2 weeks ago in Lifestyle

Nutrition apps can help build healthy habits. For some users, their gaming features carry risks

Green means go, red means stop. Trophies or confetti come with good performance, and people who fall behind get nudged to do better. Those brightly colored engagement tactics long ago jumped from smartphone games to everything from online shopping to sports betting and classrooms. So it should come as no surprise that many nutrition-tracking apps like MyFitnessPal and Noom also use gaming features to keep users coming back.

2 weeks ago in Lifestyle

How to talk about money with your kids

At the grocery store, Jamie Corum sets a two-minute timer for her 10-year-old daughter to look around. Then she resets it to 10 minutes so her daughter can choose one thing to buy, making sure she considers her budget and how much tax she'll have to pay.

2 weeks ago in Crime, IL State News, Local, ZZZ App Top Stories

New facility dog helps victims in federal cases across central Illinois

"Testifying in court and being interviewed regarding a crime can be very traumatic and stressful," Gilmore said. "Studies have shown that a facility dog can lower the stress level of victims and witnesses."

2 weeks ago in Agriculture, Business, Farm, IL State News, Local, National, ZZZ App Top Stories

Supreme Court ruling simplifies pesticide labeling for Illinois farmers

"If the U.S. EPA does say it's cancer-causing, it's going to go on the label," Johnson said. "But right now, there is nothing the U.S. EPA has found that says it's a cancer-causing agent."

2 weeks ago in Business, Food Scene, IL State News, Lifestyle, Local, National, ZZZ App Top Stories

Stars, stripes and shopping carts: What Americans buy for the Fourth of July in Illinois

Instacart compiled July 4th shopping trends in Illinois

2 weeks ago in Agriculture, Business, Farm, IL State News, Local, National, ZZZ App Top Stories

‘A real farm crisis’: Illinois farm bankruptcies rise for 3rd straight year

Rising land rent, an unstable export market and record farm debt are blamed.

2 weeks ago in Crime, Education, IL State News, Local, ZZZ App Top Stories

Cocktails-to-go, new state agency among laws taking effect July 1

14 new laws will begin with new fiscal year.

2 weeks ago in History, IL State News, National, ZZZ App Top Stories

Khadijah Farrakhan, ‘first lady of Nation of Islam’ as wife of famous pastor, dies at 90

Khadijah Farrakhan converted to Islam in 1955, the same year that her husband joined the Chicago-based movement after being heavily influenced by Malcolm X, his friend from Boston.

2 weeks ago in Crime, IL State News, National, ZZZ App Top Stories

Rapper Twista pleads guilty to not paying taxes and faces potential prison time

"Twista" lives in Chicago.

2 weeks ago in Health & Wellness, IL State News, Local, National, ZZZ App Top Stories

Sweltering Midwest heat cancels outdoor plans as cooling centers open and the East braces

“You’re happy winter’s gone, you’re ready to enjoy the summer, you’ve just been aching for it,” Elrod said. “And so, I think we slip into kind of a position where we think it’s got to be OK.”

2 weeks ago in Business, Local, ZZZ App Top Stories

Small business is about people helping people

Local Chamber president Mike Murphy says it means jobs for our community.

2 weeks ago in Sports

Play is underway in ideal conditions on the opening day of Wimbledon

Among the early matches on the opening day of the grass-court Grand Slam: Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula beat Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3; rising Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, in his Wimbledon debut, beat Felix Gill 6-3, 6-3, 7-5; and French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska, who needed a wild-card entry, was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 by Mananchaya Sawangkaew.

2 weeks ago in Entertainment, Trending

Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting married at Madison Square Garden? What we know

Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce really getting married at Madison Square Garden? Frenzied speculation surrounding the superstar singer and football player's upcoming wedding has spiked over the past few days as reports swirl that the two are getting married the first week in July at one of New York's iconic landmarks.

2 weeks ago in Lifestyle

Scratching that bug bite might feel good at first but science explains why it’s a bad idea

You've likely heard it since childhood: Don't scratch that bug bite or rash, you'll make it worse. But why would something that feels so good be bad?

2 weeks ago in Agriculture, Business, Crime, Education, Entertainment, Farm, Food Scene, Health & Wellness, History, IL State News, Lifestyle, Local, Marketing and Advertising Expert, National, ZZZ App Top Stories

Watch our app! The NEW CapitolCityNow app is available for download!

A new app, easier to see and use!

2 weeks ago in Business, Entertainment, IL State News, Local, National, ZZZ App Top Stories

Comcast plans to split into two public companies by spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky

Comcast is the primary cable television provider in Springfield, IL.

2 weeks ago in Crime, Local, ZZZ App Top Stories

UPDATE: 2 critically injured in Springfield mobile home park shooting; suspect found dead

A suspect was found dead in Stark County.

2 weeks ago in Crime, IL State News, Local, ZZZ App Top Stories

Domestic violence fatality numbers trend down

Numbers go up and down, but ICADV leader says the effects are "enduring and widespread."

2 weeks ago in Business, IL State News, Local, ZZZ App Top Stories

Taxpayer group says facts show real data center story

Water, electricity, noise minimal, says advocate, who adds, "We call balls and strikers."

3 weeks ago in Business, Health & Wellness, IL State News, Local, ZZZ App Top Stories

Former Springfield Clinic leader moves to Memorial

Jen Boyer was acting CEO of Springfield Clinic for a time.