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

Thursday, June 25th, 2026
	Iowa opens door for 8th graders in high school sports, changes transfer sit-out rules DES MOINES, Iowa — The door to varsity sports may soon open a year earlier for some Iowa students, but the fine print matters. The Iowa State Board of Education has approved emergency rules tied to House File 2591, making two major changes to high school athletics in Iowa: allowing 8th graders to participate in [...]
Wednesday, June 24th, 2026
	Iowa and Illinois rank in top 20 best states to visit: Report Going on a summer road trip is always a “fun” time – but new research suggests that some places may be better than others when it comes to packing up the car and hitting the road.
	Assumption baseball defeats Solon 6-5 Watch highlights from Assumption baseball’s win over Solon 6-5.
	Tony Finau, Tom Kim added to John Deere Classic field JDC adds Tony Finau and Tom Kim to the playing field
	With a Round of 32 spot already clinched, the U.S. takes on Turkey in the World Cup Two U.S. wins and two Turkey losses already on the books mean the Americans have won this World Cup group no matter the outcome of Thursday's game. Still, the Americans say they're playing to win.
	2 major earthquakes strike northern Venezuela, near Caracas A 7.2-magnitude earthquake and a 7.5-magnitude were less than a minute apart, said the U.S. Geological Survey. The second earthquake was the largest to hit the country since 1900.
	At least 32 killed, 700 injured in 2 major earthquakes in Venezuela, says acting president A 7.2-magnitude earthquake and a 7.5-magnitude were less than a minute apart, said the U.S. Geological Survey. The second earthquake was the largest to hit the country since 1900.
	Students get hands-on health care experience at MercyOne Genesis nursing camp Education, experience and excitement are filling the minds of high school students in the MercyOne Genesis Adventures in Nursing camp.
	Take a tour of the Rock Island Arsenal with Our Quad Cities News The upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation has the Rock Island Arsenal trying to bring more people to visit. Arsenal employees gave Our Quad Cities News a tour to show what it offers. The Rock Island Arsenal is working on a verification system online to allow visitors to register and enter the island without having [...]
	Scott County conducts regional transit study Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge and LeClaire are conducting a regional transit study. The study is designed to find out experiences and ideas to shape the future of public transit in Scott County. The Iowa Department of Transportation is paying for the study that launched last year. The goal is to stimulate the local economy by helping [...]
	Almost Fiesta Fest will come to Muscatine riverfront The Almost Fiesta Fest will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 25, in Muscatine's Riverside Park with an evening of free family-friendly fun beginning at 5 p.m. From 5-8 p.m., the riverfront will have live entertainment, local food vendors, a festive beer and wine tent, and more, all set against the beautiful backdrop of the [...]
	Crews fight structure fire in LeClaire Multiple crews fought a house fire Wednesday afternoon in LeClaire. Our Quad Cities News crew saw flames coming from the house in the 400 block of Wisconsin Street. Crews responded shortly after 4 p.m. No one was injured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Crews from LeClaire, Princeton and Bettendorf fire departments, LeClaire [...]
	Scott County Sheriff’s Office: Missing boy found A missing Scott County boy has been found, an official with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office says.
	Pres. Trump cancels signing of housing bill; QCA reaction President Trump abruptly canceled the signing of a landmark housing bill, and the move is getting reaction from lawmakers, including some from the QCA. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (H.R. 6644) aims to tackle the housing crisis by making it easier to buy and build new housing. The president said he wont sign [...]
	Davenport man vandalizes police department, courthouse A Davenport man on federal supervised release on a bank robbery conviction has been charged for allegedly vandalizing the Scott County Courthouse and Davenport Police station.
	Illinois expands reproductive protections and contraceptive access Illinois now has expanded reproductive protections and contraceptive access in pharmacies. Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act (HB 5295) into law, safeguarding patient privacy and preventing sensitive medical information from being shared out of state for those seeking reproductive healthcare in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) also issued [...]
	Getting to Know Joe Moreno Chief Meteorologist Andy McCray talks with familiar faces around the Quad Cities in the Getting to Know Podcast. Learn more about important people around our area and have a good time doing it. Each week will feature a new guest from restaurant owners, to area leaders, to Our Quad Cities News Staff. In this episode [...]
	Getting to Know Redrick Terry Chief Meteorologist Andy McCray talks with familiar faces around the Quad Cities in the Getting to Know Podcast. Learn more about important people around our area and have a good time doing it. Each week will feature a new guest from restaurant owners, to area leaders, to Our Quad Cities News Staff. In this episode [...]
	Iowa Farmers Union president says uncertainty clouds potential Iran crop market Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman said the potential relief may be coming too late for many farmers facing low prices, high costs and uncertainty about whether a new market would materialize.
	Friends Of MLK Celebrate Completion of MLK Park Mural Project The mural captures moments of time in Davenport, including the first Black student graduating after segregation ended and the first Black-owned business opening in the city.
	Retirements, hirings and other Davenport schools personnel news from May 26 See the personnel items from the May 26 agenda of the Davenport Community School District.
	Strong team bond propels Easton Valley girls golf team to 3 state titles A strong team bond lead Easton Valley to its third state title.
	Frustration grows among those displaced by Muscatine evacuation Dozens of apartment units and businesses remain evacuated along East 2nd Street following a partial wall collapse, leaving many residents struggling to find housing and other assistance.
	Illinois leads nation in tornadoes this year as state record is broken Illinois has already seen 200 recorded tornadoes in 2026, which breaks the previous state record of 142 set in 2024. The national record in one year is 244 in Texas.
	Dixon looks ahead with new bridge, planned riverfront development Dixon leaders say a new pedestrian bridge and future riverfront development are helping shape the city's next chapter.
	Parkview Apartments, Moline to receive loan from State of Illinois Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs on Tuesday unveiled a new community investment program - including a project in Moline - designed to build affordable housing, help nonprofits, and generate returns for the state, according to a news release. Parkview Apartments in Moline, one of five projects in the program, will receive a $1.4 million loan to [...]
	Here’s what communities can do when data centers arrive How can communities with no prior experience navigate these mega-sized industrial facilities driven by the rapid buildout of cloud computing and artificial intelligence?
	Stoneware Fest returns to Monmouth with dozens of vendors The free event will be held on Saturday, June 27, at the Stoneware Museum of Monmouth.
	Illinois breaks state tornado record, leads nation in twisters this year Illinois has already seen 200 recorded tornadoes in 2026, which breaks the previous state record of 142 set in 2024. The national record in one year is 244 in Texas.
	Rivermont Collegiate to pilot AI program this fall Rivermont Collegiate will pilot a new AI program this fall with a camp open free to families on July 6 to 10.
	Pritzker signs bill protecting medical records for abortion patients in Illinois The Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act, which takes effect July 1, 2027, requires the separation of information about abortion services or diagnoses of gender dysphoria from a patient’s digital medical records.
	Chance for storms this evening We are keeping watch on our radar for a potential for severe thunderstorms this afternoon. A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for most of the Northeastern counties of our area until 10pm tonight.
	New mural honors Davenport's Black history A new public mural was unveiled to honor Davenport's Black history. Friends of MLK hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony. This honorary piece of work was done by nationally-recognized artist Cbabi Bayoc. The mural is located in MLK Park on Brady St. The speakers highlighted the artwork of Black history during the 19th and early-20th centuries. [...]
	Celebrate America's birthday at the Firecracker Run Lace up your running shoes and celebrate America's birthday with fun for all ages! Joe Moreno joined Our Quad Cities News with details on the Firecracker Run. For more information, click here.
	Scott County Sheriff's Department seeks public's help in locating missing teen Scott County Sheriff's Department seeks public's help in locating missing teen.
	Miller-Meeks calls on Trump to sign bipartisan housing bill Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks urged President Trump to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act despite his threat to veto it to get support for the SAVE Act.
	5th annual Stoneware Fest returns with more than 70 vendors The free event will be held on Saturday, June 27, at the Stoneware Museum of Monmouth. It's got free admission and parking.
	Downtown Davenport unveils new brand, highlights $68M in planned investment The nonprofit Downtown Davenport Partnership says the new brand is more than a logo or flag. It's something all downtown residents and businesses can identify under.
	Resignations, hirings from United Township School District in June See the following personnel items from the June 8 agenda of the United Township Board of Education in East Moline.
	Sheriff: 14-year-old boy reported missing out of Scott County Officials said Jeremiah Owens was last seen around 5 p.m. on Monday, June 22, leaving his home near 160th Street and 90th Avenue in rural Scott County.
	Where the world is traveling this summer Where the world is traveling this summerSummer has a way of inspiring more plans than any single season can hold. But this year, the stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day lasts 106 days—the maximum possible and a calendar quirk that won’t repeat until 2037—and travelers are taking full advantage. According to Fora Travel’s internal advisor booking data, bookings are coming in at nearly double last summer’s pace, with both domestic and international trips showing year-over-year growth. Regardless of where they’re headed, travelers are often coming with specific experiences in mind, and they’re willing to invest more to get what they want, whether that’s attending a major sporting event or being among the first aboard a new cruise ship.Below, Fora’s Summer Trend Report takes a closer look at where travelers are headed this summer, what’s driving those decisions, and what it all means for your next trip.International travel: Favorite regions with a twist Despite challenges like flight prices, travelers are ready to break out their passports for the right experience, according to Fora’s internal booking data. The desire for a classic European summer trip remains particularly strong, with Europe claiming seven out of 10 spots on this year’s list of most-booked countries. The most-booked European countries for summer 2026: Italy France United Kingdom Spain Greece Portugal Ireland Within those countries, classic destinations like Rome (the most-booked international city for summer 2026) and the Amalfi Coast (the top-booked region in the Mediterranean) are still in high demand, but at the same time, Fora booking trends suggest more travelers are gravitating toward places with cooler climates and less foot traffic.Travelers are going deeper in the Mediterranean This summer’s highest booking volume is concentrated around two stalwarts—the Amalfi Coast and French Riviera—but we’re also seeing spikes in pockets of the region that had previously been considered more under-the-radar for Americans. Bodrum, on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, is seeing the most growth in the region, up 307% year over year, and a handful of towns on Italy’s western coast are showing some of the Mediterranean’s steepest climbs.Three Italian towns showing big spikes for summer 2026:Portofino: 262% increase year over year Amalfi: 143% increase year over year Praiano: 113% increase year over year Danny Phung // Shutterrstock Canada is having a breakout summerCanada’s reputation for unspoiled natural landscapes and major cities appears to be resonating with many travelers this summer. Add in a global “Heated Rivalry” obsession that has yet to abate since the show’s premiere last fall, plus the nostalgic pull of regal hotels like the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and it starts to make sense that Canada has finally cracked Fora’s top 10 most-booked international countries.Bookings in the country are up 119% year over year, and that growth isn’t concentrated in one city or one story. Vancouver, Toronto and Banff are all up more than 100% year over year.The cities with the fastest year-over-year booking growth:Québec City: 400% increase year over year Richmond, B.C.: 279% increase year over year Ottawa: 208% increase year over year Travelers are also staying longer: average trip lengths to Montreal have doubled from five to 10 days, Toronto from six to nine days, and Richmond from 11 to 15 days. Cool-climate destinations are surging, especially in Northern Europe One of the clearest signals in Fora’s summer booking data is the popularity of coolcations, or trips defined by cool temperatures, dramatic scenery, and relative crowd-avoidance. Nordic cities like Oslo and Helsinki offer some of Europe’s longest summer days, thriving food and design scenes, and a pace of travel that tends to feel more relaxed than the peak-season Mediterranean crowds. Top European coolcation destinations by booking growth: Oslo: 154% increase year over year Helsinki: 124% increase year over year Stockholm: 90% increase year over year Copenhagen: 78% increase year over year Domestic US travel: Going beyond the beachU.S. domestic bookings have grown this summer, with travelers favoring states and cities that offer a robust mix of experiences and can handle high capacities of travelers.The five most-booked U.S. states for summer 2026:New York Florida California Texas Hawai‘i The three most-booked U.S. cities for summer 2026: New York City Las Vegas ChicagoNew York City, Las Vegas, and Chicago are defying the narratives that once shadowed them. New York—questioned as a post-COVID-19 pandemic destination—is firmly back, buoyed by new hotel openings, a stacked cultural calendar, and the added pull of hosting the FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium. Las Vegas is proving critics and headlines wrong, largely owing to weekend trips and headline concerts. Chicago, meanwhile, is shaking off years of mixed press to reassert itself as one of America’s great summer cities thanks to its lakefront beaches, vibrant festivals, and lauded food scene.Bookings are up across the Midwest and New England, and travelers are staying longer Multiple Midwest states saw bookings increase more than 100% year over year, and both Kansas and Missouri have seen average trip lengths roughly double this summer. The story behind the surge is largely about two things: parks and events. Michigan’s growth centers on Mackinac Island and Traverse City, a pair of iconic Great Lakes summer destinations that have drawn visitors for generations. South Dakota and North Dakota are rising together, driven by trips to the Black Hills, the Badlands, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Missouri gets a lift from Kansas City’s status as a FIFA World Cup host city, while Ohio is pulling in families from across the region with Cedar Point amusement park, Great Wolf Lodge, and a packed summer events calendar.The five fastest-growing Midwest states for summer 2026:South Dakota Michigan North Dakota Missouri Ohio In New England, New Hampshire is showing a similar shift, with the average trip length jumping from four days to 16 alongside a booking count that’s nearly doubled, too. Most of that growth is concentrated in the scenic White Mountains region, known for its scenic hiking trails and the historic Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa. Paul D. Lemke // Shutterstock Long weekends are largely skewing toward character-driven cities and nature escapesHoliday weekends are a useful bellwether for where summer travel is heading, concentrating demand and revealing breakthrough destinations for the season.Memorial Day weekendSummer’s unofficial kickoff was the highest booking period so far for Disney hub Lake Buena Vista, Florida, which saw 152% growth in year-over-year bookings for MDW, with Disney's Pop Century Resort, Walt Disney World Swan, and Disney's Coronado Springs Resort as the brand’s top three hotels for summer 2026.Several other coastal destinations put up triple-digit booking numbers, including Portland, Maine, where the strength of new hotel openings and the city’s impressive restaurant scene are likely contributing factors. (In fact, the city’s popularity has grown to the point where housing stock that might once have gone to long-term residents is increasingly being converted into vacation rentals—a sign of just how much demand the city is absorbing. Out west, Bozeman, Montana, is up 450% year over year. The rise tracks with the cultural spotlight “Yellowstone” and its spinoffs have put on the region, as well as the opening of high-profile resorts in nearby Big Sky (One&Only Moonlight Basin, Montage Big Sky, Gravity Haus Big Sky), which have given the area a more polished infrastructure than it had just a few years ago. Memorial Day standouts:Hilton Head, S.C.: 350% increase year over year Kiawah Island, S.C.: 150% increase year over year Portland, Maine: 166% increase year over year Bozeman, Montana: 450% increase year over year Fourth of July weekendThe map here looks broader. Texas is among the fastest-growing destinations for the weekend, driven in large part by interest in Houston (for a FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match) and San Antonio (for its resorts and RiverWalk). Maine’s Bar Harbor and Portland represent two of the largest single-weekend spikes in the country.Fourth of July standouts:Portland, Maine: 900% increase year over year San Antonio: 475% increase year over year Houston: 231% increase year over year Washington: 195% increase year over year Bar Harbor, Maine: 100% increase year over yearSeveral cities are seeing a World Cup upswing While the full picture is still taking shape, early signals from June data indicate that Houston isn’t the only city seeing increased bookings around FIFA World Cup matches, which are scheduled across the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer. Philadelphia is seeing some of the largest single-event spikes. Bookings during the June 14 Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador match weekend are up 20 times year over year. The Loews Philadelphia—16 minutes from Lincoln Financial Field—accounts for the majority of bookings between June 13 and 15. In Los Angeles, bookings around the U.S. vs. Paraguay match are up four times year over year, the highest total volume of any U.S. World Cup city so far.To date, the five most traveled-for World Cup matches are:France vs. Senegal (June 16 in New York/New Jersey) United States vs. Paraguay (June 12 in Los Angeles) Final with Teams TBD (July 19 in New York/New Jersey) United States vs. Australia (June 19 in Seattle) Ghana vs. Panama (June 17 in Toronto) Cruise: New ships, new priorities Summer cruise bookings are up 144% year over year. The growth is broad, but it’s being led by segments that signal a shift in who is choosing to sail and what they’re looking for when they do. Travelers want sailings that go further, and they're willing to pay for them The popularity of expedition cruises (up 168% year over year) is a sign that more travelers are choosing trips that give them access to smaller or less-visited destinations and the opportunity to spend time in nature.The three most-booked cruise lines for expedition cruises:National Geographic–Lindblad Expeditions HX Expeditions Quark Expeditions Atlas Ocean Voyages is poised to be a standout as travelers are taking advantage of early-access reservations for the Atlas Adventurer’s inaugural season in 2028. Ultraluxury launches are expanding the audience for cruising Travelers who might not have otherwise prioritized a cruise are finding their interest piqued by the novelty of new vessels. Part of the appeal is simply being first—first to sleep in the cabin, first to try the restaurants, first to post from the top deck before anyone else has. And this summer, luxury travelers have the chance to be first on a whole new category of high-end cruises.This is the inaugural summer for the Four Seasons Yacht Collection and the Orient Express Corinthian, with the latter debuting at the Cannes Film Festival. Three years after its maiden voyage, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s fleet (Evrima, Ilma, and Luminara) has become a top-growing cruise line with bookings up 363% year over year.Notable cruise lines for summer 2026:The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection: 363% increase year over year Azamara: 333% increase year over year Crystal Cruises: 327% increase year over year The big pictureThis summer’s booking data reveals a traveler who has thought carefully about what they want and is acting on it. The typical beach options aren’t off the list, but they are seeing competition from emerging destinations like Bodrum and Bozeman that offer a distinctive, less well-trodden take on summer vacations. On the cruise front, a similar sentiment is reflected in the popularity of new ships (often smaller vessels) and fresh expedition itineraries that provide access to remote coastlines and ports that would otherwise be hard to reach. The common thread isn't a single destination or travel style but decisions made with specificity and intentionality. And with 106 days to work with, there’s plenty of summer left for travelers to get exactly what they want.MethodologyThis report draws on Fora booking data comparing Summer 2025 (mid-May through mid-September 2025) to Summer 2026 (mid-May through mid-September 2026) for bookings created prior to May 15, 2026. This story was produced by Fora Travel and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Countdown to the Classic: KWQC to preview John Deere Classic in streaming show KWQC is getting ready for the John Deere Classic. Join Sports Director Joey Donia, Chief Meteorologist Erik Maitland, William Ingalls, and more at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday, June 30.
	Quad Cities area libraries receive state funding as part of $27 million program Libraries across the Quad Cities region are receiving state funding through a $27 million Illinois library investment program.
	Davenport man accused of damaging courthouse, police station windows A Davenport man faces felony criminal mischief charges after police say he threw rocks through windows at the Scott County Courthouse and police station.
	Scott County Sheriff’s Office asks for help finding missing boy The Scott County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a missing boy.
	Resignations, hirings and other personnel news from East Moline School District The following personnel items are from the May 18 agenda of the East Moline District 37 Board of Education. The School Board met at the Administration Building.
	Kewanee agrees to amend city code, pay $42k to resolve water shutoff lawsuit Kewanee will pay $42,000 in damages to five mobile home residents and change city codes to settle a lawsuit alleging the city illegally shut off residents' water.
	Scott County Sheriff's Department seeks missing 14 year old The Scott County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public’s help to find a missing teen. Jeremiah Owens, 14, was last seen on June 22nd at about 5 p.m. leaving his residence near the area of 160th St and 90th Ave in rural Scott County. Jeremiah is about 5’3” and weights about 115 lbs. He [...]
	Driver tells deputies rollover caused by deer in roadway A driver was cited for failure to maintain control after rolling a Chevrolet Malibu into a ditch in Mount Pleasant.
	Miller-Meeks hopeful about passing bipartisan housing act President Donald Trump was expected to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing affordability bill, today but canceled the signing over his push for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act. “Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA [...]
	The G700 leap: How Jeff Bezos is redefining speed for the modern billionaire The G700 leap: How Jeff Bezos is redefining speed for the modern billionaireUltra-high-net-worth individuals and corporate leaders are adopting ultra-long-range jets like the Gulfstream G700 to collapse geographic distance and reclaim productive hours in global operations. Jeff Bezos' acquisition of a G700 via Poplar Glen LLC exemplifies this strategic shift, treating aircraft not as luxury but as operational necessity.BlackJet, a private jet card program operator, outlined the benefits of utilizing ultra-long-range jets to compress travel distance, reduce fatigue, and gain back time. BlackJet Compressing Distance, Reclaiming ProductivityThe financial justification for acquiring business tools of this magnitude rests entirely on operational efficiency. Modern enterprise requires rapid intercontinental presence, and traditional transoceanic flight profiles enforce an artificial ceiling on executive output.Time zone fragmentation across global operations creates scheduling inefficiencies that compress executive productivity. Advancing propulsion engineering means corporate flight departments can directly reclaim lost productive hours. The platform utilizes twin Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, each generating 18,250 pounds of thrust, driving the airframe to a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.935, while achieving a 12% improvement on thrust-to-weight ratio compared with last-gen equivalents, and 5% better fuel efficiency.This capability compresses a standard 12-hour intercontinental flight profile by nearly an hour compared to legacy platforms. A management team overseeing diverse global holdings in any organization stands to benefit from that compression, as it unlocks dozens of salvaged operating hours every quarter. Capital allocation decisions can occur in real time on the ground rather than be deferred by terminal airspace congestion.The practical advantage becomes clear in real-world deployments across Asia, Europe, and North America. Standard intercontinental commercial travel structurally degrades executive output through transit delays and time-zone fragmentation.However, an analysis of corporate aviation published in the Journal of Air Transport Management found that the strategic utilization of private aircraft directly mitigates travel-induced fatigue and emotional exhaustion. By eliminating the multiday recovery buffers traditionally required for global portfolio reviews, organizations collapse travel cycles and reclaim those days for headquarters-based strategic work.Similarly, time-sensitive capital deployment decisions—opportunities that require in-person due diligence and board approval within days rather than weeks—become executable. Executives can conduct site assessments in London, return to New York for investor meetings, and authorize deployment the same week.This compression transforms private aviation from administrative convenience into a competitive accelerant, enabling organizations to move faster than competitors constrained by commercial flight schedules.How Cabin Design Preserves Executive PerformanceCompressing flight duration yields minimal economic advantage if the executive arrives too fatigued to negotiate complex deals. Extended exposure to low-pressure environments, dry recycled oxygen, and erratic time shifts degrades cognitive performance and compounds physical fatigue.The corporate layout of Bezos' platform addresses this biological wear through advanced interior environmental controls. The cabin design optimizes physical recovery, implementing features that support rapid physiological adaptation.The cabin achieves a record-low altitude of 2,840 feet while cruising at 41,000 feet, drastically mitigating physical strain. A plasma ionization system continuously neutralizes pathogens and freshens interior oxygen. A specialized circadian lighting matrix simulates precise regional dawns and dusks to systematically neutralize jet lag.These environmental factors operate within a cabin measuring 56 feet and 11 inches in length, configured into five discrete living zones. The layout provides a complete forward ultragalley, a conference space, and an isolated rear stateroom featuring a queen-length bed and an en-suite private shower. This complete compartmentalization allows executives to step directly from a 7,750-nautical-mile international leg straight into high-stakes negotiations without requiring a standard hotel recovery buffer.Why Ultra-Long-Range Jets Become Strategic AssetsThe shift toward ultra-long-range assets reflects a permanent evolution in corporate asset utilization strategy. Enterprise operations are no longer confined by regional boundaries, demanding an infrastructure that can support immediate, flexible, and nonstop international deployment.Organizations that treat travel purely as an administrative overhead expense inevitably fall behind competitors that view global mobility as a force multiplier. This modern approach to aviation highlights that the ultimate luxury for a billionaire is not material ostentation.True luxury is the systemic conquest of geographic distance and human fatigue.This story was produced by BlackJet and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Why courts are seeing more disputes over shared homes Why courts are seeing more disputes over shared homesRecord-high home prices have forced a shift in how buyers enter the real estate market. To afford a standard down payment, unmarried partners and platonic friends routinely pool their cash.The financial strategy works perfectly on paper. But signing a joint mortgage without the built-in asset protection of a legal marriage leaves these buyers completely exposed. When living situations change, co-owners frequently end up deadlocked. As a result, civil courts now face a growing wave of lawsuits from buyers fighting over how to divide or sell their shared homes.Underwood Law, a California-based partition action specialist, broke down the rise in co-ownership among unmarried couples or friends and explained the best strategies for entering into a homebuying agreement. Underwood Law The Data Behind the Co-Ownership BoomOne National Association of Realtors study published earlier in 2026 sheds light on the uptick in disputes over shared ownership. While the top-level discussion in the report covers how single women now make up 25% of first-time buyers, second only to married couples, there are two other pieces of information related to unmarried couples and buyers in platonic relationships that are important to understand when looking at the modern home market.Eleven percent of the people who bought homes for the first time in 2025 were couples who are not married, while 4% were roommates with no romantic link. Forty years ago, just 4% of first-time buyers were unmarried couples, and 0% were just friends.This makes for a total of 15% of people who entered into homebuying agreements last year doing so in a state of co-ownership not governed by the well-established legislation that comes with marriage. This is causing a legal strain, however; shared owners who fall out over a decision to sell their property are increasingly turning to partition actions to settle disputes.Couples buying outside of wedlock and friends investing in property to share often do not realize that costly court proceedings can result when a disagreement arises. It is generally advisable to seek mediation before going any further, although knowing that a partition action may be used to force a sale of the property in the event of a shared-ownership impasse is reassuring.The Financial Math of Buying Over RentingDespite the growing threat of courtroom disputes, the incentive for unmarried buyers to bypass the rental market comes down to basic math.Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that 20% of counties saw rent increases between 2020 and 2024, with a median monthly payment of $1,413. Given that the same dataset showed median household costs for owner-occupied properties were static at $1,963 over the same period, the upsides of buying over renting are obvious. The figure for homeowners includes other associated costs, such as taxes and utility payments, while the rental figure does not.In other words, there’s a strong incentive for couples and friendship groups to pool their resources and buy a place if that’s an option. Renting feels like spending money without seeing any return on that capital, but rushing into shared homes has its own repercussions.Drafting a Co-Ownership Exit StrategyOwners of shared homes, whether unmarried couples or cohabiting platonic companions, must ensure they establish the rules and expectations for this arrangement as part of the purchase process. While demanding a formal contract with a romantic partner or close friend may seem transactional, relationship dynamics and financial priorities inevitably shift over time. Having a formal shared ownership agreement in place, ideally drafted and overseen by a legal professional, makes a later partition action far less likely.To do this effectively, buyers must first determine how they will hold the property title. Structuring the purchase as a "Joint Tenancy" grants both partners an equal share with the right of survivorship, meaning the property automatically transfers to the surviving owner if one passes away. Conversely, "Tenants in Common" allows for unequal ownership splits—such as a 70/30 division based on down payment contributions—but lacks survivorship rights, meaning a deceased partner's share passes to their designated heirs rather than the co-owner.The specifics of the agreement can vary, but the general contents will cover aspects such as what happens if one party wants to sell but the other doesn’t, and how that sale would be handled, including everything down to the property's valuation.Committing to an agreement when buying shared homes together with a partner or friend is a logical response to the reality of rising disputes and partition actions. As macroeconomic conditions push more buyers into shared mortgages, implementing a proactive legal framework ensures that a strategic financial decision today does not turn into a drawn-out courtroom dispute tomorrow.This story was produced by Underwood Law and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Meta plans to release AI-powered prediction market app, documents show The company is building an app separate from Facebook and Instagram where people can wager on the outcome of real-world events, using "play money."
