The FSIS was notified that the German establishment produced a portion of the identified lots without inspection before its shipment to the United States for distribution. There have been no confirmed reports of illness through consumption of these products, however, concerned buyers are advised to contact a healthcare provider.

The recall covers the 5.29-oz plastic packages containing “Stockmeyer PROSCIUTTO Product of GERMANY” with lot codes 09118-3A, 09118-3B, 09120-3A, 09120-3B, 13133-3A, 13133-3B, 13104-3A, 13104-3B, 13105-3A, 13105-3B, 13109-3A and 13109-3B. 

Produced on dates between Sept. 25, 2023, through March 6, 2024, these recalled items have “BEST BEFORE:” dates of 4/28/2024, 5/26/2024, 7/7/2024, 8/4/2024, 8/11/2024 and 10/7/2024. 

Impacted states include California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

The FSIS advises buyers not to consume the product and to throw it away or return to the place of purchase.

Any further questions about the recall can be directed to Luann Servidio, Director of Imports, conSup North America Inc., at 973-628-7330 or L.Servidio@consup.us. 

Almost every building in the United States is being photographed by satellites or drones as part of the industry-funded Geospatial Insurance Consortium that uses aerial imagery to help insurance companies keep an eye on their policyholders. 

Elizabeth Davis found out her insurance company, Nationwide, was taking pictures of her roof after getting an email saying “imagery data” from a third party caused concerns that may “increase the chance for a loss on the property.”

“It felt kind of icky,” Davis said. “And it felt just kind of like somebody’s watching you.”

There was “natural discoloration and streaking,” and the remedy was to repair or replace the roof in order to retain Nationwide.

“I had a panic attack,” Davis said. 

She said she was floored to know her policy could be revoked because of a grainy image she didn’t even know was being taken.

“When we moved in, we knew that we were going to have to replace the roof within, you know, a few years,” Davis said. “Was it something that I planned on doing in the next three months? No.”

“I would say in the last 10 to 15 years we’ve really seen the use of drones and aerial photography and satellite imagery come into the insurance space,” said Sean Kevelighan of the Insurance Information Institute, an industry association. 

Aerial imagery originally was used during catastrophic events when humans were unable to reach certain areas destroyed by severe weather, Kevelighan said. It was safer and faster to pay claims.

Today, drones and satellites are being used for normal maintenance of policies by many insurance companies, Kevelighan said.

Insurers look for underwriting hazards like yard debris, damaged roofs, undeclared trampolines and swimming pools.

“I would say the technology, as much as it might be jarring to a consumer to understand that the insurer is monitoring a house, to have a safer roof, to make sure that that first line of defense of your home is better protected, I’d say that’s a win-win for the consumer,” Kevelighan said.

The use of drones or satellite imagery is legal to a point. State insurance divisions for both Maryland and Virginia said drones can be used to collect information. However, the Maryland Insurance Administration says there can be issues if drone imaging relies on technology such as artificial intelligence instead of human eyes to make decisions on potential risks. That’s why most states say insurers should rely on more than one source of information to determine risk. (Drones aren’t allowed in D.C.)

United Policyholders, a nonprofit that provides resources to consumers, says it has seen a dramatic increase in reports from consumers who’ve been dropped by their insurers on the basis of an aerial image, which they said could be “out of date or inaccurate.”

Davis said the image of her roof is more than a year old, which she knows because it doesn’t show the trampoline in her backyard that they installed a year ago.

News4 reached out to Nationwide about Davis’ case but did not receive a response.

She hired a company to inspect her roof and it found only a broken shingle and some bolts that needed to be sealed. She paid for the repairs the roofer suggested after getting approval from Nationwide, but her insurance company told her it wasn’t enough. Nationwide wants her to address the discoloration on the roof.

What to do if insurance company alerts homeowners to issues seen in aerial pictures

There are a couple of things homeowners can do if their insurance company uses an aerial picture of their property to identify issues:

• The homeowner has the right to ask to see the picture.
• The insurer must allow time to fix the problem or dispute the photograph.

The drones can’t be flown close and peek into windows.

And while the pictures can be used to drop homeowners, more often than not they may catch a problem homeowners can’t before it becomes very expensive to fix.

Assumable mortgages allow buyers to purchase their dream home with low rates. It’s an option that was a game changer for Sara and Terry Diamond, who spent months searching for the right fit when they were ready to purchase their first home.

Looking for space in the form of a bigger kitchen and a bigger lot, they settled on a house with a big yard for their kids. They finances it with an interest rate of 3.125%.

“Anyone I’ve told, you know, close work friends that work next to me and stuff like that, they think I’m lying to them,” said Terry Diamond. “They’re like, ‘3%?'”

“‘Did you mix those numbers up?'” Sara joked.

“I’m like, ‘assumable loan,'” Terry said.

An assumable mortgage, in basic terms, means a qualified buyer takes over the seller’s loan. That includes the interest rate, payment schedule and loan balance.

Some of you may recognize an assumable loan as a vestige of double-digit interest rates. In 1981, buyers were looking at 18%. But today, the Diamonds’ real estate agent says houses with assumable mortgages get lots of attention.

“It was a huge selling point,” said Chasatee Carbaugh, their agent with M&D Real Estate. “The reason they chose this home.”

As with any major financial decision, Carbaugh explains there is a list of trade-offs to consider.

The buyer would typically have a bigger down payment. For example, if someone is buying a house for $400,000, taking over the seller’s assumable mortgage with a $300,000 balance, the buyer would need to cover that $100,000 difference.

Carbaugh says it can be doable for owners who are coming out of a home that saw an increase in its value.

“Any home buyers that maybe bought their home when the market was great and everybody was happy, you know, between late 2018 to 2020, have a ton of equity.”

Another important distinction: Conventional mortgages are not generally assumable, other than very specific circumstances like a spouse assuming one in a divorce.

Only certain government-backed VA, FHA, or USDA loans can be transferred to a new buyer.

A new owner doesn’t have to be a veteran to assume a VA loan, but the seller should consider their VA entitlement. It would be tied up as long as the buyer keeps the old loan.

With FHA loans, real estate agent and broker Jared Tye points out that buyers typically have to pay a mortgage insurance premium, also known as an MIP.

“[It] never hurts to have your agent call and say, hey, what kind of loan do they have on the current house? Let’s see if we can get creative,” said Tye.

It worked for the Diamonds, who are now moving into a precious find.

“We had no idea what an assumable loan was before we dove into this,” said Sara Diamond.

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“We have a house that we can actually afford, that we can afford to upgrade throughout the years because we’re not spending $4,000 a month on a mortgage,” Terry Diamond said.

As with any big decision, read the fine print and do your research. It’s also a good idea to get qualified help.

Tye told News4 that a seller would want to ensure the assumption is approved by the lender to confirm they’re not on the note, if the new owner later defaults on their payments.

Buyers also have to meet certain criteria to qualify.

Finally, it may extend the amount of time and the fees involved in closing on the house. Carbaugh, the Diamonds’ agent, says it took them a little over 60 days to close on their home.

The product, Infinite Herbs organic basil, was sold in 2.5-ounce clamshell containers from Feb. 1 to April 6 in 29 states as well as in Washington, D.C., Trader Joe’s said on Wednesday. 

There have been 12 reports in seven states of people infected with salmonella, an organism that can cause serious or fatal illness, according to federal officials. One person was hospitalized.

“Seven of eight cases with information available reported exposure to fresh organic basil purchased from Trader Joe’s before becoming ill,” the Food and Drug Administration said on its website, adding that “traceback data” it had collected determined that Florida-based Infinite Herbs, LLC, had supplied the basil to Trader Joe’s.

Grego Berliavsky, the head of Infinite Herbs, said Wednesday that the company had voluntarily recalled the product. 

“I am heartbroken at the thought that any item we sold may have caused illness or discomfort,” he said in a statement. “We simply will not rest until we can once again be confident in the safety of this product.”

Berliavsky added that customers should check their freezers for the basil.

“Fresh basil naturally wilts and expires after five to seven days, so we are confident that the recalled basil is no longer available for sale,” he wrote. “However, if you have food in your freezer that includes Infinite Herbs organic basil purchased between February 1 and April 6, do not consume it.”

The basil had been sourced from a single farm, which is no longer in production, according to Berliavsky.

“We are working with the farmer to conduct an internal investigation of the food safety practices. Through this investigation, our goal is to determine the cause of this recall and apply measures to prevent it from happening again,” he wrote.

Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after infection, and while most people recover within a week without antibiotics, some may need medical treatment. The CDC says that children younger than 5, adults 65 and older and individuals with weakened immune systems are more likely to get serious salmonella infections, but anyone who has severe diarrhea, bloody stools, a fever higher than 102 degrees or prolonged vomiting may need antibiotics or to be hospitalized.

Salmonella causes about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the United States every year, according to the CDC. But official counts are likely an underestimate because most people recover without seeking medical help or without a confirmed diagnosis, said Barbara Kowalcyk, an associate professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Infections come from a variety of sources, including consuming contaminated food and water or touching infected animals and their environments.

In rare cases, salmonella or its toxins can enter the bloodstream, causing serious illnesses, death or long-term conditions like arthritis, Kowalcyk said.

“One of the things in food safety that we try to do is make people aware that it’s not just this bad tummy ache,” she said. “There are other health implications.”

Salmonella is not visible and cannot be smelled or tasted, Kowalcyk said. Trader Joe’s instructed customers to discard the packaged basil or to return it for a full refund. 

The FDA said infections have been reported in Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Wisconsin; the product was also distributed in Alabama, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Vermont.

The news comes a month after another large Trader Joe’s recall involving potential salmonella contamination. In March, the grocer recalled cashews sold in 16 states. No illnesses were reported in that instance. Earlier in March, Trader Joe’s recalled steamed chicken soup dumplings that federal officials said were potentially contaminated with “hard plastic from a permanent marker pen.”

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According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the body and power train control modules for these cars may fail to detect changes in battery charge. And when undetected, a low battery charge can cause an unexpected loss of drive power — including sudden stalling or inability to restart — and the use of other electric capabilities like hazard lights.

The recall covers about 403,000 model year 2021-2024 Bronco Sports produced between February 2020 and March 2024, as well as more than 53,000 model year 2022-2023 Mavericks manufactured from February 2021 to October 2022, a recall report dated Friday notes.

To remedy this issue, dealers will recalibrate the impacted vehicles’ body and power train control modules at no cost. Owner notification letters are set to be mailed out on May 13, a Tuesday NHSTA recall acknowledgment letter notes.

The software update is not available yet, a Ford spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press Wednesday, but should arrive by later in the second quarter. In a statement, the spokesperson added that “safety is a top priority, and we are taking proactive measures to address this issue promptly and effectively.”

As of Feb. 8, the NHSTA recall report notes, Ford was not aware of any injuries tied to the issue — but the Dearborn, Michigan-based the company noted 917 related warranty reports, 11 field reports and 54 customer complaints. There were also two property damage claims and three unverified fire reports.

This isn’t the only recall impacting Bronco Sport owners.

The NHTSA said last week that it was investigating the remedy Ford had proposed after the recall of nearly 43,000 select Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs, in which gasoline can leak from the fuel injectors onto hot engine surfaces, increasing the risk of fires. The NHTSA said remedy did not include repairing the fuel leaks.

A Virginia woman says she found herself in a financial mess after discovering that the used car she bought from a private seller wasn’t what she’d been told.

Barbara Aboagye, from Woodbridge, Virginia, thought that she’d hit the jackpot, and found “a dream come true,” she told News4.

“I saw this car, a 2015 Porsche Macan,” she said. “And I love it.”

There it was, Aboagye’s dream car, listed on Facebook Marketplace by a private seller from Pennsylvania, for $25,000.

The two arranged to meet, and according to Aboagye, the seller handed her a clean title. That means there were no liens on the car, and he owned it outright.

She then secured a loan with her bank. The seller got his check, and she got her car.

For 19 months, Barbara said she’s been paying down her loan and hasn’t missed a single payment. She even paid double some months.

But the joyride came to a screeching halt when, in early spring, she looked out the window and noticed her beloved Porsche was gone.

“I was like, oh my God, what is going on? Is this stolen?” Aboagye said.

She was even more confused when she called police and they told her it wasn’t stolen — it had been repossessed.

“I said, what is going on? How come?” she said.

Aboagye’s bank told her they didn’t repossess the car, and confirmed she was current on her payments.

So if her bank didn’t order the repo, who did?

After weeks of getting no straight answers, Aboagye contacted NBC4 Responds. We went to her house to see if we could get to the bottom of the mystery, and she gathered all of her paperwork for us.

After several hours and several phone calls to all the parties involved, we found the answer: The car was still under the seller’s name when it was repossessed.

That’s the same name that was on the supposedly clean title she was given.

The seller purchased the Porsche from Carvana in 2020, and financed it through Bridgecrest — Carvana’s finance company. According to Bridgecrest, the seller was delinquent on paying the loan, only making three payments in 2022.

The company said it repossessed the vehicle not knowing about the fraudulent sale.

When Aboagye called the man she bought the car from, he told her the car was paid for.

Bridgecrest is “working with law enforcement to understand what occurred and the unlawful actions the seller took to fraudulently sell the vehicle for which he never paid,” the company told News4.

