game 3 nba finals Bay FC’s Beattie wins NWSL honor for breast cancer awareness advocacyAfter 125 years or so of being the most collectively Joe College nation on Earth, many Americans have turned sour on the idea that a higher education — or at least the four years we have traditionally set aside for young adults to get a bachelor’s degree — is key to an informed, successful life. Not me. But the varsity blues are otherwise rampant. Perhaps our culture had gone a little bit too all-in on the tradition, and this is just a course correction. I have noted before in this space that in my observations of car rear windshields in dozens of countries around the world, we are the only one that is positively bonkers in identifying the schools in which we, or our children, have matriculated, through decals and bumper stickers. The Citroens of Paris and the Jaguars of London are not adorned with signifiers bragging “Sorbonne” or “Oxford.” I don’t quite know if it’s simple humility or a lack of school spirit, but the fact is their license-plate holders do not announce, as does mine, “Go Bears!,” or the equivalent, to the driver behind them at the stop light. I do realize I was lucky in having been accepted into the University of California system during its golden age of taxpayer support. I got to study at the greatest public university in the world for a tuition that never varied from its annual $637.50 price tag from September 1973 through June 1977. That, the $200 monthly check my (sainted) mother sent me and the $15 a week I made for writing for the student newspaper covered everything: rent, books, meals, beer, whatnot. Undergraduate bliss. Or, if not always entirely that — there were inevitable heartbreaks, and the vague existential dread of adult life around the corner, in which you’d somehow have to make ends meet — four formative transitional years in between living under your parents’ roof and having to fend entirely on your own. If I was lucky, at least I knew that I was, and never took it for granted. I wasn’t smart enough to be a slacker. I never missed a single class, freshman through senior years. Of course, the information imparted wasn’t always at the hands of the professors. On a university campus, you have your beliefs challenged, or at least you ought to. For instance, as a perhaps naive believer in the essentially correct nature of American foreign policy, the Vietnam debacle aside, I had never for a minute as a high school student been exposed to any notion that Israel was anything but entirely righteous and correct in its dealings with its Arab neighbors. But walking through Sproul Plaza one day, with its ubiquitous “tablers” espousing various political causes, from Young Communists through Young Republicans, I stopped to read some pamphleteering giving the Palestinian side. You mean land was taken from families with an ancient claim to it without proper compensation? The world was more complicated than one had been led to believe. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Thomas Elias: Expect Newsom to start his much anticipated run for president Opinion Columnists | Wishing for Santa-like efficiency in the USA Opinion Columnists | Jon Coupal: Santa Jarvis’s naughty and nice list Opinion Columnists | California is battling the future to protect performers Opinion Columnists | Politicians truly are the worst among us And now, as is only fitting, it’s time to play the role of old grouch. Students arrive on campus these days more set in their views, less open to conversion. You hang with the like-minded and issue trigger warnings to those who would challenge you. The Palestine-Israel situation is a sadly perfect example of that. And so, as someone who still spends a lot of time on college campuses, I was glad to read recently of efforts by college administrators to get young people to open up. In a story headlined “To Dial Down Campus Tensions, Colleges Teach the Art of Conversation,” New York Times reporter Anemona Hartocollis writes: “On a warm November day, a group of Columbia University professors set up ‘listening tables’ near the center of campus and hailed students rushing to class, inviting them to stop and talk.” They smartly bring pizza as an enticement, so some things never change. But it’s often the dire wolf of Gaza that still howls loudest at the tables. A woman in a kaffiyeh in one conversation talked about “this genocide.” “I wouldn’t call it a genocide,” said Scott Barry Kaufman, a psych prof moderating the group. “Do you hate me because I disagree with you?” “No, she did not hate him — ‘for that reason,’ she said,” Hartocollis reports. “Ouch,” Dr. Kaufman replied. Hey, at least they’re talking. Larry Wilson is on the Southern California News Group editorial board. lwilson@scng.com.

