By Max Reinhart, Tribune News Service

An Oakland County jury on Tuesday delivered a $106 million verdict against a Birmingham-based health and beauty business after six women who worked there sued, claiming the owner subjected them to frequent verbal and physical sexual advances including thrusting his hips into a massage table, making inappropriate remarks about his family members and using the company’s LinkedIn account to solicit European prostitutes.

The women, each named Jane Doe in the lawsuit filed in June 2024 in Oakland County Circuit Court, worked at Science Beauty Tech for owner Gary Raykhinshteyn between 2021 and 2023. Some were as young as 19 when they were hired, said Todd Flood, managing partner at Flood Law, who represented five of the plaintiffs.

“What these women had to endure in the workplace was nothing short of horrific,” Flood said. “Let this be a lesson for all those who abuse their position of power – you will be held accountable.”

Raykhinshteyn called the jury’s decision “completely insane” and said the allegations were lies.

“This is just unheard of,” he said of the $106 million verdict. “These women are telling the judge I put a gun to their head and asked them to rub my penis? There is no proof.”

Among the numerous allegations against Raykhinshteyn in the complaint, none involved a firearm.

Propositions on social media

While working as an office assistant, Jane Doe 1 discovered a message sent by Raykhinshteyn on the company’s Instagram page in which he claimed he would offer to let her perform fellatio on the recipient of the message, “but he couldn’t because the third party did not have any money,” according to the complaint.

Two of the women alleged that Raykhinshteyn would also use the company Instagram account to request nude photographs from other women and the company’s LinkedIn account to book appointments with prostitutes in Europe.

In a separate incident, Jane Doe 4, who worked as an office manager at SBT, said Raykhinshteyn brought her along with him to Florida for a business conference sometime while she worked there between November 2021 and March 2022. When they arrived, she alleged, she learned that he had only booked one room and that only he would be attending the conference, while she was to wait in the room.

During the trip he repeatedly requested sex from her and asked her to watch him masturbate. She said that at one point he wrapped himself around her, releasing her only after she repeatedly pleaded for him to stop.

Each of the plaintiffs said Raykhinshteyn had touched them either on the shoulders, back or buttocks and made inappropriate comments toward them.

Jane Doe 6, who only worked at SBT from January to February in 2023, said Raykhinshteyn requested she give him a massage using a specialty device used to promote blood circulation, lymphatic drainage and reduction of cellulite and wrinkles in patients. During the massage, she alleged, Raykhinshteyn moaned and appeared to have an erection while he was lying on his back and when he rolled onto his stomach he thrusted his hips into the table.

Two of the women said Raykhinshteyn prodded them to profess their attraction to him and, when they declined, he responded by insulting their intelligence, appearance and weight, according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs also said their boss made comments about their wardrobes, telling some of them to wear more revealing attire at work or for business meetings, and telling one not to wear leggings to work because he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

During a text exchange with two of the plaintiffs, Raykhinshteyn referred to potential hires as “victims,” the suit alleged.

The business owner also was accused of making inappropriate remarks regarding his family members. Jane Doe 6 said Raykhinshteyn told her that when his daughter gets married, her husband can have sex with her against her will because it’s not rape if the two are married. He also allegedly told her that when he has sex with his wife, sometimes she just “lays there” and “takes it like a good wife.”

Retaliation alleged

The woman said Raykhinshteyn retaliated against them after they refused his advances by making disparaging comments, revoking their free parking or failing to pay them once they quit for work already completed.

Flood said the jury found in favor of the women based on findings of employment discrimination, hostile work environment, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

“Testifying in open court and confronting their former employer required immense bravery, as they had to relive the trauma that marred what should have been an exciting start to their professional careers,” Flood Law said in a press release. “Collectively, they hope to prevent Mr. Raykhinshteyn from causing further harm to young women while empowering those in similar situations to find their voices.”

Raykhinshteyn said he plans to appeal the decision and will consider filing a malpractice suit against his attorney, Jonahtan M. Jones.

Jones did not return a call seeking comment.

By Henry Payne, Tribune News Service

January and the Detroit Auto Show fit like hand and a (winter) glove.

The show’s organizers said Wednesday it will be back next year from Jan. 14-25, solidifying itself as the first North American auto show on the calendar after a successful return this year. Like a mall, the Huntington Place showcase will again be anchored by Detroit automakers, The Gallery exhibit full of exotic cars, and Racing Day sponsored by the Detroit Grand Prix.

After a disjointed four years that saw multiple date changes and even cancellation due to the COVID pandemic, the Detroit Auto Show was back to its traditional January dates this year for the first time since 2019. Shedding its moniker as the North American International Auto Show as the auto industry has become less show-centric for vehicle reveals, the auto-palooza now carries the moniker Detroit Auto Show.

It attracted 275,000 people over 11 days this winter, well off its NAIAS peak of 800,000. The show boasted an economic impact of $370 million as it brought car fans into the city to kick off the new year.

Anne Snabes and Hannah Mackay, Tribune News Service

The Great Lakes Water Authority is considering adopting the highest water and sewer rate increases in its 10-year history as a 4% cap on higher prices ends this summer.

The authority that serves 112 communities across eight counties in southeast Michigan has proposed increasing its wholesale water rates by an average of 7.73% and 5.39% for sewer rates for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The authority’s board of directors is slated to vote on these charges during its Feb. 26 meeting.

Great Lakes Water Authority officials say the increases are needed to cover capital investments and maintenance that have been deferred for several years, along with corrosion controls in its water.

But some local leaders said the raises are higher than they would have liked and come when residents are already struggling with higher costs because of inflation. Eric Griffin, general manager of the Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority, called the proposed water rate increase “significant.” SOCWA contracts with GLWA to provide water services to 13 communities, including Berkley, Southfield and Royal Oak.

“There’s significant infrastructure investments necessary, whether or not that requires a seven and a half percent increase this year — I’m not sure,” Griffin said. “I think there needs to be more justification of the 7.5%.”

Demeeko Williams, founder and chief director of Hydrate Detroit, a water-relief nonprofit organization, said it is the wrong time for rate increases.

“Why are we raising rates when people are struggling to keep jobs, opportunity and such?” Williams asked. “… People are already struggling. That adds on to our water bills. People can’t afford their water bills.”

Williams hopes water affordability will be a priority and said that GLWA, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, and water departments around the region need to be more conscious of their neighbors.

The increases are being weighed as a 10-year commitment the GLWA made when it was founded in 2014, called the 4% Promise, expires on June 30. As recently as 2023, the authority said that keeping the commitment to limit budget increases to 4% or below was “incredibly challenging.”

Last year, GLWA approved increases of 3.25% for water and 3% for wastewater services. The hikes were lower for fiscal year 2024 at 2.75% each for water and sewer services. The authority said rate adjustments for water have averaged 2.9% for water over the last nine years and 1.7% for sewer.

Whether the proposed increases will be passed on to residents is to be determined, though SOCWA says it’ll have no choice but to pass the hikes on to its member communities in Oakland County. GLWA charges cities and townships for water and sewage treatment, and then local governments set their own rates for customers. Some mayors and township supervisors said they expect to raise rates for residents by less than GLWA’s hikes.

Nicolette Bateson, GLWA’s chief financial officer and treasurer, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of some chemicals and construction materials shot up.

“Looking at this charge increase does not come from us as an easy ask in any way, but we really feel it’s the right thing to do for the system,” she said, “because … we have deferred some maintenance, we have put off some capital projects, and it’s not necessarily responsible for us to continue to do that.”

The authority said it is also spending an estimated $6 million on corrosion controls in its water and is paying half of the cost of a multiyear flood mitigation study with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash recalled that rate increases varied widely every year before the GLWA was created, sometimes going up to 12%. While the GLWA never raised rates by more than 4% over the past 10 years, Nash had concerns that they sometimes weren’t raised enough.

“A few years, we were a little concerned that they didn’t raise it enough,” Nash said. “And that’s good for ratepayers, but in the long run, you have to make sure you’re bringing enough money to do the capital projects, … the maintenance projects where you’re making sure that everything works right, and then the operations.”

Nash thinks part of the more than 7% rate increase is making up for the lack of increases over the past 10 years.

“It’s tied to the projects they need to do to make sure that we have the infrastructure we need,” Nash said. “Old infrastructure is being replaced.”

GLWA explains the rate hikes

When the Great Lake Water Authority was created in 2014 in the wake of Detroit’s bankruptcy after the Detroit Department of Sewerage and Water essentially ran the regional system that had customers as far north as Flint, a memorandum of understanding restricted annual budget increases to 4% for its first 10 years of operation. Under the bankruptcy exit plan, Detroit’s water department agreed to lease its assets to the new authority.

Bateson, GLWA’s chief financial officer and treasurer, said the memorandum of understanding limited budget increases to 4%, but not necessarily sewer and water charges.

“But the theory is: if you’re keeping your budget under control, you’re also keeping charges under control,” she said.

The authority started seeing high-cost increases in 2022, including jumps in the price of steel and chlorine. The authority responded by leveraging its investment earnings and refinancing bonds.

“So we’ve done all of these things, but when you still see 55-80% increases … you know the math doesn’t add up,” she said. “And we’re facing continued increase in our infrastructure costs, particularly on the water system. We have a lot of large construction projects underway right now.”

GLWA is also spending money on its orthophosphate program. Public water systems commonly add phosphates to drinking water to prevent the release of toxic metals in the water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Michelle Zdrodowski, chief public affairs officer for GLWA, said the authority doesn’t have lead in its pipes, but there is lead in some local communities’ pipes. She said GLWA has increased the amount of orthophosphate it puts into the water, which helps local communities protect their own systems and residents protect the pipes in their homes.

Bateson said GLWA has been talking with the communities it serves about rate increases for the last couple of years, so “it’s not a surprise.”

“But at the end of the day, nobody likes a charge increase,” she said. “We don’t like asking for a charge increase.”

