QCA.news - Quad Cities news and view from both sides of the river
Friday, June 26th, 2026 | |
 | Cullen earns Leadership in Place Management designationJack Cullen, executive director of the Rock Island Downtown Alliance, has obtained the designation of Certified Leader in Place Management (LPM) from the International Downtown Association (IDA,) a news release says. Cullen joins a community of professionals who demonstrate the knowledge and skills to manage and lead a place management organization. “Having worked with Jack [...] |
 | Sheriff: No injuries reported after plane makes emergency landing in Knox CountyThe sheriff's office said the aircraft, a Cessna 172N with three people on board, had experienced a possible engine failure while in flight. |
 | Hello Muscatine County: KWQC celebrates the communities and historyKWQC is celebrating the people, places, and history that shaped Muscatine County. |
| |  Jordan Spieth returning to the John Deere ClassicTournament play officially kicks off Thursday. |
| | Planet Funk Con, 5th Annual Stoneware Fest among weekend offerings in the Quad CitiesFind out what you and your family can get up to this weekend! |
| |  Heavy police presence in CamancheOur Quad Cities News crew is watching a heavy police presence at a Camanche chiropractic clinic for an investigation that continued for more than an hour Friday afternoon. As of 4 p.m., officers from the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Camanche Police Department and Clinton Police Department are at Camanche Chiropractic Center,1601 S. Washington Blvd. Squad [...] |
 |  Downtown Muscatine residents and business owners displaced from demolition project seek answers from the cityAfter a roof partially collapsed, the city evacuated 20 buildings on a single block in downtown Muscatine, displacing 28 residents. The city said a final decision on whether to demolish or stabilize the compromised structures will be made in early July. |
| |  Disability care group sounds alarm over DOJ memo suggesting an end to in-home and community-based servicesThe Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel released a memo in June advising states to cease funding for in-home and community-based services that allow Americans with disabilities to integrate within their communities. A Bettendorf-based nonprofit, Hand in Hand, said the move would upend thirty years of evidence-based care. |
| | Investigation underway after fatal workplace accident in eastern IowaJust before 7 a.m. on Friday, June 26, a 911 call reported that a worker had become pinned under a large piece of equipment at Riverstone Quarry near New Liberty. |
| | New U of Iowa study looks into seatbelt use among new momsCar crashes are one of the leading causes of pregnancy complications and maternal deaths in the U.S. |
| | Most Quad Cities people entering homelessness are experiencing it for the first time, new report saysA new Quad Cities report says 81% of single adults and 88% of families entering homelessness across the region are newly homeless or facing a short-term crisis. |
| |  New Illinois laws take effect July 1: What to knowJuly 1 kicks off the new fiscal year in Illinois, and 14 new laws take effect. As the new $56 billion budget is implemented, the one-cent motor fuel tax will be suspended for the rest of the year. The Illinois Department of Early Childhood launches. it brings preschool, childcare, home visiting and early intervention programs [...] |
 | New principal, resignations, hirings and other personnel news from East Moline School DistrictThe following personnel items are from the June 22 agenda of the East Moline District 37 Board of Education. The School Board met at the Administration Building. |
| | Jo Daviess County deputy crashes car while responding to emergency callThe sheriff's office said the deputy hit a deer that came into the road, causing the squad car to overturn. The deputy was treated for injuries. |
| |  Walcott man arrested on 11 counts of forgery, identity theftA Walcott man is in the Scott County Jail on a $75,000 cash-only bond after the Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau said he wrote multiple life insurance policies on family members without their knowledge and collected commissions on the policies. Criminal complaints filed in the case say that between February 21, 2024 and January 24, 2025, [...] |
| | Niabi Zoo welcomes new pair of fennec foxesAstrid and Comet were moved into the zoo's Biodiversity Hall, and Niabi officials hope the couple will start a new family when they're ready. |
| | Quad Cities International Airport reports best passenger month since 2019The Quad Cities International Airport saw a 6 percent traffic increase in May with over 65,000 passengers, marking its best month since 2019. |
| |  She posted about ICE. Five months later, DHS agents told her to take her post downIn January, Paigelynne Gonyea posted about the immigration surge in Minneapolis. This week, she was visited by ICE officials who claimed one of her posts had doxxed a federal agent. |
| | Lanes to close on John Deere Road, Moline, for patchingDrivers in Moline can expect delays due to lane closures on John Deere Road next week. A news release from the Illinois Department of Transportation said that starting on Monday, June 29, there will be lane closures on westbound John Deere Road (Illinois 5). The work zone is between Seventh and 16th Streets. Two lanes [...] |
| |  4 Your Money | Supply ShockThere has been significant buzz surrounding the massive new IPOs hitting the market recently. David Nelson, CEO of NelsonCorp Wealth Management, shares how this surge of available shares may impact market performance. |
| |  Jibaro Restaurant, Muscatine, moving into Capone's Chicago Style Eatery buildingThere’s some good news for a Muscatine restaurant that was forced to evacuate its building, along with others in the city’s downtown, due to structural concerns. Jibaro Restaurant posted on its Facebook page that one business’s closing announcement is a boon to the restaurant. “Our friends at Capone’s Chicago Style Eatery (211 W. 2nd Street) [...] |
| |  Hyperbaric oxygen therapy explainedNearly 11 million people are living with chronic wounds and that number is expected to rise. |
| | Sheriff: No injuries reported after small plane makes emergency landing in Knox County cornfieldThe sheriff's office said the aircraft, a Cessna 172N with three people on board, had experienced a possible engine failure while in flight. |
| | Burlington parade celebrates America's 250th anniversaryBurlington will be celebrating America's 250th birthday with a patriotic evening of family fun at the Jefferson Street Farmers Market on Thursday, July 2, as Downtown Partners, Inc. hosts a Kids Bike & Wagon Parade in the heart of Downtown Burlington. Children are invited to decorate their bicycles, wagons, scooters, tricycles, and strollers in red, [...] |
 | Worker killed in accident at Riverstone Quarry Friday morningAn employee was killed in a workplace accident at Riverstone Quarry in New Liberty Friday morning. Emergency personnel were notified of the accident at approximately 6:56 a.m. Friday. Upon arrival, first responders located the individual pinned under a large piece of equipment that workers attempted to load onto a trailer. The initial investigation revealed the weight of the equipment suddenly shifted, causing it to come down on a worker that was undeneath. Emergency personnel determined the worked suffered traumatic injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The name of the individual is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The investigation is ongoing between the Scott County Sheriff's Office and the Mine Health & Safety Administration. The Scott County Sheriff's Office, Scott Emergency Communications Center, Scott County Medic EMS, New Liberty Fire and Scott County Medical Examiner's Office all assisted with the incident. |
| | One dead in Scott County workplace incidentOne person is dead after an incident at Riverstone Quarry on New Liberty Road in Scott County. A news release from the Scott County Sheriff's Office said that on June 26 at about 6:56 a.m., a worker was pinned underneath a large piece of equipment that was being loaded onto a trailer. The initial investigation [...] |
| | Clinton resumes search for new city administatorThe City of Clinton held a meet and greet session with city administrator finalists earlier this week, but the city council did not make any of the candidates employment offers. Scott Maddaison, mayor of Clinton, spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to explain the city’s next steps. “We went through the interview process, [...] |
| | 3 escape injury after plane makes emergency landing in Knox Co. cornfieldThree people escaped injury Thursday afternoon after a Cessna 172N plane experienced engine failure and made an emergency landing in a cornfield. |
| |  U.S. pledges generous earthquake relief to VenezuelaSecretary of State Marco Rubio promised: "We have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big; it'll be fast; and it'll be effective." |
| | Death Notice: Norma ZurborgA funeral service for Norma Roberta Zurborg, 97, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 30, at New Life Baptist Church, Davenport. Burial will follow in the Maysville Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday, June 29, from 5-7 p.m. at Weerts Funeral Home, Davenport. Mrs. Zurborg died Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Memorials may be made to New Life Baptist Church. Online condolences may be made at www.WeertsFH.com. A full obituary will appear in the July 1 edition of The NSP. |
| | Worker dies after accident at quarry in Scott CountyA worker died Friday morning after heavy machinery fell on him at the Riverstone Quarry on New Liberty Road in Scott County, officials announced. |
| | LISTEN: Sec. RFK Jr. tries to convince Iowa candidate to drop out of race - CloneThe Libertarian Party of Iowa Chair shared audio of a phone that she said shows U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Junior, trying to convince a candidate for Congress to drop out of a race for Congress. |
| | North Scott School District resignations, hirings and other personnel news for June 15The following personnel items are from the June 15 agenda of the North Scott School District. The school board met at Junior High. |
| |  Tapestry Farms hosting summer breakfast in the garden series highlighting area growersThe Quad City nonprofit assists area refugees accessing nutritious affordable food. The organization is inviting community members to tour area gardens, meet growers and partake in a light breakfast. The “Breakfast in the Garden” series is monthly through September. |
| | 'That Animal Guy' makes appearance at Planet Funk Con/QC Fright ConBefore "That Animal Guy" arrives at Davenport's RiverCenter, he's stopping by the News 8 station to talk about the upcoming conventions. |
| |  World Cup fans are missing games after their resale tickets fall throughThe ordeal has left fans forced to either miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or scramble to find new tickets, often costing more and for worse seats. |
| | Investigation underway into workplace accident in Scott CountyRight now, News 8 is working to learn more about a worker who was reportedly injured on the job. |
| |  Traffic alert: 2 lanes on John Deere Road to be closedWestbound John Deere Road will be reduced by two lanes between 7th and 16th streets starting Monday for patching work, IDOT announced. |
| | Clinton opening cooling centers during heat waveExtreme temperatures expected over the next several days are leading local officials to open cooling centers for residents. In Clinton, officials will activate their Extreme Temperature Plan starting on Sunday, June 28 at 3 p.m. It will stay in effect until conditions improve. The Clinton MTA is offering free rides during regular hours to the [...] |
| |  Rock Island’s deputy fire chief to retire after 25 yearsRock Island Fire Department Deputy Chief Greg C. Marty announced he is retiring on Aug. 20, 2026, marking exactly 25 years of service. |
| | Sheriff: One dead in bulldozer accident in New LibertyA person has died following an accident in New Liberty, Iowa, early Friday morning. |
| | July 2026 music festivals ranked by lineup valueJuly 2026 music festivals ranked by lineup valueSummer festival calendars are crowded, and ticket prices can vary sharply from one event to the next. Some festivals charge premium prices for large international lineups. Others offer lower-cost passes while still booking artists with strong audience demand.That makes “value” difficult to judge from price alone. A cheaper pass is not automatically a better deal, and a higher-priced festival can still look competitive if the lineup is unusually strong.To compare July 2026 festivals more directly for this article, Viberate analyzed medium and big music festivals in Europe and North America using a lineup-strength-to-ticket-price index. The analysis compared each festival’s reviewed Total Lineup Score (calculated based on artists' performance on Viberate), with the lowest verified multi-day general admission ticket price available from official festival or ticketing sources.The result is not a ranking of the “best” festivals overall. Location, travel costs, genre preference, camping, fees, and on-site expenses can all change what a ticket is worth to an individual attendee. Instead, this ranking measures one specific question: Which verified July 2026 festivals offer the most lineup strength per $100 of multi-day general admission ticket cost?MethodologyViberate started with the top 50 medium and big festivals returned by its July festival database filter for Europe and North America, sorted by Performance Score. Because the database month filter can include festivals with July editions from past years, each candidate was manually reviewed to confirm whether it has a July 2026 edition.Festivals were included only if they met all of the following criteria: they had confirmed July 2026 dates, a Total Lineup Score calculated based on artists' performance on Viberate, a reviewed lineup artist count, at least 10 confirmed lineup artists at the time of analysis, and a verified multi-day general admission ticket price. Festivals were excluded if they did not have a confirmed July 2026 edition, only had single-day pricing, lacked comparable general admission pricing, had sold-out or unavailable standard GA passes, had unclear ticket packages, or had fewer than 10 confirmed lineup artists.Ticket prices were collected from official festival websites or official ticketing partners. The analysis used the lowest verified multi-day general admission price available for each festival, excluding VIP passes, resale listings, camping, hotel packages, travel packages, and optional add-ons. Prices were converted to U.S. dollars using ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates from May 27, 2026.The final Value Index was calculated as:Value Index equals reviewed Total Lineup Score in thousands divided by ticket price in US dollars, multiplied by 100.In plain terms, the index shows how many lineup-score points, expressed in thousands, each festival offers per $100 of verified multi-day GA ticket cost. Artist count was used as a secondary quality-control field to understand lineup depth, but it did not determine the ranking.1. Holika — SpainHolika ranked first in the analysis by a wide margin, driven by a low verified multi-day ticket price and a strong reviewed lineup score. The Spanish festival had a reviewed Total Lineup Score of 91.3K and a converted ticket price of $59.34, producing a Value Index of 153.87.That does not mean Holika is the largest festival in the dataset. It means its lineup strength is high relative to its verified ticket cost. Among the festivals analyzed, no other event delivered as much reviewed lineup score per $100.2. Morriña Festival — SpainMorriña Festival placed second, with a reviewed Total Lineup Score of 141.5K and a converted ticket price of $110.55. Its Value Index was 127.99.The festival’s ranking reflects a combination that matters in this analysis: a strong reviewed lineup score and a still-relatively low multi-day GA price. Morriña was one of only two festivals in the final ranking with a Value Index above 100.3. Les Déferlantes Sud de France — FranceLes Déferlantes Sud de France ranked third with a Value Index of 65.42. Its reviewed Total Lineup Score was 141.6K, nearly identical to Morriña Festival’s, but its higher converted ticket price of $216.45 lowered its lineup-to-price ratio.This shows why price normalization matters. Two festivals can have similar lineup strength but produce very different value scores once ticket cost is included.4. MEO Marés Vivas — PortugalMEO Marés Vivas ranked fourth with a Value Index of 61.36. Its reviewed Total Lineup Score was 71.4K, and its converted ticket price was $116.37.Compared with some higher-scoring festivals, MEO Marés Vivas ranked well because of price efficiency. It did not need one of the highest lineup scores in the dataset to perform strongly on the index.5. Ruisrock Festival — FinlandRuisrock Festival ranked fifth, with a reviewed Total Lineup Score of 104.3K and a converted ticket price of $278.12. Its Value Index was 37.50.Ruisrock’s ranking shows the other side of the calculation. The festival has a strong lineup score, but a higher ticket price places it below lower-priced festivals with similar or moderately lower lineup strength.6. Rock Fest — United StatesRock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin, ranked sixth with a Value Index of 30.50. Its reviewed Total Lineup Score was 54.6K, and its verified ticket price was $179.00.It was the highest-ranked U.S. festival in the analysis. Its placement came from a relatively moderate ticket price compared with other North American festivals in the dataset.7. Hinterland Music Festival — United StatesHinterland Music Festival ranked seventh, with a reviewed Total Lineup Score of 115.8K and a converted ticket price of $390.00. Its Value Index was 29.69.Hinterland had one of the stronger reviewed lineup scores among the final entries. Its ticket price, however, kept it below several European festivals with lower verified GA costs.8. Slottsfjell Festival — NorwaySlottsfjell Festival ranked eighth with a Value Index of 25.29. Its reviewed Total Lineup Score was 98.0K, and its converted ticket price was $387.47.The Norwegian festival’s lineup score was competitive, but its converted ticket price placed it in the same pattern as several higher-cost festivals: strong lineup, lower value index because of price.9. Kappa Futur Festival — ItalyKappa Futur Festival ranked ninth with a Value Index of 22.21. Its reviewed Total Lineup Score was 64.6K, and its converted ticket price was $290.93.The electronic music festival remained in the top 10 despite a higher ticket cost because its reviewed lineup score was still strong enough to keep its lineup-to-price ratio above most of the remaining dataset.10. Afro Nation Portugal — PortugalAfro Nation Portugal ranked 10th, with a reviewed Total Lineup Score of 93.6K and a converted ticket price of $464.32. Its Value Index was 20.16.Afro Nation’s placement shows how higher ticket prices affect the ranking. Its lineup score was one of the stronger scores among the analyzed festivals, but its ticket price reduced its score-per-dollar efficiency.11. Stavernfestivalen — NorwayStavernfestivalen ranked 11th with a Value Index of 19.28. Its reviewed Total Lineup Score was 45.5K, and its converted ticket price was $236.04.The festival’s placement reflects a mid-range combination of lineup strength and ticket price. It did not have one of the highest lineup scores, but its verified GA price kept it competitive.12. Rock Fest Barcelona — SpainRock Fest Barcelona ranked 12th, with a reviewed Total Lineup Score of 48.4K and a converted ticket price of $261.83. Its Value Index was 18.49.The Spanish rock and metal festival landed in the top 15 because its ticket price remained moderate relative to its reviewed lineup score.13. Badlands Music Festival — CanadaBadlands Music Festival ranked 13th with a Value Index of 17.86. Its reviewed Total Lineup Score was 69.3K, and its converted ticket price was $387.96.Badlands had a stronger lineup score than several festivals ranked above it, but its higher converted ticket price lowered its final position.14. VIBE Fesztivál — RomaniaVIBE Fesztivál ranked 14th, with a reviewed Total Lineup Score of 17.4K and a converted ticket price of $110.86. Its Value Index was 15.70.Its lineup score was lower than most festivals in the top 15, but its low verified ticket price kept it in the ranking.15. Musilac Aix-les-Bains — FranceMusilac Aix-les-Bains ranked 15th with a Value Index of 15.62. Its reviewed Total Lineup Score was 39.8K, and its converted ticket price was $254.85.The French festival rounded out the top 15 because its reviewed lineup score and verified multi-day GA price remained competitive after currency conversion.Lower ticket prices drove the highest value scoresThe top of the ranking was shaped heavily by ticket price. Holika and Morriña Festival both ranked above festivals with similar or stronger lineup profiles because their verified multi-day GA prices were much lower than most competitors in the dataset.This does not mean lower-priced festivals always rank higher. The index still requires lineup strength. But when a festival combines a strong reviewed lineup score with a low verified ticket price, the value score rises quickly.Higher-priced festivals still performed when lineup scores were strongSeveral higher-priced festivals remained in the top 15 because their lineup scores were strong enough to offset some of the price difference. Hinterland Music Festival, Slottsfjell Festival, Afro Nation Portugal, and Badlands Music Festival all had converted ticket prices above $380, but each still made the ranking because of lineup strength.The analysis therefore does not simply reward cheap tickets. It rewards the relationship between lineup strength and price.Why some major festivals were excludedSome high-profile July festivals did not appear in the final ranking because their ticket structures or lineup data were not comparable. The analysis excluded festivals that only offered single-day tickets, lacked available standard GA pricing, had sold-out comparable passes, did not have a confirmed July 2026 edition, or had fewer than 10 confirmed lineup artists at the time of analysis.This matters because the lineup score reflects a festival lineup, not one day of programming. Comparing a full festival lineup score against a single-day ticket would inflate the value score and weaken the ranking. Including a festival with only a few confirmed artists could also overstate value before the 2026 lineup is far enough along to compare fairly.What this ranking does and does not showThis ranking measures lineup value by one specific definition: reviewed Total Lineup Score per $100 of verified multi-day GA ticket cost. It does not account for travel expenses, accommodation, local prices, camping, parking, food and drink, fees not clearly included in listed prices, or personal genre preference.It also does not claim that one festival is better than another overall. A higher Value Index means a festival ranked higher on this specific lineup-score-to-ticket-price measure.For readers comparing festival tickets, the results show how much the underlying economics can vary. A festival with a moderate ticket price can outrank a more famous or more expensive event if its lineup score is strong enough. A high-priced event can still perform well if its lineup strength is high.The clearest value scores came from festivals where both sides of the equation worked together: strong reviewed lineup data and relatively low verified ticket prices. That is the main takeaway from the ranking. In a market where festival costs are not always easy to compare, the strongest value signals came from events where the lineup and price were aligned.This story was produced by Viberate and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | The PACs for public landsThe PACs for public landsA recent primary election race in Idaho between Republican candidates Stephanie Mickelsen and Kelly Golden wasn’t the sort of contest that shows up on CNN’s Magic Wall, but it yielded a vivid example of how conservation can be used as a political weapon these days. At a forum featuring both women in advance of the May 19 vote, Golden made a comment that drew fire from a new Idaho-based group called the PAC for Public Lands. The political action committee’s creators focus entirely on what state-level politicians say and do about the multifaceted issue that’s built into their name.Golden and Mickelsen were vying to represent a rural legislative district called 32A, which wraps around the city of Idaho Falls in Bonneville County. For the second cycle in a row, Mickelsen, an incumbent known for her expertise in agricultural and groundwater issues, beat Golden, who has worked in radio and the nonprofit sector, and who positions herself to the right of Mickelsen. The PAC for Public Lands targeted Golden for defeat, knowing that whoever won this primary will win in November: 32A is a Republican stronghold in a red state, and there’s no Democratic challenger in the general election.