The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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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...
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...
What type of asthma inhaler is right for you? In the U.S., 25 million people are affected by asthma. That’s roughly 1 in 13 adults and children. Asthma can be mild or severe. Some people with asthma have symptoms every day. Others have symptoms that only kick in when they experience triggers. Since asthma is a lung issue, it’s often treated with medications that you breathe into your lungs. These medications are given using an inhaler. This guide from GoodRx, a platform for medication sav...
yul38885 // Shutterstock Coldest Aprils in Alabama since 1895 Stacker compiled a ranking of the coldest Aprils 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. April 2018 - Average temperature: 59.5°F - Monthly high...
How to generate passive income by selling digital products and growing your online audience Passive income gets talked about a lot, but it’s rarely explained in a way that feels realistic. For creators, freelancers, coaches, and small business owners, digital products are one of the most practical ways to do this. They allow you to turn knowledge, experience, or creative output into something that can be sold again and again, without needing to be delivered manually each time. In this a...
Media_Photos // Shutterstock Movies and TV shows casting across the US 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...
Why $4 gasoline is the tipping point for EVs Even as the U.S. and Israel reached a fragile two-week ceasefire with Iran, gasoline prices show no signs of a quick retreat. As of April 8, the national average stands at $4.16 per gallon, more than a dollar higher than at the start of the conflict. That's beyond a tipping point that experts say could push consumers toward electric vehicles, Grist reports. When gas prices top $4 per gallon, BloombergNEF estimates that the total cost of ownership for...
Tax season comes with a deadline. For people with disabilities, it also comes with a wall. Every year, millions of Americans sit down to file their taxes online. It's become the default, with roughly 94% of returns now filed electronically according to a federal review of the 2025 filing season, which means for most people, tax season looks something like this: pull up a website, enter some information, hit submit. It's not anyone's favorite task, but it gets done. For the roughly 70 million...
‘I’ll never have enough’: Why Americans feel broke despite making smart financial decisions A new Intuit Credit Karma/Harris Poll study finds 78% of Americans don't feel financially secure — and doing everything right is not enough. Most Americans believe they’ve made smart financial decisions, but doing the “right thing” doesn’t always feel like enough. Many believe that even if financial success exists on paper, it doesn’t guarantee that it will translate to comfort in real life. According t...
Your complete guide to buying an electric vehicle in 2026: What US consumers need to know Electric vehicles (EVs) are here to stay, and 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most interesting years for the EV market yet. With expanding model choices, evolving incentives for drivers, and changing federal policy, choosing the right EV isn’t just about selecting a car. It’s about understanding the costs, charging options, and long-term value ina shifting landscape. The General has pulled together a c...
Robots that can build colonies on Mars are already practicing in California You can't joystick a robot on Mars in real time. Radio signals from Earth take up to 22 minutes to arrive. This simple fact has stalled space construction for decades. The dream of building in space has long remained just that: an aspiration, a vision of an extraterrestrial jumping-off point for exploring the cosmos. But the gap between dream and reality is narrowing, driven by rapid advancements in AI and robotics....
