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

Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
	Expanded MercyOne Genesis Eldridge clinic ready to open Friday The newly completed expansion of the MercyOne Genesis Eldridge Family Medicine at 301 N. 4th Ave., will officially open on Friday, Feb 13.
	Galesburg toy company receives state grants to expand educational mission Lux Blox in Galesburg received two Illinois grants totaling more than $170,000 to expand research with Bradley University and improve its building.
	Boozie’s granted rent freeze extension Boozies moved from the downtown location they called home for decades into the Freight House.
	Solar-farm freeze continues in Davenport as council grants extension The Davenport City Council voted to extend a moratorium on new solar farms and freestanding solar panels Wednesday.
	Moline begins decade-long lead service line replacement project Moline is launching a long-term project to replace lead and galvanized water service lines, with construction starting this spring and homeowners paying no cost.
	Iowa bills to crack down on speeding advance Two bills to crack down on speeding in Iowa are up for consideration. House File 2023 cleared committee. It would increase the fine for drivers caught speeding 20 miles an hour over the speed limit in a school zone, neighborhood or business district to $285 and add $5 to the fine for every mile over [...]
	Davenport announces latest round of homeowners for DREAM Project The City of Davenport has announced that the latest round of homeowners to be awarded money through the Davenport DREAM Project, a news release says. The city received 285 applications for $1.2 million in available funding. The city tentatively approved 41 projects for current homeowners and eight new homeowner projects to receive DREAM funding awards. [...]
	Illinois considers FRESH program for SNAP transition Illinois lawmakers are considering a plan to help with the transition to new SNAP work requirements. House Bill 4730 would create a program called FRESH (Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger). If SNAP is terminated, a household would receive three times their final monthly SNAP benefits. If SNAP is reduced, the household would receive three [...]
	From page to screen to audio, Muscatine author launches trio of new projects Max Allan Collins is known for his bestselling murder mysteries, comics and screenplays. Now, he's got a new movie, new audiobook series and a new mystery book.
	MercyOne Genesis Eldridge Family Medicine expansion to open doors to patients, Friday The newly completed expansion of the MercyOne Genesis Eldridge Family Medicine location will officially open this week.
	AI brings Supreme Court decisions to life Like it or not, the justices are about to see AI versions of themselves, speaking words that they spoke in court but that were not heard contemporaneously by anyone except those in the courtroom.
	Iowans welcome National Guard members home from Syria The 250 National Guard soldiers were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
	DREAM Project funding awarded to 7th round of Davenport homeowners Davenport has announced their latest round of homeowners to be awarded money through the Davenport DREAM Project.
	Two fallen Iowa National Guard soldiers to get new honor Iowa congressional delegation is supporting to honor two Iowa National Guard soldiers by naming
	RAGBRAI for Rookies event taking place in the Quad Cities this weekend Organizers with the Quad Cities Bicycle Club will offer tips on training, safety and what to expect from this year's 390-mile ride across Iowa.
	Autopsy results returned in LaSalle County crash An autopsy on a man who had been reported missing and was found dead on Monday has been returned from the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office.
	February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Here's what you need to know Dawson V with Family Resourced joined The Current to talk about how teen abuse looks different from adult abuse, warning signs parents should look out for and more.
	Quad Cities International Airport prepares for phase 2 of modernization project Phase two of Project Gateway is set to begin in early spring. It will renovate the airport gift shop, upgrade bathrooms, move them closer to baggage claim and more.
	Muscatine author Max Allan Collins discusses new projects Collins is known for work such as Ms. Tree and Road to Perdition, and in the coming days he'll be showcasing a new film and releasing an audio book drama series.
	Firefighters rescue dog from morning attic fire A dog was rescued from a morning attic fire that started from an electrical space heater. No injuries were reported.
	Skellington Manor presents It's a Mystery comedy dinner shows If you like to figure out 'whodunit,' Skellington Manor in Rock Island has some great interactive dinner shows to check out! Barb Engstrom joined Our Quad Cities News to talk about the It's a Mystery comedy murder mystery shows. For more information, click here.
	Western Illinois University Career Center to host career expo The event is open to all students, alumni, and community members who are college graduates or currently enrolled in a degree program.
	School bus hit by suspected drunk driver in Moline on Tuesday night The bus was transporting 18 Rock Island High School cheerleaders and coaches. No students were injured in the crash.
	Death Notice: Bim Prichard A funeral service for Bim Prichard, 75, of DeWitt, will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, at First Congregational United Church of Christ, DeWitt. A luncheon will follow in the fellowship hall. Visitation will be Saturday, Feb. 21, from 2-4 p.m. at the church. Schultz Funeral Home, DeWitt, is assisting the family with arrangements. Mr. Prichard died Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. Online condolences may be made at www.schultzfuneralhomes.com. A full obituary will appear in the Feb. 18 edition of The NSP.
	Rock Island Public Library presents Immigration: Fact, Fiction and Solutions Immigration is ever-present in the news, and a free forum from Quad Cities Civic Conversations will look at the issues. Dr. Peter Kivisto joined Our Quad Cities News with details on Immigration: Fact, Fiction and Solutions. For more information, click here.
	Watch: Members of the Iowa National Guard return from deployment About 250 soldiers who had been deployed to the Middle East are returning.
	Bettendorf police release video showing drivers passing stopped school buses; reminder issued A recent video was shared by the Bettendorf Police Department showing what not to do near a stopped school bus.
	Sabula police ask for help in finding missing clock The Sabula Iowa Police Department needs your help in finding a staple of Sabula community history.
	Trump administration again rejects Illinois’ request for disaster aid from August storm The denial by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, released Saturday, Feb. 7, is related to storms that impacted Boone, Cook, Kane, McHenry and Will counties, resulting in flooding, wind and hail damage, blocked roads and power outages.
	Preschool Palooza kicks off for Davenport Community School District Davenport families were invited to an interactive event to learn more about preschool in the Davenport Community School District.
	Bettendorf Police remind of school bus driving safety A recent video was shared by the Bettendorf Police Department showing what not to do near a stopped school bus.
	Iowa State Senators propose legislation to entice the Chicago Bears to the Hawkeye state The bill, SF2252, would amend the state’s major economic growth attraction, or MEGA program, to include sports stadiums. Currently, the program allows tax incentives for advanced manufacturing, biosciences, or research and development. It’s available for businesses that invest at least $1 billion in Iowa.
	Iowa rates high for flu as influenza A and B spreads: CDC As one variant of the flu virus starts to decline, another is rising to take its place.
	The airspace around El Paso is open again. Why it closed is in dispute The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly closed the airspace around El Paso, only to reopen it hours later. The bizarre episode pointed to a lack of coordination between the FAA and the Pentagon.
	El Paso airspace closure due to use of U.S. military anti-drone technology The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly closed the airspace around El Paso, only to reopen it hours later. The bizarre episode pointed to a lack of coordination between the FAA and the Pentagon.
	In a blow to the banks, Illinois’ pioneering swipe fee law survives first legal challenge A federal judge has upheld a first-of-its-kind Illinois law that protects consumers and retailers from paying so-called credit card “swipe fees” on taxes and tips.
	Cesar Toscano: What the Bad Bunny concert meant to me as a Puerto Rican Education Reporter Cesar Toscano talks about Bad Bunny, through his Puerto Rican roots.
	Driver suspected of DUI sideswipes school bus in Moline; no students hurt A driver suspected of being under the influence sideswiped a bus carrying Rock Island High School students Tuesday night in Moline, but no students were injured, police said.
	'Dawson's Creek' star James Van Der Beek has died at 48 Van Der Beek played Dawson Leery on the hit show Dawson's Creek. He announced his colon cancer diagnosis in 2024.
	Bus carrying Rock Island High School cheerleaders struck by car Tuesday night No injuries to cheerleaders or coaches were reported after a crash Tuesday night, though the bus driver and driver of the other vehicle were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
	In Iowa, demand for romance literature continues to grow and evolve Across the U.S., demand for romance books continues to boom, including locally. This Valentine’s season, the genre has reached a fever pitch thanks to the success of media based on romance books, including LGBTQ hockey romance Heated Rivalry and Netflix's Bridgerton.
	Barely There Theatre's “word play,” February 19 through 28 With Barely There Theatre's latest presentation landing, as its company originator and playwright says, "just in time to be late for Valentine's Day," busy area-theatre participant (and Reader theatre reviewer) Alexander Richardson brings the world premiere of his first-ever script, word play, to Moline's Black Box Theatre February 19 through 28.
	Iowa lawmaker proposes committee to study shifting Illinois counties to Iowa An eastern Iowa lawmaker has introduced a bill to create a committee that would study whether some Illinois border counties should become part of Iowa.
	1 hospitalized after Moline vehicle/school bus crash A vehicle was heavily damaged after it sideswiped a school bus containing students in Moline last night. A news release from the City of Moline says a Johannes Bus Service vehicle transporting Rock Island High School students was struck by a driver who is suspected of driving under the influence on February 10 at about [...]
	Garage fire in Rock Island displaces one family late Tuesday Fire-fighting efforts were initially hampered by down power lines.
	Have you seen these suspects? Crime Stoppers wants to know! Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities wants your help catching two fugitives. It’s an Our Quad Cities News exclusive. You can get an elevated reward for information on this week’s cases: PEDRO RUIZ-URBINA, 40, 5’5”, 165 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. Wanted by Silvis Police for criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a [...]
	Galena police: Driver tried to save man after crash Galena police have released new details about a fatal crash Sunday night, saying the driver tried to save the victim before officers arrived.
	5 from RIMSD 41 honored by State Board of Education Five district team members from Rock Island-Milan School District 41 (RIMSD 41) have been recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education 2026 Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards program. The prestigious statewide program honors educators who have made significant contributions to Illinois public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools, demonstrating excellence, [...]
	A Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump was convicted of sexually abusing children A handyman from Florida who received a pardon from President Trump for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted on state charges of child sex abuse and exposing himself to a child.
	A country-pop newcomer's debut is your reinvention album of 2026 August Ponthier's Everywhere Isn't Texas is as much a fully realized introduction as a complete revival. Its an existential debut that asks: How, exactly, does the artist fit in here?
	Clinton County sued over wind turbine restrictions Several landowners are suing the Clinton County Board of Supervisors, claiming new zoning rules effectively block wind turbine development.
	Geneseo Girl Scout achieves Gold Award with stage project A Geneseo Girl Scout has achieved the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, for creating a safe and sustainable stage for the community for local performances and community members to use year-round. “Before starting my project, there was only one performance stage in my town, located in the middle of the city,” says Hannah McGee. “I [...]
	'How early can I trim my oak trees?' \| Plants and Gardens Each week, News 8's plants and garden expert Craig Hignight joins us in studio to take your gardening questions.
	'Project Gateway' second phase begins at the Quad Cities International Airport Renovations are scheduled to begin in early spring this year and will improve the gift shop, restaurant, and reintroduce an observation deck.
	'What can gardeners do to protect against voles?' \| Plants and Gardens Each week, News 8's plants and garden expert Craig Hignight joins us in studio to take your gardening questions.
	Colona City Council votes to stay with garbage hauler, despite recommendation to switch Aldermen on Monday voted 5-3 to remain with LRS as the city's garbage hauler despite staff recommendations to switch to Republic.
	Power lines hamper crews at Rock Island garage fire A Rock Island garage fire on 6th Avenue displaced a Quad-Cities family Tuesday night. Downed power lines hampered crews.
	Late-night fire in Rock Island displaces one family A garage fire in Rock Island threatened nearby structures, was slowed by downed power lines and displaced one family, the fire department said.
	River Action hosts 18th annual Henry Farnam Evening River Action invites the public to the 18th Annual Henry Farnam Evening on Thursday, March 26, at St. Ambrose’ Rogalski Center, 518 W. Locust Street in Davenport. The evening celebrates regional history, innovation and the legacy of influential people who shaped the Quad Cities and American agriculture. Doors open at 5 p.m., with heavy hors [...]
