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

Tuesday, May 5th, 2026
	Imagining Magellan This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Two years ago, January, I stood along the Straits of Magellan with a group of Rock Island college students traveling in…
	This flashy group of Portland mall-walkers puts neon pep into step Krista Catwood wanted a fun way to exercise, so she started a mall-walking group whose unofficial costume was 1980s garb. The festive, all-ages event has exploded in popularity over the past year.
	Minneapolis immigrants still feeling the sting of Trump's largest crackdown yet The impact of Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities can still be felt, even three months after it ended. For immigrants, the impact has been devastating — many are at risk of losing their homes and business, and some are dealing with mental health challenges.
	Primary elections in Ohio, Indiana offer latest temperature check on Trump popularity The president seeks to oust Indiana Republicans who blocked a redistricting push in that state, while growing dissatisfaction with Trump's agenda gives Democrats an opening in Ohio.
	Cruise ship waiting for help after 3 people died in a suspected hantavirus outbreak A cruise ship with nearly 150 people aboard was waiting for help off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean after three passengers died in a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus.
	Russia declares a truce in Ukraine to mark Victory Day Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, but threatened to strike back at Kyiv if it tries to disrupt festivities.
Monday, May 4th, 2026
	Twin Rivers Little League concession stand burglarized, community steps up to help Last week, the Twin Rivers Little League was broken into twice, officials said.
	Flavors of India offers free meals to the Quad Cities community They served about 7,000 people during the giveaway.
	Galva community questioning planned carbon capture project The project would take carbon emissions from the Big River Resources ethanol plants in Galva and Burlington, liquify it, then inject it deep underground.
	Bettendorf plans special events for National Bike Month The City of Bettendorf is celebrating National Bike Month in May and Bike to Work Week May 11-17 by encouraging residents to hop on their two-wheelers and explore the community in awhole new way!, according to a news release. Before you go, the Bettendorf Police Department and Bettendorf Parks & Recreation Department collaborated on a [...]
	Davenport speed cabinet damaged, police investigating Davenport police are working to learn more about a damaged speed cabinet.
	What mail access to abortion pill means for now A ruling from the Supreme Court of the United States ensures access to the abortion pill mifepristone by mail for now, and Iowa lawmakers made a statement in the issue. Our Quad Cities News NewsNation Washington correspondent Maddie Biertempfel looks at the ongoing debate.
	DOJ seeking Illinois voter data to purge suspected noncitizens, documents suggest The Trump administration’s lawsuits seeking access to sensitive voter registration data in Illinois and dozens of other states is one part of a broader effort to purge state voter rolls of suspected noncitizens, according to documents filed recently in federal court in Springfield.
	Cooler weather set to move back in this week Well, hopefully you enjoyed the quick warm-up over the last 48 hours! It's about to get cooler again for a few days. Highs are back down below normal for the middle of this week, befroe warming some for the weekend.
	Teacher Appreciation Week freebies and deals: Whataburger, Chipotle and more We rounded up the best Teacher Appreciation Week freebies and deals.
	Farmers market guide for the greater Quad Cities region Farmers markets are the best way to buy local produce and homemade items straight from the source.
	Auxiliary lock at Locks and Dam 14 in Pleasant Valley to remain closed for the summer In past years, the Army Corps of Engineers has operated the lock on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
	Western Illinois teen turns lawn care hustle into fast-growing business What started as a high school side project has grown into a booming landscaping company. The business is projected to generate nearly $500,000 in revenue this year.
	Congrats to these 5th grade JA graduates! Anybody looking for a fun volunteer opportunity? JA of the Heartland can help out! They just celebrated 70 years of helping students in the Quad Cities area, and they're always looking for help. I just finished up with 2 5th grade classes at Riverdale Heights Elem. in the PV school district. If you want some [...]
	Multiple power poles knocked over on Route 78, several without power Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker said some poles were knocked over by a storm passing through.
	2 power poles down on Route 78, several without power Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker said some poles were knocked over by a storm passing through.
	Why cuts to SNAP could hurt Illinois schools Cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits could hurt schools in Illinois. Schools get more state assistance if they have a higher percentage of low-income students.Illinois defines low-income based on a student's enrollment in federal programs like SNAP. Cuts to the federal program mean fewer students will meet the standard while still having [...]
	Iowa bill to raise taxes on some nicotine products advances A bill to raise taxes on some nicotine products in Iowa has reached Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk. House File 2758 would raise about $3 million a year for research into pediatric cancer at the University of Iowa. Nicotine products like pouches and gum would be taxed $0.05 a container.Vaping products would be taxed $0.05 for [...]
	Rickie Fowler, Lucas Glover and Joel Dahmen commit to 2026 John Deere Classic Rickie Fowler, Lucas Glover and Joel Dahmen have committed to play in the 2026 John Deere Classic, set for July 2-5.
	Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settle dispute weeks before scheduled trial In a joint statement, lawyers for the actors said they hoped the settlement would bring "closure."
	Iowa Legislature wraps up 2026 session: Property tax reform, abortion drug restrictions, vape tax The Iowa Legislature worked past its April 21 deadline as Republican leaders tried to nail down a property tax plan. We recap the latest big topics from Des Moines.
	What’s in the House farm bill—and what didn’t make the cut The U.S. is one step closer to a farm bill after several years of extensions and no new legislation.
	See the looks from the 2026 Met Gala red carpet Extravagantly dressed celebrities and designers made their way up the famous Met staircase Monday evening. The fundraiser is one of the fashion industry's biggest nights.
	Bettendorf asking for input on Kiwanis Park A community input event will be held on Thursday, May 14 for residents to share their thoughts on the type of playground they'd like to see.
	Vape vending machines set to be prohibited in East Moline East Moline is updating its tobacco ordinance, a move that could affect the sale of vapes and other nicotine products in the city. T The City of East Moline is set to update current language in its city code as it pertains to tobacco sales in vending machines in public places. Previously, it was only [...]
	New affordable concrete homes under construction in Muscatine Six energy-efficient, concrete homes are being built in Muscatine. Learn about the pricing and how to apply for this unique affordable housing program.
	Why Iowa lawmakers worked nearly 34 hours straight Iowa Republican legislative leaders made the decision to keep lawmakers working all weekend to get final compromises on major decisions.
	Rock Island Arsenal to conduct full-scale emergency exercise The Rock Island Arsenal will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise on Wednesday, May 6, simulating a tornado strike on the island.
	16 Quad Cities seniors awarded $3k scholarship Graduating seniors at Davenport Central were awarded the inaugural John Parker Whitaker Arts Scholarship.
	Illinois politics latest: SAFE-T Act reform push, proposed redistricting rules, session ends soon Lawmakers still have a few more weeks before the legislative session ends. We recap the biggest topics from Springfield.
	The Waiting Child: Music lover Mason waits for a Big Brothers Big Sisters ‘Big’ More than 200 kids in the area are on the waiting list for a ‘Big.’ Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley needs volunteers to spend time with them. In this week’s The Waiting Child, Our Quad Cities News' Eric Olsen introduces us to Mason, who loves music and museums. Mason shares what he's [...]
	Severe Thunderstorm Warning from MON 5:08 PM CDT until MON 5:45 PM CDT Severe Thunderstorms with Damaging Winds Expected Until 5:45 PM CDT
	Negotiations resume on new Arconic contract impacting 1,800 employees at Davenport Works The contract covers approximately 3,400 workers across four cities. The current four-year contract expires on Saturday, May 16.
	Arconic Eagle Cam eaglets have been named Officials said they received more than 175 name submissions. Find out which won!
	Special Weather Statement until MON 5:30 PM CDT Strong Thunderstorms Bringing Gusty Winds This Afternoon
	Negotiations resume on new Arconic contract impacting 1,800 employees at Davenport Works The contract covers approximately 3,400 workers across four cities. The current four-year contract expires on Saturday, May 16.
	Vice President JD Vance to visit Iowa manufacturing facility Tuesday The vice president will visit Ex-Guard Industries with Republican Rep. Zach Nunn and deliver remarks.
	Don't Let the Dior Hit You on the Way Out: “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Hokum,” “Deep Water,” and “Animal Farm” Meryl Streep as imperious fashion editor Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway as plucky journalist-turned-personal-assistant Andy Sachs, Stanley Tucci as acerbic Runway mainstay Nigel Kipling, Emily Blunt as snippy ladder-climber Emily Charlton … . Who wouldn't want to watch these people, as these people, one more time?
	Why U.S. troops are stationed in Germany, and what happens if some leave NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute, about U.S. troops stationed in Germany, and what happens if President Trump moves some of them elsewhere.
	Rising fuel prices impact River Bend Food Bank As fuel prices continue to skyrocket, the impact is felt in unexpected places. Area food banks are among those feeling the effects of higher prices. Chris Ford, president and CEO of River Bend Food Bank, spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to share how the food bank is impacted. “River Bend Food Bank [...]
	Severe Thunderstorm Warning from MON 3:33 PM CDT until MON 4:00 PM CDT Severe Thunderstorms with Strong Winds Impacting East Central Iowa This Afternoon
	Muscatine group hosting several events for Mental Health Awareness Month "Make It Ok; Muscatine" has rolled out a series of community events to highlight the month's significance.
	Modi's party takes control of India's West Bengal in key state election The outcome is expected to strengthen Modi's political position midway through his third term.
	Augustana hires students to help students overcome mental health struggles Augustana College has launched Peer Recovery Support, a new student-led mental health program that expands access to care while preparing students for careers in the growing mental health workforce.
	Time is running out as the Bills home since 1973 gets closer to a methodical demolition Power was officially turned off to the current Highmark Stadium on Friday. It is considered the start of the stadium’s mass demolition and is a significant milestone for the project as the new stadium nears completion.
	Ben Uker named new Bettendorf wrestling coach Bettendorf Community School District has a new head coach for its wrestling program. Ben Uker has been hired as the new head coach of the Bettendorf wrestling program, pending school board approval. Coach Uker brings an extensive background of competitive success, high-level coaching experience and a commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the mat. Uker was [...]
	REVIEW: Fiddler on the Roof at Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse Oy, “miracle of miracles” the QCA has another chance, in less than 2 years, to take in one of theatre’s most beloved musicals: Fiddler on the Roof which is now playing at Circa 21 Dinner Theatre in Rock Island and directed by Georgette Kleier, who is making her debut at Circa. I certainly hope it won’t be her last visit.
	Did you hear it? Huge boom in Moline a mystery Quad-Citians reported hearing a loud boom and seeing a flash of light over Moline early Sunday morning.
	Animal Rescue League of Iowa prepares to take in beagles saved from Ridglan Farms Ridglan Farms gave up its license to avoid potential felony animal mistreatment charges.
	Wanted: Man didn’t return from Davenport work release Law enforcement is looking for Alex Ethan Wright after they say he failed to return to the Davenport Work Release/OWI Center Saturday.
	4 steps to saving smart 4 steps to saving smartSaving money sounds like a simple thing to do, but without a real strategy, most people find that extra cash quietly disappears into everyday expenses before it ever reaches a savings account. The good news is that saving smart doesn’t require advanced skills. In this article, Forbright Bank explains four steps to smart saving. With a clear plan and the right tools, anyone can build a financial cushion and watch it grow.Start With a Savings Plan The first step to meeting your financial goals is to create a savings plan. Typically, before opening an account, it’s best to start with a goal.  Are you saving for an emergency fund? A down payment? Retirement? To pay off your car loan?  Having a specific target allows you to change saving habits from good intentions into a concrete mission. A solid starting point is the 50/30/20 rule. That means allocating 50% of your take-home pay to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings and debt repayment. If 20% feels steep right now, start with saving 5% or 10% and scale up as your income grows. What matters most is establishing the habit of saving. Track your monthly income and fixed expenses, then identify where flexible spending is leaking — subscriptions, dining out, impulse purchases. Even if you can redirect $50 a month, that adds up to $600 a year. If you take time to write goals with dollar amounts and target dates, you’re likely to be more successful than if you simply make mental notes. Open a High-Yield Savings Account If your money is sitting in a traditional bank savings account earning 0.01% interest, it’s effectively losing value to inflation every year. The simplest upgrade you can make is to move your savings into a high-yield savings account. High-yield savings accounts typically pay significantly higher interest than traditional savings accounts. Your money is still FDIC-insured up to established limits and accessible when you need it, so there’s virtually no downside for everyday savings and emergency funds. If you choose an account with no monthly fees and no minimum balance requirements, you can start small and watch your savings grow over time.Lock In Gains With a Certificate of Deposit If you have savings you won’t need to touch for at least nine months, a Certificate of Deposit (CD) can offer a locked-in, competitive interest rate in exchange for agreeing to leave your money untouched. A smart approach is CD laddering. Instead of putting all your money in a single long-term CD, you spread it across multiple CDs with staggered maturity dates. For example, you might put equal amounts into nine-month, one-year, and two-year CDs. As each one matures, you can use the funds or roll them into another CD. This allows you to lock in agreed-upon rates while maintaining regular access to portions of your money. CDs are ideal for goals with a defined timeline, such as saving for a vacation next year, a car in 18 months, or a wedding fund. Just keep in mind that if you withdraw the funds before the CD term ends, early withdrawal penalties will apply. Save More With Recurring Deposits Automation may be the single most powerful tool in a saver’s toolkit. Setting up a recurring automatic transfer from your checking account to your savings account — on every payday, without fail — removes the temptation to spend first and save later. Think of it as paying yourself first. Even a modest automatic transfer of $25 or $50 per paycheck builds meaningful momentum. Many employers also allow you to split direct deposits, routing a fixed amount directly into savings before it ever hits your checking account. Pair automation with a year-end review of your contributions. Each time you get a raise or pay off a debt, redirect a portion of that freed-up cash toward savings. Small, consistent increases compound significantly over years, as you’ll earn interest not only on your deposits but also on your previously earned interest. Putting It All Together Smart saving isn’t about one big dramatic change — it’s about layering simple strategies. Start with a plan, move your everyday savings into a high-yield savings account, use CDs for money you can set aside longer-term, and automate your contributions so the habit runs on autopilot. Small, intentional steps taken consistently are how real financial security is built, one smart deposit at a time.  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.
	Davenport West High School on lockdown for about 20 minutes on Monday Davenport West High School went on a 20-minute lockdown after calls about potential violence toward the school.
	Can a personal loan improve your credit? Here's what to know Can a personal loan improve your credit? Here's what to knowA personal loan may be a great option for debt consolidation, home and auto repair, and much more. But did you know that a personal loan may also help build your credit if you manage it properly?From improving your payment history to adding to your credit mix, OneMain Financial gathered ways to use a personal loan to build your credit score so you can decide if it’s the right type of loan for you.Why having strong credit is importantBefore discussing the impact of a personal loan on your credit, take time to understand what credit is and how it works.Credit is an essential building block of personal finance. It not only determines if you can get a loan, but also what kind of interest rate you’ll receive. Insurance companies, phone and utility companies, employers and landlords may also check your credit when deciding to approve your application or open an account.It’s always helpful to know the importance of credit, as well as how it’s measured and some simple tips to boost your score as you work toward improving your credit profile.Do personal loans build credit?Here are some ways a personal loan can help increase your credit score.Improve or maintain payment historyMaking up a whopping 35% of your credit score, payment history can significantly impact your score. Getting a personal loan and making your monthly payments can help give your credit score a boost. Timely payments can also help you avoid late fees and other charges from your lender.Reduce your credit utilization ratioUnderstanding credit utilization starts with understanding what revolving credit is. Revolving credit lets you borrow money on a repeated basis up to your credit limit without a specific end date to pay off the full amount. Once all or part of the balance is paid, the same amount becomes available to use again.Your credit utilization ratio is the percentage of total credit used compared to the total credit you have available. If you decide to pay off credit card debt with a personal loan, you can reduce the amount of revolving debt you owe, which could lower your credit utilization ratio and possibly raise your score. And since your credit utilization ratio is based solely on revolving credit, a personal loan (a type of installment loan) does not add to your utilization ratio.Add a different type of credit to your credit reportVariety can be good for your credit score. Since your credit mix accounts for approximately 10% of your score, opening a personal loan (or similar installment loan) can also strengthen your credit score, so long as the loan is kept in good standing.Build your credit historyWhen it comes to your credit score, the longer you have an account in good standing, the better. If you need to start building your credit history, getting a personal loan, then paying it on time for the length of the loan, is a great way to get started.Pros and cons of using a personal loan to build creditProsPledging collateral is optional. While collateral, a valuable asset like a house or car, may not be required for personal loans, using collateral can result in a higher loan amount and/or better terms. Remember that if you decide to use collateral, you risk losing it if you fail to repay the loan according to the agreed terms.Quick access to funds. Personal loans can provide quick access to funds, which may be helpful if you want to immediately start paying off your debts and improving your credit score.Debt consolidation. Personal loans can be used to consolidate high-interest debts such as credit card debt. If you qualify for a lower loan interest rate, you can potentially lower your overall interest payments and simplify your debt management. However, keep in mind that a new loan typically means a longer repayment period. While the monthly payment may be less, the total amount of interest you pay over time could be more.Fixed monthly payments. A personal loan usually comes with predictable fixed monthly payments over a specified term, making it easier to budget.ConsInterest rates and fees. Depending on your creditworthiness, a personal loan may come with a high interest rate, particularly if you have a limited credit history or a low credit score. Some lenders may also charge additional fees or prepayment penalties, adding to the overall cost of the loan.Limited borrowing. Unlike credit cards, which have revolving credit lines, personal loans provide the borrower with a lump sum that must be repaid over time. Once the lump sum is disbursed, there are no additional funds available without taking out a new loan.Risk of default. Taking on additional debt through a personal loan increases your financial obligations. If you fail to make timely payments or default on the loan, it can have a severe negative impact on your credit score and overall financial health.Alternative options to build creditIf you're aiming to improve your credit score without taking out a personal loan, here are some alternatives you can consider.Use the accounts you already haveIf you already have a credit card or personal loan, you might not need to apply for a new one. Using your existing account regularly and responsibly and making timely payments may positively impact your credit score. For example, you can use your credit card for only one specific use (for instance, to pay for gas each month) so you manage the balance wisely while keeping the card active.Credit cardsIf you don’t already have a credit card, applying for and responsibly using one may be a useful tool for your credit history. Depending on your situation, you might have various options available. If you're a student in college, you may qualify for a student credit card. Some retailers offer store credit cards that might not require a credit history.If you are building or repairing your credit, you may also want to consider a secured credit card. Secured credit cards require a security deposit from the borrower. The security deposit is refundable and reduces risk for lenders. The credit line of the secured credit card is typically the same amount as the deposit. While these cards may have higher interest rates and fees, paying your bill on time and in full each month could help you avoid interest charges.If you don't qualify for a credit card yourself, becoming an authorized user on a friend or family member's account may help boost your credit score. As an authorized user, the account holder’s account activity will reflect on your credit report. Keep in mind that if the credit card account becomes past due, it will also negatively impact your credit.A credit-builder loanA credit-builder loan offers the dual benefits of building credit and saving money at the same time. With this type of loan, the lender holds a portion of the loan amount in a savings account. You make monthly payments toward that account, and once the loan term ends, you receive the balance. This option allows you to establish a positive payment history while also accumulating savings.Use a personal loan wiselyWhen managed correctly, you could use a personal loan to build your credit. But it’s only one way to help strengthen your score. Building your credit score takes time and effort. Make the right moves, stay on track, and your credit could reflect your efforts.Matt Diehl, Lisa Weinberger and Kim Gallagher were contributors.This story was produced by OneMain Financial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Burlington's Jefferson Street Farmers Market returns May 7 The Jefferson Street Farmers Market returns to downtown Burlington for the 2026 season, beginning Thursday, May 7. The market will be held weekly on Thursdays during the summer from 4:30- 7 p.m. along Jefferson Street. The market is hosted by Downtown Partners, Inc. and draws an average of 2,000 visitors each week . The market [...]
	A United jet struck a light pole and a truck near Newark airport, police say New Jersey State Police say a United Airlines passenger jet struck a light pole and damaged a truck as it was coming in for a landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday.
