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

Wednesday, October 7th, 2026
	Undefeated Riverdale and Erie-Prophetstown preparing for TRAC showdown Two weeks remain in the Illinois high school football regular season, and the TRAC’s spotlight game of the week features undefeated Riverdale hosting Erie-Prophetstown.
	Candle Witch Company opens in Moline The shop offers candles, wax melts and all sorts of other trinkets and gifts.
	Rock Island 2nd Ward Alderman Randy Hurt charged with DUI Under Illinois Municipal Code, pending charges do not affect Hurt's eligibility to serve on the council.
	'Dancing with the Stars: Live!' coming to Vibrant Arena Fan-favorite pro dancers are bringing their talents across the country in 2027.
	Firefighters, police at scene of blaze in abandoned Davenport home Firefighters quickly got a blaze in an abandoned house under control when the structure caught fire Wednesday night in Davenport. The home, on the 500 block of West 11th Street, had been abandoned for at least four years, neighbors told Our Quad Cities News crew. Firefighters overhauled the second floor, which shows clear signs of [...]
	Bob Inghram to fill Davenport City Council vacancy The vacancy was left after alderman Tim Dunn suddenly resigned last month.
	Artificial wetland helping Durant manage stormwater runoff Construction of the wetland was made possible by a grant from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
	'Dancing with the Stars: Live!' coming to the Quad Cities Fan-favorite pro dancers are bringing their talents across the country in 2027.
	Cook review: 'Verity' is 'Showgirls'-bad silliness Silly, lacking substance and far too long for its own good, "Verity" is an unintentionally hilarious mystery that isn't worthy of its talented ensemble. If "The Housemaid" and "50 Shades of Grey" had a baby, "Verity" would be that unfortunate offspring. Everyone in this movie is good-looking, and most are wealthy. That alone sets up [...]
	Rock Island alderman charged with DUI, court records show Randy L. Hurt was charged with diving under the influence of alcohol and failure to reduce speed for an incident in September, according to court documents.
	Domestic Violence Awareness Month with Family Resources in the QCA October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Family Resources works with survivors to help with safety, support and solidarity across the QCA. Cece and Michi joined Our Quad Cities News to talk about the services and support Family Resources supplies for our community. For more information, click here.
	Davenport man wanted in 2012 kidnapping arrested in California using assumed name Brian Williams, wanted in connection with the 2012 kidnapping and shooting of his ex-girlfriend, was found working in California as a chef.
	Voters to decide on roughly $12M Chadwick-Milledgeville school addition Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, the Chadwick-Milledgeville School District is sharing information on a $12.37 million bond to fund a major facility expansion.
	Dunn Brothers plans to open shops in Davenport, Clinton, East Moline According to an article in businesswire, Dunn Brothers franchisees Kevin and Michelle Ramirez will open shops in Davenport, Clinton and East Moline. Dunn Brothers Coffee®, the Minneapolis-based coffee company known for roasting globally sourced coffee beans in small batches in-store daily, is entering Illinois while expanding its footprint in Iowa. The brand signed a development [...]
	Iowa Bankers Association honors Ricci, Clinton National Bank, for 50 years of service Ricci Aquilani of Clinton National Bank in Clinton has been honored by the Iowa Bankers Association for more than 50 years of service at a bank, a news release says. The award was presented to Aquilani during the IBA Annual Convention on Sept. 21 in Des Moines. Aquilani was one of 24 people recognized for [...]
	Grass aeration complete at most Quad Cities golf courses After a summer of heavy play, heat and extreme weather, Palmer Hills Golf Course crews are using the fall to prepare the course's grass for winter.
	As state considers vaccine changes, new online tool examines sickness, death, cost impacts Chickenpox appears as a rash that turns into itchy, fluid-filled blisters that eventually scab over, according to the CDC.(Photo via the CDC) What would result if Florida reduces the number of vaccines Florida children are required to receive to attend school and daycare? The answers to those questions may be found on an interactive dashboard dubbed VaxImpactMap, published by the Emory Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Lead developer Ben Lopman, a professor of epidemiology and global health at Emory Rollins, says he and other researchers at the university have been studying vaccine efficacy for more than a decade. They’ve been working on the VaxImpactMap for about nine months. The latest version comes as the DeSantis administration moves ahead with plans to eliminate four vaccines from the list of shots children are required to take to enter public school or daycare. The Florida Department of Health will hold a rule-making workshop on the proposed new regulation Thursday in Lake Mary. Public testimony on vaccine mandates leans toward the passionate, with two general camps — people who support vaccines and those who are hesitant. “The intention of the model was kind of not as an advocacy tool, but really just to to lay out, you know, what would be the real consequences in terms of health and economic impacts of of these potential declining vaccine coverages,” Lopman said, underscoring that the data behind the dashboard are “robust and well established.” He added: “Our intention was … to provide tangible estimates to policymakers as well as the public of what vaccines do and what the consequences would be of declining coverage. And I hope that policymakers, when they’re weighing a decision like the Florida rule change, weigh the costs and benefits of their decisions.” To date, he said, response has been positive. “We’ve heard from state health departments that are using the tool. We’ve heard from professional organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics using the tool, as well as parents and the general public,” he said. Expanded tracker VaxImpactMap initially was released in February but tracked only three vaccines. The expanded version released in September added three, allowing users to track six vaccines in all — rotovirus, pneumococcal conjugate, pertussis, varicella, Hib, and RSV. The map shows and how percentage declines in vaccine uptake over time could affect the number of hospitalizations and deaths from disease; increase health care costs; and lower productivity across the nation. “The reason we chose these initially is because these are vaccine-preventable diseases that cause acute disease in young children. And what that means is that if vaccine coverage declines, we’ll see pretty immediate impacts of that,” Lopman told the Florida Phoenix. “But they are six different vaccine-preventable diseases, and they have their own epidemiology, they have their own vaccine coverage and their own kind of policy debates going on around them.” The proposed rules under consideration in Florida would eliminate four vaccines the DOH now requires through rules and regulations that children receive to go to school and daycare: varicella, pneumococcal conjugate, haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), and hepatitis B. VaxImpactMap includes information on all those vaccines except hepatitis B. For Florida the map shows: Five years of a 10% decline in varicella uptake could result in 24,900 new chickenpox cases; 222 additional hospitalizations for chickenpox, two additional deaths, and a $54 million increase in healthcare costs and lost productivity. A similar dip in vaccination coverage for pneumococcal conjugate in Florida could result in 143 additional cases of that disease; 118 increased hospitalizations and four additional deaths; and an $8.3 million hit in healthcare costs and productivity losses. Five years of a 10% decline in Hib vaccination in Florida could result in one additional case of Haemophilus influenzae disease, one hospitalization, and an estimated $34,200 in additional costs. Findings can be modified by the percentage decline as well as time horizons, allowing users to choose as little as a 1% decline over one year to as much as 20% decline over 20 years. Quotation And I hope that policymakers, when they're weighing a decision like the Florida rule change, weigh the costs and benefits of their decisions. – Benjamin Lopman, professor of epidemiology and global health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. What stood out to Lopman about the research, he said, were the costs associated with declining vaccination rates. “Varicella is the cause of chickenpox, and while many people don’t perceive this as a severe disease, there are, like, many kids that have severe outcomes from this, require hospitalization, [and] that has impacts in terms of healthcare costs, but also parents and kids missing work and missing school. So, there’s this whole range of economic impacts that occur that go beyond or in addition to the disease itself,” he said. He noted that the lower the baseline vaccination rate, the bigger the implications of declining rates. For example, Texas’ vaccination rate for varicella during the 2025-26 school year was 92.9% and California’s was 95.4%. The national rate was 92.2%. A 10% decline in varicella vaccination rates in Texas over five years could spike chickenpox cases by an additional 30,700, lead to 277 additional hospitalizations and three additional deaths, and cause a negative-$66.7 million financial impact. By contrast, a similar decline in California’s varicella vaccination rates could mean 11,600 new chicken pox cases, 111 additional hospitalizations, one additional death, and a $25.5 million negative economic impact. “Florida already has lower coverage than many other states, and because of the way vaccines work and herd immunity, the lower your coverage is, actually the more you have to lose. Because if coverage declines further, there will be more disease,” he said. “So, any decline in Florida actually might matter more than in other states because the coverage already is relatively low.” Courtesy of Florida Phoenix
	Blumenthal talks Trump, war — but not age — during ‘In the Room’ On a stage in Fairfield — with four stops behind him and two more ahead at opposite ends of Connecticut — it was as good a time as any for U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., to field questions about aging and the prospect of running for a fourth six-year term in 2028 at age 82. Blumenthal, who lives in Greenwich, began his day Wednesday with an event in Hartford, then ones in Norwich, Mashantucket and New Haven. After a one-hour conversation with Executive Editor Elizabeth Hamilton for The Connecticut Mirror’s “In the Room” series, it was to be back to Hartford to accept an award and then down to Stamford. “So, it’s been a light day,” Blumenthal said, smiling. At the CT Mirror event, held at the Sacred Heart University Community Theater in downtown Fairfield, Hamilton tried with limited success to engage the senator in a conversation about age and the road ahead. Another term would keep him in the Senate until age 88. “How are you thinking about this issue?” Hamilton asked. “Because 88 —” Blumenthal interrupted. “Here’s the thing, Beth. As I go around the state of Connecticut, and I do travel a lot, I show up. I’m proud of showing up, and I listen,” Blumenthal said. “What I hear from people is, ‘Thank you for fighting. Thank you for standing up. Thank you for standing strong against this [Iran] war — senseless, reckless war.’” The audience began to applaud. Blumenthal barely paused. “‘Thank you for fighting the increasing cost of living.’ The price of diesel is 80 plus percent higher than it was just a year ago,” he continued. “The price of heating oil is 86%. We’re facing a perfect storm for consumers. ‘Thank you for fighting for lowering costs. Thank you for fighting ICE. Thank you for fighting the Department of Homeland Security that is brutally and inhumanely enforcing these laws.’ ” There was more applause. And more to his answer to the question he interrupted. “People want a fighter. People want someone who is willing to stand up and take stands, and they want candidates with courage and character,” Blumenthal said. “I hope I fit that profile. I’m more energized than ever right now because of this challenge that our democracy confronts. You know, this is why I became a public official. Mark Twain used to say that the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you figure out why. “This is my why moment.” Blumenthal, a former U.S. attorney and Connecticut attorney general, said Democrats regaining the majority in November would mean congressional investigations of President Donald Trump’s business dealings from the White House. The president has disclosed his income was $2.2 billion last year, nearly quadruple from 2024. “In this administration, there is a through line of corruption,” Blumenthal said. “The president made $2 billion last year, $1.4 billion of it from crypto. I guarantee it’s not by dint of any intelligent investing. It’s because foreign governments have stacked cash in his crypto enterprises — World Liberty Financial, his meme coin.” World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency company started by Trump and his sons, sells a digital currency, a stablecoin. The senator has hopes of becoming chairman of the Homeland Security’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, a role he held when Democrats last held the majority. “There is a kind of intertwining or interlocking of corruption that over that next two years, if I am chairman, I would try to uncover and untangle,” he said. “And I wouldn’t have prosecutorial authority. I’m not the U.S. attorney anymore or the attorney general, but we could at least uncover it.” As Blumenthal was speaking, CBS reported that Trump was floating the idea of the federal government developing his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., as a presidential retreat for future presidents. There was no discussion of cost. Blumenthal, whose relationship with Trump has been fraught since the president’s first tenure in the White House, said he was hopeful Trump would enforce the Russia and Iran sanctions bill he negotiated with the late Lindsey Graham. The measure was named the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. “The president has to enforce the law, and I don’t think I’m revealing any secret here that the president doesn’t seem to have a lot of respect for the law. He has broken the law in the way that he’s used his existing tariff authority,” Blumenthal said. Blumenthal, as was Graham, is an admirer of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia and a strong proponent of the U.S. taking stronger steps in defense of Ukraine. He said the Russia sanctions bill includes “incredibly scorching, wide-ranging sanctions against financial institutions, oligarchs, energy companies tied to Russia. “What Ukraine has done is going to go down in the history of warfare as one of the most extraordinary achievements of all time,” Blumenthal said. “When you think back to four years ago, almost five years ago now, and our own military said that Ukraine was going to fall in a matter of weeks.” Blumenthal smiled recalling his travels with Graham. “I don’t think we voted the same way more than a handful of times, but we traveled to Ukraine probably eight, nine times together. I’ve been there 11 times, most recently, a little more than four weeks ago,” he said. Blumenthal said he hoped Republicans would urge the president to use the tariff tools handed him by the two senators. Hamilton tried to end the event on a light note, asking Blumenthal about his reading habits. “I am reading an absolutely chilling book on biological warfare,” Blumenthal said. “Oh, that’s happy!” Hamilton said. Blumenthal said he is reading the nonfiction book “Biological War: A Scenario.” The New York Times called it “a sobering new book” in which “Annie Jacobsen considers the potentially civilization-ending impacts of biological war.” The senator recommended it. Courtesy of CT Mirror
	Rain delays, rising fuel costs slow corn harvest for Quad Cities area farmers Heavy fall rains and climbing diesel fuel prices have slowed the corn harvest across Iowa and Illinois, putting Quad Cities area farmers weeks behind.
	Go Red for Women event returns to Bettendorf on Oct. 21 The evening of food, drinks, auctions and community is raising money and awareness to one of the top killers of women in the U.S.: cardiovascular disease.
	Viral 7 Brew giveaway causes massive traffic backups in Bettendorf A viral 7 Brew toy promotion caused massive traffic backups in Bettendorf, prompting city officials to pursue new turn restrictions and signage rules.
	Muscatine holds Halloween costume giveaway The 2026 Halloween costume distribution has officially kicked off to ensure every local child has the opportunity to dress up and celebrate this season, a news release says. Through a collaborative effort between United Way Muscatine County and local community partners, free Halloween costumes are available to children across the greater Muscatine area. The initiative [...]
	Davenport debate watch party draws crowd to Micky’s Irish Pub Iowa's Gubernatorial debate drew in a crowd at Micky's Irish Pub.
	Rock Island 2nd Ward Alderman Randy Hurt arrested on DUI Under Illinois Municipal Code, pending charges do not affect Hurt's eligibility to serve on the council.
	Tips for keeping your home safe from fires Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 4-10, and the American Red Cross of Illinois is reminding folks how to stay safe this winter.
	Longtime Planning and Zoning commissioner appointed Davenport 2nd Ward alderman The city appointed Bob Inghram, Planning and Zoning commissioner for 32 years, as 2nd Ward alderman, filling the vacancy from Tim Dunn's resignation.
	Staind, Seether, Hoobastank will be in 'Break the Cycle' concert at Vibrant Center, Moline Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum-selling American rock band Staind has announced a second leg of its sold-out Break The Cycle 25th Anniversary Tour, a news release says. Along with Seether, Hoobastank, and Hinder, Staind will be in concert April 11 at the Vibrant Arena, Moline. Their album "Break The Cycle" was released in 2001 via Flip Records and certified 7x [...]
	6th annual Gather for the Cure returns to raise money for local cancer patients This year's event will be on Oct. 18 at Scott County Park. It's a critical fundraiser for a local voucher program, helping cancer patients pay for treatment.
	Bob Inghram to fill 2nd Ward vacancy on Davenport City Council The vacancy was left after alderman Tim Dunn suddenly resigned last month.
	Davenport leaders appoint new 2nd Ward alderman A new 2nd Ward alderman was chosen on Wednesday to fill the spot of Tim Dunn.
	Cooling things down for next week With nothing but sunshine for most of the week in the Quad Cities, temperatures have also been above normal in the mid to upper 70s. With some temperatures even breaking into the 80s, things will start to balance out as we head into next week closer to normal. While temperatures are expected to bounce back [...]
	Muscatine mayor makes Fire Prevention Week proclamation The City of Muscatine joined communities across the nation in recognizing Fire Prevention Week as Mayor Brad Bark signed a proclamation encouraging residents to learn and practice fire safety measures at home, school, and work. The proclamation was formally accepted on behalf of the Muscatine Fire Department by Battalion Chief Spencer Ripperger during a presentation [...]
	Man killed after being hit by a train in Galesburg Police responded to the area of the Galesburg Amtrak station and found a man deceased after being struck by a passenger train.
