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Privacy concerns persist in transgender sports case after Utah judge seals only some health records

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Transgender teenagers who are challenging a Utah law banning trans girls from playing on girls’ sports teams can keep portions of their mental health records confidential after a state judge ruled Thursday that some details are irrelevant to the case. Two student-athletes whose families sued over the 2022 state law were ordered in September by Judge Keith Kelly to give state attorneys access to the last seven years of their mental health records, as well as all documents related to medical transition and puberty.Kelly temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the ban, which took effect last year after the Republican-controlled Legislature overrode Gov. Spencer Cox’s veto, while the court continues to assess its legality. Cox drew national attention as one of the few Republican governors who pushed back against state lawmakers’ restrictions on transgender youth, warning that such bans target kids already at a high risk for suicide. Utah is one of more t...

Hunter Biden indicted on tax charges

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

(The Hill) — Hunter Biden has been charged with tax crimes in California, his second indictment from Special Counsel David Weiss as he faces mounting scrutiny over his financial dealings.Hunter Biden will face three felony tax charges in relation to tax evasion and filing a false return, as well as six misdemeanor charges for failure to pay taxes between 2016 and 2019. “Hunter Biden engaged in a four-year scheme in which he chose not to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019 and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns,” prosecutors wrote in a Thursday night press release.Together, the charges carry up to 17 years in prison upon conviction and come as Hunter Biden is facing congressional scrutiny over his business dealings and a subpoena for a deposition next week in connection with their impeachment inquiry.The charges follow the evaporation of a plea deal earlier this year in which...

Two-thirds of Americans think they'll be better off financially in 2024: survey

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

(The Hill) — Most Americans are optimistic about what the next year will bring for them financially, with two-thirds saying they believe they’ll be better off in 2024, according to a new survey from Fidelity Investments.Younger generations were more likely to say they’ll be better off financially next year. Just over three-quarters of Generation Z respondents and 79 percent Millennials said as much, compared to 64 percent of Generation X and 52 percent of Baby Boomers.However, over one-third of Americans in the survey said they are currently in a worse financial situation compared to the same time last year, with the majority attributing the decline to inflation and cost of living increases.Inflation was the top reason that Americans said they were not able to meet their financial goals this year, and it remains one of their top financial concerns for 2024, the Fidelity survey found.Some 40 percent said that inflation’s impact on their day-to-day expenses and saving was their primar...

Central Texas shooting spree suspect cut off ankle monitor in 2022, Bexar County officials say

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

Editor’s note: In the video above, Senator Joan Huffman is referred to as a Dallas-area lawmaker. Sen. Huffman represents Texas Senate District 17, which covers the Houston area. We apologize for the error.AUSTIN (KXAN) – Bexar County officials revealed the man accused of a shooting spree across Central Texas was already facing previous criminal charges in that jurisdiction, including an incident where he cut off his ankle monitor.Shane James, 34, was booked into jail on capital murder charges on Wednesday. He is accused of shooting and killing six people and wounding three others in different locations across Austin, as well as at his family home in San Antonio. BACKGROUND: Texas Senate passes bill on harsher penalties for tampering with ankle monitors In a news conference on Wednesday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar detailed previous interactions his office had with James, stemming from an assault involving family in January 2022. Salazar explained, after conversations with...

HHSC whistleblowers on Medicaid, SNAP delays: 'We need resources' | 100K dropped from Medicaid improperly

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Days after a local congressman asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to investigate months-long delays in Texas, potentially impacting millions of low-income and vulnerable people in the state, the agency is responding.CMS said in August it required Texas to reinstate Medicaid coverage for around 100,000 people who were improperly disenrolled due to 'systems issues,' which it required the state to fix."Any person being improperly disenrolled from health care coverage is unacceptable to this administration," a U.S. Health and Human Services spokesperson said. "HHS' top priority is people maintaining coverage, whether that is through Medicaid, Medicare, the Marketplace, or employer-sponsored insurance."CMS, which is part of HHS, said it will respond directly to U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin. Doggett sent the agency a letter on Monday calling for it to put the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on a corrective action plan following lengthy de...

Home for the holidays: MN National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing returns from deployment

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

Airmen with the Minnesota National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing returned from a three-month deployment to the Horn of Africa in support of the U.S. Africa Command.“Today, we met Airmen on the flight line as they arrived home from their deployment to Africa,” the 133rd posted on Facebook on Thursday. “Families beamed with pride, tears of happiness fell, and cheers of excitement rang out as they deplaned, fist-bumping their buddies and hugging their families tight.“We are so proud of these Airmen and their families for the sacrifices they are willing to make for our state and nation. You are what makes us great. WELCOME HOME!”Related ArticlesNews | Deaths from tainted cantaloupe increase to 3 in U.S. and 5 in Canada News | Minnesota flag finalists to be on display at Mall of America this weekend News | 25 schools, 9 Jewish facilities ‘swatted’ with threats about bombings, shootings, says MN law enforcem...

SSM Health Medical Minute: Wentzville clinic offers Long Acting Injectables to treat behavioral health

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

WENTZVILLE, Mo. - It’s a groundbreaking program changing lives of people who battle chronic mental illness and addictions. The L.A.I. (Long Acting Injectable) clinic is designed to help people with chronic mental struggles and addictions comply with the medical prescriptions needed to treat their symptoms.Traditional prescriptions can mean taking a schedule of oral medications to combat mental illness or substance abuse. SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital in Wentzville offers the L.A.I. clinic as part of its outpatient program, which provides patients with a more convenient solution for medication support.Dr. Shinivas Battula is the psychiatrist and manager of behavioral health who says, "A long-acting injection would work for almost a month, and they don't have to be taking the medications on a daily basis.”  Patients receive a comprehensive team of care, including meeting with Dr. Battula, a pharmacist and a nurse, and if needed, a therapist is in the office to meet wit...

Broncos embrace opportunity to play meaningful football in final month of regular season

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

During safety P.J. Locke’s four years in Denver, he has rarely been in a situation where he is playing meaningful football during the final month of the regular season.With the Broncos sporting a 6-6 record and in the playoff hunt during the 14th week of the season, the vibes are a bit different this year.Denver has injected life into its season, which looked lost back in October. Now that each game down the stretch matters, the Broncos have embraced the challenge and are hungry to make a push for the postseason.“It means a lot. Being able to play high-level football at this time of the month is very important,” cornerback Pat Surtain II said. “We got a couple of tough games, so the main thing is winning our matchups.”Playing football with playoff implications has been a rarity for the Broncos since Super Bowl 50. There’ve been four times when Denver had a .500 or better record through 12 games. But the Broncos fell flat each time.Led by former head coach Vic Fangio in 2...

Light snow in Denver on Friday, up to a foot in the mountains

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

Most of metro Denver will see a few inches of snow on Friday, with up to a foot of snow forecasted to fall in Vail and Aspen, according to the National Weather Service.Snow showers in Denver will likely start after 4 p.m. Friday with a 60 percent chance of precipitation and less than half an inch of accumulation, according to the National Weather Service’s Boulder office.Related ArticlesWeather | 10 Colorado search and rescue operations in 2023, from ill-prepared hikers to a dog on a 14er Weather | Colorado weather: Wind gusts up to 70 mph in the foothills Thursday Weather | Denver weather: Cold front, snow on the way Friday Weather | Colorado’s best winter festivals for 2023-24 Weather | Emergency crews find body of kayaker who went missing on Lake Granby in Northern Colorado Up to 1 inch of snow could fall in Denver on Friday night before tapering off Saturday.Between 1 and 2 inches of snow are f...

Boulder County bighorn sheep was single, ready to mingle … and stuck on a roof

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:48:17 GMT

A bighorn sheep became stuck on the roof and deck of a Boulder County home for more than 24 hours this week, likely while he was looking for a mate, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.A bighorn sheep became stuck on the roof and deck of a Boulder County home for more than 24 hours on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. The ram eventually left after Colorado Parks and Wildlife cut a space in a deck railing. (Provided by Colorado Parks and Wildlife)Wildlife officers responded to a call about a ram stuck on the roof of a house in unincorporated Boulder County on Tuesday, said spokesperson Kara Van Hoos​e. The ram likely became stuck in the morning.“We were hoping he would come down on his own because he’s on the roof and realizes this is not a great spot for him to be,” Van Hoose said.The ram made it down to the deck of the house at some point and officers hoped he might be able to make it all the way down on his own, Van Hoose said. But after a day and a half, the ram wasn’t showing signs he...