Customers of Oregon’s largest investor-owned electric utility pay more than 40% more for their electricity today than they did just four years ago. The massive increase in such a short period has garnered scrutiny from state leaders, and calls for greater transparency about what’s truly driving the increases. Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, issued a public letter Monday to Portland General Electric, or PGE, CEO Maria Pope requesting she provide documentation within 30 days of customer use and load growth, as well as details about how the company has spent historic federal subsidies meant to reduce ratepayer burden. In a press conference in Portland Monday focused on Medicare, Wyden said rising electricity prices is among the number one concerns he hears from Oregonians. “A lot of them feel like they’ve just been hit by a wrecking ball,” Wyden told reporters. “The people I’m hearing from are balancing the food bill, against the rent bill, against the gas bill, and there’s another PGE rate hike, apparently, on offer right now, and folks are just telling me this is not sustainable.” PGE, which serves 900,000 customers in Oregon, raised rates , on average, by 11% in 2022, 7% in 2023, and 18% in 2024. It is currently asking the Oregon Public Utilities Commission to raise rates, on average, by about 7.3% in 2025. The commission will vote on whether to approve the rate hike by the end of the year. Wyden also expressed anger at the high number of customers PGE has shutoff from electricity due to late or nonpayment. In April, three months after a cold snap in January, PGE shut off power to a record number of households – 4,700 in one month alone – due to nonpayment, according to the Citizens’ Utility Board, a watchdog group established by Oregon voters in 1984 to represent the interests of utility consumers. Representatives from PGE did not respond to a request for comment by Monday afternoon. In petitioning the Public Utilities Commission to approve their most recent rate increase, PGE officials listed capital investments, rising insurance costs, a desire for higher profit margins and increased employee pay as reasons they needed to collect more revenue from customers. The company’s stock ( POR ), is up nearly 16% over the last year, and Pope’s executive compensation has doubled in the last four years. She went from receiving more than $3.5 million in base salary and other compensation in 2020 to about $7 million in 2023, according to data from the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Oregonian / Oregon Live . ‘Blowing the whistle’ Wyden is requesting a number of details that would offer transparency about which users in the state are driving load growth, and whether they are paying for the costs of that growth or whether the company is shifting that to other small business and residential customers. He’s asked for a sector-based breakdown of all rate increases approved by the Public Utilities Commission in the last five years, and details about specific steps PGE is taking to limit cost increases across its customer base. Bob Jenks, executive director of the Citizens’ Utility Board, said that it shows Wyden, like many in the state, are concerned that PGE is charging residential customers more so that it can afford to supply a growing number of data centers with power. “One of the issues he’s getting at in those questions is the role of data centres and the industrial growth we’re seeing. We’re also concerned that may be where a lot of this rate increase is coming from,” Jenks said. Residential rates for PGE customers have gone up three times faster than rates paid by data centers, according to Jenks. The largest growth in demand for electricity in the Northwest is from data centers owned by tech companies such as Google and Amazon. Demand is growing faster than the West can supply the energy, according to regional transmission authorities. “If it wasn’t for data centers and industrial customers, PGE would have shrunk over the last 10 years,” Jenks said. Wyden is also asking for a full accounting of the number of residential customers the company has disconnected from power over the last five years, details of the total amount of federal funds – including tax incentives such as the Inflation Reduction Act – the company has received over the last five years and how those funds are being spent, with specificity for how they’re being spent to reduce customer burden. “My energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act have supported PGE and utilities across the country by covering up to 30% of the cost of new clean energy installations. Can you please describe what factors are driving the increased costs you are