The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Pint-sized obsessions: America's favorite ice cream flavors and brands, according to Instacart data Just in time for National Ice Cream Day on July 19, Instacart dug into a year of ice cream orders to find the flavors and brands filling America's carts, along with the delightfully regional tastes that make every state unique. Ice cream occupies a rare sweet spot in the grocery aisle: It’s nearly universal in appeal yet deeply individual in taste. Ask 10 people their favorite flavor, and y...
The craftsmanship cliff: Woodworking named the trade hardest hit by skills shortage When construction and trades professionals are asked which single trade the skills shortage will hit hardest, they don't name electricians or plumbers first. They name the carpenters and woodworkers, and the consequence they point to most isn't a blown budget or a slipped schedule. It's a decline in the quality of the work itself. For this article, Eagle Woodworking surveyed 500 U.S. construction and trades...
How can you get help paying for your medications? Even with insurance, out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications can be surprisingly high. GoodRx research found that more than half of Americans have trouble paying for prescription medications, and nearly a third aren’t filling their prescriptions due to high costs. So how can you get help paying for your medications? Talking to your prescriber about more affordable options is a good first step. But there are many other ways to keep y...
Streaming sports: What TV technology makes for the best game day viewing Buying a television used to be relatively straightforward: Pick a screen size that fits the room, compare picture quality in the store, and choose a model that matched your budget. That’s no longer the case. In this article, electronics and technology company TCL breaks down which TV features matter most for streaming sports at home. For today’s consumers, buying a TV has shifted from a simple screen-size-versus- bud...
For the first time, Americans are getting more of their electricity from solar than coal Solar energy just provided more electricity in the United States than coal for the first time on record — marking a milestone for the rise of renewables in America. While gas and nuclear plants still lead the country’s energy mix, solar contributed 12.8% of the nation’s electricity in May, according to an analysis of government data by Ember, an energy think tank. Coal, meanwhile, provided just 12.2%. Just...
As cities abandon spy cameras, one company wants to add them to school buses Courts have upheld roadside plate readers for one reason: They stay put. But a plan to put them on school buses is testing that reason, BusesForSale reports. Depending on your location, your Instagram feed shows that more city councils are voting to pull their license plate cameras off the poles. Coralville, Iowa, pulled its Flock cameras the morning after the council voted to end the contract. Lynnwood, Washington,...
How homeowners can prepare before hurricane season peaks Live in a hurricane zone? The good news is that the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season (which spans June 1 to November 30) is anticipated to be milder than usual. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a 55% chance of below-normal activity, a 35% chance for a near-normal year, and a 70% probability of one to three major hurricanes. But don’t let that create a false sense of security. Let’s not forget the dev...
alisalipa // Shutterstock Coldest Julys in Alabama since 1895 Stacker compiled a ranking of the coldest Julys in Alabama since 1895 using data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. Rankings are based on the lowest average temperature in each month. For each of the coldest months listed below, we've included the average state temperature, state-wide highs and lows for the month, and the total precipitation. #10. July 1975 (tie) - Average temperature: 78°F - Monthly high...
Using home equity to pay off debt: Your options and how to decide High-interest debt can be difficult to get ahead of, especially when there are credit card balances involved. Federal Reserve data shows more than $1 trillion in revolving credit card debt is currently outstanding across U.S. households, so you’re far from alone if you’re looking for ways to manage large balances. If you own your home, the equity you’ve built may provide a way to address those balances. Using home equity to pay o...
5 clinician-backed techniques for managing stress and panic attacks Sometimes anxiety, depression, sleep problems, panic, and stress overtake people and cause them to struggle. Learning to cope is critical before these negative feelings become disruptive. Uncontrolled and unmanaged stress and anxiety also can contribute to health problems and upend the ability to consistently work, live life, and sustain meaningful relationships. But making it a priority to learn to cope safely can help....
Postpartum nutrition: What your body needs for healing, hormones and milk production The early postpartum period—often called the fourth trimester—is a time of major transition. While you’re getting to know your baby and settling into a new rhythm, your body is also doing significant work behind-the-scenes. You’re healing from pregnancy and birth. Your hormones are shifting quickly. If you’re breastfeeding, your body is producing milk day and night. And if your energy, appetite and routine f...
What to do after getting a hypertension alert from your smartwatch For years, smartwatches have helped us monitor our health. From tracking how many steps we take each day to measuring our heart rate, our watches have helped us stay healthy. More recently, many smartwatches can measure our blood pressure, letting the user take a reading as and when they need to. But now, thanks to FDA approval, users can receive a notification if their smartwatch detects signs of hypertension. This guide from...
