Current Events in October 2016

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has revised its previous guidelines for screen time for children and adolescents. Its new, less stringent set of guidelines reflect changing media habits as well as new research.

Previously, the group’s official recommendation was that parents and caretakers refrain from allowing children under 2 to spend any time in front of screens. For older kids, the AAP recommended limiting screen time to just two hours a day.

New guidelines, released Friday, focus on the role of parents and the importance of balancing media use with other healthy habits. The AAP now says children under 18 months can see screens, but only in the form of video chatting. Other recommendations state that an adult should be present to provide guidance when children are engaged in screen time.

Parents as ‘media mentors’

From tablets and TVs to smartphones and apps, screens have become almost inescapable in the time since the AAP’s previous guidelines were released. Rather than shielding children from screens altogether, the group now recommends that parents get more involved in their kids’ screen time.

"Families should proactively think about their children's media use and talk with children about it, because too much media use can mean that children don't have enough time during the day to play, study, talk, or sleep," says Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioral expert and pediatrician at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI, and lead author of the first policy statement, "Media and Young Minds."

"What's most important is that parents be their child's 'media mentor.' That means teaching them how to use it as a tool to create, connect and learn," she adds.

New guidelines

The AAP's new guidelines for media use by younger kids are as follows:

• For babies younger than 18 months. The AAP still says screens should be avoided when kids are this young, but FaceTiming with Grandma or video chatting with another familiar face is a-okay. There is research to suggest that children as young as six months old can gain certain cognitive insights from video chatting.
• Children 18 to 24 months old. When kids are 18 months old, parents can introduce high-quality digital media. The AAP says it’s important, however, that children not watch programming alone. Adults should be present to help kids understand what they’re seeing.
• Children ages 2 to 5 years. Screen time should be limited to one hour per day of high-quality programs, such as Sesame Workshop or educational media on PBS. Again, parents should be present to talk with kids about how to apply what they’re seeing to the world around them.

For older kids

The AAP's guidelines for older kids, ages 6 to 18, don't include any strict limitations on screen time. Instead, the academy says parents should set consistent limits on the amount of daily screen time older kids are allowed. 

Parents should also make sure screen time doesn't take the place of healthy activities such as sleep, social interaction, and physical activity. To help promote a healthy balance, AAP recommends designating "media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms."

Need help coming up with a media use plan that works for your family? Check out the AAP's interactive tool for creating a customized Family Media Plan.

Getting sick isn’t cheap. In fact, a recent study by GoBankingRates found that coming down with a few colds per year can end up costing adults around $1,000.

This number may seem steeper than you'd think, but Dr. Rob Silverman explained that the lost wages, various co-pays, and the cost of prescription and over-the-counter treatments can easily amount to $1,000 in a year.

While there’s no cure for the common cold, there are ways to protect your body — and by extension, your budget — from being affected by a minor virus.

In addition to using practical tips, such as refraining from touching contaminated surfaces or shaking hands with a cold-ridden person, there are a few lesser-known ways to keep from catching a cold.

Sleep well and think positive

Giving your body and mind ample time to recharge at night can help keep you healthy and cold-free. That’s because a good night’s sleep can boost your body’s immune defense against viruses, experts say. And the more you sleep, the better equipped your body may be to ward off colds.

In 2009, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that men and women who slept eight hours or more per night were less likely to catch colds. People who slept less than seven hours per night were three times more likely to be affected by the virus to which they were exposed.

Would you describe yourself as being happy, lively, and calm? If so, you may also be in a better position to fight off viruses. In 2006, the same group of researchers found that cold and flu viruses were more likely to strike people who were anxious, hostile, or depressed compared to people who had a generally positive outlook.

Take a hot bath or shower

Been around a person who’s been coughing and sneezing all day? Try soaking in hot water when you get home. According to Clare McHugh, editor-in-chief at Health.com, doing so may knock out a potential cold before it begins.

"Super HOT baths and showers immediately,” she told Health.com. “My doctor once told me that cold viruses hate heat, and that if you keep your body and especially your chest very warm you will discourage the virus from multiplying."

Indeed, water can be a powerful defense against viruses. In addition to hot showers, drinking plenty of fluids and making sure to wash your hands throughout the day can help keep cold bugs at bay.

Banish the booze

In the interest of staying well, it might be wise to skip the nightcap. The dehydrating effect of alcohol can actually make cold symptoms worse, according to WebMD.

