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Idalia strengthens into a hurricane, chases Florida residents away from vulnerable coast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Idalia strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday and barreled toward Florida’s Gulf Coast as authorities warned residents of vulnerable areas to pack up and leave to escape the twin threats of high winds and devastating flooding.Idalia was churning in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 storm, but it was projected to come ashore early Wednesday as a Category 3 system with sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle bends into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend region.On the island of Cedar Key, Commissioner Sue Colson joined other city officials in packing up documents and electronics at City Hall. She had a message for the almo...

Professional Women’s Hockey League unveils its Original 6. 3 teams based in the US and 3 in Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin and their U.S. and Canadian national hockey team contemporaries now have a firm idea of where they’ll be playing in January.The newly founded Professional Women’s Hockey League unveiled its Original Six franchises on Tuesday, with franchises based in NHL markets — three in the United States and three in Canada — with track records of supporting the women’s game.Boston, New York City’s tri-state area and Minneapolis-St. Paul were the U.S. sites selected as homes for the yet-to-be named teams. The Canadian franchises will be based in the nation’s three largest northeastern centers of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.The PWHL also announced that each team will have a 10-day window to sign three free agents through Sept. 10, before holding a 15-round draft on Sept. 18. Teams can sign no more than 20 players to contracts before training camps open in November.Teams will play a 24-game schedule, which is expected to overlap with the wome...

Boston No Longer Requires Gender on Marriage Certificates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

Bostonians will no longer have to identify their sex or gender on marriage certificates, and city workers will operate under new guidance designed to better acknowledge varied gender identities, officials announced Tuesday.The city launched “gender aware guidelines and standards” for a variety of services, aiming to promote more inclusive language and communication involving residents who identify as transgender or nonbinary, according to Chief of Equity and Inclusion Mariangely Solis Cervera.City employees received new guidance on understanding when it’s appropriate and necessary to inquire about a constituent’s gender identity as well as standards outlining the best way to pose those questions and broach topics like pronouns and chosen names.In a related step, City Hall on Tuesday began issuing marriage certificates without listing sex or gender for the involved parties.“A marriage certificate is a symbol of love and commitment. But unfortunately, for...

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to cover Narcan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announced Tuesday that it will cover the overdose reversal medication Narcan.The insurer said its coverage of Narcan for over-the-counter, non-prescription use will involve no cost share to members in Massachusetts.“Naloxone has become the standard treatment for opioid overdose and making it available more widely is a key strategy in controlling the overdose crisis,” said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts chief medical officer Dr. Sandhya Rao. “Waiving out-of-pocket costs for this emergency medication aligns with our commitment to ensuring our members have access to the substance use disorder treatment they need, when they need it – especially critical as opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts continue to rise.”Massachusetts experienced 2,357 confirmed and estimated fatal opioid-related overdoses in 2022, a new record high, according to Department of Public Health data published in June.The U.S....

Dementia risk grows with increased exposure to air pollution, study finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

Tony Briscoe | Los Angeles Times (TNS)LOS ANGELES — Long-term exposure to one of the most prevalent types of air pollution may increase the risk of developing dementia, a debilitating neurological disease associated with memory loss and reduced cognitive function, according to a new study.Researchers at the University of Michigan have concluded that people living with higher levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, could face a greater risk of being stricken with dementia, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.Scientists monitored the cognitive health of nearly 28,000 people aged 50 or older living across the United States between 1998 and 2016. Fifteen percent of this group developed dementia, and those who lived in areas with more PM2.5 were more likely to succumb to the neurodegenerative illness.Based on those results, the study estimates fine particulate pollution may be responsible for 188,000 dementia diagnoses each year in the...

