Thanks to their thermal mass, concrete tiles can absorb heat during the day and release it slowly at night, preventing it from spiking the home’s internal temperatures.The Best Roofing Materials for Cold and Snowy RegionsFor homes in the colder regions of the U.S., such as in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, roofing has to endure snow, ice and low temperatures and minimize water infiltration. When choosing roofing materials for homes in snowy and cold regions, you must consider their weight-bearing capacity, shedding capability and insulation quality.How Snow and Cold Temperatures Affect RoofsFrom the snow and cold temperatures themselves to their byproducts, such as melted snow, roofs in these regions are met with countless challenges. The primary issues caused by cold temperatures and snow are:Ice dams: In extremely cold conditions, ridges of ice can form at the edge of roofs and prevent water and snow from draining off the roof. These ridges are called ice dams, and they can lead to problems including water damage, mold growth, damaged insulation and gutters, and decreased energy efficiency.Heavy snow loads: In many climates, snowfall can be so heavy that, when not properly shed, it can cause structural damage and severe leaks.Freeze-thaw cycles: In snowy climates, fluctuating temperatures can cause snow loads to repeatedly melt and refreeze, which can cause water to enter cracks and expand. In turn, this can lead to material breakage, such as cracked shingles and broken seals.Top Roofing Materials to Manage Snow Shedding and Ice DamsYou can mitigate the issues caused by cold temperatures and snowy climates by choosing roofing materials that enhance snow shedding, withstand heavy snow loads, and prevent water infiltration.Material choices that are best for cold, snowy climates include:Metal panels: Thanks to their slippery surface, metal panels enhance snow shedding and help it slide off your roof before it melts and refreezes. Interlocking panels are particularly beneficial as they help prevent water from leaking into or through the roofing. Metal roofing is also superior because it can withstand extreme temperatures and rapid temperature changes.Slate tiles: Slate is a highly durable natural material that can withstand harsh conditions and, when properly installed, bear heavy loads of snow and hail and prevent water intrusion. However, due to the material’s weight, slate roofing requires durable roofing structures that can withstand its load.Concrete tiles: Renowned for their durability, insulating capacity, and high resistance to freeze-thaw cycles, concrete tiles are an excellent choice for homes with robust roof structures.Asphalt shingles: Traditional asphalt shingles can withstand extreme cold. When properly installed, they can last through freeze-thaw cycles and heavy snow loads, with heavier shingles often more suitable for extreme snow and winds.Self-sealing membranes: Below panels, tiles, and shingles, roofs in snowy and cold climates can benefit from waterproof membranes, which help prevent water infiltration when damage occurs to the roofing’s outermost layer.Best Roofing for Storm-Prone and High-Wind AreasFor the stormiest climates in the U.S., which are primarily concentrated in the Great Plains, the Gulf Coast, and the southeast — accurately nicknamed Tornado Alley, Hurricane Alley, and Dixie Alley, respectively — homes’ roofing needs to be able to withstand impact and resist uplift.Understanding Wind Uplift and Impact RatingsWhen choosing roofing materials for homes in these climates, look for those with the following ratings:UL 2218 Class 4 impact rating: Otherwise known as the “steel ball” test, roofing materials with a Class 4 impact rating have been tested to withstand a 2-inch-diameter steel ball dropped from a height of 20 feet, multiple times. In these impact tests, the steel ball represents large hail. Class 4 shingles are considered the most resistant roofing materials.Wind uplift ratings: Roofing materials with high wind uplift ratings are designed to prevent strong winds from lifting them up and causing damage. The most resistant roofing materials are those that meet High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) requirements, which typically have a Class H (ASTM D7158) rating and can withstand wind speeds of up to 190 mph without lifting.The Top Material Choices for Hurricane and Storm-Prone ZonesThe best roofing materials for homes in storm and hurricane-prone areas include:Metal standing seam panels: Metal standing seam roofing consists of wide metal panels with interlocking upright seams that attach the panels to one another. With no exposed fasteners, this roofing benefits from extremely high wind resistance.Impact-resistant Class 4 shingles: Class 4 shingles have rubberized polymers to deflect heavy hail and other falling debris.Concrete tiles: Thanks to their heavy weight, concrete tiles are highly effective at resisting wind uplift. The most effective storm-resistant concrete roofing is mechanically fastened to the property and not held by mortar alone.The Importance of InstallationIn extreme storms and hurricanes, roofing structures are vulnerable to unique challenges, and choosing the correct materials is just half of the battle. Along with selecting the most durable roof materials, you must also ensure that these materials are installed specifically to withstand storms