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

Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
	Celebrate Juneteenth with Living Peace 365 Celebrate Juneteenth at an event in Clinton hosted by Living Peace 365. The free, family-friendly event will be on Friday, June 19 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at NelsonCorp Field (Lumberkings Stadium), 537 Ballpark Drive in Clinton. Attendees are asked to use the North entrance. The afternoon will feature a wide array of free activities for [...]
	Lancer softball and baseball teams host ranked teams at weekend tournaments Now that is more like it. North Scott’s softball team put together its best three-game stretch of the season at the annual Dennis Johnson Classic last Friday and Saturday. The Lancers blanked 2A No. 1 Louisa-Muscatine 6-0, walked off 5A No. 11 Bettendorf 7-6, and held on tough against 4A No. 2 ADM, losing 2-0. North Scott’s stars shone bright against the Falcons. Senior Cadey Bredar threw a complete-game shutout with six strikeouts. She allowed only five hits and did not walk or hit a batter. Senior Adalynn Johnson crushed her second of two home runs at the DJ Classic. She had three hits in the game and drove in four runs. Junior Kamilah Eller and sophomore Laney Welge each had multi-hit games. Welge drove in one run, and leadoff hitter Brinley Schroeder collected the other. After being swept by Bettendorf at the start of the month, home cooking carried the Lancers to and through the finish line of this six-inning game. The Lancers trailed 4-0 after an inning and a half, but stormed back to take a 5-4 lead after four innings. Bettendorf put a run on the board in each of the fifth and sixth innings to retake the lead, 6-5. North Scott scored two runs in the bottom of the frame to walk off the Bulldogs. Sophomore Dana Webb and eighth grader Payton LeDoux combined for six innings of work. Webb earned the win with four innings of three-run ball and two strikeouts. Five different Lancers recorded an RBI: Schroeder, Welge, LeDoux, senior Aubrey Toohey, and Johnson, who hit a missile over the center field fence for a solo home run. Eller recorded a hit, stole two bases and scored two runs in the contest. Second-ranked ADM one-hit the Lancers on Friday, with junior Makenna Pitlick tossing 12 strikeouts in her outing. Opposite her, Bredar allowed one run each in the first and second innings, but otherwise worked a clean game. She finished with 80 pitches in seven innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run and three strikeouts. North Scott hosted Davenport North on Monday, and then heads west over the weekend. The Lancers will play in the Jack North Tournament at Waukee Northwest High School with games slated for unranked Urbandale, 5A No. 13 Waukee, 5A No. 4 Southeast Polk and 5A No. 1 Waukee Northwest. North Scott splits games against Bettendorf, LBI opponents For the first time this season, North Scott baseball got to play consecutive sets of games at home. The Lancers got off on the right foot on Friday against Bettendorf, splitting games 7-4 and 0-2 with the Bulldogs. With game one tied at four entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the Lancers scored three runs to put themselves in front. North Scott rallied after the first two batters grounded out. Junior Ben Clayton hit a single, junior Keegan Diercks and sophomore Conlan Panther each reached via error, and junior Dylan Kelsey and senior Sam Shiltz each reached base with singles. Panther started the game and threw five innings of three-run ball. Junior Benjamin Peters became the pitcher of record when the Lancers took the lead. He finished out the game with two innings of one-run ball. North Scott was shut out in game two, but it still got a great outing from Shiltz on the mound. He threw six innings, gave up four hits and two earned runs while striking out five. The only issue is that Bettendorf’s Jackson Hatler was even better. Hatler went the distance on 98 pitches, allowing only three hits and two walks. North Scott turned around to play another baseball game 15 hours later. The Lancers defeated Don Bosco 5-3 in the opening round of the Lancer Baseball Invitational. Clayton earned the win in this game with five strong innings of work on the mound. Junior Charlie Peterson earned a two-inning save. Peterson had helped himself out earlier in the game with a sacrifice fly. Panther led the team with two RBIs. Kelsey and senior Caleb Willis also drove in one run each. In the LBI championship game, debutant 2A No. 6 Cascade bolstered its 12-1 record with an 8-4 win over North Scott. It was an all-hands-on-deck approach to pitching for North Scott. Four different hurlers entered the game, with none throwing more than 36 pitches. Panther, Kelsey and senior Landon Praught recorded RBIs in the heart of North Scott’s lineup. North Scott heads back on the road this week with its next home game coming on June 24. This week, the Lancers traveled to Davenport Central on Monday for two games, Dubuque Hempstead on Tuesday for one game, and Maquoketa on Wednesday for two games.
	KWQC wins 6 station awards from Iowa Broadcasters Association KWQC won six station awards from the Iowa Broadcasters Association.
	3 Things to Know \| Quad Cities morning headlines for June 16, 2026 Bettendorf traffic enforcement will be monitoring motorists along Crow Creek Road and Spruce Hills, and previous Honor Flight members are having a reunion.
	REVIEW: The Shark is Broken at The Black Box Theatre in Moline Suit up in your SCUBA gear and dive into The Black Box Theatre’s current production of The Shark is Broken by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon and directed by Jeremy Littlejohn which chronicles the behind-the-scenes drama of filming of what would come to be the genesis of the summer blockbuster genre “Jaws.”
	Supporters plead for release of Davenport parents accused of locking 10-year-old child in empty room Letters submitted to the court defend Davenport parents Andrew and Kellie Warrington, asking they be reunited with their children despite abuse charges.
	Rock Island Police Department asks for help in finding missing man The Rock Island Police Department is asking the community for help in finding a man reported missing
	Iowa farms, businesses receive $614,000 from Choose Iowa grants Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced Friday that 11 of the state’s dairy farms and businesses have received funding from the Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant Program administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Naig made the announcement during a Dairy Month visit to Gav-n-view Farm near Lansing. The program provides up to $100,000 in cost-share funding to assist Iowa dairy farmers in reducing labor and increasing on-farm production, according to IDALS. National Dairy Month, celebrated annually in the U.S. every June since 1937, celebrates and honors the contributions of farmers in the dairy industry. “These grants help dairy farmers add value to what they already do so well by expanding processing capacity, developing new products and adopting technologies that improve efficiency,” Naig said in a news release. “The result is more fresh, wholesome and nutritious Iowa-made dairy products on store shelves, stronger farm businesses and more dollars staying in local communities.” In total, more than $614,000 was distributed to 11 recipients statewide, with Lango Dairy from Hopkinton receiving the maximum award of $100,000. Recipients of the Choose Iowa Dairy grants include: Country View Dairy: Hawkeye Sweet Doe Company: Keota Frisian Farms Cheese: Leighton Dutch Girl Dairy, Inc.: Marion Moore Local: Maquoketa Bonert and Kennedy Farm LLC: Epworth Vellema Dairy: Harris Lango Dairy: Hopkinton Gav-n-view Farm: Lansing Dutchland Dairy: Rolfe Rolinda Acres Dairy: Waterville Since the program’s implementation in 2024, 46 Iowa farms and businesses have received funding from the Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant Program. Robert Horst, president of the Iowa State Dairy Association, said in an IDALS news release that the organization is proud of the investment and of the results the grant program has produced in Iowa communities. “This investment in Iowa’s dairy industry has demonstrated a meaningful return by supporting dairy farm families, encouraging innovation and growth, and providing Iowans with greater access to dairy products made right here in our state,” Horst said.
	Live with a partner? You may be sharing more microbes than you think A large study finds you may share about a quarter of your oral and gut microbes with the people you live with. Should you worry? We asked the experts.
	Burlington man sentenced to 10 years on methamphetamine charges: Public records A Burlington man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to public court documents, law enforcement made a traffic stop in March 2024. Michael Patoir, 48, was in possession of more than nine-and-a-half pounds of methamphetamine in the back seat of his vehicle. Patoir was sentenced [...]
	REVIEW: The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales at Playcrafters Barn Theatre in Moline To paraphrase a Neil Diamond song: Pack up your babies and grab the old ladies and everyone go…go to Playcrafters Barn Theatre’s production of The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.
	Scott County Treasurer's Office moves after water main break A water main break is forcing the Scott County Treasurer’s Office to temporarily relocate. A news release from Scott County says that due to a water main break, the Scott County Treasurer’s Office location at the County General Store, behind the Village Shopping Center is temporarily closed until further notice. All services normally conducted at [...]
	REVIEW: 1776 at The Quad City Music Guild in Moline The Quad City Music Guild has the perfect summer offering leading into the USA’s 250th birthday anniversary: 1776. With book by Peter Stone and music/lyrics by Sherman Edwards it is a Yankee Doodle Dandy of a show that will set you up for the coming festivities.
	The financial freedom formula: 5 steps to wealth for America’s 250th anniversary The financial freedom formula: 5 steps to wealth for America’s 250th anniversaryThis summer, America celebrates 250 years since declaring its independence. From the start, financial freedom has always been an important part of the American story.Financial freedom isn’t just about economics, but also about peace of mind. In fact, 82% of U.S. adults agreed that becoming debt-free is a well-being goal as well as a financial goal, in a May 2026 Forbright Bank survey of more than 1,800 respondents.“Our surveys have shown that people really value the freedom that comes from saving money and building financial discipline,” says Lucia Franco, consumer insights leader at Forbright Bank. “We see in our research that customers who build financial plans and use tools like recurring deposits say that they feel less stressed and better equipped to achieve their goals.”Achieving financial freedom is, for many Americans, a more important goal than accumulating more material things. In a 2025 customer survey, 90% of respondents said they believe true wealth is “being debt-free with enough assets to avoid financial stress,” and 68% said true wealth is “less time working and more time doing things I love.”While financial freedom may look a little different for each person, Forbright Bank compiled a list of five steps Americans can take to gain financial independence.1. Eliminate DebtDebt can act as a financial anchor that limits your options and creates ongoing stress. Achieving true wealth begins with reducing debt. For example, 53% of U.S. adults say paying off debt has helped improve their financial wellness, according to Forbright Bank’s 2026 survey of more than 1,800 respondents.Start by cataloging all your debts and attacking them systematically. Two of the most common approaches are the debt avalanche method (paying minimums on all debts while directing extra payments toward the highest-interest debt) and the debt snowball method (focusing on the smallest balances first). The avalanche method could save the most money mathematically, but the debt snowball method might provide psychological wins that can keep you motivated.Consider prioritizing high-interest debt like credit cards, as these balances compound rapidly and create a cycle that’s difficult to break. Try consolidating multiple debts if you can secure a lower interest rate while avoiding new debt.2. Build a Foundation of SavingsIn addition to eliminating debt, it’s important to focus on building savings. By creating an emergency fund, consumers may be able to avoid taking on new debt in times of crisis. And by saving strategically for retirement, they can face the future with confidence.Consider setting goals for all the expenses you plan to tackle, such as buying a home or car, paying for college education, and funding next year’s vacation. Then develop strategies to accomplish both long-term and short-term savings goals.3. Harness the Power of Spending OptimizationFor 57% of U.S. adults, budgeting has helped improve their financial wellness, according to Forbright Bank’s 2026 survey. Financial freedom doesn’t require extreme frugality, but for many people, it is about optimizing spending to align with their values. Distinguish between expenses that genuinely improve your life and those that provide temporary satisfaction. This might mean spending more on experiences that create lasting memories while cutting back on material possessions that quickly lose their appeal.Automate your savings and investments so wealth building happens without constant decision-making. Set up automatic transfers to savings accounts, investment accounts, and retirement funds. This may lessen the temptation to spend money you’ve earmarked for your future freedom.4. Design Your Ideal LifestyleTrue wealth is ultimately about designing a life that reflects your values and priorities. Doing this requires honest self-reflection about what activities and experiences genuinely matter to you. In fact, 48% of U.S. adults say having clear goals has helped improve their financial wellness, according to the Forbright Bank survey. When consumers eliminate expenses driven by social pressure or unconscious habits, they may discover that their desired lifestyle costs less than expected.The amount of money you need to lead the life you want will vary based on your specific situation and personal preferences. When you have built up sufficient savings and developed habits of disciplined spending, you may find the freedom to enjoy life more.5. Pursue Time FreedomFor many people, achieving true wealth means reaching a point where work plays less of a controlling role in their lives. When people have savings built up and don’t have debt demanding their ongoing attention, they may have more choice when it comes to work. For example, someone with significant savings may want to take a lower-paying job that they find more enjoyable, pursue their own business, or flex their work schedule without negative financial consequences.Remember that this journey is highly personal. Your version of true wealth might look completely different from someone else’s. The goal is to create financial security and time freedom that allows you to live according to your own values and priorities.Disclaimer: This article is for general information and education only. It should not be considered financial or tax advice.This story was produced by Forbright Bank and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How families are paying for college when savings fall short How families are paying for college when savings fall shortCollege affordability can be a tough nut to crack, especially if you don’t have enough in savings to pay it. College Ave, a private student loan company, conducted a June 2025 survey of college parents and found less than half (44%) felt ready to pay for college when their child graduated high school. Most parents (80%) reported they could not pay for the full cost of college with savings alone. And it’s not surprising. In its Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025, the College Board reports the average annual cost is $24,920 for tuition, fees, room and board at a four-year public university and $58,500 for a four-year private school.So, how are families paying for college? In this guide, College Ave, a private student loan company, reveals the top methods used, according to the survey results, and shares tips to prepare for the coming school year. College Ave For families in the process of navigating how to pay for college, here are tips on how to get ready for the upcoming school year:Make a plan: Get an accurate picture of how much college will cost each year and multiply that number by four. Use that information to help you make a plan of how you will tackle the next four years.Examine your finances: What are your priorities over the next few years? Long term? More than half of parents surveyed plan to prioritize (66%) paying for college over their personal savings. 17% of parents paying for college plan to take on a second job to help cover education expenses. While these strategies may not be the right plan for every family, it’s important to assess your finances and what you can feasibly and comfortably contribute. Talk to a financial planner if you have questions.Maximize “free” money: Grants and scholarships are the most popular ways to get help with college costs, according to the survey. Even if you think your family doesn’t qualify, be sure to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Many schools use the form to determine how to distribute aid, including grants. Most high school counseling offices keep lists of local college scholarship opportunities your student might apply for. There are several websites, such as students.org and scholarships.com, that provide information on scores of lesser known scholarships and how to apply for them. Look for opportunities that have simple applications.Reach out to your school: Talk to the school’s financial aid office for help with scholarships, loans, or work-study programs. The financial aid office is the best resource for figuring out how to pay for college with no savings. Most colleges and universities have specific programs tailored to their students’ needs and most are happy to talk with parents of prospective students. You can always try negotiating with the financial aid office if the first offer you receive isn’t sufficient based on your financial situation. Be prepared with details to lay out why you deserve more such as a sudden job loss.Look for ways to save money or make extra money: Can your student commute from home instead of living on campus? Is it possible to rent textbooks or buy used ones? Can your child become a dorm resident advisor to get a break in living expenses? Here are some recommendations for students on how to make money while in college to help with education finances.Borrow smart: Student loans come in two basic categories — federal and private. According to the College Ave survey, of those families using student loans to borrow plan to borrow on average around $40,000 in total. Again, the FAFSA is key to accessing federal student loans. Federal loans in the student’s name generally have more favorable benefits than private ones, so best to start with those first. If you find you need to borrow more than the federal limit, private loans are an option. Make sure to shop around for the best interest rates and terms; using a student loan calculator is a great place to start.Discuss options with your child: Close to half (45%) of parents surveyed expect their child to help pay for college, and 39% expect their child to find a job while in college. Ask your kid to contribute by applying for a work-study program through the school’s financial aid office. Many, though not all, of these programs are need-based, so again, the FAFSA is your friend. Students can work part-time on campus in various jobs, including at the library, in the dorms or cafeteria or as academic aides, among other occupations, to offset tuition or other costs.Be creative, look for alternative options: Many companies, large and small, offer extensive college financial aid programs. According to collegegrant.net, some employers “provide scholarships, grants, loans, and/or tuition reimbursement programs, tailored for student employees attending colleges and universities.” Many employees are unaware of these benefits, so be sure to check with your employer’s HR office, and if your child is working, have them check with theirs as well, to see what’s available.It’s not impossible to come up with ways to pay for college even if you have no savings. Be diligent in exploring every option, be flexible in considering methods to cut costs, and enlist the help of your soon-to-be college student.About the SurveyThe College Ave survey was conducted by Barnes & Noble College Insights. The national online survey of parents of undergraduate students who attend a 4-year college or university at one of the campuses served by Barnes & Noble College had 1,000 respondents and was fielded in April-May 2025.This story was produced by College Ave and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Plastic Products Company shutting down West Branch facility, 77 workers laid off Plastic Products Company LLC is shutting down its West Branch plant and laying off 77 workers, citing production declines at partner site Whirlpool.
	Rock Island Police seeking missing man The Rock Island Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find a missing man. A post on the department’s Facebook page says they are requesting assistance in finding 64-year-old Nathan McDowell. McDowell was last seen on June 9th and has several health issues. He is 5’ 8”, 200 lbs. and was last seen [...]
	How efficient installation timelines are reshaping property maintenance strategies How efficient installation timelines are reshaping property maintenance strategiesFor institutional landlords and property managers overseeing multi-unit portfolios, maintenance delays are no longer just an operational headache—they are a direct threat to net operating income. While property acquisition promises steady revenue on paper, the operational reality of managing those assets tells a different story.According to the 2025 Resident Experience Management Report by Zego, a Global Payments company, the average cost of a single tenant turnover now sits at approximately $4,000 per unit. Furthermore, data from the 2025 Housepower Report by Hippo indicates that nearly half of property owners spent over $5,000 out-of-pocket on unexpected repairs in 2024 alone. When these expenses collide with inefficient contractor timelines, the financial bleed compounds daily.While the traditional mindset treats maintenance as a necessary evil, modern operators are increasingly prioritizing installation speed and vendor efficiency as core components of asset management. This analysis by Reece Windows & Doors evaluates how shortening maintenance timelines fundamentally reshapes property profitability. Reece Windows & Doors Property Maintenance StrategiesThe type of work required and how quickly it can be completed often depends on the maintenance strategy followed. To better understand why installation timelines matter, it helps to examine the three maintenance strategies most property owners and managers rely on.The ROI of Preventive SchedulingAlso known as the regular checkup strategy, preventive property maintenance is the most common approach. It requires scheduling routine inspections, cleanings, and minor repairs on a fixed timeline to keep equipment running smoothly.This means setting up a calendar for regular tasks, like servicing roof drains before storm season or inspecting the energy efficiency, seals, and weatherstripping of windows during seasonal transitions.It takes a bit of time upfront, but it drastically extends the lifespan of the property's assets and saves the landlord from costly, middle-of-the-night emergency repairs.The High Cost of the Run-to-Failure ModelUnfortunately, many building owners and property managers still rely on a run-to-failure approach to maintenance. In practice, that means ignoring an issue until something completely breaks down and only then rushing to repair it.A lack of preventative maintenance is the reason some tenants spend weeks without hot water in the middle of winter or endure summer heat with a broken AC system that takes far too long to fix.This strategy completely destroys installation timelines, blowing them up from organized routines into chaotic emergencies. Ultimately, reactive maintenance turns a predictable, 48-hour upgrade into a stressful, multi-week operational crisis. It also leaves tenants unhappy, which affects the property's reputation and value.Preventing Emergencies with TechnologyTo reduce emergency repairs to an absolute minimum, operators are turning to technology. It’s true that it requires an upfront investment (smart sensors, tracking tools, and installation labor), but once everything is in place, a landlord’s job becomes easier.The sensors and tracking tools monitor real-time conditions such as temperature, vibrations, and runtime hours. When the data shows a piece of equipment is starting to wear out, it automatically sends a timely alert.Armed with all this accurate information, it’s easy to schedule a quick, efficient installation or repair during normal hours, long before an expensive emergency occurs. The contractors are also more relaxed and can give realistic timelines that are easy to keep.How Installation Timelines Impact Tenant SatisfactionWaiting two weeks for a leaky faucet to be fixed or a drafty window to be repaired can cause friction between property managers and tenants, leading to wasted time, bad reviews, and potentially missed payments.Furthermore, large-scale projects like replacing windows across multiple units can quickly become frustrating when they drag on for weeks longer than expected. While tenants will eventually be happy with the improved energy efficiency and sun protection, they may still be upset over delays and disruptions.Many modern contractors understand this issue and have made it their mission to shorten installation timelines by using more efficient work processes and systems.The Move Toward Proactive Property MaintenanceLong installation timelines, rising labor costs, and unreliable contractors are some of the main reasons many property managers still rely on reactive maintenance. After all, if every repair feels expensive and time-consuming anyway, it’s easy to fall into a “fix it when it breaks” mindset.But that mindset is starting to shift. As more vendors adopt modern tools, streamlined workflows, and faster installation systems, preventive and even predictive maintenance strategies are becoming far more practical and appealing to property owners and managers.The result is less unit downtime, happier tenants, and far more organized property operations. When considering the turnover costs mentioned before, ensuring that maintenance is as burden-free for residents as possible is a matter of financial preservation.A Reciprocal RelationshipInstallation timelines and maintenance strategy are tightly linked, each influencing the other. When timelines are efficient, it becomes much easier to shift into a proactive, predictive approach, where upgrades and repairs are planned and completed before issues turn into failures.On the flip side, a reactive maintenance strategy tends to create the exact opposite conditions. Emergencies pile up, vendor schedules become harder to control, supply chains get stretched, and downtime drags on. The result is a system that feels reactive, fragmented, and far less efficient than it needs to be.This story was produced by Reece Windows & Doors and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	6 tips for choosing quality vitamins and supplements 6 tips for choosing quality vitamins and supplementsOver-the-counter (OTC) supplements seem to be more popular than ever. There are products available for everything from hair growth and sleep problems to improving sexual health. But choosing a quality product can be a daunting task.A dietary supplement is any product that’s intended to supplement (or add to) the nutrients you get from the food you eat. Vitamins are considered supplements. But supplements can also include ingredients other than vitamins.What’s important to know is that these products aren’t regulated the same way as OTC and prescription medications. So knowing how to choose a high-quality supplement is key when it comes to protecting your health. Pharmacists are a great resource when it comes to supplement and vitamin quality assurance. Here are six tips from GoodRx, a platform for medication savings, to help you make an informed choice.Key takeaways:Over-the-counter (OTC) supplements aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration the same way as prescription medications. This may make it hard to choose a quality product, and fraudulent supplements are a growing concern.Look for seals from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or National Sanitation Foundation (NSF); these mean a product has gone through extra testing. Keep an eye out for claims that seem too good to be true and sketchy online retailers.OTC supplements can still have side effects and drug interactions. So it’s best to talk to your healthcare team before starting something new.1. Know the risks of OTC supplementsSupplements and prescription medications aren’t regulated the same way. Prescription medications have to go through quality, safety, and efficacy testing before they’re approved by the FDA.Dietary supplements don’t go through the FDA approval process. Instead, they’re regulated under a set of rules known as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).Under the DSHEA, makers of supplement products are supposed to follow “good manufacturing practices” (GMPs). Manufacturers also aren’t allowed to make health claims about supplements without appropriate evidence to back them up. But they don’t always comply with these regulations.The FDA can take action if a supplement maker makes false claims about their products. But the agency doesn’t have to approve products before they’re sold. So the FDA only gets involved if there’s an issue after supplements come to market.The FDA also doesn’t routinely verify that supplements contain what they claim. Studies show that herbal products don’t always contain the ingredients they’re supposed to and sometimes contain extra ingredients that aren’t on the label. And many products contain fillers or substitutes that could reduce effectiveness.The FDA also doesn't check for contaminants in supplements. So some OTC supplements may contain small amounts of heavy metals, pesticides, or even bacteria.2. Look for third-party testingTo fill in the regulation gap left by the FDA and DSHEA, several independent organizations have created certification standards for supplements. Look for products with one of these certifications to help ensure you’re choosing a high-quality supplement.There are several groups that provide certifications, including:National Sanitation Foundation (NSF): The NSF offers product and ingredient certifications for supplements. A searchable list of NSF-certified supplements can be found on their website.United States Pharmacopeia (USP): The USP Verified Mark means a product has been tested for ingredients and contaminants. The USP also has a list of verified supplements you can access online.Natural Products Association (NPA): An NPA GMP certification is given to supplements adhering to GMPs.Other certifications may look impressive on a label, but may be misleading. These certifications can help you choose a supplement with better-quality ingredients. But they don't guarantee it will actually work for its intended purpose. Nor do they mean that it will be safe for you to take. Examples include:USDA Organic: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) doesn’t certify the safety or amount of ingredients in supplements. It only certifies whether the ingredients came from organically grown sources.Non-GMO: The Non-GMO Project is an organization that verifies whether a product contains any genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are plants, animals, or microorganisms that have been altered by technology.Standardized: A “standardized” designation on the label means that the supplement has a consistent amount of the active ingredient in every batch. But there isn’t an organization that oversees the use of this term or ensures that it’s applied accurately.3. Be wary of big promises and meaningless claimsDietary supplements aren’t meant to treat, prevent, or cure any diseases, making them different from medications. Be wary of “too good to be true” claims or pricing. This may be a marketing tactic to move a product that is nearing expiration or doesn’t meet quality standards.Here are some “warning signs” that could indicate a supplement should be avoided:It claims to cure a disease.It touts personal success stories. While encouraging, these can easily be made up and aren’t the same as clinical evidence.It promises a quick fix, like you’ll “lose 30 pounds in two weeks.”The label includes the phrase “100% pure” or “all natural.”It’s advertised as a miracle solution, a new discovery, or a scientific breakthrough.The label includes the phrase “FDA approved,” “pharmaceutical grade,” or “tested by an FDA-approved laboratory."If you’re concerned that a product may be fraudulent, you can search the FDA’s Health Fraud Product Database to see if it’s already listed there. If you’d like to report a possibly fraudulent product, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Safety Reporting Portal.4. Shop at trusted retailers and use caution when buying supplements onlineThere are different ways to buy supplements — but they aren’t all trustworthy.Some different ways to purchase supplements include:From a healthcare professional: Practitioner brand supplements — sometimes called “medical-grade supplements” — can only be sold by healthcare professionals. In turn, they may get a profit from these sales. But just because you can only get them at a prescriber’s office doesn’t mean the supplements are better (or worse) than other types.From a retail store: Consumer brand supplements are usually sold through the regular retail market in pharmacies, in grocery stores, or online. They’re often available as both brand-name and store-brand products.Online-only: Some OTC supplements may only be available through online retailers. These retailers are often third-party sellers, rather than actual manufacturers. Online-only supplement products have a higher chance of being harmful or fraudulent — meaning counterfeit, expired, or stolen.No matter how you purchase supplements, it’s best to research the brand or manufacturer of the supplements in advance. This can help you look for products with the proper certification and labeling, as we previously reviewed.Your best bet is to buy supplements in person so you can verify expiration dates and look for certification seals. Do your research and buy from reputable manufacturers. Review product labels and company websites to see if they follow GMPs recommended by the FDA. Don’t forget you can always ask your pharmacist for help.5. Know what to look for on supplement labelsA supplement’s label is often your best source of information about whether it’s a quality product. First, look for a USP, NSF, or other third-party certification seal. Then, make sure the label also contains the following items:Product nameA statement that says “dietary supplement”Name and location of the manufacturerA “Supplement Facts” panel that lists the names and quantities of all active ingredients, serving size, and number of servings per containerAn ingredients statement that lists all inactive ingredientsAn address or phone number to report serious side effectsIf any of the above information is missing, you should avoid the product.There may be other information on the label to consider, such as whether the product is gluten-free or vegan. Reading the label closely can help you decide if the product is right for you.If you’re having trouble reading the label yourself, the Office of Dietary Supplements offers a free Dietary Supplement Database. You can view the product label there and get information about what’s inside the supplement.Good to know: Products with proprietary blends are only required to list the active ingredients included in the blend — not how much of each ingredient is included. This helps protect the manufacturer from having its formula copied. But it can also make it difficult to know exactly what you’re taking. So you should use caution when purchasing products containing proprietary blends.6. Talk to your prescriber or pharmacist before starting a new vitamin or supplementMost people don’t need to take daily vitamin supplements, especially if they eat a balanced diet. That being said, certain factors can raise your risk of low vitamin and mineral levels. This includes:Eating a vegetarian, vegan, or other restrictive dietBeing pregnantConsuming large amounts of alcoholHaving inflammatory bowel diseaseTaking certain medicationsThe best way to know if you have low levels of essential nutrients is to talk to a healthcare professional. They can run blood tests to check for any deficiencies and recommend any vitamins you may need.When it comes to other types of supplements, remember that “natural” doesn't mean better, safer, or healthier. Just like prescription medications, OTC supplements can have side effects and drug interactions. So it’s best to talk to a pharmacist or your prescriber to make sure a supplement is safe for you before you take it.Good to know: Taking extra vitamins may not seem like a big deal, but some vitamins can harm your health if you take too much. So it’s best to only take them if your prescriber recommends it.Frequently asked questionsWhat is the best multivitamin for perimenopause?There aren’t any vitamins that are specifically recommended during perimenopause. But it’s a good idea to have your primary care provider or gynecologist check your baseline vitamin levels. This can provide guidance as to what vitamins (if any) may help support your overall health and well-being.Supplements that may help with perimenopause symptoms include L-theanine, pollen extract, and Asian ginseng. But it’s best to check with your healthcare team to make sure these are safe options for you before trying any.Can supplements interfere with antidepressants?Yes, some supplements can interact or interfere with antidepressant medications. St. John’s wort is a common example. This is why it’s always a good idea to check with your pharmacist or prescriber before adding any OTC vitamins or supplements to your routine.What is the best supplement for neuropathy?If you have low levels of vitamin B12, vitamin D, or magnesium, taking a supplement version may help improve neuropathy symptoms. Other supplements that may help with neuropathy include alpha-lipoic acid and benfotiamine. But be sure to get an OK from your healthcare team before adding any vitamins or supplements to your regimen.The bottom lineIf you’re looking for high-quality vitamins or supplements, become an informed consumer. Doing a little bit of research on the products you’re considering before you buy them can go a long way to protecting your safety.OTC supplements aren’t approved by the FDA. But seals from independent companies, such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), show that a supplement has met higher testing and quality standards. Be sure to read supplement labels to find out exactly what you’re getting from each dose of medication. And keep an eye out for claims that seem too good to be true.Keep in mind that OTC supplements can still have side effects and drug interactions. So it’s a good idea to talk to your healthcare team before trying something new.This story was produced by GoodRx and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Henry County Sheriff’s Office installs free life-saving Narcan dispenser in lobby The Henry County Sheriff's Office in Mount Pleasant installs a free, public naloxone dispenser to help combat opioid overdoses and save local lives.
