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

Friday, May 1st, 2026
	Quad Cities Soaked: Wet April Leads Into Warmer May Ahead After a very wet April, May should bring some relief with more seasonable conditions but we’ll continue to monitor the long-range pattern for any significant weather systems that could impact your plans.
	'History Rocks' school assembly stops at Hayes Elementary The event included speeches and games with questions about the American Revolution. Some are concerned about the conservative groups behind the event.
	Freight House Farmers' Market opens the doors for new season This weekend is the start of the annual Freight House Farmers' Market, which will be open for the next 26 weeks.
	Handball championships to be held in the Quad-Cities in May “For an entire week, Bettendorf will become the center of North American handball," USA Team Handball CEO Michael King said.
	Winter shelter helped 86 people toward housing, as Quad-Cities officials look for long-term solutions Finding long-term solutions to homelessness took center stage this week in the Quad-Cities.
	A frosty start to the weekend in the Quad Cities Showers and isolated thunderstorms are possible today to kick off the month of May. More showers and storms are likely Sunday and Monday. In between, skies clear out tonight allowing temperatures to fall into the 30s and frost is likely. Here's your full 7-day forecast.
	Resurfacing project scheduled to move eastward in Bettendorf Beginning Monday, May 4, work moves eastward on Central Avenue as Iowa American Water continues the first part of the Central Avenue Resurfacing Project by replacing the water main in some spots from 14th Street to Pius Lane, a news release says. Crews will begin work on the third of five sections from 19th Street [...]
	How well can EVs handle the heat — and the cold? AAA put them to the test Electric vehicles lose some range in the winter — and, to a lesser degree, in the summer. But exactly how much? AAA has brand-new data.
	A tech worker in China is laid off and replaced by AI. Is it legal? A tech worker in eastern China's Hangzhou city was dismissed after his job was replaced by AI. An appeals court in the city has ruled the dismissal unlawful.
	The Sentinels This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Walk down to the river's edge anywhere near Rock Island and you’ll see them. Lone men and women standing or sitting…
	How to talk to boys about looksmaxxing The trend among boys and young men of optimizing their physical appearance includes dangerous practices. Experts offer advice on how to talk to their sons about body image and healthy behaviors.
	Fill in the blank for the quiz: The Trump admin took aim at _____ this week This week, the federal government's been busy. There are paint jobs, fresh indictments, commemorative items and more. If you've been paying attention — good job!
	Man charged with attempted murder after stabbings of Jewish men in London A 45-year-old man was charged with attempted murder in the stabbings of two Jewish men in London, the latest in a string of attacks that have sparked fear and anger in Britain's Jewish community.
	Republicans say they will defer to Trump on Iran war despite arrival of deadline Republican lawmakers say they will continue to defer to President Donald Trump, for now, during the fragile ceasefire with Iran.
	Thermos recalls 8.2M bottles, jars after several reports of vision loss The recall warns "the stopper can forcefully eject when opened" if food and beverages are stored in the containers for too long.
	Prosecutors release video of armed man storming correspondents' dinner Federal prosecutors released a video Thursday showing the moment authorities say a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the White House Correspondents' Association dinner and attempt to kill President Donald Trump.
	The Venice Biennale jury resigns amid tensions over awards ban, Russian participation The international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned Thursday amid tensions over Russia's participation and the panel's decision to bar prizes for countries accused of crimes against humanity.
	Zelenskyy says he's seeking details of Putin's May 9 ceasefire proposal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seeking details of a short-term ceasefire Russia proposed to U.S. President Donald Trump.
	Senate committee passes bill to protect prescription info for trans, abortion patients A bill to strengthen privacy protections for transgender and abortion patients passed a Senate committee Wednesday in a 9-4 partisan vote.
Thursday, April 30th, 2026
	Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds reflects on legacy, work during stop in Davenport Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds reflected on her legacy and the challenges and accomplishments of her tenure as governor.
	High school sports: April 30th Watch highlights from Riverdale vs Rockridge softball, Sterling vs United Township softball, and Bettendorf vs Pewaukee girls soccer.
	Rockridge defeats Riverdale 10-0, Rockets pitcher breaks school record Rockridge baseball defeated Riverdale 10-0 in six innings. Rockets pitcher Carsen Dekeyrel broke the school record for career strikeouts with 224.
	Pleasant Valley runner balances record-breaking relay with national science competition Dillon Krause ran on the Pleasant Valley boys 4x400 relay team that set a school record at the Drake Relays while preparing for a national science competition.
	Reynolds touts tax cuts, recalls disasters in final months as Iowa governor Reynolds was joined on stage by several members of the state’s Republican Party, and there was a tribute video from others who couldn’t make the trip to Davenport.
	'History Rocks' school assembly stops at Hayes Elementary The event includes speeches and games with questions about the American Revolution. Some are concerned about the conservative groups behind the event.
	St. Croix Hospice opens new location in Moline The facility has a 15-person staff and is available to serve patients on nights, weekends and holidays.
	Work on 3 Mississippi River bridges to begin May 1 All work is expected to be done by the end of July.
	Farm Bill passes in the House: Local legislators and farmers react The new Farm Bill is nearing completing the process to become law. It would be the first time since 2018 that a farm bill was signed into law. Typically, the bill is renewed every five years. This one is three years overdue, but an end is in sight. The bill passed in the U.S. House [...]
	Democratic candidates applaud Mills’ legacy while distancing themselves from parts of her record The Democratic gubernatorial candidates, clockwise from top left, Shenna Bellows, Nirav Shah, Troy Jackson, Hannah Pingree, Angus King III. (Photos by Maine Morning Star; Official campaign photos)On the same day that Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate, the five Democrats hoping to succeed her praised her legacy, but highlighted key decisions they would have made differently. The candidates were gathered on stage for the first televised debate in the Democratic primary, aired on WMTW Thursday evening. From Secretary of State Shenna Bellows calling Mills a “trailblazer,” to energy entrepreneur Angus King III praising her for standing up to President Donald Trump and even former Senate President Troy Jackson —who often openly disagreed with the governor — commending the Medicaid expansion she passed, the candidates mostly spoke highly of the governor’s record. However, the each highlighted positions that they disagreed with. These included her opposition to fully restoring tribal sovereignty, her record of voting against some gun safety legislation, her vetoes of bills penalizing drug companies for arbitrarily raising prices, and her refusal to sign a bill temporarily banning data centers. “If I was governor, I would have signed that legislation,” said Hannah Pingree, who previously served in the Mills administration and as speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, about the data center ban, which the governor vetoed last week. “I think it is very important that we put guardrails around AI data centers to ensure that they are not jacking up the rates of electricity rate payers.” The candidates, which also included formerMaine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, rarely disagreed with each other. Instead, they highlighted Mainers’ cost of living challenges, lack of access to affordable healthcare and the need to reform the public school system. “On matters of policy, we are remarkably aligned, and that speaks volumes for the strength of what we are going to be able to put forward in the general election,” Shah said. Bellows credited their collegiality to ranked choice voting. While voters will not be able to rank candidates in the November election, during the June 9 primary they will. “People at home can vote for all of us,” Bellows said. When explicitly asked to distinguish themselves from other candidates, Jackson said he’s been the only candidate that came out in support of Graham Platner, who is now the presumptive Democratic U.S. Senate nominee. “I was looking for a change candidate right from the start,” he said of the Senate race. “The status quo is not working for most of us across the state.” Many Democrats announced their support of Platner after Mills’ departure from the race Thursday, including Shah and Bellows. The latter also appeared alongside the military veteran at an event in Lewiston Thursday afternoon. One point of difference emerged when Pingree and Bellows pointed to King’s mixed stance on tribal sovereignty. King said while he supported the idea of tribal sovereignty, there are “a lot of details that need to be worked out when two nations need to coexist in the same place and in lots of different parcels across the state.” “And I think it’s really important that we get it right first, before we get into a situation we end up with greater lawsuits, greater conflict, and people not getting along,” he added. Education King, who has been touring schools as part of his campaign, tried to set himself apart from other candidates with his focus on education. He said he would demand greater accountability from Maine schools, which have been grappling with plummeting test scores, declining enrollment and untenable school budgets for years now. He would also focus on building reading skills, making sure teachers are adequately paid and held accountable for the results in their classrooms, King said. Bellows also said she wants to be known as “Maine’s education governor,” which she said would start with the state taking on a higher share of the education budget. She also focused on the need to retain and recruit teachers, including paying student teachers stipends. Jackson described a recently passed law increasing the minimum teacher salaries to $50,000 over the next three years as ”a joke.” He said Maine teachers should be paid a minimum of $60,000, which would still fall below the national average salary of more than $74,000. Pingree agreed with Jackson on raising the minimum salaries faster, and said she supported some measures the Legislature passed this session, including a cell phone ban and free community college. At a time when many rural schools are facing closures, Shah said he would “maintain schools across Maine through every available option that I can, because when we can prevent a small town school from closing, we can prevent an entire town from beginning to collapse.” Affordability All candidates said they want to lower property taxes and expand affordable housing, with many suggesting a turn to out-of-state homeowners and tourists to help alleviate the financial burden on Maine renters and homeowners. Jackson said he would double the recently passed tax on millionaires, which will impose a surcharge of 2% on the portion of a resident’s taxable income beyond $1 million. Responding to a common concern that such a tax would drive wealthy people away from the state, he said, “anyone that actually thinks that way is already left.” “We’ll figure out a way to actually bring people back by giving them property tax relief,” he added. “I’ll trade them property tax relief for income taxes, and that they’ll actually do better under that scenario.” Jackson also said he would work to get private equity property owners out of the state. Bellows said as governor, she would “double property taxes on out-of-staters who are gobbling up our property because one in six Maine homes is a vacation home right now.” Pingree, whose platform focuses largely on housing, building on her work leading the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, said she also supported the millionaire’s tax and increasing property taxes on out- of-state homeowners. “I would invest $100 million a year to build more housing in the state of Maine,” she said. King focused on cutting red tape to enable more housing construction. He also criticized Trump’s tax policy, saying, “the first thing I wouldn’t do is what President Trump did, and cut taxes for billionaires.” Shah said the challenge for the next governor will be “balancing the need to build more housing with making sure that we don’t destroy everything that makes Maine the beautiful place it is: our environment, our streams, our forests.” He also said he would pass a “Maine first look law,” under which for the first 30 days a starter home is on the market, only young Maine families would be able to bid on it. Healthcare Most of the Democratic candidates agreed that Maine is facing a healthcare crisis. Several shared personal anecdotes, such as Pingree highlighting the sharp increase in her family’s marketplace health insurance premiums and King telling viewers about a $100,000 medical bill his family received. All candidates said they support universal healthcare with Shah, who ran the Maine CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it his “North Star.” “That is the goal that I would like to get us to, and away from a model where, right now, care is delivered based on how much an insurance company might think you want or how much you need,” he added. Shah said he would cap copays and deductibles based on household income levels and increase taxes on insurance companies, which he would use to fund struggling rural hospitals. Jackson said he would “force private equity to do their job and give healthcare, and not worry about dollars and cents.” Pingree agreed. She also highlighted her healthcare plan that includes a public option, which would allow the state to negotiate better rates for individuals and small businesses. King said he would seek to break down silos in the healthcare system so that hospitals, patients, doctors, and nurses work together to solve a system he said is fundamentally broken. Bellows said as governor she would provide direct funding for hospitals, community health centers, birthing centers, and family planning, including Planned Parenthood. “No one should be sick because they are poor, or poor because they are sick,” she said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Maine Morning Star
	IMEG, Rock Island, adds national director role IMEG has announced the addition of a new leadership role within its infrastructure group—further strengthening the firm’s ability to serve clients across transportation, water resources, utilities, and public works, according to a news release. Effective May 5, A. J. Loss will join IMEG as national director of infrastructure, based in the firm’s Rock Island office. [...]
	Hayes Elementary hosts "History Rocks!" and the U.S. Department of Education The U.S. Department of Education's "History Rocks!" civic tour visited Hayes Elementary in Davenport on Thursday, though it also drew some protestors.
