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3 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800What's in the price of a gallon of gas?The U.S. EnergyInformation Administrationexpects nationwide retailgasoline prices to averagenear $4.30 a gallon for April2026 -- the highest monthlyaverage of the year. Thepolitical response has beenfamiliar. Georgiahas suspended its state gastax, other states areweighing their own taxholidays, and the WhiteHouse has issueda temporary waiver of a lawknown as the Jones Act inhopes of moving moredomestic fuel to East Coastports.As an energy economist, Iam often asked about whatcontributes to gas prices andwhat different policies cando to affect them.The price of a retail gallonof gas is the sum of fourthings: the cost of crude oil,refining, distribution andmarketing, and taxes.In nationwide figures fromJanuary 2026, crude oilaccounted for about 51% ofthe pump price, refiningroughly 20%, distribution andmarketing about 11% andtaxes about 18%. That mixshifts with conditions: Whencrude oil prices spike, thatcan drive more than 60% ofthe price; when the pricedrops, taxes and logistics arelarger shares of the cost.Crude oil is thebiggest ingredientBecause the price ofcrude oil is the largestelement, most of the price atthe pump is derived fromthe global oil market.Usually, big swings incrude prices come mainlyfrom shifts in global demandand expectations -- not fromsupply disruptions, accordingto widely cited research in2009 by the economist LutzKilian.But what is happening inearly 2026 with the war inIran is one of the exceptions:a classic supplyshock. Severe disruptions toshipping through the Straitof Hormuz and attacks onMiddle East oil infrastructurehave taken millions of barrelsa day off the global market.Most drivers generallycan't quickly reduce howmuch they drive or howmuch gas they use whenprices rise, so gasolinedemand doesn't changemuch in the short run. Thatmeans a jump in crude coststends to result in peoplepaying more rather thandriving less.Refining, regulationsand the CaliforniapuzzleRefining turns crude intogasoline at industrial scale.The U.S. doesn't have asingle gasoline market,though. Roughly a quarter ofU.S. gasoline is a cleanerburning blend of petroleumderived chemicals called\"reformulated gasoline,\"which is required in urbanareas across 17 states andthe District of Columbia toreduce smog.California uses an evenstricter formulation that fewout-of-state refineries make.California is alsogeographically isolated: Nopipelines bring gasoline infrom other U.S. refiningregions.California's gasoline priceshave long run above thenational average, explained inpart by higher statetaxes and stricterenvironmental rules. Butsince a refinery fire inTorrance, California, in2015 reduced productioncapacity, the state's priceshave been about 20 to 30cents a gallon higher thanwhat those factors wouldindicate.Energy economist andUniversity of California,Berkeley, professor SeverinBorenstein has called thisthe \"mystery gasolinesurcharge\" and attributes itto the fact that there isn't asmuch competition betweenrefineries or gas stations inCalifornia as in other states.California's own Division ofPetroleum Market Oversightsays the surcharge cost thestate's drivers about $59billion from 2015 to 2024.It's not exactly clear who isgetting that money, but itcould be gas stationsthemselves or refineries,through complex contractswith gas stations.Getting the gas intoyour carThe distribution andmarketing category coversthe costs of everythinginvolved in getting thegasoline from the refinerygate to your tank.Gasoline moves bypipeline, ship, rail and truckto wholesale terminals, andthen by local delivery truckto service stations.At the retailer's end, thekey factors are station rentand labor, the cost to buygasoline in bulk to be able tosell it, credit card fees of asmuch as 6 to 10 cents agallon at current prices, andfranchise fees paid to thenational brand, such asSunoco or ExxonMobil, forpermission to put theirbranding on the gas station.Smart Reader is published bi-weekly by Carmichael CommunicationsEditor & Publisher/Frank J. Carmichael • Assistant to the Publisher/Reanna Stockdale Sales/Kim Carmichael, Madison Giannini • Reception/Sarah Coleman Ad Design & Layout/Glen Kelly, Dylan Valenta, Francis Flex • Editorial Manager/Jason HedmanCarmichael Communications 1420 63rd St. Kenosha, WI 53143May 14, 2026Volume 24 Number 10262-564-8800 • 1-800-568-6623 •www.hap2it.comrequbiglobesinstFeex$20$ofinwhaclHthstrebutuJathalsopintprrereopSoConsumer sentiment hits record low amid concerns about high pricesConsumer sentiment inthe United States has hitanother record low asAmericans worry about thecost of life as gas pricescontinue to rise amid thewar in Iran.A monthly University ofMichigan survey found thatconsumer sentimentdropped 3.2% in the lastmonth -- from 49.8 to 48.2 -- and was down 7.7% overthe course of the year, theuniversity's Institute forSocial Research said.Joanne Hsu, director ofthe university's Surveys ofConsumers, said thatconsumer sentiment is\"essentially unchanged\" fromApril, while the currenteconomic conditions surveydropped 9% because of highprices affecting personalfinances and whether peoplewill make major purchases.The decline in the currenteconomic conditions surveywas down nearly 19% fromlast year.She pegged the surveyresults to the effects ofthe U.S.-Israeli war in Iran,and specifically thewidespread effects thatIranian and U.S. blockades ofthe Strait of Hormuz havehad on the global economy.\"Taken together,consumers continue to feelbuffeted by cost pressures,led by soaring prices at thepump,\" Joanne Hsu, directorof the survey, said in ananalysis.\"Middle Eastdevelopments are unlikely tomeaningfully boostsentiment until supplydisruptions have been fullyresolved and energy pricesfall,\" she said.Hsu noted that, in thesurveys, \"about one-third ofconsumers spontaneouslymentioned gasoline prices,and about 30% mentionedtariffs.\"The index of consumerexpectations did, however,show a 0.8% gain from lastmonth, and is up 1.3% overlast year.May's consumer sentimentsurvey is the lowest goingback to 1952 -- April also seta record -- althoughmarkets did notreact significantly after theinstitute published itspreliminary data for thismonth's surveys.The Bureau of LaborStatistics also released itsApril jobs report, whichshowed that the economygained 115,000 non-farmpayroll jobs -- more thandouble what Wall Streetexpected -- but down fromthe 185,000 added in March.For the 12 months endedin April, BLS noted that netpayrolls were relativelyunchanged.The unemployment ratefor April was unchangedfrom March at 4.3%.By Stephen Fellercontinues on page 4SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:55 PM Page 2
4 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-88005924.isitnses,tsndrsngherybyckndckhentuytoasandheasoreirn.British oil giant Shellreported a jump in firstquarter profit to $6.92billion on the back of higherglobal oil prices which havebeen pushed sharply highersince the war with Iranstarted at the end ofFebruary.The above-marketexpectations performance --$1.34 billion higher than in2025 -- was largely due to$100-plus prices for a barrelof Brent crude, theinternational benchmark,which had been changinghands at $73 prior to theclosure of the Strait ofHormuz immediately afterthe United States and Israelstruck Iran.Shell said \"exceptional\"results from its oil tradingbusiness had helped it toturn its highest profit for theJanuary to March period inthree years. The companyalso credited its refineryoperations that turn crudeinto petrol, jet fuel and otherproducts.\"Shell delivered strongresults enabled by ourrelentless focus onoperational performance ina quarter marked byunprecedented disruption inglobal energy markets,\" saidShell chief executive WaelSawan.\"The safety of our peopleremains our priority as wework closely withgovernments and customersto address their energyneeds,\" he said, referencingattacks on oil productionfacilities in the Persian Gulfand supply disruption causedby the closure of the straitthrough which 20% of theworld's oil and gas passes.Shell's bumper earningscame a week after rival BPreported a 140% jump infirst quarter profit to $3.2billion, up from $1.38 billionin the same period last yearand way above the $2.63billion the market predictedit would make.Last week, Norway'sEquinor also reported itsstrongest earnings in threeyears, posting firstquarter profit of $9.77billion.U.S. oil giants, however,have not fared as well, thewindfall from higher pricesseemingly passing them by.Exxon and Chevron, thetwo biggest, reported Q1profits down 45% and 36%respectively, compared withthe same period in 2025.The companies blameddeliveries being placed onhold and supply disruptionsin the Middle East forperformances that sawExxon's profit almost halveto $4.2 billion, down fromabout $7.7 billion in thesame quarter last year, whileChevron's fell to $2.2bnfrom about $3.5 billion.However, both companiesalso said the \"timing\" ofphysical oil deliveries meantthey were unable to bookthe profit from the high oilprice in their results for thequarter, but that they nowexpected to also beginbenefiting from the higherprice.Exxon said it made $8.8billion profit excluding thoseunfavorable effects whileChevron said it would havemade about $5.2 billion.Both companies still cameout ahead of Wall Streetexpectations.By Paul GodfreyShell reports bumper earnings of $6.92B for first quarterSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:55 PM Page 3FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800SR051426FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AT1420-63rd Street, Kenosha, WIMonday - Friday from 10am-4pm• Dependable individual w/ your own vehicle & automobile insurance• Available on Wednesday afternoons & Thursdays mornings• Able to lift & carry at least 50 lbs051426REQUIREMENTSDELIVERY HELP NEEDEDPart-time position available to deliver Happenings Magazine.SR060525Call Alex at 262-344-6736For a free estimateCall Alex at 262-344-6736For a free estimateAlex Fence & Repairs lex Fence & RepairsWhy settle for wood posts when you can get lifetime steel posts. Our best seller!No dig, no mess and at a low price.Why settle for wood posts when you can get lifetime steel posts. Our best seller!No dig, no mess and at a low price.WE BEAT ANY PRICETOP QUALITY WORKONE DAY LEAD TIMENEXT DAY INSTALLATIONS25% OFF ANY WRITTEN ESTIMATESW E BEAT ANY PRICETOP QUALITY WORKONE DAY LEAD TIMENEXT DAY INSTALLATIONS25% OFF ANY WRITTEN ESTIMATESKenosha Funeral Services and CrematoryPrepay for your funeral now and the price will be guaranteed. 8226 Sheridan Rd. Kenosha, WI 53143(262) 652-1943www.kenosha-funeral-services.comQuality • Value • ServiceWhen you need it the mostMake An Appointment To Pre-Plan Your Funeral TodayCremation with Rental Casket & Services.. $8,275Includes: Professional Service Fee, Embalming, Dressing, Casketing, Cosmetology, 1-hour Visitation, Funeral Services, Transfer of Remains to our Facility, Cremation Fee, and Rental Casket. 021926
5 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800Energy Secretary ChrisWright said the Trumpadministration is \"open\" tothe possibility of suspendingthe federal tax on gasolinesales as prices spike amid theU.S.-Israeli war against Iran.Wright said during anappearance on NBC's Meetthe Press he and Trump are\"open to all ideas\" to lowerenergy prices, includingfollowing the lead of someU.S. states in temporarilyshelving taxes on gas at thepump amid the price surge.\"All measures that can betaken to lower the price atthe pump and lower theprices for Americans, thisadministration is in supportof,\" he said. \"We areconstantly looking fordifferent ideas.\"Citing previous measuressuch as releasing oil from theU.S. strategic petroleumreserves and \"revisingfederal regulations onsummer gasoline blends tomake it easier for Americanrefineries to produce moregasoline,\" Wright said thesuspension of the 18-centsper-gallon federal tax on gasis also on the table.\"We are working everyday to offset this rise inprices because of a criticalconflict in Iran to driveprices down, and we're opento all such ideas,\" he said.Wright's comments cameas the average national priceof a gallon of regularunleaded gasoline stood at$4.52 per gallon as of lastMonday, according to theAutomobile Association ofAmerica.U.S. drivers have seensharp increases in pumpprices in recent weeks afterIran blocked the vital Straitof Hormuz waterwayconnecting Persian Gulf oiland natural gas producerswith world markets.The move came inretaliation to a wave U.S.-Israeli bombing attacks onIran beginning Feb. 28, whichWashington and Tel Avivclaim were necessary toprevent the imminentdevelopment of a nuclearweapon by Iran's rulers.The price of regular gaslast week surged 25 centsfor the second consecutiveweek to $4.55 -- $1.40higher than they were a yearago and marking theirhighest level since 2022, theAAA reported.Crude oil prices havedipped below $100 perbarrel while a fragile ceasefire between the UnitedStates and Iran has been inplace and negotiations toreopen the Strait have beenongoing. But with global oilsupplies tightening, upwardspressure on pump pricescontinues.In a separate appearanceon CBS News' Face theNation last Sunday, Wrightrefused to predict were gasprices were heading.\"I don't know the future ofgas prices,\" he said whileadmitting that \"gasoline anddiesel prices are up, and theywill remain up while thisconflict's in place, and thenthey will come back down.\"And, ultimately, they'llcome back down lower thanthey were before.\"By Don JacobsonTrump 'open' to suspending gas tax during Iran War price surgeWhat's in the price of a gallon of gas?continued from page 2hAfahhtccocSCinaacdAvhrAhstaHTGcalibindinJoainnccfafiwcdomfotCMost gas stationoperators net only a fewcents per gallon on fuel itself-- which is why many gasstations are reallyconvenience stores withpumps out front. Borensteinand some of hiscollaborators have alsodocumented that retail gasprices rise quickly whenwholesale costs climb butfall slowly when wholesalecosts drop.The question of gastax holidaysThe federal governmentcharges a tax on fuel, of 18.4cents a gallon forgasoline and 24.3 cents agallon for diesel. Statescharge their own taxes,ranging from 70.9 cents agallon for gas in California to8.95 cents in Alaska.When gas prices rise,many politicians start talkingabout temporarilysuspending their state's gastax. That does reduce prices,but not as much aspoliticians - or consumers -might hope. Research onpast gas tax holidays hasfound that consumersget about 79% of thereduction in gas taxes. Thatmeans oil companies andfuel retailers keep aboutone-fifth of the tax cut forthemselves rather thanpassing that savings to thepublic.Gas tax holidays alsoreduce funding for whatthe taxes are designed topay for, typically roads andbridges. That pushes roadand bridge upkeep costsonto future drivers andgeneral taxpayers.There is an additionalproblem, too: Taxes ongasoline are supposed tocharge drivers for some ofthe costs their drivingimposes on everyone else --carbon emissions, local airpollution, congestion andcrashes. But Borenstein hasfound that U.S. fuel tax levelsare already far below thetrue cost to society.Removing the tax on driverseffectively raises the costsfor everyone else.The Jones Act: Asmall number thatadds upThe 1920 Jones Act is afederal law that requirescargo moving between U.S.ports to travel on vesselsbuilt and registered in theU.S., owned by U.S. citizens,and crewed primarily by U.S.citizens and permanentresidents. Of the world's7,500 oil tankers, only 54meet this requirement. Only43 of these can transportrefined fuels such asgasoline.So, despite significantrefining capacity on the GulfCoast, some U.S. gasoline isexported overseas even asthe Northeast imports fuel,in part reflectingthe relatively high cost ofmoving fuel between U.S.ports.Economists Ryan Kelloggand Rich Sweeney estimatethat the law raises EastCoast gasoline prices byabout a penny and a half pergallon on average, costingdrivers roughly $770 milliona year. In light of the war'seffect on gas prices, theTrump administrationhas temporarily suspendedthe Jones Act requirements -- an action more commonlytaken when hurricanesknock out Gulf Coastrefineries and pipelinenetworks.What moves thenumberThe result of all thesefactors is that the price thatdrivers see at the pumpmostly reflects the globalprice of crude, plus a stackof domestic costs, only someof which are inefficient.Tax holidays give a partial,short-lived rebate. Jones Actwaivers trim pennies, thoughpermanent repeal may causemore fundamental changes,such as reduced rail andtruck transport of all goods,which could lower costs,emissions and infrastructuredamage associated withcargo transportation.Harmonizing fuel blendsacross states and seasonsmay lower prices somewhat,but likely at the expense ofincreased emissions.Ultimately, the bestprotection against oil priceshocks is a more efficientgas-burning vehicle, or onethat doesn't burn gasoline atall. In the meantime, the bestI can offer as an economist isclarity about what that $4.30actually buys.By Robert I. HarrisSecretary of Energy Chris Wright said the Trumpadministration is \"open\" to suspending the federal tax ongasoline sales as prices surge amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:54 PM Page 4
