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

Thursday, September 24th, 2026
	Judge orders Trump administration to restore journalists' access to White House A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to temporarily restore access to the three media organizations banned from covering White House events last week by President Trump.
	Venezuela's acting leader promises elections at the 'right moment' Venezuela's acting president, delivering her first address to the U.N. General Assembly since coming to power, promised elections and said the nation's people will determine the "right moment."
	OpenAI's breach of Australian health department website prompts rebuke Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was extremely concerned about OpenAI 's breach of an Australian health department website that the artificial intelligence company took too long to reveal.
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026
	Fears of return to war grow in Ethiopia's Tigray region Fears are growing of a return to war in Ethiopia's Tigray region, just four years after a devastating conflict ended in a fragile peace deal.
	Mediapolis, Wilton meet in week 6 spotlight game Mediapolis enters its week six matchup against Wilton with a 3-1 record, Wilton with a 2-2 record.
	Civil War Comes to Rock Island This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.The first few minutes of a war are exciting. Some madness seems to make men eager to leave home and family to hunt each…
	Captain’s Table name set to return as new owners take over Moline riverfront restaurant Moline's former Catfish Charlie's is set to become Captain's Table again, with new owners planning to reopen the riverfront restaurant as early as November.
	Johnson County Sheriff's Office investigating fatal water emergency at Lake MacBride Fifth graders from Borlaug Elementary were at the park on a field trip. The specifics of how the teacher and student ended up in the water have not been disclosed.
	Clinton, Jackson County residents asked to fill out public survey on transportation Regional Planning Affiliation 8, with ECIA Transportation and Planning, is working to update its long-range plan and wants community input.
	Hurricane Polo fuels fears of landslides in Mexico as Nolo closes in on Hawaii Southwestern Mexico braced for heavy rain and mudslides after Polo became a major hurricane. Forecasters warned another system headed for Hawaii could cause catastrophic flooding later in the week.
	Cook review: 'Wisdom of Happiness' documentary will bring you joy "The Wisdom of Happiness" is like healing balm for the soul: Comforting, uplifting, and calm. The idea of the film is simple. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama gives a talk, which is shown along with archival and scenic footage, about the path he has walked, and how happiness can and does connect us all. [...]
	Knox County Coroner’s Office to move into Mary Davis Home The county board approved the plan to move the coroner’s office during a meeting Wednesday evening.
	Davenport approves process to fill vacant council seat. What does that mean for residents? Residents of Ward 2 have the right to petition for a special election. Here's how.
	Cook review: 'Paper Flowers' is a true story of love - and what makes life worth living Some of the finest films are true stories about the human condition, and "Paper Flowers" is one of them. This one requires a box of tissues to get through - or at least that was the case for me. Here's the set-up: Shalin (Kapil Talwalkar) is a college graduate who is determined to serve in [...]
	Wet fields raise injury risks for high school football players Wilton football coach Ryan Hetzler explains injury risks of wet, muddy fields and how the team adjusts practice and plays to keep players safe.
	Sterling nonprofit ends recycling services after fire damages building, equipment The business made the announcement in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
	Quad Cities veteran reunites with her fellow service women nearly 30 years later on Honor Flight Lisa Olsen was so excited to bring "The Fab Four" together ahead of the 67th Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.
	These factors could influence Iowa Republicans to call for action to lower fuel costs Several factors may be influencing Iowa Republicans' decisions to push for changes with about six weeks left until the November mid-term elections.
	WQAD photojournalist and veteran reflects on emotional Honor Flight to Washington Art Mireles served in the Army, following in his service member father's and grandfather's footsteps. Here's what impacted him the most during his trip to D.C.
	Humane Society of Scott County waives adult dog and cat adoption fees The Humane Society of Scott County is waiving adoptions fees for some animals through September 30. According to a Facebook post, adult dogs over 30 lbs. and adult cats can be adopted for free. The Humane Society is open for adoptions Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:00-5:30 p.m., Thursday 2:30-5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday [...]
	Federal investigation breaks up alleged meth trafficking ring in central Iowa An 11-month federal and state investigation has broken up an alleged drug trafficking ring accused of bringing methamphetamine into central Iowa.
	Permanent daylight saving time? Schools and students would suffer, experts say A major hurdle stands in the way of permanent daylight saving time: schools.
	Downtown Moline braces for busy weekend With Ella Langley performing Saturday at the Vibrant Arena and the Quad Cities marathon kicking off Sunday morning, Moline has a busy weekend to prepare for.
	U.S. Democratic Rep. Eric Sorensen, Rock Island officials speak on election intergrity “One of the greatest threats to democracy is not simply voter suppression; it is voter resignation, meaning the belief that nothing will change, that one vote does not matter, or that participating is pointless."
	Klingner Cares raises over $13,000 for Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities The annual fundraiser unites employees from the firm’s nine locations across Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri to raise money for a local nonprofit.
	2 Sisters Restaurant in Milan is now Flip's Pancake House 2 Sisters Pancake House has re-branded to Flip's Pancake House.
	Burlington man sentenced for pulling gun during police stop, fleeing A Burlington man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for pulling a gun during a traffic stop before the vehicle he was in fled.
	Rock Island Police launch gunshot detection pilot program to speed up response times The department is testing the Raven Gunshot Detection System, an artificial intelligence-driven platform designed to alert officers to gunfire in real time.
	WQAD photojournalist and veteran joins 67th Honor Flight of the Quad Cities Art Mireles joined News 8's Joe Habersham on Tuesday's trip to the nation's capital. He reflects on the journey as a veteran himself.
	Crews recover body of 10-year-old who went missing at Lake McBride Crews have recovered the body of 10-year-old who went missing at Lake McBride during school trip.
	U.S. Rep. Sorenson and others encourage Illinois residents to vote early Thursday, Sept. 24 is the first day that Illinois registered voters can cast a ballot in the 2026 elections, and U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Moline) wants as many people as possible to vote early.
	‘We are deeply saddened by his passing’: Smithfield Foods leaders address employee death Smithfield Foods leaders addressed the Monmouth City Council Monday evening following the death of an employee a little over a week ago.
	Burlington DoorDasher says she was scammed out of $1,400 A Burlington DoorDash driver is warning others after she says she was scammed out of $1,400 by someone claiming to be with DoorDash support.
	Thyroid medication recall classified under FDA's most urgent level A nationwide recall on thyroid tablets has now been classified as one the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's most serious and urgent recalls.
	Judge considers restoring journalists' access to White House after Trump's ban Lawyers representing the White House and the three media outlets banned from the property sparred over the constitutional rights of journalists at a hearing in federal court Wednesday.
	Whiteside County Sheriff's Office investigating deputy's alleged misuse of Flock system Sheriff John Booker said he has suspended the sheriff's office's use of the Flock camera system while the internal investigation takes place.
	One killed in two-vehicle crash in Galva One person was killed Tuesday in a two-vehicle crash in Galva in Henry County.
	After a week of rain, where are now for the month? After a fairly dry start to the month of September, things have really picked back up for the Quad Cities over the past week. Over the past week, we received rain for 8 days straight! While that is not the record of 9 straight days back in 1965 for the month of September, it shows [...]
	Rock Island Milan School District sets timeline for town halls regarding its cellphone and technology policy District staff presented a timeline for drafting a final policy before the state law takes effect in the 2027-28 academic year. The law requires school districts to comply with restrictions on cell phone and other wireless technology use. Town halls will be held virtually and in-person from October through January.
	Iowa judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against Des Moines Register and pollster A judge on Wednesday dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit accusing The Des Moines Register and its former pollster of misrepresenting the state of the 2024 presidential race, rejecting the president’s claim that the newspaper’s poll coverage violated Iowa’s consumer fraud law.
	Iowa Corn Growers Association asks for diesel relief as harvest kicks off In the letter, corn growers asked lawmakers to push the Trump administration to “further release oil from the U.S. Strategic Oil Reserve.”
	Annual QC 'Out of the Darkness' suicide prevention walk coming up on Oct. 11 Hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the walk raises money and awareness while bringing community members together to remember lives lost.
	How you can get involved with Toys for Tots Quad Cities You can help bring some holiday joy kids here in the QCA! Sarah Decker joined Our Quad Cities News to talk about Toys for Tots Quad Cities. For more information in getting involved with Marine Toys for Tots or requesting toys, click here.
	Central Illinois parishes, schools share in the excitement for Sheen’s beatification Hundreds of Central Illinois parishioners are preparing for their pilgrimage to St. Louis for the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
	Burlington man sentenced to federal prison on firearm charges Tyler Keith Jennings, 39, will spend over six years behind bars.
	Burlington man sentenced to federal prison for gun-related incident A 39-year-old Burlington man was sentenced on Sept. 23, to 78 months - about 6 1/2 years - in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. According to public court documents, Tyler Keith Jennings was a passenger in a vehicle that fled from police on Sept. 11, 2025. The vehicle eventually stopped and [...]
	University of Iowa develops AI strategy with amplifying human potential in mind The university has launched a new website and project support program through its artificial intelligence strategy.
	Illinois man convicted of sexually abusing 4-year-old An Illinois man accused of sexually abusing a four-year-old girl in 2024 has been convicted by a jury.
	Missing student’s body recovered from Lake Macbride, officials say A missing student’s body was recovered from Lake Macbride on Wednesday, one day after an incident also resulted in the death of an adult.
	Man charged in domestic battery situation involving Dixon student, police say A 33-year-old man faces several domestic battery charges following an investigation by Dixon police.
	News 8 photojournalist and veteran reflects on Honor Flight journey: Full interview Photojournalist Art Mireles is a veteran himself and got to see many of Washington, D.C.'s memorials for the first time during the 67th Honor Flight of the QC.
