Man living in Congo who returned to Kenya is country’s first confirmed Ebola case and first death

• October 6, 2026

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan citizen who had been living in Congo before returning to Nairobi over the weekend became Kenya’s first confirmed case of Ebola and the country’s first death from the disease in the fast-moving outbreak, authorities said Tuesday, sparking urgent contact-tracing efforts to try to contain the spread of the virus.

The man had been residing in Congo for the past seven years and fell ill about a month ago. He was treated at various hospitals before traveling by road to Kampala, Uganda, where he boarded a flight to the Kenyan capital, arriving on Saturday afternoon, Health Minister Aden Duale said.

Health authorities in Kenya have placed the country’s border points on high alert and are monitoring for possible additional cases.

Duale said that the man had been isolated and treated at Nairobi Hospital, where he tested positive for the Ebola virus and died late Monday.

Ebola is highly contagious and spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing.

The current outbreak was declared in mid-May, months after it had been spreading in a remote part of eastern Congo. At least 8,400 cases have been recorded, including more than 4,000 deaths, according to government data, making it the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease in history.

Kenya has never had an outbreak of Ebola, according to the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

The country hosts a United States-funded isolation center for American citizens exposed to Ebola to quarantine for 21 days before traveling back to the U.S. The isolation facility faced legal battles and deadly protests by locals who feared it was exposing them to the virus.

Dozens of contacts have either been identified or are being traced

Kenya is the fourth country to record an Ebola case in the current outbreak, which was declared in eastern Congo in mid-May. Uganda has recorded 20 cases and France one. Before Kenya reported its case, there had been no active cases outside Congo since Uganda declared its outbreak over in late August.

Duale said that 28 contacts of the man who had returned on Saturday, including family members and health workers who cared for the patient, had been identified. Another 23 passengers on the flight and four crew members, who traveled on the same plane from Uganda, were being traced.

The contacts will remain in isolation for 21 days and will be released after testing negative for the virus, said the ministry’s director-general, Dr. Patrick Amoth.

After the man arrived in Nairobi, his relatives later took him in a private vehicle to Nairobi Hospital, where he was immediately isolated. He will be buried within 24 hours in accordance with recommended public safety protocols.

The minister said that Kenya had tested 267 samples at five laboratories across the country since May before this first case was detected.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday commended the “rapid identification, isolation and testing of the patient” and said a high-level team had been dispatched to Kenya to offer support.

Ebola outbreak in Congo is spreading quickly in difficult conditions

In Congo, where the outbreak has spread to seven provinces, conditions are difficult. Responders have faced attacks on health teams, misinformation about the virus, a failure by locals to report symptoms and rebel violence that has limited access to treatment centers.

While cases have slowed in Ituri province, the epicenter, the outbreak is spreading in emerging hot spots in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

“It is like fighting a megafire. Multiple outbreaks are developing at the same time, with varying intensity and in different locations,” Stéphanie Hoffmann with Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said in a statement.

The World Health Organization has warned that it could surpass the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which erupted more than a decade ago and killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa.

Chinedu Asadu contributed to this report from Abuja, Nigeria.

For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

​ Orange County Register 

French riot police fire tear gas as more than 250,000 rally nationwide for school funding

• October 6, 2026

By NICOLAS GARRIGA and OLEG CETINIC

PARIS (AP) — Police fired tear gas to control crowds in Paris and elsewhere in France on Tuesday as more than a quarter of a million people rallied nationwide to support school pupils demanding more education funding, according to government figures. The protests increased pressure on the administration of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron.

As pupils again blockaded high schools, large crowds waving flags and placards gathered in Marseille, Strasbourg and other cities. The demonstrations showed how protests that began at a high school in the Paris region in mid-September have grown into a nationwide movement — the latest of many that have marked Macron’s nearly decade-long tenure.

“We need to listen to them,” said Léa Monimart, a demonstrator in the northern city of Lille. “They are 17 years old; they are not completely clueless, and they know what they are talking about. It’s important to show that there are adults who support them.”

The Interior Ministry estimated that 256,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris, where small groups of protesters clashed with riot officers at a city square during a largely peaceful march through the city.

The widespread use of arrests, tear gas and riot-control weapons against teenagers is fueling defiance and angering some parents and teachers.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the police response had been proportionate in “almost all cases” and that the protests had at times turned into riots, requiring police intervention.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government and school leaders must listen to students’ concerns and find solutions.

Questioned in parliament on Tuesday about the protest movement, Lecornu denounced “ultra violence” threatening schools. Responding to criticism of police tactics, he pledged that any “accidents” would be investigated and described allegations that the police are racist as a “lie.”

Class boycotts with police making thousands of arrests

More than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades, and policing that has led to more than 6,100 arrests, mostly of minors, have become a flashpoint in the early days of the presidential election campaign.

Felix Barney, a university student, described the police response as disproportionate, saying it doesn’t make “any sense to hit minors.”

“Riot police, batons, rubber bullets, tear gas,” said Aurélien Le Coq, a lawmaker with the far-left France Unbowed party. Its presidential candidate is strongly backing the protests.

The violence is “absolutely unbearable,” Le Coq said.

Nuñez defended police tactics despite a growing number of severe injuries blamed on officers’ riot-control weapons. In the latest case, a 15-year-old boy lost a hand Monday in an incident involving a police stun grenade. He said 715 officers had been injured.

The teenage protesters have struck a chord amid widespread discontent in France. Frustrations extend beyond immediate difficulties, such as fuel prices that have soared because of the Iran war, to broader concerns about constraints on public spending, rising poverty and wealth inequality under Macron, who can’t run for a third consecutive term.

Against that backdrop, pupils’ complaints that education funding shortfalls are endangering their futures have found a sympathetic audience.

“You say ‘young people are the future,’ so listen to them,” read a handwritten placard attached to a metal barrier outside a Paris school.

Ministry offers online portal for complaints

At the Hélène Boucher lycée, or high school, in Paris’ 20th district, protesters tipped over trash cans and bicycles onto their sides to create a makeshift barricade.

Like hundreds of others around the country, the school was closed. Authorities began shutting schools last week to take some steam out of the demonstrations after widespread damage to schools and mounting injuries among staff, students and police. Classes were totally or partially suspended on Tuesday at 891 schools, according to the Education Ministry.

Facing accusations that it was ignoring protesters, the ministry launched an online portal inviting high school students to anonymously describe the difficulties they face at school and the changes they want to see.

Student protests have drawn attention to rundown classrooms

At Hélène Boucher, parents and other adults positioned themselves on Tuesday between protesters and police keeping watch.

“They are our children. Teachers, parents, federations, we all share the same goal: the protection of children’s rights, and it is a legitimate right to demonstrate and to make demands,” said Emilia Sichili Suriam, who is a member of an association of parents.

Demonstrators have voiced a range of grievances, often centering on a lack of resources and opportunities for students in disadvantaged schools, despite the promise of France’s national motto: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.”

Students have drawn attention to rundown classrooms that lack basics such as desks and chairs, become sweltering in summer without air conditioning and, in some cases, are infested with rats. Other common complaints include staff shortages and exhausting workloads. French high school students’ compulsory classroom hours are among the highest in Europe.

Suzanne Nijdam, president of the federation of student associations, vowed that demonstrations would continue until authorities address the complaints.

“So, we really need to act now, and it’s in the government’s hands, to see these demands through to the end,” she said. “It’s a matter of political priority, a matter of prioritizing the youth and the future of our country.”

John Leicester, Masha Macpherson and Catherine Gaschka in Paris, Mark Carlson in Lille, and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County football season stat leaders, Oct. 6

• October 6, 2026

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

The Orange County high school football season stat leaders after the Week 6 games.

The leaderboards are based on season stats published on MaxPreps.com.

To be included, teams must have their stats updated on MaxPreps each Monday by 2 p.m.

PASSING: TOTAL YARDS

RUSHING: TOTAL YARDS

RECEIVING: TOTAL YARDS 

TACKLES: TOTAL

​ Orange County Register 

4 new and upcoming restaurants coming to Orange County

• October 6, 2026

A handful of new dining options and one caffeine oasis are poised to open in Orange County this and next year. One comes with a Noma co-founder’s culinary pedigree, while another promises a honky-tonk vibe with your latte.

Wade’s Coffee House (San Juan Capistrano)

A new honky tonk-themed coffee house will open on Del Obispo Street, as first reported in the Capistrano Dispatch. Christened Wade’s Coffee House, the spot comes from Colin Dubel and Chelsea McCrea, who call it California’s “first and only honky tonk coffee shop.”

Still in its build-out phase, Wade promises country music, “strong coffee,” leather seats, an outdoor patio and “Nashville vibes,” according to its Instagram page.

“We just had an idea that we could not stop thinking about, so we decided to go all in and build it,” said Colin Dubel in an Instagram announcement. He will open the space alongside his girlfriend, Chelsea McCrea.

Children and dogs will also be welcome at the Vermeulen Ranch Center cafe. Also of note, in an increasingly rare San Juan Capistrano feat, free and ample parking is available.

Wade’s Coffee House is slated to open in winter 2027.

Reminisce (Orange)

Noma co-founder Mads Refslund will have a hand in the menu at Reminisce, a restaurant, bakery and coffee roastery slated to open in Old Towne Orange in early 2027. The chef, who also opened the recently shuttered Ilis in New York City, has signed on as culinary director for the upcoming spot from husband-and-wife owners Art and Olea Zelaya.

Plans call for a wood-fire kitchen and roughly 200 seats with cars, artwork and vintage lighting from the couple’s personal collections rounding out the space. Dinner service will come first, with breakfast and lunch soon to follow, according to Art Zelaya.

While the official location has yet to be revealed, planning records suggest Reminisce will be located somewhere on Almond Avenue near The Circle.

Sushi Blissba (Cypress)

From the group behind Sushi Nigiriba in Huntington Beach and Culver City comes Sushi Blissba, which opened in Cypress on Oct. 1. Offering both omakase and a la carte menus, highlights here include Funamori, sushi and sashimi on a boat-shaped platter; anago, conger eel torched tableside; and tamagoyaki, a Japanese rolled omelet.

Guests can also look forward to a litany of sashimi, nigiri, rolls, and skewers, alongside a bar program of spirits and sake. The 118-seat space includes a 10-seat sushi bar and an outdoor patio.

Find it: 5253 Katella Ave., Suite 120, Cypress, instagram.com/sushiblissba

Oceans & Earth (Costa Mesa)

With his inaugural location in Yorba Linda, chef-owner Adam Navidi plans to open a second Oceans & Earth at The Met in Costa Mesa. The upcoming eatery, according to the office campus’ website, is slated to arrive in 2027, with Pacific Pearl Cafe and Haus 575, a biergarten, as its gastronomic neighbors.

Take heed, those living with celiac disease or gluten intolerance: The Yorba Linda original is noted for operating an entirely gluten-free kitchen.

While the menu for the upcoming spot has yet to be revealed, menu highlights are the Yorba Linda space include clam chowder with rosemary-garlic croutons, jumbo lump crab bombs with chili sauce and avocado chimichurri, and a five-cheese macaroni.

​ Orange County Register 

Lawyers for Chicago woman shot by Border Patrol agent call for criminal charges

• October 6, 2026

Attorneys for Marimar Martinez, shot by a Border Patrol agent during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago last October, called on authorities Monday to file criminal charges against the agent after a new bullet trajectory analysis showed her car was moving away from the agent when he opened fire.

“This in our opinion is not a political issue,” attorney Christopher Parente said at a news conference to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit. “We are asking the Department of Justice to do something. It’s the Department of Justice. It’s not the Department of Republicans. It’s not the Department of Democrats. They have a civil rights division specifically there to investigate things like this.”

Parente said if federal authorities refused to act, he’s hopeful that an ongoing Chicago police investigation will lead to charges being filed by Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke, who has promised to have a specialized unit of prosecutors look at the evidence that’s been gathered.

The 33-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Monday afternoon landed a year and a day after Martinez, a Montessori school teacher’s aide, was seriously wounded in the Oct. 4, 2025, shooting in Brighton Park as she was heading to a local church to donate clothes.

The suit named only the United States as a defendant, since federal agents are generally barred from being sued for on-duty actions. It included seven total counts of negligence, battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution, and false arrest and imprisonment.

