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‘He didn’t deserve to get shot’: Good Samaritan who helped Ralph Yarl found him bloody and motionless

NBC News

‘He didn’t deserve to get shot’: Good Samaritan who helped Ralph Yarl found him bloody and motionless

Deon J. Hampton and Doha Madani – April 17, 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ralph Paul Yarl, the Black teenager who was shot by a homeowner after having rung the wrong doorbell, was motionless and covered in blood when James Lynch found him unconscious.

“I thought he was dead,” Lynch said Monday.

“No one deserves to lay there like that,” Lynch said. “He hasn’t even begun to live his life yet. He didn’t deserve to get shot.”

Lynch, 42, had just gotten out of the shower Thursday night and was getting ready for bed when he heard shouting outside. He went over to his kitchen window and saw a boy banging on the door of a nearby home.

“I heard somebody screaming, ‘Help, help, I’ve been shot!'” Lynch said, adding the shouting was out of place for the normally quiet neighborhood.

Lynch, a father of three, said he ran outside, jumped his fence and sprinted through a neighbor’s yard and across the street to another neighbor’s driveway to get to Yarl.

James Lynch, 42, who helped Ralph Yarl after he was shot. (Deon J. Hampton / NBC News)

His face and arms were covered in blood, and it looked as if Yarl had been shot in his head near an eye socket.

Lynch’s old Eagle Scout training kicked in when Yarl suddenly came to. Lynch told him, “I’m going to grab your hand really tight.” He checked Yarl’s wrist for a pulse before he asked him his name and age and where he went to school.

Yarl struggled to respond before he spelled his name. Another neighbor came over with towels to help stem the bleeding, and she and Lynch waited with Yarl until paramedics arrived.

Yarl, 16, had been trying to pick up his 11-year-old twin brothers from a friend’s home but had gone to the wrong street and house. His family’s attorneys, Lee Merritt and Ben Crump, said he was shot twice after he rang the doorbell.

A warrant was issued for Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man, on charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said Monday.

Merritt said the shot to Yarl’s head left him with a critical, traumatic brain injury. He was also shot in the upper arm, the attorneys said.

Faith Spoonmore, his aunt, said on a fundraising page that Yarl had gone to at least three homes before he received help.

Yarl, a student at Staley High School, loves science, takes mostly college-level courses and plays in the school band, according to North Kansas City Schools Superintendent Dan Clemens.

Protests erupted over the weekend in Kansas City, with some people saying Yarl’s race played a role in the situation.

Reflecting on Thursday night, Lynch said he doesn’t consider himself a hero.

“I didn’t do anything but hold a kid’s hand so he wouldn’t feel alone. He had just gotten shot twice; he had a hole in the side of his head,” Lynch said. “That kid is tougher than I am.”

Deon J. Hampton reported from Kansas City, Missouri. Doha Madani reported from New York City.

Japan Has Millions of Empty Houses. Want to Buy One for $25,000?

The New York Times

Japan Has Millions of Empty Houses. Want to Buy One for $25,000?

Tim Hornyak – April 17, 2023

The interior of Jaya Thursfield’s remodeled home in Ibaraki, Japan, March 12, 2023. (Andrew Faulk/The New York Times)

When Jaya Thursfield found a house he wanted to buy in Japan a few years ago, friends and family told him to forget it. The place wasn’t worth the trouble, they said. After all, it stood in a forest of shoulder-high weeds after being abandoned about seven years earlier — one of the millions of vacant houses known as akiya, Japanese for “empty house” — throughout the country.

But Thursfield, 46, an Australian software developer, wasn’t deterred. Through the overgrown garden, he could see it was special: The black roof tiles cascaded down to slightly curving eaves that were much higher off the ground than those of most houses. The entrance hall had its own gable tile roof. If the 2,700-square-foot house looked more like a Buddhist temple than a farmhouse, it’s because it was built by a temple architect in 1989.

Thursfield and his Japanese-born wife, Chihiro, had moved to Japan from London in 2017 with their two young sons and a dream of buying a home with a big yard. The plan was to purchase a vacant lot and build a house on it, but land is expensive in Japan and their budget wouldn’t allow it. So they turned to the growing supply of abandoned houses, which are cheaper and often come with more land.

They’re far from the only ones.

“We would never have been able to afford a house of this quality and size if it wasn’t an akiya,” Chihiro Thursfield, 49, said. “And while many Japanese don’t like used homes, foreigners see a house that is cheap and are more willing to reuse and renovate to their tastes and budget.”

As Japan’s population shrinks and more properties go unclaimed, an emerging segment of buyers, feeling less tethered to overcrowded cities, is seeking out rural architecture in need of some love. The most recent government data, from the 2018 Housing and Land survey, reported about 8.5 million akiya across the country — roughly 14% of the country’s housing stock — but observers say there are many more today. The Nomura Research Institute puts the number at more than 11 million, and predicts that akiya could exceed 30% of all houses in Japan by 2033.

The Thursfields’ house, which sits among the paddies in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, about 45 minutes from central Tokyo, had been deserted after the previous owner’s family refused to inherit it upon the owner’s death. The local municipality took over the property and put it up for auction with a 5 million yen ($38,000) minimum bid, but it failed to sell.

When it landed on the block again, Jaya Thursfield decided to try his luck. After giving it a quick inspection with an architect friend and finding no major issues despite the years of neglect, he nabbed the house for 3 million yen, about $23,000.

Houses in Japan typically decrease in value over time until they are worthless — the cultural legacy of post-World War II construction and shifting building codes — with only the land retaining value. Owners feel little incentive to maintain an aging house, and buyers often seek to demolish them and start fresh. But that can be expensive.

Others aim to preserve what’s there.

“There was no way we wanted to knock it down and build something new. It was too beautiful. So we decided to renovate instead,” Thursfield said. “I’ve always been someone who likes to jump in the deep end, take a few risks and learn new things, so I was confident that we would manage somehow.”

Since buying the farmhouse in 2019, the couple has spent about $150,000 on renovations, and there’s more to do. Thursfield has documented the project on YouTube, drawing more than 200,000 subscribers.

