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Disability advocates warn eligibility for federal dental-care plan may be cumbersome

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government’s new dental insurance plan has yet to be introduced, but advocates are warning the eligibility criteria for people with disabilities could be cumbersome and may not capture everyone who should have access to the program.The details of the insurance plan are expected to be announced this fall, with a goal to eventually provide dental benefits to qualifying kids under the age of 18, seniors and people with disabilities.The Liberals promised in their supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP that dental coverage will ultimately be offered to all people with a household income under $90,000 per year by the end of 2024.The government hasn’t said how people will be required to prove that they’re disabled in order to qualify for the insurance plan. But it typically relies on the list of people who access the disability tax credit to determine who should receive other disability-related programs, said Disability Without Poverty national ...

Former US intelligence officer charged with trying to give classified defense information to China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — A former U.S. Army intelligence officer has been charged with attempting to provide classified defense information to the Chinese security services during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic — including some listed in a Microsoft Word document titled “Important Information to Share with Chinese Government.”Authorities on Friday arrested former Sgt. Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, at San Francisco International Airport as he arrived from Hong Kong, where he had been living since March 2020, the Justice Department said. A federal grand jury in Seattle returned an indictment Wednesday charging him with retention and attempted delivery of national defense information.A public defender assigned to represented Schmidt at a brief appearance at U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Friday pending his transfer to Washington state did not immediately return an email seeking comment. U.S. District Court records in Seattle did not list an attorney representing Schmidt on the charg...

It’s the final day of a massive health care strike over pay and staff shortages. No deal is in sight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A massive health care strike over wages and staffing shortages entered its final day on Friday without a deal between industry giant Kaiser Permanente and the unions representing the 75,000 workers who picketed this week.The three-day strike carried out in multiple states is set to officially end Saturday at 6 a.m., and workers were expected to return to their jobs in Kaiser’s hospitals and clinics that serve nearly 13 million Americans.The most recent bargaining concluded midday Wednesday. Additional sessions were scheduled by the parties for Oct. 12 and 13, the unions announced Friday.The decision to walk off an important job was very difficult, said Josephine Rios, 55, a nurse attendant who takes in patients for surgery at a hospital in Irvine, California.“Unfortunately, it’s a financial burden for us that live paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “We can’t afford to strike a long time, but it’s a double-edged sword. We can’t afford not to strike.”A fal...

Arkansas jail inmates settle lawsuit with doctor who prescribed them ivermectin for COVID-19

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Five former inmates at an Arkansas county jail have settled their lawsuit against a doctor who they said gave them the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to fight COVID-19 without their consent.A federal judge last week dismissed the 2022 lawsuit against Dr. Robert Karas, who was the doctor for the Washington County jail and had administered the drug to treat COVID, citing the settlement.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin for use by people and animals for some parasitic worms, head lice and skin conditions. The FDA has not approved its use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans. According to the FDA, side effects for the drug include skin rash, nausea and vomiting.The inmates said they were never told ivermectin was among the medications they had been given to treat their COVID-19 infections, and instead were told they were being given vitamins, antibiotics or steroids. The inmates said in their lawsuit that they suffered side eff...

Drake drops new album, will take time off for health reasons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

Hours after releasing his new album, Canadian rapper Drake announced he’s taking a break from music for health reasons.Aubrey Drake Graham released his eighth studio album, “For All the Dogs,” on Friday.“I probably won’t make music for a little bit, I am going to be honest,” the Canadian said. “I need to focus on my health, first and foremost. I have been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach.”Drake said he’s locking the door on the studio for an extended period, and he’s unsure when he’ll return to make new music.“I need to get right. I have a lot of other things I would love to focus on. I don’t even know what a little bit is… maybe a year or something. Maybe a little bit longer.”Drake has stayed busy with multiple studio albums since 2021, the year “Certified Lover Boy” was released. He dropped “Honestly Nevermind” in 2022 and collaborated with rapper...

