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MedWatch Digest: Americans are getting shorter — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

For Jan. 2, WGN’s Dina Baur has the latest on new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Respiratory illnesses on the riseA trifecta of respiratory illnesses will soon get worse, but it also depends on where you live. CDC data shows COVID-19 and flu cases are on the rise while RSV cases have remained high. In the last week of 2023, close to 30,000 new patients were hospitalized for COVID-19, the highest since last January. Another 14,000 Americans were hospitalized for the flu. Part of the problem remains low vaccination rates for COVID-19, flu and RSV.A CDC map of infections shows they're the highest in New Mexico and in southeastern states. While the lowest are in Montana, Nebraska, Vermont, and West Virginia. Popular inhaler now harder to get As of Jan. 1, 2024, the Flovent inhaler that thousands of asthma patients rely on, is no longer available. While there's a generic version available, it's more difficult to get. The manufacturer behind the inhal...

Why would anyone use 'silent karaoke?' This is why.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

Why would someone use "silent karaoke?" Tuesday's WGN Morning News 9@9 segment with Larry Potash, Robin Baumgarten, Pat Tomasulo and Paul Konrad — plus a cameo from Dan Ponce — shows you exactly why. 6@6: A dating theory, expensive mobile homes, a haunted penthouse and more! Dean’s A-List Interview: Dan Levy

Harvard president resigns amid plagiarism claims, backlash from antisemitism testimony

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.Gay announced her departure, which came just months into her tenure, in a letter to the Harvard community.She and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania came under fire last month for their lawyerly answers to a line of questioning from New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate the colleges’ code of conduct. The three presidents had been called before the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce to answer accusations that universities were failing to protect Jewish students amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel’s intensifying war in Gaza, which faces heightened criticis...

'Finally free:' Gypsy Rose Blanchard has busy first week after release

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

(NewsNation) — Gypsy Rose Blanchard, released from a Missouri prison last week after serving eight years, shared a message with her supporters on social media."I'm finally free," she said in a video posted over the weekend on TikTok and Instagram.Blanchard, 32, spent the better part of the last decade in prison after admitting in court to asking her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to kill her mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, who experts say likely suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. Godejohn was given a life sentence after being found guilty for his part in Dee Dee Blanchard's death. Gypsy Rose Blanchard said years of physical and psychological abuse are what drove her to commit the 2015 crime. Throughout Gypsy Rose Blanchard's childhood, her mother fabricated symptoms and subjected her to false medical diagnoses and treatments for conditions including leukemia and muscular dystrophy. She was forced to use a wheelchair and a feeding tube, though she didn't need either. ...

Attempted kidnapping thwarted at Florida Walmart, video shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida man is facing charges after he allegedly attempted to kidnap a 4-year-old child at a Walmart on Friday.The Lee County Sheriff's Office said the incident, which was caught on camera, happened on Dec. 29 at a Walmart in Lehigh Acres. The suspect, Pablo Pintueles Hernandez, attempted to take the 4-year-old away from his family by grabbing the boy by the wrist, according to surveillance footage posted to Facebook by Lee County deputies. He also allegedly told the child, "Let's go," when he grabbed the boy, officials wrote. Frontier flies unaccompanied minor to Puerto Rico instead of Cleveland As seen in the video, a family member pulls the boy away from the suspect within seconds. The suspect is then seen walking away after what appears to be a verbal interaction with the family member.Deputies later arrested Pintueles Hernandez at his home for false imprisonment of a child 13 years old and under. "What this criminal did is incredibly disturbing,"...

VOTE: Help us choose the best KXAN viewer photo of December 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows the latest forecast from the KXAN First Warning Weather team.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here at KXAN, we get hundreds of photos sent to us each month by viewers just like you.We want to showcase some of the best pictures we receive, so we narrowed them down to our 10 favorites for the month.Help us choose the best viewer photo of December 2023. Look through the 10 pictures below, then vote for your favorite. The winning photo will move on to represent December in the best viewer photos of the year.If you’d like to submit a photo for January, email it to [email protected]. Be on the lookout as KXAN may contact you to send a permission form so we can use your photo on air and online. All submissions must be taken in January 2024.Here are the options for December, in no particular order.On the Road AgainTaylor, Dec. 9. Courtesy Ryan Newsom/Newsom Photography.Sunset in Taylor on Dec. 9, 2023. (Courtesy Ryan Newsom/Newsom Photography)Road to ...