GLWA said its annual water rate increases have averaged 2.9% in the nine years from 2018 to 2026, while the sewer service charges have risen an average of 1.7%. The lowest increase for water was 0.6% in 2020, while the authority cut sewer rates by 0.6% in 2022 and by 0.7% in 2018.

Nick Sheeran, a homeowner in Sterling Heights and an electrician, said that addressing deferred maintenance “makes sense.”

“I’d rather see money spent like that because there will be, especially with these construction projects ― it is putting people to work,” he said. “And that’s probably, in my opinion, the best way that you can spend the money, if you’re going to have to spend it.”

SOCWA responds to rate hikes

The Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority is the largest model contract customer of GLWA, representing about 14% of the utility’s revenue, said Griffin, SOCWA’s general manager.

Nearly 90% of SOCWA’s budget goes toward GLWA costs, and Griffin said they will have no choice but to make its member communities pay more for water and sewer services, which will impact residents directly.

“I have no alternative but to pass that increase on to my communities, and they’re going to be forced to pass those increases to their residents,” Griffin said. “So the bottom line is … that is where the increase is going to hit, and 7.5% is a big increase.”

Jim Breuckman, the city manager of Pleasant Ridge, one of SOCWA’s member communities, was not surprised at the rate increases.

“Water systems are contending with secular declines in water usage, while infrastructure ages and requires costly maintenance and upkeep,” Breuckman said.

‘I hate to burden people further’

Ken Siver, the mayor of Southfield, which is part of SOCWA, said “nobody wants to pay more” and noted that for some people, the current rates “have been a challenge.” They have cut back on their water use.

“On the other hand, I know that it’s not the water ― it’s the system, and for years, the system … had been neglected,” he said.

Siver said his city used to have water main breaks “constantly,” but the city has been doing a major overhaul of its water mains. He said he is “kind of torn” about the GLWA rate increases.

“We have to invest, and at the same time, I hate to burden people further,” he said, “but … you just can’t keep ignoring the needs of the system.”

Rates to be determined

From Grosse Pointe Woods to Plymouth Township, several local officials said even though the wholesale rates are higher than they would’ve liked, they still have to set their own rates.

Grosse Pointe Woods Mayor Arthur Bryant said his community hasn’t increased rates in five years because it had built up surplus water and sewer funds. But he thinks the city will have to enact a raise this time.

“Nobody likes an increase,” he said. “I don’t personally like an increase because I have to pay the same thing everyone else does, but I think we’ll work our way through it OK.”

In Plymouth Township — which gets its water from GLWA, but it doesn’t use the authority’s sewer services; it instead uses Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority — Supervisor Charles Curmi said the amount that the township raises its water rates partly depends on the financial position of its water department.

“And it does not always reflect exactly what Great Lakes Water Authority has increased,” he said. For each of the last six years, Plymouth Township has either not raised rates or increased them by less than GLWA’s hikes.

By Jeff Ostrowski, Bankrate.com

The conventional wisdom about private mortgage insurance (PMI) has long been that borrowers should try to avoid it. PMI is a requirement for conventional mortgage borrowers who put down less than 20% on a home — and it’s just one more cost squeezing first-time homebuyers.

Yet, in recent years, private mortgage insurers have lowered their rates.

“I am a big fan of mortgage insurance — and it’s kind of a dirty word. When you talk to customers, they don’t tend to like it,” says Emanuel Santa-Donato, senior vice president at Tomo Mortgage. “But if you look at the actual cost of the mortgage insurance relative to being able to put down 3% or 5%, it is quite advantageous. That money could be used elsewhere.”

What is private mortgage insurance (PMI)?

PMI is a requirement for conventional mortgage borrowers who make a down payment of less than 20% on a home. Although the borrower pays for coverage, PMI protects not the borrower, but the lender. Should the borrower default, or stop paying, the loan, the lender receives a payout from the PMI carrier.

PMI is a temporary expense. By law, lenders are required to cancel it when your mortgage balance drops to 78% of your home’s original purchase value, or when you are halfway through your loan term, whichever comes first.

Even before this scheduled date, though, you can request that your lender remove PMI once you pay down your balance to 80% of your home’s original value. In that case, you’d need to pay for an appraisal or broker price opinion to establish value.

For years, homebuyers have been so opposed to paying PMI that they’ve jumped through hoops, such as getting piggyback loans. With this type of loan, a buyer makes a 10% down payment, then takes a second mortgage for the other 10% — avoiding PMI, but incurring additional closing costs, not to mention a mortgage rate a bit higher than the rate on the primary loan.

Does PMI cost less now?

Today, the average cost of private mortgage insurance is about 0.4% of the amount of the loan. If you were paying PMI on a $400,000 loan, for example, your premium would be $1,600 a year, or about $133 a month.

As recently as 2019, borrowers could expect to spend more than that: around 0.5%. In the same scenario, that’d be $2,000 a year, or $167 monthly.

The averages are just averages, of course. Your PMI rate is based on a variety of factors, including your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, even the dynamics of your local housing market. You’ll pay a higher premium if you put just 3% down, as opposed to putting down 10% or 15%, too. PMI is designed to protect your lender against the risk that you’ll default, and the more risk the mortgage insurer perceives, the higher your premium.

A recent study by the Urban Institute illustrates how widely the cost of PMI varies. For conventional borrowers who put down 3% and have credit scores below 680, PMI costs more than 1% of the amount of the loan on an annual basis. A borrower with a 3% down payment and a credit score of 760 or higher, however, pays less than 0.5%.

Why are PMI rates falling?

The private mortgage insurance industry is made up of half a dozen carriers, a roster that includes Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Co., Radian Group, National Mortgage Insurance and Arch Mortgage Insurance. Over the past decade, those companies have adjusted their pricing models to more accurately reflect the risk posed by each individual borrower.

“Ten years ago, there were these very formulaic rate cards that each of the PMI lenders gave to the lenders,” says Chris Grimes, senior director at Fitch Ratings. “Now there’s a very dynamic process with hundreds, if not thousands, of factors.”

The new approach allows PMI carriers to more closely match each borrower’s risk profile to the premium.

“Pricing is more granular than it’s been before, and that’s how you get more precise premiums,” says Carl Tyree, chief sales officer at Arch Mortgage Insurance.

Should you pay PMI?

With home prices at record highs, coming up with a 20% down payment simply isn’t an option for many homebuyers, especially first-time buyers.

If you have enough financial flexibility to choose between a 20% down payment and something lower, though, ask yourself: “What else can you do with the money? Do you want to take that extra equity and invest it?” Santa-Donato says.

Here are two hypotheticals facing the buyer of a $500,000 home:

—Make a 20% down payment of $100,000. Assuming a 30-year mortgage at 7%, your monthly loan payment would be $2,661.

—Make a 10% down payment of $50,000. Your loan amount would go up to $450,000, so your monthly payment would rise to $2,994. Assuming a PMI premium of 0.35%, you’d pay an extra $131 in monthly PMI costs, bringing the total payment to $3,125.

There’s no right or wrong answer. Keeping the extra $50,000 in the bank or in investments would cost you $464 a month — the difference in mortgage payment between the first and second scenario. From there, it’s a personal decision about how much you value liquidity.

Bottom line

PMI remains an extra expense, but rates have come down enough in recent years that borrowers no longer need to reflexively avoid it.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Rachel Christian, Bankrate.com

Many people think $2 bills are rare, but in reality, there are millions still in circulation, and they continue to be printed. However, while most $2 bills are only worth their face value, certain ones can fetch thousands of dollars on the collector’s market.

This article will explore which $2 bills are worth the most, why they hold their value and how you can determine if your $2 bill is worth more than your next paycheck.

Which $2 bills are worth the most?

Not all $2 bills are valuable, but certain editions stand out due to their rarity, historical significance or printing errors. But similar to the most valuable coins, it’s extremely unlikely that you would ever come across these bills in your daily life. As you’ll see, bills printed in the 1800s tend to be the most valuable.

1862 and 1869 legal tender notes

The earliest $2 bills, issued in 1862 and 1869, feature a portrait of Alexander Hamilton (who was later replaced by Thomas Jefferson). These notes are highly sought after by collectors thanks to their historical importance and limited availability.

Depending on condition, these bills can be worth anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.

1890 $2 Treasury Note

An 1890 $2 Treasury Note featuring General James McPherson is worth upwards of $4,500, according to U.S. Currency Auctions. However, it can fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction, especially if it’s in perfect condition.

1928 red seal notes

The 1928 $2 bill was the first to feature Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello. Unlike later editions, it displayed a red seal rather than a green one. Collectors favor these notes because they were part of the earliest modern $2 bill series.

Circulated bills can fetch $5 to $175, but uncirculated bills in pristine condition can be worth several hundred dollars to over $1,000.

1953 and 1963 red seal notes

While not as valuable as older versions, these bills are still collectible. Depending on their condition, they can range from $5 to about $20.

1976 bicentennial $2 bills (with special serial numbers or stamps)

The 1976 $2 bill was released to celebrate the U.S. bicentennial, and while most of them are only worth face value, some with special serial numbers, misprints, stamps or star notes can be worth $20 to $900.

The rarest $2 bill from this year is known as a ladder note, which means its serial number is 12345678. These notes can be worth thousands of dollars at auctions.

Uncirculated vs. circulated $2 bills

The condition of a $2 bill significantly impacts its value. Collectors classify bills into two broad categories:

• Uncirculated: These bills have never been used in transactions, so they remain crisp, clean and free of folds or tears. Uncirculated bills are far more valuable (and rare, especially the older they are) than circulated ones. For example, an uncirculated 1928 red seal $2 bill could be worth over $1,000, while a circulated version may only be worth $5 to $175.
• Circulated: These bills have been used in everyday transactions and often show signs of wear and tear. While circulated $2 bills can still be valuable, they’re always worth less than their uncirculated counterparts.

In short, a bill in pristine condition will always fetch a higher price.

What’s the market for rare $2 bills?

The market for collectible $2 bills is quite active. Many $2 bills are traded via online marketplaces, including eBay, Heritage Auctions and currency dealer websites. However, if you’re looking to make money investing in collectibles, you can find more potentially profitable options elsewhere.

