NYC Bed Bug Registry Infestation Maps, Residential and Hotel

Its enough to make your skin crawl.

A dead homeless man was found covered in bed bugs on an uptown D train Tuesday night, according to police sources.

Straphangers reported the grisly discovery and alerted police when the train pulled into Manhattans 59th Street-Columbus Circle station around 8:40 p.m., sources said.

The man was pronounced dead on the scene, sources said. It was unclear how long he had been dead.

Police are trying to identify the man, who is believed to be in his 40s, and they did not expect foul play.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

The death was reported the same day the city released data on its six-month-old program aimed at getting homeless subway dwellers into shelters. The project has only experienced a 36.8 percent take-up rate, according to the city.

Reports of dead bodies on the trains typically increase during the winter when more homeless New Yorkers head underground, the union representing transit workers told the Post.

Nelson Rivera, administrative vice president for the union, Transport Workers Union Local 100, said the city has been failing to adequately address the homeless crisis, leaving workers and riders to deal with occasionally traumatizing discoveries.

Its a sad situation every winter this is prevalent because you have people seeking shelter on the trains, Rivera said. But the police come to take these people and there are no resources and nowhere to take them. They get bounced around.

A rider had first flagged the D trains conductor about the body, who then called in the corpse to the MTAs Rail Control Center, according to a union source.

At that point, it wasnt clear if the person was still alive.

The conductor said he couldnt tell and he wasnt going to touch him, the source said.

See the article here:
Dead homeless man found covered in bed bugs on subway train - New York Post

Over the course of 2019, the pest control company Orkin says they mitigated more bedbug infestations in the D.C. region than any other metro area in the country.

Our region has been jumping up and down the rankings for years now. Baltimore has been the top hotbed for bedbugs for the past three years. The home of the Orioles is now sitting in second place, followed by Chicago, Los Angeles, Columbus and New York City.

Orkins data is only one snapshot of the bedbug issue in the D.C. area; our region is particularly hospitable to the parasites, and ways to get rid of them range from chemical fumigation to essential oils. The bugs, once functionally eradicated, are increasingly prolific and stubborn housemates.

And theyre especially difficult to get rid of if you dont know whos responsible for doing it. D.C. has notoriously vague laws governing whether you or your landlord has to pay for extermination. In many cases, this stalemate leads to an increasingly severe infestation sometimes to a point thats unlivable, and even dangerous, for human residents.

Kojo sits down with experts to suss out just why were number ranked number one for bedbugs, and what hope there might be to fix it.

Produced by Maura Currie

Read the original here:
The District Of Co-... Habitating With Bedbugs? - The Kojo Nnamdi Show

New York Democrats are starkly divided over bail reform. While Republicans all seem to have gotten the memo to treat the bail overhaul as a watch word for the perils of liberal governance, Democrats are riven along ideological lines, with many moderates pushing for changes while progressives largely stand firm behind the new law.

So where does Mayor Bill de Blasio stand? Not with the progressives. Its the latest law enforcement issue to put de Blasio at odds with the left wing of his party, Erin and Anna report.

De Blasio has been pushing to change the new law, which ended cash bail for misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, advocating discretion for judges to consider whether a defendant is dangerous before cutting them loose. To detractors, its part of a pattern for the mayor of being too deferential to the NYPD. Its not a good look, said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. It seems whenever we try to make a real progressive step forward, if it gets a little hot, there seems to be an immediate retreat, and thats very concerning.

Whether de Blasios stance will change any minds in Albany is another question. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the closest thing he has to a reliable ally there, has refused to entertain rolling back the laws. We knew where he stood when we passed the law, said Sen. Mike Gianaris, a Queens Democrat. Were hearing from a lot of people across the spectrum. His is another voice that were hearing from.

ITS WEDNESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERES ANDREW? With no public events scheduled by press time.

WHERES BILL? In Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 88th Winter Meeting.

THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY has recently lured away at least 125 officers from the New York Police Department with offers of higher pay and more days off as the transit agency bulks up its patrol force, according to people familiar with the matter. The state-controlled MTA announced in September that it was hiring 500 officers in large part to tackle homelessness, assaults on transit workers and fare evasion on the subway. Some officers will also patrol other MTA facilities such as its two commuter railroads. The first cohort of 140 officers hired as part of the initiative begin in waves this month, and the majority come from the NYPD, officials said. Its mainly the pay, but the hours are easier, one former NYPD officer who is starting at the MTA said in an interview last week. Its approximately $15,000 more. Its huge. Base salaries for MTA officer jobs top out at about $100,000 after seven years, according to the agency. Base salaries for the NYPD top out at roughly $85,000 after 5 years on the job. Wall Street Journals Ben Chapman and Paul Berger

The MTAs six senior hires since July have all been men.

