By Kara Berg, MediaNews Group

The mother of Oxford High School shooting victim Madisyn Baldwin said on Friday that she doesn’t see the $500,000 she accepted from the school district as a settlement — she sees it as an ultimatum from them.

Nicole Beausoleil, who sued Oxford Community Schools along with three other families for its role in a 2021 mass shooting, said she took the money from the district not because she was giving up on enacting change within Oxford schools, but because she had to think of Madisyn’s father and her three younger siblings.

“I felt (the $500,000) was the only measure I’d get from the tragedy to help them do everything they deserve to do,” Beausoleil said. “It was very hard for me to do. I really didn’t want to take it. I didn’t want it to show like I gave up, which I didn’t give up. I knew it was a take it or leave it type of deal. I felt in my heart I couldn’t make the decision only for myself.”

Beausoleil’s 17-year-old daughter Madisyn was one of four kids killed at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. Justin Shilling, 17, Tate Myre, 16, and Hana St. Juliana, 14, were also killed.

Beausoleil and Justin’s family were the only two to take the settlements. The Myres and the St. Julianas rejected it. The settlements were connected to federal lawsuits the families filed, alleging the district failed to protect students and downplayed the threat the killer posed to the school.

“I just want the change. I want people to see the bigger picture here, not look at this as two families gave up and took the settlement,” Beausoleil said. “It’s not a settlement, it’s an ultimatum. Take it or leave it, you have this many hours to decide. There wasn’t anything about it that was sincere or remorseful.”

The shooter, Ethan Crumbley, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in December 2023, though he is appealing both the sentence and his guilty plea to the Michigan Supreme Court.

The panel of three judges from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded former counselor Shawn Hopkins and former dean of students Nick Ejak did not display a callous indifference toward the risk they perceived the shooter posed prior to the Nov. 30, 2021 attack and that Oxford schools had immunity and could not be sued. The wrongful death lawsuit was dismissed May 20.

Oxford Schools attorney Tim Mullins said the offer to the families before the 6th Circuit decision was $1 million, and it was lowered to $500,000 after that.

“We always try to reach a reasonable resolution of a disputed claim,” Mullins said. “We are pleased to have been able to do so at this point.”

Beausoleil said the district has only seen her daughter as a liability.

“I want her to be seen in a different light,” Beausoleil said. “I want this kind of just to be behind me and to keep moving forward to continue to create change. We’re going to constantly fight, there’s no stopping it.”

While she’s lost a lot of hope in the past four years, she said she plans to keep fighting for her children. She filed the lawsuit so she could see change in the district, so no one would have to feel the pain she and the other families felt.

“Our lawsuits were to create change, it wasn’t to create this sue happy, ‘oh need a bunch of money’ idea,” Beausoleil said. “We want systematic change. We want this change because there was neglect on all aspects.”

Madisyn’s younger sister Payton is starting her freshman year this fall, Beausoleil said. She’s going to Anchor Bay schools, and Beausoleil said she has gone through safety directives with the district. It’s heartening to see they’ve taken her suggestions to improve student safety, she said.

But still, the thought of Payton going to high school has taken a toll on Beausoleil, she said. The money will help to make sure Payton can go to college at an Ivy League if she wants to and to help her autistic brother.

Madisyn would’ve wanted that, Beausoleil said. She had planned to go into neuroscience to learn about autism and how the brain functioned.

“It’s not a lot of money, I’m not expecting the kids to live off of this,” Beausoleil said. “But it’s a start in the right direction of where it should’ve started in November 2021.”

By Aya Fayad, MediaNews Group

The convicted mother of the Oxford High School shooter who killed four of his classmates on Friday asked the Michigan Court of Appeals to throw out her involuntary manslaughter convictions for what she described as a “sham prosecution” by a “cheating” prosecutor.

In the historic February 2024 decision, Crumbley was convicted in a jury trial on four counts of involuntary manslaughter arising from the criminal acts of her son, Ethan, who shot and killed four students at Oxford High School in November 2021. Ethan’s father, James Crumbley, was also convicted on four counts of involuntary manslaughter in a separate jury trial in March 2024. Both were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison.

Prosecutors said both parents were grossly negligent by storing a gun and ammunition where their son could access it, and that they missed repeated opportunities to stop the tragedy. The decision marked the first time in the United States that a parent was convicted of manslaughter for a mass shooting carried out by their child.

“Opportunity knocked over and over again and was ignored,” Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews said last year at the trial. “No one answered.”

However, both Crumbley and her husband have long argued that they did not know of their son’s plans for a mass shooting at his school and never noticed any signs of his deteriorating mental state. Her attorney further argued to the Court of Appeals that the trial was “riddled with errors.”

“This entire prosecution of Mrs. Crumbley was a sham that should never have been allowed to proceed to trial,” appellate attorney Michael R. Dezsi said in a statement. “The case against Mrs. Crumbley has been off the rails from the beginning … not to mention all the cheating by the Oakland County Prosecutor.”

The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond Saturday to requests for comment. But Prosecutor Karen McDonald in the past has called Dezsi’s claims “meritless” and said the only motivation for his requests claiming that she had secret agreements with two star witnesses was to generate headlines and divert attention away from Crumbley’s actions.

Crumbley’s appeal contended that she cannot be held criminally responsible for involuntary manslaughter because she “owed no legal duty to the victims of her son’s criminal acts” and was “under no legal duty to control and prevent her son from committing intentional, criminal acts.” The document argued that Crumbley’s convictions are inconsistent with Michigan law because of the absence of a “special relationship” with the shooting victims, and therefore no legal duty to protect another from the criminal acts of a “third party.”

The appeal also said past precedent about a parent’s duty to “control their minor child” has been applied only in situations when a child is unable to comprehend the risks or dangers of their actions, not in circumstances involving a teenager intentionally committing violent acts. Dezsi noted Michigan passed a safe-storage gun law after the shooting, meaning there “was simply no law in place from which to impose a legal duty on Mrs. Crumbley to prevent her son from accessing the firearm to commit intentional, criminal acts.”

Prosecutors have countered that there was a foreseeable risk in Ethan Crumbley’s actions and that Jennifer Crumbley failed to put a stop to them. During the trial, they argued that the parent ignored signs that her 15-year-old son was in crisis, failed to get him mental health treatment and bought him a 9mm gun anyway, while failing to put a lock on the gun.

Responsibility of Oxford officials

Dezsi also argued that it was Oxford High School officials, not Jennifer Crumbley, who had a legal duty to prevent her son’s acts because her son was under his school’s control and supervision. Consequently, officials such as former counselor Shawn Hopkins and former dean of students Nick Ejak had a legal duty to protect students Hana St. Juliana, Justin Shilling, Tate Myre and Madisyn Baldwin, who were killed in the shooting, based on the officials’ “special relationship” to them.

In March, a three-judge panel from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded Hopkins and Ejak did not display callous indifference toward the risk they perceived Ethan Crumbley posed prior to the Nov. 30, 2021, attack. The wrongful death lawsuit was dismissed on May 20.

However, on Thursday, the families of Baldwin and Shilling confirmed they settled with the Oxford school district, Hopkins and Ejak for $500,000 each, despite an appeals court ruling that the district was protected by qualified immunity. The families of Myre and St. Juliana rejected the offers.

Nicole Beausoleil, Baldwin’s mother, said Friday that she took the settlement money not because she was giving up on making change within the school district, but because she had to think of her husband and three kids.

Errors in the trial

Dezsi also argued that multiple errors were made throughout the trial, and that the prosecution used improper evidence, and Judge Matthews allowed them to “cheat their way to a conviction.”

“We have discovered documents proving that the prosecutor engaged in an orchestrated smear campaign, paid for with taxpayers’ money, and made secret deals with witnesses to testify for the prosecution,” Dezsi said. “Yet despite all of the evidence surrounding the prosecutor’s misconduct, cheating, and mishandling of the case, Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews turned a blind eye to all of it.”

The allegations include that the prosecution was inconsistent, charging Ethan Crumbley as an adult but prosecuting his mother for not controlling her minor child. Dezsi also argued that the prosecution intentionally didn’t share its proffer agreements with Hopkins and Ejak, which shielded the two school officials from criminal blame instead of Jennifer Crumbley. And he contended the Oakland County jury was prejudiced against the mother.

Another argument is that the prosecution gave two definitions of involuntary manslaughter, but Matthews failed to instruct the jury members that they were required to agree on one of the two theories — gross negligence due to the inadequate storage of the gun or her legal duty to “control her minor child.”

Jennifer Crumbley is also contesting the introduction in court of the journal entries and text messages written by Ethan Crumbley, arguing they are “hearsay without an exception, more prejudicial than probative, and violated the United States and Michigan constitutions” because Ethan and his friend, the recipient, were never required to take the stand and testify.

The journal, seized from the student’s backpack that was found in the school bathroom, contained detailed plans to commit a mass murder at the school, entries about past events, statements about his parents and criticisms of school officials.

Texts Ethan Crumbley sent to his friend included messages revealing his desire to become a school shooter, some reading things like, “I have ZERO help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to SHOOT UP THE F—– SCHOOL.” and “My parents won’t listen to me about help or a therapist.”

“Not only did Judge Matthews allow the prosecution to cheat their way to a conviction, but she allowed the jury to hear improper evidence that favored the prosecution’s case while excluding other evidence that would have countered it,” the filing said.

Dezsi repeated Crumbley’s arguments that McDonald’s office had retained high-priced public relations firms costing Oakland County taxpayers nearly $300,000 to run a behind-the-scenes smear campaign against Jennifer Crumbley.

In June, Matthews found that McDonald the suppressed evidence, but it wasn’t a serious enough violation to deny Jennifer Crumbley from receiving “a trial and verdict worthy of confidence based on the cumulative effect of the significant evidence against her.” After the ruling, McDonald said it was “time to turn the attention away from the Crumbleys and refocus on the victims.”

Dezsi disagreed in the filing.

“There will be at least 10 more judges on higher courts who will review this case, and I’m confident that at some point in this process, Mrs. Crumbley’s convictions will be thrown out,” he added.

By Grant Schwab, MediaNews Group

An activist for the Michigan Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint Friday against Michigan gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, over the purported misuse of congressional resources.

The complaint alleged that James  used taxpayer resources from his U.S. House office at a Wednesday event where at least one staffer and several printed signs also promoted the Republican lawmaker’s run for governor of Michigan.

“His actions both mistreat taxpayers by misusing their hard-earned money for the private benefit of James’s campaign — and undermine our democracy by abusing the power of the United States Congress to influence a state election,” Joel Rutherford wrote in a complaint filed to the U.S. House Committee on Ethics.

Rutherford previously served as the Michigan Democratic Party’s chairperson for the 10th Congressional District, which James represents. The suburban Detroit district covers southern Macomb County and Rochester and Rochester Hills in Oakland County. James will eventually vacate the seat at the end of 2026, as he cannot run for both offices simultaneously.