	The permanent impression: Why luxury brands are returning to print books The permanent impression: Why luxury brands are returning to print booksFor years, luxury brands followed the digital playbook — chasing impressions, building social audiences, funding influencer ecosystems. The economics made sense, until they didn’t. As the cost of digital media continues to climb and returns grow harder to measure, a reckoning is underway.Digital marketing promised precision, the ability to reach exactly the right consumer, at exactly the right moment, at a fraction of the cost of a double-page spread in a sought-after publication. That promise is now fraying. Rising CPMs, platform fragmentation, and the erosion of third-party data have made digital increasingly expensive and increasingly imprecise — pushing some of the world’s most storied brands to reconsider channels they spent a decade walking away from.The Acquisition CrisisOver the last decade, the cost to acquire a single customer through digital channels has surged by 222%, according to research from SimplicityDX, a Gartner-recognized commerce intelligence firm. The number alone reframes what many executives once considered a solved problem.The cause is structural. A “privacy trifecta” — the implementation of GDPR in 2018, Apple’s iOS 14.5 rollout in 2021, and the ongoing deprecation of third-party cookies by Google — dismantled, in sequence, the targeting infrastructure on which digital marketing had been built. Each change was individually manageable. Together, they were not. Less data meant less precision. Less precision meant more spend to achieve the same result. The auction price for every consumer eye skyrocketed. Luxury brands, whose model depends on reaching a very small number of very specific people, absorbed that cost more acutely than most.The Tactile DividendThe response emerging across the industry is a reorientation toward what strategists are calling “high-friction” physical assets — most notably, the luxury illustrated book. Both meaningful and strategic, luxury illustrated books are permanent presences in the consumer’s domestic environment, built to do what no digital impression can: endure.Where digital marketing optimizes for the click, this generation of print investment prioritizes customer lifetime value, building what amounts to a Tactile Dividend that compounds long after the campaign spend is gone.Industry observations across the world’s most discerning houses show this consistently: Brands are reaching for to demonstrate the craftsmanship behind the logo, not merely the price attached to it. The economics, examined closely, support the shift, reports book publishing and design company PRINT.Ferrari: The PrecedentThe strategic logic of the luxury book is not new. In 2018, Ferrari established what was possible when the format was taken seriously as an act of brand engineering. Published by Taschen, Il Fascino Ferrari was a 514-page, hand-stitched, leather-bound volume enclosed in a cast aluminum case. Its form is modeled on the cylinder heads of a Ferrari V12 engine, while its chrome stand replicates the exhaust pipes of a vintage 12-cylinder racer, both designed by industrial designer Marc Newson.The Art Edition, limited to 250 copies and priced at $30,000, sold out immediately. Ferrari had created a marketing asset with the demand characteristics of the product itself, proving that a book could be coveted. It could accrue value. It could sell out. It could become, in every sense, a product worth wanting.Lürssen: The Model in PracticeIn December 2025, Lürssen would arrive at the same conclusion. To mark its 150th anniversary — and its position as the world’s foremost builder of bespoke superyachts — the yard commissioned a book. Fine arts photographer Jarmo Pohjaniemi spent ten months documenting 36 vessels across four continents: from the Arctic waters of Greenland to the coastlines of the Maldives, from the shores of Phuket to the storied waters of Europe. Pelorus navigating a freak storm off Cyprus. Kismet. Dragonfly. Each captured not as product, but as testament.It was printed on two artisan papers, bound across 300 pages, finished in a silk slipcase with 12 gatefolds, and framed in narrative by yachting journalist Rachel Ingram. Priced at £250 (approximately $325) and released in limited edition, it was Lürssen’s first book to be published in 150 years of building.Lürssen’s clients do not discover superyachts through social feeds. They are not acquired through retargeting campaigns. They are cultivated over years, through relationships, reputation, and the kind of brand presence that lives in a home—or on a superyacht— rather than on a screen. Lürssen is not a departure from that marketing strategy; it is the fullest expression of it.Scarcity as StrategyUnder former Creative Director Jonathan Anderson, LOEWE brought this logic into fashion. The house’s limited-edition collection hardbacks — most recently Crafted World, released in March 2025, a 636-page retrospective of Anderson’s decade at the house — transform the marketing asset into the object being marketed.The book is, by design, a collector’s item: hand-boxed, finished with a copper Anagram at each corner, priced at $390 And designed to accumulate cultural weight over time.The Retention ParadoxThe case for print is not only economic. As digital noise increases, the efficacy of digital loyalty programs decreases in parallel, a dynamic behavioral scientists have termed the Retention Paradox. High-friction experiences, those requiring time and physical interaction, create stronger recall and deeper engagement than low-friction scrolling. For brands whose core proposition is exclusivity, the medium has become the message.This is not a rejection of digital. Top-of-funnel reach still demands it. But for brands with a high average order value, the physical book functions as a trust anchor at the bottom of the funnel, providing the value-chain transparency that today’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals demand, and moving the relationship from a transactional exchange to something closer to institutional membership.The Artifact EconomyThe conditions driving this shift show no sign of reversing. As generative AI floods digital channels with low-cost, high-volume content, the signal value of a physical artifact will only deepen. The distinction between a customer and a collector is narrowing. Luxury brands that understand this earliest will be best positioned to own their space in the consumer’s life, rather than rent it at ever-increasing rates.The Bain & Company Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study indicates that the experience-based segment of the luxury market is outperforming traditional product sales — a shift that repositions the coffee table book as experiential gateway.This story was produced by PRINT and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How new fishing tech can reduce bycatch of turtles and other creatures How new fishing tech can reduce bycatch of turtles and other creaturesOur oceans are full of sophisticated, perfect traps: Nets, hooks, fishing lines. Designed to capture animals destined for our dinner tables, they often catch other wildlife too.This accidental harvest is known as bycatch, and every year it causes the death of millions of marine animals, including whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and seabirds. Nets and gear can asphyxiate animals or cause fatal injuries; even when the animals are tossed back to sea, they frequently die. Bycatch is also a dilemma for fishermen — entangled creatures can destroy equipment, costing time, money and fisheries’ reputations.Over the decades, conservationists, researchers and fishermen have developed ways to minimize various kinds of bycatch in different fishing stocks around the world. But putting these solutions to work is often a challenge, and many mitigation strategies are never widely implemented, Knowable Magazine reports. Georgia Department of Natural Resources // NOAA Permit No. 20556 Some approaches, however, now have a proven success rate — and more may be on the horizon. Recent research has explored nets equipped with lights; even low-tech tricks like kitting out gear with plastic water bottles show promise of reducing some kinds of bycatch while also being practical for fishermen to use.Despite the challenges, researchers are hopeful. “There are not very many conservation issues that I’m aware of where industry and conservationists and consumers and the fishermen and the resource users all want the same thing,” says marine biologist Matthew Savoca, a research scientist at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station. “Every stakeholder wants less bycatch.”Keeping turtles outThe bycatch problem has always existed. “It’s a conflict that’s intrinsic to the whole idea of fishing,” says marine scientist Nancy Knowlton, marine biologist emerita at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. “If you have something that’s designed to catch animals, you’re going to wind up, almost always, catching some things that you didn’t mean to catch.”Yet mitigation measures can make a difference — and without significantly reducing the catch of the target species, says Cheng Huang, an expert in sustainability ecology at South China Normal University. Huang and colleagues recently assessed 42 different bycatch prevention measures reported in 121 case studies and found they generally do reduce bycatch of vulnerable marine species. But there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.“Bycatch is a multi-species, multi-gear and multi-scale problem,” says Huang. “Expecting a single technical fix to work everywhere is unrealistic.”Sea turtles, many species of which are endangered, are among the animals harmed by bycatch — and one of the success stories. In the 1970s, populations of the animals were threatened by shrimp fisheries in waters off the southeastern United States. Researchers started working with commercial fisheries to develop turtle excluder devices that provide an escape route for turtles and other marine animals after they’ve entered the wide mouth of trawl nets. After many iterations, and eventually regulations, the devices became widely adopted, and current designs are 97% effective. The devices also save fishermen time and money — preventing the loss of shrimp to fish and hungry turtles.Yet turtles are still threatened by multiple types of fishing gear: Estimates suggest that more than 250,000 of the creatures die as bycatch each year. Gillnets, which hang like curtains in the water, or bottom longlines, which string baited hooks held in place by weights along the seafloor, can be especially dangerous for the animals.Attaching green LED lights or UV lights to gillnets in the water seems to deter turtles from the deadly traps. In one early test of the idea, researchers compared UV-illuminated gill nets to non-illuminated gill nets in Baja California, Mexico, and found that the lighted nets reduced turtle bycatch by 40%.Lighted nets have since been tested for multiple species and fisheries worldwide. A study in the waters of northern Peru’s Sechura Bay, for example, showed a turtle bycatch reduction of more than 60% thanks to LED-illuminated nets. But they have yet to be implemented in fisheries on a large scale. Barriers include cost and the perception that lights might reduce target fish catch, says marine conservation scientist Jesse Senko of Arizona State University. Part of the expense is batteries for the lights, which need to be replaced often.Senko and his colleagues, after consulting with local fishers, designed solar-powered lights that regularly flash and tested the approach in a coastal gillnet fishery that catches yellowtail amberjack in the Gulf of California, Mexico. They attached lights to 28 gillnets, each paired with a gillnet with deactivated lights as controls, for 650 hours in an area known for high levels of turtle bycatch. The nets with lights reduced expected turtle bycatch by 63% while maintaining target fish catch, the researchers reported in Conservation Letters in October 2025.The lights not only reduced power consumption, they also worked as buoys, making them easily integrated into the fishing gear. This is crucial for adoption of new techniques, says Senko. “All of a sudden, the light was more or less part of their gear,” he says. “It wasn’t some foreign thing on their net. It was just another buoy that happened to flash green light.” Lindsay Lauckner Gundlock // Arizona State University Pingers and plastic bottlesAnother bycatch prevention method that’s demonstrated some success is pingers — devices attached to the fishing gear that emit sounds that deter echolocating whales and dolphins. A field trial of the devices in three Norwegian fisheries using gillnets, for example, showed that pingers reduced bycatch of harbor porpoise by 94%, a team reported in “Fisheries Research” in 2023.But pingers can have their downsides. An analysis of pinger effectiveness in waters off the United Kingdom, where they have been used for more than a decade, found that while they were linked to a reduction in bycatch of porpoises, they were also linked with an increase in bycatch of seals, which seem to associate the sound with a potential meal. “It’s like a dinner-bell effect,” says policy specialist Sarah Dolman of the Environmental Investigation Agency, a London-based nonprofit that campaigns for environmental issues.Pingers that transmit at frequencies outside of pinnipeds’ hearing range and are thus considered “seal-safe” have been developed. But the devices can also be expensive, especially for artisanal fishermen, who tend to use lower-tech gear and may lack supportive government policies and investments.Some of those small-scale fisheries may reduce bycatch of echolocating animals with a low-tech approach: fixing plastic water bottles to their nets. Detecting thin, fine nets is difficult for dolphins, porpoises and other echolocators, but water bottles are a more easily detectable obstacle that could help them avoid the net. A preliminary study conducted in Brazil found that using plastic bottles on nets was effective at reducing the bycatch of franciscana dolphins, a threatened river dolphin species. It’s a realistic option, says Dolman, in places where fishermen don’t have the funds to buy and maintain pingers.Practicalities, along with cost, often prevent implementation of bycatch prevention measures, even the ones that work. Many solutions that get developed and tested never end up being widespread.“We’re very good at providing funding for scientists to conduct trials to reduce bycatch, but very rarely do those trials then continue to the whole of the fleet,” says Dolman.For a solution to work on a large scale, a number of conditions must be met, says marine sustainability scientist Lekelia Jenkins of Arizona State University. Policies and regulations need to be in place, and they need to be enforced. And perhaps just as important, the preventive measures need to be practical for fishermen and not add extra time and money to the job. “The smaller the change, and the more it feels like their traditional fishing practices, the more likely they’re going to adopt it,” Jenkins says.The human side of the issue also needs to be acknowledged. “Emotionally, fishermen around the world are beat up and beat down,” Jenkins says. “We say, ‘You’re the problem. You’re catching sea turtles and whales. You are the bad guy.’” Instead, fishermen should be empowered and included in the discussions and development of solutions. “The weight of saving the world’s oceans,” Jenkins says, “can’t fall solely on their shoulders.”This story was produced by Knowable Magazine and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Burlington's Crapo Park vandalized; crews work to repair damage Crews are repairing damage at Crapo Park after vandalism. Officials say a vehicle was involved and are asking for information.
	Kids who were babies during COVID-19 are now struggling with reading and math Kids who were babies during COVID-19 are now struggling with reading and mathAlthough most of them were still in diapers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, today’s early elementary students didn’t make it through the global catastrophe unscathed.A new analysis from NWEA, an assessment company, suggests that these children are experiencing learning disruptions even now.While kindergarten achievement levels in math and reading largely held steady during and since the pandemic, by first and second grade, students are performing below pre-pandemic averages, according to an analysis of NWEA’s Map Growth assessment data from spring 2017 to spring 2025. In math, at least, first- and second-graders have shown slow, incremental progress. Gaps in reading achievement, however, seem stubbornly stalled, The 74 reports.The performance dips in first and second grade are similar to those seen in older grades, said Megan Kuhfeld, director of growth modeling and data analytics at NWEA, who co-led the research. NWEA Research NWEA Research “The general pattern of stagnation and lack of recovery in reading is very similar in first and second grade as grades three to eight,” Kuhfeld said, adding that a slow recovery in math is also observed in the later grades. “It’s very parallel across, basically, all the grades except for kindergarten.”So what’s happening to students as they matriculate from kindergarten to first grade to cause a performance drop?“That’s the big mystery of the results,” Kuhfeld said.She was willing to speculate about the cause, leaning on anecdotal evidence from kindergarten teachers and elementary school leaders.Chronic absenteeism rates in kindergarten, which are often higher than in any other grade before high school, may mean some students aren’t getting adequate instructional time, Kuhfeld offered, ultimately standing in the way of them grasping the foundational reading and math skills typically acquired in kindergarten.And many kindergarten teachers have reported that students are showing up with more nascent social and emotional skills than their peers in prior years. They have less experience with important life skills such as sharing, cooperating and self-regulating.“Teachers are spending more time having to teach how to behave in a kindergarten classroom — that would normally be the purview of preschool teachers,” Kuhfeld said. “This time spent on behavioral management and behavioral regulation, cumulatively, could be affecting achievement.”At Western Hills Primary School in Fort Worth, Texas, where students’ MAP Growth assessment results generally align with what NWEA has found nationally, principal Andrea Johnson said both factors could be at play.“We’re seeing kids who, if they don’t reach immediate success, we see them dysregulate,” said Johnson, whose school serves students in pre-K through first grade. “They struggle.”She believes that may be a latent impact of the pandemic on these younger students. Many of them had extra time at home with parents and caregivers, when early care and education programs were closed.“They’re used to someone being close and someone solving their problems for them,” Johnson said. “We talk a lot about productive struggle. You’ve gotta let them do it. Give them that mentality, where they’ve gotta connect to that struggle.”She has definitely seen high rates of absenteeism among students in pre-K and kindergarten, she added.“I think they think, ‘pre-K and kinder, they don’t really matter that much,’” Johnson said, adding that she often finds herself trying to communicate to families how crucial those years are for future learning and development.Most measures of post-pandemic recovery have examined the impacts on students in later grades, making NWEA’s analysis a rare snapshot of students in grades K-2.Curriculum Associates, a curriculum and assessment provider, has also evaluated math and reading performance among students in the early grades, finding some similarities and key differences from NWEA’s results.NWEA’s MAP Growth assessment and Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready Inform assessment are both widely used in U.S. schools, reaching a combined 19 million K-8 students. Both measure student achievement in math and reading, but they differ in approach.Kristen Huff, head of measurement at Curriculum Associates, pointed out that these two assessments have distinct designs and methodologies — and that they are administered to different samples — which may account for variations in findings.“From the big picture, we’re seeing the same thing,” Huff said. “Students today who were not in school — some were babies — when the pandemic hit are not performing at the same level as their pre-pandemic peers in either reading or math.”But in a report published in July 2025, Curriculum Associates actually found that students in kindergarten are seeing achievement level drops in both math and reading, and that declining math performance in the early grades is “more drastic” than in reading.At a high level, she said, both sets of findings send a similar message, which is that America’s children are not seeing the type of recovery needed to reach pre-pandemic achievement levels.“It opens up the question of what is happening,” Huff said. “We can no longer, in my opinion, say that that disrupted learning in 2020 and 2021 is the sole or primary cause of what we’re seeing. There is a larger, systemic issue — or issues — that are impacting this.”This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	One request to delete your data from every registered data broker: California just made it possible One request to delete your data from every registered data broker: California just made it possibleAs states continue to expand consumer privacy protections, the ability to request deletion of personal data varies widely across the U.S. Clym analyzed these rights across states, including California’s new Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform, to show what options are available and where.For years, getting your personal information removed from data broker databases meant sending individual requests to dozens of companies, each with its own process, timeline, and set of exceptions. California just changed that.On Jan. 1, 2026, California launched the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform known as DROP, a first-of-its-kind system that lets any California resident submit a single deletion request to every registered data broker in the state, simultaneously and for free. Starting Aug. 1, 2026, data brokers will be legally required to check the platform every 45 days and process those requests, with up to 90 days to report the outcome to consumers, or face fines of $200 per deletion request per day of noncompliance.Data brokers are companies that collect and sell personal information, often without consumers ever interacting with them directly. They gather data from public records, loyalty programs, social media activity, app usage, and purchase histories, then package and sell that information to advertisers, employers, insurers, lenders, and others.While about 20 U.S. states have enacted comprehensive consumer privacy laws, with only four of these also requiring data brokers to register with state authorities, the level of consumer protection each provides varies widely. In California alone, over 500 data brokers are registered with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA), and many operate across multiple states simultaneously.The data they hold can include names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, mobile advertising IDs, financial details, and, in some cases, sensitive categories such as sexual orientation, biometric data, and certain government identifiers, as expanded under California’s SB 361 transparency requirements, which also requires data brokers to disclose whether such data is sold to specific categories of recipients, including foreign actors, government agencies, and generative AI developers.The scale of the problem is significant. The Identity Theft Resource Center reported that 80% of U.S. consumers received at least one data breach notice in 2025. IAPP Privacy and Consumer Trust Report 2023 found that 68% of global consumers say they are concerned about their privacy online. Data brokers operate largely in the background, making it difficult for most people to know where their data is going, let alone request its deletion.How DROP worksThe DROP platform is accessible through the California Privacy Protection Agency and requires consumers to verify their California residency before submitting a request. The system collects identifying information, including name, date of birth, phone number, email address, and device identifiers like mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs). The more identifiers a consumer provides, the more likely brokers are to find and delete a match.DROP uses a secure identity verification process through the California Identity Gateway, with encrypted submission and verification workflows. Once a request is filed, it is queued and distributed to all registered data brokers. After Aug. 1, 2026, brokers must check the platform at a minimum every 45 days and assign one of four standardized response statuses to each request:"Deleted" means the consumer’s nonexempt personal information has been removed, though certain legally exempt data may be retained."Exempted" means certain data cannot legally be deleted under a statutory exception, and the broker must explain why.“Pending” indicates the request is still being processed."Opted Out" applies when full deletion is not possible, but the consumer's data is blocked from future sale or sharing."Record Not Found" means the broker could not locate data matching the submitted identifiers.Brokers that fail to process requests on time face administrative fines of $200 per request per day, and the CPPA has indicated that compliance with DROP requirements will be subject to enforcement under the Delete Act.The patchwork problem: where other states standCalifornia's DROP is the most aggressive consumer data deletion mechanism in the country, but most Americans do not have access to anything comparable. As of 2026, 20 states have enacted comprehensive privacy laws, and while many include the right to request deletion of personal data from individual businesses, none have created a centralized system that covers all brokers at once, the way DROP does.States like Indiana, Kentucky, and Rhode Island added comprehensive privacy laws on Jan. 1, 2026, giving residents the right to request deletion from individual companies. Connecticut, Arkansas, and Utah added further updates effective July 1, 2026. But consumers in those states must still contact each company separately.Roughly half of U.S. states still have no comprehensive consumer data privacy law in place at all, leaving residents with limited legal recourse when it comes to personal data held by brokers. The result is a fragmented landscape where a consumer's ability to control their own data depends largely on their zip code.For companies that handle California consumer data, the DROP system changes the compliance equation significantly. Any business that meets California's definition of a data broker, one that collects and sells personal information about consumers with whom it has no direct relationship, must register with the CPPA, pay an annual registration fee of $6,000, and begin processing DROP deletion requests starting Aug. 1, 2026.Beyond data brokers, the shift signals where privacy compliance is heading more broadly. As Clym's analysis of CCPA deletion request obligations outlines, businesses of all sizes are expected to have documented processes for receiving, verifying, and fulfilling consumer data deletion requests within 45 days, with records maintained for a minimum of 24 months for audit purposes.Understanding what qualifies as a deletion exception, how to verify consumer identity without overstepping, and how to document partial deletions are all areas where compliance gaps tend to emerge.The DROP platform is live and accepting requests as of January 2026. Requests submitted before Aug. 1, 2026, are queued but not yet legally required to be processed. That said, submitting early means brokers will have the request waiting when the enforcement window opens.Consumers who want to get ahead of the process can visit the California Privacy Protection Agency's data broker portal, submit a deletion request through DROP with as many identifying details as they can provide, and track the status of their request through the platform's dashboard.For consumers in other states, the rights available depend entirely on where they live. Checking whether your state has a comprehensive privacy law and understanding what data subject rights it includes is the first step. This story was produced by Clym and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Americans’ views on crime often diverge from actual crime trends, report says Portland police officers stand behind police tape outside an apartment building in eastern Portland, Ore. Americans’ perceptions of crime often diverge from actual crime trends and are influenced by factors, such as personal experiences and economic conditions, according to a new report from the Council on Criminal Justice. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Americans’ views on crime often don’t match reality — and a new report suggests those perceptions are shaped as much by personal experiences and economic conditions as by crime itself. The analysis, released by the nonprofit think tank Council on Criminal Justice, draws on decades of Gallup survey data to examine how people perceive crime and what drives those beliefs. The report’s authors found that, since the 1960s, public perceptions of crime have frequently diverged from actual crime trends. Even during periods when crime declined, most Americans continued to believe it was rising. From 2005 to 2024, about 69% of survey respondents on average said crime was higher than the year before, despite overall crime rates falling in most of those years, according to the report. New federal data reinforces nationwide drop in crime since pandemic peak Fear of crime has remained relatively stable over time. In 2024, 35% of Americans said they were afraid to walk alone at night — the same share as in 1968. The researchers found that public concern tends to track major shifts in homicide rates more closely than broader crime trends. But overall, people’s views about crime and their fear of it have not matched shifts in crime rates for most years, according to the report. Instead, the analysis points to other factors that shape how Americans think about public safety. Household victimization — whether someone in the home has been a victim of a crime — was one of the strongest predictors of both fear and the belief that crime is increasing. Property crimes, such as theft, and people’s own experiences with crime were more closely tied to concerns about the issue than actual violent crime rates. Economic sentiment also played a role. People who said it was a good time to find a job or expected to spend the same or more on holiday shopping were less likely to say crime was rising and less likely to report fear of walking alone at night, according to the report. Political views showed a more limited effect. While people with more conservative ideologies were somewhat more likely to perceive crime as increasing, political party affiliation itself was not a significant factor after accounting for economic conditions and other variables. Higher presidential and congressional approval ratings were associated with a greater likelihood that respondents said crime was staying the same or declining, according to the report. Local conditions, meanwhile, were more closely linked to personal fears than to perceptions of crime overall. The researchers found that neighborhood factors, such as poverty and youth population, were associated with whether people said they were afraid, but did not generally influence whether they believed crime was rising locally or nationally. Stateline reporter Amanda Watford can be reached at awatford@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Stateline
	John Deere Classic adds trio of American players to 2026 lineup Three American golfers have joined the John Deere Classic lineup.
	Colona man accused of punching, seriously injuring person A Colona man is charged after police said he punched someone and knocked them out, causing serious injuries.
	US Supreme Court issues temporary stay preserving nationwide abortion drug access Mifepristone is one of two drugs that can be used before 10 weeks to terminate a pregnancy and to treat miscarriages.(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)The U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on an appeals court ruling from Friday that was blocking remote access to an abortion drug, restoring access until at least May 11. The administrative stay, issued by Justice Samuel Alito, pauses Friday’s decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling blocked a 2023 rule adopted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowing mifepristone, one of two drugs used to terminate a pregnancy before 10 weeks and to treat miscarriages, to be prescribed without an in-person visit with a health care provider and also allowed it to be mailed to recipients in states with abortion bans. “The administrative stay is temporary, and I am confident life and law will win in the end,” said Louisiana Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill in a statement. Thirteen states have near-total abortion bans, including Louisiana. Murrill sued the FDA in October, saying the rule undermines the state’s laws and causes financial harm because the state paid $92,000 in Medicaid bills for two women who needed emergency care in 2025 from complications related to mifepristone. In the years since the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing states to regulate abortion access, telehealth prescriptions of abortion medication have become increasingly popular, with more than 27% of all abortions provided that way in 2025, according to data from the Society of Family Planning. “While this is a positive short-term development, no one can rest easy when our ability to get this safe, effective medication for abortion and miscarriage care still hangs in the balance,” said Julia Kaye, senior staff attorney for the Reproductive Freedom Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, in a statement. “The Supreme Court needs to put an end to this baseless attack on our reproductive freedom, once and for all.” The case could follow a similar pattern to one that played out in 2023, after U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas issued a ruling that would have revoked access to the abortion drug mifepristone altogether. The U.S. Supreme Court intervened shortly after that ruling and kept mifepristone available while the case proceeded in the 5th Circuit appeals court, which eventually decided that more restrictions were warranted, but not pulling the drug’s approval. The Supreme Court officially took the case several months later, and unanimously ruled in June 2024 that the plaintiffs suing the FDA did not have standing, keeping access to mifepristone intact. Responses from the attorneys in the latest case are expected to be filed with the Supreme Court by Thursday, according to Alito’s order. Stateline reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris can be reached at kmoseley@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Stateline
	1 dead after stabbing in dispute between third-party contractors at Busch Stadium, police say One man died Monday after a stabbing at Busch Stadium following what police said was a dispute between two third-party contractors.