	10 underrated weekend road trips under 4 hours from America's biggest cities, and the ones to skip 10 underrated weekend road trips under 4 hours from America's biggest cities, and the ones to skipNot every summer getaway this year requires a flight. For most Americans, the best weekend trips are within reach with nothing more than a tank of gas.The difference between a trip you’ll rave about and one you’ll regret comes down to knowing which location is actually worth the drive. To help you plan the perfect summer trip, PeopleWin has put together a list of the best road trip locations — and the places not worth a stop — within driving distance of 10 of the largest metro areas across the United States.New York CityGo: Hudson Valley, New YorkThe stretch from Cold Spring to Rhinebeck has everything a city dweller could want on a summer weekend away. River views, bookshops, farm stands, and hiking options that don’t require permits booked six weeks in advance are just a few of the highlights. Ideally, go midweek if you can, since weekend traffic northbound of the Taconic can be a nightmare.Skip: The HamptonsThis well-known destination is gorgeous, but in July, the typical 2-hour drive can easily turn into 4.5 hours due to heavy traffic. Besides, the beach will still be there in September.ChicagoGo: Door County, WisconsinCherries, kayaking, fish boils, and a coastline that is reminiscent of a Norwegian fjord make this Midwest destination a standout. The peninsula is worth the drive at just about 3.5 hours away, but be sure to book lodging months in advance if you’re going in July, as the crowds can get intense.Skip: Lake Geneva, WisconsinLake Geneva is fine for a day, but it often draws the same Chicago crowd you were trying to escape in the city. The summer weekend pricing isn’t fun, either.Los AngelesGo: Ojai, CaliforniaOjai is a well-kept secret, a small arts town tucked into a mountain valley about 2.5 hours from Los Angeles. It runs a full 10-15 degrees cooler than the coast in the summer, making it a great way to escape the heat. Additionally, the famed lavender farms, hiking, and downtown art gallery scene provide a much-needed slow weekend away from the city.Skip: Palm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs in July averages 108 degrees, which should tell you everything you need to know. The pools may be great, but the rest of your trip would be pure survival and looking for shade. Opt to return in October or November when things begin to cool down.HoustonGo: Fredericksburg, TexasRoughly 3 hours away from Houston is Hill Country’s flagship town: Fredericksburg. This town punches well above its weight by offering some serious wine trails, charming wildflower-season peach stands, and a main street that’s walkable without being too crowded. Given its smaller size, fewer people can make it seem busier, but the traffic here is nothing compared to Houston.Skip: Galveston, TexasSummer heat plus murky Gulf water, all on top of beach traffic, is a tough selling point when compared to Fredericksburg. Galveston is a top-tier town in other seasons, but a lesser choice for summer.AtlantaGo: Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga, roughly 2 hours from Atlanta, has quietly become one of the best small cities in the South. With an excellent food scene, waterfront views, and world-class climbing at nearby Sand Rock, all on top of an outstanding downtown, it’s an underrated summer vacation destination.Skip: Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah is undoubtedly a beautiful city, but a drive of 3.5 or 4 hours is a stretch for a weekend summer trip. Additionally, July is one of the most brutal months for heat in Savannah.BostonGo: Portland, MainePortland has evolved into one of the best food cities in all of New England. And, at only 2 hours driving distance from Boston, it’s a must-visit destination. The Old Port neighborhood, lobster rolls, craft beer scene, and access to Acadia just 2 hours north make it an obvious choice for a summer escape.Skip: Cape Cod, MassachusettsSummer on the Cape is renowned, but it also features peak traffic, exorbitant prices, and crowds similar to the Hamptons. Sandwich and Chatham are charming to be sure but are best visited at other points in the year.Washington, DCGo: Harpers Ferry, West VirginiaAt a measly 1.5 hours from Washington, D.C., Harpers Ferry is where the Shenandoah meets the Potomac. It’s also where Civil War history, whitewater rafting, and surprisingly good hiking trails coexist. For these reasons, it’s one of the most underrated day or overnight trips across the whole mid-Atlantic.Skip: Ocean City, MarylandOcean City features a beloved boardwalk, but a summer Friday departure from crowded D.C. will cost you over 2 hours that you’ll never get back.SeattleGo: Leavenworth, WashingtonThe famed Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth, located just 2.5 hours from Seattle, boasts hiking, river rafting, and mountain scenery that will leave you in awe. Summer wildflower hikes in the Enchantments area are renowned for being among the best in the state, and more people tend to go in the wintertime to experience the Christmas decorations, meaning you don’t need to deal with as many crowds.Skip: Cannon Beach, OregonCannon Beach is gorgeous, but it’s around 3 hours away. The summer fog and coastal crowds make it a consistent hit-or-miss experience. Fortunately, the famed Haystack Rock will be there at any other time of the year.DenverGo: Crested Butte, ColoradoCrested Butte is a notable 4 hours away from Denver, but its wildflower season, from mid-July through early August, makes the drive more than worth it. Fields of lupine, columbine, and Indian paintbrush at elevation will leave you with many picturesque moments. The town is small and uncrowded by Colorado standards and boasts many mountain biking trails for those who are a little more adventurous.Skip: Breckenridge, ColoradoBreck is fine in the summer, but it’s mainly a ski-town tourism machine that doesn’t slow down in the off-season. You’ll essentially be paying peak prices for an overall average experience.PhoenixGo: Prescott, ArizonaAt 1.5 hours from Phoenix and 5,300 feet above sea level, Prescott sits nicely above the desert heat. Summer highs typically only reach the mid-80s compared to Phoenix’s 110 average, making it an excellent and close destination to cool off. The historic Whiskey Row, gorgeous Granite Dells hiking, and scenic pine trees even make it feel like a different state, a major selling point.Skip: Sedona, ArizonaSedona is stunning in its own right, but summer weekend traffic on SR-179 through the red rocks can be a nightmare. Mid-summer temperatures will still frequently climb above 95 degrees, providing only minimal relief from the sweltering heat of the city.The best trip is the one you’ll actually takeThe 3-hour radius is the sweet spot for weekend travel for a reason. It’s close enough to leave on a Friday after work while also being far enough to feel like a true vacation from the everyday. Whether it’s a new elevation, fewer crowds, or simply better food, consider one of the above road trip options for a new and exciting summer travel experience.This story was produced by PeopleWin and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How to automate expense management with AI How to automate expense management with AIAI expense management replaces manual receipt entry, approvals and reconciliation with machine learning and OCR—automating the routine work that typically consumes hours of finance team time each month.The technology is mature and widely adopted. Companies using AI-powered expense tools report faster close cycles, fewer policy violations, and better real-time visibility into where money is going. Below, Ramp describes how it works, why it matters, and how to implement it in your organization.Key takeawaysAI expense management uses artificial intelligence to automate tasks like expense tracking, receipt capture and reporting.The technology automatically captures receipt data, categorizes expenses, and enforces your spending policy in real time.AI in expense management can significantly reduce time spent on expense reports and approvals, leading to major cost savings and faster financial closes.Advanced algorithms also monitor spending to detect anomalies and flag potential fraud, protecting your business from financial loss.Ramp’s AI-powered platform automates the entire expense management process with intelligent receipt matching and proactive policy controls, freeing up your finance team for higher-value work.What is AI expense management?AI expense management uses artificial intelligence to automatically handle business expense tracking, receipt capture, categorization, and reporting. It replaces manual data entry with machine learning and optical character recognition (OCR) technology, so you spend less time on paperwork and more time on work that matters.Traditional expense management relies on employees to submit paper receipts or manually input data into spreadsheets. AI-powered systems scan receipts, extract key information, and organize everything instantly, reducing errors and speeding up workflows.Here's what AI expense management does at its core:Expense tracking automation: AI reads receipts and matches them to transactionsPolicy enforcement: Flags violations in real time as employees spendFraud detection: Algorithms identify duplicates and suspicious activitySpend optimization: Analyzes data to uncover savings opportunitiesFinance teams, business owners and operations leads benefit most from this technology. You can save hours of administrative work while gaining real-time visibility into company spending patterns and how you're tracking against projected budgets.Why manual expense management falls shortManual expense management drains time, introduces errors, and lets policy violations slip through the cracks. Your finance team burns hours each month chasing receipts, fixing miscoded entries, and reconciling spreadsheets that should have been replaced years ago.The problems show up everywhere:Employees lose receipts or submit expense reports weeks after the factFinance teams manually review every expense report line by linePolicy enforcement varies wildly across departments and approversDuplicate or fraudulent claims are nearly impossible to spot without automationThese pain points don't just slow you down—they cost real money in wasted hours, missed savings, and out-of-policy spend. That's where AI changes the game.How AI expense management worksAI now powers everything from auto-receipt capture to intelligent spend recommendations. Here's how AI expense management processes an expense from submission to reconciliation:1. Receipt capture and OCR data extractionOCR technology scans receipts and extracts data without manual input. Optical character recognition reads text from images, PDFs or forwarded emails and turns it into structured data your system can use.Just snap a photo of a receipt with your phone, and the system pulls details like date, amount, and vendor, then enters them into an expense report. Mobile apps analyze your spending in real time, so reports are more accurate and get done faster.2. Machine learning expense categorizationOnce expense data is captured, machine learning assigns the right category—meals, travel, supplies—based on vendor data and your team's past behavior. These algorithms improve over time, getting more accurate the more they learn from your data.You can customize business expense categories and rules to fit your needs, maintaining consistency and adapting as your policies evolve.3. Real-time policy enforcement and complianceAI checks expenses against your expense policy at the moment of purchase or submission—not weeks later in a manual review. For example, it can flag an out-of-policy hotel rate, an unapproved vendor, or a meal that exceeds your per diem before the expense ever reaches an approver.This immediate feedback keeps spending in line and frees you from reviewing every transaction by hand.4. AI analysis for expense claim fraud detectionAI monitors expense data to detect anomalies and potential expense fraud. Anomaly detection means the system learns what normal spending looks like for your business, then flags transactions that don't fit the pattern—duplicate receipts, unusual amounts, or repeat submissions from the same employee.You can trust the system to catch issues before they escalate, protecting your business from financial losses.5. Automated approvals and reimbursementsAI streamlines approvals by automating expense reporting and routing. Compliant expenses move through predefined approval workflows automatically, while only exceptions land in a reviewer's queue.This exception-based review model speeds up reimbursements and keeps employees from waiting weeks to get paid back.6. AI-powered reconciliation and accounting automationAI matches each expense to its corresponding corporate card transaction and syncs the data directly to your accounting system. Instead of reconciling credit card transactions line by line, you get a clean, coded ready-to-close set of books.This is where AI-powered reconciliation really pays off—your month-end close gets shorter, your audit trails get cleaner, and your team stops doing work that software should handle.Key benefits of AI-powered expense managementAI expense management delivers measurable improvements across your finance operations. Here are the outcomes you can expect:Faster expense report processing: AI eliminates manual data entry, so expense reports process in minutes instead of days. Employees snap a photo, the system handles the rest, and approvers see only what actually needs their attention.Improved accuracy and policy compliance: Automated categorization and real-time policy checks reduce errors and out-of policy spend. You won't have to worry about misplaced figures or rogue purchases slipping past approval.Real-time spend visibility and analytics: Finance teams see spend data as it happens—not weeks later when the damage is done. AI tools for budgeting and spend analysis give you live dashboards, so you can spot trends, catch overruns early, and make better decisions about where the money goes.Reduced administrative burden for finance teams: Accountants spend less time chasing receipts and reviewing reports, freeing them for higher-value work like analysis, forecasting, and partnering with the business. Your team finally gets to do the work they were hired for.Accelerated month-end close: Because expenses are categorized and reconciled continuously, closing the books takes hours instead of days. AI keeps your data clean throughout the month, so close week stops being a fire drill.Better employee experience and adoptionA simple mobile expense tracker encourages employees to submit expenses on time. When the process is easy, compliance goes up, complaints go down, and reimbursements happen faster.Essential features of AI expense management softwareWhen evaluating AI spend management software, certain features separate the best platforms from basic tools. Here's how AI-powered software stacks up against traditional options: Ramp Here are the must-have features to look for:Smart receipt scanning and document captureLook for AI document capture that supports mobile scanning, email forwarding and PDF uploads. Employees should be able to submit a receipt from anywhere, in any format.Automated expense categorizationMachine learning should assign GL codes and categories without user input, learning from corrections to improve over time.Customizable spend policy rulesSet rules by category, amount, department or project—and let AI enforce them automatically. The more granular your controls, the less manual review you'll need.Integrated corporate cardsCards linked directly to your expense software auto-populate transactions for matching, eliminating duplicate data entry and reconciliation headaches.Real-time expense tracking and reportingLive dashboards and spend trends help you see what's happening as it happens. You shouldn't have to wait for a month-end report to know where your budget stands.ERP and accounting software integrationsData should sync directly to systems like QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero and Sage. Native integrations beat manual exports every time.Mobile expense tracker appEmployees should be able to capture receipts and submit expenses from their phones in seconds. If the mobile experience is clunky, adoption suffers.Multi-currency and global supportIf your business operates internationally, your expense platform needs to handle foreign transactions, exchange rates and cross-border compliance automatically.ROI of AI-powered expense managementThe return on AI expense management shows up in several categories, even if the exact figures vary by company. Instead of focusing on a single dollar amount, think about ROI across these dimensions:Time savings: Hours reclaimed from manual entry, review and reconciliation workError reduction: Fewer reimbursement corrections, miscoded entrie, and audit issuesPolicy compliance: Less out-of-policy spend slipping through — Ramp's data shows out-of-policy spend event rates declined 62% over two years among customers using real-time enforcementEmployee productivity: Staff focused on their actual jobs instead of expense adminAI also provides enhanced visibility into spending patterns through real-time insights that show exactly where money is going and which departments are over budget. Finance leaders can spot anomalies immediately rather than discovering them weeks later, enabling smarter budget management and uncovering cost-saving opportunities.The compliance benefits add another layer of value. AI systems flag policy violations in real time, making audit preparation smoother and freeing your team for strategic financial planning.How to implement AI expense managementRolling out AI expense management works best when you follow a clear, step-by-step plan. Here's a six-step roadmap to guide your implementation:Audit your current expense processes. Identify the pain points, bottlenecks and manual steps slowing down your workflow — you can't fix what you haven't measured.Define requirements and success metrics. Determine which features you actually need and how you'll measure success—processing time, error rates, compliance, or all of the above.Evaluate AI spend management software vendors. Compare artificial intelligence spend management options against your requirements, including features, integrations, pricing and user reviews.Plan integrations and data migration. Map out connections to your ERP, accounting software and corporate cards before you flip the switch — surprises here cause the most rollout delays.Train employees and roll out. Provide training on the mobile app and submission process, and start with a pilot group before going company-wide.Monitor performance and optimize. Track adoption, processing times and compliance rates, then adjust your policies and configurations as you learn what works.By following these steps, you'll integrate AI expense management smoothly and create a system that delivers measurable results from day one.AI expense management for accountants and travel teamsTwo groups get outsized value from AI expense management: accountants who own the books and travel teams who manage trip spend. Here's how AI helps each one.AI-powered expense management for accountantsAI dramatically reduces reconciliation work for accountants by auto-coding expenses, matching them to card transactions, and syncing everything to your accounting system. Instead of spending hours chasing receipts and fixing miscoded entries, you get a clean general ledger that's ready for review.When audit time rolls around, AI-generated audit trails make documentation easy. Every transaction has a receipt, a category, an approver and a clear policy check—all stored in one place.AI travel management and budget tracking featuresAI improves travel expense processing by integrating with booking tools, enforcing per diems automatically, and tracking mileage without manual logs. Travel teams can set spend limits by trip, traveler or destination and trust the system to flag exceptions before they become problems.Real-time budget tracking means travel managers always know where the company stands against its travel budget, so there are no end-of-quarter surprises.Future trends in AI expense managementWe've only scratched the surface of what AI can do for spend management. Here are the trends shaping the next wave of innovation:Conversational AI: Employees will submit expenses through chat or voice assistants, making the process even faster and more naturalPredictive analytics: AI will forecast spend and flag budget risks before they happen, not after the money's already out the doorProcurement integration: Expense data will connect directly to vendor management and purchasing systems, giving finance a unified view across the entire spend lifecycleThe future of AI expense management promises smarter, more personalized solutions that will transform how you handle spending, compliance and financial operations.This story was produced by Ramp and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The life of queer activist Pauli Murray has been set to music The Quire of Eastern Iowa recently debuted the first Iowa performance of ‘Sincerely Yours, Pauli Murray." Board chair Sydney Houlton and Artistic Director Elena Cressy share her story and more about the inclusive LGBTQ community choir.
	The first 30 days home: A day-by-day guide for families caring for a parent after hospital discharge The first 30 days home: A day-by-day guide for families caring for a parent after hospital dischargeThe car ride home from the hospital is a major relief after a lengthy stay. But really, it’s just the beginning.The return home is the start of the most dangerous month in an older adult’s recovery. About 20% of adverse events happen in the first three weeks of discharge from the hospital, and half of patients experience a medical error during that time, according to data published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Many families helping an aging parent through this transition period are operating on instinct. Discharge paperwork is hefty, instructions are often rushed, and no one hands you a comprehensive playbook for how to manage the time. It’s difficult to know where to turn and what to do.Drawing on discharge planning guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, care transitions research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and American Geriatrics Society guidelines, QMedic has assembled a tool for families navigating these new challenges. Continue on for a day-by-day guide organized around four key phases, each with a practical checklist for when to call the doctor and when to head back to the emergency room.Phase 1: The setup phase (Day 0-2) — before you leave the hospitalThe first phase starts before your parents even get in the car. The decisions being made at the discharge desk about medications, appointments, and who’s responsible for what during recovery will set the trajectory of everything to come.Medication reconciliationMedication and treatment distribution are where postdischarge recoveries can go sideways. At discharge, older adults receive, on average, two new medications. However, within three days of returning home, many have reverted to their prehospitalization routines and have abandoned prescribed changes.Families should obtain a complete, reconciled medication list from the discharging nurse or pharmacist, including which drugs are new, which were stopped, and which doses changed.The American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria identifies a specific list of medications that are potentially inappropriate for adults 65 and older. Use this as a guide to ask whether any flagged drugs are on the discharge list.Checklist:Obtain a complete written medication list before leaving.Confirm which pre-hospital medications were stopped or changed.Ask about dangerous drug interactions and Beers Criteria–flagged medications.Fill all new prescriptions before or immediately upon arriving home.Call the doctor if medications are unclear, a prescription can't be filled, or a known allergy is listed on the discharge paperwork.Confirming follow-up appointmentsOnly about a third (35.6%) of discharged patients have a primary care follow-up visit within two weeks of leaving the hospital, despite the fact that follow-up visits are associated with meaningfully lower 30-day readmission rates. Outpatient follow-up within 30 days has been associated with a 21% reduction in 30-day all-cause readmissions for heart failure and stroke patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Posted Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discharge planning rules require hospitals to share follow-up appointment information with patients at discharge and with outpatient providers responsible for the patient's ongoing care. Make a note not to leave without a calendar.Checklist:Confirm a primary care provider appointment is scheduled within seven days.Confirm any specialist follow-up visits (cardiologist, pulmonologist, etc.).Know the name and direct phone number of the discharging physician.Request that discharge summary be sent to the primary care provider before the appointment.Home environment reviewFalls are one of the most common and dangerous postdischarge complications. Fall risk factors after leaving the hospital include mobility decline, cognitive impairment, and using assistive devices. Up to 40% of older adults fall within six months of discharge, with half of those falls resulting in injury. Spend the hours before your parent arrives checking the house for fall risks.Checklist:Remove trip hazards (loose rugs, cords, clutter in walking paths).Install or confirm the reliability of bathroom grab bars and nonslip mats.Ensure adequate lighting in hallways and stairwells.Move the patient's sleeping area to the main floor if stairs are a concern.Confirm any durable medical equipment (walker, shower chair, hospital bed) is in place before arriving home.Family communication planThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated its conditions of participation interpretive guidelines in 2025, which now emphasize that hospitals must document active caregiver participation in discharge planning. It also notes that plans must reflect patient values and their postdischarge priorities.Families should establish clear communication and a decision-making tree before leaving the hospital. Identify a primary contact, designate decision-makers, and set a schedule for check-ins between siblings or other family members who may be involved in care.Checklist:Designate one family member as the primary point of contact for care providers.Create a shared document or group text for updates.Establish a daily check-in schedule for the first two weeks.Confirm who has healthcare proxy or power of attorney documentation on file.Phase 2: The stabilization phase (Days 3–14)With all the logistics in place, the work caring for your parents during recovery will begin to shift into a rhythm. Getting into a routine will involve daily monitoring, ensuring medication adherence, and encouraging gentle movement to help them stay active. Evidence from the Society of Hospital Medicine shows that structured daily monitoring and early support are key drivers in reduced readmissions.Daily monitoring and medication adherenceFor patients discharged after heart failure, weight should be monitored daily. A gain of 2 to 3 pounds in 24 hours or 5 pounds in a week may indicate fluid retention and should trigger a call to the doctor. All treatments will have their own warning signs, so speak with your parent’s doctor to learn what to look out for.Checklist:Track medications using a daily pill organizer or medication log.Weigh your parent at the same time each morning (for cardiac or heart failure patients).Note any changes in appetite, energy level, or confusion.Check and log vital signs (blood pressure, pulse oximetry if equipment is available) if advised by the care team.Mobility and daily function check-insPhysical deterioration during hospitalization can accelerate quickly. Patients lose muscle strength rapidly, and the goal is to restore baseline function through safe, gradual activity. Families should note whether the individual can perform basic activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, going to the bathroom, and walking short distances safely.Checklist:Facilitate short supervised walks if medically cleared.Monitor for shortness of breath, dizziness, or pain with activity.Confirm home health aide or physical therapy visits, if ordered.Note any new or worsening confusion (may indicate medication side effect, urinary tract infection, or delirium).First postdischarge follow-up visitPostdischarge follow-up should occur within seven days for high-risk patients, including those at risk of heart failure, pneumonia, or acute myocardial infarction. They should be scheduled for no later than 14 days for all others. The follow-up visit is a critical opportunity to ensure medications are correct, review the discharge summary, identify early signs of deterioration, and coordinate referrals.Checklist:Bring the full discharge paperwork and medication list to the appointment.Ask the medical professional to review all new and changed medications.Request updated lab work if recommended by the discharging team.Ask specifically if there are any symptoms to be watched out for based on hospitalization cause.Phase 3: The highest-risk window (Days 7–15)Phase 3 is when 61% of heart failure readmissions, 63% of pneumonia readmissions, and 68% of heart attack readmissions happen, according to research published in PLOS Medicine. It’s also the time to be the most aware of potential red flags. You shouldn’t aim to do more, but rather watch closely and know key thresholds in advance.Condition-specific warning signsDepending on your parent’s condition, there are a few key warning signs to watch out for:Heart failure: Sudden weight gain, worsening shortness of breath at rest or lying flat, swelling in legs or ankles, decreased urinationPneumonia: Fever, worsening cough or chest pain, increased confusion, shortness of breath not improving or getting worseHeart attack: Chest pain or pressure, arm or jaw pain, sudden extreme fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breathAll conditions: New or worsening confusion or disorientation (possible delirium sign), inability to take medications as prescribed, inability to keep fluids downWhen to call the doctor vs. go to the emergency roomFamilies sometimes hesitate to get medical help as they navigate their family member’s new norm. This hesitation costs critical time. Here is a list of who to call and when:Call the doctor or nurse line if:Fever below 103 F with no difficulty breathingMild increase in pain at a surgical or wound siteMedication question or side effect concern (nausea, dizziness, fatigue)New mild swelling in one limbConfusion that is new but the patient is still responsive and communicating Call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately if:Chest pain, pressure, or squeezingSudden severe shortness of breath or inability to speak in full sentencesLoss of consciousness or unresponsivenessSudden one-sided weakness, facial drooping, or inability to speak (stroke signs)High fever (103 F+) with altered mental statusSuspected medication overdose or dangerous drug interactionChecklist:Post emergency contact numbers on the refrigerator (primary care doctor, specialist, after-hours line, 911).Confirm the patient's health insurance card and photo ID are accessible.Know the name of the nearest emergency department.Phase 4: The transition phase (Days 16–30)The fourth and final phase to cover is the transition phase. If the highest-risk window passes without any incident, the final two weeks should be focused on converting initial crisis management into a sustainable routine.Ongoing care coordinationResearch shows that the most complex care transition interventions, those combining in-hospital preparation, structured post-discharge follow-up, and patient navigation, are associated with the greatest sustained reduction in readmissions.Checklist:Confirm any referrals to home health, cardiac rehab, or pulmonary rehab are scheduled.Reassess whether additional community support services are needed (meal delivery services like Meals on Wheels, transportation, adult day programs).Determine whether a community health worker or patient navigator is available through the individual’s insurer or local area agency on aging.Support services evaluationThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires that hospitals provide lists of Medicare-participating post-acute care providers, including home health agencies, to patients and families. Families should evaluate whether current informal care arrangements are sustainable through the full 30-day window, as caregiver burnout is a real risk during this period.Checklist:Review whether home health visits are authorized and being used.Ask the primary care doctor if the parent still meets criteria for any homebound services.Contact the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) for local resource navigation.Long-term plan adjustmentBy the time Day 30 comes around, families should hold a deliberate "care conference." This can either be informal and held at the follow-up visit or as a scheduled family conversation. The goal is to reassess the parent's functional trajectory and whether the current level of support is appropriate. This is also the moment to revisit advance care planning documents and to ensure all providers have a current copy of the individual preferences.Checklist:Confirm all specialist referrals are completed or scheduled.Review whether any functional decline has occurred compared to the prehospitalization baseline.Update the family communication plan if circumstances have changed.Ask the doctor what the goal is for the next 90 days of care.The "30-Day Dashboard" conceptWhen looking at the four phases of care as a comprehensive and preplanned 30-day dashboard, it’s easier to undertake the huge task of caring for an aging parent. A reconciled medication list, setting a follow-up appointment, logging weight changes, keeping an eye out for warning signs, and having honest conversations about what comes next goes a long way. None of this requires extensive medical training, just structure.The families who fare best during recovery aren’t the ones who worry about every detail the most. It is the ones who know what to watch out for, when to call a doctor, and who’s taking responsibility for what. The first 30 days back home will always carry risks, but they don’t have to come with guesswork too.This story was produced by QMedic and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Office workers say they are more productive now, thanks to AI Office workers say they are more productive now, thanks to AISeven in 10 office workers are more productive now thanks to AI — but not all are using it effectively.A poll of 2,000 employees found 88% have embraced the technology in their jobs — including research tools, writing or content generation, and data analysis tools — with52% convinced they complete tasks faster because of AI and 25% claiming it has transformed their role.However, there might be room for improvement — of those surveyed who use AI, only 34% have fully integrated the tech into their workflow, with the rest mainly keeping tasks involving AI separate.And of those who have fully integrated the tech into what they do at work, almost all (83%) claim it has boosted their output.In contrast, of those who haven’t fully done this, only 20% said it made them more productive — a difference of 63%.Fyxer, which commissioned the research as part of The AI Productivity Trap Report, believes this shows a “growing AI productivity gap” and describes those who fully embraced the tech in their workflow as “AI superworkers.”More than six in 10 workers (61%) describe their workload as high or very high, while a further 34% said it is moderate but still demanding.Meanwhile, 28% of employees said reading emails takes up a significant portion of their time, with 26% citing writing and replying as another major drain.One in five also spend time responding to customer queries, while 18% highlight researching information online as a key task.A further 16% said managing to-do lists consumes valuable time, while 15% point to data entry and 14% to analyzing or summarizing information.More than one in eight workers is also tied up preparing reports (13%) or tracking project progress (13%), with 11% frequently scheduling meetings.Additional tasks, such as organizing files (11% and processing expenses (10%), further contribute to daily admin workloads.Around 1 in 10 employees are also drafting documents (9%) or creating presentations (9%), while 8%regularly take meeting notes.Smaller but still time-consuming tasks include compiling performance metrics (7%, proofreading documents (7%) and creating templates (6%).In terms of usage, 38% of employees said they use AI tools multiple times a day, while 22% use them multiple times a week.However, 12% admitted they never use AI at all, highlighting a clear divide in adoption across the workforce.It emerged that Millennials (46%) have most fully embraced the technology — ahead of Gen Z (43%) and Gen X (38%).While more men (77%) than women (61%) think AI has increased their productivity — a difference of 16%.The study also found 63% of managers and senior leaders have personally selected which AI tools they use — compared to 42% of entry-level workers.And this might be important because 35% of those who selected their own AI tools said the technology transformed their jobs.However, just 18% of those who simply use the tools chosen for them by their employer feel the same way.Carried out through OnePoll, the study found that reading and writing emails are the most time-consuming activities among those polled.This story was produced by Fyxer and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	From the NBA Finals to presidential elections: What’s trading on the highest-dollar prediction markets From the NBA Finals to presidential elections: What’s trading on the highest-dollar prediction marketsPrediction markets have transformed major world events into something closer to live entertainment. Major sporting events draw intense action. Elections now trade like championship games. Federal Reserve meetings generate minute-by-minute speculation. Inflation reports, crypto crashes, geopolitical conflicts, and recession fears all become markets where traders can instantly buy positions on possible outcomes.Few platforms capture this shift better than Kalshi. Over the past several years, the regulated prediction exchange has turned headlines into tradable contracts, attracting everyone from political junkies and sports bettors to retail traders and internet speculators. Social media has only accelerated the trend, with users increasingly discussing probabilities, odds, and positions in real time as events unfold.The biggest markets in Kalshi history reveal something deeper than simple trading volume. As Bodog reports below, they serve as a snapshot of what modern audiences are becoming collectively obsessed with.Explaining Kalshi and Prediction MarketsKalshi is a federally regulated prediction market exchange that allows users to trade contracts tied to real-world outcomes. Rather than betting on point spreads or casino games, traders speculate on questions like whether inflation will rise, whether a political candidate will win an election, or whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.Each market typically resolves to either “Yes” or “No,” with contract prices fluctuating based on perceived probability. If a trader buys a contract at 40 cents and the event occurs, the contract settles at $1.00.Unlike traditional sportsbooks, prediction markets function more like financial instruments than gambling products. Kalshi operates under the regulation of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which places it somewhere between investing, trading, and speculative entertainment.That hybrid identity is a major reason prediction markets have exploded in popularity. Modern internet culture increasingly encourages people to “trade the news,” and prediction contracts effectively turn attention itself into a tradable asset. Politics, economics, sports, and viral moments all become opportunities for speculation.The 10 Biggest Kalshi Markets EverThe top 10 largest Kalshi markets reflect the current state at the time of writing. Records often fall as Kalshi and contract trading grow in popularity.10. 