A group of housing advocates is collecting signatures to get a “right to repair” ordinance placed on St. Paul’s November ballot.

The citywide ballot question would ask residents whether they would support a local law that gives landlords 14 days to fix a broken item or schedule a repair after it’s reported to them by a tenant in writing. A similar “right to repair” ordinance was recently approved by voters in Duluth.

“They’ve got to show the effort and demonstrate it,” such as by getting bids from contractors, said Cole Hanson, a member of the Safe Homes St. Paul Committee.

Otherwise, tenants would be allowed to withhold up to 50% of their rent or $500, whichever is greater, and put the money toward replacing a broken appliance or fixing whatever needs to be remedied. Documented repair costs can also be deducted from rent or reimbursed by a landlord.

The primary focus would be on common and “commonsense repairs,” such as pest control, broken appliances, leaky plumbing, drafty windows, broken locks and broken doorframes, mold and growing cracks, advocates say.

“St. Paul and Minnesota state laws have existing protection for tenants regarding emergency repairs that put renters in immediate danger, ex: heat going out in the middle of winter,” reads the St. Paul Right to Repair website. “For non-emergency scenarios, the current systems in place can take months to resolve or require city intervention — we just want to get things fixed and move on.”

Duluth approved similar measure

Duluth voters overwhelmingly approved a “right to repair” ordinance at ballot last November, over the objection of the Duluth City Council, which voted not to support the measure last July. Landlord and business groups argued the ordinance could make rental housing more expensive, and even leave tenants legally liable for poorly executed repairs.

Critics also raised objection that making management of rental housing more complicated would inspire more mom-and-pop landlords to sell off their properties to corporate ownership groups and out-of-state interests, which can be more difficult to negotiate with when tenant concerns arise and more stringent with tenant screening.

The Safe Homes St. Paul Committee is chaired by Taylor Sibthorp, with Hanson, a former Hamline-Midway Coalition board chair, serving as political coordinator and coalition builder. Karl Berg is listed on campaign finance registration documents as treasurer.

Ashland Avenue apartments

Hanson said a leading goal is to improve properties before they suffer major deterioration. He pointed to the example of three small apartment buildings along Ashland Avenue, where “years of neglect added up,” leaving tenants pleading their case to City Hall against rent increases of 28%-50%.

Given the condition of the properties, a divided St. Paul City Council voted 4-3 last September to deny the rent increases, over the landlord’s pleas that the only way to fix them up would be to obtain an exemption from the city’s rent control ordinance and increase rents to pay for improvements.

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“Really, the only way tenants got remedies was through the rent stabilization process,” Hanson said. “We also think other current remedies are insufficient.” Court-ordered injunctions, for example, are costly and time consuming, he said.

To get their question to ballot, the Safe Homes St. Paul Committee must provide 5,800 valid signatures from St. Paul voters to Ramsey County Elections. The committee aims to collect 8,900 signatures by June 1.

More information is online at safehomessaintpaul.org.

By KAITLYN HUAMANI, AP Technology Writer

It’s simple to accidentally become entranced by an endless loop of videos on Instagram or TikTok. But sometimes, that mindless scroll is interrupted by a reminder that what you thought was a 10-minute break spent on your phone was closer to 30 minutes.

Olivia Yokubonis, armed with a kind voice and scientific research, often pops up in feeds on social platforms, gently reminding viewers that they might not remember the video they saw two videos before she appeared on the screen.

Yokubonis is a content creator who goes by the name Olivia Unplugged online, making videos to combat overuse or mindless use of social media. For the most part, people who view her videos welcome the disruption from the endless loop of content, treating it as a wake-up call to get off their phones. Other times, they are snarky.

“People will comment and they’ll be like, ’Oh, (it’s) ironic that you’re posting. And I’m like, ‘Where else am I supposed to find you, Kyle? Outside? You’re not outside. You are here, sitting here,’” she said. “For us to actually be seen, we have to be where people are.”

Yokubonis’ content responds to the feeling many people have, that they spend too much time on social media or apps.

“Most people have no clue how much time they spend on social media,” said Ofir Turel, a professor of information systems management at the University of Melbourne who has been studying social media use for years. Through his research, Turel found that when he presented people with their screen time information, they were practically “in a state of shock” and many people voluntarily reduced their usage afterwards.