	6 strategies to grow your savings account 6 strategies to grow your savings accountThere’s no doubt that having a savings account is an important tool when it comes to your financial well-being. You can use it to save for an emergency, a down payment on a home, or even stash a few dollars for retirement. But once you open an account, how can you make it work for your needs?There is no way to snap your fingers and have money saved. The key to savings success lies in developing smart saving habits and making the most of the resources available to you. With the right habits, you can grow your savings faster, minimize risks, and make your money work harder for you.Below, Fifth Third shares a few practical tips to help you optimize your savings.6 Smart Saving StrategiesWhat strategy is most effective for saving money? Whether you’re opening your first savings account, counting pennies to pay for your next vacation, or simply want to grow your emergency fund, you may want to try a mix of these six strategies.1. Automate your savings.Use a set-it-and-forget-it approach that helps you save effortlessly. Create recurring transfers—weekly or monthly—from your checking account to your savings account to consistently save without having to think about it. You can also use direct deposit to have a portion of your paycheck automatically routed to your savings account.2. Set savings goals.To stay motivated and focused, set clear and achievable savings goals. Identify what you’re saving for and establish realistic targets with timelines. Tools like the goal-tracking features can help you monitor your progress. Be flexible and adjust your goals if necessary. Life can be unpredictable, and it’s okay to reassess your plan as circumstances change.3. Stick to a budget.A budget can help you reduce your overall spending. When you spend less, you’ll have extra money each month to save toward your goals. Start by reviewing your monthly expenses and categorizing them into "needs" and "wants." Needs are essential expenses, such as rent, utilities, groceries, and car payments. Wants are nonessential items you can cut back on or eliminate, such as impulse shopping trips or dining out.4. Review ongoing subscriptions or memberships.Subscriptions and memberships are convenient, but the monthly fees can add up. Track your recurring expenses for a month and then cancel those you no longer need. This might include gym memberships, streaming services, or grocery delivery subscriptions. Your savings account will thank you.5. Maximize your earned interest.There are many types of savings accounts, so you should explore what is available. Two that you might want to consider are a certificate of deposit (CD) and a money market savings account. When you open a CD, you agree to leave your deposit untouched for a specific amount of time. In return, the bank pays you a guaranteed interest rate. A money market savings account also offers a higher interest rate than traditional savings accounts and may be a good option if you want higher returns and the flexibility of accessing your funds.6. Use a health savings account.A health savings account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged account that helps you save for medical and health-related expenses. Contributions are tax-deductible, the funds grow tax free, and withdrawals for qualified expenses are also tax free. HSAs can be used for various medical costs, and the funds roll over from year to year. Another bonus? Employers may also contribute to your HSA, offering an extra savings opportunity.This story was produced by Fifth Third and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What does a digital marketing agency do and do you need one? What does a digital marketing agency do and do you need one?A digital marketing agency helps businesses drive measurable revenue through online channels like organic search, social media, email, and paid advertising. In other words, a digital marketing agency can assist with driving revenue and saving time when marketing a business online.In this guide, WebFX covers these topics to address your questions surrounding digital marketing agencies:What is a digital marketing agency?A digital marketing agency is a team that helps businesses grow online by improving visibility, generating leads, and driving revenue.Partnering with an agency provides strategies and results as an alternative to an in-house team.Types of digital marketing agenciesSo, now you know the answer to the question “what does a digital marketing agency do?”, let’s look into different types of agencies.Not all digital marketing agencies are the same. You need to find the agency that fits your business’s needs and projects.Here are a few different digital marketing agencies you’ll run into:Full-service agencies: Full-service digital marketing agencies offer nearly any service you need, from SEO to influencer marketing to web design. These agencies are an option if you think you’ll need help with multiple marketing strategies.Niche marketing agencies: Niche marketing agencies typically only work with a certain set of clients. For example, an agency may specialize in home services marketing and only work with clients in that industry.Strategy-specialized agencies: If an agency isn’t full-service, they likely only specialize in one or two strategies that they offer to clients. SEO agencies, which only offer SEO services, are the most common. These agencies are an option if you’re only looking to invest in a certain strategy, like SEO or web design.What does a digital marketing agency do?A digital marketing agency helps businesses increase their online visibility, build brand awareness, and reach more potential customers online with established strategies like search engine optimization (SEO), paid advertising, social media marketing, and much more.Digital marketing agencies are essentially experts and specialists you can hire and partner with to create and manage tailored strategies to help your business grow online and earn more revenue.1. SEOSEO is the process of optimizing your ranking in search results to drive more qualified traffic to your business’s website.When done right, SEO helps your business appear when potential customers search for products or services you offer. This means reaching buyers who are actively looking online for what you sell.SEO’s business impact:SEO results also compound over time as your website builds authority and pages rank higher.What digital marketing agencies do:After analyzing your site’s overall SEO health, the agency will typically prioritize quick wins first by:Fixing technical issuesClaiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile, if you’re a local businessOptimizing the pages with the highest potential to show resultsThen, they’ll focus on building longer-term success by:Building your site’s technical SEO foundationsCreating helpful content for your customersFostering trust through partnerships, digital PR, and reputation managementThroughout this process, agencies monitor performance and adjust tactics as search algorithms evolve. That way, they ensure your rankings don’t just grow, but stay consistent over time.2. AI search optimizationAs search behavior evolves, digital marketing agencies are now helping businesses maintain visibility in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.If you’ve noticed your organic traffic declining recently, you’re not alone. Generate AI search is growing 165 times faster than organic search. Your customers are already using AI search to research solutions and evaluate businesses like yours.For example, when someone looks for “best project management software for construction,” Google’s AI Overview synthesizes information from multiple sources into one answer. That being said, this doesn’t mean your business becomes invisible — it means visibility strategies must evolve.AI search optimization’s business impact:Businesses that optimize for AI search maintain their visibility and authority as search behavior shifts. Research shows that traffic from generative AI delivers a 23% higher conversion rate than organic search, meaning these visitors are highly qualified and likely shopping around.While traditional clicks may decrease, appearing in AI-generated answers keeps your brand top-of-mind and positions you as a trusted source when prospects are ready to buy.What digital marketing agencies do:Agencies that are quick to adapt can improve your business’s visibility in AI searches through a structured approach:Foundation: Focusing on traditional SEO foundations and ensuring site crawlabilityRelevance: Aligning content with customer search intent and the query patterns AI platforms recognizeTrust: Building real-world credibility and industry authority (via E-E-A-T signals, backlinks, and reviews) that AI systems recognize and trustInfluence: Creating an external footprint across reviews, directories, forums, and media that LLMs recognize and cite when generating answersThese agencies also track where and how often your brand appears in AI-generated responses, so they can adjust strategies to improve your brand’s citation frequency and visibility.3. PPC advertisingPPC advertising puts your business in front of your prospects on different channels:Search engines (through Google Ads and Microsoft Ads)Social media platforms (like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram)Display networksUnlike organic strategies that build momentum over time, PPC delivers immediate visibility by targeting users based on demographics, interests, online behavior, and buying intent.When someone searches for exactly what you offer, PPC ensures your business appears at the top of search results—precisely when prospects are ready to take action. You only pay when someone clicks your ad, making every dollar directly tied to engagement.For example, if you offer HVAC services, PPC can place your business at the top of search results when someone searches for “HVAC services near me.” You only pay when someone clicks your ad, so your budget goes toward people genuinely interested in your services.PPC’s business impact:PPC is effective for capturing high-intent buyers actively searching for solutions. In fact, paid ad visitors are 50% more likely to buy than organic visitors, meaning prospects who are ready to buy are clicking ads, not just browsing.If you need immediate leads or sales, PPC can deliver results within days, not months. You’re also in control — you can increase spend on campaigns that perform, adjust ones that don’t, or immediately pause what’s not working and reallocate your budget.What digital marketing agencies do:After analyzing your market and current performance, agencies typically structure PPC campaigns around:Audience targeting: Identifying high-value customer segments based on search behavior, demographics, and buying signalsCampaign architecture: Building ad groups and keyword strategies that match customer intent at different stages of the buying journeyCreative testing: Developing and testing ad copy, visuals, and landing page combinations to maximize conversion ratesBudget optimization: Allocating spend strategically across platforms and campaigns to maximize ROICampaign monitoring and reporting: Tracking performance metrics (cost per click, conversion rates, customer acquisition cost) and adjusting bidding, ad creative, and targeting to improve results and lower costs over time4. Content marketingContent marketing is the strategic creation and distribution of valuable content that educates your audience, answers their questions, and builds trust in your business. Content types include the following:Blog postsVideosGuidesCase studiesOriginal research or surveyInfographicsWhen prospects are researching solutions, your content guides them through their decision-making process, helping them understand their options and recognize your business as a partner. Over time, your published content will establish your business as an authority in your field, support your SEO efforts, and nurture your prospects throughout their customer journey.Content marketing’s business impact:Content marketing delivers compounding returns over time. The key advantage is longevity — evergreen content continues attracting organic traffic, generating leads, and building authority long after it’s published.For example, a single comprehensive guide can drive qualified traffic for years, generating leads month after month without additional investment. This long-term asset approach directly impacts your bottom line by reducing customer acquisition costs and building sustainable revenue streams.What digital marketing agencies do:Based on your customers’ pain points and information needs, agencies typically build content strategies around:Content planning: Identifying topics that address customer pain points at each stage of the buyer journey (awareness, consideration, and decision)SEO integration: Creating content optimized for search engines to drive organic traffic while naturally incorporating target keywordsContent creation: Producing blog posts, guides, videos, case studies, and resources that establish your expertiseDistribution strategy: Promoting content through email, social media, and other channels to maximize reach and engagementPerformance tracking: Monitoring organic traffic, lead generation, and conversion metrics to understand what content drives business results and refine the strategy accordingly5. Social media marketingSocial media marketing is the strategic use of social platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to build brand awareness, engage with your audience, and drive business growth.Social media gives you direct access to where your customers spend their time. You can build community, share your expertise, and stay top-of-mind through consistent engagement.The platforms depend on your audience. B2B businesses often prioritize LinkedIn to reach decision-makers, while consumer brands typically focus on Instagram and Facebook for visual storytelling and community building.Social media marketing’s business impact:Social media creates multiple touchpoints throughout the customer journey — from initial brand discovery to ongoing relationship building. Social media strategies focus on both community engagement and business outcomes.For example, a professional services firm might use social platforms to answer common client questions publicly, demonstrating expertise that engages both their existing clients and prospects. This engagement directly impacts your bottom line by attracting and possibly acquiring new customers while nurturing relationships with current customers, increasing their lifetime value.What digital marketing agencies do:Agencies typically help you build social media strategies around:Platform selection: Choosing the right channels based on where your audience is activeContent strategy: Creating educational, promotional, and engaging content aligned with your brandCommunity management: Developing brand voice playbooks and managing ongoing engagement with prospects and customers on social mediaPaid social advertising: Running targeted campaigns to reach new audiencesPerformance tracking and reporting: Monitoring metrics, reporting results, and refining what works6. Email marketingEmail marketing is the strategic use of email to nurture leads, engage customers, and drive conversions through targeted messaging.This digital marketing strategy goes beyond newsletters, with different email types serving specific purposes in the customer journey:Automated welcome and thank-you sequencesPromotional campaignsAbandoned cart emailsInformational newslettersEmail marketing’s business impact:Email marketing delivers ROI. For every dollar spent, businesses see an average return of $36 to $40.For example, an e-commerce business might use automated emails to recover abandoned shopping carts. A B2B company might send educational emails over several months to stay in touch with prospects until they’re ready to buy.Email drives revenue by bringing customers back for repeat purchases, recovering lost sales, and keeping your business top-of-mind with prospects throughout their decision-making process.What digital marketing agencies do:Agencies typically help with the following:List building and segmentation: Growing your subscriber base and organizing contacts by behavior, interests, and buying stageAutomation and drip campaigns: Creating automated email sequences that nurture leads based on triggers and actionsPersonalization: Tailoring content, subject lines, and offers to individual subscriber preferences and behaviorsCampaign creation: Designing and writing emails that drive opens, clicks, and conversionsPerformance tracking and reporting: Monitoring open rates, click-through rates, and revenue attribution to optimize campaignsFor example, agencies work with you to understand your customer behavior, segment your customer list, and set up automated emails for different scenariosWelcome emails for new customersCart abandonment sequencesRe-engagement campaignsAgencies also track and measure your email marketing campaigns’ performance, so they can refine your strategy to maximize revenue.7. Conversion rate optimization (CRO)CRO is the process of improving your website and landing pages to turn more visitors into leads, subscribers, or customers.CRO focuses on getting better results from your site traffic. Instead of spending more to drive more additional visitors, you’re optimizing your existing website to work harder for you by making it easy for site visitors to convert.CRO’s business impact:CRO maximizes the value of every visitor. For example, even small improvements in conversion rates can increase revenue without spending more on advertising.These improvements compound over time across all channels. Traffic coming from organic search converts better and your paid ad campaigns deliver improved returns.What digital marketing agencies do:A good agency will work with you on a comprehensive CRO approach, which includes the following:Conversion analysis: To identify where visitors drop off and what prevents them from taking your desired actionA/B testing: To test different copies, layouts, calls-to-action, and page elements to check what drives better resultsUser experience improvements: To simplify navigation and forms, and remove friction from the conversion processLanding page optimization: To create and refine dedicated campaign pages that focus on a conversion goalPerformance tracking and reporting: To measure CRO results and its impact on your revenue, so it can prioritize high-value improvements8. Website design and developmentWeb design and development is the process of creating and updating your website so it looks professional, works smoothly, and attracts visitors to become customers.Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. In fact, half of consumers say their impression of a business depends on its website design, making your site a critical avenue to improve your company’s credibility.Website design and development’s impact:An effective website directly influences whether visitors become customers. With a professional-looking website, you build trust among your audience.Pair it with clear navigation and fast load times, and you have a website that entices visitors to engage with your business.What web design and development agencies do:Good agencies providing website design and development services will ensure that your site is intuitive for your users. Their approach will likely include:User experience (UX) design: To make your website easy to navigate, use, and interact withResponsive design: To make your website work properly on desktops, tablets, and mobile devicesPerformance optimization: To improve site speed and technical performance to improve rankings and reduce bounce rates9. Marketing analytics and reportingGood digital marketing agencies don’t just run campaigns and call it a day. They monitor results, identify what’s working and what’s not, and continuously optimize your campaigns.With marketing analytics and reporting, agencies can better understand which efforts are driving results and where to invest their budget.Business impact of marketing analytics and reporting:Clear reporting turns marketing into a measurable investment. When you see which channels drive revenue and qualified leads, you make smarter budget decisions.For example, analytics might show that visitors who read case studies before requesting a demo are three times more likely to become customers. The agency would use that insight to make case studies more prominent and include them in nurture sequences.What digital marketing agencies do:Goal and KPI setup: Defining success metrics aligned with your revenue goalsPerformance dashboards: Creating visual reports using tools like Google Analytics, or building custom dashboards for your needsRevenue attribution: Understanding which marketing efforts contribute to salesRegular reporting: Providing consistent performance updates and recommendationsData-driven optimization: Using insights to adjust strategy and budget allocationWhy do businesses hire a digital marketing agency?Businesses turn to digital marketing agencies at different stages of growth and for various reasons. Here are the most common scenarios:When internal resources are stretched thinYour team is juggling too many responsibilities, and marketing tasks are falling through the cracks. An agency fills this gap by handling campaigns, content, and analytics so your team can focus on core business operations.When you’re not seeing results from current effortsYou’ve been running marketing campaigns, but you don’t see results:Site visitors aren’t convertingAd spend isn’t delivering ROIOrganic visibility has plateauedAgencies bring specialized expertise to diagnose issues and implement strategies that drive measurable results.When you’re ready to scaleYour business is growing, and you need marketing that can keep pace. Hiring a digital marketing agency as a partner makes sense when you’re:Entering new marketsLaunching new productsExpanding your customer baseWhen you lack specific expertiseDigital marketing is always evolving — from SEO algorithm updates and AI search optimization to new advertising platforms. Instead of trying to become an expert in everything, businesses hire agencies to get access to specialists who know the latest industry changes and best practices.When you need faster executionWhile you can DIY SEO and create a website with AI-powered site builders, there will be times when businesses need to run time-sensitive campaigns or respond to market opportunities. Agencies have established processes and dedicated teams to immediately execute campaigns without sacrificing quality.This story was produced by WebFX and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Davenport Mayor Jason Gordon to give his first State of the City next month Newly elected Davenport Mayor Jason Gordon will give his first State of the City speech June 11.
	Davenport hosting State of the City address June 11 Davenport Mayor Jason Gordon will deliver his first State of the City address on Thursday, June 11during a breakfast event at the Putnam Museum and Science Center, 1717 W. 12th Street. Mayor Gordon will share his vision for the city and key initiatives while highlighting the past year’s accomplishments. Doors open at 8 a.m. and [...]
	Work on rail crossing in Milan to begin Work on the rail crossing at Big Island Road will begin on May 11, the Illinois Department of Transportation said.
	7 signs your child needs occupational therapy 7 signs your child needs occupational therapyAll children develop at different rates, and no two children are alike—even among siblings and children who grow up in the same environment.If your child is delayed in reaching their physical milestones or if they look like they may be struggling with physical movement in general, seeking expert help from a pediatric occupational therapist is something to consider.If you’re at a point in parenting where you’re wondering if your child may benefit from pediatric occupational therapy (also known as pediatric OT), knowing how to recognize the signs a child may need pediatric OT is the first step toward getting them the professional assistance they need to develop and thrive.In this guide, Village breaks down:What pediatric occupational therapy (OT) for kids is.How pediatric occupational therapy can help children.The 7 signs your child may need pediatric occupational therapy.How long a child may need pediatric occupational therapy.How to get started with pediatric OT.What is occupational therapy for kids?“Occupational therapy for kids really focuses on helping kids participate in their everyday, daily activities,” says Lindsey Wood, MOT, OTR/L, and founder and CEO of Eat. Play. Love. Occupational Therapy Inc.For kids, these everyday activities include things like:PlayingLearningRegulating their minds, bodies, and emotionsLearning or gaining independence with self-careInteracting with othersWhen it comes to defining pediatric occupational therapy, it helps to remember that an occupation is anything that occupies your time, and so when it comes to kids, Wood says it’s “essentially their job to play, learn, interact socially, and regulate.”After an evaluation session with your child, their pediatric occupational therapist will create a customized care plan that includes the short-term and long-term goals for your child. They will track progress over time and see if your child is moving toward or meeting their individualized goals.When children go to pediatric OT sessions, it may look a lot like playing games, going through obstacle courses, pretend play, and fun movement. In reality, their therapist has created an enriching environment filled with child-centered activities that are helping them learn valuable skills like physical movement, self-regulation, and self-care. “Everything we do in therapy is very intentional at addressing the underlying skills that we’re supporting,” Wood says.How can occupational therapy help children?The goals for your child will be outlined in the care plan their therapist creates for them. Your child may go to OT for one specific reason or with one goal in mind, but they’ll learn other valuable skills along the way as well.Pediatric occupational therapy can help children:Learn the physical skills they need to work toward or meet physical milestones.Boost their gross motor skills and fine motor skills.Support their sensory systems.Work on their emotional regulation.Build their self-care skills.Improve their relationships with others.Pediatric OT is tailored to each child’s needs, so your child’s therapist will meet them where they’re at and change and adapt their activities on the fly as needed, Wood says.Why would a child need occupational therapy?If you’ve been thinking about whether your child could benefit from pediatric OT, there are a few things to look out for that could signal they could use the additional support of a therapist. Here, Bindi Gudhka, MA, OTR/L, SWC, and founder of Play Connections, shares the seven signs your child may need occupational therapy.1. Your child experiences sensory processing challenges.When it comes to sensory processing challenges, these children may be constantly moving, climbing on furniture, not following directions, or have a hard time transitioning from one activity to another, Gudhka says.Oftentimes, these sensory processing challenges are discovered once a child starts school or daycare, and their teachers notice. There’s a lot of stimuli in a school environment, as well as more tactile, hands-on experiences like going outside to the playground, playing in a sandbox or sensory bin, painting with fingers or hands, and doing crafting activities—all of which may bring sensory processing issues to the surface.2. Your child has attention or cognitive awareness issues.Similar to the sensory processing challenges, school or daycare may be the first place you discover your child may have attention or cognitive awareness issues. In this case, Gudhka says their teacher may notice that they’re not able to sit during circle time like other kids, or they may not be able to follow along with someone reading a book or singing a song during class.3. Your child is having difficulty with their social participation or play skills.Social participation in young children is often centered around play, so recognizing when their play skills may need some additional support could be another sign.Gudhka says some behaviors that could benefit from OT may include:A child who doesn’t play and who instead moves around a room from place to place with no engagement.A child who doesn’t interact with toys and instead only grabs or throws them.A child who doesn’t know how to play in a meaningful, engaged way.There are different developmental stages of play, so things can progress and develop over time. Your child’s teachers are a great resource if you have any questions or concerns around their play skills.4. Your child has delays in fine motor and/or gross motor skills.Pediatric occupational therapy can help children develop and improve their fine and gross motor skills.Fine motor skills are the movements that use the smaller muscles in the body, like the hands and fingers. According to the Cleveland Clinic, fine motor skills can include things like:Handwriting, coloring, or drawingCutting with scissorsButtoning a buttonTying shoesHolding and using utensilsIf your child struggles with fine motor skills, they may avoid or struggle with activities like arts and crafts (such as coloring a picture or cutting out a shape with scissors), writing with a pencil, or getting dressed by themself (such as asking someone to button their shirt or tie their shoes for them).Gross motor skills are the movements that use the large (gross) muscles in the body or the entire body, like the core, arms, and legs. According to the Cleveland Clinic, gross motor skills can include things like:WalkingRunningJumpingStandingSitting upIf your child struggles with gross motor skills, they may appear clumsy or show issues with balance, and they may avoid certain playtime activities like riding a tricycle or playing on a play structure.5. Your child shows major emotional dysregulation on a frequent, daily basis.Emotional dysregulation can show up in children in different ways, and it may leave you feeling like you’re walking on eggshells all the time. Tantrums are the most obvious sign of emotional dysregulation, especially when tantrums happen frequently, it takes a long time to calm your child down, or tantrums lead to aggressive behavior (like biting, hitting, pushing, or kicking), Gudhka says.“The minute parents start realizing that, wait, this feels harder than it should be, I think that's a sign because it shouldn't be that hard,” Gudhka says. “There might be an underlying reason why it feels that challenging.”6. Your child struggles with self-care skills appropriate to their age.Self-care skills like getting dressed are an important part of a child’s day-to-day life, and if they’re struggling with these types of skills, it can lead to tantrums and frustration.For example, Gudhka says that by at least 3 years old, a child should be able to do some simple self-care skills, such as taking off their clothes by themself and pulling their own pants up. If your child is struggling with a morning or evening routine and the self-care skills involved, pediatric OT could help them build their skills.7. Your child has a certain condition or genetic syndrome that may benefit from occupational therapy.According to the Cleveland Clinic, some conditions that benefit from pediatric OT include:Sensory processing disorder (SPD)Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)Down syndromeCerebral palsyDevelopmental delaysGudhka adds that other children who may need pediatric OT include:Babies who were born prematurely or who spent time in the NICU.Babies who experienced birth trauma.Children who had a G tube or an oral-nasal tube.Occupational therapy is one important piece in the treatment plans for children living with these conditions or genetic syndromes.How long does a child need occupational therapy?All children progress at their own individualized rate, so how long a child needs pediatric OT will depend on the skills they’re working on, the goals they’re aiming for, and on your child and their progression. The specific skills and goals for your child will be outlined in the personalized care plan their pediatric occupational therapist creates for them. Your child’s therapist will walk you through the care plan for your child and what kinds of goals they have set based on their evaluation.How to get started with pediatric occupational therapyPediatric occupational therapy can help children improve their physical, emotional, social, and self-care skills, making things easier for them and you as they learn valuable everyday skills.This story was produced by Village and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How does jewelry insurance work? How does jewelry insurance work?At a high level, jewelry insurance is simply a contract between you and an insurance provider. What that means is you purchase a policy so that if something happens—such as a ring that is damaged, lost, stolen or simply disappears—the insurance provider is obligated to repair that item or replace it. To buy a jewelry insurance policy and be able to make a claim, you typically need to provide a detailed sales receipt or an appraisal of the insured item’s value. Some insurance providers will also ask for a diamond report such as a GIA certificate, a certified description from the Gemological Institute of America.In this article, BriteCo explains everything you need to know about how jewelry insurance works.Who should get jewelry insurance?If you’ve purchased a fine piece of jewelry or an engagement ring or a watch, typically you would be advised to get insurance. A good rule of thumb is to insure any jewelry piece worth more than $1000. When buying a policy, you’ll want to consider the cost as well as other factors, such as whether you want to pay a deductible amount out of your own pocket if a claim is made.How to Insure JewelryStep 1 — Understand the benefits of specialized jewelry insurance.Specialized jewelry insurance providers understand the jewelry industry. Jewelry insurance covers the real risks from loss, theft, damage and “mysterious disappearance,” providing an equivalent replacement for a lost or stolen item should you make a claim. Most will also work with your local jeweler to make sure you get the quality replacement you deserve.Step 2 — Compare policy prices.Most jewelry insurance policies cost from 1% to 3% of the appraised value of an individual item. It is important to compare costs, since many insurers have not updated their pricing in decades to reflect gains in efficiencies with newer technology.Step 3 — As a regulated industry, jewelry insurance providers have applications that typically require you to answer a few questions.Once you receive a customized quote, you proceed by answering a few more questions online to make sure you get all the discounts you’re entitled to, or to add an insured person at no extra cost. You then receive a final price and choose how you want to pay (monthly or with a discounted annual payment). That’s it. You can be insured in about two minutes.Step 4 — Get your policy online and upload documents.Jewelry insurers almost always require documentation of your item’s value in case you make a claim.Depending on the insurer, you may need to upload an appraisal, detailed sales receipt or a lab certificate for the insured item along with a current photo of the piece. You’ll get your policy via email, usually within 24 hours.How much does ring insurance cost?Since it’s an infrequent purchase, most people have no idea what jewelry insurance should cost. Some think it’s probably too expensive and others don’t know how or where to get a policy. In practice, jewelry insurance costs anywhere from 0.5% of the total value of an item up to 3%. Shop around for the best price and coverage.What does jewelry insurance cover?You want to make sure your insurance policy covers loss, theft, damage and what is known as “mysterious disappearance.” Mysterious disappearance is really important, because not all insurance companies cover it, even though it’s the most frequent reason cited for a lost or missing jewelry piece.What is a deductible for jewelry insurance?For jewelry insurance, a deductible specifies a certain amount of agreed upon money that you will pay when you make a claim for repair or replacement. If your policy has a $500 deductible for jewelry insurance and your total cost of replacement is $4,000, for example, you will pay $500 out of your own pocket.Why would I choose a deductible?A deductible helps reduce your annual premium cost of a jewelry insurance policy. But in exchange for reducing your cost, you will have to pay the deductible amount out of your own pocket when making a claim. Most customers today do not want to pay deductibles because it can be a hassle. And the amount of money you might save on your premium is not enough, generally, to justify paying out of pocket. Deductibles are useful if premiums are high—such as homeowners coverage in a high risk or coastal area. But jewelry insurance is a relatively small insurance expense compared to other insurance and deductibles should not be necessary.Does ring insurance cover a lost diamond?Generally, the answer is yes. Consult your policy and look at your coverage to be sure but a jewelry insurance policy should cover a lost diamond or a damaged diamond in your ring.If I upgrade my ring in a few years after getting a policy, can I update my insurance?The answer is definitely yes. You will want to contact your insurance provider periodically and provide them with updated documentation such as a reappraisal. Some jewelry insurance providers require a reappraisal every three to five years, others automatically update jewelry coverage values to reflect market changes to help ensure you always have the appropriate amount of insurance.Do I need to mail my ring to a company to get insurance?You shouldn’t have to mail your item to a company to get insurance, though some may require it. BriteCo How often should I get my ring appraised?Most insurance companies will ask you to get your item reappraised every couple of years. Others automatically adjust the replacement value for you, so you never have to worry about getting an item reappraised.How long does a jewelry insurance claim take to get processed?Every situation is different, but you should get a repair or replacement within two to three weeks. A lot depends on the jeweler you are working with on your repair or replacement. Does the jeweler need to custom design a new item, or create a CAD rendering that requires your approval?Who usually pays for engagement ring insurance?Traditionally, whomever purchases the ring or jewelry item also buys the insurance. But both the ring giver or the ring receiver can purchase insurance for it. It doesn’t really matter since spending 0.5% or 1% of its total value to insure it is worthwhile for the peace of mind it brings.Can I insure my necklace?That depends on the insurance provider. If the value of your necklace or pendant is typically over $1,000, it is recommended to get insurance for that item, especially a policy with no deductibles.When is the best time to get jewelry insurance?The best time to buy jewelry insurance is as soon as possible after you purchase an item. Even if the policy documents haven’t been issued yet, but you’ve paid for the policy, you should be completely covered. Buy the insurance as soon as you can just so there is no gap in coverage.What does jewelry insurance include?The key types of coverage that you’ll want for your jewelry insurance include replacement for theft, loss, damage and mysterious disappearance. Theft is exactly what it sounds like—–somebody stole your item or you put your ring in your purse and somebody stole the purse. Damage coverage is critical. It’s common that somebody knocks an engagement ring on a door handle or drops it on the floor and the diamond pops out. Or the shank of the ring cracks, or the center stone gets chipped. And, mysterious disappearance is a must for coverage since there are situations where the loss of an item has no clear explanation.What is mysterious disappearance?Mysterious disappearance describes the loss of a jewelry item that has simply disappeared. You don’t really know what happened, but your ring is gone.For example, you are going to the grocery store or running an errand with your ring on your finger when you suddenly notice it’s not there. You might look in your car, or in the parking lot but it’s nowhere to be found. So mysterious disappearance is different from losing your ring swimming in the ocean or dropping it down the public restroom drain, where there’s an immediate reason.Do you need an appraisal to get your jewelry insured?Most reputable jewelry insurance companies will ask for some level of paperwork or documentation that certifies the value of your item. That usually means providing an appraisal from a jeweler though some companies may accept a detailed sales receipt. Making sure you have an accurate appraisal is really the only way to guarantee that your item will be replaced exactly in case of a claim. You’ll also want appraisal information for your own records should you ever want to sell or trade an item. Any reputable jeweler should be happy to provide you with an appraisal, especially with a new purchase from their store.Can I work with my own jeweler to replace my lost jewelry?Be aware that some jewelry insurance companies require you and your jeweler to use a “preferred network” for obtaining a replacement stone, diamond, or any piece of jewelry when filing an insurance claim for lost jewelry. They push you to the preferred network because the insurance company gets preferred pricing from a set of vendors that helps reduce their costs but it may not represent the true value of your jewelry. This can be a hassle if you or your jeweler feels the quality of the preferred network stone doesn’t match the original.Other insurers allow you to work with the jeweler you choose to make sure you get a replacement piece that you are happy with. That includes working with your local or family jeweler or an online jeweler, so you are not forced to use a preferred network.Does Homeowners Insurance Cover an Engagement Ring?If you rely on your homeowners insurance to cover personal property or a piece of jewelry, you may not have full coverage for loss or damage to a ring or necklace. Homeowners insurers typically cap coverage at $1,000 up to $2,000, along with a deductible. If you file a claim for a lost $5,000 engagement ring, expect to pay between $3,000 to $4,000 out of your own pocket to replace it. What is the cost of jewelry insurance? Rates vary depending on where you live, but typically people will pay 1%-3% of the value of your jewelry for jewelry insurance.File a claim for a lost or damaged piece of jewelry, and you may risk a future increase in your homeowners insurance premium; in some cases, that claim can contribute to a policy cancellation. While some people can add a floater for separate coverage on their existing homeowners or renters policy, these riders are typically subject to deductibles and can be more expensive than specialty jewelry insurers. If you have valuable jewelry, it’s important to insure it separately to be sure it’s fully covered in the event of loss or damage.This story was produced by BriteCo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Learn about history at Bishop Hill's Civil War Days The Bishop Hill Heritage Association is marking the nation’s 250th birthday by hosting activities that show aspects of early U.S. history, including the 2026 Bishop Hill Civil War Day on Saturday, May 16. There will be Union and Confederate encampments in the village park and programs taking place throughout the day. The civilian encampment and [...]