While the Thursfields’ house had been abandoned by the previous owner’s heirs, some homeowners die without ever naming an inheritor. Others leave their properties to relatives who refuse to sell family land out of respect for their elders, leaving the house to wither.

“In rural areas, there is a long history of ancestral owners of akiya living in the houses and on the land,” said Kazunobu Tsutsui, a professor of rural geography and economics at Tottori University who lives in a renovated akiya built more than a century ago. “Therefore, even after moving to the city, families will not give up their akiya easily.”

Now officials on both local and national levels are taking steps to give them a push.

“Poorly maintained akiya can mar the scenery as well as endanger residents’ lives and property if they collapse,” said Kazuhiro Nagao, a city official in Sakata, along the west coast, where heavy snowfall can damage unattended structures. “We’re partly subsidizing demolitions, collecting neighborhood association reports on akiya, and trying to make owners aware of the problem by holding briefings.”

Although the akiya problem has not had a direct impact on sales in urban markets, where high-rises continue to go up, the potential hazards to communities posed by empty houses are growing along with their numbers, according to Akira Daido, chief consultant at the Nomura Research Institute’s Consulting Division.

Daido pointed to a recent legal revision that allows local authorities to effectively raise the property taxes on neglected houses if the owners ignore municipal requests to maintain or demolish them. In another sign of rising concern, the government has approved a plan by the city of Kyoto, where inventory is tight yet some 15,000 houses sit empty, to tax the owners of those empty homes — a first in Japan.

Akiya are increasingly seen not just as a threat to suburban and rural markets but to the emotional health of the country, sparking family disputes over inherited properties. That, in turn, has led to a cottage industry of akiya consultants like Takamitsu Wada, CEO of Akiya Katsuyo, who acts as a counselor for squabbling relatives, often urging them to act before their properties become a lost cause.

“In many cases, the parents die without making clear their wishes regarding the family home, or they develop dementia and find it difficult to discuss these things,” Wada said. “In such cases, the children may feel guilty about getting rid of the family home, and may often choose to leave it unoccupied.”

Municipalities across Japan are also compiling listings of vacant houses for sale or rent. Known as “akiya banks,” they are often bare-bones web pages with a few underwhelming photos. Some have partnered with private-sector companies like At Home, which currently lists akiya in 658 of Japan’s 1,741 municipalities.

“Akiya banks are run by municipal office workers, the majority of which often do not have any experience in real estate,” said Matthew Ketchum, a Pittsburgh native and co-founder of Akiya & Inaka, a Tokyo-based real estate consultancy. “The existing solutions do not align with the needs of modern buyers and sellers.”

Ketchum’s firm is one of several that have sprung up to capitalize on the akiya glut, matching vacant homes with curious buyers. Akiya & Inaka’s listings include a 2,195-square-foot home built in 1983 in the suburb of Hachioji, Tokyo, with a small garden and a reception room featuring a raised tatami floor, tokonoma alcove and a rare wickerwork ceiling of woven cedar. The property is listed at 36 million yen, about $272,000.

“Every Japanese agent we talked to advised us to demolish this place,” said the house’s owner, Takahiro Okada, 85, a retired journalist. He and his wife, Reiko, 86, had been renting out the house but decided to sell after their tenant left last year. Their children weren’t interested in it, so the property lingered. Different owners might have torn it down and sold the land.

“If we all do that, we’re losing Japanese culture,” Reiko Okada said. “When seen from an international perspective and through the eyes of foreigners, Japanese things can have inherent uniqueness and value.”

Ketchum and his partner, Parker J. Allen, said they’re now fielding about five times the number of inquiries as when they began in 2020.

“At first, we were getting most of our inquiries from Japan residents, Australians and Singaporeans,” Ketchum said. “That has changed now, with the vast majority of our international clients being based in the U.S.”

Many clients have been spurred by the pandemic, which “definitely changed the mindset of people living in Japan regarding the idea of rural living,” Allen said. “The fact that property in the Japanese countryside is by and large undervalued and there are viable properties that are almost turnkey has finally dawned on these people.”

One person it did not dawn on recently is Alex Kerr, an author and Japanologist originally from Maryland, who became an akiya owner in 1973 when he acquired an abandoned country house (known as a minka) in the mountains of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands, for $1,800.

Named Chiiori, or House of the Flute, the thatched-roof aerie is about 300 years old. Inside, it’s a shadowy space of polished wood floorboards, a large sunken irori hearth and giant overhead rafters wreathed in smoke. Outside, mist rises from the Kumatani River in the gorge below.

Kerr, 70, is the first to admit that akiya can be money pits. He has spent decades and roughly $700,000 (“about half” of which came from a government grant, he said) maintaining it, and now rents it out as a guesthouse. It’s one of about 40 derelict Japanese properties he has restored over the years, all the while preaching the importance of conservation and rural revitalization to municipalities, companies and homeowners who may not know what makes their properties special.

“Many cultures have wooden architecture, but when it comes to the techniques of carpentry, Japan overwhelmingly leads the world in joinery and use of materials, as well as use of space and choreography,” said Kerr, whose books include the memoir “Lost Japan.” “When it comes to old minka houses, you have all that, set in a natural environment, and within the context of being cheap. In the Cotswolds, wooden houses cost a fortune, but in Japan they’re being thrown away.”

But he has taken note as real estate companies have begun to snap up habitable antique houses and market them to non-Japanese luxury buyers. He also pointed to young international buyers opening Airbnb rentals in erstwhile akiya and attending events like minka conferences.

Last year, British videographer Sam King and his wife, Nanami Sakurai, fled Tokyo with the help of an architect who introduced them to an unlisted akiya in the mountains of Otsuki, 50 miles west of Tokyo.

The couple wanted to be “closer to nature on our days off,” King, 35, said. “We also could not afford to buy so much as a shoebox in the city, so the thought of being able to get somewhere with a lot more space was very appealing so we can start a family and also own pets without any trouble.”

The house, in a depopulated community of mostly older residents, had been abandoned for roughly two years after the death of its owner. The price was 12 million yen, or about $88,000.