While much of the evidence presented in the lawsuit was already known, it included the results of a newly completed reconstruction of the shooting done by a nationally renowned expert hired by Martinez’s attorneys.

The expert, Jeremy Bauer, cross-referenced police body camera and surveillance footage and analyzed the bullet holes in Martinez’s vehicle and the wounds in her body to trace Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum’s position when the shots were fired, according to Martinez’s attorneys.

None of it matched Exum’s statements to the FBI that he was standing in front of her car when the shots were fired, or that he stopped firing once the vehicle had passed him and he was no longer in danger, they said.

Instead, the analysis showed Exum was standing beside Martinez’s vehicle when he fired the first three shots through the passenger side of the windshield, according to the lawsuit. As Martinez drove away from Exum, the fourth shot was fired directly through the front passenger side window, according to the analysis. The final shot broke out her rear passenger window when she was past him, hunched over the steering wheel and trying to drive away.

“We did the analysis so we had objective proof that this was a bad shoot, that everything Exum said was a lie, and most importantly Marimar is telling the truth,” said attorney Michael Gallagher, who also represents Martinez.

Though she survived the shooting, Martinez was hit with federal assault charges while still in the hospital, a case that drew national scrutiny and became a defining moment of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s controversial immigration enforcement campaign last fall.

Prosecutors later dropped all charges after it was revealed Exum had bragged about his marksmanship to fellow agents and was allowed to drive his vehicle back to his home district in Maine before Martinez’s lawyers could have it inspected.

Seated next to her attorneys at Monday’s news conference, Martinez said she’s recovered physically from the shooting but still sees herself as a voice for others who did not survive violence by immigration officers, including Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were both killed in Minnesota in January.

“I’m just glad to see another year, be with my family,” Martinez said. “I don’t want to be in the camera, but if I don’t then who else? Look what happened to Renee (Good) and all these victims … we shouldn’t sit here and normalize what’s happening.”

Exum was placed on administrative leave last year pending the results of an internal investigation, according to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS did not respond last week to questions about Exum’s status or the investigation, referring a reporter to the Department of Justice. A DOJ spokesperson did not respond to messages seeking comment Monday.

In breaking down the bullet trajectory analysis, Parente said he was most disturbed by the fourth and fifth shots fired by Exum, which depicted what Exum would have seen from his own viewpoint as he fired directly through the front passenger side window and then from behind as Martinez’s car pulled away.

“In what world can a U.S. law enforcement officer stand behind a car and fire his Glock service weapon through the rear passenger window at a young woman who is crouched over the steering wheel?” Parente asked. “In what world can you justify that? You can’t. Which is why he lied about it, and why they continue to lie about it.”

Martinez’s lawyers say they are not interested in settling the lawsuit and will demand a bench trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang, a former federal prosecutor who years ago presided over a trial in a controversial Chicago police shooting case, records show.

Among the most crucial evidence in Martinez’s case was body-camera footage from one of the agents in the car with Exum that day showing the tense moments just before their unmarked Chevrolet Tahoe, which was outfitted with an Uber sign, collided with her SUV.

“It’s time to get aggressive and get the (expletive) out,” one agent said as horns blared. Seconds later, Exum, who was driving with his Glock pistol in his right hand, appeared to jerk the steering wheel to the left, in the direction of Martínez’s vehicle alongside them.

“Be advised we have been struck!” one of the agents in the vehicle yells to a dispatcher. Exum then gets out of the vehicle and moves off-camera and five rapid-succession gunshots are heard. Martinez was struck by gunfire in the legs, arm and chest, but managed to drive off before calling 911.

A few hours after the shooting, then-Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino sent an email directly to Exum and others in the department commending him for his work, the evidence released earlier this year showed. “I would like to extend an offer to you to extend your retirement beyond age 57…. In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much left to do!!” it read.

That day, Homeland Security officials released statements branding Martinez, a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, as an armed “domestic terrorist” who was part of a convoy attempting to box in agents that day. Exum and the two other agents with him that day later told the FBI that Martinez had rammed their vehicle and was driving toward Exum when he fired through her front windshield.

