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Ohio governor visits hospitals, talks to families as decision on gender-affirming care ban looms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

BEXLEY, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has been visiting hospitals and speaking with families helped and harmed by gender-affirming care as he decides what action to take on legislation preventing minors from obtaining such treatments, he told The Associated Press in a year-end interview Thursday.“I’m trying to learn as much as I can to make a good decision,” he said during the sitdown at the Governor’s Residence, where he also discussed implementation of the state’s new recreational marijuana law, term limits, abortion, the death penalty and the 2024 U.S. Senate race. DeWine has until Dec. 29 to either sign or veto the gender-affirming care bill, which also blocks transgender student athletes from playing girls’ and women’s sports, or he can allow it to become law without his signature.He said he cleared his calendar this week in order to visit three Ohio children’s hospitals — in Akron, Cincinnati and Columbus — to study the issue....

'We are not all bad': Migrants stuck waiting at O'Hare, facing uncertain future in latest kick of 'political football' from Texas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

CHICAGO — Just as Chicago emptied its police stations of asylum seekers, there's a new path to the city, and it's been opened by the governor of Texas.For months, O'Hare International Airport has been a temporary waystation for migrants newly arriving to Chicago as they await shelter. Now, O'Hare is back in the spotlight, as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott begins a new campaign to “fly” migrants to Chicago in what's now become a game of "political football" with human lives.On Tuesday evening, Abbott's office confirmed that Texas emergency management officials chartered a private plane from El Paso to O'Hare carrying approximately 100 migrants.Facing the threat of fines and the impoundment of the “buses” that have carried migrants to Chicago to this point, Abbott says he’ll now send them by plane. At approximately 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, 120 migrants were dropped at a private terminal at O'Hare without warning.On Thursday, WGN investigative reporter Ben Bradley spent some time with the migrants n...

Joliet man, 21, charged with murder in killing of his mother, Joliet Police Dept. announces

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. — A Joliet man has been charged with the murder of his mother after being taken into custody, the Joliet Police Department announced Thursday.Justen Holman, 21, was processed and transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility on a charge of first-degree murder.According to police, Holman was taken into custody on Wednesday in the 1500 block of North Larkin Ave. in Joliet after indicating to officers that he had recently killed someone at his residence in the 6400 block of Langsford Lane.Police say officers located Holman's 48-year-old mother at the Langsford Lane residence. According to police, she appeared to have sustained gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead by the Will County Coroner's Office.Officers recovered the handgun believed to be used in the shooting, according to police.In a Wednesday news release, police said officers responded to a parking lot in the 1500 block of North Larkin Ave. after a 911 call was received from a 21-year-old male wishing t...

CDC warns of Covid surge, urges updated shots

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Top health officials are warning of a Covid surge ahead of the holidays because many Americans have not received their updated shots.According to the latest CDC data, nursing homes have some of the lowest vaccination rates but are home to the highest concentration of vulnerable people."This is where Covid likes to hit," said Dr. Francesca Ceddia, the chief medical affairs officer at Moderna. "People in nursing homes are being visited from external people. There is a risk that you're actually bringing in the disease."The data shows less than one in four residents and only two percent of staff are up to date on their Covid shots. Unlike the beginning of the pandemic, Ceddia said the issue is not limited supply."It's more a problem of fatigue, sometimes misinformation," she said.Ceddia said the focus on nursing homes is so important because they are usually an early warning sign of what will happen to the general public."Getting those vaccination rates up is real...

Traveler carrying $4M worth of ketamine stopped at Detroit airport

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – A man arriving at Detroit Metro Airport from France never made it past customs after law enforcement discovered he was carrying an estimated $4 million worth of drugs in suitcases.According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations, the man arrived at the airport on Dec. 13 with 110 pounds of ketamine in two large pieces of luggage.CBP said the traveler, a U.K. citizen, told customs officers he was transporting the bags for a family member. A man carrying $4M worth of ketamine was stopped at Detroit Metro Airport earlier this month. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)The ketamine was confiscated and the man sent back to France, CBP confirmed in a news release. The release did not say whether the man faces any potential charges. He is currently prohibited from entering the U.S.“Our drug interdiction mission is vital to protecting our nation and our communities from thedangers of illicit substances,” said Acting Port Director...

