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Tom's Guide
01-08-2025
- Health
- Tom's Guide
How to avoid tick bites this summer — top tips from a pest expert on how to stay safe
The warm weather sees us venturing into our yards and further afield, but while we enjoy spending time in nature, a few pesky critters are waiting to give us a bite. Ticks are notorious for hiding in shady, moist areas, and if we're not careful, we could get bit when we're tidying our yards or out on an adventure. And apart from a bite, ticks carry bacteria and can cause nasty illnesses such as Lyme disease. What's more, our pets are at risk too. So, to help you keep ticks at arm's length, I've called on the expertise of Emma Grace Crumbley, Entomologist at Mosquito Squad Plus, to share her advice on where ticks hide out, their behavior, and how to avoid tick bites this summer and fall. Ticks can also cause distress to outdoor pets, leading to itching, hair loss from licking, and irregular pet behavior. Even if ticks don't spread diseases, they are still dangerous to have in our yard, as tick bites can be irritating and easily infected if scratched or left untreated. 'Ticks can cause distress to outdoor pets, leading to itching, hair loss from licking, and irregular pet behavior,' Crumbley says. 'They can also attract other animal pests to your yard, like birds and rodents that feed on ticks.' Ticks can spread diseases to people and animals through their bites. When a tick latches onto a host, it cuts through the skin and attaches itself securely, feeding on blood. 'To prevent blood from clotting after piercing the skin, ticks secrete their anticoagulant saliva into hosts when feeding," Crumbley says. "It's during this 'spitting' that pathogens the tick was carrying, mainly bacteria, get introduced to the host's body and can lead to illness.' Certain tick-borne diseases will leave behind distinctive rashes, with Crumbley explaining that Lyme disease manifests as a 'bullseye' red mark around the bite site. Rocky Mountain Common Fever is another widespread tick-borne disease, which appears as small red bumps across the body. Ticks live in shady, moist areas where potential hosts are close by It helps to know where ticks like to hide out so you can avoid their favorite places. You'll find them in forested areas, high grasses, shrubbery, and pockets of dense vegetation. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Ticks also have a favorite time of year and are more active in warm, humid weather, which coincides with when people and pets are spending more time outdoors. The impact of climate change on tick behavior Climate change is also playing a part in ticks' habits, with Crumbley explaining that higher temperature and heavier rainfall across the U.S. means that regional climates are warmer and wetter year after year, moving into fall. 'This means that pests of all kinds will be active throughout the end of the calendar year, especially ticks.' 'Fortunately," she adds, "when the weather does finally get colder, tick activity will drop with the temperature.' Ticks are unlike other insect pests in a few ways, Crumbley explains, 'Ticks are classified as arachnids, meaning they are more closely related to spiders than other bugs.' And just like spiders, they have eight legs and two body sections, including the head-thorax and abdomen. They also get around without wings and don't have antennae. Ticks can only travel by crawling about Because they don't have wings unlike pests such as mosquitos, their breadth of territory is limited. 'Ticks can only travel by crawling about," Crumbley says. "Their lack of wings makes them land-locked in their navigation, so they have to get creative when locating and latching onto hosts.' One method is referred to as 'questing'. 'By climbing up along pieces of vegetation, shrubbery, and overgrown grass, ticks can place themselves elevated from the ground at 'host level'," Crumbley explains. 'From there, ticks use their frontmost legs to reach out and grab people, pets, and other animals that happen to come nearby.' 'A large part of your prevention plan should include analyzing and updating areas around your yard,' Crumbley says. Apart from planting these 9 plants that repel ticks, you can also keep them at a distance by following Crumbley's top five methods. 'Ticks thrive in damp, shaded environments and tend to die in sunny, dry areas,' says Crumbley. Because of this, ticks are less likely to thrive in ornamental plants or on cut lawns and more likely to be found in brush, woods, or forest-lined areas surrounding your yard.' To make your yard unattractive to ticks, she suggests clearing out areas where lawn and tree debris gather and relocating compost piles away from high-traffic areas. Creating a mulch or gravel barrier between your yard and the environment where ticks thrive is a great way to avoid ticks from crossing into your yard. '[Ticks] tend to avoid crossing paths, mulch, or gravel, as crossing these areas exposes them to the sun for long periods, which may lead to drying out and death for the tick,' Crumbley explains. Crumbley suggests addressing areas where rodents or animals forage, as this may also help lower the number of ticks in your yard, as small animals and rodents are likely to carry ticks with them as the season goes on. 