It’s your skin — your body’s largest organ.

Melanoma Monday, which this year falls on May 4, is an annual day aimed at spreading that was launched in 1995 by the American Academy of Dermatology.

Melanoma is one of the most common cancers in young people under age 30.

It’s nearly 100% curable if caught in its early stages, but a recent survey by MedStar Health finds nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) have never had their skin checked for cancer by a doctor.

“It’s a really good idea for all adults to get a baseline skin screening at some point to assess risk,” Dr. Allison Larson, physician executive director of dermatology for MedStar Health, told �鶹����.

The study also found 58% of adults don’t know that melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and 83% are unaware that melanoma can become life threatening in just six weeks.

“So if you have a spot on your skin, a dark spot, a mole that is irregular, is changing, it really needs to be checked,” Larson said. “It’s not something that can wait six months or a year.”

To remember the five things to look for when monitoring your skin for cancer, .

A is for asymmetry. A mole with a shape that’s different on one side compared with the other could be cancer.

B is for borders.

“Is it smooth and even, or is it scalloped and notched? Scalloped and notched would be more worrisome,” Larson said.

C is for color. More than one shade of color or a mix of different colors could be a sign of trouble.

D is for diameter. Anything bigger than a pencil eraser, or a spot or mole that’s growing larger should be checked out.

E is for evolving. Changes of any kind over time could be a warning sign.

The importance of wearing sunscreen to prevent skin cancer is well known, but Larson said many people seem to miss a key point.

“One of the most common pitfalls that I see in my patients is this idea is that if I put on a coating of sunscreen in the morning, I’m good for the whole day. The answer is, not even close. We really need to reapply every two hours, and sometimes even more often if you’re doing water sports, or sweating, or in some sort of environment where you’ll be rubbing off your sunscreen.”

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Power was reconnected to residential customers that year more than 11 million times, according to the report.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration is the result of a law passed in 2023, aimed at collecting disconnection and reconnection data from every state and D.C.

“Three years later, we just got the first set of results, which is a 2024 picture. A horrific picture,” Jean Su, energy justice director for the Center for Biological Diversity, told �鶹����. “It’s not hyperbole in my mind to understand electricity as being a basic human right in this country.”

The environmental nonprofit pushed for the law after seeing people struggle to pay their bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We started investigating in 2020 the extent of disconnections, and we saw that only half of states actually require their utilities to report shutoffs at all, and that was just giving us a really distorted picture of how bad the crisis actually was,” Su said.

The findings, she said, reflect the nation’s energy affordability crisis.

“If a family gets an electricity disconnection, it means they are really making super tough household decisions.”

Su said the nation’s capital and the surrounding region stood out in a good way, because D.C., Maryland and Virginia all ban residential power customer disconnections when temperatures are extremely cold or hot.

In response to the report, Pepco and Dominion Energy provided statements to �鶹����, and both described shutoffs as a “last resort.”

Pepco provided details about disconnections in 2024 for all reasons, ranging from nonpayment to customers moving away to safety reasons.

In 2024, Pepco says 11,880 customers in the District were disconnected and 6,900 were reconnected.

In Maryland that year, 15,100 Pepco customers were disconnected and 12,520 were reconnected.

Pepco said it “always makes multiple attempts to reach customers and offer extended payment timelines, flexible payment options as well as energy assistance programs.”

In 2024, it provided about $39 million in energy assistance to its customers.

Dominion Energy told �鶹����: “When a customer falls behind on their bills, we reach out numerous times over several months to make sure they’re aware of their status and have access to all available resources to avoid disconnection. We work with each customer to find the best assistance programs and payment options that meet their individual needs, including Energy Share bill payment assistance, flexible payment plans, and Budget Billing.

Dominion said in 2024, 368,471 of its customers in Virginia were disconnected for nonpayment, and: “The vast majority were reconnected the same day, many within minutes.”