Since Aboagye was able to purchase and register the car unknowingly using a fraudulent title, the vehicle identification number was linked to her home address, which is where the tow truck was sent to repo the car.

“I’m shocked,” Aboagye said. “I’m speechless. I hear stories and stuff like that but I never knew I would be a victim one day.”

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According to Ira Rheingold, the director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, title washing is the most common scam for vehicle titles.

“The person who sold the consumer the car clearly was the person who committed the fraud,” Rheingold said.

Title washing is when unscrupulous sellers “wash” a title to remove information, like liens or salvage.

“Fraudsters are out there. They’re always looking to take advantage of folks,” Rheingold said.

Luckily for Aboagye, her journey had a happy ending. While her repossessed dream car had been sent to an auction house, and was about to go on the auction block, both Carvana and Bridgecrest agreed to release the car so she could take it home.

“I feel so relieved,” Aboagye said as she got back behind the wheel. “Super happy. I can’t thank you guys enough. I am so grateful.”

News4 contacted the seller numerous times, but he never responded.

As for Bridgecrest, they told News4 they contacted several law enforcement agencies but haven’t heard back from any of them. They have not pursued any civil action against the seller.

How can I protect myself from title fraud?

When buying a car from a private seller, experts have a few tips:

• Ask for a photo ID and compare the names to those on the title to be sure they match.
• If the title is a duplicate, be wary and ask more questions. Ask where the original is and if you can see it.
• Get a CARFAX report. If it shows the car was salvaged, the title should reflect that. If it doesn’t, walk away from the sale.

The megastore noted that the chopper’s blade can run unexpectedly while assembling or when it’s not safely secured within the container, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. There have been five reports of lacerations, two of which required medical assistance, such as stitches. The injuries occurred during assembly of the product or during cleaning of the product, the recall stated.

The recall covers the mini choppers with model number MS14100094536S1. These rechargeable and cordless choppers have green lids, a white body and a clear plastic bowl where the label can be located.

The recalled mini choppers were sold exclusively at Walmart and online at Walmart.com from August 2022 through October 2023 for between $10 and $15.

It is advised that consumers should immediately stop using the item and contact Walmart to issue a full refund. Buyers also have the option of bringing the item to their nearest Walmart store for a refund. 

The recall covers certain Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, as well as Escape SUVs from 2022. All have 1.5-liter engines.

Ford says in documents filed with U.S. safety regulators that fuel injectors can crack, and gasoline or vapor can accumulate near ignition sources, possibly touching off fires.

Dealers will install a tube to let gasoline flow away from hot surfaces to the ground below the vehicle. They’ll also update engine control software to detect a pressure drop in the fuel injection system. If that happens, the software will disable the high pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power and cut temperatures in the engine compartment, according to documents posted Wednesday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

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Owners were to be notified by letter starting April 1.

The company says in documents it has reports of five under-hood fires and 14 warranty replacements of fuel injectors, but no reports of crashes or injuries.

In an email, Ford said it is not replacing fuel injectors because it is confident the recall repairs “will prevent the failure from occurring and protect the customer.” The new software also will trigger a dashboard warning light and allow customers to drive to a safe location, stop the vehicle and arrange for service, the company said. NHTSA documents filed by Ford say the problem happens only in about 1% of the SUVs.

The company also said it will extend warranty coverage for cracked fuel injectors, so owners who experience the problem will get replacements. Ford said repairs are already available, and details of the extended warranty will be available in June.

Ford said the recall is an extension of a 2022 recall for the same problem. The repair has already been tested on vehicles involved in the previous recall, and Ford said it’s not aware of any problems.

The company also said it isn’t recommending that the SUVs be parked only outdoors because there’s no evidence that fires happen when vehicles are parked and the engines are off.

Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, called Ford’s remedy for the fuel leaks a “Band-aid type recall” and said the company is trying to avoid the cost of repairing the fuel injectors.

A 1% failure rate, he said, is high, and even with the repairs, drivers still could be forced to exit a freeway at a low speed, placing them at risk of a crash.

NHTSA, he said, should do more to make sure recalls fix the root causes of vehicle problems rather than making less costly repairs.

In the past, NHTSA has said it does not have legal authority to pre-approve recall fixes. But in a statement Wednesday, the agency said it will “closely track their performance using field data.” The agency said owners who have questions should contact their dealership or Ford.

Brooks said Congress should change the law so the agency can “require something more than the rubber stamp that NHTSA is currently deploying” on recalls.

The agency, he said, has been more aggressive of late in investigating recall fixes. “That is a post-remedy inquiry that won’t make the fixes better, and further stretches out the process and leaves consumers in limbo,” he said.

The change in season often means a change in skincare routine. While a complete overhaul isn’t necessary, there are some adjustments to make when it comes to products to use.

“We don’t need our heavy, thick moisturizers that we needed in winter, but we are not quite ready to transition to a really lightweight product that we favor in the summertime,” said Dr. Randa Khoury, a dermatologist with Kaiser Permanente.

She says when it comes to spring skincare, moisturizers are still needed, even if it’s not as cold or as dry out anymore.

“We still want to think about protecting our skin barrier, and good choices for this time period are to look for moisturizers that say ‘oil free’ or ‘non-comedogenic,’ which means it won’t clog the pores,” Khoury said.

Khoury says to always use sunscreen with SPF 30 to 50. She prefers mineral sunscreens, which come in a range of tints and colors or clear.

“You still need a sunscreen every day, even if you’re not spending as much time outside doing winter sports, for which sunscreen is super important,” she said. “As we transition to the warmer months, we do start to spend more time out in sun exposed areas, and we definitely need sunscreen even more.”

And if using anti-aging products like retinol, she says it’s okay to keep using it during the warmer months, but with added protection from the sun.

“If you’ve already found something fabulous that works for you, by all means keep using it,” Khoury said. “But if it is something that contains a retinol or something that contains an acid that can make your skin a little more sensitive to sun, remembering to take proper precautions using sun protective clothing and appropriate sunscreens.”

She also suggested using acid-based products in the daytime rather than the nighttime.

And when it comes to the order of layering products on skin, here’s what dermatologists recommend:

“No. 1: your cleanser,” she said. “You want to start with washing your face. No. 2: your actives, and actives are going to be the things that we’re using to change the way our skin looks, feels and behaves. So, if you’re using a retinol, if you’re using a glycolic acid, a vitamin C, anything that we would consider an active that goes on clean skin, that goes on second. And then the final step, step No. 3, is going to be your sunscreen moisturizer. So, I love a combo product for the springtime. That’s a two-in-one. It’s going to give your skin some of that barrier protection and also give you fabulous sun protection. Now, if you’re a splitter instead of a grouper and you like to use a separate moisturizer and sunscreen, that’s the order: moisturizer first followed by sunscreen.”

Khoury tells patients to look for products that are water-based rather than oil-based in a more humid environment so it won’t clog pores.

If there are any skin concerns, be sure to talk to a dermatologist to come up with a personalized treatment plan.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recall includes certain lot codes of Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods, and Ariel Pods liquid laundry detergent packets packaged in flexible film bags that were manufactured between September 2023 and February 2024.

The recall states approximately 8.2 million bags were recalled, with another 56,741 bags affected by the recall that were sold in Canada.

The CPSC said the outer packaging containing the packets meant to prevent access to the contents can split open near the zipper track, posing a risk to children if the contents are ingested, as well as posing a risk of skin and eye injuries.

Ingestion of any surfactant-containing household cleaner in large amounts could potentially be fatal in individuals with underlying health issues.

The bags were sold at several major nationwide retailers, including Big Lots, CVS, Family Dollar, Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club and The Home Depot.

To see if your bag of detergent was affected by the recall, check the lot code on the bottom of the package. Lot codes impacted by the recall will be found here.

Six months later, most of those autos remain on the road — unrepaired — putting their owners, their families and potentially other people in danger of fires that could spread to garages, houses or other vehicles.

Hyundai and Kia have acknowledged that there’s little hope of repairing most of the affected vehicles until June or later, roughly nine months after they announced the recalls. (Hyundai owns part of Kia, though the two companies operate independently.)

The two companies attributed the delays, in part, to the huge number of vehicles involved, among the largest recalls they’ve ever done. The fires, they say, have occurred when brake fluid leaked onto the circuit boards of antilock braking systems, triggering an electrical short and igniting the fluid.

The companies say they’ve been unable to obtain enough of the needed parts — fuses that reduce the boards’ electrical currents — to fix most of the affected vehicles. Among them are some of their top-selling models for the 2010 through 2017 years, including Hyundai’s Santa Fe and Elantra and Kia’s Sportage and Forte.

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Hyundai and Kia have urged the vehicles’ owners to contact the companies or dealers if they see dashboard warning lights or smell something burning. In the meantime, both companies contend that despite the ongoing risks, the cars remain safe to drive.

When they announced the recalls in September, the two automakers reported that the defect had caused 56 vehicle fires and “thermal incidents,” which include burning, melting and smoking. No injuries or deaths have been reported, either before or since the recalls were announced.

Safety advocates complain, though, that the repairs are taking far longer than fixes from auto recalls normally do. Typically, such repairs begin in 10 weeks or less, though some can take longer if automakers cannot quickly determine the cause, which isn’t the case with the Hyundai-Kia problem.

While awaiting repairs, owners of the affected vehicles need to park outside and away from other vehicles to minimize the risks. In the meantime, safety advocates note that if too much brake fluid leaks, it could impair braking or lengthen the distance required to stop a car.

The long-delayed repairs mark the latest in a long series of recalls involving engine fires on Hyundai and Kia vehicles that have bedeviled the two Korean automakers since 2015. All told, 13 million of their vehicles have been recalled for engine problems since 2010.

With the current recall, auto safety advocates say they’re mystified about why it’s taking so long for Hyundai and Kia to obtain the necessary fuses, a relatively simple part. Some also question whether a fuse will reliably solve the brake fluid leak. Some critics say the companies may be trying to save money by identifying the solution as a new fuse, which is far less expensive than fixing the fluid leaks.

“They’re putting a Band-Aid on this thing,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety. “It looks like it’s a cheap fix instead of repairing the entire antilock brake system.”

Advocates say they wonder, too, why regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration haven’t forced the companies to repair the leaks.

A NHTSA spokeswoman said the agency is monitoring the effectiveness of the recalls and “is working with the automakers to ensure the highest level of safety.”

Hyundai has said that repairing the affected vehicles requires an intricate fuse assembly, with new covers and labels. Although just one fuse will be added to each vehicle, both automakers said they must obtain multiple types of new fuses to cover all models.

“To expedite the remedy,” Hyundai said in a statement, “we are working closely with multiple suppliers, emphasizing the high priority of the recall, and ensuring quality for the replacement fuses.”

A schedule that Hyundai filed with the government shows that owners won’t start receiving letters advising them to take their cars in for repairs until April 22 at the earliest. Most of them won’t get the letters until May or June — eight or nine months after the recalls were announced. Some owners of the affected Kia vehicles might not be notified until the end of June, documents say.

In a statement, Kia said the new fuses it’s seeking were developed to prevent fires, “regardless of what the cause of the electrical short circuit condition may be.” It said it’s working with parts suppliers to accelerate production of the fuses.

Both companies said that besides adding a new fuse, dealers will fix any brake fluid leaks that might be found during inspections. Brake fluid can leak if O-rings, which seal the fluid, lose strength if exposed to moisture, dirt or other contaminants in the fluid, according to Hyundai documents filed with NHTSA. If the fluid level drops significantly, Hyundai said, the driver would see a warning light.

Since September, more than 500 owners have filed complaints accusing the automakers of taking an unreasonable amount of time to make repairs, a review of NHTSA records shows. The Hyundai and Kia fires have continued to occur while owners await repairs; at least five complainants have reported engine compartment fires.

Several complainants said they fear driving the vehicles and want NHTSA to force the companies to provide loaner cars or at least speed up the pace of repairs. Hyundai told dealers last year that they should provide loaners — at Hyundai’s expense — for owners who don’t feel safe driving their vehicles. After an inquiry from a reporter, Kia said it, too, would provide loaners.

Some complainants say they were confused by Hyundai statements saying the recalled vehicles can be driven even though they can catch fire while the engines are running.

“This safety recall sounds urgent and incredibly dangerous,” an owner of a 2012 Hyundai Accent from Burbank, California, wrote in a complaint to NHTSA in December. (People who file complaints aren’t identified in the NHTSA database.) The owner couldn’t understand why Hyundai would say the Accent is safe to drive yet admit that it can still catch fire while being driven.

Both companies said that while fires remain rare, if they do happen, owners would smell smoke or see warning lights on the dashboard. The warnings would “allow for a safe exit from the vehicle,” Kia’s statement said.

But Brooks of the Center for Auto Safety argues that it’s irresponsible for the companies to assure owners that the vehicles are safe to drive when they know fires are possible. If smoke or warning lights should appear, he said, the companies can’t predict how long the occupants would have to escape or free children or other passengers who might be unable to get out on their own.

“There are a lot of (fire) situations where consumers simply weren’t aware,” Brooks said. “That is going to compromise the time they have to escape the vehicle if there’s a fire.” He urged every owner of a recalled vehicle to seek a loaner car from the companies.

Another complainant, from Austin, Texas, called on NHTSA to force Hyundai to fix the fluid leaks.