The event in question, held at a minor league baseball game in Utica, featured a free giveaway of backpacks and classroom supplies for the upcoming school year. A spokeswoman for James rejected the ethics allegation on Friday.

“For three years, John James has supplied Michigan kids with free backpacks and school essentials, using no taxpayer dollars. Democrats, obsessed with government dependency and a woke agenda, attack a true leader for helping families,” James spokeswoman Hannah Osantowske said in a statement.

She continued: “Under ‘Democrat leadership’ Michigan students languish at a disgraceful 47th in national reading scores. John James is stepping up with a bold plan: as governor he will deliver results, restore academic excellence, and propel our kids to the top, backpacks included.”

The complaint criticized Osantowske, who serves as a spokesperson for James’ U.S. House office and his gubernatorial run, for promoting an event that advertised his state campaign using her congressional email address. Serving in dual roles is common, though rules require staffers to separate official communications between public offices and campaigns.

Rutherford pointed out that, according to the House Ethics Manual, “official resources of the House must, as a general rule, be used for the performance of official business of the House, and hence those resources may not be used for campaign or political purposes.”

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel also called out James for the alleged violation.

“John James is misusing taxpayer-funded resources through his congressional office to promote his campaign for governor, which is illegal and a violation of House ethics rules,” he said in a statement. “James appears to have broken the law — and is focused on promoting himself rather than helping working Michiganders.

“We urge the House Ethics Committee to thoroughly investigate this incident, and if found to be an ethics violation, hold James accountable for this illegal and unethical conduct.”

August is the best time of the year to take a dip in Lake Michigan, when its waters hover in the balmy upper 60s. Experts say so, and Chicago’s crowded beaches offer proof. But an invisible hazard can quickly turn a sunny day out into a sick night in.

In 2024, over 300 beaches across the Great Lakes closed to visitors or issued swim bans or advisories due to the presence of bacteria in the water — mostly E. coli, from nearby surface runoff or sewer system overflows, especially during heavy rain — according to state and federal data.

Bacteria levels triggered 83 advisories or closures in Illinois last summer, making it the second worst in the Midwest, with 71 in Lake County’s 13 lakefront beaches and 12 across nine beaches in Cook County. As of Thursday, Lake County beaches have had 49 advisories this summer, according to data from the state’s Department of Public Health. There has been at least one beach advisory in Cook County so far, according to Evanston officials.

“What we want, really want, to see is not that people say, ‘Well, that’s just the way it is.’ It shouldn’t have to be this way,” said Nancy Stoner, senior attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, who focuses on clean water issues. “It’s pollution that can be controlled and should be controlled, because people deserve to be able to know that they can swim safely in the Great Lakes.”

In Wisconsin, 90 beaches closed or had advisories between May and September 2024 — representing the most lakefront locations affected — followed by Illinois, Ohio with 67, Michigan with 62, Indiana with 20 and Minnesota with 17, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification system, which ELPC analyzed.

Even these numbers are just a starting point. In addition to different frequencies in testing among municipalities, there can also be a lag time by states in filing this information to the U.S. EPA. For instance, the federal agency’s system lists no advisories or closures for Illinois in 2024, data that currently can only be found on the state website. According to a spokesperson, the IDPH attempted a submission, which was rejected because of formatting compatibility issues. The state agency said it continues to work to rectify the situation with the U.S. EPA.

“Beachgoers should be able to rely upon the information provided by U.S. EPA to find out whether the beach they want to go to is safe for swimming,” Stoner said. “They can’t do that right now, and the fact that wrong information is being provided by U.S. EPA makes the situation even worse. U.S. EPA needs to fix this problem right away so that beachgoers don’t unknowingly swim in contaminated water and risk getting sick.”

Known as the BEACON system, it is supported by federal grant funding that allows officials to monitor water quality and bacteria levels. Symptoms in humans exposed to this and similar pathogens can include nausea, diarrhea, ear infections and rashes. According to scientists, each year, there are 57 million cases of people getting sick in the United States from swimming in contaminated waters.

When a certain safety threshold set by the U.S. EPA is exceeded, local officials can decide to issue a swim ban or advisory. Three locations, all north of Chicago, exceeded the EPA’s threshold on at least 25% of days tested last year: North Point Marina Beach, Waukegan North Beach and Winnetka Lloyd Park Beach, according to data from BEACON analyzed in a July report by advocacy nonprofit Environment America.

Chicago tests the water in all its public lakefront beaches every day of the summer, unlike communities in Lake County, which only test four days a week. The report also found that, on the city’s 26 miles of public lakefront during the 2024 season, at least four beaches had potentially unsafe levels between 14% and 21% of the days that the water was tested, including 31st Street Beach, Calumet South Beach, 63rd Street Beach and Montrose Beach.

Most of the funding for testing and monitoring comes from the BEACH Act, or the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act, which has protected public health in recreational waters across the country since its unanimous passing 25 years ago. Since then, the U.S. EPA has awarded over $226 million in grants for these programs.

“(It) is a small program for a federal program, but a lot in funding” impact, Stoner said.

However, in its 2026 proposed budget, the administration of President Donald Trump suggested slashing the EPA’s budget and clean water programs. In July, the House Appropriations Committee approved a 25% cut in the agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which helps states manage wastewater infrastructure to ensure the cleanliness of waterways.

The proposed cuts come at a time when humid weather and heavier storms, intensified by human-made climate change, are overwhelming outdated sewer systems and releasing human waste into waterways. Stormwater can carry runoff pollution and manure from industrial livestock operations into beaches. E. coli also grows faster in warmer water, so increasing lake temperatures pose a growing risk to swimmers.

Advocates say that — for the sake of public health and recreation — the federal government must continue to ensure funding for these programs and support the staff and institutions that uphold environmental protections.

“The BEACH Act is a piece of it. That’s about monitoring and public notification. That’s important,” Stoner said, “but really, funding the underlying work that needs to be done is essential. So, funding the EPA, funding the staff at the EPA, funding these labs throughout the Great Lakes, funding NOAA … There’s a whole system.”

While it doesn’t often do so, Chicago is one of 158 communities authorized to discharge sewage into the Great Lakes.

Besides Chicago, cities like Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio, have also updated their sewer systems and reduced the raw sewage they send flowing into the Great Lakes, thanks in no small part to federal infrastructure funding. These systems, advocates say, might offer a blueprint for the safety of beachgoers across the basin.

“There are solutions. We just have to invest for them to happen,” Stoner said. “So, it’s not a technological problem. It’s a … failure to decide that we want to solve this problem with solutions that exist.”

Emily Kowalski, outreach and engagement manager at the research and education center of Environment America in Illinois, said investments should go beyond upgrading sewage systems and focus on green infrastructure or natural, permeable surfaces like green roofs, parks and wetlands, which can help absorb rainwater and reduce flooding.

“A lot of these problems are things that we know how to fix and mitigate, but they do take money,” she said.

A report released by the U.S. EPA last year found the country needs at least $630 billion to address wastewater, stormwater and clean water infrastructure needs over the next 20 years.

“We need Congress to fully fund the Clean Water State Revolving Fund so that we can enjoy Chicago’s beaches, but also so (that) when we are on vacation on other shorelines or coastlines, we can enjoy beaches that are safe for swimming,” Kowalski said.

Sewage and animal waste

Every morning between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a handful of University of Illinois Chicago students head out to the city’s public beaches. As the sun rises and the day starts, they wade into the lake at each location and collect water in two plastic bottles.

The samples are then tested in a laboratory to detect the presence of genetic material from Enterococci — bacteria that, like E. coli, live in the intestines of warm-blooded animals such as humans. While Enterococci are not considered harmful to humans, scientists test for their presence in water as an indicator that other disease-causing microbes like E. Coli might be present from possible fecal contamination. In a few hours, the results allow the Chicago Park District to issue the necessary water quality advisories for any of its beaches.

If the concentration of Enterococci in water samples from a beach registers an estimated illness rate of 36 per 1,000 swimmers, following U.S. EPA criteria, the Park District will issue a swim advisory. But the agency rarely issues full-on swim bans based on water quality; for that to happen, test results need to correspond with an event when sewage flows into the lake, said Cathy Breitenbach, natural resources director at the Chicago Park District.

“Our river flows backwards. Sewer overflows are pretty rare these days, and even when they do occur, they don’t go into the lake,” Breitenbach said.

That is, unless intense precipitation levels overwhelm sewers already overflowing within the city, and officials open the locks between the river and the lake and reverse that flow.

“Then we’d issue a systemwide ban until we test below the threshold,” she said.

The last time this occurred and a ban was issued in Chicago was in July 2023. The locks near Navy Pier were opened to relieve the pressure on the sewer system during heavy rainfall, allowing more than 1.1 billion gallons of murky, bacteria-laden waste to flow into Lake Michigan.

While sewage contamination from heavy storms attracts the most attention, waste from animals, such as seagulls and even dogs, can be washed by rain into the lake and is often the biggest source of bacterial concentrations across Chicago beaches.

“We have so many beautiful buildings, but when water falls on our city, that water runs off of our roads into our waterways, picking up pollutants along the way,” Kowalski said.

Runoff can contaminate Lake County beaches, too, when waste from waterfowl makes its way into the lake.

“Some of it is very localized,” said Alana Bartolai, ecological services program coordinator at the Lake County Health Department. North Point Marina Beach, she said, is well-known in the community because “the seagulls and the gulls love it.”

It’s a recurring observation among department staff when they conduct monitoring at the county’s lakefront beaches. Waukegan Beach has the same issue.

“When we take samples … we routinely are recording 300-plus gulls on the beach,” at those two locations, Bartolai said.

North Point Marina and Waukegan beaches accounted for almost half of all bacteria-related advisories and closures issued in Lake County last summer and so far this summer.

Bartolai said most of the advisories and swim bans in 2024 were weather-related. “Even though we were in drought conditions, we did still have heavy rain events,” she said.

Because swimmers at a lakefront beach are engaging in an activity in a natural body of water, “there’s no such thing as no risk,” Breitenbach said.

Earlier this month, at a beach in Portugal, over 100 people had to be treated for nausea and vomiting after swimming.

“When you see reports like this, you’re really thankful that Chicago is so ahead and has been doing (testing) for over a decade now,” said Abhilasha Shrestha, a University of Illinois Chicago research assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences who leads the laboratory testing for the city’s public beaches.

The rapid test the Chicago Park District is now using cuts the wait time down to only three to four hours, providing the most up-to-date information to ensure the safety of beachgoers. Before the city’s partnership with UIC began with a pilot program in 2015, testing relied solely on culturing E. coli, a laboratory process that incubates live cells in an artificial, controlled environment — with results available in 18 to 24 hours.

“It didn’t really make sense, because you were telling people what the water was like yesterday and doing the closure or advisory the day after,” Shrestha said.