	Federal courts clash over state law displacing Orleans clerk of court Calvin Duncan is sworn in as Clerk of Criminal Court at Orleans Parish Criminal District Court on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America)Just hours after a federal judge halted a new state law to eliminate the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court’s office, an appellate court will allow the measure to take effect. Caught in the court chaos is Calvin Duncan, who officially began work Monday. The former “jailhouse lawyer” who was wrongfully imprisoned for 28 years, was elected court clerk in November with 68% support against incumbent Darren Lombard. Duncan showed up for work Monday morning at the Orleans Criminal District Courthouse, the Associated Press reported. But for the time being, an administrative stay from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals leaves him without a job. Duncan, a Black Democrat, sued Republican Gov. Jeff Landry after he signed a law Thursday to eliminate the clerk’s post, effective overnight Sunday. In his place, Orleans Civil Court Clerk Chelsea Napoleon Richard would take over criminal court responsibilities. Orleans is the only jurisdiction in the state with two separate courts. State lawmakers have also advanced a separate proposal to reduce the number of judges in Orleans. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles issued a temporary restraining order Sunday to stop the law from eliminating the clerk’s role. He wrote that the new state law “violated [Duncan’s] federally protected constitutional rights to due process and to vote.” In a social media post Monday morning, the governor said the order from deGravelles, a federal court appointee of former President Barack Obama, “accomplishes nothing of substance.” After the 5th Circuit’s stay was issued, Landry said in a separate post the judge only managed to “create chaos and confusion.” New Orleans officials held a swearing-in ceremony April 21 for Duncan as legislation to eliminate his job advanced at the State Capitol. May 4 marks his first official day in office. The ACLU of Louisiana is among the organizations and lawyers representing Duncan in the case. “The Louisiana Legislature attempted something this country has seen before: the targeted dismantling of Black political power through the machinery of law. The court saw it for what it was.” Alanah Odoms, ACLU of Louisiana executive director, said in a statement. Duncan’s attorneys have vowed to continue their fight. This is a developing story. Courtesy of Louisiana Illuminator
	For Black Louisiana, justice is not colorblind — just blind, period Protesters hold a coffin for "Democracy" as they march down Tulane Avenue in New Orleans on Monday, May, 4, 2026, in opposition to Gov. Jeff Landry's order to suspend U.S. House elections in Louisiana and eliminate the clerk of criminal court's position. (Photo by Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) In 1773, a group of Boston colonists dressed as Mohawks dumped 342 chests of British tea into the harbor. They were not protesting the tax itself so much as the principle behind it: to be taxed by Parliament where they had no real representation was, in their telling, a form of political bondage they described without irony as slavery. They wrote a declaration about that principle three years later. They went to war over it. They built a republic on the proposition that a free people cannot be governed without their consent. On April 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court of that same republic ruled in Louisiana v. Callais that the congressional districts Louisiana drew to give Black voters a meaningful opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice was unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. In a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Samuel Alito, the court struck down the state’s second majority-Black congressional district and, in the process, hollowed out the core remedial promise of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act: to insist on the very principle the founders fought a war over is, when Black people insist on it, treated as a constitutional offense. Read that twice. Then read it once more. Black Louisianans are roughly one-third of this state’s population, yet the Supreme Court has made clear that even a district designed to reflect that reality is suspect if Black political representation is too visible. Black families in Louisiana have helped build the roads, levees, courthouses, ports, schools and public institutions that make this state function. They have paid the tax of citizenship in cash and in blood for generations. And now the Supreme Court tells us that the principle which built this country does not fully extend to us. The same court that has spent years insisting it is color-blind has decided that when Black voters seek representation rooted in our communities, our geography and our lived experience, the constitutional violation is ours. The remedy becomes the harm. The franchise becomes the gerrymander. The wronged party, somehow, is the structure of inequality itself. Justice Elena Kagan, dissenting, called the ruling what it is: a decision that renders Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act “all but a dead letter.” The doctrinal framework that has anchored federal vote-dilution enforcement since Thornburg v. Gingles in 1986 has not been formally overruled, but it has been weakened from the inside. The statute still sits on the page. Much of the remedy is gone. What this means in Louisiana is immediate. The 6th Congressional District that elected Cleo Fields in 2024 — a 250-mile arc from Shreveport through Alexandria and Lafayette into north Baton Rouge — is gone. Gov. Jeff Landry declared an emergency Thursday and suspended Louisiana’s May 16 congressional primary to give lawmakers time to redraw the state’s congressional districts. Mail and overseas ballots had already gone out, and early in-person voting was about to begin. Voters who had already cast ballots were told their votes in the congressional races would not count. Multiple lawsuits were filed in state and federal court within roughly 36 hours challenging the suspension. What this means regionally is even larger. NPR’s reporting identified at least 15 majority-Black or near-majority-Black congressional districts, from Louisiana through the Carolinas, that are now vulnerable under the logic of Callais. Advocacy groups have projected that as many as one in three seats in the Congressional Black Caucus could be placed in jeopardy in a single redistricting cycle if the most aggressive redraw scenarios materialize. NPR also noted that the post-Civil War record drop in Black U.S. House representation was four seats at the end of Reconstruction. Callais could approach or exceed that mark. What this means morally is what every Black Louisianan already knows. Justice in this country is not colorblind. It is blind, period. Blind to the lived weight of being Black in this state. Blind to the patterned harm its rulings keep producing. Blind to its own foundational hypocrisy. Black folk in this country have been given empty promises since slavery, through sharecropping, through tenant farming, through every century when this state’s economy ran on Black backs and this state’s law ran around Black bodies. Black Americans have shed blood on battlefields from the Revolutionary War era forward while still being forced to fight, at home, for the most basic democratic recognition. We have done the work. And the questions being asked in 2026 are the same questions colonists asked in 1773: Have we not contributed to this country enough? Have we not shed enough blood? Were our ancestors not enslaved enough? What will it take for us to be seen, to be heard, to be respected? The Supreme Court has given its answer. Not yet. Perhaps never. But the court is not the country. The country is the people, and the people of Louisiana — Black, white, Brown, Native, and newcomer alike — have a choice to make in the weeks ahead about which American era they want to live in: the 1776 of the founders, who called blind representation tyranny; 1898, when leaders of Louisiana’s constitutional convention openly sought to “perpetuate the supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon race in Louisiana”; or the 2026 of Justice Samuel Alito, who has somehow reconciled the two. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, considered the crown jewel of the Civil Rights Movement, has been pried loose. The pattern is visible. And Black Louisiana — taxed, bled and built into the foundation of this state — is not going anywhere. Courtesy of Louisiana Illuminator
	Supreme Court gives abortion pill mifepristone a 1-week reprieve from a major change The Supreme Court says rules that allow patients to get the abortion pill mifepristone through the mail can stay the same for at least a week.
	The UAE says Iran resumes attacks as the U.S. moves to reopen the Strait of Hormuz The U.S. military said it helped two merchant ships transit the Strait of Hormuz, and the United Arab Emirates said it was fending off Iranian missiles and drones.
	Davenport mayor to deliver state of the city address The event is open to the public but registration is required.
	Davenport theater disturbance ends in juvenile charges after fights break out Authorities say a group of juveniles arguing and fighting at a Davenport movie theater Saturday night led to multiple charges after deputies responded.
	59% of Americans worry about sunscreen chemicals. Only 32% understand how sunscreen works. 59% of Americans worry about sunscreen chemicals. Only 32% understand how sunscreen works.Many Americans think of sunscreen at the beach. Fewer consider wearing it for the drive there. And many are questioning if they should wear sunscreen at all.These trends, uncovered in a new national survey from the nonprofit Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), highlight a central challenge in skin cancer prevention.Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, according to the CDC. Nine in 10 skin cancers, including melanoma, are linked to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, according to the MRA. Reducing exposure to UV radiation lowers the risk of skin cancer, making sunscreen a key part of prevention.A survey of 2,000 adults found that most Americans have a basic understanding of the risks of sun exposure, but that awareness doesn’t always translate into action. More than 8 in 10 recognize that spending long hours in the sun contributes to melanoma risk, yet roughly one-quarter say they rarely or never use sunscreen when spending time outdoors.Then there are those everyday moments that most people don’t recognize as risky. The light coming through the window over the sink. The short walk from the parking lot. The hour in the bleachers with the sun hitting one side of your face. A single sunburn can be dangerous, but it’s the accumulation of exposure over time that often drives risk.Sunscreen is widely recognized as an effective tool for skin cancer prevention, yet confusion and misinformation persist, especially on social media. Fifty-three percent of respondents say they have seen claims that sunscreen ingredients may be harmful. Fifty-nine percent say they are concerned about what’s in sunscreen, and 38% don’t believe sunscreen is safe and effective. Melanoma Research Alliance Many Americans also say they aren’t sure how sunscreen works. Only about a third can correctly explain the difference between types of sunscreens, while a much larger share reports being unsure.Sunscreen works by absorbing or blocking UV radiation from reaching the skin, preventing DNA damage that can cause skin cancer. In the United States, the active ingredients in sunscreen undergo rigorous review by the Food and Drug Administration, which evaluates them as over-the-counter drugs. This drug-level standard requires extensive testing and contributes to a more limited set of approved UV filters compared with Europe, where sunscreens are regulated as cosmetics. The FDA is currently evaluating additional methodologies for assessing sunscreen ingredients, a process that could expand the number of approved UV filters available to U.S. consumers.All of this is unfolding during a period of real progress in melanoma research. While melanoma remains the deadliest form of skin cancer, more than 8,500 Americans are expected to die from it in 2026, roughly one person every hour, according to the American Cancer Society. Recent advances are improving outcomes for many patients with advanced disease, though approximately 50% of patients do not respond to current treatments, according to MRA, underscoring why prevention and early detection remain critical.Survey methodology: The Melanoma Research Alliance commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults between March 27 and April 1, 2026. The sample is nationally representative based on gender, age, and geography. Margin of error: ±2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Atomik Research, part of 4media group, is a creative market research agency.This story was produced by Melanoma Research Alliance and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How small businesses escape the late-payment trap and build cash reserves that last How small businesses escape the late-payment trap and build cash reserves that lastThe receipts are filed, the returns are submitted—and 42% of U.S. businesses still describe cash flow as a minor or major problem, according to the QuickBooks Small Business Insights survey conducted in January 2026. For many owners, tax season clarifies exactly how much of the year's cash got tied up in slow collections, overdue invoices, and avoidable timing gaps.After filing is often when business owners are most motivated to plan their finances. That makes it a good time to build habits that improve cash flow.Invoice sooner, not laterWaiting until the end of the month to send invoices is one of the most common and fixable sources of cash lag. The longer an invoice sits unsent, the longer cash stays out of reach.Businesses that invoice twice a month instead of once—or immediately after delivering a service—collect weeks earlier on average. That timing difference can determine whether payroll clears without stress or requires a scramble.Put a collections policy in writingAn informal approach to collecting past-due accounts often leads to inconsistent results. A formal collections policy helps make follow-ups routine. This can include a set schedule of emails and calls tied to an aging report.Small businesses spend 14 hours per week on collections activities, according to the QuickBooks Impacts of Late Payments Report. A documented policy reduces that time by removing the guesswork from each follow-up decision.Offer a discount for faster paymentA 5% discount for payment within 10 days costs something upfront, but recovers cash faster than any collection call. For businesses where borrowing to cover short-term gaps is the alternative, the discount is frequently cheaper than interest.It's a simple trade-off: slightly lower margins in exchange for more predictable cash flow. For many businesses—especially those with thin reserves—the certainty is worth more than the margin.Charge for late paymentsA late payment fee doesn't have to be steep to change behavior. Even a modest charge signals that the invoice has consequences attached to it, and that tends to shift priority.Thirty-eight percent of small business owners use their own personal funds to cover cash flow shortfalls when clients pay late. A late fee offsets some of that cost and creates an incentive that simply letting the invoice sit does not.Use digital tools to close the gap between invoice and paymentTechnology can shorten the time between sending an invoice and getting paid. Automated invoicing, recurring billing, online payment options, and payment reminders can each shave days off the average collection cycle.More than 9 in 10 small businesses already use digital tools to support operations, according to the QuickBooks Small Business Success Report. For businesses that haven't automated reminders and payments, that's often the quickest way to improve cash flow.Tighten inventory before buying moreCarrying excess inventory ties up cash that could cover payroll, vendor invoices, or short-term expenses. Before ordering more stock, reviewing what's already on hand—and whether it's moving—is worth the time.More than 2 in 5 small businesses report cash flow problems, according to the January 2026 QuickBooks Small Business Insights survey. That makes inventory one of the clearest levers—carrying less of it frees up cash without requiring any new financing.Keep loyal customers closeRepeat customers are more predictable than new ones, and predictability matters when cash flow timing is the issue. A loyalty discount, early access to new products, or a structured referral program keeps that revenue stream flowing without significant new marketing spend.27% of small businesses plan to spend more on referral programs in 2025, according to the QuickBooks Advertising Trends Report. This shift shows that reliable revenue from existing customers can be just as valuable as new sales.Build a cash cushion before you need itA cash reserve doesn't require a windfall to start. Setting aside a small, fixed percentage of revenue each month—consistently, even during slow periods—builds a buffer that removes the urgency from any single late payment or slow week.For businesses where cash flow is a recurring problem, the week after tax filing is often the clearest window to see where the gaps actually formed. Tax season produces a year's worth of financial data in one place; the habits that address those gaps are most likely to stick when that data is still fresh.Cash flow problems rarely have a single cause, but they almost always have the same solution: putting better habits into place. The period right after tax season is the best time to start.MethodologyData in this article is drawn from the QuickBooks Small Business Insights survey, an ongoing tracking study of U.S. small business sentiment; the 42% cash flow figure reflects the share of respondents describing cash flow as a minor or major problem. The statistic on collections time is drawn from the QuickBooks Impacts of Late Payments Report. Data on personal funding and financing access is sourced from the QuickBooks July 2024 Small Business Survey. The digital tools adoption figure is drawn from the QuickBooks Small Business Success Report. Referral spending data is from the QuickBooks Advertising Trends Report 2025. All cited findings are statistically significant.This story was produced by QuickBooks and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Tapestry Farms has new products for Mother's Day Tapestry Farms has a collection of products that is sure to bring smiles on Mother’s Day. The new products, handmade Dubai chocolate and flower arrangements, were created by refugee neighbors who are building new lives in the Quad Cities. Tapestry Farms makes its Dubai chocolate in small batches using a traditional recipe. Each piece features [...]
	From search results to trip planning: How AI is reshaping hospitality discovery From search results to trip planning: How AI is reshaping hospitality discoveryNot long ago, planning a vacation followed a predictable sequence: Open a search engine, type in “hotels in Charleston” or “best resorts in Cabo,” and sift through dozens of results, review aggregators, and booking sites until something clicked. The research was exhausting, and according to OAG’s “Travel 2045” report, it has become staggeringly so: In 2024, travelers visited an average of 141 webpages before completing a booking, up from 38 in 2013. In the U.S., that number spiked to 277 pages per trip.That burden is now being rapidly outsourced to AI, and the numbers confirm just how fast. Traffic to U.S. travel, leisure, and hospitality websites from generative AI sources increased by 1,700% between July 2024 and February 2025. And on the consumer side, nearly one-third of U.S. travelers use AI tools to plan or experience trips.Intero Digital breaks down what this means for hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, and destination marketers.Is AI Really Changing How Travelers Search for Hotels?Traditional travel search was built on keywords. A traveler’s intent got compressed into a short phrase, and search engines returned a ranked list of links. Discovery was linear: search → click → read → compare → book. Travel brands competed for a position in that list by optimizing title tags and bidding on Google Ads.That model is starting to lose ground. Search engines, once dominant, dropped from 51% of travel research behavior in late 2024 to 36% by the second half of 2025, while generative AI platforms increased from 6% to 15% of traveler research activity in the same period.What’s replacing keyword search is conversational exploration. Travelers are increasingly turning to ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and other assistants to have a back-and-forth dialogue about where they want to go, what kind of experience they want, and what fits their budget and timeline. Instead of 10 blue links, they get a curated synthesis. Instead of scanning review snippets, they receive tailored recommendations with contextual rationale. For frequent AI users (those using generative AI tools at least weekly), generative AI has already become the top channel for travel discovery, surpassing both online travel agencies (OTAs) and social media. So if you’re lacking AI search visibility, you’re missing out.How Does AI Interpret What Travelers Actually Want?AI search tools are remarkably good at interpreting nuanced, natural-language queries. When a traveler types, “Romantic weekend getaway within three hours of Atlanta that isn’t too touristy,” an AI assistant goes beyond matching keywords to infer the full intent: proximity, atmosphere, authenticity, and occasion.This means long-tail intent is now discoverable in ways it never was through traditional SEO. A boutique inn that might never rank on Page 1 for “Georgia hotels” might be perfectly positioned to appear in an AI response for “cozy mountain cabin retreats in North Georgia under $300.”The data backs up just how richly travelers are using AI across the planning journey. Among travelers who have used AI for trip planning, the top use cases include researching specific destinations (60%), finding and booking flights (51%), booking hotels or vacation rentals (46%), getting initial destination ideas and inspiration (46%), and discovering local experiences and activities (42%). This isn’t single-task behavior; it’s end-to-end trip building conducted through conversation.Are AI-Referred Visitors More Valuable Than Traditional Search Traffic?Here’s what makes the AI shift particularly important for hospitality marketers: The travelers arriving from AI sources aren’t casual browsers. Consumers who arrive at travel sites from generative AI sources show 36% longer visits, 7% more pages per visit, and a 44% lower bounce rate compared to non-AI traffic sources.These are high-intent visitors who have already done significant research before ever clicking through to a property website. The implication is significant: When AI sends a traveler to your site, they often already have a favorable impression, and the job shifts from capturing attention to converting intent.That said, the conversion picture is still evolving. In February 2025, traffic from generative AI sources was 9% less likely to convert than non-AI sources, though that gap has narrowed considerably from 43% in July 2024, suggesting travelers are becoming more comfortable completing bookings directly after an AI-powered interaction.What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and Why Does It Matter for Hotels?The hospitality marketing community is grappling with a concept that is quickly moving from buzzword to strategic necessity: generative engine optimization, or GEO. Unlike traditional SEO, which emphasizes ranking in a list of links, GEO is about being included (and described favorably) in AI-generated responses.For travel brands, this is harder than it sounds. Inventory is scattered across OTAs, brand sites, and metasearch platforms. Structured product feeds for hotels, flights, and experiences are rare. And unlike retail, there’s no standard “book now” schema for travel, meaning AI can struggle to surface offers as easily as it does for categories like electronics or apparel.That challenge makes an intentional GEO strategy all the more important. For hospitality brands, this requires some specific approaches:Structured, AI-Readable ContentAI models draw heavily on well-organized, factual content. Properties need to ensure their websites, press materials, and listing descriptions use clear, precise language that communicates specific attributes. Think amenities lists with detailed descriptions, location context (distance to airport, proximity to attractions, etc.), target traveler profiles, and unique selling propositions that go beyond generic language like “luxurious accommodations.” Brands that publish content in conversational, question-driven formats, anticipating and answering the questions travelers ask AI assistants, will be the ones that connect the most meaningfully with this audience.Authority Signals Across the WebWhen AI models generate responses about a destination or property type, they rely on sources they perceive as authoritative: established travel publications, reputable review aggregators, local tourism board content, and brand-owned content with strong engagement signals. Being mentioned in authoritative travel content, such as Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, or regional travel blogs with high domain authority, increases the likelihood of appearing in AI-generated recommendations. For smaller and independent properties, this reinforces the value of a robust earned media strategy, not just paid distribution.Local SEO as a FoundationAI assistants anchor travel recommendations in local context. A traveler asking, “Where should I stay in Savannah?” receives recommendations informed by location data, proximity to landmarks, and local reviews. A well-optimized local presence, including accurate business information, a rich Google Business Profile, local citations, and geospecific content on the property website, feeds directly into how AI interprets and surfaces a property.Will AI Disrupt the Relationship Between Hotels and OTAs?For years, online travel agencies held significant leverage over hospitality brands. They owned the discovery layer, charged hefty commissions, and conditioned travelers to start their search on aggregator platforms. AI may fundamentally alter this dynamic.The debate is already live: Will autonomous AI agents favor OTAs or suppliers? On one side, OTAs have decades of distribution know-how and data pipelines that AI agents can easily tap. On the other, AI agents can crawl or call suppliers directly and bypass intermediaries entirely, particularly for simpler trips.When a traveler gets a tailored hotel recommendation from an AI assistant and clicks directly to book, the OTA layer is bypassed altogether. Properties with strong direct booking infrastructure (mobile-optimized websites, fast-loading pages, clear rate parity, easy reservation flows, and compelling direct booking incentives) are better positioned to capture this AI-referred traffic.That said, OTA presence remains important for AI discoverability in the near term because these platforms are heavily indexed and often cited by AI tools as authoritative sources. The smart strategy isn’t abandoning OTAs; it’s building a robust parallel presence that allows direct capture when AI delivers the traveler to your door.What Should Hotels Do Right Now to Stay Visible in AI Search?The shift to AI-mediated discovery is not a future state. It’s happening now. Here’s where to focus your efforts:1. Prioritize Descriptive Specificity Over Generic Language.Audit every listing description, website page, and press release for vague superlatives. For example, you could replace “stunning ocean views” with “panoramic Pacific views from all ocean-facing rooms above the fourth floor.” Specific attributes are what AI tools surface when travelers ask nuanced questions.2. Build a Proactive Reputation Management Practice.AI doesn’t just index reviews; it synthesizes them into a characterization of your property. That narrative should be actively managed: responding to reviews, generating consistent positive guest experiences, and monitoring the themes that emerge across platforms.3. Invest in Content that Answers Travelers’ Questions.Create content, such as blog posts, destination guides, FAQs, and experience-focused content, that addresses the actual questions travelers ask AI assistants, such as “Is this resort good for a honeymoon?” “What’s the best time of year to visit?” and “Is this hotel family-friendly for toddlers?” Content like this increases the surface area of your brand’s AI discoverability.4. Think Beyond Your Property Page.AI draws from news articles, travel blogs, social media sentiment, and local data sources, not just your website. A comprehensive digital PR and local SEO strategy is now inseparable from your AI discoverability strategy.Which Hospitality Brands Will Win in an AI-First Discovery Era?The hospitality industry has always rewarded differentiation. The most successful properties have always been those that could articulate, clearly and compellingly, what makes the experience they offer irreplaceable. AI doesn’t change this fundamental truth. It amplifies it.In an AI-mediated discovery environment, clarity of positioning is a competitive advantage. The boutique hotel that knows exactly who it serves and communicates that consistently across every digital touchpoint will be surfaced more reliably by AI tools than a larger property with a more generic presence. The resort that has built genuine authority in travel media, earned authentic rave reviews, and structured its digital content with precision will see its story reflected faithfully in AI-generated recommendations.Travelers are already searching differently. The question for every hospitality marketer is whether their brand is visible in the places those travelers are now looking and whether the story being told about their property, by AI or otherwise, is how they want to be seen by the world.This story was produced by Intero Digital and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How many tax refunds does it take to buy a home in 2026? How many tax refunds does it take to buy a home in 2026?So far in the 2026 filing season, the average tax refund has reached $3,275, one of the largest annual lump-sum payments many households will see this year.About 72% of filers have received a refund over the past decade, making it a common benchmark for savings and a natural point of comparison for larger financial goals like buying a home.In this study, Neighbors Bank analyzed whether the average tax refund amount can meaningfully help cover the upfront cost of buying a home, and how that number has changed over time. To do that, the study translated upfront homebuying costs into a simple metric: how many average refunds it would take to cover them. Courtesy of Neighbors Bank Key takeawaysBuying a home using tax refunds takes about twice as long as it did in 2009.A 10% down purchase required just over six refunds in 2009 versus more than 12 in 2025.Low down payment options reduce upfront costs, but cash to close is still required.Buying a Home in 2026 Takes Over 12 Years of Tax Refunds to AffordIn 2025, the national average tax refund was $3,167, and the national median home price was $356,484. Based on those figures, the upfront cost of purchasing a median-priced home with a conventional 10% down loan equated to 12.66 average tax refunds.In 2009, that same benchmark was 6.86 refunds, meaning the upfront cost has nearly doubled in refund terms over the period covered by this study.This shift is largely driven by the gap between home prices and refund growth. While refund amounts have increased over time, those gains have been relatively modest and inconsistent. In contrast, the upfront cash required to buy a home has risen much more sharply, reducing how much of that cost a single refund can cover.Tax Refunds Needed to Cover Cash to Close (10% Conventional) Courtesy of Neighbors Bank Note: Average tax refund is taken as the average of all filers who receive refunds, not all Americans.What Impacts a Tax Refund Amount?A tax refund is not extra money from the IRS. In most cases, it reflects taxes that were overpaid during the year and then returned after a return is filed. The amount can change from one year to the next for several reasons:Withholding and estimated payments: If more tax is withheld from paychecks, or if estimated payments are higher than necessary, the refund may be larger. If less is withheld, the refund may be smaller.Tax credits and deductions: Eligibility for credits and deductions can reduce tax liability and change the final refund amount.Life and income changes: Marriage, divorce, a new child, a second job, or a change in earnings can all affect how much a household receives back.Tax law and policy changes: Updates to federal tax policy, such as changes to tax brackets, standard deductions, or credit eligibility, can directly impact how much tax is owed or refunded from year to year.Because these factors vary over time, refund amounts do not move in a straight line. They rise and fall from year to year, which helps explain why the average refund was $3,003 in 2010 and only $2,546 in 2020.Low Down Payment Options Help Shrink the Hurdle, But Don’t Remove It CompletelyNot every buyer puts 10% down. Low- and zero-down-payment programs can reduce the amount of cash needed upfront, making homeownership more accessible for many households.That difference is reflected in the data. In 2025, here’s how many average tax refunds it would take to buy a home across loan types.Tax Refunds Needed to Cover Cash to Close By Loan Type Courtesy of Neighbors Bank Moving from a 10% down conventional loan to a 3% down option cuts the required number of refunds by more than half. Zero-down programs reduce that number even further.However, a lower down payment does not eliminate upfront costs. Buyers still need to cover closing costs and other loan-related expenses, which means cash is still required at closing, even for 0% down payment programs like VA and USDA loans. In refund terms, that remaining upfront cost equates to 3.83 refunds for VA loans and 2.53 refunds for USDA loans in 2025.For many households, that lower threshold may feel more achievable than saving for a 10% or 20% down payment. But it still requires planning.A Savings Account Can Help Speed Things UpFor households able to save across multiple tax seasons, interest can help balances grow over time. One common place to keep a cash-to-close fund is a high-yield savings account (HYSA).HYSAs typically offer higher annual percentage yields than traditional savings accounts, allowing savings to grow while funds remain accessible. These accounts are widely offered by banks and credit unions and are generally federally insured within standard limits, making them a common option for short- to medium-term savings goals like a home purchase.For context, as of March 2026, the FDIC national average savings rate was about 0.39%. While many high-yield savings accounts have recently advertised rates around 4% to 5% APY, these numbers can vary over time.To illustrate, let’s see how saving for cash to close with tax refunds changes when using a HYSA at 4%: Courtesy of Neighbors Bank Earning interest alone can shorten the timeline by more than two years. Adding even a modest monthly contribution can reduce it further.Even so, relying on tax refunds alone can result in a longer savings horizon. Lower down payment options can significantly shorten that timeline. Courtesy of Neighbors Bank The Path ForwardThe numbers show that buying a home today requires more upfront savings than it did in the past. But they also highlight something important: There isn’t just one way to get there.Whether it’s using tax refunds, saving month by month, or exploring lower down payment options, many buyers reach their goal by combining strategies over time. When paired with thoughtful budgeting and smart financial planning, these approaches can help shorten the path.With the right approach, the path to homeownership can be more within reach than it first appears.MethodologyNeighbors Bank compared the average annual tax refund with the estimated upfront cost of buying a median-priced home.Average tax refund: Annual national average refund amounts sourced from IRS filing season statistics. Amounts averaged for all recipients of tax refunds, not all filers.Home prices: National median existing-home prices from Zillow.Average percentage of tax refund recipients: calculated by averaging the number of refund recipients among all filers over the past 10 years.“Cash to close” includes:Down payment (varies by loan type)Loan origination fees (0.75%)Title fees (0.5%)Upfront mortgage insurance or funding fees (where applicable)Specific loan scenarios include:Conventional (10% down): Assumes no private mortgage insurance (PMI)Conventional (20% down): Assumes no private mortgage insurance (PMI)FHA (3.5% down): Includes 1.75% upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP)HomeReady/Home Possible (3% down): Assumes no private mortgage insurance (PMI)VA (0% down): Includes a 2.15% funding fee (standard first-use assumption)USDA (0% down): Includes a 1% upfront guarantee feeGeneral calculation: Total upfront dollars needed per loan product divided by average tax refund dollars per yearAll loan scenarios include estimated closing costs and standard lender fees unless otherwise noted.This story was produced by Neighbors Bank and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The 2026 legislative session is over. Here’s what passed, failed, and what is already Iowa law The Iowa State Capitol as seen May 3, 2026. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Kim Reynolds celebrated the approval of many of their priorities for the 2026 legislative session on issues including property taxes, crime and healthcare as lawmakers wrapped up their work for the year. Over the weekend, lawmakers sent a $9.6 billion state budget to the governor’s desk, as well as legislation restricting access to abortion-inducing medication by requiring the drugs to be prescribed in person. One of the largest issues legislators found a compromise on in the final hours of the session was property taxes. Reynolds, Senate Republicans and House Republicans had all released their proposals on how to best address high property tax costs in the state early in session, but struggles to find a consensus on the issue was one of the main reasons lawmakers went into overtime after their goal end date of April 21. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Legislative leaders in both chambers said they were pleased with the property tax legislation sent to the governor’s desk Sunday. Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh said in a statement he was proud of the Senate Republicans’ months of work in crafting legislation that he says will lower property tax costs. “Senate Republicans introduced legislation on the very first day to bring overwhelming property tax relief to Iowa homeowners and modernize Iowa’s property tax system,” Klimesh said. “We made great strides in reining in local government spending, reforming the property tax system, and now Iowa homeowners will see billions in property tax relief over the next several years.” Klimesh also said he was proud of what Senate Republicans passed on a variety of other issues since convening in January. “At the beginning of the legislative session, I laid out a vision for our state,” Klimesh said. “I wanted to spend our days here focused on growth and investment and ways we can show the world that Iowa is the best place to live, the best place to grow your family, and is open for business. My goal was to have conversations about tax reform, affordable energy, infrastructure and how we can help our state thrive. I am proud we have focused on that vision throughout this legislative session. “ House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters after ending the legislative session he also believed House Republicans accomplished many of their goals for 2026. “When we started session, we laid out a few priorities that I think that we made some tremendous strides on,” Grassley said. “Obviously, property taxes … but also looking at some of our ‘tough on crime’ packages and (making) sure Iowa is a safe place … I think there were a lot of the things that we laid out in the beginning of session that we were able to accomplish while this property tax piece kind of hung over everything else.” One issue that did not make it to the governor’s desk through any legislation was eminent domain, a yearslong priority for House Republicans and top issue for several Senate Republicans. Last year, a group of Senate Republicans had refused to pass budget bills unless an eminent domain bill was debated on the Senate floor. Eminent domain involves forcing unwilling landowners to accept easements on their property for projects deemed in the public interest for payment set by the government. The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline across Iowa has been the catalyst for much of the debate. This standoff did not occur this year, though the group of GOP senators had continued to state their support for bringing the issue up. Grassley said he understood some Iowa landowners’ frustration with the Legislature for not being able to push forward a bill in 2026. “This is an issue that I really wish we would have been able to make more progress on, but I will only speak on behalf of House Republicans — we’ve tried, probably, I’m guessing, around a half dozen bills to try to find a level of a solution on this issue, to give some certainty to property owners in the state of Iowa. And again, we share your frustration and we’re unable to get something. But that doesn’t mean that that’s something our caucus won’t continue to fight for as we move forward.” Democrats said many of the measures passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature are proposals that will raise costs for Iowans. Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner said in a statement the “harm” caused by Iowa Republicans’ policies will not expand after lawmakers leave the Capitol for the year. She said many of the policies passed this year raised costs for Iowans. Democrats have criticized measures like raising premium taxes for Health Maintenance Organizations as well as the state’s public K-12 education funding package as measures that will lead to higher costs and reduced services across the state. ““Iowans’ healthcare access is shrinking and their premiums are soaring; their monthly budgets are tightening and too many are living paycheck to paycheck; their public schools are unsupported and their childcare costs an arm and a leg,” Weiner said in a statement. “Instead of taking action to provide real, substantial relief on any of the kitchen table issues that truly matter to Iowans, Senate Republicans only made things worse.” Democrats have also routinely criticized Republicans’ budgeting practices this year. The March Revenue Estimating Conference estimated the state expects to bring in roughly $8.5 billion, less than the $9.6 billion appropriated through budget bills this year, with plans to draw from reserves and the Taxpayer Relief Fund to account for this difference. Republicans have repeatedly stated the loss of revenue was expected as a result of income tax cuts approved in previous years. But House Minority Leader Brian Meyer said he believes the spending approved this session shows the state budget is “in serious trouble” as lawmakers appropriate more than $1 billion than the state is taking in through revenue. “That’s kind of scary, because the economy in Iowa and the farm economy especially, is not getting any better, and so we really have to do something to address this problem moving forward, because those reserves will only last two to three more years,” Meyer said. The 2026 session also marks an important milestone for Reynolds, as it is her final legislative session as governor. In a news release Sunday, she celebrated reaching a deal on property taxes, as well as the Legislature’s passage of policy proposals she laid out at the beginning of session, like her “Make America Healthy Again” proposal, legislation on charter schools and on child care assistance. She also celebrated the passage of her water quality package, unveiled Friday, that passed as part of the state’s agriculture and natural resources budget in the final days of session. “Throughout my time in office, the commonsense, conservative policies we’ve enacted will ensure our state remains strong, prosperous, and vibrant for generations to come,” Reynolds said in a statement. “That has been my commitment to Iowans since day one, and I will continue to serve with that same purpose during my final months in office.” In the coming weeks, Reynolds will be tasked with reviewing and deciding whether to approve legislation sent to her by lawmakers this year. The governor has 30 days from the end of session, June 2, to sign bills from the 2026 session into law. With the Legislature adjourned for the year, here’s a rundown of some notable bills that made it to the governor’s desk, bills that have been signed into law and some that did not cross the finish line. Signed by the governor Childcare assistance: Beginning July 1, Iowa’s Child Care Assistance (CCA) program will become permanently available to parents who are child care workers as the governor signed House File 2514 into law. The measure makes the CCA pilot program that has been in place since 2023 permanent, allowing child care workers to access this assistance program regardless of income. CDL English tests: Senate File 2426 requires applicants for Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) to pass an English proficiency test in order to receive their license. The test would be administered through a computer-based exam, which only needs to be passed once, and could be taken multiple times. Truck drivers found to not meet English proficiency standards while operating a commercial vehicle would face a serious misdemeanor charge and civil penalty of $1,000 under the bill, and commercial motor carriers found to employ drivers not proficient in English would be subject to a simple misdemeanor charge and a fine of $10,000 for each violation. The measure would also issue an “out of service” order for companies found in violation of the proposed law, preventing the company from operating within the state. DNR Department bill: House File 2215 allows the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to have offices offsite from the Capitol complex. It also lowers the age a person can hunt with a pistol or revolver without adult accompaniment from 20 to 18, and shifts powers over state preserves to the DNR. Emissions lawsuits: House File 2527 limits lawsuits against farmers for the “alleged actual or potential” impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the climate. Proponents for the bill said the legislation would help shield farmers from “frivolous” climate lawsuits. Foreign ownership of health care facilities: Senate File 572 bans citizens, businesses and government entities from China, Russia and North Korea from being licensed to own and run health care facilities like hospitals and nursing homes in Iowa. Foster care training: Senate File 2096 makes multiple changes to foster care licensing requirements in the state, including removing current requirements for foster parents to receive 30 hours of training and six hours of additional training annually. Instead, prospective foster parents would have to receive training based on their own “relevant training and experience,” as well as the “circumstances of the child” who would be placed with the prospective parent. Foster parent training under the bill would include an overview of child welfare, biological parent contact and supporting their family of origin, as well as behavior management, the effect of trauma on child development and issues like attachment, grief and loss, and could be administered through approved programs offered by both public or private agencies. Health insurance premium tax increase for HMOs: House File 2739 raises premium taxes on health maintenance organizations, known as HMOs, from the current rate of 0.925% to 3.5% retroactively between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2026. The rate lowers again to 0.95% beginning in October. Health insurance providers offering HMO plans, a type of privately offered Medicaid Advantage plan, said the law will result in higher premiums for Iowans, but Republican lawmakers said the tax hike is needed to cover the Medicaid shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The law also includes a provision moving $89 million from the state’s general fund to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services for the state’s Medicaid program to address the shortfall in FY 2026, and transfers almost $350 million from Iowa’s Taxpayer Relief Fund to make up for revenue loss from tax cuts made at the federal level in 2025. Local civil rights codes: Senate File 579, signed by Reynolds March 10, restricts local governments from implementing civil rights protections for groups not listed as protected classes under the state Civil Rights Act. Democrats called the bill an expansion of the 2025 law removing “gender identity” from the state civil rights code, saying it targets the 14 Iowa cities, as well as unincorporated areas of Johnson County, that have enacted local protections on the basis of “gender identity.” Local identification cards: Local governments are also no longer allowed to issue community ID cards under measure signed into law by Reynolds. House File 2296 would specifically impact Johnson County’s community ID program, which lawmakers said is a program that aids law enforcement officers and first responders when a person does not have a driver’s license or nonoperator ID. Counties are still allowed to issue forms of ID like driver’s licenses, nonoperator’s identification cards and identification devices for persons with disabilities under the law, and local governments can still issue employee IDs. Repealing state-mandated programs: House File 2359 would repeal state-mandated higher education programs like the College Bound program, Minority and Women Educators Enhancement Program and others. Reynolds signed the bill April 30. Shellfish: A bill would create an individual category for shellfish in Iowa’s animal feeding operation code. House File 2534 adds shellfish as a separate category to the state definition of animal feeding operations, allowing for the regulation of shellfish producers in the state. Subacute mental health care: House File 2543, passed unanimously through both chambers, aims to improve access to subacute mental health care – in-person, intensive mental health treatment for individuals who are not at high enough risk to need emergency hospitalization. The measure was brought up in response to suggestions made during a January Subacute Mental Health Care Services Interim Study Committee. House lawmakers from both parties, as well as Senate Democrats, said they preferred the version of the bill passed by the House in March, which eliminated a current 10-day limit in state code for receiving subacute mental health care unless HHS gives approval for a longer period of stay. It also would have banned preauthorization requirements for a person to be admitted and receive care for the first 15 days of treatment at subacute mental health care facilities, and restricted when Managed Care Organizations could review the “medical necessity” of this treatment. Senate Republicans significantly changed this proposal, removing the language related to insurers and MCOs, and instead setting new requirements for HHS to respond to insurance authorization requests. Though some lawmakers expressed consternation about the Senate amendment, lawmakers agreed the change would still improve Iowans’ ability to access subacute mental health care. Transmission lines in interstate right-of-ways: Senate File 2214 allows for transmission projects to be built in interstate right-of-ways, requiring the state Department of Transportation to engage in conversation with transmission line operators on potentially using highway and interstate easements. Transmission line land restoration: House File 2227 requires electric transmission line owners to repair tile drains, till impacted soil and reseed cover crops or other ground cover after the initial construction of electric transmission lines in easement areas. Transmission line safety plans: Transmission line operators will also be required to submit independent emergency response plans to the Iowa Utilities Commission under House File 2583. This requirement will ensure other entities involved in Iowa’s electric grid “abide by the same rules and laws as our electric utilities,” Rep. David Young, R-Van Meter, said. Veteran tuition waiver: House File 2491, which saw unanimous support from the House and Senate before being signed by Reynolds, establishes a tuition and fee waiver for veterans with a 100% disability rating from their service as defined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. On Reynolds’ desk Agriculture Iowa Farm Act: Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig introduced Senate File 2465, a comprehensive agricultural policy before the beginning of session. The proposal included multiple provisions including tax relief measures for farmers, expanding the Choose Iowa program and new support for beginning farmers and ranchers. The House amended the bill in committee to include language related to the state’s grain indemnity program, originally discussed as House File 2596. The program helps pay farmers for sold grain when buyers declare bankruptcy, that made a change to language requiring small grain dealers to undergo audits even if they did not allow for credit-sale contracts that was a part of the 2025 law revamping the program. The language advanced by the Senate and included in the final Iowa Farm Act measure, requires an option for farmers doing credit-sales to have an unqualified audit performed, or provide a financial statement accompanied by the report of a Certified Public Accountant in these circumstances. The amendment was withdrawn on the floor before lawmakers approved the Senate’s version of the bill. Rep. Derek Wulf, R-Hudson, said as the House approved the bill Saturday, that while House lawmakers “didn’t get everything that we wanted for the ag-friendly policy from the Senate negotiations in this bill, I still think it’s a strong positive step forward for Iowa agriculture, for expanding economic opportunities for farmers and also strengthening biosecurity and protections.” Commerce Innovation funds: Senate File 2453 requires the state’s public universities to invest at least 1% of their endowment fund assets in one or more innovation funds established by the state. The institutions would be allowed to decide where and when these contributions are made. The Board of Regents would be able to withhold 0.5% of funds appropriated to a university by the board if they are not compliant with the requirement, though the board would be able to receive a one-year waiver from making these investments. Nuclear energy sales tax exemption: House File 2757 exempts companies working to restart or establish nuclear energy facilities in Iowa from the state’s sales and use tax. The bill requires businesses receiving this tax exemption to contribute to a Nuclear Energy Workforce Fund established within the state Board of Regents, providing funding for nuclear energy workforce programs at the state’s public higher education institutions, in order to qualify. The contribution amount is set at $2,200 “for each megawatt of nameplace capacity the nuclear electric generation facility is approved to produce by the Iowa Utilities Commission” annually for a period of up to four years under the bill. Education Cardiac emergency response: Senate File 2474 would create a pilot competitive grant program in the Iowa Department of Education to aid school districts seeking to establish cardiac emergency response plans, primarily focused on athletic events and physical education. Charter schools and homeschooling: House File 2754 makes several changes to how the state funds charter schools and teachers working at these educational institutions. The measure would shift funding for the state’s Teacher Salary Supplement cost per pupil to go toward the charter school where a student is enrolled – funding that currently goes to the public school district where the student resides. The Legislative Services Agency estimated this would shift roughly $1.3 million to charter schools based on current enrollment figures. The bill also would require public school districts to make athletic and other extracurricular activities available to charter school students who live within their boundaries, and would add charter school teachers to the Iowa Public Employee Retirement System. The measure was amended by the House to include several provisions related to homeschooling that have been discussed in previous sessions. It would remove restrictions on how many unrelated students can be taught at the same time by an independent private instructor, and would remove a ban on charging tuition, fees or other compensation for providing homeschooling services. Democrats said these changes would potentially put students in unsafe situations, as homeschooling options do not have the same safety and accountability measures in place as typical schools. Civics education: House File 2361 and Senate File 2232, both of which would require state universities to include three-credit-hour courses in U.S. history and government designated by civics centers in general education standards, were placed under unfinished business in March and were not been brought up again by either chamber. The measure was revived on the last day of session, however, with inclusion of the measure in House File 2800, the standing appropriations bill. Classroom removal: Senate File 2428 regulates how schools handle disruptive students. School attendance centers would be required to form review committees to determine whether a student who has been removed from a classroom should be returned to it. If the student’s behavior was nonviolent, the committee would have the authority to override a teacher’s consent in returning the student, but consent would be required if the incident that led to their removal was violent. The proposal was also amended to include the creation of a pilot program based on the current Therapeutic Classroom Incentive Grant program that would create a separate attendance center at one urban and one rural school district to provide educational services for eligible students with behavioral problems or certain special education needs. The LSA fiscal note estimated the new facility for the pilot would cost $165,000 for the rural district and between $1 million and $4.4 million for the urban district. Course framework: House File 2610 would require the Iowa Department of Education to work with Iowa community colleges and the Iowa Board of Regents to establish “statewide lower division general education framework and common course numbering systems” for community college coursework. Community colleges would also need to replace “traditional, prerequisite remedial coursework” in English and math with “corequisite developmental education,” the bill stated, and require regional career and technical education partnerships to demonstrate that expenses were made for high-demand jobs. The bill passed both chambers unanimously and was sent to the governor’s desk in early March. Student loan information: House File 703 is waiting for a signature from the governor after seeing House passage last year and Senate approval in March. The bill requires ISL Education Lending — Iowa’s student loan liquidity organization — to provide to Iowa College Aid the estimates of the annual percentage rate (APR) of the Federal Direct PLUS loan and the assumptions it used for the estimate. Information would also need to be posted online and in certain cases be sent to students by universities with their financial aid offers. Health care Abortion medication: House File 2563 would limit access to abortion-inducing medications like mifepristone by requiring in-person prescriptions, restricting Iowans’ ability to obtain these medications through telehealth and mail-order prescription options. The House passed the bill May 1, with an amendment clarifying the definition of “abortion” to state medical treatment related to miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies could not be construed as abortion procedures. It was one of the last bills passed by the Senate on May 3. Lawmakers passed the bill while restrictions on mifepristone took effect nationally through a U.S. appeals court decision. Foster, adoptive parents’ beliefs: Senate File 473, first discussed during the 2025 legislative session, prohibits the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services from removing prospective parents from being considered for licensing or qualification to foster or adopt a child based on their sincerely held religious or moral beliefs about sexual orientation and gender identity. The measure states a person’s intent to “guide, instruct, or raise a child in a manner consistent with the person’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs” cannot be a reason for their preclusion from consideration as a foster or adoptive parent – nor can their decision to not affirm, accept or support policies related to gender and sexual orientation if these policies conflict with their beliefs. Democrats argued the measure will put LGBTQ+ children and those with different religious beliefs in potentially unsafe situations. But supporters of the bill said the measure still allows DHHS to consider a child and their family of origin’s beliefs when deciding where to place a child. Governor’s ‘MAHA’ bill: House File 2676 is the “Make America Healthy Again” proposal from Reynolds earlier this session. It requires the state to continuously request federal waivers to keep current restrictions on eligible food items purchased through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Summer EBT program in place. It also makes ivermectin available over the counter. The House added several provisions to the bill related to health, exercise and nutrition requirements at K-12 schools. The bill limits digital instruction time to an hour each day for K-5 students, and requires elementary school students to receive two hours of physical activity a week, alongside requiring schools to implement the Presidential Fitness Test. Another portion of the bill requires the state Department of Education to apply for a waiver seeking an exemption to certain parts of the Federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, including an existing limit on sodium and requirements regarding whole grain as well as fruit and vegetable varieties. The DOE would work with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship on new guidelines on what constitutes an “nutritionally adequate meal,” prioritizing regional food sources including corn, pork and dairy. HPV vaccine: Senate File 304 strikes a current exemption in Iowa law that allows minors to independently consent to receive the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and the hepatitis B vaccine, without approval from a parent or guardian. While parental consent is required for almost all vaccinations for those under age 18, there’s an exception in Iowa law that allows minors to consent without parental permission to vaccines related to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or infection. Democrats said the measure may worsen Iowa’s high cancer rates, as HPV vaccines are linked with lower instances of cervical cancer when a person is vaccinated before age 17. Medical conscience: House File 571 would allow medical practitioners and health care organizations to refuse to participate in or pay for a health care service that goes against their “ethical, moral or religious beliefs or principles.” It also requires medical practitioners to inform their employers of objections “based on conscience” when they decide not to provide a service, but opponents warned the bill would not necessarily require a medical provider to inform a patient about the situation. SNAP, WIC changes: House File 2422 implements new eligibility restrictions for public assistance programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), medical assistance programs, the state child care assistance programs and the family investment program, as it relates to citizenship. Iowa HHS would be required to use the federal SAVE database to verify immigration and citizenship status when determining eligibility for these assistance programs. Other changes in the bill, lawmakers said, reflect new federal requirements implemented through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” There are also new requirements to qualify for these public assistance programs in Iowa, including requiring a person to have 12 months of continuous residency in the state, and requiring earned income from all household members to be considered when applying for SNAP. The Senate removed House-approved “work without worry” language that would have increased the income limit from 250% of the federal poverty limit to 300% of the federal poverty limit for Iowans to qualify for the Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities program, which had received bipartisan support. Vape, nicotine product tax: Senate File 2480 creates a new tax on vapes and other nicotine products, like nicotine pouches, with $3 million in revenue from the tax set to go toward pediatric cancer research. The proposal would tax these products at a rate of 5 cents on a per-unit basis. Vape products would be taxed at 5 cents per milliliter of nicotine or a nicotine analog in a solution, and containers of nicotine products containing up to 20 pouches would be taxed 5 cents. A proportionate tax would be added for each unit above 20 within a container. The first $3 million of the funding generated through this new tax would fund pediatric cancer research, clinical therapy trials and provide physician-scientist leadership at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Any additional revenue would go to the Iowa health care trust fund, dedicated to Medicaid funding. This proposal was approved despite some health care and anti-tobacco advocates calling for a higher tax, and other proponents stating they preferred the House proposal, House File 2310, to provide a standing appropriation of either $1 per Iowa resident or $3 million for pediatric cancer research at the UI. Justice and public safety Age verification: House File 864 requires websites and social media platforms to implement “reasonable” age verification steps if one-third or more of the content available is pornographic. The measure, first discussed in 2025, was amended to address some issues regarding privacy and collection of data by online entities in the process of verifying users’ ages. Bail restrictions: Senate File 2399 contains language from one of House Republicans’ “tough on crime” proposals, setting new limits and requirements related to pretrial bonds, while allowing for inflation adjustments for bond scheduling. A judge would need to provide written justification if they set bail lower than the uniform bail schedule, and would need to provide written justification for any pretrial release for people charged for certain crimes, like a forcible felony, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, or possessing or transporting a weapon by a felon. It also bans “promise to appear” releases for individuals facing simple or misdemeanor charges related to violence or drugs. Pretrial releases can still occur for people charged with serious and simple misdemeanors that are not violent or related to drugs or for necessary medical attention. Judicial safety: Senate File 2280, proposed by Attorney General Brenna Bird, makes state lawmakers, judicial officers, the attorney general, deputy attorneys general and assistant attorneys general eligible for a professional permit allowing them to carry firearms anywhere in the state, including on school grounds. It would also raise penalties for threatening a judicial officer or their immediate family members from a misdemeanor to a class C felony. Law student loan repayment: The Justice System appropriations bill, House File 2770, was amended with language from House File 2331 to establish a loan repayment program for certain attorneys practicing in rural areas and providing indigent defense services. ‘Three strikes’ system: House File 2542 — the central component of House Republicans’ “tough on crime” agenda — proposed creating a “three strikes” system for individuals who commit certain crimes. As first passed by the House, certain crimes, like felony charges and misdemeanors involving acts of violence, would be labeled as a full or half “point” under the system. Once a person reaches three total “points,” they would face a minimum 20-year prison sentence. The agreement reached between both chambers is significantly more restricted. In its amended form, the bill states that when a person has committed a third felony, they face a minimum seven years in prison on top of their base sentence. This additional sentence could not be deferred or suspended. Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, said the bill builds on Iowa’s existing habitual offender policy, which currently requires a three-year mandatory minimum for an individual convicted of their third felony. Warrant resolution clinics: House File 2787 moved quickly through the legislative process as lawmakers aimed to end the 2026 session. The bill bans public entities from hosting, sponsoring or providing funding for warrant resolution clinics, defined as a “prearranged, formal or informal, advertised event designed to allow individuals with outstanding arrest warrants to appear and resolve such warrants without being subject to immediate arrest and custodial processing.” It would also subject public employees and officials as well as counties to penalties for violating the proposed law. The measure was brought forward in response to the killing of Ashley Marie Hall earlier in April. Sharneeka Evans, who attended the clinic and had an unrelated, lesser warrant resolved, was charged with first-degree murder in Hall’s shooting death. Labor and the workforce Public union recertification lists: Senate File 472 would make it illegal for public employers to not submit a list of their employees to the Employment Appeal Board (EAB) before a union recertification election. The recertification process is required to take place under the state’s 2017 collective bargaining law that asks workers in a bargaining unit if they want to retain union representation before the next contract period. If an employer does not submit a list, any Iowa resident would have the ability to petition a district court for a writ of mandamus to compel the entity to submit the list, which is required to proceed with the recertification vote. Republicans and supporters of the bill said the measure was necessary because some public employers were allegedly not submitting lists intentionally in order to circumvent the recertification process and negotiate contracts with current union representation. Natural resources Animal torture: House File 2348 creates a Class D felony charge for committing animal torture. The bill states a person commits animal torture if they “intentionally, willfully, and maliciously mutilates, burns, poisons, drowns, starves or causes intensive or prolonged pain or death to a companion animal, or provides anything of value to another person to do the same.” The charge would be raised to a Class C felony if the person had been previously convicted for animal abuse, animal neglect, animal torture, injury to or interference with a police service dog, bestiality or “an act involving a prohibited animal contest.” Hydrogen guardrails: As some companies begin exploring the possibility of extracting geological hydrogen in Iowa, Senate File 2490 proposes creating new regulations, taxes, and compensation standards for natural resource extraction in the state. The measure would establish a 6% severance tax based on the “fair market value of the oil and gas extracted at a wellhead.” Portions of revenue would go to Iowa counties as well as to state funds. It also would establish “pooling” standards that would provide compensation to Iowans who do not enter agreements with drilling companies for hydrogen, oil or gas extracted from beneath their property. At least 25% of landowners on a site must consent to allow the company to drill for hydrogen in a location. The measure generated some pushback from landowners who are also involved in other eminent domain issues related to carbon sequestration pipelines, though lawmakers supporting the bill said this issue was not related to eminent domain. The House added additional landowner protections through amendments, which were approved by the Senate. State government Affirmative action: Existing requirements for Affirmative Action plans and reports in Iowa law for entities like the departments of Education and Administration, the executive branch, Board of Regents, community colleges, school districts and area education agencies would be eliminated by House File 2711. The measure also removes racial and cultural awareness training requirements at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy and annual bias prevention training for law enforcement agencies that were approved with bipartisan support in 2020 through a police oversight law. The measure was amended by the House to add back a requirement to train police on deescalation techniques, as well as keeping in place certain references to citizenship in state policies. Driver’s license citizenship checks: Senate File 2187 would require the Iowa Department of Transportation to verify individuals’ citizenship status when they are applying for or renewing a driver’s license or nonoperator’s identification card. A person would be able to bring certain documents, like a Social Security card or passport, to verify their citizenship, but if a person does not have identification, the DOT would be required to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to verify people’s citizenship status. If a person’s citizenship cannot be verified, the DOT could not issue them an ID. Democrats opposing the bill said there have been multiple instances where SAVE has incorrectly listed people as noncitizens. Early Childhood Iowa: The final version of legislation making changes to the state’s Early Childhood Iowa system, Senate File 2488, is significantly scaled back from earlier proposals. In its final form, the bill creates an opt-in, voluntary system for ECI area boards to choose to move their home visiting contracts over to HHS oversight, which would allow the state to draw down funding through the federal Family First Act. It also still creates a statewide Early Childhood and Family Services (ECFS) system based of the seven “health and human services districts” established in other legislation, but does not transfer funding or authority from ECI boards to this system, though it does move some of these powers for other existing structures like Decategorization Projects, or Decat, boards to the ECFS system. This is a much more limited proposal in comparison to changes proposed earlier in the session, which included a proposal to repeal the existing ECI program and transfer funding and oversight to ECFS, as well as a later iteration that would have transferred home visitation contracts from ECI control through the “School Ready Fund” to HHS. The final bill also would create an interim legislative study committee to review the current ECI system and make recommendations ahead of the 2027 session. E-Verify, SAVE and other citizenship checks: Senate File 2218 was agreed to in both chambers following a conference committee as the Senate and House had been unable to reach an agreement. The final bill, as approved by both chambers, would enact language originally implemented through an executive order from Reynolds, requiring state government and state licensing boards to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database and E-Verify system to verify citizenship and legal status of people seeking state government jobs, as well as professional and occupational licenses. This executive order was implemented in the aftermath of the immigration arrest of former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts. As originally passed by the Senate, the bill directed the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners to have applicants seeking new and renewing educator licenses to provide information about their legal U.S. work authorization, and to submit proof of their eligibility every five years to remain licensed. This language is still included in the final bill. There was a dispute over whether the conference committee followed the correct legislative procedures to advance a new version of the bill, but the measure was passed in both chambers with some changes to the