	House panel advances bill legalizing closure of Iowa City Historical Research Center Ricki King, a public historian who serves on the boards of the Iowa Historical Foundation and the State Historical Society of Iowa, speaks April 30, 2026 to lawmakers in opposition to a bill that would allow the state to no longer maintain a Historical Society center in Iowa City. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)Advocates told a House panel that legislation removing a state requirement to maintain an State Historical Society of Iowa research center in Iowa City would not mitigate a current lawsuit challenging the state’s move to close the Iowa City location in 2025. Speakers also reiterated concerns about the loss of historical artifacts and records that would come if the center is closed. Senate File 2293, passed by the Senate in early March, strikes the requirement in current state code for the Iowa Department of Administrative Services to maintain a historical resource research center in Iowa City. The requirement for a center to be maintained by DAS in Des Moines would remain as-is. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX This legislation comes several months after DAS had announced its plan to close the Iowa City center. The State Historical Society of Iowa announced the move in June 2025 with plans to close the State Historical Society of Iowa Research Center June 30, 2026. The announcement that was met with a lawsuit from a group of historians, professors, archivists and donors. The suit cites the language in existing Iowa law that the bill seeks to eliminate. DAS officials have said closing the Iowa City facility is necessary as the state historical society faces a $800,000 budget shortfall. Ricki King, a public historian who serves on the boards of the Iowa Historical Foundation and the State Historical Society of Iowa, told reporters she did not approve of how the move was handled. As a member of the SHSI Board of Trustees, she said trustees were not notified before the decision was announced. King also said she was concerned about closing the Iowa City center not only because the move defies existing state law, but also because Iowa City hosts historical materials that reflect “where most of Iowa history started, is on east side of Iowa — and that’s where most of the people of color’s records are going to be.” “I’m worried about those records being lost,” King said. “”I understand the centennial building isn’t a viable location, but the legislation going through the courts isn’t saying ‘reopen that building’ as much as ‘make sure we have a location still in Iowa City,’ — we can maybe find a different building location.” While this measure has the possibility of resolving some issues in regard to the first lawsuit, Jim Carney with the nonprofit corporation State Historical Society Inc. told House lawmakers Thursday that changing this language would not resolve their organization’s second lawsuit challenging the center’s closure. This lawsuit has been consolidated with the other case in Johnson County District Court. Carney said in an interview the State Historical Society Inc. lawsuit specifically deals with the State Historical Society of Iowa’s contract with their nonprofit, which he said would not be impacted by the bill, and that previous court cases in the state have “maintained the right to contract, and the Legislature can’t impair those contracts.” “This bill will not solve that litigation,” Carney told lawmakers. “I’ve talked to the attorneys handling the matter, and I think we just wanted you to be aware of the fact that as you’re doing this, the explanation (from supporters) may be that this might take care of it — and it might even create more litigation, actually.” Some of the concern brought up surrounding the closure of the Iowa City location centered on actions that have already been taken to move materials out of Iowa City, as well as concerns about what will happen to the historical objects that will not be stored in Des Moines. At a June 2025 board meeting, Iowa State Archivist Tony Jahn said 40% of the Iowa City collections would be transferred to the State Historical Building in Des Moines, while the other 60% would be sold, dispersed or discarded. While litigation was pending, the state began moving some historical materials from the Iowa City location in October, using unmarked trucks and workers with Iowa Prison Industries, the Gazette reported. Tami Wiencek, legislative liaison for DAS, reiterated that removal of materials “has been put on hold with this injunction,” and that earlier removal of materials was kept at a “bare minimum.” She also said DAS and the State Historical Society are “serious stewards” of these historic objects. “Our State Historical Society and specifically the archivist follows not only professional standards within the archive industry for moving or keeping of documents and materials, but we also have standards in code and in administrative code,” Wiencek said. Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, said, “I’m not really sure that the Department of Correction people are trained in moving archive materials.” Jacoby criticized the bill as “cancel culture,” removing Iowa City’s place in state history as the first capital — and criticized the bill coming up in the final days before lawmakers aim to end the 2026 session. “This is something that we could have been working on together all through the session,” Jacoby said. “… I think to date, that this is maybe the worst bill that we could move forward in the closing days of the 2026 session.” Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, did not give a firm answer on whether the measure will move forward in the House before final adjournment. “I am going to consult the leadership and see what their intent is,” Lundgren said. The measure was recommended for passage by the subcommittee after the meeting, according to the Legislature’s website. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Viola Boyz Backroad Speedway, Viola, will feature go-kart races Viola Boyz Backroad Speedway, 686 240th St., Viola, Illinois will host week 2 in its 2026 point racing series of racing action. Hot laps will begin at 6 p.m., with racing at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for general admission, $20 for a pit pass, and $30 for driver entry. All drivers, teams, and spectators [...]
	Pancheros Mexican Grill, Burlington reopens after extensive remodel Pancheros Mexican Grill, has announced its third completed remodel in Iowa this year, this time in Burlington, according to a news release. Officially reopening to the public on Friday, the Burlington location at 1035 Lawrence Drive will boast an extensive remodel, including the addition of second-make line for online orders and streamlined operations, back-of-house updates, [...]
	Eddy the River Otter is new mascot for Iowa community college EICC officials say the River Otters give students across Clinton, Muscatine and Scott community colleges one name to rally behind.
	Turtle at Nahant Marsh, Davenport, continues recovery after surgery Her surgery was successful, she continues to improve, and now Oneida - an ornate box turtle at Nahant Marsh, Davenport - has had a bath. An update on the turtle is part of a news letter sent to Nahant Marsh supporters, "Oneida the ornate box turtle is doing well as we enter the month of [...]
	Federal judge upholds Florida’s citizen initiative restrictions Florida Decides Healthcare Executive Director Mitch Emerson talks to reporters in Tallahassee outside the federal courthouse on May 22, 2025. (Photo by Christine Sexton/Florida Phoenix)U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has rejected a legal challenge to Florida’s restrictions on ballot initiatives that was filed by groups who have been pushing measures on marijuana and Medicaid expansion. The two-week trial wrapped up in February and Walker issued his ruling on Thursday. The judge, who previously criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature, sided with state election officials by concluding that the groups that sued in some cases lacked standing to bring their lawsuit. But he also found that lawmakers had the power to pass the restrictions in 2025 to combat fraud and “protect the integrity” of the initiative process. Walker wrote that he understood groups seeking to place initiatives on the ballot have been “dismayed” at the changes but concluded they were allowed. “The citizen initiative process, which gives Floridians a path to amend their Constitution, is virtually dead save for the most controversial issues for which tens of millions of dollars can be raised,” Walker wrote. “But Plaintiffs’ quarrels with the wisdom of the Legislature’s actions — at least with respect to those provisions under HB 1205 for which Plaintiffs had standing to challenge — are policy arguments, not constitutional violations for which this court may grant relief.” Walker added that “it is not for this court whether it is a good or bad thing that political power is being further consolidated in Tallahassee and reclaimed from the safety valve of direct democracy.” Florida Decides Healthcare, one of the groups that sued, put out a statement Thursday evening saying the organization was “disappointed with today’s ruling. We are carefully reviewing the order and considering all available options, including an appeal. Medicaid expansion continues to be an important issue because every Floridian deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of their zip code or income. This fight is not over.” Florida legislators passed the law on ballot measures after citizens’ initiatives to allow abortion and recreational pot nearly passed in November 2024. The law requires petition circulators to be Florida residents and U.S. citizens, prohibits convicted felons who have not had their voting rights restored from circulating petitions, and requires all petition circulators to register with the Florida Division of Elections. The law allows the state to levy a $50,000 fine against an organization that allows those categories of people to even handle petitions. The fine is per violation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The law trims from 30 days to 10 days the deadline to deliver signed petition forms to a supervisor of elections and makes it a third-degree felony for a petition circulator to fill in missing information on a petition. Critics contend the law — with all of its restrictions on groups and who can collect signatures — will make it nearly impossible for outside organizations to ever place an initiative on the ballot in the future. Florida Decides Healthcare challenged the law along with Smart & Safe Florida, which is pushing for recreational marijuana use for adults; the League of Women Voters of Florida; League of Women Voters of Florida Education Fund; League of United Latin American Citizens; and FloridaRightToCleanWater.org. Witnesses for Florida Decides testified in court that the organization was forced to shut down its efforts to put its amendment before Florida voters in November. Florida is one of nine states that hasn’t expanded access to Medicaid to low-income childless adults, as allowed under federal law. Meanwhile, Florida Decides relaunched its petition efforts with a goal of having the proposal appear before voters in the 2028 midterm elections and will be helped by two additional partners: the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Heart Association. Courtesy of Florida Phoenix
	Iowa State poll: Only 22% of Iowa farmers use ag drones, but adoption expected to grow One Iowa State University Extension expert said that as farm drones gain popularity, they have the opportunity to get more non-farmers interested in agriculture.
	Body of man missing since April 13 found in Rock River near Sterling Police said London Thomas jumped into the river on Monday, April 13, in an alleged attempt to evade police. He had been missing ever since.
	Eugene Field Elementary School breaks ground on major addition A new 10,000 square foot addition will include five classrooms, a music room, a special education space and more.
	The Heart of the Story: Fossil fanatic Our Quad Cities News is partnering with award-winning journalist Gary Metivier for The Heart of the Story. Each week, Gary showcases inspiring stories of everyday people doing cool stuff, enjoying their hobbies and living life to the fullest. Stories that feature the best of the human condition. Anderson Taylor is a young man who's a [...]
	Common Chord announces first-floor move, summer concert series returns June 5 Common Chord will relocate from the second floor to a newly renovated, ground‑level space in the Redstone Building by late summer 2026, to improve accessibility, visibility and community flow. The Live at 5 summer kickoff party is happening June 5.
	Eligibility restrictions for food assistance programs head to governor’s desk Lawmakers send legislation to the governor's desk April 30 restricting eligibility for food assistance programs. (Background photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch; EBT card courtesy of the state of Iowa)Republican-backed legislation restricting eligibility for federal food assistance programs is headed to the governor’s desk over the objections of Democrats, who said it would worsen food insecurity in the state. The Iowa Senate amended House File 2422 Thursday afternoon and sent it to the House on a 27-16 vote. The House accepted the change and gave the bill its final approval on a 59-24 vote. Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf, said the amendment “makes it clear that illegal aliens are never eligible for public assistance.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX He said the changes were needed under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which in part will penalize states based on their error rate in determining eligibility for food assistance. “We need to follow federal law, or we’re going to put everybody on these programs in danger,” he said. Among other eligibility changes, the original bill required the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to require 12 months of continuous residency in the state to qualify for public assistance. It requires the department to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, program to verify immigration or citizenship status when determining eligibility for public assistance programs. Those programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), medical assistance programs, the state child care assistance programs and the family investment program. The earned income of all members of a household would also be considered for SNAP applicants, while the House bill would have excluded income of children and young adults under age 22. The Senate’s change specifies that that the only noncitizens eligible for public assistance are those admitted for permanent residence (green card holders), those granted the status of Cuban or Haitian entrants under the federal Refugee Education Assistance Act, or those granted legal residence under the compact of free association, which affects the Pacific Island nations of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau. Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said while the federal rules that the bill codifies may change, the bill means Iowa law will deny assistance to numerous classes of noncitizens who are in the country legally. “No matter who is president or who’s in Congress, and what decisions that those leaders who are elected make in the future, Iowa is going to refuse to feed refugees asylees, survivors of domestic violence, humanitarian parolees and victims of human trafficking,” she said. The Senate also stripped out House-passed language that had bipartisan support. The so-called “work without worry” provision would have allowed Iowans with disabilities to continue working and earning money without losing access to Medicaid services. It would have increased the income limit from 250% of the federal poverty limit to 300% of the federal poverty limit for Iowans to qualify for the Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities program. ‘It’s a very simple promise that every Iowan who shows up to work hard and plays by the rules should be able to do so safely, with dignity and without fear of losing everything that they’ve gained because of something beyond their control, their disability,” Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Marion, said. “But that promise has been stripped from this bill at a time when families are already trying to balance rising costs, job uncertainty and real risks in the workplace. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Trump gives the go-ahead for a major new Canada-U.S. oil pipeline More state and federal approvals are needed for the 3-foot-wide Bridger Pipeline Expansion, which would stretch from the Canadian border with Montana down through eastern Montana and Wyoming, where it would link up with another pipeline.
	Illinois bill to help protect medical privacy A federal push to ban gender-affirming care has Illinois lawmakers considering changes to a state drug monitoring program. Senate Bill 4834 would remove estrogen, testosterone and other hormone medication from the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program. The bill would also purge the state's records of anyone who accesses any of the medication. Supporters say they're concerned [...]
	Artist Thomas Dambo reveals hidden fourth giant troll in Clinton In an exclusive interview with News 8, the man behind Clinton's giant new trolls talks about why they break his mold and what it took to bring all four to life.
	New precast concrete manufacturing facility set to open in DeWitt Iconic Precast is expected to create 25 full-time jobs.
	Couple more frosty mornings coming up this week We have more chilly nights ahead this week in the Quad Cities. Temps drop into the middle and upper 30s and that could lead the way to more frost in the Quad Cities area. This is possible Friday and Saturday morning. This isn't too out of the ordinary though. On average, we have our last [...]
	Death Notice: Dennis Johns A funeral service for Dennis A. "Coach" Johns, 90, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 14, at First Presbyterian Church, Davenport. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery, Buffalo. Weerts Funeral Home, Davenport, is assisting the family with arrangements. Mr. Johns died Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in League City, Texas. Online condolences may be made at www.WeertsFH.com. A full obituary will appear in the May 6 edition of The NSP.
	Pedestrian killed after being hit by train in Galesburg Several railroad crossings were closed while officials responded to the scene.
	Eastern Iowa Community Colleges unveil first districtwide mascot Eastern Iowa Community Colleges unveiled the River Otters as its first districtwide mascot April 30, uniting its three campuses under one identity.
	The Illinois DOT wants your feedback on reconstruction of the Illinois 84 and 92 corridor in Silvis A public meeting on the project will be held at The Bend Event Center in East Moline on Tuesday, May 12, from 1-6 p.m.
	NC Senate aims to curb Medicaid costs and allow more insight into hospital charges NC legislators consider curbing hospital facility fees. (Photo: Warodom Changyencham/Getty Images)A state Senate committee advanced a bill Thursday that would limit the fees hospitals can charge Medicaid for outpatient care. House Bill 727 would prevent hospitals tacking extra fees, called facility fees, to Medicaid bills when patients are treated outside some hospital settings. To charge a facility fee under the bill, hospital systems will have to have treated patients in a main hospital or nearby building, a building with an emergency department, or an ambulatory surgical center. Sen. Jim Burgin (R-Harnett) said this week that for years now, hospitals have been adding the fees to bills for outpatient office visits. This is one of several bills legislators have promised to consider this year as they look to control rising Medicaid costs. “This is a step toward trying to address fees, and especially facility fees, that are charged at facilities that have either been purchased or that are away from campus,” Burgin told members of the Senate Health Care Committee this week. The proposal is a narrower version of a provision included in a sweeping bill the Senate passed last year aimed at reducing healthcare costs. The Senate initially wanted to curb facility fees for other kinds of insurance, in addition to Medicaid. The state House did not consider that Senate bill. Hospitals have objected to proposed facility fee limits. Josh Dobson, CEO of the North Carolina Healthcare Association — a group that represents hospitals — told legislators in March that facility fees help pay for medical staff, equipment, and supplies in hospitals and hospital-owned clinics, NC Newsline reported. NC legislators question hospital fees charged for outpatient care The Senate Health Care Committee also approved House Bill 390, which would allow the state’s Medicaid managed care companies to ask hospitals for itemized bills when a patient’s inpatient Medicaid charges top $250,000, or in some cases where a patient’s treatment costs more than expected. Managed care plans can already ask for itemized hospital bills for charges over $250,000, according to the state’s guide for managed care billing. The bill the Senate committee endorsed Thursday would allow the managed care companies to ask for detailed hospital bills for unusually high charges even when that $250,000 threshold isn’t reached. Sen. Benton Sawrey (R-Johnston) said the proposals are aimed at controlling costs and providing more transparency “so we have more information about what is, in fact, driving the costs.” With the state looking at paying an additional $1 billion for Medicaid in the next budget year, it’s fair to ask why costs are going up, Sawrey said. Courtesy of NC Newsline
	EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Meet the artist behind Clinton's new giant trolls World-renowned artist Thomas Dambo builds massive wooden trolls all over the globe. Now, there are four of them in Clinton, Iowa.
