By Beth Dooley, The Minnesota Star Tribune

Salsa is the Spanish word for sauce, but it does a whole lot more.

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A good salsa will complement and catapult the most ordinary dish with sweet, tangy, fiery depth and zest. It’s a delicious way to dispatch a seasonal bounty of fresh herbs, veggies and fruit, and is great in just about anything, regardless of the culture or country of a particular dish. Fresh tomato salsa adds zing to panzanella; sweet corn salsa lifts chicken salad; roast pepper-tomato salsa sparks buttery sautéed shrimp.

Chiles are the star of any salsa, providing a stunning range of flavor and heat. The level of spiciness is really up to the salsa maker, so feel free to experiment and choose chiles you like.

Generally, the smaller the chile the hotter it will be. Green chiles taste grassier, red chiles are sweeter and fruitier. Dried chiles, like grapes and raisins, are quite different from fresh; their flavors are more concentrated, and they’re often dried over a fire to infuse them with a smoky taste. Look for dried chiles that are soft and pliable, indicating that they are relatively fresh. To tamp down the heat level in any chile, remove the seeds. Be sure to wear gloves and do not touch your eyes or lips. The residual oil on your fingers can burn sensitive skin.

Chiles are relatively interchangeable so feel free to swap one for another. In desperation I’ve substituted a generous pinch of red pepper flakes or chili powder, but the resulting salsa never tastes as good as when I use fresh.

Fresh salsas will keep for several days in the refrigerator; cooked salsa can be frozen for months. They’re also a source of creativity — the cook’s playground — and a delicious way to capture summer’s flavors in a jar.

Fresh Tomato Salsa (Salsa Fresca)

Makes 2 cups.

It’s tomato season, and salsa fresca is a great way to enjoy such ripe sweetness. Lime juice bumps up the flavor; choose chiles with heat you like best. This is your classic salsa for chips, and it’s great on turkey burgers, too. From Beth Dooley.

¼ c. minced onion
1 lb. fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 to 3 jalapeño chiles, to taste
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice, or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Put all of the ingredients into a medium bowl and toss to combine. Cover and allow the flavors to meld for 1 hour. This will store in a covered dish in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa

Makes 2 cups.

This classic salsa is a chunky, fiery mix of tomatoes, onions and chiles. Ladle it over quesadillas and eggs cooked sunny-side up. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 5 days. From Beth Dooley.

1 lb. Roma tomatoes
2 to 3 large Ancho chiles
1 onion, peeled
Coarse salt, to taste

Directions

Start a grill or preheat the broiler. Place the whole tomatoes, chiles and onion on the grill or under the broiler to char, about 12 to 15 minutes, flipping occasionally. The tomatoes should be tender and juicy, the chiles charred and wrinkled, the onion darkened and soft. Place the chiles in a plastic bag and allow them to steam for about 10 minutes. Remove and slip off their skins. Remove the seeds and stems.

Place the charred tomatoes, onion and chiles on a chopping board and dice. Transfer to a bowl, add the salt, and mash with a fork; taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm, room temperature or cold.

Sweet Corn Salsa

Makes about 2 cups.

Sweet, tangy and fiery, this salsa makes the best of corn season. It’s great over grilled fish. If you have cooked corn from last night’s dinner, add it to the mix. The salsa can be stored in a covered container for about 3 days. From Beth Dooley.

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 c. corn kernels (cut from 2 cobs of sweet corn)
1 red tomato, diced
1 small red jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
½ tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Film a skillet with the oil and set over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn golden, about 6 minutes. Toss in the tomato, jalapeño and garlic and cook until the tomato is very tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a medium bowl. Stir in the lime juice and cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until the flavors have married, about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Beth Dooley is the author of “The Perennial Kitchen.” Find her at bethdooleyskitchen.com.

©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

When the plan for Gophers stud safety Koi Perich to play more offensive snaps ramped up during preseason, P.J. Fleck placed a caveat on the possibilities. The head coach repeated it this week.

“I said this from the start: We will do as much as Koi shows he can do,” Fleck said Tuesday on his KFAN radio show. “That is the head coach’s job. Popular, not popular. You show me you can do more, we will do more. You show me it’s too much, we’ll pull off.”

Coming off a poor performance in the 27-14 loss to California two weeks ago, it will be interesting to see how much Perich plays on offense — and as a punt or kick returner — in the Big Ten opener against Rutgers at 11 a.m. Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium.

In Berkeley, Calif., on Sept. 13, Perich tried to pick up a bouncing punt and muffed it. Cal recovered it at the 8-yard line and scored a touchdown three plays later for a 24-14 lead with less than seven minutes left. Earlier in the game, he also made a fair catch on a punt at the 3-yard line and took a sack while attempting to throw on a trick play, which set back an offensive drive.