Set in a garden among plum and kiwi trees, the cottage has traditional tatami mats, shoji-paper and fusuma sliding doors, chunky wooden cabinets and tokonoma alcoves. The previous owner left behind a trove of personal possessions — paintings of Mount Fuji, rolls of Japanese calligraphy, old tape players, kites, guitars, skis, crockery. The house is about 50 years old and needs to be updated to modern standards. King estimated that the initial renovations, such as redoing the kitchen and bathroom, will cost $20,000 to $30,000. It’s well worth it to escape the city.

“We’d like to improve upon it quite a bit as it’s going to be our home, so we’ll probably end up spending over $100,000 in total on the project,” he said. “But we’ll hopefully end up with our dream home.”

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been reporting income from defunct real estate company

USA Today

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been reporting income from defunct real estate company, report says

Ken Tran, USA TODAY – April 17, 2023

As Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is under heightened scrutiny for accepting lavish trips from a GOP billionaire megadonor, he also has been disclosing income from a now-defunct real estate company, The Washington Post reported.

Over the past two decades, Thomas has been reporting on required financial disclosures rental income from a family real estate company – but the company ceased operations in 2006.

By itself, the disclosure could be chalked up as an inadvertent error. The original company, named Ginger, Ltd., Partnership, was taken over by a similarly named company, Ginger Holdings, LLC.

Here’s what you need to know.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been under scrutiny for accepting lavish trips and other gifts from a Republican megadonor.

Clarence Thomas reported $270,000 to $750,000 from now-defunct company

The original company, a Nebraska real estate firm named Ginger, Ltd., Partnership, was created in the 1980s and shut down in 2006. In its place, a new company, Ginger Holdings, LLC, was created and assumed control of the previous company, according to The Post.

On Thomas’ recent annual disclosure forms, the Supreme Court justice reported income of between $50,000 and $100,000 from Ginger, Ltd., Partnership, the older, now-defunct company, The Post reported. The forms make no mention of the newer company, Ginger Holdings, LLC.

Since 2006, according to The Post, Thomas reported receiving $270,000 to $750,000 from the older company, where it was described on his forms as “rent.”

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas has been reporting rental income from a family real estate company that ceased operations more than 15 years ago, The Washington Post reported.

Thomas under scrutiny over relationship with GOP megadonor

Thomas’ financial disclosures entered the national spotlight again this month after ProPublica reported that he accepted multiple luxury vacations from Harlan Crow, a billionaire real estate magnate and GOP megadonor.

Along with his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the two went on multiple vacations funded by Crow over the past two decades, including trips on his superyacht and stays at his private resort. Thomas did not mention the travel on his disclosure forms.

Thomas’ financial relationship with Crow went further. ProPublica also reported that Crow purchased three Georgia properties from the Supreme Court justice – transactions Thomas failed to note on his financial disclosure forms.

The ethics controversy extends to his wife,conservative advocate Ginni Thomas, who has been under scrutiny for reports about efforts to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election. Ginni Thomas led a conservative group that received almost $600,000 in anonymous donations, The Washington Post reported.

In a statement this month, Thomas acknowledged that he and his wife joined Crow on a number of “family trips” during the more than a quarter century they have known them. He described the couple as “among our dearest friends.”

“Early in my tenure at the court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable,” Thomas said.

He has not responded to requests about the subsequent revelations.

Contributing: John Fritze

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginni, leave funeral services for the late Justice Antonin Scalia in Washington in 2016.

Who says Florida property insurers aren’t taking new customers?

South Florida Sun Sentinel

Who says Florida property insurers aren’t taking new customers? See whether yours added or subtracted policies

Ron Hurtibise, South Florida Sun Sentinel – April 17, 2023

Apparently not all Florida-regulated property insurance companies are too financially troubled to take on new customers.

Thirty-two companies added customers between the second and third quarters of 2022, according to a South Florida Sun Sentinel analysis of market share data released by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

A few companies added significant numbers of what are called personal residential policies that cover single-family homes, condominiums and even renters.

Of 18,243 new policies written by State Farm Florida, currently the third-largest carrier in the state, 8,595 were homeowner policies, 2,538 were new tenant policies, and 7,110 were new condo policies.

Castle Key Indemnity, a subsidiary of Allstate, added 8,508 new policies, including 3,987 homeowner policies and 3,805 tenant policies.

Edison Insurance, owned by Boca Raton-based Florida Peninsula, added 4,766 policies, of which 4,176 were homeowner policies.

The analysis suggests that reforms enacted in two special legislative sessions to reduce litigation against insurers — though disliked by plaintiffs attorneys, repair contractors and public adjusters — are encouraging carriers to expand their presence here.

Insurance insiders contacted for this report said it’s a promising sign that so many companies are deciding to take on new business.

Restrictions intended to reduce lawsuits against insurers that were enacted during two special sessions have given some companies confidence to expand in the state, said Mark Friedlander, communications director for the industry-funded Insurance Information Institute.

“The data shows some positive signs for Florida’s property insurance market,” Friedlander said in an email. “Several private insurers have indicated they are willing to take on more risk based on the property insurance reform that was passed in December and the new tort reform bill that was passed in March.

“Based on the Q3/Q4 2022 data, it appears a few insurers were willing to assume more risk even before the market reforms were enacted. Insurance agents are also starting to see more options when trying to place a customer’s business.”

The Sun Sentinel’s analysis compares market share data that insurance companies have tried to keep confidential over the past six years. Since 2017, more than 60 private-market companies, including most of the largest, have blocked quarterly release of their county-by-county and — until this year — statewide market data after State Farm won a court battle that allowed companies to declare the information a “trade secret.”

State Farm objected to county-level dissemination of its policy counts, saying it provided competitors with too much insight into markets where the company was targeting its marketing efforts.

But last May, lawmakers included, among reforms desired by insurers, the required disclosure of aggregated statewide policy data with no option to declare it a trade secret.

Formerly ‘trade secret’

The first statewide spreadsheet released under the new law disclosed policy counts, total premium collected, the value of insured property, cancellations, and other information, for the third quarter of 2022. The second release, for the fourth quarter, made it possible to compare which companies added and subtracted policies, as well as average policy costs and average value of property covered, between the third and fourth quarters.