2025 NBA Champion - $130,267,765Last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers played in the 2025 NBA Finals. For the first time since 2016, the Finals went the distance, with the Thunder taking Game 7 by a score of 103-91 for its first title since relocating. The growing popularity of sports-related contracts, coupled with an exciting playoff series, led to a then-record number of trades during the NBA Finals.9. Popular Vote Margin of Victory: 2024 Presidential Election - $134,863,999When Donald Trump won the 2016 Presidential Election, he lost the popular vote. This time around, Trump won the popular vote by 1.5% over Kamala Harris. There were 18 markets in total under the Popular Vote Margin of Victory, with many leaning toward Harris. However, Trump’s historic victory paid out for anyone trading 1%-1.99% in his favor. Prior to the election, federal courts ruled that Kalshi and others could legally offer political contract trading, leading to an explosion of trading in the months leading up to the election.8. 2026 College Football Championship: Miami vs. Indiana - $142,086,661The NCAA College Football Championship game always draws heavy action, so it was no surprise that the 2026 championship game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Indiana Hoosiers drew record numbers. There were 137 markets trading on this question, with over $142 million in trading volume. One reason for this record-setting volume is that Kalshi is available in states where sports betting is not yet available. It’s likely we will see the 2027 championship game set a new high.7. Who Will Trump Nominate as Fed Chair? - $216,970,762Given that the economy was one of the key issues on which President Trump campaigned, traders showed strong interest in his potential nominee for the new Chair of the Federal Reserve. The question offered 23 different markets, including an option for President Trump. Ultimately, Trump appointed Kevin Warsh, and those choosing him profited. Interest in the future of the U.S. economy likely drove traffic to this question, particularly knowledgeable political traders.6. 2026 NCAA Championship: Michigan vs. Uconn - $284,141,129The 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship came down to the Michigan Wolverines and the UConn Huskies. Both teams played tough, but Michigan outlasted a late push by the Huskies to win their second title. The volume of trading on this game was driven by a pair of popular teams in the title game, coupled with Kalshi's nationwide expansion. Don’t be surprised to see next year’s final eclipse this mark.5. 2026 PGA Championship Winner - $333,450,801In an entry that almost came out of left field, the 2026 PGA Championship Winner powered its way to fourth place. Aaron Rai shot a 5-under 65 on the last day of the event to become the second Indian player to win a major PGA title and the first player from England to win the title since 1919. The 163 markets for this question, along with the simplicity of golf contract trading compared to sports betting, contributed to the high trading volume.4. 2026 Pro Basketball Champion - $335,653,533The 2026 NBA Playoffs concluded with the New York Knicks capturing their first NBA Championship in more than 50 years. After a dominant postseason run, the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals to end a decades-long title drought. Interest in the championship market surged throughout the playoffs, with trading volume ultimately surpassing last year's record. The combination of the Knicks’ historic championship run, the Spurs’ surprising Finals appearance, and the tongue-in-cheek “curses” of WWE Superstar Danhausen helped make this one of the most actively traded and closely followed markets of the season.3. 2026 Pro Football Championship: Seattle vs. New England - $358,758,507Super Bowl LX was played earlier this year between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The game was a defensive showcase with neither team scoring a touchdown until the fourth quarter. Seattle proved to be just a bit better, taking the lead into the final quarter and surviving a late Patriot flurry to win their second title. The title game drew $358.7 million in trades thanks to Kalshi’s nationwide reach.2. The 2026 Master Champion - $460,271,755Who would have thought gold would have taken two of the top four spots? Rory McIlroy led or was tied for the lead throughout the entire event. He edged out Scottie Scheffler on the final day to win his second straight Masters title and sixth major overall. There were 98 markets trading on this question, and the ease of trading golf contracts compared to standard sports betting likely helped fuel the insane volume it received.1. Who Will Win the Presidential Election? (2024) - $535,948,943Two factors boosted this question’s trading volume. First, a federal court ruling allowed political contract trading, spurring a wave of late-election trades. Additionally, many viewed this election as historic, not just for the U.S. but for the world. Ultimately, traders made over $535.9 million in trades, with those siding with President Trump profiting.Why Political Markets Thrive on Prediction PlatformsPolitical markets consistently generate high trading volume because they combine all the angles that prediction markets need to thrive. They have nonstop media coverage, regular information updates, cult-like engagement from participants, and significant real-world consequences.Unlike sporting events that last a few hours, political markets unfold over months or even years. Every debate, poll release, court ruling, endorsement, and viral social media moment can move prices instantly. Many participants also believe they possess superior information or insight, which encourages even more trading activity.In many ways, political prediction markets resemble live sports betting stretched across an entire election cycle. Traders become emotionally invested while simultaneously trying to exploit market inefficiencies. That combination of confidence, emotion, and uncertainty can create enormous liquidity.The Blurring Line Between Gambling and Financial TradingPlatforms like Kalshi exist in a world shaped by meme stocks, crypto trading, fantasy sports, and commission-free retail investing. Users are increasingly interested in interacting with news, sports, and world events. They do not simply consume information. They want financial exposure to them.Prediction markets now sit somewhere between sportsbooks, stock exchanges, and internet entertainment. A trader can move from discussing inflation on social media to buying a Consumer Price Index contract within seconds. Crypto investors who believe they know where the market is trending can put their “knowledge” to work trading crypto contracts. That seamless transition helps explain why event trading feels so natural to younger internet-native audiences.The overlap with sports betting is especially significant. Many sports bettors already understand odds, probabilities, hedging, and volatility. Prediction markets simply expand those instincts beyond athletics into politics, economics, and global events.This overlap is drawing the attention of lawmakers and gambling regulators, who claim that prediction markets are simply “reimagined sports betting.”What the Biggest Kalshi Markets Reveal About Human BehaviorKalshi’s largest markets reveal a consistent pattern about human psychology. The events generating the most liquidity are usually controversial, uncertain, emotionally charged, and impossible to ignore online.People are often drawn toward volatility and conflict. Prediction markets amplify that tendency by allowing participants to financially engage with stories they are already obsessively following. The more debate, fear, uncertainty, or tribalism surrounding an event, the larger the market tends to be.Of course, this applies to sporting events. Sports fans are wildly passionate, tribal, and many times obsessed with their teams. Additionally, sports contracts add entertainment value much the same way that sports betting does.Platforms like Kalshi turn speculation into a social experience. Traders constantly discuss positions, probabilities, rumors, and narratives across social media and online communities. This leads traders to feel they are part of something greater.Traders Want Involvement in Real-World EventsThe biggest markets in Kalshi history are not random. They reflect the stories people argued about, tracked obsessively, and emotionally invested themselves in online.Elections, inflation, recession fears, crypto volatility, geopolitical crises, and sports championships all generate enormous trading activity by combining uncertainty with nonstop public attention.That may ultimately explain why prediction markets continue growing so rapidly. Modern audiences want to have a say in real-world events. They want to put their knowledge to work and, hopefully, profit from it.This story was produced by Bodog and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The best and worst cities for home flipping in 2026 The best and worst cities for home flipping in 2026Chances are, you’ve probably seen an HGTV version of home flipping: a crumbling Victorian property being transformed into a modern masterpiece with investors walking away with a six-figure check at the end of the episode. It all sounds great, but in reality, the margins are tighter, interest rates trickier, and the “easy money” idea is long gone.However, there’s still room for savvy investors. Home flipping hasn’t exactly disappeared—it has simply migrated, PropertyReach reports.As we head into the peak summer flipping season, the divide between sustainable growth markets and equity traps is wider than ever. While some metros are seeing record-breaking ROI, others are seeing investors lose big.What Makes a Metro Good for Home Flipping?Before diving into the specific cities, it’s important to understand what it means to be in a profitable market.To compare high-growth opportunities and high-risk gambles, specific pillars that define a profitable environment:Strong Population Growth: When a city is growing, it means more housing demand. The Census data shows a positive net migration because it creates a floor for demand. And this competition means a higher price and faster resale opportunities, which allow you to move your capital to the next project.The “Middle-Tier” Market: The best markets aren’t the ultra-expensive coastal mansions you see where renovation budgets spiral. Nor are they the deeply distressed rural areas. Cities with median home prices allow flippers to buy entry-level inventory and stay under the local median even after repairs.Low Days On Market (DOM): Every extra month a property sits is accumulated interest, taxes, and insurance that eat at your profit. Healthy flipping metros usually show homes selling in about 30-45 days or less.Older Housing Stock: We look for cities with homes mostly built before the 1980s. Why? Because those houses have “cosmetic obsolescence.” And by closing the gap between what a dated house vs. what a modern “Pinterest-ready” house is worth, you get buyers willing to pay premiums for move-in-ready homes.Even in a “perfect” city, one street can be high-yielding, but the next can be a total deal zone.6 Metros that Show Promise for Home FlippingBased on recent data, these markets offer the most favorable balance of entry costs, inventory age, and buyer demand.1. Pittsburgh, PAApproximate Average Home Value: $231, 500Annual Appreciation Rate: +2.9% (forecasted steady growth for 2026)Pittsburgh has one of the highest concentrations of older housing stock in the country, providing a large spread for cosmetic updates that modern buyers are looking for.2. Rochester, NYApproximate Average Home Value: $$225,000 – $240,000Annual Appreciation Rate: +7.2% (Q1 2026 YoY)Rochester has recently ranked among the top 10 metros for profits in the Northeast/Midwest due to persistent inventory shortages.3. Buffalo, NYApproximate Average Home Value: $277,500Annual Appreciation Rate: +3.65% (forecasted to remain steady)Nearly 65% of homes in this metro sold above asking price in the last year, so there’s a deep pool of eager buyers waiting for renovated inventory.4. Hartford, CTApproximate Average Home Value: $381,760Annual Appreciation Rate: +4.3%Hartford was also voted one of the "Hottest Markets" for 2026. With 63% fewer homes for sale than pre-pandemic levels, competition is fierce. Well-renovated homes sell almost immediately.5. Philadelphia, PAApproximate Average Home Value: $378,000Annual Appreciation Rate: +3.0%Philly offers a unique “hyper-local” opportunity. While this city is stable, specific ZIP codes are seeing rapid revitalization, allowing for targeted high-yield flips.6. Dallas, TXApproximate Average Home Value: $311,957Annual Appreciation Rate: +2.4%While other cities like Austin are correcting, Dallas remains a top destination for many relocators. The spread is found in the older 1950s-70s neighborhoods where young families are yearning for renovated, ready-to-move-in homes.6 Metros Where Home Flipping Is RiskyThe following cities, on the other hand, face a triple threat: high entry costs, rising carrying burdens, and a selective buyer pool.1. San Jose, CAApproximate Average Home Value: $2,030,000Annual Appreciation Rate: +0.5% (stagnating)High interest rates have made monthly payments on these prices nearly impossible for average buyers. It’s a locked market with very few transactions.2. Austin, TXApproximate Average Home Value: $500,600Annual Appreciation Rate: -5.9% (one of the steepest declines in 2026)After years of hyper-growth, Austin is currently facing an oversupply of inventory. Your flipped home might sit on the market for months, losing value.3. Miami, FLApproximate Average Home Value: $550,000 – $600,000Annual Appreciation Rate: -2.3% (South Florida average pullback)Sky-high insurance premiums and property taxes are the silent killer here, often eating 20-30% of your projected profit while you wait for permits or construction.4. Phoenix, AZApproximate Average Home Value: $450,000 – $480,000Annual Appreciation Rate: +0.2% (Near-flat growth)With more home flippers competing for the same inventory, the “as-is” purchase prices have been bid up too high to leave room for meaningful profit.5. San Francisco, CAApproximate Average Home Value: $1,350,000Annual Appreciation Rate: -2.9% (Regional West average decline)Declining sales volume with high regulatory friction means that a successful flop can be wiped out by unexpected delays or a sudden dip in buyer confidence.6. Las Vegas, NVApproximate Average Home Value: $480,000Annual Appreciation Rate: -1.0% (Slight pullback from late 2025 highs)Homes are sitting significantly longer, averaging up to 60 days on the market. With high inventory, two months of holding plus a potential price cut can quickly turn your profit into a break-even scenario.An Important Reality: Timing is EverythingThe truth is, any metro can change from a high-yield corridor to a low-margin trap within a single year. If a neighborhood gets flooded with home flippers, profit margins shrink as everyone competes for the same limited pool of buyers.Experienced investors know that success isn’t only about the city—it comes down to the hyper-local data. To find real success, you have to identify specific ZIP codes, streets, or school districts before hitting the mainstream.This is where an intensive property search tool becomes your best asset. By investigating local ownership history and neighborhood-level momentum, you can find the off-market opportunities that deliver the highest ROI. You get the below true market value and move on to your next flip.Final ThoughtsWhile national headlines might suggest volatility for home flipping, the data shows that in certain metros, like Pittsburgh and Buffalo, the opportunity for a profitable renovation is very much alive and kicking.In this new cycle, investors who win are the ones who do the most homework before the first day of demolition. Just remember that in this market, the profit is realized when you buy, not just when you sell.This story was produced by PropertyReach and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Shattered windows at police station, courthouse lead to vandalism charges Arnordo Turner faces felony criminal mischief charges after allegedly throwing rocks to shatter windows at both the courthouse and police station.
	The hurricane prep step most people skip: How to make a hurricane home inventory and protect your claim The hurricane prep step most people skip: How to make a hurricane home inventory and protect your claimA home inventory is a detailed record — through photos, videos, and documentation — of your belongings and their value. It's one of the most important parts of hurricane preparation, because it's what ensures you get fully reimbursed for everything lost in a storm. Without one, you risk underestimating your losses and slowing down your homeowners insurance claim. To create one, photograph your possessions, save proof of value, and store the records somewhere safe.Water, batteries, plywood — many people stock up on these essentials during hurricane season, but they skip the home inventory list. Only 47% of homeowners have a home inventory, according to the most recent data from Triple-I/Munich Re’s 2023 Q2 Consumer Survey.Relying on your memory means you could underestimate your losses, and it could also slow down reimbursement.“An inventory will help speed up the insurance claims process,” says Tim Singnysane, director of operations for 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Blue Kangaroo Packoutz, which offer cleaning and restoration services.In this guide, Insure.com shows you how to make a hurricane home inventory.How to build your home inventory in one hourDon't have a home inventory yet? You can put a basic one together this weekend with just your phone and dramatically strengthen a potential claim.Record a video of every room. Walk slowly, narrate as you go, and open every closet, cabinet, and drawer.Photograph high-value items up close. Capture serial numbers, brand labels, and any receipts in the same shot.Save it in two places. Upload to the cloud (e.g., Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) and keep one more copy somewhere else, like email or an external drive.Hurricane prep checklist: Everything in one placeHere's the full hurricane home inventory and prep checklist, organized by when to do each task — before the season, when a watch is issued, and after the storm. Save or print it, then read on for the details behind each step. Insure.com How do you prepare your home for a hurricane?Preparing your home for a hurricane comes down to stopping wind from getting inside and keeping the structure intact. The biggest risks are a breached opening — like a failed garage door or window — and flying debris, so most effective prep targets those weak points. Making these mitigation upgrades reduces storm damage and can also lower your insurance premiums.Here are some ways to minimize hurricane damage to your home:Trim treesClear gutters and reinforce soffitsStrengthen the garage doorInstall impact-resistant windows and hurricane shuttersAdd hurricane anchors or straps to the roofAnchor fuel tanksOnce you make these updates, you may be eligible for hurricane mitigation credits on your premiums. For instance, Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts to homeowners who make wind mitigation upgrades. To qualify, you'll need an inspection by a licensed inspector, who completes a form that's submitted to your insurer.Strengthening your home reduces what you'll lose. Documenting it determines what you'll recover.What to photograph for a home inventoryPhotograph every room and the full exterior of your home, then capture high-value items individually. Photos are the fastest way to document your home's condition and contents before a storm — and the easiest proof to share with your insurer afterward.“I would definitely take photos and videos of each room,” Singnysane says.Here’s what to cover:ExteriorEach side of the houseRoofSoffits and guttersDecks, porches and other outdoor living spacesFencesLandscapingAccessory buildingsInteriorWide shots of each roomClose-ups of each section of each roomInside closets, cabinets and drawersGarageAtticOther storage areas, including those off-siteThen, take photos of high-value items individually. These items may include jewelry, art, electronics, tools and appliances.Record a video walkthrough as well, narrating notable items and features as you go. Video captures context a photo can't, like a room's full layout or the contents of a packed closet in one pass.What to record for high-value itemsFor high-value items, your inventory needs to identify the item and prove its value. That way, you can get its full value if it's damaged. You should also include the following in your inventory:Description of item, including make, model, purchase date, and purchase priceReceipts, warranties, and appraisalsCheck with your insurer to see what documentation they require. Some want more than one piece of evidence for certain items. For instance, a photo of your big screen TV may not be enough to establish its value. The insurance company may also want to see a receipt.For items with multiples, such as clothing, make a note of how many you have in each category, such as shoes, jeans or dresses.Kelly Nash, president of private risk management for The Baldwin Group, recommends taking photos of all important documents and then storing physical copies together in a secure box that can be easily moved to a safe location if and when a storm arrives.Where to store your inventory so the storm doesn't destroy it tooNow that you have your home inventory, you need to know where to keep it.“I would prefer you to have multiple locations,” Singnysane says.Use two or more of the following options to make sure you can access your home inventory when it’s needed:Upload to cloud storage such as Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive or Dropbox.Email a copy to yourself and save it in a clearly identified folder.Place in a fireproof and waterproof box stored at a high location in your home.Rent a safe deposit box at a bank.Keep a copy at a trusted relative’s house.Use a home inventory app such as NAIC Home Inventory, Sortly or Nest Egg.In addition to storing multiple copies of your home inventory, keep it in multiple formats. For instance, you may upload it to the cloud, keep a physical copy in a safe at your house and save an extra copy on an external hard drive at a relative’s house.How to build an emergency kit and a family planAnyone in a hurricane's reach — not just its direct path — needs both a go-bag and emergency supplies for home. Storm surge and flooding can affect areas miles from where the storm makes landfall.The go-bag should have essentials for three days, while people should be prepared for up to two weeks without power at home, Nash advises.“If you are without power for that long, how are you going to communicate?” she asks. Her recommendation is to have a solar-powered phone charger and a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio.Stock up on water — one gallon per person per day is recommended — and make sure you have enough non-perishable food, pet food, infant formula and medications to last during an extended period without electricity.The go-bag should include medications, pet food, infant formula, a change of clothes, nonperishable food, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, small toys for children, and cash.What should be on your hurricane evacuation checklist?Have a go-bag packed and ready in advance.Keep a written list of emergency numbers.Identify an out-of-town contact for family members to check in with.Decide on a family meeting place if separated.Know your evacuation route in advance.Sign up for local emergency alerts and download the FEMA app and Red Cross emergency app.Have an evacuation planSometimes, extreme weather situations require residents to evacuate their homes by choice or government order. A few preparations in advance can make this process much easier.Identify evacuation zones: Before a storm, local officials will determine evacuation zones based on the likelihood that an area will flood due to the storm surge, or projected rise in sea level from a hurricane. Know what zone you live in and monitor local news to stay up to date in case you need to evacuate.Find local shelters: You should also find out where the closest public emergency shelters are located. You can check the FEMA app for a list of current shelters or text the word “SHELTER” and your ZIP code to 43362. The Red Cross website also lists currently open shelters. Different shelters have different requirements. For example, if you have a pet, make sure the shelter allows animals.Establish transportation plans: Hurricanes can result in road closures and create transit obstacles. Make sure you have an established evacuation route in mind before the storm and monitor local news during the storm for updates on road conditions.Create a family plan: Does your workplace have a disaster plan? Does your child’s school have a plan? Will they shelter in place? Disasters can strike when your family members are not with you. Find out what plans are in place for other locations.“Have an evacuation plan and knowledge of local evacuation routes and shelters,” says Christie Alderman, vice president of product innovation and development at Chubb Insurance. “Prepare medicines, important information, and phone numbers, including your insurance information, and fill your car with gas.”What to do when a hurricane watch is issuedIn the two days before a hurricane, document your home's pre-storm condition, secure your property, and protect your important documents and devices. The National Weather Service issues hurricane watches 48 hours before storm-force winds are possible, and this is your cue to prepare your property.Take new exterior and interior photos to show the condition of your home before the storm. Make sure these photos are date-stamped.Photograph any protective measures you take, such as boarded windows or sandbags — some policies require this proof.Double-check the contents of your go-bag.Strap down or remove any loose items from your yard, such as patio furniture.Fill your tub with water that can be used to flush toilets.Charge phones and other devices and download important cloud documents to local storage on your device.Move documents to a higher level of your home or keep them ready to grab if you evacuate. Write down your insurance policy number and your insurer's claims phone number, too. Nash says The Baldwin Group proactively sends this information to customers in a storm's path, but you may need to contact your insurer or find it in your online account.What to do right after a hurricane and before cleanupOnce it's safe, document the damage with photos and videos, secure your property to prevent further loss, and file your insurance claim as soon as possible — before you start any cleanup. Acting in that order protects both your safety and your claim.Take photographs and videos of everything.Secure your property to prevent further damage, such as boarding broken windows or covering the roof with a tarp. Take photos of this as well and keep your receipts.Call your insurer to file a claim.How do you file a hurricane insurance claim?Don’t wait to contact your insurer. Companies typically process claims in the order received.“You want to get into that queue as quickly as possible,” Nash says. Go ahead and file with both your wind and flood insurance carriers. They will sort out what each covers.When an adjuster comes for an inspection, walk the property with them. If you have started clean-up before, don’t throw anything away. For instance, if you rip out carpet, set it aside. The adjuster will likely want to see it. If you think the adjuster missed anything during their visit, follow up with them in writing.Finally, be cautious about signing settlement checks or cashing payments until you've confirmed the amount covers your full loss.Common home inventory mistakes that shrink your payoutThe costliest documentation mistakes share one trait — they leave you unable to prove what you owned or what it was worth. Here are the ones to watch for.Only photographing rooms or rushing through closet contents. "Open all your cabinets and drawers and slow down," Nash advises, so your video clearly shows everything you own.Not recording serial numbers for electronics and appliances.Guessing at an item's value instead of keeping receipts.Keeping only one copy of your home inventory.Failing to update your inventory after a big purchase.Cleaning up before documenting the damage.Throwing things away before the adjuster visits.An hour this weekend could pay off for yearsMost hurricane prep protects your home. A home inventory protects what's inside it, and it's the step that determines how much you actually recover when you file a claim. All it takes is your phone, a cloud folder, and an hour to walk through your house room by room, capturing what you own and what it's worth.Do it once and you've got a record that pays off for years. Just refresh it after big purchases and check it each year as hurricane season approaches. With this season already underway, the best time to start is now, before a storm is ever on the radar.Frequently Asked Questions: Hurricane PreparationWhat will your insurer ask for after a hurricane?Insurers will want to see proof of which items you owned and how much each is worth. Photographs and videos can document your possessions, but to confirm value, an insurance company may request receipts or appraisals, particularly for valuable items.Do I need serial numbers for an insurance claim?Not necessarily. A serial number is the best way to prove ownership and value, but without one, you can still file a claim using different documentation, such as a receipt.How should I store my home inventory?You should store your home inventory in a place that is both safe and accessible. Cloud storage, an external hard drive kept in a safe deposit box, or a paper version in a safe are all options. Ideally, you should have multiple copies of your inventory, each stored using a different method.What if I didn't take photos before the hurricane?You can still file a claim with your insurance company and receive reimbursement. However, your reimbursement may be lower if you can’t prove the condition of your house or the possessions you owned prior to the storm. Going back through old photos on your phone or searching for emailed receipts may help fill in some of these gaps.How long do I have to file a hurricane insurance claim?It depends on your state's laws, so check the rules where you live. In Florida, you have one year from the date of loss to file a new or reopened property insurance claim, with the clock starting on the date the hurricane made landfall, as verified by NOAA — not the day you discover the damage. If you find additional damage later, Florida gives you up to 18 months from the loss date to file a supplemental claim. Either way, the smarter move is to file as soon as it's safe rather than waiting, since hidden damage like mold or roof leaks can surface months after a storm.This story was produced by Insure.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Credit card refinancing vs. debt consolidation Credit card refinancing vs. debt consolidationIf you’re dealing with high-interest debt, debt consolidation options like credit card refinancing or debt consolidation loans may be on your radar. Both strategies can help you streamline the payoff process and potentially save you some money on interest. OneMain Financial dove deeper into the difference between credit card refinancing and debt consolidation loans so you can decide on the strategy that will work for you to repay your debt.What is credit card refinancing?Credit card refinancing is the process of transferring your existing debt to a credit card, typically with a lower interest rate. If you qualify for a lower interest rate than those you’re currently paying, you may be able to reduce your monthly payment, minimize your interest charges and pay off your debt sooner.How does credit card refinancing work?You typically refinance credit cards with a credit card that offers a low or 0% introductory or promotional annual percentage rate (APR) on balance transfers. The offer period usually lasts around 12 to 21 months, so you’ll owe little to no interest if you repay your transferred balance before the offer period ends.You apply for a credit card with an introductory offer APR on balance transfers the same way you would for any other credit card. Once your application is approved, you’ll contact the credit card company to begin the transfer process. After your old debts are paid off, you can begin making payments on your new card at the lower interest rate.Remember that when the low introductory rate expires, any balance you have left will start to accrue interest at the nonpromotional rate. A balance transfer typically also comes with a balance transfer fee, which is either a flat fee or around 3% to 5% of the transferred amount. It’s also important to note that you typically can’t transfer a credit card balance to another credit card with the same issuer. So, you’ll want to shop around to see if you qualify with another credit card company.What is debt consolidation?Debt consolidation is a way to simplify your finances by turning multiple debts into one single payment by using a new loan or credit card. As described above, credit card refinancing is one type of debt consolidation. A debt consolidation loan is another, which involves taking out a personal loan to repay existing debts.How do debt consolidation loans work?A debt consolidation loan is a type of personal loan, which is a lump sum of money you can borrow from a lender, bank or credit union to use for a variety of purposes, including refinancing your credit card debt. Loan approval will depend on several factors, like your credit history, income and loan amount.With a debt consolidation loan, you roll multiple bills into one balance, giving you a single fixed monthly payment and a fixed interest rate. A debt consolidation loan also has a set term, so you’ll know exactly when you’ll pay it off — as long as you make payments on time, every time.If you’re approved for the loan, you’ll receive the funds to repay each of your debt balances and then pay back your loan through fixed monthly payments. It’s important to note that refinancing or consolidating your current debt may result in higher total finance charges if the new interest rate is higher, or the loan term is longer. Some loans may also have an origination fee — a fee for processing the loan application — that is subtracted from your loan amount.Credit card refinancing vs. debt consolidation: Which is right for you?Choosing the right debt payoff method depends on what your budget can handle and what type of debt you have.Credit card refinancing may work if you:Qualify for a 0% introductory or promotional APR: You typically need strong credit to qualify for a low promotional APR offer on a credit card.Can pay off your debt before the promotional period ends: Once the promotional period ends, you’ll be charged the card’s regular APR on any outstanding balance. Interest charges can add up quickly, potentially offsetting the money you saved by refinancing.Won’t be tempted to make new purchases: You can generally use the credit card where you transferred your balance for other purchases. However, the low promotional APR may not apply, and you may find yourself in more debt if you’re not able to repay the new charges.A debt consolidation loan may work if you:Qualify for a personal loan with a lower interest rate than your existing debt: If you qualify for a lower interest rate than the ones you’re paying on your existing debt, you could save money on interest, depending on the length of the term.Need more time to pay off your debt: You may be able to find a debt consolidation loan with a longer term than a credit card’s promotional APR period.Want fixed monthly payments: With a fixed interest rate and set monthly payments, you’ll pay the same amount each month on a debt consolidation loan.Take control of your debt journeyCredit card refinancing and debt consolidation loans can both offer a path to becoming debt-free. Whether it's refinancing to ease the weight of high interest rates or consolidating to bring scattered debts under one roof, the best option is the one that aligns with your needs and goals.This story was produced by OneMain Financial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Celebrate 250 years of America at Township picnic in Moline Rock Island Township, South Rock Island Township, Moline Township, South Moline Township, Blackhawk Township, and Hampton Township are hosting an old-fashioned picnic in the park on Thursday, July 2 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Moline Township, 620 18th Street. The theme is “Celebrate 250 Years of America” and participants can enjoy free food, [...]