	Controlled burn in Galesburg may produce smoke for several days Police say a controlled burn in Galesburg may produce heavy black smoke visible for the next two to three days and does not require a 911 call.
	Trinity Muscatine Public Health offers mental health training Trinity Muscatine Public Health wants to help the community learn to help people experiencing a mental health or substance use issue. The group is offering free mental health training sessions to help residents recognize warning signs and take action when someone is facing a mental health or substance use challenge. The Mental Health First Aid [...]
	Lawmakers consider a statewide policy to prohibit students from using cell phones during school The New Mexico Senate Education committee on Feb. 9, 2026, advanced a proposed bill that would require all school districts adopt policies banning student cell phone use during the school day. Stock photo by Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images)Lawmakers from the Senate Education committee advanced a proposed bill on Monday that would require all school districts and charter schools to adopt policies banning students from using their cell phones during the school day. If Senate Bill 23 passes, districts would need to implement this policy beginning next school year, starting with middle schools in the first year, high schools in the second and elementary schools in the third year. Legislation passed and signed into law last year required districts to develop policies, but did not require cell phones be banned during the school day, prompting criticism from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that the law did not go far enough. The policy requires that schools enforce the ban and provide consequences for violations, which will be up to each district to decide. They would also decide whether phones are banned the entire day or allowed during breaks like lunch. The bill includes $1 million for the purchase of locked phone pouches or storage lockers. Sen. Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque) is a Spanish language teacher, who supported the bill and appreciates there is a medical exception for students. “Last year, I had a student whose cell phone was his glucose monitor. So in class, it was in his line of sight at all times, and he could tell me, ‘I need to go get a snack’ when his sugar dropped. I didn’t have to wait until he had a seizure in my classroom,” she said. Cell phone bans are becoming more common across the country. Florida was the first to enact statewide laws in 2023 and one district saw students’ test scores and attendance improve after the second year of the policy. Some New Mexico lawmakers debated the need for a statewide policy since some schools have already created cell phone bans without legislation. Yvonne Garcia, deputy secretary for the division of student support services in the Public Education Department, said of the 188 school districts in the state, 98 districts already have a cell phone ban in place. The committee passed the bill 7-to-2 and it now goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Courtesy of Source New Mexico
	Downed power lines slow Rock Island firefighters at garage fire A news release from the City of Rock Island said the Rock Island Fire Department responded to a structure fire late last night. Rock Island firefighters were called to the 2500 block of 6th Avenue for a report of a structure fire on February 10 at about 11:47 p.m. When crews arrived, they found a [...]
	Data shows that home ownership by cohabiting couples is on the rise Data shows that home ownership by cohabiting couples is on the riseFor the 18% of first-time homebuyers who are currently unmarried, the traditional sequence of "marriage then mortgage" has effectively flipped. Property acquisition is no longer a post-wedding milestone; it has become a prerequisite for financial stability.Driven by a decade of persistent rental inflation and a lack of entry-level inventory, pooling capital has moved from a lifestyle choice to an economic necessity. This shift marks a fundamental decoupling of residential real estate from traditional domestic timelines, Underwood Law reports.According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the median age for first-time buyers recently hit a 40-year high. For observers nationwide, the data suggests a clear realignment of priorities: Securing a primary residence is increasingly taking precedence over statutory marital status. Domestic partnership is being redefined by equity partition.The Strategic Case for Early Asset AcquisitionBeyond the legal complexities, the move toward early market entry is increasingly viewed as a long-term capital preservation strategy. The data highlights a distinct wealth-building delta that persists across market cycles. According to an analysis by the NAR in 2023, the median net worth of a homeowner remains approximately 40 times higher than that of a renter, a gap driven largely by non-liquid home equity.For many, the core advantage is equity velocity. By initiating a mortgage amortization schedule years before a potential marriage, individuals capture capital appreciation and compounding equity during critical growth cycles.In high-demand corridors, even a five-year delay in acquisition can outpace aggressive savings rates, effectively barring entry into the starter-home segment as valuation premiums rise. For observers, this behavioral shift suggests a calculated prioritization: market timing is being favored over traditional social sequencing.Economic Constraints and Shared Equity ModelsThe divergence between housing costs and median household income has compressed the entry-level market to historic levels.Data from the NAR report above indicates that first-time buyers accounted for just 21% of all property transactions in the preceding 12-month period. It is a record low. For many, the "joint-tenancy" model is the primary mechanism utilized to secure a foothold in high-cost-of-living areas.This trend mirrors a broader demographic retreat from marriage. Figures from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics show the U.S. marriage rate dropped to 6.1 per 1,000 people in 2023, a decline from 8.2 in 2000. As this rate shifts, the residential market is seeing a rise in "co-borrowing" between partners who lack statutory marital protections. For observers, this represents a move toward an "access economy" where the asset, not the institution, is the priority.Technical Titling: Tenancy in Common vs. Joint TenancyA primary point of technical friction for unmarried buyers lies in the distinction between "Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship" and "Tenancy in Common" (TIC). While married couples often default to "tenancy by the entirety", a protected legal status in many states, unmarried partners must manually select a titling structure that reflects their financial contributions.In a TIC arrangement, each individual holds a specific percentage of the asset. This structure allows for an unequal equity partition, potentially reflecting disparate down payment contributions, but it also complicates the liquidation process. Under TIC rules, an individual’s share can be encumbered by external liens or defaults without the other partner’s consent.For observers of the legal landscape, this creates a risk profile that is absent in traditional marital frameworks, where the asset is generally protected from the individual debts of a single spouse.Consequently, the absence of automatic legal guardrails requires a proactive approach to asset management, as the deed becomes the primary determinant of financial autonomy.The Lack of Legal Safety NetsStandard marital law provides an exit strategy for homeownership. Unmarried couples operate without that safety net. Without established legal precedents for asset division, a domestic split can lead to a "real estate hostage situation."These stalemates occur when one party seeks to liquidate its interest—perhaps to pursue a labor market opportunity—while the other party refuses to sell. In these scenarios, the property becomes a cage. Without a pre-existing legal framework, resolving the deadlock typically requires a partition action. These are technical, costly, and time-consuming legal maneuvers to force a sale.For some, the use of cohabitation agreements can mitigate these risks. These private contracts function as an "equity exit strategy," codifying how a sale will be triggered and how proceeds will be divided long before a conflict arises. It serves as a technical solution to a systemic social shift.Outlook for the Unmarried Ownership EconomyMarket projections for the residential sector suggest that unmarried joint-ownership is not a transient surge. It is structural. As the median buyer age remains elevated and capital requirements for entry-level homes stay high, the reliance on joint-equity agreements is expected to increase.For the modern market observer, the defining metric is no longer a marriage license. It is the robustness of the legal agreement protecting the asset. As the "ownership economy" continues to evolve, the ability to navigate shared equity without the traditional guardrails of marital law will remain a critical focus for the residential sector.This story was produced by Underwood Law and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Data shows that home ownership by cohabiting couples is on the rise Data shows that home ownership by cohabiting couples is on the riseFor the 18% of first-time homebuyers who are currently unmarried, the traditional sequence of "marriage then mortgage" has effectively flipped. Property acquisition is no longer a post-wedding milestone; it has become a prerequisite for financial stability.Driven by a decade of persistent rental inflation and a lack of entry-level inventory, pooling capital has moved from a lifestyle choice to an economic necessity. This shift marks a fundamental decoupling of residential real estate from traditional domestic timelines, Underwood Law reports.According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the median age for first-time buyers recently hit a 40-year high. For observers nationwide, the data suggests a clear realignment of priorities: Securing a primary residence is increasingly taking precedence over statutory marital status. Domestic partnership is being redefined by equity partition.The Strategic Case for Early Asset AcquisitionBeyond the legal complexities, the move toward early market entry is increasingly viewed as a long-term capital preservation strategy. The data highlights a distinct wealth-building delta that persists across market cycles. According to an analysis by the NAR in 2023, the median net worth of a homeowner remains approximately 40 times higher than that of a renter, a gap driven largely by non-liquid home equity.For many, the core advantage is equity velocity. By initiating a mortgage amortization schedule years before a potential marriage, individuals capture capital appreciation and compounding equity during critical growth cycles.In high-demand corridors, even a five-year delay in acquisition can outpace aggressive savings rates, effectively barring entry into the starter-home segment as valuation premiums rise. For observers, this behavioral shift suggests a calculated prioritization: market timing is being favored over traditional social sequencing.Economic Constraints and Shared Equity ModelsThe divergence between housing costs and median household income has compressed the entry-level market to historic levels.Data from the NAR report above indicates that first-time buyers accounted for just 21% of all property transactions in the preceding 12-month period. It is a record low. For many, the "joint-tenancy" model is the primary mechanism utilized to secure a foothold in high-cost-of-living areas.This trend mirrors a broader demographic retreat from marriage. Figures from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics show the U.S. marriage rate dropped to 6.1 per 1,000 people in 2023, a decline from 8.2 in 2000. As this rate shifts, the residential market is seeing a rise in "co-borrowing" between partners who lack statutory marital protections. For observers, this represents a move toward an "access economy" where the asset, not the institution, is the priority.Technical Titling: Tenancy in Common vs. Joint TenancyA primary point of technical friction for unmarried buyers lies in the distinction between "Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship" and "Tenancy in Common" (TIC). While married couples often default to "tenancy by the entirety", a protected legal status in many states, unmarried partners must manually select a titling structure that reflects their financial contributions.In a TIC arrangement, each individual holds a specific percentage of the asset. This structure allows for an unequal equity partition, potentially reflecting disparate down payment contributions, but it also complicates the liquidation process. Under TIC rules, an individual’s share can be encumbered by external liens or defaults without the other partner’s consent.For observers of the legal landscape, this creates a risk profile that is absent in traditional marital frameworks, where the asset is generally protected from the individual debts of a single spouse.Consequently, the absence of automatic legal guardrails requires a proactive approach to asset management, as the deed becomes the primary determinant of financial autonomy.The Lack of Legal Safety NetsStandard marital law provides an exit strategy for homeownership. Unmarried couples operate without that safety net. Without established legal precedents for asset division, a domestic split can lead to a "real estate hostage situation."These stalemates occur when one party seeks to liquidate its interest—perhaps to pursue a labor market opportunity—while the other party refuses to sell. In these scenarios, the property becomes a cage. Without a pre-existing legal framework, resolving the deadlock typically requires a partition action. These are technical, costly, and time-consuming legal maneuvers to force a sale.For some, the use of cohabitation agreements can mitigate these risks. These private contracts function as an "equity exit strategy," codifying how a sale will be triggered and how proceeds will be divided long before a conflict arises. It serves as a technical solution to a systemic social shift.Outlook for the Unmarried Ownership EconomyMarket projections for the residential sector suggest that unmarried joint-ownership is not a transient surge. It is structural. As the median buyer age remains elevated and capital requirements for entry-level homes stay high, the reliance on joint-equity agreements is expected to increase.For the modern market observer, the defining metric is no longer a marriage license. It is the robustness of the legal agreement protecting the asset. As the "ownership economy" continues to evolve, the ability to navigate shared equity without the traditional guardrails of marital law will remain a critical focus for the residential sector.This story was produced by Underwood Law and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Boozie’s asks for rent freeze extension Boozies moved from the downtown location they called home for decades into the Freight House.
