How would like a helping hand when planning your holidays? Check out David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Tripsy. You can download Tripsy in the Apple Store.
House fire leads to large amount of narcotics, money
TATUM – 
Our news partners at KETK say that while responding to a Tatum house fire Sunday evening, authorities found “a very large amount of illegal narcotics,” thousands of dollars and several postal boxes. According to the Tatum Police Department, at around 5:30 p.m. officers were called to help with a house fire in the city. When officers arrived they found a truck blocking the entrance to the property so they had to jump in and move it to allow the fire department access since no one was around, officials said. Once inside the property, responders worked on putting out the house fire before it reached a travel trailer right next door.
“Our officers and our handy dandy volunteer firefighters were on top of the situation and although the fire burned underneath the trailer they got it put out and saved the travel trailer,” the police department said. Officials entered the trailer as part of a thorough investigation to make sure the trailer was not on fire and discovered several illegal items. “A very large amount of illegal narcotics, a very large amount of U.S. postal boxes, and post office packaging boxes,” the police department said. “A large amount of THC wax, packaged mushrooms, a large amount of vapes, not the kind that you can legally buy down at the store, and several thousands of dollars in bundles.” Continue reading House fire leads to large amount of narcotics, money
Centerpoint promises improvements
HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that CenterPoint Energy plans to overhaul its power grid infrastructure ahead of the 2025 hurricane season, the Houston-area electric utility announced Monday, as it remains under scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators for its lackluster response to July’s Hurricane Beryl. The company aims to add 25,000 poles made of fiberglass or other material that can withstand extreme winds to its system, in some cases replacing poles made of wood, before June 1, 2025, according to Darin Carroll, who oversees its electric business. The utility also set a target of trimming or removing vegetation along 4,000 miles of power lines, Carroll said. CenterPoint has approximately 30,000 miles of aboveground distribution lines that directly deliver electricity to homes and businesses.
Carroll said CenterPoint had also committed to undergrounding more than 400 miles of power lines. About 46%, or 26,000 miles, of CenterPoint’s power lines are now underground. Asked if these improvements will be targeted for specific areas of Houston, Carroll said the company plans to conduct this work across the entirety of its customer base. “These storms are becoming more frequent, more powerful, and so we’ve got to change the way we play the game so that the grid can be ready to handle it,” Carroll said. Monday’s plan builds upon CenterPoint’s so-called Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, a campaign the company launched after Beryl under pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott to be better prepared for the remainder of this year’s hurricane season. From July to August, CenterPoint installed more than 1,100 stronger poles, trimmed vegetation along 2,000 miles of power lines and launched a new outage tracker it promised would work during a major storm, unlike the tracker that was defunct during Beryl.
Lawmakers, farmers and ranchers alarmed over farm bill
LUBBOCK — The Texas Tribune reports that federal lawmakers are sounding the alarm on the economic catastrophe that could happen if a new farm bill isn’t passed by the end of this year, now that the 2018 version has officially expired.
Since it was introduced by the House Committee on Agriculture in May, there has been no progress on passing the wide-ranging, multi-year law. It has not been discussed on the House floor or in the Senate. In a letter to House Republican leadership, signed by 140 members of Congress, lawmakers said if they wait until the next year to enact an effective farm bill, the impacts will be felt nationwide.
“The negative impacts of failing to act will not just stop at the farm gate,” the letter warns, “but will Main Street businesses, rural communities, and the national economy.”
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act, also known as the farm bill, is considered a “must-pass” package of federal legislation that is typically reauthorized every five years. The last farm bill was passed in 2018 and was supposed to be renewed in 2023, until lawmakers extended the deadline to today — Sept. 30.
In the letter, the lawmakers say inflation and low market prices have squeezed farmers and ranchers. The money producers are making from their crops is not enough to cover the costs of growing it for the entire country. The result is an estimated $34 billion loss in crop cash receipts, which is expected to cause the sharpest two-year decline in net cash income in U.S. history.
U.S. Reps. Jodey Arrington, Ronny Jackson and Dan Crenshaw — all Republicans — are among the Texas lawmakers who signed the letter.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat who represents parts of North Texas, did not sign the letter. In a statement to the Tribune, Crockett said Democrats are aware the bill is vital. However, she stressed the need for open negotiations to get the bill passed.
“We need to negotiate a bipartisan bill,” Crockett said. “And leadership needs to put it on the (House) Floor so producers across the country can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”
In Texas, the bill supports more than 230,000 farms and ranches that can be found in nearly every corner of the state — from sprawling pastures in the northern Panhandle to loam-covered rice fields in East Texas. According to a 2024 Feeding the Economy report, an economic impact study organized by food and agriculture groups, the state’s food and agriculture sectors contribute about $860.8 billion in economic activity and employ more than 4.5 million people.
The bill also helps provide more than 3.4 million low-income Texas families receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to Every Texan, a nonprofit advocacy organization that analyzes public policy and its impact on Texas residents.
