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

Wednesday, October 7th, 2026
	Man hit and killed by Amtrak train in Galesburg A man was hit and killed by a train on Wednesday in Galesburg.
	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.
	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.
	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 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 [...]
	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.
	'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 [...]
	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.
	East Peoria to add 10 more Flock cameras despite public backlash A five-year agreement between the city and Flock Safety will cost $156,500.
	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,
	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.
	Stop putting off home repairs: Prices are only going up Autumn has arrived, the prime season for watching football, Halloween decorating, and enjoying colorful fall foliage. But it’s also the ideal time to address fix-it matters around your property before Old Man Winter arrives and puts the deep freeze on your home improvement ambitions. As TheZebra.com explains below, this fall brings extra urgency because of a difficult truth for homeowners in 2026. Repair prices are bound to keep rising due to increasing labor and material costs, tariff wars, supply chain pressures, and other reasons.So if you’ve been putting off servicing that furnace, draft-proofing your double-hung windows and doors, filling in those driveway cracks, or any other overdue project, there’s no better time than the present. Consider that waiting causes 67% of homeowners to pay more for a repair, and the average home still needs nearly $3,200 in repairs, per a recent ConsumerAffairs survey.Why Waiting Is Getting More ExpensiveThe fact is, home repairs and improvements have become more costly in recent months for a variety of reasons. One is labor shortages, as nearly 90% of contractors say they are currently challenged to find qualified tradespeople, creating a high demand for quality workers. As a result, wages for specialty trade contractors rose around 5% from May 2025 to April 2026, possibly compounded further by ICE raids since last year.Tariffs and higher prices for materials are another culprit. Tariffs on aluminum and steel jumped to 50% in 2025, while tariffs of 50% were later imposed on some copper imports; Canadian steel and aluminum are currently subject to 50% tariffs. It’s little surprise that the National Association of Home Builders reported in August that builders saw a median 6.7% increase in material costs over the prior 12 months.Additionally, “transportation costs are increasing due to gas constantly becoming more expensive, and insurance costs are rising as insurance companies are becoming stricter on customers, including contractors,” says Nicholas Riley, owner of Driftwood Builders Roofing.Add in the fact that severe weather events have increased demand for reconstruction and repair services across many areas of the country, notes Janet Ruiz, director of strategic communication for the Insurance Information Institute.“These factors can make delaying maintenance even more costly because relatively small repairs today may become significantly more expensive projects later,” she says.The Systems To MaintainWith proper maintenance, the key systems and components in your home can enjoy a long lifespan, including your water heater (expected to last 6-12 years), central AC (7-15 years), roof (15-20 years for asphalt shingle roofs), furnace (15-25 years), gutters (20-40 years), and plumbing system (50 years). But lacking needed upkeep, these can be among the quickest to fail and the most pricey to repair or replace.“HVAC replacement is a huge expense, so it’s a good idea to have a checkup once or twice a year,” suggests Beth Swanson, insurance analyst with The Zebra.Pre-emptive replacement can pay off with major systems. Let’s say an autumn HVAC tune-up reveals that your 23-year-old furnace is still running strong. Instead of waiting for it to fail, and considering its age, you may want to replace it now at today’s prices rather than waiting until next year or 2028, when a new furnace bill will likely be much higher.The Fall Checklist Worth DoingBefore temperatures plummet, make time to mark these items off your to-do list:Inspect your roof. “Look for and repair missing, cracked, lifted, or damaged shingles or tiles, deteriorated flashing, loose fasteners, and signs of previous leaks,” recommends Riley.Clean gutters and downspouts. Remove leaves and debris to ensure proper drainage away from your home.Inspect your siding, fascia, and soffit. Check for and fix rot, cracks, loose material, or openings where water or pests could infiltrate.Check your attic. Look for and remediate damp insulation, water staining, daylight shining through your roof deck, or proof of poor ventilation.Maintain your chimney. “Get it swept and inspected before you first light up your fireplace to catch creosote buildup or flue damage early,” Swanson advises.Seal exterior openings. Evaluate and improve the weatherstripping, caulking, and sealant around your windows, doors, penetrations, vents, and other exterior joints.Attend to outdoor spigots and irrigation. Drain and disconnect your hoses and spigots before the first freeze to prevent cracked pipes.Flush your water heater. Flush the tank to clear sediment before higher winter usage puts more strain on it.Trim trees and remove debris. “Cut back branches that touch or hang directly over your roof, and remove leaves or organic material collecting in valleys or other drainage areas,” Riley continues.What Deferring Actually CostsRemember: Putting off recommended upkeep can cost you more in the long run, and preventive maintenance is almost always more affordable than emergency restoration.“One recent real-world example from one of our customers shows how deferred roof maintenance can compound,” explains Riley. “The home had a tile roof where debris had accumulated in a valley. So every time it rained, instead of water flowing off his roof, it got stuck in the valley and started to leak through the underlayment, then into his decking and drywall.”The final repair bill came to $6,300, which included $1,700 to remove tiles, leaves, and debris from the damaged area, $1,400 to replace damaged roof decking, $1,400 to repair the metal valley and add ice-and-water protection, $300 to secure loose tiles, $200 to clean the valley, and $1,800 to remove and replace damaged drywall.“$6,300 could have been saved by simply cleaning off the leaves from his roof,” he adds.One More Reason to ActProcrastinating on routine care and servicing may even impact what you pay for homeowners insurance.“Insurance is designed to protect against sudden and accidental losses rather than damage that results from ongoing neglect. If you fail to maintain your property, your carrier may view certain conditions as preventable maintenance issues rather than covered losses,” says Ruiz. “In some cases, significant deferred maintenance can make it more difficult to obtain or renew coverage because it increases the likelihood of future claims.”FAQsWhat home repairs should I do before winter?Before winter arrives, prioritize tuning up your furnace and HVAC system, shutting off outdoor faucets and fixtures, sealing drafts around windows and doors, cleaning gutters to prevent ice dams, patching foundation cracks, and testing your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.Does deferred maintenance affect my home insurance?Yes, putting off home maintenance can negatively impact your home insurance coverage because if you need to file a claim, standard policies may reject losses triggered by neglect or normal wear and tear. If an insurance adjuster learns that damage was caused by an unaddressed, long-term issue you ignored, your claim could be denied.How often should I have my roof inspected?Aim to have your roof professionally inspected at least once annually, preferably in the fall before cold weather arrives or immediately after a severe storm accompanied by hail or high winds. Regular checkups enable you to spot minor issues like missing shingles or loose flashing before they turn into expensive leaks.This story was produced by TheZebra.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Greetings from Lahore, Pakistan, whose high court offers an oasis for chatter and chai The Lahore High Court is a near-perfect specimen of British South Asian colonial architecture and its main square is a pleasant spot shaded by banyan trees.
	Crash shuts down part of I-74 in Knox County Developing.
	DIY fertilizer is a blessing as farmers face steep prices due to the Iran war It's hard enough being a small-scale farmer. Then the Iran war drove up fertilizer prices. So farmers are using a traditional Asian recipe to make their own. They call it a "labor of love."
