By DAVE COLLINS (Associated Press)

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is seeking court permission to convert his personal bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation, which would lead to a sell-off of a large portion of his assets to help pay some of the $1.5 billion he owes relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Jones and his media company, Free Speech Systems, both filed for bankruptcy reorganization after the Sandy Hook families won lawsuits against him for his repeatedly calling the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, a hoax on his Infowars programs.

But Jones and the Sandy Hook families have been unable to agree on how the resolve the cases, leading to Jones filing a motion Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston asking a judge to convert his personal case from a Chapter 11 reorganization to a Chapter 7 liquidation.

“The Debtor does not anticipate that a resolution may be reached with the other parties in interest sufficient to confirm a chapter 11 plan of reorganization,” Jones’ filing said. “Given that there is no reasonable prospect of a successful reorganization, remaining in chapter 11 would incur additional administrative expenses without concomitant benefit to the Debtor’s estate.”

Jones’ bankruptcy lawyers did not immediately reply to Friday messages seeking comment.

Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the families, said in a statement that “Alex Jones has hurt so many people. The Connecticut families have fought for years to hold him responsible no matter the cost and at great personal peril. Their steadfast focus on meaningful accountability, and not just money, is what has now brought him to the brink of justice in the way that matters most.”

The Sandy Hook families, meanwhile, are asking the same judge to convert Free Speech Systems’ case from a reorganization to a liquidation.

Judge Christopher Lopez has scheduled a June 14 hearing in Houston to decide on how to resolve the cases.

Jones’ lawyers have said that the company’s case also appeared to be headed toward a liquidation, or it could be withdrawn.

Liquidation could mean that Jones would have to sell most of what he owns, including his company and its assets, but could keep his home and other personal belongings that are exempt from bankruptcy liquidation. Proceeds would go to his creditors, including the Sandy Hook families.

If Free Speech Systems’ case is withdrawn, the company would return to the same position it was in after the $1.5 billion was awarded in the lawsuits and it would send efforts to collect the damages back to the state courts in Texas and Connecticut where the verdicts were reached.

Jones already has moved to sell some of his personal assets to pay creditors, including his Texas ranch worth around $2.8 million.

But a liquidation of Jones’ and his company’s assets would raise only a fraction of what he owes the Sandy Hook families.

According to the most recent financial statements filed in the bankruptcy court, Jones personally has about $9 million in assets, including his $2.6 million Austin-area home in Texas and other real estate. He listed his living expenses at about $69,000 for April alone, including about $16,500 for expenses on his home, including maintenance, housekeeping and insurance.

Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, which employs 44 people, had nearly $4 million in cash on-hand at the end of April. The business made nearly $3.2 million in April, including from selling the dietary supplements, clothing and other items that Jones promotes on his show, while listing $1.9 million in expenses.

Last weekend, Jones warned on his show that his company faced an imminent shutdown because of what he called a conspiracy by the government and Democrats related to his bankruptcy cases. He urged his supporters to form a human chain around his Austin studio to prevent a takeover, and said he was sleeping in the studio to guard against a shutdown — which didn’t happen.

Lopez, the judge, ruled Monday that Jones could keep operating until June 14, when decisions on potential liquidations are expected.

Jones has said on his show that even if Free Speech Systems and Infowars are sold off, he could resume his broadcasts in some other fashion.

Jones had offered a bankruptcy reorganization plan that would have let him keep operating Free Speech Systems and Infowars while paying the Sandy Hook families a minimum total of $55 million over 10 years. Before that proposal, the families had offered to settle their debt for a minimum of $85 million.

The families of many, but not all, of the Sandy Hook victims sued Jones and won the two trials in Connecticut and Texas.

The relatives said they were traumatized by Jones’ comments and the actions of his followers. They testified at the trials about being harassed and threatened by Jones’ believers, some of whom confronted the grieving families in person saying the shooting never happened and their children never existed.

“We must accumulate data to understand how the city has supported work permit applications, entrepreneurship, workforce development initiatives, and access to health care in order to identify the gaps in our efforts,” said the bill’s sponsor, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera.

The City Council passed two bills Thursday launching an economic and health care survey of migrants and asylum seekers under the city’s care, which its sponsor says will help officials better understand and meet the needs of new arrivals.

In February, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera introduced the legislation to anonymously survey immigrants: Intro 84-A will gather information on “skills, economic opportunities, and workforce development obstacles” that migrants face, while Intro 85-A will focus on their long-term health needs, including chronic conditions and health care access.

Since the Spring of 2022, around 201,200 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in New York City and about 65,000 are currently in the shelter system, where most are subject to 30- or 60-day limits. The Adams administration, citing lack of space and resources, is now enforcing stricter rules for adults migrants without children seeking more time in the system, which advocates worry will lead to more people sleeping on the streets.