“They do not appear to be fixing the root cause of the issue,” wrote the complainant, the owner of a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. “Leaking brake systems are a safety concern of the highest magnitude, right up there with tires and steering. This is just insane.”

Ellen Maisano of Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania, said she parked her 2011 Kia Soul in her yard for four months until trading it in last January out of frustration with the slow repairs.

“I don’t want to be on the highway and catch on fire,” said Maisano, who also complained to NHTSA, which, in turn, referred her to Kia.

Nor did she want to leave the Soul near other vehicles in her workplace parking lot. And she worried about parking it in her garage.

“All I need is the garage to go up in flames,” she said.

Maisano and her partner had to share his car to commute to work, which became difficult after four months. Neither Kia nor her dealership nor her insurance company, she said, would pay for a rental car. So she decided to pony up $23,000 for a used Honda HR-V, with a monthly payment of $410 that she hadn’t wanted to spend.

Like some other owners, Maisano said she also worried, in light of an epidemic of Hyundai and Kia thefts, about her Kia being stolen when left outdoors. Many of the vehicles being recalled for potential fires also are at risk of being stolen if parked outside because they lack computer chips in the keys and ignitions that must match up before the engines can be started.

Thieves were able to easily steal the cars with a screwdriver and a USB cable, a method that was shared on videos on TikTok and other social media sites. To try to stop the thefts, Hyundai and Kia issued software updates in February 2023 and offered free steering wheel locks.

Documents that Hyundai and Kia filed with regulators show that the companies have traced the fire problem to brake control units made by Mando, a South Korean supplier. In October, after the Hyundai and Kia recalls, Mando issued its own recall, for 3.4 million anti-lock brake modules that can leak fluid.

Some of those modules also went to General Motors, which said it positions them differently from Hyundai and Kia. GM said it doesn’t know of any incidents involving the modules, and an internal investigation determined that there was no risk to customers.

Mando did not return messages seeking comment.

In November, NHTSA began investigating whether Hyundai and Kia should have acted faster to recall vehicles with Mando control units that could catch fire. Since 2016, each automaker has announced eight recalls, covering about 6.4 million vehicles with the brake units.

NHTSA documents show 92 fires attributed to vehicles in the 16 recalls, including the ones announced in September. In 2020, NHTSA forced both automakers to pay $137 million in fines and for safety improvements for being too slow to recall vehicles with engine problems.

Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, which conducts research for lawyers that sue automakers, said that while he welcomes NHTSA’s investigation, the agency should have required more recalls and repairs sooner.

“It’s remarkable that it’s gone on as long as it has without much scrutiny,” Kane said. “I don’t think this problem is over yet in terms of the recall situation.”

The faulty sensors can prevent air bags from deploying in a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Affected models are from the years 2020 through 2022.

Drivers with one of the affected models can take their car to a dealer, where a technician will replace the sensors. Owners should receive notification from the company by mail before the end of May.

The automaker says it has received reports of issues but no reports of crashes or injuries.

This is the third recall in the last four months due to issues with parts produced by the same supplier. Toyota and Honda recalled vehicles in December and February, respectively.

More:

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Check fraud has exploded, increasing by more than 100% in the past five years. And by the time fraudulent checks are detected, the thieves are often long gone. In most cases, banks will put the money back into their customer’s account, but not always. 

Hyman said his company recently wrote a check for $2,150 to one of its vendors who deposited the check into their bank. A few weeks later, Hyman’s office manager noticed something was off when she was checking the books. That single check, according to Hyman, was cashed nine times, draining the business account of more than $15,000.

“Somebody got a hold of that check and washed it,” Hyman said. “We were the ones who caught it. The bank never contacted me.”

The amounts and the check numbers were replaced along with the payee name, which was changed to names no one at Hyman’s company recognized. Only the note in the memo remained unchanged.

After filing a fraud report with Capital Bank, Hyman said they did return the entire amount back into his business account. But he said, without notifying him, the bank took some of the money back.

“Capital Bank of Maryland went back into my account and took out $6,400,” Hyman said. “They said that they can’t get the money back from the bank that the checks were cashed at, so they’re out $6,400 and they wanted to split it with me.”

Hyman said he reluctantly agreed to split the difference and then switched banks after 30 years of being a customer.  

“I would think that the bank, after 30 years, would stand up to, you know, a relationship that we have and help out,” Hyman said. 

Capital Bank’s CEO told the News4 I-Team he couldn’t discuss Hyman’s case because of privacy laws. But when fraud is suspected, the bank will provisionally return money to a customer’s account while they investigate.

Adam Rust, the director of financial services for the Consumer Federation of America, says by law customers, including businesses, are entitled to be reimbursed for check-washing fraud under the Uniform Commercial Code, which sets standards for banks.

“Ultimately, the depositing bank has liability, but it will be between your bank and that bank to determine how the actual liability is shared,” said Rust.

Rust says when it comes to commercial banking, the UCC does hold businesses more accountable for ensuring the security of their checks.

“Businesses write many checks and businesses write checks for larger amounts,” he said. “So, it’s really important for a business to be looking at their checkbook quickly to see if checks are showing up on the register when they wrote them.”

Hyman said his frustration isn’t about losing $3,200, it’s about principle. His company no longer writes checks. Instead, transactions are done electronically.

“If we do need to write a check, it’s written from the bank and mailed from the bank. We do not write it. But 99% of our vendors now will take ACH wire transfer,” said Hyman.

The I-Team reached out to all the banks involved. Hyman’s former bank, Capital Bank, said it did investigate the fraud, but Hyman said he never heard the outcome. TD Bank, where some of the checks were cashed, told the I-Team it refunded two of the fraudulent checks but have not received any other claims from Capital Bank. A TD bank spokesperson said if they do receive the necessary claims, it will work to help recover the other funds. United Bank, where the original check was deposited, said the I-Team was the first to alert them to any fraud issue and that no one ever contacted them regarding an investigation.

How to protect your checks

• If you suspect a check was washed, contact your bank immediately,
• Even if your bank reimburses you, close the original account.
• Freeze all of your credit reports.
• If possible, avoid writing checks and use electronic forms of payment.

Reported by Susan Hogan, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Jeff Piper.

According to documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the “integrated charging control unit” that is responsible for charging the car’s 12-volt backup battery may become damages and stop charging. This could result in a loss of power while driving, increasing the risk of accidents.

The recall impacts 98,878 Hyundai vehicles and 48,232 Kia vehicles.

The recalled models are 2022-2024 year Hyundai IONIQ 5; 2023 and 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6; 2023 and 2024 year Genesis GV60, GV70 and GV80. 

Kia is recalling its 2022 through 2024 year EV6.

Impacted owners will receive a letter advising them of the recall some time in May. 

Dealers will inspect and replace any defective charging control units free of charge. Owners will also receive a software update for the control unit.

Help paying utility bills in DC, Maryland or Virginia

First, there’s the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP). This program helps with outstanding energy bills.

“What LIHEAP does, it provides grants to eligible residents who may need assistance with paying their utility bill,” Pepco’s Ronni McTier told us. “This can include homeowners. It can include renters. It can include people who are rooming.”

LIHEAP is a federally funded program based on income eligibility. The grant amount varies on where you live. Payments are made directly to the utility company and are applied to your account.

“And these are grants that they do not have to pay back,” McTier said.

Don’t assume you’re not eligible based on your income. These programs can raise eligibility income limits, so it’s better to apply, go through the process and let the agency determine your eligibility.

To learn where to apply, go to LIHEAP.org. Then select your state and county to be directed to your local handling agency.

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Help paying water bills in DC, Maryland or Virginia

Now to your water bill: For assistance, you can apply to the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). This program works similar to LIHEAP, provides grants to low-income households with past-due water bills.

To apply in the District, contact the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment.

In Maryland, visit myMDTHINK.Maryland.gov.

And in Virginia, the program is administered by the Virginia Department of Social Services.

Congress created this program during the pandemic. Funding for the program expired last year, but some states still have money remaining. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis or until funding runs out.

Several U.S. senators are asking Congress to continue funding LHIWAP for the 2024 fiscal year.

A Maryland homeowner who uses propane to power her heat and water heater told News4 she’s never had a problem with her tanks but added, “I will always have my nose listening for that smell of cabbage.”

However, the recent propane tank explosion in Sterling, Virginia, certainly raised concerns among homeowners who have similar tanks and now wonder about the integrity of theirs.

“You can’t just set it and forget it,” said Holly Burgess, who works for the National Fire Protection Association, a nonprofit that sets the standards and codes for propane tanks. “Maintenance is key.”

Experts like Burgess say propane is relatively safe to use, but homeowners should still look for signs of wear and tear on their tanks.

“So, what you’re looking at is, is there any sort of pitting in it?” Burgess said. “Is there any sort of rust?”

But Burgess warns that’s about all the visual inspection homeowners should do. The rest should be left to experts.

“You should have a local gas company that’s going to come out,” she said.

“They’re going to check for leaks and they’re going to follow everything that’s in that code,” she added.

According to the Propane Education and Research Council, aboveground tanks and underground tanks are relatively safe since they’re manufactured to government-approved standards. But periodic maintenance is necessary.

If tanks are leased from a propane supplier, that supplier is subject to compliance inspections regarding tank maintenance and will maintain that tank.

If a homeowner thinks there is a leak, the primary indicators are pungent odor and a hissing noise. However, a gas detector is another tool that alerts homeowners of a gas leak inside.

Loudoun County Mar 19

‘They're bombs': Gas leaks present daily risk throughout DMV

Virginia Feb 17

Volunteer firefighter killed in Sterling house explosion; 4 first responders still in hospital, officials say

Natural gas is another option for homeowners to power their stoves, heat, dryers and water heaters, but just as with propane, maintenance of appliances is the key to keeping families safe.

Steve Himmelfarb of Washington Gas walked News4 through simple tips to follow, starting with a gas stove. He said the flame should be blue and steady

“If there are any wavering colors of yellow, it’s an indication that the appliance needs to be looked at by a professional,” he said.

Insulation wrapping a hot water tank could be a fire hazard and should be removed.

Also, make sure to replace or inspect HVAC filters monthly. Not doing so could result in clogs leading to fires and a buildup of carbon monoxide.

Regardless of whether using propane or natural gas to fuel a home, that rotten egg odor means get out immediately. Don’t bother shutting off lights or appliances and don’t even use a cellphone until outside. Just by turning the lights on or off could trigger an explosion.

Illinois supplier John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. is voluntarily recalling the snack, according to a notice published Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration. 

The announcement comes after an investigation found a limited number of incorrect honey roasted cashew labels were applied to the plastic cans of coconut cashews during the manufacturing process. According to the FDA, no adverse reactions have been reported. 

The cashews are packaged in 8.25-ounce cans with a blue label. 

Recall Alert Mar 7

Shredded cheese recall over listeria concerns in 15 states affects food-maker Sargento

Recall Alert Mar 3

Trader Joe's chicken soup dumplings recalled for possibly containing permanent marker plastic

The impacted cashews were sold online at Walmart.com and distributed in select Walmart stores in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia.

“If this product is still in your possession, do not consume it,” the FDA notice said. “Please discard the product or return the product to a Walmart store for a full refund.”

The recall impacts Chinese-made Insignia air fryers and air fryer ovens sold between Nov. 2021 and Nov. 2023, according to a Thursday notice published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The air fryers and ovens cost between $32 and $180 and were sold in stores and online at Best Buy, on eBay.com, and by varying third-party sellers. 

The announcement comes after Best Buy received 24 reports of the air fryers overheating, melting, or glass shattering. While no injuries or property damage occurred, some reports say the air fryers caught on fire. 

The recalled model numbers include NS-AF34D2, NS-AF5DSS2, NS-AF5MSS2, NS-AF8DBD2, NS-AF10DBK2, and NS-AF10DSS2. Although Best Buy says it has contacted all known customers directly, owners can find out if their air fryer or air fryer oven is impacted by checking the underside of the product. 

The CPSC is asking anyone with a recalled air fryer or oven to immediately stop using it and to apply for a refund in the form of a check or store credit by visiting https://www.recallrtr.com/airfryer. The recall notice asks customers not to return their product to Best Buy stores. 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Real estate expert Evelyn Miller, a partner at SMART Settlements, says there are some things that can be done if the assessment seems too high.

“The first thing that you should do is, is first of all, open your bill and open it right away,” she said. “Don’t delay, because if you do want to appeal your bill, these things are time sensitive. In most cases, you need to appeal within 30 to 45 days of receipt of the notice to make sure you actually open your bill. And then I would say scrutinize the bill. So, look line by line and make sure that everything is accurate. So, the size of your lot, for example, the amount of bedrooms listed. You want to make sure that there are no obvious errors. If there are that could be a really good reason to appeal.”

Usually, the notice comes with instructions to appeal — an online portal or form, depending on the jurisdiction.

How do tax assessors evaluate market value

“They do come out and actually audit the property,” Miller said. “Like, they can come out and actually view the property. They also look at comps in the neighborhood, so comparative sales. And the tax assessor is actually trying to capture the market value of your property. So, for example, if you just purchased a home and you purchased it on the open market, your tax assessment is most likely going to be almost exactly whatever your sales price was.”

Some homeowners may wonder why their tax rate is larger than their neighbor’s even if they have the same kind of house.

