Ghosts, skeletons, princesses and black cats roamed the streets as usual this Halloween, but they kept their distance, wore face coverings and carried hand sanitizer in their quest for treats. Like with everything else this year, the pandemic also left
Category: Health – Sciences
All latest news for health, personal care, sciences, tech
L.A. County reports 1,326 new coronavirus cases as numbers continue to rise
Los Angeles County reported 1,326 new cases of COVID-19 and 15 additional deaths on Saturday, Oct. 31, as public health officials continued to warn residents not to gather with others outside their household to celebrate Halloween. “Decisions we each make
State legislative elections key to redistricting power
Not long ago, Berta Patterson’s corner of Houston was as symbolically red as they come. Up the road is the Harris County GOP headquarters. In the other direction are the old 9th floor offices of the late Republican President George
Lawyer: Wisconsin cop can’t be fired for future shooting
An attorney for a Wisconsin police officer who has fatally shot three people since 2015 says his client shouldn’t be disciplined or fired simply because city officials are worried he might do it again. Wauwatosa Officer Joseph Mensah, who is
Federal agencies fall short of Trump forest protection goals
Nearly two years ago, President Donald Trump stood amid the smoky ruins of Paradise, California, where he blamed the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history on poor forest management. “You’ve got to take care of the floors, you know? The
Minority US contract tracers build trust in diverse cities
When a contact tracer called the Iraqi woman to say her 18-year-old daughter tested positive for the coronavirus and could quarantine for free in a hotel, the woman panicked — recalling the family’s terror of risking separation forever during their
Black Lives Matter faces test of its influence in election
Black Lives Matter has been a lot of things in its brief, fiery life. It has been a slogan, a rallying point. A movement that led protests coast to coast, calling for America to get serious about preventing Black deaths
Space station marking 20 years of people living in orbit
The International Space Station was a cramped, humid, puny three rooms when the first crew moved in. Twenty years and 241 visitors later, the complex has a lookout tower, three toilets, six sleeping compartments and 12 rooms, depending on how
Crispr Gene Editing Can Cause Unwanted Changes in Human Embryos, Study Finds
A powerful gene-editing tool called Crispr-Cas9, which this month nabbed the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for two women scientists, can cause serious side-effects in the cells of human embryos, prompting them to discard large chunks of their genetic material, a
Police shooting of Black man near Portland raises tension
The shooting of a Black man by law enforcement in Washington state sent shockwaves through the Pacific Northwest on Friday and threatened to increase tensions in the region around Portland, Oregon, where protesters against racial injustice have clashed repeatedly with
Report: US turning away asylum-seekers at border is flawed
The head of the Department of Homeland Security ordered border agents to stop asylum-seekers from stepping on U.S. soil at official crossings with Mexico in 2018, undercutting public statements at the time that they were welcome to do so, according
Newsom cuts ribbon on coronavirus testing lab In Valencia
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday, Oct. 30, celebrated the opening of a high-tech COVID-19 testing lab in Valencia designed to dramatically increase the state’s coronavirus testing capacity while reducing the turnaround time for processing results. The $25 million lab, plans
Tech losses drive Wall Street down again, ending grim week
By Stan Choe and Alex Veiga | The Associated Press Wall Street closed out another punishing week Friday with the S&P 500 posting its first back-to-back monthly loss since the pandemic first gripped the economy in March. The S&P 500
Federal Reserve expands Main Street program to smaller firms
By Christopher Rugaber | The Associated Press The Federal Reserve will reduce the minimum loan level in its small business lending program and waive some fees to try to boost participation in a program that has so far provided little
What Losing My Father Taught Me About Parenting, Planets and Pain
“There’s pain, and then there’s stepping on a Lego in the middle of the night,” my father often repeated with a laugh when his grandkids visited. They took over his living room, dining table, bedroom floors and bedside tables with
State leaders facing 2nd wave resist steps to curb virus
Even as a long-feared second wave of coronavirus strains hospitals, officials in many hard-hit states are resisting taking stronger action to stop the spread, with public fatigue, skepticism and political calculations running up against and contravening pleas from health experts.
Zeta’s toll on a Louisiana island: ‘Like a bomb was dropped’
Mark Andolino remembers stinging rain and a howling wind that peeled the roof off part of his Cajun Tide Beach Resort on Grand Isle, the Louisiana barrier island town where residents were among the first to feel the ferocity of
Study: 1 to 2 million tons of US plastic trash goes astray
More than a million tons a year of America’s plastic trash isn’t ending up where it should. The equivalent of as many as 1,300 plastic grocery bags per person is landing in places such as oceans and roadways, according to
Mississippi city won’t lose lights after threat over debt
An entire city in Mississippi that was under threat of losing electricity before the end of the year because of unpaid bills will have more time to find a new power provider after the state stepped in, citing concerns about
Conspiracy theory QAnon bubbles into tossup Utah House race
The conspiracy theory QAnon bubbled into the forefront in a competitive race for a suburban Utah swing congressional district this week, another sign of how the baseless theory has diffused into mainstream politics. Republican Burgess Owens has now come under
Official: Rifle shell casings found at Breonna Taylor scene
Two long-rifle shell casings were found in and near Breonna Taylor’s Louisville apartment after a botched police drug raid that ended in Taylor’s death, Kentucky’s attorney general said. It’s the first time these specific shell casings have been mentioned by
2nd study testing a COVID-19 antibody drug has a setback
For the second time, a study testing an experimental antibody drug for COVID-19 has been paused to investigate a possible safety issue in hospitalized patients. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Friday that independent monitors had recommended placing on hold enrollment of
Kennedy cousin Skakel will not be retried in 1975 killing
A prosecutor said Friday that Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel will not face a second trial in the killing of Martha Moxley, an announcement that came 45 years to the day after the teenager was found bludgeoned to death in her
How to Make Traveling for the Holidays a Little Safer
The best way to go about spending time with your family of origin this holiday season is to simply not do it at all. Small gatherings—especially those between relatives at someone’s home—have emerged as significant venues for spreading COVID-19, according
Scaled-back Thanksgiving plans leave turkey farmers in limbo
For the turkey industry, this Thanksgiving is a guessing game. Millions of Americans are expected to have scaled-down celebrations amid the pandemic, heeding official warnings against travel and large indoor gatherings. That leaves anxious turkey farmers and grocers scrambling to
West Virginia voters laud Trump for trying to save coal
As a laid off coal mine electrician, Nolan Triplett doesn’t think his industry will ever return to the heady days when it powered America and offered generations of Appalachians a chance at a middle class life. But he still backs
Thanksgiving feast or famine? Turkey industry left to guess
For the turkey industry, this Thanksgiving is a guessing game. Millions of Americans are expected to have scaled-down celebrations amid the pandemic, heeding official warnings against travel and large indoor gatherings. That leaves anxious turkey farmers and grocers scrambling to
Community backs Southern California yogurt shop owner after lawsuit threat over masks
Mariana Tabla, co-owner of a Mission Viejo yogurt shop called Frapys, has become a rock star at least among people in the community who believe in wearing face coverings, which are recommended by county and state health officials. After a
Trump officials tout progress on border wall before election
Top Trump administration officials visited Texas five days before Election Day to announce they have nearly completed 400 miles of U.S.-Mexico border wall, trying to show progress on perhaps the president’s best-known campaign promise four years ago. While most of
Zeta soaks Southeast after swamping Gulf Coast; 6 dead
Millions of people were without power and at least six were dead Thursday after Hurricane Zeta slammed into Louisiana and made a beeline across the South, leaving shattered buildings, thousands of downed trees and fresh anguish over a record-setting hurricane