	Scott County Sheriff’s Office identifies drivers in fatal crash near LeClaire One person died and four were hurt after a crash near South Cody Road and West Canal Shore Drive Tuesday evening.
	Police investigate fatal crash in rural Galva Authorities are investigating a Tuesday evening crash that claimed the life of one of the drivers involved.
	Getting to Know Ashleigh Johnston Chief Meteorologist Andy McCray talks with familiar faces around the Quad Cities in the Getting to Know Podcast. Learn more about important people around our area and have a good time doing it. Each week will feature a new guest from restaurant owners, to area leaders, to Our Quad Cities News Staff. In this episode [...]
	Traffic Alert: Utility work reduces South 2nd Street to 1 lane in Clinton Work is expected to be done on Friday.
	1 person dies after 2 vehicle crash near Galva The crash remains under investigation.
	5 steps adults can take to support cognitive health Some of the latest studies around cognitive health have shown growing concern among the adult U.S. population regarding their own brain health and reducing risks of dementia. Indeed, a 2026 nationally representative survey of more than 3,800 U.S. adults aged 40 and older revealed that 99% considered brain health at least as important as physical health. However, the same survey found that only 9% report knowing a lot about how to maintain it. In this article, Life Line Screening aims to shed some light on what the latest research finds effective for recognizing early signs, as well as its most up-to-date recommendations in cognitive health care.In recent years, midlife has emerged as a key life period for prevention, screening, and lifestyle changes. Factors like smoking, inactivity and diabetes, which had previously been identified by the 2020 Lancet Commission report on dementia prevention, intervention and care as late-life risks for dementia, in 2024 were updated to mid-life risk factors. In fact, biological changes associated with Alzheimer's may even begin 10 to 20 years before symptoms appear, which further emphasizes midlife as a prime period to begin implementing recommended lifestyle changes.The same research has also made a push towards the proactive role individuals can take in managing their own risk factors. For instance, a 2024 study on midlife risk factors and brain health determined that poor cardiovascular health in midlife is associated with accelerated brain aging, which researchers suggest remediating earlier rather than later. Indeed, there are several actionable methods you can begin implementing right away in your day-to-day routine, and when combined, lead to the most effective preventative results. Here are five ways to start integrating simple habits that go a long way in supporting your cognitive health.How to start supporting your cognitive health1. Movement and cardiovascular healthWhere brain health is involved, heart health follows not too far behind, and should be considered together when it comes to cognitive health. Improving midlife cardiovascular health also has a direct impact on reducing LDL cholesterol, which according to the 2024 Commission report, is one of the 14 factors that may contribute to increased risks of dementia. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends a minimum of 150 minutes, or two and a half hours, of moderate physical activity a week for adults. Walking is a great place to start. Remember that consistency can be more effective than intensity, so you are encouraged to split those 150 minutes across your week. Exercise is an effective way to improve cardiovascular health, but is significantly more beneficial when combined with a healthy diet (such as the recommended MIND diet by the American Heart Association) and regulated sleep.2. SleepChronic sleep disturbances have been linked to cognitive decline, according to the U.S. POINTER trials. Adults are recommended to get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night and are advised to be on the lookout for snoring, gasping, and daytime sleepiness. Quality of sleep is also found to be equally as important as its length; irregular sleep patterns are additional risk factors, and should be brought up with a care provider. The Pointer trials further established that lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise may improve sleep and consequently improve cognitive health.3. Social and cognitive engagementEvidence regarding the positive effects of brain stimulation, social interaction and cognitive health is abundant. Regular, scheduled time with peers that is both intellectually challenging and socially stimulating has been shown to be effective when combined with the other recommendations in the U.S. POINTER Brain Health Recipe list (physical exercise, nutrition, and health monitoring). In your day-to-day, this might look like completing a challenging puzzle with your family, learning a new language with friends, or informing yourself on a topic you’re interested in and then explaining it to others. Much like cardiovascular exercise, consistency should be prioritized over intensity, so fitting in 30 minutes every other day, a few days a week, for social and cognitive engagement is very acceptable.4. Sensory healthSensory impairments can sometimes fly under the radar but are found to be possible signs of cognitive decline and should be addressed with your care provider. For instance, a 2025 analysis of the Results from the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) trial found that intervention in the decline of hearing or hearing loss, when present in participants in the top quartile of predicted risk of cognitive decline, was found to slow three-year cognitive decline by 62%. Another risk factor, recently added to the 2024 Lancet standing Commission report, is untreated vision loss.5. Biomarker testing and screeningIn combination with every other step defined in this article, biomarker testing and screening remains an important step in your journey to cultivating cognitive health. The U.S. POINTER trial study determined that, alongside other lifestyle changes, clinician review of health metrics is a core part of prevention practice. Some recommended markers to keep track of with your care provider are blood pressure, cholesterol including LDL, blood glucose, and weight.The p-tau217 blood test, which measures a biomarker associated with Alzheimer's-related changes in the brain, can be an effective screening tool. Dr. Todd Levine, Director of Preventative Neurology at Honor Health and Founder of CND Life Sciences, points out that "routine screening for cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose are the cornerstone of every primary care provider and cardiologist. The idea is what is called primary prevention. Treating problems before a person has a heart attack or stroke. In neurology, we are far behind the cardiovascular doctors, but knowing that one has a high likelihood of accumulating amyloid in the brain, which is what the p-tau217 test detects, can bring patients to their doctors to seek out ways to improve their brain health before a problem begins. This is primary prevention for the brain."Fostering cognitive health happens through continuous action. Small, daily changes to your routine, such as incorporating movement where you can, add up to beneficial, measurable effects in the long run. Remember that a consistent combination of the abovementioned steps is the most effective way to support your brain's health, and that staying on top of your screenings helps your care provider guide you in your journey. Levine offers once again some perspective regarding the kind of approach you should consider having towards yourself: "Brain health begins long before symptoms appear. The greatest opportunity to change your future is to act before your brain asks for help."This story was produced by Life Line Screening and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Hilary Duff announces tour stop in Des Moines Hilary Duff, the singer and actress best known for her starring role in the Disney Channel series “Lizzie McGuire,” has announced a performance in Des Moines.
	This week’s Iowa State Kid Captain is a freshman from Maxwell This week, the Iowa State football team will be cheered on by Kid Captain Landon Cornelius from Maxwell.
	Walk for Angel Babies raises funds, awareness of pregnancy loss The fourth annual Walk for Angel Babies will be on Saturday, October 3rd from 1 – 2 p.m. at the Galva Jr./Sr. High School gym, 1020 N. Center Avenue. A live auction starts at 2:30 p.m. The walk raises awareness for stillbirth, pregnancy and infant loss and funds benefit The Rorie Mae Foundation. The foundation [...]
	Sweet, spicy, and a little spooky: Halloween shopping trends projected from DoorDash data Early decorator or last-minute scrambler, Halloween is the one night when candy corn earns a seat at the table, trading chocolates counts as currency, and eating 10 pieces of candy before dinner is judgment-free. This year, DoorDash dug into Halloween trends from 2025 for a sneak peek at what could haunt and delight us again this season, and a few numbers were downright spooky (raisins, we're looking at you).2026's Top Candy, NationallyConsider the debate over. DoorDash uncovered the definitive top 10 Halloween candies by order volume last Halloween. DoorDash Reese's held onto the top spot for a third year in a row, and chocolate still takes four of the top five spots overall, but sour and fruity candy, including Nerds, Skittles and Sour Patch Kids, is fighting back, and Airheads jumped from last year's tenth place to seventh. The biggest shakeup was Haribo, which cracked the top 10 for the first time and knocked Twix out.But climbing into the top 10 wasn't enough. In the last three months, Haribo has already passed Nerds, the No. 5 candy nationally, in total orders. It's officially the candy to watch this year: adorable, wrapper-free, chewy, and dangerously easy to finish a whole bag in one sitting.The Sweet Tooth of the StatesOrder volume shows what wins nationally, not what a state loves more than everyone else. So DoorDash looked at which candy each state orders at a higher rate than the rest of the country, and some states clearly have a candy agenda all their own. DoorDash Reese's Republic: Reese's isn't just the national leader, it's also the most locally beloved candy in 17 states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and Washington.Southern Sweet Spot: Sweet Smiles, the affordable candy assortment with a little bit of everything, is the standout pick across seven Southern states, including Georgia, Louisiana and Tennessee.Taffy Territory: Laffy Taffy was the go-to choice in five states, including Iowa and Wisconsin, while Airheads, another chewy taffy favorite, wins over Florida and Texas.Sour Southwest: SweeTarts owns a sour corner of the Southwest, leading in four states including Idaho and Oklahoma.The Licorice Divide: Arizona and California are team Red Vines, while Twizzlers holds its own in two states, Missouri and Wyoming.A Mixed Bag: New York and Rhode Island prefer Kinder Bueno, Alaska and Hawai‘i both love Lindt, Maryland and Nevada agree on Snickers, and Connecticut and Illinois share a taste for Sour Patch Kids. Colorado (Haribo), North Carolina (Hershey's Bar) and Minnesota (Mike and Ike) each fly solo.Grandma's Candy Dish Is Still Cool, ApparentlyThis is the second year running that old-school candy has come back in a big way, and 2026 might be the biggest jump yet. Circus Peanuts leads the pack at +350%, with Bit-O-Honey up +180%, Lemonhead up +200%, and Dum-Dums more than doubling at +100%. Old candy doesn't die. It just waits for its comeback.The Treats Everyone Loves to HateSome of you are proudly team candy corn. That's between you and your diary. Raisins, though? Nobody's excited to find those in a trick-or-treat bag, but the data doesn’t lie. Candy corn orders are up +30% year over year, and raisins are up +60%.Bigger, Bolder, SpicierEvery year brings headlines about shrinking candy bars. DoorDash's data says otherwise. Full and king-size candiesâ€™ share of orders grew from over 15% to 20%. The bowl is changing in other ways, too. Takis just knocked pretzels and Goldfish out of the top non-candy spot, making it the Halloween snack of choice for those who prefer savory.Cutting It Close, All Day LongTurns out the candy chaos peaks before most people finish their coffee, a morning rush between 7 and 10 a.m. on Halloween that nearly doubles a normal Friday, then climbs again through the afternoon before peaking at 6 p.m., as families realize the bowl's almost empty with more trick-or-treaters still on the way.When it comes to dinner, pizza has the night to itself. While most dinner categories take a backseat to trick-or-treating, pizza orders jumped +20%. The fast, no-fuss dinner keeps the night moving without slowing down the candy run.Costumes cut it closer still. Over 60% of costume items were ordered in the final seven days before Halloween, over 40% in the final three, and over 10% arrived on Halloween itself. Costume procrastinators, we see you.Halloween Gets Rated R After DarkHalloween isn’t just for kids. Alcohol orders on Halloween night peaked at 7 p.m., right around the time trick or treating starts winding down. Condom orders ran over +10% above a typical night on Halloween itself, and Plan B orders climbed to roughly 25% above normal over the two days that followed.Methodology: Based on DoorDash U.S. ordering data from October 1-31, 2025, unless otherwise noted.This story was produced by DoorDash and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office deputy placed on leave, use of Flock cameras suspended A Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been placed on administrative leave, and the Sheriff has suspended the use of Flock cameras after alleged misuse.