The demand for rare $2 bills means that sellers can often find buyers quickly, especially for well-preserved or unique bills. In general, older bills and bills with errors tend to sell the fastest and at the highest prices.

Looking for a more reliable way to make money? Check out Bankrate’s list of the 10 best investments.

How to sell valuable $2 bills

If you think you have a valuable $2 bill, here are the steps you need to take to determine its worth and find potential buyers.

• Identify the series and condition: Look at the series year and seal color. Take note of the bill’s condition (circulated vs. uncirculated).
• Research the value: Compare similar bills sold on eBay or currency auction sites, and consult a currency pricing guide. Heritage Auctions offers a helpful guide on how to evaluate the value of paper currency.
• Find a buyer: You can sell your $2 bill through online marketplaces like eBay or you can visit a coin and currency dealer. Another option is listing your bill with auction houses specializing in paper money. A financial advisor might be able to help you evaluate potential offers.
• Store your bill in a safe place: Keep uncirculated bills in protective sleeves, and avoid folding or handling the bill. Store in a cool, dry place to prevent the bill from getting damaged.

How many $2 bills are still in circulation?

Despite their perceived rarity, $2 bills are still shockingly common. According to the U.S. Treasury, there were over $3.2 billion worth of $2 bills in circulation as of December 2023. And that figure has been growing steadily each year for about two decades.

While they’re less common than other denominations, $2 bills are still being printed. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing printed around 128 million new $2 bills in fiscal year 2023 alone.

While receiving a $2 bill in change at the gas station or grocery store might feel rare, they’re still considered legal tender, and banks can still distribute them upon request. However, due to their lower demand in everyday life, many people mistakenly believe they’ve been discontinued.

Bottom line

The $2 bill may not be a common sight in everyday transactions, but certain editions are worth far more than their face value. Whether you have an 1890 bill worth thousands or a 1976 bicentennial bill with a special serial number, it’s worth checking to see if you own a hidden gem.

However, while there’s always a chance, don’t count on your $2 bill turning out to be a valuable alternative investment. If you’re looking for more reliable ways to grow your wealth, consider consulting with a financial advisor.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Michelle Andrews, KFF Health News

One August afternoon in 2023, Angela Martin’s cousin called with alarming news. Martin’s 74-year-old aunt had been mauled by four dogs while out for a walk near her home in rural Purlear, North Carolina. She was bleeding heavily from bites on both legs and her right arm, where she’d tried to protect her face and neck. An ambulance was on its way.

“Tell them she’s on Eliquis!” said Martin, a nurse who lived an hour’s drive away in Winston-Salem. She knew the blood thinner could lead to life-threatening blood loss.

When the ambulance arrived, the medics evaluated Martin’s aunt and then did something few emergency medical services crews do: They gave her a blood transfusion to replace what she’d lost, stabilizing her sinking blood pressure.

The ambulance took her to the local high school, and from there a medical helicopter flew her to the nearest trauma center, in Winston-Salem. She needed more units of blood in the helicopter and at the hospital but eventually recovered fully.

“The whole situation would have been different if they hadn’t given her blood right away,” Martin said. “She very well might have died.”

More than 60,000 people in the U.S. bleed to death every year from traumatic events like car crashes or gunshot wounds, or other emergencies, including those related to pregnancy or gastrointestinal hemorrhaging. It’s a leading cause of preventable death after a traumatic event.

But many of those people likely wouldn’t have died if they had received a blood transfusion promptly, trauma specialists say. At a news conference last fall, members of the American College of Surgeons estimated that 10,000 lives could be saved annually if more patients received blood before they arrived at the hospital.

“I don’t think that people understand that ambulances don’t carry blood,” said Jeffrey Kerby, who is chair of the ACS Committee on Trauma and directs trauma and acute care surgery at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine. “They just assume they have it.”

Of the more than 11,000 EMS agencies in the U.S. that provide ground transport to acute care hospitals, only about 1% carry blood, according to a 2024 study.

The term “blood deserts” generally refers to a problem in rural areas where the nearest trauma center is dozens of miles away. But heavy traffic and other factors in suburban and urban areas can turn those areas into blood deserts, too. In recent years, several EMS agencies throughout the country have established “pre-hospital blood programs” aimed at getting blood to injured people who might not survive the ambulance ride to the trauma center.

With blood loss, every minute counts. Blood helps move oxygen and nutrients to cells and keeps organs working. If the volume gets too low, it can no longer perform those essential functions.

If someone is catastrophically injured, sometimes nothing can save them. But in many serious bleeding situations, if emergency personnel can provide blood within 30 minutes, “it’s the best chance of survival for those patients,” said Leo Reardon, the Field Transfusion Paramedic Program director for the Canton, Massachusetts, fire department. “They’re in the early stages of shock where the blood will make the most difference.”

There are several roadblocks that prevent EMS agencies from providing blood. Several states don’t allow emergency services personnel to administer blood before they arrive at the hospital, said John Holcomb, a professor in the division of trauma and acute care surgery at UAB’s Heersink School.

“It’s mostly tradition,” Holcomb said. “They say: ‘It’s dangerous. You’re not qualified.’ But both of those things are not true.”

On the battlefields in the Middle East, operators of military medical facilities would maintain that only nurses and doctors could do blood transfusions, said Randall Schaefer, a U.S. Army trauma nurse who was deployed there and now consults with states on implementing pre-hospital blood programs.

But in combat situations, “we didn’t have that luxury,” Schaefer said. Medical staff sometimes relied on medics who carried units of blood in their backpacks. “Medics can absolutely make the right decisions about doing blood transfusions,” she said.

A quick response made a difference: Soldiers who received blood within minutes of being injured were four times as likely to survive, according to military research.

Civilian emergency services are now incorporating lessons learned by the military into their own operations.

But they face another significant hurdle: compensation. Ambulance service payments are based on how far vehicles travel and the level of services they provide, with some adjustments. But the fee schedule doesn’t cover blood products. If EMS responders carry blood on calls, it’s usually low-titer O whole blood, which is generally safe for anyone to receive, or blood components — liquid plasma and packed red blood cells. These products can cost from $80 to $600 on average, according to Schaefer’s study. And payments don’t cover the blood coolers, fluid warming equipment, and other gear needed to provide blood at the scene.

On Jan. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began counting any administration of blood during ambulance pre-hospital transport as an “advanced life support, level 2” (ALS2) service, which will boost payment in some cases.

The higher reimbursement is welcome, but it’s not enough to cover the cost of providing blood to a patient, which can run to more than $1,000, Schaefer said. Agencies that run these programs are paying for them out of their own operating budgets or using grants or other sources.

Blood deserts exist in rural and urban areas. Last August, Herby Joseph was walking down the stairs at his cousin’s house in Brockton, Massachusetts, when he slipped and fell. The glass plate he was carrying shattered and sliced through the blood vessels in his right hand.

“I saw a flood of blood and called my cousin to call 911,” Joseph, 37, remembered.

The ambulance team arrived in just a few minutes, evaluated him, and called in the Canton-based Field Transfusion Paramedic Program team, which began administering a blood transfusion shortly thereafter. The program serves 30 towns in the Boston area. Since the transfusion program began last March, the team has responded to more than 40 calls, many of them related to car accidents along the ring of interstate highways surrounding the area, Reardon said.

Brockton has a Level 3 trauma center, but Joseph’s injuries required more intensive care. Boston Medical Center, the Level 1 trauma center where the EMS team was taking Joseph, is about 23 miles from Brockton, and depending on traffic it can take more than a half hour to get there.

Joseph was given more blood at the medical center, where he remained for nearly a week. He eventually underwent three surgeries to repair his hand and has now returned to his warehouse job.

Although Boston has several Level 1 trauma centers, the region south of the city is pretty much a trauma desert, said Crisanto Torres, one of the trauma surgeons who cared for Joseph.

Boston Medical Center partners with the Canton Fire Department to operate the field transfusion program. It’s an important service, Torres said.

“You can’t just put up a new Level 1 trauma center,” he said. “This is one way to blunt the inequity in access to care. It buys patients time.”

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Karla Marie Sanford, Los Angeles Times

I’ve always been a nervous flier. The second I take my assigned seat in a plane, I pull my headphones over my ears and glue my eyes shut in an attempt to drown out the sound of a plane taking off.

The tactic usually works, but with the recent fatal midflight collision at Reagan National Airport followed by an air ambulance crash in Philadelphia and a fiery plane engine evacuation in Houston, my anxiety has been off the charts.

Research shows that up to 40% of the population reports some degree of flight anxiety. Given the recent string of incidents, experts say it’s understandable that those with flight anxiety would feel more on edge than usual.

“The odds of something happening don’t matter as much to the anxious brain,” said Andrea Bonior, a teaching professor in Georgetown University’s department of psychology. “The anxious brain is drawn in by the horrific stakes of something.”

So how should you approach your next flight? Here are five tips to ease your mind before takeoff.

1. Know the facts

Despite recent headlines, the old adage “you have a greater chance of dying in the car on the way to the airport than on a flight from the airport” remains true (even if it is crass). Commercial airliners are the safest plane for passengers, aviation experts told The Times. Unlike for smaller aircraft, pilots must achieve the highest certification, an airline transport pilot certification, to command commercial planes, said Thomas Anthony, the director of the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program. Plus, all commercial aircraft are routinely inspected and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration and fly within a regulated air traffic control system.

A pilot’s biggest fear is a midair collision, said Martin O’Loughlin, the president and chief operating officer of Cornerstone Aviation, an FAA-authorized flight school in Utah. But he said it’s important to remember that midair collisions make such big news, in part, because they’re extremely rare.

“In almost every case, the design of the airspace and the rules that the FAA uses to design arrivals and departures is very, very good,” said O’Loughlin, while acknowledging that more planes flying than ever before and fewer air traffic controllers has put a strain on the industry.