Not only does alcohol hinder your body’s ability to fight off colds, it may have a negative interaction with any medications you may be taking. Additionally, alcohol can prevent you from getting quality sleep.

Drinking alcohol before bed can leave you running to the bathroom multiple times per night, which can keep you from slipping into the restorative REM sleep your body needs to stave off viruses.

Getting plenty of rest is just one of the good health habits that can help prevent germs from turning into a sick day. Being physically active, managing stress, and eating nutritious foods can also boost the power of your immune system.

The latest economic forecast from The Conference Board suggests continued moderate growth into 2017.

The Board's Leading Economic Index (LEI) inched up 0.2% in September following a decline of the same magnitude the month before.

The increase “suggests that the economy should continue expanding at a moderate pace through early 2017.” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board.

Housing permits, unemployment insurance claims, and the interest rate spread were the main components lifting the index in September.

Overall, Ozyildirim pointed out, “the strengths among the leading indicators are outweighing modest weaknesses in stock prices and the average workweek.”

How it works

The LEI is a composite average of several individual leading indicators. It's constructed to summarize and reveal common turning point patterns in economic data in a clearer and more convincing manner than any individual component -- primarily because it smooths out some of the volatility of individual components.

The ten components of the LEI include:

1. Average weekly hours for manufacturing
2. Average weekly initial claims for unemployment insurance
3. Manufacturers’ new orders, consumer goods, and materials
4. Institute for Supply Management Index of New Orders
5. Manufacturers' new orders and nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft orders
6. Building permits for new private housing units
7. Stock prices of 500 common stocks
8. Leading Credit Index
9. Interest rate spread and 10-year Treasury bonds less federal funds
10. Average consumer expectations for business conditions

Jobless claims

From the Department of Labor (DOL), word that initial jobless claims surged by 13,000 in the week ending October 15 to a seasonally adjusted 260,000.

Even with that increase, the claims level has been below 300,000 for the 85th consecutive week, the longest streak since 1970.

The four-week moving average, which lacks the weekly headcount's volatility and is considered a more accurate gauge of the labor market, came in at 251,750 -- up 2,250 from the previous week.

The full report is available on the DOL website.

Summer Classics of Pelham, Ala., is recalling about 800 swivel rocking lounge chairs.

The seat bucket of the lounge chairs can break away from the base while a user is in the chair, posing a fall hazard.

The firm has received six reports of the lounge chairs breaking. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Summer Classics swivel rocking lounge chairs in the Aire, Belize, Bentley, Charleston, and Skye styles in multiple colors and finishes. The chairs are made for outdoor use and are designed to swivel 360 degrees and rock back and forth.

All the chair styles, except the Bentley style, come with detachable cushions. An “SC” brass logo is affixed to the back of the chairs.

The following chairs are being recalled:

The chairs, manufactured in China, were sold at Summer Classics stores and other stores nationwide from September 2015, through October 2016, for between $1,100 and $2,400.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled lounge chairs and contact Summer Classics for a full refund. The firm is contacting all known purchasers directly.

Consumers may contact Summer Classics toll-free at 888-868-4267 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday, or online at www.summerclassics.com for more information.

Tyson Foods of New Holland, Pa., is recalling approximately 1,148 pounds of frozen popcorn chicken products.

The products may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically hard plastic.

There have been no confirmed reports of injury or illness due to consumption of these products

The following frozen, ready-to-eat, whole grain popcorn chicken items, produced on August 10, 2016, are being recalled:

• 35 cases of 32.79-lb. “TYSON FULLY COOKED, WHOLE GRAIN GOLDEN CRISPY POPCORN CHICKEN, CHICKEN PATTIE FRITTERS” with a case code of “70368/928” on the upper right hand side of the label, and a lot code of “2236NHL33,” which can be found next to the case code.

The recalled products, bearing establishment number “P-1325” inside the USDA mark of inspection, were shipped to a wholesale distributor in Illinois and further distributed to schools and food services in Missouri and Illinois.

What to do

Customers have purchased these products should not consume them, but throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Christina Self at (866) 886-8456. 

There is a slight, miniscule risk that the airbag in your car could blow up at any moment. We hope you don't mind driving it as is for another two months or longer. That's the message that some owners of cars made with recalled Takata airbags appear to be getting.  

