The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Bureau of Aging, Community Living and Supports Health Services, Oakland University and the Michigan Falls Prevention Coalition have partnered with Michigan 211 to offer fall prevention resources on mi211.org. The information is designed to connect health care providers, community organizations and residents with vital fall prevention resources.

About 30% of Michiganders ages 65 and older report falling each year and most of these falls occur at home.

“This initiative aims to improve statewide access to evidence-based fall prevention programs, durable medical equipment and nutrition services that support older adults and individuals at risk of a fall,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. “Falls can lead to serious injuries, including head trauma and broken bones. By collaborating and sharing resources, we can work together to make Michigan a safer place for everyone.”

Individuals and health care professionals can access resources and services through the site or by calling 211. Searches for education and safety planning resources, physical health and wellness services, daily living supports and home accessibility modifications can be conducted by ZIP code. In addition, 211 specialists have been trained to assist callers in locating fall prevention services.

The website was made possible through a $408,499 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund Healthy Aging Grant. Funding also supported development of the Michigan Falls Coalition website and an awareness campaign about the Michigan 211 resource. The coalition is supported through partnerships with MDHHS and Oakland University and brings together organizations and providers to collaborate to reduce fall risks among older adults and adults with disabilities, identify state or community needs, recommend policy changes and build capacity.

“Oakland University is proud to lead innovative research and community partnerships that improve the health and safety of Michiganders,” said Dr. Chris Wilson, lead author on the grant application and associate professor in the Physical Therapy Program at Oakland University’s School of Health Sciences. “Through our leadership within the Michigan Falls Prevention Coalition and initiatives like the 211 resource platform, we are committed to connecting older adults and individuals with disabilities to the services and supports they need to stay safe, active, and independent in their homes and communities.”

“The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM), which provides falls prevention programs in the community, is excited to have this resource available so people can locate programs,” said Ann Andrews, MPH, senior program manager, National Kidney Foundation. “The MI Falls Prevention Coalition started in 2021 as a small advisory group for a federal grant the NKFM received. There was great interest in the group from among stakeholders across the state and it’s exciting to see what the coalition has grown into from these initial efforts.”

Health care providers and community organizations can help expand this resource by adding fall prevention programs to the website. Eligible programs include:

• Fall prevention education and exercise programs
• Senior-focused exercise programs
• Urinary incontinence prevention initiatives
• Nutrition services supporting fall risk reduction
• Durable medical equipment providers offering fall prevention-related items
• Home and environmental modification programs
• Other related fall prevention-focused programming

Organizations and providers interested in listing their programs or updating existing details can visit mi211.org/providers. Once a 211 representative speaks with the organization liaison directly, updates and new listings will typically be posted within 10 business days.

For more information, visit the 211 falls prevention page mi211.org or the Michigan Falls Prevention Coalition’s website at mifallsprevention.org.

Source: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

A man has been arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping and stalking the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee.

When police arrested 25-year-old Trenton Abston this week, they recovered a Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape from his vehicle.

Police said Abston scaled a wall at the mayors residence on Sunday.

"He knocked on the door with gloves on, a full pocket, and a nervous demeanor," Mayor Paul Young said in a post on X.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by The New York Times, Young did not open the door, and Abston fled.

The incident occurred amid heightened concerns for elected officials safety. On Saturday, two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot at their homes.

State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband died from their injuries, while state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife survived what authorities described as targeted and politically motivated attacks.

In response to the current political climate, Young called for a shift in how people engage with those they disagree with.

"The angry rhetoric, the hateful speech, and the heated threats create a culture where violence feels like a next step instead of a red line. We cannot allow that line to be crossed. Political violence and intimidation whether threatened or enacted simply cannot become our norm," he said.

By MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday revived long-running lawsuits against Palestinian authorities from Americans who were killed or wounded in terrorism attacks in the Middle East.

The justices upheld a 2019 law enacted by Congress specifically to allow the victims’ lawsuits to go forward against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.

The attacks occurred in the early 2000s, killing 33 people and wounding hundreds more, and in 2018, when a U.S.-born settler was stabbed to death by a Palestinian assailant outside a mall in the West Bank.

The victims and their families assert that Palestinian agents either were involved in the attacks or incited them.

The Palestinians have consistently argued that the cases shouldn’t be allowed in American courts.

The federal appeals court in New York has repeatedly ruled in favor of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, despite Congress’ efforts to allow the victims’ lawsuits to be heard.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals first ruled in 2016 against the victims of the attacks from 20 years ago, tossing out a $654 million jury verdict in their favor. In that earlier ruling, the appeals court held U.S. courts can’t consider lawsuits against foreign-based groups over random attacks that were not aimed at the United States.

The victims had sued under the Anti-Terrorism Act, signed into law in 1992. The law was passed to open U.S. courts to victims of international terrorism, spurred by the killing of American Leon Klinghoffer during a 1985 terrorist attack aboard the Achille Lauro cruise ship.

The jury found the PLO and the Palestinian Authority liable for six attacks and awarded $218 million in damages. The award was automatically tripled under the law.

After the Supreme Court rejected the victims’ appeal in 2018, Congress again amended the law to make clear it did not want to close the courthouse door to the victims.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

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A new COVID variant is bringing a painful side effect to Americans.

The variant is officially called NB.1.8.1, or Nimbus. Some patients say it's causing them such a severe sore throat that they feel like they're swallowing razor blades.

"Your throat is so dry, so cracked, it's so painful, it's even hard to drink sometimes," said Dr. Muhammad Azam, a physician with Sharp Community Medical Group. "This particular variant, even though it's relatively mild, except for the razor throat, is very infectious compared to other strains."