But some municipalities say they can’t afford the more expensive rapid test.

“Not every community has the funding or has the setup where their beaches get tested every single day,” said Kowalski of Environment America in Illinois.

The Lake County Health Department uses the more time-consuming culture method to test water samples for E. coli — largely due to resources and funding constraints to adopting the faster methodology, officials said.

“The cost of it is almost like 10 times the cost of running an E. coli sample in our lab,” Bartolai said. “But we are looking at it, because there is that need to have that quicker turnaround.”

She said many Lake County suburbs take precautions such as raking the sand at their beaches to clear droppings from geese and seagulls “so that when it rains, it’s not getting washed in.”

In Chicago, Park District staff clean the public beaches daily, starting before dawn. Operations include tractors pulling raking machines, supporting crews of laborers who pick up litter and empty trash cans by hand and beach sweepers who clear paths for pedestrians and bike trail users. Kowalski said beachgoers can also help by picking up after dogs and ensuring babies wear swim diapers.

“(We) ask people to help, to do their part, to keep the water quality good and the beaches clean,” Breitenbach said. “Put your garbage away, don’t feed the birds, listen to the lifeguards.”

More information

Beachgoers across the Great Lakes can find water quality monitoring results on state government websites such as the Illinois Department of Public Health’s BeachGuard page or from volunteer-led efforts in nonprofits such as SwimGuide.

Beach advisories in Chicago are updated on the Park District’s website and with an on-site color-coded flag system that indicates whether conditions are safe for people to swim. These can change throughout the day due to bacteria levels in the water, as well as weather like lightning or high winds, and surf conditions like high waves.

In Chicago public beaches, three colored flags indicate three different things: red for a swim ban, yellow for a swim advisory, which means that swimming is allowed with caution, and green for permitted swimming. On any given day, the flag color between noon and 1:30 p.m. likely indicates the most recent information from water quality test results.

adperez@chicagotribune.com

By Madyson Fitzgerald, Stateline.org

Self-driving vehicle technology continues to advance, prompting a wave of liability and safety regulations from state lawmakers.

This year, lawmakers in Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada and the District of Columbia enacted legislation to regulate driverless vehicles, according to a database from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

While much of the legislation aims to update existing law to include new definitions for autonomous vehicles, other measures put rules in place regarding insurance, permitting, licensing and road testing.

In total, lawmakers in 25 states introduced 67 bills related to autonomous vehicles, according to the database. California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania currently have bills under consideration. Alaska, Delaware and Washington have bills that will be carried over into the next legislative session.

Governors vetoed two measures this year. Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis shot down a measure that would have required a driver to be present in any commercial vehicle being operated by an automated driving system.

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a measure that would have put rules in place for “high-risk artificial intelligence systems,” but would have excluded “autonomous vehicle technology” from that category.

As of now, there are no vehicles that have achieved full autonomy, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers’ criteria. But several car companies have introduced automated driving features, allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel.

Tesla is rolling out its Full Self-Driving feature, a system under which a vehicle can drive itself almost anywhere with minimal intervention from the driver. Tesla Autopilot, which the company made available to the public in late 2024, also helps with basic vehicle maneuvering.

And Waymo, the country’s first autonomous ride-hailing service, is currently operating in Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; Phoenix and San Francisco. The robo-taxi company plans to expand to Miami and Washington, D.C., next.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, vehicle safety is the main benefit of driverless cars. With higher levels of automation, there is less room for human error or driver distractions. The new technology also could improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, according to the agency.

But driverless cars have been involved in hundreds of accidents over the past few years. Between 2021 and 2024, there were 696 accidents reported that involved a Waymo vehicle, according to an analysis by California-based law firm DiMarco — Araujo — Montevideo.

And last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system after multiple reports of crashes that occurred in low-visibility conditions.

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

By Amanda Hernández, Stateline.org

For years, state lawmakers have taken the lead on regulating kratom — the controversial herbal supplement used for pain relief, anxiety and opioid withdrawal symptoms. Some states have banned it entirely. Others have passed laws requiring age limits, labeling and lab testing.

At least half of the states and the District of Columbia have enacted some form of regulation on kratom or its components — building a patchwork of policies around a product largely unaddressed by the federal government.

But that may soon change. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing to ban 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH — a powerful compound found in small amounts in kratom and sometimes concentrated or synthesized in products sold online, at smoke shops or behind gas station counters.

Federal health officials announced last month that the compound poses serious public health risks and should be classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, alongside heroin and LSD.

The move marks a significant shift in how federal regulators are approaching kratom, which they attempted to ban in 2016. It also has sparked debate about how the change could impact the growing 7-OH industry and its consumers.

This year, at least seven states have considered bills to tighten kratom regulations, including proposals for bans, age restrictions and labeling requirements.

Kratom, which originates from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia, can have a wide range of mental and bodily effects, according to federal officials, addiction medicine specialists and kratom researchers. Reports of fatal kratom overdoses have surfaced in recent years, though kratom is often taken in combination with other substances.

Kratom and 7-OH are distinct products with separate markets, but they are closely connected. 7-OH is a semi-synthetic compound derived from kratom and only emerged on the market in late 2023, while kratom itself has been available for decades.

Leading kratom researchers also say more research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of using both substances.

“There’s much we don’t know, unfortunately, on all sides,” said Christopher R. McCurdy, a professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Florida. McCurdy is a trained pharmacist and has studied kratom for more than 20 years.

Research suggests kratom may help with opioid withdrawal and doesn’t seem to cause severe withdrawal on its own. Smaller amounts seem to act as a stimulant, while larger doses may have sedative, opioidlike effects. Very little is known about the risks of long-term use in humans, according to McCurdy.

As for 7-OH, it shows potential for treating pain, but it hasn’t been studied in humans, and it may carry a high risk of addiction. Researchers don’t yet understand how much is safe to take or how often it should be used, McCurdy told Stateline.

While some leading kratom experts agree that kratom and 7-OH should be regulated, they caution that placing 7-OH under a strict Schedule I classification would make it much harder to study — and argue it should instead be classified as Schedule II like some other opioids.

A federal survey from 2023 estimated that about 1.6 million Americans age 12 and older used kratom in the year before the study. The American Kratom Association, a national industry lobbying group, estimated in 2021 that between 11 million and 16 million Americans safely consume kratom products each year.

Since gaining popularity in recent years, 7-OH has appeared in a growing number of products. Some researchers and addiction medicine specialists say many consumers, especially those new to kratom, sometimes don’t understand the difference between products.

“It’s a pure opioid that’s available without a prescription, so it’s akin to having morphine or oxycodone for sale at a smoke shop or a gas station,” McCurdy said. “This is a public health crisis waiting to happen.”

Federal crackdown targets 7-OH, not kratom

In late July, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that the federal Drug Enforcement Administration place 7-OH in Schedule I, citing a high potential for abuse. The classification would not apply to kratom leaves or powders with naturally occurring 7-OH.

“We’re not targeting the kratom leaf or ground-up kratom,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news conference. “We are targeting a concentrated synthetic byproduct that is an opioid.”

Makary acknowledged that there isn’t enough research or data to fully understand how widespread 7-OH’s use or impact may be. Still, he said the Trump administration wants to be “aggressive and proactive” in addressing the issue before it grows into a larger public health problem.

While only small amounts of 7-OH occur naturally in the kratom plant, federal officials have raised concerns about U.S. products containing synthetic or concentrated forms of the compound because it’s more potent than morphine and primarily responsible for kratom’s opioidlike effects.

The FDA’s recommendation to schedule 7-OH will now go to the DEA, which oversees the final steps of the process — including issuing a formal proposal and opening a public comment period.

If finalized, the rule could affect both companies selling enhanced kratom products and consumers in states where those products are currently legal.

The DEA backed off scheduling kratom compounds in 2016 after widespread public opposition.

Kirsten Smith, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University who is studying kratom’s effects in humans, said she was surprised by the FDA’s push to schedule 7-OH.

“We don’t really have a public health signal of a lot of adverse events for either kratom or for 7-OH at this time,” she told Stateline. “I was, frankly, always surprised that kratom was pushed toward scheduling at an earlier time point. … I don’t know that we have data to support scheduling even now.”

Still, some advocacy groups, including the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust, argue the push to schedule 7-OH is driven more by corporate interests than public health, suggesting the kratom industry is trying to sideline competition from 7-OH products.

“We think that this is just happening because of the legacy kratom manufacturers losing market share and wanting to gin up a crisis with this,” said Jeff Smith, the national policy director for the group, who said he has used 7-OH for sleep and pain management.

While his organization supports regulation and safe consumption, members worry the federal government’s move could drive people to riskier substances or push the market underground.

“It’s made a profound difference in my life,” Smith said. “We think it would be tragic to cut it off based on such a paucity of data when there’s so much potential for this product to help people.”

Public health concerns

Federal health officials say a key concern is the growing use of kratom and 7-OH products among teens and young adults.

Some officials and addiction medicine specialists have pointed out that these products often come in flavors and packaging designed to appeal to younger buyers, with few controls over where or how they’re sold. In some states without clear regulations, kratom and 7-OH products are available at gas stations or online, sometimes without any age verification.

“Whenever you go into a gas station and even though it’s behind the glass, it’s kind of eye level, and it has all of these bright colors — it has all of these things that really attract the visual of a kiddo,” said Socorro Green, a prevention specialist with Youth180, a nonprofit focused on youth substance use prevention in Dallas.

Green added that kratom and 7-OH products may be even more accessible to young people in rural communities, where gas stations and convenience stores are often among the few available retailers.

Some researchers and experts say that certain products may not clearly or accurately disclose their 7-OH content and are sometimes marketed or mistaken for traditional kratom.

Some cities, counties and states have responded by banning kratom or raising the minimum purchase age to 18 or 21. But in many areas, enforcement remains inconsistent, and some addiction specialists say clearer federal and state guidance is needed — especially as more people are using kratom and 7-OH to manage pain, anxiety or withdrawal symptoms on their own.

“There needs to be some kind of oversight, including some way of maybe helping to ensure that people know what they’re getting,” said Terrence Walton, the executive director and chief executive officer of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.

State regulations

At least seven states have considered or enacted legislation this year related to kratom — ranging from age restrictions and labeling requirements to outright bans.

In New York, lawmakers passed two bills: one requiring warning labels and prohibiting kratom products from being labeled as “all natural,” and another raising the minimum purchase age to 21. Neither has been sent to the governor.

In Colorado, a new measure, which was signed into law in May, prohibits kratom from being sold in forms that resemble candy or appeal to children, increases labeling requirements, limits concentrations of 7-OH, and bans the manufacture and distribution of synthetic or semi-synthetic kratom.