In what is believed to be the largest auto-safety recall in the history of the United States, approximately 34 million cars here (along with another 7 million abroad) were made with defective airbags produced by Japanese manufacturer Takata Corp. The airbags, in rare instances, have exploded and shot shrapnel into the passenger side of vehicles. The explosions have reportedly killed at least 15 people.

Affected car owners who live in what the National Highway Safety Administration classifies as "Zone A," or states and territories with high temperatures and high humidity, are being prioritized for getting replacement airbag parts because regulators believe that hot, humid weather has contributed to the explosions.  

But even living in a priority zone doesn't guarantee quick replacement of your car parts. As a resident of "Zone A," I called a nearby Ford dealership in Dallas, Texas to ask about replacing the parts on my (fictional) 2010 Ford Edge, which is one of four Ford models subject to the recall. The company is currently recalling 1.9 million of its cars.

The dealership in Dallas still does not have the replacement parts for its 2010 Edge. In fact, "for the vast majority of airbags, we do not," said the Ford sales advisor. He estimated that I won't be able to get my Edge fixed until the end of this year, or possibly even early next year. "We're kind of at the mercy of Takata, with the production of air bags that haven't been produced in 4 or 5 years."

Different areas, different service

Some manufacturers have prioritized car-owners in an even more limited amount of states. BMW, for instance, which recalled 840,000 of its cars in February 2016, stated that they will prioritize affected owners in Florida, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, where weather is especially humid. Sure enough, a BMW dealership in Miami told me that I could get my 3 Series serviced this Saturday in a special "event" where car owners will also get free food and drinks. 

But in Dallas, the nearby BMW dealer said they have only received car parts for older models, not my 2012 3 series. "Dallas, we're just not getting them. We don't have them yet," she said.

Patricia Patterson is an actual owner of the BMW 3 Series. She lives in North Carolina, or part of "Zone B," which is even lower priority for repairs. Patterson says she got a letter from BMW alerting her that her vehicle was subject to a recall. The announcement was not entirely a surprise: she says that the light indicating her airbag needed service had been on, inexplicably, for some time.

The dealership 90 miles away from her home could never help her. "At one point they tried to sell me a new [airbag] for $1300, and I said no, I'll just leave the light on," she tells ConsumerAffairs. Now, when she searches her VIN number on BMW's recall page, she says she gets only one notification: "Remedy not available."

Calling the BMW corporate offices didn't help her. "I told them, if you had [an airbag] you could charge me for, why don't you have one to replace it?" She has opted to stop driving her car while she waits.

"No parts available"

Last July, Chrysler announced a recall of over 4 million of its vehicles in Zones A, B, and C. But a Dallas Chrysler dealership, selling the Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep, also didn't expect new car parts to arrive from Takata until the beginning of next year. "Unfortunately all dealerships have them on back order," the sales advisor said.

At the local Chevy dealer, requests to fix a 2015 Equinox were also met with "no parts are available at this time."

And an associate at the GMC dealership said that he had been given little information from his corporate bosses about the recall. "It looks like I do not know that information, GMC has not provided us with the proper procedures or materials on how to do it," he said. This is despite the fact that GMC had publicly announced in July that it was recalling 1.9 million vehicles.

"At this time, we do not know," echoed a similarly clueless Land Rover dealership.

Information disparity 

Not all dealerships were left in the dark. A Ferrari's sales advisor in Austin said he already had the parts ready for my 2011 California. A Mitsubishi dealer in Dallas was also optimistic that he could help me, if I provided him my specific VIN and recall number. And the nearby Honda dealership said they had the right parts in for all recalled cars.

Even better, the Honda dealer promised to lend me a rental car free-of-charge while I wait for my car to get fixed. "We'll get you taken care of, we'll actually put you in a rental car," he said confidently.

The Honda dealer’s offer was considerably nicer than the more upscale Mercedes dealership in Dallas, where an employee at first wasn't even aware of the recall, even though 841,000 of the company's cars were affected in May. 

An employee later clarified that the parts needed to replace my faulty airbag still aren't in the dealership yet. But when they do come in, there will be no free rental car for me. "From what we know, they don't take that long," she said, meaning that the actual mechanic work of replacing the airbag parts would only take an hour. Getting the correct part to actually arrive, however, is clearly another matter.

Apple customers often turn to Amazon as a source for replacement equipment, like chargers. But when they do, Apple claims they have a very good chance of buying something less than genuine Apple equipment.