Humanitarian crisis grows in Gaza

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - The White House says it is hoping a temporary ceasefire deal happens soon, this comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grows more dire by the day. A new U.N. report finds upwards of half a million people inside Gaza are now starving.The Biden administration says it's highly engaged in talks with members of the U.N. Security Council which is pushing a resolution designed to increase resources into the territory."There is an immense amount of suffering inside Gaza,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.Following the opening of a second pathway into Gaza, Kirby says more trucks carrying vital resources like water are making their way into the region.Thursday, the U.N. reported more than 570,000 people inside Gaza are facing a catastrophic food crisis.International groups like the World Food Programme say a ceasefire is the only way to stop the suffering."Like 1 in every 4 people is starving," said WFP chief economist Arif Husain.The World...

FDA approves genetic test to assess patient's risk of developing an opioid addiction

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tuesday the first test to detect if someone might be at an increased risk of developing opioid use disorder by looking at their DNA before they are exposed to opioids for the first time. AutoGenomics, Inc. developed the AvertD test to be used in clinical evaluations before a patient is prescribed opioids for acute pain management, such as prior to a planned surgical procedure. MORE: Drug overdoses leading cause of Travis County accidental deaths in 2022 It works by a healthcare provider swabbing a patient's cheek and collecting a DNA sample that is used to assess whether a patient has a combination of genetic variants that could be associated with an increased risk for developing opioid use disorder. The AvertD test is intended only for adult patients who have consented to the procedure. “[This is] very positive. I think it's always helpful to have another tool in our toolbox to help address the opioid crisis...

Marble Falls group developing city's 1st inclusive playground

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

MARBLE FALLS, Texas (KXAN) — A group of Marble Falls residents are in the process of developing an inclusive playground in the community for people of all abilities to enjoy.The Marble Falls Inclusive Play Group is working to raise $1.4 million to design and construct Wyatt's Clubhouse, an inclusive playground designed to be accessible for everybody. It's a mission that's personal for Ashley Crouse, secretary of the board behind Marble Falls Inclusive Play Group."My son experienced a [traumatic brain injury] when he was 15 months old — that was in 2019. And after that, he had some disabilities. He can't walk, he's wheelchair-bound," she said. "When we were trying to go to the local playgrounds here in Marble Falls, there was no wheelchair access. There are no swings that he can swing on. It was just very limiting."Those limitations sparked Crouse's desire to create a space that's inclusive for children and visitors of all abilities and capabilities. She pointed to the Play for All A...

Mission accomplished: St. Paul Public Works fills every pothole in the city

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

It’s taken more than two months of overtime work on Saturdays to get it done, but St. Paul Public Works has patched potholes on all of St. Paul’s streets before the season’s first major snowfall.“We did go up and down every street in the city as part of this route-patching, which I don’t know that we’ve ever done,” said St. Paul Public Works Director Sean Kershaw on Thursday. “It was a big accomplishment.”The challenge was glaringly apparent to motorists who ventured into the city during spring thaw: a record-setting snow season last winter and heavy snow and ice accumulation during rain and freeze-thaw cycles made corridors of ugly, hard-to-navigate mincemeat out of many of the city’s streets.An extended pothole-filling seasonKershaw recalled the day in June when members of his department came into his office and broke the news to him that the typical complaint-driven approach to summer pothole patching wouldn’t cut ...

Vikings have lengthy injury report ahead of Lions game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

It seems as if the Vikings could be without some important players when they play host to the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve.For the second straight day, the Vikings were shorthanded during practice at TCO Performance Center. The lengthy injury report on Thursday included the continued absence of right tackle Brian O’Neill (ankle), running back Alexander Mattison (ankle), receiver Jalen Nailor (concussion), defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (back) and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (knee).Though it doesn’t necessarily means all of those players will miss the game on Christmas Eve, the fact that none of them are practicing isn’t a good sign for the Vikings.Asked specifically about O’Neill and Mattison, who missed last week’s game against the Bengals in Cincinnati, head coach Kevin O’Connell said both players are getting treatment around the clock with hopes of being available as soon as possible.Will that be in time for Sunday’s game against th...