6 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800eyhisen.y'llanonA sustained increase inhantavirus infections inArgentina and a sharp rise infatal cases in Chile this yearhave raised concerns amonghealth authorities, who linkthe situation to climatechange and the transmissioncapacity of the Andes strainof the virus.What began as a seasonalconcern in rural areas ofSouth America's SouthernCone has evolved into aninternational health alertafter an outbreak detectedaboard the expeditioncruise ship MV Hondius.The vessel, whichdeparted from Ushuaia,Argentina, in March on avoyage toward the Arctic,has become a symbol of therisks associated with theAndes strain, the onlyhantavirus variant known tospread between humansthrough close contact,according to the WorldHealth Organization.WHO Director-GeneralTedros AdhanomGhebreyesus said that fiveconfirmed hantavirus casesand three suspected caseslinked to the cruise havebeen identified. Three of theinfected passengers havedied, while one remains inintensive care inJohannesburg, South Africa,and another is hospitalizedin Switzerland, Spanishnewspaper El País reported.So far in 2026, Chile hasconfirmed 39 hantaviruscases through May, with afatality rate of 33%. Thefigures surpass 2025 totals,when Chile recorded 44cases and eight deathsduring the entire year. Mostof the infected patients aremen involved in rural andforestry activities, accordingto Chile's Health Ministry.In Argentina, the NationalEpidemiological Bulletin hasreported 42 confirmedcases this year. Localauthorities are particularlyconcerned about themortality rate, which hasranged between 31% and39% in 2026, significantlyabove the historical averageof about 22%.Health experts warn thatearly hantavirus symptomsare often confused withinfluenza or COVID-19,delaying medical treatmenteven though the disease canrapidly progress into severecardiopulmonary syndrome.Researchers link theincrease in infections toclimate change. Milder andshorter winters in Patagoniaand central Argentina haveallowed larger populationsof long-tailed pygmy ricerats, the primary carriers ofthe virus, to survive andreproduce more frequently.Authorities have alsodetected the spread of thevirus into more populatedareas. In Argentina, thecentral region, includingBuenos Aires, Santa Fe andEntre Ríos provinces, nowaccounts for more than 70%of reported cases,surpassing the historicallyaffected Andean region.Investigators believe theoutbreak aboard the MVHondius may haveoriginated from initialexposure to infectedrodents near ports orexcursion sites beforespreading among passengersand crew members.According to mediareports, the Dutch couplewho died after the cruisehad traveled extensivelythrough Argentina, Chile andUruguay before boardingthe vessel. Authoritiessuspect they may havecontracted the virus duringan excursion near Ushuaia.Argentine health officialssaid they have deployedoperations to capture andtest rodents in Tierra delFuego province todetermine whether thecruise-related infectionsoriginated there.Chile's Health Ministrysaid in a statement that thereported primary cases hadtraveled through Chileduring a period inconsistentwith the virus' incubationtimeline, suggesting theexposure most likely did notoccur in the country.Health authorities led bythe World HealthOrganization have so farruled out the risk of a globalepidemic, describing theoutbreak as a public healthevent of limitedinternational concern.Although concernsremain over the Andesstrain's ability to spreadbetween humans, expertssaid hantavirus does nottransmit as easily asrespiratory viruses such asCOVID-19 because itrequires prolonged closecontact.As a result, authoritiesconsider the risk to thepopulation outside theaffected areas to be verylow, provided isolationprotocols and monitoringmeasures remain in place forpassengers who were incontact with infectedpeople.By Macarena HermosillaChile, Argentina report rise in deadly hantavirus casesetplke,the,d,,eh.sst,ftetetts0sThe Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius is anchored off the coast of the city of Praia on the island ofSantiago, Cape Verde, on after three people died onboard from an acute respiratory syndrome.SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:54 PM Page 5SR 031926
7 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800OPINIONThe ridiculous irony inPresident Donald Trump’spost-assassination attemptinterview has unfortunatelybeen overshadowed byendless head scratchingabout whether politicalviolence is rising, stagnant, oris often mischaracterized.It’s the latter.We should begin worryingwhen a wide majority ofAmericans lose the ability toisolate fringe, conspiratorial,or wild stretches ofimagination fromdocumented truths.We’re not there yet. Butthe mechanisms for it tohappen are in place and beingsharpened daily.Misinformation can thriveonline. We all know this.Siloed from otherviewpoints, individuals can godown rabbit holes, formingincredibly hardenedideologies that aren’t basedin fact. Enamored with theseviews, sometimes coupledwith mental illness, a personcan lash out, often aided byeasy access to firearms.This pattern played out interrifying form at the WhiteHouse Correspondents’Dinner.The assailant, Cole TomasAllen, was quickly takendown by Secret Serviceagents as he sprintedthrough the hotel, pastcheckpoints, loaded witharms.Trump, thankfully, wasunharmed.But in his post interviewOPINIONPeople of a certain agewill recall a lyric from theTennessee Ernie Ford song“Sixteen Tons”: “Anotherday older and deeper indebt.”I thought of that song asSecretary of War PeteHegseth asked Congress toapprove a $1.5 trillionbudget for fiscal year 2027to put the military on whathe called a “wartimefooting.” Hegseth says thePentagon needs the moneyfor more drones, munitionsand modernized systems.Though President Trumphas denied it, bragging thatwe have the strongestmilitary in the world, itwould appear that the Iranconflict has significantlydepleted U.S militaryresources.Whatever Congressdecides to do in responseto Hegseth’s request will bedone with borrowedmoney, because we don’thave enough resources –and haven’t for some time –to pay for the unrestrainedspending Congress loves todo. Notice there were nopledges of cost reductionsin Hegseth’s request. Therenever are when it comes togovernmentIf you want to beshocked, assuming we areshocked about much thesedays, visit usdebtclock.organd watch the numbers risefaster than a space rocket.It’s $39 trillion andcounting with the averagecost to each Americanfamily of $114,130,according to the Peter G.Peterson Foundation. Nonation in history has everbeen able to shoulder suchdebt and survive. Thepoliticians don’t seem tocare as long as they candole out money to keepthemselves in office.I have written about thedebt before, but it bearsrepeating until Congresstakes action. Whatfrustrates those who arepaying attention to the debtis that it is not anunsolvable problem. It’sbeen fixed before, evenwithin recent memory formany people.In the mid-1990s, anunlikely partnership wasforged between PresidentBill Clinton and SpeakerNewt Gingrich to addressthe debt, which hadincreased from $4.8 trillionto $5.6 trillion. Chumpchange compared to today.From fiscal years 1998 to2001, thanks to the 1997Balanced Budget Act, thefederal governmentachieved four consecutivebudget surpluses. Therewas still debt but surpluseswere reducing it. Whatcreated the surpluses?Clinton and Gingrichaddressed the biggestdrivers of the debt –Medicare and Medicaid, theso-called “third rail.” Theymanaged to cut $115billion in Medicarespending, $14 billion inMedicaid, along withsignificant reductions indiscretionary spending toeliminate the deficit by2002. Much of this wasdone by removingfraudsters and theunentitled from the rolls.Sound familiar? While VicePresident JD Vance hasbeen tasked with rootingout fraud as in the childcare centers in Minnesota,no one wants to re-visitMedicare and Medicaid,especially with electionsjust five months away.Somebody has to do it.According to the KiplingerRetirement Report andnumerous otherprojections, the “MedicareHospital Insurance (Part A)trust fund is projected tobe exhausted by 2033-2040, requiring automaticbenefit cuts of 11-13% ifnot addressed. WhileMedicare itself won’t totally‘run out,’ it will only coverroughly 89-90% of costs.Medicaid is fundeddifferently via federal/statetaxes, so it does not facethe same ‘trust fund’insolvency, but is facingsevere funding pressure,with 2025 legislationimplementing significantcuts.”These would not betough choices if the publicwas properly prepared. Thereduction in benefitsand/or an increase in taxesis inevitable. Means testing,allowing people to choosea hybrid retirement fundcombining reduced SocialSecurity payments withinvestments in the stockmarket and other reformswould save the programsfor those who need it andallow more individuals tocare for themselves insteadof burdening thegovernment.Simple, right? If only thepoliticians would do whatthey know must be done.Who is monitoringthe debt?with Cal ThomasReaders may email CalThomas [email protected] for Cal Thomas’ latestbook “A Watchman in theNight: What I've Seen Over50 Years Reporting onAmerica\" (HumanixBooks).my turnadonlaFunewM\"ocaoftogopltuBuresofuurthenroAis wmanwPlmnathisonoabdea ofWpwstory continues on page 7On political violence,the White Houseshould watch where it points a fingerwith Mary SanchezReaders can reach MarySanchez [email protected] follow her on [email protected] check their phones in the lobby of the Washington Hilton after shots were heardduring the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026.SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:54 PM Page 6
8 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800ewntecessg,edalhkssdodeeatOPINIONThe Trumpadministration argued thatone crucial reason forlaunching Operation EpicFury was to ensure Irannever developed nuclearweapons.In June, OperationMidnight Hammer had\"obliterated\" Iran's nuclearcapability burying its supplyof enriched uranium undertons of rubble.That was all well andgood.But what about Iran'splutonium? Plu-what? Itturns out that in itsBushehr light water nuclearreactor facility, Iran hassome 210 tons of \"spentfuel.\" Spent fuel consists ofuranium rods used to fuelthe reactor that have lostenergy. To \"recharge\" theserods, they are reprocessed.And one of the byproductsis plutonium.Plutonium 239 isweapons grade and is usedmore extensively in nuclearand thermonuclearweapons than uranium-235.Plutonium does not exist inmeaningful amountsnaturally. The physics arethat U-238, the dominantisotope in nuclear fuel andnot usable in a weapon,absorbs a neutron anddecays into Pu-239.It remains radioactive fora long time, with a half-lifeof more than 24,000 years.Most people have neverheard of plutonium or itsuse in weapons because ofits advantages over highlyenriched uranium (U-235)rather than U-238, thelatter being the non-fissileisotope.\"Fat Man,\" the secondU.S. A-bomb, which wasdropped on Nagasaki in1945, was made of Pu-239.Pu-239 requires a smallercritical mass for detonationthan U-235 and a higherfission cross-section,meaning it sustains a chainreaction more efficiently.Hence, lesser amounts ofPu-239 are needed in aweapon than U-235 --about 10 kilograms asopposed to roughly 52 kg.But reprocessing spentfuel into Pu-239 is far moredifficult than enriching U238 into the explosive U235. Enrichment is achievedby centrifuges that separateU-235 from U-238. Pu-239is created through themore complex PUREX(Plutonium UraniumExtraction) process and achemical reduction andrepetitive purification cycle.Pu-239 weapons are alsomore difficult to design. Pu239 weapons contain smallamounts of Pu-240 that canprevent an explosion. So,Pu-239 weapons require animplosion device thatsimultaneously andexplosively compresses aplutonium sphere to causea critical chain reactionunlike the simpler U-235weapon that can be firedinto a chamber to producedetonation.What does this mean? Ifthe fear is that Iran can orwill build a nuclear weapon,destroying or neutralizingits supply of enricheduranium is only a partialsolution.But what aboutplutonium? What can orwould the administrationdo about the plutoniumoption if Iran were topursue it, and how aware ofthis issue is the WhiteHouse, as it has not raisedthis issue publicly?In the past, theagreement between Iranand Russia called for Russiato remove all the spent fuelfrom the Bushehr reactor.That transfer seems to becontinuing. Further, it isunclear and probablyunlikely that Iran has thecapacity for reprocessing.But having a covert facilityis not entirely out of thequestion, no matter howunlikely.The inconsistency isobvious. U-235 is theproblem calling for militaryaction. Pu-239 is ignored ornot perceived as a problem.To be fair, few good optionsare present for dealing withPu-239.Any direct attack on theBushehr light-water reactorcould produce aChernobyl-like disasterunleashing vast amounts ofhighly radioactive material.Given the wind patterns,Russia and China would beaffected.A land attack to occupyand control the reactor andspent fuel would requirehundreds of thousands oftroops and is notsusceptible to a hit-and-runraid like one that capturedVenezuelan presidentNicolas Maduro.The only feasible optionseems to be diplomacy andnegotiation. Thecooperation of Russia andIran is needed to ensure thespent fuel is indeedremoved and safely stored.The larger questionremains. One reason whythe United States has lostevery war it has startedsince the end of World WarII is the lack of knowledgeand understanding of itsenemies. Has this fatal flawbeen reinforced with Iranbeyond misjudgments overTehran's ability to resistmilitary attack and politicaldecapitation?A question that should beput to the White House iswhat about Bushehr, spentfuel and plutonium? Ananswer would be bothwelcomed and essential.An absence of a goodanswer only raises furtherquestions about thecompetence of thisadministration in launchingits war against Iran.What about Iran'splutonium?with Harlan Ullmanmy turnHarlan Ullman is UPI'sArnaud de BorchgraveDistinguished Columnist; senioradviser at Washington'sAtlantic Council, chairman of aprivate company and principalauthor of the doctrine ofshock and awe. His next book,co-written with Field MarshalThe Lord David Richards,former U.K. chief of defenseand due out next year, is WhoThinks Best Wins: PreventingStrategic Catastrophe. Thewriter can be reached on [email protected] Ullman joinsHappenings Q&A on Thu May 21st at 9:20am on AM1050 WLIP7Any direct attack on the Bushehr light-water reactor could produce aChernobyl-like disaster unleashing vast amounts of highly radioactive material.with 60 Minutes aired onApril 26, Trump went all inon his own conspiracytheories. He couldn’t resisttying the failed attempt of agunman to efforts toundercut the work of theSouthern Poverty LawCenter (SPLC).Trump claimed that the2017 Unite the Right whitesupremacist rally inCharlottesville, Virginia, wasfunded by the SPLC, andstaged to make him lookbad.No, Mr. President, toooften you make yourselfappear incorrigible.Here’s a portion ofTrump’s comments to 60Minutes: “Charlottesville wasall funded by the SouthernLaw – that was a SouthernLaw deal, too, and it wasdone to make me look bad –and it turned out to be atotal fake.”Charlottesville was notfake. Heather Heyer diedand dozens more peoplewere injured when anavowed white supremacistrammed his car through acrowd of counterprotesters.Trump’s remarks were anattempt to drill into therecent Department ofJustice indictment of SPLC.The long-standing civil rightsorganization is known forfamously bankrupting the KuKlux Klan and trackingextremist movements. It’salso been a leading voice fordecades, tracking the growthof lone wolves, people a lotlike the three people whohave attempted to harmTrump.The fact that the SPLC hasalso faithfully monitoredhow some alt-right,Christian-themedorganizations morph towardhate speech is what hasangered the administration.But that is necessary work.And yes, it is sensitive totrack when what is merelyconservative and traditionalbegins to turn towardextremism.But the DOJ has accusedthe SPLC of funding hategroups, by paying informants.Money laundering, and wirefraud are part of theallegations becausepayments were routedthrough fake entities. The useof informants is hardly newin law enforcement,especially when the goal istracking hate groups. TheSPLC no longer operates apaid informant program.Two days after Trump’sinterview comments, moreclarity arrived, in courtdocuments filed by SPLCattorneys fighting thecharges. They pointed to anin-depth report the centerprepared and gave to the FBIand other agencies ahead ofthe Charlottesville rally,warning of possible violence.So not only did theorganization not fund therally, the SPLC warned thegovernment of dangerouselements participating in it.Charlottesville is theincident during which Trumpwas widely criticized forunartfully trying to segmentthose who participated,commenting that “you alsohad people that were veryfine people, on both sides.”Much debated, andsometimes unfairly twisted,his remarks aboutCharlottesville now seemlike a banal warmupcompared to when Trumpwent all in, pardoning someof the most violent attackersin the riot at the U.S. Capitolon January 6, 2021.The problem isn’t theSPLC, or any organizationthat viably tracks extremistsand faithfully passes theinformation to lawenforcement. The problem isthat the Trumpadministration has sidled upto some egregiously racistand violent people. That isthe problem that the WhiteHouse needs to attend to,mindful that the problemresides within its own house.Mary Sanchezcontinued from page 6SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:53 PM Page 7