original language, such as adding a challenge process for people who believe they have been wrongfully denied. It also includes language making it a crime to provide a false Social Security number to an employer to obtain a job, require Iowans registering to vote to swear they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury, and set new bail restrictions on undocumented immigrants. Foreign involvement in ballot measures: House File 2601 requires political committees advocating for or against a ballot measure in Iowa to confirm with donors that they are not foreign nationals, as well as that they have not “knowingly or willfully” accepted more than $100,000 from any foreign nationals within the past four years before contributing to the political committee. Individuals without U.S. citizenship or permanent residence, as well as organizations, political and government entities and businesses owned or based outside the country would be banned from “directly or indirectly” making expenditures or contributions to ballot issues. Governor’s powers: As passed by the House in March, House File 2694 limits future governor’s abilities during disasters and public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, stating a governor can make recommendations but not implement restrictions, on private businesses’ operations during public health disasters, cannot order places of worship to close, and that changes to election laws and regulations must gain legislative approval. The Senate attempted to amend the measure to add language from Senate File 2388, a bill that would create “continuing appropriations” for years when the governor and Legislature fail to reach an agreement before the beginning of the next fiscal year, July 1, but the amendment was not adopted by the House. The proposal would have still required lawmakers to pass and present a budget to the governor, but have a continuing resolution take effect only if the budget has not been enacted. Senate Republicans argued this language would prevent Iowa from experiencing government shutdowns like those happening at the federal level, Democrats called the proposal a “power grab” that would allow a Republican-led Legislature to refuse to negotiate with a potential Democratic governor. The Senate receded on this proposed amendment, sending the bill with only the provisions related to gubernatorial powers to Reynolds’ desk. Income tax constitutional amendment: Passing an increase to Iowa’s individual and corporate income tax rates would require approval from two-thirds of the state Legislature under Senate Joint Resolution 11. The bill, having received approval from both chambers in two consecutive general assemblies, will go before Iowa voters on the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot. If approved by a simple majority of voters, the language will be added to the state constitution. Property taxes: In its final form, Senate File 2472 caps most local government revenue growth to 2% annually, with several exceptions. The proposal also would change the homestead tax credit to an exemption and raise the amount covered, while also raising the tax credit for elderly and disabled homeowners from $1,000 to $1,500. The measure also incorporates portions from previous proposals. It would classify multi-residential properties separately from residential properties, and increases the property tax rate for these buildings to 6% over three years — scaled back language originally included in the Senate bill. From the House bill, it takes language speeding up the transfer of revenue generated through the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) funding to go from school infrastructure toward property tax relief, in addition to lowering the state’s $5.40 uniform levy set for school foundation property taxes. The bill also includes multiple changes limiting timelines and usage rates for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts. The measure does not include earlier proposals from the Senate to change the state’s “rollback” system for calculating property taxes, nor did it include language adding an inflation index to the state’s gas tax. Radon mitigation: House File 2297, amended and passed by both chambers, would require new single- and two-family residences to be constructed with passive radon mitigation systems. Lawmakers introduced the bill as an effort to help reduce the prevalence of lung cancer in the state since radon exposure is the second leading cause of the disease, and amended the legislation to ensure local governments include the rules in code. Speed limits: Senate File 378 increases the speed limit on two-lane state highways from 55 to 60 miles per hour. Other existing default speed limits in areas like residential and school zones would remain in place. What failed Agriculture American cream draft horse: Senate Joint Resolution 2010 proposed making the official state horse of Iowa the American cream draft horse. Diesel exhaust fluid repairs: House File 2529 would have required manufacturers of farm equipment with diesel engines to provide tools and parts to equipment owners to repair their equipment. Puppy mills: House File 2674 proposed updating inspection requirements for commercial animal breeders, kennels, pet shops and related businesses. The measure would have established more powers for IDALS to conduct inspections, especially in cases where there is evidence of an establishment violating standards of care. Raw milk and farm-to-table events: House File 2767 would allow raw milk to be sold at on-farm stores, in addition to creating special permits for farm-to-table events. Cottage foods could also be sold at grocery stores under the bill. The bill passed the House after the raw milk provisions were removed, but the legislation did not advance in the Senate. Right to repair: House File 2763 would require manufacturers of agricultural equipment to make materials needed to repair or maintain this equipment – like documentation, parts, software and tools – available to independent repair facilities and equipment owners at “fair and reasonable terms and costs.” The measure received bipartisan support in the House, with supporters saying it would help farmers who currently are forced to depend on licensed dealers to make repairs to equipment they have already bought. The bill did not advance in the Senate. Soybean foam: Senate File 2375 is aimed at encouraging local governments to use soybean-based firefighting foam by having the Iowa Department of Administrative Services to develop a master contract with a soybean foam producer. Commerce Community solar: House File 2672 proposed providing utility bill credits to community members who choose to invest in small, local solar fields which would be connected to the electrical grid. The credits would be based on how much the members invested in the project, and how much energy was generated. Data center regulations: House File 2690 would require data centers to submit water and energy usage reports on a regular basis. Data centers would also have been placed into a separate class of customers from other commercial or industrial retail electricity consumers, to avoid passing on the costs of powering data centers onto other customers. Grid enhancement: House File 2682 proposed having utility companies conduct periodic feasibility studies into grid enhancing technologies that would be capable of increasing power capacity in Iowa’s electricity systems. Penny phaseout: Senate File 2456 would allow cash transactions to round down to the nearest five-cent mark for amounts ending in one, two, six or seven cent, and rounding up to the nearest five-cent number for transactions ending in three, four, eight or nine cents. If the total amount of a transaction or payment is one or two cents, this cost would automatically become five cents. The measure would not make changes to transactions or payments made through other methods, like checks, credit cards, electronic fund transfers or gift cards. Prediction markets: Senate File 2470 sought to regulate and tax a growing industry of “prediction markets” – companies that conduct event-driven market trading. The bill would have required companies like Kalshi and Polymarket to obtain a state permit to operate in Iowa, with a permit costing $20 million alongside a $100,000 annual renewal fee. Additionally, the Senate proposal included a 20% tax on adjusted revenue each year from traders within Iowa, and a 20% excise tax on the purchase price of each contract on the platform. Ratemaking: House Study Bill 519 proposed expanding the definition of what projects would be eligible for certain ratemaking principles in Iowa in an effort to encourage nuclear energy and energy storage projects to come to the state. Ratepayer involvement in public utilities: House File 2668 would have recognized customer-owned energy storage, generation and virtual power plants, while setting new public transparency standards for utility resource planning. Silver and gold as tender: Gold and silver could be used as legal tender by Iowans under House File 2723. The state treasurer would have been required to establish a “bullion depository” as well as establishing electronic payment systems to utilize the stored gold and silver tender. Standard siting for renewable energy: House File 2580 proposed new standard language for counties to adopt related to renewable power generation facilities including moratoriums, setbacks, property tax and other considerations. Education Antisemitism at schools: The Iowa Board of Education would have had to publish an annual antisemitism report identifying “each complaint or incident of antisemitism” taking place at public universities, community colleges and public school districts under House File 2544. Athletic scrimmages: Senate File 2392 proposed allowing public and nonpublic schools to hold athletic scrimmages with home school sports organizations with certain limitations in place for duration and intensity. These events also could also not have official scorekeeping, play-by-play announcements or apply to a team’s regular season athletic statistics. Banned concepts: Senate File 2405 would have allowed residents of a school district, parents and school employees to bring civil suits against schools for violating Iowa Code restricting instruction on concepts like “critical race theory.” Sen. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, said the bill was needed because some parents alleged the Board of Educational Examiners did not properly take enforcement actions based on their reports of noncompliance with existing law. Cameras in special education classrooms: House File 2681 proposed equipping special education classrooms in public and charter schools with video recording systems, paid for using the state School Foundation Aid. Charlie Kirk: The Board of Educational Examiners would be required to disqualify applicants and revoke licenses of educators identified as “publicly celebrating any act of politically motivated violence, including the unlawful killing of Charles J. Kirk” under House File 2512. The proposal would have applied retroactively to Sept. 10, 2025, the day Kirk was fatally shot. The bill was amended by the House Education Committee to add language related to student protests, such as having schools boards extend their district’s school calendar by one day for each day a student protest occurs at any attendance center within the district. Classic Learning Test: House File 2339 would require the Iowa Board of Regents to include the Classic Learning Test in its regent admission index and states universities can only factor “merit and likelihood of employment in Iowa after graduation” in their admission decision for students who don’t meet the index threshold. The bill passed out of subcommittee and the Iowa House Higher Education Committee but did not see debate from the chamber, though the board of regents has proposed changing its admission formula to include more than just the ACT and SAT. Closing U.S. Department of Education: Senate Joint Resolution 2012 includes language showing support for federal efforts to close the U.S. Department of Education and calling for cooperation from Congress. The bill passed out of the Iowa Senate Education Committee Feb. 18 but was not taken up by the chamber for debate. Community college bachelor’s degrees: House File 2649 would establish a pilot program for community colleges to offer up to three baccalaureate degree programs with guardrails as to which programs are allowed and where they can be launched. Community colleges and private universities were split on their support for the bill, and while the Iowa House passed the legislation out of debate on March 4 and through an Iowa Senate subcommittee March 18, it failed to make it through the second funnel of the session. Continuing education: House File 2246 would bar state licensing boards from requiring continuing education credits not directly related to their profession unless otherwise required by law. The amended legislation passed through House debate and was referred to the Iowa Senate State Government Committee but was not taken up. Credit transfers, performance-based funding: House File 2547 would expand credit transfers for career and technical education, change career academy rules and establish a fund for students taking summer community college credit courses in areas relating to high-demand jobs, as well as require the Iowa Board of Regents to explore implementing a performance-based funding model. The bill passed the House and was recommended for amendment and passage by the Iowa Senate Education Committee before being placed on unfinished business in late March. DEI in private universities: House File 2488, which would put the Iowa Tuition Grant on the line for private colleges and universities that open or maintain offices of diversity, equity and inclusion, saw House approval but a recommendation for indefinite postponement from a Senate subcommittee. Dress codes: House File 2486 would have set minimum dress code standards for public and charter schools, with the ability for school boards to adopt more restrictive policies, such as a school uniform requirement. The minimum requirements would have stated students must dress in clean clothes in good repair that do not expose “undergarments or midriffs.” Boards would also have to set enforcement policies for violations of the school’s dress code. Education reporting: House File 2725, which would consolidate reports on online learning, achievement gaps and other topics into an “annual condition of education report” and change other reporting requirements for Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, passed the House and was attached to Senate File 2407 but saw no further action. Endowment tax: House File 2240, as amended by the Iowa House Higher Education Committee, would place a tax on university endowments holding more than $500 million, at a rate equaling the highest corporate income tax rate, identified in the bill as currently 7.1%. Institutions that would be impacted by the bill if it is signed into law include Grinnell College, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. After passage by the higher education committee, the legislation was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee where it was not discussed. Firearms in vehicles: House File 621 would have allowed parents and guardians to keep legal firearms in their vehicles while picking up and dropping off a student on school grounds. It also proposed changing language to allow weapons to be carried in passenger compartments of school vehicles to allow school trap shooting teams to transport their weapons on school buses when traveling for events. Free speech: House File 233 is a proposal to prohibit schools from penalizing or discriminating against students for expressing viewpoints through religious, political or ideological speech in situations where “similarly situated students” are not punished for expressing other beliefs on the subject at hand. Democrats called the measure duplicative, as students’ speech is already protected by the First Amendment, but said the measure would create new legal liabilities and increase costs through new training and compliance requirements. Gender and sexuality in K-12 materials: House File 2338 proposed expanding the current Iowa law banning programs, materials, instruction and “promotion” related to gender identity and sexual orientation in public and charter schools for K-6 students to apply to all K-12 students. The law restricting these materials for K-6 students is currently being challenged in court, but was allowed to be enforced as of an April 6 court decision. General education review: House File 2487 and Senate File 2303 would have required the Iowa Board of Regents to review all general education requirements and core curricula at state universities for diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory-related content. The board “in its discretion” would then direct institutions to eliminate courses or course requirements, the bill stated. While the legislation was placed under unfinished business, the Iowa Board of Regents have proposed adding a biannual review of this kind to its policy manual. H-1B visas: House File 2513 would prohibit public universities from entering employment contracts with federal H-1B visaholders who are citizens of China or other “federally designated foreign adversaries,” the bill stated, including Syria, Russia, Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela. The legislation was placed on unfinished business after passing the House and the Senate Workforce Committee. Immunization requirements: House File 2171 proposed removing all K-12 immunization requirements for attending school. The measure was not taken up for floor debate. Iowa Board of Regents: House Study Bill 534 would replace the Iowa Board of Regents voting student member with another governor-appointed member and add seven ex-officio, nonvoting members, as well as require biannual general education standards and low-enrollment program reviews and have the board of regents develop policies on post-tenure review, approving academic programs and barring governance authority by faculty senates or councils. An Iowa House subcommittee approved the legislation, but it was not brought up by the Iowa House Higher Education Committee and died in the first funnel. Library agreements: House File 2324 would have banned public and charter schools from entering certain commitments with public libraries, including contracts allowing “bookmobiles” or mobile libraries on school grounds. It also would have banned agreements allowing students to use school IDs as a library card to access public library materials. Education advocates told lawmakers the proposal could have an outsized impact on rural school districts that depend on public library agreements because their school buildings do not contain libraries. Loan liability: House File 2241 would have made public universities liable for 10% of the amount owed by students with defaulted educational loans. Presidential searches: House File 2245 would require the Iowa Board of Regents to use a presidential search committee when selecting a new university president, with candidates’ identities kept confidential unless a written agreement is made. Senate File 2359 was attached to it and both are on the calendar as unfinished business. Residency requirement: House File 2226 would have set a 70% residency requirement in the University of Iowa’s bachelor of science in nursing program and require the program to have priority admission for Iowa residents, but didn’t make it to the Senate Education Committee after House passage. School reorganization incentives: Senate File 2403 would have extended the currently expired reduced uniform levy incentives for school districts that reorganize from July 2024 to July 2031 and established a new incentive for whole grade sharing supplementary weighting. Social studies: House File 2244 and Senate File 2413 would require seventh- and eighth-grade students to receive instruction on U.S. government for at least one-half of a semester. Both were placed on unfinished business before the second funnel deadline and were not brought up again. Social studies standards: After some lawmakers expressed disapproval with the social studies standards set forward by a task force created through a 2024 law, House File 2510 reiterated requirements from the 2024 law for social studies courses to include instruction on “exemplary figures in western civilization, the United States and state of Iowa,” and the “cultural heritage” of western civilization and the history of the “secular and religious ideals and institutions of liberty.” Trump higher education compact: House File 2489 would have required public universities to join the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, created by President Donald Trump and his administration, but saw no support beyond House Higher Education Committee approval. Tuition freeze: House File 2242, approved in House debate but not brought up in a Senate subcommittee, would have frozen tuition for all resident undergraduate students at state universities until July 2031. Tuition guarantee: Senate File 2227 and House File 2362, both placed on unfinished business, would require universities to keep resident undergraduate tuition at the same level as the amount they paid in their first year of attendance, with certain exceptions, starting in 2027. The Iowa Board of Regents has proposed including an optional tuition guarantee pilot program in its board policy manual. Vaccinations: Senate File 2424, amended and passed by the Iowa Senate Education Committee Feb. 18 but not brought up in debate, would require private colleges and universities with clinical rotation programs to identify placements where students are exempt from any vaccination requirements put in place by the host of their rotation placement. VEISHEA: House Study Bill 545, passed out of subcommittee but with no further action, would have the Iowa Board of Regents study the possibility of reinstating VEISHEA at Iowa State University and report its findings on whether the idea is practical and beneficial to the university to the Iowa House Higher Education Committee chairperson. Veterinary medicine residency requirement: House File 2209, passed through subcommittee Feb. 17, would enact an 80% residency requirement in the Iowa State University veterinary medicine professional degree program. It was not brought up again. Health care Abortion ban: All elective abortions would be banned in Iowa under House File 2332, which failed during the first funnel deadline. Exemptions were included for cases like miscarriages, in-vitro fertilization and when an abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother. The proposal would have also added criminal punishment to the state’s homicide laws for doctors who perform abortions. Conversion therapy: House File 2557 proposed adding exemptions to the state’s definitions of “child abuse” and “child endangerment” related to a parent or guardian not affirming their child’s gender identity if it differs from their sex assigned at birth. This issue could also not be considered during foster parent licensing, adoption or custody proceedings. Actions that are exempt from these definitions are a parent’s “intent to raise, guide or instruct a child in a manner consistent with the child’s sex,” or not consenting to a child receiving gender-affirming medical care or calling them by a name or pronouns different from their legal sex. LGBTQ+ advocates and Democrats opposed the bill, especially highlighting the provision stating “seeking and consenting to a mental health service for a child for the purpose of helping the child live a life consistent with the child’s sex” could not be considered abuse or endangerment. This language would mean the discredited practice of “conversion therapy” aimed at changing a person’s gender or sexual orientation could not be considered abuse or endangerment, speakers said. ‘Granny’ cameras: Senate Study Bill 3080 would allow a nursing home resident or their representative to conduct electronic monitoring of the resident’s room through the use of video cameras — sometimes called “granny cams” — placed inside the room with the consent of any roommates. Hydroxychloroquine: Over-the-counter dispensal of ivermectin is allowed under the governor’s “MAHA” bill, which made it to her desk – but another measure, House File 2056, proposed allowing the disbursement of both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, a prescription medication typically used in treating malaria, without a prescription. Both medications have been promoted by non-verified sources as a means to manage or treat symptoms of COVID-19. Kratom: Kratom, a substance currently legal for sale and possession in Iowa, would be designated as a Schedule I hallucinogenic substance by House File 2133. Businesses would no longer be able to sell the substance under the proposal, which was not taken up by the Senate, and those found in possession of kratom would face a serious misdemeanor charge for their first offense, an aggravated misdemeanor for their second and a Class D felony charge for subsequent offenses. Nitrous oxide: House File 2504 would have banned vape stores from selling nitrous oxide containers under the rebuttable assumption that these products are being sold as an inebriant. Psilocybin: House File 978 proposed establishing a regulatory framework for the legal, medical use of psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in “magic mushrooms.” The substance would be regulated through the existing Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board, which would be expanded to include four members with expertise on psilocybin treatment. Products with psilocybin would have to be administered in-person in clinic environments with psychiatric support, and the substance would be restricted to individuals seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The measure, passed by the House in 2025, was advanced as a treatment option for veterans and others struggling with PTSD. It was passed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee Friday before session ended, but the measure did not come up for floor debate in the Senate. Tobacco tax increase: Though the measure to create a new tax on vapes and nicotine pouches was moved forward, other efforts to implement these taxes at a higher rate – as well as to raise excise taxes on traditional tobacco products – failed this session. These provisions were removed from Reynolds’ “MAHA” bill earlier in the session, and failed to advance in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee as Senate Study Bill 3145. Rep. Brett Barker, R-Nevada, introduced House File 2406 in February, which proposed raising taxes on cigarettes by $1.50, in addition to taxing other nicotine and vape products. This proposal did not receive a subcommittee hearing. Justice and public safety Automatic license readers: Senate File 2034 states that implementing Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) would require approval from a local government through ordinance, and restrict use to state-approved entities. The bill also restricts the use of automated vehicle noise enforcement systems. The Senate amended the bill to include new restrictions on how many license readers can be operated within a locality based on its population. Boy Scouts settlement: The Senate approved Senate File 2489, a measure to extend a 2024 law lifting Iowa’s statute of limitations on child sexual abuse to allow Iowa victims to participate in a national Boy Scouts sexual abuse settlement as claims and payouts for the settlement are still being processsed. The measure was not taken up by the House, which some advocates say mean Iowans involved in the settlement may receive less compensation than victims in other states. Divorce: Senate File 2172 would have allowed couples getting married seek a waiver allowing them to opt out of no-fault divorces. Under the proposal, a person granted the waiver would have to provide proof of specified reasons to divorce their spouse, such as adultery, abuse or living apart for more than two years in order to have a divorce granted. Dog identification: House File 2190 would have updated state definitions on how to prove ownership of a dog to include things like microchips, tattoos, receipts, contracts and veterinarian bills. Judicial retention information: House File 2719, a component of House Republicans’ “tough on crime” package, would have required the Iowa Secretary of State to create a publicly accessible online dashboard with data on judicial practices, for the primary use of Iowans seeking information on judges during judicial retention votes. Data on the website would include a judge’s decisions on setting bonds and pretrial releases, sentencing outcomes, decision reversals and courtroom efficiency, and would allow judges to submit a personal statement. Katie’s Law: A proposal from AG Brenna Bird, House File 2624 would require the collection of DNA from criminal defendants charged with a felony or violent aggravated misdemeanor when they are arrested – before they are convicted of the crime. The measure is modeled after a law originating in New Mexico known as “Katie’s Law,” named in honor of Katie Sepich, a 22-year-old University of New Mexico student who was killed in 2003. Sprinklers in townhouses: Senate File 2439 proposed removing current state building code requirements for fire protection sprinkler systems to be in townhouses 18,000 square feet or less, in addition to banning similar restrictions from being put in local building codes. Sprinkler requirements for detached single-family residences of 6,500 square feet or less would also be removed from state code and banned in local regulations. Labor and Workforce Skilled workforce training: House File 2466 proposed raising funding going toward the state Registered Apprenticeship programs from $3 million to $4.5 million. It also proposed creating a “career training physical expansion program fund” to fund new facilities at community colleges and private sector programs for high demand fields, and would make changes to who can provide apprenticeship training. State government Annexing Galena, IL: House File 2141, proposed by Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, would have created a committee to study if one or more counties in Illinois that border Iowa should become a part of the state. It did not receive a subcommittee hearing. Commercial volumes: Senate File 2294 would have restricted the volume of commercials on video streaming services. The ads could not be transmitted “at an audio volume louder than the audio volume of the video programming or video content the advertisement accompanies” to Iowa consumers, similar to restrictions in place for ads on broadcast television. Driverless vehicles: Companion bills House File 2673 and Senate File 2384 would have held owners of self-driving vehicles liable in cases of a vehicle crash or traffic law violation. It would also prohibit hazardous materials from being transported in autonomous vehicles unless a human driver was present. Drug-free homeless zones: House File 2584 would have established “drug-free zones” at homeless shelters and other support facilities in Iowa, raising criminal charges for people who unlawfully sell and distribute controlled substances within a 300-foot zone of the facility. Criminal charges would also be created under the bill for facility operators convicted of “intentionally or knowingly” allowing illegal substances to be sold or possessed in the designated zone, and operators convicted would not be eligible for state homelessness assistance grants for three years. The bill was not taken up in the Senate. Iowa City Research Center: Senate File 2293 would have struck a current requirement under state code for the Iowa Department of Administrative Services to maintain a historical resource research center in Iowa City, while continuing to maintain a center in Des Moines. The proposal came after DAS had already moved to close the State Historical Society of Iowa Research Center in Iowa City – action that is currently facing litigation from two parties. Library bills: No bills aimed at restricting content available at public libraries made it to floor debate this session, but several provisions were discussed in subcommittee and committee meetings. House File 2309 proposed requiring material deemed “harmful” to minors to be housed in the adult section of a public library that could not be accessible to minors without staff assistance, requiring parental approval to access. House File 2270 would have added for public libraries to receive state funding through the Enrich Iowa program, stating libraries could not adopt or comply with standards or policies from private organizations – like the American Library Association or Iowa Library Association – without state approval. And House File 2622 would have required public libraries to enforce “age appropriate” policies that ban minors from accessing materials deemed inappropriate in order to be eligible for Enrich Iowa funding, in addition to transferring administrative, financial, oversight and policy authority of library boards to the city council or other governing body of the jurisdiction where the library is located. NFL stadiums: Incentives meant to go to projects bringing a $1 billion in capital investment to Iowa would be available for the building of a professional sports stadium by a National Football League franchise in Iowa through Senate File 2373. The bill would offer Major Economic Growth Attraction (MEGA) program incentives to build an NFL stadium in the state, brought up as the Chicago Bears consider building a new stadium potentially outside of Illinois. Obscenity law exemptions: Public libraries and schools are exempt in Iowa’s obscenity laws, which advocates and library staff was a provision built in to avoid “nuisance” lawsuits brought by individuals who want certain materials that are not obscene, but that people want removed from a library. Senate File 2119 proposed removing these exemptions. Rulemaking approval: State agencies under future administrations would have needed legislative approval of major rule changes under House File 2717, one of several bills Democrats criticized as an attempt to restrict gubernatorial power out of fear of a Democratic candidate winning in the 2026 midterm election. Shorter legislative session: Senate File 2389 proposed halving the Iowa Legislature’s annual session from 110 or 100 days to 55 or 50 days. Voter citizenship verification: Senate File 2203 would have required county auditors to use the federal SAVE database to verify U.S. citizenship and voter eligibility of individuals registering to vote. If a person’s citizenship could not be verified, a county auditor would not be able to register them as a voter. Natural resources Cloud seeding: House File 2640 proposed banning the intention emission of air contaminants for the purpose of “affecting the temperature, weather, climate or intensity of sunlight.” It was amended when House lawmakers passed the bill to clarify agriculture practices would not be banned. A similar measure was discussed by Senate lawmakers as Senate Bill 2208, which would have geoengineering activities intending to manipulate or alter the weather. Fecal bacteria identification: House File 2530 proposed banning the DNR from designating a stream or lake as being on the impaired water list unless the department identifies the percentage of fecal bacteria coming from each animal species contributing to the impairment. Flood resilience plan: House File 2511, unanimously approved by the House but not taken up in the Senate, would have had the Iowa Flood Center draft and periodically update a statewide, 30-year resilience plan aimed at the protection of state life, property and other assets in the event of a flood. Groundwater monitoring: House File 2687 proposed creating a $100,000 pilot project to retrofit up to 100 existing private wells with groundwater monitoring equipment. Hydrogen repair: House File 2702 would have added new protections under state law for landowners who experience land or crop damage as companies conduct exploration, operation and final reclamation work related to oil, gas or hydrogen extraction. Land restoration: House File 2683 proposed letting landowners renegotiate claims for damages and yield losses due to pipeline construction — including all types of pipelines. Landowners could files these complaints with the Iowa Utilities Commission, or take the issue to court. Life jackets: Senate File 548 would have allowed personal watercraft passengers age 18 and older to not wear a personal floatation device when riding in watercraft traveling at a speed of 10 miles per hour or slower.. Online hunter safety: No in-person hunter safety classes would be required for Iowans under age 17 to receive their hunter safety certification under House File 2335. Water use permits: House File 2642 proposes changing the DNR’s process for approving water use permits in the state to specify that beneficial use categories could not be used to approve a permit. The measure also adds clarifications related to wastewater disposal at distilleries. Pipelines Eminent domain for CO2 pipelines: House File 2104, as passed by the House in January, would have banned the use of eminent domain for the construction of carbon dioxide pipelines. But this measure was amended during the Senate committee process and replaced with language from Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh’s proposal, Senate File 2067. This proposal would have still allowed for pipeline companies to use eminent domain, but only after the company has made a “diligent effort” to seek easements from willing landowners through a widened corridor allowed under the proposal. Another amendment was filed by a group of Senate Republicans — largely those involved in the effort that led to the pipeline bill being voted on by the Senate in 2025 — that incorporated elements of Klimesh’s plan while keeping the ban on the use of eminent domain in these cases. Klimesh told reporters in late April neither of the proposals had gained support from a majority of the Senate Republican caucus, and that he did not plan to bring up the legislation unless it could receive a majority of support from within the majority party. Taxing CO2: Senate File 2069 proposed leveraging a severance tax on carbon dioxide transported through pipelines in Iowa, with a lower tax rate set for CO2 being transported for enhanced oil recovery versus CO2 transported for other purposes. — Cami Koons and Kathie Obradovich contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	What Sen. Ted Cruz said to Iowans about 2026 election U.S. Senator Ted Cruz urged activists in Iowa to get involved in the 2026 mid-term elections.
