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

Friday, September 11th, 2026
	Jordan Catholic reflects on faith, community 25 years after 9/11 25 years later, Jordan Catholic remembers the Mass that followed 9/11. Current students learned about that day and how the nation came together.
	Highlight Zone: Week 4 Week 4 of Highlight Zone
	Quad Cities International Airport police and fire chief remembers working 9/11 Jeff Swan said that moments after seeing the second tower hit, his chief at the time came in and said they were closing the airport.
	Davenport temporarily closes River’s Edge Ice Arena after mold found Restoration started Friday and will last four to five weeks.
	A big weekend of sports coming to the Quad Cities As we get ready for the weekend, we are looking out at the weather for a big weekend of sports here in the Quad Cities. Starting it off with Saturday, the CyHawk game, Iowa State against Iowa tomorrow at 6:30pm where the weather is going to be staying clear with warm temperatures in the low [...]
	Muscatine firefighters climb stadium stairs to honor 9/11 first responders Firefighters climbed up and down 2,200 steps to symbolize the 110 floors of the World Trade Center.
	Rock Island Arsenal marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 with remembrance ceremony A ceremony was held on Arsenal Island to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
	River's Edge Ice Arena closing for 4-5 weeks due to maintenance The City of Davenport says the River's Edge Ice Arena is closing for four to five weeks for maintenance.
	Davenport man charged with leaving toddler home alone A Davenport man is facing child neglect charges after police say he left a toddler home alone while he went out drinking.
	Iowa State Patrol Trooper released from hospital following Stuart shooting An Iowa State Patrol Trooper injured in a shooting in Stuart last month has been released from the hospital.
	River's Edge Ice Arena to close for at least four weeks after mold discovery The summer's high humidity led to moisture buildup, and staff discovered mold in two locker rooms. The mold is not toxic and the rooms were closed, according to Friday's announcement.
	Arsenal ceremony honors 9/11 victims, those who served Service members, first responders, Gold Star families and community leaders gathered at the Arsenal’s 9/11 memorial to honor those killed and those who served.
	QCA senior and disability expo highlights information and services Seniors and people with disabilities got free information and services at a Quad-City expo. The Illinois Iowa Center for Independent Living hosted its 16th annual senior and disability expo at Bally's Quad Cities. More than 40 vendors shared information on health care, transportation, housing and scams targeting seniors, including AI-related scams. For more information about [...]
	Iowans march 21 miles to capitol honoring 9/11 first responders Dozens of people walked 21 miles from Waukee to the Iowa State Capitol to honor 415 first responders who died 25 years ago on September 11th, 2001.
	RAYGUN selling shirts in honor of Iowa Marching Band member Local clothing brand RAYGUN announced on Friday they are selling shirts in honor of Derek Phillips, the Iowa Marching Band member who collapsed at last week’s football game and died.
	Aledo Opera House to hold 9/11 event, movie showing Aledo Opera House staff talks about hosting a special 9/11 movie showing event and announces a visit from a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
	River's Edge Ice Arena in Davenport temporarily closing for maintenance The city said the arena will be closed for four to five weeks.
	Rock Island Arsenal honors 25th anniversary of 9/11 Staff Sgt. Nathan Cox, a native of the Quad Cities, reenlisted in the Army after 9/11. He was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2008.
	Whiteside Co. Animal Control, humane society clash over decision to euthanize dog A nearly month-long outcry for a dog’s release from animal control ends with a euthanasia sentence—a decision one local animal shelter calls “absolutely unacceptable.”
	Whiteside County Animal Control to euthanize dog that bit owner; despite pleas to release to animal shelter The Whiteside County Animal Control reported they still plan to euthanize a dog following several pleas from residents to release the dog to a local animal shelter.
	Mold remediation closing The River's Edge Davenport is closing The River’s Edge Ice Arena for 4 -5 weeks for facility maintenance, effective September 11 at 4 p.m., according to a news release from the city. The closure allows the city to work with contractors to address the facility’s issues and reopen it as quickly as possible. High humidity during the summer [...]
	Muscatine Fire Department remembers 9/11 with stair climb The Muscatine Fire Department held a stair climb to remember and honor those affected by 9/11.
	Celebration of Conservation Treasures Natural & Man-Made event to close Kellogg Street, Galesburg Explore the wonders of nature and storytelling at the Celebration of Conservation Treasures Natural & Man-Made event on Sunday, September 13 at the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg and along Kellogg Street. The free public open house brings regional environmental organizations, interactive displays and live storytelling together to celebrate local conservation efforts. Admission is free but [...]
	LeClaire Wine Stampede benefits Humane Society of Scott County Enjoy wine samples from some of eastern Iowa’s top wineries while raising funds for the Humane Society of Scott County. The second annual LeClaire Wine Stampede takes place on Saturday, September 26 from 2 – 5 p.m. in downtown LeClaire. Shops along Cody Road will turn into tasting stops where guests can enjoy complimentary samples [...]
	Amid war and sanctions, many Iranians are losing their jobs and struggling to get by Many Iranians lost their jobs because of the war and the U.S. blockade. Now some are even losing their backup jobs as sanctions tighten.
	In photos: Remembering the Sept. 11 attacks, 25 years later Around the U.S., ceremonies commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11th terror attacks in New York and at the Pentagon.
	Dedicated Walcott teacher and coach honored with naming at school field The Davenport Community School District on Thursday dedicated the Walcott K-8 School football field in honor of the late Coach Dennis Johns, recognizing his lasting impact.
	Galesburg police arrest woman after possible stabbing; victim airlifted Galesburg police were dispatched to a possible stabbing early Thursday morning, where they discovered a critically injured victim. A suspect is in custody.
	13-year-old charged with arson in June LeClaire house fire No one was injured in the fire that broke out on June 24.
	13-year-old boy arrested for alleged arson, burglary in LeClaire A 13-year-old boy was arrested in connection to a house fire in June.
	This reissued short story collection captures Iowa life 100 years ago In 1926, Ruth Suckow published Iowa Interiors, the short story collection that put her on the map. A centennial reissue aims to keep her legacy alive.
	Bettendorf announces Homecoming Parade route Road closures will be in effect next week as Bettendorf holds its Homecoming Parade on Thursday, September 4. Road closures start at 5:30 p.m., with the parade starting at 6 p.m. The parade begins at the 18th Street entrance of Bettendorf Middle School, moves on to 18th Street toward Bettendorf High School and ends in [...]
	In Scott County, Zach Lahn asks Republicans to rally around water quality as a 'pro-life issue' Zach Lahn spoke before a few hundred Scott County Republicans Thursday at the party’s annual Reagan Dinner.
	Quad City International Airport police chief recalls Sept. 11 attacks Chief Jeff Swan was a first-year officer at the time when the Twin Towers were hit, and 25 years later, Swan's experiences shape how he handles airport traffic.
	More child porn charges filed against former QC Arts leader More charged were filed against the former QC Arts leader Ben Morris on Thursday.
	Davenport teacher chosen as an Iowa regional teacher of the year A Quad-City teacher has been selected as an Iowa regional teacher of the year. According to a release from the Iowa Department of Education, Mitchel Dierickx is teacher of the year for the Mississippi Bend region. Dierickx, a first grade teacher at Davenport Community School District’s Madison Elementary School, has spent the past nine years [...]
	Rock Island Arsenal holds 9/11 memorial ceremony, marking 25 years since terrorist attacks It was standing room only at the Arenal's 9/11 memorial ceremony Friday, marking 25 years since the attacks.
	Nathan Fielder unravels the lies of Elizabeth Holmes in 'You Can See Everything' I was lucky enough to be among the few hundred Telluride Film Festival attendees to see the world premiere of You Can See Everything, Nathan Fielder’s reality-blurring, mind-bending documentary about Elizabeth Holmes. And I’m still not sure what I experienced.
