Protect Your Home and Wallet: Unplug These 5 Appliances When You’re Done Using Them

Many people don’t realize that common household appliances continue to consume electricity even when turned off. These “energy vampires” can silently add $100 to $200 to your utility bill each year. For example, a single phone charger left plugged in—without even charging a phone—can waste about $9 annually.

Multiply that by several chargers, and the cost quickly adds up. Kitchen appliances like coffee makers and slow cookers can waste $20 to $25 each, even when idle. Entertainment systems are worse: gaming consoles in standby mode can drain over $100 per year. Office equipment such as computers and printers also draw power when not in use, costing another $80 annually.

Altogether, these devices can waste at least $147 per year—enough energy to run a refrigerator for nearly 10 months—and contribute to unnecessary CO2 emissions and potential fire risks. Fortunately, the fix is simple. Unplug devices when not in use or use smart power strips to automatically cut off standby power. This small change can save over 1,200 kWh a year, reduce emissions, lower fire risk, and put money back in your pocket. Unplugging is a smart, simple way to protect your home and the planet.

Kenny Rogers: From Poverty in Houston to Country Music Legend Kenny Rogers never sugarcoated his beginnings. In his final on-camera appearance before his passing in 2020, the Gambler himself said it plainly: “We were poor, there’s no doubt about that.” Before the Grammys, Hall of Fame honors, and 120 hit singles, Rogers grew up in the projects of Houston, Texas.

There were no manicured lawns or comforts of wealth — just cracked sidewalks, low-income housing, and faith that tomorrow might bring something better. What they did have was music. His father played fiddle, his uncles and aunts joined in, and the family filled their front porch with songs that cost nothing but meant everything.

Siblings recalled the struggle. “We were poor, there’s no doubt about that,” said his brother Roy. Sister Sandy remembered, “We struggled, you know, but we had faith we would make it through.” That resilience shaped the voice Rogers carried into every ballad. Even Dolly Parton, his friend and duet partner, reminded audiences of his humble roots. “With all that Kenny has made in his life, he like me, was brought up very poor. We understood that world, and how much we wanted things.” That hunger drove him for decades, earning 18 American Music Awards and keeping him at the top through countless reinventions.

As Dolly teased, he was always “the comeback kid.” Neighbors remembered young Kenny singing nonstop, as if he knew music would be his ticket out. And it was. From Houston’s projects to the world’s biggest stages, his voice carried the grit and soul of where he came from. By the time of his 2017 farewell concert All In for the Gambler, where stars like Reba McEntire, Lady A, Jamey Johnson, and Chris Stapleton paid tribute, Rogers had nothing left to prove.

“You don’t do something for 70 years and just walk away from it,” he told the crowd. He wasn’t wrong. Three years later, surrounded by family, Rogers passed away at 81. Tributes poured in. Lionel Richie called him one of his closest friends. Lady A’s Hillary Scott described him as “truly the greatest.” Dolly Parton simply wept for her longtime partner and friend. Kenny Rogers left behind platinum records, sold-out shows, and one of the most recognizable catalogs in country music history. But in the end, his story always circled back to that front porch in Houston — the fiddle, the laughter, the struggle, the faith. To the world, he was The Gambler. To himself, he was still that poor kid who bet everything on a song. And against all odds, he won.

ICE Agents Throw Democratic Candidate To Ground During Confrontation

A Democratic congressional candidate tied to the left-wing congressional “Squad” was thrown to the ground by federal officers this week during a confrontation outside an immigration processing center in Illinois.

Kat Abughazaleh, a former journalist running in a crowded Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th District, posted a video online showing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents physically restraining her after she blocked an ICE vehicle, The Chicago Sun-Times

reported.

The incident unfolded outside the agency’s Broadview facility, according to the Western Journal. The video shows Abughazaleh, dressed in jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, standing in front of an ICE van as protesters and reporters crowded around. When she refused to move, agents forced her away. Another officer reportedly deployed tear gas in an effort to disperse the surrounding crowd.

“This is what it looks like when ICE violates our First Amendment rights,” Abughazaleh wrote on X while sharing the clip.

But the reaction online was not sympathetic.

“Kat Abughazaleh admittedly obstructed ICE agents,” one critic wrote, tagging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Make a legal example out of this criminal.”

Another pointed to 18 U.S.C. § 111, a federal statute that criminalizes resisting or impeding federal officers while they perform official duties. The law carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison.