Alien Planet Radio Ways Possible Cosmic First

Astronomers have spotted radio waves from a planet circling "a star more than 63 light-years from Earth." The waves, which seem to be from an aurora that Beta Pictoris b's poles, "may offer a new tool" in astronomers' hunt for other life in the universe, according to an article in the New York Times ("Radio Waves Coming From an Alien Planet May Be a Cosmic First").

The aurora, probably caused by a magnetic field, could assist in finding worlds that might host life.

Yvette Cendes, an astronomer at the University of Oregan, said, “Habitability is probably one of the main reasons we’re interested in magnetospheres.” Cendes is the author of the paper that reported the find on Sept. 15.

In 2025 and early 2026, a team lead by Kevin Ortiz Ceballows, spotted something on Beta Pictoris b. Follow-up observations helped pinpoint radio emissions from Beta Pictoris b. Mr Ceballows is a grad student at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.

To read the article in its entirety, go to "Radio Waves Coming From an Alien Planet May Be a Cosmic First".

Florida's National Forests at Risk of Losing Acres to Logging, Road Construction

Florida's three national forests are at risk of losing "tens of thousands of acres" to logging and road construction, threatening nearly 40 animal species and "more than 130 threatened and endangered plant species" under a proposed protection rollback,

In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture moved to rescind a quarter-century rule that protected "millions of acres of the nation’s public forests from road construction and timber production" in its entirety (Tampa Bay Times, Florida’s 3 national forests at risk of logging, new roads under Trump rollback, groups warn)

Rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule could adversely affect the Florida scrub jay in the Ocala National Forest, the red-cockaded woodpeckers in the Apalachicola National Forest, and "could polute lakes and ponds that house the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle in the Osceola National Forest."

By Monday afternoon, more than 325,000 comments were left on the federal register about the rollbacks.

If you'd like to make a comment, the deadline ends Tuesday at midnight. You can weigh in by visiting https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FS-2025-0001.



If you'd like to read the Tampa Bay Times article in its entirety, click here. Click here to read the USDA press release.

Massachusetts Expands, Adds Reproductive, Gender-Affirming Healthcare

While many states are cutting back on reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare, Massachusetts now has a new state bill that "will expand and add protections to reproductive and transgender healthcare."

According to a news item on Feminist Majority Foundation's site ("Massachusetts Expands Protections for Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Care"), Governor Maura Healey signed a "groundbreaking new act" that will "safeguard patients, providers, insurers, tech companies, and others from federal investigations related to reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare."

The bill, S.2538, "adds reproductive and gender-affirming care providers’ personal information to the list of protected non-public information under the public records law."

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Musk Likely Violated Constitution, Federal Judge Rules

Elon Musk "likely violated the Constitution 'in multiple ways'" in his effort to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Judge Theodore D. Chuang of U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland also found that Musk "robbed Congress of its authority to oversee the dissolution of an agency it created."

According to The New York Times' article ("Musk’s Role in Dismantling Aid Agency Likely Violated Constitution, Judge Finds"), Judge Chuang ruled that Musk had not been properly appointed by President Donald J. Trump. The article goes on to state that unnamed aid workers had filed a lawsuit to block the dismantling of the U.S.A.I.D., and that they had a good chance of succeeding in their suit.


To read the article in its entirety, go to "Musk’s Role in Dismantling Aid Agency Likely Violated Constitution, Judge Finds".

Feds: FL Officials Bilked FEMA of Millions

Several former Lynn Haven, Fla. officials have been charged with conspiring to bilk billions of hurricane cleanup money from the federal government, according to the U.S. attorney's office Tuesday.

Former Lynn Haven City Manager Michael White and former community services director David Horton were arrested, as well as Erosion Control Specialists owner David White and Greenleaf Lawn Care owner Joshua Anderson, according to NBC Miami. U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe said that the former Lynn Haven officials "approved false invoices for the two companies...for work they never performed," using $5 million in Hurricane Michael cleanup money.

According to NBC Miami, "The officials approved payments to the companies and then sought reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency."

