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ByLindseyTanner TheAssociatedPress CHICAGO Americans in certain struggling parts of the country are dying from cancer at rising rates, even as the cancer death rate na- tionwide continues to fall, an exhaustive new analysis has found. In parts of the country that are relatively poor, and have higher rates of obesity and smoking, cancer death rates rose nearly 50 per- cent, while wealthier pock- etsofthecountrysawdeath rates fall by nearly half. Better screening and treatment have contrib- uted to the improvement in the nation as a whole — but the study underscores that notallAmericanshaveben- efited from these advances. "We are going in the wrong direction," said Ali Mokdad,thestudy'sleadau- thor and a professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics andEvaluation."Weshould be going forward, not back- ward." Stark differences in re- gional cancer death rates have been found in previ- ous research, but this one standsoutforprovidingde- tailed estimates for deaths fromnearly30typesofcan- cerinall3,100U.S.counties over 35 years. From 1980 to 2014, the U.S. death rate per 100,000 people for all cancers com- bined dropped from about 240 to 192 — a 20 percent decline. More than 19 mil- lion Americans died from cancerduringthattime,the study found. The picture was rosiest the Colorado ski country, where cancer deaths per 100,000 residents dropped by almost half, from 130 in 1980 to just 70 in 2014; and bleakest in some eastern Kentucky counties, where they soared by up to 45 per- cent. "We all know this is un- acceptable ... in a country that spends more than any- body else on health," Mok- dad said. The Affordable Care Act took effect in the study's fi- nal years and emphasized prevention services includ- ing no-cost screenings for breast, colorectal and cer- vical cancers. Any resulting benefitswouldn'tbeevident in the latest results, since cancer takes years to de- velop.It'sunknownwhether similarcoveragewillbepart of the replacement system the Trump administration and Congressional Repub- licans are seeking. An editorial published with the study by Stepha- nie Wheeler, a University of North Carolina health policy specialist and Dr. Ethan Basch, a University of North Carolina cancer specialist, notes that many areas with the highest can- cerdeathratesalsostrongly supported Donald Trump, "raising hopes that future policiesdevelopedbythein- comingadministrationwill provideresources"forthese communities. Researchers estimated county death rates using U.S. government death re- cords and U.S. Census Bu- reaudata.Resultswerepub- lished Tuesday in the Jour- naloftheAmericanMedical Association. Ahmedin Jemal, an American Cancer Society researcher, said better un- derstanding variations in cancer death rates will help target cancer prevention and control. Amongthemorestriking disparities: —In counties with the highest 2014 cancer death rates, six of the top 10 were in eastern Kentucky. Six of the 10 lowest rates were in the Colorado Rockies. —Forlungcancerdeaths, four of the five counties with the highest 2014 rates were in eastern Kentucky, with rates up to 80 percent higher than in 1980. Three of the five counties with the lowest 2014 rates were in theColoradoRockies,where rates dropped by up to 60 percent. —Death rates for breast and colorectal cancers increased in Madison County, Mississippi and in 2014 were at least five times higher there than in Summit County, Colorado, where the rates fell. These are among cancers that can besuccessfullytreatedifde- tected early. Smoking, obesity, physi- cal activity and income ex- plain many of the dispari- ties,saidstudyco-authorDr. Christopher Murray, also at the University of Washing- ton. But the study also raises questions.Forexample,rela- tivelyhighratesoftesticular cancer were found in parts of Southern California and far southern Texas for rea- sons that are unclear. Since treatmentsforthisrarecan- cer are extremely effective, "almost nobody should die of testicular cancer," Mur- ray said. The poor showing for eastern Kentucky contrasts with wealthier parts of the state and "is tremendously troubling," said Ben Chan- dler, president of the Foun- dation for a Healthy Ken- tucky , a nonpartisan group that funds health policy re- search and advocacy. Could your location determine your fate? DYING FROM CANCER GERALDHERBERT—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS U.S. cancer death rates have steadily climbed in parts of the country struggling with obesity, heavy smoking and other ills — a stark contrast with the national trend and improvements in wealthier pockets of the country. ENVIRONMENT CARLOS OSORIO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Michigan environmental officials announced Tuesday that Flint's water system no longer has levels of lead exceeding the federal limit. By David Eggert The Associated Press LANSING, MICH. Flint's wa- ter system no longer has levels of lead exceeding the federal limit, a key finding that Michigan state envi- ronmental officials said Tuesday is good news for a city whose 100,000 resi- dents have been grappling with the man-made water crisis. The 90th percentile of lead concentrations in Flint was 12 parts per bil- lion from July through De- cember — below the "ac- tion level" of 15 ppb, ac- cording to a letter from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to Flint's mayor. It was 20 ppb in the prior six-month period. Flint's lead