In Mississippi, a new law that took effect in July raised the minimum purchase age for kratom to 21. It also bans synthetic kratom extracts and products with high concentrations of 7-OH. Lawmakers in Montana and Texas introduced similar legislation this year, but neither proposal advanced.

Louisiana is the latest state to enact a kratom ban, which took effect Aug. 1. Meanwhile, in July, Rhode Island became the first state to reverse its ban. The new law establishes a regulatory framework for the manufacturing, sale and distribution of kratom products, set to take effect in April 2026.

As of this year, Washington, D.C., and seven states — Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Rhode Island (until April 2026), Vermont and Wisconsin — have banned kratom. At least half of U.S. states now regulate kratom or its components in some way.

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

By Madison Czopek, KFF Health News

For parents of school-aged children, the fall to-do list can seem ever-growing. Buy school supplies. Fill out endless school forms. Block off parent-teacher nights. Do the kids’ tennis shoes still fit?

Somewhere, at some point, you might remember flu shots. Get your flu shot. Get their flu shots. Or should you? Can you? Is that still a thing?

Amid political chatter about vaccines and the government entities that oversee them, it’s understandable to wonder where all this leaves the 2025-26 flu vaccine.

In short: Yes, the flu shot is still a thing. And doctors we spoke to said they recommend you get your flu shot this year.

Here are some answers to common questions:

Q: I heard the Trump administration could be changing vaccine recommendations. Does that apply to the flu vaccine?

There have been no substantial changes to the federal government’s flu vaccine recommendation: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still says that people 6 months old and up should get an annual flu vaccine.

That means most insurers will cover it, and it should soon be widely available.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has opposed vaccines, agreed that most people should get the flu vaccine. He followed a recommendation from the board that advises the federal government on vaccine policy; Kennedy replaced the members with his own.

The panel voted against recommending multidose flu shots that contained the preservative thimerosal, but the preservative had already been removed from most vaccines, including most flu shots.

Q: Who should not get the flu shot?

Doctors acknowledged there are always exceptions to broad guidance. For example, people with severe allergies to flu vaccine components should not get vaccines that contain those components.

You should discuss your health situation with your physician for personalized guidance.

Q: Is this season’s flu shot different from last season’s?

Yes. The flu shot was updated for the upcoming flu season, but the changes weren’t drastic. Like last year’s flu shot, this year’s vaccine is known as a three-component or trivalent vaccine that protects against three influenza viruses — two influenza A viruses and one influenza B virus.

This season’s vaccine was altered to target a specific strain of the influenza A/H3N2 virus expected to circulate this season, said Ryan Maves, a professor of medicine at Wake Forest University and a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Those changes align with what the World Health Organization has recommended.

Q: When is the best time to get vaccinated?

September, October, or early November. This allows your body time to build up its protective antibodies as flu season begins and ensures your protection doesn’t wane before it ends.

In the U.S., influenza infection typically peaks in February, so you want to make sure you’re vaccinated and your protection is still strong through February and into March, said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Q: Is this season’s flu vaccine guaranteed to protect against the influenza strain that’s circulating?

Guarantee all protection? No.

Reduce risk of death? Yes.

Similar to the COVID-19 vaccine, flu vaccines are best at “protecting us from the most severe consequences of influenza,” Schaffner said. That means the flu vaccine is most effective at keeping people out of the hospital or the intensive care unit and keeping people from dying.

“A flu vaccine may not guarantee perfect protection against the flu, but skipping your flu shot simply guarantees you’ll have no protection at all,” said Benjamin Lee, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and an associate professor at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.

Q: Will the flu shot be readily available this year?

All signs point to yes.

The FDA passed its formula recommendations to vaccine manufacturers March 13 — early enough that the agency expected there would be “ an adequate and diverse supply.” The people and places that administer flu shots should have them soon, typically beginning in September, said Flor Muñoz, a Baylor College of Medicine associate professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases.

Q: I heard Kennedy canceled $500 million in funding for vaccine development. Could this affect future flu vaccines?

Kennedy announced the cancellation of funding for mRNA vaccine development. Some companies have been researching combined mRNA flu and COVID shots, but there are currently no approved mRNA flu vaccines.

Still, experts said the federal government’s changes — funding cuts, vaccine committee purges, deviations from existing procedures — are increasing uncertainty.

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

Nine years after Racheal Hrydziuszko first asked the Beverly Hills Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance to keep her backyard chickens, the village is rewriting its ordinances concerning animals.

ZBA members were puzzled, believing she didn’t need to ask for a variance, Hrydziuszko said.

Frustrated by the lack of clarity on the issue, Hrydziuszko ran for a seat on the Village Council and began serving in 2018.

Later, Hrydziuszko said, there was a change in enforcement philosophy in the village administration, and she and her husband, Damon, received a violation notice. The Hrydziuszkos filed an appeal in Oakland County Circuit Court.

At the time, a village ordinance specifically allowed 11 animals, such as cats, dogs, gerbils, hamsters and others that are “similar” and “commonly kept as pets.”  The ordinance did not prohibit chickens or other animals.

Judge Kwame Rowe declared the ordinance “unconstitutionally vague” last year; the ruling allowed the Hrydziuszkos to keep their half dozen hens in a garage on their nearly half-acre property.

The judge’s ruling prompted the ordinance overhaul, said Village Manager Warren Rothe.

Hrydziuszko serves on a committee that is reviewing the village’s chicken rules, looking at specifics such as the minimum acreage needed to keep chickens.

The debate has attracted pro- and anti-chicken forces to recent council meetings, with both sides claiming the majority of residents support their view.

While still being tweaked, the council will likely continue its review of two rewritten ordinances at its Sept. 2 meeting.

Several anti-chicken handbills have appeared on doorsteps; pro-chicken residents say the flyers contain misleading information. For example, one flyer claimed the Village Council could allow “your neighbors to keep chickens only a few steps from your back door.”

Backyard chicken proponents say their birds produce eggs that are healthier than those available in stores. They say that keeping poultry provides an educational experience for their children. And they say chickens are good pets.

“They’re fun. They’re very gregarious. They have personalities.” Hrydziuszko said. “It’s just a different kind of pet.”

Many Beverly Hills residents say they don’t want to own chickens, but don’t want the government preventing their neighbors from keeping them.

Opponents say the birds and their droppings could create odors and could attract rodents. Chickens belong on a farm, detractors say.

“I’m going to get a few pigs. Why not? Maybe a small herd of cattle as well. If you want to have a farm, move to the country,” one opponent said on a Beverly Hills Facebook page.

As backyard chickens have grown in popularity, other Oakland County cities, like Southfield, have revised rules that advocates say would prohibit most people from keeping the birds. Additional Oakland County cities are researching changes to their rules.

Based on community Facebook posts, it seems almost everyone in Beverly Hills agrees on one thing: The chicken debate has ruffled feathers for too long. There are other things to worry about, like cars speeding in residential areas, senior citizens who need help with lawn upkeep, maintenance of parks and more, commenters have written.

Hrydziuszko agrees.

“It’s time to put this to rest,” she said.

The situation has ruffled even more feathers as Facebook commenters say Hrydziuszko should recuse herself from the chicken debate, claiming conflict of interest since her court case prompted the ordinance rewrite.

She disagrees, saying the Village Charter describes a conflict of interest as being financially vested in an issue. For example, a council member recused himself from a vote on buying patrol cars for the Public Safety Department from Ford Motor Co. because he worked for Ford.

“I have no financial interest in this,” she said, adding that the village attorney has not advised her to recuse herself.

“That is his job, to let us know when we should recuse ourselves,” she said.

To complicate the village’s chicken debate, two bills pending in the state Legislature would supersede local ordinances and allow residents to keep hens as long as they meet certain generally accepted agricultural and management practices.

State Rep. James DeSana, R-Carleton, introduced House Bills 4049 and 4050 in January. They would eliminate the need for special land use approvals from local governments as long as the poultry is kept on a property that is at least a quarter of an acre and the number of hens is limited to five per quarter acre or 25 hens, whichever is less. Property zoned as farmland falls under separate guidelines.

The bills have been in the House Agriculture Committee since February.

Backyard chicken proponents say most municipalities already have general ordinances that would allow them to address poultry that created an odor or became a nuisance in some other way.

Oakland Co. judge declares community’s ordinance against chickens ‘unconstitutionally vague’

Oakland County communities rethinking backyard chicken rules

Festivals

• Michigan Renaissance Festival is 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Aug. 16-Sept. 28, 12600 Dixie Hwy., Holly, Renaissance-themed entertainment, jousting, vendors, themed weekends, (also open Labor Day, Sept. 1 and Festival Friday, Sept. 26), rain or shine, www.michrenfest.com, parking passes are $15 plus fees, admission ticket prices vary.

• Annual Dragon on the Lake Festival is Aug. 21-24, downtown Lake Orion, featuring an Art and Craft Fair, Kid’s Zone, Tiki Tent, live music, fundraiser for the Orion Art Center. Dragon Boat Races at 9 a.m. Aug. 24 on Lake Orion lake, at Green’s Park, https://dragononthelake.com.

• Hazel Park Art Fair is Aug. 23-24, (11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday), at Green Acres Park, 620 W Woodward Heights, Hazel Park. artists, cottage food vendors, and musicians, hands-on clay competitions, aerial performances, yoga session at 11 a.m. Saturday, www.hpart.org/aboutthefair, free admission.

• Lake Street Cruise-In to be held 6:30-9:30 p.m. Aug. 27, downtown South Lyon, www.southlyonmi.org/calendar.php.

• Moonlight Market is 4:30-9 p.m. Aug. 28, Oakland County Farmers Market, 2350 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Twp., food vendors, inflatables, climbing tower and yard games, www.oakgov.com/community/oakland-county-parks/parks-trails/farmers-market/-fsiteid-1#!.

• Michigan State Fair is Aug. 28-Sept. 1, hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Aug. 28-29 and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Aug. 30-Sept. 1), at the Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave., Novi, www.michiganstatefairllc.com, featuring carnival, fair, entertainment, agriculture, livestock and indoor vendor booths, live music, beer tent, and food vendors. Moovin’ Thru the Midway 5K is 8 a.m. Aug. 30, $40+ register at www.michiganstatefairllc.com/5k. Admission to the fair is $11+, circus, special events and carnival rides are extra. No unaccompanied minors are allowed to enter the fair.

• Arts, Beats & Eats is Aug. 29-Sept. 1, (11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Sunday, and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday), downtown Royal Oak, juried fine art show, food, live music, https://artsbeatseats.com, parking options at artsbeatseats.com/parking-transportation, admission and concert ticket prices vary.

• Dragon Forest, immersive three-acre trail experience is at the Detroit Zoo, 8450 W 10 Mile Road, Royal Oak, through Sept. 7. Tickets for Dragon Forest start at $6 in addition to the Detroit Zoo entrance fee, ticket prices vary, https://detroitzoo.org/events/dragon-forest.