experiencing that are not supported by those credits?” Wyden asked in the letter. The state’s two other investor-owned utilities – Pacific Power and Idaho Power – have also increased rates significantly in recent years. Pacific Power is currently asking the Public Utilities Commission to allow it to increase rates nearly 18% in 2025, for a more than 40% increase in rates since 2020. Idaho Power, which serves about 20,000 customers, was approved by the commission in November to raise its rates rates about 12% on average in 2025. Wyden said it was past time to “put the brakes on any further rate hikes.” “What I wanted to do is blow the whistle on this,” he told reporters. “That is my objective with this letter, to put the brakes on any further rate hikes. After 41%, it’s time to take a timeout and give a break to the ratepayer.” GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBEIndia’s former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh remains a remarkable figure in the nation's history. Despite enduring relentless criticism from the Left, he will be celebrated by history as the visionary economist who steered India away from economic collapse in 1991 and paved its path to global prominence. New Delhi: There is an irony in the way history treats its architects. The unassuming figures, often ridiculed or ignored in their time, are the ones who quietly lay the foundations of transformative change. Dr Manmohan Singh, India’s former Prime Minister, stands as a towering example. While his critics from the Left took relentless potshots at him, history will undoubtedly recognise him as the economic architect who saved India from the brink of economic collapse in 1991 and charted its course toward global prominence. The disdain Dr Singh faced from the Left is no secret. Their deep suspicion of liberal economic policies made him an easy target. For them, Dr Singh epitomised everything they opposed — a reformist who embraced market liberalisation, advocated for reduced state intervention, and empowered the private sector. But their antagonism went beyond economic reforms. Their fierce opposition to the India-US nuclear deal during Dr Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister revealed the depths of their ideological rigidity and unwillingness to adapt to a changing world order. The crisis that defined a leader The early 1990s marked one of the darkest periods in India’s economic history. With foreign reserves depleting to perilous levels and the nation teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, India’s economy was in free fall. The Nehruvian socialist model of centralised planning and heavy state control, which the Left continued to champion, had led to stagnation and inefficiency. India needed a lifeline, and that lifeline came in the form of reforms spearheaded by Dr Singh, then Finance Minister under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. Dr Singh’s economic reforms — summarised as liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation — were a bold departure from decades of economic orthodoxy. The Indian economy was opened to foreign investments, import restrictions were eased, and monopolistic state control over critical sectors was dismantled. The Left branded these measures as “a betrayal of India’s socialist ideals,” ignoring the harsh reality that without these reforms, India would have descended deeper into poverty and economic irrelevance. Their failure to propose credible alternatives exposed the hollowness of their rhetoric. India-US nuclear deal The Left’s contradictions were further highlighted during Dr Singh’s second term as Prime Minister. Their vehement opposition to the India-US nuclear deal was not just short-sighted but also detrimental to India’s long-term strategic interests. The deal, which ended India’s decades-long nuclear isolation, was a diplomatic masterstroke. It ensured India access to critical nuclear technology and fuel, boosting energy security and strengthening its global standing. But the Left saw it as an “infringement on India’s sovereignty”, framing it as a “capitulation to US interests”. Their obstructionist stance brought the government to the brink of collapse in 2008, with the Left withdrawing support in protest. Yet, Dr Singh’s resolve remained unshaken. He famously stated, “I would rather risk my government than my country’s future.” This bold stance not only secured the deal but also demonstrated his commitment to India’s strategic autonomy. A legacy of humility and vision Under Dr Manmohan Singh’s leadership, India’s economy witnessed unprecedented growth, even weathering the global financial crisis of 2008 with resilience. Landmark initiatives