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One Saturday morning, Ringo and Jax sneaked out of the house in Lake Creek near Edwards and did not return. Ringo is a 2-year-old yellow lab and Jax is a yellow lab mix rescue who his owners believe to be 9 years old. The two had gone on a few adventures alone before but always came home together. “Ringo knows how to open doors with lever handles — like the one on our front door,” said Stacey Boltz, owner of Ringo and Jax. “As long as doors remain locked, even his best efforts remain thwarted. However, with a house full of teenage boys, doors do get left unlocked from time to time.” Boltz said they discovered the dogs had taken themselves for a walk a few minutes after they escaped at about 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 9 and immediately dispatched a search crew on foot and by car to go find them and alerted friends and neighbors who lived in the area. After initial efforts proved unsuccessful, Boltz posted messages on Pets of Eagle County and Eagle County Classifieds social media accounts and her personal Facebook and Instagram accounts. “Shortly after I had posted messages on Pets of Eagle County, I was contacted by Kate Hawthorn and others within Eagle and Summit County who work to retrieve lost pets. Vail Mountain Rescue was also among the first to reach out,” Boltz said. Jax came home at dawn the next day, alone. But no signs of Ringo. Many pets go missing daily in Eagle County and many come home on their own, but when they don’t, it’s nice to know there is sophisticated technology that can help track the pets and entice them to come home. That technology and a person who is a professional tracker is what found Boltz’s missing dog. “One of the volunteers told me about Bill Dohse of Find 911 . He had previously helped her locate a missing animal and she felt confident Dohse could be a helpful resource,” Boltz said. Bill Dohse is a retired law enforcement officer from Cody, Wyoming, who started working with drones as a hobby. That hobby quickly turned into search and rescue efforts using drones and highly trained search dogs to give a sense of direction of the subject missing. Find 911 travels the country helping law enforcement and government agencies and families looking for humans who have gone missing. Dohse said the combination of the search dogs and drones together is far superior to today’s general search methods. And Dohse has some incredible technology to help him zero in on those missing. “I wrote a grant to Amazon looking for some funding to develop our own software to find things that the drone operator can’t see with the naked eye when he’s flying that drone,” Dohse said. “Amazon loved it, and they funded the development of the software and partnered me up with a software company out of Denver called Cloud303 .” Over the last two years, the entities have developed software that can find color, shape, thermal images, anomalies and things that are out of place in nature in residential areas. All these things can be found using Amazon’s AI servers to find things that aren’t visible to the naked eye. “For instance, if we were looking for someone that we knew that was wearing a blue coat and was maybe curled up under a tree, this software can find about a quarter-size match to that blue color sticking out or through the foliage of that tree,” Dohse said. “And then it gives us a GPS coordinate, and we can send search and rescue teams to investigate that. The same thing with thermal. When the drone operator can’t see a thermal signature with the naked eye, the software can, and it can do the same thing. So, it’s very, very effective and we’re very thankful to Amazon and Cloud303.” A photo of Ringo’s colorful collar was put into the software and used to track this minute detail. But beyond this impressive advanced technology, Dohse said they always start with their search dogs because they give a direction of travel. Bolts provided Dohse with scent articles from Ringo. “Our dogs are scent-specific trained. So, they’re trained to follow the most recent scent of whatever we’re looking for as far as humans or horses or other four-legged animals,” Dohse said. The search dogs and drones help set up what Dohse calls a circuit. “Basically, it’s a perimeter. We call it a circuit because dogs will quickly create a circuit where they know where food, water and shelter are,” Dohse said. “Once we have established that circuit, the next step is to put up game cameras and feeding stations and hopefully get them on camera.” As each day went by, Boltz and her family would hope and pray for a safe return of Ringo. Boltz has had many dogs in her life but felt especially close to Ringo. “Ringo had always been my ‘heart dog.’ We are as connected as a dog and person could ever be. Ringo was the runt of his litter and suffered an eye injury shortly after birth which left him mostly blind in one eye and his limited vision meant he has always been a little more dependent on humans,” Boltz said. “We truly weren’t sure how well he would do in the wild.” In addition to all the technical search knowledge Dohse has, he also knows a lot about a dog’s behavior once it goes missing and explained to Boltz how dogs really become a different animal. “They become feral quickly but their instincts kick in and they can search for food sources and will even eat deer or elk scat, berries or dig for mice. They also become nocturnal and enter a fight-or-flight state after they realized that, ‘Oops, what did I do? Where’s my family? Where’s my house?’ They totally change mentality,” Dohse said. “Just a pure example is 90% of the time calling out your pup’s name is going to scare them away versus come, even though that’s your best friend in the whole world.” Dohse said when he coaches family members on how to search for their dog, he’ll tell them to call out family members’ names, call your other dog’s name, but do not call your dog’s name because “for whatever reason, it scares them or they think they’re in trouble,” Dohse said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that in Ringo’s case we were close to him several times just by my search dog’s behavior. But Ringo wasn’t ready. It’s like they are in a fog and can’t think straight, and then there’s a trigger where they finally realize it is time to come home.” Dohse recommended that they take Jax out for a hike around the circuit one more time. The circuit was in rugged terrain and the days were getting shorter and colder, but Dohse said that Jax’s scent might trigger Ringo. The next day Ringo pawed at the back patio door and cheers erupted from those in the house waiting for him six days after he left for his adventure. “Maybe it was Jax’s scent that had Ringo think, ‘Hey, I miss my buddy. I’m ready to come home.’ Maybe it was their scent that brought him out. I wish I had that answer, I wish I could talk to the dogs, but sometimes it just takes whatever it is, a scent or a sound or something for that pup to know it’s time.” Boltz said they all learned a lot during this ordeal. The technology was fascinating and so were the details about dog behavior. Boltz said that they have changed the doorknobs so that the dogs won’t be able to get out on their own anytime soon. But she also added that she learned a lot about the people of the community. “While the valley is filled with dog lovers, the proactive nature of the community reached far beyond what I had ever imagined possible,” Boltz said. “There were many moments when I was warmly reminded how much I love living in the mountains, and how powerful a small community can really be.”
MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sun Country Airlines SNCY debuted its first custom-designed aircraft livery in celebration of Minnesota Golden Gopher Athletics. Sun Country was named the Official Airline of Gopher Athletics in 2023. In addition, Sun Country has provided charter service for the university's sports teams since 2012 and has flown nearly 500 charters during the past 12 years. "Sun Country is proud to debut this aircraft design that illustrates our hometown pride and longstanding partnership between two iconic Minnesota organizations," said Grant Whitney, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer. "We look forward to continuing our multi-year partnership with Gopher Athletics and will root for them for years to come." "This is a tremendous extension between two proud Minnesota brands," said Minnesota Senior Associate Athletic Director Mike Wierzbicki. "We take great pride in our relationship with Sun Country. They have been a tremendous partner, and we are excited for Minnesota fans and college sports fans to see the Minnesota Block M and Maroon and Gold flying all over the country." This livery is the first custom aircraft design in Sun Country's fleet of 43 passenger planes. Among one of the first flights with the Maroon and Gold paint, the aircraft is scheduled to take the Gopher football team to the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, December 30. "Customers and Gopher fans will see this aircraft, which is tail number 809, on many routes throughout our network," Whitney added. "Our history with Gopher Athletics presented a great opportunity for us to finally create a custom livery that our hometown will be excited about." Gopher Sports Properties, the locally based team of Learfield – the media and technology company powering college athletics – is the exclusive multimedia rights holder for Gopher Athletics and oversees all sponsorship agreements on behalf of the athletic department. Read more about our partnership with Minnesota Gopher Athletics here . About Sun Country Sun Country Airlines is a new breed of hybrid low-cost air carrier, whose mission is to connect guests to their favorite people and places, to create lifelong memories and transformative experiences. Sun Country dynamically deploys shared resources across our synergistic scheduled service, charter, and cargo businesses. Based in Minnesota, we focus on serving leisure and visiting friends and relatives ("VFR") passengers and charter customers and providing cargo service to Amazon, with flights throughout the United States and to destinations in Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean. For photos, b-roll and additional company information, visit https://www.stories.suncountry.com/multimedia About Gopher Athletics The University of Minnesota sponsors 22 varsity intercollegiate athletic teams and is represented by more than 625 student-athletes who compete in the Big Ten and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Minnesota has claimed 29 national championships in eight different sports and has won 216 regular-season conference titles and 42 conference tournament championships. Minnesota has also produced 213 Academic All-Americans, which ranks as the tenth most all-time among college and universities. Media Contact: MediaRelations@suncountry.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0798544c-facb-42aa-8a31-00018bc3f781 © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