Precision missile strike on cafe hosting soldier’s wake decimates Ukrainian village

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

HROZA, Ukraine (AP) — The cafe had been closed throughout the war but reopened especially for a dead soldier’s wake, and almost every household in the village sent someone to mourn the native son.When the gathering to honor Andrii Kozyr was struck by a precision missile that Ukrainian officials said was fired by Russia, almost every household in Hroza in eastern Ukraine lost someone. The cafe was obliterated. Entire families perished in an instant. In all, 52 people died out of a population of 300. Many villagers now suspect that a local may have tipped off Russian forces.On Friday, a day after the strike, an earth mover extended the graveyard to make room for them all. Among the dead were a couple who left behind four children, the village leader and three generations of the soldier’s family, including his wife, mother and son, who also fought for Ukraine and had requested leave to attend the funeral held shortly before wake.It could be months before DNA identifies most of the rema...

Downers Grove man accused of secretly recording videos of 2 women, 13-year-old girl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. — Charges have been filed against a Downers Grove man accused of illegally videotaping two women and a 13-year-old girl, according to DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin.36-year-old Matthew Morgan is facing one count of unauthorized video recording of a victim under 18, and two counts of unauthorized video recording without consent, the DuPage County State's Attorney said in a news release sent out on Friday afternoon. Man accused of restraining Walgreens pharmacist, techs during Northwest Side robbery Authorities say an investigation began on Saturday, Sept. 23, after officers responded to the Downers Grove Goodwill Store & Donation Center after receiving calls about a man who had allegedly photographed a woman while she was changing in the fitting room. Authorities say upon further investigation, it was discovered that Morgan had allegedly started recording a video before placing his phone under the changing room stall door.Downers Grove Police o...

Police found 115 bodies at Colorado 'green' funeral home while investigating putrid smells

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

CAÑON CITY, Colo. (AP) — At least 115 decaying bodies were found at a storage facility for a “green” funeral operator, after neighbors reported abhorrent smells emanating from the location in rural southern Colorado, police said Friday, calling it a “disturbing discovery.” The owner tried to conceal the improper storage of corpses and claimed he was doing taxidermy at the facility, according to a suspension letter sent to him by state regulators that was made public Friday. No one has been arrested or charged yet.The Return to Nature Funeral Home facility in the small town of Penrose had been unregistered with the state for 10 months on Wednesday when owner Jon Hallford spoke by phone with a state regulator the day after the smells were reported and police launched an investigationHallford acknowledged that he had a “problem” at the property, though the Colorado Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration document obtained by The Associated Press didn't explain what Hallford m...

Wearing Prada on the moon: Fashion house to partner with NASA on lunar spacesuits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

(The Hill) - Internationally known fashion company Prada has announced its taking its designs to outer space.The Italian Luxury company announced Wednesday it is partnering with Axiom Space to design NASA’s next generation of lunar spacesuits for the team setting out on the 2025 Artemis III mission to the moon.The Artemis III crew will be the first crewed lunar landing in more than 50 years, since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA said this mission will be the first time humans explore the region near the moon’s South Pole.Artemis II, the second schedule mission, plans to make history with the Nov. 2024 mission around the moon. It will be the first time a woman, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and a person of color, Pilot Victor Glover, are going to be on a moon mission.The Artemis III crew has not yet been named by NASA.“Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advance technologies instrumental in ensurin...

It's not allergies: Seasonal changes, weather could trigger migraines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday's storm may have been the cause of migraines for people in the Austin area due to a combination of environmental triggers, according to a local doctor. Dr. Samantha Irwin, a pediatric neurologist at Dell Children's who specializes in headache disorders, said that there's a wide range of precipitants or triggers that can lead to a migraine. These can include changes in sleep patterns, stress, and changes in hydration or eating patterns. "We've been able to use electronic headache diaries, compare them to weather patterns in certain cities, and it's become pretty clear that weather changes are a trigger for about one-third to two-thirds of patients with migraines," Irwin said. "That recent storm we had out here was a trigger for a lot of people."A cloudy day that changes the amount of light one is used to, or a drop in atmospheric pressure, are examples of weather triggers. But these can be unique for each patient, according to Irwin. She recommends migraine ...