14 free and lovely ways to celebrate Mother’s Day 2025

• May 4, 2025

You probably know that next Sunday is Mother’s Day in our country, and it’s the perfect time to celebrate that special woman in your life. And, no, you don’t have to spend a fortune and stand in line for an hour to take her out for brunch. Here are some ideas to have a beautiful Mother’s Day without spending any money at all.

Friday, May 9 — Riverside:  Make your own Mother’s Day card and take it home with you at the La Sierra library. 3:30 p.m. 4600 La Sierra Ave., Riverside. 951-826-2461. riversideca.gov/library/about-library/calendar-events

Saturday, May 10 — Lakewood: The free Pan American Fiesta features live music, dancing, carnival rides (for additional cost) crafts for sale and food trucks. It runs Thursday, May 8 through Sunday, May 11, but most activities are on Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Mayfair Park, 5720 Clark Ave., Lakewood. lakewoodcity.org

Saturday, May 10 — Rancho Cucamonga: Make gifts for Mom, yourself or someone special in a free Mother’s Day arts and crafts event at GEM Community Center. Meet Hello Kitty. Vendors available. Sign up in advance at thegemcommuitycenter.org. 4 p.m. at the garden across from 8338 Day Creek Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga. thegemcommunitycenter.org

Saturday, May 10. — Ontario: The Studio Saturdays: Artfully Celebrating Mother’s Day workshop at the Ontario Museum of History and Art is devoted to the remarkable women in your life. Create your own Mother’s Day gift for the mother figures that you want to honor. Advance sign-up is recommended. Noon to 2 p.m. 225 South Euclid Ave., Ontario. 909-395-2510. ontariomuseum.org/visit/

Saturday, May 10 — Los Angeles County: A Mother’s Day Rosary will be held at 2 p.m. at all 11 Catholic cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Join in person at a cemetery for prayer, gratitude and reflection, or it will also be live streamed from San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills. catholiccm.org/rosary.

Saturday, May 10-Sunday, May 11 — Newport Beach: Enjoy a stroll or bring your kayak to the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, on 135 acres of peaceful, scenic parkland. Easy hiking trails, equestrian trails, scenic bluffs and the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center.  Leashed dogs are allowed. 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach. 949-923-2290. ocparks.com/parks-trails/upper-newport-bay-nature-preserve

Saturday, May 10-Sunday, May 11 — Beverly Hills: Want to pretend you’re in a scene from TV’s “Bridgerton”? You can at the grand Doheny Greystone Mansion, built by the legendary Doheny family, but now a park owned by the city of Beverly Hills. You can only visit the interior on special tours, but the beautiful exterior gardens are open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and definitely worth a visit. There are 18 acres of terraced gardens including a willow pond with turtles, statuary and fountains. (Sorry, no picnics allowed.) The 97-year-old mansion and gardens have been used as locations for many films. 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills. 310-286-0119. ca-beverlyhills.civicplus.com/441/Visit-Greystone.

Saturday, May 10-Sunday, May 11 — Pasadena: Take a stroll through the Arlington Garden, the only public garden in Pasadena, which was built on land that Caltrans originally bought to extend the 710 Freeway. When public outcry killed that project, the land sat vacant until it was redeveloped as a charming 3-acre public garden. You can bring your leashed pooch. It’s open daily, sunrise to sunset. 275 Arlington Drive, Pasadena. 626-578-5434. arlingtongardenpasadena.org/about/

Saturday, May 10-Sunday, May 11 — San Pedro: Take a walk with panoramic views of San Pedro and the harbor at Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center. Have a picnic, visit the nature center and enjoy 123 acres of this park, which features a wheelchair-friendly path, picnic shelters and a playground. Open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.1805 W. 9th St., San Pedro. parks.lacounty.gov

Sunday, May 11 — Claremont: Mothers get in free to  the beautiful 86-acre California Botanic Garden on Mother’s Day. California Botanic Garden is the largest dedicated exclusively to the state’s native plants and works to conserve native and rare species. Open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Click online to reserve your free tickets at calbg.org. 1500 N College Ave., Claremont. 909-625-8767.

Sunday, May 11 — Redlands: Take  Mom for a stroll amid six acres of picturesque Italian Renaissance and rose gardens at the historic Victorian Kimberly Crest House in Redlands. The gardens are free to tour Sunday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. No reservations required. (Reservations and a fee required to tour the house.)  1325 Prospect Drive, Redlands. 909-792-2111. kimberlycrest.org.