The farm bill sets policies for many agricultural programs, such as federal crop insurance and loans for farmers. It also has loosely related programs for rural development and nutrition, including the Emergency Food Assistance Program and SNAP. Food programs in the bill may account for nearly 80% of the farm bill spending — the bill itself is estimated to be worth at least $1.5 trillion.
The SNAP program, or food stamps, is a sore spot for certain Republican lawmakers. While the bill is historically a bipartisan effort, fights along party lines about funding the program has derailed progress. In the version advanced by the U.S. House agriculture committee, led by Rep. Glenn Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican, SNAP would get about a $30 billion cut. That’s a nonstarter for many Democrats.
Laramie Adams, associate government affairs director for Texas Farm Bureau, said it’s a pressing matter. After Jan. 1, 2025, the law reverts to statutes approved in 1938 and 1949 that don’t expire and are temporarily suspended with the passing of each new farm bill. Adams thinks the reason for this is to keep the pressure on lawmakers to pass a new bill in a timely manner.
With no agreement in sight and the clock ticking, Adams said farm organizations are not entertaining another extension. Instead, there’s the push to pass it before the end of the year, as well as disaster economic assistance to get farmers and ranchers through 2025. This comes after a particularly rough year for agriculture in Texas, as wildfires, drought and flooding has squashed hopes for a fruitful year.
According to a letter signed from the American Farm Bureau, even if a new bill is enacted this year, the benefits will not be realized until 2026.
“We need our members of Congress and leadership in Congress to recognize there’s no room for delay anymore,” Adams said. “It’s time to actually work together to get something done.”
While the current law has technically expired, the programs under it are still covered through the end of the year. Kody Bessent, CEO for Plains Cotton Growers which represents cotton producers in the Texas South Plains, said this is why there’s a strong push to get a new bill passed this year.
An extension would keep old policies in place, Bessent said. Since the last bill passed, the economy has changed from the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and climate disasters, among other issues.
“Those programs are not sophisticated enough now to help producers,” Bessent said. “Based on where the cost of production and market prices are at today.”
For cotton growers, the cash crop in the South Plains is in better shape than it has been in recent drought-ridden years. Still, Bessent says production will be down because of two consecutive weeks of 100-degree days and little rainfall. Agricultural producers could have benefited from the passage of a farm bill in 2023 — its original deadline.
“That would have provided much needed cash flow assistance to producers,” Bessent said. “Especially right now, when we’re seeing systemic price declines and higher input costs.”
The first agricultural sector that would be affected if the proposed legislation doesn’t pass is the dairy industry. Dairy programs in the bill expire before commodity programs.
However, Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen, is trying to focus on what the dairy industry stands to gain if the current version is passed. This includes an increase to the Dairy Margin Coverage Program — essentially insurance for dairy producers.
“We do have some issues over the timeline,” Turley said. “It’s not as bad as other commodities.”
Adams with the Texas Farm Bureau said there are still concerns as agricultural producers are having difficulty getting financing from lenders and banks to start work in the new year, as the uncertainty with the bill affects that too. He’s hopeful lawmakers can pass a bill by the end of the year.
Firearms reportedly stolen from unlocked vehicles
WOOD COUNTY – At least three burglary suspects took firearms from unlocked vehicles Sunday night near FM 17 and CR 1600, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office said. According to our news partner KETK, several unlocked vehicles were burglarized in the area as well as in Van Zandt County. The sheriff’s office is asking residents to lock their vehicles and to not leave those kind of items inside.
“The suspect vehicle appears to be a Ford F-150. If you recognize any of these suspects or suspect vehicle please give the Wood County Sheriff’s Office a call or Wood County Crime Stoppers,” the sheriff’s office said.
Dockworkers go on a strike that could reignite inflation and cause shortages in the holiday season
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — From Maine to Texas, dockworkers at 36 ports across the eastern U.S. are now on strike for the first time in decades. And the work stoppage could snarl supply chains — leading to shortages and higher prices if it stretches on for more than a few weeks.
Workers began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation, even though some progress had been reported in latest contract talks. The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight.
The strike also comes just weeks before next month’s tight presidential election, and could become a factor if there are shortages impacting voters.
In early picketing, workers outside the Port of Philadelphia walked in a circle and chanted “No work without a fair contract.” The union, which is striking for the first time since 1977, had message boards on the side of a truck reading: “Automation Hurts Families: ILA Stands For Job Protection.”
Local ILA president Boise Butler said workers want a fair contract that doesn’t allow automation of their jobs.
Shipping companies made billions during the pandemic by charging high prices, he said. “Now we want them to pay back. They’re going to pay back,” Butler said.
He said the union will strike for as long as it needs to get a fair deal, and it has leverage over the companies.
“This is not something that you start and you stop,” he said. “We’re not weak,” he added, pointing to the union’s importance to the nation’s economy.
At Port Houston, at least 50 workers started picketing around midnight local time carrying signs saying “No Work Without a Fair Contract.”