Not surprisingly, insurers that posted significant policy count increases weren’t eager to share their reasons why. Insurers are generally tight-lipped about all aspects of their business.

“We can’t talk about our growth strategy but we can share that State Farm continues to maintain the financial strength to be there for our Florida customers,” a State Farm spokeswoman said by email.

Clint Strauch, president of Edison Insurance and Florida Peninsula, credited its professional network of agents, traditional underwriting practices and fiscal conservatism, “which gives us the financial ability to take on new policies.

He added, “We are bullish about the state of insurance in Florida, in light of the positive steps taken by the Governor and the Legislature to stabilize the market for all Floridians.”

Even as it revealed a number of companies willing to take on new business, the data comparison showed that an even larger number of companies continued to lose policies, either deliberately to reduce the amount of risk on their books and thus, their reinsurance costs, or because policyholders are shopping for lower prices, possibly from state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Seventy companies saw reduced policy counts between the third and fourth quarters. Of them, 16 lost or shed more than 1,000 policies each.

Those companies are among the largest in the state, including the second-largest behind Citizens, Fort Lauderdale-based Universal Property & Casualty, which reported 23,100 fewer policies at the end of the fourth quarter compared to three months earlier.

Others were ASI Preferred (down 16,014), a subsidiary of Progressive, which last year announced plans to stop writing new policies in Florida; American Integrity (-7,051); Security First (-6,729); and Heritage Property & Casualty (-6,528).

Slide Insurance Co., which was founded by former Heritage CEO Bruce Lucas in early 2020, saw a 6,272-policy reduction. However, since Dec. 31, the company announced plans to add up to 91,000 policies covered by United Property & Casualty when that company went into dissolution in February.

Travis Miller, spokesman for Universal Property & Casualty, said it’s not accurate to assume that the company “shed” 23,100 policies.

“Instead, the data more simply shows that during the quarter, the reduction in (Universal’s) policies exceeded the number of new business policies it wrote,” he said by email. “An insurer can see reductions in its policy count for reasons beyond its typical renewal underwriting process.”

Many customers in the current climate of rapidly rising rates are comparative shopping, he said, including many with Citizens, which by law offers premiums below market rates to homeowners who cannot find comparable coverage that costs less than 20% more.

“To a lesser degree, some insureds also are making the difficult decision to forego coverage,” Miller said.

Those decisions can be inferred from the data that show the number of overall homeowner policies stayed relatively flat between the third and fourth quarters even though 57,004 single-family homes were sold between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, according to the Florida Association of Realtors.

And Citizens, the “insurer of last resort,” added 73,617 personal residential policies in the fourth quarter, more than any single private-market company.

Citizens’ continued growth is a sign that insurance industry troubles persisted into the fourth quarter as it became the insurer of last resort for homeowners unable to find an affordable policy elsewhere.

The next set of data, for the first quarter, will show a similar increase for Citizens, according to data posted on the company’s website. But brightening conditions could begin to nudge policyholders back to private-market insurers, Friedlander said.

“We learned this week that more than 61,000 policies have been approved for take-out from Citizens by three Florida insurers — Monarch National Insurance, Florida Peninsula and Edison Insurance Co.,” he said.

Tallahassee-based Monarch National alone was approved to take out up to 46,218 policies, Citizens spokesman Michael Peltier said.

In addition, a new company has been approved by Florida regulators to enter the market: Tailrow Insurance is being launched by publicly traded HCI Group, which also owns Homeowners Choice and TypTap Insurance, and will begin writing new business this year, according to a consent order filed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Both the Citizens takeouts and the newly launched Tailrow Insurance “are positive signs,” Friedlander said, adding, “It would not surprise us if some of the property insurers that posted a net decline in policies during 2022 begin to move in the other direction in 2023.”

More insurance availability if you can pay

Yet, increased availability of insurance is coming at higher prices, as policyholders hit hard by rate increases over the past two years can attest.

John Rollins, former chief risk officer at Citizens, notes that strong headwinds are still facing companies trying to secure required levels of reinsurance — coverage insurers buy to guarantee the ability to file all claims after a catastrophe — by June or July, ahead of the most active part of the hurricane season that begins around mid-August. Whatever they’ll end up having to pay will be passed along to their customers.

The reinsurance renewal period “by all accounts is set to feature the largest year-over-year price hikes in living memory,” Rollins said.

Gallagher Re, a global reinsurance broker, said reinsurance rate increases for catastrophe loss have ranged from 50% to 100% according to Artemis.bm, a website targeted to capital markets investors.

“This would make four years in a row of reinsurance prices ratcheting up — slightly at 2020 and 2021, 30% at 2022, and now this,” Rollins said. “Companies will pass through the costs in rate filings once they are clear, but nobody knows where the market will settle right now.”

Until the dust settles, “smart managers would not be adding policies,” he said.

Other observations

Tenant policies up: Even as the overall number of homeowner policies remained flat, the number of insurance policies purchased by renters increased statewide by 53,999 to 1.15 million at the end of the fourth quarter.

“The spike is not surprising as Florida’s rental market has become the most robust in the U.S.,” Friedlander said. “The cost of renters insurance is extremely reasonable for consumers and fairly low risk for insurers compared to property coverage. Most landlords required their tenants to have individual renters coverage, which is a very good thing.”

Tenant insurance is so cheap, there’s no excuse to forego it. The average annual premium, according to the data, was $200. The highest average premium, $13,643 was charged by a company that insures just 12 condos in the state, Pacific Indemnity Co., and the average insured value of those 12 condos was $1.2 million. The lowest average premium was $11 paid by 10,924 customers of Markel Insurance Co.

Homeowner premiums: Average homeowner premiums as of Dec. 31 ranged from a low of $346 for the 2,848 properties covered by Farmers Casualty to $51,823 for the 252 properties insured by Century-National.

The average homeowner premium increased from $2,908 to $3,026.

The average insured value of covered single-family homes — known in the industry as “exposure” — jumped from $624,126 on Sept. 30 to $641,253 on Dec. 31. The average exposure ranged from $12.7 million for each of five houses insured by Ace Insurance Co. of the Midwest to $285,823 for customers of White Pine Insurance Co.

