On a recent Sunday, I stood in the kitchen with my brother Daniel, watching as he cracked the fifth and final egg into a bowl — the blue bowl, his favorite for making scrambled eggs. He reached for the fork to whisk them, humming, clicking his tongue and smiling widely.  At 49 years old, Daniel has enjoyed eggs for a while — ever since our time on a Wisconsin farm as kids, when we made frequent visits to our next-door neighbors, “Grandma” Jeanette and “Grandpa” Chester, dairy farmers who sent us home with a fresh dozen every week.

Our parents learned of my brother’s autism when he was 3 years old, and as he grew, our family watched Daniel become who he is: someone who adores the beach and the Beatles, thrives on being on-the-go, and, like the rest of his family, loves food.

Daniel poured the eggs into the skillet and reached for the spatula I handed him, scrambling the yellow of the yolks; singing the refrain from “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. After weeks of practice, I now let Daniel lead the charge on this recipe, but I stay close, concerned for his safety around the heat. It’s why we cook with an electric skillet as opposed to an open flame, the pan’s temperature dial and larger dimensions proving easier for Daniel to manage.

I am not alone in considering modifications in the kitchen — and beyond — for a loved one with a disability. In 1988, Congress passed the Assistive Technology Act, a law issuing federal funding to states to help increase access to assistive technology devices and services for individuals with disabilities.

Lynn Hess, a daytime support provider culinary instructor, helps Jesus M. with a glove at Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, Sept. 9, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

In 1989, the Illinois Assistive Technology Program began. Its mission is to provide individuals living with disabilities and health conditions greater access to assistive technology devices and services, enhancing their independence and participation in daily life. IATP is based in Springfield and serves people throughout Illinois.

“We realize that not everybody with a disability can make the drive to us, and so we come to them,” says Jessica Schuyler-Weir, director of training.  “We want to welcome anybody who wants to learn about how assistive technology can help them.”

The team works with individuals, their families and their caregivers to determine the best way, be it a site or home visit, for the individual to engage with IATP’s core programs. These include a Device Loan Library, a Demonstration Center (featuring demonstrations of thousands of devices), and a Reuse Program, offering gently used and new assistive technology devices and durable medical equipment to those who would otherwise be unable to afford them. If an individual has a need that a device doesn’t meet, they can speak with IATP’s Makers Program about custom fabrication.

“I am a person who was born with one hand, and now I am learning to play the guitar because of an IATP Makers creation — a prosthetic pick,” says Schuyler-Weir.

In recent years, IATP has launched additional initiatives, including its Tech Kitchen, a program dedicated to equipping individuals with assistive technology tools and training needed to develop culinary skills and confidence in the kitchen.

“People were often asking us about training programs to learn independent living skills in cooking,” says Schuyler-Weir. “We wanted to fill that void.”

Paola P., left, puts sprinkles on cookies as James G. dips the cookies in chocolate at Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, Sept. 9, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

The IATP team welcomes individuals to their homestyle teaching kitchen in-person or virtually for demonstrations and to provide a tour of an accessible kitchen layout. The Tech Kitchen offers cooking classes to residents of Illinois aged 14 and up, with any disability, who currently receive services from one of the major bureaus of the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services. They also coordinate home visits, sending a chef-instructor and occupational therapists to clients.

“Our team works with the individual to determine their specific needs, available resources and how they can benefit from assistive technology,” says Schuyler-Weir. From there, the team employs a device loan system helping individuals acquire needed devices. Should that device no longer be needed, it can be recycled back to IATP’s Reuse Program.

During visits, Tech Kitchen staff work with individuals to develop a variety of functions in the kitchen, including recipe literacy, meal planning, and knife and stove safety, using tools ranging from air fryers and induction burners to plastic cutlery and smart technology. It all begins, Schuyler-Weir notes, with time spent with the individual, learning their skillsets and enthusiasms.

“We never start with what it is that an individual can’t do, but instead, with what they want to do — what they want to cook, and to eat — and what challenges are between them and these goals,” she says. “We ask ourselves, ‘How can we build up this individual and their experience in the kitchen?’”

Schuyler-Weir references one of their clients, whose mother was eager to see her son embrace his desire to cook, but who was concerned for his safety around stovetops.

“By the end of the day, he made quesadillas independently,” says Schuyler-Weir. “People who never thought they or their loved ones could cook in the kitchen are seeing the benefits of these tools — who knew all that an air fryer could do, or that you could bake bread in a microwave? There are so many options.”

While individuals can receive the fullest range of benefits of IATP’s Tech Kitchen only as a client of Illinois’ Division of Rehabilitation Services, Schuyler-Weir notes that the team works to find sustainable solutions for everyone, including resources on where to buy devices and how to access Tech Kitchen demonstration videos.