IN THE WAKE of sweeping, tenant-friendly legislation passed last June, landlord groups predicted that New York City's housing stock would deteriorate and that the new laws would make it too onerous for landlords to pay for upkeep. But data on basic housing maintenance violations so far shows otherwise, according to numbers gleaned from Open Data and crunched by the Legal Aid Society. According to an analysis by the organization, housing maintenance violations decreased slightly between 2018 and 2019. One of the first things that we heard from the landlord groups that the greater tenant protections found in the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act would mean that the landlords would be unable to maintain their buildings, Ellen Davidson, a Legal Aid staff attorney for the Civil Law Reform Unit, told Gothamist. But it hasn't been backed up with anything. It's just been threats. Legal Aid's analysis of housing maintenance code violations issued by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development decreased by 2,891 from June 14th to December 31st between 2018 and 2019, a decline of 1 percent. Gothamists Sydney Pereira

A MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO administration scheme to get more subway homeless people to take the city up on supportive programs instead of getting summonses for bad behavior has backfired, an anonymous letter purportedly sent by transit cops to homeless advocates alleged Tuesday. De Blasio announced his Subway Diversion Project in June touting Supports, not Summonses in a press release. The project allows homeless people found violating MTA rules like taking up more than one subway seat to avoid paying civil summonses by opting into the program offering a host of social support services. But the letter unveiled Tuesday by the Coalition for the Homeless charges that transit cops are constantly being threatened and told by our immediate supervisors to get diversions. While civil summonses could be issued on the ground, the homeless caught in the act are instead arrested and brought to NYPD commands, where they are coerced to opt into the program, the letter states. New York Posts Craig McCarthy, David Meyer, and Vincent Barone

IT WAS A provocative, possibly divisive, message from a mainstream mayoral candidate in New York City. The candidate, Eric L. Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, spoke of how new arrivals to New York were hijacking apartments from longtime residents. Go back to Iowa, Mr. Adams, a Democrat, said on Monday at the Rev. Al Sharptons National Action Network headquarters in Harlem, at his annual Martin Luther Kings Birthday event. You go back to Ohio. New York City belongs to the people that was here and made New York City what it is. His comments struck at a broader anxiety across all five boroughs about gentrification and affordability, and whether those forces have homogenized the city for the worse. In neighborhoods across the city, in places like Harlem, Washington Heights, Long Island City and Bushwick, residential and commercial rents have risen, displacing longtime businesses and residents, and upending the character of those areas. Yet some leaders in New York suggested that Mr. Adams had gone too far. Indeed, Mr. Adams on Tuesday sought to clarify his comments, signaling that he did not, in fact, want newer residents to start packing their bags. New York Times Emma G. Fitzsimmons

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Adams will outline his agenda in a speech Wednesday to the Association for Better New York. He plans to call for the creation of real-time command centers, modeled on the NYPDs Real Time Crime Center, for agencies like NYCHA, the Department of Education and the Human Resources Administration. A command center for NYCHA would track what boilers are out, for how long, the track record of the installer, where repair teams are located and an algorithm predicting which boilers might go out next. Bostons CityScore system is another model for the proposal.

A message from the Healthcare Education Project:

Tell Albany: Keep the Medicaid Promise! Medicaid is the difference between life and death for some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, including seniors, children, and people with disabilities. One third of all New Yorkers are covered by Medicaid and millions more benefit indirectly from this essential program. KeepTheMedicaidPromise.com

IF YOU'RE looking for a flashy, innovative playbook for the state to twist its way out of a $6.1 billion deficit, Gov. Andrew Cuomo isnt offering one. The governors $178 billion executive budget proposal focuses on methods hes used before structural redesign for the states Medicaid program and expected trims across the system to achieve financial solvency. This is not the time to come up with creative although irresponsible revenue sources, Cuomo said in his budget address in Albany. Cuomos budget excludes any significant new moneymakers such as new taxes which have already proven a divisive topic among Democrats in an election year or revenue from programs like casino expansion or legalizing recreational marijuana. In any case, most of the money from such programs would be unlikely to materialize quickly enough for the rest of this fiscal year, which ends in late March. The first prong in his gap-closing plan is something the state did once before in 2011 using a Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) to reassess the way the programs current implementation is driving unsustainable costs, Cuomo said. In a little more than two months before the budget is due, Cuomo says this new team led by Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, and Dennis Rivera, the former president of SEIU 1199 will find $2.5 billion in savings by addressing industry inefficiencies and rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. POLITICOs Anna Gronewold and Shannon Young

His budget included a call for legalizing marijuana, which the governor has predicted cant get done outside the budget, increased funding to combat homelessness, and a modest $826 million school aid increase.