“I’m definitely the more conservative, more platform-aligned candidate,” Golden told RE:PUBLIC. She supports the policies backed by the Idaho Republican Party, which takes a firm states’ rights stance on public lands. The federal government owns and manages nearly 62% of Idaho’s total area, around 32.8 million acres in all. The platform calls for reducing this amount and says Idaho should “manage and administer” any land currently owned by the feds.At the forum, in response to a question about housing affordability, Golden floated an idea that turned heads: Give some of this land to young people and let them build houses on it. What she described was an either-or choice between free land and benefits from an existing state-funded jobs-training program called Idaho LAUNCH.“If Idaho was able to control our lands again,” she said, “what if we were to open it up to a modern-day Homestead Act, where we could give kids the opportunity to either choose LAUNCH or land? When you graduate high school, do you want to go to LAUNCH? Or would you like five acres that you could do whatever you want to as long as you lived on that land?”The Homestead Act of 1862 encouraged western expansion by giving 160 acres to U.S. citizens 21 and older if they were the head of a household and agreed to live on and improve the land for five years. Idaho LAUNCH gives students up to $8,000 to pursue vocational training in what the state calls “in-demand career fields.”Golden didn’t say these homes should be built in the middle of Idaho’s most beautiful outdoor spaces. What she had in mind was less-desirable terrain that’s often overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). “The phrase, and I hate it, but some people call it ‘junk land,’” Golden said. She mentioned an unincorporated town called Howe, which sits about an hour northwest of Idaho Falls.“Howe is a farming community with a stoplight,” she said. “There are hundreds of thousands of desert-and-sagebrush acres all around it that are just desolate right now. That would be a place I would explore and say that at least it’s viable.”Howe, she added, is within commuting distance of the Idaho National Laboratory —a major employer in Idaho Falls—and it’s possible a data center will be built in that part of the state someday. Growth could be in the town’s future.The idea of building affordable housing on repurposed federal land has been a policy goal of the Trump administration, and it’s a politically controversial concept. The PAC’s founders know this, and they weaponized Golden’s remarks with digital ads and bulk text messaging.“Kelly Golden wants to GIVE AWAY YOUR PUBLIC LANDS TO 18 YEAR OLDS!”, the text said. At a recent candidate forum, the text continued, Golden “… said she wants to give away our public lands—the places where we hunt, fish, graze, and camp. What other crazy ideas could she have in store for Idaho?”Politics is rough, but was it fair to turn Golden’s remarks into a scare quote? Alexis Pickering, a co-founder of the PAC, thinks so. When Golden mentioned homesteading, Pickering told RE:PUBLIC, “We were like, OK, let’s talk about that! … This was a perfect example of how dangerous it would have been for her to get in there.”Idaho isn’t turning purple anytime soon, but Pickering and other activists have noticed that protection of public lands is an issue that can draw support from both sides of the aisle. In March, the state legislature adopted Joint Memorial 111, a symbolic measure that calls on Idaho’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., to always bear in mind that selling or transferring public lands “would not only jeopardize access and tradition, but also place unsustainable and unpredictable financial burdens on states, local governments, and Idaho taxpayers.”In Wyoming, a similar joint resolution passed easily during the 2026 session, asking Congress to place a priority on public lands protection and saying that “disposal of lands should not occur without meaningful input from state and local governments and affected communities.”This strong show of support was prompted in part by a failed resolution from the 2025 session that called for Congress to “extinguish the federal title” to public lands and subsurface resources in the state. That’s a long way of saying: Let Wyoming, not the federal government, control the land and what lies beneath it. The resolution allowed for only one exception: The feds could keep Yellowstone National Park.Gestures like these move both states a little closer in the direction of Montana, where vocal support of public lands has come from all four members of the state’s congressional delegation. In the summer of 2025, in the wake of Utah Senator Mike Lee’s proposal to sell off up to 3.3 million acres of BLM and Forest Service lands, U.S. Sens. Tim Sheehy and Steve Daines blocked the provision from being included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Reps. Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing are both members of the chamber’s bipartisan Public Lands Caucus.In Idaho, the concept driving the PAC for Public Lands is straightforward: Go all in on a single issue, spending money to support candidates who work to protect public lands and to oppose those who don’t. One state to the east, a new group called Protect Wyoming is pursuing a similar strategy, and both PACs appear to have arrived at their approaches independently. They aren’t linked in any way.The creators of the PACs moved in this direction because PACs can do things that traditional nonprofits can’t. A tax-exempt 501(c)(3) like Backcountry Hunters and Anglers—which is based in Missoula, Montana—is prohibited from directly or indirectly taking part in political campaigns on behalf of candidates. The group can certainly express itself about issues, though—a website resource called Take Action tells supporters about legislation that it thinks should be either supported or opposed.The PAC for Public Lands was launched earlier this year by four Idaho residents with extensive experience in politics: Pickering, executive director of Conservation Voters for Idaho, a nonprofit affiliated with the D.C.-based League of Conservation Voters; Chuck Coiner, a former Republican state senator; Brian Brooks, a veteran of wildlife protection nonprofits, including the American Bird Conservancy and the Idaho Wildlife Federation; and Ross Copperman, a former outdoor industry executive who chairs a group called the Idaho Hunger Coalition.Protect Wyoming was created by two outdoorsmen whose day jobs had never involved political campaigns. Zach Lentsch, the PAC’s chairman, is a Cody-based climber who runs Wyoming Mountain Guides, which offers rock, ice, and alpine adventures all over the state. Chris Allen, the treasurer, lives three hours east of Cody in the town of Clearmont, where he and his wife train and sell horses. Both Lentsch and Allen are hunters, and the PAC devotes most of its resources to outreach efforts aimed at this demographic.“We’re trying to turn hunters into voters in Wyoming,” Lentsch said. “We’re really focused on sportsmen, because that’s a large group in our state.”It’s also a group that supports public lands for an obvious reason: That’s where the birds, mammals, and fish are. As is true of voters in most states, this bloc tends to sit out primaries. In 2024, Lentsch said, only 28,000 of the state’s 140,000 resident hunters and anglers cast primary votes. Protect Wyoming, which officially launched in January of this year, hopes to get more of them to the polls during state elections, with public lands high on their list of priorities.In both Idaho and Wyoming, the GOP dominates public life. Idaho’s governor, both of its U.S. senators, and its two members of the U.S. House of Representatives are all Republicans, and the party currently holds 90 of 105 seats in the state legislature. The statistics are almost identical in Wyoming, which, because of its smaller population—roughly 588,000 to Idaho’s 2.03 million—sends only one representative to D.C. In the state legislature, the GOP holds 85 of 93 seats.The upshot: Primaries are where the action is. “The political game in Idaho is all centered on the primary,” Brian Brooks explained. “Whichever Republican wins it is usually going to win in November.”For now, the two PACs only invest in state-level races—as opposed to those for seats in the U.S. Congress—in part because each is new and working with limited resources, and in part because their founders know where their spending can have the most effect. But both PACs were energized by the national backlash that happened in the summer of 2025 in reaction to Mike Lee’s proposal. Conservation Voters for Idaho commissioned a nonpartisan poll in the aftermath of Lee’s maneuver, and it justifiably labeled the results “striking”: 95% of Republicans and 97% of Democrats agreed with the statement that Idaho’s public lands should remain public and protected.“We have a state legislature driven by ideological politics, which translates into people advocating for the disposal of federal lands,” Brooks said. “That is not what the public agrees with. And yet, we’ve had all these people getting elected in the primaries.”Idaho’s 2026 primaries took place on May 19. PAC officials say their ground game—which, among other things, relied on 20 paid canvassers from Idaho who worked around the state—involved 240,000 text messages, 18,000 phone calls, 119,000 mailers, and nearly 7,000 door-knocks to send the message that “selling off public lands is a political non-starter in the Idaho Statehouse.”In a self-assessment of this year’s outcomes, the PAC gave itself a win rate of 59%, pointing to positive results that included the defeat of Kelly Golden and victories by State Sen. Jim Guthrie and State Reps. Ben Fuhriman, Mike Veile, and Stephanie Mickelsen. Guthrie’s race against fellow Republican David Worley was the most expensive in the 2026 primary cycle. (Shortly before election day, it was reported that PACs had spent a combined $375,107 on the race.) In a pattern similar to the Golden-Mickelsen race, Worley positioned himself to the right of Guthrie.“The biggest accomplishment of the newly minted PAC for Public Lands was protecting public lands champions and defeating challengers who wanted to privatize and transfer public lands,” the PAC said in a release. “... All three of these house races had challengers who either had voted to cut key budgets for wildfire, land management, hunting access and/or water resources, or had voiced support for sell-off. Those beliefs were soundly defeated.”The PAC didn’t win them all, though: In a state race between frequent primary foes Jim Woodward (the incumbent) and Scott Herndon, an anti-property tax advocate who would like to defund agencies like Idaho Fish and Game, the PAC opposed Herndon. This time, he won.Wyoming’s primary happens on Aug. 18. The tactics Lentsch described sound similar to those used by the PAC for Public Lands, but there’s at least one notable difference: Protect Wyoming makes use of public outreach events where they pitch voters face to face. At the first of these, held in Cody in late March, Protect Wyoming drew a capacity crowd to a local craft brewery, delivering a message that appeared to resonate.Lentsch said the PAC chose Cody for its launch because the surrounding county, Park, contains the most public land of any county in the state. This is an area with a rich tradition of big game hunting and what Lentsch sees as a disconnect in terms of who best represents the needs of hunters.“All of our Park County state representatives and state senators are squarely anti-public land,” he said in remarks quoted by the Powell Tribune, a Wyoming newspaper. “The biggest takeaway is that way more people hunt in Wyoming than vote, which is crazy, and with numbers like that, we shouldn’t be surprised that when our representatives don’t hunt and recreate by and large, we won’t have representation that reflects our values.”Protect Wyoming produces a Lawmaker Scorecard that groups candidates under the labels Top Sellouts and Top Champions. State Sen. Bob Ide, who introduced the 2025 proposal calling for a massive federal land transfer to the state, gets failing grades in all three categories they scored: Public Lands, Public Wildlife, and Scientific Management.In the aftermath of Kelly Golden’s Idaho defeat, her husband, Josh Golden—a real estate agent who helped manage her campaign—forwarded details to RE:PUBLIC about where the PAC for Public Lands’ donations come from, information that’s also available online in various places, including Idaho Sunshine, the state’s campaign finance and lobbyist disclosure portal.According to those details, a significant portion of the PAC’s total funding comes from a super PAC in Washington called the LCV Victory Fund, which is affiliated with the League of Conservation Voters. (Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in support of political candidates, but unlike traditional PACs, they can’t give money directly to candidates or coordinate their spending with them.) This fund donated $95,000 of the PAC for Public Lands’s total contribution of nearly $212,000.Josh Golden declined to comment on the connection, but it’s been argued that accepting major out-of-state donations somehow detracts from the grassroots positioning of a group like the PAC for Public Lands. This was a theme in the hotly contested 2020 U.S. Senate race in Montana between incumbent GOP Sen. Steve Daines and Democrat Steve Bullock, who was Montana’s governor.The race was supposed to be closer than the final result—Daines won by 10 points—and was unusually expensive, with money flooding into Montana from all over the place. In a Montana Free Press breakdown of the $96.6 million attributable to “third-party spending by political committees,” one group in the mix was the Montana Hunters and Anglers Leadership Fund, which supported Bullock.“While the group is registered in Billings, the vast majority of the support it has reported … comes from outside Montana,” the report said. “Major donors include California liberal megadonor Karla Jurvetson and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, a national union, each of which contributed $500,000 to the fund. The group also reported a $265,000 contribution from the LCV Victory Fund.”Jurvetson is a physician and philanthropist who has donated to many campaigns, including a major donation to a super PAC that supported Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential run. The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news site based in the D.C. area, called the PAC an “astroturf” group, which refers to the tactic of setting up a PAC that appears to be grassroots but isn’t. Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, called it “a decoy group that operates in Montana only during election season.”Decoying can work in more ways than one. Daines isn’t running for reelection and has endorsed Kurt Alme, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Montana. In a recent report on this race, the investigative Substack Public Domain suggests that a D.C.-based super PAC called the American Leadership Fund has been helping position Alme as being more pro-public lands than he really is.For what it’s worth: There’s no sign the PACs for Public Lands or Protect Wyoming are astroturfing. A majority of the Idaho PAC’s donations so far come from in-state, and the second-largest donor ($60,000) is an Eagle, Idaho-based developer and philanthropist named Caleb Roope. Protect Wyoming does not have to disclose its fundraising totals until later this year, but Lentsch and Allen said that almost all their funding comes from small donors, mainly hunters and outdoorspeople in Wyoming.As Williams added, he and Lentsch are already used to critics questioning their motives. “We’ve gotten messages saying we’re a greenie group trying to convert hunters and anglers,” he said. “I’ve also been told that I’m being fed propaganda and fear-mongering about public land being sold off. What I tell people is to go look at a legislator’s track record. We created the PAC to make it clear as day what these candidates introduced legislatively and what they’ve voted in favor of.”This story was produced by RE:PUBLIC and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  United Way of Southeast Iowa earns RSVP medical transportation grantUnited Way of Southeast Iowa has announced it has been awarded the AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Medical Transportation Grant, ensuring the continuation and expansion of its volunteer-driven medical transportation program serving Des Moines County, a news release says. Over the past year, the RSVP Medical Transportation Program has become a lifeline for older adults and individuals with [...] |
| | Cambridge Natural History Museum purchases permanent homeThe Cambridge Natural History Museum, founded by the world's youngest curator at age 9, has purchased its building after raising over $20,000. |
| | QC Airport sees highest monthly passenger traffic since 2019Business is up at the Quad Cities International Airport (QC Airport). The airport reported a 6% year-over-year increase in passenger traffic for May 2026, compared to May 2025. This is the airport’s highest monthly total since October 2019. A total of 65,467 passengers traveled through the airport in May, reflecting a continued upward trajectory in [...] |
| |  Plane crashes into Beijing's tallest building; damage reportedThe cause of the damage could not be independently verified, and authorities did not immediately issue a statement on the incident. |
| |  John Bolton, former Trump national security adviser, pleads guilty in classified documents caseBolton pleaded guilty to one count of retaining national defense information while he was a national security adviser during President Trump's first term, saying: "And I am sorry for it." |
| | 3 Things to Know | Quad Cities morning headlines for June 26, 2026The annual BioBlitz event hosted by the Bi-State Conservation Action Network is coming back to the region, and the Government Bridge will close this Saturday. |