“It’s really hard to build an impenetrable wall against our fears, but you don’t have to latch onto those fears and dwell on them either,” he added.

2. Visualize

Just as a star athlete visualizes their performance before game time, envisioning your flight — potential turbulence and all — can help ease your anxiety before the journey has even begun.

Be honest with yourself about whether you are a catastrophizer or someone who can roll with the punches, said Steven Siegel, the chair of the department of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. If you’re the former, going into the plane expecting how you might feel in a seatbelt-sign-on situation can deflate your anxiety and help you be less hard on yourself when you do feel anxious, said Bonior. Plus, it can be harder to mitigate anxiety in the heat of the anxious moment.

In addition to visualizing, you can plan to bring soothing aides such as fidget spinners or essential oils. You can also download audio meditations or mantras to get you through the flight. Some free options include Healthy Minds Program and, for younger people, the Smiling Mind.

3. Slow your thoughts

Anxiety may be experienced as a partially physiological pathway, said Lauren Ng, an assistant professor of clinical psychology at UCLA. For example, thoughts lead to physiological responses such as trembling hands. That can then lead to behaviors such as avoidance. Which is then how you arrive at feelings like fear.

To disrupt the first part of this pathway, try to halt the hamster wheel in your head. Then, if you’re a logical person, you can remind yourself of the facts. Ask yourself: What is the actual thought driving this fear? Is this thought accurate?

If logic is less your thing, turn to mindfulness, which is the practice of being aware of your thoughts and then letting them pass on. Mindfulness can look like meditation or prayer depending on the person. The idea is to accept that the fear is there but to not ruminate over, or attach to, it.

4. Label your emotions

A 2018 study of people with flight anxiety found that labeling their emotions lowered their anxiety. Instead of letting a wave of panic wash over you, put your feelings into words. If you’re struggling to articulate your emotions, I’ve found a feelings wheel to be a helpful tool.

You can take labeling your emotions a step further by decentering yourself, said Emiliana Simon-Thomas, the science director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. To put distance between yourself and what you’re feeling, refer to the situation in the third person. For example, if your name is Jane Doe and your heartbeat is racing, you can say to yourself “Jane is feeling really worried right now.”

In addition to labeling your emotions, experts say it can be helpful to disclose them. That’s right, chat with your seatmate. If you’re someone who tends to catastrophize, learning that someone is not feeling the same way as you can help give you some perspective, said Siegel. But the simple act of interacting with another human rather than bottling up your fears can also bring a much-needed reprieve.

5. Unclench

Anxiety, and anxious thoughts, can manifest physically as sweaty palms or jittery thighs. If reminding yourself that airplanes are generally safe doesn’t comfort you, you can ease your mind by targeting the physiological aspects of panic, said Ng. Work in reverse to relax your body. A good place to start might be by loosening the grip of your hands from your armrests.

Breath work is also a great way to calm the body, experts said. Simon-Thomas said there are tons of methods to choose from but to always prioritize breathing out longer than you breathe in, which is proven to send the body into a parasympathetic state. You can also practice self-compassion, she said, which is the practice of relating to your own difficult moments in a nurturing way. A firm, stable touch on your chest or shoulder can lend itself to physiological calm.

Finally, you can lean into a book, movie or game. Think of them less as distractions and more as activities that bring you joy.

An important step in the quest to lessen anxiety is to stop fighting it, said Alissa Jerud, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Jerud likens this exposure practice to running: When you first start, your muscles will ache a lot and you might feel depleted. But if you stay consistent, you will be able to run longer distances, faster.

“Likewise, the stronger your muscles become for sitting with anxiety and the uncertainty that fuels it, the more confident you will likely feel in your ability to tolerate both anxiety and uncertainty,” she said.

Over time, flying could feel as natural for you as taking a quick walk to the corner store.

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Jeff Ostrowski, Bankrate.com

For borrowers in today’s expensive housing market, getting approved for a mortgage can be a challenge. Mortgage rates have soared from pandemic-era lows, home values are near record highs and home price appreciation is outpacing wage growth.

All of that means there’s no guarantee a lender will approve your mortgage application. Here’s a look at how lenders decide to extend credit, and some common reasons why mortgage applications get rejected.

How does mortgage underwriting work?

Mortgage underwriting is the process of verifying and analyzing the financial information you provide your lender — all with the goal of giving you an answer of yes, no or maybe. As part of the application, you hand over bank statements, W-2s and other tax documents, recent pay stubs and any additional documentation the lender requires.

Dispense with any stereotypes about the old days of lending or the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”, when a banker determined your creditworthiness by the firmness of your handshake and the crispness of your shirt. In most cases, a loan officer or mortgage broker will collect your information and submit it to an underwriting software system. Loans that will be sold to Fannie Mae, for example, use Desktop Underwriter (DU), while loans sold to Freddie Mac leverage Loan Product Advisor (LPA).

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government-sponsored enterprises that interface with lenders to keep the mortgage market stable. Between them, they buy or back about two-thirds of all U.S. home loans.

Systems like DU and LPA don’t allow for much in the way of human judgment. The software determines whether you’re either approved, rejected or asked for additional information.

Such automated underwriting, as it’s officially called, is the norm nowadays — part of the reforms to the mortgage financing world developed after the 2007–09 mortgage meltdown and subsequent financial crisis. “Prior to the crisis, there was more leeway,” says Bill Banfield, chief business officer at Rocket Mortgage. “Now, most of that subjectivity is gone.”

There are many reasons — from your income to the type of property you’re buying — that you could see your mortgage declined by underwriter software. And if it does, there may be little the human loan officers can do about it.

Keep in mind: Beyond your approval or denial, the main thing the lender decides during underwriting is your mortgage’s interest rate. They also use underwriting to determine how much to charge you in fees.

Reasons for mortgage denial

“There are a thousand potential questions Fannie (or Freddie) could return,” says David Aach, chief operating officer at Blue Sage Solutions, a mortgage technology firm. “That’s the nightmare of the underwriting process.” Here are some of the more common reasons underwriters reject mortgages.

1. You have credit issues

Your credit score is the single most important factor in determining your mortgage rate – and whether you get approved at all. Generally, the best deals go to borrowers with credit scores of 740 or above, and ones in the “good” range — 670 to 739 — are the most desirable.

You can qualify for some types of mortgages with much lower scores than others. For instance, VA loans are generally available to borrowers with scores of 620 or above, while loans backed by the FHA can go to those with scores as low as 500.

Before applying for a mortgage, check your credit score and credit report and dispute any errors. If your credit score is low, work on boosting it before you apply (for example, you could ask a card company to increase your credit line, which automatically lowers your credit utilization ratio). If you have a qualifying credit score, make sure you don’t do anything during the mortgage process to cause it to drop, like miss a payment, max out a credit card or apply for some other new loan.

If you don’t have a credit score at all, some lenders do have alternative credit scoring methods, such as analyzing your bank deposits. In fact, in January 2025, Fannie Mae released a new update to DU in support of “increasing access to credit for populations such as those with limited or no credit histories.”

2. You have an income shortfall

Your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio — the portion of your gross (pre-tax) monthly income spent on repaying regular obligations — signals to lenders whether you’re in a position to take on an additional major debt. If your DTI is too high, you may be rejected for a mortgage. Most lenders require a DTI of less than 43%. Some will go up to 50% if you have factors to offset that higher DTI, like a big savings account.

Aim for your payment obligations to make up about one-third of your income: A DTI around 36% is the ideal, qualifying you for better loan terms. If you owe a lot in student loans, car loans or credit card balances, work on bringing those balances down before applying for a mortgage.

Also, think about the length of the loan: The longer its term, the more affordable its monthly payments. So, opting for a 30-year mortgage might lower your chances of getting your mortgage declined by underwriter software. Keep in mind, though, that you’ll pay more in interest over the loan’s lifespan, compared to shorter-term loans.

On the income side, issues often emerge when the mortgage applicant is self-employed. The software is geared to W-2s — the wage-and-tax-statement from an employer — and might flag your file when you use alternative ways to prove your income. It might also cause an issue if your income stream is irregular, even if your earnings are high.

Also, business owners often maximize write-offs and expenses when doing their taxes — but that common practice flummoxes the underwriting models. “Self-employed people know what they make, but they don’t know what an underwriter is looking for,” says Tom Hutchens, president at Angel Oak, a lender specializing in non-qualified mortgage (QM) loans (mortgages outside the conventional criteria). “They might be fully approved, but then an underwriter looks at the tax returns” and sees that “$10,000 a month might become $5,000 a month in income.” The lower amount upsets the software, which then dings the applicant.

3. The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is too high

Lenders also look at how much of a mortgage you want vis-à-vis the value of the home you’re buying — something called the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio.

The bigger your down payment, the less you borrow, and the lower your LTV. For instance, if you’re buying a $400,000 house with a down payment of $80,000, your LTV is a comfortable 80%. But if you’re putting down $20,000 and financing the remaining $380,000, the LTV is up to 95%. (While there’s no single perfect LTV percentage, lenders usually like to see it around or below 80% — for conventional loans, anyway.)

Low down payments are one of the big reasons for mortgage denial. The higher your LTV, the higher the likelihood that your loan will be flagged for follow-up questions, or rejected altogether. If you feel you need help lowering your LTV, look into down payment assistance — every state has these programs, especially for first-time buyers — to increase the amount of cash you can bring to the deal.

4. You’re trying to finance an out-of-favor property

Not all homes are created equal, as far as lenders are concerned. The traditional, detached single-family residence still rules, and alternatives can confound.

Condos are one particularly tough type of home to finance. In response to the June 2021 collapse of an oceanfront tower near Miami, Fannie and Freddie rolled out new rules covering condo loans. The giant mortgage market-makers have decided not to finance some buildings that have low reserves, need repairs or are facing lawsuits. Critics say the stricter reviews are causing condo sales to fall apart, even in buildings with no structural issues.

Manufactured homes also can be challenging to finance. And if appraisers or inspectors find a structural flaw or other issue with the home itself, that also can slow the approval, or even kill it.