	Driver tells deputies she rollover caused by deer in roadway A driver was cited for failure to maintain control after rolling a Chevrolet Malibu into a ditch in Mount Pleasant.
	Ahead of new Medicaid work requirements, WV launches website and asks residents for updated info The former Department of Health and Human Resources building at One Davis Square in Charleston, W.Va. (Lexi Browning \| West Virginia Watch)With new federal Medicaid work requirements becoming effective next year, the West Virginia Department of Human Services has launched a new information website and is encouraging recipients to update their contact information with the state. “Federal law has changed, and our responsibility is to ensure West Virginians have accurate information and understand how these changes may affect them,” Christy Donohue, DoHS Commissioner of the Bureau for Medical Services, said in a statement Wednesday. “We want Medicaid members to know that DoHS is on track to implement these requirements and is working to make the process as simple as possible.” Under Pres. Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, people age 19 through 64 who are part of the expanded Medicaid program are required to work, train or volunteer at least 80 hours per month in order to remain eligible for the health care program. The expanded Medicaid program is available to people who make up to 138% of the federal poverty line, or about $45,540 for a family of four. As of earlier this year, West Virginia’s Medicaid expansion population included 161,184 people. There are some exceptions to the work requirements, including for pregnant people, Native Americans, and caregivers of children under 14 or disabled adults. The state has launched https://wvmedicaidhelp.org/ to answer frequently asked questions about the new “community engagement” requirements. According to the Department, the state is enhancing its eligibility systems to automate verification and eligibility processes whenever possible. When available, electronic data sources will be used to automatically verify information, reducing the need for members to submit additional documentation, the state said in the news release. The state is asking Medicaid recipients to ensure their mailing address, email address and phone number is up to date. The department also asks people to read any correspondence about Medicaid eligibility the state sends, watch for additional correspondence between now and Jan. 1, and to visit WVMedicaidHelp.org for updates. Courtesy of West Virginia Watch
	250 years of lawn care: How America grew its greatest obsession 250 years of lawn care: How America grew its greatest obsessionThat ordinary patch of green grass outside your window has a long and crazy history. Americans pour water on it, buy expensive machines to chop it down, and repeat that every single week — absolute madness done without question.It took 250 years of sweat and technological leaps to turn a simple crop into a $189 billion national obsession. As the U.S. marks its 250th birthday on July 4, LawnStarter is tracing how the American lawn evolved from a privilege of the founding elite to blanketing 40 million acres — from Jefferson's scythe-wielding crews to robot mowers that map your yard by GPS.Key takeawaysGeorge Washington and Thomas Jefferson pioneered the American lawn, borrowing the look of English aristocratic estates.Post–World War II suburbia made lawns mainstream, with power mower sales reaching 4.2 million by 1958.Today, approximately 54 million Americans mow their lawns every week, and the landscape services industry employs around 1.3 million people.The Founding Fathers' Lawns (1770s–1800s)Here's what the American lawn was in 1776: nothing. It didn’t exist. Colonists had livestock to raise, crops to grow, and a war to win. They didn’t care about crabgrass or a watering schedule. Grass mowed for looks was a luxury nobody could afford. But George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had other plans. Both were obsessed with the grand lawns of English country estates and set to recreate them in America, even importing grass seed and design ideas from overseas.Jefferson rolled out sweeping grass panels at Monticello, while Washington reshaped the grounds at Mount Vernon into broad, mown “pleasure grounds.”A short lawn sent a message: You had the land, labor, and money to burn on land you couldn't eat. It was a status symbol for the early American elite.The Mower Changes Everything (1830–1870s) Dille & McGuire Lawn Mowers Before 1830, you needed livestock to keep the grass down. Sheep and goats were the original lawn mowers. For the average homeowner back then, the scythe and the sheep went out the window thanks to an English mill engineer. In 1830, Edwin Beard Budding watched a machine trim wool cloth in Gloucestershire and had a lightbulb moment: It could do the very same thing to grass. And so, the idea of a lawn mower was born.His contraption was a beast. It featured heavy cast-iron parts, required someone to push it, and was intended to replace the scythe on sports grounds and large gardens.Legends say Budding worried that his neighbors would consider him a madman for pushing a loud, heavy machine in the yard, so he tested his initial prototype under the cover of darkness.Two of the first machines went to the London Zoo and Oxford University. The design sailed across the Atlantic, and American tinkerers went to work. In 1868, Connecticut resident Amariah Hills scored the first United States patent for a reel mower.By 1870, an Indiana machinist named Elwood McGuire built a lightweight push mower that anyone could handle. It stole the show at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and it changed lawn care forever.Then, a year later, in 1871, the first lawn sprinkler was patented. A dry spell was no match for a rubber hose and a little water pressure.Lawns Go Mainstream (1880s–1930s)By the 1880s, lawns were a major trend. Magazines ran how-to columns on the perfect yard, and the USDA and state institutions, including the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, had begun formal grass trials to see which grasses could survive in the US.Golfers wanted perfect playing surfaces, so by the 1920s, the United States Golf Association was funding turfgrass research right alongside the USDA. Homes near the fairway became status symbols, and the golf course lawn lodged itself in the American imagination.The first golf course in the U.S. was Oakhurst Links, built in 1884, on Russell Montague’s Sulphur Springs property in West Virginia and hosted the earliest known golf tournament in 1888 with the oldest known golf prize medal in America.In 1888, St. Andrew’s Golf Club opened in New York and became the oldest golf club in continuous existence. Bettmann // Getty Images These golf courses turned lush grass into a national aspiration, and it became the new gold standard.The great park movement was rewriting the rules of public space. Sprawling green lawns that had once belonged only to English nobility were now showing up as public parks with open grass and shade trees for everyone to enjoy.By the early 1900s, Cooperative Extension agents were knocking on doors with the latest turf science in hand. It was the original lawn care advice network.The Suburban Lawn Boom (1940s–1960s)When World War II wrapped up, the boys came home, traded their dog tags for rotary mowers, and headed straight to the suburbs. The GI Bill made homeownership a reality for many American families.Developers like William Levitt laid down sod as fast as they framed the houses. A lawn now came standard, just like a front door.Before the war, factories pumped out around 60,000 power rotary mowers a year. In 1946, Americans bought roughly 140,000 lawn mowers. Just five years later, annual sales had exploded to about 1.2 million, and by 1958, people bought 4.2 million mowers a year. In barely a decade, the mower went from rarity to a garage staple right next to the family station wagon.Historian Ted Steinberg of Case Western Reserve University named it "lawn democracy." In a 2007 CBS News feature, he said:"First of all, the lawn mower provided the conditions for lawn democracy," he said. "A society where just about everyone could afford to purchase a machine to cut the grass."It was the birth of the Saturday morning chore, and it became the ultimate suburban rite of passage: handing the pull-cord to your teenager and telling them to earn their keep.Unfortunately, a yard also comes with relentless peer pressure to keep it crisp and well-maintained. If you let the weeds take over, you’ll become the person everyone talks about. The perfect lawn, framed by that iconic white picket fence, became a badge of the American Dream.Those pressures are still there today, even if they have evolved. Tyler Wilson, owner at Copperhead Property Maintenance in Lutz, Florida, sees the modern version of this.“Clients in communities like Cheval and Stonebrier don’t just want green grass anymore; they want precise edges, clean mowing patterns, and that golf-course finish,” Wilson says. “The pride is less about raw greenness and more about visible craftsmanship that signals someone professional is taking care of the property.”Science, Seed, and Sod (1970s–1980s)In the 1970s and '80s, researchers shifted their focus from golf course grass to home lawns and began breeding grass varieties tuned to different regions and climates.You had choices: Roll out instant sod like a green carpet or toss some seed and wait. Add some synthetic fertilizers and weed killers, and a pristine yard felt like a sure thing. A whole service industry sprang up to do the work for you, turning feeding, weeding, and seasonal cleanups from a luxury into a suburban routine.By the end of the 20th century, the gas-guzzling mowers and the synthetic fertilizers and pesticides started drawing side-eyes from scientists and neighbors alike. America's love affair with grass clearly came with a bill, and it was getting harder to ignore.The Green Revolution (2000s–2010s)The 21st century kicked turf science into overdrive. Breeders rolled out grasses that shrugged off drought and disease. It was a direct answer to the West, where keeping a green lawn in Phoenix or Las Vegas had always meant fighting the desert itself.Those early magazine columns moved online, and new platforms started matching homeowners with pros at the tap of a button. "Lawn care" was now a full-blown industry with a name of its own.NASA dropped a piece of data that stopped homeowners in their tracks. By surface area, lawns became the single largest irrigated crop in the United States. It covers three times more ground than irrigated corn. Americans are pouring water on a crop you can’t even eat.Smelly, noisy lawn equipment came under scrutiny. Researchers found that strapping on a commercial gas leaf blower for one hour pumps out the same smog-forming pollution as driving a car 1,100 miles. One hour of blowing leaves equals a drive from Los Angeles to Denver.Water limits turned from mild suggestions into strict laws. Steve Rice, owner of Lawn Kings in Southern California, says this best:“I’ve watched clients move away from traditional thirsty turf because maintaining that ‘perfect green’ is no longer realistic year-round without heavy water use. That’s why drought-tolerant landscaping and high-quality synthetic grass have become more common recommendations, especially in areas where watering restrictions are tightening each summer.”Over on the East Coast, in New Jersey, Gaetano Virone runs Environmental Designers Irrigation and promotes smart, precision‑zoned irrigation systems.“Modern droughts have pushed me toward recommending precision-zoned systems paired with soil sensors over broad traditional layouts that struggle under limits,” Virone says.As the environmental costs came into focus, alternatives climbed from fringe to mainstream: Electric mowers, battery-powered tools, organic fertilizers, native plants, clover lawns, and water-wise xeriscaping started to claim a slice of the American yard.The Smart Lawn Era (2020s and Beyond) UlfsFotoart // Shutterstock You thought having a camera on your doorbell was peak suburban living. We’re in the era where high-tech computers and AI run your yard.Robot mowers have graduated from gimmick to one of the fastest-growing areas of the market. The global robot mower market will hit $2.74 billion in 2026 and is on track to reach $5.32 billion by 2031, according to Mordor Intelligence.These little machines use GPS and AI to map your property, dodge your kid’s soccer ball, and read the weather. You just sit on the couch and let the robot do the yard work.You might assume professional landscapers are worried about losing their jobs to a yard Roomba. Well, actually no.Wilson deals with big commercial and high-end residential clients, and he sleeps just fine at night. To him, the machines are missing a personal touch. “The detail work, mechanical edging, string trimming around fence posts and landscaped beds, blowing clippings off hard surfaces — that’s where the real value is, and no autonomous unit handles that finishing work reliably yet,” Wilson says.He’s right. A robot driving in circles doesn’t give you that sharp, country club look.Wilson says the real mind-blowing tech in this smart lawn care era is hiding in your sprinkler box.“The biggest technological game-changer for our daily operations has been smart Wi-Fi controllers, specifically the Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller,” he says. “By automatically adjusting watering schedules based on local Florida weather data, these devices prevent overwatering and protect lawn health.”What Does the Future Hold?Take a step back, and you realize the sheer scale of this obsession. The landscape services industry reached $188.8 billion in 2025 and employs 1.3 million people across 635,000 businesses. All that muscle and money exist just to keep the grass mowed and manicured.The definition of a great yard is changing. The old-school grass monoculture is giving way to a more pragmatic approach. Homeowners ask about clover and native plants. Does that mean the traditional turf is dead? Not a chance.Tim DiAngelis, owner of Lawn Care Plus in Boston, sees this hybrid lawn approach working in New England, stating: “I won’t pretend it’s replacing traditional lawn work, but it’s a real conversation now, especially on commercial properties where low-maintenance matters,” DiAngelis says. “Where I’ve seen it work best is when we blend it into the overall landscape design rather than treating it as a full lawn replacement. Clients who go all-in on alternatives without a plan usually call us back frustrated.”Looking ahead 20 years, Rice also expects homeowners to prioritize the survival and function of their lawn over looking like an artificial carpet.“I expect the standard American front yard will be a hybrid of solutions like native or low-water plants combined with permeable hardscaping and selective turf areas, designed more for usability and climate resilience than uniform grass perfection,” he says.Andrew Day, owner of Advanced Quality Lawn in Akron, Ohio, expects to see homeowners switch to smart, intentional landscaping.“In 20 years, I think the standard front yard will still have turf, but less ‘decorative carpet’ and more functional lawn supported by healthier soil, better grass varieties, tree and shrub care, and targeted pest control,” he says. “The winners will be yards designed to survive local conditions, not yards forced to look perfect every week.” Keep Your Own Piece of Lawn History Looking Its BestNow you know the history of grass in America. You know the science. You also know the feeling of spending your entire Saturday sweating over a temperamental edger while your neighbor's robot mower hums quietly in the background.You could hire a lawn care service to take grass cutting off your to-do list, or you could go back to where it all started and rent a working herd of goats from commercial grazing companies to clear out heavy brush and weeds on your property.Chomping grass instead of cutting grass is a retro move, but it gets the job done.This story was produced by LawnStarter and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What are the required elevator inspection types and timelines in the US and Canada? What are the required elevator inspection types and timelines in the US and Canada?Regular elevator inspection and testing ensure elevators remain functional and safe to use daily. These inspections must be performed by qualified personnel. Noncompliance can result in hefty penalties and forced shutdowns. Requirements vary depending on the elevator type, jurisdiction, and testing time frame.Standards and regulations establish the requirements, but most requirements stem from ASME A17.1 in the U.S. and CSA B44 in Canada. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Canadian Standards Association have harmonized their respective codes, ASME A17.1 and CSA B44, collectively known as the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, resulting in similar standards.Since the codes get updated periodically, a static checklist is not sufficient to keep elevators in check. It’s important to develop an effective system to ensure compliance, and working with trusted third-party agencies enables unbiased improvements that protect your facility. In this article, ATIS breaks down the inspection and testing requirements you need to know.Key TakeawaysElevator code compliance can be complex, thanks to the varying regulations and standards. The most important points to remember include:The required elevator inspection types in the U.S. and Canada generally include CAT 1, CAT 3, and CAT 5, performed annually, every three years, and every five years, respectively.States, local jurisdictions, and provinces may have additional inspection and testing requirements, including periodic inspections, acceptance inspections, alteration inspections, and test witnessing.Only certified professionals can perform inspections and testing.Noncompliance can result in accidents, elevator shutdowns, penalties, rejected insurance claims, and personal liability for facility owners.What Are the Different Categories of Elevator Inspections?Elevator inspection categories include CAT 1, CAT 3, and CAT 5, as defined by the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. Category requirements are based on the elevator components’ function, wear patterns, and safety impact.Category tests typically can’t substitute for one another. For instance, although CAT 5 is more intensive and covers CAT 1 requirements, you must still perform CAT 1 testing in the same year. You may be allowed to perform similar tests simultaneously. ATIS 1. CAT 1: Annual TestingCAT 1 is required every 12 months. The inspection and testing requirements focus on active safety devices during normal operations, which deteriorate from regular use. These elevator components come with predictable yearly wear cycles.For example, CAT 1 guidance involves testing door interlocks that cycle thousands of times, governor mechanisms that accumulate operational hours, and electrical safety switches that are subject to environmental factors.These safety devices must always function correctly each time an elevator operates. The testing involved does not subject the elevator to extreme stress, unlike the more rigorous CAT 5 testing.Examples of inspection requirements usually include:Car machine rooms.Elevator car top.Elevator pit.Outside hoistway.Braking system.Firefighters' emergency.The elevator type determines which parts require testing. For instance, hydraulic elevators have unique components compared to electric models.2. CAT 3: 3-Year TestingCAT 3 is a category specific to hydraulic elevators, which must be tested every three years. A hydraulic elevator is an old elevator type that uses municipal water pressure or an on-site water system.Modern hydraulic elevators use oil and are subject to CAT 1 and CAT 5 testing. Testing water hydraulic elevators has different requirements as they present unique challenges due to a lack of design safety factors.These elevators are increasingly rare. CAT 3 typically requires testing the:Unexposed portions of pistons: Piston rods need to be thoroughly cleaned and examined for wear and corrosion. They should also be replaced if the diameter at any point is less than the root diameter of the threads.Pressure vessels: Pressure vessels need to be cleaned and checked for conformance with requirements. They also need to undergo hydrostatic tests at high percentages of working pressure.3. CAT 5: 5-Year TestingCAT 5 requires inspection and testing every five years. These intensive tests focus on an elevator’s braking and life-safety systems under full load conditions. They can involve testing:Car and counterweight safeties with rated load.Governors at rated speed.Brakes under maximum stress.Oil buffers with actual impact.CAT 5 aims to ensure elevator performance during worst-case scenarios. Components must function as designed during emergencies. These components are susceptible to gradual mechanical wear over extended periods, which may not always be apparent in annual, no-load testing.Since CAT 5 testing is destructive or highly invasive, it’s unrealistic to perform them annually. The tests also wear the system, as it requires loading the elevator to its maximum capacity.Other Required InspectionsFederal, state, local governments, and provinces have widely adopted the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. You’ll find CAT testing requirements across jurisdictions, with some referring directly to ASME A17.1. Local governments may adopt more stringent requirements. Beyond category testing, jurisdictions impose additional inspection requirements depending on your circumstances.Here are a few general requirements to remember:Periodic Inspections“Periodic inspection” is used as a general term in ASME A17.1. However, it may refer to different inspection requirements according to certain authorities. These inspections involve visually examining elevators and reviewing their operational performance. Timeline requirements vary. These checks are often crucial for identifying minor issues before they escalate into major safety concerns.For instance, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires monthly inspections for marine terminal elevators. Some states require construction elevator inspections at least every three months, while others require an annual visual inspection.Periodic inspections generally verify code and standard compliance, while category testing focuses on a safety system’s effectiveness. While you work with inspection companies for category inspection and testing, periodic inspections are performed by companies contracted by authoritative bodies — and they often show up unannounced.Acceptance InspectionsAn acceptance test for elevators refers to inspections conducted on newly installed elevators prior to their operational use. It ensures that the elevator was installed correctly and in accordance with the approved building plans, while also confirming compliance with applicable standards and local codes.This crucial step verifies that new installations meet all safety and performance criteria before public access.Alteration InspectionsAlteration inspections are required whenever you perform elevator updates. ASME A17.1 defines alterations as any change to the equipment, including its parts, components, and subsystems, other than maintenance, repair, or replacement.For instance, you may have upgraded the elevator’s door system, added a firefighter service, or replaced the controller. Unlike acceptance inspections, alteration inspections focus on the altered components, and it’s not a comprehensive inspection of the entire elevator. These inspections ensure that the altered components do not compromise the equipment's safety.Test WitnessingTest witnessing occurs alongside category testing, providing independent oversight to prevent conflicts of interest. Witnessing agencies observe the testing procedures, confirm accurate results, and file applicable reports. Their unbiased presence adds an extra layer of credibility and assurance to the inspection process.Who Performs Elevator Inspections? ATIS Only qualified personnel can perform elevator inspections. Working with inspectors without the proper credentials creates legal liability for your company and results in repeat inspections, costing you more in the long term.Each jurisdiction has its requirements regarding qualifications. Elevator inspections are generally performed by:Qualified elevator inspector (QEI): A QEI is a certified professional responsible for inspecting vertical transportation systems, including elevators and escalators, to ensure they meet safety codes and regulations. They may work for private inspection firms, government agencies, or as independent contractors.Authority having jurisdiction (AHJ): An AHJ is an agency, organization, or individual that enforces codes, standards, and regulations related to construction, fire prevention, and life safety. They review plans, issue permits, and conduct inspections. The AHJ varies depending on your facility’s location.Third-party inspection agencies: These independent organizations evaluate elevators against standards, confirm their safety measures and assess their overall performance. These unbiased evaluators must be QEI. Agencies can be employed by an AHJ.State inspectors: State inspectors must also be a QEI. They are government employees who conduct acceptance and alteration inspections and enforce state requirements.Risks of Noncompliance With Elevator Inspection RequirementsCode compliance is not an option, as the risks involve a person's safety. While fatality is rare, elevator-related injuries occur. You also risk legal liability, financial implications, and reputational damage.Noncompliance can lead to:Forced elevator shutdowns: Elevator issues can result in a red tag status, leading to a service suspension. Inspectors place a physical red tag on an elevator, rendering it out of service. The tag indicates that the elevator poses a safety hazard and cannot operate until the violations are corrected. Missing one inspection likely affects all your elevators, significantly impacting your facility’s operations.Civil and criminal fines: Each AHJ has inspection report deadlines, and failure to submit the report results in late fees. You must also correct defects within a specified time frame — penalties can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Noncompliance with statutes also results in fines. For instance, noncompliance with Florida's Elevator Safety statutes, which align with the latest ASME A17.1 standards, can result in fines up to $500.Rejected insurance claims: Insurance policies typically require building equipment, including elevators, to be compliant with relevant codes and regulations. Insurers can deny claims for uninspected elevators, arguing you’ve misrepresented your facility’s compliance status when applying for insurance. Policies often include clauses requiring specific safety measures.Personal liability: Even if a business or corporation owns the facility, noncompliance can pierce the corporate veil, particularly in elevator accidents caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct. This circumstance makes building owners personally liable for incidents. For instance, in Maine, elevator owners are guilty of criminal operation if the elevator lacks a valid inspection certificate.How to Ensure Compliance With Elevator Inspection RequirementsIt can be tricky to navigate all compliance requirements, especially if you’re managing multiple facilities.For large businesses operating across North America, the challenge is significant, as regulations can vary greatly not only between individual states like Florida and Nevada, but also across national borders with differing requirements in Canada. Performing these steps can help:Develop an effective compliance system: You need one to keep up with evolving safety codes. For instance, ASME A17.1 was updated in 2025, consisting of additional requirements from the 2022 version. Work with professionals who can review these changes and update your checklists accordingly. Your calendar should also include relevant deadlines, so you can schedule inspection and testing services as needed.Determine optimal processes: Meeting minimum requirements is the baseline, but you can also identify steps that result in optimal performance. Pay attention to which components can benefit from upgrades. While upgrades can increase costs, your facility can benefit in the long term from improved safety. For instance, if your facility uses hydraulic elevators, consider whether switching to electric elevators is worth the investment.Leverage trusted third-party services: Third-party services can help assess whether your facility is compliant with applicable codes and regulations. They can also suggest action plans for any potential violations. Working with these companies is especially sensible if you operate in multiple jurisdictions. It’s easier to miss deadlines when managing large portfolios, with penalties multiplying across the board.A Quality System Makes Elevator Compliance EasyNavigating the complex landscape of elevator inspection and testing requirements across the U.S. and Canada can be a challenge — it demands a robust, systematic approach to get it right. This dynamic regulatory environment often requires constant attention and adaptation from facility managers.Beyond the core category inspections, local jurisdictions and specific circumstances introduce additional mandates that businesses must be familiar with and follow. Effective compliance hinges on proactive management, depending on the expertise of qualified professionals and engaging trusted third-party services.Staying current with these ensures not only adherence to evolving safety standards but also guards against operational disruptions, significant financial consequences, and potential legal liabilities, ultimately protecting both users and facility owners.This story was produced by ATIS and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Rock Island-Milan board approves new playground at Earl Hanson A new playground featuring slides and interactive play panels is planned for Earl Hanson Elementary.