Condos: The average cost to insure a condominium unit increased from $1,375 to $1,419 between Sept. 30 and Dec. 31. Because they are smaller and have common areas insured by separate commercial policies, it costs less to insure condo units. The highest average condo premium in Florida was $13,643 from American Home Assurance Company, while the lowest was $348 from Teachers Insurance Co., which insures exactly one condo unit in the state. The average insured value for condos increased from $154,431 on Sept. 30 to $156,777 on Dec. 31.

7 Reasons You Don’t Want To Retire in Florida

Go Banking Rates

7 Reasons You Don’t Want To Retire in Florida

Bob Haegele – April 17, 2023

For many people, retiring in Florida sounds like the dream. It allows them to escape the cold and snow they put up with for decades in the Northeast or perhaps other parts of the country. Instead of the biting cold and gray skies, you get nonstop sunshine and warm weather. Sounds like a great deal, right?

Perhaps. But there are also some potentially serious downsides of retiring in Florida. Of course, there are the snakes and gators and endless traffic, but there are also financial concerns. If you dream of retiring in Florida, here are some reasons you may want to reconsider.

Homes Can Be Expensive

Many states have watched their housing prices balloon over the past few years, thanks in part to a shortfall in new construction that dates back to the Great Recession. However, none have seen their housing prices skyrocket the way Florida has.

For example, housing prices increased by 22.7% from the year before as of the third quarter of 2022, according to Statista. The median home price in Orlando is $345,000, Redfin reports. So if you intend to retire in Florida, you’ll need to be financially prepared from the get-go.

Healthcare Can Be Costly

Florida has numerous excellent medical facilities where patients can receive top-quality care. As great as that is, though, healthcare can be costly in the Sunshine State. That’s especially problematic for retirees, who are more likely to need expensive medical care.

While Medicare does cover most medical expenses for retirees over 65, there may still be out-of-pocket costs. These include deductibles, premiums and co-pays. There are also costs like long-term care, dental care and vision care that are typically not covered. Plus, Florida’s aging population could further push prices upward for everyone.

Retirement Communities May Be Expensive

In addition to healthcare costs, there is also the cost of retirement communities, which is something many retirees eventually need. On the plus side, retirement communities offer many seniors a comfortable and welcoming lifestyle.

However, these communities can be expensive in Florida. The real cost might vary significantly depending on things like where the community is located and the fees it charges. But some retirement communities charge significant fees for maintenance, security and other services. If you see yourself living in one of these communities, investigate the rates in Florida.

You Might Get Hit by a Hurricane

Florida is known for being at risk for hurricanes, which can cause severe damage to property and be costly to repair. The risk can be significant depending on where you live in Florida. Plus, the risk of hurricane damage may increase due to climate change.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th, putting you at risk for a large portion of the year. This is one reason the average homeowner’s insurance premium is $1,981 in Florida, making it the 10th most expensive state in the country for homeowner’s insurance.

You May Need Flood Insurance

In much of the country, flood insurance isn’t something people think about as a necessity. But it’s often required in flood-prone areas, which includes much of Florida.

Homes with government-backed mortgages in high-flood-risk areas are required to have flood insurance. It isn’t federally required if you have a mortgage from a private lender, but they may still require it. The average cost of flood insurance in Florida is a little over $600. However, premiums may vary significantly depending on where you live and your property’s risk assessment.

Property Taxes Can Be High

The average property tax rate is 0.89% in Florida, which puts it right in the middle in terms of property tax rates. However, even Florida’s relatively modest property tax rate can still result in significant property tax thanks to the state’s rapidly rising home costs. For example, 0.89% paid on Florida’s median $345,000 home would equate to $3,070.50 in property taxes per year.

Plus, property tax rates may vary depending on where you live within the state. Property tax rates may vary by city, county and school district. This means you could end up paying even more in property taxes if you move to Florida.

Don’t Forget Sales Tax

One thing that sometimes draws people to Florida is its lack of income tax. On the one hand, this could be seen as a good thing for retirees, many of whom live on a fixed income. But don’t forget state and local sales tax, which is 7.02% in Florida. That can significantly impact retirees when they purchase goods and services.

One positive is that certain goods, such as groceries and prescription drugs, are exempt from sales tax in Florida. However, some jurisdictions might still add a tax on these items. The bottom line is that if you are flocking to Florida to escape income taxes, its sales taxes can quickly sour your plan.

Want a fixer-upper in Japan? You could nab one of millions of country houses for sale for just $25,000.

Business Insider

Want a fixer-upper in Japan? You could nab one of millions of country houses for sale for just $25,000.

Eliza Relman – April 17, 2023

Japan has a glut of abandoned homes in rural areas and small towns.
Government officials are auctioning them off for as little as $500.
Americans are getting in on the deal.

With home prices and rents increasingly unaffordable in the US, some Americans are looking for their dream homes abroad. In Japan, a growing portion of the country’s housing stock is unoccupied and increasingly attracting American buyers.

Japan has a glut of older, abandoned homes in rural areas, as Insider has previously reported. With the country’s population in decline, there simply aren’t enough people willing to purchase these houses.

The country has at least 8.5 million such “akiya,” the Japanese word for unoccupied home, according to government data from 2018. Some experts believe there are as many as 11 million empty houses. When owners of these traditional homes die, those who inherit the properties often don’t want them or are unable to maintain them. In Japan, land remains valuable, while houses lose value over time and are often torn down and rebuilt.

Government officials are concerned that growing numbers of akiyas are hurting their efforts to revitalize rural parts of the country. So they’re subsidizing renovations and selling homes often for around $25,000, and sometimes for as little as $500.

Americans are getting in on the deal. They’re increasingly buying up these houses and restoring them, the New York Times reported.

Matthew Ketchum, a Pittsburgh native who lives in Tokyo, is taking advantage of the akiya market in a different way. In 2020, he co-founded a real estate consultancy, called Akiya & Inaka, that markets and sells akiya and other traditional homes, the Times reported. Ketchum said he’s seen a strong growth in interest from American buyers.

