A new study out of the University of Colorado found that homeless encampments aren't linked to rises in crime.

The study looked at data between 2019 and 2023 and focused on crime in one-quarter to three-quarters of a mile radius around sweep sites. And as time went on, those minimal decreases in crimes like auto theft and public disorder became even smaller.

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Researchers also found that, in some cases, rates of violent crime went up after encampments were removed.

According to the Commonsense Institute, the number of unsheltered homeless in the metro area grew 247% in the last six years. The number of newly homeless grew 240% in the same time, and the number of chronically homeless grew 305%.

Denver has the fifth largest homeless population in the country per capita, according to U.S. News and World Report higher than San Francisco.

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An important takeaway is researchers say they believe the lessons learned from this study can be applied to other cities around the country that are struggling with what to do with encampments as well.

With the recent Supreme Court decision Grants Pass vs. Johnson that allows cities to make the decision to displace people, researchers say this analysis should make city leaders think if sweeping is the best use of resources as encampment sweeps do not help those who are homeless, and according to this studys results, are also not making the rest of us any safer.

Citrus growers in Florida are still assessing the damage from Hurricane Milton, now five days after the storm ripped through the heart of the states citrus belt, which is responsible for a sizeable portion of the nations citrus supply.

Prior to the storm, growers were warning of potentially devastating damage to areas that were spared by Hurricane Helene in late September as the state prepares for its harvest.

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This is really a multi-year event. We know from past storms that these trees are going to take a good two to three years to recover, said Matt Joyner, CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, the states largest industry trade organization.

Joyner says what he has seen and heard from growers is not promising.

Floridas five largest growing counties (Polk, Highlands, DeSoto, St. Lucie, and Hendry County), which accounted for 69% of the states citrus production last year, lay right in the middle of Miltons path. The damage comes at a particularly difficult time as growers were looking for a bounce back after Hurricane Ian damaged crops in 2022.

On Friday, the USDA announced its forecast for the 2024-2025 citrus harvest, not including damages from Milton, which shows production across the state down 16% from last year.

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In 2023, Florida made up 17% of the nations citrus supply, down from 63% just over a decade prior, so Joyner says nationwide effects from Milton may be tempered but that does not change the outlook for the nearly 2,000 Florida growers who rely on the crops for their livelihood.

Milton came as these farmers have already spent years battling a plant disease citrus greening that has spread to 90% of the states crops used to become orange juice.

You know, were not a row crop where we can plow under and start over the next year, Joyner said. We obviously have to continue to nurture these trees and get them back to pre-storm production and thats going to be losses that accrue to the growers over the next few seasons unfortunately.

Joyner says he doesnt expect this blow to drive growers away from the profession, despite the tough few years. He says the soil is some of the best in the country for these crops and the resilience amongst Floridas farmers remains strong.

The rain from Helene has stopped, but Asheville, North Carolina, is now mired in mud and residents digging through that mud are still trying to assess the damage as they plan for weeks, if not months of cleanup.

AS of Tuesday morning, officials say more than 150 people have been reported dead in the aftermath of the storm, with at least 66 of them in North Carolina. Hundreds are still missing.

Power has not yet been restored to many neighborhoods, leaving more than a million people in the dark. Water is in short supply and cell service is still spotty.

Local officials say it could be two weeks before basic services are restored in the city.

From water drop-offs to shoveling literal tons of mud, people from far and wide are working to help each other.

"It's hard not to think about the suffering and the people that truly lost everything," one resident told Scripps News. "But I look at my five year old and what he's learning from this. It's too big for us as individuals. We can't lift this alone. But as a community and as a region, yeah, we're going to be all right."

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The federal government is continuing to surge resources and personnel to the area to deliver aid.

On Wednesday President Joe Biden said he had directed the Secretary of Defense to deploy as many as 1,000 active duty U.S. soldiers to supplement National Guard personnel in North Carolina.

"These soldiers will speed up the delivery of life-saving supplies of food, water, and medicine to isolated communities in North Carolina they have the manpower and logistical capabilities to get this vital job done, and fast. They will join hundreds of North Carolina National Guard members deployed under State authorities in support of the response."

North Carolina is struggling to recover from the destruction left by Helene.

At least 35 people were killed just in the Asheville area, which was hit with severe flooding and mudslides.

"This is an unprecedented storm and it's causing us to have an unprecedented response," said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

Water and other supplies have been airlifted into the area because roads and other critical infrastructure have been washed away. In addition, Ashevilles water system was severely damaged in the storm, forcing residents to get water from creeks to fill toilets.

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Devastation does not even begin to describe how we feel, but my teams will be continuing to help in recovery," said Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller.