	Getting to know U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Wheelchair basketball took Josh Turek from western Iowa to professional leagues overseas and the top of the Paralympic medal podium. His next chapter brought him home, where helping people get wheelchairs became a stepping stone to politics. Turek, 47, is the Democratic nominee for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat. After winning [...]
	Jo Dee Messina will be in concert at Rhythm City Casino Jo Dee Messina is adding the talented opener, Olivia Lane, at the Rhythm City Casino in the Event Center at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, 2027, according to a news release. Tickets will be available online here or at The Market at Rhythm City for $4.45-$87.25, plus applicable online/phone ticketing fee (this fee is waived [...]
	'Go Red for Women!' event to raise money and awareness for American Heart Association The event will be held Oct. 21 at the Waterfront Convention Center.
	Man killed by Amtrak train in Galesburg Wednesday afternoon Police responded to the area of the Galesburg Amtrak station and found a man deceased after being struck by a passenger train.
	Arrest made in connection with theft, damages to Moline restaurant A suspect has been arrested in connection with theft and damages done to Grinders and Spaghetti House in Moline.
	Playcrafters Barn Theatre putting on encore performance of 'Real Women Have Curves' The encore is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10.
	Officials say it’s unclear if federal election observers will come to Iowa Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said he has not been told whether Iowa is on a list of states where the U.S. Department of Justice plans to send federal election observers this November.
	Grace period voting opens in Illinois: What Quad-Cities area voters need to know Grace period voting is now open across Illinois, allowing eligible residents to register and cast their ballot in person before the general election.
	Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre warning community members about online ticket scams Theatre officials said they're seeing inflated ticket prices topping $1,700 on resale websites, as well as scammers directly targeting buyers on social media.
	'Gather for the Cure' to uplift, connect breast cancer patients and survivors The gathering will be held on Sunday, Oct. 18 in Scott County Park, just outside Eldridge.
	Man hit and killed by Amtrak train in Galesburg A man was hit and killed by a train on Wednesday in Galesburg.
	What is the pneumonic plague? The ancient disease of plague is back in the headlines after the death this month of a Russian lab worker.
	WIU named to Princeton Review's 'Best Colleges' list For the 22nd consecutive year, Western Illinois University has made Princeton Review's 'Best Colleges' list.
	Red Cross of Illinois reminding people how to prevent home fires Cooking and home heating are two of the leading causes of home fires. Fire Prevention Week runs from Oct. 4 through Oct. 10.
	Fact check: Dueling ads on Turek’s immigration record One ad claims Turek protects illegal immigrants, while the candidate’s spot notes support for enforcement
	The Price is Right Live coming to Adler Theatre Fans of The Price Is Right will have the chance to experience the game show in person and hear the classic call, "Come on down!"
	Iowa City sees biggest tourism boom since 2020 driven by College GameDay and Caitlin Clark Iowa City saw their largest visitor surge since 2020 thanks to College GameDay, Caitlin Clark and some marquee football matchups.
	Scott County probationer charged in connection with Moline Grinders burglary A Scott County probationer who led police on several high-speed chases Monday to elude arrest for burglarizing a church has been charged in connection with the Moline Grinders burglary.
	Orpheum Theatre warns of ticket selling scams The Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg is warning patrons to be on the alert for ticket scams and unauthorized third-party reseller activity targeting its upcoming show schedule. A post on the Theatre’s Facebook page features a screenshot of a listing for the upcoming Rumours – The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute show on Oct. 8. The price [...]
	The Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg warning community members about online ticket scams Theatre officials said they're seeing inflated ticket prices topping $1,700 on resale websites, as well as scammers directly targeting buyers on social media.
	Immersive drawing collage installation adorning the walls of the Figge Art Museum in a new exhibit Baltimore-based artist Amanda Burnham created the exhibition, Everything to Everyone. The exhibit opens Saturday, with an artist talk held Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m.
	Suspect charged in The Grinders & Spaghetti House HVAC theft Security footage shows a pair of suspects stealing parts and copper from the restaurant's HVAC units.
	A childhood bike crash led to a stranger's gift — and a hidden message A 7-year-old girl was injured riding her new bike. A stranger came to her rescue and gifted her an origami crane with a hidden message she would only discover years later.
	This surprising mammal fossil is giving scientists something to chew on It's likely you've already chewed and swallowed some tasty morsel today. But when did that ability emerge? New evidence points to at least the middle Jurassic, back when dinosaurs still reigned.
	Documents show DHS probed nonprofits, obtained millions of records in hunt for noncitizen voters The Department of Homeland Security obtained tens of millions of unspecified records as part of a sweeping nationwide effort to find voter fraud, according to internal DHS reports, and weighed using undercover agents to investigate voter registration efforts by nonprofit groups.The reports from May and June by Homeland Security Investigations, a sub-agency of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide updates on its “election integrity” investigations. They are included in a trove of documents obtained by the pro-democracy group Democracy Forward through a records request and released Wednesday.The HSI reports detail an expansive review of nonprofit organizations involved in voter registration. A June 1 report says 82 “NGOs” — nongovernmental organizations — had been reviewed in Pennsylvania alone. Groups in Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey and Ohio also came under scrutiny.The June 1 report describes the potential for undercover operations, and refers to efforts across Homeland Security to identify organizations that “may be predatory in nature, particularly those suspected of illegal alien registration and voter encouragement." Organizations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania remained areas of focus, the report says.“The objective is to determine potential opportunities to leverage UC (undercover) resources, including the possible deployment of undercover agents (UCAs), to support investigative efforts in the field,” the report says.Overall, the records offer a window into the Trump administration’s push to root out voter fraud, and especially noncitizen voting, ahead of the midterm elections. While a few months old, they suggest that finding noncitizen voters was an active focus within Homeland Security Investigations, along with identifying any organizations suspected of registering noncitizens to vote.Noncitizen votingNoncitizen voting is a rare occurrence, studies have consistently found. The Justice Department has brought a few dozen cases this year, and U.S Attorney General Todd Blanche in late September announced indictments against 10 noncitizens over allegations of unlawfully voting. But the census reports 154 million people voted in the 2024 election.With early voting beginning across many states, Trump’s bid to assert authority over voting has largely failed. The U.S. Supreme Court blocked his plans to use the U.S. Postal Service to restrict mail ballots and the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show proof of citizenship, stalled in Congress.But Democrats, voting rights groups and some election officials are concerned Trump may take more extreme action in the coming weeks. They have braced for possible federal interference, including the prospect of ICE or other federal agents deploying to the polls (Homeland Security denies any plans to target polling places).“This trove of ICE documents provides chilling new insights into the breadth and depth of the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to pursue baseless claims of widespread election fraud and assert greater federal control over elections ahead of the 2026 midterms,” Hart Wood, senior oversight counsel at Democracy Forward, said in a statement.Homeland Security and ICE didn’t respond to questions on Wednesday.At a news conference last week to announce indictments against alleged noncitizen voters in Minnesota, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration would never allow the votes of noncitizens to cancel out the votes of American citizens. He said that only citizens should be electing the country’s leaders.“Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: We will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation,” Mullin said.Nonprofits reviewed, researched The reports in the records obtained by Democracy Forward describe efforts by HSI to research and review an array of nonprofit groups. In some instances, HSI appeared satisfied after its examination. The June 1 report notes that research was completed on approximately 41 non-governmental organizations in New Jersey, with “no derogatory information” found. Research on 20 nonprofit funds linked to a Washington, D.C.-based charitable foundation also turned up nothing, the report notes.But the report also says the Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations was “flagged for further investigation.” CAIR is one of the country’s leading Muslim civil rights groups.Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, CAIR Pennsylvania executive director, in a statement said the organization’s civic engagement programs have expanded over the years and include voter registration efforts that seek to ensure Muslim Americans are empowered to vote and fully engaged in the civic process."Our voter registration program follows all applicable voter registration rules and requirements,” Tekelioglu said.Education Minnesota, an educators union, is named in the June 1 report as one of 22 organizations that HSI was beginning to research at the time. Monica Byron, Education Minnesota’s president, said the organization learned of the investigation on Tuesday because of Democracy Forward.Byron said the group shares Democracy Forward’s concerns about potential government surveillance of lawful voter registration activities. “We do not know the details of any investigation into our union, but we will not be deterred in encouraging all eligible members to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election,” Byron said in a statement.Tens of millions of recordsThe HSI reports show that Heather Honey, a DHS official who came to prominence denying President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, obtained 48.4 million records through “independent sources of information.” Additionally, HSI drew upon some 50.6 million records from the Department of Justice.The exact nature of the records isn’t described, but the DOJ has sued dozens of states for voter records, including sensitive personal information such as driver’s license and Social Security numbers. The department hasn’t won any of the lawsuits, but at least 16 states have voluntarily provided the data.The Supreme Court ruled in September that states can use a powerful Homeland Security program called SAVE to help identify possible noncitizen voters after voting rights groups sued to block its use, alleging that it often relies on inaccurate data and has a track record of wrongly flagging U.S. citizens. The decision’s impact on the midterms is expected to be minimal because most states are already too close to a federal election to conduct mass purges of voters.But the HSI reports suggest that while the legal fight over SAVE was playing out in the courts, Homeland Security was nevertheless analyzing a vast collection of records for signs of voter fraud.HSI’s June 1 report says 26,563 records derived from ICE had been prioritized for “downstream vetting,” with a focus on Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Priority states for HSI’s review of Justice Department records included those states, as well as Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas.The report notes that records were sent to iLab — an apparent reference to HSI’s Innovation Lab — for “secondary enrichment and identification of high-value targets.”Jacob Fischler contributed to this report. Courtesy of D.C. Bureau
	I-74 eastbound at Knoxville Exit 51 is back open The Knox County Sheriff's Office had closed the roadway Wednesday morning due to a crash.
	Cornell University case means we must redouble the fight for institutional change on campuses IN 2012, while I was a student at Boston University, sexual assault allegations involving members of the men’s hockey team put campus sexual violence at the center of the conversation. Students were talking about it everywhere. The newly opened Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism, where I became involved, was perfectly positioned to turn that outrage into organizing and demands for institutional change. I was part of yet another generation of feminist students demanding that our university do more to prevent sexual assault and support survivors. We organized to open a rape crisis center and mandatory consent and sexual violence prevention training for student organizations. We challenged a culture that treated sexual violence as an individual tragedy rather than an institutional responsibility. But even then, I knew our demands weren’t new, just as the problem wasn’t new. Students at Boston University had been advocating for many of these same changes since the 1970s. What was new was the moment we found ourselves in, and our ability to use the growing spotlight on campus sexual violence to push our university to act. We inherited decades of organizing by students, survivors, advocates, and activists before us, and our job was to build on it and use the opening we had to create change. Thirteen years after graduating, reading about the allegations at Cornell University feels painfully familiar. A former Cornell student has alleged in a civil lawsuit that seven fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2024 and that the university failed to adequately protect her or respond afterward. A prosecutor has now reopened the criminal investigation, while New York’s attorney general is reviewing Cornell’s handling of the case. The details are different. The university is different. But the questions students are asking are ones generations of us have asked before: Who is responsible for preventing sexual violence? What happens when institutions fail? And why, after decades of student organizing, are young people still fighting so many of the same battles? At my alma mater, Boston University, the removal of Pride flags from campus offices earlier this year sparked protests and a debate about LGBTQ+ visibility and free expression. Nationally, the Trump administration has changed the federal landscape around Title IX and civil-rights enforcement, including returning to an earlier Title IX framework for handling sexual misconduct Programs focused on gender equity, LGBTQ+ students, sexual violence prevention, and student activism aren’t peripheral to higher education’s mission. They give students the tools, knowledge, relationships, and power to make their campuses safer. And student organizing works. The policies and resources students have today did not simply appear because institutions decided to create them. Generations of students organized for them. They held rallies, shared their stories, met with administrators, changed policies, educated their peers, and demanded accountability. Today, as executive director of Mass NOW, I get to work alongside a new generation of student organizers taking on many of these same fights. This fall, we launched the Feminist Campus Network to bring together students from colleges and universities across Massachusetts. We’re helping students connect with one another, organize on their campuses, share resources, and advocate with elected officials around a broader feminist policy agenda. At a moment when institutions may be pulling resources away from gender justice, we’re choosing to invest more deeply in the students organizing for it. That’s also why Mass NOW is joining forces with Jane Doe Inc to organize a Cornell Jane Doe Solidary Rally. On Thursday, October 8th, from 6 to 8 pm, students and community members will gather on Boston Common to demand a future in which preventing sexual violence is treated as an institutional responsibility, survivors have meaningful support, and students don’t have to keep relearning the same lessons generation after generation. More than a decade after graduating college, there are moments when it feels like we’re losing ground. Institutions we fought to change are retreating from commitments we thought we had secured. Students are being asked to fight battles that can feel frustratingly familiar. But when I look at the movement today, I don’t see us going backward. I see a movement getting smarter, broader, and more connected. I see young organizers building on what previous generations fought for while challenging our movement to be more intersectional and expansive. I see longtime organizers sharing lessons and resources instead of asking the next generation to start over. And I see people across generations recognizing that none of us owns this movement; we inherit it, contribute to it, and pass it forward. I came into feminist organizing because generations before me refused to go away. The students organizing today are part of that same lineage. And now, those of us who once organized from dorm rooms and student centers have the responsibility to stand beside them. Our institutions may retreat. Our movement won’t. Sasha Goodfriend is executive director of Mass NOW. Courtesy of Commonwealth Beacon
	Man pleads not guilty to allegedly striking two, killing one with vehicle A Rock Island man pleaded not guilty in Rock Island County Circuit Court on Tuesday to allegedly striking two men and killing one with a vehicle in Milan last month.
	Davenport man arrested in connection with damage at Grinders & Spaghetti House Police in Moline have made an arrest in connection with burglary and damage at The Grinders & Spaghetti House on Oct. 2. A news release from the department said officers responded to Grinders after employees found significant damage to commercial heating and air conditioning units on the roof of the business. Investigators determined copper and [...]
	Trump approved the military's 1st firing squad execution since WWII. Why now? The Pentagon says Nidal Hasan will be executed by firing squad in December at Fort Hood, where he killed 13 people in 2009. The announcement came days after a botched lethal injection in Tennessee.
	Davenport man charged after rooftop copper theft caused $40K in damage at Moline restaurant A Davenport man faces felony charges after rooftop copper theft caused $40,000 in damage to a Moline restaurant before an Iowa police highway pursuit.
	Why luxury packaging is becoming the next big story in health and beauty Luxury packaging has rapidly integrated across consumer goods in recent years, with the market set to hit $33.9 million by the end of 2026, before growing to $43.3 million by the end of the decade. The estimated growth from Grand View Research also identifies niches that are particular catalysts for the adoption of next-generation packaging approaches, singling out pharmaceuticals as a driver. Health and beauty products fall within this industry and are part of the fastest-growing segment, even if food products still account for the largest single share.The question of why luxury packaging has gained such support in health and beauty has several answers, and data to support them. With the ongoing changes in brand choices and customer expectations, it’s reasonable to describe this change as transformative and permanent. TEAM Concept Achieving ComplianceHealth and beauty fall under intense regulatory scrutiny in most markets, and luxury packaging has quickly become a compliance cornerstone in North America and Europe, where authorities are cracking down on unsustainable practices while also pushing for better consumer protections. The Grand View Research report cites bodies and initiatives like the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency as incentivizing the adoption of luxury packaging.From a sustainability and accountability viewpoint, health and beauty brands need to make packaging traceable, both to reassure regulators and win over eco-conscious consumers. Pushes to make all packaging recyclable, with checks carried out to ensure the commitments made by brands are actually being followed, are making serialization technologies a crucial part of packaging workflows.This is coming at an interesting time for health and beauty from a brand-versus-product-performance perspective, as highlighted by McKinsey. While skincare used to be a market in which costlier brands both offered and were assumed to offer the best performance, that has changed. Affordable alternatives now account for over $75 billion in spending, while luxury and prestige brands remain a much smaller commercial niche.According to TEAM Concept, a commercial printing and packaging company, health and beauty brands are increasingly collaborating with specialized print partners to integrate scannable QR codes and connected packaging directly into production runs, bridging physical shelf presence with digital consumer engagement.Enabling Connected ExperiencesAnother key selling point of luxury packaging in health and beauty is its ability to offer connected experiences that combine tangible products with digital services as seamlessly as possible. This is evidenced by the results of a recent report cited by the Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association (AIPIA), which found 92.3% of industry respondents now see connected packaging as rising in importance in their operations, with 81.2% already having adopted it in some form.The research also explores the overlap of luxury packaging technologies, with a combination of QR codes and NFC tech preferred by 47.1% of brands, outstripping the individual use of these technologies significantly. Gamification is one of the main methods of consumer engagement via connected packaging experiences, implemented by two-thirds of brands. Whether full-blown mobile games or quizzes, the interactivity spurs engagement, and also serves as an opportunity for companies to discover more about their customers while raising brand awareness.AIPIA case studies of gamified packaging include one that achieved a 14% scan rate, underscoring the benefits of the technology. Health and beauty brands can combine luxury packaging to deliver connected experiences that are both fun and informative.Preparing for What’s NextLuxury packaging is more engaging and transparent than what came before, and health and beauty products need a combination of both elements in order to comply with stricter regulations and keep customers on-side. While it might be attractive to view this as an optional brand differentiator, it’s becoming standard for even budget-focused and small-scale products.The technology underpinning luxury packaging is increasingly accessible and inexpensive to implement, in part because of how the industry is growing and how brands across a range of sectors beyond health and beauty are also pushing ahead with adoption. Most of all, consumers expect to be able to interact with brands in every available forum, whether in-person or digitally.This story was produced by TEAM Concept and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Why Trump just loosened the rules on 'dyed diesel' — normally a farm fuel Trump is temporarily allowing this fuel to be used on highways, although it's typically just for off-road farm and construction vehicles. Could that lower the price of diesel?
