Author: sHq_LoGiNz

While Miami-Dade County has approved an average water rate increase of $43.56 for customers, North Miami Beach approved water rate relief of up to $150 for homeowners.

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The City of North Miami Beach has approved the NMB Water Relief Act, the largest water relief package in the city’s history affecting over 100,000 Miami-Dade County residents. This relief program is launching amidst Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver G. Gilbert III’s attempt to restrict the city from providing such relief programs with bureaucratic obstacles. His proposed ordinance is set to go before the county commission for a final vote.

“While Miami-Dade is raising water rates, as your mayor, North Miami Beach is leading with relief for homeowners. We know every dollar counts, and despite the County’s pushback, we’re standing firm. Because when it comes to our community, we believe in lifting people, not holding them down,” said Mayor Michael Joseph.

The NMB Water Relief Act, sponsored by Mayor Michael Joseph and co-sponsored by Commissioners Phyllis Smith and Fortuna Smukler, establishes a voluntary program offering a 10% discount on water bills, up to $100 annually, for customers who qualify for specific state homestead exemptions. Eligible residents include those aged 65 and older, individuals who are totally and permanently disabled, deployed service members, surviving spouses of first responders, and veterans who have died in the line of duty.

Additionally, the city is introducing a program that provides a prorated water bill discount, not exceeding $50 annually, for customers who enroll in automatic bill payment services.

“I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues on the City Commission for their swift action in establishing the NMB Water Relief Act. Their support for our NMB Water customers during this critical period is commendable. I am dedicated to leading with transparency and providing relief to our water customers is essential, for fairness and protecting families from unnecessary financial burdens,” said Mayor Michael Joseph.

Despite the city’s efforts to alleviate financial burdens for all customers, progress has been challenged. This follows Governor Ron DeSantis’ veto of House Bill 11 earlier this year, which was Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver G. Gilbert III effort to control North Miami Beach over the issue of its water rates. Now, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver G. Gilbert III has intervened, again, hindering progress. His opposition raises concerns about the county’s commitment to supporting local initiatives aimed at providing essential relief to constituents. At the same time, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved a 6% water rate increase where the average household would pay more than $43.56 in order to raise funds to resolve their $402 million budget deficit.

In conjunction with the NMB Water Relief Act, the City of North Miami Beach is launching NMB Water’s Facts First campaign, a new public education initiative aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, and long-term resilience. “The goal of the campaign is to educate our customers about water conservation and efficiency, and ensure our community continues to have access to safe, reliable, and affordable water service,” said Mayor Michael Joseph.

City of North Miami Beach customers can visit www.FairWaterFacts.com to learn how they can take advantage of current and forthcoming discount programs in the NMB Water Relief Act.

For more information, contact the City of North Miami Beach Communications Office at communications@citynmb.com or visit www.citynmb.com.

About the City of North Miami Beach
Strategically positioned at the ‘Crossroads of South Florida,’ North Miami Beach lies midway between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, adjacent to the Golden Glades Interchange where I-95, Florida’s Turnpike, and the Palmetto Expressway converge. This prime location, coupled with convenient access to major thoroughfares such as West Dixie Highway, Biscayne Boulevard, and 163rd Street, has made North Miami Beach easily accessible and well-connected. For more information, please visit www.CityNMB.com.

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SOURCE City of North Miami Beach

Community members are invited to stride for hope in San Ramon, California, to raise funds needed to enhance services for organ donor families and transplant recipients.

SAN RAMON, Calif., Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — More than 700 participants are expected to make strides in support of patients and families impacted by organ donation at the 15th Annual Donor Network West Foundation Run/Walk. Organ donor families, transplant recipients, living donors, hospital partners and supporters will complete a 5-kilometer route starting at 7:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 13 at Bishop Ranch located at 2700 Camino Ramon in San Ramon, California. Community members and families are invited to create teams or join as individual participants by registering online at DonorNetworkWest.org/5k-run-walk.

Each step taken during the 2025 Run/Walk contributes to enhancing resources for donor families, transplant recipients, research and education initiatives. This year’s event will honor and celebrate the legacies of several organ donors, including Tyree Jackson, a Santa Clara, California resident who had a passion for teaching children at his local gymnastics gym. After losing his father and stepfather, Tyree was spurred to action to join the organ donor registry. In 2022, Tyree died in a pedestrian accident at age 22.