Sunday, May 11 — Laguna Canyon: Enjoy a peaceful mostly flat walk of less than one mile that includes play and mindfulness exercises to connect with nature. It ends with a tea ceremony. Bring water. A folding chair or yoga mat is recommended. For ages 10 and older. (Note: Parking at the Nix Nature Center costs $3.) 9-11 a.m. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, 18751 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Advance registration required at lagunacanyon.org

Sunday, May 11 — Los Angeles: Share stories and memories at the Mother’s Day Remembrance Service at Hillside Memorial Park, 10 a.m. in the large sanctuary. 6001 W. Centinela Ave. Los Angeles. Register at: hillsidememorial.org/events/details/mothers-day-2025

Sunday, May 11 — Van Nuys: The SuihoEn Japanese Garden is hosting a special Mother’s Day opening event with flower arranging, storytelling, Bonsai demos and a place to make your own Mother’s Day card. This 6-acre garden was designed to emulate strolling gardens built during the 18th and 19th centuries for Japanese lords on their estates. It’s a demonstration garden of the water reclamation plant next door. 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 6100 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys. 213-791-0238. thejapanesegarden.com/events/mothers-day-event/

​ Orange County Register 

Trump wasn’t elected to raise prices

• May 4, 2025

Something is wrong when Democrats are getting excited about promoting abundance while the Republican president is telling parents they don’t really need to be buying so many toys for their kids.

“Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know?,” said President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting this past week. “And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.”

The president said this in the context of questions about the trade war he’s launched and the possibility of disrupted supply chains.

His statement echoes the statement from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent two months ago that, “Access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American dream.”

This might all be easy for Trump and Bessent to say, they’re both wealthy, but it’s quite rich to hear two politicians tell the American people to do with less and expect to pay more for everyday things because the president of the United States wants them to pay more and suck it up.

As noted by Rich Lowry at National Review, “What Trump was ultimately dismissing is abundance, which is one of the marvels of our system. Fewer choices at a greater cost — whether of dolls or other goods — simply means a lower standard of living.”

Meanwhile, at the same time, some segments of the Democratic Party are getting excited about the notion of promoting “abundance,” as championed by liberal pundits Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson.

It’s an upside down world entirely of the president’s doing. He has chosen to impose and threaten to impose massive tax increases on American businesses and consumers for buying foreign foods.  He has chosen to disregard past trade deals, including those he constructed, for vague ends.

Most Americans understand tariffs for what they are and it’s obviously at odds with the reason many Americans voted Republican after four years of Bidenomics.

They want low prices and a strong, stable economy. They don’t want high prices and an unstable economy.

It’s no surprise that his approval ratings have collapsed, with RealClearPolitics reporting an approval rate of 45% versus a disapproval rate of 52%.

What ordinary people want from Trump isn’t a world of artificial scarcity and higher prices. But Trump chose to squander his political capital, panic markets and inject uncertainty around the world for…this?

Let’s hope this situation turns around sooner than later.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks for Sunday, May 4, 2025

• May 4, 2025

The consensus box of Santa Anita picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Eddie Wilson, Kevin Modesti and Mark Ratzky. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Sunday, May 4, 2025.

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​ Orange County Register 

To the very special reader who takes the newspaper from my driveway

• May 4, 2025

To whoever is taking the Sunday newspaper from my driveway about once a month, we need to talk.

I am home with a frightful flu, and it was raining today, so I dragged my weak self out of my new comfy bed, threw an old rain coat over my robe and trekked across the wet front lawn to retrieve my paper from the driveway. Only it was not there, again.

I would never want to deprive anyone of the joy of reading a print newspaper, but here’s the problem: For 16 years, I have been clipping my Sunday columns. It’s a writer’s thing. I am rather proud of my collection, and it upsets me to miss a week.

So let’s make a deal. Keep the paper, but please clip my column, wrap it in something safe, like the front page of the paper, and leave it in my driveway. You obviously know where it is.

I will read the rest of my news online once a month. Unless, of course, you are using the newspaper for something other than reading it. If you are, perhaps lining a cat box or a birdcage, I ask that you clip my column first, or at the very least, have it facing up, so the animal life can enjoy it. I’m always seeking to expand my readership.

