The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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US traffic fatalities: Where speeding and impaired driving pose the biggest risks When American roads are safest, a mix of enforcement, behavior change, and public awareness often gets the credit, but risky driving behaviors remain central drivers of deadly crashes. To better understand the human behaviors linked to traffic deaths nationwide, Recovery Law Center, a personal injury law firm, analyzed the latest available federal data on speeding‑ and impaired‑driving‑related fatalities to pinpo...
How seniors could save thousands in a year As everyday expenses climb and retirees’ incomes stagnate, seniors are looking for—and many have found—meaningful ways to stretch their budgets. From maximizing Medicare benefits to tapping discounts, cutting recurring costs, and leveraging community resources, MyOTC by Chapter shares the most effective strategies to keep more money in your pocket without sacrificing your enjoyment of life. Reduce healthcare and prescription costs Healthcare is one of t...
How to get a golf course lawn at home (without the $50K budget) Want a lawn that looks straight off a golf course? That perfectly manicured, carpetlike grass is a dream for many homeowners. You don’t need a $50,000 budget or professional grounds crew to make it happen. Jimmy Lewis, owner of Jimmy Lewis Mows, proved it. He turned his 10,000-square-foot Utah yard into a stunning golf course lawn. “It’s not impossible,” he says. “It is a time commitment and initially, a financial commitmen...
How immigration scams affect thousands of foreign nationals Immigration scams could be becoming more prevalent since 2022, according to recent federal data. In 2024 alone, the Federal Trade Commission received 265,272 complaints about government impersonators, and that’s only documented cases. The agency estimates those incidents cost consumers $789 million. Across platforms, social media users have reported increasingly effective tactics from scammers. On LinkedIn, an international student p...
No new measles cases in South Carolina for a week, but CDC outbreak models warn about underreporting For the first time since South Carolina’s record-breaking measles outbreak began last fall, the state has gone a full week without health officials learning of any new cases. It’s an encouraging sign that the outbreak — which has 997 documented cases — may be nearing its end. However, a report from outbreak modelers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, completed earlier this mo...
4 tips to keep you healthy in a hurry with eggs In a perfect world, our calendars would be wide open for quiet relaxation, energizing workouts, and quality time with the people we love. But real life is busy, and taking care of ourselves can easily fall to the bottom of the day’s to-do list. The good news is you don’t need a complete lifestyle overhaul to feel stronger. Small, simple choices can add up in a big way; even taking one step a day in the right direction can make a difference. And...
The hidden reason your appliances wear out faster and cost more to run A cloudy glass straight out of the dishwasher. A chalky ring around the faucet that keeps coming back. A showerhead that clogs faster than you can clean it. Many homeowners shrug these off as minor, if ongoing, annoyances. But they’re actually the initial signs of hard water, and they can point to something bigger happening behind the scenes—inside the appliances you rely on every day. The high mineral content that cau...
How to measure your AI fluency—and move to the next level The biggest gains from AI don’t come from having access to the right tools alone. They come from teammates who know how to work with AI thoughtfully: people who are curious, willing to experiment, and able to see where AI can meaningfully support their judgment and decision-making. In 2026, businesses need a baseline level of AI fluency among their employees—not because everyone needs deep technical expertise, but because effective AI us...
aerogondo2 // Shutterstock Bunny baskets and Seder staples: Alabama's Easter and Passover trends When Easter and Passover arrive, shopping carts transform — filling up with chocolate bunnies, fresh florals, and time-honored holiday staples. This past year, Easter and Passover overlapped, creating one of the busiest and most festive shopping periods of the spring season. Instacart took a look at what customers in Alabama and across the country added to their carts during Easter week (April 14-20,...
Grusho Anna // Shutterstock Movies and TV shows casting in Birmingham The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures attention starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey. Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV sho...
Drop in opioid overdose deaths nears 50% since 2023 Since their peak less than three years ago, opioid overdose deaths have dropped nearly by half as of October, according to a Stateline analysis. The drop comes as a shrinking fentanyl supply has made the drug weaker and less deadly and volunteer efforts get more people into treatment. The weaker fentanyl tracks to a crackdown on materials used to make fentanyl in China around the time U.S. deaths started dropping in 2023. Some experts see it...
Why ‘normal’ labs aren’t enough: Closing the nutrition and lifestyle gap in prenatal care Ana was five months pregnant with her second child, and from the moment she sat down, she was visibly exhausted — not just physically but in that bone-deep way that comes from trying hard and still not feeling like yourself. She was struggling with fatigue, mood swings, and anxiety that hadn't lifted since the first trimester. Her labs were normal, and ultrasounds were right on track. When asked a few more...
