Author: admin

2026-03-11T13:15:00

(BPT) – A storm is raging outdoors, but you and your family are safely tucked away in your cozy home … that is, until the power goes out. You don’t know if the outage will last minutes, hours or days, but you do know that you need backup power quick to keep the heat and lights on and necessary appliances like your fridge running.

The first solution you might think of is your gas generator. However, you can’t safely use it indoors, and it might be too dangerous to brave the weather to run the generator outdoors. Plus, you may not have enough gas to turn the generator on, let alone power what you need.

Instead of hoping the power comes back on sooner rather than later, consider upgrading to a safer, reliable backup power source: a solar generator.

Not a matter of if but when

Power outages are becoming more and more common. According to the U.S. Energy Administration, Americans averaged 11 hours of outages in 2024 — nearly double the prior decade’s average. States that experienced the most time without power dealt with major weather events like hurricanes.

Given the increase and duration of power outages, it pays to be prepared to weather the storm comfortably and safely inside your home.

The problem with gas

For decades, gas generators were the go-to backup power solution for many homes. However, gas has many drawbacks.

First and foremost, gas generators create carbon monoxide, which means they’re not safe to run inside your home or garage. Depending on the storm, they may not even be safe to operate outdoors. For apartment dwellers without dedicated outdoor spaces, a gas generator isn’t even an option.

Second, gas generators require you to keep fuel on hand. You can’t rely on leftover gas from its last use. Depending on the intensity of the storm, you may not be able to get to the gas station before or after a disaster. Even then, the gas station may not have fuel available due to high demand or supply disruptions caused by the storm.

Solar: A modern solution for modern power outages

Gas generators were built for a different era with different needs. To tackle today’s backup power needs, you need a modern solution like a solar generator.

When it comes to powering your home during a storm, a solar generator offers several benefits, including:

• Fume-free, quiet operation
• Easier maintenance
• Multiple charging methods
• Modular, scalable designs

Solar generators aren’t just for homeowners. Now, apartment residents can finally have reliable emergency power instead of waiting for the lights to come back on.

Best of all? You won’t run out of fuel. All you need is the sun.

A solution for any home

If you’re ready to upgrade to a solar-powered generator, consider one of Jackery’s home backup power stations. For example, the Solar Generator 5000 Plus is reliable backup power accessible to any household, designed to bridge the gap between portable generators and complex permanent home energy systems.

As the name suggests, solar is the main charging source for the portable home generator. However, it can also be charged via a standard wall outlet or 12-volt car port. When paired with Jackery’s Smart Transfer Switch, the 5000 Plus can connect directly to a home’s circuit panel, automatically delivering backup power the moment the grid goes down — no extension cords, no manual intervention.

When running, the 5000 Plus is completely silent and 100% fume-free, ideal for safe indoor use. The solar generator also requires virtually no maintenance. That means no oil changes, no fuel stockpiling, no seasonal startup rituals.

The solar generator’s size is versatile enough for apartment use and powerful enough to power all your needs in a house. Thanks to its modular and scalable design, you can easily expand the solar generator’s total power capacity with additional battery packs.

But backup is only the beginning. When the Solar Generator 5000 Plus is expanded to its full 60kWh modular capacity and paired with a Smart Transfer Switch, it becomes more than an emergency power source. Homeowners — especially those with electric vehicles or higher daily energy use — can lower their electricity bills by up to $11,800 a year through simple peak shaving, which means charging the system when rates are low and using stored power when prices rise. It’s an easy way to make your energy dollars go further, with no noise, no fumes and no ongoing fuel costs. For many households, it’s not just a cleaner backup option. It’s a practical, long-term upgrade that can pay off year after year.

A smarter, safer upgrade for today’s households

Don’t wait for disaster to strike. Before the next storm hits, ditch your old gas generator and upgrade to solar. To learn more about this portable solar generator and Jackery’s other power solutions, visit Jackery.com.

