For people with diabetes who must carefully monitor their blood sugar levels, they may endure frequent finger sticks or live with an installed device that invades the body. hopes to change that.

“Our devices use exhaled breath,” said Eric Housh, of the Birmingham, Alabama-based company. It’s partnered with a firm that already makes very sensitive air sensors. Then it was just a matter of training the machine.

“We’ve targeted it on those gasses indicative of high and low blood sugar events,” Housh said. “We’re able to pair that with a companion app. The app can alert not only the patient … but can also alert a network of caregivers.”

That’s a big relief to not only those who have diabetes but also their loved ones.

“If your kid’s diabetic and you send him off to school, you can get a little alert on your phone if it picks up a gas fluctuation that may be indicative that the kid needs to be checked on,” Housh said.

The Aerbetic straps onto your wrist and appears to be a large silver watch without a face. It will sell for around $500 once it goes on sale in late 2019.

Another wearable device aims to help the lives of those targeted by violence, particularly women.

“What (a) victim needs is something discreet. You need to contact people in a discreet way,” said Insaff El Hassini, head of partnership at , quoting one of the firm’s founders who worked helping women escape domestic violence.

El Hassini then showed off App-Elles’ bracelet that looks much like a Fitbit.

“If you are in a crisis situation … you trigger the application by touching your bracelet,” she said. “And the bracelet (via a smartphone app) will send … a text message to three of your contacts that you have preselected.”

Not only will those contacts get an alert, they’ll be able to help, thanks to a livestream, El Hassini said, adding, “They will hear what is happening, and they will see where you are with a GPS localization.”

App-Elles’ app also offers a database of guidance, training and support resources for anyone affected by violence. The app is free, and . But, for now, the system only works on Android phones.

Former ������Ƶapp anchor Rich Johnson, now living in Las Vegas, is co-host of the podcast ““

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Smaller national chains have gone against that grain. Whole Foods touts high quality — albeit at a higher price. Trader Joe’s pitches value and unique products, presented in much smaller venues.

The European way has been coming to our shores for a while, thanks to two huge grocery chains based in Germany: Aldi and Lidl (pronounced LEE-dul). Lidl has announced the Jan. 11 opening of its fourth Northern Virginia location, in Woodbridge. Aldi has six stores inside the Beltway.

Both chains sell their own brands almost exclusively, touting considerable savings over name brands. Both also brag about an efficient shopping experience.

Courtesy Lidl

Courtesy Lidl

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Lidl says, along with its own lower prices, its presence drives down prices at competitors. Will Harwood, Lidl’s US spokesman, calls it “The Lidl Effect”: “All you have to do is drive toward a Lidl store,” he said. “Other retailers in the area of our stores will drop their prices by as much as 30 percent.”

He called that effect “great news, not just for Lidl customers, but for everyone who shops in the areas surrounding our stores.”

Lidl’s Woodbridge store will be at 2070 Tacketts Village Square.

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“Until security on the internet feels like something the people can trust … paper is the future,” said David B. Bjerke, director of elections and general registrar of voters of Falls Church, Virginia.

Paper — or lack of it — was one of the reasons that several models of voting machines were suddenly decertified by Virginia’s State Board of Elections. The tipping point came over the summer, when hackers at the DEFCON gathering in Las Vegas demonstrated how they could compromise the security of direct recording electronic machines.

“I understand why the Virginia State Board of Elections made their decision,” said Bjerke.

“The security that was involved in these DREs, the direct recording electronic machines, hadn’t been updated since 2004. So, obviously, technology has increased since then. And the ability to hack equipment in general has increased. And so, without updating those security protocols, I understand why they wanted to make all DREs decertified.”

Falls Church, which has only about 10,000 registered voters, lucked out: It has already purchased new voting machines, to be delivered in January.

“We already had this in the plan,” said Bjerke. “There was no scrambling for money that had not been accounted for.”

He says it was simply a matter of moving up the delivery date, which the vendor was able to do.

Bjerke says the voting process will take a bit longer next month.