	Downtown Davenport Partnership unveils new brand, upcoming projects The Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP) unveiled a new brand identity for Downtown Davenport and highlighted its pipeline of catalytic gateway projects at its Annual Meeting on June 24. The new brand reflects Downtown Davenport’s unique character, capturing the spirit of a downtown that is evolving, authentic and moving forward. “The story of Downtown Davenport has [...]
	Postal Service says its cash crisis is delayed until at least 2031, but problems loom The U.S. Postal Service is no longer set to be out of cash in 2027, the agency's head says. But its finances remain shaky as Trump officials keep putting it in political hot water.
	The 2026 Recruiter Pressure Index: A state-by-state map of the talent war The 2026 Recruiter Pressure Index: A state-by-state map of the talent warThe national hiring story sounds quiet on paper. Job openings drifted down to 6.5 million in December 2025, with the quits rate holding steady at 2%, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell describing the U.S. economy as being in a "low-hire, low-fire" environment, a framing economists have widely adopted to describe a standoff between cautious employers and workers staying put.But then you zoom in.A new analysis from Lever reveals the real story, ranking all 50 states and Washington, D.C., on how competitive the hiring environment really is—using what we’re calling the Hiring Pressure Score.The Pressure Score reflects hiring demand minus available people—combining job openings, quits, and unemployment into a single 0-to-100 measure. The higher the number, the tighter, more competitive the hiring conditions.And the picture this year’s Pressure Score tells varies significantly from what the national numbers suggest. In some states, the data points to active competition for limited talent. Meanwhile, in other states, the supply-demand balance has tipped to the other end of the scale. All you have to do is compare South Dakota's Pressure Score of 82.1 to California's 17.5—a nearly fivefold spread inside the same national labor market—to see how wide the gap really is.And it's shaping how employers should be thinking about where, and how fast, they can hire.Key FindingsSouth Dakota ranked #1 with a Pressure Score of 82.1, fueled by the nation's highest quits rate (3.8%) and a tied-lowest unemployment rate of 2.2%.West Virginia posted the country's highest job openings rate at 5.9%, meaning roughly 1 in 17 nonfarm jobs sat unfilled.The entire top 10 sit outside the major coastal markets, stretching from the Great Plains through the Mountain West and into the South.California ranked second to last (50 of 51) with a score of 17.5, weighed down by 5.5% unemployment and a quits rate of just 1.5%.Washington, D.C., ranked dead last at 8.3, the only single-digit score on the index, paired with the highest unemployment rate in the country at 6.7%.Major economic hubs Washington State, Nevada, and Massachusetts all landed in the bottom five.Fourteen states scored high pressure, 27 scored medium, and 10 scored low. Lever Lever The Map of Hiring Difficulty Has FlippedFor most of the last decade, the conversation around tight labor markets centered on tech corridors such as California and coastal metros, including Washington and Oregon, places where six-figure offers and counteroffers became the norm. That story has aged.The states where employers are working hardest to fill seats today sit far from San Francisco's neighbors. They're South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Vermont, and Alaska. Each one shares a common thread: small labor pools, a lot of open roles relative to size, and high rates of workers voluntarily leaving jobs.South Dakota's quits rate of 3.8% is nearly three times what's happening in Massachusetts, where it sits at 1.4%, with Alaska, Wyoming, and Montana closely following. With workers cycling out of jobs that quickly, the available candidate pool in those states is in constant turnover.For HR and talent acquisition leaders running national hiring plans, the implication is direct. The same roles posted in Sioux Falls and San Jose are operating in two entirely different economies. And the conditions for filling each are meaningfully different.West Virginia's Unfilled Jobs Reveal a Workforce Pipeline ProblemWest Virginia might be the most counterintuitive entry in the index. The state isn't booming in any traditional sense, yet it posted the highest job openings rate in the country at 5.9%, meaning nearly 1 in every 17 nonfarm positions was unfilled at the time of measurement.What's driving this is structural rather than cyclical. West Virginia's labor force participation rate has hovered around 55% for nearly two decades, the lowest in the nation, and WorkForce West Virginia reported in late 2025 that the state's civilian labor force has been shrinking since 2023, driven by the highest mortality rate in the country and the sixth-lowest birth rate. More than 21% of residents are now aged 65 or older, with the number rising nearly 20% over the past decade.The result is a labor force that simply isn't replenishing itself fast enough to fill open roles. The state's unemployment rate of 4.6% is elevated and sits in the bottom third nationally, yet employers still can't find enough workers to fill open roles, a sign that the underlying labor force is too thin to translate that headline number into actual hires.That dynamic of high openings paired with a small candidate pool is what makes the Recruiter Pressure Index a sharper tool than a single-metric ranking. Job openings alone would put West Virginia at the top. Factor in quits and unemployment, and it lands at #8, behind states where workers are also actively churning. West Virginia is a textbook case of why the index measures demand against available people rather than demand on its own: A state can have plenty of open jobs and still not be the toughest place to hire if the workforce behind those openings is too thin or too static to fill them.America's Biggest Economic Hubs Are Cooling OffCalifornia's 50th finish will catch eyes, but the company it keeps tells the bigger story. Washington State, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey, Nevada and New York all sit in the bottom 10. These are the country's largest established economic centers, the kind of places where the 2022 talent war played out at full intensity. The use of signing bonuses in U.S. job postings peaked at 5.6% in September 2022, nearly triple the pre-pandemic average. A Richmond Fed survey from that summer found employers reporting substantially increased recruiting effort and more competition for a smaller pool of qualified candidates across both high-skill and low-skill roles, with more than 60% of open jobs sitting unfilled for over 30 days. Three and a half years later, the picture has shifted. Bain's AuraSM platform tracked a drop in job postings year over year across major U.S. markets at the start of 2026, what its analysts described as a normalization from the historically elevated posting volumes of 2022 through 2025. Nevada, also in the bottom five, rounds out a picture of large, mature labor markets cooling at the same time.That market is gone, at least for now. California's quits rate of 1.5% signals workers staying put, while its 5.5% unemployment rate gives employers a wider pool to choose from. In other words, the supply-demand math has shifted: more available candidates, fewer workers leaving open roles for employers to backfill.The strategic question for talent leaders in these states is whether their hiring playbooks loosened along with the market. Compensation bands set during the talent war, time-to-hire benchmarks set against 2022 averages, and aggressive recruitment marketing budgets all deserve a fresh look.Washington, D.C. Is the Outlier No One Saw ComingD.C. landed at the bottom of the index with a Pressure Score of just 8.3, the only single-digit result on the board. And the math behind that ranking is unforgiving: the highest unemployment rate of any jurisdiction at 6.7% and a tied-lowest quits rate of 1.4%.Federal workforce reductions have pushed thousands of professionals back into a labor pool that hasn't fully absorbed them. The Richmond Fed reported that the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area lost roughly 14,100 federal jobs between January and May 2025. The cuts rippled outward fast. By August, D.C.'s unemployment rate had climbed to 6%, the highest of any state or jurisdiction in the country, and a Brookings and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments analysis found nongovernment layoffs across the region surged 139% year over year versus 4.6% nationally. DC's quits rate of 1.4% suggests workers who still have jobs are holding onto them, while a growing pool of unemployed candidates competes for a shrinking number of openings.For private-sector employers in the D.C. metro, this is a quiet window. With more candidates available than the region has seen in years, the math of hiring has temporarily inverted in employers' favor.Why the Heartland Has Become the Toughest Place to HireThe geographic clustering at the top of the index is hard to miss. None of the major coastal markets crack the top 10. Eight of the 10 tightest hiring environments sit in the Great Plains, the Mountain West, or the Deep South.Two demographic forces converge across most of these states. First, the rural working-age population has been shrinking, according to USDA Economic Research Service data, falling from more than 30 million in 2010 to about 28 million in 2023, while the rural population aged 65 and over grew from 7.4 million to 9.7 million over the same period. First, the working-age population in nonmetro counties has been declining since 2010, with the median age in nonmetro counties now five years older than in metro counties.Second, while domestic migration toward smaller, more affordable communities has continued post-pandemic, the population gains haven't always kept pace with job creation in those receiving regions. The Joint Center for Housing Studies notes that aggregate natural population loss in nonmetro counties grew from 80,000 to 540,000 people between the 2017-2020 and 2021-2024 periods, and USDA ERS reports that natural decrease is now widespread, with 76% of nonmetro counties recording more deaths than births between July 2023 and June 2024.The common thread across the top 10—with the exception of Vermont and Alaska, which sit in their own categories, with small populations and geographic isolation creating tightness for different reasons—is a supply-demand imbalance: open roles outpacing the available workforce.For business leaders, the practical effect is that the geographic bargains of five years ago, like opening a back-office hub in Oklahoma City or a logistics center in Mississippi, may not deliver the same advantages today. Pressure has migrated. And now? The hiring strategy has to migrate with it.Mid-Tier States Don't Behave Like Each OtherThe 27 states scoring in the Medium tier are easy to overlook. They don't make the leaderboard, and they don't crash to the bottom. But for most national employers, this is where a large share of hiring actually happens, in places like Texas, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and Michigan.Each of these markets behaves differently enough that a unified national playbook starts to leak value. Maine, for instance, sits at #15 with solid job openings and low unemployment, but a middling quits rate that suggests workers are staying put. Texas lands at #32, with moderate job openings (4.4%) but a low quits rate (2.2%), indicating less worker movement. Florida is at #38, with both job openings (4.1%) and quits (2%) running below most of the top 30.Recruiting leaders managing distributed teams across these states are increasingly leaning on recruitment analytics to spot these gaps in real time, rather than relying on national averages that wash out the variation. Because here’s the thing, states that look identical on paper don't always behave identically on the ground.Headlines about the national labor market keep arriving with a familiar shrug: openings flat, quits steady, layoffs contained. Underneath the surface, however, the country has split into two hiring economies that barely resemble each other. National averages smooth over a labor market that's actually more fragmented than it has been in years, and the resulting "calm" can be misleading for any employer hiring across multiple states. In one of those economies, employers face active competition for limited talent. In the other, the supply-demand math has shifted toward the employer.The most useful read of the Recruiter Pressure Index goes beyond the leaderboard itself. It's a reminder that hiring strategy is, increasingly, a local question. The same job, the same company, the same compensation, moved across state lines, can mean dramatically different fill times and dramatically different costs. The teams that figure that out first are the ones that will get to keep their plans on schedule.MethodologyTo understand how competitively intense the hiring environment is across the United States, Lever built the Recruiter Pressure Index using official labor data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each jurisdiction was scored on three metrics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: the Job Openings Rate (November 2025, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Statistics), the Quits Rate (December 2025, JOLTS), and the Unemployment Rate (December 2025, Local Area Unemployment Statistics). These represent the most recent state-level data available.BLS transitioned its State JOLTS publication from monthly to annual reporting after December 2025, with the next state release scheduled for July 2026. Each metric was min-max normalized across all 51 jurisdictions to a 0 to 100 scale, with the unemployment rate inverted so lower values produced higher scores. The composite Pressure Score weights job openings at 40%, quits at 30%, and unemployment at 30%. States were then sorted into three tiers: high pressure (60+), medium pressure (35 to 59), and low pressure (under 35). All data is seasonally adjusted, and no values were estimated, imputed, or generated.This story was produced by Lever and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Border wall plans threaten rural infrastructure and cross-border life in Big Bend Border wall plans threaten rural infrastructure and cross-border life in Big BendFederal plans to build a steel border wall across remote stretches of West Texas are now taking shape in the Big Bend region, despite a lack of federal transparency surrounding the project. Even as officials originally confirmed that no physical border wall will be built through Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, construction is advancing just west of the parks, threatening rural border communities whose economies and cultures are built on cross-border ties.On May 11, the federal government also moved to accelerate that broader buildout. U.S. Customs and Border Protection awarded a $1.7 billion contract for a “border wall in Big Bend Texas,” alongside a separate contract tied to environmental monitoring for construction activity in the region.At the same time, the Trump administration waived dozens of environmental and cultural protection laws to fast-track new border roads, vehicle barriers, and surveillance infrastructure across parts of the Big Bend region, including protected stretches of the Rio Grande corridor. With few public details released, residents and conservation groups said the process has remained opaque, fueling uncertainty about the long-term fate of the region’s ecosystems, tourism economy, and protected public lands.Local residents warn that the impacts will not stop at the park boundaries; increased infrastructure and nearby wall construction could still disrupt ecosystems and daily life across the region.That concern is especially acute in Presidio, a rural border town of roughly 3,000 residents west of the parks, where federal plans for new steel barriers are still moving forward. The majority-Hispanic community faces a poverty rate approaching 40%, far above the statewide rate of about 14%, and depends heavily on cross-border economies with Ojinaga, the larger Mexican city directly across the river. For many in Presidio, the proposed wall would transform their daily lives.Maps from U.S. Customs and Border Control have offered few details about how construction could affect the international checkpoint, and residents say they still have little clarity about the future of border crossings.“People are surviving here in Presidio,” Denisse Carrera, a Presidio resident, told The Daily Yonder. “We depend on Mexico for a lot of our necessities. That’s where we get groceries and other things we can’t always find here because we only have one grocery store. Sometimes it’s also more affordable in Mexico. Yet they want to spend $17 million per mile on this wall, which I think is about 575% more than our city’s annual budget.”A $1.2 billion federal contract awarded for border wall construction in Presidio County would cost an estimated $17 million per mile. The Big Bend Sector, which the Department of Homeland Security defines as a 500-mile stretch of border in Far West Texas, has long been one of the quietest regions along the border, consistently recording some of the lowest rates of migrant apprehensions and smuggling activity.But even if the crossing remains, the wall construction alone could threaten access to Ojinaga.Historically, floods have damaged local levees and forced closures of the international bridge connecting Presidio and Ojinaga. Residents and local officials warned that a 30-foot steel wall along the Rio Grande could worsen future floods by trapping debris and interfering with the city’s already-fragile flood-control system in a region prone to flash flooding and river surges. They said federal agencies have yet to provide adequate engineering or hydrology studies despite the area’s history of devastating floods.In response, the city commissioned an independent flood-risk assessment and has continued pressing federal officials for answers.“The City of Presidio is partnering with the Presidio Municipal Development District on this study because protecting the people who live here, on both sides of the river, is our job, and right now, no one else is doing it,” said Presidio Mayor John Ferguson, in a press release. “We have asked the federal agencies responsible for this levee for straight answers about what is being proposed, and we have not gotten them.”Across the broader Big Bend region, concerns about safety and environmental damage have only intensified as new border infrastructure has already begun appearing along the river.In October 2025, the U.S. Army and Border Patrol installed miles of concertina razor wire along the Rio Grande in Presidio, underneath the international bridge, prompting criticism from locals who worry the razor wire could come loose during the river’s annual summer floods.“I think that that wire could go downstream easily,” said Erin Little, owner of the Big Bend Boating and Hiking Company, pictured below. “And I think it threatens anybody who’s in the water.” Anya Petrone Slepyan // The Daily Yonder Charlie Angell, owner of Angell Expeditions and a longtime Rio Grande river guide, said the dangers could extend deep into the canyon systems of Big Bend.“These logs that float down during flash floods are going to catch in that razor, rip out chunks of it, and keep floating downstream, going into all the canyons in the state park and all the canyons in the national park. And then anytime somebody jumps in the river to cool off, they’re gonna get slashed,” Angell said. “It’s not a matter of if, but when.”To many residents, the militarization of the river feels disconnected from the reality of life in the Big Bend.“Razor wire is for war zones, and this is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever set foot in,” said Tony Drewry, a Rio Grande River guide with Angell Expeditions. Anya Petrone Slepyan // The Daily Yonder Beyond environmental concerns, residents also fear the wall could undermine Presidio’s delicate but growing tourism economy.In October 2024, Presidio resident Yosdy Valdivia opened an art gallery, Galería Raíces, hoping to contribute to her community’s growing tourism industry. Now, she worries the wall could undermine those efforts before they fully begin.“I’m barely getting started with this dream of mine, and this [wall] would kill tourism. This will kill the town,” Valdivia, pictured below, said. “So I just don’t know how they’re not really taking the business and wildlife and all that into consideration.”Like many residents in Presidio, Valdivia’s personal life is deeply intertwined with Ojinaga. Anya Petrone Slepyan // The Daily Yonder “[The border] is my everyday life. I go to Ojinaga every day for groceries, visiting family, and for school. I have my son at the daycare. My family lives there, it feels like we are in the same town,” Valdivia said. “I’m still in shock trying to imagine a wall here.”Compared to other Far West Texas towns, Presidio’s community opposition has been relatively subdued, a tone that some attribute to fear around the current immigration landscape.In April, the city of Presidio passed a resolution opposing construction of the border wall.“We had a lady in the audience who did not speak English, and so we had the whole resolution in Spanish, because our Presidio community needs to get more engaged,” said Mayor Ferguson at a Presidio County Commissioners meeting in April. “I think they’re intimidated.”Valdivia works alongside the No Big Bend Border Wall coalition and is also relying on the cross-border connection to spread awareness and reach out to the Spanish-speaking residents.“We’re planning to do some radio commercials in Ojinaga,” Valdivia said. “We don’t listen to the Marfa radio here, because we mostly speak Spanish. So we listen to the radio in Ojinaga.”“A lot of people are afraid of the government. They think they’re going to remove their green cards, or I don’t know how they think it’s going to affect them, but they’re truly scared,” said Valdivia.For Mayor Ferguson, that fear has heightened his responsibility to the community.“For those of us who have that authority and that representation, we need to come together immediately and fly into action and represent everybody here in the Big Bend,” Mayor Ferguson said.Presidio resident Denisse Carrera said she hopes these voices in Presidio are heard across the state and country. With the scale of disruption only growing, Carrera said she often thinks about what’s at stake.“I’ve been seeing the Milky Way every morning,” Carrera said. “And I just keep thinking why do they want to take this away?”This story was produced by The Daily Yonder and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What is the best battery backup for every home and budget? (BPT) - Key takeawaysToday's tech-dependent lifestyles, extreme weather events and aging power grids all mean one thing: Backup power is essential.Solar generators provide a noise-free, fume-free battery backup option for power outages.The HomePower Series from Jackery offers a range of power solutions to fit every home, every family and every budget. And yes, it's possible for a solar generator, even a portable power station, to power a house during an outage.How homes are actually used has changed a lot in recent years. Between needing work-from-home options and the growing popularity of smart household appliances, home upgrades in 2026 reflect the demand for continual power without worry about outages, or the stress being placed on the aging power grid.Why you need home backup powerAmong today's remote-capable U.S. employees, over 27% work fully remote and over half (52%) work hybrid. That means the home office is a permanent fixture for most white collar or information workers. For others, a home office is convenient for performing work-related duties on occasion, or managing household tasks.When you make upgrades in 2026, you're more likely to be increasing your computers or other electronic devices, adding a standing desk, buying high-tech appliances or installing a smart thermostat. All these needs are part of today's lifestyle, which further increases grid stress during the hot summer months.But power interruptions have also become an expected occurrence. In 2024, U.S. electricity customers experienced an average of 11 hours of power interruptions, nearly twice the annual average of the prior decade. In the first half of last year alone, nearly half (45%) of U.S. utility customers experienced power outages.Backup power solutions for every homeTo help ensure your home's system can cope with increased energy needs uninterrupted, you've probably considered backup power. The good news is, backup power is more accessible than ever and with advancements in battery technology, a solar generator can power a house during an outage.Home backup power used to be an unvaried product for just one type of household: storm-country homeowners with a generator and a garage. Not anymore. The Jackery HomePower Series offers customized solutions designed for remote workers in a one-bedroom apartment, families that want a backup power solution for keeping a refrigerator running, and homeowners wanting whole-house protection without a fuss. One series. Every home.In the first half of last year alone, nearly half (45%) of U.S. utility customers experienced power outages.What size solar generator do I need for home backup?Understanding your energy needs can help you find a solar-powered home backup solution that's just the right choice for you. The new, next generation of solar generators within the HomePower Series are built on LiFePO4 battery technology, with 6,000 charge cycles and a 16-year design life. Even better, they're all indoor-safe, silent alternatives to gas generators — causing no fumes and no noise complaints. All of the models support solar, wall outlet and car port charging for greater ease of use.Which HomePower is yours?1. Renters and remote workersIf you work from home and have experienced the professional and personal disruption of losing power in the middle of a workday, you'll appreciate Jackery's HomePower 1000 v2, which can keep your laptop running up to 57 hours and keeps your refrigerator cold and running for up to 19 hours. Jackery Priority Routing™ prioritizes critical devices (like your desktop PC over your monitor), and provides Emergency Charging to full in under 50 minutes. The HomePower 1000 v2 provides 1024 Watt hours (Wh) and 1500 Watt output, as well as 3 kilovolts (kV) surge protection.This model is a great option for apartments, and for modern households with modest emergency energy needs. Best yet, it's under 24 pounds and designed for portability, making it easy to move between rooms or pack with home office gear. It can also be bundled with Jackery's solar panels.For a limited time, the HomePower 1000 v2 is available for $499, 41% off through Jackery and Jackery's Amazon Storefront. 2. Apartments and smaller homes with growing needsFor budget-conscious families who want a system that can grow with them, the HomePower 2000 Plus v2 provides a compact, smart, unobtrusive solution. A 2kWh capacity backup battery is ideal for a two-person household to get through an outage of up to 8 hours, while the 2400W rated output (4800W peak surge) can power essential appliances like refrigerators, electric ovens and microwaves. Its scalability — expandable up to 12kWh — ensures households are fully equipped to handle extended outages and more long-term backup power needs for up to 2.5 days with ease.If you have children, aging parents or other members of your household who depend on refrigeration, medical devices or continuous connectivity, this system is a great investment for the long term and will pay off with every unexpected outage.For a limited time, the HomePower 2000 Plus v2 is available for $899, 50% off through Jackery and Jackery's Amazon Storefront. 3. Homeowners seeking full protectionIf your home is in a storm-prone region or area with an aging grid infrastructure, you may want comprehensive, automatic protection without the noise, fumes or complexity of traditional gas generators. This may be the perfect time to upgrade to the HomePower 3600 Pro Max, which offers 4000W rated output, 120V and 240V dual-voltage and is compatible with a Manual Transfer Switch (MTS) for automatic backup power during an outage, saving homeowners up to $3,000 and half the installation time required for traditional ATS installation. You can opt for a single portable power station unit + MTS for 4kW multi-room backup, or two paired units up to 8kW for larger homes or extended blackout coverage, scalable up to 43kWh.The HomePower 3600 Pro Max is quieter and safer, thanks to sub-30 decibel operation and a UL 9540 fire-resistant certification and 5VA rating. This model has 8 charging methods, and app-controlled Time-of-Use (TOU) scheduling can save homeowners up to an additional $4,238 on their annual energy bills.For a limited time, the HomePower 3600 Pro Max is available for $1699, 43% off through Jackery and Jackery's Amazon Storefront.Whichever solution sounds right for your household, you can find it at Jackery.com and on Amazon.