	11 ways AI will reinvent the workplace in 2026 11 ways AI will reinvent the workplace in 2026AI is no longer a side experiment or a neutral upgrade—it’s a force multiplier that can make or break a company.A new Work AI Institute report, authored by researchers from Stanford, Harvard, Notre Dame, and other leading institutions, delivers a blunt warning to business leaders: AI doesn’t fix broken systems. It amplifies them—warts and all. Used well, it accelerates productivity, coordination, and scale. Used carelessly, it foments inefficiency, bias, and confusion.The data already show a widening gap between companies that are successfully adopting AI compared with those that are struggling, with larger companies coming out on top. Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, productivity among S&P 500 companies has risen 5.5%. In comparison, smaller firms in the Russell 2000 have seen productivity fall by more than 12%—suggesting that scale, structure, and readiness matter as much as access to the technology itself.Meanwhile, generative AI has become ubiquitous faster than any prior consumer technology. OpenAI’s bot reached 100 million monthly active users within two months of its launch. An NBER study coauthored with OpenAI researchers found daily work-related AI messages in the workplace tripled in a year, reshaping how knowledge work is produced, recorded, and evaluated.Generative AI is now existential in big tech campuses, factories, shared offices and coworking spaces, and at home. CANOPY explains how AI will reshape our work lives in 2026.Companies will evolve their workplace culture—or risk falling behindThe evidence is increasingly clear: AI failure is a human problem.Research by Thomas H. Davenport and Randy Bean for Harvard Business Review found more than 90% of organizations cite culture and change management, not technology, as the primary barrier to AI adoption. A survey from generative AI platform Writer shows that most enterprise AI efforts remain fragmented, with applications built in silos and employees left to experiment on their own, leading to redundant work amid mounting frustration.Technical workers are often most resistant to AI rollout. In Writer’s 2025 AI Adoption Survey, 41% of millennial and Gen Z employees admitted they “actively sabotaged” their company’s uptake program. Staff were frustrated by unusable AI tools, confused about strategy, and many were fearful that AI would make them obsolete.Few executives have taken action as forcefully as Eric Vaughan of IgniteTech. Convinced AI represented an existential shift, Vaughan famously has zero regrets after firing 80% of his workforce—those resistant to AI adoption—before dedicating 20% of payroll to an AI employee training initiative. Vaughn’s conclusion: The culture needed to be built because changing minds was harder than adding skills. “We’re just not getting run over from behind yet,” he told Fortune. “The pace of change in AI is relentless. If we don’t keep pushing, keep learning every single day, we’re toast.”Natural-language coding will expand access to powerSoftware development is becoming democratized as natural-language coding—colloquially dubbed “vibe coding”—lets users describe desired outcomes rather than write formal code. Tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI’s Codex, and Cursor can help users compress tasks that once took days into minutes, leaving veteran engineers flabbergasted.“In just a few months, Claude Code has pushed the state of the art in software engineering further than 75 years of academic research,” Erik Meijer, a former senior engineering leader at Meta, told Fortune.While reporting in Fortune and The Economist highlights a more ambivalent undercurrent— productivity gains often come with a sense of loss, as a craft that took years to hone is replaced by single-sentence orchestration—the more profound shift is not the elimination of developers, but the broadening of who can build. As the role of engineers tilts toward architecture and review, product managers, marketers, and analysts can now prototype directly, lowering the barrier between idea and execution.AI will evolve from discrete tools to span company ecosystemsIn 2026, leaders will no longer treat AI as an experiment—it will become how work happens, moving from isolated tools to scalable platforms and ecosystems as frontier models proliferate. The most effective organizations are converging on a disciplined model: a small number of AI “missions” tightly linked to business outcomes, each owned jointly by business, technology, risk, and people leaders. Progress is measured not in pilots launched, but in capabilities shipped to production.This shift is also reshaping partnerships. Lawrence Huang, SVP & GM of network platform and wireless at Cisco, notes that as inference moves closer to where data is generated, enterprises must rethink network architecture, latency, and security simultaneously.Huang’s colleague Bob Cicero extends this logic to the physical workplace. Agentic AI systems drawing on sensors and connected devices can dynamically adjust office environments—optimizing energy use, space utilization, and sustainability in real time.Workforce strategy and AI strategy will be managed togetherAI’s economic impact will be determined not by algorithms but by how organizations redesign work around AI. The World Economic Forum estimates that more than a billion jobs could be transformed this decade, with AI affecting the vast majority of businesses by 2030.Governance, reskilling, and responsible deployment are now inseparable from growth strategy. Leading organizations are aligning workforce strategy with AI strategy around three pillars: a shared skills backbone, role redesign linked to learning, and internal talent mobility with real demand. Employees increasingly accept that continuous learning is part of the job—but expect clarity on which skills matter and where they lead.In this model, work evolves faster than job descriptions—and organizations that adapt fastest will unlock new economies of scale.New org charts—and new roles—will emergeAs the first graduates educated with unfettered access to AI enter the workforce, leaders must rethink how they build and manage teams. PwC has heralded 2026 as the rise of the “AI generalist” knowledge worker, someone who utilizes AI Agents to do the specialized tasks that fill the workdays of experienced, mid-tier employees.Atlassian’s insight report “Why 2026 will be the year AI grows up” references Nokia CEO Justin Hotard’s sentiment that the youngest influx of talent, already AI fluent, curious, and eager to use machine learning as coach and collaborator, will force companies to restructure. The takeaway: Replace “starter task” drudgery with AI-augmented work to provide green employees with meaningful, outcome-driven projects, empowering them to develop their judgment and problem-solving skills.According to the World Economic Forum, demand is rising accordingly—not just for AI engineers, data specialists, and domain-led solution architects, but for generalists with leadership, analytical thinking, and socioemotional skills. And the person overseeing this brave, new ChatGPT world is the chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO). Hiring for this role is up 38.5% from 33.1% last year, with more than half of firms agreeing that a CAIO should be appointed, according to a Harvard Business Review report.Hiring and onboarding will look differentBy 2026, emphasis will shift from college degrees and credentials to candidates’ adaptability, curiosity, and applied skills.Talent leaders such as Kara Ayers of Xplor Technologies argue in Forbes that traditional college degrees will carry less signaling power as companies invest directly in workplace bootcamps and on-the-job learning. In a recruitment setting where candidates use AI to write their resumés and companies use AI to “read” them. Heidi Barnett, president of talent acquisition at isolved, says that hiring is increasingly more about demonstrating real-world insights and experience.“In 2026, hiring will be less about ‘beating the bots’ and more about standing out as human," she predicts in Forbes. "As AI floods the hiring process with noise, the candidates who rise to the top will be those who can show real results, tell their story authentically, and bring evidence of impact.”‘Soft’ skills are now power skills for human-centric teamsFor the first time, employees are using AI more often to fully execute tasks than as a collaborative tool, according to Claude developers Anthropic. Paradoxically, as automation pulls ahead of augmentation, this shift is intensifying demand for distinctly human capabilities—employee value within organizations is becoming clearer, not smaller.Behavioral scientists argue that calling these capabilities “soft” is a misnomer. In Forbes, Jen Paterno of CoachHub notes that judgment, communication, and emotional intelligence—power skills—increasingly form the foundation of leadership in AI-heavy environments. As machines handle execution, humans are left with sense-making, trust-building, and decision-making.Younger workers appear especially attuned to this shift. Holger Reisinger of Jabra also noted that Gen Z expects emotional intelligence and collaboration to be just as valuable as technical expertise, precisely because they understand AI’s limits. “Raised in a digital world, they understand that while AI can replicate knowledge, it can’t replace connection,” Reisinger told Forbes.Workflows will be AI-enabled and human-ledAs teams are reskilled, AI systems will handle repeatable, data-heavy work such as extraction, summarization, and routine decision support. Humans will focus on context, relationships, and trade-offs. Guardrails are being built directly into workflows, with clear quality thresholds, bias checks, and escalation paths, reducing the need for constant human oversight and enhancing productivity. The World Economic Forum notes that after Cynergy Bank automated routine work, freeing employees to focus on higher-value customer interactions, complaints fell by over 50%, productivity rose by 8%, and customer experience improved by 25%.That said, corporate strategies here diverge. IKEA has emphasized reskilling and augmentation through a people-first AI mode. Klarna has reduced outsourced customer service labor by pairing automation with smaller, elite human teams. As Joshua Wöhle of Mindstone argued publicly in BBC Business Today, the difference between upskilling and displacement often hinges less on technology than on leadership strategy—specifically, whether companies invest in alignment, champions, and long-term human capability.Leaders will learn to successfully manage human and machine team members to unlock the full potential of bothIn 2026, focus will shift from quickly scaling AI to rapidly and effectively aligning the workforce.For years, leaders have been struggling to reconcile the benefits of office presenteeism with overwhelming employee preference for remote and hybrid roles, as teams split across offices, homes, and time zones. Now managers will be responsible not only for people but for digital coworkers embedded directly into their daily operations, prompting an uptick in trust, empathy, and communication alongside technical fluency.Aruna Ravichandran, SVP & CMO for AI, networking, and collaboration at Cisco, argues that leadership advantage will come from unifying secure connectivity with embedded intelligence, creating “workplaces where people and digital workers operate as one—unlocking new levels of agility, creativity, and performance … where work finally moves at the speed of ideas.”Performance management is a revealing example. In Forbes, Audra Stanton of Ninety.io asserts that traditional annual reviews are obsolete now that AI-enabled platforms offer continuous feedback loops—monitoring meetings, detecting shifts in tone or tension, and prompting managers to intervene in real time. Her colleague Tim Weerasiri further extends the logic: Engagement in 2026 will depend on how well leaders connect individual ambition to organizational goals. Employees who cannot see a growth path inside their company are unlikely to stay.Customer service will blend human empathy and machine precisionAI-powered assistants and increasingly human-like concierge agents are becoming the front line of brand interaction. The result is an emergence of hybrid service teams—human agents working alongside autonomous digital counterparts.Vinod Muthukrishnan, VP & GM of Webex customer experience at Cisco, argues that advances in multiagent AI collaboration are making this model viable at scale. Agentic AI systems can now coordinate, surface relevant context in real time, and route issues dynamically, enabling faster resolution while preserving a consistent customer experience.Crucially, management tiers are changing as well. AI-driven workforce engagement tools—from quality management to real-time speech-to-speech translation—are giving supervisors unprecedented visibility into performance across blended teams. Rather than monitoring individuals, leaders increasingly manage systems: calibrating handoffs between AI and humans, setting escalation thresholds, and optimizing for outcomes rather than volume.The organizations that succeed will be those that treat AI as connective tissue rather than a cost-cutting shortcut. When digital agents and human agents operate as a coordinated whole, customer service becomes faster and more personal.Trust will be the limiting—or accelerating—factorTrust will determine how far and how fast AI can scale. Software developers are besieged by accusations that their apps deliberately addict and harm children, and class action suits are being won against TikTok, Google, and Meta. Employees, customers, and regulators are scrutinizing not just what AI delivers but how responsibly it is deployed.Research from Harvard Business Review shows rapid progress—nearly 80% of organizations now rank responsible AI as a top priority—but trust is fragile. Companies must go beyond compliance to offer full transparency around AI use, human oversight, and accountability in high-stakes decisions, and inclusive design.The AI era also presents an opportunity to correct historical underrepresentation. Systems that shape hiring, credit, and opportunity must reflect diverse perspectives, or risk encoding old biases and prejudices at scale.In 2026, trust will not merely enable AI adoption. Trust will define its ceiling.This story was produced by CANOPY and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	11 ways AI will reinvent the workplace in 2026 11 ways AI will reinvent the workplace in 2026AI is no longer a side experiment or a neutral upgrade—it’s a force multiplier that can make or break a company.A new Work AI Institute report, authored by researchers from Stanford, Harvard, Notre Dame, and other leading institutions, delivers a blunt warning to business leaders: AI doesn’t fix broken systems. It amplifies them—warts and all. Used well, it accelerates productivity, coordination, and scale. Used carelessly, it foments inefficiency, bias, and confusion.The data already show a widening gap between companies that are successfully adopting AI compared with those that are struggling, with larger companies coming out on top. Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, productivity among S&P 500 companies has risen 5.5%. In comparison, smaller firms in the Russell 2000 have seen productivity fall by more than 12%—suggesting that scale, structure, and readiness matter as much as access to the technology itself.Meanwhile, generative AI has become ubiquitous faster than any prior consumer technology. OpenAI’s bot reached 100 million monthly active users within two months of its launch. An NBER study coauthored with OpenAI researchers found daily work-related AI messages in the workplace tripled in a year, reshaping how knowledge work is produced, recorded, and evaluated.Generative AI is now existential in big tech campuses, factories, shared offices and coworking spaces, and at home. CANOPY explains how AI will reshape our work lives in 2026.Companies will evolve their workplace culture—or risk falling behindThe evidence is increasingly clear: AI failure is a human problem.Research by Thomas H. Davenport and Randy Bean for Harvard Business Review found more than 90% of organizations cite culture and change management, not technology, as the primary barrier to AI adoption. A survey from generative AI platform Writer shows that most enterprise AI efforts remain fragmented, with applications built in silos and employees left to experiment on their own, leading to redundant work amid mounting frustration.Technical workers are often most resistant to AI rollout. In Writer’s 2025 AI Adoption Survey, 41% of millennial and Gen Z employees admitted they “actively sabotaged” their company’s uptake program. Staff were frustrated by unusable AI tools, confused about strategy, and many were fearful that AI would make them obsolete.Few executives have taken action as forcefully as Eric Vaughan of IgniteTech. Convinced AI represented an existential shift, Vaughan famously has zero regrets after firing 80% of his workforce—those resistant to AI adoption—before dedicating 20% of payroll to an AI employee training initiative. Vaughn’s conclusion: The culture needed to be built because changing minds was harder than adding skills. “We’re just not getting run over from behind yet,” he told Fortune. “The pace of change in AI is relentless. If we don’t keep pushing, keep learning every single day, we’re toast.”Natural-language coding will expand access to powerSoftware development is becoming democratized as natural-language coding—colloquially dubbed “vibe coding”—lets users describe desired outcomes rather than write formal code. Tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI’s Codex, and Cursor can help users compress tasks that once took days into minutes, leaving veteran engineers flabbergasted.“In just a few months, Claude Code has pushed the state of the art in software engineering further than 75 years of academic research,” Erik Meijer, a former senior engineering leader at Meta, told Fortune.While reporting in Fortune and The Economist highlights a more ambivalent undercurrent— productivity gains often come with a sense of loss, as a craft that took years to hone is replaced by single-sentence orchestration—the more profound shift is not the elimination of developers, but the broadening of who can build. As the role of engineers tilts toward architecture and review, product managers, marketers, and analysts can now prototype directly, lowering the barrier between idea and execution.AI will evolve from discrete tools to span company ecosystemsIn 2026, leaders will no longer treat AI as an experiment—it will become how work happens, moving from isolated tools to scalable platforms and ecosystems as frontier models proliferate. The most effective organizations are converging on a disciplined model: a small number of AI “missions” tightly linked to business outcomes, each owned jointly by business, technology, risk, and people leaders. Progress is measured not in pilots launched, but in capabilities shipped to production.This shift is also reshaping partnerships. Lawrence Huang, SVP & GM of network platform and wireless at Cisco, notes that as inference moves closer to where data is generated, enterprises must rethink network architecture, latency, and security simultaneously.Huang’s colleague Bob Cicero extends this logic to the physical workplace. Agentic AI systems drawing on sensors and connected devices can dynamically adjust office environments—optimizing energy use, space utilization, and sustainability in real time.Workforce strategy and AI strategy will be managed togetherAI’s economic impact will be determined not by algorithms but by how organizations redesign work around AI. The World Economic Forum estimates that more than a billion jobs could be transformed this decade, with AI affecting the vast majority of businesses by 2030.Governance, reskilling, and responsible deployment are now inseparable from growth strategy. Leading organizations are aligning workforce strategy with AI strategy around three pillars: a shared skills backbone, role redesign linked to learning, and internal talent mobility with real demand. Employees increasingly accept that continuous learning is part of the job—but expect clarity on which skills matter and where they lead.In this model, work evolves faster than job descriptions—and organizations that adapt fastest will unlock new economies of scale.New org charts—and new roles—will emergeAs the first graduates educated with unfettered access to AI enter the workforce, leaders must rethink how they build and manage teams. PwC has heralded 2026 as the rise of the “AI generalist” knowledge worker, someone who utilizes AI Agents to do the specialized tasks that fill the workdays of experienced, mid-tier employees.Atlassian’s insight report “Why 2026 will be the year AI grows up” references Nokia CEO Justin Hotard’s sentiment that the youngest influx of talent, already AI fluent, curious, and eager to use machine learning as coach and collaborator, will force companies to restructure. The takeaway: Replace “starter task” drudgery with AI-augmented work to provide green employees with meaningful, outcome-driven projects, empowering them to develop their judgment and problem-solving skills.According to the World Economic Forum, demand is rising accordingly—not just for AI engineers, data specialists, and domain-led solution architects, but for generalists with leadership, analytical thinking, and socioemotional skills. And the person overseeing this brave, new ChatGPT world is the chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO). Hiring for this role is up 38.5% from 33.1% last year, with more than half of firms agreeing that a CAIO should be appointed, according to a Harvard Business Review report.Hiring and onboarding will look differentBy 2026, emphasis will shift from college degrees and credentials to candidates’ adaptability, curiosity, and applied skills.Talent leaders such as Kara Ayers of Xplor Technologies argue in Forbes that traditional college degrees will carry less signaling power as companies invest directly in workplace bootcamps and on-the-job learning. In a recruitment setting where candidates use AI to write their resumés and companies use AI to “read” them. Heidi Barnett, president of talent acquisition at isolved, says that hiring is increasingly more about demonstrating real-world insights and experience.“In 2026, hiring will be less about ‘beating the bots’ and more about standing out as human," she predicts in Forbes. "As AI floods the hiring process with noise, the candidates who rise to the top will be those who can show real results, tell their story authentically, and bring evidence of impact.”‘Soft’ skills are now power skills for human-centric teamsFor the first time, employees are using AI more often to fully execute tasks than as a collaborative tool, according to Claude developers Anthropic. Paradoxically, as automation pulls ahead of augmentation, this shift is intensifying demand for distinctly human capabilities—employee value within organizations is becoming clearer, not smaller.Behavioral scientists argue that calling these capabilities “soft” is a misnomer. In Forbes, Jen Paterno of CoachHub notes that judgment, communication, and emotional intelligence—power skills—increasingly form the foundation of leadership in AI-heavy environments. As machines handle execution, humans are left with sense-making, trust-building, and decision-making.Younger workers appear especially attuned to this shift. Holger Reisinger of Jabra also noted that Gen Z expects emotional intelligence and collaboration to be just as valuable as technical expertise, precisely because they understand AI’s limits. “Raised in a digital world, they understand that while AI can replicate knowledge, it can’t replace connection,” Reisinger told Forbes.Workflows will be AI-enabled and human-ledAs teams are reskilled, AI systems will handle repeatable, data-heavy work such as extraction, summarization, and routine decision support. Humans will focus on context, relationships, and trade-offs. Guardrails are being built directly into workflows, with clear quality thresholds, bias checks, and escalation paths, reducing the need for constant human oversight and enhancing productivity. The World Economic Forum notes that after Cynergy Bank automated routine work, freeing employees to focus on higher-value customer interactions, complaints fell by over 50%, productivity rose by 8%, and customer experience improved by 25%.That said, corporate strategies here diverge. IKEA has emphasized reskilling and augmentation through a people-first AI mode. Klarna has reduced outsourced customer service labor by pairing automation with smaller, elite human teams. As Joshua Wöhle of Mindstone argued publicly in BBC Business Today, the difference between upskilling and displacement often hinges less on technology than on leadership strategy—specifically, whether companies invest in alignment, champions, and long-term human capability.Leaders will learn to successfully manage human and machine team members to unlock the full potential of bothIn 2026, focus will shift from quickly scaling AI to rapidly and effectively aligning the workforce.For years, leaders have been struggling to reconcile the benefits of office presenteeism with overwhelming employee preference for remote and hybrid roles, as teams split across offices, homes, and time zones. Now managers will be responsible not only for people but for digital coworkers embedded directly into their daily operations, prompting an uptick in trust, empathy, and communication alongside technical fluency.Aruna Ravichandran, SVP & CMO for AI, networking, and collaboration at Cisco, argues that leadership advantage will come from unifying secure connectivity with embedded intelligence, creating “workplaces where people and digital workers operate as one—unlocking new levels of agility, creativity, and performance … where work finally moves at the speed of ideas.”Performance management is a revealing example. In Forbes, Audra Stanton of Ninety.io asserts that traditional annual reviews are obsolete now that AI-enabled platforms offer continuous feedback loops—monitoring meetings, detecting shifts in tone or tension, and prompting managers to intervene in real time. Her colleague Tim Weerasiri further extends the logic: Engagement in 2026 will depend on how well leaders connect individual ambition to organizational goals. Employees who cannot see a growth path inside their company are unlikely to stay.Customer service will blend human empathy and machine precisionAI-powered assistants and increasingly human-like concierge agents are becoming the front line of brand interaction. The result is an emergence of hybrid service teams—human agents working alongside autonomous digital counterparts.Vinod Muthukrishnan, VP & GM of Webex customer experience at Cisco, argues that advances in multiagent AI collaboration are making this model viable at scale. Agentic AI systems can now coordinate, surface relevant context in real time, and route issues dynamically, enabling faster resolution while preserving a consistent customer experience.Crucially, management tiers are changing as well. AI-driven workforce engagement tools—from quality management to real-time speech-to-speech translation—are giving supervisors unprecedented visibility into performance across blended teams. Rather than monitoring individuals, leaders increasingly manage systems: calibrating handoffs between AI and humans, setting escalation thresholds, and optimizing for outcomes rather than volume.The organizations that succeed will be those that treat AI as connective tissue rather than a cost-cutting shortcut. When digital agents and human agents operate as a coordinated whole, customer service becomes faster and more personal.Trust will be the limiting—or accelerating—factorTrust will determine how far and how fast AI can scale. Software developers are besieged by accusations that their apps deliberately addict and harm children, and class action suits are being won against TikTok, Google, and Meta. Employees, customers, and regulators are scrutinizing not just what AI delivers but how responsibly it is deployed.Research from Harvard Business Review shows rapid progress—nearly 80% of organizations now rank responsible AI as a top priority—but trust is fragile. Companies must go beyond compliance to offer full transparency around AI use, human oversight, and accountability in high-stakes decisions, and inclusive design.The AI era also presents an opportunity to correct historical underrepresentation. Systems that shape hiring, credit, and opportunity must reflect diverse perspectives, or risk encoding old biases and prejudices at scale.In 2026, trust will not merely enable AI adoption. Trust will define its ceiling.This story was produced by CANOPY and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Muscatine nursing home administrator accused of stealing from dementia patient An Iowa nursing home administrator criminally charged with stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly resident has agreed to refrain from practicing while an investigation is pending.