5. Something recently changed in your financial life

The lending process prizes financial stability and predictability (remember what we said about income, above). Unfortunately, a recent job change or period of unemployment can throw a wrench in your approval. A short employment history or interruption in earnings sends warning signals to the software, too.

Unusual activity in your bank account can be another issue, even if it grows your cash reserves. Large, unusual deposits might indicate you borrowed money for your down payment — which you may need to repay along with your mortgage. If you got money from relatives to help you buy a house, make sure to submit a gift letter as part of your application.

6. You don’t meet the loan program’s requirements

Different types of loans come with different specifications.

If you want to get an FHA-insured loan, for example, your house can’t exceed the loan limit applicable to the location. In 2025, that is $524,225 in most areas. The house also needs to pass a special type of appraisal that looks at the property’s condition. The specifics put in the place by the FHA add more potential reasons for mortgage denial.

Similarly, loans backed by the VA and the USDA have their own unique requirements.

On top of all of this, lenders generally have their own proprietary guidelines. Failing to meet any of them can lead to your mortgage application being denied.

7. You’re missing information on your application

Make sure to fill out the mortgage application in its entirety. If it’s incomplete, the underwriting software might discard your application, resulting in an automated rejection.

How to get a mortgage after your application is denied

Take heart: If you are denied a mortgage, all is not lost. There are workarounds to many of these issues.

If you have a unique income situation, such as owning a business with unsteady cash flow, you might apply for a non-QM mortgage. These loans come with more flexible credit criteria and income requirements than conventional loans, making them ideal for those who don’t fit within the standard borrower box.

If your credit score or LTV was the problem, you can also consider loans backed by the FHA or VA. Their terms are more generous, geared toward borrowers with lower credit scores or little cash for down payments.

Manual underwriting

The vast majority of conforming loans — those eligible to be bought by Fannie and Freddie — are decided via automatic underwriting. It’s fast, cheap and takes bias out of the process. But some loans are still reviewed by a human. Lenders often do manual underwriting when an application would likely be denied through an automated system, or if the borrower has some unusual circumstances but is otherwise qualified.

Certain types of mortgages, like jumbo loans and non-QM loans, are more likely to be manually underwritten. But you can request it for any mortgage, if you believe your particular situation will not be fully understood by the software. Be prepared to supply additional paperwork — financial statements reaching farther back, for example — and for a longer process. Bear in mind that, even with a manual underwriter, your loan still has to conform to specific requirements.

Bottom line

The mortgage application process can be full of surprises — with a key one being that an automated underwriting system often decides your approval or denial. The key reasons underwriters reject mortgages often involve credit score issues, income shortfalls, high LTV ratios, property type or recent changes in your financial situation. But the software doesn’t necessarily have to have the last word.

Find out why your application was denied, and then seek remedies. You can explore alternatives to conventional conforming loans, or request manual underwriting (a review by a human underwriter), for example. Any of these may provide a pathway to homeownership.

FAQs

How long do underwriters take to approve a mortgage?

It depends on the lender, the tools they use and how good you were at providing the required information. On average, it takes about 44 days to close a new-purchase mortgage.

How worried should I be about underwriting?

Not very. Take steps before you approach lenders — like paying down other debts and improving your credit score — and you should feel confident when applying. If you’re still nervous, you can explore prequalification before you seek preapproval. This is a less stringent process that can give you an idea of where you stand.

What are some things I should not do during underwriting?

To avoid a mortgage declined by underwriter teams, do two things. First, don’t make any financial changes. Keep paying your bills on time and don’t open any new loans or lines of credits. Second, stay responsive. The lender might ask for additional information. If you don’t provide it in a timely manner, it can lead to denial.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Eight former Michigan players have been invited to the upcoming NFL Combine ahead of the NFL Draft in late April.

The invitees are defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, edge Josaiah Stewart, running backs Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings, tight end Colston Loveland, offensive lineman Myles Hinton and defensive back Will Johnson.

The combine is Feb. 27-March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Draft is April 24-26 in Green Bay.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network recently released his list of his top 50 prospects, and Michigan is well-represented. He considers Graham, a consensus All-America, the No. 4 prospect with Loveland at No. 7. Johnson is No. 12, Grant is No. 18 and Stewart No. 46. On ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s most recent Big Board, he has three Michigan players among the top 25 — Graham at No. 3, Johnson at No. 9 and Loveland at No. 13.

By DONALD WOOD, TravelPulse

New data from AAA Travel projects that almost 20 million people will take an ocean cruise this year.

According to AAA, 19 million Americans are expected to hit the open seas in 2025, a 4.5% increase over last year, when 18.2 million U.S. citizens went on cruise vacations. This year is expected to be the third straight year of record passenger volume.

Data showed that cruise demand growth has exceeded hotel demand growth in the last two years, with 2025 totals projected to surpass 2019 numbers by 34%.

“What we’re witnessing in the cruise industry is nothing short of amazing, but it’s no surprise,” AAA Travel Vice President Stacey Barber said. “There’s a reason most first-time cruise passengers become repeat cruisers. Cruise vacations offer something for everyone, no matter their age.”

“And because most of the vacation is already paid for, travelers can focus on enjoying themselves and making lifelong memories with loved ones,” Barber continued.

Of the Americans taking a cruise this year, 72% are heading to the Caribbean, 6% are taking Alaska voyages, and 5% will sail in the Mediterranean. Data showed that shorter Caribbean cruises are rising in popularity, with 18% of itineraries to the region being two to five days.

As for the busiest ports, Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale top the list based on embarkation and debarkation.

©2025 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Sarah Boden, KFF Health News

More than 80 domestic cats, among many other types of mammals, have been confirmed to have had bird flu since 2022 — generally barn cats that lived on dairy farms, as well as feral cats and pets that spend time outdoors and likely caught it by hunting diseased rodents or wild birds.

Now, a small but growing number of house cats have gotten sick from H5N1, the bird flu strain driving the current U.S. outbreak, after eating raw food or drinking unpasteurized milk. Some of those cats died.

The strain of bird flu currently circulating has not adapted to efficiently spread among people. And there have been no known cases of cat-to-human transmission during the current outbreak of H5N1.

Still, there’s always been the risk that cats, which are arguably only semi-domesticated, could bring home a disease from a midnight prowl.

“Companion animals, and especially cats, are 100% a public health risk in terms of the risk of zoonotic transmission to people,” said virologist Angela Rasmussen, who studies disease progression in emerging viruses at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.

This is because we snuggle with and sleep in bed with our cats. When we’re not looking, cats drink from our water glasses and walk on kitchen counters. So, cat owners should be aware of the ongoing spread of bird flu. “By reducing the risk to your cats, you reduce the risk to yourself,” Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen doesn’t think pet owners should be afraid their cats will give them bird flu but said taking precautions is good for pets, and for public health.

Signs of bird flu in cats include runny nose and discharge around the eyes, explained Michael Q. Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

H5N1 also causes neurological problems like dizziness and seizures, which are symptoms of rabies, too. Rabies is almost always fatal, and it poses a threat to human health, so any animal suspected of having the viral disease must be euthanized. Bailey encourages people to ensure pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations.

Veterinarian Jane Sykes, who specializes in infectious diseases in cats and dogs at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said people should not assume it’s bird flu if their cat is sick — even if their animal spends time outdoors or eats a raw diet. Upper-respiratory illnesses are common in cats, while H5N1 is “still pretty rare.”

Sykes gives her indoor cat, Freckles, regular kibble exclusively. She told NPR and KFF Health News she has no concerns about Freckles getting H5N1 because the heating process of making dry or canned pet food kills viruses.

More cases in cats, more risk to humans

Some people feed their pets raw meat or unpasteurized milk because they think it’s a more nutritious or natural diet. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s website discourages this due to foodborne pathogens like salmonella and listeria, and now the highly pathogenic H5N1.

By keeping pets healthy, veterinarians play an essential role in protecting humans from zoonotic diseases. The American Veterinary Medical Association says the risk of H5N1 spilling over from a pet to a person is “considered extremely low, but not zero.”

State and local public health agencies, including those in Los Angeles County and Washington state, have issued similar warnings against raw food diets for pets.

Concerns for human health are partly why the FDA announced last month it is now requiring cat and dog food companies to update their safety plans to protect against bird flu.

This came after the Oregon Department of Agriculture discovered a cat that was “strictly an indoor cat” had contracted H5N1 and died after consuming a frozen turkey product made by the raw pet food brand Northwest Naturals. It stated that “tests confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat.”

Northwest Naturals voluntarily recalled that batch of its frozen turkey-based product. The company told KFF Health News and NPR that the recall involved “a small product run” and that it has concerns about the accuracy of the Oregon Agriculture Department’s testing.

Los Angeles County’s public health department said five cats from two households tested positive for bird flu after drinking unpasteurized raw milk from the Raw Farm dairy in California’s Central Valley.

Raw Farm voluntarily recalled its milk and cream after retail products tested positive for H5N1, but it denies any food safety issues, calling the concern “a political issue.”

Veterinarians also warn pet owners not to allow cats unsupervised time outside as there’s the risk of them getting H5N1 by interacting with other animals that might carry the disease.

“This is a very scary virus, given that it can infect so many different host species,” said Bruce Kornreich, director of Cornell University’s Feline Health Center.

At least one instance of a cat infecting a person with bird flu occurred in 2016. As NPR reported, a veterinarian in New York City caught the virus after having close contact with infected cats. The vet experienced mild symptoms and quickly recovered.

In that case, the strain of bird flu was H7N2, not the H5N1 that is now circulating in the U.S.

H7N2 is a very different type of virus, Sykes explained. But she said it shows that cat-to-human transmission of avian influenza is theoretically possible.

There isn’t a lot of research on transmission of bird flu from companion animals like cats or dogs to humans, though Rasmussen agreed it’s definitely a concern: The more infections you have in animals, “the more your luck is potentially going to run out.”