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“A few years ago, we decided to look into what research was available on how to support young men in the prevention of campus sexual violence. And when we started to look at the field of research, we actually found a pretty large gap in what was available,” Tracey Vitchers, the program’s executive director, told �鶹����.

“The majority of research related to campus sexual violence and men pretty much focuses on their role as perpetrators of sexual violence, rather than what are those factors that would contribute to them helping to create a culture of consent,” she added.

As a result, It’s On Us launched a series of studies by surveying young men.

The , which is informed by earlier ones, found Black men in college were more likely than those of other races to be educated about sex and positive intimate relationships because of talks they have with family and friends in their community.

“Because they had these really helpful conversations about the importance of consent from a very young age, they were just more aware of the topic of consent, how to have healthy relationships, how to have healthy communication in relationships, how to fight fair, and things of that nature that are really important, compared to other men in the sample,” Vitchers said.

The survey also found men in the LGBTQ+ community in college tend to go to medically accurate online sources for information about sex, relationships and consent such as the Cleveland Clinic and Planned Parenthood, while straight men are more likely to turn to social media sites like TikTok and Reddit.

The report recommends that all boys receive age-appropriate sex education earlier in life, and that education should be more comprehensive than what most received in the past.

“That content really needs to be expanded to include topics related to consent, communication, healthy conflict and gender norms,” Vitchers said.

The report also calls for enhanced media literacy education for boys and young men because so many are turning to the media — especially social media — for guidance.

“It’s really important to teach young men literacy skills to help critically analyze content and how it can impact their own perspectives,” Vitchers said.

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May 1 is the priority deadline to apply if you’d like to start classes at AU this fall through the .

“The idea is really to make the transfer process much more streamlined, affordable, straightforward for students coming into AU,” university President Jonathan Alger told �鶹����. “For the first time, we have community college transfer students that can receive up to 50% tuition support, and the ability to transfer up to 75 credits towards their AU degree.”

To be eligible, a student must have earned at least 30 credits at an accredited community college and have a GPA of at least 3.0.

As part of the university’s five-year strategic plan launched in January, the school is to better ensure that its graduates are prepared for “meaningful lives and careers.”

The school is also promising to give every undergraduate student access to up to $4,500 toward a paid internship or research experience.

Through the American Transfer Advantage initiative, transfer students will get orientation specifically designed for them. Also, those transferring after the fall 2026 semester will get pre-enrollment help.

“Students will have access to our advising even before they step foot on our campus,” said Evelyn Thimba, AU’s vice president for undergraduate enrollment management.

Eventually, AU plans to create an even more streamlined “direct entry” process for students with two-year associate’s degrees.

“We know that students who begin their studies at a community college and earn their associate degree, and then transfer to a four-year college are more likely to graduate from that four-year college,” Thimba said.

So far, she said, more than 600 students have applied to transfer to AU this fall, and more than 250 of them are eligible for the new transfer program.

Thimba said she expects a bunch of additional applications to come in just before the deadline.

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The show’s seventh season saw 32 of the world’s best chefs battle it out bracket-style, and bested the rest.

In the final challenge that aired April 19, he competed against another nationally-known chef, .

“I’ve been runner-up so many times, so honestly I just thought that was going to be the outcome,” Voltaggio told �鶹���� with a laugh.

Voltaggio beat Lee by just one point to win the Tournament of Champions title, a wrestling-style belt and a $150,000 prize.

“It felt amazing. I’ve been chasing a win,” Voltaggio said. “The finale aired on my 50th birthday, by the way.”

Voltaggio and his brother Michael grew up in Frederick, Maryland, launched several restaurants and later gained nationwide fame.

For years, they’ve been competing together and separately on various TV cooking shows.

“For me to get — finally — my first individual win has been nothing but incredible,” Voltaggio said.

One of the dishes he created that sealed the deal was a breakfast dish made of grits, water chestnuts and crab.

It wasn’t Maryland blue crab, but live, Alaskan king crab that he had to grab out of a tank.

Voltaggio said he’s been extremely busy balancing time as a chef and business owner with spending time with family and friends, but during what might appear to viewers as stressful competitions, he finds freedom.