Exum, meanwhile, exchanged a series of texts with his wife as well as a group of fellow agents under the name “Posse Chat.” In one of them, someone Exum identified as “the guy from Vermont” wrote, “Good job brother, glad you are unharmed and get to live to tell the story.”

“You are a legend among agents you better (expletive) know that. Beers on me when I see you at training,” the agent texted Exum, the records show.

Martinez’s attorneys alleged the shooting was part of a broader push by the administration of President Donald Trump to use the guise of public safety to conceal a racially discriminatory agenda that targeted people of Hispanic descent with arrest and deportation — with little regard to their immigration status or criminal history.

“The promise to target dangerous undocumented criminals supplied a pretext for treating skin color and perceived foreignness as grounds for suspicion and coercion,” the lawsuit stated.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

​ Orange County Register 

Cold War memories stir Rubio in Iceland as he champions diplomacy and downplays differences

• October 6, 2026

By MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday sought to reassure NATO ally Iceland that President Donald Trump’s administration has no designs on the island but shares its deep concerns about Arctic security as tensions between the United States and Russia rise in the high north and elsewhere.

Rubio hailed the role of diplomacy in resolving conflicts as he began a three-nation tour of NATO allies in the capital of Iceland, where concerns over the Republican administration’s often brusque and sometimes rude approach to traditional friends and partners have stirred unease.

Rubio, whose tour of NATO members will include Greece and Portugal, met Tuesday with Icelandic Foreign Secretary Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir at Reykjavik’s Hofdi House, the site of the 1986 summit between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that is widely regarded as the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

“The house symbolizes diplomacy’s role in ending the Cold War and defeating communism,” Rubio posted on social media after the talks that took place just days before the 40th anniversary of the landmark meeting.

However, both Rubio and Gunnarsdóttir downplayed differences between the allies and said both countries were committed to deepening and expanding military and commercial ties. Rubio made clear that the United States would not do anything in Iceland without Iceland’s consent.

“We would be open to having those conversations to see what we can do together,” he said, noting that the U.S. had a decades-long permanent military presence in Iceland until 2006, when shifting priorities caused it to close its Keflavik base outside of Reykjavik. He noted that priorities have shifted again.

And, he went out of his way to praise Iceland: “We have tremendous respect for the people. We have respect for the country in the role it plays, and it has for a very long time,” he said.

Iceland’s foreign secretary says she’s ‘focused on the future’

Iceland has been uneasy about Trump’s intentions toward it after the posting of a map showing the colors of the U.S. flag sprawling across all of North America and extending to Iceland and Greenland. The unease has persisted despite an agreement reached last month to increase the U.S. presence in the neighboring Danish territory of Greenland that appears to have ended Trump’s earlier demand for the U.S. to take full control.

But on Tuesday, after Rubio’s talks with Gunnarsdóttir and Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, those tensions appeared to be on the wane.

Gunnarsdóttir said the matter had been largely, if not entirely, resolved. “We remain focused on the future,” she said. Rubio, meanwhile, said he was not in Iceland to talk about social media posts. “Everything is very positive,” he said.

Rubio talks up ‘shared priorities’

Before leaving Washington on Monday, Rubio said the visit is intended to “advance our shared priorities: a secure Arctic, stronger commercial and energy ties, and closer defense cooperation.” He offered no hint of tensions with the island that, while a NATO member, has no standing army.

The map incident, however, alarmed Icelanders, and in response, Gunnarsdóttir summoned U.S. Ambassador Billy Long to a meeting at which she made it clear the post was unacceptable.

Iceland, which is just 180 miles (290 kilometers) from Greenland, had already been on edge after Trump mistakenly named the country four times while speaking about Greenland.

Iceland hasn’t seen eye to eye with US ambassadors

Long, a colorful former Missouri congressman, IRS commissioner and professional auctioneer, also has made waves in Iceland. Before he took up his post in August, thousands of Icelanders signed a petition urging the prime minister to reject him after he made a crack earlier this year about Iceland becoming the 52nd U.S. state and making him governor. He has since apologized for the quip.

Long is not the first Trump ambassador to Iceland to have raised concerns with the host government. In Trump’s first term, Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter left locals in relatively crime-free Reykjavik aghast over his request to hire armed bodyguards, which prompted complaints.