	Bailey trying to stay on message as attacks from Pritzker mount Now, the Xenia farmer is challenged with winning over voters who already opposed him four years ago and overcoming midterm headwinds against his party.
	After debate, Rob Sand takes questions at Davenport coffee shop In Davenport, Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand said he's currently undecided on how he'll vote on a referendum to make it harder to raise individual and corporate income taxes.
	Grace Period Voting starts in Henry County for Nov. 3 election There’s still time to get registered to vote in the November 3 General Election in Henry County. A news release from Barb Link, Henry County Clerk, said starting today, Wednesday, October 7, any Henry County resident who has lived in their respective precinct for 30 days qualifies for Grace Period Voting for the November 3 [...]
	Why everything has a monthly membership now There was a time when you heard the word subscription and all that came to mind was Netflix and that monthly gym membership you used twice and then never went back to. Cut to 2026, and monthly memberships and subscriptions are ubiquitous. Your car’s remote start needs a subscription, and so does your printer’s ink cartridge. Even your coffee beans have a monthly membership plan.There’s a reason why your car manufacturer and your cappuccino vendor are all selling memberships. It’s got to do with recurring revenue. Businesses get more repeat revenue from selling access to a product or service on a regular basis than what they would from a one-time sale, even if it’s a pretty big one. Consumers are happy with the convenience and savings, but there’s also sound business logic behind the subscription and membership economy, as Way.com examines here.The numbers behind monthly membershipsHere’s how big the membership economy has gotten. A C&R study in 2024 found that the average American spends $219 a month on subscriptions. West Monroe put the number even higher, at $273 a month, and that was back in 2021. Considering inflation, it’s reasonable to expect those numbers have gone up since then. This isn’t a U.S.-only trend either. A 2021 Zuora survey found that 78% of adults across 12 countries had some sort of subscription.Subscriptions are less of a niche trend now and more of a reliable way to make money every month.What it takes for the membership model to succeedNot every membership model works. Amazon Prime, with more than 200 million worldwide and 180.1 million in the U.S., and Netflix, with 325 million paid subscribers, show that it can work really well. But Quibi and Blue Apron, now cited as cautionary tales, demonstrate that it can fail. Then, there’s BMW, which thought it would be a great idea to charge for heated seats. Customers were not happy, and the blowback forced the carmaker to abandon the plan.The success of a monthly membership model comes down to the value customers see in continuing to pay. Businesses that clearly communicate that value before purchase and deliver on it after are the ones that do well.Member-only discounts, exclusive offers, loyalty perks and early access are all examples of the value members look for and what keeps them coming back. Businesses should also make billing transparent, cancellation easy and benefits simple to access. Even a great offer can lose members if the whole thing is confusing.There’s a clear demand for memberships, and it’s growing. Gen Z spends more per month ($377) on subscriptions than any other generation. Millennials are second, spending $276 per month. These generations grew up with subscriptions as the default, not the exception. While this is good news for businesses looking to cash in, it also means these customers may be more willing to switch when a new membership offers better value.Before launching a membership model, businesses should ask themselves three questions:Is the value renewed each cycle?Does the customer feel that renewal is worthwhile?Is there a one-time purchase that would work just as well?Get those right, and the economics of a monthly membership can work for other businesses too, just as they did for Adobe.This story was produced by Way.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	American Discovery 250 Relay makes stops in QC A coast-to-coast relay celebrating America’s 250th birthday stopped Wednesday morning, Oct. 7, at the Visit Quad Cities Destination Center at Davenport’s Union Station.
	Probe confirms Whiteside County deputy misused license plate data before resigning Whiteside County internal probe finds a sergeant misused license plate reader data for personal reasons before resigning ahead of planned termination.
	Work closing Illinois 40 bridge crossing, Bureau County The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that repairs to the Illinois 40 bridge crossing Interstate 80 in Bureau County will start on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 a.m., weather permitting. The work will require the bridge to be fully closed and drivers are advised to seek alternative routes. There also may be some ramp [...]
	IDOT: Illinois 40 bridge crossing Interstate 80 to close The Illinois Department of Transportation announced bridge repairs on the Illinois 40 crossing I-80 in Bureau County that will shutter the bridge from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8.
	You can build a full business website in 4 days, new report says If you've built a website in 2026, there's a good chance artificial intelligence did at least some of the work. AI tools can compress the time it takes to go from idea to live site without replacing human creativity. But which aspects of website creation are people using AI for, exactly? And how do people make websites so quickly?In its latest State of Websites report, based on data from 310 million users, Wix, an AI website builder, examined how long it takes to build websites today (ones that are live, functional and built on stable, secure website infrastructure); which details people prefer to make by hand, even when AI is an easy option; and when they typically tap AI for an assist. Here’s what the report found. People are publishing websites faster than ever In the last year, the average time to publish a website dropped by 50%, from eight days to four. Importantly, this isn’t only referring to landing pages or single-page websites. Some of these sites have e-commerce capabilities, scheduling software and other features that help run full-on businesses, not just websites.According to the report, every industry is moving faster. Restaurants are publishing websites in seven days, down from 13 days, while e-commerce businesses went from 14 days to seven. Beauty and wellness businesses cut their build time by 55%, from 20 days down to nine. Wix But people still want control over sensitive brand details Speed actually makes the human element more important, data from the report suggests.Even when using AI, 91% of users rewrite their own copy, while 69% swap out images for their own photos, according to Wix data. Incorporating the human element ensures sites still feel personal.Most users tap an AI agent for help at some point in the processNot everyone starts with AI, but most end up using it anyway. More than 8 in 10 (84%) of non-AI published premium sites on Wix use its AI website-building agent. Users who built their sites manually still sent an average of nine messages to the AI agent per session. Ninety-three percent used it for design-related tasks, 40% turned to it for technical assistance and 16% tapped it for copywriting help. They’re using MCP to connect external AI tools directly to their site According to the report, nearly 32,000 people used Model Context Protocol (MCP) in 2025 to connect external AI tools, like Claude, directly to their Wix sites to manage content and debug issues through plain conversation, with total MCP sessions hitting 102 million.Coupled with the 84% adoption rate of an AI agent, that’s a lot of people using artificial intelligence as a collaborative partner, which is the core takeaway: AI speeds up the process by a lot (50%), but people still want the final say on how their brand looks and sounds. This story was produced by Wix and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	SEO during a merger or acquisition: How to protect visibility and leads You’ve navigated the acquisition — now your task is to make it a success by learning how to protect SEO’s performance during the merger. Here, WebFX shares an eight-step process.1. Decide whether to merge the acquired company’s websiteAcquiring a brand doesn’t mean absorbing its website. There are plenty of organizations that maintain separate websites for their brands because that approach makes the most business — and SEO — sense. WebFX A brand consolidation and domain consolidation don’t have to happen on the same day. The businesses can operate under one name in the market while the underlying websites stay separate until the SEO case for merging them is actually clear.2. Build a timeline for planned changesAcquisitions bring multiple change options, including:Adopting the parent company’s brand messaging and creative assets.Announcing the acquisition across digital channels.Redesigning the acquired company’s website to align with the parent brand.Rewriting transactional pages to align with the parent brand’s messaging.Moving to the parent company’s preferred content management system.The risk, though, is this flurry of changes can not only impact your acquired brand’s SEO but also affect your ability to pinpoint performance issues resulting from any of these changes.That’s why Google recommends to “plan your changes to your site one after the other, not everything at the same time. For example, if you want to move your site to a new domain name, change your content management system (CMS), and update your site to use a new layout, do them one at a time: move to a new domain, then change your site’s layout.”Work with your team to decide which changes need to happen and when. Use that information to build a timeline for executing these updates and educate leadership on your recommendations.3. Inventory the company’s SEO equityNo matter your decision on whether to migrate your acquired website or wait, you’ll still want to measure the acquired company’s SEO performance upon acquisition.Get started by evaluating the following areas: WebFX The above views stop your business from basing success on a single metric, like backlinks or traffic. As an example, a page with low traffic but high revenue may be more important to preserve than a page with high traffic and no business impact.4. Build a protect, merge, redirect, and retire inventoryScore every important URL or content asset into one of four buckets before touching anything. WebFX In short:Protect a page when it has strong rankings, strong backlinks, meaningful revenue, or unique search intent nothing else on either site covers.Merge pages when they target the same intent, have complementary backlinks, and would realistically be stronger combined than duplicated.Redirect a page when content is moving and a genuinely relevant destination already exists.Retire a page only when it has no meaningful SEO or business value, and nothing replaces it.5. Establish your baselineNext, document what performance looks like today by cataloging the following: WebFX You should also document the following information: WebFX You can’t prove you protected performance if you never documented what performance looked like before the move.6. Build your migration mapFrom there, build a one-to-one migration map for every URL:The exact URL of the acquired domainThe target URL for the redirect (i.e., where the exact URL should redirect to)While planning redirect targets, keep in mind redirect loops and redirect chains. Both can affect your SEO’s performance during the site merger or acquisition.This step is where website migration SEO succeeds or fails in practice, since a sloppy map undoes everything the earlier audit found.Prioritize high-traffic, high-ranking, lead-generating, revenue-generating, and heavily backlinked URLs first, along with location pages.Avoid mapping an old URL straight to the homepage unless the homepage genuinely is the closest replacement. Google’s own site-move guidance recommends preparing an accurate URL map before any redirects go live.For the general mechanics of before, during, and after a site migration, the same core process applies here, just with the acquisition-specific asset inventory layered on top.7. Execute the migrationMigration ChecklistUpload 301 redirectsTest 301 redirectsReview and publish updated robots.txt file (if applicable)Publish new XML sitemapSubmit XML sitemap to Google Search ConsoleSubmit Change of Address request (if moving to a new domain)Verify analytics events are firingUpdate social media and internal links to the new targetsIn almost all instances, businesses will use a 301 redirect for migrating an acquired domain to their parent or sister domain. 301s are a permanent redirect and tell search engines the page has a new address.When it comes to a 301 redirect’s impact on SEO, Google states that a 301 redirect (or other permanent redirects) does not cause a loss of PageRank. However, the redirect’s relevance, content quality, and technical implementation still matter.Redirects should remain live for as long as possible. If there is a reason to remove the redirects, Google recommends waiting a year before removing them.8. Monitor post-merger performanceAfter launch, you’ll want to monitor the following across timeframes: WebFX Don’t judge migration success on visibility alone. Follow the chain from visibility to traffic to leads to customers to revenue.How to diagnose SEO issues during a merger or acquisitionIf rankings drop, diagnose before you react. Don’t start rewriting content or reversing decisions the moment volatility shows up. Work through this in order:Technical issues. Check for redirects, indexing, canonicals, robots.txt, sitemaps, and status codes.Content changes. Did important copy get removed, did search intent shift, or did pages get collapsed together that shouldn’t have been?Link equity. Are backlinks landing on the right pages, and are redirects functioning as built?Tracking. Is traffic actually down, or did analytics and tracking just break?Some volatility is expected during a major move. Persistent losses deserve a systematic diagnosis, ahead of another round of uncontrolled changes layered on top of the first one. Not every asset deserves equal migration effort.Weigh SEO value against change severity and reversibility:A high-revenue service page facing a domain change, or a major location’s Google Business Profile facing a rebrand, is high-risk and needs a real baseline, migration plan, QA, and post-launch monitoring.A low-traffic, obsolete blog post being removed is low-risk and can be handled far more aggressively.Delay consolidation when SEO value hasn’t been audited yet, branded demand is still strong, the migration map isn’t ready, or teams can’t reliably track leads and revenue after launch. Being acquired isn’t a deadline for consolidating the domain.Migration timing should follow readiness over ownership paperwork.What are the most common SEO elements that get lost during a merger or acquisition?A few SEO elements get lost by accident more often than by decision during mergers and acquisitions:Content. Don’t delete acquired content just because it looks outdated, the parent company has something similar, or the branding is changing. Evaluate each page for rankings, backlinks, leads, revenue, and unique topical coverage first. Consolidate duplication while leaving genuine demand intact: If both companies rank for different valuable queries, merging everything into one page can shrink total search coverage rather than clean it up.Backlinks. Export referring domains and high-authority backlinks before the migration. After it, confirm linked URLs redirect correctly, update high-value external links where feasible, and make sure redirects don’t chain unnecessarily on the way to their destination.Local SEO. This equity lives outside the website entirely: Google Business Profiles, reviews, local rankings, citations, and location pages, especially for multi-location acquisitions. A migration plan that protects website rankings but ignores GBPs, reviews, and citations is only half a plan.Conversion paths. SEO preservation isn’t complete if rankings stay stable while leads drop. Audit forms, phone numbers, CTAs, lead routing, tracking, and CRM integrations alongside the technical migration, and compare organic traffic, conversion rate, calls, forms, and revenue before and after.The business goal is preserving the demand and revenue those rankings were already creating, beyond the rankings for their own sake.This story was produced by WebFX and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	'Come on down' to see The Price Is Right Live at Adler Theatre “Come on down” to the Adler Theatre (136 E. Third Street, Davenport) to see The Price Is Right Live on Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Oct. 16 at 10 a.m.; click here to buy tickets. The Price Is Right Live brings America's favorite game show to theaters across North America with [...]