He indicated a willingness, but not urgency, to reexamine the states bail reform laws.

Cuomo wants to make the states 2015 fracking ban permanent, and celebs love it!

His long focus on the state's economic development and job growth efforts now are taking a back seat to the environmental, social, educational and other progressive issues that are dominating the national political debate, notes Buffalo News Jonathan D. Epstein.

Cuomo also proposed extending the State Fair for an 18-day run between Aug. 21 to Sept. 7, causing concern about the structural resilience of the butter sculpture.

Without seeing the budget bills, legislative leaders said they dont hate Cuomos proposal...yet.

The Legislature announced its joint budget hearing schedule, which begins January 27.

A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT on Tuesday partially overturned the 2018 corruption conviction of Sheldon Silver, once the powerful speaker of the New York State Assembly, but allowed much of the conviction to stand likely ending his hopes of remaining out of prison. Mr. Silver, a Democrat from Manhattans Lower East Side, had been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for accepting nearly $4 million in illicit payments in return for taking official actions on behalf of a cancer researcher and two real estate developers. Mr. Silvers lawyer had argued that the trial raised substantial legal issues that were likely to result in a reversal of his conviction or a new trial. In its unanimous ruling on Tuesday, a three-judge appellate panel upheld Mr. Silvers conviction in a real estate scheme and a separate money-laundering count, but overturned his conviction related to his arrangement with the cancer researcher. New York Times Benjamin Weiser

#UpstateAmerica: Derek Jeter's induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum could break a 2007 attendance record in Cooperstown this summer.

FORMER NEW YORK mayor Mike Bloomberg plans to shift his television ad message this week to directly call for President Trumps removal from office, with a new spot that will run in states with Republican senators who face competitive reelection fights this year. The decision to spend money on impeachment ads in the states of vulnerable senators like Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) fits into a larger strategy by Bloomberg since he started running for the Democratic nomination for president. He has tried to direct spending for his own long-shot presidential bid to also benefit other goals, like defeating Trump in November, even if he is not the nominee, and helping other Democrats down ballot. The 30-second spot will begin running Monday afternoon in 27 states and on the national cable networks MSNBC, ESPN and CNN, replacing other ads that are already in rotation. Washington Posts Michael Scherer

Mayor de Blasio will skip Bloombergs speech at the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Bloomberg would like to create more projects like the proposed LaGuardia AirTrain, according to an infrastructure plan expected to roll out on Wednesday.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance raised less money than two of his primary challengers, amid growing calls for his resignation.

Price Chopper will charge for plastic bags.

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramers withdrawal from the Queens Borough President race may have strengthened Council Member Donovan Richards' odds, but it could also mean good things for Council Member Costa Constantinides.

A Brooklyn man registered his beer as an emotional support animal in hopes of bringing it on public transportation.

Assault charges were dropped against the brother of City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Harvey Weinsteins lawyers said his accusers bragged about having sex with him.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries quoted The Notorious B.I.G. "and if you don't know, now you know" on Capitol Hill to the delight of the Twittersphere.

VICE reported Newburghs water crisis for a second time.

A homeless man laden with bed bugs was found dead on an uptown D train.

A French publisher has apologized for a history textbook that said the CIA no doubt orchestrated the September 11 attacks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Josh Earnest, chief comms officer and SVP at United Airlines, is 45 Rajiv Chandrasekaran CNNs Kevin Bohn Ashley Codianni, EP and global head of social and emerging media at CNN Elise Flick, who last year married WSJs Nick Hatcher pic ... POLITICOs Zach Warmbrodt and Jesse Shapiro Josh Riley, a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner Jim Oliphant, national politics correspondent at Reuters Gail Shalan is 3-0

MAKING MOVES Andrew Holt, former publisher of City & State magazine, has joined the Bloomberg 2020 campaign in their New York office. Jim Low is now president of Rip Van, a Brooklyn, NY-based food company making low sugar and protein snacks. He was previously EVP of marketing and sales at Schuman Cheese and is also a Mondelz alum. Microsoft is relocating John Frank , currently the companys VP of EU government affairs in Brussels, to New York City to establish Microsofts new United Nations representation office. Martin Auerbach has started as head of international law firm Withers white collar and investigations practice in New York.