• Downtown Rochester Kris Kringle Market applications are open through Sept. 5. The event will take place on Dec.5 and Dec. 6, in downtown Rochester. The Rochester DDA is seeking vendors that have product lines for the holiday season including: gifts, specialty foods, décor, unique hand-crafted items, www.downtownrochestermi.com/kringle-application?rq=kringle.

Fundraisers/Charitable activities

• Walk4Friendship is Aug. 24, in West Bloomfield Twp. Registration opens at 10:30 a.m., opening ceremony is at 11:15 a.m., 1.7 mile family walk begins at 11:45 a.m., at Friendship Circle’s Farber Center, 5586 Drake Road, ending at Friendship Circle’s Meer Center, 6892 W Maple Road, food, children’s activities, event to raise funds and awareness for Friendship Circle’s programs, serving individuals with special needs across Metro Detroit. Drake Road will be closed from Walnut Lake to Maple Road from 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. To access Temple Israel parking, drivers must be in the Temple Israel parking lot at 5725 Walnut Lake Road, by 11:15 a.m., www.walk4friendship.com.

• Semaj J. Morgan Foundation Backpack Giveaway is 1-4 p.m. Aug. 31, at Sound Mind Sound Body Community Engagement Center, 11433 Beaconsfield Street, Detroit, music, games, sports activities, and opportunities to connect with mentors and community leaders.

• “Furniture Flip Bash” is 5:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 4, fundraiser for Furniture Bank of Metro Detroit, at The Village Club, 190 E. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, features strolling food stations, and live entertainment, meet HGTV “Love It Or List It” star Hilary Farr, and bid on more than 100 pieces of reimagined furniture items that have been transformed by local DIYers, 248-648-1000, purchase tickets at https://furniture-bank.org/furniture-flip-bash,

• 10th Annual Walk for Miracles is Sept. 13, at the Detroit Zoo, 8450 W. 10 Mile Road, Royal Oak, 7:30 a.m. check-in, the walk begins at 8 a.m., and walkers may stay and enjoy the zoo all day. Participants are encouraged to dress as their favorite superhero or fantasy character and will be able to visit with other popular fairytale and comic book heroes, enjoy snacks and refreshments, free parking for registered participants. Walkers must register online for the event and make a minimum donation of $12 per person for participants 12 years and older, $8 per person ages 2-11 and free for children under the age of 2, proceeds benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals programming at Corewell Health Children’s in Southeast Michigan. Guests are also provided online personalized/team fundraising pages to raise additional funds. To register, visit CorewellHealth.org/WalkForMiracles.

• Classic Cars for the Cure is 7-10:30 p.m. Sept. 20, at 1330 North Crooks Road, Clawson to support cancer research at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. The gala is to be held indoors in a private garage, with strolling supper, live ‘50s and ‘60s music by Stella and her band Intrigue, a performance along with dance and swing lessons from the Oakland University Dance Team, classic automobiles on display. Guests are asked to wear cocktail attire or 1950s and 1960s flair. Tickets are $250 each, karmanos.org/cars25.

Golf outings

• Spaulding for Children Scramble is Sept. 6, sign-in starts at 7:30 a.m. with shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. at Farmington Hills Golf Club, 37777 11 Mile Court, Farmington Hills, https://events.golfstatus.com/event/2025-spaulding-scramble, $150 per person, $600 per foursome. Includes 18 holes of golf, breakfast, merchandise, driving range privileges, refreshments, lunch and awards dinner.

• OLHSA hosts 7th Annual Golf Fore Change, Sept. 19, at Westwynd Golf Course, 4161 Adams Road, Oakland Twp. The event will start with breakfast and registration at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. shotgun start. Event also includes lunch and dinner, 18 holes with a golf cart, $600 per foursome or $150 per person. Register or sign up as a sponsor at www.olhsa.org/fore.

• Drive for Life Invitational is Sept. 29, at Birmingham Country Club, 750 Saxon Drive, Birmingham. Registration/Lunch is at 10 a.m., tee-off at noon, cocktail reception followed by dinner at 4:30 p.m. The event will benefit oncology services at Corewell Health hospitals in Royal Oak and Troy. To sponsor or donate, call 947-522-0100 or visit CorewellHealth.org/DriveForLife. Registration requested by Sept. 11.

Health activities

• Author, speaker, and Autism expert, Ron Sandison, will speak at Salt Lutheran Church, 5475 Livernois in Troy, from 10 am to noon, Sept. 6. Sandison is author of “A Parent’s Guide to Autism: Practical Advice, Views from the Spectrum, and Adulting on the Spectrum-An Insider’s Guide for Navigating Life with Autism,” www.spectruminclusion.com. Reservations are encouraged by calling 248-879-6400, free event, coffee and light snacks provided.

Library activities

• SAT Practice Exam is 1-3:30 p.m. Sept. 6, at Troy Public Library, 510 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, Bring laptop or borrow from library, register at https://troypl.librarycalendar.com.

• The Royal Oak Public Library has launched a strategic planning survey to gather feedback on what the community wants and needs from their local library. Residents are invited to take the survey online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ROPLCommunity. Printed versions are available at the library, located at 222 E 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak.

Parks/Outdoor activities

• The Village of Rochester Hills hosts free summer activities in Festival Park, northeast corner of Adams and Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills. Music & Me events are 10 a.m.-10:45 a.m., Mondays and Wednesdays through Aug. 27 (classes are geared towards children up to 5 years with interactive music classes on the lawn, bring a blanket), TheVORH.com.

• Oakland County Parks and Recreation offers free admission. General park entry fees and vehicle permits have been eliminated for all parks operated by Oakland County Parks, www.oakgov.com/community/oakland-county-parks.

• The Metroparks Trail Challenge is open through Oct. 31. Visit designated Challenge Trails across all 13 Metroparks, take a selfie at each trail’s Challenge Kiosk and upload it to the leaderboard to collect a badge, collect all 13 badges and receive a 2026 Annual Vehicle Pass. Registration for Metroparks Trail Challenge is $35, www.metroparks.com/trailchallenge.

• Michigan State Parks and Recreation Areas, michigan.gov/dnr. Park entrance fees apply.

Senior activities

• Hannan Center’s Centennial 70 Over Seventy Awards — a luncheon honoring 70 extraordinary individuals ages 70 and above from across Michigan, event will be held on Nov. 1, at the Atheneum Suite Hotel in Detroit. Nominations for 70 Over Seventy Awards deadline is Aug. 31. For questions, contact Tony Anderson at tanderson@hannan.org or 313-833-1300 x16, https://hannan.org/70overseventy.

Shows/Tours

• Fall Showcase is noon-4:30 p.m. Aug. 24, Council Re|Sale Store, 3297 W. 12 Mile Road, Berkley. Fall fashion and accessories for men and women, including designer wear, at bargain prices, www.councilresale.net.

• The 36th Annual Birmingham House Tour is 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 11, self-guided tour of unique homes with option for lunch at The Community House. Advance tickets are $49+ for the tour and $69+ for tour and lunch. Also, Bubbles & Bites’ Preview Party is 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 10, on the 5th floor of Birmingham Pointe, $75 advance. For tickets, call The Community House at 248-644-5832 or visit www.communityhousehelps.org.

Support resources

• Irreverent Warriors annual Silkies Hike is Aug. 30, in Detroit, aiming to improve mental health and prevent veteran suicide. The roughly eight-mile hike will kick off at IBEW Local Union 58 (1358 Abbott Street, Detroit) with the walk starting at 9:30 a.m., free snacks and lunch. Silkies Hikes are exclusive to Veterans, Active Duty, Guard and Reservist service members. The event is free for service members, but registration is required at www.IrreverentWarriors.com. A pre-party meet and greet will be held for hikers, Aug. 29 at The Old Miami in Detroit.

• For access to local community services, dial 211 (844-875-9211) or text zip code to 898211, for information and referrals to physical and mental health resources; housing, utility, food, and employment assistance; and suicide and crisis interventions, United Way, https://unitedwaysem.org/get-help.

• The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7 confidential support for people who are suicidal or in emotional distress, or who know someone who is. Calls and text messages to 988 route to a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline call center, www.fcc.gov/988Lifeline.

• National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-799-7233, available 24/7.

• Common Ground’s Resource & Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 – call or text 800-231-1127.

• Veterans Crisis Line, dial 988 and then press 1 to connect to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.

To submit a community event, email the information to Kathy Blake at kblake@medianewsgroup.com.

By Julie Appleby, KFF Health News

People thinking about starting a business or retiring early — before they’re old enough for Medicare — may want to wait until November, when they can see just how much their Affordable Care Act health insurance will cost next year. Sharp increases are expected.

Premiums for ACA health plans, also known as Obamacare, which many early retirees and small-business owners rely on for coverage, are going up, partly due to policy changes advanced by the Trump administration and Congress. At the same time, more generous tax subsidies that have helped most policyholders pay for coverage are set to expire at the end of December.

After that, subsidies would return to what they were before the covid-19 pandemic. Also being reinstated would be an income cap barring people who earn more than four times the federal poverty level from getting any tax credits to help them purchase coverage. Although Congress potentially could act to extend the credits, people weighing optional life changes should factor in the potential cost if lawmakers fail to do so.

“I would hate for people to make a big decision now and then, in a few months, realize, ‘I’m not even going to qualify for a tax credit next year,’” said Lauren Jenkins, an insurance agent whose brokerage helps people sign up for coverage in Oklahoma. “Coupled with the rate increases, that could be significant, especially for someone at or near retirement, when it could easily cost over $1,000 a month.”

Still, how things play out in the real world will vary.

The key factor is income, as the subsidy amount people receive is primarily based on household income and local insurance costs.

People experiencing the biggest dollar increase in out-of-pocket premiums next year will be those who lose subsidies altogether because they earn more than 400% of the federal poverty level. This year, that’s $62,600 for a single person and $84,600 for a couple.

This “subsidy cliff” was removed in the legislation first enacted during the covid pandemic to create enhanced subsidies, but it will be back next year if they expire. About 1.6 million people who earn more than 400% of the poverty threshold bought ACA plans this year, many of them getting some tax credits to help with the premiums, according to KFF data. KFF is a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

“A lot of small-biz owners fall around that level of income,” said David Chase, vice president of policy and advocacy for the Small Business Majority, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, which is urging Congress to extend the credits.

And a good chunk of ACA enrollment consists of small-business owners or their employees because, unlike larger firms, most small businesses don’t offer group health plans.

In the Washington metropolitan area, “seven out of 10 people who qualify for lower premiums [because of the tax credits] are small-business owners,” said Mila Kofman, executive director of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority.

Congress must decide by the end of December whether to extend the subsidies a second time. Permanently doing so could cost taxpayers $335 billion over the next decade, but not acting could cause financial pain for policyholders and pose political repercussions for lawmakers.