	Morning transportation changes coming for Rock Island High School students living in Milan Morning transportation changes are coming for Rock Island High School scholars who live in Milan. An email from the school said the changes will start on Monday, September 14 and are being made to improve transportation efficiency and on-time arrivals. According to the new schedule: Families and staff members who need help finding their scholar’s [...]
	Woman arrested after Galesburg stabbing leaves victim critically injured A woman was arrested Thursday after another woman was critically injured during a stabbing.
	Muscatine to honor fallen firefighter, killed 24 years ago in 2002 fire Muscatine Fire Department will remember 27-year-veteran firefighter Michael Kruse, who died in the line of duty in a 2002 fire.
	Woman arrested in connection with Galesburg stabbing A woman is in the Knox County Jail after police arrested her in connection with a stabbing in Galesburg, according to a news release from the Galesburg Police Department. Galesburg Police were called to the 500 block of Iowa Ct. on September 10 at about 1:20 a.m. for a report of a disturbance involving a [...]
	Learning without a brain – how bacteria store memories and remember the past like artificial neural networks Learning is often thought to require a brain. But learning is a broad concept that does not necessarily depend on neurons. If an organism uses information from past experiences to shape its future decisions, it is also learning. Research from my lab, published in the journal PRX Life, shows that even a single bacterium can learn from experience, store memories of the past and use those memories to prepare for the future. Keeping track of nutrients Bacteria live in environments that change constantly and on many different timescales. In the human gut, for example, nutrient levels go up and down, temperatures shift and antibiotic threats come and go. To survive, a bacterium has to respond quickly to what is happening right now while still preserving useful information about what it recently experienced. Adapting too quickly leaves the bacterium vulnerable to changing conditions, while forgetting too readily makes it unable to anticipate a recurring threat. How does a bacterium manage this balancing act? This question interested me as a computational biophysicist who studies how living systems process information and adapt to changing environments. To investigate whether single-celled organisms such as bacteria can learn from past experience, my colleagues and I used what’s called a microfluidic device to track the behavior of tens of thousands of individual E. coli cells as we switched their nutrient supply on and off at different rates. E. coli can grow at remarkable rates. Eric Erbe, Christopher Pooley/USDA We found that bacteria not only react to current nutrient levels in their environment, they also keep track of their nutrient history to cope with changing conditions. If the bacteria were simply reacting to their present environment, they would respond to a sudden pulse of food in exactly the same way, regardless of whether their previous environment was stable or rapidly fluctuating. Instead, when exposed to the same influx of nutrients, bacteria that had just experienced a feast-and-famine environment adapted much faster than bacteria coming from a stable environment. Because the immediate conditions were identical for both bacteria, we reasoned that the difference in their behavior must originate from a stored internal record of their past rather than a simple reaction to their present. In other words, the bacteria’s past experiences were shaping their present behavior – they were learning. Where bacteria store memory But where were these cells storing this information? To better understand how bacteria were responding to changes in their nutrient environment, my team and I constructed a mathematical model of the internal molecular network that controls bacterial growth. Our model not only reproduced how bacteria behaved under different nutrient environments, but also revealed where their memory likely resides. Our model pointed to a component of cells called ribosomes as a potential memory storage site. Ribosomes are the molecular factories of cells, building proteins and setting how fast a cell grows. Because bacterial memory revealed itself to us as changes in growth rate, our model located the source of this memory within the factories that determine growth. No other component we tested in the model reproduced this behavior. Some ribosomes responded quickly to nutrient changes, while others changed more slowly. We reasoned that the fast responders track what’s happening in the present, while the slow responders retain traces of the past. Together, they give the cell a memory that spans many timescales, from minutes to hours. Bacteria and AI systems Using our mathematical model, we found that this molecular system follows the same basic computational logic as a gated recurrent neural network: a type of artificial intelligence used to process sequences such as speech and sensor data. Key to this process is what computer scientists call a gate – that is, a molecular switch that decides how much of an existing memory to keep and how much to overwrite when new information arrives. Cells hold onto memory at a cost, because maintaining readiness to adapt comes at the expense of growth. If a bacteria is spending its energy adapting to its current environment, it has less resources to spend on growth. Bacteria use molecular gates to actively tune how much to retain and how much to discard. What is a neural network, and how does it “learn”? Modern AI systems rely on gates to remember important details while staying flexible enough to learn something new. In the bacterium, the gate is not built from software but from the chemistry within the cell. This strategy also helps solve a problem familiar to AI researchers: how to learn something new without erasing what was learned before. Bacterial cells balance memory and flexibility by storing information across many timescales. This kind of history-dependent computation does not require neurons. Instead, our study showed that a network of ribosome populations is sufficient. Long before people built artificial intelligence, bacteria had already evolved a remarkably similar strategy for using the past to prepare for the future. Using bacterial memory Using the broadest definition of learning, our findings show that memory and learning can emerge from chemical networks in a cell, with no brain or neurons of any kind. Our work also reveals an unexpected connection between biology and artificial intelligence. For biology, our mathematical model provides a precise, quantitative language for describing how cells process information and make decisions. For artificial intelligence, it offers a biological blueprint for building systems that can learn continuously under tight energy constraints. These findings could also have implications for medicine. Many pathogenic bacteria survive by adapting to changing conditions inside the body. If this adaptability depends on cellular memory, then future drugs to treat infection could disrupt the molecular components that allow cells to store and use information about their environment. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Shiladitya Banerjee, Georgia Institute of Technology Read more: Bacteria can develop resistance to drugs they haven’t encountered before − scientists figured this out decades ago in a classic experiment Viruses are both the villains and heroes of life as we know it Where are memories stored in the brain? New research suggests they may be in the connections between your brain cells Shiladitya Banerjee receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.