Right now, California Health Data Tracker CalCAT says Nimbus is the second most prevalent strain of COVID in the state, but also the fastest growing. The CDC says Nimbus accounts for 37% of all COVID infections in the US. It's projected to become the dominant strain by the end of the month.

RELATED STORY | CDC eliminates COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children, pregnant women

Azam said people who are at high risk or have underlying health factors should be cautious as we get closer to the fall, when COVID typically peaks.

"COVID has now become just like the common flu or other respiratory viruses," he said.

"It's part of life, and there will be peaks. And just like the flu, there'll be some times we breathe nasty strains and sometimes it's mild," he added. "Unfortunately, there's no magical medication you take to help resolve this (strain), but warm fluids and small sips help. Also, ibuprofen helps take some of the pain away and the inflammation."

He also said the current COVID vaccine is effective against the Nimbus strain, so people should look into getting a booster shot this summer.

This article was written by

Jared Aarons for the Scripps News Group in San Diego.

By MICHAEL CASEY and REBECCA BOONE

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars in transportation funds from states that don’t agree to participate in some immigration enforcement actions.

Twenty states sued after they said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to cut off funding to states that refused to comply with President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. barred federal transportation officials from carrying out that threat before the lawsuit is fully resolved.

“The Court finds that the States have demonstrated they will face irreparable and continuing harm if forced to agree to Defendants’ unlawful and unconstitutional immigration conditions imposed in order to receive federal transportation grant funds,” wrote McConnell, the chief judge for the federal district of Rhode island. “The States face losing billions of dollars in federal funding, are being put in a position of relinquishing their sovereign right to decide how to use their own police officers, are at risk of losing the trust built between local law enforcement and immigrant communities, and will have to scale back, reconsider, or cancel ongoing transportation projects.”

On April 24, states received letters from the Department of Transportation stating that they must cooperate on immigration efforts or risk losing the congressionally appropriated funds. No funding was immediately withheld, but some of the states feared the move was imminent.

Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin and Vermont filed the lawsuit in May, saying the new so-called “Duffy Directive” put them in an impossible position.

“The States can either attempt to comply with an unlawful and unconstitutional condition that would surrender their sovereign control over their own law enforcement officers and reduce immigrants’ willingness to report crimes and participate in public health programs — or they can forfeit tens of billions of dollars of funds they rely on regularly to support the roads, highways, railways, airways, ferries, and bridges that connect their communities and homes,” the attorneys general wrote in court documents.

But acting Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom told the judge that Congress has given the Department of Transportation the legal right to set conditions for the grant money it administers to states, and that requiring compliance and cooperation with federal law enforcement is a reasonable exercise of that discretion. Allowing the federal government to withhold the funds while the lawsuit moves forward doesn’t cause any lasting harm, Bloom wrote in court documents, because that money can always be disbursed later if needed.

But requiring the federal government to release the money to uncooperative states will likely make it impossible to recoup later, if the Department of Transportation wins the case, Bloom said.

With the extreme heat coming to metro Detroit, DTE is urging customers to take certain steps to conserve energy over the next couple of days to ease strain on the electrical grid.

Heat indices will be over 100 degrees starting Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but even in the days before and after, heat indices will be above 90.

When there's a heat wave, increased use of air conditioning can lead to a surge in overall energy consumption, right when power plants and power lines are pushed to the limits due to heat.

So, to prevent outages or rolling blackouts while also keeping your energy bills from spiking, there are steps you can take. I asked DTE's director of energy efficiency for advice.

"What is the number one action people can take right now to reduce the strain on the electrical grid?" I asked Carmen Welch.

"We want customers to maintain their comfort, but if possible, it's excellent for them to raise the thermostat a couple degrees. It helps use less energy and lower their bills," Welch said.

Here are some more energy-saving tips during extreme heat.

Raise the temperature on your thermostat a few degrees when you're away from home Pre-cool your home before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. to take advantage of lower, off-peak rates Grill food outside instead of using your oven or stove to keep heat from building up in your kitchen and using energy Use your appliances in the evening Close curtains and shades on sun-facing windows to keep the heat out Seal air leaks and add insulation as needed to prevent the hot air from coming in and the cool air from leaking out

If you're thinking more long-term, you can also schedule your air conditioning unit for a tune-up, which could qualify you for DTE's rebates.

If you upgrade to a high-efficiency model, you can get a rebate of up to $300.

Irans foreign minister was holding talks with top European diplomats in Geneva on Friday about the crisis that centers on concerns about his countrys nuclear program, a week after the long-simmering dispute erupted into war between Israel and Iran.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived at a hotel in the Swiss city for a meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany and the U.K. and the European Unions foreign policy chief. It is the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict.

Ahead of the meeting, Araghchi said his country has nothing to discuss with the United States as long as Israel continues its strikes on Iran, but is open to dialogue with others, though not negotiations. The war has seen Israeli airstrikes target Iranian nuclear and military sites and Tehran firing back.

RELATED STORY | Israel and Iran launch new strikes even as diplomatic effort gets underway

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution. He traveled to Geneva after meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trumps Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but Americas bunker-buster bombs. He said Wednesday that hell decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the war given the substantial chance for renewed negotiations over Tehrans nuclear program.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the European diplomats would make a comprehensive, diplomatic and technical offer of negotiation to Iran.

Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehrans program, though Trump has said Israels campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks.

Iran says no negotiations while Israeli attacks continue

Irans supreme leader rejected U.S. calls for surrender Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause irreparable damage to them.

In an interview aired Friday by Iranian state television, Araghchi said that in the current situation, as the Zionist regimes attacks continue, we are not seeking negotiations with anyone.

He said that we have nothing to discuss with the United States, which is a partner in these crimes, and Tehran rejected negotiations with the Americans.

