A Massachusetts woman who sent her suicidal boyfriend a barrage of text messages urging him to kill himself was jailed Monday on an involuntary manslaughter conviction nearly five years after he died in a truck filled with toxic gas.

Michelle Carter was sentenced to 15 months in jail in 2017 for her role in the death of Conrad Roy III, but the judge allowed her to remain free while she appealed in state court. Massachusetts’ highest court upheld her conviction last week, saying her actions caused Roy’s death.

Read more at Associated Press News.

Politically freighted border security negotiations are teetering just days before a potential new government shutdown. The turmoil is testing the changed balance of power in Washington, with lawmakers engaged in a sparring match over immigration policy that is challenging their ability to reach any accord.

Republicans say Democratic demands to limit immigrant detentions by federal authorities are a deal breaker — eclipsing the border wall issue for now — and represent overreach by top Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

Read more at Associated Press News.

Visitors to the Outer Banks’ most prized shelling locations are discovering an unexpected silver lining to the recent government shutdown: loads and loads of beautiful seashells just waiting to be seen.

“The shelling is excellent right now!” Cape Lookout National Seashore announced on Facebook Monday.

Read more at Coastal Living.

Read more at New Atlas.

They lurk in the comments section of every baked good recipe that’s ever been published: The Sugar Alternative Humble-Braggers.

Kelly H. wants you to know that she made these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with agave syrup instead of brown sugar—and her husband didn’t even notice! The folks at Bryce’s office thought his brownie bars were even better when he subbed in Manuka honey for the granulated stuff! And Jessica just has to ask if you can make this vegan banana bread with turbinado, or coconut sugar, or evaporated cane—anything less refined than white or brown sugar.

Read more at Tonic.

Nintendo is developing yet another mobile game, this time making Mario put on the lab coat he wore once back in the '90s. The gaming giant has announced that it's working on an action puzzle game entitled Dr. Mario World with Line Corp. If it's anything like the original Dr. Mario released in 1990 for the NES, SNES and Game Boy, it'll offer a Tetris-like experience that'll have you killing viruses on-screen using capsules tossed in by the beloved Italian plumber-turned-physician.

Read more at Engadget.

When was the last time you tallied up your working hours? With competitive salaries, many professionals lose count of the time they spend working, especially since it spills into after hours, burning the midnight oil. The same goes with a new generation — and growing market — of freelancers, who feel the need to be on 24/7 to keep their cash flow steady.

Coined as ‘overworking’ leadership development expert Elizabeth Whittaker-Walker explains it’s less of a trend and more of a societal norm. “It’s often confused with work ethic and performance potential. In days of old, it signified a commitment to a company, and the ability to get the job done. Even though research suggests the contrary, it’s an idea that many find difficult to shake,” she explains.

Read more at The Ladders.

As women-owned businesses continue to grow, one of the significant obstacles they face is unequal access to funding and venture capital. While most people seek business loans, small business grants provide the capital needed to start or grow a business. Also, grants do not need to be paid back as long as the requirements and obligations are met. The following small business grants for black women entrepreneurs provides them with the capital to take their startup or established business to the next level.

Read more at Black Enterprise.

Under intensifying scrutiny from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s crackdown on the teen vaping epidemic, e-cigarette manufacturers may have finally found some support for their existence.

Juul, the country’s largest e-cigarette company, and its peers have long maintained that their products are first and foremost meant to exist on the market as smoking cessation devices rather than a nicotine hook for teens.

Read more at Yahoo Finance.

Owning real estate to build wealth is a tangible dream for many investors: They figure they can find a broker, buy a few properties, sit back and collect rents. Or perhaps they could flip properties for a quick profit. But the reality of owning rental properties and trying to sell them at a gain is far different from the dream. Being a landlord is much harder and riskier than it seems.

Many property investors start out thinking they can manage their own real estate investments, overlooking one simple fact: the skills that brought them wealth aren’t likely to bring them success in real estate. Being a banker, lawyer, doctor or other business owner gives them the funds to invest, but not necessarily the knowledge to make sound decisions about those investments — let alone the time and know-how to execute. As Bill Gates once said, “success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

Read more at Forbes.