“We want to reach as many individuals as we can with this work because we know the impact it has on the lives of those who need it most.”

Jesus M. and Donna M. make balls of cookie dough with an ice cream scoop before putting them on a baking sheet at Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, Sept. 9, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
James G. dips cookies in chocolate at Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, Sept. 9, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

In addition to working directly with individuals and their caregivers, IATP also responds to Tech Kitchen inquiries from community day programs and residential providers. Culinary education is a cornerstone of the curriculum at Gateway to Learning, a Lincoln Square program dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To help inform their programming across four kitchen classrooms and onsite bakery Dorothy’s Sweet Shoppe, Gateway contacted IATP for a virtual training.

“Many staff expressed interest in learning how to adapt culinary tasks to maximize participant independence, and IATP offers that expertise,” says Amanda Bulgrin, director of community day services at Gateway to Learning. IATP’s training covered topics such as mobility and low vision considerations, adaptive measuring tools, and knife safety. The insights served as refreshers and guidance for the Gateway to Learning team, which continues to champion the culinary arts as a means of creative expression and autonomy building for their community.

“When one cooks or bakes, the most noticeable result is the meal or the baked good. But the reality is that someone is gaining a lot of experience and skill development in the process,” says John Ratzenberger, chief operating officer at Gateway to Learning.

Bulgrin agrees. “Life skills are key in a person achieving increased independence,” she says. “In turn, these skills build self-esteem and confidence — it feels good.”

That Sunday at home, I came around the kitchen counter next to where Daniel stood and asked if he wanted my help. He looked at me, then back to his dish, now nearing completion in a steaming, perfectly fluffy scramble.

Daniel kept his gaze on the skillet, using the spatula along its edges, pausing his singing only momentarily to speak.

“I want to do it myself.”

He returned to his song and to his spatula, smiling wider this time.

Nicole Schnitzler is a freelance writer.

By Linda Bell, Bankrate.com

The Federal Reserve just did something it hadn’t yet done in 2025: It lowered its benchmark overnight lending rate.

Related Articles

Sources: 3M looking to sell off billions in industrial assets

State regulators approve sale of Minnesota Power’s parent company

Health care’s employment growth clouded by immigration crackdown, Medicaid cuts

Lack of jobs data due to government shutdown muddies view of hiring and the US economy

Should you pay off your mortgage early?

While the markets largely expected September’s quarter-point rate cut, it does mark the beginning of a potential easing cycle after months of holding rates steady. That matters for homeowners because the Fed’s decisions ripple through to home equity loan and HELOC rates, shaping how expensive (or affordable) it is to tap into the value of your home.

The natural questions now are: How much rate relief can home equity borrowers actually expect? And how might that impact the appetite for borrowing?

Fed tightening to improve home equity rates

If you’ve got a HELOC, you know that the Fed’s moves matter. HELOCs have variable rates tied directly to the prime rate, which typically moves almost in lockstep with the Fed’s benchmark rate. In contrast, fixed-rate home equity loan rates are less sensitive to Fed moves, although new borrowers may see their rates gradually shift as well.

September’s recent cut is already showing up in the numbers. In the week of September 24, both HELOCs and home equity loans recorded some of their most significant drops of the year, falling to 7.88% and 8.19%, respectively, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. On the heels of last year’s tightening, rates are poised to continue falling, with the Fed signaling more rate reductions to come.

“Incorporating the full point of cuts the Fed made last year, plus the recent quarter-point cut and the half-point of additional [quarter point] cuts forecast by the end of the year [at the October and December meetings], that’s 175 basis points in total cuts from September 2024 through December 2025, most likely,” says Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate.

That means by year’s end, average HELOC rates could land around 7.3%. Fixed-rate home equity loans may ease more slowly and settle around 7.9%. Not cheap money, but a notable improvement from the 10+ percent highs borrowers faced at the beginning of 2024.

Home equity rate relief impact

Although rates may trend lower this year, the reality is that it will take some time for a drop in home equity rates to reach borrowers’ wallets.

“While there is certainly cause to rejoice with the Fed cutting rates, it will take many rate cuts of 0.25% for consumers to start really noticing and feeling the improvement in their monthly payments,” says Sarah DeFlorio, vice president of mortgage banking at William Raveis Mortgage, a real estate company based in Connecticut.

In other words, it’s a series of interest rate cuts, and not just a single one, that will make the most difference. “If HELOC rates fall to the low 6% range by late 2026, it will lower the monthly payment needed to withdraw $50,000 in equity by another $50, about 17% less than today’s levels,” notes Selma Hepp, chief economist at Cotality.

While that’s meaningful, perspective also matters. “We’re not going back to 3% to 4% HELOCs anytime soon, but this is becoming a less expensive source of funds, which could open up some more usage for home improvements, debt consolidation, etc.,” says Rossman.

Teaser rate offers will be subdued

In falling interest rate environments, lenders often roll out promotional HELOC rate offers to capitalize on rising consumer demand. However, the timing of the Fed cuts at the end of the year could put a damper on those deals.

“Marketing spend is typically front-loaded for the spring lending season, and right at that time, we saw probably the biggest number on record of the usage of promotional rates,” says Ken Flaherty, senior manager, retail lending at Curinos, a data insights firm based in New York. “In Q4, [lenders] are typically out of spend or don’t have it aligned to the non-seasonal months of home lending, which is typically Q4 and Q1 of every year.”

However, due to the potential for additional rate cuts this year, teaser offers can often be a double-edged sword for lenders. While the offers drum up business, the danger is that if lenders choose a promotional rate now, two more rate cuts from now, the standard rate could be even lower than the teaser rate, explains Kinley Hicks, home equity market analyst at Curinos. “It’s finding a balance, because typically these [promo rates] are locked for six to 12 months.”

Why equity tapping is likely to rise

Even without aggressive promotions, there are two primary reasons more homeowners could tap into their housing stake.

Although equity growth has moderated, homeowner equity totaled $17.5 trillion in the second quarter of 2025, or about $307,000 per homeowner, according to Cotality data. That’s the third-highest figure ever. Flaherty notes that following the Fed’s surprise 50-basis-point cut in September of 2024, both home equity utilization and average balances increased.

Additionally, millions of homeowners are “locked in” to 2- to 3-percent mortgages and are reluctant to sell. Tapping into their equity for renovations or debt consolidation is a way to put that wealth to work without giving up a cheap first mortgage.

The stage has already been set. In the second quarter, home equity lending increased more than 16% from the previous quarter and almost 5% from last year, according to ATTOM Data Solutions. What’s more, ICE reported that homeowners pulled $52 billion in equity from their properties in the second quarter of this year. As Andy Walden, head of mortgage and housing market research at Intercontinental Exchange, puts it, equity extraction “hit our highest level in nearly three years.”

Economic wild cards

Of course, nothing is guaranteed. The Fed’s path and that of home equity rates depend on how the economy evolves.

Warning signs are indeed flashing. Inflation still remains a concern, along with a softening job market. At a post-meeting news conference, Fed chair Jerome Powell said, “In the near term, risks to inflation are tilted to the upside and risks to employment to the downside, a challenging situation. When our goals are in tension like this, our framework calls for us to balance both sides of our dual mandate.”

That means if inflation flares back up, the Fed could slow or even pause its rate cuts, putting a floor under borrowing costs.

How homeowners can prepare

For now, the trend points to gradually lower home equity borrowing costs, especially for HELOCs. Keeping an eye on the Fed’s moves can offer clues to where home equity rates may be headed. For borrowers, the best strategy now is to stay alert and adaptable. Be sure to shop around, as not all lenders price their products the same way.

And whether you need to tap your housing stake for renovations, to consolidate debt, or for a cash cushion, the best course of action is to get professional advice. “A lending specialist can help show you your options,” says Flaherty. “Whether it is a HELOC or a home equity loan — or potentially, for some consumers, we could be quickly approaching a scenario where you know a mortgage rate and term cash out is the better solution for you.”

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

For months, speculation had mounted over which global superstar would headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show. Taylor Swift and Adele were the front-runners — at least in the hearts of their fans. But on Sunday night, the National Football League announced that Bad Bunny was its choice.

Many celebrated the fact that the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican superstar would bring his fusion of Latin trap and reggaeton, and other genres to football’s biggest stage on  Feb. 8, 2026. Then came the backlash.

Right-wing critics denounced the choice as “woke propaganda,” fixating on two points: Bad Bunny performs largely in Spanish, and he has openly criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies — particularly its aggressive use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Some people online have even suggested that the artist should be deported during his performance — forgetting, or perhaps not knowing, that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.

But the ignorance doesn’t end there. Framing the league’s decision as another culture war flash point misses a simpler reality: Picking Bad Bunny, who unapologetically represents the Latin diaspora, is a shrewd business play for the NFL. His massive international appeal makes him an ideal choice to help the league advance its ambition of building a global fan base.

Those desires date back to the 1960s, at least, but really took flight in 1986 when the NFL began a series of preseason games in the U.K. This year, the league is holding seven regular season games in five countries on two continents, and it just announced a deal to play at least three regular season games over five years in Rio de Janeiro.