“At first, we were getting most of our inquiries from Japan residents, Australians and Singaporeans,” Ketchum told the Times. “That has changed now, with the vast majority of our international clients being based in the U.S.”

Jaya and Chihiro Thursfield, whose experience Insider reported on in 2021, moved to Japan from London in 2017 and bought an abandoned akiya less than an hour outside Tokyo for $30,000, or three million Japanese yen, in 2019. They spent about $150,000 and two years renovating the home, where they’ve lived with their twin sons and cats since December 2020.

The Thursfields, who were also profiled by the Times, have documented their renovations on Youtube, where viewers can see how they transformed a home largely in disrepair into a beautiful, minimalist property.

“This was truly an abandoned house in terms of the declined inheritance and everything left behind by the previous owners,” Jaya, who’s Australian, told Insider.

Russia’s economy is hurting – and a new wave of EU sanctions aimed at crippling its ‘war machine’ are coming.

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Russia’s economy is hurting – and a new wave of EU sanctions aimed at crippling its ‘war machine’ are coming. Here are 6 key developments in the past week.

Zinya Salfiti – April 16, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia on March 30, 2023. — Russian President Vladimir Putin.Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Russia’s economy is hurting and a new wave of EU sanctions targeting its “war machine” are coming.
Growing links to China, an unstable currency and “cherry-picked” data are key developments.
Here are six key things to know about what’s going on in Russia over the past week.

Russia’s economy is reeling from the web of Western sanctions imposed on it after Vladimir Putin launched his war in Ukraine — and an official from the European Union recently said that Moscow will soon face a new wave of penalties coming from Europe.

The country’s finances have taken a massive hit. Russia’s private sector is shrinking, it has posted a $29 billion deficit in the first three months of 2023, and its main revenue sources – oil and gas exports – have plunged since a price cap was imposed by Western powers late last year.

Russia’s growing economic ties to China, its unstable currency, and rising doubts about the accuracy of official government data coming out of Moscow are just some the key developments over the past week.

Here are 6 key things to know about what’s going on in Russia as it grapples with the impact of sanctions on its economy:

1. It’s not clear how Russia’s economy is faring

The world’s top forecasters can’t seem to agree on whether Russia’s economy is expanding or contracting. That’s in part because of the questionable accuracy of the official data provided by Putin’s government since the war began.

Seven predictions from the likes of JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, the IMF, Bank of Russia and more, all have different – and conflicting – estimates of Russia’s real GDP in 2023.

2. “Cherry-picked” data

Economists around the world have cautioned against relying too much on economic forecasts and predictions that heavily depend on official data coming from Moscow’s government. They said official stats are trying to paint a rosy picture of a resilient economy that’s withstood the impact of sanctions – when in reality, the economy is in tatters.

“Since the Ukrainian invasion, our data has shown that the Kremlin’s economic releases have become increasingly cherry-picked, selectively tossing out unfavorable metrics while releasing only those that are more favorable,” two Yale researchers said.

Alexei Bayer, an independent economist, echoed this view and said the situation is much worse than it seems.

“Russian economic statistics are a collection of lies and distortions,” Bayer said. “They are meant to convince people at home that their economy is chugging along despite the war, and people abroad that Western economic sanctions don’t work and therefore should be rescinded.”

3. There’s a massive hole in the Kremlin’s budget

Russia – the world’s second-larges oil and gas producer — lost over $15 billion in oil and gas revenue during the first quarter of 2023, thanks to the price cap aimed at crippling Moscow’s energy exports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he’s optimistic that the situation will improve in the next few months given rising oil prices. Still, some experts said the country has lost its largest export markets, and these shrinking markets for Russia’s resources will eventually push the Kremlin to cut spending on infrastructure and social programs.

4. Falling energy export revenue is shaking the ruble

The Russian ruble is coming off its worst week against the dollar since last year, cratering more than 5%. The falling currency comes as the country’s energy export revenue dipped, and evidence mounts that Russia’s recession in 2022 was way worse than initially thought.

5. Russia is becoming more economically linked to China

Russians purchased 41.9 billion rubles worth of China’s yuan currency in March, more than tripling the 11.6 billion rubles they bought the month before, according to reports from the country’s central bank.

While Putin rejected the idea that his country is becoming more economically dependent on China, and said it’s a notion that comes from “jealous people,” Chinese President Xi Jinping was able to secure sweeping trade agreements between the nations without offering up any concrete support in Ukraine.

“The main conduit of a deeper integration of China into Russia has been the Chinese yuan which is now perceived by the Russians as a much safer reserve currency to keep,” Kpler analyst Viktor Katona told Insider.

6. New EU sanctions are looming

The embattled Russian economy is set to face a fresh round of painful sanctions.

Mairead McGuinness, a top EU official, confirmed on Thursday that Europe has plans to roll out its 11th package of penalties against Russia.

She didn’t specify what the new sanctions would be aimed at. However, earlier rounds targeted Russia’s oil and gas exports, key technologies, access to its currency reserves, and both individuals and companies.

Ukraine’s fighter jet fleet is slowly growing, but its weapons to bring down Russian jets are dwindling, leaked US document shows

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Ukraine’s fighter jet fleet is slowly growing, but its weapons to bring down Russian jets are dwindling, leaked US document shows

Christopher Woody – April 16, 2023

Poland MIG-29 fighter jets — Polish MIG-29 fighter jets during a NATO shielding exercise over Poland in October 2022.Omar Marques/Getty Images

Poland received permission from Germany to send Ukraine five more MiG-29s this week.
The jets will bolster Ukraine’s fighter fleet, which is still under fire from Russia’s larger air force.
But air-defense ammunition is a more urgent need, one underscored in recently leaked US documents.

Poland received permission from Germany to send five MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine this week, bolstering Kyiv’s fleet ahead of a season of more intense fighting.

The jets, however, won’t tip the scales in the aerial battle between Russia and Ukraine, and they will arrive as Ukraine and its partners scramble to find more ammunition for Ukrainian air-defense weapons, which have been vital to denying Russia’s aircraft and missiles the ability to strike at will.