The U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports, said Monday evening that both sides had moved off of their previous wage offers. But no deal was reached.
The union’s opening offer in the talks was for a 77% pay raise over the six-year life of the contract, with President Harold Daggett saying it’s necessary to make up for inflation and years of small raises. ILA members make a base salary of about $81,000 per year, but some can pull in over $200,000 annually with large amounts of overtime.
Monday evening, the alliance said it had increased its offer to 50% raises over six years, and it pledged to keep limits on automation in place from the old contract. The alliance also said its offer tripled employer contributions to retirement plans and strengthened health care options.
The union wants a complete ban on automation. It wasn’t clear just how far apart both sides are.
In a statement early Tuesday, the union said it rejected the alliance’s latest proposal because it “fell far short of what ILA rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation.” The two sides had not held formal negotiations since June.
Supply chain experts say consumers won’t see an immediate impact from the strike because most retailers stocked up on goods, moving ahead shipments of holiday gift items.
But if it goes more than a few weeks, a work stoppage could lead to higher prices and delays in goods reaching households and businesses.
If drawn out, the strike will force businesses to pay shippers for delays and cause some goods to arrive late for peak holiday shopping season — potentially impacting delivery of anything from toys and artificial Christmas trees to cars, coffee and fruit.
The strike will likely have an almost immediate impact on supplies of perishable imports like bananas, for example. The ports affected by the strike handle 3.8 million metric tons of bananas each year, or 75% of the nation’s supply, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
It also could snarl exports from East Coast ports and create traffic jams at ports on the West Coast, where workers are represented by a different union. Railroads say they can ramp up to carry more freight from the West Coast, but analysts say they can’t move enough to make up for the closed Eastern ports.
J.P. Morgan estimated that a strike that shuts down East and Gulf coast ports could cost the economy $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion per day, with some of that recovered over time after normal operations resume.
Retailers, auto parts suppliers and produce importers had hoped for a settlement or that President Joe Biden would intervene and end the strike using the Taft-Hartley Act, which allows him to seek an 80-day cooling off period.
But during a Sunday exchange with reporters, Biden, who has worked to court union votes for Democrats, said “no” when asked if he planned to intervene in the potential work stoppage.
In an update Tuesday morning, the White House maintained that administration officials were working “around the clock” to help negotiations move forward — which included being in direct contact with both USMX and ILA. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were also “closely monitoring” potential supply chain impacts, the White House added, enlisting a task force to meet daily and prepare for any disruptions.
Breast cancer deaths decrease as cases among Asian Americans and younger adults rise, new report finds
(NEW YORK) -- Breast cancer deaths have fallen by 44% compared to 35 years ago, saving nearly 520,000 lives, according to a new report by the American Cancer Society.
The dramatic decrease is a major milestone in the fight against breast cancer, according to Dr. Lisa Newman, a co-author of the report, released on Tuesday, the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"This decline is evidence of our success in better treatments for breast cancer, especially with targeted treatments," Newman, chief of the section of breast surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, told ABC News.
Beyond advances in care, Newman noted that mammography has also played a crucial role in detecting cancer earlier.
In April, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated their guidelines, recommending that women at average risk for breast cancer get a mammogram every two years starting at age 40.
However, screening isn't perfect, Newman stressed.
Women should watch for new lumps, skin changes, and nipple changes, including unusual discharge, pain, and redness.
Even if the last mammogram is clear, women should discuss any changes with a healthcare provider.
Steepest rise in new cases among women under 50
Though breast cancer deaths have dropped, new cases continue to rise.
From 2012 to 2021, breast cancer diagnoses increased by 1% each year, with the steepest rise among women under 50.
The reasons for the increase in diagnoses at a younger age remain unclear, Newman said.
"We speculate that it is related to differences in lifestyle and environment given the obesity epidemic and more women delaying their childbearing years and having fewer pregnancies over their lifetime," she said.
Racial disparities in breast cancer persist
Yet despite lower overall death rates, racial disparities in breast cancer persist.
American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women have seen no improvement in death rates, while Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) women face the fastest uptick in new cases, with a nearly 3% annual increase.
And despite having 10% fewer cases than white women, AIAN women are 6% more likely to die from the disease and receive fewer regular mammograms.
Black women face a 38% higher chance of dying from breast cancer and have worse outcomes at every stage and subtype, except for localized cancers, compared to white women.
"Studies show that Black women are more likely to receive mammograms at lower-quality facilities, face delays in diagnosing abnormalities, and experience delays in starting and completing treatment," Newman explained.
Because African American women are more prone to triple negative breast cancer, a particularly deadly form of the disease, Newman said there is a strong push to improve the diversity in clinical trials.
In May of 2024, the ACS launched the VOICES of Black Women Study which will enroll 100,000 Black women aged 25 to 55 and follow them for 30 years.
Newman also pointed out that breast cancer can affect men, especially African American men, who have double the risk compared to White men.