In 2024, we’ve seen a plethora of great albums, but Spotify Wrapped noticeably lacked a top albums leaderboard alongside its top artists and songs - luckily for me, Apple Music had one! However, if a media giant like Spotify has begun ignoring the role of the album, it begs the question: is there still a place for the form today? In order to market their music, pop artists have to cater to social media, and undoubtedly, songs are better suited to short-form content than albums. Olivia Rodrigo once said in an interview that she actually wrote part of her first hit single, ‘Driver’s License’, in the hope that it would be used as a viral sound: “I wanted people to make TikToks where they could like transition into it, and I thought [...] it would like be a cue, and people did make TikToks like that, so I’m really happy about that.” Her focus seemed not on how the song could cohere with a future album or larger body of work, but on how a smaller part of the song itself could attract attention. True, Rodrigo’s albums have topped the charts alongside her singles, but is this success not owed to the TikTok-tailored promotion rather than the album itself? This is certainly apparent when other artists’ older songs start trending; the singles get a resurgence online, but not their corresponding albums. “It seems people simply add the viral song to their playlist and neglect to listen to the body of work that contextualises it” After featuring in in 2022, Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ became number one in the UK singles chart and the top-streaming song in both the UK and US, but didn’t see a simultaneous rise in the album charts. Similarly, recently I’ve seen countless reels to the “Wait! They don’t love you like I love you” lyric from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ 2003 song ‘Maps’, but this hasn’t translated to more people talking about the song, album, or artist. It seems people simply add the viral song to their playlist and neglect to listen to the body of work that contextualises it. It is interesting to note how, this year, artists - especially in the pop music genre - have treated their album and single releases to work around this, ensuring their album is listened to as a body of work before it is isolated for use in short-form content. Billie Eilish released no singles in the lead-up to her 2024 album, , but subsequently plucked out the tracks ‘Lunch’ and ‘Birds of a Feather’ as the singles for radio play and publicity purposes. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, both Eilish and her brother and producer FINNEAS discussed making albums for an audience who encounter the form in a different medium compared to even a decade ago. “They need to be long enough to create an arc through the individual songs, but not so long that we’re overwhelmed” Likewise, Taylor Swift left it until the release day of to announce the first single, suggesting a shared aim for the appreciation of the album as a body of work without diluting it into its stand-out songs. The extension of the album into a double-album with the release of just two hours after the first half of the album came out was an ambitious experiment with the form. However, this ultimately meant it lacked the tight coherency she achieved in previous albums like . It seems there’s a reason why albums usually aren’t 31 songs long - certainly, they need to be long enough to create an arc through the individual songs, but not so long that we’re overwhelmed and the journey from start to finish loses its sense of narrative cohesion. Albums are clearly still revered as bodies of work by awards like the Mercury Prize, which annually shortlists the 12 best British albums. However, a lack of investment resulted in this year’s show - arguably showcase event for British music - being downsized, raising question marks over the reception and perception of the album format within the music industry. READ MORE Sabrina Carpenter slips into (lacy) Christmas stockings It seems audiences interact differently with albums nowadays, requiring artists to anticipate these changes both in their releases and marketing strategies. However, hope is not lost for the long form: the very fact that artists have started to adapt in this way suggests they still value the album as more than just a collection of songs. The fashion of collecting physical records in CD, cassette and vinyl form also suggests that we are reviving the traditional way of interacting with albums - listening to them uninterrupted from start to finish - and reaching for an album, rather than (or in balance with) a playlist to suit our every mood. I certainly hope this is the case, that this time-honoured medium sees a resurgence in appreciation and each (inferior) streaming service has a 2025 album leaderboard once again to celebrate our personal favourites! Support is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges. We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding and we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead. In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too! Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as £1, to help with our running costs. Many thanks, we hope you can help!Xencor director Montgomery sells $397,930 in stock
