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The summer COVID surge is finally waning. Is a winter wave coming soon?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – We're well into fall, but the surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths that started over the summer has started to decline. The respite may be short-lived. Winter, the typical peak season for respiratory viruses, is just around the corner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it's expecting a "moderate COVID-19 wave" this winter, with a peak matching last winter's hospitalization levels. "COVID-19 could peak earlier than last season, however, because of limited summer activity compared to past years," the agency added. Former White House COVID response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said he expects cases to keep dropping for the next month or two before rising again during the winter holidays. Free COVID tests arrive – but they may look expired It's not clear yet how the new booster shot, formulated to specifically target common omicron strains, will impact the size of this year's surge. "Whether hospitalizations rise will depend in part on upta...

Why do some national parks charge an entrance fee?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — There is no question that the more than 400 national parks, monuments, seashores, historic sites, recreation areas, and other sites overseen by the National Park Service are stunning. But before you can visit some, you may have to pay. Across the entire National Park Service, which includes 425 units, only 109 charge an entrance fee.Nearly all have a park-specific annual pass, ranging from $35 to $70. Many also have fees per vehicle, person or motorcycle that vary from $5 to $35. If you’re a frequent visitor to many national parks or federal recreational lands, you may want the America The Beautiful annual pass worth $80. At this point, you may have had a common realization: we pay federal taxes, which can be used to fund the National Park Service, so why do I need to pay to get into a national park at all? It was a popular national monument, until it was robbed to extinction While it’s true that your federal income taxes do in a way fund the National Park Se...

The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 6: Browns will be hurting without Watson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

UPDATE: 10:40 a.m. SaturdayWe were already expecting things to get a little ugly this week when unbeaten San Francisco came to Cleveland to abuse the Browns. But now Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson has been ruled out because of a shoulder injury. Forecasters predict a 50 percent chance of a shutout with P.J. Walker stepping in.Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been ruled out of the their blowout loss in Buffalo, so Tyrod Taylor will be absorbing punishment in his place.Carolina RB Miles Sanders won’t play against Miami on Sunday. Also ruled out are Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs and Jaguars WR Zay Jones.Notable players who are considered iffy for Week 6 at this point include Dallas running back Tony Pollard and Detroit tight end sensation Sam LaPorta. Cincinnati WR Tee Higgins is considered a game-time decision.ORIGINAL POST: 2:24 p.m. WednesdayIf you thought the Vikings’ season was turning into a train wreck, you received more clarity on that likelihood last Sunday when all-world r...

Soucheray: We are the masters of our fate, the captains of our alleys

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

It caught my attention that over this very weekend, there was to be a St. Paul Snow Summit held at the city’s Public Works garage out Como way on Dale Street, complete with food trucks and fire rigs and big plow truck tires to kick. It was coordinated by the Parks and Recreation Department, implying a connection between parks and plowing, a connection that escapes me, but still a cheerful excuse to rub shoulders with drivers and mechanics.What really grabbed me was the event’s focus on alley captains. St. Paul does not plow alleys, a good thing. Even city employees who live on alleys would agree that the less government intervention in the routine tasks of life, the better. We used to do just fine with our trash collection, for example, but then the city got its mitts on it and that horse left the barn.The alley captain is the guy — a woman can be a guy in this case — who collects money from the people on both sides of the alley and then hires the guy, usually a grateful...

Working Strategies: Time to step up to the C-suite?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

Amy LindgrenDo you know the term “C-suite executive”? You probably do, but as a quick definition, C-suite refers to the employees at the top of a corporation, very frequently sporting titles that start with C: Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and of course, Chief Executive Officer (CEO).The larger the company, the more layers of management beneath them, including managers, directors, vice presidents and senior vice presidents. It’s not a static list. Not only do the layers seem to multiply, but so does the variety of C’s. While additions are made with some frequency (Chief Diversity Officer and Chief Digital Officer come to mind), we never seem to drop any titles from use.If this sounds like a gripe, or sarcasm, it’s not. Running a corporation is immensely complicated and I’m going to assume that these all are important roles. As a bonus: If there are more C’s, there are also more opportunities for those who want to work at this level.Given the short ten...

