Schools declared Ground Zero for bed bugs

This may help you feel less awkward about handing your kids' playdates giant Ziplocs for their backpacks and coats: "I'm calling for a full on war against bedbugs starting in the public school system," Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer tells the Daily News in a story noting that bed bug cases in NYC public schools have nearly tripled to 336 in the first two months of this year versus 135 this time last year.  Stringer wants the city to hire a search-and-destroy army of inspectors and exterminators, and some schools are apparently already taking extreme measures like putting coats and bookbags into sealed containers to control the spread.  For more info on keeping the school's bed bugs out of your home, check out our Back to School Advice for the Paranoid and Merely Cautious. (NY Daily News)