Evan Simon // Floodlight

On ground that was once the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, trucks unload food scraps and yard waste, filling the air with the sharp tang of decaying garbage. Machines hum as they separate plastics and other contaminants from fruit and vegetable peels, leftovers and leaves, while speakers play fake bird sounds to keep scavengers away. Still, seagulls perch atop the slowly transforming compost, now resting in concrete bunkers. Nearby, heaps of dark, rich finished compost sit ready for gardens and parks. This is where organic waste from the country’s largest city gets a second life.

Opened in 1991 to process yard trimmings, the Staten Island Composting Facility has become a pillar of the city’s composting efforts. It recently underwent an expansion, boosting its capacity by nearly 2,000% to accommodate a growing volume of food scraps and yard waste collected from neighborhoods across the city.

In October 2024, New York City took a major step in tackling its trash problem by making curbside composting mandatory. Residents are asked to separate peels, leftovers and leaves and place them in a lidded brown bin on their recycling day, when sanitation workers collect them.

There should be a steady supply of organic waste. About a third of the city’s total waste stream is compostable, and composting offers many benefits. The initiative aims to keep food scraps and yard waste out of landfills, cut planet-warming emissions and even help curb the city’s rat problem. (The sanitation department says that composting bins actually help reduce rodent activity when the lids are consistently kept closed.)

When organic materials decompose in landfills, they release methane — a greenhouse gas about 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Composting would also save on the estimated $215 million per year that the city spends exporting solid waste to landfills and incinerators.

The city’s Department of Sanitation has hailed the expansion as a success. For instance, between Nov. 16 and 22, it collected more than 6 million pounds of material, surpassing records set earlier this past spring. But Floodlight and Sentient have found that researchers and advocates are not convinced the program is working as well as it could. An examination of the data reveals that inconsistent enforcement and inadequate education and outreach have contributed to lower participation than w

DC Studio // Shutterstock

At some point, many people find themselves quietly wondering: Do I need therapy? The question tends to arrive after a stressful week, during a tough conversation, or while lying awake at night trying to make sense of everything on your mind.

If you’re asking that question, you’re already doing something important: paying attention to how you’re feeling. This guide from Spring Health will help you figure out when it’s time to get support, what the research says about therapy’s benefits, and how to take the next step if you choose to.

That said, if you’re currently in crisis, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 to reach the 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

How Do I Know if I Need Therapy?

First things first: There’s no minimum threshold to start therapy. You don’t need to be diagnosed with a mental health condition like bipolar disorder or be experiencing a mental health crisis to benefit from professional mental health support.

Therapy can help with both mental health conditions and life challenges. Everything from symptoms of anxiety, depression, or PTSD to stress, burnout, relationship difficulties, grief, or simply wanting to understand yourself better can be addressed by therapy.

Basically, if you’re reading this article and wondering whether therapy is for you, that curiosity itself might be worth exploring.

17 Signs You Might Benefit From Therapy

There are many reasons to consider therapy, so keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list. And you don’t need to check every box on this list to benefit from therapy. But if anything here resonates with you, booking a session with a mental health provider might be helpful.

1. Your emotions feel overwhelming or out of control

When everyday feelings become too intense to manage, or you find yourself having emotional reactions that seem disproportionate to the situation, therapy can help you develop healthier ways to process and regulate those emotions.

2. You’re struggling with anxiety or constant worry

If worry follows you everywhere, making it hard to concentrate, sleep, or enjoy your day, it might be time to start therapy for anxiety. Persistent anxiety isn’t something you have to live with, and it can improve with the right support and coping strategies.

3. You feel hopeless or stuck

Feeling like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, or that nothing will ever change, can be a sign of depression. These feelings can be serious, and therapy can help you identify causes, build coping tools, and explore additional care options if needed.

4. Your sleep or eating habits have changed significantly

Whether you’re sleeping too much

Kia

Although not as commonplace as their seven- and eight-seat counterparts, there are still lots of great 2026 six-passenger SUVs and crossovers on the market today. With captain’s seats in the first and second rows, these vehicles offer ample comfort, plus the added usability of a third-row seat when needed. Some six-seater SUVs have a full center console in the second row that makes it feel like a first-class cabin, while others have a pass-through to the rear seat — a nonnegotiable feature for some parents. But regardless of your own priorities and needs (plus that all-important budget question), there’s probably a six-seat SUV on sale for 2026 that’ll be perfect for you.

Every year, the Edmunds team drives, tests, and rates hundreds of vehicles on the road, on the trail, and at their private test track. Their 227-point vehicle testing process uses professional-grade satellite equipment to track every move a car makes with pinpoint accuracy.

Based on this testing, Edmunds suggests several small, midsize, and large options to check out.

Small 6-seater SUVs

2026 Kia Sorento

The Kia Sorento was the automaker’s first three-row SUV, and over the years, it’s become one of the best options around for small families who don’t want to deal with the cumbersome size of larger cars. Although it comes standard with second- and third-row bench seats and seating for seven, second-row captain’s chairs are optional on the midlevel EX trim and standard on X-Line, X-Pro and SX models, allowing you to trade maximum passenger capacity for easier third-row access. The Sorento also offers hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains in six-seat form, good news for shoppers who want both efficiency and comfort.