and wind.Elements of secure installation include:Interlocking tiles: During extreme storms or hurricanes, rain can fall horizontally, creating a major challenge for traditional overlapping shingles.Special fastening: Although standard four-nail patterns might suffice in calmer climates, roofing tiles in storm-prone areas should be more securely fastened. For example, a six-nail hurricane pattern can increase asphalt shingle wind resistance to 130 mph and higher.Secondary water resistance (SWR): Many roofs in storm-prone zones require an additional layer of protection from water. SWR materials are applied directly to roofs, below tiles or panels, to prevent water intrusion in the case of storm damage.Best Roofing for Variable ClimatesWhile many areas experience only one climate extreme, others encounter a mix of weather conditions. For example, locations such as the Midwest experience intense heat in the summer and below-freezing temperatures in the colder months.For mixed climates, homes need hybrid roofing that can handle an array of weather challenges, offering flexibility to resist both cold conditions and high UV levels.The Top Roofing Materials for Changeable Weather AmeriPro Roofing The best types of roofing for homes in variable climates include:Asphalt shingles: One of the most common choices for homes facing fluctuating weather, asphalt shingles have a decent wind rating, a choice of Class 3 or Class 4 impact resistance, and can withstand both extremely hot and cold temperatures. Visually, high-end asphalt shingles can mimic cedar or slate at a fraction of the cost. For these reasons, asphalt is often considered the best overall roof shingle for fluctuating weather conditions and climates.Natural slate tiles: Slate roofing can withstand both high and low temperatures, making it ideal for homes in areas that experience both. Slate is also renowned for its resistance to freeze-thaw cycles, humidity, and corrosion.Composite and synthetic roofing: Artificial shingles are designed to resemble cedar shakes or slate tiles, but are generally made from recycled rubber, slate, or plastic and have a higher capacity to withstand weather extremes. Engineered from polymers, composite and synthetic roofing is growing in popularity and can handle both extreme heat and freeze-thaw cycles without cracking or rotting.Matching Durability With EfficiencyThere are many different types of roofing materials, designed to suit a variety of climates and weather conditions. While roofing in hot climates with extreme UV radiation can benefit from materials with high reflectivity, roofs in cold areas must support efficient snow shedding. Those in storm-prone climates need to resist wind uplift and high impact from hail and debris.Generally, roofing materials that are cheapest initially are not the right choice if you want them to withstand challenging conditions. By choosing the right materials that combat your climate’s specific weather battles, you invest in the longevity of your entire home and avoid numerous hidden long-term costs.From assessing materials’ impact and uplift ratings to complementing them with additional layers of protection, such as water-resistant membranes, as well as prioritizing high-level installation, there are many ways to protect your home from the various challenges posed by Mother Nature.This story was produced by AmeriPro Roofing and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Which industries require hazardous waste training?Which industries require hazardous waste training?Many industries generate hazardous waste. If you belong in one of these fields, you must train your workers in handling such wastes to ensure their safety and protect the environment. Different agencies regulate hazardous waste, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Department of Transportation (DOT). Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) discusses the federal hazardous waste regulations.Requirements generally depend on your monthly waste generation. Some states have not adopted certain federal regulations, while others have their own standards. You need to identify which regulations apply to you, since some state requirements may be more stringent. To give you a good overview, Hazmat School explains which industries have hazardous waste training requirements.Key TakeawaysHazardous waste training requirements protect workers and the environment. Here’s what you need to know about these guidelines:Industries that handle hazardous wastes must undergo appropriate training, which typically includes companies in the manufacturing, oil, waste management, health care, transportation, emergency response, and construction industries.Navigating compliance requirements involves knowing how much hazardous waste you generate monthly and the types you produce.All workers involved in the process, whether they’re managing, transporting, cleaning, or treating hazardous wastes, must receive the training from their employers, hazmat employees, or contracted training services.Agencies That Govern Hazardous Waste RegulationsDifferent agencies and organizations have standards and requirements for managing hazardous waste, including:EPA: The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) enables the EPA to control hazardous waste management, including generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal.OSHA: OSHA ensures worker