You may know that I am a “write at night and sleep in” kind of person. So sometimes it is late afternoon when I am taking in the paper. Perhaps you are someone who disagrees with my lifestyle and would like to trick me into getting up earlier. If so, you win. Next week, I will set my alarm early enough to retrieve my paper in the morning hours.

At the very least, I will retrieve my newspaper-wrapped column. If clipping the column is a problem, just tear out the whole page, but please be careful not to destroy the Successful Aging column by Helene Dennis that appears on the same page. I am a big fan of her work.

Thank you for your cooperation. I am happy to make the acquaintance of another newspaper aficionado, even under these circumstances.

Email [email protected]. Follow her on Patriciabunin.com. 

​ Orange County Register 

San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies not culpable in death of schizophrenic inmate, judge rules

• May 4, 2025

A federal judge has determined that two San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies were not culpable in the death of a suicidal schizophrenic woman who died after she suffocated herself at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

In a ruling Nov. 25 that was disclosed last week by the Sheriff’s Department, U.S. District Court Judge Jesus G. Bernal dismissed, with prejudice, a wrongful death lawsuit filed initially in August 2021 in Riverside by the father of 24-year-old Chino Hills resident Cassandra Pastora.

Bernal concluded that Deputies Ariel Szulc and Christina Dominguez adhered to proper procedures in the care and monitoring of Pastora, who was declared brain dead and removed from a ventilator on March 22, 2021, at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana.

Dominguez discovered Pastora lying face-down on her mattress in her cell at 10:37 a.m. on March 15, 2021, her fist in her mouth, which Pastora used to try to suffocate herself, according to Bernal’s ruling. A jail nurse managed to resuscitate Pastora and get a pulse, and she was taken to Kaiser Fontana, where she died a week later.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Bernal’s ruling on April 30, saying it was satisfied with the court’s decision and insisted that, in this case, it “acted promptly, followed established protocols, and provided immediate access to medical and mental health services.”

“The loss of a life is always devastating, no matter the circumstances. However, I feel it is important that we keep the public informed of the outcome of these lawsuits so they know the original one-sided story presented by some media outlets doesn’t always include all the facts,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a statement Friday.

“It seems only the lawsuits that are lost by the department are the ones publicized and rarely do the ones that are won get reported on. It is my priority to minimize any taxpayer funds being spent on lawsuits that have no basis of wrongdoing on behalf of the department.”

Pastora’s father, Saeed “Sam” Toghraie, alleged in his lawsuit civil rights violations, including inadequate conditions of confinement and denial of needed medical care for his daughter, who was pregnant. He named former Sheriff John McMahon, Dicus and Capt. Victor Moreno as the main defendants. Dominguez and Szulc also were named as defendants, according to Bernal’s ruling.

Pastora was arrested at the Whistler Court home she shared with her father and booked into the jail on March 13, 2021, after her father called 911 reporting his daughter had attacked him and a neighbor. Toghraie claims his daughter suffered a psychotic episode after she stopped taking her medication to treat her schizophrenia because she was concerned it would harm her unborn child.

Pastora, according to her father, was 14 weeks’ pregnant when she was arrested, and lost her child due to her self-inflicted injuries while at the jail.

During the three days Pastora was at the jail, she was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton on March 14 due to a self-inflicted head injury from banging her head on her cell door window. She returned to the jail later that day, and the following morning was observed by Dominguez, Szulc, and medical and mental health staff at the jail making sounds that led them to believe Pastora was vomiting. Dominguez suspected it was morning sickness, according to Bernal’s ruling.

Jail officials also tried doing a rape kit and conducting a psychiatric assessment on Pastora, but said they were unsuccessful because she appeared to be vomiting. At 10:24 a.m., Szulc offered Pastora food, but she refused it. Thirteen minutes later, she was discovered lying face down on her mattress.

Her cause of death was listed as anoxic encephalopathy due to Pastora obstructing her airway with her hand, according to Bernal’s ruling.

“Assuming there was a duty to protect Pastora against suffocating herself with her own fist, it does not appear that any defendant breached that duty,” Bernal said. “The individual defendants noticed something off with Pastora, but Pastora received medical assessments and even the medical officials assessed Pastora as vomiting and did not think she was attempting to suffocate herself with her fist.”

Bernal’s dismissal of the case was strike three for Toghraie. His lawsuit was first dismissed in December 2021 — four months after he filed it. He filed an amended lawsuit in March 2022, which was dismissed about three months later. He then appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, which reversed the dismissal on some of the alleged actions, allowing Toghraie to file a third amended complaint on May 15, 2024, which Bernal ruled on in November.

Reached by telephone Friday, Toghraie, who now resides in Barcelona, Spain, but visits his mother in Southern California several times a year, said he was unhappy with Bernal’s decision, but said it is now time to move on.

“I was extremely disappointed in the ruling,” Toghraie said. “I fought this for four years. It takes such a toll on you. In some ways, you just want to move on and get on with your life. It’s just so physically and emotionally draining. I just want my daughter to rest in peace, but I hate the outcome.”

He said if there is anything his case can illustrate, it is the failures of the criminal justice and carceral systems to care for and protect mentally ill inmates.

“Having a mental health issue does not mean they shouldn’t take care of you,” Toghraie said. “This country has a long way to go as to taking care of its mentally ill people.”

​ Orange County Register 

Returning to workforce can be daunting and rewarding

• May 4, 2025

Sometimes in our lives, we need to take a break from working. This could be for caregiving, for mental well-being, for physical health, or for myriad other reasons.

Several times over the course of my career as a financial advisor, I have recommended that clients reenter the workforce due to a projected shortfall in retirement income.

The reasons for the shortfall will vary, but usually they are correlated with spending too much and not having enough money saved to maintain a person’s current lifestyle after retirement. This is a difficult conversation, but it is important, nevertheless.

Whatever the reason, returning to work after a period of absence can be daunting. Your days will be filled differently, and time may become more valuable.

Prior to taking the plunge, prepare yourself for this transition. Search for programs at your local college, or nonprofits that can assist you with preparing to reenter the workforce. Review your education and experience, but also identify your skills, interests, and strengths.

Remember that your skills and interests may have changed since you were last employed. Identify the type of work environment that is important to you.

Do you want to work remotely, or in an office with your colleagues?

Are you OK with traveling, or do you want to work locally?

Focusing on what you want from a new position and narrowing your job search to fit your criteria should help to maximize the opportunity for success.

Update your resume

Your resume is your first impression. It needs to be flawless. Update it to include additional skills you have obtained since you were last employed. Also, address your absence during the employment gap.

Your resume should be simple and personalized, focusing on quantifiable achievements and skills that align with the job description. Consider using AI tools to help formulate your resume, using high-impact keywords that are specific to your industry.

After your resume is complete but before sending it to any employers, ask a professional colleague to proofread the document for spelling, grammatical errors, flow, and presentation.

If necessary, you can go into more depth using a cover letter. This is a good place to explain your absence from the workforce and anything you’ve done during that time that relates to the position you’re applying for and makes you a more attractive candidate.

Prepare for an interview

During an interview, you are being evaluated to determine if you are the best candidate for the job. Prepare for the interview well in advance.

Research the company that is interviewing you so you can answer questions with informed responses. Understand the job description so your responses align with what the company is seeking in a candidate.

Once you are prepared, enlist the help of a trusted friend or family member and practice interviewing. Are you listening to the questions and answering with detailed quantifiable answers? Ask your interviewer for feedback. What can you improve to make the best impression possible?

Before your interview, select an outfit that is appropriate for the culture of the company and the position you are applying for. Research the company’s website or visit their location to observe how employees dress when they are at work.

Expectations will be different in a casual, small business vs. a corporate environment. Choose clothes that are comfortable, well-fitted, clean, and wrinkle-free to help make a great first impression.

During the interview

Arrive early with copies of your resume in hand. Be honest and confident about the value you can bring to your potential employer.

Listen to the questions they ask and illustrate how you meet the requirements of the job with examples of past experiences. Make it clear that you’re ready to learn and to do what it takes to catch up on what you might have missed throughout the period when you were not employed.

Be prepared to ask smart questions, such as: how would you describe the characteristics of someone who is successful in this job? What are the day-to-day responsibilities? What does collaboration look like at this company?

After the interview

Set yourself apart by following up after the interview to thank the interviewer for their time by sending a personal, handwritten thank-you note. This small act can leave a big impression.

Once You Are Employed

Starting a new job usually comes with benefits that will help improve your financial wellness. In addition to the new income, you may have the opportunity to receive healthcare or retirement plan benefits. Spend some time exploring what that means for you.

Your monthly finances could shift dramatically, depending on your new income, health insurance benefits, and retirement plan contributions. It’s a wise idea to pencil out a new budget based on your net income after the cost of these benefits has been deducted from your paycheck.

Before the new income is incorporated into your everyday spending, consider using your new budget as an opportunity to pay off debt and plan for your future. Budgeting and planning are key to financial success.

Retirement contributions

The 2025 annual contribution limit for employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan is $23,500. Meaning: You can contribute this amount (and more if you are over age 50) to your retirement plan, pre-tax.

The catch-up contribution limit that applies to employees ages 50 and over is $7,500. Therefore, participants who are 50 and older can contribute up to $31,000 each year to their retirement plans.

Under a change made in the SECURE 2.0 Act, a higher catch-up contribution limit applies for employees aged 60, 61, 62, and 63 who participate in these plans. This year, the higher catch-up contribution limit is $11,250 instead of $7,500.Social Security

If you are collecting Social Security benefits when you reenter the workplace, are younger than full retirement age, and are making more earned income than the yearly limit of $23,400, the Social Security Administration will reduce your monthly benefit until you reach full retirement age. Your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above the limit.

The amount that your benefits are reduced, however, is not lost. Once you reach full retirement age, you will receive credit for your reduced benefits. Your benefit will be recalculated to account for the amount that Social Security previously withheld.

If you are working while receiving Social Security benefits before reaching full retirement age, contact the SSA and let them know. Failure to notify the SSA may result in needing to repay benefits plus fees.

In addition to a reduction in benefits, your Social Security benefits may become taxable if they exceed the earnings thresholds. Whether or not you pay income tax on your Social Security benefits depends on your total income. When assessing the taxability of your benefits, all your income will be counted.

Income from retirement accounts and other unearned income will also count toward the total. If your benefits are taxed, only 50% or 85% of them will be taxed, depending on your total income.

Reentering the workforce may be difficult, but with planning and follow-through, it can be a wonderful opportunity to gain experience, develop new skills, and make connections, while improving your overall financial wellness.

Teri Parker is a certified financial planner and vice president for the Riverside office of CAPTRUST Financial Advisors. She has practiced financial planning and investment management since 2000. Contact her via email at [email protected].

​ Orange County Register 

Moms in crisis, jobs lost: The human cost of Trump’s addiction funding cuts

• May 4, 2025

By Aneri Pattani, KFF Health News

When the Trump administration cut more than $11 billion in COVID-era funds to states in late March, addiction recovery programs suffered swift losses.

An Indiana organization that employs people in recovery to help peers with substance use disorders and mental illness was forced to lay off three workers. A Texas digital support service for people with addiction and mental illness prepared to shutter its 24/7 call line within a week. A Minnesota program focused on addiction in the East African community curtailed its outreach to vulnerable people on the street.

Although the federal assistance was awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic and some of the funds supported activities related to infectious disease, a sizable chunk went to programs on mental health and addiction. The latter are both chronic concerns in the U.S. that were exacerbated during the pandemic and continue to affect millions of Americans. Colorado, for example, received more than $30 million for such programs and Minnesota received nearly $28 million, according to health and human services agencies in those states.

In many cases, this money flowed to addiction recovery services, which go beyond traditional treatment to help people with substance use disorders rebuild their lives. These programs do things that insurers often don’t reimburse, such as driving people to medical appointments and court hearings, crafting résumés and training them for new jobs, finding them housing, and helping them build social connections unrelated to drugs.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s cuts, allowing the programs to continue — for now — receiving federal funding. But many of the affected programs say they can’t easily rehire people they laid off or resurrect services they curtailed. And they’re unsure they can survive long-term amid an environment of uncertainty and fear, not knowing when the judge’s ruling might be lifted or another funding source cut.

The week it slashed the funding, the Trump administration also announced a massive reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the consolidation of the main federal agency focused on addiction recovery services. Without a stand-alone office like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, many advocates worry, recovery work — and the funding to support it — will no longer be a priority. Although private foundations and state governments may step in, it’s unlikely they could match the tranches of federal funding.

“Recovery support is treated as optional,” said Racquel Garcia, founder of HardBeauty, a Colorado-based addiction recovery organization.