| | What is cortisol? Your questions, answered.What is cortisol? Your questions, answered.What is it? Is it bad? Am I supposed to be getting rid of it? Am I doing all the wrong kind of exercise that’s somehow causing it and now my face is puffy?These are just some of the questions that come up about cortisol. Many people have gone down related Instagram rabbit holes and understand the deluge of questions it can trigger.The 19th reached out to Dr. Tina Zhang, the co-director of the Women’s Wellness & Healthy Aging Program at Johns Hopkins University and an expert in menopause care, to offer insights into cortisol and its impacts on people in perimenopause.Cue the expertZhang understands why cortisol keeps coming up online within the context of perimenopause: Cortisol is a hormone.More specifically, it’s a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands and is referred to as the body’s “stress hormone” because it is released in response to stress.Stress management is one of cortisol’s primary roles. In high-stress situations, it provides energy, breaking down fat to fuel the body. Cortisol also helps to reduce inflammation, controls blood pressure and blood pressure levels, manages the fight-or-flight response, and regulates the sleep-wake cycle.In other words, it does a lot of really important things in your body. It is definitely not something to be eliminated altogether, as some influencers would have you believe.And here’s where midlife changes come in.During perimenopause, there’s a noticeable decline in estrogen and progesterone — two hormones that are key for regulating cortisol. This means cortisol levels can also become less balanced, and there can be real concern about them getting too high.When cortisol is too high, Zhang explained, it becomes harder to fall asleep and stay asleep — two things essential for healthy aging. It can also promote weight gain. That’s because cortisol is there to help you be ready to respond to stress — it cues the body to store more fat, especially around the midsection, so you can have all the energy you need to do hard things. That’s why higher cortisol levels can also increase appetite and trigger cravings.The stress of this time of life and the lack of sleep that can result from that can also raise your cortisol levels. High cortisol levels can make sleep even harder — and now you’re in a cycle of stress, sleep and weight gain.What not to doAnd that’s when so many influencers enter the proverbial chat.First things first: Zhang said she does not recommend testing for cortisol. Lots of people inquire about that after seeing influencers insist it is a crucial need.“I always validate my patients and acknowledge that their symptoms are real. And yes, cortisol does play a role in stress and sleep and weight — but just checking a cortisol level does not give us any helpful information,” Zhang said. The test is just a snapshot as cortisol shifts in response to so many things. “It fluctuates so much that it’s really hard to interpret.”This doesn’t mean that cortisol may not be influencing your symptoms — Zhang added that even if a cortisol test came back normal, it wouldn’t mean it had nothing to do with what you’re feeling — but rather that getting that test done isn’t going to provide information that can move the needle in a meaningful way.What to doZhang said that “every single day” she has conversations with patients about cortisol — and explained that the best way to address the symptoms associated with it is through better sleep hygiene, good stress management, regular exercise and a low-inflammation diet.And despite what you might have read or heard on social media, exercise is not the enemy when it comes to cortisol. At all.“If I were to check a cortisol level right after you exercise, it’s going to be high,” Zhang said — again, because cortisol is a stress hormone and exercise, by design, stresses the body. But that’s not the whole story. “Consistent exercise over time actually helps reduce your overall cortisol trends.”Zhang said this duality often feels confusing.“If I check right after they exercise, yes, it’s going to be high — but regular exercise will help manage weight, will improve your sleep, and help with stress relief.” And all of these things will reduce your cortisol levels.If exercise helps reduce your stress, do it. The same is true for other things that can help reduce stress — maybe a breathing practice or meditation.Sweet dreamsThe other biggest factor for reducing cortisol is sleep.For some people, Zhang said, getting better sleep will be as simple as limiting caffeine, alcohol and screen time before bed and staying on a consistent sleep schedule.For others, sleep is harder to come by — and she recommends that these people talk to their healthcare providers about things like magnesium and melatonin or the use of cognitive behavioral therapy.If sleep feels harder during perimenopause, you aren’t just making that up. The decline of estrogen changes how sleep is regulated in your brain.“You naturally are going to have issues with sleep just because of perimenopause,” she added. “On top of that, when you have hot flashes and night sweats, you’re not going to be sleeping. And then on top of that, people are stressed, and that’s not good for sleep either.”It’s why talking to your provider about your sleep — and how to get more and better sleep — is so important in midlife.Supplements? Thank you, nextZhang also cautioned against the use of supplements that claim to lower cortisol. It’s not that all supplements are bad, per se, but rather that supplements are so much less regulated than prescription medications. And anyone promising they can sell you something that lowers cortisol doesn’t understand what the hormone is anyway.When it comes to supplements, Zhang recommends that women take vitamin D and calcium for bone health and reiterated that magnesium can be very helpful for sleep and muscle relaxation.So, a forever reminder: Talk to your doctor about your medical history to determine any deficiencies that might need to be addressed through supplementation and what makes the most sense for you and your health needs.The bottom line“It is so awesome that women are eager to learn more and have more information about their health and the menopause transition, but there is a lot of misinformation out there with regards to cortisol,” Zhang said. “Importantly, I think cortisol is not all bad. We need cortisol in our body for all of the functions that I mentioned. It’s about balancing it.”The best way to keep cortisol levels healthy in midlife and beyond?“Focus on sleeping better, controlling stress, and exercising.”This story was produced by The 19th and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Memory foam, latex or gel? The mattress topper material debate explainedMemory foam, latex or gel? The mattress topper material debate explainedTemperature regulation is often a key driver in shopping for sleep products. A National Sleep Foundation and Ikea survey of more than 2,000 adults in 2024 found that a cool bedroom is the top factor people tie to a good night's sleep.But a cooler room can only help so much if the material closest to the body keeps holding heat. That is where the shopping process gets more complicated, since memory foam, latex, and gel can all sound like different answers to the same problem.Sleepyhead examines how these three materials compare when it comes to mattress toppers.What a Mattress Topper Actually ChangesA mattress topper adds an extra layer of material on top of an existing mattress, changing how the sleep surface feels without replacing the mattress itself. Toppers are commonly used to add comfort, improve pressure relief, or help address temperature concerns.Because a topper sits closest to the body, its material plays a significant role in the overall sleep experience. A softer topper can help cushion pressure points around the shoulders, hips, and back, while cooling-focused materials are often designed to help dissipate heat and create a more comfortable sleep environment.The right topper depends on the sleeper's specific needs, whether that's reducing pressure, sleeping cooler, or finding a better balance of both.Why Memory Foam Remains So PopularOf every topper material available, memory foam remains the one most shoppers recognize by name. Its popularity comes from its ability to contour to the body, creating a sleep surface that cushions pressure points and helps make a mattress feel more comfortable. For sleepers looking to soften a firm bed or add a layer of comfort, memory foam continues to be one of the most widely chosen options.Rather than focusing on industry buzzwords, Forbes recommends evaluating sleep products based on factors that directly affect the sleep experience, including comfort, support, pressure relief, and temperature regulation.But the same dense foam also absorbs movement, so a partner turning over barely shows on the other side. All that softness creates the deep, hugging sink people love, a feeling of being held by the mattress. But that hug traps heat, and the Sleep Foundation notes that dense, traditional foam tends to sleep warm.The Appeal of Latex for Cooling and DurabilityLatex enters the material debate for sleepers who want lift instead of a deep sink. The Sleep Foundation describes latex as bouncier and less conforming than memory foam, with a springy feel that many sleepers connect with support. But the trade-off is price, since latex often costs more than foam-based options.How Gel-Infused Materials Changed the ConversationGel-infused foam is another material that changed the bedding industry, this time by going after the heat that traditional foam traps. Manufacturers blend gel straight into the memory foam, where they draw body heat away from the skin. This mix keeps the deep contouring people want, but with a cooler surface to lie on.Demand for that kind of sleep has climbed as more people name overheating as the thing wrecking their nights. And gel acts as that temperature buffer, lowering the surface heat and delaying the buildup rather than freezing all night. Sleepyhead Other Materials Reshaping What a Topper Can DoIn addition to the better-known topper materials, newer foam additions are getting more attention from shoppers who want a bed surface to do more than feel soft. And much of that attention still comes back to heat, since graphite and copper are often added to foam to help move warmth away from the body.Some sleep products incorporate materials such as gel, graphite, or copper to help with temperature regulation, though experts recommend evaluating overall performance rather than relying on material claims alone.Copper brings another layer to that cooling discussion, as it is a natural conductor of heat that can help regulate body temperature. And hybrid toppers take the same idea further by combining materials so the surface can answer more than one sleep problem at once.Which Material Is Best for College Dorm Beds?Of all the beds people try to make work, the dorm mattress is rarely known for comfort. The problem starts with the surface itself, often a stiff surface that gives the body little cushion. Without that cushion, shoulders and hips feel the bed first, so pressure relief becomes the first job a topper has to do.Heat comes next, since move-in often happens while dorm rooms are still warm and crowded. A dorm topper has to answer that second problem without forgetting the first one. And gel-infused memory foam fits that narrow need by adding cushion under pressure points while helping the surface hold less warmth.The right topper also has to survive move-out and repeated washing, which makes durability and easy upkeep part of the same dorm-bed decision.How Shoppers Are Choosing the Right MaterialWith most mattress decisions, choosing the right topper material comes down to the way a sleeper needs the bed to feel. And the first clue is how that sleeper lies down, since position decides where the body needs cushion and where it needs support. Dr. Jimmy Pajuheshfar told Forbes that “your preferred sleep position is a primary consideration when choosing a topper.”For example, a side sleeper often needs more give at the shoulders and hips, while a stomach sleeper usually needs a firmer surface to keep the body from sinking too far. And temperature follows that same logic, since a warmer sleeper may need a material that manages heat before softness becomes the deciding factor.Firmness also depends on the mattress underneath, since a topper has to correct the bed’s weakest point without creating a new one. From there, durability and budget help decide how much correction is worth paying for.The Best Material Depends on the SleeperSleep is now treated more like diet and exercise, with Certified Clinical Sleep Health Educator Terry Cralle telling BedTimes that “Sleep is foundational.” And anyone who has woken up hot or sore knows how quickly a bed can stop feeling like a place to rest. While a topper cannot fix every mattress problem, the right material can change the part of the bed the body feels first.Memory foam still appeals to sleepers who want pressure relief, while gel-infused foam speaks to those who want that cushion with less heat. Latex has its place for people who prefer more lift, though cost and feel make it less universal.The better choice depends on sleep style, temperature preference, and budget rather than comfort alone. And as materials keep evolving, the smarter purchase will come from knowing the problem first, then choosing the surface built to answer it.This story was produced by Sleepyhead and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Happy Joe's Community Block Parties celebrate America 250Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream invites families to celebrate at its America 250 Community Block Parties on Monday, June 29, from 4 to 8 p.m. at three locations in Davenport and Bettendorf. The Community Block Parties will feature Happy Joe’s Family Night specials, games, family-friendly activities, bounce houses, popcorn and a complimentary slice of [...] |
| |  Celebrity animals will steal the show at Quad Cities conventionsQC Fright Con and Planet Funk Con start Friday at the River Center, featuring a baby red kangaroo and the real-life pig inspiration for Moana. |
| | Being broke costs you 13 IQ points, according to science. Here's the number that changes everything.Being broke costs you 13 IQ points, according to science. Here's the number that changes everything.Your first $10,000 in savings is more than just a number in your bank account, but a threshold that fundamentally changes how you handle emergencies, make decisions, and build wealth. While $10,000 won’t make you wealthy, it creates financial stability, which is far more valuable, as stability establishes a foundation for everything else in your financial life.CreditNinja explored how saving $10,000 can unlock financial stability while transforming your brain and your life.Breaking Free from the Debt SpiralThe difference between having $200 in savings versus $10,000 becomes crystal clear the moment an emergency strikes. When your car breaks down or a major appliance fails, that repair bill can set off a chain reaction that’s difficult to escape.Consider getting a $1,000 car repair with only $200 in savings, for which you put it on a credit card at the current average interest rate of 23%. If you only make minimum payments, it could take nearly five years to pay off, costing you hundreds of dollars in interest alone. The next month, you have even less disposable income, which means you save even less. When the next emergency hits, you’re in an even worse position, causing a debt spiral.Now imagine the same scenario with $10,000 in savings. You pay for the repair with cash: no credit card, no interest, and no stress. Your monthly budget doesn’t change, but you handle the situation and move on. You have the same income and same job, but a completely different outcome.The Psychological Shift That Changes EverythingThe mental transformation that happens when you reach $10,000 in savings is just as important as the money itself. Research backs this up in powerful ways.A recent Vanguard study surveying over 12,000 investors found that having just $2,000 in emergency savings is associated with a 21% increase in financial well-being. Building up three to six months of expenses saved increases it by another 13%. Participants described experiencing a “confidence loop” that reinforced their sense of financial control and ability to reach bigger goals. CreditNinja Getting to $10,000 means you’ve already made financially healthy decisions by building habits and systems that got you there:Automatically saving a portion of your paycheck every two weeksCutting unnecessary spendingCooking more meals at homeTaking on side hustles or selling unused itemsThese habits are now built into your life and can compound over time, leading to healthier financial situations and ultimately financial freedom. With momentum on your side, you can set your next goal at $15,000 or $20,000. Your brain starts getting a dopamine rush from watching your bank account grow instead of from spending money on things you don’t need.Your Brain Actually Works BetterHere’s where the science gets truly fascinating: Beyond just feeling better, your cognitive abilities can literally improve when you’re not financially stressed.In 2013, researchers including Harvard economist Sendhil Mullainathan and Princeton psychologist Eldar Shafir published a landmark study in the journal Science. They tested the exact same farmers before their harvest (when they were poor) and after their harvest (when they had money). The results were striking. The mental tax of financial scarcity reduced cognitive performance by the equivalent of 13 IQ points. That’s roughly the same cognitive impairment as losing an entire night of sleep.When you’re broke and stressed about money, your brain literally cannot operate at the same capacity, and you make decisions from a state of panic, such as:Taking the first job offer you get instead of negotiating.Staying in an unhealthy work environment instead of leaving.Getting sucked into risky financial products.With $10,000 in the bank, your brain performs better. You feel safe to invest in developing your skills. You have the confidence to leave a toxic job and find better opportunities with better pay. You’re not just surviving anymore, but you’re thinking clearly and making strategic decisions about your future.Making Your Money Work for YouOnce you reach $10,000, you unlock the ability to make your money generate more money. This is the bridge that takes you from $10,000 to your first $100,000.A regular savings account isn’t enough: High-yield savings accounts offer significantly better returns, often around 4% or more, just for keeping your money there. This helps your savings grow passively while maintaining easy access for emergencies. CreditNinja Beyond your emergency fund, you can start investing additional savings.Retirement accounts offer powerful advantages. If your employer offers a 401(k) match, that’s free money you should prioritize. After maximizing your employer match, consider a Roth IRA to build tax-advantaged retirement savings.The inflation factor matters more than many people realize. With inflation currently around 3%, money sitting in a regular savings account actually loses value over time. Even high-yield savings accounts barely keep pace with inflation. That’s why investing becomes crucial for building real wealth.Most people underestimate the power of investing in the stock market through retirement accounts. These investments help you feel even more financially stable because you know you’ll have money when you retire and can’t work anymore.The Path Forward$10,000 is not some impossible dream destination. It’s a wall between you and a version of your life where you’re trapped in a vicious debt cycle, where stress and financial hardship sit at the center of every decision you make.Once you cross that $10,000 threshold, everything stabilizes. Your brain health improves, you make better decisions, you have more leverage in your career, you can finally save and invest with confidence, and, most importantly, you can sleep at night.You don’t need a six-figure salary to get there. You just need a system built on three levers:Cut a fixed cost to free up money each month.Automate savings so the decision happens without willpower.Add an additional source of income through side work or selling unused items.Remember that even $50 a month in savings is progress that adds up. The habits you build getting to your first $10,000 are the same habits that will carry you to $100,000 and beyond.Financial stability is about having options, reducing stress, and building a foundation for the life you want. Your first $10,000 is where that transformation begins.This story was produced by CreditNinja and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | 1 in 4 SMBs sign contracts as-is. Is your speed costing you?1 in 4 SMBs sign contracts as-is. Is your speed costing you?Are you someone who signs quickly to close a deal? Skipping contract review might help when time is of the essence, but it also may create risks that last much longer than the negotiation process.Many small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners feel pressure to sign contracts quickly. Whether this is due to a client’s readiness to move forward, a project's need to start on time, a payment waiting on a signature, or your closing deadline quickly approaching, in these moments of urgency, reviewing every clause can feel like a delay rather than a business priority.A recent Researchscape survey* commissioned by Rocket Lawyer suggests this is a common challenge: Nearly 1 in 4 business owners surveyed report signing contracts exactly as presented. This speed in signing might help you secure revenue quickly, but it can also mean accepting terms that create financial, operational, or major legal headaches later.The question isn't whether you should negotiate every contract, but whether you understand the risks you're agreeing to before you sign. Spending a few minutes reviewing key terms today can prevent expensive surprises months down the road.Not Every Contract Clause Carries the Same RiskContracts are not black and white, and some clauses deserve more attention than others.Clauses like payment terms can affect your cash flow long after the work has started; liability provisions can determine who pays when something goes wrong; automatic renewal clauses can extend contractual obligations, locking you into services you no longer need; and termination provisions can make it difficult to exit a business relationship that isn't working.However, most contract negotiations don't involve major disputes. In fact, many negotiations result in minor edits that clarify expectations and reduce risk for both parties.A Quick Contract Review ChecklistBefore signing, remember to consider whether you've reviewed:Payment terms and due datesScope of work or deliverablesTermination rightsAutomatic renewal provisionsLiability and indemnification clausesOwnership of intellectual property and licensing rightsDispute resolution requirementsYour goal shouldn’t be to become a legal expert. You simply need enough understanding to identify terms that could affect your business later.Why SMB Owners Skip Contract Reviews EntirelyOne of the main reasons owners will skip straight into signing is time. When you're managing customers, employees, operations, and finances, contract review often falls to the bottom of the list.Confidence also tends to play a big part in skipping reviews. Many owners encounter unfamiliar legal language and assume the contract is standard or nonnegotiable.However, many common contract clauses are routinely discussed and revised. Even the smallest clarifications can reduce misunderstandings and improve the working relationship. You don’t need to negotiate the entire sentence, but understanding the key terms and what will have the biggest impact on your business is vital when it comes to signing.Questions You Should Ask Before SigningBefore you sign your next contract, ask yourself these key questions:Which contract terms could create unexpected costs later? What happens if a project deadline changes, a payment is delayed, a dispute arises, or scope changes?Am I skipping the review because I don't understand the language? Would a quick explanation of key terms help me make a more informed decision?Do I know which clauses are commonly negotiated? Have I reviewed payment, liability, and termination terms carefully?Am I balancing speed with risk appropriately? Will signing today create obligations I'm not fully prepared for tomorrow?These questions can help you identify your contract risks before they become expensive problems.What to Do NextYou don't need to spend days reviewing every contract. A simple process can make contract review more manageable.Create a standard contract review checklist for your business and use it before signing any contract.Identify the clauses that matter most to your operations, such as payment terms, liability limits, and termination rights.Keep a list of recurring contract questions to make future reviews faster and easier.If a provision seems unclear or unusually restrictive, consult an attorney before moving forward.A little preparation can help you move quickly without sacrificing protection. The best contracts aren't necessarily the longest or most heavily negotiated, but the ones you fully understand before you sign.*Source: Researchscape, 2026 SMB Survey, conducted March 12-April 2026, n=1,102 U.S. adults. Commissioned by Rocket Lawyer.This story was produced by Rocket Lawyer and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Road repair results in temporary street closure in ClintonBecause of a road repair, the east-bound lane of 19th Avenue North from Springdale Drive to North 5th Street in Clinton will be closed. This closure will be in effect from Monday June 29-Wednesday July 1, weather permitting, a news release says. Motorists are encouraged to use caution, and allow extra travel time, and consider [...] |