	What industrial maintenance leaders should prioritize in 2026 What industrial maintenance leaders should prioritize in 2026MaintainX recently asked 2,234 maintenance and operations leaders to share the changes and challenges they’re coming up against in 2026.Some of the highlights from the survey include:79% of teams saw unplanned downtime stay the same or increase. The cost of downtime is also rising, so every failure matters more.The labor shortage and skills gaps ranked among the top five challenges for maintenance leaders.Despite greater adoption of preventive strategies, half of maintenance teams still spend less than 40% of their time on planned maintenance work.While many of these problems aren’t new, the pressure to find fixes for them has intensified. But where should maintenance leaders start when everything feels urgent?MaintainX outlined a few habits for maintenance leaders to leave behind to strengthen their maintenance strategy, and where to focus instead.Don’t: Watch expertise walk out the doorDo: Make knowledge capture a priorityEvery maintenance department has veteran technicians who know the ins-and-outs of every machine on the line. If their knowledge is stored in their heads, on paper, in spreadsheets, or scattered across disconnected tools and inboxes, it tends to disappear instead of spreading to others.That’s how a single retirement or extended absence can set a plant back months. When the team loses this hard-earned expertise, the same failures repeat while new technicians relearn lessons the hard way.The fix many companies miss is treating knowledge capture like any other critical job and building it into the maintenance team’s day-to-day processes.You can avoid accumulating “knowledge capture debt” by:Standardizing work orders, failure codes, asset histories, and photos in one system your technicians can use in the field.Making “document as you go” the default requirement for every repair and inspection. Over time, this creates reliable data that strengthens your planning and training.AI can accelerate the process of turning a senior technician’s knowledge into shared expertise. The technology can pull from equipment manuals, completed work orders, and repair notes to create procedures and tie knowledge to the right assets.This way, when senior technicians retire, their judgement stays in the workflow as a searchable resource. This means newer team members can quickly get up to speed without having to make sense of hard-to-navigate manuals or incomplete notes from their predecessors.Don’t: Look at maintenance advancements as a costDo: Reframe maintenance as a competitive differentiatorMany companies still treat maintenance as an expense to minimize. That’s part of why so many teams can plan on implementing proactive approaches and still spend less than half their time on planned preventive work. While the strategy exists, the conditions to apply it (like budget, training, and time on machines) often don’t.The fastest way to change how maintenance is prioritized in the organization is to reframe maintenance improvements as a lever for profitability through better throughput and quality.Maintenance leaders can do this by advocating to add reliability to the company’s operating goals and consistently sharing key performance indicators and updates with leaders across the organization.When maintenance is visible and measured in business terms, it earns the executive sponsorship teams need to protect their preventive maintenance schedules and move from reactive firefighting to sustained reliability improvement.Don’t: Assume advanced maintenance automatically translates into less firefightingDo: Turn machine signals into maintenance work, and maintenance work into operational insightEspecially if you’ve already invested in advanced maintenance technologies, your greatest reliability gains may come not from adding more tools to collect data, but from making sure the data you’re already collecting is reaching the right people.Teams are adopting usage-based maintenance, condition-based maintenance, and real-time monitoring at higher rates than ever. Yet most technicians still spend most of their time on unplanned work.One reason for this is that real-time asset health data often stays trapped in programmable logic controllers, supervisory control and data acquisition, and other operational technology systems, disconnected from the systems where teams actually plan work. This means teams don’t have a simple way to see what’s wrong, work often doesn’t get scheduled, and proactive tasks get crowded out.The first fix for this problem is to connect asset signals to your computerized maintenance management system, where your team already spends their time.And the benefits shouldn’t stop with technicians. When machine monitoring and your team’s work live in one connected system, the signals become immediately usable across the organization. Operations and engineering can see how asset issues are getting resolved, and maintenance leaders can see which failure patterns are repeating and where preventive strategies can be refined. Accessible data fuels a feedback loop that can improve planning and reliability.Over time, advanced strategies stop being aspirational and start showing up as fewer emergencies, fewer repeat failures, and more hours spent on work that prevents downtime.This story was produced by MaintainX and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	National rent increases for fourth consecutive month but are down year over year National rent increases for fourth consecutive month but are down year over yearThe national median rent ticked up by 0.5% in May, increasing for the fourth consecutive month. We are now entering the time of year when the bulk of moves take place, and as such, we’ll likely see continued price increases through the summer, in line with typical seasonal patterns. Prices generally increase in the spring and summer when most moves take place, and then soften in the fall and winter as moving activity slows. Apartment List The broad contours of this seasonal pattern have been largely stable, but in recent years, Apartment List reports, there have been sharper winter dips and more modest summer bumps as the market has gone through a soft spell amid a wave of new multifamily construction. As a result, full-year rent growth has been negative for each of the past three years. Currently, the national median rent is 1.5% cheaper than it was one year ago. This year-over-year rent growth figure ticked up slightly from -1.6% last month but remains near the lowest levels seen in Apartment List estimates, going back to 2017. But even a modest uptick marks a notable change in trend, as year-over-year rent growth had been gradually sinking further negative amid a backdrop of macroeconomic uncertainty.The national median rent increased by 0.5% in May, and it now stands at $1,379. This marks the fourth straight monthly increase, as the market enters the busy summer moving season.Rent prices nationally are down 1.5% compared to one year ago. Year-over-year rent growth ticked up slightly compared to last month but remains near the lowest levels in these estimates going back to 2017. The national median rent has now fallen from its 2022 peak by a total of 4.4%.The national multifamily vacancy rate currently stands at 7.2%, down slightly from the February peak. After hitting a new record in February, the vacancy rate is now decreasing for the first time in over four years.Units are taking an average of 30 days to get leased after being listed, which is down from 34 days last month, but still two days longer than at this time last year.The Austin, Texas, metro continues to have the softest conditions among the nation’s large rental markets, with the median rent there down by 5.1% over the past year. At the other end of the spectrum, the San Francisco metro now sits atop the rankings of fastest year-over-year rent growth at 6.3%. Apartment List In dollar terms, the national median monthly rent now stands at $1,379, down $20 compared to May 2025. Prices peaked in mid-2022 after a year and a half of skyrocketing growth. Since then, the nationwide median rent has been gradually drifting down and has fallen from that peak by a total of 4.4%, or $63 per month. Despite the pullback in prices, today’s rent levels remain 20% higher than they were at the start of 2021. Apartment List Multifamily vacancy ticks down to 7.2%, first decline since 2021The most important driver behind the soft market conditions that have persisted for over three years is a historic surge of multifamily construction. The construction boom peaked in 2024, when we saw over 600,000 new multifamily units hit the market, the most new supply in a single year since 1986. Since then, deliveries of new apartments have slowed considerably, while still remaining robust by historic standards. And even on the downslope of the boom, the market has been struggling to absorb the swell of new inventory. Apartment List Apartment List’s national vacancy index — which measures the average vacancy rate of stabilized properties in its marketplace — hit a peak of 7.3% in February, marking the highest level since at least 2017, which is when Apartment List started tracking occupancy. Since then however, the vacancy rate has ticked back down to 7.2%, the first decline in Apartment List’s national vacancy index since late 2021. In the four-plus years since, the vacancy rate has consistently loosened, gradually moving from record lows to record highs, but it appears to have finally hit its peak.That said, the recent decline has been modest, and the vacancy rate remains elevated above its long-run average. And with mixed news on the labor market combined with renewed inflation concerns, there is reason to think that demand could be sluggish this summer. It’s possible that the vacancy rate will simply plateau at this elevated rate, rather than continuing to decline in a meaningful way.List-to-Lease time remains elevated at 30 daysAs more vacant units have come onto the market, those units have also been sitting vacant for longer. Apartment List’s “time on market” index tells how long it takes for units to get leased after they are first listed on the platform. This “list-to-lease” time is a highly seasonal measure, and it ticked down this month, with units turning over more quickly as moving activity picked up. Units leased in May had been sitting on the market for an average of 30 days, down from 34 days last month. Apartment List Despite the month-over-month decline, list-to-lease time remains somewhat elevated. This month’s reading is the longest seen in any May going back to 2019 when the tracking begins (January’s 41 days set the overall record). Units are taking two days longer to turn over than at this time last year, and twelve days longer than they were in mid-2021 when the market was at its hottest. This lengthened list-to-lease time is in line with the generally cool rental market conditions observed in other key market indicators (e.g., negative rent growth and soft occupancy).Rent declines are mostly concentrated in Sun Belt marketsThere are 56 large metropolitan areas across the country that have a population over 1 million. In May, rents increased month-over-month in 54 of these markets, but rents remain down year-over-year in 33 of them. Rent trends vary significantly by region, with annual declines currently concentrated primarily in the South and Mountain West regions. Meanwhile, many markets in the Northeast, Midwest, and parts of the West Coast continue to see prices trend up. Apartment List Austin has seen the nation’s sharpest decline among large metros — the metro-wide median rent there has fallen 5.1% in the last 12 months and is down more than 20% from its 2022 peak. The Austin metro is also significant for permitting new homes at the fastest pace of any large metro in the country, indicating the impact of new supply on softening rents. Austin is not alone in exhibiting this trend; among the 10 metros with the sharpest year-over-year rent declines, many also rank among the highest in terms of multifamily permits (e.g., San Antonio, Denver, Phoenix, Tampa, and Nashville). Notably almost all of these markets are located in the Sun Belt.At the other end of the spectrum, the two Bay Area metros — San Francisco and San Jose — are currently logging the nation’s fastest year-over-year rent growth at 6.3% and 5.4%, respectively, as the AI boom has created a wave of high-paying tech jobs there. A number of Midwest markets (e.g., Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Cleveland) have also been maintaining steady positive rent growth amid soft national conditions, with the region’s relative affordability propping up demand.ConclusionAs the rental market enters its busy summer leasing season, there are some early signs that the tide may be turning on the soft conditions that have defined the market over the past three-plus years. Year-over-year rent growth ticked up slightly, the vacancy rate ticked down, and list-to-lease times have gotten shorter. But despite the modest tightening over the past two months, multifamily conditions remain notably cool overall, and an uncertain macroeconomic outlook presents risks to rental demand. The coming months will provide more clarity on whether the market is simply plateauing or actually turning the corner to tighter conditions.Complete Data and MethodologyAll of the underlying data presented in this report is freely available on Apartment List’s rental data download page, where you can find the full monthly history of rent estimates, vacancy index, and time on market index at various geographic levels (national, state, metro, county, and city).This story was produced by Apartment List and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Morrison-Rockwood State Park closing for lake treatment Morrison-Rockwood State Park in Whiteside County will close to the public on June 23-24 while staff members apply aquatic herbicide treatment at Carlton Lake. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says the treatment will eliminate invasive vegetation and improve water recreation for anglers, boaters and kayakers. Removing invasive species improves fish habitats and increases [...]
	Data shows a costly communication gap between security teams and the C-suite Data shows a costly communication gap between security teams and the C-suiteSecurity leaders often face challenges that extend beyond the firewall: a major gap in communication between the security function and executive leadership. This misalignment can have severe consequences, including stalling deals, increasing organizational risk, and preventing security from being recognized as a key driver of business growth.To better understand this disconnect, a new survey from agentic trust platform Vanta reveals how security professionals view their communication challenges, which security metrics matter most to the C-suite, and how often executives truly factor security trends into critical business decisions. The survey collected responses from 600 business decision-makers in the United States in September 2025.Below, Vanta shares key insights from the survey data and expert perspectives on improving business communication.Key takeawaysSecurity drives decisions: Eighty-seven percent of respondents say security insights always or often guide executive strategy, influencing budgeting, partnerships, and risk management.Alignment gaps remain: Executives and security teams share priorities, but differences in framing make security seem like a cost center.Misalignment impacts deals: Over half (54%) report lost or delayed deals due to security-sales gaps.ROI and communication challenges: Nearly a third (30%) see security as a cost center, with inconsistent reporting limiting perceived value.Security insights influence nearly all (87%) business decisionsOur survey reveals that security indicators and insights play a critical role in executive decision-making, with 87% of respondents reporting that these insights “always” or “often” influence business decisions.These indicators, such as incident prevention metrics, compliance achievements, and operational resilience data, are more than technical health checks. They directly influence executive decisions, guiding strategic choices around budgeting, partnerships, product launches, and risk management. Security isn’t operating on the sidelines; it’s helping define the direction of the business.But as the following findings reveal, this influence may not always translate into shared understanding. While executives rely on security policies and insights to steer key decisions, many still struggle to interpret the data’s full business implications—a disconnect that limits security’s potential as a growth driver. Vanta C-suite and security teams are nearly perfectly aligned, in theoryAt first glance, security leaders and executives appear closely aligned. Most security leaders said avoiding security incidents is their most valuable initiative, both in their own view (35%) and in what they believe executives value most (39%). Operational continuity and customer trust followed, showing shared priorities around resilience and reputation.Yet alignment in theory does not always translate in practice.“The biggest disconnect between security leaders and executives is language,” said Jadee Hanson, chief information security officer at Vanta. “Security leaders speak in technical risks, while executives focus on business impact. When we translate threats into outcomes like revenue, trust, and resilience, security becomes a strategic driver instead of just a cost.”While both sides agree on priorities, differences in framing create a language gap. Executives emphasize measurable business outcomes like revenue and brand perception, while security teams focus on risk reduction and operational resilience. This gap can limit how well alignment is realized in practice, even when priorities appear closely matched. Vanta A majority of companies suffer lost deals due to security and sales misalignmentOver half of survey respondents (54%) reported that misalignment between security and sales has led to lost deals or delayed sales cycles at their company. Including those who haven’t experienced it yet but expect to, the true impact could affect nearly three-quarters of companies.This disconnect directly affects revenue and deal velocity. When security is seen as a challenge, sales cycles slow, opportunities are lost, and potential customers may walk away. Enterprise deals often stall when compliance requirements aren’t clearly communicated or when security policies are introduced late in the sales process.Security teams can prevent lost deals by engaging early with sales and translating compliance and risk requirements into clear business outcomes. Framing security as an enabler rather than a blocker helps accelerate the sales cycle. Practical steps include aligning documentation for prospects and clarifying regulatory requirements upfront.Nearly one-third say security is viewed as a cost, not a catalystNearly a third of respondents (30%) still see security as an operational expense rather than a growth driver, limiting how its value is perceived across the business. This perception is reinforced by inconsistent ROI reporting and a lack of standardized metrics—1 in 4 cited these gaps as a major communication challenge.Key findings highlight how this plays out internally:Twenty-six percent cite the lack of standardized metrics as a barrier to proving ROI.Thirty-seven percent say executives most value insights tied to financial risk reduction.Forty-two percent report that cost is the security metric that gets the most executive attention.Over 2 in 5 (42%) wish executives were more educated on the value of security and today’s risk landscape.This isn’t a failure of security; it’s a failure to communicate impact consistently. Security teams can reframe value by tracking business-aligned metrics, standardizing reporting, and linking security outcomes to revenue protection, risk reduction, and operational resilience. By telling the story in business terms, security shifts from being seen as a cost to being recognized as an advantage. Vanta Compliance confidence is high, 90% reportSecurity and IT professionals are generally confident that their leadership understands regulatory and security compliance requirements needed to close enterprise deals. Almost half (45%) are very confident that executives fully grasp these requirements, while 46% are somewhat confident, meaning leadership understands the basics but may lack detailed knowledge.While overall confidence is high, communicating the relevance of security metrics in terms of business impact remains important.Why security communication often breaks downSeveral common barriers, as reinforced by our survey results, can hinder effective security communication:Technical jargon (21%): Security metrics and risk assessments can be difficult for executives to interpret.Lack of standardized reporting (26%): Without consistent ways to measure impact, demonstrating ROI is challenging.Competing business priorities (17%): Security insights may receive less attention when executives focus on other initiatives.These challenges persist because security teams and business leaders often operate with different perspectives. Standardized reporting and compliance management software can help—providing consistent ways to demonstrate ROI.Tips to improve communication between executives and security teamsImproving communication across the board is the foundation of progress for any company. Several tips include:Simplify technical language: Translate complex security metrics into terms executives can understand. For example, instead of reporting a “42% reduction in phishing click rate,” frame it as “Employee awareness training reduced our risk of credential theft nearly by half.”Tie security metrics to business outcomes: Show how security impacts revenue, customer trust, and operational continuity.Standardize reporting: Use consistent formats to clearly demonstrate ROI and impact.Involve executives early in planning cycles: Align security team priorities with C-suite priorities from the start.Connect security compliance solutions to revenue opportunities: Show how meeting regulatory requirements supports deals and business growth.Provide visibility into controls and risk posture: Top GRC platforms that centralize compliance and risk data can help communicate security’s impact and aid trust management with leadership.These tips can help shift the perception of security from a solely operational function to a strategic enabler.From compliance to confidence: Mastering security communicationClear security communication turns compliance into business value. By connecting metrics to outcomes, standardizing reporting, and using dashboards to show impact, teams can build executive confidence and generate security wins across the organization.MethodologyIn September 2025, quantitative research conducted by Centiment was commissioned by Vanta to explore the communication gap between security teams and executives. The goal was to better understand how well U.S.-based business decision-makers perceive, engage with, and act on security-related information from their security teams. The survey was co-designed by Vanta and Siege Media and collected responses from 600 business decision-makers in the United States. Data is unweighted, and the margin of error is approximately plus/minus 4% for the overall sample with a 95% confidence level.This story was produced by Vanta and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Why temperature plays a powerful role in sleep, and how cooling solutions can help Why temperature plays a powerful role in sleep, and how cooling solutions can helpFrom gel foam to breathable fabrics, temperature-regulating toppers are helping hot sleepers stay comfortable without investing in a new mattress.When people think about why they slept badly, they often focus on stress, a racing mind, or that extra cup of coffee too late in the day. Fewer consider that the problem may be physical until they wake up at 2 a.m., overheated with no clear explanation.Research compiled by AARP estimates that 75% to 80% of midlife women experience hot flashes, many of them during the night, while studies show roughly 41% of adults, many in their 40s to mid-50s, regularly deal with night sweats. A Gallup survey also found that 57% of U.S. adults report being too hot while sleeping at least occasionally.As interest in cooler, more comfortable beds grows, sleep-focused companies have joined the broader conversation around practical bedding changes for real homes, rentals, dorms, and budgets, raising a larger question about why temperature plays such a powerful role in sleep.Below, Sleepyhead looks at how temperature affects your body’s ability to sleep and the practical cooling tweaks that can make an existing bed more comfortable.Why Temperature Has Become a Top Sleep ConcernHotter nights have turned temperature into one of the most stubborn obstacles standing between people and a full night of rest, especially as bedrooms hold heat in ways many sleepers cannot easily control.Warmer climates, dense urban areas, and heat-retaining materials such as memory foam can all make the bed feel less forgiving once the body is trying to cool down. Sleep researchers have spent years studying that cooling process, and many studies point to the same problem.The brain and body prepare for sleep by lowering core temperature, but excess heat can interrupt that process and pull people out of deeper stages of rest before they fully register what woke them.A Gallup survey found that 22% of adults identified being too hot as a primary cause of their most recent poor night’s sleep, placing heat behind only physical discomfort and trips to the bathroom. Researchers have also linked warmer nighttime temperatures to shorter sleep duration and more time spent awake after falling asleep.The Shift Toward ‘Cooling Fixes’ Instead of New MattressesNobody wants to throw out a mattress that is otherwise doing its job. Some premium mattresses can cost thousands of dollars, and most people expect them to last close to a decade, which makes replacing one over a heat problem feel like a steep decision.The Sleep Foundation notes that for sleepers who are not ready to replace a hot mattress, a cooling topper is often the most practical fix available. Toppers rest on an existing mattress and use materials like gel-infused foam or copper to draw heat away from the body through the night.Sarah Silverman, a licensed psychologist and sleep wellness consultant cited by the Sleep Foundation, recommends that hot sleepers prioritize "breathable materials" to help the body regulate temperature overnight.For college students, the same idea applies on a smaller scale. Dorm mattresses are rarely chosen for personal comfort, and students often have limited control over their room temperature or furniture. A cooling topper offers a way to make a standard-issue bed feel more customized without replacing anything they do not own.Real-World Use Cases: How People Are Solving OverheatingHot sleepers have been fixing the problem by adding a layer rather than swapping out the whole bed. Someone waking multiple times a night, drenched in sweat, may find that a cooling topper on an otherwise good mattress brings the night back into balance. Couples, on the other hand, often face a different version of the same problem, with one partner sleeping warm while the other runs cold.Emory University sleep epidemiologist Dr. Dayna Johnson told the American Heart Association that comfort varies by person and that it is “better to think about what is comfortable for you.” A topper on one side of the bed can give each partner more control without requiring a new mattress or turning the thermostat into a nightly argument.People in warmer climates are also adjusting their beds with the seasons, adding a cooling layer during hotter months and storing it when temperatures drop.What Makes a Mattress Topper ‘Cooling’?Cooling toppers are built around a handful of materials, each one designed to tackle the heat problem from a different angle. Gel-infused foam absorbs body heat and disperses it outward rather than letting it pool beneath the sleeper. Latex is naturally breathable, allowing air to circulate through the material and preventing heat from building up.Copper and graphite are added to some foams specifically for their ability to pull warmth away from the body quickly. And the outer cover matters too, with moisture-wicking fabrics drawing sweat away from the skin so the body can stay cool naturally.The Sleep Foundation notes that the right combination of these materials determines how well a topper manages temperature through the night. The goal is not to turn a bed cold, but to make the surface less likely to hold onto heat.Why These Small Changes Can Have a Big ImpactA small change to the bed can alter the night because temperature is tied so closely to how the body prepares for sleep. Psychology Today reported on research suggesting that adjusting the overnight temperature could lead to more than 20 minutes of additional sleep per night.Once the bed holds less heat, the sleeper has less working against them before and after they fall asleep, and the night stops being interrupted by the restless moments that rising heat tends to cause.Unlike most approaches to better sleep, which require changes across multiple habits at once, adjusting the sleep surface is a single change that can affect comfort, sleep onset, and overnight wake-ups.Dr. Heather Hirsch, an internal medicine physician cited by AARP, noted that "you don't need your bedroom to be cold, but you need it to be cool enough to allow your body to cool itself." Reaching that level of comfort, for most hot sleepers, may come down to adding the right layer on top of the mattress.The Role of Sleep Optimization in Wellness CultureSleep has moved well past the simple advice of getting eight hours. More people now treat rest as seriously as nutrition and exercise, recognizing that how well they sleep shapes everything from daily focus to long-term health.A 2024 study, reported by Yahoo, found that adults who kept consistent sleep schedules had up to a 48% lower risk of death compared to those with irregular patterns, even when total sleep time was the same.The bedroom itself has become a space people actively design, with lighting, noise, and temperature now treated as specific variables to adjust rather than background conditions to accept. Cooling solutions sit squarely within that mindset, offering one of the more targeted ways to bring a sleep environment closer to what the body needs to rest well.What This Trend Signals for the Future of Sleep ProductsSleep products are headed in the same direction consumers have been pointing them, toward more personal control over the conditions that shape a night of rest.Future Market Insights projects the mattress topper category will grow from roughly $1.9 billion in 2025 to $3.39 billion by 2036, with consumers seeking temperature-regulating materials and other flexible add-on solutions.Nicole Slinger, vice president of product marketing at Ergomotion, told BedTimes Magazine that today's consumers simply “want real fixes,” and manufacturers are responding by making temperature control a foundational part of product design.Beds are becoming more adaptable as a result, with sleep setups that can be customized to individual bodies and adjusted as needs and seasons change. Cooling is the common thread running through all of it, and how well a product manages heat has become one of the first questions manufacturers now answer.A Cooler Approach to Better SleepOverheating during sleep is one of the most common disruptions people face at night, and for many sleepers, it is a problem with a practical fix. Sara Mednick, a sleep neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, told NPR that “we all know what it means to have a bad night of sleep,” and the fix does not have to be complicated or expensive.People are paying closer attention to what shapes their sleep, and temperature has become one of the variables they are no longer willing to leave unaddressed. Achieving a cooler night, for many people, may require less than they expected.This story was produced by Sleepyhead and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Jackson County seeks protections ahead of potential data center Jackson County zoning officials met with residents to discuss a potential data center ordinance, addressing quality of life and resource protection.