More than 100,000 people in the Asheville area were without power as of Monday, and officials still don't know when it will be restored.

"One of our neighbors walked by and said that there's one house in the vicinity that has power and they're putting out power cords for everybody to charge their devices," said Carrie Owenby, who lives in Asheville.

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Speaking from the White House on Monday, President Joe Biden promised the full support of the federal government. FEMA said it had already deployed more than 3,500 personnel to support relief efforts.

The agency was sending 20 truckloads of food and 40 truckloads of water per day to North Carolina, an administration official said Monday. Agencies also planned to send more personnel to hospital systems in the area, start up direct payments for emergency supplies and arrange hotel housing for people who have lost homes.

"We're not leaving until the job is done," the president stated.

Starting Thursday, Oklahoma will become the latest state to end its state tax on groceries.

It's a move more states across the country are considering to ease the burden of inflation and grocery prices on families, and in Oklahoma, it's expected to save families as much as $650 a year.

"I was so excited," Oklahoma resident Debbie Reyn said. "You know that is really going to help us. We're on fixed income, and you don't think that's gonna make much difference, but it does. It makes a big difference in the grocery bill.

Kansas became one of the first states to tackle its grocery tax in 2022, an added cost that goes to the state and is separate from local sales tax. It voted to phase out the 6.5% tax, so by next year, it will be gone. Now, more states are following suit.

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Illinois voted to do away with its grocery tax starting in 2026, and when Oklahoma's 4.5% grocery tax goes away on Thursday, only 12 states will still have the tax. That number could decrease to only seven by 2026.

On November's ballot, voters in Utah and South Dakota will decide the fate of their state grocery taxes, and Idaho will consider if it wants to eliminate its 6% grocery tax in a legislative session next year.

"Most of the benefit of a grocery exemption actually flows to the middle income and higher income," said Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan non-profit. "It doesn't actually do what it says on the label, but it's very popular."

Walczak says that while grocery taxes are a popular policy and do provide relief, they typically benefit higher-income earners since those who purchase groceries on SNAP and other subsidized benefits are tax-exempt. He says while Oklahoma's grocery tax elimination will save taxpayers around $370 million, there is still the fine print.

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"Oklahomans need to recognize when they go to the grocery store, even after this takes effect, they're still paying sales tax, partially because they're still paying their local sales tax. That hasn't been repealed," Walczak said. "Also partially because much of what you buy at the grocery store isn't actually classified as a grocery. Prepared foods aren't, a lot of the other items you buy aren't."

It's an important distinction: After Thursday, if you buy a rotisserie chicken in Oklahoma, you will still pay a 4.5% grocery tax, but if you buy raw chicken, you will not.

Even still, those who struggle know a little bit can go a long way, like Ivris Owens who spoke to Scripps News shortly after Kansas passed its bill in 2022

"Sometimes you'll have to go without, you know?" Owens said. "There have been times where I've had to go without, and I never wanted my kids to feel that. I never want them to know of me struggling."

Right now, there are more than 11 million children living in poverty in the United States.

However, there is no shortage of ways parents can help their children break that cycle. Solutions range from immediate guaranteed income programs to 529 accounts, in which the state actually deposits money into a college account that the child can use for college expenses at the age of 18.

Nadya Dutchin runs the nonprofit ShareBaby. The charity provides diapers and other essentials to families in the Baltimore area. She sees firsthand what happens when families can't get a handle on the financial impact of bringing a child into the world.

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"We've done some studies in the state of Maryland, and families have been missing about five days of work per month because they don't have enough diapers," Dutchin said, "It's really important for families to be able to do the things we all do, go to work and go to school, to better their family circumstances. And, you know, they can't because that gap is there."

While free diapers are one way of closing the gap, it's small. Dutchin also works closely with the Maryland Child Alliance. The organization recently proposed the city of Baltimore provide $1,000 to new parents for each child born or adopted. The plan was modeled on a similar program in Flint, Michigan called Rx Kids, the first city-wide cash program in the country. It provides $1,500 to moms during pregnancy, then an additional $500 per month during the baby's first year.

Jennifer Greenfield is an associate professor at the University of Denver's graduate school of social work. She sees both pros and cons to programs like those in Baltimore and Flint.

"So, $1,000, isn't even going to pay the entire copay of that hospital stay, but at least it's something toward those costs. It might be the cash infusion that you need to be able to go buy the crib so the child can sleep safely, that kind of thing," Greenfield says.

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However, Greenfield's concern is how quickly the new parent will burn through the cash.

"The problem is that if you give it to them at birth, then it's probably going to be spent pretty close to birth, right? For many families, that thousand dollars is going to disappear really quickly, and then they're still left kind of scrambling, trying to figure out how to make ends meet."