2026-03-10T10:01:01

(BPT) – Many people know that finding cancer early, before it spreads, may help increase the chances of treating and surviving cancer.¹ But navigating risk factors and getting ahead can be confusing and overwhelming. Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) with the Cancerguard^® test can detect signals for cancers that do not have routine screening options. It’s important to understand MCED tests, who they can help and how they can play a role in being proactive about health.

Why do you need to screen for cancer even if you feel healthy?

While cancer is the second leading cause of death within the United States, most cancers do not have a recommended screening method and can be detected too late to be treated effectively.² This includes some of the deadliest cancer types — pancreatic, ovarian, stomach and esophageal.^2,3

Finding cancer early may help increase the chances of treating and surviving cancer.¹ The sooner cancer is identified through screening like MCED testing, the sooner it can be treated.

What is Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) testing?

Using a simple blood draw, MCED tests, like Cancerguard, detect cancer signals in the blood. Normal cells regularly release a small amount of healthy DNA and protein into the bloodstream. If cancer is present, cancer cells will also release altered DNA and other markers into the bloodstream. The Cancerguard test helps identify differences in these DNA and protein markers in the blood — which can be used to find cancer even in earlier stages, when it is more treatable.³

How are MCED tests different from routine screenings?

Routine single-cancer screenings look for one type of cancer at a time, while the Cancerguard test helps detect over 50 cancer types and subtypes.^3,4 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force A&B Guidelines recommend screening for only four cancer types: breast, cervical, colorectal and lung (in high-risk populations),⁵ leaving nearly 70% of annual cancers and deaths with no recommended screening options.⁶

Before symptoms even appear, MCED tests can identify cancer-associated biomarkers to help detect the presence of a range of screen-detected cancers. MCED testing is intended to be used as a complement to routine screening options.

If MCED tests are so powerful, which should you choose?

Cancerguard is the only MCED test available that analyzes multiple biomarker classes to enhance early detection potential. Exact Sciences, the makers of the Cologuard^® test, introduced the Cancerguard test which can detect over 50 cancer types and subtypes, including the 6 most deadly forms.^3,4 In addition to analyzing methylated DNA markers in the body associated with cancer, the Cancerguard test also analyzes protein biomarkers linked to cancer. It was designed to evolve and incorporate new cancer-associated biomarkers as they are discovered. Consider the Cancerguard test if:

• You are proactive about your health
• You have increased risk factors such as smoking or alcohol use
• You haven’t had a cancer diagnosis in the last 3 years
• You have a family history of cancer
• Your healthcare provider thinks you are an appropriate patient for the test

This test is not recommended for individuals who have had cancer within the last three years or who are pregnant and does not replace recommended screening. Individuals interested in taking the Cancerguard test should talk to their health care provider about whether the test is right for them.

You are interested in using the Cancerguard^® test. How does the testing process work?

Screening is simple and convenient. You can request your test in one of two ways:

• By visiting Cancerguard.com, where you can request a prescription via telehealth
• By requesting the test via your healthcare provider

Once the test is ordered by a healthcare provider, have your blood sample taken at:

• Your doctor’s office
• A local hospital system
• An approved blood drawing center
• Home, where a professional phlebotomist comes to you

Your sample will be shipped to Exact Sciences Laboratories for analysis. Results will be available in about two weeks to discuss with your ordering provider.

• If results are negative, continue your regular cancer screenings and consider incorporating MCED testing into your annual wellness routine.
• If results are positive, plan your next steps with your health care provider. A positive result means that the blood test identified a cancer signal that may indicate the presence of cancer. It is not a diagnosis and does not confirm that you have cancer. Imaging (radiology) scans and other medical tests are typically needed to locate and confirm a cancer diagnosis.

