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Railroad says Superfund town’s health clinic submitted false medical claims

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A major U.S. railroad found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury that a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren’t sick, earning them lifetime government benefits and bilking taxpayer funds.The case focuses on the Center For Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Montana, and the health clinic’s high-profile doctor, Brad Black, who has been at the forefront of efforts to help residents of the town, which came to national prominence when it was declared a deadly Superfund site in 2000.Since 2003, Black and the CARD clinic have certified more than 3,400 people, primarily from the Libby area, with asbestos-related diseases.BNSF Railway — controlled by billionaire Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate — has alleged during a trial taking place in Missoula that more than half the certifications were based on false medical submissions fr...

Cambodian leader Hun Sen, a huge Facebook fan, says he is jumping ship to Telegram

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a devoted and very active user of Facebook — on which he has posted everything from photos of his grandchildren to threats against his political enemies — said Wednesday that he will no longer upload to the platform and will instead depend on the Telegram app to get his message across.Telegram is a popular messaging app that also has a blogging tool called “channels.” In Russia and some of the neighboring countries, it is actively used both by government officials and opposition activists for communicating with mass audiences. Telegram played an important role in coordinating unprecedented anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020, and currently serves as a major source of news about Russia’s war in Ukraine.The 70-year-old year Hun Sen is listed as having 14 million Facebook followers, though critics have suggested a large number are merely “ghost” accounts purchased in bulk from so-called “click farms,” an assertion th...

WATCH LIVE: Biden delivers 'Bidenomics' remarks in Chicago

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will visit Chicago Wednesday to deliver a speech on what the White House has called "Bidenomics."Biden is due to arrive in Chicago around 10 a.m. and will deliver his address at The Old Post Office in downtown around noon. The speech is to begin a new effort to actively convince a worried public that the U.S. economy is not heading for recession but actually thriving because of his leadership. For him, there's a happy confluence of the coming 2024 reelection campaign and a favorable turn in recent economic data, leading the White House to believe that public messaging about “Bidenomics” will help to rally Democratic voters going into next year.But polling has consistently shown the economy to be a weak spot for Biden's reelection hopes. Just 33% approve of his leadership on the issue, according to a May survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs.Biden is eager to take full political ownership of the U....

A major NHL Draft Day arrives for the Blackhawks, Connor Bedard

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

NASHVILLE — After nearly a year-and-a-half of wondering if they'd get the chance to select one of the best prospects in years, a franchise-changing moment is ahead for the Blackhawks on Wednesday.That's when the team, holding the No. 1 overall selection in the NHL Draft, will likely select heralded center Connor Bedard just after 6 p.m. in Nashville, making him the centerpiece of the team's rebuild. Perhaps for decorum, Davidson's not revealing exactly who he'll take with that top selection, but it's fairly obvious for anyone following hockey who the first person the Blackhawks will take in the 2023 NHL Draft will be."Great player, great person," said Davidson on Tuesday when asked about Bedard when, once again, deciding not to say for sure that he's taking him. "I think everyone's seen how he's handled himself in the leadup to this draft. Obviously, a lot of attention, and thought he's shown a maturity beyond his years." "He's 17 years old, but you'd never known it based on how he'...

Liam Hendriks gets to receive award for perseverance after beating cancer

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

CHICAGO — Once again, Liam Hendriks' successful battle to overcome cancer and return to Major League Baseball has earned him an honor. The White Sox closer will receive The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance from ESPN during their annual "ESPYS" award show that will be held in Los Angeles on July 12. The award bears the name of the late Jim Valvano, the national championship-winning coach of the North Carolina State men's basketball team, who died of cancer in 1993.ESPN announced this morning that White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks will receive the Jimmy V Award for perseverance after his return to the team after beating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. .He'll receive the honor at the 2023 ESPYS on July 12. .@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/NTmRTqeb4O— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) June 28, 2023Hendriks is being recognized first for beating stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, undergoing four rounds of chemotherapy from January through April. He then began to work back into shape ove...

