Teaching Police About Autism: Advocacy Groups Hold Seminars In N.J. About Why Some Children Might Run From Law Enforcement

The New York Times: When The Police Stop A Teenager With Special Needs
A man in his mid-20s regularly roams the streets of my small town in the middle of the night. He looks angry and doesn’t communicate clearly. Not everyone living in the area knows him. But the police do. “His father reached out to us,” said Sgt. Adrian Acevedo of the South Orange, N.J., police department, “to tell us his son is blowing off steam, has special needs, and won’t make eye contact or listen to us. If we didn’t have this information, we could mistakenly take him for a burglar.” (Hollow, 2/27)

The Wall Street Journal: More American Pedestrians Are Dying Than In Past 30 Years
U.S. pedestrian deaths rose in 2019 to their highest level in 30 years, even as the nation’s roadway crash fatalities overall have been falling, according to a new report. An estimated 6,590 pedestrians were killed in motor-vehicle crashes last year, a nearly 5% increase from the 6,283 deaths in 2018, according to the report released Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit that represents state highway-safety offices. (Calvert, 2/27)

CNN: Widowhood Increases Risk Of Alzheimer’s, Study Says 
Losing your spouse or life partner and gaining the designation “widow” or “widower” is one of life’s cruelest blows. Now science believes that widowhood may hasten the development of a type of cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s. (LaMotte, 2/26)

PBS NewsHour: 15 Percent Of Americans Have Migraine Disease. Why Aren’t There Better Treatment Options?
Migraine disease affects 47 million Americans — 75 percent of whom are women. Although headache is one symptom, attacks can include visual disturbances, nausea, extreme light and sound sensitivity, brain fog and debilitating pain. Stigma and gender stereotypes may complicate the medical response, treatments aren’t one-size-fits-all and federal funding is minimal. (Sy and Baldwin, 2/26)

The Associated Press: About 40% Of US Adults Are Obese, Government Survey Finds
About 4 in 10 American adults are obese, and nearly 1 in 10 is severely so, government researchers said Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention findings come from a 2017-18 health survey that measures height and weight. More than 5,000 U.S. adults took part. (2/27)

CNN: Multi-State E. Coli Outbreak Being Investigated By Federal Health Officials Likely Linked To Jimmy John’s 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced an investigation into a multi-state E. coli outbreak they believe is linked to Jimmy John’s. The announcement comes a day after the Food and Drug Administration accused the sandwich chain of serving unsafe vegetables. (Spielmaker, 2/26)

The New York Times: The Difference Between Worry, Stress And Anxiety
You probably experience worry, stress or anxiety at least once on any given day. Nearly 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Three out of four Americans reported feeling stressed in the last month, a 2017 study found. But in one of these moments, if asked which you were experiencing — worry, stress or anxiety — would you know the difference? (Pattee, 2/26)

CNN: Nature Makes Children Happier, Science Shows 
As my wife, daughters and I hiked through the woods at one of the many state parks near our home, I explained to them how we were doing three things that were simultaneously boosting our happiness at that moment. First, we were getting exercise, a proven mood booster. Second, we were spending quality time with loved ones, long associated with life happiness in surveys. And third, we were in nature. A hike in the woods is a trifecta of joy, and all it took was making this modest effort. (Allan and Rogers, 2/26)