Fright Fest 2023 at Great Escape

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - It’s the time of year for pumpkin spice and things not so nice. NEWS10 visited a fan favorite of the Capital Region for this time of year, Fright Fest at the Six Flags Great Escape.   Saratoga Springs has a new Code Blue shelter location This Friday the thirteenth is extra spooky as it's also National Haunted House Day. The ghosts and the ghouls are all ready to come out for Fright Fest 2023 at Six Flags Great Escape. You never who or what you'll run into, every turn at Fright Fest brings an unexpected scare. This year, guests can look forward to even more surprises. This season, Six Flags is debuting their new 4th house, guaranteeing even more thrills. Each year, folks flock from all over the Capital Region, those going for the first time alongside Fright Fest veterans. “It was pretty good. In all honesty. Honestly, I only got scared this much. The man banging the meat hook against the wall. I wasn’t expecting that,” said a new...

Spire and Urban League team up for tech job hiring event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

ST. LOUIS, Mo — In preparation for a hiring event focusing on tech jobs, Spire is working with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis to make it happen.It is the main goal of this event to bring together possible employees who can help Spire provide excellent service. Persons in these roles are responsible for managing meter changes, responding to emergencies, carrying out installations, and taking part in new building projects every day.The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is involved because they want to make people aware of jobs offered by companies like Spire and make it easier for people to get those opportunities. The hiring event will take place on October 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. People who want to attend should get in touch with the leaders ahead of time to pre-register and reserve a time slot for interviews. They can call 314-626-9977 to get in touch with the leaders.People who have a Class C license, a high school diploma, or an HVAC certificate are highly enco...

Keeler: Choke’s on you, Coach Prime. CU Buffs football boss Deion Sanders looked out of ideas. Travis Hunter looked gassed. Has clock struck midnight on Boulder’s Cinderella?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

BOULDER — When Deion Sanders demanded his theme music, the Buffs played “Yakety Sax.” If Travis Hunter ran for 140 yards, Charles Kelly rambled for at least 220, arms waving furiously, as if trying to hail the last taxi in Times Square.“If you’re gonna point the fingers, point it at me, because if I’m allowing it, it should be on me, not (Kelly),” Coach Prime said of his veteran defensive coordinator after CU choked a 29-0 halftime lead against Stanford so hard, it turned into a 46-43 double overtime loss.“Put it on me. We go over this stuff. And there are times where you know what group is in … what group you’re on, but you have a lapse of understanding in those crucial moments. Right now, we’re not built for the moment. We’re not built for the moment.”For 30 minutes, the Buffs almost looked built for the College Football Playoff, a fireball of speed and swagger. For the next 30, they looked as if Karl Dorrell ...

Alleged robber captured 1 month after hospitalizing employee of Chinatown business

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

A Los Angeles man has been arrested in connection with a violent robbery at a Chinatown business last month.Courtland Thornton, 31, was captured in Hawthorne on Friday, almost exactly a month after the Sept. 14 robbery in the 800 block of North Broadway, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release.Surveillance video captured Thornton just before noon that day as he entered the businesses, assaulted an employee and stole property from behind the counter, police said."As the employee attempted to stop him, the suspect assaulted the employee," the release said. "The employee was hospitalized for her injuries inflicted by the suspect."Police said Thornton is being held in lieu of $80,000 bail, but jail records indicate an extra $1 million bail was added to Thornton's total in relation to a separate case.No information about his next court date was available.Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Detective Huy Nguyen at 213-996-1875. During non-business hours...

Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed these bills so far

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:58 GMT

With hundreds of bills on his desk and up against an Oct. 14 deadline, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent back 143, or 30%, of the bills lawmakers sent his way as of Oct. 9.In comparison, Newsom vetoed a total of 169 bills last year, accounting for 14% of proposed bills. Cal Matters, which tracks California bills as they move through the Legislature, first reported that Newsom was sent about 700 bills leading up to the deadline. Newsom signs bill banning ‘junk fees’ in California This year, the governor cited that some bills will cost the state too much money, that they went too far on policy too fast, or were simply unnecessary, Cal Matters reported.Here are some of the notable bills Newsom vetoedFree condoms for California high schoolersNewsom rejected the bill that would have made free condoms available to all public high school students in the state, arguing it was too expensive for a state with a budget deficit of over $30 billion.Cannabis cafesAssembly Bill 374 would have allowed Amster...