While the report revealed many promising trends in breast cancer, the disease remains the second most common cancer among women in the U.S. after skin cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths for Black and Hispanic women. In 2024, experts predict over 300,000 new invasive (stage I and above) breast cancer cases with more than 40,000 deaths.
The report's findings are based on data from the national cancer tracking programs that includes information from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
California sues hospital for denying patient an emergency abortion
(NEW YORK) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state is suing a hospital in Eureka for allegedly refusing emergency abortion care to women whose lives are in danger.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Humboldt County Superior Court, alleges Providence St. Joseph Hospital violated multiple California laws due to its refusal to provide urgent abortion care to people experiencing obstetric emergencies.
Providence St. Joseph's is a Catholic hospital and the primary hospital services provider in Eureka, the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Oregon in northern California.
The lawsuit names one particular patient, Anna Nusslock, who had her water break when she was 15 weeks pregnant with twins in Feb. 2024.
Nusslock, a 35-year-old healthcare professional, claimed in the lawsuit that doctors at Providence St. Joseph's told her the only option was abortion, but they could not provide her the service, based on hospital policy.
"Without abortion care, I risked infection or hemorrhage, both of which are so dangerous to my health and my life, and increased with every minute that passed," Nusslock said during a press conference Monday.
Nusslock said she was told by doctors that they were prohibited from offering an emergency abortion if her twins still had any signs of heart tones, despite her own life being at risk and the pregnancy no longer being viable.
"I was told I could not receive emergency abortion care while at Providence because of hospital policy," Nusslock said.
Instead, Nusslock alleges Providence staff gave her a bucket and towels "in case something happens in the car" and told her to drive 12 miles to a small community hospital where doctors were allowed to perform the procedure.
Once at that smaller hospital, Nusslock said she was actively hemorrhaging when she was placed on an operating table and the pregnancy was aborted.
In the state's lawsuit, Attorney General Rob Bonta argues Providence has been violating multiple California laws by refusing emergency abortion care to women in need.
California is requesting a court order to force the hospital to perform prompt emergency care including abortions.
"Pregnant patients have the same rights to health care, including emergency care, that any other patient has," said Bonta.
Bonta claims Providence is barring doctors from providing lifesaving or life-stabilizing emergency abortion treatment even when a pregnancy is not viable and when doctors have determined that immediate abortion care is necessary to save the life of the mother.
The lawsuit alleges that Providence only allows the procedure if the mother's life is in immediate danger of death by which time intervention can be too late.
"This policy, let's make no mistake, is draconian," Bonta said. "It has no place in institutions that are charged with delivering accessible and equitable healthcare."
While Bonta argues Providence must provide the care under California law, federal law on the topic is less clear.
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act requires every hospital in the United States that operates an emergency department and participates in Medicare to provide life-stabilizing treatment to all patients, but in a recent case, the U.S. Supreme Court did not confirm that the act includes abortion care.
In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for Providence St. Joseph Hospital said, "Providence is deeply committed to the health and wellness of women and pregnant patients and provides emergency services to all who walk through our doors in accordance with state and federal law. We are heartbroken over Dr. Nusslock's experience earlier this year."
"This morning was the first Providence had heard of the California attorney general's lawsuit, and we are currently reviewing the filings to understand what is being alleged. Because this case is in active litigation and due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment on the matter," the spokesperson added.
"As part of our pledge to delivering safe, high-quality care, we review every event that may not have met our patient needs or expectations to understand what happened and take appropriate steps to meet those needs and expectations for every patient we encounter," the spokesperson said.
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Hurricane Helene spotlights rising prices for home and flood insurance
(NEW YORK) -- Hurricane Helene flooded properties and devastated buildings in recent days as it tore across a vast stretch from Florida to Tennessee.
Over the coming days and weeks, households will start to rebuild -- and the costs will be enormous. Some homeowners will struggle to afford it.
The devastation arrives after years of skyrocketing prices for home and flood insurance that have left some households without coverage and others choosing low-cost plans with weaker policies, experts told ABC News. The increase owes in part to a surge in costs for building materials as well as the risk of more frequent or intense storms posed by climate change, they said.
Homeowners at properties damaged by Helene are likely to see their insurance costs rise even further, imposing financial strain for years to come, the experts added.
“There’s no question that the burden on households’ budgets has increased in recent years,” Benjamin Keys, a professor of real estate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, told ABC News. “It has gotten substantially more expensive to live in harm’s way.”
Helene, which made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane, was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend on record.
More than 100 people have been killed by Helene.
Helene dumped more than 30 inches of rain on North Carolina, producing the biggest local flooding in recorded history. The path of the storm's devastation has spanned more than 600 miles.
Homeowners are set to draw on insurance policies that have become much more expensive in recent years.
In 2023, the nationwide average premium for owner-occupied homeowners insurance climbed about 11%, rising three times more than the overall inflation rate, S&P Global found in January.
