Clocks fall back today, and once again my body didn't get the memo. Why the twice-a-year time change hurts sleep, raises heart attack and crash risks, and why Congress still can't pick a side.
Why a Nature Conservancy donor was happy to find two big Midwest preserves: Nachusa Grasslands in Illinois, with its bison herd, and the 20,000-acre Edge of Appalachia Preserve System in Ohio.
A tongue-in-cheek story about a small business SWOT analysis presentation that keeps getting interrupted by one example slide: a pile of free black dirt. Plus why free dirt grabs every Midwesterner's attention and what to check before you haul it home.
Marijuana smoke in parking lots, cigar smoke from the neighbors, and the smoking sections millennials grew up with. Why smoke-free laws were a gift, and why vaping is the next fight.
Rory Sutherland's 'doorman fallacy' explains why replacing people with automation often cuts value you never measured. What it means for businesses rushing into AI.
Sympathy, empathy, and compassion aren't the same thing. A plain-spoken guide to the difference and how each one helps us be better neighbors.
Before pumpkin spice takes over, there's orchard season. Apple cider, fresh apples, and the tastes and traditions that mark the slow arrival of fall in the Midwest.
Video poker machines are replacing restaurant tables and storefronts. How the chase for gambling money is wearing away the look and feel of our communities.
Is the Midwest really accent-free? Why TV networks favored Midwestern voices like Tom Brokaw, how 'General American' spread, and the quirks like 'ope' and pop vs. soda that give us away.
A summer road trip across Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and a Rust Belt town split between crumbling factories and signs of new life.
Driving without insurance pushes your risk onto everyone else. How uninsured drivers affect the rest of us, and why uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is worth having.
Euchre, spades, and other partner card games teach communication, trust, and how to play the hand you're dealt. Why card night still matters, plus a quick primer on euchre.
Phones lighting up during a live show tear down the 'fence' of shared space. Why theater etiquette matters, how artists are pushing back, and simple rules for being a good audience member.
An expensive hotel with paper-thin toilet paper, a gas station that did better, and why the small details reveal what a business really values. Plus, a case for the bidet.
Day trips and staycations are a smart way to actually rest without the cost of a big vacation. How to plan one that feels like a real break, with Midwest day trip ideas.
The quiet kind of hoarding: homes that aren't a disaster, just full. Why millennials are inheriting decades of stuff and how to start clearing it out before it becomes someone else's job.
Life is a long-game investment. On planting trees whose shade you'll never sit in, practical ways to leave things better than you found them, and why greed fails the next generation.
How shareholders, private equity buyouts, and corporate consolidation change the simple math of business, and why customers and workers end up paying for it.
The loudest guy at the hardware store usually knows the least. On the Dunning-Kruger effect, the quiet confidence of real experience, and how to tell the difference.
Slug Bug gets a modern update: give a thumbs down when you spot a Tesla Cybertruck. A look at the truck's recalls, its reputation, and why an EV driver isn't a fan.
Rooftop solar is like growing your own tomatoes: you know the dirt and skip the middleman. Lessons from having solar on a Midwest roof since 2022, and what to check before you buy.
Squirrels are rodents with a great publicist and a habit of digging up your garden. Why they dig, what they're actually doing, and practical ways to protect your seedlings.
One purchase shouldn't mean two emails a day forever. On marketing emails, nonprofit fundraising mail, and 'ask your doctor' TV ads, plus how to cut down the noise.
A recirculating microwave fan isn't a vent. Why ducted range hoods matter for smoke, grease, humidity, and gas stove pollution, plus how to get the most out of the one you have.