“Voters used to just go to the machine, get their ballot and cast it right there at the machine. Now we have to hand out pieces of paper, have privacy booths everywhere and then watch the flow to make sure that the voters make it to the scanner and aren’t leaving ballots elsewhere.”

Paperless voting machines were supposed to speed up and simplify the entire process. But the entire system is built on voter confidence, Bjerke said. So he’s OK with going back to the future.

“I think the paper-based system is good because you do have a tangible ballot that can be used for audits, for recounts. You don’t have to trust the machine,” said Bjerke. “You really have to make the voters feel confident in this system. And the paper-based system, I think, makes more voters feel confident than the old DRE systems.”

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Those are some of the 20 official reasons Virginians may choose to vote in-person absentee, which started on Friday.

At the Fairfax County Government Center, Frank Anderson was first in line, with his two young children tagging along.

“I think voting is very important,” he said. “I take voting rights very seriously. I want to show them (his children) and I want to show everybody how easy it is to vote early, in-person absentee, in Fairfax County, Virginia.”

Anderson is also a Democratic Party Committeeman in Fairfax County.

Activists from the Republican and Democratic parties manned tables filled with sample ballots, candidate comparisons and copies of the United States Constitution.

Fairfax County GOP volunteer Nona Faber said it’s an important job.

“We are in Fairfax County, and we’ve got stiff competition. So we like to be present,” Faber said.

About 200 feet away, Democratic Party Volunteer Christopher Schaffer hoped to put a few more ballots in the box with some grass roots education.

“We’ll be letting people know that they might be eligible to vote. A lot of people come here on (other) business, and don’t know that they can vote absentee today,” Schaffer said.

As for doing so much work for so few votes: “It’s a small hunk, but it’s a hunk that’s getting bigger and bigger every year. So it is an important demographic,” said Schaffer of in-person absentee voters.

Back inside the Office of Elections, Fairfax County General Registrar Cameron Sasnett said that Virginia’s “off-off” year election usually results in a turnout of about 50 percent.

“We’re actually hoping that we might be a little bit higher than that this year. We did have record turnout last year here in Fairfax — almost 83 percent,” Sasnett said.

Sasnett believes that Virginia’s high-profile race for governor will help drive voters to the polls this fall.

In addition to the races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, all 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are up for grabs — among them 16 contested races in Northern Virginia. And Fairfax County voters will vote on a school bond referendum.

Sasnett is no fan of the term “off-off’ year. He said that Virginia’s unusual voting cycle (New Jersey is the only other state choosing its governor this November) is a good thing for those running.

“It gives the candidates a much better opportunity to get their message directly to the voters. It’s not lost in the bigger federal elections.”

From a partisan standpoint, Schaffer agrees.

“It does allow us to capitalize on what happened last year — the momentum that the Democrats have made. We (Virginia Democrats) don’t have two years to lose that momentum. Right now it’s what we have, so we make the best of it.”

In-person absentee voting continues through Nov. 3. Find detailed information on absentee voting from the and at the site.

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“Parents like the idea of having a credit card as an emergency fund,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. “What constitutes an emergency for you, the parent, is not an emergency for a kid.”

With that in mind, Kiplinger’s that might be right to put in your student’s wallet when he or she heads to college.

Discover It Chrome for College Students

Bodnar likes the for its returns and its proactive approach to scholarship.

“You can get 2 percent back on gas and restaurant spending, up to a certain limit, quarterly,” she said. “The card also gives students a $20 cash bonus each school year if they earn a GPA of 3.0 or higher.”

It also encourages on-time payments with a 0 percent interest rate for the first six months. Then it pops up to between 13.99 and 22.99 percent.

BankAmericard Cash Rewards for Students

The offers a bit more cash back (3 percent on gas, 2 percent at grocery stores) and offers an incentive to turn those rewards back into a Bank of America savings account.

The interest rate is zero percent for 12 months, then 13.99 to 23.99 percent.