	As algo trading grows, are prop firm rules keeping up? Automation has become standard equipment for traders taking a prop firm challenge. A review of the published rules at 15 firms finds a set of clauses written for discretionary traders that sit awkwardly against strategies that run themselves, and rulebooks that rarely separate those clauses from the ones addressing genuine abuse. Velotrade shares what a trader should read before paying an evaluation fee.The trader taking a prop firm evaluation today is not the trader the evaluation was designed around. They are increasingly likely to arrive with a strategy already written, backtested and ready to run unattended, and increasingly likely to have bought or adapted one rather than built a trading bot from scratch.The market data points in the same direction. Institutional desks still dominate algorithmic trading, holding about 61% of the market in 2025, but retail is the faster-growing segment, expanding at an 8.3% compound annual rate through 2031 as brokerages embed scripting environments directly into their platforms. Algorithmic trading stopped being a specialist discipline and became a feature.Platform-level data points the same way. According to internal data from one multi-asset prop firm, the share of active traders running at least part of their strategy through an API or an automated system rose from 34% to 76% over four months. Sample size, data period, account population, the definition of an automated account and the calculation basis are set out in the methodology below. Velotrade That is one firm's book over one window rather than an industry measurement, but the direction of travel is not in dispute. Which makes the rules these traders operate under worth reading closely, because most were written for someone clicking a mouse.Two kinds of restriction, filed under one headingStart with the clauses that are hardest to argue with, because they are the majority and they obscure the picture if left in.Most of the firms reviewed restrict high-frequency trading, latency exploitation or arbitrage. These are not anti-automation rules. Latency arbitrage and simulated-fill exploitation extract money from a pricing model rather than from the market, and a firm underwriting that risk is not being restrictive by prohibiting it, it is protecting its own solvency. The same applies to running one strategy across many accounts, which turns an apparently diversified book into a single correlated position.A second category sits in the same documents, under the same headings, and does something different. These clauses do not target abuse. They shape how an ordinary automated strategy is allowed to behave, and a trader who reads only the summary statement that expert advisors are permitted is unlikely to find them before funding. Velotrade The consistency rule, and what it is measured againstA consistency rule caps how much of a trader's profit may come from a single day. It is the most common constraint in the set, applying in some form at 11 of the 14 firms reviewed.Its stated purpose is to filter out traders who pass on one fortunate trade. Applied to a system, it interacts differently. Trend-following and breakout strategies earn most of their return in a small number of large moves, so a flat curve punctuated by three strong days is the expected signature of those categories rather than evidence of luck. Velotrade The headline percentage turns out to be the least useful part of the rule, because the quantity it is measured against changes from firm to firm. Among the three strictest, one requires that the best day not exceed 50% of profit earned on winning days only; a second caps a single day at 40% of the net result including losing days, and applies it during evaluation but not once funded; a third limits any one day to 30% of the amount requested in a payout, and applies it only on funded accounts. Eight more apply a version that depends on the plan, phase or payout route chosen, which is where it is easiest to miss: caps that bind on funded accounts but not during the challenge, checks that happen at payout rather than in evaluation, and rules waived on one payout cycle but enforced on another.One finding holds across every firm reviewed: exceeding a consistency rule does not fail an account. The profit target is raised, the payout is blocked, or the excess is deducted. The trader stays in the evaluation, and the cost is time and continued market exposure rather than the account itself.The clock, the server, and who wrote the codeThree further constraints matter more than their word count suggests.The first is time. One firm prohibits holding more than half of trades for under a minute. Another forbids automated activity above 2,000 server requests a day. Individually, these read as reasonable anti-abuse measures. Collectively, they set a floor on how often a strategy may act, and a systematic approach that trades frequently but holds for minutes, neither high-frequency nor abusive, can run into them.The second is infrastructure. A trader barred from a hosted server is left running a trading bot on a laptop that has to stay awake. Two firms in the set prohibit hosted servers, one requiring that all trading activity originate from the trader's own device, the other restricting it on four account types for accounts purchased after a given date and not applying the change retroactively. Elsewhere, expert advisors are permitted on two named platforms only and only on accounts below $50,000. Most firms in the set run on the same pair of third-party retail platforms, which constrains what a strategy can be written in before any rule applies.The third is authorship. Two firms restrict expert advisors that the trader did not write: one prohibits third-party and off-the-shelf software outright and reserves the right to request the source code as proof, the other permits it only where the trader owns the code. A purchased strategy arguably carries no more market risk than one written at home, so the clause functions less as a risk control than as a filter on how a trader arrived at an edge. Whether that distinction is worth drawing is a judgment each firm is entitled to make. The point for a trader is that it is rarely visible before purchase.What to check before paying an evaluation feeNone of these clauses is hidden, and the firms applying them are not acting in bad faith. But filing anti-abuse rules and constraints on ordinary automation under one heading means a trader cannot easily tell them apart without reading the whole document.The distinction is worth drawing because the two categories point in different directions. Prohibiting latency arbitrage defends a firm against a strategy designed to exploit it. Prohibiting a purchased expert advisor, a hosted server, or a profit curve with three strong days in it addresses no comparable exposure, and narrows the population of traders who can realistically pass.For a trader deciding where to put an evaluation fee, the statement that trading bots are permitted carries almost no information, since it is true nearly everywhere. Four narrower questions carry considerably more, and the answers are worth confirming in writing before purchase:When does the consistency rule bind? During the challenge, on the funded account, or only at payout. The same headline cap costs a very different amount depending on the answer, and eight of the 14 firms make it conditional on the plan or payout route chosen.Is there a floor on hold time, or a cap on activity? This is the clause that decides whether a high-turnover strategy is viable at all, and it usually sits several pages into the terms.May the code run on a server? A prohibition on VPS or remote servers rules out most hosted deployments and forces a strategy onto a machine that the trader keeps running.Must the strategy be the trader's own? Two firms in the set restrict purchased expert advisors, one of them reserving the right to request source code.Each of those four is coded for all 15 firms in the full rules review behind this article, which names every firm and links to the page each rule was read on, and in the underlying rules data set. None of them appear on the page that says bots are welcome.MethodologySample: 15 proprietary trading firms, selected for market visibility in the crypto and multi-asset segment. Velotrade is included and identified in the disclosure.Source: each firm's own published rules, terms of service and FAQ pages. No third-party aggregator data was used.Collection window: April to August 2026, with all 14 other records re-verified against each firm's own rules page, FAQ and terms on Sept. 9, 2026.Coding: a firm is counted in a restriction category when its published rules state that restriction explicitly. Rules that vary by plan, phase or payout option are coded as conditional rather than as present or absent.Where a firm's own pages disagree with each other, both readings are recorded rather than resolved in the firm's favour or against it.Limits: published rules are not the same as enforcement practice, and this review measures only what firms state. Two firms in the set publish sparse terms, and absence of a stated rule was not treated as evidence that no rule is applied.Platform data: adoption figures are internal records from Velotrade, covering [n] accounts over [data period]. The account population is active trading accounts, meaning accounts that placed at least one trade in the month, across evaluation and funded accounts. An account is counted as automated when its orders arrive through the API or an attached automated system rather than the platform interface. Each month is a share of that month's active accounts, not a cumulative figure. These figures describe one firm's book over one window and are observational.SourcesRules were read on each firm's own published pages between April and August 2026 and re-verified Sept. 9, 2026. Market-size and growth figures: Mordor Intelligence, Algorithmic Trading Market, retrieved Sept. 8, 2026.The platform figure is internal data from Velotrade, a multi-asset prop firm. It covers active trading accounts, meaning accounts that placed at least one trade in the month, across evaluation and funded accounts. An account is counted as automated when its orders arrive through the API or an attached automated system rather than the platform interface. Each month is a share of that month's active accounts, not a cumulative figure. Sample size and date range are stated in the methodology above.This story was produced by Velotrade and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	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: DOMINGO MONGE, 30, 5'5", 150 pounds, brown eyes, black hair. Wanted by IDOC 7th District High Risk Unit for escape on burglary charges. CHRISTOPHER [...]
