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It's an epidemic of a different kind. The nation is grappling with a pedestrian safety crisis that has worsened in recent years: The number of pedestrians killed in the U.S. hit a 28-year high of 6,283 in 2018, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That figure was up 46% from 2010. While the crisis stems from many factors, a new book brings it into sharper focus. Former Streetsblog USA writer Angie Schmitt's "Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America" is an exposé drawing upon comprehensive reporting to articulate the root causes of a public health crisis. (Bomey, 9/17)

A rare and dangerous virus poses a threat to Michiganders — and it isn't COVID-19.The mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis is rearing its head in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. State health officials announced Tuesday that an adult from Barry County is the first suspected human case of Triple E this year. Lab tests to confirm the case are under way and are expected to be completed later this week. (Shamus, 9/16)

Want to live a longer, healthier life? One way is to keep your blood pressure at optimal levels as you age -- preferably below 120 systolic (the top number) and 80 diastolic (the lower number). That's especially important during the pandemic, because having high blood pressure is one of the possible risk factors for developing a more severe case of Covid-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (LaMotte, 9/16)

While DJ Jaffe was working as an advertising executive on Madison Avenue, he and his wife became the caretakers of his wife’s half sister, who had moved from Milwaukee as a troubled teenager to live with them in their Manhattan apartment. Before long she became catatonic. She was later found to have schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The experience plunged Mr. Jaffe, who died on Aug. 23 at 65, into the world of mental health, which he soon came to see as dysfunctional. (Seelye, 9/16)