As for others, if they seek dialogue, not negotiations, which dont make sense right now, we have no problem with that," he added. But he said that Friday's discussion would focus solely on the nuclear issue and regional matters and Iran won't hold talks on its missiles with anyone.

Just before meeting the European diplomats, Araghchi made a brief appearance before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said that Israels attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes, and insisted that we are entitled and determined to defend our territorial integrity, national sovereignty and security with all force.

RELATED STORY | Trump says US decision on Iran-Israel conflict coming within 2 weeks

Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

The three European countries played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Europeans stand ready to negotiate

Germany's foreign minister acknowledged that years of efforts to relieve concerns about the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon haven't succeeded, but said it's worth talking now.

If there is serious and transparent readiness by Iran to refrain from this, then there is a real chance of preventing a further escalation of this conflict, and for that every conversation makes sense, Johann Wadephul said in a podcast released by broadcaster MDR on Friday.

Wadephul said U.S. officials not only know that we are conducting these talks but are very much in agreement with us doing so so I think Iran should now know that it should conduct these talks with a new seriousness and reliability.

Before traveling to Geneva on Friday, Wadephul stressed that it's Iran's move now.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Barrot spoke by phone with Rubio on Thursday evening.

A French diplomatic official, who was not allowed to speak publicly on the issue, said Barrot detailed the purposes of the Geneva meeting and Rubio stressed that the U.S. was ready for direct contact with the Iranians at any time.

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A house fire in Farmington Hills may have been caused by a lightning strike, officials say.

The fire broke out at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, immediately following a lightning strike, in a two-story house in the area of 14 Mile and Drake roads, according to Fire Marshal Jason Baloga.

The occupants of the home told the Farmington Hills Fire Department they believed lightning hit the house; the blaze is under investigation.

Firefighters were extinguishing the fire in the attic when the roof began to collapse. They exited the building and crews used a ladder truck to regain control. Firefighters then re-entered the building to fully extinguish the fire.

The house was heavily damaged by heat, flames, smoke and water. The city has marked it as an unsafe structure, Baloga said. No one was injured.

He advised anyone affected by a house fire to go outside and call 911 from a designated meeting spot, as these residents did.

Farmington Hills to open cooling center as hot weather approaches

Halsted Road closed for reconstruction in Farmington Hills

 

By JOSEPH WILSON

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A group of tourists were sitting at an outdoor table in the Spanish city of Barcelona, trying to enjoy their drinks, when a woman raised a cheap plastic water gun and shot an arc of water at them.

Her weapon of choice — the cheap, squirt-squirt variety — is an increasingly common fixture at anti-tourism protests in the southern European country, where many locals fear that an overload of visitors is driving them from their cherished neighborhoods.

How did the humble water gun become a symbol of discontent?

From refreshing to revolutionary

The phenomenon started last July, when a fringe, left-wing activist group based in Barcelona that promotes the “degrowth” of the city’s successful tourism sector held its first successful rally. Some brought water guns to shoot one another and stay cool in the summer heat.

“What happened later went viral, but in reality it was just kind of a joke by a group of people who brought water guns because it was hot,” Adriana Coten, one of the organizers of Neighborhood Assembly for Tourism Degrowth, told The Associated Press.

Then, some turned their water guns from each other to tourists. The images went around the world, becoming a publicity coup for the anti-tourism cause.

The guns reappeared in April when the same group stopped a tour bus in Barcelona, the Catalan capital.

Guns drawn

On Sunday, around a thousand people marched from a luxury shopping boulevard popular with affluent foreigners before police stopped them from getting closer to Barcelona’s top sight-seeing destination: La Sagrada Familia church.

The marchers spritzed unsuspecting tourists along the way, chanting slogans and carrying protest signs. One read: “One more tourist, one less resident!”

They left a trail of stickers on hotel doors, lampposts and outdoor café tables showing a squirting water gun encircled by a message in English: “Tourist Go Home!”

Still, the number of Barcelona protesters carrying water guns was a minority — and in the gun-toting group, many were only shooting in the air or at each other. One dad was toting his baby in a front-pack, water gun in hand.

Outside the protests, Barcelona locals are not toting water guns or taking aim at tourists. And many in the city still support tourism, which is a pillar of the local economy.

‘A symbol’

Can the water gun really change the minds of tourists, authorities or the businesses that drive the industry? Depends on who you ask.

Protester Lourdes Sánchez and her teenage daughter, each holding a water gun, said the gun “really isn’t to hurt anyone.”

“This is a symbol to say that we are fed up of how tourism industry is transforming our country into a theme park,” Sánchez said.

Another demonstrator, Andreu Martínez, acknowledged it was “to bother the tourists a bit.”

Laurens Schocher, a 46-year-old architect, said he didn’t shoot any suspected tourists but hoped that carrying a water gun would bring more attention to their cause.

“I don’t think the tourists will get it,” he said. “I think this is to send a message to authorities.”

A squirt can hurt your feelings

The marchers had no monster, pump-action water cannons most kids use for backyard battles in the summer. Theirs were the old-school, cheap-o water guns that send a slim jet of water not that far away.

Some tourists who were sprayed took it in stride, even claiming it was refreshing on a day with temperatures pushing up to around 87 Fahrenheit.

But there were moments of tension. When several marchers squirted workers at a large hostel, tempers flared and one worker spat at his attackers as he slammed the hostel door shut.

Nora Tsai, who had just arrived from Taiwan on a short visit, was among those spritzed on Sunday. She said she was a bit frightened and saddened. The “Tourist go home!” chants didn’t help either.

“I still like Barcelona,” she said. “I have met a lot of people who were kind.”

Ever since his childhood, Dean Van Nguyen has felt a connection with Tupac Shakur. 