Because new premiums and smaller subsidies would take effect in January, the potential fallout has some Republican lawmakers worried about the midterm elections, according to news reports.

Republican pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Bob Ward warned the GOP in a memo that extending the enhanced credits could mean the difference between success and failure in some midterm races, because support for the premium help “comes from more than two-thirds of Trump voters and three-quarters of Swing voters.”

While supporters credit the enhanced subsidies for a record 24 million sign-ups for this year’s ACA plans, critics have blamed them for instances in which sales brokers or consumers engaged in improper enrollment.

“The expanded subsidies were a temporary covid pandemic policy enacted by congressional Democrats on a party-line vote and scheduled to end after 2025,” said Brian Blase, president of the Paragon Health Institute, a conservative think tank. “They have led to tremendous fraud and waste, they reduce employer coverage, and they should be permitted to expire.”

Ed Haislmaier, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, acknowledged that people earning more than 400% of the poverty level would not be happy with losing access to subsidies, but he expects most to stay enrolled because they want to avoid huge medical bills that could threaten their businesses or savings.

“They are middle-class or upper-income people who are self-employed, or early retirees with significant income, which means they have a lot of assets behind that income,” he said. “These are people who view insurance as financial protection.”

He thinks lawmakers would win political support from voters in this category by addressing two of their other major ACA concerns: that annual deductibles are too high and insurers’ networks of doctors and hospitals are too small.

“If you just give these people money by extending subsidies, it’s only addressing one of their problems, and it’s the one they are least upset about,” Haislmaier said. “That is the political dynamics of this.”

Here’s how the expiration of subsidies could play out for some hypothetical consumers.

People in households earning less than four times the poverty rate would still get subsidies — just not as generous as the current ones.

For example, those whose earnings are at the lower end of the income scale — say, just over 150% of the poverty threshold, or about $23,000 — will go from paying a national average of about $2 a month, or $24 toward coverage for the year, to $72 a month, or $864 a year, according to a KFF online calculator.

On the other end of the income spectrum, a 55-year-old Portland, Oregon, couple with a household income of $85,000 would also take a big hit on the cost of their benchmark plan. They currently pay about $600 a month in premiums — about 8.5% of their household income — with subsidies kicking in about $1,000 to cover the remainder.

Next year, if the tax credits expire, the same couple would not get any federal help because they earn over four times the poverty limit. They would pay the full monthly premium, with no subsidies, which would be about $1,800, based on initial 2026 premium rates filed with state regulators, said Jared Ortaliza, a policy analyst at KFF.

People should begin to see insurance rates late this fall, and certainly by Nov. 1, when the ACA’s open enrollment season begins, said Jenkins, the Oklahoma insurance agent. That gives them time to mull over whether they want to make changes in their plan — or in their lives, such as quitting a job that has health insurance or retiring early. This year, open enrollment extends to Jan. 15. Under new legislation, that open period will shorten by about a month, starting with the 2027 sign-up period.

Those who do enroll for 2026, especially the self-employed and people retiring early, should closely track their incomes during the year, she said.

It would be easy to bust through that income cap, she said.

If they do, they’ll have to pay back any tax credits they initially qualified for. Their income might rise unexpectedly during the year, for example, pushing them over the limit. An income bump could come from drawing down more money from retirement accounts than planned, landing a new customer account, or even from winning big at the casino.

“Maybe they win $5,000 at the casino, but that puts them $500 over the limit for the year,” Jenkins said. “They might have to pay back $12,000 in tax credits for winning a few thousand at the casino.”

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

By Christine Mai-Duc, KFF Health News

Jacob Sweidan has seen his patients through the federal immigration raids of the 1990s, a sitting governor’s call to abolish birthright citizenship, and the highly publicized workplace crackdowns and family separation policies of President Donald Trump’s first term.

But in his 40 years as a pediatrician in Southern California serving those too poor to afford care, including many immigrant families, Sweidan said he’s never seen a drop-off in patient visits like this.

“They are scared to come to the offices. They’re getting sicker and sicker,” said Sweidan, who specializes in neonatology and runs five clinics in Los Angeles and Orange counties. “And when they are near collapsing, they go to the ER because they have no choice.”

In the last two months, he has sent young children to the emergency room because their parents worked up the courage to call his office only after several days of high fever. He said he attended to a 14-year-old boy in the ER who was on the verge of a diabetic coma because he’d run out of insulin, his parents too frightened to venture out for a refill.

Sweidan had stopped offering telehealth visits after the COVID-19 pandemic, but he and other health care providers have brought them back as ramped-up immigration enforcement drives patients without legal status — and even their U.S. citizen children — deeper into the shadows.

Patients in need of care are increasingly scared to seek it after Trump rescinded a Biden-era policy that barred immigration officials from conducting operations in “sensitive” areas such as schools, hospitals, and churches. Clinics and health plans have taken a page out of their COVID playbooks, revamping tested strategies to care for patients scared to leave the house.

Sara Rosenbaum, professor emerita of health law and policy at George Washington University, said she’s heard from clinic administrators and industry colleagues who have experienced a substantial drop in in-person visits among immigrant patients.

“I don’t think there’s a community health center in the country that is not feeling this,” Rosenbaum said.

At St. John’s Community Health clinics in the Los Angeles area, which serve an estimated 30,000 patients without legal status annually, virtual visits have skyrocketed from roughly 8% of appointments to about 25%, said Jim Mangia, president and chief executive officer. The organization is also registering some patients for in-home health visits, a service funded by private donors, and has trained employees how to read a warrant.

“People are not picking up their medicine,” Mangia said. “They’re not seeing the doctor.”

Mangia said that, in the past eight weeks, federal agents have attempted to gain access to patients at a St. John’s mobile clinic in Downey and pointed a gun at an employee during a raid at MacArthur Park. Last month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement contractors sat in a Southern California hospital waiting for a patient and federal prosecutors charged two health center workers they say interfered with immigration officers’ attempts to arrest someone at an Ontario facility.

C.S., an immigrant from Huntington Park without legal status, said she signed up for St. John’s home visit services in July because she fears going outside. The 71-year-old woman, who asked to be identified only by her initials for fear of deportation, said she has missed blood work and other lab tests this year. Too afraid to take the bus, she skipped a recent appointment with a specialist for her arthritic hands. She is also prediabetic and struggles with leg pain after a car hit her a few years ago.

“I feel so worried because if I don’t get the care I need, it can get much worse,” she said in Spanish, speaking about her health issues through an interpreter. A doctor at the clinic gave her a number to call in case she wants to schedule an appointment by phone.

Officials at the federal Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to questions from KFF Health News seeking comment about the impact of the raids on patients.

There’s no indication the Trump administration intends to shift its strategy. Federal officials have sought to pause a judge’s order temporarily restricting how they conduct raids in Southern California after immigrant advocates filed a lawsuit accusing ICE of deploying unconstitutional tactics. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 1 denied the request, leaving the restraining order in place.

In July, Los Angeles County supervisors directed county agencies to explore expanding virtual appointment options after the county’s director of health services noted a “huge increase” in phone and video visits. Meanwhile, state lawmakers in California are considering legislation that would restrict immigration agents’ access to places such as schools and health care facilities — Colorado’s governor, Democrat Jared Polis, signed a similar bill into law in May.

Immigrants and their families will likely end up using more costly care in emergency rooms as a last resort. And recently passed cuts to Medicaid are expected to further stress ERs and hospitals, said Nicole Lamoureux, president of the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics.

“Not only are clinics trying to reach people who are retreating from care before they end up with more severe conditions, but the health care safety net is going to be strained due to an influx in patient demand,” Lamoureux said.

Mitesh Popat, CEO of Venice Family Clinic, nearly 90% of whose patients are at or below the federal poverty line, said staff call patients before appointments to ask if they plan to come in person and to offer telehealth as an option if they are nervous. They also call if a patient doesn’t show five minutes into their appointment and offer immediate telehealth service as an alternative. The clinic has seen a roughly 5% rise in telehealth visits over the past month, Popat said.

In the Salinas Valley, an area with a large concentration of Spanish-speaking farmworkers, Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas began promoting telehealth services with Spanish radio ads in January. The clinics also trained people how to use Zoom and other digital platforms at health fairs and community meetings.

CalOptima Health, which covers nearly 1 in 3 residents of Orange County and is the biggest Medi-Cal benefits administrator in the area, sent more than a quarter-million text messages to patients in July encouraging them to use telehealth rather than forgo care, said Chief Executive Officer Michael Hunn. The insurer has also set up a webpage of resources for patients seeking care by phone or home delivery of medication.

“The Latino community is facing a fear pandemic. They’re quarantining just the way we all had to during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Seciah Aquino, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, an advocacy group that promotes health access for immigrants and Latinos.

But substituting telehealth isn’t a long-term solution, said Isabel Becerra, chief executive officer of the Coalition of Orange County Community Health Centers, whose members reported increases in telehealth visits as high as 40% in the past month.

“As a stopgap, it’s very effective,” said Becerra, whose group represents 20 clinics in Southern California. “Telehealth can only take you so far. What about when you need lab work? You can’t look at a cavity through a screen.”

Telehealth also brings a host of other challenges, including technical hiccups with translation services and limited computer proficiency or internet access among patients, she said.

And it’s not just immigrants living in the country unlawfully who are scared to seek out care. In southeast Los Angeles County, V.M., a 59-year-old naturalized citizen, relies on her roommate to pick up her groceries and prescriptions. She asked that only her initials be used to share her story and those of her family and friends out of fear they could be targeted.

When she does venture out — to church or for her monthly appointment at a rheumatology clinic — she carries her passport and looks askance at any cars with tinted windows.

“I feel paranoid,” said V.M., who came to the U.S. more than 40 years ago and is a patient of Venice Family Clinic. “Sometimes I feel scared. Sometimes I feel angry. Sometimes I feel sad.”

She now sees her therapist virtually for her depression, which began 10 years ago when rheumatoid arthritis forced her to stop working. She worries about her older brother, who has high blood pressure and has stopped going to the doctor, and about a friend from the rheumatology clinic, who ices swollen hands and feet because she’s missed four months of appointments in a row.

“Somebody has to wake up or people are going to start falling apart outside on the streets and they’re going to die,” she said.

This article was produced by KFF Health News , which publishes California Healthline , an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation .

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

Apple lovers will have plenty to pick this fall. 

The Michigan Apple Committee estimates growers will harvest about 30 million bushels of fruit in 2025. That’s about 1.2 billion pounds. 

Good weather helps

The committee’s executive director, Diane Smith, says the weather has been perfect for growing apples.

“We’ve had a little hail here and there, but generally that stays localized and doesn’t affect the overall crop,” she says. 

Michigan has more than 850 family-owned apple farms and over 17 million trees covering 38,000 acres. 

Smith says new farming methods have yielded several bumper crops.