	Winter wellness report: Can houseplants help beat the winter blues? As daylight hours shrink and winter weather settles in, millions of Americans brace for a familiar seasonal shift: lower energy, declining motivation, and a noticeable drop in mood.But which cities feel the “winter blues” more than others, and how are Americans coping with the seasonal slump?To find out, Rapid Garden POS analyzed hundreds of Google search terms related to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), winter depression, and coping strategies across the nation’s largest cities.The researchers also surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults to learn how winter affects their emotional well-being, and the surprising role houseplants can play in boosting mood during the darkest months of the year.In many cities, residents are actively searching for ways to manage seasonal depression and turning to indoor greenery to brighten their homes, reduce stress, and stay grounded through the coldest stretch of the year.Read on to discover the cities searching the most for SAD support, which cities are embracing winter houseplants, and what Americans say helps them cope throughout the winter.Key FindingsCities where seasonal depression hits hardest, according to search trends: Minneapolis, Cleveland, Seattle, Atlanta, and Pittsburgh.2 in 3 say their mood and energy worsen during the winter months.31% feel they suffer from SAD or winter depression.61% say their mood worsens after the holiday season ends.57% say houseplants reduce stress or boost well-being during the winter.America’s indoor winter gardening capitals, according to search trends: Atlanta, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Orlando, and Seattle.Where Seasonal Depression Hits HardestDuring the winter months, search interest for seasonal affective disorder rises sharply, but in some cities, residents appear to be struggling far more than others.The analysis of hundreds of SAD-related search terms revealed clear geographic patterns, with colder northern metros topping the list, followed by a surprising mix of cities in the Southeast. Rapid POS Minneapolis ranks No. 1 for SAD search activity per capita, followed closely by Cleveland and Seattle, which are two cities long associated with cloudy winters and limited daylight.But not all top-ranking cities fall in northern climates. Places like Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami also appear in the top 20, suggesting that winter mood changes aren’t driven by temperature alone, but by shifting routines, reduced sunlight exposure, and the post-holiday emotional slump many Americans experience.Here’s a closer look at the cities showing the highest demand for information and support related to SAD, winter depression, and coping strategies.This search behavior aligns closely with the survey findings, which reveal that two-thirds of Americans say their mood and energy are worse in the winter, and nearly 1 in 3 believe they experience SAD or winter depression.With many people turning to Google for help, the search data offers a window into where residents may be feeling the seasonal shift most intensely, and where support, resources, or winter wellness strategies could have the greatest impact.How Americans Experience the Winter Blues Rapid POS According to survey respondents, winter-related mood changes start well before temperatures drop. Two in three Americans say their mood and energy are noticeably worse during the winter months, and almost one in four say symptoms kick in during December or January, while 61% feel their mood declines even further once the holiday season ends.Many respondents also report spending far less time outdoors, averaging just two hours per day, which contributes to the seasonal dip in motivation.SAD Is More Common Than Many RealizeWhile SAD is often discussed as a clinical diagnosis, many Americans say they relate to its symptoms. Nearly one in three (31%) feel they personally experience seasonal affective disorder or winter depression, and 60% say their productivity and motivation noticeably decline during the season. Reduced daylight, colder temperatures, and spending more time indoors all appear to compound these feelings.How Americans Cope With the Winter BluesWhen it comes to coping methods, Americans turn to a blend of social connection, movement, and simple lifestyle adjustments. Talking with friends or family and exercising are the two most common approaches, each used by 46% of respondents. Spending time outdoors or seeking sunlight follows closely at 41%, while 37% take vitamins to help maintain energy and mood stability. Another 30% say they turn to decorating or home projects. These small changes can help make environments feel brighter during the darker months.Houseplants Play a Role in Winter WellnessIndoor plants can also play a meaningful role in emotional support during the winter. A majority of Americans surveyed (57%) believe houseplants help reduce stress or improve well-being during the colder months, and nearly one in five (19%) have purchased a plant specifically to improve their mood during winter. Rapid POS On average, Americans own between two and three houseplants, with Gen Z most likely to add new plants to their home as part of their winter wellness routine.America’s Houseplant HotspotsWhile some people turn to houseplants as a home décor trend, others rely on them as an emotional lifeline during the darkest months of the year.To understand where Americans are most likely to reach for greenery when the winter blues set in, the researchers analyzed winter search behavior for terms related to indoor plants, plant care, and houseplant shopping across major U.S. cities. Rapid POS The analysis found that interest in houseplants spikes significantly during the winter months, and many of the cities searching the most for SAD support are also the cities searching most for indoor greenery.Atlanta ranks No. 1 for winter houseplant searches, followed by Minneapolis and Cleveland, both of which also rank among the top three cities searching most for SAD support. Orlando, Seattle, St. Paul, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh also appear across both lists, suggesting that residents in these areas may be using houseplants as a strategy for boosting mood and comfort during the colder season.Other cities showing strong winter interest in houseplants include Denver, Miami, Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Portland, a mix of cities spanning both traditionally cold-weather climates and sunnier regions where reduced daylight still shapes seasonal routines.Much like the SAD search patterns, the cities leading in houseplant interest share characteristics that amplify winter challenges: reduced sunlight, earlier sunsets, and long stretches spent indoors. In these environments, houseplants offer a low-cost way to enliven home spaces and help create a sense of calm.Seasonal affective disorder and the winter blues can touch people around the country, but Americans aren’t weathering the colder months passively. From prioritizing outdoor sunlight to embracing houseplants as mood-boosting companions, people are actively seeking ways to brighten their homes and improve their well-being during the darkest months of the year.MethodologyIn November 2025, Rapid Garden POS surveyed 1,008 U.S. adults to better understand how Americans experience seasonal mood changes during the winter months and how indoor houseplants may help support emotional well-being. The survey included questions about SAD symptoms, coping behaviors, winter routines, and attitudes toward indoor plants.The survey respondents included 58% female, 40% male, and 2% identifying as non-binary/non-conforming. The average age of the respondents was 45 years. Limitations: The survey responses rely on self-reporting, which may be subject to recall bias or social desirability bias.To identify which cities show the strongest interest in seasonal affective disorder (SAD) support and winter houseplants, Rapid Garden POS conducted a Google search trends analysis and evaluated search activity in more than 70 U.S. cities with populations of 300,000 or more. The researchers compiled a list of hundreds of SAD-related keywords, including terms such as “seasonal affective disorder symptoms,” “seasonal depression treatment,” and “how to cope with winter blues.”To identify “houseplant hotspots,” the researchers analyzed search volume for terms related to indoor plants and plant care during the winter months (December-March), including: “winter houseplants,” “indoor plant care,” and “best indoor plants for winter.”For each city, the researchers calculated the average monthly search volume, then normalized search activity per 100,000 residents to allow accurate comparisons across cities of varying population sizes. This story was produced by Rapid POS and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What is edge AI and how does it work? The global edge AI market is expected to grow from $30 billion in 2026 to $118.7 billion in 2033, demonstrating its effect on how people’s devices and machines work.When it comes to using edge AI in a commercial or industrial setting, it's important to understand what it is and how it works. This guide from Synaptics can help you learn more about edge AI and take advantage of its benefits.Key TakeawaysEdge AI refers to deploying AI applications on physical devices near the data's source.Internet of Things (IoT) devices that use edge AI can enhance data privacy and efficiency, compared to those that rely on cloud AI.Common components of edge AI include edge devices, sensors, gateways and servers.Edge AI is used in many industries, including manufacturing, healthcare and retail.What Is Edge AI?An edge AI deployment is when AI learning models and algorithms are deployed onto physical devices, such as smart cameras, embedded processors and IoT sensors. These local devices are considered to be at the edge of the network, compared to the data center or cloud facility at the network’s center. Deploying these AI applications locally enables real-time processing that doesn't constantly rely on a cloud infrastructure.Edge AI combines two existing disciplines — edge computing, which is when data is processed near its source, and artificial intelligence, which enables devices to understand, classify and then act on that data.How Does Edge AI Differ From Cloud AI?While AI applications operate on physical devices in an edge deployment, cloud AI carries out these processes on remote servers. The data is sent via the cloud from local devices to the cloud data center, where the AI processes it, before the response is sent back to the devices at the network edge.By processing data locally, edge AI can improve operational efficiency and promote stronger data protection.Many systems use a hybrid model, where time-sensitive inference is handled by edge AI, while cloud AI covers large-scale model training and the more complex tasks.How Does Edge AI Work? Synaptics Edge AI carries out two key processes, training and inference. Training is how an AI model learns and gains the ability to understand data input, while inference is how the AI model uses its training to make predictions and decisions based on previously unseen data. Understanding these terms is key to understanding how edge AI works.1. Training AI Models in the CloudBefore an AI model can be used, it must be trained to recognize patterns and classify objects through deep neural networking. Since training requires exposing the model to large datasets and significant computational resources, it usually happens in the cloud or in a centralized data center.While this may initially seem like a disadvantage, it's actually an intentional design aspect that takes advantage of the cloud's larger capacity for data storage and computational demands.2. Deploying Models to Edge DevicesOnce the AI model can intelligently carry out its designated tasks, it's optimized through various techniques, including:Quantization: This process shrinks the model and speeds up inference so that it requires less memory, making it more suitable for edge devices.Pruning: By removing redundant or less critical connections and neurons from the neural network, pruning results in a network with fewer parameters and computations, leading to a smaller model.Knowledge distillation: The transfer of knowledge from a complex “teacher” model to a smaller and more efficient “student” model, which mimics the teacher's outputs, allows for a similar performance that requires fewer computational resources.Once the model has been optimized, it can be deployed to the edge environment, where the model will operate within the edge devices' power, memory and compute limitations. These devices can vary from microcontroller units (MCUs) for always-on, low-power sensing to more powerful microprocessor units (MPUs) for complex vision or audio workloads.3. Local Inference and Rapid Decision-MakingOnce the AI model has been deployed locally to the edge devices, it will infer data locally. The model will analyze data coming from edge devices before producing an output without sending that data to the cloud. Real-world scenarios could include:A smart security camera detecting motion and classifying it as a person in real time.Your smartphone recognizing your face and unlocking.A smart speaker recognizing its “wake word” and readying itself to respond to your question or command.This local inference is what allows edge AI to deliver low-latency performance and support data privacy.4. The Feedback Loop and Continuous ImprovementWhile edge AI allows for more processes to be completed locally, that doesn't mean the system operates in isolation. Instead, when the model encounters an input that it's unsure how to classify, it will send the data back to the cloud for additional training. The updated and improved model is then sent back to the edge device.Over time, this feedback loop allows the AI model to grow in confidence and accuracy, allowing it to store and process even more data locally. This continued learning is one of the key differences between edge AI and a static AI model.What Are the Key Components of an Edge AI System?Edge AI doesn't run on a single piece of hardware. Instead, it runs on an integrated system of components that work together:Edge devices and sensors: These devices capture data for the AI model to work with.Edge processors and AI accelerators: Silicon hardware such as neural processing units (NPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs) optimize AI inferencing.Edge gateways: A device that acts as a networking layer between edge devices and the cloud. Edge gateways facilitate data transfer between the two.Machine learning models: These trained models run on the edge devices and infer data at its source.Edge servers: Consisting of a specialized computer or multiple computers, edge servers handle data processing, storage, security and networking. What Are the Benefits of Edge AI? Synaptics Edge AI can deliver tangible benefits to your Edge deployment, including:Reduced Latency and Real-Time ProcessingSince data is processed on a local device, edge AI often doesn't need to send data to a remote server and wait for a response, allowing for faster processing. This difference in processing speed is often beneficial, but it is critical for effective operations in some cases, such as:Production lines: Speed is key in automated manufacturing and assembly lines, which is why edge AI is often deployed to detect anomalies or defects and monitor product quality in real time. The delay caused by sending data to the cloud can result in thousands of defective products and significant material waste.Industrial equipment: Analyzing the vast amounts of data that industrial equipment often produces, edge AI can monitor the equipment's performance and condition in real time. This monitoring allows the AI to predict when maintenance is necessary and reduce the risk of a catastrophic breakdown.Autonomous vehicles: A self-driving car must be able to process data almost instantly, so that it can make safe and immediate decisions based on the road signs, vehicles, pedestrians and the road around it. Delays in processing could lead to road accidents.Portable medical devices: Devices such as smart wearables for cardiac monitoring and portable ultrasound machines can capture data and process it locally. This allows the devices to quickly provide information to medical professionals or the patient, enabling them to take the appropriate actions immediately and potentially avert a medical emergency. Enhanced Data Privacy and SecurityWhile there are ways you can improve the security of your cloud AI, sending data from your edge devices to the cloud inevitably affects your data security. As your data is transmitted from your devices to the cloud, it can become exposed to interception and increase the data footprint across the network.By keeping your data processing on your edge devices, you remove this additional risk. This reduced risk becomes particularly important when you're working with sensitive data, such as biometric inputs and health readings or private audio and video files. In many cases, this enhanced protection can also support compliance with data privacy regulations.Lower Bandwidth and Operational CostsEdge AI reduces data transmissions to and from the cloud by sending only relevant insights or inputs, reducing bandwidth consumption. Instead of continuously streaming raw, high-volume data, such as hours of video footage, edge AI processes the data locally. This local processing lowers the costs of cloud data transfers and can reduce cloud storage fees, since less data will need to be stored.For organizations that use many IoT devices, the cost reduction can be significant.Resilience and Offline OperationWhile cloud AI requires network connectivity, edge AI can continue operating even when network connectivity is interrupted or unavailable because inference happens locally. This ability of edge AI is architecturally built in and can be particularly appealing in industrial environments or remote locations where a stable network connection can't be guaranteed.What Industries Benefit Most from Edge AI Solutions?Edge AI can be useful in many situations and environments, but some industries can particularly benefit from this technology.Manufacturing and Industrial AutomationIn the manufacturing and industrial automation industry, edge AI's key function is often to provide real-time quality control and anomaly detection. By processing the data locally, edge AI allows the machinery to respond quickly to any potential issues and halt operations.It's also used in the production machinery to support timely predictive maintenance.Healthcare and Remote Patient MonitoringEdge AI enables real-time monitoring in wearable and portable medical devices, making it a vital technology to countless people every day. From people who rely on a wearable medical device to monitor their health, to anyone treated by an ambulance crew that uses smart diagnostic equipment and scanners, this technology can impact their health.Beyond delivering faster results, edge AI also means that these devices don't require a network connection to operate. This ability greatly expands where and when they can be used, with technology like wearable devices gaining popularity in the United States.Medical devices that use edge AI can also enhance data security, since the patient's health information isn't transmitted to the cloud. By keeping the data local, patients can enjoy increased privacy.Retail and Customer ExperienceRetailers are increasingly employing edge AI to assist with:Real-time inventory management: Smart sensors and cameras can use edge AI to monitor stock levels and provide timely alerts that inform the retailer when to replenish their stock.Loss prevention: Edge AI can be used in security systems to detect suspicious or unusual activity captured by the store's cameras. Behaviors like placing items into bags without scanning them or attempting walk-outs with unpurchased products can be quickly brought to the staff's attention to facilitate a fast response.Customer behavior analytics: Retailers can gain immediate insights from customer movements and interactions, allowing them to optimize the store without worrying about the costs of sending footage to the cloud.Checkout automation: The rapid processing that edge AI enables can facilitate a fast and frictionless checkout experience in “grab-and-go” stores. Cameras and sensors track which items customers put into their baskets as the AI tallies their virtual cart and processes their automatic payment when they walk out of the store.Smart Home and Consumer IoT DevicesFrom smart speakers and thermostats to security cameras and washing machines, edge AI powers the intelligence in smart devices throughout the home. By processing inference locally on these devices, edge AI allows them to respond instantly to the conditions they were designed to recognize, be it a voice command, motion or user behavior, even when they don't have a network connection.Local processing in consumer IoT devices also helps consumers protect sensitive household data, such as biometric inputs, audio and video.The Impact of Edge AIEdge AI's impact on how smart devices operate is undeniable. These devices and machines can be found in homes, places of work and even in what people wear. While they carry out similar functions to smart devices that rely on cloud AI, edge AI devices can deliver increased efficiency, lower data costs and enhanced data security.This story was produced by Synaptics and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Final public meeting brings pushback over $94.5 Johnson County jail proposal Johnson County residents challenged plans for a new $94.5 million Sheriff’s Office and larger jail complex during the information session before voters decide in November.
	She got Trump's $500 check for health insurance. To her, it's a 'political stunt' As checks from President Trump for health costs hit millions of mailboxes, a poll shows Americans don't trust Republicans on healthcare. Experts doubt it will move the needle and say it is likely illegal.
	Free speech activist Steven Pico discusses banned books at Augustana College Almost 50 years ago, Steven Pico was the plaintiff in the only Supreme Court case over banned books. He talked about freedom of speech and censorship.
