The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1923
How will tariffs impact your holiday shopping? Rising prices have been top of mind for consumers for several years, especially coming off the high inflation after the pandemic. Now, rising global tensions in 2025, including new tariffs, are starting to impact people’s wallets. In fact, the Harvard Business School Pricing Lab, which has been tracking the effect of tariffs on more than 350,000 goods, has found prices are around 5% higher as a result of them. As you’re preparing for your hol...
Thanksgrilling recipes and how to do it right Thanksgiving is a popular holiday; gratitude and good food are a winning combination. Adding grilling to the mix adds a twist on home-cooked favorites, gives you an excuse to be outside, and adds new flavors to family favorites. Wildfire Outdoor Living shares several steps to prepare for a great Thanksgrilling. Curate a grilling menu Are you going to grill your turkey or smoke it? What Thanksgiving sides will you be preparing? Should dessert go on...
Goblins AI math tutoring app clones your teacher’s looks and voice Math students can soon call upon an avatar of their classroom teacher — a round-faced cartoon created by artificial intelligence to capture their likeness, voice, vocabulary and cadence — to respond directly to their questions in real time. A new application designed to scale up extra help, Goblins was launched in the winter of 2024. Since then, a disembodied voice has been assessing students’ work in fifth- through 12th-gr...
How to handle employee misuse of company credit cards When an employee uses a company credit card for personal expenses, it could be a mistake or a deliberate act of misuse. This often happens when employees confuse their personal credit card with their employee credit card, especially during a business trip or while juggling both cards in their wallet. In either case, it's important to take action to address the situation and implement measures to prevent future misuse. Ramp walks through how...
America’s special education crisis: How teacher shortages threaten our most vulnerable students When news dies down regarding teacher shortages, they almost always start up again after only a short reprieve. This constant state of “one step forward, two steps back” has an even more worrying underlying issue: a shortage of special education teachers. These critical professionals assist students with learning, physical, emotional, or developmental disabilities, helping to foster their succe...
Aging at home: How families and care teams are meeting the rising demand for in-home support Across the country, older adults and their families share a common goal: the ability to live safely, independently, and confidently at home. The demand for home- and community-based services (HCBS) continues to grow, driven by an aging population and the desire for greater comfort, connection, and autonomy. States, managed care organizations (MCOs), and local agencies are responding with innovative...
stockcreations // Shutterstock Best BBQ restaurants in 50 major cities Barbecue in the United States is more than a way of cooking—it's a living tradition that traces the country's history of migration, ingenuity, and community. Its roots reach back to Indigenous peoples who slow-cooked meat over open pits, a technique that blended with African, Caribbean, and European influences during the colonial era. Enslaved Africans of the 1600s in particular shaped barbecue into what we know and love i...
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock Movies and TV shows casting in Huntsville The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans 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...
5 quick tricks to lower your car insurance without switching companies Ah, the monthly car insurance bill. It arrives in the mail or pops up in your email. For many, it’s just another necessary expense, one that often feels too high. You’ve probably considered switching companies, right? Maybe you’ve even spent a frustrating afternoon comparing car insurance quotes, only to decide the hassle just wasn’t worth the potential savings. Well, guess what? You can breathe a sigh of relief and put tha...
Mapping America’s EV adoption: Which states are leading the charge in 2025? As the U.S. accelerates towards a future of innovative transportation, not all states are keeping up. The rate of electric vehicle adoption across the country is more varied than many realize and is often shaped on a state-by-state basis by state policies, ability to deploy infrastructure, and economic or demographic factors. With some states surging ahead and others lagging behind, it’s crucial to map and analyze the...
Canva Hottest Novembers 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 about .14 degrees F...
How Amazon sellers can prep for a profitable (and chaos-free) Black Friday Black Friday is the retail event of the year. But on Amazon, it goes even further: It’s an algorithm-driven battlefield. Consumers are laser-focused on deals, especially Prime-exclusive discounts, and competition for the Amazon Featured Offer (formerly Amazon Buy Box) can be cutthroat. The opportunity? Huge. The stakes? Also huge. If you sell on Amazon, Black Friday can be a sales accelerator, but only if you’re pre...
The annuity rebrand: How self-directed investors are shaping the future of retirement income Over the past several decades, society has undergone a notable cultural shift — one marked by the transition from full-service gas stations to self-service pumps. This evolution reflects a broader movement toward autonomy that now permeates daily life, from self-checkout to investing for retirement. Research conducted in January 2025 by financial services company Gainbridge highlights how this shift i...