Guaranteed income is one way to help pull families out of poverty. However, it's not the only way. Greenfield also points to programs that offer more long-term help. Where individual states contribute towards a 529 fund. A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings account designed to be used for the beneficiary's education expenses . In a few states the 529 plan actually freezes the tuition rate at the time of the first deposit.

"If you put it into a savings plan, then it's something they could potentially add on to. They get the benefit of a compound interest over time, you know, those kinds of things. And so, it can be a more meaningful amount of money later on," Greenfield says.

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Fourteen states currently offer contributions towards their state's 529 program. Washington University studied state contributions toward college funds. It found that children with these types of cash development accounts have almost 3.5 times more assets compared to those who don't, thus narrowing the wealth gap.

Greenfield believes a national program is the answer.

"I think that we have seen other types of programs where these kinds of investments do end up paying off. Our Social Security program is one that was established because we had a massive crisis of poverty among older adults in the United States," Greenfield says.

Dutchin says no matter where the money comes from, the need is there.

"My hope is that we'll be able to find an amicable solution and we can get in front of poverty, or at least take the edge off of it, to help families get a really, really happy and healthy start," Dutchin said.

As the NFL gears up for the 2024 season, several rule changes have been introduced, with a significant emphasis on player safety and game flow.

One of the most notable alterations is the modification of the kickoff rule, which aims to reduce injuries while maintaining the excitement of the game.

Kickoffs have long been a focal point for discussions about player safety in the NFL. Due to the high-speed collisions that occur during these plays, injuries have been prevalent, as the NFL says the injury rates during kickoffs are between two and four times that of a regular play, with concussions occurring four times as often.

The league has taken steps over the years to mitigate these risks, including the introduction of rules that limit player formations and adjust how teams can approach kickoffs.

Here are the key features of the new rule:

Starting Position: Kickoffs will now start from the 35-yard line, a shift intended to encourage more touchbacks and reduce the number of return plays, which are often the site of injuries. Return Team Dynamics: Teams will be required to have at least four players on each side of the kicker at the moment of the kick. This adjustment is designed to minimize high-speed collisions by ensuring that the return team is more spread out, thereby decreasing the chances of players meeting at full speed. Fair Catch Rule: The fair catch rule has been expanded. Players fielding kickoffs will have the option to call for a fair catch anywhere inside the 25-yard line, resulting in the ball being placed at the 25-yard line. This encourages players to make safer decisions and can lead to more touchbacks. Penalties for Violations: Strict penalties will be enforced for teams that fail to adhere to the new kickoff formation rules. This includes possible yardage penalties that could impact field position significantly.

The implementation of these changes will have wide-ranging implications for both teams and players. Coaches will need to adjust their strategies around kickoffs, focusing on maximizing the advantages of touchbacks and fair catches.

Special teams units may see significant restructuring as teams seek to adapt to the new rules. Players on special teams, particularly those involved in coverage and return, will need to be more aware of their positioning and the potential for penalties.

The hope is that these adjustments will lead to a decrease in injuries, particularly concussions, which have been a growing concern in the league.

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Players are thrilled especially returners," said Ryan Harris, a former NFL player. "Returners see far more opportunity in the current rules for big returns than they did under previous sets of rules.

Some argue that the excitement of kick returns is diminished by the new rules, potentially lessening the overall thrill of the game. Others believe that the safety of the players should take precedence over traditional aspects of the game.

[Changes in player safety] extends their career. It prevents problems that many former players have had once their career is over, and it keeps them thinking about their health," said Harris.

In a call with reporters, NFL Vice President of Health and Player Safety Jeff Miller, said, "[The kickoff] is an important play for us. Big change from last year is motivated by two primary concerns: First, the return rate for the kickoff was down to 22%, so thats goal number one is to increase the number of kicks getting returned. The second goal was to do it in a way where the injury rate more resembled that from a regular play from scrimmage.

As the season progresses, the NFL will monitor these changes closely, gathering data on injury rates and game dynamics. This could lead to further adjustments in future seasons, as the league continues to balance safety with the competitive nature of football.

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Stocking up on school supplies: Check! Updated vaccines: check!

With school back in session for many districts across the country, there's a lot for parents to juggle, from packing lunches to carpools to getting to bed on time. It's easy to understand why preventing identity theft isn't top of mind.

But perhaps it should be.

Cybersecurity company Check Point Software found that the education sector is the most targeted industry this year to date, with attacks up 37% compared to 2023.

The average number of weekly attacks on education tops government, health care, and even finance and banking.

Check Point's Chris Nottingham said sectors such as health care and education used to be somewhat off-limits to criminals.