9 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800I think we're still learninghow important adding fruitsand vegetables can be toour health.The U.S. Department ofAgriculture's MyPlate,based on the 2020-2025Dietary Guidelines forAmericans, recommendsfilling half our plate —every time we eat — withfruits and vegetables.Plant-based diets arecurrently recommended forcancer prevention and forheart-healthy diets, as areMediterranean and DASHdiets.That's because fruits andvegetables are nutritionalpowerhouses, rich innutrients and fiber thatsupport good health. In arecent study in the Julyissue of the journal BMI,European researchersfound that as little as onethird of a cup more fruitsor vegetables daily couldreduce the risk ofdeveloping Type 2 diabetesby 25%. The studycompared 10,000 adultswith newly diagnosed Type2 diabetes to 14,000diabetes-free adults andfound a 25% lower risk ofdeveloping the disease withevery 66 extra grams (onethird of a cup) of fruits andvegetables eaten each day.Researchers found it wasthe actual fruits andvegetables rather thansupplements that wereeffective in diseaseprevention.Think about how you canadd a few more fruits andvegetables each day —berries on your cereal, abanana on your oatmeal, aveggie tray with hummus,or maybe an apple withpeanut butter. Rather thanreaching for a cookie, trysnacking on a handful ofgrapes or an orange. Don'tbe afraid of the sugar infruits. Because it's naturalsugar rather than addedsugar, our body processes itdifferently due to the fiberand other nutrients in thefruit.The bottom line is dailyfruits and vegetables —even small amounts — canbe a step toward a healthierlife.Charlyn Fargo is aregistered dietitian withSIU Med School inSpringfield, Ill. food & recipesPowerful Fruits andVegetablesNutrition News with Charlyn FargoBasil Gravlax with Sweet Mustard SauceServes 8 to 122 1/2 to 3 pounds fresh salmon, filleted and skinless3 tablespoons sugar2 tablespoons kosher or coarse salt2 teaspoons white peppercorns4 large bunches fresh basilTo garnish:Lemon wedgesBasil leavesSweet mustard basil sauce (recipe follows)Dark pumpernickel bread, crackers, sliced baguette orbrioche or blinis1. Lay the salmon on a sheet of parchment paper. Add thesugar, salt and white peppercorns to a small bowl and mixto combine. Sprinkle the salmon with half the mixture. Turnand sprinkle the other side with the remaining mixture.Press down firmly on the salmon to coat it evenly with theseasonings.2. Place two bunches of the fresh basil on the bottom of alarge parchment lined sheet pan. Place the salmon on top.Arrange the remaining two bunches of basil over thesalmon.3. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, place aweight on top (use a heavy pot lid, brick, or large can) andrefrigerate.4. Turn the salmon twice a day for four days. Make sure thebasil and peppercorns remain evenly distributed.5. To Serve: Remove the basil and peppercorns. Lightly patthe salmon dry with a paper towel, making sure to removeall the salt and sugar. Slice very thin on the bias and servegarnished with lemon wedges, basil leaves, sweet mustardsauce, and dark pumpernickel bread, crackers, slicedbaguette or brioche or blinis.Sweet Mustard Basil SauceMakes 1 cupNote: The sweet mustard herb sauce has a texture similarto mayonnaise. It’s great with ham slices, poached salmon,and of course basil gravlax.1/4 cup Dijon or grainy mustard3 tablespoons dark brown sugar2 tablespoons cider vinegar1 teaspoon dry mustard1/3 cup vegetable oil3 tablespoons finely chopped basil1. In a food processor or blender, combine the mustard,brown sugar, vinegar, and dry mustard, and process for a fewseconds. With the machine running, pour in the oil in asteady stream and process until the sauce is thick andsmooth.2. Pour the sauce into a small bowl. Add the basil and tastefor seasoning. Chill 2 to 3 hours or until ready to use.Advance preparation: This sauce may be prepared ahead,covered well and kept refrigerated for several weeks.coJerlabsteffcrcoofpereotabincwolaubucuBuarbuAcToectewabufulandrcolauHab3 sweet potatoes or yams2 large baking apples, cored and cut into 1/4-inch rings2 tablespoons sugar1/2 cup orange juice2 tablespoons butter3/4 tablespoon cornstarch1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon1/2 tablespoon nutmeg1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toastedPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scrub yams well; pat dry, and thencarefully pierce all over as you would to bake a potato. Place sweetpotatoes or yams on a cookie sheet, and bake in oven until tender,about 35-45 minutes. Cool sweet potatoes or yams to touch, andremove skins. Slice and layer sweet potatoes and peeled applerings in buttered casserole dish. Boil together sugar, water, butter,cornstarch and salt, until it begins to thicken. Pour over yams andapples; sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts, and bakecovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Makes 5 servings.Per serving: 216 calories; 2 grams protein; 28 grams carbohydrates;8 grams fat (3 grams saturated); 5 grams fiber; 142 milligramssodium.Sweet Potato and Apple CasserolestWUCfereMdeagpathcesuCthpeofBeabwgastwwpr– spescoprfoCbBasil replaces dill in this classic gravlax recipeThis is a recipe I have made for many years. I like to serve this at largergatherings since it easily serves eight to 12, depending on your guests’appetites. Gravlax tastes like smoked salmon but without the smokey flavorsince it is not smoked. You’ll need to start curing the salmon four days beforeyou plan to serve the gravlax to properly cure it. You’ll notice the ratio of saltto sugar is 3-to-2. That works to ensure that the gravlax is not overly salty.This Seriously Simple recipe requires no cooking, so it’s a good dish to serveas the weather warms up.Gravlax is usually marinated with dill, but this variation uses the stronger,more aromatic basil as the herb base as part of the curing element. Makesure to have a very sharp knife to slice the salmon. Serve this on darkpumpernickel bread, brioche, baguette slices or blinis along with a sweetmustard basil sauce (see recipe). Accompany with a ripe, crisp, fruitychardonnay that will bring out the lovely basil flavor and neatly balance thesalmon. By Diane Rossen WorthingtonSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:53 PM Page 8
10 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800erhely—anerAt his final pressconference as Fed chair,Jerome Powell said that thelabor market was essentiallystuck in neutral. “There’seffectively no new net jobcreation” becausecompanies aren’t adding a lotof new positions and fewerpeople are quitting. As aresult, those out of work andothers who are nervousabout their current jobs areincreasingly turning to gigwork or consideringlaunching their ownbusinesses to survive in thecurrent climate.Just in time for SmallBusiness Week, Americansare jumping on the smallbusiness bandwagon.According to analysis byTorsten Slok, chiefeconomist at Apollo,technology is helping in a bigway. “The surge in new U.S.business formation is beingfueled by AI and largelanguage models that aredramatically reducing thecost and complexity oflaunching a company.”If the so-so labor market isgetting you down, just knowthat we have been herebefore. One catalyst forwriting my book, \"The GreatMoney Reset,\" was talking topodcast listeners about theirideas for making moneywhile they were sidelinedduring COVID. “Times ofpersonal difficulty often arejust what we need to get ourentrepreneurial juicesflowing.”But where should youstart? Before you plowthrough your savings or raidyour retirement account,consider smaller steps,perhaps a side hustle to testthe concept and see if itgains traction. You cancontinue to cobble togetherpart-time work to pay thebills, or if you still have a fulltime job with benefits, it’sgreat to see how you feelabout the business andwhether it is financially viablebefore assuming the risk ofgoing solo.Before you get freaked outabout operating a business,consider morphing what youalready do into a consultingpractice. This is particularlyappealing to those nearingretirement. Working as afreelancer might allow youto transition from theintensity of your professionalcareer, without the pressuresand time commitment thatcome with full-timeemployment. If you areyounger, the flexibility andautonomy of working foryourself may be appealingbut there are somedownsides, primarily losinghealthcare benefits and aneasily accessible retirementplan, which may have amatching component.Additionally, you need tothink about taxes, which alsobrings up the question ofyour business structure.According to the SmallBusiness Administration, theanswer “affects how muchyou pay in taxes, your abilityto raise money, thepaperwork you need to file,including registering yourbusiness and getting a tax IDnumber, and your personalliability”.The most common smallbusiness structures include:Sole proprietorshipYou’re automaticallyconsidered a soleproprietorship if youconduct business withoutregistering as anotherbusiness type. All incomepasses through to yourpersonal return. Thedownside is that businessand personal assets andliabilities are not separate,meaning you can be heldpersonally liable for businessdebts and obligations.S-CorporationAn \"S Corp\" allowsprofits, and some losses, topass through directly to yourpersonal income withoutcorporate tax rates. ElectingS Corp taxation cansignificantly cut selfemployment tax if yourbusiness income exceeds areasonable salary for yourwork. S Corps are also apass-through structure,keeping you eligible for theQualified Business Incomededuction.Limited LiabilityCompany (LLC)An LLC protects you frompersonal liability in mostinstances — assets like yourvehicle, house and savingsaccounts won’t be at risk ifyour LLC faces bankruptcyor lawsuits. Profits and lossescan pass through to yourpersonal income, but as anLLC member you areconsidered self-employedand must pay selfemployment taxes towardMedicare and Social Security.Jill Schlesinger, CFP, is a CBSNews business analyst. Aformer options trader and CIOof an investment advisory firm,she welcomes comments andquestions [email protected]. jill on moneyHow to start a small businessby Jill SchlesingerU.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a pressconference after announcing monetary policy decision at theFederal Reserve Board Building on April 29, 2026.Americans are having astrange economic moment.We feel bad – really bad. TheUniversity of MichiganConsumer Sentiment Indexfell to its lowest level everrecorded, as war in theMiddle East caused alldemographic groups acrossage, income, and politicalparty to feel rotten, prior tothe announcement of theceasefire.Yet spending remainssurprisingly resilient. TheCensus Bureau reportedthat retail sales rose 1.7percent in March, well aheadof the consensus estimate.Before you say, “that was allabout gas or cars,” evenwhen excluding autos andgasoline stations, retail salesstill rose by 0.6%. In otherwords, despite feeling blue –whether about the war, gasprices, or anything else in life– consumers are stillspending at a good clip.How is that possible,especially as people are stillcoping with still high overallprices and now, surging costsfor gas?The answer may be thatalthough we collectively arestill suffering the emotionalhangover of the COVID-erainflationary spike, wages haveactually accelerated, makingit easier to absorb the costsof weekly expenditures. Thebig exception to wage gainskeeping up is housing, whereaffordability has plummetedas interest rates rose andhomeowner’s insuranceskyrocketed, so let’s put thatone area in the category of alegitimate grievance.Ben Carlson of RitholtzWealth Management positsthat in addition to wagegains, Americans are alsoricher. Assets (the stuff weown) have increased,propelled by a surge in bothhouse and stock prices. Theincrease on the left side ofthe balance sheet hasdwarfed consumer debtlevels (the right side), whichhave climbed from $14.2trillion at the end of 2019 to$18.8 trillion by the end of2025.All of this is to say that networth (assets minusliabilities) has been rising andas a result, is bubbling in thebackground for a lot ofAmericans as they makespending decisions oneverything from travel plansto dining out to purchasing anew car. Carlson says thatthere are enough positivesto outweigh the negativefeelings, which is “predictionsabout a consumer slowdownthis decade have been wrongup to this point.”That said, Carlsonacknowledges that noteveryone is sharing in thebalance sheet boom.Delinquencies on creditcards, student loans, andauto loans are creepinghigher — trends that areworth watching closely. Thesaving grace, for now, is thatforeclosures andbankruptcies remain low byhistorical standards.Although we continue toreport feeling terrible,whether due to tariffuncertainty, energy priceshocks, and housingaffordability, U.S. consumersremain resilient.Against the backdrop ofthis data, the FederalReserve took center stagewith a two-day policymeeting. As was widelyexpected, the central bankheld interest rates steady ata range of 3.50 to 3.75%,despite fears that inflationcould reaccelerate due tothe Middle East war.Fed Chair Jerome Powellsaid that the committee ismonitoring the situation andwatching for evidence thatwar-related supply chainissues and price increasesare spreading throughoutthe economy, but so far, thatis not the case. The nextpolicy meeting occurs onJune 16-17, so there will be alot more information by thattime.KPMG Chief EconomistDiane Swonk notes thatwhile the labor market isimportant, it is the inflationside of the Fed’s dualmandate that can “erode thefoundation of an economy.”If consumers were alreadymiserable, any sustaineduptick in prices willdevastate “those who canafford it least,” says Swonk.The danger of inflation isthat it “is a disease that canspread and become chronicif not tamed.”Consumers are miserable, but resilientby Jill SchlesingerGasoline prices are seen at a Shell gas station in Houston on April 29, 2026. The World Banksaid Tuesday that war in the Middle East is expected to push energy costs this year to theirhighest since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while fertilizer affordability also plunges.SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:53 PM Page 9
11 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800adBoa doanhoonaftadpaadBoreHoMbrhayeheusraarcloAbshbewekitchaswanobodaincougoaftI amflourhaanonthocWhdPwThe United States’ warwith Iran is lookingincreasingly like a loss,economically speaking, nomatter what happens next.Iran has shown that it canbottle up as much as onefifth of the world’s oil withits control over the Strait ofHormuz. The U.S. has so farproved itself unable orunwilling to open thewaterway militarily.The result is perhaps theworst oil squeeze the worldhas ever seen, which hasnow rippled across manynations’ economies, causingrationing and shutdowns.With its ample energyproduction, America hasavoided the worst of thatsqueeze. Still, the conflict’scosts are such that analystswill likely chalk up the Iranwar as a defeat – forAmerican consumers,anyway.“The only militaryoutcome that’s feasible nowis that Iran will effectivelywin,” says Paul Collier, aneconomist at the Universityof Oxford and author ofseveral books on theeconomics of war. “All Iranhas to do is stick it out,survive. Iranian victorydoesn’t mean that it defeatsAmerica in America, it justmeans that it defeatsAmerica in Iran.”Because of the war,American oil and gasolineprices have soared to levelsnot reached in four years,with a gallon of regularunleaded gas now averagingmore than $4.50. Oneanalyst at the Motley Fool, aninvestment service,calculated that it now costsmore than $100 to fill up aFord F-150 pickup, America’smost popular vehicle.Rising energy costs arenot just affecting consumers;they are especially hittinglow-income earners. Theyare also digging into thebusinesses that serve them.In earnings calls, U.S.corporations fromMcDonald’s to Whirlpoolhave warned aboutweakening consumerfinances. Walmart says it’sseeing higher-incomecustomers shopping itsstores, suggesting risingconcerns about theeconomy’s future. Lowincome consumers aremeanwhile “literally runningout of money at the end ofthe month,” Steve Cahillane,the chief executive of KraftHeinz, told Bloomberg thisweek.Research suggests thatmost war costs are incurredafter the fighting ends, saysMr. Collier at the Universityof Oxford. And if there’s noclear-cut victor anduncertainty remains, bothsides will escalate militaryspending.In the case of oil-rich GulfStates, the specter ofcontinued blockage of theStrait of Hormuz is likely tokeep shipping insurancerates above normal levelsdue to heightened securityrisks in the area. Marineinsurers have raised rates bymore than 60% in recentdays.Iran “has shown it canclose the waterway to trafficeven in the face of significantmilitary force,” GregoryBrew, a senior analyst atresearch firm Eurasia Group,wrote in a May 6 article forForeign Affairs. “This threatwill hang over the globaleconomy for the foreseeablefuture.”Costs aren’t limited to thecombatants. Other nationsthat have suffered fuelshortages resulting from theStrait’s closure are alreadyseeking ways to diversifytheir energy sources. Theyare likely to develop thesesources, includingrenewables, electrification,nuclear power, andalternative fossil fuelsuppliers outside the region,even if they’re moreexpensive than the Gulf oilthey replace.President Donald Trumphas argued that degradingIran’s nuclear facilities toprotect the U.S. from anuclear encounter is worththe economic turmoil,including high oil prices. Thatgoal, however, might not beachieved. Accordingto Reuters, the U.S. militarybelieves Tehran is only a yearaway from being able tocreate a nuclear bomb.The price of warThe longer the conflictgoes on, the greater thecosts. For the U.S. and theadministration, those includepolitical costs. Six monthsbefore crucial midtermelections, when partycontrol of the House andpossibly the Senate is up forgrabs, Mr. Trump’s popularityis fading.His disapproval rating lastweek hit a record high of59%, according to an NPRPBS News-Marist poll. A pollpublished by The Economistfound the same level ofdisapproval. Much of that islinked to rising gas costs andthe war itself. The Universityof Michigan’s Index ofConsumer Sentiment alsohit a record low this month,48.2, in a preliminaryreading.“At this point, I believethat Trump understands thatthe midterms are lost,” saidIan Bremmer, founder ofEurasia Group, on a Prof Gpodcast a week ago. “I thinkhe knows that he can’t turnthe economy around.”But the economy couldstill rebound, despite higheroil prices. Powered byinvestment in artificialintelligence, the stockmarket is booming.Companies in the Standard& Poor’s 500 index havebeen reporting an averagerise of nearly 25% in firstquarter profits. DeutscheBank has dubbed thisperiod “one of the bestearnings seasons in 20years.”Also, soaring fuel costshaven’t put the brakes onhiring. The U.S. LaborDepartment reported thatthe economy added 115,000jobs last month, better thanexpected, and thatunemployment remainedsteady at 4.3%. A healthy U.S.economy generally requiresabout 100,000 to 150,000new jobs per month to keepthe unemployment ratestable.Ironically, a political lossfor Mr. Trump this past weekmight help to buoy theeconomy.A three-judge panel of theU.S. Court of InternationalTrade ruled 2-1 that thepresident’s 10% temporarytariffs on most imports wereinvalid. Mr. Trump hadinitiated the duties measureas a stopgap after the U.S.Supreme Court struck downhis earlier, broader tariffs inFebruary. These new duties,initiated just days after thefirst ones were rejected asillegal, were intended to be atemporary measure lasting150 days.Tariffs act as a tax onimported goods, hittingconsumers and slowinggrowth. The administrationhas vowed to replace thenow-illegal tariffs with otherduties based on otherpresidential authorities. Butthe temporary respite givesimporters a window to bringin lower-cost foreign goods.The U.S is, in short,conducting two wars, theIran conflict and the tradebattles against other nations,and consumers are bearingthe brunt of the damage.