A Florida oyster fishery and its community fight for their future On a late afternoon in early November, Xochitl Bervera launches The Roxie Girl from St. George Island into the gentle waters of Florida’s Apalachicola Bay. Almost as soon as the boat gets up to speed, she kills the motor and drifts the final feet toward her destination: a 2.5-acre grid of buoys and bags floating in Rattlesnake Cove. This is her farm, Water Is Life Oysters. Bervera and her partner, Kung Li, launched the business i...
Everything you need to know about sweating during workouts and exercise You know that sensation of sweat dripping on your body when you’re doing a run, dance class, or strength training? Some believe that sweat is a sign of a good workout. Others might wonder if it’s a signal of fat burning, or if you could sweat too much. Degree explains what’s really going on. Why you sweat so much when you work out Sweat is your internal cooling system, so it makes sense that it would show up when you’r...
History of currency crises: The impossible trinity and early warning signals This report by OANDA unpacks the mechanics of currency crises through the Impossible Trinity, highlighting how tensions between exchange rate stability, capital flows, and monetary policy create systemic vulnerabilities. Drawing lessons from the U.K. Black Wednesday 1992, the Asian Financial Crisis 1997, and the Russian Ruble Crisis 1998. The history of the international monetary system is defined by periodic...
The rise of CTV IRL: Valuable TV audiences are no longer just sitting at home For decades, the advertising industry fixated on the living room and linear television viewership. Connected TV then reshaped how audiences stream and engage with content at home and on second-screen devices. But a new frontier is gaining momentum, and it looks a lot more like real life, Atmosphere TV reports. Call it CTV IRL: connected TV in the places where people are more frequently spending time, such as...
Most Americans considering personal loans are focused on debt reduction, not spending Personal loans have become an increasingly common financial tool, offering borrowers flexibility to fund everything from major purchases to unexpected bills. As adoption grows, a key question emerges: What is actually driving interest in personal loans today? New proprietary data from SoFi suggests the answer may be less about spending and more about financial optimization. As economic pressures continue to...
Are ADHD medications overprescribed in kids? Are too many kids taking ADHD medication? Understood examines the question of whether stimulant medications for ADHD are overprescribed, which has been around for years. Lately, it’s been coming up more and more. In September 2025, the Make America Healthy Again Commission published a report featuring concerns that too many children are being treated with prescription medication for ADHD. But is there a way to know if ADHD drugs are overprescribed? A...
What’s behind your eye-popping power bill? Here are the reasons, region by region. It’s no secret that U.S. electricity prices have been rising over the last few years: The average residential energy bill in 2025 was roughly 30% higher than in 2021. This jump is largely in line with the overall inflation Americans have experienced during this period. As the cost of groceries, gas, and housing has increased, so too has the cost of electricity, Grist reports. But there are big differences from sta...
Witaya Proadtayakogool // Shutterstock Hottest Aprils in Alabama since 1895 In 2022, the continental United States experienced its third hottest July since 1895, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while 20 states saw one of their 10 hottest days in the same month. The year prior, July marked the hottest month on record worldwide. Climate change is driving rising temperatures and more record heat. The Earth’s temperature has climbed each decade since 1...
What happens to bus ridership when gas prices spike Every time gas prices spike, Americans go through the same five stages. Disbelief at the pump. Quiet fury. Arithmetic. Googling. And then, for more of them than you'd expect, a decision that turns out to be more convenient than they expected. They get on the bus. As of March 20, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline sits at $3.84, up nearly 60 cents since the conflict in the Middle East disrupted Strait of Hormuz oil shipments...
Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocket The days are getting longer and W-2s are blooming, which can only mean one thing — the U.S. tax season is here. Many Americans may receive a bigger tax refund than in previous years as a result of changes under what has been dubbed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a package of tax breaks and spending cuts that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025. The act renewed tax cuts originally put in place in 20...
Independent contractor vs. sole proprietor vs. LLC: What's the difference? For many entrepreneurs, the legal aspects of starting a business loom large. One of the first things you’ll have to figure out when opening your business, and reconsider as you grow, is your business structure. If you’re comparing a limited liability company (an LLC) versus a sole proprietorship, this can be an important choice. This explainer from ERGO NEXT shows it’s not as complicated as it might sound. The differences...
Tiny surgical robots are bringing AI inside the human body, and they're closer than you think Tiny surgical robots are learning to make decisions inside the human body, using AI to interpret complex biological environments in real time. Unlike traditional minimally invasive procedures, where precision occurs at the tip of a rigid instrument, these microrobots navigate through tissue, gather data, take biopsies, and deliver treatment. The challenge is not just building devices small enough to...
Paying cash for healthcare: Can it save you money? You don’t need health insurance to access healthcare. In fact, you can pay out of pocket for healthcare even if you have insurance. Sometimes, doing this will cost less. GoodRx, a platform for medication savings, explains more about what’s known as cash-pay healthcare. Key takeaways: - Cash-pay healthcare means accessing medical treatment, preventive medicine, and wellness services without insurance. This is also known as paying out of poc...