Donald Trump has yet to move back into the White House and already fissures are opening in his coalition, amid squabbling between Elon Musk and his Silicon Valley “tech bros” and his hardcore Republican backers. At the heart of the internecine sniping is Trump’s central election issue – immigration – and the H-1B visas that allow companies to bring foreigners with specific qualifications to the US. The permits are widely used in Silicon Valley, and Musk – who himself came to the United States from South Africa on an H-1B – is a fervent advocate. The altercation was set off earlier this week by far-right activists who criticised Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American venture capitalist, to be an adviser on artificial intelligence (AI), saying that he would have influence on the Trump administration’s immigration policies. On Friday, Steve Bannon, a long-time Trump confidante, critiqued “big tech oligarchs” for supporting the H-1B programme and cast immigration as a threat to Western civilisation. Musk, the world’s richest man who bankrolled Trump’s election campaign and has become a close adviser, posted on X on Thursday that welcoming elite engineering talent from abroad was “essential for America to keep winning”. Vivek Ramaswamy, appointed by Trump as Musk’s co-chair on a new advisory board on government efficiency, suggested that companies prefer foreign workers because they lack an “American culture”, which he said venerates mediocrity. “A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers,” he posted, warning that, without a change in attitude, “we’ll have our asses handed to us by China”. Musk has vowed to go to “war” to defend the H-1B visa programme. In a post on social media platform X, Musk said: “The reason I’m in America, along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong, is because of H1B.” “I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” he added. Musk, a naturalised US citizen born in South Africa, has held an H-1B visa, and his electric-car company Tesla obtained 724 of the visas this year. H-1B visas are typically for three-year periods, though holders can extend them or apply for green cards. Scepticism over the benefits of immigration is a hallmark of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement and the billionaires’ remarks angered immigration hawks who accused them of ignoring US achievements in technological innovation. Incoming White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted a 2020 speech in which Trump marvelled at the American “culture” that had “harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the Internet”. The post appeared calculated to remind critics that Trump won November’s election on a platform of getting tough on immigration and boosting American manufacturing. However, it was Michael Faraday, an English scientist, who discovered that an electric current could be produced by passing a magnet through a copper wire and Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealander, who first split the atom. And Alexander Graham Bell may have died a US citizen but he was a British subject in Canada when he invented the telephone. Trump voiced opposition to H-1B visas during his successful first run for the White House in 2016, calling them “unfair for our workers” while acknowledging that he used foreign labour in his own businesses. The Republican placed restrictions on the system when he took office, but the curbs were lifted by President Joe Biden. Trump is known for enjoying the gladiatorial spectacle when conflict breaks out in his inner circle. He has been conspicuously silent during the hostilities that Politico characterised as “Musk vs MAGA”. Many MAGA figures have been agitating for a complete closure of America’s borders while the problem of illegal entries is tackled, and hoping for a steer from Trump that would reassure them that he remains firm in his “America First” stance. It remains to be seen whether these cracks can be smoothed out or if they are a portent of further strife, but critics point to the chaos in Trump’s first term as a potential indicator. “Looking forward to the inevitable divorce between President Trump and Big Tech,” said far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, a MAGA figure with so much influence that she had a seat on Trump’s plane during the campaign. “We have to protect President Trump from the technocrats.” She has subsequently complained of censorship after she was stripped of her paying subscribers on X, which is owned by Musk. “Full censorship of my account simply because I called out H1B visas,” she posted. “This is anti-American behaviour by tech oligarchs. What happened to free speech?” Page 9 Related Story Qatar joins Global Coalition for Digital Safety QCS chief appointed co-chair of global boardAs the year comes to a close, it's time to look back on the premium mid-sized SUVs that wowed the test team in 2024. or signup to continue reading A host of new electric models have entered the market, while established luxury brands made meaningful improvements to standing ICE models. The result was a crop of upmarket SUVs that scored elite ratings from our test team. These are the five that topped our score charts over the calendar year. Some of these models have been reviewed on multiple occasions this year – in that scenario, we've featured the variant that achieved the highest rating. These models all compete in the medium SUV over $60,000 category, as defined by VFACTS sales statistics published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). Prices are based on each manufacturer's configurators