	More to enjoy when you visit Myrtle Beach in 2026 (BPT) - Whether you're a longtime Myrtle Beach fan or you've always wanted to visit, 2026 is the year to make it happen. With brand-new attractions and thrilling activities for every age and budget, there's never been a better time to experience The Beach. From its 60 miles of sunny coastline to its 14 distinct coastal communities, Myrtle Beach is filled with crave-worthy dining experiences, natural beauty and entertainment you can't find anywhere else.Some of the exciting offerings Myrtle Beach has in store for visitors this year include:A Full Lineup of Live EntertainmentThe Carolina Opry Theater celebrates 40 years of entertainment, with Grammy winners, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, country chart-toppers and beloved music icons delivering one of their most exciting years of performances.Carolina Country Music Festival kicks off summer with must-see headliners Blake Shelton, Post Malone, Luke Bryan and Riley Green, along with up-and-coming talent. The beachfront music festival draws thousands to downtown Myrtle Beach for boots in the sand excitement each year. June 4-7, 2026.Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show commemorates its 15th season with a brand-new South Pacific Celebration added to their magical live programming, treating audiences to a vibrant luau featuring colorful costumes, dynamic dance and thrilling fire stunts.The downtown Myrtle Beach performing arts center is in the works, revitalizing the former Broadway Theater and continuing expansion of Myrtle Beach's Arts and Innovation District. The historic building will host numerous cultural events in the 300-seat, state-of-the-art theater.Thrills, Sports & Open-Air AdventureFamily Kingdom Amusement Park celebrates its 60th anniversary this year by adding a custom single-rail roller coaster to its roster of rides like the iconic "Swamp Fox," marking a bold step into modern thrills while honoring the park's nostalgic, carnival-like roots. Three more new rides will also make their debut this year. Opening summer 2026.Brookgreen Gardens recently unveiled its stunning new welcome center and $17 million conservatory, with expanded event and educational spaces, a great hall and scenic courtyard. Ever-changing botanical displays, a flourishing floor-to-ceiling Green Wall and a future butterfly center provide immersive garden experiences.Pelicans Ballpark, home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Single-A Minor League baseball team, is wrapping up a $20 million renovation with brand-new offerings for spectators and players from field enhancements to upgraded seating and refreshed viewing suites. Completion spring 2026.Alley Oops will bring their "Dine. Bowl. Play." concept to North Myrtle Beach with a stellar combination of great food and high-energy entertainment, featuring 12 duckpin bowling lanes, arcade games and virtual reality experiences. Opening spring 2026.The ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic is back again this Mother's Day weekend with A-list celebrities and some of the world's top golf pros taking on the iconic Dunes Golf & Beach Club, renowned for its coastal scenery and challenging play. Now in its third year, this PGA TOUR event continues to expand its laid-back fanfare to bring even more exciting energy to the official Golf Capital of the World. May 7-10, 2026.The PicklePort, on track to become Myrtle Beach's premier indoor and outdoor pickleball venue, will soon feature 12 climate-controlled indoor courts and six covered outdoor courts. Players will also be able to enjoy their snack bar, pro shop, instruction and practice spaces, plus areas for socializing. Opening fall 2026.Fresh FlavorsHistoric 9th Ave North continues to be reimagined by local entrepreneurs bringing community-focused hospitality and inventive dining to the heart of Myrtle Beach. Standout spots include Winna's Kitchen, Boteco VIP, The Dolly Llama and The Tasting Room on 9th as well as the nearby Grand Strand Brewery and Nance Plaza offering seasonal concerts.The Whistling Duck is now open at Surfside Pier, offering an elevated culinary experience featuring locally sourced charcuterie boards and creative appetizers. With oceanfront views, fine wine and warm hospitality, every visit promises unforgettable flavors and memorable waterfront dining.Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Co. is bringing a new distillery and brewery experience to Broadway at the Beach. The indoor-outdoor venue features a beer garden, full-service bar and immersive spaces for enjoying craft spirits, beers and memorable experiences with friends and family. Opening spring 2026.Guy Fieri's Downtown Flavortown will soon bring the second restaurant concept of the celebrity chef to Myrtle Beach, featuring a playful menu of comfort foods, a tiki bar, a bowling alley and arcade games. Opening 2026.The Latest in LodgingOcean Reef Resort, located on the north end of Myrtle Beach, has completed a $15 million renovation in 2025, modernizing guest rooms, the lobby, the fitness center and meeting spaces.Ocean Escape Boardwalk Oceanfront offers modern one-, two- and three-bedroom oceanfront accommodations along the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. Each spacious condo features full kitchens and private balconies, placing guests just steps from the beach, shops, dining and entertainment. Opening Feb 2026.Captain's Quarters Resort, located on the south end of Myrtle Beach, is completing major renovations with updated exteriors, modernized rooms, enhanced pool and recreation areas and a new arcade and restaurant. The resort continues to welcome guests throughout renovations.Enhanced AccessThanks to the newly expanded A-Concourse at Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR), flying into Myrtle Beach is smoother than ever, with nonstop service available from over 50 destinations.From the moment you arrive, you'll find you belong at The Beach. Explore VisitMyrtleBeach.com or call (888) Myrtle-1 to plan your next getaway.
	3 essential bra styles every woman should own 3 essential bra styles every woman should ownThere are so many bra styles, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. If you’ve never put much thought into your bra collection before and have no idea where to start, Honeylove shares three bra styles that have become everyday essentials. With these three bras on hand, you’ll be able to wear almost anything with confidence and comfort. And then, of course, you can build your bra wardrobe from there.Best bra for perfect shape: T-Shirt BraThe first style is an underwire, demi-cup, lightly padded bra — a.k.a. the T-shirt bra. If someone asked you to visualize a bra, this is probably the image that would come to mind.The T-shirt bra will give you a ton of lift and support from the underwire and straps, great shape and modesty from the bra’s sturdy foam pads, and the ability to customize your fit, thanks to its adjustable straps and band. In fact, the reason they’re called T-shirt bras is that they’re supposed to give you the perfect shape underneath a T-shirt without showing through.Reasons to choose an underwire bra:You have a large chest that needs heavy support. While many wire-free bras can pretty closely match the support level of an underwire bra, for women with very large breasts whose priority is support, a sturdy metal underwire is the best option.Your breasts are causing back pain. Heavy-duty sports bras with a large surface area might be the most supportive and comfortable option for back pain, but they simply don’t work with many outfits. Plus, sports bras will compress the shape and size of your breasts. If you want something that works with lower-cut tops that maintains your silhouette, a heavy metal underwire bra is a great option to give you enough support to hopefully alleviate your pain.You have a relaxed breast shape. For breast shapes that need more lift than others, an underwire is a great choice to help lift, shape, and separate your breasts.You want minimal coverage. A way that supportive wireless bras make up for the lack of wire is by increasing the surface area of the bra, which can make them a bit more full coverage. An underwire bra can get away with having a much smaller cup, which can be more easily concealed under low-cut tops and dresses.Pro tip: White bras sometimes show through a white T-shirt. Get a bra that matches your skin tone, and it will be totally invisible under your top.Comfortable bra for daily use: Wireless braPick number two is a wireless bra.Sometimes, you just don’t want to wear underwire, but you still need a bra that works. Wireless bras are comfortable and supportive. If you have a smaller chest, you can get away with a bralette, but if you need more support, you’ll want to look for wireless bras that have support structures built in.Features to look for when choosing a wireless bra:A strong underband and cradle, which is the part of the bra that encircles the breasts, can be achieved without an underwire. One method is to employ bonding, which is an adhesive that stabilizes fabric layers in the cradle. Another option is to use silicone, which stretches and recovers in a way that’s similar to elastic, to provide a comfortable grip and support.Molded cups provide separation and support. Earlier bras used to rely on seams to achieve a rounded cup. Today, that effect can be achieved by heating the fabric with a rounded mold that creates a more natural, seamless shape.Flexible boning can be added on either side of the chest for extra stability. This method also mimics the side support you would get with a traditional bra without needing to include a stiff underwire.An extra layer of fabric is placed at the bottom of the breast, which is known as a bra sling. This fabric often has less stretch than the rest of the bra fabric, and that rigidity holds the breasts up. Think of it as a little hammock.The band of the bra can be extended down the body to create a longer, sturdier base.Pro tip: Wireless bras are great to have on hand during that time of the month because they can usually accommodate multiple cup sizes. If your body is fluctuating, this bra is your best friend!Supportive bra without straps: Strapless braPick number three is a strapless bra.Sometimes, you just can’t get away with a bra that has straps. In these instances, you can either go braless or you can opt for something strapless. The most classic version of this is a strapless underwire bra.Features to look for when choosing a strapless bra:The bra's foam cups should be firmer than a regular bra so they don’t collapse from the weight of your breast tissue. Sturdy cups are key.Look for a wider band. When you eliminate the straps, you remove one of the pieces that helps it to be more balanced. Having a wider band will help create that cross-pull. Eighty percent of your bra’s support comes from the band, so this will be key in maintaining the level of support you expect out of a bra.Make sure there’s sturdy underwire. While a bra with straps might have a slightly more flexible underwire, you want the wire in your strapless bra to be a bit thicker to increase the bra’s overall supportiveness.Look for a silicone gripper along the inside of the bra. This isn’t the best option for people with super sensitive skin, but most people have no problem tolerating the adhesive. It activates with your body heat to prevent slippage.You might notice the top of the band is tighter than your bottom band. That’s intentional, and a good thing, as that slight grading can keep the bra from slipping. Your top band will fit more snugly than it will in a standard bra. This is a good thing.Pro tip: Look for a strapless bra with removable straps. You can convert these to work underneath one-shoulder tops or cross them in the back to hide under racerback shirt styles.Ready to shop for bra essentials? Remember to use a bra size calculator to find your perfect fit.This story was produced by Honeylove and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Wilton woman arrested, charged with mortgage fraud A woman from Wilton has been arrested after police say she and her husband accepted a written offer on property and then obtained a second mortgage on the same property days later. The criminal complaint filed in Scott County Court said on July 3 and 4 of last year, the defendant, identified as Michelle Driver, [...]
	Solar-farm freeze may continue in Davenport as council weighs extension The Davenport City Council will decide Wednesday whether to extend a moratorium on new solar farms and freestanding solar panels.
	Quad Cities agencies report mixed results in law enforcement recruiting Quad Cities law enforcement agencies say hiring demand continues, but applicant numbers remain inconsistent despite claims of a national recruiting surge.
	Light wintry mix still possible early Thursday Perfect weather is expected across the Quad Cities today, but there's still a chance of seeing some light freezing drizzle or light snow Thursday morning. After that possible wintry mix, another warming trend begins Friday. Here's your 7-day forecast.