The federal cuts put at risk a roughly $75,000 grant her team had received to care for pregnant women with substance use disorders in two rural counties in Colorado.

“It’s very easy to make sweeping decisions from the top in the name of money, when you don’t have to be the one to tell the mom, ‘We can’t show up today,’” Garcia said. “When you never have to sit in front of the mama who really needed us to be there.”

Mental health conditions, including substance use disorders, are a leading cause of maternal mortality in the U.S. And although national overdose deaths have decreased recently, rates have risen in many Black and Native American communities. Many people in the addiction field worry these funding rollbacks could reverse hard-earned progress.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard told KFF Health News that the department is reorganizing to improve efficiency, foster a more coordinated approach to addiction, and prioritize funding projects that align with the president’s Make America Healthy Again initiative.

“We aim to streamline resources and eliminate redundancies, ensuring that essential mental health and substance use disorder services are delivered more effectively,” she said in a statement.

But to Garcia, it doesn’t feel like streamlining. It feels like abandoning moms in need.

Between the time the cuts were announced and when the federal judge paused them, two women served by Garcia’s program gave birth, she said. Though her grant funding was in limbo, Garcia told her employee to show up at the bedside for both moms. The employee followed up with daily check-ins for the new moms, connected them to treatment or housing services when needed, and helped them navigate the child services system.

“I just can’t leave moms” without services, Garcia said. “I just can’t do it.”

Nor can she abandon that employee, she said. Although the federal funding provided half of that employee’s salary, Garcia has continued to keep her on full time.

Garcia said she primarily employs women in recovery, many of whom spent years trapped in abusive situations, relying on welfare benefits. Now they’re sober and have found meaningful work that allows them to provide for their families, she said. “We created our own workforce of mamas who help other mamas.”

This type of recovery workforce development seems to align with the Republican Party’s goals of getting more people to work and reducing reliance on welfare benefits. The Trump administration’s drug policy priorities, released in early April, identified creating “a skilled, recovery-ready workforce” and strengthening peer recovery support services as crucial efforts to help people “find recovery and lead productive, healthy lives.” Many recovery programs train people for blue-collar jobs, which could support Trump’s goal of reviving the manufacturing industry.

But the administration’s actions appear to conflict with its stated goals, said Rahul Gupta, the nation’s drug czar during the Biden administration.

“You can’t have manufacturing if people can’t pass a urine drug test or continue to suffer from addiction or relapse,” said Gupta, who is now president of GATC Health, a company using artificial intelligence for drug development.

Even if jobs return to rural America, cutting funding for recovery services and the main federal office overseeing such efforts could mean fewer people are employable, Gupta said.

Research on recovery programs, particularly those run by people with personal addiction experience, suggests they can increase engagement in court-ordered treatment, reduce the prevalence of rearrest, bolster attendance at treatment appointments, and improve the likelihood of families reunifying and stabilizing.

Billy O’Bryan sees these benefits daily. As a state director for the national nonprofit Young People in Recovery, O’Bryan oversees about a dozen chapters in Kentucky that teach people in recovery life skills, such as balancing a checkbook and interviewing for jobs, and show them how to have fun in sobriety, through group hikes and glow-in-the-dark Ultimate Frisbee games.

Providing recovery services “is when we really invest in their future,” said O’Bryan, who is in recovery too.

Six of his chapters were affected by the federal funding cuts. That has meant dipping into his organization’s rainy day fund to pay staff and cutting back on community events, including cleanup days in which chapter members gather used syringes off the street, pass out the overdose reversal medication naloxone, and talk to people using drugs about the possibility of recovery.

He’s exploring fundraising efforts now, but not all his chapters have the same ability.

“In a city like Louisville, fundraising is not a problem,” O’Bryan said, “but when you get out into Grayson, Kentucky” — a rural area in the Appalachian Mountains — “there’s not a lot of opportunities.”

In Minnesota, Kaleab Woldegiorgis and his colleagues at Niyyah Recovery Initiative used to spend hours a day at soup kitchens, community events, mosques, and on the streets of East African and Muslim neighborhoods, trying to connect with people using drugs. They spoke Somali, Amharic, and Swahili, among other languages.

Those outreach efforts allowed them to “find individuals in need of recovery services” who “weren’t seeking it out themselves,” said Woldegiorgis, who previously attended Niyyah’s support groups when he was dealing with addiction.