such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information Act showcased his commitment to inclusive development. The Left may continue to criticise Dr Singh, but history has already rendered its verdict. Whether it was his transformative economic reforms or his determined pursuit of the nuclear deal, Dr Singh’s actions were guided by a vision for a stronger, self-reliant India. Today, as we reflect on his contributions, it is clear that India owes Dr Manmohan Singh a debt of gratitude. His legacy is a testament to the power of pragmatic leadership and the courage to make tough, unpopular decisions for the greater good. (Saswat Panigrahi is a senior multimedia journalist.) Click for more latest India news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. Saswat Panigrahi is a Senior multi-media journalist drawing on two-decade of experience, of which he has served 12 years working in leadership role and devising content strategy. His experience ranges from reporting and analysing on politics and public policy to heading news room, from building the digital arm of a business news channel to spearheading a regional news channel. Latest News

People in urban communities of the Bay Area are likely already used to the screech of tires that can signal the presence of a nearby “sideshow” or street takeover . Although this aspect of car culture is native to Northern California, police are cracking down on them due to the dangers and inconveniences posed. Q: What is a sideshow? Sideshows are informal, and often illegal, car shows where drivers perform tricks in front of a crowd, often taking place in vacant parking lots or even in wide street intersections. Some sideshows have happened in high-profile locations like the Bay Bridge . According to San Jose Deputy Police Chief Brandon Sanchez, the term “sideshow” was a spin-off of “high-siding,” when a person sits on the passenger side window of a car while someone else was driving. The term evolved as high-siding became a spectator sport into sideshows. Q: What happens at a sideshow? Oakland native and Northeastern University professor Mario Hernandez said that sideshows were based in a masculine, muscle car culture around classics like Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros and Dodge Chargers. Although some people showed off their cars by washing them before an event, sideshows also attracted drivers with older, junkier cars, he said. There was a DIY aspect to the culture, with people hooking up amps and wires through their car. “It’s an extension of yourself in a lot of ways, because it’s like you put time and energy and money into it,” Hernandez said. Sideshows commonly include racing and driving donuts with the doors open. An infamous and dangerous trick is ghost-riding, which is when someone exits a car while it is in drive and stands or dances in the street alongside the moving vehicle. Hernandez said another common sight is people sticking out of the sunroof as someone else drives. Sideshows in the Bay Area have taken place at all times of the day and night, sometimes running into the early hours of the morning. Q: Why are sideshows illegal? Although young people participating and watching sideshows in the past kept their activities to abandoned or unused areas, like parking lots, University of Redlands professor Jennifer Tilton said local businesses and city leaders complained about tire tracks in the street and the noise in the late evening and early morning hours caused by drivers, large crowds and loud music, leading to police cracking down. Aside from the danger posed by the stunts performed by drivers, Sanchez said violence has been increasing around sideshows. He gave examples of stolen vehicles, assaults and people in the crowd carrying guns and shooting them off into the air. He also pointed to looting and vandalism of storefronts near intersections where sideshows occur. California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division’s Air Operations unit surveils a sideshow in Solano County on Saturday, July 21, 2018. The driver, a 21-year-old Elk Grove man, was fined $850 and given a 30-day license suspension at the time for the coordinated auto stunt exhibition. Five years later, officials in Alameda County are weighing $1,000 fines and three month jail sentences for spectating within 200 feet of a sideshow. (CHP Golden Gate Division’s Air Operations) California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division’s Air Operations unit surveils a sideshow in Solano County on Saturday, July 21, 2018. The driver, a 21-year-old Elk Grove man, was fined $850 and given a 30-day license suspension at the time for the coordinated auto stunt exhibition. Five years