The journalist and cultural critic first encountered the late rapper’s music as a student in an all-boys Catholic school in Ireland, and Shakur was a natural fit when Van Nguyen was deciding to write his second book, following his debut, “Iron Age: The Art of Ghostface Killah” in 2019. Van Nguyen knew he had a fresh angle on Shakur’s life and career.

“What made me really want to get into the book was the question of, ‘How does this happen?’” Van Nguyen says. “How does a guy who made music that you can play in the club become this figure on par with Che Guevara or a Bob Marley?”

Van Nguyen’s “Words for My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur,” out now from Doubleday, seeks to answer those questions. The book looks at Shakur through a political lens, examining his childhood spent around members of the Marxist–Leninist Black Panther Party — especially his influential mother, the late activist Afeni Shakur. 

Van Nguyen talked about his book via Zoom from his home in Dublin, Ireland. This conversation has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Q: How did you discover the music of Tupac Shakur?

It was back in school. When I was a kid, I had a bit more of a focused music taste than a lot of kids. A lot of the kids would just be into chart singles, but I quite liked R&B. I had young uncles and one young aunt, and they introduced me to a lot of stuff. It was the mid-’90s where the lines between R&B and hip-hop were starting to kind of blur and you were getting a lot of cross-genre collaborations. When I was a teenager, more in the late ‘90s, rap, gangsta rap was becoming quite popular in the schoolyard. This kind of music was a bit of an escape for us, especially because at that time, the videos were always really good and there always seemed to be stories around the music as well. Tupac was one of the artists that I grew up on, and I always maintained a fandom for him.

Q: What do you think made him so popular in Ireland?

He is the greatest icon the culture has ever produced. I think I’d say he’s probably one of the two most instantly recognizable artists alongside Eminem. But what I noticed, and one of the impulses behind this book, is that his icon is particularly strong in places of the world that have experienced colonial oppression or any sort of resistance, any sort of sense of rebellion or revolution. Ireland is in that vein; obviously, we were colonized by Great Britain for a long time. 

There’s also something about Tupac as a symbol of resistance that is particularly interesting to Irish people. In the early 2000s, I went to a Nelly gig and a bunch of guys were waving a Tupac flag. And when the DJ who was warming up the crowd played “Ambitionz az a Ridah,” they all went nuts. I was quite young when he died. And dying young and dying violently sealed his reputation because that’s what happened to a lot of Irish heroes. They were killed young. That’s happened to a lot of revolutionaries around the world, and I think that strengthened his icon too. There’s just something in that that appeals to the Irish psyche, I suppose.

Q: You did a lot of interviews for this book. 

Coming from a journalism background, the tenets of feature writing served me well. I like to talk to people, and for this, I was particularly keen to talk to people who may be voices in the Tupac story haven’t been heard quite as much. I wanted to chat with anyone who wanted to, but I found, for example, when you’re talking about a rap crew, sometimes it’s like the fourth or fifth most famous guy who’s actually got the most interesting things to say.

These guys aren’t recognized on the street, but they’re there observing history all the time. One of the real pleasures of doing the book was talking to the ex-Panthers and the other ‘60s and ‘70s activists who, at this stage of their life, are very eager to have their stories put down. Crucially, as well, they’ve gotten to a stage in their life where they’re no longer fearing any kind of government reprisal. They don’t think they’re going to get in trouble for speaking to me candidly. 

Q: When do you think that Tupac’s Panther background first became evident in his music, or was it always there?

It’s there from some of his earliest recordings. One of his early recordings that he made before he had a [record] deal was called “Panther Power,” and it was overtly about his background. This was always a part of his upbringing. But he was also raised in the backdrop of the revolution that never really came. The Panthers, by the mid- to late ‘70s and ‘80s, a lot of them were suffering from addiction, like Tupac’s own mother. A lot of them are still in prison on charges that were drummed up to stifle them. So I think he grew up in an environment where his elders are probably speaking a lot about regrets. I think he recognized that he needed to tailor his own worldview and his own message and his words to meet America. That was important in terms of his artistry, but certainly, I think that was always there in his music.

Toward the end of his career, his music became a little bit more macho and a little bit more violent. But then on the Makaveli album [“The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory”], which was released after he died, you can see he’s coming back to his roots, and he namechecks a lot of the activists who would’ve been his mother’s contemporaries, who he would’ve known growing up. So yeah, it was always there. He just took on different forms and shaped it for his own. He saw Los Angeles in the 1990s, which had specific issues in terms of racism, police brutality and all that. He had that spirit in him, but the music was very tailored for his own age as well.

The Trump administration is dedicating $10 million to research and address the long-term health impacts from the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

After the train derailed, Norfolk Southern made the decision to burn off chemicals, including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylene glycol, and benzene residue, from derailed train cars. The burning plume caused widespread health concerns and triggered an extensive environmental cleanup in East Palestine.

The effects of exposure to vinyl chloride are still poorly understood and rarely researched. Current findings indicate that long-term exposure through oral contact or inhalation may cause liver issues and instances of cancer.

RELATED STORY | Chemical burn in East Palestine derailment could have been avoided

NIH is working to ensure that the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities are listened to, cared for, and get the answers they deserve, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said. This multi-disciplinary research program will focus on public health tracking and surveillance of the communitys health conditions to support health care decisions and preventive measures.

Vice President JD Vance, who was a senator from Ohio at the time of the derailment, was an outspoken critic of the Biden administration's response to the incident.

According to an announcement from the National Institutes of Health, Vance played a pivotal role in launching this 5-year study.