Exact Sciences offers Care Navigation support to help you through your next steps. Exact Sciences also offers an imaging reimbursement program that reimburses up to $6,000 for non-covered imaging costs to help reduce the financial impact for eligible patients.*

*Patients must apply. Eligibility depends on program qualifications, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change. The program will not reimburse any covered imaging costs, including copay, coinsurance and/or deductible amounts determined by insurance. For more information patients should contact to apply, call 1-844-870-8870.

What should you do if you get a negative result?

The Cancerguard test does not replace routine cancer screening and tests, and it is not a diagnostic tool. Discuss with your doctor how you may use the Cancerguard test as an important tool to complement your routine screenings.

To learn more about how the Cancerguard test can expand your health screening journey, visit www.cancerguard.com.

Cancerguard, Cologuard, and Exact Sciences are trademarks of Exact Sciences Corporation.

© 2026 Exact Sciences Corporation. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: The Cancerguard test was developed, and the performance characteristics validated by Exact Sciences Laboratories following College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations. This test has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The test is performed at Exact Sciences Laboratories. Exact Sciences Laboratories is accredited by CAP, certified under CLIA regulations, and qualified to perform high-complexity clinical laboratory testing.

References

1. The Cancer Atlas. Early Detection. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://canceratlas.cancer.org/taking-action/early-detection/
2. Siegel RL, Kratzer TB, Giaquinto AN, et al. Cancer statistics, 2025. CA Cancer J Clin. 2025;75:10-45.
3. Cancerguard Clinician Brochure. Exact Sciences Corporation. Madison, WI.
4. Data on file. Cancerguard Cancer Subtype Analysis. Exact Sciences. Madison, WI; September 2025. [MED-REF- 01259]
5. USPSTF. A & B Recommendations. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-a-and-b-recommendations
6. Data on file. Cancers without USPSTF recommended screening. 2026. Medical Affairs, Exact Sciences, Madison, WI

2026-03-10T11:01:00

(BPT) – Train travel, a 200-year-old tradition, is experiencing a resurgence — becoming more popular than ever today. Sure, you can ride the rails to get from A to B, but many travelers are boarding trains for the sheer excitement of the journey, to travel on railways that ascend mountains, cross continents, and may have historical significance.

These types of adventures are what’s in store through the pages of National Geographic’s 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Rides by Everett Potter.

“Trains can offer countless beautiful vistas and give you a window into a culture,” Potter says. “On a train ride in the U.S., you’ll pass a thousand backyards, glimpsing the present and the distant past simultaneously, as riveting as a great American novel as you watch a moonrise over the Rockies, the dusty deserts of the Southwest, or prairie grass blowing in the constant wind of the Dakotas.”

Many of the train journeys featured in this beautifully illustrated guide pack adventure, excitement, and history into a single trip. There are journeys you can easily complete in a few hours, while others require several days of travel. But each will leave a lasting impression.

History-lovers will thrill in short-distance voyages on amazing vintage trains like the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado, a 45-minute jaunt on one of the best-preserved vintage railways in the world.

On the East Coast, the Mount Washington Cog Railway, completed in 1869 using technology developed during the Civil War, climbs to the 6,288-foot summit of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeast. The three-hour round trip ride on the world’s first mountain cog railway offers plenty of history and panoramic views of New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

For those who really love the views, the United States offers some of the most scenic and dramatic long-distance trains in the world, taking you to see the Rocky Mountains from an observation car, gaze at Glacier National Park, or cross endless prairies.

Longer train trips, such as the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco, utilize double-decker glass-domed observation cars. This two-night, three-day experience passes through canyons, farmland, and deserts, not to mention the Rocky and the Sierra Nevada ranges. At 2,438 miles, it is Amtrak’s longest daily route, following the same path as the 1869 transcontinental railroad.

The Empire Builder travels from Chicago to Portland and Seattle, a 2,210-mile passage. Packing in some of the most scenic stretches of America’s prairies and mountains, the route follows parts of the Lewis & Clark Trail.

Then there’s the Coast Starlight, which heads north from Los Angeles, offering dramatic views as it hugs the coast for part of its route to Seattle, with stops in San Francisco and Portland.