	Plan your next car purchase like a pro Plan your next car purchase like a pro The best time to buy a car isn’t necessarily based on seasonal trends, tax credits, or shifts in customer behavior. No, according to auto experts, the best time to buy a car is before it becomes urgent.That’s because so much of the process comes down to personal preferences and doing the necessary research prior to negotiating with dealers.“It’s just a reality that buying when you absolutely have to can limit your ability to get a good deal,” said Robert Lyles, Retail Auto relationship management director, East Market, for Wells Fargo Auto. “Doing your research, knowing what you’re looking for, and understanding how much you can afford will give you a leg up when it’s time to negotiate.”So how do you know when you’re ready? Wells Fargo breaks down the factors — and steps — that can help you decide the best time to make your move.Key takeawaysThe best time to buy a car is before you urgently need one, giving you more control and flexibility in negotiations.A clear understanding of personal finances is critical when purchasing your next car.Staying informed about market conditions, promotions, and vehicle features helps buyers avoid surprises and make confident decisions.Artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the old rules of car buying for buyers and sellers.Seasonal shifts in demand can open the door to additional savings.Understand your financesWhen it comes to large purchases like cars and homes, having a deep understanding of your financial situation is a necessity.“The moment you start thinking about buying a new car, that’s when you need to start going over your personal budget and seeing how much you can afford,” said Mike Meganck, Retail Auto relationship management director, West Market, for Wells Fargo Auto. “Buying a vehicle is an exciting experience, but it can also be overwhelming. Start with the basics: what you can afford, how you plan to use the vehicle, what size you need, gas mileage.”Once you have a budget you’re comfortable with, including additional costs like maintenance, insurance, registration tags, and taxes, familiarize yourself with key financing terms:Interest rate: Confirm the annual percentage rate (APR) of your loan. Determine whether the loan has a fixed rate, where the monthly payments and rate remain the same, or an adjustable rate, where monthly payments and rates can change. Your interest rate and monthly payments will depend on several factors, including your credit score, income, and vehicle preference. Interest rates on new vehicles are often lower than rates for used vehicles.Total amount financed: Be sure the amount on your loan documents is the same as what you asked for. Consider local taxes when determining the total dollar amount to be financed. Check your county and state website for more information on local taxes.Monthly payment amount: Make sure your monthly payments can be maintained within your budget.Prepayment penalties: Find out if you can pay off your loan early without incurring a penalty. If you can’t, find out the cost of early repayment.Aftermarket products and services: Credit insurance and other products and services may be financed with the purchase of the car. Consider whether you want these items, and if not, advise the dealer that you do not want to purchase them.Length of your loan: Car loans generally range from 36 to 84 months. Longer terms can lower your monthly payments but could cost you more over the life of the loan.Use an online payment calculator to help understand how much you can afford.Analyze industry trendsA November 2025 Edmunds report said car shoppers are facing increased prices with used cars selling at their slowest rate since 2017. Kelly Blue Book reported in September 2025 that the average transaction price for a new vehicle topped $50,000 for the first time, a 3.6% increase year over year.“New car prices are at some of their highest levels in the last decade,” said Meganck. “The industry typically wasn’t doing 84-month financing, but it’s just a reality of where things are now. The advice used to be ‘keep your term as short as possible so you don’t have negative equity in your vehicle,’ but that’s hard for most people right now because of the prices.”“If you’re someone who keeps your vehicles for an extended period of time, it’s important to understand what’s happening in the new‑car market and how that ties into the monthly budget you’ve already created,” Lyles said. “Leasing may be a viable option for those who like to change cars every two to three years. Your buying habits along with your monthly budget can help determine whether leasing or buying makes sense.”Most people buy used cars rather than new ones, and the used car market depends heavily on lease returns.“The industry is facing what some call a resetting or reckoning,” Lyles said. “A large share of people with expiring leases would typically go into a new lease or retail new purchase, but most customers are expected to buy out their leases because of affordability concerns.”To help you stay within your budget:Explore promotions and manufacturer incentives: Ask about current and future promotions and offers that may lower the price of the vehicle you’re interested in.Make sure you fully understand the offer: Check the details and the fine print before committing to anything. Pay close attention to what is included in your loan and ask questions if you are unclear when finance personnel at the dealership review the contract with you at the time of closing.Know your credit score: Your credit score matters because it may impact your interest rate, term, and credit limit. The higher your credit score, the more you may be able to borrow and the lower the interest rate you could receive.Shop around for rates: Your credit score matters, but it doesn’t mean you’ll get the same rate at every financial institution or bank. Shop around to find the best offer for you.A seasonal guide to purchasingThe old rules of car buying, like rushing to dealerships at month’s end, are fading fast. In their place are algorithms, smart sites, and dynamic pricing. How can consumers stay ahead of the game?“Seasonal strategies are still viable,” Lyles said, “if you know where and when to look.”Spring is typically not a great time to get a deal.“After receiving their tax refunds, a lot of people go car shopping,” said Meganck. “While that extra cash helps with down payments, it also drives up demand and prices on used cars. It’s a tough time and a tough market for buyers. If you’re thinking about purchasing a vehicle for a high school or college graduate, you might be able to find a better deal by waiting until the fall.”Summer brings relief for buyers who are looking at vehicles with four-wheel drive, as demand for them typically dips during warmer months, and prices often follow.Fall delivers some of the year’s best opportunities.“For the most part, vehicle manufacturers know how many units they’re going to sell in the upcoming year,” Meganck said. “By December, vehicle manufacturers need to start clearing previous year’s models, which means there’s going to be some really good deals available.”Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, accelerates this trend, with dealers moving used inventory off lots while new models dominate promotions.Understand these patterns, but don’t let them override your personal readiness to buy.Research, research, researchBuying cars today is much different than it was 10, or even five, years ago. Artificial intelligence, coupled with consumers who are more informed than ever, has limited the amount of negotiating and haggling that typically takes place at car dealerships across the country.“Per dealer research, the average consumer visits 11 websites to gain more information on a vehicle they’re interested in,” Lyles said. “It’s not surprising to get customers at the dealership who are as up to speed on the features, options, and technologies in vehicles as the people selling them.”With market uncertainty caused by a variety of global factors, that number is likely to increase.“There’s consistent messaging from economists around economic uncertainty,” Meganck said. “It’s been the reality for the last two years now. There was anticipation that the Federal Reserve would reduce interest rates, which would have an impact on the market. But right now, it’s hard to predict anything in the near term.”According to Wells Fargo’s 2026 Money Study, 16% of consumers said they will be buying a new car this year. Another 15% would like to but said it’s too costly. One option buyers may want to consider is used vehicles no more than a few years old.“Used car prices are going up, and we’re seeing that across the market,” Meganck said. “That trend has been steady so far this year, and we expect it to continue through tax season.”Lyles said, “Despite rising costs on used cars, there will be deals to be found. New doesn’t always mean better. A well-maintained one- to three-year-old vehicle can provide excellent value and reliability while keeping you within budget.”Give yourself time to evaluate your options: Spend time at the dealership examining the vehicles you are interested in that are within your budget. Consider all available options, and try to avoid making a quick decision.Test drive the vehicles you’re interested in: If possible, drive the vehicle in different environments to see how it performs and whether you feel comfortable behind the wheel.Use services like Carfax to examine the vehicle’s history: If you’re purchasing a previously owned vehicle, find the car’s service records, number of previous owners, and whether it has been in an accident.Research warranties: Manufacturers offer standard warranties for a set amount of time that are transferable, and buyers should consider vehicle reliability and average repair costs in order to determine if an extended warranty is beneficial or to ensure that you aren’t paying for overlapping coverage.Be informed about deals: Before heading to the lot, find out the best car deals and available incentives.“When you head to the dealership, the hard work should be done,” said Lyles. “You should know what kind of features and equipment you need. That helps you land on other things like the size of the engine you need, towing capacity, and infotainment options.”With all these factors to consider, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most.“The best car deal is one where you leave the dealership happy,” Meganck said. “Do your research, understand what you can afford, and you have a great chance of having a pleasant car-buying experience.”This story was produced by Wells Fargo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Building muscle strength without going to the gym Building muscle strength without going to the gymSometimes life gets in the way of maximizing a workout routine. Whether it’s time, money, energy, or obligations, it can be difficult to get to a gym several times a week to build muscle. Lean muscle mass is a vital part of our body, helping with cardiac and metabolic health, and increasing endorphins to help balance cortisol-stress responses. As cortisol decreases, it sets off a cyclical process tied to insulin resistance, metabolic health complications, obesity, and weight gain. Exercise can help keep that cycle at bay, but sometimes going to a gym or exercise class isn’t possible. But exercising at home can be a great option for a cardiac workout and to build lean muscle mass.Northwell Health shares hacks to build muscle and release stress at home without splurging on a gym membership or personal trainer.Using home and daily tasksStretching can help loosen muscles and relieve tension, and costly equipment isn’t necessary; you can do it at home. Modified pushups can be done from a table, and modified tricep dips from a chair. Wall or V “sits” engage core muscles and help build and maintain muscle mass. That’s the burning and “shredding” we feel when we hold a position for extended periods, which can start with a few seconds and then increase over time. Daily tasks like brushing teeth or preparing school lunches can be an opportunity to march in place or do squats. Planks only require a floor. It’s effective to hold a plank for one minute before releasing the muscles and relaxing for one minute. Doing that three times in a row strengthens and tones core muscles. Don’t forget TikTok exercise challenges, which can be a fun and effective way to add cardio to your routine.Stairs and StepsHere’s an easy win: When leaving home by car, park as far away as possible to get in more steps. Make a conscious effort to walk up and down stairs a couple of extra times at home or take an extra lap around a store if there’s time. It’s important to seek medical counsel when someone feels winded going up and down stairs; it may indicate deconditioning, but it can also be an underlying medical problem. In addition to steps, chairs and step stools can be used to tap legs up while on the phone or even brushing teeth to keep moving.Weighted Squats and Walks, and Repurposing GoodsBuilding muscle can be incorporated into different stages of family and daily life. It can burn additional calories to wear weighted bookbags while doing squats or walking. Milk cartons or canned goods can double as weights to carry around the house, as can laundry detergent bottles, which can be refilled with water to modify the weight once the detergent has been used. Squats, barbell free lifts, and tricep or bicep extensions are just a few examples of home exercises.Parents with babies and toddlers may try putting the child inside a wearable carrier and doing squats or taking a walk to help burn extra calories and build muscle mass in the legs. Pushing a stroller, especially on hills, can be a great workout, too.You don’t have to look far to adapt life at home for exercise. It can take a little bit of creativity, but it’s inexpensive and certainly worthwhile for muscles, hearts, and overall wellbeing.Stephanie McNally, MD is the medical director at the Katz Institute for Women's Health at Northwell Health.This story was produced by Northwell Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Outdoor televisions gain ground as Americans invest in backyard living Outdoor televisions gain ground as Americans invest in backyard livingAs Americans spend elevated amounts of money on home remodeling and outdoor living spaces, the backyard is taking on a new role. Imagine a summer evening with neighbors gathered around a patio television to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, turning what was once a yard into an extension of the living room.Outdoor televisions were once largely a commercial product installed in hotels, sports bars and stadiums because the environment required them. Today, they are increasingly common in private homes. Residential backyards and patios now account for roughly 42% of global outdoor TV installations, according to Business Research Insights, and the products have become a recurring presence on home renovation programming, including HGTV's "Rock the Block."Sylvox dove into outdoor television purchasing trends and explained the reasons for the increasing demand.The numbers behind the backyard boomThe market data bears out the shift in outdoor TV trends. Grand View Research valued the global outdoor TV market at $443 million in 2024 and projects it could reach more than $750 million by 2030, with North America representing the largest share of demand.In the United States, outdoor television use has historically centered on the NFL season, college football Saturdays and summer baseball. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is adding a new dimension to that pattern. Research firm Omdia forecasts global television shipments will reach 210 million units this year as households upgrade ahead of the tournament, a broader wave of consumer spending that outdoor television manufacturers expect to share in.Consumer research points in the same direction. According to market research firm ReAnIn, nearly 41% of outdoor television buyers consider the products essential for social gatherings and events; the firm also found that adoption has increased 37% since 2025.The financial logic of staying putThe interest in outdoor entertainment sits within a broader shift in how Americans think about and use their homes, shaped in part by a locked-up housing market.In 2024, soaring prices and stubbornly high mortgage rates combined to produce the most immobile American housing market on record, with the household mobility rate falling to 11.2%, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. The median single-family home price reached nearly five times the median household income.Faced with the financial logic of staying put, many homeowners have turned their attention inward, or rather, outward into their yards.That decision has been reflected in spending. Harvard’s JCHS estimates homeowner remodeling expenditures reached $524 billion in early 2026, a new record, with a growing share directed toward backyards and outdoor areas. According to a 2026 WifiTalents industry report, about 4 out of 5 American homeowners say they are more interested in upgrading their outdoor spaces than they were before 2020.The distinction between aesthetic and functional investment is meaningful. Many homeowners are not simply pursuing more attractive yards, but more usable ones. A 2024 Houzz survey found that 1 in 3 homeowners renovating outdoor areas cited creating additional living space as their primary objective; among Gen X respondents, that figure rose to 41% and to 38% among millennials. Pergolas, fire pits and outdoor televisions were among the most frequently cited additions.The outdoor living room takes shapeIndustry analysts have taken to calling this trend the "outdoor living room," a space conceived not merely to look appealing from the kitchen window, but to be used for game days, pool parties and playoff nights. In Sun Belt states like Florida, Texas and Arizona, where mild winters allow for outdoor use across much of the year, adoption has been especially strong.The shift in intent matters because it changes what the space requires. A traditional backyard demands relatively little infrastructure: a lawn, a patio, and somewhere to sit. An outdoor living room requires something closer to what a living room actually contains: ambient lighting, comfortable seating, a sound system, and, increasingly, a screen.The technology following the trendNot long ago, those who wanted to watch a game outside faced a limited set of options: spend serious money on commercial-grade hardware or drag an indoor set onto the patio and squint at it in the sunlight.The underlying engineering challenge is brightness. Standard indoor televisions operate at between 250 and 500 nits of luminance, sufficient for a dim living room but no match for direct sunlight, which causes the image to wash out almost completely. Contemporary outdoor models typically deliver 1,500 to 3,000 nits, roughly four to six times the output of a standard indoor screen, and enough to remain clearly visible even under the midday sun in cities like Phoenix.Contemporary outdoor sets are also engineered to withstand rain, dust and significant temperature variation. Many incorporate audio systems tuned specifically for open-air environments, where sound disperses far more quickly than it does indoors. It is a practical consideration for anyone who has tried to follow game commentary in a noisy backyard.Those capabilities are no longer limited to a narrow segment of the market. The technology that defined early outdoor television offerings from brands such as Samsung's The Terrace and SunBriteTV has gradually become available across a broader range of price points.Taking it outsideThree conditions that have driven outdoor television adoption: economic pressure to invest in existing homes, rising demand for functional outdoor space, and a home-centric consumer mindset. None of them shows any sign of abating.This summer, millions of families will gather to watch the World Cup, NFL preseason games, and whatever comes on after the grill goes off. Some will do so the familiar way, crowded around a screen indoors. But a rising share will move the viewing outside, out into open-air backyards. And their displays will be purpose-built for the outdoors.This story was produced by Sylvox and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What school districts actually spend to replace a single school bus, and why the number keeps climbing What school districts actually spend to replace a single school bus, and why the number keeps climbingIf you ask your local school district board member how they buy buses, they'll probably reply, "on a plan." That plan is a budget that’s approved months before anyone submits a state bid or signs a purchase order. The problem is that the gap between what districts budget and what they actually pay has been widening for years. And in 2026, BusesforSale.com reports, three separate forces pushed it wider at once.The baseline price has moved.The standard yellow 72-passenger Type C school bus you’ll find in most American neighborhoods runs between $95,000 and $110,000 new. A Type D transit-style bus typically costs more, often exceeding $130,000. Those figures, dependent on configuration and contract terms, are up sharply from a few years ago. New York's state pricing data shows conventional Type C buses have risen about 49%, roughly $46,000, since 2017. Supply chain disruptions after 2020 strained manufacturing and steel costs.Most district replacement plans already factored in the more expensive baseline cost, but they didn’t see the tariffs coming.Tariffs aren't free.Blue Bird Corporation, one of the two dominant school bus manufacturers in the U.S., confirmed a 5% price increase on all nonelectric buses as a direct result of 2025 tariffs on imported components. Five percent of a $100,000 bus is $5,000. For a district replacing 10 or 20 units, that's $50,000 to $100,000 in unanticipated cost with no room in the budget to absorb it.The 5% increase is the manufacturer's basic estimate for standard vehicles. Contract data on larger or specialty orders has shown even larger increases. In 2025, Tim Flood, EVP of The Trans Group, reported a 40% jump in a large bus order, citing component-level cost increases on transmissions, control modules, and safety systems, many of which are sourced internationally.At your next school board meeting, ask how transportation budgets work, and they’ll say that, for example, 2025’s budgets were approved in the fall of 2024. Since the tariffs arrived in spring 2025, the purchase authority had already been set, and districts that approved $95,000 per unit found themselves buying at $100,000 or more with no authority to adjust. And that inability to predict the future happens every year.The federal rebate program stopped moving.For several years, the EPA's Clean School Bus Program gave districts a way to offset replacement costs. Priority districts could receive rebates of up to $325,000 per electric bus. Lower-priority applicants qualified for up to $170,000. The program has moved roughly $5 billion across multiple funding rounds since 2021.But now, the rebate round isn’t moving forward. The EPA halted awards under the program, and districts that were counting on it to fund replacements are now absorbing the full cost from operating budgets. Some planned to use rebates to offset conventional diesel purchases; those plans no longer have a funding source.If you’re a district counting on replacing five buses with grant assistance, that represents $500,000 to $1 million in costs now falling entirely on local appropriations.The numbers show up in budget documents.Kentucky, for example, shows the size of the shortfall. The state was $89 million short of its required funding in 2026. And that 2026 number now sits on a $2.58 billion gap that’s been building since 2005. This running tab is the difference between what the legislature promised and what it actually delivered.Individual districts feel the shortfall faster. New Haven, Connecticut, budgeted $30 million for transportation in 2025-26 and is requesting $37 million for the following year, a 23% increase in one year.None of this is isolated to a certain region. EverDriven surveyed school transportation directors across the U.S. for 2026-2027 and found that cost control without service cuts was the top reported challenge heading into the planning cycle.The fleet is aging into an expensive moment.Somewhere around 480,000 school buses run routes across the country. A large share of that fleet was bought in 2016 and 2017, which puts a big slice of it near the 12-year mark the federal government treats as a bus's design life. Those buses still run, but they are due, and they are coming up for replacement right as replacement got expensive. But as averages often do, that one hides a problem. A large share of fleets were bought in 2016-17, and those buses, although perfectly capable of 10s of thousands of miles, are near the end of their plan.And unless districts buy used school buses for sale, replacing them will cost 30%-40% more than the original order. Tariffs have pushed that number up even more. And while federal rebates might have absorbed some of it, they’re no longer available.The districts did the best they could with the numbers they had at the time, and no one made any mistakes. Bus manufacturers are having to cover higher costs because of tariffs. The rebate money was real and funded, and now it's gone. But the gap opened anyway, because three pressures hit the same buying cycle. And this is a business that budgets one year and buys the next.This story was produced by BusesForSale and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Work underway to restore water to hundreds in Silvis Heights It's unclear when repairs will be completed, but all 700 residents with the Silvis Heights Water Commission are under a boil order until further notice.
	Attorney asks Iowa Supreme Court to overturn $1.6 million Corri Spiegel settlement Settlements paid out to two other former City employees were deemed illegal in a December ruling, but that ruling also allowed Spiegel's settlement to stand.
	5 Must-Haves for Pumping Moms: This Gear Actually Helps (BPT) - Are you a new mom who is planning to nurse or pump for your bundle of joy? Whether you're pumping now or preparing to head back to work, the amount of gear to research can feel overwhelming. You're already thinking about your pump, your parts, your schedule and output — so what can make this all easier? These five picks are essentials to keep at the top of the list to make your feeding journey more enjoyable.The experts at eufy offer these ideas to help new parents be more prepared for their new arrival, especially moms who are nursing or pumping. Some of these items may not be on your radar, so be sure to add them to your own wish list — or nab one for a friend or family member's baby shower.Help relieve nursing strainA good quality nursing pillow is one must-have that helps make nursing a lot easier for both mothers and babies. The pillow keeps baby at the right height for feeding, alleviating the strain on mom's neck, back and arms. It's best to experiment to see which kind of pillow works for each mom (either c-shaped or wraparound style pillows), and how to position it for optimal comfort.Note: While these pillows are perfect for feeding, they are not safe for baby to sleep on.A high-tech wearable breast pumpGone are the days that you need to be tethered to a wall with a bulky pump. Thanks to the eufy line of smart parenting technology, many tasks are now more efficient and comfortable, letting parents focus on what matters most: their new little family member.The new eufy Wearable Breast Pump S2 Pro slides right into a nursing bra offering warming massage technology. The VibraPump™ system softens tissues for more efficient emptying and clog relief, and HeatFlow™ 2.0 offers 7 adjustable heating levels (97-107F), enhancing output and comfort. The result? The S2 Pro encourages 35% more milk output, 30% faster. In addition, the eufy app can remotely control settings, customize suction rhythms and allow access to guided meditation sessions to support relaxation. Unveiled at Anker Day 2026 (eufy's parent company's annual media event), one tech reviewer even called the S2 Pro "one of the most high-tech models I have seen to date."Streamline parental choresWashing baby bottles and pump accessories is one of most time-consuming tasks for parents of newborns, and often you're still stuck with hard water deposits and a questionable clean. Enter the eufy Bottle Washer S1 Pro, complete with a built-in water softener for bottles that shine every time. Plus, the S1 Pro offers the largest capacity on the market, holding up to 10 bottles to clean an entire day's feeding gear in one cycle.eufy's proprietary 3D HydroBlast™ technology uses a triple-layer rotating spray to eliminate stubborn milk residue and the 212F true steam sterilization kills 99.99% of common germs. Fast drying is possible with the HygieniDry™ dual-fan heating system and completes 40-minute rapid drying to prevent bacteria growth — no drying rack needed. You can even use the eufy app to activate it at any time, so the cycle is done by the time you're home from work or errands. This is truly a system for ultimate bottle cleaning.Safe overnight milk storage in the nurseryPumping doesn't take a break — even at two in the morning. A mini fridge used exclusively for the nursery is a helpful item that can be used to store pumped milk after those late-night feedings. Breast milk needs to stay at a consistent 39°F or below to remain safe and fresh, so ensure the fridge can meet this requirement.Bonus use: Keeping plenty of chilled drinks and snacks on hand for mom while she's nursing ensures she stays hydrated and keeps up caloric intake, supporting the production of breast milk.Milk storage on the goMom is back at work and pumping like a pro! Now where to store all that liquid gold? A portable milk cooler is a more trendy and convenient way to keep milk safe than traditional ice packs and bulky lunch bags. Look for those with cooling tubes that you throw in the freezer overnight and in the morning, install inside the outer carrying container for all-day insulated cooling.With these nursing must-haves standing by, new moms will feel much more prepared for all the life changes they're about to undergo. Find more tech-forward ideas including baby monitors and smart socks, at eufy Mom & Baby.
	Virtual Ventures, a reality theme park, opens June 18 in Davenport Virtual Ventures will be offering free live demos from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at their grand opening celebration on Thursday, June 18
	Iowa Quad-Cities governments, nonprofits renew funding for crime prevention programs Among the programs renewed are the Community Assessment Program, a county-wide response for young people and families designed to connect them with mental health and behavioral resources.
	Showers and storms early today, but severe weather for tomorrow Our week is off to a pleasant start and below average temperatures will continue into next week. A few showers and storms moved through the Quad Cities Tuesday morning. Two waves of strong to severe storms are possible Wednesday. Here's your full 7-day forecast.
	Boil order in effect for Silvis Large water main break prompts boil order for residents in Silvis
	Biscuits and Hyacinths This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Most of us first learn about Chicago from a poem in tenth grade. "Hog Butcher for the World," the poem shouts, "Tool…
	Is it a renter's market? It depends on where you live About 40% of rentals on Zillow offer move-in deals, like a month of free rent, thanks to a construction boom that created an apartment surplus in some parts of the United States.
	The Genesius Guild to present Sophocles' "Antigone" The Genesius Guild theater in Rock Island is presenting two weekends of Sophocles' "Antigone." According to a release, performances of "Antigone" are June 20, 21, 27 and 28, beginning at 7:00 p.m. "Antigone" will be performed at Lincoln Park, located at 3800 11th Ave., Rock Island. Admission is free. For more information, click here.
	Is a transparent fish the future of brain science? This center is betting on it One of the world's leading brain research centers is shifting away from fruit flies and toward a tiny, transparent fish. The goal: to understand how brains control the behavior of an animal or human.
	Voting officials fear DHS may actually be a threat to elections this year Voting officials worry that the Department of Homeland Security will not be a partner helping to secure elections, but rather a threat seeking to undermine results that President Trump dislikes.
	First Alert Day Wednesday: Significant Severe Weather Threat for Quad Cities Strong to severe thunderstorms expected Wednesday afternoon and evening with damaging winds and tornado risk
	40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper keeps favorite Spain to 0 goals at World Cup Vozinha recorded seven saves Monday, holding Spain's star-studded lineup to a shocking 0-0 draw. The veteran keeper was everywhere as the Spanish team and its fans became increasingly frustrated.
	UFC boss Dana White says 'never again' to another White House fight night The headaches over weather concerns in the outdoors show, the logistics of construction of the cage and staging events at federal landmarks and the soaring cost made Freedom 250 a one-off.
	Jackson County Supervisors discuss data center ordinance A full house met Jackson County's Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors Monday night. Jackson County Supervisor Mike Steines says the board has been approached a few times in the last two years about smaller data center projects. He calls them "shipping container centers." He says he's heard from residents about their biggest worries. "I [...]
	G7 leaders open summit talks in France on Ukraine and the Middle East The talks come on the heels of President Trump's announcement of an agreement to end the U.S. war against Iran. In recent weeks, the Iranian conflict has overshadowed the war in Ukraine.
Monday, June 15th, 2026
	Davenport author-illustrator releases new “Paw & Order” book The prolific Davenport author and illustrator Jason Platt has completed his second children’s book trilogy. Paw & Order Vol. 3: The Night of the Comet will debut nationwide on Tuesday, June 23.
	Libertarian gubernatorial ticket removed from Iowa ballot over missing affidavit A Libertarian candidate for governor will be removed from Iowa’s November ballot because of a dispute over his running mate’s paperwork.
	East Moline considers new location for City Hall Residents can submit their preferences and feedback at eastmoline.com.
	Libertarian congressional candidate faces removal from Iowa ballot amid Republican objections A state objection panel ruled against Libertarian congressional candidate Marco Battaglia’s nomination forms, potentially removing him from the November ballot in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.
	Heavy June rainfall helps reverse dry conditions in Quad Cities region After a rainy April and a bone-dry May, Iowa's state climatologist says our recent rain is exactly what our soil moisture needed, heading into peak growing season.
	Attorney asks Iowa Supreme Court to overturn $1.6 million Corri Spiegel settlement Settlements paid out to two other former City employees were deemed illegal in a December ruling, but that ruling also allowed Spiegel's settlement to stand.
	Petition calls for suicide prevention measures on I-74 Bridge A growing petition is calling for additional suicide prevention measures on the Interstate 74 Bridge.
	Why East Moline could move City Hall to a new location East Moline's City Hall has been in the same location since 1962, but the city council is considering moving it out of the downtown area. Our Quad Cities News photojournalist Mike Colón takes a look at how the move could help consolidate services to make things more efficient and effective for East Moline residents.