later, officials in Alameda County are weighing $1,000 fines and three month jail sentences for spectating within 200 feet of a sideshow. (CHP Golden Gate Division’s Air Operations) Multiple drivers spin Ford Mustangs in circles on the Bay Bridge westbound into San Francisco during a sideshow on Sunday, August 19, 2018. Officers arrested the driver of the white Mustang on suspicion of reckless driving and exhibition of speed before impounding his convertible for 30 days. (CHP San Francisco) Two suspects were arrested after crashing a white Infiniti in Oakland Friday for engaging in sideshow activity near the Bay Bridge. Federal prosecutors claim that Christopher Gonzalez-Nunez, 26, was driving this Cadillac during the 2021 sideshow where this viral Bay Area photo was taken. (Northern District California Court Records) Spectators gather and block an intersection as they watch drivers perform stunts in a sideshow in San Jose, California on Saturday, February 27, 2021. Police issued more than 40 citations related to sideshow activities that weekend. (AIOFilmz) Multiple drivers spin Ford Mustangs in circles while traffic on the Bay Bridge westbound into San Francisco stands still on Sunday, August 19, 2018. Officers arrested the driver of the white Mustang on suspicion of reckless driving and exhibition of speed before impounding his convertible for 30 days. (CHP San Francisco) Three spectators block traffic as a driver performs stunts during a sideshow on Cummings Skyway between Crockett and I-80 on Sunday, August 11, 2019. (CHP Contra Costa) Flames rise from a Nissan 350Z parked in front of Crash Champions Collision Repair near the corner of 10th and Oak Streets in Oakland, California while a suspect rams the vehicle repeatedly with a Subaru SUV early Saturday, May 6, 2023. Crowds formed at the scene and documented the mayhem until first responders arrived and extinguished the blaze. (AIOFilmz) California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division’s Air Operations unit surveils a sideshow in Solano County on Saturday, July 21, 2018. The driver, a 21-year-old Elk Grove man, was fined $850 and given a 30-day license suspension at the time for the coordinated auto stunt exhibition. Five years later, officials in Alameda County are weighing $1,000 fines and three month jail sentences for spectating within 200 feet of a sideshow. (CHP Golden Gate Division’s Air Operations) While the crackdowns pushed some events into neighborhoods and smaller street intersections, other sideshows moved to large arteries, like Stevens Creek Boulevard and Winchester Boulevard, which interrupted the flow of traffic. When police came to bust drivers, the resulting car chase became a part of the thrill and added to the danger. Additionally, because sideshows would attract large crowds, Sanchez said it can take “almost a small army” to break up the activity, which puts a strain on the police’s resources when they are needed elsewhere. Q: What is Bay Area law enforcement doing about sideshows? For as long as sideshows have existed, expression and enforcement has been a cat-and-mouse game between promoters and police. People driving in sideshows can be charged with a misdemeanor offense such as reckless driving, and face a number of penalties, including fines, jail time, vehicle impoundment or driver’s license suspension. In some California cities, including San Jose and Oakland, watching a sideshow could be punishable with fines , jail time, probation or community service. Since the early 2000s, Oakland has passed a series of laws criminalizing sideshows, enabling police to seize involved cars and ticketing people for watching them. The Oakland Department of Transportation introduced a pilot program in 2021 intended to curb sideshow activity: One part included building curb extensions and traffic islands to reduce the number of intersections where a sideshow could take place, and another focused on modifying street surfaces with different materials, like steel plates, to deter sideshow activities in a low-cost way. In San Jose, Sanchez said the police use a variety of strategies to find and break up sideshows and their organizers, leading to a “nice downward tick” in sideshow activity in the South Bay city. They monitor social media to find out when and where a sideshow might occur and schedule more officers on duty, if possible. They also also use license plate reader cameras and other intelligence to identify promoters, spectators and the cars they drive. Because sideshows can quickly move from intersection to intersection, Sanchez said they also share information with other Bay Area jurisdictions to identify drivers and vehicles. “What we’ve tried to do in San Jose