Trump gave the Labor Department more control over career-technical education. Will students benefit? Career and technical education is a lot more than learning to weld or draw blood. It can expose kids to jobs they didn’t even know existed and help them figure out what they want to do with their lives. It can also teach students concrete skills they can use on the job right after they graduate high school. But high school programs haven’t always lined up well with what employers are looking for...
Tips for finding a lawyer online that fits your needs Legal challenges can arise unexpectedly, and finding the right attorney quickly has become essential in today’s fast-paced world. The digital landscape offers unprecedented access to legal professionals, but navigating the vast array of options requires a strategic approach. The traditional method of searching through phone books or relying solely on personal referrals has evolved into a sophisticated online ecosystem. Modern legal d...
Understanding the mechanics of a HELOC: How a home equity line of credit works Becoming a homeowner is a major milestone, and the benefits don't end when you cross the threshold. Under the right circumstances, you can use your home as a tool to reach other financial goals. In fact, once you crunch the numbers, you might find that turning your home equity into spendable cash is the smartest of all your borrowing options. A home equity line of credit,known as a HELOC, is one way to consolidate...
Cristian Storto // Shutterstock Highest scoring NBA players born in Alabama Basketball has grown into a truly global game, with players from every corner of the world now filling NBA rosters. But the league's American roots still run deep — and many of its top scorers got their start in hometown gyms and high school courts across the United States. Stacker compiled a ranking of the highest scoring NBA players born in Alabama using data from Basketball-Reference.com. Players were ranked a...
An overhead view of a table full of cajun creole dishes. VDB Photos // Shutterstock A brief look at Black American history told through 10 food traditions Visit any region of the United States, and you'll find Black American cuisine with historic and multinational roots. Some dishes are so indelible to American culture that the contributions of African American chefs in their creation have largely been forgotten. "We are a race that has never before existed: a cobbled-together admixture of...
8 essential winter maintenance tasks home insurers expect you to do Alright, homeowners, let’s have a little chat about winter. It’s that magical time of year when cozy blankets, hot cocoa, and festive lights become essential. But let’s be real: For your home, winter isn’t always a wonderland. It’s more like a series of potential challenges, from bursting pipes to icy pathways. And while you’re snuggled up inside, your insurance company is quietly hoping you’re doing your part to keep those wi...
Major tax incentive for homeowners set to expire at the end of December Millions of American homeowners may not be aware that key financial incentives and tax credits will no longer be available at the end of this calendar year. On Dec. 31, 2025, federal tax credits established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are set to expire. American Home Shield breaks down what is changing and how homeowners can ensure they lock in savings before the end of the year. What was the Inflation Reduction...
7 hidden ways your phone tracks you without permission Most people know their phone uses GPS and cookies to follow their movements online. What’s less obvious is the quiet, passive tracking that happens every day without you tapping “Allow.” From motion sensors that map your daily routine to Bluetooth beacons logging who you’ve been near, modern smartphones carry a suite of tools that can gather far more than a location pin on a map. The Federal Trade Commission has already fined compani...
Your home has a 1 in 4 chance of being at severe risk from extreme weather Extreme weather disasters — made larger, longer, and more intense by climate change — are taking a heavier toll on the possession that many Americans consider to be their most important asset: the home. A slew of big events, including deadly wildfires in California and Oklahoma, tornadoes in Missouri and Kentucky, and floods in Texas, have already destroyed some 63,000 residential buildings and other structures so far...
Did you know? 5 motorcycle mods that can void your insurance coverage As a dedicated motorcycle enthusiast, the pursuit of performance, aesthetic perfection, and personalized engineering is a significant part of the riding experience. Customizing a motorcycle transcends simple ownership; it reflects an investment in passion and skill. However, this dedication to modification introduces a complex variable into your financial protection: motorcycle insurance coverage. Insurance providers assess...
A researcher’s view on using AI to become a better writer Writing can be hard, equal parts heavy lifting and drudgery. No wonder so many students are turning to the time-saving allure of ChatGPT, which can crank out entire papers in seconds. It rescues them from procrastination jams and dreaded all-nighters, magically freeing up more time for other pursuits, like, say … doomscrolling. Of course, no one learns to be a better writer when someone else (or some AI bot) is doing the work for the...
How dads’ stress and mental health can influence their children’s development The transition to parenthood can be an anxious time for expectant moms and dads. A recent study shows that stress on fathers before and after the birth of a baby could affect their children’s development. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics in June, involved a meta-analysis of 84 studies and found that paternal mental distress around the time of birth was assoc...