	Week of May 4: Where Davenport’s mobile speed cabinets are located Driving through Davenport? Here is where the mobile speed cabinets are for the week of May 4.
	Arizona’s GOP budget: Tax breaks for data centers and Roth IRAs, cuts for the people who need food (Photo via iStock / Getty Images Plus)Arizonans’ budgets are strained with sky-high gas and grocery prices, paired with cuts to safety net programs, but the legislators who created the GOP’s budget proposal for the state brushed off concerns that most working families are struggling to pay their bills. The Republicans who control both chambers of the Arizona legislature released their budget plan on April 27, and the Arizona House of Representatives voted to pass it, along party lines, on April 29. The Arizona Senate plans to vote on the package of budget bills Monday. While Republicans praised their budget legislation, saying that it gave more money back to the people via tax cuts, Democrats criticized its cuts to programs that help working-class Arizonans, while continuing tax breaks for the data centers needed to run generative artificial intelligence. The chief budget architect in the state House, Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, said that one of his favorite parts of the proposal was a new tax deduction of up to $6,000 for contributions to Roth Individual Retirement Accounts. “We would like to incentivize Americans to save more money so they can manage their own lives better and have a better retirement when they get there,” he said during a joint House and Senate budget hearing on April 28. Sen. Lauren Kuby, D-Tempe, retorted that the tax break wouldn’t help most working families in Arizona who don’t have disposable income to put toward retirement savings. “They’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, and may not have the money in their account to be able to open up an IRA,” she said. Livingston told Kuby that he disagreed. “You don’t have to be a millionaire to put money in a Roth IRA,” he said. “All you have to do is earn income. So, literally, if you make $5,000 a year and you want to put in $5,000 a year, you’re allowed to.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Kuby answered that she regularly gets calls from constituents who say they can’t pay their utility bills. Arizona’s two largest electricity companies have asked the Corporation Commission to raise rates even higher. Livingston told Kuby that Arizonans contribute to millions of retirement and savings accounts and that he doesn’t believe the majority of people who live in the Grand Canyon State are struggling. “All we’re doing is helping encourage people to save,” he said. “It is up to them to be responsible or not. When they have money, they can put it in. When they don’t, they don’t put it in.” Livingston did not respond to the Arizona Mirror’s questions about his comments. “He’s out of touch with what’s happening on the ground,” Kuby told the Mirror. “People who are living paycheck-to-paycheck and struggling to make ends meet don’t have the luxury to contribute to an IRA, and may not have a job that offers a pension.” Carolina Quintero, digital communications coordinator for Opportunity Arizona, told the Mirror that young Arizonans don’t have the bandwidth to even think about savings for retirement while they’re paying over $1,000 per month for rent and dealing with higher costs for groceries, utilities and healthcare. “At Opportunity Arizona, we think it’s embarrassing that Rep. Livingston is incapable of believing that Arizonans live paycheck-to-paycheck, like it’s not their everyday lived reality,” she said. In 2024, about 60% of Arizonans said they spent equal to or more than their income each month, according to a survey from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. About 64% of Arizonans said they didn’t have a “rainy day” fund to cover three months of living expenses. And just 44% of Arizonans had employer-sponsored retirement accounts, according to the same survey, and only one in five had a personal retirement account. The survey results didn’t include the percentage of Arizonans who had any type of retirement account, but nationally, just 57% of people said they did. According to the Tax Policy Center, about 30% of American taxpayers have a traditional IRA, and only 11% have a Roth IRA. Traditional IRAs are funded by pre-tax contributions, with taxes paid when the money is withdrawn. Roth IRAs use after-tax contributions, allowing for tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals in retirement. “There are stark differences by household income in preparing for retirement,” the FINRA Investor Education Foundation wrote in its report. “Only 17 percent of those with incomes under $25,000 have tried to plan for retirement, compared to 58 percent of those earning $75,000 or more. Similarly, the likelihood to have a retirement account increases dramatically with income, such that only a small minority of respondents with incomes less than $25,000 have a retirement account (16 percent).” Sen. Mark Finchem, R-Prescott, said during the April 28 hearing that he puts aside money in a Roth IRA from his modest $24,000 salary as a legislator. “I contribute to a Roth because I don’t trust Social Security,” he said. “It’s a government-funded program. Quite frankly, I would like to be in control of my own future, as opposed to somebody who’s a spendthrift.” Finchem didn’t mention that he also receives a monthly public safety pension payment of nearly $2,000 and will get a state pension for his time as an elected official. And the financial disclosure statement he must file each year doesn’t include a Roth IRA or any other retirement accounts, despite a requirement that “stocks, annuities, mutual funds, (and) retirement funds” worth more than $1,000 be disclosed. Livingston, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has worked as a financial advisor for more than 20 years. According to his financial disclosure statement, he has more than $100,000 in investments and owns three homes: One in Peoria, one in Prescott and one on Neebish Island in Michigan. Quintero said that the average voter would likely be infuriated to hear a legislator who owns three homes dismiss their financial struggles. “Average every day Arizonans can’t afford to become a homeowner one time, let alone to purchase a home more than once,” she said. While the economy is growing at a modest pace, consumer confidence is low, with worries about rising energy and food costs impacting household spending, according to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Budgets are strained for many because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, have contributed to higher prices for groceries and other goods, and his war in Iran, which has led to skyrocketing fuel costs. The average gallon of gas in Arizona is $4.74, about $1.40 more than it was before the Iran War began. And many low-income Arizonans are losing or have already lost help from government safety programs to help them make ends meet. More than 420,000 Arizonans have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, since last July, as the state works to comply with federal requirements from President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” That number includes 180,000 children. When Democratic lawmakers criticized the federal cuts to SNAP and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program, as well as additional restrictions in the GOP budget bill, Livingston brushed their concerns aside. “This budget does ensure that people have to follow the rules of AHCCCS and SNAP to qualify,” he said “And if they are not eligible, they don’t get benefits.” ProPublica recently reported that added bureaucracy and decreased staff, both due to the Big Beautiful Bill, have resulted in people who meet requirements being kicked off of SNAP in Arizona. Legislative Republicans promised that the tax cuts in their budget proposal, to bring the state in line with changes at the federal level, would leave Arizonans with more money in their pockets. But Joseph Palomino, director of the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, told the Mirror that many of the policies in the Republican budget were unpopular. “It’s not going to meaningfully address affordability, it’s not going to grow the economy,” he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Arizona Mirror
	IRS scam? The tax debt compromise program phone call IRS scam? The tax debt compromise program phone callTax relief phone call scams are common year-round, and criminals use them to get money and commit identity theft. There is an IRS tax debt compromise option, however, that could allow you to settle your tax debt for less than the full amount. It’s just important to make sure you’re working with a legitimate offer from the real IRS.There are, thankfully, some ways you can tell if you’re being contacted by the IRS or a con artist. And if you’re not sure how to pay off your tax debt, the IRS offer in compromise (OIC) may be the solution, Freedom Debt Relief reports.Key Takeaways:Tax debt relief phone calls are often scams.The real IRS offer in compromise is legitimate tax debt relief.Taxpayers request an offer in compromise directly from the IRS.Why Am I Getting Tax Relief Phone Calls?Scam calls surge during tax season, in the early months of every year. Tax debt relief phone calls are one of the more common scams. Criminals contact taxpayers and claim they can negotiate a debt settlement, or even eliminate tax debts—for an upfront fee.But how did a scammer find your phone number? Unfortunately, there are many ways that criminals can get their hands on contact information. A scammer may have obtained your number through:Public recordsA data breachTax lien noticesSocial mediaData brokers (websites that provide people’s personal information).Those are just some of the possibilities. Phone numbers are rarely private anymore, and once a scammer has a list of numbers, mass calling is cheap and easy because of robocall technology.Who do tax relief scammers target?Scammers often target seniors with tax relief phone calls, because they see older adults as more vulnerable. They also target those with actual tax debt or who have filed a tax return recently, believing that people in those situations may be less skeptical of a tax relief offer. You could be more likely to get scam calls if you fit any of these typical target demographics.Although certain demographics are at greater risk, scammers usually aren’t picky. They’ll go after anyone.What Is the IRS Offer in Compromise?An offer in compromise (OIC) is a federal program that lets you pay less than the total amount of your tax debt to the IRS. It used to be called the IRS Fresh Start. If you can’t pay your full tax bill, or paying in full would cause financial hardship, then an OIC may be an option. You apply for this program directly with the IRS—Freedom Debt Relief doesn’t handle tax debt.According to the IRS, you're eligible for an offer in compromise if you:Filed all your required tax returns and made all required estimated payments.Aren’t in an open bankruptcy proceeding.Have a valid extension on your current year tax return if you’re applying for an offer in compromise for the current year.Are an employer, and have made tax deposits for the current and past two quarters before you apply.When you apply for an OIC, the IRS looks at your ability to pay, including your income, expenses, and assets. The IRS generally approves an offer in compromise if the amount you offer is the most it could expect to collect from you within a reasonable time.For your OIC to be approved, the amount usually needs to be equal to or greater than your reasonable collection potential (RCP)—that’s the dollar amount that could be collected from your bank accounts and by selling the things you own. RCP also includes the value of your future income after basic living expenses.You must also meet IRS budget guidelines, which are called collection financial standards. In plain speak, there are guidelines that outline necessary living expenses (such as housing, utilities, transportation, and other essentials) and the maximum amount you should be spending on them. If you’re over budget, the IRS may not accept your OIC.Offers in compromise have two payment options. You choose the one that works better for your situation, and submit your initial payment with your application:Lump sum. You submit a payment of at least 20% with your application. If your offer is accepted, you must pay any remaining balance due on the offer in five or fewer installments.Periodic payment. A periodic offer lets you pay the amount you’re offering over six to 24 installment payments. In this arrangement, you submit the first payment with your application, and continue making payments while the IRS reviews your offer.Pros of the IRS Offer in CompromiseAn OIC is a great opportunity to get tax debt relief. Here are the benefits:You settle your tax debt for less than what you owe. Once you’ve fulfilled the OIC, any remaining IRS liability is wiped away.You avoid seizure of your assets or wage garnishment. The IRS can seize and sell property or go after your earnings for unpaid tax debt. If your OIC is accepted, the IRS won’t seize your assets or garnish your bank account. Cons of the IRS Offer in CompromiseWhen you’re deciding whether to apply for an OIC, it’s good to know about the drawbacks:Many applicants don’t qualify. The program is intended for people who won’t be able to pay their tax debts within 10 years from when the tax was assessed. If the IRS believes you can pay your tax debt, an OIC probably won’t be an option.The rules are strict. You must be compliant with your tax reporting over the next five years. If you miss a tax payment or don’t file a required return, the IRS can reverse your OIC and demand full payment.The application process is lengthy, and requires a $205 application fee. But if you meet low-income guidelines, you can apply without an application fee.What to Do if You Aren’t Approved for a Tax Debt CompromiseIf you don’t qualify for an OIC, you still have some options. The IRS wants to find a resolution that works for both sides, and it works with taxpayers who do their best to pay off tax debt.The IRS offers multiple payment plans. You could request a short-term payment plan for tax debt that you can pay off within 180 days. This type of plan doesn’t have an application fee.For large tax debt, you could request a long-term payment plan with monthly payments. There is an application fee, and the amount depends on the type of plan. Long-term payment plans range from three to 10 years, giving you much more time to pay what you owe. Keep in mind that interest and penalties increase the longer you stretch out your debt, so you should still try to pay off tax debt as quickly as possible to save money.Beware of Tax Debt Compromise Program Phone Call ScamsThe IRS warns taxpayers about tax debt compromise scams. In fact, OIC scam mills regularly make the Dirty Dozen list of tax scams published every year by the IRS. During and even before tax season, scammers use robocall systems to make a staggering number of calls.The Enforcement Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigated tax scam phone calls and found that there were 15.8 million calls with prerecorded messages about a “National Tax Relief Program” between Nov. 1, 2023 and Jan. 31, 2024. The Bureau didn’t find any evidence at all of a legitimate National Tax Relief Program existing.So, how do tax debt compromise scams work? Dishonest companies and scammers promise to solve tax debt for pennies on the dollar and remove penalties and interest fees. These fraudsters often advertise their supposed services on TV and the radio. Some of them also go through tax lien notices, looking for individuals in tax trouble to contact directly by phone, text message, email, or direct mail.Scammers may charge fees for information you could find yourself, mislead you into believing you qualify for an OIC when you don’t, claim their services are essential for applying correctly, or steal your sensitive financial information.Common tax relief scriptsTax relief scammers frequently use specific phrases, such as a “tax relief department,” “new federal relief program,” or “IRS forgiveness program.” Sometimes, they reference the current presidential administration—there have been reports of calls about a supposed tax forgiveness plan under the Trump administration, the Biden administration, and previous administrations.Here’s an example transcript of what a typical scam voicemail could say:“Hello, this is John at U.S. tax relief experts calling about your recent tax filings. It looks like you qualify for a federal relief program that could get rid of your tax debt with no penalties. This is a new program that was recently approved by the current administration to help people in your situation, but you need to enroll this month. So, before you make any arrangements to pay your tax debt, give me a call back at XXX-XXX-XXXX.”The exact message depends on the scammer and the type of scam. There are all kinds of tax debt relief scams, and scammers also go after people who don’t have any tax debt. Along with OIC mills that over-promise and under-deliver, there are criminals who impersonate IRS representatives. Practically anyone can be the target of a tax scam, but if you owe money to the IRS, you’re at greater risk.How Tax Relief Robocalls WorkRobocall technology enables scammers to call millions of people without ever picking up the phone themselves. By understanding how the scam works, you can be better prepared to recognize it.A robocall is a call with a pre-recorded message that’s made by an auto-dialer. Auto-dialers are computer systems that automatically make calls to a list of phone numbers. Once scammers obtain phone numbers through any of the methods mentioned above, they load them into an auto-dialer.The message in the robocall provides a callback number. If you call, you talk to a live “agent.” The agent tries to complete the scam by getting you to pay upfront fees for their supposed tax relief service. But after getting your money, the scammer may file the paperwork incorrectly, or not file anything at all.Scammers also frequently use caller ID spoofing techniques. Spoofing changes the caller ID information, so it looks like the robocall is coming from a different number. Scammers use these techniques for a few reasons:The scammer’s real number may be blocked because it’s on a robocaller list.The scammer can use a number that’s local to you, or possibly even the number of a company or government agency.Caller ID spoofing could make it more likely that the call is answered. Why do scammers prefer voicemails for tax relief phone scams?Scammers prefer voicemails and prerecorded messages over live calls because they can target more people. Robocalling allows scammers to cast a wide net. Live calling, on the other hand, would limit the number of victims a scammer could contact per day.This method also helps filter out people who are unlikely to pay for a tax relief service. Anyone who recognizes the scam or knows they don’t owe a tax debt probably isn’t going to return the call. Scammers are more likely to get calls back from people who are interested in tax relief, and are potentially more vulnerable to their pitch.Spot the Red Flags of Tax Relief FraudTax relief scammers use sophisticated methods to swindle taxpayers, but knowing how to spot a fraud could protect you. Here are the red flags to look out for.1. Unsolicited contactScammers often call, email, or text you to create a sense of urgency and try to get you to pay right away. But the IRS says it will never demand immediate payment using a specific payment method, or without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to appeal. The IRS typically mails bills to taxpayers who owe money. Scams increase during tax season, so be extra cautious if you’re contacted during that time.2. Robocall technologyTax-related robocalls are almost a sure sign of a scam. The IRS doesn’t leave prerecorded voicemails or make robocalls. You can confirm that, and learn more about recognizing legitimate contact, on the official How to Know It’s the IRS page. Businesses may use robocalls, but tax relief companies that robocall are usually trying to scam you.3. A generic greetingA message that starts with “Dear taxpayer” or any other generic variation could indicate a scam. The IRS has your name and address, and IRS communications are normally personalized with your information. Scammers may not have your name, or they could just use a generic placeholder so they can send the same form letter to all their targets.4. The callback number and the caller ID don’t matchIf the callback number is different from the caller ID, it may be due to caller ID spoofing. This isn’t always the case, but when it happens with a tax relief phone call, it’s another warning sign of a scam.5. Guaranteed resultsLegitimate tax relief programs can’t guarantee outcomes, because the result depends on the decision the IRS makes. Be wary of tax debt relief programs that promise to settle your tax debt for much less than what you owe.6. High-pressure tacticsIf someone posing as an IRS or tax relief program agent contacts you and tells you to act immediately, put up your guard. People tend to act hastily and without thinking twice when they’re scared, and scammers know this. The IRS, however, doesn’t impose such urgency.7. Hefty upfront feesBe cautious of tax professionals asking for large upfront fees for their services. Some untrustworthy tax relief companies charge a fee to apply for an OIC on behalf of a taxpayer, even when they know the IRS is likely to reject the applicant. You can use the OIC pre-qualifier tool on the IRS website to see for yourself whether you’re a likely candidate for the program.8. Requests for personal informationScammers often ask taxpayers for Social Security numbers, bank details, or other sensitive information. But the IRS doesn’t use text messages or social media to discuss personal tax issues, and does not email taxpayers asking for personal information. If you’re contacted by someone claiming to be the IRS or a tax professional, hang up or don’t answer. Contact the IRS directly.Avoid Tax Debt Relief Phone Call ScamsWhenever you receive a call from someone offering to lower or eliminate your tax debt and penalties, be wary. Here’s what the IRS says about how it may contact you:The IRS typically contacts you the first time through the U.S. Postal Service. If you want to verify that a piece of mail is from the IRS, you can search for the type of letter, the notice, or the form number on the IRS website. You could also call the IRS at 800-829-1040.The IRS only emails you with your permission, with limited exceptions such as criminal investigations.The IRS only sends you a text message with your permission.The IRS may call you to discuss your case, verify information, or set up a meeting.The IRS might send a fax to verify or request employment information.The IRS won’t contact you or take payment on social media.The most important thing to remember is that the IRS prefers to reach out by mail first. If you’ve never received any correspondence from the IRS about debt, or if you don’t think that you have a tax debt issue, then any phone call you supposedly receive from the IRS is likely a scam. In this case, just hang up without providing any information.If you receive a call about tax settlement, remember that no one can promise you’ll qualify for an OIC. Don’t engage with anyone who guarantees this or says you’ll automatically qualify, and definitely don’t pay them anything. If you want to consider an OIC, find out if you qualify and send an OIC to the IRS yourself.Technology Solutions to Stop Tax Relief CallsRobocall technology may make scam calls easier, but there’s also technology that could help you stop these unwanted calls. No solution is perfect, so you may not get rid of all scam calls, but you can at least get a lot fewer.Start by checking out what tools and services your wireless carrier offers. Many wireless carriers have services to block scam robocalls, including tax relief calls. Here are the services available from the three largest U.S. wireless companies:Verizon Call Filter alerts you if a call may be spam, a robocall, or fraud. The service also sends high-risk calls directly to your voicemail. Verizon offers a free version of Call Filter to Verizon customers with a compatible device and a paid version, Call Filter Plus, with more features.AT&T has a call and data protection app, AT&T Active Armor. The app is available for free with AT&T wireless service. A paid version is also available, and is included for free with some AT&T unlimited plans.T-Mobile has a Scam Shield app to block and report scams. The app is available for free with T-Mobile wireless service, and a paid version is also available.Most carriers give you the option to report spam and fraud calls, which improves their call blocking. Your carrier may then classify the caller’s number as a scam and block them from contacting you or others in the future.You could also download a call-blocking app that intercepts scam calls. These apps typically block calls from any numbers in their database that have been reported as scam-related. They also let you report and block numbers yourself. You don’t always need an app to block numbers, though. Many smartphones can block calls from specific numbers or from all unknown numbers.One other step you may want to take is signing up for the National Do Not Call Registry. You can register your phone number (home, mobile, or both) free of charge online. The registry is a list of phone numbers that telemarketers aren’t supposed to call. If you get an unwanted telemarketing call after your number has been on the registry for at least 31 days, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).If You’ve Been Scammed by a Tax Debt Compromise Phone CallIf you’ve paid money and/or revealed sensitive personal and financial information to someone you suspect of being a scammer, report the incident quickly. Make a record of all your communications with the tax debt company for when you file your report.You can report a tax scam to the IRS on its website. For abusive tax promotions or preparers, you’ll fill out and submit form 14242. You can submit the form online, by mail, or by fax.In addition to the IRS, you could also report the scam to any of the following:Your state attorney general’s officeThe FBIThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC)The Better Business Bureau (BBB)If you seek help in applying for an OIC with the IRS or in making other arrangements on your tax debt, make sure you enlist the right expert. A certified public accountant (CPA), enrolled agent, or tax attorney is the best option to help with your unpaid tax liability, and they can also represent you with the IRS if needed. You can verify a tax professional’s credentials on the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers.How to dispute tax relief fraud chargesYou may be able to get your money back if you’ve already paid a company you suspect is fraudulent. Follow these steps to dispute a fraudulent charge with your bank or credit card company:Pull up your banking or credit card account online.Find the fraudulent transaction.Choose the option to dispute the charge, if you have one.Go through the dispute process and provide information about what happened.If it’s not easily done online or if you’d rather talk to someone about your situation, you can dispute the charge by phone. Call the number on the back of the debit or credit card you used for the payment.You typically have 90 to 120 days to dispute a charge, depending on your bank or credit card issuer. The amount of time disputes take varies. Some disputes are settled within 30 days, but others take much longer. Card issuers generally have up to 90 days to settle disputes.How to protect yourself from identity theftIf the scammer obtained any of your private information, they may try to use it for identity theft. Here are a few ways to protect yourself:Set up an identity protection PIN (IP PIN) with the IRS. You need to register for an account on IRS.gov, and then you can request an IP PIN. This six-digit number prevents anyone else from filing a tax return using your Social Security number.Sign up for a credit monitoring service that notifies you of changes to your credit file. There are plenty of free credit monitoring services online. You may want to check if your bank or credit card issuer offers this service free of charge (many do).Monitor your banking and credit card statements for suspicious charges. Keep an especially close eye on any accounts used to pay for tax relief scam services.Steps to Take if You Suspect a Tax ScamIf you suspect you're dealing with a tax scammer, follow these steps.1. Do not engageIf you receive a suspicious call, hang up immediately, without providing any further personal information. If you receive an email, text message, or message via social media, do not reply or open any attachments.2. Verify the contactDon’t automatically trust that someone is who they say they are, or that the number, email address, or social media handle they’re contacting you from is as it appears. Scammers nowadays use spoofing, a method with which they