	Will Texas' new top voting official be a 'disruptor'? Locals are preparing for it Just ahead of closely contested midterms, Texas is about to get a new top voting official. Many locals there fear the frontrunner is a state lawmaker and pastor with no election experience.
	Grading project closes part of Stewart Road, Muscatine Road work is underway on a grading project in Muscatine. Stewart Road (X61) is closed to traffic for a grading and PCC replacement project from 41st Street north to the Muscatine City limits. The subcontractor has started the grading portion of the project. When grading is complete, the prime contractor will move in to begin [...]
	How decentralized clinical trials are reshaping patient recruitment How decentralized clinical trials are reshaping patient recruitmentMany organizations are embracing decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) as a permanent part of their operational research offering. With the need to ensure diversity and adhere to health equity mandates in clinical trials, the benefits of decentralized clinical trials cannot be overlooked.Many populations remain excluded and underrepresented in clinical trials. How are decentralized clinical trials reshaping patient recruitment to resolve this? Understanding how DCTs help alleviate the burdens of traditional patient recruitment and deliver a strong ROI is the first step.In this guide from BusTest Express, decision-makers in enterprise organizations will learn everything they need to implement DCTs.Key TakeawaysSite-centric recruitment models are important, but they can increase costs and administrative obstacles, and lack true clinical representation across demographics.Decentralized clinical trials use a range of digital technologies to help underserved people in rural communities and other areas log information and participate in studies.A hybrid approach to clinical trials means that participants and enterprise-level organizations can blend convenience and innovation with occasional in-person appointments when needed.Digital tools, advertising and a strong community presence can improve recruitment for DCTs while building trust with participants.Mobile health fleets are an integral part of overcoming logistics barriers and ensuring compliance and safety across the supply chain.The challenges of an effective DCT can be overcome through strategic thinking and working with a single-source deployment partner to ensure quality and compliance.The Need for a New Model in Patient RecruitmentTraditional trial recruitment poses several challenges, prompting the need for DCTs as a broader solution. The challenges that more traditionally focused trials present include:The Financial BurdenA traditional, site-centric recruitment model entails high direct and indirect financial costs. These include:Site maintenance and staffing needs.Travel reimbursements for patients.Extended timelines due to slow recruitment.Screening failure rate costs for ineligible participants.Localized outreach and marketing costs to raise awareness.Many of these expenses also lack a clear, definable ROI metric. This means maximum spending without clarity on whether these investments have been worth it.The Operational DragSite-centric models entail greater administrative challenges. Staff are expected to handle multiple patients, many of whom will drop out due to the travel and time commitments required. The logistical complexities of reaching on-site destinations also lead to severe potential delays for those who do travel.A Lack of RepresentationA lack of diversity in clinical trials raises ethical concerns for strategic leaders. However, poor representation can also present significant regulatory and financial implications. A trial that fails to represent the real-world population leads to deeper problems, such as:Compromised validity: If a trial’s results can’t be generalized to the entire patient population, its real-world effectiveness and safety are unknown. This can cause significant risks for post-market performance and adoption.Increased regulatory hurdles: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires detailed diversity action plans to improve enrollment among underrepresented groups. Failure to do so can lead to costly delays and the potential rejection of a study.Reduced reputation and trust: Failing to conduct inclusive research, especially when health equity is a key performance measure, can severely damage your organization’s reputation. This may also lead to a lack of trust among the diverse communities you serve.DCTs are seen as the solution to overcoming barriers such as geographic location, ensuring the most accurate information is obtained.Decentralized Clinical Trials and the Evolution of ResearchObtaining true diversity and actionable data in a clinical trial can be the defining factor that determines success or failure. Organizations are embracing the benefits of decentralized clinical trials for patient recruitment, enabling a broader range of participants.What Is Used in a Decentralized Clinical Trial?A decentralized clinical trial uses a combination of digital technologies. These technologies are used alongside community-based services to encourage participation from people anywhere. While DCT models will use several advancements, the most common ones are:Telemedicine platforms: Secure videoconferencing software is used for virtual visits between participants and clinical staff. This platform reduces the need for in-person appointments for consultations and follow-ups.Wearable sensors: Devices like smartwatches, ECG monitors or continuous glucose monitors collect vital real-world evidence data. This data typically includes heart rate, activity levels and sleep patterns.Direct report platforms: These electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) and clinical outcome assessment (eCOA) tools are usually delivered via a smartphone app or tablet. They allow participants to report symptoms, quality of life and other information in real time through digital entries.Electronic informed consent (eConsent): These digital platforms manage the consent process remotely. They use interactive multimedia to ensure participants understand the trial before signing electronically, with all documentation recorded for regulatory compliance. BusTest Express These advancements help underserved people in rural areas participate in clinical trials.The Benefits of a Hybrid ModelWhile decentralized clinical trials help generate invaluable data, some in-person interactions remain important to maintain. However, adopting a more hybrid approach offers more flexibility. Organizations can benefit from having a centralized site with the added reach of decentralized solutions.The hybrid approach helps ensure everyone’s needs and requirements are met, including:Trials that can’t be completed remotely, such as biopsies, advanced imaging (MRIs, PET scans) or the administration of intravenous drugs.Participants who require periodic in-person contact due to serious health conditions or concerns about using technology.Early-stage trial phases or studies that involve unknown side effects and require close monitoring.Participants who lack reliable access to the internet or digital literacy and require additional equity support in person.This approach allows for site visits when necessary, while decentralizing anything else that can be done remotely.Strategies for Improving Recruitment With DCTsA strong recruitment strategy requires a combination of digital convenience, trust and a trial that’s easy for participants to take part in. Checking all these boxes ensures that a DCT achieves its desired results while earning the dedication of its participants.Designing for ParticipationOutreach is an important part of improving DCT recruitment. However, a trial that’s designed for patients is possibly the most powerful recruitment tool.Making the trial as convenient as possible keeps participants actively interested — whether through flexible scheduling or a simple, easy-to-follow user experience on digital platforms. Either way, look for any opportunity to reduce the physical, financial or time-related burdens participants face. BusTest Express Using Digital Tools to Broaden OutreachMany tools are available to help you reach participants. The following digital channels can contribute to a broader range of people taking part in a study:Social media campaigns: You can use social media to reach specific patient demographics or post on community forums with details about the trial.SEO landing pages: Create dedicated web pages using specific words that people eager to participate in a trial are already looking for. This strategy can increase potential sign-ups.Targeted digital ads: You can advertise directly on health-related websites, encouraging people who are browsing online to click for more information.Advocacy groups: By collaborating with online patient advocacy groups, you can share information with established readers while using the group’s credibility to build trust.AI is also being used in patient recruitment, streamlining the process of finding patients and matching them to ideal studies.Building Trust in Underserved PopulationsTechnology can develop greater awareness and establish trust, but underserved populations may require some community engagement. Many people nationwide still have a historical mistrust of medical studies.One of the many benefits of decentralized clinical trials is the opportunity to change perceptions. In populations like this, openly addressing past mistrust and partnering with local organizations can help build a more trusting relationship.The Role of Mobile Health Fleets in DCT SuccessMobile health fleets are an integral part of a successful decentralized clinical trial. They handle logistics and ensure compliance and effective supply chain management. Without dedicated mobile clinics, remote trials aren’t as effective or feasible.Single-source deployment partners work with you to bring the trial directly to patients. This partnership is crucial for decentralized clinical trials that face geographical constraints. They achieve dependable, trustworthy results in several ways.Home and Mobile Health ServicesThis process involves deploying well-trained healthcare professionals to a participant’s home. They perform tasks that can’t be done remotely, including drawing blood, administering infusions or performing physical assessments.This bridges the gap between what technology can do and what requires a hands-on clinical touch.Direct-To-Patient (DTP) LogisticsDTP logistics represent the entire supply chain. They manage the shipment of any investigational drugs and study materials. This process will also typically include sending the necessary equipment directly to a participant’s home.The logistics of getting drugs and materials to their intended destination are complex. They may include taking steps to protect the integrity of the products, such as keeping items in temperature-controlled packaging.Fleet Compliance and Regulatory ManagementManaging a fleet of vehicles can entail significant legal and administrative responsibilities. Some of these crucial management and compliance actions include:Ensuring that all vehicles, staff and trial participants are covered for the correct medical services.Managing commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and specialized training for operating large vehicles.Adhering to the different laws and regulations for providing mobile clinics in each state the fleet operates in.Sticking to a complex maintenance schedule to keep vehicles operational and reduce costly downtime.Due to the significance of these duties, many organizations partner with an enterprise physical infrastructure provider with certified professional operators to manage these challenges. Some key decision-makers may rely on an experienced turnkey solution for fleet logistics, leaving them to focus on clinical trial objectives.Challenges and Strategic ConsiderationsA successful transition to a more hybrid or decentralized model requires an understanding of its challenges. With this knowledge, organizations can prepare in advance to ensure an effective trial.Data Quality and IntegrityThe quality of any gathered data must be ensured. This strategy maintains accurate information when participants aren’t in a supervised setting. As remote data can come from a variety of devices, validating their accuracy when self-reported is crucial.Strategic ways to overcome this challenge include implementing training on remote management for investigators, or using centralized platforms to flag inconsistencies.Compliance and Data PrivacyDCT studies typically include home nurses, couriers and having to comply with several data and patient privacy laws. These regulations may include Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).Laws can vary by region, and engaging with regulatory bodies as soon as possible is an important strategy. Protecting sensitive patient data requires a secure digital process with end-to-end data encryption for all transmissions.Mitigating the Digital DivideParticipants in low-income areas and the elderly are key demographics in many decentralized clinical trials. Expecting these people to have personal technology that can log information is unrealistic. To accurately measure results while maintaining diversity, it’s important to provide participants with preconfigured devices.Patient Engagement and RetentionMaintaining patient engagement can be challenging without regular face-to-face interaction. The hybrid model helps reduce dropout rates during a clinical trial. By combining the convenience of remote monitoring with an in-person visit to establish trust and build rapport, studies can remain on track.Logistics and Operational ComplexityThe operational complexities of DCTs can be challenging. They typically involve managing the shipment of temperature-sensitive drugs, coordinating home lab collections and tracking materials across hundreds of locations.Having a prepared logistics partnership plan in place can resolve many of these complexities. Entrusting these logistical requirements to a single-source deployment partner can streamline the process.Charting the Future of Your Clinical Trial StrategyFor many organizations, the future of clinical trials will be an evolution of traditional trials. Instead of thinking of it as a replacement for traditional trials, it should be seen as a more strategic and balanced approach to obtaining valuable data.Technology is a crucial component of this evolution. However, mobile solutions are a key contributor to advancing clinical research. By reaching patients where they live, complex logistical barriers of the past can be overcome. For patients, this means being seen and heard within an effective DCT program. For clinical trial organizers, this means greater data value and increased trust from previously untapped communities.When combining these strategies with a scalable fleet of mobile clinics, patient recruitment and retention rates can increase exponentially. For enterprise-level organizations, this can develop into a far-reaching and rewarding logistics partnership with an enterprise physical infrastructure provider.This story was produced by BusTest Express and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How to get equity out of your home with no income How to get equity out of your home with no incomeHomeowners may be able to get equity out of their home with no income through a variety of methods, including home equity investments, reverse mortgages, and certain “no-doc” lending options. It’s good to know that these options are available, since traditional home equity loans and HELOCs typically require providers to verify a homeowner’s ability to repay, which can make qualifying more difficult without a steady source of income.Retirees, self-employed homeowners, and people receiving disability benefits often have substantial home equity but face challenges meeting traditional lending requirements. In this guide, Splitero explains how these options work, who they may fit best, and what homeowners should consider before choosing one.Key TakeawaysMost HELOCs and home equity loans require income verification because providers must evaluate a homeowner’s ability to repay under federal lending regulations, including standards established by the Dodd-Frank Act.A “no-doc HELOC” typically uses alternative documentation rather than eliminating income review entirely.Reverse mortgages may not require employment income, but providers still conduct financial assessments.Home equity investments use a different underwriting model that focuses on home equity, property value, and other qualifying factors rather than employment income.Why do HELOCs and other traditional options require income verification?Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), home equity loans, and most other mortgage-related lending products require income verification because federal regulations require providers to evaluate a homeowner’s ability to repay before approving credit.Following the 2008 housing crisis, the Dodd-Frank Act established “Ability-to-Repay” requirements for certain residential mortgage loans designed to reduce risky lending practices. While these specific rules do not apply to every type of home equity product, income and repayment evaluation remain standard underwriting practices across most traditional home equity lending.“All home equity loans are underwritten primarily on the borrower’s ability to repay and secondarily on the collateral value,” says Cody Schuiteboer, president and CEO of Best Interest Financial. “After the 2008 mortgage collapse, regulatory bodies enacted regulations that required providers to make a reasonable and good faith effort to determine a borrower’s ability to repay the loan before underwriting such transactions.”For most providers, that means reviewing income, employment, assets, credit history, and existing debts before approving a HELOC or home equity loan.Banks generally cannot just waive those requirements. As Schuiteboer explains, “Simply putting aside such a regulation for the sake of helping a borrower is not a policy choice that a bank can make alone.”Eric Croak, CFP and president of Croak Capital, notes that providers typically use debt-to-income ratios as part of the underwriting process. “Most lenders use a qualifying debt-to-income ratio under 43% to 45% as a benchmark when underwriting and usually require two years of W-2s, tax returns, or pay stubs.”These income and debt reviews are a core part of HELOC qualifications, which is why homeowners without traditional income often need to look beyond standard lending options when exploring ways to access their home equity.Still, it’s possible that having a large amount of equity in your home can open the door to other types of solutions, depending on your financial situation and how you qualify.What is a no-doc HELOC, and why is it still not truly “no income required?”A no-doc HELOC is a home equity line of credit that uses alternative documentation rather than traditional income verification. Despite the name, most no-doc HELOCs are not truly “no income required.”Instead of requesting W-2s, pay stubs, or tax returns, some providers may evaluate:Bank statementsAsset balancesRental incomeInvestment incomeSocial Security or pension income1099 incomeRequirements vary by provider, but alternative-documentation HELOCs are more generally offered to self-employed homeowners, business owners, real estate investors, and others whose income may not be reflected on traditional employment forms.According to Croak, “Bank statement loans qualify borrowers based on 12-24 months of business deposits and typically cost more than traditional HELOC rates.” Other alternative programs may allow homeowners with substantial assets to qualify using asset-depletion calculations rather than employment income.Because these programs often involve additional underwriting risk, providers may require stronger credit profiles, larger equity positions, or higher interest rates than traditional HELOC products.The key distinction is that providers are still verifying a homeowner’s ability to repay, but simply using different documentation to do so.Your options for accessing equity without traditional income documentationFor many homeowners, the challenge isn’t finding home equity. It’s finding a way to access that equity without relying on traditional employment income. The options below use different qualification methods and may fit different financial situations. Splitero No-doc HELOCA “no-doc” home equity line of credit (HELOC) is a type of HELOC that uses alternative forms of documentation instead of traditional income verification. A no-doc HELOC may fit self-employed homeowners or investors who have consistent cash flow but do not receive traditional W-2 income. Providers generally still require documentation such as bank statements or asset verification.No-doc home equity loanA no-doc home equity loan is a type of home equity loan that provides a lump-sum distribution instead of a revolving credit line. Like no-doc HELOCs, these products typically rely on alternative documentation rather than eliminating income review entirely, and may also be an option for homeowners with bad credit, depending on provider requirements.Reverse mortgageA reverse mortgage is a type of home loan designed for homeowners age 62 and older that allows them to access a portion of their home equity without monthly mortgage payments. However, providers still conduct a financial assessment to evaluate whether homeowners can continue meeting property-related obligations.Home equity investmentA home equity investment, also known as a home equity agreement or equity sharing agreement, provides homeowners with a lump sum in exchange for a share of their home’s future value. Because qualification is not based on employment income, some homeowners view this as a suitable alternative when traditional investment options are unavailable, particularly when they are looking for ways to access home equity without monthly payments.How a home equity investment qualifies you without income verificationUnlike traditional lending products, a home equity investment does not rely on a homeowner’s ability to make monthly payments. Instead, qualification focuses primarily on factors such as home value, available equity, property characteristics, and credit profile.Because there are no required monthly payments, providers can evaluate eligibility differently than banks offering HELOCs or home equity loans.Even when income documentation plays a smaller role, financial institutions still assess risk. “Within the realm of non-qualified-mortgage lending, lenders will evaluate the borrower’s liquidity, the size of an equity cushion, depth of the credit profile, and even the property type,” says Schuiteboer.Similarly, home equity investment providers generally focus on factors such as:Available home equityProperty valueProperty typeCredit profileGetting home equity with no income: guidance by situationRetirees receiving Social SecurityRetirees often have substantial home equity but limited employment income. A home equity investment may be worth considering because qualification does not depend on employment earnings, which can make it accessible even without W-2 income or traditional cash flow documentation.A reverse mortgage is another common option for homeowners age 62 and older, particularly those who want to access home equity while remaining in their home. However, providers still evaluate whether borrowers can continue paying property taxes, homeowners’ insurance premiums, and other required housing expenses, since those obligations remain the homeowner’s responsibility.Schuiteboer encourages retirees to think carefully about repayment structures before choosing a product. “Clients receiving Social Security or a fixed pension face risks related to payment structure,” he says. “For those who need some income, reverse mortgages and HECMs are great options.”Self-employed homeowners and gig workersSelf-employed homeowners may have the widest range of options available. A no-doc HELOC or no-doc home equity loan may work if you can document cash flow through bank statements, rental income, or other alternative sources. Home equity investments may also be worth evaluating because qualification is not based on traditional income documentation.One challenge for self-employed homeowners is that tax deductions can reduce qualifying income on paper. As Croak explains, “If you show $100,000 of income on your tax return but write off $40,000 in business expenses, you may only qualify for a home equity loan based on $60,000 of income earned.”The choice often comes down to whether you want a home equity option with monthly payments or a financing option that reduces upfront payments in exchange for sharing future home value. It's a good idea to compare all your options carefully before deciding.Homeowners receiving disability benefits or fixed pensionsHomeowners receiving disability benefits or pension income may find it difficult to qualify for traditional lending products, especially if income documentation does not fit standard underwriting models. A home equity investment may provide an alternative qualification path because employment income is not part of the underwriting process. Reverse mortgages may also be worth considering for homeowners age 62 and older who meet eligibility requirements.Next steps: Know your optionsBefore choosing any home equity option, it’s worth comparing the total long-term cost of each path, not just the upfront terms. Home equity investments, reverse mortgages, and no-doc lending products each carry different cost structures, and the right fit depends on your financial goals, timeline, and how long you plan to stay in your home. If you’re on a fixed income, consider how the repurchase obligation at the end of an HEI term could affect your finances, particularly if your home appreciates significantly over the life of the agreement.FAQCan I get equity out of my home if I’m unemployed or not working?Yes. Depending on your situation, you may qualify for a home equity investment, a reverse mortgage if you are age 62 or older, or certain “no-doc” lending options.Is a home equity investment a good idea?A home equity investment may be a good fit if you want to access your home equity without taking on monthly payments. Whether it makes sense depends on your financial goals, available equity, and long-term plans for the property.Can someone on disability or a fixed pension qualify for a home equity investment?Yes. Home equity investment providers generally do not rely on employment income verification, which may make them an option for homeowners receiving disability benefits or pension income.Can a retiree over 70 qualify to access their home equity?Yes. Depending on their circumstances, retirees may qualify for a reverse mortgage, a home equity investment, or other home equity solutions.Can I qualify for accessing my home equity with rental income but no W-2?Potentially. Some providers offering alternative-documentation HELOCs or home equity loans may consider rental income, bank statements, or other documentation instead of W-2 forms.Home equity investments (HEIs), also known as home equity agreements (HEAs), typically do not require income or employment verification, which can make them another option for homeowners with non-traditional income sources.What is the difference between a no-doc HELOC and a home equity investment?A no-doc home equity line of credit (HELOC) is a line of credit that allows homeowners to draw funds as needed up to an approved limit. A home equity investment (HEI), by contrast, provides a lump sum of cash upfront in exchange for a share of your home’s future value.While no-doc HELOCs may reduce documentation requirements, they generally still require some form of income or cash-flow verification. HEIs do not require income or employment verification and do not require monthly payments.This story was produced by Splitero and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Have you seen these suspects? Crime Stoppers wants to know! Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities wants your help catching two fugitives. It’s an Our Quad Cities News exclusive. You can get an elevated reward for information on this week’s cases: CHRISTIAN BEARD, 28, 5'10", 140 lbs. Wanted by Rock Island County Sheriff's Office for failure to appear for armed violence. BRIEANNA SUMMERS, 37, 6', [...]
	Woman arrested and charged after Burlington basement fire Shariah Collins faces charges of reckless use of fire and criminal trespass after being seen walking away from a Burlington basement fire.
	The AI boom's quiet hiring spree The AI boom's quiet hiring spreeOver the last several months, there has been an increase in headlines about white-collar jobs being eliminated by AI and automation. Data continues to show that this is more than a short-term trend, as seen across marketing roles, for example. However, an under-covered story is how these AI disruptions are also creating new opportunities for the roles that build and maintain the infrastructure that enables AI.As more companies deploy advanced AI systems, there is an increasing need for professionals to ensure that the data feeding it is AI-ready, that the AI decisions are accurate and auditable, and most importantly, that the systems are secure.These are the jobs showing up in the hiring data right now, as seen in Pave’s Hot Job Index, which scores and ranks jobs from −100 (cooling fast) to +100 (heating fast). This analysis of hiring momentum and role prevalence across more than 9,000 companies shows how organizations are redesigning their workforces to meet the evolving AI landscape.Pave takes a look at this trend in more detail.Data Governance: The Foundation AI Runs OnAI tools are only as effective as their inputs. As the saying goes, "garbage in, garbage out." As companies move from AI pilots to production deployment, they’re discovering they need teams to own the data frameworks, taxonomies, and quality standards that will make AI outputs consistently reliable. These are the data governance professionals—and until recently, most companies didn’t have one.This isn’t about cleaning up the data for a single project or just answering “Is this data correct right now?” Data governance teams are answering more challenging questions and ongoing questions: “Who owns this data, how often does it refresh, and can a system unfamiliar with the dataset interpret it?” AI is driving organizations to treat this as a permanent discipline rather than an ad hoc project.The data tells an interesting story: These roles were essentially flat or in decline for most of 2024 and 2025. Then something changed and prevalence jumped from 0.012% to 0.022% between July 2025 and January 2026—nearly doubling in two quarters. That inflection point tracks directly to when large-scale enterprise AI shifted from pilots to production. Pave This increased demand is also showing up in pay premiums at the more senior levels of the job function. While entry-level new hires are paid at nearly the same rate (99.9%), more senior team members command a premium—Career/senior and staff/expert are being paid a premium of 109.5% and 110.4%, respectively. This shows that companies may not be building junior talent pipelines; instead, they are placing greater value on the most experienced professionals in this space. Pave Internal Audit: AI’s Reality CheckWhile data governance focuses on AI inputs, the role of the internal audit professional is about AI accountability. Companies deploying AI systems that directly make or heavily influence real decisions (hiring, asset allocation, customer escalations, etc.) are increasingly required by boards and regulators to ensure the accuracy and defensibility of those decisions. This means the internal audit role is no longer focused just on financial decisions, but managerial ones as well.Whether a legal or management obligation, the job-to-be-done is to ensure that the company can reconstruct how an AI-influenced decision was made and whether it followed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for that type of decision making.The data shows a nearly uninterrupted upward trend in prevalence from 0.057% to 0.089%—a 56% increase since October 2023. The hiring data is more dramatic: After a mild trough in late 2024, hiring accelerated sharply through 2025, reaching 0.129% in Q1 2026—well above the trend line of 0.112%. That gap between actual and trend is the signal that the urgency around this role shifted. Pave Current pay premiums further reinforce this: Career/senior hires command 113.8%, suggesting real competition for experienced internal auditors specifically.Information Security Operations: Guarding a Bigger PerimeterLong seen as business-critical in the SaaS era, information security operations (InfoSec) takes on new importance as AI creates new opportunities and vulnerabilities. This job was already in high demand, but the boom in AI adoption has launched this demand to new heights.Every business system is vulnerable to attack by bad actors. AI increases that potential risk and introduces new attack methods, such as prompt injection, model poisoning, and data exfiltration through AI interfaces. There is also a security risk of internal teams building “shadow agents” or using unsanctioned AI tools deployed without the necessary security review. InfoSec operations are the teams that monitor and respond to these types of threats, and their continued growth shows that companies are taking this seriously.Indeed, the Hot Jobs score of 69 is driven more by prevalence growth. Prevalence is up 71% from 0.14% to 0.24%, with a sharp acceleration in late 2025 that mirrors the pattern in both data governance and internal audit. Hiring data doesn't show the same surge, indicating that companies are building these teams steadily over time rather than reactively. Pave The Bigger PictureWhile these are three different roles within three different functions, there's a consistent pattern in the data: All three were relatively flat or modest through 2023 and into 2024, and all three show a meaningful acceleration in the back half of 2025. That timing maps cleanly to the shift from experimentation to large-scale deployment in enterprise AI, showing that these jobs are heating up as a direct result of the AI boom.The software engineer role is unlikely to go away anytime soon, but the near-term AI job creation is primarily outside of those engineering roles. The AI builders are getting the most attention, but the people who maintain AI’s data feeds, check its decision making, and defend it against attacks and vulnerabilities are the roles showing up most clearly in the hiring data.AI is still in the early innings, but the more decisions a company moves into AI systems, the more oversight those systems will require. As AI becomes more autonomous and regulation matures, the demand for the people who govern, audit, and secure these systems should continue to climb. The data is already showing it.This story was produced by Pave and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How to spot and get rid of fleas on your dog How to spot and get rid of fleas on your dogDid you know that “flea” is the common name for the order Siphonaptera, which includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects? While you might not care to learn about all 2,500, what is important is how they can impact your dog, and the rest of your household. Here’s what you should know about this pesky parasite and how you can keep your pup safe, Ollie reports.What are fleas?Fleas are flightless insects that live as external parasites on both mammals (like you and your dog) and birds. They feed on the blood of their hosts. Note that fleas don’t tend to live on humans since we lack the protection of feathers or fur, which makes it more challenging for them to reproduce. Even though we make lousy hosts, we can still be a tasty snack for a hungry flea. So, if there are fleas in your home, know that you can be bitten.What are the signs of fleas on dogs?Fleas leave behind some telltale signs—on your dog, on you, and around your home. Here’s what to look for:ItchingWhile itching can simply be a sign of allergies or dry skin, it can also mean fleas. If you have an itchy pet, you want to get to the root of why they are itchy so you can treat it. This is especially important if you think there are fleas in your home.Hair lossIf your pup is constantly itching, or worse—biting at the spots where the fleas are biting them—you might see some patches of hair loss. The hair loss usually comes from the scratching and biting itself, or from an allergic reaction to flea bites. Because it can also signal more serious skin conditions, it’s worth having your vet take a look if you spot hair loss alongside itching.Welts or red skinIf you see any welts or redness where your pup is itching or has lost hair, these could be from flea bites. The saliva of the flea can cause an allergic reaction.Pale gumsIf your pup is being bitten, they may have pale gums. This is because fleas feed off your pup’s blood and can cause your pup to become anemic.RestlessnessThe itching and discomfort of flea bites can cause your dog to become restless. Some dogs and breeds are more prone to restlessness. If your pup’s demeanor changes or the restlessness seems to come on suddenly, you might want to check for fleas.Signs of fleas on your bodyBites on your anklesIf you have a serious flea problem in your home or yard, you might start to see bites on your ankles and maybe even your knees. Unlike a spider bite, a flea bite will only have one puncture.Signs of fleas in your homeFlea dirtFlea dirt isn’t actually dirt, it’s flea feces, and you’ll want to look carefully for these reddish-brown flecks. While they could be just regular dust or dirt tracked in from the outdoors, if you think you might have fleas in your home, this is another good clue.Flea eggs in your carpetTo check for flea eggs, put on a pair of gloves and run your fingers through the carpet. You might need a magnifying glass to see the eggs on your gloves, but if you have fleas, you’ll likely see the eggs. When fleas are in your home, they lay their eggs in the carpet because it’s a safe place for them to grow and hatch undisturbed.How do I get rid of fleas on my dog?If you find fleas on your dog, you might want to start with a quick call to the vet to ask about topical treatment—especially if you think your pup is reacting to the bites. Use a flea shampoo recommended by your vet, and give your pup a warm, soapy bath. After the bath, work through their coat carefully with a special flea comb to get rid of the dead fleas and flea dirt. As you remove fleas, kill any that are still alive with the warm, soapy water. Using your hands can be challenging since fleas can jump large distances.Do I need to treat my house if my dog has fleas?If you find fleas or flea bites on your pup, you will need to treat your house. As we mentioned, fleas typically lay their eggs in the carpet, so even if you don’t currently see any fleas, you might as they hatch. If you don’t treat your dog’s things and your home to ensure the fleas are completely gone, you might have a recurrence.To get rid of these unwanted guests, start with a powerful vacuum on your carpets, dog bed, couch, and mattress. Once you’re done, remember not to let the vacuum bag linger. Throw it away outside your home. If you’re using a newer bagless model, empty the canister and ensure it is thoroughly cleaned out so no fleas are living in your vacuum.Then, use an upholstery cleaner powered by steam. The hot, soapy water should kill anything left behind after you vacuum. Be especially diligent about the places your pup likes to sleep.If the infestation is mild, wash all of your bedding and your pet’s in water that is as hot as you can safely use on the material. If your infestation is particularly bad, you may want to replace your pet’s bedding and maybe even your own.Treat your home with an insecticide designed to kill all life stages of fleas, including eggs. This is the place where your best bet is to bring in a pro. Ensure that whatever they use is safe for your family and your pet. If not, consider staying elsewhere while your home is being treated. You will most likely need to be out of the house for at least a few hours while the chemicals dry.How can I prevent fleas on my dog?There are many preventative options for your dog. Medications like Credelio, Frontline, and NexGard can be prescribed by your vet. For a three-month option, you can ask about Bravecto. There are also options for topical treatments and collars if your pup has contraindications for oral medication. Your vet can help you choose a preventative option that is best for your pup.Your pup should take their preventative all year round. While fleas prefer warm weather, seeing them in the winter is not impossible, especially if you live in a part of the world with higher temperatures.By using preventatives as directed, you will likely not need to worry about a flea infestation. However, if one does happen, now you are prepared.Marissa Taffer also contributed to this article.This story was produced by Ollie and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	US eases restriction on Iran's World Cup team, allowing travel 2 days before next match The U.S. is easing its restrictions on Iran's World Cup team. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday the squad could travel into the country two days before its next match.