	After ambulance loss, West Liberty Fire faces gaps in emergency response The West Liberty Fire Department lost one of its ambulances, leaving it with just one to cover a service area of over 100 miles.
	Trains halted at multiple Galesburg crossings after train-pedestrian collision According to Galesburg police, crossings affected include North Whitesboro, Chambers and Lincoln Streets.
	Illinois DOT holding open house regarding Centennial Bridge corridor project The open house will take place on Wednesday, May 20, at the Holiday Inn Rock Island - Quad Cities.
	New Iowa State study finds 22% of Iowa farmers use drones Of the farmers using drones for agricultural work, the majority hire other drone providers. Only about 26% of farmers using drones actually own one.
	Senators approve requiring shrimp advertised as local to come from SC’s shores South Carolina legislators want diners to know whether their shrimp was actually caught along the Palmetto State's coast under a bill the Senate approved Thursday, April 30, 2026. In this photo, shrimping boats line the bayou in Dulac, Louisiana. (File photo by Julie O’Donoghue/Louisiana Illuminator)COLUMBIA — When diners at a South Carolina restaurant order shrimp advertised as local, that should be their guarantee the crustaceans were caught off this state’s coast, senators said in passing a bill meant to cut down on what some called shrimp fraud. Under the bill the Senate approved on a voice vote Thursday, restaurants and bars could tell patrons their shrimp is local only if they’re actually harvested off South Carolina’s shores. Restaurateurs who lie about their shrimp’s origins could face a fine of up to $1,000 or up to six months in prison for a first offense, then a fine of up to $5,000 and up to two years in prison if it happened again. That wouldn’t apply if the wholesaler selling the shrimp misrepresented where the food came from. The Senate’s version varied from the House bill, which required that restaurants specify only the country the shrimp came from. Under that version, restaurants could advertise “local” American shrimp without clarifying that it was caught in a different part of the country. That didn’t go far enough toward making sure people know what they’re eating, senators said. “To me, I don’t think you have to know if it’s China or if it’s Brazil,” Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, a Murrells Inlet Republican, said during a committee meeting earlier this week. Louisiana lawmakers tighten net on imported seafood What’s more important, Goldfinch said, is knowing if the shrimp was caught in South Carolina or not. In the Lowcountry, some restaurants and bars claim to serve locally caught shrimp and seafood that didn’t actually come from the state’s waters, Goldfinch said. “You’re paying for something you think it is, and it’s not,” Goldfinch said. “Even on such a small scale as shrimp, it’s fraud. You’re defrauding the purchaser, and I find that to be abhorrent, especially for something you’re eating and consuming.” Wholesalers, grocery stores and other places selling raw shrimp would still have to disclose the shrimp’s country of origin under the Senate version of the bill. That mirrors the federal Country of Origin Labeling Act, a 2005 law also known as the COOL Act, but is meant to give state officials the power to enforce that rule. As is, “the FBI is not coming down and investigating fraudulent shrimp,” Goldfinch said. The bill applies only to restaurants that choose to advertise their shrimp as local. It doesn’t require restaurants to disclose where their shrimp comes from. Requiring a restaurant to specify on its menu the country of origin for a dish might cause chaos if a restaurant had to switch wholesalers, and the new one sold shrimp from a different country. That would force the owners to replace menus with a new location, said Sen. Michael Johnson, who proposed the changes to the bill. Along with giving diners assurances they’re digging into dishes with local shrimp, the bill is meant to help local shrimpers sell their goods to restaurants, Johnson said. Under existing law, a restaurateur could buy seafood from elsewhere and still say it’s local. “We have the best shrimp in the world,” the Tega Cay Republican said Thursday. “This is going to make sure that a shrimp harvested in South Carolina waters is the only thing that can be called local.” The Senate’s vote sent the bill back to the House, which can decide whether to agree on the changes and send it to the governor’s desk or negotiate the differences. Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
	Ben McCollum breaks down historic postseason run for Hawkeyes After leading Iowa the men’s basketball program to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987, momentum is quickly building for Ben McCollum’s Hawkeyes.
	Crime Stoppers: Man wanted by Rock Island police Brandon Kutzman, 44, is wanted by the Rock Island Police Department on a warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle.
	Woman stole $30K from multiple credit unions with fake IDs, officials say A woman stole $30,000 from credit unions in Moline, Milan and Bettendorf using fake IDs, officials said.
	Crime Stoppers of the QC to host golf outing Crime Stoppers of the QC is hosting a golf outing on May 18.
	A sneak peek into May With April wrapping up, May is now on our doorstep to bring in the signs of warmer weather and getting closer to the Summer season. Average temperatures range from 69-79 from the start to end of the month with the warmest ever being 104 degrees in 1934. The most rain we ever had was close [...]
	Make a positive impact at Friends of Long View Park's spring clean-up You can make a positive impact in our community and help beautify a beloved Quad-City park. Todd Linscott joined Our Quad Cities News with details on the Friends of Long View Park's spring clean-up day. For more information, click here.
	House passes Farm Bill 224-200 mostly along partisan lines; Quad City area representatives explain their votes Farmers may soon see certainty with programs after the House voted to pass the 2026 Farm Bill, mostly along party lines, with moderate rural Democrats' support clearing the chamber in a vote of 224-200.
	Dixon man missing since April 13 found dead in Rock River near Sterling Police said London Thomas jumped into the river on Monday, April 13, in an alleged attempt to evade police. He had been missing ever since.
	State agencies release updated PFAS advisories for fish A rainbow trout tagged by FWP as part of its study of fish declines in southwestern Montana rivers. (Image courtesy FWP)Montanans who consume fish from many of its waterways should take care when doing so, a combined statement from three state agencies says. The state released updated guidance because per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been found in fish across the state. Updated guidelines, including which areas to take particular care with, can be found on the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks website. There are 21 new or updated fish advisories, the state said in a release. PFAS are man-made chemicals that degrade extremely slowly over time and are associated with health issues, including damage to human and animal hormones, reproductive, and immune systems. They are also linked to certain cancers and are sometimes called “forever chemicals.” In a statement three agencies – FWP, the state Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Environmental Quality – said the updated advisory was based on several years of research. Additionally, the agencies said in the release that they, “are not regulatory standards” and are meant to make people more aware of potential risks. “This advisory is based on the agencies’ published results of 2023 and 2024 fish tissue and surface water sampling efforts for PFAS in select waterbodies across the state,” the state release says. “The goal of the PFAS sampling effort was to screen edible-sized fish for PFAS contamination in waterbodies across Montana.” The new regulations ask the public to be cognizant of how often they’re eating the fish per month based on the size of the fish. For example, the state is advising men to not eat Walleye larger than 18 inches from Bighorn Reservoir and women and children to not eat Walleye larger than 14 inches. “While it is important to be aware that eating fish caught in Montana may expose individuals to low levels of PFAS in some waterbodies, eating a moderate amount of a variety of fish can provide significant health benefits for many people,” the release says. Additionally, the state said the data is likely not representative of every waterbody in the state. “Sample locations were selected based on proximity to confirmed or potential sources of PFAS and distributed across important regional fisheries,” the release says. “At least one PFAS chemical was detected in fish tissue at 12 of the 14 locations sampled and in surface water at 2 of the 14 locations.” Montana developed a plan to look at the issue in 2020. It’s also been a major issue in Washington state, including firefighting foam at an airport north of Seattle and issues around some military bases in the state. Multiple military installations in Montana are also listed as “PFAS sites of concern” by DEQ. https:fwp.mt.gov:binaries:content:assets:fwp:fish:montana-sport-fish-consumption-guidelines-final-4.21.26 Courtesy of Daily Montanan
	211 service now available in all 102 Illinois counties The service through the state Department of Human Services provides resources to residents seeking assistance.
	North Carolina reaches $11 million settlement with EpiPen manufacturer in overcharging dispute North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson (left) and Treasurer Brad Briner announced an $11 million settlement with the manufacturer of the EpiPen on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Photo: courtesy of NCDOJ)The manufacturer of the EpiPen is paying North Carolina $11 million after N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson accused the company of overcharging the state and its residents. Jackson said in a press conference Thursday afternoon that Mylan Inc., which produces the injector that treats life-threatening allergic reactions, has been systematically overcharging the state, raising the price of EpiPens from $100 to $600 between 2009 and 2016. “We have evidence that they were engaged in a number of anticompetitive practices that allowed them to raise the price of this,” he said. “They put financial pressure on the middlemen who decide what drugs insurance companies cover and what drugs they don’t cover.” He said Mylan also used the patent system to block cheaper generic drugs from entering the market, and made “misleading claims” in marketing campaigns about generics that already had made it to market. The EpiPen’s inflated prices inflicted significant additional costs on the State Health Plan and the state’s Medicaid program, Jackson said. Each will receive $4.2 million under the settlement, while the remaining $2.6 million will cover restitution to the state and attorney’s fees. Mylan also agreed to raise its co-pay coupon for the authorized generic version of the EpiPen from $25 to $40 for North Carolina consumers. Jackson was joined Thursday by state Treasurer Brad Briner, whose office oversees the State Health Plan, in a rare show of bipartisan unity in North Carolina’s executive branch. He praised Jackson for helping to get justice for the state’s taxpayers. As Jeff Jackson battles Trump, NC GOP threatens to leave him with a ‘feckless, empty shell’ of a job “As someone who carries an EpiPen and someone who has a child who carries an EpiPen, this particularly hits close to home for me,” Briner said. “We obviously sit on different sides of the aisle, we obviously don’t agree on everything, but we certainly agree on this.” Briner said it is “a pleasure to share actually positive news about the State Health Plan,” which has struggled to respond to the rising costs of healthcare. “It’s not something we get to do every day.” “$4.2 million of this settlement comes to the State Health Plan, and that’s just simply money that we don’t have to ask our hardworking state employees for, it’s money we don’t have to ask our taxpayers for, and so we are very grateful for that,” he said. Mylan denied any wrongdoing, according to the settlement, but indicated that it wished to avoid “the delay, inconvenience, and expense of protracted litigation.” The company previously settled a 2022 class action lawsuit over its practices relating to the EpiPen, awarding consumers and insurers $264 million nationwide. The agreement comes just over a year after Jackson’s office helped reach a separate settlement with Mylan, netting the state up to $9 million as part of a $335 million nationwide lawsuit over the company’s role in the opioid epidemic. Jackson said that his office continues to litigate against a large number of prescription drug manufacturers over alleged price fixing. “This is a very important message to send to prescription drug manufacturers everywhere,” Jackson said. “If we have good evidence that you’ve broken the law, we’re going to hold you accountable.” SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of NC Newsline
	Public invited to give input on U.S. 67 corridor project The meeting will be from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Rock Island-Quad Cities at 226 17th St.
	Gov. Jim Pillen completes two-day London trip to promote Nebraska beef, ethanol Gov. Jim Pillen attends a dinner in London hosted by the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Meat Export Federation. (Courtesy of Governor's Office)LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen is wrapping up a two-day trip to London this week to tout Nebraska’s beef and ethanol production, and talk about energy opportunities with international officials. “Given the recent trade framework that exists between the U.S. and the U.K. and the favorable conditions for exporting more beef, ethanol and other American products, this is a good time to build relationships and understand better how Nebraska can play a role in meeting the short and long-term needs of that nation,” Pillen said in a press release. The governor’s transatlantic visit began Wednesday and finishes Thursday night. During the trip, he met with members of the U.S. Embassy and others, including the United Kingdom’s chief trade negotiator, Graham Floater. Gov. Jim Pillen and chef Jay McCarthy at a dinner hosted by the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Meat Export Federation. (Courtesy of Governor’s Office) While overseas, Pillen attended a dinner hosted by the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Meat Export Federation, which featured Nebraska beef. Guests included UK importers and members of the culinary industry. “Nebraska beef is the best on earth — and I’m proud to build relationships and create opportunities for our ranchers to sell their beef around the world,” Pillen said in a social media post about the event. Pillen will also have an opportunity to meet government representatives, and those in private industry interested in new trade opportunities around increased ethanol quotas. Under the U.S.-UK Economic Prosperity Deal, the United Kingdom implemented a duty-free quota allowing 370 million gallons of U.S. ethanol to be imported annually, eliminating previous tariffs of approximately 20%. Prior to his return, Pillen will have another chance to promote U.S. beef during a dinner event at Smith & Wollensky, an upscale steakhouse in London. The invited crowd includes more than 100 importers, distributors and others in the British foodservice and retail industries. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Courtesy of Nebraska Examiner
	How monovision can fix the need for reading glasses Monovision can work using contacts, Lasik, or lens replacement for cataracts.
	Aledo seeks parade entries for America’s 250th anniversary celebration The City of Aledo will host a multiday celebration for America’s 250th anniversary, including a July 3 parade, July 4 festivities and a July 8 reading.
	Davenport man pleads guilty to 2 federal firearm charges Alexander Jessop pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful transport of firearms.
	Man sentenced for stealing vehicle, striking deputy James Barlett, 37, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to multiple charges related to a 2024 incident.
	Learn about Centennial Bridge corridor project at public meeting May 20 The Illinois Department of Transportation and the Iowa Department of Transportation are hosting a public meeting for the U.S. 67 (Centennial Bridge) corridor project on Wednesday, May 20 from 3 – 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Rock Island-Quad Cities, 226 17th St., Rock Island. There will be no formal presentation, and the public is [...]