As a senator, it was incredibly frustrating watching the Biden administration refuse to examine the potentially dangerous health impacts on the people of East Palestine following the train derailment, Vice President Vance said. Im proud that we finally have a new president that takes the concerns of everyday, working-class people seriously. This historic research initiative will finally result in answers that this community deserves."

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Philadelphia is famous for its cheesesteak sandwiches.

Yet, if you’ve ever been to the city’s Reading Terminal Market on Arch Street in Center City (a favorite haunt when I was in paralegal school), you’ve probably also seen the long lines in front of Tommy DiNic’s. (If you know, you know.)

The star of this iconic sandwich counter, which has been drawing crowds since it opened in1977, is a succulent, slow-roasted Italian roast pork sandwich topped with sharp provolone and drippy, garlicky braised broccoli rabe (also known rapini). It’s a decidedly messy nosh as the ingredients can, and probably will, spill out as you eat it.

As tough as it is for a Pittsburgh girl to fall in love with something from Philly (my husband excluded), I have to admit it’s pretty incredible. I get the signature sandwich every time I’m in town, and never regret it.

This sub recipe (or should we say hoagie?) from America’s Test Kitchen is a riff on that storied sandwich served on a sesame-seeded Sarcone’s Bakery roll. Spicy Italian sausage stands in for the thinly sliced roasted pork that is a three-day process at DiNic’s. It also includes savory, tender slices of portobello mushrooms cooked with fennel, fresh rosemary and a touch of soy sauce. Shredded provolone goes right into the pan with the meat and veggies for a melty, we’re-all-friends finish.

Like DiNic’s, this recipe spotlights broccoli rabe. It’s a cruciferous green that looks like leafy broccoli, but as a member of the Brassicaceae family, is actually more closely related to the turnip. Its flavor is more bitter than broccoli, and the greens can also be fibrous, but the two veggies are interchangeable in this recipe. I used long, tender stalks of Broccolini instead of broccoli rabe, which I couldn’t find in my local grocery store.

Don’t skimp on the pickled red cherry hot peppers as a final flourish. They’re only mildly spicy, and you can’t beat that extra kick of flavor.

I used 6-inch (Mancini’s) sausage rolls instead of 8-inch sub rolls, so I had enough filling for five sandwiches. Be sure to toast the bread until it’s quite brown and crispy. Otherwise the filling could turn the sandwich into a (still delicious) soggy mess.

Wrapped in aluminum foil and reheated in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes, any leftovers make a great lunch the next day.

Philly-style Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Subs

PG tested

• 4 8-inch Italian sub rolls
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
• 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 8 ounces hot Italian sausage
• 1 pound portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean, and sliced 1/4 -inch thick
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, cracked
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 4 ounces shredded sharp provolone cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped or slice jarred hot cherry peppers, optional

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 450 degrees.

If needed, slice rolls to make them easier to open (without slicing all the way through). Use spoon or your fingers to scraped inside of rolls and remove all but 1/4 i nch of interior crumb; discard removed crumb or use to make bread crumbs or croutons. Set aside while you prepare filling.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and sliced garlic in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until garlic is light golden brown, 3-5 minutes.

Add broccoli rabe and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cover to keep warm.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to fat left in skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their liquid, 3-5 minutes.

Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are well browned, 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

Clear center of skillet and add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, fennel seeds and rosemary. Stir in soy sauce and cooked sausage, then stir in cheese until melted. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Arrange reserved rolls on baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Divide mushroom and broccoli rabe mixture evenly among rolls. Top with cherry peppers, if using, and serve.

Serves 4.

— adapted from “Mostly Meatless” by America’s Test Kitchen

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By TOM MURPHY

A small, growing number of employers are putting health insurance decisions entirely in the hands of their workers.

Instead of offering traditional insurance, they’re giving workers money to buy their own coverage in what’s known as Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements, or ICHRAs.

Advocates say this approach provides small companies that couldn’t afford insurance a chance to offer something. It also caps a growing expense for employers and fits conservative political goals of giving people more purchasing power over their coverage.

But ICHRAs place the risk for finding coverage on the employee, and they force them to do something many dislike: Shop for insurance.

“It’s maybe not perfect, but it’s solving a problem for a lot of people,” said Cynthia Cox, of the nonprofit KFF, which studies health care issues.

Here’s a closer look at how this approach to health insurance is evolving.

What’s an ICHRA?

Normally, U.S. employers offering health coverage will have one or two insurance options for workers through what’s known as a group plan. The employers then pick up most of the premium, or cost of coverage.

ICHRAs are different: Employers contribute to health insurance coverage, but the workers then pick their own insurance plans. The employers that use ICHRAs hire outside firms to help people make their coverage decisions.

ICHRAs were created during President Donald Trump’s first administration. Enrollment started slowly but has swelled in recent years.

What’s the big deal about ICHRAs?

They give business owners a predictable cost, and they save companies from having to make coverage decisions for employees.

“You have so many things you need to focus on as a business owner to just actually grow the business,” said Jeff Yuan, co-founder of the New York-based insurance startup Taro Health.

Small businesses, in particular, can be vulnerable to annual insurance cost spikes, especially if some employees have expensive medical conditions. But the ICHRA approach keeps the employer cost more predictable.

Yuan’s company bases its contributions on the employee’s age and how many people are covered under the plan. That means it may contribute anywhere from $400 to more than $2,000 monthly to an employee’s coverage.

How is this approach different?

ICHRAs let people pick from among dozens of options in an individual insurance market instead of just taking whatever their company offers.

That may give people a chance to find coverage more tailored to their needs. Some insurers, for instance, offer plans designed for people with diabetes.

And workers can keep the coverage if they leave — potentially for longer periods than they would be able to with traditional employer health insurance plans. They likely will have to pay the full premium, but keeping the coverage also means they won’t have to find a new plan that covers their doctors.