Yokubonis is part of a growing group of content creators who make videos encouraging viewers to close out the app they’re on. Some are aggressive in their approach, some more tame; some only occasionally post about social media overuse, and some, like Yokubonis, devote their accounts to it.

She works for Opal, a screen time app designed to help users “reclaim their focus,” she said, but those who engage with her content might not have any idea she is working for the company. Brand logos, constant plugs to download the app and other signs of branding are almost entirely absent from her page. “People love hearing from people,” she said. Millions of views on her videos point to that being true.

“It’s a fine line and a balance of finding a way to be able to cut through that noise but also not adding to the noise,” she added.

Ian A. Anderson, a postdoctoral scholar at California Institute of Technology, said he finds this kind of content interesting, but is curious whether it’s disruptive enough to prompt action. He also said he wonders whether those with the strongest scrolling habits are “thoughtless about the way (they’re) intaking information.”

“If they’re paying full attention, I feel like it could be an effective disruption, but I also think there is a degree to which, if you are really a habitual scroller, maybe you aren’t fully engaging with it,” he said. “I can think of all sorts of different variables that could change the effectiveness, but it does sound like an interesting way to intervene from the inside.”

With billions of active users across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other social media platforms, talk of cutting down on screen time is perennial, as is the idea of addiction to social platforms. But there’s tremendous disagreement over whether social media addiction actually exists.

Is social media “addiction” real?

Researchers, psychologists and other experts agree some people spend too much time on social media, but the agreement tends to stop there. Some researchers question whether addiction is the appropriate term to describe heavy use of social media, arguing that a person must be experiencing identifiable symptoms, like strong, sometimes uncontrollable urges and withdrawal, to qualify as addiction. Others, like Turel, acknowledge the term seems to resonate with more people and is often used colloquially.

Anderson said he recognized the prevalence of casual mentions of being addicted to phones and was curious to see if that talk was “benign.”

A recent study of his suggests the debate extends further than academic discourse. In a representative sample of active Instagram users, Anderson found that people often overestimate whether they are “addicted” to the app. On a self-report scale, 18% of participants agreed that they were at least somewhat addicted to Instagram and 5% indicated substantial agreement, but only 2% of participants were deemed at risk of addiction based on their symptoms. Believing you are addicted also impacts how you address that issue, Anderson said.

“If you perceive yourself as more addicted, it actually hurts your ability to control your use or your perception of that ability and makes you kind of blame yourself more for overuse,” Anderson said. “There are these negative consequences to addiction perception.”

Cutting down on screen time

For those looking to curb their social media habits, Anderson suggests making small, meaningful, changes to stop from opening your social media app of choice. Moving the app’s place on your phone or turning off notifications are “light touch interventions,” but more involved options, like not bringing your phone into the bedroom — or other places where you often use it — could also help.

Plenty of intervention methods have been offered to consumers in the form of products or services. But those interventions require self awareness and a desire to cut down on use. Content creators who infiltrate social media feeds with information about the psychology behind why people scroll for hours a day can plant those early seeds.

Cat Goetze, who goes by CatGPT online, makes “non-pretentious, non-patronizing” content about artificial intelligence, building off her experience in the tech industry. But she’s also been on a lengthy road to cut down her own screen time. She often makes videos about why the platforms are so compelling and why we tend to spend longer than we anticipate on them.

“There’s a whole infrastructure — there’s an army of nerds whose only job is to get you to increase your time spent on that platform,” she said. “There’s a whole machine that’s trying to get you to be that way and it’s not your fault and you’re not going to win this just (through) willpower.”

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Goetze also founded the business Physical Phones, which makes Bluetooth landline phones that connect to smartphones, encouraging people to spend less time on their devices. The inside of the packaging reads “offline is the new luxury.”

She was able to build the business at an accelerated pace thanks to her social media audience. But the early success of Physical Phones also demonstrates the demand for solutions to high screen time, she said.

“Social media will always play a part in our lives. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. If we can get the average screen time down from, if it’s 10 hours for a person to one hour, or from three hours to 30 minutes, that is going to be a net positive benefit for that individual and for society,” Goetze said. “That being said, I’d love to be the person that they’re watching for those 30 minutes.”

Don’t be put off by the designation of “stew” in the title of this delicious dish. The concoction is delicious and packed with veggies (you can add more if you wish). This mix is a scrumptious way to get vegetables happily down the kid’s gullets. Use the style of smallish pasta you like best, such as penne, ziti, or farfalle.