“Sometimes there are mistakes,” Miller said. “But one thing to consider in both D.C. and Maryland, there is this thing called a homestead cap. So, if you are at the home as your principal residence, you can apply for homestead. Most people do. And if the county grants you the homestead cap, then what happens is that your taxes are cap. They cannot go up by more than 10% in a year. So, if your neighbors have had homestead for the last 15 years, then obviously their taxes may not be at market value. If you just purchased your house, the tax assessor is going to try to capture that sales price and what the real market value is right now.”

Talk to your real estate agent

Miller shared her main takeaway for homeowners.

“One of the best ways to kind of make a quick assessment of whether the assessment is too high is actually to talk to your real estate agent and ask your realtor if they can do a quick CMA, a comparative market analysis, for your property. They will pull the comps. This is the same thing that the tax assessor is supposed to do. But this is a really easy thing that most realtors are happy to do for you. Ask your realtor to pull comps for you, and you can easily kind of get an idea of whether your assessment is too high and whether it’s worth on appeal.”

Deadlines to appeal property tax assessments

Washington, D.C.

• April 1 is the deadline for appealing property tax assessments. If April 1 falls on the weekend, the deadline is the next business day.

Maryland

• Appeals must be filed within 45 days of the notice date.

Arlington County

• March 1 is the deadline for appealing property tax assessments to the Department of Real Estate Assessments.

City of Alexandria

• March 15 is the deadline to request a review of the January assessment.
• June 1 is the deadline to request an appeal of the January assessment.

City of Fairfax

• April 7 is the deadline to submit an administrative appeal.
• June 30 is the deadline to file an appeal with the Board of Equalization (BOE).

City of Falls Church

• April 17 is the deadline for appealing an annual assessment to the assessor.
• June 2 is the deadline for appealing to the BOE.

Fairfax County, including Braddock, City of Fairfax, Clifton, Dranesville, Dulles, Franconia, Herndon, Mason, McLean, Mt. Vernon, Providence, Reston, Springfield, Sully, Tysons, Vienna

• April 3 is the deadline to submit an administrative appeal application.
• June 1 is the deadline to file an appeal with the BOE.

Loudoun County, including Hamilton, Hillsboro, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville, Round Hill

• March 18 is the deadline to submit the online request for assessment review with the Office of the Commissioner of Revenue.
• June 1 is the deadline to file an application with the Loudoun County BOE.

Prince William County

• June 1 is the annual deadline for filing an administrative appeal with the Real Estate Assessments Office.

No Sargento-branded products sold in traditional grocery stores were affected. The recall has been linked to one supplier, California-based Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc., that has also affected numerous other cheese brands.

Sargento released a statement saying its recall impacted “a limited amount” of its food service and ingredients products.

“On February 5, out of an abundance of caution, Sargento voluntarily recalled the products that were supplied by Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc. and products that were packaged on the same lines,” it said. “This recall did not impact Sargento-branded products. Sargento immediately terminated its relationship with Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc. and immediately notified our customers.”

According to the FDA, the wider Rizo-Lopez recall has resulted in 26 illnesses, including two deaths and 23 hospitalizations as of February 22.

According to information posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website, the Sargento-specific recall affects thousands of various cheeses distributed to Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

The most heavily affected items were white cheddar cheese products, with 2,633 cases being recalled. These had best-by dates of between March and June 2024.

The recall was initiated Feb. 5.

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Here are some popular tax benefits to inquire about.

Students

For students or those who have student loans there are a couple of tax credits and deductions that might apply.

Student loan interest deduction allows borrowers to write off up to $2,500 from their taxable income if they paid interest on their student loans.

The American opportunity tax credit lets you claim all of the first $2,000 you spent on tuition, books, equipment and school fees.

Parents 

The child tax credit is for families with children under 17 years old that meet income requirements. The credit gives up to $2,000 per child, with $1,600 of it being potentially refundable. That amount could increase to $1,800 in 2023 taxes if the Senate approves the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.

For child-care expenses, thechild and dependent care credit covers a percentage of day care for children younger than 13. It can also be applied to a spouse, parent or dependent that is unable to take care of themselves.

Home improvement 

Those who made upgrades to their homes like energy-efficient window, doors or heat pumps ask a tax professional about the energy efficient home improvement tax credit. It can put up to $3,200 back in your pocket.

The Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service noted that the now-recalled dumplings, which are produced by the California-based CJ Foods Manufacturing Beaumont Corp., may be contaminated with foreign materials — “specifically hard plastic from a permanent marker pen.”

The recall arrives after consumers reported finding hard plastic in the Trader Joe’s-branded products, FSIS said. To date, no related illnesses or injures have been reported.

FSIS urged consumers to check their freezers. The 6-ounce “Trader Joe’s Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings” under recall were produced on Dec. 7, 2023 — and can be identified by their side box labels with lot codes 03.07.25.C1-1 and 03.07.25.C1-2.

In an online notice about the recall, Trader Joe’s asked consumers to throw the impacted dumplings away or return them to any store location for a full refund.

A spokesperson for CJ Foods Manufacturing Beaumont Corp. told The Associated Press that the company was investigating the issue, which happened during the manufacturing process. In an emailed statement, the food maker added that “customer safety remains our No. 1 priority.”

Foreign object contamination is one of the top reasons for food recalls in the U.S. today. Beyond plastic, metal fragments, bits of bugs and more “extraneous” materials have prompted recalls by making their way into packaged goods.

In a recent letter posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, GM said 570,434 trucks may be affected by the issue, which may cause tailgates to inadvertently unlatch as a result of a short-circuit from water intrusion.

Affected models include 2020 through 2024 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierras.

In addition, approximately 249,000 vehicles sold in Canada were affected by the recall, according to records on Canada’s motor vehicle recall database.

Earlier this month, GM said the recall affected approximately 323,000 U.S. vehicles.

GM has not received any reports of major injuries or property damage related to the issue. Only 1% of the recalled vehicles are estimated to have the defect.

Dealers have been instructed to replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies.

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The Atlanta-based fast-food giant said in a message posted on its website, that customers who took home its Polynesian Sauce dipping cups between Feb. 14 and Feb. 27 should throw them away because they may contain an entirely different sauce that includes wheat and soy allergens.

Customers with questions about the recall can contact Chick-fil-A CARES at 1-866-232-2040.

While the message did not disclose what sauce the Polynesian sauce cups mistakenly contained, the only sauce with wheat and soy allergens listed on its website is its Sweet and Spicy Sriracha.

Chick-fil-A’s Polynesian sauce is described as “a delicious sweet and sour sauce with a strong, tangy flavor” on their website. It first debuted in 1984 alongside Honey Mustard and Barbeque, according to the company’s website.

Though it’s a fan favorite among customers, the Chick-fil-A Sauce remains the most popular condiment made by the restaurant, which began selling 16-ounce bottles in 2020.

But for most people, the biggest monthly expense is housing. And while the cost of your rent or mortgage is a longstanding issue, the sky-high housing prices we’ve seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic haven’t made it any easier to afford homes.

So what gives?

Is inflation the reason my rent/mortgage is so high?

Sort of.

Housing is notoriously tough to afford in most major cities. Zumper, a real estate company that also collects data on housing prices, found that the median rent price for a one-bedroom in Washington, D.C., was $2,330 on average in November 2023. That made D.C. the ninth-most expensive American city in which to rent a home of that size.

Zillow also tracks data on rental prices, and uses what it calls the Zillow Observed Rent Index to track the “typical rent” in an area. It’s an average, adjusted to keep expensive properties from weighting the number up, of all the rental properties in a given area.

For D.C., that index was $2,269 as of January 2024.

The problem of high rents came to a head after the deepest part of the pandemic ended. A glut of work-from-home employees who were no longer tied to a physical office then chose to move around the country. Most cities weren’t prepared with enough empty houses and apartments to handle the surge in demand, driving prices up.

Then add our old friends … enemies … frenemies — inflation and supply chain disruption — to the cost of building materials, and we have a problem.

Now, rent spikes do seem to be improving finally in some U.S. cities, according to Zumper, as renters stop relocating and a housing surplus looks like it may force prices down.

But the problem of high housing costs for both buyers and renters started long before the work-from-home reshuffle. Back in 2018, then U.S. Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez notoriously couldn’t afford an apartment in D.C. on her bartender salary and was waiting to move to the District until her congressional salary kicked in.

And that’s just when it comes to rent. High interest rates on mortgages, put in place to combat high inflation, made it more expensive to buy a home than the already expensive, pre-pandemic starting point.

Even worse, those problems feed into each other. According to Bankrate, the high cost of buying a home was one of the largest contributors to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) in December. The CPI is one way to measure inflation, which is contributing to those high home prices in the first place.

But that hasn’t been affecting all U.S. workers the same way.

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We’re all experiencing the housing market — and the economy — differently

Just as inflation and sluggish wage growth hit young workers and low-income earners harder than other groups, the issues of high rent and high mortgage rates are uneven.

For example, at the same time that so many people are struggling to afford housing, the U.S. saw its highest-ever share of Americans who own a home without a mortgage. In D.C., the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that around 7,000 more people in D.C. lived in a home they owned mortgage-free in 2022 than in 2010.

Young people entering a strong job market amid unaffordable home prices are experiencing the economy differently than their parents or even those just a half-generation older.

“Buying the first house is a very difficult proposition,” said Ron Hill, a marketing professor at American University. “And you look at what [young peoples’] incomes are and you look at the price of housing in Washington D.C. — it’s incredibly different than when I first bought my first house in Washington DC in 1985… They’re looking at multiples of their income that make it almost intolerable to think about it.”

Those who were old enough, and had saved enough, to buy a home before the 2008 recession benefitted from easy-to-obtain loans at the time, according to the Washington Post. Then, with low interest rates during the recession, “many borrowers were able to switch into shorter-term mortgages without jacking up their monthly payments, allowing them to pay off their loans at an accelerated rate,” Bloomberg reports.

In the same period, real estate prices rose for everyone yet to buy a house, and loans became more difficult to get, especially for people with lower credit scores, the Post reports. That change in the housing market moved the finish line for people who began later.

There’s no one perfect way to describe the way the economy is going for so many groups being affected in such wildly different ways — so it’s no wonder we all feel a little bewildered. It’s part of the same problem puzzling President Joe Biden as he trots positive economic metrics in front of an apathetic voting public before the general election.

Hill said the future “is always uncertain,” but certain statistics point to continued housing struggles for buyers in the next five to ten years.

“What we know is that prices continue to rise over time in the aggregate, with some areas increasing at a faster rate, while others may even decrease,” Hill said in an emailed statement. “Still, the wages of middle class and working-class consumers are not rising at the same rate as professional class consumers, and no one is outdistancing the top 5% who own most of the national wealth.”

“Thus, most of the country (about 60% or so) will struggle even more to buy in the future unless creative options (not financing) are available or there is a return of better paying jobs that do not require college,” a proposition Hill called “unlikely.”

Still, the federal government, and some localities, are working to address the longstanding issue.

Arlington County, for example, passed its “Missing Middle” plan last March to allow developers to build multiple units on a single family lot, creating more opportunities to build homes. Alexandria debated a similar plan back in September, and voted to end single-family-only zoning in November.

Last July, the Department of Housing and Urban Development took steps aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing while also bolstering protections for renters. $85 million in funding was given to communities across the U.S., to reduce barriers to affordable housing, such as zoning restrictions that in some places have become a hurdle to increasing the supply and density of affordable housing.

The Associated Press, News4’s Digital Managing Editor Carissa DiMargo and Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan contributed to this report.

Everything is expensive right now. We’ve all heard that the price spikes are due to the unfortunate circumstances of 2020 and beyond: the quarantine, the worker crunch, the supply chain issues, the international wars.

“…Things got particularly expensive during that period,” said Ron Hill, a marketing professor at American University. “And some companies haven’t rolled back those costs at all.”

But the S&P 500 (the index that tracks stock price performance for the 500 biggest companies in the stock market) ended Feb. 22 with a new record high. And with corporate profits in the last quarter of 2023 higher than at any other point in the year, companies seem to be doing just fine.

After four years of time for the market to adjust around the issues above, inflation has only now started to slow. So, to many people, the climb of inflation being considered “natural” is starting to seem like nonsense. And to some, the more likely explanation seems like “greedflation.”

How costs impact companies’ estimated profits

In order to price goods and services at a level that will allow companies to make back the money they spend and make a profit, they have to estimate what stuff will cost in the future.

For example, if the previous year saw a lot of forest fires and higher gas costs, lumber may have been harder to come by and harder to transport across the U.S. That means a furniture company in D.C. would need to anticipate higher costs, and raise the price of their tables and chairs accordingly to make back what they spend running their business.

According to Hill, that whole process is not an exact science.

“We have to remember that prices, even though it sounds like it could be very scientific … most of it is really guesswork,” Hill said. “And so organizations typically determine their prices based on what they expect things to cost in the future, rather than what they’ve cost necessarily in the past.”

Some of the increases in price really do come down to supply chain disruptions and skyrocketing demand in ways that no company could predict (hello, toilet paper hoarders of 2020). The times really were unprecedented.

That’s the explanation Andrew Glover, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City, gave to NPR. Essentially, he believes that companies overshot their estimates of how much costs would increase from 2021 to 2022, creating a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy of inflation.