The electronics giants has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Oakland against Mobile Star LLC, accusing the firm of slapping the Apple name on chargers it sold on Amazon. According to Tech Times, the complaint claims that nearly 90% of the Apple chargers sold at the online retailer are fakes.

According to the report, Amazon was not named as a plaintiff in the suit. Instead, Apple's lawyers have accused Mobile Star of infringing on its trademark.

Here is an example of an Apple power adapter that, as of today, was being listed for sale on Amazon. However, it may not be one of the fakes, since the Tech Times report says Amazon has banned Mobile Star from selling on the site.

Besides the alleged trademark infringement, the lawsuit points to a safety issue. Apple says consumers are not aware that non-Apple products that Amazon.com sourced from Mobile Star have not gone through Apple's safety certification program and may not even be properly constructed, lacking “adequate insulation and/or have inadequate spacing between low voltage and high voltage circuits, and pose a significant risk of overheating, fire, and electrical shock."

According to technology publisher IGM, Apple reportedly presented as evidence one Amazon customer review for one of the knock-off chargers that claimed it caught fire.

So far, 2016 has been a tough year for hedge funds, which are huge investment funds that receive money from wealthy individuals and institutions seeking to maximize returns.

Only lately, those returns haven't been all that impressive, causing money to start flowing out of these funds. By mid-year, some large investors were publicly airing their disgust at hedge funds' “fat fees” and paltry returns.

While many consumers may believe this is simply a Wall Street issue and doesn't affect them, they could be dead wrong. If they are drawing a pension that is invested in an under-performing, high-fee hedge fund, they could soon be feeling the effects.

New York agency squabble

In New York, the issue has bubbled up into public debate with the release of a report by the state Department of Financial Services, which takes the state comptroller's office to task for the way it invests state worker pension funds.

“Pension fund managers across the country have cut or eliminated exposure to these overpriced and under-performing investments, while the Office of the New York State Comptroller has stood still and spent pension system funds chasing performance that continues to fall far short,” said Maria Vullo, Superintendent of Financial Services. “Just last week, the Comptroller admitted that hedge funds are not delivering the returns to even come close to justifying the sky-high fees that these fund managers have been charging the pension system for years.”

Vullo expressed frustration, charging hedge fund managers continue to rake in huge fees, regardless of their performance, which she called a “rip-off” at the expense of pensioners.

Actively traded

Hedge funds justify their fee structure because they employ experienced traders who actively manage the funds, seeking to get the highest return possible. But Vullo says the state report shows that many of these funds have consistently under-performed so-called “passive” investments, including index funds that have no or low fees.

“Given the $3.8 billion hole the Comptroller’s hedge fund gamble already has dug for the State pension system, taking away the checkbook may be the only way to safeguard the pensions of state employees, and the pocketbooks of taxpayers on the hook for System deficits,” Vullo said.

The New York Comptroller's Office, meanwhile, blasted the report from its fellow state agency, calling it “uninformed and unprofessional.” In a statement, the Comptroller's Office said it had been aggressively working to reduce hedge fund investments and limit fees.

A class action lawsuit has been filed in New Jersey against Costco, who allegedly tacked a 7% sales tax on toilet paper it sold, according to a NJ.com report. The suit holds water in the state because sales of disposable household paper – such as toilet paper and paper towels – are exempt from sales tax in New Jersey.

Complainant Robert Arnold said that he and his wife bought toilet paper from two separate Costco wholesalers on two occasions in July, 2015. He stated that each time he was unknowingly charged sales tax on the items; he later discovered the charge after going over his receipts. When he went back to the wholesalers to dispute the charges, employees allegedly told him that they couldn’t reimburse the money and that he would have to file paperwork with Costco’s corporate offices.

The notion didn’t sit well with Arnold, who asked employees why he should take time out of his day to file paperwork when he shouldn’t have been charged in the first place. Instead, he filed suit in order to recoup his losses.

The suit accuses Costco of unjust enrichment, fraud, and negligence, as well as violations of the New Jersey Consumer Protection Act, the Truth-In-Consumer Contract Warranty and Notice Act, and New Jersey Common law. It seeks to reimburse plaintiffs joining in the suit who were also forced to pay a similar sales tax, as well as punitive damages.

“Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents have paid a 7% surcharge in the guise of a sales tax when purchasing toilet tissue,” the complaint alleges.