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	Pritzker orders diesel price relief for Illinois farmers, blames Trump policies Order directs the state to allow on-road use of tax-exempt dyed diesel fuel typically used for agricultural purposes,
	Exploring cheap auto insurance options for high-risk drivers If you’ve been labeled a high-risk driver due to tickets, accidents, or a gap in coverage, finding affordable insurance might seem daunting, but you have options. While your rates will likely be higher, insurance companies often provide competitive pricing for certain infractions. If standard carriers aren't a fit, non-standard insurers specialize in helping drivers with imperfect records get coverage.In this article, AssuranceAmerica looks at how to compare quotes from multiple providers, how to look for discounts like defensive driving courses, and other options for high-risk drivers.What is "high-risk" insurance?Getting a car insurance quote quickly isn't just about saving a few minutes.* It’s the most practical first step to see if you’re currently overpaying and to find out exactly what you could save. When you can get a real number fast, you skip the stress of long, complicated forms and get straight to comparing your options. This immediate clarity helps you spot savings and decide if switching is the right move for you, provided you have your details organized to ensure the fast quote is also accurate.Who needs high-risk insurance?You might be classified as a high-risk driver for several reasons, ranging from your driving habits to your administrative history:Driving record: This is the most common factor. Having multiple speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, or serious violations like a DUI or reckless driving conviction on your record will typically place you in this category.Experience and age: Drivers who are very young (often under 25) or newly licensed are statistically riskier to insure because they lack driving experience.Coverage history: If you have driven without a license or let your car insurance lapse—even for a short time—insurers view this as a risk factor. Maintaining continuous coverage is a major requirement for standard rates.Credit history: In many states, a poor credit score can also cause insurers to classify you as high-risk, as data suggests a correlation between credit history and filing claims.How is “high-risk insurance” different from standard coverage?The main difference you will notice is the cost. Because the insurer is accepting a higher probability of paying out a claim, premiums for high-risk drivers are typically higher, often costing about 25% more than standard policies.You may also encounter specific requirements, such as an SR-22 filing. This is a form your insurance company files with the state to prove you have active liability coverage, often required after serious infractions like a DUI or driving without insurance. Additionally, some high-risk policies might have specific restrictions, such as excluding coverage for business use or artisan work.The good news for high-risk driversBeing labeled "high-risk" is usually temporary. Most negative marks, such as tickets or accidents, impact your insurance rating for a specific "lookback period," typically three to five years. By keeping your driving record clean, maintaining continuous insurance coverage without gaps, and potentially taking a defensive driving course, you can eventually graduate back to standard insurance rates.What to do if you are denied by both standard and non-standard insurance companiesIf you find yourself rejected by standard insurance companies and specialty "non-standard" carriers, it can feel like you’ve hit a wall. However, you still have a path forward to get back on the road.The "last resort": Assigned risk poolsIf private companies will not insure you, your final option is a state-assigned risk pool, often called an Automobile Insurance Plan.How it works: The state assigns you to an insurance company that is legally mandated to cover you, regardless of your record.The catch: This is typically the most expensive coverage available. You generally must provide proof—such as rejection letters—showing that you have been denied coverage by other insurers in the voluntary market.Is it common to be denied by everyone?While it is common for high-risk drivers to be rejected by standard carriers, being denied by non-standard carriers is less common and usually results from specific, severe, unacceptable risks.Cheapest options for high-risk driversFinding the "cheapest" option when you are classified as high-risk involves choosing the right type of insurance carrier and aggressively applying specific discounts.1. Standard vs. non-standard carriersOne option for a low rate is purchasing through a major "standard" carrier, provided they are willing to accept your application. These companies generally offer lower base rates than competitors. However, if your record includes major infractions like DUIs or multiple accidents, standard carriers may deny you.In that case, your "cheapest" option becomes a non-standard carrier. These companies specialize in high-risk drivers. While their base rates are higher, they offer specific discounts to help bring the price down.2. Discounts to look forAccording to underwriting manuals for high-risk programs, you can lower your premium by taking advantage of these common cost-cutters:Paid in full: You can often get a significant discount (sometimes around 10% or more) if you pay the entire six-month or 12-month premium upfront rather than in installments.Go digital: Enrolling in recurring electronic payments (autopay) and using e-signatures for your documents can trigger immediate discounts.Prior insurance: If you are switching companies, providing proof that you have maintained continuous coverage (usually for the last six to 12 months without a lapse) often qualifies you for a "transfer" or "prior insurance" discount.Early shopper: Some non-standard carriers offer a discount if you get your quote and bind your policy a few days before your coverage actually begins (e.g., seven days in advance).Mobile apps: Downloading the carrier's mobile app to verify your vehicle or track mileage can sometimes earn a discount on your policy.3. Coverage adjustmentsYou can also lower costs by adjusting the policy itself:Raise deductibles: Increasing your deductible (what you pay out of pocket for a claim) from $500 to $1,000 usually lowers your monthly premium.Drop physical damage: If you drive an older vehicle (often defined as 10 to 20 or more years old), carrying collision and comprehensive coverage may not be financially worth it. Dropping this to "liability only" significantly reduces costs.Non-owner policy: If you do not own a car but need to maintain a continuous insurance history or file an SR-22, a non-owner policy is generally much cheaper than a standard owner’s policy.4. Other strategic ways to lower your costsBundle policies: Purchasing your auto insurance from the same company that holds your homeowners or renters insurance can lead to savings of more than 20%. Bundling also makes you a more valuable customer, which may reduce the likelihood of the insurer dropping your coverage at renewal time.Avoid coverage lapses: A gap in insurance coverage labels you as high-risk; even a 30-day lapse can result in premium hikes of 25%-50% upon restarting a policy. If you do not own a car but have a coverage gap, purchasing a non-owner car insurance policy (often costing $200-$400 annually) keeps your insurance history continuous and prevents higher rates in the future. Setting up automatic payments is recommended to avoid accidental cancellations that restart the "high-risk clock."Reconsider your vehicle: The type of car you drive significantly impacts your rate; high-performance or luxury vehicles are more expensive to insure. Trading a high-risk vehicle for a practical model with strong safety ratings, such as a sedan with anti-lock brakes and airbags, can help lower costs. For older vehicles, you might consider dropping collision coverage if the car's value is less than the cost of the coverage.Finding affordable car insurance as a high-risk driver is possible if you know where to look and which discounts to claim, such as savings for prior coverage or using a mobile app.FAQsWhat is considered a high-risk driver for auto insurance?A high-risk driver is typically someone with a history of traffic violations, DUI/DWI convictions, at-fault accidents, or lapses in auto insurance coverage. Young or inexperienced drivers may also be classified as high-risk. Insurance companies charge high-risk drivers higher premiums because they statistically pose a greater likelihood of filing a claim.Can high-risk drivers get cheap auto insurance?While high-risk drivers often pay more for car insurance, affordable coverage options are still available. Comparing quotes, maintaining a clean driving record going forward, and choosing the right coverage limits can all help lower your high-risk car insurance premium over time.What is the best auto insurance for high-risk drivers?The best cheap auto insurance for high-risk drivers balances affordable rates with reliable coverage. Look for insurers that specialize in non-standard auto insurance rather than standard carriers who may deny your application altogether.How much does high-risk auto insurance cost?The cost of high-risk auto insurance varies based on your driving history, location, age, and the type of violation on your record. On average, high-risk drivers pay significantly more than standard drivers.How can high-risk drivers lower their auto insurance rates?High-risk drivers can lower their car insurance rates over time by maintaining a clean driving record, completing a defensive driving course, avoiding additional traffic violations, and shopping around for non-standard auto insurance providers.This story was produced by AssuranceAmerica and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Many women are unaware of the serious link between breast cancer and alcohol consumption This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are reminded that one in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In fact, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, besides skin cancers. Yet, many women aren’t aware of a modifiable lifestyle factor that could be putting them at increased risk: alcohol consumption.According to a survey published in 2025, only 30% of breast cancer survivors were aware of the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, and only 26% said a medical professional had warned them about the risk.This knowledge gap still exists despite the fact that alcohol has been identified as a carcinogenic for decades and is associated with six other cancers, Recovery First Treatment Center reports.An advisory issued by the U.S. Surgeon General encouraged Americans to pay attention to this urgent public health issue, highlighting that the link between alcohol use and cancer was first established in the late 1980s and that evidence for this link has strengthened over time. For certain cancers, like breast cancer, evidence shows that this risk may start to increase around one or fewer drinks per day, and that the more alcohol someone consumes the greater the risk. Alcohol consumption is now considered the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity.“As more people researched breast cancer and the epidemiology of breast cancer, we started realizing a lot of these people are drinkers,” said Dr. Charles Smith, an addictionologist with Recovery First Treatment Center. “Alcohol is really lagging behind in public acknowledgement and public sentiment, a problem that eerily reminds me of the 1960s when people didn’t want to believe cigarettes caused lung cancer. The public largely believed it was a conspiracy theory. Sadly, it feels like history repeating itself, which is putting lives in danger.”Smith points out that there are currently no warning labels on alcohol alerting women about the cancer risk similar to what you see on tobacco products. He says primary care doctors could play a greater role in raising the alarm, particularly for women of higher weight. Even if these women don’t self-report, there are tell-tale signs in the bloodwork, including the size of red blood cells or the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) that can detect excessive alcohol use even after two to four months of abstinence.“If I did your lab work, my next question would be, ‘How much do you drink,’ because the metabolic signs are often there,” said Smith. “That’s an ideal time for a provider to alert the patient about the cancer connection.”Studies have shown that stopping alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer, but it may take years for the risk level to lower to that of nondrinkers.“Alcohol use is something people can change to lower their cancer risk,” said Naomi Greene, a senior research scientist in NORC’s Public Health department. “Clear, effective communication paired with practical tools like updated warning labels that are evidence-based and widely supported by the public can close that gap.”For some people, even knowing the risk doesn’t make it easy to change. In 2025, more than 25 million Americans ages 12 and older struggled with alcohol use disorder. This year alone, more than 42,000 women are expected to die from breast cancer.It took years of sounding the alarm that smoking caused lung cancer before warning labels were added to cigarette packages and public perception shifted from smoking being glamorous to dangerous. According to the Smithsonian, 60 years ago about 42% of American adults identified themselves as smokers. By 2023, that number had dropped to 11% of adults. That progress was slow, and many lives were lost in the process. In the case of alcohol and cancer risk, education is key to preventing history from repeating itself. This story was produced by Recovery First Treatment Center and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	5 things to know before leaving your job and going independent Going independent, whether as a beauty professional, consultant, or wellness provider, can be an exciting next step in a professional's career. It offers greater control over how professionals work, the clients they serve, what they charge, and the type of business they want to build. But making the leap also comes with responsibilities that aren't always obvious beforehand.For many professionals, that path is increasingly top of mind. A 2026 LendingTree survey found that 27% of Americans had seriously considered starting a business within the previous year.Whether working as a freelancer, consultant, contractor, beauty professional, or other service provider, independent professionals become more than experts in their field. They also become a business owner, often taking on everything from finances and marketing to scheduling and client communication.While every experience is different, Sola Salons, a salon studio franchise, offers a few expert tips that can help professionals better prepare for the transition. Here are five key considerations before making the switch to self-employment.1. Going Independent Means Becoming a Business OwnerOne of the biggest shifts that comes with working independently is taking responsibility for the business behind the work.Beyond serving clients, independent professionals may be responsible for scheduling, purchasing supplies, marketing, tracking expenses, and managing finances. These are tasks that may have previously been handled by an employer or someone else within the business.Taxes are another responsibility that can be easy to underestimate. Independent professionals need to understand their tax obligations and keep track of business expenses throughout the year. Working with an accountant or other qualified professional who understands small businesses and their industry can help make the process more manageable.Making this transition requires a shift in mindset. Being good at what you do is important, but learning how to operate a business becomes part of the job, too.2. Slow Periods Can Be an Opportunity to Build Your BusinessGoing independent doesn’t necessarily mean having a full schedule or client roster immediately. Even professionals with an established client base may experience slower periods as they transition into a new business and build awareness.Instead of treating downtime as lost time, it can be an opportunity to focus on growth.Independent professionals can use slower periods to market their services, share their work on social media, connect with their local community, reconnect with past clients, or encourage referrals. For service-based professionals, these efforts can help introduce the business to new audiences while keeping existing clients engaged.Building a consistent client base takes time, and marketing remains an important part of running an independent business even after a schedule starts to fill up.3. Set Boundaries With Clients EarlyGreater flexibility is one of the biggest draws of working independently. But without clear boundaries, that flexibility can quickly work in the opposite direction.Independent professionals should establish expectations early around working hours, scheduling, cancellations, and communication. Clients should understand when they can expect to hear from you, how scheduling works, and what policies apply if an appointment or meeting needs to change.It can be tempting to make exceptions, especially when professionals are still building their business. But consistently stretching working hours or accommodating last-minute requests can become difficult to sustain.Clear boundaries can help protect your time while also creating a more consistent experience for your clients.4. Know the Value of Your ServicesSetting prices can be one of the more challenging parts of working independently. While it may be tempting to keep prices low to attract or retain clients, pricing should reflect both the value of the service being provided and the realities of running a business.When setting rates, independent professionals should consider not only their experience, expertise, and demand, but also the overhead that comes with running a business.Pricing should also be revisited as the business evolves, rather than assuming the rates you started with should remain the same indefinitely. As expenses, experience, or demand change, pricing may need to change with them.Understanding what it costs to operate, along with the value you provide to clients, can help you make more informed and confident pricing decisions.5. Not Every Client Will Be the Right Fit, and That’s OKWorking independently gives professionals more freedom to shape the type of business they want to build, including being more selective about which clients they take on and steering their business toward the direction they want it to grow.Not every existing client will necessarily make the transition with them, and over time, some client relationships may no longer be the right fit.While losing a client can initially feel discouraging, it can also create room for new clients who are better aligned with your services, pricing, schedule, or approach.Building an independent business isn't necessarily about keeping every client. It's about developing a client base and business model that can be sustainable over the long term.Preparing to Go IndependentMaking the shift to independence can bring greater flexibility, autonomy, and control over the direction of their career. But that freedom also comes with greater responsibility.Professionals considering the transition should be prepared to think beyond the work they provide to clients. Managing finances, attracting new business, setting boundaries, evaluating pricing, and making decisions about the direction of the business all become part of the job.Understanding those realities before making the leap can help you enter independence with clearer expectations and a stronger foundation for building a business that works for you.This story was produced by Sola Salons and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Why one Iowa builder is adding extra water filters to new homes A Central Iowa homebuilder is one of the first in the state to take an extra step to remove pollutants from home tap water.
	Giraffe calf did not survive birth, Blank Park Zoo says Blank Park Zoo shared that its giraffe on baby watch delivered a calf without a heartbeat.