But some of the increases in price, Hill said, are not just misplaced estimates.

“Sometimes it is greed,” he said.

Hill, in addition to his time as a professor, has worked as a consultant for a number of corporations. He says that some of the statements companies make about their own profits are inconsistent, depending on the audience.

“When I look at most statements that companies, corporations, give to the federal government when they file their tax returns, they’re trying to say, ‘We didn’t make any money,'” Hill said. “And then if they’re trying to go out to their stockholders and other people, they’re trying to say ‘We made so much money!'”

Corporations are made up of people, and people are by and large trying to make a living from their jobs, Hill said. But most of the companies he’s worked with as a consultant or interacted with as a professor are focused on increasing profits year over year — sometimes to the detriment of other goals.

“The truth is, most organizations, particularly those that think of themselves as for profit, are constantly looking for ways to take more from consumers and to give less back to them,” Hill said. “And that’s the way in which they describe profit.”

How much does inflation come down to ‘greedflation’?

Many factors — a tight labor market, supply chain challenges, wars on the other side of the planet — contribute to inflation. That can make the amount that corporate greed contributes to the problem a little fuzzy and difficult to parse.

 So, what facts can we examine to determine what role soaring corporate profits play in high inflation?

There have been a number of reports on the phenomenon since prices started creeping up. One widely covered report released in January by progressive think tank Groundwork Collaborative came to a stunning conclusion:

“From April to September 2023, corporate profits drove 53% of inflation,” the group said on the webpage for the report. “Comparatively, over the 40 years prior to the pandemic, profits drove just 11% of price growth.”

The report argues that corporate profits have stayed high even as input costs (the expense of providing a good or service) have gone back to pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, it says, corporate profits now make up a greater proportion of the U.S.’s national income, while the share of corporate income that workers see has continued to go down.

Other outlets and opinions columnists have other explanations. Those range from calling increases in profits a logical response to high demand, to arguing that price increases aren’t corporate greed because there’s also been an increase in workers’ share of national income, compared to the previous decade. But that ignores the fact that workers’ share had declined for most of the early 2000s and for the first half of the 2010s.

According to Hill, the timing of the price changes — and the areas those prices went up and stayed up — implies some profiteering.

“Following the pandemic, organizations were able to change their price structures to fit the fact that demand often exceeded supply,” Hill said. “It’s a natural tendency to increase things. What’s different is, they continue to do that. They continue to do it particularly in areas where the products were absolutely essential for people to buy.”

Over time, those increases became normal to us.

“We got used to seeing prices go up, particularly in certain food items and other kinds of products,” Hill said. “Housing went way up, et cetera. So what happened over time is, marketers and companies have decided they can continuously increase their prices, and they can do that particularly in goods and services that we absolutely need. So why not do that if you can get away with it?”

What can we do about ‘greedflation’?

The problem — especially for lower income workers, people on fixed incomes and young workers without much in savings — is that you can’t forego necessities. No matter how much of your paycheck it cuts into, you need food to eat, a home to sleep in, and transportation to and from your job.

“People are wondering why, under inflationary circumstances, people are continuing to buy such items,” Hill said. “They’re doing it because it’s the only way in which they can continue to survive and even hope to thrive.”

Some Americans were able to save more during the pandemic than they could under other circumstances, and those folks emerged from the months of quarantine with cash to burn. But many Americans, by some measures up to 78% of them, are living paycheck to paycheck, with no ability to save.

“When you can’t put nutritious food on the table, when you can’t pay your rent, when you can’t pay the electrical bill or your heat, when you can’t make the payments on your car, what do you decide to do with the money that is coming in for the most part? It’s triage,” Hill said.

“It’s like looking at physicians who are dealing with a catastrophic event. You’re trying to do what you have to do in order to survive in a particular moment, because that’s going to allow you to get by today. Maybe not tomorrow, but you’ve got to get by today to see tomorrow,” he said.

A large swath of the population that has to choose between saving for retirement or making rent is bad news for consumers.

So what can we do about it?

One piece is government regulation, Hill says, but it’s not exactly easy.

“We know that the government will often say it’s illegitimate to change prices over time if there’s some kind of natural disaster or some other calamity that causes people not to have access … but it’s very rare for our government to step in and say to a private company, ‘You can’t raise prices because we don’t want you to,'” he said.

A few members of Congress have introduced legislation related to “greedflation” since pandemic-related inflation took hold. Back in 2022, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and a handful of other lawmakers introduced a bill to prevent price gouging. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., tried again in February of this year with some of his colleagues, introducing the Price Gouging Prevention Act.

But such efforts have been slow-moving and mostly unsuccessful.

The other way to limit corporate greed, Hill said, is greater competition between companies.

“We don’t have what we would think of as a natural competition because there are what we call barriers to entry,” Hill said.

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For instance, it’s hard to start a new grocery chain right now, for example, because a new owner can’t compete easily with other chains that already have 500 locations.

“And when those barriers to entry are really high, then we end up having a handful of companies selling these goods or services to consumers … and the consumers don’t have a lot of options,” Hill said.

Consumers can’t pick an alternative to Coke or Pepsi, for example, because most fast food restaurants carry one or two particular brands, Hill said. And while there are lots of other sodas, a majority of them are owned by the Coca Cola company and PepsiCo.

But there are efforts in the federal government to change those circumstances.

As mentioned above, senators and members of Congress have brought forth legislation aimed at companies that price gouge and profiteer.

Increasing economic competition has also been a focus for President Joe Biden during his time in office. In July 2021, Biden signed an executive order that created the White House Competition Council, a group dedicated to efforts that “increase competition and deliver concrete benefits to America’s consumers, workers, farmers, and small businesses.”

“…When there are only a few employers in town, workers have less opportunity to bargain for a higher wage and to demand dignity and respect in the workplace,” the White House said on a webpage about the Council’s efforts.

The Justice Department has also brought antitrust lawsuits against several giants of the American economy, including Amazon, Google, and Penguin Random House and Simon and Schuster. There are also rumors of an antitrust lawsuit being brought against Apple as early as this March.

Such efforts might help increase competition and lower inflation and other price hikes when in technology, books, and groceries. But the biggest piece of most people’s monthly budget, housing, has a little more to it again. You can read more about that here.

News4’s Digital Managing Editor Carissa DiMargo and Digital Content Producer Sophia Barnes contributed to this report.

Unfortunately (and you can learn why here), most of those prices are probably staying where they are. And if prices can’t go down, there’s one other option to get us out of the woods: wage increases for workers struggling to afford basic necessities.

A majority of Americans, around 64%, did actually see an increase in wages at some point between October 2022 and the end of October 2023, according to a survey from Bankrate. Of those surveyed, 38% said they got a pay raise, 16% got a better-paying job, and 10% said they got both.

But if a majority of workers saw bigger paychecks in the past year or so, why do so many people still feel as though everything is too expensive?

Inflation is still outpacing wage growth for many groups

The answer, once again, comes down to the inflation rate. Of the workers surveyed who did get a raise, only 33% said their income kept up with, or exceeded, increases in their household expenses due to inflation, according to that survey.

“[P]retty close to six in 10 Americans say that they feel like the economy is in a recession,” according to another poll by Bankrate, said Sarah Foster, a researcher covering the U.S. economy and the Federal Reserve for that company.

As the New York Times reported in November, we’re in something of a “vibecession,” where economic data showing a strong economy has made little impact on public opinion, especially among young people.

“Social media reflects — and is potentially fueling — a deep-seated angst about the economy that is showing up in surveys of younger consumers and political polls alike,’ the Times said. “Young people are especially glum: A recent poll by The New York Times and Siena College found that 59 percent of voters under 30 rated the economy as ‘poor.'”

The Associated Press, in a poll conducted in October with the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that “about three-quarters of respondents described the economy as poor.”

It’s what Foster referred to as a “tale of two economies.”

“This is a remarkably strong job market. We thought before the pandemic, we were living in the strongest job market in half a century,” she said. “But now the job market has fully eclipsed that,” with unemployment lower than 4% for “the longest stretch of time since the 1960s.”

That’s part of the reason why, in recent years, so many Americans could negotiate for raises or find better-paying jobs. If there are fewer people unemployed, employers can’t replace workers as easily, making it more likely they’ll negotiate with their current workers. Men and millennials were among the most likely groups to see raises of 5% or more between 2022 and 2023, Bankrate found, as were workers who left old jobs and found new positions.

But, Foster said, at the same time that “workers are seeing this remarkably strong job market, they’re not necessarily feeling like they’re reaping the benefits of it, because inflation at the same time took off. And it took off at a much faster pace than their wage growth.”

Bankrate’s quarterly analysis of inflation and wage growth showed that wage growth was three percentage points lower than overall inflation.

The economic bad vibes affect different groups in different ways

That inflation-versus-pay gap hurts more for some groups, such as people working in “retail and food services and accommodation,” Foster said. “…Those are those lower-wage industries where, you know, maybe you are, on a technical standpoint, beating inflation, but you’re also in this lower wage sector that likely had you living paycheck to paycheck even before inflation surged,” she said.

And, while the economy is doing well by many broad metrics that the government and economists use to determine things like whether we’re entering a recession, the inflation that exists is noticeable, to say the least.

“There is the belief in — and it’s driven by political forces — that our economy is not doing well,” said Ron Hill, a marketing professor at American University. “But unemployment is at a low level, and inflation is beginning to come down. The problem is where inflation does exist, it exists in places where people see it.”

It’s visible at gas stations, and at the grocery store, Hill said — and it’s felt most by people who have the least wiggle room to deal with it.

Economic research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, highlighted by the AP, points out that people with lower incomes essentially face a higher inflation rate, “because they spend a greater proportion of their income on such volatile expenses as food, gas and rent — items that have absorbed some of the biggest price spikes” from inflation.

Other groups feeling the squeeze more include seniors on fixed incomes, Hill said, and “people just entering the market, just coming of age, just starting their careers after high school or after college, that are trying to get into the material game and finding it very difficult to do.”

Karen Ergenbright, the executive director of Dulles South Food Pantry in Loudoun County, Virginia, is seeing these effects at work.

“We have seen a 26% increase in individuals coming to the pantry between 2022 and 2023,” Ergenbright said.

The number of visitors to the food pantry over age 60, Ergenbright said, has increased by 33% over the same time period.

That has been the group responsible for most of the increase, she added, but she’s also seen a few more college-aged people when she’s worked on the ground helping with distribution. The pantry is also feeding roughly 250 families per week, or around 1,000 families a month — up from the year before.

The number of visitors has increased steadily alongside rising inflation rates, and it’s gone up more from 2022 to 2023 than it did during the period Ergenbright associates more closely with pandemic hardships, between 2020 and 2022.

And those changes are taking place in a county that has been counted as the richest county in the U.S. for the past 12 years.

“But even though they say that — 3.32% of the Loudoun County population is in a state of poverty,” Ergenbright said. “That’s about 13,700 people out of 411,000 people …. It’s kind of staggering to think that the one of the richest counties in the nation — in the nation! — still has issues with food insecurity.”

In such cases, even if wages do go up, workers don’t feel like they’ve won, so much as they feel like they’re drowning more slowly.

“Especially since the pandemic, we’ve been accustomed to horrible economic news,” Foster said. So even though “there is a lot to celebrate about the economy” in a broad sense, the way most Americans look at the economy is different than the way economists do.

“If Americans were to really define a recession,” Foster said, they might say it’s “the inability to afford their basic necessities, to afford the occasional wants, and maybe the feeling of struggling to pursue your financial goals.”

Inflation on its own puts the feeling of economic security in jeopardy, “whereas economists are actually looking for broad-based declines in multiple measures of economic growth,” Foster said.

Add the loss of pandemic-era assistance for child care and the return of student loan payments to all that inflation, and it’s no wonder so many Americans feel like the economic vibes are atrocious, even as wages creep up over time.

Still, questions remain about whether the slow movement in wage hikes is actually a more sinister desire to pad corporate profits. Read about whether corporate “greedflation” is actually responsible for some of the inflationary pressure here.

News4’s Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan, Digital Managing Editor Carissa DiMargo and Digital Content Producer Sophia Barnes contributed to this report.

The reason for all those elevated prices is, you also may have heard, mostly inflation. (There may be other factors behind price increases, but you can learn more about that here.)

Inflation increases during the pandemic have hit many Americans hard — and for Americans on fixed incomes, with low wages or just entering the job market, it hit even harder, according to Ron Hill, a marketing professor at American University.

“What we’re finding is the people with the greatest restrictions in their ability to buy — because they have lower incomes, lower access to credit, and they typically have families where they have lower incomes and lower access to credit — are still forced to buy food, and the kind of products that have gone up over time,” Hill said.

Even as prices go up, people still need to eat, and these groups can’t mitigate inflated costs by saving in other places, Hill said.

But if inflation causes so much pain, why don’t economists think it’s universally terrible?

What good does inflation do?

According to Sarah Foster, a researcher covering the U.S. economy and the Federal Reserve for Bankrate, inflation isn’t inherently bad or concerning for the economy — as long as wages keep pace with it.

In fact, Foster said, “a little bit of inflation is actually better than no inflation at all.”

“Goldilocks inflation,” as Foster calls it, gives American workers bargaining power to argue for higher wages over time.