When asked about the suit, a corporate spokesperson stated that Costco could not provide a comment at this time.

The simple act of going for a walk can clear the mind, rev up the metabolism, and help build strong bones and muscles.

For people with type 2 diabetes, walking comes with even more benefits; but timing and duration matters when it comes to reaping the blood sugar lowering effects of walking, according to a new study. 

Findings published recently in the journal Diabetologia suggest that taking a quick walk immediately after each meal may be a more effective means of lowering blood sugar levels. In fact, a 10-minute walk after dinner may lower postprandial glycemia (a measurement of blood sugar) by as much as 22%.

Benefits of after-meal activity

People with type 2 diabetes are already encouraged to be active for at least 150 minutes per week, explained study author Andrew Reynolds, a researcher at the University of Otago in New Zealand. But walking after meals, as opposed to heading out for a jaunt at other times of the day, can bring about the most significant drops in blood sugar levels.  

“The benefits we observed due to physical activity after meals suggest that current guidelines should be amended to specify after-meal activity, particularly when meals contain a substantial amount of carbohydrates," Reynolds said.

In their study of 41 adults, Reynolds and his colleagues found that measurements of postprandial glycemia dropped an average of 12% when participants took shorter, more frequent walks after eating compared with those who took just one 30-minute walk per day.

Walking after consuming a carbohydrate-heavy evening meal led to the biggest drop in blood sugar levels, the researchers found.

Although the study gave no specific explanation as to why short, post-meal walks may be more effective at lowering blood sugar, the researchers conclude that walking after every meal may “reduce the need for an increased total insulin dose or additional mealtime insulin injections that might otherwise have been prescribed to lower glucose levels after eating.”

Although red light cameras can be an effective traffic-safety tool, many consumers are suspicious of them, suspecting that money lifted from motorists isn't going where it's supposed to.

Case in point: Karen L. Finley, 57, of Cave Creek, Arizona, a posh foothills village that was once the winter home of the late radio commentator Paul Harvey. She was sentenced yesterday to 14 months in federal prison.

Finley had a good thing going. She was the CEO of a red light camera enforcement company that operated cameras in Ohio. Like most such cameras, Finley's firm operated the cameras, notified violators, and collected their money.

But according to the U.S. Justice Department, during the years from 2005 to 2013, Finley was part of a scheme in which the company funneled campaign contributions to elected public officials in Columbus and Cincinnati through John Raphael, a consultant retained by the company. 

"Consulting" contract

The deal was that the public officials would help Finley's company get municipal contracts, including a red light pact with Columbus, prosecutors said. They state Finley also admitted that she and her co-conspirators concealed the true nature and source of the payments by Raphael and the company’s payment of false invoices for “consulting services,” which funds Raphael then provided to the campaigns of the elected public officials. 

Finley was sentenced yesterday before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson of the Southern District of Ohio. She pleaded guilty on June 19, 2015, to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and honest services wire and mail fraud. 

Finley cooperated with the government’s investigation and testified against John Raphael, an Ohio lobbyist, who pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Hobbs Act for his involvement in the scheme. On June 8, Raphael was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison.   

It’s not uncommon for students to become frustrated if they can’t get certain facts or information to stick in their memory. Likewise, parents may be wondering how they can help their children prepare for tests and ensure academic success. Well, researchers from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria believe the answer may lie in the activities students choose to do after they’ve learned something.

Their new study finds that going outside and participating in moderate exercise, like running, after studying can help students retain information. This approach, they say, is preferable to passive activities, like playing video games, which may hinder recall.

"Our data demonstrates that playing a video game is not helpful for improving learning effects. Instead it is advisable for youngsters, and most probably for adults too, to do moderate exercise after a learning cycle,” said lead author Dr. Harald Kindermann.

Exercise improves memory, while video games impair it

Kindermann began work on this subject after recognizing that video games may have negative implications for his own children.

"I had kids in an age where computer games started to be of high interest," he explained. "I wanted to find out how this -- and hence the increasing lack of exercise in fresh air -- impacts their ability to memorize facts for school."

The study gauged the memorization ability of 60 men between the ages of 16 and 29, who were asked to remember a range of different information, from learning routes on a city map to memorizing German-Turkish word pairs. The participants were split into three groups; one section was asked to play a violent video game after their learning period, one was asked to take a run, and the control group was asked to spend leisure time outside.