Perich went against nonnegotiable rules on punt returns, including fair catching inside the 8-yard line and fielding a ball on the ground. “Hot and low, let it go,” Fleck said.

It was by far the most difficult game in the true sophomore’s young career. To show how quickly a fate can flip, just before the muffed punt, Perich was in position to intercept a pass and possibly return it for a touchdown, but linebacker Emmanuel Karmo batted it down.

“We had him doing a lot in that game. I mean a lot,” Fleck said on the radio. “Maybe we were a little more complex on defense than maybe we should have been. Maybe there were some things in the return game that maybe I shouldn’t have given him, but we also have to execute.”

A year ago, Perich likely picks that pass off against Cal. That’s how charmed he was with five total interceptions en route to being named first team All-Big Ten. It also set up All-American buzz to start 2025.

“He made plenty of mistakes last year, but they are covered up by a lot of plays,” Fleck said in his weekly news conference Monday. “I loved Koi’s response. It’s hard to be that level of a player and have that level of attention. You are not ever going to play perfect. There is a realistic piece of what you are going to play. You are going to make mistakes.”

For the first time in a non-blowout this year, Perich gave way to Logan Loya for a punt return midway though the Cal game, but Perich came back afterward. If Perich doesn’t end up handling punts returns against Rutgers, Loya is the likely the next man up.

Perich has averaged 8.5 yards across six punt returns this year compared to 9.4 on 20 returns in 2024. He is averaging 22.5 yards on two kick returns, up from 19.6 on 16 returns a year ago.

Perich has not had an expansive role on offense so far this season; the U didn’t need him to do much in the first two nonconference games. He had seven snaps in the season opener against Buffalo, four versus Northwestern State in Week 2 and then three against Cal, per Pro Football Focus.

On the season, he has one catch in each game for a total three for 55 yards.

On defense, Perich has played 130 total snaps this year, but he also struggled on that side of the ball against Cal, with three missed tackles and allowing six receptions on seven targets for 63 yards, per PFF.

“He is practicing his tail off,” defensive coordinator and safeties coach Danny Collins said Wednesday. “… He’s flying around. He’s picking off balls. He’s Koi. I think when you’re young guy like that and you make mistakes for the first time. Outside, the world is falling. It’s not. He’s made a couple of mistakes. He’s going to respond.”

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By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY, Associated Press

Children have returned to school and are bringing home stories about the things they learned and the friends they made. But some parents are concerned they could also be bringing home a tiny nuisance — lice.

Though schools are not the only place transmission occurs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says head lice infestations in the U.S. are most common among preschool and elementary-age children.

Since the middle of August when students began returning to school, more people have searched Google for information about the blood-sucking parasites and are seeking answers to common questions about how to prevent and treat infestations, according to Google Trends. The CDC estimates there are up to 12 million head lice infestations annually in the U.S. infecting children between 3 to 11 years old.

Experts say there is a lot of misinformation about lice. Here are the experts’ answers to commonly asked questions:

How do you know if your child has lice?

Head lice are parasitic insects that feed on human blood, but they are difficult to find because they are very small, move quickly and avoid light. The hallmark symptom that indicates there might be an infestation is new and onset itching of the scalp, said Dr. Danilo C. Del Campo, a dermatologist in Chicago and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The eggs, commonly called nits, can be yellow, brown or tan and look like tiny seeds, but when hatched will appear clear, experts say. An infestation can often be confused with dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis.

Becky Boudreau, a head lice technician in New Hampshire, says because lice are most active at night, parents may notice their children scratching more then or not sleeping well. She said it may take longer to recognize a lice infestation in children who have a high pain tolerance or are less reactive to insect bites.

There is no set number of lice that would classify as an infestation, either you have lice, or you don’t, experts say.

What are my treatment options?

Treatments to get rid of the insects include medication and specialists who use different methods to manually remove the eggs and adult lice. Depending on the age and temperament of the child, access to clinics or technicians, the cost and the severity of the infestation, including any sensitivities, will determine the most appropriate treatment option.

Many people hire nit pickers or visit clinics because they don’t want to handle the insects, Boudreau said.

“It is still successful, but it is time consuming,” said Boudreau, who became a head lice technician about six years ago after her child had an infestation.

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Dr. Krista Lauer, national medical director for Lice Clinics of America, says their clinics have become another option. They use an FDA-cleared medical device that uses a combination of airflow temperature, speed and direction to kill lice and their eggs. Technicians consider children’s heat sensitivity or restlessness, but for the treatment to be successful, they must use the device in a specific pattern before combing out the dead debris and using a washable topical substance, she said.