However, according to Panama City News Herald article, other Lynn Haven city officials were also linked to corruption in the case ("Four more Lynn Haven city officials linked to public corruption case"). According to the article, "indictment records obtained by The News Herald make mention of the mayor, city attorney, community services director, and one commissioner in the unfolding public corruption case."

To read the NBC Miami story, go to https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Florida-Officials-Bilked-FEMA-Out-of-Hurricane-Money-Feds-565187772.html. To read the Panama City News Herald article, go to https://www.newsherald.com/news/20191119/four-more-lynn-haven-city-officials-linked-to-public-corruption-case.

UnitedHealth to Buy Patient Care Group; Group Not to See Patients with UnitedHealth

UnitedHealth Group Inc. announced Wednesday December 4 that it is spending $5 billion to purchase "hundreds of clinics," many of which are disallowing patients covered by UnitedHealth to be seen in the coming year. The announcement came days "rival Aetna announced a tie up with CVS Health Corp."

The Minnesota-based UnitedHealth's Optum segment is expected to close the deal to purchase DaVita Medical Group from DaVita Inc. next year, according to an AP article in the Tampa Bay Times ("UnitedHealth ventures deeper into patient care with $5B deal").

DaVita "runs nearly 300 primary and specialty care clinics in several states," including Florida, while Optum currently operates more than 1,100 primary, urgent care and surgery centers.

However, patients in at least one Florida county are finding it increasingly impossible to continue to see their primary care physicians employed by DaVita Medical Group while insured by UnitedHealth.

Disclaimer: This writer, along with at least one family member, were insured through UnitedHealth through December 2016; I write this from experience.

During the 2016 open enrollment period for Medicare, DaVita Medical (then called JSA Medical) contacted patients covered by UnitedHealth, informing patients that they needed to change from UnitedHealth to another Medicare Advantage Plan or find another primary care physician. A contract between UnitedHealth and DaVita was not signed until shortly after the open enrollment period ended. Those patients who opted to stay with UnitedHealth found themselves in the position of then staying with both their insurance of choice and retaining their primary care physicians in DaVita. Those who changed insurance plans to stay with DaVita were at least able to find comfort in staying with their primary care doctors.

However, not all plans are the same. Some patients (again, this writer and my family member(s)) would that many of their specialists were not covered with new advantage plans. When the 2017 open enrollment began, patients who had fled UnitedHealth (UHC) the previous year found that if they switched back to UHC, they could either see their DaVita physicians as an out-of-network doctor, or not be allowed to see their physicians, even as out-of-network, depending on who one spoke with. (Out-of-network refers to doctors who are not technically part of one's insurance plan, but who can still be seen, usually at a slightly higher co-pay.)

As of December 7, the last day of open enrollment for the 2018 coverage year, only those patients who remained with UHC in 2016 were allowed to see their DaVita doctors, being "grandfathered" in. Those patients who changed to UHC during open enrollment - including those who switched out of UHC last year due to too-late contract negotiations - would have to change doctors.

According to a customer satisfaction representative at the St. Petersburg (Fla.) corporate office, while UnitedHealth Group is poised to close the deal to buy DaVita Inc. in 2018, Medicare patients wanting to switch back to UHC can not do so and stay with DaVita.

"That might change next year, if everything falls into place in time," the representative stated. "If not, it might be during the 2019 open enrollment before a patient could change back."

VA Evacuation Halted, Lack of Ambulances, Disagreement Sited

Up to 30 patients who were scheduled for evacuation from the C.W. Bill Young V.A. Medical Center prior to Hurricane Irma were not moved due to a disagreement between the medical center and Pinellas County officials.

While Young medical center officials claim that the county "promised ambulances that never arrived," county officials disagree, saying that while some patients were moved, patients could not be moved to facilities that the VA wanted the patients moved to, according to the Tampa Bay Times ("Hurricane Evacuations Halted for Lack of Ambulances at VA' Young Center"). County officials claim that Young officials requested patients be moved to facilities in Gainesville and Lake City.

In all, 110 patients and 56 staff members were moved to other locations, with 96 patients and 400 staff members remained behind.

Of the patients who needed to be evacuated, 30 were left behind due to a lack of ambulances, according to the article.

To read the article in its entirety, check out "Hurricane Evacuations Halted for Lack of Ambulances at VA' Young Center".