US ambassador to Greece faces misconduct allegations

At Rubio’s next stop in Athens, he may be dealing with another ambassador controversy. Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said last week that he would investigate allegations of misconduct and impropriety by the U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

In a letter to Rubio, Meeks said that he wanted answers following the allegations reported by The Wall Street Journal last month and that he would call for Guilfoyle’s dismissal if the behavior outlined in the news report was true.

The Journal reported that Guilfoyle told guests at a reception that the U.S. could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company, and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.

Some Greek opposition parties have called for an inquiry into the allegations, but it’s unclear if they will proceed.

Guilfoyle, a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr., has denied any wrongdoing, and Rubio has defended her before.

Guilfoyle, Rubio said after the Journal story appeared, “has been an incredible advocate for the president’s agenda in Greece and across Europe.” Rubio said he and Trump greatly value the ambassador’s “pivotal work and leadership,” notably on energy issues.

The Trump administration sees Greece as key to advancing the promotion and export of U.S.-produced liquefied natural gas to Southeastern and Central Europe.

​ Orange County Register 

Locked Out: Should you take ‘free money’ to buy a home?

• October 6, 2026

If you’re stretching toward a home purchase, anything that shrinks the pile of cash you need at closing looks pretty appealing.

Homebuying assistance programs — usually in the form of help with your down payment or closing costs — could mean affording to buy now instead of waiting. Jeffrey Ruben, president of WSFS Home Lending in Greater Philadelphia, estimates about 12% of closings at WSFS Bank rely on some type of homebuying assistance.

“Clearly a minority of the borrowing public is taking advantage of this, or has the ability to take advantage of it,” he says.

Eligible buyers receive an average benefit of $18,000, according to Down Payment Resource, which tracks homebuying assistance programs. But qualifications can be strict, and funds can come with strings.

“Locked Out” is a series about why buying a home feels out of reach, and the solutions that could change the game. This time, I’m looking at who offers down payment assistance, when it pays off and what buyers should know before saying yes.

Not all programs are created equal

When researching your options, start close to home. State and local governments offer more than half of all homebuying assistance programs, according to Down Payment Resource. Nonprofits, like the Neighborhood Assistance Program of America and niche regional programs, run another 22%.

First-time buyers with lower income have the most choices for down payment assistance, but repeat buyers and higher earners shouldn’t count themselves out. About one in 10 programs don’t have income limits, reports Down Payment Resource.

Ruben says government-backed programs are typically the best options because they’re designed with a public goal in mind, such as revitalizing a neighborhood or expanding homeownership. Home builders also offer buyer credits or discounts, but there’s usually something in it for them — like directing buyers to their in-house financing.

“If it’s coming from the guy who’s trying to sell you the house, you know, you have to really kind of be skeptical of that,” Ruben says.

You might have more choices than you think, but look beyond the dollar amount. Consider who’s offering the help and whether the details work for you.

Does the program fit your future plans?

Consider how the assistance itself is structured. It may be a grant, tax credit, forgivable loan or loan you’ll eventually repay. Each one has trade-offs that might not be strictly financial.

“It can turn into, quote-unquote, ‘free money,’” Ruben says. “But there’s a cost.”

For example, some programs structure assistance as a second mortgage. You may or may not owe monthly payments, but the debt can limit your ability to sell, refinance or rent out the home. A forgivable loan might require you to stay in the home for five or 10 years. Move sooner, and you could owe the remaining balance.

Before accepting help, ask what happens if your plans change. The money may still be worth it, but make sure today’s help won’t box you in tomorrow — especially when today’s mortgage rates are high enough that you might want to refinance later.

Spot the trade-offs and hidden costs

Using homebuying assistance might limit your ability to shop around. Government-backed programs can require you to select from a list of participating mortgage lenders. Unsurprisingly, grants given directly through a bank or mortgage company typically require you to get your mortgage there, too.

Some lenders offset the cost of homebuying assistance by charging you a higher interest rate, but the trade-off may be worth it if it helps you buy sooner. To compare total costs, get a Loan Estimate from at least three participating lenders offering assistance — plus a couple “regular” outside offers — to see which mortgage costs less overall.