MEDIAWATCH Casey Seiler has been named editor and vice president of the Albany Times Union. Hes been managing editor of the paper since 2018. Seiler succeeds Rex Smith, who has served as editor since 2002, and will continue to run the opinion page and write his column.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO pledged more funding toward homeless housing and services during his state budget address [on Tuesday]. The state will commit an additional $69 million towards supportive housing on top of existing funding commitments, generating an estimated 1,000 such apartments, according to the governor's office. The new funding will go toward the Homeless Housing and Assistance program, which funds capital construction of housing for people that comes with wrap-around services. The states existing $20 billion affordable housing plan, announced in 2017, involves various funding commitments over five years to create and preserve more low- and middle-income housing. POLITICOs Janaki Chadha

A message from the Healthcare Education Project:

One third of all New Yorkers are directly covered by Medicaid. New Yorks Medicaid program provides critical health insurance to low-income children and adults, seniors, and people with disabilities so that they and their families can get the healthcare they need to get healthy and stay healthy. It allows them to see a doctor when they are sick, get check-ups, buy medications, and go to the hospital. Medicaid is the difference between life and death for some of the most vulnerable in our communities, and there are millions more who benefit indirectly from this essential program. No New Yorker should have to choose between paying for healthcare and paying for rent or groceries. As our state leaders address the budget deficit, they must recognize essential spending on services and a quality workforce and end profiteering by big insurance and drug companies. Tell Albany: Keep the Medicaid Promise! KeepTheMedicaidPromise.com

Derek Jeter, an obvious Hall of Famer since approximately his rookie season, ascended officially on Tuesday. The best of the recollections of Jeter came from Bernie Williams, noted jazz musician and center fielder: My first recollection of Derek was in 92 or 93 when I saw this big wide-eyed skinny guy on the other side of the cage in Fort Lauderdale. I didnt see him again until 95 when he played a couple of games with the team. After that he was a mainstay with the team after they decided to give him the job in 96. According to him he said I didnt talk to him for the first three or four years of his career, but I have a different recollection of that! All kidding aside, I remember sitting in the back of the plane with him, playing my guitar, and if he was in a good mood, hed sing a little Lionel Ritchie with me, but most of the time hed tell me to shut up because I was being too loud. Derek, congratulations. Its a well-deserved honor. Im proud to say that I was your teammate and your friend. You were the best teammate that anybody could ever have. You were the captain and carried that responsibility with dignity. Everything that is great about being a Yankee, you exemplified. I cant wait to celebrate with you this summer.

The day ahead: LeBron and the Lakers show comes to The Garden. Stony Brook women's basketball looks to move to 19-1 at Binghamton.

See the article here:
Bail reform pits de Blasio against progressives Cuomo budget targets health care costs Shelly Silver's conviction partially overturned - Politico

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ST. LOUIS -The bad news for people who live in St. Louis, the city still remains in the Top 50 of the most bed-bug infested cities in the country.

So which cities have it the worst when it comes to these bloodsuckers? Pest control company Orkin released its list of top 50-cities for bed bugs and it seems Washington, DC is also the capital of bedbugs. Baltimore ranked second on the list followed by Chicago and Los Angeles.

St. Louis ranked 28th which is well below other large metro cities like Cleveland ranking in the Top 11 on the list.

Orkin says bed bugs travel easily from place to place in items like luggage and purses with hotels spending an average of $63,000 dollars per bedbug incident.

Orkinsays it bases its list on the number of residential and commercial treatments in metro areas.

The Top 15 cities, according to Orkin, are:

1. Washington, D.C.

2. Baltimore

3. Chicago

4. Los Angeles

5. Columbus

6. New York

7. Detroit

8. Cincinnati

9. Indianapolis

10. Atlanta

11. Cleveland

12. Philadelphia

13. San Francisco

14. Raleigh, NC

15. Norfolk

See the article here:
Heres where St. Louis ranks in top bed-bug infested cities - KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis

Washington, D.C. beat Baltimore this year for the top spot on Orkin's 2020 bed bug cities listGot bugs? Many cities do, if it is bed bugs that are the target. Washington, D.C. is ringing in the new decade as the number one city on Orkin's Top 50 Bed Bug Cities list, topping Baltimore, which fell to the second spot after three years as the frontrunner. And this year, Indianapolis joined the top of the list.