“As elected leadership we must be more proactive in providing opportunities for people to transition out of the shelter system and into more permanent living situations,” Rivera said at a press conference ahead of Thursday’s vote on the bills. The surveys, she added, will lay “the groundwork for a more effective humanitarian response going forward.”

The bills come at a time of changing rules at the southern border, following an executive order from the Biden administration to quickly process requests for asylum and deport those who do not meet the requirements. Locally, Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul—who was in the White House with President Joe Biden during the announcement—have supported the border restrictions.

The long-anticipated measure taken by the president aims to reduce the number of migrants crossing between ports of entry into the country, and thus local officials expect lower numbers of those admitted under city and state services.

“This will stem the flow, because otherwise, there is no end in sight. This gives us the breathing room to manage the people we have, help them get the work permits,” Hochul said during an interview with NY1.

One of the surveys required by the bill would explore the barriers to workforce development faced by immigrants. Advocates for migrants from non-Spanish speaking countries, especially those from the African continent, have pointed out the lack of workforce programs in languages such as Arabic, French, Pulaar, and Wolof.

The bill requires the surveys to be administered in the “designated citywide languages“—the six most common languages spoken by New Yorkers with limited English proficiency, and the four most common languages spoken by the populations served by city agencies—and “temporary languages,” which are the languages spoken by people newly arriving in the city and identified by the Office of Language Services.

There is no cost associated with these bills, Rivera assured. Both fiscal impact reports confirm that there would be no effect on city expenditures, as the responsible agency will use existing resources to comply with its requirements.

“We’ll need to have individuals trained, whether it’s administering the survey or ensuring that people understand how to take the survey, or ensuring that we are doing the proper engagement, so there are some resources in terms of engagement administration,” Rivera explained. “Other than that, we think that this is something that should become part of a normal routine in terms of how people go through city systems.” 

Under the bill, the mayor is required to designate a mayoral office or agency that would need to have the surveys ready by Oct. 31. 

By the end of the following month, the responsible entity will distribute the survey to case managers and onsite staff at sites responding to migrant arrivals. According to Rivera, these include the city’s main Arrival Center at the Roosevelt Hotel, its Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs), respite centers, emergency shelters, asylum seeker resource navigation centers, as well as any other facilities used for shelter by the city outside the five boroughs.

The current bill language does not describe a minimum or maximum number of people to be surveyed or how long the the surveys will be conducted for.

“We don’t have a target, but the more the better,” Rivera said, adding that the bill has broad language to include families with children as well as single adults and couples.

The results of the surveys must be delivered to the head of the commissioned city entity by May 31, 2025, and to the mayor and the speaker of the Council by Sept. 30, 2025, followed by its publication online. The same deadlines would remain in place until 2029, or when the state of emergency related to asylum seekers declared by the state expires, whichever comes first.

When asked to comment on possible approval of both bills before Thursday’s vote, City Hall Spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said the mayor’s office will review the legislation. The New York City Department of Health and Hospitals (H+H) referred questions to City Hall, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said it doesn’t comment on pending legislation.

During an executive budget hearing in May, H+H’s CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz said that the top medical need for newly arrived asylum seekers and migrants was pregnancy care.

“NYC Health + Hospitals has established a pathway to connect women to care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, which, in addition to our other facilities, has helped over 700 asylum seekers receive prenatal care and give birth to healthy babies,” reads a recently published statement.

Rivera said that this type of information and data is long overdue.

“In speaking with the community organizers,” Rivera said, “I’ve learned that we must accumulate data to understand how the city has supported work permit applications, entrepreneurship, workforce development initiatives, and access to health care in order to identify the gaps in our efforts. And we’re hoping that this will certainly help.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Daniel@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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The Gophers football program unveiled new jerseys with a classic look on Friday.

Minnesota’s new Nike threads primarily add stripes to both the shoulders and the sides of the pants. The U has a white uniform to wear for some road games and will keep its current black combo as an alternate this fall.

The Gophers’ jersey relaunch is the first for the U since 2018.

The new ensemble will have maroon, gold and white combinations of jerseys, pants and helmets to work with, but will no longer have the flashy chrome gold helmets. Bringing that previous fashion statement forward would have clashed with the gold in the new scheme.

The Gophers wore the previous set of jersey designs for six season from 2018 to 2023. The new Nike Vapor Field Utility Special Edition variety are stronger, lighter and more breathable than the old duds, the U said.

The Gophers open the 2024 season against North Carolina at Huntington Bank Stadium on Aug. 29.

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By Sam Kemmis | NerdWallet

Aviation safety is constantly under public scrutiny. When the door flew off a Boeing 737 in January, it made headlines for months. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill giving the Federal Aviation Administration $105 billion to hire more air traffic controllers, improve runway safety and even train flight attendants in self-defense.