Beginning a few years earlier, insurance prices soared even higher for homeowners in the region impacted by Helene. In Florida, the average home insurance price jumped a staggering 43% from January 2018 to December 2023, S&P Global said. Over that same period, the average insurance price for homeowners increased about 36% in North Carolina.
Rising prices leave customers less likely to purchase strong plans with ample benefits in the event of a disaster, Shan Ge, a professor at New York University who studies insurance and climate change, told ABC News.
“With the costs going up, people are getting less insurance and that’s going to be a problem when a disaster like this hits,” Ge said. “The recovery will be slower and the financial effects will be bigger.”
Homeowners insurance sometimes includes separate hurricane insurance, which typically involves an additional deductible paid by the consumer for damage incurred by a hurricane.
Neither homeowners insurance nor hurricane insurance covers flood damage, however. Instead, consumers must purchase flood insurance, but a far lower share of homeowners enrolls in flood coverage than home insurance.
The damage caused by Helene could expose the difficulties caused by that relatively low enrollment rate in flood insurance, Jeff Waters, an analyst at Moody's Analytics subsidiary RMS, told ABC News.
“With an event like Helene where we are seeing all of the water, there’s likely to be more uninsured losses happening due to water because you don’t have as much take up there as you would on the hurricane policy side of things,” Waters said.
The price of flood insurance has also increased in recent years, and it’s expected to rise at a faster rate for some households going forward as the National Flood Insurance Program puts in place what it has called “Risk Rating 2.0.”
The new approach will set the price of flood insurance based on a calculation of each home’s risk of flooding, altering a previous policy that examined whether a home belonged to a general at-risk area.
Some homes damaged by Helene will face a price crunch as they weather an increase in flood insurance costs, alongside the anticipated increase in homeowners insurance that typically follows a hurricane, some experts said.
“It’s pretty clear in the aftermath of these disasters that homeowners insurance premiums rise a lot,” Ishita Sen, a professor of finance at Harvard Business School who studies home insurance rates, told ABC News.
The prospect of higher insurance costs could prompt difficult choices for homeowners and their communities, said Keys.
“This higher cost of living in disaster-prone areas is hitting households' pocket books in ways that we haven’t seen,” Keys said. “Eventually it’ll induce substantial chances in these communities, whether that’s deciding where to live or how to build.”
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A public health emergency was declared in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. Here’s what that means
(NEW YORK) -- North Carolina became the latest state to have a public health emergency declared by U.S. health officials in response to Hurricane Helene.
In a press release on Sunday evening, the Department of Health and Human Services said its Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) was moving equipment and personnel to North Carolina to help address the "potential health impacts" of Hurricane Helene.
It comes after PHEs were previously declared for Florida and Georgia. On Thursday, major disaster declarations were approved by President Joe Biden, which unlocked federal funds for disaster assistance and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.
"We will do all we can to help North Carolina officials respond to the health impacts of Hurricane Helene," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "We are working closely with state and local health authorities, as well as with our partners across the federal government, and stand ready to provide additional public health and medical support."
Communities in western North Carolina, including the city of Asheville, were hit with "catastrophic" and "historic" flooding and landslides from Helene. Gov. Roy Cooper said between 10 and 29 inches of rain fell across the state's western mountains.
Water systems have been impacted and some roads have washed away, hampering the ability for officials to set up food and water distribution sites.
The PHE declaration gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services greater flexibility in meeting the needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and allows the ASPR to deploy teams to support local health requests, according to the HHS.
ASPR has deployed about 200 personnel including Health Care Situational Assessment Teams to evaluate the impact on health care facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and dialysis centers, and Disaster Medical Assistance Teams to help state and local health workers provide care.
While the immediate impacts of natural disasters -- such as hurricanes -- include injuries and deaths, there are longer-term health issues that PHEs can help address.
Natural disasters can disrupt vital health services, including dialysis and breathing machines, and affect survivors' emotional health and well-being, according to FEMA.
Flooding from hurricanes can damage sewage systems. If untreated sewage enters the drinking water supply, it could lead to widespread gastrointestinal illness. Additionally, flooding can cause mold to form, which can lead to respiratory illnesses if not removed.
HHS said it is identifying the number of Medicare beneficiaries in affected zip codes that rely on electricity-dependent medical equipment and devices, including dialysis and oxygen tanks "to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk citizens in potentially impacted areas."
This is especially important for older Americans, who are at the highest risk of health issues. Research has shown that natural disasters can worsen mortality caused by heart disease and strokes among senior citizens.
For those experiencing emotional distress related to the hurricane, the HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has free crisis counseling through the Disaster Distress Helpline, which is toll-free and available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories.
Counselors are available in more than 100 languages via third-party interpretation services when callers indicate their preferred language to the responding counselor, according to the HHS.
A PHE declaration lasts for the duration of the emergency or 90 days but can be extended by Secretary Becerra if needed.
Earlier this year, HHS issued PHEs in Texas in response to Hurricane Beryl; in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in response to Hurricane Debby; and in Louisiana in response to Hurricane Francine.