	Publishers said this book about quilters wouldn’t work. Now Hollywood is calling. When Eli McCann finished his debut novel, “Stitched,” his literary agent had a warning for him and his “uniquely Utah” story.“She said, ‘This is a really sexist, ageist industry, and it is going to be an uphill battle for us,’” McCann recalled.The reason? His characters were women. They were older. They were Utahns. And they were quilters.For a year they sent it out to publishers and, McCann said, the feedback was always asking for changes: to rewrite it, to make it about women in their 30s, to add romance, to have it take place somewhere in the South or the East Coast and even to add more men to the story.“No, that’s not the book I wanted to write,” McCann told them.McCann believed in the characters he created. They represented what he considers an often forgotten group of Utah cultural contributors.They were inspired by his own mother’s quilting group, Common Threads.“I was frustrated by this because I just kept feeling like these women have lives worth examining,” McCann told The Salt Lake Tribune. “I wrote the book as a love letter to my mom and her friends, and the idea that people wanted me to change it to be about somebody else was, it was just so important to me to fight for.”So he held his ground, no changes. And finally, serendipitously — and McCann acknowledges, perhaps logically — a Utah publisher, Torrey House Press, not only understood his vision but also recognized the value of the story.McCann, also a social media personality, took to posting videos on TikTok to self-market his book. One day, he made a video about why he decided to write this book. It ended up going viral. And, as he suspected, commenters were interested in the characters of his story.The same day, McCann said he started getting emails from Hollywood producers who wanted copies of the book and were intrigued by its premise. He said he’s now meeting with directors, actors and producers to explore potential screenplay options.To research the book, after asking multiple times, McCann was finally permitted to attend his mother’s quilting group, a tough ticket, he noted.“My entire life I’ve observed my mom and her friends,” McCann said, “and they do feel to me very uniquely Utah.”There, in one of the women’s basements, he admired a massive, long-arm sewing machine. He watched six women sit around a table, some with sewing machines in front of them, one making overalls for her grandnephew, his mother working on a square of a quilt.He witnessed warm moments similar to the ones he crafted in his novel.“They’ve been quilting and working on projects together for just decades, and so they all know each other incredibly well, and it was really funny to sit there and just see the rhythm of this group of people who were basically like family to each other,” McCann said. “They’re all kind of talking over each other, and there are like 16 different conversations happening at the same time, and they’re all involved in all 16 of those conversations.”“Stitched” portrays a similar group of Ogden-based quilters, who drive one another crazy but love one another fiercely. The book is written with McCann’s trademark wit and humor — a charming look at the life of older women in suburban Utah.But he hopes people who read his first novel take away what he observed in his mother’s quilting group.“More than comedy, it’s about … the importance of cultivating strong relationships and showing up for one another,” McCann said. “I would love it if people who read this book came out of it feeling better about the world and feel more inclined to invest in the relationships in their lives that matter.”After debuting Sept. 8, “Stitched” came in at No. 5 on The New York Times bestseller list for paperback trade fiction, alongside books like “Theo of Golden” and “Dungeon Crawler Carl.”Note to readers: Eli McCann writes a monthly humor column for The Salt Lake Tribune.This story was produced by The Salt Lake Tribune and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Three things to know: Oct. 7, 2026 A coast to coast relay to run through the Quad Cities, a new small business is set to open and a look at your forecast.
	Survey: More parents are seeking professional mental health support for their students When parents talk about needing a village, they generally mean the people who show up when they need support, like a neighbor who watches their kid for an hour when they’re stuck at work.As a new school year starts, that village is doing more than the phrase implies. Parents of school-age children now name an average of 2.35 sources of support for their child's mental health, according to a Grow Therapy survey of 1,386 U.S. parents of children under 18.One of those sources has grown considerably. Nearly 82% of parents report having sought professional mental health support for their child, up from 62% in Grow Therapy's 2025 Student Mental Health Report.But more parents reaching out has also meant more friction for them. The percentage of parents who said they felt judged for seeking help more than doubled year to year, as did a child's resistance to help.What makes up the village nowThe U.S. Surgeon General’s 2024 advisory on parental mental health and well-being states that 41% of parents report being so stressed on most days that they can’t function, one reason it advises raising a child as a shared responsibility.To that end, family and friends remain the most common source of support, cited by 52% of parents whose child currently attends school.But that’s no longer the whole story. Only 10% of parents rely on friends and family alone. Another 43% pair them with other resources, and 48% don't rely on friends and family at all, having built their child's support network from other sources.That network already includes professional support for most families. Sixty-three percent of parents include at least one clinical source, such as a school counselor or therapist. Grow Therapy The village also stretches into digital spaces across generations, though unevenly. Among parents ages 18 to 29, 19% use AI chatbots to support their child's mental health, compared with 6% of parents 46 and older. The same pattern appears in social media and online communities: 25% of the younger parents use them, compared with 10% of older parents.Why the circle keeps wideningThe proportion of parents who say their child experienced noticeable stress, anxiety, or sadness during the school year rose to 47% from 41%.Social challenges with peers and friends remain the most-cited factor at 47%, up from 34%. Bullying or exclusion followed, at 37%, up from 23%. Academic workload and pressure increased from 30% to 36%, suggesting that relationships have a greater impact on students’ mental health than grades.Students are reaching similar conclusions about the social side of their lives. Pew Research Center found that 48% of U.S. teenagers in 2024 said social media has a mostly harmful effect on people their age, up from 32% in 2022.Part of the change may be that 80% of parents surveyed by Grow Therapy now report having at least one stressor affecting their child, up from 64%. Grow Therapy By contrast, the share of parents who feel very prepared or have a general idea of how to recognize signs of a struggle rose from 76% to 81%. Over the same period, a child's resistance to getting help increased more than three times as quickly.Parents and their children also don't always identify the same risks. In a 2025 Child Mind Institute study of 1,000 parent-child pairs ages 11 to 22, parents were far more likely to name substance use as a top concern for youth mental health at 74%, versus 42% of children. Young people were more likely to flag AI and social media at 60%, versus 47% of parents.The gap between parent and child perspectives is part of why other adults matter. A teacher or coach might see what a parent can't. A trusted clinician, meanwhile, can point to familiar signals such as a shift in mood or energy or escalating risk-taking. But consistency matters more than any one signal. If a child talks about hopelessness or hurting themselves, seek professional help right away.The barriers that grew fastestEvery barrier to seeking mental health support for children we tracked in both years grew, though not evenly.On average, the two relationship barriers grew roughly twice as fast as the logistical ones. The biggest increase was in a child's resistance to help, from 11% to 28%. The share of parents who said they felt judged by others rose from 8% to 20%. Meanwhile, logistical issues like not knowing where to start rose from 19% to 29%. Cost or insurance issues rose from 18% to 26%, and long waitlists rose from 15% to 22%. Grow Therapy Schools are one of the resources parents turn to, but most don't think they’re doing enough. Among parents with a child currently in school, 45% say their school does some, but not enough, to support student mental health, and 13% say it doesn’t support student mental health at all.Parents’ requests are specific: more mental health education or awareness programs (44%), better communication between school and parents about a child's well-being (41%), anti-bullying programs or enforcement (37%), and access to a school counselor or psychologist (36%).What parents say helpsAmong parents with a child currently in school, 63% say their child faces more pressure to succeed than they did at the same age, with 31% saying much more pressure.These pressures shape what parents worry most about. Asked what concerns them most about their child’s future, 59% named overall happiness and mental well-being. That’s ahead of finding a stable, well-paying career (47%), affording a home or starting a family (39%), and getting into college (39%).Parents cite unstructured activities as having the most positive impact on their children’s mental health. Time with friends leads (52%), with time outdoors or in nature close behind (50%). Both rank ahead of team sports (39%), visual arts or creative hobbies (34%), and music or performing arts (34%). What parents see doing the most good doesn’t require a fee or a schedule.MethodologyGrow Therapy surveyed 1,386 U.S. parents of children under 18 online via Centiment from July 17-21, 2026. Of those,1,083 (78.1%) said they were the parent or guardian of at least one child under the age of 18 currently attending school and answered additional questions about school support and daily activities. Data is unweighted; the margin of error is approximately +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Year-over-year figures are