diff --git a/app/globals.css b/app/globals.css
index 9824c11..a7b8eb6 100644
--- a/app/globals.css
+++ b/app/globals.css
@@ -309,6 +309,29 @@ input, textarea { font-family: inherit; }
   inset: 0;
   background: linear-gradient(to top, rgba(12, 11, 9, 0.95) 12%, rgba(12, 11, 9, 0.25) 55%, transparent);
 }
+/* no-image lead: a faint giant "BAM" watermark so the hero never reads as a
+   dead dark void (most Bing-wire stories carry no photo). */
+.lead .hero.noimg {
+  background:
+    radial-gradient(120% 140% at 78% 18%, rgba(255, 205, 36, 0.10), transparent 55%),
+    repeating-linear-gradient(135deg, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.014) 0 2px, transparent 2px 26px),
+    var(--bg-2);
+}
+.lead .hero.noimg .ghost {
+  position: absolute;
+  right: 4%;
+  bottom: -6%;
+  z-index: 0;
+  font-family: var(--font-display);
+  font-weight: 900;
+  font-size: clamp(72px, 15vw, 190px);
+  letter-spacing: 0.02em;
+  color: rgba(255, 205, 36, 0.07);
+  text-shadow: 0 0 40px rgba(255, 205, 36, 0.05);
+  user-select: none;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  line-height: 1;
+}
 .lead .hero .ph-tag {
   position: absolute;
   left: 12px; bottom: 12px;
diff --git a/app/page.js b/app/page.js
index d755a3e..ee511d2 100644
--- a/app/page.js
+++ b/app/page.js
@@ -258,7 +258,8 @@ export default function Home() {
                 )}
                 {lead && (
                   <article className="panel lead" onClick={() => openStory(lead)}>
-                    <div className="hero" style={lead.image ? { backgroundImage: `url(${imgSrc(lead.image)})` } : null}>
+                    <div className={`hero ${lead.image ? "" : "noimg"}`} style={lead.image ? { backgroundImage: `url(${imgSrc(lead.image)})` } : null}>
+                      {!lead.image && <span className="ghost">BAM</span>}
                       <div className="ph-tag">
                         {lead.named && <span className="tag named">★ NAMED BAM</span>}
                         <span className="tag desk">{sectionName(lead.category)}</span>
diff --git a/tests/shots/01-front.png b/tests/shots/01-front.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6486a27
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/shots/01-front.png differ
diff --git a/tests/shots/02-reader.png b/tests/shots/02-reader.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5024092
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/shots/02-reader.png differ
diff --git a/tests/shots/03-board-empty.png b/tests/shots/03-board-empty.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8ca916
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/shots/03-board-empty.png differ
diff --git a/tests/shots/04-board-posted.png b/tests/shots/04-board-posted.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f397a81
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/shots/04-board-posted.png differ
diff --git a/tests/shots/05-desk-education.png b/tests/shots/05-desk-education.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7f47a3
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/shots/05-desk-education.png differ
diff --git a/tests/shots/06-front-mobile.png b/tests/shots/06-front-mobile.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d261bbc
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/shots/06-front-mobile.png differ
diff --git a/tests/ui-check.mjs b/tests/ui-check.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6e75e8d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ui-check.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+// Playwright visual check for the BAM front page (headless Chromium).
+// Seeds the bama_ui scratch DB with realistic stories first, then:
+//   - loads / (asserts no console/page errors, masthead present)
+//   - screenshots the front page
+//   - clicks a story card -> reader opens with body
+//   - switches to the board view, posts a thank-you, asserts it renders
+//   - switches to a desk view
+import pw from "playwright";
+import { MongoClient } from "mongodb";
+
+const BASE = process.env.BASE || "http://127.0.0.1:4005";
+const OUT = "/root/projects/bidaangmamamayan/tests/shots";
+import { mkdirSync } from "fs";
+mkdirSync(OUT, { recursive: true });
+
+// ── seed (shape MUST match what lib/crawl.js stores, or the feed query
+//    `discoveredAt >= now-14d` returns nothing) ───────────────────────────────
+const mc = new MongoClient("mongodb://127.0.0.1:27099/bama");
+await mc.connect();
+const db = mc.db("bama_ui");
+await db.collection("stories").deleteMany({});
+const now = Date.now();
+const H = 3600e3;
+const mk = (o) => ({
+  url: o.url, title: o.title, summary: o.description, image: null,
+  source: o.source, category: o.category, desk: "BAM Wire", feedKind: "query",
+  named: !!o.named, fallback: false,
+  published: new Date(o.published),
+  discoveredAt: new Date(o.published + H), // discovered an hour after publish
+  ingestedAt: new Date(o.published + H),
+});
+const rawSeed = [
+  {
+    url: "https://www.inquirer.net/bam/1", title: "Sen. Bam Aquino unveils college scholarship expansion for Pampanga students",
+    description: "Senator Bam Aquino on Tuesday unveiled the expanded scholarship program that will fund 50,000 college students across the country, calling education 'the great equalizer'.",
+    source: "Inquirer.net", published: now - 2 * H, named: true, category: "education",
+  },
+  {
+    url: "https://www.pna.gov.ph/bam/2", title: "Aquino echoes House call to probe VisMin power outages, rates",
+    description: "Senator Bam Aquino backed the congressional inquiry into rotational brownouts in the Visayas, urging regulators to audit system loss charges.",