	Why it’s so hard to win money betting on prediction markets Why it’s so hard to win money betting on prediction marketsOn Jan. 3, 2026, one Polymarket user made $436,000 in less than 48 hours. Their secret: They knew the United States military was about to arrest the president of Venezuela before anyone else did. The account was brand new, created just days before. They made exactly four bets, all related to Maduro’s removal. And hours later, the raid happened.Over 3 million people have used prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi to gamble on things never thought possible. From what the weather will be to what will happen in your favorite TV show. And while they’ve made a big splash in gambling culture, almost nobody knows how rigged the system truly is and who really has the advantage.In this article, CreditNinja breaks down how prediction markets work and who really wins.Real Examples of Prediction Markets in Action CreditNinja Burdenson-Mix’s Polymarket AccountLet’s look at the account named Burdensome-Mix, created one week before the Venezuela raid. Look at their bet history: $32,000 on Maduro being out by Jan. 31. $250 on Trump invoking the War Powers Act against Venezuela. $1,000 on the U.S invading Venezuela by Jan. 31. $146 on U.S. forces landing in Venezuela by the end of the month. They bet on four specific scenarios, all involving Venezuela. All within days of the actual operation.And here’s what makes this absolutely wild. News organizations knew about the raid ahead of time. CNN, the Washington Post, they all had the story, but they held it to protect troops. Meanwhile, someone was loading up their Polymarket account with massive positions. We may never know who this person is, but it is almost a guarantee that they were one of the few people on the planet in the know.Brian Armstrong and the 2025 Coinbase Earnings CallAnd of course, there’s the infamous 2025 Coinbase earnings call. At the end of a quarterly call, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said this: “I was a little distracted because I was tracking the prediction market about what Coinbase will say on their next earnings call. And I just want to add here the words Bitcoin, Ethereum, blockchain, staking, and Web3 to make sure we get those in before the end of the call.”Now, why is he just rattling off words, you may ask? The answer is because Polymarket had props if Armstrong would say those words on the earnings call, and he admittedly read them off directly from Polymarket. Now, there’s no proof or any reason to believe he was placing bets here, but it goes to show how one person with knowledge and power could easily influence these outcomes.What Does This Mean For Everyday People Using Prediction Markets?Burdensome-Mix and the Coinbase earnings call are just two examples that highlight a massive problem with prediction markets: insider trading. Dennis Keller from Better Markets said, “The odds of losing money on these platforms are incredibly high.” Unless you have information nobody else has.But it’s not just Maduro. In December 2025, someone made nearly $1 million betting on Google’s year-end search trends. They got 22 out of 23 predictions correct on specific search terms that Google controls. How do you predict what Google’s algorithm will show as the top searches of the year, unless you work there or know somebody who does?Are Prediction Markets Rigged?So the question becomes: Are the prediction markets another rigged system designed to take your money, or are these insider trading situations just isolated incidents in an otherwise fair market?Well, here’s the data, and you can decide for yourself. Blockchain analyst DeFi Oasis analyzed 1.7 million Polymarket addresses. And you know what they found? Seventy percent of users have lost money. And of those remaining 30% who made money, less than 1 in 2,000 profitable users captured over 70% of all profits. We’re talking $3.7 billion concentrated in the hands of roughly 700 accounts. For context, that’s about $3.5 million each.But when we see these numbers, these prediction markets feel like less of a degenerate gambler’s paradise and more of an inside trader's paradise. Because even though deep down it feels like gambling, these markets still make it seem like you can find an edge or an advantage that isn’t pure luck. For example, many people may look for outcomes that were between 90% to 95% and buy those outcomes. After all, the stock market index funds yield 8% to 10% on average. So, hypothetically, one or two of these wins could beat the stock market.Reasons like this are why prediction market usage has exploded over the last year. These platforms weren’t built to feel like reckless gambling. They were made to feel accurate and that’s exactly what pulls people in. CreditNinja How Prediction Markets Are GrowingThese platforms have gone from obscure tech experiment to mainstream in less than a year. And the growth has been so fast that DraftKings and FanDuel, the kings of sports betting, both launched their own prediction market apps in December 2025. When the biggest gambling companies in America are scrambling to copy you, you’re not just some niche experiment anymore.And while insider trading may seem like an issue with these markets, it isn’t exactly an unfortunate byproduct. It’s more of a feature.Prediction markets were created many years ago because people were fed up with forecasting. Polls were unreliable. Experts wouldn’t commit to who they thought would win, and group consensus was wrong a lot of the time. So economists came up with an idea. What if you could influence people to put money behind their beliefs? The thinking was simple. When money’s on the line, people tell the truth.And that’s where prediction markets come from. That’s why these markets use language that is very purposeful. They don’t call users gamblers. They call them participants. And they don’t say bets. They say contracts. They position these markets as skill-based, information-based, and financial, not based on chance like gambling.Who Really Wins?But here’s where the whole philosophy behind prediction markets falls apart. Robin Hanson, one of the leading economists who championed prediction markets, said, “The point of these markets is to get information, so the only reason you should ever be trading on them is if you think you have some information.” Read that again. The entire system is designed to encourage insider trading because it makes the prices more accurate.Who has the edge on these? The CEO’s assistant, the academy voter, the Pentagon staffer, the Google engineer. And who doesn’t? You.The Dangers of Prediction MarketsAnother area for concern is whether these prediction markets leak information early or can be manipulated to spread fake news. Remember our friend who made $436,000 on Maduro? What if this trader started a trend where everyone is watching these markets to predict what will happen with geopolitical issues? This Maduro gambler placed wagers to make money, but imagine a nation’s government placing a big bet solely to create panic. Things could get out of hand fast.Another concern with these markets is whether they are even legal. Polymarket was once raided by the FBI but recently rang the opening bell for the NYSE.As for Kalshi, they have their own legal drama. They wanted to offer betting on which party would control Congress. The CFTC said no. These are gambling contracts, not legitimate financial instruments. So Kalshi sued. And in September 2024, it won. A federal judge said the CFTC overstepped its authority, and Kalshi could offer election betting. When the Trump administration took office, the CFTC dropped its appeal entirely. The case is closed. Election betting is legal.But here’s where it gets messy. Kalshi now offers sports betting in all 50 states. States like Nevada and New Jersey sent cease-and-desist letters saying, You’re violating our gambling laws. Kalshi sued them, arguing that federal law preempts state law. It won in Nevada and New Jersey. It lost in Maryland. The system is chaotic.Even DraftKings and FanDuel prediction markets aren’t available in all 50 states. These platforms operate in a regulatory black hole. They’re not stock markets. They’re not sports books. They exist in between where nobody’s really watching.We all feel the financial stress. Everyday purchases are getting out of hand. People are financing burritos with buy now, pay later. Everyone feels behind, but these platforms feel like a cheat code to finally make well-deserved money. There’s a certain psychology that prediction markets tap into. Saving is slow. It’s boring, and it takes time. But prediction markets are immediate. They feel productive, and they make us feel like we’re actually doing something with our money.Some Final Stats on Prediction MarketsLastly, some final alarming stats about prediction markets. Polymarket raised $70 million in funding from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. It’s now valued at $4.6 billion. Shayne Coplan, at 26, is considered the youngest self-made billionaire in the world. Kalshi raised $300 million in Series D funding, valued at $5 billion. The investors are getting rich. The founders are billionaires.Conclusion: Are Prediction Markets Worth the Risk?Short answer: probably not. If you’re thinking about betting on prediction markets, ask yourself, Do I know something that everyone else doesn’t? Am I friends with the HBO CEO? Do I work at Google? Am I in the Pentagon situation room? If the answer is no, you’re not the hunter, you’re the prey.This story was produced by CreditNinja and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Is 600 a good credit score? Is 600 a good credit score?No matter what your finances look like today, it's never too late to make positive changes to improve them. Boosting your financial knowledge and skills will make it easier to make more informed choices that help you create the financial future you envision.Do you want to learn more about how your credit standing could impact your life? You're in the right place. Achieve explains the implications and possibilities of having a credit score of 600.Key takeaways:A 600 credit score is in the fair credit range, so it’s not considered a good score.Your borrowing options are more limited with a 600 credit score.You can take action to improve your overall financial health and increase your credit score.What is a credit score?A credit score is a three-digit number that reflects your past experience with credit accounts. It serves as a key indicator of your financial health. Your credit score is based on the information found on your credit reports, and that information largely comes from creditors.There are different brands of credit scores, and the main ones are FICO and VantageScore. FICO was created by the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) in 1989. Both FICO scores and VantageScores range from 300 to 850, with a higher score signaling better overall financial health. FICO and VantageScore both come in many different versions. For example, if you apply for a credit card and a car loan, those creditors might see slightly different scores.Lenders review your credit scores to evaluate whether to approve you for credit, such as a mortgage or personal loan. Your credit score could also influence how much you can borrow and what price you’ll pay.Your credit score is an important financial marker, even if you don't need a loan. For example, a landlord might review your credit score to determine whether to rent an apartment to you. Your credit standing could also impact how much you pay for insurance.How does a credit score work?Here’s how a credit score works and how it’s calculated.The following factors influence your credit score:Payment history: Whether you pay your bills on timeAmounts owed: How much debt you owe overallCredit utilization and available credit: How close you are to the limits on your credit cardsLength of credit history: How long you’ve had access to and used creditNew credit: Recent credit applications and newly opened credit accountsCredit mix or depth of credit: Whether you have experience with different types of credit accounts What does a 600 credit score mean?If you have a credit score of 600, your credit is fair. This isn't considered a good or excellent credit score, but it's also not a bad or poor credit score.Here’s a breakdown of the FICO score ranges:Poor: 300-579Fair: 580-669Good: 670-739Very Good: 740-799Excellent: 800-850VantageScore breaks it down a little differently:Poor: 300-599Fair: 600-660Good: 661-715Very Good: 716-747Excellent: 748-850No need to let a low credit score stop you from striving toward your financial goals. A credit score of 600 isn't the end of the world. Most of us have room to improve. Very few people have a perfect credit score, and everyone’s credit score fluctuates.It's possible to increase your credit score as you learn new healthy financial habits. You don’t need a lot of money or a high salary to have good credit.Some things you can do to raise your credit score include always paying your bills on time and lowering your credit card debt. If you need to reduce your debt, debt management apps could help you create a debt payoff plan.Is 580 as good as 600? How much does it matter?A 580 credit score is not as good as a 600. FICO considers a 580 to be fair, but VantageScore puts it in the poor credit category.If you have a 580 or 600 credit score, the first step to nudging it upward toward good or excellent credit is to understand why it’s low. You can check your credit score for free. Most free credit score websites will tell you what factors are hurting you the most. You shouldn’t need to enter a credit card number to get this information.Many banking and credit card mobile apps include tools that allow customers to check their scores for free. It's a good idea to know where your credit score stands so you can create a winning plan to tackle your financial goals.If the site says high credit card balances are hurting your credit standing, that’s a good thing to focus on. Knocking out credit card debt gives you a double benefit. Clearing your debts could put you in a better financial position and help you build a strong credit profile.What loans can you get with a 600 credit score?With a 600, your lending options will likely be more limited than those of applicants with higher scores. Also, most lenders offer higher interest rates to people with lower credit scores.There’s a reason for that. The data shows that someone with a 600 credit score is more likely to default on a debt than someone with a 700 credit score. So the lender charges more to compensate for the additional risk. Even if your credit score is low for a reason beyond your control, you’ll have to address the low score before you can get the lowest rates.It’ll be harder to find a lender willing to give you a personal loan with a 600 credit score. Eligibility requirements vary by lender, but the minimum credit score for a personal loan is often 620 to 640 or higher.Mortgages are slightly more available. Most require a minimum 620 credit score, but the FHA loan program has a lower cutoff. You can apply with a 580 or higher. If you have a larger down payment, you could apply with a 500 credit score.Remember: If you’re unhappy with your credit score, you can work to raise it before applying for lending solutions. If you’re looking for a loan right now, chat with a lender and ask what credit score would get you a better deal. Getting to that point might take less time than you think it will.What’s nextCheck your credit score so you know where it stands.Learn about the steps that could help you increase your credit score.Give some TLC to the other parts of your financial life, too, like saving up for emergencies and setting a budget. They’re all pieces of the same puzzle.This story was produced by Achieve and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Cook review: 'Dracula' has a weaker bite but it's still above average Caleb Landry Jones makes a pretty good vampire. The latest incarnation of "Dracula" is a better-than-average retelling of the familiar vampire tale, with tons of blood and much steamy passion. Its tone is a uneven, and some of its performers take their characters to intense, scenery-chewing heights in this origins story that nonetheless provides from [...]
	Discover how brick offers timeless beauty and strength to home design (BPT) - Spring is the time many homeowners start planning upgrades and new construction projects — and choosing the right design elements and building materials are key to this process. Brick, which was once considered limited in its use and color options, is now playing a major role in giving homes an unforgettable look — inside and out.Today's brick offers far more design potential than ever before, seamlessly blending timeless appeal with modern style. General Shale, for example, is redefining what brick can be, offering a wide array of colors, textures and styles that range from classic to cutting-edge."Brick is one of the few materials that can feel both timeless and unexpected," said Charity Honeycutt, owner of Honeybee Styling & Design in Knoxville, Tenn. "The nuance lives in the color — from soft creams, moody charcoals and sun-washed reds — each one telling a different story. When designers lean into that range, brick becomes less about structure and more about atmosphere."If you're not sure how to get started using brick, check out General Shale's 2026 Lookbook. This curated lineup of trend-forward, authentic brick for interiors and exteriors offers DIYers and design professionals inspiration to create modern spaces with a time-tested material.Kitchens and bathrooms When creating a modern kitchen or spa-like bathroom, homeowners often opt for cool, calming tones. Because of the natural, earthy, red tones, it's easy to dismiss brick as an option. However, thin bricks glazed in rich blues can impart a calming tone and luxurious feeling to these spaces.For example, Aquavue glazed brick brings depth and dimension to interiors with its rich and calming aquatic blue tone that evokes the vibrancy of water. The handcrafted glazed finish reflects light with a subtle sheen, transforming an ordinary surface into striking backsplashes and countertops.Office and creative spacesBright white colors are perfect for spaces that embrace light and openness. To achieve a polished, contemporary look in offices, gathering areas and creative spaces, choose a white glazed thin brick like Driftvue.Like Aquavue, Driftvue offers a subtle reflective sheen that showcases how white brick tile delivers timeless and effortless style to interior spaces. Its streamlined profile and versatile finish blend seamlessly into a modern design wherever you plan to spend long periods of time in deep thought and creation.Another striking option is Driftvue's color cousin, Limestone Elevation. The refined thin brick with its soft white hue and subtly textured surface is perfect for minimalist offices and gallery-style walls.Living rooms and entrywaysIt may be unglazed, but traditionally cut brick for interior design stands out in living rooms and entryways, adding warmth and ruggedness to these spaces. You can use earth-toned bricks like Saddletown and Ghosttown to create organic artisanal textures on full accent walls or when designing half walls around an entire room.To showcase brick's traditional aesthetic and strength, use full-size bricks in warm tones with subtle texture variations like Peppermill. When used to create an arched entryway, frame a fireplace or highlight a cozy reading nook, it reflects the power of classic brickwork and adds character and coziness to interiors.Exteriors Brick as an exterior design feature is the classic use of this durable material, but that doesn't mean it's limited to traditional home design. A brick like Midnight Mist delivers bold sophistication and style with its rich, deep charcoal hue, offering homeowners, builders and designers maximum curb appeal impact.Also, Midnight Mist's dark charcoal color is incredibly versatile style-wise, pairing well with modern and traditional designs by highlighting architectural lines and complementing a wide range of finishes. And, as a full-size brick, homeowners can count on its strength and durability, making it a powerful choice for projects that command durability, elegance and lasting performance.For homeowners and designers seeking the timeless charm of classic brickwork with warm tones and subtle textural variation, Hometown brick is an excellent choice. Rooted in tradition and made for modern living, Hometown's inviting palette evokes comfort and belonging, making it a natural choice for exterior facades that speak to heritage and durability.Pro tip: When used to create accent walls, fireplaces and entryways, Midnight Mist adds a dramatic flair to interior design features, creating a truly striking focal point in any room. Similarly, Hometown is ideal for creating cozy interiors with warmth and character.Building a strong design foundation, one brick at a time For those who want to elevate interior and exterior spaces with a sustainable, functional and tactile material, brick is the way to go. To find more brick options and see design inspirations for your indoor home projects, visit GeneralShale.com.