compared against Grow Therapy's 2025 Student Mental Health Report, fielded by YouGov among 752 parents using different sampling and weighting, so comparisons should be read as directional.This story was produced by Grow Therapy and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	ICE wrongfully arrested him. Will his lawsuit change how courts hold agents accountable? In January, as the Trump administration launched an immigration crackdown in Maine, Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz was intercepted on his way to work. The civil engineer from Colombia told officers he had a visa through his employer, but the immigration agents who arrested him did not seem to care. According to the federal lawsuit he later filed against them, they smashed his window, dragged him out of his car while pointing a Taser at him, cuffed him, forced him into the back of an unmarked SUV and drove him across state lines.Officers released him from an ICE facility in Massachusetts around 9 p.m. that evening, when they realized they had no reason to hold him. He was left stranded in a different state with sore wrists, a broken car window, and the unshakeable fear that it could happen again.Officers are rarely charged with a crime for abusing a civilian, so a lawsuit is often the best recourse if someone believes their rights were violated. Congress has explicitly given people the ability to bring such lawsuits against state and local officials, but there is no equivalent for addressing constitutional violations by federal officials. Instead, as The Marshall Project reports, people suing federal agents must rely on a narrow remedy created by the courts — one the Supreme Court has sharply restricted in recent years.Nevertheless, Carvajal-Muñoz filed suit in federal court this spring with the help of the ACLU of Maine, part of a broader search by immigrant rights attorneys for ways to hold officers responsible. Preserving the ability to sue is crucial, they say, as federal authorities increase their arrests of immigrants and citizens.“There has to be a way to hold federal officers accountable when they are plainly violating the U.S. Constitution,” said Carol Garvan, legal director for the ACLU of Maine. She noted that Carvajal-Muñoz was arrested even with a Real ID on hand, which proved his legal status. That is something that lingers for him and people all over Maine and all over the country, she added. “You start to think, what could protect you if there is this kind of violation?”In an email, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security wrote that any officers who violate policy are “held accountable,” and that “DHS law enforcement methods abide by the U.S. Constitution including the Fourth Amendment.” The spokesperson did not respond to questions about civil suits.In 1971, the Supreme Court opened a small legal window to sue federal law enforcement in the case of Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents. The Court ruled that Webster Bivens could sue federal drug enforcement officers after they forced themselves into his home in New York, threatened to arrest his wife and kids, searched his house, and arrested him, all without a warrant.Over the next decade, the Court ruled that Bivens could apply in two other contexts — sexual discrimination in federal employment, and deliberate indifference to medical needs in a federal prison — but since then, it has repeatedly blocked many lawsuits staking claims based on the Bivens case. In recent years, lower federal courts have also been reluctant to rule in a plaintiff’s favor in such cases.In one 2024 court decision, a federal judge noted that circumstances where a court could extend Bivens were “as rare as the ivory-billed woodpecker.” In the case, federal prisoner LaQuan Johnson was attempting to sue corrections officers for failing to protect him from multiple attacks and denying him medical care afterward. “Just like its natural history analogue,” the judge wrote, “both the decision and the bird are staring extinction in the face.”In 2022, Andrew Fields tried to sue the federal Bureau of Prisons and its employees over prolonged abuse he said he suffered inside a federal prison in Virginia. Officers locked him in painful restraints, beat him with fiberglass shields and slammed his head into a concrete wall, his complaint said. In a rare win for federal prisoners, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled his case should proceed. But the Supreme Court reversed that decision last summer, sending the case back to the Fourth Circuit, which affirmed the dismissal of the case.The Court’s application of Bivens has created some arbitrary differences in who can sue and who cannot, said attorney Gregory Cui with the MacArthur Justice Center, who worked on Fields’ case. “If they punch you in the face, you have no remedy, but if they don't give you your medicine, you do have a remedy,” he said of people in federal prisons, based on the situations where courts have said Bivens applies. Similarly, people in federal prisons have few avenues to sue their jailers, he said, while those in state prisons “20 miles down the road” have far more remedies available, although these cases are also difficult to win.The same goes for people assaulted by federal officers versus a local police department. In 2020, for example, the Supreme Court ruled that a family could not sue a federal Border Patrol agent after he shot and killed their 15-year-old son.The Supreme Court further narrowed Bivens in 2022, when a bed-and-breakfast owner attempted to sue a Border Patrol agent for allegedly forcing his way onto the property and throwing the owner on the ground, in pursuit of a guest. The court’s ruling against the owner made it incredibly difficult to find “new contexts” in which Bivens would apply, and gave Border Patrol near immunity from such lawsuits.That aperture may shrink even further this fall. The Supreme Court has agreed to take up another Bivens case, this time filed by a federal prisoner who says he was denied treatment for a broken tailbone that was a result of a prison fight. The Court will decide whether his claims are similar enough to one of the original Bivens cases to proceed.The case is the latest opportunity by an increasingly conservative Supreme Court to whittle away Bivens so that it is largely a “dead letter,” Cui said. The fact that the court is doing this now in the midst of one of the most dangerous expansions in the use of federal law enforcement is alarming, he said. “We could argue about this kind of legal issue in normal times, but these are not normal times.”Civilians can file cases under a law called the Federal Tort Claims Act, but the law carries limitations. The liability is with the United States government rather than an individual officer, cases are heard by a judge instead of a jury, and a plaintiff can’t sue for punitive damages. Under the second Trump administration, the ACLU has filed 54 such claims related to immigration enforcement across 17 states and Washington, D.C. Currently, a group of Jan. 6 rioters is also using this route to try to win money from the federal government over their arrests and incarceration.Given the limited avenues for relief and intensified immigration enforcement, attorneys across the country are increasingly looking for ways to use state law to go after federal officers instead. Carvajal-Muñoz’s federal lawsuit also makes a claim against officers for violating his constitutional rights under the Maine Civil Rights Act. While more states are passing and trying to use similar state laws to hold federal officials accountable, attorneys say they are largely untested.Garvan hopes that if Carvajal-Muñoz’s case succeeds, it will be a blueprint for lawsuits in Maine and across the country. “If we are not able to bring a claim under Bivens and we are not able to bring a claim under our state's Civil Rights Act, then people are left without a remedy at all,” Garvan said. “We’re really hopeful that this could be a tool.”Similar laws exist in states like Illinois, New Jersey, New York, California and Massachusetts, and many legislatures are considering comparable bills. Minnesota legislators introduced a similar bill after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but it failed to pass. The Trump administration is currently fighting Illinois’ state law in court, a statute that only applies to those conducting immigration enforcement. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, and Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, have also proposed a federal Bivens Act to codify nationally the right to sue a federal employee in court.The agents who arrested Carvajal-Muñoz have until the end of September to respond to his suit. An attorney for the defendants declined to comment.Carvajal-Muñoz, meanwhile, has tried to return to normal life after his detention, but the threat of rearrest or worse remains. In July, during an enforcement surge, ICE shot and killed 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, another immigrant who arrived in Maine from Colombia, had work authorization, and was accosted in his car in the early morning.“For someone who has already been taken off the streets by ICE agents, seeing something like that makes it all the more scary,” Garvan said.This article was published in partnership with the Portland Press Herald.This story was produced by The Marshall Project and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Residents invited to explore QC museums during October’s Museum Month Quad Cities Museum Month is underway through Oct. 31, offering expanded time to explore more than 20 local museums, special events and a prize‑tracking check‑in program at QCMuseumMonth.com.
	HVAC theft causes nearly $40K damage at The Grinder’s & Spaghetti House in Moline Early Friday, Oct. 2, two individuals were captured on surveillance footage hauling away parts from the restaurant’s HVAC units.
	Great fall weather for days to come If you're loving the nice fall weather, it's going to stick around for several more days. Other than a random shower Friday, dry conditions will continue. Here's your full 7-day forecast.
	Dick Drake Way to close for crossing replacement in Muscatine Dick Drake Way in Muscatine will be closed to all traffic Oct. 12-19 to allow Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Railroad crews to replace the mainline rail crossing, a project requiring a full shutdown to ensure worker and driver safety, a news release says. The closure will run from U.S. Highway 61 to Stewart Road. Only local [...]