Sheriff's office seizes over 15 kilos of meth in largest Travis County meth seizure in 20 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Travis County Sheriff's Office released details on its largest meth seizure in over 20 years, following the indictment of the person who was responsible for it, according to a release from TCSO. In August, the TCSO Vice Unit recieved information about alleged large-scale drug trafficking activities by Juan Jose Cardenas-Flores and began investigating, according to the release. During the investigation, Cardenas-Flores was linked to a robbery that was being investigated by the Austin Police Department. TCSO Vice investigators and APD robbery detectives, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, developed enough information to issue a robbery arrest warrant and search warrant, which were executed on Oct. 5. Sheriff's office seizes over 15 kilos of meth in largest Travis County meth seizure in 20 years (Travis County Sheriff's Office photo) Sheriff's office seizes over 15 kilos of meth in largest Travis County meth seizure in 20 years (Travis Count...

Sticking to your New Year's resolutions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

WACO, Texas (FOX 44) - In typical January fashion, gyms will see lots of traffic this month - with people trying to stay true to their New Year's resolutions. FOX 44 News caught up with a health professional to learn the secret to staying committed and disciplined in the new year. Dr. David Winter shared that according to a recent study, "One week after people make a resolution, 25% of them drop it. You look at two months out, 80% of people have abandoned their New Year's resolutions." So how can you successfully accomplish your resolutions for 2024? Winters said the resolution needs to be three things — reasonable, obtainable and specific. He recommends journaling or keeping a diary as a way of staying on track, and also to share your resolutions with a friend who will keep you accountable all year long. The most common resolutions are eating better and exercising more in order to lose weight. Winters says, "Those are pretty broad ideas. If you really want to make those work, need ...

Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov week to week with lower-body injury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

The Wild’s injury issues have gone from difficult to potentially catastrophic.Already playing, and surviving, without Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin for the better part of a month, Minnesota went through its morning skate Tuesday without its top goaltender and points leader.Goalie Filip Gustavsson was placed on injured reserve on Monday, meaning he must miss at least seven days, and on Tuesday morning it was announced Kirill Kaprizov is week to week with an upper-body injury.Marcus Foligno, who didn’t go through the entire skate Tuesday, is a game-time decision for Tuesday’s 7 p.m. home game against Calgary. Mats Zuccarello went through his first team skate since he scored the winning goal in a shootout victory over Vancouver on Dec. 16 but Hynes said there is no change to his status. He is week to week with an upper-body injury.Kaprizov is second on the team with 13 goals and has a team-high 34 points. He left a 4-2 loss at Winnipeg last Saturday after taking a couple of cr...

PLAN AHEAD: Concerts coming to St. Louis in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Mark your calendars. If you’re looking to plan ahead for a bucket-list concert in 2024, the St. Louis area has plenty of options for you.FOX 2 has compiled a list of several top artists and bands paying a visit to St. Louis this year. Indoors and outdoors, the upcoming slate features many big names and award-winning talents from lots of genres.Take a look at these options for your next potential concert:BUSCH STADIUMJuly 6 – Def Leppard and JourneyCHAIFETZ ARENAFeb. 10 – Parker McCollumFeb. 18 - Tyrese and Anthony HamiltonMarch 1 - Keyisha Cole, Trey Songz, Jaheim and K. MichelleApril 6 - Zac Brown BandApril 27 - Greta Van FleetDOME AT AMERICA’S CENTERAug. 10 - P!NKENTERPRISE CENTERFeb. 6 - EaglesMarch 12 - Olivia RodrigoMarch 22 - Tim McGrawMay 2/3 - Zach BryanJuly 6 - AJRAug. 10 - blink-182FACTORY (CHESTERFIELD)Feb. 17 - Band of HorsesFeb. 26 - Dropkick MurphysMarch 1 - Three Dog NightApril 2 - Steve HackettApril 4 - Wheeler Walker Jr. FOREST PARKSept. 28-29 – Evolutio...