Evictions An Imminent Threat To Over 8 Million Households

CBS News: With Moratorium Ending, More Than 8 Million Households Face Foreclosure Or Eviction 
Even as the nation rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic, more than 2 million homeowners are behind on their mortgages and risk being forced out of their homes in a matter of weeks, a new Harvard University housing report warns. Most of the homeowners at risk of foreclosure are either low-income or families of color, said researchers who published the 2021 State of the Nation's Housing report. Congress has dedicated $10 billion to help homeowners get caught up on payments, but it's unclear if that funding will make it to families before mortgage companies begin sending out foreclosure notices, researchers say. (Brooks, 6/16)

The New York Times: 8,000 Homeless People To Be Moved From Hotels To Shelters, New York Says 
New York City plans to move about 8,000 homeless people out of hotel rooms and back to barrackslike dorm shelters by the end of July so that the hotels can reopen to the general public, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday. When the pandemic lockdown began last spring, New York City moved the people out of the shelters, where in some cases as many as 60 adults stayed in a single room, to safeguard them from the coronavirus. Now, with social distancing restrictions lifted and an economic recovery on the line, the city is raring to fill those hotel rooms with tourists. (Newman, 6/16)

Los Angeles Times: City Of L.A. Asks Court To Toss Out Lawsuit Seeking Skid Row Clearance
The city of Los Angeles filed a motion on Wednesday seeking dismissal of what it called a “misguided” lawsuit that attempts to compel local government to provide shelter to thousands of homeless people living on downtown sidewalks and next to freeways. Lawyers for the city argue that while homelessness is “among the greatest challenges facing our region,” efforts to address it through the lawsuit filed in federal court last year against the city and county are misplaced. (6/16)

In sports and recreation news —

The Wall Street Journal: Royal Caribbean Postpones July Cruise After Crew Members Test Positive For Covid-19 
Royal Caribbean Group is postponing a voyage in July after eight crew members tested positive for Covid-19, demonstrating the challenges that arise with restarting cruises during the pandemic. The cruise line detected the cases as part of a routine testing for crew members of the Odyssey of the Seas ship, Royal Caribbean International Chief Executive Michael Bayley said in a Facebook post. The company is moving the Odyssey’s sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to July 31 from July 3 “out of an abundance of caution,” Mr. Bayley said. (Sebastian, 6/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: NFL, Players Union Strike Deal On COVID Protocols, Lift Restrictions For Fully Vaccinated
The NFL and its Players Association agreed to updated COVID-19 protocols Wednesday for training camp and the coming preseason, and the guidelines clearly incentivize players to get vaccinated. Among the requirements for players who are not fully vaccinated: daily coronavirus testing, masks at team facilities and during travel, physical distancing, quarantine after high-risk exposure to COVID, a 15-player limit in the weight room and not leaving the team hotel to eat in restaurants. (Kroichick, 6/16)

AP: US Open Tennis Tournament To Allow 100% Fan Capacity In 2021
The U.S. Open tennis tournament will allow 100% spectator capacity throughout its entire two weeks in 2021, a year after spectators were banned from the event because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Fendrich, 6/17)

In other public health news —

CBS News: Hackers Can Spy On Peloton Bike And Treadmill Users 
Peloton says it has fixed a security flaw in the fitness equipment maker's stationary bike and treadmill products that potentially allowed hackers to spy on users and even control their exercise machines. Security software company McAfee identified the vulnerability, warning that someone with physical access to Peloton's Bike+ and Tread+ products could gain control of the devices through a USB port on the interactive tablet mounted on the machines that are used to stream live workouts. (Cerullo, 6/16)

ABC News: Court Voids Ruling That Sperm Donor Must Pay Child Support
When it comes to deciding whether a sperm donor should pay child support, a judge should follow the paternity laws of the state where the child is conceived, a North Carolina appeals court ruled this week. The case involved Anthony Garrelts, a North Carolina man who agreed by a “verbal contract” to provide artificial insemination for Ericka Glenn, who wanted to raise a child with her partner. Glenn and Garrelts met in Virginia, and the insemination and pregnancy occurred there before the child was born in late 2011. Glenn — the only parent mentioned on the birth certificate — moved with the child in 2014 to California, where she received public benefits. (Robertson, 6/16)

AP: Dead 'Murder Hornet' Found Near Seattle Is First In U.S. This Year
Scientists have found a dead Asian giant hornet north of Seattle, the first so-called murder hornet discovered in the country this year, federal and state investigators said Wednesday. Entomologists from the state and U.S. Agriculture departments said it's the first confirmed report from Snohomish County, north of Seattle, and appears to be unrelated to the 2019 and 2020 findings of the hornets in Canada and Whatcom County, along the Canadian border, that gained widespread attention. (6/17)

In updates on the opioid epidemic —

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Early Intervention, Programs Needed For Children And Families To Overcome Effects Of Opioid Crisis
Early intervention and long-term programs are needed for families affected by opioid use disorder to be successful, a witness said Wednesday at the trial in which Huntington and Cabell County are seeking money from drug distributors accused of fueling the opioid epidemic. But those distributors on trial said the programs needed are already in place, funded by other sources, such as the federal and state governments, and are not the responsibility of the municipalities, thus the county and city cannot sue for money on their behalf. (Hessler, 6/16)

North Carolina Health News: 75% Of NC Overdose Deaths Involve Multiple Drugs
In recent years, the street drug market has become increasingly polluted by additives. Number one among those is fentanyl, which is commonly added to heroin and now being added into other substances. Fentanyl and its close relative, carfentanil, are synthetic opioids considered to be 100 to 10,000 times stronger than morphine. They are being found in many other drugs, a trend that accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic, according to harm reduction workers across the state. (Knopf, 6/17)