	Government contracting compliance: Key challenges to overcome when pursuing federal contracts Government contracting compliance: Key challenges to overcome when pursuing federal contractsOrganizations that work with the U.S. government must adhere to strict procedures covering procurement protocols, nondiscrimination policies, and rigorous cybersecurity. That’s because working with government agencies often involves handling sensitive and legally protected data, and failure to comply can result in financial and legal consequences.To effectively approach government contracting compliance, you must be prepared to align with stringent standards such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), FedRAMP, and the requirements outlined in NIST 800-171 (which forms the foundation of CMMC).In this article, Vanta breaks down notable regulations and frameworks for government contractors and the challenges you may face while pursuing them.Government contracting compliance: What it means for your organizationOrganizations that work with the U.S. government must meet strict quality and security standards, and compliance frameworks are an effective way to standardize those requirements. These regulatory frameworks apply to organizations across a wide range of industries, including defense contractors, cloud service providers (CSPs), and other entities that process or store government data.Adhering to government standards positions your organization as a credible partner, bringing in benefits such as:Reduce risk of financial penalties: Noncompliance and data breaches involving sensitive information can lead to significant financial fines, loss of contracts, and long-term reputational damage. Strong compliance lowers those risks.Streamlined operations: Having clearly defined policies and procedures helps you operate smoothly and minimizes the risks of delays and inefficiencies.Building trust: Having demonstrable proof of alignment with standards favored by government agencies helps you show the maturity of your security posture to potential partners.Unique competitive edge: Government-oriented standards include industry best practices that give you a competitive edge even in both government and commercial markets. This is especially true for CSPs, who cannot sell to the U.S. federal government until they get their FedRAMP authorization. Vanta FAR and DFARSThe FAR is a regulation introduced on April 1, 1984, with the intention of providing federal agencies with clear policies and procedures that establish a standard for purchasing supplies and services. Compliance with FAR is mandatory for both government agencies and organizations they contract.The DFARS extends FAR for Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. DFARS introduces additional security and reporting requirements, particularly around handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).That means, if your contract involves handling CUI, you must comply with DFARS—which incorporates NIST 800-171 and now requires alignment with CMMC, the DoD’s certification framework built on NIST 800-171—to ensure your data security practices meet DoD criteria. Proposed updates to FAR also aim to make NIST SP 800-171 compliance a core obligation across federal contracting by standardizing how CUI requirements are identified and scoped.To meet FAR and DFARS requirements, you need to implement a code of conduct, establish reporting protocols, and conduct regular training to ensure your employees understand and adhere to the rules.NIST 800-171NIST 800-171 is a special publication that provides organizations with controls for efficiently handling and securing CUI. Any organization intending to work with the U.S. government and process CUI must achieve compliance with NIST.Compliance can be useful even for organizations that don’t intend to handle CUI since NIST can strengthen their security posture with stringent requirements across 17 families (as of rev 3):Access ControlMaintenanceSecurity Assessment and MonitoringAwareness and TrainingMedia ProtectionSystem and Communications ProtectionAudit and AccountabilityPersonnel SecuritySystem and Information IntegrityConfiguration ManagementPhysical ProtectionPlanningIdentification and AuthenticationRisk AssessmentSystem and Services AcquisitionIncident ResponseSupply Chain Risk ManagementAchieving compliance with NIST 800-171 doesn’t require a formal audit, and it doesn’t offer a certificate. You provide evidence of compliance to potential partners, who then determine whether your measures are sufficient.Note: CMMC is built directly on the security controls in NIST SP 800-171, so many of the requirements overlap. However, CMMC adds formal certification and maturity levels, which is why we’ll discuss it separately below.CMMCCMMC is a government framework developed by the DoD, sometimes also referred to as the Department of War under recent executive authority. Its purpose is to enhance the security posture of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and ensure the security of Federal Contract Information (FCI) and CUI.Any organization that wants to work with the DoD must obtain a CMMC certification. The framework outlines requirements across 14 control domains, which incorporate practices from other frameworks such as NIST 800-172 and NIST 800-171 Rev 2.The DOD recognizes that contractors and subcontractors handle different types of information, so the CMMC is structured into three certification levels, based on the complexity and sensitivity of the data you handle:CMMC Level 1: Aimed at organizations that primarily handle FCI and encompasses six out of 14 control areas. To obtain a certificate, conduct an internal assessment and enter your results into the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS).CMMC Level 2: Intended for organizations that handle both FCI and less critical CUI, this level covers 110 practices across all 14 areas. Certification requires either a self-assessment or an audit by a certified auditor (C3PAO), the results of which must be uploaded to the CMMC Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service (eMASS).CMMC Level 3: Aimed at organizations that handle highly sensitive CUI. Requires both a Level 2 certificate and an additional 24 controls from NIST 800-172. To achieve compliance, you’ll need to pass an audit by the Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center (DIBCAC).All three levels require annual affirmations to maintain compliance, while Levels 2 and 3 require a full reassessment every three years to maintain certification.FedRAMPFedRAMP is a risk management program that standardizes risk assessments, authorizations, and continuous monitoring practices for cloud services working with government agencies. Compliance isn’t legally mandatory for all organizations, but it's a hard requirement for CSPs serving federal agencies. CSPs must obtain FedRAMP authorization before they can offer services to the U.S. federal government.FedRAMP’s voluntary nature also means that you won’t receive penalties for noncompliance. However, failing to align with the framework may drastically limit business opportunities in regulated markets, even causing you to lose out on existing federal contracts.The compliance process typically involves these steps:Conduct an internal assessmentRemediate identified gapsUndergo a third-party auditObtain authorizationContinuously monitor controls for efficiencyWhich government compliance framework should you pursue?The government sector framework you should pursue depends on the industry best practices and your current security posture. If you’re a cloud provider, you’ll need to comply with FedRAMP, which is built on NIST security controls. If you plan to collaborate with the DoD, you’ll need to meet CMMC requirements, which formalize NIST 800-171 controls for defense contractors.The risks of noncompliance are high. Aside from financial penalties, noncompliance can lead to contract termination, loss of eligibility for future awards, and reputational damage.If you intend to pursue government contracts but are still maturing your security posture, start by aligning with NIST CSF and NIST 800-171. Both frameworks provide strong security baselines that public sector buyers expect.A major benefit of government compliance is that these standards are complementary and often share several controls. Once you achieve compliance with one of them, it'll be faster to meet the other.Challenges of government contracting complianceGovernment compliance can be a complex and challenging process. Some of the most common roadblocks organizations encounter include:Extensive compliance requirements: Due to the sensitive nature of the data they protect, government frameworks have complex requirements that can be difficult to meet. This is particularly true for smaller and resource-constrained organizations that may lack in-house expertise.Continuous monitoring: Government compliance is an ongoing effort, and one of the core requirements is establishing ongoing monitoring procedures, which can be time-consuming and pull your teams away from other essential tasks.Frequent risk assessments and internal audits: Maintaining compliance requires conducting frequent risk assessments and internal audits, which require both deep planning and resource investments.Documentation expectations: Thorough documentation is nonnegotiable for government contracting compliance, but gathering the required evidence often involves sifting through disparate systems and siloed technologies, which puts significant pressure on your security and compliance teams.A common mistake organizations make when pursuing government compliance is improperly scoping the environment or services they are providing as part of the contracts, leading to issues and delays in compliance programs overall.”An effective way to approach this issue is to implement a top rated compliance automation solution that will enable real-time insights, centralize documentation, and ensure a consistent audit process.Final thoughts on government contracting complianceGovernment contracting compliance is complex, but it’s also achievable with the right foundation. Frameworks like FAR, DFARS, NIST 800-171, CMMC, and FedRAMP are designed to protect sensitive data, and because they share common controls, progress in one area accelerates readiness in others. By taking a structured, continuous approach to compliance and leveraging automation to reduce manual effort, organizations can pursue federal contracts with greater confidence and less operational strain.This story was produced by Vanta and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	U.S. unexpectedly adds 130,000 jobs in January after a weak 2025 U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in January as the unemployment rate dipped to 4.3% from 4.4% in December. Annual revisions show that job growth last year was far weaker than initially reported.
	Greetings from Mexico City's iconic boulevard, where a dog on a bike steals the show Every week, more than 100,000 people ride bikes, skates and rollerblades past some of the most best-known parts of Mexico's capital. And sometimes their dogs join them too.
	How to reset your body this winter for long-term health (BPT) - During the colder months, people often feel stiff, sluggish or vaguely "off" compared to other seasons, making it difficult to move comfortably and maintain a steady routine. This winter slump can become even more challenging as you age. However, winter stiffness and fatigue aren't just about "slowing down."They're often signs of increased inflammation.Inflammation affects how you move, recover and stay consistent. It's also often an underlying cause of seasonal discomfort and reduced mobility. And when inflammation goes unaddressed, it can stifle your ability to stay active, productive and independent as you age."The good news is that inflammation is often manageable," said Dr. Dustin DebRoy, DC, manager of education and relations at The Joint Chiropractic. "By focusing on small, supportive lifestyle adjustments, people can reduce inflammation and reset their body this winter and — more importantly — their long-term health."Small changes with big impactMajor short-term fixes can't sustain long-term performance, mobility and healthy aging. Instead of committing to a complete life overhaul, focus on building foundational habits that help you manage inflammation so you can improve how your body feels and moves.Here are just a few small lifestyle adjustments that can have a big impact on inflammation, allowing your body to rest and reset.Eat an anti-inflammatory diet: What you feed your body can also feed your inflammation. According to Harvard Health, refined carbohydrates, fried foods, sweet beverages, red meat, processed meat and unhealthy fats can increase inflammation. Try to limit eating these types of food and instead incorporate anti-inflammatory options like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats like olive oil.Manage stress: Stress can take a toll on your entire body and directly contributes to inflammation. According to The Joint Chiropractic, stress elevates your cortisol levels, setting off your body's natural inflammatory response. Make time in your day to unwind by meditating, journaling, walking or doing other relaxing activities. Not only do these activities help you destress and manage your inflammation, but they also can create long-term habits that may help promote calmness, mobility and overall well-being.Schedule chiropractic care: Your body's musculoskeletal alignment affects how you move and feel. When you're out of alignment, you may feel discomfort and stiffness, making it harder to move. By visiting a chiropractic professional and receiving regular adjustments, you may feel reduced pain and stiffness in your joints, improved mobility, reduced stress and increased blood flow, all of which can contribute to a more active lifestyle and reduced inflammation. To learn more about how chiropractic care may help and to find a chiropractic professional near you, visit TheJoint.com.Take a few minutes to stretch: Speaking of bodily alignment, stretching is another way to support your body so you can move more with less pain. You don't need to spend a long time doing so. In as little as six minutes, you can improve your flexibility, relieve joint stiffness and reduce stress.Realign, reset and recover in 2026 and beyondSmall, sustainable changes are the key to managing inflammation and unlocking a better-feeling you. This winter, start small and build on these and other healthy habits that will help your body realign, reset and recover not just this season, but for the rest of your life.