	Trains halted at multiple Galesburg crossings after train-pedestrian collision According to Galesburg police, crossings affected include North Whitesboro, Chambers and Lincoln Streets.
	Agentic AI and compliance: How autonomous agents are redrawing software risk boundaries Agentic AI and compliance: How autonomous agents are redrawing software risk boundariesFor decades, compliance in financial services has been a fundamentally human-led endeavor. Even as automation, as a result of technological advances, accelerated — whether via rules engines, robotic process automation, or machine learning — the final judgments around onboarding, monitoring, and reporting stayed with compliance teams.This balance is beginning to shift. A new class of systems known as agentic artificial intelligence is emerging across fintech and SaaS markets. Unlike more traditional automation or even generative AI copilots, agentic AI systems are designed to autonomously plan, execute, and adapt multistep workflows in pursuit of defined objectives.In compliance environments, this means AI agents can independently conduct customer onboarding checks, monitor transactions, escalate risks, and even draft regulatory documentation. All this can occur with limited human interaction.While human sign-off is almost always required, industry research and pilot programs are beginning to indicate that this shift could fundamentally change how compliance teams operate. Anrok took a deep dive into the data and research from leading sources, including FinRegLab, Amazon Web Services, Forbes, Salesforce, and more, to help SaaS and fintech leaders navigate this transition. From deploying agentic AI safely to proving control, explainability, and auditability, don’t leave any unknowns around for when regulators come knocking.Understanding agentic AI in a compliance contextAgentic AI is often discussed alongside generative AI, but the distinction between the two matters, especially in regulated environments. Generative AI systems, such as large language models, primarily respond to user prompts. They’re adept at generating text, summaries, or recommendations, but they don’t independently decide when or how to act. Agentic AI, on the other hand, is goal-oriented.When such an agent receives an objective, such as “complete customer onboarding while adhering to Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering rules,” it will determine the sequence of actions required. The model can pull data from multiple systems, evaluate outcomes, adjust approach in real time, and continue operating until the objective is either met or manually overridden.In terms of compliance, this autonomy is exactly what makes agentic AI both powerful and risky. As outlined by the nonprofit innovation center FinRegLab, an organization that tests new technologies to inform public policy, agentic systems can:Initiate and complete compliance workflows without constant supervisionDynamically adapt to new data or risk signalsCoordinate across tools such as transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and document verificationThis represents a unique change in traditional automation. Rule-based systems follow static logic, but even advanced machine learning models typically operate within narrow tasks such as flagging suspicious transactions. Agentic AI can stitch those capabilities together into an end-to-end decision-making loop.Multiple industry analyses, such as the write-up on agentic AI vs. generative AI compiled by Thomson Reuters, agree that agentic AI is not simply a more advanced version of generative AI, but instead a complete shift from assistive technology to semiautonomous tools in business systems. This means that, in terms of compliance, AI agents can automate the firm’s less strategic work, rather than just advising humans.Current use cases: Where agentic AI is deployed todayDespite online debates, agentic AI in compliance is not theoretical. Early deployments are already underway in high-volume fintech environments, albeit in a limited capacity, where speed and scale are essential. In particular, four business processes are part of this transformation:Transaction monitoring and anti-money launderingIn anti-money laundering compliance, agentic AI can continuously monitor transaction streams, correlate patterns across accounts, and adapt thresholds based on a consumer's behavior. Aelum Consulting, which offers implementation services for digital infrastructure, notes that agentic approaches can reduce alert fatigue by allowing automated agents to investigate context before escalating, rather than blindly flagging rule breaches.Ongoing risk assessmentSimilarly, rather than requiring periodic reviews, agentic systems can enable continuous compliance. Agents can reassess customer risk scores in real time based on transaction behavior, external data sources, or regulatory changes.Regulatory reporting and documentationSome institutions are experimenting with agentic AI agents to compile audit trails, draft documents, and prepare internal compliance reports. Final submission will still almost always rely on human approval, but leveraging agentic AI can reduce much of the heavy lifting and decrease manual effort and human error.Customer onboardingArguably, one of the most mature use cases of agentic AI is automated onboarding. Agentic systems can collect customer information, verify identity documents, screen against sanctions lists, assess risk profiles, and request additional documentation. If anomalies do appear, agents can escalate to a human reviewer. Salesforce outlines how agentic systems can be programmed to understand know-your-customer checks, so framing the use of AI as a capacity multiplier can be a strategic choice for businesses.All of the above use cases share a common theme: Agentic AI excels in workflows that are repetitive, data-rich, and time-sensitive. With that said, they stand apart from generative AI in that they can make judgment calls as well, but with human approval.Building governance guardrails for autonomous agentsOne of the biggest mistakes organizations today could face is deploying agentic AI without rethinking governance policies. Autonomy without control is not innovation; it is regulatory exposure. A strong governance policy can combat that risk by layering oversight: tasks requiring explicit approval stay human-in-the-loop, while tasks that agents handle independently still get continuous monitoring and human override capabilities.Implementing a human-in-the-loop and human-on-the-loop framework for various tasks, for example, would be one way to add additional guardrails. Tasks requiring the former require explicit approval. Tasks requiring the latter allow agents to operate independently with continuous monitoring and override capabilities from humans. Execution can be automated, but accountability will still remain human for the foreseeable future.Further, explainability is no longer an optional choice with the implementation of agentic systems. Regulators will likely increasingly expect financial services firms to explain why a decision was made, rather than simply asking what occurred. Fintech Open Source Foundation, a Linux Foundation project, outlines six key governance principles to adhere to:Complete decision documentation: Capture all factors, inputs, reasoning steps, and outcomes involved in agent decision-making processes.Explainable decision logic: Implement mechanisms to generate human-readable explanations of agent reasoning and decision factors.Regulatory compliance alignment: Ensure audit trails meet specific regulatory requirements for automated decision-making in financial services.Real-time decision tracking: Capture decision information as it occurs rather than relying on post-hoc reconstruction.Cross-session correlation: Enable correlation of related decisions across multiple agent sessions and interactions.Tamper-evident logging: Implement cryptographic protection and integrity validation for audit logs to prevent tampering.Following these recommendations will help your organization capture inputs, reasoning paths, confidence scores, and downstream actions in the event regulators come knocking. Auditability can often be the difference between regulatory acceptance and denial.Any agentic AI system implemented should also operate within predefined policy boundaries based on your business.Whether these limits are on data access, spending authority, escalation thresholds, or something else, having boundaries within the system is crucial. Governance is a policy that should be designed into the system and not after the fact.Critical risk areas in financial services and mitigation strategiesAny new technology comes with inherent risk, and agentic AI is no different. The Roosevelt Institute, a liberal think tank headquartered in New York, identifies four key risk areas to watch:Herding: When agents use similar algorithms and training data, they may begin to react to market conditions the same way, a behavior known as herding. These biases can incidentally result in certain financial products or services being favored without reason, and rapid, widespread customer movements can lead to bank runs or crashes.Systematic risk: Currently, there are only a small number of agentic AI system providers, creating a single industry fail point. A technical failure or security breach could lead to impacts on agentic AI systems that affect wide populations of consumers as a result.Reduced competition: Limited entrants to the market risk the natural formation of a monopoly. This can foster higher prices, more inequality, or even less incentive for service providers to update and develop the technology.Fiduciary conflicts: Finally, the term “AI agent” itself implies a sense of fiduciary responsibility on the technology, but it can’t be guaranteed that an AI will act in the true best interest of its licensee.Addressing all the risk areas is complicated for any business. Generally speaking, tactics such as implementing confidence thresholds in decision-making, running cross-validation, and requiring human review for low-confidence decisions can help counter some, but not all, issues. Regulations evolve, and models can drift, so continuously testing and updating agentic systems is a crucial protective step that businesses need to take.Further, businesses need to do their part in protecting the broader system by enhancing security and requiring authentication, monitoring agent behavior, and implementing kill-switch mechanisms for quick resolutions.Regulatory landscape: What US institutions must knowIn the U.S., regulators are not actively taking steps to ban agentic AI, but they are certainly watching it closely. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and banking regulators have all issued varying guidance emphasizing accountability and third-party risk management. Specifically, the 2026 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report, specifically notes that businesses should hold agentic AI to the same oversight standards that registered representatives of a firm are held to.The specific concerns that FINRA is keeping a close eye on include:Excessive autonomy without human validationAgents exceeding their intended authority or scopeLimited auditability and explainabilityImproper handling of sensitive dataMisaligned incentives or reinforcement logicAs a whole, regulators seem to be less concerned about whether AI is being used, given its prevalence, and more concerned about whether or not firms understand it and know how to control it properly to protect consumers. Before deploying agentic AI in compliance, there are seven questions all leaders should be able to vehemently answer “yes” to:Do we clearly define which decisions agents can make autonomously?Can humans override or halt agent actions in real time?Are all agent decisions explainable and auditable?Do we continuously test for bias, drift, and hallucinations?Is access to sensitive data strictly controlled and logged?Have we mapped regulatory accountability for AI-driven outcomes?Are vendors and third-party models properly vetted?If the answer to any of the above is “no,” your organization is likely not ready to meet the stringent standards that policymakers have laid out and are actively developing.From automation to accountable autonomy with AIAgentic AI represents a true inflection point for compliance in SaaS and fintech. When used with responsibility, the technology can reduce operational burden, improve data consistency, and allow human teams to focus on higher-value judgment and advisory work.When used recklessly, though, it can amplify risk at a remarkable speed. The path forward will likely not be fully autonomous compliance, but rather accountable autonomy.Hybrid models where AI agents execute, humans govern, and regulators can see clearly how decisions are made will potentially be widespread in financial services in the coming years. For finance leaders, this means taking action now by building the technology, setting governance guardrails early, and treating agentic AI as a system that must earn trust.This story was produced by Anrok and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Tariff reversals: Will SMBs see relief? Tariff reversals: Will SMBs see relief?The recent Supreme Court ruling might reverse some tariffs. However, that doesn’t mean that your business costs will drop anytime soon.When the tariffs went into effect in 2025, many small businesses were hit very hard. This affected import costs and vendor prices, and many SMBs were forced to absorb the increase or pass it on to customers. Neither is a great solution. Fast-forward to February 2026: A federal court ruled several of those 2025 tariffs illegal (subject to appeals and administrative action), and most business owners were eager for financial relief.Now, as of April, 2026, businesses can try to claim refunds for paid tariffs through a recently launched portal, the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE), administered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The current expectation is that refunds will be processed in waves.However, that doesn't necessarily mean those refunds will impact prices for small business owners. The reality is that even with tariff rate reversals, prices may not return to where they were.According to the 2025 Q3 MetLife and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index survey, 46% of SMBs say inflation is their biggest challenge, and 75% say rising prices have significantly impacted their business over the last year. What is even more concerning is 34% say the cost of goods is their biggest barrier to growth, and 33% say high costs have stopped them from entering new markets. There are many reasons for the high costs, but tariffs have been a main contributor. Unfortunately, we're learning that even if reversed, vendors may not reduce their prices.Now the question is why. Why won’t pricing go down? Many suppliers have already gotten used to the tariff-era increases and added them into their long-term pricing, leaving them hesitant to lower their prices. On top of that, years of supply chain instability have left many SMBs wanting to keep their prices high to protect against future disruptions or preserve their margins.SMBs must now plan for the possibility that tariff relief won’t necessarily mean price relief. They will need to act strategically to renegotiate their contracts and document past increases.Rocket Lawyer examines why tariff reversals may not translate to lower prices for small businesses.Even if Tariffs Disappear, Vendors May Not Lower Prices1. Tariff-era price increases are now “normal” to many suppliersWhen tariffs originally raised costs, many vendors increased their prices to cover the difference. Now, those higher prices are embedded into new catalog rates, contracts, cost structures, and more. Vendors, like many SMBs, want to keep prices high to protect their profit margins.2. Inflation is already affecting prices post-tariffsRising costs are showing up in the form of material, labor, and shipping. Their rise outside of tariffs is due to the economic shifts our country is facing. Many suppliers are arguing that even without tariffs, they can’t reduce prices because inflation has overtaken costs. This is why SMBs shouldn’t expect immediate price drops. If relief does come, it may be slow or partial.3. Your vendor contracts might lock in higher costsMany small businesses had to sign agreements during tariff spikes. Some of those agreements have automatic renewal clauses at the same (or higher) pricing, while others require advance notice to renegotiate or cancel.Remember: Review your current contracts, as you may still be bound by old rates even if tariff costs drop today.Questions SMBs Should Be AskingTake the time now to review the real impact lower prices will have on your business by asking these questions:Did we absorb or pass on the tariff costs? Where did margins tighten, and will customers expect payment rollbacks?Are our vendor contracts still priced at high-tariff rates? Do they auto-renew? Do we need to renegotiate or give notice?Can we renegotiate pricing under new tariff conditions? What leverage or documentation supports a price review?If prices stay high even without tariffs, what do we do? Should we shift suppliers, inventory, or pricing?Should we revisit our overall pricing strategy? Are pricing, margins, and communication aligned with overall costs?Asking these questions or questions like these will help prevent you from budgeting based on hoped-for cost reductions that may never become reality.Next Steps: What to DoTo protect your margins and prepare your business for an uncertain pricing landscape, focus on your next steps:Review all current vendor agreements for renewal dates and pricing clauses. Identify which contracts can be renegotiated or need notice to avoid auto-renewal at higher rates.Document every cost increase tied to tariff or supply-chain issues. This will strengthen your position in negotiations and help you justify pricing adjustments in the future.Start conversations with suppliers about future pricing. Ask about their plans if tariffs unwind. Some may offer partial reductions or alternative terms if you initiate the discussion. But most won’t say anything unless you ask.Review contract language and flag opportunities for renegotiation. If you’re facing a major cost crunch or dispute, connect with a legal professional for more information.Asking the right questions and preparing now will help you stay ahead of rising expenses and protect your margins in the year ahead. Remember, tariff relief might help, but it won’t fix every cost challenge.This story was produced by Rocket Lawyer and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Will.i.am wants to future-proof a new generation The Black Eyed Peas co-founder turned entrepreneur is now teaching a class on "agentic AI" for Arizona State.