The international games have done well, selling out stadiums around the world. But the league isn’t leaving anything to chance. In addition to playing games in overseas markets, it’s leaned into building grassroots interest in the sport as well by sponsoring watch parties and youth leagues, among other steps, in targeted regions. The strategy has worked. Last year, for example, the NFL estimated that Germany is home to 19 million NFL fans, of whom 3.6 million watch it regularly.

By far, however, the biggest fan base abroad is in Latin America. Mexico, according to the league, is home to 40 million fans on its own. Meanwhile, Latino viewers — in the U.S. and outside of it — are spiking, as are Spanish-language broadcasts. Some of that growth is likely due to Mexico’s shared border with the U.S. and its cultural ties (some version of football has been played there since the 1920s), and some is no doubt due to the NFL’s marketing efforts in the region.

As usual, the league wants more. Commissioner Roger Goodell recently talked up his interest in expanding the NFL’s international schedule to 16 games per season, and the possibility of holding a Super Bowl abroad. Achieving these targets could generate billions in new revenue and attract legions of fans. But football alone won’t get the NFL there, not even in Latin America. The league must also position itself as a cultural force that extends beyond the game, just as it has in the U.S.

The Super Bowl halftime show is an ideal platform for doing it.

Though it started out as little more than a time-filler featuring marching bands, it’s become a sophisticated tool for the league to court the demographics that it covets as fans. For example, in the mid-2010s, the NFL sought to attract millennials to its broadcasts by booking artists such as Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Coldplay.

Related Articles

Lyle D. Burgoon: When you’re pregnant and in pain — a pharmacologist’s guide to safe relief

Commentary: Congresswomen unite, not for show, but in consequential bipartisanship, for immigration reform

Lisa Britton: ‘Have you considered helping boys?’ The other gender gap

Commentary: Why academic debates about AI mislead lawmakers — and the public

W.J. Hennigan: Hundreds of officers, 2 long hours of political theater

The halftime show isn’t just about spotlighting a generation’s favorite artists. It’s also crafted to present whoever is on the stage in ways that feel authentic to the intended audience. In recent Super Bowls, that’s meant engineering moments tailor-made for short-form clips that can be shared on Instagram and TikTok.

Serena Williams’ cameo during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX performance in February, epitomized this kind of content. Based on my own social media, many of the people sharing those clips aren’t (or weren’t) NFL fans. And a recent poll conducted by Seton Hall University found that 25% of the people tuning into the Super Bowl do so because they look forward to the halftime show more than the game (or commercials). For self-identified non-fans, the percentage rises to 38%. Many of those halftime spectators may never become serious NFL football fans. But they might just tune in to another halftime. That’s probably good enough for the league as it proves its relevance in international markets where it’s competing with homegrown favorites such as soccer.

Bad Bunny can only help with that endeavor. Critics who complain that the artist is not a representation of American football aren’t familiar with NFL’s long game. The goal is to have more people recognize NFL as an international brand and that transcends national politics.

Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the business of sports. He is the author, most recently, of “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale.”

Today is Saturday, Oct. 4, the 277th day of 2025. There are 88 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 4, 2002, “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh received a 20-year sentence after a sobbing plea for forgiveness before a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia. (He was released from prison in May, 2019.)

Also on this date:

In 1777, Gen. George Washington’s troops launched an assault on the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania, resulting in heavy American casualties and the retreat of Washington’s Continental Army.

Related Articles

Parents of two college students killed in a Tesla allege design flaw trapped them in the burning car

A Black champion boxer was held by police at gunpoint. The police chief says he gets the outrage

Spanish-language journalist arrested while covering protest near Atlanta deported to El Salvador

FBI cuts ties with Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League after conservative complaints

A by the numbers look at the current Hispanic population in the United States

In 1927, sculptor Gutzon Borglum began construction on what is now Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

In 1957, the Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, into orbit.

In 1965, Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit the Western Hemisphere as he addressed the U.N. General Assembly.

In 1970, rock singer Janis Joplin was found dead in her Hollywood hotel room at age 27.

In 2001, a Russian airliner flying from Israel to Siberia was accidentally downed by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile over the Black Sea, killing all 78 people aboard.

In 2004, the SpaceShipOne rocket plane broke through Earth’s atmosphere to the edge of space for the second time in five days, capturing the $10 million Ansari X prize aimed at opening the final frontier to tourists.

Today’s Birthdays:

Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa is 81.
Actor Susan Sarandon is 79.
Actor Armand Assante is 76.
Actor Christoph Waltz is 69.
Singer Jon Secada is 64.
Actor Liev Schreiber is 58.
Actor Abraham Benrubi is 56.
Actor Alicia Silverstone is 49.
Actor Caitríona Balfe is 46.
Actor Rachael Leigh Cook is 46.
Actor Melissa Benoist is 37.
NBA All-Star Derrick Rose is 37.
Actor Dakota Johnson is 36.