'Check under your deck, in sheds, and in woodpiles for evidence of animals," she says. "If possible, remove animal pests from the areas around your home.' When you know you'll be entering an environment that is popular with ticks, Crumbley suggests covering up. Wear long clothing that covers exposed skin and don a hat. This can not only make it harder for ticks to bite you, but you'll also be able to spot a tick before it makes contact. 'If you work outdoors, take hikes in wooded areas, or live in a region with a high tick presence, regularly check yourself for ticks at the end of the day,' says Crumbley. And if you spot any ticks, or notice any bite marks, she suggests keeping track of them. What's more, she adds, 'Seek medical attention immediately if you live in a state with a high prevalence of tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease.' These long rose pruning gloves offer forearm protection, and protect your arms from ticks when you're in your yard. The are 100% goatskin, puncture resistant and will protect your your hands and arms from scratches. What's more they are picked as the best forearm protection gardening glove in our gardening gloves buying guide. Ticks can be a challenging pest to control effectively, with Crumbley explaining that their long life cycle and overlapping generations can make it hard to address current infestations and future outbreaks. When this happens, she suggests calling in professional pest controllers to solve the issue. I've never had the pleasure of removing a tick, but Crumbley has some sound advice. She says, there are three things to keep in mind: 'Work quickly, grab the tick by the head, and clean the area after.' While she says you don't have to rush when you go to pull a tick off (it's latched itself in the skin, it's not going anywhere), you don't want to ignore it. But she adds, 'If you would rather have a medical professional remove the tick, try to get to a health care provider sooner rather than later to prevent disease transmission.'
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley's parents denied new trials after son's gun rampage killed four
The parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley were denied new trials after their lawyers argued prosecutors withheld evidence vital to their defense. Last year, Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison based on evidence they allowed their son undue access to the firearm he used to kill four students at his high school in 2021. Setting aside those convictions and restarting the trial process would be too drastic, according to Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews. 'The court would effectively be ignoring the impact of dozens of hours of testimony, postulating a basis for the jury verdict, dismissing a plethora of other evidence suggesting guilt, and impermissibly speculating about what "might have happened,"' Matthews said in remarks reported by The Associated Press. Prosecutors never argued the Crumbleys were aware Ethan planned to commit a mass shooting at Oxford High School but did say they failed to lock a gun up at home. They were also accused of buying the gun Ethan used and ignoring their son's worsening mental condition. This was exemplified when they didn't take him home the day of the shooting when school officials called them into a meeting to show them his disturbing drawings of guns, bullets and a person with bullet holes in their body. School administrator Nick Ejak and counselor Shawn Hopkins testified about that meeting, claiming that James and Jennifer were 'too busy' to take him home and went back to work. Less than two hours later, Ethan opened fire. Lawyers for the Crumbleys pointed out that Ejak and Hopkins gave earlier interviews to investigators, who promised they'd see no criminal charges related to the shooting. Neither man was ever charged. These agreements were not known to jurors and defense lawyers, who argued that prosecutors should have produced them. The defense team said if they had known, they would have more extensively cross-examined Ejak and Hopkins at trial. Prosecutor Karen McDonald's team said the deals weren't immunity agreements and didn't need to be shared. Jennifer's appellate lawyer said the fight will continue in higher courts. The parents were tried separately. 'So the prosecution intentionally cheated and violated the court rules, but they didn't cheat hard enough for the court to do anything about it,' Michael Dezsi said. Since December 2023, Ethan Crumbley has been serving a life sentence without parole for the shooting he committed on November 30, 2021. Pictured: Jennifer Crumbley is seen showing her son how to use the gun he would soon use to kill and maim his fellow classmates On the morning of the school shooting, teachers became concerned after finding alarming drawings and writings on his homework, including drawings of shooting victims around 'the thoughts won't stop... Help me' That day, Ethan went to school with a semi-automatic handgun that had been purchased for him by his parents as an early Christmas present. Images of Jennifer teaching her son how to use the weapon were shown in court. While in class, he doodled