	Why dental care is one of the most important ways to support your pet’s overall well-being (BPT) - Humans need to brush their teeth daily to maintain good health, and the same goes for pets! However, many pet parents are unaware that daily dental care is an essential part of their pet's overall well-being.Dental disease is the No. 1 health issue in pets, impacting up to 70% of pets — especially small breeds and seniors — and often developing before visible symptoms.1 However, it remains one of the most preventable health issues with consistent daily care.Drs. Ben and Erin Schroeder, DVM, Education Partners for Wellness Pet Company, are no strangers to pet dental health issues. As the owners of Cedar County Veterinary Services and stars of National Geographic Wild's show "Heartland Docs, DVM," they've seen firsthand how daily dental care can help prevent diseased teeth and gums and keep four-legged friends happy and healthy. If you're a pet parent who wants to start investing in your cat or dog's dental care but don't know where to start, you're not alone. Check out the Schroeders' list of expert tips that can help you simply support your pet's overall well-being today, tomorrow and the rest of their lives. Start dental care earlyWhen it comes to lifelong dental health for your furry family members, the sooner you start dental care the better. In fact, if you adopt a puppy or kitten, you can start dental training as early as six weeks. All you need is a toothbrush and pet-friendly toothpaste to get started!Make dental care fun with treatsYou can make daily dental care easier for you and fun for your pets with delicious dental treats that help clean your pet's mouth while they enjoy a snack. A great pick for felines and canines alike is Wellness® WHIMZEES® Dental treats. These are favorites because they contain simple, healthy ingredients and never have any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. The Schroeders recommend them as a daily routine that provides consistent cleaning support when given regularly. WHIMZEES cat dental treats are designed scientifically for feline oral care, addressing common dental concerns through daily treats that support breath, plaque and tartar reduction. Their crunchy, porous texture allows cats' teeth to sink in, increasing surface contact for more effective cleaning with every bite. For dogs, WHIMZEES dental treats are scientifically proven to support all four vet-checked areas — breath, plaque, tartar and gums — when chewed daily, helping maintain oral health between vet visits and brushing. Designed with grooves, ridges and firmer, high-fiber texture, WHIMZEES encourage longer chew time for more effective cleaning, helping reduce plaque before it hardens into tartar when chewed daily. There are even options for smaller or older dogs with sensitive teeth, like Wellness® WHIMZEES® Freshzees™. Available in XS, S and M sizes, this is a great option for a more comfortable chew.Schedule your yearly vet visit and practice at homeAnnual vet exams are important for every aspect of your pawed pal's well-being, including dental. During every vet exam, one of the first tasks a vet will do is look at a pet's mouth and teeth. Just by lifting a lip, they can evaluate the health of the gums, whether plaque and tartar are present and if the pet has bad breath. A great tip for helping get your pet ready for their health examinations is to practice lifting the lips (both sides), opening the mouth and gently touching the gums at home. This quick training will make future vet visits more informative for the veterinarian, less stressful for the pet, and will be a great bonding experience that your pet looks forward to daily!Don't ignore bad breathSpeaking of bad breath, it's one of the first signs that something isn't right with your pet's health. Rotten, stinky breath (called halitosis) is one of the first signs of dental disease, along with buildup of food material (plaque); brown, yellow or gray residue (tartar); and/or red gums. If you notice bad breath or any of these other signs, don't wait to contact your vet and start implementing simple, everyday care into your pets' routines.Aim for consistency, not perfectionNo one is perfect. Aim to brush your pet's teeth every day, but don't get down on yourself if you miss every once in a while. Life is full of surprises, interruptions and last-minute obligations. Consistency, not perfection, is what makes a difference in your pet's dental and overall health and wellness.With a little time and effort, you can make a huge difference in your cat's and dog's dental health and set them up for lifelong well-being. To find more tips and find fun treats to help your pet look forward to their dental care routine, visit https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/whimzees/.1. World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Dental Guidelines JSAP2020; 61:E50
	February may be short on days -- but it boasts a long list of new books The shortest month of the year is packed with highly anticipated new releases, including books from Michael Pollan, Tayari Jones and the late Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.
	Energy co-op, citizens group speak to Scott County Supervisors ahead of power plant vote Representatives from the power co-op said a natural gas power plant is needed to meet energy demand. But a concerned citizens group protested its location on prime farm ground.
	Pleasant Valley School District hires director of operations from Rock Island-Milan The director of operations at Rock Island-Milan will be moving to Pleasant Valley Community School District.
	Man caught in online sex sting sentenced to prison A Davenport man caught in an online sex sting when he went to NorthPark Mall to meet a person he thought was an underage girl has been sentenced to prison.
	Shootings at school and home in British Columbia, Canada, leave 10 dead A shooting at a school in British Columbia left seven people dead, while two more were found dead at a nearby home, authorities said. A woman who police believe to be the shooter also was killed.
	Trump's EPA plans to end a key climate pollution regulation The Environmental Protection Agency is eliminating a Clean Air Act finding from 2009 that is the basis for much of the federal government's actions to rein in climate change.
	Movies and TV shows casting across the US Grusho Anna // Shutterstock Movies and TV shows casting across the US The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey.Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you. Backstage compiled a list of projects casting right now across the U.S., and which roles they're looking to fill. Media_Photos // Shutterstock 'The Gilded Age,' Season 4 - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- People to Portray Footmen (Non SAG AFTRA Covered) (background / extra, male, 18-25)- Roles pay up to: $187- Casting locations: New York City, NY- Learn more about the scripted show here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'The Ones We Leave Behind' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Sam (lead, male, 10-15)- Roles pay up to: $20,000- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the feature film here Tikkyshop // Shutterstock 'Painted with L.O.V.E.' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Lilly (lead, female, 22-30)--- Patrick Jones (lead, 25-35)--- Lois (supporting, female, 22-30)- Roles pay up to: $10,000- Casting locations: nationwide- Learn more about the feature film here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'Lycan Princess Marries Her Nemesis' - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Aria Kingsley (lead, female, 18-24)--- Lucien Blackwood (lead, male, 18-28)--- Alaric Lyon (supporting, male, 18-28)- Roles pay up to: $4,000- Casting locations: Baldwin Park, CA; Los Angeles, CA- Learn more about the vertical series here muratart // Shutterstock 'Let's Switch Spots!' (WT) - Project type: reality TV- Roles: --- Family (real people, 5+)- Roles pay up to: $10,000- Casting locations: nationwide- Learn more about the reality TV show here Media_Photos // Shutterstock 'Out The Kitchen' - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Criminal Gang Members (SAG-AFTRA Covered) (background / extra, male, 18-75)--- Criminal Gang Members (Non-SAG Covered) (background / extra, male, 18-75)--- Dangerous Criminals (SAG-AFTRA Covered) (background / extra, male, 18-75)- Roles pay up to: $224- Casting locations: New York City, NY- Learn more about the scripted show here guruXOX // Shutterstock 'Cardboard City' Concept Video - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Neil (lead, male, 32-42)--- Maria (lead, female, 30-40)--- Dean (supporting, female, 6-11)- Roles pay up to: $900- Casting locations: New York, NY- Learn more about the scripted show here Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock 'Disguise' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Audrey (lead, female, 30-40)--- Evelynn (supporting, female, 30-40)--- Alex (supporting, female, 30-40)- Roles pay up to: $1,050- Casting locations: Los Angeles, CA- Learn more about the feature film here Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock 'Ten Miles' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Audrey (lead, female, 25-39)--- Julian (lead, 35-45)- Roles pay up to: $3,000- Casting locations: Austin, TX- Learn more about the feature film here Dpongvit // Shutterstock 'Rules' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Bates (lead, male, 35-60)--- Jessica Corley (lead, female, 35-50)--- Myles Corley (lead, male, 35-50)- Roles pay up to: $2,100- Casting locations: Auditions: Mar 7, 2026 in Davidson, NC- Learn more about the feature film here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock Scripted Show, Book Signing and Lecture Attendees (NON SAG Covered) - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Book Signing & Lecture Attendees (background / extra, 18+)- Roles pay up to: $187- Casting locations: New York, NY; Purchase, NY; Yonkers, NY; Nanuet, NY- Learn more about the scripted show here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock Amazon MGM 'CTTS' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- BG Pedestrians (background / extra, 18+)--- KIDS AGES 6-15_BACKGROUND ROLES LOCAL TOWNIES, AVAIL TBD MID FEB-MARCH, HUDSON VALLEY AREA NEW YORK STATE (lead, 6-15)- Roles pay up to: $224- Casting locations: New York, NY; Kingston, NY; Saugerties, NY; Newburgh, NY- Learn more about the feature film here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock Indie Drama Feature Film - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Baby (day player, 0-2)- Roles pay up to: $436- Casting locations: Tuckerton, NJ- Learn more about the feature film here Media_Photos // Shutterstock Utah Dance Moms - Project type: reality TV- Roles: --- Utah Dance Moms (real people, 18+)- Roles pay up to: $6,000- Casting locations: Salt Lake City, UT; Lindon, UT; Provo, UT; Orem, UT; Lehi, UT- Learn more about the reality TV show here KinoMasterskaya // Shutterstock Korean Feature Film Project 2026 - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Tyler (supporting, male, 18-26)- Roles pay up to: $3,000- Casting locations: nationwide- Learn more about the feature film here This story was produced by Backstage and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	From gifting a hat to tossing them onto the rink, a history of hat tricks in sports Hat tricks have a rich history in hockey, but it didn't start there. For NPR's Word of the Week, we trace the term's some 150-year-history and why it's particularly special on the hockey rink.
	The U.S. claims China is conducting secret nuclear tests. Here's what that means The allegations were leveled by U.S. officials late last week. Arms control experts worry that norms against nuclear testing are unraveling.
	Pam Bondi to face questions from House lawmakers about her helm of the DOJ The attorney general's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee comes one year into her tenure, a period marked by a striking departure from traditions and norms at the Justice Department.
	Father of US-based Hong Kong activist convicted under national security law The father of a U.S.-based activist wanted by Hong Kong authorities was convicted of attempting to deal with an absconder's financial assets on Wednesday, in the first court case of its kind brought under a homegrown national security law.
	Annual governors' gathering with White House unraveling after Trump excludes Democrats An annual meeting of the nation's governors that has long served as a rare bipartisan gathering is unraveling after President Donald Trump excluded Democratic governors from White House events.
Tuesday, February 10th, 2026
	Teens rescue sleeping neighbor from burning Geneseo home The two saw flames coming from their neighbor’s basement windows and smoke filling the main floor, officials said.
	Quad Cities law enforcement agencies discuss recruitment efforts The Scott County Sheriff's Office is fully staffed, Bettendorf is approved for 52 officers, and Rock Island has 68 of the 81 they would need to be fully staffed.
	City of Geneseo honors two young women for rescuing man from house fire Geneseo's mayor honored two young women Tuesday for getting a neighbor out of his burning home. Olivia Sallach and Taylor Smith received the recognition of heroism award at the city council meeting Tuesday night. Jan. 26, the night of the fire On a frigid January evening, Olivia Sallach and Taylor Smith were cleaning out Sallach's [...]
	New Iowa bill hopes to lure the Chicago Bears to the Hawkeye State The Bears' search for a new stadium has taken them across Illinois to Indiana, and now Iowa legislators are hoping their neighbors might look west.

Wednesday, February 11th, 2026

Tuesday, February 10th, 2026