“To be able to go into the kitchen and tune all of that out for a minute and just cook, it’s actually relaxing,” he said. “It’s actually fun. It’s something I really enjoy.”

Voltaggio plans to give some of the prize money from his Tournament of Champions win to  a campaign aimed at ending childhood hunger that he’s long supported.

He’s also planning a long overdue vacation.

“It’s time to take my wife and the kids somewhere fun,” Voltaggio said.

But will we see more of him on TV?

“Maybe I haven’t hung up the apron yet. Maybe you’ll see me compete again,” Voltaggio teased.

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Anyone itching for adventure in Maryland has a great opportunity, whether you’re on your own or want to bring the whole family along.

Maryland is holding a scavenger hunt across the whole state to commemorate the country’s 250th birthday.

The “” launched Thursday, and runs until Nov. 15.

“Maryland does have a little bit of everything, just like the United States,” Melissa Boyle Acuti, chief of interpretation for the Maryland Park Service, told �鶹����. “You can find waterfalls and mountains out west, and then of course we have our bay and our beaches on the Eastern Shore.”

It for the hunt, and the goal is to take a selfie with, or photo of, different things in state parks to earn points.

Things such as bald eagles, covered bridges, blue crabs and lighthouses are worth five points each.

You’ll earn 10 points by attending a live, living history event, such as the Point Lookout Civil War reenactment in June.

Also, 10 brand new benches have been installed around the state, marked with the words: “Best Seat in the Park.” Find one of those to earn 20 points.

Boyle Acuti said clues to help people find the benches will be released over the coming months, and you can also get tips by talking to park rangers.

It’s not necessary to go to every corner of Maryland to complete the hunt.

“I know, for some, traveling with high gas prices can be a challenge, so you could actually do most of this close to home, if you wanted to,” she said.

Once you’ve gathered 250 points, tally your results and to earn a patch or badge, and be entered into a drawing for prizes.

“Our grand prize is a 2027 state parks annual pass. That gets you into all the state parks for one year — 12 months from the date of issue,” Boyle Acuti said.

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“This international student exchange program has been a real asset to employers here in Ocean City for 20 years,” Amy Thompson, president and CEO of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, told �鶹����.

Through the program, about 3,600 international students came to work in the Maryland beach town last year.

This summer, however, it could be tougher than usual for students to get J-1 visas. Those are visas granted to individuals approved to work or study in exchange visitor programs.

Thompson said one reason has to do with the need to check the social media accounts of applicants for red flags.

“The consulates are finding that (doing) a thorough job vetting the social media is taking six times longer than it used to,” she said.

Also, for soccer fans coming to the U.S. to attend the World Cup tournament in June and July.

“What’s happening in certain countries, due to staffing constraints, is that the availability of appointments for visa interviews is potentially reduced,” Thompson said.

These issues were anticipated, however, so work to get international students to Ocean City for high season started extra early. Thompson is also asking members of Congress for help.

“If we turn the spigot off or slow it down, that slows down the economy, which is not good. That’s the argument that we’re taking to our federal partners to get some assistance to help alleviate some of these bottlenecks,” she said.

Thompson said while she doesn’t “have a crystal ball,” visitors to Ocean City may not see a different level of seasonal staffing.

“In my estimation, our employers are doing everything that they can to ensure that they are staffed as forecast,” Thompson said. “I don’t know that visitors to our area really think about it, but if they’re interacting with one of these J-1 visa students, it’s actually a form of diplomacy.”

“Remember, they’re someone else’s kids. We want to take care of them. We want to make them feel welcomed. When they return to their country, we want them to say that their experience in the United States was fantastic, and every visitor can be a part of that,” she added.

According to the State Department, Ocean City’s 3,635 participants in the SWT program last year were more than any other destination in the country.

The Maryland town edged out Orlando, Florida, which landed at No. 2 with around 3,500. Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, ranked third. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was fourth and rounding out the top five was Sandusky, Ohio.