Mark Bertolini, CEO of the insurer Oscar Health, noted that most people change jobs several times.

“Insurance works best when it moves with the consumer,” said the executive, whose company is growing enrollment through ICHRAs in several states.

What are the drawbacks for employees?

Health insurance plans on the individual market tend to have narrower coverage networks than employer-sponsored coverage.

It may be challenging for patients who see several doctors to find one plan that covers them all.

People shopping for their own insurance can find coverage choices and terms like deductibles or coinsurance overwhelming. That makes it important for employers to provide help with plan selection.

The broker or technology platform setting up a company’s ICHRA generally does this by asking about their medical needs or if they have any surgeries planned in the coming year.

How many people get coverage this way?

There are no good numbers nationally that show how many people have coverage through an ICHRA or a separate program for companies with 50 workers or less.

However, the HRA Council, a trade association that promotes the arrangements, sees big growth. The council works with companies that help employers offer the ICHRAs. It studies growth in a sample of those businesses.

It says about 450,000 people were offered coverage through these arrangements this year. That’s up 50% from 2024. Council Executive Director Robin Paoli says the total market may be twice as large.

Still, these arrangements make up a sliver of employer-sponsored health coverage in the United States. About 154 million people were enrolled in coverage through work last year, according to KFF.

Will growth continue?

Several things could cause more employers to offer ICHRAs. As health care costs continue to climb, more companies may look to limit their exposure to the hit.

Some tax breaks and incentives that encourage the arrangements could wind up in a final version of the Republican tax bill currently under consideration in the Senate.

More people also will be eligible for the arrangements if extra government subsidies that help buy coverage on the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplaces expire this year.

You can’t participate in an ICHRA if you are already getting a subsidy from the government, noted Brian Blase, a White House health policy adviser in the first Trump administration.

“The enhanced subsidies, they crowd out private financing,” he said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By Lauren Schwahn, NerdWallet

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

No, we’re not asking your name. And we promise we’re not trying to offend you.

HENRY isn’t an insult; it’s a nickname given to a certain demographic in the personal finance world. If you earn a decent income, but feel like you aren’t building enough wealth, you might be a HENRY.

What is a HENRY?

HENRY is an acronym that stands for “High Earner, Not Rich Yet.” But what does it mean to be high earning? The definition varies depending on who you ask.

We sifted through Reddit forums to get a pulse check on what users say about HENRYs. People post anonymously, so we cannot confirm their individual experiences or circumstances.

Over on Reddit in the r/HENRYfinance subreddit, HENRYs are defined as “people who earn high incomes, usually between $250,000 to $500,000, but have not saved or invested enough to be considered rich.”

Net worth is another key number to consider.

Trevor Ausen, a certified financial planner in Minneapolis, Minnesota, says that HENRYs often have “somewhere between negative net worth, thanks to student loans or early career costs, to around $1 million in assets.”

Having an income or net worth above these figures tips the scales toward “rich.”

Who is the typical HENRY?

HENRYs are often business professionals, doctors, lawyers or tech employees with equity compensation, Ausen says.

Many live in places like New York or the Bay Area, he adds, where it can be hard to accumulate wealth even with a high salary due to the high cost of living. They’re usually in their 20s, 30s or 40s.

In some cases, HENRYs are also the first in their families to earn a higher income. That can come with added pressure to provide financial support for relatives and create generational wealth.

How do you know if you’re a HENRY?

Now that you know what a HENRY is, let’s see if you fit the bill.

“If you’re earning well but still feel like you’re just getting by financially, you might be a HENRY,” Flavio Landivar, a CFP in Miami, Florida, said in an email interview.

You might be a HENRY if you:

• Earn an above-average income (typically in the low to mid six-figure range).
• Live in a high-cost area.
• Spend most of your income on costs such as housing, student loans, child care and discretionary expenses.
• Don’t feel financially secure.

But not all HENRYs are the same.

While many have trouble building wealth because student loans or living expenses eat up their income, others are saving aggressively, Ausen says.

“They’ve only been high earning for a short amount of time, and just have not had the time to really build up those assets and save enough where they can be considered rich,” he says.

Ausen says his HENRY clients generally have too much cash. After maxing out their 401(k)s or other retirement accounts, they aren’t putting their extra money to work in an investment account.

If you’re parking a lot of cash in a general savings or checking account, that’s a sign you might be a HENRY.

“While there certainly is an argument for how much emergency fund, essentially, someone should have, after a certain point, it starts to become not as efficient as it could be,” Ausen says.

What do HENRYs care about?

Like most people, HENRYs want more money and greater financial freedom. Online discussions in r/HENRYfinance and other forums often focus on lifestyle creep, career growth, investment options and strategies for minimizing tax burdens.

HENRYs are also looking for quick guidance and reassurance that they’re on the right track.

“These young professionals may be settling into their careers, gaining responsibilities and have less leisure time than they used to,” Yesenia Realejo, a CFP with Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, Florida, said in an email interview.

“They may be starting families, buying homes, saving for their children’s college. With so much on their plates, they may find that they’re saving, but have no planned financial direction.”

Is being a HENRY good or bad?

If you’re a HENRY, you may feel stuck. It might seem like you aren’t making enough progress toward your financial goals.

But it’s important to emphasize the “Y” in HENRY. You’re not rich yet — that doesn’t mean you’ll never be rich.

“With smart planning, managing expenses and focusing on long-term goals, HENRYs have a great opportunity to build real wealth down the road,” Landivar said.

“Without that focus, though, it’s easy to stay stuck living paycheck to paycheck despite a high income.”

Start by making, or revisiting, your financial plan. If you’re not sure where to begin, consider getting help from a financial advisor. Getting rich may happen sooner than you think.