| |  Enjoy food, music and 'Captain America' at Party in the Park, MolineStart the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary at the free Party in the Park in Moline! The Moline Parks and Recreation Department invites residents to the Party in the Park on Wednesday, July 1, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Browning Park, 1618 21st Avenue. This year's event will be the official kickoff to the city's [...] |
| | Police use of artificial intelligence grows as rules lag behindA police officer’s body-camera footage is transcribed directly into the ReportAI interface developed by software company Mark43. Police departments across the country are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to help draft reports, analyze evidence and manage massive amounts of digital data from body cameras, surveillance systems and case files. (Photo courtesy of Mark43)Hundreds of people fill a downtown street for a protest, waving signs and chanting as they march past businesses and government buildings. Overhead, a police drone records video of the crowd. Nearby traffic cameras and license plate readers capture faces, vehicles and movements along the route. With artificial intelligence, experts say, hours of footage can be analyzed in minutes, making it easier for police to track or target a participant long after the demonstration ends. As law enforcement agencies increasingly embrace AI, some civil liberties advocates, legal scholars and policing experts warn that the technology could amplify surveillance, introduce hidden biases into investigations and make it harder to challenge evidence in court. They also worry about a future in which AI takes on a more active role in policing and criminal investigations. “It’s especially concerning sort of the ways that these tools could supercharge that kind of surveillance and enforcement,” said Rachel Levinson-Waldman, the director of the liberty and national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy organization at the New York University School of Law. Levinson-Waldman has written extensively about the risks of police surveillance and the unregulated use of AI in policing. Artificial intelligence in policing is not new. For decades, law enforcement agencies have used data-driven and automated tools, including facial recognition systems, automated license plate readers, predictive policing models and video analytics that can flag objects or activity in recorded footage. What is changing is the speed, scope and complexity of those tools. As police departments accumulate growing volumes of digital evidence — from body camera footage and surveillance video to jail calls, social media records and case files — AI is increasingly being used to help sort, search and analyze that information. “AI is going to basically be able to sort through otherwise overwhelming amounts of data in ways that we just haven’t seen yet, and give police and prosecutors and the government a lot more power over us in ways that I think will be deeply uncomfortable for many of us,” said Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law professor at George Washington University and the author of “Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Policing in the Age of Self-Surveillance,” a book published this year. As AI-generated fake content mars legal cases, states want guardrails Cris Moore, a computer scientist and professor at the Santa Fe Institute, a research and education center, said the technology is advancing faster than agencies, regulators and courts are able to fully assess its implications, raising questions about transparency, accountability and the role automated systems should play in policing decisions. “It’s fair to say that the speed at which technologically created evidence has been adopted, and the aggression with which it’s being pushed makes it hard for the legal community to keep up,” Moore said. State legislatures and police departments are still developing rules to govern how AI can be used in public safety settings. While some agencies have adopted internal policies or vendor-specific guidance, there is no consistent national framework, and state-level approaches remain limited and uneven. At least two states, California and Utah, have recently enacted laws regulating the use of generative AI in police report writing, requiring disclosure when AI is used and adding safeguards around accuracy and oversight. More broadly, more than a dozen states have passed laws regulating related technologies such as facial recognition, drone surveillance and automated license plate readers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Emerging tech Some of the major companies offering AI-powered tools for law enforcement include Axon, Motorola Solutions, TRULEO, Flock Safety, Clearview AI and others. Their products can search body-worn camera footage, analyze large datasets, review digital evidence and case files and identify potential suspects through facial recognition. Some of these systems are built into centralized platforms that are able to pull and search for data from sensitive databases and police records. Quotation There are very real constitutional, statutory and practical risks with this new model of agentic policing. – Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, law professor at George Washington University Mark43, a cloud-based software company serving more than 300 public safety agencies, offers two AI-powered tools. ReportAI helps officers draft reports using information from dispatch records and body camera footage, while BriefAI summarizes case information for investigators and supervisors. Police agencies can choose which AI features to enable and who can access them, and the system maintains audit logs of AI-assisted activity. Mark43 told Stateline that dozens of agencies are using, testing out or evaluating the AI features. “Our core mission is to help responders spend less time on administrative work, so that they can spend more time serving in their communities,” said Wendy Gilbert, Mark43’s senior vice president of product. Some experts are wary of AI being used for decisions that could affect a person’s rights or freedom, such as identifying suspects, recommending enforcement actions or influencing arrests. Critics warn that AI-generated outputs can make mistakes, reflect biases in underlying data and create a risk that officers or investigators place too much weight on the technology’s recommendations. They also argue that many AI systems operate in ways that are difficult for the public — and sometimes even officers — to fully understand. AI bots are helping 911 dispatchers with their workload One source of concern is the possible advent of “agentic policing.” Future technologies could integrate body-camera footage, camera networks and other data sources into a single system capable of generating investigative leads, identifying potential suspects or suggesting connections between cases. Even if humans remain responsible for final decisions, critics say, such systems could shape investigative judgments in ways that make it more difficult to understand how conclusions were reached. “All that data is going to be dumped into an AI model, and they’re going to query it to say who’s the most likely suspect,” said Ferguson of George Washington University. “The AI is going to be running the agentic analysis of it and come up with the answer, and then police and prosecutors have to kind of work backwards to see if it’s accurate.” Ferguson warned that this flips the traditional investigative process on its head. “We’ve never started with an answer and made people work backwards,” he said. “There are very real constitutional, statutory and practical risks with this new model of agentic policing.” AI companies and some law enforcement agencies argue the technology is designed to assist officers, not replace them. They emphasize that officers are responsible for reviewing, verifying and approving AI-generated information, and that the tools are intended to reduce administrative work and help people navigate large volumes of data more efficiently. “AI should increase accountability, not reduce it, and so we’re doing everything in our will to provide transparency, governance and human control,” said Zach Barden, the lead product manager for AI at Mark43. In recent years, a growing number of police officers across the country have been accused of misusing AI-powered tools, including automated license plate reader systems, available through their departments to track people for personal reasons. In April, a former Costa Mesa, California, police officer pleaded guilty to using law enforcement databases and Flock Safety cameras to monitor his wife, a mistress and several romantic rivals. Similar allegations have surfaced in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Flock Safety, one of the nation’s largest providers of automated license plate readers, uses roadside cameras to capture images and video of passing vehicles, including license plates and basic vehicle details, and store them in searchable law enforcement databases. Some communities have reconsidered their use of automated license plate reader systems, with at least 30 cities ending or canceling contracts since early 2025 amid growing concerns about surveillance and data sharing, NPR reported in February. A Flock Safety representative was not available for an interview with Stateline before publication. In a May blog post, the company said misuse of its system is rare and noted that permanent audit logs help identify and investigate improper access. The company said the camera network has helped agencies recover missing people, connect cases across jurisdictions and identify suspects more quickly. Reshaping public safety operations While some law enforcement agencies have moved forward with early deployments, others are taking a more cautious approach as they assess potential benefits and risks. In Maryland, the Montgomery County Police Department, one of the state’s largest law enforcement agencies, is in the early stages of exploring potential uses of AI, including tools to support non-emergency call handling, translation and transcription services, and report writing to reduce administrative workload and improve efficiency. “We want to bring technology to policing, but we need to make sure that we do it safe(ly), we do it efficiently, and that when we do do it, we’re setting the community and ourselves up for success,” said Capt. Cody Fields, the director of the police department’s media and public information division. In Arkansas, officials are developing the Arkansas Criminal Intelligence Network, a centralized cloud platform designed to connect data across police agencies in the state and support the use of advanced AI-powered analytical tools. In Hawaii, the Maui County Council earlier this month approved a $1.7 million expansion of high-tech policing tools, including cameras and drones supported by AI to assist with real-time monitoring and emergency response. Last year, the Honolulu Police Department announced a pilot program with Axon, which offers a generative AI feature that helps draft police reports using video and audio transcriptions from body-worn cameras. Legal and evidentiary concerns Police reports often play a critical role in investigations and court proceedings, and some experts warn that errors introduced by AI systems could have significant legal consequences if they go undetected. Errors introduced by AI systems, including inaccuracies, omissions or misinterpretations of context and language, could influence how evidence is understood by investigators, prosecutors and judges. Experts and industry leaders generally point to a few safeguards: clear disclosure when AI is used in reports, mandatory human verification of all AI-generated text, regular independent auditing of tools, and training for law enforcement and legal stakeholders on how the systems function and how to trace outputs back to raw audio, video and other source evidence. Those recommendations align with a framework released earlier this year by the nonpartisan think tank Council on Criminal Justice, which calls for rigorous independent validation of AI systems, enforceable procurement standards, ongoing performance monitoring, and clear human oversight to ensure operators can override AI-generated outputs. “The pace of change is really pretty dramatic, and there’s a lot of energy and churn and attention to these issues,” said Jesse Rothman, the director of the Council on Criminal Justice’s task force on artificial intelligence. “The opportunities and the risks are really serious.” Stateline reporter Amanda Watford can be reached at awatford@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Stateline |
| | Iowa leaders insist they’ll make poor kids healthier, even if some have to go hungry.U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered remarks at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines May 20, 2026 in support of Gov. Kim Reynolds signing into law a "Make America Healthy Again" measure. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)Iowa is one of the most obese states in the nation. We’re a leader in high cancer rates. Our waterways are polluted. We also drink too much, even as the state controls the sale of $400 million worth of booze a year. And takes a healthy cut of that money for itself. Yet, Iowa leaders believe our population will be healthier if we make it harder for poor people to buy soda pop. Meanwhile, they shrug at the fact others guzzle it by the gallon. Absurd? Of course. This absurdity became even more evident this week when U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that Iowa and a handful of other states can’t stop poor families from using SNAP funds to buy soda and candy. Iowa’s restrictions on the food assistance program began in January. Republicans are in a snit over this. Gov. Kim Reynolds huffed that, regardless of the judge’s ruling, Iowa will persist in policing the diets of certain Iowa families. A new law she signed in May says if Iowa doesn’t get a federal waiver to enact the SNAP restrictions, then it will bail out of the federal government’s summer food assistance program for low-income children. In other words, kids, if we can’t stop you from buying a candy bar with government money, then you may have to go hungry altogether. (The last time Iowa ditched the summer program and created a state alternative, a lot fewer kids got fed. Participants also didn’t like the switch.) But what did you expect? This is the same state Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. credited with “bold public health leadership” when he was in Iowa last month. Kennedy clearly demonstrates this kind of leadership himself. Since taking office last year, he’s made vaccines harder to get and more expensive. He jettisoned scientific advisors and even presided over a resurgence of the measles, a disease the U.S. eradicated in 2000. Now, that’s bold leadership. Kennedy had planned to crack down on Big Ag, too. For years, he’d been a leading critic of the industry, especially its use of pesticides. But he got pushback from agriculture groups and their allies, so much so that when his Make America Healthy Again report came out last year, it recommended a “status quo” approach to pesticide regulation, according to NPR. “The current regulatory framework should be continually evaluated to ensure that chemical and other exposures do not interact together to pose a threat,” the report said. Nothing says bold leadership like continuing to evaluate the current regulatory framework. At least the Farm Bureau was happy. And our governor and legislative Republicans were so impressed by Kennedy they named a new law after MAHA. This is the law that puts restrictions on the SNAP program and allows for the wider distribution of the MAGA cure-all Ivermectin. There is no doubt too many in the U.S., and Iowa, have lousy diets. Sugary drinks and high calorie foods — and alcohol abuse — make us sicker. We clearly should do better, and federal and state policies, properly applied, could help. But making it harder for poor kids to buy soda and candy seems a bit like trying to stem a flood with a teaspoon when Iowa does so many other things to promote unhealthy behaviors. Iowa’s leaders have taken a hands-off approach to agriculture’s role in our polluted waterways. They’ve spent years ignoring our high cancer rates. We have highly permissive gun laws. Then, there is the state’s recent move to expand alcohol sales to Iowa State University’s football and basketball venues. Iowa has the highest rate of binge drinking in the country, according to a report in the Des Moines Register, yet we’re going to expand the sale of alcohol at — of all places — a college campus. Naturally, there is an element of hypocrisy at work with Iowa’s SNAP crusade. When Michelle Obama tried to make federally subsidized school lunches healthier, she was pilloried by Republicans. Iowa’s Rep. Steve King complained about the “nanny state,” and Donald Trump tried to undermine the law President Barack Obama signed in 2010 to try to accomplish this goal. Yet, somehow, Iowa Republicans and Kennedy Jr. seek to portray themselves as the avatars for a healthier America. Please. The truth is, a lot of Iowa Republicans just don’t like the SNAP program, healthy or otherwise. If they did, they would do something to improve the state’s lousy record processing SNAP applications. The USDA announced in April that Iowa ranks in the bottom 10 in the country at dealing with applications in a timely manner. Iowa’s timeliness rate fell to just shy of 65% in 2024, down from 77% the year before when it also ranked toward the bottom. Yet, our state’s Republican leaders do nothing. They just want to cut the program. Enrollment is down by 25,000 this year, and it’s not due to a better economy. Iowa doesn’t have one of those. Don’t think this is an accident. This is a party that claims to be “saving” Medicaid by stripping it of almost $1 trillion over the next 10 years. These cuts are putting hundreds of hospitals across the country at risk of closing, including three in Iowa. It also will lead to millions of Americans losing their health care coverage. None of this will make Americans healthier. Nor is it intended to. I admit, I don’t know how to make Americans healthier. But I doubt the answer is to make it harder for poor kids to buy soda pop, even as the state encourages unhealthy behavior in so many other ways. But who knows, maybe closing hospitals, ramping up liquor sales on college campuses, limiting vaccines and boosting Ivermectin use might help. If nothing else, it is a bold strategy. This column was originally published by Ed Tibbetts’ Along the Mississippi newsletter on Substack. It is republished here through the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Editor’s note: Please consider subscribing to the collaborative and the authors’ blogs to support their work. Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch |
| | Now rural communities are connecting, rather than just preserving, wildlife habitatsNow rural communities are connecting, rather than just preserving, wildlife habitatsOne of the best things about rural living is sharing the landscape with wildlife. Peering out the window and seeing a moose in the yard. Walking in the woods and catching a fleeting glimpse of a bobcat. Prowling ponds after dark to view the spring salamander migration. Sometimes their presence is taken for granted, but keeping wildlife as visitors, especially for a developing area, can require knowledge and intentionality.Historically, conservation groups have focused on protecting pristine places that have intact ecosystems. But a rising awareness in the last 20 years has prioritized the importance of connecting those different habitats, The Daily Yonder reports. Many animals need to move for their survival, and maintaining connections between habitat areas is crucial for preserving biodiversity and adapting to climate change. Rather than protecting natural islands in a sea of development, there is a need for islands of development in a sea of wild or semi-wild landscapes.“There’s a lot of overlap between ranchers and farmers, people who really care about hunting, and those who care about recreation and a quiet rural-feeling community,” said Kylie Paul with the nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation. “That overlaps with wildlife movement, and the value of keeping it intact is pretty robust across rural landscapes.”Habitat connectivity is a win-win for people, too, said Paul. Most towns want to encourage development while retaining their rural character, sense of place, and natural rugged feel. Minimizing sprawl and incentivizing density in towns can preserve those features while encouraging walkability and affordability.Local PlanningLocal governments have land-use authority over nearly two-thirds of land in the United States. Elected local officials and citizens can preserve wildlife habitat connectivity by guiding growth within their jurisdictions, for example, by protecting migration pathways and concentrating new homes near existing towns. In addition, conservation policies might be more successful now on a local level rather than the federal one. Many rural communities want increased development and planning to ensure it happens in the most desired places.To that end, Paul recently co-authored a study commissioned by Pew Charitable Trusts and released by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. “Integrating Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Into Local Government Planning: Examples, Recommendations, and Resources for U.S. Towns and Counties” incorporates case studies, policy tools, and suggestions on how to safeguard connected habitat.“It can be overwhelming and confusing for local governments to figure out what actions they can take to address ecological and community concerns over sprawl,” said Paul. “We found examples across the country to help anyone lacking capacity to do their own research. The resources section has ideas to embed habitat connectivity into long-range plans, zoning, and development reviews to guide growth.”The ability to enact habitat connectivity depends heavily on what is codified in local ordinances and plans. Paul said there are a variety of first steps for local governments, depending on what exists in the community. One fundamental decision is including wildlife and green space concerns in comprehensive or master plans, which usually require updating every five to 10 years.“Often, a community’s desire to preserve its rural character emerges when development pressures occur,” Paul said. “Unfortunately, that can be too little, too late. We hope this report encourages proactive efforts to help communities balance growth with conservation. It shares lots of options beyond regulation, like incentives and engagement with groups.”Mapping natural resources and communities is another important action to take, according to the report. Data about locations of endangered species and migration corridors often already exists on the state level, and local leaders can begin by compiling what is already known. Reaching out to state agencies and departments responsible for fish and wildlife can also be fruitful, as they may have staff who focus on land-use planning. Some states have funds or other resources to assist municipalities with more detailed planning. Armed with knowledge, communities can incorporate priorities into functional plans, zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, site plan reviews, or incentive strategies.Jericho, VermontVermont delegates most land use planning to its 268 separate municipalities. It also offers one of the most comprehensive programs to support them in that work, according to Jens Hawkins-Hilke, a conservation planning biologist with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department who offers technical assistance for habitat connectivity.“While Vermont is the most rural state in the lower 48 by some measures [Editor’s Note: Not all definitions of rurality rank Vermont as the most rural because different government agencies use different definitions of rural], sprawl development is a huge problem here,” Hawkins-Hilke said. “In many ways, it is our brand to live a rugged rural lifestyle at the end of a long driveway.”The town of Jericho has only 2,000 people, but it is located near Burlington, the state’s biggest city. It’s on the cusp of a development transition. In the 2010s, Hawkins-Hilke assisted Jericho in receiving a regional planning grant to conduct an extensive natural resources inventory. It identified special habitats such as rock cliffs that are important for bobcats and seasonal ponds crucial for amphibians.Residents gained a better understanding of what they have and how the presence of wildlife is connected to the current habitat and development pattern. The data — and an extensive outreach and educational campaign by local proponents — convinced the town to change its planning framework.In 2018, the municipality adopted a natural resource overlay that identifies sensitive areas. Threatened and endangered species, vernal pools, forested riparian areas, and rarer upland natural communities were ranked as primary “because they are rare, irreplaceable, unique, or otherwise essential.” Thanks to the regulatory tool of an overlay zone, Jericho is concentrating growth in village centers and protecting these primary wildlife areas.“The single most important element that makes things happen in Vermont is local volunteers,” said Hawkins-Hilke. “In Jericho, they hosted office hours for people concerned about regulations and explained how it would affect specific landowners. It went a long way to allay fears.”Chaffee County, ColoradoChaffee County, Colorado, is on the cusp of development for a different reason. With a population of about 20,000, the county has a long legacy of agriculture but is in the midst of an outdoor recreation boom. Its natural amenities include a high concentration of 14,000-foot mountains, a heavily rafted stretch of the Arkansas River, excellent fishing, and world-class mountain biking. When it came time to create a new comprehensive plan in 2020, retaining wildlife and rural character was top-of-mind.“Our neighboring communities have gotten famously unaffordable, and folks are getting priced out and moving to Chaffee County,” said Miles Cottom, the county’s community planning and natural resources director. “We would have loved to get started five years sooner.”Ten years before, the county had adopted uniform zoning of 2-acre lots, no matter the location. The results were land speculation, increasing rural traffic, and changes in wildlife movement. The new plan allows for the same amount of development but with different densities depending on the distance from towns. Some exemptions were added after meeting with members of the development and agricultural communities.Planning leaders were encouraged by a 2018 community survey, where over 90% of respondents said they would change recreation behaviors to accommodate wildlife. There was a broad mix of people who cared: wildlife advocates, sport hunters and fishers, even ranchers and farmers who had challenges with grazing wildlife among their livestock.The policies incentivize conservation subdivisions. Now, developments in “Conservation & Agriculture” districts can have one homestead per 35 acres. They are granted a quadruple density bonus if two-thirds of the land is preserved in perpetuity — a 300-acre development, for example, could have 32 lots on 100 acres if the remaining 200 contiguous acres are set aside for conservation.The fact that 85% of Chaffee County is federal public land led some residents to question the need for conserving the remaining acreage. Protections for both federal and local properties are necessary because migration corridors cross public and private lands alike. Plus, most people enjoy the rural lifestyle and small-town feel that the plans protect.“We had to find a balance between planning for wildlife habitat and allowing for the economic development that rural communities need to continue to survive,” Cottom said about the success of the Chaffee County plan. “I think we got there.”This story was produced by The Daily Yonder and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | 3 questions to ask before investing in a vacation home in 20263 questions to ask before investing in a vacation home in 2026Summer is the prime season for vacation home daydreams. A weekend cabin on the lake, a beachfront condo, a getaway in a mountain town — warmer months have a way of turning a passing fantasy into a serious search.That impulse is common. According to a 2024 IPX1031 survey of more than 1,000 Americans, nearly 1 in 5 prospective home buyers are looking to purchase a second home. And among those who already own a vacation property, a majority rent it out — or plan to — reflecting how often financial calculations temper the lifestyle appeal of a second home.Taking on a second home is a major commitment, and the right choice depends on property type, location, intended use, and timing. Hometap shares three key questions to work through before your summer search turns into a signed contract.1. Why Do You Want This Vacation Home?The first and most important question is the most personal: What's your primary goal?If the aim is relaxation and a reliable family gathering place, your ideal property looks very different from one you purchase primarily as a short-term rental income stream. These goals aren't mutually exclusive, but they pull in different directions — and trying to optimize for both without a clear priority can lead to a property that serves neither purpose well.As a buyer, how you answer this question also has direct legal and financial consequences. The IRS draws a firm line between a "second home" — a property used personally for part of the year — and an "investment property" — one purchased primarily to generate rental income. That distinction affects mortgage rates, loan terms, and tax treatment. If a property is rented for more than 14 days per year, the IRS requires that rental income be reported, and once rental use exceeds personal use, the property may be reclassified entirely. According to a 2025 IRS enforcement announcement, rental activity through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo has become a priority area for increased scrutiny."Many homeowners think that if they only rent out their vacation home a handful of times, it won't matter," a spokesperson for Clear Start Tax noted in September 2025. "But the IRS has specific thresholds, and even limited rental activity can change the tax treatment of the property. The line between a personal property and a rental property is thinner than most people realize."Practical questions worth answering up front include: How often will the property realistically be used? Will it be rented when not in use, and if so, short-term or long-term? Does the location make sense for that rental strategy — and for personal travel logistics? The answers shape nearly every decision that follows, from which markets to search to how to structure financing.2. Is Now a Good Time to Buy a Vacation Home?Market timing for vacation properties involves a combination of national real estate trends and the dynamics of a specific local or regional market — and in 2026, that picture is mixed.Buyers took out approximately 86,600 mortgages for second homes in 2024 — the lowest total since 2018, and just 2.6% of all mortgages issued that year. Elevated interest rates have cooled demand in some vacation markets, while prices in high-demand destinations have remained resilient. The Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price Index showed vacation home areas experiencing 4.8% annual appreciation in Q3 2025, slightly below the 5.3% recorded for primary residence markets, but still representing meaningful growth.At the same time, the short-term rental regulatory environment is tightening. From New York City's platform-verified registration requirements to new California legislation — Senate Bill 346, effective January 1, 2026 — giving cities the power to compel Airbnb and Vrbo to share listing data for tax enforcement, cities across the country are imposing new rules unevenly (and often, quickly). As one 2026 industry guide summarized, the regulatory landscape is now "ubiquitous but inconsistent, often introduced in response to specific concerns of that location." This makes local due diligence essential.What makes 2026 particularly interesting for vacation home buyers is the combination of evolving remote work policies and tightening short-term rental regulations in many popular destinations, as noted in a 2026 vacation home buying guide from AmeriSave. More buyers are considering properties they can genuinely use as extended-stay retreats rather than pure investment plays, which fundamentally changes the calculus on location and property type.Buyers should consult local real estate professionals familiar with vacation market dynamics, research any existing or pending short-term rental regulations in their target area, and evaluate whether their expected holding period aligns with the market's trajectory.3. How Will You Pay for Your Vacation Home?Financing a vacation home is more complicated than financing a primary residence. Second-home mortgages typically require at least 10% down — compared to as little as 3–5% for a primary residence — and interest rates generally run 0.5–0.75 percentage points higher.Lenders also apply stricter debt-to-income standards, capping combined debt-to-income (DTI) ratios at around 43–45%, since vacation properties carry higher default risk than primary homes. The Mortgage Bankers Association reports that 73% of vacation home loans in 2025 went to borrowers with credit scores above 720.If the numbers don’t quite add up, or if the budget is too tight for your liking, don’t worry about taking a step back. You can always develop a savings plan to work toward your goal of a second home, or look into alternative financing sources. You could also consider a more affordable property, such as a short sale or a timeshare. It’s important to make sure your second home aligns with your initial goal, whether that’s to be a gathering place for family or somewhere to unplug and destress, or to provide another income stream.Many buyers also consider leveraging their primary home’s equity to purchase a second home, utilizing home equity as a financing tool through a home equity loan, a home equity line of credit (HELOC), or a home equity investment.This story was produced by Hometap and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  Cook review: 'Death of Robin Hood' kills off anything merry in the legendIt takes a lot to gross me out. I've seen hundreds of horror movies - darned near walked out of a few, but I stuck with them because I figured I owed it to the filmmakers to see whether things improved (they didn't) - so it takes a lot to sicken me when it comes [...] |
| |  Family Bike Ride provides fun, fitness, ice cream in MuscatineFamilies, cyclists, and community members are invited to enjoy an afternoon of fun, fitness, and treats during the Melon City Bike Club’s annual Family Bike Ride on Sunday, June 28. The ride begins at 1 p.m. at the Charles & Jean Harper Pavilion on Houser Street. Riders of all ages will travel together along a [...] |
| |  Steamwheelers will present Military Appreciation NightThis Sunday, the Quad City Steamwheelers take the field at the Vibrant Arena at The Mark in Moline for Military Appreciation Night, presented by Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home & Crematory, a news release says. The Steamwheelers take on the Orlando Pirates. The pregame festivities will feature the Patriot Guard Riders arriving on their motorcycles, creating a [...] |
| |  Report warns Social Security benefits could face $455 monthly cut by 2032A new report warns Social Security can only pay 78 percent of full benefits by 2032, potentially causing a $455 cut to monthly checks. |
| |  Scam alert: Bettendorf police warn of phone scam targeting inmate familiesBettendorf police warn of scammers posing as officers to demand bond money over the phone from inmate families after viewing local inmate lists. |
| | The poop scoop: Dog digestion myths debunkedThe poop scoop: Dog digestion myths debunkedAs pup parents, we spend a lot of time handling dog poop, and as a key indicator of a dog’s health, it’s only fitting that we think and talk about it just as much. Unfortunately, what happens at the dog park doesn’t always stay there, and what you may think you know about your dog’s digestive health may actually be a load of…fiction. In this article, Ollie debunks the myths and common misconceptions.MYTH: If my dog is pooping consistently, everything’s OK.While regular pooping is a good sign, it’s not the only indicator of digestive health. You should also monitor:Stool consistency, color, and volumePresence of mucus, undigested food, or foreign materialsFrequency changes, straining, or signs of discomfortThese details can help detect issues like food intolerances, GI inflammation or nutrient malabsorption—well before other symptoms appear.MYTH: Kibble is as easy to digest as fresh foodKibble often contains processed ingredients, fillers, and low moisture, which can slow digestion. Fresh food tends to be more bioavailable—meaning nutrients are easier to absorb. However, digestibility also depends on the specific formulation and ingredient quality of either option.MYTH: Finding vegetable pieces in stool is a sign of improper digestionNot necessarily. Dogs lack certain enzymes to break down plant cell walls, especially insoluble fiber (like in carrots or corn kernels). Small visible bits in stool can be normal, particularly from raw or minimally processed veggies. However, excessive undigested matter could signal a need for:Improved digestive enzyme supportInvestigation into malabsorptionMYTH: Mucus in poop is always a bad signNot always. A small amount of mucus can be normal, as it helps lubricate the colon. However, persistent or excessive mucus, especially with diarrhea, blood, or straining, may indicate:Inflammation (colitis)Gut microbiome imbalanceFood allergies or parasitesVeterinary evaluation is warranted if mucus is frequent or accompanied by other symptoms.MYTH: Small poops are a sign my dog isn’t eating enoughThis is misleading. Smaller poops can actually be a sign of high nutrient absorption and food efficiency, which is common with fresh or raw diets. Larger poops, particularly if frequent and bulky, may indicate that the food has high filler content or low digestibility. It’s less about volume and more about quality, consistency and overall GI health.MYTH: All food transitions cause diarrheaNot true. Diarrhea is common during abrupt changes, but well-managed transitions (over seven to 10 days) often prevent issues. Signs of diarrhea during transition could also point to:Ingredient intoleranceSensitivity to fat or fiber changesUnderlying GI imbalanceA gradual approach and selecting digestible, high-quality ingredients are key to smoother transitions.This story was produced by Ollie and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | How controlled burns can help save taxpayers billionsHow controlled burns can help save taxpayers billionsFor decades, the U.S. Forest Service has actively managed public lands to reduce wildfire risks by clearing underbrush and trees, or employing prescribed burns — something Indigenous nations have practiced for centuries. Scientists have generally lauded the ecological benefits of what is also known as “fuel treatment.” Now, they say there’s another reason to support this approach: It saves money.According to a study published today in the journal Science, every dollar that the agency spent on such tactics was associated with avoiding $3.73 in smoke, property, and emissions harm. “A lot of people have suggested that there could be potential economic benefits,” Frederik Strabo, the lead author of the paper and an economist with University of California, Davis, told Grist. “But it’s been a pretty understudied area.”The study analyzed high-resolution data from 285 wildfires across 11 Western states between 2017 and 2023 that burned through areas where the Forest Service had reduced the fuel load. On average, the treatments decreased the total area burned by 36% and cut the amount of land burned at moderate to high severity by 26%. Researchers then modeled the economic benefits of those reductions.The paper estimated that fuel treatments prevented $1.39 billion in health and workforce productivity losses tied to wildfire smoke, $895 million in structural damage, and $503 million in carbon dioxide emissions. Overall, that amounted to an average savings of about $3.73 for every dollar the government spent. The research also found that larger treatments — those covering more than 2,400 acres — were the most cost effective.“It’s a significant number, but when you compare it to the total cost of wildfires it’s small,” caveated Strabo, noting that the cost of the worst disasters can reach hundreds of billions of dollars. But he also said the boon could be even greater than calculated. The research didn’t, for example, examine any savings or benefits for the multibillion-dollar outdoor recreation industry. “We’re only capturing a specific subset of benefits.”Morgan Varner, the director of fire research at the conservation nonprofit Tall Timbers, called the work “the missing link for a lot of fuels treatment research,” and said that data like this can be extremely helpful in guiding decision-makers. “Studies like this round out the story and provide more evidence for the benefits of these treatments.”David Calkin, who until last year was a Forest Service research scientist, also applauded the analysis, calling it “novel.” But he does not find the math entirely convincing, and questions the notion that such an intangible public good can, or should, be assigned a monetary worth. “A lot of the values of fuel management are non-market,” said Calkin, who wasn’t involved in the study. Ecological benefits, for instance, can be hard to quantify, as can things like public recreation access.