	Who will win the 2026 Nobel Prize in economics? A thinly traded prediction market offers a starting point. We explore potential winners and the big ideas that could earn them economics' biggest prize.
	Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai win Nobel Prize in chemistry Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
	Steamboat Food This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of those fancy cloth-napkin restaurants you go to for anniversaries? If you…
	On 'She's The Best,' Troye Sivan takes the party to unexpected places The Australian singer-songwriter's last album earned him his first Grammy nominations, a global tour with Charli xcx and even an SNL parody. His new release, She's the Best, excavates a deeper layer of his desires.
	3 years on, Israelis grapple with reports Netanyahu was warned before Oct. 7 attacks On the three-year mark since the Hamas-led deadly attack, Israelis are grappling with reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was repeatedly warned by regional allies ahead of time.
	Over 1,000 children are buried at juvenile detention centers nationwide Researchers uncovered the graves of more than 1,000 children next to juvenile detention facilities in 29 states. At one Maryland gravesite, 230 Black boys are buried.
	Here's the latest sticker shock: Borrowing for a mortgage -- or a car It's not just mortgages being at their highest level in almost three years — but the cost of loans for cars and higher education are among the borrowing costs affected, too.
	'Medicare for All' message attracts midterm voters buckling under medical bills Midterm candidates are talking up Medicare for All, and in a poll 2 out of 3 Americans said they support it. The phrase speaks to a desire for radical change, though many don't really know what it is.
	5 things civil rights data says about public schools The federal Civil Rights Data Collection, for the first time in decades, tells us about the teacher workforce and reminds us racial disparities are still stark in American public schools.
	An early flu season means it might be time to think about a flu shot Flu season typically starts in October or November. But it looks like the flu started to pick up in September this year.
	Former CIA official accused of stealing $40M in gold bars pleads guilty A former senior CIA official pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge that he abused his position to enrich himself by acquiring Florida real estate and hundreds of gold bars worth over $40 million.
	Israelis mourn on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 as Palestinians grapple with war it sparked Israelis are gathering Wednesday to commemorate the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people, and sparked a devastating war in Gaza that Palestinians still grapple with.
Tuesday, October 6th, 2026
	Bottoms, Jackson face each other for first, and likely only, time in Georgia governor’s race Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, and Republican Rick Jackson participated in a town hall-style debate Tuesday at the Atlanta News First studio. Pool photo via Atlanta News First/WANFDemocrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson clashed Tuesday night over healthcare, crime, data centers and election security in what will likely be the only opportunity for voters to see the two candidates for governor side by side. The town hall-style debate, organized by Atlanta News First and Atlanta-based Gray Media, is the only forum where both candidates were expected to face each other. Bottoms challenged Jackson to more debates, but the Republican only agreed to the one meeting. But because of the town hall format, Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, and Jackson, a healthcare executive, weren’t allowed to address each other and could only respond to questions from Georgia voters who were undecided before the debate. That didn’t stop either candidate from issuing attacks in their responses, though. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Bottoms introduced herself in the town hall as an advocate for Georgians. “While my opponent is running to enrich himself and be Trump’s favorite governor, I want to be yours, Georgia,” Bottoms said. Jackson pointed to his personal background growing up in public housing and foster care, something he does often on the campaign trail and in TV ads, before becoming a billionaire. “I know what it means to struggle. I know what it means to get a second chance, and I’m running for governor to make sure every Georgian has that same opportunity,” Jackson said. Healthcare, data center and election security were hot issues The debate did become contentious at times. Bottoms repeated her push to expand Medicaid while accusing Jackson of profiting from the current system through his healthcare companies. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, participates in a town hall-style debate Tuesday at the Atlanta News First studio. Pool photo via Atlanta News First/WANF “My opponent has made money off of this broken healthcare system. He has a staffing company that lures staff away from hospitals. It has sent many hospitals into closure because the personnel costs have skyrocketed,” Bottoms said to an undecided voter who said he did not have healthcare coverage. Jackson was previously against Medicaid expansion but announced last month that he would pursue “intelligent” Medicaid expansion. He said Tuesday night that he would expand Medicaid without losing “$4.5 billion dollars that we’re currently getting for the state,” but he was unclear how Georgia would lose that funding, and a spokesperson for his campaign didn’t immediately respond to a follow-up question seeking clarification. Jackson quickly shifted to his other proposals to make healthcare more affordable, such as cracking down on insurance practices that deny or delay care and negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to bring the cost of prescription down. “What we need to focus on – not only expanding Medicaid; that doesn’t solve the cost – we need to come up with solutions that actually reduce the cost of healthcare, and that’s what I’m going to do, or I’m not going to run again,” Jackson responded. Republican Rick Jackson participates in a town hall-style debate Tuesday at the Atlanta News First studio. Pool photo via Atlanta News First/WANF Jackson also repeatedly attacked Bottoms on her record as mayor of Atlanta, pointing to inflation and public safety in Atlanta during the pandemic. “This is the kind of policy that we cannot have in running Georgia, not having people feeling safe to go to work or go to the gas store. There’s no way this should happen as a governor,” he said to a voter who asked how the candidates plan to make living more affordable. But Bottoms pointed to her plan to provide tax relief, such as eliminating income tax for teachers and cutting taxes associated with car insurance. She also said she wants to allow local governments to have the option to suspend or eliminate sales tax on groceries. “The average consumer or household has two cars. That would be $140 per year in savings, and also through the homeowners insurance tax that’s currently passed on to consumers, also at around 2.25%. I want to make sure that that is going back into the pockets of consumers,” she said. Jackson offered his own tax cut pledge, saying that he has “committed to cut the income tax in half the first term, or (he) won’t run again.” The candidates also sparred over the growth of data centers in Georgia, which has become a defining issue of the race. Bottoms is calling for a statewide pause while pointing to Jackson’s investment in a data center in Texas. “If he is an investor in data centers, if he builds data centers, he cannot be trusted on this, but I want a pause on all new construction until we create a path forward that best serves all of Georgia,” Bottoms said. Jackson pushed back, saying that Bottoms approved multiple data centers in Atlanta while giving them a tax break. But Bottoms said that the only data center she approved as mayor was one at Georgia Tech that “was not a hyperscale data center (and) it was not in the middle of a residential community.” Debate over data center growth in Georgia heats up race for governor On the issue of automated license plate readers, Bottoms said that she would support a moratorium on new devices being installed while policies are tightened up. Jackson disagreed with halting new installations, saying it would cause crime to go up, but both candidates agreed that there should be restrictions on their use and that their use can be helpful for law enforcement. When asked about how they would help Georgians who lost their jobs because of federal funding cuts, Bottoms took the opportunity to tie Jackson to the Trump administration, saying that she is “not running to be his favorite governor.” The Trump-endorsed Jackson, who compared himself often to Trump during the primary and who said repeatedly that he would be Trump’s “favorite governor,” has aligned himself more recently with Gov. Brian Kemp. “I don’t owe anybody anything. Nobody’s ever told me what to do. My number one priority is Georgians. It’s you, and I will stand up to anybody, just like Brian Kemp has done,” Jackson said. The candidates also tangled over election security. Bottoms accused Jackson of previously suggesting that the Georgia National Guard would be deployed to monitor Georgia’s midterm election, referring to audio obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But Jackson denied that happened. “I’ve never suggested that we have the National Guard to come in on this election. Period. That’s just a complete falsehood,” he said. But Bottoms maintained her stance. “He said that the National Guard would be called in. You all can pull the tape on that,” she said. Political observers, partisans offer initial reactions to the debate Josh McKoon. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Both political parties praised their candidates following the debate, with Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon saying that “the contrast on the television tonight could not have been more clear. “In Rick Jackson, Georgia will have a governor who is a problem-solver; a governor who actually has a plan and has the guts to own it,” McKoon said. Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey declared a victory for Bottoms, saying that she “dominated the debate stage by outlining her positive vision for Georgia.” Charlie Bailey. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder “Keisha held Slick Rick accountable for his long record of rigging the system against Georgians, forcing data centers on communities and pushing the president’s disastrous policies, no matter how much it hurts our families,” Bailey said. The race between Bottoms and Jackson is virtually tied according to recent polling. Jackson has pulled slightly ahead in a recent poll, but they remain within the margin of error. University of Georgia political communications professor David Clementson called the debate “relatively tame” compared to the negative advertising and rhetoric that is coming from both campaigns. But he said there were instances of them calling each other liars, which he said “can have the effect of further entrenching partisan viewers.” Clementson also pointed to their nonverbal communication. He said that Jackson may have connected better with viewers as he looked directly at the camera and used more gestures, but that he also “appeared somewhat jittery and tripped up on his words more.” He said that Bottoms looked away from the camera more and “seemed less animated.” “Their nice verbal answers were brought down by lousy nonverbals. They both offered empathic answers, sympathetic message content. But with cold delivery, monotonous tone, stiff body language,” he said. Zachary Peskowitz, a political scientist at Emory University, said that debates don’t usually determine the results of the election. But he said gaffs and mistakes can happen, which could “definitely could be consequential” given the tight margins seen in polling. “I think you know it could certainly affect some of those voters, and given how close it is, that could be a big part of the story for what happens in November,” Peskowitz said in an interview before the debate. Early voting for the November election starts Oct. 13. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of Georgia Recorder
	Man wanted in church burglary leads police on high-speed chases A man wanted for burglarizing a Davenport church on Saturday led police on several high-speed chases before he was captured Monday.
