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Flu is on the rise while RSV infections may be peaking, U.S. health officials say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

NEW YORK — Flu is picking up steam while RSV lung infections that can hit kids and older people hard may be peaking, U.S. health officials said Friday.COVID-19, though, continues to cause the most hospitalizations and deaths among respiratory illnesses — about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths every week, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The agency is also looking into reports of pneumonia outbreaks in children in two states, but Cohen said “there is no evidence” that they are due to anything unusual.As for the flu season, seven states were reporting high levels of flu-like illnesses in early November. In a new CDC report on Friday, the agency said the tally was up to 11 states — mostly in the South and Southwest.In the last month, RSV infections rose sharply in some parts of the country, nearly filling hospital emergency departments in Georgia, Texas and some other states. But “we think we’re near the peak o...

Broncos prepare for Texans QB C.J. Stroud: “It’s unusual what he’s accomplishing as a rookie”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

Russell Wilson understands what it’s like to set the league on fire in his first season. So when he said Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud “is having one of the best rookie years ever,” it might be wise to take the Broncos signal caller’s word for it.Stroud’s numbers through 11 games have been impressive. He is second in the league in passing yards (3,266), tied for seventh in touchdown passes (19) and has the eighth-best quarterback rating at 62.7.He added to his impressive resume when he was named the AFC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Month for November. Stroud is the second rookie quarterback in NFL history to win Player of the Month, joining the Browns’ Deshaun Watson.“It’s not luck, it’s who he is,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “Watching the tape — the reads, the accuracy, the poise — it’s all there. What you’re watching and what you’re reading — it’s for real.”But as much admiration Wilson and the rest of the team have for Stroud, the Broncos understand tha...

Chicago and other northern U.S. cities scramble to house migrants with coldest weather just ahead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago is scrambling to house hundreds of asylum-seekers who are still sheltering on sidewalks, at police stations and at the city’s busiest airport as the cold weather sets in and with winter just around the corner.The country’s third-largest city announced a partnership with religious leaders this week to house 400 of the migrants in churches. But with nighttime temperatures dropping below freezing and chillier conditions still ahead, more than 1,000 were still living at police stations or at O’Hare International Airport as of Friday, according to the city dashboard.“As winter fast approaches, our need for greater collaboration and coordination grows. And that is why we are mobilizing Chicago’s faith community and our partners in the philanthropic community to meet this moment,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a news conference announcing the partnership.More than 23,000 asylum-seekers have been bused to Chicago from Texas since the start of the year, according to t...

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy hospitalized after shootout

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy was airlifted to a trauma center following a deadly shootout on Friday.The incident happened at an ARCO gas station near Amethyst and Bear Valley Roads around 1:43 p.m., according to SBSD.Authorities received calls reporting a man who was armed with a gun. A sheriff’s sergeant was the first to arrive at the scene. The suspect immediately began firing at the deputy, striking him multiple times, officials said.The deputy returned gunfire during the shootout, eventually killing the suspect. The deputy, who has not been identified, was airlifted to the hospital with gunshot wounds.A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy was airlifted to a trauma center following a shootout at a Victorville gas station on Dec. 1, 2023. (Venice Gamble)A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy was airlifted to a trauma center following a shootout at a Victorville gas station on Dec. 1, 2023. (Venice Gamble)A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy was airlifted ...

Police release video of shooting at Calabasas restaurant

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

Warning: This video contains profanity and disturbing subject matter. We omitted footage that shows the actual shooting.Footage released on Friday shows the terror that unfolded in the streets of Woodland Hills and Calabasas when a homeless man first attacked someone with a machete and then ran into a popular restaurant where he was fatally shot by police.The incident took place on Nov. 1 when 911 dispatchers received a call from a man who said he had been attacked by another man with a machete at the McDonald's at Mulholland Drive near the 101 Freeway."I was able to get away from him, and then he kept attacking me," the victim told the 911 dispatcher.Benjamin Pritchard (LAPD)“We need to get in control of these homeless people,” he added. The man said he was not seriously hurt and did not require a paramedic. His attacker, later identified as Benjamin Pritchard, 35, had dropped the machete and was wandering through the parking lot of the busy shopping center when police arrived.Dash...