	Are too many Americans taking antidepressants? Drugs for treating depression are among the most prescribed category of medications in the U.S. – 1 in 6 American adults take them. Some health researchers and advocates have raised concerns that too many patients are using antidepressants and that patients who want to stop taking them struggle to do so. One of the most prominent voices on this point is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who launched an effort in May 2026 encouraging doctors to find other ways besides antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs to treat depression when possible. As a psychiatrist for over 35 years, including a past role as the medical director of North Dakota’s Department of Human Services, I’ve seen both the benefits and the problems with antidepressants. In my view, there are grains of truth to claims that they are overused, but the full picture is much more nuanced. What are antidepressants, and who takes them? Over half of all antidepressant medications prescribed are a type of drug called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The first SSRI – fluoxetine, better known by its brand name Prozac – was approved in 1987. A handful of other types of SSRIs, which work through different mechanisms, also exists. Antidepressants can be helpful for moderate to severe depression, but they are typically not warranted for mild depression, as the side effects might outweigh any potential benefits. For mild depression, many effective nonmedication treatments exist. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has encouraged doctors to steer patients away from antidepressants when possible. However, the distinction between mild and more severe symptoms sometimes gets lost. In everyday language, people use the term “depression” to describe everything from a minor sense of the blahs to a serious clinical condition requiring treatment. Healthcare workers in primary care clinics routinely screen patients for depression using a widely used questionnaire. This tool can be effective in flagging patients who might need further testing or treatment. But in my experience, if used on its own to diagnose, it can be easily misinterpreted. A person having a bad week or two who scores higher on a screening test might be prescribed a medication that was not necessary. But the tool can also fail to flag people who do need care. Over a third of people who die by suicide have visited a primary care provider in the month before their death. For those 55 and older, it rises to more than two-thirds. Prescribing in general practice According to a 2026 analysis, most prescriptions for antidepressants in the U.S. are not written by psychiatrists. In some cases, these medicines are prescribed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants with psychiatric qualifications, but most are written by primary care providers, who are not specialists in mental health. Clinicians who provide primary care don’t just have less time to evaluate patients’ mental health concerns. They also have less access to ways of treating depression apart from medication, such as talk therapy. Primary clinics that have behavioral health providers and consult with psychiatrists tend to help patients more effectively and provide more treatment options. These types of collaborative approaches to care are still rare but are becoming more common. I recall my father, who was a country doctor in general practice, saying that half of his patients’ problems had to do with mental health issues, and he didn’t know how best to help them. Today’s primary care providers do receive more training on mental health issues, and they are often more equipped to recommend lifestyle changes that can be especially helpful for people with less severe depression symptoms. But it’s simply human nature that when given a choice between taking a daily medication and engaging in activities that require commitment and intention, many will choose medication. The opposing forces of stigma and access Stigma has been a long-standing barrier in seeking mental healthcare. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression have become more prevalent. That’s particularly true among adolescents and young adults – especially young women, who tend to experience less stigma around mental health issues. New rules during the pandemic also made it significantly easier for people to access mental health treatment – both therapy and medications – remotely, via telehealth. Such access continues to grow. Before the pandemic, only 1% to 2% of antidepressant medications were prescribed via telehealth. By 2022, it was roughly one-third. Given these trends, and the fact that clinicians often turn to medication for treating depression regardless of the severity, the uptick in antidepressant prescriptions since 2020 should come as no surprise. Virtual visits allow people to navigate more easily around stigma and find increased and convenient access to care. And many people feel more comfortable getting such care in a primary care clinic rather than a mental health clinic. Systemic issues drive prescribing For all these reasons, I would say that antidepressant medications are likely overused in some cases. Undoubtedly, some people who take them either don’t benefit from them or could address their symptoms in other ways. On the other hand, expanded access to mental healthcare – including medication – has also enabled people who need treatment to receive it. Even now, many Americans with serious depression receive no or limited treatment. For people with mild depression, medication may not be the best option, but the distinction between mild and more severe symptoms sometimes gets lost. Dimensions/E+ via Getty Images via The Conversation What’s more, in my view, this imbalance reflects systemic problems in the U.S. healthcare system at least as much as physicians’ prescribing habits or patients’ requests. For example, primary care clinics are a great place to screen for mental health issues, but getting proper treatment may involve more specialized care – which many patients can’t access. And on the business side, clinicians get little support in helping patients with lifestyle changes and nonmedication treatments – rather than prescribing drugs. Difficulties in ditching antidepressants Kennedy has claimed that for some people, stopping antidepressants can be harder than quitting heroin. Research suggests such extreme effects of discontinuing medication are rare, though not unheard of. Any time a person is on a medication for a significant period of time, the brain and body adapt to establish a new balance. This happens with other substances, too – as any regular coffee drinker who has tried abruptly quitting knows. People who want to stop taking antidepressants after being on them for a long time generally do best when they gradually taper their dose over weeks to months, unless they have a specific reason for stopping more quickly. For antidepressants, clinicians watch for withdrawal symptoms including sleep problems, flu-like symptoms, headaches and an electrical buzzing sensation in the head. A 2024 review of dozens of rigorous studies that compared the experiences of people taking antidepressants with those taking a sugar pill found that roughly a quarter of people stopping antidepressants experienced some withdrawal symptoms, and for 3%, they were severe. While certain antidepressants might be more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms, it’s tough to tell who might have the most difficulty. And for some patients, depression is a chronic illness for which they must take medication indefinitely. However, most people working with an experienced clinician are able to successfully discontinue these drugs. Ultimately, what’s most important is that patients are able to consult with a knowledgeable provider in making that decision. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Andrew McLean, University of North Dakota Read more: Depression too often gets deemed ‘hard to treat’ when medication falls short Medication can help you make the most of therapy − a psychologist and neuroscientist explains how After the FDA issued warnings about antidepressants, youth suicides rose and mental health care dropped Andrew McLean has taken part in projects that have included government funded grants related to mental health and substance misuse and holds an Endowed Chair in Neuroscience funded in part by the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute through the UND Alumni Association and Foundation.
	As diseases loom, CDC's response to measles deaths stirs fears about agency's reliability The worst U.S. measles outbreak in decades is growing and flu season is imminent. Experts are fretting about federal health data reliability after the CDC questioned two Pennsylvania measles deaths.
	Ballet Quad Cities starts 30th season with “Ballet on the Lawn” Sunday Ballet Quad Cities is launching its 30th-anniversary season this Sunday with a special “Ballet on the Lawn” at the Davenport Outing Club, 2109 N. Brady St., with performances at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sept. 13.
	What we saw at the 2026 Telluride Film Festival: AI debates, Oscar hopefuls and a top-secret screening '2 for the Show' hit the road over Labor Day weekend to attend the 53rd Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. The four-day festival played host to many high-profile Oscar contenders, plus a top-secret screening that quickly became the talk of the internet. Read on for a recap of the festival, including our thoughts on all the films we saw.
	Moline could allow drive-up cannabis dispensaries Moline's Planning Commission is recommending new rules that would let dispensaries offer drive-up windows, curbside pickup and hours as late as 2 a.m. The proposal now heads to City Council, where it needs three reviews before it can pass.
	UnityPoint Health names Jenn Crimmins Executive Director, Rural Health Partnerships UnityPoint Health has announced that Jenn Crimmins has been chosen to fill the newly created role of Executive Director, Rural Health Partnerships. She will be responsible for developing, leading and sustaining strategic partnerships to strengthen access to local, high-quality and financially sustainable health care in rural communities. “People who live in rural areas deserve dependable [...]
	4 Your Money \| The Math Gets Harder on the Way Back One of the most overlooked realities of investing is that market losses and gains are not symmetrical. John Nelson, Financial Planner at NelsonCorp Wealth Management, shares insights on how steep declines demand significantly higher growth rates to return to break even.
	Mail-in voting: What to know Here's what to know about each state's rules for mail-in voting and deadlines when voters must return their ballots
	Argrow's House fundraiser will celebrate resilience, healing, hope Argrow’s House of Healing and Hope invites the public to its ninth annual Fundraising Gala: Shimmering Hope, at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at the J Bar & Holiday Inn & Suites, 4215 Elmore Ave., Davenport, according to a news release Argrow's House is a safe space in the greater Quad Cities region, where free [...]
	25 Years Later: KWQC Journalists Reflect on the Day That Shook the Nation On the 25th anniversary of September 11, four veteran KWQC TV6 journalists reflect on the shock, confusion, and responsibility of covering America’s darkest day from the Quad Cities newsroom.
	‘Just one grain of sand’: Retired Moline firefighter reflects on volunteering at Ground Zero On Sept. 11, 2001, former Moline firefighter Mike Radford watched in disbelief as the attacks unfolded across the country. Then, he jumped into action.