	Pickens, Stegner pledge policy changes in Idaho gubernatorial candidate forum Idaho gubernatorial candidates Terri Pickens, center, and John Stegner, right, participate in a candidate forum Oct. 6, 2026, at South Junior High in Boise. (Photo by Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun)Democrat Terri Pickens and independent John Stegner pledged during a gubernatorial candidate forum Tuesday night to undo many of incumbent Gov. Brad Little’s policies if they are elected Nov. 3. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Little, a Republican, did not attend the gubernatorial candidate forum, which was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Idaho and other nonprofit organizations. Officials with the League of Women Voters of Idaho said Little did not respond to their invitation to participate in the forum, though they left an empty chair open for him on the stage at South Junior High School in Boise in case he decided to participate. Pickens, a trial attorney and small business owner, said her first action if she is elected governor will be to present a state budget that restores the tax revenue and many of the budget cuts that Little and the Idaho Legislature cut during the 2026 legislative session. “It’s going to restore mental health funding,” Pickens said. “It’s going to restore Medicaid expansion. It’s going to restore full funding for public education, and that is critically important because the one thing I’ve heard across this state is Idaho families and the Idaho working class are hurting.” [Voter Guide: 2026 General Election Voter Guide: The candidates, the ballot measures, and the tools you need to cast your vote.] Stegner, a retired Idaho Supreme Court justice, said his first action in office as governor would be to repeal the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit, which Little signed into law as House Bill 93 in 2025. “I think my first executive action would be to try to bring legal litigation against the vouchers as best I could,” Stegener said. “I continue to believe that it’s unconstitutional that we are funding private school students and homeschool students when we’re not adequately funding our own public school students,” Stegner added. John Stegner is running for governor in 2026. (Photo courtesy of John Stegner) Little, Pickens, Stegner, Libertarian Paul Sand, a Constitution Party candidate who legally changed his name from Marvin Richardson to Pro-Life and independent write-in candidate named Jacob Burnett are all running for governor in the Nov. 3 general election. Tuesday’s candidate forum lasted 90 minutes and featured a question-and-answer format, with some questions submitted by audience members in attendance and others written by event organizers. “This is not a debate, it is a forum, an exchange of ideas, related to the issues confronting our beautiful state of Idaho,” League of Women Voters of Idaho President Jean Henscheid said at the beginning of Tuesday’s forum. Pickens, Stegner agree on many policy and budget issues Pickens and Stegner largely agreed on several of the issues, from supporting Proposition 1, the ballot initiative seeking to restore the right to an abortion in Idaho, to unanimously opposing both of the Idaho Legislature’s proposed constitutional amendments, House Joint Resolution 4 and House Joint Resolution 6. House Joint Resolution 4 would amend the Idaho Constitution so that only the Idaho Legislature could legalize marijuana, medical cannabis or other drugs. In doing so, House Joint Resolution 4 would also remove Idaho voters’ rights to run a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana, like voters in Oregon, Washington and several of Idaho’s neighboring states have done. House Joint Resolution 6 would amend the Idaho Constitution to make English the official language of Idaho. Pickens and Stegner said they will vote for Proposition 1 and implement it if it passes and will vote against HJR 4 and HJR 6. Idaho gubernatorial candidate forum ends with shared history between two candidates During her closing remarks, during the final seconds of the forum, Pickens said a case she argued in front of the Idaho Supreme Court while Stegner was a judge had a huge impact on her. Terri Pickens is running for governor in the 2026. (Photo courtesy of Terri Pickens) “In 2021 … in a published Idaho Supreme Court decision, I was called ‘brazen’ for making a legal argument that the judge disagreed with,” Pickens said, leading some members of the audience to audibly react. “Brazen.” “That decision had such an impact on my career that I wanted to give up the practice of law, and the person that wrote that position is sitting right next to me,” Pickens said, referring to Stegner. Stegner had already completed his closing remarks when Pickens made the revelation, and did not get to respond. Where do Democrat Terri Pickens and independent John Stegner stand on issues? Immigration enforcement and 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Pickens: “I don’t think we need to be providing them with state resources for Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Pickens said, saying as an attorney she is not convinced that ICE abides by the rules of due process. “For me, there won’t be any 287(g) agreements for us to be having these discussions as to how we can support and train these folks.” Stegner: “I would not have entered into the agreement with ICE had I been the governor,” Stegner said. “I think ICE has demonstrated in very real ways that it is a rogue agency right now. They are wearing masks, they are shooting individuals in the streets – murdering individuals in the streets – and not wearing body cameras. Unless or until they are reigned in, I would not have entered into the 287(g) agreement.” Where do you stand on the U.S. Department of Energy’s proposed Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus in Idaho and the requirement that states that host a nuclear campus accept out-of-state shipments of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste? Pickens: “The (Idaho National Laboratory) is a great neighbor to Idaho,” Pickens said. “They employ thousands of Idahoans, and they have been a great neighbor. They’ve been a great neighbor because of the 1995 agreement, basically negotiated by (former Gov.) Cecil Andrus and signed by (former Gov.) Phil Batt. That 1995 agreement is the guardrail of our protection of the East Snake Plain Aquifer.” “As soon as I am elected governor, the memorandum of understanding (to host a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus in Idaho) will no longer be,” Pickens added. Stegner: “It’s 66 million pounds (of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste) that would be taken by Idaho (If Idaho takes one-third of the country’s spent fuel),” Stengner said. “Another thing they’re not really saying is that it might be more. You might get one-third, you might get two-thirds. You might get all of it if you don’t stop it at its inception. So I’m not a fan of the agreement.” SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Idaho Capital Sun
	In first debate, Zach Lahn and Rob Sand each pitch change In the first debate in Iowa's governor's race, Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand each pitched themselves as the candidate who would bring change to Iowa.
	East Moline Public Library celebrates Opal Lee's 100th birthday Lee is widely known as the grandmother of Juneteenth.
	2 arrested in connection to Rock Island shooting from May 18-year-old Jackson Hatungimana and 19-year-old Joseph A. Akins Jr. are both charged after a man was shot in the arm and leg back in May.