safety and health protection through different standards. For instance, OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) contains the requirements for workplaces that can potentially release hazardous materials. The Hazard Communication Standard requires the classification of hazardous chemicals and informing workers of this classification. Meanwhile, workplaces that involve asbestos — except for construction and ship-related employment — must follow standards for toxic and hazardous substances.DOT: The DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) establishes standards for companies involved in the hazardous materials transportation system, such as those that manufacture packaging materials to be used in transporting hazardous materials.Noncompliance with relevant regulations can lead to penalties. For instance, violating PHMSA’s federal hazardous material transportation law can lead to penalties ranging from $102,348 to $238,809 per violation. You can be charged the maximum violation if noncompliance results in a severe injury, serious illness, or death. Training violations can cost a minimum of $617 per violation.Industries With Hazardous Waste Training RequirementsWorkers who handle hazardous waste must undergo hazardous waste training. These individuals generally work in the following industries: Hazmat School 1. Manufacturing and ChemicalThe manufacturing and chemical industries produce, store, and use hazardous materials, such as chemicals and gases. Improper material handling can lead to fires, explosions, and dangerous chemical reactions. HAZWOPER standards, or 29 CFR 1910.120, apply to the general industry, which includes all industries except for construction, agriculture, and maritime. Relevant training courses often teach you how to:Communicate hazards.Interpret safety data sheets.Wear proper personal protective equipment.Workers who operate chemical-handling machinery or those responsible for decontamination and emergency response must undergo such training.2. Oil, Gas, and EnergyThe oil, gas, and energy industries often deal with petroleum products, flammable gases, and other radioactive substances. Wastes from crude oil and natural gas operations are generally subject to the RCRA and state regulations. Industry operations often involve transporting oil and gas through pipelines, which pose risks of leaks and spills. Meanwhile, nuclear energy plants often deal with radioactive materials. Proper training enables workers to handle and dispose of these hazardous materials safely and mitigate risks.3. Waste Management and Environmental ServicesWorkers who manage industrial waste and clean up environmental disasters require training for handling hazardous materials. Chemical spills and similar contamination events involve removing and cleaning up hazardous substances. The training is essential so workers can properly dispose of materials that pose health and environmental risks. For instance, these materials can include electronics, chemicals, or biohazardous waste.4. Pharmaceutical and Other Health Care IndustriesPharmaceutical and other health care industries often deal with medications, chemicals, and other medical waste, which are biohazardous materials. Medical and research laboratories, in particular, work with pathogens, radioactive materials, and other dangerous substances, which, when mishandled, can cause contamination, health risks, and legal issues. Proper worker training ensures health care professionals can manage waste responsibly.5. Transportation and LogisticsCompanies in the transportation and logistics industries move hazardous materials across locations. While they don’t generate waste per se, they’re involved in waste handling as a part of a chain. For instance, a trucking company may transport hazardous wastes between states. Workers must understand proper packaging, labeling, and transportation requirements to adhere to relevant regulations.Your workers need a certification or endorsement depending on your industry. Truck drivers who transport hazardous materials, such as corrosive substances and flammable materials, need a hazmat endorsement on their commercial driver’s license. Airline workers must follow the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations, while maritime workers must meet the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) regulations. Medical couriers must also be highly trained in moving time-sensitive, temperature-controlled cargo and comply with regulations such as OSHA’s standards for bloodborne pathogens.6. Emergency Response and Public SafetyEmergency responders are often the first to respond in hazardous situations, whether there’s a gas leak, a chemical spill, or a factory fire. Specialized teams must understand how to handle hazardous materials, especially when performing decontamination processes or containment procedures. Some emergency responders may not handle waste themselves, but are still involved in dealing with hazardous situations. For instance, paramedics might need to manage patients who were exposed to dangerous substances.Crime scene cleanup industries must also learn to sanitize areas that were used for criminal activities. These areas may contain hazardous wastes, especially if they were used for murder or drug production. Proper training ensures workers understand how to manage blood, bodily fluids, and other potentially harmful