Platner’s exit from Maine’s Senate race leaves Democrats in a deep financial hole Maine Democrats have plenty of questions about who will replace Senate nominee Graham Platner on the ballot. But one thing is clear — his successor will start from a severe financial disadvantage, OpenSecrets reports. Platner’s withdrawal amid a sexual assault allegation has triggered a scramble over who will replace him and exposed a deeper problem — a financial crater left behind in a pivotal race Democrats...
Pharmaceutical marketplaces: How online platforms are changing drug purchasing Pharmacies have spent the better part of a decade absorbing pressure that other industries felt only briefly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the people inside each pharmacy responsible for ordering medications and tracking inventory have felt it most. Their daily work of finding the right drug at the right cost has gotten harder as prices move week to week and reimbursement from pharmacy benefit managers keeps...
The quest to build a better AI tutor It’s easy to get swept up in the hype about artificial intelligence tutors. But the evidence so far suggests caution. Some studies have found that chatbot tutors can backfire because students lean on them too heavily, get spoonfed solutions, and fail to absorb the material. Even when AI tutors are designed not to give away answers, they haven’t consistently produced better results than learning the old-fashioned way without AI. Still, researchers who hav...
Power vs. progress: How canceled energy projects are threatening the AI boom One factor often missing from discussions of data center energy use is the number of planned energy projects that could provide the power required. Driven by the exponential growth of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the tech boom has ignited an unprecedented wave of capital allocation. Technology giants — including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft — are projected to invest a staggering $650 bil...
Do I really need a college degree to be successful? Deciding whether you need a college degree to build a rewarding future might feel overwhelming. Everywhere you turn — online, the news, your family — there’s a different story. Some people talk about billionaires who dropped out of college, while others point to studies showing that people with degrees tend to earn more over their lifetimes. The truth? There’s no single path to success or one-size-fits-all answer. This guide from The Univers...
Why concerns about tap water quality are getting harder to ignore Most people assume their tap water has already been tested for anything that could affect their health. Public water systems do test and treat drinking water to meet current standards, but research is moving quickly, and scientists continue to discover potentially harmful substances that may be in drinking water before regulations are updated to address them. That gap is putting tap water under closer scrutiny. Case in point:...
Are people with ADHD more likely to have car accidents? Driving is full of distractions, from cellphones to other drivers on the road. But for adults and teens dealing with symptoms of ADHD, like inattention and impulsivity, those disruptions can make driving especially risky. On average, adult drivers with ADHD in one study got into a crash every two years, and people with severe ADHD symptoms averaged one accident a year. A large study in JAMA Pediatrics found that teen and young adult...
A historic summer of sports is sweeping across the US, leaving fans to balance team spirit with surging costs It’s been an exciting stretch for sports in America, with the Knicks just ending a 53-year title drought, the FIFA World Cup on home soil for the first time in over 30 years, and Formula 1 now holding more races in the United States than in any other single country. As excitement around sports reaches new heights, so too does the amount of money fans are spending to be part of the a...
Maxim Grohotov // Shutterstock Hottest Julys 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 1880 by a...
Can students really skip college and earn a good living? Here’s what the data shows. For much of the last few decades, some young people have heard a simple mantra: bachelor’s or bust. That is, they were told that the best and perhaps only path to economic prosperity is through a four-year college education. Now a wide swath of politicians, educators, and philanthropists are rethinking this. Some even suggest that there are numerous lucrative jobs that don’t require a degree. A New York Times vi...
Where business aviation is climbing: The metros drawing more corporate jet traffic and high-income movers When it comes to measuring American wealth, tax return data and home-sales records are the usual go-to indicators. But by the time this information lands, it’s already a year or more after the migration trends have shifted. The growth of business aviation in specific areas offers a more unconventional and timely view. Private and corporate flying is discretionary, tracks closely to c...
Medicare now covers GLP-1s for weight loss: Here’s how to use the new Bridge program Historically, Medicare could not cover medications solely for weight loss. For Medicare enrollees interested in GLP-1 and related medications, this meant facing hundreds of dollars in out-of-pocket costs every month. But that changed on July 1, 2026, with a new pilot program that offers Medicare prescription plan enrollees access to weight-loss medications for a $50 monthly copay. Here, GoodRx, a platform for m...
A series of death cases raises questions about safety and oversight at detox centers Trust is the first thing families hand over when they walk a loved one through the doors of a detox or residential treatment center, and the decision is almost never made calmly. It tends to come within hours of an overdose or a phone call no family ever wants to take, with parents and spouses operating on the belief that medical oversight is already built into what is being provided. And the country is leaning...
