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Appeals court takes up transgender health coverage case likely headed to Supreme Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

By LEAH WILLINGHAM (Associated Press)CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court is considering cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia that could have significant implications on whether individual states are required to cover health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance.The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in cases Thursday involving the coverage of gender-affirming care by North Carolina’s state employee health plan and the coverage of gender-affirming surgery by West Virginia Medicaid. During the proceedings, at least two judges said it’s likely the case will eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Both states appealed separate lower court rulings that found the denial of gender-affirming care to be discriminatory and unconstitutional. Two panels of three Fourth Circuit judges heard arguments in both cases earlier this year before deciding to intertwine the two cases and see them present...

Denver to sweep homeless encampment near governor’s mansion, offer residents long-term hotel rooms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

The city of Denver plans to clear a large homeless encampment in Capitol Hill next week and offer the people living there the chance to move to a hotel.City officials say the sweep at East Eight Avenue and Logan Street will be the first public step toward meeting Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal of moving 1,000 people living on the city’s streets into temporary or permanent accommodations before the end of the year.Seventy people are living in rows of tents and other makeshift shelters clustered across from the Colorado governor’s mansion, city spokesman Derek Woodbury said.Starting Monday, city outreach workers will begin efforts to move those people indoors. A seven-day notice posted this week for the clearing of the camp allows that activity to begin Tuesday.“We’re working to match as many of the residents as possible with housing and shelter, including offering them indoor placement at a non-congregate shelter at an undisclosed hotel,” Woodbury said Thurs...

‘The Hail Mary of helmet switches’: Northern Colorado pulls off in-season move on key piece of equipment 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

It’s out with the gold and in with the navy for the Northern Colorado football team helmets this year.As of the second game of the year on Sept. 9, the Bears will wear navy helmets for the rest of the season in a cost-saving move designed to give players a better quality helmet in their preferred style among two different brands, Riddell Speed Flex and Schutt F-7.In the recent past, UNC has had two different color helmets in use: navy and the sunflower gold, which is the official name of the bright color helmet leaning toward the yellow side of a color palette.“I think for people who care about UNC and UNC football, and who are following the story … I think, in the end, this is going to be a great story of a team that did more with less,” Bears coach Ed Lamb said earlier this week. “That’s really what we’re doing here.”UNC wore the sunflower gold helmets with a bear decal on both sides against Abilene Christian in its first game of the year on Aug. 31. The Bears switched to na...

Israel strikes alleged Syrian military structures. It says the buildings violated a 1974 cease-fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said tanks struck two structures inside a demilitarized zone in Syria on Thursday, claiming the buildings violated a half-century-old cease-fire agreement between the two countries.The structures, it said, were being used by the Syrian military, amounting to what the army called a “clear violation” of the 1974 cease-fire. The Israeli army did not provide any information on what the structures were used for or when they were built.In Syria, the pro-government Sham FM radio station said Israel’s military struck an area on the edge of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights in the village of Hadar. It said there were no casualties. The 1974 agreement established a demilitarized separation zone between Israeli and Syrian forces, stationing a U.N. peacekeeping force there to maintain calm. Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli general and research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said the strike did not...

Woman smuggled heroin in diaper bag on trip with child, Border Patrol says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

A woman traveling with her young daughter was caught hiding more than 5 pounds of heroin in a diaper bag, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.The woman, a 38-year-old whose identity was not released, was stopped by agents on the 15 Freeway around 7 p.m. Tuesday, Border Patrol officials said in a news release. "During the traffic stop, agents searched the vehicle and discovered four cellophane-wrapped bundles inside of a diaper bag," the release said.The woman, who was with her 5-year-old daughter, was taken to the Newton-Azrak Border Patrol Station in Murrieta.At the station, authorities discovered she had a previous conviction for smuggling drugs. In addition, agents found the bundles contained 5.4 pounds of heroin, which they estimated was worth $69,120.Border Patrol officials said they seized more than 5 pounds of heroin from a diaper bag on Sept. 19, 2023. (USBP)Border Patrol officials said they seized more than 5 pounds of heroin from a diaper bag on Sept. 19, 2023. (USBP)Borde...