“I’m not trying to reduce the importance of fuel management and the value of it. It’s just highly uncertain,” he said. “I worry about trying to monetize the value of treatments on public lands.”One issue Calkin notes is that such work on federal lands may not significantly mitigate the costliest fires, which ignite near communities and destroy homes and buildings. “The best way to protect a structure is at the structure itself,” he explained. That means the study could be overestimating the amount of property damage that clearing and prescribed burns avoid.Strabo disagrees, saying that an unpublished portion of the analysis found that fires that interacted with fuel treatments accounted for a disproportionately large share of structure losses and suppression costs. “That suggests [those fires] were often among the more economically consequential wildfires,” he said, pointing to the 2021 Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe as an example. “The fire still caused substantial damage, but treatments helped prevent it from becoming even more catastrophic.”One thing the paper explicitly didn’t account for was the smoke and carbon dioxide emissions that intentional fires produce. “We’re finding that’s not a nontrivial amount in our research,” said Mark Kreider, a Forest Service researcher. Because wildfire is unpredictable, he explained, you inherently have to treat more of the landscape than will actually encounter flames. How to best factor those emissions in is part of Kreider’s ongoing work, but he says it could potentially even flip an analysis like the one in Strabo’s paper. Still, he said, that doesn’t undermine the core point that fuel treatments are effective.“It’s very clear,” he said, “that on the whole they are very beneficial.”Not everyone supports such tactics. Critics argue they can harm ecosystems, disproportionately target larger trees, and open forests to logging under the guise of fire prevention. Some opponents also contend that this approach is less effective against extreme fires, while others question whether public funds would be better spent on hardening homes and communities.The federal government’s approach to forest management has shifted since President Donald Trump returned to office. In 2022, the Forest Service released a 10-year wildfire plan that increased forest management and prescribed burns. The Trump administration, which has announced plans to radically remake the agency, has placed greater emphasis on fighting wildfires than preventing them. According to the Forest Service, in 2025, the agency reduced vegetation on about 1 million fewer acres than in 2024.A Forest Service spokesperson attributed most of that decline to elevated wildfire activity in the Southeast. The agency also called 2025 “one of the most successful wildfire years in recent history.” But critics worry it is moving away from proactive forest management.“The takeaway that I really got from this article was that it provides further evidence that the administration’s current policy of full suppression in Western wildfire situations is misguided,” said Heather Stricker, a climate and lands analyst with the Sierra Club. While that approach might sound protective, she said a large body of research shows that it can often backfire. “This paper reiterated a lot of that previous research, but then took it a step further to quantify the cost savings.”The Trump administration has also announced plans to increase logging on federal lands. This has added to long-standing fears from environmental groups that instead of thoughtful, well-managed fuel treatment, the government could resort to clear-cutting. Even the paper notes this resistance. “Public pressure and risk aversion,” it reads, “skew wildfire management resources toward fire suppression rather than prevention.”Strabo is hopeful that by adding to the range of evidence supporting forest management, his paper could help guide policymakers. “We could have these economic and ecological benefits if we scaled it up,” he said. “It’s a critically underfunded public good.”This story was produced by Grist and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | Kansas GOP gubernatorial candidate Philip Sarnecki inflates personal record on voting frequencyPhilip Sarnecki, a businessman seeking the Republican Party's nomination for governor, said during a campaign stop he missed voting in just two elections in the past 20 years. Public records say he didn't vote in the 2012 general election or in five primary elections since 2008, which meant he didn't cast a ballot in the 2022 primary featuring the proposed abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. He is seen here after filing for office June 1, 2026, in Topeka. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)TOPEKA — Republican Philip Sarnecki’s stump speech at a campaign fundraiser in Leawood delved into his youth in Illinois, a prosperous business career, reasons for running for governor and a theory about how he could win the GOP nomination in August. He offered play-by-play on a call from a Kansas Republican operative inquiring about his willingness to abandon his campaign to be Senate President Ty Masterson’s running mate in the governor’s race. Sarnecki, while taking questions from the crowd, touted his record of participation as a voter in Kansas elections. And, that’s where his rhetoric ran up against hard facts. “I missed two primaries in 20 years. No general elections. Two primaries. That’s pretty good,” said Sarnecki, his comments recorded this week at the event. “One, I was sick, and one, we were out of the country.” The Voter View website hosted by the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office painted a different picture of Sarnecki’s vigilance in terms of casting ballots. The public record reveals Sarnecki voted in 15 elections during the past 17 years, but he missed the 2012 general election and the primary elections of 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022 and 2024. Sarnecki, who has taken a position in opposition to abortion, missed the August 2022 primary that featured a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to nullify a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision declaring the state’s Bill of Rights guaranteed Kansan women the right to end a pregnancy. The state court’s opinion shielded Kansas’ abortion rights law despite overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. The “Value Them Both” amendment on abortion was defeated in the statewide referendum by more than 160,000 votes. The “no” position received 557,000 votes, or 59.1% of the total, while “yes” drew 385,000 votes, or 40.8%. The amendment lost in all four congressional districts but fell short by the widest margin with 67.3% voting “no” in the 3rd District where Sarnecki resides. Sarnecki, who has not previously sought elective office, is competing in the GOP primary against gubernatorial candidates, including Masterson, Secretary of State Scott Schwab and former Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara, with significant records of opposing abortion. “That is so telling that he couldn’t even make the effort to vote in the ‘Value Them Both’ election,” O’Hara said in an interview. “That’s damaging. There’s no excuse.” In response to inquiries by Kansas Reflector, Sarnecki declined to explain his absence in five — not two — primary elections. He conceded he didn’t have a clean record of taking part in general elections. “The treasurer of my campaign was the treasurer for the ‘Value Them Both’ campaign,” said Sarnecki, referring to Julia Samaniego. “I’m proud of my strong pro-life record and the long history of my Republican voting record.” The secretary of state’s archive of voting participation among Kansans indicated Republican gubernatorial candidates Masterson, O’Hara, Schwab and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt voted in the August 2022 primary when the constitutional amendment on abortion was decided. In the campaign stop in Leawood, Sarnecki said a Republican political organizer called him before the June 1 candidate filing deadline to ask whether Sarnecki would be interested in a conversation about being on a ticket as Masterson’s lieutenant governor running mate. Masterson, who has served in the Legislature for 20 years, had just landed the endorsement of President Donald Trump, and former Gov. Jeff Colyer was preparing to exit the GOP governor’s race. Sarnecki, who sold wealth management, insurance and employee benefits companies in preparation for his campaign for governor, said he told the caller that he didn’t enter the Kansas gubernatorial contest in search of a title or a job. He eventually told the caller he had no interest in discussing at potential offer from Masterson and would continue his “outsider” campaign for governor. “I am definitely not running to join the establishment,” he told the fundraiser crowd in Johnson County. “I’m running to defeat the establishment.” Masterson selected state Sen. Jeff Klemp, a Republican from Leavenworth, to be his running mate. Sarnecki’s choice of a running mate was Joy Eakins, a former Wichita school board member who dropped her own campaign for governor. “I did not make that call to him,” Masterson said in a KSNT post-debate interview. “I don’t know if somebody in the party apparatus was trying to feel him out for something like that before they came to me. That might be true, but I did not, and by the way, would not, have offered him that spot.” Sarnecki, in his pitch to potential donors in Johnson County, said he was “dominating the ground game” in the GOP campaign. He said the race was a two-person contest between himself and Masterson. He said generating $1 million to $1.5 million in donations to pay for a major advertising surge could make the difference on Aug. 4. “We can absolutely win this race if we do the financial part that allows us to get the commercials done,” he said. Courtesy of Kansas Reflector |
| |  Australia plans to strengthen laws banning children from social mediaObservers said on Friday the government is responding to evidence that the ban on young children holding accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube had failed since it came into force in December year. |
| | America’s safest midsize cities in 2026America’s safest midsize cities in 2026Safety and security are major determinants of quality of life. That’s especially true in midsize cities, where residents may seek a balance of opportunity, affordability and peace of mind. While no place is risk-free, some midsize cities offer residents a stronger sense of everyday security than others.SmartAsset examined more than 300 midsize cities — those with populations between 65,000 and 250,000 — to identify the safest in the United States. Cities were ranked using composite scores that considered violent crime, property crime, traffic fatality rates and natural disaster risk.Key FindingsBroomfield, Colorado, is America’s safest midsize city. Broomfield boasts below-average violent and property crime rates — 1.5 and 19 per 1,000 residents, respectively — and a modest motor vehicle fatality rate of about five per 100,000 residents. Broomfield is also the only city evaluated with a Federal Emergency Management Agency natural disaster risk rating of “very low,” which reflects expected disaster losses, social vulnerability and community resilience.Little Rock, Arkansas, ranks last. High property and violent crime, elevated natural disaster risk and an above-average traffic fatality rate pushed Little Rock to the bottom of the ranking.Inland states account for most of the highest-ranked cities. Fifteen of the 20 safest midsize cities are in noncoastal states.Disaster risk can affect otherwise safe cities. Auburn, Washington, and San Ramon, California, have among the nation’s lowest violent crime rates for midsize cities, but each faces elevated natural disaster risk. Auburn is exposed to flooding, major earthquakes and potential lahars, or volcanic mudflows from Mount Rainier. San Ramon is also at risk of earthquakes, as well as wildfires and severe weather. Courtesy of SmartAsset Courtesy of SmartAsset The 75 Safest Midsize CitiesBroomfield, Colorado• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.48• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 18.56• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.02• Disaster risk: Very lowState College, Pennsylvania• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.53• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 7.64• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.63• Disaster risk: Relatively lowWarwick, Rhode Island• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.79• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 11.47• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.39• Disaster risk: Relatively lowAmes, Iowa• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.48• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 15.06• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.51• Disaster risk: Relatively lowLogan, Utah• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.37• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 11.3• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.68• Disaster risk: Relatively lowCarmel, Indiana• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.66• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 8.13• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.93• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateGreenwood, Indiana• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.09• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 15.29• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.1• Disaster risk: Relatively lowWaukesha, Wisconsin• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.14• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 8.75• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.69• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateCoeur d’Alene, Idaho• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.41• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 9.56• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 10.31• Disaster risk: Relatively lowAppleton, Wisconsin• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.01• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.47• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.88• Disaster risk: Relatively lowEau Claire, Wisconsin• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.62• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 19.06• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.44• Disaster risk: Relatively lowFranklin, Tennessee• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.32• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 9.43• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.51• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateSt. Charles, Missouri• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.34• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 8.87• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.09• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateNewton, Massachusetts• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.49• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 5.99• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.03• Disaster risk: Relatively highDubuque, Iowa• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 4.01• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 14.35• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.76• Disaster risk: Relatively lowAlexandria, Virginia• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.19• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 26.4• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.8• Disaster risk: Relatively lowEagan, Minnesota• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.03• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 17.7• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.92• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateRockville, Maryland• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.5• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 15.23• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.62• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateFrederick, Maryland• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 4.06• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 16.74• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.96• Disaster risk: Relatively lowLehi, Utah• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.88• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 5.41• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.61• Disaster risk: Relatively highRochester, Minnesota• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.54• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.68• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.03• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateGaithersburg, Maryland• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.53• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.12• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.62• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateNashua, New Hampshire• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.61• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 12.61• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.78• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateChapel Hill, North Carolina• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.72• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 25.15• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.87• Disaster risk: Relatively lowNovi, Michigan• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.99• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 6.55• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.67• Disaster risk: Relatively highNaperville, Illinois• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.84• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 8.84• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.91• Disaster risk: Relatively highGeorgetown, Texas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.91• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 11.7• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.74• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateCollege Station, Texas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.7• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 11.03• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 9.56• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateBethlehem, Pennsylvania• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.06• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.69• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.71• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateKenosha, Wisconsin• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.86• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 8.66• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 9.22• Disaster risk: Relatively moderatePocatello, Idaho• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 3.41• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 15.87• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 11.45• Disaster risk: Relatively lowBoise, Idaho• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.94• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 11.1• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.9• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateBurnsville, Minnesota• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.1• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 18.89• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.92• Disaster risk: Relatively moderatePortland, Maine• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.67• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 24.79• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.87• Disaster risk: Relatively lowPlymouth, Minnesota• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.51• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 10.24• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.51• Disaster risk: Relatively highSt. George, Utah• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.1• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 10.03• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 10.33• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateOshkosh, Wisconsin• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.32• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 14.52• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.35• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateWaltham, Massachusetts• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.52• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 6.99• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.03• Disaster risk: Relatively highBarnstable, Massachusetts• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 4.1• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 7.85• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.42• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateRoseville, California• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.19• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 14.2• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.2• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateFarmington Hills, Michigan• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.98• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 6.81• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.67• Disaster risk: Relatively