Something quiet happens in Washington, D.C., every October that affects the bank accounts of about 75 million Americans. There’s no big deal. No announcement for prime time. At 8:30 in the morning, the government released some data, and then there was a number that shook homes from rural Montana to South Florida. That day is likely to come this year, on October 14, 2026, when the Social Security Administration is likely to make the official announcement about the 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment. For most people, the word “adjustment” makes them think of government forms and is easy to forget. For retirees…
Author: Sierra Foster
Sierra Foster
Born in Kansas City, Sierra Foster writes about politics and serves as Senior Editor at kbsd6.com. She was raised paying attention to this city, not just living in it. Sierra has a strong, deep connection to Kansas City, from the neighborhoods east of Troost to the discussions that take place in the city hall halls. Sierra, who is presently enrolled at the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in Political Science, applies the rigor of academic study to her journalism. She writes about politics in Missouri and Kansas as someone who genuinely cares about what happens to the people in these communities—the policies that impact them, the leaders who represent them, and the civic forces influencing their futures—rather than as an outsider watching from a distance. Her editorial coverage encompasses state-level policy, local government, and the national political currents that permeate bi-state regional life. Whether it's a city council vote or a Senate race, she has a special gift for turning complex policy language into writing that feels urgent, relatable, and worthwhile. Sierra seldom sits still off the page. She claims that playing soccer on a regular basis has sharpened her instincts for political reporting because of the sport's teamwork, strategy, and requirement to read a changing game in real time. She's probably somewhere in Kansas City with her friends when she's not writing or on the pitch, discovering new reasons to adore a city she already knows so well.
The office was already closed when Katie Rochelle saw that the fire was getting close. The fire had also reached the repair shop. A canoe rental business that went back five generations, starting with her great-grandparents in 1969, was turned into ashes in just a few hours. She said, “It just took off way too fast.” “The wind was going in a tornado motion.” The wind was what made the Ross Fire unique. Not just another fire during the dry season, but a quick, almost disorienting event that caught even people who live in the area a few times off…
Taking medicine that is supposed to balance your body out but ends up being stronger than it should be is a little unsettling. That’s what Vitruvias Therapeutics Inc. was facing when it decided to recall some of its Thyroid Tablets, USP 30 mg. It wasn’t because the product was bad or tainted, but because tests showed it might be stronger than what was listed on the label. The medical term for this is “superpotent.” The recalled lot, which had the number 504950 and an expiration date of September 30, 2026, was sent all over the United States from January 31,…
An article showed up on focusmalaysia in the morning of March.I gave ten reasons why Khairy Jamaluddin, who used to be Malaysia’s health minister and was one of the country’s most well-known politicians, wasn’t qualified for the top job. The piece didn’t have a name on it; it was credited to someone who called themselves “Corruption Watch.” No name, no face, and no way to find out who they are. There is only an opinion, a fake name, and a.My domain name quietly signed up somewhere in the system. Khairy didn’t wait. Within a few days, his lawyers sent a…
Setting up a waxing appointment online doesn’t seem like anything special. You go to a website, pick a time, and maybe type in your name and email address. Then you go about your day. Most people don’t think about it, and they shouldn’t have to. What they should think about is whether the site is quietly giving third parties parts of that interaction before the page even loads. At least that’s what a class action lawsuit against European Wax Center said. The company now has a $5 million settlement offer, so they’ve decided to end the case instead of going…
There is something a little unsettling about the picture being in NASA’s public archive for almost three years without being looked at. The picture was taken by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater on August 20, 2023, which was its 3,924th day of work on Mars. It was uploaded, saved, and mostly forgotten until August 2026, when a user named Kari Sivertzen put it on X, and the internet did what the internet does. The picture shows what looks like a dark shape that looks like a jellyfish hovering over a distant rocky hill. It looks like it has tentacles…
When you first look at the picture, it seems almost silly. An astronaut, wearing a space suit and working carefully inside a portable glovebag, holds a small sample pouch that doesn’t hold a piece of cutting-edge technology or a biological specimen. It holds cement. Simple, old, and completely normal cement. While Alexander Gerst was on the International Space Station, he was doing something very out of the ordinary for the European Space Agency. MICS, NASA’s Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification, looked at how cement hardens, which is something that builders on Earth have used for thousands of years. What’s interesting…
Four samples of water. That was all it took to warn people in Utah who work with wildlife. Out of the 22 samples taken near the Potash Boat Ramp, which is about 14 miles downstream from Moab, zebra mussel environmental DNA was found in four of them. The study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey. The news came from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. A line that had never been crossed before was crossed in a quiet way that almost no one noticed. DNA from a zebra mussel had been found in the Colorado River in Utah for…
An eclipse of the moon is a quiet but amazing sight. You don’t need to wear safety glasses or any other special gear, and you don’t have to buy a livestream subscription. You just need a clear sky and the will to stay up a little later than usual. Two of them will happen this year, in 2026, and one of them is pretty close to a total eclipse without being called one. The first event of the year was a total lunar eclipse on March 3, which was best seen from Europe, Asia, and Africa, where the Moon was…
Some actors can make a room full, but Tim Curry could do that just by speaking. He was an English actor who died on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. He had such a varied and strange career that no one role, or even a few roles, could ever fully capture him. Most people have heard of Rocky Horror, Pennywise, Clue, and that hotel concierge from Home Alone 2. But it was the real, strange, specific details of Tim Curry’s life that made it interesting to learn about. Begin with the clown. Tim Curry’s performance as Pennywise the…