Berlin approved Warsaw’s request to send jets to Ukraine on Thursday, the same day it was received. Poland acquired 22 MiG-29s, which had been part of the East German military, from Germany in 2003 with the requirement that the Germans approve any future transfers.

Poland and Slovakia pledged to send roughly two dozen MiG-29s to Ukraine in March. At the time, Poland’s president said the first four jets would be delivered within days, and Ukrainian officials said in late March that the first Slovakian jets were already in combat around Kharkiv.

Ukraine pilot MiG-29 fighter jet — A Ukrainian pilot exits a MiG-29 at an airbase outside of Kyiv in November 2016.Danil Shamkin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The MiG-29s will give Kyiv an airpower boost and be familiar to pilots with experience on Ukraine’s own MiGs, but Russian and Ukrainian jets remain of limited use over the battlefield, as each side has air-defense weapons that have prevented the other from achieving air superiority.

“Their integrated air- and missile-defense is working pretty well, to the point where they’re shooting down [each] other’s aircraft,” Gen. James Hecker, the commander of US Air Forces in Europe, said at an event hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies on March 22.

Having more jets “is going to help” the Ukrainians, Hecker said. “This will allow them to come at different axes, which will complicate the problem that Russia has.”

“Is that going to be the enabler that’s going to let them get air superiority? No, I don’t think so, not anytime soon,” Hecker added. “The integrated air- and [missile-defense] system that both Ukraine as well as Russia have is very extensive, and it would be difficult from a US perspective to take all that down in a couple days.”

Ukraine started the war with a smaller, less advanced air force than Russia and has lost more than 60 aircraft, while Russia has lost more than 70, Hecker said at a separate event in early March. Both air forces have shifted tactics and now operate farther from the front line, playing to the advantage of the Russian aircraft, which have an edge at longer ranges.

Russian Su-25 jet in Ukraine — A Russian Su-25 ground-attack jet fires rockets on a mission in Ukraine in July 2022.Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

Ukraine has also adopted US-made weapons, including anti-radiation missiles that have helped suppress Russian surface-to-air missiles and extended-range bomb kits that have had “some success,” Hecker said on March 22.

Ukrainian officials have requested more advanced jets like the US-made F-16, arguing they will give Ukrainian pilots an advantage. US officials have said repeatedly that it would be too costly and time-consuming for Ukraine’s air force to adopt those jets and that other weapons are more immediately useful, particularly air-defense systems, which both Ukrainian and Western officials have cited as one of their highest priorities.

According to classified US Defense Department documents leaked online in recent weeks, US officials believe that Kyiv is at risk of running out of air-defense weapons and ammunition by late spring or early summer, leaving important targets exposed to Russian attacks.

Ukraine’s current air-defense plan “balances limited resources to protect critical national infrastructure (CNI), population centers, front line of troops (FLOT), and other key assets,” according to a summary on one document, which has markings that indicate it was prepared on February 23 and was classified top secret. Insider obtained a copy of it and other documents but could not independently verify their authenticity.

Ukraine’s “ability to provide medium range air defense to protect the FLOT will be completely reduced by MAY 23,” the summary says. A detailed assessment included in the document said Soviet-designed Buk and S-300 systems compose 89% of Ukraine’s defenses for targets above 20,000 feet and that based on expenditure rates at the time, the Buks would be expended by March 31 and S-300s by May 2.

Other systems, such as older Soviet-era SA-3s or Western-provided NASAMs, are limited in number and “unable to match” the volume of attacks.

Ukraine S-300 Sevastopol Crimea — Ukrainian soldiers rush to an S-300 air-defense missile station during training near Sevastopol in July 1995.VALERY SOLOVJEV/AFP via Getty Images

Short-range air-defense weapons provided by Western countries, like Stinger missiles or the Gepard cannon, “mitigate the expenditure” of other surface-to-air missiles but “do not have the same deterrent effect” on Russian aircraft. Ukraine also has “limited to no” air-to-air defense, the document says.

Without the threat posed by those interceptor missiles, Russian aircraft would have greater freedom to attack Ukrainian aircraft and bomb Ukrainian targets, including in support of Russian front-line troops, the leaked document says. Russia’s long-range missiles could also be more accurate, as they would no longer have to dodge air defenses, and the Russian military could expand the type of munitions it is using and conduct a greater range of aerial operations, further challenging Ukraine’s ability to mass forces to conduct attacks.

The document suggests several courses of action, including resupplying Buk and S-300 missiles over the following three months and restricting their usage to Russian tactical aircraft. The document also suggests “military deception” and adjusting firing doctrine to counter Russian aerial attacks more effectively.

The document further recommends over a three- to six-month period providing more Western-made air-defense systems, like Patriots, and expediting work on something called the “FrankenSAM,” which may refer to a modification of an existing weapon or weapons.

The document echoes many of the warnings by Western officials and experts, who have cautioned that without sufficient air-defense ammunition, Ukrainian infrastructure would be more vulnerable, its forces more exposed, and Russia’s military more free to use its aircraft and gather its forces for renewed attacks.

A Ukrainian soldier standing under a tree in front of an anti-aircraft battery in Bakhmut. — A Ukrainian soldier next to an anti-aircraft battery near Bakhmut on March 30.Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Western countries have made air-defense ammunition a focus of recent security-assistance efforts, a reflection of broader efforts to support Ukraine ahead of an expected counteroffensive in the spring and summer.

On March 15, nearly 50 countries participated in the 10th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, during which air-defense systems were a major point of discussion. “A broad mix of air-defense systems have been promised, and they will protect the skies over Kyiv and the free cities of Ukraine,” Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said after the meeting.

On April 4, the US announced a $2.6 billion package of security aid for Ukraine that included ammunition for the Patriot system the US provided in December, which will come from existing US stockpiles, as well as ammunition for NASAMs, gun trucks and laser-guided rockets to shoot down drones, anti-aircraft ammunition, and air-surveillance radars, which will be ordered from the US defense industry and take longer to deliver.