	The next literacy challenge: Teaching students how to write The next literacy challenge: Teaching students how to writeIt was the middle of a writing lesson in Gabrielle Grace’s first grade class at Sand Creek Elementary in suburban Denver, and students were furiously jotting down details about their summer plans, the first step in composing a paragraph on the topic.Except for 6-year-old Dean, who was already done.“This stuff was just too easy for me,” he told The Hechinger Report. He pointed to his worksheet, fully filled out with a topic sentence (“I do many things over the summer”) and a list of his summer activities (“park, ipad and vacation”).“I wrote this, like, before the bell rang,” he said nonchalantly.At the beginning of the year, many of Grace’s students couldn’t write a sentence. “Now, they do this on their own,” she said. “Their writing is very organized. They write in complete sentences. It’s just like clockwork.”Dean’s writing prowess — and confidence — is what many elementary school teachers dream of. For years, teachers have bemoaned the state of student writing — and have struggled to manage students’ complex, largely negative feelings about it. Across grade levels, educators say children struggle to write basic sentences, let alone use proper spelling and punctuation. In upper elementary grades, when students should be writing paragraphs and short essays, teachers are finding many students still lack fundamental skills and struggle to write at length.In recent years, concerned by low writing scores on state exams, some districts have started to rethink how they’re teaching writing. For example, in the 61,000-student Douglas County district, administrators have added more professional development for teachers in evidence-based writing approaches and are prioritizing explicitly teaching writing to students. Similar efforts are underway in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, California and Rhode Island.Many school leaders say they’re seeing promising results, indicating that America’s children can write better — if they have the right instruction.“Writing is the last bastion of education,” said Randy Barth, CEO of SRSD Online, which trains teachers in the “science of writing,” encompassing a growing body of research on effective writing instruction. “Writing, I would say, is the last thing that the education system is putting money towards.”For years, while America has been focused on math and reading — and in recent years, the science of reading — writing has largely been ignored.Unlike for reading and math, national data on writing proficiency for elementary-age students is sparse. America has not released nationwide standardized writing scores from elementary school grades since 2002, when 27% of fourth graders scored proficient or higher.Nationwide, there’s no good way to know how elementary students are doing when it comes to writing, said Vicki McQuitty, a professor in Towson University’s elementary education program and director of the Maryland Writing Project, an initiative aimed at improving writing instruction. “But the word on the street is that kids can’t write.”An analysis of recent state test results seems to confirm this. In 2025, more than half of Texas’ 360,000 third graders received no credit for their responses on an essay prompt in the state’s annual English language arts test that asked them to compare and contrast two texts. In California the same year, only 17% of third graders met the standard for well-organized writing on an essay asking them to demonstrate research skills when responding to a prompt. And in Florida, students on average scored 6 out of 12 possible points on the state’s writing test.The results aren’t much better as students age. For years, employers, college professors and high school teachers have complained that students struggle to write coherent, multi-paragraph essays when they arrive in their classrooms or apply for jobs.Elementary teachers, responsible for the heavy lift of early writing instruction, say they’re up against a host of challenges. Writing is a demanding task for students, requiring a certain amount of background knowledge to understand the material, fine motor skills and vocabulary, among other skills.“I think writing is the hardest thing to teach,” said Chrissy Everett, a fourth grade teacher at Prairie Crossing Elementary in the Douglas County district and an educator of 23 years, because it involves executive function skills and knowing “how to piece it all together and what steps to do next.”While the “science of writing” isn’t as deeply researched as the science of how children learn to read, experts generally agree on practices that are key to teaching students how to write. For example, students should be given time each day to write and taught different genres and purposes of writing. Educators should also explicitly instruct students in individual components of writing, starting with handwriting, spelling and vocabulary.Adrea Truckenmiller, an associate professor at Michigan State University’s college of education, whose research has focused on writing, said students need to learn that a complete sentence includes a subject and a verb, not just a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end. Later, they must be taught how to connect ideas by expanding and combining sentences. Finally, they can tackle essays, using worksheets and charts to plan their writing.But research shows teacher preparation programs vary in how much and what they teach aspiring educators about writing instruction. Many lack standalone writing instruction courses. “Even teacher educators do not always feel comfortable teaching preservice teachers about writing,” said McQuitty, from Towson. “It’s always pushed to the back.”Once in the classroom, teachers are under pressure to prepare students for standardized tests that emphasize reading and math, experts say, often to the detriment of other subjects.“I just assumed writing instruction was happening, but every time I walk into a classroom my assumption is proven wrong,” said Truckenmiller.Adding to the challenge is that after spending their early years scrolling iPads and pecking at keyboards, some kids struggle to even hold a pencil. Christina Bretz, an occupational therapist with Learning Without Tears, a company that sells early reading and writing curriculum and materials, said she recently met a kindergartener who had never seen crayons and only knew how to color by using his finger on an iPad.“As we’re seeing more children use devices, we start to see less of them manipulating objects with their hands,” said Bretz.In 2023, district leaders in Douglas County noticed scores on the elementary writing portions of state tests were far lower than on the reading portions. As they dug into the district’s approach, “we found that teachers didn’t know how to teach writing,” said Janet Merrill, literacy coordinator for the school system.District officials realized teachers had largely been left on their own to teach writing and were using a hodgepodge of methods. “In the past, really just whatever a teacher could find from Teachers Pay Teachers or something online was where we were,” Merrill said.Without districtwide common strategies, writing instruction varied greatly from class to class, and teachers often felt like they were starting each year from square one, Merrill said. Teachers largely focused on creative writing, asking students to write about a favorite vacation or birthday, Merrill said.“We did ‘Describe your shoe’ for like a month. And then you described your backpack,” she added. “It’s just this random writing.”Merrill started researching science-backed ways to teach writing and learned about an approach that disability advocates in the district were championing, called Self-Regulated Strategy Development. Rather than focusing on creative writing, SRSD is prescriptive, encouraging students to respond to texts using evidence and giving them specific strategies for planning and organizing writing.With help from a group called Releasing Writers, the district rolled out a new approach to writing with 100 instructional coaches and teachers across its more than 70 elementary schools. Three years later, every elementary teacher in the district is following the same process: reading and analyzing examples of writing with their class; using a routine for analyzing and responding to a prompt; and relying largely on writing responses to texts, rather than creative freewrites. Teachers model the strategies and their easy-to-remember acronyms, like “TIDE,” which stands for “topic, important details, and ending.” Students at every grade level repeat the same process, with slight variations for younger students.The district’s new approach also teaches students to be resilient as they write. They start their drafting process by writing a positive phrase to themselves, which they can read when they’re feeling frustrated or stuck.Around the corner from Grace’s classroom, students in Kristin Allen’s kindergarten class had just finished reading a story about a group of animals who made a gift for a turtle.Now, Allen was working with small groups of students to help them retell that story in writing. Before the four students sitting with her got started, Allen asked them what they should write at the top of their papers.The children thought for a moment and started scribbling down affirmations on their pages. Allen asked them to share.“I can do this,” said one child.“I am smart,” said another.Then Allen asked them to write a topic sentence about the story, followed by three details from it.“The anumls make a gift for turtle,” one girl wrote.Allen was quick to correct spelling and punctuation. She paid close attention to how students held their pencils. She encouraged them to leave spaces between words.This was Allen’s first year back in the classroom after taking several years off to spend with her own children. Prior to that, she taught kindergarten in New Jersey for 10 years. When she first started teaching, “I did not see anything like this,” Allen said, motioning to papers covered with her students’ writing, which in some cases included full paragraphs. “Some people have the attitude that ‘Oh, they’re kindergarten, they’re five and six, they can’t’.’ They can.”Allen was eager to learn the SRSD method. But not all teachers are. Merrill said some veteran teachers were reluctant, worrying that kids wouldn’t love writing with such a prescribed process — but she’s not sure students enjoyed the old process as much as their teachers believed.“They saw this blank page and they just were like, ‘I don’t even know where to start.’” Merrill said. “Now, students love writing because they have the skill to actually write.”What helped convince teachers was seeing near-immediate effects from the early adopters who piloted the approach. After the first year, educators in higher grades noticed kids who had been taught via SRSD were entering middle school with better writing skills, and they started asking their colleagues what had changed in elementary classrooms.Federal research has found the SRSD approach improved writing quality across different genres, grades and assignments, and can be an effective intervention for students with learning disabilities. But despite the evidence behind SRSD and similar approaches based on the science of writing, they haven’t made it into mainstream curricula and classrooms in part because there’s still not widespread awareness of them among educators, experts say.