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“Across our region, we’ve seen, and data demonstrates, that Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, and most of these deaths are preventable, unfortunately,” Dr. Darrell Gray, president of , the largest Medicaid-managed care organization in the state, told �鶹����.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, multiple factors contribute to the higher maternal mortality rate among Black mothers, including access to quality health care and underlying health conditions.

Gray said regardless of a person’s income or education, the “pattern of disparities … have persisted.”

“We know that there’s bias and racism that’s impacting health care. We understand that there are other variables such as what we call ‘social drivers of health’ that can contribute. That means where someone lives … (and) how housing secure, food secure they are,” Gray said.

During this year’s Black Maternal Health Week, he’s urging the partners of Black moms and moms-to-be to step up.

They may be the first to notice something isn’t right with her health and ensure she gets checked out, Gray said.

“They can alert the appropriate health care provider about warning signs such as headaches or chest pain, bleeding or abnormal abdominal pain and swelling, and shortness of breath. These can be emergencies that men, that those partners, that those husbands can identify,” he said.

Gray said it’s not about speaking for Black women, but backing them up when they need to speak to a health care provider.

“I think when people are informed, engaged, and present and empowered, we can really change the disparities that we’re seeing,” he said.

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According to young people are getting advice from finance influencers, or “finfluencers.”

“Young folks are turning to social media as the primary source of financial advice, rather than their parents or trusted older people,” Lana Swartz, an associate professor in the University of Virginia’s Department of Media Studies, told �鶹����.

She said the trend is concerning because that advice isn’t always reliable.

“The financial future for many young people is uncertain,” Swartz said.

That uncertainty may stem from several factors, including the threat artificial intelligence poses to the job market, recent political and economic changes, and what young adults and their parents have experienced firsthand.

“Some young people today, some of their earliest memories are of the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, they were heavily impacted by COVID,” Swartz said.

Also worrisome, the report found, is the rise of gamified investment apps and similar platforms that can encourage quick, risky decisions and even lead to addiction.

“There’s a blurring with things like sportsbook gambling, and even gambling on things like current events through prediction markets,” Swartz said.

Another point Swartz wanted to drive home was that older adults aren’t the only ones vulnerable to online scams.

“People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are just as likely, if not more likely, to fall victim to scams,” she said, because younger people conduct much of their lives online. “We also have less information because there are fewer resources and fewer clearinghouses for young people who fall victim to scams.”

What’s encouraging, Swartz said, is that many states are considering adding financial literacy classes for high schoolers.

“Everyone agrees that financial literacy is important, and that it’s underexplored and under-taught in schools, but there are no clear national standards for what financial literacy education should look like,” she said. “Whatever financial literacy curriculum looks like, it’s going to be competing with finfluencers and with online communities.”

�鶹����’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.

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Topping 27-year-old Dayton Webber’s six-count indictment is one count of first-degree murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Other counts include the use of a firearm in a crime of violence or felony, reckless endangerment and having a loaded handgun in a vehicle.

According to prosecutors, Webber was driving on March 22 in La Plata with three other people in his car, when, during an argument, he shot and killed the man in the front passenger seat.

Webber is accused of trying to get the other two men to help dump the body of 27-year-old Bradrick Wells, and then doing it himself about 12 miles away in Charlotte Hall after the others refused and left.

“Right now, based on the investigation that we’ve seen, from the witnesses’ statements and everything, we see no evidence of self-defense,” County Deputy State’s Attorney Karen Piper Mitchell said Monday at a news conference held to discuss the indictment.

But Webber’s defense attorney, Hammad Matin, said his client “had to kill or be killed.”

“That’s what this case is. It’s a self-defense case and we believe we have the evidence for that, that’s going to come out at trial,” Matin said.

Webber was arrested in Virginia and is being held without bond in Charles County.

Matin said it’s been “difficult” for his client in the county’s jail.

“He’s been isolated because of, I guess, the inability to accommodate him or whatever the situation is. I can’t speak for the detention center,” Matin said.