That’s why so many companies offer annual pay raises. For employers to keep the workers they have, to avoid spending more money on hiring and training new employees, salaries need to keep pace with inflation. Otherwise, employees effectively are taking pay cuts.

It’s also why many people can earn more money if they move to a new company. If their current employers won’t pay an adequate wage for skills a competitor wants, workers can leverage their abilities and the cost of living to negotiate their pay upward.

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Why is it bad to have no inflation?

If inflation dips too low, it might be a sign the economy isn’t growing very fast, which makes it harder for workers to bargain for those raises.

The problem with inflation comes when it increases too much. When the bargaining process between workers and companies moves slower than inflation, salaries don’t cover people’s expenses. That’s when people have trouble affording coffee that suddenly costs $50 more over the course of a year.

Rather than leaning on deflation, the better solution to the problem of “my paycheck doesn’t cover my expenses,” according to Foster, is to increase the amount of money in your paycheck.

“I think what actually would be important for Americans to feel better is if their wage growth fully recovers and their purchasing power beats inflation,” Foster said.

The obvious next question, of course, is: Will wages ever increase enough to match the recent increases in inflation?

For some lucky Americans, that wage increase has already taken place. For others, economists are hopeful that it’s on the way. You can learn more about that here.

News4’s Digital Managing Editor Carissa DiMargo, Digital Content Producer Sophia Barnes and Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan contributed to this report.

Aside from a blissful lack of novel coronaviruses and major acts of political violence, 2019 — while imperfect — was also a much more precedented time when it came to the economy. Your wallet already knows this, but those hefty grocery bills aren’t a figment of your imagination.

For example, in December 2019, the cost of a dozen large, grade A eggs was about $1.53 on average in any given U.S. city. In December 2023, the same dozen eggs cost $2.50 on average. (And that full-dollar increase doesn’t even mention the bird-flu-related price spike up to nearly $5 for a dozen eggs, on average, at the beginning of last year.)

Those price increases add up to a big difference over time.

Looking at the average price of eggs over the course of 2019 compared to 2023 drives home the literal cost. If you buy two cartons of eggs a month, every month, for a year, you spent roughly $33.60 more in 2023 than you did four years before. Just on eggs.

Here's another example: A pound of roast coffee grounds bought in any U.S. city set you back about $4 in December 2019. But four years later, it cost about $6.09.

Two bags of coffee per month, every month, for a year? There's some data missing for the early months of 2019, but you likely spent around $48.60 more in 2023 than you did in 2019.

This is all according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau compiles retail, food and energy prices in U.S. cities over the course of a month to get an average price each month of the year for different staple goods. Their database gives an idea of how much prices increase from year to year overall.

And the graph of average prices over the past 10 years for most basic consumer goods — gas, milk, bread, sugar, chicken — goes from slightly-above-flat to a 45-degree-angle increase all around the same time: 2020.

The rise in prices in 2022 and 2023 means your dollar doesn't go as far now.

Here's the good news: Inflation IS slowing.

But with so many expenses increasing, it's hard to take a victory lap heralding that good news. In fact, it's hard to believe that the economy is in good shape at all, for some.

Why are prices still high?

The short answer: A slowdown in inflation is different than prices simply going down. That's called deflation.

Inflation is not the same as a one-time price spike. Inflation means "broad-based increases, rather than kind of one-off jumps based on supply and demand," said Sarah Foster, a researcher covering the U.S. economy and the Federal Reserve for Bankrate.

"I like to equate it as taking a pay cut," Foster said. One expense increasing isn't inflation on its own — but if gas, groceries, housing and subscription costs all creep up, it's a different story.

There are a lot of reasons for inflation-sparked price increases. The price of something might go up if that commodity gets more expensive to make or provide — for example, if a war in Europe's biggest grain-producing country makes it difficult to export grain to the rest of the world.

It could also go up if the seller realizes people have more money to spend than they used to and thinks they could make a bigger profit. (There's been some debate about how many recent price increases are actually due to companies raking in profits under the guise of rising overhead costs. Learn more about that here.)

Basically, inflation just tends to happen as time goes on, for one reason or another, when you have an economy based on continuous growth. It's not inherently bad or concerning for the economy — as long as wages keep pace. (Learn more about that here.)

In fact, Foster said, "a little bit of inflation is actually better than no inflation at all." Learn more about why here.

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Why can't prices just go back down?

The slowing of inflation — disinflation — means prices are rising more slowly. Those U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics graphs that all show increases around the beginning of the pandemic often show that steep 45-degree slope lowering in mid-2022.

The rate that prices are going up is not as steep as it was when the pandemic began. We've avoided runaway inflation, but that's different from what many people actually want to happen: deflation.

Deflation does happen occasionally. It's actually happening in a few sectors of the U.S. economy as of February 2024, as the wild price spikes that took place during the pandemic start to normalize again. Physical goods that got more expensive due to those infamous supply chain issues -- appliances, furniture, gas, eggs -- have gotten a bit cheaper.

But unfortunately for your budget, deflation is typically bad for the economy.

"Deflation is really one of those kind of economic boogeymen," Foster said. "I think a lot of economists would consider deflation to be even worse than inflation, because it can actually interrupt the bargaining power, like we were talking about earlier for workers."

The short explanation: When there's a chance something could be cheaper later, buyers are more likely to wait to spend their money. It's the same reason you probably don't buy all your holiday gifts the Thursday before Thanksgiving: Why buy something for $20 now, when it's likely to drop to $10 in a week?

If too many people stop spending money while they wait for prices to drop, the economy grinds to a halt instead of growing — which makes the money sad, and could lead to a crash.

"Deflation, economists... they would not really look kindly on falling prices, and actually, prices are far unlikely to go back to those pre-pandemic levels," Foster said.

So, while inflation has indeed slowed since 2021, we're probably not going back to 2019 prices. Those prices have gone the way of the dinosaurs... and the way of those deeply appealing, oft-viral prices for prefabricated Sears homes in the 1920s.

If hearkening back to the grocery bills and home prices of the past has left you wondering how on earth inflation could be a good thing, you can read more here.

News4's Digital Managing Editor Carissa DiMargo, Digital Content Producer Sophia Barnes and Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan contributed to this report.

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The recall covers certain trucks from the 2022 and 2023 model years.

Toyota said in a statement Tuesday that welding debris left on the ends of the axles can cause some nuts to loosen over time and eventually fall off. That can cause the part to separate from the axle, which can affect stability and brake performance.

Toyota wouldn’t say if there have been any crashes or injuries caused by the problem.

Dealers will inspect the rear axles and tighten retaining nuts at no cost to owners. Any damaged components will be repaired or replaced. Customers will be notified by mail in late April, the company says.

The recall is for 338,238 of Chrysler’s 2021-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L and 2022-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles.

The automaker says in documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the upper control arm ball joint and steering knuckle may separate and cause the wheel to fall outward, which could result in losing control of the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

Individuals with impacted vehicles will be able to go to dealers to have the upper control arm pinch bolts replaced for free.

First, her $2,800 Kenmore fridge with an LG compressor inside died in late 2019. She filed for warranty service but after two months of replacement parts failing and Thanksgiving approaching, she broke down and bought another LG fridge. It lasted four years and then had the same problem, she said.

“Same thing. I didn’t even bother calling them,” the homeowner said.

Anderson’s not alone. News4 searched our nationwide Responds complaint database. Over the past few years, our NBC and Telemundo sister stations around the country have heard from dozens of upset LG and Kenmore refrigerator owners.

“Can’t get anyone to fix the compressor,” Maria in Maryland said.

Terese in Philadelphia said her fridge failed when it was just seven months old.

“Technicians have been to my home seven times,” Bernadette in San Diego said.

“Fix lasted one week. I have had a total of six repair visits and have not had a working refrigerator for two months,” Kaare in Los Angeles said.

‘It’s a nationwide issue’

Los Angeles attorney Azar Mouzari represents plaintiffs who are now suing LG. She says her firm is focused on a critical part called the linear compressor inside LG and some Kenmore refrigerators. It’s what keeps the food cold, she said.

LG literature says the linear compressor uses less energy and makes less noise than other compressors. The company offers a 10-year warranty and boasts online of 20-year durability.

But Mouzari argues in the lawsuit that that linear compressor’s actual lifespan is nowhere near 10 years, let alone 20. Her suit claims they frequently break down far earlier, and she claims LG knows it.

She asked a federal judge to make her lawsuit a class action because she believes droves of families are facing the same breakdown.

“Thousands, if not tens of thousands. I mean, we have been inundated with calls,” she said.

“It’s a nationwide issue,” she said.

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LG previously faced litigation over its refrigerators, including compressor failures. In 2020, LG settled a different class action lawsuit.

Mouzari’s suit is new and makes a new claim: fraud. She argues in the suit that LG is defrauding people like Anderson because it continues to make a linear compressor that falls short of its 20-year durability.

“We know that they’ve known about this issue, and they know that the rate of failure is just unreasonably high,” Mouzari said.

Her suit names several major, national chain stores that sold LG refrigerators.

“Those retailers were aware of the issue,” she said.

We contacted LG and Kenmore about the lawsuit. LG told our Responds team in Los Angeles that that company does not comment on pending litigation.

But it is fighting the suit in court. When LG settled the previous class action suit, the agreement said LG, “specifically denies any alleged defect in the LG refrigerators.”

Kenmore says it no longer sells refrigerators with an LG compressor.

Mouzari says the new lawsuit is gaining traction and has 102 plaintiffs.

She wants LG to extend people’s warranties up to 20 years and refund anyone, like Anderson, who says they bought a dud LG or Kenmore.

“I think they should make it right, and I think that they should do a recall, similar to an automaker,” Anderson said.

If you own or owned an LG or Kenmore refrigerator and bought it after 2018, you can go here to learn more about the lawsuit.

“It is always important to have some type of security to protect your investment,” said Jeff Dawkins, the owner of charged up customs in Rockville, Maryland.

Dawkins specializes in anti-theft devices for vehicles and says his business stays busy due to the uptick in crime.

“I got more requests for alarm systems due to, you know, theft or … even just wanting to keep track of your car just to make sure things don’t go wrong overnight,” he said.

And a lot can go wrong, which is why some new vehicles have factory tracking devices. But Dawkins says you can’t solely rely on those.

“When cars are stolen, the first thing that is done is to disable the battery. Disabling the battery will pretty much disable all the electronics in the car, including whatever factory tracking devices were installed from factory,” he said.

GPS tracking devices

Consider getting a separate GPS tracking device with a built-in battery that can last several hours, so you can track your vehicle even if the car battery is disabled. We found several different types of vehicle tracking devices, ranging from $25.99 to $150, but most seemed to require a subscription.

If you’re on a budget, you can use Apple AirTags. They may not always be accurate GPS tracking devices, but they can be an affordable solution.

Dashcams

To keep an eye on your car, consider a dashcam. While you might think of them as something for drivers to have a record of any crashes, they can also work as anti-theft devices.

Dashcams capable of motion detection, multiple camera angles and parking monitor sensors are easily found online and are affordable. But there are dashcams like the ones Dawkins installs that offer a higher level of protection.

“If someone closes your door, hits your car, or bumps into it, and it turns itself back on,” he said.

The dashcam can record what’s happening for about 30 seconds to a minute and will save it to the cloud for you.

But keep in mind that cameras that offer cloud storage rely on internet connections to upload the footage and could have a subscription cost.

Ignition kill switches

Another great option is an ignition kill switch: “Once they turn the car off, they won’t be able to start it back up again,” Dawkins said.

The kill switches Dawkins installs range from $50 to $200 before installation, and they also require a subscription.

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All-inclusive systems

Then there are the all-inclusive systems that have trackers, cameras, sirens, kill switches — but those could run several hundred dollars, depending on how many features you add.

“You can add sensors, sensors that detect, you know, glass breaking, jacking if your car’s being towed away,” Dawkins said.

When the system detects something is wrong, a notification will be sent to your phone. But for those who can’t break the bank, affordable ideas such as window tinting and steering wheel locks also could make a difference in deterring a thief.

More quick tips

There are also a few common-sense things you can do to try to avoid becoming a victim:

• First, never leave anything of value in your car. Always take your wallet, keys and phone.
• As soon as you get in your car, lock the doors.
• Park close to entrances and well-lit areas
• And trust your gut. If you see someone walking around who seems suspicious, go back inside or stay in your car and until the person leaves.

And if you’re being carjacked:

• Give up your car.
• Avoid verbal and physical altercations.
• If there’s a child in the car, tell the carjacker, “My child is in the car.”
• Call 911 as soon as you can.

The bottom line: These types of crimes are crimes of opportunity, so make sure you don’t make it easy on them.

The recall covers certain Toyota Tundra pickups and Lexus LX 600 SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years. Also included are 2023 and 2024 Toyota Sequoia SUVs.

Toyota said Wednesday that certain parts of the vehicles’ automatic transmissions may not immediately disengage when shifted into neutral. That can transfer some engine power to the wheels. The vehicles could creep forward at low speeds on flat surfaces if the brakes aren’t applied, increasing the risk of a crash.

The company wouldn’t say whether there have been any crashes or injuries.

Dealers will update the transmission software to fix the problem.

Owners will be notified by late April, Toyota said.