	Whiteside County Sheriff's Office investigating possible misuse of Flock system by deputy Sheriff John Booker said he has suspended the sheriff's office's use of the Flock camera system while the internal investigation takes place.
	How to participate in KWQC’s debate between Zach Lahn & Rob Sand KWQC is hosting and broadcasting a live debate between Rob Sand and Zach Lahn on Oct. 6 - here's how you can get invovled.
	Whiteside County Sheriff's Office investigating possible misuse of Flock camera data The Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office has begun an internal investigation into the possible misuse of the Flock camera system by a member of the Sheriff’s Office, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. “The matter was brought to my attention after the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a Washington Post reporter [...]
	Trump set to greet Xi for high-stakes state visit It is the second time the leaders are meeting this year after the Beijing summit in May.
	Trump and Xi meet at moment of global consequence It is the second time the leaders are meeting this year after the Beijing summit in May.
	Iran's president gives a rare wartime speech at the U.N. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the U.N. General Assembly a day after President Trump threatened from the same podium to "annihilate" Iran.
	TV6 fact-check: Ad in Iowa Senate race makes false claims about QC-area hospital closures An ad from Republican Iowa Senate candidate Joe Stutting attacking Democrat Mike Zimmer contains false claims about hospital closures in Clinton and Maquoketa.
	Moline PD warns public to plan ahead when driving downtown this weekend Downtown Moline is expecting a busy weekend as thousands of visitors will be Choosin’ Moline for two major events: the Ella Langley concert at Vibrant Arena on Saturday, Sept. 26, and the TBK Bank Quad Cities Marathon on Sunday, Sept.…
	Family of Iowa marching band member who died thanks community for honoring him The family of Hawkeye Marching Band member Derek Phillips shared their gratitude after his sudden death earlier this month.
	'My daughter should still be alive' \| Families, witness testify on Capitol Hill about deaths of Renee Good, Alex Pretti Good and Pretti were shot and killed in Minneapolis 17 days apart by federal agents in January.
	Whiteside Co. deputy placed on leave over alleged Flock camera data misuse The Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a possible misuse of Flock data by a deputy.
	Fox 18 to air live debate between Ashley Hinson and Josh Turek, candidates for U.S. Senate Nexstar Media Group, Inc. today announced that its television stations serving Iowa will air a live, multi‑market telecast of a debate between candidates for U.S. Senate, Republican nominee U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, and Democratic nominee Iowa State Representative Josh Turek. The debate, titled “Debate Night in Iowa,” will take place on Tuesday, October 13, from [...]
	Nearly half of Center for Intellectual Freedom advisory council members resign Nearly half of the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa’s advisory council membership have resigned from their roles.
	Expect traffic delays for Ella Langley concert and Quad Cities Marathon Moline will be jam packed with concertgoers and marathon runners this weekend.
	'Our page of history' \| Women veterans celebrate 28 year reunion on Q-C Honor Flight The United States Army Veterans were among six women who flew on the 67th Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.
	Rain moves some Jordbruksdagarna activities in Bishop Hill The 54th annual 19th century harvest festival Jordbruksdagarna (“yord-brooks-DAH-ga-na”) will take place Saturday September 26 and Sunday September 27 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in historic Bishop Hill. A variety of traditional craft demonstrations, food, vendors and hands-on activities for the children will be offered during the event, which is Swedish for “agricultural days.” [...]
	State employee, Pritzker share similar weight loss journey with GLP-1s Gov. JB Pritzker has lost 80 lbs over the past two years with help from a GLP-1 medication, and many state employees are benefiting from insurance coverage for the same type of weight loss drug.
	Top local coffee shops for National Coffee Day, according to DoorDash data National Coffee Day is coming up on September 29. DoorDash is marking the occasion by serving up a list of the Top Coffee Shops for 2026, featuring top-rated small and medium-sized coffee shops on DoorDash. Based on DoorDash data from July 2025 through July 2026, the list includes small and medium-sized coffee shops with fewer than 10 stores, at least 1,000 lifetime reviews, and the highest average consumer ratings during the measurement period.The list recognizes the standout small and medium-sized local coffee shops helping customers start their mornings, power through the afternoon, and everything in between.Coffee's Big Year on DoorDashCoffee had a standout year, and the DoorDash order data shows exactly when customers were reaching for it most:In the year from July 2025 to July 2026, more than 80 million coffee orders were placed on DoorDash.The most popular time to order coffee was 9 a.m., and the most popular day was Friday, pointing to coffee's role as a morning ritual with an extra lift heading into the weekend.The busiest day of the year for coffee orders was Friday, December 19, with nearly 280,000 orders, more than any other day. This may have been driven by holiday routines, gifting, and office ordering as the year wound down.“National Coffee Day is a chance to celebrate the local coffee shops that are part of our everyday routines,” said Ruth Isenstadt, head of U.S. restaurants at DoorDash. “They’re the places that know your order, know their regulars, and become part of the neighborhood. This list celebrates some of the local favorites doing that every day in communities across the country.”Celebrating DoorDash's Top Local Coffee ShopsWhether customers are craving a classic drip coffee, a specialty latte, a cold brew, or something paired with a pastry, these neighborhood shops make it easy to celebrate National Coffee Day on demand.From Alaska to Wisconsin and plenty of coffee shops in between, this list features local favorites, including Portland Coffee Roasters in Oregon, Base Coffee in Utah, and Bobo's Cafe in New York.In alphabetical order, the list includes:Amsterdam Coffee Club — Clarkston, WashingtonAzúcar Café — West Valley City, UtahBakri Coffee Roasters — Dearborn, MichiganBaristas Coffee House — Tracy, CaliforniaBase Coffee — Midvale, UtahBobo's Cafe — Yorktown Heights, New YorkCaffe Central — Burlingame, CaliforniaChocolate Cafe — Columbus, OhioCoffee & Stone Cafe — North Tonawanda, New YorkCrack'd Kitchen & Coffee — Salem, New HampshireCupitol Coffee & Eatery — ChicagoDame Good Drinks — Greenwood Village, ColoradoDoma — ChicagoDoppio Coffee — Denver, ColoradoDriftaway Cafe — Lindenwold, New JerseyDrink Roast — Royal Oak, MichiganEnroute Coffee and Tea — Goodyear, ArizonaForget Me Not Espresso — Fairbanks, AlaskaFresh Cup Espresso — Anchorage, AlaskaGold Bean Cafe — Berkeley, CaliforniaGroovy Goose Coffee — San Carlos, CaliforniaIL Canto Cafe — San Francisco, CaliforniaJackie's Montclair — Montclair, New JerseyJOi Cafe — Westlake Village, CaliforniaKds Family Restaurant & Cold Brew Drive-Thru — Superior, WisconsinKei Coffee House — Westminster, CaliforniaKnickerbocker Bagel — Brooklyn, New YorkLABORA — San Diego, CaliforniaLas Palmas Cafe — Delran, New JerseyMartha's — Redondo Beach, CaliforniaMendozas Coffee Shop — Sun Valley, NevadaMoschetti Cafe — Vallejo, CaliforniaNest Cafe — Bangor, MaineNU Kitchen — Worcester, MassachusettsNYC Bagel and Coffee House — New York CityOlivier Cafe — Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPicaresca Barra De Cafe — Los Angeles, CaliforniaPortland Coffee Roasters — Portland, OregonRed Owl Coffee Company — Chattanooga, TennesseeRobu Coffee — Mountain View, CaliforniaRose Bakery Cafe — Newport Beach, CaliforniaSisters Coffeehouse — Clearlake, CaliforniaSorbo Café — San Juan, Puerto RicoSugar Baby — Seminole, FloridaSugar Shack Donuts & Coffee — Richmond, VirginiaThe Coffee Hub — Chillicothe, OhioThe Mocha House — Youngstown, OhioThe Sparrow Bakery — Bend, OregonTracy's Cream & Sugar — Warren, Rhode IslandWild Coffee — Lake Havasu City, ArizonaMethodologyThe Top Coffee Shops 2026 list was generated by analyzing DoorDash data from July 2025 through July 2026. Small and medium-sized coffee shops with fewer than 10 stores on DoorDash, at least 1,000 lifetime reviews, and the highest average consumer ratings during the measurement period qualified for this list.This story was produced by DoorDash and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	7 credit card habits that make your debt worse, ranked by damage level Credit card debt can be exhausting. It can feel like a treadmill. You are moving. You are making payments every month. You are likely sweating over it. You are actively working at getting to your goal. And yet the scenery never changes and as much as you think you should be making progress, you still find yourself in the same place.You are right to be getting tired and frustrated. The numbers aren’t adding up the way they should be given your effort. But you have some credit card habits that are taking a bigger toll on you than you realize. Many of them may be things you perceive as ways to just get by with what life costs, or solutions to getting to the next paycheck. But the real cost may be a lot more amplified than normal, in part because of the debt you are already carrying.Credit card interest typically compounds daily, not monthly once you are carrying a balance. So just like compounding can be magical to the upside when you are saving and investing, it can be toxic and soul crushing when it is working against you. That’s why these seemingly small habits can derail your best efforts to climb out of debt, Accredited Debt Relief reports.The Habits Holding You Back, Ranked1. Taking a cash advance. As much as “cash is king,” a cash advance is trouble. It may seem less harmful than taking on more credit card debt, but it can add up a lot faster than people realize. First there is often an upfront fee that can be as high as 5%. Next, you will likely be paying a high interest rate just like a credit card. But there’s more: Unlike credit cards, if you don’t have debt on them when you make the purchase, cash advances start charging interest right away. There is no grace period. Interest starts adding up immediately as soon as the cash is in your account. That is expensive.2. Paying only the minimum on your credit card every month. Paying on time, even if it is just the minimum, is essential to keep your credit score intact. But too many new credit card holders, including young people, aka emerging financial grownups, confidently say that is what is “due,” and pay only the minimum without knowing the true cost. Real financial grownups know that the minimum will barely cover the interest on the credit card. There is no material progress on the credit card balance. So the balance grows, even though you are paying on time.3. Paying a higher APR because of a penalty or your credit score. Refer back to #2. Paying on time is everything. If you pay late, it hurts your credit. If your credit goes down, your interest rate often goes up. This is where it can pay off to be pro-active. Be prepared and polite and get in touch with your credit card issuer. The higher rate can be adjusted downward, but you may have to ask and it may take time.4. Not hitting pause on new charges. Continuing to charge new purchases while carrying a balance is going to cost you big time. If you aren’t carrying a balance, when you charge something, you don’t start paying interest until after the bill is due and not paid in full. However, if there is an ongoing balance, the interest kicks in the minute that charge hits. The interest starts accruing immediately instead of the usual 21-day interest free days you get when you aren’t carrying a balance.5. Using one credit card to pay another, and on repeat. Unless you are doing a clean balance transfer with a 0% promotional window and a real structured payoff plan, it can cost you more than you may realize. There are almost always fees