After Supreme Court curtails federal power, Biden administration weakens clean water protections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

By MICHAEL PHILLIS, MATTHEW DALY and JOHN FLESHER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration weakened regulations protecting millions of acres of wetlands Tuesday, saying it had no choice after the Supreme Court sharply limited the federal government’s jurisdiction over them. The rule would require that wetlands be more clearly connected to other waters like oceans and rivers, a policy shift that departs from a half-century of federal rules governing the nation’s waterways.Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said the agency had no alternative after the Supreme Court sharply limited the federal government’s power to regulate wetlands that do not have a “continuous surface connection” to larger, regulated bodies of water. Justices boosted property rights over concerns about clean water in a May ruling in favor of an Idaho couple who sought to build a house near a lake. Chantell and Michael Sackett had object...

What happens if your mortgage company goes bankrupt?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

Erik J. Martin | Bankrate.com (TNS)Banks, like any other business, can close or go bankrupt. And while it doesn’t happen often, when it does it can send shock waves throughout the financial world. Case in point: the banking crisis over the weekend of March 10, when the failure of first Silicon Valley Bank and then Signature Bank led to sharp drops in the stock market and in mortgage rates.It’s natural to wonder what happens to you and your loan if your mortgage company goes bankrupt. The fallout will vary depending on exactly where you were in the mortgage process.What happens if your mortgage company goes bankrupt?What does a mortgage company collapse mean for your personal financial world? You might be wondering if that gives you a get-out-of-jail free card. Unfortunately, the answer is no. You will still have to make payments on your loan.Generally, if your loan had already closed before the bankruptcy occurred and you’ve received the funds, your loan shouldn’t be affected at all...

Editorial: Little makes sense about the shooting at Sox game. Mayor Johnson could start by answering questions.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

At the ballpark, foul balls can hurt. But no one goes to baseball expecting to have to watch for flying bullets.Yet on Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field, that’s what happened to two female fans in the middle of the fourth inning. A pair of bullets, or so it seems, hit the leg of one woman and grazed the abdomen of the other. As we write, that’s about all we know for sure. Mayor Brandon Johnson has said nothing more of note.There is so little known, and so much wrong, with what happened Friday that we don’t know where to start.But we’ll begin with this. When gun violence is a constant, it is easy to become inured to its consequences, both in terms of the safety of Chicagoans and its impact on the city’s reputation. In the latter case especially, Friday was a disaster for the White Sox and Chicago. It’s remarkable how little outrage has been expressed or how little explanation for what happened has been demanded by the news media.That’s because ...

See which drugs President Biden is targeting first for Medicare price-lowering talks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

By TOM MURPHY, AMANDA SEITZ and CHRIS MEGERIAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is targeting the blood thinner Eliquis, diabetes treatment Jardiance and eight other medications for Medicare’s first-ever drug price negotiations as it seeks to lower medical costs for Americans.The administration on Tuesday released a list of the 10 drugs for which prices will be negotiated directly with the manufacturer. The move is expected to cut costs for many patients, but it faces litigation from drugmakers and heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers, and it will be years before consumers notice any savings.The effort is a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s reelection pitch as the Democrat seeks to show Americans he’s deserving of a second term because of the work he’s doing to lower costs for them while the country is struggling with inflation. But like the drug negotiations, many of Biden’s biggest policy moves take time to rol...

Former Cubs President Theo Epstein sells Lakeview home after purchasing a $12M mansion in Connecticut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:21 GMT

Former Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein and his wife, Marie, on Friday sold their six-bedroom, 7,000-square-foot brick and limestone mansion in Lakeview for $3.5 million. The sale follows their purchase last year of an $11.9 million mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut.Now a consultant for Major League Baseball, Epstein oversaw the Cubs’ baseball operations from 2011 until stepping down in November 2021. That included leading the team to the 2016 World Series title.In Lakeview, Epstein and his wife paid $3.25 million in late 2011 for the mansion, which at that time was newly built. They outbid then-Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Sharp for the mansion.The Epsteins first listed the mansion in September 2022 for $3.6 million through a real estate agents’ private listing network, and the house briefly went under contract. After that deal fell through, the Epsteins and listing agent Jeff Lowe of Compass listed it publicly at a higher, $3.75 million asking price.The couple th...