You can’t go wrong taking any one of the trips in National Geographic’s 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Rides, available wherever books are sold.

2026-03-10T09:05:00

(BPT) – Easter is the perfect time to gather friends and family to spend quality time together, celebrate the season and enjoy delicious food. However, between cooking, serving and cleanup, it’s easy to get caught up in the work and miss out on time with loved ones.

Hosting doesn’t have to be stressful. With a little planning, you can pull off a memorable gathering and still enjoy time with the people you care about. These tips will help make your Easter celebration easier and more fun for everyone.

Create a self-serve drink station

Instead of serving guests individually, create a self-serve drink station where they can pour and customize their own beverages. This gives everyone the freedom to enjoy what they like while freeing up the host to mingle and manage other hosting tasks.

Choose a convenient spot, like a kitchen island or a table off to the side of the main entertaining area. Your drink station can be as simple or elaborate as you like — it could include coffee, juice or even festive seasonal drinks. Add any extra flavoring or garnishes your guests might enjoy so everyone can personalize their drinks.

Use disposable tableware

Cleaning up doesn’t have to take time away from celebrating with your guests. Instead of spending time washing dishes, opt for disposable utensils, plates, cups and napkins. When your guests are done eating and drinking, they can simply toss their items into a designated trash bag or bin.

Using disposable tableware not only makes after-meal cleanup quick and easy, but it can also double as your décor. Choose Easter or spring-themed plates, cups and napkins in fun, pastel colors and patterns to spruce up your celebration.

Plan ahead to enjoy the celebration

Preparing a few dishes, setting the table or organizing supplies the day before can significantly reduce stress and free up your time to focus on guests. A little advance prep goes a long way in creating a smoother, more enjoyable gathering.

Create a simple timeline for cooking, serving and cleanup to keep the day running efficiently. Knowing what needs to happen and when helps you stay organized and be fully present with your guests.

Choose savory sides that double as meals

Cooking is one of the most time-consuming parts of hosting any gathering. This year, keep Easter simple by serving ready-to-heat sides that save you time and allow you to soak in the joy of the season with friends and family. Bob Evans Family Size Macaroni & Cheese and Family Size Original Mashed Potatoes are ready in minutes and are perfect for feeding large crowds at your Easter gathering.

Elevate your spread by incorporating these easy-to-prepare side dishes into delicious recipes that will have guests asking for seconds.

Macaroni and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Prep time: 20 minutes; Cook time: 40 minutes; Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 6 frozen buttermilk biscuits
• 1 pound Bob Evans Original Roll Pork Sausage
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 20 ounces Bob Evans Family Size Macaroni & Cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake biscuits according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage, onion and bell pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until sausage is browned and crumbly; drain if needed and spoon into a large bowl.
3. Add macaroni and cheese and stir until blended. Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
4. Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Crumble biscuits into eggs and stir until just moistened.
5. Stir in cheeses. Pour mixture over macaroni and cheese mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set.
6. Sprinkle with chives.

Mashed Potato Biscuits with Fancy Butter

Prep time: 25 minutes; Cook time: 15 minutes; Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 cup Bob Evans Family Size Original Mashed Potatoes
• 2 large eggs divided
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon flaky salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup strawberry preserves
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
3. Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
4. Whisk together mashed potatoes, one egg, honey and buttermilk.
5. Gradually add to flour mixture, stirring until a shaggy dough forms, adding additional buttermilk if needed.
6. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll it to a 1-inch thickness.
7. Cut dough with 2½-inch round cutter, rerolling scraps as needed.
8. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
9. Lightly beat remaining egg in a bowl.
10. Brush tops of biscuits with beaten egg and sprinkle with flaky salt.
11. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Meanwhile, stir together softened butter, strawberry preserves and basil. Serve with hot biscuits.

Find these Bob Evans products to prep your Easter table — plus more recipe inspiration at BobEvansGrocery.com.