highBloomington, Indiana• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.87• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 27.18• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 6.99• Disaster risk: Relatively lowBentonville, Arkansas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.55• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 8.28• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 11.27• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateEast Lansing, Michigan• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.2• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 12.2• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 9.74• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateWest Des Moines, Iowa• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.65• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 17.14• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.91• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateConcord, North Carolina• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.59• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 11.05• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 12• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateLawrence, Kansas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 4.62• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 21.57• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.8• Disaster risk: Relatively lowAllentown, Pennsylvania• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.72• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 15.69• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.57• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateEden Prairie, Minnesota• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.73• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 12.79• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.51• Disaster risk: Relatively highIowa City, Iowa• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 3.21• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 16.74• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 6.21• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateProvidence, Rhode Island• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.77• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 16.58• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.2• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateAnn Arbor, Michigan• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 3.02• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 17.16• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 6.61• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateRound Rock, Texas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.31• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 19.41• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.74• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateTroy, Michigan• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.16• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 12.77• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.67• Disaster risk: Relatively highKettering, Ohio• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.42• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 15.01• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 13.12• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateCentennial, Colorado• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.73• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 17.09• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 9.64• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateGrand Island, Nebraska• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 3.68• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 17.6• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 13.22• Disaster risk: Relatively lowEdina, Minnesota• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.73• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 14.9• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.51• Disaster risk: Relatively highAthens-Clarke, Georgia• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 4.06• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 22.76• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 10.07• Disaster risk: Relatively lowFramingham, Massachusetts• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 3.25• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 10.54• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 4.03• Disaster risk: Relatively highManchester, New Hampshire• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 3.36• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 16.48• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.78• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateBolingbrook, Illinois• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.82• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 7.79• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 8.4• Disaster risk: Relatively highNew Braunfels, Texas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.56• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 12.84• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 13.4• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateSugar Land, Texas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.78• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.84• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 6.85• Disaster risk: Relatively highGrand Forks, North Dakota• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 3.59• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 22.82• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 11.48• Disaster risk: Relatively lowMooresville, North Carolina• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.17• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 21.52• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 14.81• Disaster risk: Relatively lowBend, Oregon• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.68• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.62• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 13.06• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateOrem, Utah• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.74• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.6• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.61• Disaster risk: Relatively highScranton, Pennsylvania• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.81• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.45• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 11.19• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateLenexa, Kansas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.83• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.47• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.58• Disaster risk: Relatively highProvo, Utah• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.07• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 12.71• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 5.61• Disaster risk: Relatively highGreen Bay, Wisconsin• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 4.95• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.12• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.55• Disaster risk: Relatively moderateCary, North Carolina• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.71• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 13.17• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 7.85• Disaster risk: Relatively highThousand Oaks, California• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 1.02• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 10.21• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 9.06• Disaster risk: Relatively highSan Angelo, Texas• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 2.18• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 24.86• Auto fatalities per 100,000 residents: 13.22• Disaster risk: Relatively lowMethodologyNatural disaster risk was calculated by converting the county risk rating in FEMA’s National Risk Index, as of April 2026, for the county in which a particular city is located to a five-point numeric scale. Traffic fatality rates were sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Property and violent crime rates were sourced from the FBI’s 2024 issue of Crime in the United States, the most recent year available. Each metric was weighted and combined into a composite score used to rank the cities. Crime data reflects offenses reported by law enforcement agencies serving each city and may not perfectly align with municipal boundaries. County-level traffic fatality and natural disaster risk data were used as proxies for city-level conditions. Midsize cities were defined as those with populations of 65,000 to 249,999 and classified based on U.S. Census Bureau 2024 population estimates. Only cities designated as principal cities within their metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas according to U.S. Census Bureau definitions were included. Source data providers are not affiliated with, and do not endorse or sponsor, this study or its findings.This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| | America’s founding promise of religious freedom long coexisted with prejudiceAmerica’s founding promise of religious freedom long coexisted with prejudiceAs the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its independence, old questions have returned about who belongs and whose religious practices are truly protected in the country.At the start of the year, an arson attack significantly damaged the oldest synagogue in Mississippi. Two days later, local officials in Oklahoma rejected a proposal to build a mosque after opponents declared Islam “hostile to our Constitution.” A Texas GOP congressman complained on social media that a Hindu festival was a “third world” practice. These incidents come amid resurgent claims that the United States is a Christian nation.All this has happened even as President Donald Trump has emphasized a particular idea of religious liberty throughout his second term. In his proclamation for Religious Freedom Day in 2026, he emphasized familiar ideas of Americans’ “God-given right to practice their faith, follow their conscience, and worship their God freely and without fear.” But the statement also seemed to reflect a broader project of lending government support to Christianity. The proclamation linked support for religious liberty with projects to eliminate “anti-Christian bias.”The tension between embracing religious liberty and the marginalization of other religions in favor of Christianity is not new. Ideals of religious freedom have long coexisted with religious discrimination or outright bigotry, David Mislin, an assistant professor of intellectual heritage at Temple University, writes for The Conversation. Importantly, however, history also offers a lesson for the present by showing the important role U.S. Christians have played in combating such bigotry.Religious freedom in theoryAs the founders built a new nation, many emphasized the importance of religious liberty. Shortly after independence in 1776, Thomas Jefferson began drafting the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. When enacted a decade later, the law declared that Virginians’ “civil rights” did not depend on their “religious opinions.” Civic participation was not limited to members of particular traditions, and there was no state-funded church. The law was a foundational step to prevent government from discriminating against citizens on the basis of their beliefs.The Virginia statute provided a template for the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791. The amendment prohibits Congress from enacting laws that favor particular religions or interfering with free religious practice. It represents a key safeguard for personal belief against the power of the federal government.Legal safeguards did not mean that all religious groups were treated equally, however. In reality, many Americans imagined the new nation to be a Protestant country.Official and unofficial religious discriminationDespite protections at the federal level and in some states, including Virginia, state and local governments were not bound by First Amendment protections until the 1920s. Religious discrimination in civic life was commonplace for the nation’s first 100 years.North Carolina prohibited Catholics from holding public office until the 1830s and Jews from doing so until the 1860s. New Hampshire’s Constitution banned all non-Protestants from holding public office until 1877.Smaller instances of religious bigotry abounded as well. In some public schools, including in large cities such as Philadelphia, students of all religions were required to read the Bible and sing Protestant hymns. Jewish Americans were often forced to work on their Sabbath and found themselves barred from some hotels and resorts, especially in the second half of the 1800s.At times, hostility to religious minorities even fueled outright violence. The Philadelphia Bible Riots of 1844 began when the city’s growing Catholic population challenged the use of a Protestant Bible translation in public schools. Anti-Catholic nativists responded with force, and the ensuing conflict left over a dozen people dead.Toward a ‘Judeo-Christian’ AmericaThings slowly began to change soon after the nation’s centennial in 1876. As I explore in my work, rising indifference toward religion among many Americans, as well as outright atheism, pushed many Protestant leaders to reevaluate how they treated their Catholic and Jewish neighbors.Echoing a distrust of atheists that runs deep in U.S. history, these Protestants believed that any religion — even a non-Protestant one — was better for society than no religion at all. This conclusion prompted many Protestants to more fully affirm Catholicism and Judaism. By the early 1900s, it had become common for Protestant ministers to challenge religious bigotry, as one Minnesota clergyman did when he publicly lamented the “false notions and wretched prejudices” held against Jews.This attitude gained support among the nation’s leaders. President Theodore Roosevelt took a major step by publicly praising Catholics and Jews. He insisted that their religious affiliations did not keep them from being “full Americans.”After appointing the first Jewish Cabinet member in U.S. history, Roosevelt boasted “in my cabinet at present, there sit side by side Catholic and Protestant, Christian and Jew.”There was soon a backlash to the growing acceptance of religious diversity. The 1920s witnessed the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. Its anti-immigrant campaigns targeted Catholics and Jews with particular force.Still, the idea that Jewish and Catholic Americans were equal stakeholders in American society took root. By the 1950s, politicians, academics and religious leaders described the United States not as a Protestant country but a “Judeo-Christian” one.Expanding multiculturalismThe Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 opened a new chapter for religious pluralism in the United States. The law ended restrictions on immigration from non-European countries. Consequently, the number of practitioners of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam increased significantly.Christian groups lobbied strongly for these changes. The National Council of Churches, which represented the country’s major Protestant denominations, lent its significant clout to support the legislation. U.S. Catholic organizations likewise endorsed the 1965 law. For many Catholics, earlier experiences of discrimination and prejudice guided their desire for a more welcoming, inclusive immigration policy.After 1965, religious diversity became far more visible to ordinary Americans. Earlier generations of immigrants — including Catholics and Jews in the 1800s — typically settled in ethnic enclaves. By contrast, immigrants now settled in diverse suburban communities. Newly arrived Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims often lived next door to Protestant, Catholic and Jewish families.As in earlier periods, these developments were not entirely harmonious. The 1980s and ’90s witnessed violent attacks against both the institutions and individual practitioners of minority religions. Islamic centers and Buddhist temples were targeted in places ranging from Massachusetts to Minnesota, to Tennessee. The large population of Hindu Americans in northern New Jersey endured a wave of violence against individuals. Despite these instances, scholar of religion Diana L. Eck chronicled in her 2001 book “A New Religious America” how fully the religious nature of the U.S. had been transformed as the nation became characterized by multiculturalism.While religious minorities have often faced exclusion and hostility, many Americans have long believed that guarantees of religious liberty promise a more inclusive society. In its 250th year, that promise is being tested once again.This story was produced by The Conversation and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. |
| |  South Korean ex-first lady sentenced to 7 years for bribery scandalThe former first lady had previously been sentenced to four years in a separate case involving the Unification Church. |
| | New report offers strategy for reducing homelessness in the QCs.A new regional report offers a practical, evidence-based strategy to reduce unsheltered homelessness across the Quad Cities through coordinated investments, shared goals and collaboration across city, county and state lines. The report came from a regional event held in April that brought together over 100 leaders from the nonprofit, public and private sectors. The event [...] |
| |  Memorial bench honors 7-year-old stabbed to death in GalesburgThe bench was donated by the community and is in Kiwanis Park in Galesburg. |
| |  $8.9M roadmap aims to help 1,500 people exit homelessness in the Quad CitiesA new report outlines an $8.9 million plan to help over 1,500 people avoid or exit homelessness annually in the Quad Cities through coordination. |
| | Michigan House Democrats pitch transparency, community benefit requirements for data centersState Rep. Joey Andrews (D-St. Joseph) unveils House Democrats proposals for regulations on data centers. June 25, 2026 | ScreenshotThroughout the state, Michigan residents have clamored for transparency and protections as large-scale data centers seek to make their home in the Great Lakes State. On Thursday, Michigan House Democrats rolled out a set of regulations they say will help address residents’ concerns. According to the sponsors, House Bills 6135–6142, would ensure these energy-intensive facilities bear the full cost required to provide them with electricity, require community benefits agreements for developers looking to build in Michigan communities, set guardrails on water usage and require a study to determine how much noise data centers emit. The package also includes a ban on nondisclosure agreements between developers and local officials when tax incentives are on the table, project labor agreement requirements and plans for a decommissioning fund communities can use to restore a data center site if the project fails. Rep. Joey Andrews (D-St. Joseph) told reporters three additional bills are also in the works. One of these bills would require data centers to meet energy efficiency requirements, while another would require regular reporting on data center water and energy use. The third would create energy rate requirements, which Andrews said would make sure the state meets its goal of 100% clean energy by 2040 and that data centers are not bringing more fossil fuel resources online. The bills introduced on Thursday focused on similar concerns as a set of policies put forth by the Michigan Senate last week, though lawmakers took different approaches on the specifics of their proposals. Andrews and State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) proposed different standards for contracts between data centers and energy companies, and the Senate package does not include legislation on noise pollution. While Democrats have put forth potential regulations in each chamber, some lawmakers are continuing to advocate for a statewide moratorium on data centers, with state Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) arguing Michigan residents need immediate assurance that they will not wake up to a data center proposal moving forward next to their property. State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) speaks out against changes to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees Code of Ethics and Conduct aimed at tamping down dissent from board members. June 3, 2026 | Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance Runestad introduced Senate Bills 1018–1020, which would pause data center development until April 1, 2027, mirroring a package Reps. Jennifer Wortz (R-Quincy), Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) and Joseph Fox (R-Fremont) introduced in February. While Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she would not sign off on a moratorium, she has spoken in support of policies to protect Michigan’s natural resources, make sure data centers deliver on their promises of jobs, and ensure Michigan residents don’t see energy cost increases from data centers coming online. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) has expressed support for regulations requiring data centers to utilize closed-loop cooling systems, protections against increased energy costs and policy promoting collaboration between communities and data center developers. While Andrews was one of the sponsors of a 2024 package creating new tax breaks for data centers, he told reporters the conversation around data centers has shifted since the legislation was signed into law. “I think there’s a lot of reason to still be excited about these projects, you know, they’re huge employers, they’re huge taxpayers, they bring the knowledge economy to the state, but I think what we’ve heard is that people are really concerned that the protections weren’t strong enough,” Andrews said. Now that the projects are coming to the state, it’s the Legislature’s job to be responsive to those concerns, he said. Courtesy of Michigan Advance |