substances.7. Construction and DemolitionConstruction and demolition workers often encounter hazardous wastes on-site, especially in older buildings with asbestos and lead-based paints. Exposure to these wastes can cause long-term health issues, such as lead poisoning or lung cancer. Proper training helps workers identify these hazardous materials and understand how to remove them safely.OSHA has a specific HAZWOPER standard for the construction industry known as 29 CFR 1926.65. Employers must provide relevant training for their workers who can become exposed to hazardous materials during:Government cleanup operations.Corrective actions involving cleanup operations at RCRA-covered sites.Voluntary cleanup operations at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.How to Navigate Compliance RequirementsHaving a systematic approach can help you navigate industry-specific compliance requirements regarding hazardous waste management. Consider these steps: Hazmat School 1. Identify if Your Facility Generates Hazardous WasteWastes pertain to solid, liquid, or contained gaseous materials you discard through disposal, burning, incineration, or recycling. They are often by-products of a manufacturing process or a commercial product your business has used. These wastes can be hazardous and can be considered:Listed waste: A listed waste is a hazardous waste type listed in Title 40 of the CFR. Acute hazardous wastes are the most dangerous types, which are fatal to humans even in low doses.Characteristic waste: Characteristic wastes can be ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic. An ignitable waste catches fire, while corrosive wastes corrode metals or come with high or low pH. Reactive wastes are unstable and can explode or produce toxic fumes. Toxic wastes are fatal when absorbed or ingested, and leach toxic chemicals into the soil or groundwater. You can determine toxic waste through the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure.2. Calculate How Much Hazardous Waste You Generate MonthlyCompanies that generate hazardous waste are called generators, and the amount of waste you produce determines your generator category. Hazardous wastes are often liquids, which you measure in gallons. You must convert gallons to kilograms or pounds to count the wastes.The EPA has three generator categories, each with its own hazardous waste requirements:Very small quantity generator (VSQG): Companies that generate less than 100 kg of hazardous waste per month.Small quantity generator (SQG): Companies that generate 100-1,000 kg of hazardous waste per month.Large quantity generator (LQG): Companies that generate more than 1,000 kg of hazardous waste per month.Sometimes, you might produce larger amounts of hazardous waste than your typical operations — for instance, due to a cleanout or an oil spill. This event might move you from a VSQG to an SQG. Because it’s an uncommon circumstance, you can be eligible for a different set of requirements to avoid having to comply with more stringent generator regulations.3. Notify Relevant Authorities of Your Hazardous WasteIf you’re an SQG or LQG, you must notify the EPA or state agencies of your hazardous waste activities. Some states also have the same requirements for VSQGs.4. Manage Wastes AppropriatelyYou need to manage your hazardous waste according to the generator category requirements. Certain waste types may also have unique requirements, including:Universal wastes, such as batteries, pesticides, and mercury-containing equipment.Hazardous wastes at academic laboratories.Pharmaceutical hazardous wastes.5. Transport Wastes ProperlySQGs and LQGs are often required to have a manifest to transport hazardous waste off-site. These forms enable the tracking of hazardous wastes from your generator facility to a waste management facility that will store, treat, and dispose of the wastes.6. Recycle, Treat, and Dispose of Wastes CorrectlySQGs and LQGs can generally recycle hazardous wastes on-site without permits, provided they comply with waste accumulation time limits and regulations under Title 40 of the CFR. You may also treat hazardous waste on-site in an accumulation unit, such as a tank or container, without a permit, to transform the waste into a nonhazardous or less hazardous waste — provided the treatment is nonthermal and you comply with the other requirements in Title 40.Otherwise, you must treat and dispose of the wastes according to the Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities regulations.Frequently Asked QuestionsTo further understand what’s required of your industry, consider these common questions regarding hazardous waste management training:Who Is Required to Have Hazardous Waste Training?All employees who handle or are exposed to hazardous wastes must undergo appropriate training. This requirement includes employees involved in the generation, management, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes.Is Hazmat Training Required by Law?Yes, hazmat training is required by law. The training must include the following topics:General hazardous waste or material requirementsTraining specific to the employee’s workSafety trainingSecurity awareness trainingIf you’re required to have a security plan, security training must be in-depth. This training can be performed by employers, hazmat employees, or contracted training services.What Specific Hazardous Waste Courses