levels are again comparable to other similarly sized U.S. cities with older infrastructure, state officials told The As- sociated Press ahead of an official announcement. "This is good news and the result of many partners on the local, county, state and federal levels work- ing together to restore the water quality in the City of Flint," the department's di- rector, Heidi Grether, said in a statement. "The Flint water system is one of the most monitored systems in the country for lead and copper, and that commit- ment will remain to ensure residents continue to have access to clean water." Residents, whose mis- trust in government re- mains high nearly three years after a fateful switch of the city's water source in April 2014, are being told to continue using faucet filters or bottled water be- cause an ongoing mass re- placement of pipes could spike lead levels in indi- vidual houses. The replacement of the lines is expected to take years. Flint's public health emergency began when officials failed to properly treat lead lines for corro- sion while the city was un- der state management. State officials acknowl- edged the lead problem in October 2015. Lead from old pipes leached into the water supply because corrosion-reducing phos- phates were not added due to an incorrect reading of federal regulations. Elevated levels of lead, a neurotoxin, were detected in children, and 12 peo- ple died in a Legionnaires' disease outbreak that ex- perts suspect was linked to the improperly treated water. An ongoing investi- gation has led to charges against 13 current or for- mer government officials, including two managers that Gov. Rick Snyder ap- pointed to run the city. Snyder has apologized for the crisis that has largely been blamed on his administration. "The remarkable im- provement in water quality over the past year is a tes- tament to all levels of gov- ernment working together and the resilient people of Flint helping us help them through participation in the flushing programs," he said in a statement. "There is still more work to do in Flint, and I remain com- mitted to helping the res- idents recover and restore their city." While it is important for cities to be below the federal limit, experts say there is no safe level of lead and the crisis has exposed gaps in a monitoring sys- tem that can mislead in- dividual homeowners and renters into thinking their tap water is safe when only some homes with lead pipes are sampled. Michigan's letter to Flint Mayor Karen Weaver was reviewed by the U.S. En- vironmental Protection Agency before it was sent. Because the city exceeded the federal limit in the first half of 2016, it must con- tinue replacing at least 7 percent of its lead service lines by June 30. While the requirement may be discontinued if the water supply is at or below the limit in the next mon- itoring period, the state said it would continue sup- porting Flint's plan to re- place more pipes. The state has allocated $27 million for the project. Tuesday's announce- ment means the state will soon stop providing a credit on customers' water bills. It has been partially covering their bills dating to April 2014. Flint, Michigan, water has fallen below federal lead limit By Mark Sherman and Vivian Salama The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has nar- rowedhischoicetofilltheSu- premeCourtvacancytothree judgesandsaidheexpectsto makehisdecisioninthecom- ing days. A person familiar with theselectionprocesssaidthe three judges, all white men who sit on federal appeals courts, were on the list of 21 potential high court picks Trump announced during the presidential campaign. The leading contenders — whoallhavemetwithTrump — are William Pryor, Neil Gorsuch and Thomas Hardi- man, the person said, speak- ing anonymously because he was not authorized to speak publicly about internal deci- sions. Pryor, 54, is an Alabama- based judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Gorsuch, 49, is on the Den- ver-based 10th U.S. Circuit CourtofAppeals.Hardiman, 51, is based in Pittsburgh for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.Allthreewerenomi- natedbyPresidentGeorgeW. Bush for their current posts. Trump has promised to seek someone in the mold of conservative icon Anto- nin Scalia, who died nearly a year ago after serving on the SupremeCourtformorethan 29years.SenateRepublicans prevented President Barack Obama from filling the seat, a political gamble that paid offwhen Trump was elected. Trump was scheduled to meet later Tuesday with Sen- ate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Demo- craticLeaderChuckSchumer, Sen.ChuckGrassleyandSen. Dianne Feinstein to discuss thecourtvacancy.McConnell wrote on Twitter, "I appreci- ate his soliciting our advice." Trump said he plans to an- nounce his choice next week. McConnell led the Senate in refusing to even to con- sider Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to take Scalia's seat, announc- ing on the night that Scalia died that the vacancy should be filled not by Obama, but by the next president. Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week on CNN that the Dem- ocrats would inevitably push back against anyone Trump nominates for the Supreme Court. "It's hard for me to imag- ine a nominee that Don- ald Trump would choose that would get Republican support, that we could sup- port," he said. Daniel Gold- berg, legal director of the liberal Alliance for Justice, said his group almost cer- tainly would oppose anyone from Trump's list. "Presi- dent Trump has made clear what kind of justice he in- tends to nominate. He said he intends to nominate a re- actionary who doesn't share the constitutional values of the American people and who will undermine funda- mentalconstitutionalprotec- tions,"Goldbergsaid.Conser- vativessaidthecontendersall shareScalia'scommitmentto the text and meaning of the Constitution. "These are not stealth candidates. Their re- cords are there for everyone to see and to understand. Their judicial philosophy is well within the mainstream of American legal thought," said Leonard Leo, a conser- vative lawyer who has been advisingTrumponthefilling the vacancy. SCOTUS Trump narrows down Supreme Court nominee list to 3 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE T.S. No. 16-31175-BA-CA Title No. 16- 0009578 A.P.N. 037-242-005-000 ATTENTION RECORDER: THE FOL- LOWING REFERENCE TO AN AT- TACHED SUMMARY IS APPLICA- BLE TO THE NOTICE PROVIDED TO THE TRUSTOR ONLY PUR- SUANT TO CIVIL CODE 2923.3 NOTE: THERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT ATTACHED. YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 08/07/2003. UN- LESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PRO- TECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEED- ING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. A public auction sale to the highest bid- der for cash, (cashier's check(s) must be made payable to Na- tional Default Servicing Corpora- tion), drawn on a state or na- tional bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or fed- eral savings and loan associa- tion, savings association, or sav- ings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state; will be held by the duly appointed trustee as shown be- low, of all right, title, and inter- appointed low, of all right, title, and inter- est conveyed to and now held by the trustee in the hereinafter described property under and pursuant to a Deed of Trust de- scribed below. The sale will be made in an "as is" condition, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbran- ces, to pay the remaining princi- pal sum of the note(s) secured by the Deed of Trust, with inter- est and late charges thereon, as provided in the note(s), advan- ces, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, interest thereon, fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below. The amount may be greater on the day of sale. Trustor: O. Clark Harris Jr. and Joan M. Harris, who are married to each other Duly Appointed Trustee: Nation- al Default Servicing Corporation Recorded 08/27/2003 as Instru- ment No. 2003-016909 BK2358- PG135 (or Book, Page) of the Of- ficial Records of Tehama Coun- ty, California. Date of Sale: 02/14/2017 at 1:00 PM Place of Sale: At the Main Entrance, Tehama County Superior Court, Washington Red Bluff, County Superior Court, 633 Washington St., Red Bluff, CA 96080. Estimated amount of unpaid balance and other charg- es: $40,626.42. Street Address or other common designation of real property: 9601 First Street, Gerber, CA 96035. A.P.N.: 037-242- 005-000 The undersigned Trust- ee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street ad- dress or other common designa- tion, if any, shown above. If no street address or other common designation is shown, directions to the location of the property may be obtained by sending a written request to the beneficia- ry within 10 days of the date of first publication of this Notice of Sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and ex- clusive remedy shall be the re- turn of monies paid to the Trust- ee, and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The requirements of California Civil Code Section 2923.5(b)/2923.55(c) were fulfil- led when the Notice of Default was recorded. NOTICE TO PO- TENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are con- sidering bidding on this proper- ty lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding lien, bidding will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bid- der at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien be- ing auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priori- ty, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county re- corder's office or a title insur- ance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this in- formation. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mort- gage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be post- poned one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that in- formation about trustee sale be made availa- postponements be made availa- ble to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call 800-280-2832 or visit this Internet Web site www.ndsc orp.com/sales, using the file number assigned to this case 16-31175-BA-CA. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that oc- cur close in time to the sched- uled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone in- formation or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. Date: 01/09/2017 National De- fault Servicing Corporation c/o Tiffany and Bosco, P.A., its agent, 1230 Columbia Street, Suite 680 San Diego, CA 92101 Toll Free Phone: 888-264-4010 Sales Line 800-280-2832; Sales W ebsite:www.ndscorp.com/sales Linda DeGrandis, Trustee Sales Representative A-4605045 01/18/2017, 01/25/2017, 02/01/2017 RBDN#5884298 1/18/17, 1/25/17, 2/1/17 i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 6 B