“We have this knowledge base concentrated in a really small number of people that hasn’t been scaled yet,” said Truckenmiller, from Michigan State University. In addition, schools have competing priorities, she said, often thinking they need to get reading instruction right first before focusing on writing.But in Douglas County, officials say focusing on writing is key to improving reading. And they’ve already noticed a difference in test scores: After a year of rolling out the strategy in a handful of schools, the district said it saw state writing scores increase by 3 percentage points. Math scores increased too, which district officials attribute to students having the skills to better analyze questions and problems. This summer, at the request of educators in the district, Merrill and her colleagues will begin training all their middle school teachers in SRSD.Students have noticed the difference as well.Last year, “you just had to sit down and write,” said Connor Miles, a fourth grader in Everett’s class at Prairie Crossing Elementary. How did that make him feel? “Completely lost,” he said.One of Connor’s classmates, 10-year-old Arya Melancon, said this year, teachers are better able to explain the process of writing. They are providing her and her peers with strategies and systems, and she likes sorting through evidence from texts and “building” paragraphs and responses.“We’ve definitely improved this year. We have a better understanding,” she said. The difference was most glaring to her and her classmates when they sat down to take their end of grade state test in the spring, she added.“Last year we were all scared of writing prompts,” Arya said. “This year, we felt like we were ready.”This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	A church finance leader's guide to choosing a credit card A church finance leader's guide to choosing a credit cardIf you’re the finance administrator, treasurer, or chief financial officer (CFO) searching for a credit card for churches, you may already know standard card comparisons can miss how ministry finances actually work. You might be managing staff reimbursements across multiple ministries, tracking restricted donor funds, and producing an audit trail that the finance committee can review each quarter. That gap between ministry finance workflows and standard business card features drives the selection criteria used across each pick.A church-focused evaluation may be more useful than a generic nonprofit roundup for teams comparing personal guarantee exposure, cardholder controls, accounting workflow fit, and eligibility for religious nonprofits. Broader 501(c)(3) options exist, but these picks apply a narrower screen built for congregations. Brex examines how three cards that cover the main operating profiles for churches in 2026 compare. Each pick includes eligibility requirements, integration details where confirmed, and the personal guarantee position, if available. Brex What makes a church credit card different from a standard business card?A church card program gets judged on criteria most business cards weren’t built around, including personal guarantee exposure, cardholder turnover, and fund-accounting workflows. Before comparing specific cards, identify where standard business cards may fall short in a ministry setting and which questions align with your congregation’s size and structure.The structural mismatch between business cards and church financeChurches often look closely at whether the organization can carry its own liability. Many business cards require a personal guarantee, which means one individual, often the pastor or treasurer, becomes personally liable for the church’s debt. A new board chair may not want that liability tied to spending decisions they didn’t authorize. Some standard cards can also offer less control over individual cardholders and spending categories than a church may want when issuing cards to staff or volunteers. Fund-designated spending may also require coding and an audit trail that standard bank cards may leave to manual workarounds.3 questions church finance leaders should ask before picking a cardOnce you identify the liability and control gap, match the card to the church’s operating profile. Ask yourself:Can the organization qualify on its own, without the pastor signing personally, with minimal fees, and simple reporting?Do per-cardholder limits, receipt capture, and an export that fits your accounting workflow matter more than the qualification path?Does your ministry span multiple campuses or a denominational office that needs budget rollups, pre-approval workflows, and reporting built for centralized oversight?The gap among those priorities shapes the picks more than rewards rates alone do.3 credit cards for churches in 2026The right credit card depends on how your church manages spending, who needs cards, and how reconciliation happens after each transaction.The cards were evaluated on personal guarantee terms, fund accounting integration, the ability to issue cards to staff with individual controls, fees and rewards, and eligibility for religious nonprofits. Card pricing and offerings are accurate as of publication, and issuer offerings change frequently. Those criteria create practical differences across the list. They also explain why a card may suit one church profile and fit less well for another.Three credit cards cover the main operating profiles for churches in 2026:The Charity Charge Nonprofit Business Card is a great fit for established 501(c)(3) churches that want nonprofit-specific underwriting and no personal guarantee by default.The AdelFi Visa Business Rewards card is a good option for faith-aligned ministries that want flat cash back with no foreign transaction fees.The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Card can be a good option for churches whose spending concentrates in its bonus categories.1. Charity Charge Nonprofit Business CardNo annual feeNo per-card feesFree unlimited employee cardsNo personal guaranteeAdjustable spending limits for each cardMultiple administrator loginsNonprofit-specific underwritingQuickBooks online integration available (possibly for a fee)Charity Charge is a nonprofit-focused Mastercard issued through Commerce Bank and built for 501(c)(3) organizations. Churches that value nonprofit underwriting over flat-rate rewards may find Charity Charge the better fit. Earn rewards through Mastercard Easy Savings, a select-merchant rebate program with rates that vary by merchant.The no-personal-guarantee position is the default, but Commerce Bank may require a personal guarantee in certain underwriting circumstances. Underwriting decisions and account terms depend on the applicant’s organizational profile and Commerce Bank’s review. Eligibility requires active 501(c)(3) status and standard nonprofit documentation, including employer identification number (EIN), IRS determination letter, and board authorization.For churches already running QuickBooks Online, Charity Charge may fit established operations that want nonprofit-specific underwriting without centering the decision on rewards. Churches using another accounting platform should verify the reconciliation path with their vendor before applying. The vendor verification step matters. Even if the card is a good fit on liability and fees, it could still create manual accounting work.2. AdelFi Visa Business RewardsNo annual feeNo foreign transaction feeUnlimited 1.5% flat rate cash backNo balance transfer fee$300 welcome bonus after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months0% intro APR for the first 6 months on purchasesAdelFi Visa Business Rewards is designed for churches, ministries, and Christian nonprofits seeking a faith-based banking relationship. The card earns 1.5% cash back on net purchases, with a $300 welcome bonus after $3,000 in spending in the first three months. Three card variants let churches align spending with specific mission partners, and mission donations are made by the credit union on the cardholder’s behalf.Membership eligibility requires Christian ministry affiliation and agreement to AdelFi’s Statement of Faith. Card terms and credit decisions depend on AdelFi’s membership review and the organization’s financial profile. Organizations with frequent international mission spending may prefer the zero foreign transaction fee. For ministries where faith alignment matters as much as fee structure, AdelFi is one of the few card options that builds that alignment directly into the product.3. U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business CardNo annual fee3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers, and restaurants1% cash back on all other purchases$100 annual statement credit for recurring software subscriptions, like FreshBooks or QuickBooks$750 cash back welcome bonus after spending $6,000 in the first 180 daysPersonal guarantee might be required3% foreign transaction feeU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Card is best for rewards-focused organizations. Before choosing it, churches should confirm both the liability terms and the spending mix that would justify the category structure. U.S. Bank says the primary applicant must supply a personal Social Security number and personal income as part of the business application, similar to a personal guarantee structure, though the card’s terms page doesn’t use that specific term. Verify the guarantee terms directly with the issuer before applying.How do you choose the right card for your church's operational profile?The best credit card for your organization depends on your needs. Personal guarantee exposure, fund accounting compatibility, and cardholder turnover can shape your decision in ways a generic business card comparison could miss.1. Personal guarantee exposurePersonal liability is usually the fastest way to narrow the list. If the church’s governance structure makes it inappropriate for any individual to bear personal liability for organizational debt, that could eliminate the U.S. Bank Triple Cash card, whose guarantee terms are confirmed only indirectly through its application requirements. Some organizations document whichever direction the board chooses in meeting minutes and review that decision with legal or accounting advisors, because the governance question can matter as much as the card terms.2. Fund accounting compatibilityEach card needs a reconciliation path to your church accounting platform. No confirmed native direct integration was identified with church-specific platforms such as Aplos, Realm, ShelbyNext, ACS