Capital One Journey Student Card

Bodnar said the , like all Capital One cards, offers 1 percent back on all purchases.

“But it increases the total payback to 1.25 percent each month that a student pays the bill on time,” she said. “That’s really a habit that you want to encourage your child to get into.”

On the other hand, this card offers no interest rate grace period. It shoots right up to 24.99 percent.

Age and assets are also two important criteria in picking a student credit card, Bodnar said.

“By law, students who are younger than 21 have to have a co-signer on a card or they have to show proof of assets,” she said.

Plus, Discover and Capital One don’t permit co-signers.

Bodnar also urges you to NOT disconnect your student from bill-paying.

“Parents are usually the ones who are still paying the bills, so kids can easily run up a lot of charges on a credit card and really have no responsibility to pay said charges,” she said. “You’re trying to get them to learn to pay bills on time, but they don’t really have full responsibility yet.”

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Can you help? Animals moved from Harvey zone need forever homes

A bunch of animals taken out of Texas and Louisiana shelters before Hurricane Harvey will be available for adoption this weekend in the D.C. area. Find out where and when you can take one home — and see pictures too.

“Last Chance has been a great partner with us,” Rymer said.

“When they take these kitties out of the shelter, there’s room for the strays … [from] the hurricane,” said Cindy Sharpley, director of Last Chance Animal Rescue.

She said it will be a week for so before these cats are available for adoption: “We’re going to get ‘em checked in and squared away, get ‘em some good food, some de-wormer and vaccines. We’ll have the vet check ‘em out, get ‘em spayed and neutered – and they’ll be available for adoption soon.”

In the meantime, Sharpley said, animals they received from Texas, Louisiana and other states hit by Hurricane Harvey are ready to go. And they hope a lot of them will head to new forever homes on Saturday, Sept. 16. Last Chance is hosting Puppypalooza from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the PetSmart at 9041 Snowden Square Drive in Columbia, Maryland.

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“I lived in Florida long enough, so I know to have disaster kits ready to go,” said Sarah Miller, who recently moved to D.C. from Naples, Florida.

Food, “piddle pads” and an extra leash are the main items in Miller’s kit for Teddy, her Pomeranian.

Miller shared her wisdom at Kriser’s Natural Pet, the natural foods pet shop in Northwest D.C.

“You need to have your proper stuff ready, so in an emergency, you can just go,” said Robert Thomas, the store’s “pack leader” (i.e., general manager).

“You should have a leash. You should have a harness. You should have some sort of freeze-dried food. That way you don’t have to worry about cans. You can crumble it up; give it to them as a treat,” he said.

The exception to the “no-cans” rule, Thomas said, is for cats. They get much of their water from their food.

“So you might need to have more canned food than dry food for the cat. Because if you’re not able to get water to them, they still get their moisture from the canned food.”

Thomas also recommends anxiety pills for pets.

“There’s something called Happy Traveler and Tranquil Blend. You can be in a rush, and you don’t want them to take that anxiety on that you have.”

Many shelters take pets, but many more do not. The Department of Homeland Security, which has a Web page devoted to dealing with pets during emergencies, recommends you call ahead to find accommodations for your animals at your destination — be it vets, kennels or pet-friendly hotels.

DHS also says:

• Bring your pet’s paperwork along with your own vital documents.
• Make sure your animals’ collars or harnesses contain ID information.
• Bring sanitation supplies such as pet litter, paper towels, newspaper, plastic trash bags and household bleach.
• Bring pet toys or other items familiar to the animal.
• Bring a picture of you and your pet together.

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“You don’t want to be on it,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser said of the high-risk list, while announcing the change on Friday.

The label came about for many reasons, including inability to pay job counselors in a timely manner. It also meant extra federal oversight of $24 million a year D.C. receives in federal employment and training grants.

Deputy Mayor Courtney Snowden, who oversees the Department of Employment Services, recalled a 2015 meeting in Philadelphia with Labor Department officials.

“They had notebooks from one end of the table to the other with things that D.C. had not gotten right. And I said on behalf of our mayor, we would get that right. And we did that,” she said.

