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Solar energy and its cheaper bills are coming to more disadvantaged communities

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

David Montgomery | (TNS) Stateline.orgHOUSTON — When a lightning storm knocked out power in Doris Brown’s Northeast Houston neighborhood this summer, her solar-powered home suddenly became a refuge for frantic neighbors left without electricity.The impromptu guests were able to charge their cellphones, power up their CPAP and portable oxygen machines, and take hot showers. A party vibe prevailed as the 73-year-old community activist and her storm-tossed visitors weathered the downpour with snacks, popcorn and a nighttime breakfast of bacon, eggs and sausage.Brown’s single-family home has had solar power since the spring. A group of nonprofits installed her solar panels as part of a two-year project to create so-called hub homes to serve low-income communities during power outages. Climate change has increased the frequency and severity of the storms that have always battered this coastal city.In Houston and across the nation, there are few solar-powered homes in lower-income areas. ...

‘They see a cash cow’: Corporations could consume $50 billion of opioid settlements

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

Aneri Pattani |  KFF Health News (TNS)The marketing pitches are bold and arriving fast: Invest opioid settlement dollars in a lasso-like device to help police detain people without Tasers or pepper spray. Pour money into psychedelics, electrical stimulation devices, and other experimental treatments for addiction. Fund research into new, supposedly abuse-deterrent opioids and splurge on expensive, brand-name naloxone.These pitches land daily in the inboxes of state and local officials in charge of distributing more than $50 billion from settlements in opioid lawsuits.The money is coming from an array of companies that made, sold, or distributed prescription painkillers, including Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, and Walgreens. Thousands of state and local governments sued the companies for aggressively promoting and distributing opioid medications, fueling an epidemic that progressed to heroin and fentanyl and has killed more than half a million Americans. The settlement mo...

Jacques Delors, architect of the modern EU and ‘Mr. Europe,’ dies aged 98

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

By JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG (Associated Press)BRUSSELS (AP) — Jacques Delors, a Paris bank messenger’s son who became the visionary and builder of a more unified Europe in his momentous decade as chief executive of the European Union, has died in Paris, the Delors Institute think tank told The Associated Press Wednesday. He was 98.For many, the owlish but hard-driving Socialist and Catholic was simply “Mr. Europe.” The EU, which stretches these days from Finland to Portugal and is home to more than 500 million people, was dubbed “the house that Jacques built” by a popular biography. Under his 1985-1995 tenure at the head of the European Union’s bureaucracy in Brussels, member countries agreed to tear down barriers that prevented the free movement of capital, goods, services and people.Delors was also key in drawing up the blueprint for economic and monetary union, which led to the creation of the European Central Bank and the euro currency.The lat...

Boston to have ‘strong’ police presence at New Year’s Eve First Night celebration

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

There will be a “strong” police presence at this weekend’s annual First Night festivities, which will be held at Boston City Hall Plaza for the first time.A large number of officers from the Boston and MBTA police departments will be on hand to ensure residents and visitors ringing in the new year at the 49th annual event respect the family-oriented atmosphere organizers are striving for.“This is a family-friendly event,” Police Commissioner Michael Cox said, “And we want to keep it that way. We ask you not to consume alcohol nor marijuana in public.”An “abundance” of police officers will be stationed “in and around” the First Night activities, and there will be a “strong presence” throughout all city neighborhoods for the entirety of Sunday’s 13-hour New Year’s Eve festivities, Cox said.Both Cox and MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green said, however, that there have been “no credible threats” received in relation to the event. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issu...

‘Financial ruin is baked into the system’: Readers on the costs of long-term care

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

Jordan Rau and Reed Abelson |  KFF Health News (TNS)Thousands of readers reacted to the articles in the “Dying Broke” series about the financial burden of long-term care in the United States. They offered their assessments for the government and market failures that have drained the lifetime savings of so many American families. And some offered possible solutions.In more than 4,200 comments, readers shared their struggles in caring for spouses, older parents, and grandparents. They expressed anxieties about getting older themselves and needing help to stay at home or in institutions like nursing homes or assisted living facilities.Many suggested changes to U.S. policy, like expanding the government’s payments for care and allowing more immigrants to stay in the country to help meet the demand for workers. Some even said they would rather end their lives than become a financial burden to their children.Many readers blamed the predominantly for-profit nature of American medicine and ...

