Housing in America has become a huge burden for many people. Right now, in 2026, rents and home prices are so high that they’ve outpaced what most workers earn. This leaves renters and people trying to buy homes feeling stuck and stressed. According to recent reports, nearly half of all renters—about 22.7 million households—spend more than 30% of their income just on rent and utilities. Over 12 million of them pay more than half their paycheck on housing. Even though rent increases have slowed a bit lately because of new apartments being built and softer demand, the bigger picture shows rents have jumped 30% (after adjusting for inflation) since 2001, while renter incomes have only grown by 9%.
Steven Michaud speaks at a panel discussion in Waterville in May 2025. “It’s not a solvable problem,” Michaud said recently about rising health care costs. “The affordability crisis is not solvable.” (Photo by Garrick Hoffman)Steven Michaud stepped down on March 1 as president of the M...
Colorado booze businesses successfully fought off two proposals to increase alcohol taxes and fees this week.Members of the House Health & Human Services Committee voted down both House Bill 26-1271 — which would have imposed new fees on beer, wine and spirits to fund addiction prevention a...
In an age of rampant misinformation and polarized discourse, the ability to spot logical fallacies and cognitive biases is crucial for clear thinking and sound decisions. Fallacies—like ad hominem attacks or straw man arguments—undermine arguments with flawed logic. Biases—such as confirmation bias (favoring evidence that supports preexisting views) or availability heuristic (overweighting vivid examples)—distort judgment unconsciously.
By CATHY BUSSEWITZNEW YORK (AP) — Beth Brown was assigned to a major project at work when hardship struck. First, her 6-month-old daughter fell ill with COVID-19. A few days later, her mother passed away.Brown, director of health and well-being at a company that provides employee mental health ...
Imagine a America where kids aren't drowning in junk food, drug prices don't bankrupt families, and science finally tackles the real roots of illness. That's the vision driving the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. since 2025. With the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, they're battling a crisis hitting 6 in 10 Americans—up from 4 in 10 back in the '90s.
The three major Democratic candidates vying to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin clashed Monday night over who would be the strongest opponent to President Donald Trump and his aggressive deportation enforcement operations, each vowing to varying degrees to end the current tactics of his fed...