SAN FRANCISCO -- Should cities be able to require a flyer at the point of sale advising people of cell-phone safety guidelines? That's the crux of a lawsuit that goes before a federal judge in San Francisco tomorrow, pitting the cell-phone industry against the city of Berkeley.

The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association says the flyers are a violation of cell-phone manufacturers' free speech rights, though the information - that phones can exceed RF radiation guidelines if held too close to the body - is already in user manuals, normally buried in the fine print.

Ellie Marks, executive director of the California Brain Tumor Association, said she's disgusted that the Federal Communications Commission has sided with the CTIA.

"So we're dealing with intensive collusion between the FCC and the wireless industry to hide the truth from the American public that cell phones are not the safe device consumers are led to believe," Marks said. "And the public should be outraged that this is happening."

The lead attorney for the FCC, Thomas Johnson, used to work for the same firm that now represents the CTIA. The FCC has weighed in, saying user manuals provide consumers with sufficient information about cell-phone safety, and the ordinance risks "over-warning" and misleading consumers into believing that cell phones are unsafe.

A 2018 study by the National Toxicology Program found that cell-phone radiation can cause brain tumors in rats. Marks said people should store their phones away from their bodies and turn them off at night.

"People should not keep them on while they're on their body - not in a pocket, not in a bra," she said. "And they should just take simple precautions: Use the speakerphone, use a wired headset and don't hold it to your head or body while it is on. "

The CTIA filed the suit five years ago and fought it all the way to the Supreme Court - twice - and lost.

As hurricane season kicks into full gear, Pennsylvania officials are reflecting on the impacts of Hurricane Agnes 50 years ago, and urging property owners to consider getting flood insurance to protect their homes.

Hurricane Agnes was the costliest big storm to hit the United States at the time in 1972. It affected much of the East Coast, but Pennsylvania was hit the hardest, with more than 3,000 businesses and 68,000 homes destroyed.

Michael Humphreys, acting insurance commissioner for Pennsylvania, said natural disasters create hardship and stress for property owners left to deal with the aftermath.

"There are too many Pennsylvanians who have lost everything and didn't have flood insurance to help them rebuild," Humphreys recounted. "Even if your property is outside a federally designated Special Flood Hazard area, and you are not required to buy flood insurance by your mortgage lender, you should consider flood insurance. The risk of flooding doesn't go away just because you paid off your mortgage."

Just last summer, Tropical Storm Ida caused severe flooding damage throughout the Commonwealth, with cleanup costs estimated at $100 million. People looking to purchase a home or property should do their research before buying to determine if the area has had previous flooding.

Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said flooding continues to be the most common natural disaster experienced in the Commonwealth. He said over the past 28 years, 90% of flooding incidents in the state have occurred outside the Special Flood Hazard Zone, meaning places that have never seen flooding before.

"Please take the first step and at least inquire as to what a policy would cost," Padfield urged. "You may be surprised to how affordable a policy is, depending on your individual circumstances and the peace of mind it affords you and your family."

There is more information on the National Flood Insurance Program and other resources in the event of severe flooding on the state Insurance Department's website. In most cases, there is a 30-day waiting period after purchase before flood insurance policies become active.

Many recent Montana high school graduates are setting off on their own, meaning it's likely their first time being financially independent. A few tips could help them better manage their money.

Ally Haegele is the programs manager with Montana's Credit Unions for Community Development. She said first, young adults should understand their long-term financial goals.

Haegele said keeping the big picture in mind is an important way to draft a budget, but she also noted that people should give themselves grace.

"Not structuring a budget that it's so strict trying to achieve those big picture goals that you never go out to eat," said Haegele, "or you never let yourself get a coffee or whatever kind of indulgence you might allow yourself - especially as a young adult. Because then, they're just kind of setting themselves up to fail with the budget or be frustrated."

Haegele said people can download free budgeting apps to help guide them with their finances.

Jordyn Rogers is deputy director of the Great-Falls-based financial nonprofit Rural Dynamics. She said young people going on to higher education might have some additional considerations when it comes to saving money.

For instance, Rogers said, there are ways to save on textbooks.

"Consider renting textbooks for a fraction of the cost," said Haegele, "and you can even do that with e-books over a period of time that you have access to it."

For all young adults, Rogers said it's important to become creditworthy, since credit plays such a big role in people's finances later in life.

She said the easiest way to do this is through a credit card - keeping in mind that you have to be responsible and know your own habits.

"Buying a gas card that can report positively to the credit bureaus, because you pay it off every month," said Haegele, "is a great way to build your credit utilization and also pay for a cost that you know is going to be there."

A campaign in Maine is gathering signatures to replace the state's investor-owned energy grid with a consumer-owned utility.

Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant serve the majority of Maine utility customers, but they consistently rank lower for customer satisfaction, have more frequent power outages and have high rates, compared to consumer-owned utilities.

Seth Berry, former Democratic state representative from Bowdoinham and former House chair of the Maine Legislature's Energy Committee, left office recently to work on getting the initiative on the 2023 ballot. It is based on a bill, passed in 2021 to invest in a consumer-owned utility, but vetoed by the governor.

"This is a great opportunity for us to change it up and say, at least here in Maine, we're going to be independent," Berry explained. "We're going to have local control. It's a better business model, has proven to work better and that's where we're heading. "

Berry pointed out the campaign is on track to have enough signatures. Opponents argued a publicly-funded model would be too expensive.

But Berry noted CMP and Versant charge 58% more for service than consumer-owned utilities, which are currently in 97 Maine towns.

"They have better reliability, their customers are happy," Berry emphasized. "If they're not happy, they have a way to walk right into that board meeting and complain about it, which you certainly can't do with CMP; their governing board is actually based in a skyscraper in Spain."

He added as Maine looks to move toward improving the power grid, it is important to have accountability. Research showed by removing the profit incentives for current investor-owned companies, Mainers could save up to $9 billion over 30 years.