Researchers find meth in snow near Las Vegas, 'forever chemicals' in water across the West

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) - Las Vegas-based researchers are finding so-called “forever chemicals” in water sources across the West and illicit drugs, like meth, in snow, leading scientists to sound the alarm about what the compounds could mean for our health and the environment.Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, known colloquially as PFAS, are a group of chemicals found in manufactured products.“We're not going to be able to get rid of it. It's there. It's floating around in the water,” said Dr. Doug Sims, dean of the College of Southern Nevada’s School of Science, Engineering and Mathematics.Eva Stebel, water researcher, pours a water sample into a smaller glass container for experimentation as part of drinking water and PFAS research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Center For Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response on Feb. 16, 2023, in Cincinnati. The 3M chemical company announced Thursday, June, 22, 2023, a $10.3 billion settlement with U.S. water utilities and agenc...

Texas largemouth bass confirmed as world record catch

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

TYLER, Texas (KETK) - After months of anxiously waiting to hear back from the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), Lea Anne Powell got confirmation that she had officially broken the world record for the biggest largemouth bass ever caught in her line class.Powell explained that the process to get the record confirmed by the IGFA was thorough."The process was fairly intensive. I had to go online, fill out a whole bunch of paperwork and then I actually had to mail in a line sample of the line that was used to catch the fish," said Powell. "All the paperwork, photos and documentation that I have had to go through multiple panels and I believe internationally."Powell added that it took about three months to get official confirmation on the record, but she was so anxious to hear back that she couldn't help herself but keep calling the board to check-in."I submitted everything in March and it was official on June 23," Powell said. "I had been driving them insane by calling. I've b...

Pepsi is launching a condiment made specifically for hot dogs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – It’s all going to the same place anyway, right?PepsiCo — apparently operating under the assumption that people enjoy both soda and hot dogs, and therefore have no qualms about combining the two in the same food item — is launching a new cola-flavored condiment intended to top frankfurters à la ketchup or mustard. Why isn’t beer sold in plastic bottles like soda? Called “Colachup,” the new condiment was developed by Pepsi and the Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) consulting division, according to a press release."The concept is both simple and creative,” David Kamen, the director of client experience for CIA Consulting, was quoted as saying in a press release. “The distinctive flavors and vibrant citrus blend of Pepsi enhances the bright and tangy characteristics of ketchup, offsetting the smokiness of the hot dog."Specifically, Colachup is made with a Pepsi reduction, smoked tomatoes, onion, ketchup and a "delightful blend" of clove, cinnamon, thyme, oregano and pa...

Tracking the Tropics: Is it normal to go without Saharan dust this late?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The tropics have been bustling with activity. Free from Saharan dust, several tropical waves have rolled off the coast of Africa in the last few weeks. But is this trend expected to continue, and could this season see more storms than expected?Plumes of Saharan dust — dry, dusty air carried from the Sahara Desert — are known to stabilize the atmosphere and prevent tropical activity.These plumes typically form over the Sahara Desert during the late spring, summer, and early fall.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says Saharan dust activity typically ramps up in mid-June and peaks from late June to mid-August, with new outbreaks every three to five days.However, a lack of dust has meteorologists questioning whether the rest of the 2023 hurricane season will follow its "near-normal" projection.Because the dusty air has about 50% less moisture than the typical tropical atmosphere, strong downdrafts rip apart any tropical wave unfortunate enou...

Why are many Texans denied SNAP benefits due to car value?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:38:56 GMT

HOUSTON (KIAH) — A new Texas law can affect how those struggling to feed their families may have their benefits adjusted by what kind of car they own.SNAP benefits are eligible to households based on income, resources and family size. As of last month, over a million SNAP benefit cases have been filed across Texas. However, according to Feeding Texas, a food bank nonprofit, more than 54,000 SNAP applicants in Texas were denied due to the value of their vehicles. Here's why. SNAP applications processing faster, backlog and concerns over benefit cuts continues  The Texas Health and Human Services office in Austin said due to House Bill 1287, this will allow for the exclusion of certain resources from applicants when determining eligibility. This means this will increase the fair market value exclusion for the first vehicle from $15,000 to $22,500. Additional vehicles will be based on $4,650-$8,700.HHS said by adjusting the maximum excluded amount for the fair market value of a vehi...