The change in status is very timely for Bowser, who’s expected to run for re-election next year. She used an event honoring graduates of the city’s LEAP program, which sets up ‘earn and learn’ programs for D.C. residents, to announce the status change — and to share some good economic numbers.

“To be specific, 22,300 more D.C. residents are working since January 2015, when I took office,” said Bowser.

In that same time, she said, the District’s unemployment rate has dropped by 1.1 percent (to 6.4 percent) — with much of that number driven by an increase in jobs in Wards 7 and 8.

“This is a good time in Washington, D.C.,” she added.

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At least seven Metro bus drivers refused to drive their assigned routes on the X2 line Friday morning after saying their safety concerns are being ignored.

“We’re not striking,” said Amalgamated Transit Union local 689 President Jackie Jeter. “What we’re saying is: Enough is enough, and we want you to keep us safe.”

The union tweeted Friday morning that operators are not refusing to drive, but requesting a police escort to protect both drivers and passengers.

X2 operators are not refusing to drive. They are requesting police escort to protect them and riders

— ATU Local 689 (@ATULocal689)

Metro has a different take. In an email, the agency called the drivers’ actions “an unauthorized and potentially unlawful labor action that is significantly impacting riders on the X2 line.”

The action, and disagreement, stems from the Aug. 26 incident in which 38-year-old Opal L. Brown allegedly threw a cup of urine on a Metrobus driver. Brown that she didn’t like the tone of the driver’s voice when the driver said “Have a nice day” to her.

Metro and ATU Local 689 spent Friday trading accusations in dueling news conferences, emailed statements and tweets.

“We have a great relationship with the union,” said Chief Ron Pavlik of the Metro Transit Police. “Ms. Jeter has a great relationship with us. She sends correspondence to our General Manager directly to me. They attend our local safety committee meetings.”

Union spokesman David Stephen differed on Metro-Union safety communication.

“Metro leadership is being completely dishonest,” he said in an email.

“Put frankly, it is a bald-faced lie. Metro has not had a meeting with union leadership about safety in over a year, and the methods that Metro claims it is using to protect workers and riders are not working.”

Less than an hour after the union sent that email, Metro sent out this tweet:

. Actually, most recent safety mtg was earlier *this week* w/GM, MTPD Chief & others. ‘s 1st VP & other reps were there.

— Metro (@WMATA)

Also, Metro and ATU 689 disagree on who is responsible for the X2 buses not showing up Friday morning.

Metro’s statement blames “Metrobus Operators refusing to provide bus service in a disruptive and unlawful job action.”

The union’s response: “The operators did not take X2 buses out of revenue service; that was a decision made by supervisors, and it was their decision that inconvenienced riders from getting to school and work.”

So when will X2 buses roll again?

Stephen told ������Ƶapp via email that “It is our hope and expectation that Metro leadership will address this issue [Friday].”

Metro’s smartphone app said X2 buses resumed operating just before 11 a.m. but to expect “continued delays due to an unauthorized union labor action.”

According to several tweets from the union, Brown is still free to ride Metrobuses, although she is banned from riding the X2 line. Multiple Metrobus operators have detailed various assaults by passengers, including being spat on and threatened.

We disagree with the order of the court to allow Opal Brown on Metro. Riders and workers are still in danger when she rides any bus or rail.

— ATU Local 689 (@ATULocal689)

Metro said in a statement that a third of buses are equipped with protective shields and all new buses will have them installed.

������Ƶapp’s Reem Nadeem contributed to this report.

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And the stock market has still been setting records these past few months.

But with two straight down weeks, is it time to once again heed the advice of William Devane, Pat Boone and a half-dozen other face-famous character actors in TV commercials?

“I think gold may have an undeserved reputation as a disaster hedge,” said Mark Hulbert, founder of the Hulbert Financial Digest and a senior columnist for MarketWatch.

“One shouldn’t blithely assume that gold is going to save you in the face of a crisis,” Hulbert told ������Ƶapp.