is try to bring some awareness to sideshows, the violence that actually comes with it,” Sanchez said. Q: How did sideshows first start? Sideshows first started coming onto the scene around the late 1980s and early 1990s, said Tilton. One of the most notable places where sideshows took place was the Eastmont Mall parking lot, she said. Formerly a car factory in the early 20th century, the location provided jobs for working class people. But as East Oakland integrated in the late 1960s, the predominantly white community in the area moved out to the suburbs, taking their businesses and their capital with them. The mall — built in the early 1980s to serve a burgeoning population of mostly Black middle class residents — was on the decline by the end of the decade, leaving young people without a major recreational outlet. Tilton said the young people in East Oakland, specifically young Black people, at the time told her that there was “nothing to do in East Oakland” and there were “no spaces in which they were welcome.” So, sideshows were born out of their boredom and lack of public space where they could come together. And in the early days, it was seen as a positive thing young people could do with their time as an alternative to getting involved in the drug market.Renuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Health | Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Health | Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims Health | US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Towns was extremely effective against the Rockets (Image via Getty) Karl-Anthony Towns ’s partner Jordyn Woods found herself at the premiere of Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King”. However, she could not keep her mind off Towns as he had an important match against the Rockets on the same day. While KAT and Jordyn Woods know how to display their love and affection for each other on social media, their lifestyles don’t fail to impress their fans in the slightest even when they are not in the presence of each other. The premiere of Disney’s new movie Mufasa: The Lion King took place at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater on Monday, December 9, 2024. Karl-Anthony was busy trying to beat the Toronto Raptors while his beloved partner stunned the crowd at the Mufasa premiere. She wore a golden-brown sequined dress paired with matching heels. However, the main eye-catcher was her faux fur coat. This showed how well Jordyn knows to dress herself. People who have good taste in fashion have conquered a very important aspect of everyday life. We are not the only ones who admired Jordyn Wood’s outfit for the movie premiere. NBA star Julius Randle’s wife Kendra Randle was also mesmerized by Jordyn’s look. This was evident from her comment that she left on Wood’s Instagram post: “Wow 🔥.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by HEIR JORDYN (@jordynwoods) Remember how we spoke about the love and affection that Jordyn and KAT have for each other? Well, even though she was away from the court, Jordyn could not keep her mind off KAT’s match against the Toronto Rockets. She shared what was on her mind with her Instagram fans saying: “When you have a premiere, but ball is life 😭🪛." This post shows just how much Jordyn loves and cares for Towns. Karl-Anthony Towns was playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves and he did not disappoint anybody rooting for the Timbs. He earned the “beast mode” praise from people who were watching the match at Scotiabank Arena. While Towns was locked in on the game on the court, Jordyn was supporting her lover through her phone. Fans of this couple have always admired the love they have for one another and this particular incident of Jordyn publicly displaying her feelings for Towns did not go in vain. People were moved by Jordyn’s gesture and there was even an online poll titled: “Is Jordyn Woods' courtside dedication more impressive than Karl-Anthony Towns' clutch performance?” People voted in her favor mostly with some saying that both Woods and Towns are “equally impressive”. They said: "Yes, her support is unmatched" and "Both are equally impressive" . Karl-Anthony was fabulous on court against the Rockets and there was nothing more important for Jordyn at that moment. Also read: Top 30 most valuable NBA teams of 2024 Even more impressive is Karl's ability to compete in a field full of A-list celebrities. Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and their 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy were among the guests for the "Mufasa" premiere. However, Woods' courtside commitment to Towns remained constant in spite of the well-known audience.