Southern California high school coach sentenced to 2 years in prison for sex crimes against student

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

A former Southern California high school coach has been sentenced after pleading guilty to one felony count of sending harmful matter to a child, the Ventura County District Attorney's office announced Friday.Aaron James Mora of Oxnard was sentenced to two years in prison and is required to register as a sex offender for life. He also admitted to “special allegations that the victim was vulnerable and that he took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offense,” a news release said.Mora, a former track coach at Oxnard’s Pacifica High School in 2022, pleaded guilty to the felony count on Oct. 17. Riverside detectives arrest two suspects involved in ‘skimming’ fraud The 25-year-old began texting an underage female student and sent inappropriate sexual images of himself to the victim, according to the attorney’s office.“It is critical that we protect children and vulnerable victims,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Edward Andrews said in a statement.“A coach is ...

The Heat Check: Las Vegas 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

It’s time for the MJBiz Con Heat Check 2022. We dug through the suits to see who had the fire in Las Vegas this year. The new dedicated smoking section made it even easier than years past and we certainly weren’t disappointed. The best part was seeing the different flavors people brought from all over!Here they are, starting with Tomi from Lineage Technologies in Canada sparking a fat blunt loaded with hash too. LA’s own Shaggy Brown had some Rainbow Sherbert x Criminally OG from the Russian Assassin Boys.Eddie from Gold Leaf Packaging in Alabama had some prerolls with flower grown out by his clients at Constellation. Adrian from Farma Farms in Bakersfield had some great White Runtz for us to look at. Doodlez New York Cuban Haze x Sour Diesel Hash Hole from @lamarinaboyz, @whiteboyKev@doodlezny and @joethehardwayss.Sequoah Turner from Source was out to show off the locals wares, some lovely Dark Rainbows.  Tony from Mateel Botanicals in Humboldt showed us a lovely bay of Z from up n...

Trump lawyer: Trial during campaign would be ‘election interference’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

By Kate Brumback | Associated PressATLANTA — An attorney for former President Donald Trump said Friday it would amount to “election interference” if his client is the Republican nominee for president while on trial in Georgia in the months running up to the general election.Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee opened the door for discussion on trial timing while considering requests by two of the former president’s co-defendants to delay certain pretrial deadlines. But he said he didn’t plan to make any immediate decisions on a trial date.District Attorney Fani Willis last month asked that all defendants remaining in the case — currently Trump and 14 others — be tried together beginning Aug. 5. Prosecutors have previously estimated it would take them four months to present their case, not including jury selection. That would mean the trial would be underway during the final months of the election campaign.“Can you imagine the notion of the Re...

Letters: Shameful resolution | Boon for PG&E

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Oakland’s one-sidedresolution shamefulRe: “Council passes a cease-fire resolution” (Page B1, Nov. 29).Shame, for Shame that the Oakland City Council rebuked Israel’s bombing of Gaza, but didn’t mention Hamas’ murder of 1200 Israelis and kidnapping of 240 hostages.Shame, for shame that the resolution calls for a cease-fire, but didn’t mention that cease-fire existed until Oct. 7, when Hamas initiated its brutal attack.Shame, for shame that Oakland’s resolution blames only Israel for thousands of Gazans’ deaths, but didn’t mention that Hamas purposefully located its military equipment and command centers in and near schools, hospitals and residential buildings specifically to use civilians as human shields.Shame, for shame that the resolution failed to acknowledge Hamas’ intent was to cause damage to its own people in an attempt to generate ...

Annette Bening said Gavin Newsom made this ‘reprehensible’ decision

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:52 GMT

If Gavin Newsom does one day run for president, he might have trouble getting support from Annette Bening and her husband Warren Beatty, even though the “Bonnie and Clyde” star is one of Hollywood’s most famous Democrats.In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Bening thought that the California governor did something “reprehensible” during the recent, months-long actors and writers strikes.Members of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America backed legislation that would give unemployment benefits to workers on strike. But in late September, Newsom rejected the bill.California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference on February 1, 2023 in Sacramento, Calif. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) “Gavin Newsom famously didn’t go along with that. I find that reprehensible,” said Bening, a four-time Oscar nominee, who stars in the new biopic “Nyad,” which is streaming on Netflix.Newsom, a Democrat, said he supports work...