Are Required for the Construction Industry?The construction industry would benefit from hazardous waste courses discussing standards unique to the industry. For instance, OSHA has the HAZWOPER standard, or 29 CFR 1926.65, for the construction industry, which is similar to 29 CFR 1910.120, a more general standard of the same title. These standards apply to operations involving an ongoing or a likely incident of an uncontrolled release of hazardous substances.Consider courses with discussions unique to your business type. For instance, you may choose a course that covers forklift and industrial truck safety, scaffolding requirements, or asbestos management.How Much Does Hazardous Waste Training Cost for a Small Business?Training costs depend on the specific course. For instance, a DOT or RCRA training course can cost around $150 to $300. Some training courses may charge per participant. Participants can often work at their own pace and receive their certificate immediately after completion.Hazardous Waste Training Is Essential for ComplianceWhen handling dangerous and toxic materials, workers in many industries are required to undergo hazardous waste training to protect themselves and the environment. Generally, these industries include:Manufacturing and chemical.Oil, gas, and energy.Waste management and environmental services.Pharmaceutical and other health care industries.Transportation and logistics.Emergency response services and public safety.Construction and demolition.To effectively navigate the compliance requirements, identify whether you produce or manage hazardous waste materials, and which waste type you’re handling. Then, calculate your monthly waste production. You must also notify relevant authorities, such as the EPA or state agencies, of your hazardous waste activities. Manage, transport, and treat the waste appropriately based on the industry- and waste-specific requirements.This story was produced by Hazmat School and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  Supreme Court calls Louisiana's House map an 'unconstitutional racial gerrymander'Although the court kept Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act intact, Wednesday's decision all but guts the landmark law that came out of the Civil Rights Movement and protected the collective voting power of racial minorities when political maps are redrawn. |
| |  Senior citizens join the immigration fight to protect caregiversAs the Supreme Court weighs the Trump administration's termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians, seniors are advocating for protections for their immigrant caregivers. |
| | Missouri Senate pares back plan to add Medicaid work requirements to constitutionState Sen. Jill Carter, a Republican from Granby, is chair of the Senate committee that has pared back legislation aiming to authorize the state to impose Medicaid work requirements if federal law changes (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).A proposal to write Medicaid work requirements into the Missouri Constitution has been stripped down in a Senate committee to instead give lawmakers, the governor or the state’s social services department constitutional authority to impose them. Starting Jan. 1, 2027, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress will require new eligibility checks on adults covered through Medicaid expansion — the Affordable Care Act provision that allowed states to offer coverage to more low-income adults. States will have to verify that enrollees ages 19 to 64 are working, volunteering or attending school for at least 80 hours a month to get or keep coverage. They also will have to check eligibility twice a year instead of annually. The original legislation, which passed the House last month, would have enshrined those work requirements in the state constitution even if the federal law changes. The amended Senate version would give the state power to impose the requirements but would not mandate them or restrict how the state might implement them in the future. The Senate version is similar to legislation sponsored by Republican state Sen. Jill Carter of Granby, who is the chair of the committee that approved it last week. Dennis Rhodes, Carter’s chief of staff, told The Independent that the changes are intended to clear the way for the lawmakers to impose Medicaid work requirements in state law if they are no longer federally mandated. Voters would need to approve the changes before they become law. “Currently,” Rhodes said, “we can’t do work requirements.” The Missouri Constitution prohibits “greater or additional burdens or restrictions on eligibility standards” for people who qualify for coverage under expanded Medicaid coverage, which was passed by the state’s voters in 2021. The updated proposal would add an exception for work requirements. To qualify for coverage in the expansion population, a single Missourian working full-time can earn no more than $10.59 per hour, or $22,024 annually, while the combined earnings of a family of four can’t exceed $21.89 per hour, or $45,540 per year. That’s about 30% less than the state’s minimum wage of $15 an hour. A constitutional amendment, Rhodes said, is “not like a bill, where if you missed something here or there, you can tweak it easily. …This gives the [legislature] or the state the authority to make the requested changes on the statute level without having