After completing the different exercises, the participants were asked to recall what they could from the learning cycles. The group that went for a run was best able to memorize the information; the control group performed slightly worse, while the video game group had “significantly impaired” recall.

Theories

The researchers have a couple of hypotheses for why the passive activity led to the worst recall, though they admit that future studies will need to be conducted to corroborate their findings. They state that both theories center around the stress hormone cortisol, which can both help and hinder memory depending on the scenario.

Their first hypothesis is that the violent video game that one group played may have tricked participants’ brains into thinking that there was an actual threat. Combined with the psychological stress of playing the game, the researchers say that participants’ brains may have focused on perceiving threats, effectively rejecting what they had just learned.

The second hypothesis states that the act of running may allow the brain to enter a kind of “memory storage mode” that allows it to retain information more easily. During physically stressful activities, excess cortisol is produced to maintain body systems, but it may have made participants more able to retain and memorize information, the researchers say.

The full study has been published in Cognitive Research Systems.

In the race to own the streaming video space, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and other services have sort of left Google's YouTube in the dust. Hoping to change that, Google is starting a new cost-conscious TV package, a "skinny" bundle of TV networks.

Dubbed "Unplugged," the service is apparently meant to appeal to cable cutters who don't want to lose access to major networks and shows. Reports say it will be priced around $25 to $50 a month, which is several times what Netflix and Amazon cost. They don't offer live network shows yet but are rapidly becoming the prime producers of original content.

Google isn't saying anything about Unplugged, but the Wall Street Journal today reported that CBS is one of the first content providers to sign up, with Disney and 21st Century Fox said to be close behind.

Unplugged will use YouTube's infrastructure but will be a separate service and won't be covered by the existing YouTube Red subscription. 

This might bring back memories of Aereo, an audacious start-up that back in 2013 started trying to sell a streaming video service that consisted of local TV channels, also designed as a cable replacement. But because it didn't bother to license the content it was distributing, it was eventually forced to shut down after a series of court challenges.

After declining a month earlier, sales of previously-owned homes bounced back in September, thanks to the entry into the market of large numbers of first-time buyers.

According to figures released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), total existing-home sales -- completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops -- rose 3.2% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.47 million.

The advance pushed sales to their highest pace since June and 0.6% above a year ago.

Newbies in the market

A big reason for the September increase was the entry into the market of first-time buyers, who accounted for 34% of purchasers -- a level not seen in over four years

"The home search over the past several months for a lot of prospective buyers, and especially for first-time buyers, took longer than usual because of the competition for the minimal amount of homes for sale," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

"Most families and move-up buyers look to close before the new school year starts. Their diminishing presence from the market towards the end of summer created more opportunities for aspiring first-time homeowners to buy last month."

Prices and supplies

The median prices for all types of existing homes shot up 5.6% in September to $234,200 -- the 55th consecutive month of year-over-year gains. The median is the point at which half the homes sold for more and half for less.

Total housing inventory at the end of last month was up 1.5% to 2.04 million existing homes available for sale. Still that inventory level is down 6.8% from a year ago and has now fallen year-over-year for 16 straight months.

Unsold inventory is at a 4.5-month supply at the current sales pace, down from 4.6 months in August.

Distressed sales -- foreclosures and short sales -- dropped to a new low of 4% in September, with 3% foreclosures and 1% short sales. Foreclosures sold for an average discount of 15% below market value, while short sales were discounted 11%.

Sales by region

• Existing-home sales in the Northeast rose 5.7% in September to an annual rate of 740,000 -- the same as a year ago. The median price was $261,600, a year-over-year gain of 2.1%.
• In the Midwest, sales grew by 3.9% to an annual rate of 1.32 million in September, and are now 2.3% above a year ago. The median price was $184,500, up 5.9% percent from September 2015.
• Sales in the South in September inched up 0.9% to an annual rate of 2.16 million, but are still 0.9% below the same month last year. The median price in the South was $204,000 -- a gain of 6.6% from last year.
• The West enjoyed a sales gain of 5.0% to an annual rate of 1.25 million, which is 1.6% above a year ago. The median price surged 8.1% to $345,400.

The nation's foreclosure inventory plunged 29.6% and completed foreclosures were down an even sharper 42.4% from a year earlier, according to the CoreLogic National Foreclosure Report.