for a Victorian postcode, which should give you a representative estimate of what the average buyer will end up paying. Not only was the Hyundai our top rating premium mid-sized SUV, it was our top rated car, period. Scoring 9.0 out of 10, the electric was awarded near-perfect ratings for performance, handling dynamics, technology infotainment, and fit for purpose. Hyundai N's three pillars are Corner Rascal, Racetrack Capability and Everyday Sportscar. Just like the , and before it, the Ioniq 5 N delivers. It's a great evolution of the 'hot hatch' formula, even if it's more of a crossover. It's silly fast and fun to drive, comfortable and practical enough to daily, while offering zero local emissions, usable driving range (if with a measured right foot), as well as fast to charge. Power comes from a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain, combining a 166kW front and 282kW rear motor for total system outputs of 448kW of power and 740Nm of torque. The electric motors, which Hyundai says can rev up to 21,000rpm, are powered by a new 84kWh lithium-ion battery, with enhanced thermal management and a claimed peak charging speed of 350kW. Since its launch in 2021, the has been a standout choice in the super-competitive mid-sized luxury SUV segment, and the latest update scored 8.8 out of 10 in our ratings. A perfect score for cost of ownership underpinned that rating – Genesis provides free scheduled servicing for the first five years, a real point-of-difference when compared to premium rivals. We also praised the GV70 for its interior design and quality – there is not a surface that feels cheap or plasticky. On the road, the GV70 feels and drives like a proper premium product. The engine and transmission work harmoniously for both powertrain options, and it it rides beautifully if you prioritise comfort over unnecessary rigidity. Two engines are offered – a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder and a 3.5-litre turbocharged six-cylinder. Both offer more than 200kW of power, although they can be a little thirsty. Rounding out the podium is the electric , which scored 8.6 out of 10 in our latest test. Now priced from just $55,900 before on-road costs, discounts have improved the value of an already well-priced vehicle, and it remains a top choice for EV buyers. The Model Y is very minimalist inside and out, with a spacious and practical interior. It's incredibly safe, and shouldn't cost much to run given Tesla's condition-based servicing policy. When it comes to the driving experience, the Model Y is mostly inoffensive with plentiful power on tap and the quiet ambience of a large, insulated electric car. However, question marks over values remain. Tesla is constantly tinkering with pricing, and hurting resale values as a result. Consistent ratings across the board saw the sporty, sexy scored 8.4 out of 10 back in February. Featuring a drivetrain closely related to the , the top-spec Formentor absolutely rips when you put your foot down. It's also a mature commuter, with light steering, a comfortable ride from the adaptive dampers, and a solid (but not standout) sound system. Inside, bucket-style seats and a sporty steering wheel featuring start and drive mode buttons make the Formentor VZx feel meaningfully sportier than any other SUV for the same money. Sporty thrills don't come at the cost of practicality either – the Formentor packs more space inside than you'd expect given its angular, overgrown hatchback proportions. Our main criticism? The optional Akrapovic exhaust is very expensive, and just doesn't sound special enough, enough of the time to justify the spend. Kia's latest electric car in Australia was a hit with our test team at launch, scoring 8.4 out of 10. In particular, the stood out in the areas of interior practicality (9) and value for money (8.8). It's a much better-rounded package than both the EV6 and EV9, while also coming in cheaper than the similar Niro EV. If you're coming from an older car, it offers a much less intimidating setup than its rivals. The interior of the EV5 may be modern, but it isn't quite at the 'spaceship' level that can be a dealbreaker for many EV buyers. The EV5 is an easy car to drive too, with plenty of range and a comfortable ride. Three electric powertrains are available, but we'd recommend the base variants that feature a single motor producing 160kW and 310Nm. Content originally sourced from: Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
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MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Alvaro Folgueiras scored 27 points as Robert Morris beat Saint Francis (PA) 90-77 on Saturday. Folgueiras added 16 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks for the Colonials (8-5). Kam Woods added 19 points while shooting 7 for 16 (2 for 6 from 3-point range) and 3 of 7 from the free-throw line while he also had seven assists and three steals. Amarion Dickerson had 16 points and shot 5 of 8 from the field and 5 for 7 from the line. The Red Flash (3-9) were led in scoring by Riley Parker, who finished with 21 points. Saint Francis also got 19 points and three steals from Juan Cranford Jr.. Valentino Pinedo had 14 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Active Oxfordshire 'incredibly excited' after winning pair of tricycles