	Illinois Quad Cities communities receiving $95,000 to boost tourism The funding was announced by State Sen. Mike Halpin.
	New exhibit at Figge Art Museum turns gallery into artwork A new exhibit at the Figge Art Museum, Davenport, is turning the gallery itself into the art. "Amanda Burnham: Everything to Everyone" will feature hundreds of hand-drawn images collaged onto walls and structures. Burnham's vision is now taking shape at the Figge. She's working to depict the female figure embedded within the urban landscape. The [...]
	Eldridge City Council approves purchase agreement for former community center KGRD Green Bay LLC has 60 days to inspect the building and fully decide if they want to go through with the purchase.
	For the sandwich generation: Finding help caring for a parent with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's (BPT) - Key takeaways:Members of the sandwich generation are often challenged with the cost and concerns of caring for two generations at the same time.Caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's can bring stress, but caregiving also brings joy and connection with loved ones.Family caregivers need help from professional caregivers to understand the neurodegeneration and progressive nature of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases, and to help prevent burnout.Comfort Keepers provides professional in-home caregiver services so adult daughters or sons have a trusted partner for family respite, allowing them to spend more quality time and make joyful memories with their parent.By Sherri Snelling, gerontologist and Comfort Keepers spokespersonCaregivers from the sandwich generation perform a delicate balancing act: simultaneously caring for children and older parents, along with other obligations such as work. While stretching your time, energy and emotional resources thin, you have little "me time" for self-care. The good news is, although caregiving can be disruptive, it is also one of the most powerful expressions of love. The key is finding ways to connect joyfully with aging parents, and being proactive in getting help so you can enjoy your time together.In the 2026 National Day of Joy survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Comfort Keepers, 93% of aging adults say being cared for by an adult son or daughter has brought them closer together, and 96% of caregivers in the sandwich generation say family comes first. The strength of these familial bonds is clear, but that does not mean you do not need support as you try to meet the needs of your children, your parents and yourself.These pressures become even more intense and complex when a parent is living with progressive, degenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Studies have found the intensity of dementia caregiving creates more stress, anxiety and depression. These caregivers also spend twice as long in their caregiving role: According to the Alzheimer's Association, dementia caregiving is an average of 9 years versus 4.5 years for other types of family caregiving, making it a marathon, not a sprint. During this marathon, professional help can support your physical and mental energy.How to support your well-being while caring for an aging parent Caring for yourself is one of the biggest challenges for family caregivers. The additional time needed to care for someone with dementia or a neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's while maintaining work-life balance and raising children is very challenging. The sandwich generation dementia caregiver often ends up sacrificing their own social, emotional or physical health. In addition, the stigma of diseases affecting the brain can lead you to avoid social interactions and conversations, making you feel more alone.This isolation means many adult children carry the caregiving burden alone, feeling they cannot or should not ask for help. Dementia care can largely involve physical and administrative tasks like tracking medical appointments, medication reminders and administration, managing insurance paperwork, home safety, getting groceries and prepping meals. Small moments of joy that really matter get lost: things like enjoying a meal together, looking at old photos or sharing interests like music, nature or crafts that create quality of life for the older parent and the adult daughter or son.The key is finding ways to connect joyfully with aging parents, and being proactive in getting help so you can enjoy your time together.To help sandwich generation caregivers focus on what matters most, here are common myths around caregiving, and approaches that help families thrive.Myth 1: If Mom or Dad is safe, everything is OK.Reality: Quality of life matters. Caregiving is not just about physical tasks and safety, doctor appointments, fall prevention and personal care. Social and emotional health are equally important. Companionship, favorite routines and activities, conversation and sharing moments of joy help an older adult and the family caregiver feel connected and engaged.Myth 2: I should be able to handle this alone.Reality: Caregiver burnout is real, and creating your care team is critical. Many adult children assume care responsibilities gradually, until they are spending 20-40 hours a week on care tasks. This can lead to burnout and negatively impact your relationship with your parent. Professional caregivers, such as the in-home care specialists at Comfort Keepers, can become a part of your family's care team before a crisis happens. Professional help lets you take breaks to recharge and practice needed self-care, so you can be more focused on the emotional needs of your loved one.Myth 3: I will get help when I really need it.Reality: Waiting too long can lead to a crisis, but getting help before your parent's care reaches a crisis can make the caregiving journey easier for everyone. Progressive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's can affect memory, communication, mobility, mood, personality, daily routines and activities including eating, getting dressed and bathing. Planning ahead gives families time for necessary conversations about long-term care, and to find the right professional caregiver, establish familiar routines and create a care plan that can evolve along with their parent's needs and family finances.Myth 4: All visits must be productive.Reality: Professional caregiving takes some everyday responsibilities off your shoulders, so time with your parent is not consumed by errands, household tasks and caregiving duties. By being "present," you enhance the emotional health of your parent and yourself. Sometimes the most important thing is simply being your parent's son or daughter.How can I maintain my relationship with my aging parent?Caring for a parent with dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is emotionally difficult for family caregivers. Alzheimer's adults may forget your name or who you are, and they may become combative and physically lash out. Someone with Parkinson's may have frightening hallucinations and nightmares. All of this occurs in addition to declining physical and cognitive abilities.The Comfort Keepers survey reveals that daily joy for aging adults is rooted in the connection found during everyday life moments: sitting outside, enjoying morning coffee or engaging in meaningful hobbies such as reading, gardening, crafts and music. These moments foster consistency, independence and a sense of purpose. They also give family caregivers moments of calm in the midst of chaos.For someone living with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, these activities may need to be adapted as their condition progresses. A familiar song from their past, simplified gardening activity, short walk or time spent looking through family photographs can offer connection and comfort. The goal is not necessarily doing things exactly as before, but to find meaningful ways to meet the person where they are now.For adult children, joy is found in everyday connection with aging parents. In the survey, nearly 3 in 4 (72%) say simple conversations bring the most joy, followed by sharing meals (68%) and helping provide care for them (67%). A whopping 95% of adult children agree older adults play an important role in creating joy within their families.Where to begin finding a caregiverComfort Keepers understands the challenges families face when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's, particularly as their needs change. Specially trained caregivers can help them continue living safely and meaningfully at home through personalized care, familiar routines, companionship and activities tailored to their interests and abilities. Comfort Keepers can also educate families about their changing needs and provide support that engages them physically, mentally and emotionally.Comfort Keepers provides in-home services including:Personal careCompanionshipMedication remindersFamily respite careComfort360™: A Complete Circle of CareThere is no need to choose between being a good parent, partner, employee and caregiver as you juggle roles. Professional caregiving help from Comfort Keepers means better quality of life for your parent and for yourself, helping you remain your parent's daughter or son first.Visit ComfortKeepers.com to learn more.
	Monmouth will end contract with Flock Monmouth Police Chief Joe Switzer announced the decision to end the police department's partnership with Flock Safety at Monday's city council meeting. The police department had a two-year contract with the technology, with four cameras in operation around the community. Switzer said it wasn't concerns about privacy or data misuse that prompted his decision - [...]
	City of Monmouth will not renew its contract with Flock Monmouth's four Flock cameras will be removed. The police chief said the system did not provide enough measurable benefits to justify renewing the contract.
	AI technology can help detect wildfires sooner Public safety program Alert California is teaming up with Microsoft, which is providing AI tech that will process the data of nearly 1,300 cameras statewide.
	Monmouth Police Department not renewing Flock contract Monmouth will remove four Flock automated license plate readers. The police chief said the system did not provide enough measurable benefits to justify renewing.
	Former Quad City Storm trainer Chloe Hinojosa joins PWHL's Minnesota Frost The Kewanee native was named the 2025-26 SPHL Athletic Trainer of the Year. Now she's bringing her talents to the 2-time Walter Cup championship-winning Frost team.