Through organ donation, he saved the lives of four individuals, including Isabelle Estrada, a 16-year-old who has been given a second chance at life after receiving Tyree’s heart. For the first time, Summer Eyo, Tyree’s mother, will meet Isabelle and her mother, Heather Harr during a private meeting Friday, Sept. 12. Summer, Heather, Isabelle and her sisters will walk together at the Run/Walk event in honor of Tyree’s memory and legacy of generosity.

“I have so much pride and admiration for Tyree,” Summer said. “He was a giver. It’s just who he was.”

Presented by Blue Skies Transplant, the Run/Walk will feature 36 teams, 20 business sponsors, and special entertainment from DJ D Sharp, the official DJ of the Golden State Warriors. Donor Network West President and CEO Janice Whaley, PhD., and former San Francisco 49er and Donor Network West Foundation Executive Director William “Bubba” Paris will address participants, highlighting the importance of supporting donor families and transplant recipients through community-driven events like this one.

“The Run/Walk continues a community-driven tradition that brings people together to recognize the impact of organ, eye and tissue donation,” said Whaley. “It inspires hope for those who are waiting for a transplant, while honoring those who gave the ultimate gift of life. Our community, hospital partners and passionate employees and ambassadors bring this event to life each year, and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow to meet the needs of those we serve.”

Through events like this, the Donor Network West Foundation bolsters healing and restorative services for those impacted by organ donation. Every step taken at the Run/Walk will be made with purpose––to provide hope for the more than 100,000 people nationwide waiting for a life-saving transplant.

Those interested in learning more about organ donation or in joining the registry can visit DonorNetworkWest.org.

Photo caption: The 15th Annual Donor Network West Foundation Run/Walk contributes to enhancing resources for donor families, transplant recipients, research and education initiatives. This year’s event will honor the legacies of several organ donors, including Tyree Jackson, a Santa Clara, California resident who saved the lives of four people through organ donation. Tyree’s mother, Summer Eyo, will lead Team #BeLikeTyree at the Run/Walk alongside her son’s heart recipient, Isabelle Estrada.

Media note: Please contact Jena Esposito, jena.esposito@kps3.com, 702-513-0606, to speak with Summer Eyo, Heather Harr, and/or a Donor Network West spokesperson at the event. A 2024 Run/Walk video is available here.

About Donor Network West and the Donor Network West Foundation
Donor Network West saves and heals lives by facilitating organ and tissue recovery for transplantation and research. Established in 1987, Donor Network West is designated and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), is a member of the Organ Donation Alliance and is an official Donate Life organization. Donor Network West is federally designated to serve 45 counties in northern California and northern Nevada, Donor Network West partners with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state-authorized donor registries to help increase donor registration.

Donor Network West Foundation was created in 2023 to amplify the work of Donor Network West. The Foundation’s mission is to support donor families and transplant recipients, to fund clinical innovation and research, and to educate our communities about the power of organ and tissue donation. For more information or to make a contribution, visit DonorNetworkWest.org/Foundation and follow us on social media: @mydnwest.

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SOURCE Donor Network West Foundation

Event Brings Experts, Community Leaders and Residents Together to Address Dust Challenges

DIAMOND BAR, Calif., Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), in partnership with Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, will host a Dust Summit on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. in Palm Desert. The event will bring together experts, community leaders, academia and residents to discuss research findings, health impacts along with current and future dust mitigation efforts.

The Coachella Valley has long faced challenges with dust pollution (PM10), which is often generated and carried by high winds across the desert. This not only impacts air quality but also poses risks to public health and quality of life for local communities.

Before effective solutions can be put in place, it’s critical to understand where the dust is coming from and what factors are driving it. Insights from this summit and upcoming work will help guide the development of the right mitigation projects for the region.

The event will feature presentations, a panel discussion, and an interactive Q&A session. Community participation will play a vital role in identifying the most effective solutions for reducing dust and improving air quality. More details will be released closer to the event.

The Dust Summit marks the beginning of a broader, long-term strategy to reduce dust pollution in the Coachella Valley. All residents are encouraged to participate and be part of this important conversation.