can make it seem like they’re contacting you from a legitimate source. Don’t engage. Reach out to the IRS directly.3. Report the scamReport the incident to the IRS by following the agency’s reporting guidelines. This may involve reporting suspected tax fraud via form 14242, as well as notifying the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).Legitimate Tax Debt Relief Options vs. ScamsThe IRS does offer programs to pay off tax debt. You can apply for these programs directly with the IRS (Freedom Debt Relief doesn’t offer tax debt programs). IRS options include:Offer in compromise (OIC): If you meet eligibility requirements, you could settle your tax debt for a lower amount than what you owe. There is an application fee of $205 unless you meet the low-income certification guidelines.Short-term payment plan: You pay your tax debt within 180 days. Short-term payment plans don’t have setup fees, but you must pay accrued penalties and interest until the balance is paid in full.Long-term payment plan: You pay your tax debt in installments over more than 180 days. Long-term payment plans have setup fees that vary depending on the payment method and whether you qualify for low-income taxpayer status. You must also pay accrued penalties and interest until the balance is paid in full.Here’s a breakdown of how you can tell the difference between legitimate IRS programs vs. tax relief scams. Courtesy of Freedom Debt Relief Freedom Debt Relief can help with many types of debt, including credit card debt, medical debt, and personal loan debt, to name just a few. But you can’t settle tax debt the same way people settle credit card debt. Freedom Debt Relief doesn’t provide any services for tax debt.If you’re dealing with tax debt, you can apply for a payment program or OIC directly with the IRS. You may find that you can handle your tax situation on your own. But if you’re not sure how to pay your taxes or if you’re facing wage garnishment, it could be time to seek professional assistance from a CPA or a tax attorney.This story was produced by Freedom Debt Relief and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	In his latest book, David George Haskell shows how flowers made our world In his latest book, David George Haskell shows how flowers made our worldThe world’s environmental alarms grow louder and more insistent with each passing moment.Nearly half of the world’s flower species are in decline. Global pesticide use is up, despite the hazardous effects of these chemicals on water, biodiversity, soil, and human health. Increased heat and drought stress crops, while living systems lose their complexity, and extreme weather events strain natural and manufactured habitats. Against this backdrop, "How Flowers Made Our World" by revered biologist and bestselling author David George Haskell urges us to learn from the organisms holding our ecosystems together. Flowers, he writes, are the engineers of habitats, architects of food webs, and the biological infrastructure behind much of what humans eat, build, and call “nature.” What better place to start?In the book, Haskell—a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist—traces how flowering plants revolutionized the planet after arriving late in Earth’s history, evolving and spreading while dinosaurs still roamed. They reshaped landscapes and formed tight partnerships with insects, birds, and mammals. The result is a sweeping account of interdependence, moving between deep time, evolutionary history, and the present-day climate crisis.The argument lands with particular force now, when the systems that flowers helped create are being stressed by human activity. Below, Haskell speaks with Atmos about flowers as evolutionary agents, why it matters to understand how flowers made the world, and what it would take to keep from unmaking it.Daphne Chouliaraki MilnerWhat was the starting point for "How Flowers Made Our World"?David George HaskellMy background is in biology, but for the last 15 years, I’ve mostly been writing books and essays that integrate biological knowledge with ethics and culture, and sharing those stories with people who aren’t specialists. Again and again, I kept running up against flowers as central players in Earth’s story, both in the past, but also in the present, and most likely in the future.And yet that story was only told in fragments. There was no book I’d found that really celebrated and honored flowers—not just for their beauty or the way they lift our spirits, but for their world-changing power. Once that idea formed, the way I experienced and saw the world transformed.I really think we live on a floral planet. As I go through my day—thinking about what I’m eating, or thinking about the places I’m walking in a city or out in the countryside—I see the creative capacity of flowers everywhere. And I see how our actions sometimes help flowers, but often we’re not particularly helpful cooperators. To me, the central story is putting flowers back where they belong, which is at the center of the narrative of how the modern world came to be.DaphneI love that framing—living on a floral planet. In the book, you position flowers as revolutionary actors. For readers who haven’t read it yet, can you explain what flowers changed about life on Earth, and why they’re so instrumental in the evolution of our planet?DavidFlowers are late arrivals in the drama of life on Earth. They appeared maybe 130 million years ago, maybe a little before that, but that’s hundreds of millions of years after complex plants and animals. Despite them being latecomers, within a few million years of their appearance, almost every habitat was transformed. Flowering plants essentially took over.They built rainforests. There were no rainforests as we know them today before flowering plants. There were no prairies, no mangroves, no seagrass meadows. Name an important habitat today, and flowering plants are very likely either at its center or deeply involved. Of course, there are places like spruce forests where other plants are important, and I don’t want to dismiss that. But ecologically, flowers run the show.And for humans, they absolutely run the show because almost all of human agriculture is based on flowering plants. Two-thirds to three-quarters of the calories we eat come from grasses, like maize, wheat, rice, sugarcane, and more. We are a floral species—really, a grassland-dependent species.I mean that flowers are “revolutionary” literally. It’s not a metaphor. Once flowers arrived, there was an overthrow of the old order, and flowering plants became central to ecosystem function in ways that benefited other creatures. Rainforest animals wouldn’t exist without flowers. Butterflies and bees evolved in relation to flowers. Grazing mammals; many birds, including fruit-dispersing and pollinating birds. And the human species wouldn’t have evolved without them.There are other revolutions, too. Genetic innovations within flowering plants that helped them take over, and a revolution in human culture. Flowers were important in the foundation of modern biology, in agriculture, and in the ways we express individuality and cultural identity through perfume, decorative arts, religious rituals, burials, and weddings. Flowers sit at the center of many important cultural rituals.The book’s title might sound grandiose—"How Flowers Made Our World"—but I really mean it. Without flowers, we’d be on an entirely different planet. Wondrous in its own way, but much less productive, less diverse, and missing many of the dominant creatures we have today.DaphneCould you talk about one or two “deals” that flowers struck with insects, birds, or mammals that helped facilitate these big changes?DavidThe classic one is pollination. Before flowers, insects were basically pests; leaf eaters, sap suckers, and so on. They were a big problem for most plants. Flowering plants flipped the narrative and turned some former enemies into cooperative partners. It makes for an interesting story because anytime you turn enemies into friends, you have questions of how and why, and what the consequences were. Flowers did that.What astonishes me is that they mainly did it by speaking directly to animal senses in the language of beauty and desire and sensory connection. When a flower releases aromatic chemicals, those drift through the air and bind to nerve endings on insect antennae or in the noses of mammals or birds, stimulating the brain in a way that elicits attraction and desire. That brings the animal into alignment with the plant’s intentions.This is cooperation mediated by aesthetic experiences. And it’s not just through aroma, it’s also through colors, shapes, and even the electric field around a specific flower. Every flower has a unique electrical field we can’t see, but bees and hoverflies can detect it with small hairs on their bodies. These are ways flowers “speak” to animals—and, of course, I’m using that analogy loosely. Flower language is not exactly the same as human language. But there is a communicative element to this. From there, pollen transfer was made much more efficient, and allowed flowering plants to inhabit habitats other species could not.They also expanded cooperation into fruit dispersal. Fruit is an underappreciated aspect of floral innovation. Before flowers, seeds were largely on their own. Other plants, like conifers, make a seed, maybe enclose it in a cone, then throw it out, and the little baby is left on its own. Flowering plants wrap seeds in fruits that can be nutritious or protective, or shaped for dispersal, like the “helicopters” of maple and ash. Only flowering plants produce fruits, and many fruits also “speak” to animals, linking plants and animals into cooperative, sometimes coevolutionary relationships. Seeds are dispersed by birds, but also by ants and many other creatures.But this relationship isn’t always purely cooperative. Flowering plants can be sneaky and deceptive. Many orchids have a puff of yellow pigment that looks like pollen but offers no food. Some grow spurs that look full of nectar but contain none.And some are even more devious. An orchid flower can look and smell, and even feel in texture, like a female wasp or another kind of insect. Males emerge in spring and try to mate with the flower, wasting their time, while the orchid places pollen on their heads. The wasps are then enlisted as pollinators. Other flowers can kill their pollinators. For example, after an insect delivers pollen from a male to a female flower, the female flower offers no exit, and the pollinator dies there.So yes, there’s much to celebrate and learn from in floral cooperation, but evolution can be crafty. Flowers are part of that coevolutionary melodrama, if you like.DaphneAs you’ve already touched on, much of what you’re describing underpins human civilization and agriculture. To what extent would you describe human civilization as a by-product of botanical innovation?DavidOh, 100%. Long before humans evolved, our prehuman hominid ancestors came down from trees in the African tropics about 6 million years ago. They eventually evolved bipedalism on grasslands and savannas. Grasses are a specialized kind of flowering plant. Our ancestors evolved to live and thrive in an ecosystem built entirely by one kind of flowering plant, and those are grasses.A lot of people don’t even think of grasses as flowers. They think, “That’s just a lawn.” And lawns are strange because we mow them to remove any sign of sex or death. And it hides from us an essential truth that, like all flowers, grasses are sexual beings, and when they form seeds, those seeds are packed with food. Grass seeds are actually way more loaded with food than many other kinds of seeds and fruits out there.We, humans, evolved to take advantage of that and to eat the animals that were eating the grasses. When our ancestors hunted wildebeest-like animals, we were indirectly eating grasses, even if we were eating barbecue.Then, with the agricultural revolution, that relationship with grasses and with other flowering plants, including those relying on insects for pollination, intensified. Human agriculture is founded on the productivity and innovations of flowering plants combined with human creativity. Let’s give our ancestors some credit. Those clever people worked with teosinte to produce modern maize; with wild rice to produce domesticated rice; with wheat and barley and oats. There’s a lot of human creativity that effectively merged with botanical productivity to produce modern agriculture.It remains astonishingly productive, even as we’ve caused soil erosion and other environmental problems. Grain harvests have continued to rise overall. The war in Ukraine has affected that recently, because Ukraine is a major wheat-growing region, but by and large, wheat and grain production have increased.Malthusian predictions from the 19th century, and again in the late 20th century, that Earth would run out of food and that more and more humans would starve have utterly failed to come true, mostly because of the productivity of grasses. There will be a limit. There’s a finite amount of farmland on the planet, and climate change and emerging diseases affect yields. But so far, humans and plants have worked together in clever ways to avoid those predictions of calamity, which to me is as much a story about flowering plants as it is about humans. Grasses have been remaking the planet for tens of millions of years before humans came along.DaphneWe hear a lot about soil erosion, insect decline, and the sixth extinction. How has industrial farming disrupted the reciprocal relationship humans and floral creativity have nurtured?DavidWith industrial farming, there’s a duality in our relationship with flowers. On one hand, you could see industrial farming as the apex of human symbiosis with flowering plants. I live in the U.S., and the yields farmers get from corn now—compared with 10 or 20 years ago, and especially compared with a century ago—are staggering. People understand the needs of specific corn genotypes and can produce prodigious amounts of food. In that sense, it’s almost a marvel.The other side of this duality is that it’s also fragile and deeply damaging. It’s fragile because that productivity works only within a narrow set of conditions. A year with excess heat, a bit more drought, or a new fungal disease, and the productivity disappears. More diverse forms of agriculture, where you’re not growing one genotype of corn across huge areas, can become more productive under stress.The damaging part of industrial agriculture is well known. Massive applications of herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides contribute to the collapse of pollinating insects. Those impacts reach beyond agricultural fields into so-called “wild” areas—whatever “wild” means today.There’s a terrible cost to this extreme specialization and extreme symbiosis we have engaged in. In good conditions, we can thrive. But that era will come to an end, because climate projections suggest shrinking areas suitable for growing some crops, and disease, fertilizer runoff, and extreme heat will reduce yields. We’re already seeing that in years with extreme heat waves.DaphneAs you rightly say, monocropping simplifies landscapes and also concentrates the risk. If flowers are architects of biodiversity, what would it mean to design agriculture in ways that support their evolutionary work?DavidFlowering plants have been dealing with environmental upheaval for over 100 million years. They came through the end of the Cretaceous; they’ve dealt with continents splitting apart; they’ve been through climate change more extreme than even the most extreme projections of what we’re causing now. How have they done that? There’s no single answer, but one general principle is diversity. Genetic diversity is the foundation of innovation and resilience.This is one core problem with industrial agriculture. If you put all your investment into one genotype, when it fails, you’re in trouble. Experiments show that more species-diverse ecosystems, and populations with more genetic diversity, are able to cope better with extreme swings in temperature, disease, climate, and other challenges.Where does that diversity live? Often in unmanaged or protected areas, and in traditional forms of agriculture, like corn tended in Central and South America for thousands of years. There are literally tens of thousands of genotypes of corn or maize maintained in Indigenous cultures and traditional farming systems. Agriculture that includes a multiplicity of species and genotypes is generally more resilient.There are also people working with that idea in research and farming today, like the Breadlab at Washington State University and the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas. They are working with genetic diversity in grain plants; some of them are traditional grain plants like wheat, others are newly domesticated grain plants. They are not trying to pick a single “best” genotype, but working with the diversity of these plants to find climate-resilient ways of feeding humans without degrading the rest of life.It’s also about how we arrange agricultural landscapes. Part of the answer has to be that we need more edges, hedgerows, and spaces where other species can live away from intensively managed areas. A certain amount of messiness at field edges does an enormous amount of good for biodiversity.I remember my grandfather, who grew up in the Northwest of England near Carlisle in the 1930s, describing how many birds you would hear when walking through fields. It was mind-blowing. He told me that in the 1970s, when I was a young boy, by which point many birds had actually already disappeared. From the 1970s to the present, you go to agricultural fields, and most of those birds are gone. In the U.K., and particularly in England, the crash in biodiversity on managed farmlands has been extraordinary across just a couple of lifetimes.The good news is we know how to fix much of this. And fixing the problem actually involves reconnecting with our culture—and how people tended fields and fed themselves in the past. Not that we have to go back exactly, but can we bring some forms of modern agriculture into relationship with approaches that leave space for birds, butterflies, and other species that are part of a place’s natural heritage?And something that I find is often left out of the conversation is that this is all a source of joy. We only get a few decades each on this planet. Why wouldn’t we want a world that gives us the joy of flowering plants in hedgerows, butterflies, and birds? For me, that’s extremely motivating. The joy of connecting to life’s diversity is part of what we can do by bringing back agriculture that feeds humans and supports the wider community of life.DaphneI’d kick myself if I didn’t ask: after all your research for this book, do you have a favorite flowering plant?DavidThe flowering plant that taught me the most—the one that blew my mind—is the most boring-looking: seagrasses. These are underwater flowering plants that look like grass or seaweed. They live in mud and sand around the coasts of Western Europe, North America, Australia—anywhere with muddy, sandy coasts. Until recently, biologists knew very little about them, but they’re ancient flowering plants that flower underwater, which is insane to me. Right? There’s a flower in the sea.And even better, they are also hot spots for biodiversity. Seagrass meadows are full of spawning fish and little invertebrates. Birds and seabirds feed there. And they store carbon. In fact, they store carbon 35 times faster than the most carbon-rich forest on land.And then, magnolia flowers. They’re big and exuberant, and they descend from some of the first flowering plants on Earth. I love their aroma. If I could be resurrected as a magnolia flower, that would be wonderful.This story was produced by Atmos and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Martina McBride to play Rhythm City Casino Martina McBride is playing Rhythm City Casino September 13. According to a release: Multiple Grammy nominee Martina McBride has sold over 23 million albums to date, which includes 20 Top 10 singles and six #1 hits. Martina has earned more than 15 major music awards, including four wins for Female Vocalist of the Year from [...]
	Jim Victor Memorial Junior Achievement Golf Classic tees off for area youth On Monday, May 4, the annual Jim Victor Memorial Junior Achievement Golf Classic will be held at Crow Valley Golf Club in Davenport, serving as a key fundraiser supporting local youth, a news release says. Proceeds from the tournament will help fund Junior Achievement’s learning experiences that equip students with financial literacy, work and career [...]
	Downtown Geneseo to host first Wine Walk on May 30 Downtown Geneseo will come alive with a new event on Saturday, May 30 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the first-ever Geneseo Wine Walk.
	5 ways to sleep better when anxiety takes hold 5 ways to sleep better when anxiety takes holdFor many, the simple act of falling asleep becomes a battle when anxiety takes hold.Our minds race, our bodies tense, and the quiet peace needed for rest feels miles away. There’s a simple motto to navigate this challenge: “Mind, Body, Buffer Zone.” These are the three crucial pathways to focus on when anxiety interferes with sleep.Think of them as three distinct doorways. To fall asleep while anxious, you can choose a skill from any of these doorways or combine them as needed. Depending on your stress level, you might need one, two, or even three approaches. What works one night might not work the next, emphasizing the need for flexibility. It's through these pathways that we learn to soothe our systems, making sleep possible.Northwell Health shares five methods for easing yourself to sleep during stressful times.The Mind Pathway: Calming Your ThoughtsOur thoughts are often the primary instigators of bedtime anxiety. Taming them is a powerful first step.1. Write a Worry Log:Before bed, our minds often become a breeding ground for worries. To regulate this, externalize your concerns with a worry log. Dedicate 10 to 15 minutes, ideally at least two hours before bed, to writing down everything on your mind. This could range from existential fears like losing power in a storm to practical concerns like forgetting keys. Once written, review your list. Identify what you can solve immediately and what you cannot. Solve the solvable items. For the unsolvable, or those that require future action, mentally place them on "tomorrow's list." Then, close the log. No more worries until the next day. This simple act contains your anxieties, preventing them from interfering with sleep.2. Visualize a Calming Environment:Once your worries are contained, engage your mind in a more soothing direction through visualization. Picture yourself in a serene place — perhaps on a boat on a calm lake with birds chirping. Alternatively, imagine your anxious thoughts as clouds, gently floating away. Observe these thoughts without judgment, then allow them to drift, bringing your focus back to the present moment. This mindfulness practice helps you detach from mental clutter and cultivate a sense of inner calm.The Body Pathway: Soothing Your PhysiologyAnxiety manifests physically, leading to increased heart rate and tension. Directly addressing these bodily responses can signal safety to your brain.3. Diaphragmatic Breathing:One of the most effective ways to lower central nervous system activity is through diaphragmatic, or deep belly, breathing. This skill signals to your brain that you are safe. When you're in a "fight-or-flight" state, this deep, luxurious breathing is impossible. Practice breathing slowly and deeply, allowing your belly to expand. This calms your entire system, helping to refocus your mind away from anxious thoughts and towards the steady rhythm of your breath. Resources like online videos can guide you in mastering this technique.4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR):PMR involves systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups throughout your body, starting from your toes and moving up to your head. This exercise not only provides immediate relaxation but also trains your mind and body over time to recognize the difference between tension and relaxation. Regular practice can enhance your ability to consciously release tension, making it easier to unwind before sleep.The Buffer Zone: Protecting Your Presleep TimeThe "buffer zone" is a crucial 20 to 40 minutes before bedtime, designed to wind down and prepare your system for sleep. This protected time almost "bookends" your day.5. Arrange Success Through the Buffer Zone:During this buffer zone, the goal is exclusively soothing, calming, and quieting. What makes you feel calm? For some, it's lighting a candle, snuggling with a blanket, and sipping herbal tea. For others, it might be dimming the lights, washing your face, or gentle stretching. The key is to protect this space fiercely. No stressful phone calls, no work, no activities that elevate your anxiety.Think of how you would prepare a child for bed: dim lights, quiet voices, soothing stories, comforting pajamas. We don't stimulate them; we wind them down. As adults, we need to extend this same care to ourselves. On a particularly stressful day, extend your buffer zone to 40 minutes of deliberate self-soothing. On less anxious days, a shorter routine might suffice. The buffer zone is about setting the stage for sleep, making yourself feel safe, calm, and soothed before your head even hits the pillow.By consciously engaging your mind, soothing your body, and protecting your presleep time, you create a powerful defense against bedtime anxiety. These strategies are not one-time fixes, but tools to cultivate a healthier relationship with sleep, even when anxiety looms. Start building your menu today.This story was produced by Northwell Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Do depression and anxiety treatments work? What new data shows Do depression and anxiety treatments work? What new data showsDepression and anxiety are among the most common mental health conditions, yet many people question whether treatment leads to meaningful improvement. To better understand how care impacts symptoms, LifeStance Health measures and reports treatment outcomes, offering insight into what progress may look like. This article outlines what the data shows about anxiety and depression treatment success.What the numbers show about depression and anxiety treatment successLifeStance Health measures treatment improvement using clinically validated questionnaires that are widely used in mental healthcare: the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) for depression, and the GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) for anxiety.Based on reporting from patients who received treatment between 2024 and 2025:73% of patients showed clinically significant improvement in depression symptoms, among 150,000 individuals with at least moderate depression.79% of patients showed clinically significant improvement in anxiety symptoms, among 140,000 individuals with at least moderate anxiety. LifeStance Health These outcomes reflect changes in patient-reported symptoms over time. Improvement can include feeling less overwhelmed, experiencing fewer symptoms or noticing that symptoms feel more manageable in daily life.While each person’s experience with mental healthcare is different, these findings indicate that the patients in this research cohort broadly experience meaningful improvement during treatment.What PHQ-9 and GAD-7 measurePHQ-9 and GAD-7 are trusted mental health assessments used across healthcare settings. They ask about symptoms commonly associated with depression and anxiety, including mood, energy levels, sleep, concentration, worry and the ability to manage life demands over recent weeks. Their ability to estimate severity of these disorders along with their ease of use has made them a widely adopted way to track progress in mental healthcare.What progress can look like with depression and anxiety treatmentFor individuals considering mental healthcare, it can be reassuring to know whether treatment often leads to improvement.Outcomes reporting helps provide transparency and set realistic expectations. It can help answer questions such as:Do people commonly feel better with treatment?Is improvement possible for depression and anxiety?What does progress look like for people who seek care?Not sure what symptoms may mean?Many people are unsure whether what they are feeling may be depression, anxiety or something else. That uncertainty can make it difficult to know where to start.Taking a free, confidential online mental health questionnaire can help individuals better understand what they may be experiencing. Taking a questionnaire may help individuals:Put language around what they are feelingGain insight into symptom patternsDecide whether professional support may be helpfulHealing is possibleDepression and anxiety are common and treatable conditions. The outcomes shared in this article show that patients broadly experience improvement with treatment, which may offer reassurance for those considering mental healthcare.This story was published by LifeStance Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Tuesday, May 5th, 2026

Monday, May 4th, 2026