attached, and it isn’t doing anything to reduce the balance. It may feel as though you cleared the deck, but really you have just shifted the burden, and paid to do so.6. Letting rewards and sign up bonuses influence decisions. Cash back feels like free money, and points can make you feel like you are achieving something. In some sense you are: You may be getting better seats on an airplane or lounge access when you travel. But sadly, these rewards are far from free. Paying interest at typical credit card rates is far more expensive than any perk you are getting. Think about the math: carrying a balance at 24% so you can get a generous 3% cash back will never add up.7. Paying attention to the wrong numbers. The total balance may feel overwhelming. Naturally, it makes sense to gravitate toward the more manageable number: the minimum balance. When you focus on the minimum amount due, you tend to lose sight of the more critical numbers: the total amount due, the APR and interest rate, as well as how much of the payment you are making is actually going towards the principal and freeing you from the debt.The Worst Credit Card Habit of All: Staying Silent About Your DebtIf you recognize any of these habits in yourself, or in someone you care about, you are not alone. It can feel lonely, but in fact these habits are more common than we realize. Keeping it quiet and under the radar is perhaps the worst habit of all. Even if you do the math and understand what is going on in terms of the numbers, credit card debt is often tied to behaviour and habits that have been part of our life for a long time, including keeping it secret. It is a very normal instinct as we try to get through our daily lives to simply reach for our credit card to pay for things instead of planning ahead and creating new systems.Hitting pause and getting support can help cut through the chaos of daily life.FAQ’s about Credit Card Debt HabitsWhy did my interest go up even though I paid on time? A late payment, even from several months back, or an unrelated drop in your credit score, can trigger a higher APR as a penalty. That can stick around even if your payment history is back on track. It is worth calling your card issuer to ask about getting it adjusted back down. You have nothing to lose.Does a cash advance hurt more than buying something? Yes. Cash advances often come with upfront fees of up to 5%. They also tend to have higher interest rates than a regular purchase. The real killer here is that there is no grace period so interest starts adding up the minute the cash hits your account.What’s the absolute worst credit card habit when you’re trying to pay off debt? It’s not what you do or what you say, it is what you don’t do and what you don’t say. It’s staying quiet about it. Every habit on this list gets worse the longer it goes unaddressed, and silence is what lets a fixable problem quietly turn into an unmanageable one.This story was produced by Accredited Debt Relief and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Barbecue, book sale are scheduled for Arts Alley, The Iconic in Rock Island Presented by Eudell Watts III, Rock Island Public Library Foundation, and the Rock Island Public Library, the Old-Fashioned BBQ and Booksale will be Saturday, Oct.10 in Arts Alley and The Iconic events center in downtown Rock Island. The event includes both a library book sale from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and the barbecue fundraiser from noon [...]
	Top tier gas may extend vehicle life despite higher cost, experts say Drivers pulling up to the gas pumps have a decision to make, deciding whether to pump regular or premium fuel, and then there’s the price to think about.
	IL Supreme Court reviewing whether home confinement, electronic monitoring pretrial counts for sentence credit The Illinois Supreme Court is currently debating whether people on home confinement and electronic monitoring pretrial should receive credits toward their prison sentence.
	New documentary short film festival comes to Ames A celebration of local arts and culture is set to take over downtown Ames this weekend. The city will play host to not one but two festivals on Sunday, including the inaugural Ames Documentary Film Festival.
	From content to conversion: The role of creators in beauty marketing Beauty is one of the most resilient industries in the U.S. Even while going through some difficult economic years, Americans still spend around $280 a year on cosmetics. Globally, the beauty and personal care market is a more-than-half-a-trillion-dollar industry.But behind all this strength and resilience stand social media and content creators. With 71% of beauty shoppers turning to social platforms to research products, brands use content to build awareness, trust, and ultimately, demand.As more buyers turn to AI-powered search, beauty marketing strategies rely on content creators for conversions. Good quality social media posts and campaigns can create a compelling narrative and uphold brand authenticity and visibility, SJOLIE reports.Why AI Search Demands Influencer MarketingThe widespread and quick adoption of AI answer engines, copilots, and generative platforms has brought a major shift in consumer search behavior and brand discoverability. With AI answers taking over a big chunk of the SERP page and 37% of consumers going straight to ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude for answers, brands need a new approach.This is where the power of influencer marketing becomes essential. As more users move away from standard Google search tools toward AI search, beauty marketing must focus more on human voices and content that’s most likely to be cited by LLMs.Creators describe beauty products using natural, hyper-specific human language. They talk about texture, finish, wear time, skin conditions, and routine integration. In short, they supply the precise descriptive context LLMs need to match a product to a niche user query.How Real-World Testing Builds Brand CredibilityToday’s beauty marketing is about more than just visibility. This is why social media and influencers play such an important role in promoting products and spreading the word. Consumers need proof of performance within a relatable context; it’s no longer enough to see an ad on TV or plastered all over the subway.Get Ready With Me videos, wear-tests, and live applications often go viral because buyers want to see how coverage, texture, blendability, and shade look on real skin and under various lighting conditions.In the world of beauty, new products pop up every day, and the market is hyper-fragmented. Brands that want to stand out and reach the right demographic must devise a strategy that includes influencers and content creators.Why Influencers Outperform Traditional AdsWhile standard beauty marketing techniques (like ads on TV, in magazines, or in public spaces) still work, they don’t do much about earning consumers’ trust. In fact, data shows that around two-thirds of buyers find them annoying.Millennial, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha buyers inherently distrust brand-owned messaging. But they will pay attention to their favorite beauty influencers and creators, whom they’ve been following for years.Influencers are the trusted, third-party reviewers. When a creator regularly shares both products they love and products that failed them, their opinion holds more power than any fancy TV commercial. This is why brands like GIMME Beauty built their creator strategy around product proof.Beauty marketing based on content creators also makes it easier for customers to find exactly what they need due to personalized recommendations. Whether they use AI search, Google, or social media search, the vast amount of content on a bevy of beauty topics means everyone can find the right products for their complexion.The ROI Case for Creator-Driven StrategiesSocial media and content creators are an important part of any beauty marketing strategy. Even if buyers can go into a store and test all sorts of products, the results don’t show right away.Creators and influencers bridge the gap between beauty claims and real-world results. Through their tests, reviews, and various forms of content, they help buyers understand the long-term results of a product and discover new brands.When an influencer recommends a product or brand to their followers, it sounds like a conversation between old friends over coffee. Everyone gets to share insights and ask questions, which is what creates communities, boosts awareness, and keeps the AI engines busy.This story was produced by SJOLIE and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Why most people with sleep apnea still don't know they have it Sleep apnea is remarkably common, yet many people living with it may have no idea anything is wrong. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates that nearly 30 million U.S. adults have obstructive sleep apnea, while about 23.5 million cases are undiagnosed. For some people, the first clues are persistent fatigue, headaches, or complaints about snoring.That disconnect helps explain why sleep apnea has become one of the most common and most overlooked sleep disorders affecting adults today. As conversations about sleep health have expanded, cpap.com provides this overview on sleep apnea and guidance on how to recognize its symptoms.Why Sleep Apnea Is Often Called a "Hidden" DisorderObstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea, occurs when the upper airway repeatedly becomes blocked during sleep, reducing or stopping airflow. These episodes can lower blood oxygen and briefly arouse the brain enough to restore breathing. In severe cases, the cycle can happen hundreds of times in one night, fragmenting sleep without necessarily leaving a memory of waking.Central sleep apnea is different: Rather than an airway obstruction, it involves problems with how the brain controls breathing during sleep.Both can be difficult to recognize because the defining events happen while the person is unconscious. A partner may first notice pauses in breathing, choking, or gasping.Symptoms can also develop gradually. Someone who has felt tired for years may begin treating exhaustion as normal. Because fatigue has many potential explanations, sleep apnea may never enter the conversation.The Warning Signs People Commonly IgnoreLoud snoring may be the symptom most associated with sleep apnea, but it is far from the only one. Nighttime warning signs can include gasping or choking, restless sleep, repeated awakenings, dry mouth and sweating.Daytime signs can include sleepiness, difficulty focusing, headaches and insomnia. Sleep disruption can also contribute to memory problems, mood changes, irritability and reduced performance.The problem is how ordinary those complaints sound. A new parent may attribute exhaustion to caring for a child. A busy professional may blame stress. Older adults may assume worsening sleep is part of aging, while others may seek help for anxiety or insomnia without considering disrupted breathing.Even snoring is frequently normalized as an annoyance rather than a potential health clue. On the other hand, because not everyone with sleep apnea snores, its absence cannot rule out the disorder.Who Is Most at Risk?There is no single profile of a person with sleep apnea. Risk generally increases with age, and excess body weight can contribute to airway obstruction. Family history and anatomical characteristics involving the neck, tongue, or upper airway can also affect risk.Smoking and alcohol use are among modifiable risk factors. Alcohol can relax muscles in the mouth and throat, potentially narrowing the airway, while smoking can promote upper-airway inflammation. High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes also commonly overlap with obstructive sleep apnea.Hormonal changes matter as well. Risk can rise for women during and after menopause, while nasal obstruction may make nighttime breathing more difficult.The stereotype of an older, heavier male patient can therefore be misleading. Women and younger adults can develop sleep apnea, and research indicates the disorder is particularly underdiagnosed in women. A person also does not need to be obese or snore to warrant evaluation when other persistent symptoms are present.Why Untreated Sleep Apnea Is More Than Just Poor SleepRepeated oxygen drops and sleep fragmentation can have consequences beyond feeling tired the next morning. Research has linked obstructive sleep apnea with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and metabolic problems, including type 2 diabetes. A systematic review involving 34 studies across 28 countries identified cardiovascular and other comorbidities among people with severe obstructive sleep apnea.The effects can extend to mental and cognitive health. Chronic disrupted sleep may contribute to difficulty concentrating, memory problems, irritability, and depression, potentially affecting work, relationships, and quality of life.Safety is another concern. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis found that people with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome had more than double the odds of motor vehicle accidents compared with controls.Those consequences shift sleep apnea from inconvenient snoring into a broader public health issue. A condition that impairs alertness, cardiovascular health, and everyday functioning can affect individuals, families, workplaces, and communities.Why So Many Cases Still Go UndiagnosedSleep apnea has an unusual awareness problem: Many of its best-known symptoms are easy to dismiss.Snoring is commonly treated as harmless. Fatigue overlaps with stress, insomnia, anxiety, aging, and caregiving. Because breathing interruptions happen during sleep, someone living alone may never know they occur. Younger adults and people who do not fit the stereotypical patient profile may be less likely to suspect a sleep disorder.Practical barriers add another layer. People may postpone discussing sleep with a physician, worry about cost, or lack access to specialized care. Stigma surrounding snoring or sleep-related medical devices may discourage some from raising concerns.Testing, however, is changing. Sleep studies conducted in specialized centers remain an important diagnostic option, but home sleep apnea testing has made evaluation possible outside the laboratory for appropriate patients. Screening questionnaires can also identify people who may need further evaluation.Wearables and consumer sleep trackers have brought greater attention to sleep, but they do not replace medical diagnosis. Technology can spark curiosity; the harder challenge is recognizing when persistent symptoms deserve professional evaluation.Greater Awareness Could Improve Public HealthThe growing focus on sleep creates an opportunity to close the gap between prevalence and diagnosis. More people are monitoring sleep, physicians have established screening tools, and home-based testing can make evaluation more accessible for some patients.But improved technology alone cannot identify everyone unknowingly living with sleep apnea. Education matters too. Recognizing that loud snoring, repeated gasping, persistent daytime sleepiness or unexplained morning headaches may warrant a conversation with a healthcare provider can be an important first step.The larger shift may be treating sleep as a meaningful indicator of health. Consistently waking exhausted, struggling to remain alert or experiencing disrupted sleep for months or years should not automatically be written off as aging or a busy life.Better sleep begins with recognizing that consistently poor sleep is not something people should simply learn to live with.This story was produced by cpap.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Iowa woman arrested in nationwide jury duty scam An Iowa woman is facing charges in Wisconsin connected to a jury duty scam.
	Late summer rains delays harvest, farmer says no need to panic yet An Eastern Iowa farmer says he’s weeks behind on harvest progress due to this year’s weather.
	Illinois Grocery Initiative funding works to combat food deserts Grants from the Illinois Grocery Initiative will help areas in the state that are currently considered to be food deserts. New funding is available under the Illinois Grocery Initiative’s New Stores in Food Deserts, Equipment Upgrades and Grocery Rescue grant programs. The grants are part of a $26 million effort to combat food deserts and [...]
	Milan neighbors oppose proposed battery storage facility Milan, Ill. neighbors, city leaders and firefighters are raising safety concerns over a proposed battery energy storage facility ahead of a Rock Island County zoning hearing.
	Has 'sleepmaxxing' gone too far? Sleep used to be something people simply did. Now, for a growing corner of wellness culture, it is something to optimize. “Sleepmaxxing,” a social-media-driven trend focused on maximizing sleep quality, can involve carefully timed routines, blackout curtains, smart rings, supplements, mouth tape, and nightly sleep scores. Fueled by wearable technology, sleep influencers, and biohacking culture, the trend reflects growing recognition that rest matters.But the pursuit of better sleep can become complicated when optimization starts to look like a performance. Data from resources such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) have shown growing consumer interest in understanding sleep, while wearables and apps have made personal sleep data widely available. Below, Sleeping.com examines whether that information helps people sleep better or encourages them to mistake better numbers for better health.Why Sleep Became Wellness's New ObsessionSleep has moved to the center of the wellness conversation partly because its importance is increasingly difficult to ignore. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults ages 18 to 60 get at least seven hours of sleep each day, while emphasizing that both sufficient duration and good-quality sleep matter.Technology has also transformed sleep from a largely subjective experience into something consumers can quantify. Smartwatches, rings and phone apps generate estimates for sleep duration, stages, timing and recovery. A 2026 AASM survey found that 48% of adults surveyed had used a sleep-tracking device, up from 35% in 2023.The pandemic also intensified attention to sleep as routines, stress, and working patterns changed. Research examining online search behavior found that general interest in sleep remained elevated from the middle of the pandemic into the post-pandemic period.That attention fits neatly into wellness and longevity movements already built around quantification. Steps, heart rate, workouts, and nutrition can all become data points. Sleep is especially appealing because technology appears to make an unconscious process visible and potentially controllable.The Benefits and Risks of Constant Sleep TrackingThat visibility can be useful. Tracking may reveal inconsistent schedules, short nights, or patterns users otherwise overlook. In the same AASM survey, 55% of tracker users reported changing their behavior based on what their devices told them.But that influence works in both directions. A score can encourage an earlier bedtime, but it can also persuade someone who feels rested that they slept badly. The same survey found that 51% of sleep-tracker users had felt anxious or stressed about achieving a good sleep score.Researchers have a term for an extreme version of that preoccupation: “orthosomnia.” First described in the clinical literature in 2017, the term was proposed after researchers presented three cases involving patients preoccupied with improving sleep data from wearable devices. They observed that efforts to optimize tracker-reported sleep could contribute to anxiety or unhelpful sleep behaviors.That creates a paradox at the heart of sleepmaxxing. Sleep requires letting go of conscious control, yet optimization culture can turn bedtime into a nightly performance review. Instead of asking, “Do I feel rested?” someone may begin asking, “Did I hit the right number?”Sleep Scores Don't Tell the Whole StoryPart of the problem is that consumer sleep data can look more definitive than it is.Wearables typically estimate sleep using physiological and behavioral signals collected by their sensors. Clinical polysomnography evaluates sleep using multiple physiological measurements. The difference between consumer technology and polysomnography matters because precise-looking charts of light, deep, and REM sleep can create a sense of certainty that the underlying technology may not support.The AASM notes that consumer devices offer sleep staging with limited validation of accuracy outside laboratory settings. Performance can also vary among devices, manufacturers, and software versions.That does not make trackers useless. Their strength may be in showing patterns over time rather than delivering a clinical verdict about an individual night. The AASM has said these technologies can contribute to conversations between patients and clinicians as part of an appropriate clinical evaluation.Sleep scores also compress complex information into a single number. A score of 82 rather than 92 feels meaningful because it is precise. But precision in presentation is not necessarily precision in measurement, and neither number establishes whether someone has a sleep disorder.When Optimization Can Delay Real TreatmentThe stakes become higher when optimization starts substituting for the evaluation of persistent symptoms.Someone who repeatedly wakes exhausted may interpret a tracker's explanation—too little deep sleep, poor recovery, or frequent awakenings—as a problem to solve with another routine, supplement, or device. But persistent sleep problems can have causes that optimization alone cannot address. The AASM clinical classification includes insomnia, sleep-related breathing and circadian rhythm disorders, including chronic insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.Consumer sleep technology should not replace validated diagnostic testing. The AASM says that without appropriate validation and regulatory clearance, consumer sleep technologies cannot diagnose or treat sleep disorders. Tracker data may provide useful observations to discuss with a clinician, but persistent symptoms may warrant professional evaluation regardless of a nightly score.The useful distinction is between optimization and investigation. Adjusting habits may improve otherwise healthy sleep. Repeatedly optimizing around an unexplained problem can delay finding out the cause.Healthy Sleep Is About Consistency, Not PerfectionThe sleepmaxxing trend gets one big thing right: Sleep deserves attention. The trouble begins when attention becomes a demand for nightly perfection.Healthy sleep does not require winning against an algorithm every morning. Sustainable practices such as maintaining reasonably consistent sleep and wake times, allowing adequate opportunity for sleep, and creating a comfortable environment may be less exciting than the latest optimization hack, but they are easier to maintain.Variation is normal. Stress, travel, illness, work schedules, and ordinary life can produce occasional restless nights. Trying to compensate aggressively for every deviation can make sleep another source of pressure rather than a means of recovery.Technology can be useful when it helps people notice broad patterns. It becomes less useful when a metric overrides lived experience or creates anxiety about normal fluctuations.Sleep has never been more measurable, but measurement and health are not the same thing. The most useful approach may be to treat sleep data as information rather than a grade: Build consistent habits, pay attention to daytime well-being, and seek professional evaluation when problems persist. Sleepmaxxing can help people take rest seriously. It does not have to turn rest into something else to perfect.This story was produced by Sleeping.