terrifying images on a math worksheet that concerned his teachers. They included a bloody body and a gun pointing at the words, 'The thoughts won't stop. Help me.' Also written on the paper were the phrases 'My life is useless,' 'The world is dead,' and 'Blood everywhere.' School officials said Crumbley talked his way out of trouble by claiming the drawings were part of plans to create a video game. After his parents were called in and declined to take him home, Crumbley stayed in school and his backpack was not checked for weapons. He later emerged from a bathroom with a pistol and began firing on fellow students. Thirteen people in total were hit. Police say Crumbley's first victim was freshman Phoebe Arthur, who was shot in the face but miraculously survived. Students Madisyn Baldwin, 17, Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, and Justin Shilling, 17, were killed in the rampage. Six students and a teacher were also wounded.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Federal judge dismisses slew of Oxford High shooting civil suits
It appears hopes have been dashed for families suing Oxford Community Schools in federal court for negligence over the November 2021 shooting, as a slew of civil cases were closed this week. In a largely procedural move, a federal judge on Tuesday, May 20, dismissed several civil lawsuits claiming Oxford Community Schools' officials could have prevented the attack that left four students dead and seven others, including a teacher, injured. The dismissals were with prejudice, meaning the same case can't be filed again. The dismissal applies to cases filed by multiple students who survived gunshot wounds that day and family members of all the students who were killed: Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre and Justin Shilling. While it closes a heartbreaking and long legal chapter for the families fighting in federal court, the dismissal was expected. It follows a March 2025 opinion by a U.S. Court of Appeals 6th District Court judge finding that the plaintiffs did not provide enough evidence to show that school district officials were "so outrageous and so callous in their disregard" of the danger the shooter posed that it violated their constitutional rights. Following the tragedy at Oxford High School, a slew of family members of dead students, injured students and traumatized students filed suit, accusing district officials of negligence in preventing the shooting. The suits and criminal case against the shooter revealed a number of troubling incidents before he brought a gun to school and used it, according to court documents: An English teacher saw the shooter, Ethan Crumbley, looking at photos of bullets on his phone. He was referred to a school counselor, Shawn Hopkins. Crumbley told Hopkins it was a family hobby. On Nov. 30, the day of the shooting, another teacher saw Crumbley watching videos of shootings on his phone. The teacher also reported the behavior to Hopkins, while another teacher that same day reported that Crumbley on a worksheet had sketched the image of a gun, a person with gunshot wounds and had written, "blood everywhere," "my life is useless," and "the thoughts won't stop help me." Hopkins called Crumbley's parents to the school and said he needed immediate counseling. They said they could not take him from school and Hopkins threatened to call Children's Protective Services if they didn't get their son help in 48 hours. Hopkins and another school official returned Crumbley's backpack, which was where he'd stored his gun, and allowed the student to return to class. More: 12-year-old Oxford girl stuns in school shooting drama at Detroit Public Theatre Later, attorneys for the families of students killed in the shooting argued the inaction by district officials amounted to a violation of the 14th Amendment, which stipulates that Americans will not be deprived of "life, liberty or property" without due process. Attorneys for the school district and officials argued they were shielded from these claims through government immunity, which largely protects government officials in the case of civil lawsuits except for in extreme cases. As the cases continued to wind through the court system, family members complained in interviews with news organizations that such immunity clauses unfairly protected Oxford High staff members. More: Wayne County hiring specialist to monitor its teens on social media to prevent violence Christine Smith, a spokeswoman for the district, shared the following statement: "We are aware of the federal court's decision and understand that it may bring a range of emotions for our community. As always, our focus is on our students, staff, families, and the Oxford community as we are dedicated to fostering a safe, compassionate, and supportive environment for all. We remain deeply committed to supporting all who were impacted by this tragedy and want to remind our community that mental health resources and support are available for anyone who needs them at Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Federal judge dismisses slew of Oxford High shooting civil suits
CBS News
11-04-2025
- CBS News
Oakland County judge hears arguments on James Crumbley's request for new trial
Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews sat in the courtroom for more than two hours to hear arguments from the prosecution and defense over James Crumbley's motion for a new trial. Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooting, filed a motion in February , claiming that he did not receive a fair trial in the Nov. 30, 2021, mass shooting that killed four people and injured seven others. Defense attorney Alona Sharon alluded to alleged secret agreements made by prosecutors with two school officials, former Dean of Students Nicholas Ejak and school counselor Shawn Hopkins . Crumbley was not in court on Friday, but Sharon accused the prosecution of misconduct "that robbed him of meaningful cross-examination and a chance to expose to the jury the biases of Hopkins and Ejak." However, Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast argued that the school officials were not promised immunity and prosecutors were not obligated to send the agreements to Crumbley's team. Crumbley's appeal also questioned why his son, Ethan Crumbley, was not ordered to testify in his trial despite the teen invoking his Fifth Amendment Right. The motion accused the court of not further examining whether the teen's reason for not testifying was justified. On Friday, Matthews ultimately called for more time to deliberate before making a final decision. The judge says he will have a ruling in a month. The back-and-forth about the proffer agreements with Hopkins and Ejak remains at the forefront not only for James Crumbley but also for his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, who appealed her case and requested that Prosecutor Karen McDonald be removed from it . In her response to James Crumbley's motion, McDonald said the agreements "were created at the request of their counsel, and provided assurance to counsel that the statements made during the interview would not be used against the witnesses later." "Nowhere in the proffer agreements is there a 'plea agreement, grant immunity, or other agreement for testimony in connection with the case,'" McDonald wrote in her response earlier this week . James and Jennifer Crumbley were each charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Nov. 30, 2021, deadly shooting at Oxford High School. The couple's son was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting. The Crumbleys made history as the first parents to be convicted for a mass shooting committed by their children. They were given separate trials that included testimonies from school officials, law enforcement and other witnesses. During the trials, the prosecution argued that the parents should be held partially responsible for the students' deaths because they ignored signs of their son's mental health needs and purchased the gun that was used in the shooting. The shooter was 15 years old at the time of the shooting.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
James Crumbley returns to court: I deserve a new trial, too
James Crumbley, the convicted father of the Oxford High School shooter, is due back in court Friday, hoping to convince a judge to give him a new trial or set aside his conviction, while the prosecution will push to keep him behind bars. At issue is whether Oakland County prosecutors unlawfully withheld from Crumbley the existence of proffer agreements that allegedly protected two of its star witnesses from being charged themselves over their actions before the Nov 30, 2021, shooting, if they agreed to testify. Crumbley argues he was entitled to this information, though the prosecution says it had no obligation to turn over the agreements, maintaining no immunity was offered to the two witnesses. James Crumbley also is questioning why his son wasn't ordered to testify in his trial. Instead, the judge allowed his son to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, despite the fact that the son had already pleaded guilty and been sentenced to life without parole in a separate proceeding. And Crumbley also wants to know why his defense attorney didn't object to the judge doing so. The bulk of his appeal for now, however, centers on the proffer agreements that the prosecution brokered with two school staffers as it built its historic case in 2021 against James and Jennifer Crumbley, who last year became the first parents in America to be held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by their child. The prosecution won those convictions with the help of the two school witnesses who had signed the proffer agreements, which prevented anything they said to investigators from being used against them. The defense, however, didn't learn about these agreements until a week after James Crumbley was convicted when the Free Press discovered them and published an investigation. Jennifer Crumbley was the first to cite the proffer agreements as grounds for a retrial, or to have her conviction set aside, in a motion filed last year. Her husband soon followed suit. Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews has previously expressed concern over the prosecution's handling of the proffer agreements, stating that there's only one question she has to answer in deciding whether to grant retrials or throw out the convictions: "Do we now lack confidence about the verdict?" Jennifer and James Crumbley made history last year after separate juries convicted them of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of four students killed by their son: Hana St. Juliana, 14; Tate Myre, 16; Justin Shilling, 17, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17. Six other students and a teacher also were injured. The Crumbleys were accused, in separate trials, of buying their son a gun, failing to properly secure it, and never disclosing it to the school during a pivotal meeting with school officials the morning of the shootings. They each are serving 10-15 year prison sentences. The Crumbleys maintain that they had no idea their son was planning to shoot up his school; that the gun at issue was not his to use freely, and that the gun — given to him as early Christmas gift — was hidden in a dresser, unloaded, with the bullets located in a separate drawer. The shooter was 15 at the time of the rampage. He, too, is appealing his conviction. The two school officials at issue are former school counselor Shawn Hopkins and former Dean of Students Nicholas Ejak, who made the controversial decision to let the shooter return to class, despite getting multiple warnings about his behavior in the days and hours before the massacre. They also never searched his backpack — which contained the gun — or asked his parents whether he had access to a gun, or instructed his parents to take him home after finding a cryptic drawing he had made of a gun, a human body bleeding and the words, "The thoughts won't stop. Help me." "The fact that the men insisted on proffer agreements prior to speaking with the prosecution indicates that neither man had any interest in assisting the prosecution without protection," Alona Sharon, James Crumbley's appellate attorney, has argued in court documents. "While it is true that Hopkins and Ejak spoke to authorities on the day of the shooting, it is also clear that once the shock of the event wore off, the men shifted to worrying about self-preservation. It was their concern about their own wellbeing that led the men to secure counsel and then demand proffer agreements in exchange for information that they could provide," Sharon writes. "What should be clear to this court is that without the signed proffer agreements, Hopkins and Ejak had no intention of testifying at trial or cooperating with the prosecution." The prosecution has denied these assertions, maintaining Ejak and Hopkins testified because of subpoenas, not the proffer agreements. Moreover, it contends, the Crumbleys were convicted because of their own actions and inactions — nothing else. Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast drove this point home at a previous hearing for Jennifer Crumbley, when he lambasted the embattled mother in court. "She was the cause of these four deaths ... nobody else judge, her," Keast said, referring to the four students who were killed in the shooting. Keast also defended the prosecution's handling of the trials and the proffer agreements. "There was no malfeasance by the prosecution," Keast said. He also reiterated a theme that prosecutors have long hammered at: The Crumbleys, more than anyone else, could have prevented this tragedy because they had information the school officials did not. "Jennifer Crumbley knew the background. Jennifer Crumbley had the opportunity to take him home. She could have checked the backpack, taken her son home from school," Keast argued at the mother's hearing, noting she did none of those things. According to trial testimony, neither did the father. "James Crumbley received a fair trial. As with Jennifer Crumbley, we believe the jury verdict in this case is correct and should be upheld," Jeff Wattrick, spokesperson for the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, has previously stated. Ejak and Hopkins were the last two people to meet with the shooter and his parents before the shooting occurred. According to trial testimony, the school counselor had received multiple warnings from teachers about the shooter's behavior in the days before the shooting: He was researching bullets on his cellphone in class and watching a video of someone gunning people down another time. Perhaps most troublesome was the cryptic gun drawing he made on his math worksheet, along with the words, "The thoughts won't stop. Help me." The parents were summoned to the counselor's office over that drawing, and met with their son, Ejak and Hopkins. The two school officials told the parents that their son appeared to be sad, but that they did not think he was a danger to himself or anyone else. They concluded that the boy would be better off in class with his friends than at home alone. The parents went back to their jobs. Their son went back to class. Two hours later, he fired his first shot. The Crumbleys' new lawyers maintain that by concealing the proffer agreements, the prosecution denied the defense the opportunity to question and potentially expose the "bias and motive" of the two school witnesses to testify favorably for the prosecution. The hearing begins at 9 a.m. Friday. Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: James Crumbley returns to court to argue for a retrial, or acquittal