Yet the safety of short-term rentals, available on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo, receives far less attention.

When a fire at an illegal Airbnb rental in Montreal killed seven people last year, it was primarily local news. Social media is filled with tips for improving the safety of a rental — such as checking for hidden cameras — yet it’s difficult to know whether these address real or imagined threats. That’s partly because no regulatory agency oversees the safety of short-term rentals.

A safety Wild West

“Imagine if Delta Air Lines said you have to bring your own oxygen tank — you’d say, ‘No way, I’m not getting on there,’” says Justin Ford, the director of short-term rental safety and certification programs at Breezeway, a property operations platform for short-term rental property managers. “Yet people are saying you should bring your own carbon monoxide alarm to a rental. We, as an industry, should be embarrassed by that.”

Airbnb insists the problem is minor.

“With over 1.5 billion guest arrivals to 220 countries and regions, safety issues on Airbnb are incredibly rare,” an Airbnb spokesperson said in an email. “We are committed to helping our global community travel and host safely on the platform. We continually invest in these efforts, including through dedicated policies, resources for hosts and guests, and support like our 24-hour safety line, and we partner with experts to help inform our work.”

Yet the scope of the problem is difficult to assess. These rentals remain largely unregulated, stymying efforts to track and report incidents. And, unlike aviation safety, there is no clear party responsible for maintaining the safety of short-term rentals. Is it the hosts? Or the platform? Or local governments?

As it turns out, nobody really knows.

Slips, trips and gas leaks

The heat was off when Jack Epner checked into an Airbnb in Spain, so he messaged the host about turning it on. The host said the heater had a potential safety issue and was reluctant to turn it on due to her “fear of the house exploding.”

“Her ‘solution’ was to give me a giant tank of butane for my bedroom — a giant tank of flammable gas that I could smell leaking,” Epner, who is nomadic, explained in an email.

The experience soured him on the short-term rental platform.

“I simply don’t want to deal with them ever again,” Epner said.

Some experts say safety issues at short-term rentals are not usually this dramatic.

Ford, the safety expert, says, “83% of issues are due to slips, trips and falls. That’s where we’re seeing the injuries happening.”

According to Ford, improper lighting, missing handrails and even area rugs can cause accidents. He says that hosts can enhance safety by improving these features in their rentals, but that the real problem lies in the lack of safety standards across the industry.

“The big challenge is that there are standards for most commercial properties, but a lot of those standards don’t extend to short-term rentals,” Ford says. He adds that this is true “in about 95% of locations.”

Who’s in charge here?

Some local governments have tried to require safety inspections for short-term rentals.

The city of Portland, Oregon, requires basic safety requirements for rentals, such as a working smoke detector and bedrooms that are up to code. Yet, as part of the city’s struggles to enforce its short-term rental regulations, it has inspected only 14 properties since 2019.

“Resources and permit fee costs act as inspection limitations,” Robert B. Layne II, senior communication coordinator for the city of Portland’s Bureau of Development Services, said in an email, explaining why so few properties have received these basic safety checks. The fees for registering a property would have to be drastically increased to cover inspection costs.

And while short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo offer safety guidelines for hosts, they have shied away from mandating inspections.

“Airbnb banned cameras in their properties,” Ford says. “Why can they do that but not require a deck inspection? They’re being selective in what they do.”

It’s a game of kick the can involving safety, with nobody — hosts, platforms or local governments — taking full responsibility. Ford says another group may need to step up to improve guest safety.

“The insurance companies need to stand up more and demand changes,” Ford says, suggesting that short-term rentals are getting harder to insure and that safety inspections could impact hosts’ bottom line if insurers demand them.

How to stay safe

Airbnb and Vrbo show which safety features, including carbon monoxide alarms and fire extinguishers, are included in each property. Safety-minded guests can filter results by those that contain these features.

Guests should remain aware of the unregulated nature of these rentals and seek properties managed by professional hosts, according to Ford. Messaging potential hosts and asking about basic safety information is a good way to determine how seriously they take guest safety. Ask about:

Fire alarm batteries.
Deck inspections.
Pool fences.
Bunk bed railings.

And Ford suggests that guests with families talk to their children about potential hazards, especially with swimming pools.

“We’ve seen a lot of pool drownings lately,” Ford says. “We need to have these discussions with our children about pools.”

Note: Because of an editing error, Breezeway was originally noted as an online communication platform for short-term rental property managers. It is a property operations platform. The article has been updated to reflect this change.

Sam Kemmis writes for NerdWallet. Email: skemmis@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @samsambutdif.

The article Is Anyone in Charge of Making Your Airbnb or Other Rental Safe? originally appeared on NerdWallet.