Flint saw the biggest jump moving 16 spots to number 31 after only joining the list in 2018. Pittsburgh and Champaign both broke into the top 20, and Myrtle Beach and Toledo joined the top 50 list for the first time.

The list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from December 1, 2018 November 30, 2019. The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

1. Washington, D.C. 2. Baltimore 3. Chicago4. Los Angeles5. Columbus, OH6. New York7. Detroit 8. Cincinnati 9. Indianapolis10. Atlanta 11. Cleveland, OH12. Philadelphia 13. San Francisco 14. Raleigh, NC 15. Norfolk 16. Champaign, IL17. Dallas 18. Grand Rapids 19. Pittsburgh20. Charlotte 21. Richmond, VA 22. Greenville, SC 23. Knoxville, TN 24. Buffalo, NY 25. Greensboro, NC 26. Charleston, WV27. Denver28. St. Louis 29. Nashville 30. Lansing 31. Flint 32. Miami 33. Milwaukee 34.Tampa 35. Omaha 36. Orlando 37. Davenport, IA38. Houston 39. Syracuse 40. Boston 41. Cedar Rapids, IA42. Myrtle Beach (new to list)43. Seattle 44. San Diego45. Phoenix46. Fort Wayne, IN 47. Las Vegas 48. Hartford, CT 49. Dayton, OH 50. Toledo, OH (new to list)

"While bed bugs have not been found to transmit any diseases to humans, they can be an elusive threat to households," said Chelle Hartzer, an Orkin entomologist. "They are excellent hitchhikers, and they reproduce quickly which make it nearly impossible to prevent bed bugs. Sanitation has nothing to do with where you'll find them."

Bed bugs, which are typically 4-5 mm in length and red to dark brown in color, can travel from place to place with ease, including luggage, purses and other belongings. Normally nocturnal, bed bugs will come out of hiding to take blood meals from sleeping or quietly resting humans.

According to the 2018 "Bugs without Borders Survey" by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the top three places where pest professionals report finding bed bugs are single-family homes (91 percent), apartments/condominiums (89 percent) and hotels/motels (68 percent). With that, hotels spend an average of $6,383 per bed bug incident.

Bed bugs are known for rapid population growth. Females can deposit one to five eggs a day and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime. Under normal room temperatures and with an adequate food supply, they can live for more than 300 days, often making treatment challenging.

"The key to preventing a bed bug infestation is early detection," Hartzer said. "When one or more bed bugs enter a space, we call it an introduction. During an introduction, bed bugs probably haven't started reproducing yet, but they could soon. Vigilance is key to stopping bed bugs before infestation levels."

Tell-tale signs of a bed bug introduction could include small black spots indicating bed bug feces or nymph bed bugs in places such as mattress seams, bed frames and furniture. Their small size and ability to hide make them difficult to see during the day, so it's important to look for the black, ink-like stains they can leave behind.

Here are proactive tips Orkin recommends for travelers:

During travel, remember the acronym S.L.E.E.P. to inspect for bed bugs...

Survey the hotel room for signs of an infestation. Be on the lookout for tiny, ink-colored stains on mattress seams, in soft furniture and behind headboards.

Lift and look in bed bug hiding spots: the mattress, box spring and other furniture, as well as behind baseboards, pictures and even torn wallpaper.

Elevate luggage away from the bed and wall. The safest places are in the bathroom or on counters.

Examine your luggage carefully while repacking and once you return home from a trip. Always store luggage away from the bed.

Place all dryer-safe clothing from your luggage in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at the highest setting after you return home.

See the rest here:
Where the Bed Bugs Roam - Business Traveler USA

Top news and notes from across Northern Virginia.

5. Snow back in the forecast

Weve got a wet start to our Tuesday and temperatures Wednesday are expected to climb to 57 degrees. But winter returns this weekend, with highs in the 30s and a chance for snow Friday night into Saturday morning.

Search your zip code on our weather page for the latest local forecast.

4. Washington tops list for bed bugs reports

The pest control specialists at Orkin are out with their new list of cities with the most bed bugs, and Washington, D.C., has taken the top spot from nearby Baltimore. New York was at No. 6, Raleigh at 14 and Richmond at 21.