Neighbors in this Alexandria, Virginia, community are hoping there’s power in numbers as they band together to take on their power company in their fight for accountability.

“The night that it happened, the power went out, but then it came back on and then went off, and came back on again, and it was popping all over the house,” said resident Dana Goward.

Dominion Energy said equipment failure caused two power surges, right before Christmas.

Losing their power was temporary, but it was the surges that followed when the lights came back on that caused appliances to go haywire.

“Our air conditioning unit, the compressor blew,” said resident Tina Takish. “The air conditioner is toast.”

Takish said it will cost $7,000 to replace the air conditioning unit.

Resident Lisa Harter said the transformer of her HVAC system was damaged, and she had to pay $620 to have a thermostat replaced.”

Goward also had some damage: “Our electric charger to our electric vehicle, and that was more than $500,” she said.

Connie Delorme said an outlet that was attached to a surge protector was destroyed.

Mary Rowland lost couple of surge protectors and has black smoke marks on her power box and on her cable box.

Marcia Gordon said, “I heard a bang. It cost me over $4,000 to get a new breaker box.”

These stories are just the tip of the iceberg. The neighbors sent NBC4 Responds a spreadsheet of 46 homeowners who have damages totaling more than $57,000.

Dominion Energy says it investigated the outage and subsequent surge and found an “unanticipated equipment failure” on their end. The homeowners filed claims with the power company, trying to get paid for the damages, but the company denied them.

When News4 asked Dominion Energy why, the company responded: “Unanticipated equipment failures … much like lightning strikes, are beyond the reasonable control of the company and fall to the property owner or their insurance company to fix.”

You can guess this explanation didn’t go over well with the residents.

“I mean, there needs to be some accountability,” Takish said.

Another homeowner, Jeanine Lauth, said, “It seems to me, if it was their faulty equipment, they should be responsible for damage.”

However, when people sign up for utility service, they sign a contract that’s loaded with all types of terms and conditions, and those contracts often can be hundreds of pages long. If you were to read through Dominion Energy’s terms and conditions, settle in for a bit: It totals 366 pages.

“Not all of it is super legible to the average person,” said Kajsa Foskey of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, which advocates on behalf of utility customers.

“So you might be signing something that says, if this particular thing happens, the utility is not liable for the outcomes. They’re not responsible for damages or paying for it,” Foskey said. “And sometimes, folks don’t understand that that’s what they’re signing up for.”

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Recalls Feb 21

15.5 million Toshiba laptop adapters recalled after hundreds overheat and catch fire

And if you don’t agree with the terms of the utility company, unfortunately, the way the system is set up, she says, you’re stuck with them.

“If you live in a particular service area, your provider is going to be whoever has the contract with that particular area to provide the service,” Foskey said. “I mean, realistically your options are: Move.”

The homeowners also filed complaints with the State Corporation Commission, which regulates utility companies in Virginia. But Lisa Hartley and Marcia Gordon said that was a dead end, too.

The homeowners shared emails from the commission that said it “does not adjudicate damage claims. Damage claims need to be filed directly with the utility company” or their insurance company, or “filed through your local civil court.”

When News4 asked the commission what complaints would fall under their jurisdiction, they told us issues including billing, metering and bad customer service.

“I don’t know how anyone could listen to all of us and everything that we’ve just thrown out there and just not assume liability?” resident Lisa Harter said. “That’s not, that doesn’t make sense to me.”

Customers do have a right to request the commission to initiate a formal investigation, which is a public process in which the utility company will need to issue a response. The homeowners said they’re going to try this next and will let us know the outcome.

Dynabook, the firm formerly known as Toshiba, said has received 679 reports of the recalled adapters overheating, catching on fire or melting, with 43 of those resulting in minor burn injuries. 

The impacted adapters were sold separately and with Toshiba brand laptops at stores nationwide and at Toshiba.com between April 2008 and April 2014.

The recalled adapters are black and have date codes between April 2008 through December 2012 in either a year-month date format — for example April 2008 is “0804” — or a week-year date format — for example week 15 of 2008 is “0815.” 

To see the full list of recalled model and serial numbers click here or search for your model here.

Anyone with an impacted adapter is urged to stop using it immediately and contact Dynabook Americas for a free replacement.

To contact Dynabook Americas and see instructions on getting a replacement, consumers should visit https://support.dynabook.com/axx2024 and send a photo of their adapter with the cord cut to dba-acadapter2024@dynabook.com. 

The company noted that the salad kits were processed on the same line as a cheese that had been previously recalled by the manufacturer, Rizo-Lopez Foods.

While Listeria predominantly impacts young children, the elderly or those with weakened immune systems, others can suffer short-term effects such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The infection has also been found to cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. To date, there have been no reported illnesses associated with this voluntary recall.

The recall covers many of Dole’s salads, including Chopped Kit Avocado Ranch, Chop Kit Avocado Ranch Chop Kit (Ranch A L’Avocat), Premium Kit Southwest Salad, Cajun Ranch Chopped Kit, Premium Kit Endless Summer, Supreme Kit Southwest Salad (Supreme Kit Salade Du Sud-Ouest), Southwest Salad Kit (Sud-Ouest Kit de Salade) and Chopped Salad Kit Bacon Ranch Crunch. The notice states that no other Dole products are part of these voluntary recalls.

These recalled salads were distributed in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, along with Canadian provinces Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec.

The recalled items have “best if used by” dates between Feb. 3 and Feb. 21 along with lot codes, UPC numbers and specific product names.

While Dole retailers have been told to check store shelves and warehouse inventories to confirm no recalled salad kits are available for purchase, the company recommends consumers who still have any of these products in their household to discard them immediately.

Reported losses from romance scams reached a staggering $1.3 billion in 2022, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

“I usually pick my victims from the ages of 38 to, maybe, 60 to 65,” said a man who calls himself Christopher Maxwell. “Single women. I look for women that’re single that have kids, and they need someone to take care of them, to love them.”

He said he searched for divorced women who posted profiles on dating platforms, Instagram or TikTok, and used a picture of an American military service member on his profile to lure victims.

“Sometimes you have to be patient for months,” Maxwell said. “Sometimes I can get money in three days.”

 He said he used sob stories as to why he needed money — from being deployed and not having access to his bank account to needing money for his kids, a car payment or rent.

“Definitely, she would want to help me, because I’m her boyfriend,” he said.

For women who wanted to actually chat on the phone with their new boyfriend, Maxwell said he perfected his American accent.

“If you’re talking to someone online, a stranger that you don’t know, um, you can ask for a video call,” he advised. “If someone is refusing to talk to you on a video call for absolutely no reason, it’s a scam.” 

With his last victim, who he said he scammed out of $20,000, Maxwell said he became so remorseful when she got sick and went into debt, he decided to confess to her.

“I felt so guilty,” he said. “I showed her my face on video call. She cried. She did not block me.”

Now Maxwell consults with American company Social Catfish, which helps spot scams and uncovers scammers by using reverse search technology to search and verify identities. Cofounder Brianna McClellan says there are warning signs.

“You met someone, and they’re professing their love to you right away followed by someone asking you for money, gift cards, wire transfers, anything,” she said. “Anything that has to do with money being sent, red flag.”

She advised doing a reverse image search on Social Catfish or other platforms to verify whether the person is truly legitimate.

Maxwell said he profited about $100,000 over his five years of scamming women. He said he was arrested by local authorities in Nigeria and paid a $250 fine and never spent a day in jail. He did not elaborate on the charges.

TikTok and Instagram will remove content that purposefully deceives and exploits people, so it’s extremely important to file a complaint reporting the posts to the platforms. Dating apps work the same way.

Companies have racked up more than $9 billion in sales in the past year alone, and social media helps draw preteens in.

“Tweens have really become an economic force. They get money as gifts. They work. There are teens who are influencers,” American University professor Sonya Grier said.

One video of Kim Kardashian’s daughter North using beauty products generated millions of views from young consumers.

“There’s a huge industry of influencers that has developed specifically to focus on teens and tweens,” Grier said. “Oftentimes, it’s kids of the same age. They may be celebrity children. The connection of someone that I’d like to be like with a product then says, ‘If I use that product, I can be like them.’”

The marketing professor said companies are specifically targeting a younger demographic with money to burn.

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Tween skincare craze: One family's experience and a dermatologist's advice

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Nearly 1 in 3 teens say they’re on YouTube or TikTok several times per day, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll. Almost 1 in 5 say they’re on it constantly, which helps drive demand.

“We know that tweens in particular are dealing with identity concerns and ‘Who am I?’ They’re also very influenced by peer pressure,” Grier said. “And so companies will identify ways to target-market that build off of these types of issues and look at their past behavior.”

Grier advised having healthy conversations with kids about skincare and changing the way we talk about aging.

Sephora and Ulta Beauty have become havens for young people. Ulta told NBC News it does not “proactively” promote skincare to adolescents.

“As guests are shopping for younger skin types, education around ingredients and products focused on specific skincare needs is more important than ever,” the company said in part.

So, how do we teach tweens to be critical?

“They’re not going to be as critical because there are all these other cues, because my friends are doing it, because the influencer that I like is doing it,” Grier said. “So, it’s an uphill battle to really push against that.”

The Federal Trade Commission has rules in place that marketers have to abide by when it comes to pushing products to a younger audience. But this is a big business that shows no signs of letting up. Estimates show the global skincare market could reach $167 billion in sales by 2030.

Stay with NBC Washington for stories all this week on the tween skincare craze, from a dermatologist’s advice to a look at potential mental health effects.

A child and adolescent psychiatrist warns that while the trend has some benefits, it could lead to trouble.

“Starting early with caring for yourself, being concerned with your skin, doing all the things that you need to do to maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit are all very positive,” said Dr. Asha Patton-Smith of Kaiser Permanente. “The challenge is how much time is being spent on this, what the goal is and when it doesn’t seem to be working well or seems to be obsessive or excessive.”

Patton-Smith said it’s important for families to remember that preteens are still developing their own self-concept and self-esteem.

“Developmentally, there is some kind of unsurety or insecurity in that space,” she said.

Nearly two-thirds of parents say their child is insecure about some aspect of their appearance, a recent poll by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at University of Michigan Health found. One in five said their teens avoid scenarios such as being in photos because they’re too self-conscious. The poll also found that adolescents were more worried about their skin and acne than about their weight.

A child psychiatrist shares advice for families on the tween skincare trend

For families with children who are interested in skincare and beauty products, Patton-Smith offered some advice.

Try to listen non-judgmentally: Be an “active, supportive, non-judgmental listener.”

Educate kids about what they see online: Teach kids to be critical of what they see. Talk about the filters used on Instagram, “the fact that everyone’s not perfect” and how reality may be different than it seems online.

Set a good example: Be careful about what you say about your own appearance or the appearances of others. “You can show them more than you can tell them. If you’re making comments about your body or other bodies or people that you see on TV or social media, that’s negative. Kids hear that and can be affected by that.”

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Talk about “the why”: Try to have an open conversation with your kids about why they want a product. “If it seems that, hey, you know, ‘My friend got this product and says it’s amazing and their skin feels great,’ OK, fine. Within moderation, within a price range that makes sense.”

Teach acceptance: Teach kids that products can feel nice or help enhance you, but “it’s not to change you, because we love you the way [you] are.”

Keep an eye out for any changes in behavior: It’s normal for young people to have some insecurities. But families should look for any changes in their child’s behavior, such as:

• saying negative things about themselves
• appearing to be more socially isolated
• appearing to be so obsessed with a certain thing that it interferes with daily life

If you’re concerned, seek help from a pediatrician or mental health provider.

Stay with NBC Washington for stories all this week on the tween skincare craze, from a look at marketing to one family’s experience and a dermatologist’s advice.

Families have run into problems with the new form, including technical issues, incorrect aid estimates and hours-long waits on the phone to speak to a human.

The agency is taking the following steps:

• Significantly reducing verification requirements: The agency will select fewer FAFSA applicants to go through what usually is a very lengthy verification process to avoid identity fraud. Now that the department receives most income data directly from the IRS, there’s less of a need to verify a student’s information.
• Suspending new routine program reviews through June: These reviews usually are conducted to confirm a college meets the Department of Education’s requirements for eligibility to receive federal funds. The temporary suspension allows colleges more time to focus on putting together financial aid packages for students.
• Deploying federal personnel: The Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Office is deploying teams of federal experts to under-resourced schools.
• $50 million in federal funding: The agency is allocating the moneyto nonprofit groups specializing in financial aid support and services. 

These steps do not address is the hours-long wait times just to speak to a human.

In the meantime, several nonprofit groups throughout the area can help answer FAFSA questions.

Washington, D.C.

• D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education FAFSA Completion Initiative
• College Board

Maryland

• Ask CollegeTracks (Montgomery County) and First Generation College Bound (Prince George’s County)
• Montgomery College
• Prince George’s Community College

Virginia

• The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria (for the city of Alexandria)
• College Access Fairfax – Opening Doors to the Future  (for Fairfax County and city)
• Educational Credit Management Corporation

FAFSA

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“My nighttime routine is, first, I cleanse my face. Then I do toner and face spray, and then I do lotion,” she said.

Her 11-year-old sister, Colleen, loves all things skincare too.