Woman admits to setting 4 fires in Reseda, LAFD says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

A woman has been arrested in connection with at least four arsons in Reseda, Los Angeles fire officials said.During a period of 72 hours during the second week of September, LAFD firefighters responded to 14 suspicious blazes involving trash, debris or vegetation in the Reseda area. No injuries were reported in any of the blazes. Investigators believe the suspect, Yoryett Salazar, is responsible for at least four of the fires.With the help of the Los Angeles Police Department, Salazar was arrested on Wednesday and she apparently admitted to setting four of the blazes, which officials say was confirmed by surveillance video from local businesses. She has previously been charged with various felonies and misdemeanors, LAFD officials said.Anyone who has additional information on the suspect, or has photos or videos of the suspicious fires, is asked to contact LAFD’s arson tip line at 213-893-9850 or [email protected] other fires remain under investigation, fire officials said.

L.A. conference attendees fall ill to nasty bacterial infection

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

A meeting of union delegates at Westin's historic Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles last month ended with more than two dozen attendees falling ill to an intestinal illness, health officials said.The conference took place from Aug. 21 to 24 and, the following day, some attendees began complaining of symptoms, according to the Alameda County Public Health Department, which was the first to report the outbreak.The patients were diagnosed with Shigella, a common intestinal illness that infects nearly half a million people in the U.S. each year. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and fever.Ultimately, 32 of the more than 300 conference attendees reported symptoms, including several who had to be hospitalized, according to the Los Angeles Times.One attendee, Terri McDonald, has filed a lawsuit against the hotel. She told the L.A. Times that she was so weak that she couldn’t stand before going to the hospital, and doctors said her kidneys were failing due to sepsi...

Disney teases new experiences for Disneyland based on 'Frozen', 'Black Panther' and 'Coco'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

New lands, rides, or attractions, based on “Black Panther,” “Frozen” and “Coco,” could come to life at the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney Co. executives teased during an investor summit in Florida this week.Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro talked about the possibility of bringing Frozen’s Arendelle, Black Panther’s Wakanda and Coco’s Santa Cecilia to life in some capacity at the “Happiest Place on Earth” and potentially its sister park in Orlando.“We have a wealth of untapped stories to bring to life across our business,” D’Amaro said. The abandoned plans to bring another Disney theme park to California “Frozen, one of the most successful and popular animated franchises of all time, could have a presence at the Disneyland Resort. Wakanda has yet to be brought to life. The world of Coco is just waiting to be explored. There’s a lot of storytelling opportunity.”Disney fans have theorized that lands, rides and attractions based on “Tangled,” “Zootopia” and “Tron” and expanded areas...

Getting bit? Mosquitos thriving in post-Hilary SoCal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

Feel like you've been a magnet for mosquitos recently? You're not alone. The pesky insects are out in force, and it's largely due to the abundant rainfall Southern California has received this year.Susanne Kluh, general manager of the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, told the Los Angeles Times that Tropical Storm Hilary has been a boon to mosquitos, as they reproduce in standing water."You can imagine how many bottle caps, lawn drains, saucers, toolboxes that weren’t put away are now filled with water — and will be breeding mosquitoes," she told the Times.The large number of mosquitos — including Aedes aegypti, the invasive yellow fever mosquito — poses danger to humans beyond just annoying, itchy bites, Kluh told the San Fernando Valley Sun.Mosquitos can infect people with West Nile virus, and yellow fever mosquitos "are known to spread the Zika virus, chikungunya, dengue fever, and, as their name would suggest, yellow fever," the Sun reports. To make matters wor...

Craig Bouchard Directs An Intriguing Dance of Love and Espionage in ‘Soul Ties of Spies’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:42 GMT

Craig Bouchard, author of Soul Ties of Spies (Photo from Craig Bouchard)In a room where old books and handwritten notes feel as real as people, science and romance mix in unexpected ways. Craig Bouchard, a New York Times Best Selling Author and innovative entrepreneur, invites readers into this nuanced world through his latest work, “Soul Ties of Spies, book one of the “Natalia’s Game” trilogy,” where romance, espionage, and quantum physics meet head on.“Soul Ties of Spies” has garnered a diverse following, reflecting its genre-defying content. Blogger Karen Dee captures the book’s essence in her Instagram post: “It’s a love story, a spy story with awesome quantum physics thrown in there. Natalia is a smart, fierce, kick-ass woman with teleporting and astral dreaming skills. Crew is a brilliant spy and quantum physics expert who falls for Natalia. They become spy partners and lovers while discovering a deep soul-tie connection.”Bouchar...