If lender shopping stresses you out, a mortgage broker can help. Brokers compare rates and fees through a behind-the-scenes network of wholesale lenders — kind of like a travel agent comparing flights on your behalf. I learned an interesting tidbit when talking with a loan officer recently: Some wholesale lenders may offer assistance programs they don’t advertise directly to consumers, but a broker would know where to look.

Choose a lender with a proven track record of navigating down payment assistance. Throughout the homebuying process, your lender will work closely with the program to make sure the funds arrive on time to close.

Finally, ask a tax advisor about any tax implications, too. Depending on the program, you could receive a Form 1099-MISC and need to report the assistance as income.

Can assistance programs fix the affordability crisis?

Homebuying assistance can help buyers clear one hurdle, but it’s a long race. There’s a reason many assistance programs require you to complete a home buyer education course. The costs of homeownership are ongoing, including surprises like home repairs.

“Just throwing money at somebody doesn’t solve the ultimate problem of affordability,” says Cheri Salazar, CEO of NestSTEPS, an employer-sponsored homeownership benefits and education platform.

Salazar, who co-founded NestSTEPS in January 2025, is betting on the next wave of homebuying assistance showing up in your employee benefits, alongside health insurance and retirement planning. Employer-backed homebuying programs are still niche, but some companies — usually large employers — see them as a tool for building worker loyalty and retention.

Earlier this year, financial services company BNY announced that eligible employees making $100,000 per year or less could qualify for $6,500 in down payment assistance toward the cost of their first home.

“This is something that the government has been trying and failing to accomplish for decades,” Salazar says. “And we believe that the real solution needs to come through the private sector.”

Abby Doyle writes for NerdWallet. Email: abadachdoyle@nerdwallet.com.

The article Locked Out: Should You Take ‘Free Money’ to Buy a Home? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

​ Orange County Register 

Niles: Will addictive social media be the end for Disneyland?

• October 6, 2026

A few weeks ago at Disneyland, I saw one of the scariest things that I ever have seen in a theme park.

It was not an injury accident, thank goodness. Nor was it a fight. It wasn’t a planned haunt scare, either. On Pirates of the Caribbean, I sat behind a person who spent the entire ride on her phone’s Instagram app.

Have we reached the point where theme park guests would rather scroll their social media than look up to take in one of the greatest dark ride attractions ever made? Apparently so. While this was the worst example yet for me, it hardly was the first time that I have seen people choose their phones over the sights around them in a park. That should terrify anyone who works in the multibillion-dollar theme park industry.

Theme parks have had to compete with other forms of entertainment media ever since Walt Disney opened his Magic Kingdom in 1955. But no other entertainment medium has seemed to clutch people in such an addictive hold as today’s social media.

I know that this issue is being litigated, but as someone who has been developing websites and apps for decades now, I believe that many social media services are engineered to be addictive for users. It’s working. One example: I’ve lost count of the number of times that I have had wait at stoplights for the driver ahead of me to look up from a phone and notice that the light has turned green. That rarely happened before algorithmic social media’s rise a decade ago.

The way to fight social media addiction is with real-life human connection. Theme parks like Disneyland are uniquely positioned to deliver the immersive, human-driven experiences that can continue to engage fans even in the age of social media. Live theater, character meets, thrill rides, fantastical play areas, visually stunning attractions with quick-witted hosts — those are the experiences that parks can offer fans who want something more than what they can find on a screen.

But what happens when people no longer want anything more than what vertical video shorts offer? That’s the challenge that Disney needs to address. Unfortunately, Disney does not make it easy to leave your phone behind and enjoy a day offline. Magic Key passes are part of the app now, as are Lightning Lanes, dining reservations and mobile ordering at many restaurants.

Disney promotes the fact that its theme parks are the country’s top locations for Instagram posts and encourages its guests to live their Disney experience online. That’s great promotion for the parks — after all, you have to meet potential customers where they are. But if Disneyland’s new main selling point is being a popular setting for social media use, I fear for the future of the parks.

I don’t want to live life through a screen. I hope that someone at Disney is advocating for people like me, who feel the same.  Because the more a space is filled with people glued to their phones, the less I want to spend my time there.

​ Orange County Register