	Trains halted in Galesburg after train/pedestrian crossing Trains in Galesburg are currently halted at the N. Whitesboro, Chambers and Lincoln Street rail crossings while officials respond to a train-pedestrian collision near Chambers and Peck Street, according to a news release from the city. Residents are asked to avoid the area and use local underpasses to navigate around stopped trains until the incident [...]
	Train stopped in Galesburg for collision with pedestrian Galesburg officials said the train is stopped at North Whitesboro, Chambers and Lincoln Street rail crossings.
	USDA confirms SNAP hub will move to Indianapolis Indianapolis will become the new hub for USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture)The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed Thursday it will move its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program office from Washington, D.C. to Indianapolis. The relocation is part of a major reorganization underway at USDA as the agency establishes the Food and Nutrition Administration, a new division to replace USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. “Big win for Indiana! My administration has worked hard with USDA to show what a great place Indiana is to live and do business,” Gov. Mike Braun said on X. “This move reflects our strong partnership with the Trump administration and our commitment to commonsense reform that delivers for Hoosiers. Welcome to Indiana!” The agency is relocating some 2,600 Food and Nutrition Administration employees from the nation’s capital to hubs and compliance offices in Indianapolis, Dallas, Kansas City, Raleigh and Denver. Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Banks led a delegation of farmers to pitch Indiana as a potential hub in a meeting with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins last year. “This is a huge win for Indiana. Government works best when it’s near the people it serves, and for the past year, we’ve been working with Hoosier ag leaders to move critical programs out of our nation’s capital,” Banks posted on X. The agency revealed Indianapolis would become home to one of five new USDA hubs in a memorandum released in 2025, though it did not specify which programs would move to which cities until Thursday. A small staff will remain in Washington, D.C. for policy and regulatory work. Some 42 million people participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to aid their monthly grocery budgets — one of 16 nutrition assistance programs overseen by USDA. An agency spokesperson said these programs will continue without disruption throughout the reorganization, but did not confirm how many employees are expected to relocate to Indianapolis or when the hub will open. In a statement Thursday, Rollins said she made customer service and a new vision for the agency’s nutrition programs a priority when she became secretary. Deputy Under Secretary Patrick Penn said in a news release the new structure “will offer improved program support across the nation.” “This reorganization is long overdue,” Deputy Secretary Stephen A. Vaden, said in the release. “(It) also reduces duplicative management and complexity within the agency, better prioritizes state service and participant needs, and expands the Department’s presence to fight fraud, waste, and abuse.” Courtesy of Indiana Capital Chronicle
	Trump pulls Casey Means' stalled surgeon general nomination, announces new pick President Trump says he's nominating former Fox News Channel contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general after Dr. Casey Means' path forward stalled in the Senate over questions about her experience and her stance on vaccines.
	9 insights from America's top coworking space markets 9 insights from America's top coworking space marketsFor decades, the American office ran on a single assumption: Sign a long-term lease, build it out, and fill it five days a week. That is no longer the case.Seventy-four percent of companies worldwide have adopted some form of hybrid or flex work model, according to The Instant Group. CBRE's 2025 occupier survey found that 73% of tenants hit full capacity on peak days but only 34% occupancy on average, meaning most companies are paying for space that sits half-empty several days a week. The response? More than half of global corporations now use flexible office solutions.Software engineer Brad Neuberg opened the first coworking space at Spiral Muse in San Francisco's Mission District in 2005, coining the name. WeWork’s SoHo location—a venture that would raise $12.8 billion and reach a peak valuation of $47 billion—hard-launched coworking as a category that institutional capital could not ignore.As the traditional lease loses ground to hybrid and flexible office solutions, New York and San Francisco are prototyping a workspace at scale that borrows more from boutique hospitality than commercial brokerage. In today’s market, a desk and Wi-Fi won’t move the needle. A hospitality-grade environment with curated programming, wellness amenities, and a community manager who knows your name will.In New York, San Francisco, and the U.S. as a whole, the coworking market closed 2025 with 8,854 locations, yet that still represents just 2.2% of total office inventory. The runway is enormous—especially for Dallas; Nashville, Tennessee; Denver; and dozens of other fast-growing metros that can learn from the frontrunners.Here, CANOPY shares nine insights from New York and San Francisco that herald the New American office.1. The Building Is the ProductThe most important decision a coworking operator makes isn't the furniture, but the building and location. Nearly 48% of NYC's coworking inventory now sits in Class A or A+ buildings, up from 44% a year earlier, according to Hubble. Class A locations captured 62% of U.S. coworking revenue in 2024. As CBRE's Mike Watts, president of investor leasing in the Americas, told Development Magazine: “Demand isn’t just for premium finishes but also for convenience, accessibility, and locations that align with workforce needs—even newly constructed offices can sit empty if they fail to meet these criteria.”The smartest buildings embed coworking inside mixed-use ecosystems. Since 2022, the number of coworking spaces inside live-work-play developments has grown 60%—from 35 to 56 nationwide—according to CoworkingCafe. New York leads with 119 such developments in the past decade. In San Francisco, the dominant operators cluster in premium corridors like the Financial District, SoMa, and Jackson Square. When members can live, eat, work out, and shop in the same neighborhood or building where they work, the last friction keeping them home disappears.The takeaway: The building is the product, the strategy, and the business model. Developers should include coworking from day one. Operators should choose buildings where the address and ecosystem do half of the marketing.2. Your Real Competitor Has a Kitchen and No Commute, So Beat Them With Experiential DesignThe primary competitor for every coworking space in New York and San Francisco is the home office. New York is the only major U.S. market where office attendance has actually returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels—visits in July 2025 exceeded July 2019 by 1.3%, according to Placer.ai data cited by the NYC Comptroller's office. Nationally, attendance still lags by 22%. Yet even in this strongest-recovery market, coworking inventory keeps expanding. That’s because the demand reflects where and how people want to work when they show up.The spaces losing members aren't losing them to a rival brand. They're losing them to any alternative—home, a coffee shop, a hotel lobby—that offers a better daily experience than a generic desk. When Spacebring surveyed more than 300 operators, those thriving were the ones giving people a reason to leave the house through programming, community, design, and service that can't be replicated at a kitchen table. The takeaway: When attendance is voluntary, workers need reasons to choose the office. If a kitchen table and good Wi-Fi can replicate what your space offers, you don't have a product; you have a commodity. Build the reason to show up.3. Wellness Isn’t a Perk; It’s Integral to the ProductCold plunges, red light therapy, guided breathwork, and infrared saunas aren't appearing in premium coworking spaces as afterthoughts. They're aspects of the core offering—wellness integrated into the workplace to empower high-performing professionals to better manage stress, energy, and focus.In New York, Blender Workspace on Madison Avenue in NoMad—a 15,000-square-foot space in a converted turn-of-the-century garment building—delivers a boutique hotel experience built around a full-service café, Danish modern furnishings, and managed hospitality for creative, fashion, wellness, and lifestyle brands. Across the river in Williamsburg, The New Work Project occupies a former foundry and has built biophilia, skylights, and distinct task zones directly into the design, incorporating member feedback that prioritized wellness and productivity through the physical environment. Cofounder Fanny Abbes described the process as designing for "wellness and productivity through collaboration," not just aesthetics.The takeaway: Wellness isn't a line item in your amenity budget. A cold plunge and a guided breathwork session before a 10 a.m. meeting qualifies. A free drip coffee does not. Curated health and wellbeing programming is the reason a growing segment of your most valuable prospective members will choose your space over staying home—or over the competitor down the street who skipped it.4. Dollar for Dollar, a Coworking Membership Beats a Lease by a Long ShotTake two 10-person teams in Manhattan. Team A signs a lease. Before anyone sits down, build-out requires furniture, IT infrastructure, legal fees, permitting, and so on. A fitout in San Francisco—the most expensive U.S. market—averages $228 per square foot, according to Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 fit-out guide. For a modest 2,000-square-foot space, that's $456,000—and a multiyear commitment. If the team grows to 20, the space is too small. If it shrinks to five, they're still paying for 10.Team B buys coworking memberships. In San Francisco, this runs $235 per month, per person (CoworkingCafe, Q4 2025). For 10 people, that’s roughly $2350 a month, and bundles workspace, meeting room credits, reception, Wi-Fi, printing, breakfast, cleaning, and shared amenities into one line item. There is no build-out or capital outlay, and you have the freedom to add memberships as you hire and cancel them as needed.CBRE's 2025 Americas Occupier Sentiment Survey puts the reduction in capital outlay for flex at 60%, but notes “ironically, one of the biggest obstacles to the use of flex space is cost.” Flex can look more expensive at first glance, but the membership fee is inclusive of rent, services, operating expenses, and build-out depreciation—costs a traditional lease scatters across a dozen budget lines that are easy to undercount at signing.The takeaway: Don't pitch price per desk. Pitch total cost of occupancy, zero build-out timeline, and the ability to scale without penalty.5. The Best Location Might Be 20 Minutes From DowntownSuburban coworking square footage across the U.S. grew 58% between 2023 and 2025, according to NAIOP, while urban coworking grew just 4%. In New York, the same dynamic is playing out at the borough level: outer-borough coworking locations grew 8% in a single year, rising to 121 locations, according to Hubble data reported by Commercial Observer, noting a "vast majority" of new coworking offices are now opening outside central business districts.That tracks. Workers in the office three days a week don't want to commute an hour each way on those days; they want a professional space close to home. The hub-and-spoke model—a lean headquarters downtown plus satellite flex spaces near where employees actually live—has become standard corporate real estate strategy. In San Francisco, this plays out across the Bay Area: While the city proper offers around 150 coworking spaces, flex operations are increasingly extending into the Peninsula, East Bay, and Marin.The takeaway: The highest-margin opportunity in your metro might not be the Class A tower downtown. A well-designed satellite space in a prosperous suburb, anchored by walkable shopping and dining precincts, could outperform a premium CBD location on both occupancy and retention.6. Design for an Inclusive, Diverse, Gender-Parity Workforce (Or Cap Your Own Growth)Nearly half of all coworking members globally are women, and Millennials make up 61% of them, according to Allwork Space's 2026 industry report. Gen Z adoption is rising fast, alongside growing representation from nondegree-holders. Educational attainment remains high—about 80% hold a college degree, per the same findings—but that figure is declining. The coworking population is broadening, which means spaces that don't adapt are shrinking their market by default.High urban pricing already creates economic barriers that hit marginalized communities hardest. Marketing that centers on a narrow demographic—young, able-bodied, white-collar—sends unintentional signals about who belongs. Spaces that lack accessibility features, gender-neutral facilities, quiet rooms for neurodivergent members, or mothers' rooms aren't just failing on principle—they're leaving revenue on the table. For instance, one Gallup survey on the subject found that 16.5% of respondents “were categorized as having a neurodivergent condition.”New York and San Francisco have incubated models that take this seriously. Impact Hub serves entrepreneurs and activists with programming built around social impact. The Hivery, in Mill Valley and Fort Mason, builds community specifically around women and creativity.The takeaway: Every pricing tier, floor plan, and community event either widens or narrows who shows up. Build for the full spectrum of the American workforce, and you capture the most durable demand.7. Build a Space and Brand for CommunityBoth New York and SF show the same pattern: spaces that are either big and efficient or specific and personal are thriving. GCUC's 2026 megatrends report—published by the leading U.S. coworking conference—found that community categories matured significantly in 2025 while corporate demand became the dominant growth force.San Francisco runs the niche playbook better than almost any market in the country. The Center for New Music in the Tenderloin provides artists and musicians access to instruments, sheet music, and performance space, alongside coworking desks. Eco-System in SoMa partners with a nightclub and an art gallery to fuse entertainment, creativity, and workspace into a single membership. New York does it differently but lands in the same place. The Farm, across SoHo, Nolita, and NoMad, leans into rustic Americana and attracts a specific entrepreneurial sensibility.The takeaway for other markets: "We're a coworking space for everyone" is a positioning statement that positions you nowhere. Pick a sector, a sensibility, or a community, and then frame every design decision, event, and membership tier around it.8. Hospitality Isn't a Gimmick. It's the MarginPer CoworkingCafe, monthly coworking membership prices have flattened, quarter to quarter. Manhattan's median held at $339 through Q4 2025; Brooklyn, $320. The national median is $220. Meanwhile, CBRE's 2026 Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights report found that 68% of employees say collaboration is the primary reason they come into the office. Put those two findings together, and the strategic question for operators becomes clear: if you can't grow revenue by raising rates, and your members are showing up for the experience rather than the desk, where do you invest?The operators who design that experience around hospitality principles are the ones capturing the premium. In New York, Convene runs farm-to-table culinary programs, TED Talks, and wine tastings across its locations. Industrious provides a dedicated member experience manager at every site, along with daily breakfast and craft coffee.The takeaway: Hire from hospitality, not just real estate. The community manager who greets members by name and connects them with the right people in the network is worth more than another phone booth.9. 2.2% Penetration Means the Real Buildout Hasn’t Started, So Now Is the Ideal Time to Invest in CoworkingCoworking represents just over 2.2 percent of total U.S. office inventory. Let that sink in. Every trend in this story—the hospitality shift, the suburban expansion, the institutional capital, the corporate adoption—has played out while flex workspace occupies a sliver of the total market. JLL predicted that 30 percent of all office space would be flexible by 2030. Some industry observers now call that estimate conservative.It’s the same story in San Francisco and New York. Manhattan's three major business districts hold more than 433 million square feet of office space, according to the NYC Comptroller's office. Manhattan's coworking sector accounts for 12.5 million square feet across 299 locations, per CoworkingCafe—roughly 2.5% of total leasable office space. In San Francisco, flex inventory reached 3.8 million square feet across 150 locations by late 2025. Earlier in the year, flex accounted for roughly 2% of the city's total leasable office space. Both markets have enormous room to grow, and both have already demonstrated the tenant demand and economic viability that other cities need to see before they commit.For operators and developers in Dallas; Nashville, Tennessee; Denver; Austin, Texas; and every other fast-growing metro, the window to establish a premium coworking brand is wide open.The takeaway: The playbook is written. The data supports it. Better execute, before everyone else does.This story was produced by CANOPY and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	More states consider dropping GLP-1 weight loss drugs from Medicaid A woman takes out an Ozempic pen. More states are considering dropping GLP-1 drugs from their Medicaid programs. (Photo by Shalina Chatlani/Stateline)Massachusetts and Rhode Island are considering dropping GLP-1 drugs for obesity treatment from their Medicaid programs, continuing a trend of states that have stopped coverage of these expensive medications. Thirteen state Medicaid programs are covering GLP-1 drugs for the treatment of obesity this year, down from 16 last year. Medicaid programs in California, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and South Carolina have eliminated coverage of the drugs for weight loss, because the expense strained state budgets. In Massachusetts, the governor’s proposed fiscal 2028 budget would not fund the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth, to cover GLP-1 medications for weight loss alone, though the state would continue covering the drugs for diabetes and other conditions. The legislature is still debating the state budget. Rhode Island’s governor also has proposed removing GLP-1 coverage from the state’s Medicaid program for weight loss treatment. North Carolina reinstated such coverage in mid-December after having dropped it in October. Medicaid programs in Delaware, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin also cover the drugs for obesity treatment, according to KFF, a health policy research group. States retreat from covering drugs for weight loss But some states, such as Michigan, have restricted eligibility for these medications to morbidly obesity patients rather than those who are overweight or obese. The move is expected to save the state an estimated $240 million. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Louisiana are debating whether to allow Medicaid to cover GLP-1s for obesity treatment if enrollees have another chronic condition, or comorbidity, such as prediabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease. The medications generally have been too expensive for people without insurance. In February, one of the largest producers of these drugs, Novo Nordisk, announced it would reduce their list prices to $675 per month in 2027. Gross spending on Medicaid prescriptions for GLP-1s — for diabetes as well as for weight loss — has increased from around $1 billion in 2019 to almost $9 billion in 2024 as demand for these drugs has risen, according to KFF. At the same time almost 40% of adults and a quarter of children with Medicaid have obesity and may benefit from having access to the drugs, according to KFF. Stateline reporter Shalina Chatlani can be reached at schatlani@stateline.org. Courtesy of Stateline
	May events expected to bring more than 9,000 participants to Quad Cities Visit Quad Cities said events include the NJCAA Division 1 Women’s Golf Championship, NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship, a farm business conference, wrestling duals and more.
