New study shows over half of Oregon renters are cost-burdened

Kania Brunson had an infectious smile. The beautiful young woman dreamed of becoming an orthodontist or veterinarian and enjoyed cosmetology. Kania Brunson also had a secret. According to the Milwaukee Prosecutor’s Office, 20-year-old Kania was in a relationship with Sultan Shareef, a married man, since she was a teen. Kania and 54-year-old Sultan Sultan dated for years, and Kania fell in love.

Disclosure: State of Alabama-based writer. This article is a work from cited sources for informational purposes and is used with permission. No affiliate links are included. During a March 20, 2025, appearance on the All-On Podcast, President Trump's Department of Commerce appointee Howard Lutnick said he believes fraud is possibly happening within the Social Security Administration's disability program.

Regional offices assisting U.S. citizens with Social Security benefits are being closed by the Trump administration. The Department of Government Efficiency has terminated leases for five of Georgia’s 34 Social Security offices.

A federal investigation into a drug trafficking organization led to the sentencing of nine defendants to a total of more than 79 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced March 14.

Listen up, fellow Americans! I've learned the hard way that hospital billing is a minefield. My personal experiences have taught me one crucial lesson: NEVER pay a hospital bill without thorough scrutiny. I once received a mysterious bill during college that turned out to be for someone with my same name who had no insurance. Last year, they overcharged me $100 and even sent it to a collection agency after I spent hours on the phone challenging it.

I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. Dating an older man is the most relaxing experience of my life. He talks about exactly three things—his investments, his espresso machine, and his perfectly curated vinyl collection. And honestly? I just sit there, sip my coffee, and let him handle everything else.

Two West Virginia residents pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia announced Tuesday.

CALIFORNIA – California federal judge William H. Alsup, ordered, March 13, the Trump Administration to reinstate thousands of employees who were recently mass-fired. Alsup ordered immediate reinstatement of terminated probationary employees of the Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Interior, Energy, Defense, and Treasury departments. These agencies must also cease termination of probationary employees, effective immediately.

I thought buying a townhouse was the safer bet. Less maintenance, right? Well… joke’s on me. The HOA fees are outrageous, and surprise—still tons of repairs! Multiple leaks, roof issues… I’ve poured so much money into fixing things, and honestly, I probably would’ve spent the same fixing up a small house. At least then I’d have a yard. I want another dog, but now I feel stuck waiting years to afford a house. Looking back, those SFHs that needed work weren’t that bad. I wish I hadn’t been so scared of the unknown.

The 101st Airborne Division sent an unspecified number of soldiers to the U.S. southern border in January, and a Thursday press release said about 300 more soldiers are being sent.

A possible surge in overdose deaths in Denver could indicate some irregularities in the street drug supply, Harm Reduction Action Center warned Monday. The Denver Post reported there have been a dozen outdoor deaths in March in Denver, including nine in a nine-day stretch. “Over the past month, there have been a lot of reported overdoses in Denver being responded to with naloxone by people who use drugs, services providers, and around the Colorado State Capitol,” HRAC Executive Director Lisa Raville said in the needle exchange’s newsletter Monday. “Over the past couple of weeks, we started noticing the public death posts on social media and then multiple sources from the city reached out to let us know they were overdose related. We alerted HRAC participants and other service providers for quick communication. Unfortunately, many in the city have expressed that we will need to wait for weeks and months before they will officially determine these deaths as overdoses. That is incredibly frustrating as we need real time information of the drug supply and the names of those we have lost.”

LITTLETON – Residents of six Grafton County communities have lost representation of their freshman Republican Representative on a House Committee because he has been removed from it by Republican House leadership.

Bamboo seems like a zen, low-maintenance garden staple—until it takes over your yard, your neighbor’s yard. Most bamboo spreads via runners (rhizomes) that can grow 20+ feet underground per year. Even “clumping” varieties aren’t fully safe. Your cute bamboo patch today = a bamboo forest tomorrow.

U.S Senator Rand Paul this week introduced the Nutritious SNAP Act of 2025 to restore personal responsibility and state flexibility to the federal food assistance program. The purpose of the bill is to confront an uncomfortable truth: while the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was created to fight hunger, it is now fueling a new public health crisis — obesity and chronic disease — by subsidizing the purchase of junk food with taxpayer dollars.

