Author: wildgreenquest@gmail.com
Key Takeaways Lowe’s is committing $250 million over several years to expand training for electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and other skilled trades. The funds flow into programs like tuition-free training. CEO Marvin Ellison frames the trades as “even more important… in the near future,” arguing that hands-on roles are resilient to AI and automation. As AI shakes up white-collar work, skilled trades are starting to look like the smarter bet for steady, high-paying work — and Lowe’s is leaning into that future. The home improvement company recently told Fortune that its foundation plans to invest $250 million over the next decade…
A bit of cleaning, care, and repair can keep your footwear in rotation for years. Clean your boots after each trip to keep them in good shape (Photo: Andrew Peacock / Moment via Getty)Published April 8, 2026 01:50PMHiking boots are meant to be worn—not kept in a display case like a pair of Nike Dunks. That means, out on the trail, they’re bound to get dirty. Dust finds its way into every crevasse, mud cakes onto the tread, and creek crossings soak the lining. With every mile, your boots take on the terrain and, almost invisibly, begin to break down.…
Some Buc-ee’s customers are complaining of pain at the pump—and it’s not the surge in gas prices that’s to blame, but rather the chain’s pay-at-the-pump policy.While it’s common practice for gas stations to require customers paying for gas with cash to prepay with a cashier, Buc-ee’s instituted a new policy in March that affects customers paying with credit or debit cards. Customers paying with credit or debit cards are now required to pay at the pump, and can no longer pay at the register, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman. The new policy is intended to speed up transactions and…
After years of building a traditional business centered on helping people get out of the house and find fun stuff to do, John Peterson, the CEO of The Nudge, just launched an agentic AI version of its “planner friend.” This new AI agent, which is now live across dozens of U.S. markets, proactively plans, recommends, and books things to do in your city, informed by your likes and dislikes, plans others are making locally and chats from other users. “Once you sign up, you start receiving texts directly on your phone a couple of times per week – each ‘nudge’ includes…
Published April 8, 2026 12:30PMPortable power stations have come a long way in the past several years. Since I started using power stations for camping nearly a decade ago, the technology has advanced so much. Now, I’m convinced that anyone building a camper van or overland rig is better off with one of these all-in-one units than a traditional camper van or RV electrical setup—a complicated system of standalone batteries, inverters, converter chargers, solar charge controllers, breakers, and wiring. A modern portable power station combines all of that into one unit, and is a much simpler solution for most people.Over…
As a teenager, my Sony Walkman was my most treasured possession. It was a portal to another world that let me consume music in industrial quantities. By the early 1990s, it wasn’t new—Sony invented it in the late ’70s—yetit still held incredible power. Sony sold more than 220 million units globally.When one died, often from overuse, I’d use a birthday or Christmas present to upgrade it, usually with a trip to an electronics store with my Dad. Those places felt mythical.That feeling came flooding back when I visited a big-box electronics store with my kids. Retail is under pressure as…
Eva Longoria is a human force of nature. The actor and creator has starred in a million things like Desperate Housewives and Only Murders in the Building, and produced and directed a ton, including Flamin’ Hot, the biopic about the creator of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. And beyond entertainment, she’s built an incredible business empire spanning tequila, a production company, and multiple soccer teams. But for all the success she has personally achieved, Eva’s true passion is empowering others to win. Her work to create business pipelines for Latinas was recognized with a cover story of Entrepreneur magazine’s 100 Women of…
From search and rescue to animal welfare, nonprofits do heroic work to serve their communities. Defender believes they deserve a hero’s reward—an unstoppable SUV and $30,000 in funding.Published April 8, 2026 11:25AMThe best way to strengthen any community? Support the deeply held, shared values that connect us. Those values—from veterans support to animal welfare—are at the heart of what mission-driven nonprofits do, and why the Defender Service Awards presented by Chase exists. Now in its sixth year, the Defender Service Awards honors organizations doing this heroic work, and rewards them with a capable vehicle and funding to expand and improve…
Getting a seat at the Masters is notoriously difficult, with tickets to the golf tournament only available to the public through an online lottery that has to be entered a year in advance. But the Masters may have an even more exclusive offering than attendance: a limited edition garden gnome potentially worth thousands of dollars.In 2016, Augusta National, the Georgia golf course that hosts the Masters every year, released the first gnome of what is now a coveted set of ten. Each year, the gnome sports a different outfit. Sometimes it’s a golfer, sporting a set of clubs and a…
The most famous dead person to ever wear sunglasses just might be Bernie Lomax. Until now. Because the namesake for the 1989 hit comedy Weekend at Bernie’s was a fictional character, but you dear reader, you are very real. Liquid Death just announced its newest collab, this time with sunglasses brand Pit Viper, to make what its calling “Sunglasses for Dead People.” According to Liquid Death, 87% of people who have near-death experiences report seeing a blinding bright light. That’s not an exact science, but the canned water brand isn’t letting that get in the way of a good bit. Available…