The price of gold has flip-flopped in the past few days. It rose when Washington and Pyongyang were trading insults. It fell as those tensions eased. It rose in the hours after the van attack in Barcelona, and rose again on the heels of several pessimistic earnings reports.

Gold then fell on word Friday that Steven Bannon was exiting the White House as chief strategist.

So the question is, who needs that kind of short-term volatility? Nobody, according to financial blogger Markos Kaminis, who’s known as the “Wall Street Geek.”

“Gold remains well-suited for long-term investors seeking efficient portfolio diversification and wealth preservation,” he wrote to subscribers.

Making the case for gold is the appropriately named Maxwell Gold, director of investment strategy at ETF Securities.

“The terror attacks in Spain are reminding investors of the need to hedge their portfolios against geopolitical risk,” he told CNBC. “Trump’s domestic behavior is making investors nervous about how he will handle delicate foreign issues, even though talk of firing nuclear missiles on North Korea has eased.”

On the other hand, Hulbert said, check the history books.

“If you go back and look at history, gold has a spotty record in the face of geopolitical crises. Sometimes it goes up … but there are many times in which it hasn’t.

One study, he said, “looked at the worst months for the stock market, which are the ones correlated with these geopolitical crises. Gold ended up falling half the time of those months that were so bad for the stock market.”

On Friday, gold futures briefly traded above $1,300 before closing at $1,285.70.

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Amazon has launched a new service called Instant Pickup, which promises “a curated selection of daily essentials available for pickup in two minutes or less.”

It’s testing the new service on five college campuses, including the University of Maryland.

“Instant Pickup is another way Amazon is making life more convenient for Prime members,” said Ripley MacDonald, director of Amazon’s student programs, in a company news release.

“As shopping behaviors continue to evolve, customers consistently tell us that they want items even faster. Whether it’s a snack on the go, replacing a lost phone charger in the middle of a hectic day or adding Alexa to your life with an Echo, Instant Pickup saves Prime members time,” MacDonald said.

Instant pickup is available to Amazon’s Prime and Prime Student members. Depending on the item you order, you can also get same-day or next-day delivery.  Items available with Instant Pickup include snacks, drinks and electronics, as well as some of Amazon’s most popular devices.

The first five Instant Pickup locations going live Tuesday are in College Park; Atlanta; Los Angeles and Berkeley, California; and Columbus, Ohio.

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One expert who thinks about such things wants to make this very clear from the outset:

“We’ll have much bigger things to worry about if we go to war with North Korea,” said Mark Hulbert, the author of the . “So it’s almost unbecoming, or even inappropriate, for us to be even be talking about what we should do with our portfolios.”

He added that ignoring your money during a geopolitical crisis is a good thing.

“It turns out that in this particular case, doing nothing with your portfolio is the right thing to do, anyway,” Hulbert said.

“The best advice in the face of a crisis is NOT to sell.

“The worst thing, almost all historians of the market will tell you, is to sell into a panic,” he said.

“The low that is set after a panic hits the market almost always is a good buying opportunity. So if you really want to be gutsy, you should go out and buy.”

The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based analyst cited a study of 51 historical crises.

Ned Davis Research found that, more often than not, the stock market rebounds in fairly short order.

Hulbert said the best example of this in recent years is after the terror attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, when the Dow Jones industrial average lost about 17 percent of its value in the five days after the attacks.

“Within six months, the Dow was higher than it was on September 10th,” he said. “People who ended up selling into the panic got 100 percent of the decline, and none of that recovery — because chances are they didn’t get back in until much later.”

Doing nothing may go against every investment instinct, but Hulbert said a big-time global crisis is the time to get your nose out of the computer screen.

“Think about it this way: If military conflict with North Korea does erupt, we help no one by compounding the crisis by doing something stupid in our portfolios,” he said.

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Mission Services Inc. says it chose to stay in Tysons Corner over bids from cities in Maryland, Colorado, Florida, Ohio and Texas.