“None of this has beenpositive for the economy,”says Brett House, aneconomics professor atColumbia Business School.“It’s certainly increasingprice pressures anddampening growth…. Whereit leaves us is reallycontingent on how long theconflict goes on and how it’sconcluded.”By Laurent BelsieStocks might be soaring, but US economy is feeling Iran war shocksA shopper looks at packages of meat at a grocery store in Dallas, April 15, 2026.Prices for consumergoods rose faster thanexpected in April, with foodand energy prices drivingthe spike, the Bureau ofLabor Statistics said.The Consumer PriceIndex for All UrbanConsumers increased 0.6%on a seasonally adjustedbasis in April, after rising0.9% in March, the BLS said.Over the past 12 months,the all-items index increased3.8% before seasonaladjustment.The energy index rose3.8% in April, which wasmore than 40% of theincrease. That put the 12-month rise at 17.9%. Thegasoline index rose 28.4%annually.Airline fares rose 2.8%,making the 12-month rise at20.7%, CNBC reported.Food prices rose 0.5% forthe month. The price of foodat home rose 0.7%, which isthe biggest monthly risesince August 2022, CNBCreported. The price for foodaway from home increased0.2%, the BLS said.When excluding energyand food, prices rose 0.4% inApril. Those prices arecalculated from householdfurnishings and operations,airline fares, personal care,apparel and education. Thatnumber puts inflation higherthan the 2% goal set by theFederal Reserve, with themonthly rate at its highestsince January 2025.But the index for newvehicles, communication andmedical care decreased inApril. New vehicles andcommunication declined0.2%, while medical caredeclined 0.1%. Used vehicleprices stayed flat.Workers are feeling thepinch, too, as real averagehourly wages dropped 0.5%for the month and 0.3%annually.\"Inflation is the key dragon the U.S. economy now,\"said Heather Long, chiefeconomist at Navy FederalCredit Union, CNBCreported. \"This is hurtingAmericans. There is a realfinancial squeeze underway.For the first time in threeyears, inflation is eating up allwage gains. This is a setbackfor middle-class and lowerincome households and theyknow it.\"Whether the Fed willlower interest rates in thewake of rising inflation is aconcern for economists.\"Given that inflation isheading in the wrongdirection and the labormarket is holding up, it'svery unlikely that the Fedwill be able to lower interestrates any time soon, and it'spossible that we may startpricing in rate hikes for nextyear,\" said Chris Zaccarelli,chief investment officer atNorthlight AssetManagement, CNBCreported.By Lisa HornungConsumer prices rose 0.6% inApril; gasoline up 28% annuallySR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:53 PM Page 10
12 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800Dear Cathy, I recentlyadopted a four-year-oldBoston Terrier, Marcie, froma breeder. I chose an adultdog to avoid house-trainingand was told she was fullyhouse-trained, with onlyone prior crate accidentafter being left 12 hours.I understand there’s anadjustment period. In thepast 26 years, I haveadopted two other adultBoston Terriers who werereliably house-trained.However, I am perplexed byMarcie. She came from abreeding environment, hashad three litters, and is notyet spayed. We initially kepther on the same food andused leash walks, but sherarely eliminated.We added a small, fencedarea and supervised herclosely, but issues continue.About a week after arrival,she developed diarrhea andbegan having accidents, sowe confined her to thekitchen. She’s now onchicken and rice with broth,as I rarely see her drinkwater. Her stool is nownormal, but she hasn’t had abowel movement in twodays.Her urination has alsoincreased. She usually goesoutside, but after beinggone for four hours (andafter she had just gone out),I returned to a largeamount of urine on thefloor. I’ve also found driedurine in her crate, and shehas come in from outsideand immediately urinatedon a rug.She is typically gated inthe kitchen and cratedoccasionally. I am unsurewhether she was trulyhouse-trained, if this isadjustment-related, or if shemay have a medical issuesuch as a UTI. Any advicewould be greatlyappreciated. — Penny,Aylett, VirginiaDear Penny, My firstrecommendation is to haveher seen by a veterinarianas soon as possible. Theincrease in urination,accidents despite goingoutside, recent diarrhea,and the absence of bowelmovements for two dayscould all point to anunderlying medical issue,such as a urinary tractinfection or gastrointestinalimbalance. Even if it turnsout to be “adjustmentrelated,” it’s important torule out any healthproblems first.Regardless of whetherthere are health issues,there are a few things youcan do to help with hertransition. First, introduce acanine pheromone diffuser,spay, or collar as these canhelp reduce stress.Second, take her out on aconsistent potty schedule(every two to three hours,after meals, and after naps),and stay with her until sheeliminates. Praise her andgive her a treat immediatelyafter to reinforce thebehavior.Next, use an enzymaticcleaner to clean upaccidents as it can removeany lingering odor thatmight encourage repeataccidents.It’s also worth notingthat dogs coming frombreeding situationssometimes haven’t learnedtypical household routines,even if they were describedas “house-trained.” So, reintroduce house-training.(She will learn quicker thana puppy.). Training alsoimproves your bond andincreases her overallconfidence, which can helpduring transitions.If any of these behaviorsare stress-related, theserecommendations shouldhelp.Dear Cathy, I recentlyadopted a six-year-old,spayed female cat from ashelter. She is well behaved,except for one issue. Shegoes after my hand with a\"bunny kick\" where she willbring my hand up to hermouth and scratch or biteme. I have tried saying \"no”and trying to substitute atoy for my hand, but noimprovement. Anythoughts? — Paul,Bethpage, New YorkDear Paul, What youare describing is commonand referred to as “playaggression.” Even thoughshe is six years old, she maynever have learnedappropriate play habits, andshe sees your hand as“prey.” The good news isthat you can redirect thisbehavior.First and foremost, don’tplay with her with yourhands. Cats don’t easilydistinguish between “playhands” and “real hands.”Instead, use interactive toys,like wand toys, featherteasers, laser pointers, or astuffed sock, in place ofyour hands.Second, make sure she’sgetting enough dailyplaytime. Two short sessionsa day that mimic huntingbehaviors where she canstalk, chase, and pounce canhelp reduce this kind ofbehavior. End play sessionswith a small meal or treatto complete thenatural cycle, which for acat is play (hunt), eat,groom, and sleep.If she does grab yourhands, resist the urge to pullaway quickly, which cantrigger her to grip tighter.Instead, freeze your handand slowly move it towardher as this often causes catsto release their grip. Thenignore her briefly.Verbal corrections like“no” usually don’t meanmuch to cats, so focus moreon redirection andprevention rather thandiscipline.Lastly, be patient. Habitstake time to change, but shecan learn that hands aren’tpart of the game.Cathy Rosenthal joinsHappenings Q&A on Fri May 15th at 9:20 on AM1050 WLIP What to do with not so house-trained dogs, and cats doing bunny-kicksPet Worldwith Cathy RosenthalAs well as being a recuringguest on Happenings Q&A,Cathy M. Rosenthal is alongtime animal advocate,author, columnist and petexpert who has more than30 years in the animalwelfare field. Send your petquestions, stories and tips [email protected] wanderlust: 5 stories of animalstowawaysThe summer travel season is nearly upon us, but someenterprising animals have managed to beat the rush andtake their vacations early. Animals are well-known to findthemselves in places they shouldn't be, and often theseplaces turn out to be cars, trucks or ships getting ready fora long journey. This can lead to curious stowaways endingup hundreds -- or even thousands -- of miles from home.Here are five true stories of wildlife wanderlust.Raccoon stows away to Belarus in shipped carA raccoon took shelterin what must haveappeared to have been aparked car and ended uptraveling from the UnitedStates all the way toBelarus on a cargo ship inJanuary. The CustomsAuthorities of Belarus found the raccoon napping on thedashboard of the car and took it into custody. The raccoonwas given a new home at a zoo, where it was introducedto a mate.Three baby rabbits stow away to oil rig inEurope's North SeaA trio of baby rabbits took shelter in a shippingcontainer in Dundee, Scotland, in April and wound upwandering the pipe deck on Ithaca Energy's CygnusPlatform, about 93 miles off the coast of Lincolnshire,England. The bunnies were rounded up by workers andgiven a ride back to shore. They were taken to the NewArc Wildlife Rescue for care. A wildlife rescue in Scotlandis caring for three baby rabbits that stowed away in anoffshore container and wound up on the deck of an oil rigin the North Sea. Photo courtesy of Ithaca EnergyCat stows away for 70-mile ride in WalmarttruckEmployees at a Walmart Logistics warehouse inCornwall, Ontario, found a cat inside a delivery truck thathad arrived from a Walmart store in Montreal, about 70miles away, in April. The cat's exact origins were unclear, soemployees agreed to care for the cat until its owners couldbe found.Opossum stows away to Alaska on cargo ship,gets new home at zooAn opossum -- a creature common to the lower 48states but considered invasive to Alaska -- hitched a rideon a cargo ship in March and wound up in the state'scapital, Juneau. The opossum, now named Meatball, wasgiven a new home at the Juneau Zoo, which had recentlylost its beloved resident opossum, Grubby.Red fox stows away on cargo ship fromEngland to United StatesU.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discoveredan approximately 2-year-old male fox hiding among thecargo on a ship that arrived in March at the Port of NewYork and New Jersey. The fox, which had apparently takena ride on the ship all the way from Southampton, England,was taken to the Bronx Zoo, where it was found to be ingood health.skeealeyedeS.nns,esagnggnerrtsg.t,ees,gn,”natol.gdeye’seSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:52 PM Page 11
13 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800I’ve shared in pastcolumns how I’ve beenblessed to help my soncomplete a massiveremodeling project. Hepurchased a new singlestory three-bedroom homefour years ago. This househad a massive, wide-open,full basement beneath allthe upstairs living space.He decided to carve thisspace up into a fourthbedroom, a TV room, aworkout/storage room, agame room, a speakeasy, anda full bathroom. I wasexcited to start this projectfor a host of reasons, notthe least of which was toexpose him to all of theaspects of building andremodeling.When I think about it,while my son and I didn’tbuild the foundation of thishouse or install thewindows, siding or roof, wedid almost every otheraspect of building a home inthis basement project. Myson never got to see mebuild anything. I stopped theday-to-day job of buildingand remodeling for payingcustomers when he was a 1-year-old lad. He has nomemory of me leaving thehouse with a lunch cooler.His only memories as a childare of me tapping away at akeyboard in the basement,creating Ask the Buildercolumns and website pages.I knew early on that theplumbing aspect of thisproject would be burnedinto his memory forever. Ilost count of all the newbasement bathrooms Iinstalled in customers’homes. These alwaysinvolved breaking into aconcrete slab, locating themain sewer building drain,and then tying in all the newdrain pipes into this buried4-inch pipe.Some houses have thebuilding drain exiting thehouse up high on afoundation wall. In thosecases, I had to install asealed sewage-ejectionsump in the basement. Thenew basement bathroomwould drain to this sealedsump. The sewage wouldthen be ground up by apump inside the sump andlifted up 8 feet or so todump into the elevatedbuilding drain.Sewage ejection sumpsare future headaches, in myopinion. When the pumpfails, and they do becausethey have moving parts, youcan visualize what has tohappen to get to the pumpand install a new one. Yuck!My son’s building drainwas not under his concretebasement floor. It exited thehouse just an inch above theconcrete. The sewer line outin the street was shallow.The plumber had no choicebut to bring the pipe intothe house at this elevation. Iwas bound and determinedto take advantage of gravityso we could avoid installinga wretched sewage ejectionsump pit.I went online anddownloaded thespecifications and technicalcross sections for a fewwall-hung toilets. My guessis you’ve used these inairports, hotels, or othercommercial buildings. Theyhave a rich history offlawless performance, andsome of the residential onesare very sleek.Lo and behold, it turnedout that the centerline ofthe building drain as itentered my son’s basementwas at the perfect height. Itwould connect to a wallhung toilet as long as wehad the toilet just 5 or 6feet from where the sewerpipe entered the house. Itwas easy to adjust the floorplan to make this happen.We also put the speakeasyon the other side of thebathroom wall to keep all ofthe plumbing together.A wall-hung toilet isconnected to a substantialmetal support frame that’sbolted to the wall studs. Thisis why the toilet doesn’tcrash to the floor when yousit on it. In our case, thewater tank for the toiletflush was built into thismetal support frame. It’svery innovative, and I lovehow the gravity-fed tank iscompletely hidden fromview in the bathroom.All you see in thebathroom is the actual toiletand above it on the wall,two paddle pads. You pressthe larger one to get rid ofsolid waste and the smallerpad for liquid waste.It doesn’t require anyspecial skill to install a wallhung toilet. You just have tobe very aware of thecenterline height above thefloor of the metal supportframe. Install it too high, andit’s very awkward to use thetoilet. Install it too low, andyour knees will be in yourface when using thecommode. The instructionsare crystal clear as toexactly where thecenterline must be. You thenjust have to do whatever isnecessary to make the drainpipe connections satisfyboth gravity and theplumbing code.I love how easy it is tokeep the floor beneath thetoilet sparkling clean. Thefancy new mops that have apad are able to get underthe toilet with no issues. Thetoilet flush is vigorousbecause the water in thehidden tank is about 30inches above the toiletbowl. Keep in mind youdon’t have one of those uglychrome exposed flushingvalves you see in theairports, hotels, andcommercial buildings. Youjust have the two flat padson the wall.Talk to your plumberbefore you get too far intoyour planning for yourproject. You can incorporatea wall-hung toilet on anylevel of your home. I thinkyou’ll be amazed at howsleek the residential modelsare. I know my son loves his!A wall-hung toilet to the rescue Ask the Builder with Tim CarterSubscribe to Tim’s FREE newsletter atAsktheBuilder.com. Tim offers phonecoaching calls if you get stuck during a DIYjob. Go here:go.askthebuilder.com/coachingalmpa$5whlasmoreThermoanthbaaftdonufooenoppascfinshhocagounboenSaEdMsthhanebego20bofropapachthMrThis sleek wall-hung toilet is in a basementbathroom, not a fancy hotel.General Motors onMonday said that it is layingoff at least 500 to 600information technologyemployees as it looks toreorganize and reduceoverlapping roles.While the cuts will affectGM's global workforce, thestaff reductions are likely tobe centered in Austin, Texas,and Warren, Michigan,company officials toldCNBC and the Detroit FreePress.GM spokesperson KevinKelly told both newsorganizations that the ITjobs cover the company'sglobal operations but detailsabout the teams andlocations related to the fullscope of the layoffs were notmade clear.\"GM is transforming itsinformation technologyorganization to betterposition the company forthe future,\" it said in astatement.\"As part of that work, wehave made the difficultdecision to eliminate certainroles globally,\" GM said. \"Weare grateful for thecontributions of theemployees affected and arecommitted to supportingthem through thistransition.\"The company hasreevaluated and movedaround its staff in relation tomarket conditions severaltimes in recent years,including last year when itlaid off more than 200Computer-Aided Designengineers in Warren.GM employees more than68,000 people globally as ofthe end of 2025, accordingto reports.By Stephen FellerGM to lay off hundreds of workers amid need for new skillsSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:52 PM Page 12 050726