	Galesburg Railroad Days begins soon Galesburg Railroad Days begins Thursday with a carnival, model train show, live music, and food trucks, running through Sunday in downtown.
	Millions of Americans owe more on their cars than they're worth. Here's how to get out of negative equity. Millions of Americans owe more on their cars than they're worth. Here's how to get out of negative equity.Most drivers don't know they're upside down or underwater on their car loan until they want to sell, trade in or refinance their vehicle. It can also leave them exposed if they total their vehicle and the insurance payout falls short of what they still owe.Owing more on a car than it’s worth has become a more common scenario than most people realize. Over 3 in 10 drivers trading in a vehicle in the first quarter of 2026 owed more on it than its worth, the highest share since 2021, according to Edmunds. The average deficit was $7,183 per vehicle.But negative equity does not always mean you’re in financial trouble. Many drivers become upside down because cars depreciate quickly, loan terms are longer, or they bought when vehicle prices were high. But it can limit your options and make your next financial move more expensive if you’re not careful.Here, Caribou shares the common causes of underwater car loans, how to tell if you're in one, and what options are available to get out of negative equity.What causes an upside-down car loanBeing upside down on an auto loan is usually caused by a combination of factors:Your car depreciated faster than your loan balance decreased. On average, new cars lose 30% value over the first two years, according to Kelley Blue Book.You made a small down payment or no down payment. Financing most or all of the purchase price gives you less equity from the start.You chose a long loan term. Longer terms can lower monthly payments, but they may slow down how quickly you build equity.Your APR is high. A higher APR means more of each payment may go toward interest instead of principal early in the loan.You rolled taxes, fees or add-ons into the loan. Financing extra costs can increase your loan balance beyond the vehicle’s value.You traded in a previous car with negative equity. Rolling old debt into a new loan can make it harder to get right-side up.You bought when vehicle prices were unusually high. If prices later fall or normalize, your car’s value may drop faster than expected.Your vehicle experienced accelerated wear and tear. While depreciation happens naturally, excessive deterioration can cause your car’s value to decline more rapidly than is typical.How to calculate if you’re upside downTo find out whether you’re underwater on your car loan, subtract your car’s current value from the loan payoff amount. Caribou Your payoff amount may be different from the balance shown on your monthly statement because it can include interest through a specific payoff date or other amounts owed. You can usually request a payoff quote from your lender.For your car’s value, look at a few sources (such as Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds) and be realistic. Trade-in value, private-party value and dealer offers can all be different.How to get out of negative equityThe right move depends on your car, your budget and how urgently you need to make a change.1. Keep the car longerThe simplest way to get out of negative equity is to keep your car and keep paying down the loan. This works best if your vehicle is reliable, the payment fits your budget and you don’t need to sell or trade in right away.2. Pay extra toward the loan principalPaying extra toward principal can help you get out of negative equity faster because it lowers the loan balance, not just the next monthly bill. Before making extra payments, ask your lender how to apply them directly to the principal.Even small moves such as rounding up your payment, making a one-time payment or paying a little extra each month can help. These car loan payoff strategies can help you decide what fits your budget.3. See whether refinancing could helpDon’t assume you won’t qualify for auto refinancing with negative equity. Approval depends on your credit, income, vehicle, payoff amount and loan-to-value ratio. Refinancing won’t erase negative equity, but a lower APR could help more of your payment go toward the balance.Be mindful of the term. A lower monthly payment can cost more over time if the loan is stretched too far. Before deciding, compare how loan terms affect the total cost of credit, use an auto refinance calculator to estimate savings, and review how pre-qualification and pre-approval work.4. Make sure you have GAP coverageIf you’re keeping your car longer, it’s especially important to have GAP insurance or a GAP waiver, which is designed to help cover the gap if your car is totaled or stolen and your insurance payout is less than your remaining loan balance. Terms and coverage vary by product and provider, so be sure to ask questions so you get the right protection for your vehicle.“I am a firm believer in GAP,” says Athena Miller, a Honda CR-V owner from Michigan. “I had a vehicle stolen many years ago and I had GAP insurance and it saved me.”GAP doesn’t remove negative equity while you still own and drive the car. But, it’s designed to help cover the difference between your car’s value and the remaining loan balance in a total-loss situation, which could save you thousands of dollars for a car you are no longer able to drive.5. Avoid surprise repairs with a vehicle service contractIn addition to GAP coverage, a vehicle service contract (VSC) can help protect against surprise car costs if you plan to keep your car longer. Sometimes referred to as an extended warranty, a VSC is a paid protection plan that covers certain repairs after your manufacturer's warranty expires.Most plans exclude routine maintenance, normal wear and tear, and crash damage, but it can cover repairs to the engine, transmission, heating and cooling systems, brakes, and more. Some plans also include additional benefits like roadside assistance, towing, rental car reimbursement, or trip interruption coverage. Before you buy, read the covered parts list carefully to make sure the plan fits your vehicle and how you use it.Bottom lineThe best way to get out of a negative equity car loan is usually to keep the car longer and pay down the balance faster. Refinancing may help if you qualify for better terms, especially if your current APR is high. Trading in a car with negative equity can be costly if the old debt gets rolled into your next loan.Before you make a move, compare your payoff amount, car value, monthly payment and total loan cost. The right option is the one that helps you avoid carrying the same negative equity into your next car.This story was produced by Caribou and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The 4th of July is still about family, even as Americans feel the holiday is becoming more commercialized The 4th of July is still about family, even as Americans feel the holiday is becoming more commercializedThe Fourth of July has long been one of America's most recognizable traditions. From neighborhood cookouts and fireworks displays to road trips and community celebrations, Independence Day remains a summer staple for millions of Americans.A recent survey of 2,000 U.S. respondents by Mecca Bingo suggests Americans are approaching the Fourth of July celebration a little differently in 2026. Rising prices, shifting priorities, and growing perceptions of commercialization are all influencing how people plan to spend the holiday weekend.Even so, one thing remains unchanged: For most Americans, the Fourth of July is still fundamentally about spending time with family and friends. Mecca Bingo Cookouts and fireworks continue to define the fourthWhen asked how they plan to celebrate Independence Day this year, Americans overwhelmingly pointed to two classic traditions.More than half (55%) said they plan to host or attend a barbecue or cookout, making it the most popular Fourth of July activity in 2026. Fireworks remain nearly as popular, with 51% planning to attend a fireworks display.Beyond those staples, celebrations become more varied. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans (18%) plan to attend a parade, while 16% expect to travel or take a vacation. Another 16% said they plan to spend time at a beach or lake, and 13% intend to attend a concert or festival.At the same time, 17% reported that they don't typically celebrate the Fourth of July at all, highlighting that national holidays are becoming increasingly personal rather than universal.Family comes before traditionAlthough fireworks and cookouts dominate public celebrations, Americans say the people they're with matter more than the activities themselves.When asked which Fourth of July tradition is most important to them, spending time with family and friends ranked first, selected by more than a quarter (27%) of respondents.Fireworks followed at 24%, while barbecues and cookouts came in at 22%.More traditional patriotic activities ranked significantly lower. Just 8% identified parades as the most important part of the holiday, while another 8% chose displaying the American flag. Patriotic concerts and music were selected by only 3% of respondents.The results suggest that for many Americans, Independence Day has become less about formal patriotic observances and more about creating opportunities to gather with loved ones.More Americans see commercialization than patriotismWhile Americans continue to celebrate, many believe the holiday has changed over time.A majority of respondents (57%) said Fourth of July celebrations today are more commercialized than patriotic. In contrast, under a third (29%) believe the holiday remains primarily patriotic, while 14% are unsure.For many, the Fourth of July is less about symbolic displays and more about spending quality time with family, friends, and local communities.Most Americans are staying close to homeDespite the holiday's reputation as a major travel weekend, most Americans aren't planning to go far this year.Over half (54%) of Americans said they intend to stay local this Fourth of July. Under a third (29%) of Americans plan to travel somewhere within their state, whereas 17% expect to travel out of state, equating to roughly 44 million Americans.Americans are celebrating with budgets in mindEconomic concerns are also influencing how people plan to celebrate this year.Almost 1 in 4 (23%) expect to spend between $25 and $49 on their Fourth of July activities. Another 22% anticipate spending between $50 and $99, while 19% expect to spend less than $25.One in 6 (15%) Americans plan to spend between $100 and $199, while only 6% expect to spend more than $200.Notably, 15% said they don't plan to spend anything at all.The numbers suggest that while Americans are still eager to celebrate, many are doing so with careful budgeting in mind.Inflation is affecting holiday plansFor many households, rising costs are having a direct impact on how the holiday unfolds.Two-thirds of Americans (66%) said higher prices have affected their Fourth of July plans in some way. More than a quarter (28%) reported being significantly affected, while 38% said rising costs had somewhat influenced their decisions.Over a third (34%) said inflation had not impacted their plans.Rather than canceling celebrations altogether, many Americans appear to be adapting by staying local, reducing spending, or focusing on lower-cost activities that still allow them to participate in the holiday.A holiday that's evolving alongside AmericaThe Fourth of July has changed dramatically over the decades. What began as a day centered on civic ceremonies and patriotic observances has expanded into a broader cultural event that includes travel, entertainment, food, and community gatherings.The 2026 survey suggests Americans recognize those changes. Many believe the holiday has become increasingly commercialized, and rising costs are influencing how they celebrate.Yet the core appeal of Independence Day remains remarkably consistent.Whether they're gathering around a backyard grill, watching fireworks after sunset, or spending the day with family and friends, Americans continue to use the holiday as an opportunity to connect with the people around them.In 2026, that sense of togetherness and family appears to be the tradition that matters most.MethodologyTo uncover the Fourth of July attitudes, Mecca Bingo conducted a nationwide survey of 2,000 U.S. respondents in June 2026. The survey is nationally representative of age (25+), gender and state.This story was produced by Mecca Bingo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Morrison July utility billing delayed due to new software New computer software in Morrison means that July’s utility billing will be delayed. A news release says the City of Morrison will transition to a new computer software platform with BS&A Software on July 7 to support utility billing, payments and customer information. Utility billing for July 1 will be delayed due to the transition. [...]
	Winey Wednesday: Tycoga Winery It's Winey Wednesday and we're tasting a semi sweet white edelweiss from Tycoga Winery and Distillery.
	Muscatine’s history lives on through riverfront, landmarks and pearl button legacy From the Mississippi River that helped build the city to landmarks that have stood for generations, Muscatine’s history remains visible throughout the community nearly 200 years after its founding.
	Coralville Police K-9 dies after nearly a decade of service K9 Matz served the department for nearly 10 years, joining the department in 2017.
	How much do ChatGPT ads cost? A 2026 pricing guide for marketers How much do ChatGPT ads cost? A 2026 pricing guide for marketersChatGPT ads cost $3 to $5 per click on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis, or roughly $25 to $60 per 1,000 impressions on a cost-per-mille (CPM) basis. Your actual ChatGPT ads cost depends on your campaign objective, your max bid, ad relevance, audience fit, and how competitive the eligible conversation context is.The bigger question for most marketing teams is not just how much ChatGPT ads cost, but whether the pricing makes sense for the way buyers research, compare, and decide inside AI conversations. This guide from WebFX walks through the current ChatGPT ads CPC and CPM rates, the access requirements, and how to size a test budget that gives your team real data to work with.How much do ChatGPT ads cost?ChatGPT ads cost $3 to $5 per click for CPC campaigns or up to $60 per 1,000 impressions for CPM campaigns, based on OpenAI’s official bid guidance. OpenAI lists $60 CPM as the default max bid, while Digiday reported some advertisers seeing CPMs as low as $25.Here is the current ChatGPT ads pricing at a glance: WebFX ChatGPT ads cost less predictably than a fixed-rate media buy because OpenAI uses a relevance-weighted, second-price auction. Your final cost depends on more than your bid. Ad quality, landing page fit, context hint accuracy, and how many advertisers compete for the same conversation all affect what you actually pay.On the access side, early launch partners reportedly faced six-figure commitments to advertise on ChatGPT, with ADWEEK reporting a $200,000 minimum. That minimum dropped to $50,000 in April 2026, then was removed entirely when OpenAI launched the self-serve Ads Manager Beta for U.S. advertisers on May 5, 2026. OpenAI’s VP of monetization, Benji Shomair, confirmed the change on record, so any approved U.S. advertiser can now launch a campaign with whatever budget fits their test.How ChatGPT ads CPC pricing worksChatGPT ads CPC pricing means you pay only when someone clicks your ad, not when your ad appears in a conversation. OpenAI recommends a starting max bid of $3 to $5 USD per click for CPC campaigns, which puts ChatGPT ads in a familiar range for advertisers used to Google or Microsoft search.A few important details about how CPC bidding works on ChatGPT:CPC stands for cost per click. You set a max bid, and the auction decides what you actually pay per click.You buy CPC by choosing the Clicks objective. This objective fits traffic goals, demo requests, quote requests, content downloads, and ecommerce visits.Your max bid is not your final average CPC. OpenAI uses a second-price auction, which means winners typically pay just enough to beat the next-highest competitive bid, not the full ceiling.CPC makes ChatGPT ads easier to benchmark. You can compare cost per click directly against Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads, and LinkedIn Ads.One caveat: Conversion tracking on ChatGPT is still maturing. OpenAI launched a Conversions API and a pixel-based measurement tool on May 5, 2026, but the reporting ecosystem is younger than what you get from Google or Meta. ChatGPT ads CPC turns AI conversations into a performance channel because you pay for traffic instead of exposure alone, but you will need to build cleaner attribution to judge results.How ChatGPT ads CPM pricing worksChatGPT ads CPM pricing means you pay for every 1,000 ad impressions, whether or not a user clicks. OpenAI lists $60 CPM as the default max bid for CPM campaigns, though real-world rates have fallen to as low as $25 as the auction has matured.Here is how CPM works on ChatGPT:CPM stands for cost per thousand impressions. You pay for visibility, not action.You buy CPM by choosing the Reach objective. This objective fits brand awareness, category entry points, and early AI visibility plays.CPM can feel expensive without strong downstream tracking. If your impressions do not lead to qualified clicks or conversions, the cost adds up quickly.A quick CPM cost example at the $60 default max bid:10,000 impressions at $60 CPM = $60050,000 impressions at $60 CPM = $3,000100,000 impressions at $60 CPM = $6,000At the lower $25 clearing rate, those same impression volumes cost $250, $1,250, and $2,500. The spread is wide, which is exactly why bid strategy and ad quality matter so much on ChatGPT.What affects your ChatGPT ads cost (and how to lower it)Your ChatGPT ads cost depends on bid strategy, ad relevance, conversation context, landing page quality, campaign objective, and competition for similar user intent. You can lower it by improving each of these levers, not just by cutting your bid.Here are the factors that move your cost, with the actions you can take for each:Campaign objective. Clicks campaigns use CPC pricing, Reach campaigns use CPM pricing. Choose the objective that matches your goal, so you do not pay for impressions when you need conversions.Max bid. Higher bids can improve delivery, but they do not guarantee cheaper conversions. Start at the recommended $3 to $5 CPC floor and raise only when your data justifies it.Conversation relevance. OpenAI matches ads to conversation context, intent, ad title, copy, and landing page. Write specific context hints that describe exactly where your offer belongs.Ad quality. Clear headlines, direct copy, and a strong landing page improve relevance scores and lower your effective cost in the auction.Landing page match. A generic homepage wastes clicks. Send each ad to a page built for the prompt intent behind the conversation.Audience availability. ChatGPT ads only reach Free and Go users in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers, plus any users OpenAI identifies as under 18, never see ads. Plan around that audience pool when forecasting reach and cost.Competition. More advertisers bidding for high-value conversations raises cost. Test one offer at a time so you can read auction shifts cleanly.Tracking discipline. Use UTM parameters to separate ChatGPT traffic from your other paid channels, and watch down-funnel quality. A cheap click that never converts still wastes spend.The fastest cost reductions usually come from relevance and landing page improvements, not from chasing lower bids. A $5 click that converts at 6% beats a $3 click that converts at 1% every time.How much should you budget for ChatGPT ads (and is it worth testing)?A practical ChatGPT ads test budget needs enough clicks or impressions to judge real performance, not just enough spend to try the platform once. The channel is worth testing if your buyers already use AI tools to research products, compare providers, or shortlist solutions before contacting sales.Use these budget tiers to plan your test:Entry-level test budget ($5,000 to $10,000 per month). At $3 to $5 CPC, $5,000 buys roughly 1,000 to 1,666 clicks before factoring in conversion rate and auction variation. Use this tier to learn the platform on CPC, get clean tracking in place, and find the conversation contexts that match your buyers.Mid-range pilot ($15,000 to $30,000 per month). This range gives you room to run CPC and CPM in parallel. As an example split, $6,000 at a $25 CPM clearing rate buys up to 240,000 impressions, while $10,000 of CPC at $5 max bid buys 2,000 clicks, leaving budget for testing and optimization. Use this tier to compare downstream quality between the two pricing models and test multiple offers against each other.Scaled campaigns ($50,000+ per month). This tier supports CPM for category presence and CPC for performance, side by side. At a $25 CPM rate, $30,000 buys 1.2 million impressions, while $50,000 of CPC at $5 max bid buys 10,000 clicks. Use this tier when you have proven the channel works and want to defend share of voice in high-intent AI conversations.ChatGPT ads are often utilized by these types of advertisers:B2B software and servicesHigh-consideration ecommerceFinancial servicesTravel and hospitalityEducation and trainingHome services with strong lead tracking in placeBrands already investing in SEO, PPC, and AI visibilityChatGPT ads do not fit as well for:Budgets too small to gather meaningful test dataBusinesses without conversion trackingBrands with weak landing pagesTeams expecting ChatGPT ads to behave exactly like Google Search adsPaid visibility in ChatGPT should sit beside SEO, PPC, and AI visibility, not replace them. ChatGPT ads buy placement to Free and Go users only, but organic AI visibility through AI search optimization helps your brand show up in unpaid AI-generated recommendations across every ChatGPT tier, including the Plus, Pro, and Business users who never see ads.Are ChatGPT ads expensive compared to other ad channels?ChatGPT ads can look expensive on a CPM basis, but CPC pricing puts the channel right in line with Google Search and above Meta on a per-click basis. The $3 to $5 ChatGPT CPC sits well below median Google Ads CPCs in most B2B verticals, while costing more than the typical Facebook click.Here is a quick cost comparison across the three platforms: WebFX For Google Ads, the spread is huge because median CPC depends entirely on your vertical. Based on WebFX’s 2026 PPC benchmarks, median CPCs run $20 to $25 in Logistics, $25 to $40 in Healthcare, $75 to $100 in Home Services, $250 to $300 in SaaS, and $900 to $1,100 in Insurance. Meta Ads (Facebook) CPCs average $1.06 to $1.72 across industries, according to WebFX’s Meta marketing benchmarks.A few important considerations before you compare costs across channels:A $3 to $5 ChatGPT CPC sits below most B2B Google CPC medians, which makes it competitive on raw cost for high-value verticals like SaaS, professional services, and manufacturing.A $60 default max CPM (with some advertisers reportedly seeing CPMs as low as $25) runs significantly higher than Meta’s $7.47 average CPM, so it needs stronger justification through downstream conversion data.ChatGPT ads reach buyers in a conversational research environment, not a feed or a SERP. That changes the value of a click.Cost alone does not tell the full story. Conversion rate, lead quality, sales cycle influence, and assisted conversions all matter.94% of B2B buyers use LLMs during their buying process, so a click from ChatGPT often comes from someone further along in the research process than a typical social click.The real test for ChatGPT ads pricing is not whether a $5 click beats a Google Ads click. The real test is whether that click came from a buyer who had already explained their problem, compared options, and asked ChatGPT for help deciding. That kind of intent is hard to find anywhere else, and it changes the value math.How to measure if ChatGPT ads pricing is worth itChatGPT ads pricing is worth testing when you can connect spend to clicks, conversions, pipeline, and revenue, not just stop at impressions. The reporting tools available today let you do that, though the ecosystem is still younger than what you get from Google or Meta.Here is what OpenAI gives you for measurement:Ads Manager Beta reporting covers impressions, clicks, spend, click-through rate (CTR), average CPC, average CPM, and conversions.Conversion measurement is available through the Conversions API and pixel-based tools launched on May 5, 2026.Static UTM parameters persist on ad clicks and flow into your existing analytics tools, so you can separate ChatGPT traffic from other paid channels.Down-funnel metrics like cost per qualified lead, cost per sales opportunity, and revenue influence give you a better picture than CTR alone.This story was produced by WebFX and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	‘AI scientists’ are exploding across disciplines. Will they morph what gets researched? ‘AI scientists’ are exploding across disciplines. Will they morph what gets researched?When Google DeepMind co-founder and CEO Demis Hassabis articulated his vision for “AI scientists” that could develop and test their own hypotheses back in 2014, the idea was just that: a vision. Today, it’s reality.A growing number of AI systems designed to conduct scientific research — often called “AI co-scientists,” or seemingly increasingly, just “AI scientists” — are being rapidly developed, proliferated across new disciplines, and operating with increasing autonomy, The Infinite Loop by Nebius reports.“[It] challenges a little bit this ‘co-scientist’ [framing], because now it can just trigger a workflow with an open-ended question, and the agent can run for hours and come back to me with a full research program and…paper,” said Jonas Béal, head of product at biotech firm Owkin, who leads scientific strategy for the company’s K Pro AI Scientist.There have been early wins, but there are also clear challenges. These include ensuring agents have access to necessary data and that “they’re as productive as they are powerful,” as Béal put it, because they can go “off track.”The less obvious challenge is much higher stakes: with some research questions currently better suited for this technology, we risk developing a scientific monoculture. Some argue we need deliberate action to ensure that the embrace of AI scientists doesn’t morph what gets researched.Biopharma as the first-moverThe earliest efforts around “AI scientists” have coalesced around biopharma, with companies like Owkin and Lila Sciences creating systems for drug discovery.Google in 2025 launched its AI co-scientist, a multi-agent system based on its flagship Gemini model and designed to “mirror the reasoning process underpinning the scientific method.” While intended as general-purpose, the firm focused its first year validating it specifically with researchers in the life sciences.José R Penadés, a professor of microbiology at Imperial College London who ran one of the early validation studies, came out of it “impressed” after Google’s Co-Scientist quickly generated the correct hypothesis. The question on bacterial evolution he and fellow researchers prompted the system to investigate was one they had actually already solved. Cracking the case took them years, but the system came to the right conclusion after just two days.“It took a while for us to see the right answer, because sometimes in science, you are biased. And I think the system wasn’t biased,” Penadés said.The correct hypothesis was one of five the system generated, showing the vital role human experts play in making sense of AI outputs. This experiment was also just one of several Penadés conducted with Google’s Co-Scientist; in the others where it failed, he said it was either because it was a very new area of research or data was lacking. At the same time, the reason those experiments failed is exactly why AI scientists for drug research have taken off ahead of other fields.AlphaFold 2, DeepMind’s machine learning model that offered a stunning breakthrough about protein folding in 2020, certainly provided an early boost for AI in the sector. But the real key has been the abundance of data and previous work.“I think all the fields would totally benefit from the same kind of approach. The fact is, there's much less data that has been aggregated,” said Béal. “With all the clinical trials, all the research on cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, we've accumulated lots of data.”The flywheelThe rapid development of agentic AI that can autonomously set goals, use tools, code, and execute complex multi-step tasks has been a boon for the pursuit of AI co-scientists. As the excitement around agentic AI and AI scientists grows, so does the ambition to deliver these systems into new research domains and combine them with other emerging technologies.Matforge is building AI scientists to discover new materials for the semiconductor industry, and Periodic Labs is building AI scientists and autonomous labs for the physics and chemistry fields.Sakana AI, which built a general-purpose AI scientist to conduct experiments and write scientific papers, in 2025 had a paper generated by its system pass peer review and be accepted at a major machine learning conference.LabOS is another firm bringing AI scientists into the physical world, combining them with XR glasses and robotics. This allows the AI to see everything the scientist does, capturing procedural knowledge and helping reason through decisions in real time. What’s more, the AI system can connect with robotics systems many researchers already have in their labs for robotic execution of experimental procedures. LabOS is currently in final beta testing across five laboratories at Stanford, Princeton and the University of Washington. (Disclosure: Nebius, the parent organization of The Infinite Loop, is a founding partner of LabOS.)“The AI can design an experiment, watch it being performed, catch errors in real time, and even carry out procedures with scientists,” said Le Cong, an associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and co-founder of LabOS.The AI incentive problemA study published in Nature in January 2026 revealed a telling paradox: Scientists who use AI tools in their research find more individual success (publishing more papers, garnering more citations, and becoming leaders in their field more quickly), yet collectively, AI usage leads to more overlapping research and shrinks the diversity of scientific topics studied overall.James Evans, an author of the paper and University of Chicago professor who studies modern science technology, said this issue isn’t inherent to AI, but is rather a problem of incentives. Researchers naturally want to use the tools available to them and do work that will quickly be recognized as a breakthrough, making areas that already have abundant data, research activity, and are well-suited for AI workflows particularly attractive for further study.While Evans believes the emerging class of “AI scientists” will unlock more potential for discovery, he also fears it will worsen the incentives problem. The gradient, he said, is toward using these tools to squeeze out diminishing marginal increments from existing data and findings.To prevent a monoculture and achieve the fullest benefits of AI in scientific research, Evans argues we need to treat moonshot-esque problems as public goods and compensate scientists for the risk of undertaking low-probability research. Additionally, we need to bring the technology into physical experiments that enable scientists to gather new types of data from previously inaccessible domains.“I don't think that AI science or AI scientists are doomed to just produce the expected, but it's way cheaper for us to use them that way,” said Evans. “And it's way more immediately going to be recognized as successful.”This story was produced by The Infinite Loop by Nebius and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	5 room designs that minimize clutter and enhance your space (BPT) - Key TakeawaysHomeowners today want to minimize clutter while improving storage.The right door hardware, with options including pocket, wall-mount, bypass and multi-pass, can improve function and design.Modern sliding door hardware hides the mess while enhancing the look of the space.Johnson Hardware's American-made hardware offers smart sliding door solutions for any home.Clutter is one of the biggest challenges homeowners face today. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, homeowners say minimizing clutter and cleaning while improving storage and space-efficiency are the design needs they're craving. The good news? Modern sliding door hardware is emerging as a design-forward solution that not only conceals mess but enhances the overall look and flow of a space.From playrooms to pantries, here are five space-efficient room ideas from Johnson Hardware that hide clutter beautifully — designed with innovative sliding, folding and pocket door hardware.1. Create a kid zone with wall-mounted doorsCustomized slide-away doors are made easy with soft-closing wall mount door hardware, providing a smart way to hide toys, books and games in seconds. Whether using a single panel or a converging door kit, these doors are quick to install and glide smoothly along the wall, keeping visual clutter out of sight when needed most. Ideal for open-concept homes, they create flexible spaces that transition effortlessly from family-friendly to guest-ready.A wall-mounted sliding door closes off a kids' play area while maintaining a clean, distinctive aesthetic.2. Slide open seamless storage with pocket doorsPocket doors slide neatly into the wall, making them perfect for hiding storage areas without taking up valuable floor space. From entryway drop zones to compact laundry nooks, soft-operating pocket door frame hardware kits offer a minimalist look with maximum function.Pocket doors tuck away clutter-prone spaces, such as a combined mudroom and laundry room.As homeowners continue to seek smarter storage solutions, sliding, folding and pocket door hardware is proving to be a simple upgrade with a major impact.3. Consider closets that close in styleCreative spaces can quickly become chaotic. Special "full-access" bifold door hardware allows doors to fold flat against the walls, providing complete closet access when open and a tidy appearance when closed. This makes them ideal for craft areas, hobby stations or small workshops.Every inch of the closet interior is in easy reach with Full-Access Bi-fold doors.4. Glide into streamlined pantries with bypass doorsBypass sliding doors are a go-to solution for closets in kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms where space is limited. Unlike swinging doors, they glide past one another, keeping walkways clear while housing shelves, toiletries or pantry items.Bypass doors keep pantry clutter hidden without interrupting kitchen flow.5. Transform cozy nooks with designer appealTwo converging pocket doors can transform a hallway overwhelmed by household traffic and storage needs into a tranquil passageway to a relaxing den or reading nook. When closed, these doors create a seamless wall appearance — perfect for modern interiors that value both form and function.Sliding and converging pocket doors turn congested hallways into sleek passageways.As homeowners continue to seek smarter storage solutions, sliding, folding and pocket door hardware is proving to be a simple upgrade with a major impact — combining organization, flexibility and modern design.The right door hardware can improve both function and design in the home. Whether you're renovating or simply upgrading, leveraging options like pocket, wall-mount, bypass, multi-pass and bi-fold door hardware will help you make a smart choice. Each type has unique benefits that suit different spaces, from saving floor space in compact bathrooms to dividing areas in spacious home gyms.For more information on the advantages of pocket, sliding and folding door hardware, visit www.johnsonhardware.com or call 574-293-5664. Family owned and operated since 1958, Johnson Hardware prides itself on the precision design and the production of leading-quality, American-made hardware for residential and light commercial applications. Follow the company on Instagram, X, Pinterest and Facebook.