to go back and worry about passing a Constitutional amendment.” Republican state Rep. Darin Chappell of Rogersville, who sponsored the proposed amendment, told The Independent he hopes some of his original legislation can be added back into the bill. He’d like to restore a ban on self-declaration of exemptions from work requirements, and prohibit the department from granting optional hardship exemptions without the legislature authorizing it in state law. “I still don’t think we ought to be offering waivers without legislative authority behind that,” Chappell said. State Rep. Darin Chappell, a Republican from Rogersville, left, sponsored the initial legislation, which would have prohibited the state’s social services department from accepting self-attestations and restricted short-term hardship exemptions from work requirements (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). Chappell has argued that savings from his proposal could help safeguard state services for vulnerable Missourians as the state faces budget headwinds. He referred to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s proposed $80.7 million in cuts, which have since been mostly restored, to programs that help people with developmental disabilities live safely in their homes. “I will not let $1 be wasted on someone who’s capable and will not work, [and] be taken from those folks,” Chappell said. About two-thirds of Missouri Medicaid recipients already work full- or part-time, according to an analysis from Washington University in St. Louis. Most people who were not working reported attending school, being retired or having a disability, illness or caregiving responsibilities that prevented them from being employed. Only about 12% of Medicaid recipients in the state reported none of those reasons for not working. Lobbyists for cancer patients, older adults, people with disabilities and rural Missourians urged lawmakers earlier this month to reject or amend Chappell’s proposal, arguing it could lead Missourians to needlessly lose coverage and make it more difficult for the department to comply with federal law. Missouri could face a clawback of up to $1.2 billion in federal funding if the state doesn’t decrease its Medicaid error rate below 3% by October 2029, state Social Services Director Jess Bax told lawmakers in January. Bax said the state’s error rate was 35% in 2019, the year of the last federal audit before laxer requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes to Chappell’s proposal have quieted concerns from some advocates that it would bar the department from granting optional exemptions, including to caregivers and people who were recently hospitalized, without new state laws. Jay Hardenbrook, advocacy director at AARP Missouri, told The Independent the department is planning for a caregiver exemption while it awaits federal guidance from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which is expected this summer. “They are gathering the data sources they need to be able to do that,” Hardenbrook said. “…Our major concern with the original language in [the legislation] is that it would basically short-circuit that process.” During the Senate committee hearing on the bill, Jane Drummond, senior vice president of government relations for the Missouri Hospital Association, said Carter’s proposal “achieves the same thing much more simply.” “I am concerned that the more we touch in the Constitution, the more it opens it up to issues of construction, interpretation, ambiguity,” Drummond said. Drummond told The Independent the recent changes addressed her concerns. Jamie Blair, an organizer at the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, testified during the Senate committee hearing that work reporting requirements will disproportionately impact rural Missourians, who are more likely to be enrolled in Medicaid, and rural hospitals. While the latest version of the bill is “less severe,” Blair told The Independent, “adding any work reporting requirements will result in eligible people losing benefits to the administrative burden.” Twelve rural hospitals have closed in Missouri since 2014, according to a report from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The bill still faces opposition from Senate Democrats. Democratic state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern of Kansas City told The Independent that she is “committed to standing up to ensure that we do not pass this.” Nurrenbern pointed to the cost of implementing work requirements, saying the funds could instead be used to provide healthcare to Missourians. The budget passed by the Senate last week would allocate $53.9 million of general revenue out of a total $356.5 million in state and federal funding to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in fiscal year 2027, according to documents from Senate Appropriations staff. “It sets a really horrible precedent that we are spending hundreds of millions of Missouri taxpayers’ dollars on more bureaucracy,” Nurrenbern said, “instead of providing direct care for vulnerable people and fundamental services like access to life-saving care.” Chappell said he hopes there’s a way forward for his proposal. “It’s late in the session,” he said. “I suspect we’ll be dealing with this next year as well, but we’ll see.” Courtesy of Missouri Independent |
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