“I use a gua sha. It depuffs your face or, like, shapes it. You’re supposed to put it in the fridge or freezer to make it cool at night, so it feels refreshing,” she said.

The sisters from McLean, Virginia, are part of the beauty industry’s newest and youngest consumer group: Generation Alpha, which is made up of children born in 2010 and later. Gen Alpha is putting a priority on their skin and spending big bucks in the process.

“It’s the craze amongst all their friends right now,” the girls’ mother, Kristen Bogacki, said.

She said her daughters are often influenced by their friends and by social media, and that their routines are more elaborate and expensive than hers. But she said she sees benefits.

“It’s cool now to wear moisturizer with SPF. Instead of tanning, they’re wearing tanning drops,” she said.

Dr. Cheri Frey, a board-certified dermatologist and professor at Howard University’s School of Medicine, said she sees benefits of the tween skincare trend too.

“I want to take the positive from it. There was a time where I had to really aggressively try to get tweens to even wash their face once or twice a day,” she said.

A dermatologist shares skincare recommendations for tweens

Creating healthy skincare habits is important for young people, Frey said.

But be sure to read labels. Some products contain chemicals that can irritate a child’s skin and cause long-term damage, Frey said.

“If it’s before puberty, we have to be careful to avoid a lot of harsh ingredients – things that are going to disrupt the skin barrier. So, I ask them to stay away from anything that’s exfoliating. We don’t want to use retinols,” she said.

“Get them into the habit of washing their face twice a day, applying a moisturizer and maybe a sunscreen as well,” Frey added.

She suggested sticking to simple skincare ingredients that are hydrating, and only using one or two products at a time.

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‘It feels nice’

For the Bogacki sisters, they say it’s fun to experiment with different lotions and potions.

“I just like putting stuff on my face. It feels nice,” 13-year-old Nora said.

They’re learning along the way, her mom said.

“The education piece is huge,” she said. “We have to be really wise about what we’re purchasing and looking at it ahead of time and not just purchasing to buy.”

Stay with NBC Washington for stories all this week on the tween skincare craze, from a look at marketing to the potential mental health effects.

Hackers are targeting hospitals at alarming rates, with 6 in 10 health care companies hit by ransomware attacks in the past year. Cyber criminals can hijack a hospital’s operating system, preventing access to data until a ransom is paid, paralyzing hospital systems for days.

“When hospitals are attacked, lives are threatened. That’s the bottom line,” said John Riggi, the cybersecurity and risk national advisor for the American Hospital Association.

Ransomware is their biggest concern now because it has the biggest impact on patient safety, he said.

“These are not white-collar crimes. These are not data-theft crimes. These are threat-to-life crimes,” Riggi said.

Anne Wolf told NBC her long-scheduled open-heart surgery was delayed after doctors lost access to her medical records in November. Arden Health Services, which oversees 30 hospitals in six states was hit by a ransomware attack.

In August, Prospect Medical Holdings, which owns 170 medical facilities, took its national computer systems offline after they discovered a ransomware attack. Patient treatments were canceled, outpatient facilities closed and doctors had to use pen and paper instead of computers to record patient data.

And in 2016, MedStar Health, which serves hundreds of thousands of patients in the D.C. area, was hit with a ransomware attack. It forced the health system to shut down computers and cancel patient appointments, including putting off life-saving treatments such as radiation therapy.

“These devastating attacks basically take over a hospital network, rendering it incapable of delivering care,” said Dr. Christian Dameff, an emergency physician who also is a hacker and security researcher at the University of California, San Diego.

Preparing to continue operations if systems go dark

Dameff’s team conducted several simulated ransomware attacks to see just how equipped doctors and hospitals are if their entire system goes dark.

“We interviewed the doctors afterward and said, ‘How do you think that went?’ And they said, ‘I would have never imagined a world where I had to take care of patients without all of this connected technology. And when it’s not there, this patient would have suffered consequences of this, up to death, potentially.’”

According to the American Hospital Association, many hospitals are prepared to continue operations without any technology for up to 72 hours, with some for about as long as 96 hours

Cybersecurity experts say that’s not enough. They believe hospitals should start developing downtime procedures to sustain a full loss of technology for up to 30 days.

How close are hospitals to reaching that goal?

“Quite frankly, we’re in the beginning stages,” Riggi said.

‘Cat-and-mouse game’

A number of security measures are in place. Hospitals have begun boosting their cybersecurity budgets and hiring staff where they can. Some have ransomware insurance in the event of an attack, all in an effort to fight back against an invisible threat.

“We can’t even begin to imagine the types of cybersecurity attacks that will come into being in five or 10 years,” Dameff said. “I mean, it’s going to be this cat-and-mouse game where malicious hackers will continue to innovate and we’re going to have to continue to play catch-up.”

While the threat to hospitals is increasing, cyber security experts say personal medical devices with Wi-Fi connectivity are potentially vulnerable too. These include medical devices such as pacemakers and insulin pumps. Though there are no known cases, the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates these devices, isn’t waiting; the agency formed the Medical Device Cybersecurity Team to protect patient safety and help mitigate risks.

The recall covers certain Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks from the 2020 through 2024 model years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Tuesday that water can get into the switches and cause the tailgates to open when in park gear. The agency says that can result in unsecured cargo falling out of the beds, creating a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

GM is advising owners to check that the tailgate is closed and latched before they drive the trucks. Dealers will replace an exterior touchpad switch. Owners are to be notified by letter starting March 18.

GM dealers also have been told to stop selling affected vehicles until repairs are made.

The company says in documents that it has 136 complaints about the tailgates opening unexpectedly. GM reported one complaint of a minor injury and three complaints of minor property damage.

The recall covers certain Honda Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V and Odyssey models from the 2020 through 2022 model years, as well as the 2020 Fit and Civic Coupe. Also included are the 2021 and 2022 Civic hatchback, the 2021 Civic Type R and Insight, and the 2020 and 2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline and Accord Hybrid.

Affected models from the Acura luxury brand include the 2020 and 2022 MDX, the 2020 through 2022 RDX and the 2020 and 2021 TLX.

Documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say that the front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, and fail to turn off the air bag as intended. The sensors are required to disable the air bags if children or small adults are in the seats. If that doesn’t happen, it increases the risk of injury.

Dealers will replace the seat sensors at no cost to owners. Owners will be notified starting March 18.

Honda says in documents that it has 3,834 warranty claims but no reports of injuries or deaths from the problem between June 30, 2020 and Jan. 19 of this year.

The U.S. State Department recently issued travel advisories for both the Bahamas and Jamaica. If you’ve booked a trip to either location, here’s what to know.

Travel advisory for Americans planning to go to Jamaica:

On Jan. 23, the State Department issued a Level 3 warning for travel to Jamaica, which suggests that Americans “reconsider travel.” This comes after reports of violent crime at all-inclusive resorts and concerns over medical services.

Travel advisory for Americans heading to the Bahamas:

And on Jan. 26, the State Department issued a Level 2 warning for travel to the Bahamas, urging travelers to exercise increased caution. This comes after a security alert posted by the U.S. embassy in Nassau expressed concerns that Americans might be victims of gang violence in the Bahamian capital. There have been 18 reported murders this year, although none involved tourists, state officials say.

Can you get a refund for a trip if there’s a travel advisory?

If you want to cancel your trip because of these travel warnings, unfortunately you’re probably not entitled to a refund for your flight or resort purchase, even if an advisory is at level 4, which means “do not travel” — unless you got travel insurance or booked refundable trips.

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However, you could contact the airline or resort directly and ask them to work with you.

“If you’re concerned, afraid, and you don’t want to risk anything right now, sometimes the airlines will be flexible,” said Clint Henderson, managing editor at The Points Guy. “You’ll see airlines issue travel waivers sometimes.”

What to do before international travel:

Before booking any international trips, pay close attention to this map showing State Department-issued travel advisories across the globe.

If you travel to any area where there is an advisory:

• be careful when you’re out at night
• keep a low profile
• be aware of your surroundings
• don’t fight back if you’re confronted by robbers

Before you travel, the State Department recommends that you sign up for its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Through that program, you can:

• get information from the U.S. embassy in your destination about safety conditions
• help the U.S. embassy contact you in an emergency, whether it’s a natural disaster, civil unrest or a family emergency
• help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency

Documents posted by U.S. safety regulators say the recall will be done with an online software update. It covers the 2012 through 2023 Model S, the 2016 through 2023 Model X, the 2017 through 2023 Model 3, the 2019 through 2024 Model Y and the 2024 Cybertruck.

The agency says that the brake, park and antilock brake warning lights have a smaller font size than required by federal safety standards. That can make critical safety information hard to read, increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla has already started releasing the software update, and owners will be notified by letter starting March 30.

NHTSA says it found the problem in a routine safety compliance audit on Jan. 8.

Tesla has identified three warranty claims potentially related to the problem, but has no reports of crashes or injuries.

Your phone holds all, or most, of your sensitive information, and in the wrong hands, that can cause you a lot of trouble. Think of all the things your cellphone gives you access to. You can unlock the door to your home, pay for things at the store and even start your car. 

So what should you do if your phone is stolen and the thief gets ahold of your passcode? 

Dan Ghazi, founder of DAG Tech, a cybersecurity firm that helps businesses protect their information, says there are a few things you can do to protect yourself. 

“If your phone is compromised or somebody gets access to it, It’s almost like an endless amount of issues,” Ghazi said. “You have to be cognizant of who could see your phone.”

Once criminals get your passcode, they can change your Apple ID password, disable the “find my iPhone” feature and lock you out, Ghazi said. 

“They’ll change the face ID to their face. So, now they can unlock the phone and, well, they can use Apple Pay; they can log into your banking applications,” Ghazi said.

Experts say criminals seem to be targeting mostly iPhone users but Android owners are not entirely off the hook. Ghazi said iPhones are in more demand and has a higher resale value. And it’s becoming such a profitable crime that even carjackers are asking their victims to give up their phones and passcodes before taking off. 

But Apple is fighting back. Their iOS 17.3 update includes a new feature called stolen device protection, which is designed to protect your information if your phone gets into the wrong hands. 

“Stolen device protection prevents your Apple ID password from being changed for one hour, so you have a chance to cancel the request,” Ghazi said. “And you also can’t change someone’s Apple ID from a location that they don’t normally frequent.” 

You’ll have to make sure that feature is enabled on your phone. Here’s how: Go to your settings, and under “face ID and passcode,” turn on “stolen device protection.” Ghazi also recommends enabling face ID on your devices for biometric protection. 

How to keep your devices safe from criminals

There are other measures you can take to make it even harder for the criminals. 

• If you have photos showing sensitive information, such as your Social Security number or passport, move them to a secure folder that requires an additional password. 
• Don’t store passwords in your notes. Instead, download a password manager that encrypts the information. 
• Your screen timeout should also be set to the quickest setting, so it locks quickly after you put your phone down.
• All your financial apps should be set up with multifactor authentication. 
• If you meet a stranger and are trying to share contact information, never hand over your phone for them to add it themselves. Security experts say that can lead to a trap. They might lock the phone to have you enter your passcode — but if they see you enter the number, they could target you later when you aren’t expecting it. 

And if you are a victim of this crime, call your carrier immediately to block any multifactor authentication text that may come in. 

“Then you want to call Apple (if you have an iPhone) and report the phone stolen, and they will help you recover your account,” Ghazi said. 

The cleaner distributor noted that the vacuum’s battery pack can overheat and smoke, creating a fire hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The company says it has 17 reports of the vacuum cleaners smoking, six reports of the battery pack catching fire — three of which minorly damaged property and two resulting in minor burn injuries.

The recall covers certain Multi Reach Hand and Floor Vacuum Cleaners models 1985, 19851 (also called Multi Auto), 19859, 1985T, 2151, 21512, 21513, 21517, 21518, 21519, 2151A, 2151T, 2151W, 2151V sold from August 2016 through December 2022. The recall adds that the model numbers are printed behind the dirt tank and that the vacuum cleaners were sold in a variety of colors.

The recalled cleaners were sold at megastores Lowe’s, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, Best Buy and other stores nationwide and online at www.bissell.com, www.amazon.com, www.hsn.com and other online sellers for between $110 and $270.It is advised that consumers should immediately stop using the recalled item and a free replacement vacuum will be sent out. 

Liithium-ion batteries should be disposed of — not in the trash can — but rather in your municipal recycling center.

Colleges won’t receive Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, applicant information until early March, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday. The data was initially expected in late January.

The department said it recently updated a key part of the FAFSA formula that used outdated inflation figures.

“Updated [student aid index] tables will allow students to benefit from an additional $1.8 billion in aid and ensure that all students can access the maximum financial aid they are eligible for,” the department said in a statement.

Schools are waiting on the FAFSA information to begin building financial aid packages to give to students and families. The delay shortens the time families have to compare aid offers from schools.

This puts millions of students in limbo, the president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators told NBC News.

“On the very day that schools were expecting FAFSA applicant information, they were instead notified by the U.S. Department of Education that they shouldn’t expect to receive that data until March, at the earliest,” Justin Draeger said in a statement.

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“These continued delays, communicated at the last minute, threaten to harm the very students and families that federal student aid is intended to help,” Draeger said.

Education officials promised a better FAFSA system that will “help students qualify for as much financial aid as possible.”

Andrea Swalec contributed to this article.