	The pros and cons of being a surrogate Deciding whether to become a gestational surrogate — someone who carries a pregnancy for intended parents using an embryo created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) — is a personal choice that affects both you and your family. While every surrogacy process is unique, all journeys require careful thought, honest conversations, and a clear understanding of what lies ahead.This guide from Circle Surrogacy discusses the pros and cons of becoming a surrogate and offers the information you need to make the decision that's right for you.Key TakeawaysBecoming a surrogate can offer meaningful emotional, personal, and financial rewards while helping another family grow.The surrogacy journey also involves medical treatment, travel, and a substantial time commitment.A strong support system can make the practical and emotional aspects of surrogacy easier to navigate.Knowing what to expect at each stage helps you approach the journey with realistic expectations.What Is It Like Being a Surrogate? The Pros Circle Surrogacy Surrogacy compensates you for your time and commitment while offering the opportunity to assist others on the path to parenthood.1. Receiving Financial CompensationPregnancy requires time, energy, and physical effort, and surrogacy adds medication protocols, legal steps, and logistical responsibilities along the way. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) considers financial compensation for gestational surrogates to be ethically appropriate given the time, effort, and responsibilities involved.While the exact details vary depending on individual agreements and circumstances, intended parents provide base pay and generally cover surrogacy-related expenses such as:Medical co-pays and healthcare costs related to the pregnancyLegal fees associated with the surrogacy agreementTravel expenses for required medical appointmentsMaternity clothing allowancesLost wages in certain approved situationsChildcare or housekeeping assistance when medically necessarySome surrogacy agencies offer payment protection that guarantees you’ll be compensated in full and on time, even if circumstances change.2. Setting an Example for OthersWhen you become a surrogate, you are setting an example for the people in your life, even your own kids. They watch everything you do, including this process that teaches them about the power of helping others.You might even inspire other women in your life to explore whether surrogacy is right for them.3. Experiencing the Joy of Helping Build a FamilyIntended parents are individuals or couples who turn to surrogacy to start or grow their families. Becoming a surrogate gives you the opportunity to get to know these people whose lives are being positively changed.You make parenthood possible for people who can't carry a pregnancy: Surrogacy helps same-sex couples, individuals with medical conditions, and others build a family of their own.You share pregnancy milestones together: Many surrogates and intended parents regularly communicate throughout the surrogacy journey, sharing important updates and attending appointments together.You witness intended parents become parents: On delivery day, you see the outcome of your months of commitment when intended parents meet and hold their baby for the first time.4. Experiencing Pregnancy AgainWomen who become surrogates already have children of their own and are motivated by a desire to help others. They have completed their own families, but they love and enjoy the experience of being pregnant and everything that is involved.Surrogacy offers the opportunity to experience the following again without expanding your own family:Watching the pregnancy milestones unfoldFeeling the baby move and kickSharing updates with loved ones5. Getting Expert Support Throughout the JourneyA successful surrogacy journey includes medical specialists, attorneys, social workers, surrogacy professionals, and coordinated communication between everyone involved.One of the most important parts of the process is the legal agreement between the surrogate and the intended parents. This contract outlines important details such as:Financial arrangementsMedical decisionsCommunication expectationsInsurance considerationsResponsibilities before, during, and after the pregnancyAccording to recommendations from the ASRM, surrogates should have their own legal counsel to review and negotiate the agreement. Having your own attorney helps protect your interests throughout the process. Rather than navigating complex legal documents alone, you work with someone whose primary responsibility is advocating for you.6. Building a Meaningful Relationship With Intended ParentsMany surrogates and intended parents stay in close contact throughout and beyond the journey, while others prefer less interaction. Either approach can work well as long as you're in agreement.Before moving forward, both you and the intended parents will have the opportunity to learn about each other and determine whether you are a good fit for one another. During the matching process, you'll work together to define your relationship and set clear expectations about:Communication frequency and styleMedical decision-makingInvolvement during pregnancy and deliveryContact after the baby is bornBoundaries and preferencesThis process is designed to ensure you and the intended parents feel comfortable with your mutual agreement. You're committing significant time and effort to help them become parents, and they're entrusting you with carrying their future child. Being open and honest about what you are looking for from day one makes the matching process more effective.The Potential Cons of a Surrogacy JourneyUnderstanding the challenges as well as the benefits helps you make an informed decision. When you know what to expect, you and your support system can prepare for what lies ahead.1. Medical Process and Physical DemandsIn addition to the pregnancy itself, gestational surrogacy includes medical screenings, fertility treatments, and regular healthcare appointments that require both time and commitment. Even if you've had healthy pregnancies before, every pregnancy is different and comes with its own physical demands. Some common experiences you might have include:Morning sicknessFatigueMood swingsSwellingHeadaches or backachesSince you already have a child or children of your own, you may already be familiar with many of these symptoms.2. Significant Time and Lifestyle CommitmentFrom the initial application to postpartum recovery, the entire surrogacy journey can take anywhere from 14 to 20 months or longer.The first phase involves completing an application and participating in medical and psychological screenings, including gathering medical records, attending evaluations and interviews, and undergoing background checks. Matching with intended parents also takes time, as finding a partnership that feels right for both of you is an important part of building a successful surrogacy journey.Once matched, you finalize the legal agreements and begin medical preparations for embryo transfer. This stage involves appointments, medications, and communication with fertility specialists, so balancing these responsibilities alongside your work and everyday life will require some planning.The third step is pregnancy and delivery day. Regular prenatal appointments, communication with intended parents, and postpartum recovery all take time and energy. Having a flexible schedule and a strong support system can make managing the time commitment easier.3. Travel for Medical AppointmentsTravel is another practical consideration for many surrogates. Since intended parents may work with fertility clinics located outside your area, certain appointments might require travel.Key appointments may include:Initial medical screeningFertility clinic visitsEmbryo transferFollow-up monitoringDepending on the location of the fertility clinic, these appointments may involve driving, flights, or overnight stays. Knowing this ahead of time allows you and your family to plan for work schedules, childcare, and other responsibilities.4. Misconceptions About SurrogacyYou may need to explain your decision to friends, family members, and coworkers who have questions about surrogacy. Some people may not understand your reasons or may hold misconceptions about the process.A strong support system is one of the most valuable resources you can have. Open conversations before beginning the journey can ensure everyone understands the commitment involved.Hearing from other women about their surrogacy experiences and perspectives can help you prepare for your own surrogacy and be a source of support throughout the process. Many surrogates are happy to share their stories and answer questions. Some agencies connect women with other surrogates through mentorship programs and online communities, which can make it easier to find and learn from others who understand the experience firsthand.Peer support can provide opportunities to do the following:Ask practical questionsCompare experiencesDiscuss challengesCelebrate milestonesReceive encouragementHow Do I Decide if I'm Ready to Become a Surrogate?Everyone's circumstances are different, and reflecting on your motivations, family situation, and goals can help you determine whether surrogacy is the right fit.Key Questions to Ask Yourself and Your FamilyYou might have more than one reason for considering surrogacy, and the journey is rarely an individual decision. Asking questions gives you insight into everyone's perspectives:How does my partner feel?How will we explain the journey to our children?Who can help with childcare and support?Surrogacy involves both physical and emotional experiences that may shift throughout the process. Checking in with yourself and your family regularly can help you navigate challenges as they arise.In addition, medical treatments do not always follow a predictable timeline. Embryo transfers may not succeed immediately, schedules may change, and unexpected circumstances can arise. Being flexible and patient can be useful throughout your surrogacy journey.Qualifications and Requirements for Surrogates Circle Surrogacy The requirements for surrogates are designed to promote safety and improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy. While exact qualifications vary, many agencies and fertility specialists follow similar guidelines:Age limits, often between 21 and 44At least one healthy pregnancy and deliveryA healthy Body Mass Index (BMI), typically no higher than 33Good overall physical and emotional healthIn addition, you are generally expected to have a stable home environment, maintain healthy habits, and demonstrate financial stability. Having a dependable support system is also important.The BMI requirement exists because it can influence IVF medications and pregnancy potential. Even if you've had healthy pregnancies on your own, meeting BMI guidelines helps improve the chances of a successful IVF pregnancy.The qualifications are not intended to exclude people unnecessarily; they are designed to reduce risks for everyone involved.Working With a Surrogacy AgencyA surrogacy agency can simplify the process by providing expertise and coordinating important aspects of the journey, including:Matching and screening: Agencies help identify compatible matches and handle the screening process to support positive partnerships. Look for agencies that have a structured matching process, because they’re more likely to match you with intended parents you’re genuinely compatible with.Legal and financial coordination: Agencies assist with managing contracts, escrow services, and reimbursement processes according to agreed terms. Some agencies have in-house legal and financial specialists, which can streamline these aspects of surrogacy.Ongoing practical and emotional support: Many agencies provide resources, education, and ongoing communication throughout the journey. This means you’ll always have access to help when you need it.Working with an agency can provide structure, reduce uncertainty, and connect you with professionals who understand the surrogacy process. This support can help you feel more prepared throughout your journey compared to going it alone.Frequently Asked Questions About SurrogacyHere are answers to questions that may come up as you consider whether surrogacy is the right fit for you.Can I be a surrogate more than once?Yes. Many surrogates choose to complete multiple journeys, and experienced surrogates often receive higher compensation. After your first surrogacy journey, you'll have a better understanding of what to expect. Agencies typically welcome return surrogates, as they've already demonstrated readiness for the commitment.Can I choose which intended parents to work with?Yes. The matching process is designed to ensure both you and the intended parents feel comfortable moving forward together. You'll have the opportunity to learn about prospective intended parents, ask them questions in an in-person or video conversation, and determine whether their expectations and communication style align with yours.Will I become emotionally attached to the baby during the surrogacy journey?Gestational surrogates do not share DNA with the babies they carry, and knowing this helps them prepare for the journey ahead. This lack of a biological connection is one factor that can shape how surrogates prepare for this moment.Agencies also discuss the delivery and transition process thoroughly during screening, so surrogates enter the journey with clear expectations about their role and the outcome. Most surrogates describe looking forward to seeing the intended parents finally meet their baby.Start Your Surrogacy Journey With Clarity and ConfidenceThe rewards of becoming a surrogate can be significant. Many women appreciate the opportunity to help intended parents, receive financial compensation to support their own family, and experience pregnancy again. At the same time, the journey does involve medical treatment, travel, time commitments, and emotional considerations that deserve careful thought.Understanding both the advantages and the challenges allows you to make an informed decision that aligns with your unique circumstances, family life, and values.This story was produced by Circle Surrogacy and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Rethinking the cost of engagement rings For generations, buying an engagement ring has come with some fairly specific expectations. It should be beautiful, and it should last. According to decades of advertising and popular culture, it should also cost a substantial amount of money, roughly three months of salary, per conventional wisdom. Somewhere along the way, the price itself became part of what the ring was supposed to communicate.That calculation looks different when the same bank account may also be covering high housing costs, student loans, a wedding and savings for whatever comes next. Meanwhile, the range of engagement jewelry available through retailers gives shoppers numerous options in materials, styles and price points. For many couples, that makes the old question of what a ring “should” cost less useful than a simpler one: What makes sense for us?Below, ModGents explains why the engagement ring question involves much more than just a salary formula.Where Did the Three-Month Salary Idea Come From?Despite how often it's repeated, the salary rule isn't an old engagement tradition. It has its roots in advertising.De Beers and its advertising agency, N.W. Ayer, played a major role in linking diamond engagement rings with romantic commitment and expectations around spending. Historical advertisements documented in academic research show a two-month salary benchmark being promoted in the early 1980s.The now-familiar three-month figure grew out of that commercial history. It was never a universal measure of affordability, much less commitment. A couple isn't falling short by ignoring the formula. They're ignoring a marketing benchmark.Why Today's Couples Face a Challenging Financial RealityConsider housing alone. Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies reported that 49% of renter households were housing-cost-burdened in 2024, meaning more than 30% of their income went toward housing.Americans held $1.65 trillion in student debt in the second quarter of 2026. And in 2025, Federal Reserve data show that only 63% of adults could cover a $400 emergency expense entirely with cash or its equivalent.None of those numbers describes every couple. They do show how complicated the financial picture can be. Rent or a mortgage, childcare, healthcare, debt payments, retirement contributions and an emergency fund may all come before a ring enters the conversation. Add uncertainty about future expenses, and a purchase that once came down to a simple salary formula gets considerably more complicated.The Engagement Ring Is Part of a Larger Financial ConversationThen there's the wedding itself. The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study found that the average 2025 wedding cost was $34,000, with a median cost of $24,000.A dollar can only be spent once. An extra $5,000 put toward a ring is $5,000 that isn't available for a honeymoon, moving expenses, a home down payment, an emergency fund or paying off high-interest debt.That doesn't make spending an additional $5,000 on a ring a bad decision. For some households, the expense barely changes the financial picture. For others, it could affect plans for months or years. The price may be the same. The sacrifice isn't.The Shift From “How Much Should a Ring Cost?” to “What Can We Afford?”External spending expectationsEngagements are personal, but engagement rings are unusually visible. Friends see them. Families ask about them. Photos go online.That visibility creates plenty of room for comparison. Advertising and cultural traditions have shaped expectations for decades, and social media now provides an endless stream of rings, proposals and weddings against which people can measure their own. It's easy for a private decision to start feeling like a public benchmark.Personal financial considerationsReal affordability is considerably messier than a salary formula.Two people earning identical salaries might have completely different student loan balances, housing costs, savings, family responsibilities or plans for the next five years. One may be able to buy a ring outright. The other may need financing.Salary matters. It just doesn't tell the whole story.Why Value Is ImportantA ring also has to exist outside the moment when someone opens the box.It may be worn to work, to the gym, while traveling and while doing ordinary things around the house for years or decades. Durability and wearability can matter just as much as size. So can craftsmanship, materials, design, longevity, personal meaning and ethical considerations.That makes “value” harder to reduce to a receipt. A cheaper ring isn't automatically the smarter purchase, and an expensive one isn't automatically better. Much depends on what the person wearing it actually wants from it.Challenging the Idea That More Expensive Means More MeaningfulThe change isn't limited to engagement jewelry. Recent luxury research found that emotional connection is overtaking status as a driver of desirability. Travel also ranked ahead of luxury products when consumers considered where they would direct additional discretionary spending.That creates competition for money that might once have gone more automatically toward a traditional status purchase. A couple could value a particular ring deeply and still decide they'd rather reserve more of their budget for a trip, a home or simply having cash in the bank.Social media pulls in both directions. It can fuel comparison and ever-larger expectations, but it also makes unconventional rings, materials and engagement traditions easier to discover. Tradition hasn't disappeared. It just has more company.Alternative Approaches to Engagement JewelryThe classic mined-diamond solitaire is now one option in a much larger field. Couples can choose alternative gemstones, lab-grown or simulated diamonds, vintage and pre-owned pieces, smaller stones, simpler settings, nontraditional materials and custom designs.Those choices aren't simply cheaper versions of the same product, nor are the categories interchangeable.The Gemological Institute of America notes that lab-grown diamonds have essentially the same chemical, physical and optical properties as natural diamonds. Simulants are different: Moissanite and cubic zirconia, for example, are not diamonds.For shoppers, the variety of choice means deciding which trade-offs they actually care about. Appearance may top the list. For someone else, it could be provenance, durability, price or how easily the ring fits into everyday life.Conversations About Money Before MarriageRing shopping can surface a surprisingly large number of financial questions.How much should be saved versus spent? Is debt acceptable for a discretionary purchase? Does one person value experiences while the other prefers tangible purchases? Will finances be combined after marriage, kept separate or handled somewhere in between?There doesn't have to be a right answer to every question. But a large purchase has a way of making assumptions visible, particularly when two people haven't previously had to make many financial decisions together.In that sense, setting a ring budget can be about considerably more than jewelry.Financing an Engagement Ring Can Change the Meaning of “Affordable”A $200 monthly payment sounds very different from a several-thousand-dollar price tag. That's part of what makes financing useful—and why the monthly payment shouldn't be the only number a buyer considers.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that APR accounts for interest, along with additional fees charged with a loan.A longer repayment period may lower the monthly bill while increasing the total amount paid. Before deciding whether a financed ring fits the budget, the total repayment cost matters alongside the payment itself, particularly when other debt is already competing for monthly income.What Couples Should Consider Before Setting an Engagement Ring BudgetThere isn't a formula that can answer the question for everyone. A few practical questions can get much closer:What can we comfortably afford?What other financial goals are competing for this money?Would paying for the ring require taking on expensive debt?What matters most to us about the ring?Are we spending based on our preferences or someone else's expectations?Would we rather allocate more money toward another shared goal?Does the purchase reflect our broader financial priorities?Spending intentionally doesn't always mean spending less. Sometimes, a couple may look at everything else they could do with the money and still decide the ring is worth it. The difference is knowing why.Why There May Never Be One “Right” Engagement Ring BudgetA universal ring budget sounds appealing because it's simple. Real household finances aren't.Income, savings and debt are only the beginning. Cultural expectations matter. So do future plans, personal values and how much significance each person attaches to the ring itself.A six-figure ring could be an entirely manageable purchase in one household. A modest ring could represent months of saving in another. Another couple might skip a traditional engagement ring altogether.Trying to force all three into the same salary formula doesn't reveal much about any of them.The Engagement Ring Question Is About Priorities, Not a FormulaThe engagement ring hasn't stopped being a symbol of commitment. But the assumption that its meaning should be reflected in a particular price is getting harder to sustain.Couples now have more jewelry choices at the same time they're juggling housing costs, debt, wedding expenses, savings and other plans for their lives together. That makes a decades-old salary formula a fairly blunt tool for a highly individual decision.In the end, the number on the receipt says how much a ring costs. It says much less about what the ring means.This story was produced by ModGents and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Have you seen these suspects? Crime Stoppers wants to know! Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities wants your help catching two fugitives. It’s an Our Quad Cities News exclusive. You can get an elevated reward for information on this week’s cases: MICKEAL BLOCH, 28, 5'10", 158 pounds, brown eyes, black hair. Wanted by Bettendorf Police Department for possession with intent to deliver marijuana, failure to [...]
	Bishop Hill Heritage Association holding Dairy Building restoration fundraiser The Bishop Hill Heritage Association (BHHA) is marking its 65th anniversary next year by raising funds for a new restoration project. The BHHA will start an exterior historic restoration of the 1854 Dairy Building in Bishop Hill next spring. Firmitas of Knoxville, Ill. will be the general contractor. The project includes stucco removal, brick replacement, [...]
	Gut microbes followed migrating humans across continents, new study suggests New research looks at the surprising similarities in the gut microbiomes of hunter-gathers in Tanzania and horticulturalists in Bolivia, and asks: What role do these bacteria play in human health?