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Flu deaths in children hit new record as vaccination rates decrease: CDC
(NEW YORK) -- The number of kids dying from influenza in the 2023-2024 season has set a new record for a regular flu season, after one new death was reported last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There were 200 pediatric flu-related deaths in the 2023-2024 season, compared to the previous high of 199 during the 2019-2022 season.
About 80% of the kids that died from flu this season were not fully vaccinated against influenza, CDC data shows. Nearly half of the children had at least one pre-existing medical condition.
Everyone over the age of six months is recommended to get their annual flu vaccine before the end of October, according to the CDC.
Children up to 8 years old receiving their first flu shot should receive two doses if they previously have not, the CDC notes.
Older adults over the age of 65, who are at higher risk of severe illness including hospitalization and death, may opt for a higher dose flu shot for further protection.
"Vaccination remains our most effective tool to prevent illness and reduce the risk of serious complications in children," said Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News medical contributor.
Vaccination rates among children for flu have been declining in recent years. About 53.9% of children were vaccinated against influenza this season, about 2.2% points lower than last season and 8.5% points lower than pre-pandemic.
"The decline in flu vaccination rates among children is deeply concerning and is at least partly linked to the rise in pediatric cases we're witnessing," Brownstein said.
Estimates show that flu vaccination reduced the risk of flu medical visits by about two-thirds and halved the risk of hospitalization among kids, according to the CDC.
"We must address this drop in vaccinations to prevent further unnecessary and preventable loss of young lives," Brownstein added.
The influenza virus spreads year-round, but flu activity typically picks up in the fall and winter, peaking between the months of December and February.
While the impact of flu varies from season to season, estimates from the CDC show the virus has resulted in up to 41 million illnesses, 710,000 hospitalizations and 51,000 deaths annually in the past decade, according to the CDC.
"The record number of pediatric flu deaths this season is a stark indicator of how severe influenza can be," Brownstein said.
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Baseball legend Pete Rose dies at the age of 83
(NEW YORK) -- Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s hit king who then became a pariah for gambling on the game, has died at the age of 83, the medical examiner in Clark County, Nevada, confirmed to ABC News on Monday.
Rose was found at his home by a family member, according to the medical examiner. There were no signs of foul play.
The medical examiner told ABC News that Rose was not under the care of a doctor when he died, and the scene is being examined.
The coroner will investigate to determine the cause and manner of death.
ABC News has reached out to Rose's rep.
Rose brought a workmanlike attitude to America's pastime and won innumerable fans for his hustle on the field. By the end of his 24-year career, 19 of which were with the Cincinnati Reds, he held the record for most career hits, as well as games played, plate appearances and at-bats. He was also a 17-time All-Star, the 1973 NL MVP and 1963 Rookie of the Year.
He also won three World Series -- two with Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" clubs in 1975 and 1976, and a third with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980.
But Rose will always be remembered as much for being banned for life from MLB in 1989 over gambling on games while he was managing the Reds.
With Rose under suspicion, new MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti commissioned an investigation led by John Dowd, a lawyer with the Department of Justice, in April 1989. By June, the damning report was released, documenting at least 52 bets on Reds games in 1987, his first season as solely a manager after serving as player/manager for three seasons. The bets totaled thousands of dollars per day, according to the Dowd Report.
Faced with few options, Rose voluntarily accepted placement on baseball's ineligible list in August 1989. Despite this, Rose continued to deny he ever gambled on his own team for over a decade.
He finally admitted to gambling on Reds games in his 2004 autobiography, My Prison Without Bars. In an interview on ABC News promoting the book, he came clean for the first time as well.
"I bet on baseball in 1987 and 1988," he told ABC News' Charles Gibson in an exclusive interview that aired Jan. 8, 2004, on Primetime Thursday. "That was my mistake, not coming clean a lot earlier."
He maintained he never bet against his team, saying he "want[ed] to win every game."
"I think what happens is you're, at the time, you're betting football and then what's after football is basketball ... and obviously the next thing that follows is baseball," Rose said. "It's just a pattern that you got into."
Two years after Rose was banned for life, the Baseball Hall of Fame ruled no one on the ineligible list would be allowed into the institution.
The controversy over Rose's suspension and ban from the Hall of Fame has taken on a life of its own, becoming a subject sports fans often debate more than his legendary on-field exploits.
Even then-President Donald Trump weighed in on the debate in February 2020, tweeting, "He gambled, but only on his team winning, and paid a decades long price. GET PETE ROSE INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME! It's Time."
Rose petitioned the league to be removed from the list in 1992, 1998, 2003, 2015 and 2022 -- but either was rejected or received no response each time.
"That was a part of my life that you can't change, you wish it hadn't happened, but you can just guarantee yourself that it won't happen again," Rose told ABC News in 2004.