	U.S. House primaries in Louisiana are suspended after Voting Rights Act ruling Louisiana suspended its upcoming primaries for the U.S. House, following Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the state's congressional map is an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander."
	Home improvements with the most ROI Home improvements with the most ROIWant to increase your home’s value while improving your day-to-day quality of life? According to the Journal of Light Construction’s Remodeling 2025 Cost vs Value Report, minor kitchen remodels can recoup up to 83% of their cost, making them one of the most strategic investments for homeowners.Renovations can enhance your lifestyle now while supporting long-term financial value, especially when funded with built-up equity. In this guide, Splitero breaks down the top home improvement projects for 2026 and explains how to plan and fund your projects to get the highest possible return on investment (ROI).Key TakeawaysRenovations should generally follow the 30% rule, keeping costs below about 30% of the home’s value to avoid overspending.Minor kitchen and bathroom updates deliver top ROI.Exterior projects like entry doors and siding improve curb appeal and resale potential.Multiple funding options, including HEIs, HELOCs, or home equity loans, and government incentives, offer flexibility in financing renovations and managing cash flow.How to increase home value through smart renovationsHomeowners often consider renovations for two main reasons: immediate lifestyle improvements and long-term resale value. While upgrading your home can make it more enjoyable to live in, selecting projects strategically ensures that the investment adds a measurable financial benefit. Renovations that improve functionality, curb appeal, and energy efficiency are most likely to deliver the strongest possible return, according to the JLC 2025 Cost vs Value Report.When you’re considering home improvement projects, it’s important to balance aesthetic upgrades with practical improvements. Minor kitchen and bathroom remodels, carefully chosen exterior enhancements, and energy-efficient updates appeal to the broadest range of buyers if you plan to sell in the future. Even if you are not selling soon, thoughtful renovations can increase your equity while also improving your day-to-day comfort.It’s also important to stay within the 30% rule, which advises against spending more than 30% of your home’s value on renovations. Following this guideline helps avoid overinvesting and preserves capital for high-return improvements.Lisa Patterson, a top-1% nationally ranked realtor at Daniel Ravenel Sotheby’s International Realty with over 30 years of experience in the Charleston market, notes that high spend doesn’t always translate into high returns. "The best returns don’t come from spending the most—they come from making the right decisions,” says Patterson. “If I had to give one piece of advice I repeat constantly, it’s this: don’t renovate in a vacuum. Renovate with your future buyer in mind, even if that buyer is years away.”Top home improvement projects for 2026Not all renovations deliver the same value, and in 2026, projects that improve daily living, energy efficiency, and curb appeal are the ones that offer the strongest ROI. Some lower-cost versions of these projects, including DIY-friendly updates, can still deliver measurable value while keeping expenses manageable.For example, painting kitchen cabinets instead of replacing them entirely or installing new light fixtures instead of completing a full electrical overhaul can improve appearance and functionality without breaking the bank.Selecting the right projects also depends on your goals. Are you renovating primarily for personal enjoyment, resale, or a combination of both? Understanding the purpose behind each project helps prioritize improvements that provide the largest return per dollar spent, ensuring you stay within the 30% rule and maximize your equity growth.Exterior ImprovementsFirst impressions matter. Entry doors, garage doors, and siding replacements offer over 200% ROI, while smaller projects like trim, paint, or landscaping can be low-cost additions that elevate curb appeal. Additionally, simple landscaping projects or painting shutters can often be DIY touches that still contribute meaningfully to your home’s overall value.Even small exterior improvements can dramatically enhance your home’s perceived value and make it more appealing to a wide range of buyers.Kitchen RemodelsThe kitchen is the most visible space in a home for high-impact home improvements, with returns ranging from 36% to 113%. Minor remodels focusing on cabinets, countertops, flooring, and lighting often provide higher ROI than major overhauls. Homeowners can achieve a modern look with cost-effective options like refacing cabinets, installing quartz or butcher block countertops, or updating hardware and lighting.John Gluch, founder of the Gluch Group at eXp Realty in Arizona, notes that “kitchen updates, not full gut renovations, but cabinet repaints, hardware swaps, and countertop upgrades, reliably return more than they cost in this market.”Prioritizing functional, widely appealing upgrades over high-end customization can help you maximize both usability and resale value. Gluch also adds that renovations in kitchens and other high-use spaces make for good long-term investments on value: “Kitchens and primary bathrooms hold value better than anything else over time because they’re the rooms buyers emotionally connect with.”Bathroom RemodelsBathrooms are functional spaces that benefit from even small updates, yielding returns of up to 80%. Updating fixtures, finishes, and lighting can boost value, and adding aging-in-place features such as walk-in showers or grab bars broadens the appeal. Affordable upgrades like replacing faucets, resurfacing tubs, or painting cabinets can yield strong ROI while being DIY-friendly.Thoughtful bathroom upgrades can turn a routine space into one that feels modern and inviting, giving buyers and homeowners alike a noticeable boost in satisfaction and value.Decks, Patios, and Outdoor Living SpacesOutdoor living areas expand usable space and provide an added attraction to prospective buyers. A basic deck or patio can be installed without extensive customizations and still deliver high returns (up to 95% ROI). Using sustainable materials or simple modular designs can minimize costs while increasing appeal.Not all outdoor projects carry the same return, though, and some can actively work against a sale. Gluch has seen this play out specifically with pools. “In Arizona, you’d think a pool is automatic value, but a significant portion of buyers with young kids or dogs see liability, not luxury,” says Gluch. “I’ve watched sellers lose buyers specifically because of a pool.”Focusing on versatile, low-maintenance designs ensures that outdoor spaces are enjoyable now and attractive to future buyers.Energy-efficient UpgradesUpgrades like high-efficiency windows, insulation, or HVAC systems reduce costs and appeal to eco-conscious homeowners, with returns of 60%–75% of their value, depending on the project. Even smaller interventions, such as sealing leaks or adding smart thermostats, can improve efficiency and offer tax incentives.Josh Qian, COO and cofounder of LINQ Kitchen in City of Industry, California, notes that these “invisible” improvements can outperform their flashier counterparts. “Instead of spending money on aesthetic interior finishing materials, spend it on energy-efficient window replacements and attic insulation,” says Qian. “Both of these ‘invisible’ improvements will help significantly lower operating expenses by reducing heating and cooling bills and creating a better insulating barrier around your home.”Energy-efficient improvements often provide long-term savings through lower utility costs and can be a part of an overall green remodeling approach to increasing your home’s value. “A new backsplash may look nice, but a home that maintains its own temperature and runs efficiently offers an actual, measurable return on investment that will appeal to savvy buyers and their inspectors during the negotiation process,” says Qian.Strategic ways to fund your home renovationRenovations don’t have to create burdensome monthly debt. Homeowners with equity in their home have multiple funding options, each with different implications for cash flow, taxes, and long-term financial planning. Starting with a home appraisal can help you understand how much equity is available and how much your renovations could increase your home’s value.Here are some common ways to fund renovations, along with what to consider for each:Home equity investments (HEI): Access equity upfront without monthly payments, allowing you to complete larger improvements or multiple high-ROI projects while preserving cash flow.HELOCs or home equity loans: These options allow for flexible access to funds with potential tax-deductible interest if used for qualifying renovations. They require repayment planning and careful monitoring of interest rates.Cash reserves: Using savings avoids monthly payments but may limit the scope of projects and affect liquidity.Government incentives or tax credits: This route can reduce the upfront or overall cost of qualifying renovations, especially those that improve energy efficiency. These programs typically don’t require repayment, but eligibility rules, timelines, and savings vary, so it’s important to confirm what applies to your specific project.Knowing how these funding options fit your financial situation and renovation goals helps you choose the approach that makes the most sense for both your home and your long-term plans.“The advice I give constantly right now: stop overimproving for your neighborhood ceiling,” says Gluch. “I’ve seen people drop $80,000 in renovations on a home in a $400,000 neighborhood. The market won’t give it back.”Accessing home equity can provide flexibility and liquidity, but it can also impact long-term housing costs, repayment obligations, and your equity position. Carefully evaluating each option’s structure and consulting a financial expert can help you determine the approach that best supports your renovation goals and broader financial plan.Leveraging your home equity doesn’t have to mean replacing your mortgage or giving up your low rate. An HEI lets you fund high-ROI renovations or updates while keeping your current mortgage and avoiding added monthly payments.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat adds value to a home most in 2026?Minor kitchen and bathroom remodels, energy-efficient upgrades, and exterior enhancements like siding or entry doors offer the strongest ROI. Projects that improve functionality and curb appeal often outperform luxury features.Is a major kitchen remodel worth it for resale?Major remodels can increase value, but minor updates typically return a higher percentage of investment. Focus on cost-effective improvements first.What is the 30% rule for renovations?The 30% rule advises spending no more than 30% of your home’s current value on renovations. Overspending can reduce overall ROI, even for high-value projects.What devalues a house the most?Overcustomization, neglecting maintenance, or adding low-demand features can lower resale value. Choose updates that appeal broadly and integrate features that support long-term functionality and sustainability.This story was produced by Splitero and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The CRM and email marketing software metrics that actually connect to revenue The CRM and email marketing software metrics that actually connect to revenueOn average, businesses garner an email marketing ROI of $10 to $36 per $1 spent, according to a 2025 study by Litmus. That’s why email marketing is widely considered the driver of the highest rate of ROI across digital marketing channels. The funny thing is that, despite reaping the benefits, most teams fail to actually prove their ROI.This metric and KPI framework guide, created by Nutshell, will help teams measure the gains that modern CRM and email marketing software make possible. The guide will shed some light on why the dashboard metrics most teams track won’t tell you the whole story and what to analyze to get the full picture.Key takeawaysMost teams measure the impact of their email marketing campaigns with metrics that show audience engagement instead of metrics that show the impact on revenue.Integrating CRM with email marketing software provides a way to access and analyze a deep layer of measurement data linking campaigns to pipeline progression and sales revenue.To get a holistic overview of campaign performance, teams should employ a three-tier metrics framework, which combines engagement, pipeline, and revenue metrics.What does CRM email marketing analytics actually measure?CRM email analytics typically measure how your email recipients engage with your messages, tracking opens, clicks, and unsubscribes. This data is useful, but it doesn’t tell you what happens after your audience engages with your email. Open and click-through rates don’t tell you whether a recipient became a lead, moved through the pipeline, or converted to a customer.An integrated CRM and email marketing software system takes those engagement metrics a step further. This system allows your email campaign data to flow into your CRM, connecting the data with contacts, deals, pipeline stages, and outcomes.That means your open and click figures are no longer a dead end. Instead, they become a vital foundation to a much broader story that includes revenue, pipeline velocity, and customer lifetime value.When teams make that analytics shift from engagement data to outcome-based data, it becomes easier to identify the campaigns that work.Why aren’t open and click rates enough?Open and click rates give you information about the actions your audience took when they received your email, but not much else. And, unfortunately, this is what many marketers focus on. But you can’t tie opens and clicks directly to revenue-related outcomes, which means you need additional metrics to see the full picture.A 2024 report by Litmus indicated that 72% of marketers don’t know exactly what their email campaign ROI is. This is largely due to their focus on tracking opens and clicks, and being left to guess the actual impact of the campaign.Teams that track metrics beyond these engagement basics often still fail to cast their nets wide enough. In its 2024 State of Email and Automation study, Ascend2 reported that 45% of marketing leaders focus on revenue generated as a measure of email campaign success. The study also highlighted that only 22% of marketing decision-makers actually consider customer lifetime value as part of their campaign success equation.Teams often lean into metrics that provide little to no insight into email marketing campaign success, but continue to track them because they feel comfortable with them.A more effective CRM email metrics frameworkOrganizing your CRM email marketing metrics into three tiers helps teams distinguish between measurements that answer different questions. As a result, teams end up using the correct metrics to analyze and report on the data and outcomes they relate to. Nutshell Tier 1: Engagement signalsMeasuring open, click-through, and click-to-open rates is useful, but only for specific purposes. If you want to know whether your campaign is hitting the mark when it comes to subject line, sent time, and content relevance, these can all be reliable indicators.The problem is that you won’t be able to use these figures to determine if the engagement translated into leads or conversions. You can use these metrics to diagnose and refine email content, but they’re not going to help you with performance reporting.Tier 2: Pipeline metricsThis is where teams begin to see the value of CRM and email marketing software integration. The key pipeline metrics are as follows:Email-to-lead rate: Tracks the percentage of email campaign recipients that convert to leads.Campaign-to-opportunity: Shows the percentage of those leads that have evolved into active deals.Deal stage touch points: Analysis of pipeline stage touch points to determine which email sequences result in leads progressing through the pipeline faster.Setting up custom campaign tags inside your CRM is the best way to track these metrics. To ensure accurate pipeline attribution, you’ll need a source label linked to specific contacts and deal records for each email sequence.Tier 3: Revenue metricsOne of the key metrics gained from an integrated CRM email marketing system that heavily impacts decision-making is the revenue per email sent. Dividing your total campaign revenue by the number of emails sent gives you a real outcome-based figure that leadership can sink their teeth into.In fact, Litmus data from 2025 tells us that 41% of marketing leaders measure the contribution