	Digital for efficiency, human for empathy: What renter preferences reveal about modern customer expectations The debate over digital versus human customer service has produced no shortage of hot takes. Technology evangelists proclaim the end of the call center. Traditionalists warn against losing the personal touch. But both perspectives miss the more important truth emerging from actual customer behavior.New survey data in the 2026 Resident Experience Management Report from Zego, a Global Payments company, offers a clear finding: Customers don’t want all-digital or all-human service. They want the right channel for the right moment, and they have remarkably consistent views on which moments call for which approach.The report, based on a survey of 1,000 renters conducted from February to March, 2026, explores how residents interact with their apartment communities and what they expect from service delivery. The findings offer a window into broader customer experience trends that extend well beyond the rental housing industry. Any business that serves customers — which is to say, every business — can extract actionable intelligence from how renters distinguish between tasks that belong online and issues that demand human involvement.The survey asked residents how they prefer to handle various interactions with their community: through digital-only channels, human-only contact or a combination of both. Notably, for most task types, a significant share of renters expressed comfort with either approach or a blend of the two. But by isolating those with a strong preference for one channel over the other, clear patterns emerge.Efficiency-driven tasks go digitalWhen renters interact with their property management company for routine, administrative purposes, they overwhelmingly prefer digitized self-service:49% prefer digital-based options for paying rent. Nearly half of all renters want to complete this transaction without any human involvement whatsoever.43% prefer digital channels for tracking maintenance requests. After a repair has been logged, renters want real-time visibility into its status, without having to place a call.54% prefer digital notifications for general communication about their apartment community. Residents want timely, accessible alerts they can reference when convenient.These findings suggest that tasks that are transactional, predictable and low in emotional stakes benefit from speed and autonomy. In the multifamily industry, well-designed resident portals and/or mobile apps deliver frictionless experiences that allow renters to self-serve for important apartment-related tasks.For other businesses, investing in digital infrastructure that flawlessly handles routine interactions is also a must. Every payment processed without a phone call, every status check completed without an email, frees operational capacity for higher-value work — and meets customers exactly where they want to be met.Higher-stake moments go humanThe picture shifts dramatically when the nature of the interaction changes. For issues involving conflict, consequence or complexity, renters seek out human contact. And critically, the ratio flips — human-only preferences overtake digital-only preferences:35% prefer human-only assistance for neighbor or noise complaints. More than 1 in 3 renters want to speak with a person when navigating a sensitive interpersonal issue.25% prefer human-only contact for questions about rent, fees or lease terms. When money is on the line and the answer isn’t obvious, a quarter of renters want a conversation, not an FAQ.24% want human-only assistance for move-in/move-out coordination. Moving is often a stressful event, and renters want a real-life person to help them coordinate the logistics.Human preferences aren’t about technological discomfort or generational habits. They reflect a rational assessment of what different situations require. A neighbor dispute involves nuance, emotion and potential escalation. A billing question may carry financial consequences that demand clarification and assurance. These moments call for someone who can listen, interpret context, exercise judgment and take ownership of the outcome.The quality that matters most: Effective resolutionOffering both digital and human channels is necessary but not sufficient, according to renters. Their responses reveal a deeper expectation that separates adequate service from exceptional experience.When renters were asked which qualities they value most in a community manager, one attribute solidly rose above the rest: effective problem resolution.This finding carries significant weight. Residents assume they should be able to reach their property manager. For today’s renter, accessibility is a baseline requirement, not a differentiator. When they can reach someone, it meets expectations. When they cannot, frustration compounds quickly. But what drives satisfaction and loyalty is whether the problem gets solved.A community manager who answers the phone promptly but cannot resolve a dispute has cleared the minimum bar and nothing more. A community manager who listens carefully, investigates thoroughly and delivers a clear resolution has created the kind of experience that builds lasting trust.The message for any customer-facing organization is unmistakable: Responsiveness is table stakes. Resolution is the differentiator.Takeaways for businesses beyond housingWhile this data emerges from the multifamily rental sector, the underlying principles translate directly to virtually any industry where customer experience matters. Several universal truths stand out:Customers categorize interactions by what’s at stake, not by channel preference. The distinction isn’t necessarily between people who like technology and people who don’t. It’s between tasks that feel routine and moments that feel consequential. Understanding this distinction allows organizations to align resources with actual customer needs.Speed matters for transactions; trust matters for problems. When the task is administrative, customers value efficiency above all else. When the issue involves uncertainty, money or conflict, they value confidence that someone capable is handling it.Accessibility is expected; resolution earns loyalty. Being reachable is no longer a competitive advantage — it’s a minimum expectation. What differentiates leading organizations is their ability to solve problems completely and decisively when customers do reach out.Digital investment and human investment are not competing priorities. The most effective service models recognize that each channel serves a distinct purpose. Underinvesting in either creates gaps that customers notice immediately.The data from renters offers a clear and actionable signal. Customers are choosing both digital and human service — selectively, intentionally and with clear expectations for each.This story was produced by Zego and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Saving for multiple financial goals When you have multiple financial goals, you might struggle to juggle them all. Should you start by saving for your emergency fund? What about that vacation you’re planning? Can you really prepare for the holidays ahead of time for once? Ally Financial explains how saving for multiple goals is doable and easier with the right tools.Follow these steps to evaluate, prioritize and, ultimately, save for your goals.Step 1: Determine your goals and set your deadlinesStart by identifying what you want to save for — maybe a new handbag, event tickets or a house. Make sure your list includes things you need or want, as well as the unexpected and less desirable, like a medical procedure or car repair.After you identify savings goals, set target dates for each. This will help you figure out how much you should be saving on a regular basis to meet your goals on time.Step 2: Calculate how much you can saveNow it’s time to see how much money you’ll realistically be able to put toward your goals. Compare your monthly expenses against your monthly income. How much do you have left over? This is the amount you can put toward savings.If you don’t already have a budget in place, try the 50/30/20 plan. With this method, 50% of your income goes to your needs, 30% goes to your wants and 20% is put toward your savings and any debt you have.Step 3: Prioritize, prioritize, prioritizeEqually dividing your monthly savings among all your goals may seem like the easiest method, but it might not be the best idea. Instead, look at your savings goals and choose your top three: one in the near future, one a few years down the road and one long-term. While you might have more goals than this, sticking to just a few while you’re getting organized makes it easier to keep track and save up.Step 4: Be savvy about where you stash itBased on what you’re saving for, you may want to use different types of accounts. When determining where to put your money, consider interest rates, risk and liquidity. For your short-term savings goals and your emergency fund, it’s helpful to keep your money in an account where it’s easily accessible, like a savings account.Certain long-term goals, such as college or retirement, may be better suited for an investment account, depending on your timeline and risk tolerance.Step 5: Make it easier with automationOnce you start saving, keep your momentum going. Some bank accounts offer automation tools, including recurring transfers and automatic roundups, so you can save even when you’re not thinking about it. Linking your spending and savings accounts makes it even easier to stay smart with the money you are earning now and your savings goals down the road.Identifying financial goals with various timeframes and putting your savings on autopilot can set you up for the future.This story was produced by Ally Financial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Could your shoes help you focus? 8 surprising ways to boost executive function Executive functions (EF) are the brain’s management system, and control key skills like focus, planning, and managing emotions. Anyone can have trouble with executive function from time to time, especially if you’re short on sleep or dealing with a lot of stress. But for many people with ADHD or other forms of neurodivergence, these executive challenges can be ongoing. In fact, some people call this “executive dysfunction.”“We can think of executive function skills as the brain basis for self-control,” says Stephanie M. Carlson, PhD, developmental psychologist, professor, and senior science advisor at Reflection Sciences, Inc. “We need EF to regulate attention, thoughts, feelings, and goal-directed actions.”Of course, if you have challenges with executive function, you’ve probably heard the standard advice, like “use a planner” or “make a to-do list.” These tools can help. But if they haven’t worked for you, don’t worry. You’re not out of options. There are other ways to find what works for you.Below, Understood shares some surprising strategies that can improve executive function, from air purifiers to “home shoes,” and breaks down whether they really work — and what the research actually says.1. Clean the airIt might not be the first thing you think of, but your air quality might actually be playing a role in your executive function. A study in Scientific Reports found that adults ages 40 and older who lived in an area with heavy air pollution from traffic performed 12% faster on executive function and mental flexibility testing after using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air purifier for one month.The reasoning? HEPA air purifiers remove particulate matter from the air. That includes tiny particles like dust, dirt, and smoke. The findings indicate that cleaner indoor air at home can protect the brain from some of the cognitive harms of air pollution. As Carlson points out, “anything that affects brain health, including air pollution, is likely to affect EF. It makes sense that improving air quality could lead to EF improvements.”If using a HEPA air purifier is something you’d like to try, consider putting the air purifier in the room you spend the most time in.2. Try body doublingBody doubling is the idea that working next to another person can help you focus on the task at hand. It can be particularly useful for people with ADHD who deal with task paralysis. That’s the feeling of overwhelm that can happen when you have too much on your to-do list.“Everyone struggles with initiating tasks occasionally, but it can be especially difficult for individuals with ADHD,” Carlson says. This can be because your brain forgets the task or gets distracted by something else.While the science on body doubling for ADHD and other conditions is new and ongoing, some people say that working alongside someone else can keep them more focused than if they were alone. And research suggests that having a person you can lean on, ask for help, or simply be in your presence can lower stress, boost self-esteem, and improve attention.So what does body doubling actually look like in practice? It can be as simple as someone sitting with you for social support as they work on their own tasks — like a parent sitting next to a child as they do their homework. Or two colleagues or classmates working alongside each other. You can also ask the other person to keep you accountable if they notice you scrolling on your phone or starting to space out.If you don’t have an in-person body doubling buddy, you can also try virtual alternatives:“Study with me” YouTube videos, where someone records or livestreams themselves working so you can study or work alongside them.Virtual co-working or body doubling platforms, like Focusmate or Flow Club, that connect you with someone online.Online ADHD communities — like Understood’s Facebook groups for women or families — which can offer social support digitally. 3. Wear “home shoes”One tactic to improve executive function that’s been gaining popularity online is the concept of “home shoes,” or wearing shoes around the house as a way to tell your brain, “I’m working.”Think about it: When you get ready to leave your house, wearing shoes signals to your brain that it’s time to go and get started with your day. And when you get home, one of the first things you’re probably doing is taking your shoes off, which tells your brain that you’re home and you can now relax.But if you put on shoes at home, it can tell your brain it’s time to get work done. This connects to a concept called “enclothed cognition,” which basically says that the clothes you wear can directly influence your mood, thoughts, and behaviors.So what if you don’t wear your outdoor shoes in the house? The good news is that shoes are just one way of tricking your brain into turning on task mode. You can get the same effect by using indoor-only shoes or slippers that you only wear when you have to work.And if you don’t want shoes to be part of the equation at all, you might find it beneficial to change out of the cozy lounge wear you’re used to wearing at home and swap it for an outfit you’d wear at work or school. What matters is finding any clothing item that signals to your brain that relaxing time is over and work mode is beginning.4. Listen to white, pink, or brown noiseIf you have ADHD and easily feel distracted by noisy environments, listening to certain sounds might help you be more attentive and productive. There’s a good chance you’re familiar with white noise, which is a type of noise that blocks out distracting sounds. But brown and pink noise have started to become more popular, too. Here are examples of each type of noise.White noise: Sounds like radio static, the hum of an air conditioner, or the whir of a fanPink noise: Sounds like a light rainfall, wind through the trees, or rustling leavesBrown noise: Sounds like ocean waves in a storm, thunderstorms, or a chugging trainThe reason these noises can be helpful for people with ADHD is that they offer a consistent and stable background sound that blocks out distractions. One theory is that because people with ADHD often experience low levels of dopamine, this relaxing background noise can gently stimulate their brains and increase dopamine production. And because dopamine can also play a role in motivation and mood, listening to these sounds may make it easier to start and complete tasks and stay focused.It’s worth noting that research on colorful noises and their effects on executive function is still a bit limited. But a meta-analysis in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry did look at how white and pink noise helped with task performance for children, teens, and college-age adults with ADHD. The researchers noted a small improvement in task completion after listening to white and pink noise for individuals with ADHD. But not enough studies have examined brown noise for researchers to reach a solid conclusion.If you’d like to use sound as a way to support executive function, here are a few things you can try.While studying or working, find a white or pink noise playlist (for example, on YouTube or a music app). Play the sounds through a speaker to induce a calming atmosphere.Try noise-canceling headphones that play these sound frequencies to minimize voices, construction, traffic, or other loud disruptions.At night, play a brown or pink noise playlist on your phone or through a speaker to aid sleep, which can affect executive function. 5. Consider cold therapyYou may have heard that taking cold showers in the morning can help regulate your nervous system. But cold therapy might also improve executive function for adults.One study looked at how your body would respond if you tried cold therapy, such as taking cold showers or doing a cold plunge. Based on a self-reported questionnaire that participants filled out, the researchers found that taking cold baths improved mood, increased alertness, lowered stress, and boosted attention.So what’s going on exactly? Cold water can shock your body and trigger a short-term stress response that first activates your sympathetic nervous system (you might know it as fight-or-flight). This stress response increases the production of dopamine and norepinephrine. These are the neurochemicals responsible for things like motivation, mood, alertness, and mental clarity.While cold therapy is generally safe for adults, it’s not recommended for children and teens. And you may want to check with a doctor first before trying it, especially if you have any medical issues, like a heart condition.If you’re simply not a fan of cold baths or showers, some alternatives include putting an ice pack on your neck or splashing your face with cold water. 6. Get out of your chairThe phrase “need a change of scenery” can also apply to executive function. If you find yourself feeling blocked or unmotivated, getting out of your chair and moving to a different location can help.It may sound simple, but there’s research that supports the idea. In one study in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, researchers looked at how a change in environment could affect motivation. What they found was that making even small changes to your environment — like moving to a different side of the room or sitting in another chair — can change how your brain processes motivation, attention, and rewards.Let’s say you’ve been sitting in the same position for a few hours. You might start feeling unmotivated or lethargic. The reason that can happen is that when your body isn’t moving around, the production of dopamine slows down.But when you move around, even if it’s just to the other side of the couch, you’re stimulating your brain by introducing something new (or novel). This novelty can lead to a rise in dopamine and adrenaline, boost cognitive flexibility, and make you feel more attentive and motivated.Some easy ways to try this tactic?At work or school, angle your body differently so you face a window. This introduces new stimulation to your brain.At home, take some time to go to a different room, take a walk outdoors, or sit outside on the patio or in the yard. 7. Use your other handAnother strategy you can try to help executive function is using your non-dominant hand to complete tasks. For example, if you’re right-handed, use your left hand to brush your teeth, stir your coffee, or open a drawer.Because this is an action your brain likely isn’t used to, it can force you to put more attention on the task. Your brain essentially comes off autopilot because it needs to work harder to focus on a task it’s not used to. This aids executive function by strengthening inhibitory control (or self-control), stopping automatic habits, and helping you resist impulses.Using your non-dominant hand can be especially helpful for older adults. That’s because your ability to process information slows as you age. Because you’re so used to daily tasks, they no longer require significant brain energy. One way to challenge your brain as you get older is by using your other hand, which forces you to become more attentive to your actions.That said, people of all ages can try using their non-dominant hand for everyday chores. You might find it so frustrating that you’re tempted to quit. But even doing these tasks for a short amount of time with your non-dominant hand can improve focus and attention — and jolt you out of autopilot mode. 8. Try a short burst of exerciseResearch shows that exercise and physical activity are good for executive function skills. “A healthy body supports a healthy brain,” Carlson points out. And “there is consistent evidence for executive function gains related to cognitively challenging motor movement.”But what about short bursts of exercise, or “exercise snacks”? This wellness trend encourages you to do quick bursts of exercise throughout the day to improve fitness, which can be especially helpful if you don’t have time to go to the gym. Research also says that these exercise snacks improve working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, all of which are related to executive function.One study found that doing a quick