There's little debate over whether his on-field performance merits inclusion in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rose's pursuit of the career hits record captivated the country in 1985. Rose broke Ty Cobb's hallowed record on Sept. 11, 1985, with a single against the San Diego Padres for his 4,192nd hit. He would play just one more season, finishing his career with 4,256 hits.
Decades later, Rose remains atop the career hits list. Only Derek Jeter (3,465), Albert Pujols (3,384) and Paul Molitor (3,319) have even come within 1,000 hits of Rose's record in the time since it was set -- and none seriously challenged the mark.
Years earlier, in 1978, Rose captured attention when he made a run at Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak -- maybe the most vaunted record in sports. Starting on June 14, Rose would record a hit in 44 straight games. The streak finally came to an end on July 19, but 44 games remains the second-longest streak since 1900.
Rose was married twice and was in a long-term relationship with model Kiana Kim since 2011. The two appeared in a reality TV show, Pete Rose: Hits and Mrs. in 2013. Rose has four children.
Rose's eldest son, Pete Rose Jr., played in the minors and independent baseball for over 10 years, but played just 11 games in the majors with the Reds in 1997. He had two career hits.
Rose never strayed far from baseball, despite being on the sport's ineligible list. His No. 14 was retired by the Reds and appeared on the sport's All-Century Team, as voted by fans, in 1999. The team was announced at that year's All-Star Game in Boston and Rose received a standing ovation. Only three non-Hall of Famers are on the list of 30 players, with Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire absent due to allegations of steroid use that popped up after the list was compiled.
"I owe baseball," Rose told Gibson in 2004. "Baseball doesn't owe me a damn thing. I owe baseball. And the only way I can make my peace with baseball is taking this negative and somehow making it into a positive."
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Scoreboard roundup — 9/30/24
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Monday's sports events:
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Tennessee Titans 31, Miami Dolphins 12
Detroit Lions 42, Seattle Seahawks 29
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Calgary Flames 4, Seattle Kraken 3 (OT)
Vancouver Canucks 2, Edmonton Oilers 2 (SO)
Los Angeles Kings 3, Anaheim Ducks 0 (2nd Period)
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Detroit Red Wings 1
NY Islanders 4, Philadelphia Flyers 3
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Florida Panthers 1
Washington Capitals 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
New Jersey Devils 3, NY Rangers 1
Buffalo Sabres 4, Detroit Red Wings 3 (OT)
NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE
Atlanta Braves 3, NY Mets 0
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Small ‘micromobility’ vehicles gain traction amid rising car prices
(NEW YORK) -- Back in the 1980s, Honda sold a city car in Japan called, appropriately, the Honda City. It would have been a normal hatchback, were it not for what came in the trunk: a Honda motor scooter that drivers could fold up and store in the trunk of the City. It was called the Motocompo, and it was a vehicle that belonged to a sector transportation experts call “micromobility.”
David Zipper, a senior fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative, noted that the segment encompasses a range of vehicles.
“Scooters, it can include bikes and e-bikes. Cargo e-bikes sometimes. Where it starts to get a little hazy is when you get into things like mopeds which are a little bit faster. And even golf carts some people group into this category of micromobility,” Zipper told ABC Audio.
The segment has seen an explosion of growth in the last 15 to 20 years, he said. The average price of a new car in the U.S. is just under $48,000, according to recent data from Cox Automotive. And while that’s down slightly from its 2022 peak, for many Americans, it’s still expensive to buy a car. That’s why Zipper said many are now turning to the micromobility sector.
“You’ve seen a variety of different types of innovations and new technologies take hold that have allowed for a lot of different form factors and a lot of different use cases of micromobility,” Zipper said.
Consequently, new companies are emerging to serve the burgeoning market. In an unassuming New York City building across from Brooklyn’s McCarren Park, a startup called Infinite Machine is putting the finishing touches on its take on a micromobility vehicle: an electric scooter called the P1.
The first thing that stands out about the P1 -- the company’s first product -- is the looks. The scooter has flat, slab-like body panels with sharp edges, all trimmed in black and what looks like stainless steel.
“We were inspired by vehicles like the Delorean and the Cybertruck,” Eddie Cohen, the president of Infinite Machine, said.
He founded the company alongside his brother, CEO Joe Cohen, and the two first unveiled the P1 to the public in 2023.
“Imagine like a Vespa from the future,” Joe Cohen said. “It’s made from aluminum and steel … and it’s super high performance.”
The Cohens told ABC Audio this is the first vehicle in its class to come with Apple CarPlay. The phone-mirroring technology is viewable on a small touchscreen, where riders can also pull up exterior cameras. They’re primarily for “safety and insurance purposes,” Joe Cohen said, but the cameras have other uses.
“If you want to make some content on your ride and record your commute," he said. "Also when it's parked if someone screws with your vehicle, you can record that and use that as evidence for the authorities."
The P1 can go about 60 miles on a charge, according to Infinite Machine. The battery of the P1, which is located in the scooter’s floor, is removable, meaning city dwellers can take it into their homes or apartments to fill up on electricity.