Vegetable and Pasta ‘Stew’

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces, about 3 1/2 cups

1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped

10 green onions, trimmed of roots and dark green stalks, white and light green portion cut into 1-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 head of cauliflower, cored, divided into florets

1 medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, to taste

Pasta

1 pound small dried pasta, such as penne, ziti, bow-tie

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. For vegetables: Heat olive oil in large deep skillet. When hot, add eggplant and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until browned on all sides. It will absorb most of the oil. Add red onion, green onions, bell pepper, and cauliflower (add a tiny bit of oil if needed); gently toss. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cook, covered, for another 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Gently toss and set aside.

2. For pasta: Bring about 4 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water. Drain pasta.

3. In large bowl, place reserved pasta-cooking water, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper; stir. Add pasta and toss. Stir in reserved vegetables. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Pass some Parmesan cheese for optional topping.

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

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By JONEL ALECCIA

Protein just got a big boost from U.S. health officials.

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The latest federal dietary guidelines tell Americans to “prioritize protein foods at every meal” and advise increasing daily intake — up to double the amount of previous recommendations.

“We are ending the war on protein,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a White House post on social media.

The guidance — including a new food pyramid — emphasizes red meat, whole milk and other animal sources of protein, while downplaying plant-based offerings.

But top nutrition experts question the protein push, saying Americans already consume more protein than they need, and there’s no new evidence that people need to drastically ramp up consumption. For many people, eating much more protein could lead to more fat and more cases of diabetes, they say.

“If you’re actively building muscle with strength or resistance training, more protein can help,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a Tufts University nutrition expert. “Otherwise, you’re getting enough.”

Others worry that the dietary advice will accelerate the trend of companies encouraging Americans to embrace extra protein in foods including bars, cereals and snacks – even water.

Sales of protein-enriched packaged food will increase at a time “when one of the main messages is ‘eat real food, eat whole foods,’” said Christopher Gardner, a nutrition expert at Stanford University. “I think they’re going to confuse the public in a big way.”

Here’s what you need to know about the new protein recommendations:

What is protein and how much do people need?

Protein is a macronutrient that is in every cell in the human body. It’s vital for growth and repair of muscle, bone, skin, hair and other organs and tissues. It’s made of building blocks called amino acids, including some that the body doesn’t make and must come from food.

For decades, the U.S. dietary guidelines and other sources have recommended that people consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day, or about 54 grams daily for a 150-pound person.

The new recommendation advises people to consume 1.2 grams to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight — up to double the previous advice. The guidance says adults should consume at least 100 grams of protein per day with half or more coming from animal sources.

The average adult man already consumes about 100 grams of protein a day, or twice the old recommendation.

Why did the new dietary guidelines change?

The previous protein recommendations were calculated to prevent a nutrition deficiency, according to a scientific review published with the new dietary guidelines.

“It represents the lowest intake that maintains equilibrium in most healthy adults but does not reflect the intake required to maintain optimal muscle mass or metabolic function under all conditions,” the review said.

The new document relied on evidence from 30 studies that looked at the effects of higher protein diets on weight management and nutrient adequacy.

It concluded that protein intakes well above the previous guidance “are safe and compatible with good health.”

What’s the harm of eating more protein?

Nutrition experts noted that trials focusing on weight reduction aren’t typically used to make dietary recommendations for the general population. And, in a new article published in Journal of the American Medical Association, Mozaffarian said there is little evidence, outside of use for strength or resistance training, that “higher protein builds muscle or provides other health benefits.”

“In fact, excess dietary protein can be converted to fat by the liver,” Mozaffarian wrote. That can increase the risk of the development of dangerous fat in the abdomen that surrounds vital organs and boost the risk of diabetes, he added.

Protein in processed foods

Other nutrition experts said the recommendation to eat more protein could be useful if it helps achieve another key goal of the new guidelines: encouraging people to eat more whole foods and fewer highly processed foods such as packaged snacks and cookies.

“The main problem with the food supply is the processed carbohydrates,” said Dr. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital.

But that will be a tall order for consumers faced with a slew of processed packaged foods — including toaster pastries, cereals and salty snacks — imbued with the halo of added protein.

“I think the American public’s gonna go buy more junk food,” Gardner said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.