	Paris Hilton comes back to Utah to support families suing teen treatment center Paris Hilton, center, poses for a group photo after a news conference in Provo on June 15, 2026. (Annie Knox, Utah News Dispatch) Paris Hilton returned to Utah Monday, showing her support for parents suing the residential teen treatment center where she said she was abused and isolated as a teenager. The heiress and reality TV star was a driving force behind new laws imposing stricter regulations on the industry in the last five years and has continued calling for the Provo Canyon School to be shut down. On Monday, she said recent reports of violence and poor medical care show it has not improved. “This is not a facility with problems,” Hilton said at a news conference in Provo. “This is a facility that is the problem.” Parent Aleah Corona sued the center Monday, alleging it allowed another student to commit escalating violence against her 13-year-old son as a form of punishing him. On May 14, he “was slammed onto his head” by the other student, breaking his jaw and causing a brain bleed, her lawsuit states. But instead of calling 911, she said employees tried to manage his injuries on their own before bringing him to a hospital. The school did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Utah News Dispatch. But a Provo Canyon School Officer told other Utah news outlets including KTVX that “Provo Canyon School maintains comprehensive safety procedures and ongoing monitoring practices designed to protect and support our residents.” Demonstrators at a news conference show support for parents suing the Provo Canyon School on June 15, 2026. (Annie Knox/Utah News Dispatch) State licensors took emergency action against the school after the incident last month, placing it under closer monitoring for 30 days and requiring more training, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Hilton and others at the news conference urged the state to pull the facility’s license altogether before the end of the 30-day period, during which the school was barred from admitting new residents. Corona said her son has mental health challenges and she was anxious to find a place that could help him. “Instead, I watched my son come home with injuries no child should ever suffer,” she said. A second lawsuit filed Monday accuses the facility of medical malpractice in the case of another student, alleging she was ill in June 2025 but the school allowed her condition to deteriorate to the point of kidney failure and she now requires dialysis three times a week. “Today, I’m grateful to stand beside two mothers whose children made it out barely alive,” Hilton said. “But no mother should have to beg for people to believe her child.” She spoke in a serious, urgent tone at the news conference and used a handheld fan and umbrella to stay cool in under the blistering sun. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Hilton has testified in support of past legislation in Utah to limit the use of restraint at the facilities and boost the budget for regulators to inspect and monitor them, among other steps toward greater oversight. The sponsor of those bills, Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, told reporters that some Utah programs have long operated under a model where they’d take any child whose family or insurance could cover the cost. “The real question should never be whether the provider is willing to take a child,” McKell said. “The question should be whether the provider is qualified to help that child.” McKell didn’t join in the call for the immediate closure of the facility, saying after the news conference that he’s waiting to see findings from ongoing reviews compiled by the state and the nonprofit Disability Law Center. But if the reports don’t show improvement, he said the facility should not keep its license. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Utah News Dispatch
	Idaho federal judge to decide on lawsuit seeking to increase medical abortion exemptions James A. McClure Federal Building; United States Courthouse in Boise on March 20, 2021. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)An Idaho federal judge will weigh whether there are cases in which abortions could be allowed in health-threatening, but not fatal circumstances — a situation that is not explicitly protected under Idaho’s abortion ban. Attorneys from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office on Monday brought in as an expert witness a Missouri maternal fetal medicine physician who argued Idaho’s laws were adequate to allow abortions in severe emergency situations. Her testimony was disputed by the expert witness chosen by the attorneys challenging the state’s laws. Federal trial starts for Idaho doctor seeking medical exemptions to abortion ban Monday marked the fifth and final day of the trial over the lawsuit brought by Dr. Stacy Seyb, a Boise maternal fetal medicine specialist. Attorneys on both sides of the argument opted out of closing arguments. U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill said he would allow both sides to submit “findings of facts” from the case within two weeks, after which he would issue his final decision. There is no jury in the case. “The history of our understanding of fundamental rights in this area, and the medical testimony today was fascinating,” Winmill said at the conclusion of Monday’s proceedings. “Now I have to wrestle with this for a little while.” Under Idaho law, doctors face felony charges punishable by up to five years in prison and revocation of their medical licenses if they perform an abortion outside of narrow exemptions to prevent the death of the mother, or in cases of rape and incest in the first trimester. Under another law, providers could also be sued by a family member of the aborted fetus for a minimum of $20,000 in damages for performing the procedure. Seyb’s lawsuit is seeking medical exemptions that would allow abortion to prevent permanent health declines, death by suicide and fatal fetal conditions. His complaint is against the Idaho State Board of Medicine, which licenses doctors, and the Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts. What did the state’s outside expert say about Idaho’s abortion laws during pregnancy complications? The Idaho Attorney General’s Office, in its defense of the state laws, brought in Dr. Elena Kraus, a maternal fetal medicine physician with a doctorate in healthcare ethics. She has been an expert witness in support of other abortion laws, she told attorneys, and supported a law in Nebraska to lower the gestational limit for abortions there. Some Nebraska doctors fear ‘collateral damage’ from proposed near-total abortion ban Jim Craig, from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, questioned Kraus about whether Idaho’s abortion bans were unclear as to when she could perform an abortion in emergency situations. Many Idaho doctors have argued to state lawmakers that Idaho’s bans are confusing and do not always allow them to provide the care that’s needed. The laws have been in effect since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, and they have been challenged in multiple lawsuits. So far, the laws have largely been upheld. Kraus said she felt it was clear when she would be able to step in to save the life of the mother under Idaho’s abortion laws, especially under an Idaho court ruling that found death didn’t have to be “imminent” for doctors to step in and provide an abortion. “I think the law still allows for medical decision-making and judgement, particularly in cases where someone’s life is threatened,” Kraus said. “I would feel comfortable providing care that was necessary within those laws.” Kraus was questioned about several specific complications that may arise during pregnancy and endanger the fetus and the mother, and whether the conditions would indicate an abortion may be needed to protect the mother. In most cases, she said she’d try to deliver the baby but it would be clear if terminating the pregnancy was necessary. Winmill questioned Kraus as to whether there were conditions pregnant women could experience in which their life wasn’t threatened but their long-term health was. “Are there any such conditions? I know this is a very broad question, but I think it gets to the heart of this lawsuit,” the judge said. Kraus said, with substantial health complications, there would always be some risk of death, which she believes would justify abortions in those circumstances. Utah doctor argues there are examples where Idaho law doesn’t allow care Dr. Alexandra Grosvenor Eller, a Salt Lake City-based maternal and fetal medicine obstetrician-gynecologist, spoke as the witness for Seyb’s attorneys. She said there were a number of cases where patients faced conditions that substantially increased their risk of severe health complications, and under Idaho’s laws, they wouldn’t be able to terminate those pregnancies. She gave an example of a case in which an infection necessitated a hysterectomy, or removal of uterus, which precluded that mother from future pregnancies. She said some women facing those conditions choose to accept the risk and carry the pregnancy to term, and others want to be able to have more children so they opt to have an abortion to lower their risk. “We are pretty good at averting death, but we still see increasing morbidity,” Eller said. “… I don’t feel like avoiding death is my only goal.” SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Idaho Capital Sun
	Executive Corner: From 'Build Well' to 'Operate Well': Redefining Value in the Builder Market (BPT) - By Ronald Ro, vice president and head of AI Home Solution Business Development Division, Home Appliance Solutions at LG ElectronicsFor decades, residential construction was judged by a simple standard: build well, deliver on time and control costs. At LG Electronics (LG), we know that quality craftsmanship matters, but it is no longer enough. Now, as housing portfolios grow and operating costs rise, our competitive advantage depends less on project completion and more on how a property performs over its full lifecycle.Recent industry research increasingly links value creation to post-completion performance. Deloitte's real estate outlook identifies long-term asset performance and operational efficiency as key priorities for developers and institutional investors.1 Morgan Stanley likewise highlights lifecycle cost management and technology-enabled operations as central to asset resilience and valuation stability.2 Green Builder Media is redefining the home buyer's narrative as "Value Per Square Foot" (reflecting total cost of ownership, sustainability, resilience, wellness and efficiency) versus the traditional "Price Per Square Foot" metric used in the homebuilder and residential real estate industries.3 In this environment, we need to look at how installation, operation, maintenance, warranty and asset management shape market competitiveness.Redefining Home Appliances as Operational PlatformsTraditionally, appliances were selected for style, cost and brand preference, with little expectation of extended value beyond their basic function. Today, appliances are part of a connected operating ecosystem that can provide data on usage patterns, energy consumption, performance and maintenance needs. In large-scale residential communities, this data can support asset value, risk management and long-term operating efficiency.This shift is reshaping the smart home concept. What began as a way to make everyday living more intuitive is becoming part of a broader operational infrastructure. Now that ecosystem is expanding beyond convenience. Through third-party sensors and open API integrations, the connected home is developing into a broader operational infrastructure. What was once marketed primarily as a "smart home" is evolving into something more strategic. The focus is evolving from connectivity as a lifestyle convenience to connectivity as a foundation for asset performance, risk management and long-term efficiency.From Appliance Supplier to Lifecycle PartnerAt LG, we recognized early that leadership in the global B2C appliance market would offer only part of what the builder market requires. Our broad portfolio and trusted brand reputation created a strong base, but the B2B builder market demands a higher level of accountability.We developed LG Pro Builder around that need, providing a model focused on the entire lifecycle rather than a supply-only offering. We aim to establish an end-to-end responsibility structure that spans early-stage planning, installation, post-occupancy management, service and warranty integration. LG Pro Builder was designed with this shift in mind — to move from transactional supply to partnership.This approach is strengthening our foundation in North America, where we have partnered with top-tier builders to support residential developments, from mid-range and luxury single-family homes to multi-family properties. Rather than stepping away at delivery, we remain engaged across the lifecycle. Instead of spreading responsibility across multiple parties, a more connected approach can help address delays, rising costs and operational inefficiency over time.ThinQ Pro: "Smart Home" Becomes "Smart Operation"ThinQ Pro sits at the center of this shift as a B2B platform designed for builders, installers, property managers and operational teams. It unifies installation, operation, maintenance and warranty management into one system, providing real-time visibility into appliance performance across properties through dashboard-based remote monitoring.This translates directly into measurable operational benefits:Reduced on-site visits through proactive issue detectionStandardized installation and onboarding processesAccumulation of operational data for predictive maintenanceImproved management efficiency through centralized oversightThe value of connectivity grows when paired with operational management efficiency and enhanced living experiences for residents. ThinQ Pro brings these elements together by connecting devices within a single ecosystem, enabling more effective management and supporting AI-driven solutions that improve everyday life for occupants.As IoT capabilities develop further, the platform can extend to broader property management functions, from detecting water leaks to monitoring environmental conditions and improving oversight across entire buildings.The Real Differentiator: Responsibility, Not Just TechnologyMany platforms can connect devices, collect data and generate dashboards, but connectivity alone does not create accountability. When responsibility is divided between manufacturers, software providers, installers and service operators, issues can take longer to resolve and confidence can suffer.In residential developments, long-term stability depends not only on technology, but on a clear operating foundation. By embedding lifecycle thinking into both our ThinQ Pro platform and our organizational model, we are turning operational design into accountability.A New Role in the Global Builder MarketThe builder market is evolving, and expectations of partnership are changing with it. Builders are not only constructing homes, but managing long-term assets in more complex regulatory, financial and operational environments.We at LG are responding to this market shift by redefining our position from appliance manufacturer to lifecycle partner. Through LG Pro Builder and ThinQ Pro, we are becoming an operational platform leader, shaping the future of the builder market by sharing responsibility for the entire lifecycle of residential assets.1 Deloitte Center for Financial Services, 2024 Commercial Real Estate Outlook.Deloitte Center for Financial Services, 2023 Commercial Real Estate Outlook.2 Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, Sustainable Signals: Understanding Corporates' Sustainability Priorities and Challenges (2024).3 Green Builder Media – Value Per Square Foot: The New Housing Metric.
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	Call 867-5309 for cancer survivor support; famous digits operated by Gilda's Club One of the world's most famous phone numbers has become a hotline for people affected by cancer. 867-5309. The Cancer Support Community at Gilda's Club locations is a space is so important to so many cancer survivors, providing endless resources, and now some of those resources can be found at a number easy to remember. [...]
	Illinois law prohibits hemp cannabinoid sales to minors A law now in effect for Illinois blocks minors from buying controversial hemp-related products like delta-8. House Bill 0001 dictates consumers have to be at least 21 years old to buy delta-8 and other related hemp products. The law brings the market in line with Illinois' licensed cannabis industry. Products also must have childproof packaging [...]
	The 50 best romantic comedies of all time, according to fans John Springer Collection // Getty Images 50 best romantic comedies of all time We all know how it goes. Girl meets boy or boy meets girl (or girl meets girl or boy meets boy). Sometimes it's at a high school or at work. Sometimes, the girl already has a boy; sometimes, the boy and girl have been friends for so long that it's impossible to imagine anything between them. In some instances, the boys disguise themselves as women, and the girl can't imagine being in a relationship with either of them. Whatever the setup, a good romantic comedy captures you wholly while you watch it and leaves you thinking about the meaning of love for hours after it's over. Rom-coms reached peak popularity in the '90s; as their success declined in the late 2000s and early 2010s, cultural critics and fans alike wondered if the genre was dead. Some blamed sexist tropes in the genre or studios becoming too focused on cranking out the next superhero flick. However, films from the 2010s and 2020s like "Crazy Rich Asians," "Anyone But You," and "Hit Man" prove that the romantic comedy will always have staying power. Rom-coms continue to delight audiences in 2026. "People We Meet on Vacation," a Netflix adaptation of Emily Henry's best-selling novel, won over critics and audiences alike upon its January premiere. While April's "You, Me & Tuscany" didn't exactly wow reviewers, most people seemed to love it. That same month, "The Drama" managed both praise from critics and a surprisingly high box-office take. Whether high-concept or more old-fashioned, some things never change about the genre. In a romantic comedy (past, present, or future), the pursuit of love is guaranteed, and we generally know how it ends, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy getting there. Everyone loves—and deserves—a happily ever after. Stacker looked at all movies with at least 10,000 user votes on IMDb that were categorized as "romance" and "comedy" and ranked the top 50 according to IMDb user ratings, with ties broken by votes. From classics like "Some Like It Hot" to modern spins such as "About Time," we're confident this is a list you can draw from, no matter the state of your love life. To you, from Stacker, with love. New Line Cinema #50. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Director: Paul Thomas Anderson - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Metascore: 78 - Runtime: 95 minutes "Punch-Drunk Love" didn't perform as well as expected at the box office, despite the pedigree of director Paul Thomas Anderson and star Adam Sandler, but its reputation has only grown since its stunted release. This story of a lonely man whose burgeoning romance is complicated by fits of rage and a cry for help made in the wrong direction nabbed Sandler his first Golden Globe nomination. Touchstone Pictures #49. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - Director: Gil Junger - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Metascore: 70 - Runtime: 97 minutes A modernization of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," "10 Things I Hate About You" is the type of film you can watch over and over again. It stars Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles, both of whom perfectly capture the archetypes laid out for them. Funny, warm, and just edgy enough to remain interesting, it's a movie for any day. IFC Films #48. Frances Ha (2012) - Director: Noah Baumbach - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Metascore: 82 - Runtime: 86 minutes A must-see for anyone who's a fan of strong female protagonists, "Frances Ha" holds a rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Greta Gerwig stars as a young dancer who travels around America trying to figure out her finances and passions. Limelight #47. Palm Springs (2020) - Director: Max Barbakow - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Metascore: 83 - Runtime: 90 minutes Two people meeting and falling in love at a wedding isn't unusual. What is unusual is having that happen over and over again because of a time loop. Who doesn't love a fun, "Groundhog Day"-esque adventure? Stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti's truly unique love story is one that will draw you in. Touchstone Pictures #46. High Fidelity (2000) - Director: Stephen Frears - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Metascore: 79 - Runtime: 113 minutes Rob Gordon (John Cusack) sells vinyl records and loses a piece of himself when his long-term girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle) walks out of his life. As Rob reflects on the rocky past of his love escapades, he realizes that he's coming into a new phase of his life—adulthood. Fox Searchlight #45. Garden State (2004) - Director: Zach Braff - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Metascore: 67 - Runtime: 102 minutes If you love characters that are, in some moments, completely objectionable, "Garden State" is the romantic comedy for you. Zach Braff stars as a young man who returns home after the death of his mother and finds that both past demons and new love await him. It's also considered by some to be a cult classic, and was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival. Paramount Pictures #44. Up in the Air (2009) - Director: Jason Reitman - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Metascore: 83 - Runtime: 109 minutes Ryan (George Clooney) takes his younger and innovative colleague (Anna Kendrick) on a work trip to prove that his method of firing people is still valid. Along the way, he begins a casual fling with another business traveler (Vera Farmiga) and his burgeoning feelings for her changes how he perceives others. The film won Best Screenplay at the 2010 Golden Globes and was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. DreamWorks SKG #43. The Terminal (2004) - Director: Steven Spielberg - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Metascore: 55 - Runtime: 128 minutes "The Terminal" almost didn't make this list because it doesn't fit the ideal mold of romantic comedy, but in the end, any movie with Tom Hanks and a good story was good enough. It follows a man who becomes trapped in New York's John F. Kennedy Airport when he is at once deported from the United States and yet unable to leave because of a military coup in his native country. Warner Bros. Pictures #42. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) - Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Metascore: 68 - Runtime: 118 minutes This may be one of the most thoroughly enjoyable films released in the 21st century. It follows a few different storylines, all of which feature characters earnestly seeking love, acceptance, and some unexpected twists along the way. The humor of Steve Carell transforms "Crazy, Stupid, Love." from just "fun" to laugh-out-loud funny. Paramount Pictures #41. White Christmas (1954) - Director: Michael Curtiz - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Metascore: 56 - Runtime: 120 minutes "White Christmas" may be a holiday favorite, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it any time of the year. This Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye vehicle also features the timeless voice of Rosemary Clooney and the better-than-Astaire dancing of Vera-Ellen. It's got two romances for the price of one and features some of the most enduring music in movie history. Memfis Film #40. Show Me Love (1998) - Director: Lukas Moodysson - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Metascore: 73 - Runtime: 89 minutes Two small-town Swedish girls—one popular and the other morose—go from being friends to quietly falling in love while dealing with typical teen problems. The film's original title caused a controversy in the town it's based on and politicians fought to have the name changed. Fox 2000 Pictures #39. Love, Simon (2018) - Director: Greg Berlanti - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Metascore: 72 - Runtime: 110 minutes Teenage Simon falls in love with a mysterious stranger on the internet. He tries to navigate this budding romance while also figuring out how to come out to his family and friends. It is the first film from a major Hollywood studio to center on a gay teen romance. Amazon Studios #38. The Big Sick (2017) - Director: Michael Showalter - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Metascore: 86 - Runtime: 120 minutes A film that got a quiet start at the Sundance Film Festival and worked its way up to theatrical release, "The Big Sick" has been generally lauded by critics. It was also one of the highest-grossing independent films of 2017, at $56 million. Star Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon together earned an Oscar nomination for co-writing the screenplay based on the couple's real-life romance. Universal Pictures #37. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) - Director: Edgar Wright - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Metascore: 69 - Runtime: 112 minutes Rock band guitarist (and ladies' man) Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls for Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). However, things get hilariously dangerous when her army of ex-boyfriends are determined to take him out of the picture. MGM #36. Victor/Victoria (1982) - Director: Blake Edwards - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Metascore: 84 - Runtime: 134 minutes Robert Preston and Julie Andrews star in this 1930s-set musical romance. She's a British soprano who can't find work in Paris nightclubs. He becomes her manager and bills her as a male performer who presents as female. They try to keep their secret under wraps while catching the eyes of many people around them. Paramount Pictures #35. Play It Again, Sam (1972) - Director: Herbert Ross - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Metascore: 77 - Runtime: 85 minutes Allan (Woody Allen) is a depressed film critic, obsessed with the film "Casablanca," whose wife just left him. He stumbles and fumbles with his anxious personality through the dating world while harboring a flame for a married friend. The visage of Humphrey Bogart begins to appear to him and help steer him right. Paramount Home Video #34. Sabrina (1954) - Director: Billy Wilder - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Metascore: 72 - Runtime: 113 minutes Although Harrison Ford starred in the 1995 remake of "Sabrina," we have to give the candle to the 1954 original. With a cast including Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, and Humphrey Bogart, this classic romance features some of Hepburn's finest moments, but behind the scenes it seems things were less than congenial. Paramount Pictures #33. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - Director: Blake Edwards - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Metascore: 76 - Runtime: 115 minutes Audrey Hepburn's most memorable role is one that has withstood the test of time. The iconic image of Hepburn as Holly Golightly—standing outside Tiffany's, coffee in hand as the New York morning dawns—alone inspired a book, while the novel this story of a Manhattan socialite and struggling writer is based on is considered an American classic. Universal Pictures #32. Love Actually (2003) - Director: Richard Curtis - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Metascore: 55 - Runtime: 135 minutes One of the holiday season's most featured romantic comedies, "Love Actually" has a bit of everything: British accents; Christmas decor; love unrestricted by age, shape, or size; and Bill Nighy. Everyone should see this film, which won a BAFTA Award for Nighy's performance. Columbia Pictures #31. The Awful Truth (1937) - Director: Leo McCarey - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 90 minutes Cary Grant and Irene Dunne portray a married couple who suspect infidelity on both ends. Jerry and Lucy's jealousy leads to a divorce; however, the grass isn't quite so green on the dating side. Much of the dialogue is improv, and the film won Leo McCarey a Best Director Oscar. Paramount Pictures #30. The Lady Eve (1941) - Director: Preston Sturges - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 94 minutes Jean (Barbara Stanwyck) is a con woman who eyes Charles (Henry Fonda), a wealthy target. Things between them go awry, but Jean will not give up. She pushes her way back into his life, disguised as a highbrow woman named Lady Eve. Wüste Film #29. In July (2000) - Director: Fatih Akin - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 71 - Runtime: 99 minutes A teacher (Moritz Bleibtreu) picks up a hitchhiker while on his way to meet a woman he thinks he's in love with. As expected, they develop feelings for each other along the way, bringing out the best in each other. Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica #28. The Postman (1994) - Directors: Michael Radford, Massimo Troisi - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 81 - Runtime: 108 minutes Italian actor and filmmaker Massimo Troisi plays the titular postman who falls in love with poetry after befriending the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Troisi—who died of a heart attack before the film's release—received two posthumous Academy Award nominations (Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay) for the film, which also won the Oscar for Best Original Score. Republic Pictures #27. The Quiet Man (1952) - Director: John Ford - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 85 - Runtime: 129 minutes If you love the Irish countryside—or anything about Ireland, really—this is a must-see. John Wayne stars as an Irish-born American boxer who retires to Ireland to explore his familial ties. There he meets and falls for a local girl (Maureen O'Hara) whose brother doesn't take kindly to Yankee intervention. Orion Pictures Corporation #26. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) - Director: Woody Allen - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 75 - Runtime: 82 minutes One of many Woody Allen films to make this list, "The Purple Rose of Cairo" is a classic Allen mix of fantasy, love, and humor. A character (Jeff Daniels) literally walks off the screen in a 1930s movie house and into the life of a waitress (Mia Farrow). Will he stay in the real world or will the world of fiction pull him back in? Warner Bros. Pictures #25. Flipped (2010) - Director: Rob Reiner - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 45 - Runtime: 90 minutes A box-office flop and critically panned, "Flipped" makes the list because of its positive audience reception. The story follows a young boy and girl who meet in second grade and work to find love over the next six years. Columbia Pictures #24. When Harry Met Sally... (1989) - Director: Rob Reiner - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 76 - Runtime: 95 minutes If romantic comedies about best friends falling in love is your cup of tea, "When Harry Met Sally…" redefines the meaning of friend zone on both sides of the equation—and how to get out of it. If nothing else, this film will forever be remembered for one particular diner scene. TriStar Pictures #23. As Good as It Gets (1997) - Director: James L. Brooks - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 67 - Runtime: 139 minutes A sometimes dark romantic comedy about a lonely waitress and a, um, difficult writer, the accolades alone can speak to the talent pool it draws upon: Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson both won Oscars for their starring roles, making "As Good as It Gets" truly as good as movies can get. Sony Pictures Classics #22. Midnight in Paris (2011) - Director: Woody Allen - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 81 - Runtime: 94 minutes Fun fact: "Midnight in Paris" is Woody Allen's highest-grossing film at $151 million worldwide. A screenwriter (Owen Wilson) finds himself in Paris with his fiancee when the unthinkable happens; at midnight, he finds himself able to travel back to the 1920s. This is the movie for anyone who likes their romantic comedy mixed with a bit of fantasy. Fox Searchlight Pictures #21. 500 Days of Summer (2009) - Director: Marc Webb - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 76 - Runtime: 95 minutes "500 Days of Summer" is one of the most bittersweet films on this list. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) meets Summer (Zooey Deschanel) and falls in love. She doesn't. If you're in the mood for something a little witty and a little sad, this is going to give you the perfect balance of feel-good/awful. The Weinstein Company #20. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - Director: David O. Russell - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Metascore: 81 - Runtime: 122 minutes "Silver Linings Playbook" features Bradley Cooper as a man with bipolar disorder who engages in a dance partnership with a young woman with depression and no filter (Jennifer Lawrence) to win back his wife. Although it was feared she was too young for the role, Lawrence ended up winning an Academy Award for her performance. Ang Lee Productions #19. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) - Director: Ang Lee - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Metascore: 79 - Runtime: 124 minutes This film follows three Asian sisters who live with their retired master chef father. He prepares elaborate Sunday meals that they all partake in, a centering force in their lives in the midst of the highs and lows of romance. "Eat Drink Man Woman" scored a nomination at the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Translux #18. About Time (2013) - Director: Richard Curtis - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Metascore: 55 - Runtime: 123 minutes A man (Domhnall Gleeson) discovers that he can time travel and uses it to woo Mary (Rachel McAdams), an insecure woman who captures his heart. But all the time-traveling tricks in the world cannot stop the woes of life that happen to those he loves and cares for the most. Oslo Pictures #17. The Worst Person in the World (2021) - Director: Joachim Trier - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 128 minutes Julie (Renate Reinsve), a medical student in Oslo, navigates a complex relationship with an older man and a new flame. She goes through a series of personal challenges while experiencing a unique, and at times painful, love story. The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best International Film. MGM #16. The Philadelphia Story (1940) - Director: George Cukor - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 112 minutes After a series of flops and categorization as "box office poison" (an infamous phrase assigned to many actresses in the 1940s who were convenient to blame for a given film's lack of audience), Katharine Hepburn was so certain of this film's success she forwent a salary to take a percentage of its profits. Her confidence paid off—"The Philadelphia Story" grossed more than $3 million at the box office and is a much-loved addition to this list. Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart co-star as her former husband and potential new lover, respectively. Paramount Pictures #15. Harold and Maude (1971) - Director: Hal Ashby - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Metascore: 62 - Runtime: 91 minutes A crowd favorite with sometimes dark humor, "Harold and Maude" toys with macabre themes as it follows Harold Chasen (Bud Cort) through his existential crisis and obsession with death. Harold finds a kindred spirit in 79-year-old Maude (Ruth Gordon), who helps him stage faked murders and shares his passion for attending strangers' funerals. United Artists #14. Manhattan (1979) - Director: Woody Allen - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Metascore: 83 - Runtime: 96 minutes This is one of the film's Woody Allen is most closely associated with. Allen stars as a TV writer who falls in love with his best friend's mistress. Frequent co-star Diane Keaton plays the love interest, and Meryl Streep is also along for the ride as Allen's lesbian ex-wife. The Weinstein Company #13. The Artist (2011) - Director: Michel Hazanavicius - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Metascore: 89 - Runtime: 100 minutes A nod to silent movie romance lore, "The Artist" won five Oscars including Best Picture. This blatantly romantic story of a silent film star (Jean Dujardin) and unknown dancer (Bérénice Bejo) resonated with audiences in a year dominated by the release of films focused on pirates, spies, and aliens. Jet Tone Production #12. Chungking Express (1994) - Director: Wong Kar-Wai - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Metascore: 78 - Runtime: 102 minutes This film is actually two romances in one. A pair of police officers follow different romantic paths, one falling for a woman who is actually a criminal, and the other mourning the loss of his girlfriend before having his spirits lifted by a woman working at a snack bar. Paramount Pictures #11. Roman Holiday (1953) - Director: William Wyler - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Metascore: 78 - Runtime: 118 minutes Audrey Hepburn won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a young princess who slips the control of her bodyguards and meets and falls for a newsman (Gregory Peck) in Rome. Blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo actually wrote the script, though he was never credited for it—even when it won the Oscar. United Artists #10. Annie Hall (1977) - Director: Woody Allen - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Metascore: 92 - Runtime: 93 minutes Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" is known for its obsessive, endearing protagonist: Alvy Singer (played by Allen), unable to fathom why his love (Diane Keaton) left him. This is the movie that beat "Star Wars" for the Best Picture Oscar. MGM #9. The Shop Around the Corner (1940) - Director: Ernst Lubitsch - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 99 minutes Two co-workers (Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan) at a Budapest gift shop vehemently hate each other. Little do they know that they are each other's pen pal and have fallen in love through letters. This film served as the inspiration for the '90s rom-com "You've Got Mail," starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Charles Chaplin Productions #8. The Circus (1928) - Director: Charles Chaplin - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 72 minutes Charlie Chaplin portrays a man who hilariously runs from the cops in front of a circus crowd and nabs a gig. He falls for a fellow performer but her eyes are set elsewhere. This silent film was produced and released during a difficult period in Chaplin's personal life, and the production itself weathered several setbacks including a fire at the studio. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment #7. It Happened One Night (1934) - Director: Frank Capra - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 105 minutes "It Happened One Night" is a classic that was the first movie to win the "Big Five" Academy Awards—Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay. Ironically, Claudette Colbert was initially dissatisfied with this story of a reporter (Clark Gable) whose chasing of a runaway heiress leaves them stranded and forced to stick together to make it from Florida to New York. Columbia Pictures #6. Groundhog Day (1993) - Director: Harold Ramis - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Metascore: 72 - Runtime: 101 minutes Now a Bill Murray favorite, when "Groundhog Day" was released in 1993 it was a comparatively modest hit. Being trapped in the same day for the rest of your life may certainly sound nightmarish—but being able to do everything over again until it's perfect can be a dream come true. Maybe that's part of the reason "Groundhog Day" remains captivating to this day. United Artists #5. Some Like It Hot (1959) - Director: Billy Wilder - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Metascore: 98 - Runtime: 121 minutes Another classic, "Some Like It Hot" stands out for keeping the core elements of a romantic comedy while playing with what were, at the time, very progressive ideas. Dressing Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag and sticking Marilyn Monroe in the middle—what's not to like? United Artists #4. The Apartment (1960) - Director: Billy Wilder - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Metascore: 94 - Runtime: 125 minutes One of the last black-and-white romantic comedies to find success before Hollywood's foray into Technicolor, this story of an insurance clerk (Jack Lemmon) who offers his pad to fellow employees as a sop to climbing the corporate ladder only to have a romance of his own cause a stir was a hit with audiences and critics alike. MGM #3. Singin' in the Rain (1952) - Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Metascore: 99 - Runtime: 103 minutes Although only a modest success at the time of its release, any romantic comedy list that didn't include this film today would be incomplete. A silent film star (Gene Kelly) falls for a chorus girl (Debbie Reynolds) amidst the film industry's transition to talkies. Miramax Films #2. Amélie (2001) - Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Metascore: 69 - Runtime: 122 minutes Recently adapted into a Broadway musical, "Amélie" follows a fanciful girl (Audrey Tautou) around Paris as she attempts to return a box of memorabilia to a man she's never met. Along the way, she inspires romance in the unlikeliest of places, including for herself. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment #1. City Lights (1931) - Director: Charles Chaplin - IMDb user rating: 8.5 - Metascore: 99 - Runtime: 87 minutes Hailed by some as the original romantic comedy, Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" is considered one of his greatest works and one of the greatest films of all time. It may not be the romantic comedy genre we're familiar with today, but there is no doubt Chaplin is at his finest in this touching, hilarious love story of a tramp who falls in love with a blind flower girl.
	Blackhawk Bank & Trust reopens Valley Center branch in Moline after rebuild "This project is a reflection of our belief that strong communities deserve strong local banking partners," said Eric Mutka, president of Blackhawk Bank & Trust.