14 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800nyltohehertndhendurhenstoheenisinfyhetoheheaerheushe0etoulynghedoudsertourtenynkwlss!Kathleen Naranjo wasalmost eight years intopaying off her portion of$50,000 in student loanswhen a federal appeals courtlast month ended one of themost affordable loanrepayment plans in history.That Biden administrationera plan had reduced hermonthly payments to $92and she was working towardthe day when the remainingbalance would be forgivenafter 10 years of paymentsdoing public service as anurse.Now amid soaring gas andfood prices, Ms. Naranjo isenrolling in her next bestoption. Her monthlypayment will triple,scrambling her personalfinances at a moment whenshe is hunting for her firsthouse.“That’s the only way that Ican really do it, otherwise I’mgoing to be paying this loanuntil I die,” she says.More than 7 millionborrowers who had beenenrolled in the income-basedSaving on A ValuableEducation (SAVE) plan likeMs. Naranjo have been toldthat beginning July 1, they willhave 90 days to get into anew loan repayment plan orbe routed into one by thegovernment.The SAVE plan arrived in2023 as millions of studentborrowers were emergingfrom a three-year pause inpayments during thepandemic. It was meant tochip away at the now morethan $1.8 trillion in totalstudent debt held byborrowers across thecountry by tying payments toincome. The plan loweredpayments to $0 for many ofthe lowest earners –preventing unpaid interestfrom accumulating andoffering earlier loanforgiveness. But many criticscharged that Americantaxpayers were being saddledwith debt. Republicangoverned states challengedthe executive action andultimately the courtsstopped it because Congresshad not approved it.President Donald Trump’sadministration is now forgingahead with a tack on studentloans that significantly differsfrom the Biden years.Responsibility for managingthe student loans is movingto the Treasury Departmentfrom the Department ofEducation. Pay, wages, and taxreturns will start to begarnished to cover debts.This approach will affect 44million student loanborrowers in the country, 12million of whom are behindon payments or in default,according to researchers atthe Education Data Initiative.The average federal studentloan balance is $39,547,according to the group.“For years, borrowershave been caught in aconfusing cycle ofuncertainty, but the TrumpAdministration’s policy issimple: if you take out a loan,you must pay it back,” UnderSecretary of EducationNicholas Kent said in March.Finances upendedThat announcementpunctuated what borrowersknew was coming after twoyears of not having to makepayments during legalchallenges to SAVE, whichhad been scheduled to end in2028.Ms. Naranjo says that sheasked to continue paying her$92 a month during the legalwrangling, but her serviceprovider told her that itwouldn’t count toward loanforgiveness, which frustratedand confused her.“Now this is going to beworked into my debt ratiowhen I buy a house,” says Ms.Naranjo, who is looking for ahome outside Bend, Oregon,in an area where a threebedroom was going for$550,000. She thought shehad every dime accountedfor on her monthly bills, frommortgage down to snacks,but then she got a rudeawakening from Aidvantage,her federal student loanservice provider.“It’s going to be financiallystressful,” she says of hernew bill that will be morethan $270 per month.Any kind of entertainmentspending is gone, she says.Now she will make decisionsbased on what she needs andnot what she wants.“I’m just being very carefulwith what I spend every timeI buy groceries or go toCostco. I’m conscientiousabout where I’m driving,” Ms.Naranjo says. “Any luxuryitems will be the first to go.”Natalia Abrams, presidentand founder of the StudentDebt Crisis Center, anonprofit organization thatadvocates for borrowers andlobbies for debt cancellation,says that messaging aroundthe revamp is confusing forborrowers. People sheadvocates for say thatservicers keep telling themthat they have to enroll inthe new income-basedoption, the RepaymentAssistance Plan, which startsJuly 1 and will featuremonthly payments between1% and 10% of income for upto 30 years. But becausesome borrowers enrolled instudent loan repaymentprograms before SAVE, theydon’t necessarily have toenroll in the newlyannounced income-linkedplan, she says.“I’ve worked in this spacefor 15 years now, roughly,and this is the mostconfusing, hardest time forstudent loan borrowers thatI’ve seen,” Ms. Abrams says.With affordability beingthe issue that it is, for lowincome people, even paying$10 a month is a lot, she says.“For so many borrowers,that’s more than they canafford, let alone the standardrepayment plan” Ms. Abramssays. “The SAVE program wasthe most generousrepayment program outthere, so the payments foralmost everyone are going tobe higher.”Pay upAlmost immediately therewere legal challenges toSAVE when the Biden Whitestory continues on page 15Millions to see higher student loan payments atoprise in gas, food, healthcare costsStudent Debt Crisis Center founder Natalia Abrams speaking in front of the U.S.Supreme Court in 2023 to defend student debt cancellation.ofgerSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:51 PM Page 13SR051426$20 OFF YOUR CERTIFIED GM SERVICE CENTER... 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15 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800HECgrDsRastSgfobCawfeCtwvoSDEAR MAYOCLINIC: I’m sure you hearthis all the time frompatients, but I feel tiredconstantly. My husband and Iare empty nesters now, so Ino longer have caring for myyoung children to blame formy lack of sleep. What couldbe causing this? Is it bad formy health?ANSWER: There’s adifference between beingtired and being sleepy.Tiredness often occurs aftera strenuous workout, oryou’ve been working all dayand need to rest your body.Being overly sleepy duringthe day means a brief periodbetween laying or sittingdown and falling asleepquickly. There is also noapparent cause for being sosleepy. So, if you’re sleepybecause you workedovertime for the last threedays and only slept threehours a night, you have acause for being sleepy. Butsuppose you are systemicallyand chronically sleepy, eventhough you’ve had enoughtime to sleep. In that case,that’s excessive daytimesleepiness characterized byfalling asleep doing basicthings such as driving a caror conversing.Some things that can makeyou excessively sleepy duringthe day include sleep apnea,where you stop breathingduring the night. This causesyour brain not to be rested,so you’re sleepy during thedaytime. Another cause issomething called narcolepsy,which is a relatively raredisease but is characterizedby being sleepy during thedaytime. Another relativelyrare condition is idiopathichypersomnolence —idiopathic, meaning “Wedon’t know why,” andhypersomnolence, meaning“very sleepy.” We don’t knowwhy these patients are highlysleepy during the daytime.The other cause ofsleepiness can be certainmedications that make yousleepy, so that’s something tokeep in mind when you talkto your healthcare team.It turns out there arehealth risks for someonewho has excessivesleepiness. There appears tobe a link between sleepinessand a higher risk of heartdisease and sometimes Type2 diabetes. Daytimesleepiness also can beassociated withcardiovascular death, whichcan mean a heart attack orstroke.Our research hassuggested that women mayhave a higher risk of beingexcessively sleepy during thedaytime than men. Weconducted a study to answerthe question, “Doesexcessive daytime sleepinesspredict poorer outcomes?”It turned out that in womenwho had sleep apnea, beingsleepy during the daytimewas a significant risk factorfor mortality. In both menand women who were sleepyand had sleep apnea,sleepiness also predicted ahigher risk of diabetes. Whenit comes to heart disease ingeneral, men tend to be atgreater risk. But it turnedout the women here were athigher risk when they hadboth sleep apnea anddaytime sleepiness.Humans all need sleep.People need differentamounts of sleep, but mostneed seven to eight hours anight on average. Somepeople just need five hoursof sleep, for example. Theyphysically can’t sleep morethan that and yet are highlyfunctional, energetic, activeand healthy. However, thosepeople who sleep too little,in general, will tend to have ahigher risk of heart diseaseand other diseases. On theother hand, people whosleep too long — nine to 11hours a day — also can havea high risk of heart diseaseand other poor outcomes.While we do not quiteunderstand why, it may bebecause they havedepression or debility thatkeeps them in bed longer.Overall, we need moreinformation. What happenswhen we study older peopleand sleepiness? Whathappens when we studysleepiness in perimenopausalor postmenopausal womenand compare them tosimilarly aged men? Is thatrelationship still evidentwhere women are at greaterrisk? We have yet to find out.If we had to act based onwhat we know now, we needto be particularly vigilantabout having womenunderstand that not sleepingwell or having a sleepdisorder needs to beevaluated and addressed.Talk to your healthcareteam if you think you mayhave a sleep disorder or ifyou have excessive daytimesleepiness. It could be vitalfor you to see a sleepspecialist for more insightinto what’s causing yoursleepiness and, moreimportantly, what can bedone about it. And if you orsomebody you know fallsasleep while driving oroperating heavy machinery,they should be seenimmediately to preventdanger to themselves andothers. Stay safe, and makeyour sleep a priority. —Virend Somers, M.D.,Cardiovascular Medicine,Mayo Clinic, Rochester,MinnesotaMayo ClinicTired all the time? What excessive sleepiness can mean The Food and DrugAdministration approvedsome flavored vapesdelivering on a campaignpromise from PresidentDonald Trump to \"savevaping.\"The FDA gave its OK toelectronic cigarettes fromGlas, a company based inLos Angeles. The approvedflavors are mango, blueberryand two varieties ofmenthol.Court filings show theFDA previously rejectedmore than 1 million vapesflavored like fruit, candy anddesserts and nicotinecompanies sued the FDA forchanging its standardsunfairly, but the SupremeCourt backed the FDA.Last week, the Wall StreetJournal reported that Trumpover the weekend urgedFDA Commissioner MartyMakary to move faster toapprove flavored andnicotine vapes. Just hourslater, Makary announcedthat some are approved.FDA approvesflavored vapes for adultshealthEscomPrLeSuInTutathceshexOfinrea suagadscnoapbeFaenagsaDov[catrebethknsldehacyexwTrump brings backPresidential FitnessTest AwardIn honor of NationalPhysical Fitness and SportsMonth, President DonaldTrump signed aproclamation announcingthe revival of thePresidential Fitness Test, anannual physical fitness trialfor schoolchildren.\"Sports and fitness arewoven into the fabric ofAmerican identity, and thegreatness that defines ourNation is forged onlythrough hardwork, sweatand an unrelenting demandfor success,\" Trump said inthe proclamation. \"Physicaldedication sharpens themind, steels the will andproduces the kind ofcharacter that Americanscarry into every aspect oftheir lives.\"Trump signed the initialexecutive order to bringback the test in August2025, calling it a pillar ofAmerican youth.The Presidential FitnessTest Award started in the1950s. Its challenges adaptedand changed over the years-- in 1985, they included acertain amount of sit-upsand pull-ups, a shuttle runand one-mile run in acertain time frame and astretch to test flexibility,Yahoo News reported --before it was retired in 2012amidst concerns about itseffectiveness, one-size-fitsall approach and the risk ofbullying because of thepublic nature of the test.The Trump administrationhas not yet announced thecontent of the new test.\"My administration isworking very hard to defendAmerica's cherished athletictraditions and pass ourvalues of excellence andcompetitiveness to the nextgeneration,\" the presidentsaid during a ceremonyTuesday in the Oval Office.Anther president whochampioned the test wasJohn F. Kennedy, whodiscussed it in a 1960article. Kennedy's nephewRobert Kennedy Jr., now theU.S. secretary of health andhuman services, laudedTrump's proclamation at theceremony and on socialmedia.\"I'm so grateful to@POTUS for his leadershipand his vision of reinstitutingthe Physical Fitness Test ...helping people get in shapeso that we can prepare for agreat future that thisadministration is going toprovide for this country,\"Kennedy said.By Lisa HornungcoSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:51 PM Page 14
16 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800House started it. FormerEducation Secretary MiguelCardona said then the plangave financial breathingroom to millions, and manyDemocratic lawmakerssupported the initiative.Republicans called it recklessand fiscally irresponsible,saying that it would costtaxpayers $559 billion.Several state attorneysgeneral argued that loanforgiveness programs had tobe enacted throughCongress and not executiveaction, which courts agreedwith.Andrew Gillen, researchfellow at the libertarianCato Institute, was one ofthe many who disagreedwith the legality of SAVE andviewed it as taxpayers bailingout borrowers.“Being an adult is payingyour debt,” Mr. Gillen says.“A lot of us have carpayments and mortgages.When you borrow money,you gotta pay it back, and Ithink a lot of student loanborrowers got into theunhealthy perspective thatthey wouldn’t need to repaythis.”Mr. Gillen cited the respitethat borrowers had duringan almost three-year breakin payments during theCOVID-19 pandemic andthen an additional two yearsfor legal battles.Mr. Gillen says he mostlydisagreed with the SAVEprogram because it was anexecutive branch overreach,not created by Congress,and the burden of paying forit was placed on taxpayers.He also believes the part ofSAVE that paid interest forborrowers was toogenerous, and that cappingpayments at 10% ofborrowers’ income, like thenew plans, is in line withhistoric practices.Sabrina Calazans, theexecutive director at theStudent Debt Crisis Center,has made fewer than 10payments toward loanforgiveness, because aftershe graduated in 2019 shedidn’t find a job immediatelyand was caught up in theforbearance program.She says that she haswatched the governmenthelp wealthy people via taxbreaks, but at the same time,her insurance premiumsskyrocketed recentlybecause the governmentstopped funding subsidiesfor the Affordable Care Act.She does not receive healthinsurance from heremployer and relies on theACA marketplace.“I’m a taxpayer too,” Ms.Calazans says. “The goal isnot that anyone wants to beviewed as a charity case. Ithink it’s just that peoplewant to be able to live withdignity and to be able to paytheir bills in a way that isaffordable and that isdoable.”By Ira PorterStudent loanssdersetpdyodsdEuropean Union may ban social media for children, teensThe European Union isconsidering a ban on socialmedia for children, EUPresident Ursula Von derLeyen said at the EuropeanSummit on ArtificialIntelligence and Children.Von der Leyen saidTuesday that the bloc willtake action this fall againstthe \"addictive design\" ofcertain platforms.The EU has created whatshe called a \"Special Panel ofexperts on Child SafetyOnline\" and is awaitingfindings from its work.\"Depending on theresults, we could come witha legal proposal thissummer,\" she said.\"We are taking actionagainst TikTok and itsaddictive design -- endlessscrolling, autoplay, and pushnotifications. The sameapplies to Meta, because webelieve Instagram andFacebook are failing toenforce their own minimumage of 13,\" Von der Leyensaid in her speech inDenmark.\"The pressure can beoverwhelming. And[children] are being exposedat a moment when theirresilience is only justbeginning to grow, becausethey are still children. We allknow the consequences:sleep deprivation,depression, anxiety, selfharm, addictive behavior,cyberbullying, grooming,exploitation, suicide. Andwith the rapid advance ofartificial intelligence, theserisks are multiplying fast,\"she said.She said the risks are notaccidental.\"They are the result ofbusiness models that treatour children's attention as acommodity. The moreattention, the higher theprofit. ... Young men aregetting hooked on gamesthat are designed tomanipulate them intospending more and moremoney. Young women aretargeted with beautyproduct ads the momentthey untag themselves in aphoto. These are deliberatechoices by tech providers --choices made so they canprofit from children'svulnerability to cash in ontheir fears and moments ofself-doubt,\" she added.The EuropeanCommission has developedits own app to verify age.The app has the \"highestprivacy standards in theworld,\" Von der Leyen said.Member states will beable to use it, and onlineplatforms will be able toenforce it.\"No more excuses -- thetechnology for ageverification is available,\" Vonder Leyen said.The EU has taken actionagainst big tech companiesin recent years. The EU andthe British government havegone after Elon Musk's Grokfor allowing the artificialintelligence bot to undresswomen and girls in images.The EU also fined theplatform $140 million forlack of transparency in itsblue checkmark verification.Countries have alsocreated laws that ban theuse of social media forchildren and young teens.Australia created a banagainst those under 16 usingsocial media, and Spain hasannounced a similar ban.France is working to pass asimilar law, and othercountries worldwide areconsidering or implementinglaws.President Donald Trumphas consistently sided withtech companies. He createda travel ban against formerEuropean Union technologycommissioner ThierryBreton and four othercampaigners against onlinehate and disinformation,saying that they forced U.S.social media platforms tolimit Americans' FirstAmendment rights.Trump also signed amemorandum in Februarythreatening tariffs oncountries that impose digitalservices taxes, which mostlyincludes EU countries.Studies have shown theharmful effects of socialmedia on children. A recentstudy published in thejournal Pediatrics OpenScience linked social mediause with a reduced ability toconcentrate, and anotherstudy showed that a weekaway from social media canease anxiety, depression andsleep issues.A study in the Journal ofthe American MedicalAssociation showed thatchildren between ages 9 and13 who spent more time onsocial media performedworse on tests of reading,memory and language twoyears later. Researchersreported today in theJournal of the AmericanHeart Association that eachadditional hour of screentime in children is associatedwith an increase in heart riskfactors like blood pressure,cholesterol and blood sugarlevels later in life.By Lisa Hornungtssofheonheisndicurdxtntny.oaso60whendedhealtoipng...peaistoy,\"ngThe U.S. Department of Education building isseen in Washington, Dec. 3, 2024.continued from page 13SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:51 PM Page 15
