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Want to know if your local restaurant has any food poisoning issues? You might want to check Yelp

By WTOP Staff

Nothing is worse than that sinking feeling, a few hours after eating, that the questionable seafood choice you made at a local restaurant or watering hole is likely coming back to haunt you.

But how could you have known? Everyone seems to know someone who got food poisoning from somewhere — well, in my food writer circle, at least — but mostly, these tales spread through word of mouth. It’s only if a situation reaches a truly widespread level would there be official notification of such things.

Now, researchers in New York are urging health officials to consider the possibility that review sites such as Yelp could help people avoid some of that pain and food poisoning suffering.

A study conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Columbia University with Yelp’s cooperation helped identify three restaurant related outbreaks of food poisoning that had gone unreported.

Researchers came up with the idea while investigating a particular outbreak, according to the findings released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.

Click here to read the full summary of the report.

The health department noted that patrons had reported illnesses on Yelp that had not been reported to the department. The researchers subsequently designed a software program to analyze nearly 300,000 Yelp restaurant reviews in New York City for nine months in 2012 and 2013.

For cases reported on Yelp that warranted further investigation, only 3 percent had also been reported to the city’s health department, the report found.

It also noted, however, that using software to analyze Yelp reviews — and then following up with manual reviews — can be costly and time consuming. Want the short version? It might not hurt to scan Yelp reviews to see if there’s a particularly high instance of people reporting being sick.

Or, you could always use WUSA9’s handy “ Restaurant Alert” tool, where reporter Russ Ptacek is on the case of restaurant inspection violations — although there’s no telling in those cases if the violations have actually made anyone sick.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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