	Iowa Board of Regents approves accelerated degree programs The Iowa Board of Regents approved accelerated degree programs for the three state universities on June 15, 2026. Board members are shown here at their April 23, 2026 meeting. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)Iowa’s public universities received preliminary approval Monday from the Iowa Board of Regents to launch an accelerated degree program for students hoping to complete their education with fewer credits. The Bachelor of Applied Professional Studies, presented at the board’s June 15 meeting, wouldn’t replace any other degree programs at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. It would act as a “new degree path that will enhance educational access and career training opportunities,” according to board documents. Rachel Boon, chief academic officer of the board of regents, said the accelerated program is connected to House File 440, which formed new degree programs in Iowa. The new program is not currently offered at the three public Iowa universities, but when implemented, it will be tailored to the specific needs of the schools. “This is not about any specific program right now, this is sort of saying here’s how the university gives them a structure to move forward consistently with the specific programmatic areas of interest for their campuses,” Boon said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Boon added that the accelerated program would require students to earn 90-95 credits in order to receive their degree. “This would set up the structure to be a minimum of 90, but really kind of cap it around the 95 range,” Boon said. “We really want to emphasize this idea of this being something that is reduced.” Boon said the accelerated program would heavily focus on bringing students into the workforce more efficiently, especially in high-need areas, adding that the target date for the program’s implementation is the start of the 2027 academic year. Private universities in Iowa have also been exploring ways to accelerate degree programs, with Upper Iowa University having already opened up a 90-credit bachelor’s degree in business administration and Coe College currently seeking Higher Learning Commission approval for a reduced-credit online business degree. UNI restructures healthcare programs José Herrera, UNI provost, presented plans to restructure the university’s bachelor of arts and bachelor of science in health science programs by combining them into a single, flexible major. “The proposed bachelor of arts and bachelor of science in health science at the University of Northern Iowa brings together the existing offerings in public health and applied health sciences into a single flexible major built on a shared core curriculum and allowing students to explore health-related careers before selecting a specialization,” Herrera said. Herrera added that the program’s structure would allow UNI’s health science program to “serve multiple healthcare needs.” The board of regents approved the new program. State appropriations stagnate Officials from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa provided updates to the Iowa board of regents on their budget development for fiscal year 2027. While state appropriations to Iowa’s public universities had not been set at the time of the board’s April meeting, university officials said at the time that if state funding remained flat like requested and costs continue to rise as predicted, institutions would see gaps in projected revenues and expenses by millions of dollars. Education appropriations from the state did, in fact, stay flat this year, with the passage of legislation allocating more than $1 billion to Iowa’s education systems. For example, ISU officials said they anticipate a $1.1 million revenue gap, while UNI said they expect a $7.7 million shortfall. Provosts of the universities said that they are working to close budget gaps, and a goal is to balance the budget. “We’re very confident that that we will be able to close this gap here in the coming weeks as we continue our work and bring a fully balanced budget back to the board for approval,” Sean Reeder, senior vice president for operations and finance at ISU, said. Regent Kurt Tjaden also updated the board on Revenue Enhancement and Productivity Study efforts. The study was launched by the board of regents to identify new revenue streams, potential cost savings and operational efficiencies across the three universities. The board’s Investment and Finance Committee has set a $35 million financial target for the study to identify in a combination of savings, investments and new revenue streams over three years, representing 5% of Iowa general fund appropriations to universities. Tjaden said at the board’s April meeting that the process to select a consulting firm to aid in the study’s second phase is beginning, and a firm should be found by the end of June. Carver-Hawkeye Arena renovations Rod Lenhertz, UI senior vice president for finance and operations, presented six capital projects to the board of regents, including a renovation of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, home to UI basketball, wrestling and gymnastics. Lenhertz said UI is the last school in the Big Ten Conference to modernize its arena, adding that Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which has a capacity of more than 15,000 spectators, has little space for food service and fan refreshments. The arena also does not have air conditioning in its main bowl. “It is time to modernize the building and also address the needs of our patrons, the fans that come and experience it, both for athletics and university events,” Lenhertz said. “We are asking for permission to advance project planning.” The board approved the request for project planning. UI Athletic Director Beth Goetz, who attended the meeting, said renovations to Carver-Hawkeye Arena are needed. “A combination of preservation is needed for the older facility, but also the opportunity to modernize it in a way that allows for revenue generation,” Goetz said. “All of those things will benefit not only our fans in athletics, but for all of our events, commencements and other opportunities we may have down the road.” Other UI capital projects that were proposed and approved by the board of regents include: A new facility for UI’s field hockey team Renovations to the Tippie College of Business building A creation of 45 new recovery beds for UI Health Care. Renovation of a UI Health Care parking ramp A new UI Health Care childcare facility — Brooklyn Draisey contributed to this report SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Washington sued over assisted living spending cuts (Photo by Getty Images)Faced with a budget shortfall this year, Washington Democratic lawmakers relied on spending cuts and other maneuvers to make ends meet. For one, they trimmed tens of millions of dollars in state funding for assisted living facilities that care for patients on Medicaid. The state is now being sued over that decision. Washington’s leading assisted living organizations last week filed the suit. They say it will make it harder to attract caregivers and also reduce access for those on Medicaid, the insurance program for low-income residents. Although the Washington Health Care Association and LeadingAge Washington oppose the spending cut itself, their legal challenge is on procedural grounds. They argue the Legislature approved an unconstitutional delay in reimbursement rates for their facilities by tucking it into the state’s 600-plus-page budget, instead of in a separate piece of legislation that would require its own approval. These facilities provide long-term care for adults who need support with daily living activities, like bathing, taking medication and using the bathroom. They generally serve older and lower-income adults. The organizations argue that, on top of hiring and access concerns, lower funding could also delay discharges of patients from hospitals into assisted living. This comes as assisted living providers and other medical facilities brace for steep cuts to federal Medicaid spending in the broad tax cut and funding bill congressional Republicans passed last year. The attorney general’s office was reviewing the legal filing last week, a spokesperson said, deferring comment to the Department of Social and Health Services and legislators. The state agency declined to comment as the litigation is pending. Rep. Nicole Macri, D-Seattle, said she and other lawmakers work with nonpartisan counsel to ensure the budget is written to withstand legal scrutiny. She acknowledged all of the spending cuts were “very challenging for us.” “I do think budget reductions have consequences. How exactly those consequences will play out, I don’t know, but we’ll learn,” Macri said. A wonky budget cut In 2018, faced with chronic underfunding and a growing elderly population, the Legislature approved a new way to calculate state reimbursement for caring for patients on Medicaid in assisted living and adult residential care. The rate is updated in even-numbered years and is based on data from two years prior. So the adjustment scheduled for July 1 this year would correlate with statistics from 2024. Providers expected the new, higher rates this summer would help them deal with significant increases in labor and operating costs, the lawsuit says. Some had already planned on wage hikes for staff. But facing a budget shortfall, Democratic lawmakers decided to postpone that reimbursement increase a year. Gov. Bob Ferguson had proposed the idea in December, and also pitched extending the delays to nursing homes, as well. The Legislature limited the postponement to assisted living facilities. The move is expected to save the state $21 million in the current two-year budget that ends next summer. But it’ll also lower matching federal Medicaid funds, bringing the total hit for providers up to roughly $45 million. The overall two-year operating budget is around $79 billion. The complaint filed in Thurston County Superior Court says the state reimbursement to pay personal care workers, food service staff, housekeepers and others falls below minimum wage. It’s estimated to be $4 to $12 per hour below the actual wages the providers pay, making it harder to recruit and retain caregivers. When Medicaid reimbursement lags, facilities are left having to charge residents who aren’t covered by Medicaid more to make up the difference, according to the lawsuit. The legal issue The assisted living groups argue the way the Legislature carried out this move was illegal. They say it was a policy decision that should’ve been passed via legislation and then incorporated into the budget, instead of handled solely through the spending bill. “Affected parties were deprived of a meaningful opportunity to participate in that review, and the predictability and transparency upon which providers rely for long-term staffing, budgeting, capital planning, and Medicaid participation decisions was undermined,” the lawsuit reads. The state constitution looks to avoid so-called logrolling that attaches policy changes to other legislation. It says: “No bill shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title.” The organizations are asking a judge to declare lawmakers’ move unconstitutional so the July 1 reimbursement change can go forward. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for October. In a letter to state and legislative leaders last week, the heads of the two groups emphasize that the lawsuit “is not intended to undermine the Legislature’s authority.” “Rather, it is intended to ensure that changes affecting assisted living Medicaid reimbursement are enacted through processes that provide appropriate transparency, accountability, and fairness for both providers and the individuals who depend upon these services,” the letter adds. It’s unclear what it would mean for the delicate balance of the state’s budget if a judge agreed with the plaintiffs. But Macri noted it would obviously add costs to future budgets. The governor is expected to release his proposed two-year budget in December for 2027-29, ahead of the Legislature returning for next year’s session in January. Courtesy of Washington State Standard
	Augustana grad running the Mississippi River to raise money for children's cancer research Grant Bell was inspired to take on the challenge after his niece was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that primarily impacts children.
	Albany seeks funding for new wastewater treatment plant The Village of Albany is seeking more than $800,000 in federal funding to help replace its wastewater treatment plant.
	Heavy rain and strong storms possible Wednesday around Quad Cities After some relatively quiet weather for the last few days, we're tracking another chance for showers and storms for Wednesday. Before that happens, there's a slight chance for a stray shower or two Tuesday. But the severe weather chances don't arrive until Wednesday: Heavy rain is also a good possibility with the Wednesday storms:
	Iowa crops rated well despite heavy rain, damaging storms Young corn growing outside of Ankeny on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Damaging storms, one of which reached derecho status, spread across Iowa over the past week, but the state’s crop conditions remain stable, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a news release Monday that severe storms damaged crops and homes in eastern and southern Iowa during the June 8 through June 14 reporting period. Above-average rainfall for the second week in a row also caused flooding in some fields and “created challenging conditions for farmers” according to Naig. “Our thoughts are with those affected as recovery efforts continue,” Naig said in a news release. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. State Climatologist Justin Glisan reported the average precipitation across the state was 2.37 inches for the week, which was more than an inch above the climatological normal. A weather station in Russell reported a weekly total of 7.44 inches – the most precipitation recorded in the state during the reporting period. Heavy rain meant soggier soils. USDA rated 19% of topsoil as having surplus moisture and 13% of subsoil as surplus moisture condition for the week. This is an increase from the week prior, when 9% of topsoil and 7% of subsoil had a surplus moisture condition rating. The weather left farmers with 3.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the reporting period. Glisan also reported the week was unseasonably warm, with a statewide average temperature of 73.2 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 4 degrees warmer than the normal. Average temperatures across the state have been elevated for several weeks, with temperatures more than 8 degrees warmer than the normal during the May 25 through May 31 reporting period, according to Glisan’s reports. Iowa’s main crops continue to progress at or ahead of last year’s schedule. Corn and soybean emergence, at 97% and 95% respectively, are ahead of 2025 crop report figures and planting is mostly finished for both crops. Seventy-nine percent of corn crops in the state rated good to excellent condition for the reporting period. Iowa pasture and soybean were both rated 77% good to excellent condition. Oat conditions were 83% good to excellent and the crop, with 78% emergence, is 11 percentage points ahead of last year’s crop. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Firm behind New Mexico Medicaid campaign recruits influencers to promote Project Jupiter data center Renderings depict Project Jupiter, the massive data center complex planned for Doña Ana County. (Courtesy of STACK Infrastructure)The marketing agency behind New Mexico’s award-winning Medicaid re-enrollment social media campaign is recruiting influencers to promote Project Jupiter, the controversial artificial intelligence data center under construction in Doña Ana County.SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. New Mexico social media personalities posted over the weekend that they had received emails from a California-based firm called Xomad, which advertises “services that help brands, governments and media agency partners engineer virality.” In a recent email to New Mexico content creators, it offered a “PAID social media opportunity for creators in NM who want to see their community thrive.” It said creators would promote a development that would create 4,000 construction jobs and “up to” 1,500 long-term jobs, in addition to $600 million in tax revenue and hundreds of millions of dollars to support water systems, infrastructure and schools. While the email did not call out Project Jupiter by name, one creator who received the offer told Source NM she recognized those as the talking points from an anonymous mailer campaign that asked New Mexicans to support the data center’s air quality permit applications. The New Mexico State Ethics Commission later sued the group behind those mailers for allegedly violating the state Lobbyist Regulation Act. The firm recruiting New Mexico influencers to support Project Jupiter previously won national recognition for partnering with the state on a Medicaid re-enrollment social media campaign called Renew NM. (Screenshot) “Because I’ve gotten those mailers, I recognized the talking points,” Adrian Martin, an Albuquerque resident who recently made a sarcastic Instagram post opposing the project, told Source NM. “I was like, ‘Oh, OK, I know who you are.’” She is one of several influencers Source NM interviewed who turned down the gig. Indeed, a Powerpoint presentation prepared for influencers reviewed by Source NM confirms the campaign is for Project Jupiter. “When our communities grow, we all grow, and right now, New Mexico has the opportunity for a generation investment for all of us. Project Jupiter is committed to the community,” the presentation says. “It will bring thousands of local jobs and $360 million in investments for schools, infrastructure, and workforce development, all while protecting public resources like energy and water.” The presentation directs creators to submit social media content for review as part of the paid partnership, which it says is scheduled to run from June 17 through the end of the month. The public comment on Project Jupiter’s pending air quality permit application was recently extended from July 1 to July 6. The partnership has three goals, according to the slide deck: Discuss the “positive benefits of Project Jupiter,” “build trust” by saying the project’s fuel and water systems won’t impact the surrounding community and “help increase positive comments” on Project Jupiter’s website. Quotation Through your content, we want you to help us break down what is happening, and the positives surrounding it. – Slide deck prepared for content creators While AI “tech changes may cause concern for New Mexico residents, Project Jupiter is a generational investment in New Mexico, its economy, its infrastructure and local communities that we’re deeply proud of,” the slideshow says. “For this social media project, we are partnering with you and other local trusted messengers to share transparent and accurate information about the new data center in New Mexico called Project Jupiter. Through your content, we want you to help us break down what is happening, and the positives surrounding it.” The push for positive messaging about the project comes as a long-awaited town hall meeting on the development quietly transitioned from a county-run meeting to an “open house and career fair” sponsored by its developers and tenants, including OpenAI and Oracle. Town hall on Project Jupiter data center changed to ‘community open house and career fair’ Rebekah Apodaca, an Albuquerque resident who said she has mostly stopped doing social media influencing, said she was surprised to receive the pitch at all, but was initially inclined to hear out a paid opportunity. “There’s always a form you fill out with your handle, your following. Everything seemed standard, until I got to one question where it mentioned a data center, and I’m like, ‘What in the world?’” she told Source NM. “I don’t like deception…they’re trying to sway public opinion by deceiving influencers into promoting jobs and economic growth.” Neither Xomad nor any of the companies affiliated with Project Jupiter responded to Source NM’s requests for comment Monday. In an email, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Health Care Authority told Source NM that the agency hired Xomad during its “Renew NM” Medicaid campaign but had no knowledge of the company’s efforts regarding Project Jupiter. Becky Wood, whose Instagram account ABQ Adventures has nearly 40,000 followers, posted over the weekend that she had turned down “a big chunk of $$$ to promote Project Jupiter, the giant AI data center being built down south that will skyrocket NM’s emissions and suck up precious groundwater from an already drought-stricken desert.” “If you see your favorite NM create posting about Project Jupiter in the coming weeks, know they sold out,” she wrote. “I know it’s hard to turn down work in this economy — but we can’t drink data!” In an interview Monday, Wood told Source NM that she’s opposed to large AI projects because she’s seen AI search results “cannibalize” the work she’s done on her travel blog without giving her any traffic or pay. “I’m opposed to AI at scale in general. I think it’s being force-fed to us as something that most people aren’t asking for,” she said, adding that she also has major environmental concerns. “I look out my door and I see the Rio Grande completely dry in Albuquerque in June. It’s just going to get worse and worse and worse.” Courtesy of Source New Mexico
	Meet our new reporter, Andrew Spaid! Andrew joins the Quad Cities from the Chicago suburbs. He previously helped with JDC coverage and is looking forward to getting to know the area better.
	Village of Albany, IL seeks federal funding for wastewater treatment plant The current facility is about 65 years old.
	The most extreme temperature ever recorded in every US state, based on data Mario Tama // Getty Images Most extreme temperatures in the history of every state In January 2026, the World Meteorological Organization confirmed 2025 was among the hottest years on record. Of course, that's not particularly surprising, considering the last 11 years have all made the list of the top 11 warmest years recorded. In fact, 2025 was the third-warmest year on record, just behind 2024 and 2023—the first time a three-year period has averaged more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Extreme heat events continue to be a regular occurrence. In March 2026, a heat wave across the southwestern U.S. sent temperatures soaring to record highs in Arizona and Southern California. And it's unlikely we'll see an end to these conditions anytime soon—according to Climate Central, human-caused climate change has made this excessive heat three times more likely for half the U.S. population. High heat isn't the only thing we have to worry about. The winter of 2025-26 proved especially severe for much of the Midwest and Northeast, with the coldest and snowiest conditions since 2017-18. Temperatures in late January averaged 10-15 degrees below normal in cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh, and dozens of Midwest and Northeast cities were classified as experiencing a severe winter. As extreme weather events and record-setting temperatures become the norm across much of the U.S., Stacker consulted 2023 data from NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee to identify the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state and Puerto Rico. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and 24-hour snowfall. Keep reading to find out individual state records in alphabetical order. Canva Alabama - All-time highest temperature: 112 F (Centerville on Sept. 6, 1925) - All-time lowest temperature: -27 F (New Market on Jan. 30, 1966) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 32.52 inches (Dauphin Island Sea Lab on July 19, 1997) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 20 inches (Walnut Grove on March 13, 1993) Despite being a subtropical town, on March 13, 1993, Walnut Grove was covered in 20 inches of snow. The extreme weather was termed the "Superstorm of 1993" by the National Weather Service because of its size and strength, equal to a Category 3 hurricane. At one point, the storm system ran from Eastern Canada to Central America. Nickolas warner // Shutterstock Alaska - All-time highest temperature: 100 F (Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915) - All-time lowest temperature: -80 F (Prospect Creek Camp on Jan. 23, 1971) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 15.05 inches (Seward on Oct. 10, 1986) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 78 inches (Mile 47 Camp on Feb. 9, 1963) Prospect Creek recorded the coldest-ever U.S. temperature of -80 degrees in 1971. On Oct. 10, 1986, Seward experienced more rainfall than anywhere else in Alaska due to an unrelenting rainstorm. The highways and the railroads took a massive hit during the three-day rainstorm, and the region was declared a federal disaster area. In October 2018, the city of Seward declared an emergency after recording nearly 5 inches of rain over several days of heavy rainfall. Heavy flooding yet again caused debris to block several roads. Canva Arizona - All-time highest temperature: 128 F (Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994) - All-time lowest temperature: -40 F (Hawley Lake on Jan. 7, 1971) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 11.4 inches (Workman Creek on Sept. 4, 1970) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 38 inches (Alpine on Feb. 25, 1987) On the far western border of Arizona, Lake Havasu City saw the highest temperature in state history on June 29, 1994. But seven years earlier, the state's largest snowfall was recorded on the extreme eastern side of Arizona. Tammy Chesney // Shutterstock Arkansas - All-time highest temperature: 120 F (Ozark on Aug. 10, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -29 F (Brook Farm Pond near Gravette on Feb. 13, 1905) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 14.06 inches (Big Fork on Dec. 3, 1982) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 25 inches (Corning on Jan. 22, 1918) "The Great Heat Wave of 1936" affected around 15 states during its three-week run, bringing temperatures above 100 degrees. Still, Ozark topped the charts by reaching 120 degrees. Also known as the "1936 North American Heat Wave," it exacerbated human suffering during the ongoing Great Depression. Angel DiBilio // Shutterstock California - All-time highest temperature: 134 F (Greenland Ranch on July 10, 1913) - All-time lowest temperature: -45 F (Boca on Jan. 20, 1937) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 25.83 inches (Hoegees Camp on Jan. 22, 1943) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 67 inches (Echo Summit Sierra at Tahoe on Jan. 5, 1982) Death Valley's Greenland Ranch holds the record for the highest temperature ever recorded at 134 degrees in 1913. But On Jan. 20, 1937, Boca—a former reservoir located in Nevada County—recorded a mind-numbingly cold temperature of -45 degrees. Bob Pool // Shutterstock Colorado - All-time highest temperature: 115 F (John Martin Dam on July 20, 2019) - All-time lowest temperature: -61 F (Maybell on Feb. 1, 1985) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 11.85 inches (USGS Rod & Gun, Ft. Carson, on Sept. 12, 2013) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 75.8 inches (Silver Lake on April 14, 1921) During the 2013 floods that took place across Colorado, the highest precipitation levels were recorded on Sept. 12, 2013, at Fort Carson, a United States Army installation located in El Paso County. Canva Connecticut - All-time highest temperature: 106 F (Danbury on July 15, 1995, and Torrington on Aug. 23, 1916) - All-time lowest temperature: -32 F (Coventry on Jan. 22, 1961, and Falls Village on Feb. 16, 1943) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 12.77 inches (Burlington on Aug. 19, 1955) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 36 inches (Ansonia 1NE on Feb. 8, 2013) On Aug. 19, 1955, the Great Flood of 1955 occurred in Burlington. The last time Connecticut had witnessed such heavy rainfalls was during colonial times. The state's high- and low-temperature records are shared by two locations on different days of different years. Khairil Azhar Junos // Shutterstock Delaware - All-time highest temperature: 110 F (Millsboro on July 21, 1930) - All-time lowest temperature: -17 F (Millsboro on Jan. 17, 1893) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 12.48 inches (Harbeson on Sept. 28, 2016) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 25 inches (Dover on Feb. 19, 1979) Millsboro is one of the two cities in the United States that holds the record for the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in a state. Also of interest was a significant East Coast cyclone in 1979 that brought record-breaking snowfall to the Mid-Atlantic states. Because of this, Dover received the most snowfall in the history of Delaware's climate. Compared to the 25 inches of snow recorded in Dover in February 1979, there was no snow in Delaware in January 2023, and only trace snowfall twice in February. Noah Densmore // Shutterstock Florida - All-time highest temperature: 109 F (Monticello on June 29, 1931) - All-time lowest temperature: -2 F (Tallahassee on Feb. 13, 1899) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 23.28 inches (Key West on Nov. 11, 1980) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 4 inches (Milton Exp. Stn. on March 6, 1954) In 1980, Hurricane Jeanne formed in the Gulf of Mexico and indirectly struck Florida's Key West with heavy rainfall. The storm resulted in the heaviest rainfall Florida had ever witnessed within one day, which is impressive given the frequency with which big storms hit Florida. Canva Georgia - All-time highest temperature: 112 F (Greenville 2 NNW on Aug. 20, 1983, and Louisville on July 24, 1952) - All-time lowest temperature: -17 F (CCC Fire Camp F-16 near Beatum on Jan. 27, 1940) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 21.1 inches (Americus on July 6, 1994) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 19.3 inches (Cedartown 3NE on March 3, 1942) The flood of 1994 in Americus included surging floodwaters that entered the city rapidly and were described as "fierce" by local news outlets. More than 100 small dams in nearby areas had reached capacity and started washing out directly on the roads. The deluge also damaged the railroad service, which took several months to recover even after the floodwaters receded. Canva Hawaii - All-time highest temperature: 100 F (Pahala, Hawaii, on April 27, 1931) - All-time lowest temperature: 12 F (Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii, on May 17, 1979) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 49.69 inches (Waipā Garden, Kauai, on April 14, 2018) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 6.5 inches (Haleakala, Maui, on Feb. 2, 1936) In April 2018, heavy rainfalls devastated the island of Kauai as dozens of homes were left in shambles in the island's towns, including Hanalei, Wainiha, Haena, and Anahola. The rainfall, which also hit Oahu, affected 532 houses on the two islands, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Canva Idaho - All-time highest temperature: 118 F (Orofino on July 28, 1934) - All-time lowest temperature: -60 F (Island Park Dam on Jan. 18, 1943) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 7.17 inches (Rattlesnake Creek on Nov. 23, 1909) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 31 inches (Anderson Dam on Dec. 18, 1967) Rattlesnake Creek in Elmore County was recorded on Nov. 23, 1909, to have received the most rainfall of 7.17 inches in one day. And in 1967, the Anderson Ranch Dam, southeast of Boise, recorded 31 inches of snowfall in one 24-hour period. Jake Hukee // Shutterstock Illinois - All-time highest temperature: 117 F (East St. Louis on July 14, 1954) - All-time lowest temperature: -38 F (Mt. Carroll on Jan. 31, 2019) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 16.91 inches (Aurora on July 18, 1996) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 36 inches (Astoria on Feb. 28, 1900) East St. Louis recorded the state's most sweltering temperature on July 14, 1954. While the residents of East St. Louis first woke up to stifling 100-degree heat, the temperature soared to 117 degrees by late afternoon. Residents in St. Louis recalled July 14, 1954, as the day "they were just cooked." The Old Major // Shutterstock Indiana - All-time highest temperature: 116 F (Collegeville, south side of Rensselaer on July 14, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -36 F (New Whiteland on Jan. 19, 1994) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 10.5 inches (Princeton on Aug. 6, 1905) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 33 inches (Salem on Dec. 23, 2004) On Aug. 6, 1905, Princeton, a city in Indiana's Gibson County, recorded the highest one-day-long rainfall event in the state at 10.5 inches. And in July 1936, the entire state saw extreme heat, with Collegeville recording the highest temperature at 116 degrees. Canva Iowa - All-time highest temperature: 118 F (Keokuk No. 2 on July 20, 1934) - All-time lowest temperature: -47 F (Elkader on Feb. 3, 1996) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 13.18 inches (Atlantic 1NE on June 14, 1998) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 24 inches (Lenox on April 20, 1918) The town of Atlantic in Iowa's Cass County experienced intense flooding on June 14, 1998, after heavy rainfall and a severe thunderstorm. Many bridges in the area were either damaged or completely destroyed, and all highways and roads had to be closed once the flooding started intensifying. Canva Kansas - All-time highest temperature: 121 F (Fredonia on July 18, 1936, and Alton on July 24, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -40 F (Lebanon on Feb. 13, 1905) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: Not available - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 30 inches (Pratt on March 28, 2009) Pratt, a city with a population of 6,835 people, recorded the state's heaviest snowfall on March 28, 2009. A spring snowstorm resulted in a whopping 30 inches of snow falling within one day in Pratt. Andre // Wikimedia Commons Kentucky - All-time highest temperature: 114 F (Greensburg on July 28, 1930) - All-time lowest temperature: -37 F (Shelbyville on Jan. 19, 1994) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 11.28 inches (Mayfield 6SW between July 18 and July 19, 2023) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 26 inches (Simers on March 3, 1942) The flood of 1997 in Louisville resulted in 10.48 inches of rainfall within one day on March 1, 1997. The deluge intensified when smaller streams started overflowing rapidly, which in turn caused the flooding along the Ohio River. As if the flooding wasn't bad enough, tornadoes were also reported from Arkansas to southern Kentucky. Canva Louisiana - All-time highest temperature: 114 F (Plain Dealing 4W on Aug. 10, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -16 F (Minden on Feb. 13, 1899) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 22 inches (Hackberry on Aug. 28, 1962) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 13 inches (Colfax on Feb. 13, 1960) Hackberry, a community in Cameron Parish, witnessed the state's heaviest rainfall between Aug. 28 and 29, 1962. A tropical depression that had first formed in the western Gulf of Mexico eventually struck the Texas and Louisiana border two days later before finally subsiding on Aug. 30, 1962. Andy Thrasher // Wikimedia Commons Maine - All-time highest temperature: 105 F (North Bridgton on July 4 and 10, 1911) - All-time lowest temperature: -50 F (Big Black River, nr. Saint Pamphile, PQ, on Jan. 16, 2009) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 13.32 inches (Portland on Oct. 20, 1996) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 40 inches (Orono on Dec. 30, 1962) The state's highest rainfall or precipitation level was recorded at the Portland Jetport on Oct. 20–21, 1996, and resulted in severe flooding. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, one person was killed, and more than 2,100 homes and businesses were damaged. Canva Maryland - All-time highest temperature: 109 F (Cumberland and Frederick on July 10, 1936, and Cumberland on Aug. 6-7, 1918) - All-time lowest temperature: -40 F (Oakland on Jan. 13, 1912) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 14.75 inches (Jewel near Friendship on July 26, 1897) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 31 inches (Clear Spring 1ENE on March 29, 1942) Maryland's most significant record 24-hour total rainfall was in Jewell on July 26-27, 1897. The town of Cumberland, in western Maryland, has twice recorded the state's highest temperature of 109 degrees. Canva Massachusetts - All-time highest temperature: 107 F (Chester and New Bedford on Aug. 2, 1975) - All-time lowest temperature: -35 F (Chester on Jan. 12, 1981, Coldbrook on Feb. 15, 1943, and Taunton on Jan. 5, 1904) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 18.15 inches (Westfield on Aug. 18, 1955) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 29 inches (Natick on April 1, 1997) Westfield suffered from heavy flooding and rainfall in the middle of August 1955, making it the wettest day for the state. The Great Flood of 1955 affected Connecticut and Massachusetts, resulting from Hurricanes Connie—and then, a week later, Hurricane Diane. Canva Michigan - All-time highest temperature: 112 F (Mio and Stanwood on July 13, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -51 F (Vanderbilt on Feb. 9, 1934) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 12.92 inches (6E Fountain on July 20, 2019) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 32 inches (Herman on Dec. 2, 1985) In July 2019, nearly 13 inches of rain was recorded falling in western Michigan in one 24-hour period, surpassing a record from 150 miles south that stood for more than a century. Plume Photography // Shutterstock Minnesota - All-time highest temperature: 115 F (Beardsley on July 29, 1917) - All-time lowest temperature: -60 F (Tower on Feb. 2, 1996) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 15.1 inches (Hokah 1S on Aug. 19, 2007) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 36 inches (Wolf Ridge ELC on Jan. 7, 1994) Hokah, a city in Houston County, had the state's heaviest one-day rainfall on Aug. 19, 2007. The flood of 2007 claimed the lives of six people and also resulted in massive flooding in nearby counties. Sean Pavone // Shutterstock Mississippi - All-time highest temperature: 115 F (Holly Springs 2N on July 29, 1930) - All-time lowest temperature: -19 F (Corinth on Jan. 30, 1966) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 15.68 inches (Columbus on July 9, 1968) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 18 inches (Mt. Pleasant on Dec. 23, 1963) The distance between the locations with the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in Mississippi is less than 70 miles, but the difference between those temperatures is 134 degrees. And a week before a massive "New Year's Snowstorm" swept through the Southern United States on Dec. 31, 1963, the small community of Mount Pleasant recorded an even larger snowfall, setting the state's record. Canva Missouri - All-time highest temperature: 118 F (Union and Warsaw on July 14, 1954) - All-time lowest temperature: -40 F (Warsaw on Feb. 13, 1905) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 18.18 inches (Edgerton on July 20, 1965) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 24 inches (Cape Girardeau on Feb. 25, 1979) Warsaw is one of two cities in the United States that holds the record for the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in a state. The other is Millsboro, Delaware. Four people died during the 1965 flood in Edgerton, and 729 residences were damaged or destroyed. Approximately 433,000 acres of agricultural land flooded during the deluge. The total damages the floods inflicted on properties cost Missouri $19.3 million. Canva Montana - All-time highest temperature: 117 F (Glendive on July 20, 1893, Medicine Lake on July 5, 1937) - All-time lowest temperature: -70 F (Rogers Pass on Jan. 20, 1954) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 11.5 inches (Circle, Springbrook, on June 20, 1921) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 48 inches (Millegan 14SE on Dec. 27, 2003) Montana's lowest temperature was recorded in 1954 at -70 degrees. But in early February 2019 and into the first week of March, Montana set a brand-new bone-chilling record for consecutive below-freezing days when Great Falls concluded its 32-day streak on March 8, 2019. Canva Nebraska - All-time highest temperature: 118 F (Geneva on July 15, 1934, Hartington on July 17, 1936, and Minden on July 24, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -47 F (Oshkosh on Dec. 22, 1989, and Bridgeport on Feb. 12, 1899) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 13.15 inches (York on July 8, 1950) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 27 inches (Dalton on Dec. 21, 2006) Before the unforgiving heat wave hit Geneva, Nebraska, in July 1934, the state was already struggling due to a severe drought that had worsened living conditions for farmers and other residents. During "The Heat Wave of 1934," people slept outdoors to escape the terrible heat in their houses. Two summers later, the heat was equally bad in two other Nebraska towns. Canva Nevada - All-time highest temperature: 125 F (Laughlin on June 29, 1994) - All-time lowest temperature: -50 F (San Jacinto on Jan. 8, 1937) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 7.78 inches (Mount Charleston on Oct. 20, 2004) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 36 inches (Dagget Pass on Dec. 21, 1996) Nevada is no stranger to extreme heat. While the hottest day in Nevada was recorded in Laughlin in 1994, residents will likely be at an increased risk from exposure to extreme heat due to climate change, according to research published by the International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. Canva New Hampshire - All-time highest temperature: 106 F (Nashua on July 4, 1911) - All-time lowest temperature: -50 F (Mount Washington on Jan. 22, 1885) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 11.07 inches (Mount Washington on Oct. 20, 1996) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 49.3 inches (Mount Washington on Feb. 25, 1969) New Hampshire's "100-Hour Snowstorm of February 1969" produced record snowfall for New Hampshire. The massive snowstorm affected the neighboring states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont. Canva New Jersey - All-time highest temperature: 110 F (Runyon on July 10, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -34 F (River Vale on Jan. 5, 1904) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 14.81 inches (Tuckerton on Aug. 19, 1939) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 29.7 inches (Long Branch on Dec. 26, 1947) According to New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson, several factors contributed to River Vale recording the state's coldest day in January 1904. Two of the biggest reasons were River Vale's barren landscape and position in a valley. To top that off, River Vale had some heavy snowfall on the same day. Spencer Platt // Getty Images New Mexico - All-time highest temperature: 122 F (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant nr. Loving on June 27, 1994) - All-time lowest temperature: -50 F (Gavilan on Feb. 1, 1951) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 11.28 inches (Lake Maloya on May 18, 1955) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 41 inches (Kelly Ranch on Feb. 3, 1964) While New Mexico is known for its dry, desert environment, it averages fairly low temperatures during the peak of winter. But on Feb. 1, 1951, Gavilan in north Albuquerque experienced an Alaska-like winter at -50 degrees. MISHELLA // Shutterstock New York - All-time highest temperature: 108 F (Troy on July 22, 1926) - All-time lowest temperature: -52 F (Old Forge on Feb. 18, 1979) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 13.57 inches (Long Island MacArthur Airport on Aug. 12, 2014) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 50 inches (Camden on Feb. 1, 1966) The historic Islip, Long Island, flash flooding on Aug. 12-13, 2014, took place after a torrential downpour. Several expressways, streets, and houses were completely water-logged. Countless crews had to work around the clock to pump out all the water. Canva North Carolina - All-time highest temperature: 110 F (Fayetteville on Aug. 21, 1983) - All-time lowest temperature: -34 F (Mount Mitchell on Jan. 21, 1985) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 22.22 inches (Altapass on July 15, 1916) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 36 inches (Mt. Mitchell on March 13, 1993) After heavy rainfall lashed North Carolina, the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers started overflowing, resulting in the "Great Flood of 1916." The exact number of people who died during this deluge is still unknown, but it's estimated that at least a few dozen people lost their lives. Several dams were breached, and houses, warehouses, and industrial plants along the French Broad River were almost completely submerged. Canva North Dakota - All-time highest temperature: 121 F (Steele on July 6, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -60 F (Parshall on Feb. 15, 1936) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 8.1 inches (Litchville on June 29, 1975) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 27 inches (Minot Airport on April 27, 1984) Parshall became intolerably frigid in February 1936 at -60 degrees Fahrenheit. This recording was made by a coal miner who had volunteered to be a weather observer, using a special mercury-thallium alloy thermometer because mercury-only thermometers would freeze before recording a temperature that low. Canva Ohio - All-time highest temperature: 113 F (near Gallipolis on July 21, 1934) - All-time lowest temperature: -39 F (Milligan on Feb. 10, 1899) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 10.75 inches (Lockington Dam nr. Sidney, Shelby Co. on Aug. 7, 1995) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 30 inches (Warren 3S on April 20, 1901) During the statewide 1934 heat wave, residents of Gallipolis, a village in southeastern Ohio, bore the brunt of the highest temperature ever recorded in the state. Residents left their furnace-like houses hoping to find a shady spot to cool off, while many slept on their rooftops, porches, or lawns. The oppressive heat killed as many as 160 people between July 20 and 26. Eugene R Thieszen // Shutterstock Oklahoma - All-time highest temperature: 120 F (Alva on July 18, Altus on July 19, Poteau on Aug. 10, and Altus on Aug. 12, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -31 F (Nowata on Feb. 10, 2011) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 15.68 inches (Enid on Oct. 11, 1973) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 27 inches (Spavinaw on Feb. 9, 2011) The deadly 1973 flood in Enid started with relentless rainfall and ended only after killing nine people. According to The Oklahoman, residents had cut holes through their walls to climb up on rooftops in a desperate attempt to flee from the surging water levels. Several others tried to take shelter in their attics as their houses started filling up with water. Christian Roberts-Olsen // Shutterstock Oregon - All-time highest temperature: 119 F (Moody Farms Agrimet and Pelton Dam on June 29, 2021) - All-time lowest temperature: -54 F (Seneca on Feb. 10, 1933, and Ukiah on Feb. 9, 1933) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 11.77 inches (Nehalem 9NE on Nov. 6, 2006) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 47 inches (Hood River ES on Jan. 9, 1980) On June 29, 2021, Moody Farms Agrimet tied Pelton Dam for the hottest summer day ever recorded in Oregon. Pelton Dam had held the previous record, set in 1898. And two towns 100 miles apart recorded the state's lowest-ever temperature on successive days in February 1933. Mark Makela // Getty Images Pennsylvania - All-time highest temperature: 111 F (Phoenixville on July 9-10, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -42 F (Smethport on Jan. 5, 1904) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 13.5 inches (York 3SSW Pump Stn on June 22, 1972) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 41 inches (Lakeville 1NNE on Feb. 15, 1958) Tropical Storm Agnes unleashed its fury on Pennsylvania in 1972 by claiming the lives of 48 people in the state and causing damages worth a $2 billion. According to the Evening News, the Susquehanna River, which has a normal volume of 23 billion gallons a day, began overflowing rapidly into Harrisburg as its volume increased to 650 billion gallons two days after the state experienced its most torrential downpour. Frederick Millett // Shutterstock Puerto Rico - All-time highest temperature: 104 F (Mona Island on July 2, 1996) - All-time lowest temperature: 40 F (Rincon on March 27, 1985, San Sebastian on Jan. 24, 1966, and Aibonito on March 9, 1911) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 23.75 inches (Toro Negro Forest on Oct. 7, 1985) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: Not applicable About five months after up to 25 inches of rain fell from May 15-19, 1985, causing severe flooding around Puerto Rico's north coast, a tropical depression inundated the south-central coast from Oct. 6-7. The flooding caused landslides, destruction to homes, a bridge collapse, and the deaths of an estimated 170 people, with damages costing around $125 million. JonPeckham // Shutterstock Rhode Island - All-time highest temperature: 104 F (Providence on Aug. 2, 1975) - All-time lowest temperature: -28 F (Wood River Junction on Jan. 11, 1942) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 12.13 inches (Westerly on Sept. 16, 1932) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 30 inches (Woonsocket on Feb. 7, 1978) The blizzard of 1978 in Rhode Island delivered a historical record of the highest snowfall the state had ever experienced. The snowfall began at 10 a.m. Monday and didn't stop for 36 hours. Around 55 inches of snow accumulated in different parts of the state—and 30 inches fell in Woonsocket in one 24-hour stretch of the blizzard. Canva South Carolina - All-time highest temperature: 113 F (Columbia Univ. of South Carolina on June 29, 2012) - All-time lowest temperature: -19 F (Caesar's Head on Jan. 21, 1985) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 14.8 inches (Myrtle Beach on Sept. 16, 1999) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 24 inches (Rimini 2SSW on Feb. 9, 1973) The summer 2012 heat wave was responsible for at least 82 deaths across the U.S. It was reported that South Carolina experienced the worst of this heat wave on June 29. The city of Columbia had temperatures at or above 100 degrees for 11 days straight. Jerry // Wikimedia Commons South Dakota - All-time highest temperature: 120 F (Gann Valley on July 5, 1936, and Fort Pierre on July 15, 2006) - All-time lowest temperature: -58 F (McIntosh on Feb. 17, 1936) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 8.74 inches (Groton on May 6, 2007) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 52 inches (Lead on March 14, 1973) Record heat in 2006 resulted in the state's highest temperature in Fort Pierre, a city in Stanley County. The heat wave during July 2006 was so intense in South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska that it disrupted transportation links and strained electric power grids. Canva Tennessee - All-time highest temperature: 113 F (Perryville on July 29, 1930, and Aug. 9, 1930) - All-time lowest temperature: -32 F (Mountain City on Dec. 30, 1917) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 20.73 inches (McEwen on Aug. 21, 2021) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 30 inches (Mount Leconte on March 14, 1993) Intense rainfall during a storm on Aug. 21, 2021, devastated the region between Waverly and McEwen, about 60 miles west of Nashville. The resulting flash flooding killed more than 20 people. Outdoor Craziness // Wikimedia Commons Texas - All-time highest temperature: 120 F (Seymour on Aug. 12, 1936, and Monahans on June 28, 1994) - All-time lowest temperature: -23 F (Seminole on Feb. 8, 1933, and Tulia 6NE on Feb. 12, 1899) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 42 inches (Alvin on July 25, 1979) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 26 inches (Hillsboro on Dec. 20, 1929) The sweltering heat wave of 1936 that spiked a record temperature on Seymour claimed the lives of 5,000 people across the U.S. but didn't receive widespread coverage by leading newspapers at the time. The temperature hit 120 again 58 years later, 300 miles southwest of Seymour. Silvia Truessel // Shutterstock Utah - All-time highest temperature: 117 F (St. George on July 5, 1985, and July 10, 2021) - All-time lowest temperature: -50 F (Strawberry Tunnel (East) on Jan. 5, 1913) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 5.08 inches (Deer Creek Dam on Feb. 1, 1963) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 38 inches (Alta on Dec. 2, 1982) Utah is famous for its ski resorts and ample amount of snowfall during winters, but summers can get unbearably hot. St. George's arid weather makes it far warmer than other parts of Utah, thanks to its location in the Mojave Desert, which explains why it holds the record at 117 degrees. Canva Vermont - All-time highest temperature: 107 F (Vernon on July 7, 1912) - All-time lowest temperature: -50 F (Bloomfield on Dec. 30, 1933) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 9.92 inches (Mt. Mansfield on Sept. 17, 1999) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 42 inches (Jay Peak on Feb. 5, 1995) Bloomfield, a town with a tiny population of 221 people (as of the 2010 census), recorded the state's most unbearably cold temperature in 1933. And neither Hurricane Irene in 2011 nor the unnamed storm that unleashed flooding across Vermont in mid-July 2023 dumped as much rain in a short time as a September 1999 storm. It registered 9.92 inches of precipitation on Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. Canva Virginia - All-time highest temperature: 110 F (Columbia on July 5 and 7, 1900, and Balcony Falls on July 15, 1954) - All-time lowest temperature: -30 F (Mountain Lake Biological Station on Jan. 21, 1985) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 14.28 inches (Williamsburg 2N on Sept. 16, 1999) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 33.5 inches (Luray 5E on March 3, 1994) Hurricane Floyd caused four deaths in Virginia in 1999 and cost the state $150 million after severely damaging thousands of houses, businesses, and crops. Hundreds of residents had to be evacuated as the water levels increased to several feet. The hurricane affected Williamsburg, Richmond, and other parts of the state, like Hanover County and Southampton County. Bill45 // Shutterstock Washington - All-time highest temperature: 120 F (Hanford on June 29, 2021) - All-time lowest temperature: -48 F (Mazama and Winthrop on Dec. 30, 1968) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 14.26 inches (Mt. Mitchell #2 on Nov. 23, 1986) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 65 inches (Crystal Mountain Ski Resort on Feb. 24, 1994) Crystal Mountain, the biggest ski resort in the state of Washington, is located in the Cascade Range, about two hours away from Seattle. Twenty-five years after breaking records for the highest snowfall within 24 hours in 1994, the resort was covered in more than 7 feet of snow within a week in February 2019—31.5 inches of snow fell In a single day. Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock West Virginia - All-time highest temperature: 112 F (Moorefield on Aug. 4, 1930, and Martinsburg on July 10, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -37 F (Lewisburg on Dec. 30, 1917) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 12.02 inches (Brushy Run on June 18, 1949) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 35 inches (Flat Top on Jan. 27, 1998) A massive blizzard struck West Virginia on Jan. 20, 1978—it shut down the government for an entire day and paralyzed Kanawha Valley. However, the snowfall recorded back then still doesn't compare to the all-time highest record of 35 inches in Flat Top in 1998. Canva Wisconsin - All-time highest temperature: 114 F (Wisconsin Dells on July 13, 1936) - All-time lowest temperature: -55 F (Couderay on Feb. 2 and 4, 1996) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 11.72 inches (Mellen on June 24, 1946) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 26 inches (Neillsville on Dec. 26, 1904) From Feb. 1 to Feb. 4, 1996, arctic temperatures swept across the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Wisconsin experienced its coldest and most hostile weather in Couderay on Feb. 4. Situated in Sawyer County, the small and nondescript village was the victim of a frigid air mass that settled into the region and resulted in two days with the state's record low temperature. Canva Wyoming - All-time highest temperature: 115 F (Basin on Aug. 8, 1983, and Diversion Dam on July 15, 1988) - All-time lowest temperature: -66 F (Riverside Ranger Stn., Yellowstone NP on Feb. 9, 1933) - All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 6.06 inches (Cheyenne on Aug. 1, 1985) - All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 49 inches (Hunter Station on March 21, 1924) Yellowstone National Park's unparalleled natural beauty features geysers, hot springs, lush forests, and picturesque canyons. That beauty can come with brutal weather, though: In the winter of 1933, a few miles east of the park's west entrance, the temperature recorded was -66 degrees. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.
	Crews respond to water main break on River Drive A city official said crews were responding to a water main break on River Drive between 23rd and 34th Streets.
	Davenport tattoo shops submit rezoning request in fight to avoid closure More than 1,700 people have signed a petition supporting the businesses.
	Dozens object to rule requiring Arkansas libraries to restrict ‘sexually explicit’ materials From left: Adam Webb, executive director of the Garland County Library, and Arkansas State Library Board Chairman Clay Goff listen to public comment on proposed rules for libraries to receive state funding at the Arkansas Department of Education headquarters on June 12, 2026. (Photo by Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) Key points: Proposal would require libraries to ensure that children under 16 cannot check out “sexually explicit materials,” which depict or describe sexual contact and behavior as defined by federal law. It would also restrict access to materials that contain images or descriptions of human genitalia. The proposal includes an exception for children 11 and older to access “age-appropriate information designed to prepare minors for the sociology of puberty” with parental consent. Monday was the deadline for public comments on the proposal. If approved by the state Library Board, the proposal would go before a legislative committee to be finalized. Dozens of Arkansans told the Department of Education that they oppose requiring public libraries to restrict children’s access to “sexually explicit materials” in order to receive state funding. At least 62 people submitted concerns in writing by Friday about the draft rule requiring libraries to ensure patrons age 16 or younger cannot check out materials that depict or describe sexual contact and behavior. Monday was the deadline to submit public comments about the rule, proposed last month by the State Library Board. “Arkansans do not lose their First Amendment rights at the library door, and the state should not condition funding on policies that violate those rights,” American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas Legal Director John Williams said in a Monday statement. The education department heard in-person public comment on Friday from four library employees, two of whom also submitted written feedback. All comments mentioned the proposed content restrictions, and no comments expressed support for the rules. “I’m not sure if it’s just all-around prudishness, or a hatred of LGBTQ people, or Christian nationalist-style repression. Maybe all three,” Laurel Owen wrote. “But book censorship has never been done by good governments. Ideologically it’s reprehensible.” Arkansas Explained: Proposal aimed at restricting access to ‘sexually explicit’ library books The Arkansas State Library Board worked on the draft rules with the education department and attorney general’s office. All six board members were appointed last year by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in compliance with a 2025 law requiring the replacement of the previous board. That law passed after a Republican-led proposal to abolish the Arkansas State Library met bipartisan opposition from lawmakers. The bill included library content restrictions similar to the draft rule. State Library Board Chairman Clay Goff said Friday that he hopes the rules become final within the next month. This would require a special meeting of the board, since its next regular meeting is Aug. 14. If approved by the board, the rules go to the Arkansas Legislative Council, the Legislature’s governing body when it’s not in session. Legal and financial concerns The proposed restrictions likely contradict federal court rulings against Arkansas’ previous attempts to govern library content, said Adam Webb, executive director of the Garland County Library and president of the Arkansas Library Association. Webb is among 18 plaintiffs who challenged Act 372 of 2023, which would create criminal liability for librarians who distribute content that some consider “obscene” or “harmful to minors,” and give city and county governing bodies the final say over library content. A federal judge blocked those provisions of the law in 2024. Three appeals court judges heard oral arguments last week and gave no indication of how soon they will rule in the case. Federal court hears oral arguments in appeal of Arkansas’ library obscenity law Webb said he also took issue with the rules’ requirement to “maintain operations that benefit the citizens served by the library and are consistent with the purpose of a public library” in order to receive state funding. “This subjective standard is not a matter of financial accountability and could be applied selectively against libraries based on philosophical or political disagreements of the ‘purpose of a public library,’” Webb said. Craighead County conservatives led a successful campaign to cut the local library’s funding in half with a 2022 ballot initiative. Supporters of the campaign previously opposed the library having an LGBTQ+ Pride display and hosting a transgender author’s visit. Saline County voters will decide in November whether to cut about one-third of their libraries’ operating budget. The draft rules could withhold state funding from Craighead County, Webb said, and from Saline County if its ballot measure passes. “A public library must also maintain an annual operating budget equal to or greater than ninety five percent (95%) of the average of the three previous years’ annual operating budgets,” the rules state. Most but not all Arkansas libraries receive state funds, and many have local taxes that support libraries’ operating budgets. ‘Arbitrary’ standards The proposal includes an exception for children 11 and older to access “age-appropriate information designed to prepare minors for the sociology of puberty” with parental consent. Several of the comments noted that many children start puberty before they turn 11. Calhoun County Library director Allie Gosselink said many of her 10-year-old daughter’s classmates have started puberty, and not all children feel comfortable discussing it with their parents. “There is nothing shameful about the way our bodies have been created to function, and this restriction creates not only the perception of shame but a very real barrier to knowledge that girls deserve to have at the age at which it becomes relevant to their lives, not an arbitrary age decided by a rule,” Gosselink wrote. Quotation I’m not sure if it’s just all-around prudishness, or a hatred of LGBTQ people, or Christian nationalist-style repression. Maybe all three. But book censorship has never been done by good governments. Ideologically it’s reprehensible. – Laurel Owen, expressing opposition to proposed rules for libraries to receive state funds Arkansas has among the nation’s highest teen pregnancy rates, and preventing a mother under the age of 16 from accessing information “ceases to be a rational course of action,” Gosselink said. She and other library employees repeated their concerns that keeping certain books out of children’s reach in small, one-room libraries is logistically impossible. The draft rule would also require libraries to “not knowingly promote or advertise sexually explicit materials.” State Library Board member Emmaline Pilkington, wife of a Republican state representative, said she did not want libraries to promote LGBTQ+ Pride Month and raise questions from her young children. LGBTQ+ identities are not inherently sexually explicit, and Pilkington’s comment “illustrates exactly how the rules as written could clearly result in arbitrary enforcement,” said Michaela Huss, the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library’s teen librarian. Additionally, 30 clergy members submitted a letter, organized by the Interfaith Alliance of Arkansas, urging Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and the State Library Board “to reject these provisions and instead pursue policies that respect religious freedom, protect parental rights without limiting the choices of other families, preserve local control and professional library expertise, and ensure that Arkansas libraries remain welcoming places of learning for all.” Editor’s note: The key points for this story were written by an Arkansas Advocate journalist. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of Arkansas Advocate
	Checking in on drought levels in Iowa and Illinois Illinois and Iowa both have some sort of dryness in about 60% of each state.
	Do you live in one of the states with the shortest lifespan? See where it ranks among all 50, according to data. Photo Spirit // Shutterstock States with the shortest lifespans According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in January 2026, American life expectancy has reached an all-time high. The average lifespan across the entire population in 2024 was 79 years, an increase of 0.6 years from 2023 and surpassing the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level of 78.8 years in 2019. However, those numbers don't apply equally across all racial and ethnic groups. Research published in November 2024 found sizable disparities between the life expectancies of different demographics as of 2021, with a more than 20-year difference between those who have the lowest and those who have the highest. Even more concerning, that gap has grown significantly over the past two decades—in 2000, the divide between the lowest and highest life expectancy was just 12.6 years. In some cases, these disparities might even be underestimated. A June 2025 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the life expectancy of Native Americans has been underreported over time. Researchers determined that the actual lifespan of American Indians and Alaska Natives was just shy of 73, which is comparable to the life expectancy of individuals in developing nations. Numerous factors can affect life expectancy, from genetics to air quality to economic opportunities. Location also plays a significant role. A 2025 study from the Yale School of Public Health looked at the average life expectancies of people born from 1900 to 2000, tracking how the numbers have changed over time. Broadly speaking, lifespan increased significantly in the last century, but Southern states like West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Kentucky barely saw the number grow at all. Stacker used data from the 2023 County Health Rankings to determine the 25 states where people have the shortest lifespans. The 2023 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2018-2020 National Center for Health Statistics. The Census 2021 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2023 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively. Please note that in the data below, the demographics for Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders were left out due to being less than 0.5% of the senior population. Keep reading to see if your home state is one where people have the shortest average life expectancy. Canva #25. Alaska - Average life expectancy: 78.6 - Total seniors in the state: 98,410 (13.4% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #42 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 71.4 --- Breakdown by sex: 50.5% male, 49.5% female --- Breakdown by race: 73.3% White, 2.3% Black or African American, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 10.7% Native American or Alaska Native Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #24. Texas - Average life expectancy: 78.4 - Total seniors in the state: 3,892,411 (13.2% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #30 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.7 --- Breakdown by sex: 45.2% male, 54.8% female --- Breakdown by race: 64.5% White, 9.4% Black or African American, 24.3% Hispanic or Latino, 4.3% Asian, 0.5% Native American or Alaska Native Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock #23. Montana - Average life expectancy: 78.4 - Total seniors in the state: 217,298 (19.7% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #36 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.6 --- Breakdown by sex: 48.4% male, 51.6% female --- Breakdown by race: 91.7% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 1.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian, 2.6% Native American or Alaska Native JohnDSmith // Shutterstock #22. South Dakota - Average life expectancy: 78.2 - Total seniors in the state: 157,883 (17.6% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #39 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.8 --- Breakdown by sex: 47.3% male, 52.7% female --- Breakdown by race: 92.5% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 1.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, 3.3% Native American or Alaska Native randy andy // Shutterstock #21. Nevada - Average life expectancy: 78.1 - Total seniors in the state: 519,568 (16.5% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #46 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.8 --- Breakdown by sex: 47.4% male, 52.6% female --- Breakdown by race: 69.0% White, 6.5% Black or African American, 12.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 1.1% Native American or Alaska Native LBill45 // Shutterstock #20. Wyoming - Average life expectancy: 78.1 - Total seniors in the state: 103,822 (17.9% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #43 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.1 --- Breakdown by sex: 48.7% male, 51.3% female --- Breakdown by race: 91.4% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, 0.7% Native American or Alaska Native ESB Professional // Shutterstock #19. Pennsylvania - Average life expectancy: 78.0 - Total seniors in the state: 2,464,903 (19.0% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #5 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 73.2 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.7% male, 55.3% female --- Breakdown by race: 87.0% White, 7.2% Black or African American, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Native American or Alaska Native Real Window Creative // Shutterstock #18. Delaware - Average life expectancy: 78.0 - Total seniors in the state: 201,551 (20.1% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #35 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.5 --- Breakdown by sex: 45.1% male, 54.9% female --- Breakdown by race: 77.8% White, 15.0% Black or African American, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% Asian, 0.3% Native American or Alaska Native Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock #17. Kansas - Average life expectancy: 77.8 - Total seniors in the state: 489,676 (16.7% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #26 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 73.0 --- Breakdown by sex: 45.3% male, 54.7% female --- Breakdown by race: 88.8% White, 4.0% Black or African American, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.5% Asian, 0.4% Native American or Alaska Native Sharkshock // Shutterstock #16. North Carolina - Average life expectancy: 77.7 - Total seniors in the state: 1,796,369 (17.0% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #37 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 73.0 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.2% male, 55.8% female --- Breakdown by race: 76.4% White, 16.9% Black or African American, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.5% Asian, 0.8% Native American or Alaska Native Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #15. Michigan - Average life expectancy: 77.5 - Total seniors in the state: 1,823,284 (18.1% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #17 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.9 --- Breakdown by sex: 45.4% male, 54.6% female --- Breakdown by race: 83.9% White, 10.2% Black or African American, 2.0% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian, 0.3% Native American or Alaska Native Canva #14. Georgia - Average life expectancy: 77.3 - Total seniors in the state: 1,585,687 (14.7% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #47 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.7 --- Breakdown by sex: 43.9% male, 56.1% female --- Breakdown by race: 67.6% White, 24.1% Black or African American, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 3.2% Asian, 0.2% Native American or Alaska Native Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #13. New Mexico - Average life expectancy: 76.9 - Total seniors in the state: 391,797 (18.5% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #24 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.8 --- Breakdown by sex: 46.2% male, 53.8% female --- Breakdown by race: 62.5% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 33.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian, 5.5% Native American or Alaska Native TommyBrison // Shutterstock #12. Missouri - Average life expectancy: 76.6 - Total seniors in the state: 1,084,768 (17.6% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #7 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 73.1 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.8% male, 55.2% female --- Breakdown by race: 86.7% White, 7.7% Black or African American, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Native American or Alaska Native Canva #11. Ohio - Average life expectancy: 76.5 - Total seniors in the state: 2,102,569 (17.8% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #14 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.9 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.8% male, 55.2% female --- Breakdown by race: 86.5% White, 8.8% Black or African American, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Native American or Alaska Native Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #10. Indiana - Average life expectancy: 76.5 - Total seniors in the state: 1,115,579 (16.4% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #16 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.7 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.7% male, 55.3% female --- Breakdown by race: 88.6% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native American or Alaska Native f11photo // Shutterstock #9. South Carolina - Average life expectancy: 76.4 - Total seniors in the state: 967,223 (18.6% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #40 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.9 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.9% male, 55.1% female --- Breakdown by race: 75.4% White, 19.9% Black or African American, 1.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Native American or Alaska Native Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #8. Oklahoma - Average life expectancy: 75.5 - Total seniors in the state: 645,174 (16.2% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #48 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 73.1 --- Breakdown by sex: 45.1% male, 54.9% female --- Breakdown by race: 81.1% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% Asian, 4.7% Native American or Alaska Native Canva #7. Arkansas - Average life expectancy: 75.5 - Total seniors in the state: 525,153 (17.4% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #19 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 73.3 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.8% male, 55.2% female --- Breakdown by race: 83.2% White, 10.8% Black or African American, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% Native American or Alaska Native Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock #6. Tennessee - Average life expectancy: 75.3 - Total seniors in the state: 1,187,354 (17.0% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #41 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.8 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.8% male, 55.2% female --- Breakdown by race: 83.8% White, 11.5% Black or African American, 1.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% Native American or Alaska Native Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #5. Louisiana - Average life expectancy: 75.2 - Total seniors in the state: 766,330 (16.6% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #50 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.7 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.5% male, 55.5% female --- Breakdown by race: 68.4% White, 24.9% Black or African American, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.3% Asian, 0.4% Native American or Alaska Native Rotorhead 30A Productions // Shutterstock #4. Kentucky - Average life expectancy: 75.1 - Total seniors in the state: 768,416 (17.0% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #49 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.8 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.8% male, 55.2% female --- Breakdown by race: 90.9% White, 5.4% Black or African American, 0.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Native American or Alaska Native Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock #3. Alabama - Average life expectancy: 74.8 - Total seniors in the state: 885,809 (17.6% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #28 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 73.0 --- Breakdown by sex: 43.9% male, 56.1% female --- Breakdown by race: 75.7% White, 20.3% Black or African American, 1.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% Native American or Alaska Native Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #2. West Virginia - Average life expectancy: 74.3 - Total seniors in the state: 368,775 (20.7% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #44 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.9 --- Breakdown by sex: 46.1% male, 53.9% female --- Breakdown by race: 94.6% White, 2.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Native American or Alaska Native Canva #1. Mississippi - Average life expectancy: 73.9 - Total seniors in the state: 496,945 (16.8% of state population) - Health care for seniors rank: #45 - Senior demographics: --- Median age: 72.8 --- Breakdown by sex: 44.0% male, 56.0% female --- Breakdown by race: 68.2% White, 27.7% Black or African American, 1.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Native American or Alaska Native
	Ride the Island Father's Day with River Action Take a family bicycle ride with River Action and celebrate 250 years of America's independence! Kathy Wine joined Our Quad Cities News with details on Ride the Island. For more information, click here.