17 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800Journalism, we are told, isthe first rough draft ofhistory. News comes inshort, incomplete bursts –just enough information tochange one’s life, but notenough information to givea full picture of wherethings are headed.In “When theDeclaration ofIndependence Was News”historian Emily Sneffexplores the early,uncertain days of theAmerican Revolution fromthe viewpoint of patriotsand loyalists, politicians andpower brokers, men andwomen, servants and kings.“Most books written aboutthe Declaration havepursued questions about itsprecedents and authorship,as well as its legacy,” shewrites. “But in 1776, whenthe Declaration was news,it was part of an everchanging ... amalgam ofaccurate and inaccurateinformation, gossip, militaryintelligence, speculation,and opinion.”In my own reporting,covering wars and conflictsin Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan,and the DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Iwatched people make lifeand-death decisions basedon information that couldbe accurate, inaccurate, ormerely gossip. Eveneyewitness statements (thegold standard ofjournalism) can beimperfect, limited,subjective.What would it have beenlike to be a rebel battalioncommander, a Britishcolonial official, or a patriotor loyalist family, forced torely on information thatmight have traveled at thespeed of horseback, itsvalue diminishing with eachpassing hour?Ambrose Serle, secretaryto British Vice AdmiralRichard Howe, experienceda kind of whiplash when heand Howe disembarkedfrom the HMS Eagle in NewYork Harbor on July 12,1776. The Eagle, he wrote inhis journal, “was saluted byall the Ships of War in theHarbour, by the Cheers ofthe Sailors all along theShips, and by those of theSoldiers on the Shore.”But then Serle learnedabout the Declaration ofIndependence, signed justeight days earlier. “TheCongress have at lengththought it convenient tothrow off the Mask.” Headded, “’Tis impossible toread this Paper, withoutHorror at the Hypocrisy ofthese Men, who call GODto witness the uprightnessof their Proceedings.”Serle’s response, whileunderstandable, wasalready out of date. On July9, the newly designatedhead of the ContinentalArmy, Gen. GeorgeWashington, ordered thedeclaration read to histroops stationed onManhattan Island.Washington knew it wasimportant for soldiers toknow what they werefighting for. As Sneff writes,the Continental Armyresponded with threehuzzahs. A few hours later, astatue of King George III onthe Bowling Green at thesouthern tip of Manhattanwas torn down and meltedinto bullets.In the following weeks, asnews of the declarationspread, it often splitcommunities, in whichperhaps one-third of thepopulation identified aspatriots, one-third asloyalists, and a third asundecided and simplyyearning for a return topeace. This three-way splitaffected churchcongregations, andespecially the AnglicanChurch, whose clergy hadsworn loyalty oaths to theking. As pressure mountedfor clergy to read theDeclaration ofIndependence to theircongregations, Anglicanclergymen and theirfamilies had to choosebetween their oaths orfollowing the rising clamorfor independence.Jacob Duche, rector ofChrist Church, an Anglicancongregation inPhiladelphia, opted toremove the traditionalprayers for the king fromthe local service, andreplace them with a newprayer for “the Congress ofthese United States.”Duche was no fan ofindependence; he lateradmitted he simply wantedto protect his congregationfrom violence.As Sneff’s book shows,revolutions are messyaffairs. A reader today canhear echoes ofrevolutionary America’sever-changing newsenvironment in our 24-hour media cycle.“When the Declarationof Independence WasNews” is a window intothat hectic period, and intohow individuals made thebest decisions they couldwith the information athand.By Scott BaldaufbooksWhen revolutionarynews traveled at the speed ofhorsebackIn his first inauguraladdress, in March 1801,President Thomas Jeffersonspoke of the United Statesas “a rising nation, spreadover a wide and fruitfulland” and “advancingrapidly to destinies beyondthe reach of mortal eye.”By the end of 1803, the U.S.had indeed advancedconsiderably: The LouisianaPurchase, through which ahuge territory west of theMississippi River wastransferred from French toAmerican hands, nearlydoubled the nation’s size.Historian Megan KateNelson’s splendid newbook, “The Westerners,”cites Jefferson’s vision ofnational progress as one ofthe first articulations of the“frontier myth.” HistorianFrederick Jackson Turner iscredited with giving themyth its fullest expressionin a renowned 1893 essay,“The Significance of theFrontier in AmericanHistory.”Turner posited that theconquest of the West wasfoundational to Americanidentity. Americanexceptionalism, he argued,stemmed not from thenation’s European rootsbut from the violentclashes between “savagery”and “civilization” thateventually pushed thecountry’s domain to thePacific Ocean.Nelson notes that thefrontier myth celebratespioneers implicitlyunderstood to be whiteand male; men such asDaniel Boone, DavyCrockett, and Kit Carsonhave loomed large in thepopular imagination. “TheWesterners” offers a moreexpansive view of the 19thcentury American West,demonstrating thatIndigenous, Black, Mexican,and Asian women and menwere also vital to thefrontier experience. Thebook serves as a forcefulcorrective to Americanhistory as it has long beentold.The vivid narrativetraces the paths of sevenfascinating individuals.Nelson begins withSacajawea. In 1804, theNative American teenagerbecame part of theexpedition of MeriwetherLewis and William Clark toexplore the LouisianaTerritory and the PacificNorthwest. She served asan interpreter and a guide.Her knowledge of thelandscape and her skills atforaging provided theexplorers not only withadditional food sources butwith scientific specimensthat Jefferson had askedLewis and Clark to collecton their journey.Of course, Sacajawea’sstory is a familiar one,though its details, down tothe spelling of her name,have been subject todebate. (The authorappears to agree with thehistorical consensus thatSacajawea died in 1812, butrecent scholarship basedon Indigenous oraltradition claims that shelived into old age.) Nelson’sother subjects are far lesswell-known today but wereprominent in their time.Some, like Sacajawea, werecultural brokers, adept atnavigating different worldsduring a period of greatflux.María Gertrudis Barceló,for instance, was asuccessful businesswoman,operating a Santa Fegambling saloon thatthrived for decades andamassing a fortune in theprocess. Until 1821, whenMexico won independencefrom Spain, she was aSpanish subject, and Nelsonnotes that Spanish womenhad more rights than theirAmerican counterparts:They could legally ownproperty and runbusinesses.Barceló became a skilleddealer of the Spanish cardgame monte. With the1848 signing of the Treatyof Guadalupe Hidalgo,which ended the MexicanAmerican War, her nationalidentity changed onceagain. Barceló went frombeing a MexicanNortherner to anAmerican Westerner. Herbusiness survived theseshifts because of whatNelson calls “her ability toassess the rapidly changinggeopolitics of NuevoMéxico.” During the war,the author writes, “theAmerican occupiersbecame her friends, lovers,and customers. She passedon information to them,and they, in turn, gambledat her monte tables andprotected her interests.”Another intrepidWesterner with keensurvival instincts was JimBeckwourth, the son of anenslaved Black woman andher white enslaver.Beckwourth was born inVirginia around the turn ofthe 19th century. Afterbeing emancipated by hisfather, he set out for theWest, where, in Nelson’saccount, he appears to beeverywhere at once.Before his death in 1866, heThe American frontier story left out key playerscontinues on page 18Tethlifethaninc1)(SexRiRuStasmcoPswiaghapehimrePoBeRoalsotbaseSttoanseincShMsetoHoBiSpDnieToyoCaintM'TiobSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:50 PM Page 16
18 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800seororofannoalmdwof.”oferedonws,syanof’sws4-onastotohedatufIn her lovely, multifaceted memoir,Jayne Anne Phillips celebrates herhometown in the AlleghenyMountains of north central WestVirginia. “Small Town Girls” offers awindow into how her strong sense ofplace shaped her as a writer, and alsopushes back against what she calls the“dark and dense” myths andstereotypes of deprivation thatshadow the region.“Hometowns are full of stories andmemories rinsed with color,” Phillipswrites in this radiant collection of 22linked, autobiographical essays.“Understand: born and raised in WestVirginia, you can never truly leave.”Phillips grew up in the 1950s and1960s in a brick ranch house designedby her father, Russell RandolphPhillips, on a rural road just outsidethe town of Buckhannon, the countyseat of Upshur County. Relatives fromboth sides of her family had helpedsettle the area when it was still aterritory. Her mother’s people, theThornhills and Boyds, fought for theUnion during the Civil War, while thePhillips men, who lived in RandolphCounty, just to the south, wereConfederates. (West Virginia hadseceded from Virginia to support theUnion.)Both of Phillips’ parents made theirmark on the town. Her father, aconcrete contractor, built thesidewalks. Her mother, Martha JaneThornhill Phillips, “a bit of a pioneer,”was a rare working mom who taughtin the local elementary school whileraising Phillips and her two brothersand taking classes toward a graduatedegree. Phillips remembers hermother always grading papers andmaking sure her less fortunatestudents were fed and warmlyclothed.Phillips brings to this memoir thekind of resonant details and sharpinsights that have enriched her fiction,from “Black Tickets” (1979) and“Machine Dreams” (1984) to herPulitzer prize-winning 2023 novel,“Night Watch,” set in the aftermath ofthe Civil War. At once nostalgic andclear-eyed, Phillips’ mix of personal,family, and local history in “Small TownGirls” convincingly conveys why shefinds Buckhannon “the perfectbirthplace for a writer.”Her father called her brothers bytheir names, but he called her “Miss.”She recalls puzzling over phrases like“Suffer the little children” in Bibleschool at their Methodist Church, andchildhood summers that were “a long,spooled dream” shared with herbrothers, who eventually moveddeeper into the South as she movednorth. They were physically active,while she “stood still, looking andlistening,” a writer in the making.Phillips brings understanding andempathy to her parents, whose“embattled” marriage ended as theirchildren left home. She writesmovingly, “The past is their story andtheir legacy.” She was her mother’sconfidante and final caregiver, andrecalls as an adolescent accompanyingher mother to the beauty parlor forher mother’s weekly hairappointments. Later, she came torealize the importance of theserituals: “Girls need sanctums.”Phillips’ gaze often extends beyondfamily; her roots are so entwined withlocal history that it is nearlyimpossible to disentangle them. In achapter titled “Paradise Lost: WestVirginia,” she traces how the isolated,verdant, mountainous land, long a“paradise for flora and fauna,” wascompromised by the “mighty rivers”that fed it. “First came the timberbarons, who finished cutting the gianttrees and floated the wood to marketon the rivers. Then came the coalcompanies, with their throbbing deepmines and company stores thatturned men into indentured labor.”She particularly rues the desecrationwrought by strip mines, mountaintopmining, and fracking, which began inthe 1980s and ’90sThere are multiple reminders ofwhat drives Phillips as a writer. Herimpassioned tributes to Breece D’JPancake, from a small town insouthwest West Virginia, and StephenCrane, “America’s first rock-starwriter,” are telling. Writers, she notes,are outsiders who “occupy a kind ofborder country, focused on the detailsthat speak to us.” From this vantagepoint, they “defy time, writing wordsagainst the erasure of things and lives.We stand in an avalanche offorgetfulness, resisting the sway ofdisappearance.”The payoff? “Writing, we cross thedivide between self and others wordby word.” With “Small Town Girls,”Phillips has once again crossed thatdivide – beautifully.By Heller McAlpinNon-Fiction (Print & E-Book) Fiction (Print & E-Book)1. Theo of Golden (Levi)2. Project Hail Mary (Weir)3. King of Gluttony (Huang)4. Yesteryear (Burke)5. The Correspondent (Evans)6. Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dinniman)7. Hope Rises (Baldacci)8. Remarkably Bright Creatures (Van Pelt)9. Purple State (Perino)10. Game On (Allen)1. Dogs, Boys, & Other Things I’ve... (Klee)2. Strangers (Burden)3. Famesick (Dunham)4. London Falling (Keefe)5. When We See You Again (Goldberg-Polin)6. The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk)7. Broken Plea (Whitcomb)8. This Is Not About Running (Cain)9. Stripped Down (Xo)10. The Anxious Generation (Haidt)NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERSJayne Anne Phillips: ‘Writing wordsagainst the erasure of things and lives’dnmndr.nfrsesee.e8AMC and AMC+’s TheTerror: Devil in Silver bringsthe Victor LaValle novel tolife. Devil in Silver marks thethird season of the horroranthology series, which alsoincludes The Terror (Season1) and The Terror: Infamy(Season 2).The new episodes areexecutive produced byRidley Scott (Alien, BladeRunner) and star DanStevens (Downton Abbey)as Pepper, a working-classman who is wrongfullycommitted to New HydePsychiatric Hospital.\"There, he must contendwith patients workingagainst him, doctorsharboring grim secrets, andperhaps even the Devilhimself,\" an official synopsisreads.Judith Light, CCHPounder, Aasif Mandvi, JohnBenjamin Hickey, StephenRoot and Michael Aranovalso star.Here's a list of eightother horror TV seriesbased on books:'Castle Rock'The supernatural horrorseries takes place inStephen King's fictionaltown of Castle Rock, Maine,and draws inspiration fromseveral of King's works,including The Shining,Shawshank Redemption andMisery. It aired for twoseasons on Hulu, from 2018to 2019.Season 1 starred AndreHolland, Melanie Lynskey,Bill Skarsgard and SissySpacek, with Jane Levy asDiane \"Jackie\" Torrance, theniece of The Shining's JackTorrance.Season 2 focused on ayounger Annie Wilkes (LizzyCaplan), a character firstintroduced in King's novelMisery.Castle Rock is availableto stream on Hulu, Disney+and Netflix.'The Exorcist'The supernatural horrorseries based on the WilliamPeter Blatty novel had atwo-season run on Foxfrom 2016 to 2017.Created by Jeremy Slater(The Umbrella Academy),The Exorcist series starsAlfonso Herrera and BenDaniels as Tomas Ortegaand Marcus Keane, twopriests who investigatecases of demonicpossession.Season 1 ties into Blatty'sbook and its famed 1973film adaptation, whileSeason 2 centers on afoster home.The Exorcist series isavailable to rent onstreaming platforms.'The Haunting ofHill House'The 2018 supernaturalhorror series is created anddirected by Mike Flanagan,who drew inspiration fromthe Shirley Jackson novel.Michiel Huisman,Elizabeth Reaser, OliverJackson-Cohen, Kate Siegeland Victoria Pedretti star asfive siblings whose liveswere forever changed afterexperiencing supernaturalevents in a new house withtheir parents (TimothyHutton, Carla Gugino).Equal parts ghost storyand family drama, TheHaunting of Hill House isavailable to stream onNetflix.'The Strain'The vampire horrordrama based on theGuillermo del Toro andChuck Hogan book trilogyaired for four seasons onFX from 2014 to 2017.Corey Stoll stars as Dr.Ephraim \"Eph\"Goodweather, the head of'The Terror: Devil in Silver' and 8other horror seriesbased on bookscontinues on page 18SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:50 PM Page 17
19 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800fosuwyoDwOcoSeatofLiPaPaPeBiBePuHmHhaevthmvohoSubiguhureSofathAatKegaFiniPastThSmLeVeFeanatonDC(mskShwKeCexCTawworked as a fur trapper, a gold miner, a farmer, a rancher,and a courier for the U.S. Army during the MexicanAmerican War. He also spent several years living as anadopted member of the Apsáalooke band in the RockyMountains.The restless Beckwourth published a popularautobiography in 1856 detailing his many adventures,which, in Nelson’s view, were possible only because theWestern territories were so vast and unregulated. As abiracial man, Nelson writes, “he often chose to pass asIndigenous or white as the circumstances demanded in thedynamic communities of the American West.”The book’s other characters are equally compelling. Theyinclude Little Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne chief who foryears resisted the U.S. government’s demands to relocatehis people to a reservation, and Polly Bemis, a Chinesewoman who was trafficked to Idaho and built a life there inthe face of federal legislation targeting Chinese immigrants.“Before the Civil War, the West was chaotic andunstable, a landscape of transformation,” Nelson observes.“Because of this, men and women from a variety of racialand ethnic communities were able to claim spaces forthemselves there.”After the war, the government increasingly asserted itscontrol over the once wild West. Nelson sees a connectionbetween the fact that the exploits of white settlers wereacclaimed while the opportunities for people such asBarceló, Beckwourth, and Bemis contracted.“Removing people from a central national narrativeeffectively eliminates them from the body politic, making iteasier to take their land and their civil rights away,” theauthor notes. In reminding us of these extraordinarystories, she has crafted a fuller and more accurate pictureof the mythic American frontier.By Barbara SpindelLtAmerican frontiercontinued from page 16the fictional CDC CanaryTeam, which discovers theoutbreak of a virus thatturns humans into vampirelike monsters. David Bradley, KevinDurand, Jonathan Hyde andRichard Sammel also star.The Strain is available tostream on Hulu, Disney+,Prime Video and AMC+.'Bates Motel'The psychological horrorseries based on the RobertBloch novel Psycho had afive-season run on A&Efrom 2013 to 2017. CarltonCruse (Lost) co-createdthe show, which serves as aprequel to Bloch's noveland its famed 1960 filmadaptation. FreddieHighmore plays a youngNorman Bates, with VeraFarmiga (The Conjuring) ashis mother, Norma.Other cast membersinclude Max Thieriot, OliviaCooke, Nicola Peltz, NestorCarbonell and KennyJohnson, along with a guestspot from Rihanna asMarion Crane in the fifthand final season.Bates Motel is available tostream on Prime Video andThe CW.'Hannibal'The psychological horrorseries from Bryan Fuller isinspired by the ThomasHarris novels Red Dragon,Hannibal and HannibalRising. It had a three-seasonrun on NBC from 2013 to2015.Hannibal is created byBryan Fuller (PushingDaisies) and stars MadsMikkelsen as Dr. HannibalLecter, the psychiatrist andcannibal serial killer mostfamously played by AnthonyHopkins in the 1991 filmThe Silence of the Lambs.Initially set before theevents of Harris' novels, theTV series also stars HughDancy as Will Graham, anFBI criminal profiler whoworks with Lecter andbecomes an object offascination for the secretserial killer.Hannibal is available tostream on Prime Video.'Hemlock Grove'The horror series basedon the Brian McGreevynovel is created byMcGreevy and produced byHostel director Eli Roth. Itaired for three seasons onNetflix, from 2013 to 2015.Hemlock Grove is set inthe fictional town ofHemlock Grove, Pa., hometo the sinister GodfreyInstitute for BiomedicalTechnologies and HemlockAcres psychiatric hospital.The cast includes FamkeJanssen as Olivia Godfrey,the head of the Institute,Dougray Scott as Dr.Norman Godfrey, the leadpsychiatrist at HemlockAcres, and Bill Skarsgard (It)as Roman Godfrey, Olivia'sson who investigates aseries of murders in thetown.Hemlock Grove isavailable to stream onPrime Video, Peacock,AMC+, The CW, The RokuChannel and Tubi.'True Blood'The vampire horrordrama hails from Six FeetUnder creator Alan Ball andis based on the SouthernVampire Mysteries bookseries by Charlaine Harris.It had a seven-season runon HBO from 2008 to2014.Set in the fictional townof Bon Temps, La., TrueBlood takes place in a worldwhere vampires havepublicly emerged due to theinvention of syntheticplasma known as TruBlood.Anna Paquin stars asSookie Stackhouse, awaitress with telepathicpowers who falls in lovewith the vampire BillCompton (Stephen Moyer).Rutina Wesley, RyanKwanten, AlexanderSkarsgard and SamTrammell also star.True Blood is available tostream on HBO Max, PrimeVideo, Hulu, Disney+ andThe Roku Channel.By Annie MartinHorror Bookscontinued from page 17SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:50 PM Page 18REMINDER: Maximum 3 Listings Per Person. MISCELLANEOUS KENOSHA CAR CLUB monthly breakfasts are at 8am on the first Tuesdays of each month at the Gateway Cafe, 3619 30th AvenueGERMAN CONVERSATIONALIST GROUP - Kenosha/Racine If you speak German or are enthusiastic about the German language and culture, come and join us. There are no membership fees and attendance is whenever you are available to join. Meetings will be held in the Kenosha and Racine area. This is an excellent group to practice speaking German as members' language skills are from beginners to advance and we all have a good time. Please contact me if you are interested in joining - Susan Blust [email protected] CLUB BINGO Come have some fun! Doors open at 4:00. Raffles, pull-tabs and pregames start at 6:45. Bingo 7:00-9pm. Wednesdays. 