Most people who have caught H5N1 are agricultural workers who had direct contact with infected poultry or cattle. Of at least 67 confirmed human cases of H5N1 in the U.S., there’s been one fatality in an immunocompromised person who had contact with birds.

In general, zoonotic disease researchers want more H5N1 surveillance in companion animals of all types. Even if the human death toll of H5N1 remains relatively low, it remains a public health risk.

Chances for mutation

Part of the concern with this H5N1 outbreak is that bird flu viruses change. Just a few mutations could make this strain adept at spreading between people. And the more people who catch H5N1, the more likely it would adapt to be more efficient, said Suresh Kuchipudi, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, where he researches zoonotic diseases. Kuchipudi has studied H5N1 in cats.

Another concern is something called reassortment. If an animal or person is infected with two viruses at once, the viruses can trade genetic material, creating something new. This is common in influenza, so virologists are on the lookout for a case in which the bird flu reassorts to make a virus that’s far more contagious, and potentially more virulent.

Virologist Rasmussen is way more worried about this happening in pigs. Human respiratory physiology is more like that of swines than felines. So far, the current outbreak of H5N1 has not reached commercial hog operations. Rasmussen hopes it stays that way.

Kuchipudi said that reassortments are relatively rare events, but the outcome is completely unpredictable. Sometimes the results are benign, though it was likely a reassortment that involved an avian virus that led to the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people. In the century since, virologists have established a global surveillance network to monitor influenza viruses. Scientists say continued investment in this network is key to preparing for and hopefully preventing another pandemic.

Winter is “reassortment season” because of all the influenza viruses circulating, Rasmussen said. A reassortment in cats could technically be possible since these pets occasionally get seasonal flu, but it’s highly unlikely. Rather, Rasmussen said, it’s more likely that a cat would pass H5N1 to a human who already has seasonal flu, and then a reassortment happens in the sick person. While the risk isn’t zero, Rasmussen doubts this will happen. It would depend on how ill the human was, and how much virus they’re exposed to from their cat.

“Unless the cat is really shedding a ton of virus, and you’re kind of making out with the cat, I think it would be hard,” she said.

Rasmussen and Kuchipudi caution there isn’t enough research to know for sure how much virus cats shed, or even how they shed the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was poised to release a new study about H5N1 in cats, but that was delayed when the Trump administration paused the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. That investigation, revealed through emails obtained by KFF Health News in a public records request, found that house cats likely got bird flu from dairy workers.

Scientists and public health agencies should question previously held assumptions about bird flu, Kuchipudi urged. He noted that 20 years ago nobody would have predicted that bird flu would infect dairy cattle the way it is now.

Dogs seem to fare better

The FDA says other domesticated animals, including dogs, can get bird flu infections. There are no confirmed cases of H5N1 among dogs in the U.S., though in other countries they have died from the virus.

There’s some disagreement and an overall lack of research on whether cat biology makes them more susceptible to H5N1 than other mammals, including humans, pigs, or dogs.

But cat behaviors, such as their love of dairy and predation of wild birds, put them at higher risk, Kuchipudi said. Also, living in groups might play a role as there are more feral cat colonies in the U.S. than packs of stray dogs.

There’s very little people can do about the H5N1 circulating in wild birds. As Rasmussen explained, “It’s flying around in the skies. It’s migrating north and south with the seasons.”

But she said there’s a lot people can do to keep the virus out of their homes.

That includes limiting a pet’s exposure to H5N1 by not feeding them raw food or unpasteurized milk, and trying to keep them from interacting with animals like rodents and wild birds that could be infected with the virus.

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This article is from a partnership that includes NPR and KFF Health News.

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Oakland County Democrats called the paused Canadian and Mexican tariffs a “direct threat on Michigan’s economy” Saturday as they voiced their concerns about their potential impact on the state and country.

Former U.S. Rep Brenda Lawrence, who now chairs the Oakland County Democratic Party, spoke to a crowd of Democrats Saturday at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall in Southfield. Lawrence said if anyone understands the power of being allies with Canada, Michigan does.

“Make no mistake, these tariffs are an attack on the American consumer and businesses. They will drive up costs, threaten jobs and create economic uncertainty for our manufacturers,” Lawrence said. “These tariffs could lead to higher production costs, job losses and price hikes, which have a direct impact on our families.”

On Monday, Canada and Mexico made concessions on the placement of border troops and drug-related measures to placate President Donald Trump and produce a 30-day pause on the 25% tariffs he slapped on the top U.S. allies and trade partners in an emergency order. It also delayed a 10% tariff on energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity.

Trump’s primary rationale for the import duties on Canada — set at 10% for all energy products and 25% for all other goods — is the “sustained influx of illicit opioids and other drugs” into the United States across its northern border. The executive order Trump signed to issue the tariffs gave no other justification, though the president has spoken in the past about wanting to take manufacturing jobs from U.S. allies and foes alike.

In a statement after the Canada tariffs were paused, U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, the fourth ranking Republican in the House, praised Trump.

“Incredible. President Trump just worked with two allies to stop the flow of deadly fentanyl from entering our country,” McClain said. “The days of America getting walked all over are gone. Today’s deals are steps toward leveling the playing field, securing our borders, and SAVING LIVES.”

But U.S. Rep Haley Stevens said at the Saturday press conference that the threat and possibility of tariffs are still causing chaos and confusion among Americans.

“Taking our two best allies that are inextricable to our economy and our workforce, it doesn’t work,” Stevens said.

Stevens said while Trump mentioned tariffs during his campaign, he never said he planned on imposing a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico that would “that would strangle us right out of the gate.”

If Trump ends up imposing these tariffs on Michigan, it will impact everyone, especially those who work in manufacturing plants, construction, maritime and the auto industry, said Jeannette Bradshaw, recording secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

There are ways that we could be more efficient, absolutely, but just adding attacks to an entire country that we’ve had a fair trade with for a long time, it doesn’t make any sense, and specifically, when you share a border,” Bradshaw said. “It’s a huge concern, and it should be a concern of every single person.”

Michigan engages in about $78 billion worth of trade annually with Canada and relies heavily on repeated cross-border exchanges to power its signature auto industry, according to the Associated Press.

Southfield police are investigating after the body of a man with a gunshot wound was found Sunday morning in a parking lot after a suspect fled the scene.

At about 10:14 a.m. Sunday police and fire personnel responded to a report of a person lying in a parking lot in the 25000 block of Shiawassee Road, according to a release from the Southfield Police Department.

The victim was dead with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the head, police said.

The suspect, who fled the scene in an unknown direction, was described as a man about 6 feet tall with a beard who was wearing a black hat, police said.

The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect knew the victim and there appears to be no threat to the public, police said.

Southfield police ask anyone with information about the incident to contact the department at (248) 796-5500.

A Springfield Township father has been charged with child abuse in connection with near-fatal injuries his son 2-month-old son suffered in December.

Daniel Gracer, 31, was arraigned Saturday on one count of first-degree child abuse, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. His bond was set at $1 million. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

Police were called Dec. 23 to a home in the 7000 block of Meadow Lane in Springfield Township for a report of an unresponsive baby, according to the sheriff’s office. Gracer was caring for the boy at the time.

The boy had serious head and brain trauma, according to the sheriff’s office, and a child abuse specialist at one of the hospitals he went to found the injuries were non-accidental. The specialist believes the injury was caused by rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration, consistent with being shaken.

He is likely to have severely delayed development, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Children are such a blessing and gift, and it is hard for me to ever understand how someone can intentionally injure a child,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement. “We look forward to this individual being held fully accountable.”

Janek Bebout grinned as he cued up his instrument, as proud and prepared with his jar of hot-pink slime as any classically trained musician making an orchestral debut.

First, the 8-year-old explained, the slime is warmed with a short massage. Lift it slightly so an air pocket forms at the base of its container. Then, squish.

Flerrrrrrrp.

“And then comes the fart,” he said. “A pretty good one. I bet if you had let that one rip it would feel good.”

Cue the giggles.

The third-grader’s peal of laughter at the flatulent sound he made with a jar of slime was integral to a recent press conference at the children’s wing of Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak, where Janek and his grandmother Barbara Soffin donated 2,409 containers of slime to pediatric patients. Each container is topped with a sticker that says “Janek’s laughter.”

Janek, his 4-year-old brother, Julen, and their mother, Johanna Bebout, were among the nine people injured in a mass shooting last summer at a Rochester Hills splash pad. Janek’s injuries were severe, leading to major surgery, a two-week hospital stay and repeated tests, pricks and pokes from doctors. The Rochester Hills resident is blind as a result of his injury and uses a cane to navigate the world.

Janek’s effervescent attitude touched the medical team that took on the highly emotional job of caring for a child who had been among those injured in a mass shooting, said Amanda Lefkof, a child life specialist at Corewell in Royal Oak. She said Janek and his brother Julen were “an inspiration” to everyone who worked with them.

“Even though (Janek) was going through such a hard thing, he brought laughter and he brought smiles to every nurse and every doctor and every surgeon that walked in his room and took care of him,” Lefkof said. “It just made you want to keep going back.”

Slime was integral to the laughter and smiles, she said. One of her tricks for raising the spirits of hospitalized children, particularly boys, is to encourage them to find lighthearted ways to mess with their caregivers.

Janek appeared to be a natural.

He explained his method: “A doctor came in, or a nurse, and I put the slime under my blanket and then I made a fart noise, and they thought that I farted,” he said. “And then I pulled the slime out, and they were like, ‘Whoa.'”

Seeing Janek return to the hospital in good health and with a mission to share joy with other patients is moving, Lefkof said, although she’s not sure where she’ll store the thousands of jars of donated slime.

“I think our favorite thing is being able to see our patients come back doing well,” Lefkof said. “Not only is he doing well, just rocking it with his cane and feeling good, but wanting to give back to other children that are going through hard times. It’s such a meaningful, full-circle moment.”

Finding toys Janek would enjoy after he lost his sight was a learning curve for the family, said Soffin, Janek’s grandma. She scrambled to find something to entertain him in the hospital and landed on a little container of slime.