| | Lee, Whiteside County residents concerned about data center constructionThe Lee County Industrial Development Association (LCIDA) advertised a piece of land east of Rock Falls by Highway 30 as ideal for a data center. |
| | Resignations, hirings, other Central DeWitt School District personnel news from June 16The following personnel items are from the June 16 agenda of the Central-DeWitt School Board. |
| |  Elevated Treatment and Recovery Solutions to open Monday in East MolineElevated Treatment and Recovery Solutions, a new drug addiction treatment center, opening Monday with open house and ribbon cutting. |
| | Dangerous heat and humidity just around the cornerClouds, some rain, and easterly winds will hold highs down into the 70s Friday. It warms up more tomorrow, and you'll really notice the heat and humidity starting Sunday. Some rain is possible today, but we'll see a better chance Saturday night with some storms. Here's your full 7-day forecast. |
| | 3 in 10 NJ woman can’t access reproductive healthcare, study showsNearly 30% of New Jersey women can't access the reproductive healthcare they need, a new study shows. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)Nearly 30% of adult women under age 50 in New Jersey did not get the reproductive healthcare they needed in recent years, according to new survey data designed to measure the impact of the federal effort to limit access to reproductive healthcare in the U.S. Initial results from the Urban Institute’s Reproductive Health Experiences and Access Study include input from some 2,800 women from New Jersey on accessing pelvic exams, cervical cancer screenings, birth control, fertility assistance, menopause treatments, care for irregular periods, and services for people who are transgender. New Rutgers program aims to study the female brain The results show 29% of Garden State women ages 18 through 49 said one or more of their reproductive care needs were unmet, compared with 30% nationwide. The rate in New Jersey rose to 36% for women who lacked health insurance or were covered by a public insurance system like Medicaid, 37% for those who were lesbian or transgender, and 42% for women who were disabled. “The differences among the subgroups are important to highlight,” said Emily Johnston, an Urban Institute researcher who is leading the work. The first cohort of study data, released this week, is based on interviews from 2024 and 2025 with more than 50,000 women in 13 states, including New Jersey. While the survey also included a racial breakdown, Johnson said the differences in New Jersey were statistically insignificant. The research does not confirm the cause of these gaps in care, but Johnson said states with restrictive abortion policies and limited Medicaid coverage appear to have higher rates of unmet reproductive care needs. New Jersey has codified abortion rights in state law, required insurance coverage for the procedure, and taken other steps to protect reproductive access. It also has an expansive Medicaid program that covers nearly 2 million residents. Lawmakers in New Jersey are also poised to pass a bill that would strengthen protections for reproductive and LGBTQ+ healthcare providers and patients, following a push from advocates who warn these services are endangered by the Trump administration and conservative state governments. The Urban Institute survey shows access to specific services varies in New Jersey. Some 16% of respondents were unable to get cancer screenings or other preventative procedures; 1 in 10 missed out on treatment for heavy, painful bleeding, often a sign of uterine fibroids; and 8% could not get birth control. Most respondents were not seeking care for menopause, but of those who did, nearly half went without treatment. Assemblywoman Heather Simmons (D-Gloucester), the champion of a new law that expands insurance coverage for menopause treatment, is also looking for ways to reduce the unmet need. “I’m going to tell you unabashedly that New Jersey is the leader now in terms of health insurance coverage for perimenopause and menopause,” she told the New Jersey Monitor earlier this month. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of New Jersey Monitor |
| | Suspended gender-affirming care brings on dire mental health concerns for trans kids in ColoradoChildren's Hospital Colorado is pictured this month at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. (Photo by Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Young LGBTQ+ people can connect with a crisis counselor at The Trevor Project by texting “START” to 678-678. Drawn by Colorado’s broad protections for transgender youth, a Texas family packed up and moved to the state almost three years ago. Their teenaged daughter had asserted who she was “from the minute she could talk,” her mother said. “Once we started affirming her, it was just like the first time we ever saw her really smile — not just like the fake smile with her mouth, but in her eyes, too,” she said. “And she was just so happy. She was incredibly anxious and sad and weepy in her early childhood, and as soon as she was affirmed, she was just so outgoing and confident.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. But the family hasn’t been able to access the gender-affirming medication the 15-year-old relies on since January, when Children’s Hospital Colorado stopped offering that care to minors due to threats from the Trump administration. “We really looked at this state as a sanctuary state, and so that’s why it’s so incredibly heartbreaking that we’ve moved really for no reason now, it feels like,” the mother said. The family requested anonymity in this story out of fear for their safety. Even following a court order in mid-May that required Children’s Hospital to reinstate care for transgender youth, doctors were wary of refilling prescriptions for patients under 18. The doctors who offer gender-affirming care through Children’s Hospital’s TRUE Center for Gender Diversity “have each independently decided not to prescribe or renew gender-affirming medications for minors,” according to a statement from the hospital. The doctors’ refusal to provide care was first reported by The Colorado Sun. Children’s Hospital said it is in compliance with the court order that required it to reinstate gender-affirming care for minors into its scope of care, since it would allow doctors to offer the care. The TRUE Center providers are employees of the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, and the hospital cannot direct a provider’s “independent clinical decisions.” “These are medical providers who have dedicated their entire careers to building relationships with and caring for gender-diverse patients, and these decisions were not made lightly,” the hospital statement said. CU Anschutz said in a statement that providers determined that “the risk of federal threats to their practice of medicine is too great to safely prescribe gender-affirming medical care for patients under 18 years of age.” “This was a difficult decision, and the providers had to consider the potential impacts of their decisions on their ability to continue caring for all patients, including gender-diverse youth, in the future,” the university statement said. Quotation We really looked at this state as a sanctuary state, and so that’s why it’s so incredibly heartbreaking that we’ve moved really for no reason now, it feels like. – Colorado mother of a trans teen A December declaration from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy threatened to pull Medicaid and other federal funding from any facility that provided gender-affirming care to minors. Colorado joined several other Democratic-led states in suing, and an Oregon judge ruled the declaration was unlawful in March. Four families sued Children’s Hospital after it initially stopped offering care to their children in January. The family Newsline interviewed for this story is referred to by pseudonyms in the lawsuit due to safety concerns. The same is also true for the other plaintiffs. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in May that the hospital violated the state’s anti-discrimination law when it stopped offering care like puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender young people but continued offering it to cisgender children for some hormonal conditions. The hospital has never provided gender-affirming surgeries for minors. The state’s highest court directed a lower court to issue a preliminary injunction against the hospital. The lower court earlier this month issued the injunction, which required Children’s Hospital to resume gender-affirming care for patients under 18. ‘Extremely traumatized’ It takes a while to build trust with a doctor for such specialized care, the mother said. Her daughter had finally become fully comfortable with her doctor at the TRUE Center after two years under their care, and to “have that provider ripped away overnight again was incredibly distressing.” Following her cessation of care in January, the teen started having chronic nightmares. She handed her mother a note when she dropped her off at school one day that explained the nightmares in detail, concluding the note with “if I don’t see you again, I love you.” Colorado Supreme Court tells Children’s Hospital to resume gender-affirming care Her mother immediately picked her back up from school and took her to her pediatrician, who suggested she go right to Children’s Hospital — which the family was already in the process of suing. As a parent, she was “so angry at Children’s,” she said. The teen was admitted for a two-week inpatient program and then a four-week partial hospitalization program at Children’s Hospital, and during that time, she revealed she had planned to take her own life. “We went from winter break, she was happy as could be, having sleepovers with her friends, had a boyfriend, straight As at school, like thriving — to finding out that care was being taken away from her again and just slowly, just wasn’t coming out of her room, didn’t want to socialize with her friends,” the mother said. She said her family was already “extremely traumatized and wary of the medical establishment” when they first got to Colorado, “and this experience has only reinforced those feelings.” The family previously traveled out of Texas a few times a year to access gender-affirming care, and when they first moved to Colorado, they were on a waitlist for an appointment at the TRUE Center, so out-of-state travel for care continued. Surgery is almost never a consideration for transgender youth, and it was never part of the teen’s care. Her mother does not like to share many more healthcare details, because she said there is no other situation where the medication prescribed to someone is so publicly scrutinized. “How dehumanizing is it that people think that it’s for public consumption what type of medical intervention trans people receive?” she said. Shifting blame Paula Greisen, one of the attorneys representing the families in the case, said the hospital is shifting the blame from its own leadership to the providers in “a very transparent attempt to circumvent the court order.” “First they were sacrificing the children, and now they’re pointing the fingers at the doctors and medical providers, saying, ‘It’s their fault, they refuse to provide care,’” Greisen said. The families say in the lawsuit that “no reputable medical provider would justify refusing care to patients because of their religion, color of their skin, or any other protected category,” and that Children’s Hospital leadership is “doing exactly that” because transgender people are “villainized and denigrated by the current presidential administration.” The Colorado Supreme Court, in its ruling directing the district court to issue the injunction, acknowledged the severity of the threat to pull federal funding from the hospital, but the threat of harm is still speculative. The harm to transgender youth who are unable to access necessary medical care outweighs the potential harm the hospital may face, the ruling said. “I think it’s just incredibly disappointing that the hospital has put all this energy into preemptively complying with a corrupt administration instead of pushing back and going to bat for their patients and their doctors,” Doe said. It’s impossible to quantify “how devastating” it is for the affected children to lose their care and go to court to fight for it, Greisen said. Going untreated can have “have enormous, lifelong consequences” for children with gender dysphoria, she added. “I don’t think I can explain what it’s like for a child who is worried about having the onset of puberty happen because your doctors refuse to renew or prescribe your puberty blockers,” Greisen said. A 2024 survey by The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention organization for young LGBTQ+ people, found that 46% of transgender and nonbinary young people considered suicide in the last year. In July, the Department of Justice subpoenaed Children’s Hospital for patient data as part of an investigation into off-label use of prescriptions for gender-affirming care. The hospital is fighting that subpoena. Denver Health also stopped offering gender-affirming care to youth in January and has yet to resume that care. Some primary care offices offer gender-affirming care to transgender minors, but Children’s Hospital and Denver Health were the largest providers. Cessation of care at Children’s Hospital is estimated to have affected about 800 patients. Many offices that specialize in gender-affirming care have long waitlists for patients. While Colorado has shield laws that protect gender-affirming care providers and patients from criminal prosecution and subpoenas by other states, those protections don’t extend to the federal government. Colorado also passed a law that prohibits insurance plans from limiting or denying gender-affirming care that a doctor identifies as medically necessary. Hospitals in Texas and Ohio have stopped offering gender-affirming care as a result of settlements with the U.S. Department of Justice. A grand jury in Texas is pursuing criminal charges against gender-affirming care providers. In the case before the Denver judge, Children’s Hospital filed a request for a jury trial last week, and the plaintiff families filed a motion for class certification to include all adolescent transgender youth who have sought care at the hospital. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Colorado Newsline |
| | Hills and HollowsThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Henry County just south of Rock Island is a farm county of formerly rolling prairie, as if gentle ocean swells had… |
| |  How well do you know your Reflecting Pool news? Because the quiz will test youThis week, the beleaguered body of water faced new woes. Plus soccer, gambling and U.K. politics! |
| |  Ex-NOAA employees re-create a valuable climate data site shut down by TrumpFormer NOAA staffers have launched a new website that provides climate information. It replaces a government site that was shut down when the Trump administration took office. |
| |  Venezuela reels from earthquakes as rescuers scramble to find survivorsAs Venezuela begins counting the cost of its deadliest quake disaster in over a century, a shattered economy and struggling health system threaten to slow recovery efforts. |
| |  Reflecting Pool liner was cut with a sharp knife or razor, National Park Service saysA top official at the National Park Service says a liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project. |
| |  UN agency pauses evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz after attack on vessel
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| |  King Charles III will not live at Buckingham Palace after its costly refurbishmentThe decision was announced Thursday during a briefing on royal finances at which Charles became the first British monarch to reveal the taxes he paid to the government. |
Thursday, June 25th, 2026 | |
| |  Muscatine softball defeats Assumption 7-5Muscatine defeated Assumption in game one of a double-header 7-5 in nine innings. |
| |  Steamwheelers enter week 16 on a two game win streakThe Quad City Steamwheelers return to action Sunday after a bye week, riding a two-game win streak and facing a critical stretch to close the season. |
| | Reel Moments Make Real Impact: Marine Toys for Tots Encourages Outdoor Play(NewsUSA) - June marks the start of summer—a season defined by adventure, exploration, and the simple joys of childhood. June also highlights National Fishing Week, celebrated June 6-14, making it the perfect time for Marine Toys for Tots to champion outdoor play through its Give and Go: Outdoor Adventures Start with You initiative. Building on meaningful experiences that connect children with nature, the initiative helps children discover the confidence, curiosity, and joy that come from spending time outdoors.In support of this initiative and in the spirit of National Fishing Week, Toys for Tots partnered with local Toys for Tots Coordinator Gina Capate to host a hands-on fishing event in Maple Shade, New Jersey—giving foster children a chance to connect with nature in a fun, supportive setting.On a warm morning, 24 local foster children gathered by the water, not only to learn how to fish, but to experience something deeper: a sense of belonging. Alongside volunteers, local leaders, and law enforcement officers—many of whom personally invited and mentored the children—they practiced patience, teamwork, and resilience. What organizers fondly referred to as the “Cops and Boppers” event became more than recreation—it was a powerful example of how relationships and trust are built through shared, positive experiences.Each child left with a fishing pole and a bag of their own, but also with an enduring feeling that their community sees them, values them, and is willing to invest in their happiness. Moments like these may seem small, but they are seeds of confidence and possibility that extend far beyond a single day.“This fishing event was about more than spending time on the water—it was about creating moments where children feel supported, encouraged, and included,” said Lieutenant General Jim Laster, USMC (Retired), President and CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “Sometimes all it takes is one opportunity to spark confidence that can last a lifetime.”For millions of underserved children, access to these opportunities is far less certain, but no less important. Safe outdoor play, educational toys, and enriching books are not always within reach.Ensuring opportunities for these children is the heart of our Give and Go: Outdoor Adventures Start with You initiative.“Outdoor experiences help children discover confidence, patience, and a sense of possibility that stays with them long after the day ends. Every child deserves the chance to step outside, try something new, and realize what they are capable of,” said Lieutenant General Laster.It is often in these moments that children begin to recognize their own potential. These aren’t grand experiences, but they are powerful ones. Through Give and Go: Outdoor Adventures Start with You, donations are transformed into fishing poles that teach new skills, soccer balls that spark a new hobby, books that ignite curiosity about the world, or games that encourage creativity and problem-solving. These experiences create space for children to simply be children.This is what the American public’s generosity makes possible—and why outdoor play, educational toys, and meaningful experiences remain at the heart of Toys for Tots’ mission. Your generosity helps ensure that moments like this aren’t the exception—but something all children can count on.Because Outdoor Adventures Start with You—and every child deserves to be celebrated.To learn more about Toys for Tots and its year-round mission or to donate, visit toysfortots.org. |
| | Lee, Whiteside Counties concerned about possible data center constructionThe Lee County Industrial Development Association (LCIDA) advertised a piece of land east of Rock Falls by Highway 30 as ideal for a data center. |
| |  ‘We don’t have anything on the books,’ No data center plan for Lee County, officials sayCounty leaders said they haven’t talked to anyone about a data center during a board meeting Thursday evening. |
| |  New Vibrant director envisions more variety in future showsThe Vibrant Arena's new director, Rik Edgar, has spent 20 years in the business of event management. "I've always admired what they had at the Vibrant Arena and when the opportunity came up I jumped at it," said Edgar. "It was a great opportunity for me." New Vibrant Arena Director Rik Edgar says he wants [...] |
| |  Task force to tackle homelessness for 1,200+ a year in the QCAAn effort to tackle homelessness in the QCA will take the next step in a move to help more than 1,000 people a year who wind up in the situation. A report from a consultant hired by the Quad Cities Community Foundation determined about 1,200 single adults a year wind up homeless in the Quad [...] |
| |  RI deputy fire chief announces retirementAfter 25 years of dedicated service to the City of Rock Island, Deputy Chief Greg C. Marty has announced his retirement from the Rock Island Fire Department, effective Aug. 20, according to a Facebook post. Marty began his career with the Rock Island Fire Department on Aug. 20, 2001, and has served the community with [...] |
| |  Legal experts and lawmakers discuss solutions to attorney shortage in rural communitiesLegal experts and politicians gathered Thursday to address a growing crisis: nearly half of Iowa’s 99 counties have 10 or fewer practicing attorneys, leaving rural communities struggling to find legal representation. |
| | Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Rock Island, plans new food pantrySacred Heart Catholic Church, 2810 5th Avenue, Rock Island, will host a groundbreaking at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 28, for the new Sacred Heart Food Pantry to be located on site at the parish, a news release says. The Sacred Heart Food Pantry is the oldest, longest-running food pantry in the Quad Cities and one [...] |