+    source: "Philippine News Agency", published: now - 5 * H, named: true, category: "energy",
+  },
+  {
+    url: "https://rappler.com/bam/3", title: "Bam Aquino's esports bill clears Senate committee",
+    description: "The bill that would recognize esports as a sport and fund university esports programs passed the committee, with Sen. Bam Aquino as prime sponsor.",
+    source: "Rappler", published: now - 8 * H, named: true, category: "gaming",
+  },
+  {
+    url: "https://www.pna.gov.ph/bam/4", title: "Aquino joins senators in okays of barangay, SK terms bill",
+    description: "The Senate approved the bill setting five-year terms for barangay and SK officials on third reading.",
+    source: "Philippine News Agency", published: now - 20 * H, named: false, category: "politics",
+  },
+  {
+    url: "https://www.inquirer.net/bam/5", title: "Bam Aquino pushes student loan reform for higher education",
+    description: "The Pampanga senator said the reform would cap interest rates on student loans and extend repayment windows for fresh graduates.",
+    source: "Inquirer.net", published: now - 30 * H, named: true, category: "education",
+  },
+  {
+    url: "https://www.inquirer.net/bam/6", title: "Senate okays 5-year barangay, SK terms; 2026 polls moved to 2028",
+    description: "The upper house approved the measure on third reading.",
+    source: "Inquirer.net", published: now - 40 * H, named: false, category: "politics",
+  },
+  {
+    url: "https://rappler.com/bam/7", title: "Bam Aquino calls for fairer power rate adjustment mechanism",
+    description: "The senator said consumers should not shoulder transmission losses.",
+    source: "Rappler", published: now - 50 * H, named: true, category: "energy",
+  },
+  {
+    url: "https://www.inquirer.net/bam/8", title: "Gaming: Bamboo Aquino's e-sports arena bill heads to plenary",
+    description: "The measure will fund e-sports facilities in state colleges and universities nationwide.",
+    source: "Inquirer.net", published: now - 60 * H, named: false, category: "gaming",
+  },
+];
+const seed = rawSeed.map(mk);
+await db.collection("stories").insertMany(seed);
+await db.collection("board").deleteMany({});
+console.log("seeded", seed.length, "stories");
+
+// ── browser ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+const browser = await pw.chromium.launch();
+const page = await browser.newPage({ viewport: { width: 1280, height: 900 } });
+const errors = [];
+page.on("pageerror", (e) => errors.push("pageerror: " + e.message));
+page.on("console", (m) => { if (m.type() === "error") errors.push("console: " + m.text()); });
+
+await page.goto(BASE, { waitUntil: "domcontentloaded", timeout: 30000 });
+await page.waitForTimeout(2500); // feed fetch + render
+
+const masthead = await page.textContent("body");
+if (!/BIDA ANG MAMAMAYAN/.test(masthead || "")) errors.push("masthead missing");
+if (!/BAM/.test(masthead || "")) errors.push("BAM highlight missing");
+await page.screenshot({ path: OUT + "/01-front.png" });
+console.log("front page screenshot done");
+
+// open the lead story
+const lead = page.locator(".panel.lead");
+if (await lead.count()) {
+  await lead.click();
+  await page.waitForTimeout(1500);
+  await page.screenshot({ path: OUT + "/02-reader.png" });
+  const readerText = await page.textContent("body");
+  if (!/SCHOLARSHIP|scholarship|PAMPANGA|Pampanga/i.test(readerText || "")) errors.push("reader did not open lead story");
+  await page.keyboard.press("Escape");
+  await page.waitForTimeout(400);
+} else {
+  errors.push("no lead story card");
+}
+
+// board view — the nav tab (there's also a "SIGN THE BOARD" link on the front)
+await page.getByRole("link", { name: "Thank You Board" }).click();
+await page.waitForTimeout(800);
+await page.screenshot({ path: OUT + "/03-board-empty.png" });
+await page.fill("#nick", "PampangaGamer");
+await page.fill("#msg", "Thank you Senator BAM for the scholarship expansion — my whole batch is riding on it!");
+await page.locator("button.go").click();
+await page.waitForTimeout(1200);
+await page.screenshot({ path: OUT + "/04-board-posted.png" });
+const boardText = await page.textContent(".postlist");
+if (!/PampangaGamer/.test(boardText || "")) errors.push("posted nick not rendered");
+if (!/Thank you Senator BAM for the scholarship/.test(boardText || "")) errors.push("posted message not rendered");
+
+// back to front, then a desk view — click the Education desk card (grid lives on front)
+await page.getByRole("link", { name: "Front", exact: true }).click();
+await page.waitForTimeout(400);
+const eduCard = page.locator(".deskcard", { hasText: /Education/ }).first();
+if (await eduCard.count()) {
+  await eduCard.click();
+  await page.waitForTimeout(600);
+  await page.screenshot({ path: OUT + "/05-desk-education.png" });
+  const deskBody = await page.textContent("main");
+  if (!/scholarship|Scholarship|student|Student/i.test(deskBody || "")) errors.push("education desk view shows no education story");
+} else {
+  errors.push("education desk card missing from grid");
+}
+
+// desktop + mobile front
+await page.getByRole("link", { name: "Front", exact: true }).click();
+await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+await page.setViewportSize({ width: 390, height: 844 });
+await page.waitForTimeout(600);
+await page.screenshot({ path: OUT + "/06-front-mobile.png" });
+
+console.log(errors.length ? "UI ERRORS:\n" + errors.join("\n") : "UI CLEAN — no console/page errors");
+await browser.close();
+await mc.close();
+process.exit(errors.length ? 1 : 0);