Boudreau, who uses shampoo, olive oil and a special comb to assist in combing out the insects, says many of the over-the-counter kits “are designed to fail” and often require multiple uses for this reason. Guidelines from the American Academy of Dermatology Association recommend retreating for any product that can be bought without a prescription, and that no approved method can kill lice and their eggs during the first treatment.

As long as people are using products, like shampoos, as indicated on their labels they should be OK, said Del Campo, who is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology. He emphasized that many of these products have been tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Some of those products include benzyl alcohol lotion which only kills lice and not the eggs, ivermectin lotion, malathion lotion, and lindane shampoo which can be toxic if used incorrectly.

But he said many dermatologists don’t jump to using the lice combs or other procedure-based treatments because it often takes a lot of time and energy for parents, requires multiple applications and is not consistent across hair types. Instead, he said there are “effective over-the-counter medications that require no prescription, require no doctor guidance and are a wonderful first step for parents.”

There is no scientific evidence that home remedies like smothering hair with oil, mayonnaise or something occlusive can kill lice or their eggs, experts say.

What can you do to manage an infestation?

Adult lice can live for about 30 days on their hosts’ heads. However, experts say they will die within two days if they fall off a person and cannot feed. Their eggs can take up to nine days to hatch and from there another seven days to mature into adult lice.

Lice cannot hop, jump or fly and are mostly spread through head-to-head contact where the parasites can crawl from one host to another, experts say.

The CDC suggests machine wash and dry clothing, don’t use infected hair products, furniture or toys, and clean where infested people were. But their guidance also says it is less likely that lice could be spread through used products.

“Most of the jobs I get called to are in my families’ homes and I can’t get these bugs home quick enough from a job to take their pictures or study them because they die so quickly without the heat and blood from their hosts,” Boudreau said.

Can my child go to school with lice?

Students with head lice infestation do not need to be sent home early from school, the CDC says. Students can go home at the end of the day and return to class once beginning treatment. Experts say successful treatments will kill crawling lice but that nits might still be present.

Del Campo said parents need to be advocates for their children because there are many outdated school policies forcing them to miss more school than they need to, including requiring all eggs to be removed before returning to class, which he says is not necessary.

“Lice are not dangerous. They don’t spread disease. There’s no medical reason to remove a child immediately from a classroom,” he said. “By the time lice are noticed, they’ve often been present for weeks — not days or even hours.”

He says it is likely that adults have some level of trauma from dealing with lice when they were children and when there were fewer effective treatments, and misconceptions about the parasites often add to the stigma and accompanying embarrassment affected people might feel.

“What people went through and are carrying with them is understandably miserable, but it is very different today,” he said, adding that lice are not associated with hygiene, disease or economic status.

Los neoyorquinos hablan más de 800 idiomas y más de 350.000 hogares de la ciudad participan en los programas del HUD. Sin embargo, los defensores afirman que muchos inquilinos locales no se verán muy afectados por el cambio, ya que las agencias municipales y estatales que administran los programas del HUD cuentan con sólidas opciones en  distintos idiomas.

Scott Turner, el secretario del HUD, en una rueda de prensa en julio. (Flickr/U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development)

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés el 18 de septiembre. Traducido por Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.

En marzo, el presidente Donald Trump designó el inglés como idioma oficial del país mediante una orden ejecutiva.

Si bien la orden de Trump no exige que las agencias del gobierno federal dejen de ofrecer documentos traducidos y servicios de traducción, esta sí abrió la puerta para que las agencias decidan si prestan o no estos servicios.

El 19 de agosto, el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los Estados Unidos (HUD por sus siglas en inglés) se convirtió en uno de los primeros en aplicar una política de uso exclusivo del inglés para todas las actividades y servicios del departamento, eliminando gradualmente sus materiales en otros idiomas.

Cuando se le pidió que especificara qué materiales están cubiertos por la nueva política, un portavoz del HUD dijo que todos los materiales que no están en inglés están siendo sustituidos por versiones en inglés.

Además, el departamento dejará de prestar servicios de traducción para las comunicaciones, y se retirarán todos los materiales impresos y en línea que no estén en inglés.

“Se ha ordenado a todas las instalaciones financiadas por el HUD que retiren todo el material impreso o digital”, dijo un portavoz del HUD. “A septiembre de 2025, se han retirado más de 3.200 páginas web, documentos y vídeos en idiomas extranjeros de todos los sitios web del HUD”.

Según el HUD, la decisión contribuirá a crear un “sentido de unidad en las instalaciones financiadas por el HUD y a redirigir los recursos” hacia otras necesidades del departamento.