	JetZero breaks ground on Greensboro aircraft manufacturing plant Aviation startup JetZero broke ground on its manufacturing facility in Greensboro on June 15, 2026. (Photo: Gov. Josh Stein's office)Aviation startup JetZero broke ground on its manufacturing facility and headquarters in Greensboro on Monday. The company’s operations are expected to create more than 14,500 aerospace manufacturing jobs, the largest economic development in North Carolina history based on job commitment, according to Gov. Josh Stein’s office. JetZero’s planned $4.7 billion investment into its Greensboro facilities is projected to boost the state’s economy by more than $250 billion. “Today, a great new chapter in North Carolina’s storied history of flight is taking off,” Stein said at the groundbreaking. “JetZero’s decision to build here is a vote of confidence in North Carolina’s workforce, our universities and community colleges, and our long aerospace tradition.” JetZero is known for pioneering a unique commercial “all-wing” or “blended wing body” jet, a stingray-esque design where the fuselage and wings flow together. It’s a project spearheaded by the U.S. Air Force and projected to begin flying in 2027, according to JetZero’s website. The Z4 planes are designed to consume less fuel — JetZero claims the design will cut the fuel bill in half — and produce fewer emissions than traditional passenger aircraft. Major airlines like United and Delta have invested in the company. The jets could help airlines offer affordable tickets despite rising fuel costs. JetZero will build those planes at what’s planned to be an 8-million-square-foot complex covering more than 600 acres near Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro. The company will also relocate its headquarters from California. “Today’s groundbreaking marks the beginning of a project that will prove to be a leader in both aerospace and advanced materials,” North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said. North Carolina slams brakes on EV megafactory deal after years of delay But concerns over another innovative corporation resurfaced. Last month, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson sued electric vehicle company VinFast for failing to follow its agreement with the state to build a manufacturing plant in Chatham County. However, Lilley said, the two projects are at different stages in their lifecycles. “What I think JetZero is doing well is, they’re very far along in the development of their finances for this project, very far along in the development of their product,” Lilley told The News and Observer. The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to NC Newsline’s request for comment. North Carolina is home to more than 400 aerospace companies, according to Stein’s office. In April, PSA Airlines relocated its headquarters from Ohio to a new facility in Charlotte, bringing 400 jobs to Mecklenburg County and supporting more than $228 million in economic output for the state. JetZero CEO and co-founder Tom O’Leary said the event marks the start of something new for aircraft manufacturing. “By using the best digital tools available before we break ground, we’ve designed a factory that can grow and change with us,” he said. “That means we can deliver better aircraft, faster, for our consumers and our country.” Courtesy of NC Newsline
	Worldwide artists head to the Davenport Tattoo Festival Artists from all across the globe are heading to the QCA for live tattooing, art vendors and competitions. Quinn Hurley spoke with Our Quad Cities News with details on the Davenport Tattoo Festival. For more information, click here.
	Jackson County officials to discuss data center ordinance The county zoning commission and the board of supervisors will review the current draft of the ordinance, according to city documents.
	'Sometimes splitting is a good thing': An Illinois movement aims to be the 51st state A third of Illinois counties have passed resolutions seeking to separate from the city of Chicago. People in these rural counties resent what they see as disproportionate power wielded by Chicago.
	Who's your favorite cooking show host? See the top 20 in TV history, according to viewers. Larry Busacca // Getty Images Most popular cooking TV show hosts Everyone eats, which means most people cook every day. For those who have anxiety about cooking, don't know a saucepan from a skillet, or just need a little inspiration, help is on TV. While public broadcasts and television dramas debuted as early as the 1920s, the first national cooking show didn't air until 1946, when caterer and cookbook author James Beard starred in "I Love to Eat" on NBC. Since then, scores of chefs have taken to the small screen, particularly after the introduction of the Food Network in 1993, which saw the rise of cooking competition shows like "Chopped" and "Top Chef." Cooking shows offer a way for viewers to learn about cuisines from around the world. In 1963, Julia Child brought French cooking to kitchens across the country with her revolutionary show "The French Chef," which promoted public passion for international cuisine and techniques. In 1966, Joyce Chen became the first Asian American woman to host a cooking show. Although "Joyce Chen Cooks" only lasted one season, it introduced Chinese cuisine to many Americans. Stacker looked at YouGov data on the most known and liked TV personalities as of the third quarter of 2024. The top 20 cooking and food show hosts were ranked by the percentage of survey respondents who recognized them and the percentage who had a positive opinion of them. Ties were broken by the latter. With the abundance of cooking shows, not every chef made the cut. "Top Chef" is represented on this list, but not head judge Tom Colicchio. A giant in French cooking appears on this list, but Jacques Pépin, a frequent show partner, proved less memorable. Many who focus on non-American cuisine are also missing like Rick Bayless, whose television career sought to prove that Mexican food is more than tacos. Rick Kern // Getty Images #20. Anne Burrell - Have heard of: 54% - Have a positive opinion of: 31% - Total: 85% Known for her spiky blond hair, this brash chef got her TV start as Mario Batali's sous chef on "Iron Chef America," which helped her land a cooking show on the Food Network. Anne Burrell's first show, "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef," lasted 117 episodes and spawned her debut cookbook, "Cook Like a Rock Star." Continuing her drive to help ordinary people improve their cooking, Burrell started the aptly named competition show "Worst Cooks in America." Sadly, Burrell died in June 2025 at the age of 55, leaving behind a legacy of positivity and warmth in the culinary scene. She appeared as a mentor on the 29th season of "Worst Cooks in America," which had been filmed before her death and included tributes to Burrell. Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Pioneer Woman Magazine // Getty Images #19. Ree Drummond - Have heard of: 56% - Have a positive opinion of: 31% - Total: 87% Ree Drummond thought she'd left Oklahoma behind after attending the University of Southern California with aspirations of pursuing law school in Chicago. But fate had other plans for Drummond: She met rancher Ladd Drummond, fell in love, and moved back to Oklahoma to marry him. In 2006, Drummond started her blog The Pioneer Woman, which chronicled her life on their 430,000-plus acre ranch, homeschooling her five children, and, of course, cooking. Within five years, the blog was a hit with over 20 million page views a month. Drummond scored book deals and an eponymous TV show on the Food Network that premiered in 2011 and is still going strong; Drummond and her husband also produce a popular web series about their family's home on the range, titled "Drummond Ranch." Todd Rosenberg/General Mills // Getty Images #18. Padma Lakshmi - Have heard of: 57% - Have a positive opinion of: 33% - Total: 90% Model Padma Lakshmi was propelled to food TV stardom in 2006 as the host of Bravo's "Top Chef" in its second season. Lakshmi helmed the show for 19 seasons, securing an executive producer credit along the way. In 2023, Lakshmi left "Top Chef" to spend more time with her teenage daughter and pursue other creative pursuits. Emmy-nominated Lakshmi has written cookbooks and hosted and executive produced two seasons of "Taste the Nation," a food documentary show where she explored indigenous and immigrant foods of the U.S. In April 2025, CBS greenlit Lakshmi's latest cooking competition show, "America's Culinary Cup," for the 2025-2026 season. Lakshmi serves as creator, executive producer, and host. Her latest book, "Padma's All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes From Taste the Nation and Beyond," was released in November 2025. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for NYCWFF // Getty Images #17. Andrew Zimmern - Have heard of: 55% - Have a positive opinion of: 35% - Total: 90% Before he became an Emmy winner and four-time James Beard Award winner, Andrew Zimmern cooked in many New York restaurants while dealing with alcoholism and addiction. After an intervention, he sought treatment, became sober, and rebuilt his life in food in Minneapolis. His work garnered media attention, which led to the Travel Channel show "Bizarre Foods" and several spinoffs. Since then, he has created other TV shows—including MSNBC's "What's Eating America" and the 2024 Outdoor Channel series "Field to Fire "—and authored several books. His latest, "The Blue Food Cookbook," was released in October 2025. He's also partnered with James Beard Award winner Gavin Kaysen to create KZ Provisioning, a culinary company that provides catering to several pro sports teams in Minnesota and, thanks to a 2024 deal with Aramark Sports & Entertainment, across the country. Lee Lockwood // Getty Images #16. James Beard - Have heard of: 59% - Have a positive opinion of: 32% - Total: 91% Today, James Beard is best known as the name behind the prestigious culinary and food media awards. But he originally wanted to be an actor. After a lackluster acting career was cut short by the Great Depression, Beard turned to food. His mother, an excellent cook, had taught Beard the importance of good ingredients, and the failed thespian started a successful catering company that spawned his first cookbook about hors d'oeuvres. In 1945, Beard was the first chef to have a cooking segment on a network TV show. Throughout the next four decades, he built a culinary empire that involved consulting, penning over 20 cookbooks, and opening his own cooking school. Behind the scenes, Beard had a complicated life as a closeted gay man during a period when it wasn't safe to come out. Beard was also prone to using other people's recipes without giving them credit. Dana Jacobs/FilmMagic // Getty Images #15. Alton Brown - Have heard of: 56% - Have a positive opinion of: 35% - Total: 91% The king of "Good Eats," Alton Brown shot to fame with his unique approach to exploring the science and history behind food, often with a dash of humor. After premiering on Chicago's PBS station in 1998, Food Network bought the rights in 1999, and the show became a hit, running for 13 years and earning a Peabody Award and James Beard Award. Brown won another James Beard Award in 2003 for his book "I'm Just Here for the Food." He continued to appear on Food Network shows until his contract ended in 2020, when he left the network to cohost an "Iron Chef" reboot on Netflix. Mark Von Holden/WireImage for Colle & McVoy, Inc // Getty Images #14. Sandra Lee - Have heard of: 60% - Have a positive opinion of: 33% - Total: 93% Growing up in a low-income household, Sandra Lee had to learn the importance of resourcefulness early in life while cooking for the family and stretching dollars and food stamps. Lee managed to leverage that ingenuity into a profitable career, first with easy-to-make window treatments, then with food, writing over two dozen cookbooks. She's hosted multiple Food Network shows, most famously the Emmy Award-winning "Semi-Homemade Cooking," which encouraged home cooks to combine store-bought and homemade ingredients. A breast cancer survivor, Lee was romantically linked with former New York governor Andrew Cuomo for over a decade until their breakup in 2019. Talaya Centeno/WWD/Penske Media // Getty Images #13. Ina Garten - Have heard of: 58% - Have a positive opinion of: 35% - Total: 93% A former White House budget analyst, Ina Garten made her foray into the food business in 1978 by purchasing Barefoot Contessa, a small food store in the Hamptons that takes its name from the 1954 Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner movie. Seeking a new challenge, Garten sold the store in 1996, reallocating her time to write bestselling cookbooks and developing "Barefoot Contessa," a James Beard Award-winning Food Network show named for the store that started it all. In 2022, Garten debuted a new show, "Be My Guest with Ina Garten," which debuted its seventh season in October 2025. Her memoir, "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," was released in October 2024. Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for SOBEWFF® // Getty Images #12. Tia Mowry - Have heard of: 62% - Have a positive opinion of: 37% - Total: 99% A child actress-turned-cooking ambassador, Tia Mowry burst onto the entertainment scene in the late 1990s when she and her twin, Tamera Mowry, starred on the sitcom "Sister, Sister." As an adult, Mowry continued acting but wanted to create projects around her lifelong love of cooking. Her first Cooking Channel show, "Tia Mowry at Home," lasted just two seasons. In her 2023 follow-up show, "Not Like Mama," Mowry adjudicates home cooks attempting to recreate their mothers' signature dishes. Rocket Weijers/Getty Images for Royal Caribbean // Getty Images #11. Jamie Oliver - Have heard of: 66% - Have a positive opinion of: 38% - Total: 104% Jamie Oliver's TV career began by chance when he caught the eye of a BBC documentary crew filming at London's River Café. Later, the same filmmakers would support Oliver on his own TV show in 1999, "The Naked Chef." Oliver's brash style and stripped-down recipes made him a household name in both the U.K. and the U.S. His "Feed Me Better" campaign to make school lunches healthier spurred the British government to increase school food budgets. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" attempted the same premise in Huntington, West Virginia, and Los Angeles, picking up an Emmy in the process. Although his restaurant group went bankrupt in 2019, Oliver still writes cookbooks and has a culinary school. Mark Mainz // Getty Images #10. Wolfgang Puck - Have heard of: 79% - Have a positive opinion of: 40% - Total: 119% Austrian-born Wolfgang Puck inherited the food gene from his mother, a chef in her own right, who taught him how to cook. Puck worked in France's best restaurants before moving to the U.S. In the mid-1970s, he opened many famous restaurants in Los Angeles, including Ma Maison and Spago. He also opened a catering company that has served the Academy Awards Governors Ball for 29 years. A seven-time James Beard Award winner, Puck's eponymous Food Network show ran for five seasons and picked up an Emmy Award. A fixture on "Good Morning America," Puck also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Alexander Tamargo // Getty Images #9. Bobby Flay - Have heard of: 78% - Have a positive opinion of: 43% - Total: 121% A high school dropout with a love for food, Bobby Flay started cooking at a New York restaurant. He impressed his bosses enough that they sent him to the brand-new French Culinary Institute to learn the fundamentals (after earning his GED). After working in other chefs' restaurants, Flay opened his restaurant Mesa Grill in 1991, garnering him his first of two cooking-related James Beard Awards. In addition to running restaurants, Flay starred in over a dozen popular shows for the Food Network, including "Beat Bobby Flay," "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," and "Bobby Flay Chef Mentor," the latter of which earned him a third James Beard Award. However, Flay may be known best for his 100-plus appearances on "Iron Chef," a show that he quit abruptly in 2018 via a T-shirt message that he wore during a live taping. A four-time Emmy winner, in 2015, Flay became the first TV chef to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NYCWFF // Getty Images #8. Emeril Lagasse - Have heard of: 74% - Have a positive opinion of: 48% - Total: 122% For over 30 years, Emeril Lagasse taught people to "kick it up a notch!" with their cooking. Originally from Massachusetts, Lagasse's early days as a cook took him to French and American cities, before he settled in New Orleans in 1981, taking over as executive chef at the legendary Commander's Palace restaurant. Lagasse's name became synonymous with Cajun and Creole cooking as he developed a New Orleans cooking style that he showcased through a growing stable of restaurants and cookbooks. Emeril struck it big on TV in 1995 with his third show, "Essence of Emeril." His follow-up, "Emeril Live," put him in front of a studio audience, where he entertained audiences with his catchphrases like "Bam!" Since 2022, Lagasse has been hosting the cooking shows "Emeril Cooks" and "Emeril Tailgates" on the Roku Channel. A three-time James Beard Award winner, Lagasse built a culinary empire, with a growing number of TV shows, cookbooks, restaurants, and cookware. He's even served as Carnival Cruise Line's chief culinary officer and created food for NASA astronauts to eat in space. Larry Marano/Getty Images For SOBEWFF // Getty Images #7. Paula Deen - Have heard of: 86% - Have a positive opinion of: 39% - Total: 125% A Savannah, Georgia-based caterer-turned-restaurateur, Paula Deen brought a new style of Southern cooking to the airwaves with her butter-laden recipes. She started appearing on the Food Network in 1999, receiving her own show, "Paula's Home Cooking," in 2002. The bloom came off the rose in 2012 when Deen faced criticism for promoting sugary, fatty recipes while she herself lived with Type 2 diabetes. Deen made headlines again in 2013 when she admitted to using racial slurs during a workplace discrimination lawsuit deposition. In the wake of the scandal, Deen lost her TV contract and retail partnerships, and she all but disappeared from the public eye for many years. She has since rebuilt her following through her restaurants, retail stores, magazine, and YouTube channel. Fairfax Media // Getty Images #6. Anthony Bourdain - Have heard of: 81% - Have a positive opinion of: 49% - Total: 130% A chef who found adventure in food, Anthony Bourdain burst onto the scene with his 2000 memoir, "Kitchen Confidential," which exposed the unsavory inner workings of restaurants and touched on his heroin addiction. An instant sensation, Bourdain moved into television and over the years starred in several series including the James Beard Award-winning PBS show "The Mind of a Chef," the Travel Channel's "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," and CNN's eight-time Emmy-winning "Parts Unknown," which helped build a foodie culture in the U.S. by showcasing global cuisine. Bourdain shocked the food world in 2018 when, while filming an episode of "Parts Unknown" in Europe, he died by suicide. Some of the early chapters of Bourdain's colorful life will be chronicled in the forthcoming A24 biopic "Tony," which hits theaters in August 2026. Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appetit // Getty Images #5. Guy Fieri - Have heard of: 84% - Have a positive opinion of: 49% - Total: 133% The Mayor of Flavortown, Guy Fieri is a man of the people known for his celebration of American mom-and-pop restaurants. In 2006, he won "Next Food Network Star," which got him his own TV show—and shortly thereafter, a TV empire. Known for his spiky blond hair and penchant for casual food, Fieri hosts many shows on the Food Network, including his signature "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," "Guy's Grocery Games," and "Tournament of Champions." In 2023, he signed a three-year, $100 million contract extension with the Food Network, making him the highest-paid chef on TV. Hans Namuth/Photo Researchers History // Getty Images #4. Julia Child - Have heard of: 81% - Have a positive opinion of: 53% - Total: 134% Julia Child brought French cuisine to America with her book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," a collaboration with French authors Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. While promoting the book on a local Boston PBS TV show, Child made an impromptu omelet. The appearance received a positive response from viewers, prompting TV producers to award her a cooking show. Child gained fame on "The French Chef," which lasted for 10 seasons and included her signature "bon appétit" sign-off. Other cookbooks and shows followed, along with many accolades, including Peabody, Emmy, and James Beard Awards. Child was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute Hall of Fame, and her legendary Cambridge, Massachusetts, kitchen is enshrined in the Smithsonian Museum. John Lamparski/Getty Images for NYCWFF // Getty Images #3. Rachael Ray - Have heard of: 90% - Have a positive opinion of: 49% - Total: 139% Rachael Ray struck a chord with busy people when she developed 30-minute meals, simple yet elegant recipes that could be put on the table within a half-hour. Ray first used this concept as a class for the gourmet food shop she worked at in upstate New York, and later, as the basis for a segment on a local news station. This led to a line of cookbooks centered on the quick recipe theme, along with multiple Food Network shows, including "30 Minute Meals," "$40 a Day," "Inside Dish," and "Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels." Her catchphrases "Yum-O" and "delish" and calling extra virgin olive oil "EVOO" made her wildly popular with home chefs, in addition to helping Ray launch lines of cookware and pet food. Her daily syndicated show ran for 17 years and ended in 2023. The three-time Daytime Emmy Award winner continues to work in TV with her Hulu series "Rachael Ray's Rebuild" and the FYI series "Rachael Ray in Tuscany." Frederick M. Brown // Getty Images #2. Martha Stewart - Have heard of: 95% - Have a positive opinion of: 56% - Total: 151% The queen of living well, Martha Stewart is a model-turned-stockbroker-turned-caterer-turned media mogul. Her "Martha Stewart Living" magazine debuted in 1990 and spawned a TV show of the same name that ran from 1993 to 2004. The show ended when Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison in connection with an insider trading case. But when she was released, she launched "Martha," which ran from 2005 to 2012, followed by "Martha Bakes," which ran from 2011 to 2019. A 12-time Daytime Emmy winner, Stewart is also known for her long-running—and unlikely—friendship with rapper Snoop Dogg, whom she met during his appearance on her show in 2008. Since then, the pair has collaborated on multiple cooking and food competition shows, including "Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party" and "Snoop and Martha's Very Tasty Halloween." In October 2024, the documentary "Martha" premiered on Netflix to strong reviews. FOX Image Collection // Getty Images #1. Gordon Ramsay - Have heard of: 94% - Have a positive opinion of: 59% - Total: 153% Despite his penchant for excellence and 17 Michelin stars (the third highest of any chef in the world), Gordon Ramsay is best known for his vitriolic TV persona. A Scottish chef, Ramsay first showcased his fiery personality on British TV with "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares," a show designed to help restaurant owners save their failing businesses, and the competition show "Hell's Kitchen." In 2005, Ramsay brought "Hell's Kitchen" across the pond, and it's been running on American television ever since. Ramsay's also known for other reality shows, such as "MasterChef," "Next Level Chef," and, most recently, "Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service," which scored impressive ratings after launching on Fox in May 2025. Story editing by Cynthia Rebolledo. Additional editing by Paris Close. Copy editing by Meg Shields. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
	Augustana grad running the Mississippi River to raise money for cancer research Grant Bell was inspired to take on the challenge after his niece was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that primarily impacts children.
	Pseudorabies eradicated from Iowa, state ag department reports Pseudorabies, a disease primarily impacted swine, has been eradicated in Iowa according to the state department of agriculture. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Pseudorabies, a disease that primarily impacts swine, is again considered eradicated in Iowa, after the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship confirmed a spring outbreak did not spread to other farms. The virus was detected April 30 in a small Iowa herd that was later depopulated, per U.S. Department of Agriculture protocol. According to a Monday news release from IDALS, a second round of testing revealed no additional cases of the virus. IDALS said farms that were quarantined since the detection are now released and may resume routine animal movements. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement the situation has been “resolved” and the state was able to “contain and eradicate” the pseudorabies virus from the state. The five infected boars were traced back to a facility in Texas, where USDA also detected the virus. According to USDA the detection was the first case of pseudorabies in a commercial swine herd since 2004. While the disease has been eradicated from commercial herds, it is still present in feral hogs. IDALS said the impacted Texas herd was housed outside and had the potential for contact with infected feral hogs. “This situation is a great reminder that we must always be prepared to respond to animal health threats and can never get complacent in our efforts to keep these diseases out of our herds,” Naig said in a news release. The pseudorabies virus does not pose a threat to humans as they are considered resistant to infections of the virus. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Savannah Bananas members coming to youth day at John Deere Classic The players will be at the tournament on July 1st to play in the Pro-Am and take part in the clinic at youth day on the driving range.
	Scott County Park Pool opens June 19 The Scott County Park Pool will open for the 2026 summer season on Friday, June 19. This comes after substantial progress on the pool renovation project, which had initially delayed the facility’s Memorial Day Weekend debut. “We are grateful for the community’s patience and understanding as this significant project reached completion. We also appreciate the [...]
	Over $9M in federal grants awarded to northern NH businesses for childcare, infrastructure Sen. Jeanne Shaheen speaks to the director of Keene Day Care Center, Suelaine Poling, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Maya Mitchell/New Hampshire Bulletin)U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and the New Hampshire congressional delegation announced that 21 grantees received $9.3 million in federal funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission. Businesses, nonprofits, and state agencies received grants to improve outdoor recreation and tourism, childcare, educational programs, sanitation, workforce development, and more. “For nearly two decades, the Northern Border Regional Commission has been a critical partner in strengthening our state’s rural communities through federal investment and economic development,” Shaheen said in a press release Friday. “It is great to see this new funding released, which will invest in our workforce, fund infrastructure improvements, enhance outdoor recreation and forest industries, support New Hampshire’s rural health care system, increase the supply of affordable child care and so much more.” The Northern Border Regional Commission is a federal-state partnership formed to “help alleviate distress” through economic and community development in New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and Vermont’s “hard-hit” northern counties. In New Hampshire, Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coös, Grafton, Merrimack, and Sullivan counties are considered to be in the Northern Border region. In West Lebanon, the Boys and Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire was awarded $1 million to build a 5,400-square-foot childcare facility with 50 new slots for infant-to-pre-K care. Evergreen Start, under the Coös Directors Network, was awarded $500,000 to “deploy shared back-office infrastructure” aimed at stabilizing and expanding licensed childcare capacity in Coös, Grafton, and Carroll counties over three years. Across the four states in the commission, over $45.4 million in grants were awarded. Courtesy of New Hampshire Bulletin
	Davenport Elks Lodge holds flag retirement ceremony for Flag Day The Davenport Elks Lodge held a flag retirement ceremony in honor of Flag Day. Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the U.S. flag by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. For the ceremony, Elks Lodge members retired the club's flag and replaced it with a new one. The flag that got replaced in [...]
	Providers scramble as Tennessee tells sick, disabled immigrant kids they will be reported Gabriella, the mother of a child with complex medical needs covered by a last resort state health care program for critically ill kids, used a translation app on her phone to talk about program cuts. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Photograph by John Partipilo/Tennessee LookoutLast week Gov. Bill Lee’s administration issued an ultimatum to hundreds of immigrant families in Tennessee: If parents wished to keep their disabled and critically ill children on a last-resort medical program, their personal information would be turned over to a state agency that shares data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The notice, targeting immigrant children without permanent legal status, came with a June 30 deadline and no transition plan for young patients who rely on ventilators and feeding tubes, or who are midway through chemotherapy treatment — healthcare that, until now, has been provided through the Children’s Special Services program. The decision prompted a sprint last week by public health workers to figure out ongoing care. Democratic lawmakers pressed the Tennessee Department of Health for details. The Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics urged pediatricians across the state to send urgent letters and sign a petition. The Tennessee Justice Center, a nonprofit legal advocacy firm, searched for plaintiffs willing to join a legal challenge. As of Friday, they had not found a family willing to join. Even if parents are not fully identified in public court filings, their identities would have to be shared with lawyers defending the state during the course of litigation, said Michele Johnson, executive director. Families are “so scared,” Johnson said. “We have no other choice. We have to take him from Children’s Special Services,” said Gabriella of her 10-year-old son, who has several serial medical issues. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) “I can’t overstate the impact we’re seeing,” Dr. Morgan McDonald, who sits on Nashville’s Metro Health Board, said during a Thursday board meeting. “We’re seeing nurses scramble for ventilators, for feeding tubes, to try (to obtain) metabolic formula, to try to keep kids out of the hospital, to try to keep kids alive,” she said. Public health staff have been “working around the clock to not let any child fall through the cracks, but the resources are fewer and fewer for these families,” she said. About 400 families enrolled in the Children’s Special Services program received notice last week, according to an email from the Tennessee Department of Health — shared with the Lookout — that was sent from the state health department to Sen. Heidi Campbell, a Nashville Democrat. The email came in response to Campbell’s demand for more details from the department last week. The department did not respond to the Lookout’s request for more information about the letters last week. Among those impacted is a 10-year-old boy with complex medical conditions including spina bifida, autism and kidney disease who has been enrolled in Children’s Special Services for seven years, according to his mother, Gabriella. She asked to be identified only by her first name because she fears her family being targeted by immigration officials for speaking publicly. Their asylum claim is pending. On Saturday, Gabriella sat at her kitchen table as her son sat in his wheelchair in front of the TV watching cartoons. She and her husband have decided to withdraw their son from the program, she said. Her 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son put their arms around their mother as she dropped her face into her hands and cried. “We are not comfortable today,” she said. “We have no other choice. We have to take him from Children’s Special Services. Because I see in the news that they don’t care. I see them taking a mother with a baby. I don’t want to put the life of my children in their hands. I don’t want immigration to come to my house. I don’t want them to put us in detention. In detention (my son) wouldn’t get any care.” “I don’t understand why they are doing this to these kids, not just my own.” Tennessee health department warns parents their children will be reported to immigration officials She paused as she searched for the right words in English, taking out her phone to type into a translation program. “They are innocent children,” the translation text read. Gabriella and her husband sought asylum in the United States after leaving Honduras seven years ago to escape violence, she said. She said she prays every day for the asylum claim to be granted. If they obtain asylum, they will re-enroll their son in the Children’s Special Services program, she said. In the meantime, she said her social workers at the public health department and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have told her they are doing everything they can to find other means to deliver her son’s medication, medical care and supplies. ‘Sickest of the sickest of the sickest’ Children’s Special Services is a decades-old, public program for kids with disabilities, chronic illnesses and, in some instances, terminal diagnoses. The program serves the “sickest of the sickest of the sickest” children who are uninsured or underinsured, Johnson said. The program, administered through each of the state’s 95 local health departments, helps pay for hospitalizations, specialists, therapists, medications, medical supplies, social workers and in-home care to help families navigate their children’s complex care needs regardless of immigration status. In total, more than 4,600 children across the state are enrolled. The state health department’s decision to require immigration checks has been brewing for months, with local public health officials working behind the scenes to try and avert it. State health officials opted to move forward with the verification policy in early June. In letters that reached families last week, Department of Health Interim Commissioner John Dunn wrote that “due to the current immigration status of your child … if the Children’s Special Services program keeps paying for healthcare after June 30, 2026, the Tennessee Department of Health will share your child’s information” with the state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Tennessee to report disabled immigrant kids getting public healthcare to ICE, advocates say The letters to parents cited a new state law the department said required the reporting of immigrants seeking or receiving public benefits who do not have a legal permanent status in the United States to Tennessee’s Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division, which works closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Legal advocates for low-income patients strongly disputed the department’s interpretation of the law, which they said applies only to adults. On Friday, one of the two Republican sponsors of the legislation endorsed the health department’s application of the law, suggesting emergency rooms as an alternative for children in the program. “No child receiving lifesaving medical treatment is denied care because of this new law,” Rep. Dennis Powers, a Jacksboro Republican, said. “Federal protections for emergency and lifesaving medical services remain fully in place regardless of immigration status, criminal status or insurance. The legislation, Powers said, “simply ensures taxpayer-funded public benefits are reserved for those who are legally eligible to receive them.” “That’s not so easy,” Gabriella. She walked through her son’s bedroom, stacked with catheters, gloves and diapers. She picked up bottles of medication to treat her son’s kidneys and to prevent infection. A lift in one corner helps get her son, who weighs 120 pounds, out of bed. Leg braces, replaced annually to keep up with his growth, lay on the bed. Her son “needs therapies and the doctor that we cannot afford. The emergency room does not help with these things.” “Please tell people that my husband pays taxes,” she said. “We are not trying to take anything from other people. We are just trying to help our son, as any parent would.” Pediatricians and public health providers have warned of dire and even life-threatening consequences for children who withdraw from the program rather than risk being reported to immigration authorities. Dr. Jason Yaun, past president of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Friday that he was taken by surprise when he learned that immigrant children’s care is in jeopardy. Yaun said the pediatric academy is preparing letters to the state, asking Tennessee pediatricians to sign onto a petition and join efforts already underway to push back against the state’s plan. “My big fear is without Children’s Special Services that many of these children with very complex conditions will not be able to access the care they need, especially specialty and ancillary care,” he said. “All the children on this program are typically cared for by specialists and need multiple ancillary services, early intervention and ongoing therapies to keep them thriving and healthy. Many of these children have in the past, or will in the future, require major surgeries and procedures.” The Tennessee Department of Health did not respond to repeated requests for information about the immigration verification checks from the Lookout last week. On Friday, Campbell said the department had also stopped responding to her questions, citing potential incoming litigation. “The Tennessee Department of Health is now refusing to answer a sitting state senator’s questions about whether 400 seriously ill children were swept into immigration reporting beyond what the law requires, and hiding behind litigation to do it,” Campbell said. “TDOH receives state appropriations. Legislators have both the right and the obligation to know how those funds are being used and whether agencies are operating within statutory authority.” Gabriella said she and her husband are placing their faith in God. Since May 2026, as mass immigration sweeps in Nashville detained more than 100 people, Gabriella said she and her husband only travel together by car together to church on Sundays. They otherwise drive separately in case one of them is detained so their children do not lose both parents. Each day, when her husband leaves for work as a marble and slab layer, they embrace and say a shared prayer for his safe return, she said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Tennessee Lookout
	3 Savannah Bananas heading to John Deere Classic Three Savannah Bananas are peeling away from the baseball diamond for a visit to the Quad Cities and the John Deere Classic Pro-Am.