3. Woman with Redskins player died of accidental overdose

An autopsy shows a 21-year-old woman died following an apparent accidental overdose of fentanyl on the night she was taken to the hospital by Washington Redskins player Montae Nicholson and a friend in November, reports WTOP.

2. Indecent exposure suspect sought in second incident

Hours after his release on a charge of indecent exposure, a Woodbridge man is accused of exposing himself to workers at a Dale City nail salon. He hasnt been located following the second encounter, according to Prince William police.

1. Outer Banks surfer bit by shark

The National Park Service said a surfer suffered an apparent shark bite at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Monday afternoon.

InsideOUT

The Farm Brewery at Broad Run is hosting a Barrel Aged Tasting on Feb. 15. Buy tickets now at InsideNoVaTix.com!

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InFive: Snow back in the forecast and Washington tops bed bugs list - Inside NoVA

NEW YORK CITY Roaches and bedbugs were caught crawling through city public housing almost 60,000 times last year, attorneys announced Monday.

NYCHA residents filed about 59,770 bug infestation complaints in the first nine months of 2019, according to the Legal Aid Society.

Judith Goldiner, Attorney-In-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit, called the findings troubling but added NYCHA's quick response time was encouraging.

"This is a clear byproduct of more staff on the ground and resources," said Goldiner, even though, "The high number of work orders filed by NYCHA residents to remediate insect infestation within their homes is indeed troubling."

The Grant Houses in Harlem logged the most work orders with 981 roach and bedbug infestations reported, according to documents acquired through Legal Aid's Freedom Of Information Law request.

It took the Housing Authority roughly 9.5 days on average to respond to those complaints, the records show.

The Pomonok Houses in Fresh Meadows, Queens, had the most bedbug complaints with 116 work orders, which took the Housing Authority roughly 9 days to remediate, Legal Aid said.

Bedbug and roach responses have improved since the city's $2.2 billion agreement (with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) to address lead paint, mold, heating and pests took effect in July 2019, said NYCHA press secretary Rochel Leah Goldblatt.

Under the new Integrated Pest Management system, roach responses have become more thorough and bedbugs and rats are treated like emergencies, taking higher priority on the work order list, added Goldblatt.

"NYCHA is working closely with the Federal Monitor on Integrated Pest Management techniques and a Pest Action Plan," said Goldblatt. "NYCHA lacked the resources to adequately address many issues in its aging housing portfolio, including pests, due to years of federal disinvestment."

The public defenders group echoed these sentiments and called on state legislators to continue to increase funding for NYCHA in 2020.

"Public housing is critical to so many New Yorkers," Goldiner concluded. "We must ensure that residents live safely and with dignity."

See original here:
Bedbugs, Roaches Infest Thousands Of NYCHA Homes - New York City, NY Patch

If the headline alone doesn't have you feeling a little itchy, you do not have a healthy fear ofthe mighty bed bug. Bed bugs are an alarmingly common problem in big cities (and hotels).

Maybe that's because you don't live in a city that madeOrkin's annual list of the most bed bug-infested cities. This year's list has changes from last year and, despite the common association, it's not Los Angeles or New York climbing up the ranks. The pest-control company creates the annual list using data from "the metro areaswhere Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from" December 2018 through November 2019. Those treatments include both residential and commercial properties where the little pests are attempting to make human lives miserable.

Last year's bed bug champion, Baltimore, has fallen to second place while the nation's capital is now the most vermin-filled locale in the country. Washington, DC unseated Baltimore after it sat atop the Orkin list for three straight years. Among the top-50 cities, Flint, Michigan was the biggest climber, rising 16 spots to number 31. At the end of the spectrum, Houston dropped 12 spots to number 38.

Here are the top 20 most bed bug-infested cities, according to Orkin. (The number in parenthesis is the change from the city's place on the list last year.)

1. Washington, DC (+1)2. Baltimore (-1)3. Chicago4. Los Angeles5. Columbus6. New York City7. Detroit (+1)8. Cincinnati (-1)9. Indianapolis (+5)10. Atlanta (-1)11. Cleveland12. Philadelphia (-2)13. San Francisco (-1)14. Raleigh (-1)15. Norfolk (+2)16. Champaign (+7)17. Dallas (-2)18. Grand Rapids (+2)19. Pittsburgh (+6)20. Charlotte (-1)

While bed bugs have not been found to transmit any diseases to humans, they can be an elusive threat to households," said Chelle Hartzer, an Orkin entomologist, transmitting unpleasant news in a statement. "They are excellent hitchhikers, and they reproduce quickly which makes it nearly impossible to prevent bed bugs. Sanitation has nothing to do with where youll find them."