“The power needs for a vehicle like ours are so much lower. You can charge this thing with a normal outlet, you don’t need a special charger. So the question of like infrastructure -- charging infrastructure -- it’s not relevant for a vehicle like ours,” Joe Cohen said.
Advancements in battery technology are a big reason the micromobility segment is booming, and not just for electric scooters like the P1, Zipper noted.
“Turns out when you stick a battery on a bicycle -- it becomes far more useful,” he said.
Electric power allows micromobility vehicles to behave more like traditional cars, according to Zipper.
“Maybe you want to arrive at work without being really sweaty,” he said. “Or you are having some mobility issues and you're a little bit older and you really value that extra oomph to get up a hill. Maybe you want to be able to power a bicycle with a storage area to bring your kids to school or to get groceries.”
But riding a bike -- even an electrically assisted one -- in certain big-city environments raises safety concerns.
Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates more than 360,000 injuries related to micromobility devices were treated in emergency rooms across the country between 2017 to 2022. In that timeframe, there were more than 230 deaths, according to the commission.
A micromobility device like a bike or a scooter having to share the road with cars and trucks is “a recipe for in the best case scenario discomfort and in the worst case scenario a crash that could lead to death," Zipper said.
He suggested the solution is to build out dedicated infrastructure: things like bike lanes that are protected by concrete barriers. It's something he said many major metropolitan areas are already doing.
“In the last fifteen years or so, you’ve seen a lot of cities in the US, and frankly in other parts of the world too, invest a lot of money and resources in creating safe spaces for people who want to use a scooter, or a bicycle, or any of these other versions of micromobility that we’re talking about,” Zipper said.
But it hasn’t been smooth sailing. Community boards have clashed with homeowners and businesses in cities across the country over the rollout of dedicated bike infrastructure, with detractors angry about losing valuable parking space. In one New York City neighborhood, residents even made lawn signs reading “No Bike Lanes” in big bold letters. Meanwhile, organizations like the NYC E-Vehicle Alliance have cropped up to advocate for micromobility regulation amid rising rates of injuries and deaths.
In the meantime, Joe Cohen of Infinite Machine said at least some of this is going to fall on riders practicing safe driving habits.
“Until our city looks more friendly toward small vehicles like this, we have to just be really aware," he said. "And our job is to not only design really safe vehicles on the hardware side, but also to educate our riders about how to be defensive and to take their own safety seriously."
The P1 retails for $10,000 -- putting it firmly at the top end of the micromobility market.
“We know we’re more expensive than the competition and we did that intentionally because we did not want to cheap out or value-engineer this product,” Eddie Cohen said.
His brother put it a slightly different way.
“It’s cheaper than the cheapest cars,” Joe Cohen said.
A little lower down on the price ladder is the Motocompacto, an electric scooter Honda unveiled last year that retails for around $1,000. It doesn’t have nearly as much space as the Infinite Machine, and just a fraction of the electric range. But when it’s not being used, it folds up into a briefcase-like shape that can be stowed in the trunk of a car.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Texas can no longer investigate alleged cases of vote harvesting
AUSTIN (AP) – A federal judge ruled on Saturday that part of a Texas law that enacted new voting restrictions violated the U.S. Constitution by being too vague and restricting free speech.
The ruling, made by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, immediately halted the state’s ability to investigate alleged cases of vote harvesting, such as the investigation into the League of United Latin American Citizens by Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Before today’s ruling, a person who knowingly provided or offered vote harvesting services in exchange for compensation was committing a third-degree felony. This meant that organizers of voter outreach organizations and even volunteers could spend up to ten years in prison and fined up to $10,000 for giving or offering these services.
Paxton on Monday vowed to appeal the ruling.
“A ruling—weeks prior to an election— preventing my office from investigating potential election violations is deeply troubling and risks undermining public trust in our political process,” he said.
According to Republican lawmakers, the provision was put in place to prevent voter fraud and secure election integrity. However, in the ruling, the judge noted that there was widespread confusion about how to implement the canvassing restriction from local election administrators. This confusion also left voter outreach organizations uncertain about whether they could provide volunteers with food or bus fare because it could look like compensation.
Many organizations – including La Union del Pueblo Entero, LULAC, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund – have filed lawsuits against many other provisions of the law, including voter assistance and mail-in ballot restrictions. The challenges to these provisions have not been ruled on yet. The original complaints were filed in August and September 2021.
Before the law, organizations like OCA-Greater Houston, an advocacy organization for people of Asian and Pacific Island descent, would host in-person election events and allow attendees to bring their mail-in ballots in order to receive help like language assistance.
Nina Perales, vice president of litigation at MALDEF, wrote that “Today’s ruling means that voter outreach organizers and other advocates in Texas can speak to mail ballot voters about issues on the ballot and urge voters to support improvements to their communities.”
ACLU of Texas celebrated the ruling on X saying, “This is a win for voting rights in the state, and for the organizations that help keep elections accessible.”