exercise like high knees, jumping jacks, or even a sprint helps executive function by delivering more oxygen to the brain and producing more dopamine and adrenaline. These exercise snacks can be particularly helpful for kids with ADHD because exercise triggers an immediate release of dopamine. And because many kids with ADHD experience physical restlessness, these short bursts of exercise can release extra energy and act as a quick reset button to help them refocus.To try an exercise snack, set a timer for a few minutes and choose an activity you can do quickly. You can choose any exercise you want, like:Running up and down the stairsDoing squats or jumping jacksMarching in placeTaking a quick dance break to your favorite songJumping rope for a minute or twoThe next time you feel overwhelmed, unmotivated, or blocked, give yourself a burst of energy by doing a quick movement. Or try any of the other tips on this list to give yourself a quick reset button. What’s most important is to find a couple of strategies that work best for you and add them to your executive function toolkit for the moments when your brain needs a little boost.This story was produced by Understood and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Average home equity gains topped $200,000 in six states as renters faced heavy housing costs A rising home value can mean two very different things on the same street. For an established homeowner, it can add to a financial cushion. For a renter hoping to buy, it can move the starting line further away.Griffin Funding ranked Cotality’s published state equity-gain data for the period from Q1 2020 to Q2 2026. Cotality, a data and analytics company, reports gains exceeding $200,000 in average equity per mortgaged property in six of the 48 states included in this analysis. New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island lead the comparison; seven of the top 10 states are in the Northeast. The ranking measures cumulative dollar gains since 2020, not current equity balances or the share of mortgaged properties considered equity-rich.Yet large gains for owners can coexist with strained renter budgets. In California and Connecticut, two states above that $200,000 threshold, more than half of renters were cost-burdened in 2024, spending over 30 percent of their income on housing and utilities. Those are the latest annual renter-burden figures used in Harvard’s 2026 housing report.Together, the figures highlight two sides of household financial security: the assets a family already holds and the money it has left to save. They do not measure a state-by-state change in the homeowner-renter wealth gap. Griffin Funding Six states crossed the $200,000 mark Griffin Funding New Jersey led at $250,861, followed by Connecticut ($239,653), Rhode Island ($224,813), California ($214,632), Massachusetts ($213,288) and New Hampshire ($206,811). Vermont is not reported in this dataset; Delaware is excluded because its gain entry duplicates its current equity balance. (Full coverage and definitions appear in the methodology.)The places gaining equity are not the only places under pressureConnecticut’s reported equity increase was $239,653, while 52 percent of its renters were cost-burdened in 2024. California’s gain was $214,632, alongside a 54 percent renter-burden rate. The state cost-burden figures in Harvard’s report describe housing expenses relative to income, not renters’ assets.The contrast also works in the other direction. Florida and Nevada had smaller equity gains, at $141,315 and $125,510, but higher renter-burden rates of 59 percent and 57 percent. These four examples show why an equity-gain ranking cannot stand in for a renter-hardship ranking. Griffin Funding Nationally, 22.7 million renter households were cost-burdened in 2024, including 12.1 million spending more than half their income on housing and utilities. A household putting that much toward shelter has less room to build emergency reserves, contribute to retirement accounts or save for a down payment.Percentage gains can conceal a widening dollar gapThe Federal Reserve’s latest available Survey of Consumer Finances supplies a separate, inflation-adjusted measure of the national wealth divide. Median homeowner net worth rose from $295,500 in 2019 to $396,200 in 2022. For renters and other non-homeowners, it increased from $7,300 to $10,400. All four figures are expressed in 2022 dollars. Griffin Funding The difference between those medians widened by $97,600, even though non-homeowners’ wealth grew faster in percentage terms. A large percentage increase from a small starting balance can still leave a household further behind in dollars. These group comparisons do not establish that ownership alone caused the gap.A slower market does not erase the advantage of buying earlierAn owner can retain substantial gains even after home-price growth slows. A renter waiting for affordability to improve should consider that a market that stops booming has not necessarily returned to its earlier prices.Cotality’s separate analysis of purchase timing reports that buyers who purchased in 2020 or 2021 accumulated about $86,000 more equity than those who purchased in 2022 or later. That comparison concerns purchase cohorts, not renters, but it illustrates how the timing of entry can shape a household’s accumulated cushion.The case of Washington, D.C., makes a related point about geography. Its $31,540 equity gain was below every state in this comparison, yet Cotality placed it ninth in current average equity among the jurisdictions reported. A place can hold substantial housing wealth without leading recent gains.None of these figures makes a future gain certain. Falling values can erode equity, and additional borrowing can reduce an owner’s stake. The economic advantage is the cushion already accumulated, not a promise that it will keep growing.The lasting divide is in the options availableEquity and cash flow solve different problems. Accumulated housing wealth may support a move, retirement or assistance to a family member. But paying an unexpected bill requires available cash or access to financing, and a valuable home does not guarantee either.A second-lien HELOC or home equity loan can leave an existing first mortgage in place. A cash-out refinance replaces it with a larger loan. Both add debt secured by the home. Borrowing changes how a household accesses its wealth; it does not create new wealth by itself.Renters can build assets through savings, retirement accounts, investments and businesses. Renting can also preserve flexibility and avoid ownership costs. The difficulty arises when housing expenses leave too little money to pursue those alternatives.That is why the policy stakes extend beyond the next home-price reading. More attainable homes can widen access to ownership, while affordable rentals can make saving possible before a household buys, or for households that never do. A stronger balance sheet should not require having entered the housing market before a particular boom.The test of the home equity boom is not simply how much wealth existing owners have accumulated. It is whether the households still outside it can build financial security of their own.MethodologyGriffin Funding sorted Cotality’s published gain chart; it did not produce the underlying equity estimates. The metric is the nominal change in average equity per mortgaged residential property from Q1 2020 to Q2 2026. Mortgage-free properties are excluded. Changing property and borrower composition can affect averages; this is not a fixed-cohort study.The state gains are not inflation-adjusted. Calculating real gains would require expressing the starting and ending equity balances in the same period’s dollars before subtracting; simply discounting the nominal increase would not measure the change in purchasing power correctly. The Federal Reserve comparison above already uses constant 2022 dollars.State comparison and source notesThe map and charts use the source chart’s values, rounded to the nearest thousand for display. Cotality’s release narrative rounds Texas to $58,000; the source chart reports $57,437, which appears as $57,000 on the map. The map covers the 48 included states.Vermont’s absence reflects Cotality’s coverage, not a low ranking. Griffin Funding’s earlier equity-rich state comparison used ATTOM’s share of mortgaged properties with at least 50 percent equity, a different measure and dataset. Delaware is excluded because its gain entry duplicates its current equity balance. D.C. is shown on the map as unranked at $31,540.Renter statistics describe 2024 and come from Harvard’s 2026 report, on pages 32-33. The four state examples are illustrative, not a full pairing of renter burden across the ranking or a test of causation. The national wealth comparison uses the Fed’s 2019 and 2022 surveys. Equity data were retrieved for the original analysis on September 18, 2026.This story was produced by Griffin Funding and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Before You Turn Up the Heat: What Is Your HVAC System Trying to Tell You? (NAPSI)—When temperatures drop, many homeowners turn on their heating systems, sometimes for the first time in months. That seasonal startup is a good opportunity to pay attention, not just to whether the heat works, but to what your HVAC system may be telling you.A strange odor, an unusually dirty filter or debris near a register doesn’t necessarily mean your HVAC system needs to be cleaned. However, certain signs may indicate that it is time to have the system professionally inspected.Here are a few things to watch for as you turn up the heat this fall.Dust or Debris Coming from RegistersA small amount of dust around a register is not necessarily unusual. But visible particles blowing from the registers, dark streaks surrounding them or debris collecting shortly after you clean may deserve a closer look.A professional can look beyond the registers to help determine where the debris is coming from and whether cleaning or another corrective action is warranted.Musty or Unusual OdorsIt is not uncommon to notice a brief dusty smell when a heating system starts for the first time in the fall. That odor should fade fairly quickly.A persistent musty, stale or otherwise unusual smell is different. Odors can have several possible sources, and covering them with air fresheners will not address the underlying issue. If the smell continues whenever the system operates, consider having it inspected.Signs of Rodents or InsectsUnusual noises, droppings near registers, nesting material or unpleasant odors may indicate that rodents or insects have entered part of the HVAC system.Because ductwork and other components are often behind walls, above ceilings or in attics and crawl spaces, homeowners may not be able to see the full extent of the problem. Any active infestation should be addressed by a qualified pest-control professional before HVAC cleaning begins.Dust and Debris Following RenovationsHome improvement projects can create an enormous amount of fine dust. Drywall sanding, flooring installation, demolition and other construction activities can release particles that travel well beyond the immediate work area.If registers and returns were not properly protected, or if the HVAC system operated while work was underway, construction debris may have entered the system. An inspection can help determine whether debris has collected inside and whether cleaning is necessary.Uneven or Unexplained AirflowDoes one room suddenly feel much warmer or cooler than the others? Is there noticeably less air coming from a particular register?Uneven airflow can have many causes, including closed dampers, blocked registers, damaged or disconnected ductwork, filter problems or issues with other HVAC components. It should not automatically be blamed on dirty ducts.First, make sure registers are open and not blocked by furniture, rugs or curtains. If the difference persists, an HVAC professional can evaluate the system and identify the cause.Filters That Become Dirty Unusually QuicklyAir filters naturally become dirty over time. How often they need to be changed depends on the type of filter, system use, household activities and whether the home has pets.A filter that becomes heavily loaded much faster than usual, however, may be a clue that something has changed. The filter may be improperly fitted, air may be bypassing it or another condition may be introducing additional debris into the system.Use the filter type recommended for your HVAC equipment and follow the manufacturer’s replacement guidance. If the rapid buildup continues, consider having the system evaluated.Inspect First, Then DecideNone of these signs automatically means your entire HVAC system needs to be cleaned. Odors, dust and airflow changes can have many possible causes.A professional inspection can help identify the source of the problem, document the condition of the system and determine whether cleaning or another corrective action is appropriate. If cleaning is recommended, ask what parts of the system will be addressed, how the work will be performed and how your home will be protected. This information comes from Breathing Clean, a consumer resource from NADCA, The HVAC Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Association. Learn MoreVisit breathingclean.com to find a qualified NADCA member company nearby.Word Count: 656
	How applying for a personal loan affects your credit score While taking out a new personal loan can help you consolidate high-interest debt, improve your cash flow, or achieve another goal, it can also affect your credit score.Applying for a personal loan affects your credit score at two separate moments: the hard inquiry when you submit an application, and the new account itself once the loan funds. The first typically causes a small, temporary dip, while the second can produce a bigger impact that usually reverses as you make payments.BHG Financial dives deeper into what happens to your credit score at each stage and how you can protect your credit over time.Key takeawayExpect a small, temporary credit score drop when you formally apply for a personal loan. If approved, you might see another modest impact since the new account can affect your credit history length, credit mix, amount owed, and payment history. Manage your new account responsibly to help offset the early credit score impacts over time.How does a new personal loan application impact your credit score?When you submit a formal personal loan application, your lender will perform a hard inquiry. This involves reviewing your credit reports to determine if you’re a good risk to the lender and likely to repay your new loan.According to myFICO, a hard credit pull typically only lowers your score by 5 points or less. It can stay on your credit report for one to two years and factors into the “new credit” component that makes up 10% of your FICO score.Understanding hard vs. soft credit inquiriesA hard inquiry is a normal process that occurs when a lender reviews your credit to make a lending decision. This type of inquiry does affect your credit. A soft credit inquiry is just as common, but it works differently.Many lenders offer a prequalification process that lets you review potential personal loan terms with only a soft credit inquiry needed. Lenders also sometimes run this type of credit check for account reviews and promotional offers.Unlike a hard credit inquiry, a soft credit inquiry doesn’t typically affect your credit score. Plus, it shouldn’t show up on your credit report to other lenders.How does rate shopping affect your credit score?FICO's latest research, conducted in July 2026, found that 58% of consumers either incorrectly believe that shopping around for interest rates lowers a credit score or weren't sure whether it does. The answer depends on how you shop.While applying to several lenders over an extended period can result in multiple hard inquiries on your credit report, the major credit bureaus typically treat multiple hard inquiries for similar accounts within a specific timeframe as a single inquiry. So, rate shopping often has less impact on your score than many borrowers expect.According to TransUnion, you usually get a 14-day window to shop rates before it would count as another hit, but this may vary depending on the credit score model your lender uses.Example: If you apply for personal loans through three lenders over a week, you might see a single 5-point-or-lower drop to your credit score. But if you also applied for credit cards (revolving debt) during that time, multiple hard inquiries could ding your score.How does opening a new personal loan account affect your credit score?Opening a new personal loan can affect the four key factors that determine your credit score: length of credit history, amount owed, credit mix, and payment history.Length of credit historyShort-term effect: Slight decreaseLong-term effect: Builds gradually as the account gets olderCredit mixShort-term effect: May improveLong-term effect: Demonstrates responsible use of installment creditAmount owedShort-term effect: May dropLong-term effect: Positive, as the credit utilization decreasesPayment historyShort-term effect: Neutral at openingLong-term effect: Strongly positive with on-time paymentsLength of credit historyThe length of your credit history accounts for 15% of your FICO score. When you open a new personal loan account, your average account age can be reduced, slightly lowering your credit score. However, the specific impact can vary based on how old your other accounts are and when you last used them.As your new personal loan account ages, the initial credit score effect should fade away if you don’t open or close other accounts. This is especially important to consider if you’re using the personal loan to consolidate existing debts; closing out those consolidated accounts can lower your credit score temporarily.Credit mixYour credit mix makes up 10% of your FICO score. It refers to the types of accounts you have, such as mortgages, installment loans, and credit cards.If your new personal loan diversifies your debt, it might slightly improve your credit score, since lenders will see that you can responsibly manage another type of debt. If you have existing installment loans, you might not see an impact on this area.Amount owedThe amount of debt owed and used compared to your total available credit limits accounts for 30% of your FICO score. Opening a new personal loan can lead to an initial drop in this area since you’ll owe 100% of that loan balance.However, paying down the balance can help your credit score over time, depending on how you manage other accounts. Additionally, consolidating other debt with your new personal loan might improve your credit utilization if you minimize other balances moving forward.Payment historyWhen you first open your personal loan, your payment history for the new account is a blank slate. That means you’ll see an initially neutral impact on the payment history component of your FICO score, which accounts for 35% of it.Once repayment begins, making on-time payments is good for your credit score. In contrast, Experian reports that missed loan payments can stay on your credit report for up to seven years, damage your credit, and result in potential fees.How to protect your credit when taking out a new personal loanYou can protect your credit by understanding the different credit components and implementing some of the following best practices to manage it proactively:Review your credit reports: So that lenders see the most up-to-date information, look for credit report errors, such as incorrect account balances or statuses, before applying for the personal loan. Dispute any inaccuracies using the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s guidance.Apply with lenders that offer prequalification: Begin with soft-pull prequalification whenever possible and submit formal applications within the 14-day window to minimize the effects of hard inquiries.Choose your loan wisely: Borrow only what you need and choose a payment schedule you can comfortably afford to keep your debt-to-income ratio healthy.Avoid other new accounts: Don't open other new credit accounts outside your rate-shopping window, so you can limit additional hard inquiries and preserve the average age of your accounts.Make on-time payments: Set up autopay or payment reminders to prevent late or missed payments once your personal loan is open.Manage all debts responsibly: Pay all other bills on time, keep your credit utilization on revolving accounts under 30%, and avoid closing old accounts without a plan.Handle consolidation wisely: If consolidating debt, keep paid-down credit cards open when practical and avoid adding new charges to keep your utilization low.FAQs about personal loans and credit scoresDoes applying for a personal loan hurt your credit score?When you apply for a personal loan, you’ll typically see a small drop of up to 5 points due to the hard credit check your lender runs. However, this negative effect is temporary.How long do personal loan inquiries stay on my credit report?Hard inquiries generally remain on your credit report for two years, but their impact on your credit score usually fades after about 12 months.Can multiple personal loan applications lower my credit score more?Spreading out your personal loan applications can compound the effect on your credit score. If you stick to applying within a short rate-shopping window (typically 14 days), many scoring models treat multiple inquiries for the same loan type as a single inquiry.Do preapprovals or prequalifications affect my credit score?Since a prequalification involves a soft credit check, it shouldn’t affect your credit score or appear on your credit report. Some preapprovals, such as for mortgages and auto loans, require hard credit checks, which show up on your credit report and affect your score.This story was produced by BHG Financial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Wednesday, October 7th, 2026