"Cybercrime is a business they're looking to expand," Nottingham said. "What they found is that certain sectors like education do not have good cybersecurity controls in place."

Keeping up with the most effective cybersecurity software may be out of reach for many of the nation's school districts.

"The mission of most educational institutions is providing education, not necessarily around having top-notch cybersecurity," Nottingham said.

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Children's personal information is an easy target, Nottingham said. Since kids aren't applying for credit cards and home loans, credit fraud may go undetected for years.

"Your child gets ready to open up their first student loan or car loan and they're immediately rejected for their credit," Nottingham said, "because they have this fake credit history that's been built up by criminals over time."

To help protect your child's identity, Nottingham recommends the following steps:

Freeze your child's credit reports Include children's names in any identity monitoring services you've signed up for in the past

"There is no minimum age to start protecting your personal information and your identity," Nottingham said.

Cybersecurity services are expensive, so don't expect resources to change overnight. The best thing parents or college students can do for now is to ask their school or institution about the cybersecurity controls that are in place.

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The Biden-Harris administration says it will save millions of Americans $1.5 billion in just the first year of a new program that lowers the cost of certain prescription drugs.

These drugs are used to treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, blood clots and more.

The savings could be significant, as these negotiations cut costs between 38% and 79% for a 30-day supply.

First up are two blood clot medications: Eliquis and Xarelto both of which do not come with the same complications as the more traditionally prescribed Warfarin. A 30 day supply of each currently costs around $520, but in 2026 that price will be cut in more than half as each will cost closer to $200.

Even more savings will come with the three diabetes medications listed: Jardiance, Januvia, and Farxiga. According to the White House, 3.7 million Medicare enrollees used these drugs in 2023.

When these negotiations kick in in 2026, those people are expected to save the most between 66% and 79% of their prescription cost, as each drug will go from more than $500 per month to less than $200.

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Other drugs listed include Entresto, Enbrel, Imbruvica, and Stelara.

Stacie Dusetzina is professor of health policy at Vanderbilt. She says if this price structure was enacted this year it would have saved the Medicare program $6 billion.

"It's a pretty big deal and it's really a historic event for the government to be able to negotiate prices on behalf of all the Medicare beneficiaries," said Dusetzina.

She adds while big savings are in the works for those on Medicare, it looks like they will not be passed down to those on private insurance plans for now. Dusetzina says there's an arrangement that could change down the road.

"Now that everybody can see what a fair price look like for these drugs, and like a real price, maybe plans will be pushing more and patients will push more to get access to those lower prices even if they're not in Medicare," she said.

The White House says the savings will not stop with these 10 listed drugs. According to its release, Medicare will select up to 15 additional Medicare Part D drugs for negotiation in 2025 and 15 more Medicare Part D and B drugs in 2026, and up to 20 drugs every year after that.

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Looking for a job? Going green could be your best option. Nearly a quarter of last year's job postings required at least one "green skill," according to the latest data from LinkedIn.

Some jobs require a bachelor's degree, but there are plenty that simply require a high school education. Institutions around the country are recognizing the need as they adopt training programs that not only educate but may help break down barriers.

Scripps News visited a room of people who are potentially the future of what has become one of the fastest-growing job fields: green jobs. And for some of them, this training class couldn't have come at a better time.

Charina Scott is taking advantage of a program called Green Core Training. "I think I already have a job, thanks to the program," Scott said.

Backed by Kansas City, the nonprofit KC Can Compost teaches a five-week class educating students about the environment while offering much-needed job training.

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"It is not specific job training. It's literacy training, literacy around environmental issues and problems and solutions and then the jobs that are attached to those solutions," said Green Core Training instructor Bruce Holloway.

Two green jobs that don't require college degrees, wind turbine technicians and solar installers, have a projected increase of over 50% into 2030, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

The bureau's data also shows that each of the green occupations has a median annual wage of more than $45,000. That's more than the average American median wage at the time of the study in 2021.

"Municipalities, in particular, are interested in greening their operations. So, there's jobs there. Transportation, building energy, food, health and agriculture, all of these sectors have jobs attached to them," Holloway said.

A study by the Brookings Institution shows many workers are not aware of the multitude of green jobs. And of those already working, the study shows that millions more workers are needed.

"We've always felt like the green jobs were the future, but the future is now. It's here," Holloway said.

Looking at more than traditional jobs, Courtnie Beasley says green-jobs training offers tools she needs to feed her passion for nonprofits that help keep teens off the streets by showing them careers that are available.

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"There are teenagers that do want jobs, and you can explore the basic needs that helps everybody," Beasley said.

"It's good to see people, you know, go toward a green job or talk about becoming more involved in their neighborhood, or just getting more interested in things that they may not have had much awareness about," Holloway said.