The dozens of countries at the Contact Group meeting “responded” to the challenge and were able to provide “a lot more surface-to-air missiles” to Ukrainian forces, Hecker said on March 22, “but it’s something that they’re using constantly because of the tactics that the Russians are using.”

The Superfood You Should Be Adding To Literally Everything For A Healthier Body And Brain

She Finds

The Superfood You Should Be Adding To Literally Everything For A Healthier Body And Brain

Georgia Dodd – April 16, 2023

There are many healthy habits that you can incorporate into your daily life to promote a healthier body and brain. You can go for a morning jog to boost your metabolism and you can complete a crossword puzzle every night to improve your memory and thinking skills. But, experts agree that one of the best ways to maintain a healthier body and brain is to consume all the nutrients you need to thrive–and that’s where superfoods come in. Superfoods are just high-nutrient and low-calorie foods that are especially beneficial for your health. Luckily, they’re not hard to come by and you probably are already unknowingly eating them.

To learn more about a superfood that both your body and brain will love, we spoke to Paulina Lee, MSHS, RD, LD, a functional gut health dietitian and founder of Savvy Stummy, LLC, Lisa Richards, a registered nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet, and Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, dietitian and author of Recipe For Survival. They told us that you should consider reaching for walnuts on a regular basis if you want to help your brain and body flourish as you age. Learn more about this delicious and nutritious superfood below!

Walnuts

When it comes to superfoods, nuts are some of the best options out there because they contain important nutrients that your body and brain need to thrive. This is especially true for walnuts. In fact, regularly eating walnuts is a great way to reduce inflammation, slow aging, and boost memory. Walnuts have a high concentration of DHA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid. DHA has been shown to improve cognitive abilities in adults and reduce age-related cognitive decline. “These fatty acids are important for brain health and have been shown to improve cognitive function, reduce inflammation, and lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases,” Richards says. That’s good to know!

And, walnuts are a great source of vitamin E and zinc. These vitamins and minerals keep your cells healthy by protecting them from oxidative damage. Walnuts are highly recommended by health experts like Lee when it comes to reducing inflammation and weight management. “Walnuts contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants,” she says. “Omega-3 fatty acids contain anti-inflammatory properties, which may help to reduce weight-related inflammation. Antioxidants from the polyphenols in nuts can fight against oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals, which are unstable molecules that may cause cell damage and increase disease risk.” Noted!

One of the main reasons that nuts like walnuts make such a fantastic snack for weight loss and the body’s overall health is that they’ll keep you fuller for longer than unhealthy, processed snacks will. “This is a good snack that won’t put on weight because it’s very satisfying,” Hunnes explains. “It’s got protein, fiber, very healthy fats and it can help prevent you from eating more calories later in the day, and it also prevents blood-sugar swings (which make you feel hungry, even if you’re not).”

This crunchy snack can protect your body from free radical damage and more. “Eating walnuts not only protects you from free radicals that can cause skin damage and wrinkles but they’ve also been linked to lower levels of LDL cholesterol which helps to prevent heart disease,” Hunnes adds. You can also add walnuts to your salads and parfaits, or even eat them as nut butter.

The Bottom Line

Maintaining a healthy body and brain is all about making nutritious and beneficial decisions every day. Not only should you eat a healthy diet of superfoods like walnuts, but also make sure that you’re drinking enough water, consistently working out, and performing brain exercises to boost cognition, as well. When in doubt, you can always reach for a handful of walnuts as a snack for a healthier body and brain. Of course, you should also reach out to your doctor if you are seriously concerned about your brain and overall health!

Ukraine hails GPS-guided Excalibur artillery shells that can hit a target 25 miles away with pinpoint accuracy

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Ukraine hails GPS-guided Excalibur artillery shells that can hit a target 25 miles away with pinpoint accuracy

Alia Shoaib – April 15, 2023

An M982 Excalibur round being fired by Ukrainian forces. — An M982 Excalibur.Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny / Facebook

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief posted a Facebook video showing the effects of the M982 Excalibur.
Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny praised the maximum accuracy of the precision-guided shells.
The US has supplied Ukraine with more than 3,000 of the advanced shells, according to a report.

Ukraine’s top general Valeriy Zaluzhny shared a video showing the effectiveness of US-provided M982 Excalibur shells against Russian forces.

In the video, which was posted to Zaluzhny’s Facebook page, a Ukrainian soldier praised the high-precision Excalibur shells, saying they were extremely important for accurately striking Russian forces’ equipment.

“Constant firing by our gunners against Russian positions on the Right [western] Bank [of the Dnipro River] for 24 hours a day, led to the enemy losing a huge amount of equipment which had been shelling Mykolaiv,” the serviceman said, according to a translation by the Kyiv Post.

The video shared by Ukraine’s commander-in-chief appears to show several destroyed Russian weapons systems, including what seems to be a 2S7 Pion self-propelled cannon and two S-300 anti-aircraft systems, the Kyiv Post reported.

The GPS-guided 155 mm shells offer an accurate, longer-range alternative to conventional artillery shell, capable of hitting within seven feet of their target.

The Excalibur has a range of 25 miles, according to Pentagon budget documents from last year that first confirmed the shells had been sent to Ukraine.

While the weapon can be used to accurately strike targets within that range with normal artillery, the US has even used it to score a direct hit on a truck at more than 40 miles in tests, Forces.net reported.

BAE Systems, the manufacturer, said the shell’s “key feature” is that it has the same accuracy regardless of the distance between the gun and the target, adding that it has a “Circular Error Probability,” which is a measure of a weapon’s precision, of less than 10 meters.

The rounds are fired after a crew puts GPS coordinates into the shell, and once it is launched its deployable fins pop out, allowing it to adjust its trajectory to hit the designated location.

The Excalibur’s accuracy “enables a first-round effect on target, reducing the number of rounds required while reducing collateral damage,” according to Army budget documents reported on by Bloomberg.

One downside of the shells is the cost — each Excalibur round costs around $100,000, the documents say, compared with just a few hundred dollars for a conventional munition such as the M795, the US military’s standard unguided 155 mm shell.

It is thought that the US has sent around 3,000 Excalibur rounds to Ukraine since Russia invaded last year, Forces.net reported in January.