Mitchell had a different take.

“Based on the information … that we had from law enforcement at the time, as far as even how his own residence was set up, there was nothing unique or special with respect to that. So we believe that he’s fine in the jail, we haven’t heard there are any problems,” Mitchell said.

Webber had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 6 in county district court, but the indictment moves the case to circuit court, where Mitchell said no court date has been set.

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Jon Marcus, senior higher education reporter with told �鶹���� the cost of tuition is starting to go up after years of falling, when adjusted for inflation.

“The expenses of running a college and university are rising, especially labor costs and benefits,” he said.

Another reason tuition is rising, Marcus said, is because the number of new international students coming to study in the U.S. has lessened by 100,000, as a result of policy changes made by President Donald Trump’s administration.

“International students — undergraduates, in particular — almost all of them pay full tuition and essentially subsidize American domestic students. And without them, colleges are being forced to raise their prices,” he said.

But the cost of admission estimates put out by colleges and universities can be very misleading, Marcus said.

“At George Washington, 80% of the students get a discount. The price that they actually pay, based on their income, is something between $17,000 a year, and for the very wealthiest students, about $55,000 a year. So almost no one is paying $98,000,” he said.

�鶹���� checked on the cost of admission some other private schools in D.C. are estimating for next year.

American University the cost for a new student living on campus is over $87,000 this school year, and tuition alone is increasing by more than $2,000 next year. At the George Washington University, the for returning students is about $98,000. The estimates include tuition and things such as fees, food, housing and books.

At it’s about $89,000, and at , it’s about $66,000.

Marcus called it “strange” and “self defeating” for colleges and universities to advertise one price but charge another.

“There’s a survey by the student loan company Sallie Mae that finds that 80% of families won’t apply to a college when they think the price is too high, without understanding that, again, they probably will not pay that price,” he said.

In , Sallie Mae reported nearly nine in 10 families — 89% — believe college is a worthwhile investment, and 82% are willing to stretch their finances to ensure their students go to good schools.

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The Food and Drug Administration has recalled nearly 90,000 bottles of Taro Pharmaceuticals’ Children’s Ibuprofen Oral Suspension liquid pain reliever after customers reported they found a “gel-like mass” and black particles in the medication. The FDA says it’s unlikely to cause health problems.

Dr. Christina Brown, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente in Baltimore, said it’s a reminder to take a close look at every medication before you give it to your kid.

“Of course, the company could change something, but sometimes they even include on the front what it’s supposed to look like,” she said. “Always use your critical thinking if something’s not right.”

Brown also suggested doing a spring cleanout of your medicine cabinet.

“Go through and see what medication is expired, and whenever you’re buying new medicine, make sure that the package is unopened, not tampered with. Make sure it looks like it’s the color that it should (be),” she said.

She doesn’t recommend taking expired medication, because it can lose its effectiveness over time.

Brown does suggest putting the national poison control number into your contacts, just in case you need it: 1-800-222-1222. There’s also an that promises to give you advice from an expert within three minutes.

Brown said parents are often confused when it comes to the dose of liquid pain reliever they should give their child when treating something like a fever.

“You can use ibuprofen or acetaminophen as directed, and it’s based on their weight, not their age,” she said. “This is a very important point. A lot of families say ‘They’re 2 years old now. What will their dose be?’ But these medicines, along with most antibiotics, are based on weight, not on age.”

If your child has a fever and you’re not sure if you should take them to a doctor, Brown said it’s not usually how high their fever is that’s most concerning, but how they’re doing overall.

Signs to watch for include a child who’s had a fever for several days, is overly sleepy, has sunken eyes or is showing signs of dehydration.

Brown said a child in diapers who hasn’t wet themself at least three times in 24 hours, or has dark urine, is likely getting dehydrated.

Another thing to keep an eye out for is how your child is breathing.

“We do know children breathe faster and heavier when they have a fever, so if you give them some medicine and they’re still breathing quickly, that’s an extra sign to seek care,” Brown said. “Try to give the medicine first and then see how their breathing is doing.”