Event Details
Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: UC Riverside Auditorium, Palm Desert Center, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, Palm Desert, California 92211

South Coast AQMD is the regulatory agency responsible for improving air quality for large areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the Coachella Valley. For news, air quality alerts, event updates and more, please visit us at www.aqmd.gov, download our award-winning app, or follow us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Nahal Mogharabi, (909) 396-3773, Cell: (909) 837-2431
Rainbow Yeung: (909) 396-3373, Cell: (909) 967-2477
press@aqmd.gov

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SOURCE SOUTH COAST AQMD

Repressed Report Continues Concerning Pattern of Ignoring Alcohol Harm Data

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Alcohol Justice calls on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release the suppressed Alcohol Intake and Health report, and let the state of the science guide the forthcoming USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. On Thursday, September 4^th, Vox reported that the Department of Health and Human Services had decided to bury an internal study on the health impacts of alcohol, which found that, for known causes of harm, the risks of drinking rise starting with the first sip. The study, one of three major alcohol-related publications compiled by the government at the beginning of this year, was intended to be used to inform the updated Dietary Guidelines. By refusing to release it, HHS gives the impression of “data shopping” and turning a blind eye to robust science that contradicts its predetermined findings.

“The government has a duty to consider all the evidence when giving alcohol-related guidance,” said Miryom Yisrael, Executive Director of Alcohol Justice. “Their mission is not to selectively interpret data, but to provide comprehensive information that safeguards health and preserves life.”

In January of 2025, three reports on alcohol harm were released, each through a different governmental or quasi-governmental entity, and each with distinct key findings.

• The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released the Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health, finding that “moderate” drinking protected against all-cause mortality.
• Mere days later, the Office of the Surgeon General released Alcohol and Cancer Risk, highlighting the carcinogenic properties of alcohol and noting that the risk rises starting with the first drink.
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a draft of the Alcohol Intake and Health study, which found that, when looking at known alcohol-related causes of death and disease including but not limited to cancer, risk likewise rises starting with the first drink.

For more background on the competing methodologies, aims, and concerns around this type of alcohol health research, please see Alcohol Justice’s “Alcohol’s Impacts on Health” FAQ.

“There are real flaws in the NASEM report, indications of bad science corrupted by industry,” said Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, MSPH, Research Director at Alcohol Justice. “But you don’t clear the air by burying later research. You do it by tackling the question from new perspectives—that’s what SAMHSA did, and now the government needs to release that vital report.”

Publishing the Alcohol Intake and Health report does not just provide important data for the USDA Dietary Guidelines. It also provides context for the alarming trend towards more alcohol-related deaths in the U.S., even as the numbers of drinkers fall.

• In under 10 years, alcohol-related mortality rose 29%, from 138,000 per year in 2016-2017 to 178,000 per year in 2024.
• Alcohol-related harms cost the U.S. $249 billion annually.
• This is particularly affecting older Americans, for whom alcohol-related causes of death have been steadily increasing since 2000.
• At the same time, Gen Z consumption rates are falling.

To understand and reverse the outsized impact on remaining drinkers, the United States needs consistent, evidence-based, actionable behavioral recommendations from credible sources. HHS’s decision to disown its own findings cripples the ability to generate that. And the loss of key research does not start with the buried report. The alcohol mortality trends were first highlighted by a department at CDC that was eliminated in the DOGE-driven cuts earlier this year.

“As alcohol-related harm grows, withholding the risks does real harm,” said Raul Verdugo, Director of Advocacy at Alcohol Justice. “The public deserves the full facts to make informed choices. Many at HHS understand this—let evidence, not silence, guide our public health policy.”

The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans has, for decades, included advice on recommended drinking thresholds. They have consistently honed in on two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women as a “moderate drinking” threshold. This threshold, however, has been accompanied with advice that drinking less is always safer than drinking more. Mounting evidence now suggests that two drinks per day for men is still excessive, and previous USDA advisory committees have recommended lowering that to one. Instead, according to sources close to the process, the guidelines committee may move to remove all concrete recommendations beyond “drink in moderation”.

This follows the concerning pattern where health authorities relinquish their obligation to educate, prevent, and protect. Alcohol Justice insists that the public have access to high-quality information—including studies, analyses, and guidelines.

“This research was conducted for the American people, to benefit the American people,” said Yisrael. “Secretary Kennedy, release the report.”

Alcohol Justice is a nonprofit based in San Rafael, California, dedicated to advancing evidence-based policy that promotes public health and safety. For more information, please see www.alcoholjustice.org.

CONTACT:       

Carson Benowitz-Fredericks
(917) 426-6443
carsonb@alcoholjustice.org

Raul Verdugo
(310) 6899401
advocacy@alcoholjustice.org

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SOURCE Alcohol Justice