Starting MSRP: $33,635 ($41,735 for six seats)
Cargo space:
12.6 cubic feet behind the third row
45 cubic feet behind the second row
75.5 cubic feet behind the first row

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe is very closely related to the Kia Sorento. Its techno-Defender styling gives it decent cargo space and third-row headroom, something that’s not always true of crossovers in this class. Like the Sorento, the Hyundai crossover comes standard with seating for seven, but opt for the luxurious Limited model and you’ll find second-row bucket seats that make the Santa Fe a spacious, comfortable six-seater SUV.

Starting MSRP: $36,400 ($45,950 for six seats)
Cargo space:
14.6 cubic feet behind the third row
40.5 cubic feet behind the second row
79.6 cubic feet behind the first row

Midsize 6-seater SUVs

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9

The Read more

Brianna Soukup // Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Chris Warner has been harvesting seafood in coastal Maine since he was a teenager. It’s never been easy, but he’s never let the obstacles stand in his way. Sometimes, he told The Economic Hardship Reporting Project and Inside Climate News, it feels like he’s spent 34 years in an endless state of adaptation.

Warner was on a boat the last day before the regional shrimp moratorium went into effect in 2013. He saw the sea urchin industry rise and fall. He was out there the day limits were put on haddock. Still, he and his fellow harvesters found ways to pivot and keep themselves afloat, fighting to preserve one of the region’s few reliable industries and their place in shaping Maine’s identity.

Today, Warner farms oysters and digs softshell clams for half his income and makes the rest as a real estate agent. But even what remains is now threatened, he said, by an uptick in harvest closures driven by increased pollution along Maine’s booming coastline and heavier and more frequent rains washing it into waterways.

Commercial shellfisheries in Maine and beyond are regulated by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, an interstate compact developed in 1925 and administered at the state level to protect the public from unsafe seafood. In Maine, 2 inches of rain within a 24-hour period automatically triggers an emergency closure of shellfish growing areas under the NSSP; harvesters can’t get back to work until the state’s water-quality testing shows the risk of shellfish polluted by fecal coliform has subsided. Many of the state’s growing areas are on stricter limits, closing for as many as 14 days after rainfall totals as low as three-quarters of an inch—closures that can be extended for weeks by intervening storms.

Each of those closures deals a blow to the community of shellfish harvesters whose work helps sustain Maine’s seafood economy. As climate change coincides with a post-pandemic rush of residents and tourists to the state’s serene seaside towns, overtaxing septic systems and bringing a surge of new pollution, those working on the water describe being pushed to the brink. Warner and others like him are tangling with the reality that they may need to pivot once again—only this time, they’re running out of options.

“It’s horrifying,” Warner said. “Every time it rains, you’re done.”

“An Onslaught of Issues”

Maine’s iconic lobster remains the undisputed heavyweight of the state’s commercial fisheries, but clams and oysters rank second and third, respectively, bringing in about $15 million each in 2024. Because both are filter feeders, their safety for consumers relies on water quality that’s become harder to maintain.

Since 1970, Maine’s annual rainfall has increased by 4 inches, according to

NILAY PARUI // Shutterstock

The first quarter of 2026 is underway, and with it comes that feeling of a fresh start we all love. Whether you’re working toward early retirement, building wealth with equity compensation, or finally buying that dream home, Q1 is your launchpad for making 2026 your most financially confident year yet.

Why Q1 Matters for Your Financial Success

The beginning of the year isn’t just symbolic—it’s strategic. Tax season looms, retirement contribution limits reset, and you have a full 12 months ahead to make meaningful progress. Research shows that households with a financial plan are 2.5 times more likely to save enough for retirement, and 76% of people with formal plans wish they’d started sooner.

Domain Money shares how to make Q1 2026 count.

1. Set Financial Goals That Actually Work

Vague aspirations like “save more money” don’t cut it. The most successful goal-setters use the SMART framework: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Break your goals into three categories:

• Short-term (0-12 months): Build a $15,000 emergency fund, pay off high-interest credit card debt, or save for a vacation.
• Medium-term (1-5 years): Accumulate a $100,000 down payment, fund a wedding, or start a business.
• Long-term (5+ years): Retire by age 55, fund your children’s education, or build a $3 million portfolio.

Example: Instead of “invest more,” try “maximize my 401(k) employer match by contributing $1,200 per month, plus increase my Roth IRA contributions to $7,500 for 2026.”

People with written financial plans save 10% more of their income compared to those without plans. Even better? Those with a plan are 3.7 times more confident they’ll reach their financial goals.

2. Maximize Your Retirement Contributions in Q1

The IRS has set 2026 contribution limits, and Q1 is when you should lock in your strategy. Aim to contribute at least 10%-15% of your income toward retirement, adjusting based on your age and goals.

2026 contribution limits:

• 401(k): $24,500 (plus $8,000 catch-up if 50+, which must be in a Roth account for high earners)
• IRA/Roth IRA: $7,500 (plus $1,100 catch-up if 50+)
• HSA: $4,400 individual / $8,750 family (plus $1,000 if 55+)

Pro tip: If you received a year-end bonus or raise, consider redirecting a portion directly to your retirement accounts before you adjust to the higher income. Even a 2% increase in contributions can translate to hundreds of thousands more by retirement, thanks to compound growth.