Gen X’ers swear they had Mad Max-level freedom as kids: biking miles alone, playing in woods until streetlights came on, and surviving on PB&Js packed in brown paper bags. But millennials/Zillennials side-eye this like, “Sure, Jan.” So—did 80s parents really not care, or is this just Hollywood romanticizing?

For many, headaches are an all-too-familiar part of daily life. Whether it’s the dull throb of tension or the sharp pulse of a migraine, reaching for medication can feel like the only option. But what if relief could come from your plate instead of a pill bottle?

Getting kicked off of a cruise ship is probably the worst kind of way to end a vacation. But one cruise passenger who endured such an ordeal is looking to tell the story. A cruise vacation took a hard left turn into a legal mess for Reddit user "sativagold," who shared the unfiltered story of getting booted from a Royal Caribbean ship and arrested in the Bahamas after security found weed in their room. Illegal drugs and substances are strictly prohibited by the cruise line.

Sharing my petty (but effective) HOA revenge story. For years, I lived in a neighborhood where parking in front of your own house was banned. I followed the rule grudgingly… until I got slapped with a $50 fine for a car I didn’t even own. The kicker? The car belonged to a random visitor parked briefly in front of my house.

When I bought my first house, I thought I was finally free—my own space, my own rules. Then I met the HOA. At first, it seemed harmless. A small monthly fee, some basic upkeep rules. No big deal, right? Wrong.

If your dog lives chained in the yard or banished to a doghouse, they’re not family—they’re prisoners. I’ll never understand the mindset of getting a social, pack-bonding animal just to isolate them in the cold/heat/boredom.

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell introduced The Protecting American Farmlands Act, legislation that reduces the tax burden on selling farmland, encouraging farmers to keep their land in agricultural production and curbing the loss of farmland across the country.

This is NOT a hypothetical question. I’ve paid into Medicare and Social Security for over a decade—no gaps, no excuses. If lawmakers slash these programs, where does MY MONEY go? The system isn’t a piggy bank for Wall Street. ​My contributions were supposed to secure my future—not fund stock market bonuses.

Last year, Grants Pass, Ore. became ground zero in America’s struggle with homelessness. In a decision, the Supreme Court gave that city and all American cities carte blanche to criminalize living unhoused.

As a 45+ vegetarian since my 20s, I’ve prided myself on clean eating—until my recent bloodwork showed high cholesterol. How?! I mostly eat whole foods like lentils and quinoa, though I’ll admit to weekly indulgences in processed meat substitutes (Beyond Meat, Daiya cheese). My doctor warned that coconut oil in vegan snacks and sugary sauces might sneak in saturated fats.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) issued a statement saying it was disappointed to see the legislature overturn the governor’s veto of legislation that will limit access to Medicaid.

My wife and I are struggling to agree on tithing. She’s been attending church regularly for years, and while I respect her faith, I don’t participate. Recently, she asked to start giving 10% of our joint income to her church, which is a significant amount for us financially. I told her I’m uncomfortable donating that much to an institution I’m not involved with, and it turned into a heated argument. She says tithing is non-negotiable for her faith, and my refusal feels like a rejection of her values.

Starting April 1, 2025, new California laws will significantly enhance protections for renters statewide. All of them aimed at increasing fairness and transparency in landlord-tenant interactions.

Sales tax revenues in Aurora dipped 2.7% in January over a year ago, city staff told council members Thursday. The reduced tax money comes during a time when Aurora officials like Mayor Mike Coffman have warned President Trump’s anti-Aurora rhetoric could impact sales tax revenues.

I grabbed avocado toast and coffee at a casual café yesterday. The total was $15, but the tablet screen prompted a tip starting at 25% ($3.75) on top of an auto-added 15% “service fee” ($2.25). No signage warned about automatic fees, and the cashier just stared at me when I asked to remove it. The kicker? I picked up my order at the counter and bused my own table!

So apparently my planter has been moonlighting as the neighborhood cat lavatory. Cool cool cool. Anyone else in the "unwitting cat bathroom provider" club? Let's swap tactics:. I've tried coffee grounds and citrus peels with mixed results. My neighbor swears by those motion-activated sprinklers (bonus: the videos are hilarious).