Of course, if you've got them, you can seek professional assistance, but many people try to get rid of bed bugs themselves. It's not impossible, but there's no cure for bed bug-induced nightmares. Sorry.

Read the original:
These Are the Most Bed Bug-Infested Cities in the US - Thrillist

Home New York City Bed Bugs Lawyer

If youve been injured because of bed bugs and believe a negligent property owner or landlord is to blame, you may be entitled to compensation. Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. will help you fight to hold them accountable and get you the money you deserve.

Our New York City bed bug injury lawyers have been working hard on behalf of injury victims for more than four decades. Weve helped tens of thousands of clients recover meaningful compensation. In fact, in total, weve recovered in excess of $1 billion in jury awards and financial settlements. Call our New York City law firm today to find out how we can help you, too.

We offer a free, no-obligation case assessment, so contact our legal team to schedule yours today.

Bed bugs can cause a lot of damage. Thats why landlords and business owners in New York have to take certain precautions to prevent infestations and keep tenants and guests safe. When they dont, its innocent people like you who have to suffer the consequences. Fortunately, you may have the right to seek compensation for things like medical bills, property damages, and even emotional distress.

However, beg bug injury cases can be challenging. Youll need to prove that someone was negligent and, and as a result, put you in the position you find yourself in now. Youll have to prove that youve been harmed because they were negligent or careless in some way. That can be tough to do, especially when youre challenged every step of the way. Thats why the best thing to do is to call the experienced NYC bed bug lawyers at Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. for help.

When you need us, well be there. Our team will do everything we can to maximize your financial recovery. Among other things, we will:

Give our NYC injury lawyers a call to schedule your free consultation and learn more today.

Bed bugs are small parasitic pests roughly the size of an apple seed. They survive by feeding on the blood of an animal or human host. To feed, bed bugs pierce the hosts skin and insert a long beak into the host to withdraw blood for anywhere between 3 and 10 minutes. After feeding, bed bugs transform from flat, brown creatures to round, red ones.

Bed bugs are a fairly common issue and nuisance across New York City. In fact, NYC is the second-worst in the nation, right behind Philadelphia. Every year, there are thousands of reports of apartment buildings, hotels, and businesses with infestations. The city issues violations to landlords and owners who arent in compliance with local habitability requirements. A review of those violations, issued between 2014 and 2018, reveals that these parts of the city have the most reported bed bug problems:

As you can see, the Bronx seems to have the citys biggest bed bug problem. Manhattan isnt far behind, with dozens of reports of violations every year.

Bed bugs cant fly, but they are fast on their legs. They tend to gravitate toward places where theyre most likely to find a warm-blooded host. In fact, theyre attracted to warmth and carbon dioxide. Thats why its common to find bed bugs hiding in:

This is not an exhaustive list, simply an illustration of where youre most likely to find an infestation.

Its not believed that bed bugs are capable of transmitting disease. However, they can still cause a lot of pain, suffering, and damage.

Bed bug bites can cause and lead to a host of injuries, including:

Do you notice bite marks on your body? Get to the doctor. Severe bites, left untreated, can put you at risk of infection and serious health issues.

Bed bugs dont just inflict physical injuries. Bite victims often report experiencing emotional distress, including, but not limited to:

The emotional toll of a bed bug infestation and resulting injuries can easily interfere with your ability to enjoy your life.

Bed bugs dont just harm their human hosts. They can also cause significant damage to property including, but not limited to, clothing, bedding, and furniture.

At Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C., our experienced bed bug lawyers are prepared to help you fight for compensation for injuries related to a bed bug infestation. We represent clients with bed bug cases involving:

Give our law firm a call today to find out if you might be entitled to compensation for your bed bug injuries. Were always available for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 2365 days a year.

Bed bug cases are a type of premises liability matter. Simply put, when you rent an apartment or a room in a hotel, youre entitled to a place thats safe for you and your family. Heres what you need to know.

Under New York law, theres an implied warranty of habitability that attaches to homes and residences. Thats legalese for your home has to be a place where you can live comfortably. Among other things, this legal doctrine means that your landlord has to make sure that you have running water, a functioning heating system, and an up-to-date (and code) fire detection system.

It also means that your landlord has to take reasonable steps to prevent bed bug infestations. If there is an infestation, the landlord has to do something about it. Once theres been an infestation, New York City law requires that this information be disclosed to tenants in writing. If they dont do these things, you can potentially hold them financially responsible for the harm you suffer.

