With a runner on second and two outs in the fourth inning of
AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on Utah’s ban on fluoride in public drinking water.“It really shouldn’t be forced on people,” DeSantis said.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has applauded Utah for being the first state to enact a ban and said he plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention toA majority of Utah water systems already did not add fluoride. The state ranked 44th in the nation for the percentage of residents receiving fluoridated water, with about 2 in 5 receiving it in 2022, according to CDC data. The law will impact about 1.6 million people in Salt Lake City and elsewhere in northern Utah who are losing fluoridation, state officials say.Dentists in Salt Lake City over the past week said many patients were unaware of the upcoming ban, and most did not realize the city had been adding fluoride to their drinking water for nearly two decades.
“I did not know about a ban,” said Noe Figueroa, a patient at Salt Lake Donated Dental Services, a clinic that provides free or heavily discounted dental treatment to low-income residents. “Well, that’s not good. I don’t think that’s good at all.”At Donated Dental, providers expect their monthslong waitlist for children’s procedures to grow significantly and their need for volunteer dentists to skyrocket. The effects of the ban in children’s teeth will likely be visible within the next year, said Sasha Harvey, the clinic’s executive director.
“Fluoridated water is the great equalizer,” Harvey said. “It really benefits everybody, regardless of your age, gender, your ethnicity, your education level, your income level — it helps everyone.”
The fluoridation process involves supplementing the low levels of fluoride that occur naturally in most water to reach the 0.7 milligrams per liter recommended by the CDC for cavity prevention. Water treatment plants dump fluoride into the water in liquid or powder form and often use dosing pumps to adjust the levels.The Reds Hall of Fame and Museum said Helms’ wife, Cathy, told the organization that her husband died on Sunday in Cincinnati. The cause of death was not provided.
Helms was known more for his glove than his bat in 1,435 games over 14 seasons. He was an All-Star in 1967-68 and won Gold Gloves as the National League’s top-fielding second baseman in 1970-71, years in which he and shortstop Dave Concepcion formed the best double-play combination in the game.When the Reds signed Helms out of Charlotte, North Carolina, as an amateur free agent in 1959, he was thought to be the team’s shortstop of the future. But while Helms was moving through the minor leagues, Leo Cárdenas was establishing himself as one of the major leagues’ best shortstops.
When Helms earned a roster spot to start 1966, the Reds had him replace Pete Rose at second base and had Rose move to third. Rose couldn’t get comfortable at third, so Helms moved to the hot corner after just 20 games and became the NL’s second-leading fielding third baseman. He also had one of his best offensive years. He batted .284, and his nine homers and 72 runs were career highs.Helms split time between short and second base in 1967 and was the full-time second baseman in 1968. He had been a fixture in the Reds’ lineup for six seasons before becoming part of the blockbuster trade with Houston that brought Joe Morgan, César Gerónimo and Jack Billingham to the Reds. Those three became key pieces to the Big Red Machine teams that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.