“He started playing with it, and he belly-laughed because it made ‘boy noises,’ like fart sounds, and he laughed so hard,” Soffin said, the sound of Janek making those “boy noises” echoing in the background. “When he laughed, my son hit his knees and he cried and said ‘Mama, you gave me my son’s laughter back.'”

After he was released from the hospital, Janek told Soffin he wanted to collect slime for the other kids who were hospitalized. She agreed, and before Christmas wrote a post on Facebook asking her friends to help Janek’s wish come true.

“I couldn’t even open my front door at one point in time,” Soffin said. “I think we cleaned Amazon out (of slime).”

Soffin said she hopes Nickelodeon, the children’s television network that cornered the market on slime entertainment in the 1980s, takes up the charge and donates slime to kids in hospitals around the country.

Soffin said Janek and his family are recovered from their physical injuries. They’re now focused on their emotional recovery.

“By laughing today and having fun with slime, it might be simple to some people,” she said. “It’s actually everything to us.”

The family of a 5-year-old boy killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion in Troy on Friday is raising money for costs associated with his passing, according to a GoFundMe page.

Thomas Cooper from Royal Oak loved life, according to the fundraiser, everything from running to swimming and playing video games.

“He was planning to try mountain BMX racing and karate in the summer,” the fundraiser said. “He had nature school last year and ran, jumped and rolled down hills. He loved mud. Loved to stomp on ice. Loved his mama and daddy so much.”

Troy Fire and Police responded to an explosion at the Oxford Center, a medical facility at 165 Kirts Boulevard near Livernois Road and Interstate 75, Friday morning. A hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a pressurized device that contains 100% oxygen gas, exploded with the five-year-old boy inside, law enforcement and fire officials said at a news conference Friday.

Firefighters and police contained the blaze quickly after arriving on the scene and extracted the boy, who was later pronounced dead. The boy’s mother was standing near the hyperbaric chamber at the time of the explosion and her arms were injured, according to police and fire officials. The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Troy Fire Department.

Cooper loved video games like Minecraft and was excited to go home after his hyperbaric treatment Friday to play a new Yoshi game on his Nintendo DS that his father had gotten him the night before, according to the fundraiser.

“He was the smartest and cutest kid that liked to zoom, zoom, zoom,” the fundraiser said. “He asked to see pictures of germs, liked to know how things worked, he liked to make field journals and he had finally started adding facial features to his people drawings.”

Cooper had also recently received a red envelope with money, a tradition during Chinese New Year that symbolizes good luck for the upcoming year, according to the fundraiser.

“Before his passing, he asked for a Chinese red pocket money for the new year. He placed it underneath his pillow and declared ‘he’d have the best luck ever!’” the fundraiser said. “The day of his passing was the day he was planning to spend his red pocket with his little brother.”

The fundraiser did not specify why Cooper was receiving oxygen therapy in the hyperbaric chamber. It has raised over $10,000 in less than 24 hours.

By Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times

As the Donald Trump administration rushes to cut spending and eliminate federal jobs, even the people who work at the national parks — among the country’s most beloved and least politicized institutions — find themselves directly in the crosshairs.

Last week, the seasonal workers who staff 433 national parks and historical sites, including Yosemite, Death Valley and Joshua Tree, began receiving emails saying their job offers for the 2025 season had been “rescinded,” with little further explanation.

The move set off panic in the ranks of park employees, and threw into limbo the vacation plans of hundreds of millions of people who visit the parks each year. On the chopping block are hundreds — and potentially thousands — of park rangers who respond to medical emergencies, as well as visitor center employees and the crews that clean bathrooms and empty garbage cans.

In many of the larger and most popular parks, seasonal workers outnumber year-round permanent employees, making it hard to imagine how the parks will function without them, according to one supervising ranger who asked that her name not be used for fear of retaliation.

“To me, it’s unfathomable that we would be able to run a large park without the seasonals,” she said. “They’re essential; they run the parks on an operational level.”

In 2021, Yosemite National Park had 741 employees working the summer season, compared with 451 in the winter off-season, according to the National Park Service website.

Scott Gediman, a spokesman for Yosemite, did not respond to emails and phone calls requesting comment. Media contacts at the agency’s Washington, D.C., office also did not respond.

In addition to 63 named parks — nine of which are in California, more than any other state — the National Park Service administers 370 other sites, including national monuments, national historic sites and national battlefields. The total land mass under its supervision is more than 85 million acres.

And they are among the most revered and beautiful acres in the United States, drawing more than 325 million visitors in 2023.

The emails rescinding job offers for parks employees appear to stem from a broader Trump administration hiring freeze for federal agencies, part of a coordinated campaign to slash the federal budget and weaken a bureaucracy — Trump and his supporters call it the “deep state” — that he claims worked behind the scenes to thwart much of his first-term agenda.

While many government agencies are unavoidably enmeshed in the nation’s polarizing political tug of war, the parks are among the few public places where people of all stripes can escape. Exhausted by the bickering on cable news shows and social media feeds? Go camp beneath the stars in Yosemite, or stroll among the giant trees in Sequoia, or watch the sun rise over the silent desert in Joshua Tree. What could be more cleansing?

Certainly not a visit to a national park bathroom this summer, if the hiring freeze indeed holds.

In previous shutdowns stemming from congressional budget disputes or the COVID-19 pandemic, facilities inside the parks deteriorated at an alarming rate. Unauthorized visitors left human feces in rivers, painted graffiti on once pristine cliffs, harassed wild animals and left the toilets looking like “crime scenes”, the supervising ranger said.

“It’s just scary how bad things can get when places are abandoned with nobody watching,” she said.

Seemingly lost in the politics is how much people sacrifice to take the seasonal jobs now being rescinded. Many workers organize their whole lives around the temporary slots, hoping eventually to turn them into permanent careers. They do all kinds of side hustles in the off-season — ski patrol, driving ambulances — to make sure they are available when the summer tourist season comes around again.

As the dreaded emails started landing in their inboxes last week, many would-be workers were left scrambling, wondering if they needed to cancel travel plans, wriggle out of leases and line up other summer employment.

And it’s not like the park jobs are a path to riches. The pay is lower than in many private sector careers, and housing costs can be sky-high in remote gateway communities on the edges of the parks. People do it because it’s the career they’ve dreamed of since they were kids.

“We used to joke that we got paid in sunsets,” said Phil Francis, chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, which represents over 3,100 current, former and retired employees and volunteers of the National Park Service.

Francis worked for the parks system for 41 years, including stints at Yosemite and Shenandoah National Park, before retiring as superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2013.

“The longer we’re on pause, the less probable it is that the parks are going to be able to open,” for the peak summer season, Francis said.

It’s not just the build-up of trash and graffiti that parks supervisors worry about when they don’t have enough employees. It’s the safety of the visitors. “People get hurt, they get lost,” Francis said, so there have to be enough rangers on hand to respond, “when things go wrong.”

There’s also the economic damage that could be suffered by the many hotels and businesses that rely on park visitors, and by the families who have already booked flights, rented cars and made hotel reservations on the assumption the parks would be open and functional this summer.

Francis said many of the families he met during his career saw trips to the national parks as a rite of passage, a way to get outdoors and celebrate one of the essential joys of being an American.

“There are some families who come every year for decades, who make it a tradition,” Francis said.

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Robbie Sequeira, Stateline.org

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s City of Grants Pass v. Johnson ruling last June allowing localities to ban outdoor camping even if there is no homeless shelter space available, roughly 150 cities in 32 states have passed or strengthened such ordinances.

Another 40 or so local bans are pending, according to data sent to Stateline by the National Homelessness Law Center. The measures vary in detail, but they typically include prohibitions on camping, sleeping or storing property on public land. Many also include buffer zones near schools, parks or businesses.

Bans often allow for steep fines and jail time. In Indio, California, for example, people caught camping illegally could face a penalty of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. The ordinance in Fresno, California, bans sitting, lying, sleeping or camping on public property anytime, anywhere, with a penalty of up to a year in jail. Elmira, New York, includes sleeping in vehicles in its camping ban.

Housing advocates and experts anticipate the surge in camping bans to continue in 2025. Supporters of the bans argue that homeless encampments endanger nearby residents and businesses. Critics say the prohibitions will just criminalize visible street homelessness and move it somewhere else.

“The idea behind anti-camping laws is to make homelessness so uncomfortable that people won’t want to experience it. But homelessness is already incredibly uncomfortable, especially during disasters,” said Samantha Batko, a senior fellow in the Housing and Communities Division at the Urban Institute. “Criminalizing homelessness doesn’t solve the problem — it just punishes people, makes it harder for them to find housing or jobs, and keeps them stuck in a cycle of instability.”

California has the highest number of camping bans, with more than 40 ordinances either passed or introduced since July. It also has about 30% of the nation’s homeless individuals, followed by New York, Florida and Washington state, according to a U.S. Housing and Urban Development report to Congress in 2022.

California Democratic Gov. Newsom invested heavily in encampment clearance and housing, allocating $131 million to municipalities after the Grants Pass ruling. He also issued an executive order to cities to “urgently address homeless encampments.”

Elizabeth Funk, CEO of DignityMoves, a nonprofit that is helping California cities address unsheltered homelessness, anticipates a rise in anti-camping policies in 2025. Still, she said, the Grants Pass ruling could require cities to build more temporary shelters.

“It really is a policy decision, and we have chosen that the only valid use of taxpayer money is permanent housing. But the reality is … we can’t build our way out of this at a million dollars per unit,” said Funk. “Grants Pass removes the excuse that cities can’t act. Unsheltered homelessness is solvable — it starts with providing a roof.”

‘What do we do?’

Florida’s updated law, passed last year, requires counties and municipalities to ban sleeping or camping in public spaces such as parks, sidewalks and the state’s many beaches.

Many local governments scrambled to put local ordinances in place to comply with the law. And as of Jan. 1, residents and business owners have the right to sue municipalities if local efforts to address homelessness are deemed insufficient. The state has around 31,000 homeless residents.