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	When healthy eating meets a busy schedule: The search for nutrition that fits real life Most people know the basics of healthy eating: Eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods, including protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, and limit excess added sugar and sodium. The harder part is putting those principles into practice on an ordinary Tuesday.Work, commuting, childcare, travel, errands, and household responsibilities all compete for the same limited hours. That creates a gap between knowing what constitutes a healthy diet and having the time and energy to consistently prepare one. Increasingly, consumers are looking for choices that can work within real schedules rather than requiring an idealized routine.According to Protein Now, the larger trend extends well beyond any single brand: Convenience is increasingly becoming part of the nutrition equation itself.The Time Gap Between Nutrition Advice and Daily LifeTime is one of the practical constraints that can shape how people eat. The latest American Time Use Survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics illustrates how many competing demands can fill the day. Adults spent 2.3 hours per day on childcare in 2025 when children under age six were in the household.Food preparation is another demand on the clock. Food preparation and cleanup took 43 minutes per day on average in 2025, according to BLS data.For someone moving between meetings, school pickups, appointments, a commute, or a flight, the issue is often not whether a carefully prepared meal would be preferable. It is whether preparing that meal is realistic at that particular moment.The CDC's healthy-eating guidance recognizes that reality, noting that people eat in many settings, including home, work, and restaurants. Its recommendations include planning meals and keeping nutritious foods available so healthier options remain accessible when hunger strikes.Why Convenience Is Becoming a Nutrition StrategyConvenience has historically been associated with speed, sometimes carrying the implication that saving time means sacrificing nutritional quality. Consumer behavior increasingly suggests a more complicated picture.In 2026, the International Food Information Council's annual Food & Health Survey found that convenience surpassed healthfulness for the first time as a factor influencing Americans' food and beverage decisions in the survey's 21-year history. Taste remained the leading consideration at 88%, followed by price at 78%, while convenience influenced 61% of respondents compared with 56% for healthfulness.That does not necessarily mean consumers have stopped caring about nutrition. Rather, it suggests that health-conscious decisions are increasingly being made alongside practical considerations such as time, accessibility, and ease.Protein is one example of that shift. 70% of Americans were trying to eat more protein in 2025, according to IFIC, making protein the nutrient consumers were most likely to say they were actively trying to increase.That combination helps explain the appeal of foods that are portable, ready to consume, easy to store, or simple to incorporate into a meal. Convenience does not have to mean abandoning nutritional goals. In some circumstances, it can make those goals easier to maintain.Consistency Often Matters More Than PerfectionHealthy eating can become unnecessarily difficult when it is treated as an all-or-nothing exercise. A person may plan several elaborate meals for the week, only to encounter a late meeting, unexpected trip, or family obligation that makes the plan impossible.A more sustainable approach is to build habits that can survive those disruptions. The CDC recommends planning meals around individual preferences and schedules while keeping nutritious foods available in places where people are likely to need them.That principle leaves room for flexibility. Someone might cook from scratch on a weekend, assemble a quick meal between meetings on Wednesday, and choose a portable option while traveling on Friday. Those choices do not have to be identical to support an overall healthy eating pattern.The objective is not nutritional perfection at every meal. It is creating enough practical options that healthier choices remain possible when circumstances change.Food Innovation Is Meeting Consumers Where They AreFood innovation is increasingly focused on removing practical barriers between consumers and the nutrients they want to prioritize.Packaging is one example. Individual portions, resealable containers, and portable formats can make food easier to carry to an office, classroom, airport, or car. Refrigerated and shelf-stable products can extend the circumstances in which nutritious foods are accessible without requiring a full kitchen.Convenience is also becoming more specific. Consumers may value food that is quick to prepare, easy to consume, simple to store, or available when a planned meal falls apart. In that context, convenience is less about replacing traditional meals than creating additional opportunities to eat in a way that aligns with personal nutrition goals.At the same time, consumers are scrutinizing what convenience foods contain. Eighty percent considered whether a food was processed before buying in 2025, according to IFIC.That creates a more demanding environment for food innovation. Consumers may want convenience, but they are also evaluating ingredients, processing, nutritional value, taste, and affordability.The Future of Healthy Eating Will Fit Into Everyday LifeThe next phase of nutrition innovation may be less about asking consumers to fundamentally reorganize their lives and more about helping healthier choices fit into them.Personalized nutrition tools, AI-assisted meal planning, and smarter grocery-shopping systems could reduce some of the planning burden by helping people match food choices to their schedules, preferences, and available ingredients. Workplace wellness programs could similarly evolve toward making nutritious food more accessible rather than focusing solely on nutrition education.The underlying opportunity is straightforward: Nutrition advice is most useful when people can act on it.That is why convenience deserves to be viewed as more than a lifestyle preference. It can be part of the environment in which food decisions are made. When nutritious options are portable, accessible, and easy to incorporate into a routine, consumers have more opportunities to follow through on the intentions they already have.Healthy eating does not happen in a vacuum. It happens between work deadlines, school pickups, commutes, flights, appointments, and everything else competing for attention.The future of healthy eating may therefore depend less on asking people to find more time and more on creating nutritious options that can keep pace with the lives they already lead. The goal is not perfection. It is making better, realistic choices often enough that they can become part of everyday life.This story was produced by Protein Now and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Rock Island-Milan School board seeks input to limit phones in classrooms Artificial intelligence and cell phones were discussed at the Rock Island-Milan School Board meeting on Tuesday night.
	It's getting harder to afford rent in the U.S., even for middle-income families Housing affordability challenges are spreading to higher income brackets, according to new research, which found one in five renters struggled last year to pay for their housing in full and on time.
	More than 1 in 5 self-employed buyers who applied to multiple lenders reported an earlier turn-down Among primary-residence buyers who applied to multiple lenders and ultimately closed, 21.4% of respondents reporting self-employment said an earlier application had been turned down, compared with 14.5% of wage-employed respondents, according to a new analysis from Griffin Funding. Separately, Polygon Research estimates non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) origination volume rose 31.6% in 2025 to $239.3 billion.Self-employed buyers shopped for mortgages at almost exactly the same rate as wage-employed buyers. The surprise is why some of them were shopping. About 31.1% of respondents reporting self-employment applied to more than one lender, compared with 31.5% of wage-employed respondents. After adjustment, there was still no meaningful difference between the groups.Among the buyers who did apply to multiple lenders, the experience looked different. The Griffin Funding analysis of the FHFA/CFPB National Survey of Mortgage Originations public-use file found that 21.4% of respondents reporting self-employment said an earlier mortgage application had been turned down, compared with 14.5% of wage-employed respondents. After adjustment, the self-employed group was 51% more likely to report an earlier turn-down.Every buyer in that headline group eventually got a mortgage. So this is not to say that 1 in 5 self-employed homebuyers were denied and never got a loan. It reveals that among buyers who had to apply to more than one lender before reaching the closing table, an earlier "no" was more common in the self-employed group. Griffin Funding Non-QM was growing fast on a separate trackThat finding lands in a mortgage market that has been changing quickly. A separate Griffin Funding analysis highlighted Polygon Research's HMDA-based estimate that non-QM origination volume grew from $181.8 billion in 2024 to $239.3 billion in 2025, a 31.6% jump. Loan count rose 24.7%, to 697,605 originations, and non-QM reached about 10% of the U.S. mortgage market by dollar volume and 10.2% by loan count. Because HMDA does not contain an official non-QM flag, Polygon uses a rules-based classification methodology tied to the ATR/QM framework.Non-QM is a broad category, not a synonym for self-employed lending. It includes DSCR loans, alternative-documentation mortgages, interest-only structures and other loans that fall outside the Qualified Mortgage framework. But bank statement loans are one important part of that market because they can document qualifying income through bank deposits rather than relying only on tax returns.The federal survey cannot determine whether the borrowers who reported an earlier turn-down later used non-QM financing. The datasets are separate. What they show, side by side, is a mortgage market where self-employed buyers report more qualification friction, while a much larger share of lending is being built around borrowers and loan structures that do not fit neatly inside the traditional box.The shopping rate was almost identical. The pressure to qualify was not.Self-employed buyers were not applying to more lenders overall. But among those who did, qualification was more likely to be part of the reason.Looking for better terms was common in both groups: 81.7% of self-employed multi-lender applicants and 83.6% of wage-employed applicants cited this reason. The adjusted difference was not statistically significant. Concern about qualifying told a different story. It was cited by 42.5% of self-employed multi-lender applicants, compared with 29.6% of wage-employed applicants. After adjustment, the self-employed group was 48% more likely to cite that concern.Borrowers could choose more than one reason, so someone could be comparing rates and worrying about approval at the same time. The important point is simpler: the two groups shopped around at nearly the same rate, but self-employed borrowers were more likely to have a qualification problem in the background when they did.The paperwork tells the same storyThe earlier turn-down was only one sign of extra friction. Across the full 23,299-borrower analytical population, 73.2% of self-employed respondents had a follow-up request for more information about income or assets, compared with 67.7% of wage-employed respondents. After adjustment, the self-employed group was 9% more likely to have that follow-up request.A five-and-a-half-point gap may not sound dramatic on paper. In a mortgage file, it can mean another statement, another explanation, another ownership document or another round of underwriting questions.Other survey questions point in the same direction. Among respondents with a valid answer to the co-signer question, 13.5% of the self-employed group said they had to add another co-signer to qualify, compared with 9.7% of the wage-employed group. After adjustment, self-employed respondents were 38% more likely to report that step.Documentation satisfaction also differed. Among respondents with a valid answer to that question, 11.9% of the self-employed group were coded as "not at all satisfied," compared with 7.6% of wage-employed respondents. After adjustment, that response was 56% more likely in the self-employed group.These are not failure rates, and most self-employed borrowers did not report those outcomes. They are smaller pieces of the same picture: getting to closing sometimes required more explaining, more documentation and more back-and-forth.Why self-employed income can take more explainingFannie Mae's current Selling Guide for self-employed