Technologies, or ParishSOFT.Consider asking each provider to demo the exact path from card swipe to fund-coded entry before signing up. The value of any rebate program also depends on how much manual work your team still has to do, especially when comparing rewards tradeoffs.3. Cardholder turnoverSome churches have seasonal spikes in cardholder activity tied to ministry events, mission trips, or program cycles. Many traditional bank cards may require more manual corporate credit card management, though Charity Charge's unlimited employee cards at no extra cost reduce the cost barrier. If you can easily add and remove cardholders, then it can be easier to keep ministry spending under control without slowing people down.4. Possible IRS compliance requirements considerationsSome churches build expense reimbursement policies around a few general ideas, including tying each expense to a clear business purpose, keeping expense receipts, and returning unused advances within a reasonable timeframe. Religious institutions should confirm the specific requirements with a qualified tax advisor.A card program that can capture receipt photos and timestamps transactions may reduce some of that compliance work. Some organizations build their card expense policy around these general guidelines before distributing cards to staff, and they may review that policy with a qualified tax professional or accountant. Churches using platforms that support expense approval workflows may find compliance easier than teams relying on paper processes.What happens when churches outgrow standard credit cards?These cards may cover the needs of many churches. Some religious institutions, including denominational offices and multi-campus ministries, may now run finance operations that resemble those of mid-market organizations, with complex reporting requirements. At that point, the decision shifts away from picking the best small-business card and toward finding a platform that can support growth.What multi-campus ministries need at scaleFor growth and scale, the requirements could shift from transaction management to operational infrastructure. Campus-level budget rollups with a consolidated view at the central office level may be the starting point. Pre-approval workflows for capital expenditures and international mission programs can add another layer. A real-time enterprise resource planning (ERP) sync into NetSuite, Sage Intacct, or QuickBooks Enterprise, with transaction-level data flowing continuously into the accounting platform, can become non-negotiable. Personal guarantees across large cardholder groups and multiple legal entities can also become harder to justify.Organizations operating at that level may need business-level underwriting, tighter cardholder controls, virtual card issuance, and a direct ERP sync with continuous transaction-level data posting. These platform requirements might matter most for ministries seeking to consolidate oversight across campuses and legal entities without adding manual reconciliation.FAQs about credit cards for churchesCan a 501(c)(3) church get a credit card?Churches with active 501(c)(3) status are generally eligible to apply for business credit cards under the organization's name and employer identification number (EIN). Some issuers underwrite based on organizational financials, which may reduce the likelihood that a pastor or board member is asked to sign a personal guarantee.Can a church get a credit card with just an EIN?Some card platforms underwrite nonprofit organizations based on their EIN and organizational cash balance, with no personal guarantee required. Charity Charge offers this path for qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations, though application review may still include additional underwriting requirements and standard nonprofit documentation.Should a pastor have a church credit card in their name?Putting a church credit card under a pastor's name can create personal liability for the organization’s debt.What credit card integrates with Aplos or church accounting software?Direct native integrations between these cards and church-specific platforms (Aplos, Realm, ShelbyNext, ACS Technologies, or ParishSOFT) haven’t been publicly confirmed. Charity Charge integrates with QuickBooks Online, which may serve as a bridge for some churches. Verify the full integration path with your church accounting vendor before committing.How long does it take for a church to get a credit card?Timelines vary by issuer, from a few business days to several weeks. Gathering the church’s EIN, IRS determination letter, and board authorization before applying might shorten the application process.How high should a church credit card limit be?A practical starting point is the church’s average monthly non-payroll operating spend, with room for seasonal peaks like holiday programming and mission trips. Per-cardholder limits could matter as much as the overall limit, since individual controls shape how ministry spending actually happens.This story was produced by Brex and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Iowa teen who ran toward Ground Zero after 9/11 attack reflects 25 years later Most people alive on Sept. 11, 2001, remember where they were when the attacks happened. While thousands of people in New York City ran away after the attack, an eastern Iowa 18-year-old ran toward it.
	‘We’re shutting down the airport,’ QCIA police chief recounts working at airport on 9/11 The Quad Cities International Airport's police chief was just 25 years old on Sept. 11, 2001, working as a young officer. Now, he's recounting his experience working at the airport on a day that changed aviation.
	How to manage exam anxiety: Evidence-based coping strategies for students How to manage exam anxiety: Evidence-based coping strategies for studentsYou studied and prepared, but when the test appears in front of you, everything suddenly goes blank. That moment of emptiness, the racing heart, and rising panic is exam anxiety, and it goes beyond simple pre-test nerves.For many students, it gets in the way of showing what they actually know. According to a meta-analysis published in 2024 in Frontiers in Psychology, exam anxiety refers to the emotional, physiological, and behavioral reactions tied to the possibility of negative evaluation in an upcoming test or exam.Not all anxieties are the same. Anxiety can be a normal stress reaction, and mild levels of anxiety can actually help sharpen focus before a challenge. As Talkspace explains below, the true challenge arises when those reactions grow intense enough to interfere with schoolwork and daily life.Key TakeawaysExam anxiety involves emotional, physiological, and behavioral reactions tied to the possibility of negative evaluation and can affect learning during preparation, not just performance on test day.Recognizing the physical, emotional, and cognitive signs of exam anxiety early can help students and the people who support them respond before stress becomes overwhelming.Evidence-informed strategies, such as spaced practice, sleep, deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation, may help students manage academic pressure and mental health challenges more effectively.Common Signs of Exam AnxietyExam anxiety doesn't look the same for everyone, but knowing what to watch for is the first step toward managing it. The warning signs of test anxiety tend to show up across three areas:Physical symptomsBodies often react to test-related stress before the mind fully registers what's happening. Common physical signs of exam anxiety include:Rapid heartbeatSweatingMuscle tensionRestlessness or feeling physically on edgeUrges to leave the situationEmotional symptomsAccording to a study published in Medical Education Online in 2025, the emotional layer of exam anxiety can feel just as disruptive as any physical symptom. Common emotional symptoms include:Excessive worry about outcomesDread in the days or hours before a testFeelings of helplessness or panicIrrational fearsCognitive symptomsTest anxiety often involves worry and task-irrelevant thoughts, especially the persistent fear of not being able to recall what you studied. When these mental barriers take over during an exam, they typically manifest as:Racing thoughts that disrupt focusDifficulty concentrating on questionsMental blanks mid-examNegative self-talk that damages confidenceTogether, these signs paint a fuller picture of how exam anxiety can show up and why it's worth taking seriously. Anxiety becomes a concern when it feels out of control and gets in the way of everyday things like school or work. Recognizing which of the above signs feels familiar is a meaningful first step toward finding the right kind of support.Understanding How Academic Pressure Triggers AnxietyAcademic environments don’t just measure what students know; they repeatedly signal that performance carries real consequences. Pressure can accumulate in ways that shift anxiety from a passing feeling into a persistent pattern.Common anxiety triggers, such as fear of failure, peer comparison, and expectations from family or academic institutions, can heighten a student’s exam-related stress. When those pressures layer on top of one another, the cognitive demands of preparing for high-stakes exams can become genuinely overwhelming.Motivation vs. burnout: When pressure becomes harmfulThere's a meaningful difference between a challenge that energizes and pressure that depletes. Understanding how academic pressure affects studentsâ€™ motivation matters because the relationship isn't straightforward.According to a 2022 study published in the journal Psychological Science, 309 medical students preparing for a high-stakes exam found that higher trait test anxiety was associated with smaller gains in knowledge during the preparation phase. The study suggests that anxiety may not only affect performance in the exam room; it can get in the way of learning well before test day arrives.Below is a chart that outlines how pressure can affect people in both productive and harmful ways. Talkspace When pressure tips into the harmful column, it can affect how academic pressure affects studentsâ€™ motivation in lasting ways — making early, proactive support more useful than waiting until exam day. But, with the right approach, students can build habits that keep pressure from tipping into overwhelm.Smarter Study Strategies to Prevent Last-Minute StressPreparation that builds real knowledge tends to reduce the uncertainty that feeds test anxiety. The goal is not to study harder, but to study in ways that help you remember better.Build a realistic study timelineBreaking material into smaller chunks spread across available time is more effective than cramming everything in at once. Spaced practice consistently outperforms last-minute studying when it comes to actual learning outcomes. Working backward from the exam date to build a realistic schedule is one practical way to put this into action.Active recall and spaced practiceRepeatedly testing yourself on material, rather than passively re-reading notes, is one of the most effective ways to improve retention. Methods like self-quizzing, practice problems, and flashcards build real understanding, and that kind of preparation is what helps manage academic pressure with confidence.Lifestyle basics: Sleep, nutrition, and movementGetting eight hours of sleep each night is essential for students of all ages. Good sleep sharpens focus and helps the brain retain information, both of which are key to studying effectively.What you eat can also have a real impact on your anxiety levels. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, along with regular meals and nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, zinc, magnesium, and selenium, may help keep anxiety at bay. Exercise and movement can help reduce exam anxiety. Activities like aerobic workouts, yoga, and breathing exercises have all shown some benefit in managing stress.These lifestyle fundamentals work together, not as a checklist to complete perfectly, but as a foundation that makes everything else more manageable. Long-term habits lay the groundwork, but sometimes anxiety shows up mid-exam regardless of how well you've prepared.In-The-Moment Techniques To Stay Calm During ExamsEven well-prepared students can feel anxiety spike mid-test. Having a small set of familiar calming strategies can make a real difference.The 1-2-3 calming methodSeveral forms of relaxation training, such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and autogenics, can help individuals reduce stress, enhance relaxation states, and improve overall well-being.Deep belly breathing: It involves diaphragmatic breathing as a simple relaxation method — breathing from the belly rather than the chest, letting the breath slow and deepen.Progressive muscle relaxation: It includes progressive relaxation as a technique of tensing and then releasing muscle groups in sequence, starting with one area and moving through the body.Positive self-talk: It can help promote positive psychological states and regulate cognition.Emergency desk toolkitA few simple items can support in-the-moment calming during an exam. They're practical, low-effort options worth keeping on hand.For instance:Water to stay hydratedEarplugs to reduce sensory distractionA cue card with a breathing reminderA stress ball for physical tension releaseMints or essential oils to help ground your sensesThe answer to how to overcome exam anxiety in the moment often comes down to having a plan that's already practiced. Familiarity with these techniques before test day is what makes them useful when anxiety shows up uninvited. For most students, a combination of preparation, lifestyle habits, and in-the-moment strategies is enough to manage exam anxiety effectively.But sometimes, the support needed goes beyond what you can do on your own. When anxiety feels overwhelming or consistently gets in the way of everyday life, connecting with a licensed therapist is a reasonable next stepFrequently Asked Questions (FAQs)How does academic pressure affect studentsâ€™ motivation over time?Academic pressure can initially boost motivation by pushing students to achieve goals, but over time, excessive pressure often leads to stress, burnout, and decreased engagement. Prolonged high pressure can make students feel overwhelmed, reducing their intrinsic motivation and willingness to learn.What is the difference between normal stress and exam anxiety?Normal stress is temporary and can actually push you to prepare better. Exam anxiety is more intense, and it interferes with your focus, sleep, or performance even when you're well-prepared.How can students cope with exam anxiety without cramming?Students can manage anxiety by sticking to a study schedule, taking regular breaks, and practicing deep breathing or mindfulness. Getting enough sleep and staying active also helps keep stress levels in check.Can academic pressure and mental health issues be connected?Yes. Ongoing academic pressure can contribute to anxiety, depression, and burnout in students. When stress becomes constant and unmanaged, it can seriously affect emotional well-being.When should students seek help for exam anxiety?Students should seek help when anxiety feels out of control or starts affecting their sleep, eating, or daily life. Talking to a school counselor or mental health professional is a good first step.This story was produced by Talkspace and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	USPS whistleblower alleges rushed mail ballot systems could disenfranchise voters USPS whistleblower alleges rushed mail ballot systems could disenfranchise votersA U.S. Postal Service whistleblower is warning that the agency’s efforts to develop systems to restrict mail ballot delivery for the November election have been rushed through testing, are unreliable, and could prevent millions of Americans from receiving mail ballots this November, Votebeat reports.The anonymous whistleblower’s concerns were detailed in a 20-page complaint released by Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s (D-Conn.) office last Tuesday, which describes the Postal Service's plans, which have been temporarily frozen by a court order, as “secretive, rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed.”Problems with the system have become so widespread, the letter detailing the whistleblower’s complaint said, that a number of Postal Service officials have described development of a planned election mail ballot IT system as “a shit show.”Blumenthal characterized the Postal Service efforts as a deliberate attempt by the Trump administration to suppress the vote and undermine the ability of Americans to vote by mail.“This is not just incompetence, it is designed malfunction,” he said in a conference call with reporters about the whistleblower complaint. “And it is malign, designed malfunction in a way that clearly reveals a political purpose: depressing the vote.”In a letter to the Postal Service, Blumenthal described the whistleblower complaint as “alarming” and asked the agency to explain its actions by Friday.“Taken together they present a clear picture of a fatally flawed process that cannot and will not protect American voters,” Blumenthal wrote. “Put plainly: This process will likely lead to chaos, confusion, and the inability of many Americans to have their vote counted.”A Postal Service spokesperson, who had not seen the whistleblower complaint, declined Monday to comment.At issue is an effort by the Trump administration to use the Postal Service to place new restrictions on the delivery of mail ballots this November.President Donald Trump released an executive order in March directing the Postal Service to set up the new rules, which prompted a tangle of rapid lawsuits from voting rights groups, nearly two dozen Democrat-led states, and Democratic political organizations.Under the agency’s plan, states would have to use a new online portal to send the Postal Service a list of all voters who should receive mail ballots. The Postal Service would refuse to send ballots to anyone not on the list. The envelopes would have to meet new design standards, including unique barcodes that have to be checked by the Postal Service. The plan has caused confusion among election officials unsure if they need to comply with it, or when the portal will be available.One federal judge in June declared the effort an unconstitutional effort by the federal government to usurp state authority over elections and blocked the Postal Service from moving ahead with the effort for this November’s election. The Postal Service plan has been at the center of a complex back-and-forth legal battle that is likely to eventually be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.At the moment, the Postal Service's plans are frozen by a temporary injunction imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, a federal judge in Massachusetts, who will decide in the coming days whether to issue a permanent ban on enacting the system for this election. On Monday, she declined to stay her temporary injunction, but allowed the Postal Service to continue its work developing the portal; more appeals are a near-certainty.The account was relayed by the organization Whistleblower Aid, which said it represents the anonymous whistleblower. The complaint said that the Postal Service violated an earlier Talwani order blocking the agency from working on the system while the matter worked its way through the courts. Instead, the whistleblower said, work on the project resumed in July, about a month after Talwani issued her order ordering the Postal Service to halt development of the plans. Postal Service staff were rushing to meet an internal Sept. 1 deadline to get the system up and running, according to the whistleblower’s account.Talwani, in a ruling last week, criticized the Postal Service for resuming work on the project.The whistleblower account described the continued work as “slapdash.” The person warned the process “deviates dangerously” from normal practices and could cause “catastrophic disruption to our coming nationwide elections based on the reckless pursuit of readying a new, insufficiently tested, poorly planned mail-in ballot screening system.”Whistleblower warns opportunity for error is highThe biggest concern raised by the whistleblower’s account was the prospect that a poorly tested Postal Service system would reject millions of mail ballots from reaching voters this November.As planned, the Postal Service system would take a random sample of bulk mail ballots going to voters to make sure the envelopes all contained required information, including special bar codes tied to each voter. If the computers found that one ballot failed the check, even if it was a mistake, the Postal Service system would reject all the ballots in the mailing and send them back to the state.That, the whistleblower account warned, could lead to a “catastrophic failure” that prevents millions of Americans from voting this November.“The election ballot mail IT systems were rapidly built and minimally tested,” according to the complaint prepared by Whistleblower Aid. “Accordingly, the opportunity for error and other failures with this new IT system comparing a batch manifest with the new statewide list is high.”The whistleblower account detailed a series of problems with the development and testing of the new computer system, which the person said can take nine months to a year to debug.“USPS leadership, it appears, has discarded all best practices as they speed the project to be ready for a September 1 implementation — raising questions about whether catastrophic failure would be a feature rather than a bug,” according to the whistleblower complaint.This story was produced by Votebeat and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Iowa businesses, farmers feel impact of ongoing US-Canada trade war The US-Canada trade war is straining Iowa's economy, affecting farmers' crop sales, truck drivers' fuel costs and small businesses facing steep tariffs on goods.