“We’ve gone to more high-density planting,” she says. “So instead of having 250 trees to an acre, you can have up to 2,000 trees per acre.”

The future could look different

While the weather has been ideal, Smith says climate change could eventually affect the industry.

“As temperatures continue to rise, we’re seeing less rain at different times during the summer,” she says. “In 10 or 15 years, there could be a shift in some of the varieties that we grow.”

Michigan is one of the top three apple producing states, behind Washington. It competes with New York for second place. 

Smith says the industry also competes with other fruits, and that could take a bite out of sales.

“People aren’t eating as many apples as maybe they used to,” she says. “You go into the grocery store, and you can get different products year-round that maybe before you couldn’t get.”

Labor is another challenge

Smith says most Michigan apple farms rely on migrant workers to pick the fruit in the fall. She says that’s costly, but necessary.

“We just don’t have enough domestic workers that want to do the harvest,” she says. “Not many people just want a job for six weeks.”

Smith says she is not aware of any immigration raids at Michigan apple farms this summer. She also says tariffs have had little impact, though some producers face higher prices for imported chemicals to spray their crops. But she says most growers utilize organic methods.

“They don’t want to spray unless they absolutely have to,” she says.

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By ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Friday that the company is discussing a potential new computer chip designed for China with the Trump administration.

Huang was asked about a possible “B30A” semiconductor for artificial intelligence data centers for China while on a visit to Taiwan, where he was meeting Nvidia’s key manufacturing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., the world’s largest chip maker.

“I’m offering a new product to China for … AI data centers, the follow-on to H20,” Huang said. But he added that “That’s not our decision to make. It’s up to, of course, the United States government. And we’re in dialogue with them, but it’s too soon to know.”

Such chips are graphics processing units, or GPUs, a type of device used to build and update a range of AI systems. But they are less powerful than Nvidia’s top semiconductors today, which cannot be sold to China due to U.S. national security restrictions.

The B30A, based on California-based Nvidia’s specialized Blackwell technology, is reported to operate at about half the speed of Nvidia’s main B300 chips.

Huang praised the the Trump administration for recently approving sales of Nvidia’s H20 chips to China after such business was suspended in April, with the proviso that the company must pay a 15% tax to the U.S. government on those sales. Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD, was told to pay the same tax on its sales of its MI380 chips to China.

As part of broader trade talks, Beijing and Washington recently agreed to pull back some non-tariff restrictions. China approved more permits for rare earth magnets to be exported to the U.S., while Washington lifted curbs on chip design software and jet engines. After lobbying by Huang, it also allowed sales of the H20 chips to go through.

Huang did not comment directly on the tax when asked but said Nvidia appreciated being able to sell H20s to China.

He said such sales pose no security risk for the United States. Nvidia is also speaking with Beijing to reassure Chinese authorities that those chips do not pose a “backdoor” security risk, Huang said.

“We have made very clear and put to rest that H20 has no security backdoors. There are no such things. There never has. And so hopefully the response that we’ve given to the Chinese government will be sufficient,” he said.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet watchdog, recently posted a notice on its website referring to alleged “serious security issues” with Nvidia’s computer chips.

It said U.S. experts on AI had said such chips have “mature tracking and location and remote shutdown technologies” and Nvidia had been asked to explain any such risks and provide documentation about the issue.

Huang said Nvidia was surprised by the accusation and was discussing the issue with Beijing.

“As you know, they requested and urged us to secure licenses for the H20s for some time. And I’ve worked quite hard to help them secure the licenses. And so hopefully this will be resolved,” Huang said.

Unconfirmed reports said Chinese authorities were also unhappy over comments by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggesting the U.S. was only selling outdated chips to China.

Speaking on CNBC, Lutnick said the U.S. strategy was to keep China reliant on American chip technology.

“We don’t sell them our best stuff,” he said. “Not our second best stuff. Not even our third best, but I think fourth best is where we’ve come out that we’re cool,” he said.

China’s ruling Communist Party has made self-reliance in advanced technology a strategic priority, though it still relies on foreign semiconductor knowhow for much of what it produces.

AP Videojournalist Taijing Wu in Taipei contributed to this report.

Kim Knor, 86, is coming to Ray Township in pursuit of a longtime goal.

The Cadillac, Michigan native  is traveling around the United States in an effort to reach 1,000 tandem skydives by the end of 2026. Knor plans to add to her tally this weekend at the Midwest Freefall event in Ray.

Knor’s interest in skydiving was sparked when she was a child by stories her uncle told about his experience in the U.S. Navy Air Corps during World War II.

When she was 20 years old, Knor forged her parents’ signature to take her first tandem skydive.

She was so exhilarated by the experience, she was inspired to sell all her possessions and buy a one-way plane ticket so she could travel as a parachute enthusiast. Knor went on to become a member of the first U.S. Women’s Parachute Team.

After a 37-year hiatus from jumping, she took up the sport again in 2003.

Now, Knor is on a journey to earn her official USPA Gold Wings for 1,000 tandem skydives.

Knor will be jumping at the Midwest Freefall in Ray on Aug. 22 between 4-6 p.m. and Aug. 23 between 2-5 p.m. Midwest Freefall is located at 62912 Kunstman Road in Ray.

By Julie Appleby, KFF Health News

Medicare enrollees who buy the optional Part D drug benefit may see substantial premium price hikes — potentially up to $50 a month — when they shop for next year’s coverage.

Such drug plans are used by millions of people who enroll in what is called original Medicare, the classic federal government program that began in 1965 and added a drug benefit only in 2006. The drug plans are offered through private insurers, and enrollees must pay monthly premiums.

It’s not known whether insurers will pursue the maximum increase allowed, as premium prices for next year won’t be revealed until closer to open enrollment, which starts Oct. 15.

Increases are expected to mainly affect stand-alone Part D plans, not the drug coverage offered as part of Medicare Advantage, the private sector alternative to original Medicare. More on that later.

Policy experts say premiums are likely to go up for several reasons, including increased use of some higher-cost prescription drugs; a law that capped out-of-pocket spending for enrollees; and changes in a program aimed at stabilizing price increases that the Trump administration has continued but made less generous.

One thing is surer than ever, say many policy experts: Beneficiaries should not simply roll over their existing stand-alone Medicare drug plans.

“Everyone should shop plans in open enrollment,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Here are three reasons prices would rise.

1. It’s the Spending!

Every year, insurers keep an eye on what they’re spending on drugs so they can build that into their premium estimates. Spending covers both the prices charged by drugmakers and volume, meaning how many people take the medications and how often.

And it’s up. Spending by insurers and government programs for prescription drugs in 2024 across the market grew more than 10%, which is slightly greater than in recent years, according to a research report published in last month’s issue of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. Estimates are not yet available for this year’s trends.

Still, in 2024, researchers found that drug prices overall decreased slightly. Spending rose because of drugs coming on the market and increased utilization, especially for pricey weight loss drugs and another category of medications that treat various autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Such increased use is evident in Medicare. Many beneficiaries, for example, are treated for autoimmune conditions. And even though Medicare doesn’t cover treatment for weight loss, many members have diabetes or other conditions that a new type of weight loss drugs can treat.

The Trump administration, according to The Washington Post, is considering a five-year pilot program in which Medicare Part D plans could voluntarily expand access to the drugs, which can cost more than $1,000 a month without insurance. Details have not yet been provided, but the pilot program would not begin in Medicare until 2027.

Another wild card for insurers is the Trump administration’s tariffs on businesses that purchase products made overseas, which could boost drug prices because the U.S. imports a lot of its pharmaceuticals. Much, however, remains unknown about whether drugmakers will pass along any additional tariff costs to consumers.

So, while rising spending is one factor, it isn’t the only reason next year’s premium prices are expected to go up.

2. New Out-of-Pocket Caps for Consumers

Changes made to Medicare aimed at helping people with high out-of-pocket costs for expensive medications may be a bigger factor.

Here’s why: Starting this year, Medicare enrollees have a limit on how much they must pay out-of-pocket for prescription drugs. It’s capped at $2,000, a threshold that will rise each year to cover inflation.

Lawmakers in Congress set those changes in the Inflation Reduction Act under President Joe Biden. The law also shifted a larger share of the cost of drugs used by Medicare beneficiaries from the federal program to insurers.

That $2,000 cap is a big change from previous years, when people taking expensive drugs had a higher threshold to meet annually and were on the hook to pay 5% of the drug’s cost even after meeting that amount. Those additional 5% payments ended last year under the provisions of the IRA.

Before that law passed, “people would spend $10,000 or $15,000 out-of-pocket each year just for a single drug,” Dusetzina said. “The Inflation Reduction Act was necessary to make Part D proper health insurance, but there’s a cost to do so.”

While the cap is a big help for affected consumers, the reduced amounts paid by some beneficiaries — coupled with the cost shift to insurers — could lead plans to spread their increased expenses across all policyholders through higher premiums. A growing number of health plans have also begun to require enrollees to pay a percentage of a drug’s cost, rather than a flat-dollar copay, which can lead to larger-than-expected costs at the pharmacy counter, Dusetzina said.

While consumers not currently taking high-cost specialty drugs may not see a benefit in the $2,000 cap initially, they might one day, say policy experts, who note that drugmaker prices continue to rise and that enrollees could fall ill with a condition like cancer or multiple sclerosis for which they need a very high-priced drug.

“It’s important to think not just in context of those groups who hit the cap every year, but also people are paying more in premiums to protect their future selves as well,” said Casey Schwarz, the senior counsel for education and federal policy at the Medicare Rights Center, an advocacy group.

The new prescription drug cap and other changes apply to both the stand-alone Part D drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans. But those Medicare Advantage plans are not expected to increase the drug portion of their premiums, partly because the private sector plans are paid more per member than what it costs taxpayers for the traditional program.

That means Advantage plans have far more money to add benefits, such as vision and dental coverage, which traditional Medicare does not include, or to use them to cushion the impact of rising spending on drug costs, thus limiting premium increases.

Those additional benefits are advertised to attract customers to Medicare Advantage, which also sometimes offers plans with minimal or no monthly premium costs. There are other differences between traditional Medicare and private sector plans. For example, Advantage members must stick to doctors and hospitals in the plan’s networks, and they may face more prior authorization or other hurdles than in the traditional program.

The growing difference between premiums — fueled by the extra rebates flowing to the private sector plans — “is increasingly tilting coverage toward Medicare Advantage and making traditional Medicare plus a stand-alone PDP [prescription drug plan] unaffordable for many enrollees,” said Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of the program on Medicare policy at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

3. Trump Administration Reduced Funding Meant To Slow Premium Growth

The final factor in the premium increase equation is a program set up to slow the rise of premiums in stand-alone Part D plans.

It began under the Biden administration to offset premium increases tied to changes in the Inflation Reduction Act by temporarily injecting additional federal dollars to help insurers adjust to the new rules.

That plan sent just over $6 billion this year to Part D insurers.