	Here are 5 ways to spend less on running Here are 5 ways to spend less on runningIf you feel like joining the 50 million Americans who are runners, you might have the impression that the sport is basically free. You have a T-shirt, you have shorts, you have sneakers, and out the door you go. Right?Let Andrew Huynh disabuse you of that notion. The financial planner from Tolland, Connecticut, is an “avid” runner, and he wants you to know: Being a serious runner is most definitely not free.“The costs can add up quickly once you actually get started,” Huynh tells Current, a consumer fintech banking platform. “I’ve seen many people underestimate the investment before even registering for a race, including shoes, nutrition, recovery tools, gym memberships, and training gear.”Total it all up, and the costs can get pretty eye-popping. According to a survey from Running USA, runners spent an average of $1,748 in the previous year on the sport.Add in so-called “runcations” — trips to marquee marathons around the world like London, Berlin, or Tokyo — and your hobby can truly start to heat up your credit cards.Since many runners right now are aiming toward races in the fall (longer distances typically take a few months of training), now is the perfect time to start planning things out. Some key advice, to get a handle on costs before they start to run away from you:Plan early, plan often. There are a host of reasons why preparing as early as possible will save you a significant amount of money. First, most races offer early discounts on entries, which ramp up over time as you get closer to the start date. Second, many races book hotel blocks for participants at special rates, which, for popular events, get booked up quickly. The same logic holds true for flights: The closer you get, the higher prices will go, if you can find anything available at all.One tip: Some specialty operators, like Marathon Tours & Travel, offer package deals that include flights, hotels, and guaranteed entries into hard-to-get races.Just be careful of the classic runner’s habit of signing up for too many races, which is money down the drain if you don’t end up participating. Instead, be selective and realistic about how many you will undertake.Also, it’s wise to click on the insurance option that almost every race offers: Life happens, you get derailed by work or illness, or an injury makes it impossible to compete. With insurance, at least you know you’ll be financially covered.Don’t go crazy on apparel. The fancy brands of the world won’t want to hear this, but there’s no reason to go overboard on pricey athletic wear. You do need synthetic materials, especially socks — cotton chafes, as every runner knows — but the reality is that entries in most races come with giveaways, such as tops or shorts. As a result, you can assemble a “free” wardrobe in a pretty short order.One place to splurge: Shoes. You should absolutely not skimp on running shoes by buying used gear, even though it may be tempting to do so. The reasons are both performance and injury related: Individual gaits require certain types of shoes, with particular cushioning. (You should ideally be filmed and analyzed on a treadmill, which they can do at many running specialty shops, or some stores also will analyze your patterns with a short jog and measurements.) So if you’re buying a random shoe, which has already been worn down over time, you’re just asking for trouble.“Great shoes are the only true ongoing requirement, and you shouldn’t skimp on cost,” says Ralph Bender, a financial planner with Enduring Wealth Advisors in Temecula, California. “Rotate several pairs, log the miles, and use them for casual wear after retiring them; 400-500 miles is my running limit.”Use free apps. Sure, tech tools like GPS smartwatches look pretty darn cool. That’s why 12% of runners spent more than $400 in the previous year on tech gear, according to the Running USA survey.But do you really need one? The Garmin version picked in Runner’s World’s 2024 “Gear of the Year” feature, for instance, runs almost $1,000. Most runners don’t really need that level of functionality, so consider apps you can install on your phone, like Runkeeper, Strava, or MapMyRun. Some even have a coaching element, like Nike Run Club, which can save costs on individualized in-person training.Save in advance. If you’re aiming for a longer race, such as a half-marathon or full marathon, then you have a built-in time runway. Proper training takes a few months, so that you can ramp up training distances slowly and not risk injury from going too far, too fast.In a similar way, you can also use that period to prepare your finances. Save a little bit every week in a higher-yielding savings account and automate a portion of your paycheck to it each time you get paid. The resulting stash can help with running-related expenses as you get closer to the starting line.“Planning ahead makes a huge difference,” says Huynh. “Buying gear during holiday sales, registering during early-bird pricing windows, and budgeting for travel upfront can help runners feel excited for race day instead of financially stressed by it.”This story was produced by Current and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The portfolio moves that pay off when markets get weird The portfolio moves that pay off when markets get weirdWhen every headline suggests analysts don’t know which way the market is going, it may feel like the right thing to do is immediately react to the latest trend reports of a volatile market, but it might be wiser to just wait it out. Intuit TurboTax shares what’s worth your attention to protect your portfolio. The goal of this article is to show you where individual investors commonly look during uncertain markets, explain the tradeoffs, and let you decide what fits your personal situation.Mistaking complexity for progressA common mistake for investors is assuming that a larger portfolio requires a more complicated strategy. Often, the opposite is true.You don’t need five new accounts and an elaborate portfolio of speculative stocks. For investors, managing market volatility starts with knowing what you have, not guessing what the market will do.That looks like asking:How much is in long-term retirement accounts?How much do I have in cash?How much, if any, is in a taxable brokerage account?The next time you pull up your investment account, like a Roth IRA, look at it a little differently than you used to.What is a Roth IRA?A Roth IRA isn’t an investment itself; it’s a tax-advantaged account that holds your investments. Contributions go in after tax, and qualified withdrawals come out tax-free. To qualify for tax-free withdrawals, you generally need to be at least 59 1/2 and have held the account for at least five years. Keep in mind that Roth IRA eligibility phases out at higher income levels.Instead of asking, “Did my investments do well?” ask, “Does the overall allocation still make sense?”Consider whether you’re holding the right mix across taxable and tax-advantaged accounts, and what a 20% market drop would actually mean for your financial goals.A list of investment vehicles and what they’re best forDepending on where you are personally, financially and in terms of risk tolerance, here are the investment vehicles worth knowing about.High-Yield Savings Accounts and CDsThe risk-averse portion of your portfolio, high-yield savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) offer safety and a predictable return. They’re FDIC-backed, which means your principal is protected up to federal limits. They won’t outpace a bull market, but they won’t drop either.Dividend StocksDividend-paying stocks can provide an income stream even in down markets, which helps soften the volatility blow. Rather than relying entirely on share price appreciation, you collect regular payments simply for holding the stock.Index Funds and ETFsIndex funds and ETFs are a long-term cornerstone for most investors. Diversification is built in, and because they track a broad index rather than individual companies, they remove much of the timing pressure.REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts)REITs give you real estate exposure without the need to own or manage property directly. By law, they’re required to distribute at least 90% of their income as dividends, which can make them attractive for income-focused investors during volatile periods.Treasury Bonds and I-BondsGovernment-backed securities like Treasury bonds and I-Bonds are a traditional safe harbor. I-Bonds in particular are inflation-adjusted, meaning their yield moves with inflation, which can be valuable when prices are rising and market returns are uncertain.Gold and CommoditiesGold and commodities have historically acted as a hedge because they can move independently of equities. A small allocation can help reduce overall portfolio volatility without abandoning growth-oriented investments entirely.CryptoUnlike stocks, crypto is not subject to the wash-sale rule, meaning you can sell at a loss and immediately buy back the same asset. That said, tax rules around crypto continue to evolve, so it’s worth staying current or consulting a tax professional.Managing a portfolio is also about managing behaviorWhen headlines get louder, you don’t need to overhaul your entire portfolio. Focus on what would justify a real change and what is simply market noise.Rebalancing your portfolio once holdings drift too far from their intended mix is very different from panic-selling because a bad week feels like a personal injury. The first is a strategy. The second reaction is stress in action. It’s important to understand and know this distinction.For new investors, this is one reason portfolio management is emotional as much as it is mathematical. Many investors think the hard part is choosing investments. Often, the harder part is staying the course when the market gives new reasons to doubt your own strategy, sometimes on a daily basis.So, if you see your investment account go red, you might feel the urge to move the money back to savings, but before you do this, remember why you set it up in the first place: not to get rich quickly, but to see results over time.Taxes are part of portfolio managementOnce your portfolio starts growing, taxes become part of the picture, not just something to sort out in April.Selling at a profit creates a taxable gain. Dividends and interest are taxable, too. But if you have positions that are down, you can sell them to offset those gains. This is known as tax-loss harvesting, and it’s one of the few upsides of a rough market.It also matters how long you’ve held something before you sell. Hold for more than a year, and you pay a lower tax rate. Sell too soon, and the bill goes up.Staying the courseMarket volatility feels very personal when investing is new. It may be the first red day, the first alarming headline, or the first moment of wondering whether to sell everything.A helpful approach is to decide in advance:How much of a drop feels tolerable based on goals and time horizon?How long is the investing timeline really?What will trigger a calm review, rather than a panic decision?You can’t control the market. What you can control is your system for handling money and the meaning you attach to each swing.In uncertain times, building wealth is less about being fearless and more about being prepared enough to keep going.This story was produced by Intuit TurboTax and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Ameren tells customers how to stay safe from scammers As scammers leverage powerful AI techniques to create convincing frauds, Ameren provides helpful tips on how to avoid common scams that target utility customers, a news release says. Scams are increasingly more convincing, which makes them harder to detect. Common tactics include official-looking emails, texts and websites; voice cloning that sounds like a real representative; [...]
	Art without artifice: Why intentional kitchens are defining the next era of design (BPT) - As homeowners increasingly seek spaces that feel personal, functional, and enduring, a new design philosophy is taking hold: intentionality through restraint. Today's kitchens prioritize thoughtful omission, where every detail serves a purpose and every element tells a story. With this shift, kitchens are becoming more curated and collected, evolving alongside the people who use them. The Brizo® Faircroft™ Kitchen Collection is one example of how manufacturers are responding to this broader shift toward kitchens that value both beauty and utility, blending historical influences with contemporary performance.Living finishes and the return of patinaBrizo® Faircroft™ Kitchen Collection Widespread Kitchen Faucet With Arc Spout and Side Sprayer in Unlacquered BrassMinimalist, understated interiors once defined contemporary kitchens, but today's homeowners are gravitating toward warmth, authenticity, and inviting spaces. Living finishes like Unlacquered Brass embrace imperfection while bringing depth and character into the home. Over time, the material reacts to touch, environment, and daily use, developing a patina unique to each space. As the finish naturally patinas, it creates a kitchen that feels distinctly personal and reflective of its use over time.Technology that disappears into daily lifeAs kitchens become more purposeful, innovation is evolving to match. Rather than competing for attention, today's most effective solutions simplify daily tasks while remaining visually unobtrusive. The Faircroft™ Kitchen Collection introduces the brand's first widespread kitchen faucet that incorporates SmartTouch® Technology, enabling intuitive, touch-activated use. From meal prep to cleanup, users can activate the faucet with a simple touch, streamlining everyday tasks without disrupting the visual integrity of the space.The rise of integrated utility Integrated functionality now sits at the center of kitchen design, ensuring every detail supports daily routines. Homeowners are seeking solutions that work together to create a more intuitive experience. The Wall Mount Bridge Faucet from the Faircroft™ Kitchen Collection reflects this shift, pairing architectural design with a full suite of integrated accessories. A soap dispenser, jewelry tray, soap tray, towel bar and basket keep essentials within reach while maintaining a cohesive visual language throughout the kitchen.Today's kitchens are once again being designed to reflect the lives lived within them — the meals shared and memories made, reminiscent of 1930s and 1940s American kitchens where fixtures were built to age gracefully alongside the home. At the same time, they are being reimagined to support the realities of modern life through technology, thoughtful integration, and materials that grow richer with use. The result is a kitchen designed not only to endure, but to deepen in meaning over time.
	Getting married in 1 of these 9 states? Your spouse could be responsible for your debt Getting married in 1 of these 9 states? Your spouse could be responsible for your debtCommunity property laws provide a straightforward system for managing finances as a couple, in marriage, or in divorce. This system applies whether you're happily married or considering a financial strategy that will work for you in the future when you meet that special someone.In community property states, most things you and your spouse acquire while married belong equally to both of you. This means there's a clear starting point for figuring out a fair split if you do separate. Below, Achieve explains how understanding community property can make navigating the financial side of your relationship easier.Key takeaways:Community property includes things of value and debts acquired during the marriage (or in some states, during a domestic partnership).If you live in a community property state and get divorced, the starting point for your financial separation is a 50/50 split. The next step is to figure out what’s fair, if it’s not 50/50.If your name is on a debt, a divorce decree doesn’t void your responsibility for it.What is community property?Community property is the property that you and your spouse acquire during marriage, including what you own (assets) and what you owe (debts).Both spouses share ownership of community property, no matter who originally made the purchase or signed on for the debt. In other words, even if the asset or debt is in one person’s name, both spouses are owners.Not everything acquired during marriage is community property. For instance, when one spouse receives an inheritance, it’s separate (but it could unintentionally become community property, and we’ll explain how). Also, a prenuptial agreement will generally take precedence over community property laws, so that’s a way to keep property separate.There are nine community property states in the U.S.:ArizonaCaliforniaIdahoLouisianaNevadaNew MexicoTexasWashingtonWisconsinIn three additional states, couples can opt into community property laws:AlaskaSouth DakotaTennessee Does community property apply to unmarried couples living together?You might have to follow community property laws if you and your partner live in a state that recognizes common law marriages or domestic partnerships. A common law marriage is one where there was no marriage license or ceremony. A domestic partnership (called a civil union in some states) is a legal relationship between two committed people who want to gain certain rights afforded to married couples.California, Nevada, and Washington recognize domestic partnerships once you officially register with the state. Texas is the only community property state that fully recognizes common law marriage. Idaho recognizes common law marriages that were created before Jan. 1, 1996.How does community property work?In a community property state, the things you buy and the debt you take on during marriage are considered shared. Here are a few common examples:Any income you or your spouse earns, whether through a full-time job or a side businessPhysical property, like a car, a boat, or furnitureYour home or other real estate purchased during the marriageIncome from rental properties or stock dividendsMoney accumulated in brokerage and retirement accounts during the marriageDebts taken out during the marriageCommunity property matters if you end up divorcing or if one spouse dies.Community property and divorceIn the case of divorce, community property is divided equitably. That doesn't mean equally. That means fairly. But 50/50 is the starting point. The judge reviewing your divorce is likely to split everything down the middle unless you and your spouse agree on something different, or one of you can show why a 50/50 split is not fair.Community property and deathIn the case of death, community property rules can affect who inherits what and whether the surviving spouse is responsible for debts.If one spouse brings debt to the marriage, is the other spouse responsible?In most cases, spouses are not responsible for their partner’s debts that predate the marriage. Debt your spouse accumulated before you both got married is generally their responsibility alone. One exception to this rule would be if you opened a joint account or cosigned a loan before officially getting married.Why does community property matter for debt?In the case of death or divorce, you could be held financially responsible for any debts that are considered community property, even if your name isn’t on it, and even if you didn’t know about it.Not everything is subject to community property rules. If you or your spouse had your own separate assets or debts before the marriage, those won’t be split in the case of divorce unless they become commingled (no longer separate). Property can become commingled in many ways. For instance, if you bought your home before you got married, it’s your separate property. But if you add your spouse’s name to the deed, you now have community property. Similarly, if you came to the marriage with money, it’s separate. But if you use that money to buy a shared home, that money is no longer your separate property.Some of what you and your spouse acquire during your marriage may also count as separate property, such as:Property protected by a prenuptial agreementAssets you or your spouse separately inheritGifts to either spouseProperty or debt acquired during legal separationWhat if my spouse refuses to cooperate or take responsibility for joint debts?You're still responsible for joint debts, even if your spouse refuses to take any responsibility or work with you to pay them off. (And the reverse is also true.) When you get a loan or credit card, you enter into a legal contract with that creditor. A divorce decree doesn’t make that contract go away.Tackling debt on your own can be done with the right support and tools. Start by talking to an expert. A financial coach can help you learn strategies for managing your debt. If you’re thinking about divorce, or you’ve already started to separate from your spouse, talk to an attorney who specializes in divorce and estate planning.If you’re not sure of your options for dealing with debt, talking to a debt expert can help you figure out which debt solution might be right for your situation. The right answer depends on your financial situation, your credit standing, your financial outlook, and other details.A debt consolidation loan could streamline your debts and potentially get you a lower interest rate.You could negotiate with creditors on your own. Divorce and death are legitimate causes of financial hardship, and many creditors will work with you to deal with the debt.A professional debt relief company could help you resolve your debts for less than the full amount you owe if you are uncomfortable negotiating on your own.A bankruptcy attorney can let you know if bankruptcy would make sense for your situation.Any of these options could give you some breathing room as you navigate your way past community property obstacles.What’s nextTake stock of the assets you acquired before the marriage to determine what you own separately.Look at all your debts accumulated during the marriage to estimate what you may still owe after the divorce.Work with your spouse as best as you can to divide up assets you jointly own.Research options for getting rid of debt.This story was produced by Achieve and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What causes body odor, and how to prevent it What causes body odor, and how to prevent itBody odor can creep up on you when you’re least expecting it. If your daily activities are leading to issues with sweat and odor, Dove explains what causes body odor and how you can keep it at bay.What is body odor, and what does it smell like?Body odor is the unpleasant smell produced by sweat and bacteria on your body. Everyone’s body produces body odor at a different scent and rate. Some common body odor scents are sweet, sour, tangy, and even like onions. To some degree, everyone has body odor, but each person has unique triggers and bacteria that make their scent uniquely them.What causes body odor?Simply put, body odor is a combination of sweat and bacteria. However, there are many factors that impact body odor and reasons that some days you may think, “Why do I smell different than yesterday?”Diet: What you do or do not eat can drastically change your body odor. Foods that are high in sulfur can result in stronger-smelling body odor because sulfur itself can have a rotting-egg smell. There are other foods that simply make you sweat more and may not trigger body odor, but are a factor due to increased sweating.High sulfur foods that may increase BO: garlic, onion, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, red meatFoods that increase sweating: caffeine, alcohol, hot/spicy food, pungent spices (curry powder/cumin), very salty foodsWeather: Warmer weather can cause you to sweat more, thus increasing your chances of having smelly sweat, especially in the summer months.Tight clothes: Restrictive clothing can cause your body to sweat more than normal.Exercise: Working out or doing something that elevates your heart rate.Emotions: Big feelings can trigger sweating. These can be positive (excitement) or negative (stress).Hormones: You may sweat more when your body is going through drastic hormonal changes, including puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.Medical conditions: Conditions around food processing, such as diabetes, kidney disease, and liver disease, can increase your risk of body odor since your body is having trouble properly digesting food.How body odor changesBody odor can vary greatly based on external factors in your daily life, as outlined above. If you think your body odor smells worse than the day before, think about anything in your life that may have changed from the day before.Does sweat smell?Surprisingly, sweat is mostly odorless. But what causes sweat to smell is when it meets the natural bacteria on your skin, developing that telltale odor. There are also different types of sweat: the kind that cools you down when your body is overheating, and what’s known as “psychological sweat” or “emotional sweat.” It’s what happens when you become anxious or stressed, and it tends to appear on your hands, armpits, and face. It’s also believed to be the smelliest kind, but that’s not always the case.How to help prevent body odorWhile body odor will always have some presence, there are things you can do to try to prevent body odor from smelling so bad:Practice good hygiene with regular showers/baths with your favorite soap.Use an exfoliating body scrub to gently remove dead skin cells.Select a deodorant or antiperspirant that works for you (whole-body deodorants can also help cover your pits to your toes).Wear breathable clothes.Mindful eating and avoiding sulfuric and sweat-inducing foods.Deep breaths to bring your heart rate down and manage stress levels.Seek medical advice if you are concerned about a long-lasting issue.This story was produced by Dove and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Musco Sports Center hosts Inflatable Fun Day in Muscatine The Musco Sports Center will host the first Inflatable Fun Day from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. June 27–28. Community members of all ages are invited to enjoy “Fun Without the Sun” inside the Musco Sports Center. The event will feature a variety of inflatable bounce houses, an obstacle course, and space for activities like soccer and [...]

Thursday, June 25th, 2026

Wednesday, June 24th, 2026