The deciding factor, according to MSI President Venkatesh Joshi, was access.

“Tysons Corner, Virginia’s largest office market, is one of the leading business centers in the United States, and the of the Fairfax County business community has allowed Mission Services, Inc. ease of access to not only our clients, but also our business partner,” he said in a company statement.

“Proximity to Washington D.C., Dulles Airport, and Metro’s Silver Line increases our ability to conduct business face-to-face, and reach a diverse employee base,” Joshi said.

Founded in 2010, MSI emphasizes intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, systems engineering, and program management support. MSI has staff deployed on four continents providing support to federal government and private-sector clients.

The firm said it planned to invest $820,000 to expand its current Jones Branch Drive location.

“Currently, we’re in about 1,400 square feet — and we’re about to double in space,” said Alexis Samuel, operations manager for MIS.

Samuel predicts further expansion in the future.

“We’re very confident that 400 is probably going to be the minimum,” she said.

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“We need an extension of our lease, and we need the covenant removed that restricts the use of that land to only a sports and entertainment use,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said earlier this week.

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is to extend the District’s lease with the Park Service by 50 years — for a total of 100 years. The deal would be for the 190 acres that currently house RFK Stadium, its parking lots and some waterfront land.

But Bowser also asked President Donald Trump to just — along with three golf courses and Franklin Square in downtown D.C. So far, the president has not responded.

Bowser says D.C. remains interested in building a new stadium for the Washington Redskins — or an arena that could be a new home to the Capitals and Wizards. But renderings of the RFK complex envision a gathering place for several interests.

The “” campaign calls for the following:

• Three multipurpose public recreation and community playing fields.
• A market hall next to Kingman Park that will offer concessions, prepared food and groceries.
• A sports and recreation complex for families, youth and amateur sports.
• Three pedestrian bridges connecting the site to Kingman and Heritage Islands and improving pedestrian flow and access.
• A memorial to Robert F. Kennedy that will be a place to gather and educate the next generation.

But Bowser also is championing a new element she says is vital to the area’s long-term stability.

“Any time you have that much land, it has to be considered for housing,” she said.

is in the final weeks of its final season at RFK. It’s moving to a new stadium at Buzzard’s point. Its final regular season home game is scheduled for Oct. 22. RFK has booked a football game on Sept. 22 between Georgetown and Harvard.

While there are no other event listed on the , the stadium remains available.

In an official statement, Events DC wrote:

There is no end date to close RFK Stadium. Events DC is continuing to plan events throughout the RFK Campus, including the Stadium, for the foreseeable future. At this time, D.C. United regular season games and the Georgetown-Harvard football game are the events booked in the Stadium until the playing surface is closed for the winter. Events DC and D.C. United are in constant communication to ensure the team needs are met as they construct and transition into their new facility. Events DC is having meaningful conversations with a variety of event promoters about utilizing the Stadium during and following the D.C. United transition.

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Now, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced Wednesday that nearly $264,000 will go toward two projects at Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland. That figure includes Trump’s $78,333, as well as donations from both an anonymous party and three nonprofits.

And in April, press secretary Sean Spicer presented the National Park Service with a check for $78,333 — one quarter of the president’s annual take-home pay.

“I’m deeply honored and humbled to deliver the donation to Antietam National Battlefield on behalf of President Trump,” said Zinke. “The president’s donation will allow generations of Americans to learn about our history and heritage on this sacred site.”

The money will help restore the historic Newcomer House near the battle site, as well as about 5,000 feet of rail fencing.

Zinke made the announcement standing where tens of thousands of Americans fell in battle. Antietam was the site of the bloodiest one-day battle in U.S. history, claiming over 22,000 casualties on Sept. 17, 1862.

Zinke also announced $7.2 million in additional grants to help identify, preserve and protect America’s historic battlefields.

I’m honored to announce $185,000 in funds to match salary which together will restore Antietam historic sites

— Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke)

The historic Newcomer House at will be restored with salary donation and matching funds

— Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke)

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