And it had an effect.

The average monthly premium for a stand-alone Part D drug plan dropped 9%, from $43 last year to $39 this year, according to KFF, even when factoring in that some plans raised prices by up to $35 a month, the maximum increase allowed under the stabilization plan for this year.

In a memo released in late July, the Trump administration said it would continue the program for next year, while shaving about 40% of the funding. A government official told The Wall Street Journal that the administration felt that keeping the full funding would have mainly benefited the insurers and cost taxpayers an “enormous, excess amount.”

The stabilization effort next year will send $10 a month per enrollee to Part D insurers to help keep premiums in check, down from $15 this year. Among other changes, it allows insurers to raise premiums by as much as $50 a month, up from the $35 allowed this year.

That would be a substantial increase, Cubanski noted, although it is not clear just how many insurers would pursue the full amount.

“We did see some plans this year were taking premium increases of that $35 amount in 2025, and I fully expect we will see some plans with increases up to $50 a month” next year, she said.

Another reason to take a close look at all the options once open enrollment begins.

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

By KATHERINE ROTH

NEW YORK (AP) — Summer can be a time of big transitions for kids. It’s often the season for moving to a new home or preparing for a different school. And that brings worry and stress.

Parents and families can help make things feel more manageable. If kids feel supported, they might even look forward to some of the changes and gain confidence, experts say.

“When routines, familiar places and even knowing where things are in the house are suddenly gone, it forces youth to relearn their daily lives from scratch,” which can be stressful, says Victoria Kress, a professional counselor and president of the American Counseling Association.

At the same time, “this can invite exciting opportunities for growth,” she says.

Author Nadine Haruni’s book “Freeda the Frog is on the Move” aims to help school-age kids deal with moving. Haruni, who guided her own family through moves and changes, tells the story of a mother frog who helps her little tadpoles adjust as they leave their hometown and settle in a new one.

“It’s really important to recognize that transitions take time and that is totally normal. It’s OK to feel nervous and sad and anxious and maybe all of those things all at once, and even adults feel that way sometimes,” says Haruni.

“If you listen, you might be surprised. What matters to a child is not always what you might think it is,” she says.

Moves can be especially difficult if accompanied by other significant changes, such as a death, divorce or loss of family income.

Haruni’s book was inspired by her family’s big, multifaceted transition. She was moving from Manhattan to New Jersey with her then-5-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, and getting married all in the same week, a big transition for her kids and three teenage stepdaughters. In addition, the kids were starting at a new school the following week.

“The kids were very sad and worried at first. Life is about change, and it’s really hard to address that sometimes. Luckily, the kids discovered that they loved having more space and, like the tadpoles in the book, they happily adapted,” she says.

Here are some tips to reduce the stress of a move or other big transition for kids:

Talk it out

“Communicating and listening can alleviate a lot of anxiety,” Haruni says. “Let kids share their feelings and know that they are being heard, so they know that they matter. That really helps them feel like they have some control.”

Explain why a move is necessary, and preview what’s ahead. Discuss the destination ahead of time, especially its good points. Familiarity can help kids feel more confident, the experts say.

Even sharing some photos or a map is helpful in easing jitters.

“Can they meet a few kids in the new neighborhood ahead of time?” Haruni asks.

Involve kids in the move itself

“Involving children in age-appropriate moving tasks — such as packing their own belongings or helping to choose new room decorations — can give them a sense of control and security during an uncertain time,” says Kress.

Kids can help plan meals, organize their space or continue family traditions.

“Frame it as an adventure,” says Haruni. “Let them help choose things for their new room if they are moving, but also bring a few items that feel familiar and comforting.”

Keep up daily routines

Sticking to some daily routines creates structure when things feel new and scary.

“The thing with moves is they disrupt everyone’s life. Too much change at once discombobulates everybody, so keeping meals at the same time and bedtime rituals the same can really help a lot,” says George M. Kapalka, a clinical psychologist and professor at the California School of Professional Psychology.

Arrange common areas similarly to how they were before the move, says Kress. Place favorite toys, blankets or pictures where your child expects to find them.

Consider getting help from a professional

Adapting to change takes time, and patience. Let kids know that’s normal, that they will get through it, and that they are being heard and have some control over things, says Haruni.

And know when to seek help.

“Some sadness, worry, or adjustment difficulties are normal after a move. But if symptoms persist for more than a few weeks, worsen over time, or disrupt daily life, then counseling is advisable,” says Kress.

By Charles Ramirez, MediaNews Group

A Clarkston man accused of leaving a sexually explicit note for a minor on a car in March has pleaded to charges, officials said.

Thomas Mellick Hensler, 38, entered a plea of no contest on Wednesday in Oakland County Circuit Court to accosting a minor, using a computer to commit a crime, and possession of methamphetamine, according to court records and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.

Hensler is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5 in the circuit court. The defendant will be sentenced as a habitual offender, serve time in prison and register as a sex offender, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement Thursday.

In Michigan, courts treat no-contest pleas the same as guilty ones.

Hensler faces up to 10 years in prison for accosting a minor, up to 20 years for using a computer to commit a crime, and up to 10 years for drug possession.

Prosecutors initially charged Hensler with child sexually abusive activity, as well as using a computer to commit a crime and drug possession.

“The teenage victim was spending an afternoon shopping when her personal space and sense of safety were violated by Thomas Hensler’s criminal harassment,” McDonald said in a statement Thursday. “This outcome holds Henlser accountable and protects the victim from the stress of testifying in court.”

Hensler’s attorney, Patrick Gagniuk, was not immediately available for comment on Friday.

Authorities alleged the defendant left a note on a 17-year-old girl’s car at a Target store on Brown Road near Joslyn Road and Interstate 75 in Auburn Hills on March 18. They said he offered in the note to pay her for sexual favors and left a phone number.

Police texted the number and found the phone’s owner in the same parking lot, officials said. They searched the man’s vehicle and found drugs and sex toys in it, according to investigators.

Officers arrested Hensler and he was arraigned on charges the next day.

At the time, McDonald said Auburn Hills Police received multiple reports from parents about their children finding similar notes on their cars with the same phone number.

Hensler is the latest defendant to be accused of accosting a minor in Michigan.

Last week, a Trenton man was charged with accosting a child for immoral purposes and another crime after he allegedly tried to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl but was an undercover police officer.

The same week, a former Michigan man was ordered to stand trial on two counts of accosting a child and four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly sexually assaulting a child in Hillsdale County in 2008.

Last month, another former Michigan man was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, accosting a child and several other charges.

A Clarkston man has opted out of trial on felony charges in connection with an offer to pay a teen girl for sex.

At a hearing Aug. 20 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Michael Warren, Thomas Mellick Hensler, 38, pleaded no contest to accosting/enticing a minor for immoral purposes, using a computer to commit a crime, and possession of methamphetamine. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. It can also offer some liability protection in civil cases.

Hensler reportedly left an explicit note with a sex offer on a 17-year-old girl’s car parked outside the Target store in Auburn Hills on March 18. The girl reported the incident to police, who then texted the number on the note and reportedly tracked it to Hensler — parked nearby in a car.

Methamphetamine and sex toys were found in Hensler’s car, officials said.

Hensler, a habitual offender with multiple convictions for possession of illegal drugs, made a plea deal with prosecutors that has him serving time in prison. He will be listed on the state’s Sex Offender Registry for life.

By JIM VERTUNO, SOPHIE AUSTIN, TRÂN NGUYỄN and NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — California has landed its counterpunch. The national tug-of-war over redistricting and voters in the 2026 midterm elections shifts once again back to Texas, where it all started.

California lawmakers voted mostly along party lines Thursday to approve legislation calling for a special election in November to approve a redrawn congressional map designed to help Democrats win five more U.S. House seats next year.

That move came a day after Texas Republicans advanced their own redrawn map to pad their House majority by the same number of seats at the urging of President Donald Trump.

Texas lawmakers meet again Friday, when the Republican majority in the Senate could give final approval to their map, sending it to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had rallied Democrats in his state to counter Texas’ initial moves, quickly signed the special election bill in a tit-for-tat gerrymandering battle that is rippling through several states.

“This is not something six weeks ago that I ever imagined that I’d be doing,” Newsom said at a press conference, pledging a campaign for the measure that would reach out to Democrats, Republicans and independent voters. “This is a reaction to an assault on our democracy in Texas.”

California Republicans have filed a lawsuit and called for a federal investigation into the plan. They promise to fight the measure at the ballot box as well.

California Assemblyman James Gallagher, the Republican minority leader, said Trump was “wrong” to push for new Republican seats elsewhere, contending the president was just responding to Democratic gerrymandering in other states. But he warned that Newsom’s approach, which the governor has dubbed “fight fire with fire,” was dangerous.

“You move forward fighting fire with fire and what happens?” Gallagher asked. “You burn it all down.”

A battle for the US House control waged via redistricting

On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing districts puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. The incumbent president’s party usually loses congressional seats in the midterms.

The president has pushed other Republican-controlled states including Indiana and Missouri to also revise their maps to add more winnable GOP seats. Ohio Republicans were also already scheduled to revise their maps to make them more partisan.

Redistricting typically occurs once a decade, immediately after a census. While some states have their own limitations, there is no national impediment to a state trying to redraw districts in the middle of the decade.

The U.S. Supreme Court has also said the Constitution does not outlaw partisan gerrymandering, only using race to redraw district lines.

Democrats have sought a national commission for redistricting

Republicans and some Democrats championed the 2008 ballot measure that established California’s nonpartisan redistricting commission, along with the 2010 one that extended its role to drawing congressional maps.

Newsom backed the initial redistricting commission ballot measures. On Thursday, he contended his state was still setting a model.

“We’ll be the first state in U.S. history, in the most democratic way, to submit to the people of our state the ability to determine their own maps,” Newsom said before signing the legislation.

Former President Barack Obama, who has also backed a nationwide nonpartisan approach, has also backed Newsom’s bid to redraw the California map, saying it was a necessary step to stave off the GOP’s Texas move.

California’s plan is temporary

The measure would have the California map last only through 2030, after which the state’s commission would draw the next decade’s map. Democrats are also mulling reopening Maryland’s and New York’s maps for mid-decade redraws.

However, more Democratic-run states have commission systems like California’s or other redistricting limits than Republican ones do, leaving the GOP with a freer hand to swiftly redraw maps. New York, for example, can’t draw new maps until 2028, and even then, only with voter approval.

In Texas, outnumbered Democrats left the state for 15 days to block a vote. Once they returned, they were assigned round-the-clock police monitoring.

California Republicans didn’t take such dramatic steps but complained bitterly about Democrats muscling the package through the statehouse.

“What you’re striving for is predetermined elections,” Strickland said. “You’re taking the voice away from Californians.”

Riccardi reported from Denver. Austin and Nguyen reported from Sacramento, California.