After building relationships with people, Woldegiorgis could help them connect with formal recovery services that bill their insurance, he said. But help couldn’t always wait for a contract.

One afternoon shortly before the federal funding cuts, Woldegiorgis and his colleagues spoke with a man who began weeping, recounting how he had wanted to get treatment a few days earlier but had lost his belongings, returned to using drugs, and ended up on the street. Woldegiorgis said he helped the man reconnect with a sister and begin exploring treatment options.

With the federal funding cuts, Niyyah may no longer be able to support this type of outreach work. Woldegiorgis fears it means people won’t receive the message of hope that can come from interacting with role models in recovery.

“People don’t pick up pamphlets to receive these messages. And people don’t read emails and people don’t look at billboards and find inspiration,” he said. “People need people.”

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Buying an older vs. new home might not be the answer to unaffordable housing

• May 4, 2025

By Jeff Ostrowski, Bankrate.com

Homes are acutely unaffordable, a reality that’s pushing stressed-out buyers to consider fixer-uppers. While older homes might offer bargains upfront, there’s a catch: Aging properties saddle owners with maintenance costs that squeeze budgets and test patience. Homebuyers need nearly $117,000 in household income to afford a home, so buying an older one that needs work isn’t necessarily an ideal solution.

How old are America’s homes?

America’s housing stock is graying. The median age of owner-occupied homes nationally climbed to 41 years old in 2023, up from 31 years in 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Put another way, the typical American now lives in a home built in the early 1980s or before.

Homes are getting long in the tooth in large part because builders simply aren’t adding new homes at the pace they once did.

“We underbuilt housing from 2013 up until COVID,” says Robert Dietz, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders.

The sluggish pace of homebuilding after the Great Recession intensified the housing boom of recent years. It’s Econ 101: When demand outpaces supply, prices rise. That’s exactly what’s going on in the U.S. housing market, as an ever-growing population of potential homebuyers vies for an increasingly scarce supply of homes.

Fully 81 percent of aspiring homeowners say the down payment and closing costs pose a “very significant” or “somewhat significant” obstacle to owning a home someday, according to Bankrate’s 2025 Down Payment Survey. The survey found that 18 percent of buyers would consider a fixer-upper as a way to break into an unaffordable market.

Is it better to buy new?

A third of U.S. housing inventory is new construction, while the other two-thirds of properties for sale are existing homes, Dietz says. The state of those existing homes can vary widely, from fully renovated places that need no work to dated structures with shag carpet, linoleum floors, musty basements and failing heating and air conditioning units.

Generally, newer places cost more upfront, while older homes that need work could require ongoing maintenance.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Dietz says. “With a newer home, you’re going to have the new home price premium, so it’ll be more expensive, but the operating costs will be lower.”

New vs. older home: Pros and cons

Purchase price

New homes are often more expensive than existing homes, at least in terms of acquisition costs. The higher price stems from a combination of inflation, newer homebuilding regulations and more costly materials and finishes.

Most mortgages are based on the value of the home when you buy it; the loan amount doesn’t account for upgrades. However, you might be able to finance repairs as part of the mortgage by taking a HomeStyle Renovation or Federal Housing Administration 203(k) loan, which rolls the purchase price and renovation costs, up to a limit, into one loan.

Home size and features

Home sizes have grown over the years, and lifestyles have evolved. The typical size of a new home built in 2023 was 2,233 square feet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 1982, that figure was just 1,520 square feet. What’s more, older homes often have features that have fallen out of favor, such as formal dining rooms.

Lot size

No, it’s not your imagination. New homes — even large, expensive ones — are being built on smaller and smaller lots. As of 2023, the median lot size of new single-family homes in the U.S. was 8,877 square feet, or a fifth of an acre, the Census Bureau reports. In 2009, the number was 10,994 square feet, or quarter-acre.

Home maintenance costs

In addition to budgeting for a monthly mortgage payment, you’ll also need to set aside money and time to deal with repairs and renovations, typically about 2 percent of the home’s purchase price per year. In that sense, the edge goes to newer homes: They tend to be more energy-efficient, and it should be years before you need to touch major systems such as the roof and heating and air conditioning. Older homes will likely require more spending on maintenance.

Commute times

Housing development has been slow in part because land is scarce. As a result, many new developments are going up in the suburbs and exurbs. If you work from home, great — but if you value a short commute, you might have more luck with existing homes.

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