Bankrate: Should I pay off my mortgage or invest?

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

Jeff Ostrowski |  Bankrate.com (TNS)Many people view debt as the financial enemy and strive to pay it down as quickly as possible.That strategy is a wise one for high-interest obligations like credit card balances, but when it comes to mortgages, the math isn’t as clear-cut. You might be better off putting those payoff funds toward investing, some experts say, while others believe it’s better to unload your debt, then focus on investments.As you weigh your options, here’s what to consider.Should I pay off my mortgage or invest?Questions to ask:—Do I have sufficient emergency savings?—Am I putting away enough for retirement?—How much other debt do I carry?—What are my prospects for increasing my income?—What moves (if any) am I looking to make in the next year? In five years?—How does my mortgage rate compare to expected portfolio returns?Because of this, some financial advisors believe you should leverage your mortgage rather than eliminate it. Take out that 30-year loan, keep it fo...

Woman stabbed in San Marcos dies

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- A woman was stabbed to death Tuesday night in San Marcos, authorities said.According to the San Diego Sheriff's Department, a call came in around 10:20 p.m. reporting a man had stabbed his girlfriend in the 100 block of North Twin Oaks Valley Road. Drivers’ warning: CHP to implement Maximum Enforcement Period for new year Authorities described the incident as a domestic violence situation. The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries. Her identity is being withheld pending notification of family. SDSO said the man has since been detained. There are no outstanding suspects and no apparent danger to the community.Sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating the deadly stabbing. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330/after hours at (858) 565-5200, or call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Indian foreign minister in Moscow meets Putin and Lavrov, praises growing trade

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — India’s foreign minister met Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said relations between the countries are progressing even amid turbulent times.Subramanyam Jaishankar’s meeting was part of a five-day visit. At the start of the meeting, Putin said he would inform the Indian diplomat about the fighting in Ukraine, on which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held a neutral stance.“I know about his desire to do everything to resolve this problem through peaceful means,” Putin said.India is increasingly important to Russia as a market for oil exports, the backbone of its economy, as Western sanctions curtail oil shipments.“It is very important to make our trade interaction more sustainable. We need to think about how to achieve this,” Jaishankar said, according to a Kremlin transcript of the meeting’s opening.Jaishankar also met with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who said they discussed “the prospects for military-technical...

Bodies suspected to be pregnant woman and boyfriend were shot, police in Texas say

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The dead bodies that Texas investigators believe to have been a pregnant woman and her boyfriend were found with gunshot wounds days after they were reported missing, police said Wednesday.A medical examiner has yet to confirm that it was the bodies of Savanah Nicole Soto, 18, and Matthew Guerra, 22, that police found in a car parked outside a San Antonio apartment complex Tuesday. But the fact that they were shot offers the first indication of what may have happened at a crime scene that the city’s police chief described as “very, very perplexing.”Authorities have so far offered limited details on the case, which is being investigated as a capital-potential murder. A Wednesday statement from the San Antonio police department listed the victims as an 18-year-old woman, a 22-year-old man and an unborn child. Soto was a week overdue to deliver her baby and was scheduled to have an induced labor at a hospital last Saturday night, her family told KENS-TV. But he...

How to pay for promising medications like Ozempic

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:22:00 GMT

Steve Haines always loved to go for walks, but exercise had become a nightmare when he was 380 pounds and diabetic. The 49-year-old from Champaign, Illinois, says he would get ulcers on his feet after long walks.About six years ago, Haines’ doctor prescribed Ozempic, a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat diabetes that also helps with weight loss. Haines lost weight and began to feel more active. Now, at 220 pounds and with his diabetes under control, he gets out of the house a lot.“I sometimes walk 10 to 15 miles in a day,” says Haines.Haines is one of many Americans who live with diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes, and the vast majority have Type 2, a condition in which the body can’t control the amount of sugar in the blood.Ozempic, generically known as semaglutide, can be a lifeline for many. Semaglutide stimulates insulin secretion and controls blood sugar, which helps manage ...