In another way of looking at it, the number of completed foreclosures nationwide posted a year-over-year decline of 27,000 -- to 37,000 in August 2016 -- representing a drop of 69% from the peak of 118,221 in September 2010.

Foreclosure inventory

The foreclosure inventory represents the number of homes at some stage of the foreclosure process and completed foreclosures reflect the total number of homes lost to foreclosure.

Since the financial meltdown began in September 2008, there have been approximately 6.4 million completed foreclosures nationally. Since homeownership rates peaked in the second quarter of 2004, there have been approximately 8.5 million homes lost to foreclosure.

As of last August, the national foreclosure inventory included approximately 351,000, or 0.9%, of all homes with a mortgage. A year earlier, it was 499,000 homes, or 1.3%.

The August 2016 foreclosure inventory rate is the lowest it’s been since July 2007.

“With the foreclosure inventory now under 1% nationally, the need to boost single-family housing stocks through new construction will become more acute in the coming months and years,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic.

Mortgage delinquencies

In addition, CoreLogic reports the number of mortgages in serious delinquency was down 20.6% from August 2015, with 1.1 million mortgages, or 2.8%, being the lowest level since September 2007.

The decline was broad-based with decreases in serious delinquency in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

Report highlights

• On a month-over-month basis, completed foreclosures increased by 7.7% to 37,000 in August from the 34,000 reported for the previous month. As a basis of comparison, before the decline in the housing market in 2007, completed foreclosures averaged 21,000 per month nationwide between 2000 and 2006.
• On a month-over-month basis, the August foreclosure inventory was down 3.2% from July.
• The five states with the highest number of completed foreclosures in the 12 months ending in August were Florida (55,000), Texas (27,000), Ohio (23,000), California (22,000), and Georgia (21,000).These five states account for about 35% of completed foreclosures nationally.
• Four states and the District of Columbia had the lowest number of completed foreclosures in the 12 months ending in August 2016: the District of Columbia (212), North Dakota (341), West Virginia (469), Alaska (624), and Montana (717).
• Four states and the District of Columbia had the highest foreclosure inventory rate in August 2016: New Jersey (3.2%), New York (2.9%), Maine (1.8%), Hawaii (1.8%), and the District of Columbia (1.8%).
• The five states with the lowest foreclosure inventory rate in August 2016 were Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, Utah, and Michigan -- all at 0.3%.

Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products of Charlotte, N.C., is recalling about 235,000 lawn mowers sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The operator presence control bar can malfunction and cause the engine and blades to continue to operate when they should shut off, posing a laceration hazard to the operator.

The firm has received 53 reports of the engine not shutting off after the operator presence control bar was released. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Husqvarna, Poulan Pro, Jonsered, Craftsman, Yardworks, Murray, and Brute brand walk-behind gas powered lawn mowers with Briggs & Stratton 7.25 HP engines.

The mowers were sold in red, orange, blue and yellow/black colors and have either four similar-sized wheels or two larger rear wheels and two smaller front wheels, a long handle with an operator presence control bar that is pushed down towards the mower handle to start the engine, a mowing deck, and may have come with or without a collecting bag in the rear.

The brand names are printed on the mowers, and a Briggs & Stratton logo is printed on the engine shield. The mower model and serial number can be found on the rear of the mowing deck, next to the rear wheel.

The following model and serial numbers are included in the recall:

The mowers, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at Lowe’s, Sears and other hardware stores, home centers and equipment dealers nationwide from November 2015, through August 2016, for between $250 and $450.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled lawn mowers and contact Husqvarna or go to http://husqvarna.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1255/ to determine if their unit needs a free repair.

Consumers may contact Husqvarna toll-free at 877-257-6921 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at recalls@husqvarna.com or online at http://husqvarna.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1255/ for more information.

Nissan North America is recalling 1,754 model year 2017 Versas manufactured August 1, 2016, to August 16, 2016.

A seam in the fabric section of the side curtain airbags may tear during deployment, potentially affecting the performance of the airbag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation", and number 214, "Side Impact Protection."

If the side curtain airbags do not deploy as intended there would be an increased risk of injury.

What to do

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right side curtain airbags, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Hyundai Motor America is recalling 62,811 model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrids manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Sonatas manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with the panoramic sunroof option.

Due to a bonding issue with the sunroof wind deflector, the sunroof panel may detach while the vehicle is being driven, become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.

What to do

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair the wind deflector anchor plate, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 2, 2016.

Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 152.