Shares of Intuitive Machines, Inc. ( NASDAQ:LUNR – Get Free Report ) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $17.89 and last traded at $17.26, with a volume of 5405566 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.65. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In LUNR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of Intuitive Machines in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Intuitive Machines from $10.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Intuitive Machines from $10.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on shares of Intuitive Machines from $19.00 to $17.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, B. Riley upped their price objective on shares of Intuitive Machines from $8.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $14.10. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Intuitive Machines Intuitive Machines Stock Down 3.6 % Insider Buying and Selling In other news, Director Kamal Seyed Ghaffarian sold 377,973 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.04, for a total transaction of $5,684,713.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,494,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,561,310.72. This trade represents a 9.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link . Also, CEO Stephen J. Altemus sold 61,432 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.00, for a total transaction of $675,752.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 910,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,020,109. The trade was a 6.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 1,702,731 shares of company stock valued at $18,475,694 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 73.68% of the company’s stock. Institutional Trading of Intuitive Machines Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intuitive Machines during the third quarter worth approximately $83,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Intuitive Machines during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of Intuitive Machines during the third quarter valued at approximately $85,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intuitive Machines during the third quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Creative Planning bought a new stake in shares of Intuitive Machines during the third quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.21% of the company’s stock. About Intuitive Machines ( Get Free Report ) Intuitive Machines, Inc designs, manufactures, and operates space products and services in the United States. Its space systems and space infrastructure enable scientific and human exploration and utilization of lunar resources to support sustainable human presence on the moon. The company offers lunar access services, such μNova, lunar surface rover services, fixed lunar surface services, lunar orbit delivery services, rideshare delivery services to lunar orbit, as well as content sales and marketing sponsorships; and orbital services, including satellite delivery and rideshare, satellite servicing and refueling, space station servicing, satellite repositioning, and orbital debris removal. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Intuitive Machines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Intuitive Machines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Luigi Mangione, 26, was charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Following his arrest, various claims about him circulated online, including speculation about an online manifesto that allegedly explained his motive for the killing. The post, attributed to "LM" on the blog site Substack, is titled “The Allopathic Complex and Its Consequences" and has been shared in various social media posts crediting Mangione as the author. VERIFY reader Tony texted us asking if the manifesto published to Substack is real. Is the viral online post on Substack appearing to be written by Luigi Mangione real? No, the viral online post published to Substack appearing to be written by Luigi Mangione isn’t real. Luigi Mangione had a three-page document with him when he was arrested that police say speaks to his alleged motive at the time of the killing, but claims the manifesto posted online was authored by Mangione are false. VERIFY analyzed excerpts of the handwritten document and found it doesn't match any of the language in the fake online manifesto. Substack also said it removed the account because it violates the platform’s content guidelines, “which prohibit impersonation.” During a Dec. 9 press conference , New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the handwritten document Mangione had on his person when arrested “speaks to both his motivation and mindset.” When asked if the handwritten document was posted online, the New York Police Department’s Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said, “Don’t know if it's online. As of right now, it's a handwritten three-page document.” While police haven’t publicly released the handwritten document, excerpts have been reported by various news outlets such as the Associated Press , The New York Times and CBS . According to these reports, the document was either independently reviewed or described to reporters by sources close to the investigation. The New York Times summarized the excerpts they reviewed, saying the handwritten document called Thompson’s killing a “symbolic takedown” of the healthcare industry and also referenced corruption and “power games.” CBS reported Mangione criticized the disparity between U.S. healthcare costs and life expectancy rates. We compared the quoted excerpts from the reports to the Substack manifesto posted online and found none of the language from the handwritten document appears in the manifesto. The fake manifesto also lacks any reference to healthcare costs or life expectancy rates. Substack didn’t provide details on when the account was removed from the platform, but VERIFY was able to use archived pages captured on The Wayback Machine to determine the account was likely created while Mangione was in police custody. The Wayback Machine allows users to view and access snapshots, or screenshots, of websites. This screenshot archive from The Wayback Machine of the Substack account attributed to Mangione was captured at 9:43 p.m. ET on Dec. 9. Text on the Substack page archived indicates it was created about two hours earlier, during the time Mangione would have been in custody. At around 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 9 , the NYPD announced Mangione had been arrested as a person of interest in Thompson’s murder. He was arraigned on Dec. 9 around 6:30 p.m., according to court records.PRAGUE, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- About 150 people were evacuated on Thursday in downtown Prague due to a gas leak, police and rescuers have confirmed. "A gas leak closed Opatovicka Street in Prague 1. 150 people were evacuated from six buildings," police said on social media platform X, calling on the public to avoid the area. The gas leak occurred in the early evening, with local medical rescue services reporting shortly after 7 p.m. that no injuries had been recorded. Firefighters said they had implemented fire prevention measures and worked closely with the gas emergency department to prevent any further leaks. "Concentrations are still being measured at the site of the intervention. Energy workers connect buildings back to power. Subsequently, the evacuees will return to their home," Prague fire brigade said in a latest post on X. The cause of the gas leak is not yet known.