of email marketing to overall business goals using direct revenue attribution.But we can take email marketing success metrics a step further. With the customer lifetime value metric by campaign source, we can determine which email acquisition and nurture strategies resulted in the customers that stuck around the longest.How to connect email activity to revenue in your CRMLinking email campaign engagement to revenue comes down to your setup and disciplined tracking management.Tag each campaign at its sourceTeams need a unique identifier for each email campaign sequence, such as a UTM parameter, campaign-specific tag, or custom CRM source field. The idea is for this identifier to mark and follow the contact from the point of engagement through the pipeline. It’s the best way to ensure attribution doesn’t break when the lead is assigned to your sales team.Map touch points to pipeline stagesHere, you’ll reverse engineer the pipeline journey, starting from closed deals back to engagement to narrow down the touch points that appeared most often. Any good CRM should be able to surface this data through basic reporting. But bear in mind that the objective is to find the connections before optimizing.Define your attribution windowEach lead will likely follow a different path from email to conversion to close, affecting how you track and report on attribution. That’s why determining whether you want to measure first-touch, last-touch, or multi-touch is crucial. Once teams are clear on this, they must apply it consistently across the board to ensure accurate and meaningful reporting.Set a regular review cadenceEstablish a review cadence that makes sense for the metrics you’re collecting. For instance, it’s best to analyze your Tier 2 and 3 numbers on a quarterly or campaign basis, because outcomes are determined over a longer period for these. Attempting to measure pipeline and revenue outcomes in real time will prove a painful process.Benchmarks worth measuring againstGetting the metrics right and comparing them against your own historical data and forecasts is useful. Casting your eye toward broader industry benchmarks paints a clearer picture of your position in the market.Here are a few worthwhile benchmarks to reference based on original research.Automated email sequences: Although these account for only 2% of the total email send volume, research by Verified Email indicates that automated email sequences typically deliver about 41% of a business’s total email revenue.Marketing segmentation: Litmus’s email trends report highlights that 90% of email marketers who segmented audiences for more targeted campaigns saw an increase in campaign performance.ROI by industry: A Litmus post based on research they’ve done regarding email marketing ROI describes a wide ROI range across various industries of 10:1 to 50:1. For example, the average ROI for businesses in the media and publishing industry is 32:1. And the average ROI for businesses in retail and commerce is 45:1.Linking email activity to revenue attribution allows teams to make informed, data-driven decisions about segmentation, sequencing, and budget.Revenue attribution starts with CRM and email marketing software integrationThe key to closing the gap between understanding whether email campaigns are performing well and knowing how those campaigns have impacted business revenue is the integration between CRM and email marketing software.Building a three-tier measurement framework is the first step toward optimizing for outcomes instead of engagement. Implementing this fundamental shift typically results in an improvement in campaign metrics across the board.This story was produced by Nutshell and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Eugene Field Elementary in Rock Island holds groundbreaking for $6M renovation, addition On Thursday morning, the Rock Island-Milan School District celebrated a series of renovations at Eugene Field Elementary School with a groundbreaking event.
	Stein signs $319M Medicaid funding plan, extending healthcare coverage in NC Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill approving $319 million in Medicaid funding on April 30, 2026. (Photo: Christine Zhu/NC Newsline)Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill Thursday approving $319 million in Medicaid funding, ending months of uncertainty over the program’s future. More than 3 million North Carolinians rely on Medicaid for healthcare. Without a state budget, N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai warned the program would run out of money by the end of May. Stein urged state lawmakers to supply adequate recurring funding next year to keep the program stable. “For months, the status of Medicaid in North Carolina has been in unnecessary jeopardy,” Stein said before signing the document. “I’m relieved to say that the bill that I will be signing will provide certainty and care that the people and the providers of this state need and deserve.” House and Senate lawmakers voted nearly unanimously to pass House Bill 696, “Medicaid & HHS Adjust./Other Critical Needs,” earlier this week. Three Democrats in each chamber voted against it, saying it would deny Medicaid coverage to 27,000 pregnant women and their children due to their immigration status. The group includes victims of human trafficking, green card holders, refugees and other immigrants with legal status, as well as undocumented immigrants who are pregnant or who have recently given birth. Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill approving $319 million in Medicaid funding on April 30, 2026. (Photo: Christine Zhu/NC Newsline) Stein said he was concerned with that part of the bill, but noted the urgency of funding the program before it runs out of money. “Depriving these vulnerable women and children healthcare converge is wrong,” Stein said. “Fortunately, based on conversations we’ve had, I believe that it is the General Assembly’s intention to fix this.” But that’s not the only provision in the bailout bill causing concern. H696 also creates new copays for Medicaid at the maximum amount allowable by federal law. A coalition of 14 nonpartisan organizations representing patients with serious and chronic health conditions, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, urged policymakers to reconsider the copay amounts. “Research has shown that even low levels of cost-sharing and copayments deter patients from seeking care,” the coalition said in its statement. H696 also includes some of the nation’s most restrictive requirements for eligibility. Federal law requires a minimum one-month lookback period, which is the timeframe for checking work-requirement eligibility for benefits like Medicaid. But H696 requires Medicaid to verify three months of work eligibility before applicants receive approval. “There may be people who are eligible for Medicaid that are denied benefits because of this longer lookback,” Stein said. Looking ahead, the program has a $1 billion rebase, or increase in costs, for the upcoming fiscal year, according to Sen. Benton Sawrey (R-Johnston), co-chair of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid. That’s larger than the expected surplus in the state budget. With rising prices, Sawrey said Medicaid costs have increased by more than 90% over the past five years in North Carolina. “House Bill 696 takes important first steps in giving our Medicaid partners important tools in order to manage that cost,” Sawrey said. “I’m proud of the work that we did to get this across the finish line, but I don’t have any illusions that this is the current solution that’s going to fix everything going forward.” North Carolina General Assembly gives final approval to $319M in Medicaid funding Josh Dobson, president and CEO of the North Carolina Health Association, said the law provides relief for providers in addition to patients. The funding supports the providers and teams who make healthcare possible. Healthcare workers are stepping up while managing workforce challenges and significant financial pressure, he said. “Through all of that, they continue to deliver high quality care in every single corner of North Carolina,” Dobson said. “They stayed engaged, worked in good faith and helped move forward an approach that supports patients while strengthening the system for the long term. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The law also contains measures to target waste and abuse in Medicaid. The House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform grilled Sangvai and Attorney General Jeff Jackson earlier this month over allegations of fraud. Some critics said the measure moved jurisdiction over fraud away from the attorney general to the state auditor’s office, but bill sponsors said that’s not the case. Sangvai lauded the push for agencies to work together to identify and address cases of waste and abuse. “One of the other opportunities that’s come out of this process is collaboration in the state,” he said. Stein isn’t worried about the potential power shift, he said, since the attorney general — a position he previously held — partners with the governor’s office against Medicaid fraud. “The government is really focused on it, because we want every healthcare dollar to go to make someone healthy,” he said. Courtesy of NC Newsline
	Olivia Rodrigo's 'drop dead' goes to No. 1 — and helps The Cure return to the charts Olivia Rodrigo's third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, doesn't come out until June. But it's already off to a tremendous start on this week's Billboard charts.
	Kansas’ four members of U.S. House vote to endorse farm bill legislation All four U.S. House members from Kansas — three Republicans and one Democrat — join a bipartisan majority to approve a bill covering a wide swath of federal food and agriculture programs. In this image, harvest work proceeds in Nebraska amid a period of high fertilizer costs and low crop prices. (Photo by Gary Stone of Nebraska Extension/University of Nebraska-Lincoln)TOPEKA — The three Republicans and one Democrat representing Kansas in the U.S. House voted Thursday for a five-year farm bill expanding federal subsidies to crop producers and reducing food aid programs for low-income families. The legislation advanced 224-200 with support of U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann of the 1st District, Derek Schmidt of the 2nd District, Sharice Davids of the 3rd District and Ron Estes of the 4th District. It was forwarded to the GOP-led U.S. Senate, where it would require an alliance with Democrats to pass. Davids, among 14 House Democrats to vote for the bill, said Kansas farmers sought financial certainty from Congress during a period of low crop prices, high energy and fertilizer costs and export markets fractured by President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda. “Kansas farmers and families have been hit over and over again this past year — from unstable markets to rising input costs and the ripple effects of reckless tariffs,” Davids said. “What they need most right now is stability, not uncertainty. This bipartisan farm bill moves us toward more predictability for producers, lower costs for everyone and a system that actually works for the people feeding and fueling this country.” Most House Democrats opposed the bill because it sustained $187 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The measure included a $60 billion increase in farm subsidies. “We still have work to do to ensure no family goes hungry, but this is a step toward giving farmers and families the certainty they deserve,” Davids said. Davids said the bill included provisions she championed to require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to perform research on winter wheat as a cover crop and to mandate Native American tribes have access to USDA agricultural programs under the same terms as states. Schmidt, who serves an eastern Kansas district outside the Kansas City area, said the legislation included a provision he sought to direct the USDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate research on domestic production of crops used in natural food colorings. Mann, who represents the large 1st District, said bill completed “overdue” reauthorization of key programs for conservation, rural development, research, trade, energy and specialty crops, he said. “I am especially proud that this bill includes my legislation to permanently move the Kansas-born Food for Peace program to USDA, its rightful home, ensuring American-grown commodities remain the focus of the program and increasing accountability of taxpayer dollars,” Mann said. Courtesy of Kansas Reflector
	NC House Democrats seek bipartisan support to strengthen food security, ban dynamic pricing Legislation introduced in the NC House would make fresh vegetables and produce more available in food deserts. House Bill 1057 would benefit NC farmers and earmark millions in recurring funds to address food insecurity among members of the military. (Photo: Getty Images/ Tatiana Maksimova)Buncombe Rep. Eric Ager says his new bill, titled “The Affordable Food Act,” was inspired by a problem that is being felt in every county of the state: rising food and grocery prices. “Wages have just not kept up with the cost of basic necessities,” said Ager. “The same basket of groceries – cost goes up, same paycheck stretches less.” Rep. Eric Ager (Photo: NCGA video stream) Beyond the affordability crisis, Ager says far too many families are unable to purchase fresh food. House Bill 1057 would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorizing the state to operate a nutrition incentive program that would help families buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. Ager says the bill would also address the state’s food deserts, where residents live miles away from a full-service grocery store. “Where transportation is limited, convenience stores become the default food system,” said Ager. “Families should have access to real food, not just whatever you can find on a convenience store shelf.” USDA data finds 11 food deserts in Buncombe County. Ager said that’s about 23,000 residents in his own district who are unable to routinely access fresh, healthy foods. H1057 supports mobile markets, food banks, nonprofits, local governments, and food co-ops willing to serve underserved areas. “The grant program in this bill would help us bring food to the communities that need it most,” explained Ager. Rep. Ray Jeffers, a Person County farmer, said the legislation will also create a farmer stabilization program within the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to purchase food products grown or processed in North Carolina for distribution to public and nonprofit food assistance programs. Jeffers says historically underserved producers and those operating small and mid-sized farms are more likely to stay in agriculture if they have reliable buyers. NC is losing 100,000 acres of farmland annually. Troxler seeks lawmakers’ help to stem the tide The bill also earmarks $47 million in recurring funds for farmland preservation. North Carolina is losing 100,000 acres of farmland and forest land a year. “Preserving working farms is not just about rural nostalgia. It is about our food supply, our rural economies, our family farmers, and our state’s long-term resilience,” said Jeffers. Rep. Garland Pierce (D-Scotland) signed onto the bill this week because a significant portion of his district covers Fort Bragg. The proposed Targeted Military and Veteran Food Assistance Program in H1057 would provide $140 million in recurring funds to address food insecurity among members of the military, veterans, and military families. Rep. Garland E. Pierce (Photo: NCGA) “No one who served this country should struggle to feed their family,” said Pierce. In 2023, one in five military and veteran family families indicated some level of food insecurity, according to a study conducted for the Military Family Advisory Network. Pierce said this was not charity, but an obligation the state owes to its military men and women. “We ask their families to endure deployments, uncertainties, and sacrifice,” said Pierce. “The least we can do is to make sure these same families are not left behind wondering how they will be able to feed their families.” One notable final section of the bill that would benefit consumers would prohibit retail grocery stores from using dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing allows electronic price tags in stores to change based on demand, the time of day, and other market conditions. Ager said while electronic shelf labels may be more efficient for retailers, the real-time pricing makes it harder for consumers to plan, compare, and budget. “Families should not have to wonder whether the price of milk, eggs, bread or baby formula will change while they are walking through the store,” said Ager. “Grocery shopping is not a stock exchange.” Earlier this month, Maryland became the first state in the nation to ban the practice of dynamic pricing, which includes consumers’ personal data to set prices for goods or services. Ager acknowledged the comprehensive legislation comes with a fairly large fiscal note, but he’s hopeful to work across the aisle as the state budget is crafted. “We do spend lots of money down here in Raleigh,” Ager pointed out. “And to us, we ought to focus on the people, the farmers and the veterans who are the ones really needing help in this day and age.” Courtesy of NC Newsline