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Were JonBenét Ramsey’s Parents Railroaded?Short Interest in Secure Energy Services Inc. (OTCMKTS:SECYF) Decreases By 22.2%Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here Democrats have veered into identity politics and away from the interests of the working class. On Washington Week With The Atlantic, George Packer joins Jeffrey Goldberg to discuss his recent reporting on the Democratic Party's illusions and the future of American politics. Donald Trump's reelection should put an end to two progressive illusions, Packer explained last night: The first of these illusions is the notion that identity is political destiny; the second is the theory that the Democratic... The Editors
David Hilzenrath, Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group | (TNS) KFF Health News In March, newly installed Social Security chief Martin O’Malley criticized agency “injustices” that “shock our shared sense of equity and good conscience as Americans.” He promised to overhaul the Social Security Administration’s often heavy-handed efforts to claw back money that millions of recipients — including people who are living in poverty, are elderly, or have disabilities — were allegedly overpaid, as described by a KFF Health News and Cox Media Group investigation last year. “Innocent people can be badly hurt,” O’Malley said at the time. Nearly eight months since he appeared before Congress and announced a series of policy changes, and with two months left in his term, O’Malley’s effort to fix the system has made inroads but remains a work in progress. For instance, one change, moving away from withholding 100% of people’s monthly Social Security benefits to recover alleged overpayments, has been a major improvement, say advocates for beneficiaries. “It is a tremendous change,” said Kate Lang of Justice in Aging, who called it “life-changing for many people.” The number of people from whom the Social Security Administration was withholding full monthly benefits to recoup money declined sharply — from about 46,000 in January to about 7,000 in September, the agency said. Asked to clarify whether those numbers and others provided for this article covered all programs administered by the agency, the SSA press office did not respond. Another potentially significant change — relieving beneficiaries of having to prove that an overpayment was not their fault — has not been implemented. The agency said it is working on that. Meanwhile, the agency seems to be looking to Congress to take the lead on a change some observers see as crucial: limiting how far back the government can reach to recover an alleged overpayment. Barbara Hubbell of Watkins Glen, New York, called the absence of a statute of limitations “despicable.” Hubbell said her mother was held liable for $43,000 because of an SSA error going back 19 years. “In what universe is that even legal?” Hubbell said. Paying down the overpayment balance left her mother “essentially penniless,” she added. In response to questions for this article, Social Security spokesperson Mark Hinkle said legislation is “the best and fastest way” to set a time limit. Establishing a statute of limitations was not among the policy changes O’Malley announced in his March congressional testimony. In an interview at the time, he said he expected an announcement on it “within the next couple few months.” It could probably be done by regulation, without an act of Congress, he said. Speaking generally, Hinkle said the agency has “made substantial progress on overpayments,” reducing the hardship they cause, and “continues to work diligently” to update policies. The agency is underfunded, he added, is at a near 50-year low in staffing, and could do better with more employees. The SSA did not respond to requests for an interview with O’Malley. O’Malley announced the policy changes after KFF Health News and Cox Media Group jointly published and broadcast investigative reporting on the damage overpayments and clawbacks have done to millions of beneficiaries. When O’Malley, a former Democratic governor of Maryland, presented his plans to three congressional committees in March, lawmakers greeted him with rare bipartisan praise. But the past several months have shown how hard it can be to turn around a federal bureaucracy that is massive, complex, deeply dysfunctional, and, as it says, understaffed. Now O’Malley’s time may be running out. Lang of Justice in Aging, among the advocacy groups that have been meeting with O’Malley and other Social Security officials, said she appreciates how much the commissioner has achieved in a short time. But she added that O’Malley has “not been interested in hearing about our feelings that things have fallen short.” One long-standing policy O’Malley set out to change involves the burden of proof. When the Social Security Administration alleges someone has been overpaid and demands the money back, the burden is on the beneficiary to prove they were not at fault. Cecilia Malone, 24, a beneficiary in Lithonia, Georgia, said she and her parents spent hundreds of hours trying to get errors corrected. “Why is the burden on us to ‘prove’ we weren’t overpaid?” Malone said. It can be exceedingly difficult for beneficiaries to appeal a decision. The alleged overpayments, which can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more, often span years. And people struggling just to survive may have extra difficulty producing financial records from long ago. What’s more, in letters demanding repayment, the government does not typically spell out its case against the beneficiary — making it hard to mount a defense. Testifying before