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This potential baby news involves D.C.’s famous bald eagle and the female bird he’s been paired up with for about the length of one presidential term.

Mr. President, also known as “Mr. P,” and his current love, Lotus, or Lady of the United States, have a nest in a secluded part of the National Arboretum in Northeast D.C.

They’ve been together since 2022, and lately, they’ve been spotted taking turns sitting on that nest.

“It does seem like there is at least one egg in the nest, and we think that egg was laid around March 21,” Rese Cloyd, associate director for the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment’s Fisheries and Wildlife Division, told �鶹����.

If any eaglets are born, Cloyd said that should happen by the end of the month.

It could make Mr. President an especially lucky bird.

“He is at least 17 years old, so that is kind of on the older side. Bald eagles typically live to be about 20 in the wild,” Cloyd said.

There are no plans to put up a near the nest.

Cloyd said the best view for birders who want to spot the couple is from Langston Golf Course.

Mr. President and his earlier mate, the First Lady, began nesting at the National Arboretum in 2013 and had their first eaglet together in 2014. They had more between 2014 and 2018, but in 2019 and 2021, they did not produce any offspring.

After the First Lady left the nest in the winter of 2022, Lotus moved in. The two produced eaglets that year, and in 2023 and 2024.

“Last year, 2025, they did not produce any eaglets. We don’t know why the nest wasn’t successful last year, but we are optimistic about this year,” Cloyd said.

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Many head to the web with medical questions before reaching out to a human.

“Roughly one in three adults will actually go to the internet first, before they even talk to a health care provider,” Amanda Joy, a physician assistant and the associate medical director for MedStar Health Urgent Care in the D.C. area, told �鶹����.

The problem is that a search engine might not give you the best answers.

“Most of the time when you Google something, you unfortunately do get some biased information. You may get sponsored information. You may not get necessarily medically proven or peer-reviewed data,” Joy said.

People are also increasingly turning to ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence chatbots to get medical advice, and according to Joy, those can be more helpful.

“It can tell you, ‘Hey, you should really go to the emergency department. What your symptoms are showing shows signs of something like a stroke or a heart attack, something that can really cause permanent harm if it’s not addressed right away,'” she said.

When should you put down your smartphone, close your laptop, and go to an emergency room? Joy said the following symptoms should be checked out right away:

• Chest pain or shortness of breath
• Stroke-like symptoms, such as facial drooping, slurred speech or weakness or numbness in your limbs
• An allergic reaction
• Significant bleeding
• Significant accident or trauma
• Your baby has an extremely high fever for more than five days, or your newborn has a fever.

When is an urgent care center more appropriate?

“We save urgent care more for things like fractures or asthma flare-ups, UTIs, sinus infections,” Joy said, adding that most urgent care centers can test for COVID, flu and RSV.

She said many centers, including hers, can also perform rapid testing for STDs.

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Suresh Sundas from Tapori in D.C. has been named a finalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic, which includes D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Located on H Street NE, describes itself as serving up “Indian-ish street foods and cocktails.”

Meherwan Irani and Molly Irani of the Chai Pani Restaurant Group are finalists in the Outstanding Restaurateur category. , which originally started in Asheville, N.C, is a James Beard Award-winning Indian street food spot that opened in Union Market last August.

D.C.’s is a finalist for Best New Restaurant. It’s a French-inspired wine bar and restaurant in Adams Morgan that opened in September of last year.

Brent Kroll, proprietor and sommelier at in D.C., is a finalist for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service. The wine bar and restaurant on 9th Street NW in the Shaw neighborhood offers more than 50 wines by the glass.

in Marshall, Virginia — a village in Fauquier County — is among the finalists for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. The farm-to-table restaurant offers wines by the glass and on tap.

Susan Bae with in D.C. is a finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. The Vietnamese restaurant is situated in Penn Quarter.

The winners will be announced June 15 at a ceremony in Chicago.

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