More From NerdWallet

• Practical Ways to Tackle Overspending
• Where to Park Cash if You’re Worried about the Stock Market
• Here’s How I Made $360 Selling Stuff on Facebook Marketplace

Lauren Schwahn writes for NerdWallet. Email: lschwahn@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lauren_schwahn.

The article Are You a HENRY? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

It was a chance of scenery for Billy Corgan when the Smashing Pumpkins frontman performed Thursday night, June 19, at Saint Andrew’s Hall in Detroit.

Less than 10 months ago — last Sept. 4 — he was on stage with the band a few blocks away at Comerica Park, playing for nearly 41,000 fans in an opening date for Green Day. On Thursday Corgan performed for about 40,000 fewer — but was even more exciting over the course of the two-hour-and-five-minute set.

This time the show was with a quartet Corgan dubbed Machines of God, which includes recent Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong. It was almost all Smashing Pumpkins, however, celebrating the 30th anniversary of its diamond-certified “Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” album as well as the 25th of the “Machina”/”The Machines of God and Machina II”/”The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music” package and further promoting last year’s “Aghori Mhori Mei.” That made it Smashing Pumpkins by another name, or the most valid Pumpkins tribute band in the world.

Either way it was a bona fide special night, and perhaps the most satisfying Corgan-related performance since perhaps the original “Melon Collie” shows back in 1995.

It was certainly a special night for Corgan, who sported his trademark ankle-length frock and was visibly relaxed in and charged by the intimate setting. “Standing on this stage brings back a lot of memories,” he told the packed Saint Andrew’s crowd, noting that his first time was in 1989 and also recalling the start of 1999’s Arising Tour there, “one of the greatest moments in Smashing Pumpkins history.”

“Detroit was the first city in the world to embrace my band, Smashing Pumpkins, so I will always be grateful for that,” noted Corgan, who shouted out original Saint Andrew’s booker Vince Bannon. “This is an amazing, wonderful city with such an incredible history, so it’s an honor to be here tonight, playing these songs.” (He later recalled a guitar was stolen from another show, in 1992, but subsequently recovered.)

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone at Saint Andrew’s who didn’t feel the same on Thursday, as Corgan and company shredded through a high-octane set that demonstrated his gift for knitting together power and melody, nuance and ferocity. It was also a demonstration of his guitar acumen, particularly with extended solos on epic treatments of “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans” and the main set-closing “The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right).”

Following a grungey half-hour from Los Angeles’ Return to Dust, the Corgan crew tore into the night with the pummeling triplet of “Glass’ Theme,” “Heavy Metal Machine” and “Where Boys Fear to Tread,” the former declaring “I betrayed rock and roll” even as the group well-served its punky furor. The tour has included some first-ever performances of “Machina II’s” “Here’s to the Atom Bomb” and “White Spyder” — as well as “Aghori’s…” “Sighommi” and “Edin,” while bassist Jenna “Kid Tigrrr” Fournier sang lead on a rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s “You Only Live Twice” and joined Corgan for an acoustic duet on “Tonight, Tonight.”

Corgan also surprised the crowd by picking up the bass himself for “Glass and the Ghost Children.”

The real highlight came mid-show, however, with a trio of “Melon Collie” favorites. “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “Muzzle” practically melted the walls at Saint Andrew’s, while during “1979” Corgan’s two oldest children — Augustus, nine, and Philomena, six — came onstage for a Sumo-style wrestling match “won” by the devil’s horn-flashing latter in a take-down.

Corgan kept the pedal down throughout the night, finishing with an encore of “Zero” and “Everlasting Grace.” There was nary a negative to be said — save by Corgan, who cracked that “it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t say something negative.

“It may sound small, it may sound trite, it may sound petty, but since I’ve been playing this stage for 36 years, it is the same stage,” he explained, pointing out a center-stage spot “that they’ve never fixed in 36 (expletive) years. And I want to say that’s not a Detroit thing; it’s a Midwestern thing, where if it ain’t broke, don’t (expletive) fix it. But it is broke, and I wish they’d fix it so when I come back here in 36 years it’ll finally be proper.”

And you can bet everyone at Saint Andrew’s on Thursday will be happy to be back to see that.

Corgan performs again on Saturday, June 21, at the Intersection, 133 Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Grand Rapids. 616-723-8571 or sectionlive.com.

Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as President Donald Trump weighed U.S. military involvement and new diplomatic efforts got underway.

Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but Americas bunker-buster bombs. He said he'll decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the war given the substantial chance for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.

Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to be en route to Geneva for meetings with the European Unions top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. A plane with his usual call sign took off from the Turkish city of Van, near the Iranian border, flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed. Iran typically acknowledges his departure hours afterward.

Britains foreign secretary said he met at the White House with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the potential for a deal that could cool the conflict.

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Before his flight, Araghchi said on Iranian state television that his country was not seeking negotiations with anyone as long as Israel's attacks continued, underscoring the diplomatic challenges ahead. He also accused the U.S. of collaborating with Israel, noting that Trump regularly used we in social media posts and interviews talking about the attacks on Iran.

It is the Americans who want talks," he said in comments Thursday that were broadcast Friday. "Theyve sent messages several times very serious ones but we made it explicitly clear to them that as long as this aggression and invasion continue, there is absolutely no room for talk or diplomacy. We are engaged in legitimate self-defense, and this defense will not stop under any circumstances.

He added that he expected the Switzerland talks to focus only on Iran's nuclear program, and that Iran's missile capabilities were for defending the country and not up for discussion.

French President Emmanuel Macron said top European diplomats in Geneva will make a comprehensive, diplomatic and technical offer of negotiation to Iran, as a key response to the threat represented by Irans nuclear program.