House and Senate committees in March, O’Malley promised to shift the burden of proof. “That should be on the agency,” he said. The agency expects to finalize “guidance” on the subject “in the coming months,” Hinkle said. The agency points to reduced wait times and other improvements in a phone system known to leave beneficiaries on hold. “In September, we answered calls to our national 800 number in an average of 11 minutes — a tremendous improvement from 42 minutes one year ago,” Hinkle said. Still, in response to a nonrepresentative survey by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group focused on overpayments, about half of respondents who said they contacted the agency by phone since April rated that experience as “poor,” and few rated it “good” or “excellent.” The survey was sent to about 600 people who had contacted KFF Health News to share their overpayment stories since September 2023. Almost 200 people answered the survey in September and October of this year. Most of those who said they contacted the agency by mail since April rated their experience as “poor.” Jennifer Campbell, 60, a beneficiary in Nelsonville, Ohio, said in late October that she was still waiting for someone at the agency to follow up as described during a phone call in May. “VERY POOR customer service!!!!!” Campbell wrote. “Nearly impossible to get a hold of someone,” wrote Kathryn Duff of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who has been helping a disabled family member. Letters from SSA have left Duff mystified. One was postmarked July 9, 2024, but dated more than two years earlier. Another, dated Aug. 18, 2024, said her family member was overpaid $31,635.80 in benefits from the Supplemental Security Income program, which provides money to people with little or no income or other resources who are disabled, blind, or at least 65. But Duff said her relative never received SSI benefits. What’s more, for the dates in question, payments listed in the letter to back up the agency’s math didn’t come close to $31,635.80; they totaled about a quarter of that amount. Regarding the 100% clawbacks, O’Malley in March said it’s “unconscionable that someone would find themselves facing homelessness or unable to pay bills, because Social Security withheld their entire payment for recovery of an overpayment.” He said that, starting March 25, if a beneficiary doesn’t respond to a new overpayment notice, the agency would default to withholding 10%. The agency warned of “a short transition period.” That change wasn’t automated until June 25, Hinkle said. The number of people newly placed in full withholding plummeted from 6,771 in February to 51 in September, according to data the agency provided. SSA said it would notify recipients they could request reduced withholding if it was already clawing back more than 10% of their monthly checks. Nonetheless, dozens of beneficiaries or their family members told KFF Health News and Cox Media Group they hadn’t heard they could request reduced withholding. Among those who did ask, roughly half said their requests were approved. According to the SSA, there has been almost a 20% decline in the number of people facing clawbacks of more than 10% but less than 100% of their monthly checks — from 141,316 as of March 8 to 114,950 as of Oct. 25, agency spokesperson Nicole Tiggemann said. Meanwhile, the number of people from whom the agency was withholding exactly 10% soared more than fortyfold — from just over 5,000 to well over 200,000. And the number of beneficiaries having any partial benefits withheld to recover an overpayment increased from almost 600,000 to almost 785,000, according to data Tiggemann provided. Lorraine Anne Davis, 72, of Houston, said she hasn’t received her monthly Social Security payment since June due to an alleged overpayment. Her Medicare premium was being deducted from her monthly benefit, so she’s been left to pay that out-of-pocket. Davis said she’s going to need a kidney transplant and had been trying to save money for when she’d be unable to work. Related Articles National News | California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child National News | Colorado funeral home owners accused of letting 190 bodies decay plead guilty to corpse abuse National News | Another E. coli recall: falafel bites from Florida, California and 16 other states National News | US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems? National News | Hyundai, Kia recall over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix problem that can cause loss of power A letter from the SSA dated April 8, 2024, two weeks after the new 10% withholding policy was slated to take effect, said it had overpaid her $13,538 and demanded she pay it back within 30 days. Apparently, the SSA hadn’t accounted for a pension Davis receives from overseas; Davis said she disclosed it when she filed for benefits. In a letter to her dated June 29, the agency said that, under its new policy, it would change the withholding to only 10% if she asked. Davis said she asked by phone repeatedly, and to no avail. “Nobody seems to know what’s going on” and “no one seems to be able to help you,” Davis said. “You’re just held captive.” In October, the agency said she’d receive a payment — in March 2025. Marley Presiado, a research assistant on the Public Opinion and Survey Research team at KFF, contributed to this report. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. 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