Gainesville, Florida, Mayor Harvey Ward said the state’s requirements haven’t dramatically changed the city’s response to homelessness.

Gainesville city officials noted philosophical disagreements with the state when they passed an anti-camping ordinance in December to avoid any potential legal action for noncompliance. The ordinance carries no jail time but includes a fine.

Ward said in an interview that he’s seen a major decrease in visible chronic homelessness in the city’s community plaza from a decade ago, a shift he attributes to the opening of more shelter spaces over the years.

“The good news is we don’t have 100 people a night sleeping on the community plaza anymore. I can see progress. I’m just not sure how to make that sort of leap in progress again,” said Ward, who is a registered Democrat, though the mayoral position is nonpartisan.

He said the state’s ban mandate also complicates how Gainesville and other cities respond to chronic street homelessness, especially given Florida’s bottom-tier spending on mental health services.

“The idea that the problem is such a small number of people — fewer than 1,000 chronic homeless folks in any year — and no matter how much we spend on it, we’re not spending enough to actually fix it, is very frustrating,” Ward said.

“We’ve plateaued. There are folks who, for whatever reason, either can’t be admitted to a shelter because of past issues or refuse to go. But they’re not doing anything illegal, so what do we do? How do we help someone who refuses services and isn’t breaking the law?”

‘No one chooses to sleep outside’

The rise in anti-camping ordinances after the Grants Pass ruling was a predictable outcome, even in cities that have no other options for people who don’t have homes, said Jesse Rabinowitz, campaign and communications director at the National Homelessness Law Center.

“A large misconception is that people choose to experience homelessness. But no one chooses to sleep outside. People are forced into homelessness because elected officials fail to ensure safe and affordable housing,” said Rabinowitz. “The Grants Pass approach — making cities inhospitable to force people to leave — has been tried before. It’s expensive, ineffective, and only prolongs homelessness.”

Yet the approach is quickly gaining ground.

In November, Arizona voters approved a ballot measure allowing property owners to apply for reimbursements for public nuisance expenses when the government fails to enforce laws related to camping and loitering.

A Republican-led bill in Washington state — where six municipalities have passed or strengthened anti-camping ordinances since the Grants Pass ruling — would require most local governments to ban encampments near schools and parks by May of 2027. It would offer grants for encampment sweeps, but also would pull funding from localities that don’t enforce the ban. The bill remains in committee.

Among the state’s cities with a ban in place is Spokane Valley, which updated its ordinance last fall. The updates include upgrading the violation of being in a city park after dark from a civil infraction to a misdemeanor, and changing the definition of “camping” to include sleeping overnight with or without camping gear.

Little has changed with enforcement in the interim months, wrote city spokesperson Jill Smith in an email to Stateline. The city also has several employees dedicated to connecting unhoused residents with services, she said, and it added a second outreach police officer in December.

Devon Kurtz, the public safety policy director at the Cicero Institute, a conservative think tank, argues that camping bans are necessary to address unsafe encampments and unsheltered homelessness, and that they can be part of a system that helps reluctant individuals receive help.

In a recently published interview with the Philanthropy Roundtable, which advises conservative philanthropists, Kurtz warned that “homeless encampments are toxic environments filled with waste and trash, and are often hotbeds of crime.”

Advocates in many states are pushing back. After a successful petitioning effort by local residents, the city of Morgantown, West Virginia, will allow voters to decide in April whether to overturn a new camping ban passed last fall. As of November, the city had 28 shelter beds to serve an estimated homeless population of 150.

Do they work?

A 2024 RAND study found that policy changes — such as encampment sweeps and camping bans — in three Los Angeles neighborhoods temporarily reduced visible homelessness, but within months the unsheltered populations rose slightly in two of the communities and doubled in the third.

The survey found chronic mental and physical health issues and substance use disorders affecting more than half of respondents, with Skid Row residents being the oldest and least healthy.

Experts also argue that these laws are ineffective and costly, with a 2020 federal report finding sweeps in four cities cost $1,672 to $6,208 per unsheltered person annually.

Jeremy Ney, a data researcher who publishes the American Inequality newsletter, said that while a lack of affordable housing is a root cause of rising homelessness, responses to homelessness need to accompany policies that address other chronic barriers to stability.

“Housing alone is not enough. We also need employment, mental health, addiction and social service support systems that can ensure people stay in those homes,” Ney said.

©2025 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald

MIAMI — A Dubai-based developer has unveiled the details of an ultra-luxury project on the Surfside property where a building collapse in 2021 left 98 people dead and shattered a community.

In a press release, DAMAC said construction has begun on what it’s calling The Delmore, featuring 37 “mansions in the sky” starting at $15 million apiece, a “meditation garden” and the availability of “residential butlers.” The release makes no mention of the collapse.

On Tuesday morning, dozens of top Miami brokers were set to gather in Surfside to learn more about the condo project, which will be one of the most expensive in South Florida. The announcement comes with the launch of a website to promote sales and an estimated completion date of 2029.

The flashy launch didn’t sit well with some who were directly affected by the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South on June 24, 2021.

Martin Langesfeld, whose sister Nicole and brother-in-law Luis Sadovnic died in the collapse, told the Miami Herald it was “concerning to see this project marketed without acknowledging the collapse that killed 98 people.”

Langesfeld said the project shouldn’t begin until a federal investigation into what caused the collapse is finished.

“The focus must be on completing the investigation before allowing another development to proceed, while also ensuring a memorial is included to honor those we lost,” he said.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, who was in office when the collapse occurred and elected again last year, said he had hoped the developer would find a sensitive way to honor the site’s history in its marketing.

“The challenge for the developer is to be honest and blend their efforts to do whatever they have to do with a deep respect for the history of that site,” Burkett said. “They’ve got a real opportunity to see the reality that’s right in front of them and take it head on and deal with it.”

In an interview Tuesday, DAMAC spokesperson Jeffery Rossely acknowledged that the firm chose not to mention the collapse in its marketing materials, saying the project “represents a closure to the past and a new beginning.”

“We’re not hiding anything,” he said. “You just don’t necessarily, when you’re doing a marketing campaign, put (the collapse) out there as a lead of the campaign.”

Still, Rossely said DAMAC is being transparent about the collapse with potential buyers and that details of the tragedy will be included in a “memento” book given to each buyer at closing that talks about the history of the site.

“I would not say anybody would recommend featuring it in your marketing,” he said. “At the same time, we would not hide it if there’s a question asked.”

Eliana Salzhauer, a former Surfside town commissioner who was in office when the collapse occurred, said it seems like the developers “hope that people forget anything happened there.”

“They can pull out all their bells and whistles and their nice, slick marketing materials,” Salzhauer said. “It doesn’t change the fact that their entire site is a graveyard.”

The Delmore is the first foray into United States real estate for DAMAC founder Hussain Sajwani, an Emirati billionaire and business partner of President Donald Trump who recently pledged $20 billion in investment in U.S. data centers.

Sajwani was the lone bidder for the 1.8-acre property at 8777 Collins Ave., paying $120 million that went toward a settlement for unit owners and victims’ relatives.

Langesfeld and other family members of the victims protested a judge’s decision to have the Champlain site auctioned off after the collapse, saying it should have been turned into a memorial.

After the sale, some family members pressed DAMAC to allow a memorial on part of the site, but the developer said that wasn’t feasible.

Surfside officials have designated part of an adjacent roadway, 88th Street, for a memorial that remains in the planning stages. DAMAC has pledged $1.5 million toward the effort.

Rossely said the memorial could possibly be built before the new condo tower is complete but that it would be “far cleaner and easier” to wait until 2029 to avoid disruptions from construction that will include hauling in sand to raise the dunes next to the property.

“There’s going to be a significant amount of disruption if one tries to do it earlier,” Rossely said.

DAMAC is marketing the 12-story condo project to uber-wealthy buyers, touting Surfside as part of a “billionaire’s triangle” created by Surfside, Indian Creek and Bal Harbour, while boasting that the building will be “directed by a Residence Manager and served by residential butlers.”

Renderings show a 75-foot swimming pool suspended 125 feet in the air at the top of the building. A 20,000-square-foot “outdoor meditation garden,” Tuesday’s press release says, “will be a quiet hideaway, marked by cascading reflective pools, open-air spaces for healing and yoga, a fire pit, and botanical gardens with a serenity path.”

A private restaurant exclusive to residents and their guests “will be an additional piece de resistance,” the release says.

The units, which will be fully furnished and average 7,000 square feet with four or five bedrooms, are being designed for “permanent residents,” according to the announcement. Rossely said potential buyers have already been “chasing us.”

“We know there’s a clear interest in the site and the opportunity it represents,” he said.

The Douglas Elliman firm will broker sales for the building. On a website promoting the condo, the firm says the average unit price will be $33 million.

“Simply put, this is a spectacular, transformative property,” Jay Phillip Parker, the CEO of Douglas Elliman’s Florida brokerage, said in a statement. “There is significant demand for a product of this magnitude, especially in South Florida where the one percent continue to acquire ultra-high-end properties. For the most discerning of purchasers, this is going to be the next great retreat.”

A federal investigation into what caused the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South is ongoing, with a report on the findings anticipated in 2026. Investigators have said there is “strong evidence” that the collapse began in the pool deck of the 12-story, L-shaped building, echoing the findings of a Miami Herald investigation that found the deck collapsed several minutes before half of the tower fell.

The town of Surfside and Miami-Dade County also commissioned their own investigations into the collapse that have not concluded.

Rossely said DAMAC hired experts to conduct extensive testing on the below-ground conditions at the site to ensure that it was safe to build there. The subsurface conditions were “actually better than we expected,” he said.

The collapse triggered a scramble to determine whether Florida’s coastal buildings were safe, followed by new legislation to mandate more frequent inspections and funding for structural fixes.

The requirements have put a financial strain on condo owners. Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special legislative session to amend the condo safety law, but lawmakers dropped it from their special session agenda Monday.

©2025 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.