AFGE Local 476, el sindicato que representa a los trabajadores del HUD, criticó duramente la medida en un comunicado publicado en las redes sociales, calificando el cambio de “discriminatorio” e “ilegal”.

“Para las personas a las que atiende el HUD, esto es devastador. Millones de inquilinos, solicitantes y sobrevivientes de violencia necesitan acceso en otros idiomas”, escribió el sindicato en el sitio web X. “Negárselo podría privar a las personas de vivienda y servicios a los que tienen derecho por ley”.

En la ciudad de Nueva York, donde los residentes hablan más de 800 idiomas además del inglés, más de 350.000 hogares participan en los programas de vivienda del HUD. Esto incluye a quienes utilizan los vales de vivienda de la Sección 8, la ayuda al alquiler basada en proyectos o quienes viven en viviendas públicas de la Autoridad de la Vivienda de la ciudad de Nueva York (NYCHA por sus siglas en inglés) en virtud de la Sección 9.

Los defensores locales han observado la transición que se ha producido en el sitio web del HUD durante las últimas semanas.

Ellos aseguraron que muchos inquilinos locales no se verán muy afectados por el cambio, ya que las agencias de Nueva York que administran la mayoría de los programas del HUD cuentan con sólidas opciones para el manejo de diferentes idiomas.

“Esta política afecta a las comunicaciones del HUD y, por lo general, nuestros clientes dependen de las comunicaciones, los formularios, etc. de las agencias locales, no directamente del HUD”, afirmó Anna Luft, directora del proyecto de justicia en materia de vivienda pública del New York Legal Assistance Group. 

Sin embargo, “las personas que se verán directamente afectadas por esto son aquellas que viven en edificios subvencionados directamente por el HUD, como los del programa Section 8 basado en edificios”, señaló Luft. 

A diferencia de los vales tradicionales que van al inquilino, en un edificio subvencionado, la ayuda está vinculada a la propiedad, no al residente. Desgraciadamente, explicó Luft, el cambio de política del HUD supone una carga innecesaria para quienes viven en esos edificios o solicitan plaza en ellos.

“Les resultará más difícil cumplir con las normas del HUD y provocará inestabilidad en las viviendas de familias que, de otro modo, no la sufrirían”, afirmó ella.

Oficinas del HUD en el edificio federal Robert C. Weaver en Washington, D.C. (Flickr/U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development)

Este cambio se produce tras otros cambios en la agencia federal de vivienda durante la administración de Trump, que está llevando a cabo importantes recortes en los programas de ayuda a la vivienda.

El New York Times también informó esta semana de que la administración está reduciendo la aplicación de la Ley de Vivienda Justa, que prohíbe la discriminación por parte de los propietarios y los agentes inmobiliarios por motivos de raza, religión y otros factores. 

Aunque la nueva política del HUD no exige a las autoridades de vivienda pública que eliminen sus propias políticas de traducción, les da la opción de hacerlo si la legislación local no exige que los materiales se traduzcan a otros idiomas además del inglés.

El Departamento de Conservación y Desarrollo de la Vivienda (HPD por sus siglas en inglés) de la ciudad de Nueva York, que administra un programa de la Sección 8, declaró que seguirá ofreciendo acceso multilingüe.

“En cumplimiento con la ley local, el HPD proporciona servicios de acceso y asistencia en otros idiomas a todos los neoyorquinos”, declaró un portavoz del HPD.

Los defensores aconsejaron a los neoyorquinos que llamen al 311 para presentar una queja si se encuentran con algún problema.

“Cualquier cosa que reduzca la capacidad de acceso lingüístico tendrá, como mínimo, un impacto negativo marginal en las comunidades de inmigrantes y en el ecosistema de vivienda de la ciudad para conectar eficazmente entre sí”, afirmó John Mollenkopf, director del Centro de Investigación Urbana de CUNY. 

En 2007, el Centro estudió cómo las barreras lingüísticas excluían a los neoyorquinos inmigrantes de los servicios de vivienda esenciales de la ciudad.

“Que el HUD solo utilice el inglés es ridículo en una ciudad en la que, según las últimas cifras del censo, la mitad de la población habla un idioma distinto del inglés en casa y algo más de uno de cada diez no habla inglés en absoluto o lo habla mal”, añadió Mollenkopf.

Para ponerse en contacto con el reportero de esta noticia, escriba a Daniel@citylimits.org. Para ponerse en contacto con la editora, escriba a Jeanmarie@citylimits.org.

The post ¿Qué significa para los neoyorquinos la nueva política de inglés exclusivamente del HUD? appeared first on City Limits.