No one can seriously believe that this threat can be met with (Israels) current operations alone," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show, saying some plants are heavily fortified and nobody knows exactly where all uranium enrichment is taking place.

"We need to regain control on (Irans nuclear) program through technical expertise and negotiation.

Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors in to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief and other provisions.

After Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his last term, however, Iran began enriching uranium to higher levels and limiting access to its facilities.

Israel says air campaign will target more sites

Israel said it conducted airstrikes into Friday morning in Iran with more than 60 aircraft hitting what it said were industrial sites to manufacture missiles. It did not elaborate on the locations. It also said it hit the headquarters of Irans Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known by its acronym in Farsi, SPND. The U.S. in the past has linked that agency to alleged Iranian research and testing tied to the possible development of nuclear explosive devices.

RELATED STORY | Israel threatens Iran's top leader; missiles damage hospital and wound dozens

It also carried out airstrikes targeting the areas around Kermanshah and Tabriz in western Iran, where the military said 25 fighter jets struck missile storage and launch infrastructure components Friday morning. There had been reports of anti-aircraft fire in the areas.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge the losses, and has not discussed the damage done so far to its military in the weeklong war.

We are strengthening our air control in the region and advancing our air offensive," Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters.

"We have more sites to strike in Tehran, western Iran and other places.

Israeli airstrikes also reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early Friday, Iranian media reported. The Israeli military had warned the public to flee the area around Rashts Industrial City, southwest of the citys downtown. But with Irans internet shut off to the outside world, its unclear just how many people could see the message.

Damage from missiles in southern Israel

In Israel, the paramedic service Magen David Adom said Iranian missiles struck a residential area in southern Israel, causing damage to buildings, including a six-story building. They have provided medical treatment to five people with minor injuries such as bruises, smoke inhalation, and anxiety, it said.

Later Friday, as Araghchi's plane approached Geneva, Israel's military warned of more incoming Iranian missiles and air raid sirens blared in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

On Thursday, at least 80 patients and medical workers were wounded in a strike on the Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba.

After that attack, Israel's defense minister threatened Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the Iranian missile crashed into the hospital. Israel's military has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist," Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would do what's best for America. Speaking from the rubble and shattered glass around the hospital, he added: I can tell you that theyre already helping a lot."

The war between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.

Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israels multitiered air defenses, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. But it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear weapons program but has never acknowledged it.

The Israeli air campaign has targeted Irans enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran, a nuclear site in Isfahan and what the army assesses to be most of Irans ballistic missile launchers. The destruction of those launchers has contributed to the steady decline in Iranian attacks since the start of the conflict.

Amid the wreckage of war in Ukraine, one pattern stands out: schools, struck again and again, in what Ukraine says is a systematic targeting of the country's children.

Using satellite images, maps, photos and Ukrainian data, a Scripps News visual investigation found that since February 2022, nearly 4,000 of Ukraine's 13,000 educational institutions have been damaged by Russian bombs and shells. The Ministry of Education says nearly 400 have been completely destroyed.

The toll spans the entire system, from kindergartens and vocational schools to colleges and universities. More than 1,400 kindergartens, around 1,900 schools, and over 500 other facilities were damaged or destroyed.

The data shows no region has suffered more damage to its schools than Kharkiv. Since the war began, more than 800 educational institutions in the region have been damaged, including over 300 kindergartens and nearly 400 schools.

14-year-old Yeva Yatsyk's school is one of them. In July 2022, her school was destroyed in a Russian missile attack. No one was inside when the missile hit, as students had already been forced to study from home because of the war.

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"It is a horrible situation, I think, because, like, thousands of students don't have an opportunity to keep learning," Yatsyk said. "It was like losing a part of myself because it was a place where I grew up, where I like, make memories and where I plan my future."

First with the pandemic, and then Russia's invasion, for the better part of four years, there was no going to school for Yatsyk. And then, last fall in Kharkiv, in-person education resumed, but not in the way students were used to. Classrooms now exist in underground bunkers and the subway.

Scripps News joined Yatsyk on her first day back to something resembling a real school.

"It was amazing," Yatsyk said of her first day back. "I met my classmates, and we were so happy. I miss the most, like, the communication with my classmates because it is important, especially as a teenager, to have friends your age to talk with."

When asked if it felt normal to go to school in the subway, Yatsyk said yes.

"I think it's more normal than on computer," she said.

Online learning is not completely done away with, however. Yatsyk told Scripps News she only gets to attend school in person twice a week. The rest is on a computer.

RELATED STORY | Last Stand of Moses: A video chronicle of Ukraines frontline

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov acknowledged that this setup is not sustainable.

"You know, this is not enough. We understand that," Terekhov said. "But compared to the fact that they studied online, this is something at least."

Returning to school as it once was before February 2022 is still not an option.

"We can't have real schools, because the S-300 missile is flying to Kharkiv from the territory of the Russian Federation in less than a minute, 50 seconds," Terekhov said.

Students only have one minute of warning before deadly explosives can turn Kharkiv's schools into part of the battlefield.

Among those hit, Scripps News identified Kharkiv School No. 17 with a gaping hole in its wall after Russian shelling in March 2022. This school was one of three hit during that attack, which targeted numerous civilian areas across Kharkiv city.

Also in Kharkiv, School No. 35 was also destroyed by Russian shelling. The principal inside during the attack miraculously survived.

In February 2022, Russian troops occupied Kharkiv school No. 134, a German-language specialty school, and made a last stand there. In an intense battle, the building was engulfed in flames.

But Ukraine's students are resilient. In the shadows of the ruins and rubble of School No. 134, a group of students performed the traditional graduation dance with a video posted online for all to see.

It was an act of resistance in the face of war.