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Rapidly spreading fungus already in 28 states, including Illinois, presents 'urgent' threat, CDC warns

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – A fungus that poses "an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has already been detected in more than half of U.S. states. Candida auris, or C. auris, is so concerning because it is often resistant to anti-fungal drugs, making it hard to treat infections. It can also be hard to identify with standard lab tests, making it even more difficult to treat properly and early. The fungus was first detected in the United States in 2016. The fungus "spread at an alarming rate" between 2020 and 2021 in health care facilities, the CDC wrote in a memo released Monday, and has continued to spread in 2022. CDC study warns of ‘dramatic increase’ in deadly fungus across US By the end of 2022, there were more than 8,000 instances of Candida auris identified across 28 states and Washington, D.C. The map below shows confirmed cases of the fungus, with states shaded in red having the most infections. While it usually isn't a s...

Stove left on determined cause of deadly fire in Ottawa

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

OTTAWA, Ill. — The cause of a deadly fire last week in Ottawa has been determined to be from a stove that was left on.On Wednesday, March 15, authorities responded to the 100 block of West Campbell Street on the report of a fire.Crews entered and found a heavy fire in the kitchen, which extended to the bedroom and living room. A victim, whose name or age was not given, was found unresponsive in the living room.They were later pronounced dead at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Firefighters rescued after ceiling collapses during house fire on Far Southeast Side Further investigation revealed that the fire was started from an open flame on the stove. Multiple pots were melted and smoke detectors were melted as well, authorities said.It was classified as accidental.

Gwyneth Paltrow's trial begins for Deer Valley ski crash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.Terry Sanderson, 76, said Paltrow was cruising down the slopes so recklessly that they collided, leaving him on the ground as she and her entourage continued their descent down Deer Valley Resort, a skiers-only mountain known for its groomed runs, après-ski champagne yurts and posh clientele."Gwyneth Paltrow skied out of control," Sanderson's attorneys claim in the lawsuit, “knocking him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries. Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured.”In a case that has lasted years since the 2016 incident, Sanderson is suing Paltrow for $300,000 — claiming that t...

'No need to worry': Shaq offers update after surgery

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

(WJW) — Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal on Sunday posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed on social media, worrying some fans. "I'm always watching," he posted on Twitter, telling his "NBA on TNT" cohosts Candace Parker and Ernie Johnson that he missed them. Shaquille O’Neal pays off engagement ring for stranger at jewelry store At the time, O'Neal did not make clear what he was in the hospital for, but TMZ Sports reported that he underwent hip surgery and was recovering.On Monday evening, Shaq cleared the air, telling fans to rest assured he was doing well.FILE - This June 24, 2019, file photo shows Shaquille O'Neal at the NBA Awards in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)"To all the people who are worried and concerned, first off, let me say thank you. And lastly no need to worry, just had to get some BBL WORK AKA #hipreplacement," he wrote in another tweet. "Thanks and love you all, but no need to worry and, yes, I’m fine."ET reported that ...

LA schools strike begins; more than half a million students affected

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

(KTLA) – Despite last-minute negotiations that went into the evening Monday, the Los Angeles Unified School District was unable to come to an agreement with the union representing thousands of its employees to avert a work stoppage.On Tuesday morning, the LAUSD strike began, shutting down hundreds of schools and creating hardships for hundreds of thousands of parents.Demonstrators could be seen picketing under the rain as early as 5:30 a.m. in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Van Nuys, video showed.The strike had been in the works for several weeks, and union representatives identified Tuesday as the first day of what is tentatively planned to be a three-day stoppage.The strike includes the support of as many as 60,000 employees of the school district who are members of both the Local 99 of Service Employees International Union and United Teachers Los Angeles.The unions represent both educators and school district employees, including bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and te...

'Abbott Elementary' goes all-in against charter schools 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

(The Hill) - ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” has made charter schools its boogeyman.The popular sitcom, now in its sophomore season, is wrapping up an arc in which the titular institution, a chaotic but whimsical inner-city Philadelphia school, faces off against the big, bad charter company down the street, Legendary Schools, which is actively seeking to incorporate it. “They don’t even require all their teachers be certified,” one Abbott educator laments of their rival in an episode that aired earlier this month.“Yet they take our funding, not to mention the private money from wealthy donors with ulterior motives,” another replies.Later in the same episode, a former Abbott student returns after having been kicked out of the Legendary charter, apparently for dragging down its test results.“They don’t see students, they see scores,” an Abbott teacher says.Biden Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, for one, sounds like a fan. Speaking with The Hill on Sunday, Cardona said that while he ...

Springsteen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus among those to receive National Medal of Arts from Biden in COVID-delayed ceremony

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

(The Hill) - President Biden will host a star-studded White House ceremony this week — honoring big names including Bruce Springsteen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Gladys Knight, Vera Wang and more — as he presents them with the highest award given to artists by the United States government in an event that had been delayed due to COVID-19.While the White House unveiled the 23 recipients being recognized with the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal for the first time on Monday, the honorees are actually the 2021 award winners. The president did award a National Humanities Medal to Elton John last year, in a surprise move after the “Rocket Man” singer performed at a White House event. E Street Band’s Steven Van Zandt gifts Raskin a head cover as congressman battles cancer Jill Biden is also expected to attend the arts award event at the White House on Tuesday.The 2021 National Medal of Arts recipients include: musician Jose Feliciano, artist Judith Francisca Baca, radi...

Dean’s A-List Interview: Kiefer Sutherland on new series 'Rabbit Hole'

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

Actor Kiefer Sutherland sits down for an interview with WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards to talk about his new series "Rabbit Hole" on Paramount +.

Can I legally eat roadkill in Illinois?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — You know you’ve been tempted…Illinois is one of about 15 states that allows residents to claim roadkill deer and other animals killed on the roadways for food or fur.According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, if an Illinois resident crashes into a deer and kills it, the driver has legal priority over the deer carcass even if a hunter was chasing it.If the driver who hit and killed the deer does not claim it, "any citizen of Illinois who is not delinquent in child support" can claim the carcass. Illinois bill would make driving with pet in your lap illegal Illinois law specifically says non-Illinois residents cannot claim roadkill deer.But, if you hit a deer and cripple it, and the animal survives, it is illegal for a motorist to kill it. Instead, drivers are required to call the nearest police or conservation officer on the non-emergency line.And, thanks to a "roadkill bill," Illinois residents with a furbearer license can salvage roadkill ...

'Tar spot' is killing corn across the Midwest

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:21 GMT

JOPLIN, Mo. (KSNF) — A fungal disease targeting corn crops is moving across the Midwest and Great Plains, according to a report from researchers at Kansas State University.Phyllachora maydis, also known as "tar spot," first appeared in Indiana and Illinois in 2015, according to plant pathologists at Purdue University. Since then, it has spread to surrounding states. Farmers spotted it in Nebraska for the first time in 2021, and in Missouri, Kansas, and South Dakota during the last growing season."It's a very aggressive disease compared to some of the other diseases we deal with like southern rust, or gray leaf spot, or northern corn leaf flight. It moves very, very quickly. I've seen pictures from the Midwest where the infection begins, and seven days later that field is completely shut down," said Southwest Missouri agronomist Brian Bunt.Hummingbirds are headed back to the Midwest The fungal disease attacks leaf tissue in corn and can rapidly deteriorate the plant. According to the...