	Black Hawk College celebrates 80 years, unveils new mascot The college marked its 80th anniversary, revealed its new mascot and reflected on decades of growth and community connections on Thursday night.
	Dry Friday ahead of daily rain chances Temperatures this week were still mostly above average, but not as hot as last week. Rain chances will be on the increase across the Quad Cities starting this weekend. Here's your full 7-day forecast.
	'It wasn't just that the planes hit the buildings’: Workers reflect on life on the Rock Island Arsenal on 9/11 The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, brought lasting changes to the Rock Island Arsenal, and changed the lives of those working there.
	25 years after 9/11, flying continues to transform in the US and the Quad-Cities A quarter of a century after 9/11, security measures for the Quad Cities International Airport continue to evolve to meet ever chaning threats.
	24 new movies worth checking out this fall A Social Network follow-up, the real-life origin story of the movie Rocky, and more movies our critics are looking forward to this fall.
	Special Weather Statement until FRI 9:00 AM CDT Patchy Dense Fog Affecting Morning Commute
	US diesel prices soar past $6 a gallon, deepening strain for hauling everyday goods Diesel prices in the U.S. has hit yet another record, soaring past $6 a gallon on average as Washington's war with Iran disrupts the world's flow of fuel
	Sorry, we can't pay you $5,000 to do the news quiz. We're public media Plus: donkeys, maps, art, iPhones and more!
	On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a divided U.S. gathers to remember and grieve The U.S. marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Events will honor those lost, at a time when Americans are divided about the meaning and legacy of the terrorist attacks.
	The U.S.-Canada trade war is creating a headache for auto-parts makers For decades, the U.S. and Canadian auto supply chains have been tightly woven together. The trade war is threatening to unravel a complex system.
	They cleaned up ground zero. Now many are hiding from ICE After 9/11, thousands of rescue and cleanup crews went to work at ground zero. They were exposed to toxic debris and experienced psychological trauma. Today, many say they live in fear of deportation.
	Cook review: 'Generation 9/11' examines how ripples from the attacks continue We need to remember and we need to teach the coming generations not to forget. "Turning Point," a Netflix documentary series directed by Brian Knappenberger, focuses on geopolitical events and their global effects that continue to ripple out from them. The "Generation 9/11" segment is especially poignant because so many survivors discuss their losses. The [...]
	Human rabies exposure cases on the rise: CDC The CDC said it has received a rise in reports of human rabies exposure cases this summer, prompting an alert to healthcare providers.
	Why Houthi military gains in Yemen may further increase gas prices A Houthi advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast could help push gas prices up even more as the Iran-backed group also launches attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities
	Why Houthi gains in Yemen could push gas prices even higher A Houthi advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast could help push gas prices up even more as the Iran-backed group also launches attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities
	Alison Krauss cancels tour, which included QCA, because of health concerns A popular singer-songwriter has canceled her appearance that was scheduled for Friday at The Adler Theatre, Davenport, according to a Facebook post from The Adler: “It is with great regret that Alison Krauss & Union Station have announced the cancellation of our upcoming tour dates," the post says. "After consulting with medical professionals, Alison has [...]
	Hong Kong court sentences 3 Tiananmen vigil organizers to prison The activists were sentenced to about 5 to 7 years in prison in a case widely seen as a barometer of the city's eroding freedoms as Beijing clamps down on dissent.
	Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize strategic Red Sea port in Yemen The rebel group took over Yemen's port of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea, Houthi and Yemeni officials said. Mokha is about 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Thursday, September 10th, 2026
	Lincoln and Cartwright This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.If the following story is not true, it should be. It involves two Illinois folk heroes, Abraham Lincoln and the…
	Muscatine Art Center holds meet-and-greet with new director Kelly Lao takes over after the center suffered severe cuts earlier this year.
	Whiteside County Animal Control to euthanize dog that bit owner The dog, named Starsky, reportedly bit his owner twice, with the injuries requiring stitches.
	Aledo man charged with first-degree murder after uncle found dead 31-year-old Terrence Fetter of rural Aledo was denied pretrial release in the case.
	Illinois announces new income eligibility for school meals The Illinois State Board of Education has announced new income eligibility for the National School Lunch Program. The new guidelines went into effect at the start of the summer. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the school lunch program allows the highest-poverty schools in the nation to serve free breakfast and lunch to [...]
	Aledo man charged with first-degree murder after uncle found dead in Mercer County home 31-year-old Terrence Fetter of rural Aledo was denied pretrial release in the case.
	'Mexican Roots' exhibition opens soon at Figge Art Museum, Davenport Spirits, animals, devils and the dead take many forms in "Mexican Roots: Masks, Prints, and Traditional Arts of Mexico," a new exhibition opening Sept. 12 at the Figge Art Museum. Through masks, prints, ceramics, woodcarving, sculpture, and cartonería (papier-mâché), Mexican Roots explores an artistic story shaped across centuries. Following the Spanish conquest of Mexico, Indigenous [...]
	The Riverside will bring folk harmonies to Cambridge The Riverside will bring its warm, engaging blend of folk music, rich harmonies and intimate storytelling to Ca d’Zan House Concerts in Cambridge on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Presented by Crossroads Cultural Connections, the all-ages concert will begin at 7 p.m., after an optional community potluck dinner at 6 p.m. Bishop Hill Creative Commons will serve [...]
	Moline Public Library seeking applications for student trustee Applications are due by Sept. 18.
	Iowa governor issues harvest proclamation The proclamation goes into effect immediately and continues through Oct. 10.
	Judge declines to block Illinois’ ‘medical aid in dying’ law ahead of Sept. 12 start Illinois is set to become the first Midwestern state to allow terminally ill patients to seek life-ending medication from their physicians when the law goes into effect on Saturday.
	Davenport City Council approves nearly $400K settlement with former assistant city attorney in 6-5 vote The move settles a lawsuit filed by Mallory Bagby, who worked for the city from October 2017 through July 2024.
	Charges dropped against 2 Mercer County School District employees in student records case The case also involved the district superintendent, who was acquitted last month.
	Free 9/11 concert in Davenport aims to encourage first responders You're invited to the free concert on Sunday, Sept. 13 at Berean Baptist Church. Music begins at 5 p.m. and is open to all first responders, veterans and public.
	Illinois to expand access to grocery stores Illinois is making more than $26 million available to expand access to grocery stores. Through the Illinois Grocery Initiative Grant Program, more than $20 million dollars of that will be allocated for new stores in areas with limited access to fresh food, also known as food deserts. The state is offering $750,000 for energy-efficient equipment [...]
	Iowa officials push student voter registration in QCA schools Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate visited a few schools in the area to promote the Carrie Chapman Catt Program.
	Iowa governor orders flags be flown at half-staff in remembrance of 9/11 Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on September 11.
	Tour of the Heartland returns, benefiting Gold Star families The annual bike ride will take place out of Geneseo on Saturday, Sept. 19. Riders can choose between four 25-mile loops, all benefiting a military nonprofit.
	Regalia flag store reflects on surge in patriotism after 9/11 25 years after 9/11, Regalia is reminding everyone what it was like days after the attacks, while also spilling out patriotism in the process through flags.
	Federal judge rejects blocking Illinois' end-of-life law A federal judge rejected a request to block Illinois' medically-assisted end-of-life law. The End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (Deb's Law) is set to officially take effect September 12. Disability rights advocates wanted to delay the law from taking effect. Opponents argue the law doesn't provide enough protection for people with disabilities. Illinois claimed [...]
	United Way Quad Cities helps repaint Wells Elementary School playground surface for Day of Caring More than 1,100 volunteers are working on projects across the Quad Cities.

Friday, September 11th, 2026

Thursday, September 10th, 2026