	25 most covered songs in rock music history, according to data Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images 25 most covered rock songs of all time When it first emerged in the middle of the 20th century, rock music was a kind of musical vernacular that enabled artists to escape their humble backgrounds and make it to the big time. Influenced by country music, rhythm and blues, and Black culture, rock 'n' roll encompassed various musical palettes, but its attitude was distinctly riotous and self-mythologizing. Radio disc jockeys began playing early genre pioneers, including Elvis Presley, on their shows in the early 1950s. They introduced a predominantly white demographic to a sound more electrifying than anything they had likely heard. Soon, the genre would become the soundtrack of an emerging youth culture, a movement built on music, fashion, and self-expression. Rock in the 1950s set many of the standards for music today. Still, one band, inspired by skiffle (a sound originating in the United Kingdom that blended jazz, blues, folk, and country music) and pop music, arguably entrenched the template more than any other: the Beatles. Formed by four Liverpudlians in 1960, the Beatles became the bestselling band of all time and crucial innovators of both the stage and studio. Had they never existed, the music we listen to and enjoy today—no matter the genre—would likely sound entirely different. It's no surprise that the Beatles' songs are some of the most commonly covered. But the Fab Four aren't alone—newer bands are covered just as frequently. Pop singer Billie Eilish, who has previously cited Radiohead as a musical inspiration, performed her own version of the group's iconic 1992 track "Creep" while on tour in Europe in May 2025. And more recently, metal musician MAPHRA went to #1 on Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart in March 2026 with a cover of Bring Me the Horizon's 2015 track "Doomed." To see which rock songs are the most popular choices for covers, Stacker looked at data on all songs with recorded covers from SecondHandSongs and ranked the top 25 songs that we categorized as fitting in the rock genre. The ranking is based on the number of covers. Robert A. Reeder // Getty Images #25. Johnny B. Goode - Originally recorded by: Chuck Berry - Written by: Chuck Berry - Covers: 293 - Adaptations: 30 Released in March 1958, Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" is commonly considered the first self-congratulatory song in pop music history. Before its recording, Berry had served three years in prison prior to embarking on a career as a guitarist and songwriter. "Johnny B. Goode" is essentially a tribute to his emancipation from poverty and prison. With its dynamic narrative and rousing melody line, it's no wonder it's been covered by rock 'n' roll legends like Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles. The song is so essential that, in 1977, it was included on a golden disc carried by the NASA spacecraft Voyager as part of a series of music, images, and sounds that could represent life on Earth. Don Cravens // Getty Images #24. Heartbreak Hotel - Originally recorded by: Elvis Presley - Written by: Elvis Presley, Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden - Covers: 293 - Adaptations: 18 Written by Mae Boren Axton and steel guitar player Tommy Durden, "Heartbreak Hotel" gave The King his first #1 hit and became 1956's bestselling single. According to Rolling Stone, the song was inspired by a suicide note, which the writers found in a newspaper article. Despite the morbid backstory, the song has become a staple of rock music history, inspiring covers from the King of the Blue Guitar, Albert King, as well as John Cale and Paul McCartney. John Springer Collection // Getty Images #23. Jailhouse Rock - Originally recorded by: Elvis Presley - Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller - Covers: 297 - Adaptations: 19 Another Elvis Presley entry, "Jailhouse Rock," became a megahit the year after "Heartbreak Hotel." "Jailhouse Rock" went on to become the title track for Presley's film of the same name. Today, it's considered one of the King's best-known signature songs, which is saying a lot. In the song's lifetime, it's been covered by such titans of rock 'n' roll including Queen, The Blues Brothers, and ZZ Top. Evening Standard // Getty Images #22. All My Loving - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 305 - Adaptations: 14 The first entry of many Beatles entries, "All My Loving" is considered by many Paul McCartney's first major song for the band. According to McCartney's 1997 autobiography, "Many Years From Now," he wrote "All My Loving" during the Beatles' tour with Roy Orbison in 1963. For McCartney, it was the first song where the words came first before the accompaniment. While John Lennon was considered the band's main songwriter in the Beatles' early days, "All My Loving" asserted McCartney's talent and put the two band members on equal footing. The Arctic Monkeys covered the track when they headlined Madison Square Garden in 2014. Bettmann // Getty Images #21. Help! - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 306 - Adaptations: 16 Mostly written by John Lennon from his home in Weybridge, "Help!" became the title track for the Beatles' second film and fifth album. According to David Sheff's "All We Are Saying," which compiles Lennon's final interviews, the songwriter originally composed the song as a genuine cry for help. That cry was answered over and over by numerous other artists throughout the decade, who reinterpreted Lennon's desperation into their own sound. In 1968, Deep Purple provided their own psychedelic take, and two years later, the Carpenters brought the song into their universe. Rick Diamond // Getty Images #20. Blue Suede Shoes - Originally recorded by: Carl Perkins - Written by: Carl Perkins - Covers: 313 Few songs have tapped into the pulse of American pop culture quite like Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes," the first song to ever reach the top—or close to the top—of all three pop, country, and R&B charts of the time. While Perkins never enjoyed the same kind of success again, the song has taken on a life of its own, reanimated throughout the years by a smorgasbord of legendary covers, including Elvis' up-tempo take and Johnny Rivers' rendition, which briefly returned the song to the charts in 1973. Paul Natkin // Getty Images #19. Just the Way You Are - Originally recorded by: Billy Joel - Written by: Billy Joel - Covers: 316 - Adaptations: 11 The standout track from Billy Joel's fifth album, "Just The Way You Are," quickly became one of the songwriter's signature songs when it released in 1977. Legend has it that Joel dreamed the melody. At a business meeting weeks later, Joel's mind drifted off from numbers and legal speak and returned to the dream, which then inspired the lyrics in a two- or three-hour sitting. Barry White then leapt to cover the song a mere year later, an impulse some may have questioned at the time had it not earned him huge commercial success. White's R&B cover would become his second-longest-running hit in the U.K. Ebet Roberts // Getty Images #18. Time After Time - Originally recorded by: Cyndi Lauper - Written by: Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman - Covers: 317 - Adaptations: 10 Cyndi Lauper's romantic ballad "Time After Time," a song that now sounds like the ultimate emblem of the '80s, earned the singer her first #1 hit in 1984. With its tender yet complex emotional palette, the song caused musicians from all walks of life to cover it. Pop stars, including Pink and Leona Lewis, have offered their relatively faithful interpretations, but Lauper's favorite has always been Miles Davis'. Jeff Hochberg // Getty Images #17. Proud Mary - Originally recorded by: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Written by: John Fogerty - Covers: 337 - Adaptations: 31 "Proud Mary" was Creedence Clearwater Revival at their swamp rock peak. The song was written by frontman John Fogerty, marking one of his first masterpieces, and later became a huge hit in 1969. With its irresistible singalong quality, it's no wonder it began attracting covers almost immediately after its release. Solomon Burke came up with his version first before Ike & Tina Turner offered their interpretation in 1970, which hit the heights of the charts and became one of the most famous renditions of the iconic song. Mark and Colleen Hayward // Getty Images #16. Can't Buy Me Love - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 347 - Adaptations: 14 The Beatles' sixth single, "Can't Buy Me Love," was the product of a 19-day residency at Paris' Olympia Theatre. It introduced a slightly newer, bluesier tone to the boys' sound and was the first of the band's singles to feature only one singer. In this case, Paul McCartney was in the driver's seat. The song's bluesy mood caught the ear of Ella Fitzgerald, who later covered the song and earned the band's approval. Express // Getty Images #15. The Long and Winding Road - Originally recorded by: The Beatles, Bud Shank with The Bob Alcivar Singers - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 352 - Adaptations: 6 There may not be a song in the Beatles' catalog that sums up their final bittersweet days better than "The Long and Winding Road." Primarily written in Scotland in 1968 by Paul McCartney, the mournful song ultimately provided a soundtrack to the cracks beginning to show within the band. The song became the band's final #1 hit, but its beautiful melancholy lived on through renditions performed by Cher, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles. Max Scheler // Getty Images #14. A Hard Day's Night - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 354 - Adaptations: 19 "A Hard Day's Night" was inspired by a phrase uttered by Ringo Starr on one grueling, work-intensive night while the band was forced into a filming session in 1964. At that point, the Beatles hardly knew a life outside of touring and recording. It's a lifestyle Otis Redding was all too familiar with. His cover of the song was just as rousing as the original, its sense of fun masking the exhaustion that inspired it. Paul Natkin // Getty Images #13. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Originally recorded by: The Rolling Stones - Written by: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards - Covers: 357 - Adaptations: 14 With its spiky guitar riff and themes of disillusionment and rebellion, the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is what many would consider the prototypical rock song. Keith Richards, the band's guitarist, has long claimed that the now instantly recognizable riff came to him while he was sleeping. It may be one of the most fortuitous dreams in rock history; "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" soon became the band's first #1 single in the U.S. Björk and PJ Harvey covered it together a few decades later, with a stripped-back yet venomous reinterpretation. Lester Cohen // Getty Images #12. Your Song - Originally recorded by: Elton John, Three Dog Night - Written by: Elton John, Bernie Taupin - Covers: 363 - Adaptations: 14 "Your Song" was not only one of Elton John's first major hits but also the song responsible for launching him from a great songwriter into a worldwide phenomenon. Written alongside Bernie Taupin, the song was penned while Taupin was only 17. At that point, Taupin had yet to experience true love—the song's subject matter—for himself. You'd never be able to tell. Rod Stewart covered it later, backed by fiddle and guitar, and Ellie Goulding turned it into an ethereal and lovelorn ballad many years later. Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images #11. Ain't No Sunshine - Originally recorded by: Bill Withers - Written by: Bill Withers - Covers: 376 - Adaptations: 11 Not long before he wrote one of the best songs of all time, Bill Withers was still a factory worker, making aircraft toilet seats at a manufacturing plant in Los Angeles. It wasn't until he turned 32 that he made his breakthrough as a musician, a move he can credit to one perfect song: "Ain't No Sunshine." The song moved a young Michael Jackson to cover it as a young teen. It's since gone through several different arrangements, with the likes of Tom Jones and Paul McCartney adding their twists on the classic. Fox Photos // Getty Images #10. With a Little Help from My Friends - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 397 - Adaptations: 15 One of the most famous call-and-response songs of all time, "With a Little Help from My Friends" was written collaboratively between John Lennon and Paul McCartney during the final stages of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." That opening lyric ("What would you think if I sang out of tune?") was a joke the songwriters played on the comparatively pitchy Ringo Starr, who performed the song. "With a Little Help from My Friends" was most famously covered by Joe Cocker, whose version almost threatened to overshadow the original in the U.K., though it only reached #68 in the U.S. Silver Screen Collection // Getty Images #9. In My Life - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 419 - Adaptations: 6 A fan favorite from "Rubber Soul," "In My Life" is a quintessential John Lennon track. The song was originally inspired by Lennon's memories of living in Liverpool, but its lyrics are deliberately vague enough for anyone to apply their own nostalgia to it. The song has since found its way to some unlikely places; Sean Connery sang the song as part of an albumlong Beatles tribute, as assembled by George Martin in 1998. Ivan Keeman // Getty Images #8. Here Comes the Sun - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: George Harrison - Covers: 430 - Adaptations: 9 The sunshine of the band's "Abbey Road" sessions, George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" proved that the third Beatle could stand toe to toe with Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Harrison penned the song while staying with his friend Eric Clapton at his home in Ewhurst, Surrey. While sunning himself in Clapton's garden, the seeds of the song began to germinate, and the rest was history. A simple ditty, it'd be challenging to do a disservice to this lovely song. It's since been covered by Coldplay, Bon Jovi, and Travis, but Charles Wright of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band infused it with a particularly lovely warmth and glow. Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images #7. Jingle Bell Rock - Originally recorded by: Bobby Helms - Written by: Jim Boothe, Joe Beal - Covers: 447 - Adaptations: 10 "Jingle Bell Rock" was originally written by two unlikely sources, an advertising executive named James Ross Boothe and a public relations professional named Joseph Carleton Beal. The popularity of "Jingle Bell Rock" has been forever enshrined, partly due to its many appearances in popular films like "Mean Girls" and "Lethal Weapon" but also due to its many covers throughout the years. Kylie Minogue, the Beach Boys, and Hall & Oates have all brought the holiday spirit of "Jingle Bell Rock" into their own repertoires. Michael Webb // Getty Images #6. Come Together - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 461 - Adaptations: 8 When the Beatles' discography was finally added to streaming services in 2015, "Come Together" was one of the songs that racked up the most streams, behind "Here Comes the Sun." It's not hard to see why. There's an indelible oddness to the track that gives it a hypnotic quality while still making it sound fresh all these years later. In 1969, Tina Turner was among the first to cover it, infusing the song with a feminine yearning. A decade later, Aerosmith reached the charts with their extra groovy version. John Pratt // Getty Images #5. Here, There and Everywhere - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 562 - Adaptations: 15 Paul McCartney has often referred to "Here, There and Everywhere" as one of John Lennon's favorites among McCartney's compositions on a tape. The song was allegedly written while he lounged by Lennon's swimming pool in Weybridge and waited for his collaborator to wake up. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd gave us one of the best cover versions of the song, adding psychedelic flourishes to an interpretation that was otherwise faithful to McCartney's original composition. Larry C. Morris // Getty Images #4. Imagine - Originally recorded by: John Lennon - Written by: John Lennon - Covers: 565 - Adaptations: 14 John Lennon wrote "Imagine," his magnum opus, hardly even a year after the Beatles split. It was 1971, and Paul McCartney had just filed a lawsuit to dissolve the pair's contractual partnership. Lennon ultimately ensured his freedom and independence with "Imagine," a song bound to survive as long as cockroaches and Twinkies. There have been many excellent covers throughout the years, among the best include Joan Baez's 1972 version, which pared the song down to its most skeletal, and Neil Young's 2001 rendition for a 9/11 tribute, which featured a moving string section. Central Press // Getty Images #3. Something - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: George Harrison - Covers: 567 - Adaptations: 9 Once the band's underdog, George Harrison had established himself as a force to be reckoned with by the time "Something" was released in 1969. One of the most memorable tracks from "Abbey Road," "Something" has inspired countless versions, some of which earned Harrison's approval—others… not so much. "At the time, I wasn't particularly thrilled that Frank Sinatra did 'Something'," Harrison admitted in his biography "Anthology," per Far Out Magazine. However, he was much more pleased "when Smokey Robinson did it and when James Brown did it," he wrote, adding: "I'm very pleased now, whoever's done it. I realise that the sign of a good song is when it has lots of cover versions." Santi Visalli // Getty Images #2. Hey Jude - Originally recorded by: The Beatles - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 568 - Adaptations: 23 The Beatles released "Hey Jude" on the same day in 1968 as the Democratic National Convention opened. At seven minutes and 11 seconds long, the song challenged the constraints of radio broadcasting, though it became a megahit nonetheless. Throughout the decades, "Hey Jude" has brought joy and unity to the world with its sweet message of camaraderie. Essentially a perfect song, covering it was no easy feat, but Wilson Pickett knocked it out of the park with his 1969 offering. "To this day, I've never heard better rock guitar playing on an R&B record," Eric Clapton said of Pickett's version. David Farrell // Getty Images #1. Let It Be - Originally recorded by: The Beatles, Aretha Franklin - Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Covers: 577 - Adaptations: 16 The most covered rock song of all time, "Let It Be," was recorded in 1969 (and courted to Aretha Franklin by Paul McCartney). While it's undoubtedly one of the Beatles' most beloved songs, John Lennon allegedly wasn't so hot on it. At the time, the band was treading rocky ground, constantly arguing and trying to resolve seemingly irreconcilable creative differences. But despite the bad blood that underscored the making of this classic, "Let It Be" ultimately resounds as a song of love and unity, a timeless expression of brotherhood and beauty. No cover quite lives up to the original, but the "Glee" cast certainly made a good attempt, as did the spookmaster Nick Cave. Data reporting by Luke Hicks. Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.
	Blue Collar Bagels to officially open June 20 in Rock Island After a trial weekend run, Blue Collar Bagels will officially open Friday, June 20 in Rock Island, according to the company's Instagram page. Owner Patrick Fineran says he spent years in the produce business and started baking bagels. He says he soon realized he had a talent and potential business. About three-fourths of their menu [...]
	Kewanee police begins Fourth of July traffic safety campaign The Kewanee Police Department has announced the beginning of its Fourth of July traffic safety campaign.
	Friends of MLK holding annual Juneteenth Festival in Davenport 160 years ago, the first celebration of Juneteenth took place in Galveston, Texas, commemorating the independence of Black Americans from bondage. The celebration stems from Union troops entering southern Texas in 1865, informing Black Americans that they were no longer controlled by the upper white class known as the planter’s class. Friends of MLK in Davenport is continuing the local celebration for the now-observed federal holiday. The festival is set for Saturday, June 20th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 2nd Street between Harrison and Brady Streets.
	America's 20 most fun cities, based on data — and Miami is only #3 rblfmr // Shutterstock The 20 most fun cities in America in 2025 People crunch various metrics when settling on a city to live in or visit. Some factors concern the cost of living, staying, or how easy it is to go around on foot or by public transit. Other considerations might be the architecture, culture, and history of a place. But for many people, there's one prevailing question: Is it any fun? Answers to that question seem to be shifting in 2026. In American Express Travel's 2026 Trending Destinations report, famously party-friendly cities like Las Vegas are sure to welcome plenty of crowds in the coming months. But a December 2025 analysis from Airbnb also finds growing interest in lesser-known spots like Traverse City, Michigan, known for its wine industry, and Idyllwild, California, a tranquil destination brimming with mountain charm. With so many cities to choose from, looking at the attractions can help you make up your mind as to where to go. Plus, countless other variables can set a city apart, such as neighborhoods and regional traditions. So, how do you figure out where you can cut loose? To find out, and because "fun" can be defined differently by everyone, Stacker analyzed the 2025 report from WalletHub on the most fun cities in America, released in December 2024. The site compared 182 cities—including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state—across three dimensions: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost. Next, the cities were evaluated according to 65 key metrics, which ranged from fitness centers per capita to movie costs to average open hours of breweries. Cities with something for everyone received the highest rankings, which didn't consider the more extreme versions of fun like adventure sports. WalletHub then determined each city's weighted average across all metrics to assign an overall fun score out of 100. Whether you're seeking adventure, culture, a great meal, a great show, or a wild night of drinking and dancing, a trip to one of these cities that made the top 20 will surely delight. Keep reading to discover if your favorite metropolis made it into this gallery of the most fun cities in the United States. Lissandra Melo // Shutterstock #20. Washington DC - Total score: 47.64 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #13 - Nightlife and parties rank: #12 - Costs rank: #177 America's capital offers a vital glimpse into the country's past and present. Along with historic monuments and renowned museums, the city features world-class restaurants and all the nightlife one could ever need. It's also home to several legendary music venues. cdrin // Shutterstock #19. Seattle, Washington - Total score: 48 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #15 - Nightlife and parties rank: #14 - Costs rank: #170 Washington's hub on Puget Sound serves up some of the country's best seafood, which you can famously see "in action" at Pike Place Market. The Mariners, Kraken, and Seahawks all call this vibrant city home, as do monolithic tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft. Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #18. Los Angeles, California - Total score: 48.4 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #12 - Nightlife and parties rank: #16 - Costs rank: #160 The options are limitless in Los Angeles, where entertainment is quite literally a way of life. Hit the beach in Santa Monica, head over to Universal Studios, stroll down Hollywood Boulevard, catch a sports game, watch a live taping of a television show, or reserve a seat at one of the country's best bars and restaurants. It all goes down against a backdrop of downright dreamy weather. VIAVAL // Shutterstock #17. Tampa, Florida - Total score: 49.81 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #9 - Nightlife and parties rank: #26 - Costs rank: #80 It may not be Disney World, but Tampa's Busch Gardens delivers equally thrilling escapism. For a different kind of fun, check out Ybor City just outside of the downtown area for delicious food, boutique shopping, and several popular nightclubs. Izabela23 // Shutterstock #16. Honolulu, Hawaii - Total score: 49.84 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #1 - Nightlife and parties rank: #23 - Costs rank: #171 Waikiki is the heart of this Hawaiian city, where hotels, bars, clubs, resorts, restaurants, and beaches converge to delightful effects. Honolulu is a place where dream vacations are made. Hike a dormant volcano by day, and sip cocktails out of a coconut hours later. Christian Hinkle // Shutterstock #15. Cincinnati, Ohio - Total score: 50.1 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #14 - Nightlife and parties rank: #19 - Costs rank: #70 This river-adjacent city is home to the Bengals and the Reds. Findlay Market is packed with local purveyors, brewers, and artisans, and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is a must-visit destination. Andrew Zarivny // Shutterstock #14. Portland, Oregon - Total score: 50.48 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #17 - Nightlife and parties rank: #9 - Costs rank: #141 Spread across both sides of the Willamette River, Portland, Oregon, is the kind of place where the local barber shop has cold beer on tap, and there's a new vegan bakery springing up on every block. On the outskirts of the city lies Forest Park, which features a myriad of trails and beautiful natural destinations. welcomia // Shutterstock #13. Denver, Colorado - Total score: 50.54 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #16 - Nightlife and parties rank: #13 - Costs rank: #131 Putting the "high" in Mile High City, Denver is where America's recreational marijuana boom was born. The city is home to multiple sports teams, a popular zoo, an acclaimed art museum, and the distinguished Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Rocky Mountain National Park is just a 90-minute drive away. Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #12. St. Louis, Missouri - Total score: 51.25 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #19 - Nightlife and parties rank: #17 - Costs rank: #12 The Gateway Arch is worth a visit, but St. Louis' nearby Soulard District is where the action is. Awash with old-school architecture and new-school vibes, the area is rich with restaurants, clubs, and music venues. St. Louis is also home to one of the country's best zoos, as well as gardens, parks, stadiums, and plenty of other attractions. pisaphotography // Shutterstock #11. Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Total score: 51.34 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #11 - Nightlife and parties rank: #10 - Costs rank: #147 Like so many of Florida's coastal cities, Fort Lauderdale has beaches, rivers, nightclubs, parks, golf courses, and shopping districts. Known as the "Venice of America," Fort Lauderdale also features an intricate network of canals. Quality seafood and tasty cocktails are easy to come by in these parts. LaMiaFotografia // Shutterstock #10. New York City, New York - Total score: 51.6 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #5 - Nightlife and parties rank: #8 - Costs rank: #182 It might cost an arm and a leg to take a bite out of The Big Apple these days, but after all these years, New York continues to offer some of the best museums, theaters, landmarks, stores, bars, and restaurants in the world. In the heart of the city is Central Park, where visitors can wander and sightsee for hours on end. Nate Hovee // Shutterstock #9. Houston, Texas - Total score: 51.64 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #23 - Nightlife and parties rank: #15 - Costs rank: #25 Looking to the stars and beyond, Houston is where the Johnson Space Center calls home. America's fourth-largest city also includes its own Museum District, which receives millions of visits a year. Food enthusiasts will also find a formidable selection of award-winning restaurants. Javen // Shutterstock #8. Chicago, Illinois - Total score: 51.8 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #10 - Nightlife and parties rank: #11 - Costs rank: #151 The Windy City may live up to its name during the cold season, but it's worth a visit any time of year. Staying indoors? Check out the Art Institute of Chicago or one of the city's many acclaimed restaurants. When the sun finally comes out, take in Navy Pier, or take a long walk down Michigan Avenue, "The Magnificent Mile." lunamarina // Shutterstock #7. San Francisco, California - Total score: 53.06 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #7 - Nightlife and parties rank: #5 - Costs rank: #178 San Francisco is overflowing with geographic splendor and bustling activity. Visit a local landmark like Alcatraz or Fisherman's Wharf before snagging a seat at one of the country's best restaurants or bars. Don't forget to hit up a record store or vintage clothing shop over in the historic Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Mike Holp // Shutterstock #6. Austin, Texas - Total score: 54.33 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #18 - Nightlife and parties rank: #7 - Costs rank: #50 The Texas state capital is also one of the hippest cities in the country. Every year, the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival rolls into town, bringing the latest in film, music, and tech. The rest of the year, Austin is well-known for its flourishing music scene, delicious food, and college life. Sean Pavone // Shutterstock #5. New Orleans, Louisiana - Total score: 55.04 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #20 - Nightlife and parties rank: #4 - Costs rank: #76 There are few festivals in the world more fun than Mardi Gras, celebrated each year in this popular city. The "Big Easy" delivers great food and thrilling live music no matter the time of year, or time of day for that matter. Famous areas like Bourbon Street and the French Quarter offer copious amounts of vivacious local flavor. f11photo// Shutterstock #4. Atlanta, Georgia - Total score: 55.36 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #8 - Nightlife and parties rank: #6 - Costs rank: #124 Atlanta is home to the NFL's Falcons, MLB's Braves, and the NBA's Hawks. The city's dining options are abundant and varied, and the club scene is tough to beat. Visit the Georgia Aquarium, often named among the best in the country. s4svisuals // Shutterstock #3. Miami, Florida - Total score: 58.32 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #6 - Nightlife and parties rank: #3 - Costs rank: #157 Miami is filled to the brim with famous nightclubs, Art Déco architecture, delicious food, white sand beaches, luxurious hotels, and a discernible Cuban influence. Each year, Art Basel descends on the city, putting some of the country's best contemporary art within reach. VIAVAL // Shutterstock #2. Orlando, Florida - Total score: 64.38 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #3 - Nightlife and parties rank: #2 - Costs rank: #58 Two words describe why Orlando places so high on this list of fun cities — Disney World. True to its name, the world-famous theme park is home to an endless supply of attractions and rides. When you're all done there, Universal Orlando Resort is more comprehensive and spectacular now than ever. randy andy // Shutterstock #1. Las Vegas, Nevada - Total score: 73.78 - Entertainment and recreation rank: #2 - Nightlife and parties rank: #1 - Costs rank: #36 Orlando may be a blast for the whole family, but Sin City is where adults can go to blow off steam. Whether that means dropping hard-earned cash at the nearest poker table, chilling poolside, dancing until dawn, eating at a world-class restaurant, or watching Cirque du Soleil acrobats fly is up to you. Additional writing by Cu Fleshman and Sheeka Sanahori. Story editing by Cu Fleshman and Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Lois Hince. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
	Water main break halts traffic on River Drive in Moline The break was reported about 1 p.m. Monday.

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