	USDA to increase research into U.S. seed stores, partner with DOJ to investigate seed industry U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, center, at a farm near Prairie City, Iowa, Oct. 6, 2026 speaking about USDA seed sovereignty program alongside Iowa Reps. Zach Nunn, front left, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, right. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) PRAIRIE CITY – The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a program Tuesday to increase research and sequencing of the country’s seed collection and announced it was “strengthening” its agreement with the Justice Department to investigate competition in the seed industry. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made the announcement Tuesday at a farm near Prairie City, following a roundtable discussion with Iowa farmers. USDA’s Seed Sovereignty initiative will invest in the National Plant Germplasm System, to sequence the country’s existing seed stores in an effort to “unlock the tremendous potential of the plant genetic resources the United States holds and identify critical gaps,” according to a USDA release. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Rollins said the U.S. has “significantly invested” in international seed collections, but has failed to invest in its own “robust” seed collection of more than 600,000 seeds from over 16,000 species. She said the research will “protect” the genetic resources that underpin the food system “while also paving the way for new breakthroughs that are vital for our food security.” Scott Hutchins, the USDA undersecretary for research, education and economics, said researchers will use the USDA funding and artificial intelligence to “quickly” sequence all of the seeds in the nation’s germplasm system. Sequencing the seeds, he said, will give the department a better understanding of its genetic resources. “If we know what we have, we also know what we don’t have, and we know what kind of dependency we might have with seeds from outside the United States,” Hutchins said. “That’s why we refer to it as seed sovereignty.” He estimated that currently about 10% of the U.S. seed collection has been sequenced. Hutchins said once the germplasm, or the genetic material, is understood, researchers can then see what traits those seeds hold – like drought or pest resistance – that can be helpful to farmers. He said USDA will also use the Genesis AI initiative from the U.S. Department of Energy to “quickly find those traits and put them to work for our farmers.” “While we do have treaties around the world to share seeds, those treaties do not extend to the sequencing and the genome information,” Hutchins said. “We intend to make that United States intellectual property, make it available to United States farmers for the benefit of United States agriculture.” Iowa Corn Growers Association President Steve Kuiper said seed technology is “at the very core of modern agriculture.” “Investing in research helps ensure Iowa farmers remain sustainable and profitable, while ensuring they have access to a competitive market to purchase their seed genetics,” Kuiper said. In August, USDA also announced it planned to fund several new research facilities, including the National Plant Germplasm System Centralized Distribution Center in Ames, toward which the USDA directed $12 million. Investigating seed pricing Rollins was joined by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, to announce an expanded memorandum of understanding between USDA the U.S. Department of Justice with a “new focus on seed markets.” “The Department of Justice will be shining an even brighter light on seed pricing practices, on seed licensing, on seed relabeling and on barriers facing independent seed companies,” Rollins said. “So again, working very very hard to do everything we can to support our farmers and ranchers.” Last year, the two departments announced they were working together to “protect competition in key agricultural markets such as feed, fertilizer, fuel, seed, equipment, and other essential goods.” Farmers, lawmakers and independent agribusiness operators have said consolidation in these industries is one of the elements driving up input prices for farmers. The Federal Trade Commission confirmed in May it had launched an antitrust investigation of the fertilizer industry and ag leaders, including the USDA deputy secretary, have been soliciting information from farmers and local dealers to help build the case. FTC recently reached a $35 million settlement with Corteva over the seed and pesticide company’s loyalty program which the suit alleged meant the company was not fairly competing with other brands and generics. Woodward noted the previous work of the DOJ, including a settlement to keep egg companies from coordinating to inflate prices. Woodward said in addition to bringing down prices for farmers, “Americans deserve answers” to how prices in the industry have risen. USDA secretary urges states to allow on-road dyed diesel According to USDA data, the average price of crop seeds increased more than 270% between 1990 and 2020, at a rate “significantly faster” than the price that farmers received for their commodities. The USDA report shows that corn, soybeans and cotton seeds, which are typically genetically modified seeds, rose at an even faster rate, with an average increase of 463% in the 30-year time frame. Rollins, citing the report, said “there’s got to be a reason for that.” “It’s time to figure it out; and it’s time to do better for our farmers; and it’s time to look at the consolidation in the industry; it’s time to understand why we rely on China for a lot of our seeds,” Rollins said. “It’s time. And I’m honored to hopefully help lead that.” Hutchins said the Seed Sovereignty initiative intends to make the information it gathers on the U.S. seed stores available to companies “on a licensing basis” and not an exclusive basis. “It should open up more competition in that context, but the companies themselves have to be able to exist and be able to create an opportunity to put that germplasm into their portfolio,” Hutchins said. Rollins said she was also announcing a $6 million grant to Iowa State University to expand its Energy Agriculture Innovation Lab. The funding is part of $125 million allocated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for research facilities at land grant universities. Rollins said the grant would ensure that “ISU will remain a leader in cutting edge research and technology.” SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Amazon’s Walla Walla data center plan sparks tension between protesters, local officials Roughly 40 people waved signs, chanted and marched during a Walla Walla demonstration demanding a data center moratorium. (Photo by Aspen Ford/Washington State Standard)WALLA WALLA, Wash. — More than four hundred Washingtonians across 19 locations took to the streets Sunday to demand a statewide moratorium on data centers. In Walla Walla, where a $4.8 billion Amazon data center project is planned, the tension among opponents and local officials was palpable. “Some of you standing here today have been called extremists and communists for standing with us,” Ben Mattice, co-founder of the Walla Walla Anti-Data Center League said to a crowd of about 60. “You are not extremists for wanting transparency. You are not extremists for wanting clean drinking water.” The state, home to 130 data centers, offers tax breaks on labor and new computer equipment for data center operators. Washington ranks 10th in the country for the number of data centers in operation. “It is our job to call on officials … to protect our communities and to, at the very least, put a pause on hyperscale data centers,” Mattice said. Shortly after the rally, roughly 40 people waved signs, chanted and marched to the office of Melissa Shumake, the county’s community development director. Shumake, who has served as director for less than a year, has the sole authority to require Amazon to submit an environmental impact statement regarding their proposed construction of 16 data center buildings. Members of the league say that Amazon’s development has been shrouded in secrecy. They’re fearful that Amazon will use more water than they’re allowed to, or worse, pollute aquifers. They point to what happened in Morrow and Umatilla County just across the Oregon border where earlier this year Amazon agreed to pay more than $20 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the company’s data centers contaminated groundwater with nitrate. Meanwhile, local officials are growing frustrated, saying Amazon has “outright” permission to develop its data centers in the Wallula Gap Business Park, some 30 miles west of Walla Walla. It’s been estimated that the project will bring in $5 million a year in personal property taxes for the county. It wasn’t until February that the Walla Walla Port Commission announced that Amazon Web Services was behind the 2024 purchase of some 500 acres in the business park. The port commissioners, according to Executive Director Patrick Reay, signed a non-disclosure agreement with Amazon back in March 2023 – more than a year before Advance Phase LLC, a company owned by Amazon, purchased the land from the port. The agreement barred commissioners from stating the company’s involvement until this year, Reay said. It seemed like the kind of deal the port couldn’t pass up. Nearly $5 billion of private capital investment would produce over 700 jobs throughout the four-phase development of the project, according to a 2024 report on the sale agreement. By comparison, the total assessed value of properties in Walla Walla County was around $10 billion that year. “Where else could your assessed value raise by approximately 50% on 554 acres?” Reay said. “It was a real estate transaction for us that met our mission.” During each phase of development, Amazon has planned to construct four data center buildings, each about 215,000 square feet, according to the 2024 