2700 9th St.,Schlader Building, Winthrop Harbor. Food SaleRITA RINELLI MEMORIAL MASS:12 noon on Saturday, June 21 at St. Elizabeth Church, Eighth Avenue at 48th Street.REMEMBERING SILVIO RUGANI - July 20, 1893 / August 29, 1975.FOR SALESOFA W/OAK TRIM, excellent condition/quality. Smoke/Pet free home. $225.00 Curt 262-865-01932019 KODIAK MODEL travel trailer Price 15,900 Exterior White Discrimination Has 3 Queens size beds Refrigerator, fridge and stove, toilet, and shower and heating and air conditioning. Everything works perfectly Contact 262 620-6755SNOWMOBILE TRAILER, 3 place Triton with winch. $3,200 OBO 262-948-1864 please leave messageLOTS OF AMERICAN FOSTORIA for sale. Please contact:Karon Baumgarten 317-764-7662 [email protected] HEATER NEW. $55. 262-498-4021. Contact info: Val Zamecnik email address: [email protected] phone :262-498-4021.ONE BURIAL LOT in Northshore Garden of Memory in North Chicago. Very nice location. Discounted price. BowFlex exercise unit like new. All there including leg exercise unit and book. 600.00. Call Herb at 847-305-0897. Please leave message if I miss your call.GAS TANK, NEW for 73-87 GMC Blazer $100 Transfer case for 73-87 GMC $100MILK CANS $15 Call Alex 262-945-1275CAMERS/LENSES/FILTERS and other equipment. Please contact: Don at 262-694-7573 or 262-287-8575.VARIOUS FARICS, prices start $1/yr (262) 629-0291.VINTAGE LAMP, good condition $15. Large black rooster, brand new $15. Please call 262-771-8764TWO RAMPS FOR VEHICLES, Beanie Babies (Regular and McDonalds), and Two Schwinn bicycles. BEST OFFER. Call 262-654-6485.BLACK LEATHER CHAIR and ottoman, perfect in both traditional and modern settings. Very good condition from a smoke-free home. $75. Call or text -262-960-5477(2) GRAVE SITES in All Saints Cemetery. I'm asking for $1,000 each plus transfer fees. Call (608) 317-9518 Elizabeth Smith [email protected] CADET LAWN tractors, old 1962 to 1976. Decks and other attachments. Glenn at 262-891-2377. Leave messageHEY KENOSHA FOLKS! I am selling everything from four houses. Let me know what you need by texting or calling Barb at 262-902-5663.JOHN DEERE TRACTOR Lawn Mower with Briggs & Straton engine and Frame Cutting Deck FOR sale for PARTS ONLY 847-244-9256 NO texting - Please leave a voicemail.LARGE CRAFTSMAN TABLE saw, $100 OBOEldridge peddle sewing machine, early 1900's, best offer- Milwaukee Plumbers band saw, $50 OBO Call Tom (224) 219-3645.LAKE FRONT PROPERTY Ready to rebuild existing home & Garage 1.48Acre on Large Spring Feed Lake in North East WI near Green bay WI. Located in Marinette county in the town of Lake Great Fishing, & water skiing Tubing Jet skiing Air Boat all Water sports activities call (847) 244-9256.VARIOUS FABRICS - Price per yard. Call for info(262) 629-0291BEANIE BABIES 200+ $200. Proform Treadmill, new belt $300. 7' vinyl boat with new motor, 4-cyli n d e r w i t h a c c e s s o r i e s $ 5 0 0 . (262) 652-5929.TREK 900 TANDEM 26\" 2 1 speed. Updated tires and rims. E x c e l l e n t c o n d i t i o n . Tw o n e w h e l m e t s p l u s a c c e s s o r i e s . $500 OBO 262-883-4210SEARS ZIGZAG SEWING machine and cabinet. Fine condition, All attachments. Model #1750 Asking $60 (262) 657-6049.GAS LAWN MOWER. Sears Craftsman 6.75 self-propelled. 22” cut. Mulch or side eject. Ready for spring. New oil, spark plug, & air filter. $75. Call Rich, 224- 730- 2564.WOOD DINING TABLE. Solid wood, Oval, 58” long x 41” wide w/o leaves. Two 12” x 41” leaves & top pad included. Mahogany finish. $25. Call Rich, 224- 730- 2564.FUN FAMILY BOAT 2006 Bayliner 175 Capris Bowrider w/trailer, Mercruiser 3.0L 135HP I/O motor, custom covers, Bimini w/cover, power trim & steering, stereo, Dave 262-455-1079 leave messageROOMS FOR RENT Shared LR, Kitchen, bathroom by Silver Lake $480 a mo. includes wifi and laundry please call for more info (262) 758-136.COLLECTIBLES FOR SALE watches, clocks, pens and more. Call Don 262-694-7573.47\" DIAMETER ROUND TABLE $30, girls bike $50 Call Kathy 262-909-7968DELUXE WALKER Like new. Make an offer.Call Rich @ 262-652-4591.08 RAM TOO many new parts to list. Serious inquiries only. Text message to 262-705-9999. Chad Sekuris.LIKE NEW TIRES see in Kenosha at 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 call, text or stop by. $4440 Nice economical well maintainedLARGE VINTAGE MIRROR with flowers $20, Small lamp with flowers, new $20, Large lamp with shade, new $15 Please call 262-771-8764.LIONEL TRAIN SET - Complete 1953 Set plus a Seaboard Diesel Engine, Maine Boxcar, 3 pr. switches, original boxes & instructions, 43 tracks, and miscellanious Lionel items. All clean, runs great. $525 Call 262-924-5227.TOTS BEAN BAGS Baseball & Hockey Puck $25.00 .Call JOE 262-859-2564.WANTED MOBILE MIG WELDER S m a l l job need to complete by MKE Airport. Negotiable rate. (734)768.0338 jacobsendaniels.comCUT GRASS a n d w e e d i n g . Call 2628980605MODEL TRAINS. All scales. Call for a quote upon viewing. 262-331-0392.WANTED TO BUY: Vintage Movie Posters, Comic Books, LP Records, Vintage Toys, Horror VHS, Horror Memorabilia, Science Fiction Pulps & Magazines, Video Store Promotional Items. PH 262-237-0318.WANTED TO BUY: Old Post Cards, B&W Photos, B&W Photo Albums, Vintage Advertising, Old Hunting Licenses & Advertising, Scrapbooks, Old Misc.Paper, Old Automobile Advertising, Fountain Pens, Gillette Razors & More. Local Collector/Neutral Safe & Secure Site to meet if desired. Cash Paid. Call or Text Stan 262-496-1822.LOOKING FOR NURSES A i d for in home care. Call Barbara 262-455-3953.OLD COMPUTERS WANTED. Call, text, or voicemail on (262) 595-7556 and ask for Mike.SERVICES HI MY NAME IS GAYLE & I'm retired.I will do dog sitting or cat sitting. If interested please contact me at 262-748-4748. Thank you.TAX PREPARATION & ADVISORY Services. 20+ Years Experience. Virtual Or In-Person. For Appointment Call Or Text 262-496-2208.CONCRETE WORK DRIVEWAYS PATIOS SIDEWALKS AND MORE CALL OR TEXT 262 492 9730. KURT.LAWN MOWING SERVICES Reliable lawn care services in Kenosha & Pleasant Prairie. call/text 262-914-9796 [email protected] & MEDICARE EXPERT. Appointments only. Se Habla Español. 262.833.7070.CHINESE LANGUAGE / Calligraphy Lessons: Fun, fascinating and very cool. Beginning and advanced - all ages! Text Dr. Tim at 520.704.3832.DOLL CRAFTERS! FREE remnants...ideal for making doll clothes. Also various doll clothes patterns.Call - 262-551-8478 and leave a message if no answer.DRUM LESSONS PRIVATE instruction. Band, orchestra, marching and drum set. Rock and many other musical styles. Learn to read music. Call Tom for details. 262-818-2869.PROFESSIONAL LED TEETH whitening for a fraction of the price! $99 at cabana tan spa. call to book: 262-843-2411. 20 minute session = a bright white smile! mycabanatan.comCOMPUTER REPAIR/INSTALLATION. For free estimate call, text, or leave voicemail to Mike at (262) 595-7556.COMPUTER INSTALLATION. Call, text, or voicemail Mike at (262) 595-7556.VEHICLES 142K MILES LIKE new tires cold a/c see in kenosha at 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 call, text or stop by $25001999 SEBRING CONVERTIBLe Very good condition $2,590 OBO Call or test Bob @262-945-9224.2005 MERCURY SABLE, 90k miles, leather interior. Has vacuum leak, needs tow. Clean title in hand. Great project car. $1500 OBO. Call/text 262-612-9142. 2003 SUBARU BAJA - G o o d running condition$4,950 OBO Call or text: Bob @262-9459224.2017 FORD F150 O n e O w n e r 4WD 4 Door See In Kenosha A t 4 1 2 1 - 7 t h . Av e . 2 1 7 k M i l e s 262-237-1343 Russ Call Text Or Stop By $7495 Very Nice TruckDUAL EXHAUST SYSTEM Ram V6 dual exhaust system custom built. Make offer.262-942-1266.2009 JEEP LIBERTY 4WD see at 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Kenosha russ 262-237-1343 call or text 195k miles $4450 nice jeep ready for winter2013 CHRYSLER 200 Loaded Limited See At 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 Call Or Text 189k Miles $4950.2002 XK8- WHITE Jaguar Convertible Good Condition - 38K Miles $18,500 obo Call or Text Bob 262-945-92241999 - SEBRING CONVERTIBLE - good Condition $2,850 obo Call or text Bob (262)-945-9224.1981 DATSUN/NISSAN 280ZX low mileage Loaded Glass T top's Hatch Back Stainless Steel MFG wheels New Clutch New break System New thermostat & radiator 5 speed New Interior Exterior Blue/Silver call 847-244-9256 Please leave a message.2003 GMC ENVOY 142K miles Great Shape, Garage Kept 1 owner, Leave Message $6000 obo 262-515-43861994 HONDA GOLDWING Aspencade 64K miles Great Shape, Black, Leave Message $6000 obo 262-515-4386.4X4 4DOOR see in Kenosha at 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 call, text or stop by $9995 1/2 ton nice truck at a nice price1991 CHEVROLET CORVETTE one owner, yearly maintenance, 12,000 original miles, original parts $38,000 Email [email protected] BOX TRUCK 1986 OH Door 35 V8 (nearly new) solid body, 2\" oak floor in box, needs some work $1200. Snowblower $100 262-857-2695 Leave message or email [email protected] NISSAN ALTIMA $4950 One owner fleet maintained like new tires 287k miles kenosha at 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 call, text.2011 TOYOTA SIENNA Silver 8-passenger Minivan, strong engine, smooth riding, 184k miles, excellent for winter driving, it also has a backup camera. $5,495, text Don at 920-809-0833LOADED REMOTE START, heated seats and steering wheel, power sliding doors. See in kenosha at 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 call, text or stop by. 189k miles $5500 great value.E-mail your 170 character classified to: [email protected] include your contact information in the classified. (Name and Phone number / e-mail address) First 3 words will be boldface type.NO ANIMALS • NO PERSONALS ALLOWEDClassified Deadline Is Friday, May 22nd 2026 At 12PMFREE CLASSIFIEDS!EMPLOYMENT/OPPORTUNITIES • LOST & FOUND • MISCELLANEOUS REAL ESTATE • RENTALS • RUMMAGE SALES • VEHICLES • WANTED
20 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800What are you lookingforward to most thissummer? Specifically, in whatways will you connect withyour community and Shop,Dine, and Play Local? Howwill you Be A Tourist In YourOwn Town? Listen to a free outdoorconcert. TheSesquicentennial Bandshellat Pennoyer Park, the lawnof Anderson Arts Center,Lincoln Park, Bristol WoodsPark, Veterans MemorialPark, Old Settlers Park,Petrifying SpringsBiergarten, Hansen ParkBeer Garden, KenoshaPublic Market, and KenoshaHarborMarket all have livemusic on select days.The Kenosha BeachHouse on Simmons Islandhas a ton of activities andevents planned throughoutthe summer – including livemusic at times. There’s avolleyball league. A naturehour for all ages will be onSundays (such as a beachbird identification class,guided rock/beach glasshunts, water science,recreational games). Climb the 1866Southport Lighthouse for afabulous view – or climb inthe trees at BoundlessAdventures. Catch the racesat Wilmot Raceway – or aKenosha Kingfish baseballgame at Historic SimmonsField – or a movie on Fridaynights at Petrifying SpringsPark.When it’s time: gostrawberry picking atThompson Farm. Visit JerrySmith Farm for produce.Learn what Grow SpaceVertical Farms is all about.Visit the Kenosha BookFestival at Studio Moonfalland the Kenosha Art Marketat Union Park. Both happenon multiple Sundays. TourDurkee Mansion at KemperCenter. Visit a museum(many are totally free).Watch amazing waterskiing at the Aquanut WaterShows. Get out on thewater with a rental from theKenosha Community SailingCenter. Go on a fishingexcursion with the KenoshaCharter Boat Association.Take a historic districtwalking tour with theKenosha History Center.Go fly a kite at the OuttaSight Kite Flight. Try abrand-new event on June13: Old Fashioned Fest atKemper Center. Bring the family to theKenosha County DairyBreakfast. Kenosha TacoFest has more vendors thanever this year. Attend aparade. Wear a themed costumefor your Bristol RenaissanceFaire visit. Get your ticketsfor Country Thunder andparty with Gavin Adcock,The Red Clay Strays, RileyGreen, Keith Urban, andmore stars.Make sure Taste ofWisconsin, Peacetree MusicFestival, and PROST! DasFest Wisconsin are on yoursummer itinerary. Put the HarborPark Jazz,Rhythm & Blues Festival onthat list – as well as theKenosha County Fair,Kenosha Classic Cruise-Inin Downtown Kenosha, andthe Southern Wisconsin AllAirborne Chapter CarShow.Get your 10,000 steps inat a park or along a lake.Visit a dog park. Enjoy a discgolf course. Try for thatelusive hole-in-one at a golfcourse. Lounge on a beach.Bring the kids to anoutdoor pool or splash pad.Shop at Wilmot FleaMarket.Reserve a spot withLakeshore Pedal Tours. Ridean authentic ElectricStreetcar throughDowntown Kenosha andalong the water. Watchbicycle races at theWashington ParkVelodrome.The list of events andattractions goes on and on.Be sure to support thesponsors and organizers ofthe events who help makeall this fun stuff happen. Doyou want to volunteer at,sponsor, or be a vendor at aparticular event? Reach outto the organizers. While you’re out andabout, also support thelocally owned shops andrestaurants. You’ll find manyoutdoor dining options. Pickyour setting: sidewalk,garden, patio, deck, park,backyard, or rooftop. Someoffer a view like LakeMichigan or DowntownKenosha, while others comewith activities like live musicor volleyball. Be sure to useVisitKenosha.com whenlooking for #KenoshaFun.Meridith Jumisko isPublic Relations Directorat Visit Kenosha. Contact her [email protected] forward ck, to summer!kuoretndrnokis.untownueldveheicd.asaicveillr).anermtomendtinSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:49 PM Page 19
21 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800healthlifestylecommunityKenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center newsMay 14, 2026Make a Difference –Become aVolunteerGuardian!Are you looking for a meaningfulway to give back to yourcommunity? Consider becoming aVolunteer Guardian through theKenosha County Division of Agingand Disability Services. As aVolunteer Guardian, you’ll receive acomprehensive, self-paced, 3-hour,online training to advocate forvulnerable adults in matters relatedto their health, well-being, and/orfinances. Once trained, you’ll beappointed by the court to serve as alegal decision-maker for someone inneed.The division offers ongoing supportand guidance to help youconfidently fulfill your role. With aslittle as one hour per month, youcan make a lasting, positive impacton the life of an at-risk adult in yourcommunity.Interested? Call the ADRC at 262-605-6646 or email,[email protected] formore information or to apply today.Kenosha CountyDurable MedicalEquipment Loanand Supply Closetin Need The Aging and Disability ResourceCenter of Kenosha County (ADRC)Durable Medical Equipment Loanand Supply Closet provides durablemedical equipment as well asnutritional supplements andincontinence products for olderadults and adults with disabilities.Individuals needing durable medicalequipment for either short-term orlong-term use, who are not enrolledin one of Wisconsin’s long-termcare programs, such as Family Care,IRIS and Partnership may contactthe ADRC to request an item(s). The Loan and Supply Closet issupported by the generosity ofcommunity donations. The closet isin has low inventory of thefollowing:Incontinence products:• Chux (disposable underpads)• Wipes• Women’s Pads• Men’s, Women’s, and Unisex Pullups, sizes: small, medium, largeMobility for Standard and Bariatric:• Wheelchairs• Transport Chairs• Rollators• Transfer Boards• Standard Knee Scooters • Portable RampsBathroom Essentials:• Shower Chairs and Stools(Bariatric and Standard)• Transfer Benches (Bariatric andStandard)• Commodes• Toilet RailsIf you have items you wish todonate, or are in need of medicalequipment or supplies, please callthe ADRC at 262-605-6646. TheADRC is open Monday – Friday, 8a.m. – 5 p.m. While the ADRC takesadditional steps in sanitization, foreveryone’s safety, we ask that allitems be cleaned prior to donation.ADRC offers FreeMemory ScreensThe Aging and Disability ResourceCenter (ADRC) of Kenosha Countyoffers free, confidential memoryscreens, weekdays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.Memory screens are suggested foranyone concerned about memorychanges, at risk of Alzheimer’sdisease due to family history, orwho wants to check their memorynow for future comparison.Some memory problems can bereadily treated, such as those causedby vitamin deficiencies or thyroidproblems. In general, the earlier thediagnosis, the easier it is to treatmemory loss. Memory screeningcan:• Provide relief for individualsconcerned about normal memoryloss• Lead to diagnosis of treatableconditions• Offer the ability to make lifestylechanges early when they have thegreatest potential for positive effectand the opportunity to participatein making future decisionsWarning signs of dementia includeforgetting people’s names andevents, asking repetitive questions,loss of verbal or written skills,confusion over daily routines, andpersonality changes.Screening results are not adiagnosis, and individuals who haveconcerns are encouraged to pursuea full medical exam. Appointmentsare recommended. Interestedpersons may call the ADRC at 262-605-6646 to make an appointment.EiT(NdadpdoBtrpdcthrenimthWaSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:49 PM Page 20