	The anatomy of a scam: How AI and the dark web fuel financial schemes, and ways to stay safe The anatomy of a scam: How AI and the dark web fuel financial schemes, and ways to stay safe In our increasingly digital world, the primary target for scammers isn’t always your bank’s advanced systems. It’s often you, the consumer. “Scammers prey on your trust, your emotions, and your wallet,” said Wells Fargo’s Sarah Gosler, a globally recognized cybersecurity leader and expert in human-centric defense. She’s known for reverse engineering human behavior to outsmart adversaries. Her team focuses on empowering customers to be their own best defense against online threats because, as she noted, “consumer awareness is a critical component of strong cybersecurity.”With the rapid evolution of AI and deepfake technology, scams are becoming incredibly sophisticated and harder to distinguish from reality. Imagine realistic fake videos or voices that perfectly mimic someone you know or a company you trust. Understanding how these impersonation scams operate is the most crucial step you can take to protect yourself and truly outsmart the criminals.Below, Gosler shares these insights and scam prevention tips.Key takeawaysThe rapid evolution of AI and deepfake technology has made financial scams incredibly sophisticated and harder to distinguish from reality.Scammers deceive their targets using fake emails, texts, or calls that look or sound legitimate.Cybercriminals build a profile on their targets by collecting personal data from social media, public records, and the dark web to build convincing attacks.Emotional triggers like fear, urgency, or the promise of a reward are used to pressure people into acting hastily.Because they don’t have access to secure banking systems, malicious actors impersonate banks and trusted organizations using data collected from the dark web, relying on tricking individuals into voluntarily providing personal information or account access.What are scams and how do they typically begin?At their core, scams are deceptive schemes designed to steal your money, your identity, sensitive personal data, or gain access to your accounts. “Scammers are master manipulators. They exploit natural human responses like urgency, distraction, fear, or even the promise of a big reward,” Gosler said. “They want to pressure you into making quick decisions before you have a chance to think clearly or verify.”These attacks often begin with cybercriminals building a profile of their targets by meticulously piecing together digital breadcrumbs of your information that they’ve collected in various ways.Fake emails, texts, or calls that look or sound incredibly legitimate. They’re designed to trick you into clicking harmful links or sharing private, sensitive details.Deepfakes and synthetic media. Fraudsters use AI to create fake videos or voice recordings that perfectly impersonate people you know and trust, like family, friends, or your bank.Credential theft. If they steal your login for one website, they’ll try it everywhere, like a master key. “This is why using unique, strong passwords for every online account is absolutely vital,” Gosler stressed.Combining old and new tactics. They might use traditional methods like mail theft to steal physical documents such as checks or utility bills. Then, they combine that with AI-driven data scraping. This helps them mine even more information and build a comprehensive target profile.Where do scammers collect and use your personal information?Cybercriminals are constantly assembling bits of personal data from various sources to build convincing attacks. From social media, they might extract birthdays or names of family members and pets, details often used in passwords or to personalize phishing attempts. Public records can reveal your address and property ownership, which may help impostors bypass identity checks. These fragments of information make scams feel alarmingly personal and authentic, all designed to gain your trust and catch you off guard.Unfortunately, the cycle of scams and fraud is fueled by stolen personal data. According to Javelin Strategy, 7 in 10 victims who lost money to a scam were also tricked into handing over personally identifiable information. Top stolen information included email addresses (43%), phone numbers (38%), and banking details (28%).What is the dark web?Think of the dark web as a hidden part of the internet that’s not indexed by regular search engines. It’s where stolen personal and financial data from various data breaches is anonymously bought and sold. “Scammers frequent these hidden marketplaces to acquire vast amounts of personal details: names, addresses, email addresses, passwords, purchase histories, and even Social Security numbers,” said Gosler. “In many cases, this stolen data from the dark web is the starting point of the sophisticated scam attempts we see today.”Malicious actors impersonate banks and trusted organizations using data they’ve collected from many sources, including the dark web, not because they have access to secure banking systems. “Your financial institution is almost never the source of the scam,” Gosler said. “Scammers’ entire strategy relies on tricking you into voluntarily providing more personal information or account access.”Note: References to the dark web are for education only. Do not access, monitor, or engage with content on the dark web, since doing so may introduce financial cybersecurity risk.How is the scam presented?Once scammers have gathered enough personal data, they launch their attack. You might receive a call, text message, email, or social media message generated with sophisticated tactics that make the message appear to come from a legitimate source:Spoofed caller IDs. The number on your phone might display your bank’s name or a familiar contact, but it’s fake. In fact, phone calls were one of the top reported contact methods for fraud in 2024.Look-alike email addresses. These may differ by just one character from a real email address, making them hard to spot at a glance.Fake websites. These are meticulously designed to mimic real login pages of banks or other services.AI-generated voices or videos. These can sound like real customer service agents or even your friends and family. They’ll often reference those real details they collected about you, like your address, a recent transaction, or a family member’s name, which makes them sound incredibly convincing.Scammers use emotional triggers like fear (“Your account is locked!”), urgency (“Act now to avoid fees!”), curiosity (a simple text that says “Hi”), or the promise of a reward (“You’ve won a prize!”) to pressure you into acting hastily. Their goal is usually to trick you into:Giving up more sensitive information.Sharing a one-time security code.Clicking a malicious link.Downloading a harmful app.Handing over your debit or credit card.Making a money transfer.These actions can give criminals direct access to your accounts, your funds, or your devices.What are some red flags to watch for?Staying vigilant is your best defense. When it comes to AI-generated voices or videos, pay close attention to:A voice that sounds robotic, flat, or strangely paced.Movements in videos that seem jerky or where the lip movements don’t quite match the words being spoken.Requests to send or transfer money or hand over your debit card under the guise of “protecting your account” or “keeping your money safe.” Your bank, a government agency, or the police will never ask you to do this.Some additional scam prevention tips include:Wait and validate: Verify all requests and offers independently before taking action.Don’t share personal information: Be cautious of unsolicited requests for sensitive personal and financial information such as username, passwords, PIN numbers, or one-time passcodes.Don’t be quick to click: Malware can be embedded in links. Don’t click on unsolicited links.Use strong passwords: Don’t reuse passwords across sites. Use a password manager if needed.Monitor accounts: Set up account alerts and two-factor authentication.Beyond technology, Gosler believes “an informed customer is the strongest defense. Ultimately, your vigilance and awareness remain our strongest partnership in this fight since no system can guarantee complete protection.”“Stay informed, stay skeptical,” said Gosler. “And always remember, while scammers and their technologies are constantly getting smarter, so are we, especially when we work together. By understanding their tactics, we can collectively outsmart them and protect what matters most.”This story was produced by Wells Fargo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How to build the business case for AI SEO that wins buy-in How to build the business case for AI SEO that wins buy-inTo build the business case for AI SEO, quantify how AI search is impacting your organic visibility, estimate the revenue at risk, model the upside of AI visibility, and present a structured ROI framework that leadership can approve. This approach shifts the conversation from experimentation to measurable business impact.Building the business case for AI SEO starts with three questions your leadership team needs answered: How much revenue depends on organic search? Where is AI already eroding that visibility? And what does it cost to protect that revenue before competitors lock in the advantage? Once you quantify those answers, the budget conversation shifts from “why” to “when.”WebFX outlines how businesses can build a data-backed case for AI SEO and evaluate its potential impact on revenue and visibility.How to build the business case for AI SEO in 5 stepsBuilding the business case for AI SEO comes down to one thing: translating visibility risk into financial terms your leadership team can evaluate. This five-step framework gives you the structure to do exactly that: WebFX Step 1: Quantify how much revenue organic search drivesOpen Google Analytics 4 (GA4) or your customer relationship management (CRM) system and pull the actual revenue, leads, and pipeline value that organic search generated over the past 12 months.If organic search drives $5 million in annual revenue for your company, that number becomes the anchor for every calculation that follows. If it drives $500,000, that still matters. The point is to ground the conversation in currency your CFO already tracks.Step 2: Identify where AI already affects your search visibilitySearch your core keywords on Google. Count how many trigger an AI Overview at the top of the results page. Then open ChatGPT and Perplexity and ask the questions your buyers ask. Note which competitors show up in those AI responses and whether your brand appears at all.Look for three warning signs:AI Overviews appearing on your highest-value keywords.Competitors getting cited in ChatGPT or Perplexity for queries you should own.Declining click-through rate (CTR) in Google Search Console without corresponding ranking drops.If you spot even one of these, your buyers are already getting answers from someone else.Step 3: Model a conservative revenue-at-risk scenarioThe data on click erosion is hard to argue with. Ahrefs analyzed 300,000 keywords in a 2025 study and found that AI Overviews correlate with a 58% lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page.You don’t need to model the worst case. Even a conservative 15% to 20% erosion scenario over two to three years creates real exposure. This aligns with research showing how AI search affects organic traffic as AI-generated answers reduce click-through rates. If organic drives $5 million and you project a 15% decline, that’s $750,000 in revenue at risk. That number gets attention in a boardroom.Step 4: Compare protectable revenue against AI SEO investmentNow put the investment in context. A comprehensive AI SEO program typically runs $3,000 to $12,000 or higher per month, depending on scope. That’s $36,000 to $144,000 per year. Compare that against the revenue you identified at risk.The AI SEO return multiple formula(Revenue at Risk x % Mitigated) ÷ AI SEO Investment = Return MultipleHere’s an example:Revenue at Risk: $5,000,000 organic revenue x 15% projected decline = $750,000 at risk% Mitigated: 50% conservative estimate of erosion preventedAI SEO Investment: $60,000/yearThe math: ($750,000 x 50%) ÷ $60,000 = 6.25x returnIn this scenario, every $1 invested in AI SEO could help protect an estimated $6.25 in organic revenue. You can also validate performance using proxy KPIs for AI visibility ROI to track early impact before revenue fully materializes.Frame this as capital efficiency. You’re spending a fraction of the exposed revenue to protect a significant portion of it. That’s actual risk management, not a mere experiment.Step 5: Frame the ask around protection, not experimentationThis is the difference between a request that gets approved and one that gets tabled. Leadership teams don’t fund experiments when budgets are tight. They fund strategies that protect existing revenue streams and create competitive separation. This is similar to how teams demonstrate SEO value to leadership using financial impact and risk reduction.Position AI SEO as a margin preservation and an efficient allocation of marketing dollars. If organic search already works for your business, AI search optimization helps it keep working as search behavior shifts.Bring this business case for AI SEO checklist to the leadership meeting:Organic revenue, leads, and pipeline value from the past 12 months.Target keywords where AI Overviews or competitor citations currently appear.A 15%-20% revenue erosion scenario with the dollar amount at risk.Your AI SEO return multiple calculation using actual company numbers.A one-page summary framing AI SEO as revenue protection, not just an experiment.What is AI search optimization, and how is it different from SEO?AI search optimization is the process of engineering your brand’s digital presence so that AI systems recognize, trust, and surface your business in their responses. Platforms like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot all decide which brands to recommend based on authority signals, content structure, and entity clarity.Traditional SEO gets your pages ranked. AI SEO helps your brand get cited, mentioned, and surfaced in AI-generated responses. Both matter, and they work best together. Here’s how they compare: WebFX AI SEO amplifies the SEO foundation already in place. It expands your visibility into the AI-driven channels where more and more buyers start their research.What happens if you do nothing?The click erosion is already measurable. Pew Research Center tracked 68,879 Google searches by 900 U.S. adults in March 2025 and found that CTR dropped from 15% to 8% when AI summaries appeared on a results page. Similarweb reported that zero-click searches grew from 56% to 69% between May 2024 and May 2025. Ahrefs’ December 2025 study put the CTR decline at 58% for the number-one ranking position when an AI Overview is present.These numbers represent traffic that used to flow to your site and no longer does, even when your rankings haven’t changed. And the impact compounds. Less organic traffic means less brand exposure. Less brand exposure means lower familiarity with buyers. Lower familiarity drives up your cost per acquisition (CPA) as you rely more heavily on paid channels to make up the difference.Meanwhile, the competitors who invest in AI SEO today are building citation authority across every major AI platform. That authority compounds, too. The longer they hold those positions, the more expensive it becomes to displace them. Every quarter you wait doesn’t just maintain the status quo. It widens the gap.This story was produced by WebFX and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Rock Island’s Eugene Field Elementary breaks ground on expansion A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday morning for an addition to Eugene Field Elementary School.
	Eastern Iowa Community Colleges announce new mascot Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) has a new mascot. The colleges introduced the EICC River Otters on April 30, the last day of Community College Month. The River Otters give students across Clinton, Muscatine and Scott Community Colleges a visible symbol of pride, momentum and community. Eddy, EICC’s River Otter mascot, is described as being [...]

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