borrowers requires lenders to evaluate the stability of the income, analyze personal and, when applicable, business income or loss, and determine how much income can reasonably be relied on for the mortgage. The process includes a written cash-flow analysis or an approved equivalent method.That is not a flaw in the underwriting process. A lender still has to determine whether the income is stable and whether the borrower can repay the loan. But a business owner can have far more moving pieces than a salaried employee: multiple accounts, ownership percentages, expenses, K-1 income, changing business structures and deposits that do not line up neatly with a pay stub.Bank statement programs use a different documentation path. They review eligible deposits over a defined period and apply program-specific expense assumptions to determine qualifying income. They still involve credit standards, reserves, property requirements, debt-to-income limits and ability-to-repay analysis. The difference is the evidence used to establish income.A bigger non-QM market does not erase the problem. It gives borrowers more paths through it.The federal survey shows that among buyers who shopped multiple lenders and eventually closed, respondents reporting self-employment were more likely to report an earlier turn-down and more likely to say they were worried about qualifying. Separately, Polygon Research estimates non-QM originations grew 31.6% in 2025.The data do not show that one caused the other. They show two sides of the same market: more qualification friction among self-employed buyers and a growing non-QM market built in part for borrowers whose finances do not fit traditional income documentation.MethodologyGriffin Funding analyzed the May 27, 2026, public-use release of the National Survey of Mortgage Originations, jointly managed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The release contains 62,359 sample mortgages originated from 2013 through 2024 across the first 46 processed survey waves.The main analytical population contains 23,299 respondent-borrowers associated with purchase mortgages on current primary residences: 2,872 respondents reporting self-employment and 20,427 reporting wage employment without self-employment. The headline analysis is limited to 7,045 respondents who applied to more than one lender and had a coded earlier-turn-down response: 863 respondents reporting self-employment and 6,182 reporting wage employment.Employment status was measured when respondents completed the survey after origination, not necessarily when they applied for the mortgage. The self-employed group includes full- and part-time self-employment, including some respondents who reported self-employment as a secondary work status. Results should therefore be read as associations among respondents reporting those work statuses, not proof that self-employment itself caused a lender decision.Percentages were calculated using the official NSMO analysis weight. Adjusted risk ratios were estimated with weighted modified-Poisson models controlling for survey-time household-income category, age and age squared, education, sex, Hispanic status, race, marital status, origination credit score and origination year. The models do not control for every underwriting factor that could differ between the groups, including debt-to-income ratio, loan-to-value ratio, loan amount and property type.For reference, the adjusted estimates were: applying to more than one lender, risk ratio 1.01 (approximate 95% CI 0.95 to 1.07); earlier turn-down, 1.51 (1.31 to 1.73); looking for better terms, 0.98 (0.95 to 1.02); concern about qualifying, 1.48 (1.36 to 1.61); follow-up request for income or asset information, 1.09 (1.06 to 1.12); adding another co-signer, 1.38 (1.24 to 1.54); and being "not at all satisfied" with documentation, 1.56 (1.38 to 1.75).Survey routing, weighting and variable definitions were checked against FHFA's Technical Documentation, Codebook and Unweighted Tabulations and Waves 45 and 46 questionnaire. The co-signer analysis included 19,055 valid responses: 2,484 from respondents reporting self-employment and 16,571 from the wage-employed comparison group. The documentation-satisfaction analysis included 19,119 valid responses: 2,488 and 16,631, respectively.FHFA's separate Select Weighted Tabulations, 2014-2024, provide official weighted tables for many NSMO questions but do not publish the self-employment cross-tabulations used here. The 21.4% and 14.5% turn-down rates, the other employment-group comparisons and the adjusted risk ratios are Griffin Funding calculations from the public-use file, not published FHFA statistics.The public-use response variables can combine direct, edited and imputed answers. The file also does not provide the replicate weights and complete sample-design variables required for official FHFA variance estimates, so the confidence intervals reported here are model-based approximations rather than official FHFA confidence intervals.This story was produced by Griffin Funding and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Going into business with your husband, wife, or partner: How to make it work Running a small business is often a labor of love. But what if your business partner is also your life partner? Having a spouse or significant other by your side may not help with the usual headaches of growing a successful business — never clocking out, wearing countless hats, penny pinching — but it can add to why you started one in the first place. For many business owners, having a loved one to share their passion with more than justifies the challenges of mixing business and romance.Luckily, there are ways to minimize the stress of owning a small business as a team. Here are four tips from Wells Fargo for couples already running or thinking about starting a business together to help ensure their entrepreneurial partnership is as successful as their romantic one.Key takeawaysForm a joint plan: Make sure you have a business plan featuring you and your partner’s specific responsibilities.What’s your shared business strategy? Get on the same page with your long-term business strategy, including an exit strategy should your business close.Maintain personal boundaries and communication: Regularly invest time to talk through issues when they arise. When possible, make time for yourself away from work.1. Define your rolesFiguring out who does what is crucial in every partnership, but it’s particularly important for couples who collectively take on the responsibilities of a small business. Opposites may often attract, but not all couples will have skill sets or experiences that neatly fall into roles like customer service, human resources manager, or financial expert.As you develop a business plan, set aside time to identify each person’s duties and divvy up the responsibilities necessary to operate the business. For example, if you’re highly organized and love crunching numbers, but your partner is more energized by working with people, then it may make sense for you to run the books while they manage customer relations and new business efforts.Commit to regularly revisiting your business plan to ensure the structure is still working and you’re meeting your goals. 2. Create a long-term planManaging finances can be stressful in any relationship. In fact, 68% of business owners surveyed in the 2025 Wells Fargo Money Study reported feeling a lot of pressure to grow their business.That’s why it’s important to be on the same page when it comes to financing a business and generating revenue. Make financial decisions early and strategically, including how much of your personal finances — if any — you might use to launch or operate the business, if you’ll tap into savings or family help, reduce living expenses, or work other jobs. Whatever you and your partner decide, a solid financial strategy will be the foundation of your business plan.One often overlooked piece is the exit strategy. While it’s uncomfortable to think about the end of your business, an exit strategy will lay out a clear process to follow if it doesn’t work out, which will make an unfortunate situation easier to manage if it does happen.This strategy should outline what to do if one partner decides to leave the business or if the business needs to close for other reasons. Whether you both decide to sell your business or liquidate it, a business banker or tax advisor can help you establish a plan.3. Keep up communicationOnce you’ve created defined roles, a business plan, and financial strategy, you’ll have plenty of practice in communication, but the dialogue is far from over. Partners who are in business together will need to ensure they trust and support each other, as well as keep lines of communication open for the life of their business — and their relationship, too.Growing a business with your spouse or significant other will undoubtedly involve difficult conversations. Whether that’s addressing poor performance, managing conflicting views, or making major financial decisions, honest and ongoing communication will be key to keeping both you and your partner on the same page. Plus, effective communication won’t only benefit your business, but your relationship, too.4. Separate work from life, when you canFinally, couples who decide to go into business together should make time for themselves and each other outside of work. While it’s easier said than done, having every aspect of life involve your business — even one you are extremely passionate about — will make it that much harder to maintain both your romantic relationship and your own well-being.It’s normal for entrepreneurs to have a blurred line between business and personal. That’s why dictating specific business hours and respecting that boundary will help you maintain a healthy work-life balance. And when you’re off the clock, carve out time to do things that you and your partner love.Starting a business means following your passion, and it can be extremely rewarding to share that dream with a loved one. That doesn’t mean going into business is any less work. But by laying the proper foundation when you and your partner start your small business journey, you’ll have more energy to put toward what you love: your business and each other.FAQWhat should you discuss before going into business with your husband, wife, or partner?You and your partner or spouse should consider sharing your individual expectations, previous experiences, and ambitions with growing your business, what duties you’d like to take on, and your financial plan, including what, if any, personal funds will go into the business. It’s important to agree on how costs or profits from the business will fit your personal finances, and if one or both of you will leave or maintain work outside of the business. Finally, you and your partner should reconcile your respective views into a cohesive business plan.What are the biggest challenges when going into business with a spouse?Because business partners may bring work home with them or work irregular hours, entrepreneurs may experience blurred personal-professional boundaries or emotional spillover. This challenge may lead to your personal dynamics influencing your professional business lives, and/or vice versa.How do you resolve conflict when running a business with someone you love? You and your partner, spouse, or loved one should strive to maintain personal and professional boundaries and aim to prevent future conflict through planning, including creating written agreements or documents like a business plan or job description. Address conflict open and honestly while focusing on the most important things: your relationship and your shared passion for your business.If necessary, third parties can help. For personal issues, a therapist or family counselor specializing in couples or relationships may be the most appropriate. For disagreements related to a business, consider talking to a trusted mentor, business mediation professionals, your business’s legal counsel, or a third-party attorney, depending on what you’d like to address.This story was produced by Wells Fargo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Adult dead, juvenile missing after Iowa City elementary field trip at Lake Macbride The search for the child was suspended and will recommence on Wednesday morning.

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