22 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800heysidheatngalsrylelehecttedendns,ls,ndaveuetsed2-t.Your Kenosha ADRC UpdateEating Disorders in Older AdultsThe National Eating Disorders Association(NEDA) has noted an increase in eatingdisorders and body dissatisfaction among olderadults. While stereotypes exist depicting eatingdisorders as affecting younger people,particularly those who identify as female,disordered eating can affect any gender and canoccur at any point in someone’s life.Body image issues and eating disorders can betriggered by a variety of life changes, frompregnancy and childbirth to menopause anddivorce. Societal pressure around aging can alsocause someone to develop insecurities aroundtheir physical appearance. Our bodies do notremain the same throughout our lives; there arenatural changes that occur. Menopause canimpact the development of disordered eating forthese reasons, as can hormonal changes in men. While eating disorders have commonalitiesacross the age spectrum, there are somedifferences for people experiencing them as anolder adult. For example, there may be a lack ofawareness of eating disorders in this populationby medical professionals, causing them tooverlook signs that someone may need supportin this area. Symptoms may be dismissed, such asattributing weight changes to aging itself, or as aside effect of medications. Additionally, an olderadult may also feel shame at experiencing anissue that they associate with younger girls orteenagers, causing them to avoid seeking help.Control is a factor in eating disorders. Choosinghow much to eat, or when to eat, is something aperson can feel in control of, particularly if thereare things happening in their life that they don’tfeel they have control over – losing a spouse orother loved one, chronic illness, no longer beingable to work, etc. Major life changes may be anindicator of someone developing disorderedeating patterns to try to cope and feel in control.Eating disorders can be more severe amongolder adults because the body may not be as ableto bounce back from the negative health effectsof an eating disorder (cardiac, bone, dental,gastrointestinal). Muscle wasting, frailty,depression, and increased vulnerability todiseases and disorders can occur. Restrictivedieting can lead to rapid cognitive decline. Aneating disorder is a serious mental condition, nota phase or lifestyle choice. Higher mortality ratesare a consequence of eating disorders amongolder adults.The article “Disordered eating in older people:Some causes and treatments” notes that thereare four basic causes of weight loss in olderpeople: anorexia (an eating disorder leading tosevere food restriction and weight loss),socioeconomic factors (such as having to choosebetween eating enough and paying formedications or other expenses), dysphagia(difficulty swallowing), and weight loss despitenormal food intake. It is important to note that while anorexia maybe the most prevalent eating disorder amongolder adults, binging (eating to excess in onesitting) may also occur, or bulimia (bingingaccompanied by purging or excessive fasting).While some people may have experienced eatingdisorders in their past and something has causeda reoccurrence, there are people who maydevelop an eating disorder for the first time inlater life. Some signs of a potential eating disorder includerapid weight loss or gain, use of laxatives or dietpills, a fixation on healthy eating, a change inhabits (such as disappearing during meals),avoiding meals, a desire to eat alone, excessivehair loss, and anxiety or depression.If you are worried you may have an eatingdisorder, visit https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool/ Treatment optionsare available; discuss your habits and concernswith a trusted individual and seek professionalguidance from a doctor or therapist.REGULAR SENIOR DINING SITES• Meals include dessert and beverage• Suggested donation: $5• Open to anyone age 60+ and aspouse regardless of age• Reservations must be made by10am the day priorKenosha Senior Center2717 67th StMonday - Friday, 11:30amReserve at 262-351-6246Parkside Redeemer Church2620 14th PlaceMonday - Friday, 11:30amReserve at 262-552-7737Lakeside Towers5800 Third AveMonday - Friday, 11amReserve at 262-455-7919Westosha Senior Center19200 93rd StMonday - Friday, 11:30amReserve at 262-358-5554Village Pub of Silver Lake307 N Cogswell DriveWednesday & Friday, 11:30amReserve at 262-358-5779SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:42 PM Page 21
23 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800Isometimes find myselfwaxing nostalgic aboutthe \"good old days\" ofworking for the SocialSecurity Administration.Even though when Istarted working for theSSA in 1973, the agencywas already almost 40years old, I still think ofthat time period as thegood \"old\" days.But then sometimes Iwonder if those dayswere really all that good.So let me take you backto a Social Security officein 1973.The office was alwaysclean and located in theheart of a city. (Ofcourse, in big cities, therewere frequently morethan a few officesscattered around themetropolitan area.)Sometimes the office wasin a Federal Buildingalong with othergovernment agencies intown. But more oftenthan not, it was in astand-alone building in aneasy-to-get-to part oftown. These were almostalways spaces that thegovernment rented fromthe building's owners.But believe it or not,way back then, the SSAoccasionally bought abuilding to use as a SocialSecurity office. Thesewere known as \"trustfund\" offices because themoney to buy the spacecame out of the SocialSecurity trust funds. (Ireally don't know, but Iam sure this practicestopped many years ago.)Just like a house that isowned is usually nicerand better kept up than ahouse that is rented, Iremember that the fewtrust fund offices I wasfamiliar with were someof the nicest governmentproperties I ever saw.Once inside the office,there was always onereception desk and thena whole slew of desksbehind the receptionistswhere people like meworked. Today's SSAoffices are different — atleast the ones I've seensince I retired in 2005.Sadly, today, they look abit fortress-like, witharmed guards and allkinds of barriersbetween the public andthe SSA workers. I guessthat's just a sign of thetimes we now live in.Also, in the \"old days,\"you could simply walkinto your local SocialSecurity office and gettaken care of. Althoughyou may be able to justwalk into an office today,you better be preparedto wait a long timebecause you generallymust have anappointment to take careof any Social Securitybusiness.Also, in-office staffinghas been cut dramatically.There were 82,000employees when Istarted working for theSSA. We were constantlywinning awards forproviding top-notchpublic service, frequentlyeven beating out privatesector service providers.That doesn't happenanymore because staffinglevels have been slashedto about 50,000. (Peoplealways claim they want asmaller government. Andat least in the case ofSocial Security, they aregetting it.)That's why today,people are stronglyencouraged to handletheir Social Securitybusiness online. And ofcourse, that's not a badthing. It can be so mucheasier to take care ofmatters using the SSAwebsite:www.socialsecurity.gov. Iremember when I filedmy Social Security claimabout 10 years ago, ittook me all of about halfan hour to finish theprocess. And I did it whilesitting at my computerdesk in my pajamas!Back when I startedworking for the SSA in1973, of course, no oneshowed up at the officein their PJs! In fact,people tended to getdressed up for a visit to agovernment office likeSocial Security.(Remember when peopledressed up to travel byplane or train?)Once the person wasat my desk to file a claimfor Social Securitybenefits, I would pull outthe appropriate paperapplication form. askingthem all the questionsand filling in the answersfor them. They would signthe form, provide mewith any documents theymight have brought along(such as a birthcertificate), which Iphotocopied, returned tothem, and then they wereon their way.I would then hand theapplication form andsupporting documents tomy secretary. (I'm surethose secretarialpositions no longer existin the modern SSA.) She— and it was always ashe — would type up alittle \"tally strip\" with theclaimant's name and SSNand place it on my \"tallyboard\" (a small metal fliptop device) with all theother tally stripsindicating the claims thatI had pending at my desk.The secretary wouldthen order the \"earningsrecord\" for the claimant'sSSN. This had previouslybeen done by mail. Butwe had recently movedon to the modern marvelof a teletype machine.(Gosh, we thought thatwas so futuristic!) Abouta week or so later, theearnings record wouldshow up in the mail forthe claim. It showed allthe earnings recorded tothe claimant's SSN. Andwe would use thoseearnings to tabulate theperson's Social Securitybenefit.These calculationsfrequently got prettycomplicated and messy.That's why each SocialSecurity office had adedicated staff of benefitcomputation expertswho would figure outwhat the claimant wasdue in monthly benefits.She (and once again, Iremember these expertsalways being women)would prepare a benefitaward form that I — asthe claims-takingtechnician — would sign.Then, once I hadgathered any otherevidence I might need forthe claim (maybe amarriage record, forexample), we would mailthe claim and allsupporting documents tothe \"payment center.\"There were about six orseven such centersaround the country.That's where the claimresided for the rest of itslife, and that's wherebuttons were pushedthat would start sendingout monthly checks tothe claimant. The wholeprocess usually took twoor three months, if notlonger.Today, of course, all ofthis happenselectronically and canhappen in a matter ofdays. Although for awhole variety of reasons,even today, claims can getdelayed and take a longerprocess. But still, themodern online electronicworld is so much fasterand more efficient thanour paper-orientedworld a half-century ago.I also think back tothings like a simplechange of address. Today,you can go online andessentially make thechange instantly. But backin my early days with theSSA, changes of addresswere mailed to thepayment center andcould take weeks toprocess.I remember two SSAforms that, for somereason, I can still recalltheir numbers. One wasthe SSA-2339. Let's sayyou came into an officeand had a question abouthow your benefit wasfigured. If I couldn't figureit out, I would fill out this2339 form by hand,essentially sayingsomething like: \"This guywants to know how hisbenefit was figured.\"Then that would getmailed to the paymentcenter. And maybe amonth or so later, Iwould get back ahandwritten responseand, assuming I couldread it, I would call thebeneficiary with anexplanation.And then there wasthe SSA-555. We woulduse that if the inquirywas \"critical.\" Forexample, if youcomplained that youdidn't get a check thismonth, I would fill outthe SSA-555 — and Iwould still mail it to thepayment center for aresponse. I guess thatbecause the form wasbright pink and had thewords CRITICAL CASEin bold letters, it washandled more quickly.But still, thinking back,that seems like such aho-hum way of dealingwith a \"critical\" issue.Once again, things are somuch more efficienttoday in the onlineworld.Gosh, do I feel like anold geezer talking aboutthose \"good old days\"that were not always sogood after all!social securityThe good old days at aSocial Security officewere not necessarily sowith Tom MargenauIf you have a SocialSecurity question, Tom Margenau has twobooks with all the answers.One is called \"Social Security-- Simple and Smart: 10Easy-to-Understand FactSheets That Will Answer AllYour Questions About SocialSecurity.\" The other is \"SocialSecurity: 100 Myths and 100Facts.\" You can find the booksat Amazon.com or other book outlets. Or youcan send him an email [email protected] youCmFMFctasdsTclnfCFTIypqfCmIHKrl6Tom Margenau joinsHappenings Q&A on Thu May 21st at 10:20 on AM1050 WLIP GLdT(utTadbpbpwsU2K8••W•T•DrmSR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:41 PM Page 22
24 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800Dear Eric: My brotherand I are helping an elderlycousin who has cancer. Herchemo treatments haveterrible side effects, and sheis requiring more and morecare because of this. Ideally,she would be getting homehealth care or would moveto an assisted living facility.However, she does not havecash flow to pay forservices. She wishes herniece to inherit her home. Ithas been in our family for acentury. However, this niecehas mental health issues,lives 700 miles away anddoes not fly or drive.Inheriting this house wouldbe a burden not a blessingto this niece.We have tried to bring upthe subject of selling thehouse and using some ofthe money for her owncare, but she refuses. Theend result is my brother, afriend of hers, and I are allbeing asked to provide waymore care than we feelcomfortable doing becauseshe will not spend moneyfor needed care.The friend who finds itdifficult to set boundaries.We've coached him on howto do this, but it hasn't beeneffective. He does let usknow this has become aburden for him. I am verywilling to bring up thissubject with her and amgoing to meet the friendagain to discuss boundaries,but I would like to knowsome ways to keep theconversation nonjudgmental and positive. –Growing TiredDear Growing Tired:One part of holding ahealthy boundary with yourcousin may involve setting aboundary with the overlyhelpful friend. It sounds like,despite your efforts, you’rebeing drawn further intothis situation by taking onthe responsibility ofcoaching him. This placesyou at the center, whichcreates more strain andstress. He has to beresponsible for doing whathe can and communicatingwith your cousin aboutwhat his limits are. Releaseyourself from theresponsibility of managingthis part of the situation.With regard to yourcousin, be honest with herabout how impossible thesituation has become. Tellher that you’re in it withher, but that the way it’sgoing now isn’t working foranyone. Ask her to help youthink through somesolutions. This relieves youof some of the burden ofgiving her an ultimatum andencourages her to continueto be an active part of hercare plan. If you haven’talready done so, reach outto the niece. It’s not clear tome if she knows about theplan to leave her the house. asking ericCaregiving friendstruggles to holdboundaryAeallasayceutasreisd,nguyis.\"etntaIaedenasdryoruuisutIeaataseEasy.k,ange.onteanuts\"oCaring for an adult familymember or friend? Family Caregiver Support GroupMeets in-person and virtuallyFamily caregivers often don’t see themselves ascaregivers, they simply think of themselves asthe husband, sister, daughter, or friend. Defined,a family caregiver is a person who providessupport for an adult who needs assistance withdaily living activities, such as cooking, driving,shopping, laundry and paying bills. The role of a family caregiver, while rewarding,can also be challenging when trying to balancelife’s responsibilities along with supporting theneeds of another individual, family member orfriend. The Aging and Disability ResourceCenter (ADRC) of Kenosha County offers aFamily Caregiver Support Group the firstThursday of every month. If you are a family caregiver, this group is foryou! Join fellow caregivers, either virtually or inperson, as you share your experiences, askquestions and learn from others. The group isfacilitated by Margaret Ricchio, ADRCCaregiver Support Coordinator. The nextmeeting will be Thursday, June 4, 4-5 p.m. In-person location is at Preceptor HomeHealth & Hospice South (formerly known asKVNA) 600 52nd St, Kenosha, WI 53140. Toregister, learn more or to receive the virtuallink, call the Kenosha County ADRC, 262-605-6646.Going on Medicare?Learn about the decisions you’ll needThe Aging and Disability Resource Center(ADRC) of Kenosha County offers no-cost,unbiased, Medicare workshops for those newto Medicare, or who want to learn more.Trained benefit specialists will be available toanswer your questions and discuss thedecisions you’ll need to make, including thebasics of Medicare coverage, options forprivate health and drug coverage, and publicbenefits that can help with health care costs. Ifpossible, we recommend signing up for aworkshop 3-4 months before your Medicarestarts.UPCOMING MEDICARE 2026 WORKSHOPS:Kenosha County Job Center, 8600 Sheridan Road, Entrance A, Room N2• Thursday, May 21, 1– 3 p.m.• Wednesday, July 15, 10 a.m. – noonWestosha Senior Community Center, 19200 93rd Street, Bristol, Great Room• Wednesday, June 24, 1 – 3 p.m. Twin Lakes Community Library, 110 S Lake Ave, Twin Lakes, Meeting Room• Tuesday, August 25, 1 – 3 p.m.Due to limited seating, reservations arerequired. Call the ADRC at 262-605-6646 tomake a reservation or to learn more. SR_editorial_.qxp_SS Layout 5/12/26 3:41 PM Page 23
25 SMART READER May 14, 2026 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800Tune In To Happenings Q&A Radio On AM 1050 WLIP Weekdays From9am-11am With Frank & Kim Carmichael and Reanna Stockdale.010826SR061324We buy Stereo & Hi-Fi components,laptops, desktop computers and all non-ferrous material!013025SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!... MAKE THE MOST OF IT!!Coming Soon Summer Fever, The Definitive Guide To Summer Fun!!Interested in having your event featured or in advertising call today 262-564-8800SEIZE THE DAY!! SEIZE THE DAY!! 050226For Tickets Go ToSR 0514265125 6th Ave.Kenosha, WI