report, though the specifics listed are subject to change as the project develops, Reay said. Amazon is currently jumping through the bureaucratic hurdles of permitting. The county has entered a public comment phase running through Oct. 12 on behalf of Amazon’s permit application. Amazon said it is constructing three, not four, data centers in this first phase, which it anticipates building out over the next three years, according to a State Environmental Policy Act document submitted to Walla Walla County. Amazon also stated its estimated annual water use is “considerably lower” than previous agriculture operators on the property. Annually, it’s estimated to use 18 million gallons of surface water for cooling computer equipment and 6 million gallons of groundwater for domestic use. Amazon did not disclose how much energy will be needed to operate the data centers. Back in August, after hearing local opposition, Amazon deliberately submitted an incomplete permitting application to the county so that it could “engage directly with the community,” according to a Frequently Asked Questions document Amazon made public regarding its Walla Walla data center project. It hosted an open house that drew around 300 attendees in Burbank. “Since 2010, Amazon has invested over $400 billion in Washington including infrastructure and compensation to employees and has over 95,000 employees in the state,” according to a statement from Amazon. The company “is committed to responsible development and being a long-term, positive presence in the Walla Walla community.” The FAQ document said the company will annually use 14 million gallons of water to cool its server equipment, but in its SEPA checklist submitted to the county, it estimated using 18 million gallons. When asked about the difference between the two figures, Amazon did not immediately respond. Amazon recently launched the “Built Together” initiative, a program dedicated to serving communities near their data centers. It will fund community college and workforce development, energy efficiency upgrades for K-12 schools and other needs specific to the community. Growing opposition Data center projects have become flashpoints in recent months at all levels of government. In Washington, for example, Seattle and Spokane passed data center moratoriums. Skamania, Benton, and Yakima, counties also enacted moratoriums, while neighboring Klickitat County, with just 24,000 residents, is seeing a growing movement against new development after six projects requested enough power to energize up to 6 million homes. Major data center projects in Utah and New Mexico have generated national headlines as they spawned large protest movements. In Washington D.C., the issue is scrambling usual party lines as the president backs data centers and a bipartisan coalition in Congress is calling for restrictions. Washington lawmakers tried but failed to pass a sweeping data center regulation bill in the last session. The bill’s sponsor Rep. Beth Doglio, D-Olympia, plans to bring the bill back next year with a provision to ban local officials from signing non-disclosure agreements with developers. A moratorium is “a short-term solution,” Doglio said. “I’m far more interested in putting in place guardrails to not only address future development of data centers, but also do a look back and make sure utilities have contracts in place that protect ratepayers.” Ben Mattice, co-founder of the Walla Walla Anti-Data Center League, said the group’s strategy is to “make this entire county unpalatable for Amazon.” (Photo by Aspen Ford/Washington State Standard) Over the summer, the Walla Walla Anti-Data Center League garnered nearly 1,900 signatures on two separate petitions for a data center moratorium. Members of the league host town halls, meet with local stakeholders, table at community events and file public records requests to local government agencies, Mattice said. The strategy is to “make this entire county unpalatable for Amazon,” Mattice said. The group is “[doing] as many things as we can to put rocks in the gears to slow the thing down in hopes that either the bubble bursts and they don’t need it anymore or they go elsewhere.” Each week, members of the league attend county commissioner meetings to ask for a moratorium and an environmental impact statement. The county commissioners haven’t acted. Todd Kimball, one of three, said that even if the county placed a moratorium on data centers, it wouldn’t stop Amazon’s development. “They have an application in. It grandfathers them into the old rules,” Kimball said. Kimball, who has been in office for 10 years, has grown frustrated with some of the group’s claims about the county, saying it has been more transparent than ever. “We’ve done more to educate the public with this project than any other ever in Walla Walla County,” Kimball said. “The application is online, which we’ve never posted before.” Amazon’s 550-acre project is located in the heart of the Wallula Gap Business Park, an industrial-zoned property adjacent to Highway 12 and the Columbia River. The park offers electricity, potable water, natural gas and sewer lines to industries operating on its grounds. The anti-data center group is pointing to Shumake, the county’s development director, to ensure an environmental impact statement is prepared, but she doesn’t think it will be necessary. “If I determined that somehow there are impacts that cannot be mitigated, then I would potentially require them to do a full EIS,” Shumake said. “This is an industrial zone with a project that ultimately has a smaller impact than other projects in the same industrial zone,” Shumake said. “We have to have data centers somewhere,” Shumake added. “And in an industrial zone without population centers nearby, where there’s existing water rights. Like, I can think of a lot worse places where this might go.” Earthjustice, an environmental law firm tackling data centers across the country, disagrees. The permitting application that Amazon submitted lacked specific details that are required to exempt an environmental impact statement, attorney Jan Hasselman wrote in a public comment to the county. Courtesy of Washington State Standard
	Scott County couple builds animal rescue and sanctuary, set to open in spring Local couple in Scott county are one step closer to opening their animal sanctuary.
	Death Notice: Randy Claeys A celebration of life for Randy George Claeys, 38, will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at the Runge Mortuary, Davenport. Interment with military honors will be in Rock Island National Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, Oct. 8, from 4-8 p.m. at the mortuary. Mr. Claeys died Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Bettendorf. Memorials may be made to the family. Online condolences may be made at www.rungemortuary.com. A full obituary will appear in the Oct. 14 edition of The NSP.
	Teen arrested in connection with May shooting in Rock Island Rock Island Police and Marshals Service arrested a teen wanted in connection with a May shooting in Rock Island that wounded one man.
	Rollins talks beef prices, seed research funding during Iowa visit Rollins joined Iowa farmers in Prairie City for a roundtable discussion on agriculture in the state, where the U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced a $180 million initiative to fund research into the genes of crop seeds.
	Quad City Arts to celebrate new exhibit and 25-year employee on Friday This Friday night, Oct. 9, will be a special one at Quad City Arts, 1715 2nd Ave., Rock Island, celebrating a new exhibit and a 25-year employee.
	Dirt Stars will take to the track to close out Davenport Speedway racing season Davenport Dirt Stars will race Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10, at the Davenport Speedway. Complete race programs will be held both nights. The two-night Dirt Stars event will close out the racing season at Davenport Speedway. This is the last chance for racers to put their cars in Davenport’s Competitive Concrete victory lane in 2026. [...]
	Actress Eva Marie Saint, who won an Oscar for 'On the Waterfront,' dies at 102 Saint won an Oscar for her portrayal of Edie, a Catholic schoolgirl whose longshoreman brother is murdered. She went on to star in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest.
	Kewanee native called to work with PWHL's Minnesota Frost Chloe Hinojosa spent about two and a half years as the Quad City Storm's athletic trainer. Now, she's going to work in professional women's hockey.
	Two men arrested in connection with Rock Island shooting Two Rock Island men have been arrested on warrants in connection with a May shooting in Rock Island, according to a news release from Rock Island Police. Shortly after 5 p.m. May 28, Rock Island Police responded to the 700 block of 11th Street for reports of gunfire. Officers found multiple shell casings at the [...]
	Field forecast looking great for farmers this week around the Quad Cities and all of Iowa and Illinois After the heavy rain from last week, this is just what the weather doctor ordered! Plan on more sunshine with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s and 80s through the weekend. This is great news for area farmers as the harvest of 2026 continues.
	Davenport already has 6 candidates to fill 2nd ward city council vacancy Tim Dunn announced his sudden resignation last month.
	Davenport fugitive arrested in San Diego after 14 years on the run 50-year-old Brian Anthony Williams was located in the Mission Beach Area of San Diego on Tuesday and arrested without incident.
	Eastern Iowa education foundation traveling to Nepal to assist with recovery efforts The Rebuild Nepal Education Foundation is gearing up to fly to Nepal to support recovery efforts following a devastating avalanche and flash flooding in late August.
	Two teens arrested in Rock Island shooting Two teens have been arrested in connection with a Rock Island shooting.

Wednesday, October 7th, 2026

Tuesday, October 6th, 2026