Bed bugs are also problematic at hotels in New York City. When you rent a room, you expect that it will be clean and a safe space for you to relax, unwind, and sleep. In order for that to happen, there cant be bed bugs. Thats why hotels are required to take steps to make sure theres no infestation. Reasonable steps include changing bed sheets between guests and regularly cleaning rooms.

Unfortunately, hotels dont always take these steps. Thats when bed bugs can get out of control. If you find that youve suffered bed bug injuries because of a hotel stay in NYC, you might be able to hold the owner accountable.

When you call Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. for help with your NYC bed bug injury lawsuit, well aggressively seek compensation for all of your damages. This might include:

We want to be sure that youre not paid less money than you deserve. Thats why we work closely with leading injury, psychiatric, and vocational experts. They can help us appreciate your injuries and grasp how they might impact your life. Well seek compensation for the damages you have today, as well as for those that youll likely experience in the future.

Its true theres a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit. In New York, the statute of limitations for bed bug injury lawsuits is typically three years. That begins to run the moment you get hurt.

There are times when you may have more or less time to act. However, as a general rule, youll only have three years. If you wait too long to file your claim, youll be prohibited from getting any compensation at all.

Have you or a loved one suffered injuries because you were bitten by bed bugs in NYC? Contact Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. to learn about your legal rights and options. If youre entitled to compensation, well do everything in our power to maximize your recovery. All you have to do is give our NYC law offices a call and schedule your free consultation to get started.

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New York City Bed Bugs Lawyer | Mirman, Markovits & Landau ...

Thinking back to childhood, Im pretty sure I lived with a constant fear of accidentally ingesting mind-altering drugs that would leave me comatose. From the time my school started us on the D.A.R.E. program in 4th or 5th grade I was convinced that some evil drug lord was going to rub LSD all over a handrail at a theme park, or on food at the grocery store.

Then I grew up, actually tried those drugs, and realized that nobody in possession of large quantities of psychedelics would ever waste them on complete strangers because that shits hard to find these days.

But the same fear applies here. Of stepping into an otherwise safe situation only to discover that youve wandered into Dantes 7th Ring of Hell. Sure, you always have to be a little bit on guard when you enter a Walmart. Even more so here in Florida where a dude on bath salts could try and eat your face at any point. But this shit should be considered an act of war under the Geneva Convention.

According to CNN, a man entered a Walmart in Edinboro, Pennsylvania armed with a bottle full of live bedbugs and released the blood-sucking monsters inside of the mens changing room to wreak havoc on shoppers. Living in NYC for nearly a decade, the fear of a bed bugs attack always outweighed a terrorist attack or getting stabbed by a bum on the subway.

In fact, those latter two pretty much never crossed my mind aside from the times there were terror alerts or I accidentally stepped into an almost-empty subway cart to find a passed out bum with his manhood hanging out and pants around his ankles. It was always the bed bugs that scared me because it meant you had to pretty much uproot your life. Sanitize everything you own. Get your shitty ass landlord to comply and bring in special exterminators. A total nightmare.

Heres the story from CNN:

A manager at the store in Edinboro found a closed pill bottle with live bugs crawling inside and reported it to authorities Thursday, police said in a release. The bottle was found inside a boys jacket which was for sale.We take this seriously and are looking into this, a Walmart spokesperson told CNN. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement on their investigation.On Friday, health safety company Ecolab confirmed that the insects were bedbugs. An Ecolab employee also reported seeing bedbugs crawling around the mens changing rooms the same day, according to police.A Walmart employee later found a second closed pill bottle containing dead bedbugs in the mens department, police said. Edinboro is in the northwest corner of the state, near Erie.A third-party pest management service has visited the store and we are working with them to assess next steps, the Walmart spokesperson said. In the meantime, we have blocked off the impacted area. (via)

As if I needed another reason to stay away from Walmart Im getting itchy just reading that story. Im pretty certain that anything I need from Walmart I can buy online at this point and my house is closer to Lowes anyway.

I simply will not be able to ever step foot inside a Walmart again without thinking about some asshole somewhere releasing multiple bottles of blood-sucking bedbugs inside of the store just to be an asshole.

For more on this story, you can click here to visit CNN.com.

Read more from the original source:
Some Monster Released A Bottle Of Live Bed Bugs Inside A Walmart Which Means Im Never Stepping Foot In There Again - BroBible